A cozy quilt for the first day of a prompt list I found on Youtube from Diane Antone Studio. I am loosely following it to try and do some artworks not Pokemon related. Mainly to see if I can get out of my art block I got going. Gotta still try to make Pokemon fanart... Just trying to get myself out of a rut to actually do more than the bare minimum prompt list for this month.
Summary: Naofumi has been through a lot. He quelled frenzied Nobles and technical gods, survived the wilds of Hisui, and more. All in the name of finding all the Pokemon of Hisui. Yet, being isekai'd a second time to be the Shield Hero of another world right at the last Pokemon? Naofumi is not dealing with another shit. Add in Volo is the new Seven Star Staff Hero, a oddly parallel to Commander Kamado, and three overconfident fellow heroes.. Naofumi just wants to complete the Pokedex with finding Giratina and prevent another Red Sky incident. At least he has all his Pokemon with him to help him.
Wordcount: 4362
Note: Trying something here and posting this snippet of a new story here on Tumblr. Mostly with feeling bad working on this instead of my AO3 piece: Recourse of the Otherworldly Trainer. Posting this here for an interest check. As well as try out posting on Tumblr since this blog will be my main fanwork and fanfic blog. I am gonna be posting some original artworks this month here, but thinking of making a new blog if ya'll prefer I stick to fanart and fanfics only here. However, hope you all enjoy this first chapter. Let me know what ya'll think of it.
Nothing... Naofumi felt nothing until a sharp pain. His throbbing nose brought him back to reality. His vision blurred, spinning as he tried to pick himself up.
'What hit me? That alpha Garchomp from the Icelands?' Naofumi hissed, feeling wetness dripping down his lips. His hand shot up to his nose... Thankfully, intact, but quite sore and bleeding.
"I need to-" The instant Naofumi's vision cleared... It turned red. "You!"
"Wha-You-ACK!" Naofumi's fist connected to flesh. A clear metal ping came instead of a solid smack. Naofumi ignored the sound, yanking the man below him up by the hair and repeatedly punched him in the face.
"You little bastard!" The man clawed and whacked at Naofumi, more strange ping sounds came to Naofumi's ears. He yelped when his hair was grabbed and the duo tumbled around while punching at each other. "What in Arceus have you done?!"
"More you!" Naofumi hissed back. "The whole reason my memory is gone is because of you!"
"Me? Isn't Arceus-"
"YOU caused the damn rift, ASSHOLE!"
"How dare you use that slang at me you-"
"ENOUGH!!" Naofumi looked up and paled at the spears trained onto him and the man he held down. "Stand down or else-"
"Or-" PING!
Naofumi raised a brow with his fist in the man's face... Moreover, instead of his hand, a large metal plate attached to his fist blocked the man's face.
"So... That's what's been making that noise."
"Muugh!" The man clawed at Naofumi, his hand grabbing Naofumi's neck.
CLANK!
"Huh?" Naofumi felt some kind of... barrier? Something invisible kept the man's nails and fingers from his neck. It was almost like a Mr. Mime barrier when Naofumi tried to see the action.
"BOTH OF YOU STOP!" Naofumi found a spear right at his forehead and decided not to test the barrier he felt. He rather not take a blade to the forehead.
"Fine..." Naofumi removed the metal plate from the man's face. A snarling scowl welcomed Naofumi before nervously sideeyeing the spear blades near him. "I'll deal with you later, Volo."
"I could say the same to you, Naofumi." Volo snorted, getting up carefully. The spearmen allowed Naofumi and Volo to stand up, but kept their weapons up. "So... Who are our hosts?"
"Don't know." Naofumi furrowed his brow. Wasn't...
Wasn't...
"Ugh." Naofumi grabbed his head. A headache split his forehead.
"Weren't we fighting before?"
"I..." Yes, Naofumi was fighting Volo...But, everything was fuzzy and hazy in detail. Where were they fighting at?
Naofumi could barely grasp the why:
Volo was the culprit for the Time-Space Rift and the Red Sky.
