#So you'll be getting sketches for at least a while

[askcalandlynx]

Hello there! Welcome to our ask blog!

We're excited to answer any questions you've got.

I've finally decided to post about these two goobers since I've come up with so much lore about what was originally just a silly swap AU. I'll put some context that I feel should be shared ooc here. Y'know, stuff that wouldn't make much sense for the cast to answer themselves.

The only things that swap are their roles! There may be changes to their personalities, but that's because their life experiences are different (and probably also because I'm not experienced enough to keep them perfectly in character)

They won't recognize the original cast's names, but for the sake of not constantly having them ask who people are talking about, I'll just ignore it in favor of responding to the question itself. The names they go by are their in-universe names/nicknames, and they don't have knowledge of the original show.

This ask-blog is their equivalent to the show.

•>

[tbaluver]

The Love And DeepSpace Men- Boyfriend Headcanons

parings in order: Xavier x Reader, Zayne x Reader, Rafayel x Reader, Sylus x Reader genre: fluff fluff a/n: i might make a part two of this i just thought this was a cute idea in my drafts (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) any likes and reblogs are always appreciated! enjoy!

⋆｡‧˚ʚ♡ɞ˚‧｡⋆

Xavier:

He is your weighted blanket whenever you need him. Literally and figuratively. When you sleep, he provides so much warmth. His head could be on your chest as he dozes off when you play with the locks of his hair. His arms would be around your body, occasionally pressing light kisses on your arms.

Your big baby. The warmth and softness of you and hearing the sound of your heartbeat soothes him. Therefore, he loves being the little spoon when cuddling despite the height difference between you two. He leans into your touch a lot so just hold him tight and run your fingers through his hair as he nuzzles his face into your chest.

He has the most confusing food combos he's cooked but you try them anyway. Sometimes it's not shocking to you that it's not your cup of tea so you decide it's best to just get take out instead or that you cook anyway. You both can cook your own plates at the same time in the kitchen or you'll help him cook what he wants even if the food combo is questionable so he doesn't burn the house down.

Will celebrate all of your achievements no matter how small. You were nervous about an exam? "Woot" Will be happy and proud that you got it over with and you'll both find something small or big to do to celebrate it

Cute date ideas would be stargazing or picnics in the park. Packing simple easy foods and treats while you both enjoy the scenery and afternoon. Or having a blanket out at the park while you watch the stars at night but he's looking at you.

Zayne:

The type to kiss you in bed every single night and when you both wake up. He'll kiss you on the lips, or the top of your head while he cups your cheek.

He'll always listen to your problems. He's an amazing listener and he gives logical advice as well as encouragement and praises depending on what the situation is.

He's a busy man but he tries to plan dates with you at least two or three times a week. If he has a busy schedule he'll make it up to you. Some dates include checking out new cafes to try new sweets or bakeries.

He's also a gentleman! He'll hold any door open whether it's a restaurant, yours or his home, or the car door, etc. He always tries to pick you up and drop you off. He'll also wait until your inside your home safely before leaving. He'll always stay on the dangerous side of the road or sidewalk whenever you both are walking together. With him you're never walking on the wrong side of the road whenever he's with you! If you were both in a busy area, he'll let you link your arms together, or intertwine your hands together, or he'll have his hand on your back so he knows your with him.

He'll make the effort to call you whenever he can. During his breaks from work, he'll call to see how you're doing. Or he'll call you at night to wish you a goodnight before he does an operation because he might not make it back home in time.

When he comes home late at night, he's cautious on handling your sleeping form because he does not want to wake up your peaceful sleep. He'll tuck your head in the crook of his neck, his chin resting on the top of your head before pulling up the covers over your body.

Rafayel:

You are his muse. He is so in love with you that you fill up his mind so most of his works would be inspired by you. He would have many sketchbooks filled with sketches of mostly just you and sometimes of you and him. The sketchbook is filled with your side profile, your eyes, your smile, your hands, any parts of you that he has adored for years. One time he planned on drawing the scenery of the beach but he decided to sketch you instead. Or there would be times where you're at a restaurant and he'll doodle you on a napkin. Or when you're both at the beach, he'll grab a stick and draw you on the beach.

Being in a relationship with him basically means you will always have a companion. He'll trail on you wherever you go like you literally cannot get rid of him. When you want to shower by yourself, he'll stay on the other side of the shower talking about anything. He just likes having you by his side. You can sit near him while he paints a new canvas and sometimes he'll ask you your opinions. He'll also want you to travel with him if he had to fly out for exhibitions.

Although he can be very playful and a tease, he'll do anything for you. You just have to ask him. He's wrapped around your finger.

He'll buy matching jewelry for the both of you and he'll buy any dresses or outfits that he thinks you would love or that would look gorgeous on you.

He also loves loves it when you give him words of affirmation. He loves hearing when you compliment him or tell him that you love him and he'll also love doing that to you as well.

Sylus:

He would reprogram Mephisto to like you and not squawk/ claw you. If he was far away from a business situation he would have Mephisto or Luke and Kieran keep you company. The twins will probably tell you any stories you want about Sylus. He'll also make calls or text you to update you on anything while he's far away.

On nights when he's not home, he'll intentionally leave some of his shirts out because he knows you sleep in his shirts as you drift off into sleep. He makes sure that they smell like 'him'.

Loves holding hands anytime he can with you. Or just loves having his hands on you. Always has his hand on your back or intertwined with yours or wrapped around your waist.

Makes time for you anytime he can. He'll literally just give you his card and follow you around while you shop. He's also the type of partner to buy you everything that you touch. If there's a time where you're upset about something that's sold out, he'll be searching for it and buying it overnight with the fastest delivery!

He'll also find your height difference funny. Sometimes he'll place his hand out on your head and tease you. Or sometimes he'll hold things above his head and find your expression funny because it's still impossible for you to reach.

[popping-greenbean]

DONATION COMMISSIONS 🇵🇸

CLOSED FOR NOW!

(regular comm info here)

donate only $5+ to any of the sites below or purchase an eSim and you can get a nice little drawing from me! DM me proof of payment and your request (with ref pictures + description) and i'll draw your favourite characters, OCs, ships, etc

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Operation Olive Branch

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any donated amount of $5+ will essentially get you a rough sketch of 1-3 full body characters + flat background, unless otherwise requested

more details + examples below

as your donated amount increases, you'll get a nicer drawing basically, number of characters allowed is unaffected (you can donate any amount and i will still draw you max 3 characters in a piece)

$5 - $15 -> colourless sketch or a single flat tone for the character's silhouette, see venti post below

$15 - $30 -> sketch with flat local colours, see second image

$30 - $45 -> full colours + simple shading , see third image below or image above the cut

with donations of $45+, i'll also take requests for character art with simple background elements, a more painty style, or you can request a similar look to one of my previous posts (here or here for transformers specific stuff)

open to drawing humans, mechs, furries, creatures, just ask me if you're unsure! just make sure you are able to provide clear photo references or at least very close picrews, i will not design characters for these commissions.

if a request is something i'm not comfortable with drawing, i'll kindly ask you to switch it for something else, no big deal :) i won't take requests with explicit gore/NSFW content, but i will take suggestive/pinup type for $50+ donations if anyone so desires

wink wink nudge nudge if you like what you see above, i encourage you to take this chance to get art of your fav little guys while also helping people :) winwin

thanks for reading!! if you don't want art from me then please still donate if possible and share this post! or like.you can still show me your proof of payment and i'll just say nice things to you for free how's that

[broh3m3]

'#missing the old men' are there more old men? Can you tell us about the old men? 🥺👉👈

Behold, more old men! Not the most confident with getting Kalims face the way I want it to look (bear with me, most of these sketches are from earlier this year) but he exists! It's very important to me that he lives a long life in at least one timeline

Small notes on their faces/wrinkles: -Jamil has more wrinkles around his forehead/eyebrows with a sharper cheek bone. -Kalim's eyebrows have a feathered effect where it tapers outwards, and he's got a more prominent crows feet.

like so! I'm hoping to flesh them out more as I study older features, but these are the main points for now

Misc notes under the cut 🐍🦦

-He puts up a stoic face so that others won't bother him, but the kids of Silk City regard Jamil as an eccentric figure with lots of fun stories to tell about his travels. He's well loved.

-Kalim uses a cane to walk and is the frailer of the two. He's a little more subdued with age and his memory is poor, but he's always able to recount his memories of NRC, friends and Jamil with a bright smile and waay too many side plots. Jamil still holds himself with a strong gait and would rather keel over than be assisted, but he's got the worse eyesight (side effect of his signature spell) and experiences minor body aches in his arm/hands. -I think this kind of just goes on par with the regular scarabia/jamikali antics but they're casual with their skin ship, neither really notices unless it's called out. You'll often find one supporting the other with a hand by the waist while they walk.

