#I sketched this last night and I finally got around to coloring it

[bizzyboys]

Hello Jade Harley fandom

[lynaferns]

Redraw (well, third attempt) of an old drawing from 2022.

Alright, this is a big one, so, PC users: left click the image, right click the image, open in another tab, zoom and see all the details you want.

Phone users: press down on the image, download, find image in your phone gallery, it will download at full quality so you can zoom and see all the details.

The fancy stars and the inside of the piano were a pain in the ass, everything else went pretty smoothly, or at least the average complications. I'm proud of how I mixed the colors in the piano. I was convinced I'd end up making a mess but it turned out nice.

Once again, this is finished because I decided so. I have no energy to make the final look I had in mind.

The piano alone, close ups (cuz the jpeg won't let you zoom at the very max and that sucks, so I screenshot from my art program) and an idea for an AU + youtube playlist I made that I relate too much to the AU under the cut. vvv

SO!

This was never supposed to be an AU, and I probably won't do anything regardless, but I got the idea while I was working on it last month. And since I have a liiiiiiittle basic knowledge of music and experience, specially in piano... well...

I had bad experiences learning music as a child so probably the story would reflect on that lol.

An old astral auditorium that's abandoned and in ruins during the day and gets all shiny and nice at night when it's illuminated by the light of the stars.

Sun, Moon and Eclipse are in charge of the place, they do their best at keeping the place standing… and are the main musicians that play for the stars every month, once or twice. The day and night transformation affects them too.

Violet (y/n that's not really a y/n at this point) is a young altruist and selftaugth violinist (yeah yeah, I'm very original with the names, hush) that came across this old auditorium. She starts visiting the brothers to play music during the day and decides to join them in the auditions to play for the stars, and help them modernize a little bit to attract human audience too.

The brothers play several instruments to be able to acompany each other if necesary buuut they each have a "favourite". Sun mainly Piano, Moon mainly Harp (can also play piano and viola to accompany Sun) and Eclipse can play any instrument Sun and Moon can and more, but likes accordion :)

Sun is the most strict one when it's about playing music even though he likes to mess around with songs and improvise during day hours when no body is around, but will feel guilty afterwards... Moon is a gremlin that likes messing up and playing with the instruments in ways you are not supposed to (like using the viola bow as a sword). Eclipse is easy going and will match the energy of their brothers while keeping them out of trouble. Clip doesn't really like playing for the auditorium and prefers improvising silly songs alone or with Sun and Moon.

You can ask me about this AU if it got you curious, I'll be glad to answer!

I still want to make the MC design at least. And maybe some sketch comics if I have the energy for it.

[quibbs126]

So I’ve been making this

So basically last night, I was listening to some music, specifically Not Gonna Die by Skillet, more specifically a version on YouTube with the intro (because I’m not the biggest fan of Good to be Alive where the intro actually is). Anyways, when it’s night, my imagination tends to be more active and I tend to have more energy. While listening to the song, I eventually got this mental image in my mind of this scene with Dark Choco, and the more it crystallized the more I wanted to draw it. I was going to go to sleep and maybe do it in the morning, but I realized that I probably would forget the vibe and not have as much energy, so instead I decided to power through and draw the idea

It was a bit difficult since I had limited references for the pose I wanted, and I suppose I can admit the sword looks a bit off anatomically, but it looks good enough I think, and lets me keep the eyes revealed

I did eventually have to stop drawing, because my iPad had been worked all the way down to 4% (and it was at 30% when I started, the poor thing), not to mention it was around 11:30 already which is pretty late for me, and my earbuds had been running nonstop for over 2 hours (yes I was listening to the same song, it’s how I keep the vibe). I was at least able to get the pose, base colors and lineart done, and I’m still pretty proud of where I left things last night

Today was mostly just doing the background and lighting, which admittedly I may have fumbled. I’m not very good at backgrounds and I didn’t know how to draw lightning. I tried my best, but honestly I don’t think I got the image in my head. Didn’t help that my brain was playing the wrong Skillet song this morning

Oh yeah and by the way, the background is supposed to be from this. That’s what I used as reference

The lightning both feels like too much and too little. Like, it’s crowding the picture, and I can’t have more because it’d be way too crowded with it, but also at the same time, it doesn’t feel like enough, like there isn’t as much power as I wanted

Actually wait, maybe I can add some small particle effects to like, enhance the lightning feel. That was in the original sketch but I omitted it in the final. If you see one with that, you know I did that

Edit: I did indeed do that

To be fair though, I don’t think I have the art skill to properly convey the image in my head. Basically the scene is that Dark Choco is using absolutely every amount of his power for this final swing down, so much that it’s too powerful and the Strawberry Jam Sword completely shatters. But also it’s too powerful that Dark Choco’s body simply can’t handle it, and he basically ends up exploding. The scene depicted would be the wind up to that final swing that destroys the both of them

This isn’t necessarily the first time I’ve come up with this scenario, and the setup would basically be that he turned on the Cookies of Darkness slightly earlier, because he didn’t want to destroy his homeland again, and he tried to get rid of them while in the kingdom but not yet at the Citadel, but he ended up failing, so with nothing to lose, he chases after them and decides to put everything into destroying them, even if it likely ends in his death. After this he probably killed Pomegranate and crippled Licorice in some way (I don’t think he’d attack Poison Mushroom), so his final act did have some effect, but he’s still dead by the end of it. And he and his father never got the chance to properly reconcile because Dark Choco thought that could never be a possibility anymore and he had resigned himself to his fate

But yeah, I just don’t know how to convey that sheer overwhelming power and emotion that this scenario suggests. I tried my best though

I also want to submit this to the Dark Cacao Forever contest, but I’m not sure if it’s good enough for it. What do you think?

[kingcrow01]

DC/Marvel Pool Noodle Party 2024

Week 5 | Mercs & Murder Husbands

Marc Spector & Harley Quinn, 0 fics!

@dc-marvel-crossovers

Here’s the outline of the event for those interested. TLDR, This event celebrates relationship tags that have less than 30 works on ao3, both platonic and romantic. The rarest of rarepairs!

Inspired by Harley harassing interacting with Marc and Damian in chapter 20 of in labyrinths of reflections by @blackkatmagic, specifically these lines:

“Fuck the hell off,” he growls, and gets a hand on her face as she tries to kiss his mask. She’s wearing a lot of lipstick, and he'd rather not run around the rest of the night with a black lip-print on his face. 

and

Harley blinks at him, big eyes and blond pigtails and smeared makeup that makes her look like a raccoon with a hangover, and then laughs. 

Ho-ly-shit, I cannot begin to express how happy I am with this piece! Initially I was having a hard time with MK’s suit, to the point that I was contemplating just dropping the whole project. (I hate drawing superhero suits, why do I keep on doing this to myself) Like always, all it came down to was retaking my ref and utilizing that handy-dandy line of action, and I finished it pretty easily after that.

Damian was a last minute add-on, and I wanted to draw him on Marc’s right side and a head taller (kids are bigger than you think!) but I ran out of room on the page. I ran into the same problem with Harley’s mallet; I wanted it to be bigger, but with the angle it had to sit at to rest against her thigh, I kept it on the smaller side. 

This piece has made it very clear how limiting my sketchbooks’ size is. For example, I have an idea for another week in this event, but it literally wouldn't fit in this sketchbook so I’m not going to make it. Digital art 1: traditional, 0.

I tried out a new lining style as well, and I’m never going back. Before, I was making every line the same width, but it’s SO much more impactful with alternating line thickness! I attached the lined final sketch below. Do you see how much of a difference it makes?? (Written early May, so I've been using this style since.)

Details:

I think it’s silly that Harley’s boots are covered in blood, but not her actual weapon lol

Harley is as tall as she is because she’s standing on her toes in platform boots

The tattoo on Harley’s midsection is of ivy leaves (though, it’s not poison ivy) as a sort of homage to Ivy. Not that she’s dead or anything. They’re just. Lovers. So, tattoo.

I got to put NO WORK into shading the black parts of MK’s suit, and that was FABULOUS

I wanted to give her colored shoe laces, because I love small details like that. I would love to give characters any color of laces, but some of them seem to have negative meanings, especially on Doc Martens, so I went the safe route and gave her purple laces, which represents gay pride. Yes, I know she’s bisexual, but I felt like I didn’t have many options.

[sirfrogsworth]

It was 1991. I was 10. And the other white kids at my Catholic elementary school started getting into rap. And I always thought if I did what my bullies did, they would bully me less. So I got a cassette tape of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch and the new "Hammer" album. He dropped the "MC" part of his name because he wanted to be taken more seriously as an artist and too many sketch comedy shows had made fun of parachute pants by that point.

So he was just Hammer.

Apparently I screwed up because they only liked the white rappers. Because they were all a bunch of little proto-racists. But that pretty much limited you to Marky Mark and Vanilla Ice. But I liked the way MC Hammer danced so I picked that out at the music shop.

Other things I tried to get on the good side of my bullies...

I learned how to play hockey (which I ended up really liking).

I had my parents get me a White Sox Starter hat. It had to be from that brand though. And despite being in St. Louis, it had to be the White Sox. For some reason it was cooler to root for a non-local team at the time. I guess that was the extent of edgy counterculture for 10 year olds.

I got shoes that had little air pumps in the tongue. You'd press a little basketball and it would inflate the top of your shoe.

Oh, and you had to get this Adidas jacket.

This was fun because it came in a bunch of colors but I got black just to be safe.

The Adidas jacket was my last attempt to get on the good side of my bullies. One of them took apart an ink pen and dropped it in my hood. I spent all day with it just jostling around and spreading ink everywhere. When I came home at night my mom noticed the entire hood was stained with ink. I cried my eyes out and she tried her best to clean it. And I think I got mad at her when she couldn't. I asked her to buy me a new jacket but I'm pretty sure they couldn't really afford to buy me that one to begin with. She assured me you couldn't even tell and no one would notice if I never used the hood. But the bully who did it knew and pointed it out the next day. And they all made fun of me for my ruined jacket.