"Who are-"
"Volo, what in the hell are you wearing?" Naofumi snorted. He fought not to laugh at the white toga and green pants the merchant was wearing... Volo's hair was a mess, but Naofumi could faintly remember it was in some kind of different hairstyle to his normal one.
"How dare you-"
"Hu-hum." A cough got Naofumi and Volo's attention. A man in a dark robe and a metal band around his head stepped forward. "E-Excuse me, heroes, but why are you two fighting each other?"
"Heroes?" Naofumi's snort almost choked him.
"Heroes? What are you talking about, good sir?" Volo pointed at the man... With a long wood staff? Naofumi noticed a purplish gem in the nub near the top. The word “magic staff” quickly came to his mind with no explanation.
"Ack!" The robed man and others ducked or moved out of the way from the staff. "Wait... That is the Seven Star Staff?" The robed man looked pale before pointing at Naofumi and Volo. "One... Two... Three... Four... Five?" Naofumi blinked at seeing three other young men standing nearby and looking a bit meek at Naofumi. Each of them held a weapon with a colored gem in each weapon. Naofumi looked at the metal plate's front and found a greenish gem embedded in the plate.
Oh, wait. A faint memory hit Naofumi.
"The Records of the Four Holy Weapons?" Naofumi whispered, the details slipping his fingers.
"Wait... Wasn't that the title of the book you were reading at the campsite?" Volo asked, looking confused at Naofumi.
"Shit." Naofumi hissed, "We've been isekai'd."
"What in Arceus is 'isekai'd'?" Volo screamed out as Naofumi howled into laughter. The spearmen, robed men, and three young men looked on in confusion as Naofumi's fit of laughter filled the room.
>--------------<
"So... Along with summoning the Four Legendary Heroes... A new Seven Star Staff Hero was summoned as well?" Naofumi gripped on his straw hat, hiding his scowl from... the regal man sitting on some stupid large chair. The word "throne" whispered in Naofumi's mind... But he couldn't make out why this... gaudy man was sitting on an over fancy chair in a huge, over-decorated room.
'Maybe he's a king...' Naofumi thought before taking a deep breath. No... A foul taste formed in Naofumi's mouth with how haughtier this... king was compared to Commander Kamado.
"Yes, my sire." The robed man said while kneeling before the king. "We... would have been here sooner... But the Shield Hero and the Staff Hero..."
'Don't you dare push the blame on me.' The robed man looked like he choked when he glanced back at Naofumi and the other "heroes."
"The Shield and Staff?" The king's eyes landed on Naofumi. The instant their eyes met, Naofumi felt his spine crawl. Flashes of the Red Sky hit Naofumi... Specifically, the look on the Commander's face while banishing Naofumi.
"And what were-"
"T-They were fighting each other." The robed man quickly bowed his head. "They were at their throats before the knights came in and defused the situation."
"And why may you two heroes be at your throats?" Naofumi bit his lip. He wanted to snarl at the... king. Tell him it was none of his business.
"Ah, why young Naofumi and I just had a... nasty spat between us." Volo slyly smiled at the king. "We both had something the other wanted and didn't want to hand it over to each other. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Nothing, you-" Naofumi stopped when the knights stood ready to spear him.
"Stand down." The king ordered and the knights frowned while lowering their weapons. "Please put aside your differences in my presence. You must be confused by your situation."
'No shit, Sherlock!' Naofumi bit his lip once more... And pondered what or who Sherlock was.
"Allow me to explain. I am the king of these lands, Melromarc. My name is Aulcray Melromarc XXXII. This country, no, this world is on the brink of destruction!"
"Well, I guess that makes sense considering you'd call for us from another world." One of the young men said and Naofumi narrowed his eyes at the smug looks on the three young men.
"Yeah, figures."
'What do you three know?' Naofumi pondered before the king went into a "regal" tale of a prophecy.
Many waves would appear, and they would wash over the world, again and again, until nothing remains. Unless the waves were repelled and their accompanying calamities avoided, the world was doomed. The prophecy was from long ago, though the time it spoke of was now, this very moment. There was also a large ancient hourglass that would signal the times. The hourglass predicted the arrival of the waves, and its sands began to fall one month ago. According to legend, the waves would come in one-month intervals.
