Vanilla News Update (2024 September 6)

An update exploring some feet news, upcoming projects and my casual thoughts.

Backup Links: Google   • MediaFire   • MEGA  

Uploads will be slower. I’ve said that multiple times, but it’s only because I expect things to speed up or stay the same.

First, I’m taking fast-track college courses, meaning I have more work in less time. Also, my next Vivian piece needs more dedication since it has many shots. I want to make the most out of one of my favourite Paper Mario characters finally having sweaty feet, after all. I’m already working on commissions, so I’m trying to limit the number of projects I handle simultaneously to ensure they release.

With that all said, there are some casual things I’ll talk about below. Kind of like what I did in 2020, with those now-deleted news journals. I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts and responding to them on any of these subjects. It might be easier to comment on DeviantArt if you can, considering how this platform works.

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Fragmented DeviantArt
DeviantArt… I know my words to you haven’t been kind, but what is going on?

While I didn’t initially use the fragments system, I ended up using it a lot with my last account. I would often gift artists Core or promote their drawings with a Hype Badge if I were a fan. Fragments are now gone, replaced with a new gems system.

I understand why the system was altered. Specifically with the Diamond Badge, too many users were getting Core for free, so it needed restrictions.

My main issue is about hyping works up, increasing their exposure. Are you telling me that we need Core+ accounts to have enough gems to promote a deviation? Most users won’t have this option (they’re limited to 40-50 gems a week that reset), meaning that less artwork can receive a boost. The only thing that these lower-tier users can do is gift Quartz Badges, and those are meaningless.

DeviantArt has stomped on another community feature just for extra money—money that won’t be coming. This is the biggest art platform on the Internet, so it’s crazy that it’s constantly acting as if it’s poor.

It seems they’re ready to switch Sta.sh as well, merging it fully with this Studio addition. Once more, I understand why they want to update the code. Frankly, all these UI changes should’ve come in 2020-2021, not 2024. However, why does updating the code mean they have to make the interface more clunky than the old one? Why can’t they keep a similar design language with future-proofing traits?

Lastly, the team announced that it’s releasing a new DeviantArt app. But it’s not an update to the existing app for mobile devices. Instead, it’s a browser link that merely removes the address bar on your screen. It’s a cheaper and simpler approach than developing a native app, but a native app could provide better performance. Our current app has not received a single update since April of 2023, and the next text editor can’t even display correctly in it.

Another user summed it up perfectly. It’s like DA is a platform you use to remind people that you have other platforms, as so many features are becoming restricted.

Here is a recent piece I gave a Hype Badge to (make sure to favourite it on the page of the artist  ). Lana is one of those characters who’s bound to get attention no matter what, so maybe my contribution is unnecessary. But since these gems are on a weekly time limit, I might as well use them the best I can.

I do like the piece overall. I’m so used to drawing Lana with bare nails that I never considered her having nail polish. Blue might be expected, but boy does it ever work. And those are some pieds joliment galbés begging to be admired.

And hey, anyone who draws Lana over her inexplicably overrated mother is doing God’s work.

My Satisfaction with the Newest Zelda/Link Story
For someone who is not a fan of size-related content, I’m happy with how this newest story   came out. It has a bit more excited than some of my other stories.

Maybe it’s just a relief since there was a drought of new stories due to my commitment to closing out the Mushroom City section of Toadette’s Story. Or perhaps it’s because the concept is outside of my comfort zone. Whatever the reason, it’s good that many seem to enjoy it.

Now if you start asking for giant commissions, we’ll have to fight. Gotta keep things under my control with this gimmick, as we know I don’t enjoy how most artists utilise it.

I thought the Link story would perform better, but considering that Zelda’s a girt, she was going to naturally steal the attention. The reason I thought Link would do better is because that story is longer, meaning the scenario is more detailed. That said, it is the grosser of the two tales, containing toe jam and a pool of sweat, so that likely knocks its appeal.

It’s strange to be a creator who caters to a very specific type of kink. It means some of my works have less universal appeal due to the grimier elements, but those who really like grime really appreciate it.

Still, I’m pleased with how this piece turned out, especially for one that was only written in a single day. What I’ve learnt is that often being simple and to the point will do better with the majority than writing something more detailed.

A groan escaped Link’s lips as Zelda’s weight bore down, her toes pinning his head while her sole trapped his body. She strapped the sandals as tightly as possible, finally standing and having her feet obscured by her dress. “I say we go for a stroll. In the stinky sandals, yep.”

That simple description must be enchanting you.

Two Stories Being Prepared
Real talk, how common is it to be both a visual artist and a writer in the foot fetish scene?

