I especially love your use of colors and textures :) Everything is so bright and colorful, but still cohesive. And your images are so clear without being overly detailed! It’s all literally perfection!!!
I like to draw digitally as well and your art-style is a huge inspiration for me. So I wanted to ask if you have any work in progress videos or pictures? Or if you could explain your process in general? Like, are you using a sketch layer underneath, with how many layers are you normally working, what kind of brushes do you use or any tips overall to improve digital painting?
Of course you don’t have to answer this (kinda a lot of questions, sorry 😅 ). Just know that I adore your art and that you’re helping me on my own art-journey just by sharing your work with the world – so, thank you!!! <3
Hey!! So first of all thank you so much for everthing you said about my art, I really appreciate it! But also omg thank youuu for this amazing ask like this is for real the kind of ask I've always wanted to get, where a total stranger is interested in my process XD So yeah don't worry about asking a lot of questions, they were great and I loved them!
Also I'm super flattered that my art has inspired you in your own digital art journey and I hope the stuff I say here can also help somewhat! This will get pretty long so sorry in advance everyone for making you scroll so much cause for some reason the read more option doesn't work on mobile :/
But anyway to answer your questions!
Sadly I don't have videos but I do have some pics I'll share. This is actually my second attempt at answering this because before I was going to use some WIP pics of the Majid drawing as example but then I didn't want to because it was in black and white and color is kind of one of the main things I like to emphasize in my art so I wanted to talk about it in the example XD Then I started a couple new drawings and was taking pics of those but I got super artblocked, but luckily I just finished one out of the blue that I can use. Okay so... I started answering this, again, and it was getting way too long and rambly so I'm gonna try to keep it simple this time and maybe I can elaborate more another time if you're still interested/ if anyone else wants know X'D
My process in general: I always start by making a simple basic background to work on, just fill it in and add some blotches of color. Then on a new layer I just start painting the subject, no sketch, so again just laying down some colors (I usually take whatever color in the bg is closest to skin tone and adjust the new color from there) and I just start blocking some shapes in aproximately the right places to start defining where things will be and how they fit together and just go from there. It's hard to explain it more cause that's kinda it, I just paint until things look like they're supposed to or at least visually appealing enough XD I add or adjust whatever colors seem necessary along the way (in this particular drawing I left the darker values until way too late which I don't recommend) and just refine and refine and refine things and add as many or as few details as I feel like, working on everything simmultaneously bit by bit.
Layers: like I mentioned before there's no sketch, and I try to use as few layers as possible so usually I'll have about 3-5. One for the basic background, one to three (though sometimes I merge them) additional layers for more background effects/colors/value fixes that I usually add later in the process, and I try to have just one for the subject. Sometimes I have one or two more if I'm feeling too hesitant but I always merge them in the end.
Brushes: I only use one brush at 50% opacity the whole time for everything. It's a squarish/rectangular brush that has some sort of jagged edges and a bit of a watercolory texture.
Tips: so this part is especially hard cause like.. I feel like any tips I could give are only applicable to drawing portraits and even then it'd be for doing it in the particular way that I prefer.. Like for example I could say it's best to work on every area at the same time and never spend too long one thing before moving on to the next but.. some people actually prefer finishing the eyes completely before moving on to the nose for example you know? So honestly the main thing I'll say is kinda to just experiment with a lot of methods and styles and see what works or doesn't work for you. Something that I think always helped me a lot was watching speedpaints of people who were more skilled than me and had a distinct style, just literally watch how they did their thing and every once in a while I might notice something I'd be interested in trying for myself and yeah with practice and experience you just kinda figure out what kind of things you not only like seeing but actually want in your own art. Like years ago I used to sketch but then I saw enough videos of people painting without sketching that I wanted to try it and I realized it's just more fun and makes more sense to me that way. So yeah try lots of different things and see what works for you and what you want to incorporate into your own art style!
Some more standard digital art tips I could give I guess are like.. the thing I said about not spending too much time on just one area (if it applies to your prefered process XD). Flip the drawing every now and then to catch stuff that's off. Stay zoomed out as much as possible and when you do zoom in for details always keep an eye on how the bigger picture's looking. Take your time finding or arranging a good reference pic that really inspires you cause it'll save you time and frustration later. And aaa idk I could say more but I don't think it's that informative or helpful, and all of this is probably really basic obvious stuff anyway and this is long enough as it is so yeah I'll leave it there...
I hope any of this can help in some way or that I've at least answered your questions in a satisfying enough way haha And finally here are some of the WIP pics I took. Where you can see some parts of the process. I did a lot more after that last pic but yeah at that point it's just about fixing little things, refining and adding details, but there you can see the color adjustment thing I usually do as the very last step (though not for this pic). I don't always have to do it, and there are probably times when I shouldn't, but I almost always like to do it anyway and that's why my colors look so exaggerated and bright XD I usually make the midtones more red and/or magenta, the shadows more blue, and the highlights more yellow (and sometimes a bit cyan) but if you wanna try something like that it's definitely fun to experiment with the different color possibilities ;u;
And yeah that's it for now! I'm sorry this is so long, and this was the short version lol I hope you like the answers at least a fraction of how much I loved the questions X'D
I got tagged by @ameliarating and @veliseraptor to do this writer meme thing!
How many works do you have on AO3?
Six. I only started posting fic on AO3 last year. Before that, many long years ago, I used my own websites and LiveJounal.
What’s your total AO3 word count?
177481. The absolute majority of which is of course Heaven Has A Road.
How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?
On AO3, only The Untamed.
But before that, I've written for Disney Afternoon's Aladdin, Slayers, Kingdom Hearts, Assassin's Creed, and one-shot fics for my own original verses as well as my friends'.
What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
Heaven Has A Road But No One Walks It at 1194, unsurprisingly. It's my magnum opus on AO3.
Blanket Statement at 302. The first fic I wrote for the Untamed, and the first thing I posted on AO3 (Thank you, Lise, for holding my hand and walking me through it!)
And To Many More at 169
High Noon In Deserted City at 96, which is sort of funny, since it's just a picture and about 1000 words. But the premise is fun! Still hoping for some hungry writer to adopt it and write something for it. :)
Self-Inflicted at 75.
Which checks out, I guess – the longest fic with the most readers comes first, then the fluff, then the funny and finally the angsty and fucked up. XD
I still suspect The Plotbunny of Doom / The Renegades for Kingdom Hearts would score as my all time highest, though, if LJ likes and comments translated to the AO3 format. That fic took me and two friends three whole years to write together, was 104 chapters long and over 300k.
Do you respond to comments, why or why not?
