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natlacentral · 25 days

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Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh: The Costumes of Avatar: The Last Airbender Season One

Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh revealed the complexities of creating the costumes of Avatar: The Last Airbender Season One, visually translating the four nations and their iconic characters from animation into live-action.

Since 2005, Avatar: The Last Airbender has inspired us with compelling storytelling and its deep mid-19th century historical culture influences–including but not limited to Asia, Mesoamerica, Inuit, Eskimo, and indigenous cultures. The universally acclaimed animated series spanned for three seasons (or three books) and expanded into a sequel series and several different mediums, but after a live-action misstep in 2010, the epic franchise finally found its way to Netflix with a brand-new retelling of the world of Avatar. The live-action series of the same name premiered on February 22, 2024 and immediately captivated the audience through its outstanding cinematography, with a brilliant cast transformed into the beloved characters through the vibrant creations of the costume department. Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh, the costume designer responsible for translating the series from animation to live-action revealed the inspirations and manufacturing challenges and rewards behind the garments of Avatar: The Last Airbender: “A lot of it was research, looking into the cultural background of the nations and the characters that were originally inspired by the animation, learning and understanding their history and tradition. I studied garment history and how clothing was traditionally worn in those cultures, what influenced their color palettes and fabrics, then tried to meld them together in a way that paid homage to the animation but at the same time respectfully and authentically represented the real life cultures. That was really the first step into it.”

Visually creating a fantasy world is a momentous task, where in comparison to contemporary or even historical filmmaking each background character has to be fully developed to build the rich population within storytelling. Khaki-Sadigh and her team crafted over 400 costumes that visually defined the Air Nomads, Water Tribes, Fire Nation, and Earth Kingdom. She said, “For the Air Nomads, I decided to pick the color palettes you see in Fall season … the rusts, oranges, yellows, maroons, deeper browns, it’s just so warm and comforting. For the Water Tribes, I looked at icebergs. There are so many hues of blues and teals; it’s not just white. I also explored how the ocean reflects the light differently, creating various shades of blue. With the Fire Nation I was really inspired by volcanoes, looking at all the different shades you see when a volcano erupts, from the fiery lava to the ashes–the reds and oranges within the lava and the blacks and grays from the ash and from when the lava hardens. Then for Earth Kingdom, the inspiration came from forests and springs. So that’s sort of how I broke down the different color palettes and expanded on what was in the animation.”

Avatar: The Last Airbender showcases the art of “bending” elements, which requires a full range of motion to visually achieve the right level of grace and power on screen. Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh explained the importance of fitting room action tests to assure practicality while wearing these intricate costumes on set: “It’s really important to make sure that it becomes almost like a second skin to the actors, otherwise they would feel out of place, taking them out of character. For example, we changed Aang’s cape; we had it fuller at the beginning but we found that it kept hitting him and didn’t flow as nicely, so we had to taper it down, re-alter the shape of it. It took a lot of math trying to figure out the patterning to get it to a place where it’s still read like a full cape but at the same time it moved with him as opposed to hindering his movements.” Then she added, “We had the Fire Nation armor shoulders wider to match the animation, but after we did some tests we found out that they limited how far they were able to move at the shoulder point. So we made them narrower, which just made the design a little bit different from the animation, but the actors were able to move freer for their bending.”

The costume design challenges for the show continued outside the fitting room. Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh explained that in order to achieve color consistency between outdoor and Volume sets were daunting–the latter’s LED lights forcing fabric changes and prolonged dying processes for many costumes: “We dyed the Fire Nation armor leathers five or six times because in daylight they had a beautiful deep shade of burgundy but in front of the Volume the color turned hot pink! In order to find the right hues to actually read red, we had to go super dark in real life … almost like a blistery color.” She added, “With Aang’s cape, we loved the color, but when we tested it [in the Volume] it was also pink … we tried about ten different fabrics before we narrowed it down to three and chose the one without a pattern with a brownish rust color that read the right hue on camera.”

Being the main protagonist of the series, Aang’s costume had to be just right. The simplicity of the Air Nomads garments meant the costume designer had to focus on texture and layering to prevent a flat look on camera, also utilizing natural fibers to represent the Air Nomad’s peaceful lifestyle. Besides the cape practicalities and color complexities, Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh recalled a peculiar challenge that followed the team throughout the filming of Season One: “Gordon [Cormier] was a growing boy, so every few weeks we had to build him a new pair of pants because he would outgrow them. I think he’s got probably around twenty pairs of pants, which probably will not fit him anymore [laughs].”

There is a beautiful visual perspective in Avatar: The Last Airbender that separates foreground and background characters, the former showcasing more vibrant shades of color and details that define their journeys away from home and unique personalities. For Katara, Khaki-Sadigh incorporated flowy water wave patterns in her parka and the under tunic inspired by Inuit art, whereas for Sokka her team implemented a more geometric design for his costume–symbolizing the character’s engineering background. His armor in particular included some Viking elements, which the costume designer revealed came from her discussions with some of the indigenous advisors on the show, delving into their trading culture and how they would build clothing and tools based on what they had access to–from leathers to bones. She said, “We built all those little rings and hand sewn them into the armor’s leather, creating a sort of chainmail look. We then casted the shoulders to look like metal, taking that element from the fact that there were Fire Nation ships that have basically been abandoned, so he would have been able to use the metal from them to create a protective layer for himself because he’s the warrior of the tribe.”

The show had yet another gorgeous display of fantasy period costume design with Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors. From the golden headpieces to the intricacies of the armors, Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh delved into the process for making those samurai-inspired costumes: “In my research, I came across a group of female samurai warriors called Onna-Bugeisha, which was my inspiration for the Kyoshi warriors. I found this beautiful leather that had this basket weave print on it which became our base for the armor, very traditional for the style of Japanese samurai armors. The headpieces were 3D printed and they all had their own unique geometric fan pattern on them, then we painted them and wrapped the leather straps around with five different layers of hand braided braids, creating these tassels at the end of it.” She then revealed a fascinating fact about Suki’s costume: “The fan that crosses in front of her headdress is actually a vintage fan that we took apart and used to create the front … It had such a beautiful pattern and texture. Also, if you look closely at the corset portion on the bottom panels of the armor, you can spot small little geometrical fans that are laser etched onto the leather to create a little bit more texture and detail onto it.”

Among the Fire Nation, two characters really drove the villainy side of the tale in Season One–on one end Zhao, an ambitious general with a personal agenda, and Prince Zuko on the other, the heir to the throne who is navigating an uncertain path between his devotion to his people and the moral complexities of war. Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh’s team created several looks for the two villains, incorporating symbolic elements that defined their personas: “There’s something just so mysterious about Zhao. He sort of beats to the tone of his own drum so we incorporated his own personal crest, different from the rest of the Fire Nation. If you look at the details of his armor, on his gauntlets and on the skirt panels, even on his shoulder crest when he ends up wearing the [Admiral] cape, there is a different pattern that still has a flame weave to it, but it’s very unique. When he became Admiral, we made a more regal and powerful version of the costume inspired by the traditional Roman conquerors.” Then she delved into Zuko’s designs: “He goes through a lot of changes, personality and emotionally. He’s the man of many changes … he had more changes than any of our cast had, but I think the biggest thing for us was his armor. I wanted to make sure that it was regal prince-like, it stood out in comparison to the other Fire Nation armors, but at the same time, it was still part of the brigade. He’s holding onto so much tradition. He has this overwhelming struggle of what he personally believes and what is expected of him. His armor is not just like a physical thing, it’s also a metaphorical armor; he hides behind this armor to portray something that is expected of him, but yet he’s not sure if that’s who he is yet. We added a bit more layers to him with his armor, doubled the shoulders and three or four panels on his armor to add a little bit more rigidity to him.”

