#I really worked hard on the story so I added a little sketch so it flops less hahaha

[kiose]

They take Stellarons. That’s usually how it works for them. They are hunters, used to tracking, taking and running away, but for once, they are tasked with giving away a Stellaron. Easier said than done when they are also tasked with building and raising a vessel to hold it too. Or Slightly domestic Kafwolf with Stelle.

If you were suddenly craving Domestic KafWolf, look no further, today I gotcha covered!

[oobbbear]

This rant has 1 target audience and it’s me sorry I like to talk about my unfinished/abandoned stories like they’re successful tv shows and I’m the director getting interviewed about the little details of said show

I love afterland postal so so so much you don’t know how hard it was for me to cut it, but it got to the point that it’s effecting my mental health so I had to stop it. His story in the afterlife is a healing journey, so for that healing journey to be effective I have to make the downfall in his past life hurt, like, HURT hurt, and I went a bit too far that and focused on it a bit too much that I was not working on the healing part anymore. Everyday I regret the making of water angel cause it ended being my fav instead of the protagonists and it being the physical manifestation of death made me focus on the downfall of the story too much, until it literally just crumbled to the ground. If I pick back up Dolus’s story one day I will cut out water angel entirely and maybe most part of his past life, focusing mainly on the afterlife part and how he recovers/deal with his past traumas and rid of bad habits. I want to draw this gremlin again so so bad.

Afterland Postal is a story about learning to love life through death. I like to draw Dolus with CT moon and Callisto sitting together because all three of their stories are about “learning to love life again through the death”. In Dolus’s case is his literal death. For CT moon is him fantasizing death. And for Callisto is through the death of her old life.

After the “death” all three of learned to love themselves again by traveling. They see the world in different perspectives, goes out of their bubbles and get a taste of the wild possibilities of what life has to offer.

For Dolus, I specifically placed him in this post office that delivers mails to the living plane so he can run around experiencing the world but doesn’t have to deal with life? One of his big thing is that he enjoys simply existing, he likes observing the world, feel his surroundings, I had an entire chapter that’s describing how he sees the world through his 5 senses. The feelings are the only thing he enjoyed about life, now he’s a ghost life doesn’t have effect on him anymore, he can really slow down sit down and look at the world he didn’t have the time to look at before, see what he missed and what he may have never be able to see.

For CT moon is basically all described in that If my world goes Bang comic.

Callisto is a different case cause she doesn’t die, strongest fucking character in my stories she survived and very passionate about living. In the original plan after her finding Hester and having Hester’s soul freed, she’s gonna go and travel the world. She has been living in this little house in the middle of nowhere for good half of her life, having her burned down her past and moving on to a new one is good for her. I had a lot a lot of sketches that is just her traveling, I used this as a chance to expand on this weird magical world she lives in, so many cool places and concept. (Also she started dating people again wohoo) I really wish I didn’t burn myself out after that animatic this story would have been so fun to work on.

SPEAKING OF TRAVELING AS A HEALING MECHANISM☝️I m gonna go on a mad Orange Knife spoiler rant since I don’t think there’s a single soul still reading this thing. In Moondust & Natto plot, Moondust really really wanted to see the world with Natto, she loved the world she loved life, in her eyes the outside world is a struggle but one she would fight for because the sunset is beautiful and the grass is soft and for that the hardship is worth it, she loved the world so so much and she wanted to have Natto experience it too. Freedom was a large part of her soul and being add to OK’s collection permanently took that away. She never got to see it again not even the part of her that got added to worm made it out, her soul is killed long ago and body died with the fire that led to Worm and the remaining crew’s freedom, which honestly I think she would be happy knowing that her death freed Natto in the end. She would be mad knowing the person who killed her is freed too but she would understand if she knows Worm’s situation better. After Natto is free I’d like to think he carries a piece of Moondust with him so in his heart he completed their dream, and they can finally experience the world together.

It’s 2am and nothing is making sense sent post to tumblr.com go

[beffalumps]

hi there! recent art school grad here and i was wondering if u have any tips on learning color + approaching backgrounds? even though i learned a lot, i still find myself struggling with these focuses, especially colors as i never had a class that really taught me that. thanks so much 💗 your work is so lovely

First off, congrats on graduating!! Backgrounds and colors have always been the hardest for me lol tbh I still struggle a lot with colors especially, so please take everything I say with a grain of salt!

Using adjustment layers helps me a lot (especially color balance to make things more unified or complementary).

Another thing that I think has REALLY helped me with color overall is actually switching between color and grayscale.

In photoshop I set up a custom proof profile and then am able to switch back and forth by using the hotkey Ctrl + Y. This helps me check my values which, I've found if you have solid values, colors tend to work so much better even if you don't know much about what you're doing lol. Another way to do this is making a solid black layer on top of all your color layers and setting the blending mode to "Color". Then you can toggle that on and off to look at the values.

One last thing I've played with re: colors is finding a reference that has the colors I like and "crystalizing" it and color picking a palette from that.

This can be super helpful if you're having a hard time visualizing or coming up with a color palette!

As for backgrounds, they became a lot easier for me when I started looking at them like their own character. Thinking about the story I'm trying to tell, adding little details that I think would add to that or be fun and fun ways for the character to interact with it.

That and doing value sketches/just a bunch of really quick and sloppy experiments. 9 times out of 10, they don't work out, but sometimes they spark something that turns into something fun and workable!

This has gotten really long for someone that really just bs's their way through every piece, but I will say one thing that was a big game changer for me (in my personal opinion, who knows if other people think so lmao) and it's just incorporating aerial perspective. Making things a bit more blue tinted (or whatever the sky color is) and lighter as they recede into the background. Has made a huge difference for me when it comes to creating depth!

I really don't know if any of this is helpful because to be 100% honest, most of my illustrations are just product of trial and error lol. But practicing and making a lot of really bad scribbles have (I think) helped me the most, so yeah my biggest advice with anything is just look at lots of art, just draw and don't worry if it looks bad because tbh, it probably will at first. But you'll get better!

@tamberella Has a ton of amazing free resources and brushes, so if you haven't checked out their stuff, definitely do so!

@iniro also has some really nice tutorials on color (and other topics) available so I'd also recommend looking at those too!

But yeah, sorry for going on about my hair-brained process, I hope at least some of this was helpful!

[tmntxthings]

∑—fic. recommendations゜・。

tmntxthings rules & masterlist

《warning: some fics may be nsfw 18+ read the labels for context》

I really wanted a place to show more appreciation for other tmnt writers, so here we are, plus points for organization teehee, I’ll be adding more as I continue to read <3

—————————————————————————

一→ | leonardo hamato | ←一

its you by @ashbub

〈rottmnt, fluff, young!leo, oneshot〉

super duper cute, loved seeing a young reckless leo hehe <3 ash has amazing fics for donnie too

chair-ry on top by @marwhoa

〈rottmnt, fluff, oneshot〉

cutesy meet, despite the monster hehe, leo and his puns, go read all of marlowe’s stuff, rn

the key to my heart by @navithescribe

〈rottmnt, fluff, multi〉

smitten leo teehee, he’s hooked from chapter one

so shell feed by @pxrtalchopped

〈rottmnt, fluff, crack, multi〉

one of the first rise!leo fics i ever read, super fun <3

quick sketch by @landsel

〈rottmnt, nsfw 18+, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, multi〉

eeeeeeee, the feels, im in loveeee, the writinggg, the art, the storyyyyy mwah mwah <3

like father, like son by @eternalglitch

〈rottmnt, angst, multi〉

gonna be completely honest, i couldn’t read past chapter ten-ish but maybe one day my fragile heart will toughen up to finish, honestly a staple rottmnt fic, the writing is devastatingly beautiful <3

little blue hearts by @thelaundrybitch

〈bayverse, 18+, fluff, angst, multi〉

i rlly like the trust building it makes the story so much more realistic, & how relatable/funny all the characters are hehehe, go check out her other works too!! <3

一→ | donatello hamato | ←一

donnie has little mercy on the injured by @dancingdonatello / @pikoit

『rottmnt, fluff, hurt/comfort, oneshot』

loved this, donnie’s nice but yk he has a bad boy persona hehe, they have plenty more oneshots too, go read them alllllll

in my head, we belong by @dancingdonatello / @pikoit

『rottmnt, angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, multi』

my heart strings were tugged plenty of times throughout this one, and yes it is completed!

crush too much by @afreakingdork

『rottmnt, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, multi』

oml no words, just go read, you won’t be disappointed, love love love this <3

weird city, weirder neighbors by @in-a-black0ut

『rottmnt, fluff, multi』

super fun, donnie my guy, what a greeting heheheh <3

cool for the summer by @stormywritestuff

『rottmnt, nsfw 18+, fluff, angst, multi』

so so detailed and intricate, love the relationship building, feels so lifelike in the best gritty way possible <3 also i couldn’t find the original post on ash’s tumblr so i went with landsel’s post hehe <3

perfectionists by @rheawritesforfun

『rottmnt, nsfw 18+, fluff, oneshot』

loved. that. sm. rhea has plenty more awesome works for the our beloved turtles, go!!! run!!!! <3

baskè-ball by @thegreat-aristurtle

『rottmnt, fluff, oneshot』

another rottmnt staple in my opinion, like if you haven’t read this yet run run run, beautiful writing <3

hold on by @dunk-on-em-ao3

『rottmnt, sibling angst, hurt/comfort, oneshot』

wahhhhhhh donnie my sweet soft shell turtle, this one rlly hit hard, the differences between donnie and his brothers & feelings that come with being ‘different’ lovely read <3

alpha stage by @snailsnaps

『rottmnt, sibling fluff/angst, multi』

this idea is so so neat and cute, I think the consequences here are the most intriguing, hehe link leads to their masterlist!! <3

softie by @rising-shellshock

『rottmnt, fluff, oneshot』

oh my lord this was so adorable, my heart stuttered a couple of times because i could just feeeeeel the love, pouring out of both donnie & reader, super duper cute <333

like you by @msbarrybeeson

『rottmnt, fluff, angst』

this was one of the first donnie x reader fics i ever read, and it took til now to find it again !!!! another rottmnt staple, the dialogue is just perfect, it’s like I can hear their voices, check out part two!! <33

