OMG HII!! Augh he looks SO GOOD IN YOUR STYLE. His feathers have so much movement, and the thinness in the lines for his head feather gives it such a soft texture! Might I also say that the sharpness of weight you added to the lines gives the art so much presence! I'm promptly adding this to my new folder for the art y'all have been giving me!!
I’ve been reading through your hanahaki stuff (it’s really really good I love them btw) and I feel like I’ve uh. Greatly miscalculated how it works lol
Originally, when I knew only the broadest of strokes of hanahaki, I thought that, once the love was reciprocated, all of the flowers would come out at once. Like. All of flowers and leaves and stuff still in the person’s lungs would all get sort of. Uprooted at the same time? And be coughed up immediately?
Like I know that’s not very romantic or picturesque, but if nothing else it’d be either really funny or really stressful. If the hanahaki was bad enough, then throwing it all up at once might actually kill them, even if the love was reciprocated. Maybe it could even work as like. A final test or something. Like, “oh, you claim to love this person? Do you love them even as they’re almost literally coughing up a lung?”
Anyway I’m just saying all this to get it out of my mind and give you compliments at the same time, so again: You’re really good at writing! Never doubt yourself! Also don’t take this as criticism or a suggestion to change anything I just wanted to talk about my thoughts /genuine
Aw thank you !! I just got into a convo about hanahaki and then went way too in depth which then spiraled into the requests just bc it's such a fun concept
Honestly I never really thought about what comes after the whole "oh your love was reciprocated good for you" all that much. Most of the fics I have read don't talk about it either, the flowers just go away as quickly as they come. Both interpretations have their own merit honestly.
The usual method of just having the flowers disappear ties into their inherent magic and mysticism in my opinion. Hanahaki is, in all forms of the word, a physical manifestation of love. Hanahaki is weird, it's nonsensical, it's painful as much as it is beautiful, it is love. It treats love as this magical thing because emotions cannot often be reasoned with. So it would fit this strange magical occurrence to just, disappear like that. It gives you a happy ending because that's what curing hanahaki is, it is proof your love is reciprocated. It doesn't reassure you that things will end up perfect, but its the end of a love story.
To tie into hanahaki just being a literal magical plot device having it give the couple one more challenge to overcome is interesting !! Like to prove the love IS reciprocate the other person has to show their dedication by accepting the flower, the symbol of the person's love to them. In the worst cases (like so many characters are brought to for drama) they're forced to get their hands dirtied, perhaps stained in their lovers blood, because they inadvertently caused this, so they must fix it. They have to accept all the ugly parts just as much as the beautiful ones because that is love.
And of course this could be twisted for nefarious reasons, much like the rotted flowers I gave to Trapped Mice Hunted. Would it be worth it to accept such feelings? To be confronted with physical proof things can never be normal and accepting that.
But again thank you very much for the kind words and fun hanahaki ideas to chew on. I hope you'll also enjoy what's to come, when I write them. Have a good one !! <333
Reminder that I have a shop!! Selling some wolfwood stickers (at least two of them are) and 70% of the profits made from this will be donated to NILC (National Immigration Law Center)! 30% will be going towards me which would support me financially and I appreciate everyone who has ordered so far!!
I will be posting proof of donation once my inventory is out of stock!
I did some drawings of the voices of mine I don't draw super often
Yesterday I had redrawn my instinct hunted design and went down a spiral of drawing more of the alternate and some what-if designs (that are under the cut)
(WARNING: GORE AND BODY HORROR UNDER THE CUT)
First, some alternative designs
Voice of the Flinching/Cheated
HEA length (for reference, Smitten is 6'0ft. Because that's the height that's often used as a basis for attractive heights)
Secondly, what-if designs (here's where the gore/body horror is)
A potential Hero design. An end-game design where Hero loses most of their bird like features to become closer to that of a proper knight in shining armor. His wings are traded for a long flowing cape, his false face traded for a proper helmet, and his hip wings are traded for plating. -Basically he trades his wings to protect those of whom he loves
A rugged Oppy design. Taken from the degradation of Hunted's self in instinct. At first I wanted to do a warped mask representing the two-facedness of him, but I decided against it for a design that sticks closer to oppy normally. Because nothing is more effective than simply cracking a trickster's mask. I shifted his posture and ruffled his feathers to emphasize his wildness. As most Oppy designs are quite pristine to contrast Witch's wildness, I simply broke his mask to make some similarities more apparent.
