#and i also have to sketch the next one better bc there is at least 1 character who i dont draw often in them

[magentagalaxies]

going to a comedy open mic tomorrow mostly to watch my friends (it's at a cool venue that my improv troupe performs at once a month and a few improv troupe friends are doing standup there) but when these friends were asking if i'd be interested in coming they were like "btw there's usually a ton of open spots on show days if YOU want to do something... and they're not strict about it only being standup either, people have done character pieces and sketches etc like they embrace the weirdness... and they're not strict about time limits you could probably do anything between three and eight minutes... sometimes if there's not enough people signed up they'll even let you go twice..." and i'm like god damn it i thought i was gonna take a break from aubrey but this setup is like tailor made for an aubrey appearance lmao

[zkretchy]

While I am busy drawing my next lil artsy things I just wanted to show you a good old before and after of my last bits of art Mainly that since all of them were quickies the sketches were basically non-existent(except for Kiyans horse)

now what I usually do is have the pre-sketch and then a better one like

but I guess skipping a whole step is also....fine....it’s fine don’t look too deeply at it don’t worry

also bonus Lambert (or what could be an egg)face

[thatlittleviolin]

//A little ramblig about eddie dear bc i cant stop thinking about him

Im not joking when i say this whole post was inspired after seen @//purple-raspberries “the mailman” drawing because O MY STARS WHAT IS THAT DRAWINgGGGGGG /pos

Okay so anyway, whats up with Eddie Dear? As, like, an active character of Welcome Home?

Something rubs me in the wrong way when it comes to him as a whole, not that I dislike him, pretty… much the opposite (thats why I'm making this post) actually, but I feel he is more relevant to the lore than what ppl give him credit for.

Even way before the past-year (2023) Halloween and Homewarming updates, I felt that he must simply be more than what is presented to us about him:

- He is the only character who sees all the rest of the neighbours every day due to his work

- He is one of the few if not the only one who is confirmed to be from outside of Home

- He brings one of the TWO functional clocks in all of Home (which could well be due to the nature of his work, but it doesn't take away from the fact that it's curious)

And I know, ik, this is not a lot. In fact, I believe this is not crucial info, but I want to mention it because it gives, in some way, a certain statement: Eddie Dear is not like everyone else. It differentiates him from the others.

There's simply something intriguing about him; and I constantly think about how, again, he's the resident who interacts most with his neighbors, the most helpful and willing to do anything, and despite that, he's the one who gets the most hits?

Hes always in a rush because he likes helping others, he's clumsy and yet he does his job in a stellar way and yet he goes the more underappreciated by his neighbors and its the first one to get to have his own personal breakdown during the Homewarming

Keep in mind, I don't mean that the other characters are bad or smth, we all know that inside they care for each other and are a pretty nice neighborhood-

But yea, starting with the most obvious, Howdy and Sally are downright condescending, bordering on rude to him. Howdy ignores him or pays half attention when he goes to deliver merchandise to the Bugdega and tries to start a conversation, and despite this, we can see that Howdy asks him for help to deliver things to someone else.

More specifically, during a hidden audio, we can hear that he uses Eddie to deliver an order of bowling balls to Julie DESPITE Howdy having a home delivery system and probably being able to better handle the weight of the merchandise, being at least two heads taller than Eddie, right when Eddie had just told him he had a very tiring day (of course he didn't hear that)

Sally, on her side, is condescending to him to the degree that when we hear them interacting, at least until now, it's mostly her giving him orders. Heck, Sally has a "long name" for every resident EXCEPT Eddie, whom she usually just calls "Mailman" for everything.

Julie and Frank tend to be more passive about it, but it doesn't take away from the fact that they also end up... taking advantage a bit? Or leaving him a bit aside. I know, I know, we all ship FranklyDear here, but it still bothers me how during "Eddie's big lift" (+ another hidden audio) we're shown how Julie tends to involve him in her games without much consideration as to whether Eddie even understands them to begin with, and Frank, despite acknowledging that he works hard and often overworks for everyone, leaves him lying on the ground. They don't even wait for him to get up to say goodbye properly, they just leave him there and go home. It's a bit sad to hear how Eddie talks to himself while getting up and dusting himself off.

And finally, one that I understand is a joke but serves as a transition to my next point: Barnaby and his constant gag of chasing Eddie around the neighborhood as soon as he sees him making his deliveries, or insisting that Eddie lifts him up because “he's just a puppy”. I won't delve into this (not now) because I know that overall that's Barnaby's way of joking; Eddie is not his only victim, but when you mix it with everything said above, it gives off some weird vibes.

It's as if Eddie was the typical "punching bag" character of the show's creators; you know, the one created so that the fun we get from him is at his expense, and sadly, somehow that fact makes sense to me as to why he's the first to have a "breakdown" during Homewarming and said breakdown has to do with, what else? his isolation and probable sadness.

During Sally's history and Poppy's confinement in her own house, there were two predominant themes: what happens when we're in the dark, what lurks in the shadows and whatnot, and isolation: Sally talks about this but Poppy experiences it first hand; shes alone and in the dark, house bricked to the top. However, Eddie gets overwhelmed despite being surrounded by everyone and, clearly, in a lit environment.

My opinion? Said loneliness and darkness don't necessarily need to be tangible, and in Eddie's case, they come from a mental place. My dear doesn't seem to have too much appreciation for himself, constantly letting people get the help they want (need, of course) from him at the cost of his own well-being. Eddie Dear is not happy, in fact, I feel he puts himself down a bit, which equates to darkness, and when he can distract himself from this fact again, Home reminds him; and his loneliness comes in a literal-but-not way. Eddie is never alone, that's evident, but again, in the Homewarming video we're not only emphasized that he's upset and confused because no one has asked him for help, but because he DOESN'T KNOW how to handle his own activities outside of work. Anything that doesn't have to do with the post office but is more personal overwhelms him because he's not used to thinking outside of how he should help others because that's his "only" way of interacting with them. Eddie needs to be needed in order to be closer to others, and when that's not the case, it frustrates him so much that it even seems like anger.

