#I've drawn diagrams

[animoogus]

Just me playing with Simple Rectangles of Fabric.

You will note that it's extremely important to me that Karkat gets to wear a blanket.

[walterdecourceys]

or frankenstein i would also love to direct frankenstein but idk what the licensing on that looks like

[supercantaloupe]

so fucking itchy

[ilydeku]

teacher izuku has a girlfriend??

Regardless of the joy and spur he expelled towards the students, Izuku knew how to maintain the steady hand of keeping the class under set composure. Nothing but the intent to teach and the will to learn, an equitable relationship between the two—and it was no question. Being the most loved and favored teacher had its perks, and grandiose respect was one of them.

But no matter how mature a student has grown, having fun will always reign somewhere along their focal point. Even if that fun means encouraging their teacher in his love life.

"...-because a good relationship between your teammates makes for optimal communication, conduct, and cooperation," explained Izuku, pointing from one spot on the board to another, well immersed in his lesson. "Now, considering quirk-"

"Speaking of relationships, are you in a relationship, sir?" A student, a frivolous girl, teasingly pipes in sudden interest. Plenty of students amongst the grade claimed a crush on Deku-sensei. Of course they did: he's sweet, very tentative and understanding to all his students individually, and takes his time to really help and engrave the knowledge he possessed for them to become the best future heroes they could be. That, and mostly his physical charms. So wouldn't it be in his best interest to have a girlfriend?

Little did Izuku know that this inquiry marked the beginning of his first uncontrollable havoc.

For a moment, he hesitated, pausing midway on the convoluted diagrams drawn on the whiteboard. A strange question, but he thought nothing much of it. He turned around and crossed his arms, lazily pointing the expo marker to the girl.

"I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that. Unrelevant, didn't see a hand raised-"

"Aw, but sir!" She draws out, slumping back in her seat. "Are you?"

Some students began to look at each other and exchange a few grins until the room began to slowly increase in volume and erupt into unintelligible chatter.

"Ahem."

The room fell into silence accordingly, but he could clearly read the expression on everyone's faces. The class was still waiting for his answer, the way they stared and leaned over their desks in anticipation. Izuku sighs and turns back to the board.

"...no, I'm not in a relationship. Moving on, the information I've drawn-"

"Really?" The girl cuts in matter of factly with a tilt of her head. "But aren't you and y/n talking??"

A chorus of engrossed 'oohs' echoed across the room and a very subtle, but defined shade of pink dusted his cheeks at the mention of you. He turned around again and attempted to regain composure of the class.

"Everyone settle down-"

"Y/n L/n? Isn't that (hero name)?? I think she's in the top 20's now."

"Yeah! I've seen her drop by the school a couple times during lunch!"

"Now that I think about it, Deku-sensei does have her come in as a guest speaker a lot..."

It was just one after another, the addition of suspicions and theories now bringing the truth to the surface. Izuku swallowed.

A loose black band around Izuku's wrist caught another student's eye and they stood up and pointed in excitement. "Look!! Deku-sensei has hair ties on his wrist!! Hair ties!!"

"Kids, please...-"

"Wow..I've never seen your class this rowdy before, Izuku!!" That voice. His head snapped toward you in surprised, totally flustered about the situation. The entire class went dead silent and turned to you, standing at the entrance of the classroom. You wave at his kids with a smile and stroll over to Izuku's desk, dropping off a bag of some sort. He watches you endearingly.

"You forgot your lunch at home, silly."

"O-Oh did I? Haha, sorry y/n. Thank you. You're on break right now, right?"

The students watched you both like a show, taking in the interaction, the body language, the words. There's no doubt you two were a thing right? Deku-sensei and (hero name)!!

And just then, you confirmed it with simple kiss on his cheek.

"Bye, Izuku! Be nice to the kids, hm?"

"You know I always am!!"

As soon as the classroom door clicked, the class burst into awe.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US???"

[doublegoblin]

The Lonesome Town

[Oh magnanimous leader, it has been a time! These…people, we are maintaining good relations with have been a delight to be sure. A little slow on the pickup but this is to be expected I suppose. Let me be the first to say how refreshing it is not to use a proxy for once in our damn life! I’m sure D is just happy to get his hands dirty, the brute. Nevertheless, this is not a message for complaining but of delivering unto you the fruits of our labor. Please enjoy! -X]

Description: Collection of files: research notes, transcriptions of audio files, transcriptions of video files from both internal and external resources, personnel files, and other such documentations. As per the agreement outline, the commissioning body will henceforth be referred to in text as [CLIENT] and the focus as [SUBJECT]. Such classification will be used also when necessary. Corrections and clarifications will be noted by * and the full correction and/or clarification can be found at the end of the document packet address in numerical order via a denotation system of [A-Z, 1-10]. 

Where applicable dates and times will be provided. Some material has been expunged due to long standing agreements with [CLIENT] and the sensitive nature of [SUBJECT]. Upper management is able to request access to all expunged material. But due to the same agreements, this expunged data can not be provided via non-auditory methods such as: text, images, video files, etc. All requests are subject to [CLIENT] review before approval, regardless of hierarchical standing. In the event expunged data is required to facilitate work [CLIENT] maintains primary authority for the delivery and handling of such material. For other concerns please speak with your management. 

Points of interest within [SUBJECT] are fitted with CCTV and recordings are compiled at the end of each 24hr period. Such logs are then stored in a proprietary data storage system and held on file for five years. These CCTV systems are outfitted with high-resolution cameras, long range microphones, night vision, and thermal imaging capabilities. As to cut down on the data requirements most of these systems run off of detection based initiation. In addition to these units are lower end motion activated trail-cams. These are checked on a weekly basis by on site staff. A non-exhaustive list of such POI* are as follows: Well, Cabins, School House, Creek North, Creek South, Infirmary. As to better monitor activity within [SUBJECT] each standing structure also maintains a low end CCTV system in each room when possible.

[CLIENT] has provided a sizable amount of recordings, so as to establish a baseline activity level. Included are recordings prior to [EXPUNGED] of what an average day's recordings could be considered. Unimportant data has been excluded from the report. Not every location will be covered in this report as not all are necessary at this time. As locations and cameras are referenced a brief but thorough description of where the camera is located and what view it provides will be placed before any description of the relevant recording.

Camera: Town Center 

Date: 05-22-15 

Time: 0600 

Activation Cause: Sound

Recording: This particular camera is set high up on a spruce tree. The lens of which is able to capture the entirety of [SUBJECT]. The sun is visible to the right of the frame just now peeking above the mountain ridge. Along with [SUBJECT] being seen this camera also captures the trail that leads towards the town and the trail that branches off towards the mines. The trail that leads into town runs between two housing units. To the left of the path is also the school house, and to the right is the infirmary. The well is not visible in frame as the housing unit on the right covers it completely. What can be seen in frame is the camera and the pole on which it sets that captures the well. A high pitch and sharp barking noise can be heard near the camera. The source of this sound is known: a red squirrel, agitated by some kind of predator, obscures the view of said camera and repeatedly calls. Recording ceases once the squirrel has moved away from the unit and it falls back into stand-by.

Camera: Firewatch (1)

Date: 05-22-15

Time: 0645

Activation Cause: Movement

Recording: Camera is set in the upper left corner of the inside of said tower, the top cross of the town church* is visible through the south-east facing window. While no longer officially in use; [CLIENT] employees maintain such a structure and perform inspection on a semi-regular basis. Correspondence with [CLIENT] confirms that this particular camera is not necessarily in use for surveillance of [SUBJECT] but more for a double verification that scheduled maintenance and inspections are occurring. It should be considered a tertiary means of monitoring. This recording was trigger by the trap door in near the East wall opening as an employee* entered to conduct such an inspection. The remainder of this recording has not been found to be of any importance.

