#REALLY helped me in learning how to understand light and form

[veilxstars]

Arjun noticed Ori's hesitation and the way he pushed the menu away, his concern growing. The soft furrow of Ori’s brow didn't escape him, and it made something tight form in his chest. Granted - it was early in the morning. This was not the best time for breakfast and not everyone ate like a horse like Arjun did.

“You’re worried about it, aren’t you?” he asked quietly, watching Ori. “I know you have your reasons but you push yourself so hard." Arjun’s gaze softened, but he tilted his head, a hint of a teasing smile tugging at his lips as he raised an eyebrow. “Maybe you’ll help me work off all this breakfast? I can't run. Hell - putting on pants is an effort most mornings - but if you have any suggestions - I can do chair dancing, as long as I don't move from the chair. A little extra exercise never hurt anyone, right?” He tried to keep his tone light, but there was a clear undertone of concern in his words, the offer an attempt to ease Ori’s mind. Plus - a little exercise could hurt Arjun ... a lot.

But he made them offer and then quieted, so he could listen as Ori spoke, taking in the sincerity of his words. When Ori reached out to touch his hand, Arjun couldn’t help but feel a warmth in his chest, something that had become foreign to him in recent years. It was a gesture he rarely received from anyone, and in a way, it felt both comforting and disarming.

He gave a small, knowing smile at Ori’s apology, grateful for the empathy, but he didn’t let the moment linger long. He had learned not to dwell on things that were out of his control, even if part of him had never truly found peace with it. “I suppose some people just... don’t see things the way others do. I don’t think it was out of cruelty, at least not in the way most people would think of it,” he said softly, his voice low but steady. “My mother… She was always different. But she loved me. I never doubted that.”

Arjun paused, his gaze shifting to the steam rising from his own mug. “She never married. Never even really dated. But she was a remarkable woman, respected by her peers. Her house was a revolving door of people—those who could challenge her mind, who could argue for hours, and those she admired. I was always part of that, always encouraged to think, to be curious. From a young age, I learned that questioning was a gift, not a burden. I didn’t have the family many people think of, but I had love and support, in my own way.”

His smile faded slightly, but it didn’t vanish entirely. “I wasn’t alone, in the ways that matter,” he added, his words soft but sure. “I wasn’t alone.”

At Ori’s mention of the possibility of there not being a maker, Arjun looked up, his brow furrowing slightly. “Maybe. Or maybe the truth’s just something we’ll never know for sure, no matter how many scenarios we think through.” He didn’t particularly believe in fate, but he had learned to leave some things unanswered.

His gaze drifted to the window, as if searching for an answer in the outside world. “But I do believe in something... else. Not a maker in the way some might think of it, but something grander, something far older than we could ever truly understand. There’s a beauty to the way the universe works, how everything is so intricately woven together. Even in the darkest moments, there’s still that pull of the stars, the earth, the endless sky. Maybe that’s as close to a maker as we’ll get.”

He glanced back at Ori, his eyes soft, yet firm in their conviction. “And the soul... I believe in that. I don’t know where it comes from, or where it goes, but I know it’s real. It’s in the way we connect with each other, how we’re drawn to things bigger than ourselves. You can feel it, can’t you? That energy, that spark inside, even in the quietest of moments. It's a part of us, something that doesn't fade, no matter what happens."

Arjun leaned forward, this time - he reached out for Ori and took his hand. “Some things are meant to be felt, not explained. And maybe that’s enough. Like this - why do we take comfort and enjoyment out of eating shitty pancakes at this hour? Why are you and I friends? It doesn't need to be explained or put into words -- because it just is."

“As for your childhood... it sounds like you had a good foundation," Arjun continued, though his tone was neutral, thoughtful. "You were raised in a place that valued hard work and community. That’s more than a lot of people can say, even if it was all about balance, even if your passion took you away from it sometimes. You didn’t lose that foundation, did you?” He took another small sip from his cup, waiting for Ori’s response, considering how different their worlds had been yet how similar their drives had been to carve out their own paths.

Ori smiled, but shook his head. "The more I eat, the harder I have to work later today. And I'll already be tired, so that seems like torture," he explained, pushing his plasticky menu away from himself on the table. He went through phases like that, where he worried about what he was eating. He tried not to make it too obvious, he knew it was silly, but it was just one more thing keeping him from being the best he could be.

Listening to Arjun's story made Ori's smile disappear pretty quickly. In fact, he looked sad, his features drooping as he let the other finish. "I'm so sorry," he said finally, reaching forward to gently touch Arjun's hand. "That's terrible. I can't imagine treating someone I loved like that. If any of my sisters wanted to have a baby in any sort of way, I'd be so excited for them. And I'd expect all of them to be happy for me, too," he said, eyes watering as he spoke. But quickly he blinked the tears away, sighing and pulling his hand away from Arjun's. Sometimes he got too affectionate with people, he never meant any harm though.

"Maybe there isn't a maker," Ori suggested, though it came merely from a thought he'd always wondered about. He didn't pretend to know about what came after anyone's time on Earth, but he'd tried to imagine pretty much every scenario he could.

Sipping at his coffee, he picked up a fork and started to cut up his omelette with it. As he did, he shrugged, looking up at Arjun again. "It was peaceful, I think. I was born on a commune. Everything we had was worked for. My family grew food, helped with all of the chores with everyone else, and I started doing what I could as soon as I was old enough to walk. I'm not the oldest, I have an older sister, and then I have two more sisters after me. Ocean's the youngest." He hesitated a moment, thinking about his childhood, and then he smiled again. "I didn't leave the commune for anything other than dance. Classes, and recitals, and then competitions and stuff. I actually started feeling guilty when I was going to the studio every day, but my mom never let me stay guilty for long. She was always really proud of me, and she made me feel like it was okay that I had a passion outside of our little community."

[corrodedparadox]

Hi, just stumbled across your blog and love the art style! Any recommendations for starting artists?

Not being afraid to use references and learning how values work is what helped me the most personally!! Learning the basics of grayscale and translating that into full art pieces helped me SO much in learning how to shade and color correctly and helping keep a piece coherent, and I use images I’ve personally taken for to use for references most of my art pieces so I don’t have to try and guess how certain things look.

[dorabellingham]

Little midfielder

warning: none

characters: jude x mom!reader

summary: when your baby wants to practice football but your husband is injured.

may contain spelling and translation errors!

Madrid, Spain — July 4, 2024

Benjamin, just two years old, was already obsessed with football. Every time he saw a ball, his eyes lit up and he started running after it, even though he was still learning to shoot.

Today, with the sun illuminating the yard, he held his mini soccer ball with determination, ready to convince his dad to play with him. Jude was sitting on the couch, with his leg stretched out and still in the process of recovering from his last injury, trying to follow the doctor's recommendations. He knew he needed a little more patience, but when Benji came running with the ball, his curls bouncing and an irresistible smile on his face, he felt his heart melt.

—Daddy, play, daddy!

Benji asked, holding the ball in both of his little hands and swinging it in front of his father. Jude looked at his son and, for a second, hesitated. He knew he wasn't ready to return to intense physical activities yet, but it was just a game with his son, right? Nothing else. A smile formed on his face, and he sighed.

—Okay, Ben, let's go. But slowly, huh?

The boy, excited, started jumping, while the man slowly got up. You, who was nearby, gave a warning look.

—Jude... you know the doctor hasn't released it yet, right?

—I know, I know. —He replied, taking the ball from your son's hands and lightly throwing it to the little one. —But it's just a light game, nothing more.

Benji, of course, was over the moon. He chased the ball with all the energy a two-year-old could have, his quick, clumsy steps around the yard were adorable to watch. Jude, even though he was trying to take it easy, ended up kicking the ball back to him with a little more force than he intended. The little boy stumbled as he tried to catch the ball, but soon got up, laughing as if it were the funniest thing in the world.

—Look at that kick! —He joked, pretending to be the game's narrator. —Bellingham father against Bellingham son... and the father is having trouble moving, but the son comes with everything!

You, watching from afar, shook your head, laughing at the way your husband was turning a little joke into a competition. Your baby, all concentrated, made a clumsy kick, and the ball went straight to Jude's feet. He tried to resist the attempt, but the player's instincts took over. He adjusted his foot and gently kicked back. Benjamin ran after the ball, aiming to show his father his skills.

—Look, daddy! I'm just like you!

He spoke with that sweet child's voice, making Bellingham's heart melt even more.

He sent it and bent down a little to be at the baby's height.

—You'll be better than me, little one. But only if mommy doesn't let me play with you too soon!

Benjamin, not understanding the joke, just laughed and continued running. You, on the other hand, crossed your arms and gave Jude a warning look.

—You know you should be resting.

—I know, darling! —He replied, laughing —But how am I going to say no to this little midfielder of ours here?

You sighed, but you couldn't help but smile at the sight of the two of them together.

—Just don't get too excited, okay? And, Benji, without hurting daddy, huh?

Benjamin laughed, not really understanding, and continued chasing the ball. But even with the caution Jude was taking, he began to feel a slight pain in his knee, which made him stop and lean lightly on the garden fence. You noticed it right away and went to him, worried.

—See? I knew this would happen.

—I'm fine, babe!

He replied, still trying to keep the smile, even though he was starting to feel more uncomfortable.

Benji, realizing that the game had stopped, ran to his father and, with those curious eyes, asked:

—Does it hurt, daddy?

Jude revealed and messed up his son's curls identical to his, but without a cut.

—A little, but dad will be fine. You played very well, Little Bellingham.

You, helping Jude to sit on the sofa in the garden, looked at the little one and said:

—Now it's time to give daddy a rest, okay, sweetheart? Let's play something else for now.

Benjamin, despite being sad to stop the game, agreed and ran around the yard with the ball again. Jude watched his son, with a mixture of pride and frustration at not yet being 100% recovered.

—He's going to be an ace, right?

He commented to you, who sat next to him.

—He will! —You replied, smiling. —But only if you stop hurting yourself and teach properly.

Jude chuckled.

—Yeah, I'm trying...I just need a little more time.

As you watched his son play, Jude knew he needed to take the recovery process seriously. He wanted to be able to play with your son, train with him without any limitations, but he also knew that this would only be possible if he was patient now. And as stubborn as he was, the smile on his mini copy's face was the perfect reminder of why it was worth waiting and doing things the right way.

[satorisoup]

Hello how are youuuu. I was just wondering if you could write a doc with haikyuu players with a gf who they didn’t know could play volleyball be really good at. I know it’s kinda boring but I find it cute.

#HAIKYUU W/ A SECRET VOLLEYBALL GF (MULTIPLE CHARACTER)

#A/N : trust me this isn’t boring at all. ISJWJSJS IKR ITS SO CUTE.

#WARNINGS : f!reader. petnames (baby, babe, love).

finds out by stumbling upon one of your games. the crowd is cheering loudly, and he looks to the court to see whats causing the commotion. low and behold, there you are standing with the ball in your hands adorned with the school’s volleyball uniform. he watches you play from the sidelines and is bewildered to see how incredibly good you are. he doesn’t understand why you would hide it from him, but nonetheless, he finds you after your game. with a shocked look on your face, he bends down to whisper in your ear. “great game, baby.”

KUROO. SUNA. osamu. kageyama. oikawa.

finds out when you’re helping him practice. you’re in the schools volleyball gym after practice, helping toss or hit a few balls. it’s when you ask if he can toss one to you that he begins to feel puzzled. he does so anyways, watching with wide eyes as you spike the ball down in such a perfect form, he’s almost certain you might be better than him. turning to look at him with a sheepish smile, he’s looking back at you before asking, “where the hell did you learn to do that babe?”

ATSUMU. BOKUTO. tanaka. semi. lev. iwaizumi.

he already knew before you even told him. he’s observant, and he couldn’t help but have this hunch that you knew how to play. he’d see the way your eyes would light up when watching games, and how you already knew how everything worked. the cherry on top was the volleyball keychain and poster you had in your room. it didn’t come as much of a surprise to him at all, so before you even told him, he just popped the question out of nowhere. “so how long have you been playing volleyball, love?”

AKAASHI. KENMA. kita. sugawara. ushijima. tendou.

[daylighteclipsed]

Your KH Enchanted posts are driving me INSANE! I've never thought about the connection before but like, Enchanted is literally about a cartoon character going to the real world and finding out that her designated "perfect" love interest wasn't actually the one for her despite the fact that he should be. And then cut to SORA WAKING UP IN QUADRATUM AND RIKU THERE LOOKING FOR HIM like... it's all coming together.

