#And I had to redraw them a few times till it looked good enough

[fivepebblerhehe]

Mutran

[moonlightguardianmoon]

The story of Nasir the Cat part 1

This is a drawing I did for Nasir... ya I know it terrible 😓 I haven't drawn cat's in a long time if anyone wants to redraw Nasir I give full permission as long as you follow the copy right and give credit where credit is due

Oh another thing Nasir is Arabic for eagle

The story of how Nasir became Altair's little furry partner in crime.

It was a Friday morning around 6;30. People were driving or walking to work, as the birds chirped and the eagles soaring through the open air, somewhere in the crowds of people, there was a blade walking among them, that blade was... Altair lbn-La'Ahad.

Altair was wearing his modern outfit, which was a plain white jacket hoodie, a black T-shirt underneath, navy blue pants, a leather belt, and black brand shoes. He was walking towards Mike's cafe, as he did every Friday and Monday morning.

The cafe bell rang as he walked inside, there at the cash register was Michael, wearing an open jean-jacket with some different pins on it, a red t-shirt, tan pants, and a red beanie hat.

Michael: yo! Altair! How's my main man doing?

Altair: I am doing well Michael.

The two fist bump, Altair and mike high fives from top to bottom then ending the handshake ending with them gripping both their forearm and shaking them. They both then let go and continued talking.

Altair: how have things been with you and the cafe?

Michael: I've been doing good, the same goes for the cafe too. So what can I do for my favorite customers slash good friend, today?

Altair: the usual Friday and Monday breakfast, please.

Michael: the butter coated croissants with a warm brew latte.

Altair: that would be it yes.

Michael: all right, and how many croissants would you like?

Altair: the usual five, please.

Michael: alrighty then, that'll be $17.99, please.

Altair: *hands him a coupon and three dollars*

Michael: Awesome, I'll get your drink and latte in a few minutes.

Altair: -nods-

A few minutes later Michael handed Altair his Latte and a white paper bag with the five butter-covered croissants inside.

Michael: there you go, a latte and five butter coated croissants.

Altair: *grabs the Latte and paper bag with the croissants inside* shukraan lak, thank you, Michael.

Michael: no problem man, hey you, Desmond, and Ezio are still going boating with me next week, right?

Altair: I believe we still are, yes.

Michael: right on dude! Well, I'll see you later then! *waves goodbye*

Altair: *makes a small wave back*

Altair exits the building and begins walking two blocks over to a bench that was next to an alleyway. Altair takes a seat on the bench, as he took a sip of his Latte.

Altair: ... *looks around to see if anyone was watching him* ... *turns around to the alleyway* *click* *click* Goldie~ come here Goldie~

Just then a large black cat came slowly emerging from the alleyway. The cat was a midnight black cat that had ember gold eyes just like Altair's eyes. The cat meows happily back at Altair when suddenly a large bulldog came around the corner and growled at the black cat.

Dog: GRRR- BARK BARK!!

Goldie: HISSSSS! *scratches at the air and towards the dog*

Altair: HEY! GET AWAY FROM HER!!!

Altair quickly got up and got in between the dog and the cat.

Altair: I SAID GET AWAY FROM HER YOU STUPID DOG! LEAVE HER BE!!!

Dog: *snarls and growls* BARK! BARK!

Altair: *gets in the dog's face* GRRRR! HISSSSSS!

Dog: ... *whimpers* *leaves with his tail between his legs*

Altair: Tch, stupid dog never learns! *sigh*... you ok Goldie?

Goldie: Meow~ *rubs her head on Altair's leg* Purrr~

Altair: Heh, I take that as a yes.

The cat smiles at Altair as it jumps on a few boxes and onto his shoulder, as he walks back to the nearby bench. The cat leaped off his shoulder and onto the bench and sat next to him on the bench. Altair pulled two butter coated croissants out of the paper bag and gave one to the cat.

Altair: one for you.

Goldie: meow~ *starts eating the croissant*

Altair: and one for me *starts eating his croissant* *pets the cat with his left hand* did you miss me, girl?

Goldie: Purrr~

Altair: Heh, I missed you too.

A woman came walking up to Altair. The women had a short dirt blond hair cut, wore black high heels, long light grey pants, and a fancy grey, open, button, jacket, and a white shirt.

Women: oh, look who it is. Tch, well I guess it is pretty common in New York to find psychopaths on the streets, so why am I surprised?

Altair: 😑 oh... Hello Linda... what brings you to the streets at this hour?

(Altair threatened Linda at a bar after she was being a jerk to Desmond)

Linda: *looks down at Goldie* What. Is. That? *points at Goldie*

Altair: *sarcastic gasp* Linda I'm shocked. Did your teacher not inform you about what a cat is?