With Avatar: The Last Airbender renewed for two more seasons, the costume designer confessed she looks forward to designing Ba Sing Se and Ember Island and overall further developing the characters through more cultural history exploration. This interview barely scratches the surface of the team’s immense work, so if you crave more behind-the-scenes, make sure to follow Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh on Instagram.

#natla #atla #netflix avatar #avatar the last airbender #netflix atla #avatar netflix #atla netflix #article #farnaz khaki sadigh #blue screen reveals #bts

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gritsandbrits · 3 months

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Okay some redesign notes his design isn't awful but definitely needs work.

Change the hat to a standard crown. It already looks like an apple and the rims can be serpent shaped.

BEEF HIM UP.

Or give him a dad bod!

Also give the cane gold accents

Dark blue or sunrise colored wings that contains stars (think of Teela's sorceress design from the cgi he man). He is called MORNINGSTAR for a reason.

Make his hair a deeper shade of blond so it wont blend in with his skin (or give him a deeper skin tone)

Traditionally depicted with red hair but personally I'd stick to blond or a soft orange pink. Like the dawn. ✨MORNINGSTAR✨

Also wrinkles so he looks older and experienced instead of looking like Charlie's twin

His canon outfit is fine it just needs more gold & other accent colors. Preferably blue for holy or green for wealth/envy.

Eyes can be blue or purple for angelic roots

Imma take a page from another Jeremy Jordan character - BLUE HAIR STREAK

Again, adding more blue/purple balances with red and hints to his angelic roots

he wears a mechanic outfit in his down time because he is an active schemer - an inventor if you will - also bc i love a man in goggles

Demon form is a European style dragon for serpent symbolism. Feathered wings you know like how some species of dinos had feathers.

Now for writing. I honestly dont mind him being the goofy ash dad but GIVE HIM EDGE TOO. He talks more elegantly and archaic, everyone can't be sounding like a late 2000s anime forum edgelord. Make him a diabolical mastermind who sees charlie as a disappointment at first then he realizes he isn't treating her better especially when the angels & Adam start messing with her. Stick with him being the villain in adam and eve's story; he isn't let off easy.

He drove Lilith away with his selfish pursuit of Knowledge. He hopes he can win her back but she still dislikes him, she only hears him out for Charlie's sake.

I'm split on the Adam dynamic; on one hand it makes sense considering Luci ruined his life. But I also think Archangel Michael is a worthy opponent because technically have the same ranking, and Michael is the often the one who banishes Lucifer from heaven in the first rebellion. So Luci has a complex dynamic where in a show about grey morality, Michael is justified in cutting him off and NOT demonized for doing so. Hehe. But also with Luci gradually losing family and love he realize he took it too far and tries to be supportive or at least not actively threaten people.

Inaccuracy aside, I don't even really mind that he's a separate entity from Satan. Just make Lucifer a bad boy, a truly bad boy. Make him edgy. Make him elegantly evil. Make him goofy. Just give him depth.

#redesign #hazbin redesign #lucifer #hazbin hotel critical #hazbin critical #hazbin critique #hazbin selfship #YES i guess i kinda ship wit him and definitely not because im a jeremy/musical fan

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drakenaa · 5 months

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Been a long time since I’ve colored traditionally. I tried making a little video showing off the gold background, but I didn’t like how it came out.

Anyways, this show brings me so much joy aaaaaa

I’m in the process of rewatching it after not seeing it for a while. Also my sister is finally watching the show with me! She had seen bits and pieces of the show, but we’re changing that lol. I think we only have like 5 more episodes left, so yes, I am prepared to most likely cry at the finale again lol

#gravity falls #dipper pines #mabel pines #stanley pines #gruncle Stan #drawing #fanart #art #traditional art #copic markers #prismacolor markers #sharpie

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demon-witch-cat · 2 months

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I've been working on some designs for Keiths parents! Here's the first drafts that I did traditionally!

I based their designs on the three different adult trolls seen with Keith (One in the movie, and the other two in tbgo). No idea if any of those trolls are actually Keiths parents, I've just decided they are.

I'm probably going to change their colors a bit once I get a chance to draw them digitally. I just randomly wanted to draw them out, so I figured I'd post them too.

I've got some ideas for their personalities too!

Tulip is a very understanding troll thanks to her own parents being very similar. She tries to be supportive of Keith, but she's not perfect with it. She's also a flower arranger!

Mason Springs worries more about Keith and his 'oddness'. But it comes from a place of love and care. He really just wants Keith to have a normal, happy childhood, with friends his own age.

Their good parents, who love their kid with all their hearts! Their just struggling a bit. They figure it out though!

This is the screenshots I could get of the cannon trolls I'd seen with Keith!

Couldn't get the third one from tbgo, but thats OK, cause I liked the blue trolls design better. (The other troll was light yellow fur/skin and darker, more golden, yellow hair) Especially when looking at Keith.

#i wanna hear your thoughts #im really not that happy with Masons design #trolls keith #trolls keiths parents #trolls ocs #sorta #Trolls Tulip #Trolls Mason Springs #trolls art #trolls #dreamworks trolls #trolls au #trolls two of a kind au

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thought-bubble-doodly-doo · 10 months

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Clown Month 2023 Day 1 (Clownsona)

I immediately lost all ability to draw well as soon as I tried to draw today, so please take this recycled asset and a few doodles as my first entry. ;;;

Don’t you just hate when that happens? You wanna draw so bad, but as soon as you have the time you suddenly lose all your ideas and talent. :’(

But I’ve had this Clownsona for a while now, so if you wanna learn more I have info about how I went creating her under the cut. UwU. :3c

Clown Month is a 30 Day Drawing Challenge. For more info or to draw along please see @clownartmonth

Clownsona Fun Facts!

1. Her name is Comedi-anne, because I love a good pun.

2. I based her off the Pierrot! The Pierrot is a sad clown archetype with its roots dating all the way back to the Commedia Del’arte! Traditionally, it’s an all black and white clown with oversized clothes and a conical hat. But I added a few more colors, because I thought all black and white would be boring. At the same time, if I tried to do a more vibrant white-face clown I know I would’ve gone overboard and had no color cohesion throughout the piece. I tried to limit myself a little with just primary color accents. :3c

3. Although Pierrot was her base, I did do a little pattern mixing with the diamonds and stripes. The diamonds were inspired by the classic Harlequin look and the stripes were inspired from the pattern mixing traditionally found in the Auguste!

4. I added the star motif before I learned that Pierrots became to be associated with the moon (cuz melancholy and emotions and whatnot). But I like it too much to change it.

5. The stitched heart was a hold-over from a previous persona I had. Something pretentious I came up with about how I use art to work through wounds that never full healed or something. Lol

6. Originally, she wore a mask (hence the no mouth.) Which is odd, because unlike most other Commedia Del’arte characters, the Pierrot didn’t use a mask, just whitening his face with make-up. But I also had this pretentious idea about how art should “speak for itself,” so I made her silent. But now I think it’s not a mask and her jaw just unhinges to show a goopy blackness like the Slenderman. :3c

7. July is my birthday month, so I think it’s really cool that I’m getting into clowns just in time for Clown Month. It feels like a well-timed birthday present from God. UwU

#clownsona #clown month 2023 #clown month 2023 day 1

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thefinalcinderella · 1 year

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Tsurune Book 3 Chapter 2 - Rainbow-Colored (Part 1)

I don’t know if you guys can tell...but my motivation for working on this novel is kinda low. But thankfully the author has ways of pushing me by putting in some of the most insane shit that makes me question if I know how to read

Also for the Tsurune: Irodori no Issha audio dramas: it’s not that I’m too lazy to do them, it’s that I keep forgetting about them. I’ll get them all out eventually

Glossary here

Full list of translations here

Translation Notes

1. An oonusa is a wooden wand traditionally used in Shinto purification rituals, salt water is also used sometimes

2. Oshikura manju is a children’s game where children gather in a circle with their backs pressed close together and tried to push each other out

3. The words used here is チラ見えの帯 and I have no idea what this is referring to

4. Guu Choki Paa is some kind of Japanese rock-papers-scissors song

5. The Iroha poem is an ancient poem that contains each character of the Japanese syllabary exactly once

Previous | Next

In the morning, Minato was standing on the balcony of his room.