YES!!!! There are so many parallels. In Sora’s dreams, the way he and Riku wake up in this huge city at night with so many lights and signs and skyscrapers… it’s so much like Giselle pulling herself up into the center of Times Square. The area Sora’s in especially, Scramble Crossing, brings to mind Times Square.

Enchanted is about a fictional character becoming real. Giselle’s from a simple, “perfect,” fairytale world. She’s designed to be a stereotypical Disney princess, and she’s a trope more than a person until she ends up in the real world, where she’s quickly challenged by the real world’s imperfections and complexities, embodied especially in Robert and through her relationship with him.

I’ve talked before about how Kingdom Hearts features fictional characters waking up and coming to life, deviating from the script when they’re not really “supposed” to and becoming real. Like Giselle, Sora starts out as a pretty stereotypical trope — the hero — but over the course of his journey grows further away from that. He’s challenged and he changes, and a lot of that is embodied through his relationship with Riku, as Riku represents change and complexity, especially in the context of growing up.

There’s a lot of parallels in the dynamics between Giselle/Robert and Sora/Riku. They’re complementary opposites, and they learn from each other. Giselle inspires Robert to believe in the messages fairytales champion about kindness, the power of love, dreams coming true, and happy endings. Sora inspires Riku to follow his heart and open his heart to others. Robert helps Giselle understand that real life is not as simple as a fairytale. Riku helps Sora see and understand the nuances in their world and in each other.

Real people are complicated, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Giselle’s thrilled, for example, the first time she feels really, truly angry. Robert makes her feel things she’s never felt before, messy things that make her feel alive, that make it easier for her to understand him and grow closer to him. KH emphasizes that experiencing grief, sadness, anger, etc. allows us to connect with others deeper, whether we’re leaning on loved ones for support or trying to understand a stranger. Pain is a necessary part of having a heart, of being alive.

Also, these scenes are literally the same. Giselle and Sora even both smile in their sleep.

Giselle/Robert and Sora/Riku’s relationships develop significantly over the course of their stories. In comparison to Giselle/Edward and Sora/Kairi, which rely on trope expectations instead of character development/actual relationship building. Giselle hardly interacts with Edward. But he’s a prince, he resembles the man of her dreams, he saves her from falling, and she can finish his duet. Surely it’s true love! I’ve already compared sharing the paopu fruit with singing the duet. Kairi is also a princess. She saves Sora from falling to darkness in KH1. And it’s pretty and perfect and Disney, with him reappearing in her arms, gently pulling away, quietly thanking her with sparkles all around them. Just like how Edward catches Giselle right in his lap, perfectly in his arms, with the tree branches forming a heart behind them.

Compare that to later in DDD after Riku saves Sora from falling to darkness and Sora thanks him… and when Robert catches Giselle from falling off a billboard. It’s the same thing, but the moments are not pretty and perfect.

Giselle takes Robert to the hard ground, with a chorus of yelps and ouches as she nearly breaks his wrists. Riku is almost bowled over by Sora’s hug, and Sora holds him tightly, loudly exclaiming his relief, reluctant to let Riku go. But the lack of “Disney fairytale perfection,” I guess, in these scenes kind of makes them better, right? Robert is willing to get really hurt trying to catch Giselle. Sora is so happy to see Riku he can’t contain his emotions. Near the end of Enchanted, we see this again, except Giselle is the one catching Robert. And it’s still very clumsy and rough — he takes her down with him. It’s not perfect, but it’s real.

That’s the biggest difference between Giselle’s relationships with Edward and Robert, and Sora’s relationships with Kairi and Riku. In both surface dynamics and appearance, one is a pretty idea. A perfect, soft, simple fantasy that doesn’t exist, that can’t exist in reality beyond little boys and girls playing Prince and Princess. And the other is grounded in reality, with all the good and bad, the joy and heartbreak, laughter and tears, that entails. Being human is hard. But there is something magical about finding someone you can be human with.

Giselle mistakes Edward for the true love she’s been dreaming of. He’s got the blue eyes and the dark hair, and he catches her from falling. And it reminds me a lot of Sora mistaking Kairi for his light in the darkness in KH3.

It’s reasonable why Giselle and Sora would assume this… But Robert also catches Giselle from falling. He also has blue eyes and dark hair. Later, he dresses exactly like Giselle’s dream prince at the ball, and he even dances with her like in her dreams. In KH3, Riku sacrifices himself in an act of true love for Sora, and we see the light in the tunnel respond when Sora calls out Riku’s name. There’s a number of visual parallels from Sora’s dream and Dive to the Heart that indicate Riku is Sora’s light. While Giselle realizes the truth, it only seems to click for Sora a moment before he forgets. Giselle also gets a follow up parallel. Sora hasn’t yet.

Another little thing I want to point out — Giselle and Edward have a duet (that she stops singing), but Giselle and Robert have a waltz. They have the love song, and they dance to it. Sora and Riku don’t dance, but we see their hearts dancing to the song they create — a waltz version of Dearly Beloved.

Also Robert/Giselle still get the Disney singing element. It’s just not big and flashy like Giselle and Edward’s duet. Robert quietly sings a few words to her as they dance together… Sora and Riku still get the paopu fruit — it’s the keychain of Dearly Beloved (the Combined Keyblade) — but it’s not obvious like the cave drawing between Sora and Kairi is.

TLDR: I completely agree with you and I think, like Enchanted, KH intentionally plays with Disney tropes and audience expectations in order to subvert them. Like Giselle, Sora discovering his designated “perfect” love interest is not the one for him is part of his journey of awakening. It’s part of him becoming real, and growing up.

[shiinata-library]

Imagine: You can speak to animals in Middle-Earth

Thorin, Fíli, Kíli, Bilbo's reactions when they understand you can speak to animals in Middle-Earth

N/A: I haven't written in English for a while. I may be rusty…

[ 📚 Main Imagines Masterlist 📚 ]

Thorin

“The inn is this way,” you say to Thorin several times during the journey when he is lost in towns that you pass through. Or something like “I think the stable with our ponies is at your right, then at your left.” Or, “Oh, Balin is looking for you at the town's entrance, hm, straight on, then left after the bakery.”

At the beginning of the journey, it surprised you how many times Thorin could be lost. But now, you eventually get used to it. 

The only thing you’re not used to is the look on his face every time you help him. Surprised and suspicious. While you just want to help him…

Well, could you tell him it's some ravens that are letting you know when he needs help? “The king is looking for Master Balin.” “The king doesn’t walk in the right direction.” “My lady, the king wants to go to the inn.” They are polite but they never give you the choice…

Other animals speak sometimes with you and you love to listen to them. It’s surprising how much you can learn with them. The best place for that is in Beorn’s house. Thanks to his hospitality, you can walk around his house and speak to animals you have never spoken to before. It’s fun and it especially changes your mind after everything has happened during the journey.

Yet, when you thought ravens have let you in peace, two of them come for you in an evening. You have just finished dinner and the night has almost fallen. They ask for help, explaining their baby is trapped in an orc’s trap. At first, you want to refuse : it’s almost night, Beorn is already out in bear’s form, and some orcs are also soon out.

But you can’t let a baby raven die, right? So you follow them in the forest behind Beorn house. A forest that looks welcoming by day, but much less so at night.

Thanks to other animals' help, you finally find the trap, more or less quickly, and free the little one. As he thanks you, you notice the silence around you, especially the ravens. Then, you notice the darkness of the forest. You remain motionless until you hear a voice behind you.

“What are you doing here?” a cold, hard male voice says behind as you turn to him and realise it’s only Thorin. Even in the dark, it’s impossible not to recognise his voice.

Damn, your heart is dead by now. You don’t even find the good words. “It’s our fault, my King,” one of the ravens says as he comes closer to you on a branch. He explains everything to Thorin while you look at him astonished.

“Don’t tell me he could understand you from the start!” you say, upset as you turn to the raven. “Why did you use me all this time if he could understand?” you progressively raise your voice, ignoring where you are.

“Roäc is the only raven I can understand,” Thorin says. “But now is not the time to speak. Let’s go back to–” When he stops talking, you shiver. You can feel you’re not alone. The ravens and the other animals are already left. Thorin suddenly takes your hand and pulls it. You start a quick sprint to Beorn’s house and you’re glad no orcs found you. 

You enter the house out-of-breath. Thorin turns to you, not making the effort to hide his anger. He shouts at you that you should never have gone outside, that you’re stupid, that you could die easy. And like Bilbo before, that you shouldn't be here with them. 

Oh, hm, it really hurts to hear all of that. You remain silent, looking down until you notice he is still holding your hand. His hand is so big but warm. Oh. Hm. It’s hot all of a sudden, isn’t it? 

“Well,” he starts, clearing his throat. “I’m sorry if Roäc bothered you many times. And thank you for saving his little one.” Is he embarrassed? Oh, you would give anything to have more light to see if he is blushing!

“It’s nothing. He and other ravens helped me during the journey, so it's normal.” Now you look him in the eye, you don’t know what to add. He also seems engrossed by your eyes.

Maybe something could have happened. Well, only if his nephews didn’t enter the room abruptly, shouting they were looking for him. Or maybe it's just postponed for another time…

Fíli 

“Kíli is looking for you,” you say to Fíli once you find him cleaning one of his swords among a lot of them scattered on the floor. An impressive collection that you always wonder if you already saw all of them or not. “This time is because Dwalin has made fun of him and he wants revenge. It seems he can’t leave without you less than an hour,” you resume, smiling as you see him putting away his swords one by one. “The maximum was three days,” he replies, laughing at his own answer. “I'm surprised you found me before him.”

Can you tell him you asked for help from a bird and a dog? The town where you stopped isn’t big but it seems that Kíli couldn’t find his brother ; or maybe it was Fíli who didn't want us to find him. Anyway, you offered your help and with your capacity, it’s always easy to find someone, in exchange for some food or other information. Animals are easier to convince than humans.

“I guess I’m lucky,” you answer, shrugging as you start to walk with him. “Speaking of luck, you should speak to Oín about your recent injury. It could become infected.” Despite your serious tone, he looks at you with a smile, the radiant smile that swings the beads from his moustache, but doesn’t say anything about it. When you join his brother, they immediately start to plan to take revenge on Dwalin, leaving you to your own business before Kíli asks for your help.

During the journey, you notice Fíli disappears sometimes for a short time. You guess you need time alone when you’re a prince with an uncle like Thorin and a brother like Kíli. Even Dwalin and Balin seem to expect a lot from him. It looks exhausting, even from where you are. But, you always eventually find him when someone is looking for him, and luckily for you, he is never upset with it.

Yet, one evening when you were looking for him because Thorin needs him, you got lost in the forest. Because of the darkness of the night, your foot catches on a root and you fall suddenly to the ground. Great, now you’re hurt in addition to being lost…

You chose to sit down for a while, waiting for the pain to pass. Then, you strangely notice there are no animals around you to help you. It’s not good. Not good at all. The only time you didn't find animals in a forest was when there was an orc camp nearby. 

When you wait in this kind of situation, it’s hard to know how much time passes, but the forest is totally dark when you decide to go back to the company’s camp. Now, you can only count on your luck to find the right path and not to meet orcs…

You barely walk when you hear silent branches crackling not far from you. Just a few metres from you, one orc with a small lantern is walking. An orc scout. You don’t have time to take out your weapon that he is already running after you.

When you are about to run, a raven rushes to his face, blinding him, while someone comes from nowhere and kills him without a sound. The lantern falls in the ground and you recognise Fíli. The raven doesn’t wait to fly away, letting you both alone while he crushes the lantern and the fire with his foot.

“How did you find me?” you ask, surprised, as he takes your hand and starts walking away. “Wait, my foot is hurt, I can’t walk fast…”

He stops his steps and takes you on his back as if you weighed nothing. Oh, his hair smells like earth and metal. “My uncle’s raven helped me,” he eventually says as he starts walking. “And some of your friends showed me the forest but my uncle’s raven was the only one who wanted to go with me in this forest’s part.”

“My friends?” you frown. “A squirrel, a bird and, hm, a frog,” he says. “The last one was really hard to follow.”

You stay silent for a moment, understanding he knows you can talk to animals. “How do you know?” you eventually ask, shyly hidden behind his back.