-Though he's chided for it, Kalim makes it a routine to look after Jamil's hands every morning (it's important!) On the opposite, Jamil is the one that encourages Kalim to walk with him, even if it's only for short periods. In their later years, carpet is often accompanying them to help out when it can.

-When his strength begins to decline and he's bedridden, Kalim resorts to using his water magic to communicate. Jamil doesn't like it, but it's more of what it entails rather than the gesture. He talks more to fill the silence, sometimes responding back with his own magic. -Kalim's the first to go. Depending on how his life panned out, Jamil either stays in Silk City for the remainder of his days (if he came back to retire) or leaves to go on one final adventure, taking carpet with him (if he stayed with Kalim.)

-The detail of him wearing Kalim's feather accessory was inspired from a fic collection ! I'm happy it was noticed

[usagifuyusummer]

"You're loved. Don't forget."

More ramblings and concept art below lmao.

I am devastated on thinking Timmy's fate in the series... I won't put my faith that they will handle it well, so I'll just indulge in fanworks to fill in this void. If they ever do it well one day, then I'll be there for the encore.

For now, I think you'll see a lot of somewhat depressed art on FOP for a while lol. Not continuous mind you! University is a bitch to get through. Whenever I'm free that is. Which is on long stretches of time unfortunately... Still, when I'm not posting trash, I'll be around observing quietly. You can guarantee that at least.

The work this time is inspired by @xblubotx (the adopted parents kissing Timmy one so cute omgosh) and @cubbihue FOP AU (sorry I have not memorised your AU yet). I admire that Blubot can adapt the FOP artstyle so well lmao. It'll be lightyears before I can do that 😭😭😭. Also, their Timmy fanarts break my heart, thank you. For the fairies design, I took inspiration from Cubbihue's AU. I think it's cute that they have tails, but there's not much I can say regarding their AU since its still developing. Take your time on that and have fun by the way.

The context for this one is just that Timmy is embarassed that Cosmo and Wanda are giving him the affection he is missing out from his parents. Poof is laughing from Timmy's embarrassment lol. (Not using Poof's new name because that is not that iteration of his character.) Timmy got a lot of fairy dust to remove from his face on that day...

Hm, are there side-effects to fairies kissing a mortal (on the cheeks hehe)? I kinda wish there was a comprehensive mythology book for stuff like that. There's some sources where I read that fairies kissing humans can actually result in their soul being whisked away to the other world (essentially dying yeah) and some sources say that fairies kissing you means its their way of marking territory or for good luck??? I wonder where those myths came from... but it is fascinating to think about. I guess Timmy will die young then /jk lol.

I got input from my younger sister that a darker color background is better than the dark blue one I used initially. I'm quite unsure on this, so I'll just post them all... I also don't think I nailed Cubbihue's AU on the fairy sizes... It's hard to accurately draw characters on a specific scale for me... Oh well, I can practice more. This took me 3 days at least. Also, here's a png version of the piece and two photos of the concept sketches.

I think that's all I want to yap about. Thanks for reading and have a nice day. See you when my homework isn't killing me.

[iomoru]

“He's The Type To...”

A/n: I couldn't decide between kazuha and albedo so I did both

Genre: Hcs, Modern! Au, Fluff, Suggestive Smut, Teasing, Gn! Reader, Kazuha x Reader, Albedo x Reader, Proofread

Kazuha:

• He's the type to send you spontaneous texts throughout the day, sharing random thoughts, pictures of the sky, or the poems he's working on. It's basically his way of keeping you close, even when your apart.

• He's the type to sneak you away to quiet, scenic spots. He'll find the perfect hill or rooftop to lie back and stargaze, playing soft melodies on his guitar as he whispers poetry under his breath.

• He's the type to silently admire you while you're talking, a small, content smile on his lips. You'll ask what he's thinking, and he'll just shake his head, brushing a stray strand of hair behind your ear, replying, “You're captivating.”

• He's the type to pull you into his lap when you're both just lounging around, absentmindedly playing with your hair while his other hand traces patterns on your thigh. There's a soft intimacy to the way he holds you, but it lingers with a hint of something more.

• He’s the type to get lost in deep conversations with you late at night. He'll talk about his dreams, his philosophy on life, and how much he appreciates your presence, all while his hands slowly drift over your skin, his touch becoming more intentional as the night goes on.

• He’s the type to be subtle but intentional when it comes to showing affection. A light brush of his fingers down your arm, a kiss to the back of your neck when you least expect it, or the way he’ll draw you in closer if you start teasing him a little too much.

• He's the type to tease you about how easily you get flustered. Whenever you stumble over your words or blush at something he says, he'll tilt his head and smirk slightly, leaning in closer just to murmur, “You're really cute when you're shy, you know that?”

• He's the type to playfully challenge your boundaries, letting his hands rest at the curve of your waist when you're both alone, his fingers tracing dangerously close to more sensitive areas. He'll flash a teasing smile and ask, “What's wrong love? You seem a little distracted.”

• He's the type to whisper lustful comments in your ear in public, completely unfazed, leaving you the one struggling to keep composure. When you ask him to stop, he'll chuckle softly, “I'm just talking, what's on your mind?”

• He's the type to lean in for a kiss but pull back at the last second, enjoying the way you lean forward to chase his lips. “Impatient, are we?” He'll tease, only to give in moments later, kissing you deeply while his hands slide down your back, pulling you flush against him.

Albedo:

• He’s the type to get so absorbed in his work that you have to remind him to eat. He’s always grateful when you bring him snacks or drinks, and the soft smile he gives you makes the effort worth it every time.

• He’s the type to silently observe you when you’re doing something mundane, like reading or working. He finds your everyday actions fascinating and is always curious about how your mind works.

• He’s the type to be incredibly thoughtful with his gifts. He’ll design something especially for you, whether it’s a sketch, a small invention, or even a carefully chosen flower that he says reminded him of you. His gifts always come with an explanation of the deeper meaning behind them.

• He’s the type to hold you close when you’re both in bed, his hand resting gently on your waist. He’ll trace circles on your skin, his voice low as he murmurs scientific facts or musings about the universe until you fall asleep against his chest.

• He’s the type to get flustered when things start getting a bit more intimate. His usual calm and collected demeanor falters slightly, his breath catching as your lips trace along his jawline. He may not be as forward, but the way his grip tightens on your hips speaks volumes.

• He’s the type to engage in long, heated debates with you about random subjects. Even when you challenge his knowledge, there’s a glint of excitement in his eyes. The playful back-and-forth often ends with him pulling you into his arms, murmuring how much he enjoys your mind as much as your presence.

• He's the type to subtly tease you about how much you crave his attention. When you pout or tug at his sleeve for affection, he'll raise an eyebrow and smirk slightly, “Needy today, aren't we?” His tone is soft, but there's a glint in his eyes that shows he's fully aware of the effect he has on you.

• He's the type to make sly, teasing comments during your study or work sessions together. If you make a mistake, he'll hum thoughtfully, leaning close as if to help, but instead whisper something suggestive in your ear, “You seem distracted...I wonder why.” He loves watching the way you tense up or blush.

• He's the type to gently push your buttons, especially when you're in a quiet moment together. He'll brush his fingers lightly along your thigh under the table, or trace his hand down your back, just to see how you react. When you shoot him a look, he'll smile innocently, “Darling I'm just testing a hypothesis.”

• He's the type to get a little more bold behind closed doors, especially when you've been teasing him all day. He'll pin you lightly against a surface, his lips just barely touching yours as he whispers, “You've been asking for it, haven't you?” His hands will roam around your body calculated precision, each touch deliberate and torturously slow.

A/n: I might not make a part 2 because I'm so tired and kinda lazy to do it but if I did then it'll be about Heizou and Xiao, ONLY if I did I'll still think about it

© ²⁰²⁴ ɪᴏᴍᴏʀᴜ ✰ do not repost, translate, plagiarize, use to train ai, or share my work on other social media platforms.

[being-addie]

Healthy habits I'm developing for 2023

It's already April and I'm still in that rut of sleeping at 2am, buying a quick fix of candy at the store when I have fruit at home, eating too many carbs and skipping the gym. Now, I'm getting my shit together.

It's easy to disguise bad habits with excuses. "Oh, I have exams coming up". "Work's been really draining lately". But if you don't change now, you'll be stuck in that same loop for the rest of your life.

Prioritising health:

Sleeping 7-8 hours every night: To end my absolutely atrocious amount of screen time, I've decided to delete all those distracting apps on my phone. It's hard, but worth it. Now I won't be tempted to scroll on Instagram when I should be sleeping.

Making healthy food choices: Choosing homemade granola over chocolate bars, banana bread over Nutella sandwiches, and homemade nachos over packaged chips makes a huge difference.

Working out: l go to the gym daily, but lately, I've been lazy and slacking off. So I want to start going again along with squeezing in a run in the evening. Finishing at least 8k steps every day. Moving my body in some way, whether it's dance or yoga.