Raindrops beaded the railing. The transparent drops were bathed in the morning sun and glistened in orange, green, and blue. As he gazed at the sparkling water droplets glittering together like jewels, he heard his father’s voice calling him from downstairs. He hurriedly wiped the laundry pole.

Suddenly, a figure entered his field of vision. It seemed to be looking at him. He moved closer to the railing, but the figure was already gone. Thinking that it must have been his imagination, he held the empty laundry basket in his hands.

Recently, Minato had made some changes to his morning routine. He had added ritual chanting to the gods and sutra chanting after doing his run. He learned this from Saionji-sensei, and had stopped since he got target panic in his third year of middle school. Many foreign kyudo enthusiasts were inspired by Zen in the Art of Archery to start kyudo. Mindfulness was underpinned by Buddhist concepts.

The sutra Minato was reading was the Heart Sutra. It gave concrete examples of the Buddhist idea of emptiness and explained how to attain the wisdom of the Buddha. The author was unknown, but it was translated into Chinese by Xuanzang, made famous by Journey to the West. It was a very short sutra of 262 characters and was composed in the form of Kannon talking to Sariputra.

Minato, who was in fifth grade when he heard the Japanese translation, wondered what “All is empty.” When he told Saionji-sensei that he didn’t like the idea of enlightenment if it meant the absence of feelings of happiness and sadness because it wasn’t human-like, Saionji-sensei told him, “You aren’t capable of contemplation. Please study more.”

The Golden Week training camp of three days and two nights began today.

The venue was the same as last year, Yata Shrine.

The rain that lasted the night before cleared up, and red-purple mountain azaleas and white fringed irises were blooming in profusion. Because of the renovation work, the Yata no Mori kyudojo was now extremely bright with LED lightning instead of fluorescent lights.

But Minato’s spirits were heavy. Lately, Masa-san wasn’t looking him in the eye.

He would immediately look away whenever their eyes met, and he seemed somewhat distant. Minato hadn’t seen his grin in days. Was he avoiding him? Or rather, he felt like he was being ignored. Did I do something to make him hate me? He wondered if he yelled something like “Masa-san’s a dirty old geezer!” in his sleep without realizing it. Once he started worrying about it, he couldn’t stop himself from spiralling deeper and deeper. His head was spinning with delusions summoning more delusions.

Tommy-sensei was standing in front of the referee’s table.

“First of all, the selected members will do a demonstration of the competition format.”

The selected members, Kaito, Ryouhei, Seiya, Kanbayashi, and Minato, lined up at the entrance.

At last year’s training camp, they had a lot of trouble stepping together as five, but now they had grown to the point where they were able to match each other’s steps in an instant with someone they were grouped with for the first time. Kaito, walking in the lead, learnt to feel the presence of the people behind him and didn’t miss anyone. After he nocked his arrow and fixed his eyes on the target, he raised his bow towards the sky.

After everyone finished four shots, the results were announced. It was four, three, four, two, for a total of seventeen hits.

Kanbayashi sank down onto the floor after returning his bow to the rack.

“I didn’t think this when I was watching you all, but everyone’s kai is really long. Being between President Takehaya and Narumiya-senpai is really nerve-wracking.”

Seiya knelt down next to him.

“Don’t be so nervous. Just be your normal self.”

Overhearing their conversation, Kaito glared at them.

“Kai isn’t ‘long,’ but ‘deep.’ And it’s no good shrivelling or getting too worked up, no matter who’s in front of you or behind you. Well, I can’t blame you for getting distracted if Seiya’s in front of you, though.”

Seiya stood up and got his face right up to Kaito’s nose.

“I wonder what do you mean by that, Onogi-senpai.”

“I meant it exactly as it is.”

Kanbayashi blinked his eyes rapidly and Keyaki looked fed up as they watched Kaito and Seiya’s exchange. When Nanao was about to step in between them to divert the conversation, Tommy-sensei asked them to gather again.

“Now, the theme of this camp will be ‘Steady Mind and Body.’ The way you breathe is very important.”

The first-years, excluding the competitors, gathered near the makiwara, while the rest stood in front of the targets.

Masa-san undertook demonstrating the practical skills.

“Let’s start by practicing the ‘dantian breathing technique’ again. I want you to listen with the understanding that there are various theories about dantians and I may correct this at a later date.”

“Yes, sir,” everyone answered.

“First, about dantians. It means ‘a place where energy is cultivated.’ There’s a theory that there are three dantians: upper, middle, and lower, but generally speaking, dantian refers to the lower abdomen dantian, which is three sun below the navel. That is, about ten centimeters below. It’s in the middle of the belly, not in front. Next, let me explain the ‘martial arts-style dantian breathing technique.’ The reason why I added the words martial arts is because when we say abdominal breathing or dantian breathing, people are generally taught to expand their abdomens when inhaling and contract it when exhaling.”

Ryouhei raised his hand.

“My sister had childhood asthma, and she told me she learned how to do it at the hospital. They do the same thing in yoga, too.”

“However, in kyudo, exhaling doesn’t cause the stomach to depress. In recent years, there’s a theory that has been adopted by athletes and has proven successful. That is the Stanford-style ‘IAP breathing method,’ also known as the ‘intra-abdominal pressure breathing.’ It is a breathing method that increases the pressure in the abdomen and tightens the area around the abdomen when inhaling and exhaling. Top athletes and musicians can naturally do IAP breathing.”

“Musicians do IAP breathing too?”

“I’m sure some of you have been told to project your voices from your stomachs during choir or vocal training. An easy way to understand this is that clenching your butt holes can help you produce higher-pitched sounds.”

“Ahh, ahh,” Ryouhei tried it, and he certainly did sound different. It had a resonance to it, not just a flat sound.

“For a singer, their body is an instrument. It’s the same for archers. The tsurune is the sound of the bow and string when an arrow is shot. Bow, string, and person become a musical instrument and resonate. Even among ‘tsuruoto,’ ‘tsurune’ refers to a particularly clear and beautifully lingering sound. To be alive means to breathe. There are times when everyone unconsciously does dantian breathing, but that’s when they’re laughing like ‘ha-ha-ha.’”

Seiya sighed.

“It feels like we’re listening to a monk’s sermon rather than an explanation of shooting techniques.”

“I am a priest. Yata Shrine is a shrine that has its roots in Shugendo, so there’s a fusion of Shinto and Buddhism here. Many teachings have been handed down, such as the Buddhism of Gautama Buddha, the esoteric Buddhism of En no Ozunu, and the secret teachings of Kuukai.”

“In other words, Masa-san, you’re a hybrid of a priest, monk, and old man.”

“Hahaha, you sure have a way with words, Seiya.”

The two’s smiles froze the boys there. The six girls gathered, and Hanazawa and Shiragiku put their hands on their own abdomens and Seo’s to compare the firmness.

After that, they began practicing on their own. Before they knew it, the first-year Himuro became the oomae. Minato wondered just when did he get there. He was like a stagehand, someone who was on stage but treated as though they didn’t exist.

Masa-san looked at everyone’s shooting in order starting from the front, but he skipped over Minato and went straight to the person behind him.

His eyes blinked weakly. Kanbayashi was also doing the same thing in front of the makiwara.

Minato covered his eyes to hide how much he was blinking.

Early next morning.

Same as last year, Minato was woken up by Masa-san’s older brother Ren pulling his hair. When he turned around, he found that he was sprawled out on someone else’s futon with one elbow propped up. Ryouhei, awakened by Minato’s voice, tried to pull Ren’s arm away. Beside him, Nanao was still half-asleep.