You hear him laugh first as you both get out of the forest, seeing the company's camp nearly. “You talked with all the animals you meet. It's not hard to guess.” 

“So, everyone knows?” you exclaim, glad to be out of the forest given the volume of your voice. “I don't think so,” he says as you breathe in relief. “But I can ask them if they know about it.” 

You don't need to see him to know he's smiling. You travel enough with him and his brother to know when they take advantage of a situation. “What do you want to hold your tongue?” you ask, a little upset. “Nothing,” he replies as he puts you on the ground, his smile widening when he sees your annoyed expression. “Nothing yet,” he hurries to resume. “Let me think about it and I'll tell you.” 

As you both almost join the company's camp, the light of the fire shows his proud face. You don't know what you should expect from his future request, but you know he already enjoys it…

Kíli 

If there is something you enjoy the most in this journey, it’s teasing Kíli. His reactions are always entertaining!

It started at the beginning of the journey when he asked the company where his knife was. Thanks to a little bird’s murmur, you found it for him. He was very surprised. It was honestly so cute. 

Now the journey continues and you often answer his questions. You can even predict the rain. It’s amazing for you and troubling for him. Maybe you should tell him the truth before he imagines anything. But, well, his expressions are too cute and innocent to stop. 

Some dwarves are still suspicious about you, and this doesn't get better with all your answers. So, you would like to avoid Kíli and his questions, but it’s impossible. You’re becoming more and more friends with him, and he often speaks with you, especially in the evening after dinner, when everyone is busy with their own things. (In truth, his brother is also often with you both, when he is not with his uncle and Balin.)

Yet, something changes when you arrive in Beorn’s home. When you realise the skin-changer can also, more or less, speak with animals, you spend a lot of time with him. Used to live alone, you thought you were bothering him, but he seemed interested in talking to you about some animals, their habits, their preferences or the manner to ask them a service. 

So, as Kíli doesn’t know about your ability, he doesn’t understand your obsession for him. “Obsession” may be an exaggeration, but he really misses you. He tries to speak with you, but you often say that you’re busy with Beorn.

A night when Kíli notices you’re not sleeping yet, he looks for you in the house. His worry increases when he doesn’t find you and nobody can tell him where you are. Even if Beorn told them not to go out at night, he ends up outside, walking around the house. 

“No! Don’t get too close to me like that!” he hears you exclaim in the distance. “Don’t force me to use my strength against you!” Then he realises your voice is coming from in the barn behind the house. “No, stop! I already told you not to touch me like that!” Alright, Kíli is now running to you, abruptly opening the front door.

Following Beorn’s instructions, you spend your evenings talking to some animals and all the animals have their own personality. And this bloody dog is too affectionate and full of energy to speak with.

When Kíli enters, he shouts your name, waking up all the animals in the barn. He can’t understand them, but they’re furious against him. He runs to you until he notices the dog next to you. “What’s happening here? Are you hurt? Who is touching you? Even if he is very tall, if Beorn tries–”

“What are you talking about? Beorn didn’t do anything!” you suddenly say, standing up. Then, the dog you were talking with pokes you in the leg with his muzzle. “No, he is not!” you whisper, visibly embarrassed.

“He is not what?” Kíli asks, raising an eyebrow. You start to walk to the exit, but the dog is following you. 

“Yet, you seem important to him!” the dog barks as he walks before you and goes out when you open the door. “He often looks at you during the day. Even his brother is sick of hearing him talk about you all the time.”

“Stop saying nonsense. Join the others for the night and we’ll continue tomorrow,” you reply, not noticing that Kíli looks at you talking to the dog until the dog barks again before leaving. “So, ask him what he dreamt about yesterday night, you will know!”

The dog finally runs away, leaving you and Kíli alone walking to Beorn’s house. He stays silent, hoping you would explain what happened. Yet, you surprise him so much by asking him what his dream was last night that he can’t help but blush and lose his words. His eyes suddenly open wide and he even takes a step back. He was far from imagining that you would ask that question and you clearly understand it when he quickly wishes you a good night before leaving you alone in the entrance.

You stay a while thinking about what happened until you choose to go to sleep, hoping the dog will be talkative tomorrow.

Bilbo 

Talking to animals is so great. In exchange for information or services, they can tell you a lot of things, especially where the best fruits or nuts are. You’re clearly never hungry.

And it didn't escape the hobbit's notice! Bombur or some others saw it too, but they are still too suspicious about you to speak to you. So one afternoon, usually at tea time, Bilbo approaches you on his pony and asks you where you find your apple. You’re happy someone other than Gandalf talks to you, so you gladly tell him and give one from your bag.

That’s how you started your friendship with Mr Baggins. You even call him “Bilbo” now. But you never dared tell him your capacity. He'd think you were crazy, wouldn't he?

Bilbo knows you hide something from him, but everyone has their secrets, so he never asks you how you find those fruits and nuts. It’s only in Mirkwood that he discovers your ability. 

Mirkwood, as everyone else, turns your head and you have trouble staying focused. It’s only when the spiders attack that you notice you aren’t with the company but you can still hear them shouting in the distance. A giant spider finds you, then another. It’s clearly impossible to flee, so let’s try talking?

Well. You try the same technique that Bilbo used with the trolls, but they are more intelligent than them. “It’s the first time a meal can understand us. It’s amusing, don’t you think?” one says to the other. “You’re right, let’s enjoy it a little longer.” 

They talk to you until you don’t hear anything but them. No dwarves’ shouting anymore. Some other spiders join their friends and now, you’re in the middle of a circle of so many giant spiders that you’re ready to faint. You continue to speak, hoping the elves will be here any minute.

But to your surprise, you hear one of the spiders cries and falls, then another. But you don’t see any elf. 

Then Bilbo appears, provokes the spiders, runs far away before disappearing again. All the spiders run in his direction, leaving you alone. You take advantage of it to free the dwarves and then, the elves finally find you like they should have.

After the elves’ dungeons and the escape, it’s only on the freezing Bard’s boat that you can speak again with Bilbo. You sit next to him, wrapping yourself to keep you warm. “I haven't had time to thank you for the spiders yet…” you say, knowing he saw you talk to them. “They seemed to enjoy chatting with you,” he chuckles. 

“I prefer to chat with you,” you say, closing your eyes and letting your head fall on his shoulders. Some dwarves smile but remain silent. You can’t see it but Bilbo’s face has never been so warm despite the cold of the lake.

[strawberrystepmom]

gojo x f!reader. very self ship coded. fluffy, a little hurt comfort-y. cw for light misogyny from higher ups. wc 1.5k

divider thanks to @/cafekitsune like usual

“Anything in those bags for me?”

You snort, bare feet padding across the shiny wooden floors of Satoru’s apartment that is also technically your apartment despite the fact you keep your apartment across town in case he’s really on your nerves, dropping them on the floor in front of you. He looks over the edge of the sofa, one arm slung over the back carelessly, and you can’t help but smile at him looking so relaxed despite the fact you lack the same ease.

“Nah, these are for me,” you retort, not mentioning the small box with the delicately wrapped lingerie at the bottom of the largest bag. He’ll have to wait until later to find out about that one. You leave the bags behind and walk toward the couch, leaning over the edge to give him a kiss.

“What’s the occasion then?”

Reaching down to wipe your gloss from his bottom lip, he nips at the tip of your thumb and you smile. He’s good at disarming you, something both of you have learned over the years spent side by side, and you climb over the edge of the couch and plop down on top of him.

“Higher ups.”

He hums, the sound laced with disbelief.

“I don’t think you’ve ever broken a rule in your life. What do they want?”

Giggling, you roll your eyes. Sometimes he behaves as if he forgets you’re milder now than you used to be, the fury of your youth something that became unimportant entering into your twenties.

“You know very well I’ve broken many rules in my life, especially theirs.”

“That still doesn’t answer my question.”

Sighing, you snuggle into his chest and press your cheek to the area right above his heart, the steady beating comforting your anxious nature. He wraps one arm around your back and traces lazy circles over the back of your arm.

“They think I’ve given my students too much freedom, Maki especially. It’s a scolding.”

Admitting your anger aloud would feel like a loss so you simply sigh, pressing your face against Satoru’s chest and closing your eyes. He continues rubbing circles into your skin, watching the tension slowly melt out of your limbs, but now he is wound up.

How dare they question your methods? None of them have any clue what it’s like to be in the role the two of you both are, strength removed from the equation, and it feels like yet another overreach of their power.

“They’ve been on my ass for months, this is just the latest thing they’re mad about.”

Satoru scoffs, shifting and sitting up. He pulls you with him, keeping you pressed to his torso while getting comfortable. His face gives away every ounce of his concern, brows furrowed and eyes narrowed.

“What do you mean months? How often have you been seeing them?”

Your face doesn’t hide your surprise that he has somehow missed out on the last five times you’ve been summoned to address what would otherwise be very routine issues to be handled between yourself and your immediate supervisor Yaga.

“This is like the sixth time they’ve asked me in to talk…” you trail off and he reaches up to cup your cheek.

“There’s more you want to say.”

You nod and half shrug.

“Feels kind of pointless to say it though.”

He pinches your cheek and you smile, trying to shake him off of you but giving up and after a moment, giving in.

“They’re mad at me because we’re together. This is a punishment for distracting you and everyone else I’ve mentioned the situation to agrees with me.”

Despite being a tiny bit annoyed you’ve seemed to discuss these meetings with everyone but him, he understands. The mythical heads of the sorcerer community have always tried to keep his leash just loose enough to let him roam but tight enough to keep him controlled and now that is extending to you in the form of bureaucracy and bullshit.

Gojo Satoru, head of the Gojo clan and the strongest sorcerer, won’t allow it.

“What have the other meetings been about?”

A serious Satoru is a beautiful and terrifying sight, his jaw ticking and his face set in a hard glare. It isn’t often he gets this fired up and you’ve intentionally kept the situation quiet to avoid giving him something else to worry about. Selfishly, it makes your heart beat faster knowing that he’s so willing to jump to your defense.

“First one was about my technique and the logs I’ve been keeping of exorcisms performed in my domain, three of them were about my students, the most recent one was about, well, you.”

He frowns and you know he’s asking you to elaborate although you’re embarrassed to even be discussing the most recent meeting. You cried the moment you left the meeting, tucking into a corner long enough to compose yourself to keep Nitta from worrying about you the drive back to the campus.

“They reminded me we aren’t allowed to go on missions together.”

A humorless chuckle is all he can manage. The gall of these people shouldn’t surprise him the way that it does after all these years yet they still manage to pull one over every now and then.

“What exactly was said?”

He sees the shift in your face and knows immediately their words must have been full of bluster and cruelty disguised as tradition. Of course they aimed them at his partner, his girlfriend, rather than the man they have so many issues with. Satoru softens, pulling your head toward his lips and pressing them against your forehead.

“They said they won’t pay for us to go on “little lover’s vacations” just because we are unprofessional.”

The mocking serious tone you use to mimic these powerful men makes him laugh and he kisses your forehead again. He knows you well enough to know that you are still holding back everything that was said to you but he understands why.

“Well, fuck them.”

Laughing and shaking your head, you lean into Satoru’s big body with a contented sigh.

“We’ll see how tomorrow goes. Maybe I’ll tell them just that.”

You both know that you would never but he laughs at you anyway.

“If you don’t I will.”

You were happy to let the conversation die there, instead mentioning that there may be one thing in your shopping bags for your spoiled boyfriend. It served as distraction enough that you didn’t have to discuss the heavy stuff and the evening was spent focusing on more pressing matters.

This morning, though, Satoru isn’t willing to focus on other matters.

Riding the elevator to the bottom floor where these meetings take place, you straighten out your new blouse and ensure your skirt is acceptably pressed above the knee. Anxiety runs wild through your body but you breathe through it, sweaty palms clutching the handle of your purse.

The elevator doors slide open and you step out, jumping and shrieking in terror at the sight of a blindfolded Gojo standing in front of you.

“Holy shit, what are you doing here?”

He grins and you swear it lights up the dim surroundings.

“I’m not going to let them treat you that way.”

The support means the world but the notion of him saving you makes you uncomfortable, shifting your weight from foot to foot where you stand.

“You don’t have to stand up for me, Satoru…”

He shakes his head and puts one hand on your shoulder, burying the other in his pocket nonchalantly.