一→ | raphael hamato | ←一

the red king and his crimson heart by @b00tyshakerr9000

〔rottmnt, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, multi〕

sooo sweet, raph’s a big softie, jay also has another multi fic for donnie <3 check out their stuff

first sight by @yn-hamato

〔rottmnt, fluff, angst, oneshot〕

definitely a cute meet, idc about the circumstances hehehe, tess has more amazing fics too check ‘em out <3

teensy-weensy hiccup, oops by @marwhoa

〔2k12, fluff, oneshot〕

ahhhhh i just love a little jealous raph hehe, again go check out marlowe’s stuff !!!! the bestest !!! <3

ego boost by @raphsgrl

〔bayverse, nsfw 18+, fluff, oneshot〕

so they didn’t rlly have a title so i just made one up >.< i hope that’s okay, just for labeling purposes hehe <333 on another note xD woof!! raph is a hottie right here <3

一→ | michelangelo hamato | ←一

golden hour by @b00tyshakerr9000

{rottmnt, angst, hurt/comfort, oneshot}

wahhhhhhhh my heartttttt T^T~~~~~ such a good read!!! <3

to fill a hole by @ray-jaykub

｛bayverse, nsfw 18+, fluff, oneshot｝

mikey is just so flippin cute, reunions are the best ;D heheheh <3

holding out for a hero by @sharpwindow

{bayverse, nsfw 18+, fluff, oneshot}

him just trying to hold out, and listen to splinter’s advice sksksksksks such a cutie, they also have a bunch more fics <3

[nerdierholler]

It's done! Attempt number two at book making is complete! It's still just Ethan's Wayhaven Book 1 run. I did a big overhaul of the typeset compared to the first one, which I was trying to make small to minimize the page count. This came out about 130 pages longer and the text seems to breathe much better now. I also added a couple of basic graphics, a moon in the chapter headings and little moons as section headings. I used variegated red embroidery thread for sewing the signatures for just a pop of ominous color between the pages. It is a game about vampires after all.

Working with paper instead of cloth for the cover was a mixed bag. It looks gorgeous in a way I couldn't do with cloth but it was harder to get just right and I'm not sure it will hold up the best long term. But as a second attempt, that's ok. I tried new things and learned new things this one which was the goal and overall I think it's a more attractive finished product, or at least more visually interesting.

The breakdown on mistakes is under the cut. It's mostly for my benefit so I can remember later but please learn from my learning if you would like!

First off here's a comparison of my first and second attempts.

The paper I used for the first wasn't exactly 8.5x11 as noted before and I think it was even narrower than I realized before I tried to trim the pages. It is a significantly shorter book! Also the typeset differences. I'm really happy with how the new one came out.

Mistakes and improvement for the future.

Paper, Paper, Paper - I didn't even attempt to use interesting paper for this, just regular printer paper. Not needing to worry about trimming was so nice. I bought 9x12 sketch paper thinking it would fit in my printer, it did not, and I wasn't going to trim every single page to size so I have that now in my crafting pile. Maybe I'll make some blank journals with it. I do like the slightly off white color and heavier weight of the paper I used the first time and if I put in a fancy paper order I'll take that into consideration.

Paper: Part 2 - I want the scrapbook paper I have to be heavier and the cardstock to be lighter. Once I put glue on the paper it was so hard to work with because it wanted to wrinkle but also felt like it might tear if I tried to smooth it too much or reposition it. I ended up backing the piece on the front cover with a piece of printer paper and that seemed to help.

Mull - I've been using cheesecloth. I didn't starch it last time so I tried that this time but also saw something about putting glue over the whole piece of mull first then attaching it instead of holding it over the spine and dabbing/brushing glue on top. Bad choice. The mull is a mess and it isn't flat on spine, it was weird and stiff and there's slight gaps in between signatures as a result. I couldn't rip it off though so it is what it is. Won't be doing that again in the future though. Minus the mull issue I was really happy with the textblock though.

Endpapers - Again fighting the thinner craft paper. I should have sewn these on but I didn't. However I couldn't add them later because of the mull issue once I realized that so they are fully glued to the first page for added strength instead of being tipped on. Making them then and sewing them on takes more time but might be the better route to go in the future.

Gluing - I feeling like have terrible gluing technique. Things feel too wet but then if I use less or add some water for easier brushing on it doesn't stick as well. I think this is just a practice thing but considering how much gluing there is, it is a little frustrating.

Labels - Tried that for the first time with paper. Not sure how I feel about it . I think it looks alright but mostly it was about the paper quality and durability. Story of this build.

The Casing In - It was not great.

The back is alright but I really messed up the front cover. I think I pushed it too far back into the hinge so the cover doesn't quite close all of the way and is why there's such a large fore edge wrap space. I also think I made my spine piece slightly too narrow so that didn't help either. Ah well. Warping could also be from needing to glue the extra backing paper to the cover paper first and it's just too much glue pull in one area with nothing to balance it.

She's done though and once again I'm carrying over lots good knowledge for the next one. If I saw it sitting on someone else's shelf and they told me they made it I would be super impressed so I should give myself that credit as well.

[annebaby]

small Coryo story! i’m rlly bored and im a new writer so pls be patient with me! 🎀

Snow Lands on Top

warnings: superrr soft, kissing, romantic!!!! that’s all i think,,, pls lmk!

Coriolanus Snow. The name that had become so feared all throughout Panem. The icy blonde hair and stabbing blue eyes were a symbol of hate, destruction, and pure evil. Rumor has it that he killed his one true love, Lucy Gray, to keep her from telling secrets about him. Surely it wasn’t true, besides it was only a rumor.

You chose to not believe in the rumors and to not fall into the trap of fear he uses to gain more and more power. He was your new partner after all. A new intern game maker, here to slowly climb his way up into succession. You, however, were not born into the capitol life. Hard work and our determination had got you were you are today.

As a child growing up in district 3, you should be terrified of Snow. Instead, something about him intrigued you. You found his sense of power and control quite attractive, honestly.

So now, you’re looking at the man feared so deeply, awaiting to hear his next suggestion on the terrain of next year’s arena. It’s so difficult not to focus on the way his fingers sketch, the way he bites his lip while focusing, oh you could go on and on. Was this man really that bad?

“Seeing something you like, Y/N?” He asks. His eyes move up to you, initiating goosebumps through your entire body.

“Uh, yeah,” you speak nervously. “I really like how you added the river there, but let’s extend it more South.” As you reach over to show where you want the river to end, you accidentally brush his hand and immediately pull back, mentally cursing yourself.

You pretend as though it didn’t happen, and look to him for his opinion on your suggestion. He draws the river down further South, before smiling down at the map.

“I like the way you think, Y/N.”

You blushed so intensely that you were sure he noticed. You whispered a small ‘thanks’ before analyzing the map even more, trying not to get distracted by the smallest of things to do with Coriolanus Snow.

An hour passes by as something outside catches your eye. It’s snowing outside. You quickly walk to the open window on the floor you’re on, and peer outside like a little kid. Snow was coming down hard, and it quickly started to cover the ground below.

“Coriolanus, it’s snowing! Come look!” You gesture for him to come over, which he reluctantly agrees to. You both watch the snow falling down before Coriolanus speaks up.

“I’ve always loved snow. Makes me think of my family,” he says, quietly. You look up at him before returning to the table and grabbing your coat. You grab his deep red jacket as well, and return to hand it to him.

Discarding all fear and hesitancy, you hand him the jacket as he stares at you, confused.

“Let’s go outside, you know you want to!” You smile up at him before donning your coat and slowly walking towards the elevators of the building.

“Come on! We deserve a break, and you said it yourself - you love snow!”

He shakes his head, smiling before joining you on the elevator ride down. Little do you know, these small moments of child-like activities make him dizzy over you.

He too had felt a connection with you, one that was comforting and non-demanding. He loved the way your auburn hair would fall in your eyes and he loved watching you follow his movements regarding the map. Every now and then he’d think about speaking with you about these feelings, but he would never get himself to do so. He’s a Snow, after all.

The elevator dinged as you both reached the base floor. Hurrying past the guard, you were in a rush to open the doors and feel the cold air hit your face.

The snow was plummeting down with more snowflakes you could’ve ever imagined. The ground was already fully covered in snow, and it was the sticky kind.

Coriolanus joined you outside, mainly just watching you play and catch the snow. He noticed all the beautiful parts about you. He admired the snowflakes in your hair, your rosy cheeks in the cold, and your pearly white smile. You looked like a child, drowning in pure bliss.

As Coriolanus was too busy in a trance, you bent down and started to make a small snowball to pitch at him. You threw it, successfully hitting him in the chest. You were surprised that he didn’t get angry with you, instead he laughed and started to make an even larger snowball, and cast it at you.

The most feared man having a snowball fight with his partner in game making. Who would’ve thought? You played in the snow for 20 minutes or so before returning to the warmth of the laboratory.

The elevator ride seemed off. It was an awkward quiet with the two of you inside alone, but the quiet was surprisingly comforting as well. You tried your best to ignore the rosy cheeks of the man next to you, but he looked so delightful. You took his hand in yours, gently.

Little had you known, Coriolanus was just about to grab your hand as well. When you matched his action on time, he briskly turned you to face him. He looked down at you quickly, before gently leaning down and pressing his lips to yours. It was a quick kiss, nothing too dramatic. He hadn’t done anything like that since Lucy Gray. He pulled away shortly, then hearing the elevator ding.