I think it finally dawned on my tiny squishy brain that I would never appease these jerks no matter what I did. No matter how much I tried to fit in. And that's when I had the discussion with my parents to switch schools. They told me the only other option was public school. They worried there would be a lot more kids able to bully me. Because I was a weird kid and said weird things. But I wanted to try it. Plus, it probably saved them a bunch of money in tuition. My bullies all told me I was going to get stabbed because of the Black kids. But, in reality, it was the best decision I ever made.

It took me a little while to adjust. I had been so traumatized at my previous school that I had trouble controlling my emotions. So I would cry at the drop of a hat. And one of my teachers got upset with me because I'd cry if I got a bad grade or if I forgot my homework. One time my dog actually ate my homework and she didn't believe me and I cried, so my parents had to write a note for me.

But eventually I learned I was not actually a big weirdo as my bullies had said. I was funny. And I made people laugh. And they liked laughing. And it turns out, if you entertain people, they don't want to make fun of you anymore.

What was I talking about?

HAMMER!

Yes, that was my first CD.

And I liked 1 song on it.

Because Hammer got too serious and I wanted parachute pants.

[cradle-of-darkness]

hey!! I have lots of stuff I made for cfco (this thing!) that I really want to share and also just keep in one spot, so here's kind of a cfco """artbook""". LOTS of rambling about my ocs up ahead!!! you have been warned!!!!

old code foretold co-op art under cut ↓

first up is this little thumbnail of a mock up poster/book cover! this was made while cfco lived only in my imagination, before I actually started to seriously consider making it into something tangible. little did I know that I would eventually repurpose this design into the title art 😈

I realized this design wouldn't work vertically if i was gonna make cfco in google slides so I switched some stuff around and boom!!!! more detailed sketch!!!!!

here's a placeholder background I slapped together and used while testing out how I wanted things to look (textbox design, font, color palette, sprites). if you look closely at the background of jay and raziel's infocards you can see I used this for those since I didn't have the actual backgrounds drawn at that point. there were actually some earlier textbox designs with a little icon that was supposed to show the face of whichever character was speaking to make it more clear, but ended up cutting that since i thought it'd be unnecessary extra work for me

here's a thumbnail for what was supposed to be the final slide! I kinda wished I finished this but honestly I kinda forgot about it �� plus there wouldn't be a lot of room for the text in this design. I also think it's a little misleading because it implies evelyn is still In The Walls when she is not. she is elsewhere now. hopefully in therapy

some of the first iterations of jay my stupid clown son who I love oh so dearly. oh god where do I even start with him. well for starters these sketches are from OCTOBER!!!!! of LAST YEAR!!!!!! WILD!!!!!!!! anyway as you can see he's pretty different here. I can't talk about his design without saying that from the very beginning he was designed to be a foil to sylvie and I tried to get that across in just about anywhere I could. at first I just thought the idea of an "anti-sylvie" would be cool, but then that idea quickly evolved into a completely separate character.

I picked his epithet, "sunshine", to contrast "drowsy". I didn't wanna go for the exact opposite word to drowsy like "awake" or "energetic", but it got me thinking about night/day parallels and I figured I could do something with that, which made me land on "sunshine"

jay is a clown who dropped out of school and doesn't want to be taken seriously because he's exhausted from the restrictions his family put on him! meanwhile sylvie is a psychologist who graduated early and wants to be taken seriously because he craves respect and validation (possibly out of a lack of respect from his family). parallels!!! I could honestly go on and on about everything in jay's personality that foils sylvie's but I'll just stick to his design because idk if anyone else wants to hear all that 😭

so yeah uh back to his design. his mask used to cover his eyes! I changed it to cover his mouth since sylvie's glasses cover only his eyes, I thought it'd be more fitting if jay's mask covered whatever sylvie's glasses don't cover

he also had a star motif! I felt like this didn't line up with him being sun themed so I scrapped it

lots of jays!!! they're all squished together on one image because tumblr image limit

because his color palette is based off of an inverted version of sylvie's, I already knew I wanted his main colors to be blue, red/pink, black, and brown/bronze. I messed around with this palette a lot before I got it to look ok. there's some earlier versions of his design where he's more pink than red

his design here differs a little from what I ended up sticking with!!!

- the cuffs of his sleeves and his gloves got their colors switched around

- the clown nose on his mask became an actual separate piece instead of just a flat red spot

- the ruffles on his undershirt. gone

- slightly simplified bangs

- no more blue streaks in hair!!! I actually kinda wish I kept these :(

he was actually supposed to be much more outwardly malicious. like one of these characters who does whatever sounds the most fun at the moment regardless of the consequences or their morals. I thought it'd be cool if instead of the usual little shine I give characters on the side of their eyes, jay had a triangle shape towards the top of his eye that looked like a shine, but then when he gets serious and narrows his eyes, it's no longer visible and it makes his eyes look like there's no light in them

I gave him a subtle X motif because I thought it was like the opposite of a swirl. a swirl curls in on itself while an X sticks out sharply in different directions

near the top of the image is an idea for jay's "phoenix design". his powers aren't shown a lot in cfco, but I like to think that after he's defeated in a fight, he can revive himself for a short period of time... like how a phoenix is reborn 😱😱😱😱 anyway this design was supposed to be what he might look like after reviving. it needs some work but I like his hat

the bottom of this image is sketches for his sprites!!!!

and speaking of his sprites...... here's some quick sketches I made for some of his poses!!!!! I wanted his sprites to mirror the poses of some of sylvie's portraits, but with a contrasting emotion. when sylvie's angry he stands up straight and holds his arm out in an accusatory pose. when jay is happy he jolts up and reaches out his arm in delight. when sylvie is proud of himself he leans forward and gestures towards himself. when jay is nervous he jerks to one side and brings his hand to his collar out of uncertainty. can you tell how much I wanted jay to parallel sylvie

by the way while I'm on the topic I think it's worth mentioning: jay and sylvie are...... kinda maybe sorta oc x canon......... (LOUD BOOING SFX) I wrote them as friends and that's how they'll stay but I really love them together and I like imagining, in a scenario where they're both in better places mentally, they're in a qpr. ok. so what. sue me.

moving on from jay, here's one of raziel's first designs all the way from december of last year!!!! this was around when I started to roughly construct the plot of cfco in my brain. i really like how he looks here but I had to leave behind some elements of this design to prevent it from feeling too cluttered and to make them easier to redraw multiple times for their sprites. the design of their sleeves was actually based on a jacket I saw around this time that I thought looked cool

and finally here's evelyn! the first image is one of my first drawings of her along with an idea for what she would've looked like in the past. then the second is a sketch of her portrait compared to the final one. there's actually a lot I want to say about her and by extension cfco as a whole

in my head, cfco was a lot different. it just existed as little collections of scenes I would imagine that I thought I could string together and form a cohesive story out of. these little scenes started to evolve and become more complex, which made me realize I would not be able to make them into anything in that state.

cfco was going to have a much deeper plot centered around evelyn discovering a secret about how epithets function. this secret would have been a lot for one person to handle and being burdened with this knowledge would have caused her a great deal of stress, so she made a nearly impossible game which would reveal this secret to whoever wins it so that someone else can share this burden. I realized while writing the draft of cfco that at my current writing ability, I wouldn't be able to pull a story like this off, and also that whatever I made this secret would probably end up being not possible in the world of ee as more lore gets revealed, so I switched some stuff around and now it's not about that anymore, but I think a consequence of that was now the plot feels a little rushed and unpolished 😭 oh well

the mark on her chest was also originally a scar from something related to this version of the story. I wanted to keep that part of her design even though it's not a scar in the current version of her character, so it's a birthmark now

I thought the themes of "forbidden knowledge" accompanied by vague religious imagery were cool for the original idea and I had integrated these themes into the characters and story so much by that point that it'd be a waste to turn it back around so I figured I should just keep them in even if it makes less sense

raziel is very angel themed! the straps on the back of their jacket are supposed to look like angel wings. the circles all over their outfit is supposed to give the feeling of halos, or the many eyes of a seraphim. evelyn has a pomegranate shaped necklace and her hair is supposed to be shaped like a pomegranate. her surname even used to be plague-odd, pun on "play god" (which I ended up changing to a similar sounding name). raziel and evelyn also have angel numbers associated with them. raziel's is 111 (intuition) and it's present in his birthday, while evelyn's is 444 (protection) and is present in her age and birthday

that's about it!!! if you read this far thank you so much 🙏 even though it's not very good, I'm glad I made cfco after spending so long being scared to write something and share it online. not to be that guy who wants people to ask him about his ocs but if u wanna know anything else about these guys 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 u can ask 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 I love talking about them (especially jay. if you couldn't already tell he's the favorite child)

by the way here's all of jay and raziel's sprites. the links should hopefully work????

jay

raziel

[heda-in-the-clouds]

Here's a fluffy and cute story about how yoga!Lexa and surfer!Clarke met Fish the puppy. The lovely and amazingly talented @lexa-griffins drew this sketch of Lexa holding Fish for me. She's the absolute best beta I could have asked for

That's not a fish

Lexa dug her toes into the cold sand that morning as the early sunrise gently warmed her skin. She and Clarke were just a couple of days into their two week road trip for the summer.

After their passionate night under the stars, she decided to let Clarke sleep some more that morning. A shiver ran down her spine as she recalled last night's events.

The beach parking lot was empty which allowed them to open their van's backdoor and watch the sunset as they made love with each other. They were finally free to moan and scream out their pleasures that were only drowned out by the crashing waves.

Clarke took her from behind as they watched the sunset over the calm horizon. The dying rays of light warmed her skin while Clarke's vigorous thrusts warmed her core. As the waves pounded the beach, Clarke pounded into her. She felt every push and pull of Clarke's strokes like the ocean's tide. The waves crashing into the beach left the sand wet just like how Clarke's thrusts left her wet.

She finally saw a brilliant explosion of color in her eyes as she climaxed. She couldn't tell if it was the plethora of colors from the sunset or her powerful orgasm blinding her. She didn't care as Clarke filled her.

Lexa snapped herself free from her memory when she felt her yoga shorts getting wet. It was too early to be getting those thoughts and she didn't pack nearly enough underwear.

She needed to cool down and focus her thoughts. She pulled out her yoga mat, laid it down on the cool sand, and started her early morning yoga routine. She went through her usual motions and gracefully held and transitioned between her favorite poses.