'One month...' Naofumi shuttered. 'Wait... Wasn't the Red Sky...'
Be-be-be-beep!
"Well, speak of-"
"Shut it." Naofumi snapped at Volo while pulling out a white and gold phone from his satchel. Naofumi looked at the screen and his frown deepened.
"Seek out the last Pokemon, the lost one."
"The last..." Naofumi whispered, details coming to him. He had completed the Pokedex except for one Pokemon. One Volo mentioned before at some ruins?
'Giratina?' Naofumi thought before looking up at a whistle. The three young men were looking at Naofumi with a little annoyance.
"Um... Could you silence your phone? Isn't it rude to have it going off in the presence of a king?" The bow holder of the trio asked.
"How do you even have a signal in another world?"
"More it's probably some game notification telling him his energy back during AFK." The spear holder laughed. Naofumi found his confused look mirrored with Volo's.
'How do I silence an Arc Phone?' Naofumi looked back at the device before putting it away. 'They know what a phone is... Do they come from the same space as me?'
"Aren't you gonna apologize for-"
"Hmph." Naofumi huffed and glared at the trio. They looked away from him.
"Hu-hum. Now, thanks to the Legendary weapons, you heroes can understand our language. This is the same for the Seven Star Staff Hero."
"What's a Seven Star Staff Hero?" Volo asked, "You make it sound like I'm not one of the Legendary Heroes."
"You are not. The Seven Star Heroes have similar weapons to the Legendary Four Weapons, but they are weaker and the weapons often choose a hero from the local population. This is my first time seeing another world person being chosen for such a role." The king answered. "The Seven Star Heroes are currently active protecting the lands from the Waves, but they can only hold off the Waves for so long. Only the wielders of the Four Legendary Weapons can become strong enough to repel the later Waves."
"So, there's a time limit to prepare for these Waves?" The sword holder asked. "Though, it seems all fine and good... for you."
"Yeah. I think I understand where you're coming from... But does that mean you are basically commanding us to help?" The bow holder tapped his bow on his shoulder.
"I agree. All this sounds pretty self-centered to me. If your world is on the road to destruction, just let it burn. I don't see what it has to do with us."
"What the fuck are you three saying?" Naofumi asked, completely dumbfounded by the trio.
"..." Naofumi did not blame Volo moving slightly closer to him and away from the trio. Naofumi's stomach was in his throat when he saw smug looks on the trio.
"Hmmm..." The king shot his retainer a sidelong glance. "Of course we are planning on compensating you all for your efforts."
'Seriously?' The trio fist pumped in celebration. Naofumi, however, felt dejavu very deeply.
"Naturally," continued the king. "I've made arrangements to support you financially, and also to provide you with whatever you may require, in thanks for your efforts on our behalf."
"Oh, yeah? Cool. Well, as long as you'll promise us that, I don't think we'll have a problem."
"Don't think you've bought us off. As long as we aren't enemies, I'll help you out though."
"Agreed."
"..." Volo and Naofumi shared a side glance to each other.
"Very well then, Heroes. Tell us your names."
Naofumi didn't bother to follow what the trio said outside each other's names.
Ren Akami the Sword Hero.
Motoyasu Kitamura the Spear Hero.
Itsuki Kawasumi the Bow Hero.
All three had surnames.
"I'm Volo, a merchant from the Ginkyo Guild and fan of ruins. I guess I am the Staff Hero." Volo introduced himself with his customer service smile.
A smile that was so fake now to Naofumi.
"Now then. Ren, Motoyasu, Itsuki, and Volo, correct?"
"You forgot me." Naofumi snapped, a bit more gruffy than he expected.
"Ah, yes. Pardon me, Shield Hero. I was expecting only four heroes." A lame excuse, but Naofumi ignored it.
"Naofumi Iwatani is my name." Naofumi tilted his hat slightly in greeting. Silence filled the room and Naofumi squirmed inside from awkwardness.