Heck, it's even sad how Sally mentions that nobody bothered him with the usual tasks they would require him for to give him a day off, and then downright nobody interacted with him. Not even Julie called him to play. When Sally finds him under Home's tree, she asks him to escort her to Home for the Homewarming and it's narrated that they're the last to arrive, but if Eddie hadn't left his house then... what? Would he have stayed there? (Lowkey I theorize that he wouldn't have, because of the fact that Sally and Frank seem to have more awareness than the others, I feel like she was actually waiting for him)

Personally, I consider that when it comes to a case like Eddie's, it's even worse, because you don't need to be actively in a closed and dark place, isolated (in what voluntary situation would someone have to be like that?) for your head to go completely to shit. Think about it, you make Home angry and he doesn't need the rest of the neighbors to build a wall around you. It does what you already do well: it locks you up with your thoughts and leaves you there.

So,,, uh, yeah, I don't know how to end this.

I just wanted to talk about my fav man.

somebody help him PLAEASSE

[poscariastri]

hi, previous anon back - I'm so glad I could make your day!!! I've been chewing on that art for the better part of a week now and decided you should know how much I love it :]

lowkey I'm mildly scared to drop a dm given the fact that like. I don't have an f1 blog or sideblog and I don't really intend on making one rn haha (most of what I know of f1 is against my will and I've imprinted on lance LOL)

oooo piastroll is also good! I've always called it osclance in my head haha but I think your idea flows better - and YES their numbers are so good together <3 reverses and nines and squares and all that, man they have such nice numbers...

I have. never seen that nando jesus pic. I'm saving it rn that's amazing. something something, jesus rose on the third day, nando came back to f1 after three years, wonderful parallels there... and the aston martin wings... oh I am DEEPLY abnormal about those wings...!!! awww teeny tiny mini nando jesus on the globe (I think) being all radiant <3

oh I LOVE those concept sketches... oscar wants another home race... the fisheye perspective is really good and I love it sm! and lance's stupid facial hair (beloved) and that panel with the two of them like in a romcom meet-cute where oscar Knows His Next Move and lance very much Does Not... and then the next one with PASTOR NANDO I AM CRYING. THAT MAN SEEMS LIKE HE'S EXCITED TO MARRY OFF HIS YOUNG PADAWAN LMAOOOO (he probably threatened oscar at least five times that if he finds lance crying it's on sight) (but also would take shots with both of them at the reception)

and yes I'll 100% accept rent in the form of more oscar and lancey (though obviously you don't have to if you're not feeling it!)

HI anon! thank you again im so glad you enjoy that silly art so much! you ofc dont have to DM if u dont want to no pressure (saluting face emoji (im on pc))

as a tribute to you and your wonderful askbox rambles i came up with another doodle! not as much effort in this one but i thought of it at 3 am and immediately had to draw it (i. did not get a lot of sleep) hope you like it!

theyre badly cropped bc again im on pc and tumblr pc hates me (its mutual) and somehow i never manage to draw in the right size for the canvas lmaoo but here TAKE IT AND RUN!!

[beesmygod]

yesterday was webcomics day. i am bea and i make "A Ghost Story" - part 4: the art

this part i feel like gets done semi-easy once the rest of the shit is dealt with. yesterday, my knuckles continued to swell and feel like rotten wood so i had to cut it short. this shit happens more frequently than i would prefer. today i need to run to the store and also pick myself up a lil treat (an eighth). for right now tho i have some cbd rich stuff that should help. maybe. while the index finger still hurts, only the middle knuckle is swollen anymore. let's see.

i started with panels 2 and 3 bc they seemed the least immediately labor intensive. ill be copy/pasting the line/flats for panel 3 to edit from there. t...there's going to be a lot of copy/paste this page. its not usually like that. but i usually only copy/paste the lines and flats. i will re-shade things so that they look different

unlike the sketch, the lineart has more "weight" to it. wait thats not how the pillow would deform. hold on.

ok that's better. did people even notice that before i changed it. probably not. but it matters to me!!!!! these little things add up and add weight to your world!!!! ive been trying new things with line as as of [looks at watch] last week. so it looks bad right now. like someones vague idea of what good lineart is supposed to look like. practice makes perfect tho....or breeds familiarity or something.

some parts of this look weird. dont worry. we will cover up that shit with speech bubbles. thank you comics for your ways of obfuscating bad art.

flats are easy. select everything that isnt your line art, invert the selection, and dump a base layer. then color that base layer with a mask

this page will, blessedly, not have any complex backgrounds. i already established the scene previously and can skate on doing my textured backgrounds. the background gradients in the direction the light in the room is being cast, usually.

first, a multiply layer at 50%. since she's facing away from the light source, she'll be mostly in shadow. then a white overlay layer at 50%; this is to make the first shadow layer pop and keep from getting too muddy. then a second multiply layer at 50% for the next layer of shadows.

added some sweat beads to make her look more haggard and some shine to her hair, since she's so close to the light. i've started bothering doing this bc it unfortunately looks good. finally i add one more multiply layer at 40% over her eyes to make her look more over this entire thing. and then added the red glow in another overlay layer (100%) where it would land if being cast from above.

completely servicable and theres room for like. a speech bubble later. usually i do text first, but in this case its so secondary to the actions being performed, i want to prioritize one over the other.

looking at it, im not going to be able to copy/paste this after all. she's going to settle in more and her body will rotate too much in the process. i can use this as a base to trace over, though, which will get me started.

but pain is occurring so im going to eat breakfast. what a bitch!

[silverysnake]

button tutorial (bc some people on this post said they also want a button like the one i made)

there‘s two options:

option 1: you already have a button lying around that you don‘t use anymore and are willing to sacrifice for this

option 2: you don‘t have a button. in that case you can use a bottle cap (like from a soda or beer bottle) and a safety pin. you can follow the same steps and then glue the safety pin to the back. i used the same fabric glue as i used for the button itself but if you want to speed everything up i would recommend hot glue bc the fabric glue needs a few hours to dry.