After finishing the morning preparations, the club members gathered in the front shrine. They were attending the morning offering and worship.

Masa-san chanted the ritual prayer loudly. After reciting the words in a rite called the shubatsu, the purification was performed with the oonusa and hot salt water. (1) Minato couldn’t look at Masa-san in fear that he would avert his gaze again. He turned his eyes to the window and caught a dark shadow moving quickly.

The club members then proceeded to clean up. The second-year boys were in charge of the precincts. When Minato and Kaito finished sweeping around the pond and took a breather, they found a white tabby cat sitting under the shrubbery.

Minato slowly crouched next to the cat so as to not make eye contact. If you looked into the eyes of an animal you were meeting for the first time, it would think you were threatening them and run away. You hold out the back of you hand to have it sniff it, and if it gives you permission, you stroked its chin. His grandfather taught him this way to interact with cats when he was little.

The cat purred.

It was the sound of “I love it.”

As Minato was stroking its back, it got onto its back as though tell him to stroke its belly. Minato learned that it was a mother cat.

Kaito’s feet had become a puddle of cats in an instant. A brown tabby cat with one ear cut into a V-shape clung to him with its tail up.

“Oh, is this a Sakura cat?”

Sakura cats were stray cats that had been spayed and neutered by animal protection groups. They were also called local cats. They got their name because the V-shaped scar looked like a sakura petal.

The white tabby cat kicked him and left, perhaps because he stroked him too persistently.

Kaito’s cat puddle also disbanded. In their place, Ryouhei, Nanao, and Seiya gathered.

“Minato, you really love fluffy things,” Ryouhei said.

“I’ve always wondered this. Why aren’t humans covered with fur and feathers? We used to have them, didn’t we? Did we like clinging together?”

Hearing that, Seiya and Ryouhei sandwiched Minato between them and they ended up looking like a game of oshikura manju. (2)

“Stop it, you guys! I didn’t mean to clinging to me.”

“Really? Then what did you mean?”

Ryouhei separated from him with a puzzled look on his face. It seemed that his habit from childhood still hadn’t gone away. Not wanting to go through that again, Minato took a step away from his two childhood friends.

Kaito propped his chin on the end of the broom handle.

“Seiya, as the club president, you shouldn’t be fooling around.”

“Huh? Kaito, do you want to be squeezed too?”

“No way! I’m gonna punch you!”

Seiya covered his mouth with his hand and turned around, his shoulders shaking.

Minato expressed what was on his mind to Kaito.

“Actually, recently, I feel like someone’s been watching me. Ever since the training camp started.”

“Huh? Aren’t you just being too self-conscious?”

“It might be one of Nanao’s groupies. We have to be careful.”

Seiya smiled. The mole under his eye stood out. “I don’t think it’s either of them. It’s probably just your imagination. Come on, let’s go back and change into our hakama.”

“Yeah…I guess you’re right.”

Seiya, Ryouhei, and Nanao headed for the kyudojo.

Kaito, who was one step behind, couldn’t quite make sense of it. Seiya was so overprotective of Minato that Hanazawa, Shiragiku, and Seo teased him by saying, “Seiya Home Security, watching over you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.” But for some reason, he wasn’t concerned about this case.

Minato was walking away from the four of them. Nanao walked in place to slow down his pace and naturally ended up next to Minato.

“Minato, I really am okay. Is there something you’re worrying about too? Tell me about it if you want to.”

“…Lately, our eyes aren’t meeting.”

“Oh, oh? Is this about romance?”

“Not at all.”

“Hmm, the eyes can say as much as the mouth, and you can pretty much tell what people are looking at. For example, who’s the person you care about looking at? Who’s the person you always care about looking at, Minato?”

“Mm, I guess it’s the gods?”

“Mm, that might be outside my area of expertise.”

A bird chirped.

The two looked up and they could see the blue sky and the fleecy clouds between the budding trees. At first, they couldn’t make out where the bird song was coming from, but when they strained their eyes, they were able to spot a varied tit on the treetops.

Minato’s eyes, which reflected the fresh green, shook.

“It’s so pretty.”

“That’s right …I realized that I wasn’t so frustrated when I didn’t make it into the regular lineup. I was fine with being a substitute.”

“You really are fine with that?”

“What’s important to me isn’t winning or receiving praise from anyone, but being able to feel Kacchan’s presence.”

“——I want you to stay by my side.”

“Whoa, Minato, you can read my mind?”

“Of course not. Maybe we just happened to think the same thing?”

“Yeah. If you had that ability, you’d be at the top of the class after reading Seiya’s mind. Oh, look, there’s Masa-san.”

In the direction Nanao pointed, there was Masa-san, who had changed into his practice clothes, and Ren, who had a camera in his hand. The two of them were smiling, and Masa-san had a childish expression on his face that wasn’t normally seen.

When Nanao waved at them with a “Merha,” they also replied with “Merha,” but Minato looked away.

The twins ripped the target papers together.

I’m so frustrated. I’m so frustrated.

They peeled off the hole-filled target papers from the target frames.

To lose to that newbie and have our places next to Shuu stolen. Ah, I can’t believe it.

They were cleaning up after practice at Kirisaki High School’s kyudo club.

In order to set a good example for the new members, the second-years were taking the initiative. After washing the target frames with water, they left the rest to the first-years and went to the azuchi. When they slammed their trowels against it, part of the azuchi crumbled, and they hurriedly scooped up the crumbled earth.

Senichi and Manji felt the same way. It was absolutely unacceptable to be disrespected by a cocky junior who had no idea what he was talking about, just when they were starting to communicate with their seniors, Kabashima and Yushima. They themselves had also done quite a lot of trouble, but they of course put that aside. They quickly swept inconvenient things under the carpet.

Shuu was silently facing the makiwara. Kuon asked him a question with a composed expression.

“Fujiwara-senpai, you promised to watch my shooting when we’re together, didn’t you?”

When someone around them remarked, “I hate to admit it, but the two of them are a perfect match in terms of looks, ability, and pedigree. Even the clothes they wear are first-rate,” the twins glared at the person who made that comment.

A few days later, Senichi and Manji sprang into action. At every possible location, they guarded Shuu by staying ahead of Kuon.

What should we do to win against him?

He’s a strong man. Men speak with their fists.

They started going to a kickboxing gym. Jumping rope, shadow boxing, hitting mitts. One-two hook and one-two uppercut, middle kick from cut, then straight right. Kyudo emphasized shooting form, but in kickboxing, even if your form was good, it was meaningless if it didn’t work on your opponent. Put your weight in it and bring your fist down!

After sweating, they took care of their hair and skin to master the art of beauty. Ayurvedic beauty treatments from India. Dripping oil on the forehead had a great detoxifying effect. Their tired skin and hair became glossy and lustrous, resulting in well-moisturized young men.

They decided to completely remake their appearances. Aiming to be fashionable men, they were stylish even down to the places that weren’t visible. They bought silk underwear and layered obis (3) at a long-established kimono shop, and wore intellectual-looking glasses. While they were at it, they put a wig and silk hat on Yushima. They had used those props for the Rokumeikan Café during the school festival.

Yushima Kaoru, dressed in his kyudo uniform and silver wig, stared at them with narrowed eyes. At this time, the kyudojo was only for second-years, but there was a stir coming from the female members.

Manji spoke. “Kaoru-senpai, the crew cut is cool and on, but have you considered growing out your hair?”

“…Hey, twins, do you see something wrong with the direction of questions here?”

Kabashima also chimed in. “I don’t care if you look nicer or got stronger, but what about kyudo practice? I hope you haven’t been slacking off.”

“Huh? We practice properly. Look at our feet. The gaps between our toes are open, and we were praised for having nice feet. Maybe we can be both archers and martial fighters.”