"What about your age and occupation?" Itsuki asked in a whisper.
"Fine... I am 20. I'm a Sur-" Naofumi bit his lip. "A mercenary for hire." He corrected before glaring at the condescending look from Volo.
"A mercencary?" The king asked with some genuine interest.
"I... was employed with an organization, but no longer work with them outside one corps."
All to finish the Pokedex.
To seek out all Pokemon.
That was the only reason Naofumi hadn't stopped his work with the Survey Corps of the Galaxy Team.
"I see. Now then, Heroes. Please confirm your status, and give yourselves an objective evaluation."
"Huh?"
"Excuse me, but how are we supposed to evaluate ourselves?"
Ren let out a sigh before he spoke up. "You mean to say you all haven't figured it out yet. Didn't you realize it the moment you arrived here?"
"It's kind of hard to notice something you don't know." Ren jumped at Naofumi's words. "I can barely remember my name, thank you very much."
"Oh... Um..." Ren and the two others paled. "You don't have your memories?"
"Only the last few months." Was it months? Naofumi found it harder and harder to keep track of time.
"Oh... Um. I mean, look in the corner of your vision for an icon."
Naofumi noticed a small square with a basic person symbol in it right on the soft edges of his vision. The icon then suddenly grew out and information appeared before Naofumi's vision.
Naofumi Iwatani
Class: Shield Hero Lv.1
Sub-Class: Pokemon Wielder
Equipment:Small Shield(Legendary Weapon)
Otherworld Customized Winter Kimono Set - Forest Green
Otherworld Travel Chest
Otherworld Sunglasses
Otherworld Straw Hat
Survey Corps Pin
Skills: Command, Dodge
Magic: None
"It's like a video game." Naofumi said before he realized what he said. Yet, he was distracted by snort. "What?"
"Yeah. This is a VRMMO." Ren answered.
"What cha mean? Don't you mean an MMORPG?" Motoyasu chimed in.
"No, this is a console game."
"What do..." Naofumi snapped his lips shut. The terms seemed familiar, yet why eluded Naofumi.
"Still... Level 1... That makes me nervous."
"Good point, at this rate, who knows if we'll even be able to fight at all."
"Do these things not exist in your world, oh Heroes? You are experiencing 'Status Magic.' Everyone in this world can see and use it."
"And what are we supposed to do? These numbers seem awfully low."
"Yes, well. You will need to go on a journey to further polish your abilities, and to strengthen the Legendary Weapons you possess."
"Strengthen them? You mean these things aren't strong right from the get-go?"
"That is correct. The summoned Heroes must raise their Legendary Weapons by themselves. That is how they will grow strong."
"Why don't we just use different weapons while therse ones are bulking up? Seems smart to me." Motoyasu said while spinning his spear.
'I have a shield... Maybe I need a sword?' Naofumi pondered before shaking his head. 'Wait,' He quickly reached into his satchel and sighed in relief. 'Thank goodness. I have them.' Naofumi adjusted his chest, the clangs inside assuring him.
"Are we going to form a party? The five of us?"
"Is that a wise id-"
"Wait just a moment, Heroes." The king spoke up. "The four of you should set out separately, to recruit your own companions."
"Why is that?" Naofumi raised a brow at the king.
"According to the legends," The king began, "The Legendary Weapons you possess will interfere with one another should you form a party. Both your weapons and yourselves can only grow when you are apart from one another." A message popped up in Naofumi's vision.
Warning!: Legendary Weapons and their owners will experience adverse effects if they fight together.
Caution: it is preferable that the Heroes and weapons are used individually.
"But I can travel with a Legendary Hero?" Volo spoke up with a smirk on his lips.
"Yes. The Seven Star Heroes do not have the same negative effects with their weapons, but are weaker for it."
"So, one of us is getting a strong magician for our party right off the bat. Sweet!" Naofumi frowned at Motoyasu.
"I will attempt to secure travel companions for you all. Regardless, evening draws near. Heroes, you should rest for the night and prepare for departure on the morrow. In the meantime, I will find companions for you from the town below."