“Oh I’m only going to be supporting you from the outside. I know you’re more than capable of telling them to stick their old man opinions up their asses, isn’t that what got you in trouble your third year?”

Smiling at the memory, you nod. That was indeed what got seventeen year old you in enough trouble you were off missions and in detention for a month.

Yaga let you watch TV and tap away on your handheld game device the entire time in lieu of actual punishment.

Satoru’s grin softens into something sweeter and just for you.

“Don’t forget who you are. You aren’t just my girlfriend.”

His emphasis and both just and my make you laugh but you quickly compose yourself, straightening your shoulders and spine and letting Satoru pluck a bit of lint off of your top. He claps your shoulder and shakes you just enough that you strangely feel steadier, ready to face whatever opposition lies down the flight of stairs a few feet away.

“Thank you, Satoru.”

He shrugs.

“I’m just looking forward to listening to someone else handling you while you’re mad.”

Another nod is exchanged between the two of you and he squeezes your shoulder one last time before turning you in the direction of the staircase. He pats your ass once and you slap at his hand but confidence is all you feel heading down lower.

Gojo has never been more certain he picked the right one in his life.

[eaudera]

eaudera's detailed tutorial for skin rendering

okay loves i've put together a tutorial in text form detailing my step by step process of shading darker skin + the brushes and techniques I use and why I use them. you will be following along as we shade a piece together, you can find the lineart to the piece here. *turn off your true tone and night shift displays for the most objective viewing.

i wrote a lot on the preview pictures, if you find spelling errors (which you def will) or are unable to read my handwriting, you'll find the typed out version of the writing in the alt text feature.

disclaimer: i'm not an art professor nor am i academically/classically trained in art. a lot of the verbiage and techniques i'm using to teach you all here are from my current self taught and observed understanding of art, light, and anatomy

support me: kofi / ig / twt / commissions

firstly, here are my two staple brushes. you can find the second brush here, i modified it by making it larger.

the lineart brush is very good for easy sketching and simultaneously cleaning up that sketch to produce the final lineart you'll be using in your piece. the diffusion from the erased parts/the diffusion created by lowering the pressure of your pen creates a light graphite effect which i enjoy! give it a shot.

you'll notice quickly that there are lighter strokes throughout this lineart, these are simply acting as rendering guides for me in order to remember certain placements. i erase/draw over these lines a lot.

i initially learned to shade skin on a completely grey background with very slight orange undertones, and for a while this was very helpful in providing the most objective view of the base colors you're using (objective as in free of being effected by colors of different values). as you might know, using a white background for dark skin will seemingly darken the value and dim the vibrancy of your base colors, and using a black background will do the opposite. if you're using a darker skin tone, you want your canvas shade to be of a value that is proportional to your skin tone to avoid the same problems created by colors with too light or dark of a value. now if you're using a screened device to draw, you have the extra burden of screen reflections/wavering color output on different screens, so you're never really sure if the exact color you're using will be consistent across the board. priming your canvas with neutral colors will help with that. whereas priming with more vibrant colors will slightly change the undertone of your skintone (especially if you're using a low opacity brush), but it makes for a funner canvas and more creativity with your color palette imo. if you're a beginner i recommend you stay below the wavy line to avoid too light of a canvas shade.

for these same reasons i avoid keeping my lineart jet black. when you lay down the base colors under a black lineart it can look very unfavorable.

here are some skin tone variants that i tend to use the most, peep how i never wander off too far to the left of the spectrum where the reds are. i definitely favor red-oranges as compared to green-oranges for my skin tones, however, because i stay primarily on the left side of the color spectrum for my rendering, red can quickly become too much too fast. so i make sure to use a skin tone that can work very well with green-orange shadows. for this specific piece i will use the third shade (#2d1606).

heres where the gouache brush comes in handy. i use it very loosely to "prime" the canvas almost. if you've ever done oil painting you'll realize very few artists draw directly onto a completely white canvas, though i've already primed my canvas essentially by changing the background color, i loosely shade over it with the skin tone color using the gouache brush. i find this gives me a better grasp on the composition of the piece due to increased harmony between the canvas and the skin color. it also looks really cool to me and resembles a real canvas almost.

as stated before, priming your canvas with neutral colors (grey) can help give you a more consistent view of your base colors, when you get the hang of understanding the colors you most often use (i.e, how they interact with other colors), you can start using more vibrant and fun colors to color your canvas with! the gouache brush changes opacity depending on the pressure exerted by the pen, if you zoom in you'll notice patchy areas where the canvas color bleeds through the layer more prominently than it does in other areas. for some people this might throw off the consistency of the shadows, but you should be fine as long as you're using a consistently opaque brush (which we will be doing)

i know i recommended beginners use a grey canvas like i did, but since this tutorial is using my techniques i figured i'd also teach you guys how to use variantly opaque brushes to your advantage. we will be drawing on the pink canvas from here on out.

a reference is so helpful, i still rely on references to guide my shadows/lights. i'm past the point of relying on references for exact coordinates for rendering or lineart, but they are still incredibly helpful. in most references of darker skintones you come across, color dropping directly from the picture will give you very grey colors! we want to prioritize vibrancy in this case, so attempt to formulate your own colors or colordrop and increase the vibrancy :)! keep in mind i'm now using the lineart brush to shade. the diffuse/soft corners of this brush allows fewer pixels to be scattered wherever you lessen the pressure, this is perfect for color dropping medium colors to blend two colors together. you'll see how i blend colors later on.

as mentioned previously, red can become too much too fast- so i avoid monochrome rendering as much as possible by using shadows of different undertones. my most frequent combination is using a red-orange skin tone and then using a green-orange shadow.

the value spectrum will be your best friend in mixing values and undertones, i use it all the time to formulate the best less saturated darker shadow that is proportional (not too dark, not too grey) to my skintone value. if the shadow is too green simply increase the magenta, if you're looking for a "reflective" shadow, increase the blue.

when i begin shading, i always slide the curser to a truer orange color on the spectrum and increase the saturation (slide towards the right) while i decrease the brightness (slide down). heres how it looks when i'm jumping between shadows and highlights while trying to keep my colors proportional (but not identical) to whats happening in the reference ^. i most often times will rely on the value tool, however.

you will notice that a lot of darker skin tones have patches of orange vibrancy, these areas are most common on the nose and cheeks. this is only a detail to pay attention to if you're going for more of a realism rendering style :)

now onto how i prefer to bridge/blend colors together by utilizing the blend tool.

i do not like simply blurring colors in order to blend colors together, it can lead to overblending which can make your portrait look heavily gaussian blurred (think 2010 deviantart art... yea that). the brilliant thing about procreate is you can utilize brushes really efficiently, which include changing the brushes you use for blending. so in reality, artists who use the blending tool on its own can still have portraits that don't look it! there also exists plenty of brushes that have properties allowing it to blend into its surrounding colors are you draw. but in my case, the above photo is 99% of the times how i will bridge two colors together. doing this allows me to keep pretty consistent brushstrokes across the whole portrait, which i enjoy. it also gives me better control of the shapes i use in my rendering, an aspect that is pretty easy to lose when you're using the blending tool directly and solely.

in case the blending process is a bit hard too see, heres that same process recreated with different more visible colors:

now once you've placed your shadows where they generally tend to be (according to the reference photo), let's make those shapes a bit more specific and pick up on smaller details to make your rendering look more complete.

your base colors will never be as dark or as light as you need them to be when you begin rendering, making sure you have a decent contrast between your lightsource highlights and the shadows is key to capturing the essence of a light being cast on your character. it's much easier to keep building upon your shadows before rendering the highlights, i laid down the highlights only to create a guide/help me map my shadows better. do not darken the entirety of the areas affected by shadow, you'll find that shadows are rarely ever the same value, it's a gradual process affected by things like position, height, etc. so make sure the darkest of your shadow colors are preserved only in areas where the shadows are the or should be the darkest.

you'll notice i labeled some areas as "detail", adding very specific shadow placements is a detail. in the reference, the model has a pretty prominent brow bone, creating a shadow over where his eyelid creases just above his lash line, paying attention to feature details like this help enhance the rendering and its realism.

now that i've mapped my shadows i'm going to move onto to rendering my highlights and the region of the face where the lightsource is most prominent.

i described shadows as a gradual process earlier, this is because of the lightsource. light tends to spread when its further from the affected surface, creating a larger area affected by the light. of course, this varies depending on how intense and how close/far the light source is. in this case, the light is being casted above him further to the other side of his face, but again, remember that the face is not 2d and more prominent areas are affected more by light. it's due to this that there still exists a, albeit very minimal, shadow beneath his cheekbone. i exaggerate the shadow here for stylistic purposes, but it also helps in keeping me uphold that contrast between the highlight and shadow once again. so i refrain from blending the light into this area like i did in other areas.

midtones are the areas most unaffected by the light source, they're neither shadows nor highlights. and because light spreads, it is brighter in certain areas and darker in others. it is most easiest to blend the darker ends of the highights into the midtones of your portrait. you can emulate this by once again using your blend tool. blend the outer areas of the light and colordrop this color and use it as the darker light more proportional to the midtones. note that before i add even lighter shades to the areas where light is most concentrated, i blend what highlight placements i currently have there.

we're going to switch gears now and focus on the reflective shadow occurring on the darker half of his face.

this shadow is a reflection from the lighter background the model is up against, the light being casted above him is allowing for some bounce back from his surroundings, leading to very faint light visible in areas primarily affected by shadows. hence why i'm referring to these colors as "reflective shadows".

in this case, the reflective shadows are blue, or appear to our eyes as blue. on darker skin, "true" blues (blue-purple) are not often times present. what is present rather, is a very grey tone with cool undertones/a grey tone on the blue side of the spectrum, which creates a blue that is much more proportional to the value of the skintone than a true blue. in this case i used a deeper grey on the pink color spectrum, which is more purple. this was intentional, and was done in order to create some sort of color harmony between the contrasted deep oranges im using for the bordering shadows and the blue-grey i'm attempting to emulate.

while i utilize this blue-grey, out've a purely stylistic choice, i still introduce true blues to my rendering. in fact i love using blue/purple reflective shadows in my art, it creates a stunning and colorful render. in this case, i used the blue-grey as a stepping stool to introduce that trueer blue more naturally. you'll see this happening in the second picture above, where i used a slightly more vibrant and slightly more brighter blue, and used it on areas where this reflection was more prominent (and therefore brighter).

you'll notice how the shadows that border on these reflective colors are less saturated and darker than the shadows on his chin. introduce a darker and less saturated (more green) shadow to that area on his cheek and the darkest shadow of this photo, the sunken area near his nose bridge and inner eye corner. i emphasize this line in the lineart so you can follow this shadow more accurately:

this is also a detail in my opinion and can make your portrait more realistic if you include.

we're going to pivot to his neck area before continuing. you'll find the area of his neck with the most light is also the least vibrant, i laid down a grey base color to emphasize this detail in the portrait. afterwards i added key details. i wanted to stay at least somewhat true to the color dynamics occurring in the reference hence why i used the grey, but i'm not a very big fan of using blatant grey directly on the skin, so i made it more blue.

moving forward, the outer eye and the nose can be some of the most "detail focused" areas of the face when it comes to rendering. due to their more "bulbous" anatomy, light tends to curve around them in more complex ways than the flatter parameters of the face.

when it comes to the many creases that surround the eye, the skin folding over itself creates a very thin shadow from between the folds. the key to rendering this crease is to concentrate the blending to a very small scale, do not overblend the area because the hill created by the crease very easily captures light, creating an area where the shadow and highlight meet in very close proximity. slight blending is needed for this area, you can deepen the shadows in both horizontal corners of the eye for more accuracy. the midsection of the total eye area (eyeball and socket) tends to capture the most light, remember this is due to how bulbous rounder shapes tend to capture light from whichever direction its coming from.

this is of course the case for the nose as well. highlights are typically placed as a dot on the outermost part of the nose by artists, but highlights also spread on either side of the tip of the nose. the nose tends to collect a lot of oil, creating a sort of sheen on the upper parts of the nostril. when rendering a portrait where the position of the head is more cast to the side, the highlight of the nose changes from the bulb of the nose, to the upper nostril. in this case, the highlight spreads, causing a "half tone", or the remnants of the light on the bulb of the nose. this is the easiest place to blend highlights and shadows together. now for the shadow detailing on the nose, i'm actually drawing on top of the lineart on a separate layer. which i'll go into detail about in the next part. you want to focus the shadow on where your lineart is, the outermost part of the nose.

