#hawklanthebard

[mickules]

👻 Trick or Treat! 🎃

Wheeler (from Captain Planet)

Happy Halloween!

✨TREAT✨

no.41 Odds James Wheeler – Captain Planet

Sometimes it takes a spitfire from Brooklyn to get down to brass tacks

[dantelionwishes]

Matthew Engarde + (blush + sweat + panting..............) 

AND AS YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE IM STILL GOING STRONG--

4TH ONE SUGGESTIVE.......... THEREFORE UNDER THE CUT:

>:^D YOU OPENED THIS HUH????? WHAT ARE YOU THEN-

[mickules]

I feel so bad for Michi. Not only does he lose another brother, but he has to be told about why Mondo was executed and the lie he told the gang. Would he ever forgive him?

ANGST TIME! USE YOUR DISCRETION! dark themes ahead - canonical character death, injury and pink blood

Takemichi is smart, and more than that he knows the brothers. I've no doubt that he never took the accident at face value, never quite believed the narrative that Daiya got greedy and stupid and lost his life over it, but I don't think the would have realised the extent of Mondo's secrecy. Discovering the truth, and what Mondo was willing to do to run from it would be a cold, devastating shock to the system. But worse than that, Takemichi knows that had Mondo ever revealed the lie to him or the gang before the tragedy, He might not have been able to forgive him. Might not have been able to be there for Mondo the way he needed him, and Takemichi hates himself for it. Because now, he'd do anything, forgive anything if it meant he could have Mondo and the Diamonds back.

[from one of my angst comics] When Takaaki and Takemichi first cross paths in the demon hunting game, Takaaki was less than lucid - injured, paranoid, angry and a hair's breadth from giving into despair, latching onto Takemichi as a facsimile of his son was something of a defense mechanism. He moved beyond that quite quickly, bolstered by just how different Michi was compared to Taka, but still would suffer lapses of judgment after the more gruelling days. Once the game is over, and Takaaki has regained what little stability he could, he no longer gets the boys confused, but it takes longer for him to realise quite how much of his behaviour Michi had internalised.

@mypeacockfeathers (!!Takaaki connoisseur is HIGH PRAISE!! :D) Taichi surviving the game would definitely throw Takaaki for a loop. He knows the too kind, too trusting, too soft Taichi might be better off if he passed away, his injuries life altering and the world a nightmare; but Takaaki desperately wants him to live. He'd hate to admit it but he wants Taichi to survive for the small comfort to know there's someone, just one who might share Takaaki's pain, the loss of their child. Almost as a penance for the self-centred desire to be understood Takaaki takes it upon himself to tell Taichi of Chihiro's fate once he has healed enough to bear it, and he keeps a vigil so that he does not have to wake up alone.

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Takaaki would hold no grudge against Fujiko, but he would also make no effort to reach out preferring to keep to himself and the very few that he instils any trust into (really only Takemichi, Taichi and Hiro. Hiroko is another matter since she has trouble forgiving any loss of life, and struggles to come to terms with the deaths that occured at Takaaki's hands whilst surviving the game) Fujiko in turn would find Takaaki absolutely terrifying and would avoid him at all costs. If they could bridge that gap, they might get along, but it also might take more effort than it's worth.

(GODDAMN @hawklanthebard , you are genuinely responsible for a decent chunk of my angst content XD) (EDIT: [EXCELLENT FIC OF THIS CONCEPT])

Oh boy, Takaaki would never forgive him. He might even do something he'd regret. . . ON A LIGHTER NOTE; I don't believe Mondo would ever have the forethought to check for a pulse, especially when he's panicking - maybe Taka is totally fine! . . . maybe. . .

in reference to the asks under the read more of [this post]

we really just gonna put Takaaki through the wringer ain't we

Haiji as a counterpart to Takaaki works far better than I'd like: Takaaki: a good man who has had to do bad things, and Haiji: a bad man who just so happens to have done good things (of course Dangan, you coulda done ANYTHING ELSE to have made it clear Haiji was a wrong'un but you had to go and make him a NONCE)

As such, unfortunately, when it comes to imprisonment with no evidence of the crime, it comes down to their own consciences to condemn them. Although Takaaki would stand by his actions and, if he had to do everything over again might even have repeated them; he would not refute his crimes. Even though he believes them absolutely necessary, if demanded of him, he would serve his punishment since he would be weighed down in a way that Haiji never would be.

In a world of despair, it's not those who actually deserve to be punished that get their just rewards (and lord knows Haiji bloody deserves it)

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You're absolutely right; Takaaki's life has been a constant battle against a rising tide and when that dam bursts, the one thing that's been holding him together- anything getting in the way of the torrent that's unleashed, would be cataclysmic. It's just as well none of the Warriors of Hope actually had the misfortune to find him.