Finally, a paranoid design. I broke him down to his "heart lungs liver nerves" and removed his head because when a person goes mad, they are often said to have "lost their head." The purpose of this design? Idk. I was just having fun
"First off, let's just take a deep breath. Breathe in...and out...
AND SAY CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FINALE OF VOICE OF THE SEXY BROKEN!! FOR NOT ONLY THE SPECTACLE OF THE TIE, BUT FOR THE WONDERFUL SPORTSMANSHIP DISPLAYED FROM START TO FINISH!
👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏
Now, you are probably expecting an award ceremony, right about now.
"But Mai, you didn't make anything!" You probably asked.
But not to worry! I DID make something! It just couldn't be done until the Finale!
From the lovely and free labors of @coldranger , I present to you the Trophies for our beloved birds! Symbolizing the shared victory of @cracked-frog and @bed-buge in our Finale!!
Of course, we can't forget our second and third place winners!! @pzysm and @pixiefeatherkw3 , you battled well and your effort was recognized!
We thank the lovely Apotheosis for handing out the rewards!
Cheers for our winners of Voice of the Sexy broken!!
👏 👏 👏 👏
Now...as for who is next...we will need to wait a bit longer~
could i request a fic with hunted cold and oppy ? perhaps fluff or hurt/comfort? and i see them as a qpr but if you wanna keep them platonic bc of hunted and oppy thats fine too :] thanks!
(I can absolutely do something with the three of them!! They can be a fun trio!! Enjoy!)
Cold sighed, shutting his bedroom door behind him. There was no need to go back in there tonight.
He pushed the heel of his palms against his eyes, willing the whispers and flashes of faces out of his head, but to no avail.
The cabin was too quiet for him right now. He understood that it was the middle of the night, but he needed something to cling to right now.
Cold decided to leave the house for the night, maybe that was all he needed. Maybe he just needed to go outside until he didn't feel like he was suffocating within these walls anymore.
He started to drag his feet down the hall, remembering all the late nights where he listened to the others sleeping, all to try and not go crazy in boredom.
He curled his hands into fists, to try and stop the trembling in them- when he heard a noise.
He stopped, tilting his head closer to the nearest door, hearing soft, muffled voices coming from within. Looks like someone else was awake after all.
He debated whether to keep listening to see who it was, or to just waltz in regardless, but then the voices suddenly stopped.
Before Cold could even blink, there were footsteps swiftly walking over, and then the door opened, and Cold was staring down at Hunted, who was giving him a curious look.
Neither of them said anything, and Cold looked further into the room, to find Hunted's brother, Opportunist, sitting on the bed.
He looked surprised and frazzled, clutching a pillow to his chest as if for protection.
Cold only managed to catch his face- his real face- for only a second, and all he saw was exhaustion and nerves.
But then Cold blinked, and Opportunist had quickly thrown on an act, smiling brightly at him as he softly said, "Cold! What a pleasant surprise! What are you doing up so late?"
"I could ask you two the same thing," Cold replied, looking down at Hunted. "It's not like either of you to stay up like this."
Opportunist opened his mouth to respond but Hunted beat him to it, voice blunt and casual as he said, "Nightmares- we can't sleep. We're staying in the same room for comfort."
Cold watched in amusement as Opportunist shot a look of annoyed disbelief at his brother's back, who felt no need to hide their reasonings no matter what they were.
"Nightmares," Cold mused, his mind deciding then to remind him of what had woken him up in the first place.
His fists clenched behind his back.
Still, his face gave nothing away, but that didn't stop Hunted from studying him up and down with a soft yet careful eye, quietly asking him, "Why are you awake?"
Cold shrugged. "Not in the mood to sleep just yet." They didn't need to know more than that.
Hunted looked back over at his brother, a silent conversation between them.
It was odd to see, even more unusual to think of having someone who knows you without words.
