#a quick and (not so) neat drawing is cool

[v1nyl-fights-god-via-shitposting]

The once every 18 million years GK art from me

[artsninspo]

"WHISKY, NEAT" - Rio X Reader

Summary: A follow up of "Baby-Girl" where the reader is Stan's younger sister and meets Rio at Ruby's place. Some time has passed and Rio shows up at your job asking for a whisky, neat.

Pairing: Rio (Good Girls) X Black Reader

Word-Count: 1.3K

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➨ rio's library - good girl nbc

Smiling, you look up at Rio, the seemingly dangerous stranger from Stan’s & Rubys place. You’d asked your big brother about the charismatic stranger that spent his time around the core three girls and his response was ‘stay away’. It wasn’t what you expected. If he wanted you to stay away wouldn’t he have the same advice for Ruby? He’d always been a good brother. You weren’t surprised in the slightest when he became security and then a cop. Protective instincts were something he’d been born with. Wiping off the bar you glance at the clock. Twenty-five minutes until closing. Only the absolute worst patrons come in at witching hourt. You know it’s no coincidence he’s here either. He’s too cool and confident to walk into your bar twenty five minutes before closing, and on the night you work.

“What’s your poison?” You ask.

“Whisky, neat” he says and you smile reaching for the top shelf. You pour generously and he tosses a hundred onto the pine.

“What’s yours?” Rio asks.

“I only drink to get the party started. The party’s over” you comment and it comes out flirty. You can’t help it, you’re attracted to something about him. The look in his eye says the feeling is mutual.

“Look, I’d love to play this thing up with you but Stan told me to stay away. Stan doesn’t tell me what to do often so I’m inclined to listen.” You tell him drying off a glass as you begin stacking them for closing early.

“I don’t know what you think this is but I’m just here for a drink, baby girl” Rio rasps in surrender, his innocent eyes juxtaposed with his cunning smirk.

“Perfect” you nod, taking his rejection in stride and he laughs showing off pearly whites.

“I mean hypothetically, if I was here to flirt, am I your type?” He asks  leaning in and you realize his voice has a lot to do with your attraction to him.

“Hypothetically?” You raise an eyebrow.

“Hypothetically” he repeats in affirmation oozing confidence.

“Absolutely” you affirm. Rio looks shocked. “I have a rule about staying away from my type. As much as I enjoy the adrenaline it’s not good for anyone involved” you speak the truth. The air sizzles between the two of you.

“Why’s that?” Rio asks, taking your rejection well and you smile, liking him a little more.

“Heart damage” you say plainly and he looks around.

“So you like dolling pain out with a smile huh? Liquor for the liver and heartbreak” Rio flirts back impressing you with his quick draw wit.

“You can take it” you wink as he takes a swig of his whisky.

“Y/N it’s quiet you can take off early I can clean up” the owner says misinterpreting the situation.

“Thanks boss,” you smile, cashing out. You make sure your money is good before turning back to Rio. “Goodnight” 

Heading in the back you have an argument with the angel on your shoulder trying to convince you to do the right thing and follow Stan’s advice. Switching out of your bartender outfit you put on a sweatsuit and head out back. Security stands around waving as you head out front to meet your driver. Rio is standing against his G-Wagon as you get the text from your driver saying he’ll be five minutes late checking your watch, you remember you’re done early.

“Need a ride?” Rio asks.

You both know if you get in that car the only thing you’ll be doing is riding him into the leather. You aren’t convinced he can handle you but, you are convinced he’s packing heavy artillery. The kind that does all the work for him. With all the confidence you suspect he’s a lazy lover and if he’s as big as you assume it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Only, guys with egos as big as his don’t like to be fucked, they like the control and ego trip of loud moans and expressive love faces. It would be a face off, a clash of wills and the idea in of itself excites you.

“No” you smile, listening to the angel.

“Just a ride” he shrugs.

“You were just drinking” you remind and he walks a straight line to demonstrate sobriety.

“How many fingers?” You ask.

“Five, three, one” he responds accurately. His smug smile says his point is made. He does nothing in a hurry, all his movements are slowed like he commands time itself.  His eyes sparkle under the fluorescent light and yours do too fighting temptation. Your phone burns a hold in your hand. You want to message your driver to cancel and take Rio up on his implied offer of one good night. It’s been so long you deserve it.

“Come on baby girl, let me treat you like it” he whispers, moving your hair off your shoulder as he looks down at you. As much as you want to be one of the other girls who gets to experience the charismatic, dangerous and alluring stranger you resist remembering Stan’s words. 

“Why are you here?” You ask, trying to kill the chemistry.

“Kept thinking about you, did some research, found out you work here and here I am?” He shrugs. You don't know whether it's a point or a red flag.

“What do you do for work” you ask, trying to kill your interest in him.

“Entrepreneur” Rio responds.

“Why do you know Ruby and her friends, really. I don’t buy the whole soccer dad thing.” You respond, voicing your hesitations out loud.

“You don’t care” Rio chuckles, making an accurate observation. It’ll be nothing special. You text your driver you’ll be late and open the door to Rios truck getting in the car. He smiles, shutting it behind you. You open the glove box to get condoms but a gold gun shines within it shocking you. Your jaw drops as a soberingly good reason to stay away from him glares back at you. Spontaneous sex with a stranger is dangerous enough, automatic weapons that are clearly personalized is where you draw the line. Shutting the glove box you look at Rio, unable to ignore what you just saw.

“Changed my mind” you say once the door is open again, you hop down suddenly acutely aware of your surroundings. Rio curses himself punching the wheel. He needed you to run him dry. To see the strained looks on your pretty face as he digs you out. It’s been awhile since he’s had a genuinely satisfying conquest. A woman that isn’t inhibited sexually and excites him. One that gives as good as she gets. 

Watching you walk away takes a lot out of him. He never chased women but was considering it. The chemistry between the two of you is too solid to willingly discard. Starting the car his pride loses to his lust as he pulls up beside you topping down the window.

“Carjacking is big, it’s for safety” Rio lies.

“Don’t make me lose respect for you now with a  lie” you tell him heading to the back entrance.

“Stop storming off, then” Rio says and you stop.

“I’m not a bad guy” he says but you highly doubt that.

“Large amounts of cash, one. My brother says stay away, two. Let’s not even count you showing up here. A gold weapon, three!” You snap.

“The fact that you’re not scared tells me you can handle it” Rio says goading you. Smiling, you shake your head at how he’s missed the point.

“The name Rio is another red flag” you add. “I’m going to follow my gut, so drop it?” You tell Rio bitterly and he sighs. You continue walking away.

“Y/N, hey!” He shouts and you turn.

“Call me Christopher,” he says, making you smile. The irony is not lost on you. It’s the quintessential biblical name.

“Goodnight Christopher” you concede.

“Nite” he sighs, still turned on. Swallowing the bitterness in his throat Rio drives off heading to find Beth.

Next Part

_________

Authors note: If you're reading this thank you for all the love on Part One, its slowly keeps getting love and I really appreciate it 💖🥰. Let me know what you think - comment, like & reblog. Muah, xoxo.

[imsobadatnicknames2]

To my great surprise, one of my friends expressed interest in DnD, bringing the total people interested including myself to a whopping THREE! Now, I've only played DnD a few times at a game shop and literally no other TTRPGs, but I'd be open in checking out other stuff (and can hopefully persuade my friends)! Would you happen to have any recs for maybe a bit more of an intro/beginners game that one could run with three players total? (If you happen to know any that maximizes a player feeling badass, that'd be neat & appreciated, as I think that's the main draw for them lol). Anyways, thanks for your time :3

Hiiii thanks for your question! So have in mind that I haven't played any of these firsthand because I'm mostly into games that mechanically emphasize disempowerment (the games i run tend to go less for the Found Family of Heroic Misfits Go on an Epic Quest approach and more for the Gang of Amoral Treasure Hunters Get Themselves Killed While Looking For Treasure in a Dark Scary Hole one), so I'm going off mainly from the play experience implied by reading the rules themselves and by what I've heard other people say about them.

First of all Is Quest RPG

I've seen it recommended a couple times by @thydungeongal and after reading a bit of it I have to agree with her assessment that this is the game that most D&D players seem to ACTUALLY want to play when they start invoking Rule 0 and the Rule of Cool and playing fast and loose with mechanics. It's a game where the explicit design intention seems to be natively supporting the style of gameplay that most popular D&D Actual Play shows feature, without any of the negatives of trying to fit 5e's square peg into that particular round hole. It's also available for free, which is pretty nice.

I would also recommend Brighthammer: Rules Light High Fantasy (which is a hack of Sledgehammer: Rules Light Dark Fantasy)

It's a simple system with a d100 resolution mechanic which fits into two eight-page mini-zines, one for the players and one for the GM.

It leans into the heroic fantasy angle specifically by letting players continually accumulate advantage to rolls during combat encounters by performing heroic actions, such as defending an ally or an innocent bystander. This one is also free and it's a pretty quick read so you don't lose anything by checking it out.

Next up is The Basic Hack

This one is a slightly streamlined version of The Black Hack, which itself is a massively streamlined version of early editions of D&D. Just like The Black Hack, it uses D&D's classic six-attribute array and a lot of other mechanical elements that make it pretty easily compatible with a lot of D&D materials while still being a very distinct system of its own, but where it differs from TBH is that it simplifies a lot of its mechanics and overall has a less gritty and more heroic tone.

Lastly there is Break!!, which is the only game in this list that is going to cost you any non-zero amount of money

Break!! has some old-school sensibilities here and there (seems to take some inspiration specifically from games like Cairn and ITO) but aesthetically and tonally it takes most of its cues from fantasy anime and JRPGs. It has a pretty cool-looking setting, and some interesting twists on classic fantasy TTRPG races and classes. You get everything from "basically a D&D fighter with a different name" to "paladin meets magical girl" to "literally an isekai protagonist". Anyway one way in which it leans into making the players feel pwoerful and badass is that its initiative system rewards being proactive in fights: whatever side starts the fight gets to act first, with no checks or rolls required. Also, it handles health depletion on a per-encounter basis. Health regenerates fully imbetween fights, essentially ensures that players always start fights at full strength and gets rid of long-term resource depletion. Which, you know, i like long-term resource depletion for my games, but if what you want to do is feel like badass heroes this is definitely the way to go, and it still has some interesting long-term consequences for running out of health in a fight.

[dreadlock-detective]

Hyrule Hulligans Harrass Dilf Dining Establishment

I'm playing around with figuring out tweaks to my cartoony art style for a project I'm working on and decided to test it out more by trying it on these four doofuses. I have to say, I'm really proud of how it came out. Look at how it came out! Look at the shape of Yunobo's doofy head!

That said, I need to actually go back and beat Tears of the Kingdom some time. Sadly I've heard that the Ganondorf Diner shenanigans have been patched out? Not that I'd end up doing that anyway but damn was that funny!

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

Since this post will likely have more reach than most, I want to keep testing out this style on more characters and to that end I'd like to announce a limited time special for December 2-10th 2023!

More info (and a few drawings I haven't posted) under the cut!

STYLE COMMISSION INFO

So yeah I want to practice this style and other folks always seem to have neat ideas I wouldn't think of and I'm trying to raise some money to help send my wife on a trip next summer! Let's make cool stuff happen!