Linda: -_- don't be a smart @$$ with me, you know what I meant... so is it yours?

Altair: sadly no, she is a stray.

Linda: gross. Why is it sitting on public city property?

Altair: uh... cause it's public and anyone can sit here?

Linda: ya, people can, not wild, dirty animals. I would say you're not allowed to sit there either, but unfortunately to the government's eyes, your a person to I guess.

Altair: really? Cause right now I'm staring at the likes of an old crusty dinosaur and I'm pretty those went extinct a long while ago.

Linda: *gasp*! Well I- HMF! Well doesn't matter cause I'll just call animal control if you don't get rid of it!

Altair: you're not doing sh*t, you sayidat majnuna! You're not gonna call them for sh*t! Goldie is-

Linda: he isn't legally yours! What authority do you have to stop me!? Hm? Tell me, what legal authority do you have that will prevent me from doing so?

Altair: ... (sh*t she's right for once) still, birds sit and stand here all the time! You gonna call them on a bunch of birds too!?

Linda: listen here alt!

Altair: Altair.

Linda: I don't care if your name was bob or steve! If I could I would, but those little rats with wings are everywhere! And I can't do much about them, but this I very much can!

Altair: so help me Linda you call them on her-

Linda: you have no control here!

Altair: *swiftly gets up* LINDA I WILL-

Linda: *she wags her finger close to Altair's face* tisk, tisk, tisk, now Altair. Wouldn't want to cause a scene in the public eye, would you now?

Altair: ... (I can't let them know, what I am... Linda already has enough suspicion on me and the family)

Goldie: mow?

Altair: *looks down at Goldie*

Goldie had gone ahead and pull out another croissant from the bag and eat Altair's half-eaten one.

Altair: ... *makes a small smile at Goldie and pets her gently on the head* (I can't risk word getting out and exposing us to Abstergo.) *looks back at Linda with a glare* I won't let you.

Linda: well if you don't, why not just adopt the thing?

Altair: as much as I'd like to, Shaun doesn't let us have pets in the house.

Linda: well what a shame... tell you what, since I'm in a generous mood. I'll give you till tomorrow to say your goodbyes. But by the time I come back, that chubby cat has got to go! Now ta ta, I'm about to be late for work.

Linda continues walking past the two, leaving a lonely Altair alone with his cat.

Altair: ... *sighs* *slumps back down on the bench* ... what are we going to do? ...

Goldie: meow? *nuzzles into Altair's side*

Altair: ... Heh *scratches behind Goldie's ears* don't worry Goldie, I won't let her take you away to some animal prison.

Goldie: mow~

Altair: *reaches into the bag and pulls out another croissant and gives it to goldie* here you go, my little qath saghira.

Goldie: Meow~ *starts eating the croissant*

Altair: *chuckles* ... maybe Linda is right, you are getting a bit big. *pets goldie* Maybe I should stop giving you so many croissants.

Goldie: mow~

Altair: you have been eating a lot more as of late, funny *rubs her tummy* it's almost like you're-... You're... *looks over at Goldie in shock* goldie... your... no...

Goldie: *happy Meow sound*

Altair realized that goldie was pregnant, as an assassin, he doesn't get surprised rarely, but when he does, it's quite the sight to see.

Altair: ... *chuckles* I can't believe this. *picks up Goldie in his lap* you are pregnant aren't you?!

Goldie: meow~ purrrs~

Altair: I'm going to be a grandpa! *chuckles* well I'm technically already am, but this is different. I'm so happy for you my little gold~ *chuckles* Eha... ha...

Goldie: mow?

Altair: ... I can't let Linda take you away, no less leave you here with that stupid mut! Lurking around every corner... I can't just leave you when your most vulnerable at this state, nor can I leave you and your kittens here, the streets are no place for you and your kittens.

Goldie: meow...

Altair: ... *sighs* ... you know what, screw Shaun's rules of no pets!

Goldie: mow?

Altair: *whispers to Goldie* I'm the leader of the assassins and one of the best according to history. *normal talk* I should be able to make my own damn decisions!

Goldie: Moew!

Altair: damn right Goldie! If Shaun has a problem he's gonna have to deal with it!

Goldie: MOEW!

Altair: *picks up Goldie and stands up* yes goldie! Let me hear you roar!

Goldie: MOEW!

Altair: THAT'S THE SPIRIT! WE-

Man: *clears throat*

Altair and Goldie: ...

Man: ...

Altair: *clears throat* ... how much of the conversation did you hear?

Man: ... just about how if this guy named Shaun has a problem with you and your cat that he'll have to deal with it...