*i added a picture of how i placed the safety pin at the end

1. the first thing i do is putting a layer of acrylic paint on it. acrylic paint bc it ‚sticks’ well on even materials and usually covers very well (maybe not white or yellow but you probably get what i mean). i would also recommend using a big brush to get the layer as smooth as possible bc it makes drawing things on top easier. the coat of paint needs to dry completely before you can do the next step, i usually wait a few hours to make sure it‘s fully dry but it doesn‘t actually take THAT long for acrylic paint to dry

2. when the paint is dry i sketch on the design with a soft pencil that is not too sharp, i used a 4b but honestly the softer the better. also don’t put too much pressure even if you use a very soft pencil bc if you press too hard you will just scratch the paint off again (happened to me, it‘s not fun) (you can also skip this step but i like putting a rough sketch on first)

3. i use acrylic marker to properly draw on the design but you can also use regular acrylic paint and a very thin brush or other thin markers, they just need to draw on the paint and cover it properly, whatever you have. also let this dry properly, i usually let it lie for a few hours to make sure i don‘t mess anything up bc it‘s not properly dry yet.

4. to seal it off against rain and scratches and stuff i put waterproof glue on it. i personally use fabric glue but i think any glue that‘s transparent (at least once it‘s dry) and not dissolvable by water should work. i just put a bit on it and spread it out with a tissue, then let it dry. you can also use the glue to get some texture on the buttons, but it shouldn’t be too thick bc then the light might reflect on it too much making the design harder to see (i‘m gonna put another button as an example for that at the bottom). you can also skip this step but i would recommend it so the paint can‘t be damaged, especially when the paint isn‘t waterproof itself

* for option 2: i left the safety pin open bc it made it easier to position and to make sure that no glue gets into the moving parts (that‘s important bc otherwise you won‘t be able to open and close it). just put enough in so the bottom of the safety pin is covered completely and then let it sit till it‘s dry.

here‘s some other buttons i made :) the left has some texture on it like i mentioned above

that‘s all, the concept is pretty easy overall and i hope i explained it in an understandable way. if you have any questions feel free to just ask me and i‘ll try to help :)

[genesisgijinka]

Do you have any tips for drawing backgrounds? Yours always look so nice

aww thank you! As for tips...

Tip #1:

Find references. I sketched the cover for chapter 4 three different times, because the first two didn't evoke the majesty of the Prism Tower in the way I wanted it to. And then I saw this

I think you can see how this translated into the cover

Tip #2:

Do studies. Be it from photos (your own or from a royalty free website like pixabay, but watch out for AI garbage bc the perspective is usually wrong) or from real life. It's not cheating, it's encouraged, and it's industry standard. Idc if you have photographic memory, get something from real life in front of your eyeballs and draw it. Try and keep your reference close to your drawing so that it's easier for your eyes to flick back and forth between the two. This is how you can train your eyes to really see what's going on in an image. Compare angles, shapes, sizes, and distances.

I use clip studio paint for Genesis, which has perspective rulers and they're super handy for speeding up the process (first image) and again, is not cheating. It's a tool to use in your arsenal. A little tricky to use, but once you get it down, it's fantastic. I also really recommend using other mediums, like a sketchbook and a sharpie (2nd image) or dinking around in Paint (3rd image). Limiting yourself in challenging ways is a great way to grow fast. Experimenting like this is also great for finding a style or technique that you click with

Tip #3:

Be aware of the cone of vision. This is a technical skill, but it's one of those things that you don't necessarily have to draw out every single time (tho I'd recommend doing it at least once to burn it into your memory better). If your drawing is looking wonky, the cone of vision being breached is a likely culprit. I'll link a video to someone who can explain how to do it better than I can.

Tip #4:

Learn how to draw things the same size in perspective. This is probably the thing I use the most. For example;

You have a tiled floor in a room. The lines going to the vanishing point are easy to do.

But how do you do the horizontal ones going across the floor?

Step 1: draw two horizontal lines, and put an X in one of them, going from corner to corner

Step 2: Going from the center of the X, trace a line back to the vanishing point

Step 3: from one corner, draw a line that goes through where that center line hits the tile edge

Step 4: at the end of this new line is where the next tile will start

Step 5: Rinse and repeat as needed

Ta-da! You now have tiles that are all the same size

This also works for vertical things like windows or telephone poles

One of the most useful applications I've found this trick for is making sure that everything is the right size. Sticking a person in a drawing is an instantly recognizable way to show scale

Whilst sketching the cover for ch 4, I'd accidentally made the doors way too small in the buildings in the back, so I slapped some people down to make sure they were the right height (This is in 3-point perspective, so the trick still works, regardless of if it's 1-, 2-, or 3-pt perspective owo b )

[apocalypticdemon]

nine people i want to get to know better!!

i was tagged by the lovely @clandestinegardenias!! thank you!

Last Song: I-E-A-I-A-I-O by System of a Down! i've been branching out of my heavy metal rut of the last 6 months, but System of a Down still slaps really hard.

Favorite Color: hmmmm i really like lush jewel tones, so i think i have to go with like a deep burgundy right now, but the green of spring vegetation in full sun is a very, very close second

Currently Watching: well. i'm in the middle of a The Terror rewatch right now (again....) but the literal last thing I just watched was the IndyCar Grand Prix in Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, CA. but in terms of new shows, i'm not watching new stuff rn.

Last Movie: Mad God. what a fucking trip that film is. jesus. stop-motion horror film. visually gorgeous. disgusting. it was my second time watching it, and it was again really gross and not super linear and 100% up my alley. it was so bizarre, but i am CAPTIVATED by the music (since there is no dialogue; it's only music and sfx) and i want to write a paper on it so so sososo badly.

Currently Reading: currently juggling Captain Crozier: Last Man Standing, Les Miserables, and The Wager! They're all good in their own respects, but very very different from one another, as well. The Crozier bio is a little bit lighter than I was expecting, The Wager more narrative than I was expecting, and Les Mis thus far has just been slow, but i'm in the early pages for everything but the Crozier biography, so i'm still getting used to them. Also I started Persuasion by Jane Austen last month, but haven't gotten very far yet.