Senichi and Manji took off their tabi socks and showed off their bare feet. The two faced each other and began playing Guu Choki Paa (4) and feet rock-paper-scissors. Kabashima buried his head in his hands even more at their comical movements.

“You know, a fighting man has to put his life on the line. What do you think Fujiwara recommended hot and cold baths and home cooking for?”

“So we can become househusbands and mountain hermits.”

“No, you got it wrong. They are ways to recover and nourish the body, to develop the strength and steadfastness necessary for an athlete.”

“Nope, nope, no way. We’re living far away from that kind of thing.”

“Hey, Fujiwara. Say something to these disgraces of Kirisaki High School. It’s setting a bad example for the juniors if their senpais are messing around too much.”

Called to by Kabashima, Shuu put down his bow. He sat on his heels and took off his yugake. His straight back, graceful nape of his neck, and swaying bangs made all those who saw him fall into raptures.

“Isn’t it good to try different things? You never know if something’s good or bad until you try it, and you might get something out of it.”

“Fujiwara, are you aware that you actually spoil those twins too much?”

“My father told me that a well-bred person respects others. Life dwells even in the plants and roadside stones. The rock cannot be cut by those who cannot see its life. He said that this isn’t a metaphor, but him telling the truth as it is. Sen and Man put their hands after the meal. The two of them are fine just the way they are.”

“Shuu!”

Senichi and Manji rushed over and tugged on Shuu’s sleeves from both sides. As expected, he didn’t seem to like that and quickly brushed them off before returning to practice.

Kuon, who was watching the situation from afar, raised his eyebrows.

He had a dream the other day.

In it, he and Shuu were having a conversation on a wide lawn with a Western-style building behind them.

“I’m thinking of welcoming a dog into my family,” Shuu said.

“Have you decided on the breed?”

“It’s hard to decide between Japanese and Western. A black Shiba inu, a Labrador Retriever, or do I go with the classics and choose a standard poodle? It’s pleasant to imagine a furry creature snuggled up to one’s side.”

“It is wonderful.”

“That’s right. There’s a cute creature that’s always bright and energetic, and when it sees my face, it flies towards me, and even shrinks its huge body when it fails.”

And then, Shuu turned to a tall man. “Your hand,” he said.

“Awoo,” he said and put out his hand.

“Your chin.”

“Awoo—wait, what are you doing, Shuu-kun!”

That was when he woke up. Kuon was covered in cold sweat.

What kind of dream was that?

Who is this guy who’s so familiar with my Fujiwara-senpai?

The crime of disrespect is also serious. Unforgivable, even if it’s just a dream, something like this would never happen. Fujiwara Shuu is a solitary genius. Everyone kneels before him in awe and reverence. Being the sublime Young Lord is his truth. Associating with lowly people will only degrade your status. Playing around with them is outrageous.

Dogs must be strictly disciplined.

The training camp at the Yata no Mori Kyudojo was on its last day.

A practice match was held. A total of twenty-five mixed male and female archers, excluding five first-year students who didn’t participate in the training camp, shot four arrows in zasha in teams of five. The order was decided with “yaburi.” Himura took an arrow from each participant, held it in a bundle behind his back, and then placed them in a random order on the floor, one at a time. The order was determined by checking the arrow and the owner calling out their own name.

The entrance ceremony began. The first-years were a bit slow, with their shoulders tensed and their steps not in sync with each other, but their spirit was well-conveyed.

It was fun shooting in a different lineup than usual. Seiya was behind Seo, and Hanazawa and Shiragiku were behind Kaito, neither of them giving an inch. What made kyudo great was that it allowed men and women of all ages to compete without handicaps.

The first-years were checking that they have memorized the shooting form and Eight Stages of Shooting, so hitting was of secondary importance. Still, they were so happy that they felt like they could soar when they hit one. Everyone shouted “Yes” as if it were their own. When all the shots were finished, there were three who hit with all four arrows. It became a tie-breaking match, and in order to shorten the time, it was an izume match instead of an enkin match.

Masa-san and Minato left the kyudojo to pick up the kimonos for the nosha.

The disciple followed the master who was walking in a hurry, but there was no casual chat as usual. The two of them were in the positions of working adult and student, and keenly aware of their different speeds and strides.

Unable to stand it, Minato called out to him.

“Masa-san.”

“What is it? If there’s something you need, it can wait until after camp is over.”

“Since this year’s beginners are using the bow earlier than usual, I know that you and Tommy-sensei must keep an eye on them in order to prevent accidents. But why are you only ignoring me?”

“Wait, Minato, let’s talk about this later.”

“It’s true that no matter how many times I’m told, I forget to tense the little finger on my left hand, and I can’t even do dantian breathing, but am I such a terrible disciple that I’m given up on?”

When Minato grabbed Masa-san’s arm, he heard a quiet voice.

“I’m sorry, but please don’t look at me with those eyes.”

Minato let go of his grasping hand.

In his blurry vision, he saw Masa-san covering his face with his left hand.

“It’s not what you think. When Seiya took a survey of the club members, he found that ‘Coach Takigawa shows favouritism towards the second-year boys. Especially Narumiya-senpai.’ So, to avoid misunderstandings, I tried not to talk to you too much in front of the first-years.”

“…Huh?”

“And Minato, you were the one who didn’t react when I waved to you.”

“I thought you didn’t want to make eye contact with me.”

“It’s more like there are times when it’s troublesome.”

“What do you mean, troublesome? Tell me clearly.”

“I sometimes find myself wanting to pat your forehead uncontrollably, but I can’t let anyone else see me like that, now can I?”

“Wh-wh-what are you talking about?”

Just when Minato was at a loss for words, two figures suddenly appeared and stood in front of him.

“Making our grandson cry, you’re a failure as a coach!”

Minato couldn’t believe his eyes. He had seen these faces before.

“…Grandpa!? Grandma!?”

“We thought that this club must be an exploitative club, since they have club activities during the holidays, but it seems that we were right. Isn’t it important to spend time with your family and friends outside of club activities?”

“Grandpa! There were people who were against training during the holidays, but we were the ones who asked for it. That’s why only volunteers are participating.”

His grandfather, who was about to grab Masa-san, loosened his clenched fist. After understanding the situation, the grandparents turned to Minato.

“When we learned about your kyudo activities, we really wanted to see you face to face. Since we were against the marriage of your parents, we were too embarrassed to go see you, so we hid and watched you,” his grandfather said.

“We’re sorry for coming to see you so late. We haven’t seen you since the funeral. Your mother had been sickly ever since she was little, so we were worried about letting her live so far away. Because we were so stubborn, we never got to see our precious daughter and grandchild. We weren’t able to properly express our feelings. We can never get rid of our regrets, so this is how…” his grandmother said.

“…I’m the only one who survived… I wondered if Mom was in more pain than I was, or if she was scared, but I couldn’t breathe…”

When Minato pressed his hand against his left side, his grandmother gripped that hand and his other hand.

“What are you saying! There’s a song your mother used to sing to herself when she was a child. It goes like, When I cross that mountain, I will feel very peaceful and content. Your mother always loves your smile.”

Masa-san placed his hand on Minato’s back.

“Ui no okuyama kyou koete, asaki yume miji yohi mo sezu—that’s the ‘Iroha poem.’ (5) It talks about how when you cross the mountains, Miroku-sama will come and greet you.”

“Yes, that is also an interpretation. You seem to be a diligent person who studies hard. I’m relieved that there’s someone like you by Minato’s side. Please continue to take good care of him for a long time.”

“No, I should be thanking you.”

While still holding Minato’s hands, his grandmother exchanged a few words, then let go of them in reassurance.

“We’ll come visit again!” Minato saw his waving grandparents off.

Kaito and Seiya, who were looking for Minato and Masa-san because they were late in coming back, hid behind a tree.

“Seiya, you knew that Narumiya’s grandparents were secretly checking on him, didn’t you?”