She got into a downward dog, closed her eyes, and meditated to clear her mind. As she meditated, she suddenly felt something wet licking her face. Opening her eyes, she was greeted by the sight of an adorable golden retriever puppy watching her curiously. She couldn't help but smile and gush at her new fluffy companion.

"Bark." The puppy playfully barked when Lexa smiled at him.

"What's your name cutie? I'm Lexa." She cheerfully asked as she continued holding her form.

"Bark bark." The puppy continued barking at his new friend.

"It's so nice to meet you 'Bark bark.' You're just the cutest thing aren't you?" Lexa lovingly blurted out.

The puppy bashfully tilted his head, looked down, and dug his tiny paw into the sand after hearing Lexa's compliment. The puppy then began prancing around hoping Lexa would stop whatever she's doing and play with him. Lexa couldn't help but grin at this fluffy bundle of joy.

The puppy then arched his back and leaned forward as he tried to copy Lexa's pose. She giggled when his floppy ears covered his eyes causing him to roll over onto his back and let out soft whimpers. Lexa quickly got out of downward dog, sat down and reached for him.

"I guess I'm done with yoga for today. It's okay puppy. You're alright. I'm here." Lexa soothed her new companion as she rubbed his belly. He gave her an appreciative bark.

"Yoga isn't for everyone. You should meet Clarke. She's really bad at yoga too." Lexa chuckled when the puppy tilted his head at her as if he could understand her.

Seeing a new place to sit, the puppy waddled over and climbed over her legs. He spun around in a couple of circles before clumsily plopping himself down onto her lap. He nuzzled into her stomach hoping to warm himself up. Lexa just beamed and gushed when the puppy finally settled himself into her lap.

"What are you doing all out here by yourself buddy? Do you belong to anyone?" Lexa asked as she rubbed the puppy's head and scratched his ears.

"Ow ow." The puppy whined which sounded like a 'No' to Lexa's ears. She then checked his collar for any tags but couldn't find any. She knew the beach was empty last night and this morning so she figured he was a stray.

"Well, you're sticking with me now. How do you like that?"

"Awoo" The puppy adorably howled and wagged his tail after hearing the good news. He then climbed onto Lexa's chest and began smothering her face with wet kisses using his tongue. Lexa giggled and laughed as her new friend gave her an early morning bath.

"I guess that's a yes puppy. I just gotta give you a name first. I can't keep calling you puppy."

The puppy then stopped lapping Lexa's face with his tongue and patiently stared at her.

"Mhm, what about Fish? We found you at the beach and my girlfriend is a marine biologist and crazy about them. What do you say Fish?"

"Awooooooo!" The puppy gleefully howled and smothered Lexa with even more kisses.

"Okay Fish. Stop. Let's go and show you off to Clarke." Lexa pleaded as she pulled Fish off her and set him down so she could roll up her yoga mat.

Fish bounced excitedly as he waited for her. Once she was done, she beckoned Fish to follow her up the trail to their van. Fish happily barked as he weaved between her legs during their walk.

As Lexa got closer to their van, she noticed that Clarke was already up. Her feet were hanging over the edge as she probably sipped her morning cocoa. Wanting to surprise her girlfriend, Lexa bent down so she could talk to Fish.

"Okay Fish. Are we ready to meet Clarke? She's so gonna love you. I mean how can she not with your big floppy ears, adorable brown eyes, and warm fluffy fur that's the same color as her hair." Lexa gently patted his head and rubbed behind his ears.

"Bark!"

"Shh! Don't want to ruin the secret just yet." Lexa grinned as she zipped her lips with her finger.

Fish stuck out his tongue which seemed like an 'Ok' to Lexa. She then gestured for him to wait there so he was out of sight. He bobbed his head up and down. Lexa smiled and silently told herself that Fish was already so smart.

Lexa then walked to the back of the van where she saw Clarke drowsily drinking her morning cocoa with her eyes still closed and their blanket wrapped tightly around her.

Sensing Lexa was near, Clarke immediately opened the blanket and her legs.

"Come on babe. It's cold. I need my girlfriend to warm me up." Clarke groggily uttered when she felt the cool ocean breeze penetrate her warm blanket fortress.

Lexa quickly stepped inside and between Clarke's legs. Clarke immediately pulled her in close and wrapped the blanket tight around them. They both leaned into each other and softly kissed. Clarke's hummed at the subtle taste of salt on Lexa's cold lips. Lexa moaned as she tasted the sweet chocolate on Clarke's warm lips.

"Morning love." They both greeted each other once they broke their kiss but still nuzzled their noses together.

"I missed you this morning. In fact, we missed you this morning." Clarke softly whispered to Lexa's ear.

"We?" Lexa furrowed her eyebrows.

Clarke pulled Lexa in closer with her legs and smirked into her neck when Lexa felt her hard against her shorts.

"I was hoping we could pick up where we left off last night. Since we fucked in front of the sunset, I wanted to go full circle and fuck you in front of the sunrise." Clarke murmured into Lexa's neck.

"Clarke you dog!" Lexa playfully slapped her girlfriend's chest. She suddenly heard Fish's tiny whimper next to her. He had inadvertently walked up to her after hearing the word dog.

"I'm sorry babe but you looked so peaceful this morning that I didn't want to wake you. It looked like you could use the extra rest." Lexa apologized.

"Besides, we still have plenty of more beaches to visit on our road trip. You have more chances to fuck me in front of a sunrise or sunset." Lexa reassured.

"All is forgiven babe. Now that you're here, what do you say about a morning quickie? I could use one to start the day and get my blood flowing. I felt your shorts and they're already wet." Clarke cheekily grinned as she rubbed Lexa's sides and began dipping her fingers into her yoga shorts.

"Claaarke. Wait, I have to show you something first and promise you won't freak out." Lexa uttered before she gave into Clarke's proposal for a quickie.

"Umm, ok. What is it Lexa?" Clarke inquired as she stopped squeezing her girlfriend's ass and let her go.

"Wait here. You're gonna love this surprise." Lexa then walked to the side of their van and picked up Fish who started licking her hands, eager for attention.

"Ready boy?"

"Bark!"

Lexa walked back to Clarke, cradling Fish in her arms.

"Meet Fish!" Lexa excitedly squealed as she shoved her puppy into Clarke's face.

"That is a dog." Clarke countered with a confused expression.

"Yeah, Fish." Lexa grinned as she began to rock Fish in her arms so his floppy ears began waving around.

"Bark bark bark" Fish happily barked at Clarke.

"You named the puppy Fish?" Clarke asked as she sat perplexed in the van as Lexa danced happily with Fish in front of her.

"Yeah, he's ours. I found him all alone this morning while I was doing yoga. He has no tag and there was no one else on the beach either last night or this morning so he must be a stray. We're adopting him because we can't just leave him all by himself here. He needs a family. Also, I named him Fish well because I found him at the beach and you like fish because you're a marine biologist so I put two and two together and ta-da, I came up with Fish. Look Clarke, he's so fluffy!!!!" Lexa breathlessly spoke before she shoved Fish directly in front of Clarke's face who was still processing in all the new information.

"Ours?" Clarke gulped nervously as four eyes stared longingly at her. Fish's tiny brown eyes watered as he let out an adorable yawn. Lexa's soft green irises begged as she pouted her lips.

"Ok, fine. We can keep Fish." Clarke finally gave in after she was overcome with emotions at how soft and cute Lexa looked holding her fluffy Fish in her arms.

"Awooooo!" Fish happily howled as he wiggled in Lexa's arms.

"Yay!!! Thank you babe! I love you. We love you don't we Fish? Fish say thank you to Clarke." Lexa gleefully squealed.

Suddenly, Clarke felt Fish's wet tongue slobbering all over her face as Lexa laughed hysterically in the background.

"Okay, I think Fish has said enough thank you's to me already babe." Clarke panted out as she tried to avoid Fish's tongue.

"Um Clarke?" Lexa shyly asked after she pulled Fish away from Clarke's now drool covered face.

"Yes love?" Clarke calmly responded as she wiped off Fish's drool from her face using their blanket.

"How do you take care of a dog? I've never had a pet before." Lexa quietly confessed.

Clarke groaned and sighed. This was going to be a long road trip.

[choochooboss]

Butlermas artdump! 2022 May - 2023 April

▲ "At your service!" ▽ "Leave it to me."

Before diving into the sketches I need to talk about this song. This remix slaps me to the moon and back. How can you improve perfection? You can't! So better head over to a new track! In other words, the Subway Bosses theme can't apparently be beaten, but this remix plays no second fiddle to it! Let this sexy jazz piano duet accompany this post featuring the handsome gents in their fanciest attires yet. (Fun observation: The song shifts themes pretty much in sync with the Sync Moves being used in Pokémas!)

By chance I got into submas & installed Pokemas during the first run of The Curious Tea Party event, a week before butler Ingo's banner. I was so hyped to meet the boys in game so soon, and I was super lucky to get Ingo on his release day! Emmet on the other hand eluded me until the very last day ahah (the struggle was real), but I was so glad to FINALLY REUNITE THEM. The agony for their situation was so painfully fresh at the time, that brought a bit of relief to the suffering ahah. At first the costumes felt a little strange to me, but now I adooore them. Dang, do they look dashing and sleek in those fancy tailcoats and mirrored monocles!!

One of the first doodles of the butlers, still learning how to draw the sillies and their funny hats.

Love the suit designs! The tailcoats make the twins look even more graceful and slender, and the tails would float when they dash around! The hats are almost comically large, but after drawing them many times they actually look the best that way! This time no funny clown shoes, but these classy loafers look pretty chunky! And fittingly they are wearing cross ties, which is also another word for railroad ties. Yes there's another train pun in their outfits! Pretty clever design! Emmet's outfit has warm light grey (I believe it's because in a white suit he would look ready for the altar ahah) with sapphire blue accents, while Ingo's is a grayish dark blue with ruby red accents for the contrast they have going in all of their outfits. Furthermore they embrace the ruby and sapphire colors in their EX suits, which make them look even more luxurious!! I imagine them wearing the regular costumes during daylight hours, then switch to EX for late night events and parties. About the details. The metal bits are silver and gold, both reflecting their personalities. Emmet likes to dress bold and go for the gold, while Ingo dons the slightly more modest silver. EX costumes trade them for cool onyx black. That's enough twaddling for this round ahah! Hope you enjoy the rest of my doodles, attempts and experiments! More butler art coming up soon!