Sweet, Spicy, or Savory? they all have their place, but i have such a bad sweet tooth. it trumps almost everything for me. i love sugar.

Relationship: single! i've been single since like.... my sophomore year of high school? and i'm halfway through my master's now, so it's been.... i think i'll have been single for a decade exactly this year, on my birthday. but also i'm extremely aromantic so. that does contribute to that, lmao

Current Obsession: oh it's definitely The Terror. Very much so. but IndyCar is also a quiet sports obsession of mine and i am starting to get In The Weeds for it this year. i deliberately chose to pay more attention after the 500 this year, but i've been meaning to follow the full season for a few years now, and it's been a blast! really nice to watch tbh. it's fascinating stuff, and one of the only sports i can really, truly sink my mental teeth into. also i have been crocheting like mad recently, bc it keeps me entertained and Makes Things!

Last Googled: tire strategy and regulations in IndyCar races, the differences in those regulations between oval and road courses, and the literal difference in composition between alternate and primary tires. very cool stuff. to me, at least, lmao

Currently Working On: jotting down ideas for the next two terror fics i want to work on/sketching out the plots and adaptations for both of them, getting fully trained at my job, and like 3 separate crochet projects. i have. a very scattered brain. also mentally gearing up for my second year of my master's, which is frightening, considering that i have to Write A Thesis soon lmao

oh lordt i don't know if i have 9 people to tag, but i'll tag a few: @imwritesometimes, @jbloopers, @sweetenby, @silkenbutterfly7 - if any of you want to participate, please do!

[selitoxicmoon]

Partytober 7-8 // Eternal Night (WIP + Read Desc.)

Halloween at the Mega Pizza Plex Yeah I was thinking a lot about sharing it because I know guys you love my FNAF artwork specially when it's done in a more stylish way, as I know I won't be able to complete the Halloween list, at least I can bring you the sketch or WIP of what would be the Partytober 7-8 Hope you enjoy this gift from me this December, I am really stressed with homework and having some personal issues going on, but that's a story for another day, what I can share for future posts are the next: - Meet the OCs, don't get me wrong I even planned the second wave and can be seen once u subscribe in my Kofi. The first chosen one of them all is almost done, it's getting tense and long because I'm making sure to put all the sweat, effort and love to it as I do with my OCs. - Security Breach: Revision, my AU is getting a lot of attention through anywhere surprisingly, Twitter, DeviantArt, Instagram and even Tumblr; which guys I have no words to express how happy I am and proud of this AU along with the Pizza Tower one (I didn't forgot yet ;)) and with the recent poll I wanna make sure people also collaborates with me to know what things would be looking better. - My projects list is getting a RESTART to make sure what people wants from me but specially what I WOULD LOVE to work on. So also the next posts there's some new "friend" I'm gonna show y'all, it's my... assistance and- head boss(¿) which notes everything needed and stuff- ANYWAY you will see it sooner or later! Specially bc of my pfp that will change---

With all this being said, I'm happy that I can get a bit more healthy schedule and work on drawings everytime I feel like to without pressure. Thank you!

[demonicintegrity]

I know these aren't the prettiest pictures or best handwriting I've had, so forgive me for just trying to get these uploaded. Each page will be transcribed under the read more.

I went to a protest yesterday, and I've drawn at one of these protests before, but because this one was longer and bigger I went through the effort of making a booklet to take notes and draw more scenes.

The biggest thing for me is that there's so much pain at the loss of life. At the horrific events currently unfolding now and in the past that has caused this. Nothing will get better if we don't have a ceasefire first. Most importantly, for us across the world not actively in this, it's important we divest our money away from bombs and war and into our own communities and peaceful resolutions. We have responsibilities here too.

IMPORTANT NOTE: There are certain signs and quotes here that I have way more thoughts on that aren't elaborated here. Please do not take anything I'm writing down that isn't my own words as the be-all-end-all of my thoughts and opinions. There is nuance here and be civil. Also, quotes are likely missing some context in the whole speech.

Transcription under cut, it's a lot but I would at least like y'all to skim it and read my next day thoughts:

Image 1/Cover: A sticker with crayon lines echoing it in red, green, and black. The text on the sticker reads "FREE PALESTINE. SAT MAY 11th 2024 JOHNSON SQUARE Savannah, GA. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free! Ceasefire now!"

Image 2/Page one: Start of bullet point notes marked with an X, with additional notes around it. Top right has two circles within it being "I'm not apart of the official organizers" and "@sav4palestine on Insta" Notes are as follows,

My arrival around ~ 11:30am -Set up still happening, just gathering -Missing kid poster on benches, not protest related & not to be messed with

11:50am -Art is unloaded w/ water jugs (drums?) -More people gathered -Speaker set up -WJCL 22 ABC arrived -Haven't noticed any police, ->They were here early last protest w/ the chalk art

Baby post is from an Israeli supporter. It's of a baby kidnapped on Oct 17th by Hamas. He has an Israel flag -Sympathies of course, Oct 7 was tragic for many, but that's not an excuse for the ongoing genocide -Carpet bombing won't bring hostages. Nor will mass graves or concentration camps -A ceasefire will benefit all innocents and hostages (written on side of page) It had a QR code I didn't scan. I'm not trusting any QR codes @ protests -> He's sticking around w/ an Israel flag he's the only one I think

12:04pm -Cops allegedly around the square -I see them now (have been here since the beginning)

12:09pm -Music starts -More news arrives

Image 3/Page two: More bullet points with a rough sketch. Written is as follows,

12:16pm Someone in a royal bike taxi shirt is harrassing protesters bc "Palestine shouldn't have put Hamas in power." -Hamas doesn't define Palestinians just like the Israeli gov doesn't define them. There are Israeli against [Netanyahu] [was misspelled in picture]

Very loose sketch of the protest in Johnson Square from the side. There are multiple people set up and speaking on a stone to the right and a large crowd surrounds them from the left

12:20pm Counter protest truck pulls up -Keeping an eye on it -Crowd is huge -Has an American flag w/him ([new] counter protestor does) -Truck parked behind the news, partially in Traffic -playing their own music?