Camera: Campfire circle

Date: 05-22-15

Time: 0832

Activation Cause: Unclear*

Recording: The location of [EXPUNGED]. A deep pit has been dug into the topsoil, the edge of which is encircled with local stone of various sizes. Around the fire pit are four large oak logs that have been carved into rustic benches for campers to use. A thin line of white smoke trails from the very center of the pit, white ash and orange embers are evidence of a recent fire. Through the trees the graveyard and back of the schoolhouse can be spotted, along with the covered bridge that runs across Pinelog Creek and the associated Bridge Trail. To the right of the bridge the spruce tree in which the Town Center camera sets can be identified by the large burl. In this particular moment several small native birds have taken this chance to use the warmth of the early morning sun and loose dust to bathe. They are scattered as a heavily pregnant Mule deer wanders into frame. She stops and inspects the smoldering embers. A branch snapping causes her to flee as a low growl can be heard off screen. The source of this noise is not seen, and soon the camera returns to stand-by mode.

Camera: Covered Bridge (1) (2)

Date: 05-22-15

Time: 0837

Activation Cause: Sound and Motion

Recording: The covered bridge houses two cameras. (1) is pointed away from the city center and towards the path leading up to the covered bridge, towards the fire pit, the start of the path towards the old mill, and the end of the Stag Trail*. (2) points towards the city center, the bridge in its entirety is visible from this camera along with a small section of the path that leads out to the town center. A pair of Barn Swallows is in the process of constructing a nest in the upper rafters of the covering. As they fly in and out of cover the camera is unable to enter back into stand-by. [CLIENT] has made note that during this time of year Covered Bridge 2 makes up a majority of the information load for that given season. As the recording proceeds the mule deer from the campfire circle* crosses by and stops for a drink of water along the creek. Despite being within the frame of camera 2 the deer is outside of the range of activation. The swallows had been away for long enough the camera was entering into stand-by mode, so we only have a single frame of a large black mass bearing down on the mule deer. When next activated there is no sign that the deer had ever been there. [CLIENT] has noted this is normal.

Camera: School House

Date: 05-22-15

Time: 1017

Activation Cause: Motion

Recording: As with most of the town prior to [EXPUNGED] the school house is little more than an amateur museum. Being made of organic material and being left exposed to the elements until [CLIENT] inherited the land*, most of the original equipment of this location has been lost to time. What does remain has gone through restoration processes. What can not be maintained and allowed to sit out in the open air have been placed inside climate controlled display cases. The public is able to walk around the building and sit in recreated furniture. Original pieces are cordoned off via ropes and colorful signs. Along with the items themselves are little placards with descriptions and histories of the town and the housing building. Similar setups and informational pieces can be found in all publicly accessible buildings and locations of special interest. This particular camera was originally installed by [CLIENT] as a means of monitoring the public around these “fragile artifacts”. This was prior to their discovery of [SUBJECT]. Once [SUBJECT] was discovered, this camera was the first to be upgraded to what is now commonplace along the grounds. An employee* is giving a tour of the location to a small group of five trail hikers*. As the group leaves the employee turns and waves to the camera.

Camera: Campfire circle

Date: 05-22-15

Time: 1405

Activation Cause: Thermal Irregularity

Recording: The group of six* hikers are sitting around a roaring fire. They have doffed their gear and are setting down with the employee for a light lunch. The employee is making idle chit chat while sticking skewered hotdogs near the fire to slowly roast. As he starts to pass them out to the hikers he is more quick to hand one to the hiker sitting by themselves. The employee is startled when one of the hikers opens a can of beer. The group then teases the employee before returning to their own conversations. As the camera is heading back into stand-by the lone hiker can be spotted moving their jaw and mouthing words with exaggeration.

Camera: Trail Cam: Creek South

Date: 05-22-15

Time: 1514

Activation Cause: Motion

Recording: A long angle shot parallel with the shore of the creek. In the image the covered bridge is visible and off-center to the right. A small mustelid with a short brown coat bounds into the view of the camera. Followed shortly by a second of what is assumed to be the same species. It is hard to tell due to low resolution but the second looks to have a scar of some sort on it’s right flank, the hair in this region has not grown back correctly. The two animals take defensive postures before the scarred individual runs the first away. Victorious the scarred creature is able to make a quick meal of a leopard frog that had pulled itself from the water. Meal dangling in mouth it makes a quick retreat as the group of hikers comes up the trail. Tour guide leading the six.

Camera: Cabins 1-6

Date: 05-22-15

Time: 1800

Activation Cause: Motion and Sound

Recording: The internals of the cabins are uniform. A single large room comprises a majority of the cabin, with a restroom/bathroom that is not monitored. Shape-wise the cabins are much like a plump L. The restroom/bathroom is set in the upper left corner of the L shape fitted with modern plumbing and large enough to house a single toilet, shower/bathtub bathing unit, and a sink. In the main area the lower left corner houses the cooking area with a gas powered stove, small ice box, and a modest counter space. Across from the bathroom/restroom area is the sleeping area: a firm mattress set atop a hand carved bed frame, the feet of which are styled after various animal feet. To the left of the head of the bed is an oak dresser, also hand carved, where visitors can set their belongings. Down from the bed is a table and four chairs, also carved. Windows with white curtains are set into the walls at regular intervals. What makes each cabin stand out in recordings are the colors or patterns used in decorating the remaining space. In a clockwise rotation that begins to the left of the infirmary: Red, Blue, Green, Indigo, Checkered, Floral. The hikers are setting their equipment down and setting up for the evening. Individuals or small groups come in and out of each cabin, inspecting and commenting on the decor of each in relation to their own. The hiker in the indigo cabin has not moved since taking a seat on the bed and staring out the window to the others. Likewise, no other hikers enter or interact with his cabin. He does leave as the others move on to other activities.

Camera: Cabin 3

Date: 05-22-15

Time: 1823

Activation Cause: Sound

Recording: The door to the bathroom/restroom shakes and shudders before the door is violently pushed open from inside. The lighting fixture within flickers before going dark once more.* Before the camera is turned off a hazy white cloud drifts from the bathroom before leaving via the open window across from the bed.

Camera: Well

Date: 05-22-15

Time: 2130

Activation Cause: Motion

Recording: Being pointed directly at the well from a high vantage point the camera keeps the well in shot at a five degree tilt from directly on. The ground around the well is barren of most plant life other than some very aggressive weeds. With the majority of plant life missing the ground surrounding the well is tightly packed dirt and stones. Around the well are the six hikers, a couple leaning against the structure with their forearms resting on the stone. The rest are milling about in idle chit chat. One of the hikers leaning digs into his pocket and pulls out a large coin*. He motions for the others to join him at the well's edge before pressing this coin to his lips and dropping it down into the well. Several moments of silence and confusion from the hikers before a wet splash is heard. Seemingly pleased they returned to their cabins for the evening.

Camera: Cabin 4

Date: 05-22-15

Time: 2131

Activation Cause: Sound

Recording: Coming from near the window nearest the bed, almost out of frame, the side profile of the sixth hiker’s face moves at the same time as the loud splash.

Camera: Well

Date: 05-22-15

Time: 2346

Activation Cause: [EXPUNGED].

Recording: [EXPUNGED], until the body is no longer visible due to distance.

A1: Points of interest.