Water: I have a bad habit of forgetting to drink water, even when it's right in front of me. So I've downloaded some water reminders to help me remember to drink. I've also decided to incorporate lemon honey iced tea into my diet because I'm a fiend for it.

Working smart:

Creating a to-do list: Committing to knocking off at least three things on a to-do list and gradually increasing the number of tasks.

Keeping devices away: I've started keeping my phone in my mom's room while I work, or I lock it in my cupboard so I won't get distracted, and I use extensions like WasteNoTime and StayFocusd to block unnecessary websites.

Dividing time: Making a schedule for my day, so I can divide school studies, sketching practice and homework. It is so important to block out parts of the day for morning and night routines and self-care.

Cleansing my life:

A clean workspace: Clean up my desk every day, so I can sit in an uncluttered space, and keep my racing mind calm.

Making my bed: Focusing on making sure my bed is clean first thing in the morning, so I have a place that's clean and warm after a long day.

Deleting social media: It was difficult, but I did it. Fighting the temptation to log in again is real, but I'm slowly coming to realise I don't care what people are posting on their stories, and the FOMO is slowly fading.

Toxic people: Getting rid of toxic friends, and deleting numbers and chats of people are who no longer important in my life. Having access to me is a privilege.

Self-care: Every Sunday, I'm setting aside a few hours for myself. During that time, I'll be having a long shower, deep conditioning my hair, using a scrub and exfoliator, shaving, moisturizing, and eating something nice. I'll be baking something for the rest of the week so I won't resort to junk food for dessert or snacks.

Understanding and knowing what you want in life is the first step to beginning your journey. Don't let others make you feel guilty for putting yourself first. It's your life, and ultimately, it's only you who can change it.

<3

[dreemurr-skelememer]

Hello :D

I have been following you for the last year or so (a few days after I got my Tumblr lmao) and I absolutely love your art!

I have been wanting to study your art style for a while but don't really know where to start,,,

Could you please show me a small portion of your art process, if it isn't too much trouble of course. Thank you and have a nice day!

hello. oh my god. this took forever to find.

im sorry it took 2 WHOLE FUCKING MONTHS for me to respond to this but i wanted to put it off until i felt happy with my art process again, so here it is

my fall 2024 rendering tutorial!

(this will be very very long)

FLATS AND WHATEVER YOU WANNA DO WITH LINES GIRL. then make sure to recolor the lineart to better match your base. trust me it helps, bold dark lines are Not your best friend when rendering. wait for that post-rendering

i start off with a doodle or a sketch, and then filling it in with flats and other details such as blush

FIGURE OUT YOUR LIGHT SOURCE. FIGURE IT OUT GIRL YOU CAN DO IT you can make it as simple as possible, make it as big as possible, dont even THINK about the details.........just make it really fucking big so you at least know where the shadows and the light goes THEN add smaller shading details LISTEN TO ME. LISTEN TO ME OKAY!!!!!!!!

my key point with this is for you to learn lighting fundamentals.

it's SOOO ANNOYING but alas......they are all correct. it helps a lot.

one thing i also really want to point out is that i like creating a big shadow shape first before fixing up the little details (such as folds and whatever) because it helps me focus on the way the lighting actually works instead of tunnel vision-ing into making the shading make sense on the clothing.

contact shadows (i dont remember if thats what theyre called okay) theyre fucking ugly because im not actually thinking sorry 💔

okay so basically:

contact shadows (if that's what they're called) are the spots in shading and lighting where light will NEVER hit.

shadows are still influenced by the colors and lights around it (it's why a blue shadow and a yellow shadow feel completely different, despite both being shadows) so it's not always COMPLETELY dark.

BUT! there are small points in shadows where light never hits, and they're almost always super dark or pitch black.

it's hard to explain shadow and light so briefly for a tutorial, but you'll notice it when watching fundamental studies and when trying it out for yourself

YES i unclipped the multiply layer YES its ugly and terrifying but it makes coloring the multiply layer easier okay the colors merged w multiply so now it looks cool and has depth overlaying colors that actually make sense

so basically what i did was color the multiply layer that i used to shade the overall drawing

adding a band of red/orange/yellow around where the light hits, and blue where the shadows get big and wide, gives it a fake ambient occlusion effect in the way that a person would get if they stood under the sun with a clear blue sky

the colors don't have to make sense, especially because i never draw backgrounds, but coloring the shadows really help it give a sense of depth and extra subtle detail and effect that just helps make the painting look nicer

around the end, i also put in colors (in an overlay layer with a low opacity brush) that actually make sense in context of the drawing, which is the lit cigarette and the yellow eyelights

mostly because none of the colors were making sense and i needed to actually make use of the lighting that DOES exist in the drawing lol

adding a muddy golden yellow pin light layer (opacity turned down to like 40-50%) to make the light colors less ugly lol

i SWEAR by the fucking pin light layer style. it's so useful and so so underrated.

i used an almost brown-ish gold color on stop of all the layers, and with the pin light layer, it helped make the bright (almost blue-ish) white colors more warm and more yellow. it just helps make things more warm (something i prefer)

i could probably show what it looks like without adjusting the layer opacity to truly show off what i mean (like in the coming section) but i sadly forgot to do that lol

make a layer on top of your drawing with this color in these ranges YES the drawing is fully merged NO don't be afraid, the base was fucking ugly anyway 💔 make this layer into an exclude/exclusion layer style TRUST turn down your exclusion layer opacity from a range of 10% to 40% literally until you're happy with the contrast and the way the color over the drawing. use your eyeballs. i know you can do it im so proud of you

this is pretty self-explanatory instruction-wise, so i'll go into why i do this instead

i really like art that seems like it has low contrast, with almost mid-gray shading and lines. i don't personally use dark and bold lines and shading, unless i find it necessary for the tone of the piece, so using this method helps lower the contrast of the art and make it look "pleasantly muddy" in the way that it's easier and softer on the eyes.

the inverted blue color also helps makes things warmer!

the exclusion layer style is still a bit of a mystery to me but i really like the effect it gives, even if i don't completely get how it works lol

if you want an alternative method to this, and if you have access to it (because i primarily use sai and sai only),

i absolutely encourage you to play around and experiment with gradient maps.

there are so many out there you can make yourself or even get from others that just give the painting an extra amount of depth and color variation. they're SO fun.

personally, if sai2 gets a gradient map update, it's over for y'all it will literally be so over no one will be able to stop me

then i merged everything and actually adjusted the contrast back up because it was looking too muddy for me 💔 but the color adjustments are still there so all hope is not lost here's a comparison of the adjusted contrast in black and white (adjusted on the left) (newly merged layer without adjusting the contrast on the right)

as you can see, i actually turned the contrast back up (despite talking all about how i liked things with less contrast lol)

i wanted to demonstrate that doing adjustments should be done in moderation, and is why i adjust layer opacity often when making color effects

you are free to play around with colors to help your style, but don't lose your initial idea and colors along the way.

you still need to trust your own colors and intuition!

along with that, i just want to say that it's completely okay to change your mind mid-painting, and it's okay to make somewhat drastic changes.

don't be afraid to change things you don't like or change your mind about certain aspects way later on

that's basically the whole thing of this!!! don't be scared!!!

now im gonna hold your hand when i say this..........but you need to learn how to render by yourself. it seems like i can teach you but i literally can't, because rendering is different on every piece and depending on how clean your base is. i have to render A LOT because of how fucking ugly my sketches are LMAO to simplify it, think of it as obsessively cleaning up every detail you can see, but with a color picker and a clean, hard edged brush. if you have shit lineart, you don't have to redraw it cleanly over and over, just paint over it. that's basically what rendering is

THIS especially is where you need to be brave and stop being scared.

like i said, i can't teach you how to render, and it's something you have to discover yourself because rendering is something that will always be personal to every single piece you make. the way you render on every piece is different.

on one piece, you will barely need to render, and on another, rendering is more than half of your ENTIRE process.

don't be afraid to paint over your old art.

rendering is a process that's both very perfectionist yet also very careless.

find your balance and just go for it.

and then that's it……..u did it………..now yuo know how to paint and render. it's literally just layering shading and lighting knowledge until you think it makes sense and looks okay lol additional note: since i render in only one layer (you don't HAVE to do this, but it'll be harder for you…), i also made slight adjustments with the transform (and liquify, if you have it) tool to make things more proportionate. (i drew the head too big lol)

if you compare the finished piece to the final unrendered base, you can see that a LOT changed, including a bit of subtle proportion adjustment.

particularly, the sleeves changed A LOT (because i really didn't like them)

but it's also over all cleaner and more coherent, instead of having haphazard colors and shading just thrown about.

rendering is when you finally use all 100% of your brain to finalize and figure out where the shading should go, where to clean up your lines, where to ERASE or ADD BACK in lines, and make sure all your colors look coherent.

it's not as intimidating as it seems, i only use a hard edged brush with a little bit of color mixing and my color picker.

it's like dragging and dropping colors to cover up mistakes, it's really quite fun when you get used to it

i wish i could explain it clearer but it's hard to describe without visuals!

i hope this helped, and i hope all my yapping isn't annoying (art as a special interest beloved)

have fun studying and trying to render in my art style!

