Pearl Riddle for that Steven Universe concept I posted about :33
Red pearls do exist, but they don't form naturally in nature. They're completely man made. To parallel this, Riddle is an off color gem. Unnatural, an outlier of other gems. However, he's intentionally so. He was made to be more than just a standard pearl, carefully engineered for a certain volatile diamond.
I'M ACTUALLY FREAKING OUT THIS IS THE COOLEST AND MOST INSANE GENSHIN AU CONCEPT I HAVE EVER SEEN WHATTT
I'm sure there've been others who already did rambling analyses lol but I'm still gonna ramble anyway because I have thoughts-
(also note that I'm not fully caught up on all Genshin lore yet and I last left off on 4.6 content or something asldkfjasdklj)
First of all I love how Traveller is drawn, clearly worn down from their adventures in Teyvat with visible cuts/scars, worn clothing, a tired look on their face, etc. This is closer to how I think they would actually look in canon, maybe not with the loss of light in their eyes (obviously it makes sense in this au context though) but after all they've been through so far in the actual game and missing their sibling, I think the journey would've definitely left some marks on them even though they've been to so many other worlds before this. Also the addition of spikes to the shoulder plates is really cool and makes Aether's top in particular look more like armor. I also saw someone else point this out, but Paimon is noticably colored much brighter than everyone else here which gives her a whole different vibe. It's really interesting because, considering certain lore and all those theories about Paimon being one of the most important characters in the game as well as likely having memory loss at some point (idk if this still applies in this au), it makes a lot of sense. If she is like a divine being of some sort, I see it as maybe representing the fact that she hasn't been corrupted like the archons or something like that.
Onto the archons and their nations themselves, everything is so twisted and I love it. Just as the archons have become corrupted, cursed, or infected, their nations have been affected by it as well and turned their ideals on the head.
Mondstadt, which should be the land of freedom, is totalitarian. Unlike the Barbatos/Venti in the game, this one forces people to live a certain way and "worship" him. It's also interesting how his ability to use and hear through the wind is used here; he uses it manipulatively. His reach across Teyvat and his ability to affect others from far away because he is a wind spirit plays well into this, and also my own personal theory that canonically he is not as "weak" as he says he is. I also find it interesting how out of all the archon/god designs here, Venti's/Barbatos is most similar to his canon design.
I love how the ideal/concept of contracts is used for this version of Liyue, just how intense and binding they really are here. Instead of being a land of prosperity like how it is in the game, rich with culture and commerce, this Liyue uses povety and debt as a way to gain "wealth". The part about child sacrifice definitely reminds me of just how dark Liyue lore actually is because that is really true to some of its actual history canonically. And like Barbatos, this Morax demands offerings rather than letting his people be free to choose how they want to live and revere him. "His divine path is strewn with the bodies of his former allies." This is a great line because it applies to both canon and the au in completely different ways. In canon, his past is filled with war and loss, both those caused by him and done to or around him. Despite this, he is mostly respected and seems to be good-hearted with genuine care for his nation. On the other hand, this version of Morax doesn't truly care for his people, and even goes as far as killing them just because they can't keep up the end of their contracts, which I assume they didn't even want to sign in the first place. His design here pulls off the vibe of his character really well, and are those bodies hanging off his horns/antlers? The visuals are immaculate and it's so creative how his humanoid and dragon forms are combined here.
It's scary how, in an even darker and twisted way, this version of Inazuma is very similar to the canon Inazuma. Just like in canon, the deserprate attempt to keep everything "eternal" results in death, destruction, and a stifling of true progress or paradise. Watatsumi Island being the one place of resistance and life is so good, and I like its role here a lot. Watatsumi Island and the whole resistance arc had so much potential in the game that I feel like was very rushed and so much more could've been done with it, and I like the twist on it in this version. The Shogun (here, being Baal-Zebul) being a combination of both Ei and Makoto (Beelzebul and Baal) as conjoined twins is such a horrifying and amazing concept that fits right in with the nation. I like how it looks like half of the body is already dead/rotting away and the other half is still alive and in control, mirroring the state of the land and its people, as well as the canon where Makoto is dead and Ei desperately tries to uphold her idea of "eternity" because of how much the loss of her twin devastated her, and in turn harming everyone when she thought it was what must be done. The concept of puppets/dolls being very important in Inazuma lore and culture fits perfectly here; everyone is puppeteered even after they're dead, even the archon herself.
