#I promise I'm still drawing I'm just not really posting any of it lol

[sergle]

I've been using markers to sketch sometimes, instead of pencils, and I really like the way it looks

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

The thing with the Mari Lwyd, though, is that it's being... I don't know, 'appropriated' is the wrong word, but certainly turned into something it isn't.

Thing is, this is a folk tradition in the Welsh language, and that's the most important aspect of it. I feel partly responsible for this, because I accidentally became a bit of an expert on the topic of the Mari Lwyd in a post that escaped Tumblr containment, and I clearly didn't stress it strongly enough there (in my defence, I wrote that post for ten likes and some attention); but this is a Welsh language tradition, conducted in Welsh, using Welsh language poetic forms that are older than the entire English language, and also a very specific sung melody (with a very specific first verse; that's Cân y Fari). It is not actually a 'rap battle'. It's not a recited poem. It is not any old rhyme scheme however you want.

It is not in English.

Given the extensive and frankly ongoing attempts by England to wipe out Welsh, and its attendant cultural traditions, the Mari is being revived across Wales as an act of linguistic-cultural defiance. She's a symbol of Welsh language culture, specifically; an icon to remind that we are a distinct people, with our own culture and traditions, and in spite of everyone and everything, we're still here. Separating her from that by removing the Welsh is, to put it mildly, wildly disrespectful.

...but it IS what I'm increasingly seeing, both online and in real world Mari Lwyd festivals. She's gained enormous pop-culture popularity in recent years, which is fantastic; but she's also been reduced from the tradition to just an aesthetic now.

So many people are talking/drawing about her as though she's a cryptid or a mythological figure, rather than the folk practice of shoving a skull on a stick and pretending to be a naughty horse for cheese and drunken larks. And I get it! It's an intriguing visual! Some of the artwork is great! But this is not what she is. She's not a Krampus equivalent for your Dark Christmas aesthetic.

I see people writing their own version of the pwnco (though never called the pwnco; almost always called some variant on 'Mari Lwyd rap battle'), and as fun as these are, they are never even written in the meter and poetic rules of Cân y Fari, much less in Welsh, and they never conclude with the promise to behave before letting the Mari into the house. The pwnco is the central part to the tradition; this is the Welsh language part, the bit that's important and matters.

Mari Lwyd festivals are increasingly just English wassail festivals with a Mari or two present. The Swansea one last weekend didn't even include a Mari trying to break into a building (insert Shrek meme); there was no pwnco at all. Even in the Chepstow ones, they didn't do actual Cân y Fari; just a couple of recited verses. Instead, the Maris are just an aesthetic, a way to make it look a bit more Welsh, without having to commit to the unfashionable inconvenience of actually including Welsh.

And I don't really know what the answers are to these. I can tell you what I'd like - I'd like art to include the Welsh somewhere, maybe incorporating the first line of Cân y Fari like this one did, to keep it connected to the actual Welsh tradition (or other Welsh, if other phrases are preferred). I'd like people who want to write their version of the pwnco to respect the actual tradition of it by using Cân y Fari's meter and rhyme scheme, finishing with the promise to behave, and actually calling it the pwnco rather than a rap battle (and preferably in Welsh, though I do understand that's not always possible lol). I'd like to see the festivals actually observe the tradition, and include a link on the booking website to an audio clip of Cân y Fari and the words to the first verse, so attendees who want to can learn it ahead of time. I don't know how feasible any of that is, of course! But that's what I'd like to see.

I don't know. This is rambly. But it's something I've been thinking about - and increasingly nettled by - for a while. There's was something so affirming and wonderful at first about seeing the Mari's climb into international recognition, but it's very much turned to dismay by now, because she's important to my endangered culture and yet that's the part that everyone apparently wants to drop for being too awkward and ruining the aesthetic. It's very frustrating.

[choccy-milky]

Random but when you post something I always get excited thinking it's a new chapter 😭 I'm literally waiting by my phone for it

BAHAH IM SORRY ANONS ITS COMING SOON I SWEAR!! but im glad ur looking forward to it!! my damn outline ALONE is 21k words (tho im really happy with it and im excited for yall to read it) and although i still have to finish it + the drawing, HERES PART OF THE WIP IN THE MEANTIME🥹💖(also anon, who cares if u think youre terrible at art... DRAW ANYWAY!!!😤& ILY TOO💖 )

im definitely gonna write them as adults, and have ideas for some side stories i wanna do!!! the one i mentioned in the wattpad comment would be in writing, because i wanna write about seb and clora finally deciding to have their first kid (along with the process😏😏😏😏) and how sebs breeding kink ass will react to doing the devils tango with clora when its ACTUALLY gonna make a baby LMAO. plus how his overprotective ass will act when he finds out clora is LEGIT pregnant while theyre travelling/on the JOB, rather than just a pregnancy scare like last time BAHA. so yes, overly excited seb will defs be a thing in the future LOL. (though there are things i am just gonna keep in comic form, like their kids and stuff, bc i dont rly have ideas for any sort of epilogue with that. so if ppl wanna know about seb and cloras kids, they can just look at my art once i finally draw and post them ^^)

IVE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS TOO and the hairclip would defs be different!! i just havent decided what it would be.... (bro's about go buy her something bedazzled from ardene or claire's or some shit 💀💀LMAO) as for the mascots, the snake for seb would defs still apply bc ive decided its their mascot for the school football team. but for clora no, i dont think bird/raven imagery would be a thing......tho maybe the school mascots can be the snakes AND ravens LMFAO. and then i can have seb look directly into the camera and say "well, clora, looks like we really are The Raven and the Snake."

@4ever2000lover BAHAHA YOULL SEE YOUR NIECE AND NEPHEW SOON I SWEAR!!! i have the sketches but i plan to finish them + post them once im done the last chap of my fic. but they ARE coming, i promise👀👀(and im rly excited for everyone to see their daughter and her name, bc im so proud of it LMAO. i used up my entire big brain quota for the year on it +the reasoning behind it🧠)

also @blue-space-dragon TYSM IM GLAD U LIKE MY ART AND HOW I DRAW MY BLORBOS🥹💖AND ALSO THAT U FIND IT APPETIZING LMAO😋💖

[mishelkie-art]

Hello~ As promised, here are the 2017 versions of my Strawhat mermaid designs in comparison to the 2023/2024 versions. I originally had posted these to a different account, however I haven't posted any art on that blog in a long time, I think maybe since 2017? And now I don't really think of it as an art blog anymore. I originally started this blog so I could post the full and better quality versions of my art that I couldn't on Insta (cuz it SUCKS), but now I think I'll also post new stuff I come up with, instead of Insta being my main. Anyway-

To start with, as I mentioned in my last post, these designs were born from a specific AU in mind. In this AU, there isn't just one kind of merfolk, but merfolk were instead made up of many groups of different kinds of merpeople. Sharks, for example, were their own subgroup. Another example would be a group including aquatic mammals like whales and dolphins, and another group would be crustaceans, ect. I think in my first go at turning the Strawhats in merfolk I limited myself too much, like three of them were sharks and the others were just other kinds of fish. I do like Franky as a lionfish, but I changed him to a humpback whale to showoff more of the differences and similarities between the different kinds of merfolk. Plus, after the timeskip I think he's now canonically the slowest member of the crew, so making him a large animal that's been known to protect other species of animals from orcas seemed fitting, ya know?