“Oh, I knew. They visited us. That’s why I left it alone.”

“Good grief, you should have told me. If I had known, I wouldn’t have gotten worried.”

“Sorry, Kaito.”

Kaito stiffened at Seiya’s honest response.

Afterwards, the nosha was held. Nanao, who won the match, was the archer, and Minato served as the first kaizoe, and Kaito as the second. They wore peach, bamboo-green, and crimson kimonos respectively.

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#tsurune #tsurune translation

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emsartwork · 2 years

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Originally phoenix but it overlapped too much with the bird aspects of harpix so instead its now COATLNIX!! primarily named after the Xiuhcoatl fire serpent of Culhua-Mexica (Aztec) lore. I ended up kind of combining the phoenix and the xiuhcoatl and weirdly some aspects of Hephaestus for this. I have no idea where my brain originally wanted to go lol.

lore and design notes and stuff below as usual

So just like Sirenix, Harpix, and Dryadix, Coatlnix is earned through a quest. Elemental quests are traditionally initiated through the corresponding elemental companion, but a “cheat code” exists in the Elementix Compendium to kickstart each of the quests with out a companion (if the fairy already has Harmonix obvi). The Coatlnix quest is. weird. A lot of the fire/energy associated ethereal magic doesn’t have a super concrete element to work with in the magic dimension, so the quest is less about obtaining physical objects and more about using magic to manipulate objects. The Coatlnix quest requires a fairy to take a small piece of metal, wood, stone, or other natural elements (metal is traditional) that can be transformed by fire. They put the chosen item in the middle of a cardinal direction magic circle. The fairy then has to focus their magic and send four tendrils of magical flame through the cardinal directions to the item. The goal is to transform the item into a Coatlnix Ingot. this sometimes takes Fairy several tries, especially if they haven’t studied witch-style spell casting. After the fairy succeeds, they present the Ingot to the Source of Coatlnix on planet Magix. and it takes shape as part of the neckpiece/armbands in the transformation. Unlike like the sirenix pearls and harpix feathers, there are no riddles to solve to get a seed, instead Coatlnix is more like Dryadix. The Elementix Compendium discusses mineral selection, smithing, glass blowing, wood burning, and proper ritual magic techniques. There is still some kind of virtue trial in order to get the ritual to actually be effective but its literally just like. attention, perseverance, dealing with frustration, etc.

Design! I’ve described Coatlnix/Phoenix before when talking about Daphne and the elementix here and largely I did stick to the original aesthetic. I didn’t cross the fabric and the metallic bodice as much as I wanted but that’s just how it happens sometimes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . So Coatlnix features! Hair turns into fire in the fairy’s magic colors and mimics the fairy’s natural hair texture, the eyes are also completely color filled. A metal neck piece matches the wrist/hand bands in shape and color. A metallic, segmented, bodice with dark edging. The skirt is pale loose fabric, it can be multiple pieces, looped, tied, bunched and occasionally attached to the bodice. All feature safety shorts underneath because that’s important to me lol. Shoes are metallic strappy sandals. A sheer piece of fabric streaked with metal flecks is attached at either the wrists or the fingers and usually goes up the back to attach to the bottom of the bodice or the neck piece (in between the wings). The wings are very glowy, and resemble feathers in flame. So for biological reactions, Tecna has a little, Stella is about average, and Bloom is.... unique. because she’s Bloom. The bio changes mimic the Coatlni. Fairies gain a feather crest, feathered collar bones, flat scales on the breast bone, regular scales on the hands and lower legs. The hands/feet also gain talons and the feet extend to become more digitigrade. While the least human looking of the elementix inspirations, Coatlni still have a human-esc consciousness and create their own impressive communities on the shelves of volcanos. They look like snakes with feathers and two small arms. The feathers are actually more like extended, flexible, scales, they’re very shiny and gem or metal like.

(Sketchy coatlni below, im iffy on the wings)

BLOOM. So bloom is real wild in this one because she has the dragon flame attached to her core. With out the dragon flame she would look a lot more like stella (gonna do a Daphne set eventually or you can go to my patreon to see a sketch version of nodragonflame!bloom) So bloom gains more dragon like features than Coatlni ones. horns, fangs, dragon ears, larger taloned hands and feet, feathered flame on her forearms and calves, more powerful dragon-y legs (as opposed to the smaller dexterous coatlni style ones), and more protective scale patches.

idk what im gonna work on next, maybe cosmix? maybe elementix witch forms? feel free to let me know what you’d wanna see lol

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tellsfromninjago · 8 months

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Coloring things from my sketch book and what not

I must say that I am happy with coloring on sad coffee man other than his hair. The idea was to make him look sick and I think he dose. I'm almost 100 %happy with the serous guy the only thing is that one bit of shading on the top of head not making sense.

I finally got around to coloring this. I didn't have the colors I wanted for it so I had to figure out how I could mix the ones I had to get the auburn color I wanted. Tried it figure it out one the other folks on the page first. It's a bit scary coloring traditionally because everything is so permanent. I'm definitely going to change things up with the line work when I do it digitally. It's not my best drawing for sure. Koko's eyes just look wrong. I may change them to a light brown. IDK. The sizeing is off too.

Now this isn't from my sketch book. This is done with green construction paper and markers. I used colored pencils for the shading. I really like the effect. I might use it in a comic sometime. I also went straight in with the marker and did no construction work first. Was pretty fun. With a monster like the Preeminent it's not that hard.

#the preeminent #fanart #ninjago #cartoon #ninjago garmadon #sensei garmadon #ninjago koko #sketch #traditional art #colored pencil #markers

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the-little-moment · 2 months

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I have some completely unsolicited opinions to share that have nothing to do with Star Wars, but everything to do with art.

As some of you know, I started making digital art on an iPad, in Procreate, in January. I'm a semi-competent traditional artist and I've always scoffed just the tiniest bit at digital art because, I dunno, it kind of felt like cheating, in a way. You can make something that looks like an oil painting in Photoshop or Procreate or whatever, but it didn't take the same level of skill that actual oil painting requires. You do have to understand the principles, but you don't actually have to manipulate the paint. (Trust me on this, I'm a miserable oil painter.)

So, a month and a half in, now that I feel like I'm over the learning curve, has that opinion changed?

No. 😂

Learning a new program definitely takes work. I knew that it would, so I'm not discounting the fact that purely digital artists have a lot of skill, BUT there's one BIG way in which digital art is so much easier than everything I've tried traditionally- the ability to edit.

What do you MEAN I can make a terrible, project-ruining mistake and then just hit the magical undo button? Witchcraft! The perspective of this element is off? I don't have to try to erase it, or paint over it, or throw this piece of paper away because you can only erase so many times before it's ruined, no, I can select the wonky thing and manipulate it in any way I want! The entire piece is done but the colors don't feel like they mesh right? Just adjust the separate layers until they do!

Don't get me wrong, I feel like I'm in heaven every single day with all this magic at my fingertips (hundreds of brushes and paint colors somehow crammed into the mystical rectangle? I don't have to SCAN my art anymore? Will wonders never cease??) but I still maintain my snobbish opinion that digital art is just plain easier, at least for me. No more do I wonder how teenagers are practically professional artists. If you'd put this thing in my hand when I was 15...honestly I don't want to think of what could have been. It's depressing. 😅 I still have so far to go to get anywhere close to what my favorite digital artists can do. (But I'd bet a million dollars that they're all also better traditional artists than I am. Like I said, semi-competent.)

I'd love to hear what other artists have to say about this. Especially if you had a background in traditional art before you learned digital but, honestly I'm curious about the opposite perspective too!

#the little moment art #digital art #traditional art #art opinions #procreate illustration

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fareehaandspaniards · 5 months

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I am starting to collect all my headcanons about Gremia! This post is created to make my head empty again, so I can start create something new, but if anyone wants to read my Deep Dark Fantasies - enjoy xD

(traditionally a portrait! One day I will have portrait of EVERY character of BB, but for now I drew 7!)

