#I don't think I practiced drawing a fall background this year?

[screwpinecaprice]

Of course they'd be jumpin on a pile of leaves, it's basically mandatory.

[northstarscowboyhat]

Peepaw Starlo struggles. Autism 2 autism communication struggles.

[pasukiyo]

THIS LOVE IS OURS

finnick odair x fem!mentor!reader word count: 1,205 warnings: allusions to trauma synopsis: another year, another reaping, another hunger games. another year of mentoring a new set of tributes. another year of sending them off to their deaths. another year of shouldering the burden of all this grief. but, at the very least, she has finnick. as long as she has finnick, she knows love must not be over. and as long as there is love, there is hope.

 She doesn’t know how Finnick Odair manages to find his way to her apartment. Surely, she thinks, he would've been caught on a surveillance camera on the way up. She can’t imagine a single cranny in the entire Tribute Center, the entire city, the entire country where the Capitol didn’t have eyes. 

 Oh well, she thinks, too tired to think more of it. What matters is that he’s here, standing in the doorway of her temporary bedroom, the orange glow of a tribute’s campfire on her television reflecting in his eyes. 

 “I’m not going to ask you how or why you’re here,” she says, breaking the silence. Finnick, though his lips are pursed, grins, simply staring back at her, arms crossed over his chest. “But I don't entirely agree with it.”

 “Good,” he replies, pushing away from the doorframe, letting it shut itself behind him as he makes his way towards the bed. “My secrets are invaluable to keep.”

 She finds it within herself to roll her eyes just as the anthem begins to emit from the television speakers and  she shifts her position in the bed, creating space for him, inviting him in. The mattress dips beneath his weight and she looks at him, the glow of the television behind his head giving him an unearthly aura, as if he was made of starlight, carved from the moon. 

 “That makes eighteen tributes fallen with only six remaining from the following districts: 1, 2, 4, and 7.”

 Her head falls back to the pillows and she squeezes her eyes shut, hoping the harder she squeezed, the duller the ache in her head. She hears the bed creak and the voices of Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith gradually soften until they’re but a low murmur in the background. She peels a single eyelid open just as Finnick sets the television remote down, twisting around and swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

 For a moment they simply blink at one another, the familiarity of each other’s presence giving them an air of ease, like for a moment, things were normal and they were not mentors for tributes in death games for the Capitol’s entertainment. For a moment, she looks at Finnick, feels him in the space of the bed beside her, and can almost trick herself into believing this was her life all the time. More than just stolen moments a handful of times each year, if that. More than just two pawns in the Capitol’s chessboard. More than animals lined up for the slaughter. 

 Finnick still sits up on the bed beside her as if he’s unsure, as if he’s still waiting for her permission. Touching, being close, intimate after all, does not come easy when one has endured what they have at the hands of the Capitol. 

 But it’s different with Finnick. Of course it is— he is not Capitol, he is not corrupt, he is not bad. 

 He’s Finnick. Simply Finnick Odair, her Finnick. And if there’s one thing she knows for sure about him, it’s that he is safe, her safe place. 

 So she softens her gaze, words unneeded to tell him she needs him. 

 Finnick practically melts. 

 Perhaps she is what he needs too. The way he melts into the mattress beside her, wrapping his arms around her, drawing her into his chest until their hearts beat against each other, until they’re fitted together like two pieces of glass— broken, but still one in the same— makes her think this is so. 

 Warmth so rare, she can only dream of it most days envelops her and she thinks she can cry by just how safe she feels. To feel this safe, this comfortable is a luxury— they both know it. To be reveling in it almost feels like a sin, treachery when the Games continue to exist, when they persist even at this very moment. 

 She could not save her tributes this year. She’d barely managed to save her own self since her own Games. She still fights to save herself everyday. The weight this burden of living feels too much for her to shoulder. She nestles her nose against Finnick’s chest, her stomach feeling hollow, her throat burning with grief. 

 It’s Finnick’s arms that tighten around her body that remind her that this burden is not hers alone to shoulder. She is not alone in her grief. She is never alone, so long as Finnick exists. She feels it in the way his fingers weave through her hair, his fingernails like soft whispers against her scalp, his lips against the crown of her head, drawing her nearer into him, breathing her in. 

 These unspoken truths hang in the air, for there was no space, no crevice where they could fit between them. She reaches for his face, sliding her hand along the line of his jaw until his ear rests between her middle and forefinger. The pad of her thumb caresses the space just below his eye and she lifts her head, just enough to catch his gaze again. 

 But when she looks up, she finds that his eyes are closed, as if her touch is enough to tranquilize him, lulling him with just the pad of her thumb. She takes the time to drink him in, the way his lashes flutter against his skin, the crease between his brows, the way his lips part and come together again as if he’s replaying a memory, something he said, over and over again. 

 She, herself, tries to recall how they feel when they’re against hers. The way his mouth would collect hers as if she were fragile, as if he were fragile. Kissing Finnick was never uncertain but always felt more like a reassurance, as if testing whether this— kissing, intimacy, love— could really be tender, whether it was something other than seizing and squeezing and taking and hurting and burning. 

 “Finnick?” She whispers his name, so quiet she fears he won’t hear her. 

 His lashes flutter when his eyes peel open. He hums in reply and she can feel it against her chest, over her still beating heart. 

 “You still with me?” She asks, lifting her hand so that her thumb can caress just beside his eye. 

 The television screen reflects in his eyes again but all she sees is him. The Games, the Capitol, the country, the world does not exist. The only thing she can bring herself to believe in now is that Finnick is here and Finnick is hers. 

 Finnick gazes back and another unspoken truth dances in the air above them: what they have is theirs and theirs alone. No one can take them away from one another. Whether they’re here together in this moment, or in their respective districts, or thrown into the hands of the Capitol, what they have is sacred, holy ground that no one will ever be able to touch. As long as they have one another, there will be hope. And as long as there is hope, there is love. And this love is nobody’s but theirs. 

 Finnick leans in, presses his lips to the center of her head, to the bridge of her nose, to her own. “Always.”

a/n: so... how are we all feeling after sunrise on the reaping 😆😆😆

TAGLIST

@sallowsarchives

@michelle-26

@jxxey3

[mellowdisko]

Religion in Caesar's Legion

The neopaganist movement of the wasteland. We know the whole deal with Mars; The Legion bases its religious framework around the worship of the Roman god of war and Caesar as the “Son of Mars”. The Roman imperial cult is probably present in the Legion so we can say our boy Ed is seen as the hand of God reaching to the wasteland. The wiki says Caesar declared himself the Son of Mars, ordered by a divine mandate, empowering him with the supposed will of the god to carry out his imperial conquests, to "deliver the wasteland from chaos and barbarism." And to facilitate this conquest, Mars cleansed the Earth with fire, bringing humans to their lowest ebb. This casts the Great War as a central event within the Legion's mythology. (That also creates a very interesting premise about Legionaries coming into contact with historical texts from the Old World. If they were to read about the origins of the Great War, they would likely come to the realization that the bombs falling was not a divine judgment but instead a direct result of past politics).

But going back to Mars, the religious practices of the Legion are directly influenced by the Roman pantheon, but there are very obvious peculiarities. Like, at the beginning of the battle of Hoover Dam, we see the Legate performing human sacrifices in the name of Mars. Does this mean such rituals are an institutionalized practice within the Legion, or is Lanius simply exploiting Mars' name? Additionally, the focus on Mars as the primary deity is different from that of the regular Roman religion. While the ideology clearly draws from Roman mythology, there is an apparent absence of other Roman gods in the Legion. And if only Mars is worshipped, does that mean the Legion follows a monotheistic religion? And if they do worship other Gods, how does Caesar explain the presence of female figures in Roman myth, most notably Minerva, when the Legion’s culture is strictly patriarchal?

Now I am fully getting into headcanon territory here, I would like to imagine that, contrary to the monotheistic implications, the Legion could indeed worship other Roman gods. And that Mars, while the supreme deity, might be part of a broader polytheistic religion where other gods play roles of lesser significance. And like with that, the Legion’s various settlements could be dedicated to particular deities, with each city having its own little unique religious practices. Localized temples and patron gods would create a more dynamic culture while maintaining a religion centred on Mars.

Another headcanon of mine is the influence of New Canaanite traditions on the religion of the Legion. I feel like Graham's religious background probably did have an effect during the forming years of the Legion. While this influence would not likely lead to a rejection of the polytheistic system, it could manifest in subtle ways, such as the adoption of certain rituals or expressions like, idk, "amen" being used after prayers.

Oh, and finally, the Legion’s process of absorbing various tribal groups and cultures into its borders inevitably brings with it a plethora of different religious beliefs and practices. While the Legion assimilates the cultures it conquers and enforces a nationalist, imperialist, totalitarian, homogeneous culture that obliterates the identity of every group it takes,  it seems unlikely that every single native religious practice could be entirely erased. Given the sheer number of individuals within the Legion, it is plausible that some form of religious syncretism would emerge. And I do think Caesar is wise enough to bring the tribal religious beliefs into the grander culture of the legion instead of destroying them fully

or maybe not, I don't know; the guy does have an intelligence stat of 4.