You stared up at him, surprised of what he had done. Smiling, you pressed the ‘close door’ button on the elevator, and continued to kiss him even sweeter.

[taxkha]

Is there a genre/story you want to do for your future webcomic?

I think your use of color is fantastic! Do you often rough in colors before finishing your lines? Was peeking at the wip you posted, and was curious about your process(👀👀👀)

my planned comic story, if I ever end up working on it, is gonna be fantasy, horror, tragedy! These three are my main characters:

And Maheloas is currently getting a redesign because I want him to be more asymmetrical but jfc its hard. I'm capital S Struggling. And thank you so much! Hm my progress really depends on how serious I take the drawing I work on and how easy it is for me to draw in that moment! For example for that one og trilogy AA fanart I did recently I only did this very rough sketch here:

and then I went into the lineart already without doing a clean sketch. Or I guess in this case my clean sketch is the lineart lol.

So for this drawing I didnt do any color blocking at all!

I then colored everything in. I usually just pick whatever color feels right so during this step I usually dont even fix much at all unless its super off. And then I start adding effect layers. For this one the amount of layers I put on top is very limited as I wasn't trying to do any crazy mood setting so this is what I did:

I usually put a light beige color on top of my drawing and then try out various layer settings and copy and paste it and then I play around a little with gradient maps, this purple to orange one being my favourite. Then at the very end I add a paper like texture on top and put it on 50% soft light to get that grainy look. Since you asked about me doing the color blocking in my wip, I usually do that when I draw something that is more out of my comfort zone to establish the shapes or when my sketch is becoming too incomprehensible for me so I need something to tell things apart. I hope this was helpful and thank you for the interest in my progress! :]

[gamebunny-advance]

Doodle Dump

Been a while since I've posted a collection of bad sketches. Notes under the cut~

1-2) AC:OS Seals. So, I didn't want to give up on making those seals for you guys even though my enthusiasm for it kinda went away~ The melon soda seal feels like it's missing something, and I think the sea captain seal is giving too much Admiral Bobbery for its own good, so I might redo that one entirely. I don't hate them, but somehow they're not reading as very "Animal Crossing" to me. I think I need to get more creative about the facial features.

3) Pudding. Another attempt of designing Yuru's main mask. I think it's cute, but I'm still not sold on it. I like the colors at least, but I think I want the mask to have a big gaping mouth so he doesn't need to take it off to eat. I'm just having a hard time keeping it cute when the mouth is open.

I dunno if Pudding is gonna be their final name, but I guess it suits them.

4) Kun3h0 ver. 4(?). I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, but I just can't stop trying to redesign Kun3h0. Lately, I've been thinking that I'd like to try and make her a little less symmetrical for more visual interest. Originally the change was as simple as just adding the gauntlet to one arm (similar to be VERY early iterations of my "vtuber sona" with their one-paw glove), but then I started changing her more, and ended up with this. It's cute, but somehow I think it makes her theming even less apparent XP (her tummy lines were doing A LOT to sell the fact that she's a robot and not someone just dressed in sci-fi-ish gear).

I changed her eye color to green to draw in focus to her face (which is important for a V-Tuber design). Originally I thought I was achieving that by making the hair so much darker than everything else, thus drawing attention to the head, but I think changing the eye color to something unique helps even more with directing your eyes straight to the face.

I dunno. I like it aesthetically, but I feel like I'm losing the story here. In the last design, even though it was kinda generic, just having the clear indicator that she was inhuman did a lot to inform her character, but when I lose that, I lose the one real point of interest she had.

Then again, I've never truly had a good grasp on Kun3h0 as a character, so maybe that's what's wrong. Maybe if I sit down and actually write even a basic backstory for her, then I'd have some more direction besides, "girly robot Y2K inspired game character with a heart/bunny motif".

5-6) P2 Kliff (Banana Split/Original). So, I wanted to make a version of Kliff that fits more into my aesthetics. (Read: I wanted to make him pink). It isn't meant to be a replacement for him, just an alternate palette. In fact, I kinda liked this outfit enough to try it in his original colors too, and I think it works~

However, I dunno if I completely like the Banana Split colors

The outfit is based on this sketch from Kliff's original concept drawings.

I have NO idea what's going on in his chest area. They can't be the buttons on the top because he's wearing a turtleneck (unless it's a vest, and he's seriously wearing 3 layers in this fit). I don't think it's a lanyard because he already has a name tag on his shirt.

So I interpreted it as a necklace. I dunno, I've always felt like one of Kliff's understated traits is that he's clearly fashion conscious given how much he accessorizes and that he has the confidence to even run around in a coat that yellow, so I don't think it's out of the question that he'd wear more jewelry.

[paintedkinzy-88]

Hey so can you help me with what to draw. Like animals and such.

it’s hard to grow on tumblr so I need help.

I manly do animals and creatures.

thank you.

I may not be the BEST person to ask, given that I haven’t been following my own advice lately— BUT

Take whatever animal/creature you like drawing the most, and design your favorite characters AS that animal/creature. Make it as fantastical or as realistic as you want! Just some good ol fashion character design. Full reference sketches and some added doodles usually work best for me and help me get used to drawing them as such. Make a story out of it if you really wanna. I think fanart in some form is a good way to grow your profile faster, before moving on to OCs or original stories, IF that’s what you want to do!

I also firmly believe that what you draw doesn’t matter so much as long as you have the patience and try to draw often (yeah see this is where I’m falling behind lmfao). Fanart, original, or both — the people that like your style will come along! You don’t have to burn yourself out by trying to post every little thing or draw every single day, but maybe try out a schedule? Or just a goal? I find that Tumblr likes posting often, especially starting out, since it relies so much on reblogs.

These would be my suggestions mainly cuz it’s what worked for me in the past. I drew what I wanted, what I was good at, in fandoms I liked, and didn’t really expect anyone else to enjoy it all so much, but they did! And that’s an awesome feeling (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

(And tag me! I’ll reblog ya!)

[silverware-is-interesting]

I literally NEVER do asks but I have to,

As predictable (being his number one fan ever) I really want anyyyy tidbits about Sonny,,, I need to know more about the beloved, i need to know,,,

anyways, is it okay that I made a band au version of my recently made oc? An idea just sprung into my mind and I can't get over it. Already drew it n everything but I wanted to double double check.

Band au my beloved <3

so, there's not all too much i can really say if i ever do anything, since most of the things i've thought about are pretty plot-relevant. i can try to put a couple things

so, he still dies but he's not quite as, well, helpful. he kinda fell into a slump sine he worked so hard on everything with the band and, in his lifetime they weren't really all too popular. so he's been in some piece of tech, a computer still, and thinks things over.

oh, he's been almost erased from company history, not in like a gaster way though, more like the company blacks out any images of his face

i'll make him a little bio once i have enough n decide if i'll actually make a story of this or kinda just release little tidbits little-by-little. what i could tell you is the songs in the playlist i had added because of sonny's involvement in the story though

i have a few little sketches of his (concept) design so here, have a concept (not great quality screenshots)

they'll probably change but y'know. it's somethin' though

as for ocs, yeah. that's perfectly alright. band-ify your little guys if you want! basically the only guideline is that they can't have an instrument that someone else in the band has (though, a guitar or different type of drum are both alright) and kinda have a rock-esc aesthetic to them OH! and tag me! i'd love to see them!

yeah,, my beloved too

[desultory-novice]

No rush on answering this, I know you got stuff going on

Can I ask about you MariPav process? I want to make a comic too and MariPav is a huge inspiration for me. So, I was wondering if you could share any tips.

The main things on my mind are

How did you come up with the story and how much of it do you have planned before hand

What is the drawing process? Do you do a rough sketch first, do you do a chapter's outlines and then color or do you finish a page then do the next, etc.

About how long does it take you per page?

How did you decide the level of detail you draw in for this comic?

Do you have any monochromatic shading/coloring tips? I'm not very good with working outside of color

How do you keep consistent character design?

You're also really good at speech bubble spacing and comedic timing that doesn't pull you out of the story. How do you do it?

Sorry,, I ended up asking a lot of questions...

; _ ; Ahh, thank you so much for asking questions about my process?! It makes me feel good to know people are interested and I'm happy to go into (lots) of detail about it!

1) [THE STORY]

So, the initial concept of Marionettes' Pavane came from two separate comics I'd wanted to do. One was about how Magolor and Marx reunite after the end of Return to Dream Land. (I had only been in the fandom for a little bit but had already fallen hard for this ship, and while there were lots of stories about how they met, pre-RtDL, it seemed pretty obvious to me that Marx wasn't around for RtDL so I wanted to know how they might have gotten together after.)

Another idea that stuck in my head was for a story about how Marx went from being an innocent Noddy to the Marx we know and love. Neither of these ideas were going to be gijinka to start with, btw - I've mentioned this [one really long Kirby x Marx comic] I read on Pixiv that was a huge storytelling inspiration to me for MariPav.

That, plus a few other good gijinka fan comics, was probably what pushed me to make it a gijinka story, in addition to a few lines that popped into my head that worked better if they were humanoid.

(Initially, I was still going to do the Marx backstory comic separately, but I realized it was just easier to work it into MariPav because it was clearly influencing MariPav Marx's characterization. Then I wrote up a Magolor backstory chapter to match.)

As for the writing, I wrote out the WHOLE script, beginning to end, before I began drawing it! I knew myself and I didn't want get lost as to where my own story was going or pivot directions so hard in the middle that the beginning no longer made sense. Writing it was pretty exciting, so it wasn't too hard to get the whole thing done, though it definitely took a few months of chipping away at it.