I really try! Comments mean everything to me, and I want to reply to them all! But when I'm low on spoons (which is unfortunately often) I fall hopelessly behind, and then the catching up becomes an impossible-looking chore in and of itself.
I should really set some time aside every day to catch up on the last few chapters' worth of comments... I do love the interaction and discussion a good comment can spawn!
What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?
Hm... I write a ton of angst, but only a few actually have sad endings. I'd say Eaten counts, as does Self-Inflicted, I guess. TPBoD had a very open ending that was still definitely on the somewhat hopeless side.
Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?
Mm, it's not usually my favourite genre (though I mean, the whole Kingdom Hearts verse is a crossover in and of itself) but it depends a lot on the source material. I guess TPBoD might soft-count, since we tossed in a bunch of non-canon references with all the world-jumping.
Have you ever received hate on a fic?
Not as such? Oh yeah, I do recall getting a very upset comment on a non-con fic I wrote back in the KH days, by someone who couldn't conceive how you could claim to love a character and then write such horrible things happening to them. But you get those occasionally. Look, crushing my favourite characters is therapy. Doesn't mean I don't love them.
The Russian fandom are loudly aggressive in their comments on some chapters of Heaven Has A Road, but that's more focused on the characters, not me personally.
On the whole, I've been pretty spared. But then, there's little point in sending hate; I just block.
Do you write smut? if so what kind?
Oh, absolutely. Haven't really gotten to that point in the posted chapters of Heaven Has A Road yet, but we're about to unleash it aplenty in the upcoming ones.
What kind? Most kinds, I guess? Soft and fluffy, aggressive and snarly, consensual, dubcon, non-con. Mostly mlm but I've written het, too. Can't remember if I've written wlw, but I've certainly headcanoned/drawn it. A bit of kink is nice.
I prefer focusing on the chemistry and sensations when I write porn, rather than detailed physical smacking and squelching and body fluids, but that's just my personal preference and writing style.
Have you ever had a fic stolen?
Not that I know of? Not that I can remember? I have my art stolen regularly, and I've had my online identity stolen, but I don't think anyone's stolen anything I've written...
Have you ever had a fic translated?
Yes! Heaven Has A Road is being translated into Russian, and I'm insanely honoured and flattered!
Have you ever co-written a fic before?
Yes – TPBoD aka The Plot Bunny of Doom, aka The Renegades, for Kingdom Hearts. I wrote it over ten years ago together with a friend and my now wife. It was a monster of a fic, I think about 320k, and the fact that we were three people helping and pushing and encouraging each other really helped keep it going!
I don't know if I would have the focus for something like it now, but it was an amazing experience I'll always treasure.
What’s your all time favorite ship?
Oh man, that changes with each hyperfixation... I may have to say Marluxia/Vexen for Kingdom Hearts, simply because it's a ship that's been around in my life for so long. I still occasionally go back to read favourite bits of the fics I wrote for them, including TPBoD.
Currently it's SongXueXiao from The Untamed, of course, and a very strong contender overall! I've dabbled a bit in poly ships before, but this is the first time I have one as my main, and I'm love them.
What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?
Uh. I don’t really have any? Because of my burnout-brain, I can only really focus on one major project at a time, and that's currently heaven has A Road. And I'm really, really hoping I will be able to finish it!
It's all plotted out, I just need to write the stupid thing. Working on it.
What are your writing strengths?
Hm, I'd say that I've developed a voice/prose over the years that I'm actually quite happy with! And I'm good at conveying/invoking emotion, if going solely by how many people comment that I've made them cry. :D
I enjoy writing dialogue, and I love working with layers of symbolism.
What are your writing weaknesses?
The actual writing process. 🙄 I'm extremely uneven and unstructured in getting the actual words down. Also convoluted and inflated text at times - sometimes I write a lot of words without actually saying anything. And English is my second language, so just nailing the correct phrasing and grammar can be a headache at times.
What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?
If it impacts the plot – like the POV character not understanding it, then maybe. And using terms that can't be translated, absolutely! Other than that, there's little point in making a text harder for the reader to grasp by tossing in whole sections in another language for clout. Is my personal view, at least, of course other writers may disagree.
What was the first fandom you wrote for?
My first online fandom that I wrote fic for was Disney Afternoon's Aladdin show. Before that, I wrote original fic. And before that, before the internet was A Thing, I'd write and draw for stories that captivated me, just for my own entertainment. If you count that, I'd probably say Phantom of the Opera was my first – I had a whole ”everyone is a horse because that's what I know how to draw” AU when I was about 10 or so, that I'd draw lots of pictures for. When I was even younger, I used to make up stories for my younger brothers, based on movies and series we had watched together. I've always been a storyteller, one way or another, if only in my own head. I wouldn't know how not to.
What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?
I would have to say Heaven Has A Road, even though it's still unfinished. It's the first work of that sheer scope I have ever attempted by myself, and I'm honestly insanely proud of myself for what I have accomplished already!
Second would be TPBoD – The Renegades. Even though that was a shared effort, it's a very long fic that we managed to bring all the way to its intended conclusion, and I'm very proud of that, too!
Plus there are bits of both these fics I really like, and that I will go back and read for my own enjoyment occasionally.
I feel like the Wayne’s were a clique in high school who girls wanted to date and guys wanted to be
I am not even sure they’d ever attend school together?
What is even american high school? Like, in my personal Polish experience it was happening between 15 and 18-19 years of age and there was no cliques apart from groups of friends who gossiped about other gorups sometimes, but usually it was nothingXD I really have no experience to draw from to make it all appropriately dramatic>>
Also, again, would they even go to school at the same time? By the time Jason came about Dick was already college-age? (was he? I dunno, but I like to think so? what is college age again?) and then Tim I headcanon as about 4-5 years younger than Jay. Steph is about a year older/younger than Tim depending on what I want to write. Cass I am placing about Jay’s age, but she wasn’t there yet. Damian is a baby.
We can assume that Gotham Academy is a kind of a all in one placement where you go to primary school and leave to go to college of choice? Int hat case, the Wayne kids wouldn’t be clique due to age difference and spacing, but just a procession of good-looking, aloof and somewhat awkward kids that don’t have many friends due to their aloofness. Kids would try to befriend them, but, again, aloof awkwardness in contacts with normal people would make it a moot concept.