A2: Some structures were omitted from the initial description of the town as they were not at the time relevant.

A3: Cross-referenced to the employee listing as a Ms. Dorothy Jones, age 43, employment of [EXPUNGED] years.

A4: Multiple causes were observed so one can not be stated for certain.

A5: An intermediate trail that is roughly 24km(15 miles) with easy to moderate slope inclines and walkability in inclement weather conditions. Several scenic overlooks can be reached while on this trail. It is mostly dirt with some loose gravel in sections.

A6: Upon inheritance [CLIENT] was able to reestablish the landmark status of [SUBJECT] via an agreement with the Department of the Interior. [SUBJECT] still remains off the public record however there are no longer attempts to shepherd people away. [CLIENT] states that this “keeps both parties happy”, in short, it allows [SUBJECT] to operate via “word of mouth” thus keeping exposure to a minimum. This information was not fully understood while creating the previously submitted document. 

A7: Identity was verified via comparison of an identification tag.

A8: A Mr. Markus Lancaster, age 24, employment of 1 year.

A9: Prior to [EXPUNGED] the general public could obtain guided tours if [CLIENT] was contacted directly. These tours were more in-depth than a self-guided tour and the funds collected were put towards maintaining the grounds.

A10: [EXPUNGED]

B1: At the time no human occupants were present.

B2: Most likely an American Silver Dollar.

[It is also great to hear from you as well X. I feel I must stress however that we are to maintain good relations with our guests. Do not cause any undue hostility. -T]

[the-fuck-was-i-thinking-when-i]

my dad, seeing my unshaven and very hairy legs: wow

me (started process of trying to get prescribed testosterone):

[u3pxx]

ah, dungeon food... delicious in dungeon!

1 | 2 | 3 | one out of three dungeon meshi illustrations i did for a class! 🍲🐲

id in alt text | like this art? it's a print, here! | like what i do? support me on ko-fi!

hi there! this is actually the first illustration i finished out of the three but i decided to post the falin one first because it seemed fitting when the dragon episode came out pftt

and since a while has passed, i'm very happy to say that i got a high grade for the mock covers i did! which i'm really happy for since ngl, the venn diagram of "drawings for school that i got a high grade for" and "drawings for school that i'm actually proud of" is very, very small lmao

to save time, i had to forgo coloring in the lines for this drawing which gives it a fair amount of contrast, while i still enjoy looking at it, i wonder what it would look like if i softened it with colored lineart.

i used a different pen for inking this and i was actually surprised at how quick i was! if you don't know, i love doing lineart but i usually am terribly slow at it, inking this one was a pretty fast ordeal!

i streamed this over on the klapollomb server as i was drawing it and i just distinctly remember that after the flats stage and onto shading it: i paused, pen in my hand, looking at the screen with a blank look before i typed into voice chat in all caps, "I FORGOT HOW I RENDER" ASKSKSK

it's been a while since i've actually drawn anything digital that's like, a fullass piece, so yeah 😭 i can forget sometimes. i've been doing trad art for school for like 2 years straight now so the moment i got the opportunity to do digital art i went all out lol

[meanbossart]

Any tips for new or returning artists?

I’m hoping to discover my own art style this year (from scratch, no references) by just throwing myself into learning anatomy, drawing random characters, and praying I can figure out how to add depth to pieces.

I have very minimal artistic experience and my work has improved significantly from where I started years ago, but not even close to where I’m hoping to be.

I can freehand faces and tweak the anatomy accordingly but I feel limited. Maybe it’s (in part) because I’m using an iPad, apple pen and Procreate? I recently added the paper-feel screen cover and that’s helped significantly with control.

Do you draw on paper to help your muscle memory? Honestly, ANYTHING helps. I watch videos on anatomy and art all of the time — I just don’t know if my brain is absorbing it correctly 😭

Hello! I don't know if I can say anything in particular to the returning aspect of your situation since I've drawn pretty consistently all of my life, but if someone else has had that experience of picking the skill back up after a long break, feel free to share your thoughts in the replies!

I'm not fully sure what you mean by "hoping to discover my own art (...) from scratch, no references", but if it means trying to whip up a style from thin-air and blocking out all outside influence or take any inspiration from existing art that you like... Uh... Don't do that! I don't see the benefit. All art is a derivation of a derivation, I can assure you that by compiling a folder or collage of your favorite works, borrowing and reworking aspects that you like, you WILL land on an original style and have learned so much more about it in the process than if you hadn't done that at all.

Also I can assure you that drawing on procreate/ipad is not a hindrance whatsoever, plenty of professional artists prefer it over display tablets. @wolfskulljack-art comes to mind as someone who has created several incredible tour posters for Metallica, all in her ipad.

I must have drawn on paper a total of 10 times in the last 5 years, I have no idea if that's bad or not... It Probably is, but I'm at peace with it, LOL. Generally when it comes to improving ( and I know that this is a frustrating answer) the secret is to just draw a lot. There is no class that is going to take you from amateur to Caravaggio, it takes time and takes making "bad" art. A lot of bad art. When it comes to learning anatomy, I think the best thing you can do is draw a lot of real-life human bodies from reference while consulting an anatomical diagram or model of some kind. Otherwise you will just making a bunch of lines without ever understanding their purpose.

I don't think you need to be an expert at the human body AT ALL before jumping into stylization and making confident, art, but if you do something like this whenever you draw I think you will end up learning a whole lot. Muscle memory (no pun intended) will come to you naturally!

I also have a lot more tips in my #tutorial and #advice tags that you can look through if you want to, otherwise, I would tell you to just do more drawing and less looking for the perfect tutorial or golden advice. A lot of artists get very boggled down in learning in the most correct and effective way, and while there are pointers that can be given, they tend to be very straightforward🤷 and the rest falls on you to follow through with!

[mooonjin]

Can I request a scenario after the event of the 2nd season of the arcana, a relationship between the reader, Viktor and Jayce, perhaps a statement after everything that happened… the reader discovers that she has magic and with that, she manages to save in the last moments Viktor and Jayce. Now Viktor has his emotions, but remains with his body as a herald of magic? of the machine? (honestly, I was a little confused about how Viktor ended up if he became the Herald of Machines or Herald of Magic) and Jayce was a little wild, unstable and very protective… What will happen next? And with the idea of ​​alternative universes What if the other Viktors and Jayces want the reader, since the reader would be the only variation that didn't die… If possible, there could be yanderes… If you want, remove someone, feel free or add, sorry for the inconvenience.

Mine

Notes: lol jayvik obsessor combo!!!!!!!! thx for this request anon, sorry it took so long and zzzzooont say sorry!! :3

Pairing: Jayce and Viktor x f!reader

Summary: Saved from the astral plane, both Jayce and Viktor had developed their own way of... thanking you.

Warnings/Tags: tin/machine/purple viktor, obsession, kissing, a bit of arguing, brief stalk-like behaviour, possesiveness, magic mentions — tell me if I've missed anything!

The rescue was violent and imperfect. Golden tendrils of the astral plane clung to Viktor and Jayce as you wrenched them free, and in their escape, fragments of the hive mind tethered to all three of you. The fallout was instantaneous.

Viktor collapsed to his knees on the beige brick pavements in front of the science towers, his augmented body glowing faintly with runes that pulsed in time with his ragged breaths. His golden eyes met yours, wide with something like awe. "You...?" he murmured, his voice a broken whisper.

Jayce, on the other hand, was not so composed. His hands trembled as he gripped his hammer, his eyes darting between you and the swirling remnants of the astral plane fading behind you. "What did you do?" he demanded, his voice edged with fear and something darker. "What are you?"