(In fact I was so addicted to writing it that after I "finished," I couldn't stop toying with it and added on several epilogue chapters! ^^)

You can additionally get a glimpse at what some of my thought processes/inspiration for coming up with the story were by re-reading my old Marxolor "rant" [here]

As for the process, once I'd jotted down enough lines/conversations to establish the theme ("Was it worth it?" etc etc) I would draft out summaries for what I wanted to have happen in the chapters (interspersed with whatever thoughts about the story came to mind that I might want to include somewhere later, not all of these made it in, such as Magolor trolling Marx with the ladder) and, when inspired, add in bits of conversation till I had enough material for a full chapter.

[Screenshot of a chapter breakdown from one of my earliest drafts]

Inspiration came from a lot of places. I would re-review cutscenes from RtDL or other games, look at inspiring fanart, or indulge in completely unrelated media till something would click as "Oh! Marx and Magolor really ought to have this happen to them!"

[Screenshot of a paragraph of (unused) ideas from one of my earliest drafts]

[An early draft of Chapter 5. I used red and blue text for Marx and Magolor's dialogue early on. The scene is in an early, unfinished state. Notice how figuring out I could work in the Gem Apples was something that came along toward the end, even though now, it seems like the whole POINT of the chapter. XD]

I wrote MariPav before learning about the Snowflake Method for writing stories, but as you can sort of see here, my method did come close to following the "one sentence summary > one paragraph summary > three paragraph summary > write it" style.

When I was gearing up to finally draw it, a month or so after reaching the "end" of the story (though I actually wrote the "end" really early on and it's remained 95% unchanged through multiple additions. Sometimes, you write the ending first ^^) I went back in, cleaned the script up, filled in any lingering <n happens here> lines and added in stage directions, which is the script I currently work from!

--

2) [DRAWING IT]

As for my drawing process, that's changed a bit from the beginning, but here is my current drawing process! First, I'll draw a really loose "thumbnail" sketch in big blocky pencil. This is normally just "Marx go here! Mago go here! Mago mad!!" type stuff. Then I'll copy paste in my dialogue and move it and the sketches around till I have something that looks decent. I'll chop up each "page" and copy into my main comic making app and arrange them on the actual pages.

[An example of some thumbnails from the latest comic, right before I copied it into the main comic doc for cleaning. They're usually not even THIS detailed XD]

After that, I do a second rough, where they actually start to resemble themselves and I figure out things like where their limbs should go or add detail to their expressions (as well as note any kind of effects I will want to include in the finished panel.)

[A secondary rough from Chapter 5. I eventually made a (more simplistic than it looks) 3D model for Magolor's egg to help keep it relatively on model.]

Then comes adding in the panel borders and moving the secondary roughs around so they fit nicely. After that, I ink, though if my secondary roughs are unsatisfactory, I will bring in 3D models or references and draw them again before going back to inks.

I do it all in batches, by the way! Thumbnails for all ten~ish pages, roughs for all ten~ish pages, inks for all ten~ish pages. Because I'm still growing as an artist, if I finish one page before starting on the next, it's liable to look COMPLETELY different than the previous page! XD (Which I've had happen! Then I have to go back and redo the previous page so it looks more consistent, bleugh~...)

Sometime, early on in the inking, I will add in the balloons for the dialogue and arrange the text in them. I do this because :cough: sometimes I can use dialogue balloons to cover up anatomy I'm not that great at XD Then I add in the flat/base colors.

[Same page as before showing how I used balloons to cover un-inked areas. And also how I had to redraw Marx in the first panel to fix his proportions. Although I think his face was much cuter in the first draft XD ]

Then comes a really frenzied period where I do shading and panel FX and sound FX at the same time and it gets really messy and I'm still trying to find a way to clean up that process some ^^;

--

3) [TIME]

It's hard to be sure on a per page level since I jump back and forth between pages, but I spent a LOT of time fixing/adjusting things and trying to make sure things look as good as they possibly can. So a page will be "almost done" for a long time before I'm ready to say to myself, "Yeah, this is shareable!" Coming up with thumbnails that fit my idea for the script can be incredibly time intensive too!

[Here are the "complete" thumbnails for Chapter 5 Part 2]

As you can see, I actually began secondary roughs on this chapter BEFORE I had figured out what two of the last pages would even look like! I tried and just... couldn't come up with a good idea till the very end. Figuring out layouts has been really tricky and sometimes I'll flip open a variety of manga to see what they might do!

(And then I remember that manga layouts and whatnot are often highly differentiated by genre and MariPav is all over the place XD )

--

4) [DETAIL]

Here is the VERY FIRST drawing I ever drew of gijinka Marx and Magolor, when I was testing out what my mental image of them would look like. Everything was quite rough at this time. I hadn't figured out exactly what hairstyle I wanted Magolor to have and Marx's wings are more like attachments than arms. XD

But basically, because I drew them looking more like semi-realistically proportioned adults (figured it'd be easier to get suitable references that way) I decided to stick with that look through the story. That ended up demanding a certain level of bg/prop detail to look right and...it's one of the more frustrating parts. ^^;

It would have been a lot easier to start if I'd drawn them in a more cartoonish-anime style, like how Apologies started out, but I knew I had a few very serious and intense scenes that I thought might look laughable if Marx and Magolor were more marshmallowy looking ^^

Also, since Marionettes' Pavane is, when it comes down to it, a love story between two horrifically emotionally-stunted adults, past the point where innocent childhood mistakes are easily forgivable but without the inner peace, maturity, and knowledge to know how to NOT make these same mistakes over and over, I wanted their body types to reflect the fact that they are both fully grown. (Despite the immaturity they frequently CONSTANTLY display to each other.)

There are many stories about confused kids/young adults making mistakes and getting better. Not as many about adults, despite plenty of us being just as confused.

And I can just switch to a chibi-style if I need them to be small!

(Even Apologies has started to shift in and out of MariPav's pseudo anime-realism style, and I'll notice myself drawing tall, tanky anime boy Noir, even though his initial concept is short, underfed, underdeveloped, squishy-cartoon boy. You can see the reverse happen when I draw MariPav in a rush and Marsh and Magolor start to look more boyish and squishy. So, in short, don't do what I do and try to draw two different comics with two different artstyles at the same time XD)

--

5) [MONOCHROME TIPS]

I say go ahead and use color, and then throw a desaturation filter on that baby, if you can! Now, to ease this process, you might want to make test palette FIRST, draw your characters with their normal colors and then de-saturate that and save it for referencing later!

[I started out making a very nice palette for the two of them, only to accidentally delete it. I still needed one, so I made a second - and while I accidentally deleted THAT one too ^^; I swear, the "lineart" portion of it looked JUST like this. Just scribbles I would daub paint colors on. The key is that your palette reference doesn't have to look good, you just need to be able to sample from it!]

Now, you might notice not everything looks right when desaturated. That's a matter of values, etc! What you can do is take the monochromatic grays you've got and further adjust them from there so they look more like the gray versions of your original colors. 

[NEW OUTFIT SPOILERS!!]

I had to do this with their new outfits too in fact!

I drew them up, worked rea~lly hard on getting their palettes the way I liked, then I desaturated them and Marx looked like a a big dark blob!! You want to be very sparing with including dark colors and blacks in your palette when doing monochromatic manga, because your panel borders, text, sfx, panel effects and your shading are going to be vying for access to those precious dark tones. And if EVERYTHING stands out... then NOTHING does!

So I manually adjusted the grays on both so that they would look better good and communicate the same light-to-dark information.

--

6) [CONSISTENCY]

Because I keep all of MariPav in one big document (split up by arcs) if I forget how something looks, I just page back to the last time I drew it ^^; That said, as hinted at above, I'm...not all that great at consistency myself. Either with artstyle OR tiny details.

"Do Magolor's gloves have trim on the ends or not?" "Do Marx's bangs curl inward or out?" "What the heck do his shoe laces look like again?" "How many grooves are in the back of Magolor's egg?" "Did you forget his work apron again?" "Hasn't Marx's collar grown in size since last time--"

COUGH COUGH COUGH

I hope to get better at consistency down the line, but the truth of the matter is I do most things in life completely frazzled and I just have to do what I can do in the time I have! Outside of having references for yourself (and I have two very slightly modified 3D models I use labeled for "Marx" and "Magolor" to help keep their shapes consistent-ish) drawing your characters a little bit every day will help!

Especially the every day (that you can) part. Let it go too long and you MAY misremember something you'd done, only to canonize it next time you draw them ^^; :remembers how I accidentally gave Hell Branch Magolor his other eye back and lost track of Hell Branch Blade's scarf:

And then sometimes I decide I maybe want to change something up because I just wasn't thinking of all sorts of better possibilities before and "la la la" it is this way now, just go with it~

--

7) [COMEDY & SPEECH]

I've been something of the family goofball since I was a kid, so I'm pretty used to comedy, especially hyper-dramatization comedy.

[This is a pretty good sample of the exaggerated way I talk in real life haha XD]

Some tips I've heard for "timing" is that the end of the page should be a moment that makes the reader want to turn to the next one to see what happens. Or be the conclusion of a story beat or joke. Either use it to build anticipation or let the reader rest.

Speaking of letting the reader rest, I read somewhere that the reason manga doesn't include backgrounds as much as western comics and web-comics is not that Japan hates backgrounds or anything...

It's the theory that the more information on a page, the more mental energy a reader spends taking it in! You don't want them to exhaust themselves looking at detailed backdrops unless the presence of the BG is also communicating something!

That's why so many manga will have those panels that have 3-4 speech bubbles laid over some generic screen tone. The artist isn't lazy, they're telling you "just relax and focus on the words!"

That's also how you preserve flow, by limiting the amount of visual information there is on any given page. It actually took me a while to learn that, and I sometimes regret that the original MariPav script is super wordy for a comic script.

(Because I wrote it first - before I'd done a deep dive study on the art of comic-crafting. That and I was more used to writing fanfic and original stories than comic scripts - which often need to be tightly trimmed. They also have a bunch of different storytelling devices you don't always expect. Like, most manga has WAY more internal dialogue and thoughts than MariPav has, which is written more like a stage play, being told entirely through back and forth dialogue.)