Details:

Please email zeratanus AT gmail DOT com with the subject Style Commission

Cost is $25 USD, paid upfront via paypal. I'll send an invoice out for you once we've agreed on the commission

1 full body character, colored and cell shaded, no background

Please provide an image reference of the character, preferably in color and full body

Either OCs or Fanart is fine

Safe for Work Only

Unlike my usual commissions, these are supposed to be quick so no approval process. Once the commission is confirmed I'll get to work and post the finished product here on Tumblr when it's done

if you want to be tagged when its posted, please include your tumblr username in the email. Sometimes Tumblr refuses to tag certain accounts so I can't promise this hellsite will work but I'll certainly try!

I'm down to hear a bit about the the character's personality and try to incorporate that but the pose itself is up to me.

I think that's everything! If that sounds good to you, drop me a line!

Guess I'll end off with a few more unposted test images for the project this is actually for!

[eclipseberrycake]

Funhouse (Looey x Reader)

AN: Hey guys guess who's a new Sprout main? Me. A Rodger kept taking tapes right in front of me, literally calling me over only to take them the second i was close enough. His friend was playing as Bobette. You took something I loved Rodger main, I'm taking something you love. Since I can't draw her pregnant, she's the new villain until someone else pisses me off. Not yet though. I will bide my time.

Anyway.

☁ Looey. Looey. He's such a guy. A goofy lil' goober.

☁ If you don't think he's with another circus based toon, you're crazy. He's a little too...crazy for lack of a better term. Looey I think really needs someone to match his energy, so another circus toon would be perfect!

☁ Stay with me- A Healer! Toon, who's special ability is kind of like a tightrope. It attaches them to the nearest wall and let's them cross an area without being spotted for like 5 seconds.

☁ I think it's neat especially with Looey.

☁ He's a distractor, evidently, and if you haven't picked it up I love the Distractor X Healer Trope.

☁ Imagine he's running and for some reason nearly gets snapped by Twisted Scraps only for a thing of cotton candy to fall in front of him? I've only ever seen Goobs and Scraps really catch Looey mains tbh.

☁ ANYWAY

☁ They probably use circus foods instead of cupcakes or cookies. And you KNOW Looey loves his circus foods. My personal hc is that he wasn't always part of Gardenview and was part of a circus at some point, so he gets a little homesick :(

☁ Maybe you two both came from the circus in fact and found refuge in Gardenview and joined their cause! That would be cute! Just two sweethearts looking for a safe haven for themselves.

☁ Speaking of which! Looey is so sweet! And cheeky too!

☁ He's constantly giving you little flowers with a cheeky little grin, pecking your cheek and running off before you could even reciprocate, or tapping one shoulder is to make you look only to round around the other side.

☁ He also loves rubbing against you to make your fur/hair all puffy from the static electricity.

☁ He also has so many cool little skills. Like, he can juggle on a unicycle kind of things. He can make balloon animals and is scary good at those scammy carnival games. If you ever get the chance to go to a carnival with Looey, you should know he's pinpointing the largest teddy bear there and you're walking out with it.

☁ On runs, since he's distracting, he doesn't stress too much about you. He trusts you can handle yourself! He only struggles when he knows he's teetering the edge of becoming a twisted and you come to heal him. Your ability makes it easier on him though!

☁ He's always eternally grateful when he hears to deployment of your line, and sees the treat, but never sees you! Not that he doesn't love you and seeing you! But not seeing you while he's distracting is truly best.

☁ He takes the healing well honestly. He's sits with a cheeky, "Alright alright." Gazing at you lovingly the entire time, even if you're scolding him.

☁ The kind of dude to play pranks on his lover for sure. But not mean, tiktok incel pranks, but the confuse don't abuse pranks. :) Like that one husband with his blind husband! He's adding shampoo while you're in the shower and trying to wash it out. He's adding more fries to your plate every time you look away so you think it's an endless plate. He's such a menace.

☁ And he's quick too! So you can't even get him back! Like that one video where the girlfriends dumps cold water on her bf in the shower and he grabs her before she can escape and pulls her in? That's y'all.

☁ You guys probably have a whole lotta activities you do together. Small little hobbies he sees somewhere and wants to try at least once.

☁ Baking turned into some sort of adventure! You've seen Sprout and Cosmo do it with their sweethearts and they always end the time laughing, covered in flour and icing and feeding each other desserts.

☁ Funnel cakes was the treat he was craving when he walked up to you one lazy afternoon. There were no runs going on, supplies were stocked and everyone was taking the well needed break to catch up on some housekeeping, little chores they had been putting off or even just simply napping. It was a day of rest and relaxation!

☁ But Looey wouldn't let that slide. He's had a craving for the sweet treat for so long and now, he has the time to drag you to help him make it! The normal bakers were scattered, out of the kitchen, one of them napping with one of their partners while the other was folding laundry with the other next to them. So that meant it was open!

☁ You yourself were on a device, scrolling through some app that started with a T, reading silently while curled in a blanket. You looked so content there, he almost hesitated to ruin it.

☁ That did not stop him from running full speed only to jump onto you, nuzzling into your neck as you squealed at the intrusion. "Gumdrop!" He cheered while your squeals turned into laughter, pecking soft pecks to your cheeks and lips. "Let's do something!"

☁ "I was doing something." You giggled, brushing back his ears before they popped right back up. He shook his head to make them wave back and forth and tap against your hands, making you laugh again as you moved to hold his head. "But I guess I can share my attention."

☁ "Great!" His tail gave a wag. "I was hoping you and I could go on another baking adventure. I'm thinking funnel cakes!" He cheered, making you roll your eyes fondly.

☁ "Is that what you want now?" You tease, closing your device and setting it to the side.

☁ "At this very second? No. I want a kiss." He beams, making you laugh once more. You give him a sweet little peck, hearing his tail wave side to side rapidly.

☁ Once he was satisfied, he stood with a sweet bow, extending a hand to you. Once you took it, he helped you up before hooking your elbows together, rehashing the time he spent earlier while you had some alone time back to you.

☁ You listened with an attentive ear, smiling the entire time. By the time you made it to the kitchen, he was going on about the game of Crib he and Finn had been playing earlier, and how he had won- even if you knew he had been using the tricks he used in the circus to flub the cards.

☁ You pointed out as much, moving around the kitchen a little clumsily. You found what you needed well enough however, setting it out along with the utensils needed. Looey knew himself well enough to know where his limits lie, so he put a pot of oil on the stove, turning the burner on before stepping back, watching you whip up a quick batter.

☁ "You look glorious, you know that?" He teased, watching your cheeks flush as you tried hiding your smile. He loved seeing that look on your face, especially knowing it was because of him.

☁ There was something about you that just had him acting like a whole new toon! It was kind of uncanny really. He wouldn't admit, except to maybe you, but at the beginning of his time with the circus, he feared he was too different. Too much. And he hated being alone.

☁ Then you showed up and life hasn't been the same. He will forever be eternally grateful to have you in his life and fully plans to cherish you for as long as you will allow him too.

☁ It was why he insisted on having moments like these so often. He never wanted to say he wished he could've done it with you and would've rather had the memories to look back on. Especially with the twisteds. He had only been a twisted once, and could only remember running and running and running hoping to find you or any trace of you.

☁ Waking up, back to himself, and seeing you was one of the best-worst moments of his life.

☁ He knew seeing him like that must've been scary for you and tried desperately to erase that memory with only good ones.

☁ And if sifting powdered sugar onto freshly fried dough and drizzling it with your favorite sweet sauce helped erase some of those bad memories too?

☁ Well, he found he didn't mind a single bit, laughing at the powder dusting you nose as you fed him the first bite of the first treat, laughing when he got sauce all over his face.

[ivystoryweaver]

Hi :) if no one has ask, what about 7?

7. Do the Moon Boys take morning showers or night showers? Or baths?

from Moon Knight Asks

These baby boys....

~nsfw below the cut (hello it's bath time) hand job, Marc is needy, whimpering is involved | 1168 words | not beta'd

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

Marc was in the military and lived on the go (and then on the run) for years. He's < 5 min. showers, in and out, done. This can be morning or night, depending on what is needed, depending on who else is fronting.

Steven's apartment doesn't have a bathtub. Steven loses track of time constantly anyway. So Marc makes sure they're all clean and tidy. (Marc is the neat one after all).

Then they meet you.

The first time you draw a bath for Marc, he doesn't know what to say. You go all out with bath salts and bubbles and luxurious oil. Candles are lit and soft music fills the bathroom, floating out tauntingly into the night, beckoning him back home to you.

"What is all this?" He skeptically questions, having practically tumbled back in through the balcony doors after serving Khonshu. "Are you taking a bath?"

"No, baby, it's for you." You bounce on your toes, dying to spoil this man of yours. Running your hands over the ancient bandaged fabric covering his delicious but eternally tense muscles, you pull your bottom lip between your teeth.

"Make this disappear."

That, he's happy to do.

It takes a little coaxing but soon enough, Marc sinks beneath the bubbles and rests his head against the tub's edge. His eyes drift closed as he starts to relax.

"You coming in?" He asks you.

"No, it's for you." It bears repeating with Marc.

He pouts for a minute, but as you ease behind him and start massaging his temples, he relents.

You work your nimble fingers down his neck, soothing away the tension he holds there - in his shoulders where emotions are trapped, even in his chest, just below his collar bone.

He’s so locked up, your fingers start to ache before you loosen the muscles much at all. Marc is in heaven, half asleep as you give your hands a quick break and wrap your arms around his neck from behind.

Your sweatshirt is damp but you don’t care. He needs this.

You whisper soothingly on his ear and he does drift to sleep for several minutes. You hold him. Treasure him - until the water cools enough to wake him.

You turn the tap back on, warming him up while you rake your fingers through his hair. He tries to sit up, but it feels too good, so he drops back down to where he started.

“Let me wash your hair,” you breathe on his ear, sending a shiver all over his body and desire pulsing between his legs, making him stir with want.

Your fingers, now rested from earlier, gently scratch his scalp as you massage away the grime of the day.

One hand catches in his dark mess of curls, making you accidentally tug his hair with more force than you intended.

He groans.

“You like that, baby?” You murmur against his neck.

He feels you smiling and a strained, “yeah” slips past his lips before he can stop it.

“Thought so,” you cheekily return, curling your fingers through his waves and tugging with force. This exposes his delicious neck to you. His throat bobs in anticipation. Your tongue tastes his skin, gliding over his throat. Slowly. Tauntingly.

You lick a trail to his mouth. The tip of your tongue traces his lips, which part as you lick your way inside.

He growls and sucks on your tongue and you lose your balance. Water sloshes and his hair gets a delicious tug.

He easily takes over the kiss, his tongue thrusting hotly over yours while your hands go to work - one tugging roughly at his wet curls, while you push the other down his soft middle underneath the bubbles.

He relaxes into the kiss, if that’s possible, thinking you’ll touch him where he craves.

But you don’t.

Your fingernails tease, gently scraping his hip bones, the tops of his thick thighs - anywhere except where he needs you. You explore the ridges and valleys of his muscled chest, the soft skin you love to squish teasingly, but never where he wants.

Tearing his mouth from yours, he reaches up with a wet arm, grasping needily at your sleeve.

You resist. He could use force. He’s the avatar of an ancient being and he’s strong. Thoughts of your arms pinned over your head while he fucks you deep and slow make you shiver.