[writingwithcolor]

Is it less offensive to have my black sheriff be a scaredy-cat or trigger-happy?

joeyyygunslinger asked:

I���m conceptualizing a wild-west (I haven't and never will pick a state/year, it's just a generic wild-west setting) black comedy comic series. The main characters are a pair of sheriffs who work together more often than not, one Black and the other White. I want one to be fiery-tempered and trigger-happy (To the point where, in just about every other cover I’ve sketched so far, he has his gun out and is asking the other guy, “Can I shoot it?”), and the other an over-cautious scaredy-cat… And neither of these personalities seem to be a very PC one to give to a Black guy, so which one would be less offensive?

Technically, you can give the character whatever persona you see fit. From there, flesh them out to be more than the traits you mentioned. Show us why they’re the way they are and how they’re more than that. As often stated, it helps to have more characters of the identity if you’re unsure about stereotypes and characterization.

Objectively, a cautious, scared Black man character is less (potentially) stereotypical than one with a temper and trigger-happy. The former recalls Angry Black Person, Scary Black Man and Violent Men of Color tropes. One might argue the scaredy-cat Black man has notes of emasculation, but personally this kind of personality is way less encountered. Exploring a softer, cautious Black man character would be interesting to me (speaking as a Black woman. I’d love to hear from more Black men and people!).

Do not write from a place of fear

I do want to address your comments on being Politically Correct and less offensive. I’m not a fan of those words when it comes to representation. Maybe it’s the snide connotations of the word, often accompanied by a derisive attitude. Maybe it’s just me! But I just don’t love proper and preferred representation being equated to it.

I would like to take the more positive approach.

For one, being respectful and including proper representation vs deliberate or even thoughtless exclusion, should be the focus. Not which choice will step on fewer toes. Writing from a place of fear and extreme caution is stifling. It snuffs out your creativity and will have you questioning your every move. I get that it's natural to feel that way when exploring new territory, but we must learn to be courageous as writers and write against the fear. Your work will turn out much more fluent and natural when you do.

On the other hand, it’s definitely important to build enough knowledge and do the research so you'll have this confidence on hand while you write. This will help create a story with characters that are less like carefully curated caricatures meant to cause the least amount of offensive as possible.

While you should absolutely:

Be aware of stereotypes and what could be offensive as you build your characters and story.

Question your choices and trace the logic of why you made them.

You should also:

Focus on writing varied, complex people.

Let your knowledge guide and inspire you, do continuous research, but not let it fully stop all momentum.

Use the editing, sensitivity read process, and revisions to correct and adjust your work.

~Mod Colette

[koolades-world]

Hey there! I'd Like to request something. So like, MC is an Artist (Style doesn't matter they just have to draw humanoid things) and then they draw the brothers+dateables in their style, what would the reaction be?

hello! sure thing :)

I myself am admittedly not a very good artist, which is my my preferred art form is writing. the only time I draw is usually during gartic phone games with friends, and thanks to my franticness under a time limit it's always very chaotic. but at this point I've just embraced it and it's always funny

enjoy!

Artist Mc

Lucifer

you draw him while he's seated at the dinner table on a saturday morning while he's reading the newspaper and enjoying a coffee

not that you didn't intend to show him, but suddenly he was leaning over your shoulder, staring, and it caught you off guard

as you scramble to explain, he just smiles and sits back down in his chair and goes back to what he was doing to keep being you model

once you're done, he asks if he can at least have a copy to keep, which in itself is a huge compliment, but it's so he can think of you every time he looks at it 🥺

Mammon

during class, he happened to look super cute as always while looking wistfully out a nearby window a few rows in front of you and the lesson was getting boring anyways. next to your notes, you begin to doodle him, using highlighters for color

you forget it's there and lend him that very notebook since he had tuned out that same lesson

once he opens it, he seems himself and doesn't know how to react. he's a babbling, red mess

once he regains motor functions, he shakily declares that it's very becoming of the Great Mammon and that you did a great job. success!

Levi

the two of you are hanging out in his room. he's playing a ruri game and you're lounging behind him, sketching on a bean bag

you're not drawing anything in particular and were searching for an idea when suddenly, the idea found you

levi wasn't paying attention to you, so you could easily look at him and ruri, and sketch them side by side in matching outfits

once he stops for a moment to get a snack, you happily show him the drawing and he does the demon equivalent of blue screening. give him a minute to reboot then try again haha

Satan

when you decided to draw him, the two of you were seating together, with you in his lap while he read a book so he saw the drawing from it's first line to it's last

made positive comments about it the entire time, like about how you captured the green of his eyes perfectly, or telling you his hair looked better in the picture than it did in real life

at some point, he stopped pretending to read the book and sat watching you with his chin on your shoulder

he added cute little notes around it once you were done with little hearts around them

Asmo

he's asked you to draw him jokingly a few times, but never expected you to actually do it the next time he asked

when you tell him if he wants, he can pick something else to wear, he almost strips down so you can draw him nude but you stop him as soon as he started to take his shirt off

he scurried away and was back quickly in a new outfit, and posed how he would for a picture

talks to you basically the entire time you draw, and once you're done, he squeezes you into a tight hug and asks if he can post it on his Devilgram

Beel

after joining him enough times for Fangol practice, you knew it well enough to begin making sketches of him as he practiced

drawing him in action was a little challenging since he never held still, but you were determined

you drew a few since his practice went on longer that day, and got to proudly show him the results

he was equally as proud of you since he thought you did a great job. he asks if he can have one, and if you give it to him, you'll find it hanging up next to his bed next to all his Fangol trophies <3

Belphie

he's an easy model to draw thanks to his lethargy, so you often find yourself sketching him

something about his peaceful nature and natural frosted tips was just so drawable, so you had at least a few pages full of him napping in various positions with different blankets

one time, he wakes up while you're next to him drawing, and is a little shocked in a good way. he didn't know you viewed him that highly

he's still half asleep, so he just compliments your artwork and moves to lay his head on your lap, then falls back asleep, ensuring you're the flustered one now

[tim-shii]

a/n: haha hey 🧍‍♀️ just intimacy and a cute moment with dan heng

"calm down, heng."

"i am calm."

"your goosebumps say otherwise. just, why are you so tense?"

"you're literally sitting on me." dan heng deadpans at you. however the red rushing to his cheeks say otherwise. you can't really blame him. who wouldn't get flustered when you lover is on top of you while your torso is bare for them to see. "you agreed to this!" you retorted, a palm lightly slapping his chest. 

"..fine. i did agree to this, afterall." dan heng rests his hands on your thighs as you're straddling him, looking up at you with a fond gaze. 

about thirty minutes ago, you walked in your shared room with a box full of paints, brushes and a palette hanging from your mouth. you forced dan heng to put his book down, wrestled with him to lay down on his back with his shirt off. for what exactly? painting on his skin, of course! you could've just painted or drew on his arm but where's the fun in that?

now you're sat on his waist. one hand holding up a brush while the other holds a sketch of a dragon as you trace out the pattern on your boyfriend's chest. it wasn't really helping that small bumps form as you glide the brush onto his skin. after a while, you discarded the sketch and carefully leaned in to start adding the delicate details of your art. dan heng shudders under you as he feels the bristles on his skin. he lets out a shaky breath before sliding his hands up to your waist, under your shirt. he thumbs at your sides while watching your concentrated face. 

too focused on your work, you fail to notice his actions. you looked up at him only to see him already looking at you. smiling at him, you leaned down to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "just wait a bit more. i'm almost finished, i promise."

"don't rush. take your time. i don't mind." dan heng tries to chase your lips but you push down his shoulders. "don't move now! the paint isn't dry, you'll ruin it." you huffed at him before going back to your work. dan heng merely grins at your aggravation. 

as you promised him, you were finally done after a few more minutes. you lean back, proudly looking down at the green dragon plastered all over his chest. you got off him only to sit beside him on the bed. "now, please don't move for at least an hour or two. let the paint dry first." you moved to touch his lips with yours, the kiss lasting for about a minute before you pulled away with a smirk.

"can you at least give me my book?" you hear dan heng sigh. 

"nope. stay still and lay there like a corpse."

"..then can you at least read to me?"

"with pleasure, babe." 

likes and reblogs are appreciated! masterlist

[avocadorablepirate]

Quiet Appreciation

Pairing: Trafalgar Law x gn!reader

Summary: headcanon - just exploring what Law would be like with an artistic S/O (I've only mentioned a few art forms).

Word Count: 725

Warnings: none (at least none that I can think of)

A/N: I had no clue what to title this so I went with something that's relatively close to the contents of this post ._.

Firstly, whether you're together or not, if he sees a bunch of art supplies that he knows you'll love, you can be sure that he's going to buy them for you. Especially if it's something he's heard you mention from time to time.