Sorry anon, I am not good at these sort of aus because my own experience was so boring and undramatic, I am not sure what’s the deal even about XD
Ooooooo! :D Strap in, this is gonna get wordy. xD6. What is your least favourite thing to draw?It’s hard to pick just one thing for me, though I find it’s also difficult to distinguish between things I’m bad at drawing and things I actively dislike drawing. I have a lot of struggles with backgrounds, but those are far from my least favourite thing to draw, and I’m actively trying to get better at them, especially for design and world building purposes. Though the first thing that came to mind when reading this question was cars, and mechanical/industrial things in general. Especially when they aren’t in a fantastical or imagined setting, where I have more of a comfort zone design wise. I’d be far better at designing a medieval era carriage than a car or bus, for example.I’m the type of person that can fall in love with a subject once I learn how to draw/design it in my own way (see: humans), but I never know how to design a modern day vehicle or building without them looking like a boring brick, and for vehicles I can never seem to get the shapes or proportions right without going full cartoon. I know there are ways to make them look interesting (and with proper structure) without that, but I haven’t found it yet. xD15. How long does an average piece take you to complete?That’s an even harder question to answer actually, lmao. My times for completion vary wildly between pieces, but it is never fast dfhjsgfhjsg ;;;;;;;;;; I can chalk some of that up to my mental health and The Current State of Things™ right now, but I’ve never been a fast artist even without that. The speed of my work and the detail/nuance of my work increased simultaneously while I was at art college, so it sort of cancels itself out. I upload a heck of a lot more now and at a higher quality overall though, so that’s nice! A decent compromise, I’d say.This also depends greatly on whether I am designing something new or drawing something that’s already been designed, either by myself or someone else. As you’d imagine, the former takes a lot longer than the latter. For my initial design sheets, I’d say those take anywhere from 6 to 10 hours, depending on if it’s a full sheet with other parts or a single pose to get the first idea down. They usually get closer to the 10 hour mark if I have trouble wrestling with the colour schemes, aha.But for things like extended character packs, rotations, poses, etc., those take a lot longer due to a higher level of refinement and consistency required compared to the first design sheets, and I usually like to make them at higher resolutions for assets/reuse purposes. I also use high resolutions for print stuff too.Logo designs are a slight anomaly to this, as those are probably the fastest things I can make outside of 5am insomnia doodles. I can usually crank out at least a somewhat refined version of a logo design in a few hours, especially if it’s symmetrical (thank you Procreate symmetry tool), but this does not include the time I take to clean it, and later turn it from a raster image into a vector if needed.Larger pieces with lots of shading layers or complexity (and ESPECIALLY ones with backgrounds) take me anywhere from 15 to 25 hours at minimum, and that depends entirely on the subject matter and art style. If any or all parts of the piece are more challenging than normal, like a different art style for example, it takes me a lot longer in the process phase to completely figure those out, thus adding to the time elapsed. With things like new shading styles I usually have to break it down and actually give myself a process for completing each part, like the number of shading layers, the colour of the shading, etc. to maintain consistency and not fry my brain with too many things at once.25. Do you like to draw in silence, or with music?I almost always listen to music, I find I can’t work as well or get into “the zone” as easily without it, and I have different playlists for different moods, either from my emotional state or from whatever I’m making. I might listen to video game battle music for an intense expression drawing or something. My most common music is upbeat and fast in some way, usually branching a lot of genres, and I often nod my head to the beat while I draw if I’m really into it. Though the best times are when I’m so deep in the zone that I don’t even notice that my music is playing, similar to how I space out when I’m tired/bored. Everything but what I’m focused on completely melts away, and before I know it I’ve burned through a playlist already, aha.The one exception to this rule is if I’m already overstimulated emotionally or from other sounds/things happening around me, in which case I’ll escape to a quiet place and turn off the music where possible. Either that or listen to one of my slower playlists. Sometimes the world is too loud, you know?Thanks for the questions! :D
Part 3 of my commentary of @renegadewangs‘s fic series Phantoms & Mirages!
Part 1 | Part 2
Chasing Phantoms, Chapter 17
How was this man supposed to impersonate a man who was impersonating him in turn, if he didn’t even have a firm grasp of his own personality and mannerisms?
THIS IS SO DELIGHTFULLY CONVOLUTED I’M LOVING IT. Absolutely living for this.
The dialogue between Randy and Domestique in the flashback is so well-constructed, the layers of SUBTEXT – this fic. Is good.
“That’s not the point,” [Randy] ended up muttering. If anything, not knowing himself only strengthened the point. “For all you know, I could be a dangerous criminal.”
Hot damn, this line.
He supposed he could tolerate Domestique’s presence for a bit longer.
And then they got hitched. Sdkjnsdknldslkn
Running late? What were they running late for? Were Domestique and the Phantom supposed to be on some sort of schedule? Bobby knew he couldn’t question it without rousing suspicion, but that made the curiosity so much more needling.
I got so curious over this too. XD.
ASKNJASDNKLADJL GOD IT IS SUCH A SHAME THAT HE’S NOT ACTUALLY TALKING TO THE REAL PHANTOM HERE. TELL HIM OFF. It’s What He Deserves. Okay but this line is still so funny. Poor Domestique.
“Watch your mouth, LaSoote. There could be children listening in.”
Nailed it.
HAHAHAAA I’D FORGOTTEN ABOUT THIS.
Domestique’s face twitched into some sort of disgusted expression. Or perhaps it was frustration; Bobby found it hard to tell.
Ah. Ahh. It never really occurred to me before how awkward and awful this situation is for Domestique. Ouch. Because for all he knows that’s the phantom… Who is impersonating his “dead” ex-husband… Who he is in the process of GRIEVING. Like I’d naturally felt bad for Domestique when it became clear he was in mourning but… Never fully hit me how awkward the phantom aspect is. Or, in fact, would have been in any previous instance where the phantom is Bobby and speaking to Domestique, because that was his husband’s former identity, and then his ex-husband. Yeesh. YOU MADE AND ADDED YET ANOTHER CHARACTER TO YOUR STORY FOR THE PHANTOM TO ROYALLY SCREW OVER. As if he hadn’t done that to enough people already. XD
Although there would of course have been quite the distinction between Randy and the Bobby that the phantom was portraying, which would help a little bit for it to be a little less weird… Domestique might have been able to glean things about what Bobby used to be like from interacting with the phantom… Gah, gaah, I’m thinking so much about this now and getting more eager to read Tracking Ghosts to see what information it has to tell me, what light it has to shed. XD
Chasing Phantoms, Chapter 18
Your writing style is just, so brilliant. The way you introduce us gradually to different pieces of the puzzle when it comes to Domestique and Bobby’s relationship, and what it was like for Domestique… Keeping the reader curious and wondering, sometimes guessing at the full picture ahead of time and being greatly wrong about it.
THIS FLASHBACK. IS SO DIFFERENT TO READ THE SECOND TIME AROUND. AAAAH.
I really didn’t like Domestique the first time I read it and now I’m just. OUCH.