now were going to really detail your portrait by introducing a new layer, the detail layer! this isn't technically apart of the skin rendering, so i'm gonna keep it very brief. this is the layer you're going to render the lips, eyeballs, and eyebrows. more specifically, the purpose of this layer is to reduce the reliance on lineart. in terms of order, it goes above the lineart layer. we're going to soften and even erase the lineart in certain aspects. i use bolder/thicker lines when creating my lineart, but this can become a nuisance/hinderance when rendering.

starting out with the lips:

people w brown skin tend to have two toned lips, with the top lip resembling the same skin tone as the face and the bottom lip being redder/pinker and lighter than the upper lip. in my case, i prefer a more vibrant red for the bottom lip. once i lay down these base colors, i begin shading on the second layer.

i personally enjoy the look of a poutier lip shape, this includes emphasizing the middles of the lips as opposed to the ends. i've highlighted the shapes that this lip shape often entails. the small circles on the corner of the lip line are just pockets that occur when the mouth is closed and become emphasized by the fat around the mouth. the parameters of the lip lines do not often meet these round corners, theres often times a "double lip line", that exists around these areas. i love including that in the art, its very easy to emphasize by simply drawing a highlight from the corner of the lips along the curvature of the bottom lip towards the middle.

shadow mapping on the lips tend to go: highlight, shadow, highlight, shadow. the top lip going inward creates a highlight on the most outward part: the top of the lip. and the bottom lip curving outward thus creates a shadow on the bottom of the lip.

when it comes to the eyeball, i don't draw the white parts as solid white, nor do i make them too bright most of the time. they're most often times an orange grey, i also dont spread this color out if you can notice the uncolored white part of the eye. i do this intentionally to keep some of the shadows that are naturally present on the eye. very specifically right where the upper eyelid sits on the eyeball, it tends to create a small shadow that follows the curvature of the eye. this shadow is crucial, if you can see the first and second picture do not have this shadow, making the iris look more exposed and the eye appears to be held wider.

when it comes to the iris, i do very little. if i'm drawing a dark colored eye i will cover the entire iris brown, before darkening it with an almost black color. i leave the brown sides of the iris exposed to aid in bridging the values between the whiter parts of the eye and the very dark iris. this blended ring also appears on all eyes in real life. lastly, dark eyes tend to show light reflections much easier than lighter eyes. these reflections can be any color in art, in this case i kept it blue-green. i bend these reflections around where the pupil would most likely be depending on the drawing.

next, the eyebrow. i find it tedious to draw individual eyebrow strands when it comes to rendering, i actually prefer to blend the parameters of the eyebrows to create cohesiveness. sparse and fine eyebrow hairs are penetrated by light and shadows more than what you'd find on the scalp. it's harder to see light on someones scalp due to the bulk of hair crowding the scalp, whereas as its easier to see such light on the eyebrow. to introduce this concept to my art, i will initially draw the entire shape of the brow. then when rendering, i erase the parameters, leaving the darkest part of the brow. then i blend. the lower brow bone will be blended the least, whereas the area of the eyebrow connected to the T zone will be the most blended thanks to the shadow following the nose bridge. the far end of the brow by the hairline tends to be the lightest given the light source.

and lastly, i loosely draw a white border around the portrait for stylistic purposes. then i combine the layers (group together your layers, then duplicate and compress the duplicate group so that you still retain your individual layers) to edit. i typically add noise and play with the curve setting. and heres the finished image:

i hope you enjoyed!!

[honeipie]

CHICK-FLICKS!

eijiro kirishima x fem!reader

synopsis: eijiro was given a tip on a way into your heart

“what are you watching?”

you looked behind the couch to see eijiro leaning himself against it. the sound of uncomfortable groaning came from the television. you grabbed the remote to pause the movie.

"bridesmaids!.. have you never seen it?"

kirishima raised both eyebrows still looking at the screen.

"i think i would've remembered a girl taking a massive dump in the sink"

turning to the television you tilted your head.

"she is taking a massive dump isn't she?" you went to find the remote again "sorry about that. sometimes i forget what i'm watching can be weird since i've seen it so many times. i'll watch it in my room"

he placed a hand over yours to stop you from turning it off.

"whoa! i never said to turn it off. i'm invested now" he hopped over the couch settling in next to you "so what is braidsmaids and what does it have to do with shitting in a sink?"

"well when you put it like that it sounds horrible" you gave him an innocent look making him smile "but it's about this one girl who's friend is getting married and she's doing her best to help plan it. but then this other girl swoops in and acts like she's that girl's best friend so it just makes the original best friends plans look all stupid and messed up so-" you stopped taking notice to the look on his face. the lights were on, but nobody was home "you don't understand a single thing i'm saying to you right now do you?" he rubbed the back of his neck a sheepish smile forming on his lips.

"nah, i'm sorry. i got lost after that one girl.. who was the girl.. who isn't her best friend?"

"don't hurt yourself" taking the remote you rewinded the movie back to the beginning.

"you don't have to do that! i probably would've gotten it eventually!"

you shook your head "nope! you are going to experience everything this amazing movie has to offer" so you settled back into the couch making sure to place your bowl of treats between you.

"oh! i forgot to warn you. the first scene is a little.. much"

but kirishima wasn't watching the screen all too much. he had his crimson eyes subtly gazing at you every chance that he got. the boy had a major crush on you, but wasn't sure how to get an in. every time he tried to start up a conversation with you, he wouldn't know what to say, which would end up with mina coming over to save his ass. that was until mina gave him some pointers.

"listen dude. you can't keep freezing up around her like you’re kaminari after he short circuits" she imitated the boy making him laugh until he realized she was insulting him.

"hey! it's not my fault! every time she looks at me i just want to give her a kiss. a really long kiss"

"ooookay lover boy. let me help you out. i'll list out things that she likes then you can say what you can connect with her on" mina got up and started walking back and forth in her room. she started listing everything that you loved "those cute farming games, crochet, watching chick-flicks.."

kirishima snorted as she said the last one.

"what is a chick-flick?"

"it's like a movie that is made quote unquote 'for women' but everybody should watch them cause they're freaking amazing"

he thought for a good moment. watching movies seemed to be the easiest (and quickest) thing to learn about.

"okay, i'll talk to her about these flicks"

"even better" mina sat next to him with a smile "every friday night when the class goes to those weekly karaoke nights, she stays home and watches them in the common room. she calls it her 'recharging time'"

kirishima nodded with a smile.

"looks like i'm clearing my plans for friday"

He went to say something but stopped hearing the disgruntled moans coming from the screen.

"y/n! what the hell are we watching?"

"that's not fair! i told you that the beginning was a lot!"

the two of you made light conversation throughout the movie. him asking questions, and you asking if he liked it so far. by the end, the two of you were in a fit of giggles as the credits rolled.

"see? i told you that it was a good movie!" you moved to face him fully.

"ok, that was pretty funny. the real question is though, are all chickflicks this good?"

"uhh yeah!" you squinted your eyes at him curiously before putting your hand out "what about this. you come back for the next couple of fridays and i'll show you just how good they can be"

kirishima looked down at your hand with a wide grin. he took it in his giving it a shake “deal” you both let the handshake linger for a couple seconds longer before hearing the door.

letting go of his hand you smiled seeing iida and mina come through the door “hey! we decided to come home early. everything okay?” she asked raising her eyebrows subtly at kiri. he gave her a smile and nodded over at the television.

“everything’s fine. we’re just watchin’ a movie”

taglist! @sagejin @aejabba

let me know if you want to be added!

[faithfulren]

study sessions

during a series of study sessions with bakugo, you discover his intelligence and dedication, forming a bond through mutual respect and friendship. as your sessions continue, you both start to enjoy each other's company, leading to a tender moment where bakugo admits he likes spending time with you.

----

the library was quiet, the perfect setting for a productive study session. you and katsuki bakugo had been paired together for a challenging assignment, much to his initial dismay. despite his reluctance, you saw this as an opportunity to break through his tough exterior and maybe even learn something new about him.

"alright, let's get this over with," bakugo grumbled as he sat down, spreading his notes across the table. his red eyes met yours, and you could see a flicker of determination behind the usual scowl.

you smiled, unfazed by his grumpiness. "sure thing, bakugo. Let's start with the analysis of hero tactics from last week's lecture."

he nodded curtly, focusing on his notes. as the minutes passed, you found yourself impressed by his thorough understanding of the material. bakugo's intelligence often went unnoticed due to his explosive personality, but it was clear he was a top student for a reason.

"you're really good at this," you remarked, glancing up from your textbook.

he scoffed, though there was a hint of pride in his eyes. "of course i am. i don't do anything half-assed."

you chuckled, shaking your head. "i can see that. maybe you could help me with this section? i'm having a bit of trouble understanding the strategy behind the coordinated attacks."

bakugo shifted closer, his eyes scanning your notes. "you're overthinking it. look, it's about timing and precision. you have to anticipate your opponent's moves and counter them effectively."

as he explained, you couldn't help but admire his dedication. his passion for hero work was evident in every word, and you found yourself drawn to his intensity.

"thanks, bakugo. that makes a lot more sense now," you said, genuinely grateful.

he shrugged, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks. "whatever. just don't make me repeat myself."

you laughed softly, appreciating his unique way of showing kindness. the session continued smoothly, and you found yourself enjoying the time spent with him. bakugo's focused demeanor and surprisingly patient explanations made the material easier to grasp.

as the evening wore on, the library grew quieter, and you both leaned back in your chairs, satisfied with the progress you had made.

"you're not bad at this either," bakugo admitted, breaking the silence. "i mean, for someone who's not me."

you raised an eyebrow, smirking. "was that a compliment, bakugo?"

he rolled his eyes but didn't deny it. "don't get used to it."

you smiled, feeling a warmth spread through you. "thanks. i appreciate it."

a comfortable silence settled between you, the only sound being the faint rustle of paper and the distant hum of the library lights. you glanced at bakugo, noting how the soft lighting softened his usually sharp features. there was something undeniably attractive about seeing him so focused and in his element.

"hey, bakugo," you began, hesitating slightly. "maybe we could make these study sessions a regular thing? i think we make a pretty good team."

he looked at you, his expression thoughtful. "yeah, i guess we do. Just don't slow me down."

you laughed, feeling a connection forming between you. "deal."

from that day on, your study sessions with bakugo became a regular occurrence. you both pushed each other to excel, and gradually, the initial reluctance gave way to mutual respect and even friendship. through these quiet moments of collaboration, you discovered a side of bakugo that few got to see a side that made you appreciate him even more.

one evening, after another productive study session, you both lingered in the library longer than usual. the silence between you was comfortable, filled with a newfound warmth. bakugo looked at you, a rare softness in his eyes.

"you know," he said quietly, "i never thought i'd actually enjoy these sessions."

you smiled, feeling your heart skip a beat. "me neither. but i like spending time with you, bakugo. you're… different when it's just us."

he moved closer, his hand brushing against yours. "you're not so bad yourself."

the touch of his hand sent a shiver down your spine, and you looked into his eyes, seeing something new a vulnerability, a longing. slowly, he leaned in, his breath warm against your skin.

"maybe we can do more than just study," he whispered, his lips brushing against yours.

your heart raced, and you closed the distance, your lips meeting in a gentle, lingering kiss. it was a promise, a new beginning.

as you pulled away, you rested your forehead against his, both of you smiling. "i think i'd like that," you murmured.

bakugo nodded, his eyes shining with an emotion he rarely showed. "me too."

and so, what started as reluctant study sessions blossomed into something deeper, something more. together, you navigated the challenges of hero training and the complexities of young love, knowing that with each other's support, you could face anything.

[etrsilk]

Helloo!

Could I ask for a nsfw gym!killua? A way I could imagine it would be that they’re both already dating but there’s this one time that reader specifically asks Killua to teach her on her form and how to train properly but then it slowly turns intimate.

Thank youuu <3🙈💗

LIFTED BY DESIRE

𖥔 ݁ 𓈒 synopsis: You find the sexual relations between you and Killua boring, so to remedy this, you decide to spice up your sex life by making love in a public place.

