Vexus M (They/Them) 🏳️‍🌈🌺
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phantalantern.com
Vexus M (They/Them) 🏳️‍🌈🌺
@phantalantern.com
54 followers 33 following 670 posts
Professional 2D Animator and Interdisciplinary Artist. Creator of #HowlsSong, a story about a cursed werewolf and lost space siren finding their ways back home. Opinions are my own.

https://ko-fi.com/phantalantern

Website: https://phantalantern.com
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phantalantern.com
Clever of you to disguise a fundamental art exercise as a fun challenge for artists to practice with. It is unfortunate that my favorite is Low-Key Toxtricity.
A traditional black and white illustration of a Pokémon named Toxtricity. It is an amphibious bipedal creature that has sound-based glands on its chest, spikes around its waist, wrists, and back. This is in adherence to a one continuous pencil stroke challenge posed by OP. The illustration differs from the official artwork with its dejected expression and shorter neck.
November 2, 2025 at 6:03 PM
phantalantern.com
A forewarning: Stripe plans on forcing all accounts to use AI "Smart Disputes" starting Nov 1st. The instructions on how to turn it off are in the 2nd image. I do not want a hallucinating network to handling my money.
Please spread the word on this by reposting. This move is ridiculous.
Screenshot email of Stripe, a payment processor, sharing news about an "AI-powered Smart Dispute". The email portion reads: "Hello, We're excited to share that you'll get early access to Smart Disputes starting November 2025. We'll automatically enable this new-" before being cut off. "How to turn off auto-submission If you don't want to use Smart Disputes, then you can turn off auto-submission in your Dashboard. If you opt out, you can still manually submit evidence generated by Smart Disputes once it is enabled for your account."
October 31, 2025 at 3:58 PM
phantalantern.com
If you choose to opt out, they still strongly encourage you to use the generated dispute as a manual maneuver. Do you think I am irrevocably incapable of gathering evidence for disputes that I require a hallucinatory machine for these delicate matters? Are you insulting my intelligence, Stripe?
"How to turn off auto-submission If you don't want to use Smart Disputes, then you can turn off auto-submission in your Dashboard. If you opt out, you can still manually submit evidence generated by Smart Disputes once it is enabled for your account."
October 3, 2025 at 1:39 AM
phantalantern.com
You will threaten business' abilities to sell legal adult content, but you will forcefully opt-in everyone to use an AI automated dispute system? Square Pay is looking like the better option to migrate to by the day.
An email from Stripe detailing how their "AI-Powered" program for payment disputes will be enabled in November 2025.
October 3, 2025 at 1:33 AM
phantalantern.com
It is officially October, and the first day heralds in #WerewolfWednesday. A festive #Weretober to all who celebrate. To bring it in, here is my original protagonist asking if you've done your reading yet. Have you?
#HowlsSong #original #digitalart #art #graphicnovel
OP's werewolf protagonist Vortex the werewolf. She is a brown werewolf with teal hair, glove fur, and eyebrows. She has an underbite on the left side of her mouth. Her tertiary fur color is an apricot pattern on her lower jaw and part of her chest. The background is a starry night with a strong off-camera moonlight beaming down on the forest evergreen trees. She has two fingers up on her right hand, asking, "Have you read Howl's Song yet?" OP's handle is a black text watermark on the bottom center image. The logo on the top right is transparent and is a black lantern with wings on the outside and a twin flame inside. Vortex's visible eye has a streak of white light trailing behind it.
October 1, 2025 at 9:19 PM
phantalantern.com
I don't care how many times I have to move, I am NOT joining Mastodon
Dan from the TV show "Dan Vs". The Screencap is from season 2 episode one, "The Wolf Man". He is looking up at the viewer. He has shaggy black hair, green eyes, white skin, shark teeth and a goatee. He is wearing a black shirt with the word "jerk" in white text along with blue jeans and brown shoes. The background is a green palette with wooden flooring. His original line from this scene is, "I don't care who the IRS sends, I am not paying taxes".
September 22, 2025 at 12:54 PM
phantalantern.com
My #KofiSharetember challenge entries in no particular order; a master thread:

1. Link in bio

If you enjoy what I do, please consider taking a look at my Ko-Fi. It is always available to find the best of what I have to offer.
