mariaashby64

[mariaashby64]

Wolfsong vs Brothersong

Oh how the table has turned.

[mariaashby64]

question because i'm curious...

+ tell me your favorite pokemon/reasoning in the tags i'm nosy

[mariaashby64]

Team Kiki

[mariaashby64]

Eeeeey thank you so much for this!

It was cute having the whole gang appear. I loved it.

A Very Merry New Year

From: @fairysdarkestnight

For: @mariaashby64

Happy holidays!

*

“Nezumi, what are you doing? You know that’s not where we put the champagne. You’re acting like this is the first year we’re hosting this party.”

The berated man rolled his eyes and held back the sarcastic retort that danced on the edge of his tongue. Why the hell would they not keep the champagne with the literal champagne fountain. 

Ding dong.

Nezumi swore under his breath and checked the grandfather clock, which hadn’t yet struck 7. She was always at least half an hour early, and while he appreciated that type of punctuality among his patrons, a small get together did not require people to be on time, much less half an hour early. Not that a small thing like etiquette or respect for others ever stopped Safu from doing what she wanted. On a normal day, Nezumi respected that part of her. But when he was helping host a party, well, sometimes he wished that Elyurias had restored her without that particular quirk.

As murmured greetings between the two old friends reached Nezumi’s ears, he took a deep breath and turned to welcome Safu. Before the woman had even taken off her gloves, Nezumi shoved the box of champagne bottles into her hands. “Here. Find a place for these.” 

A sly smile crossed her lips. “Funny. I would think you would know where these go already. This is what, the third year already that you and Shion are hosting? And they always go in the corner near the succulents.”

A glare, a sigh, and then a smile. “Lovely as always to see you Safu. I do hope you’ll forgive me. But now that you’re here, you can tell me all the things I’ve forgotten about hosting. In fact, I don’t think Shion even needs me here if you know exactly how he likes everything. So you can just take care of this and I’ll take a quick walk around the block. Might be back in an hour or two. It’s a rather large block after all.”

“Nezumi, if you walk out that door right now, I’m not letting you back in until next year.” 

“You’ve been making that joke for the last week. It’s not as much of a threat as you think it is. Besides, who else would you kiss at midnight, Your Majesty?”

* * *

The ticking of the clock seemed nonexistent as the party was in full swing. Rikiga was trying to convince Karan to let him become Shion’s stepfather, and Nezumi’s mice were chasing Inukashi’s dogs around the house. Even little Karan and Rico were taking turns reading from Hamlet, with Safu and Inukashi acting as their extras.

The planning and setup for Shion’s annual New Year’s Eve party was chaotic, and although Shion would work him to the bone, Nezumi found himself feeling content as the year drew to a close. Not that he would tell anyone that. He had an image to uphold, afterall. 

But seeing Shion laughing as he took the champagne from Rikiga’s hand reminded Nezumi of why he came back after all this time. Being able to travel and see the world and find the pieces of his culture that No.6 tried to take from him healed that part of him that he’d thought lost all those years ago. And there was a part of him that thought he would never come back, that he’d leave Shion as the one happy memory of No.6 and nothing more.

But no matter how far he wandered or the people he met, he never felt that home could be a person as much as he did during those few months in the West Block with Shion. And that feeling is what brought him back. And it was that feeling that kept him here year after year.

It wasn’t like him to be so sentimental. But when he saw Shion laughing and enjoying the time he spent with everyone… well no one would blame him if they knew.

When there was only five minutes until midnight, Shion made his way to the  front of the room, grabbing a glass of champagne on his way. 

“The last few years have been difficult, but we’ve made it through whether that was by reconnecting with old friends or by making new ones. We’ve learned what it really means to be human and that the thoughts and emotions that we thought lost to us were what saved us in the end. I am incredibly grateful for each and every one of you, and everything that you’ve brought into my life. So tonight is about celebrating what has been and what will be. May this year be even better than the last, and may we bring just a little more joy into the world. Happy New Year!”

The clock struck midnight as Shion raised his glass in a toast. As everyone echoed the toast and drained their glasses, Nezumi made his way to Shion’s side. “Quite the speech Your Majesty. But there was one thing you missed.”