With brook, he straight up was just some random fish that I really can't remember the name of, and I'm happy that this time around I did more research and found an animal that fits the spooky nature of his devil fruit. Overall, I think everyone got a glow up, but out of all of them I think Zoro's my favorite. I hate how I gave him that serious broody expression when it doesn't suit our beloved himbo idiot at all lol I feel the new version can be intimidating still, but also comes across as softer thanks to the colored lines and use of pinks and soft red. I don't know what I was thinking making Sanji primarily yellow, like his Wano outfit looks good but yellow is mainly his Germa color 😭 2nd time around I made him blue for his All Blue, and I wasn't sure if it came through, but I tried to curl and color his tail fins to make them look like crashing waves.

Unfortunately, at the time I drew these Jinbei wasn't an "official" member of the crew, so I hadn't thought to draw him. Also, I feel that I mistyped in the last post in regards to Vivi, by "original design", I was referring to the CANON design, not a previous design that I had come up with 😓

But yeah, I can't believe it's been seven years since I drew the first versions of these designs, I swtg ever since 2020 the years have just been blurring together lol

[sl-walker]

Color Cards for sale

Or: Custom nails!

There's now an updated post with more color cards here!

Want some professional looking stick/glue-on nails on a budget for yourself or someone else? Since I am still unemployed and my wife makes these stunning creations as art therapy, we're looking to sell them to keep us afloat and do things like buy food until I have a new job. (She already owned all the nail stuff.) So, if you want a set of truly gorgeous nails, take a look and contact me here or on that one chat app starting with a 'D' where I am also sl_walker.

Nails will be sent in a padded envelope with cardboard to protect them, though I might clip the longer color cards in two for mailing. Shipping is free! Probably you'll also get a handwritten note and maybe even a sketch from me. Several of these nail sets are three hours or more of work! And as you can see, they really are beautiful. Just ignore my very amateur photography, Tumblr's assholish image compression and the occasional cat hair. I promise I won't send any kitty dna with the nails. And you can also contact me and ask me for a set of pics emailed without compression.

As they're sold, I'll update this post by striking those through! And YES! SHE DOES CUSTOMS! If you want a custom color card (or loose nails once you know your sizes! I'll try to write the sizes on the color cards when I can see them), just contact me with a description and we'll let you know if she's able to do it. She can do cat meme nails, no joke. Or like-- fandom themed. So please do feel free to ask after that.

Also, if you request it, I'll throw in a little tube of nail glue, too.

1.) Autumn's Coming - $40

Stunning set of thirty nails, which means that you'll be able to find your exact size, but you might be able to wear a couple different sizes and have nails enough for two sets, too! Amidst the gorgeous fall-themed colors, you have cats eye magnetic metallic nails, plain color, blossom decals and a gorgeous coppery metallic crackle. They're shorter and with a blunt tip; in fact, I'm wearing a set right now, albeit in a different color theme.

2.) Midcentury Modern - $26 (sold!)

A fun and lively set of thirty nails, including three half-sizes for more granular sizing. These stand out with flat orange and teal meeting beautiful holos in turquoise, navy, red-orange and orange! These have a sharper tip and look elegant as hell, no joke. Great for anyone who really wants to draw people's eyes to their hands or, if you're like me, just stand under bright light and stare at how pretty they are.

3.) Good Omens - $30

This is a set of thirty nails. My wife's a huge fan of Sir Terry (sorry about the other guy) and so she came up with a Good Omens set! The red is metallic and magnetic cats eye with silver and white decals, while the white nails are themed in gold. I can definitely attest to how pretty these are, since she also made me a set of my own; I'm wearing them as I type (badly because I'm not used to wearing nails) and they're pretty enough for me to learn how to type with nail tips. LOL! She said to warn whoever bought them that she had to glue one back to the card. Sorry about that! It doesn't affect the nail itself.

4.) Thinking of Spring - $36

Another set of thirty, this time more spring-themed! With some popping magnetic metallic green cats eyes interpersed with some softer pink/orange metallic magnetic starbursts, cats eye and be-dazzled, you also have the lovely decals adorning the white nails, too. This is another beautiful set that reflects a similar quality to the autumn themed nails.

5.) Dusky - $26

A set of thirty, these are relatively simple by comparison: Done in a dusky metallic magnetic cats eye on one side and a brilliant, eyepopping holo on the other, they're classy and beautiful.

6.) Better Call Prince - $24

This fun set of twenty-four is absolutely sparkly; with metallic purple on one side and purple holo on the other, all of them also have holographic decals on them! They're busy, but if you're a redneck like me (or just really love sparkly things!) they'll make you oooh when you see them live!

7.) Pride - $18

This is a set of twenty-four. My wife actually made these for me, but they're too long for me. But boy, they sure are pretty. With the silver cats eye magnetic metallic on one side and the glittery rainbow on the other, this is a great set for you if you want something pretty with a relatively low price-tag!

8.) The Art of Subtlety - $18

This set of twenty-four is actually more gorgeous the brighter the light. All one set, all the same, these beautiful cats eyes in a sedate blue actually have a subtle holo effect on top of the loveliness that is that magnetic metallic polish; I wasn't able to capture it, but it's there! These are great for business people who like to have pretty nails to tap on a table top as illustration for their annoyance while still having that whimsical underlying hint of color.

9.) Slightly Better Than Business Casual - $16

This set of twenty-four is what my wife calls 'scratch and dent', not because they aren't pretty, but because there are a few minor flaws in the finish of the tips on the teal side. Despite that, they're a damn pretty set and will feed the cats for a few days!

10.) Where There's Smoke - $26

The first set of matte nails on offer! This set of thirty (eleven regular, three half-sizes) is three different shades of matte gray, one more silvery/metallic and two more literally smoke-colored. Perfect for someone looking for that bit of elegance, no reflective topcoat necessary!

[idoodlestuffsometimes]

DRAWING BACKGROUNDS: TIPS AND TRICKS

So many people are afraid of drawing backgrounds and I think it's a shame, so here's some tips and tricks, because I'm not perfect at it myself but I think the hardest part is really just knowing where to start.

First off: Perspective

Yeah, yeah, that's the scary word. But I promise you, once you're familiar with the basics, backgrounds are a LOT less intimidating. Don't get discouraged if WHEN you have trouble with it. Even professional artists struggle with it. I promise you, screwing it up is good and normal. That's how you learn after all!

Now I'm not going to go into detail on how to do it here, because honestly there are a thousand and one free resources online and in libraries that can explain it far better than I ever could in a singular broad-strokes tumblr post. But I AM at least telling you you should familiarize yourself with these basics:

Important Terms: Horizon Line: A horizontal line across your canvas, showing your viewer's eye level and providing a location for most of your vanishing points. Vanishing Point: Integral to drawing in perspective. The sides of a 3D object get smaller as they become farther away from the viewer in space. This point is where the parallel lines of a side eventually meet.

The Basic Types of Perspective: One Point Perspective: Good for drawing things that you're looking at straight on. Two Point Perspective: Good for drawing things at an angle. Three Point Perspective: Good for drawing things the viewer is looking up or down at, especially at an extreme angle.

[Click images for ALT descriptions]

And if you're comfortable with these and serious about improving your skills for use in storytelling, I also might suggest looking up:

4 Point Perspective: Great for extra wide or tall shots and for camera tilts if you're doing an animation or animatic. I think some other names for this in animation include "banana pan" and "warp pan."

5 Point Perspective: Fish-eye lens. Good for all your angsty anime boy slipping into madness needs!

Some perspective tips I wish someone had told me earlier:

Objects' relation to the horizon line is constant. A super helpful tip to remember when placing a character or object in space is that they will always (assuming they aren't changing in size or moving up or down) have the same relation to the horizon line no matter how far or close they are. If your horizon line is at shoulder height for your focus character in the foreground, any character of the same height in the background will still line up with the horizon line at the shoulders.