As a result, now, when I paste my dialogue in over my thumbnails, I'll often chop whole lines out or trim them down so they won't just eat up my page space. They say "kill your darlings" for a reason.

Lastly, I actually have a friend who works in comics, and I've pinged them a couple of times for advice on how to get my speech bubbles looking good. They've given me lots of advice, and not just on lettering! (They were the one who recommended using a kind of creeping, broken shadow instead of a plain flat shadow over Dedede's face + the tv static lines over DMS seen here too.)

[I credit their advice with the reason that first comic got so much positive attention. Tbh, it's those little touches that really make it!]

Some other advice they gave me was to make sure your text has plenty of room inside your balloons. You're trying to fit a square peg in a circular hole, after all! But again, sometimes I just place my bubbles in areas where they'll be most convenient for the art! XD

-

Anyway, I hope I did well answering your questions and providing insight. Of course, the biggest thing is that everything takes a combination of hours of practice and also... just some life experience.

I have been reading manga since I was 12, which nowadays makes it sound like I started LATE in life till you remember I'm 40 years old (and back then we had to walk two miles in the... we had to import untranslated single volumes from sketchy web sites with zero preview pics, based entirely on how interesting the title sounded) and in spite of my long history with the medium, I still found that I couldn't replicate the look of it it based on memory alone.

That's because there's a difference in taking in something for enjoyment and taking in some for study. What I've been having to do lately is STUDY manga - very intensely. I'm constantly having to look up "how to express frustration in manga" "manga sfx" "effective manga panelling" "crying, manga-style" to get things close!

(Of course, my years of reading and enjoying it helped in its own way too. After all, the stories I'm writing now are based on years of lived experience, in and out of fictional worlds and that stuff is KEY.)

But yes, get started on that comic of yours! Honestly, the best thing I did with MariPav was start drawing it. I knew I would have a long way to go to get it looking like it does in my head and it's still got a long way to go before it's there, but every page I make is getting me there.

[dapper-lil-arts]

Any tips for an amateur writer? I've been writing a pmd:eos fic series on ao3 that's been getting praise, but I still feel inexperienced

Yooo pokemon mistery dungeon explorers of sky? Hell yeah best pokemon game to make fanfic of, easily. its an absolute BANGER Ok i got a few pieces of advice for ya, i don't mind sharing! 1 - One of the most important ones for me personaly, is to know and understand yourself and your own style of writing. By what i mean its like; you get an idea for a story, or a concept. But knowing your writing style, your capability to write scenes, and even the characters in question, do you KNOW that you can write this story? Its actually pretty important; Because writing takes up a LOT of time and effort, and if you just start blanking halfway into it, you'll have wasted so much time with a story that you don't exactly know how to do. I personaly have so many ideas, but i only execute on the ones that i am aware i can work on, and would know where to take, even if the idea is small. (For example, i had an idea for writing a fic of rarijack but only when theyre older, after the events of FIM. I started writing immediately because i knew exactly that i could do it; and am already 25 pages in and might finish today, heh) 2 - Write horizontaly, not verticaly. by that i mean; don't start at the beginning and work from there, consider all of your story's structure before you even start, act 1, 2, and 3, and its most pivotal moments. Much like you would sketch a drawing before lining and coloring, its important as hell that you are planning all your setups and payofss in advance, all of the arcs and character progression in tandum and stuff. This applies well to the first advice too! Don't be afraid to make an ugly ass sketch of a story, as long as youre aware that this is indeed a story you can make. Make the skeleton before adding the meat, and only after do you add the makeup. And as you write, more ideas will come to you! 3 - This one is more for my own, personal taste, but never be afraid of writing multigenre! By that like. If you're writing romance, dont be afraid to put action, if you're writing drama, dont be afraid to put a moment of comedy here and there; stories are infinitely more interesting when they're not just one note, not just a single tone! And the readers would absolutely be delighted on having moments of respite or shock, it keeps them on their toes. 4 - This one is hard to execute, and i cant give examples that arent long, but like. None of your scenes and sequences should be just what they are in the surface. Like; A character knows something that the other doesnt, or the audience knows something that neither character knows, or the underlying conflict is constantly clashing silently. A short example i can give is a scene in on of my fics in which a character was being asked about her past, and she spoke ernestly, but every once in a while i'd add a "She lied" after the information she provided; And i didn't need to add anything else, that in itself is enough for the audience to understand and consider why this character is doing what shes doing, and just that simple little thing added an really interesting layer to the simple conversation. Essentialy, there's no reason why a conversation should *just* be a conversation in your stories, and there is no reason why you should have filler for the sake of it. Pacing is important, and you can make every single scene and chapter on your story interesting, nothing stops you but you! The "She lied" thing is specialy important, because you don't have to treat your audience like babies. I didn't explain why she lied, because if any reader was paying attention, they'd understand completely, everything would simply click. A character can sometimes say something, and all you need to do is write the tone of their voice, and the reader can already connect the dots, or even something as simple as describing a facial expression or body language without explaining why it is what it is; It makes your story more engaging! I have a million other advice, but i felt like these were the most important ones i specificaly could provide. Good luck!

[greentrickster]

Canceling Internal Cringe Culture to Start Writing

Okay, I just got asked on AO3 about how to start writing in the face of cringe culture, especially the internalized sort, and I have a feeling this might be applicable to more than one person. So I’m gonna share what I told them with all of you as well! Here it goes:

Hmmm, this one's actually a little hard? Just because I've been writing for over twenty years now, and when I started, cringe culture just... high-key didn't exist. Neither did AO3. Tumblr was Right Out.

All that said... hmm... well first? Instead of using any sort of app or program, get a notebook - whatever floats your boat (I like to use ones with nice pictures on the front, but my sister uses those little pocket-sized ones) - and write in that instead. Even if you're not used to writing like that, give it a try anyway, because writing in a book makes it private, makes it personal, makes it just for you. And if it's just for you, then who cares if it's cringe? It's for you, no one else, and it's makes you happy, which is much more important! I like to use pens with green ink in my writing books. It sparks joy and adds an extra layer of good to the process. It may be slower, but it’s also an activity and movement that’s completely disconnected from all the nonsense on the internet, which can hopefully make it easier to ignore all that.

(If the page looks too big and blank and intimidating, I suggest adding stickers or a silly sketch or something. You can write around them, it’s fine.)

Just as important? Love what you're writing. This isn't 'content' or a product, this is a story or a poem or a memory. This is something you're writing down because you want to remember it. So love it. Indulge yourself, then indulge yourself more. Put everything you want to see into this, because you're also sitting in the audience, a very eager audience member and- hey, what do you know? The audience-member-who-is-you also just happens to be an up-and-coming new producer, everything they touch has been a hit so far, and they're taking an interest in your work. They think there could be something special there, that you, yes you, could be the next big thing. So be super sure to cater directly to this audience-member-who-is-also-you, it could lead places in the future.

Another thing that I find surprisingly helpful? The concept that there are no original ideas left in the world. A lot of creatives find this one super demoralizing or depressing, but I find it encouraging. Because it means, if I've had an idea, then someone else has had it, too. And that someone else probably wants to see it, even if they've made their own version of the idea. Heck, there could be a lot of someones! And they're cheering for you, so go for it!

And finally, the hardest part... you have to make a choice. Which do you care about more: listening to the part that cringes or writing? You can't care about both equally. You just can't. Writing is a lot of fun, but, like any creative form, it's also a lot of work. I didn't sit down and start writing at my current skill level, this is the result of two decades of practice, polishing, and honing my abilities. Looking back, the amount of work I put into all this is kind of staggering. But I didn't do it because 'I have to' or 'it's necessary.' I did it because I love writing, because I knew I could get better and I wanted to. And yeah, sometimes that involved doing stuff that was scary. There will always be aspects of it that are scary. I still get scared when I introduce certain new aspects to this fic, or enter new fandoms, or try something different. Writing can be hard and scary, that's just part of it. But the idea of not writing... that's so much worse.

You're starting in a really rough time for beginner creatives. Cringe culture, purity culture, cancel culture... all disgusting trends that need to end yesterday, if not sooner. It can be hard and scary to try because of all that. So step away from all that, take a chance somewhere private and safe that's just for you, and be brave. Choose to please yourself before anyone else. Love your stories, your characters, and the part of you that loves them, and take that first step. The best time to start a new project was probably yesterday, but the second best time to start one is always now. ;)

[nerevarswritingstuff]

Line (Albedo/Reader) Pt. 2

“An assistant??” You turn from your easel to Sucrose, tilting your head. “For who, again?”

“Mr. Albedo—he’s an alchemist. He has a few official titles… Kreideprinz, Captain of the Investigation Team, Chief Alchemist…” Sucrose plays with her hair, twirling and twirling and twirling it around her finger.

You hum, turning back to your easel to continue painting. The name was familiar, you’ve heard it before while traveling around the streets of Monsdstadt and overhearing conversations during your sketching breaks. Actually meeting the guy was a different story. You’ve heard plenty about his accomplishments in alchemy and apparent charming personality.

Already your mind is painting a picture of what he could possibly look like, but you quickly bring a white brush to that canvas to keep it blank. For now you’ll just imagine him as a stick of chalk for now—considering one of his titles. No face, no personality. Just a blank canvas with a simple line that can be added to however you wish.

“I remember you were leaving soon for Sumeru for your project with the Amurta scholars—is this why you're offering me the position?” You ask, eyes glancing at her before going back to your piece.

No one really asked you to paint it, you just felt like doing something after so long of unpacking all your things. With your artist supplies finally out of the endless pile of boxes, your painter’s hand was itching for something. You decided to settle on painting the statue of Barbatos from memory first before actually trekking outside to do a more proper one.