[arainmorn-art]

Hi! I recently discovered your Deciphering comic and I adore the story.

I was wondering if you have a post somewhere explaining the fantasy/magic aspect?

Thank you! ^^ Ouf, what a question. If I understand it correctly, you are asking not about the meaning of magic, but "why" the magic. If I'm wrong, please correct me. Welp, I wrote several times that the idea came to me out of nowhere after finishing the initial surrealism-free script and I just went with it. I guess I should explain that it wasn't really out of nowhere. I always liked fantasy, I adore dragons and the feeling of a fairytale, but the aspect of standard magic just doesn't sit well with me. Modern standard magic lost anything magical to me because usually there's no mystery in it, most of the time it's too rational, overexplained, it feels taken out of videogames. I love a good fantasy RPG, don't get me wrong, but its magic feels… mundane. It's charmless. While now I can say that my favorite type of magic is an unexplained primordial horror, the mysterious unknown. Also, I don't remember the exact phrase and where I heard it, but I was charmed by the idea of "it is so stylized, it is so unreal, that by a shear contrast it makes the drama feel so painfully realistic". The idea of using unreal to tell a realistic story intrigued me for years but I didn't know how to create such story, and I still don't, I'm only trying to find a way. How to show loss not directly talking about it? How to describe the unrequited love with visual media?

But that's not the whole story. Excuse me for being wordy. I feel like adding some notes about my background would be good for understanding.

The thing is I was also preparing to do big comics one day for 10 years. Yeah, that stupid long. Only preparing and not doing the exact thing. I was studying writing scripts, practicing my drawing skills, writing fanfiction, drawing illustrations - and I was creating tiny comics, but the key word is "tiny". I thought I'd never be prepared and worthy enough to do a big comic, so I tried to write a sci-fi novel, but it felt too dry and dull. I thought, well, maybe comics are not for me, "I don't want to spend years on creating one thing" - and was surprisingly upset every time HRs looked at the little comics in my portfolio and shrugged, told me to remove it, "you are a concept artist, not a comic artist". I couldn't put my finger why I was so upset, why I felt so constrained by words of strangers, because duh, it's only logical. And maybe I'd continue thinking like that.

Untill 2022. Deciphering has happened in a, dare I say, quite unusual time in my life, war to be exact. Fortunately, I was unharmed, but emotionally drained and numb for months. Gosh, I tried to watch Evangelion for the third time and finally liked it, it resonated perfectly with a void in my chest. Having a warzone in 5 kilometers from my home, regular rockets above my roof, news about local potentially dangerous looters and emotionally charged neighbors with opposite views still didn't bring me to moving from my place. I couldn't stand the thought of being pitied as a victim and the impossibility to be understood, it was painful to think about. So I stayed and decided that if the rocket form any side fall at my house, welp, I'd die together with my family. That's when I've created Facade. And after finishing it I thought: "This. This is what I want to do even if I die next day. I finally felt it. I'm finally creating the thing I dreamt about most of my life". I wrote a script, created concepts for outfits and 3d-model for Miles's office and left my stinky job. I entered a stubborn samurai mode, maniacally drawing 5 days a week with a thought of dying while doing the thing I love the most no matter what, because fuck the world, you don't know me, you don't own me, you can kill me if you want me to stop. I'm not a fan of the first 40-50 pages of Deciphering, they are quite rushed, jee, I've done them in two months. But then life turned petty and regular power outages left me without my passion as I'm mostly a digital artist now, and I thought, huh, maybe I should move. Only to the country majority of people would not expect me to move. Soooo yeah, I can say the war was a final straw for me to start making comics x) It’s quite extreme, so please, listen to my advice, start doing your art just because you want to.

Let's return to your question. Why magic? Because it is a pure escapism.

After finishing the script I went to bed feeling uneasy, was that all I wanted to say. Well, duh, it's a gay fancomic, why do I even need to say more. It's just silly, restrain yourself, it's 22 pages script, it's perfecly fine. And then I thought about flowers and sword, the duality of vulnerability, the first thing that started this whole surrealism shtick. I added it without a doubt and started drawing the comic. Then I intuitively thought, hey, wouldn't it be fun to have a sword fight with magical swords out of nowhere just to symbolize characters’ relationship - and I got scared again, if I'm going too extra, if I’m too much, maybe I shouldn't, it would look strange… But I could die. So what is stopping me? What is that thing that holds me back? My own skills are the only limit. There is no freakin' soul who would tell me to restrain my creativity. I can be as bold as I want and ridiculous as I can – so why shouldn’t I add more magical stuff because I feel with my artistic instincts that they fit? I am my one and only limit, I don’t even earn money with this comic, I don’t need to please anyone, it’s a pure and unfiltered freedom of self-expression I yearned for years. I still feel this way with every new addition to the script, but without thoughts of a sudden death, fortunately ^^’. If I’m too much, if the comic is too much, would people like it, will I regret my decision, will it ruin the last bits of pacing this comic left, will this magic symbolism would be too hard to understand, oh, I’d be upset if it will fly above their heads, maybe I should stop, yeah, I should stop, no, I don’t want to, I feel like it is a right thing to draw next, I’m so scared, no, it’s fine, so what if I’ll regret it later, it will be future me who would regret it. It doesn't matter that I added this kind of magic to the story of Ace Attorney. I feel like any fandom could be my prey, eheh, if I felt as strong connection as I did with Miles and Phoenix at that time. It's not a case of planning. It’s just, well, my chaotic personality colliding with these characters in a right place (?) at the right (???) time.

So why there is magic? Because I feel that I can tell more using it.

[dumplingsfordays]

you're so pretty, you're so popular

albedo x gn!reader [university au]

genre - fluff

summary - albedo has a little (not really) crush on a semi-popular kid at his school.

cw!: jealousy, albedo's obsessed with you (in a good way I promise), professor ships you two

note - i used to simp for albedo so hard and then I stopped playing genshin... he's still pretty boy in my book though. feel like they did his hair dirty though, it's supposed to be so fluffy and they just massacred it :(

and as always, thank you for reading!

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

Albedo was jealous of your friends. That was the one simple truth that he never wanted to admit to himself. He'd see you laughing along with them after you'd shown them a funny video and wish that he was the one that was holding you from falling backwards onto the grass as you shook from incessant, adorable giggles, that he was the one whose face hurt from smiling at your radiant expression everyday.

As much as he loved truth, he couldn't bring himself to face it.

And he'd sit on a bench in the shade of an oak tree during lunch, whose relatives sparingly dotted the small field on which you were talking with your friends, and in a sketchbook he would draw you and him on that same grass, blanketed in sunshine as you talked about anything you'd want to. After all, hearing your voice was enough for him to break an uncommon smile.

Albedo did this day after day, and luckily for him, you'd sit on that grass with your friends consistently from midday to 1:30. It was a nice break from the otherwise monotonous existence he led - study, eat, study, walk, draw, work, eat, sleep.

Oddly enough, almost every activity on that list somehow related back to you. The margins of his notes were occasionally occupied by studies of your eyes and hair; when he'd eat, his meals were inspired by what you ate for lunch; his walks were accompanied by music that you'd recommended to him some time ago; and when he slept, his brain would sometimes conjure up images of you hugging him, saying that he'd need to hold out just a little longer and maybe when he has the chance, he'll ask you out. Drawing brought him passion and he did use it as a side source of income, but lately they'd been plagued by splintered fragments of your soul.

He did it automatically, really - he'd add in a dash of your favorite color, draw a person in the background with the same hairstyle that you usually wore, and one time, when Albedo had been painting a portrait for his art midterm, he sketched out a scarily accurate representation of your countenance, usual accessories and all.

He immediately erased it, of course. You were in the same class as him and if he brought the canvas to the professor in front of you, there was no way that you wouldn't be weirded out by him. Who does that, anyway? He'd be better off painting his little cousin, Klee, who was a ray of sunshine and was bound to earn him a hundred.

The stars aligned in such an unpredictable way for him towards the end of the year after a particularly tiring lecture. You, in all your bright, angelical beauty, walked right up to him as he was about to leave and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, 'Bedo!" you smile as he whips his head around to face you. You don't know what you do to him when you call him by his nickname - he practically melts each time.

"Hey." He's panicking - it's obviously not a bad thing, you're smiling, you don't think he's creepy or annoying or anything, so everything's okay, as long as he plays it cool and-

"So, I've been thinking," you start, averting your eyes to look at the floor and then back to him. "We haven't really hung out in a bit. Do you want to grab a bite somewhere sometime? It's okay if you can't, I know you're super busy and all but I found this super nice place that just opened nearby and I thought that it'd be nice to try it out."