It hadn’t been the first time Domestique had lost his patience, but never this bad. Never with this much force.
So here we are, the… Hmm. When I first read this, I took this “it hadn’t been the first time” as a kind of confirmation of the phantom’s words regarding beatings, but… “never this bad. Never with this much force”. The crux of it depends on what “lost his patience” actually refers to here. I’d initially taken that as the euphemism for inflicting violence on Randy. But now, I’m like… what if it’s meant more literally? Is it possible this is actually the first time Domestique struck Randy? Or had he done it before, simply with “less force”? …No, the “force” comment, to me, implies that Randy had actually been hit by Domestique before. Just… less severely.
It’s a single punch Domestique dishes out, and it’s implied here to be the worst that Bobby had suffered at his hand. That’s a clear contrast to the more severe domestic abuse that I had been imagining. Of course, we as the reader had come to know that Domestique and Randy had actually shared something, and that Randy clearly cared greatly for Domestique, but this had not caused me to question my assumptions too much. Because there are still “good times” or “honeymoon phases” in otherwise abusive relationships.
But the phantom is far from trustworthy, and he said those things to Blackquill with the specific intent to bother him and to get him to leave. Blackquill himself draws attention to their untrustworthiness and how they were supposed to bother him. He very, VERY easily could have been exaggerating, both intentionally and unintentionally going by his comment about how his “intel wasn’t what it used to be at that point.”
“Randy! You’ve made your point! I get it! I don’t know what else to say, please just stop!”
The first time around, I read this line as quite dismissive, as if he’s saying “oh yeah sure as if you’re gonna really leave, you made your point GEEZ now come back here as you’re inevitably gonna do anyway”, and got the impression that perhaps Randy has tried/threatened to leave before but didn’t, which is why I thought Domestique was not really taking him seriously. I had picked up on the desperation that seemed to be present, but figured that Randy had never gotten this close to leaving before, which caused Domestique to actually start getting worried and want to put an end to it.
He remembered all the times he’d felt like the walls were closing in- like he was back in that cellar and death was all around him- and Domestique had come to soothe him. To tell him he was safe.
The first time around, reading this line had given me a bit of pause, if only because of this line, that Domestique says earlier:
“Did you have another breakdown or something? Are you pissy because you had another one of your crying fits and I wasn’t there to hold you until it passed?”
Which had made me very, very annoyed to say the LEAST and just naturally gave me the impression of someone who is VERY dismissive and neglectful, but furthermore, put in context with Randy’s perspective and his suffering, seemed just downright cruel. Like, it makes it sound like soothing Randy was nothing but a chore whenever he was “forced” to do it.
So my reaction to finding out that, huh, Domestique actually had held Randy and soothed him and actively cared for him when he broke down in the past was at least one point in Domestique’s favour. I was like:
.
But he wasn’t safe. Not until the Phantom was stopped.
HMM. I do kinda wonder… how he knew to refer to the phantom with this moniker at this point. This was something I also noticed the first time around, and dismissed as a potential mistake. Unless it’s not meant to be specifically from Randy’s POV and more a general narrative perspective thing… WAIT, actually. I think maybe it was supposed to be, yeah, general-narrative-perspective in the present tense
“I know for a fact that you can’t.” Domestique grinned, but it was nothing like the boyish grins that Bobby remembered. “Or how about you speak a few words of Japanese? Or French? Bobby was lousy at French, but the Phantom? He speaks at least fifty languages fluently. Probably more.”
Me: [spits out my juice]
PHANTOM… PHANTOM WHAT?!
WHEN I FIRST READ THIS… I JUST HAD TO STOP AND BE LIKE… EXCUSE ME?! EXCUSE ME? YOU CANNOT JUST THROW IN SUCH AN ABSURD FIGURE AND EXPECT IT TO FLY!
Me: I KNOW THE PHANTOM IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING BUT THERE’S A THING CALLED BELIEVABILITY.
I kid you not, my willing suspension of disbelief snapped in half at the time. XDDD THAT’S JUST… SO MANY LANGUAGES… “FLUENTLY”?! PROBABLY MORE?!?!?!?!
Thirty languages probably would have caused the exact same reaction within me. Fifty was just so far above even that, I-
Like, at most I’d probably have capped the amount of languages the phantom could speak fluently at around 25-28 at most. Throw in a couple more that he has somewhat of a grasp on but can’t speak fluently, MAYBE. That I could take in stride. If I had to pick a number myself, I’d be comfortable at around fifteen.
But we’re also talking about the version of me that had (COMPLETELY unfair!) doubts and misgivings about how you’d chosen to write the phantom’s character and position him in the story up until this point. So, let’s give this a fair assessment.
It just so happens that I do remember reading about a real life man who was actually able to speak around fifty languages, so it is possible. But I’m not sure if he could have been called fluent at all of those, and if I recall, it was also what his career was kinda centred around, and he really just had a natural talent for it (as you’d expect).
There’s also the fact that, if parts of the brain are not taken up and busy processing and feeling emotion, it lends those parts of the brain to be able to be commandeered for other purposes. I don’t doubt that someone could really pull off unprecedented language learning ability if the parts of their brain that should be focused on emotion were instead focused on language learning instead. Furthermore, the mere fact that one doesn’t have any real emotions to be distracted by allows one to focus on learning languages skilfully. These two things could certainly feed into each other to allow a very powerful capacity for learning and retaining languages.
The first point may not really apply to this phantom to the full possible extent due to the bone sliver, which is mostly said to have damaged the phantom’s brain in the area where it counts RE: emotions. That means the relevant damaged/blocked parts cannot be commandeered for language learning instead. HOWEVER, I am willing to accept that the bone sliver further prevents the emotional-processing parts of the phantom’s brain from taking up more space that they should be taking up. That extra (unblocked/undamaged) space could certainly be claimed by other skills such as language learning, allowing the phantom to still have a much bigger part of his brain dedicated to language than the average human’s.
Another point to consider is the phantom’s age and how much time he’s had to claim himself such a high amount of languages. Well, he’s 37 at this point, if I remember right, and if I really think it through and consider him picking up different languages over time when playing different roles or in different circumstances… The fifty number kind of checks out, I guess, depending on how you play it. I still don’t know about “fluently”, but you could have a claim to speaking fifty languages or even a bit more than that at that age.
My other concern is the phantom’s career, based on replacing people and portraying them as accurately as possible. If someone speaks a certain language fluently, being also able to speak that language fluently is absolutely essential. Or it’s WAY too easy to have your cover blown – I mean, I know I don’t need to tell you this XD. I figured that yes, the phantom would know a whole bunch of different languages, but would have a very important need to stick to a certain set of languages he was best at for the people he was impersonating. It’s just really, really hard to speak a language as if it was your native one when you only started to learn it when you were like, 25. Even if you’ve known it for ten years, imo.