"Wait." Naofumi spoke up. "I do not want your 'assistance.'"
"Huhhh?!" Everyone looked at Naofumi in shock.
'Where was this shock with how these three kids were talking?' Naofumi adjusted his hat and looked the king in the eyes. "I do not want to be tied to your... good will." The king panicked, surprising Naofumi.
Was the king not expecting a denial?
"Why? Do you not realize you don't have anything coming from another world?" The king asked. Anger filled Naofumi's gut.
"Quite yes. This is not the first time." Naofumi took a breath and stood a little taller. "And I respectfully decline your assistance."
"Are you trying to do a hardcore run or something?" Motoyasu asked, the hero trio looking flabbergasted at Naofumi.
"I just do not want to be tied up in a debt I may not be able to repay." Naofumi grumbled.
The king's retainer whispered into the king's ear.
"Well... Shield Hero, at least allow us to room you for the night for the inconvenience we caused for summoning you."
"Only if you don't put me in a room with... Volo." Naofumi growled, sparks flying between both Volo's and his eyes.
"That... can be arranged. Though, we need time to prepare your room as we only had set up a room for four heroes."
"Fine." Naofumi sighed. Checking his chest again. "One more thing... Do you have a large courtyard?"
>-----------<
"Why are we here?" Ren asks as Naofumi took off his traveling chest and put it on a bench on the edge of the courtyard. The sun was setting. Knights were lighting torches to light up the courtyard.
"Got to feed everyone." Naofumi sighed, opening the chest up and exposing various drawers.
"Didn't you hear the king? He's providing food and board for us." Itsuki groaned with annoyance.
"Are you really gonna expose your trump cards?" Volo snorted at Naofumi.
"Are you gonna starve your partners?" Volo scowled at Naofumi. "Alright, everyone, come on out!" Flashes of light came from Naofumi's chest and satchel. The knights instantly went on guard and pulled out their weapons as the lights formed shapes... Trained mainly on the biggest two shapes.
"What the?!" Motoyasu, Itsuki, and Ren gasped as two large dragons stretched and looked down at Naofumi.
"Alright, Palkia, Dialga, I got mushroom cakes for ya'll. Mesprit, Azelf, and Uxie, help me with getting everyone else their food."
"What the hell?! What are those?!"Ren shouted in a panic. Motoyasu looked at the creatures in awe. Itsuki was on edge, his hand on the bow string.
"My Pokemon." Naofumi huffed, pulling out various cakes from his travel chest and handing them to the small sprite-like creatures. Palkia and Dialga knelled down, seemingly begging for their food. "I didn't forget you two." Naofumi threw up several brown sticky cakes and the two dragons snatched them right out of the air. "Jeez. Sometimes I can't believe you two are technical gods."
"Gods?!" The knights seemed in a panic. Motoyasu, however, broke the tension.
"You have Pokemon?!" Motoyasu looked ready to squeal. "Like real life Pokemon?"
"Yes..." Naofumi eyed a dark figure of a Pokemon next to a small grass bush of a hedgehog. "Darkrai, you're about to get your food. Don't steal from Shaymin."
"What is a Pokemon?" Itsuki asked, confused. Ren looked just as perplexed, but held his tongue and sword close.
"Pocket monsters! Don't you two remember playing those games as kids?" Motoyasu beamed with excitement. "And you have Legendaries?! Wait... Couldn't you send us back home with Palkia and Dialga?"
"That's right. The ruler of space and the ruler of time." Volo perked up. "So, that's why you-"
"No." Naofumi shot the man down with a cold arrow to the heart. "Time and space are fragile right now. Asking them to selfishly return us from whence we came could fracture it all over again."
"So... You are gonna use them since you got a shield?" Motoyasu cheekily shouldered Naofumi's arm. "You got some cheats with you having-"
"I don't plan on using them." Motoyasu's face went blank at Naofumi. "If what I got from that king's tall tale, these waves may be related to time and space being damaged. It would be wise not to rely on their powers, especially if this is a true other world."