Judging from the way the flock talks about him, Cold doubted there would be anyone who would be able to understand him to that level.
He saw the way Opportunist's eyes softened when they landed on his brother, becoming less guarded despite not wanting Cold to know he was having trouble sleeping.
Opportunist shrugged at Hunted casually, scooting over on the bed and making room.
That seemed to be enough of an answer for Hunted, who turned back and stepped to the side for Cold. "You're welcome to come in. It's warm and safe here."
It was better than nothing.
Cold stepped inside, watching the way Opportunist fixed and smoothed out the blankets around them.
He shot a confident smile at Cold. "I may not be as good as Hunt when it comes to blanket forts, but I'm definitely better than some of the others here."
"It's nice," Hunted said, and Opportunist sent his brother a playful glare.
"Nice? That's all you have to say about it?"
Hunted sat down on the other side of the bed, a twinkle in his usually alert eyes as he said, "It's cosy, makes me feel protected."
Opportunist blinked in surprise, feathers fluffing up at the compliment, before he ducked his head and continued working, a small smile on his face that looked painfully genuine.
Cold sat on the edge of the bed, feeling Hunted's eyes boring into him.
Something wriggled within his chest, but he couldn't find the strength to yank it out and examine it. All Cold knew was that being around Hunted and Opportunist made the wriggling more noticeable.
"Cold could sleep in the middle?" he heard Hunted ask, and when Cold looked over his shoulder, he saw Opportunist shrug casually, but Cold could see the relief at the suggestion, the safety of not having to turn his back on Cold.
"That's fine by me," Opportunist said. "He's the skinniest, anyway. He'll need all the warmth he can get."
"I don't care about warmth or feeling chilly. I have no problem either way."
Unfortunately, his mind decided to play back when he woke up a few minutes ago, and how it had been so hard to just get his hands to work normally again.
Still, when Hunted guided him to lay down inbetween them, he didn't resist.
He sighed, and could feel the way both Hunted and Opportunist relaxed as well, shuffling closer to him and curling up.
Neither of them blew out the candles, keeping the room in a low, soothing light, and Cold was surprised to find that he didn't mind it.
Hunted was pressed against Cold's side, his head resting on his chest, listening in on his heartbeat, and Cold could feel him nervously blinking up at him, as if waiting to see if he would say something.
Opportunist was close, but still gave him a little bit of room. He too stared at Cold, but he figured that Opportunist didn't want to let him out of his sight.
After a few seconds of silence, Cold felt Opportunist gently take his hand.
Cold could feel his body sinking into the warmth of the bed, and curiously asked, "What was your nightmare about?"
It was admittedly amusing to feel the way they both tensed up at the same time, and his lips twitched upwards as Hunted whispered, "I was coming apart. It was wet and burning."
"Her stomach," Cold mused, and Hunted nodded, gripping Cold's arm tighter.
"Couldn't get out, couldn't be free, had no one to help me- so I woke up and found Oppy."
Cold wasn't sure whether Hunted was expecting him to comment on the nightmare or comfort him, but he did neither. Instead, he just watched the way Hunted's wide eyes stared off into the distance, breathing switching between picking up and slowing down.
Then, Cold wasn't sure why he did it, but he just knew that he couldn't look at such a familiar expression for much longer- so he blew cold air in Hunted's face.
Hunted blinked in surprise, then froze at the feeling, at being softly taken out of his head.
Cold didn't really have a reason as to why he did this. It probably would have been better to focus on someone else's problems- but seeing Hunted like that unnerved him in a way that he hadn't felt before.
Cold stopped blowing air, and when Hunted looked up at him, he was silent. He didn't smile or say anything, but the look in his dark eyes looked so much more soft and relaxed.
That thing that wriggled within Cold started to slow down, and he could feel his muscles become less tense.
"What about you, Oppy?" Cold asked, turning to look over at the other before he could dwell on what was happening.
Opportunist's face froze at the question, before he smiled, waving a hand dismissively through the air as he said, "Oh, no nightmares for me, thankfully. I'm just here to make sure my poor little brother is okay."