Shion’s brow furrowed. “But I spent hours thinking about that speech. I know I could’ve said a few more words, but I didn’t think I was missing anything significant. And the timing was impossible to get down.”

Nezumi smiled a little. “You’re still such an airhead. It’s New Year’s. What’s the most important thing for every person to usher in the new year with?”

WIthout waiting for a response, Nezumi leaned over and brushed his lips against Shion’s.

A kiss.

[mariaashby64]

Aww yusss, Now that Epic the musical has concluded I can finish lighting my stageplay.

I have all the fill lights just about handled. Now I can get to the fun bit with the spotlights and extras.

[mariaashby64]

Shion brought jumpers for everyone.

To @darlie-charlie

From Maria (@mariaashby64) : your secret santa!

[mariaashby64]

Can you imagine being a woman in 1bc and one day your daughter tells you that she's with child with the son of God, but she's not even married yet, and you're worried the community is going to stone her to death. Luckily her betrothed decides to marry her anyway, but now the Caesar is asking for a census and your son in law has to travel to his birth town while your daughter is her third trimester. So they set off on this journey and you don't hear from them for a while so you think perhaps they had the child and are adjusting. But then three months later you hear by word of mouth that a horrible massacre has happened in Bethlehem and then you never hear from your daughter or son in law until three years later when they turn up out of nowhere stating that they were living the past few years as refugees in Egypt.

Anyway this Christmas goes out to all the mothers out there. May God bless you and keep your families safe.

And if you're feeling extra generous this season, please donate to any of these vetted funds for Gaza victims who could certainly do with the gifts of peace and generosity right now.

[mariaashby64]

Frequency by @cryptocism

Had a lot of fun drawing Three being maniacal. I redrew that last panel hundreds of times trying to capture the pure manic look I imagined in my head, but in the end I just had to change the whole expression.

[mariaashby64]

Well they were being sneaky.

I've had the thumbnail for this drawing hanging around in my sketchbook for months, it only just been able to finish it.

[mariaashby64]

I wanna give this a go.

Drop an ask if you have the time! I want to answer them over the summer.

My two main stories at the moment are under the #MirrorRift and #Rune Ruins tags on my blog.

WEIRDLY SPECIFIC BUT HELPFUL CHARACTER BUILDING QUESTIONS

What’s the lie your character says most often?

How loosely or strictly do they use the word ‘friend’?

How often do they show their genuine emotions to others versus just the audience knowing?

What’s a hobby they used to have that they miss?

Can they cry on command? If so, what do they think about to make it happen?

What’s their favorite [insert anything] that they’ve never recommended to anyone before?

What would you (mun) yell in the middle of a crowd to find them? What would their best friend and/or romantic partner yell?

How loose is their use of the phrase ‘I love you’?

Do they give tough love or gentle love most often? Which do they prefer to receive?

What fact do they excitedly tell everyone about at every opportunity?

If someone was impersonating them, what would friends / family ask or do to tell the difference?

What’s something that makes them laugh every single time? Be specific!

When do they fake a smile? How often?

How do they put out a candle?

What’s the most obvious difference between their behavior at home, at work, at school, with friends, and when they’re alone?

What kinds of people do they have arguments with in their head?

What do they notice first in the mirror versus what most people first notice looking at them?

Who do they love truly, 100% unconditionally (if anyone)?

What would they do if stuck in a room with the person they’ve been avoiding?

Who do they like as a person but hate their work? Vice versa, whose work do they like but don’t like the person?

What common etiquette do they disagree with? Do they still follow it?

What simple activity that most people do / can do scares your character?

What do they feel guilty for that the other person(s) doesn’t / don’t even remember?

Did they take a cookie from the cookie jar? What kind of cookie was it?

What subject / topic do they know a lot about that’s completely useless to the direct plot?

How would they respond to being fired by a good boss?

What’s the worst gift they ever received? How did they respond?

What do they tell people they want? What do they actually want?

How do they respond when someone doesn’t believe them?

When they make a mistake and feel bad, does the guilt differ when it’s personal versus when it’s professional?

When do they feel the most guilt? How do they respond to it?

If they committed one petty crime / misdemeanor, what would it be? Why?

