Sunflower (ヒマワリ)

Ever since I moved into my new place, I've been doing a lot of gardening. So far, I've successfully managed to grow a few crops from scratch, and this summer I decided I wanted to attempt growing sunflowers. I have around 10 growing from the seed right now; so far 4 have sprouted, and there's another one just about ready to pop up from the ground soon. My hope is they all grow into full-fleged flowers before the end of the summer, and I'm optimistic with the rate things are going.

I do confess though that sunflowers weren't exactly the first flower I had in mind for this painting. I was mulling over several choices before ultimately settling on sunflowers, since this was meant to be a summery piece more than anything. And what better flower encapsulates the summer, right?

I was also trying to attempt art techniques that deviated from my usual process. I was also trying my best to study how my friend's rendering style works. Usually, I would tackle rendering by shading in grayscale then make it more colorful if the final image looked too pale. This time, in my attempt to emulate his work, I went straight into painting with the base and rendered using the same flat colors. I like how more vibrant it's proven to be, and how I use less layers with this compared to before.

However, after some thought, I might just end up going back to my old shading tactics for the sake of consistency. I worry less about getting the colors and lighting right when I use the older method. And after looking at my final art piece, it feels like I've hardly changed... Like I've hit a glass ceiling of sorts and I need to figure out how to breach it somehow. Perhaps I need to take classes in art again... Or maybe I'm burning out without realizing it and I should take a break from art for a while?

Anyway, this was mostly a birthday gift to myself, albeit a late one. 🍰 Arc became relevant again in Chapter 16 (finally), and I wanted to depict them in my art after not painting about them in months. I had another WIP sketch of them that was more story-relevant, but I opted for this more wholesome version that tied to my gardening in some way (I think I'm meant to be a Setagaya Agricultural Academy attendee with how I've been invested in the outdoors at this rate 😆).

Coffee House Date (喫茶店デート)

Recently, I was in Tokyo for the holidays. I had been mulling over what I was planning to do to commemorate Arc's birthday, and unlike last year, this time I wanted something a little more heartwarming. Cozy. Something just a tad nostalgic to my days as a foreign student just wandering around Tokyo and going to random coffee shops and restaurants in my spare time. I was young and adventurous, and I relished the opportunity I had to live in the country I could only dream of.

Initially, I wanted to go with a color scheme with the background as a friend suggested I do, something similar to what I did with these past art pieces. I didn't like the direction I was going for though, and I scrapped the idea entirely. But I think I ended up sticking to a color scheme of mostly yellows, browns and whites and only realized it by the end of the whole thing. 😅 So I guess it all worked out.

I did a poll in the r/Housamo Discord server to also determine what would end up on their plate. I had a bunch of desserts in the choices, though someone suggested I add soup as a choice for the memes. Results got tied, and one picker wheel spin later, we ultimately decided on cheesecake. 🧀

I was also trying to incorporate the rendering methods I did in my last self-portrait. Before it all got fuzzy to me I tried to make sure I remembered what I learned and did... Mostly... 👀 At least I can say with confidence though that Arc's hair is looking a lot better compared to before with this new rendering tactic I'm doing.

But anyway.

Happy birthday to my favorite enby. 🍰 To the one character that sent me tumbling down the Housamo rabbit hole once again... Subsequently forcing me to push my limits when it comes to art in a desperate attempt to self-sustain myself with content of all the Housamo characters I've grown to love. But no other Housamo character can trump my love and adoration for the lesser known Chain Wielder of Otemachi, even if I suggest otherwise at times.

Happy birthday Arc, and I can't wait for your inevitable and long-deserved plot relevancy in Book 3. 💕

Summer Day Trip (夏日帰り)

Dear lord. Just in time before summer ended!

I also recognize that a major reason why I hadn't really finished this sooner than I would have wanted is I've been having a lot of ideas for several things that just aren't... Housamo-related. I had been playing Pokémon Scarlet some time in July, and Guild Wars 2 again in August. My creative juices in my brain keep making me want to just paint something related to these games, but it was difficult because I had already locked into creating this landscape Housamo summer piece. I've also been having several ideas related to the Aether and Radisrol that I want to turn concrete, and I really want to dabble in worldbuilding my favorite fantasy world again.