He doesn't show off his strength - he only moans.

You tut condescendingly, using the pad of your thumb to tease the tip of his cock. He whimpers.

You darkly chuckle against his ear, toying with the slit before withdrawing even that bit of relief.

“Wait, please,” he groans, gripping your wrist to push your open palm over his aching cock, there below the bubbles.

“Please what?” You whisper, your lips nibbling hotly at the skin behind his ear.

He growls in frustration, his body jerking and splashing the water. “Fucking - just touch me, please.”

Still you pause.

Marc Spector is begging you. This grumpy, tense, fierce warrior is chanting your name like a song - like a prayer. His voice is broken - his eyes, pleading.

“Baby, please. Please touch me.”

You slip your hand into his hair again and pull hard, the way he likes.

Your knees are weary from the hard bathroom floor, but you don’t care. Your mouth opens over his and your hand wraps around his cock. He's so hard for you, so thick and needy. The thrusting of your tongue past his lips is almost rougher than the way you grip him.

The sudsy, oily bubbles help your hand glide down where you twist your wrist and squeeze, dragging back up - down and up, a little faster with each stroke. He likes it rough. You can't hurt him.

But he would like it if you did.

Marc tears his mouth from yours - he can’t breathe - it’s so damp and humid in the bathroom and he feels so fucking good.

“Faster,” he begs you, gripping your wrist almost threateningly, wrapping his hand over yours and helping you. Water sloshes messily as his hips fuck up into your shared grip.

"Fuck...yes...baby," he pants. You can't remember him being quite this vocal before.

This was not the way you saw relaxing bathtime going, but as his eyes flutter closed in ecstasy and he groans out his release, you realize you’re not disappointed in the least.

His warm spend drifts away in the now cold bath water. His panting finally slows and his lazy eyes blink open. The tension has melted away from him completely.

His tongue darts out to wet his lips as his gaze rakes over your drenched sweatshirt.

"You're soaked."

You wet your lips. "Yeah. I really fucking am. What are you gonna do about it?"

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

Marc Spector-Centric stories

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[dhampling]

sunburn dadstarion, <1k

She runs in with cheeks flushed, head wet with a thin clad layer of sweat. Remnants from some form of cool treat dry on her chin. Plaits - neat this morning - loose now with tangles and damp as she beelines straight for his workroom. 

Face scalding as she buries it in his abdomen. 

“You’re getting muck on my shirt, little one.”

She mimics his words with a cutting tone as she burrows deeper, wraps even tighter around him. Smells like cloves and hot paving and the dry-sweet musk of city dust. As he presses a kiss to her head he feels the sun lingering in her hair. Little white cowlicks brushing his nose.

If he stills he can hear you out on one of the cast-iron chairs with a glass of red in hand, talking to a friend of some parental variety in the early evening heat. 

“You’re so cold” 

His heat comes from woodsmoke and yours from the sun. Both familiar to her. He could light a fire but you’d moan at him for it.

“That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”

He pokes at her clammy arms with a fat laugh and she winces away, pulling a face.

“It’s hot.” She sneers. He quirks a brow.

“Sounds like a you problem.’

He lifts the last of her plaits and looks round at the ruddy blush beginning to bloom at the nape of her neck. She squirms at the ice of his fingers.

‘Run up to the washroom and get the cream. Quick.” 

You sit just beyond the window - he can hear your laughter, the muffled lilt of your voice by the climbing ivy. He imagines the ornate carafe - left to aerate all afternoon - rich and ripe as the wine within soaks on your tongue and darkens your teeth. Your loving grin. The little wave you’d do; the light clothes he’d spent all winter designing for you to sit out front and feel comfortable in, in spite of the sweltering sun. 

To throw a casual look through open shutters and see you out there again. A wink. A little sign that he’s thinking of you. 

Maybe he’ll head out, when the stars are newly minted yet the sun still lingers. Feel the iron sear his skin through his clothes. The warmth of your palm as it wraps around his forearm. 

It’s not until the youngling returns that his gaze shifts from the dark to her, a tired furrow on her brow. 

“I’m too hot.”

Her mouth hangs open in a wide pant. Astarion kneels before her.

“Have you had any water?’

No.

‘Right then.”

-

Hours pass and you shuffle back in with a thick-knotted shawl draped lazy over your shoulders, the singe of a giggle still whisper-light in your breath as your friend shouts their farewells.

“She burned today, you know.” 

He’s quiet as he stitches, merely an observation; thread between teeth. You sigh fondly in the doorway.

“She’s a child. It’s what children do.”

You bring your warm chalice to his mouth and he lifts his head to take a sip, humming softly. He looks up at you with a raised brow. 

“Get burned?”

“You morose bastard. Sun-burn. Children get sunburned.”

She’s lounging on his worn chaise, hair wrapped in towel, with a small bowl of plums at her side and a drawing pad atop her knee. Contented in new pyjamas and the cool dim of her father’s workroom.

The cream has seemingly worked. The cool bath you heard her splash about in not so long ago must’ve been some clever placebo work.

“Found some pretty beetles today, but wasn’t allowed to bring them in.” She speaks as usual with Astarion’s theatrical whine, riddled with fatigue. You roll your eyes affectionately.

“What were they like, darling?”

He’s preoccupied, stitching something small in the gilded embroidery he works at; but there’s the persistent glimmer of interest in his tone. The slightest tilt of his head as his eyes find her in the periphery.

“Really pretty. Different colours. All pinky and greeny.” She waggles her fingers and sighs with a start.

“Draw them for me?”

She looks at him warily as you watch on.

“Will you keep it if I do?”

At that, Astarion stops. A gentle halt. The needle and thread in hand gently tucked into the stitchwork. 

“I keep everything you do.”

You scoff. She looks at him with a tiny glare.

“Where is it then?”

“What?”

“All my drawings?”

“It’s where are they, darling.’ He chides, the smallest chit of his fangs.

You move to sit and your daughter lifts her head from the chaise, so it rests on your settled lap when dropped once more. The hint of a grin plays at his mouth.

‘And I keep them somewhere safe so when you’re old - like me - you’ll be able to look back on you now. You’ll be able to remember the beetles.’

He shuffles over to where you both sit, cross legged as he rests his chin on the chaise. Brings the back of a hand to her forehead and swears a sizzle as he pulls away.

‘Plus. I can’t see these beetles now, can I? My sunburn gets a fair bit more serious than yours in nature. I’d like to see them.” 

She pauses for a moment.

“Okay. But ONLY because you can’t go and see them for yourself.”

[solomonomenon]

skz ideal type

⚠️ for entertainment purposes only *based on tarot

𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣

personality:

someone who’s really in touch with their emotions, kind of dreamy and open-hearted, but also super intuitive and deep. they’d be someone who just gets him without needing to explain everything. there’s also playful, optimistic vibe about them, always seeing the beauty in things and bringing a creative energy to life. so, overall, it’s like someone who’s both a big dreamer and quietly wise, with a warm, emotional depth that feels really comforting.

appearance:

someone with sharp, confident look, with striking features—maybe bold eyes, a clean hairstyle, or a strong jawline. they’d look put-together but not in a flashy way, more like they just naturally stand out. they’d have a more relaxed, effortless style, like casual clothes that still look really good, maybe in earthy or neutral colors with a touch of unpredictability like they might take risks with their look, maybe with a cool tattoo, unique accessories, or some bold fashion choices.

𝙡𝙚𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬

personality:

he'd want someone who’s open to change and isn’t afraid to go with the flow. they’d also need to be tough in their own way, able to handle challenges and stand their ground when things get rough. there’s probably a vulnerability to them too, like they’re learning to become stronger and more independent over time, but they’re still kind and gentle at their core.

appearance:

someone with intense, magnetic vibe, something about them just draws people in, like they’ve got an edgy, mysterious energy. maybe they’ve got a sultry, confident look with bold features, like sharp eyes. at the same time, they’d have this fiery, energetic look that gives off vibrant, passionate energy. there’s also a youthful, fresh quality to them, like they’re still figuring things out and have a bit of an innocent, curious side. maybe a clean, neat style like button-up shirts, neat hair, with simple accessories.

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙗𝙞𝙣

personality:

his ideal type is someone who's confident and resourceful, someone who knows what they want and has the skills to make it happen, yet they wouldn't be quick to rush into things, instead weighing options thoughtfully. they’d definitely have a strong sense of justice and be the kind of person who stands up for what’s right and helps others out whenever they can

appearance:

they would probably have a bit of a humble, grounded look. they wouldn’t be super flashy, maybe more practical and laid-back in their style, but also not afraid to be a little different. he'd prefer someone with positive energy that just shines through, someone who has warm and inviting vibe, like their smile can light up an entire room.

𝙝𝙮𝙪𝙣𝙟𝙞𝙣

personality:

someone who’s super social and loves to connect with others, always up for a good time and making fun memories with friends. they’d also be really emotionally open and warm, not afraid to show affection or share how they feel. at the same time, they’d have a strong sense of right and wrong, someone who values fairness, knows when to stand their ground, and makes decisions based on what’s fair and just.

appearance:

mysterious, reserved look maybe they have like quiet intensity, their eyes or expression hold a lot of depth, making you want to know more. they’d also have this balanced, confident vibe, like they’re someone who carries themselves with a sense of self-assurance and dignity, like how someone might walk into a room and immediately command attention without even trying. think of someone with a sharp, elegant style, like a tailored suit or simple but sophisticated clothing that gives off a calm, powerful energy. and they’d have ethereal, almost otherworldly beauty like they look naturally stunning without much effort, maybe with soft, glowing skin and a graceful presence, almost like someone who could easily fit into a fairytale.

𝙝𝙖𝙣

personality:

someone who’s pretty well-rounded and at peace with themselves, someone who knows who they are and is confident in that. they’d also be super generous and caring, always looking to help others out and keep things balanced in their relationships. they’d have nurturing side, like they naturally want to take care of people and make sure everyone around them is okay.

appearance:

calm, introspective vibe like someone who doesn’t need to stand out but still has this quiet confidence about them. maybe they have a more relaxed, effortless style, something like simple but clean clothes, like a cozy sweater or a neat button-up, and a natural look that doesn’t try too hard. and he'd prefer someone who pays attention to the little details, maybe with a well-kept, put-together appearance that reflects how dedicated they are in everything they do. they’d also have this wise, comforting aura, like they’re someone you’d turn to for advice or just feel safe being around.

𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙭

personality:

someone who’s super confident and full of energy, they could light up the room with their passion and creativity, always ready to take charge. but they’d also have this quiet strength about them, like they’re really calm and patient even in tough situations, and they can handle anything that comes their way with grace. they’d also have a fierce, protective side, someone who always has your back, especially when it comes to the people they care about.

appearance:

they would probably have tough, resilient look, someone who’s been through challenges but still stands strong. they might have a more serious or guarded expression, like there’s a lot beneath the surface, but they still carry themselves with this quiet confidence. they’d have a bit of a mysterious edge, they don’t reveal everything about themselves right away, and their style would probably be a little unconventional, maybe wearing something that gives off that I know what I’m doing vibe, a cool jacket or unique accessories that make them stand out without trying too hard.