One story will be related to Kingdom Hearts, specifically during the events of Kingdom Hearts II. It might make some of you nostalgic if you played this game in your youth, as it deals with the prologue. Don’t worry, it centres on Olette…from a certain point of view.

The other concerns Dragon Ball. If you like Videl and have an appetite for some of the foulest feet imaginable, then I think you’ll be in love with this one. Or if you dislike Son Goten, which we all should.

I want to finish the one I began working on in the summer, bluntly titled “The Marnie Feet Party”. But depending on how that goes, it might not be able to go on DeviantArt because of the ending (or I’d upload a modified version). It’s also long, at over 5K words in its current draft. I just need good spots to set breaks, as it could end up topping at 6-7K.

As I stated in my journal about writing advice, my advice when making a story is to just write a first draft. Just get it on the paper. You can clean up a first draft into something decent. You can’t clean up nothing.

Ideas I’m Considering for a Foot Worship Pack
I asked for feedback in a status update, but I continued on my own after receiving nothing.

I’m proud of what I put together for both Alolan Welcome   and Appreciating One’s Feet  , so I’m aiming to keep to that standard for the next big one themed around foot worship.

In this future pack, there will be the familiar franchise. Pokémon will have two representations, one being a remake of a 2020 drawing involving terrorism (those who get it will get it), and the other being a remake of a 2019 drawing with a certain ORAS character. The latter was originally a standard POV picture, but it’s being converted into a foot worship scenario with May and Brendan.

Who knows, I like Lana so much that I might just throw her in there for the lolz at this rate. Could be a secret, as some of you who have bought packs will have discovered.

Genshin Impact will be represented, with me updating and finishing an image I started in 2022.

The Loud House will have some male representation, and speaking of males, I get to depict a series I’ve never experimented with before.

Inazuma Eleven sounds like the dumbest concept, but after doing my own research, I’ve settled on a nice boy I want to see licked. It was harder than you’d think, not because there are few males (quite the opposite), but because so many are attractive in the traditional masculine sense. You know me, I like my guys to have a touch of neutrality to their looks.

Side note: it is weird to have a franchise with Japan/Europe game releases and almost nothing in America. Normally it’s Europe who gets the shaft, but soccer is ten times more popular outside of the United States, so I get it.

This pack is likely going to have between seven and ten drawings. I’ll give a preview once it’s well underway.

New Design for Premium Packs
I redesigned the banner for premium packs to be slimmer, and after a small vote in my server, it was determined that Gold Team rules. A minor change, but one that I think is for the better.

I mainly took inspiration from both the late PlayStation 2 game cases as well as the Japanese Sega Saturn cases. I’m love games at the end of the day, so they’re going to influence me. I considered using a red banner because of my mascot’s hair, but it didn’t look as appealing. I mean, if you’re an American PS2 fan, do you actually like those Greatest Hits cases? If you do, we all know you are lying to yourself.

This is the type of nitpicky stuff I can get obsessive with, but it’s fun. What do you think?  

I can tell you that you’re going to like receiving a tight footjob from this character.

Random Fantasy: Butt ‘n’ Grind
There is a truly bizarre scenario I’ve been imagining ever since working on Appreciating One’s Feet. What specifically triggered it was working on Kairi’s set. I am so used to seeing Selphie in the KH universe with her initial design, the shrunken-down FF8 look.

I forgot just how cute she can look in a schoolgirl uniform. She might not be exposing her toes, but that skirt is lovely.

And then I started imagining KH1 Sora in that uniform. You know, minus the skirt. Since they obviously go to school together before Destiny Islands is plunged into darkness, fantasies began to emerge strong. Twisted fantasies.

“You want a hand, Selphie?”

“Hmm?”

In art class, Sora is helping Selphie scrub some permanent marker off the tile floor. He’s leaning over her while she’s on all fours, using his hands to help her apply more force to the rag. The girl giggles from their unorthodox yet effective cooperation.

“Okay, okay, we get it. You’re very strong, Sora,” she snickers, a playfully mocking tone masking her voice. “I’m so scared of your might.”

Her innocent smile turns to a shocked gasp, for she feels a firm sensation against her backside.

“That’s it, Selphie. Back and forth, not in circles,” Sora comments, eyes scanning the room.

Calm down. Guys can’t control how their bodies act, Selphie thinks to herself. Don’t make a scene.

Yet as the soon-to-be Keyblade wielder keeps himself glued to her, she’s beginning to fill with doubt.

Then when she feels this stiff object pulsating against her dainty cheeks, her blush turns fierce with embarrassment. Sora, lost in his lust, slowly but surely moves his hips back and forth until he’s certain somebody will catch him. That very fact is what’s getting his heart racing, that thrill of being so naughty in public. Once he feels he’s had enough of his friend, he backs up, pretending as if he’s exhausted from helping her so much. Then he walks to the trash can with a cutesy grin, not giving the brown-haired girl a second glance.