In the days that followed, your life became a whirlwind of confusion. Magic spilled from your hands in spontaneous bursts and machines hummed to life in your presence, drawn to the strange energy that radiated from you. Viktor was first intrigued by this, having dealt with magic a few years back.

You pulled Viktor from the astral plane, his body more machine than ever. He studied your magic with fascination, his hands trembling as he sketched diagrams and theories late into the night.

Jayce was different. He hovered around you like a shadow, his gaze always on you, his words too fervent. Something burned within him, a passion and a sense of thankfulness after the incident.

His eyes, though—those betrayed him the most. They were the colour of burnt brown sugar, rich and intense, with a faint gleam when the light caught them just right. But behind the warmth was something undeniably restless.

"I owe you everything," he said one day, his hands gripping yours tightly, almost too tightly. "I won't let anything happen to you."

And he stood by that.

The days in the shared lab became a blur of concentrated effort and experimentation. You, Jayce, and Viktor worked tirelessly to unravel the mysteries of your powers. The sterile scent of chemicals and the faint hum of machinery became your constant companions.

If anything, he thrived in it. He worked tirelessly in his lab, refining his mechanical enhancements along with assisting in stabilising your powers. You caught him watching you more often than not, his gaze clouded with admiration.

He never said it aloud, but you could feel the unspoken possessiveness radiating from him.

"I could build something for you," he offered one night, the faintest trace of a smile tugging at his lips. "A device to regulate your magic. To protect you."

"We can build it together," You mumbled softly, not wanting to put unnecessary pressure on his shoulders, "I'm capable of controlling myself as of now."

"Still, you must be careful. there are many who would seek to exploit what you are. But with me..." He paused, his voice softening with a silent obsession, "With me, you would never have to worry."

Jayce, on the other hand, isolated himself sometimes during his break, going off to work on a project of his own that he never spoke of—despite being so open about his ideas. He snagged one of the stable hexcore gemstones and surprisingly, nobody had noticed.

"You could give her a bit of breathing room," Viktor would mutter under his breath, something tense lingering. Jayce never wavered.

Unlike Viktor, he didn't try to hide his feelings. His presence was an open wound, raw and visible in every glance, every word, every touch that lingered too long. He rarely left your side, always finding an excuse to stay near you. A habit Viktor seemed to catch onto.

It started off subtle, escorting you through Piltover's bustling streets, insisting on standing guard while you worked. But as the days went on, his behavior grew more... obsessive.

You tried to reassure him, to convince him that you didn't need constant protection, but your words only seemed to heighten his senses. He grew more erratic, more desperate.

It wasn't until he managed to sneak his hidden project—which was a round, blue tracking device using Hextech—into your small carrier bag, that you finally confirmed his obsession.

Initially, you didn't recognise it for what it was. It was sleek and compact, its edges glowing faintly with the soft, blue light of Hextech energy. But when you turned it over in your hands and felt the subtle pulse of power within it, the truth and the tech energy hit you like a wave.

This didn't seem like protectiveness. Between the two of them, you felt as though you were being pulled in opposite directions.

The breaking point came late one evening in Viktor's lab.

You had been working with Viktor, helping him calibrate a device designed to measure the flow of your magic. His hands were gentle, precise, as he adjusted the straps around your wrist.

"Tell me if it's too tight," he murmured, his voice low you could say it was intimate.

Before you could respond, the door slammed open and Jayce stormed in.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded, his voice thunderous as he took in the scene. His eyes zeroed in on Viktor's hand resting lightly on yours, an action he didn't take lightly, "What are you doing to her?"

"It's a simple calibration," Viktor replied evenly, though his grip on your wrist tightened ever so slightly, "Perhaps if you calmed yourself, you would see that."

"Calm myself?" Jayce laughed, but there was no humour in it, "You think I'm going to stand here and watch you use her as one of your experiments?"

You tried to intervene, to defuse the situation, but neither man seemed to hear you, "It's my choice, there's no h—"

"You don't have to choose him," Jayce said as he basically pleads, "You don't have to choose anyone. Just... stay with me. Let me protect you."

"And be trapped?" Viktor interjected, his eyes on yours despite arguing with Jayce.

Your chest rose and fell heavily, magic pulsing faintly through your fingertips as you struggled to steady your mind. These two are... fighting? No, right?

Viktor was the first to break the silence, his tone soft. He stepped toward you carefully, as though approaching a frightened animal. His hand reached out, brushing just beneath your wrist where the faint glow of your magic still lingered.

"You've already endured too much. I only want to help you control this power."

Jayce moved closer as well, his broad frame casting a shadow over both of you. His hand clasped yours, firmer than Viktor's, but with an undeniable warmth.

"You don't need to change who you are or what you are for anyone." His gaze flickered toward Viktor, laced with venom, before softening as he turned back to you, "I just need you safe. That's all I care about. Can't you see that?"

You were caught between them, their touches burning in different ways.

"Stop," you said, barely above a whisper. You tried to pull your hands free, but neither man relented, "This isn't about what either of you want."

Viktor's eyes narrowed slightly, his grip shifting so that his palm cradled your wrist, "This is not about want. Without guidance, your powers will destroy you or worse, they will be taken from you by those who don't care for your well-being."

His thumb brushed the inside of your wrist, lingering over the pulse point and feeling the skin he cherishes.

"They're not another one of your machines to perfect." Jayce let out a sharp, bitter laugh, his fingers tightening around yours.

You took a hesitant step back, your pulse quickening as their hungry gazes bore into you. Viktor reached out, his metal hand brushing against your cheek. Despite its cold surface, the touch was gentle.

"Your powers are so foreign... not even you know how much control you have over me."

His words made your breath hitch and you couldn't deny the way your body betrayed you, leaning ever so slightly into his touch.

Viktor's lips curled into a faint smile. For a moment, you thought he might lean closer, might say something more.

But then Jayce's hand shot out, his grip firm on your arm as he pulled you back toward him. His body was warm, solid against yours. Less... metallic.

"You think you can just talk your way into her head? Into her heart? You don't even know what she needs." The way he towered over you felt less protective and more possessive.

"So you believe you do?" Viktor countered with a confident hum.

You opened your mouth to speak, to try break up this cat fight, but Jayce leaned in, his breath warm against your ear.

"Tell me," he whispered softly, now teasing, "Do you really think Viktor could make you feel the way I do?" His lips brushed against the edge of your ear.

Clearly Jayce was trying to assert dominance. However, Viktor didn't step back and didn't see Jayce as a threat. Instead, he cupped your face, his metallic fingers rough but achingly familiar against your skin.

"Tell me you want me." Viktor's eyes locked onto yours.

"You don't understand how much I need you," Jayce's thumb brushed your cheek, tilting your head so you faced him instead of Viktor.

And without waiting for a response, he dipped his head, capturing your lips in a kiss that was as desperate as it was possessive.

The kiss was hot and insistent against yours mouth. His hands slipped to the back of your neck, tilting your head completely away from Viktor's to deepen the connection.

Jayce kissed you like he was eating you. The kiss wouldn't have lasted more than four seconds before Viktor had yanked you off Jayce.

"You're smothering her," Viktor hissed, his golden eyes sharp with irritation, "Do you think that was a kiss? To be devoured by your desperation?"

"Don't act like you're any different, Viktor. You'd kiss her if you had the chance." Jayce grit his teeth, furious his sensual kiss got interrupted.

Viktor ignored him, his attention turning to you. His expression softened, "You deserve better than this... better than him," he said hypnotically.