"That's not true," Hunted quietly muttered, leaning closer to get a better look at the other.
Opportunist's smile became more strained, and he looked Hunted in the eye as he said with more force, "No, I didn't. I'm fine."
"You told me you felt yourself falling," Hunted rebutted. "You said that you were too scared to move, in case you fell down the stairs in the cabin again. I remember feeling how much you shook in my arms."
Hunted had a determined glint in his eyes as he tilted his head to the side. "Are you going to tell me that I'm wrong?"
Cold observed the silent argument the two of them were having, until it was going on for so long that it started to bore him.
He sighed and looked over at Opportunist. "I don't particularly care if you have nightmares or what manner of them they are. I'd honestly be more surprised if you didn't have them, considering you're nothing like me."
Opportunist's eyes flicked down at him, studying him intensely.
Cold decided to just squeeze his hand.
Opportunist's eyes widened slightly, looking more like his brother than before.
Opportunist looked back up at Hunted, and all it took was a few seconds for his face to fall, sighing sharply as he let his true exhaustion and fear show.
From the corner of his eye, Cold saw Hunted smile victoriously for a split second, happy that his brother was being himself in this space.
"It wasn't great, alright?" was all Opportunist said, before flopping back down, now hugging Cold's arm with a tired look in his eye.
Hunted settled back down as well, and a comfortable silence fell over the three of them. Cold was surprised to find that he didn't really mind it.
This silence wasn't suffocating. This silence wasn't unbearable. This silence didn't make Cold feel like he was losing his mind.
"What about you, Cold?" Hunted whispered, and Cold found himself struggling to remember what the nightmare that had rattled him so severely had been about. It just felt like a distant ache now.
His eyelids started to grow heavy, the warm weights on either side of him cocooning him and making him feel like he was floating. Has he ever experienced something like this before?
"You know what?" Cold softly said, his wings wrapping around the brothers and pulling them closer to him. "I've completely forgotten about it."
"Welcome Slayers, Narrators and Princesses, to the Finale of--"
🏆 VOICE OF THE SEXYMAN CHAMPIONSHIP - Broken Edition 🏆
FINAL ROUND PART I
@cracked-frog VS @bed-buge
The Doll
The Kinstugi
Voting ended onJun 1
[Propaganda under the cut]
"Guess what?! Apotheosis let me co-host with her!"
"SPEAK TO ME WITH RESPECT, CHILD!"
"I'm atheist, so no. And let's not get into that! Our main stars have finally arrived in heaven! Or...just the tournament ground again, but that doesn't matter because it's the battle we're all waiting for!"
[Propaganda by @cracked-frog ]
"The Kinstugi! The new face who made his way through!"
[Propaganda by @bed-buge (yes this is on purpose)]
"And the Doll, a successor in the making for the Cold!
I’m taking another break away from Slay the Princess art as I haven’t been feeling as well as I used to doing so. I’ve just felt numb making the content lately, just hoping it didn’t reflect in my work.
I would just disappear but it doesn’t feel right to do so as I have been posting here for a while
Thank you sincerely to those who have been sticking around seeing me draw my silly looking voices. Hopefully I’ll get the spark back and draw them again. I’ll be around!!
Do remember to vote for our finalists and 3rd place !!
Brokens of @cracked-frog and @bed-buge
It feels like these brokens only got brighter since last time... Oh well, makes it more fun for the crowd
Speaking of which these two are making this finale a very close call aren't they @voice-of-the-sexyman. And this is coming from someone who lived through the Skeptic ties, oh the horror
--
Come one, come all, it's closeup time
Honestly these two are oddly fitting to be going up against each other since Doll is more blue and Kinstugi is more orange. Just like, opposite colors and all that
I didn't really do this last time since I was very familiar with everyone's designs at that point (mooties am I right) but these forms I wasn't as familiar with and you kinda need to know all the fancy details before you start making it smoller
In the end we'll just have to see if either of these stars shine brighter than the other, or maybe they'll get to shine equally. What do I know, I'm just the plushie guy :]
Thank you all again for another wonderful tournament and all the hijinks that ensued. I look forward to seeing what designs charms the audience next, remember to take care of yourselves