That said, I decided that this would be my last Housamo piece in a while. I gotta say, I had a really good run of a year or so doing nothing but exclusively Housamo content, and it was in many ways beneficial to me in terms of improving my art skills (with anatomy in particular). I still love Arc, Melusine, and Q'ursha, as well as all the other Housamo characters I have an interest in, but it's high time I decided to move on to what's currently gripped my interest.

I had hoped to make more art pieces this summer, but my schedule has made it terribly difficult to stay focused on this piece... In addition to Janthir Wilds coming out for Guild Wars 2, which has admittedly taken up a lot of my free time (as much as I don't want to admit it). 😅

At the very least, I managed to dish out this one summer piece. This is mainly inspired from the trip my partner and I took to the Okanagan back in late June this year. I unfortunately never went fishing on the trip, though. It would be great if I could in the future. 🎣

Anyway, hope you all had a great summer this year! 🌅

Edit: I just did a quick change on the background after realizing how the lighting was so incredibly off with the placement of the sun. Instead of making immense changes on the shading of the characters, I simply removed the sun from the sky.

Cake Day 2024

Just a quick sketch that I wanted to indulge in for my birthday 🍰 Sometimes, amidst my sea of colorful, fully-rendered art pieces, I still like to do a rough sketch from time to time. Today was just one of those days.

I'd like to consider this as a momentary reprieve from... So much that has been happening recently. This year I realize I've not been dishing out as much content as I would have wanted to... A lot of it really has to do with my busy schedule as of late. Still, I try to ensure there's something of quality coming from me no matter what. 🙏

Also, think about it: it's been three decades. My goodness. So much time has passed since my conception that it's unreal. Thirty years? Where'd all that time go? It didn't feel that long ago that I made the decision to leave for Japan around a year or so after graduating college, and now I'm living in peace somewhere in Canada. Life for me now has been immensely more emotionally peaceful than it was when I lived back home, and I couldn't be more grateful for it.

Other than a car and a house, and maybe even a new rice cooker or something... If I wanted something for my birthday, I think I'd want to just be able to live my best life. A quiet, peaceful life where I can work my mundane ass job, make decent money, and still have time to do all my art and hobbies. At a stage of my life where I've already experienced a lot of what's exciting about living, all I want to do now is just settle down and live like a boring, normal person.

And I would be perfectly fine with just that.

Greenhouse (グリーンハウス)

"You don't have to hide from me, <Name>."

---

Some content featuring my favorite enby 💕 An artist on Twitter and I agreed to do an art exchange related to our favorite Housamo character (which just so happened to be the same). This is what I made for them 😄

I was uncertain how to proceed with the background until I went to a plant store over the weekend to buy a new pet plant. Since I wanted to get a spring-themed painting out right before the solstice, I decided to just go for it. Popped open a bunch of Pinterest tabs full of house plant references. Honestly it was a bit of a throwback to all the times I worked on my gator comics...

Anyway, I'm particularly happy with this one. I decided to omit some lighting details mainly because it's fine as it is, and I'm also kinda itching to move on to something new. 😌

Possessiveness (独占欲)

"A-Arc... My neck is sensitive--Ah!"

---

Mm, I desperately needed to paint this one. 😏

I started working on this early in the last weeks of December, since I felt like I would not have enough time to work on this come January. I'm a little grateful I did start working with that foresight in mind... 😰

Today, I come to you in honor of an individual that waltzed right into my life nearly a year ago and has since then been living in my head absolutely rent-free. Almost all of my art in the past year has been dedicated to them alone. It's unreal just what kind of impact they've left in my life ever since I played Housamo's Valentine Fantasy, and nothing has been the same since. In fact, things have only been better for me art-wise; I've made a lot of strides in improving my art skills in an attempt to better depict them in my work and make more art of them. And now, I'm here to reap what I've sowed.