Altair: ... oh.

Man: ...

Altair: ... don't you have work or something?

Man: don't you?

Altair: no.

Man: oh... lucky. *leaves*

Altair: ... *looks at Goldie*

Goldie: *looks back at Altair*

Altair: *chuckles* tomorrow Goldie, I'll take you home before Linda can take you away. There you can have your litter of kittens in the house and not out here in the streets.

Goldie: *happy meow*

Altair: *kisses Goldie's forehead* I promise, I won't let anything happen to you little one. I will take care of you and your kittens for as long as I may still breathe.

[Current] - [next]

Hoped you guys liked part 1 of How Nasir became Altair's fury little companion✌😸

[arcana-madness]

SO THESE HAVE BEEN IN MY TABLET LIKE FOR LIKE A MONTH OR SO; but ive been promoted and time have been a bit constraining so the struggle is real while learning new stuff. Some of these where finished early and some i finished today, but overall this is just three of the 10 i have haha(i got very motivated) . Tbh now that the year its approaching from when i started to play first the arcana, i wanted to draw something up with my girl Stella doing shennanigans. SO HERE WE ARE!

Firstly, Stella gifting @wingcinna Dattie a knife she probably found and got, which are a pair along with one she owns. One of the few first apprentices i saw when i came to the Arcana was Datura, i loved his slick design and for some reason fell in love on how he looks (and to know tht he will be in a game its frikking amaizing, imma love to play his route for sure) Even though i love him(forever will love Sajna more), i feel Stell and him would be friends and bond around knifes. Probably Stella will be a little gremlin and pester Dattie for sure(cue dattie poking fun at her in some way lmao), and tbh this is a also a redraw of sorts about the tiny knife shennanigans over at twitter i believe lmao. Compared to my prev Datura draws, this time I definitelly made justice, still a long way to improve, but compared to almost one year ago, This is glorious. Thank you for being one an artists that inspired me and pulled me out of my art block that i had for years, along with a couple others. I had stopped drawing cause i felt i always did the same and no matter how i tried to get out of it by working on other fandoms, i never felt it enough till the Arcana and the apprentices i watched from many artists along. Also thank you for being an amaizing Friend as well when we speak at times at Twitter about series and shennanigans, may you always work along your dreams and may you always have good health!

Now next is @timmys-and-scribbles Julianne, which is painting stella and stella is regretting ever to offer herself as a model lmao. WHERE DO I START!! Lmao, but i met her a couple months after when i started the Arcana, mostly when she started her Julianne comics on her route(and i even have saved that 100 followers cute ass pic of Julian and Julianne that i still love due how cute they look). After a bit, she made the Discord chat(Julians Butt bless) AND MUCH SHENNANIGANS HAVE ENSUED AND OMG, YOU ARE A PRECIOUS PERSON AND ILY SO MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR BEING MY FREND AND DEALING WITH MY DUMB ASS xD. But yes, Thanks you for for making that Chat, if it wasnt because of that, i wouldn’t have met amaizing persons who we enjoy the arcana and other stuff as well, being nerds together and just having fun overall. Also thank you for being always a good friend and teacher at times, having patience to explain and help others whenever you could to improve and see them thrive and tbh, i swear ill get my ass over there because reasons *squints*

AND LAST AND DEFINITELY NOT LEAST @anuprightfool MY MAN, YOU, YOU ARE A FUCKING AMAIZING AND BLESSED SUNSHINE. You have always been such a supportive person and in all honestly, i gotta thank you and say that i am blessed to have met you in this fandom. Every day is always fun to talk to you and learn stuff, wether be coffee or photography or any subject around, its always fun to hear you out. More that once i have found myself searching for something you had mentioned because something reminded me of it or someone i talked to brought the subject and i didnt felt lost at all. I thank you greatly for your friendship and i value it eternaly. I love you man! And thank you for existing and being my friend!!! Since he has a couple apprentices, I decided to work on None other than the presh tall tree that Malin is and more because i love how their interactions work together. Forever small bean will fight anyone for this tall pole, and in the end Malin will poke fun at her for it but they love her as she loves them. Protective of each other and a friendship that will last forever.(as long as Malin keeps the tiny chihuahua at times on a leash xD)

[mrshopkirk]

Unrequited Love (3.0/3)

Characters: Steve x Bucky

Summary: Steve has been in love with his best friend for as long as he can remember and he will never stop, even knowing it will forever be unrequited

Warning: swearing, mention of torture, war, heartbreak, death, thoughts of suicide, violence, nightmares, mention of murder

Word count: 2705

Author’s note: One more chapter to go after this one! Thank you @hellomissmabel for proofreading. I love you, sweetheart. I have taken some liberties and am not following the storyline of Civil War. Feedback is appreciated.