𖥔 ݁ 𓈒 content/warnings: smut, unprotected sex, blowjobs, overstimulation, public sex, creampie, rough sex, praise

Killua is 20 here!!! This is a nsfw one shot w y/n & 𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐃𝐔𝐏!𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐔𝐀!

also the person who asked for this request didn't specify if they wanted a one shot or a headcanon, but i logically concluded that it was a request for a one shot. in any case, i really hope you like it ♡ and please, i don't want any arguments in the comments. Just move on if you don't like this! (*´▽`*) (please)

You've been dating Killua for a year now. Over the past year, you’ve been intimate enough times that it has started to feel boring due to the routine. It's not as exciting as it was during your first time together.

Yes, the first time is unique and special, and comparing that initial experience to those that followed is foolish.

But you still remember the sensation of that first time: his hands moving over your body as if staying still wasn't an option, his mouth passionately kissing every possible spot, those sweet and dirty words at the same time, the knot in your stomach slowly unraveling with each powerful thrust, those moans sounding like the most wonderful melody, the praises, your own cries of pleasure, and the feeling of becoming one with the man of your life, the man you have always loved.

Oh my God, you would do anything to relive those sensations. You definitely need to spice up your sex life.

You’ve been thinking for a few days now about things that could help you break out of this routine, something new and exciting.

“Hey, Killua!”

A high-pitched male voice broke the silence and interrupted your thoughts.

“Yes, Gon?”

“Pamu is forcing me to go on a date with her tonight, so you’ll have to go to the gym by yourself this time.”

“Alright, I see. It’s not a problem, but be careful with that crazy girl-”

“No, you won’t go alone! I want to come with you!”

The two young adults looked at you in astonishment. Given all the times they both tried to drag you to their probably very boring gym sessions, you can understand their surprise at your sudden motivation. However, it seemed to delight Killua, who was the one most insistent on having you accompany him. Even though, after you declined their offers so many times, he had stopped asking.

But today, you have the best motivation: having sex in public. That’s the perfect way to spice up your sex life!

“Great! We’ll go in three hours, late enough that the fewest people possible will see you embarrass yourself trying to lift weights that are too heavy for you…”

You arrive in front of the gym. On the way, he asked you many questions about your sudden motivation. But of course, you made sure not to reveal anything.

Once inside the gym, he takes your hand, and you run to a completely empty room. There’s nothing but a few workout machines and some dim lighting that creates a subdued atmosphere.

He starts explaining your workout plan, even teasingly saying, “I’m going to do everything to exhaust you”… My God, he has no idea how much.

“Alright, tell me why you wanted to accompany me today? I’m curious.”

“Nothing, I just want to get in shape. Also, I’d like to learn how to fight. Can you help me?”

“Of course. I’ll focus on you today. Now, stay right where you are.”

He comes up behind you and positions your body a certain way for an exercise (who cares about the name). You are now bent over with your knees slightly bent. Feeling Killua’s hands on you, even in a (for now) non-sexual context, gets you so excited and wet that you start blushing and smiling foolishly while rubbing your legs together a bit for relief. Suddenly, you feel a pair of eyes on you and look in Killua’s direction, seeing him as red as a tomato. He averts his gaze and places one hand on your back and the other almost on your butt to make you bend over more. “Damn, I’m almost certain he figured it out.”

It’s tough being with someone so smart.

He moves his hands a bit, and finally places them on your waist, turning you towards him and softly kissing your cheek. This gesture triggers something in you, and you don’t hesitate to take matters into your own hands by pushing him against the wall and starting to kiss him more sensually. After all, he has definitely understood your intentions, right? So you might as well go for it as you desire.

Killua was initially surprised, but you had already started, so why would he stop you?

“No. I’m on top,” he said.

He pressed your shoulders down to make you sit and quickly removed his pants with a sly grin, revealing his cock. Blinded by excitement, you didn’t take long before taking his enormous cock into your mouth, sucking it slowly while looking up at him almost innocently into his beautiful blue eyes. Your mouth couldn’t physically accommodate his entire length, so you had to use your hands to cover the parts your mouth couldn’t reach. He grabbed your head and pushed it down to fit more of his cock into your tight little throat. “Fuck… yeah, just like that, take it all.”

He thrust his cock harder and deeper until you started to gag, tears welling up in your eyes. Damn, it was so exhilarating, and the fact that someone could catch you at any moment made you even wetter. You sucked him for a few more minutes before his penis trembled and something semi-liquid exploded inside your mouth.

He lays you down, spreads your thighs, and teases you with his cock, rubbing it everywhere—your clit, your vagina, your thighs…

Then, he slowly enters you, feeling your vagina tighten and pulse around his cock. “You’re so tight.”

He starts moving slowly, sending shivers down your spine, trying to keep his cool and not fuck you as hard as he wants to. Considering his size, even though your vagina is used to it, he doesn’t want to go too fast and risk hurting you. He wants you to take your time to adjust.

Little by little, as the sound of his balls slapping gets louder, he picks up the pace until your moans and pleas fill the room. His cock pumps harder and harder inside you, and the sensation of your vagina sucking his cock is the best feeling you’ve ever known.

You can’t breathe, talk, or do anything but scream his name, barely able to think straight. You look down, and the sight of his cock makes you even wetter than you thought possible. You almost cry out from the sheer pleasure of his enormous cock.

“Oh my God, you’re so tight…” “Good girl. Take it all… argh.”

Suddenly, you feel his finger alternating between rubbing and making small circles on your clit, gently at first, but with each thrust, Killua focuses more intensely on it. “Arghh, I’m going to cum, fuck me harder, my love, fuck me harder!!!” Your legs begin to tremble as you feel him moving even faster inside you, indicating he’s close too.

It’s been a long twenty minutes of him pounding into you, keeping you helpless beneath him. You feel his cock hitting the depths of your vagina, almost seeing a bulge in your lower abdomen. You feel your walls convulsing, your orgasm building up—it’s too much for you. “Oh fuck, y/n, it feels so good… I’m going to cum—” You feel one final, harder thrust, his cock twitching inside you, and you start to feel his white-hot cum filling you up.

“What? Is that why you wanted to go to the gym? To have sex in a public place?”

“Wait, you didn’t understand? You saw me blushing and smiling, and then you fucked me…”

“You started it, I just followed your lead…”

᱖ English is not my first language, so sorry for any mistakes!!

Do not repost, use my works outside of Tumblr, copy, translate or plagiarize please !

[fiber-optic-alligator]

Hi may i please request swerve trying to be the human liason on the lost light's wimgmech untill they jump grab his shoulders do a pullup and smooch him.

Thank you! Hope your flights arent horrifically delayed.

Thank you for the request, and sorry for how long it took to finally get it out lol! Coincidentally my flights ended up being okay despite the hell I went through to get onto the planes.

I put a lot of thought into this request, and I wasn't entirely sure what you meant with Swerve being the reader's wingmech, so I went down this route. I hope you enjoy it! Sorry it's on the shorter side. Thanks again! :D

Wingmech

Pairing: IDW Swerve x Human Liason Reader

Word Count: 2181

Summary: After noticing you are lost in love with an anonymous mech, Swerve decides to help you prepare for going after the secret crush you have.

  Swerve has been watching you for a while now.

  It’s not uncommon for the Lost Light’s crew to focus on you. You are, after all, the only human aboard the Cybertronian exploration ship. Though you’ve been here for months, no bot can help but find you fascinating. And Swerve? Well…he’d never admit it to anyone, but his interest in you goes well beyond mere fascination. Yes, you're small, smaller than even him. Yes, you're soft, and squishy, and adorable, and sometimes he really wants to scoop you up into his arms and kiss you right on the lips after confessing his love-

  Okay. So maybe he has a bit of a crush on you. But that’s all it is! A crush that compels him to  keep tabs on where you go and what you do. He’s learned about you from the various conversations he’s listened to during busy nights. He knows you adore dogs and melt at the sight of cats (What are dogs? What are cats? Like hell he knows. He isn’t particularly caught up on his Earth knowledge). He knows you like to turn in early and wake up late. He knows you aren’t exactly a party person, and sometimes being surrounded by robots three times your size is incredibly overwhelming. And following that little tidbit, he understands you don’t like coming to his bar.

  So why are you here now?

  He’s watching you while he makes drinks. Your little form is tucked away in a corner at one of the smaller tables reserved for minicons, hunched over a notebook, eyes focused on the pages of written material he can’t read. Even when he zooms his optics in, your writing is far too small for him to coherently pick up on from this distance. With one hand propped against your cheek and the other idly tapping a pen against your head, you look far too troubled for someone who’s currently spending time in a place where all troubles are drunken away. It makes him curious and concerned. Why would you, someone who hates large crowds and loud environments, be writing in such a place?

  He needs to get to the bottom of it.

  Now, he knows what someone might say about this: “Swerve, it's none of your business. Swerve, they clearly don’t want to be bothered. Swerve, eavesdropping is bad.”

  Well, you know what he would say to all of that? “I’m a bartender. My business is everyone else’s business. That’s what being a bartender entails.”

  So yeah, he’s snooping. But it’s all for a good cause. Being around you is worth it. He’ll always take the chance to talk to you if he can.

  “Whatcha writing?” he asks when he pops up behind you with surprising stealthiness. You let out a surprised shriek and nearly jump right out of your seat. He barely catches a glimpse of your notebook’s contents before you slam it shut and cover it with your arms.

  “Swerve!” you yell, fleshy human cheeks flushing a wonderful pink color (Oh, how he loves the way you blush like that. He wants to make you do it more). “Don’t scare me like that!”

  “Sorry. Couldn’t help myself. You humans make the cutest sounds when you're startled.” He folds his servos behind his back and leans forward a little. “I don’t see you in the bar often. A place like this isn’t really the best for writing stories, ya know.”

  You sigh and slip your notebook into the knapsack you always carry around. Darn, he thinks, how will your secrets be spilled to him now? “I’m not writing stories. I’m just…doing research on something.”

  “Research,” he says. “In a bar.”

  “Yes. Research in a bar. Is that so hard to believe?”

  He does a quick scan of your features. The blush on your cheeks has deepened to a shade of red that almost matches his paint job. You're fiddling with your knapsack and guarding that notebook with your life. Suddenly, it comes upon him like a tidal wave; his smile widens with the victorious air of someone who just won a medal. “Oh, I know what's going on here,” he says. “You've been spying on someone, haven’t you?”

  Your reaction only further proves his theory. You look horrified, and the way you frantically rush to defend yourself is like a bright neon arrow pointing directly at your head. “What? No! Nonono, why would you think that?!”

  He laughs. “Oh, you totally are! Your notebook is probably chock-full of evidence, amiright? Wait, don’t tell me! Let me guess!”  He circles the table and plops down across from you. “Is it Ratchet? Nah, too grouchy. Cyclonus? Mm, too weird. Oh, oh! It’s Rodimus, isn’t it? It has to be Rodimus!”

  “What are you talking about?” you ask him.

  He leans forward and smirks. “You're in love, little one. Am I right, or am I right?”

  “I-I’m not-there’s no-” You stutter for a moment longer, then get a hold of your emotions and reel them in. Sitting back and going stone-faced, you stare at him with only the color of your blush signaling what you are currently going through. “I’m not in love.”

  Does it hurt to know you have a crush on someone who isn’t him? Absolutely? But telling you that would mean admitting the feelings he has for you, and no way is he doing that now. His spark aches with the sting of rejection, but he hides it well and decides messing with you will make him feel much better. “C’mon, squirt. You can’t lie to me. It’s as clear as day that someone on this ship has you smitten.”

  “It’s not someone on this ship. I’m a human.”

  “You being a human and us being mechs means nothing. How many months have you been aboard this ship?” He counts off his digits. “Two? Three? No, it’s been five months, hasn’t it? Five months with us and your little spark has finally decided humans just don’t compare to mechs anymore. Aw, how adorable.”

  You look like you want to jump across the table to snap his intake shut. Instead though, you slump back in defeat and groan, rubbing your hands across your face. “Is it really that obvious?”

  “To me? Yeah. But that’s only because I’ve picked up on your reactions. Plus, the fact that you came here to jot down ‘notes’ means…” Now he gets excited. “It has to be someone in this bar.”

  You regard him cautiously. “And what if it is? What will you do about it?”

  He shrugs. “Nothing! My job is to pour drinks and listen to people’s woes. What kind of reputation would I be giving this fine establishment if I were to go around tattling on my loyal customers?” He taps his index digit against his dermas. Scrap, this is really going to hurt him. But he wants to see you happy. “I could help you, you know.”