A screenshot of OP's bio. The heading reads, "Vexus M (They/Them) 🏳️‍🌈🌺". They have 52 followers, are following 33 others, and have made 620 posts, this one being post 621. Their bio reads as follows: "Professional 2D Animator and Interdisciplinary Artist. Creator of HowlsSong, a story about a cursed werewolf and lost space siren finding their ways back home. Opinions are my own". The links provided redirect to their Ko-Fi and website respectively.
September 22, 2025 at 12:14 AM
phantalantern.com
I removed my filters to fact check if this game was indeed made using AI, and it is.
"AI Generated Content Disclosure The developers describe how their game uses AI generated content like this: Character designs are created manually by artists and writers, but we use AI to speed up the drawing of details. We also use AI to speed up the drawing of backgrounds and H-scenes. AI is not used to generate content directly during the game."
September 16, 2025 at 12:14 PM
phantalantern.com
Your favorite dragons in media!
In order from left to right:
1. Metal Overlord (Sonic Heroes)
2. Lateef (Spyro Reignited)
3. Helix Dragonoid (Bakugan Battle Brawlers)
4. Saphira (Eragon)
Screenshot of Metal Overlord, a dragon form of Metal Sonic originally debuting in Sonic Heroes. This is from Shadow Generations. Metal Overlord looms over a body of water with industrial buildings in the background, a dark sky with sparse clouds overhead. His blue armature is spread out like an eagle, baring down menacingly. A screenshot of Lateef after being freed in Spyro: A Reignited Trilogy. He has a blue skin tone with a notched cow-like ear, jutting under canines, pierced brown horns, and a light blue to purple beard. He has galaxial feathered wings, and is wearing a red sash over his torso, a spiritual bead necklace, and a matching red loin skirt. He is posed up in a meditative state, standing on his tail with an incense pot burning next to him. There is a white brick background shadowing over green grass. Screenshot from "Bakugan: Battle Brawlers" of Dragonoid in his Helix form. He is a red bipedal armored dragon with decorative armored pauldrons, gauntlets, skirt, and knees. He is roaring, ready for battle as the intense red, black, orange, and yellow lines indicate in the background. Book cover illustration of Saphira from "Eragon". She is a feathered dragon with a long snout, a protruding canine tooth, spikes going down her spine, and sapphire blue eyes with slitted pupils. Her brow ridge has protruding flesh with a lower brow horn on each side. She is smiling at the viewer with a matching night blue watercolored background.
September 7, 2025 at 2:09 AM
phantalantern.com
Happy #InternationalWolfDay alongside #WerewolfWednesday. I wish to honor the practice handprints- as old as our Neolithic ancestors. Vortex's hand for all to bare. #HowlsSong
A traditional artwork piece of OP's graphic novel protagonist, Vortex the werewolf. The inked right hand shows details of a human palm mixed with wolfish claws that emit lightning. The fur beneath the hand is shaggy, long, and ruffled up, waving upwards. A white eraser is cropped on the bottom right.
August 13, 2025 at 6:51 PM
phantalantern.com
Blackout poetry for an odd message I read.
#poetry #blackoutpoetry #prose #writing
A Discord message altered with the art of blackout poetry. It reads: "Let's be honest: saying AI-generated art is welcome feels strange in a server where 90% of what I've seen should qualify as art. Maybe it's time to reconsider the world we're living in. Otherwise, you risk turning a creative hub into a time capsule."
August 1, 2025 at 3:52 AM
phantalantern.com
Undertale demonstrated a profound sense of hope being not a product of naivete, but instead of determination. To feel hope is to fight for a future worth living in.
July 26, 2025 at 9:31 PM
phantalantern.com
It is #WerewolfWednesday. Have my novel protagonist still in the water, watching.
OP's novel protagonist, Vortex the Werewolf, looking at the viewer. This is a brown werewolf with darker brown eyes. She has thick, bushy eyebrows, side burns, and thick hair that is teal blue. The water around her is partially rippling with analogous shades of green and blue.
July 23, 2025 at 9:06 PM
phantalantern.com
Self-publishing takes a monumental amount of time, energy, dedication, and discipline. This week, I would like to take a moment to shout myself out. I have been publishing Howl's Song since 2023 as monthly releases on my Ko-Fi. Any more reach would be greatly appreciated.