𝙨𝙚𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙢𝙞𝙣

personality:

someone who’s not afraid of shaking things up or starting fresh when needed. they’d also be super dreamy and imaginative, always thinking about the future and exploring different possibilities. they might not always know exactly what they want, but they’re excited by all the options ahead of them. they’d also have nurturing, caring side, someone who’s always there to look out for others and offer love and support.

appearance:

strong and confident. they’d also have a look that’s full of hope and adventure, maybe with a spark in their eyes like they’re excited about the future and whatever comes next. think of someone who dresses with purpose, maybe in sleek, bold clothes. they’d have humble and hardworking look, like they put effort into everything they do, even if no one notices. they could wear something simple yet practical, like comfy sneakers or a jacket.

𝙟𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣

personality:

confident and knows how to stand up for themselves, not afraid to fight for what they believe in. they’d also be grounded in their values and have a strong sense of purpose, someone who knows where they’re going in life and doesn’t get easily swayed by others. they’d also have this curious, analytical side, always asking questions, analyze things deeply, and always be a few steps ahead.

appearance:

someone with active and energetic look who always seems on the move, with a spark in their eyes like they’re ready for anything. they’d have a practical, clean style like wearing something simple but stylish, maybe a well-fitted jacket and sneakers. and they’d be in good shape, showing off a strong, fit build. think of someone who dresses comfortably but still looks sharp, like they could easily transition from a workout to a night out.

─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ────── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ───

[ladykailitha]

Around the World Part 7

I know I said that Nanny would be out this week, but I just finished this and am really wanting to get it out as soon as possible and that includes the epilogue.

But if I time it right, this series and Hellfire will end the same week and I'll be able to return to some kind of normal schedule instead of pumping these out on a fucking grinder.

That said, I probably won't do a Christmas story with the way things are right now. But we'll see the closer we get to the holiday.

In this we get the proper Jack the Ripper tour and the author has opinions, okay! Steve draws attention to himself at the Paris Opera house. Murray is a bit too knowing. And of course as @val-from-lawrence guessed, visited the Catacombs!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

~

They had done the Tower of London and St. Paul’s Cathedral during the day and got ready for the Bauman Experience as Murray called it. They all had a flashlight and went to go meet him where they had the night before.

They caught him dealing with some obnoxious tourists.

“Oh thank god!” the Karen cried. “An American. Could you please explain to this woman that we only have dollars to pay with. She has to take it!”

Murray blinked at her for a moment. “Well that is quite the cock up, you absolute muppet. Are you dead from the neck up? British pound sterling is the brass here, you silly cow!”

The woman’s head reared back in shock, clutching her chest. “I beg your pardon!”

“To make it perfectly clear,” Murray said leaning forward into her space. “You fucked up, you moron. Are you really that stupid? Dollars aren’t the currency here, the British pound is. Just like you can’t use the pound anywhere but here, you can’t use the dollar anywhere but America so why don’t you go to an ATM or bank and get it exchanged. Or and here’s the really neat part about living in the age of technology, use or credit or debit card and your bank does the conversion for you.”

When she started sputtering angrily, Murray waved her off. “Now, shoo! I’ve got actual paying customers waiting for me.”

Murray turned to the four of them with a smiled. “Well, hello! Welcome. Now that things are dark and therefore sufficiently spooky, let’s take you on a proper tour of Jack’s slaying grounds.”

He went through the different murders until he got to the double murders of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes.

“Now,” he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, “Miss Stride is usually considered his third victim and that he was interrupted, moving on to Miss Eddowes. But I think Stride was a copycat. The person only knew the bodies were mutilated, but not how. So for me, I don’t count her in the confirmed kills.”

Robin nodded sagely. “I don’t either. There was far too little evidence to prove he had been frightened off, because otherwise Eddowes would have been more brutal than it was. He would have been angry he couldn’t finish with Stride. You would have expected her to look like what Mary Kelly’s body looked like, not cool and calm.”

Murray smiled up at her. He turned to Eddie. “I really like her. She’s clever.”

Robin blushed and ducked her head.

A short time later, just as they were wrapping up the Kelly murder, Murray stopped. He looked at a pair of older teenagers and then back at the group.

Chrissy picked up on it first. “You thinking what, I’m thinking, Mur?”

Murray turned to her and cocked his head to the side, considering. He nodded and Chrissy pursed her lips.

Steve caught on just as quick. “Eds, baby. I think those boys may have guessed who you are, love.”

Robin and Eddie shared a concerned glance.

“Fuck,” Eddie huffed. “I liked this jacket.”

Robin grabbed it from him and gave him her jacket. “Mine doesn’t look as fancy,” she explained pulling his jacket on. “Just like Boston, peeps!”

Murray tilted his head to the side and did a quick Google search. “Or... if you’d like, my car is literally around the corner.”

The four of them stopped swapping clothes and looked up at him.

“That’s easier,” Steve said. “Who’s all for easier?”

The other three raised their hands and they followed Murray to his car. Robin sat up front while Steve and Chrissy covered Eddie between them.

“Drop me off at the hotel,” Steve said, tapping on Murray’s shoulder. “I’ll check us out and then meet you at Shakespeare’s Head.”

Murray looked behind him and grinned. “Smart thinking.”

~

Eddie had changed into a trucker hat and a puffy hunting vest over sturdy blue jeans and thick work boots.

“Kids and their cameras these day,” Murray huffed, sliding a pint of beer over at Steve as he sat down between Robin and Chrissy. “So what’s the story with loverboy here?” he asked Eddie, cocking his head to indicate Steve.

“He’s not out,” Eddie said dryly. “His parents are complete assholes who could and would make things very difficult for him if he was.”

“Nothing says asshole parents,” Murray said with a nod, “quite like those that have the money to make you miserable.”

Steve snorted. “You’ve got that right. But I’m more than equipped to make it work.” He half shrugged. “I’ve been doing it for almost a year.”

Murray’s went wide and he gave an opened mouthed smile. “Have you really? I would have never guessed. Good job! ”

“How did you spot the kids, by the way?” Robin asked around her fruity cocktail.

“Oh,” Murray said, ducking his head a bit. “You’re walking around a small group of people at night in a bad area of London. Whitechapel isn’t as bad as it was in Jackie’s time, but it’s still not a good neighborhood. You have to keep an eye out for people, but especially older teens wishing to knock you over for a bit of loose change.”

Steve cleared his throat and ducked his head. “I am about to ask the most bougie question imaginable. And you can tell me to go to hell if I’m out of line here.”

Murray’s eyebrows went up and he leaned back in his chair. “Wha’cha got, kid?”

Steve licked his lower lip as he tried to word this in a way that wasn’t instantly offensive. “How entrenched are you in this job?”

“Not very,” he replied with a shrug. “I’m just moving through the world enjoying myself and taking jobs that would be fun. I’ve got more than enough money. Why?”

“We were talking in our group chat,” Chrissy explained taking over from a very embarrassed Steve, “and we thought we’d offer you a job as main look out and part time driver for when we’re in Europe. You really saved Eddie today and we could really use someone like you with us.”

Murray glared at her. “You sure I wouldn’t cramp your little foursome you’ve got going on here’s style?” He made a little circling motion with his hand to indicate all of them.

Robin shook her head. “It’ll make it harder for people to recognize a quartet if it suddenly became a quintet. Plus, we’d pay for your room and board. None of us are skint, believe you me.”

“We’ll be staying in haunted hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts,” Eddie added. “But we won’t force you to join us. We can put you up in a nice place nearby and we join back up whenever we go out.”

Murray eyed them suspiciously until Steve slid over an envelope. He picked it up and pulled out a check. His eyes went wide. “That’s quite the pretty penny.”

“That’s half,” Robin huffed, crossing her arms and throwing herself against the back of the chair. “You’ll get the other half once we leave Europe for Asia.”

“All that for a month’s worth of driving you four around and making sure fans and paparazzi don’t find Eddie here?” Murray asked. “Have you gone crazy?”

Eddie shook his head. “We just want a romantic tour of the spooky places of Europe. I hate the thought Steve getting caught up in something just because I’m recognized everywhere I go and he isn’t.”

Murray licked his lips slowly as his eyes narrowed. “That’s not how that’s usually said.”

Steve frowned and tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean? How is what said?”

Robin put her hand on his elbow as he bristled slightly at his tone.

“Usually people will say ‘famous and they’re not’,” Murray said thoughtfully, “he said ‘recognized’. Meaning Stevie here is famous too, but not in a way people would recognize him on the street. What is a famous painter or some shit?”

She cocked her to the side and said dryly, “If I told you that, I’d have to kill you.”

Murray laughed. Just full on cackled. “Have I mentioned how much I like her? Because I really like her.”

Eddie leaned forward to put his elbows on the table. “So what do you say, Murray?” he asked tilting his head to the side. “You want to work for me again?”

Murray slipped the check into his coat pocket and stuck out his hand. “I think you’ve got yourself a deal.”

~

Their first stop on the Continent was Paris and the catacombs. Eddie was still trying to figure out how Robin did that one. It had been closed to the public for years.

Robin just smirked and said, “Well we aren’t the public.”

Steve was also sure they didn’t open it up to anyone who opened their wallet, either, but wisely stayed silent. Plus he was having fun watching Chrissy and Robin run circles around Murray in terms of sheer knowledge.

“Um...Stevie?” Eddie murmured so the trio couldn’t hear him. “Can I hold your hand? It’s getting a little creepy in here.”

Steve held out his hand, the one that had the little guitar on the inner wrist. Eddie looked down at the offered hand with a fond smile. He took the offered hand and their tattoos matched up. Eddie felt braver with every step knowing that Steve would always be there to hold his hand through the darkness.

Chrissy looked back at them and grinned at their clasped hands. She sped up her walk just a little, forcing Murray and Robin to speed up to match her pace, leaving the two love birds the privacy they so richly deserved.

Once they were out in the sunlight and among the city once again, Eddie refused to let go of Steve’s hand.

Steve looked at their joined hands and then back at Eddie. Eddie gave him his brightest smile and Steve was smitten. Even more so than before. He just loved him so much.

They toured the Paris Opera house and Eddie pulled out a cape and mask.

“Sing for me my angel of music!” he said to Chrissy.

She burst out laughing. “My name may be Christine, but I really don’t think they’d want me shattering the glass.”

Eddie turned to Robin who waved her arms in front of her. “No way! I sing like a frog in heat!”

“No.” Was all Murray said.

Steve raised an eyebrow and Eddie grinned.

“Sing!” Eddie crowed.

Steve took a deep breath and belted out that high note, held it perfectly and then took a bow.

Murray blinked and slow smile spread over his features. “You’re in one of those bands with the masks aren’t you? Like Sleep Token or The Fallen, huh? That’s Eddie here said recognized and not famous. Good on you.”

They all shared looks of concern.

“I’m not going to tell anyone,” Murray huffed, holding up his hands in surrender. “And I’m certainly not even going to try and guess which band it is.” He pulled out his phone and messed around on it for a while.

During which they all watched with ever increasing dread. The silence seemed to stretch out on and on.

Then Chrissy’s phone pinged. Everyone jumped as she scrambled for her phone. She opened it up and blinked a moment.

“You signed a blanket statement NDA?” she asked handing her phone to Robin. “Why?”

Murray licked his lips and crossed his arms over his chest. “Did it suck when Corroded Coffin pulled out of my management causing a shit ton of other people pulling out, too? Sure. But that’s the nature of the business. One that I had been in for over twenty years. I took it as a sign from the universe to retire and enjoy my life. Unlike the CC boys pulling out on Nancy Wheeler because she about to do some pretty shady shit. And I say that having been part of a business that used to be built on shady ass shit.”