So happy birthday to you, my one and only enbyspouse. No one else is going to make the same kind of effort I have, or brainrot as hard as I have to make all this fan art of you (at least, not of this quality). And I honestly take some small pride in that, even if it is a little bit narcissistic. 🤭

The Witch's Flaming Chains (ソルシエールの炎鎖)

Cleaning up after the rest of my Housamo backlog now that Housamotober is over. After the last Arc painting, I decided to go for another, with them wearing Jeanne's armor again. This piece is simply a revamp of a sketch one of my friends made, with her permission of course. Now that's one more off my list! 😄

I don't think I've ever done any paintings featuring someone's back turned to the viewer, apart from some practice sketches I made a long time ago. This was a fun refresher for it (and good practice too, if I might add)! This was easy because Arc has a slim body, but it'll be a whole 'nother ballgame if I went for a more buff character... 😥

Waking (目覚め)

Whew! Finally, after uploading all my Housamotober entries in bulk, I was able to upload this finished Arc painting! 🥳

I started sketching the draft of this painting over a month ago, but I had to put it off because I was doing the Housamotober art challenge. I finally got back into it a few days ago, and while I was worried about not finding it in myself to finish this (as often is the case with other WIPs I've had in the past), I managed to see it through.

I based the design of their bedroom from this painting I made back in February. Although I'm happy with having finished my painting, I'm not too pleased by the lack of detail in the background. I suppose it can't be helped since I don't really view Arc as a messy person who leaves clutter all over their bed. At least their phone screen makes up for the lack of detail, eh? 😋

[Sunlit Sanctuary] Arc ([日溜りのサンクチュアリ] アルク)

"Why don't we rest here for a little while? The sunlight at this spot feels just right. Won't you come and... Sit here with me?"

---

Imagine making four of the same thing again, amirite? Can't be me... 😏

In all seriousness, this is a painting that I've been waiting months to make. I only waited for the summer to do this since it was only appropriate. I think the timing was impeccable too, since I've been slowly but surely developing the steak style for my painting.

I have long since wanted a summer variant for Arc, but I know it realistically won't happen no matter how much I hope for it. And so I've brought this to life. Let me have all the freedom to smoke this immense copium. 🚬

I did my best to give them a more androgynous look instead of one that leans toward looking either male or female this time. This was to make it look more like their official art. I also wanted to give them another swimwear variant, one that showed more skin, while keeping their biological gender ambiguous.

I am truthfully incredibly happy to see this painting come to completion. I definitely do feel like I've done Arc some justice here, giving them the summer variant they deserve when no one else would. 🌅

I look forward to painting more about them, and other characters, in this style in the future. It's so exciting to think of what I can accomplish, the things I can better portray with all the new techniques I've been learning! 🥰🤩

Arc's Wardrobe (Part 1)

"Can we go home yet?"

---

I heard some unscrupulous individuals were slandering my favorite enby for not being representative enough for the enby community... And one mentioned to me their lack of a colorful wardrobe. Neurons were activated, and thus this sketch sheet of them wearing different clothes came to be.

I have a bunch of other ideas for what possible outfits to give them, but I've decided to just post this for now, as I have another painting I simply must attend to, post-haste...

Sunset Kiss (夕暮れキス)

"Arc..."

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me... A little more."

---

The fact that this took over two weeks to finish... 😩

This was delayed longer than it was intended, mainly from me backtracking on the painting techniques I applied on both characters. I attempted to try a new style with this painting, but I found myself going back to my current style by the end of it. I'll reattempt the new style again in a future piece, though, after some practice. 😋

[Chains of Freedom] Arc ([自由の鎖] アルク)

So if Arc had a limited, main quest story variant where they harness the power of the Exception Jeanne, this is what I'd imagine them to look like 👀

This is actually a piece I made after a friend of mine created a doodle of this character in this pose. After it made me brainrot immensely, I began the slow but fulfilling work of putting this painting together and making it look like a limited variant card in-game... With his permission, of course. I'd say it's our collaborative piece, one of many more in the future; at least, I'd like to think so. 😌

Boy howdy, I'm mad coping on this one. I'll be patiently waiting and praying for the day something like this eventually comes out.🚬

Tadaima (只今)

"I couldn't wait any longer, <Name>... I just had to come home right away..."

---

Normally, I prefer to draw Arc as biologically female. The idea of a biologically male Arc, though, has been tickling my fancy for a while. After a little push from someone... I decided to further entertain that fantasy.