If you need warnings added, let me know.

*MASTERLIST*

Previously:

“It’s okay, Stevie. It’s okay.”

The blue eyes that have spent a lifetime next to him fade in the sky above him, the fair skin into the white snow on the mountains. It’s okay, he thinks, he was with Steve till the end of the line.

Steve looks at Peggy’s picture but only sees Bucky. The blue of the ice and ocean below remind him of Bucky’s eyes. It’s okay, he thinks, I was with Bucky till the end of the line. I am ready, ready for heaven or hell.

Now

When Steve wakes up, the war is over, they won. It’s been seventy years for the world but only yesterday for him. No-one ever bothered to look for Bucky’s body. The flesh he once loved, still loves, was left to rot. He can’t even blame them. He didn’t look for him either. Bucky would have looked for him though. He would have turned every snowflake on those mountains to find him. And all Bucky got is one of his uniforms on display in a museum, a stop on a tour for tourists, and his name etched on a wall long after it was already etched in Steve’s soul.

And here Steve is, alive and not well. Nobody cares, not really anyway. They only want the altered, the better version of him. They want Captain America. He only agrees to wear another monkey outfit because Bucky liked it. It all started with me, Steve thinks. I wanted to be someone, show the world I was someone while all along Bucky already thought I was someone. I was his best friend. That should have been enough. Steve looks at the man in the mirror again, the man with the new cowl and freshly painted shield. At least Bucky liked me for me, that frail miserable piece of shit that was Steven Grant Rogers.

Steve looks at the drawing in the sketchbook balanced on his knees. The events of the past few days play on a loop in his mind. The words haunt him.

“Who the hell is Bucky?”

The coldness, with which the words were spoken, chilled Steve to the bone. He was sure they would crack and break if he moved an inch. Bucky’s voice always had the unique ability to bring Steve to his senses, to calm him whenever he got all riled up again. His voice always snapped him out of it and it did so now too. He had turned him from a soldier into the little boy from Brooklyn again and he hasn’t found his way back to the now yet.

He starts drawing again, trying to still the voice in his head. On his request Peggy destroyed his old sketchbooks if he were to die. There was too much Bucky in them and would raise too many questions. But he was sure he could redraw everything he had once drawn by memory. Now he found himself looking at the sketch of the so-called winter soldier. Bucky with a muzzle, void of his own voice, unable to word his thoughts, unable to smile. The eraser tip on the pencil taps against his lips, his fingers float over the black raw strokes with which he drew the uncompromising portrait. It’s far from his usual style but frail lines seemed inappropriate. Without much thinking he starts erasing the muzzle, the black lines smearing across the paper. Line by line he starts drawing a smile and with that smile the black smudge around his eyes doesn’t fit so he erases that too. Steve is surprised how little it takes to make Bucky's features resurface from the grim winter soldier. Droplets of tears smudge the paper now. They are tears of joy because his mind is set. It will take little to find his Bucky again, Steve thinks, the drawing showed him. In his determination he fails to see his own naivety.

Steve closes his eyes. He lets go, lets go of the pain he’s feeling, the bruises, the blood seeping from the wound. Steve knew the grim reaper would come for him eventually but he never imagined he would come in the shape of Bucky, wielding his scythe in the shape of a metal arm, effective, haunting. His vision blurs more and more with every blow.

“YOU ARE MY MISSION!” Each word is punctuated with a brutal, forceful punch.

“Then finish it. Cause I’m with you till the end of the line.”

His body goes limp. Take me, take all of me. My fight is over. If I can’t have you, then I don’t want anything. He feels Bucky’s breath on his face, his eyes as blue as the last time he saw them.

“It's okay, Bucky. It's okay. I was with you till the end of the line.”

Bucky’s eyes blink rapidly; the words stirring a memory buried deep within him, hidden in the depths of what is still him, of what is left of his essence, the core of his self.

Shake it off. Forget. Forget. They will bring pain. The pain will come if you don't comply, if you fail. His brain keeps repeating it but another part of him sees a way out after hiding all these years. There’s a beacon of light in the shape of blue eyes, eyes that show the world, an entire lifetime stored in these two gems.

“Come back to me, Buck. We don't have much time. If you're still there, come back to me.”  Steve breathes out the words and they’re calling Bucky home.

The pauses between the punches become longer, giving Steve some time to think. His Bucky, dressed in black with long unkempt hair framing his face, casting shadows over his angelic features. The ray of sunshine that has lit his world every minute of every day, that has kept him alive in the ice, has turned to darkness. A darkness that brought sorrow, death and pain to so many, unwillingly and forced.