"Um... Could I spare some food for my Pokemon, Naofumi?" Volo nervously asked with a shaky smile.
"Yes. I'm not gonna starve your Pokemon for you being an idiot." Naofumi sighed, realizing what Volo meant. 'Serves you right for throwing off your merchant attire and bag.'
"So, the battle you two were in was a Pokemon battle?" Motoyasu asked as Naofumi gathered more food for Volo's now released Pokemon.
"Yes. Quite a heated one at that." Volo answered. "Though, my memory seems a bit hazy on the details."
"Welcome to my world." Naofumi rolled his eyes.
"Touche." Volo scowled. "But, having all these legends of Hisui will be beneficial if we are facing something akin to the Red Sky."
"Only if they want to." Naofumi said. "I had to catch them for the Pokedex and their plates. If they feel they do not wish to assist, I will not pressure them."
"Sounds fair." Itsuki took his hand off his bow string. "So... These Pokemon are like your... partners? Like you are a summoner or something?"
"He's a Pokemon Trainer!" Motoyasu chuckled at Itsuki. "A strong one at that if he caught all these legendary Pokemon! Just like in the games."
"Games?" Naofumi and Volo asked at the same time.
"Yeah! Pokemon is a video game series. I played up to Black and White before focusing on MMORPGs and more adult games." Motoyasu grinned. "With the Legendaries you have, you were from the Sinnoh region, right? Gen 4."
"... I'm from Hisui." Motoyasu looked confused at Naofumi.
"Ah, but didn't Kamado-"
"Hisui." Naofumi sternly said.
"Stubborn, aren't you?"
"Had to be to survive."
"I'll give you that one considering everything you dealt with." Volo sighed and shrugged his shoulders in defeat. "Though, I thought you only liked ghost type Pokemon."
"Ghost type?" Ren asked, a little pale in the cheeks.
"I like monotype teams." Naofumi checked over his Pokemon and Volo's. "But ghosts are cool and challenging to work with. Though... Was expecting Decidueye to be a Grass/Ghost typing... Not a Grass/Fighting."
"Monotype? Wait, are you seriously one of those tubers who do stupid ruled runs of Pokemon games?" Motoyasu huffed out a laugh. "So you are really trying to play this game on hard mode!"
"This is not a video game!" Naofumi snapped, grabbing Motoyasu by his shirt and glaring up at his face. "This is reality! You can die if you make a mistake!"
"Nah, man." Motoyasu smirked at Naofumi. "This is Emerald Online. This will be a breeze for a pro like myself!"
"Emerald Online? Don't you mean Dimension Wave, the console game?" Itsuki spoke up in confusion.
"You're both wrong. This is the VRMMORPG Brave Star Online." Ren sternly added on.
"What are you three talking about?" Volo asked. "MMO... VR... Consule... Arecus, you three are making no sense."
"Yeah... Wait, if Naofumi and Volo are Pokemon trainers... Whose the prime minister? One the count of three. One. two. Three!"
"Masato Yuda."
"Gotaro Yawahara"
"Enichi Kodaka."
"Shigeno Ichifuji." Naofumi answered last, shocking the four others. "Wait... What is a prime minister?" And why did Naofumi spout a name due to it?
"Wait... You have a surname which is rare in the Pokemon world... Could you be from a real world where you got sucked into a Pokemon game?" Motoyasu went wide-eyed. "We must be from four different Earths!"
"Now it makes more sense. Especially considering the shield from my game." Itsuki sighed. "At least Naofumi is not like that at all if he can control these... creatures."
"Yeah. Maybe we were chosen due to our weapon being the best weapon in the game we played." Motoyasu then snorted. "Though the Shield was a dying class in my game. So of course he needs a different game to cover it."
"I wonder if the maps are the same?"
"True. Each weapon has its specific areas for best exp farming."
"You... You three really think this is a game?" All three heroes flinched at the ice in Naofumi's tone.
"Well, yeah. It's just like the one I... I think all three of us played." Motoyasu nervously spoke up. "What's your deal, man? You got Pokemon, so you got like a cheat code... In fact, could you give us each a Pokemon? That would even the-" Naofumi grabbed Motoyasu by the collar once more. His face twisted in anger.