They're eager to serve at any given opportunity, ready to dash by your side if you just give them a word, accompany you wherever you want to go, make sure you feel safe and protected, and offer to become your personal butlers... wouldn't that be a dream! Butlermas are the ultimate official submas fanservice!

"If I can be of service in any way, please let me know! I will come to your aid faster than an express train!"

"If you're ever out alone, please feel free to call on me. I'll get you to your destination safe and sound!"

[kararisa]

marigold promises

— 32. a letter and a promise [☕︎ = 2.5k words]

notes: happy birthday to me~ in celebration, here's my gift to all of you <3

cw: abandonment

10:08 p.m. 

You haven't had lights out this early in months. 

There's a first time for everything, you suppose. A good time as any to sleep in the same room as your estranged rival-turned-lab partner.

It's hardly the first time you've let impulse dictate your decisions — and it certainly won't be the last — but you would be lying if you said you were certain about how you felt about this whole mess you've gotten yourself into. In your infinite search for answers, all you've gotten are infinitely more questions. 

What the hell is going on? 

You shift on your mattress, disturbing the stillness of the night with the sound of crumpling fabric and soft shuffles. Albedo's room is more decorated than you thought it would be; certainly bigger compared to the rooms you get with a private one-bedroom dorm back on campus. An entire wall is covered in sketches and paintings — all of them his handiwork — with some photographs littered in between them. His desk lies in organized chaos, a mess of papers laying atop an old textbook with a decently organized box of pens and highlighters on the side.

Not paying you any mind, Albedo lays in his bed with his back facing you. The only light in this room comes from his phone which he's been reading from for the past few minutes, and honestly, you wouldn't be surprised if he's flipping through his digital flashcards just to get some last-minute studying done. 

Your shuffling disturbs the silence once more. Not once would you have thought that pushing through with your half-baked idea would have led to… this. Whatever this is. Is there a word to describe how surreal this all feels? A theory to explain how the hell you got here? 

How do you wrap your head around the fact that Alice walked through that door? 

Sure, you may have thrown out a theory to Yanfei a while ago, but that doesn't even begin to explain how Klee is connected to all of this. The fact of the matter is your theory is incomplete.

Albedo finally turns to you and asks, "How long are you going to keep tossing and turning? At this rate, you're going to wear out the mattress." You glare at him and respond, "It's not my fault I can't seem to get comfortable. I'm not used to sleeping with someone else in the room."

Amusement colors Albedo's voice as he replies, "Sounds like a 'you' problem."

Your frustration grows, and you snap back, "Well, you better hope I don't suffocate you tonight, asshole." You hear him snicker as you turn around, hoping to finally drift off into a peaceful sleep

Suddenly, you hear more shuffling from Albedo's side of the room. "I'm going to head out for a walk. Want to come with me?"

"A walk at this hour?" you asked incredulously.

"I can't sleep either, so come on. This won't take long," Albedo replied.

In response, you sit up and rest your hands on the mattress, “Where we headed off to?”

“It’s a train station away, won’t take longer than 10 minutes to get there.”

“Where are we even going for it to warrant a ride on the train?”

He takes out a cardigan from his closet, rolling his eyes, “Are you coming or not?”

“Fuck you, I was already getting up.”

Gods, you should have brought a jacket.

Considering it’s Mondstadt, you shouldn’t have been too surprised by the frigid air, biting through your clothes and clinging onto your skin — even after the holidays have long since passed.

You and Albedo sit on a bench overlooking the playground you saw just this afternoon, the slushie you're holding making your hand slowly go numb. The swings, seesaws, and merry-go-rounds stood silently as if frozen in time. The only sound was the faint rustling of leaves in the breeze. The moon, half-shrouded by clouds, cast a pale glow over the empty park.

Despite the darkness, the playground retained its picturesque innocence. The colorful slides and climbing frames looked like candy-colored castles, while the surrounding trees provided a natural canopy that seemed to cocoon the play area in a protective embrace.

You take a sip of your drink. You and Albedo sit on opposite sides of the bench. The silence between you two stretches on into the night. 

You want so desperately to move closer, to say something, to close the distance between you. But where do you even start?

As the sweetness of the slushie fades, so too does your illusion of distraction. You can feel the weight of your rival-turned-lab partner's gaze upon you, a silent challenge that threatens to unravel your composure.

You hear an amused sigh coming from your left, "You can sit closer, Cupcake. I don't bite." You don't know why, but you choose to inch closer. 

And closer. 

And closer. 

So close that your knee brushes against his for just a moment, and you pull away like that one second of contact had burned your skin.

You take another sip, desperate to stave off the flood of thoughts and emotions that threaten to overwhelm you. But as you feel Albedo's eyes on you, you turn your head to meet his gaze. 

"Aren't you cold?" he asks. 

"I wasn't able to bring a jacket, Sunshine." you shrug. Like hell you were going to admit that you've been freezing since you stepped out off the train. 

In response, he takes off his cardigan and drapes it around your shoulders. 

The ivory-colored cardigan enfolds you in its loving embrace, a gentle shield from the harshness of the cold. Its large buttons run down the front, each one a drop of brown against the ivory backdrop. You feel the three gray stars stitched into each sleeve as you put your arms through the sleeves.

You hug the cardigan closer.

"You seem to have a lot on your mind," Albedo adjusts the folded-over collar. You try to ignore the fact that his hand nearly brushed against your neck.

"It's nothing." you shake your head.

"Please, I know you better than that. You can talk to me about it if you want to."

Would it really be appropriate to bring up the many questions that have been brewing in your mind? His private life, his family affairs, they’re none of your business.

And yet.

A heavy silence falls between you and Albedo. Finally, you break the stillness with a tentative whisper: “I was just thinking about your mom.” You notice Albedo’s shoulders tense, and you realize that your words have hit a nerve. “What about her?” he asks, a subtle unease in his voice that you barely notice. But it’s there.

This was a mistake.

“She’s nice…” you clarify, “Just like how I remember her.”

You shouldn’t have brought it up. You shouldn’t have brought it up. A rushed apology spills from your lips, “Sorry, that wasn’t very appropriate of me.”

“It’s alright.” his tone is surprisingly gentle. “I kind of expected that you’d at least be a bit curious, really.”

“Still,” you say, “I shouldn’t have just brought it up like that.”

Silence falls between the two of you once again, and you take the time to empty your drink. With no other way to feign distraction, you finally take a look at the boy to your left. He tucks a stray strand of his pale blond hair behind his ear, and you can’t think of a moment that you’ve seen him free from his usual up-do. He idly fiddles with the straw of his empty slushie cup. A glint of silver catches the moonlight; it’s there that you see his pendant, his moon pendant, resting right between his collarbones.

You would do anything to ignore the palpable tension in the air. Tension that you caused.

“You have my permission to ask,” Albedo starts, “If you want to.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to pry.”

“Yes. So please, ask me.”

A pause.

A breath.

And you finally ask him the question that has been plaguing your mind since the day he returned to you: “When you left, six years ago… What happened?”

He leans back. You feel his knee brush against yours, but this time you can’t bring yourself to move away. Albedo meets your gaze and asks, “How much do you know?”

You shrug, “Not much. Just that you and your mother packed up for Fontaine one day and left.”

“That’s half correct. She was offered an opportunity to work at Aurum Labs — one of the most prestigious institutions in the world. Who wouldn’t say yes?”

He loosely crosses his arms as he looks towards the playground ahead of you, “She sat me down one day and told me about her decision. She would be leaving for Fontaine, and I would stay here. In Mondstadt. My own mother thought I was a burden, and that I would hinder her in her career. So”— Albedo gives a bitter laugh — “She left. She left me with nothing but a letter and a promise that a friend of hers would take care of me in her stead. And what’s worse is that a part of me still wishes she’d come back for me.”

Ah. 

That explains a lot. It explains so much.

But more questions fill your mind. How long has this been weighing on him? How long has he had to carry these burdens alone?

How long?

What do you say? He needs you, damn it. Say something.

But no words come.

So you do the next best thing: you reach out and place a hesitant hand on his shoulder. A small gesture to let him know that you’re here for him.

He looks at you in response, surprise flickering across his face before he quickly averts his gaze. "Don't look at me like that," he says, his voice shaking.

Puzzled, you quietly ask, "Like what?"

"Like you don't hate me."

You want nothing more than to comfort him and tell him that everything will be alright. Say something for fucks sake. 

Albedo’s hand goes to his pendant, his moon pendant, and clutches it tight, “I never bothered to text or call, I didn’t even put in the effort of sending you a letter. I could have done something but I didn’t. And I was horrible to you last year. I’m so, so sorry.”

The weight of your shared history and the silence between you threatens to suffocate you.

It wasn’t always like this.

From the moment you met, it was clear that the two of you were cut from the same cloth.

When the two of you were young, when the world was kind, you would spend countless hours poring over books and debating complex ideas. The difference between you two was once thinner than a razor.

But six years have gone by, and you're not the same kids that met in those fields near your childhood homes one summer day. The friendly debates became heated, the discussions competitive. You found yourselves vying for the same academic accolades, the same opportunities, the same ranking. You both became obsessed with outdoing each other, with proving that you were the better scholar.

As you grew older, you began to realize that the world can be a harsh, unforgiving, and mean place, baring its fangs and showing you just how cruel life can get. It's a sobering realization that comes slowly, creeping up on you with each passing year until you can no longer ignore it.

Maybe you got a little meaner too.

We are tabula rasa. Every person begins their life as a blank slate, devoid of any preconceived notions or beliefs. As people grow and develop, they begin to form their own understanding of the world. They learn to distinguish between light and dark, hot and cold, rough and smooth. They begin to recognize the faces of their caregivers, the sound of their voices, and the touch of their hands.

It is in the people around you that one learns about love, kindness, compassion. But it is also where one learns about anger, an ugly mixture of frustration and hostility that surges through your body like a raging fire; about bitterness, a knot in your stomach that eats away at you from the inside; about envy, that plants resentment in your heart and feeds off your inadequacy. And it is where one learns of hatred, a venomous emotion that seeps into your very soul, poisoning every aspect of your being. 