Then he'll casually give it to you like he just picked it up on a whim and didn't spend a good half an hour deliberating what type of paint, yarn, pencils, or other supplies you like. Or, he'll leave it in your room for you to find later on.

Does not want to make it seem like he put a lot of effort into it.

But when you find it and thank him in front of everyone, he can't stop the blush that creeps onto his cheeks. He'll try playing it cool like it's not a big deal, but he's definitely trying to stop himself from smiling.

If you're someone who crochets or knits, you'll sit in a corner of his room quietly working on your latest project while he works at his desk, and when he looks up to check up on you he finds it so endearing how your brows are furrowed in concentration. Sometimes, if he's tired of working he'll just come sit across from you and simply watch.

Definitely would discreetly ask you whether you could do the whole amigurumi thing, and then would go on to hint that a Bepo plushie would be pretty cute.

Also, he'd be a complete hypocrite and tell you to fix your posture while you work (like I just know Law sits/sleeps at his desk in the most uncomfortable positions). But it's only because he cares.

If you're someone who draws or paints though, he'll ask for your artistic opinion when he wants to get a new tattoo. He might just even ask you to design it for him.

Would probably keep any artwork that you give him safely in a file or somewhere on his desk where he can look at it every day.

Law would get flustered if you ask him whether you could sketch him, but he would agree since you're asking. Suddenly, he feels very shy under your focused gaze, and even though you told him he can continue doing whatever it is he's doing, he'll try his best to stay still.

If you're someone who writes (stories, poetry, etc.) the two of you would sit across from each other at his table, focused on your own work. If it gets really late he'll be sure to make you a cup of tea, and quietly place it beside you because he doesn't want to disrupt your creative flow.

Again, if he's tired he'd just sit next to you and watch you work while also trying to take a peek at what you're writing. You biting at the tip of your pen lost in thought, brings a small smile to his face.

Law would be more than happy when you ask him to read through your work. He would give you genuine feedback while also showing his appreciation for your talent.

If by any chance you're facing writer's block, he'll suggest that the crew take a day off in a nearby town, and despite being packed with work, he'll take you around in hopes of helping you find something that inspires you.

So I don't know a lot about pottery, but I think Law would be fascinated by the way you mold the clay with such ease and skill, transforming it into something incredible. I think watching you work would relax him.

When you ask him whether he would like to make something himself, he hesitates but agrees with a casual shrug, trying to hide the fact that he's been wanting to try it ever since he saw you do it. Though once he starts he's nervous because he's afraid he'll make a mess, but then your soft laugh and gentle guidance help him relax.

He secretly loves the way your hands rest over his as you direct his movements.

Overall, Law might not always show it, but he loves seeing you express yourself through art. And, though he may not explicitly say it, he's genuinely curious about what inspires you. It helps him see things from a different perspective and also gives him a glimpse into your world.

I was kinda just fantasizing about this, and thought it would be pretty cute. Like can you imagine...oof

[wolfish-trickster]

Choso headcanons

(I'm sorry i just love this gif so much 😩)

General

He likes to listen to indie bands

There's just something about having a band "all to himself" and being the sole fan where ever he goes

But after a while starts to feel a little lonely not having any fellow fans for friends

Doesn't really see the point in people taking care of plants in their home, especially those that only bloom once and then they die

Isn't a dog or a cat person, he likes both

Would want to learn at least the basics of every skill he can find

His favourite day of the week is friday

Stays up super late even thoigh he promises himself to fix his sleep schedual

Spoiler: he never does

Keeps fit and builts muscle to protect his family

If he meets people who are pretty agressive about their opinions and unable to listen to a different point of view he just up and leaves, doesn't want to waste the energy

Doesn't look like it but he's quite artistic, he especially enjoys making his nose mark into different shapes and ornaments to make himself look cool

His favourite part of working out is laying down and letting his body cool

Learned how to cook so he could take care of his brothers

Friendship

At the begining he would be just observing you

Not even trying to befriend you or your friends, nah

Just quietly watching from afar

His brothers would call him creepy for that

But he just wants to be sure you'll be worth the try

Eventually he's betrayed by Yuji who straight up tells you he has been looking at you when you do your thing

He tries to explain that he isn't shy or anything, but yeah, he was pretty closed off from you after you guys started talking

But since he spoke less he heard more and learned all your little quirks

Where others would buy you generic things for your birthday like a book or a mug he would buy you three new headphones becuase he remembered how you complained to him how often they break for you

Or he would give you something you genuenly need in your life and what would be useful

Also he would want to show you his creative side

Sketch you, write poems and haikus for you

He even tried to crochet you a flower but that failed quickly

He made you an origami instead 🥹

As he started to have feelings for you he needed advice from his brothers on what to do

They all just told him to ask you out

He didn't like that idea

What he did instead was collect his favourite hard rock and metal songs about love and give you that playlist on a CD on your birthday

He hoped you would get the hint

Your oblivious ass didn't 😭

He literally had to spell it out for you the next time you guys met

You gladly accepted his feelings (who wouldn't)

He asked you out on a date the very next day

Homeboy had no idea what to do on the first date tho...

So he improvised and went to ask the almighty google

Relationship

He made a list on his phone consisting of advices he took from google and rom coms: first he had to take you see a movie, then go to a theme park, then restaurant and then either take you home or to a hotel

Not his ideal plans for the first date but it's how humans do it apparently

Long story short, it was a catastrophy

As he went to your house to pick you up it started to rain real bad

You guys decided to wait it out in your home

Rain turned to storm

Choso then admited he had a plan written on the phone Yuji gave him

You told him ypu guys cane have home date instead

You and him watched a movie

You guys spent a long time deciding what to cook together but eventually agreed on pasta with some exotic sauce

You had lots of fun

You guys ended the date curled up under your sheet cuddling the night away as the storm raged on outside

Choso found out he loves home dates

He only ever does that from then on

One night him and you decided to take quizes to learn more about eachother

His love language is physical touch

Which makes sense since from his first night of cuddling he has had his hand on any part of your body anytime you guys met

It's like his hand and your body were two magnets

He loves hugging you from behind, shows how much smaller you are than him

Sometimes he likes to lay on your chest and listen to your heartbeat (is what he would tell you but really he just likes to listen to your blood moving in extreme speeds through your body, but he wants to be romantic for you)

Not the one for PDA, will jold your hand at max when outside but inside the house he goes all out

All cuddling positions, all surfaces, all times of the day

Your first kiss happened a week after you had the furst date

He honestly had no idea what kissing was

You introduced him and gave him few lectures 😉

It's safe to say the student surpassed the master

His lips are surprisingly soft and warm

The first time you kissed him he was a little stunned and his nose mark swerved a little

But then he got addicted

Giving you kisses all over your face

He likes the neck the most

Especially the parts where he can feel the blood in your veins

And when he found out tongues can get involved?

He almost didn't let you breathe

The feeling of your soft and wet muscle against his was heavenly to him

At first a little weird but he quickly got used to it

Would chuckle everytime your teeth clinked together

You also thought of introducing him to the concept of hickies but he already figured it out on his own

Doesn't like giving them too often tho, to let your veins regenarate properly, otherwise he would be painting your neck purple every day

He had his time when he read a post on social media about a guy literally dying after his girlfriend gave him a hickie and oit of fear and anxiety refused to give you any hickies for a month

After about half a year of dating he decided to introduce you to his brothers

They already knew all about you

Choso doesn't talk often but when he's in the mood he won't shut up

And lately he has been talking mostly about you

All of them were nice to you and all of you got along super well

Choso fell for you even more

One date night you picked a movie that was a little less innocent than all the ones you watched before

Thankfully you didn't have to explain the birds and bees to choso when a particularly heated scene came on

But you needed to explain to him how to get rid of his very first boner in his life 💀

NSFW

Your first time happened a year after your first date

He wanted it to be special since it's both of your first time

He studied

Aka he watched porn

Didn't get hard from watching it tho, only after he started playing out the scenes in his head with you and him in the actors' places

His first ever jirkoff happened because of this

He made a playlist to get both you and him in the mood

Wasn't needed in the end

After the very awkward first round you went into it like rabbits

Remember what i said about Choso and cuddling? Same goes for positions

All positions, all surfaces, all times of the day

Tho he had his favourites

Among his favourite positions were those he could have you in his lap

He loved it when you could drap yourself all over him

He also like the access to the skin he got

His least favourite ones are where he can't see your face

The different facial expressions he gives with different thrust angles are what keeps him going

His favourite places are the bed or the couch

And he doesn't really care about the time of the day as long as both of you are willing and not busy

The first one to propose oral was him

He was curious about how it tasted down there

He didn't find the taste anything spectacular but could see the appeal

He liked the texture on his tongue more

He also found out your juices taste different during different parts of your month cycle

That way he could keep track of your period better than you

Sometimes after he was done eating you out he mentioned how your time of the month is coming so you should be prepared

Made you chuckle every time with how bluntly he says that

You also offered to give him head

Likes it when you gently drag your teeth along his shaft

Like the feeling when you have an itchy spot and you give it a good scratch, that's the same for him and your teeth

Isn't really sure if he prefers to give or recieve yet

But doesn't mind either way

Period sex is a whole different stuff to him

As soon as he found out coming can help period cramps he was all in

At one point he was curious about what would happen if he pulled out the entire inner lining with his cursed technique

Ended your period bleeding that very day

You loved him even more

Does that for you every single month

But he's not gonna lie, he has a little sadist hidden inside of him

Likes to see blood on his dick

But only period one, as soon as it's real blood from harming you he's out

Doesn't really have any other kinks than that but he's open to explore with you

Would quickly find out he has his horny days too

On those days he would ask you all shy if you two could fuck

You never told him no how could you with those eyes

Long story short he got to try a lot of exciting things with you, for which he's grateful

[jackdraw-spwrite]

Frigid, Chapter 2

Words: 1586 Characters: Danny Warnings: None

For Ectoberhaunt 2024, Day 01 - Past

Clockwork was acting weird. 