12:26pm 2 (3?) counter protesters to a huge crowd for Palestine -Speeches starting

Image 4/Page three: Transcriptions of signs read, quotes from speakers, and notes. As follows,

Sign: You will not antisemite me into compliciting with genocide

Sign: It is a priviledge to be able to ignore something that others are dying from

Sign: Your silence will be studied by your children

12:32pm counter protesters trying to cover up speech w/ music

(Quote) "This is not a single university left in Gaza."

USA chants from counter protesters drowned out by free Palestine chat -lol, lmao even

Calvary on standby -I see two police on horses

USA chants @ free speech on other campuses being repressed -shame

Sign: when you need to have hundred of protests just to tell the world that bombing children is not okay, you know humanity (we) failed

Image 5/Page four: More transcriptions as follows

(quote) "The students have never been on the wrong side of history."

Sign: Queers for Palestine

Sign: Hands off Rafah!

Sign: Remembrance is resistance

12:50pm new speaker up -counter protesters packing up?

(quote) "The media put it out, and America ate it up."

12:52pm counter protesters gone

Sign: Man fuck western news follow (insta @'s) [I could not make them out very well]

12:56pm starting march, -No stopping until Reynolds Sqaure -Prob gonna have more counter protesters -will recap after walk

Wrap up: March went well, short, only motorcycles tried to rev and cover up. No other counter protesting -New chanting -1:09pm

Sign: We did it, Joe we funded Genocide! Ceasefire now

Image 6/Page five: More transcriptions as follows,

1:13pm taking this march to city hall

1:18pm reaching new meet up -some revving & flipping off, but peaceful & went well

Sign: Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere

1:23pm new speaker up -Member of the Jewish trans community -Addressing antisemitism claims

Sign: Gulfstream $$$ is blood $$$

United states of Israhell, cut this shit out. You were killing Palestine long before Hamas was created. 75 years under your occupation created Hamas

1:30pm Demanding ceasefire from mayor -He denied early into this -Heard "Fuck You" from hecklers

Sign: Queer Arabs for Free Palestine

Sign: 40,000 people dead is not self-defense

Sign: Congratulations 2024 Palestine graduates

(quote) "This greed has dominated this land for 500 years."

Image 7/Page six: More transcriptions as follows

(quote) "I will not appeal to the morals of the greedy ruling class, they have none."

1:42pm cops hanging out around

Sign: It's not war, it's genocide

1:47pm Closing remarks & chants Organized by @ sav4palestine

Very loose sketch of the protest in front of the city hall. Protesters are on a bench holding a banner as the crowd surrounds in front and behind them.

Image 8/Page seven: Next day thoughts as follows Gone through and corrected any legibility/spelling stuff, but didn't touch the drawings at all. Highlighted quotes from the speeches that stuck out to me. I don't know why I started doing this. I just wanted to be involved. I know the importance of primary sources, I know the importance of being present and aware. Being there was inspiring, even when certain moments and events would strike a chord of wrong within me. Nothing is perfect, but progress and peace is worth the missteps and accidents. We mean well, and that is important. I am not free from my missteps and ignorance either, and as I take notes and continue to dig and learn, I will continue to do better. We all are important in this battle. The conflict is older than us, created by systems intending to divide and self serve. We all have a part to play, from the Palestinian journalists and red cross martyred in their line work, to the protests in Israel criticizing their far-right government and calling for Netanyahu's (resignation) to us worldwide demanding divestment and acknowledgement to our self-serving histories that created this mess. True progress starts with a ceasefire, so no more lives are lost. From there we can work on peaceful resolutions. This conflict has upset me from the beginning. I can only hope a happy resolution is soon and try to work towards that.

-End of transcript-

[hydn-jpg]

hello!! i am alive !!!!

how have y'all been? i've definitely been better lol

so... i can explain. or maybe not. i've never been good at talking about things but i'll do my best

under the cut bc a bunch of things happened and this'll probably be very long:

honestly where do i even start?

it has been a very rough almost month and a half for me, it was as if whatever god or entity out there went "lol wouldn't it be funny if we made this person go through several bad things all within the span of a few weeks" and then did just that

in early august i got a call from my mom that my grandmother had passed away. i had just gotten home from class at the time, but i immediately went out again and took the soonest available flight back to korea for her funeral. losing her hit me pretty hard honestly, she was the one i turned to when things were hard, and was also the only one who was generally supportive of my identity and sexuality. she didn't really get it, but she never made homophobic or transphobic comments, and was always kind and unconditionally loving. chuseok this year will be difficult without her around but at least she is in a better place i hope.

i took two weeks off from school to stay with my family after that. when i got back i was mostly catching up on all the classes i missed so i had very little time to do anything else. the stress coupled with all the physical exertion and everything else lead me to have the worst asthma attack i've experienced as of yet, it could've gotten a lot worse if it weren't for my kind neighbours who rushed to help me when they saw me struggling in the hallway

then in late august i got into a car accident. i was driving home from campus (which is an hour away), it was raining very heavily and i guess i lost control of my car. i am not sure what exactly happened honestly, one moment i was driving peacefully (and at appropriate speed for driving in the rain) and the next moment my car was spinning around and hitting the guardrails before crashing. it sounds cliché but everything was in slow motion and i literally saw my life flash before my eyes. i'm really thankful that the highway was basically empty, so no one else was affected. i somehow came out of the accident with only a concussion, a badly sprained arm and neck and some cuts and bruises. those will surely heal with time but the trauma of it will probably stay for quite a while.

so that's what happened. my mental health has not been great but i've been feeling a bit better lately! so that's good. i've been too physically, mentally and emotionally drained to do anything haha.

i probably won't be able to draw for a while thanks to my injury so you won't be seeing any art from me for at least another month or so,, to people i still owe commissions to, i will have to give you an IOU because again, i can't draw rn but also because i lost basically all the art that i haven't backed up during the crash, which unfortunately includes the commission sketches :( i'm so sorry, i'll redraw them as soon as i'm able to. i really wish procreate had an automatic cloud backup system so at least the sketches i did were saved but we can't always get what we want i guess,,

thank you to everyone who reached out and asked about my wellbeing and i'm really sorry for ignoring your messages and tags. i'll get to them as soon as i can!

tldr; my grandma passed, i had a bad asthma attack and i got into a car accident but i am okay. not really but i'll be okay maybe. lmao.