But it’s also worthwhile to consider that if the phantom impersonates someone who can speak multiple languages, he would need to speak all of the relevant languages. There’s just a whole lot of ways the phantom could pick up languages over time, and a whole lot of reasons he would need to. I suppose in any “free” time he had, he also may continue learning different languages as well, as it’s a great advantage for his career. Always honing his skills. Like, might as well get a certain language out of the way and have it learned in advance if you might need it later, or it will serve you later on, right?
And then you have little child phantom from under the International School of Languages picking things up there. That’s another important consideration – at least SOME of those languages NEED to be learned early, in one’s formative years, for it to be more believable. Well, Phantoms & Mirages comes back and ticks that box! Now, I did appreciate the narrative circling around and addressing that, although even then I was like “hmm… it’s not necessarily enough, I mean, you need to be able to practice to get better.” But now I realise: yeah, even if what child phantom picked up from listening in on classes wasn’t a whole lot, it was still enough. And it’s not like that’s the only way he learned languages, either. He had his whole life ahead of him at that point, and so many opportunities and different circumstances where he would learn a whole manner and range of them.
Something else to consider is I think my definition of “fluent” is simply too stringent. I’d always used it kinda interchangeably with “like a native speaker”, but I’ve been coming to realise that’s a little naive. I didn’t even know until quite recently (within the past two years or so) that there was some lack of clarity regarding the term and different people had different opinions. But this definition: “able to express oneself easily and articulately.” Can easily occur at levels well below sounding just like a native speaker. So once we take that into account as well, the “fifty or more languages” once again becomes more believable.
So when, finally, I come back, having put it all into context and giving it a more fair assessment, I can… get on board! XD More in the “gee Meowzy, I really don’t know for certain… but you seem to know what you’re doing, so I’ll take your word for it!” XD.
Besides, I can also see the phantom impersonating someone who speaks a given language slightly better than he does. It’s somewhat of a risk, but hell, taking on a new persona always is. There’s plenty of minor non-language stuff that could trip him up, so a slight language disparity isn’t that unique of a risk. And upon taking on the persona, the phantom would constantly be able to bring his speaking abilities for it ever closer to the stolen identity’s and would probably rapidly be able to make up most of the gap and close it, until whatever’s left is not what anyone would really notice. Guess the main thing that bugged me is the notion that he’d be able to impersonate anyone who could speak any of those languages as their native tongue, although that’s not necessarily the case. Well it doesn’t matter – I know that you know what you’re doing! XD
Now it’s honestly a shame that I refused to accept this figure the first time around because honest to goodness I probably would have been cheering if I did, like, that’s my fave character! Right there! 50 languages and counting! Isn’t he amazing?! xD #PHANTOMFANPRIDE
Past Me: author you CANNOT just pull ANY high-sounding and impressive-sounding number and slap it in that’s not how it works… is it?
Back then I really DID NOT know WHAT to make of the phantom in this fic. Such a seemingly unattainable number felt at the time to strip them further of their character and made them feel WAY less grounded in the otherwise very grounded story I was reading.
(Past Me, we keep butting heads an awful lot, and as a recurring theme hopefully it won’t go on for too much longer ;D)
But then I also thought, okay, okay. Maybe Domestique’s estimate is actually inaccurate and/or way exaggerated. Maybe he’s genuinely under this misconception and/or intentionally exaggerating to further have Bobby lose his cool. Kinda begs the question, how would Domestique be able to know this rough figure anyway. The narrative seemed to be implying his estimate was accurate, though, but I was prepared to accept Domestique possibly being mistaken and then move on. (I was ready to slam the “death of the author” button for interpretation of this one sentence back then, if you will).
…Whew, guess who just went on a roughly 1,500 word tangent over a single sentence, derailing and going into depth on a topic completely separate from the chapter’s focus? This person! Well that’s just how I roll.
Chasing Phantoms, Chapter 19
The dynamic between Bobby and Domestique in this chapter is so awesome to read… Domestique kissing Bobby while he still has the gun, losing control… I was really like, this is one heckin’ fic! Even though I still strongly disliked Domestique for his treatment of Bobby – Randy – just because I could hardly stand the character didn’t detract in the slightest from how cool this was to read and how invested I suddenly was in this wack dynamic between them as this scene went down.
He couldn’t quite keep the satisfied smirk from his face as he peered down at his former husband, now a pathetic, whining heap on the floor.
“You’re under arrest, baby. In justice we trust.” The words left him before he could fully process what he’d just said. It didn’t matter. For the first time in over a year, it felt right.
“…You know what I just realized?”
“What?”
“It’s Valentine’s Day.”
YEAH I’D NOTICED THE LISTED DATE OF RECENT CHAPTERS (albeit like, I was a little slow on the uptake but I’d noticed it well before this scene) and I was like “Huh! Is anyone going to comment on this at all?” Well, why did I even have to wonder??? XD
You write such wholesome, happy and pure Blackbright… bless you. I’m not even at all invested in the ship normally and I’m like “awwwww!”
Chasing Phantoms, Chapter 20
If that wasn’t already substantial improvement, Bobby had followed through on his resolve and sought out a therapist, but what with waiting lists and initial testing, it’d be a while before he could begin to receive true counseling.
If the cast of this fic series wasn’t already substantial and intertwined enough, Bobby had followed through on his resolve and sought out a therapist who would later become a major character, but what with the complicated plot threads still lying ahead, it’d be a while before said character could begin to receive true focus and finally make an appearance in the actual story itself beyond mere references.
“With. I was working with the Phantom. Me and him go back a couple years, but if I was working for him, I wouldn’t have busted his ass out of prison. More trouble than it was worth.”
A moment of silence as those words sank in. Of course the Phantom hadn’t employed Domestique and his cohort to free him- how could he? He’d been in solitary confinement.
THIIIIS, this! The fact that the characters straight-up assumed – and therefore the narrative implied – that it was a clear-cut case of the phantom being in charge and ordering around underlings who were working for him, had struck me as rather odd. It was a further reason why I couldn’t fully get on board with the phantom in this fic so far when I first read it, because it further drove home the disconnect I’d been feeling. The notion just seemed… off. After all, Dual Destinies does nothing to imply it, and I’d never really seen any phantom fans headcanon it. But there was nothing from canon that outright discounts the possibility, so I’d just kind of accepted what the narrative had been proposing as, an interesting take that merely did not readily fit into my image of the phantom. But then this correction happens and I’m like, oh, okay, huh...! A nudge in the direction of alignment, if you will.
