Helloo @sugarhog05 !! It is I, your Secret Santa!! I'm back again to. Ramble at you. I've been itching to talk about this one >:3
Firstly, I want to say that your Leviathan Express au is so fricking cool! I got so excited when I looked through it for the first time. I knew that I wanted to do this one!
That being said, I had the hardest time! There were periods when I just sat there kicking rocks because I couldn't get it to look the way I wanted. It was quite the challenge.
I liked your Sun, so I decided to go with the "serving hot chocolate" prompt! Here are some ROUGH beginning sketches to get an idea of how I wanted to do it:
"POV blorbo interact with you" is where I started. He was originally going to hand the hot chocolate to the viewer, but I guess that wasn't hard enough for me. (I will pay for this.)
I scrapped it all and went to my drawing tablet to get those ideas flowing! I ended up with this!
Yeessss YEESSS COMPLEXITIES!! A DIFFERENT ANGLE!! A CHALLENGE! Sun will hand hot chocolate out to passengers while the viewer gets a good view of the train and the Hot CHOCOLATE PLATTERR!!
I STARTED!!
and then..
I stopped.
I didn't like it. Something wasn't clicking. Lord knows what it was.
Soo I ditched it all again and tried something else! I figured it was because I wasn't having enough fun with the shapes and colors, so I took a different approach:
Mmhhmmyes very shapey. This is good...
but at this point I realized I had no fricking clue what the express actually looked like. This is bad.
The best reference I found was here. WOW! This is a beautiful train! I love all the intricate details! I used it to make these:
If I learned anything from this, it is that I can't make a decision AND stick with it to save my life... because I ran away from this one and went BACK to the original. Drawing and rendering all those seats at an angle intimidated me. I hide in shame.
..So I'm back in the building again. I added myself as one of the passengers as a sort of "jingle jingle keys" thing to keep me going (because at this point it was getting late).
Oh, hey! There's the seat I drew! It would come in handy after all!
I was in a rush because I got times mixed up and thought it was already due. I stayed up until 3am finishing it in a call with a friend encouraging me. (thank you @tingremlin)
If I had known I had a whole extra week, I would've spent a lot more time on the background! I might go back and fix it up anyway.
Thank you for making this wonderful au for me to clench my bloodthirsty jaws onto :3 It is reeeaallyy cool :333 I love the designs :333333 I hope good food comes your way!!
haii if this looks familiar it's because it's a ribbun variant of a bunnydoll one i made a few days ago!
Some notes to things because I literally made it with some subtle design changes/etc:
In the original Pork Soda Animation this is based off of, when it gets to this point it shows the actual individual, with the background being how the person views the other one. This is important
SO:
Gangle in the left is Jax's vision of her. In the series, we're aware that Jax believes (and lies to herself) that Gangle must be into her abuse ("Whaaat? She likes it!") and that makes it okay. In the Spudsy's episode specifically, actually, she has to come to some sort of realization, because I'm not sure if many noticed, but she ceases her abuse of Gangle Ep 4 and afterward if my memory serves correctly.
Meanwhile, all Gangle has known Jax to be is a sadistic abuser, who bullies her and abuses her for shits and giggles. This is all she's known them as. It's all they'll ever be to her up until Jax's mental spiral was so apparent that everyone could tell something was wrong.
I also made it so that the Gangle in the left is sort of, in a way, "looking down" at Jax. Gooseworx in a Q&A post said that "Jax takes his complex feelings on his mother out on Gangle, but tries to justify it to himself through delusions that it's not ACTUALLY abuse, even though it is". I like to think that Gangle's sheer existence feels like a taunt to Jax specifically, and that their view of her is very..skewed. and If it's meant to look slightly romantic/suggestive? Yeah. That's completely intentional. We've seen Jax's intrusive thoughts of a worst case scenario if Zooble abstracted in Ep 9, so I think that would still, albeit uncontrollably, skew how Jax views Gangle as a whole.
In the Bunnydoll variant, actually, Ragatha is looking UP at Jax and looks slightly frustrated/despaired. This was intentional. I really liked the contrast between the two ships where, in Jax's head, Ragatha is looking up at them in disappointment, where Gangle is looking down at them in a sort of mocking way. Ragatha's is closer to being true, because Jax knew her and how she was BEFORE their mask went up, and so it's more accurate to who Ragatha is, whilst Gangle's is..well. Not close to accurate whatsoever. Yay!!