How to pick the distance between your vanishing points: 2 pt perspective uses 2 vanishing points, 3 pt uses 3, etc, etc, but how close should they be? Well, first of all, for anything that isn't one point perspective, one or more points will usually be off the canvas. Super annoying, I know, but the closer your vanishing points are, the more warped your drawing will become. Second, a helpful thing to know is that choosing the distance between your points is basically the illustration equivalent of picking your camera lens! Photography buffs will know that wider (shorter focal length) lenses show more space and make the distance between foreground and background more dramatic, while longer focal length/telephoto lenses are flatter, and more focused and intimate. The same is true of vanishing points that are closer (shorter focal length) or farther apart (longer focal length).

2 point/3 point/etc doesn't actually mean you're limited to that many points total on your page. this one confused me a lot when I was getting started, lol. A lot of examples will show you drawings of nice, neat cities or something, in which all the buildings are facing the same way in order to demonstrate perspective drawing. But in real life, buildings don't all face the same direction. They're at all sorts of different angles. So how do I do that??? Answer: Just because you're drawing in 2 point perspective or whatever doesn't mean you... have to actually keep your 2 points in the same spot. You can move them around, just keep them the same distance apart, so you're not screwing up your camera lens.

Other Tips:

Use reference! The instant you try to draw a house, you're going to forget every house you've ever seen. That's just how it goes. Buildings are complicated. Do yourself a favor and collect a few reference images first, buddy!

Consider details (like architectural style, amenities, and materials) Your building will look more like a building when you keep in mind that buildings have gutters and door knobs and light switches and paneling and stuff, and aren't just boxes with roofs on them. Again: reference! You will forget electrical sockets and baseboards exist immediately. Art brains are dumb.

Use details and texture to fill in negative space Giant stretches of blank space tend to be boring and distracting. Put a few suggestions of wood grain or something on that wall back there, bud, just don't overdo it.

Line weight Darker, thicker lines draw more attention, look heavier, and look closer to the viewer than lighter, thinner lines do. Take advantage of this to draw the viewer's attention to your focal points, de-emphasize less important details, and imply depth. It's up to you to decide how you want to use this and what your style is, especially once you start getting into combining or replacing it with shading, values, and color, but a helpful rule of thumb is to try reserving your thickest lines for focal foreground characters and use thinner lines on backgrounds, especially details in the far distance.

Perspective guides If you're drawing digitally, take full advantage of any perspective tools you have access to! A lot of art programs lately have begun adding perspective guide features that let you set up vanishing points and then literally guide your hand as you draw so you stay in perspective. Some of these include Procreate, Clip Studio Paint, and Adobe Fresco. (still sadly none in Photoshop as far as I'm aware, what the heck, Adobe!). Check through the settings of yours to see if it gives you any perspective guides or other similarly useful tools. They're 100% worth it! And for god's sake, if you've got any skew or perspective warp tools, draw your complicated shapes flat and then warp them instead of spending an hour on it! Don't make my mistakes!

[welovelouisandbucky]

Peter Parker Headcanon

Summary:This is how I think Peter Parker would be with artist!reader

A/n: heyya guys!!! I just wanna apologize and thank everyone who showed support to few of my series that I started but did not post anything after first chapter, I started those series when I was feeling very motivated and was full of ideas but in excitement I didn't planned them out properly and it backfired. I wasn't feeling like it anymore but I knew I have to post and I did write chapters for all of them but I wasn't happy with my work so I never posted them, and it's my fault because I shouldn't have posted them online before planning them out properly, but I promise I will complete them but not anytime soon because I just don't feel like writing them any more. for now I just want to write small one shots and headcanons so I would really appreciate if you guys show these ideas support too, thank you!!

S/n: you can imagine any Peter Parker but I personally had Andrew!Peter in mind when writing this so yeah, likes and reblogs are appreciated and as well as positive criticism, pls don't hate on me 😭 thank you!

T/w: just fluff!! One swear word? none I guess other than my writing lol

I think he really enjoys drawing because it's one of the things he finds calming. 

He usually prefers to watch you draw/sketch, because he thinks you look super cute while you're concentrating on a certain detail or drawing the outline of the figure.

When you guys are drawing together, he'd try to draw you, so he can show you how beautiful you truly are. He just loves you so much he can't help it. 

Gets distracted easily, and blames it on you, and when you ask what you did he'll say something like "stop being so goddamn cute!" or like "you're looking too cozy and cute, makes me wanna cuddle the life out of you!" 

He absolutely LOVES painting with you because then he gets to start a paint war with you. In two or less minutes you guys would be covered in 50 shades of grey🤭😉

And let me tell you, the way he drew you is *chef's kiss* so good. The boy literally put his heart out on this drawing.

When he finally shows you the drawing he'd say something like "I'm sorry if it's not good. And please be honest if it's shit, okay?" "Peter, what are you talking about?! This is beautiful! I look so pretty!! You made me so beautiful in this!" " Well that's because YOU are BEAUTIFUL!" 

He'll most definitely take you to picnic dates, somewhere far and beautiful. He'd lay there next to you while you draw in silence. Those kinds of dates are his favorite; super relaxing and peaceful.

Would model for you if you ask him to, but the poor boy can't sit still. He needs to move or else he'll go crazy, but will apologize every time he moves, you're quick to tell him it's fine and that you don't expect him to become a statue.

Would buy you art supplies but will be too scared to give you because he knows you don't like it  when he spends his money on you. So he'll sneakingly leave it at your desk thinking you won't notice, but of course you did. Will get scolding from you afterwards. 

Let's be honest, you love it when he buys you art supplies, it makes you happy to know that he actually cares enough to got you those, but the thing is art supplies are expensive as fuck! He works really hard for what he earns, and you don't want him to waste it on you. You get scolded in return when you tell him this.

"Nonsense! I'm not wasting anything, you should know that, Y/n! You know, it actually hurts me to think you'd even think something like that." "I'm sorry, Peter." "You're forgiven, but only because I need my cuddles and kisses," "and because you love me?" "yeah that too, but mostly my cuddles."

Definitely, will take (swing) you to different places he thought was worthy enough to be drawn. Or when you're not feeling motivated, or when the art block is just too strong; because he understands how tough it can get for you.

He's always there for you no matter what. He truly understands you, and helps you out when you have no motivation or ideas to create anything. Calms you down when you're frustrated because the drawing you finished is not looking the way you wanted it to be. Always tells you how talented you are and how much he's proud of you and everything you create

Always reminds you to take care of yourself and asks you if you have eaten anything yet? Because when you're drawing you always lose track of time and forget to eat. 

Definitely finds it funny when you rant about how drawing hands is an absolute nightmare, but agrees with you nonetheless. 

100% had said "draw me like one of your French girls" at some point with a dramatic gesture. 

Shows you off to everyone he meets like, " have you met my girlfriend? She's so talented like ohmygod, here look at this" proceeds to show the person your artwork while you stand there embarrassed but so in love

Definitely has hung up your drawings in his room

He's your number one supporter, but does points out mistakes if he sees one (we love honest feedbacks)

So in conclusion Peter Parker is absolutely whipped for you

Thank you so much for reading this I hope you enjoyed this!!

[amourtoken]

Please never stop the inhuman vessel content. didn’t know i needed it, but i need it. 🙏🏻

im planning on drawing him up soon lol I've never posted my art on here so if yall are interested in seeing that/other pieces lmk!