Selphie remains on her hands and knees, unblinking as she robotically washes the floor.

W-Why does it feel like my right cheek is wet?

How the two deal with things after that is up for you to decide, but I hope I’ve got you hot and bothered now. Because I know I was when working on this part of the pack. I’m thrilled I drew Kairi, especially in her Kingdom Hearts II look (despite not being a fan), but I kind of wish I threw Selphie in at the last minute. Maybe as a hidden bonus. Because while she has very thin material in the games she appears in, she is a strong component of my shipping fantasies. Often if I’m not linking Sora with Kairi, I’m putting him with Selphie.

I’m sure many of us have had this, where we place a main character with a very minor one. I mean, Selphie has that spunky nature Kairi has. But unlike Kairi, she’s more openly into fantastical romance. I think that’s a fun dynamic.

Gaming: My Progress in Pokémon X
I’m on the last title needed to have played all mainline Pokémon games. I made it to the third gym in this game, but I have to redo it all since I forgot to save.

I was miserable recording myself playing this game because Citra gave me so many problems. I appreciate those who are maintaining it, but I’d have thought the Nintendo 3DS to be an easy system to emulate. A fan pointed me to an official version, and though I don’t think it helped, I’m glad I was redirected from what could have been malware.

Heck, that conversation reminded me of how that website CoolROMs would have all those .exe files installing to your computer just to download ROMs. Even to my young self using Windows 8, that was suspicious.

If you’re curious, I do have the game installed on my New Nintendo 3DS XL and the emulator. The 3DS is one of my least favourite Nintendo handhelds, and the New 3DS’ form doesn’t fix that. It is such a pain to hold, and I have big hands like they expect. I think it’s just too rounded, and the Circle Pad is too high. I much prefer the Nintendo DSi XL.

Okay, okay, that’s the nerd side of me. Concerning the game itself, it’s what I expected: a basic Pokémon romp.

Lumiose City sucks ass. I get that this was Game Freak’s first attempt at a fully 3D world, but I never expected to be playing a 3DS game with tank controls and a camera that makes everything blurry in movement. And a city where every path leads to a blackout is a terrible introduction.

The controls in general annoyed me when starting out, as the grid movement looks uncanny in a 3D space. I’ve since adjusted, but still, blech!

I like the little minigames where you can train your Pokémon. You know, with the soccer ball (or football for the normal people). I like XY’s bottom screen more than SM’s. It’s got way more interactivity and personality than RotomDex.

Music is fantastic so far, something I noticed when editing videos in the past. It’s up there with the Sinnoh games in terms of catchy tunes. And while the chibi presentation isn’t my cup of tea, I also don’t find it offensive. I love that the menus are 60 FPS. It sounds minor, but Pokémon so rarely aims for this framerate that it’s satisfying when it does. I’ve had fun replaying Emerald for that reason.

Honestly, considering a certain jester’s opinion on this series, I can see why people like this one and view ORAS or SM as the turning point. Even though BW seems better so far, XY feels like the last original game to feel like the older ones. It feels closer to BW than to SM and everything beyond. For example, there’s no system that shows you the Pokémon weaknesses, which actually stumped me in a number of encounters.

I have no opinions on these villains yet. I hate their colour scheme, but I haven’t seen the main dude in action. I’ve heard Team Flare is either very stupid or one of the best teams.

These friend characters… They are certainly characters, alright. Really, I’m not even that mad at them like I expected to be from the Internet’s and my server’s opinions. They’re just kind of worthless. The game also clearly prefers Shauna among all of them, as she gets the bulk of the cutscene emphasis. That scene on the balcony was particularly homoerotic given my character choice, but that’s A-okay. Hey, if I were a real girl, I’d probably still want to rip off those weird-looking shoes and moisturise her ashy feet with my tongue.

I must note, this seems to be the origin of Pokémon holding the player’s hand. These characters keep repeating instructions over and over, almost like they’re worried you’ll forget what they immediately said. It’s not Team Yell levels of bad, but I see where Yell gets its inspiration from.

My current team is focused on Braixen, Meowstic (female), Helioptile, Wartortle, Skitty and the hawk. I wanted to convert Eevee into Leafeon, but for some damn reason, you can’t use a Leaf Stone. Just… Ugh!

I know they wanted to keep the evolution rules consistent, but it’s so inconvenient to have to wait to the end of the game to be able to evolve Eevee into Glaceon or Leafeon. Just place more rocks early on. Hell, adding the Fairy type already contradicts old Pokémon type logic, and the modern games let you evolve into those creatures with stones. I’m only so annoyed because Grass creatures seem particularly few in Kalos. I’ve been told there aren’t many, similarly to how Sinnoh was allergic to Fire.