Yes, you were angry at Albedo. Yes, you were bitter when he first acted like you were nothing more than an obstacle to him. Yes, you were envious of his seemingly limitless intelligence, how answers to even the most difficult of questions came easily to him.

But could you ever hate him? Did you ever hate him? 

You learn that dreams shatter like fragile glass, scattering sharp, jagged shards that cut deep into your very being. Promises, once steadfast and true, crumble like dry leaves underfoot, leaving you with nothing but bitter disappointment and a sense of betrayal. In the aftermath, you find yourself picking up the pieces of your shattered dreams, each shard slicing through your fingers and embedding itself deep within your skin. 

You learn that the harsh reality of the world seeps into your veins and becomes a part of you. Defines you.

But even as the weight of disappointment and betrayal threatens to drown you, life continues to move forward. People come and go, leaving their own marks on the world and on you.

In those five years you’ve spent apart, you can at least take comfort in the fact that he had gained a mother and a sister. Alice, who would once travel all across the world for her academic pursuits, chose to stay in Mondstadt for the sake of her children. Klee, who would keep him grounded, gave him someone to care for. You wonder what it would be like to have a family that truly cared for you as Alice and Klee cared for Albedo.

Your mother has always been obsessed with the numbers on your report card, endlessly doting on you while claiming to want the best for your future. Your father couldn’t care less. Why would he, when he was off working in another region? You grew up barely knowing him.

Rhinedottir was no better for Albedo than your parents were for you.

And yet.

As you and Albedo sit side-by-side, you realize that there is something here that you never had with your family. And sifting through the shards of your shattered promises, you realize that they are not entirely lost.

You take his long-empty slushie cup from his hands and place it on the ground. For a moment, the world falls away, leaving only the two of you under the gentle glow of the moon’s watchful gaze. The next words you speak cut through the silence, "I could never hate you."

Albedo turns to you. He watches you as you take off his cardigan and gently drape it over his shoulders, sharing the warmth he has given to you.

Giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze, you finally, finally, find the words you want to say: “It wasn’t your fault.”

In response, he lowers his head, causing some of his hair to fall in front of his face. You tuck a single strand behind his ear, your sun pendant catching the silvery light of the moon, before gently guiding his head to rest on your shoulder. 

“It wasn’t your fault.”

— previous || masterlist || next

summary: you and albedo have finally reached a mutual understanding as your first year of college comes to a close. with a new school year comes a new beginning, and you start off strong with albedo asking you the oddest of arrangements: "would you like to be lab partners?"

author's notes:

yes, albedo is wearing the iconic taylor swift cardigan. and yes, he is a swiftie

the theory of tabula rasa (latin for “scraped tablet” — i.e. a “clean slate”) is a philosophical theory by john locke. this was also my favorite part to write 🫶

this chapter was so hard to get just right that i’ve had to redo it twice, but i’m really happy with the final result ^^

featured songs: I Wish I Was the Moon by Ewan J Phillips & almost home by mxmtoon

taglist (i):

@fvkkyu @mintreen @edreee @khyllynnn @xxmirrorballxx @aiikalvr @yaefics @unsterblich-prinz @aequha @alch3myy @lovely-althxa @nei-rinn @cridtiins @zestrya @skylions-den @moriiartt @theother-victoria @sunsethw4 @dazaisfavgf @serossidechick @koiir @lazy-sanns @sweetbunnybunbun @dee-zbignuts @redactedhimbo @yurstepm0m @fanfictwarrior @fuyaa @saoiirsee @ireallylikehamsters @kissingkzuha @whosxangel @kitsuvil @orionicchaos @blurr3db3rry @semi-orangeapple @kunikuzushiit @atlatcaheart @wrrapedroundmyfingerlikearing @scarafrisbee @lost-wicked-artist @kairxse @elysiasbae @eurekatanya @empathum @tatiratty @zannivrs @mikismusings @sunoo-bby @astolary

— the taglist is currently CLOSED! shoot me an ask or a reply if you've changed your url or you'd like to be removed.

[deerspherestudios]

How do you organise the process of creating a character? like, to me its too confusing, i dont know what i do first because there are TOO MANY THINGS TO DO, like backstory, personality, looks, what they like, so what would be the “steps” to make them?

(Since @isabellaswork asked the same thing recently I'm tagging you here, hope that's okay!) Omg I'm flattered I'm the person you'd wanna ask such a big question ;v;!!? Honestly the process is different for everyone, but I'll give it a go <3 This is how my process usually goes:

Personality first, backstory later. Flesh out the concept of the character before deciding their origin story if that makes sense.

Build a moodboard for your character! The more ideas the better!

Time for visuals! Sketch out multiple iterations, looking at the moodboard for inspiration. Colors go last.

Finalize! Once you've got your final sketch + colors, draw a proper illustration and see if you vibe with the design. Repeat previous steps if necessary <3

Extra: Since you've got the design and story down, add some fun facts. This is where interests, likes and dislikes go!

I'll use my VN characters as examples below in case someone wants it in more detail! Mychael (Mushroom Oasis) and Alma (Lift Your Spirits spoilers!! + horror imagery) process ideation under cut:

Usually I start with personality first. Because for me, when you first meet someone, you see what they're like in the present; their past doesn't matter as much until you get to know them. I can decide the backstory later so it doesn't limit the personalities I'm playing around with. Of course I must have gotten the idea from somewhere so these two things work in tandem most of the time.

Then it's just a matter of how they look!

After deciding on personality traits, I start by collecting references from everywhere, even the smallest of things. I think of how I want them to look plus how they would dress. Anything goes at this stage, so just go buck-wild gathering ideas!

Here's a moodboard for Mychael:

This one was for Alma, from their normal self to their monstrous self:

Then it's time for drawing and doodles. As I sketch, I look back at the moodboard I've made and pick out things I like, while drawing things really loose. Copy paste if I need to!

I've shared the ones for Mychael here, here and here! Here's some sketches for Alma from last year:

This part takes the longest but is always the most fun! Don't feel limited by what you had initially, just test out ideas! Here are the final designs!

Mychael(s):

Alma(s):

Then once I'm happy with the design I can flesh out the backstory as much as I like!!! so long as it fits the presentation of the character in current time. Of course this process can differ when you already have a story in mind and need characters to carry out the plot, but I'm definitely not big-brain enough to make an all-out story like that </3 I just enjoy designing characters visually haha

Oh and just for fun, I like to sprinkle in some extra (but kinda unnecessary) background info. It can be the most mundane thing but it gives them more life (to me at least!) Maybe they drink flat orange soda, or enjoy riding trains at night, or hate the smell of french fries, or think apples are disgusting etcetcetc.

Of course there's like, tips for professional character designing like silhouette, shapes, proportions but I assume this ask was for a more casual approach <3 That's all I could think of if I were to describe my process,,, I hope that answers your question!

To recap:

Start with personality traits and decide backstory later. Or work them together as one. It's more concept than visuals at this stage.

Assemble a moodboard for inspiration. The more ideas the better! Look up anything that might relate to your character if it helps.

Sketch, sketch and sketch again! Keep things loose and free. I usually start from the face, to clothes to accessories. Colors go last.

Finalize! Put everything together in one rendered drawing, and see if you vibe with it. You can always go back to previous steps if you're still not happy with it.

And you're done! :-)

[kirythestitchwitch]

Klaroline WIP Wed - Freaky Friday Time Travel fic - Part 2

Okay so FFTT fic won the poll so here you go! I gave an extra amount bc I couldn't decide a reasonable place to stop. Picks up after this snippet.

--------------------

While her vampire hearing might have been bogged down by the noise in the Square, she was annoyingly attuned to Klaus’ presence. His parting words reached her easily: “Someday, you will.”

She had gone to lunch grumpy and while fortunately Matt had accepted her grumbled explanation of having run into the hybrid menace–he agreed that would put anyone in a bad mood–she hadn’t quite been able to shake the vague itch that sat under her skin as she helped Matt struggle through algebra.

Even before Elena had been assisted into mind-wiping her whole personality, it felt like the only times she’d been needed were to attempt to twist Klaus around her finger, and those all had middling results that usually left her staring at her ceiling that night instead of sleeping. And now that Klaus wasn’t the worst monster in town–at least from her perspective–she hadn’t gotten a lot of calls recently. Maybe that was why she was so eager to help Matt: it was nice to feel needed.

And maybe that was the reason she had gone over to Klaus’ house when he’d blown up her phone with eleventy billion messages. Not that he’d freaked her out with his half-coherent voicemails. It was already a betrayal in several ways that she agreed to be friends with him. Admitting she cared? She tried to imagine what Tyler would say, his mom’s murderer friends with his girlfriend.

By the time she left the grill, Matt was consistently getting the correct answers on the tougher equations, and she’d worked herself into a ball of stress that only a hemoglobin juice pouch could sate.

Now, staring down at the small cardboard box on the porch swing, Caroline wondered what game Klaus was trying to play. Was he trying to make up for being a bit of a dick–okay, not really, but it’s the principle of the thing–the last time they spoke? If it was Klaus.

A ripped piece of sketch paper was taped to the top and she tugged it free. Her name was printed in Klaus’ bold handwriting, and she sighed. Picking up the box, she let herself into the house. Once in her room, she set the box on her vanity and told herself sternly she would deal with it later. Both AP Bio and AP Calculus finals were tomorrow and she needed to study. Really needed to study.

Pulling her books out of her school bag, she arranged herself comfortably on her bed, shoes off, color-coded notebooks at hand, rubber-banded stacks of flashcards at her hip. She put on soothing lo-fi as background music; she was ready.

Caroline’s resolve lasted an unfortunate seven minutes before she was pulling a pair of scissors out of her vanity and cutting the tape keeping the box closed. Pulling the flaps back revealed cottony packing fluff that she began pulling out until at last the real contents of the box were revealed. Nestled in more fluff, a thick chain with a chunky triangular prism on it sat in the box. It was old, the prism framed in gold. 