[bioshoook]

I could get revenge and ask what headcanons you have for soapghost, but if you don’t do headcanons, give us some fic recs? (/pos bc I love writing headcanons and it’s made my day to get your asks.

Oh man how the turns have tabled!! I've only been into this ship/fandom for like a month or so now?? But I think I can pull off some headcanons :3 I've been reading too much to NOT have any (also you know I'm totally gonna ask you for some fic recs because your taste is 👌👌👌)

So I guess here's some soapghost headcanons that I've accumulated over the little time i've been here :D (put under read more because this is a bit on the long side)

Those two get matching tattoos after they retire from the service, like at least two sets of different tattoos (one on their hearts and another set on their ring fingers), and tbh I think they get one set while they're still on service. That particular one, I think, would be the tattoo idea where they have each other's names on the other's ring finger. Just something small and simple, nothing too big to draw other people's attention but enough to remind them of each other when they're not together (like being split up or on a separate mission).

Idk if this is canon in the reboot but Johnny loves drawing and loves to sketch out some sort of scene from the places they've been around the world. Whether it's just the sketch of a flower he saw or some moment he saw in one of the towns they've passed through. But his favorite thing.. that man's favorite thing to draw unfortunately just happens to be his lieutenant's eyes. And this is before they're an established thing or have even talked about their feelings with each other. So he’s sneaking glances, and honestly, can you blame him? It's the only way Soap's got any idea of what's going on in Ghost's head is by looking at his eyes. I mean he's s looking at them quite a bit when they're talking so can u blame him? (this is also because I think it would be really fun to draw Ghost's eyes and I just haven't had the chance too) I also think Ghost's eyes look like how umikochan on Twitter draws them. All dark but with the pretty white lashes :3

Simon's nervous when Johnny first invites him to meet his family. The two of them have been together for a few months, and it probably happens over Christmas. And Simon isn't really used to a traditional family setting? Lord knows he didn't have one when he was a kid, but being around the family dynamic of the 141 has helped him a bit with that. So when he does meet the Mactavish family, he's just this mass of well-concealed nerves and probably would unravel if it weren't for Johnny's hand in his. But meeting them goes so much better than Simon could hope, and by the end of the night when the pair are leaving, he's leaving as an honorary Mactavish. Johnny's mom explained it was the least she could do after seeing how much he cares for (and has cared for) Johnny. And they want him back for the next family gathering!

They both have nightmares, but they usually deal with them in different ways. Ghost will wake up suddenly, but not loudly. He tends to tense up and just breathe through whatever nightmare he just had (because thats what hes traoned himself to do over the years). While Soap is more the one who sits up fully in bed and has his feet on the floor in an instant just to keep him grounded from whatever nightmare just hit him. Of course, when the two start sleeping in the same bed, they stop having to deal with it on their own. Like magic, even if he's dead asleep, if Ghost has a nightmare and does his whole tense bit, then Soap is right there rolling over and cocooning Ghost in arms and legs. It makes Ghost feel safe and confined, like how his mask makes him feel when he wears it. If Soaps awake though or is woken up by Ghost then he'll usually ask if Ghost wants to talk about it and if he does then they do and if he doesn't then they go back to bed, but Soap won't fall asleep before he knows Ghost has fallen back to sleep. And with Soap, even if Ghost has become a little more of a heavy sleeper now that he sleeps with someone he trusts, Ghost is usually soon to follow with a warm hand, the man's a fuckin space heater, on Soap's shoulder and is pulling the man back down after they've talked, if Soap wants to obvi, and just has Soap lay against his chest. The rhythm of his heartbeat can usually lull Soap back into sleep. Unless it's a particularly bad one, then Ghost is up making tea for the both of them and talking about whatever they feel, like from soccer to even weird, not so scary dreams they've had in the past.

I feel like Ghost really likes reading. It's something he can do that's quiet, and it can take his mind off of things (if the book is good enough, which it usually is). Sometimes Johnny will try and read with him, but he's usually doing something with his hands, like drawing or tinkering with something mechanical or playing some kind of video game. I feel like Soap would be into action/adventure type games like Uncharted or Jak and Daxter. (soapghost treasure hunter au anyone 👀👀??)

This one is entirely self indulgent, but I would think that once Soap and Ghost are out of the service and living together they find a house with a big bathtub, big enough for the two of them. And on particularly cold days when their joints are aching from age and overuse or just when they feel like it, the two will take a long, hot bath together and just enjoy the comfort of being with each other in a basin of hot water. There's definitely back washing and hair washing and soft, intimate (aka very cute and lovey dovey) kisses. And they're just domestic and happy 🥺🥹

Another cute headcanon I have is that Soap is a master thief when it comes to nabbing Ghost clothes to wear as his own. A few hoodies and a pair of sweatpants never make it back to Ghost because Johnny has just adopted them as his own, but most of the time Soap hands them back to him because they've lost their "smell" and just takes whatever unfortunate article of clothing is laying around the house as his next victim until that one loses its Simon scent.

And because I'm a sucker for this, I feel like the two of them would realize their feelings for each other after a close call on a mission. One bullet hitting too close to be safe lands one of them in the hospital, and there's a bedside vigil for whoever wasn't as badly injured. And man if close calls don't make you realize just how close you came to losing the person you now deeply love then I don't know what does.

Also like to think that both Soap and Ghost can be a bit possessive over the other, but only in the hot "this one's mine" type way and not in the creepy "you can't hang out or talk to anyone but me" way, ya kno?