Oh whoa, HAT-1 bomb was Domestique’s? I didn’t realise (remember) he and the phantom went that far back… INTRIGUING!
So now, we finally have the reveal of Domestique staying back late, working on the bomb for Randy’s sake, and that he really, truly did love Bobby, that they could have been happy etc.
That is angsty and had some impact on me accordingly, although my thoughts were still “okay, but you were still abusive towards Randy. This certainly puts your actions in context and causes them to make more sense, but you still did that, so I can’t exactly bring myself to feel too sad about the fact that things didn’t work out between the two of you. I’m still glad that Randy managed to escape that awful situation, even though the whole thing is SUPER sucky from Domestique’s POV.”
The notion that they could have been happy – and indeed, once Domestique was no longer under the pressure of making the bomb, they could be – also came up a little short for me because I’m like: the way things worked out was actually for the best in this case. Domestique was not necessarily a good influence on Randy either, and Randy as an identity is one I still very much feel it was necessary for Bobby to shed on his path to healing. The relationship that Bobby shares with Blackquill is much healthier and happier. It’s what Bobby moreso needs. And because this is a Blackbright fic – Blackbright being the endgame, it’s like, sure, Domestique and Randy could have worked things out, but then we wouldn’t have Blackbright, would we? ;D
But I’m realising I was still just being a LITTLE too harsh on Domestique – I was so focused on continuing to paint him in my mind as a more clear-cut abuser to stop and realise that yes, Domestique inflicted a small(?) amount of violence on Randy and that’s not really excusable despite Domestique’s reasons, but outside of those instances he was never actually “abusing” Randy, was not ever trying to be intentionally cruel or dismissive etc. He loved Randy. He DID care about Randy. He wanted the two of them to share a happy marriage with each other. And they did have a whole heap of wonderful times together! Bobby’s positive behaviour towards Domestique was present in the narrative for a reason, and it was hardly anything akin to the holdovers of abuse as I might have believed before.
Oh and also, at this point I was kinda… slightly confused about how some of Domestique’s actions added up. This is actually one of the things I sent to my friend at the time on the matter:
Now keep in mind – I knew that if Domestique wasn’t willing to obey, the phantom would have killed him, and Domestique was fully aware of this – that’s why he fell into line. What confused me at the time is that Domestique spent time with Bobby before the phantom had infiltrated the apartment, so why didn’t he make any attempt at warning Bobby or trying to save him? There’s a chance that they would have been able to run off together and lie low, because Domestique was planning to retire anyway, and I thought that maybe, Domestique would be willing to put his life on the line if it meant it would save Bobby’s – if there was even a chance they could both successfully evade the phantom. That, coupled with me misinterpreting that line about carrying Bobby’s body being suspicious that Domestique said to the phantom, caused me to think that perhaps Domestique did have some kind of odd additional allegiance to the phantom for him to follow the orders how he did.
But looking back now, I realise there were flaws in my thinking. The phantom would’ve probably had the apartment under surveillance, so how could they escape without being noticed? Perhaps Domestique hadn’t actually known Bobby might get killed before it was too late, because what reason would the phantom have to tell him everything ahead of time? Another huge thing is that Domestique and Bobby were getting along really well, fuelling my “running off together” idea. But the thing is, Randy had still divorced Domestique. Domestique still would have been sore over that, and there was no real guarantee of any proper reconciliation between them. And at the end of the day, going against the phantom is just way too risky and kind of tempting death to come to one’s way. I guess I misjudged and Domestique’s need for self-preservation (and also commonsense in light of these facts) was more powerful than the love he felt for Bobby. And the fact that, well, escape would just be so difficult and implausible.
Oh, and Blackquill too. He would have made it all the more difficult. Domestique probably would have just wanted to escape with Bobby but Bobby would want to warn Blackquill too and it would just turn into an even bigger mess. And how’d they be able to leave without Blackquill noticing, anyway?
So yeah, I think I actually have answered my own questions on this one! The phantom would have thought through all of the possibilities and made sure to have Domestique fully trapped.
Chasing Phantoms, Chapter 21
Caught in the netherworld between life and death, sanity and insanity, the Phantom was once again a figure outside of anyone’s reach.
I love this sentence so much.
Also, FIRST PHANTOM POV SEGMENT CHAPTER. A-HO!
Just picture, me back then, scooting closer to the hypothetical TV Screen, going, OK, I’m listening, I’m listening…
Me to some hypothetical other person present: Haha yeah so hands down this is an awesome fic, brilliantly written, fantastic characterisation, you know? Just kind of a shame that it happens to be my fave which the author seems to be the weakest at writing for, but – WAIT SHUT UP HE’S ONSCREEN.
he found that he didn’t like that scent.
An opinion. 👀 “It was not a pleasant scent” sounds more neutral, but. Opinion! :D
Lang rubbed at his forehead for a moment before speaking. “We lost the Phantom this morning.”
There is more than one way to read this sentence. The intended reading is kinda obvious, but it didn’t stop my brain from momentarily going “uh, he died??” XD I mean, the guy IS supposed to be in a coma after a suicidal leap from an apartment building, so y’know!
“This is absurd! How do you lose a coma patient? Did someone move him?”
“He got up and walked out, actually.”
WHAT AN ABSOLUTE LEGEND!!!!!!!!!! OMG. AND THIS EXCHANGE IS SO FUNNY.
SIMON SPUTTERING SOMEWHAT AS WELL JUST MAKES IT BECAUSE YEAH, YOU WOULD JUST FALTER UPON HEARING THIS.
Then, in the next segment of the chapter, when it flipped back to the phantom’s perspective and it became clear we were actually going to get the escape from his POV, I was kinda like “wait, what?”. I mean, I definitely wasn’t complaining, but I was a little bit puzzled by that narrative choice. After all – Lang had essentially already outlined the most likely means the phantom used to escape, which would have answered any questions the reader may have had regarding the matter. So to get to read of the breakout from the phantom’s POV as he goes through essentially those same steps is, from a purely information-gleaning perspective, somewhat redundant. What could possibly be achieved by doing this? I had actually expected the finer details to be left up to the reader’s imagination – which itself is a nice little shortcut writing-wise, too.
But it’s so cool. It’s so cool. Right? Could it possibly be? Is it possible that the author is providing more phantom for the sake of phantom? Could they be acknowledging how interesting, how fascinating of a character they are? :D
Lipstick that he had to apply with extreme care, because his fingers wouldn’t stop shaking no matter how hard he tried to keep them still.