“Oh wow,” she murmured, picking it up by the chain and dangling it in front of her face. The stone was some kind of iridescent green with small cracks in it, and the frame of the pendant had markings on it. “That is… really ugly.” It rotated in the light from her lamp, and what looked like writing was down one side. Caroline put out a hand to move it back to get a better look at it, but the moment her fingers connected with the pendant, they stuck.

An odd whooshing filled her ears, and the light in her room must have popped because her vision went white.

“Oh shit!” She blinked rapidly, hoping she could see something, anything, while she shook her hand, trying to dislodge the necklace. Whatever magic bullshit was going on, she was going to kill Klaus when she got her hands on him, white oak stake be damned.

A pulse slammed through her and it almost felt like she fell past someone, and then she stumbled back and slammed into something that felt like bars. The necklace fell away from her hand and clattered to the floor; she left it there. Sparkles were dancing in her vision, slowly clearing into the view of an expensive-looking bedroom through a balcony door. She could see a large bed and a chaise lounge next to a bookshelf, another door that looked like it led to an en suite. It could have been an expensive apartment or a fancy hotel room, it was hard to tell. None of it looked familiar, and it certainly wasn’t in Mystic Falls. It didn’t even look American, that look that comes from being several hundred years old that few still occupied buildings had.

Pushing herself up against the balcony, Caroline turned around to take in the view and gasped. In the distance, the Eiffel Tower lit up the night horizon, the glow of a thousand lights brightening up the city. Some part of her was horrified, she’d clearly been kidnapped, she didn’t know how she was going to get home in time for her final unless Klaus could zap her back, and explaining this to her mother would probably ensure she was grounded for, she didn’t know, opening strange packages or something. Caroline should know better.

The other part of her was frozen, thinking how magical the city looked at night.

A soft noise came from behind her. “I would be open to giving the neighbors something magnificent to look at if you insist on the balcony, although I may have to kill them for the pleasure of it afterward.”

Caroline spun around at Klaus’ voice, poised to give him a piece of her mind, and froze. He stood in the door frame without a single stitch on, the lean muscles of his body on display for her like a feast, the tattoos she’d seen on his chest the one time, the trim waist leading down to his incredible co–she clapped her hands over her eyes. There was no looking, none. “Seriously, why are you naked?” She may have shrieked a little. “And why are we in Paris? Is this your idea of a date? Because you are taking me home right now, buddy. I cannot believe you kidnapped me.”

💗

[autie-j]

Conversation last night (with multiple people around):

My dad: "I remember seeing the Simpsons before I got married in 1989."

Me: "What month in 1989 did you get married again?"

My dad: "November."

Me: "That's impossible for you to have seen the main series then because the first episode ever of The Simpsons aired on December 17th, 1989 with the first episode being the iconic Christmas episode, Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire. You might be thinking that it's weird or interesting that the first episode ever was a Christmas episode but that's because it actually wasn't originally meant to be the first episode. The first episode was originally intended to be what eventually became the season one finale, Some Enchanted Evening. But Some Enchanted Evening was experiencing technical problems with its coloring and animation, so it swapped places with Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire with open fire being the premiere and Some Enchanted Evening moving all the way to the finale so it would have time to be reanimated. Before the swap, Roasting on an Open Fire was supposed to be number 8 in the production schedule which is why you rarely see Santa's Little Helper after the first episode in season one. And honestly I think it was for the best because while Some Enchanted Evening is a decent episode, Open Fire does a much better job of introducing the series and endearing the audience to all the characters. And it just has so much heart and really embodies the soul of the entire series. Another fun fact, the premiere actually didn't feature the iconic Simpsons theme song animation, which didn't appear until the second episode. So anyway you couldn't have seen the Simpsons in November because it didn't air until mid December. But what you could have seen instead was the series of shorts that the Simpsons family first appeared in on the Tracy Ullman Show in 1987. The animation in the shorts were actually quite crude because Matt Groening submitted basic sketches thinking the animators would clean it up but they just retraced it, leading to it looking a bit rough. While it doesn't look as refined it's still recognizable as the Simpsons family so maybe that's what you saw?"

Blank stares

Me: "...oh sorry, you actived autism special interest mode"

[peridotporygon]

what if i really was someone else? someone beautiful and powerful, suffocating to death on the other side of a TV screen.

click for better quality + extras under cut

close ups

EHHSHDHSHHSS so so so proud of myself!!! :D i sketched these in school without a reference and cleaned em up last night, finally finished rendering today!! i might go back n fix the background but im going to the doctor like right as i post rhis

this character is an oc but if im being fr this is probably kind of a vent,, anyways LOOK AT HER!!!

poorly explained lore is basically vie (blue-ish cat) isn't a living creature, she was synthetically made , the only part of her that's actually real is her consciousness. the purple cat on the right is an imagined version of her in a world where she got to actually exist

shes not actually blue though this is kind of just a dream sequence thing, i was messing around with blending options and accidentally fell in love with these colors

[mdashow]

I drew this sketch for a rockabilly witch ages ago and have been so busy that I only finally got around to painting it up last night. Took a while to decide on the colors but once I hit on turquoise and red, I was sold!

This will be available as a coloring page in my Etsy shop soon... 😁

[auxiliarydetective]

Sanji/Cora/Zoro Fic Snippets, Part 2

More of the prompts that @starcrossedjedis sent me!

These are both a bit more on the shorter side, hope you don't mind! Also, I originally promised myself I was gonna do fluff only, but a little bit of hurt/comfort snuck into the second one ^^"

Enjoy!

💛 Reunion Kiss/Relief

Cora was leaning over the railing, waiting for Usopp to come back up with Sanji. Whatever had happened to Sanji over the last two years, it was concerning, to say the least.

“That idiot,” Zoro grumbled, coming up behind her and wrapping an arm around her waist.

That was… new. Well, one of those things.

Cora chuckled. “You’re always so nice to him… Glad to know at least that hasn’t changed.”

Zoro spun her around in his arms, then placed a rough hand beneath her chin and kissed her on the lips. The kiss was oddly gentle, yet desperate at the same time, and all the while just as rough as Zoro’s kisses always were. It was the comfort that Cora had been yearning for for the last two years, mixed with the thrill of something new. When Zoro finally pulled away from her, she immediately missed the taste of his lips.

“Eager, are we?” she breathed.

“Can you blame me?” Zoro chuckled. “It’s been too fucking long.”

“It has.”

As if she were just a doll, Zoro easily scooped her up into his arms, letting her wrap her legs around his waist.

“There we go. Did you get smaller?”

“No, you idiot,” Cora laughed. “You got taller!”

“Did I?”

“Yeah! I’m wearing taller heels than usual and you’re still bigger than I remembered.”

“That’s good.”

“Is it?”

“You’ll get tired of looking up, so I get to carry you around more.”

Once again, Cora laughed, clinging on to Zoro so she wouldn’t lose her balance and fall. Not that he would ever let that happen. She let herself lean against him, running her fingers through his hair, trying to familiarize herself with every single detail about him again as quickly as possible. New freckles, new scars, the same shapes and colors she knew so well. The same but different. And she couldn’t wait to get to know him all over again.

True Love’s Kiss/Magic Kiss/Healed

Cora stood in front of her closet, going through her clothes. She was looking for some old clothes to improve on, an embroidery project for those long days at sea, for those nights spent out on night watch, whether voluntary or not. Clad in only her underwear, she flicked through the various clothes hangers, looking at one garment, trying on another… Finally, she picked out an old skirt, plain black and uneventful. One of the few items she had actually bought and not sewn herself. Perhaps… Swiftly, she put it on, spinning around once or twice, then walking over to her vanity table to grab a piece of chalk. Carefully, she started sketching patterns and lines onto the fabric.

That was until she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Her gaze got caught on those characteristic lines on her back, senseless and discolored, as if someone had dropped their sewing kit and the needles had gone everywhere. Some were bigger, some were smaller. Some still hurt sometimes.

Suddenly, she heard someone call her name, and there were steps in the room. In a hectic motion, she yanked one of her jackets out of the closet and swung it over her shoulders, covering her back. Then, she noticed who it was: Zoro and Sanji, probably there to have her settle an argument or a bet. Or both. Or being clingy. Maybe all three.

“God,” Cora gasped, “don’t scare me like that.”

“Sorry, princess,” Sanji apologized.

“The door was open,” Zoro just shrugged.

“Was it?” Cora sighed, sounding both annoyed and tired.

“Aren’t you supposed to cover your tits when people come in?” Zoro asked, causing Sanji to give him an annoyed stare.

“And since when do I care about covering my chest, huh?” Cora replied. “I’ve got some very pretty bras, why not show them off? Such a shame to be hiding them under shirts all the time.”

“But you’re still hiding your back?”

“… Touché.”

Typical Zoro. He always knew how to hit a nerve, but he had no idea how to do it gently. “Gentle” was more Sanji’s style. True to this, the blonde cook came up to hug Cora within seconds, gently running his fingers through her hair.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” he whispered.

“Wounds on the back are a swordsman’s greatest shame,” Cora just mumbled.

“Don’t use my words against me, you got it?” Zoro growled, pulling the jacket off of Cora’s back. “You’re not a swordsman, you’ve told me that over and over. And that rule only applies in a situation where you’re in control. Where it’s fair. You didn’t even have a chance to fight.”

“Look, Cora,” Sanji mumbled, cupping her face with his hands as Zoro ran his fingers along the scars across her back. “How you got those scars doesn’t matter anymore. It’s over. They healed. And we’re not going back there anymore. Never ever, you hear me? They’re never gonna find us, and if they do, we’ll be far away before they can even try to catch us. Alright?”

Cora nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“That’s my girl,” Sanji smiled, giving her a gentle kiss.

“If any of those guys even try to get close to you, I’ll chop off their heads,” Zoro declared.

“I just wish I could’ve gotten out of there sooner,” Cora mumbled.

“You did what you could, and what’s done is done. Let them be assholes all they want, everyone’s gotta die one day.”

Cora hummed quietly, then a smile spread on her face. “Why did you come here anyway? Did you need anything?”

“That waiter claimed he was a better kisser than me,” Zoro grumbled.

“Really?”

“Because I am,” Sanji beamed. “Right, Cora? – It’s about the technique, not just shoving your tongue down someone’s throat.”