Ive come to rlly love cryptid vessel I'm so happy everyone else seems to like him as well 🥹 (this isn't rlly a freaky piece like usual I was feeling SAPPY but I promise there's more kinky shit coming lol)

If I'm not picturing freak shit I literally cannot help but imagine how cuddly he can be like this massive creature loves to rest his head on your thighs while relaxing in the sun and he makes these soft humming sounds when he's almost asleep, totally content with your fingers brushing against the edge of his mask. You've never seen him take it off you're almost certain at this point it's just a part of his body and not really a mask.

You two have been communicating pretty well though hand signals and little drawings for a while aside from the fact you've just learned to read his body language pretty well too but he's been trying to learn how to speak for you!! It's not going smoothly but he is in fact trying. He can understand you for the most part but he just can't seem to get any words out, it's like his body wasn't made for it. It's a little easier in his semi human form but still english is a tough language and he's just a forest creature give him some time.

After literal months of learning how to shift his entire being just to have the right anatomy to actually speak, he shocks the fuck out of you by surprising you with some words one day while he's lounging on the couch with you.

"I love you"

you swore your heart almost jumped out of your chest, the fact he'd actually said anything at all was so impressive that you barely clocked what he said. You scrambled to flip over to face him, laying chest to chest on top of him and smiling widely while begging him to say something again. He didn't have many phrases down yet but just the important ones in his eyes.

"Pretty. I love you."

He'd smile back with that uncanny wide toothy look of his that you adore, reaching up to brush some strands of hair out of your face. He figured the rest of the language would come later, his feelings for you were the most important to convey first everything else took a back seat for now.

[crow-winged-wolf]

Self-Same Trial

So I'm gonna go out on a limb and finally post my first story on here, please be kind. it's fluffy, has a few innuendos, but nothing mature. Not yet anyway lol. If this turns out well, I might post the spicier stuff. I once promised to write a little something about Astarion seeing himself at the Self-Same Trial. And here it is.

Anyway, pairing is Astarion and F!RangerTav (Serra)

The four walked into the room slowly, looking around at every corner as if it was about to leap out and tackle them. Shadowheart was at the front of the pack, gaze locked on to a statue of Shar holding a basin. She approached confidently, grabbing the dagger on the edge of the bowl and slicing her palm without a second thought. Serra winced once more, not truly used to seeing someone happily open their palm 3 times for various challenges, but there really wasn't any fighting involved, so she guessed a weapon hand weakening wound shouldn't be too much of a bother. Shadowheart looked like she was listening to something, nodding and taking a sharp breath.

“So, this one is called the Self-Same Trial.” Shadowheart announced, turning to them.

“What does that mean?” Serra asked as they continued to the next room, pivoting on her heel mid stride to walk backwards.

“I’m not sure.” Shadowheart shrugged. “I don't know what the trials are, just what the statue holding the basin said. Vanquish your old life to receive my wisdom.”

“Maybe we can ask that rather well armed group up there.” Astarion interjected, pointing up at the raised platform above them. Serra turned around to look up at four figures sneering down at them.

Astarion recognized three of the figures. There was the small blonde Wood Elf Ranger at the front with a crackling bow clutched in her hand who was clearly Serra. The hulking red Barbarian Tiefling to her left with an eternally burning sword was Karlach, and the Half-Elf Cleric to the right with a glowing mace and black, tightly bound hair was Shadowheart. That only left the fourth person, the male High Elf of the group with a pale complexion, silver hair, and daggers clenched in both hands. He was boasting a cocksure smirk that made Astarion want to Misty Step up there and wipe it off his face before he could move, but he held back to watch the girls reactions.

“They look exactly like us!” Serra marveled.

“Oh, I get it, you have to fight only yourself!” Shadowheart called out as the group up top opened fire on them, the Serra clone and the white haired High Elf drawing on their bows while the Karlach and Shadowheart clones went for the steps to get closer.

He exchanged a look with Serra before pulling his hood out from the collar of his armor and over his head, fading into the shadows without another word. “Astar- crap.” She hissed, barely twisting out of the way of yet another arrow from her own clone. “Get down here and do that!” She snarled, drawing her own arrows back and sending them through the clones shoulder.

“Well, hello darling.” He purred as he dropped the invisibility right behind the Elf. “Care to dance?”

The clone turned and regarded him silently, putting the bow away and slowly drawing his daggers again as the two began cautiously circling each other.

“What, nothing to say?” He tutted in disappointment. “I was hoping this would be more than just physical.”

He had to admit, the clone was rather handsome. The drow armor that Serra insisted on dying red and black really made his crimson eyes practically glow against his pallid skin. And it was fitted just the right way to cut a very alluring figure. He had to remember later to look into getting more corset style clothes, those looked especially good on him.

The clone lunged forwards blade first, the sharp edge skating past Astarion's side as he twisted out of the way, parrying the second blade that came down for his chest. It still managed to bite into his arm with a glancing blow, making him hiss in pain, then retaliate with a strike at the clones exposed back. He landed both daggers into its shoulders, knocking the wind out of him as he hit the ground face first.

Below them, Serra had managed to entangle and drag her clone down to her, a resound snap coming from the mirror images arm when she landed on her side hard. Karlach had all but slashed her clone to pieces, and Shadowheart was exchanging blows with her own, both succeeding at missing the other with firebolts.

As Serra dispatched her clone, she looked up at the raised platform, slightly worried. The girls were almost finished with their fights, and Astarion was usually one of the fastest in a fight, ending one or two enemies before she could fire off a single arrow. Him still being missing was unusual. She headed for the stairs to go up and check on him.

Meanwhile, Astarion was looking down at his prone dance partner, his eyes drifting down along his back and stopping at his backside. Astarion quirked an eyebrow at the clone, twisting to look down past his own shoulder, then back at the clone. “Hm, not everyday you get to see your own-”

“Astarion? Are you okay?” Serra called, peering over the floor as she came up to eye level with it. The silver haired Elf waved her off, and heard the rustle of the arrows in her quiver.

“Okay.” She climbed the rest of the way up, sitting down on the raised floor to watch Karlach and Shadowheart finish their fights.

“I’m fine, pet!” He snapped before she could nock her arrow, the rustling stopping. He glanced at her, the tip of her bow disappearing from view as she watched him cautiously.

“Pity,” He sighed as he knelt down and brought his blade to the heavily injured clones neck, cradling his chin in his palm firmly but delicately. “I was just enjoying gazing upon this gorgeous face.” Serra glanced over, watching the reverence with which Astarion regarded the clone. He had a knee in his back to keep him down, his expression saddened by the thought of losing his first chance in a long time at seeing his own face. Her eyes brightened as she thought of something, tucking the idea away for later.

He dispatched the clone quickly and cleanly, wiping the blades on the clones back before standing up and looking around. Karlach and Shadowheart climbed the stairs to join them, Serra picking herself up and stooping over the Astarion clones body to pick something up.

“Where is the orb?” Karlach asked, looking around. Serra came up between them, placing the softly glowing purple orb in Shadowheart’s hands.

“Astarion’s clone had it. Anyone hurt?” She looked around, each of them checking themselves over.

“Just a scrape, darling, nothing to worry about.”

“Excellent, let’s go.” She nodded, leading them back out of the room.

“So, they looked exactly like us?” Astarion asked. The girls nodded. “Well, I don't know about you, but my clone certainly was a handsome devil, wasn't he?” He smiled brightly, Serra cracking a distracted smirk.

That night at camp, when everyone went to sleep, Serra snuck off to Gale’s tent with a request, careful not to let Astarion see her. He was sweet, if not somewhat territorial at times, and she saw his expression when she spoke to Gale. She held a finger to her lips as she approached, Gale smiling at her in confusion. He glanced at Astarion’s tent where she was usually headed, then back at her. “Serra, what brings you to my tent tonight?”

“I want to learn a party trick, do you mind teaching me?”