#SPAAW #SuperSelfPublished
OP's graphic novel cover for their original title "Howl's Song". The protagonists- Vortex the Werewolf and Nebula the Cosmic Siren- are facing opposite directions (right and left respectively), mouths agape as if they are roaring. The pink and teal background behind them resemble their likeness; a pink nebula above, and a teal vortex below.
July 21, 2025 at 6:51 PM
phantalantern.com
Am I supposed to believe that recruiters are "getting tough", LinkedIn?
Daily Rundown: Recruiters get tough; Gen Z reshapes dining; and other top news for you
July 13, 2025 at 12:41 AM
phantalantern.com
It is #PortfolioDay. My name is Vexus M., and I am a professional illustrator, comic artist, and animator. Be it contract, PT, or FT- my rates are reasonable. From novel covers to posters, I guarantee quality.
To inquire about my services, please contact me here:

phantalantern@protonmail.com
A graphic novel cover for OP's original title, "Howl's Song". The protagonists are a brown werewolf and pink cosmic siren. The werewolf, Vortex, is screaming to the right, while Nebula the siren is screaming to the left. There is a nebula and vortex as the background behind them. A Scottish unicorn with a blonde mane, tail tip, and hooves gently landing on a glowing, crystal clear lake. There are motes of light around the white unicorn. The collar chain wraps around its body to connect with its reflection. A white swan staring at the negative world version of itself. The black swan is shadowy, wisps on its neck. There are molting plumes from the black swan's form. Marisa from Street Fighter 6 posing with her hands curled out, ready to brawl. The template is from the Capcom SF6 art contest from June 2024.
July 8, 2025 at 9:51 PM
phantalantern.com
Today is Atsuko Kagari's birthday, and Werewolf Wednesday. I had not prepared a piece ahead of time due to stress, so I did what I could to celebrate now. The novel protagonist comes during the party into the night to give a lovely cupcake to the irrepressible witch.
#WerewolfWednesday #LWA
Atsuko Kagari from "Little Witch Academia", an anime created by Studio Trigger, and Vortex the Werewolf from "Howl's Song", a graphic webnovel created by OP. The two are standing outside of the school building as the werewolf smiles gifting the schoolgirl a cupcake. Akko is smiling at the kind gift, and Vortex is giving a smile too. It is night time with a full moon above them.
June 26, 2025 at 12:20 AM
phantalantern.com
I was not aware this was a thing, but it did not take long to make, so I committed to it.
#makeaterriblecomicday #terriblecomicday2025 #makeaterriblecomicday2025 #comics
A comic created by OP. It is 5 panels long. Panel 1 is their persona, a shadow entity with pointy ears and a shaved head with a ponytail, looking at a smartphone saying, "Today's 'make a terrible comic day"? I didn't know that was a thing". The second panel is the same persona looking to the viewer and saying, "If I can be honest... I'm kind of tired of making more comics." The third panel is freeform, with the persona staring at a chunky 2000s computer while squinting their eyes, back hunched in the chair, hand on the mouse. The dialogue reads, "Don't get me wrong, I lvoe doing it, and I wanna make this my career. It beats being behind an office computer organizing spreadsheets." The fourth panel is a blank white with black written text that says "VIEWS:0". The dialogue continues with, "But, man... no one's looking at it." The final panel is a shoddy shot of OP's original project with their protagonist looking at an off-camera person with forest behind them. The text finishes with, "I can't sustain a career just on good vibes and words of encouragement. There's only so many 'do it for you's I can take before the day job comes first." A drawing tablet is depicted at the hairline of the character.
June 25, 2025 at 1:44 AM
phantalantern.com
If you are feeling down about the way this world is going, and if you have relatives asking you when you will have children, I propose that you tell them: "No thanks, I'll P.A.S.S"
Will most likely make a series out of this acronym.
A geometric person on a blue background facing away from an off-image person with their hand held up as if to say no. The white text at the center bottom piece reads, "P.A.S.S. Preserve all sperm and sanity". There are baby blue borders on the top, bottom center, and bottom left and right of the piece with white outlines.