I'm actually struggling to come up with words for Sumeru. This takes the canon so accurately once again, and twists it hard. The implementation of the disappearances, the social hierarchy, the distortion of the views and system of the Akademiya, Nahida/Buer's abilities and trappedness, it's all so accurate yet also goes deeper than how it plays out in the story. Honestly this version of Sumeru is a bit more similar to how I imagined it was going to be in the game. Sumeru didn't disappoint at all for me, but I like this even darker take on it. The corruption of Buer here is intriguing; instead of acknowleding that forbidden knowledge should be avoided lest the rest of Teyvat will be negatively affected, she actively gives it out to others just so she herself can be freed. Unlike in the canon story, it is her who is responsible for the people's corruption and not just the social systems and those in high positions. As for the design, Rukkhadevata being the tree and Nahida/Buer's design taking inspiration from Hindu gods is great symbolism, and I love the binary codes in the background as it reflects the way that Irminsul is similar to a computer database. I have a feeling the specific codes used here probably have a meaning as well, though I'm too lazy to translate them right now XD
Maybe I'm biased because Fontaine is my favorite arc of the game so far, but wow this twist on it is so dang good. The justice system is corrupted just like in canon, but instead of sacrificing herself, this Focalors sacrifices everyone else and believes that everyone truly is a "sinner". The people are still ignorant, and the flood is still inevitable. Also, the Fortress of Meropede in this version fits the vision I had for it in my head more than the canon version. I'm in love with the twist here so so much, that Focalors is the first to be cursed even though she wanted to "avoid the fate of the other gods", and in a way that makes a lot of sense as she seperated her humanity from herself, in the literal sense, but also playing into the symbolism of it. Instead of "enjoying" the trials, the Furina here "enjoys" the executions, but it is only because she is forced to, just like in canon where she watches every trial in hopes that she would finally be let go of her torturous role as the "archon", waiting for the "trial to end all trials" to finally take place. I am curious what Neuvillette's role would be in this version of Fontaine. His eye is shown in this design in his dragon form, maybe observing Focalors and all of Fontaine, which is such a cool mirror to the canon where Focalors is behind the scenes and Neuvillette is the face to the public alongside Furina. It looks like Focalors' design is inspired by the fact that oceanid souls can converge in water. And just like in canon, it seems like Furina just can't get out of suffering. :'D She is a human, yet kept together by mechs because alone she would not be able to withstand all this torture and years of "living". The water drop symbol on Focalors is also notably red here, not blue or white. That probably represents the bloodshed and sacrifices of the people of Fontaine, and death in general.
Since I haven't gotten to Natlan in the game's story yet, I don't have as much to say yet in regards to connecting this au's details to the canon for Natlan and beyond, but there are still a lot of things I find fascinating.
The art for Natlan's archon is the most intense in my opinion, which makes sense as this is the nation of war. The style resembles that of ancient Aztec art (I think, please correct me if I'm wrong), fitting in with some Aztec rituals involving human sacrifice, and the skulls or bodies of certain warriors and sacrificial victims being displayed.
I really can't wait to get to Nod-Krai to see what everything's about, but also to see how this au twisted it. From the few spoilers I've heard, Nod-Krai is kind of part of Snezhnaya but also it's own seperate thing? I think I see how that was implemented here, being a place that no one can find unless they have been deemed a criminal. And I absolutely love this Columbina. I have heard a few things about canon Columbina and how so far she doesn't fit what the common fanon was/is of her being a horrifying elderitch being (sort of similar to popular depictions of beings similar to "Biblically accurate" angels) who seems kind/gentle on the surface (having two very contrasting faces/sides), but this version definitely fits the idea I had/have in mind for her character. I also heard she has something to do with the three moon sisters, which I'm guessing is where the three heads come from for the alternate design.
Overall, amazing work op, this is literally so insane and must've taken so much work, thinking, and time AAAAAAAAAAAAA
We recently learned a lot more about what each dorm offers its students in terms of amenities and house culture!! I did my best to compile those details here, as well as add other bits of lore we previously knew from other parts of Twst.