“Essentially speaking, yes.” She takes a seat beside you, keeping arm’s length to stay out of your way. “At least—it could be a—uh—a trial run for you both.” She plays with her hair again, looking to the floor. “That way, if it doesn’t work out, there'll be no hard feelings… I hope that’s okay?”

“I don’t see an issue with it so far. What’s he like—if you don’t mind my asking?” Best to go in with a base idea of what his personality is before you go jumping in. You’ve gotten screwed over too many times by going in completely blind and would prefer to have at least one eye able to see.

She plays with her gloves, then her collar, her hands never able to sit still for long. “Well—his accomplishments in alchemy are nothing to laugh at, it’s because of him that Mondstadt was able to thrive in so many new discoveries—and also why so many people from around the world come to meet him.”

“Mhmm…” You hum to indicate you were still listening to her, leaning back in your stool to look at the whole canvas, eyes flickering over the piece before catching a small mistake and going to fix it. While it didn’t fully answer your question, it certainly gave you an idea to what level his intelligence was at with alchemy.

“He’s a very kind and intelligent man—oh, and he also is an artist as well!” She perks up at remembering the little detail and offers you a smile. “He’s… well, more into sketching, but has painted a few pieces before.”

Ah, a fellow artist. You can’t help but wonder what his style would be like—is he the type to stay realistic or go abstract, or just go with whatever weird mixture he thinks looks nice to him?

“So he’ll be a mixture between my boss and an art buddy?” You chuckle, catching the blush on her face at your teasing. “He’s not the type to talk down on you… is he?”

Sucrose quickly waves her hands and shakes her head. “Oh no, no, no! Never! He actually is very patient and understanding, even if talking to people isn’t his strongest suit, he still is extremely polite.”

Alright, that’s good to hear. At least he wasn’t a stuck up know-it-all. You nod, keeping your smile gentle. “I was just checking. Maybe teasing a little. Just a bit.” You laugh at the look on her face. “Hmm, I suppose we can work out a meeting. Is he available to discuss it right now?”

“Ah—I believe so. But—aren’t you busy? I can go let him know—he asked me to anyway—”

“Not busy enough to keep me from setting up a meeting at least. I’d hate to use you as a messenger back and forth because a) it’d make you tired and b) it’d be inconsiderate of both of us to assume you’d be okay to do this when you still need to pack your things for a long trip to Sumeru soon.” You do one final stroke of the brush on the statue’s wing and go to stand up.

“Well… I might have… just told him about this before coming to you to tell you…” She pokes her fingers together, unable to meet your gaze. “It was—a bit of a—uh—last minute decision, since the plan kind of got a rock thrown in the way, and—and I was trying to find a way to make it work out, and—”

“It’s okay, Sucrose. I understand, and I’m sure the Chief Alchemist wouldn’t mind either.” You give her shoulder a pat and a reassuring smile. “It’s not in your control when things get changed around, so the most you can do is try to work with it, yeah?”

“Ah... yes… thank you for understanding. Then, I suppose I can show you where his lab is in the Favonius Headquarters…” She stands as well, fiddling with her hair all over again. “Are you sure it’s no trouble? I can take you there later, if you’d like. I’d hate to inconvenience you.”

“It’s not an inconvenience, it’s best both of us know what time and place we’ll be meeting at in the next day or so—that way we can prepare our own questions and whatnot.” You smile, then frown and ask, “He won’t care if I’m covered in paint, will we?”

“Hmm, I don’t think so. Besides, you’re not that covered in paint, at least.” Even as she says that, she’s already grabbing a wet cloth to give you and pointing to her cheek. You take it with a chuckle and wipe your face.

You take a moment to stretch, hearing your back pop in several different places, before heaving a sigh. Grabbing your hat with your Dendro Vision, you secure it to your head and smile. “Alright, lead the way.”

“Of course.” Sucrose takes you outside, making sure to lock the apartment before hurrying down the streets towards the Knights of Favonius Headquarters. Already several people were giving you a look of curiosity—mainly because of your clothes being covered in paint. Your pants were the worst of it, absolutely coated in a mixture of colors from you brushing your paint covered hands or your brushes onto them.

Not like you minded anyway, it was no different from all the other places you’ve been to and needed to go out in the middle of painting to get errands done. You just walk with Sucrose, ignoring the looks, but unable to ignore the feeling of someone staring at and through you. Yet when you look there is no one to be found.

Weird, if not slightly unsettling.

Entering the Knight’s Headquarters is when you start to feel very underdressed. The knight’s armor looks pristine, secretaries and messengers alike dressed to the nines. But you quickly push the feeling away, no need to fret over something so trivial. Not like this was a fancy gathering or anything.

You glance at your painting of Jueyun Karst hanging in the main hall and smile. Ah, what wonderful memories of several days camping out in the wild, keeping your painting safe from the wind and rain alike, and dealing with hilichurls trying to eat your paints, thinking it was some kind of food paste. Sure won’t be the last time that happens.

You follow Sucrose down a hallway towards a door that has a sign on it, reading No Experiments in Progress. You raise a brow, looking at your friend but she says nothing as she knocks twice on the door, stepping inside after a gentle, masculine voice says, “You may enter.”

You step inside, eyes roaming about the area. Yup, it’s your typical alchemy lab. Plenty of beakers, tables, notes, and a lot of things you know absolutely nothing about. You keep your hands to yourself, despite the desire to poke and prod at a few funnily shaped beakers and look forward to the source of the voice—whom you safely assume is the Chief Alchemist.

The first thing you’re met with is a pair of eyes that remind you of two chips of glass with the sea behind them. His blonde hair held such a stark brightness to it, it could be mistaken for white if the light hit it just right. It was askew in several different places, haphazardly tied back but several strands still lay in his face. You tilt your head, eyes taking in each detail as the blank canvas in your mind of his appearance continues to paint it and put it to memory. 

He’s only a couple inches taller than you, from what you can garner.  He somehow manages to look young, yet mature. Perhaps your age, give or take a year? A soft curve of his cheekbone, but a strong chin, a short nose that seemed to detail his face well, his eye shape round and giving it a gentle appearance. His outfit was as you expected any alchemist to be—white lab coat and all. A bit more detailed than you expected, but you suppose that’s because of his standing as Chief Alchemist. Your eyes linger on the Geo vision nestled on his collared shirt, then the star shaped birthmark on his neck. A curious sight indeed.

Your eyes flicker back to his, noticing he was taking in each detail of your appearance as much as you were with his. He takes in your face, your paint-stained clothes, your own messily brushed hair, to your Dendro Vision clipped to your hat. His expression didn’t change by an inch as he committed your appearance to memory, yet when he noticed your Vision, there was a shine in his eyes that hinted at curiosity.

You can hear the wheels turning in his head, but can’t think of the thoughts that could be going through that mind of his. Perhaps he was curious on how Visions work for every wielder and wanted to find out what yours could do. Maybe it was something else.

During his examination of you, somehow he manages to keep his expression blank yet serene. Then his eyes meet yours and you offer a smile, asking with a light lilt in your tone, “Chief Alchemist Albedo, I presume?” You step forward, offering a hand to shake and telling him your name.

He nods, a smile easily falling into place on his features that somehow makes him look more tranquil. You can’t help but wonder just how many people crush on him just for his looks alone. He takes your hand and gives it a single shake. “Yes, though you may simply call me Albedo. I’ve no need for such official titles,” he says, making your brows shoot up. 

Admittedly, you weren’t expecting such a voice to come from him. At least not one that mature, given he looked so youthful. Yet it seemed to add the finishing touches to his entire person. Gentle like the padisarah’s from your homeland, yet also firm and sturdy like the mountains of Liyue. It fits him well, you feel.

Shaking off your initial shock, you mentally pen down his request. “Alright then, Albedo. Well, I won’t beat around the bush—Sucrose said you needed a new assistant since she’s leaving for Sumeru soon. I wouldn’t mind giving it a shot, but obviously we’ll need to arrange a meeting so we can get down and dirty with the details.”

A pause, your eyes roaming his face. There was a slight twitch in his shoulders, relaxing some. Hmm, curious, but you make no comment. He says, “I believe it would be best suited for us both to go over the details of the arrangement, yes. I’m assuming you being here is to arrange the time and place of the meeting?”

“Mhm,” you pocket your hands and shrug, “I’d hate to use Sucrose as the messenger between us since she has her own schedule, so I figured she could show me to your lab and we can discuss from there.” You turn to Sucrose with a soft smile. “You don’t have to stay, I know the way back home. You should get your stuff packed up.”

“Ah—are you sure?” Sucrose looked between you and Albedo.

“When is your caravan leaving, Sucrose?” Albedo asks, putting his thumb and index finger to his chin.

She doesn’t answer immediately, eyes darting around as she recalls the details, then says, “It’ll arrive in… three days, and will be leaving at noon.”

“Then it’d be best to ensure your equipment and supplies are packed post haste then,” he tilts his head to her, saying in a soft tone, “There’s no need to fret over either of us, Sucrose. This project is important to you, therefore it should be number one on your list of things to prepare for.”

“It’s exactly as he says,” you pat her shoulder, “you’d say the same to me or him. So go on, I’ll meet you back at home.”

She looks like she wanted to argue a bit more, but after a moment of giving it some thought, she  relents, “Alright. Thank you so much, both of you.” She gives you both a smile, adjusting her glasses, before hurrying out the door.

You face Albedo again. “So—about our meeting, I’d like to make sure we at least have a time and place set up before anything else.” You hum, tapping your chin, then ask, “Would you prefer it to be private, or somewhere in an open space?”

“I was actually going to ask you the very same question,” he chuckles, “I have no preference for either, truly. Though, giving it more thought, perhaps a private setting would be best for this situation—it would be less likely for us to be interrupted, as… admittedly, many people try to converse with me on the streets about new alchemy findings.”