Also, small note, because I have NO CLUE where to put this, but when I had unequipped the ragatha layer to draw gangle the Jax behind looked..Um.
she looks expontentially creepier behind. like as if she got torn apart from the middle by her smile . it's so freaky. what HAPPENED
I don't know if you agree, but so far Lestat was way more respectful of Claudia's death than Louis, at least to me?
He's antagonistic at mentions and towards Armand, he made a performance referencing Claudia (which is to me the most icky out of everything to he honest), he wrote a song for her, he constantly makes digs at Sam and clearly doesn't want to deal with him.
Meanwhile Louis is paying a woman to roleplay as his daughter and let her write in her diaries!!!!! Which is insane to me. And of course let's not forget reading her recounting of her rape to rapist himself. And of course, the book's existence.
Man, I don't know, maybe I misjudging situation, but so far Louis is way more exploiting one. I wonder, if it will affect how seance will go? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure she has plenty of stuff to say to Lestat.
But If she's a GHOST (I'm theorising here) she's probably knows what happened after trial? Maybe she knows Lestat wasn't there willingly???? If he wasn't there willingly lol I mean Sam talked about all this hints about it. Perhaps, Claudia's rage won't be so focused on Lestat?
Listen, I have no idea how ghosts work, if Claudia sees everything what happens or not. But it's interesting to think about.
Mm, I definitely hear your points, but I actually don't know if how they're handling their feelings around Claudia's death are entirely comparable? They're different characters, with different relationships to her, different backgrounds, different experiences of the trial, Paris and everything that went down there, and, frankly, characters with deeply different understandings of story, performance and how quickly both can spiral out of control.
I do think a big part of the complexity with what Louis' doing and how he's handling everything comes from the fact that he's had her diaries for over seventy years and has read them to a point he knows them inside and out. They had an enmeshed relationship before she died, but the possession of her voice does I think give him a sense of ownership of her story, her character, her. That, I think, is really seen in his naivety of sharing those diaries with Daniel and assuming her memory would remain preserved and that she wouldn't be touched by the world beyond the apartment in Dubai.
Interestingly, that ties deeply to Louis' experience of art. He understands it as something owned and kept in private galleries or personal libraries, and even the work that he's moved by is a profoundly personal experience to him. The release of the book and the sudden exposure of her to the world is something he instigated but it isn't something he was prepared for, and the way he's subsequently grappled with her memory and his own grief is something - I think - that he's tried to draw walls around. Public revelations have become private shows, what he's doing with Bruce, what he's doing with Regina, are for him, personal commissions his vampiric power and his wealth / class power afford him, and importantly ones he completely controls, unlike the situation with Daniel. Still, they're steeped in his sense of ownership of her diaries - Regina has one of them! Or at least, is making notes in one identical to one of Claudia's on the boat.
His grief is about him, but then, so is Lestat's.
It's kind of an interesting thing, because Lestat doesn't have the mixed blessing of having had Claudia's diary for 70-odd years, his relationship with her is punctuated not by enmeshment, but by distance and othering, and in some ways, that's further embodied by the fact that he didn't know about the book before its release and was met with the sight of a girl in the costume of his daughter on Halloween. Lestat experiences the whip of the tail of the creature Louis let out, and as a result, he's able to make different choices.
Would Lestat have talked more about Claudia, sung more about her, used her memory more in his own work if it wasn't for Louis' interview becoming something out of their familial control? I don't know! It pretty clearly did shape how Lestat shared Nicki's story with Daniel, so that's a factor to consider, but Lestat also has a very different understanding of how art exists and who it's for and how narratives can be exploited. Lestat's worked as an artist, he was raped and murdered for his art, he understands audience and he understands how quickly a story can be taken from you and twisted in the hands of others. He understands art as public in all the ways Louis has historically understood it as private.