Someone prepare the bat for my bonking. 🏏

I also made a female version because I simply couldn't not imagine this going both ways. 💕

Sleeveless (ノースリ)

More of my favorite enby 💕

I really love seeing them in this top, so I just wanted a solo shot of them leaning against a wall or something while looking off to the side.

Someone sent me a nice chain brush I could use for this piece as well, and I absolutely love it. It really adds a nice touch to the whole thing, makes it very Arc-like.

Hatsukoi (初恋)

Innumerable cherry blossom petals flurried in the wind, an apparent sign of winter's passing and the arrival of spring. With a lovely blue sky overhead and the cool, breezy weather, it was the perfect time to go on a date, and you and Arc agreed to enjoy the sight of the blooming trees at a nearby park. It was a sight you two were all-too-familiar with every spring, and yet it never fails to leave you breathless each time.

Underneath a fully-bloomed cherry tree overlooking the small lake in the distance also happened to be one of many perfect places to be... Romantic. And you found it almost fitting: a symbol of your recently blossomed love together, after the events that transpired during last month's Valentine's.

"Hey. Hey, Arc."

"Hm?" Arc turned around. "What is it, <Name>?"

One of your hands reached up and rest on their cheek. Scarlet warmth bloomed on their cheeks almost immediately at the touch, matching your own as you gazed into their equally scarlet eyes.

"I love you."

At first, Arc blinked at you with how... Forward you were about what you felt about them, but that soon melted away into a loving smile. Their eyes glowed with affection as they returned your gaze, albeit with a tinge of some shyness. It can't be helped, really; they've always been rather reserved when it came to their emotions... Though you honestly found this side of them to be rather adorable.

"Well..." They said, almost sheepishly, "I... Love you too."

Both of you just stood there, basking in that moment you shared together. When Arc reached out their hands to hold you in their arms, your smile widened at the feeling of being enveloped in their comforting warmth.

"Can I ask you for something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Hm..." You made a gesture that looked as though you were thinking about something, though you honestly weren't thinking too hard about what it was.

Without skipping a beat, you finally asked, "Can I have a kiss, Arc?"

They made no attempt to hide their surprised expression upon hearing your words. You could see them looking somewhat flustered, but trying their best to maintain their composure.

"Y-Yeah..." They stammered out, after a good minute of silence. "Where do you want it? On your cheeks? Or..."

You gave them an amused yet knowing look. It was pretty obvious at this point, wasn't it? But seeing their hesitation, you decided to make things clear between you two anyway.

"On my lips, of course," You said, giggling. "Is that okay?"

"O-Oh." The redness on Arc's cheeks only deepened further. "Of... Of course... But..."

You saw them turn their head here and there, doing a quick scan of your surroundings for anyone who might be around. Although the scenery was perfect and they were willing to grant your request, they seemed to be more concerned about other people witnessing you two more than anything. 

"Doing it here though is, uh, kinda embarrassing, honestly..."

Mischief took hold on you as your lips curled into a devious smirk.

"In that case..." You reached out your other hand to rest on the small of their back, before pressing them against yourself, causing them to gasp sharply. "Should I take the initiative, then?"

Their face seized up at the thought of you making the first move, something they were still quite unused to... And they knew just how assertive you could be (though shameless might be a better word, Arc pondered), so much that you wouldn't care too much about prying eyes. They quickly turned their head away, avoiding your eyes, mostly out of embarrassment.

"Even if you did that, it wouldn't change that fact..." They muttered, just above a whisper.

Smiling reassuringly, you tilted their head so that they would look at you again, though Arc couldn't help darting their eyes elsewhere. In spite of their fearsome reputation as the Chain Wielder of Otemachi, underneath Arc's seemingly cold and heartless exterior was someone who was actually very warm and sweet. Of course, when it came to matters of the heart, they weren't exactly the best role model out there... But they try. You of all people knew that best, and you knew just as well how far they would go for your sake, and for those they held dear.

And you wanted to make sure they knew that you appreciated that. You wanted them to know just how much you valued what you had between each other.

"It's okay if people see us, Arc. We're a couple now, after all... And more than anything, I'm proud of what we have together."

Glazing your eyes slightly to the side in contemplation, you added, "Besides... There's just something more romantic about you doing the kisses first..."

