Child of the Stars

IF A BIRD DOESN’T SING 🕊

During “the Civil War Era” or “the Sengoku Era”, there was a period when power was fragmented among numerous samurai. During this time three powerful warlords tried to unify the country. Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

There is a poem known to Japanese school children that shows the different styles of the warlords and their characters. A parable was told that these three leaders were gathered in a garden, when a bird landed on a limb. A Zen Master then asked each of them what they would do if the bird doesn’t sing.

Oda Nobunaga - 1534-1582 Nobunaga was arguablly the most potent and the most fierce Samurai in the era. He was also known for his cruelty and often described as a demonic figure with no mercy. Nobu would have thundered “Kill it!” or without a word cut it to pieces.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi - 1536-1598 Hideyoshi was the successor of Nobunaga. He finally unified Japan and had brought an end to “the Civil War Era.” Then he buried his rivals one by one, and he conquered all over Japan at last. Hideyoshi would have said “Make it sing.”

Tokugawa Ieyasu - 1542-1616 Ieyasu was the successor of Hideyoshi, and the founder of Edo Shogunate. Presumably he is the most famous shogune in the history. Ieyasu was known as a patient, persevering man with an excellent talent for management. Ieyasu would have told everyone there that “If a bird doesn’t sing, wait for it to sing.”

Story & Illustration by Richard Longhi

Well, almost.

Guys! You won't believe this!

After I kinda messed up again at the exam I told before and got kinda outa program...

I got to maintain my place!!

Also, now theres a real high chance I'll get a subject list for January's semester!

I'm really feeling happy!

Might be ephemeral,I know, and there's a lot of things I still need to deal with...

Not only that... I was able to get into college and...

I'M CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN A MEDICAL PROGRAM!

I’ve been trying to make a reference sheet for aubrie (for eventual commissions) but I’m super artistically challenged, so it’s been a Struggle.

with that being said, I’ve found a few websites that might help those of you who want to envisage outfits!!

rollforfantasy outfit creator this is very basic, kind of a template of a few simple fantasy pieces but it can be good for a simple reference

kassie’s outfit maker this one is my favourite; a full body character creator with a whole host of customisable clothing pieces, colour options, all of which are fantasy/medieval

the character creator I didn’t have much luck with this one because it’s more focused toward modern styles, but I figured it might be some use to other people

hero forge this is a website that lets you make custom models (more dnd oriented) and so there aren’t really colour options, but there are a good few outfit choices & you can change the pose of the character (down to the position of the hands) which again could be super useful for commissions and pose references

here is the aubrie I made from the second one, for reference!!

Gahh this is a great question because I get to babble about all the artists I admire in this fandom but it’s also hell because I’m sure I’ll look at this later like “HOW DID I FORGET [insert name]???!”

But, as I remember for now:

@sketchy-saram has such a cute and beautiful art style and the way they create and explore their OCs and show character through the different scenes they draw or write is honestly such an inspiration. Also they have too many fanchild pairings with @lazyvoyager I’m hoplessly invested in.

Speaking of, @lazyvoyager was one of the first artists that inspired me to draw for the Arcana. They have a great sense for stylistic exaggeration, Illain is a top-tier fan apprentice, their art is impossibly expressive and dynamic and, again, I’m hoplessly invested in their fanchildren OCs.

@timmys-and-scribbles has such a good apprentice! Julianne is paired with Julian and their dynamic is so?? good?? Timmy is fantastic at drawing comics and sequential art and her use of posing and expression is something to admire, not to mention how gorgeous her illustrations are (she can somehow draw bird people/feather details???)

@slushrottweiler-blog again has incredible OCs. The detail she puts into her character design is astonishing and I really like how she does lineart. It’s a beautiful style which gives a lot of personality to her drawings and the scenes she draws with both OCs and canon character are always lovely!

@agent-darkbootie is so creative with the way they explore different AUs and mixing OCs with canon. Again, agent is an artist who really knows how to put character into their art and it’s beautiful to look at. Also, it’s a small thing but I’m obsessed with how they draw curly hair. It’s to die for!

I absolutely can’t get over how much detail @jyiori puts into their art. I’m in constant awe at how natural and soft their posing can be and then you add beautiful clean colouring and a fantastic understanding of the Arcana style while also being recognisable as their own style and their art leaves me in awe

@jilljoycearts‘s colouring is honestly to die for. Every time I see her art, I’m blown away with how clean and detailed it is, while also being able to do backgrounds, lovely and natural poses, and gorgeous expressions. It’s a small thing but she can draw the arcana style so well at different angles. It sounds silly but that always sticks out to me.

If you want good Muriels, @mountain-man-cumeth is the place to go. Her apprentice Karayan is absolutely gorgeous and his relationship with Muriel is really well developed. She has an incredible sense of posing and anatomy that really inspires me to improve in my own art.

[I’m still screaming about these ngl]

@jyuukichannart is also a great artist to go to if you want good Muriels. Her art style is incredibly soft and it’s all so pretty. Her costume design and attention to detail is beautiful and the way she draws expressions really hits what the character is feeling at the time. She’s another artist where I’m in constant awe of her natural posing.

@greyhands is probably the best artist I’ve seen when it comes to replicating the Arcana style. Her sense for physical space and lord the detail in her art is on another level. Every time I see it, I’m gobsmacked with how beautiful it is. She puts so much effort and hits the perfect amount of detail in everything she draws.

@savenkey mainly posts her art on instagram (momky_savenky or luc.eris) but gosh it’s beautiful. She’s already been an incredible influence on my own art with her amazing edits and resources which she provides for the fandom, but her art... just wow! Eris is an iconic apprentice and her lineart and colouring is a true inspiration.

@myarcanamess is gorgeous with character designs and his lighting is beautiful. He really knows how to set a scene with how he draws expressions and the environments the characters are in. He’s especially good with drawing Muriel and Asra and I can’t get enough of it.

@aaliyah-draws is another Arcana artist who inspired me to draw for the Arcana in the first place. Valarie is one of the prettiest apprentices around and her dynamic with Julian is amazing. The way she uses colour is unblelievably gorgeous, her art is so expressive and soft, and her costume design is just.....I can’t put into words how much I love it.

.......I’ve been writing this post for over half and hour and I’m sure I have more to talk about T_T

How to Escape a Hair Grab or a Neck Grab ? Look at them, carefully.

tai chi pants on http://www.icnbuys.com/tai-chi-pants give you surprise at the new year.

And there are so very few ways to make me not be dumb. I try to ask Trinity for advice sometimes and I’m too much of a coward to act on it tbhshebsbs