“I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Bucky. I'm sorry I don't know how to save you this time either.” Steve has to force the words out of his mouth. “But I won't let them take you again. I promise. They will not take you again. You're coming with me. Till death do us part.”

Steve always knew he was meant for hell. He became more and more convinced after time passed by. His sins would never be forgiven and yet he still has to commit the biggest sin of them all, his last one. He will never be forgiving for taking an innocent life, willingly.

He slowly wraps his legs around Bucky's, like a snake constricting its prey, going for the kill because there is no other way. His legs are strong, stronger than Bucky's so it seems, pulling him closer to his body. His left arm wraps around the man his heart belongs to and his right arm reaches out to the forgotten shield. He grabs it and delivers a crushing blow to the glass of the helicarrier they're lying on. And they tumble; tumble to the depths below them. Bucky stares at the water closing up on him, his eyes wide. Steve repeats his sorries over and over again like a broken record, encasing Bucky's body more and more, carving a tomb out of his body perfectly molding himself around him. If they find them, they will not be able to pry them apart. As the end is near, Steve knows he has to say it at least once.

“I love you.”

And everything goes black.

Another two years without Bucky are added to Steve’s life. Two years of barely feeling alive. Steve has seen a lot of the world by now. Mostly from behind his shield, focused on inflicting pain. He never expected to find Bucky in Bucharest of all places but he’s been here a while now, sitting at this table, looking at the plum Bucky offered him. A plum. Right, I got a “hi” and a plum. Better than a metal fist to the face or a knife in the back but still.

Turning the soft purple fruit in his hand Steve thinks about the situation he finds himself in. It's surreal. When he opened his eyes after he took Bucky with him from the helicarrier, he expected to find himself in a dark place filled with piercing screams of lost souls, not alone, cold and wet on the bank of a river. And now he's sitting opposite him at this dodgy table in a crummy apartment in a depressing grey building that smells like mold.

Steve looks around the apartment void of personal touches that would give away anything about its occupant. One thing draws his attention, one thing he didn’t think Bucky would have.

He points towards a sketchbook. “You draw?”

“Not really.” Bucky’s voice sounds scratchy like he hardly uses it. “I keep seeing these drawings, really beautiful ones and it seems like I’m holding them in my hands, like my real hands.” Bucky swallows hard, tucking his left hand under the table. “So I figured I used to draw but I can’t. Not really anyway. They’re no good.” Bucky lifts his gaze to Steve and smiles fondly. “But in my mind they’re so, so beautiful. I like to just close my eyes and think about them. They’re the only truly beautiful things in my mind.”

Where Bucky’s mind is filled with his drawings, Steve’s mind draws a blank right now. Bucky bites the inside of his cheek and bounces his knee. When the rhythmic movement stills, Steve is pulled from his thoughts.

“Do you,” Bucky clears his throat, “do… you… draw?”

Steve nods, the tiniest of smiles tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Yes, Bucky. I do.”

“I figured it had something to do with you.” Bucky scratches at the surface of the table before looking up at Steve, a smile gracing his face. “Everything good has something to do with you.”

God, he missed that smile. He missed him. Steve has made poor choices. He tried to numb the pain of the emptiness of his lost soul but nothing worked. Looking at Bucky now, he understands his soul only needs Bucky. He belongs with him and only him.

“Do you want to come home, Bucky? Will you come home with me?”

No matter how many times Steve assures him of the deal Sam and Tony made guaranteeing his safety, Bucky doesn’t believe it but he follows Steve anyway. He trusts him and even if he were lying, Steve would only lie for a good reason. If Steve thinks he should go to jail then he will go. If he thinks he should be terminated, then so be it. Steve will make the right decision for him and he’ll take his judgment without questioning.

Bucky’s nervous, fidgeting with the straps of the small backpack he’s carrying. He looks like a bizarre mix between a little boy going on a field trip and a tired man walking towards his execution. Steve’s hand is on his shoulder while they walk towards the Quinjet.

“Are they going to put me away?”

“No, Sam and Tony have made a deal. And I would never let anyone take you.”

“They’ll still try, won’t they?” he all but whispers.

“No, not unless you try the bomb the UN or something.” Steve tries to joke to lighten the mood and stop Bucky’s spiraling thoughts. “And even then I won’t let them take you.”

“You’d fight the entire world?” Bucky shakes his head at the absurdity of the idea.

“What do you think, Bucky?”

“I think that some things never change.”

He can’t admit it to anyone but even if Bucky chose to do all those things readily, he’d still take his side. He’d side with evil.