“Well sure, why not.” He shrugged. “Which one?”

It took her three nights practicing with Gale in secret before she was confident in her ability to cast this very specific spell. Multiple times, Gale asked why this one, but she always dodged the question with a well placed inquiry of her own.

In the morning of the fourth day, Serra looked exhausted, but proud as she came up to Astarion and pulled him aside. “I want to show you something.”

“Does it include a secluded corner of this shrine?” He asked, smirking at the slight blush that tinged her tired face.

“Only if you want.” She retorted, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. “Give me a moment, retuto sui!” She waved her hand in front of her face, slowly opening her now crimson red eyes, smiling then wincing as she bit her lip. “Fangth. Fangth are new.” She lisped, giggling in a more masculine voice that didn't belong to her.

Astarion stood rooted to the spot as she changed her appearance to mirror his all the way down to his height, breaking from his stupor when she bit herself. He placed two fingers under her chin, pushing her face up so he could look at it better. “When did you learn this?”

“The patht couple nighths.”

“You can’t possibly have gotten every feature correct, darling. My nose isn’t that big.” He chuckled, turning her head side to side slowly.

“I can get better. I jutht need practiss.” She frowned as she bit her tongue this time in her struggle to stop lisping.

“How far does this illusion go?” Astarion glanced down at her flat chest then back up to her face.

“How far do you want it to go, darling?” She mimicked him playfully, albeit clumsily, rather enjoying the feel of his voice as it reverberated in her throat and upper chest deliciously.

He cupped her face between his palms, running his thumb across the cheekbone that he was slowly coming to understand was his, and smiling impishly. “This could be a new way of exploring myself.” He cooed.

“Careful, sweetheart, that almost sounded like an offer.” She winked at him, unable to hold back her giggles at her imitation. She didn’t have his laugh perfected, so it sounded more like Astarion giggling like a giddy schoolgirl. “Hey, wait a minute.” She said as she managed to reign in her laughter, taking a step back. “I've alwayth wanted to do this!” She reached up, carding her fingers into the soft silver curls on her head and ruffling them before pulling them forward. “Man, your hair’s long!” She laughed. She tried to push it back in place, failing miserably as the locks fell across her eyes again in a feathery light mess that didn't seem to bother her as much as it did him. Astarion reached up and fixed her hair for her, tutting her and slapping her hands away as she tried to help.

“What made you think of learning this spell?” Astarion asked. Serra smiled sweetly, wrapping her hands around his wrists and placing them at her cheeks again. 

“I thaw- SAW how you were looking at your clone in the self-same trial. When you said it was a pity to lose that handsome face, I remembered Gale talking about a spell that lets you mirror someone's appearance. I thought I might like to try to give you the chance to have a look at your face up close instead of in the middle of a fight.”

“And what a marvelous face it is.” He said, Serra beaming.

“I don’t smile like that! You’re too giddy to be wearing my face!” He flicked her nose, Serra laughing again.

“Oh, this is why you came to me for those midnight lessons!” Gale said loudly, laughing. Serra shot him a withering look, Astarion somewhat bemused she was sneaking around just to learn to clone his face.

“Thanks, Gale.” She growled, Gale looking at her in surprise.

“Oh! I thought…” He looked at Astarion, then back at Serra.

“Well, I’m definitely not your crafty student!” The silver haired Elf motioned to himself with a flourish, Serra crossing her arms over her chest, momentarily distracted by the firm pecs that greeted her forearms.

“Ah, you certainly mastered this spell, you had me fooled!” Gale announced, the expression on his face a clear indication he was about to launch into a long diatribe about how the weave worked or something like that. Serra was about to cut him off when Astarion interrupted him.

“I don’t want to be a bother, but isn’t your little roast looking a tad dark?” He pointed to the fire where a roast was suspended over it on a spit. Gale looked, suddenly bolting for the food while muttering about the fire being too big. “There, now it’s just us again, darling.” Astarion smirked mischievously, taking a step closer to Serra. “Enjoying what that feels like?” He plucked at her sleeve, Serra looking away in embarrassment as she dropped her arms to her sides.

“I think I’m gonna change back.” She muttered, Astarion stopping her as she raised her hand by tracing her jaw and chin with gentle fingertips.

“Let me enjoy this just a bit longer, pet. I do rather enjoy finally being able to gaze upon my own face.”

[squarebracketsmileyface]

I must know; will we ever see (NON SEXUAL) Tim's pregnant belly in the future? I adore art of trans dads carrying their babies and/or chestfeeding - it genuinely makes my heart melt - I ask because I recall you talking about how careful you want to be about how his pregnancy is handled/discussed/represented since transgender pregnancy and chestfeeding is a touchy topic for a lot of people, and you're already challenging societal norms by having a single transgender father who carried his baby himself and will be nursing said baby, and I'm genuinely interested if there's visual art planned in the future. And when I say you challenge norms and all, I promise you that's a compliment, I admire your bravery and wish I had the courage to share my own giving-norms-the-middle-finger stuff haha <3

I don't think Mon has a plan to draw Tim pregnant, but I don't fully know since it hasn't written down any of its plans of what to draw, except like, one for chapter 10 of My Girl. I can probably leave a note for it to come back to though, I feel like if it doesn't already have a plan to draw that it probably would still enjoy drawing it. It seems like the kinda thing it'd wanna draw given how obsessed with Tim and Birdy it is.

It's a bit of a mess at the mo, what with us not knowing when Mon's gonna be back, but honestly I think drawing Tim actually pregnant with Birdy might be really cool. I might even draw it myself lol.

Blue left this in our drafts for some reason instead of posting it? That was a bit weird to find lol. And this feels a bit weird to say, but uh, anyway, hello, I have returned? hopefully? Anyway, yeah Blue was right, I haven't really thought about drawing Tim pregnant or chest feeding Birdie, but i honestly love the idea now it's been given to me, so I probably will at some point down the line. Especially the chest feeding one, I think that's just be really sweet. God knows when that'll happen, but it's definitely going in my little bank of art ideas to eventually draw for this series

[secret0codename]

Jane a little remodeled

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Hello guys, I don't know if you missed it lol (I probably wouldn't miss it myself 😅)

☆ I came to post some Jane's Headcanons here because I decided to draw her and I came up with some really good ideas. Creepypasta, even if I left for a while, always comes back and doesn't move forward lol! I hope that if you stay to read until the end, and like it, comment something to help me improve or correct mistakes! If you want to share yours or things like that, that would be perfect too ^^3 I'm not a big account, I just like to share kkakaka. ☆

JANE VAUGHN

☆ Well, in my Jane headcanons, she originally ended up being one of Jeff's victims, but she was always very "vigilante" and it turns out that after everything that happened she ended up hating Jeff (I promise to write more in depth about it sometime, it's still very shallow)

☆ Jane started working for the police as a kind of "help" for the local police, she searched for criminals that the police couldn't find or who hadn't left any traces. She was extremely good at what she did, she was totally cautious about everything she had planned, together with her wife Mary Vaughn she looked for them to be able to arrest them or in some cases kill them!

☆ Somehow one of the cases followed by the FBI reached Jane's ears, an "unpredictable" killer who had never been found, there were no clues and no victims who survived his attacks. Most died the same way, but a few specific ones died in grotesque ways, Jane did not fail to spurn her superiors who somehow managed to contact the FBI. After a long time of conversation Jane managed to get an entry into the case so she could enter as a "detective" she already knew who was committing the murders but just wanted to confirm.

☆ After a few months, Jane had already realized that Jeff was really the one they were looking for, and it was no surprise to her that they were making slow progress, so she tried to help them in a way that would not hinder her own investigation. She was not very socially active, she only spoke a lot when necessary, and was extremely formal with the others. She communicated more directly with her wife.