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You have my apologies my good anon! But it hurts so good: Like a nut-shot to the HEART

(previous set of angst asks [under this illustration])

[mickules]

ASK DUMP

But first:

OOPS [for context]

My hand slipped.

Yous all ready for a MAMMOTH ask post? I mean it this is LONG

[edit: completely forgot to add the ‘read more’ rip your dash this is L O N G]

(next set of asks are [here]! in smaller bites this time)

Honestly I’m kinda boring when it comes to headcanons, they’re mostly canon compliant or I end up floating about on the general consensus of popular fanon. Here, however, is a bunch of little titbits!

~Hifumi draws like Boichi. The idea he has a super detail oriented style and not a cutesy one cracks me up.

~The difference between Taeko and Celeste; those colour contacts are prescription. (Taeko doesn’t look too dissimilar to Toko and she hates that)

~Likewise, Gundham takes forever to get ready as he re-applies the “wards necessary to allow mere mortals to withstand the presence of The Supreme Overlord of Ice”

~Kazuichi on the other hand is au naturale. He just looks like that.

~Hiro is right, where do you think his clairvoyant abilities came from?

~Taka has had to shave every morning since he was 13, (he looks like Masaaki Sakai from Monkey if he grows it out) Mondo will never be able to grow any facial hair, and he’s salty about it. His hair is naturally curly but he straightens the back for that Pomp Aesthetic

~Taka is a very restless sleeper, never wakes up in the same position as he went to sleep. At Hope’s Peak he usually finds himself waking up across the room, on the floor.

~Additionally, He eats like a gannet - maximum efficiency (until he gets indigestion) [more on this]

~Red eyes and a diabolical resting bitch face is the dominant trait of the Ishimaru Bloodline. (POV trying to have a casual conversation)

~Takaaki is a divorcee not a widower; his marriage was an arranged one organised by Toranosuke, and when the scandal went down the marriage was dissolved by the bride’s family. [more on this]

She was 5′3′’

Takaaki just wants someone tall enough so he can take a nice photo (I had to google ‘no homo with socks’, I hope you’re happy)

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30% of Takaaki’s intimidation is his height, the rest is his Glare™

Ah! I can understand the confusion! That was actually an older Mondo, as the anon had asked about Kaito being Mondo and Taka’s kid. I’m easy going when it comes to pairing characters together, I don’t mind answering questions along that vein! I love to see other people’s interpretations, and how they imagine a relationship develops. I’ve seen some absolutely adorable art of them as a couple! Personally however, I don’t have a good idea of their chemistry in my head, so I don’t think of them as being together. At the very least not in this weird AU thing I’ve got going on. 

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Bold of you to assume Takemichi hasn’t been keeping it a secret. Not out of fear or shame, but rather because Michi would do anything to keep nosy, overbearing, meddling Daiya out of his love-life. He’s seen how Daiya absolutely ROASTS Mondo every-time he strikes out, and Michi ain’t about to open himself up to that. I imagine Daiya finds out whilst frequenting a gay bar- like that Doctor/Donna Doctor Who scene:

He is then resolutely recruited as a Gay Consultant™ 

They become very popular regulars. (tags got me creasing)

@hawklanthebard

You’re not wrong - that’s a fabulous concept, but they’re gonna have to catch him first. Surviving middle school gave Taka an unusually highly developed intuition for trouble and an excellent default flight or fight response

Mondo having to deal with his gang associations negatively effecting his ‘civilian’ life and friends? *Chef’s Kiss*

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Taka with his wooden sword would be a sight to behold. Unfortunately, I doubt brandishing a sword would be welcome in a school environment - so he’d unlikely use it for anything other than exercise. ISHIDA ON THE OTHERHAND

Hifumi might have had a bit more trouble

@emiefaunwrites

(Thank you so much! That’s so very sweet! I’m glad you like! :D) SO I didn’t originally have a timeline when I started making the comics, but NOW I do, so it’s a bit of a mess lol! BASICALLY: ~Daiya survived the bike crash  ~Mondo & Taka go to Hope’s Peak  ~They become friends (I have a comic planned for this, and it’s NOT a sauna scene *wiggles eyebrows*) ~[The Yakuza Incident] this is when Mondo catches feelings, but chalks it up to the adrenaline of the situation ~[Mondo meets Takaaki] and [makes a great impression] ~Daiya is introduced to Taka, and gives him “The Shirt” unbeknownst to Mondo  ~Taka has his own Gay Panic™ (this is another comic comin’ in the pipeline!) but he doesn’t recognise it for what it is. ~[Takaaki finds The Shirt, and him and Daiya make their plan] ~[The Hershey’s Kiss Incident] Mondo has to ask himself some PRETTY SEARCHING questions after this, whilst Taka has to wrestle with the revelation that if Mondo asked for a kiss, Taka would not hesitate to do it. ~ and Finally, eventually, a Confession (this is another comic, but it’ll deffo be a while before this one is done)