Steve’s days at the tower are spent trying to look past it all and getting used to a new Bucky. It’s still his Bucky though. Nothing will ever change that. But it’s hard to look at this beautiful man and see the Brooklyn exterior filled with what Hydra left him. And Steve slips sometimes. He’s craved Bucky’s presence for so long that it’s hard to give him time to adjust.

“Look at me, Steve. Look at me,” Bucky pleads.

Steve’s eyes land on him. He looks like the Bucky the night before he left for war, desperate, needy. Steve’s breathing picks up and his throat tightens.

“I will never be that Bucky again, Steve. You have to face that fact one day. Just like me.” His voice is soft, like satin caressing his skin. “You’re not the Steve from my memories anymore either. You’re not frail anymore. You’re not about to die coughing anymore.”

Steve relaxes visibly but the words Bucky utters next he never expected. It’s like looking at himself in a shattered mirror. Bits and pieces of himself that are razor sharp around the edges, ready to cut into pieces whatever reaches out to touch him. Only a metal arm can’t get cut.

“It’s not your exterior, Steve,” Bucky sighs. “I mean, you, as in my friend I grew up with. When I close my eyes I see you drawing, always. I hear your jokes.” His voice is getting more desperate by the minute. “Where is your smile, Steve? Where is your pencil and paper? Where are you?”

Bucky’s right. He isn’t the same person anymore either. He’s still lost somewhere in that ice, still frozen in some places. The irregular breathing of Bucky draws his attention and he chokes on his own breath when he sees the tears falling down his love’s face. Instinctively he wants to take a step forward just as Bucky speak again.

“Where’s that look you used to give me? Like you,” he runs his hands through his hair looking for the right words, “like you thought the world of me?” Hurt is etched across his face, tears falling freely now. “That look is replaced by pity, Steve. Pity. You pity me.”

“I don’t pity you, Buck. I pity myself.”

His voice sounds harsh like it always does these days. His voice has changed. He doesn’t hold back anymore, disgust for himself consumes him. Steve has never seen Bucky cry before. Not once. And now he of all people is the reason for those tears.

“You want me back? Well, I want you back too. Everything good I remember has something to do with you, even if it was simply taking care of you or watch you draw of sitting on that good damn rooftop. Seeing you like this…” Bucky gestures to Steve, “this huge version of you. I see everything the war represents. You’re everything I want to remember but you’re also a constant reminder of everything I want to forget. And I don’t know how to do this, Steve. I just know I need you.”

It’s not fair to Bucky. He deserves more than Steve can offer him right now. He deserves more than watching his friend walk away from after laying his feelings on the table like this. It’s the first time ever that Steve has turned his back on his friend coldly, leaving him crying in his wake and it makes him feel nauseous.

Listening to the fading sounds of Bucky calling his name, Steve gets lost in his chaotic mind. Bucky never lost his kindness, he thinks. I did though. I lost my kindness for the world a long time ago. It was my choice. He always gracefully dealt with whatever life gave him, making right other’s mistakes like mine, breaking up the fights that I started, and what Hydra made him do. It’s an endless loop for him yet he is never tired. The war and Hydra made him lose his way for a while but he found his way back, with or without my help.

But I’ll try to protect you from that darkness now. I see what you really are, a light in a dark world. They tried to put out the candle, kill the root of the tree but they failed. You’re a fighter, like me, but smarter. You pick your battles carefully whereas I blindly punch and kick, waiting for you to guide me. I am no good without you. No matter what weapons they ever trusted into your hands, your hands were only made for caring. And I give you my all, my love. I place it in your hand. I don’t care if you hold it with your soft, warm right hand or the cold, tireless, dangerous left one, I trust you. And I’m begging for your forgiveness. Please, forgive me even though I’m too stubborn to actually ask you myself.

Taglist: @callamint  @laterthantherabbit   @aubzylynn  @you-and-bucky   @harleyqueen7  @beccaanne814-blog  @hardcorehippos  @ursulaismymiddlename  @buckyywiththegoodhair  @hellomissmabel  @blacwings-and-bucky-barnes  @abovethesmokestacks   @eve1978  @winterboobaer  @b-n-a-o  @howiseethesethings  @s8sense

Stucky tags: @bone-of-my-bones

Broken tags: @brokennoone @10kindsofderp

[comicteaparty]

August 10th-August 16th, 2019 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from August 10th, 2019 to August 16th, 2019.  The chat focused on the following question:

What is your process for planning out the paneling/layout of each comic page?

kayotics

I’ve finally gotten my process down to a process that works for me. For Ingress Adventuring Company https://www.ingress-comic.com/ I start with scripting the whole chapter out. Step two is thumbnailing the whole chapter out, so I can figure out pacing and paneling. I started to do thumbnailing on sheets of printer paper, which has been easier to figure out my drawings and to see how the comic flows on paper. Once that’s done it’s pretty straight forward. Panel borders in pencils > rough sketch & balloon placement > letters and tight sketch in pencils > ink letters > ink bubbles and borders > ink the rest of the page. Then I scan it and do the colors. With the thumbnail process I kind of do the chapter twice in pencils but it ended up being way easier in the long run, since I hate doing panel layouts and doing that work in the beginning is way easier.