This time, it was Viktor's turn to tilt your head away from Jayce's and towards his own. He stepped closer, his metal fingers brushing against your wrist while his other hand cupped your jaw gently. His touch was noticeably colder.

Viktor leaned in, his lips hovering just above yours, "You are everything I've ever dreamed of," he whispered, his breath ghosting over your skin, "...I would give you the world if you'd let me."

Before you could even register the closeness, his lips met yours. His kiss was slow, deliberate, and sensual. He kissed you like he was savouring every second unlike Jayce, whose kiss was hungry.

Your mind spun, caught between the two of them, their touches and kisses blurring together. Jayce's warmth lingered on your lips even as Viktor's coolness claimed them as you pondered.

Jayce couldn't watch any longer. He stepped forward, his strong arms circling your waist and pulling you against his chest to disconnect your lips from Viktor's.

A light string of saliva connecting your lips with his before it broke.

He whispered harshly, "I'm not letting him take you from me. Not now, not ever."

Jayce's hands roamed your back, possessive and firm, while Viktor's fingers remained on your jaw, despite the little distance. The difference was dizzying. You were pressed up against Jayce's warm chest and if Viktor took a step forward, you would be sandwiched between the two.

"You don't have to choose," Viktor said softly, taking the remaining step forward as his hand moved to your waist, resting just above Jayce's, "Let us prove that you are everything."

Jayce growled low in his throat, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he tightened his grip on you, "Fine," he said through gritted teeth, his voice laced with both anger and longing.

The tension between the three of you shifted, becoming something darker, more intimate. You felt their hands, their lips, their breaths, all consuming you in a way that made your knees weak.

Their obsession was dangerous, but it was also intoxicating. In that moment, you were theirs and they were yours.

"Kiss me." Was the last thing you heard before someone's warm lips claimed your own.

Post Notes: theres something about obesssive and possesive and fighting jayvik over reader... hehehehe...

~ ~ ~

@lightupsketchersperson @simpleindividualgirl @consecratedvampire91 @donnie_is_here @erunanethiel25 @luv-urself-first

my taglist form!

[asphodelles]

Hi, I found your work on Twitter last year and I really love and look up to your art. If you have the time, I wanted to as if there are there any study topics, artists or techniques that have significantly influenced you :')

I'm at a bit of a complete loss on what to study presently so I thought I'd ask my favorite artists, thank you for reading and I completely understand if this is too open ended a question

Thank you!

This isn't the first time I have been asked this question and I suspect this won't be the last so I'll just lay everything out here. Go to a cafe or get a blanket or something because this will not be a short read:

Foundational:

Anatomy: A lot of my foundational anatomy and clothing illustration knowledge was gained from taking classes and doing observational drawing. Because of this, I'm not going to have the best book recommendations but top 2 books I can recommend for getting Started started are Andrew Loomis or RockHe Kim's books on anatomy (huge asterisk here: they're good at teaching you Basics basics like muscle groups and turning forms and extremely general proportions but will not help that much with making your figure drawings less stiff or how to draw fat or especially in the latter's case how to draw women not built like stick bug anime girls but uh I heard the Morpho books are pretty good. genuinely everything I know about drawing fat is from observational drawing/studies because at some point I got sick of my school for only hiring skinny models in their 20s-30s). I have some diagrams drawn by my friend who studied the hell out of these guys below:

Clothing: I don't know any books that can really help on this front I apologize if I find any I'll update this post but pretty much all of my knowledge on drawing clothes boils down to the following rules: Where are the tension points, how stiff or soft is the textile, how is the form underneath the section of clothing behaving, and don't make even spaces between fold groups

All of this is kind of moot though if it isn't applied through study or observational drawing though

Design:

I have to be really careful here because I don't want to deal in absolutes, the only absolute I'm confident espousing is that anyone who tells you there is only a small selection of methods you should follow to execute a specific type of design are objectively incorrect and just haven't figured out alternative if not more effective design solutions to a common problem. The only real Worst Thing I think you could do as a designer is create a pinterest mannequin devoid of a story, disconnected from its context in the world, and lacking in a clear purpose/personality but this too could be easily be disputed if maximising a character’s aesthetic appeal serves a purpose in its context, and my opposition to this design approach is my personal bias as a character designer for entertainment where emphasizing a character’s function and their relationship to said function is usually the goal

I think the 5 best pieces of advice I've ever received when it comes to designing characters are the following:

Try and follow the rule of thirds/general gestalt design principles of contrast

Always consider what it is you're trying to communicate with the character

Create believable transitions and reinforcements between points of interest

(Entertainment related) KISS principle/Keep It Simple, Stupid is your friend, the way a character wears or wields what they wear or wield will communicate their role in the world (who are they?), their relationship to their role (do they like their job? are they good at it? are they a part of an organization with the means to provide them things to perform their role more effectively?) effectively enough. Excessive information that bloats and conflicts with the communication objective weakens design (example: My favourite childhood toy for years was a pokemon plushie. Would I as a stay at home digital artist be wearing it as a keychain on my crusty paint stained polyester pajama pants when I'm at my desk working my job? is wearing it relevant to my character as a person who both no longer is invested in pokemon and is in this context focused entirely on comfort and doing my job? (no)). I think Elden Ring is an excellent example of a game that has visually complex designs but pretty expedient storytelling with its characters for worldbuilding

Study things that aren't just character design, to borrow from Lynn Yaeger borrowing from Sally Singer "If you're interested in fashion learn everything except fashion... Politics, art, painting- anything except fashion". Because people in different disciplines who work with different mediums or fields of study approach problems in different angles you may not have considered which can help give new ideas + often times the stuff you like was inspired by stuff that isn't at all what you would expect or enjoy yourself (To pull from a very popular example, Arcane is a League of Legends joint which was highly influenced by Warcraft which was highly influenced by Warhammer which was basically a giant response to western pop culture of the 1960s and the history of European warfare something something coconut tree).

Character design is kind of a hard thing to Get Good at considering how much of the actual process is super psychological/not bound by a *ton* of absolutes and has to account for medium and function (you kind of just have to have The Sauce) so I don't recommend Just studying independently only (possible, just very difficult). If you can and are interested in learning more about the specifics take some classes taught by people whose styles you fw who both know what they're doing and are good at explaining their process. For design for entertainment you can always check out Concept Design Academy or The Workshop Academy and see who's teaching there

As far as artist inspirations are concerned I think looking up the artists who worked on projects you like are a good starting point to figure out how you want to stylize. Going off of that at least currently my favourite designers/illustrators for entertainment with The Sauce are probably Evening Monteiro, Sergey Kolesov, Mindy Lee, Tonci Zonjic, Sasha Tudvaseva, Claire Hummel, and Yoshitaka Amano

My favourite book currently for tackling character design at least from a narrative consideration is probably Talking Threads: Costume Design for Entertainment Art (one of the authors is my friend and an excellent teacher!) and a lot of the stuff they espouse really helps to take into consideration individual and external factors when designing a character/how they can be used as vehicles for both individual storytelling and worldbuilding, gigantic reference point for my most recent casual project

Besides that the only other way I can really recommend studying character design is to just look at art, history, architecture, nature (pretty much Everything) and think about how ideas and concepts from those things can be applied to or communicated through a design or figure out what it was about a design or designs you like made it appealing

uhh tldr this is just how i as one among millions of artists got to where i am today as of January 16th 2025 my word is not gospel the advice I espoused here may very well spell my downfall tomorrow

[cripplecharacters]

Hello, I hope you are all doing well. I have a question about image descriptions. I’ve seen people say they should be simple and direct to the point, often pointing out that overly detailed or descriptive language defeats the purpose of accessibility, but this advice seems to focus on non-art images. If I am describing art piece, would it be okay to describe things more? — ⚡️

Hello!