How do they greet someone they dislike / hate?

How do they greet someone they like / love?

What is the smallest, morally questionable choice they’ve made?

Who do they keep in their life for professional gain? Is it for malicious intent?

What’s a secret they haven’t told serious romantic partners and don’t plan to tell?

What hobby are they good at in private, but bad at in front of others? Why?

Would they rather be invited to an event to feel included or be excluded from an event if they were not genuinely wanted there?

How do they respond to a loose handshake? What goes through their head?

What phrases, pronunciations, or mannerisms did they pick up from someone / somewhere else?

If invited to a TED Talk, what topic would they present on? What would the title of their presentation be?

What do they commonly misinterpret because of their own upbringing / environment / biases? How do they respond when realizing the misunderstanding?

What language would be easiest for them to learn? Why?

What’s something unimportant / frivolous that they hate passionately?

Are they a listener or a talker? If they’re a listener, what makes them talk? If they’re a talker, what makes them listen?

Who have they forgotten about that remembers them very well?

Who would they say ‘yes’ to if invited to do something they abhorred / strongly didn’t want to do?

Would they eat something they find gross to be polite?

What belief / moral / personality trait do they stand by that you (mun) personally don’t agree with?

What’s a phrase they say a lot?

Do they act on their immediate emotions, or do they wait for the facts before acting?

Who would / do they believe without question?

What’s their instinct in a fight / flight / freeze / fawn situation?

What’s something they’re expected to enjoy based on their hobbies / profession that they actually dislike / hate?

If they’re scared, who do they want comfort from? Does this answer change depending on the type of fear?

What’s a simple daily activity / motion that they mess up often?

How many hobbies have they attempted to have over their lifetime? Is there a common theme?

[mariaashby64]

This is because I got artblock 2-3 years ago and only drew study sketches and I was reading Impulse95 at the time. Subsequently the way I draw Bart is just a sliding scale my own style and Ethan Van Sciver's depending on how detailed I want to draw him.

Combined with cryptocism's style/design for Three, this was a good hybrid mash between all styles.

Guess the fic

Anyway, it'd been a while since I've done a comic page.

Like, a real story comic page and not just some poetic panelling I tend to lean to. Gutted I haven't been able to finish this. I was having fun with this even if it was giving me conniptions at time. It was a challenge I was so ready to tackle. It felt good. Really good.

I really want to get back into making comics again.

[mariaashby64]

My second favourite moment from Frequency by @cryptocism

Which you should go read, for all your Bart Allen Angst/Feels.

Black and white version under the cut.

[mariaashby64]

Some gifsets that demonstrate my point.

Vander and Vi: That last Vi gif lives in my head rent free.

Viktor Peak example

Felicia, Vander and Silco that silco one *chefs kiss*. Also that little eye crinkle Felicia does between her dialogue.

Mel I mean, all of them. But the last two especially

Arcane subtle face animations save me. Arcane subtle face animations. Save me Arcane subtle face animations.

[mariaashby64]

Arcane subtle face animations save me. Arcane subtle face animations. Save me Arcane subtle face animations.

[mariaashby64]

Some old sketches of my girl.

[mariaashby64]

I already have a scene in mind.

Tim cornering Jon, probably at gunpoint, demanding to know what he is, who he is. Why the hell he just let Sasha die.

Jon's not even concerned. There's an apathetic look of resignation and just a little bit of pity. He answers Tim's questions like he knows the script already.

Then at the end he speaks. "I tried, Tim. But you could never be saved from yourself."

Tim pulls the trigger. But it's the wrong move. He doesn't know it but a bullet can't kill Jon at this point and the firing sets off the final chain of events that leads to his death.

Thinking about TMA time-travel fix it fics and have quickly come to the conclusion that my ideal "fix it fic" is literally just the plot of Madoka Magica.

"Fix it Fic" but Jon is on loop #168, Sasha must die, and Tim is never able to be saved.

[mariaashby64]

Thinking about TMA time-travel fix it fics and have quickly come to the conclusion that my ideal "fix it fic" is literally just the plot of Madoka Magica.

"Fix it Fic" but Jon is on loop #168, Sasha must die, and Tim is never able to be saved.