  “Help me?” you echo.

  “Yeah, why not?” he forces himself to say with enthusiasm. “I’m always ready to help a pal! I’ll be your wingmech! How’s that sound?”

  A wide smile splits across your face and you cover your mouth to muffle your giggle. “Wingmech? Seriously? That’s so cheesy, Swerve.”

  By the Allspark, hearing your laughter is music to his ears. He’s envious of whoever you are crushing on. They’re one lucky mech to have someone like you chasing after them.  But he swallows down his jealousy for your sake and puffs out his chassis proudly. “Cheesy or not, I’m sure I can help you woo your future sweetspark. All you gotta do is learn to use a little bit of the ol’ Swerve charm and bingo, this bot will be yours in no time. So, whattaya say? You wanna employ my humble services?”

  You bite your lower lip and look down at your knapsack. “I don’t know. The Swerve charm may not exactly work on the mech I’m thinking of.”

  “Aha!” He stands up and points at you. “So you admit you're in love!”

  You give him a pointed look. “Alright, alright, fine, I admit it! Yes, there’s someone on this ship I really like. I’ve been writing down things he may or may not enjoy so I can come up with ways to show him that…that I want to…askhimout.” This last part comes out as a weak mutter. It’s obviously difficult for you to admit it, but oh boy is Swerve glad you have.

  “So it’s a he. Hm. IIIInteresting. Mind telling me what he’s like?”

  You smile. “Well, he’s outgoing. And very enthusiastic about what he does. He always has an upbeat attitude and definitely knows how to make me laugh. Some might think he’s a bit of a wise-ass though.”

  Swerve chuckles. “Sounds like a real dream boat.”

  “You…have no idea.” The way you say it sounds strange to him, but he doesn’t think any more of it. You drum your fingers against the table. “What…what would you do if you wanted to tell him that…that you like him?”

  I wouldn’t. I’d tell you I like you and no one else. “I’d probably do something bold. Something that would really grab his attention, ya know?” He thinks. “Does he like you back?”

  “Well, you see…I-I think so? I’m not sure. I talk to him a lot, but we’re…kind of different. I’m definitely not like him, but we get along. The more I hang out with him, the more these feelings grow.” You stare at your hands. “I don’t know if I should be admitting all of this.”

  “No, no, it’s okay!” He’s quick to reassure you. “I want to help! Seriously! I said I’d be your wingmech, and I’m going to uphold my word! So, let’s think! You think he likes you, and you definitely like him back. He’s the extroverted type, bold and brash…so give him a show! Really show him that you want him and you to be together, and you appreciate all of the good company he’s given you since you boarded the ship. The key is to really hit him here.” He thumps his chassis. “Right in the spark. It’s all emotions, squirt! Nothing else to it!”

  “Emotions, huh?” Once again, that odd look crosses you. “Do you think we could…practice?”

  “Practice?”

  “Yeah, like, working on what I’ll do when I finally admit my feelings to him? Would that be okay with you?”

  “Oh, yes, totally!” He stands up. “C’mere, let’s go through it. Think about what you want to say, and then act it out to me.”

  You stand up as well and walk over to him. Looking down, he sees just how small you are compared to him; you barely make it up to his chassis. You study him, biting your bottom lip. You look so nervous. It makes him want to be gentle.

  “Don’t be shy,” he says softly. “There’s no reason to be. It’s just you and I here, yeah? No one will pay attention to us.”

  You draw in a deep breath. “Okay, Okay.” Shaking out your arms, you fixate on him determinedly. “I’m not going to say anything. I’m going to do something. Is that okay?”

  “Oh,” he says, a bit confused. “Sure, yeah! What are you going to do?”

  You take a step back. Then, you jump forward, and he’s startled when you grab his shoulders and pull yourself up. His optics widen when you lean in and give him a short kiss. Every mechanical nerve in his body sings when he feels your lips on his, and he seems to lose control of himself, becoming nothing more than a statue.

  Then, it’s over. You let him go and drop back down, taking a step back and looking at him anxiously. He stares at you, air whooshing in and out of his intake as his systems attempt to cool.

  “It’s…It’s me?” he whispers.

  You lower your head and nod.

  He can’t talk. He can’t make a sound. It’s only for a good few seconds, but when he finally regains control of his vocalizer, he begins to laugh. And laugh. And laugh. And then he’s picking you up and spinning you around in a tight hug. “You like me!” he cries. “You like me, you like me!” He couldn’t care less if anyone else in the bar is watching this. The one he’s been crushing on for months has been crushing on him back!

  You laugh along with him. “It took you this long to figure it out? I’ve been dropping hints since we started this conversation!”

  “That’s why you’ve been doing research in the bar! Primus, how did I not realize it sooner?” He holds you back so he can see your brilliant smile. It makes him melt. “I can’t believe you really like me,” he whispers.

  You cup his faceplate in your hands. “I’m guessing your happy about it, Mr. Wingmech?”

  He kisses you again, leaning into your touch. “Well…looks like my humble services paid off.” He pauses. “So…what did you think of the Swerve charm?”

[runninriot]

Love Me Til It Hurts

written for @steddiesongfics

song: Neon Noir by Ville Valo (2023) | rated: E | wc: 1.368 | cw: blood, blood drinking, blood kink (kind of), sexual content | tags: Monster!Eddie Munson, Monster Lover!Steve Harrington, Steve is a Freak, and Eddie loves him for it | also on ao3

Becoming a monster had always sounded kind of… intriguing.

The reality of it, however, sucked big time.

And maybe that’s just due to the circumstances of how it happened. Because nearly being eaten alive by demon bats in a place that resembles more hell than Hawkins (or- now that he thinks about it, maybe it just shows Hawkins’s true face because his hometown kind of always had been hell) and the fact that it fucking hurt to be transformed into the human-monster-abnormality that he is now.

So, yeah. Becoming a monster had been a literal nightmare.

Being one, on the other hand, is even crazier than he’d ever imagined it would be.

Sure, it was scary at first, to suddenly see the world in a different light. Literally. And to suddenly be able to hear sounds he’d never heard before. To smell and taste flavours he never even knew existed. But he soon learned to accept it, made peace with his new self and all the traits that come with it.

Being a monster is kind of fun, to be honest, and to feel superior in a way, to be stronger, taller, more powerful than he could ever have dreamed of being is just a bonus. A little cherry on top. Something that keeps him sane whenever the memories of their final fight against Vecna replay in his mind.

Because now, he’s able to protect his friends. To watch out for them. To make sure they’re safe.

And giving up part of his humanity for that is a prize he’d be willing to pay all over again.

That and the fact that being this new, better version of himself changed his life in ways he never thought would be possible.

He’s been living in the Harrington home ever since they brought him back, with Steve helping him discover and... explore all the changes he’s been going through.

And that had been a wild ride from the start.

Nothing and no one could’ve prepared Eddie for finding out just how much of a freak Steve Harrington would turn out to be.

Because he is. Oh God, he is. Maybe the biggest freak of them all.

Freaky in a way Eddie still has a hard time believing is not just some side effect from being bitten by the same gnarly creatures, or maybe from swallowing that bat’s blood when he ripped it apart with his teeth, looking all rough and grimy and too fucking sexy, bleeding and bare chested and-

Where was he?

Oh, yeah.

Whatever it is, however Eddie got so lucky – he cherishes every moment of it. Because ever since coming back wrong, everything in his life suddenly went right.

🩸🖤🩸

When Steve offered his blood to Eddie for the first time, he nearly lost it because- shit, that was better than any trip. No drug could ever compare to the effect Steve’s blood had on him, finally scratching that itch that had been driving him mad ever since his transformation.

But it didn’t stop there, no. What Eddie initially thought was just one of the endless self-sacrificing acts Steve is known for, turned out to be so much more. Because somehow, Steve found a liking in Eddie’s new form.

It took Eddie a while to figure it out. To understand why Steve suddenly always came so close. Always in his periphery at least, always touching when they were sitting next to each other. Always right there, waiting for Eddie’s next blood rush, too quick to offer his wrist or neck for Eddie to sink his teeth in.

Look, call him stupid or whatever, but how the hell could Eddie have known that fangs and wings would do it for Steve?

And he should have been offended, really, when Steve finally confessed. Because-

    Honestly, Steve? You’re telling me I had to literally die for you to finally notice me?

But let’s be real. Eddie would gladly let himself be turned into a fucking worm if it meant he could have Steve in return.

Yeah, that man’s definitely worth dying for.

If anyone asked him, he’d deny it but Eddie had a crush on Steve long before the world went to shit. But never – not even in his wildest dreams – did he dare to fantasize about a future where he’d know what Steve looks like underneath his stupid polos and illegally tight jeans.

And now he does.

Knows all the parts of him, even the hidden ones. Because Steve is a goddamn monster lover, in every sense of the word.

🩸🖤🩸

The first time Eddie realised Steve’s quiet whimpers were more than just a response to the pain of having the skin of his neck pierced by razor-sharp teeth, was a true revelation. He still remembers how embarrassed Steve had been when Eddie noticed the dark patch at the front of his sweats. He was still visibly half hard and Eddie – lost in the daze of drinking his blood – couldn’t stop staring.

He tried to apologise, tried to tell Steve that it was okay, that is was probably just his body’s reaction to being drained because that shit’s not normal, is it? But Steve just shook his head, took Eddie’s large, clawed hand and placed it right above the wet spot in the front of his pants.

Eddie nearly choked on his own tongue, overcome with a desire to take and claim, to touch Steve where his blood was pulsing hot and hard beneath the damp fabric.

He needed Steve in ways that should’ve scared them both but- did he mention that Steve’s a freak?

Because he didn’t even wait for permission, didn’t stop one second to consider how dangerous this was, or could’ve been, when he crawled into Eddie’s lap like a love-sick dog, whining and whimpering so sweetly against Eddie’s lips as he kissed him, deep and unafraid, uncaring of the bittersweet iron they could both taste when he pricked his greedy tongue on Eddie’s fangs.

It was fucked-up and dirty and so fucking frightening but Eddie couldn’t resist, couldn’t reject the offer when Steve was so ready to give him more than he ever dreamed of.

And it remains a dream, a wonderful fantasy each time it happens. Each time Steve gets this look in his eyes, full of want, full of unhinged desire to be taken apart. To be claimed by his monster, to be fucked and kissed and loved- God, Eddie loves him so much.

He worships him like a king – Eddie’s inferior to no one but Steve – and what he gets in return is more than just a taste of what his new form needs to thrive.

When his humanity takes a backseat while his monster self takes over, and the rioting rush of primal desire is clouding his senses, Steve’s touch is the only thing keeping him grounded. And it’s so much more than just sex. More than just two creatures giving in to their godless impulses to take and be taken.

It’s a beautiful mess very time Eddie leaves a trail of dark red love confessions on Steve’s skin just to kiss them better. And it feels like rebirth every time Steve comes with Eddie’s name on his lips, every time he falls to pieces in Eddie’s arms.

Every time they share each other’s blood and cum and spit, every time they crash and fall, sweat-drenched and breathless, it’s like Eddie is being transformed all over again, bathed in Steve’s light, graced by his lover’s mercy – really letting himself become the monster he is because his boyfriend likes him like that.

His boyfriend Steve, the freak. The one reason for Eddie’s stone-cold heart to keep beating.

Steve Harrington, the monster lover. His beautiful, insatiable boy, always so greedy for more.

   “I love you, Steve,” Eddie whispers as he lets his hand glide over naked, burning skin. Careful this time, not to break any more of it.

   “Love me, Eddie. Love me ‘til it hurts.”

Oh. But how could he not, when Steve demands it like that?

He’ll never get enough of it.

Because, yeah, being a monster is fun. But being Steve’s monster is everything.

[wuxian-vs-wangji]

There are 4 types of care you want to see in a fledgling Dom/sub relationship:

The first is pre-care, when a Dom and sub will establish the guidelines and rules of their sexual encounter (if they didn't do it earlier), and ease in to the dynamic before even foreplay starts.

Payu starts this in the tub, letting Rain get used to their bodies touching, some sensual but not yet sexual contact. Easing Rain into more intimate forms of contact than they've had up to this point. Payu and Rain are so thirsty for each other they head straight to sex, and this first time Payu keeps it very vanilla for Rain's first time.

The discussion part of pre-care can be put off for another day, especially since they won't be doing really much of anything in the D/s dynamic, but it'll happen eventually.