In general, the best practices with image descriptions is to describe the most important parts of the image. Of course, what's "important" about an image might differ depending on the type of image and the context.

When describing a diagram of a tow truck, for example, the colour of the tow truck would be irrelevant. The important parts of the image are the labels and the relevant parts of the truck.

For a piece of art, however, that may depend. With art, it can be a bit more difficult because, as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What one person sees as important may be entirely irrelevant to another person. Generally speaking, however, image descriptions/alt text for art is generally longer and more detailed than for other images.

When describing art, I find that a lot of people will go into great detail about the colour or shape or appearance of the piece of but not mention anything about the techniques of the piece itself. It may just be the arts major in me but I find that describing the feeling of a piece of art is just as important as describing the content of it.

For example, take this description:

A physical painting of a field of sunflowers. There are multiple rows and the flowers are grown tightly together. They are all turning to the back to face the sun. It is a cloudless day.

Now, consider this one:

A physical painting of a field of sunflowers. The painting is drawn with large, loose strokes and has very little detail. There are multiple rows and the flowers are grown tightly together to the point where the paint of their petals blends into each other. They are all turning to the back to face the sun. It is a cloudless day.

Remember that the goal with image descriptions/alt text is always equal access. While a sighted person can see the content of a painting, they can also generally get a feeling of it too. It may just be my personal preference but I find that conveying this feeling is also important.

Of course, context also matters here. If the image of the painting is posted to debate and discuss the craft of it, then yes, you would be expected to go into much more detail about it. If it's posted just to comment on how many people paint sunflowers, then you wouldn't need to go into much detail at all. You could literally just put "A physical painting of a field of sunflowers during the day." and that would be fine.

One thing to keep in mind is that the "right" way to write image descriptions/alt text will vary from person to person. I've seen posts that condemn one way of doing it while other posts say that said way is the only way to do it. It's all just personal preference, really, and the most important thing is that you're helping to make the post more accessible.

Cheers,

~ Mod Icarus

[stevelieber]

Thoughts on giving critiques to comics artists.

Seeing lots of discussion from students about sour experiences with an unhelpful art teacher, so here's a long, long post about giving critiques.

NB: I have no formal training as a teacher, but I was a student, and I've spent decades giving artists feedback on their work.

When someone brings me a portfolio, I like to establish my limitations & clarify my perspective. My work is firmly rooted in traditional US comics storytelling (i.e., not manga or art-comics.) I can give feedback on other approaches but they should know where I’m coming from.

“We've only got a little time for this, so I'm going to spend that time focusing on things to correct. That doesn't mean you're doing everything wrong, or that there’s nothing good here, but it’ll be more helpful if I identify some problems and show you how to fix them.”

Why? Because for many young artists their entire sense of self worth is wrapped up in being good at what they do. (It was for me!) In school they were probably the best artist in their peer group. But now if they're hoping to turn pro, they��re at the bottom.

Sometimes you know what’s up when you see page 1, but try to keep an open mind. Some build their portfolios by sticking new pages at the back & don’t weed out the old stuff up front, so the work gets better as you go. When it’s like that I ask: “Show me your best 8 pages.”

I ask questions: "What's the goal? Do you want to be hired to work on someone else's project, or to get the story you're showing me here published?"

If 1, I steer towards a portfolio that'll showcase hirable skills. If 2, I look for what tweaks will make that particular story more effective.

"Do you have teachers giving you regular feedback? What are they telling you?" Sometimes a student is getting bad advice. In cases like that, I'll do my best to be extra clear WHY I'm giving them advice that's 180 degrees from what they've been hearing.

“What artists are you looking at? Is there someone you admire or try to emulate?” This often helps me understand choices they're making, and I can sometimes incorporate things those artists do into my suggestions.

I ask myself questions about what I’m seeing. First: Is there a narrative? If not, I make it 100% clear I'm not speaking as any sort of expert. I'm good at critiquing storytelling, but don't have anywhere near as much to offer illustrators or designers.

Can I follow the story? Or am I confused about what's going on? Are the characters and settings drawn consistently? If not, is the artist at least making use of tags (distinctive clothing, hair etc.) to keep the characters recognizable?

Does the artist demonstrate a good command of basic academic drawing? If not, Do I think they need it? Do I focus on "how to draw" or on "what to do when you can't draw?" Is the artist putting the viewer’s eye where it needs to be to tell the story effectively?

(At this point I’m usually doing little doodles to go with my instructions. I scribble out ugly little 5 second diagrams that I hope will clarify what I’m talking about. Or they might make me seem demented. Hard to say!)

Is the artist making choices that are creating more work than necessary? Is there a particular weakness? I once spoke to an artist with a portfolio full of great work when he was drawing animals and monsters, but his humans were amateurish in comparison. I spent that critique talking about drawing people.

A crit can be a grab bag. In addition to big-picture advice, I'll point out tangencies, violations of the 180-degree rule, wonky anatomy, weird perspective, places where the artist neglected to do important research, odd choices in how they spotted black, whatever catches my eye.

I also try to make a point of defining the terms, so that jargon like “tangency,” “180-degree rule,” and “spotting black” don't go over their heads. Find simple, concrete ways to talk about these things, & clarify why it's a problem when they aren't done correctly. Draw diagrams!

Recognize that even a perfectly phrased explanation might not sink in. Some lessons can only be learned when a student is ready, and it might take a year or two of work before they can understand what you were saying. It's good to plant seeds.

Are there other artists who are particularly good at solving the problems the student is trying to solve? I steer them towards that artist's work. And I always recommend life drawing & the use of reference to give work specificity, variety, and authority.

Despite what I said earlier about focusing on what's wrong, I try at the end to find something encouraging to say. And if I’ve really piled on the criticism, I emphasize that I only spent the time and energy to do so because I take their efforts seriously.

If I've done my job right, they'll leave my table with tools to make their work better. And maybe in a few years they'll be looking at some younger artist's work, surprised to discover just how much you can learn when you're asked to teach.

[copperbadge]

A while ago @shirokou sent me a really cool dice divination set called the Publishing Goblin Oracle Dice, which looked awesome but took me a while to get comfortable with; I've never really done what I think of as "bones" divination where you cast objects into a field and divine based on where they fall (dice, runes, i ching, etc).

I did a first few readings this past month, though, and while they were difficult they were also really fun! I don't know why this form of divination is so much more complex for me -- I read card pretty fluidly, although moreso when I'm working with my own deck where the cards have the meanings printed on. But like, this 14-dice reading on a mat was way more complicated than the big 78-card spread I usually do a few times a year.

That said, I have to admit, it does look properly wizardly. Look at that diagram I did and tell me it would look out of place done in red ink on parchment, lying near a skull with a dribbly candle on it. (It's mostly about change and relationships, I'm still decoding what it might mean.)

[ID: Three images; first image is a set of the oracle dice, featuring arcane and interesting symbols including scales, a butterfly, and a skull with a keyhole jaw. The second image shows the mat, lying on my carpet, with the dice lying on it. The third image is a hand-drawn chart of the mat, with the dice drawn in and numbered; between and around the dice are all kinds of notes I've made in a different color of pen, making it look like a sports playbook or a wizard's chart.]