Chrissy coughed and looked away to hide her smile.

“I’m guessing Steve’s band is why Corroded Coffin went nuclear on her in the first place?”

Steve looked over at Eddie and then nodded. “She was an ex-girlfriend and she tried to hold that over my head to get me to work with her.”

Murray let out a long and low whistle. “Shady doesn’t even begin to cover that shit. The void would be fucking closer. Shit.”

Robin handed back Chrissy her phone. “How did you get an NDA that fast anyway?”

“Oh that?” Murray asked with a huff of laughter. “I have a bunch of basic contracts and shit in my Google docs. Things can move fast in this business and it’s a good idea to keep a few on hand. Back in the old days we kept them in our briefcases that we carted around. This is sooo much easier.”

“Smart.”

Murray grinned back at her. He turned to Steve. “Come on, show us what that classical vocal training can really do.”

Steve blushed and began warming up his vocals as Robin grinned.

“You may think you’ve heard Steve sing,” she crowed, “but you’ve ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Then Steve really opened up and began to sing. There was a deepness to his voice that didn’t have anything to do with his range. He was clearly a tenor, but the rich quality to his voice just elevated it somehow.

“Rigoletto,” Murray said nodding appreciatively. “Well done.” He clapped slowly, but it wasn’t mocking. “Your parents must have been livid when you didn’t go into opera.”

Steve snorted. “About as angry as when they found out I was bisexual. They know what I am but if I go public with it...”

“They’ll make your life a nightmare?” he asked. Steve nodded. “I feel for you, kid.”

He looked around and grimaced. “I thick it’s time we make like Opera Ghost and scram. That performance of Steve’s here, is getting more attention than I thought it would.”

They looked around and sure enough there were people pointing at Steve.

“I’m not sure what the Venn diagram of opera and metal fans,” Chrissy said, “but I’m betting it’s not two separate circles.”

“Yeaahhh,” Eddie said with a wince.

He grabbed Steve’s hand and they ran for the doors. Murray and the girls hot on their heels.

~

Part 8 Part 9

Tag List: CLOSED

1- @mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @zerokrox-blog

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence

3- @goodolefashionedloverboi @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @irregular-child @blondie1006

4- @yikes-a-bee @bookworm0690 @anne-bennett-cosplayer @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten

5- @genderless-spoon @y4r3luv @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt

6- @disrespectedgoatman @dawners @thespaceantwhowrites @tinyplanet95 @garden-of-gay

7- @iamthehybrid @croatoan-like-its-hot @papergrenade @cryptid-system @counting-dollars-counting-stars

8- @ravenfrog @w1ll0wtr33 @child-of-cthulhu @kultiras @dreamercec

9- @machete-inventory-manager @useless-nb-bisexual @stripey82 @dotdot-wierdlife @kal-ology

10- @sadisticaltarts @urkadop @chameleonhair @clockworkballerina

[germesthegenie]

What can I say? Give me a lady with a cool power and/or silly outfit and I’ll probably draw them

Finished the rest of Arc 5, thoughts below:

As expected, big cape fight was very cool

Neat to essentially see, again, something we saw a lot in Worm but from a different perspective (and being executed by more morally questionable people). Hollow Point and the Undersiders mobilizing against the Fallen isn’t too different from things like the Somer’s Rock alliance against the ABB, but now we’re seeing a lot more collateral, and how the heroes have to respond to situations like that where villains are fighting each other with varying regard for civilian life

Little V and Big V reunited! Nice little reunion scene before things went to hell.

Valefor’s shard deserves to be talked about alongside Broadcast when it comes to playing favorites. He got heavily nerfed and just got his power reworked to be arguably stronger (with less control). Is this technically a second trigger or did the shard just give him this as a treat? And I guess what will it figure out next? Mind control through interpretative dance?

Jokes aside, Valefor’s scenes were terrifying and brought back the fear we briefly got from his Worm Arc 21 appearance. Victoria’s flashbacks were sad to see, and I do have another drawing idea based on that scene where she instinctively releases the Wretch. I do find it funny how the temporary solution to him was malicious compliance though lol

Speaking of the Wretch, nice to see Vicky getting more used to using it and learning to cooperate with it. Wonder what she can do with it if/when she gets full control? Bigger forcefield that can fight will be a lot more useful once it’s not fighting everything that gets too close.

Chris’ forms are certainly… something. He’s like Beast Boy except the shard used eldritch horror and books like All Tomorrows as a catalog for the forms. I’d try drawing them but I’m not even that great at regular animals, much less… banana thing.

Beast of Burden when he provokes the girl who blasts holes in people and she blasts a hole in him 🤯

Nice scenes with Ashley all around, lots of complexity to that one. She’s like Goth flavor Rachel (and now I’m seeing why the ship of her and Victoria is popular)

March! Still not sure what to make of her yet. Helped Rain, sure. But also, nemesis of Foil and kidnapped Parian one time. But also also, really cool power in terms of visuals. Imagine if Foil got the anime version of Sting and Worm ended with Scion getting depression-stunned into a Judgement Cut instead of a bolt.

What’s with the trend in cape names in Ward? Like we’ve got people who sound like names/subtitles for Dark Souls bosses (“Lord of Loss”, “End of Days”, etc.). Not opposed to it, just wonder if the post-apocalypse got people to break out the dramatic names.

Quick little detour away from the Fallen to let us know Cauldron’s still kicking, though seems Teacher’s taking over while actual founding Cauldron members were on “break”. Congrats to Citrine and Number Man on the marriage and their family of a couple identical clones of himself.

“Someone’s gotta represent the fourth”. Great twist, but also poor Tohu and Bohu. Who’s gonna rep them? Would they get a shared cult or individual ones?

And so one of four in the Mall Cluster falls. It’s interesting we get a sort of afterlife scene, with Snag free from the cluster/shard influence and still able to communicate to some degree with his clustermates (though muted whenever he tried to tell them not to kill each other lmao). And an ominous ending damn

[balkanradfem]

I have an update, for people invested in the story of me vs the attractive woman who moved into the building, who I cannot figure out. I still don't know if she's interested in women, if she likes me at all. She has short hair and is 9 years older than me which makes her irresistible.

So my main point of confusion was that she always reacted extremely friendly to me, even as far as yelling my name excitedly and waving when she sees me, but then when we talk she talks to me as if I'm a small child maybe, using words you'd use with children. So I've been on the fence on whether she just sees me as a small lost child who needs attention, or if I could potentially ask her out. I've met her a few times more, only briefly, but one of those times she called my name in an iteration that means small, she added a suffix that you would add to a child's name. (She added '-ica' to my name, for croatian speakers).

And this was too much for me, I had to draw a line at the small iteration of my name, I do not enjoy being viewed as a child, and will not have a crush on someone who makes me feel like I'm not a grownup >: (. So I decided, this is a lost cause romantically, I'm no longer into her, she obviously sees me as a child. It's fair, I also see anyone 9 years younger than me as a tiny baby who I can only be friends with, but I do think that's very cool of lesbians, that we're the exact opposite of pedophiles.

So I calmed down about her, but then I thought, okay, now that I'm not having my brain scrambled by the yearning, I could actually try to ask her to come over so I can meet her and see if we could be friends. She still acted very sweet towards me, one day I opened the door of the building, she was standing right outside, and jumped when I said 'Hi!' loudly. I apologized for scaring her, and she said 'It's okay, I just wasn't even hoping for you.'

How am I supposed to deal with that. That is adorable. I had to go immediately that day, but I decided to calm down, and wait for an opportunity to see if I can get to know her better.

The opportunity came today! I stumbled on her while biking outside, got her attention, and then told her 'Hey, you seem like an interesting person, and I'd love to sit down and talk to you sometimes, I want to know more about you. Could I invite you over for tea?'. And she said, 'Okay, give me your number!', and then she realized, she didn't take her phone with, because it was raining. I grabbed my phone to take her number, but my battery was 1% and the screen was too dark to see. We were both standing there without functional phones, laughing at ourselves. Then she grabbed a pen from her bag, asked me to give her my hand, and wrote her number on it. I've never had a woman write down her number on my hand! It was a great experience. She stopped to ask if it was hurting me, and I was smiling and giggling because I was thrilled, and told her to keep writing. Her handwriting is very neat! I promised to quick-call her as soon as I got home, so her phone will have my number as well.

So now I have her number on my hand, and I did give her a very short ring, so she has my number too. Now I'm nervous! I cleaned up the place because I don't know when she's going to come over, and I'm plagued by the anxiety that I won't be able to offer her a sweet treat because I never make any. I gave her an open invitation so she can just randomly decide to come and I will seem like a person with no food in my kitchen because I only make food when I'm hungry and then eat it immediately. Do you think pan-fried apples is an acceptable treat for a guest? I'm being so normal about this.

[acevity]

thats it. smacks you guys with a snippet from a wip.

-

Its not her fault that every new appearance of theirs ignites an urge to draw! How was she supposed to resist when they wander into the common area with such unique accessories and takes on their limbs! Ideas and variations that she could never have considered and worn with such a cool aura!

"Did you make these?" They hummed, a hand flipping through the layers of pinned sketches and studying each intently. Part of her screamed 'No duh!!!! Who's room are you in!!', but the other just rolled in panic. What if Zooble hated them? What if they wanted to mock her for it? What if they think she’s terrible no good awful and should be thrown in the cellar because of her comics? Did they see her art of her ocs kissing?!

Quick, make up a good lie.

"Yeah, I uh. I did." That was not a lie, Gangle!! That was very much the truth! Her nerves grew twisted as she began to ramble. "I think Caine's avatar creation is interesting and I like seeing all the new forms people come in as. Like - Like your’s, with all the variations you can change into! It’s so neat!" 

Zooble blinked at that, their antennae swaying slightly in what Gangle could only assume was pure hatred and wishing for her to explode and die. Their silence lingered, fraying her already rattled nerves further. She twirled her hands together, nearly knotting them up as she spoke, “I just. I think it’s cool. That you can get creative with it.”

Their gaze turned back to the cork board. Gangle wanted to abstract. “Would you draw something for me?” The question startled her, jerking back into reality with a soft ‘huh?’. When Gangle just stared, Zooble continued. “I like your art. I want some in my room.”

[ghosts-and-glory]

I found a cool brush I like so very very much like so kinda quick messy paint of Kiara because I love her.

Usually I draw on a mid toned background and this time I wanted to use a lighter background and see what happened. My art ends up pretty dark quite often I think because of it.

Idk colour turned out kinda messy but this only took me like an hour and I think it’s neat.

[lu-cider]

Oooooh I'm not super familiar with your account but your stuff looks cool and I saw you're taking requests so I hope you don't mind :)

Anyways! If you don't mind could you please draw Rain? He's super underrated imo and I love him 👉👈

Thank you so much in advance! Again, your art's very neat!

first time I'm drawing Rain, be nice to me or I'll cry /j (speedpaint under cut)

finally got around to starting on the requests, I've been busy today 😭 I'll get through them all guys so be patient pls. I'm trying to make them quick, but not low effort, so i'm trying to stop myself from getting too carried away with them lol. but keep them coming!!!

[inkformyblood]

if i asked you to (Ghoap Exchange Fic)

Mission Fic, 2022 Canon Era. Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship. Ghoap.