Should I start by saying that creating an image of a character like Sir Gremia is an extremely fascinating endeavor, because 90% of his image is my personal fantasy and kinks, since the game gives almost no information about him?

What we have in the game:

An old generation Tomb Prospector, as he can be summoned to Ebraitas (and funnily enough, ONLY to her. He's not available ANYWHERE else in the game at all. Unique sir xd)

Default Face Model. Who knows if it was his face model that became the default because the developers decided not to bother, or if he had a different face but it was removed, but still he is the only npc without a mask with a default face. He has a slightly swarthy skin, long nose, protruding forward chin, age wrinkles, narrow lips, gray (maybe gray-blue?) eyes.

Wild fighting style - in my case, when I tried to summon Damian and Gremia to Ebraitas in turn, the difference was obvious xD If Damian walked around the enemy and kept a distance, throwing magic and sometimes getting hit, Gremia rushed into the fight and literally crushed the unfortunate Great One to the wall xd (what a man)

His name is !Sir! Gremia. How many other sirs are there in Bloodborne? Fucking zero. So he's got a title somewhere. Is he a current captain of Tomb Prospectors? (Tho they almost all died already I suppose?) Did he receive that title for his service? Is he noble from the beginning?

Okay, model, name, fighting style and church weapons, augur ebrietas, plus torch and...

youtube

(he's saying "That's all!" xd)

And now we can move on to the headcanons, since THAT character has been given a tribute in the form of listing his CANON traits, now we can throw in a LITTLE bit of my thoughts (I used to think that Edgar and other npcs with no lines or anything else were the peak of comedy, especially when the fans get a personality for all these dudes. But Sir Gremia is a new level. The poor man doesn't even have a face of his own lol).

So.

Let me start by saying that I changed his appearance a LITTLE bit. Basically changed his eye color to brown (I really want brown eyes, but I'll probably go back to the canonical gray version later Q_Q), and added a couple of scars and burn marks. And so I gave him short, dark, brown hair, and impressive musculature, since I have a headcanon that he spent ALL his free time working out and improving his physical form, as he saw it as the best way to survive. Periodically, the Church would make him read, if only to ensure he knew the Church's prayers and precepts, but Gremia would be extremely resistant to this endeavor, as he simply couldn't read (and didn't want to, I'll tell later why)

He was recruited into the Tomb Prospector ranks because of his fighting ability, physical strength and a great desire to be among them. It seems to me that Ludwig himself was responsible for recruiting the first generation of Tomb Prospectors, as his Holy Sword of Moonlight was retrieved from the dungeons, so as the first Church hunter, he may have been their commander for a while. That's exactly how I headcanoned it. And it was Ludwig who accepted Olek, Gremia and Damian into the squad, and the rest (naturally, there are also other Tomb Prospectors. Can't a task as extensive as pulling numerous goodies from the tombs of the Pthumerians and beyond be done by 3 men and one horse (Ludwig)). Gremia was a beggar, so poor that his main livelihood as a child was stealing, and later it became fights where bets were placed on people (this I borrow a bit from the movie "Sherlock Holmes" with Robert Downey Jr. Oh, and it's an interesting topic in general). Actually he could have become one of the hunters Gehrman mentored, I don't think it mattered to him what the origin of his charges was, but being Tomb Prospector is more prestigious, more expensive, more interesting. Besides, at that point, could Gremia have calculated that this case was safer? Hunting is fine, but hunters die in huge numbers, it seems to me. If we take a large city like Yharnam and imagine how many volunteers and common hunters could have died from disease/blood poisoning/beast curse/just a lack of fighting skills or a single mistake - it gets creepy. SO anyway he met Damian there, as a recruit to Tomb Prospectors.

Gremia was a very open-minded young man in his youth. As I wrote in a post with headcanons on Damian (here<3), he is "what I think is what I say" type. He jokes constantly, VERY much, and comes up with a variety of puns, often ruining the atmosphere or the moment, but it's easier for him to accept reality and present himself to people that way. Through jokes, he distracts himself from the horror of what is happening around him. If in young Damian's vision this trait was extremely annoying, then I think by the time of the game events, Damian would really miss his goofiness, because when your life consists of suffering, disappointments and shattered dreams, this is the only way to distract yourself (I like to imagine how Gremia constantly grabbed all sorts of artifacts found by their squad in the tombs, and tried them on himself, and then laughed out loud).

He's a great fighter, which is probably obvious since he's still alive by the time the player arrives to the Chalice of Isz? He uses Rosmarinus and Augur of Ebrietas, but not a Call Beyond. Funny that Edgar has the same equipment as him except for Torch! I have a headcanon that Edgar doesn't accept Great Ones as something good or an idol, and I think Gremia isn't a woshipper as well. But if Edgar sorta hates hates them in my vision, Gremia would be afraid of them? He is not a scientist, so why couldn't he see them as something terrifying?

GREMIAN stuff! Gremia was all manly man - "I never cry", "you can cry on my shoulder", "you're like a girl", "long hair is for women" and so on, but inside, he was still a very vulnerable creature, most of all craving affection and the very "tenderness" that was "not for him". He could reproach Damian for being overly sensitive, for his long hair, because it was impractical, for being careful in battle and for the fact that he always stays somewhere behind instead of rushing forward with him, as befits a real warrior (the image of a "warrior" could be gained from the only fairy tale books Gremia was read as a child, and also from the "the strongest survives" principle. I think as man from the poorest stratum of Yharnam, Gremia couldn't read and only learned it as an adult, but with great difficulty). All these reproaches would make their relationship prickly, but calling Damian effeminate would Gremia think of him only more and more? And the jokes in which he would constantly mention how Damian reminds him of a girl would be incomprehensible to Damian himself, but would simply mean that Gremia is constantly thinking about it. Gremia is the type who will say "no homo" his whole life, whether it's accepting help on which his life depends, holding hands with a friend, in bed with lover or on his deathbed, etc. xd Also "If he's cute and I'm top, it's not gay" lol (funny how most Russian anecdotes are based on this very phrase. Ironically, our anecdotes have men getting laid all the time, and I find it a curious social phenomenon, since our older generation doesn't accept LGBT in ANY way but still finds funny those goofy anecdotes about two men fucking xD). Gremia:

Damian would be exactly a "girl" to him, as I said, even though Damian himself is only related to femininity by his caring nature and long hair? Gremia would just really like to patronize him, making him "weak" in his own mind, but Damian was too young to see feelings in silly undercurrents and constant rebukes. I headcanon that Damian came to Tomb Prospectors from being a librarian, i mean, in Byrgenwerth he was in charge of the book archive. And the fact that a bookworm was trying to become a fighter would have made Gremia extremely nervous at first - he would have tried to teach him (even though he didn't ask for it), rebuke him, show him how much better Gremia himself was with weapons and all that. All in all this attitude would lead to their open conflicts at first, which would piss Ludwig off immensely as a leader (who would suggest them find a room lol). But gradually, Gremia would finally be able to express, that by constantly pestering Damian, he's just trying to care and actually genuinely worried if he survives against the dead of the catacombs and what happens to him. Gremia does care, he just doesn't know how to show it.

Gradually Damian would improve his fighting, get used to it, stop keeping behind the rest of the team and being afraid, and start guarding Gremia himself, because he was a great friend and comrade for him, even though he sometimes behaved inappropriately. It would break the whole image that Gremia had formed of Damian, but it would fuel his interest. After all, usually the manliest men are the ones who dream of being protected and petted. That would be where the real "camaraderie" and partnership would begin, the time when they could be a better team. Soon would be discovered Chalice of Isz, and of course, by this particular couple. (I headcanon VERY strongly that in one of the missions a fire of love happened between them, either by adrenaline or generally flowing out of their relationship, and there was passion, but this incident they didn't discuss in any way, and Gremia was the first to brush it off that it wasn't all that serious, though he was waiting for Damian to deny it). Gremia's feelings at this point would be boiling like a huge brew in a red-hot cauldron, but he would be afraid to voice them, instead of this trying to flirt with Damian, whose thoughts were entirely occupied with young Micolash. But Gremia had no way of knowing that his best friend and partner would soon leave the service he had devoted a large part of his life to?