Well. 

Clockwork usually acted weird, Danny amended. But Clockwork was acting weird for Clockwork.

Not hostile or anything. He wasn't even being rude. Just…weird. 

Danny was visiting him again today as part of his continuing efforts to not freeze Amity solid before Frostbite figured out what was wrong with him, and Clockwork kept going quiet and looking at Danny. And between Clockwork's blank eyes and age shifting and the whole all-knowing thing he liked to play at, it was hard for Danny to figure out anything more than that.

It was making him nervous.

Read the rest on AO3 or below the readmore:

Clockwork probably knew what was wrong with Danny. He probably just wasn't telling him to preserve the time stream or whatever. Danny could deal with that. If Clockwork wasn’t telling him, it meant whatever this was wouldn't kill him or turn him evil. 

Probably. 

Clockwork liked him, right?

Not for the first time, Danny wondered. He opened his mouth to ask, but. But. He shook his head like he was clearing an etch a sketch. No. He’d learned his lesson. He had. 

Right? 

He could keep from asking about it. All he had to do was keep his mouth shut. And it would be fine. But then what was with the looks? Was Danny going to die soon? Was he going to fall into some kind of crack in reality and never be seen again? Clockwork had mentioned that could happen…

Danny shuddered. Clockwork's theories on what happened if you did had been thorough, thoroughly unpleasant, and thoroughly enough for Danny to stay far, far away from anything like them if he had any choice in the matter.

At least Clockwork continued to have stuff for Danny to do. 

“So,” asked Danny. “What can I do today?”

Clockwork turned his head just enough for Danny to see a sliver of his eye. “Have you ever heard of the snowball earth theory?”

“No?”

Clockwork hummed, tapping one finger against his staff. “It doesn't matter.”

Maybe it didn't. It still felt like he’d failed a pop quiz. “What is it?”

“Oh, an explanation for some irregularities in your geological record. Drastic changes in ocean oxygenation and biodiversity loss. What matters is that it gets cold.”

“And...I? Need to cool it down?”

“Not really. It will become cold enough without your intervention,” said Clockwork. “But I do have something else for you to do while you're there, and you'll be able to let off as much cold as you want without harming anything or anyone, where I'll be sending you.”

“Oh,” Danny blinked. “Okay.”

“You must not turn human while in this era.”

“Because humans didn't exist yet and it'll cause a paradox and I and the rest of the human race will explode?”

“Yes,” said Clockwork. “After a fashion. Don't do it.”

“What–” He'd been joking! But he didn't get an opportunity to ask more questions because Clockwork took that moment to shove Danny through the portal.

He stumbled through, icy panic settling along his skin. And then he looked up.

Oh. Maybe it wasn't panic at all.

It looked like the Arctic. Maybe it was the Arctic. It was white. It was certainly cold. It was…

It was flat. 

Very flat. 

Huh. 

Danny floated up off the ground, hoping that the height would let him get a look at whatever cool (pun very intended) animals existed in this part of Earth's history, but the ice extended to the horizon in every direction. The surface rippled in spots, and in a very few places he could see smudges of shadow barely visible against the glare off the ice. 

Disappointed but not really surprised– Clockwork had said it would be fine to let off his cold here, so nothing too interesting could be happening–Danny set about the task that had brought him here. There was a good spot…everywhere, probably. Or Clockwork would have told him somewhere specific.

He let himself fall back to earth.

Next, he lit a ghost ray and pointed it down, directly into the ice. The green lit the ice like a lantern as it drilled deeper and deeper, and steam boiled out of the hole. 

“One Mississippi, two Mississippi…”

Danny counted to forty three (Clockwork had been specific) and stopped.

He pulled a plastic baggie from his pocket and awkwardly tugged it open from the sides without touching its lips. The little pebbles inside looked for all the world like fish food, but probably weren't.

He emptied the bag into the hole, and pocketed the bag once it was empty. Clockwork had been insistent on not littering, like he hadn't already lectured Danny on it every time he’d been more than a few centuries in the past. That done, he released his hold on the cold that had built up in his core, just enough for it to sink to the ground and drain into the hole like mist. With the practice he'd gotten over the past several months, he was now good enough to feel his way around with it a little bit. Once it got a few hundred feet down he let a little bit more power leak into the mist.

The hole froze solid.

With a feeling like tugging his foot from mud he tugged his presence from the ice, and then Clockwork’s odd job of the day was finished. He could go home now, if he wanted.

But Danny didn't force the cold back under his skin. With the hole sealed, whatever lay beneath the ice was safe from what he was about to do.

He exhaled.

And he kept exhaling, mist falling from his lips in a great cascade. The chill in his bones and his core woke, unwound from him in a sigh that lasted for minutes. The mist billowed out, gathering into a bank of fog that blurred the distant clouds. In the half-light, ice crystals feathered up from the ground like ferns, pulling water from the air until, finally, the fog vanished.

There was no longer enough moisture in the air for fog. It was too cold. Even the mist was gone from Danny's lips.

He stood in a meadow of white as vast as the eye could see, and more. The icy ferns that had grown in the fog sparkled in the evening sun, knifing shards of color into Danny's eyes.

Danny paid it no mind. Clockwork had said here would be safe, after all. Instead, he slumped in relief and let himself fall backwards into the ground with a faint crunch from the ice crystals beneath him. 

He sighed again, this time purely in relief, and decided to lay there as long as he wanted. It was nearly impossible to relax, these days, so this was a rare treat.

The sun grew lower in the sky. The icy ferns covering the ice stretched long shadows that feathered up Danny's cheek and brushed his nose. He scrunched his nose, scratched an itch, and daydreamed.

He was waiting for night.

The sun set in thin bands of color, and finally, the real treat he'd been waiting for appeared: the stars flickered into view. 

Danny didn't recognize them.

The huge band of the Milky Way was there, at least, but none of his favorites were anywhere to be seen, or even anything from the southern hemisphere. 

It was to be expected–Clockwork had made it sound like this was really far back, and constellations only looked the way they did because of Earth's position relative to the stars that made the constellations up. Move a few dozen light years in any direction, and they were going to distort with the distance. Move a few thousand years in either direction, and the sun would move that far. It made sense. He didn't need to get excited.

Didn't need to.

As if. Danny let out a delighted laugh and leapt into the air. Maybe it was Earth. But the strange sky still made him feel like he was on an alien planet, exploring, and excitement sparkled along his every nerve at the idea.

He spent one hour, then two picking out chains of stars to be constellations and then naming them, coming up with stories. 

There was Dorathea, completely different from Draco, and The Portal. Here was The Sword, and Vlad's Stupid Hair, and a few different Ecto-Guns. A small zig-zag on the western side of the sky reminded Danny of Clockwork's scar.

…

He only knew it was west because that was the direction the stars were setting in. Polaris wasn't anywhere to be found. 

He spent a while wondering what that meant, if Polaris was just in a different enough position to be hidden behind the horizon, or if it hadn't formed yet. Polaris was a young star, after all. He'd just never expected to see a day where that mattered. 

Or night!

Danny smiled at his own joke, but the expression faded, forgotten. 

Could he check? If he flew high enough, would he be able to spot Polaris over the horizon? Excitement fluttered under his ribs at the idea of really seeing what the planet looked like right now. 

Clockwork had called it a snowball, right?

Danny started evaluating how long he'd take to get there–

–and a circle of cyan flared into existence in the dark.

His time was up.

“Aw man,” he said, but stepped through anyway. He couldn't help but take one last glance at the ice and the sky as he did.

Another time, then.

[owliellder]

The Finer Details

Post DI! Leon Kennedy x f! Painter Reader

MDNI 18+

(Session 1, Session 2, Session 3, Session 4, Session 5, The Reveal)

Description: Leon realizes that retirement is in his best interest now that he's getting older. All of his accomplishments as an agent mean he's truly earned a painting to commemorate..