The second is care during sex. True, Rain and Payu didn't engage much in the D/s side of things this first time, and even when they do, it's very low-level introductory. Even so, Payu held control of the experience and guided Rain through it, the commanding teacher, while still being very gentle in his tone. He even let Rain come before seeking out a sense of consensual ownership over Rain.

Payu also says "Please don't stop me" early on, a sexy and gentle reminder that Rain very much has the power to stop him at any point if he feels uncomfortable with what is happening (while hoping he does not use that power).

That's not just a D/s dynamic thing, that's important in all forms of sexual encounter. It doesn't matter if Payu is moving inside Rain at that moment- consent can be revoked at any point, and both of them need to be well aware of that. Even the most Edge class of kinks is built on mutual consent, and respecting that consent is revokable. That's why safe words exist.

The third is aftercare, which you don't really see (I know some call the bit in the extended cut aftercare, but snuggly sex is just one facet of aftercare). Aftercare is very much dependent on the degree of BDSM play engaged in, and for just a gentle Dom/sub dynamic (what Payu and Rain enjoy), not as layered as you'd see elsewhere.

For this kind of dynamic, cleaning one another up and some cuddles is probably fine. They were both laying peacefully under the covers, and Rain had clothes beside him if he needed them, so let's assume there was aftercare.

Aftercare is about returning the couple to their natural dynamic, not their sexual one. It's showing one another respect and gratitude for what happened during the sexual encounter, and helping the Dom and sub both recover psychologically and physically.

The fourth is morning-after-care. This one is the most important the first time with a new partner, a bit less as other relationship dynamics and history build over time and both partners learn to be more confident in one another.

The afterglow is gone, the sober light of day is here, and doubts, insecurities, anxiety- all of that creeps in.

In aftercare and morning-after-care, it can often be overlooked that the submissive and Dominant BOTH need to take care of one another. BOTH participated in the dynamic, BOTH need to be checked on and shown care, BOTH are at risk of feeling shame or embarrassment for their roles- especially early in the relationship.

You don't leave a sub in subspace. You don't leave a Dom in Domspace. Payu needs Rain to reassure and sooth him as much as Rain needs his Dom to do the same. Especially- ESPECIALLY- since this isn't a temporary arrangement, it's a permanent relationship Payu is trying to establish.

They cannot risk either seeing the other- or feeling like they are seen- as a sex toy.

Hence Payu crossing the boundaries of "personal space" to go to Rain's house uninvited, and his unwillingness to even let Rain touch him at first. Rain running off snapped a critical piece of aftercare for BOTH of them, even if Rain doesn't realize it.

But also, Payu knows this is all new to Rain. He knows Rain doesn't understand how to nurture and grow a healthy relationship, especially with the added guardrails of a safe and secure D/s dynamic (ESPECIALLY with the DOUBLED guardrails of a 24/7 D/s dynamic).

He needs to hear that Rain understands he shouldn't have vanished, but he also doesn't want to give Rain a hard time (boy's sick after all). So all it takes from Rain is a simple apology and Payu quickly reassures Rain that all is well (and then punishes him in a nurturing way with the suppository).

[star-suh]

A Night to Remember

Hong Seunghan x Male reader

cw: top needy seunghan, stripper reader, idol au, frottage, protected sex, cum eating, nipple play, fingering.

an: idk if it's bad timing to post this sawrry, it was already scheduled.

—

seunghan was tired, he was thankful he debuted in such an amazing group but the though schedules, rehearsals, the recording songs process, learning choreography and fansigns have drained his energy. he was walking down the street at night when he saw a neon sign that caught his attention “interesting..” he muttered and entered the place.

it was a pretty place, with good lighting, velvet curtains, relaxing music and a bar with some curious liquors and cocktails. “hello how can i help you” a masculine voice echoed in seunghan's ears, he turned out and met the man “umm.. sorry i.. i was just walking and saw the neon sign. it made me curious so i entered the place” he says bluntly.

“oh ok i understand” the man with a butler like suit responds “in this place we offer a space so that men who are tired of everyday life can relax, either drinking their favorite umm drink” he laughs “while the music at a low volume calms them down. also if they want something more entertaining and spicy there is a special striptease service, this can be private or public as the client prefers” he spoke clasping his hands “so what do you want sir?”.

“i think i'm gonna order a drink and a private striptease show please” seunghan answered pulling out his wallet to pay. “over here” the butler hands him the drink and signals a room for him to enter “our stripper will be coming here soon, wait for him please”.

the liquid in his glass was already about to run out when the door opened, and there appeared a boy in a lustful devil costume. he had a collar from which a red tie hung, bracelets on her arms and a black thong that lefts nothing to the imagination, he also has a big spear on his hand. 

“who's this naughty man waiting to be punished” cockily says the guy provoking a smirk to appear on seunghan's face, already loving the show.

y/n started doing a lap dance on seunghan, letting him touch every part of his body, groping his ass, playing with his nipples. every touch form seunghan leaving a burning sensation on y/n's skin. the man taking control of the situation unbuttoned the collar leaving only the tie on the dancer's neck and moving the thong slightly to the sight he toyed with y/n's hole noticing there's a plug on it “damn i wonder who is the naughty one here” he expressed.

a path of kisses that started from y/n's chest ended on his mouth with a desperate kiss between the two of them, their tongues fighting for dominance and exploring each other's mouths. seunghan pulled out the plug and started to finger the rim, feeling how warm it was, he then unzipped his pants pulling out his thick meat, slapping it against the hole. “so desperate for me” y/n looked down on seunghan kissing and sucking his nipples “i have a lot of accumulated stress that i need to release” he snickered.

y/n's hand reaches for the nearest drawer looking for a condom “here big boy” y/n hands the latex object to the top who quickly rips the pack and rolls it down his shaft.

y/n sank down the other's cock enjoying every inch of pleasure the top gave him. they stay still hugging between them while waiting for y/n to adjust to seunghan's size. then y/n's hips started with the up and down motion, squeezing that juicy throbbing cock “shit” sighed the guy “i really needed this. thank you so much for helping me”. “you're welcome” the stripper says, kissing him seconds later. 

seunghan thrusts were sloppy, he was just focused on feel all the pleasure he could, forgetting about everything and just living the present “such a good stress reliever” he blurted out, teeth biting y/n's nipples. the other was a moaning blushing mess, it's true that this was his work but something with seunghan just make it somewhat more special, like he's being gentle but it produces the same pleasure or even much more than those who fuck y/n rough. “yes right there baby, keep fucking that spot”..

y/n started playing with seunghan's chest, toying with his nipples, feeling every crevice from his abs. “are you gonna cum handsome” the stripper asked and the other male just nodded and went straight to kiss him. seunghan locked his arms around y/n accelerating his thrust wanting to release all the tension that has been built during the whole session. y/n can feel the cock throbbing inside him, pumping all the sperm inside the condom but still y/n could feel the warm sensation of the liquid.

when seunghan pulled out the condom was bulging with a ton of semen “this cannot be wasted” talked y/n, removing the condom from seunghan's shaft and then slipping the content directly into his mouth and swallowing it with some of it dripping down his mouth and sweaty chest “yummy” smirked the stripper while a speechless seunghan looked at him “hold on, you haven't cum yet” the top said, “it's ok, as long as you are satisfied” y/n just smiled.

“no come here” seunghan forces y/n to straddle him joining both cocks and started to rub them both with his big hands “let me give you back some of the pleasure you gave me” he whispered, moving his hands up and down. both cocks came at the same time looking like a fountain of sperm flowing down the shafts and seunghan's hands, both males moaned in unison riding their highs while catching their breath. y/n grabbed seunghan's hands and lick them clean. sharing a last kiss y/n waves a goodbye and leave the room.

y/n was already leaving work and was about to start walking towards his home when a “hey” made him stop, he turned around and found himself face to face with seunghan again. “oh hey” a flustered y/n scratched his neck “what are you doing here?” he questioned. “i was waiting for you to come out and i.. i just wanted to know if you're free tomorrow. i.. i want to invite you to a night at the amusement park” he was trying to hide his flustered state but failed miserably.

on the other hand y/n was just as flustered as him “umm.. haha sure, here” he handed his phone to seunghan so he could save his number there “see you tomorrow i guess” y/n smiled, making seunghan smile too.

[sh1-n0bu]

Hi!

Is it okay for me to request a sub xiao?

Where the reader continues to edge him and tug at his collar prasing him.

and then at the end completely overstimulates him and praises him.

Can the reader call xiao cute petnames too?

like good boy, cutie, sweetie and etc please?

♡︎ 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙠𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙮 ♡︎

characters: sub!xiao x nb!dom!reader

warnings: collaring, praise, dacryphillia, overstimulation, edging, small hints of corruption, light petplay, cock can be read as strap on, reader is an immortal but what they are can be completely up to you.

notes: forgive me nonnie, i took so long to write this😔i’m starting to think writer’s block is catching up to me

nevermind. all i needed was to see xiao on the official stream break to get motivated again😍❗️

you and xiao first met centuries ago, shortly after the archon war has ended, the seven seats of the heavenly principles had gotten their victors. when you had first ran into the yaksha the poor thing was caught up in his own karmic debt, suffering the consequences of his own actions, writhing in agony. he tried to push you away but you were a thousands year old immortal who has seen everything teyvat had to offer.

the beginning of you two’s relationship was definitely odd and trippy for sure. however over time, when xiao figured out you were immortal just like him, he slowly began to open up. first it started with simple little talks and grunts, then the full blown chatting about everything phase began. soon that evolved to you and xiao opening up to each other about your pasts, deeds, mistakes and successes. and before you two could even understand the relationship you two have is what humans call “romantic love”, there you two were, holding each other close, stripping each other naked, learning about all sorts of pleasure.

it took a long time just for xiao to start talking with you, so of course sex life was incredibly slow and gentle between you and the yaksha. but slowly the more nights you spend with xiao, the more you realized he really enjoys being referred to as “kitty”.

at first it your thousands year old stubborn self found it odd since from what xiao told you, his true form is that of a bird’s not a cat. however soon you grew to love it for the sight of the cold and unstoppable yaksha, being reduced to a crying, babbling mess underneath you, clinging to you tightly and begging for you to fill him up was greatly addicting. which is what led to now.

“AANH~! nyaah! [n-nameee]…” whining and sobbing your name loudly with his red eyeliner running down his cheeks, xiao pawed at your finger curled around the soft collar around his neck. you’ve been forcing him to continue riding your cock for hours and it fucking hurt. not to mention your other hand was wrapped around the tip of his cock, toying with the tip slightly before putting your thumb over the slit of his cock when it starts to twitch violently. his poor tiny cocklet was already an angry red, twitching whenever your thumb would circle over the sensitive, slick tip.

“it’s alright kitty. keep riding me. you’re doing such an amazing job, kitty” cooing soft praises and tugging on the collar around his neck again to guide his hips to slam down onto your cock, you ignored his sobs and pleas for you to let him cum. it feels better, he knows that! but he just can’t help but be so greedy!

your big, fat, cock rearranging his insides, splitting his ass open, your voice cooing honeyed words into his ear, your hand teasingly, painfully rubbing at the slit of his twitching, red cock was just all too much for him. even though it’s not the first time you two are having sex, it feels like it is.

to the tiny, trembling, wailing yaksha on your lap, your dick just makes his eyes roll to the back of his skull, reaching places he never thought was even there. it just hits on all the right spots so good and his mind can’t comprehend the praises flowing out of your mouth.

noticing how your sweet boyfriend’s head was already fucked stupid with his hazy eyes and gibberish nonsense, you smiled sweetly before finally letting go of his cock. holding onto his waist tightly before thrusting up into his sloppy hole, creating more loud, wet, squelching sounds you can barely make out what he’s saying.

“aaannhg~! nyaAAH~! t-there—sho good! [name]—sho good♡︎” blabbering drunken words, he couldn’t even hear you calling him sweet nicknames at all. finally cumming all over his and your tummy with a loud squeal when you harshly thrusting up into his sensitive spot, your lovely kitty fell on top of your chest, shuddering and twitching, too lost in the pleasure. managing to only weakly whimper when you continued to fuck into his wet hole before mewling when he felt the familiar warmth of your cum shooting into his walls.

patting him on his head and cradling his trembling tiny body, you whispered another praise before cuddling him close.

“good kitty♡︎”.