“You never seem to mind it when I do it to you,” Zoro chuckled. “And neither does Cora, by the way. Right, babygirl?”

“I, uh�� I dunno,” Cora stammered. But then she smirked. “I’d need a direct comparison to know for sure.”

Immediately, there was a mischievous grin on both Zoro and Sanji’s faces.

“As you wish, madam,” Sanji purred.

Just then, Zoro picked Cora up from behind, causing her to let out a surprised shriek. Within few steps, he placed her down on her mattress. Both of the men crawled over her and started covering her in kisses, all the while trying to push each other away, throwing Cora into a giggling fit.

[thesilentmedium]

TIMING: Late January SETTING: Zane's House PARTIES: @thesilentmedium & @rn-zane SUMMARY: Jonas heads over to help Zane paint his walls WARNINGS: None

Even though it looked like a tornado of the home renovating kind had blown through the house, Zane still preferred it to the previous look. Messy as it currently was, it still looked so much more like a home at this point. Before now, the only thing he’d really made his own was the bedroom and that had pretty much just been hanging the bit of artwork he’d received for Christmas along with a fluffy bed for Buddy. Changing the whole house had felt so drastic and almost forbidden in a way. 

Nothing special had spurred this decision to finally get on with it but Zane knew he’d made the right call the second the first gloomy, old-timey painting had been pulled from the wall. Having Jonas around now, helping, also proved to make the whole process ten times more comforting. 

It was still a bit hard, looking over and seeing the eyepatch, knowing the trauma it represented but today wasn’t about that. Surely, Jonas didn’t want to spend every moment thinking about that awful night and Zane was more than happy to be able to provide a distraction. 

So here they stood, facing a blank wall with multiple swatches of color hastily painted on, a perfect representation of Zane’s complete lack of ability to decide. Between the soft, corally pink, the grayish pastel blue and the gentle mossy green, it was clear that he had no idea what he wanted for this wall. “Maybe I should just go with a basic color. Like… off-white. That’s a thing, right?” Slightly lost eyes turned to Jonas, sprinkled with the hope that his friend would provide the answer. 

—

Coming over to Zane’s was probably one of the healthier distractions Jonas had decided to partake in since his leave of the hospital. Not that he was doing anything particularly crazy to ward off the thoughts of the woods, but he had come home a few nights rather tipsy. It was odd doing such a thing, but he wasn’t sure what else he could do. Sketching barely took his mind off of it and baking was a little harder now given that his hands were constantly knocking things over. You didn’t need good depth perception to drink though or dance. The vibrations of the music and the way the alcohol muddied his mind made it easier to just have fun. He knew he didn’t want to keep doing it though. Zane having problems with home renovation was a blessing in disguise he supposed.

So here Jonas stood before the wall in a white tank top and a pair of blue jeans that were already stained with paint from previous projects. His left wrist was covered in a black sweatband that hid the marks of Zane’s bite, in case it made the other feel awkward, and his hands were placed firmly on his hips as he looked over the options on the wall, before his gaze wandered to the rest of the room. 

He was trying to get a feel for what Zane wanted, the vibe of the room, but ultimately he got distracted by the other man’s pretty eyes. Zane looked just as handsome as ever and Jonas was relieved. The last time he saw the other was in the hospital. They hadn’t really gotten a chance to talk after that but he was glad the taller man seemed to be doing well. He was even more glad he seemed able to be less awkward with Zane now. When the taller man had first set the boundary of friendship, Jonas wasn’t sure exactly what was okay to do around him. His brain had always been one for overthinking and while his heart still skipped a little when their eyes met, he wasn’t as nervous about messing up. 

Finally satisfied that the other seemed alright even with him here, Jonas offered a smile before pointing to the mossy green. “I um am always biased towards pink, but this color fits you.” Green had always been a calming color, something Zane had in common with it, so it made sense it should cover his walls. 

—

Zane smiled softly, appreciative of the honest answer. The fact that Jonas wouldn’t let his own personal bias affect even something as simple as a choice of paint was enough to bring on a new rush of simmering anger. The unfairness of someone like that getting hurt, caught up in senseless violence, almost getting… Clearing his throat in an attempt to also clear those thoughts, Zane nodded. “Yeah, okay. Green it is. I’ll find something to make pink, though, don’t worry.” 

This low stake work, even if Zane was shit at it, was the perfect distraction. Work was decent for it, too, but he couldn’t exactly let his mind wander while handling needles and medicine and people’s lives. Here, he could always just paint over any mistakes. Or suffer a bruise or two. “So the guy at the store definitely knew I was completely clueless, which means he managed to sell me like… five different types of paint rollers?” With a small chuckle, Zane led Jonas over to the array of supplies, making a gesture of ‘pick whatever’ before moving for the paint himself. 

The gray shirt he had on was already ruined, somehow covered in paint before he’d started the actual job of painting a whole wall, so at this point it was definitely useless that he’d rolled up both sleeves in order to “protect them.” Jonas had the right idea, already looking more qualified for this job than Zane could ever dream of. Still, he stirred up the paint like the store clerk had told him to before pouring it over to the tray, miraculously not spilling it all over the floor. 

“I swear, if anyone saw me at this, they’d never let me put in another IV,” Zane joked, head turned to make sure his mouth was visible to Jonas. A habit that had taken a bit of time to learn but now stuck, despite this new and still slightly tense arrangement between them. 

—

“I would love to see what you choose to make pink… Oh, um he should have given you the right roller for the type of paint you are using.” Jonas squated to take in the options carefully pulling out the roller that made sense with their choice and made sure Zane had one similar to his. He didn’t want all the hard work Zane was putting into this project to go to waste at the end of the day. He didn’t know the sorty behind this house or why Zane was changing it but he could understand the need. When he first moved back into the family house, he had set out renovating and fixing what he could. That was mostly so his family could come home to a place that was no longer showing its age. He was starting to think it would have been better to save it for later, especially when his hopes for them actually coming home were now dwindling with each passing day. 

He shook his head a little before he noticed Zane turning his head. Right, today was supposed to be a day of helping his friend and not fretting over what was going on. Jonas smiled and chuckled at the joke, holding out the roller to the other man. “I am um sure they would excuse you for the mess. You are a lovely nurse and that does not always translate to being good at home renovation. Your house does not need an IV.” Then again with Wicked’s Rest there could be a house out there in need of medical treatment. 

Jonas was beginning to wish he had a long sleeved shirt he could have used. He had always been one to run cold, if the amount of sweaters he took off once he got there was any indicator of it, he wasn’t sure if he had some sort of medical condition or it was the fact he always had ghosts trailing him but his arms were already breaking out in small goosebumps. He ignored them though, they had a job to do and he wanted to start it. “How about we uh each take one wall?” 

—

Any sort of self deprecation never landed when it came to Jonas, the man seemed to always have a compliment on hand for those scenarios. It didn’t do much to help with how little Zane felt he was deserving of those compliments but just like the house, that was a work in progress. There was no going back on the fact that Zane was confident in his decision to keep their relationship platonic, to keep his messy life and the way danger seemed to follow him as far away from Jonas as possible. However, there was no denying that removing himself completely from the other man’s life wasn’t an option, either. 

Jonas had been so relieved to see him at the hospital that vanishing completely felt unfair. If today went well, maybe there really was hope for this to be an alright friendship. “Alright, fair enough,” Zane chuckled, bringing over the paint and smiling at Jonas, letting the unease fade away with every moment. “Yeah, sounds like a plan. Just pick a wall, I’m going to put on some music and… guess I don’t need to worry about scaring you off when I inevitably start to sing along and butcher the song.” 

Zane kept the volume reasonable, not wanting to miss Jonas speaking in that soft manner of his. He wondered how much of the vibrations his friend would be able to sense, putting on a playlist of his most listened to songs since he didn’t really have to play music with someone else in mind right now. Sure enough, about five minutes into painting (after watching how Jonas used the roller and attempting to follow suit) Zane was distractedly singing along to the words, finally managing to feel completely at ease in Jonas’s presence. 

—

Jonas shook his head as another negative comment seemed to come from Zane, “I am sure you uh sound just fine. Singing is meant to be fun even if one may not be good at it.” He knew the other was joking, and was hoping he didn’t seem like he didn’t understand that but he also wanted Zane to feel good about himself. He was such a kind soul Jonas hoped he would turn that kindness to himself, not that it was an easy thing to do. He had taken several years of therapy to even do that for himself and even now he struggled with it. It had been especially hard coming back into the house his father used to inhabit. The place had so many things that made him think of Jacob Ballard and it was never a good experience when he did. 

At least here with Zane there wasn’t anything to make him feel worse, he was already accepting that the other man only had platonic feelings for him now. He could convince himself he was fine with that, he would rather be friends than nothing at all. Jonas didn’t want to be distant especially when he didn’t know what he did in the first place to cause such a thing to happen, he normally wouldn’t fight such decisions and he supposed he really wasn’t. Not outright anyway. Perhaps him constantly keeping in touch with Zane was his way of protesting the space between them just a little. Though he was sure if Zane really wanted to cut off all contact with him there wasn’t really anything Jonas could do to stop him. 

So he was more than relieved to see the taller man singing along with his music. It was just loud enough for Jonas to feel the vibration and he found himself swaying along to the beat. He smiled at Zane and was content to work while enjoying the music for a few moments. He didn’t want to interrupt the other man having a good time. He did have to stop eventually though, his height had always been a challenge in life and painting a wall taller than him was inconvenient. He mumbled something to himself about being short as he placed the roller in the paint pan and shuffled over to the front door where he had left his things. It didn’t take long for him to return with his trustiest step ladder. It was the most stable and sturdy of the lot, even had three steps! He carefully situated it in front of the wall as he got back to work. Ol’ rusty was holding up just fine till Jonas stepped down to refill his roller and the step ladder wiggled just enough to make him lose his balance. 

—

More than a few glances were spared at Jonas as walls went from depressing gray to an inviting green, warmth settling in Zane’s chest when he caught the older man moving to the admittedly catchy beat of a Harry Styles song. It had been a joke earlier about the singing but Zane knew that he would have been comfortable letting his tone deaf vocals ring out even if Jonas could hear them. There were honestly only two things he had really been embarrassed about when it came to Jonas - one of them currently covered up by an inconspicuous wrist band and the other the fact that he’d let things go as far as they had, knowing deep down that it was a bad idea. 