Two bodies in the hallway. 

The air is heavy with iron, a distant tang of piss beneath it, and Johnny swallows back a reflexive twist of bile as he draws closer. It’s neat work, one caught in the act of turning around, some innate instinct warning him of the predator preparing to strike. Ghost must have caught him low first, a nasty wound to the belly which Johnny can’t think of as anything other than a mauling. Wouldn’t have killed him, no, the slash to his throat would’ve done that, same with the man’s companion. 

Johnny drops to one knee, mindful of the slowly growing pool of blood, and reaches for the knife. 

It’s one of Ghost’s. There’s nothing distinctive about the blade that would allow Johnny to think that, the handle dark and clear of the tell-tale smudge of sweat-soaked fingerprints, the kit standard for any soldier, but he’s got faith. Belief without proof. 

He tugs it free, the hair on the nape of his neck prickling with reflexive revulsion at the gentle sticky sound of flesh giving way, and tucks the knife into his belt. It knocks against the other two he has already placed there, picking up signs of Ghost like they’re breadcrumbs leading him deeper and deeper into the belly of the beast. The mission briefing itself had been standard fare, enough intel on the structure to pad out the thin dossier and an entire a4 colour picture of the device they would use to retrieve the information. One team to breach the compound then split up, one moving forward to collect the information before it could be damaged or deleted, one hanging back to cover the exit before they would extract and cool their heels at a safehouse before exfil could pick them back up. 

Course, it had all gone to shit the moment boots hit the ground but the thought had been there. 

Johnny’s com sits heavy and silent in his ear. He taps through the channels in the blind hope that something would have worked itself free since the last time he tried, some spark managing to squeeze between dead wires so he can hear Ghost’s voice once more. 

Another corner, back to the wall, check the corners, head up and ready. Another breadcrumb sprawled in his path, extending out of an open doorway, knife handle protruding from what had been an eye. 

“Brutal, LT,” Soap whispers, a grin sliding across his face. His own wires must be fucked up, a tangle, a knot, a hasty patch job to connect A to B, because fuck, he loves Ghost all the more for it. Hadn’t told the other man that yet, felt too close to jumping arse-first into a firefight when all they’d done up until now had been to skirt the line on what was acceptable com chatter and one night out that Soap can barely remember the events of but he knows what Ghost’s arm feels like over his shoulders, the line of him against Soap’s side radiating heat. Could have died a happy man right then and there and be none the wiser until the morning. 

He’s still moving even as his thoughts wander, checking what little of the room beyond he can make out; mostly shadows clustering behind the office furniture, a desk overturned just on the edge of the flickering light, a particular kind of heavy silence that leant itself to one man in particular. Soap pulls the blade free, keeping it ready as he raises his gun once more. The door creaks as he nudges it open, a necessity for the sheer amount of gear he’s carrying, let alone just his shoulders. 

Ghost is waiting for him. Soap’s gaze snaps to him first, a quick once over that feels as easy as breathing, before he checks out the rest of the room. One more corpse slumped at Ghost’s feet like an emperor of old holding court, the pale light from the computer washing out the definition from his mask until it’s nothing but a grinning horror. 

“Took your time,” Ghost remarks. Positioned like he is, Soap can’t make out the flicker of his eyes as they move but he can feel the passage of them, a burning flush settling in his cheeks even as he settles into an easy rest position. 

Soap grins wide at Ghost. He doesn’t move closer, skirting the edge of Ghost’s patience, the line he had drawn so clearly time and time again to score it into physical existence. He wouldn’t cross it, would rather cut out his own tongue, but the positioning isn’t quite as fixed when it comes to Soap. “Found your knives as I went. Clumsy of you to keep dropping them like that, sir.”

Ghost’s head tips to one side. There’s a slash of shadow across one cheek, dipping down to the grooves that give the skull a mouth, and Soap tries to read the emotion behind it. “I started the mission with seven, Johnny.” His hand moves, dipping to his belt to emerge with one knife held between two fingers. There’s a smear of blood on the blade, still wet enough to keep some of its colour. Soap’s fingers ache for his sketchbook, an easel, hell, even a scan of spray paint and some half-broken down wall would do.

He wants to fix this moment in time, immortalise Ghost standing there and looking at him like that.

“Think you’d go fetch the rest if I asked?”

Soap nods before he can stop himself, a dog leaping up before the command could fully be given. Wouldn’t be too difficult to collect the rest if he’d already collected four and Ghost was down to his last blade. Only left two sticking out of some poor unfortunates that he hadn’t spotted on his way to Ghost from his own entrance point. “That an order, LT?”

Ghost’s gaze is dark, the light from the computer screen just enough for Soap to track the slow tilt of the other man’s head back to neutral, his gaze flickering towards the progress bar creeping across the screen. “I’ll put the replacements on to Price’s tab. Any trouble on the way in?”

“Few stragglers.” Soap rolls his shoulders, letting his stance drop as his gun lowers, the weight settling onto the strap. He’s still ready to move at a moment’s notice, so attuned to Ghost’s commands that it sometimes feels like the other man barely needs to speak at all. Felt that way since they’d first met, Soap tipped into Ghost’s semi-protesting metaphorical lap like a puppy bought at Christmas that grew up into a wolfhound. They’d made it unscathed out of that mission and every subsequent mission since. Soap’s well aware of the adage about too much of a good thing, but he can’t help it. 

He loves the other man too much to back down now.

“Dealt with them?”

“Affirmative, LT.” 

Ghost drums his fingers against the desk, the single point of movement from the other man. His gaze hadn’t returned to Soap, still locked on the objective. Must be nearly ready by now, the seconds slipping past like treacle, sweat beading beneath the heft of Soap’s vest, the divot of his throat. But he waits, chewing his tongue while he watches Ghost.

“Did you hear about the man who had his left side cut off? He was alright.”

Ghost crumbles slightly when he laughs, some crucial support sliding out of place in his spine as he ducks his head, one painted glove rising to press at the bridge of his nose. “Just when I thought this mission wouldn’t get any worse.”

He slides the small device out of the terminal, returning it to the pocket on his vest, tapping it once to confirm its position. “Retrieval complete, Litenaunt. Off we go to the safe house to cool our heels for a bit.”

Soap salutes, every molecule in his body snapping into discordant awareness. “Sir, yes, sir.”

Leaving the compound was a quieter affair than breaking into it. The explosives in Soap’s kit burn a hole through his thoughts, his fingers itching like he’s three days clean of a five a day habit. A distraction. Something else to think about other than his new formula, specifically developed to minimise damage to the structure while still being effective at casualties, a delicate balancing act he hadn’t managed to test in the field yet. 

Soap looks to Ghost.

When Soap had just been Johnny MacTavish, there hadn’t been much to do in his city outside of just existing in places, as much a part of the scenery as the graffiti splattered over concrete and the rubbish piled next to the bins. He’d fallen into dating a girl because it had been expected that it was something he’d do instead of a genuine want. Most of their dates, if he could even remember them like that, featured their local high street, a smattering of shops thrown together and expected to function. Johnny had tagged along with his girlfriend, not for any genuine want but because it was something he should do. He’d held her bags while she shopped and felt proud, felt useful because of it. He wouldn’t be able to be useful like that to Ghost; the other man would more likely be offended if he offered, but what if he could swing Ghost’s pack onto his shoulder and wind the other man’s freshly freed fingers around his own.

“Look sharp, Johnny.”

“Aye, LT.”

No point in woolgathering over what might’ve been. If he had stayed instead of joining the army, he likely would have married that girl, useful as a tool, another accessory to decorate her arm and little more, his gaze clinging to every set of broad shoulders that crossed his path without accepting why. Ghost’s mask is loose at the nape of his neck, the fabric bunching beneath the shift of his pack as he walks. Soap watches that spot, blind to the forest around them even as night draws in and they walk closer, listening for anyone following them. 

The safe house is a small squat building, barely indistinguishable from the creaking tree it sits in the shadow of, a wash of ivy clinging to the main face.

“Think there’s a door somewhere in all that, LT?” Soap doesn’t move closer as Ghost prowls forward, primed and ready. The only reassurance he has that Ghost heard his whispered remark through the gloom at all is the slight curve to Ghost’s shoulders, a fracture in his foundations for Soap to curl his fingers into and wonder at what could be beneath.

So long as there’s running water of any temperature, Soap will bottle up his complaints until they’re back in the air.

No windows beneath the ivy, one single door with a thin wood panelling over the heavy metal interior. Older design, one that quickly fell out use, but it could be explained away as a rich eccentrics hunting lodge stuck as it is in the official middle of fucking nowhere. Ghost drags one hand over the straggling plant life, pulling the remnants that survived his initial survey to one side. In the gloom, Soap devours the shadows that pool in the dip of Ghost’s waist, the delicate set that fan around the widespread of his thighs. 

Normally, they’d both make sure the space was clear before they rang up the brass to report the intel back to them, but the information links to an active mission. No time for both.

“Soap. Sweep the house. I’ll report to Laswell. Shout if you get shot.”

“Aye, LT. Just for you.”

Ghost steps to one side as Soap lines up in front of the door, his gun back in his hands and he slings his kit to one side of the doorframe. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

Ghost shoves the door open, the hinges screeching in protest and a faint stream of dirt falls from the hinges to match the dust lying thick over the floor as Soap walks in. No other marks on the floor except his own, good sign. Even better augury for a full night’s sleep and a shower. Doesn’t matter though. He’s got a job to do. 

Soap moves forward into the house, going room by room, each covered in a thin layer of dust and dirt, the plants beginning to encroach through gaps in the walled-up window frames with delicate tendrils pressing against the murky glass. Main room has a low slung sofa and an armchair clustered around a table with a deck of cards scattered across the surface, then a narrow kitchen fitted on the opposite wall. Hallway, bathroom — cracked porcelain, the light flickering into unsteady existence, shower boxed into a corner — and then bedroom. One bed. 

Should be something tangible he’s bringing back to Ghost, a fresh corpse slung across his shoulders or a limb clutched between his teeth instead of what he is: close quarters and a projection for a couple of days stay balancing on a knife edge.

Ghost’s in the paltry kitchen when Soap emerges from the back of the house. He’s leaning against the counters, tucked into a corner with one knife resting on the oven next to him. On the other side, one of the drawers sits wide, gutted and in the process of being flayed as Ghost’s free hand dips inside it, emerging with some metal contraption that Soap couldn’t even guess the purpose of but looks deadly in Ghost’s hands. His other hand is occupied with the data uplink, tapping at keys as another progress bar reflects in the dark gleam of his eyes. He’s not at rest, a line of tension buried so deep in his shoulders that it’s foundational at this point. Ghost is already looking at Soap, his head tipped in a silent expectant question. 

Soap obeys. 

“Place is locked down, sir. Just us two here, front door is the main entrance and exit but I reckon we could fit through one of the windows out back if we clear them out. There’s basic washing facilities and one bed. Sir.”

Ghost closes his eyes, his brow drawn behind his mask. 

“It’s a double at least, sir. Happy to take the sofa.”

“Don’t need you to jump onto that sword just yet, Soap.” Ghost ducks his head to peer at the screen once more before folding it closed and pushing the device back on the counter until it bumps into the wall. Secured. “Intel is with Laswell and her henchmen so we’ll be sitting and waiting until exfil. Going to be a miserable couple of days for me hearing you complain about your bad back.”