Lestat also though doesn't have that same sense of ownership over her because they weren't enmeshed, weren't as close or entangled, but also he didn't save her, and never had the chance to reconcile with her the way he did with Louis. The separation there is important, and also weights Lestat's inability to talk about her or really face the memory of her at all prior to these last two episodes, and the fact that he first would outside of the moment with Gabi through styling himself after her to bitingly mock Armand is selfish and exploitative too. It's a personal jab, but one he knows is being publicly recorded given the phones in the crowd and the trajectory of the band, and how that could snowball is something that prioritises his anger over Claudia's memory.
The song Lestat writes for her in this episode is a beautiful one, but in writing about her at all I think the show does pose an interesting question about whether or not it's possible to create artwork about someone dead without in some way exploiting their memory. It's not a question I think really has an answer, but it's one being asked especially as that song is placed alongside an oeuvre made of equal parts honesty and malintent, whether they're personally provocative like Big Boss or have bigger machinations at play with the 'make more' song ahead of the Great Conversion.
There is, of course, a purity of intent at least with something like Stained Glass Eyes, authenticity in expression, but I think you could make the case that boiling down what Louis' doing, on a character level, with Regina right now to its most base form is a pure intent and authentic expression too. He wants to see his daughter again, just where Lestat can explore that feeling through music, Louis currently only knows how to open his wallet and ask a stranger to play make believe with him.
In a lot of ways though that, to me, feels like it's a product of how Louis' grief has compounded in a way that Lestat's hasn't. Lestat's avoided the feeling, Louis' worn it, but Louis' is also more deeply perverted by the fact that he and Claudia were enmeshed, and, as I said above, his possession of her diaries for near a century has warped into a feeling of ownership of her more broadly. That part of it isn't necessarily about exploitation, I don't think, but more about the very specific way he was abusive of her which is different to the way Lestat himself was abusive of, well, both of them.
I do think that's likely to come to a head with ghost!Claudia, but how is anyone's guess right now!
Are you struggling sometimes with creating too many DND characters?
I bet normal people plan a campaign and then come with their character, but since I actually never had the opportunity to play any campaign ever... I find myself stuck with about.. 16 more or less playable characters and still, no one to play haha (actually I have one or two friends but not motivated enough to start and even less keep on going on a campaign :(( )
Anyway, more than this silly question, I'd like to know how, when, what: Marsillo
How did you come up with the idea of this character?
Was it with the early hours of your current campaign? Or was he already forming in your mind earlier?
Is there anything who inspired you to come up with his personality, look, moral compass and backstory?
Tell me everything! ✨
(if you can, feel like it, have the time to, have not answered this already before...)
Anyhow, your art is amazing, as always, inspiring and showing a side of you that makes people, or at least me, want to know more of you and your creations!
- Mana
Aaaa thank you for the ask and compliments ( ◕▿◕ )
For the first question:
On the contrary, I struggle with coming up with new characters dfkgfd I need soo much time to think about an oc's backstory and design + I get attached to the ones I already have, so it's really hard for me to move to a new blorbo,,,,
BUT since you have so many characters ready, have you tried oneshots? It's a easy and not that much time consuming way to play dnd, since the story is short! And you can make more headcanons on your character based on that adventure ✧˖°
For the how-when-what Marsilio:
it's a long read ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
when: I checked the archive and...he's almost 5 years old.................. Made him a vampire but joke character for Monster of The Week (used to not like vampires that much back then, if you can believe it) and oops i thought too much about his backstory until he wasn't that much of a joke,
how: as i wrote earlier, i struggle a lot with character creation so when our dm thought of a new campaign i was like 'yea sure but i'm bringing the guy' and since it would have been kinda hard to play a vampire in the setting i started changing his background -- until i had a whole different character with a similar aesthetic and drives but still fgdkj
Added romance drama and oops now he's an even stronger blorbo
They're so different now I consider this dnd Mars as the most complex one, and also the other marsverses (AUs) come from him
what: i...really don't know how to answer the inspiration question - as I've been slow cooking him for years before the campaign and even during it, i think i've just taken after the media i was consuming without thinking much about it...
For dnd, i wanted to mix the knight and vampire aesthetic, in a mediterranean setting. Looking back, i probably ended up with giving him too much stuff to deal with but i don't regret having too much stuff to draw,,,,
The backstory came as an adaptation of his previous one, as i mentioned, from which i kept the not that healthy relationship with more powerful vampires, the 'single dad' part and the 'looking for weird dangerous ways to protect others' thing.