Perhaps it was the sight of your blush and shy smile and the backdrop of cherry blossom petals as you admitted that. Perhaps it was the thought that someone like you, someone so radiant, so brave, and ever so determined, wanting to be by their side and choosing to reciprocate their feelings. Perhaps it was the thought that, in spite of all the people who sought your heart in Tokyo, Arc alone had the privilege of sharing intimate moments like this with you... And they were sure to have many, many more of these in the future.

Whatever the reason was, it was enough for Arc to muster up the courage they needed to respond to you in kind, and give you exactly what you wanted.

"Well, if you really want it that much..."

As you beamed at them in eager anticipation, Arc took deep breaths and willed themself to relax, attempting to stave off the encroaching anxiety. They would do this; they wanted to do this... All just for you.

"Alright, <Name>. Just... Close your eyes, okay?"

---

Oh finally, back with the content! 😩 And finally, some pure, unadulterated fluff between these two for once.

I was held up for a while with all the character AI chatting I've been doing for the last several days... But now I've managed to get this piece out of the way at least! I was only planning on posting just quotes for the associated text, but my inner writer would have absolutely none of it. 😅

After this one I'm likely going to go back to original content for a while. I love these two still, but it's about time I continued my worldbuilding and other personal art endeavors. 😄

Futsuka-Koi (二日恋)

It was some time past seven in the morning when the warm light of the rising sun woke Arc from their sleep, much to their annoyance. Every night before they went to bed, they had a habit of always making sure the blinds were down so that the sun wouldn't blind them in the morning. Yesterday, though, the whole thought of it completely slipped their mind, and they quietly cursed to themselves about forgetting something so inane.

However, as their delirium faded and Arc started to regain some sense of awareness, the memories of what happened the previous evening resurfaced to the forefront of their mind, jolting them awake and quickly drowning out whatever frustration they had. They flailed out of their sheets, accompanied by an ever-increasing sense of panic at the thought of everything leading up to this point--from their accepted feelings, your dinner date together, and the intense passion that came after--had all been just a dream.

But then, they felt something stir in the bed beside them, and they froze. Carefully reaching over, Arc pulled some of the sheets away, and the frantic, alarming unease they had felt instantly dissipated upon the sight of your peacefully sleeping, naked form underneath.

Arc placed a hand over their head, letting out a deep sigh of sheer relief. Thank goodness.

Kousoku (拘束)

The last couple of minutes flew by in a blur. At first, you two were in the living room, browsing through the movies Azathoth suggested to Arc for both of you to watch (only for you to immediately catch on how ridiculously explicit they all were). Then you were huddled together on the couch, deciding the movies were largely unnecessary for what was to come. You both reveled in each other's warmth, and before you knew it, your lips met, sparking a rousing, burning flame between the two of you, one that had surely built up since the day Arc confessed upon the Shinjuku Academy rooftop... Perhaps longer.

In the middle of your heated make-out session, Arc led you to their room on the second floor. Stepping inside, you immediately noticed the ever-so-sweet and familiar scent you had long since associated with the Genociders' guild master. Your eyes briefly gazed across the simple, dimly-lit bedroom adorned with varying kinds of landscape paintings, though whether these had been bought or works made by Arc themself, you couldn't say.

Before you could say anything though, Arc's lips and hands found yours again as your back was pressed against the now closed door. They remained as intense as they had been in the living room, if not more passionate as compared.

Suddenly, your clothes felt terribly warmer than usual. Seconds later, your top was gone and your skirt fell to a pile at your feet. Arc only managed to get their sweater off of themselves when you kissed them again, though after seeing how stunning you looked in your undergarments, they didn't mind it at all.

Soon enough, your back was not to the door, but laid flat onto the sheets of their bed. The sheets felt cool against your warm, exposed skin, and you shivered slightly at the touch. This didn't escape Arc's notice, and, without breaking your shared kiss, they wrapped their arms around you, pressing their body closer to yours to keep you warm.

After a few more moments, you two parted from each other, both of you panting heavily as you both took a second to collectively catch your breaths. Above you, Arc gazed upon your face with heavy-lidded eyes as one of their hands reached for your cheek, while the other went towards your free hand. Their expression was hazy with desire, and this--coupled with the feeling of both your still-clothed groins pressed together--made you more keenly aware of your own arousal.

