I think 90% of my gripes with how modern anime looks comes down to flat color design/palettes.
Non-cohesive, washed-out color palettes can destroy lineart quality. I see this all the time when comparing an anime's lineart/layout to its colored/post-processed final product and it's heartbreaking. Compare this pre-color vs. final frame from Dungeon Meshi's OP.
So much sharpness and detail and weight gets washed out and flattened by 'meh' color design. I LOVE the flow and thickness and shadows in the fabrics on the left. The white against pastel really brings it out. Check out all the detail in their hair, the highlights in Rin's, the different hues to denote hair color, the blue tint in the clothes' shadows, and how all of that just gets... lost. It works, but it's not particularly good and does a disservice to the line-artist.
I'm using Dungeon Meshi as an example not because it's bad, I'm just especially disappointed because this is Studio Trigger we're talking about. The character animation is fantastic, but the color design is usually much more exciting. We're not seeing Trigger at their full potential, so I'm focusing on them.
Here's a very quick and messy color correct. Not meant to be taken seriously, just to provide comparison to see why colors can feel "washed out." Top is edit, bottom is original.
You can really see how desaturated and "white fluorescent lighting" the original color palettes are.
[Remember: the easiest way to make your colors more lively is to choose a warm or cool tint. From there, you can play around with bringing out complementary colors for a cohesive palette (I warmed Marcille's skintone and hair but made sure to bring out her deep blue clothes). Avoid using too many blend mode layers; hand-picking colors will really help you build your innate color sense and find a color style. Try using saturated colors in unexpected places! If you're coloring a night scene, try using deep blues or greens or magentas. You see these deep colors used all the time in older anime because they couldn't rely on a lightness scale to make colors darker, they had to use darker paints with specific hues. Don't overthink it, simpler is better!]
"Twin, a twin soul, a twin flame, a twin understanding of who I am with I am in I am
In this moment when we get to now new abilities new gratitude, new humbleness all together in the Twin. A love, an understanding of who I am with I Am"
from Kryon channeling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0EIkSPux18&t=5s
wishing you dearest Family loving transitions with an open heart to your Light. Alexandra
the vessel discovers one of life's simple joys: small plush toy.
a little doodle of a scene from ch 18 of @queruloustea's that makes two of us, then - please please read this fic, it's so lovely. i want to do something nicer and more involved for it but i am still adjusting to drawing Bugs and Bugs Interacting so it will have to wait until i'm more confident :')
White Lily Cookie's braids were giving me a hard time so I decided to draw how Pure Vanilla's appearance would look instead lol. I was going to make him a jester like the faeries but then remembered that Shadow Milk Cookie likes plays and stories. A story wouldn't be fun if everyone was the same character, and Pure Vanilla was supposed to be more of a main character, unlike the faeries. So, going with the jester theme, I decided to make him a puppet king instead!
His appearance doesn't change in the animation because Shadow Milk Cookie figured that it would hurt White Lily more if Pure Vanilla Cookie betrayed her while still looking like himself. Casually planting seeds of doubt in her mind.
I also realised kings have knights, so I'm giving PV a knight :D (to be designed later). Also, I headcanon that Shadow Milk Cookie is a theatre kid who likes dancing.
shiv's motivations for voting to pass the gojo deal are so layered and i don't think they should be dismissed in favour of any one interpretation. shiv desperately grabbed on to a lifeline for her relationship with tom. shiv was the deciding vote and she couldn't bear to hold the crown only for a moment just to place it atop her brother's head. shiv knew she would have more influence as wife of CEO rather than sister of CEO. shiv absolutely hated seeing kendall crystallize into logan before her eyes, especially when he made roman bleed ("and if we did kill him we get to go to bed") -- succession has always been about siblings so of course she tried to free her brothers before her child. shiv still thinks she can raise her child with all the material benefits of being the daughter of waystar CEO while doing better by her, whatever that means. and all of those things are true
content; smut, dry humping, sub!spencer, needy!spencer, car sex, pet names (baby, good boy, pretty boy), hair pulling, biting
summary; spencer has been hard all day so as you guys get to your shared apartment he cant wait any longer
the car ride home was silent, nothing could be heard besides the soft sound of the radio and spencer’s hard breathing.
you leaned against the window and sighed softly at the content feeling of your boyfriends presence.
he seemed off, and you couldn’t tell why.
when the car came to a stop your eyes fluttered open, expecting to be at home. which was why you were surprised to find yourself parked on the side of a backroad you knew no one ever came to unless they were hunting.
confused you looked over to spencer with raised brows. catching him with his head on the steering wheel and legs shaking.
immediately you thought he was crying which freaked you out.