☆ Jane manages to have a lot of contact with those she trusts. I would say that apart from Mary, perhaps her closest relatives are her in-laws or her sister.

☆ Jane keeps in touch with Liu because they are both looking for Jeffrey, she will definitely need Liu and he will need her, they both have agreements, nothing personal, just work.

•Well, it was super short, but I hope you liked it. It was kind of a preview in case I write the full story of my headcanon! I really base it a lot on the version where she met Jeff as a teenager, but they were neighbors, not close friends. Jane was really affected. If I have the courage, I can post my hand-drawn version of her on Thursday! (I'll do it traditionally and then I'll transfer it to digital, with a lot of effort, lol)

[inkedinshadows]

Hello lovely people! 🌸

(snippet of fanfic at the end)

Hi everyone! I'm not exactly new here, but I've never really posted anything before. I lurked in the dark, sometimes appearing in someone's comments, but mainly silently devouring fanfic for Azriel because I'm such a sucker for our shadowsinger 🖤

But now that I've got a lot of free time on my hands, I've decided to give a shot at writing something of my own and share it with anyone who'd be willing (and kind enough) to read it.

And while I work on the final scenes of my first fic, I thought it could be a nice idea if maybe I introduced myself a little a bit? I don't know, maybe no one really cares, but maybe someone does? So here it is.

🌸 I'm Italian, so forgive me if there are some mistakes or some weird stuff, but don't feel bad about calling me out on it so I can improve ✨️ it's my first time writing something other than an essay or dissertation in English after all

🌸 My name is Yennifer (not very Italian, I know), but you can call me Yen or Yenni. Whatever you like works tbh

🌸 I started writing when I was 10 and the first thing I ever wrote was a crossover for Harry Potter and Narnia, in which Peter and Ginny ended up together. I actually rewrote the whole thing at 13, then again at 15, and then I started writing a sequel. When I tell you I made that my whole personality for a few years, I mean it

🌸 I studied Foreign Languages and Literatures in university (and hopefully it helped with mastering English enough to use it for fanfics) and I recently graduated. I'm currently waiting and praying for my admission to the Master program

🌸 I've always wanted to be a writer, but since now I'm old enough (22 lol) to realize I'm not sure I've got what it takes to plan, write and finish (they tell me this is an important part of it) a whole ass book, my dream job is translator: reading, writing and languages all in one. What else could I possibly want?

🌸 My favorite authors are Jay Kristoff, TJ Klune and Jojo Moyes. If we stick to classics, I love Oscar Wilde and a few Italian dudes probably not many know

🌸 I love the color blue in all its shades, so I like to think it as fate that Azriel's color is cobalt 💙

🌸 I am OBSESSED with music. I can't live without it and I'm not even exaggerating. If I'm not listening to music, then there's still music playing in my mind and it never shuts up. Sometimes it can even be a bit frustrating. But whether it's real or just in my head, music is playing 24/7 around here

🌸 In case you couldn't tell, I particularly like this flower emoji. I just think it's really cute and a nice change from the usual lil red heart

Now, before I wrap this up, here's the little snippet I promised. Enjoy!

His shadows lunged forward as if they wanted to reassure her, but he held them back. He approached her slowly, stopping just in front of her. He crouched down next to her and waited for her to meet his eyes before speaking.

“Let me help,” he said, unable to hide his concern any longer. He wanted to erase that haunted look from her eyes and he’d do anything to make her feel safe and protected again.

“You’re not alone, Y/N,” he continued, his tone gentle. In his mind, he was cursing himself for not having thought that she might experience this kind of problem. “I could help you. We can do it at your pace and stop whenever you wish.”

She stared into his eyes and it felt like an eternity passed before she nodded. Relief flooded his chest at her trust, her willingness to finally let someone help her.

[...]

Tears were streaming down her face and she sobbed, drawing her legs close to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She began to rock back and forth and maybe she was begging for it to stop, to never start, maybe she was screaming or calling out for someone, maybe she wasn’t saying anything at all.

As that dark freezing water closed over her and pulled her under, she knew the pain would come soon. And there was nothing she could do to stop it. She was drowning and there was nothing she could do, nothing she could do, nothing she could…

A tender, gentle touch on her cheek. From far away, someone called her name. And among the chaos, the darkness, the crippling fear, she saw a pair of hazel eyes, soft and yet concerned. A male voice assuring her that she was safe, that he was with her.

She wanted to believe that voice, but the water was pulling her under, cold and dark and terrifying. And yet that gentle voice was still talking to her, those hazel eyes still looking into hers, and she tried to hold on to them, to not let it all slip away.

And then someone took her hand and suddenly she felt something thumping beneath her palm. A heartbeat, she realized. Life.

Heartbeat meant life. Not death, not pain.

Life.

Alright, I really hope you liked this and that it sparked your curiosity just enough to stick around to read the whole thing. I'll post it in the next few days, I just have to write the end.

Whether you've read the whole post or just skipped to the snippet, thank you so much and hopefully I'll see you again! 💙🌸🙈

[simlit]

tagged by @izayoichan | (very unexpected, who could have foreseen!)

Who is the more romantic one? Do they wish their partner was more romantic?

Obviously we know the answer to this is Yehl. This is their major conflict; Taryn's lack of emotionality against Yehl's, perhaps, overemotional nature. Yehl constantly wishes Taryn was different in this aspect, and a lot of times, Taryn wishes he was different, himself.

What's something they can never agree on?

Sleeping indoors lmao

Who said 'I love you' first?

Again, we know this was Yehl (and only just recently, too!). Tbh, I'm more happy with the way it came about in the prose. It's more fitting.

Who is more likely to steal the other's clothes? What are their favorite items to steal?

Welp. Lmao I think every answer is just "Yehl". But well, it just wouldn't work the other way around now would it xD Tbf, there wouldn't be any clothes-swapping going on in canon, in Modern AU it's still pretty rare, because their styles are so very different and not really fit for sharing. But now and again after a night together, Yehl will put on Taryn's button up shirts and nothing else (Taryn's favorite ofc, ofc).

What are their favorite activities to do together?

*coughs* PG answer: Travel. This doesn't happen for a long time, Not till long after things have settled post original novel timeline. Then when Yeryn can finally be "together" in a domestic sense, before they build Lazu'Lei, and during that period before Zehel is born, they spend a lot of their time traveling, both for political reasons, but mostly so Yehl can see the world. Taryn promises to take him everywhere, and he's very committed to this promise.

Who is their biggest supporter (friend, family, etc)?

Valerian, their number one most devoted simp fan, and Judine. They get little support from the "other side" i.e. the dragonkin, and many still have reservations about their union even after the war. But Judine's friendship with Taryn persists. He is one of the few elves who never doubted Taryn's heart, and he has a good understanding of what he means to Yehl.

Which one is more kind-hearted and who angers easily first?

Both of these answers are, yet again, Yehl lol. The little paradox he is.

What is 'their song'? Officially or unofficially.

Bury Now | Crywolf

Who does what chores? Which chore do they both avoid?

Cop-out answer. Neither. Benefits of being a King and a Prince lol.

What’s their favorite “domestic bliss” moment? Do they cook/clean together? Do they like to go out shopping together?

They don't have many of these, but the most meaningful one is during Iphelia, the elven spring festival and biggest holiday for Yehl's people, Taryn always prepares him a traditional meal in accordance to elven Rules of Hunt. He does this by hand, it's the only time Taryn ever "cooks" or does anything related. I made a post about this once! Though they never eat together, Taryn always sits in on Yehl's mealtimes just to enjoy the closeness.