June 11, 2025 at 8:17 PM
phantalantern.com
While I had not done a lead up advertising the cover reveal, the final rendition of the "Howl's Song" cover is actualized. After 12 various drafts, scrapping, and temptation to defenestrate the tablet pen, it is here.
#HowlsSong #graphicnovel #webnovel #original #fantasy
A book cover illustration created by OP for their writing. It is the novel protagonists, Vortex and Nebula, screaming out their battle cries. Vortex is the tall, teak brown werewolf with teal blue fur on her hair, chest fluff, "arm sleeves", and tip of her tail. She is baring her mixed human teeth with wolfish fangs while lightning crackling out of her semi-curled left hand. Nebula the cosmic siren has white skin, a light pink lower half mermaid body, and is screaming out as well. She has plum purple tentacled hair with stardust twinkling on her bangs. She wears an extraterrestrial explorer's outfit with a pink heart over her torso, water pouches on her neck and rib gills. Her hands have pink-ish webbing in between her fingers. The background is their namesakes represented. There is a spacial pink nebula with stars in the background as a beam of powerful light flashes down onto the blue vortex below the protagonists. Turquoise lightning crackles out of the pillar of light, hitting the center of the oceanic vortex. The title, "Howl's Song" is on the center bottom of the illustration. The final piece of text at the bottom is in white with a black outline that says, "A fantasy graphic novel by Vexus M" in all capital letters. OP's low opacity watermark rests off-center on the illustration reading in black, "PhantaLantern".
June 6, 2025 at 5:31 PM
phantalantern.com
Need to get the nagging thoughts out before getting to work.
#art #digitalart
A stick figure wizard stands on a mound shooting lightning and ice out of their hands. A volcano is erupting behind them with a purple galaxy in the background. The text reads, "I don't give a shit if people think my work is trash mid or even peak, I just want it to exist". "Exist" is emphasized by being bold and italicized with a larger text size.
June 5, 2025 at 5:16 PM
phantalantern.com
They don't have enough in the budget to hire writers? What's the point of working with indie studios like this one if they're planning on giving game writers the middle finger?
AlterStaff Inc is the team behind the hit-game, Yandere AI Girlfriend Simulator- With You 'Til The End (available on itch.io). It's a first-of-its-kind immersive interactive escape room game with a Yandere AI girlfriend powered by ChatGPT. She does not want to let you out of the room, but you want to get out in whatever way possible- and with her as an AI NPC empowered by ChatGPT, there are endless ways to do so!
May 28, 2025 at 6:48 PM
phantalantern.com
Well, isn't that quite neat. I might have more followers on Ko-Fi than here on this account.
Screenshot of OP's Ko-Fi statistics. 4 creators are being followed by them, 35 people follow them, and 6 have supported them. The black box underneatht he statistics say, "Let your audience know about your Page. Share your link and add it to your social bios!" There is a squircle outlined in a rainbow coloration saying "Promote your page".
May 23, 2025 at 6:42 PM
phantalantern.com
Animation for page 81. I wanted it to be more fleshed out, but alas, my other ongoing projects have cut into it. I hope I can return to this and finish it before chapter 17's end.
#original #indie #animation #2Danimation
Short animation of "Howl's Song" novel protagonist- Vortex the Werewolf- getting ready to cover herself in her cloak. She messes up by twisting her foot too fast and barely catching herself, but too late in stopping the transformation.
May 22, 2025 at 1:15 PM
phantalantern.com
Less than 5 days left in the poll, and red team has it by one vote so far. Don't you want to be a part of influencing an unraveling story? Anything can happen- let your voice be heard today before it's too late!
#original #graphicnovel #specialevent
Screenshot of a Ko-Fi poll by OP. The title reads, "What Path Should Vortex take?". The text below says, "The fork in the path has been revealed, and now it is up to YOU- yes, YOU- to decide which one she moves forward with. Are you dead set on red? Or should she be true to blue? Get your votes in, and tell your friends all about it. You'll be directly influencing the fate of Chapter 17 with this!" Team Red has 60% of the votes- team blue has 40%. There are 5 votes cast, and the screenshot says there is 4 days and 19 hours left to vote. One person liked it.
May 14, 2025 at 9:09 PM