Same goes for protectiveness. Of course, they can't protect each other as much as they want, they're in the service for crying out loud, but that won't stop them from doing their best. Also, when it comes to new recruits that may want to try their luck against the infamous "Ghost" or not respect Soap like the damn man should be respected. Of course the whole 141 task force is there watching over the two of them through all of it because they're family and that's what family's DO. It's a two-way street for watching out for each other and the rest of the group.

[sasukimimochi]

eurghhghgh this gets a little long but i'm not putting a read more line cuz i put TLDR at the bottom and i want that shown.

i'm starting to think uploading weekly is more difficult than i thought now that i'm trying to also work on other things during the week, i haven't had time to work on any of the companion fics for gom or any of my other projects, and i think GOM is suffering a bit for it [last week i did just basic sketches for the chapter bc i was struggling to get everything done in time]

and that means i also don't really have time to stream if i want to draw while you guys watch, since i stream for a few hours at least [the one i did the other day was about six hr, you can see the highlight reel here, since the vod will eventually be deleted as all vods disappear after like 7 days. i just trimmed off the start and end where i'm talking nonsense and saved that as my highlight reel. sorry about the audio being a bit funky for my mic i'll bring my laptop closer to me next time].

But also the biggest thing [on top of wanting to complete more chapters and make a buffer]: i really want to reread the entirety of Ghost of mine so i can check for errors or inconsistencies, all i could do last week was listen to the tts of 12-16 while trying to get a drawing for 17 prepared, and i couldn't fix all the errors i heard since i was just trying to fix the timeline errors as a minimum before posting the chapter. the extra time would give me more time to proofread Ghost of Mine carefully, as well as give the new chapters and art the attention it deserves. [and...actually take care of my irl self better, it's hard to find time for things like cooking and cleaning beyond what i do for the older man i live with].

So what i'm trying to say is although i didn't think i needed it before, i am changing my mind about it now. so i think it's a good idea for me to upload every two weeks instead of one...at least until i (hopefully) am able to catch up to the point of having stuff prepared ahead of schedule.

i swear on my god awful adhd that i will sit down with my sprint bot [a bot that times me and tracks my word count, not an AI], and write with no distractions at least once a day [unless i have things that i am forced to do and can't get to it, but i can get a lot done when i'm using the sprint bot to make myself focus]. So i will hopefully be making the two week change worth it by getting a lot done and being able to return to weekly updates when things are less cramped and there's stuff prepared properly ahead of time.

I hope that's alright with all of you, cuz i love working on gom it's just a lot for me to get done in a week with everything else i want to do!!

just imagine if i had more time i might be able to start posting TWPT along side gom [it's the jiang cheng lan xichen companionfic for GOM that i haven't had time to write as of late, i have it completely outlined but i just don't have time to write it anymore rn. check it out on the masterpost for my MDZS projects]. or the MXY companionfic as well, which i already started but i can't keep working on because of time as well.

basically there's a lot going on for gom besides the main fic that i haven't been able to get to and it just continues to get further behind in those aspects because i can't get the time for it. so really, i need those two weeks and i'm only just now admitting it to myself that i can't push out updates every two days like i used to and especially not now with these other projects and wanting to branch my stuff out more. There's so much i wanna do! lmao

TLDR; i want to change to bi-monthly updates for GOM so that i can increase my quantity and quality of all projects and future updates properly. I appreciate your amazing patience and i hope to make this change worth it!

i will always update you guys if i make changes like this. i can't leave the changes in your hands completely, but i will continue to upload on sunday since that's the day you guys like! expect the next GOM update on the 23rd instead of the 16th, and every two weeks from the 23rd.

[creedslove]

Have you watched the Kdrama "Nevertheless"?

spoiler!!!!

It's a story about a girl who develops feelings for her FWB, who is a very popular guy and behind the scenes they are total bf gf and she’s falling hard for him but he is still close to his ex who is visiting. she realizes that he may never commit to her and starts avoiding him.

She does that after confronting him and after he has been total jerk to her and she discovers he has lead other girls on the same way. She briefly leaves town and He follows her trying to win her back and is being loved by her aunt, he then confesses his feelings many times but the girl chooses not to believe at all.

They go to the same art school, they have always acted like there's nothing going on between them, while she was vising her town her friends visits her too??? one of her friend from her friend group is openly hitting on him and simultaneously there’s a childhood friend of the girl who is trying to pursue her. but then the childhood-guy realizes that these two have something going on and he puts his feelings aside and stops pursuing her. Also, The fuck boy in this show knows how to make the girl weak he’s just so perfect like that lol.

On returning back, she has been failing her art classes and the Fboy offers to help to which they work together on the condition that he leaves her alone for good before the final art exhibition. (they work in his basement and he finally shows her his place or something i dont remember) right before the exhibition He keeps his word and leaves her without a way to contact him.

After doing well in the exhibition she realizes she has noone to share the good news with ( esp him) she tries to find him, but there's no trace.... the girl goes to the basement where they worked on the project to realize he has sold the house.. she then discovers old sketches of her drawn by him out of admiration, he has drawn her the very first time he ever saw her a year ago (she didn't know him then but he had seen her already) and how grateful we was that their paths crossed again in art school, she finds out he always loved her but was too afraid to express his feelings. He knew from the start she deserves someone better and he knows he is too careless with her heart..

Love at first sight kinda thing for him, even though he got a chance to be with her he constantly fucked up and now its too late bc the girl will never take him back. This is just a brief summary of the series it’s actually very nice and detailed they do end up together.

your writing Betrayed reminded me a lot of the show , both the guys are playing with girls heart and how the girls get wiser and push them away is when the guys get their act together … I hope you get inspired and actually give the reader & Pedro a chance because I am assuming they aren’t fwb.. I hope they either cross the friends line if not at least now or P suffers watching other pursue her but the reader isn't really happy bc it's not P... I wish to see some element of wants/cravings lol

Great Work!!!!!!!