Heartslabyul
The second oldest dorm at NRC.
The rose maze changes shape according to the commands of the dorm leader. The flowers are always in eternal bloom.
Their rose trees attack people if they try to climb the hedges or use flight.
They raise flamingos and hedgehogs.
There is a courtroom in which they hold trials and important ceremonies like singing for the hedgehogs when they sneeze.
All the flora are carefully cultivated magical plants. They can walk if ordered to.
Unbirthday parties are held in the rose garden when no student has a birthday on a particular date.
The current students did not plant the flowers and trees; they were inherited from previous generations. In this way, they can be considered historic items, and thus Riddle becomes furious when the roses are not treated well.
The dormitory’s interior has a tendency to undergo sudden updates and layout changes. Staircases can "move around" or vanish, and the doors and rooms can rearrange at random.
Heartslabyul sets a watchman.
Riddle expects even visitors to adhere to the rules and to not cause a disturbance.
There are upside down chairs and floating picture frames in the hall, as well as rooms where directions are flipped and places where the floor is so warped you cannot tell how to walk on it.
The stairs are enchanted; on Thursdays, they gain 60 more steps.
There is no flying allowed inside the dorm.
The kitchen has a heart-shaped door. Its cupboards are all wobbly.
The fridge is often packed with baked goods due to unbirthday party planning.
The washroom resembles a flower field. The sinks resemble bottles underneath; the water inside circulates via magic.
You must fold your sleeves three times for washing your face. This is regardless of if you have short sleeves or a tank top, to ensure a clean shared space.
The lounge had a clear view of the rose gardens from inside. Flowers decorate the lounge; they are picked by Riddle and then arranged by Trey (who initially wasn’t very good at it).
At the end of the day, dorm members gather and like up by their suit. Then the dorm leader leads a recitation of the rules. (Visitors must join in too.) This was a tradition started by the first dorm leader and then revived by Riddle. If someone messes up, they are scolded in front of everyone.
Savanaclaw
Its students are usually athletes. They also tend to be hot-headed.
The walkway area opens to a big glass wall so there is light all year round. The ceilings are high and the halls have an open atrium.
The dorm leader’s room is on the topmost floor. When he steps outside and looks down, he can see everything. This is meant to emulate the time when the King of Beasts inspired the hyenas to follow him by the light of the moon.
Savanaclaw has a magift/spelldrive field and what is basically a gym with the latest training machines next to that. It used to be a storage place for sports equipment.
Leona describes his students as rough troublemakers. They are also very competitive.
Their lounge has a waterfall that actually flows continuously. It keeps the area cool and is meant to represent the beautiful savanna environment.
The lounge chairs are very comfortable. Apparently the students have staked their claim on the chairs, calling it their “territory”.
In territorial disputes, you’re meant to settle matters with your fists (well, arm wrestling). Prior to Leona being dorm leader, violent brawls were a constant occurrence to resolve problems.
Leona explains arm wrestling is a superior way for conflict resolution, since no one gets hurt physically and it’s a good way to relieve stress. Plus, the students can fix their issues without having to call for him.
In Savanaclaw, “survival of the fittest” mentality runs deep and physical strength is prized.
Octavinelle
Octavinelle’s hallways have glass corridors so you can gaze out into the sea, fish, coral, and underwater plants at all times. It was made this way so you can always see the sea and has always been a part of Octavinelle’s design.
The glass is reinforced with magic so it can withstand the strong water pressure. It didn’t break even when Floyd hit it when he was in a bad mood.
The dorm is unique because it is the only one located in a sea.
The Mostro Lounge is a student-run café in Octavinelle. It was started over a year ago when Azul and Crowley made a deal: return the magic of several contracted students in return for permission to run the café. 10% of its proceeds go back to NRC.
There is one drink purchase minimum if you want to be seated in the Mostro Lounge.
No fighting is allowed inside the lounge, as it is considered a “gentlemanly” place. If you make a fuss, Jade and/or Floyd will escort you out (by force, if necessary).
Azul studied interior design intently to design a place where gentlemen could socialize. Floyd was asked to rearrange the furniture a lot, and Jade provided input since he used to frequent cafés and restaurants.