Ghost pushes himself off the counter, crossing the room to stand in front of Soap in a matter of seconds. Soap’s maybe half a head taller than him, more he would guess out of their combat boots, but that doesn’t matter as Ghost looms over him, assessing him. It’s with that same uneasy focus that Ghost reaches for him, hooking two fingers into the mic band that Soap wears around his throat. The fabric of his gloves is rough, the paint over the back of his fingers rougher, lighting up a blaze through Soap’s nerves even in that fraction of a second as he tugs Soap sideways and moves past him in the same motion. He doesn’t signal for Soap to follow him, doesn’t need to. Soap walks at his heels, his face turned to the blank expanse of Ghost’s back. 

Ghost blocks the entire doorway to the bathroom, cramped quarters trying and failing to swallow him whole. He doesn’t look real with the harsh electric light cutting deep shadows against the pouches at his waist, the folds of his clothes. “Might as well settle in for orders. I’ll check the water tank.” He turns, near enough nose to nose with Soap, close enough that Soap can make out the slight twitch of his eye that accompanies Ghost’s brow rising, his lashes pale where the eyeblack hasn’t stuck. “At ease, Johnny. I’ll only be a moment.”

There’s no window for him to watch through, no gap in a set of lace curtains for Soap to twitch and watch Ghost as the other man leaves the safe house, each step soundless, near-invisible in the swiftly descending gloom. He can’t let himself relax just yet and there’s no solid furniture he can content himself with destroying, working his fingers beneath fraying seams or scratching pale furrows into wood. Soap waits where Ghost left him, counting the moments between his breaths, his gaze locked onto the door.

It creaks back open before his count can grow too high, Ghost tugging his gloves off as he steps back into the house and placing them into his pocket. “Enough hot water for a single shower then it’ll refill. Can’t say how long that’ll take.” Ghost’s jaw shifts behind the fabric of his mask, his thumb digging into the crevasse between thumb and forefinger on his other hand. Even that delicate skin hadn’t been spared from the network of scars over Ghost’s frame; a dark line puckering pale flesh, vanishing beneath the cuff of Ghost’s jacket. 

“Could share,” Soap offers, mouth working before his brain can process how entirely fucked he’ll be through the entire setup. Naked. With Ghost. Also naked. 

Ghost tips his head to one side, his eyes narrowing. Soap knows the direction of his thoughts, his own had already transversed the selfsame pathway in a flash of burning fumbling embarrassment and stumbled into the same conclusion Ghost is coming to. They’re both filthy, dirt and sweat clinging to every scrap of available skin, adrenaline leaking through their pores and it wouldn’t be long until they were both too exhausted to move, too tired to care. It’s likely a few days wait before they leave this house, the sheets potentially the only set and it promises a gritty miserable second night for them both. 

Only one immediate solution. 

“Not like we haven’t shared a shower before, LT.” Soap grins up at him, a cold sweat beading along his hairline, his hands clasped behind his back so he can drag the broken edge of a nail against a callus unseen. The showers on base weren’t large but they at least had multiple shower heads instead of the single cramped stall they were planning on squeezing into. And there was the mask. “I’ll keep my eyes closed. Won’t peek.”

Tension bleeds out of Ghost’s shoulders, a relaxation that Soap can nearly taste in how quickly the copper tints the air. “Fuck off, Johnny,” Ghost says but he’s grinning behind his mask as he speaks, Soap can tell. It’s obvious when he’s learnt how to look, a knowledge he’s assembled from scraps. 

They return to the bathroom, Soap following Ghost once more. Soap leans back against the counter, plucking at the straps of his tactical vest without removing it. “You sure, LT?”

“You get in first, face the corner. I’ll get in and turn the water on. Wash and I’ll get out first, then you. Good?”

“Sir, yes, sir.”

He has his orders and he’ll follow them gladly. Soap doesn’t look at Ghost as he undresses, the other man a solid shadow out of the corner of his eye. There’s a chill in the air, goosebumps erupting down his arms and torso as he steps onto frigid tile, the shower door creaking as he pushes it open and steps inside. Exhaustion brews behind his eyes, a yawning pit of glorious nothingness that he can tip into, but every nerve feels scraped raw, firing nonsense in hope of a connection. Ghost undresses behind him, the whisper of cloth against cloth only serving to wind Soap’s nerves tighter and tighter. 

Breathe. Think.

If Soap had been a sculptor, he’d spend the rest of his life trying to recreate this moment in marble, in metal, hell, he’d tear down a mountain piece by piece in his attempts. Ghost’s hand brushes against his left hip, his shoulder already bumping against Soap’s spine as he tries to angle himself in the stall. No chance of the door closing when Ghost must still be partially outside, his breath fogging against the nape of Soap’s neck. The controls are closer to Ghost and Soap keeps his gaze fixed on a crack in the tile as the other man fumbles with them, grumbling under his breath. 

It would be easy to look.

The glass had been frosted but time had worn it away leaving clear patches. It wouldn’t be an accurate reflection, a wavering outline that he could try and construct a face from, the slope of a grin, a jaw, his brow; anything to match to the honey-coloured eyes he knows so well. He keeps his face turned to the corner, just like he promised. 

The first spray of water is fucking freezing. Soap yelps, jerks forward as it hits his shoulder, his spine. Behind him, Ghost hisses out a breath between his teeth, shifting his feet on the tile, and it isn’t quite taking a bullet for him but standing beneath a freezing shower spray so Soap wouldn’t is pretty damn close. The water warms quickly and Ghost redirects the spray, steam filling the small room. There’s some supplies left and Ghost knocks a bottle against his shoulder that Soap takes, quickly scrubbing himself down. 

“What do you reckon they call this scent, Ghost? ‘Berry Happy’? ‘Jam Together’?”

“‘Keep Calm and Berry On,” Ghost joins in, his voice dry, and Soap could picture him without looking, without knowing, the wry slant to his head when he grins, his gaze tipped sideways to assess. 

Soap snorts out a laugh, tipping his head back into the spray. Water catches in his hair, running down his spine, and he rakes a hand through his mohawk, catching his fingers on several fresh snarls. It needs a trim, the sides beginning to grow out, and he sighs, shaking a few droplets free. 

“Hold still.” It’s the only warning he gets before Ghost’s hand smacks onto the crown of his head. The sensation of shampoo comes later, the fresh rush of what had once been berry-scented and now is just scented filling the cramped space. 

Soap scrubs through his hair, the sensation of a hand against his scalp, fingertips trailing over the faded boundary, staying with him. “Ta, LT. Think you’re wasted in the army, should’ve been a barber.”

“Don’t think I’d make the cut, Johnny. Might need to mullet it over for a bit.”

Soap cracks himself open on a laugh, exhaustion dragging down his chest until it settles like a rock next to his aching ribs. The plain tiles of the shower swim in front of him and, for a moment, he can’t remember if the shoulder resting against his own, the thigh bracketing his leg, are his own or a waking dream. There’s a hiss as the water begins to stutter, Ghost snapping out a curse and dumping a lukewarm handful of water over Soap’s head as the last few soap suds wash away clear. 

They don’t speak as they exit the shower, Ghost first and Soap left shivering in the corner as the other man dresses, barely touching the towel they have between them, and vanishes out of the room. Nothing has changed between them but something feels different, a certainty that’s already put down roots in Soap’s chest as he dries himself quickly, looping the damp towel around his neck as he pulls his clothes back on, forgoing the tactical gear and his boots. 

“Ghost?” Soap calls as he steps out of the bathroom, condensation heavy on his skin, the floor to his left bright with wide footprints. His hair is loose around his ears beginning to curl as it dries and he pushes his fingers over the scratch of the shaved sides of his head. 

“In here. Food, then sleep, Johnny.”

The memory doesn’t stick. He eats, must do because when Soap blinks back into existence sitting on the edge of the barely larger than single bed they’re going to share, his belly is full, the lingering stale taste of a heated MRE lingering in his mouth. He’s stripped out of his tactical gear, his boots next to the bed, ready to sleep. “Want me to get in first again, LT?” 

Ghost huffs out a quiet laugh from the single chair in the room. It’s a plush monstrosity, velvet fabric worn over the arms, the back, and it creaks as he leans forwards to tug his boots off. “Thought you’d fallen asleep on me, Johnny. Quietest meal I think I’ve had with you.”

“Just tired, LT.” Soap muffles a yawn behind his hands, his jaw cracking with the effort. He sways as he does so, the urge to collapse backwards and just sleep like that, sprawled across the foot of the bed burning a hole in his thoughts. He blinks up at Ghost, the broken moonlight scratching through the drawn curtains, heavy shadows obscuring the other man’s form. “You sleep like that? Mask and everything?”

“Close your eyes.”

Soap obeys, his world muffled to nothing more than sound and sensation. There’s the soft rustle of cloth against cloth, the creaking of chair springs that hadn’t been made with the idea of a man like Ghost let alone the full force of him, and then Ghost’s footsteps, bare feet barely louder than a whisper over the floorboards. The bed shifts as Ghost sits down next to him, Soap leaning towards him before he can stop himself. Ghost doesn’t run warm, his skin cool even after their meagre allotment of hot water, but that doesn’t matter. Soap runs hot, always has. He’ll keep Ghost warm enough. 

“You good to keep your eyes closed?”

“Yeah.” For Ghost, Soap would never open his eyes again, sacrifice this core part of himself if Ghost asked him to. “Want me to lie down?”

“Yes.”

The bed’s comfortable enough. Someone splurged on a good mattress down the line and Soap sighs as he sinks into it, tucking himself along the far edge of the bed. He’d have to scramble over Ghost if they had to evac in the night or just to go for a piss but there’s no amount of sneaking that would stop Ghost from waking the moment he moves. He pulls one of the pillows down under his head, rolling onto his side so he’s facing the wall. “Hey, LT. Did you hear about the scarecrow who got a medal? He was outstanding in his field.”

Ghost’s laugh sounds different without his usual mask on, lighter somehow, rich like honey. The bed tips once more as Ghost lies down behind him, his feet knocking against Soap’s before he adjusts. “Night, Johnny.”

“Night, Si. Sweet dreams.”

Morning dawns slowly, realisation dragging its heels as Soap blinks awake. There’s a pool of blond curls in front of his vision, nearly obscuring the bare back his hands are resting next to, fingertips pressed against a dark divot in Ghost’s spine. The covers pool around their hips, dislodged as they had moved in the night, and Soap barely breathes as everything stops. 

Ghost’s chest rises and falls in an even slow tempo, hopefully, mercifully asleep. 

Sunlight catches on one scar over Ghost’s arm, larger than would have been expected for a simple wound by a weapon, the edges deliberately regular, and Soap bites his tongue until it aches and shuts his eyes. He won’t stare at what Ghost doesn’t want him to, won’t step over boundaries until he’s invited. It’s easy enough to draw his pillow down with one hand, turning his face to bury his head and obscure his vision utterly. He’ll wait for Ghost to wake up and, for now, he’ll enjoy the moment of peace.

With his eyes closed, Johnny doesn’t see Ghost’s eyes open, the other man awake and waiting. His teeth are indented in his lower lip, tension bleeding through the pale scarred skin until it’s bright in the lazy sunshine, but he breathes out slowly, letting himself relax once more. His hands are curled in front of his chest, the memory of Johnny’s fingers interlocked with his own from earlier that morning bright and burning and cherished. 