How do they silently show love or affection towards the other?

Yehl always stays close to Taryn. It's as much for his own sense of security as it is to show affection, as Yehl's past trauma dictates most of his actions. He feels a constant need for protection, so he'll gravitate to wherever Taryn is unless circumstance keeps them apart. Taryn is almost entirely non-verbal as far as how he shows love. Aside from the obvious, sex being his primary tool of communication, he actually does become very affectionate (somewhat surprising to me) over the course of the novel. Especially with the way he handles Yehl as his feelings for him begin to shift. These can be quite fleeting things, like brushing the small of Yehl's back as he passes him, or the way he begins to instinctively draw Yehl into his side, especially when around others. His defensiveness and need to protect, but also possessiveness comes out, and he'll often put an arm around Yehl and bring him close just to "secure" him, quite literally.

If they had a movie (or other fiction) couple equivalent, what couple would it be and why?

Hua Cheng and Xie Lian are the most equivalent. It's one of the things that drew me to TGCF, initially, because I actually didn't find it until some years after AoA, and immediately drew parallels between the nature of their relationship. Hua Cheng's legendary simping did inspire some of my rewriting with Taryn. I would say it is mostly their relationship dynamic, though. Not so much their personalities. Yehl is nothing like Lian (aside from maybe Lian's darker days during the Yong'an arc). But I do love to do this thing in the story where the wife (or "submissive" role) is far strong or more powerful than the dominant role. This is true for both Yeryn (Celaedian arc onward) and Naiven. This directly mirrors Hua Cheng and Xie Lian's dynamic. But honestly, HC is the superior simp. He'd never hurt XL. Taryn can't fucking relate.

What is the sweetest thing they've done for one another?

I'd say Taryn's is the above answer (the Iphelia breakfast). Yehl's isn't really a "thing", but something he said. Which is the line where he tells Taryn that he can never see his own mother again, but Taryn still can and that "he wants that for him". I think that singular line completely broke Taryn lmao, because it was the first time he ever realized Yehl had the capacity to love him as a person, and not just in a lustful or selfish way.

Which one is more likely to think Valentine's Day is lame?

Taryn, lmao. But he would never cuz that would upset His Highness.

How do they comfort each other?

Yehl knows that Taryn is his own worst enemy. So he will always try to get his mind away from whatever is bothering him, usually by asking him questions, trying to change the subject, or make Taryn think of something else. Because if he's mentally preoccupied with a different thought, then he can't beat himself up. For Taryn, he always comforts Yehl physically. He's still not great at understanding how to be "uplifting" otherwise lol. But most of the time Yehl really does just need to be held, so it works anyways.

What does a relaxing night in look like for them?

Sitting together in the quiet of a terrace overlooking the forest. Just listening to the sounds of night and being close. Talking idly about things that don't really matter, or saying nothing. Just enjoying the peace and tranquility of nature.

What is their favorite or most admired quality in the other?

For Yehl, it's Taryn's confidence. It's the thing he lacks most. Taryn is unafraid of most things, and faces them boldly, head on. Yehl wishes he was more like this. But he most loves Taryn's level-headed nature. For Taryn, it's Yehl's ability to accept his own flaws. His self-awareness, if you want to say that. That Yehl knows exactly who and what he is, and that he doesn't take his shortcomings out on others, but rather embraces them. Taryn always feels guilty for one thing or another, but never truly learns to make his peace with his flaws.

Which one apologizes first? How do they apologize?

Yehl. Sort of messily. He likes to apologize because things bother him, not necessarily because he did something wrong. Taryn is so unbothered by everything, so Yehl takes it upon himself to get upset over things he does or says on Taryn's behalf lmao. Even still he's reluctant about it lmao (so self-inflicted).

What's something seemingly innocent that the other does, says or wears that turns the other on?

Lmao the way I knew the answer to this the instant I read it. When Yehl calls Taryn "Your Majesty". Anytime Yehl addresses Taryn by his title or uses official/honorifics it's always, always to troll. Because he knows Taryn absolutely hates to be called by his title, and Yehl knows exactly what he's doing. Sometimes he does it specifically to piss Taryn off but these moments are few and far between. But to have Yehl say "Your Majesty" is the one way to ensure he'll be waking up unable to walk, because that shit gets Taryn.

What is their biggest regret in their relationship so far?

Yehl's death. Despite everything, and the fact that Taryn loves him unfailingly as Celaedian, he knows the burden the role brings, and all of the excess pain Yehl has to endure because of it. Even after Yehl "has his revenge", Taryn never ceases to feel that he, in some aspects, ruined Yehl's life. And, in some aspects, it is kind of true. As much as Yehl insists otherwise, the fact is he can't escape his life as Celaedian, and he can never go back to being "Yehl".

What is their favorite place to kiss their partner? Do either enjoy 'leaving a mark'?

For Yehl, Taryn's shoulders and arms. The place he holds his strength, and where he's most protected. For Taryn, similarly shoulders and neck, but stomach and thighs, too. The places where Yehl is most fragile and feminine. And yes, they both share a biting fetish. Taryn being the giver and Yehl being the receiver obvi. Taryn loves to mark Yehl, it all ties into his possessive dragon nature, but Yehl is more than happy to oblige him lol.

Which one is more adventurous in the bedroom? Which one has more experience?

Love this question, cuz I love expectation flips lmao. The answer to both is Yehl. Yehl was always the most experienced, having been pretty loose prior to meeting Taryn. He used sex as a way of spiting his father, but also attempting to fill a void inside him. By contrast, Taryn had never been with anyone before Yehl, and had to act entirely off of sheer animal instinct. Still, I wouldn't say either of them are crazy adventurous, they're very straight forward in the bedroom, and a lot of that has to do with Taryn's specific "kinks" i.e. Taryn having to be able to see Yehl's face during, and being the one to service (he doesn't enjoy Yehl to do so, Yehl must be worshipped everywhere, even in bed lmao).

Include one of your favorite moments between them!

Gosh this is so hard because I have so many lmao. I think I usually say when Taryn vows himself to Yehl, and it probably is my ~ultimate~ favorite moment. But the rewrite has had so many small scenes I just love between them. I'll say (again, probably not Valetine's appropriate cuz this scene hurts), towards the beginning of the prose during the monsoon, where they're sitting together on the chaise in Yehl's room and Yehl realizes he can't control Taryn. When Taryn tells him white is his favorite color, but he resents that it's "Yehl's color". The way that breaks Yehl entirely, as he begins to understand that he knows so little about Taryn, but that he deeply desires Taryn's attention. Idk why I just love the way it hurts so much and tells even more.

[velvvetcat09]

I'm so sorry you're at such a war with yourself, it sounds really draining, but please believe me when I promise you it's okay to want reassurances and compliments, even more after all you've been through. Your art is genuinely great, I don't comment it under every single post you post, because I don't want to seem annoying, or like i'm saying it without meaning it, even though I promise, I would mean it, I mean it, your art is fucking awesome.

I know it's a pretty popular idea that a lot of people have made already, but I would love to see sort of 'cards'/'tarot cards' (i hope you see what I'm referencing) in your style, I know you'd choose such cool poses, title ideas, and if you gave it some time (even though i know you unfortunately don't have a lot of that </3) with pretty backgrounds and coloring. I would also love too see your possible design for Secret Life of Mumbo and Grian. Even though my fav is Mumbo, I really love the way you draw Grian, and would love to see more of him in your style.