“spencer? whats wrong?” you asked, resting your hand on his shoulder.
the touch made him flinch and you heard a small whine come from him.
a frown came over your face as you removed your hand, kind of offended as he usually finds your touch as comfort.
“spencer, what happened are you okay?” he doesn’t answer, just continues breathing heavily
“baby,”
that seems to set him off, he throws his head back and groans, eyes clenched shut and adams apple visible.
you see it now, the tent in his trousers, the sweaty hands, the clenched jaw. he was horny.
“oh, baby,” you unbuckle your seatbelt to lean across the center console.
your shirt catches and the edge, pulling it down just a little so he can see straight down it.
resting your hand on his thigh he looks down at you, noticing your cleavage right away.
he has to refrain himself from whimpering out loud, instead just freezing.
he can feel himself painfully hard, knowing that if he looked he’d be completely red.
you look up at him before taking his hand, “why didn’t you say anything?”
“i didn’t want you to say no.” he stammered out, face growing red
you smile at him, “as if i could ever turn you down.”
climbing over the middle, you sit yourself on his lower thighs, reaching under the seat to move it back.
when there is enough room you sit down fully, reaching forward to grab his face.
you kiss him quickly, hungry, and rough. you can taste your own chapstick and feel his soft stubble against your palms.
your right hand leaves his face to drag down and rest it on his upper thigh, rubbing it softly. this causes him to twitch in his trousers and whimper into your mouth. “please,” he whispers breathily into your mouth.
you swipe your tongue across his bottom lip causing him to open it slightly.
quickly you place your teeth around it and start sucking, biting down softly.
he bucks his hips up and grips your hips, moaning loudly.
before you can pull out of his grip he harshly pulls you into himself, your now sitting fully on his lap, his hard on right under you.
you break the kiss, panting heavily and lips swollen.
looking up at him you see him with his eyes clenched and lips all red.
reaching across yourself you plant your hand directly on top of him. pressing down and squeezing softly.
he moans loudly head hitting the seat and back arching. you figure this is the only relief he’s had all day, which kind of makes you feel bad.
“my pretty boy, why didn’t you say anything? you’re so hard, how long has it been.”
“s-since we woke up.” he managed to get out, immediately worrying you
“baby, next time you tell me okay?”
“okay,”
“good boy,”
you start to rock against him, the friction pleasing yourself.
you sigh softly, needing him inside of you.
you reach down and begin to undue his pants, but your hand brushes against his tip and he can’t stop himself.
he grips your hips harshly rocking you quickly against his length. the friction being to much for him.
strings of moans and whimpers leave his lips as he chases his high.
noticing his pleasure you being to kiss down his jawline, making your way down his neck.
you suck softly leaving bruises everywhere you could, moaning into his skin when he rubs against your clit.
it takes a couple more minutes before he feels the tight coil in his stomach and he cant bring himself to move anymore, the pleasure being to much for him.
you notice this and begin rocking against him yourself, ignoring the way his nails sink into your skin or the way he tries to pull you to a stop.
you suckle on his skin once again, this time unbuttoning his shirt and reaching his chest.
his whines and incoherent mumbles grow louder though you can’t understand what he’s saying.
“do you want me to stop?” you ask, making sure he wants to continue
“yes! oh god! yes!” he moans loudly as his back arches.
you reach one of your hands up to his head, pulling softly and his hair.
he practically screams out of pleasure.
you scratch at his scalp pulling every once in a while. going back to biting him.
you can tell he’s close so you rub yourself on him as fast and hard as you can. biting the one spot behind his ear and pulling at his hair.
he cums in hot sticky ropes that immediately seep through his boxers and trousers, reaching your own.
the sounds of his whines and the feeling of him underneath you has you cumming right after him.
you wrap both hands around his neck, resting your head on his chest. panting heavily and legs shaking he kisses the top of your head and rests against it.