Azul wanted to make a dimly lit place with calm vibes. It’s an “adult” or “grown-up” feeling space for students.
Mostro Lounge has comfortable seats and luxurious decorations. Azul was very particular about the expensive jellyfish chandeliers.
The VIP Room is even more fancy and more heavily furnished than the Mostro Lounge. It is for special clientele.
The VIP Room is completely soundproof. No matter how loud you screen or cry, you won’t be heard.
Octavinelle’s lounge has a big sofa. Apparently it was refurnished when Azul became dorm leader. The furniture used to be so old that they broke when larger students sat down on it.
They regularly have debate tournaments. They started because a student was previously framed by another student and was forced to admit fault for the something he wasn’t actually guilty of (the failure of a magical pharmaceuticals assignment).
If even one of their students makes a mistake, the entire dorm looks bad. Thus, debate tournaments exist to help students practice arguing themselves out of difficult situations.
If there are leftover ingredients at the Mostro Lounge when they close for the day, they are used to prepare dishes for the dorm’s students to eat together. Azul claims it helps eliminate food waste and helps build a sense of community in Octavinelle.
Their students are known for their intelligence.
Scarabia
Scarabia was renovated with funds donated from the Asims once Kalim enrolled. Before this, the interior was more dark red and subdued. The dorm has a lot of gold now.
The shape of their roofs emulates the roofs of the Scalding Sands.
Scarabia live under the motto "plan with deep anticipation".
Students are resourceful and often excel in astrology and ancient incantations. They often rival Octavinelle in terms of grades.
There are pots with traditional Scalding Sands designs everywhere for decoration. They are worth 4 million madol each.
The storeroom is currently used to hold a bunch of gold, jewels, and other treasures Kalim’s dad sent to school.
Kalim has a diorama corner in the storeroom, which has a miniature version of the dorm. (He also has one back home, but of his house.) It has a functioning mini fountain. There are also lights, moving parts, and animal toys. He likes to play a game where you try to stack the animals as high as you can without letting them topple over.
Jamil or some other Scarabia member runs pat-downs on those who enter the storeroom. They’ve had incidents in the past where people stole valuables.
The storeroom is guarded by anti-theft magic. Those who try to leave with items will be zapped by a strong electrical current.
The carpets and cushions in the lounge are highly detailed. They’re made for lying in and relaxing.
They have a lantern that resembles a face hanging in the lounge. It was there before the renovations.
Scarabia students tend to be carefree, lazy, and even spoiled. Lots of them eat while lying on the floor.
Kalim has a magic carpet which he keeps in the storeroom. He borrowed it from his dad.
Scarabia’s sky is beautiful at night.
Pomefiore
Pomefiore is the oldest and most historic dorm.
Anyone that does not keep up their appearance won’t be allowed inside.
They have a ballroom where students can practice dancing.
Its students excel in potionology and curses.
Pomefiore’s interior is styled to resemble a castle, with plenty of fine detail, luxury, and glamour. The floor is meant to resemble a red carpet.
Students often discuss their looks and have stereotypically feminine hobbies + interests. As Rook describes it, everyone is pursuing their own beauty. Many students also seem to come from well-off families, as they already arrive speaking in very refined ways and with knowledge of luxury items.
The washroom is usually very crowded. Students frequently check their makeup and skin condition in the mirrors, so the wait for your turn to go is very long.
The washroom mirrors have lighting like the ones in actors’ dressing rooms and high-definition mirrors that accurately show makeup colors.
There are other specialized mirrors like ones that recreate different lighting and climate so you can always see how you look in different conditions and inverting mirrors, so you can see how you appear in others’ eyes.
The basement/crypt houses a potions lab. Normally, outsiders would not be allowed in. It has a reputation for being scary.
Their lab has a strong smell, is quiet, and the air conditioning does not work well. Many dorm leaders have conducted experiments in the lab.
The lab is set up so that is it very easy to grab things and start concocting as soon as an idea strikes you.
The lounge has a peacock throne that is inspired by the seat the Fairest Queen sat in. The furnishings and chandeliers are also inspired by her elegance.
The lounge apparently took a long time to design. The goal is to help students appreciate the diligence and aesthetics of the lounge.