His personality is probably what changed most, since in motw he's more like a very old and chill vampire in retirement, while in dnd he's got lots of high stakes and still many many issues, physical and psychological - a total mess (and now more than ever)
Didn't help giving him that 'would do Anything to keep my loved ones safe' trait ┐(︶▽︶)┌
Whelp that was a wall of text!!!!........you can check some (very old) info charts here
on marsverse | mars and other characters in dnd
Hope that answered a little ur questions, i'd have to write a book (or...draw a comic*.......) to be more precise,,
*we're trying to figure out how to sum up 2 years of campaign in a way that makes sense and doesnt kill me...
We always get to do fanfiction-themed ask games but I never see any for fanart, so I made some up! You can answer some, or all, or none!
Who is your favorite CL character to draw?
Who is the easiest to draw?
Do you have a preferred routine for drawing? Music, snacks, location, etc.
Least favorite thing to draw?
Share a recent work you're most proud of!
awww that's so considerate, thank you so much!! I wonder why fanart ones are less common. text based platform bias?
1&2 - I've already answered these sort of in an ask recently so I'll chatter a little bit about stylistic choices.
in terms of ease, it depends on style! in order, easy to hard, and here are examples, Lyoko -> Kadic -> Devirtualized(?? whatever you want to call lyoko stuff being at kadic)
Drawing a complex character on lyoko is arguably easier than drawing a simpler character at kadic. (to a point). exceptions? aelita and william would be the hardest in any setting because their hair is so complex. and kiwi is one color.
my favorite depend on how much of my own style choices I'm willing to put up with. the harder ones are more fun but it can be a lot which makes them less fun. But as I've mentioned before I'm enjoying drawing Yumi so far. Poses with her can be really fun and challenging! also I haven't drawn her at a time where I'm like "ugh I'm too tired to deal with my own bs rn"
Not a character, but I wanted to throw in that I'm finding the lyoko environments a ton of fun to figure out when I get the chance to do em!
I cut out a lot of blab about style specifics and it's still kinda long. sorry!
3 - I draw in bed curled up around my tablet. Laptop sitting on a stool a couple feet away. My back is going to regret it in 5-10 years. I don't eat when I draw (hard to, with the glove and needing to push buttons) and I just drink water. super exciting.
Music...I get a lot of migraines so I generally listen to the same 91 the crane wives songs on shuffle (familiar, but still interesting). Unless I can't even handle that in which case it's random people's youtube playlists or some video game soundtrack. Sometimes I listen to the same song on loop for hours. Or silence. (I used to only draw in silence!)
4 - drawing anything when my brain isn't working sucks because I just sit there forgetting my fundamentals and wasting my time. but something specifically? I tried to draw a blok a couple days ago and they suck. Maybe I was just tired or the idea was boring or my brain was just not having it that day but. boooo.
5 - recent. I'm afraid between spoiler territory and code swap (which only really works as a collective) I don't have anything more recent than Sissi and her bike in February.
SO. Here are my favorite backgrounds from code swap:
(They strike a balance between the ones I think look the best and the ones that gave me the fewest issues during the process)
And I'll say that I have days 1 and 4 for code july rendered and I have a bonus for day 4 that I'm happy with :]
hello! I hope I'm not bothering, but I was really interested in your writing process and wanted to ask how you do everything(at least organizing wise)? I've been trying to optimize my own process and yours seems so extensive and well-managed so I was really curious! thank you for all the work that you do, I'm hoping for brighter days for you always ♡
Hey there ty🥺💗💗💗 You guys never bother me ;; I love it when you write. Just haven't had enough time for anything lately and I can't answer all of you as fast as I'd like to—and the only people who really bother me on here are the ones too demanding . . . in which I delete their asks so. But thank you for reaching out with your questions about writing and organization something I really love to do.
I truly appreciate your enthusiasm and am happy to share my insights, as I believe in supporting aspiring authors like myself without gatekeeping valuable information we all search for (the information I'm about to give is probably going to have some gatekeepers frothing in anger lol). I understand the challenges of finding time to write, and I’m grateful for your patience, as my schedule has been quite demanding lately.