This is such a messy ask but I promise, you're not 'stealing' any attention from others, you deserve the attention and love and compliments you're getting, and it's okay to doubt our words, we know you're not being ungrateful, you've just been hurt and you're still hurting, it's okay, I promise your art is great, I promise your art is worth seeing, I'm SO happy i found your blog, and I'm so happy when you post, EVEN when I don't comment and 'only' like 💜💜💜🩷🩷🩷

thank you so much for the words, all the times you’ve commented or just liked, thank you, really. all the asks from before as well. i’d be honest, seeing you on my notifications has been something that i look forward to whenever i made a post. seeing if you’ve seen the post or not. thank you so much for interacting with me. sometimes i still feel like trying so hard to gain people’s attention by catering to what people want to see, i know i want people’s attention too much. but it makes me happy to see people satisfied/enjoying what i’ve created, especially when it matches their desires. people pleaser, i know i am one.

the card motif is really interesting, though i’m not that familiar with tarot cards. maybe the playing card suits, or maybe something asian-origin, a twist in the usual interpretation. 🤔 youkai-based hermitcraft/life seris crew might be interesting, but maybe i’ll start with mumbo and grian first lol

[velvet-games]

intro post

I'll probably add more to/change this later; I've just needed an intro post for a while, and this is what I could think of. you should probably remind me to update it if this section is still here after like six months lol.

name/pronouns/age/gay shit~

honestly you can call me whatever, but I probably won't know you're talking about me unless you use vel/velvet.

prefer they/it; any pronouns are fine.

I'm probably non-binary I guess.

I'm an adult.

I basically just identify as queer at this point, but I'm like,, vaguely aroace-spec probably? still figuring it out. I'm actually very happy to talk about it more specifically, but I might have to sit you down for an entire day to explain it lol.

what I do/post~

I mostly post fandom stuff, and my original posts include a lot of art + occasional meta. I'm starting write fic too, so that might be a more regular thing in the future :)

other accounts~

@/velvetygames -- explicit nsfw twitter/x account, not very active

@cornerbytes -- old dragon prince account that I will probably revisit when the new season comes out

@/velvet_games -- ao3 account

nsfw~

I post occasional nsfw here (never super explicit; that's saved for my twitter); it'll be tagged #nsft.

fandoms~

current fandom: hazbin hotel

previous fandoms:

hannibal (will always have a very special place in my heart)

arcane (will revisit when the new season comes out)

ofmd (literally so happy this exists; devastated it's not getting a new season)

the dragon prince (will probably revisit when the new season comes out)

good omens

lotr (I also read like 2/3 of the hobbit and will hopefully finish it this summer lmao)

things in media that make me go insane (in a good way)~

friendship

happy endings

cannibalism

(WELL-WRITTEN) romance (THAT RESPECTS THE CHARACTERS AS INDIVIDUALS AS WELL AS WHO THEY ARE IN RELATION TO OTHERS)

surrealism

good visuals (even if everything else is shit; extra points if it's animation)

angst

fake-hating

this one's weird but I love situations where a character is really helpless; I thought I liked whump because I can be borderline sadistic about it sometimes, but whump is really not necessary at all to this concept

religious stuff, mythology, angels specifically for some reason (especially when they're terrifying and/or fallen)

gay people

requests~

you are welcome to send in ideas through comments, DMs, asks, etc., but I can't guarantee I'll draw them. if I don't, it doesn't mean that I don't like your idea; I'm probably just busy or have too many brainworms about a specific thing to draw anything but what's on my mind.

notes~

I randomly get really anxious about feedback on stuff sometimes lol, but I promise I read every single comment/tag and cherish them very deeply <33

also, like/rb spamming is totally fine and welcomed! I know some people don't like it, so I just wanted to make it clear that it's completely cool with me.

mutuals~

for a really long time, this was my pinned post, and it's still true! definitely welcome any interactions from mutuals <3

I do have a problem with randomly ghosting people though; I've been much better with it recently, but please try not to take it personally if I don't respond to DMs quickly. I'm probably just being insane and in my head about it. I'm really sorry.

misc~

this is an account that is purposely removed from my irl stuff; I'm here to have fun and relax on my mostly fandom-oriented blog.

I don't block often since I mostly meet nice people on here, but I am very happy to block accounts that make my experience on this app shitty.

I try to tag triggers when appropriate, but please let me know if you need me to tag anything I haven't.

art for me is just a hobby I use for fun and self-expression, so while I really appreciate concrit, keep in mind that my goal is ultimately to make stuff that makes me happy.

I am also very protective of young artists that get made fun of for being beginners or making unconventional art; you should never assume why someone is making art, and you especially should not assume that they are focused on becoming more skilled or making things that are beautiful to you. if they're not hurting anyone and you're not their target audience, get the fuck out.

I am of the mindset that media is not real, but that your reaction/the things you learn are. liking cannibal media does not make you a cannibal, but seeing bigoted portrayals of minorities can feed your biases (doesn't necessarily mean you can't consume it; does mean its effect on you/others irl should factor into if/how you decide to interact with it).

I'm vaguely fucked in the head. just keep that in mind.

[digitalclaws]

WHAT'S THIS? AFTER 20 YEARS SHE GETS A MEGA?

Well, it would seem, the moment has finally come for Raptomon.

In these past few months, I made and scrapped a lot of ideas, that just weren't coming out right, that just din't "feel" right. Until one day, I'm not even sure how or why, the design finally started materializing into my head. I was afraid I'd eventually scrap it, and I was sad because I was liking it. Yeah, liking it too much to scrap it. This was starting to feel right, which is weird after more than 20 years!

Last image is a selection of all the in progress design sketches I had saved, but I made many more that are forever lost, not counting the whole entire designs I just scrapped.

Some design notes here not to make the post too long:

NOW, about the design itself. I feel like this design is an amalgamation of many "design tropes" that I adore and they just felt right to be all put onto my partner of over 20 years. The references to the Mass Production Evangelions might be pretty easy to spot, but it's not the only influence. Look closely, and you'll catch elements inspired by the designs of the Pokemon Toxicroak, Spittor from Extreme Dinosaurs, 90's Jurassic Park Chaos Effect toys (in particular, the Velocirapteryx figure), and probably something else too!

The thing that gave me most trouble with the design? The wings. I didn't want to just make a larger AeroDeinomon, but getting rid of the wings as a whole concept seemed wrong. There was also the issue of the red black plates of the pre-evolutions. I didn't want to turn her into a Stegosaurus by making her plates bigger and more imposing. So many times, I had been tempted to remove the plates altogether, but at the same time, I felt they had to stay as they were into Deinomon design since the beginning. So, I merged the two issues into one and found a solution. The back plates became shards that come out of her body and turn into wings. I think static images aren't able to do them justice, but they're supposed to be looking like floating glass shards. I imagine they could also be rearranged, shot at the enemy, take different shapes… I feel like there's a lot to explore with this design element.

By the way, I'm sorry if the "peeled" image is disturbing! It ended up coming out a bit more horror-ish than I wanted, but I wanted to play with the "exposed flesh" design trope many Digimon have, and show the body structure underneath the cream-colored parts. I promise that outside of Halloween images ( :P ) I will try not to show her looking this creepy too often, lol.

Now, I'm not sure if she "feels" like a Mega Digimon. Does she? Even with many Megas looking like overly complicated humanoids and/or robots, some of my favorite Megas aren't really distinguishable from Champions just by design alone. Look at Plesiomon or Griffomon, for example… But, I think that seeing her next to her unevolved forms, it just feels like a natural evolution and that's what counts.

Enough ramblings for today, I hope you'll like this design and if you have any questions let me know-

…and by the way, HOPEFULLY NEXT TIME I DRAW HER SHE'LL HAVE A NAME (that's the real part I struggle with… can you believe her baby forms ALSO still don't have a name?)