Relaxing music plays in the lounge around nighttime. It is supposed to help improve your quality of sleep. This was introduced by past dorm members.
Another system emits a flowery smell late in the day. It is also supposed to support sleep. The current aroma dispersed is made by Rook.
There is a special drink (hot water) every student has before bed. It is served from a special vase.
Pomefiore grows many poisonous plants and flowers.
Students magically cultivate apple trees in the garden for use in a special spell.
Ignihyde
The newest dorm.
Ignihyde has gone through transitions since it was first built. Originally, the interior was more old-fashioned and solemn to resemble a stone temple.
There are pillars with arial displays; the pillars are a remnant of its original design.
As technology advanced, more students who were good with engineering joined Ignihyde. This led to them pursuing greater convenience when they gathered, but modded the dorm so heavily that Crowley scolded them for it.
Ignihyde is rigged with facial recognition software at its entrance which prevents non-Ignihyde residents from entering.
There servers and network systems are in the deepest part of Ignihyde, so the security there is much more strict, requiring fingerprint authentication, a retinal scan, and a password.
If you fail facial recognition three times, an infrared beam will fire at the outsider. It won’t kill you, but it will scorch you.
Some students blend in with normies, rather than looking like the typical otaku who don’t care about their appearances.
The students used their own money to buy and install communal washroom appliances to increase efficiency. (Crowley refuses to buy luxury items for them.)
These communal appliances include a salon-style standing hairdryer (which allows you to multitask while your hair dries), a steaming iron that fixes even the most stubborn wrinkles and cleans lint, and a massage chair with a foot bath function and a hot eye mask.
Student researchers suffer from back pain and stiff backs because of how sedentary they are.
The Ignihyde boys’ muscle flexibility is 40% lower than that of the average teenage boy.
The lounge is shaped like a colosseum.
The lounge has high spec computers which can run powerful simulations.
A robot vacuum cleans the dorm every few hours. It has been modified to be quiet and work fast with a strong suction.
Ignihyde students tend to be shy/quiet, serious, and/or not very outgoing, sometimes confined to their own rooms.
Ignihyde students often get inspiration from listening to their peers mutter. They tend to look down and mumble instead of making direct eye contact and speaking directly.
However, the students are capable of chatting about their interests, like manga and academic papers. Sometimes the discussions become extremely heated because everyone has their own research specialties and refuse to compromise on their preferences.
Even when it’s lights out, debates can continue over group messages until the morning.
Students rarely interact with other dorms. Even very sociable students like Cater say they don't have a single friend from Ignihyde.
Its students excel in tech-related fields.
Diasomnia
Third oldest dorm at NRC.
Sunlight is scarce.
Diasomnia’s briar acts as a magical defense system, behaving similarly to Heartslabyul's roses and obeying the commands of the dorm leader.
Since Malleus came into power, the briar have become basically obsolete since he’s able to provide the same defenses (or better) using his own magic
The drawbridge to the castle is enchanted to raise to deny intruders entry. You must have authorization of the dorm leader to be allowed in. This is to emulate the same drawbridge the Thorn Witch had in her castle.
Diasomnia is built from stone. It has very few changes made to it.
The ceiling has black briar-like ornaments to create a solemn atmosphere.
There is a room that Lilia uses as his spare storage room for items he obtained on his worldly travels. In fact, Diasomnia has a lot of spare rooms.
Sebek wants to make a library, Silver wants to make a broom first-aid room stocked with healing potions + bandages, and Lilia wants to decorate a room to help visitors feel at ease. However, Malleus says they should not decorate spare rooms without permission.
Candles with green flames are all over the dorm.
They used to have a TV in the lounge, but Malleus “silenced” it forever with magic by accident.
Their closing assembly is a long-time tradition. It started with the intent of raising awareness and promoting community. The dorm leader basically recounts their day at school.
Diasomnia students are highly disciplined and move in a very militaristic in-sync manner.
They generally look up to their leader Malleus, praise him, and seek to emulate his behaviors.
Diasomnia students in particular are hostile to outsiders and dent entry even to those with permits.
@plushieray2 took a long time but it’s finished. Worth staying up at 4 am in the morning. After seeing how Ace got his scar and riddle’s blot claws, I decided to draw this
I got a question about drawing injuries, and I typed up a pretty lengthy response so I wanted to share it here as well.