[artfromsaturn]

Saturn’s Free CSP Brush Recommendations, CS Asset Store Edition

I may sell brushes now, but I still love me some free brushes & love to share them with people.  These are a bunch of cool brushes made by other people that you can use to build up a nice library of tools without having to spend any cash on, perfect if you’re new to CSP or are on a budget.  If you do download these, be sure to like them & give some love to the artist if you enjoy them. :D

How to find: type in the Content ID or Ctrl/Command + C & P (copy and paste shortcuts) into the Clip Studio asset store on the Clip Studio application.  I’ll add a link as a preview but copying & pasting the content ID is easiest.  I have automatic translation ON, so sorry if you read some weird names.   Feel free to reblog this with your own suggestions, there’s many brushes out there I missed. :D  Check defsiarte’s suggestions too, and if you want to see my recommendations for stuff on Gumroad/DA & other places, check this tag.

Large Packs

“An analogue art supply" - 1813808 Huge pack of everything, including acrylic, oil, watercolor, marker, pen, & pencil.  I like the markers and sometimes use the acrylics too.

Crm's Toolbox, Watercolors, Markers, & other treasures

Fantastic use of texture and some cute effects pens.  The artist has posted everything from quality painting & drawing pens to quality glitter pens for writing.

The Old Default Assets - 1842027 & 1841759 These aren’t pictured, but if you ever see an older tutorial or video showcasing some default brushes you never had, it’s because CSP reworked its default tools around version 1.9.  Fortunately they rerelased them so anyone can redownload them. The old ones are still good to use, they’re just not included.

Painters - With Texture

Thiccpaint - 1707517 Never leave home without it.  I riot if I don’t have them on my computer..  They have the right combination of texture, shape, & blend with great handling and great variety.

Icyannyou's Momo Sets - user:Icyannyou Super cute packs that give a lovely painterly look.  The Storybook pack is fantastic, and even if you don't draw cute you can still use these painters & blenders to give your artwork character. :)

Thick Coating Brush Set - 1683127 I like these for background work, but it's a big pack of thick textured painters with good handling & neat effects.

Marredae's Brushes - user:Marredae This artist has a knack for textured brushes.  Very high rec, fantastic library of wet & dry painting/rendering tools.

Roro Oil - 1820057 Rompi is another user I enjoy the stuff of, and I'll recommend a few more brushes from them in other categories by the time this post is done.  Check 'em out!

Suika chalk -  1760304 Very useful rough chalk.  Sometimes, that’s all you need!

Sprongle -  1935694 A simple round brush with a nice rough tip.  Slightly rough without being too rough, great for quick paintings.

Johnnie halloween pack & Brokenhearted brushes... - 1876075 & 1938786, user:EnjieLemon EnjieLemon has some nice brushes in general, but some are paid for.  Still worth checking out due to their cheap clippy price (and clippy can be obtained for free).  The Brokenhearted brushes have a nice texture.  The Halloween pack includes a cute pumpkin stamp along with some easy to use chalk, oil, & watercolor brushes.  Compact and easy to use!

“Watercolor marker and texture set” - 1682349 There's a reason this set is one of the most downloaded on the asset store.  It's one of the best looking watercolor replicas out there, and even if you don't use the brushes, you can likely still find a use for the textures.  Great for soft coloring.

Grunge Brushes, Soft | Heavy | Complex Brushes & Xenomorphius' stuff in general -  user:xenomorphius Xeno drops some cool natural looking brushes out every so often for painting, inking, and dry media.  Please check 'em out!  The grunge brushes create a fun, grungy look like it says on the pack, & the soft/heavy/complex set can be used for painting as well as lining.  

Oil-h5 trial -  1976418 These brushes are hard to explain.  They work with the dual brush setting, & push around a layer of paint on top of your regular paint, creating a cool, streaky look.  They're a hidden gem.

MYNQZO brushes - 1993875 A pretty darn good set for painting.  I really love rough brush 2, it's great for sketching & rendering.

Painting, non-textured 

(basic rounds & other shapes for smooth rendering)

Kiminie71's Brush Set -  1728687 4 simple rounds that are great for rendering!   https://assets.clip-studio.com/en-us/detail?id=1728687

CHIMAKA Set -  1747974 Heavy drag paint that highlights well & applies thickly.  Great for bold shading.

Choms Paint -  1910936 It just gets me.  No further elaboration.

Honeypen<3 -  1786787 Fits great in my paint hand.  Very slidey & blends like intended!

Wet flat marker -  1917678 Super blending brush, gives super soft edges to paint.  Blends great.

oil mushblendiw -  1918739 Another simple & easy to use roundbrush.

Paint - 1760641 This plainly named brush is a triangle brush that goes between heavy & light with pressure.  The creator, Puppsicle, also sells some neat brushes on Ko-Fi if you enjoy this brush.

"The Scarlet Knot Brush Set 2" - 1916125 I use the watercolor of thought out of this set, but they're all pretty good & easy to use. https://assets.clip-studio.com/en-us/detail?id=1916125

Sunday - 1825825 A round brush with a watercolor border that gives a nice, sketchy feeling. https://assets.clip-studio.com/en-us/detail?id=1825825

Marker Brushes

Marker Texture Brush -1809506 A very nice subtly textured brush.  Has a nice instructional guide on how to get the best results with it. :D

Mirre's Marker set - 1749822 Another good brush with a subtle texture.  Comes with its own blender!

Woody Marker & Pencil set - 1772987 I also love the pencil in this pack.  Nice woody feel, feel free to turn off multiply.

Pencils & Sketchers

SU-Cream Pencil - 1761353 no wonder its popular.  Can be used for lineart, sketching, and coloring, this versatile brush delivers a great smooth look with a gentle textured end finish on pressure.

Write BoruPenP - 1753435 Probably the best ballpoint pen on Clip.  Please check out Pharan's things, I love them.😊

“Pencil-like Brush for Lineart” - 1692270 Ok this is kind of a weird way to recommend something.  It's SUPPOSED to be a pencil but I use it like a paintbrush with the opacity & density on pressure control, & another copy with blending turned on.  Whatever you use it for, you're sure to get a good result!

Grease pencil/china marker - 1774978 Chunky brush for chunky sketching needs.

Muda muda muda - 1715496 A pretty darn good dark pencil.

REDSketch soft - 1907313 just a nice sketcher!  Good for shading too.

MUGZ BRUSH - 1861032 A set of dry chalk & brushes.  Gives a fun messy look when used!

T Spade Pencil - 1769208 A pencil that looks great for lineart as well as sketches.  Good taper.

Magipencil 2 - 1755940 Utterly good for textured and smooth lineart.  These pens get me.  Can’t recommend them enough. :)

Pens & Inkers

G-pen 6 - 1767809 A generic name but a good Gpen with character.  Organic without sacrificing too much smoothness.

"Flat thick pen" - 1826131 I call it the card games pen.  I think you can see why.  Solid at high pressure, a little bit of texture at low pressure, and pretty great for sharp angles.

Haggiben_Lineart_Color - 1770988 A nice triangle liner.

Gabu Pen - 1894713 Very slightly rough pen on one side, another nice triangle-like liner.

Aeridus - user:Aeridis All 3 of their pens give a nice result.

Pilot Pen - 1895049 A great IRL brush now a digital one!

Fude set - 1726964 & 1759205 Heavy, beautiful ink!  The creator has some more good ink pens too, take a look. :D  

Dimi - 1763877 It's a ga,l with a knife and a nice calligraphy pen.  Can't ask for more. Turn on >particles "change with brush size" in settings to keep the shape without chaning.  

New Cali A nice set of Calligraphy brushes.  They have smooth transitions between big and small.  

Blend, Fill, & Erase

Noise and texture blur - 1842730 If you want a more painterly look to your blur, get these!  They said they're supposed to be turned from free to paid, but the artist hasn't come back and done it yet.  Will they do it?  I'm not sure. :0

Textured Blending & Blurs - 1904941 & 1971444 They're actually made by me, my apologies, but it's hard to find textured blenders by themselves.  Most are included in a set or are something you have to pay for, so I released a few free stand alone ones due to it.  Normal solid round blenders & blurs are easier to find & even easier to create yourself! https://assets.clip-studio.com/en-us/detail?id=1904941 https://assets.clip-studio.com/en-us/detail?id=1971444

Unhelpful Eraser - 1798605 The terrible hard eraser that you had in school becomes digital.  Download it as a tribute.

Quick Lasso Fill -  1978471 Fills up a lasso'ed area.

Random Color Fill - 1707873 Picks random spaces to fill.  The picture in the demonstration shows it better than I can describe.

Scratchy Coloring - 1845677 A fun scratchy brush that can fill areas up.

Quick Lasso Eraser - 1875033 This and the next brush are both @pharan​ ‘s again.  This does the same as the lasso fill, but erases as you can tell.

Erase along Edge - 1800143 An eraser that takes advantage of reference layers.  The description explains it in detail.

"Create Solid-irregularity set" aka adding texture to black solid ink patches - 1768052 These distress the paper, making it look more textured.  Easier to look at than to explain, click the link for more!

Mirre Cross Hatch Brush Set - 1972956 I love the look the spaced lines give.  Fantastic set.

Overlap Hatching (…"a texan"???) - 1712720 One of the most popular Clip Studio Hatchers for a reason, easy to apply hatchers that you can just keep adding to for a sparse or dense look.

Dust hatching brush - 1966237 Simple light hatcher with dust particles around it for a dusty feeling.

Cross-hatching Blur - 1684830

I actually recommend all of  user:もの区 ‘s stuff they have posted for crosshatching.  There’s a whole bunch of great free brushes there for anyone who enjoy hatching!

“Rough and Solid” - 1874629 A ribbon brush that makes good borders.

“Coarse Solid Erase” - 1872105 For those who like to fill an area, then erase the light parts away.

chaos brushes - 1569895 A great marbler.  

"Dirty cross hatching_monochrome" - 1727346 A nice, thick, analogue hatch.  SB has some great material in general, but most needs clippy.

Creepy Lines 1 & 2 - 1405766 & 1707236 Get some spooky lines into your art!

Simple Retro Halftone - 1802041 A small set that's easy to use to add some halftone texture.

retro halftone brushes - 1852027 A larger yet still easy to use set with more specific brushes to use for each color.

Mar's Halftones -  1949506 A set with a lot of fun patterns!  Check out SpiralPuzzle's stuff in general, they post some unique brushes.

Pixel Art

Pixel Brushes by tsiox - (small) 1971800 & (large) 1969097 THE Clip Studio pixel set.  Has a ton of tools & textures to use.  The small set is better for slower internet connections & if you don't want all the patterns.

Studio Screen Tones - 1803496 If you like Flipnote studios or need more dithers, get this!

Pixel Foliage Brushes - 1883082 I apologize for promoting my own assets again, but I promise they're useful if you're doing anything with grass, trees, or bushes! ;w; My basic set - 1910804 Another lighter set with a few noise brushes that are useful at tiny size.  Did my best not to overlap with tsiox’s set while covering the basics.

Bonus: two blending pixel brush sets.   Mao Pixel (1779745) & Scummy Pixel(1782455). They’re not for exact pixel art, they’re more for playing around with & painting. :)