You can tell just from the way his voice dipped and shoulders drooped that he’s not the biggest fan of interruptions. It’s possible he’s too polite to say much about it, but that remains to be seen. You smile, saying, “Alright, so a private setting then. Perhaps here in the lab, or my apartment, or is there a specific place you’d prefer?”

“Hmm… I wouldn’t wish to impose on you or Sucrose and the lab has too many volatile things sitting about right now… Ah, there’s plenty of meeting rooms within the Headquarters we could use to discuss the terms of this contract, if that sounds reasonable to you?” He gestures to you, brows raised in question.

“That sounds fair to me. How does… two days from now sound, around noon? I can bring us coffee—or do you prefer tea?”

“Coffee, please. Just a simple two cream and two sugar.” He takes a pen, writing something down on a piece of paper, then faces you again. “I’ll meet you within the main hall of the Headquarters—there’s many meeting rooms here so it would be beneficial to ensure you didn’t get lost within.”

“My thanks for that, I’d like to not get lost in such a big building,” you laugh and he shares a small chuckle with you. “Alright, then two days from now, noon, coffee—two cream, two sugars. Sounds like an appointment.” You hold your hand out to him again. “We’ll obviously discuss everything else in further detail during the meeting, but I’ll get out of your hair now since you’re most likely busy.”

“Ah—yes—that is much appreciated.” He takes your hand, gives it one shake, and then pulls away. “Until then, I look forward to our meeting.”

“The feeling is mutual. Until then.” With that, you step out of the lab. Remembering the path Sucrose took with you in tow, you follow it towards the main hall and exit, beginning your trek back to your apartment.

Alright, so first impressions of Albedo were a mixed bag. Nothing negative so far, but it certainly looked like he wasn’t expecting you to just show up and arrange a meeting. Nor did it seem like he was the type to enjoy long-winded conversations just from his mention of people stopping him in the streets.

A bit introverted, isn’t he?

Even so, just from the way he spoke to Sucrose, you could tell there’s a kind soul in him. Much like she said, Albedo has this air about him that radiates patience and understanding for unexpected situations—such as Sucrose’s impromptu offering of you being his assistant. Even if talking to people didn’t seem to be his strong suit, it looks like he still does what he can to accommodate others.

Such an interesting guy. You find yourself growing more and more curious about him.

Well, you have two days to wait—might as well utilize that time to help Sucrose pack and get some sketching done.

[scyphosunny]

vargastober day 6 ! posted ( partially ) on time . what about it . . .

when i got ideas nice and set for the rest of the prompts i knew for a fact it was likely for me to skip days 4 and 5 . mostly because i didn't have any ideas .

though , i did find a piece that worked for denial ! everyone thinks about edgar being gay every time denial is mentioned , which of course is funny and great but i had something else in mind XP there's a lot of denial in the whole story . so i definitely could work with something !

well , i skip day 4 and i was ready to work on day five on saturday .

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤbut ! there was a little detail . i had a birthday party on saturday ! all of my highschool best friends would be there , and i wouldn't miss it for anything !!!!!! i miss my friends . i really do . so , once i finished with day three's piece , i told myself i'd work on denial right after taking a short break , so i could just have it nice and ready to post on saturday , like i did with the first piece i posted .

the thing is ! taking short breaks never works with me ! i don't really remember what happened on friday . . . but i probably watched code lyoko with my sister and then got distracted with literally anything else .

it was 2AM probably , and i decided to start working on it . while the composition wasn't even hard to work with , ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤI STRUGGLE DRAWING 90% OF THE THINGS EXISTENT so i didn't get a sketch i liked :[

not gonna lie , i didn't feel like drawing that day . and knowing myself , pushing myself to draw more than one piece a day never works . i don't have a lot of energy to draw most of the time . at the end of the day , i decided to save the canvas and go to sleep once and for all .

ANNOYING , I COULDN'T EVEN GET A GOODNIGHT TWEET FOR HAWKER !!!!!

woke up the next day , went to my birthday party , had a lot of fun ! danced just dance until i couldn't anymore . won most of the rounds , as usual ! B3 the whole thing about that party was huge for me because that was the party that started my constant suffering last year ! ( ?? ) i remember getting invited to a party on october 2023 , dancing my ass in just dance , going home , working on a small piece for day 1 , and getting sick the next day . had to stay home for a week , then EVERYTHING STARTS HAPPENING AND ohgod

i will NEVER stop talking about october 2023 guys . TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE !

this time , though , i didn't get sick ! ( everyone cheers ) just sore . i might have danced popipo too hard .

i didn't want to miss the day man , so i tried to work with yesterday's sketch and idk , maybe putting some color in it would save it . it usually does .

so i tried and man uh i don't know , i tried to use the sketch as the line and didn't work , it would probably have been better if i used another brush or something , i did re-do edgar's face ! added a bunch of things to try and make it look better , but since i didn't even like the sketch in the first place i wasn't even REALLY trying to fix it . it's like my brain was like " hey you know this isn't going to work , why do you keep adding stuff to it " and meanwhile i was half asleep adding weird colors and random details . i would've tried harder or something but i remember being super sleepy . i would close my eyes for a second , then open them and not remember what i was doing or realized i moved random layers around while i had my eyes closed . IT WAS KINDA FUNNY BUT ALSO KINDA SCARY , i get sleepy while drawing often but not enough for me to actually doze off while sitting .

ngl , maybe if i tried to push myself through while i wasn't sleepy and actually gave myself the time to draw lineart with another brush , mmmaybe , mmmmmmmmmmmaybee ????? i don't know

wake up on day 6 and i didn't want to salvage day five's piece . wwwwhatever , i want to post at least one , ONE ( 1 ) piece on time , please . i usually try to wake up at ten to get everything done and work on these on the afternoon instead of at 3:999999AM for some reason , but it was sunday ! and on sundays my mom goes and buys food to have for breakfast . well she takes a while and we end up having breakfast at 2PM . i didn't want to wait , so i got back to sleep and woke up after 12:30PM .

this was the piece ! hmm . . . looking back at it , DOESN'T EVEN LOOK THAT BAD , WHAT . oh wait , it's probably just the saturation on my pc's screen making it look better . ah , well .

this what i see . SOME NICE SATURATED COLORS MAKE EVERY PIECE 10000X BETTER !!!!!!!

well , woke up pretty late and i spent an eternity roleplaying with my jake character.ai bot , so i didn't start working on the piece until evening . ugh WASTING TIME AS ALWAYS !!!!

i didn't write any notes for fear , ugh . let's see . . .

first of all ! i did this thing to get my ideas organized . i still need to sit down and work on it , get references for every prompt , mark the days i won't be home , mark the ones i'm most likely to skip . . .

i was so excited for butterfly , man . i got the hardest reference ever and honestly my brain was just waiting for me to finish fear and work with butterfly instead . TIME TO FORCE MYSELF TO DO STUFF ONCE AGAIN

( oh well , i did some research to find the original artists of these pieces . the first one seems to be made by @.tech_280 , but i couldn't find their account anywhere ! maybe they changed their username or deleted the account , who knows . . . that and i couldn't find the artist of the second piece . if someone knows , please let me know . . . )

these were the main references i had in mind ! something pixel-ly and saturated . nothing too deep . . . i was thinking . maybe something based on chapter 23 ? the one where nny kills jimmy right in front of edgar and edgar doesn't take it well . i decided to re-read part of the chapter to get a clearer pic of what i wanted to work with , and oh god poor MAN . everything just happened in seconds , and he didn't even have time to process it before he had to go back and talk to johnny . i feel sorry for him

lol it's funny that you could mention any vargas event and i will go and say the exact chapter where it happened . idk , and acquired ability it seems

TIME TO WORK ON THE PIECE ! i started with a small , ugly sketch . i don't like drawing faces facing front . ugh

i trimmed it just enough for it not to look like shit . i'm so bad at expressions , gah . he had his glasses initially , but they didn't look right for some reason . still , i don't think he had his glasses on during this scene . sssoo bye bye glasses . hmm , looking back at it ! i didn't draw the tears on the final version ! ah , well . he didn't cry until he had to puke . god , poor guy

lol here's a screenshot i took yesterday , i drew a hand for him and i didn't remember i had the symmetry ruler on , so now it looks like w . d . gaster is behind him or something

then , time to draw the line ! i knew since the start i wanted to use a binary brush . binary brushes are always fun to work with ! last time i made a drawing using a binary brush , i had to go back to sai2 because i didn't know if csp already had binary brushes . told brusk about it and she found some for me !

still , i didn't like them :// they had this annoying thing where . . . uh , i don't know how to describe it . here have a gif

idk what that's called but i didn't like it . also , they had pressure . i know for a fact that i could just go and move some stuff in the settings for it to look better but i wasn't feeling like it ( and idk how to do it either i am stupid i'm sorry .

alright , back to sai2 it seems ! i enjoy working with sai2 . takes me back to the old days ( ?? ) i dislike the lack of a liquify tool , though . . . so useful !! literally my best friend on csp . mi más real .

lol for some reason i thought it didn't look BINARY ENOUGH so i was so close to do the whole thing in MSPAINT like srs but mspaint doesn't have layers and i need layers to work on something . my pieces usually have between 50 to 300 layers depending on how elaborate the piece and the coloring are . . .

went for sai2 though . of course . i liked it better than the sketch already , which was a relief . . . I DIDN'T WANT TO FAIL AGAIN

details like the freckles and the nose were hard to get right . . . they're usually low opacity or blurry and i couldn't really do that with a binary brush . . . so the freckles are just sitting on his face awkwardly lol

for the background i just scribbled it like that one basil pic i took as a reference . as you can see , the sketch originally had some harsh shadows on the side of edgar's face . the version i exported first had these shadows but i removed them because they kinda looked like bangs ?? my boy had a whole emo fringe if you squinted hard enough . it looks good in the sketch but didn't like it on the actual thing .