He swallows. "Y-yeah, that would be nice-"

"Great!" Albedo blinks at your rather loud interruption and you clear your throat awkwardly. "Um, I mean, um, yeah! So, I think you have my number, so just text me when you're free and and we'll figure it out."

You'd never tell it to anyone but you find his small, shy grin so endearing. He stutters a little when he replies but you think it's cute - he'd never know that unless you told him straight to his face though.

"Sounds- sounds good, yeah."

"So, we're set?"

He nods and grabs his bag, offering to walk with him. You accept with a smile, to which his face reddens, and as you walk out together the professor sighs.

"Young love," he chuckles. "Guess they'll be sitting together from now on."

[pyjamaart]

Year 4 of submitting art for the SiIvaGunner Art Gallery!! >:]

For the fourth time now, I can proudly present my entry for this years SiIvaGunner Birthday Gallery! I had to put up with a lot of obstacles this year, like starting in June when I normally always started in early May, my parents and my brother visiting during the exact time frame I wanted to work on this, a crippling addiction to playing Dragon Quest Monsters and many more.

But as you can see, I really locked in at the end and finished it exactly one day before the deadline (17th June).

Now to explain my vision for this piece: I'll have to admit, since starting my new job in February, I didn't have any time to keep up with the loads of SiIvaGunner rips that are uploaded each day, since I always listened to them at my old workplace while I took care of my mountains of scientific journals. At my new job, I don't have anything to do with journals anymore. I mostly talk to students at the counter all day. Can't really listen to YouTube videos when someone wants something from you every minute. I also do a lot of things related to facility management in between (our library buildings are practically falling apart in some places...), so even when I'm not at the counter, I have way too much stuff to do to listen to rips. Sigh. Sometimes, I miss my old job.........

But I'll try my best to catch up some time in the future. At the very latest in September. My first vacation days in 7 months... Anyway, let's get back to the image at hand:

In the foreground, there's obviously my beloved dynamic duo of besties: Woodman and Nozomi. Woodman has been missing from the channel for 1 and a half years. Please bring him back. I miss my wife, Tails...

For this piece, my theme was centered around my favorite SiIvaGunner joke from the past few months (or has it been years?): The raft ride. I wanted something fun and summer-y, so I decided to put all the characters I drew in cute little sailor outfits. For Woodman, I just drew him in something simple that I thought of myself, which complimented and incorporated his usual armor.

Next we have Nozomi, who dons her outfit from μ's fifth single "Wonderful Rush". I had a few water themed outfits to chose from with her (and Honoka, for that matter), but I chose Wonderful Rush for Nozomi since it just fit with the aesthetic I was going for.

Next to those two is Coraline from the 3DS street pass game "Ultimate Angler", which is also prominently featured on the channel. For her outfit, I just modified her usual attire a little to fit in with the sailor vibe. I also turned her sun visor around because I could for the life of me not figure out how to draw it properly at this angle. Uhhh... I mean, I turned it around because I thought it looked cool.

I hope you can see that I had an absolute breakthrough in Gimp. I think I already talked about it on my Buck fanart, but I finally discovered layer modes. After 4 years of working with Gimp. Spectacular, I know. If you don't notice it here, you'll definitely notice it on the next image in queue for the robot master quest I have going on. I can already spoil you who it's gonna be this time: Tornadoman! I honestly couldn't believe what I was drawing. I think I was possessed by something for a few hours. It was honestly a little scary. But I think you'll see what I mean once you see the actual image, it's really different from the usual stuff I draw.

Getting back to the topic of this picture, let's talk about the background now. I decided to draw a little ship with lots of familiar faces making up the crew.

The ships captain is Honoka, who is standing on the very left of the deck. I took her outfit from μ's single "Heart to Heart!", which also fit into the aquatic theme quite nicely.

Right next to her, under a rainbow flag that's fluttering in the wind above them, is Aquaman. My beloved. Since I drew him into last years birthday gallery image, I decided to do the same this year. I also put a little starfish on his hat because I think it looked cute ;)

Standing epicly and mysteriously on the top of the boat is Meta Knight. I don't know if you can see it when it's zoomed out so far, but he's holding some kind of folded map in his right hand. Maybe they're looking for treasure??

And on the very right of the ship are Tito Dick and Robbie Rotten, reenacting that one famous scene from the Titanic movie.

After that, we shift our focus to the left of the image, where we can see Fluttershy flying over the island from Tomodachi Life.

And that's it for this image folks. I hope I'll finish my Mega Man Fully Charged art before the weekend ends, so stay tuned for that next! And after that, we're going right back to the robot master grind. ;)

Until then, this has been Jenny Pyjamakama, signing off. ;)

[the-artist-grimm]

for the ask game, 12, 17, 19 and 20?

12. Do you have a playlist for the character? What songs do you associate with them and why?

I've answered a music lists ask before! (and really need to make proper playlists eventually lol), but only gave vague reasonings I'll add more to here.

-Anthea has more indie to kinda sad songs because despite giving off a playful vibe they're pretty melancholic behind the mask. A smile is a way they brush off how they're actually feeling, and from Crane Wives to Vocaloid I get that sort of vibe-happy or at least catchy songs that are actually sad when you pay attention between the lines. -Narinder's got progressive metal/rock since he's pretty depressed in my AU. He also has a bit of a bleeding heart where he loves fiercely only to get hurt which I've noticed is a trend in Sleep Token or sometimes Starset songs. -Aym and Baal got Nightcore and Vocaloid mostly because they're kids and back when I was like their age of 11-ish that's also what I was starting to get into. Aym is more edgy cause he's got a little bit of a temper, while Baal leans more happy since the kid's pretty positive.

17. Are there any motifs or symbols associated with the character? How are they represented, in their design, personality or in some other way?

Anthea I associate with the '13th Hour' since when I think of Crimson Angel's vessels, I place them on a clock face, with each one counting down to the final in the center. The last vessel, the last sheep, the last one to try and free Death, the 'Unlucky Thirteen'. But contrary to my usual character design you actually don't see that on Anthea, their base outfit is a little bit generic and I'm thinking of redesigning it for their post-bishop/reconciliation era to help differentiate their starting look from the end, I designed them prior to really realizing how big this'd get so Anthea needs a little updating. I do however lean into a slight renaissance era inspiration for the AU, since I associate that with both religion and 'memento mori' (remember death) via its paintings.

19. What is your general favorite thing about the character? What is your least favorite?

Hm...I guess one major thing is that Anthea's an adult? My other protagonist OC, Chrysa, is 16 with her main party allies being between 16.5-21, while Anthea's 26-29+. They're more mature and experienced in ways Chrysa isn't, they got wildly different backgrounds, Chrysa's shyer while Anthea's more extroverted, and yet they're similar in both being people struggling to find a reason to live and to understand that they gotta live for themselves. It's fun having another protagonist to work with who's a little more aware of their environment for a change, as opposed to a teenager trying to learn how to understand it. The least favorite though is their legs. I hate drawing the digitigrade legs and need to practice more, they're super hard to pose. T_T

20. Bonus question: share any additional thoughts, art, favorite scenes, anything you've been waiting for a chance to ramble about

Anthea has very much risen FAST in my favorite OCs list, to where I kinda wanna include their counterpart as a side-character in my OCs world with counterparts to Narinder and the twins. Not copy pasted, besides Anthea I would change their names and they'd all just be normal mortals, but since I've kinda made these 4 OCs in a way anyway why not bring them in. (Hey I'm building these characters up, might as well use them to replace some of the cardboard side-characters I've had doing nothing plot-relevant for years.)

It's obvious but Narinder is very much a simp for the lamb, like he started falling fast and HARD like a year and a half or so into Anthea's vesselship. Anthea's fall was slower but simmering in the background, and it was only after Narinder said he refused to leave the Gateway without them initially that they finally realized it.

And lastly I did NOT expect these characters or this AU to get this far, but I'm so, SO grateful it did. Post-graduating college it felt as if all my friends just vanished because we all got so busy, and while we try to chat and stuff I was getting really lonely, especially as I struggled to find work. Like I didn't really know what I was doing as the days bled together. Yet since joining, this fandom's let me meet so many wonderful, amazing people though, and I am extremely grateful for that.

[londonfoginacup]

rambling talk of fan art and art appreciation under the cut

(update from me who has gotten halfway through this post --- this ends up just being me waxing poetic about Eiichiro Oda. You've been warned)

Okay SO I said like a week or more ago that I really wanted to make One Direction fan art in the style of One Piece. Or maybe I just said that I wanted to draw them as the Straw Hat pirates. REGARDLESS. I haven't done it. And it would be SO EASY to just draw them as pirates, maybe dress them up in their little pirate costumes (Harry's practically dressed as Brook on stage anyway) but like. I've been thinking about it ever since I made that post, and just drawing them as pirates is not actually what I want! What I want is, like, so much more.