Warnings: Not Proofread, Age gap! (reader is anywhere between mid-late 20's and Leon is 40), Porn w/ Plot, Use of she/her pronouns, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Alcoholism, mentions of trauma/PTSD/depression, P in V smut (wrap it NEOW), Leon cries during sex 💔

Tags: Older Leon Kennedy, Younger afab!Reader, Leon is SAD but he is your muse, Crying, mentions of Leon masturbating, starts off with Dom! Leon and Sub! Reader, falls into switch territory because that man needs some serious TLC, Praise kink, Hickeys, Handjob, Nipple play, Oral sex (m! and f! receiving), and a heavy dose of Aftercare

Author Note: I wanna say there's some pretty descriptive talk about depression in this chapter, just as a heads up. Anyways, it's my weekend and I'm going to be absolutely zooted every single day so the next chapter will most likely be out Monday morning PST lol.

Cross-posted on AO3

Session 3: Blocking In Color

It was nearly three weeks until you saw Leon again.

You tried to call him a couple days after he'd left that day, a few more times over the following week, but to no avail. The man was unreachable.

Even though you did your best to convince yourself that you just wanted to get his painting started, "It was an important one", you knew that you were really just worried about him.

You've seen this kind of dismay with the other retired agents that've had a portrait painted in the past, but they at least recognized what they'd been through.

Leon hasn't. You could just tell.

Looking over the sketches you made of his face, you couldn't help but wonder what exactly he'd been thinking about the last time he was here. He seemed so bothered, acting like he was hiding it so well, too.

Then again, you did drop a rather large bombshell on the guy while he was in a pretty vulnerable state, but you thought he knew what the portrait he was going to receive was suppose to mean. Again, most of the retired agents you'd seen were similar to Leon in that regard and even they at least had a basic grasp on the finality of it all. So why didn't he?

You nursed your bottom lip, still staring at the sketches laying in front of you while you sat at one of your desks in the corner. You normally don't come to your workspace unless you're actively painting, yet you'd shown up everyday in hopes Leon would randomly pop in. He seemed like the kind of guy to just kind of show up, anyways...

If you had just gotten a picture that day you've could've at least started working out the positioning for his portrait. Unfortunately, he wasn't in any position mentally to put up with anymore of your shenanigans at the time, it seemed.

You really did try your best to get ahold of Leon, eventually giving up a few days ago. You'd already emailed the President, who had been the one to personally commission you unlike with previous ex-agents, letting him know that it's going to be longer than expected. Thankfully he was understanding, knowing rather well how much the whole retirement thing was weighing on Leon.

You'll come back tomorrow and try again. Even the next day, and the day after that if you have to, and so on and so forth.

Guilty. That's all Leon felt right now.

He's been shelled up in his house since the moment he got home after leaving your building, withering away by the minute.

He hadn't showered, barely eaten, only ever really pulling himself from what little comfort his room offered to grab whatever bottle he touched first in the cabinet. Leon didn't care, just as long as it was something.

Chris had been over a couple times after he stopped responding to his messages, doing his best to get him out of the house. Claire had been over a few times more than her brother had, bringing groceries once she'd heard about the sad state Leon was keeping himself in.

It broke both their hearts, but they could only do so much for him. Leon was stubborn, head strong, he wasn't the kind to sway to many forces. He had somehow gaslit himself into thinking he was doing well. "Just peachy", even.

Clearly that wasn't the case, both Chris and Claire could see that. They'd have to be blind not to.

Having been in contact with Leon's government-assigned therapist, Chris tried to set up an at-home meeting for him one day. That turned out to be a disaster seeing as Leon was bordering on blackout drunk and could barely keep his eyes open. Not to mention the vomiting.

Claire even tried to bathe Leon. She only got far enough to wash his hair in his kitchen sink, using his vomit-covered mouth as an excuse to keep him over the sink long enough to shampoo his greasy, stringy hair.

All of it was weighing on him too much. He felt so guilty for making his friends feel like they had to babysit him, ignoring everyone's calls and messages, your calls and messages. That kind of thought process quickly spiraled into him reliving the worst days of his life, having to through suffer so many flashbacks and nightmares, not sleeping because of it. He rarely ever felt safe enough to get under the covers on his bed.

None of this is what he wanted. If it were up to him, he'd start all over; be twenty-one again, work as a cop, maybe get promoted a few times, find a girlfriend, start a family, have a normal life. Why couldn't he have that?

Staying awake night after night, Leon would stare at the ceiling in his bedroom and fantasize about the wonderful life he could've had, the happy memories he could've made. It would make him weep, longing for something that never could've been.

Instead, Leon was stuck with endless images of horror, death, and gore every time he blinked, and oh was he bitter about it all. So bitter, so angry, so...

Feeling sorry for himself was all he could do now. Sure, he killed all those monsters and zombies, saved all those people, not once did he think about himself through the years. Now he had all the time in the world to question and wonder, and having to think about himself and what he wanted most made him feel like a needy, greedy bastard.

But wasn't he allowed to be greedy, if only just a little? He had wants, needs, and though he wanted so desperately to change his past, he knew he couldn't. So, what did he want now? That, he didn't know.

Guilty for feeling this way, guilty for wanting different, guilty for wanting anything good for himself.

It took the better part of those two weeks for Leon to finally muster up some form of energy to stumble into his bathroom and shower one afternoon, dizzy and nauseous. The light emanating from the rest of his house was blinding, not having even bothered to close the shades he had on any of his windows. His room was kept a cave and that's where he stayed.

Leon now found himself sitting down in the shower just like before he'd decided to retire, only this time it was mostly to keep from slipping and dying. The last thing he needed anyone to see was him naked and dead in the shower. Embarrassing.

His thoughts at the moment were shallow, still pretty drunk from his bender, head lulling back and forth a bit as his vision spun. He was finally hungry again, the heat from the shower making that all the more obvious as he grew lightheaded, but he didn't know what he wanted.

After managing to actually crawl his way out of the shower, he dug through the pile of dirty laundry at the end of his bed, finding a pair of boxers that didn't smell too terrible to put on.

Leon used the wall heavily for support to walk out into his kitchen, muttering curses under his breath at just how bright it was. Opening his freezer, he stared at the meal prep containers left by Claire, grabbing one to attempt and read what she'd wrote on the sticky note attached to the lid.

That's right... She made him little meals, even putting them in the freezer so they didn't go bad as fast. All he had to do was put it in the microwave.

Simple enough, he could do that.

The one he chose was meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Just the sound of it had his stomach rumbling and his mind craving the comforting taste of a home cooked meal.

The first few bites in made Leon feel nauseous again, but once those bites hit his stomach the feeling immediately gave way to just how hungry he actually was.

He tried to pace himself, he really did try, yet he managed to devour the food in front of him in a matter of minutes, only pausing every few seconds to breathe. It felt so good, something warm in his stomach. Filling in all the right ways. Once he finished, he pushed the empty container away and just laid his head down sideways on the cool countertop, closing his eyes as he let the food settle.

As much as he wanted to degrade himself for acting this way, reducing himself to such a weird and pathetic state, Leon didn't have the mind to. All he knew right now was that the warmth that the meal Claire made him. Not to sound cliche, but he genuinely believed he could taste the love cooked into it.

For the first time in what was now two and a half weeks, Leon was awake and alert when Chris and Claire came over again. He'd eaten everything Claire made, holding all the now cleaned containers out to her. It was a silent plea for more, and lucky for Leon, she had just made another grocery trip for him.

Unbeknownst to him, Claire had been cooking here at his house. This entire time he thought she'd been bringing the meals over, assumed to be leftovers from cooking for her family. She did confess to hoping the smell of the food cooking would pull him from his room. It didn't, much to her dismay, but now she was just glad he was up and eating again.

As soon as Leon tried to apologize for dragging her away from her family, she was quick to shut him down with that mom stare she'd developed after having her kids. It worked, especially on him.

Chris was busy chatting up Leon while Claire cooked him another set of meals for the next week. It was hard to converse, but Leon did manage to nod and him as the other man talked about some random encounter he had the other day while out driving.

It was strange to feel so lively again. Those thoughts still clung to the back of his mind, though all he could focus on were his friends taking care of him like one of their own. Leon feels like he's been a terrible friend lately, seems as though the siblings standing in his kitchen didn't feel the same. He wasn't showing it, but Leon was definitely holding back a smile.

A couple hours had past, Chris opting to stay with Leon and eat lunch since Claire had to head back and help her husband with something.

The hug Claire gave Leon was phenomenal. After the hug he shared with you he's been craving that physical contact more than ever, so finally getting another good squeeze from a friend was boosting his mood.

Chris and him sat, ate, and talked about whatever came to mind, eventually asking about you.

"How's the painting coming along? Do you like the painter?" He smiled, looking at Leon with wide, curious eyes. That man always had a smile gracing his features.