I’m such a sucker for phantom-in-a-weakened-state, and this detail reminds me of when their fingers also wouldn’t stop shaking in a scene in Just Fake It, but they had to just persist with what they were doing. :D
He contemplated high-heeled shoes for a moment, only to discard the notion. He was having enough trouble walking as it was.
I’M SCREAMING.
No, not him. Her. Until he was out of there, he was a she and she was a simple nurse who needed to leave the clinic in order to get something from her car.
This was one bit where I was like [quiet sigh] “and that’s why they/them phantom is so great, y’know? Very seamless, where you don’t need to bother switching between he and she pronouns for situations like this – instead you get to have one set of pronouns that remain consistent regardless of disguise when the narrative makes reference to them. And you can switch from they/them to more gendered pronouns accordingly if need be, too!” (But I’ll return to this at a later post.) But! Gosh, I was over the moon, I was like, wow! Wow! Maybe, just maybe, this author knows their stuff and can write a brilliant phantom! You had my attention.
Chasing Phantoms, Epilogue
Phoenix and Apollo had apparently caused a bit of a collision in their hurry.
Amazing! XD The Wright Anything Agency dorks… gotta love ‘em.
The world was far too grand for two people to have a chance encounter unless someone would will for them to meet.
WAIT IS THIS MEANT TO BE SOME KIND OF LEANING-ON-THE-FOURTH-WALL? ASDJKDKJ. YOU WILL FOR THEM TO MEET, MEOWZY. YOU DO.
Or wait. Someone wills for them to meet in-narrative too! To place Bobby in the same cell! Ahhh!
Oh, what a good ending that keeps the reader eager to read on…!
OH YEAH AND IF THE PHANTOM ESCAPES ON THE SAME DAY LANG TELLS BLACKQUILL THEN HE BROKE OUT ON MY BIRTHDAY. march 16
Okay, so, I had initially hoped to put together this sort of...process post...thing much sooner, but. Work and general laziness threw a wrench in that plan, and it’s only because I was cleaning my desktop and stumbled across the .jpegs I’d saved that I was like: ‘hmmmm...I should do this...so that I can delete this folder. It’s cluttering up my screen.’
THUS, here we are, about to embark on a truly magical journey through the weird process that is comic-making.
(Well. My weird process.)
ONWARD!
Step 1: Script
Step 1: Outline
Step 1: IDEA
So last year, I did a 30 day countdown prior to the premiere of Supergirl’s second season, the theme of which was basically...all the different costumes (and by extension sometimes, different versions) of Supergirl. I sort of went back and forth on whether or not I wanted to follow that up this year, and was largely undecided until...about a week before the countdown clock was set to begin. (Another thirty days, because...IDK that just seems like a good number.)
The reason for the indecision was mostly due to the fact that I knew I didn’t want to do more costumes (though there are more) but I didn’t really know...what else to do.
I considered doing favorite moments from the comics/show, but I deemed that too complicated. (In hindsight: Ha. Ha HA.)
So the brainstorming that led to COMIC went something like this:
- Okay I should draw something.
- What should I draw.
- ....I like to draw comics.
- ....Silly comics.
- ....Maybe I’ll draw a silly comic.
- Like a newspaper strip.
- One page per day.
And lo, t’was decided.
Step 2: Outline
Once I was like: COMIC PAGES. LET’S DO THIS. I...kinda had to come up with an idea quickly because I had under a week to 1. write a script 2. get some buffer pages finished 3. make sure this was even possible wrt how long pages would take to complete + work schedule + SECOND work schedule + addressing basic life-sustaining needs like sleep and eating.
So I wrote up this very broad outline at my desk at work within like...fifteen minutes.*
*I’ve had an idea/desire to do a werewolf Kara comic since I drew the OG ‘Wolf-Girl of Stanhope’ a year ago. So some elements I had ready to go, like the basic running gag of ‘she acts like a dog.’ But OTHER elements, like Krypto and Bizarro, came out of that frenzied fifteen minutes.
Oh, yeah: I drew exactly ONE exploratory sketch to see if this would work for TV!Kara. (Again, also at my desk at work. On my lunch break, though, obviously.)
(I was like: ...Yup okay that’ll work.)
Step 3: ‘Script’
Can we even call this mess a script I really don’t know.
Honestly it’s probably more along the lines of a revised outline than it is an actual script. There’s no dialogue or panel descriptions, just the main story beats each page needs to hit in order for the plot to move forward. That’s kind of how I work in general--I figure out the panels/layout as I draw, working off a sort of...’we start here and we need to get HERE’ thought process. As for dialogue, I have a basic idea of what they’re going to say, but it’s kind of left until the end.
(Below are some notes I made as I was going along--changes to pages and actual text/dialogue I did write down because I wanted specific wording, and I knew I’d forget if I didn’t save it.)
Step 4: Art
(Not much to say here, other than I never did get that cache of buffer pages. These were drawn the day before, and often times finished the day of, hence the inconsistent posting times.) (Also if this endeavor has taught me one thing, it’s that I am not a letterer.)
And heeeeere’s the original crayon drawings I did for Bizarro’s explanation:
Step 5: Interwebs
This is pretty self explanatory, I feel. Once the pages were completed...OUT ON THE INTERNET THEY WENT. They were specifically designed ‘for the web’ as it were, and not for print. (Which is just code for: I like to work horizontally and that SUCKS for printing.)
But yeah that’s...that’s basically it. Oh, no, wait! Couple more things:
The Science Montage
This was one of those changes that came about as I was drawing the pages. There was always going to be some sort of DEO montage wherein Alex and Kara would work on making a cure. The musical aspect, however, was added in because...you know. Why not?
A big shout-out and thank-you to @tallgaycroquembouche and @winnstonchurchill who both did REAL LIFE renditions of the Science Montage Song.
And on the topic of shout-outs and thank-yous, @nieladasdenani needs ‘em as well, for adding links to previous pages on some of the posts.
And, really, a big shout-out and thank-you to everyone who read this goofy thing. Hopefully it was enjoyable, and hopefully this (very long) process post was also...somewhat enjoyable? Enlightening? If nothing else, now you know how incredibly slapdash this all is. XD
3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)
Oh... There’s no “always” scene, what scenes get me going varies from story to story, fandom to fandom. On the whole, I’m not that scene-oriented - it is the set-up and context that really get me going? The scenes are just expressions of that! Sorry! XD
There are a whole bunch of scenes I’m looking forward to write, though! In the Roadtrip, I do hope my steam will keep going until I hit the really messy, rewarding parts where the characters actually really start connecting (and yes, that includes the sex!) Especially Xue Yang’s and Song Lan’s relationship has a lot of very juicy things to explore, emotionally and physically down the line - that’s the story bits my brain tends to disappear off to when contemplating future bits of this fic, at least at the moment! :D
4. Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)
From the published chapters, I'm very happy with the “teacup” scene from chapter 6 of the Roadtrip! I find it poetic, and I like how it seemingly offers a respite from the turmoil of the ongoing scene - only to then double down and enhance the hurt of it. Causing readers pain can be beautiful. ♥
----
He had owned a little teacup, once, on the Mountain, a treasured delicate thing of white porcelain, and in a careless moment he had dropped it. It had still looked whole, but the next time he poured hot water into it, it had made a tinkling, almost musical sound, the water draining out of it as all the invisible cracks opened at once.
