taako on the new cover is such an amazing choice for so many reasons. comparing it to the previous covers, the boys' expressions are usually pretty similar, using the shocked adventurer face or looking smug and confident. and for the suffering game, even magnus and merle still follow this — but taako is brand new. he has a look of pure rage and determination, pointed right at (almost at?) the audience. no more aloof, silly, goofy taako. he is hurt and broken and pissed all the way off!!!
beyond that, the composition of his whole body is so dynamic and different. taako is usually so poised, put-together, haughty and graceful. but NOW he's crouched on the ground, aggressive and feral. he's touching and acting on the environment and the d20, instead of just posing or being influenced by the environment (running from the train, falling into the time loop)
it all fits sooo well for this arc. eleventh hour is a great transition into the darker more serious elements of the story, and the suffering game is where reality sets in. shit gets bad. the whole thing feels so heavy and tragic and dismal. and taako's anger and despair is such an iconic part of that! this cover serves that very well. it shows how the boys will sacrifice a lot, and really grapple with their decisions and actions, and have to fight hard to save themselves.
if you didn't know the story and looked at all the gn covers, the tonal shift and story progression would be so obvious based on taako's appearance on the cover alone. it's smart. it's thematic. it's beautiful. and also, he's really hot
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I just want to take a moment to appreciate how beautifully they've really rendered and articulated the muscles and skeletons in this game.
Look at how the thickness of Xav's biceps and shoulders changes visually when he leans forward? Because that muscle is rotating around his humerus/upper arm bone as he changes the position of his lower arm, the visual appearance of it will change and it will become more pronounced. In a lot of more cheaply animated games the models do not have dynamic rigging and just look stiff and static.
Maybe I'm like the only one here nerdy enough to care and I'm just speaking to the void but like-
I'm so incredibly impressed that a mobile otome game loved us enough to put that much effort into their product. Even his flexor radialis and brachio-radialis muscles (two of the many forearm muscles that rotate with your radius and ulna) changed when he went from sitting to leaning forward. I'm just so freaking impressed. I even forgot to listen to the grunting and panting I was so enamored by his arms 😅😅😅
tl;dr- thanks InFold for giving everyone horny brain and also for giving me lots of happy anatomy brain dopamine ♡♡♡
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It took me a year or two but I finally got a brand new shiny cover for Beanstalked!
I am so much happier with the vibes of this cover and I feel like it fits the themes and characters of the comic so much more compared to the previous more serious versions.
[Image description: The cover shows a large group of mostly Black and brown characters, plus a bear, a cat, and a person with mouse-like features. The characters are fit into a dark frame with swirly vine decorations, and at the top is the title ‘Beanstalked’ in a calligrahy-style font with a combined sun-and-moon symbol. The author’s name, ‘Sierra Ray’ is at the bottom of the frame. \End description]
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Rolling Stone - Fall
Bailey Kay, One of One
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Shoutout to @soulsimmin for the other musical artists noted on the cover and general Team BK shenanigans. Somebody cut the check.
Article Below
Category: Baaad Bitch
10.59pm The initials BK pop on the screen indicating Bailey Kay has joined the Soom call. The camera flashes on and my heart skips a beat. I hear her soft but firm voice say “Kiss” and another face appears in the view. Bailey’s husband Quinton leans in for a kiss as requested. The two quickly exchange “Love you’s” and adoring looks and then he’s gone as fast as he appeared. Bailey Kay turns to me and I now have her undivided attention. She flashes that gorgeous smile and my heart skips a beat again.
“Sorry. Hi! Thank you for agreeing to meet with me this late. I hope you’re a night owl too.” Absolutely not. I’m normally in bed by 10pm, but who says no to the Queen B when she agrees at the last possible second to her first interview in ages. I awkwardly reply “I am tonight!” and she laughs, exclaiming “I like you!” Phew! Any remaining tension and nerves are gone. Let’s get into this.
Channeling my glitteriest of kitties I jump right in and ask “Where are the visuals? We the butterflies are begging for the music videos and performances.” Honestly I expected a glare or an eye roll in return, but I get a sly smirk instead. “You are the visual”
I instinctively look at the small image of myself on the screen thinking I did too much with my look for this call. Bailey must have sensed my confusion and continues: “Butterfly is about celebrating life, love, and freedom, overcoming struggles and transforming into your best, highest self. I didn’t want to dictate how anyone experienced those things with the typical visuals. But I did want to get the party started so I gave you the first step- the music.”
“So you dropped the album and bounced to let us party and figure it out for ourselves?”
“You are funny! But yes, kinda. And look what happened! You all started your own challenge and created the visuals, and all I had to do was sit back and watch. Also I really didn’t leave y’all empty handed. I thought we killed it with the pics in the Butterfly Box. But I can’t forget the hive is the hardest to please and I love that. Keeps me on my toes.”
“Ok, I see the vision, but why literally leave the country and go on vacation during an album rollout? That’s unheard of!”
“Ok two reasons. The first is that was what I needed to do. That was my way of celebrating. I told my baby girl that putting out an album was like graduating. I fought hard to overcome my own issues and dark places and now that the project was out to the world, I needed to release and just be with my family, my babies.”
“And the second?”
“Because I can. I’m THAT girl! Deadass!” Again with a smile and a laugh. BK might be the nicest bad bitch I’ve ever met.
“What do you say to the critics who say the album is going to fail? There are rules to the game if you want to succeed.”
“I say check the streaming numbers and sales.” That eye twinkle and smile return one more time. “Rules are meant to be broken. Sometimes. Note to self: Redact that line before my terrors read this. But seriously if we did the same thing, the same way, every time, art, music, life would all be extremely boring. Tackling the unheard of and never been done before is my shit. I live for that. As far as succeeding… I’ve been lucky enough to have more success in my entertainment career than I ever dreamed of. Whatever I do from here on is the extra sauce and will not be measured by industry standards.”
“Speaking of the future, what more can we expect for Butterfly? Please say tour.”
“Ha! Ummm performances are coming. It’s time for me to party with the butterflies.”
“Ok, will they be on multiple stages in cities near all of us?”
“I can't with you! But I can say I’ll perform songs from Butterfly and the rest of the catalogue, on stage, soon. Stay ready.”
And ready we will stay. Ready for the Queen BK. One of One. Number One. The Only One.
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THE WITCH'S WINGS & OTHER TERRIFYING TALES, an 'are you afraid of the dark?' graphic novel with three stories based on hispanic urban legends, comes out october 3rd 2023!!!
kick off the halloween season & ✨ preorder it now ✨ if fun, spooky middle-grade horror is your jam!
i'm so excited for people to get to read this book; everyone involved put so much love into it, and i can't wait to hear what people think once it's out in the world. to celebrate how close the release date is, here are a few preview pages from my segment of the book, the tale of the haunting of bus #13!
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