Steph (@grandpaseawitch)

Afraid there's no scripting for https://oldmanandtheseawitch.tumblr.com/. It's all pretty much in my head but I go over it literally every day, and I have a few roleplays archived to keep things on the right track, but that's about it. Thumbnails are done in big batches. Last batch was about 20+ pages done at once. Thumbnailing is also where I figure out composition and such. Just detailed enough to give me the idea of what I want, with enough leeway to do as I please on the page itself. Thumbnails done, I make a batch of empty pages, and go in and make all the panels for the 20+ pages. Since I already know the composition from the thumbnails and I have digital guides set up on each page, that's super easy. With all of those done, then I just go back in, do rough sketches for each page. Cleaner than the thumbnails but not too clean yet. Once the rough sketches are done, this is actually where I'll add text and balloons, so that I know what the bubbles will be hiding and don't have to waste extra time. After that, I do as much in large batches as I can, usually cleanup sketches, then inks, maybe flat colors. But after that point, I just have to sit down to work on individual pages until they're done. And voila!

authorloremipsum

http://signsofthreecomic.webcomic.ws/comics/ For Signs of Three, I always start with the script, get the basic idea of what I'm going for in the page. Then panel layout and gesture sketches of people and the environment. THEN! BEFORE I START DETAIL SKETCHING! I LAY IN THE SPEECH BUBBLES. Seriously speech bubbles are critical to controlling how readable your page is and so so many people don't seem to see that. They must lead from one bubble and panel to the next in an easy to understand way or your reader will get lost and confused. So I always make sure to put bubbles in during thumbnailing. After that it's just basic refining the sketch, lining, coloring, and shading.

AntiBunny

Typically in AntiBunny http://antibunny.net/ I thumbnail a page first to decide what needs to happen. After that I look at those event and decide panel layout based on how best to depict them, factoring in what needs to fit, who needs to be there, and how time will pass. I'd say time is the most important aspect, followed by emphasis, and then content. Typically bigger panels depict more time passing, but that's not a concrete rule. A big panel can depict a very short moment in time. The amount of population has a big play in that as well. A lot of action in a big panel can be a short moment in time that's just heavily emphasized. A big panel with very little movement depicted is great for dwelling on a single moment, which is great for slowing down the pace of reading.

heroesofcrash

I used to not have a script at all, but now I tend to write out scripts in advance. I keep a four-panel format in mind (2x2) when I write a strip, but I'll sometimes combine or split panels depending on the flow of the story. (I'll place some sample strips below, showing a "default" 2x2 strip, and a few that combine or split panels based on that structure) I then draw guidelines in Manga Studio (I have the CD, not the digital version that became Clip Studio Paint) for where each panel will be. I put the dialogue in each panel, sometimes editing for space or to fit it nicer in a speech bubble. I can usually visualize how a speech bubble will generally fit in a scene; it's easier for me to draw around the bubble than to draw first and add the words later. After I sketch out the panels, I may move the words around to fit in the scene a little better. I may even tweak it a little when I draw the speech bubble around the text, if I don't like how the text fits in the bubble or how the bubble fits in the scene. As I mentioned earlier, here's two strips. One has four panels (which is the most common for me), the other has six. The latter is made by splitting the upper right panel into two skinny panels, and breaking the bottom half into three panels rather than two. Not only does it give me enough panels to do a complicated visual gag, but having panels with a similar layout next to each other makes the action easier to follow, and thus makes the gag flow better.

Desnik

For http://ask-a-warlock.tumblr.com/, I make tiny thumbnails to quickly go through layouts. I tend to have a few different ideas and doing small/quick is a lot easier on the revisions

LadyLazuli

For Phantomarine (http://www.phantomarine.com/) I've gotten into the habit of thumbnailing each chapter extremely roughly in a sketchbook, then bringing the pages into Photoshop and shifting the panels around to improve the flow throughout the chapter. I put in rough dialogue bits to anticipate balloons, then I get going on rough sketches and color placement in Procreate, then clean up and paint the sketches, then bring them back into Photoshop to finalize the page. It's honestly really haphazard, just because I tend to change details and dialogue around a lot, depending on what I feel is working/failing - but that core chapter flow doesn't change too much, just so I don't get caught needing more pages in one part. So... I keep the roughs very rough, but I adhere to them quite strongly? The details are where things get experimental (edited)

JUNK

I am a fool who hasn't been doing thumbnails lately, so my process is the typical script>sketch>inks>tone.