Some time after that, when the Choir was founded, Damian began to distance himself from Tomb Prospectors, spending more time with the scholars of the Choir and even receiving an offer to become one of them. Expeditions down into the endless labyrinths still continued, but it was no longer as idyllic as it used to be, and Damian started carrying around a beautiful talisman - a medallion with the image of Micolash' eye, already blue, a beautiful English tradition from the days of Victorian England :^) Like one of those:

Gremia and Damian's views on Ebraitas differed - Damian took Micolash's point of view, wanting to know the rest of the Great Ones, their nature and etc, and was generally respectful. While Gremia was afraid of them. He, a man of a down-to-earth mindset, would not accept a monster as an idol. And fear would not encourage him to worship, but rather repel him.

When Micolash made the decision to leave the Choir, Damian followed him and visited his former colleagues one last time, only to say goodbye and leave his armor. Gremia was shattered, and the Damian had no idea that their union meant absolutely everything to Gremia, and that he was in love. That's when their biggest conflict happened, a real drama where Gremia left the other with a dislocated jaw in response to his coldness, as well as saying lots of bad things to him, saying everything he felt (except his true feelings), and generally making Damian think he was hated. Maybe Damian would have tried to look deeper into his soul, but Gremia closed himself off too aggressively, and Damian had already pledged his loyalty to Micolash and he doesn't break promises. In general, both remained sure that they do not want to see each other. Gremia's heart was broken, but he could not express it in anything but a crushing everything around, and so after angry Damian left, he shed tears for a long time and closed himself off from everyone for a while.

WOW GUYS what a drama I created, good job me??????? I HOPE YOU ENJOY READING MY BRILLIANT FANFIC LOL

("Moments of unbridled imagination" says the pic)

No, really, I am sorry for all of this what you are reading, since it all just appeared from my head as I looked at sir Gremia. I feel for him and Damian with all of those at the same time:

ANYWAY

Gradually, Gremia would seal his poor heart and continue his service, finding an outlet in it. While Damian was busy with science (kidnapping people for Micolash, organizing the School of MensTits and caring for a fully grown but unstable man), Gremia seriously tried to find a hobby, any hobby that would take his mind off memories about Damian - so he learned how to read and generally began pestering the Choir scholars with inquisitive questions about the faith, tried to find a mate in Olek, studied the Church's weapons, and even had a few love affairs. But nothing seemed to get better. He enjoyed communicating with the children from the orphanage, whom the Choir continued to take in. And loved to talk with Edgar, as one of the many Choir guys and later someone who could see Damian through his spying mission. Gremia had even told him stories about Damian, under the pretense that he wanted to warn him, but ended up spilling Damian's entire youth to Edgar with some delicate details, exclusively moments unrelated to combat in any way. No, well, the fact that he can cook is extremely important to Edgar? (no). Also, Gremia taught Edgar how to fight (because Gremia VERY much wanted to, and Edgar couldn't say no), so Edgar inherited his fighting style.

During his service, he also realized his long-held dream - he was given the noble title of Sir. Although Gremia claimed to despise the aristocracy of Yharnam, he always wanted to feel "higher" than he was, so Ludwig knighted him with Laurence, and appointed him head of the Tomb Prospectos (sadly, there was soon almost no Tomb Prospectors left. But Gremia always wore the title proudly, and mentioned that he was "sir" every chance he got).

As he matured, Gremia was no longer so boastful about his manhood, but became more confident and relaxed, though his parade of jokes remained with him. The feelings he had for Damian, despite calling him a "traitor", no longer seemed strange or foolish, and he accepted them. Gremia had become a fine man, a true support and simply a good human, who had finally accepted his inner sensitivity and desire to nurture and mentor. (Left without Damian, he no longer worried about what the other one would think of him, so he let himself go, and simply wanted to become better for Damian, so that he might one day impress him or even win him back.)

Over the years, Gremia and Damian had forgiven each other for the last goodbye, and Gremia only wished that Damian would finally stop following Micolash and come back. Gremia and Damian crossed paths once, when Damian was taking care of provisions for the School of Mensis. They pointed their weapons at each other, but Gremia noticed for himself how much Damian had aged, how much he had changed, how much colder he had become. Damian felt a huge guilt towards his former comrade and asked if the Gremia held a grudge for all that happened between them. Gremia would have suggested Damian to leave Micolash, reminded him that the School of Mensis was an immoral fuck-up and Damian wasn't like that at all, and complained that they were almost the same age, only Gremia looked young, having earned only a couple of age wrinkles, while Damian had sand falling out of him (he would have definitely asked why Damian had a huge cage-shaped thing on his head and where the fuck are his eyebrows xd). But Damian is a man of his word, and so they would have drifted apart again, still as warring sides, Church and School of Mensis, only now knowing there was no offense between them. I can directly see this all right here, this is definitely going to become a fanfic when I start writing it.

When the Mensis ritual happened, when Rom became a Vacuous Spider, when Caryll disappeared, when Edgar died, when Damian lost everyone he knew, he thought he was alone. But Gremia was still waiting for him. I wrote once before in a post that Damian ended his life after Micolash died in a Nightmare, but I don't like that end of his life at all, and I didn't know that there was such a wonderful Gremia who LOVED him all his life (whoops how lucky Damian is!). So after visiting Micolash one last time and making sure that the aura of presence was gone from the mummy and the nightmare was over - a new dawn was beginning in Yharnam, this time a true dawn, the two of them could leave the city and finally live like normal people, at least at the end of their lives.

Happy end achieved yay!

Little headcanons I forgot to mention in all this writing:

When Gremia was seriously injured during a battle and was paralyzed and bedridden for a while, Damian would come to read to him. He would read everything from children's books to poems and ballads, and Gremia would listen intently, memorizing the stories and often falling asleep to his voice.

Micolash in this entire timeline and headcanon, if he ever had a romantic relationship with Damian, it was only in the School of Mensis. However, seeing Gremia's blatant interest, he would deliberately take Damian's attention back to himself. Not that he needed the attention badly. It was just that he needed to signify that Damian was his, perhaps even as a thing. That's the kind of person he is xd Well, how not to piss off such a susceptible Gremia who lights up like a torch? Gremia's excessive jealousy led to quarrels, and it was extremely amusing for Micolash to watch it. Ugh not nice xd When Damian left everything for Micolash, Gremia was just like that: (Why him and not me?!)

youtube

Gremia is almost permanently horny. It's such a character trait, I don't know what to say xd And because of that, his frequent fantasies led to him often secluding himself with exciting thoughts, often hiding very poorly that all his thoughts are specifically about Damian (if he saw Damian in a woman's dress, he would die I SWEAR (from the hardest boner in his whole life)

Ludwig was always there for all of Tomb Prospectors, but Gremia seeked his help more in love affairs, asking for advice - what to do with Damian, because Ludwig seemed to him very experienced man xD

WHOEVER you are thanks for reading my fanfic, if you are reading this line! xd Sorry for couple of russian memes, they are too expressive and perfect here. Sorry for sorry, I am tired and could think of it more, add more headcanons, connected with the GAME EVENTS but my head is fucking full, and if won't put my fantasies somewhere, I can't create something new ;_; Anyway I am not sure anyone would read all of this

lol

1:40 AM I am fucked up bye

#tomb prospector gremia #gremian #bloodborne headcanons #some memes #tried to make it funny to read #my art #bloodborne

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