I read One Piece for the first time when I was in 5th grade and got a copy of Shonen Jump magazine from the Scholastic book catalog. Like, that was... 2003? So it's been 20 years. And through middle and high school i LOVED One Piece, even came back to it a few times during college. I've always been a bit of a manga nerd, but there's something magical specifically about OP, that I think can be expressed through these books--

(look, you can even see me writing this post in the background)

Like, honestly, what Eiichiro Oda does with art is what I want to do. He's a fucking inspiration. These books are what I was talking about when I said I wanted to draw One Direction in this style.

Like!!!! These books are all of his large color spreads that he does, and each one of them are so full of movement and color and life!! This is what art is about!! Seeing something and feeling the life force inside of it!

There are so many things that I struggle with in making art, and one is that I seriously neglect backgrounds for the sake of focusing only on the character. And Oda just so perfectly incorporates his characters into a scene

Like!!! Imagine a One Direction piece like this! All of the movement, the expressions, the wind! The domesticity!!

When I say I want to draw 1D in the style of One Piece, I mean the way that characters are so clearly at the front and back of the scene! The way everyone is alive and breathing and doing things!! And come on Louis would look cool as hell smoking like that

It's the way everyone's personalities are so clearly shown in their expressions and what they're doing!! The way the scenes don't make any logical sense but they make logistical sense! I want to draw One Direction like THIS!

THE FOUND FAMILY ASPECT!!!! The way they're all together, having fun being with one another!! I want to draw fetus 1D!!! I want them all around a heated table!!! I want to draw the feelings I get from this!!!

Do you KNOW how HARD action is to draw? THIS is what I want! The waves and the wind and the way they're all so full of LIFE! What would it be like to be able to replicate this?

Okay last one I promise but also one of my favorites (That's a lie they're all my favorites).

I just. I long to be able to produce this with my own hand. I want to draw fetus direction exploring a magical world. I want to draw 2014 direction scattered around a kotatsu studying for exams. I want to draw 2023 direction on a lad's holiday in the sky.

And why don't I? Because I don't think big enough and because I'm scared. If I were to try to replicate the feeling of this art right now? It would look, in comparison, absolutely terrible. It would fall so short. And I would cringe and want to throw it away.

It's so hard to try to convince myself that that's okay. That drawing with the abilities that I have right now is just fine, because art is about the act of creation, about loving the process and making something that represents my heart. It's not about being as good as Oda. It's about the joy of expression.

I just. Want to draw this so bad. I want to quit my life and get a cabin by the seaside and draw this all day. I want to draw them all fighting and all cuddling and all fishing and catching tiny guppies and giant sea monsters. I want to put life into my drawings like this. That's what I mean when I say I want to draw like One Piece.

Anyway. Why, you are thinking, did I write this post? Mostly because I didn't know until I made this exactly what I wanted. I think I do now.

And my art isn't going to be good. But going in knowing what I want is important. I want to take a step toward imbuing true life into my work.

Guess now is as good a time to start as any.

[shinxeysartgallery]

how do i get better at arting

Well, like basically every other artist will tell you, practice more!

Although, a lot of people don't really say what that means or HOW to practice, so there are a few things I can suggest regarding that.

1.) One important thing is to realize where your deficiencies are or what you're trying to improve. If it's several things, narrow them down a bit. If you don't do this, it can make things much more overwhelming and make the task seem a lot more daunting, which makes you less likely to want to do anything with it, or leave you with a feeling that you just CAN'T improve because it's too much. Start small. What do you want to improve? Anatomy? Shading? Coloring? Hair? Something else? Once you have that narrowed down, look up some tutorials on how to improve on it! You can refine the tutorial search from "How do I get better at art" to more specific terms like "how do I shade better?", which will often yield more helpful results! Most digital drawing software also has online tutorials for how to use it and its tools, so I also recommend checking those out if you're a digital artist! (Even MS Paint has tutorials online for stuff, so you don't even need anything fancy!)

2.) Use references! I promise it's not cheating; even professional artists use references! And this doesn't apply to just "oh use this image of [character] to learn how to draw them", either. Use references for things like poses, hands, and even backgrounds! Use Google (or another preferred search engine) to look up bases or even stock images to use for pose references. This site here is EXCELLENT for hand refs! I use it a lot! And if you can't find a good hand or pose reference, the thing I do then is take a picture of myself in the pose/angle I need to use as a reference instead. I definitely recommend doing that if you need better references or refs at precise angles. For backgrounds, use photos! Want to draw a waterfall? Look up images of waterfalls to use! A forest? Look up forest pics instead!

3.) Remember that it's a slow process! You probably won't see a ton of improvement overnight, but that's okay! Don't beat yourself up about it if you're not seeing much improvement at first. It can be real easy to fall into a mindset of thinking that you're a failure or that you'll never improve because of how long it can take before you start seeing noticeable results, but just remember: no artist got as good as they are overnight. It took me several years to get to where I'm at, skill-wise. Just keep working at it and remember to love yourself. :)

Those are some things that come to mind, off the top of my head, but yeah.

[kudosmyhero]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (vol. 1) #49: Ripplings

Read Date: November 13, 2023 Cover Date: July 1992 ● Writer: Kevin Eastman ◦ Peter Laird ● Pencils: Jim Lawson ● Inks: Keith Aiken ◦ Eric Talbot ● Letterer: Mary Kelleher ●

**HERE BE SPOILERS: Skip ahead to the fan art/podcast to avoid spoilers (👏=didn't like it, 👏👏=it was ok, 👏👏👏=I liked it, 👏👏👏👏=I really liked it!, 👏👏👏👏👏=I loved it!)

Reactions As I Read: ● damn, Splinter, that was… brusque ● I know why Casey is in a mood, but I’m still confused by how Splinter spoke to April

● 👏👏👏👏👏

Synopsis: The aftermath of Casey's killing of another person.

April is talking to her sister Robyn on the phone. April is worried about starting a relationship with a man who helped her out of a jam, and Robyn is trying to figure out why her sister has been so mysterious about her life the past few years. Before any resolution is reached, Robyn has to hang up to attend to her baby. As April puts the receiver down, Master Splinter walks into the kitchen. O'Neil explains her dilemma to the wise old rat.

"Ever since I met you and the Turtles… and Casey… my life has been so secretive and strange. I mean… how can I get to know this guy - or any guy - if I can't let him get to know me? 'Cause getting to know me means learning about you guys… and that… geez! Sometimes I just wish I had a normal life. Splinter… what should I do?"

The Sensei thinks for a moment and then responds, "Leave."

This was not the comforting solution that April was hoping to hear.

Casey wakes up and quickly remembers what happened the night before. He hurries to the bathroom and retches. April walks by and calls out to see if he needs help and Casey orders her away. The bemused O'Neil dejectedly walks off.

Casey gets dressed and has an awkward silent moment with April in the kitchen before he takes off running into the woods. As he burns off his energy, Jones laments all of the "if only" scenarios that would have kept him from killing the young thug in the playground. Eventually Casey comes to a waterfall that has a fallen tree spanning the ravine, creating a bridge to the other side of the river. Donatello is sitting on the tree observing the stream in attempt to "understand the fractal structure of natural patterns," an element of Chaos Theory that Donnie is excited about.

Don's explanation irritates Jones and he blasts the Turtle for using big words and acting better than everybody else. Casey then demands to know why Donatello hasn't spent any time with him.

"Well" the perplexed terrapin begins, "We don't exactly share a lot of interests…"

This reply only angers Jones more and Don asks him if they can take up this conversation at a later time, when Casey is sober. Jones pushes the issue and gets more and more agitated and threatening until Donatello is forced to draw his bō and teach Casey a lesson in manners and humility. In short order, Donnie sends Casey careening into the water waiting below. Perhaps Jones also learned a thing or two about fractals while he was in the drink.

Meanwhile, Raphael, Leonardo and Michelangelo are training in the barn while the news plays on a radio in the background. Leo beats Raph in two out of three falls when a report comes on regarding gang-related slayings in New York City between warring Asian factions. Upon hearing this story, Raph walks out of the practice session.

Later, Casey is back at the playground where he accidentally killed the teen. The man called Nobody shows up, only this time he's wearing his police uniform rather than his super-hero costume. Nobody tells Jones that the three other hoods turned themselves in and their story matched Casey's, thus making it apparent that Jones was acting in self-defense.

"You sound disappointed." Jones remarks.

"Do I?" the vigilante cop inquires, "Well… I do prefer an open and shut case, and you seem guilty as Hell. But… facts are facts. As much as I live to bring criminals to justice, I have to face those facts. Besides… the courts are full of poor jerks like you, ingested and spat back out, guilty or innocent, it doesn't matter."

"Wow," observes Casey, "At least you're not bitter."

Nobody then relates his philosophy to Casey about the state of the world, a Yin-Yang theory that revolves around the idea that the further man advances, the more he regresses. The policeman then wonders how much longer the fabric of society can be stretched before it tears.

Casey states that he doesn't know, and Nobody then says that when he first met the TMNT he felt that they were an omen.