I get asked a lot about hand strains and injuries, and it is something most artists have to face one time or another just because we work so hard for our dreams. I personally don’t get strains or injuries, both for art and for piano playing when I still majored in it, two main creative paths where hand/arm injuries are common. My hands rarely feel tired and when they do, I stop drawing. So when I get asked, I usually can only offer the fact that you can find a lot of carpal tunnel exercises on google and there’s nothing else I know about relief exercises, other than I find that flinging my hands also help loosen them up a bit.
The most important thing about this issue is actually prevention rather than relief. I would like to believe this approach is what prevented me from getting injured–I’ve never really been a push through the pain type person, and glorifying suffering and pain as a sign of hard work is definitely unhealthy, as those are huge signals from your body telling you to stop. There are many things that I know for sure strains your hands much more than anything else that I will list below, and I believe that, if it is possible for you, the most efficient way to deal with injury is to find out which of these things is the cause and working around it.
The first big cause is posture; if your arms have no support points (ie you have to hold your elbow up with your muscles or tense your wrist to maintain stability) you will strain much easier, just like how you get tired easier standing at an uncomfortable pose vs a well grounded one. So be sure to seat yourself so that you have somewhere to rest your arm while drawing, while your body is at a relaxed angle with full support. For a normal tablet, rest your arm and wrist somewhere on the table or the tablet. For a Cintiq or tablet monitor, try having it upright so that your elbow can rest on your desk, and your wrist can rest on the cintiq screen, and you only need to use your fingers to control the pen.
The second cause is your grip on the pen. This can be caused by your need for precision/speed of repetitive movement/pressure. Line art, or cross hatching, or pressing hard to get the darkness of the brush you need, are all high stress activities that strains your hand much more than, say, rendering or putting down a base painting. Knowing that, you can:
Use a higher brush opacity or turn off pressure sensitivity for opacity to prevent yourself from having to press really hard to get brush impact you want.
Go to your wacom tablet preferences if you have one, and set the hardness of the brush so that it’s easier to get the brush opacity/size you want. You want to have the problem of having to try to press lighter for lighter lines, rather than having to press harder for darker/thicker lines. The latter strains much more than the former.
If your grip of the pen is too tight purely because the pen is slippery/too small for you/hard to grip, such as old bamboo tablets, there are rubber tablet pen paddings that you can buy online, or you can just use a layer of masking tape all around the grip area to increase friction/grip comfort and make it easier for yourself to hold your pen. A Cintiq or Intuos Pro pen is ideally what you want your pen to feel like: have friction on the surface so your fingers don’t slip, large enough so it rests and takes up space comfortably between your thumb and index fingers without you tensing and curling your hand inwards really hard, and shaped so that your grip is stopped right before the cone of the tip, preventing slipping.
The third cause is the schedule of your drawing. This may or may not be possible to change because for a lot of us, a deadline is a deadline. But try to space your tasks so that you cycle between intense, detailed, hand-straining work, and relaxing, loose, more brainstorming work. The latter is excellent for hand rest while still being productive creative work. For example, if you are drawing comic pages, it might make sense in terms of efficiency to sketch 10 pages, then ink 10 pages, then tone 10 pages. But when you are inking those 10 pages consecutively, that’s when you give your hands no rest and your hand will start to hurt a lot, while you have no choice but to push through the pain to get the work done. Instead, try to draw these pages one by one, or have a few drawings at various stages of completion to rotate between. eg. you work on inking drawing A, then when you feel your hands are strained, switch to putting down loose underpainting for drawing B, switch back to inking drawing A, then start brainstorming drawing C and think more/draw less. Give your hands some natural times to rest up with less intense work, and you get work done without having to lose time by having to really stop drawing altogether.
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As tempting as it is to try to feel like you are working as hard as you can to achieve your dreams and aspirations, while feeling guilty about resting/taking the more relaxing route, remember that your hands make your art possible, so treat them well!
I’ve finished redesigning mermaid venti as I didn’t really like how I designed him previously. I’ve thought of him being a Betta fish(being multiple different types) cause how elegant and beautiful they are, minus the territorial behavior