[naturecalls111]

i love your drawings so much<333 your art is so perfect like the anatomy looks so beautiful!!!! how did you learn to draw that anatomically correct? like do you use a lot of references or do you just know how to draw bodies atp? bc im struggling with anatomy lmaoo

Wahhhhh!!! 🥹 Thank you so much!!! I'm holding this praise very close to my heart right now!!!! I've spent a lot of time over the years doing studies and having images of muscle group diagrams open while drawing, so I'm super happy to hear it paid off!

So I don't really use references anymore when I start drawing and composing the pose, but I absolutely still reference diagrams of muscle groups when I find myself hesitating with the way certain parts of the body may appear. Something like this, for example:

Something that gives me an exaggerated idea of what that part of the body looks like so I can soften it to my liking. My main goal when using reference isn't to do a 1:1 replica, but rather understand What I'm Drawing while I'm drawing it. At this point of my art journey, I'd prefer having more practise in manipulating these muscles than just practising drawing what I can see.

(Worth mentioning I absolutely still practise observational drawing, and it undoubtedly aids this aspect of my drawing, too. I used to use fanart specifically to practise it, but this year I've taken to separating my fanart from my study art because I find that it allows me to be less miserable when it doesn't come out good LOL now I just do oil painting which helps me focus more on general shapes and values)

Using these types of categorised diagrams has also helped me simplify that initial structure of the body when I'm sketching. Having general markers of what muscle goes where definitely helps me set the position of the body in the long run.

I very, very highly encourage the use of references always, but especially when still learning to get more confident with anatomy!!!! Me not using references for poses is very much at the cost of having anatomy that could be even More accurate LOL I merely know where to place the lines to make things look Passably believable. Buuuttt that's also just the process of improving. Imagination is a muscle that has to be trained too. What's been helping me find a happy middle nowadays is drawing with references that cover small parts instead of using the reference for the whole illustration. FOR EXAMPLE!!!

I had drawn this much of the catlaila I recently posted without a reference before I was like.. Huh. I can't really figure out what I want to with the arms, but I also don't know what is Physically Possible to do with the arms here, so I'll experiment with my 3D poser (WHICH BTW I LOVE AND USED TO USE RELIGIOUSLY FOR EVEEERYTHING SO!! GO DOWNLOAD LOL it's called MagicPoser) and I had adjusted the models up to this point before being like, ok yeah this is enough for me to go off of as something that is physically feasible. So the posing of the rest of the models is whatever because I just needed to know what Laila's arms would look like. This was the final linework:

Like, it's still not a 1:1 with the reference, but it's just enough that it seems feasible !! My personal opinion is that sometimes reference doesn't capture the Shapes that I want it to, even if it's more realistic, so it's ok to break rules and just go with your flow lol... It's shocking how many times I've thought references of real human bodies look unrealistic and ridiculous HAHA Hence focusing more on learning the muscle groups/shapes so that I can adjust to my liking without sacrificing the integrity of the anatomy...

Also, not necessarily on anatomy, but I use plenty of references when I need to see things like how tight shirts stretch over breasts, or how cloth sits at a certain angle, or, honestly, hands. I almost always draw hands by looking at my own. I cannot stress enough: I use plenty of references. I am not a magician and I don't have perfect memory, even after four/five years of studied drawing x)))

Anyway. I've yapped so much. I try to be detailed in my explanation of anatomy because god knows how much I struggled with it!!! I STILL do. If you ever catch the link to it, I often stream these drawings and you'll see how many times I duplicate these layers so I can erase whole sections and try again, or how often I'll attempt the position of a leg over and over before I feel its right. The final product is so quick to digest but the process is frustratingly finicky, I promise, LMAO.

I hope this wasn't too convoluted and long, and I wish you the super best on your anatomy journey! If you ever need help and catch me at the right time, I'm totally open to giving any work a second opinion ! :3c

[beemers-hell]

maybe im just schizophrenic but seeing your recently made piece of art w/hank holding baby (baby) i noticed he wasnt too wide, kinda skinny, but still built, I KNOW it might just be the fact u were drawing over the fucking original image but something in me is tellin gme heee ehehh ihhei HANK got a more noticeable dad bod aafter awhile of caring for bank --most absolutely not f0reb0ding

HI BESTIEEEEEEEE

ok so like yeah obvs i was just drawing over the image, and that image already doesnt make sense bc Hank wasn't in his consternation phase yet when Bank was a baby but like actually! I've been meaning to put more visual difference into Hank's physical look to show there's been a progression of time between Bank's baby years and her adult years. I haven't drawn much of anything lately that would show this off pretty cleanly but I very quickly doodled a diagram of what I had in mind!

There isn't tooooo drastic a change between Baby Bank Era Hank and Adult Bank Era Hank, but that's mainly cause even in spite of him putting on weight in order to actually muscle up, I like to think Hank has Doc physically altering his body in order to keep it a certain figure whenever he gets like fuckin blown up or eviscerated in some way cause Hank just prefers the hourglass shape. And then when he gets MAG'd he stops giving a shit lol

[periprose]

Ps5 Peter Parker x reader inspired by this?

It's one of my favorite MerDer moments on Grey's anatomy 🙈😭

Peter explains something about physics or an idea for a gagdet...

🤣 this image really cracked me up lol thanks for the ask!! I've set the fic to take place in the first game, Peter and Reader are Otto's assistants at Octavius Industries. Please ignore the science mumbo jumbo in this fic.

/

Otto's lab was really cold this time of year. He barely had the funds to make rent in Manhattan, let alone provide optimal heating and other luxuries.

Still, you shiver, searching through your locker for your comfy, oversized jumper. You're just pulling it on when Peter pops up from behind you.

"Hey."

"Jesus!" You flinch and then rub your eyes. "Hey, Peter. How do you get behind me so fast? That's the third time this month I didn't even see you come in."

"Uh... I just have good reflexes, I think." Peter's mouth twists a little, as he tries not to laugh at your jumper. "Are you sure that's up to lab standards? Where's your lab coat?"

"Ah, Otto doesn't mind. He knows I'm cold." You explain, and Peter sighs.

"Well, he never gives me special treatment."

"Probably because you're not as cute as I am." You joke, but Peter nods and you feel a callous level of attraction towards him for being so nonchalant in terms of flirting.

You never really know where you stand with the guy. He's a naturally witty person and you refuse to read into anything any deeper, just for self preservation.

"Hey, I can't disagree with that." Peter laughs that quiet, soft laugh that makes you smile on your own. "Here, I got you a cup of coffee. That should help warm you up."

You look down and see, sure enough, Peter's holding a coffee cup tray, loaded with three cups, surely your usual orders- for you, extra black espresso to stay awake, for Peter, usually some kind of healthy tea hybrid, and for Otto, a large, creamy Italian coffee blend that's particularly expensive (Peter always jokes that Otto wastes funding on things like this).

"Oh, I'll pay you back." You reach back into your locker for your wallet, but Peter stops you with a raise of his hand.

"It's free of charge. No worries." He hands you the cup gently, and your hand skirts across his. You think for a moment.

"Nothing is ever really 'free of charge', Peter." You give him a side glance. In the last couple of months you've known this guy, you've figured out when he has an ulterior motive.

"... Alright, alright. You got me." Peter starts pulling you along by the hand, towards one of Otto's offices filled with white-boards and desks and equipment. You take a sip of your coffee and notice that it's still quite hot- Peter must've been really fast to make it so.

Not that you're complaining, and now that you're warmer you do feel more inclined to listen to him.

"Okay. You know how Otto's neural interface for the experimental arms have been glitching out?" Peter's got a firm look on his face, as you sit and listen.