"I thought that it might be a sign… a sign that the end was near… you know, 'The Beasts Rising Up', that sort of thing." the cop states.

"Uh… yeah." Jones answers, "Look… I gotta go…"

"I won't stop you." replies Nobody.

Casey then heads off in silence towards downtown Springfield.

(https://turtlepedia.fandom.com/wiki/Ripplings)

Fan Art: Raphael and Casey Jones by gadgetwk by Kenkira

Accompanying Podcast: ● Shellheads - episode 34

[basket-of-radiants]

Weapon of choice: falling.

[stardewspellshed]

Jk I have an actual ask now: how do you go about actually making your spells in stardew? With it not being entirely up to the player where you can place things and what you can pick up and what not, how do you come up with ideas as to what you can do? (My uncertainty is probably to do with the fact that I haven’t the slightest clue what the mechanics actually are save from what I hear from my friends feral rants about the supermarket and eels)

So this ended up being a suuuper long post and I am so sorry lmao. Tried to break it up into sections to make it a little easier to read!

GET TO KNOW THE GAME

The first step to coming up with spells was to learn my medium, to put it in art terms. I played the game purely for the sake of playing the game for a while, and more or less completed several files before I decided to figure out spellcasting. By then I'd had the mechanics memorized enough that everything is second nature now, which means I actually don't really know how to explain it very well in a way that makes sense to other people!

In a nutshell, I'd sorted out how decorating the farm works, what crops I like/don't like growing (which helps for associations!), etc., but also the negative mechanics like "leaving Jack o Lanterns outside on the last night of fall means they'll turn into rotten glurge on the first day of winter" and "villagers walking through your stuff can break or uproot it so be careful where you put stuff if you're sticking things in town".

GET TO KNOW YOUR SPELL ITEMS

So the first solid step I took when I decided to start branching out into using the game for tech magic was to start sorting out my associations/correspondences for villagers and items. This is a massive work in progress because of how much stuff there is in the game and I'm nowhere close to done with actually transcribing it all, but for items I generally use a combination of traditional correspondences and what feels Correct to me.

(This is probably where I'd suggest anyone looking to get into Stardew as a method of casting start—like, at least sort out a few things you think you're going to use a lot— because your process for forming associations is inherently going to be different than mine!)

HOW THE SPELLCRAFTING PROCESS GENERALLY GOES DOWN FOR ME

(Heads up that my practice frequently relies on sympathetic magic and energy work and has since the early days of starting to work with magic. That was five years ago now, so at this point I'm by no means an expert but I have enough practice that I have a comparatively easy time using things that aren't physically there in spellcraft— this may be something that requires a fair bit of practice for other peeps. Adding this warning because I don't want to assume everybody shares my background!)

So when I craft a spell I work backwards. I figure out my goal, what timing (real world and/or in game), villagers, or items would assist in my goal if necessary, draw up a rough plan for what I want to happen in the spell itself then I just... fuck around with each step independently before casting.

I do test runs for each step I want in a spell without actually casting it to make sure it's something I can pull off, sort of like a series of miniature dress rehearsals. If I don't like how it feels or if the mechanics won't let me pull it off, I rework that step on the spot. I will do this as many times as I need to with as many steps as I need to until I have a spell that I feel flows smoothly. This is why I recommend a rough guide, because sometimes things just won't work the way you want them to and you have to rework.

On a final note I do most of my spellwork on my farm because you're pretty free of restrictions and don't run into nonsense like the villager pathing issue I mentioned earlier as often lmao.

I feel like this was incredibly rambly and didn't answer your question but it's the best explanation I've got, I'm so sorry if this wasn't helpful!

[ooops-i-arted]

It's the last day of June but I have one more post in me for @jedijune but it's a little different. The goal of Jedi June is to appreciate the Jedi, but this time I'm appreciating them in a more meta sense.

I saw Attack of the Clones in 2002 as a wee lil preteen and as soon as I laid eyes on the Jedi, I instantly wanted to be one. I wanted a cool lightsaber and space adventures like many a kid, of course. But I was also hitting those awkward teenage years and all that comes with it and I had no words for it, but I knew I was experiencing it different than my peers. I only heard "gay/queer" as an insult or an opportunity to be bullied or even murdered. I wouldn't hear "asexual" until after college. But I knew that more than anything I wanted to imagine being a Jedi because then I would never have to get married. (Also: they had girls. My sister and I watched the AotC VHS over and over and over again and memorized every single frame that had Aayla and Shaak Ti and Bultar Swan and Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee. Even though you had to be a thin, pretty girl, girls still got to be Jedi.)

And on top of all of that, I was supposed to be too old for toys but I still wanted to make stories. So I took my happy ass and my allowance money to Borders and bought this:

This, here, is Baby's First Fanfiction and Fanart. I wouldn't fall in love with LotR until January 2003. So this is where I got my start as a writer and artist of characters. (I drew all the time since I could hold a pencil, but mostly dinosaurs and animals.) I loved writing and drawing before, but it was the Jedi that first catapulted me into what I've become as a fan artist and fanfic writer now.

So for fun I dug out Baby's First Jedi OCs and decided to draw them with twenty-one more years of art skills:

For a little background, 2002 Preteen Me had a Very Grand Plan of writing a novel, submitting it to Lucasfilm, and getting it published. It would be about Derran Kanis, My Most Wonderful Jedi OC and her life and her adventures, and the very last scene would be choosing her Padawan, whose final line would be "Yoda, my name is." (Preteen Me was confident that since we don't actually see Yoda in action this wouldn't break George Lucas' rule of not revealing Yoda's species or background. The focus would be all on My Wonderful Jedi OC anyway.)

A little Yoda is a lot easier to draw now after all the practice with Grogu! Should I call Favroni and tell them it was my idea first? XD

I was obsessed with the Jedi Apprentice series most of all, so of course there had to be more characters for them to get into Shenanigans with for both generations.

Leronna was Derran's friend, a wise and serious Jedi Master. Derran was the Qui-Gon of the relationship and more of a risk-taker, while Leronna was more solemn to balance her out.

Their other friend was Mukdon, because I thought a Hutt Jedi would be really cool and unique. To contrast Hutt stereotypes, he was rather un-confident and a worrywart.

Of course Yoda needed a friend to get into trouble with, so he had Leronna's Padawan Te-Mon Zeyon. Te-Mon was the serious and play it safe one to contrast Yoda being more reckless (I figured he couldn't be that wise and solemn yet but that cheerfully mischievous side had been there the whole time.) Now that I look at him, I think I accidentally designed a Light Side version of Kylo Ren's TFA outfit.

Last of all my redraws was Tama Ci, a posthumous character and Leronna's first Padawan. Losing her to an illness made Leronna reluctant to take another Padawan and contributed to Te-Mon being more cautious, since he didn't want to risk himself and force his Master to face another loss. I don't remember for sure but I strongly suspect her design was influenced by Aayla Secura, since she's my sister's favorite Jedi and we often tracked down any content or merch of her together.

No I will not post any of the fanfiction... it's baaaaaad. It was written by a preteen and it shows. (No offense to any of you in that age range - just that as an adult, I've learned a lot more since then.) But like favorite dolls you take off the shelf and play with now and then, all these characters hold a special place in my heart. Derran, as my first and most dearest - the core of my first grand plan for a long fic - is very special to me and my oldest "active" OC, now existing as a character in SWTOR.

The Jedi were escapism and a refuge for me as a kid, just like Din Djarin and his friends are for me now. So that's what I really appreciate most. That even as a preteen/teenager, in all those awkward years, I still had a place to mentally escape and pretend I was a badass space monk who never had to get married and could live in a cool building with a huge library.

[hobbitsnapes]

YOU GUYS ARE DATING

Corpse x MGK!sister reader

(Found this image on Pinterest so all credit goes to artist, if you know who it is please comment below so I can credit them)

A/N: this was requested by @heyitssab

Tree is tall of sex in this, but it’s more in a joking matter, plus corpse has stated he doesn’t mind as long as you are not a minor or send or tag him. I’m literally 2 years younger than him, and have no intentions of ever tagging him or sending him any of my work XD

Summary: how many idiots does it take to tell the brother and friend they’re dating? Apparently takes 2 very forgetful people, who kept their relationship secret without knowing it.

It had just been by chance, a small chance that he had been scrolling through his tags. liking and reposting art, when he saw a tag from someone he followed. He wrecked his brain for when he had followed her, coming up empty. She was cute, no denying the beauty she had as she laughed in the video. It was a clip from a stream that he didn’t know she had, as he couldn’t even remember her name, wearing his merch as it fit her snug. It fit her perfectly in fact, the large hood covering her face, hiding the flush to her face from her rather large chuckles that left her body. He couldn’t help but like the photo, and he couldn’t help but to press message either.

It was first only small likes to posts, an Occasional message, and a view on their livestreams, but that all changed when he spoke of the song he was working on with her older brother.