Organization is key to a successful writing process, and I strongly advocate for writing down ideas as they come. While some authors, like Stephen King, suggest that truly great ideas don’t need to be recorded, I respectfully disagree. In my experience, capturing every idea—whether it’s a fleeting thought or a vivid dream—is essential. I recommend immedieately jotting down scenes or concepts in detail to preserve them for future use, as inspiration can be rare or hard to come by for some .
Given my modest background (I’m a broke girl lmao), I’ve relied on accessible tools for writing. A simple journal is an effective and affordable way to record ideas, dreams, and notes. While devices like iPads can be helpful, they’re not necessary for getting started if you don’t have/can’t afford one (and I bring this up because most pull it up for aesthetic purposes in their videos or other. Don't feel ashamed or unmotivated by what you don't have).
For drafting and organizing, I initially used Google Docs due to its accessibility and lack of cost. However, I later invested in Scrivener, a one-time purchase of $60 for macOS, Windows, and iOS. Scrivener has become my all-in-one tool for organizing projects, streamlining outlining, and keeping everything in one place. It’s far superior to Google Docs for managing complex writing projects, making the outlining process signifiicantly easier.
Additionally, I highly recommend the free Hemingway Editor. This tool helps refine your writing by addressing wordy sentences, grammar issues, and other stylistic concerns. It’s an excellent resource for writers, whether or not they have access to a professional editor.
For staying organized in Scrivener, I draw inspiration from structured approaches, such as those used by Shakespeare (ofc . . . Thanks Highschool, it actually wasn't for nothing if you pay attention). I’ll use a new test project of Maelstrom for example. I organize my work systematically to maintain clarity and focus. (Please note I haven’t taken a masterclass on scrivener . . . ever. I am also not a professional writer (yet, I'm working on it) so you may find much more effective methods through further research from others LOL)
Create a dedicated "Important" file in Scrivener to store concise notes, character and story tags, minor details to incorporate, potential chapter titles, and other key elements. This file serves as a centralized hub for quick-reference ideas and ensures essential project details remain organized and accessible.
To streamline the writing process, I create a structured system in Scrivener for organizing my book project. Below I tried to be as clear on the explanation of my approach:
CHAPTER MAP File: I start by creating a file named "Chapter Maps" that serves as the comprehensive outline for the entire book. Within this file, I include sub-files labeled for each book in the series (e.g., B1, B2, etc.), allowing for easy expansion as needed.
BOOK-SPECIFIC Files: For each book, such as Book 1, I create a dedicated file to store revised chapter drafts, organized by acts (e.g., Act 1, Act 2, Act 3). This ensures that final, polished versions of each chapter are clearly separated and easily accessible.
DRAFTS File: My writing process begins in a "Drafts" file, where I work through multiple iterations of a single chapter. This is where the initial, unpolished ideas take shape. Once a chapter is finalized, I move the revised version to the corresponding act in the Book 1 file.
SCENES File: Separate from the chapter structure, I maintain a "Scenes" file to outline individual scenes. For example, in Maelstrom, I might plan a scene where the main character begins in the Great Hall baking, then transitions to meeting Hiccup at their shared cliffside spot, followed by a scene where she hands him breakfast, and their conversation unfolds. This scene-by-scene breakdown acts as a detailed blueprint for the chapter outline, similar to how animators storyboard scenes, ensuring clarity and flow before drafting chapters.
This structured approach keeps the project organized, supports iterative drafting, and provides a clear roadmap for both scenes and chapters, making the writing process more efficient and cohesive.
To avoid confusion and ensure clarity, I strongly recommend labeling all drafts, even rough ones, as early as possible. For example, in my Maelstrom project, I once posted an incorrect chapter due to poorly labeled drafts. Clear labeling—such as including the chapter number, act, or a brief description (e.g., "1 - rough draft cp1" or "Chapter 1 Rough Draft v1")—prevents such mistakes and saves significant time and frustration, even if you feel confident in your organization.
Once a final draft is complete, I move all earlier versions to a dedicated "Old Drafts" folder in Scrivener. This keeps them archived and out of the way but accessible if needed for reference. This practice maintains a clean workspace and ensures only the finalized chapters are used moving forward.