i had to export and go back to the file to add details like , four times ! removing some shadows , the slash on his neck from when jimmy tried to stab him but he dodged , adding more scribbles , making a white outline , adding blood on his face . . . .

then i got the pic on csp just to add some gradients , and i brusk mentioned that it would be cool if i added screentones for the shadows !! and i was like oh my GOD you're right . i forgot screentones even EXISTED what the fuck . so , added some screentones too .

ooh , and i wanted to do that thing zarla used to do a loooong ago of adding a bunch of text on her drawings !

this one , for example . . . i wanted to take a screenshot of her whole devart page but idk what tumblr thinks of gore so

so i tried ! i got some dialogues of chapter 23 , this part right after mmy gets killed and scri is trying to get edgar to TALK TO HIM or do something idk

i got all the text , then added it to the piece ! i didn't know if i liked it , to be honest . . . i just chose the font i use for everything right now but i didn't know if i wanted to use their actual fonts for it . meh , i left it as it was . . .

then , i added some chromatic aberration and it was ready !

og ver + something i edited like half an hour ago

took four hours ! which is a short time for me . i like the result , though i'm kinda worried people might not like my art anymore thanks to the lack of warm colors and stuff but HEY THESE PROMPTS ARE MAINLY HORROR THEMED OKAY WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO ???????????

nyne said it gave the vibes my computer gave old , it seems

( excuse to show how my pc looks . MY CSP SHORTCUT EVAPORATED WHILE I WAS WRITING THIS and i had it with the cl icon and everything :CCC

( don't ask about tomato way please

russlan said it looked like if hawker tried to draw in my style . i do see it lulz

and , hawker made a really interesting comment about it !

if you think about it , you can't actually read if the words there say " i couldn't save him " OOOORRR " i SHOULDN'T save him " , and if you think about it that way it just makes the whole thing so much more interesting . edgar knows that mmy is a piece of shit and he kind of DESERVES TO DIE . but he doesn't want to let another person die thanks to his inaction , so he wants to save him even if he KNOWS HE SHOULDN'T . it could also be both edgar and scriabin's thoughts ! edgar wants to save him , while scriabin knows that he shouldn't . hawkie was so excited by this thing and it was kinda cute lol . this is where i pretend that this was always the intention of it oohh yyyess i definitely thought of that myself yyes y

i woke up earlier to write this entry since i spent the night watching tiktoks and didn't write a thing lol , i spent so long with this one because i kept getting distracted . agh

i should work on today's prompt now ! i have a huge idea for this one but it's uh kinda similiar to what i drew for fear . so now i'm actually wondering if i should search for another reference because i don't want to keep doing the same things . GAH I ADDED THIS PROMPT LITERALLY JUST AS A TREAT FOR MYSELF , WHERE ARE ALL OF MY DIARYVERSE IDEAS . CAN I GET THEM BACK

that should be all ! hopefully i'll have a pretty piece to post at night . X33

[squish36-writes-and-draws]

19 November: Unraveling

Word count: 1170 (ish)

TW: the mildest swearing yet, camera unreality

General Taglist (lmk if you want to be added/removed!): @stellar-lune @faggot-friday @kamikothe1and0nly @nyxpixels @florida-preposterously

@poppinspop @uni-seahorse-572 @solreefs @corruption-exe @rusted-phone-calls

@when-wax-wings-melt @good-old-fashioned-lover-boy7 @dexter-dizzknees @abubble125 @hi-imgrapes

@callum-hunt-is-bisexual @callas-pancake-tree @hi-my-name-is-awesome @katniss-elizabeth-chase @sillyguy-supreme

@void-kill @thefoxysnake @the-pre-quiz

Unraveling Project Specific Taglist (lmk if you want to be added/removed/upgraded): @cutebisexualmess @crippling-pages @daizythegreat @sophiefostersno1stan @iggydancebreak

@theleopardstalker @you-will-meet-your-downfall @multi-fandom-lunatic

On Ao3 or below the cut!

First (3 November) / Previous / Next

Keefe Sencen's Journal

    Yesterday had the honour of being another day in which I was ruled solely by the tide of my emotions, and I am all the happier for it. Each day, it’s just a little bit harder to remember reality and pretend that maybe there’s a chance that this could be my life. It can’t, but I want it to be so bad. Reality has to come in and be dull and, uh, realistic. So rude of it, honestly. 

    And then all of that just fades away when Florent brushes against me and I know he’s just as into me as I am him. How hard would it be, really, to go down into the catacombs and make a little life for ourselves until the world forgets that we even exist? 

    Nevermind the fact that I was never supposed to get myself involved with anyone in the first place. 

    To be completely fair, it’s not my fault that he’s so pretty. It’s kind of impossible to not notice. It’d be more concerning if I didn’t. 

Transcript of Keefe and Florent Interacting. Again.

    How many more times are these two going to have the exact same conversation? We all get it. Plants are things that exist. Nobody fucking cares. Nobody should have to put up with this for so long. The best part is that none of the information is actually retained. It’s great.

    Florent asks, “Do you remember what this plant is?” to which Keefe’s response is, of course, absolutely not. It’s a tiny thing sticking out of the ground. That barely even counts as a plant. 

    Florent sighs, turning towards Keefe with something like affection in his eyes, strangely enough. “That’s a dandelion. There’s quite a few of them around here, if you haven’t noticed.”

    Keefe nods, and shows Florent a sketch of a plant. It’s unclear, but it has similar fan-shaped leaves as the pures. 

    “Remind me that one day soon we need to figure out how to get you to DM a DnD session.” 

    Keefe shakes his head, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks. 

    “You’d be so good at it, I promise. I’ll start working on finding some victims.” 

    Keefe smiles, almost laughing before the expression drops from his face as he fixates on a point past the available field of view. 

    Florent notices this shift, and asks, “You good?” 

    Keefe weighs his options, most of which are not ideal, before finally saying, “Not here.” His voice is crackly from disuse, and he coughs to clear his throat before leading Florent down an alleyway. 

    “This is going to be a long story and most of it is not going to make sense.” 

    “Keefe, whatever it is, it’s okay.” Florent takes Keefe’s hand into his own, his thumb stroking soft circles into his skin. 

    Keefe flinches at the touch and, presumably, the rush of emotions that it brought with it. 

    “Where do I even start?” Keefe pauses for a painfully long time. “The relevant information is that the real reason I’m here is because I’m hiding from my mother. That’s why I was in Australia last week, that’s why I don’t exist—well that and the fact that I’m an elf so it’s kind of hard to have human documentation—and that’s definitely not something I should admit to because you’re going to think I’ve completely lost it and—”

    Keefe’s sentence is cut off abruptly by Florent pressing his lips against Keefe’s, his free hand moving up to cup Keefe’s cheek. 

    He pulls away and they spend a long second gazing into one anothers’ eyes. 

    “Calm down. You’re okay. We’re okay. Now, what do you mean about the elf thing?” 

    “I don’t really know how to explain it, you know? There’s elves in DnD, right? I don’t know any of the lore so I don’t know how similar we are, but there’s a whole bunch of us elves and our society is kind of a dumpster fire, which is kind of a long story—I sound completely mental, don’t I?”

    “A little bit,” Florent admits. 

    “Okay, proof. What can I do?” Keefe pulls out an Imparter. “This is an imparter—that’s not enough for you. Uh—there’s a random thing that elves can do called blinking and, well—” Keefe flickers in and out of sight for a fraction of a second. “--That’s pretty cool, I guess.”

    “Excuse me, what?”

    “Blinking? Yeah, that’s just a thing that we can do.” He blinks again just for emphasis. 

    “Alright, you got me. I trust everything you say implicitly. What can I do to help?” 

    Keefe, notebook open, begins sketching an elvenoid figure. “If this guy comes up to you, you don’t know me. You don’t know where I am. I don’t exist and have never existed and will never exist.” 

    “Am I allowed to know who that is? Your brother?” 

    Keefe lets out a bitter laugh. “He’s one of my mother’s little henchmen. Don’t tell him I called him that. His name is Gethen and he is part of the organisation that my mother runs. Or, at the very least, runs for now. There have been quite a lot of managerial restructuring recently.”

    “Is it okay if I give him some plant trivia?’

    “Do what you have to do, my daisy. I’m sure he would absolutely hate it because he’s a bad person who doesn’t know how to have fun.”

    “You say that like you’ve ever listened to anything I’ve told you about plants.”

    “Yes, but that’s because you make my brain stop functioning.”

    Florent smiles, and they kiss again. Hitherto this variety of behaviour has been undocumented in elves, and, as such, it is quite interesting from a research standpoint. More investigation is required to find out if this may be a side effect of certain dependent variables. 

    “I love you,” Keefe whispers. “I want you to know that. I’m—there’s a very good chance that I’ll leave here and never see you again—”

    “I could come with you,” Florent interrupts. 

    “You have a life here.” 

     “Plants live pretty much everywhere. I have marketable skills.”

     “And you have a family. I don’t think they’d like it if you went off gallivanting through the countryside with a guy you met a week ago. Even if they did, you’re still subject to child endangerment laws. It’s not worth upending your entire life over.”

    “Then give me your damn phone number.”

    “I don’t have a phone.”

    “Email address?”

    Keefe exhales. “I don’t even know what that is.” 

    Florent breaks eye contact, focussing hard on their intertwined hands and blinking rapidly. 

    “I just don’t need you to get tangled into my mess more than you already have. I want you to be safe, above all else. It’s okay if you hate me for barging into your life like this and leaving it a mess. It’s a price I’m willing to pay and, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. For a lot of things.”

    “I love you too,” Florent whispers. “Come back here when you get a chance, alright? I’ll wait for you.”