MJ Massey

I start with my storyboards, which are just skethcy first drafts of the pages in a sketchbook. I have a vague genreal story outline, but this is where I really figure things out--both the layouts and the script.

In my head, I tend to see things as if they were an animation, so I am usually trying to catch that sense of movement in the comic panels. I try to keep things interesting and thinking outside the typical grid layout, usually resulting in some pretty crazy stuff. It's easier with action scenes, but I try to mix up everything. I do my final pages on 9x12 bristol (I used to work on 11x14 but that was...too big for markers), but there are many times where I will scrap the storyboard and do something totally different for the final page, or add or take away things. But it's good to have that first draft down as an idea, it's easier to adjust from there if I need to

FeatherNotes

@LadyLazulii love your process ahhh!!!

LadyLazuli

@FeatherNotes MERCIIII

Nutty (Court of Roses)

For Court of Roses http://courtofroses.thecomicseries.com/ I mostly sketch out thumbnails, scan them in, and lineart/color. Like most of y'all, I have a general story outline, and specific scenes get more detail as I work closer to them. If there's a scene that has emotional hits and I want the right dialogue for it, I'll script it. If there's lots of exposition and detail, I'll script it. Just, largely winging it on my end!

Tuyetnhi

I usually work from loose script dialogue for a chapter, to get the feel for the page, then start thumbnailing. After thumbnailing tho, I redraw the thumbnails on csp, sketch, then change/define panel layout or render till finish. Often, my thumbnails don't give me enough info till I start the page. And that's good for me since it's still under a set guideline but I don't feel rigid on "Oh gotta make it exactly like this" or some sorts. Same goes with dialogue/scripts too since I tend to go back and correct panel layout if i don't think it was strong enough on the first go. Idk, I treat it more of a fluid process that I can go back and fix due to how I digitally paint/render things. Still the process depends on the page i'm working on, how strong the thumbnails are, dialogue, and color scheme theme I had with certain pages. Most of it is 40% gut feeling tho. Images shown here how I got OIYD! Ch. 2 - Page 15 to be to its finished form. [thumbnail-> Rough sketch -> add with color -> final render with dialogue]

ErinPtah (Leif & Thorn | BICP)

I took scans/notes about each step of the BICP page-making process back during chapter 5: http://www.bicatperson.com/comic/step-by-step/ ...and then again, seven years later, during chapter 28: http://www.bicatperson.com/comic/the-webcomic-page-making-process/ The art has gotten better, but the actual workflow...basically hasn't changed. (If it ain't broke...)

snuffysam

First I have the script for the entire book, which I'll have finished ahead of time. At the start of each chapter, I'll divide the upcoming script into pages based on how I want the comic to be paced - e.g. making sure the setup and punchline to a joke aren't on different pages, making sure there's not too much dialogue to read on a single page, etc. Then, when it comes time to do the page, I'll split things up into panels. That's pretty easy - I generally want to keep things to one line of spoken dialogue per panel, or one "action" per panel. Sometimes there'll be beat panels, sometimes two people will talk in one panel, but that's the general rule. Next I... put together the panels. I don't really use thumbnails to work this stuff out - important panels or panels with more dialogue are bigger, less important panels or ones with less dialogue are smaller. I try to make sure panels don't intrude on each others' vertical space, because i've always found that complicates things in a web medium - but that just means there's less for me to worry about. I make sure the panel layout is different from the previous page, and if there's an action I need to emphasize I'll do something weirder than just a rectangle. If there's not enough space on one page for the panel sizes I want, I'll make it a double-length or triple-length page. As for the actual artwork - I try to make sure the reader's eye line is led along the page. So panels on the left would have the characters generally facing to the right, and panels on the right would have the characters generally facing downward and to the left. I try to leave enough space for word bubbles - and in general, the characters on right panels will be placed lower than characters on left panels, because i want the speech bubbles to move downward as you read across a row. And, well, that's basically it!(edited)

authorloremipsum

finally someone who considers the eyeflow (am joking, mostly)(edited)

snuffysam

i didn't always, but a reviewer once told me how one specific action scene was really difficult for him to parse because the eye flow was just completely in the wrong direction, nearly every panel. so since then i've been making a conscious effort about it :p it's tough when there's two characters up against a wall and you need the page to flow the other direction from how they're standing though, lol.