Overall, not an amazing PKMN experience so far, but it’s what I expected. Average, and I hope it gets better. And after playing SwSh and SV back-to-back, this is a masterpiece. You have no concept of what it’s like to go from playing shit to playing something functional.

Some Chat About My Own Feet
I’ll give you a simple description on how my feet are currently.

My nails are trimmed, my soles are exfoliated, and in terms of lotions, I’m bouncing between a cherry blossom scent and a cocoa butter scent. I still prefer the cherry blossom, but cocoa butter feels very nice. For some reason, it was a lotion type I mainly had in my youth, never had during my adolescence, and I began using it again out of nostalgia. It’s a great aroma.

I’ve noticed a mild bit of more pain, particularly in my right foot for whatever reason. I’m not sure what the cause would be, as I alternate shoes regularly. It does make me wish I could get a massage, but alas.

Current Drawings in Progress
Not all of these are going to be finished in September, hell no. But these are projects I am prioritising to various extents, ignoring commissions.

I’ve mentioned I’m working on With Vivian: Episode 4. While it will need a lot of work, it will be set primarily in the shadows, so the background will be simpler. After that point, I’ll likely end up trying to streamline these connected Mario drawings because I’m still attempting to come up with a consistent release for them.

I might re-release all of the Mario storyline images, just because I loathe how fractured it is due to the DeviantArt deletion. We’ll see. Might translate them too, for extra consistency.

I’m saving this one for much later due to it already having a sketch, but I went and made a full image out of Stinky Braixen Sandals, the picture to compliment this beautiful fox’s listing in Vanilla’s 20 Most Breedable Pokémon. It got quite the warm reception in my server, about as warm as this girl’s funky feet. I think it can be said that flip-flops drive certain foot fetishists insane. The good kind, that hungry kind where the shoe turns into its own delicacy to be licked until the footprint disappears.

There is a My Hero Academia related… I would say pack, but it’s going to be a standalone drawing that you can pay a dollar or two to have more variants of. When you realise how many feet there are, you’ll understand.

I’m also gonna close out a remake of a piece many loved back in 2019. It involves Tomoko, that girl from Watamote that edgy Internet users loved to use as their icons.

I’d like to finish that drawing with Riley from Inside Out, and I will by the year’s end.

In the My Little Pony: Equestria Girls universe, you can expect to see all six of the main girls in something unique. Yeah… A lot more drawings with tons of characters this year. It’s neat, but boy is it ever draining.

If you like watersports—obviously unable to be posted on this platform—I’ve got something with Trevor and Shauna from Pokémon together. Well, Shauna’s excited for it. The boy… Not so much. Disgusting as it is to admit, doing artwork for this kink gets me the most excited. I have ruined Skyla for some of you, I bet, but I’m proud of it.

Past that, I’m working on closing out some further collaborations with that beforementioned user, TheJesterMime  . One will involve animation, and that has caused me problems due to a layering thing he wouldn’t have been able to consider. The subject matter: a possibly autistic 2000s Nicktoons girl with whom I strongly related when growing up.

The other involves two of the Unovan Pokémon protagonists, and that’s the one that will be completed sooner. More than likely, next Friday on his accounts.

I think we work well together. I have shitty drawing skills, and he has shitty writing skills. We merge our strengths and make a solid team.

Nostalgic Sketching
While I got a lot of sketches done in May and June, I kind of stopped after that. You know, with the whole account situation, it majorly took the winds out of my sails. Although I’d like to keep doing it just to keep people satiated (and I need to update the archive and my other social media accounts). I’ll probably remove the colouring, though. It made them look nicer, but as one user pointed out, it was too much for a simple sketch. Fans can colour them in if they want, like they do for other artists.

Click Here  

For this month, I made the image above. I think it’s a nice way to show off the journey, drawing all versions of my avatar with my current skill level.

You can notice how the design gradually got simpler over time, then a bit more complicated with the current look. I’m still a fan of that 2020 design, but oof… Just like curly hair in real life, it is a nightmare to draw. You can’t just scribble things together and call it a day.

The poll on my prior DA account had you guys saying you like the 2023 look the most, which is interesting. I did do more videos that year where you saw it, so that would make more sense. Or maybe you just prefer straight hair and sweatpants.

If you’re curious, the results at 119 votes were:
2018 Look: 4%
2019 Look: 3%
2020 Look: 4%
2021 Look: 18%
2023 Look: 35%
2024 Look: 34%

Ending Note
And this is your Friday night news. As mentioned above, I’d like to hear your thoughts on any or all these topics if you’ve got something to share. In the meantime, I’ll be keeping myself busy. Hope I can respond to you guys, and I’ll see you later.