Jonas’s mumbles got a quiet laugh from Zane, who was having no trouble reaching the tops of the wall. He’d been about to catch the man’s attention to offer him a chair for extra height but of course, the medium was well aware of his own literal shortcomings. Zane was grinning, maybe the slightest hint of a tease visible on his face, as his friend padded up the three small steps. It looked sturdy and it wouldn’t exactly make for the highest of drops but even so, Zane found himself moving closer, at the pretense of adding more paint to his still half-full tray. 

He continued to hum distractedly, back facing Jonas so the other wouldn’t feel him staring and get worried about being a distraction to Zane, which he would. Still, he listened for each creak as he stirred up the paint, half-aware that his muscles were tensed and ready to respond. It would have made him feel stupid and paranoid, right up until the moment one of the creaks were followed by a soft, shocked gasp. 

His arms looped under Jonas’s armpits in an instant, the man barely having made it halfway towards the ground before Zane was there, hoisting him back on his feet with ease. It was very low stakes, worst case scenario Jonas would have left here with a couple more bruises so why had his heart leapt into his throat at that frightened sound? A few more bruises weren’t the worst but in the grand scheme of what Jonas had already gone through… “I thought I wasn’t going to break out my first aid kit today,” Zane attempted to joke after he’d moved to face the other, worry shining from his face as he looked him over for any injuries. A small scrape was visible on his ankle, just barely weeping blood, the step stool probably having nicked the skin. 

—

It wasn’t the first time Jonas had stumbled down stairs while out of the hospital, or even before the hospital. They seemed to be his natural enemy. Just as he was about to curse ten years of living out of a car for his inability to walk properly, he felt a familiar feeling against his back. There wasn’t much warmth in Zane, and maybe that was what made his touches even more noticeable. Jonas immediately flushed at the contact as he was set upright perhaps a little too easily. The strong arms didn’t stay there long as the taller man made his way in front of him. 

“Oh um I appreciate the help. I did not expect my feet to slip so easily.” Jonas could still feel the heat on his face as he let Zane look him over. He could feel a slight discomfort on his ankle and when he looked down he shook his head. “If that um requires first aid then I am in quite the trouble.” He joked back, he was trying to calm his racing heart while willing the redness on his face away. They were friends, being flustered from the slightest touch wasn’t the best thing to feel towards someone you were friendly with. 

“Maybe just a band aid would do? And if you um like I can leave the tops of the walls to you.” Jonas wouldn’t mind getting back up the step ladder to finish but something told him Zane would be tense about it now, plus he didn’t think his heart could handle it if he ended up in Zane’s arms again. The last time that happened he was in the hospital and the time before that he was in bed with the man. One was not the best of memories and the other was inappropriate to think about given their current relationship. 

—

This had been going okay. Was it still going okay? Jonas seemed embarrassed or maybe it was just discomfort from Zane rushing in to save him from an innocent stumble. The last thing his friend needed now was being made to feel like some fragile idiot. Yes, Jonas was here to help but a part of him had wanted this to be a distraction from the man, a day where he could attempt to forget being ruthlessly beaten. Probably hard to do with a worried nurse not even trusting you to work a step stool. “I - sorry. Force of habit.” 

Shaking his head, Zane allowed a small smile to replace the twisted frown of worry as Jonas joked. Always ready to defuse the situation. “You’re not in trouble,” he chuckled, nodding at the suggestion of a bandaid. “And I actually keep bandaids outside of the first aid kit so lucky us.” With what he hoped was a tension breaking expression, he moved for the bathroom, grateful for that moment to regain composure. He was half decent at ignoring unwanted thoughts but there was no pretending that even the smallest of cuts wasn’t a stark reminder for his taste buds. 

“There we go,” he said cheerily as he returned, handing the bandaid over to Jonas before turning his attention to the small steps. Contemplating. “It’s up to you. I can definitely take over on the high parts but it’s not like you’re going to break your neck on those so… if you want a do over, I’ll try my best to be chill.”

—-

“No worries, I am uh glad the scratch is all that happened.” Jonas really doubted he would have ended up with anything worse than that, but he didn’t want to point that out to Zane. He was getting used to working around people treating him like he was about to break at any moment. He hadn’t really given off vibes that suggested he was very strong even before the accident; he was shorter than most at only 5’5” and any strength he might show off my being fit was often hidden under pink fluffy sweaters. He was the least intimidating person in the room and maybe that was why he kept getting targeted over Lil. He was really starting to wish he had gotten some of the genes the giants in his family possessed. 

Though that wasn’t why he was so flustered at this moment, sure it was embarrassing to trip on stairs but by now Jonas was so used to it that he normally brushed it off. It was the lingering feelings he still held for the man that had caught him. The ones that he was painfully aware of by now the other man didn’t return. “Oh good, um saves you the trouble then.” He offered a smile as Zane wandered off to the bathroom, grabbing his face once the other man was away and willing it to stop being so red. It had all just been a spring fling, something he had had before and something he was bound to have again. Though normally he was long gone by now, the distance of several miles between him and the person who got caught up in the moment with him made it much easier to let go of feelings that seemed determined to stay. 

He didn’t want to do that with Zane though, he couldn’t. Jonas knew he wasn’t going to be leaving the town anytime soon even with what happened and being Zane’s friend had been something he was enjoying before the other man decided distance was best. He was glad they were able to be normal around one another now, even if Jonas’ face didn’t quite cooperate anytime Zane got too close. He was still trying his best to force the feelings away so he could fully enjoy being Zane’s friend. He didn’t want to lose that, especially after whatever passion that took hold of them that day had fizzled out from Zane. No, he would be a good friend to the other man! He would not ruin this, even if it meant looking like a fool from time to time. At least all this thinking got his heart to slow and he could feel the heat leaving his cheeks. By the time Zane returned he looked like regular ol’ Jonas. Or he hoped he did. 

“I appreciate it.” Jonas offered a small smile and tested the wobbly step ladder once more, shifting it till it stood still and using it for a seat once he was sure the thing wouldn’t wobble again. With the cut safely behind the band aid, Jonas stood back up and when the ladder stayed firm he smiled down at Zane, “I um seemed to have fixed the problem, if I uh happen to trip again you are more than welcomed to take the stairs from me.” 

—

Distracting himself with the process of taping up the next wall that needed painting, Zane kept glancing over at Jonas before catching himself. As if the process of putting on a bandaid needed supervision. This really had just been a scratch, the smallest of accidents but even so, it managed to confirm his fears. Despite all of this being easily blamed on a faulty ladder, it cemented just how worried he was about Jonas getting hurt around him - getting hurt because of him. At times, Zane seemed to function as a literal shit magnet, from the insane kidnapping plot to the fact that there were people out there willing to kill him just for existing. Not to mention his new hobby of snooping around The Grit Pit. 

If there had been any doubt about keeping a safe distance from Jonas, there wasn’t any now. 

He cared about him, how could he not, but had the advantage of not having a heartbeat or a flushing face that might betray him like in Jonas’s case. All in all, it would probably be even safer to cut all ties but Zane couldn’t bring himself to do that. He’d respect the other’s decision if it ever came to that, though. “If the stairs mess with you again, I’m breaking them up for firewood,” Zane deadpanned, managing a smile even through the depressing nature of his thoughts. 

Threatening an inanimate object seemed to have worked as the next hour passed by without further injuries. Not all damage had been avoided, his own clothes splattered with paint and a few new stains added to Jonas’s clothes. Zane asked about the bakery, about Lil and Blue, the topics safe and comfortable. Standing back to admire their work, Zane gave a pleased nod. “Green was definitely the way to go.” Moving to sit on the ground, legs crossed, he patted the hardwood for Jonas to join him. 

“Thanks for helping out. I know things have been weird - actually, that I’ve been weird but this was nice.” A pause, gaze turning to a stray splatter of paint on the floor. “I get that I didn’t really give you an explanation but… just know that it has nothing to do with you. You’re amazing and deserve the world but not… that’s not gonna come from me, is what I’m trying to say, I guess.” A quick glance to gauge the other’s expression. “I get if you don’t like that deal and if this makes you uncomfortable, I totally understand. But I do like having you around and not just because you help me paint.”

—

Jonas was feeling pretty good about their work, happily taking in the finished walls and nodding along when Zane agreed with his choice of color. The green brought a calmness and warmth to the room that matched its owner. Hands on his hips he stretched his back and was about to mention getting some food when the other sat on the floor and motioned for him to follow. Jonas followed the offer, looking towards Zane carefully taking in what he was saying. It was all things he had already come to realize but perhaps with it not being expressed openly he had managed to still hold onto some kind of hope that Zane would come close again. They weren’t meant to be, he knew it and yet it still hurt to have it spoken so clearly. 

Heartbreak was a strange sensation that Jonas was more than used to by now. His life before did not make for a good environment for long lasting relationships and maybe he had hoped that coming back to town would be his chance to change that, he knew he still had all the time in the world to make that true even if right in this moment he felt like someone had punched him in the gut, twisting and pulling at his stomach. He tilted his head down in an effort to hide how hurt he must look in the moment. He didn’t want Zane to feel guilty about any of this because there was nothing for him to feel guilty for. Feelings were unpredictable things and if they left they left. 

Jonas’ hand came to rest on top of Zane’s, “I am blessed to be your friend.” That was all he could really offer in this moment as he pulled back and stood up. “I do wish to stay close but um… I think at this moment it is best for me to return home.” He could feel his voice cracking as he talked, coughing to clear it as he moved to fold up his step stool, quickly grabbing his other things to leave before he broke in front of the other man. He wasn’t learning anything new, he shouldn’t be so torn but he could feel the tears forming on his cheeks and the last thing he wanted was for Zane to offer comfort. His heart wouldn’t be able to handle it. 

“I will talk to you later um, I hope the rest of the renovations go well.” Jonas called out but didn’t bother to turn around to look at Zane, he couldn’t. Slipping on his sweater he opened the door and made his escape, feeling everything he’d been forcing down recently threatening to bubble out of his throat with each passing second.