"This is not a game." Naofumi spat in Motoyasu's surprised face. "Pokemon are not tools to wield! They are living beings, just like you and me!"
"Chill man... What's got your undies in a bunch." Motoyasu laughed weakly. "All I was asking is if you could be like the Professor in the games and give us all a starter to help us-"
"No." Naofumi let go of Motoyasu and put his fingers to his lips. A sharp, short whistle and all the Pokemon glowed before returning to their Pokeballs in his chest and satchel. Even Volo's Pokemon took the hint and returned to their wielder. "You would make a horrible trainer." Naofumi huffed, putting his chest back on his back.
"Dude, rude."
"No, you deserved that." Naofumi ignored the banter of the trio as he turned to the knights.
"Can you see if my room is ready?"
"Ah, heroes, dinner is prepared." Naofumi blinked at seeing a lady walk up to him. "Once finished, we will lead you to your rooms."
"Fine." Naofumi sighed, finding his stomach betraying him with a growl.
The meal was lackluster due to the sour taste in Naofumi's mouth.
Why were they prioritized over the knights?
Why did the young men think this world was a game?
Naofumi did not sleep well that night, even with his chest and satchel close by.
Sigh. I tried observational drawing today to try and get out of the artist's block I am stuck in. It seems to rear it's head at the end of every month the last few months. Thankfully got out of it the last few tines... But this one feels pretty deep compared to usual. I got a good drawing from the outing, but I still feel stuck in a sucky place with my art. Anyone know of any good art challenges for September or tips on getting out of artist's block would be great. My usual methods to find such challenges and inspo is not working. In fact, planning to delete my Instagram app off my phone. It lost it's last remaining use due to how AI has screwed up the search features. I just wanna make art instead of throwing in the towel and not do any art for weeks to months like this cycle usually ends up doing to me. Or at least, stop going down the procrastinating rabbit holes it's currently got me rolling in.
Agh. I'm fighting an art block bad right now. Anyone know any good September art challenges around? Just trying to get myself out of this slump. Tried looking on Instagram and the searches are now filled with AI slop. I am about to delete my Instagram app with how bad it is. I can't even search up basic stuff for inspo without the feed being flooded with junk.
My final painting for August Adventures. Tried going back to my older style for this painting and used mixed media. Was a struggle, but it was fun to make once I got pass the ugly phase. The prompt was Sprout and Magic. Hence I have Raphtalia experience the magic of evolution with finding a wild Turtwig mid-evolution. Now to figure out what to do for September. 😅
My Ancient + Trinket piece for August Adventures. I wanted to contiuned the little story I started with my Gardener Trainer. However, I have been in a rut the pass week when it came to getting any artwork done. My Chandelure was my only sucess last week and that was after three tries at it! However, finally got out of it with doing a small illustration of Raphtalia and Rifana from my crossover fanfic, Recourse of the Otherworldly Trainer, looking over trinkets they found in the Cobalt Coastlands in ancient Hisui. Kinda of a spoiler for my fanfic as cutrrent about to get to the Crimson Mirelands in the story. The piece was done with my fountain pen and inktense pencils.
My second painting for August Adventures 2025. The prompt for this week is Meadow and Rain. I used Manero Brushes' Natural Gouache brushes to paint this painting in Procreate My gardener trainer and her Skiploom found a lost Hatenna in a meadow.
I finally got my first painting for August Adventures done. The prompt for thos week was Journey and Bloom. It was a struggle to figure out what medium to use. Not gonna keep using acrylics and acrylic markers for this sketchbook, though. Loved using them, just the format of this sketchbook is a little too small for these illustrations. I can't find my good detail brushes for acrylics, so I will continue this series either in watercolor and gouache or digital.
Day 12 comes with a pair of paintings. Two Tinkatinks, one in watercolor and one in acrylic markers. I made the second piece with not liking the first, but glad I still completed the first as it came out much better than I expected.