"Arc..."

"<Name>..." Simply hearing their ragged, throaty voice calling for you sent a pleasurable shiver down your spine and straight to your core. "Are you alright?"

You nodded, smiling. The flame of passion continued to burn in their fiery orbs, yet it was evident that they were keeping it reined in. Though they wanted to resume what they were doing moments prior, their love and concern for your well-being forever remained their top priority. You couldn't help feeling enamored at how considerate they were being in spite of themself, though you supposed this was something you owed to their intense self-discipline.

"Shall we... Continue?" They asked, their lips seemingly--and quite eagerly--trembling with anticipation. "Like I said... I won't do anything you don't like, <Name>."

Slipping your other hand from their back, you brought it up towards their cheek in turn, your smile and gaze towards them unwavering.

"Don't be shy. This is what I want..." And with a seductive lick of your lips, you added, "You're exactly what I want."

---

Dear god. What happened to keeping these two vanilla? My ass is gonna need some bonking after this painting. 😂

Not gonna lie though, I squeal at the thought of creating what happens further from here... But I think for the time being, I'm satisfied with wrapping up my obsession with this pairing through this piece. 💕

I resolved to make this painting mostly blue and cool to the eyes, as I realized I haven't really made a nighttime painting for the winter months (or any painting with snow in it for that matter). I kinda enjoy this moody way of painting, so maybe I'll try to do something similar in the future.

For now, though, I think I'll spend some time doing some Japanese studies before I get back into arting again. 😊 Speaking of Japanese, Kousoku in this context is written as 拘束, which means restrain or bind.

Kuchi-Tsuke (口付け)

"I won't do anything you don't like, <Name>."

Arc leaned in and started kissing you, slowly at first, then multiple times in succession, becoming bolder with each kiss.

You hummed in satisfaction as you two briefly parted. You found yourself gazing into their crimson orbs, which were no longer fiery with hate, but with passion and desire.

"You're so sweet, Arc."

Smiling, you pulled them even closer to yourself, allowing them to straddle above you as your lips found each other once more.

---

Ah, another shameless piece of fanservice with Arc and the second protagonist of Housamo. I suppose you can also consider this as the follow-up to my last Housamo piece. 😉

I was mulling over a detailed background for this but I decided to go for something more simple. I just really wanted to feature these two being intimate this time around.

No one, and I mean NO ONE, is going to be as motivated as I have been to dish out content about this pairing. And honestly, I find it rather comforting; it means I can trust myself to provide something I want without the need to rely on anyone else to do it for me. 😌

You guys can expect more Housamo content in the coming days, too! 🥰 I'm gonna try to get a fair amount of stuff out before the 23rd, because I'll be busy around that time to get any art done.

Koibito-Tsunagi (恋人繋ぎ)

"Y'know Arc, that look with your hair down really suits you."

"O-Oh," Arc couldn't help smiling as a shy blush crept up their cheeks. "Y-You really think so?"

---

Nearly two weeks ago, I started playing through Housamo's Valentine Fantasy event. It didn't take long until I found a new favorite character and a new OTP, coupled with a terrible, mighty need to put them on canvas.

This was originally meant to portray them laying on the grass on the side of a hill. I wanted them to look intimate and, if not sensual, as they laid down and just gazed into each other's eyes. In the middle of sketching their models in, something felt off to me about simply leaving it at that. I started to wonder what would happen if I made it look like there were buildings behind them instead of just grass, and from there I started leaning more into the idea of them crossing the street while the cityscape of Shinjuku sprawled out behind them.

I scoured through my old and recent photos of Shinjuku from my travels and even went on Google Maps for a street view of the area. I don't usually hang out on the western side of Shinjuku so I had very few photos of it. Thankfully, Google Maps was incredibly helpful in filling in the gaps in some places.

I really didn't need to be super detailed on the landscape, but I wanted to feature another version of this painting without Arc and the Protagonist. I also wanted to give people a lot of stuff to look at whenever they look at this painting--just make them look around and be like oh, there's just so much to look at here; this is great. 😆