I maintain a dedicated file in Scrivener, named "Ideas," specifically for capturing and organizing the concepts mentioned previously. This file serves as a repository for all potential story elements, such as plot points, character details, or thematic ideas, that I may want to incorporate into my narrative.
For clarity and consistency, I name this file and its subfolders after the actual files I use in my projects :--), providing a clear visual representation of my organizational structure. This approach ensures that all creative ideas are centralized, easily accessible, and ready to be integrated into the story when needed.
For character development, I create a dedicated outline in Scrivener to ensure a deep understanding of each character. Using Maelstrom again as an example, I maintain individual files for key characters like Hiccup and the main character (MC), each clearly labeled with the character's name and relevant details tied to the file's purpose. Understanding your characters as intimately as you know yourself is crucial, and I approach this process with great care.
Each character file includes comprehensive details such as their traits, motivations, strengths, weaknesses, and other defining elements. While there are many guides available on crafting character outlines, my approach focuses on tailoring the outline to the character’s role in the story and this is a glimpse.
This includes identifying what complements them, what highlights their positive and negative traits, and even incorporating tools like the Enneagram to deepen their personality framework. A detailed discussion of my full process would require a separate post, but the key is to build a robust foundation for each character to ensure they feel authentic and dynamic in the narrative 100%.
A thorough understanding of your story’s world and lore is as critical as knowing your characters. Without a clear grasp of the setting and its details, your narrative can quickly lose coherence. To address this, I create dedicated files in Scrivener for world-building, ensuring every aspect of the environment and lore is meticulously organized.
For example, locations like The Forge—where the main character (MC) and Hiccup frequently interact—are central to the story. To avoid cluttered or vague descriptions, I maintain a separate file for each key location. These files contain detailed notes about the setting’s appearance, atmosphere, cultural significance, and any relevant history or lore (from the films/shows etc).
By keeping all details for a place like The Forge or other in one centralized file, I can access everything with a single click, streamlining the writing process and ensuring consistency. This approach applies to all aspects of the world, both internal (e.g., cultural systems) and external (e.g., physical landscapes), allowing for a rich, immersive narrative 👍🏻
To keep all research materials organized, I create a dedicated "Research" file in Scrivener. This file serves as a central hub for storing notes, references, and resources, including links to websites, articles, or other materials essential to the project. By keeping everything in one place, I ensure that critical information is easily accessible and never lost. Additionally, this file can be used to curate project-specific resources, such as a playlist for inspiration, further enhancing the creative process. This streamlined approach saves time and maintains focus while writing.
And of course, to capture spontaneous ideas and miscellaneous thoughts, I maintain a dedicated "Brainstorming" folder in Scrivener. This folder serves as a flexible space for jotting down unrefined concepts, potential plot points, or any creative sparks that arise during the writing process.
If preferred, this folder can be nested within the "Important" file for streamlined organization. Additionally, I include a separate section or file for extra notes to store miscellaneous details that don’t yet fit into other categories but may prove useful later. This setup ensures all ideas are preserved and easily accessible, enhancing the overall organization of the project.
Other little things I've seen on Scrivener are offers of several valuable tools to further streamline your writing process. The built-in timeline feature allows you to track your progress or map out your plotline, providing a visual overview of your project’s development.
Also, Scrivener’s customizable layout options 🤧💗 . . . enable you to tailor the workspace to your preferences, including the use of custom character templates and other design elements. These features enhance organization by keeping character details, plot points, and project milestones structured and easily accessible, ensuring a more efficient and personalized writing experience and something I use almost always.
All apps/sites I use:
Thesaurus and Word Tools | WordHippo
Scrivener - #1 Novel & Book Writing Software For Writers
Hemingway Editor
WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®
Helping Writers Become Authors - Write your best story. Change your life. Astound the world.
My favorite Tumblr - shewriter.
And last but not least:
Reading
Immersing yourself in the genres you plan to write. Reading widely within your chosen genre(s) helps you understand their conventions, styles, and tropes, while sparking inspiration for your own work. This practice provides a foundation for crafting authentic and engaging stories, fueling your creative process from the outset.