Leon shrugged, taking a sip from the water he poured himself not too long ago. He was pretty dehydrated after solely drinking alcohol for the past couple weeks. "She's alright. Haven't started the painting yet."

Chris raised an eyebrow, placing his arms on the counter and crossed them as he leaned forward slightly. "Just 'alright'?" he emphasized the word "alright" with air quotes, which caused Leon to scoff.

"What else do you want me to say? I've seen her twice so far and its been fine." Leon lifted his hands up in confusion, palms facing the ceiling as he watched the man sitting next to him rolled his eyes dramatically. "C'mon, she was amazing for Claire and I- Okay, how about this..."

Chris repositioned himself so his entire upper body was facing him now, leaning in a little closer to ask another question. "Do you like the room she works in? Cause I thought it was pretty comfy. When she was focusing on Claire's part of the portrait, I took a nap over on that rug she had. All those pillows mixed with the classical music knocked me the fuck out."

He laughed, shaking his head at memory before looking over at Leon again. "So...? And don't lie to me, I saw that pillow on your couch."

Leon sucked on his teeth and hummed, glancing over his shoulder at his couch. "It's cozy, yeah." He brought his head back forward, patting his hands gently against the counter.

The two chatted for awhile longer before Chris eventually had to leave, giving Leon a firm pat on the shoulder while shaking him a bit. After he left, Leon was left to sit alone and think again, only difference now is he felt better. He was crazy tired, his social battery quickly drained from having his friends around, but he felt good nonetheless.

He wasn't ready at the time, yet after a sober night with solid sleep, Leon woke up the next morning and decided to just text you, hoping you weren't mad at him. Calling would've been too much at that moment, not even have listened to the voicemails you left, or anyone's, for that matter.

His chest felt tight after sending the text, but it was quickly eased about ten minutes later when you responded with nothing but enthusiasm. The smiley face you added at the end of your message made him smile, quickly wiping it away with his hand.

Your next session was arranged two days ahead of time in the late afternoon. Leon wanted to give himself enough time to recollect since he needed to look his best the following weeks. You told him it was time to start with the main painting, which you still needed a picture for.

During that time he finally shaved his stubble, went out and got his hair trimmed, tackled all the laundry he'd neglected, and got his best suit dry cleaned. All thoughts aside, he felt good and wanted to stay this way.

Needless to say, Leon was jittery when he pulled up to your workplace again. He was finally letting himself feel excited again about this painting. If it's anything close to what Chris and Claire's portrait is, then that excitement will only continue to grow the further along you get.

You were already there waiting for him at the door, a gentle smile on your face. That wonderful soft perfume that he missed reaching his nose once more as you lead him up the stairs and through the other door. Chris was right, if he had the opportunity, he'd take a nap on your rug. It looked mighty comfy.

Leon was thankful you didn't ask any questions on his whereabouts, he wasn't ready to talk. You were just as excited as he was about getting the painting started, if not more. Watching you eagerly move back and forth between the larger easel and your desks was a refreshing sight to the man.

You stood at your easel for a couple minutes, just silently looking from the blank canvas to where he was sat. You told him to get into a comfortable position, prompting him rest his right leg on his left knee, leaning back and to the side so he was sitting at a slight angle, arms resting on the chair's armrests.

You stared at him for a few seconds, tilting your head side to side with your eyes squinted. "Let me just-" you spoke in a hushed voice, walking over to Leon before cautiously reaching out to rest one hand on the underside on his chin while the other hovered over the side of his face.

You weren't an idiot, you knew what his absence was from. So you made sure to be careful with him, knowing he was probably still pretty fragile. Only gentle and cautious touches for Mr. Kennedy.

So close yet so far. His skin tingled in your hands wake, and god he hoped you couldn't notice his blush.

You could, but you wouldn't say anything. Besides, you weren't faring well yourself, hands a little shaky as you touched his face.

Leon just let you move his head to whatever position you wanted, his eyes now half-lidded as you had walked back a couple times to get just the right angle. You pulled away for a final time with a small "aha!" and he wished you would hold his head for just a little longer.

The floor where your easel sat was marked with an 'X' made with painter's tape, making it easy for you to stay in the right spot for the photo once you pushed the easel out of the way.

"Don't move." You held your hands up after analyzing his position, quickly hurrying over the corner opposite of your desks to grab a bulky camera that sat atop a tall tripod. You worked as fast as you could, knowing as long as you had a picture with him in this position then this whole process would go so much smoother.

You didn't even have to ask Leon to smile or look up at the camera since he was sitting there with a rather dopey smile, his eyes remaining trained right on yours. Nice and natural. He looked relaxed which is exactly what you wanted.

Just as a precaution, you took multiple pictures, giving him a thumbs up once you figured you'd gotten enough. His head back to rest on the chair at the okay, listening to the sound of you walk over to your laptop after untwisting the camera from the tripod. You printed out 3 copies of the photograph and taped one to a stand you had brought over to sit next to the easel, making sure it sat eye level to you.

The ball was finally rolling, now having what you needed to start with the main sketch. When Leon lifted his head up, he noticed that you were ready, sucking in a sharp breath through his nose while he shifted a little to get back in just the right position.

You twirled your pencil between your fingers before beginning to roughly sketch out the chair, eyebrows furrowing as you focused. Leon could see your expression, how intensely you zoned into your work. It was incredibly admirable and he found himself fully content in just watching you do your thing.

It didn't take long before you had sketched out his general shapes, now walking over to take the sketches you made of his face out of your sketchbook to clip up right next to the reference photo. The more finer details would be added later, but you wanted to get just the basic shapes of his face.

That didn't take long either, because before Leon knew it, you were telling him it was okay to talk. He was pretty animated with his hands when he talked, so you kept him quiet until now.

"Am I easy to draw?" Leon spoke with an almost sultry tone after a few seconds of you telling him he could speak. It threw you off only a bit, carding your fingers through your hair as you took one step back to look at what you had so far.

"I wanna say yes and no." You responded, catching his questioning look from the corner of your eye. "You're easy to sketch out, yes, but your hair is giving me trouble." You could hear a low chuckle rumble from his chest as you stepped back forward. "Hey, you asked." You laughed back.

"I know, I know." He shook his head with a poorly hidden grin, tilting his head down to try and hide it a little better. You immediately pointed your pencil at him, not taking your eyes off the canvas. "I said you could talk, not move." Your sarcastic tone made him chuckle again, slowly lifting his head back up with a sigh.

"Yes, ma'am." You could just hear the smirk in his words, causing you to let out a sigh of your own.

By the time the sun had started to set, you had blocked out all the simple colors for the painting. Right now, it just looked like a very bland and abstract painting. It'll come together, slowly but surely. Trust the process, as people say.

Leon was in awe already, having stood up to look at your progress as you washed your hands over in the small bathroom. Oil paints smeared something fierce and as much as you loved your job, you did not want feel oily at home.

"It already looks stunning." You heard the man say from where he stood in front of the easel. It wasn't quite registering in his brain that it was him on that canvas just yet, but hopefully soon it would.

He wanted to recognize himself in something as wonderful as your art.

[brakken-spideyverse]

Hi, first things first I *love* the whole Makeoververse premise, I've browsed through the page and many of your ideas seem so fresh for these characters, accompanied by the great art. So it got me wondering, are you mostly done with this AU? Like, don't, get me wrong, I see you've been still posting some stuff lately, like the F4 redesigns or other fun little arts, but you didn't really do much posts about the lore or story of this 'verse like you did in the past. If you feel like you've told in this regard everything you wanted or just don't have that much time to do that anymore, I must respect it. But damn, would love to hear more about the lore of this Spider-Man again someday, especially since you've said you thought of this as a story with an ending planned. Anyway, keep up the great work!

Thank you for the kind words! It is genuinely so heartening to hear that my AU has made an impression on you.

Am I done? That is a good question - sorry it took me a bit to get to it. The short answer is that no, I'm not yet done with this little 'verse - or at least don't want to be. My mind is always orbiting Spidey, and I have sketches to spare of various characters and comic ideas.

The longer answer is that this year has been pretty tough for me so far, in some respects. I had my askbox closed for a bit while I was busy managing other projects and some life stuff, and just when I reopened it with the intent of a nice big return, I got hit with what may have been the most stressful months of my life - which culminated in an unexpected moving of house, and the internet dropping out for nearly a month.

Not to dwell too much on frustrating stuff, but it was pretty upsetting to not be able to come back full force like I'd intended. I still want to get to people's requests, and finish up my set of Sinister Six strips, and also would really like to try streaming as a frequent thing.

So it's been a lot, and there are continuing things I'm managing, but I still enjoy developing this 'verse when I have the time, and to interact with folks here.

Ideally you'll see things pick up more steam in the near future. At the very least you should see more of the occasional design pop up. Glad for folks who continue taking a look :)

Keep climbin', keep swingin' 🕸🤟