It all started that night, when both lay in their beds as they talked, laughed, and felt their hearts flutter each time they heard one another speak.

Her phone rang violently in her bag, nearly making her drop the to go bag all over the ground as she walked. “Hello?” She asked, as she held both bags with her hands as her shoulder gripped the phone as if it’d fall down a cliff. “Hey bug!” He exclaimed, making her chuckle as she heard the booming sound of his voice. She had always detested the nickname, as he gave it to her as kids due to her horrendous fear of the creatures. But, it brought more joy to her, as it reminded her of their youth. Having been adults for years, it was fun to hear such a childish name that’s stuck.

“Hey mopey.” She chuckled, as that was the name she gave him when he was in his emo phase that he never outgrew.

Both talked as she walked towards the elevator, mainly about how his day had gone as she silently listened.

She had always been this way, always the shyer of the two, the one to listen to others first before she said a word. He had teased her for it most of their childhood and teen life, but he had grown to love it, as he could let loose or rant to her about anything, and he knew she’d be there just to listen to him.

“So what’re you doing right now?” He asked, as she got into the elevator. “Just grabbed some dinner a few minutes before you called and nearly made me shit.” A smile painted on her face at his boisterous laughter.

“Are you at home?” He asked, as he heard the sound of the elevator beeping in the background. “No, I’m spending the night with my boyfriend.”

She had mentioned about a month prior that she was seeing someone, the joy it brought him to hear the excitement and joy in her tone as she gushed about their first date.

If this was 7 or 8 years prior, he would be bombarding her with questions about the man, who he was, where he lived, where he could meet him to find his intentions with his baby sister. But, in the last few years, he found himself feeling calmer whenever she’d mentioned her love life. He knew she was smart, and would never date a man who treated her poorly. The few breakups she had, they always ended amicably, her head still high as she told him. So, he never asked her any questions about the man, as he could tell from the few times she mentioned him, he could feel the love this man had for her, and Vice versa.

The strong barreling of her phone alerted them awake, both groaning out as she reached for her phone without lifting her head from his shoulder. “Hello?” She mumbled, voice slurred as the saliva was thick in her mouth, barely awake as she fought to listen in on who dares to wake them up.

“Hey!” He exclaimed, making her equally exhausted lover groan. She shifted off of him, laying on her back as he turned away from her, as to hopefully shut his eyes and fall back asleep. She was used to her brother's large voice, as it hardly phased her after growing up with him. “Colson, why are you calling me this ungodly hour?” “Oh come on, it’s not that early.” “Col its-“ She pulled her phone from her ear, eyes shutting violently as the bright light blinded her “5 o’clock in the morning. So again, I’m going to ask you, why did you call me at the asscrack of dawn?” “You don’t remember?” He asked, making her irritation grow. “No, that’s why I’m asking.” She says, as she rubbed her sleep crusted eyes. “You were coming up today to hang out with casie, remember?” Her hand stopped rubbing her face, as she felt her heart stop momentarily. “Wait, you mean today? I thought I was coming Friday?” “No, both of you settled on today, remember I told you that’s perfect because I have a day off?” She felt her heart pain as she heard the sadness in his tone, knowing he’s expecting her to bail. “Yeah sorry, I thought you meant Friday so I mixed it up, let me get ready and I’ll be out the door okay? Love you” she said, as she hung up the line.

Before she could even move, she felt his arm wrap around her body. A tired groan leaving his lips. “Nooo stayyyy.” He groaned, pulling her body to his. She smiled as she looked down at him, wrapping her arm on his chest and the other behind his neck. “I wish I could live, but I can’t.” Planting a soft kiss against his lips. “Stay in bed for a few more hours, please?” Her heart pulled at his tone, hearing just how tired he was. “I can’t, casies wanted me to come up for weeks now. And it takes a good 3 hours to get there. I wanna spend as much time as I can with them before it gets dark so I can get back safely.” He groaned at this, wrapping his arms around her. “Yeah but it’s only 5, it wouldn’t be safe to drive since we went to bed like, 2 hours ago.” “Yeah, and whos fault was that mister?” She teased, “hmm, sorry but I just couldn’t keep my hands to myself after not seeing you for a few days.” He mused, pulling her body closer to his, planting his lips against hers. A small hum left her lips as he pulled her thigh over his, grabbing the flesh harshly as their lips cascaded together. “Mm, no no no, you’re not gonna convince me to stay here just to go another round.” She said, as she got off from his warm body, throwing his large hoodie over her bare body. “Oh come on babe, are you sure about that?” He said, making her turn around to him. A small gasp left her lips as her eyes took in his milky white complexion. His honey brown eyes looking back at her with a small smile etched onto his face. His hair a tousled mess that resembled a bird's nest, some pieces falling onto his face. “Honey, I’ve been wanting to see my family for weeks now, I see you almost everyday and practically live here. I’ll be back tomorrow so I can grab more clothes from my place okay?” She placed a kiss to his lips, both holding one another in their arms. “I don’t know why you don’t just say fuck that place and just move in.” He mumbled, making her chuckle and heart warm. “Don't you think it’s a little soon though? I mean we’ve only been together a few months love.” “Yeah, but you’ve practically lived here since we got together, you literally just go there to get more clothes that you end up leaving here.” She looked into his eyes as she thought about his words. “Hm, I’ll think about it today okay?” She mused, planting a kiss to his lips. A soft okay leaving him as she got up.

“And babe, remember if you live here, we can have all the sex we want and not have to worry about driving to get one another.” He exclaimed, laughing at the loud honey she screamed from the bathroom.

She couldn’t help but laugh out as she watched, as her niece tried her hardest to braid her fathers grown out hair. It was near impossible not to, as pieces would fall out, resulting in her pulling them harsher, nearly pulling his eyelids back due to the tension from his temples. “Okay okay you’re gonna fuckin scalp me.” He chuckled , as all three bursted out in large laughter.

“So how’s school going this year?” She asked her, as she delicately painted her nails. Both of the girls had found themselves on the floor in front of the nice coffee table, as colson sat and chatted with them. “It’s going really well.” “Oh yeah? Make any new friends?” She teased. “I mean, kinda.” She couldn’t help but hear the wavering in her tone, spotting the faint blush dusting her skin. “Ohh, so there’s a someone eh?” She teased to her, making the preteen hide her face as to conceal the flush. “His names Garrett, and we both take social studies together. He always sits next to me at lunch, and we’ll draw on my notebook.” She gushed, making her smile. “Soo, do you think he likes you?” “I mean, that’s what everyone keeps saying.” “Yeah well don’t worry about it to much cas, you’re not dating anyone for many more years. You’re still a kid.” Her das said, making the young girls face fall.

Y/N knew he was only saying this to protect her, as he said the same thing to her growing up. “Hey, don’t be bummed out about it. He is right, you both are only 12 and should focus on school. But don’t worry, he’ll come around. He was just like that with me up until my current boyfriend.” She whispered, making the young girl chuckle.

“Speaking of which, how are you guys doing?” He asked, as she hadn’t mentioned hun to her in a while. He didn’t think it’d hurt to ask. “Great actually, we’re thinking of moving in together actually.” “That’s great! I’m really happy that y’all met.” “Yeah, I am too.” She hummed, a flush dusting her cheeks.

Both men laughed as they chatted on the phone, talking about anything that would come to mind. What was once only a collaboration for a song, turned into an amazing friendship that caused both of them to call at late hours just to shoot the shit.

A yawn left his lips, as he listened to colson ramble on about another song he was making. “Woah, you tired man?” Colson asked, shocked to hear the sound. “Yeah sorry, was up most of the night last night.” He mumbled, rubbing his eyes. “Were you feeling alright?” He asked, worry laced in his tone. He knew all about his friends illnesses, even once being on the other end of the phone during a bad spell one day.” “Oh yeah yeah yeah, was just, up with the misses last night.” He chuckled, a flush blooming on his cheeks. “Ohhh yeah? And how was it?” This shocked him, nearly feeling his heart stop. Like, does he usually know about his sisters sex life? He didn’t think much of it, as he knew just how close both were. “It was absolutely fucking amazing. Like I thought we’d be done for the night, fully tapped out but after like 5 minutes she’d be right back on me for another round.” He chuckled, his flush even worse than before. “Ayyyeee good for you corpse, glad to hear that puss is bussin.” He laughed at this, throwing his head back. “Yeah, it’s bussin bussin.”

Both men talk as they read from their phones, eyes wide in absolute awe of the love they received from the song. They had just dropped it a few days prior, not expecting the cry of joy from both fan bases.