Even then it had still looked like a whole cup, only crackled, and it wasn't until he tried picking it up that it fell into a hundred pieces at his touch.
The roaring storm in his head had reached a crescendo so overwhelming it was almost bleeding into silence, and in that silence, he could hear his heart making that almost musical tinkling sound, shattered, all cracks breaking open at once.
----
From unpublished chapters, I very much like the following little snippet! Xue Yang isn’t one to consciously feel sorry for himself, he likes telling himself how heartless he is, that he can’t be hurt. Which is a blatant lie, and sometimes he just can’t help but wallow in self-pity. ♥
It has all the ingredients I like - there’s hurt, poetic phrasing, multiple vividly visual allegories:
----
There had been a hole in Xiao Xingchen's world after Baixue, ripped out of him to cause hurt - a dug-out trap he'd somehow, ironically, stupidly fallen into himself. A vacant space in Xiao Xingchen's life for him to occupy for a while, knowing that smile, that endless tenderness. He could see the gap close between them now, see it happen, himself forced out like unwanted water from near-drowned lungs.
It hurt.
----
10. How would you describe your writing process?
“Frustration”..? Writing doesn’t come nearly as naturally to me as drawing, and unless I get lucky and catch a wave, it’s a constant struggle. Especially these days, when my brain has suffered enough burn-outs that I have genuine problems with memory, concentration and executive function.
But the process itself tends to go: Headcanon wildly -> decide that headcanons are interesting enough to make for decent fiction -> sketch a bit and flail about ideas to unsuspecting people to fix visions in mind -> write a very loose outline in separate document -> open word processor -> hope like fuck the characters will be willing to start talking -> trying to get it all to snowball and keep up steam until project is actually finished
15. Which is harder: titles or summaries (or tags)?
Tags. Tags fill me with dread. Tags feel like the bit where failure will bring purity antis or angry people in general down on my head, enraged, if I get it wrong. Tags give me the same undefined dread as filling in official forms (”What is your name?” I don’t know, I sob. I don’t know anything anymore!) I try?
Summaries are medium-hard, but I cheat and keep mine very short.
Titles, on the other hand, I love titles! For the Roadtrip, I’ve set up a challenge for myself that every chapter title should be able to be interpreted in at least two different ways, preferably more, with multiple layers of meanings and symbolism!
Like the “Sticks and Stones” chapter, for example, that starts very literally with Xue Yang fighting Song Lan with his pointy stick, ending up slammed down on the rocks - but it’s really about the very end of the chapter, and the implied “words can never hurt me” - ironically meant, since it’s Xue Yang’s words that almost kill Xiao Xingchen.
Same with “Poison In The Air” which both refers to the venom between all the characters at that point, and very literal corpse dust on the wind.
“Is it you?” of course paraphrases Xiao Xingchen’s question in Yi City, where he first says it after stabbing Song Lan through the chest, asking for Xue Yang to confirm that he’s alright. And then the same phrase when he’s on his knees, feeling Fuxue and realizing who the fierce corpse beside him is, and he says the same words, this time indicating Song Lan. In that chapter, he constantly sways back and forth in how he relates to them both, consciously leaving his questions undirected, to see which one of them will answer, a wordless “is it you?” aimed at them both.
“Reawakenings” alludes both to Xiao Xingchen regaining consciousness and him and Song Lan reconnecting, a reawakening of their affection (love) ending with them holding hands in sleep. “The Coffin House” is an evil red herring, that would seem to refer to Xue Yang’s and Xiao Xingchen’s past in Yi City, but where the final scene topples that perception on its head, grimly becoming something extremely literal.
Next chapter to be posted is called “Bitter Medicine”. Again to be interpreted both somewhat literally and figuratively. ♥
As for the whole fic itself, I wanted a title that 1: referred back to the Chinese origins of the Untamed, 2: something to do with roads and journeying, and 3: preferably something that captured the general air of the story I wanted to tell. I was very pleased to find the Chinese proverb I ended up using; 天堂有路你不走 地狱无门你闯进来: "Heaven has a road but no-one walks it - Hell has no gate, but men will dig to get there".
It checks the first two boxes, and the sardonic irony of the whole quote fits these idiots and the way they’ve ended up hurting others but mostly themselves, and how they keep doing so inadvertently as they go along. They’re on the way to some sort of redemption, Heaven - but they’re making each others’ lives Hell as they go. They will get better at balancing things along the way, though - eventually. ♥
I could ramble about these metas forever, and I’m very very happy to have been given an excuse to do so! Thank you!! XD
There’s so much sneaky thought going into this story, and it’s a delight to actually be asked to talk about it! :D
Hello Doki!! I really admire the amount of work and detail that goes into all your pieces! If it’s not too much trouble would you ever want to share a speedpaint with us ? I really am interested in your process! I’ve been wanting to polish out my work a bit more. Ofc if that’s not something you’d like to share or it’s a lot of trouble no worries !! Keep being awesome 🫶
Hey 🙂
First of all! Thank you so much! 💖
I'm glad you like it ✨
Hmmm.. I mean.. I think can share some snippets 🤔
The question for me is more, if you can actually read out much from a simple speedpaint video...
Cause all you will see is me lining stuff and slapping on colour 😅🙈
A lot of things I consider important for my drawing process don't happen on the canvas but in my layer management.. 🤔🤔🤔
As in, how I organise them and which parts I put on separate layers, when I use layer masks, layer clipping, marquee/selection, blend modes, layer effects like borders, post correction of colours, etc etc..
But anyway 🙃
Here's a 60 sec timelapse of my Wotakoi drawing.
Idk.. maybe just ask in the comments if you're interesting in anything specific.. 😅🙈
Just fyi, I usually never record my sketching process as it's a complete mess 💀🔥
Also.. this is one of my lazy shading methods where I only have one shadow layer for the entire thing and then put it on colour burn or something 😅
In more detailed artworks I might have separate shading layers for different parts like skin, hair, clothes etc. ^^
But yeah. Enjoy 😂