"Yeah. It's a poor prototype, I think he asked us to leave it alone? He said he'd deal with it." You shrug. "I've moved on to his requests for a tighter, stronger arm. You know I deal with hardware."

"Yes, but even so, the neural interface problem still persists. Otto's lying." Peter looks at the whiteboard, and sees that half of it is covered all over with erratically drawn diagrams and equations. It's fine, he knows he can write what he needs in that space.

"Okay, look." Peter begins drawing a diagram of the neural interface's circuitry. "See how the voltage is really high?"

"Yeah- but isn't that what Doc wanted?" You grimace. "Last time I brought up the voltage issue, he told me to mind my business and continue with soldering. He wants so much power for some reason."

"Right, that's what I'm talking about. Notice how Otto keeps having those outbursts?" Peter sighs, a deeply upsetting look overtaking him. "He's getting a bit aggressive as of late, and I think it's because he can't figure this out."

"You're telling me. Just yesterday he chewed me out for clocking in a bit late." You sniff. "Okay, I was fifteen minutes late, but still."

"I've been there, you don't even have to justify it." Peter laughs, and begins drawing squiggly lines. You can't help but notice how his strangely muscular arms are tense and visible through his lab coat as he scrawls, and you take a sip of your coffee, savoring the view. Looking isn't illegal, you try to rationalize, but you quickly banish these thoughts as Peter looks back with a sly glance, to make sure you're paying attention.

"This is the electricity flow... and it should be heading this way, but the neural interface is made incorrectly and the flow of energy is heading back this way... towards the-"

"The battery of the arms, not the interface." You suddenly realize, and take a scrap piece of paper off the desk, scribbling down notes. "Hmm... maybe the wiring used for the arms is absorbing too much energy? Or the batteries are too big?"

"Maybe, but neural interfaces are tricky business." Peter winces as Otto yells at something in the background of the lab. "I told Otto not to get too involved with it- it's far too easy to accidentally mess with your brain, and then suddenly you've got anger issues or worse-"

"Dementia." You finish his sentence with an equally grim expression. "Okay. I hear you, but how are we supposed to fix it, exactly? I can only think of using different, smaller wires, or a less cost heavy battery- but then it won't move at the speed Otto wants it to."

"Yeah." Peter's shoulders slump a little, and you feel bad. He's always just one dude trying to take on the entire world's problems.

"Peter, it's not your problem, really. You can only do so much- the man has made up his mind, he's going to have to take the brunt of the problem." You try to console him, but Peter has that determined Parker Pride you've seen far too often, and you know he's not going to let it go.

"Wait, wait. Okay..." Peter starts frantically drawing on the board, and seeing that he's running out of space, without missing a beat, begins to draw on the wall.

"Peter! You're drawing on the wall!" You admonish him, and to your shock and utter horror, but not to your surprise, he keeps going. "Now you've completely lost it- it'll take two seconds to erase the board-"

But Peter isn't listening, in that overly stubborn, inventor way that you know you've done before. He's too lost in his own thoughts, and you know that spark will disappear if he takes a moment to stop drawing.

"I'll clean it. It's fine. We got to get a move on." Peter points to the new diagram on the wall. "Look at this."

Peter's drawn a rudimentary depiction of the robotic arm prototypes you've built for Otto, but the battery pack has been split up into several, smaller batteries that extend over the course of the arms. Something about the way the arms move in Peter's drawings look a lot more... smooth, silky, like a cephalopod.

An octopus.

But you are amazed at Peter's capabilities, either way. "Using multiple different batteries, so the energy isn't drawn away from the neural interface in a great capacity?" You blink, a bit amused at Peter's eager expression. "It would work, I think, but only if Otto is willing for a slight decrease in power."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong. We don't need to sacrifice power at all." Peter draws a set of gears, interlocking through the squiddy looking arm, and you clap your hands, clambering up out of your seat, finally enthused by his idea.

"Peter Parker, you genius!" You shake his arm excitedly, and he turns a bit pinker as he watches you, grinning. "Otto wanted the arm to be almost entirely synthetic material- but if it has rotating gears, the less it will jerk around. It'll be faster, smoother-"

"Thus requiring less power anyways, and less power will be redirected into his neural interface. And, hypothetically, no more angry Otto." Peter grins, and you smile up at him. "I mean, it'll still take some tinkering to figure out, but incremental improvements are still improvements, right?"

"Definitely. Plus we can always try to convince him about solar power again." You joke as Peter snickers.

Peter opens his mouth, about to say something to you, but he stares for a moment too long and hesitates, especially because in the nerdy excitement, he had gotten so close to you, and he was a liar if he said he had never checked out his cute co-worker. Any second now, you should be teasing as you usually do- but your eyes are wide and Peter gets the sense you've been swept up in this too.

He's never been so... close. He can make out individual eyelashes, tiny scars, imperceptible to normal people, but not to him.

And his phone buzzes with some kind of alert. He looks it over with bright, concerned eyes, while you take a moment to step back, much to Peter's mild irritation.

"Ah... must be MJ?" You ask, trying so very hard not to sound like a jealous girlfriend, just a curious colleague. You have nothing against MJ- you just feel that she and Peter are so meant for each other, and this is exactly why you've been trying to protect yourself.

Who are you kidding? You and Peter are both so busy- you'd never have time to be his doting, adoring girlfriend. You just have to remember him as a friend.

Already you feel the walls coming into place, your expression turning neutral, your heart becoming steely, when Peter looks at you again, surprised.

He can tell you're holding yourself back- and he doesn't like that. He wants you to come back to him, to be close with him again, and it drives him nuts that it has to be your choice, but he respects that.

"Not MJ. We broke up a while ago." Peter swallows, hoping he's saying the right things. "Uh... I don't think we're going to get back together. She's dating someone else now."

"Oh." You squeeze Peter's shoulder as comfortingly as you can. "Peter, I'm sorry. I would've been less of an ass if I'd known."

"No, don't be." Peter fixes a firm, kindhearted glance at you, taking your hands, the warmth of his own making you feel especially treasured. "You're great."

There's a teeny bit of hope working it's way into you, into your silly, girly heart despite all the steel around it, and Peter has a soft smile reserved just for you- you know that smile, you've seen it before when he comforts you when an experiment goes poorly, or when you've had a Eureka moment.

He rubs your hands. "Jeez, you're cold! I know women are usually freezing in the workplace- different body temperatures on average and all that- but I'm going to have to talk to Otto about making it warmer in here."

"Lest I die of hypothermia, right." You snort, and Peter snickers, but he still stays close, as if he's using this as an excuse. "Well, at least I have your hands."

Peter's phone buzzes again, another alert, which he apologetically takes a moment to read after letting go of you. Something about Fisk's thugs making their way through Grand Central Station- he shouldn't leave right now, but he can see your curiosity is piqued.

"Just a news alert. Nothing big." Peter lies, and you don't quite buy it, but you don't want to pry at this moment after he's complimented you and been so nice to warm up your hands.

Otto bursts through the entrance of the room, sighing.

"Will you two lovebirds stop canoodling with each other and test out the circuitry? You know, like I'm paying you to do so with very limited funds?" He barks, and then inhales. "Sorry. Just... try to stay on task. And I know you're young and all... but stop drawing on the walls!"

He leaves, grumbling about youth being too romantic and wishing they would understand sensibility.

You're about to refute whatever Otto said, so Peter doesn't feel uncomfortable, when he speaks first.

"I take it he isn't a romantic." Peter jokes as he grabs some paper towels, and you laugh, feeling that Peter's flirting was more genuine than you thought.