He didn’t even look up from it when she walked in, until she bent down to plant a kiss to his forehead. “Sorry I had completely forgot about the tea I made you an hour ago, but I put it back on the stove to heat it up so if it’s twisting funky just tell me okay?” Before he could even thank her, both their heads whipped towards the loudness from the other line. “Y/N? Is that you? What in the hell are you doing there with corpse!” He didn’t sound angry, more shocked than anything, both of them looking at the phone in confusion. “I, I love here? Remember I told you like a month ago I was moving in with him?” “WHAT!” Both jumped at the loud scream. “Wait so you guys are dating!?” Both we’re even more perplexed, until it dawned on both of them. Their eyes wide as they turned their heads to one another slowly. “Wait you didn’t tell him?” “No? He’s one of your best friends so I thought you did!” “He’s your brother! So I thought you did!” Both whisper, until all three lay silent. That was until, the large cry of laughter that leaves the two, leaving colson even more confused. He wasn’t mad, not at all actually. More shocked and confused than anything. Until he started thinking, it does make sense, all the times they spoke about one another without him knowing, all the times they mentioned-“OH GOD!” He yelled, gagging violently, making them stop their laughing fit. “What's wrong? Why are you yelling?” She asks “like a month ago corpse was talking about how he was tired cause he was up all night having sex AND I HAD NO IDEA HE WAS TALKING ABOUT YOU! OH GOD WAS THAT WHY YOU WERE LIMPING THAT DAY WITH CAS AND I!” Both laugh even harder, as they listen to his ever growing gags.

“So yeah,. That’s literally how we had no idea we were keeping the relationship secret from her brother.” He laughed, as he red the comments and listened to his friends' laughter. She sat beside him, head laying on his shoulder as he told the story. She couldn’t help but to look back up into his eyes, as he glanced down at her, planting a soft kiss to her lips. “Keep it pg guys.” Colson said from the other line, making them chuckle.

[wasabito]

➽ corruption collab masterlist — hosted by @ultimate-astridwriting and @bummie ♥️

➽ note: definitely gonna come back and edit this a bit more because threesomes are hard as fuck, no pun intended lmao happy v-day everyone!

➽ word count: 3.2k

➽ cw/tags: polyamory + body worship + threesome + praise kink + public sex + choking + handjobs/fingering + vaginal sex + squirting + established relationship

➽ pairing: akaashi x fem!reader x bokuto

💿 1. nasty — ariana grande || 2. come on — jhene aiko

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, it becomes rather apparent that love and romance are in the air. Storefronts are decorated in bubblegum pinks and reds. Flower shops promote their special bouquet arrangements at discounted prices. Even your favorite hole in the wall coffee shop has fallen prey to the spirit of cupid as they announce their new strawberry shortcake dessert and heart-shaped scones.

In lieu of staying home for the third night this week, your boyfriends escort you to dinner at an upscale restaurant in the city. They treat you to a five-course meal and a bottle of wine even pricier than the dinner itself. One would think, after three years of dating, you would no longer be caught unawares by their spontaneity. And yet, here they are, once again pulling the rug from underneath your four-inch heels.

Your gaze flickers from Akaashi's tranquil smile to Bokuto's wide grin.

Adjusting the napkin in your lap, you open your mouth to speak, then pause as the right words fail it come. Brain short-circuiting instead, you let out a confused, "Huh?!"

"We're taking you to Italy!" Bokuto repeats, about ready to hop out of his seat with excitement. He looks to Akaashi, "Three nights in Venice, right 'Kaashi?"

"Yes, we decided on Venice after you told us you'd always wanted to visit. Remember Koutarou's birthday last year?"

"But that was like months ago! Did you two honestly hold onto that drunk little confession this entire time?"

"Of course."

"Yup!!"

It's in moments like these when you are reminded of their history together, first as teammates playing volleyball, and eventually close friends. Not much longer after that, you'd met and fallen for Akaashi, then Bokuto, and thus began the relationship of today. While you find it a little ridiculous, it seems neither of them has any qualms about this trip.

After all, you are their lovely girlfriend. Why wouldn't they want to make your wishes come true?

Bokuto claps his hands, eyes sparkling. "Everything's already planned out, babe, so don't worry your pretty little head, okay?"

You can't argue with that. Reaching over, you take Bokuto's hand in your right and Akaashi's in your left. "Alright, since you two went to all this trouble for me, I guess I'll just sit back and enjoy it."

♥️

Venice is just as beautiful as you imagined.

It looks as if it's floating upon blue-green waters with lots of sunshine, beautiful architecture, and a vibrancy that makes it feel like the city has a life of its own. You are grateful you didn't come by yourself. There is no way you would've enjoyed it without Akaashi and Bokuto at your side.

"We're about a ten-minute walk from Piazza San Marco," Akaashi says as he taps his glasses. His sharp gaze is locked on the map in his hands, likely committing most landmarks and details to memory. "Would you like to check it out?"

"Yeah! Let's do it."

"Off we go, go, go!"

Thus, a majority of your first day in Venice is spent sightseeing.

The three of you take a gondola ride through Canale Grande, then have a peek into the Gallerie Dell'Accademia at Akaashi's insistence, though naturally, you wouldn't have come all the way to Italy and not visited at least one art museum. Afterward, the three of you go to the Le Mercerie shopping district and buy gifts for your friends before finally taking a pit stop for the most delicious gelato in the city.

The sunsets sooner than expected, casting the entire block in deep red hues. Bokuto's mood is greatly influenced by it, and the jetlag certainly doesn't help. He props himself against you, nuzzling you in a way that says he's itching for a kiss.

"Tired, Kou?"

Bokuto hums. "A little... More hungry than anything."

He leans in and pecks your lips with a sated smile. "Maybe I should eat you. I mean, how is it my girl's so damn cute? Not fair, I can't resist."

You snort at Bo's silliness but can't help shivering a little at the tiny implication of his words. He always did like to lay his head on your thighs, leaving a trail of kisses and love bites where he could.

So, the thought of him eating you out made you squeeze your thighs together.

Akaashi approaches with your frozen treats held between his long fingers; having overheard Bokuto earlier, he tucks his wallet back into his pocket.

"We'll get some dinner after we drop off these shopping bags. How does that sound?"

You eagerly take your gelato from him with a smile.

"Sounds like a plan."

Akaashi nods, standing at your other side, close enough to brush elbows though not as close as Bokuto, who was nearly hovering.

The three of you are in one of the narrow, maze-like streetways, basking in the warm, early evening glow. The sweet taste of fruit and cream on your tongue fills you with so much contentment, especially while being with your favorite people. You aren't sure if anything could top the way you currently felt, and the trip has just barely started.

Upon arriving at your temporary place of residence, a quaint little villa on the waterfront just along the shore of Punta Sabbioni Beach, Bokuto immediately kicks off his sandals, dumps the bags, and promptly falls asleep on the couch.

"It's so weird seeing Kou like this." You remark. "On any normal day, he's brimming with almost too much energy, but now he's all tired."

"Well, he did stay up an entire twelve hours on the plane. It was only a matter of time before fatigue caught up to him." Akaashi picks up Bokuto's shoes with practiced ease and places them by the others.

There is a fond smile running along the edges of his mouth as he tucks a throw around the man's larger frame. You help him adjust a spare pillow under Bo's head and then set off to explore the rest of the area.

It seemed like everything about Venice was taken straight out of a romance film, with its cobblestone paths, gothic cathedral architecture, crisp ocean waters, and authentic Italian cuisine. It is no wonder the city's known to draw hapless souls together in romance. Even you fell subject to it, and by each passing moment, you crave to be with your boyfriends.

You are standing at the balcony overlooking the beach, satisfied with your inspection of the villa when Akaashi comes to stand behind you. He holds onto the railings, caging you in his arms, and rests his chin on your shoulder.

"He was right, you know." He murmurs. "You do look good enough to eat."

Blunt as ever. Apparently, something's never change.

Though one might say that Akaashi is as he's always been after high school and college, there is no denying his boost in confidence. After all, he had landed not one but two rather attractive partners.

He kisses your cheek, then your jaw, before latching onto your neck.

The sun's scenic view on the horizon, reflecting upon the beach sands of gold and shimmering orange waves, makes for an excellent backdrop.

You turn to face Akaashi and pull him into a heated kiss. His lips convey a sense of devotion to you, and with each press of them against yours, you can feel just how bad he's yearning for more.

"Kei," you whisper. "Let's go inside."

In a moment, Akaashi whisks you off your feet quite similar to how Bokuto would, though you both don't even make it to the bedroom.

Your other partner had sat up on the sofa, hair flat on one side, scrubbing his eyelids.

"Guys, I'm freaking starving!" Bokuto groans. "Let's get some food or something."

He doesn't even notice how you and Akaashi are breathing heavy or how your clothes are sporting wrinkles that were not previously there. Regardless, Akaashi has food delivered while you went ahead to shower the day's journey away. There are still two days left. You'd get your chance with them at some point.

♥️

Sadly, the entirety of day two is spent indoors. Heavy sheets of rain continue to fall, muddying the shoreline. The three of you huddle on the sofa wrapped in blankets with subtitled movies playing in the background.