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@crackinwise

Takemichi sees the Oowada brothers as a single unit - he is 'second’ to both of them. So, whilst Mondo is at Hope’s Peak, Takemichi defaults to keeping an eye on Daiya to give Mondo some piece of mind, since Daiya still a target for rival gangs. Takemichi’s title of ‘second’ is just a formality of the gang. Daiya doesn’t really go in for the hierarchy stuff, but it’s the gang that insists on it and Mondo unfortunately really internalised it. From the gang’s perspective, you have the suave leader, his sharp, loyal 2nd in command and his volatile brother he has to reign in, when in reality Daiya delegated a lot of his responsibilities to Mondo and Michi over time, and was more a figurehead than an actual leader by his retirement.

(I’ve got some more Leon in a future comic - have a peek, he’s got such a cheeky face) [this comic is now done!]

Mondo’s unsuccessful romantic attempts are the favourite gossip topic of a surprising amount of class 78 tho’ not within earshot of Mondo obviously - They’re secretly cheering him on but they also have a betting pool based on how quickly he’ll scare the girl away. Celeste has made a very tidy profit.

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Taka is 100% the type who’d inform the mcdonald’s cashier that they gave him too many nuggets and try to pay the extra. He’s IMPOSSIBLE to do a favour for.

[persona ref here]

@chinchillasinunison

I agree, Mondo in specs is A+, but yes, ‘tis a persona reference.  I FULLY recommend Persona 4 if you get the chance! It’s a JRPG, but the ‘dungeons’ are people’s psyches, and when they’re inside they have to confront a ‘shadow’ which is basically some aspect of themselves they’ve repressed or heavily dislike. The stress of being in the dungeons causes people to get dizzy and confused, and the glasses stop that- it suggests Mondo has already confronted his own shadow, before Taka had to confront his. . .

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That’s some excellent analysis right there! Taka 100% has some deep seated issues to do with his relationship with control. I think his new friendship with someone so far outside his understood norm of ‘acceptable’ would have rattled some of those insecurities loose.  There would be an inherent need for Taka to try to ‘improve’ Mondo’s behaviour - to try to make Mondo more “acceptable to society”, the way Taka was taught to be. But by doing so, he would be removing something that makes Mondo who he is. It would come down to an internal fight of being a hypocrite for overlooking Mondo’s anti-social behaviour, or trying to control Mondo and making him into something he’s not. Taka would hate himself for not being able to accept Mondo wholesale, the way he wishes people would accept himself, and the way he knows friends SHOULD do - basically a microcosm of the wider span of his anxiety with his chosen path and future.

(ahhhh! !Thank-you! That’s supremely kind! I’m still really enjoying the Dangan stuff, and if I move on to other things and folk don’t vibe with it - It’s all good! No worries! My only goal on this tumble is to enjoy myself, and so far that ain’t changed :D)

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NOICE! Excellent recommendations I’m lovin’ them! Always happy to get more! 👀

Also, from that DR chatfic:

“TAIL ‘EM NAEGGI”

I have been outdone.

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(AH! You flatter me! I’ll keep on tryna be cool!) [pic is here!] Daiya and Takaaki being casual allies is definitely a dynamic I really enjoy; Crazy Crafters is such an enjoyable fic! All the little interactions and character chemistry works so well together! Chasml’s fics are ones that I keep coming back to - I ADORE Their characterisations.

@rc-hetalia-mun

Dang you right, Honestly I needed a kid and his mum for the Crazy Crafters [pic] and Hiro has such a fun design; it was inevitable.

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(AH! Thanks!! What a compliment!! :-0 !! ) Normally, someone as jacked as Mondo would have a craggier face, not unlike Sakura’s sharp nose and defined cheekbones - but he’s got surprisingly soft features, I think those big eyes and long tapered eyelashes really add to it.

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(!!!!!THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!) Taka doesn’t even smile that much in his in game sprites but I CANNOT HELP IT! He has such a wide, welcoming smile and I LOVE DRAWING IT!!