This took me 2 days to put together since you sent it, so it's probably sloppy and rushed but I hope these tips help you in your writing journey. Please feel free to reach out with any further questions—I’m always happy to connect with fellow writers hehe 🥺💗
this is, without a doubt, the most involved drawing i have done in a LONG time. i can’t even remember the last time i did a background 😭. this is also only my second ever digital drawing in my new artstyle! i’m definitely having fun with it 🫣
but anyway, idk why but i randomly just started thinking about these three being childhood friends! i imagine that in this drawing, Delmar is 9, Pete is 11, and Everett is 10. they’re going on a treasure hunt, and Everett is supposed to be holding a treasure map!
under the cut are some details about my design choices and ramblings about character dynamics!
i definitely think that these three would have one of those lowkey toxic little kid friendships where one kid (Everett) bosses the other two around and tries to tell them how to play. i think he and Pete would have a pretty intense rivalry and be constantly getting into mini-fights, and Delmar would kind of be the one to hold the group together (similar to in the movie). i think they would get up to all sorts of mischief, and i don’t think any of their families would approve of them being friends LMAO 😭. but i also think they would genuinely have a very close bond, and would help each other through shitty life stuff.
now, onto their designs!
so, i wanted Pete and Delmar to be dressed in more working class clothing and Everett to be dressed more middle/upper class (he’s not ACTUALLY middle class, but i’ll get into that later 👀). but there are still significant differences between Pete and Delmar’s clothes based on what i think their families and childhoods were like.
i think Delmar had a decent relationship with his family, or at least was close with his mother, and so he’s dressed more “cute” and childlike. his clothes are clean and well-kept, and his overalls have a custom “D” patch. with Pete, though, i imagine he didn’t have a great relationship with his family. i actually personally headcanon that his mother wasn’t around for whatever reason, and he was raised exclusively by his father (i think this would explain a lot of adult!Pete’s… issues). Pete’s clothes are slightly more “adult”, and are patched, dirty, and frayed (i also gave him curly hair because his actor has curly hair when it’s not shaved down!)
now with Everett, i had originally had the idea to just make him middle class, but then my boyfriend came up with something that i just thought fit him so incredibly well. Everett is just as poor as Pete and Delmar, but his family is ashamed of their financial situation and encourages him to wear nicer clothes and talk “fancy” (that’s why adult!Everett talks Like That). this leads to Everett having a bit of a superiority complex over Pete and Delmar, and fuels his and Pete’s rivalry. Everett is dressed more “preppy” and plain than the other two, and he has clean, almost-new clothes that his family spent way too much money on.
i had a lot of fun designing their little outfits and putting in these details!
First shipping art of the year! <3 It feels nice to draw something like this again and I think I'm gonna try to take my time with making my art from now on cause with everything going on it could lead me to getting very stressed and hurting my hands. so you might see me posting like one piece a week or more.
Now onto talking about this piece, I wanted to try to do something a little more complex with the hands and posing of this shipping art since that is something I do want to get better at. I want to try harder with poses I find hard and not just give up, I want to try harder with compositions too and while this is simple looking I felt like I was doing better drawing this with more purpose in mind rather doing it instinctively all of the time. drawing Ryo titling Akira's chin up for a kiss was quite tricky but I'm happy with how it came out.
I had made the background before I knew I was going to make this picture but knew after making it that it had to star one of my fave ot3 ships. When working on the colours of this piece I wanted to reflect bisexual flag colours onto the characters and yet make them stand out from the background and I tried to do that with adding textures and adding shadow and highlights. Honestly I feel like I have to play with lighting and colours too this year, maybe go a little crazy and challenge myself more.
I used some effects that I haven't used in a while, such as chromatic aberration, doing more deeper shading(the last time I did that was with my Sirene picture but I was still keeping it as simple as possible) and noise filter since I've been mostly keeping things simple and using paper textures for my Miki in a ballgown series.
Overall it was just nice to draw my ot3 again, Ryo being a scheming bastard and shipping art in general since I haven't had a lot of energy to do it lately and pushing myself to slow down a little has been good though. I could do with slowing myself down further so I don't injure myself or tire myself out.