Even though you would've much rather been out exploring in the city, just sharing in your boyfriend's warmth would suffice for now. Akaashi hands you a steaming cup of something rich in both color and smell.

"What's this?"

"Just espresso." He takes the empty seat beside you.

You savor the taste while leaning against his shoulder. "Mm, nice."

Bokuto keeps his head on your lap, loving how you thread your fingers into his hair.

It is a tranquil kind of peace that soon lulls you to sleep.

Later, when you finally wake up, it's dark, and you're alone. A blanket had been tucked around your shoulders to shield you from the sudden chill. At some point, the television had been shut off along with every light in the room. You might've been a little scared if not for the voices coming from the second floor. Slowly, you creep up the winding staircase, dragging along the blanket around your shoulders.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Bokuto chuckles. "You're finally up!"

His hair is down, wet from his shower, and he holds a thin towel together around his waist. In his hand is a cellphone, and he doesn't hesitate to shove the screen into your face. "Say hi, Tetsu!"

"Hi Y/N, how's it going?"

You blink slowly, still trying to wake yourself up.

"Kuroo, hey… I'm well. How are you?"

"Great, just about to head out for a late lunch. I hear it's almost ten pm over there."

"Yeah, it's an eight-hour time difference."

You and Kuroo continue to chat while Bokuto towels off his hair and puts on clothes. Afterward, you let Bokuto resume his conversation and join Akaashi on the bed. The man had gone full editor-mode with his glasses propped up in his hair as he read through some work documents.

When you approach, he greets you with a kiss on the cheek. "You look well-rested."

"Is that your way of telling me I have drool on my cheek, Keiji?"

He cracks a tiny smile, eyes taking in your features, then he pokes your cheek with his index finger. "Perhaps."

You scrub the corners of your mouth with your sleeve and drape yourself over Akaashi, work be damned. This was supposed to be a special weekend for relaxing.

"I really wanted to go to the beach today." You pout.

Akaashi interlocks his fingers with yours. "Maybe we still can. It stopped raining a few hours ago."

"Really?!"

You hop off the bed and head for the window. He's right, the rain had long stopped, and the beach lay bare, lit by only the moonlight.

Maybe a short walk to the beach would do you some good.

♥️

The grains of sand feel cold against your feet without the sun to beat down on them, but you don't complain. The air is humid enough on its own that you forgo wearing actual clothes and instead wear a swimsuit along with Bokuto's old Fukurōdani windbreaker.

You walk along the shore, toes digging into the sand, letting the ocean waves lap at your feet to wash them clean again.

At first, it's so eerily quiet without a soul around except you, but even that doesn't last long. You hear Bokuto's voice bellow into the night as he jogs towards you in nothing but swim trunks. Behind him, Akaashi trails slowly after with a blanket in hand.

"We thought you might want some company." He says and spreads the cover on the sand several feet away from the water, content with just watching.

Bokuto grabs your hand and you go running to the water with him, but a second later, you both come sprinting back.

"It's freezing!"

"S-So co-co-cold!"

You collapse on top of him, fingers splayed across his bare chest. However, when you try to sit up, Bokuto has other plans. He keeps you pressed to his chest with both arms around your waist.

"Let me keep you warm, baby!"

You know he meant it in the most innocent way, but you can't help but think other thoughts. Your nerves fray at the image that blooms in your head and spreads like wildfire.

And as Akaashi strokes your back, you know he's probably read your mind.

It's the way your eyes seem to glitter with want that gives it away. Akaashi has always been rather observant, and so your silent cues are something he's always been privy to.

His nimble fingers curve around the nape of your neck, and he tilts his head to capture your lips in a kiss. This one is unlike the one from yesterday. There is no rush, no desire to quicken his haste; instead, he savors the taste of you like it's something to be thoroughly enjoyed.

Underneath you, Bokuto stirs, growing aroused at the sight of his two lovers' kiss. He can't decide whether he wants to join in or sit back and watch. But his large hand comes down to stroke your ass, resulting in a moan you breathe directly into Akaashi's mouth.

"You're not usually so forthcoming, Keiji," you whisper against his lips. "Eager, are we?"

Akaashi pulls away just enough to pepper your face in feathery kisses. "Can you blame me? When I have such a lovely girlfriend here."

As if confirming his words, he slips a hand under your jacket and cups your breast. The pads of his thumb brush along the seams of your bathing suit, caressing your nipple.

"Kou, let's show Y/N just how much we love her, yes?"

Bokuto didn't need to be told twice. He had been in entranced by you and Akaashi, completely taken by the way your lips danced upon one another. But now, he wanted more than anything to touch you, kiss you, hold you.

Bokuto cradles you in his lap, propping your legs open with his knees so Akaashi can kneel in front of you. It didn't take much for him to relieve you of your clothing, namely your swimming bottoms. But the second the air hits your bare cunt, you feel tense.

You aren't sure what it was, but the atmosphere is different. Both Akaashi and Bokuto are so focused on you, it feels like you're under a spotlight.

"You're so pretty, so beautiful," Bokuto says while squeezing your thighs. His warm breath tickles your ear as he presses his nose into your neck. Next, his lips follow suit. "Wanna fuck you, so bad baby. You'd like that, right?"

His words earn him a chuckle from Akaashi, who merely licks two of his fingers, wetting them and sliding into you. Your mouth parts, shaky breaths barely expelled from your lungs. You're hyper-aware of the fact that you're literally being fingered on a beach in the middle of the night, and you can't bring yourself to care. It feels good to be pampered by the two men you love.

For every moan, Akaashi gives you double for your efforts, thrusting his fingers just right, curving them in such a way that has your back arching off Bokuto, who has also taken to fondling your nipples. With every roll of his hips, you feel his cock against your ass, and it pushes you further into Akaashi's fingers.

Your impending orgasm sweeps by so close and yet so far away. All you can do is rock yourself faster.

"Please," you whimper. "W-Wanna come."

Akaashi crooks his fingers, pressing into the perfect spot that sends you hurtling over the edge. Your cunt spasms around his fingers, clenching in intervals you have no control over until his hand is coated with your wet, slick juices that keep coming the more you squirt all over him.

"She's so wet 'Kaashi. Look at our pretty girl."

Akaashi places a chaste kiss on your forehead with a smile.

"She's doing well, so far. Let's see if she can keep going."

Bokuto shimmies his shorts off enough to free his hard cock. He had been uncharacteristically patient until now, but that was soon to change as he lines himself up with your cunt, teasing you with just the tip.

Your whining is unintelligible, but both men understand you more or less.

"Give the pretty girl what she wants," Akaashi says. He strokes his own hard-on at the sight of Bokuto's pushing past your wet folds. "I know she can take more than that."

Bokuto has always been girthy, and it takes you more than a few seconds to adjust to his size, but when you finally do, it feels like heaven.

The position you're in gives Bokuto all the power to thrust into you like a ragdoll. But it's only when you make eye contact with Akaashi that you realize that it's, in fact, the other way around for him in particular. From where he sits, stroking his cock with flushed cheeks and choked moans, you see just how much control you have over him.

"Kiss me." You moan.

Akaashi doesn't let you repeat yourself. He kisses you long and hard even as you grip his throat with one hand and his hair with the other. He kisses you until his lips are red and bruised.

"Good boy. Both of y-you."

Bokuto groans loudly. "Say it again. Keep saying it!"

"Y-You're both so good. I-" your hips stutter against Akaashi's fingers that are rubbing circles into your clit. "Good, so good-"

That's all it takes to take Bokuto over the edge, blowing his load. "Perfect, so fucking perfect."

You can feel another orgasm swelling up inside your belly. You try to tell them but can't, too overcome by the feeling of your body tingling with desire. It's too much, overwhelmingly so; your vision blurs with unshed tears as Bokuto continues to pound into sopping pussy. Pleasure floods every fiber of your being until you're limp and every nerve in your body is set alight.

Bokuto slips out of you easily, a string of his semen following.

You can only look on in a drowsy haze as Bokuto leans over and kisses you and then Akaashi, working him over with a tight fist.

♥️

The following morning, you’re the first to wake, but only because there’s a limb jammed into your back and a heavy weight on your chest. It takes you a moment to realize, but it’s Bokuto’s elbow poking you and Akaashi’s head resting on you.

All three of you are a tangle of limbs in bed, but you aren’t sure how you’d gotten there.

“G’mornin’” Bokuto breathes. His lips caress the column of your neck.

“Morning.”

You shift into a more comfortable position. Though doing so presses Akaashi’s morning wood against your thigh.

“Keiji, you awake yet?”

“Mmm barely.” Akaashi looks up at you through his lashes, then smiles and nuzzles closer into your chest.

Bokuto, content with being your big spoon, reaches over to touch Akaashi, hands cupping his cheek. “It’s Valentine’s Day!”

“That’s true, should we do something special.”

Thinking about the previous night, you feel desire stirring in your gut. “Could we just... do it again?”

Both men look to each other then back at you, sporting matching smiles.

“Why not?”