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(Thank you! I loved doin’ it!) All credit 100% goes to @monikamarkovova They have the most SUPREMELY FLUFFY MOTHMEN art and I am in AWE, I cannot compare. I do not know how they do it. [here for ref]

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(ahh! <3 thanks very much!) Here’s a bit of a behind the scenes! I do all my sketches in colour ‘cos I find it easier on my eyes. I have trouble telling the difference between colours of a close tone, so it’s easier to see when distinguishing between the sketch and the black lines when I’m doing lineart. Red just happens to be my go to since it’s quickest to get to on the colour slider and I’m lazy. The sketches you see are pretty much 1 to 1 what I use for lineart, minus the half tones. If I have multiple sketch layers, I’ll use multiple colours so I can see easier, but usually I do all my sketches directly on my guideline layer because I’m a madman. Here’s a coupla examples:

here’s a rare one where I didn’t draw directly onto my messy af guidelines- but I always start with red, then blue, then green and very occasionally purple if I need a fourth.

I keep the mini-comic sketches in red since I think it looks better. Black is harsh and can be unforgiving and I think it makes it easier to see how rough my sketches are. In colour it’s a little softer - and to me - more pleasing to the eye! (and even when I do use black- it’s usually at partial opacity to soften it out)

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AND cos I’ve been watching too much Natsume Yuujincho (FULLY RECOMMEND it’s delightful) Have a quick redraw: 

As my brother described it “Kiyotaka and his Fat Biker Cat”

And that’s it for now! The ask box is nice and empty, thanks for so many brilliant asks and sorry it took so long! I’m working on ‘Taka and Mondo becoming friends’ comic and ‘Taka gets a clue’ (edit: this one is [done]) comic, and I hope neither will take too long! :)

[mickules]

Angst minicomics

here are the Angst asks, the meme asks will be [here]!

please use your discretion; some dark themes here

These are all about Ultra Despair Girls, I’ve not actually played the game so there’s no intentional spoilers ~ 

Pain shot through his hands as he threw another desperate punch at the flickering monitor. The glass tore at his knuckles and blood splattered across the screen, a shock of colour against the white uniform hidden in the static. He didn’t notice; even as his legs gave out and his palms dragged down the rough plaster of the walls.  He didn’t realise he was screaming.

(I don’t think the convicts get to see the Killing Game in UDG, which I hadn’t realised! I think however, it wouldn’t be a stretch for highlights or even re-runs of the game to be broadcast whilst under the rule of the Warriors of Hope, making sure people can’t forget the loss of the final bastion of hope)

(Thank you v. much!) @hawklanthebard​ Takaaki would probably latch onto Takemichi as a lifeline; someone who needs him so he can’t spiral into despair, and having someone to rely on helps Takemichi in much the same way. Takaaki doesn’t ask why Takemichi seems to get comfort from his long black jacket, and Takemichi doesn’t mention it when Takaaki occasionally calls him by another name. 

Unfortunately neither of them have the Hacker Guns that are harmless to people but disable the monokumas; so using Takaaki’s gun would be a risk they’d have to take. Avoiding fatalities, certainly casualties, might be impossible. Once the city’s safe and the Future Foundation start sweeping up, they’d probably consider him a potential danger, and Hiroko wouldn’t be able to forgive him for the loss of life (‘cos I have to make it even more dramatic)

This is of course if Takaaki DID actually meet Takemichi during the Demon Hunt.  Takaaki’s canonically hot-headed with a predisposition toward paranoia and his life has just been a series of tragedies he had no hand in and no way of avoiding, trapped just watching as everything crumbles around him. He’s teetering over a fall into despair just waiting for one final push, and I think the Demon Hunting game could be the thing to break him.

(next set of angst asks are [here]!)

[mickules]

Thank you for that! :’) Idk if you’ve ever played The Last of Us, but I imagine Takaaki and Takemichi’s dynamic to be like Joel and Ellie

Talkin’ about [these!]

( :D You’re welcome! ) You’re totally right. I hadn’t realised initially but yeah - they do have those same found family vibes, too damaged to really heal but this might be the closest they’ll get.

Sometimes you wake up and crave an honest to god punch to the gut; I’m glad I could provide.

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I’ma be real; I totally forgot that Haiji Towa is actually the head of the resistance in ultra despair girls; I had just erased him in my mind and decided that it must be Hiroko leading them, it was the only scenario that made sense to me

(next set of angst asks be [here])

[dantelionwishes]

the matt engarde simp chronicles will never end....................HELP ME

[dantelionwishes]

Matt Engarde was 21 in 2018. Do you think he’s a millennial or Gen Z?

that would mean hes born in 1997......HES GEN Z LIKE ME SO I HAVE A REAL CHANC--