I have never!!! I have a lot of kdramas on my nefltix list but i never got to watch them because I'm honestly so lazy for series and i usually waste all my time on soap opera lmao but this whole story sounds absolutely amazing!!! That's definitely the kind of drama i like and i already added it to my list, and as it is a short series I'll take a look at it on the weekend, so hopefully I'll enjoy it as much as I did the description you sent me!

It is funny how similar the plots are, but i swear I didn't watch it, it all came from my mind plus my lovely anon's ideas hehehe, but I'm happy to see a lot of people dig into drama hahaha

Pedro and reader aren't fwb but there's definitely feelings between them, they are unresolved and they need to figure out if they'll stay together or not. I'm so excited to see what people will think of this next chapter, I guess people will be divided, hehehe thanks for the awesome ask, anon!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[serndestsart]

2024-01-07 Jenny holding leg in intense worry 😢

Art Timelapse

Thumbnail Timelapse

Art, plus a shadowed version & two thumbnails.(imo, I like the un-shadowed version better, but the shadowed one's starting to grow on me.🙂)

Based off a spur-of-the-moment thumbnail. In the middle of making it, I interpreted it as she’s not feeling “pain” per se (since she doesn’t have nerves); more like slight pressure that she’s cautious could burst.😔

*So sorry!🙇‍♀️Between getting ‘rona again & readjusting, I took a longer break than I intended. Guess this drawing of worry is kinda subconscious😳…Now that I've ruminated on it, it's okay🙂. This was a work-life balance lesson in managing forced breaks (like sickness).

MINI JOURNAL

This was another piece I was exhausted with. Another was the “Jenny slightly pulling back” one. While this “Jenny tending to leg” was over a week, it almost didn't feel any less concentrated with exhaustion.😔Anyways, in both cases, I didn't have too clear of an idea of what the final piece would look like (less so with this new one, as I knew I wanted to keep most of the lines red-orange & color Jenny aqua-green).

Social Media Strategy Tweak

Maybe next time, when in doubt, just keep it a sketch, with no colors or tones??? Tbh, I didnt go that route bc I didn’t want a piece that was too harsh on the eyes from being over a bright white background, but at least a softer white. …Now that I've written it out, it sounds like a dumb reason.😥

Or, was afraid that wasn’t finished enough for IG/social media? Maybe, especially since I wanted to have a red-orange pencil-sketch style in there. Maybe be a little more elaborate & have black cleaner ink lines & grey base tones (like your ‘quick traditionally-styled storyboard’ art style)?

Wait, I just remembered: could do sketches, but do that Natalie Nourigat “draw the pose 5 times” exercise.

The exception will be the Jenny Injured diptych (to still be colored but not further pushes gesture-wise (tbh, I again want to try to get done as quickly as possible)...plus, I'll just say, “something different.” 😉

Personal Preferences & Little Backburner

Imo, I like the shadow-less version. Jenny's legs contrast better with the background, and the colors are closer to what I ended up having in mind.

Yes, even the unconventional red-orange linework with cyan base colors😄. I’d actually been meaning to try that out on a piece; tbh, I just like red-orange/vermilion-colored pencil sketches.😊 I was doing another red-orange pencil, Krita sketch in October that I wanted to try that color scheme on, but the perspective needed retooling.😵‍💫

BTS

I actually had this, along with a thumbnail for a completely different piece, on the backburner. While I wanted to do the other one, I went with this more unclear-looking one. That way, I could finish it before I forgot what I had in mind.

After I was well into the finalized sketch, I found a 2nd, more pushed-gesture version of one of  the thumbnails. That’s when I decided to try not to spend too much time on this piece; I wanted to re-do it with this pushed gesture.

Also, after a while of using one of my go-to Krita watercolor brushes from last time (WaterC Flat Decay TIlt), I got really mentally exhausted. Played around with doing the painting stage in Adobe Fresco, but despite Fresco’s watercolor brushes feeling far more comfortable, I wanted to keep this artwork quick. Therefore, I just continued the painting in Krita.

Oh, and instead of erasing the extra pencil lines, I covered most of them up with white.

Plus, that monitor profile changing fixed my colors after all!😊 I’ve gotten my solution written down somewhere. I’ll try to post it sometime.

SELF CRITIQUE

(-) Iffy depth on the navy-blue block of color

(-) Mouth kinda looks like she’s smiling???

(+) Good foreshortening on Jenny & the chair

(+) Great gesture/line-of-action into the hurt leg; decently faithful to thumbnail’s gesture. Improvement from that in “A Place of a Contemplating Robot”

Shadow-less version

(-) L hand [our POV] gets lost in the sticking-out leg

Shadow-ed version

(-) Sticking-out leg disappears into the ground

(-) L arm should have harder edges on the shadow

 (+) L hand has hard-edged shadows

(-) Bent leg’s foot also has too soft of shadows

ART SUPPLIES

Hardware: Alienware x14, Huion Inspiroy H610PRO V2 pen tablet, & IMAGE Light Pad Stand A3

Software: Krita (art & timelapse), Autodesk Sketchbook (thumbnail & its timelapse)

Brushes:

(v 1.1) Krita Redux- Pencil (AFresco) - linework & white cover-ups. Less-aliased version of my custom brush

j) WaterC Flat Decay TIlt - hair, ”clothes”, belly button base colors, BG block, ground

(Dig.) Clean-Up Lines (Aliased) - Jenny white matte & chair base color

[gon-and-killuas-mother]

due to the Naruto/Batman crossover i've been reading i will now be stepping into the Batman fandom

i mean, i've always liked Batman, but i never got into the comics bc there's so MANY so i settled for the animated tv shows and movies

specifically, i wanna see more Bruce being a kind person! also i need more Nightwing in my life. Dick Grayson might be one of my favorite DC characters next to Bruce Wayne

unfortunately for y'all this DOES mean i will be composing a self-insert story in my head. there's already one simmering on the mental back burner. it's how you know i love a story or group of characters; i write a self-insert fanfic as a coping mechanism for whatever shit is happening in my life. and boy do i need to pretend there's an edgelord billionaire taking the streets during my waking hours and investing part of his fortune to studying my illnesses during the day

whoops i already wrote something under the cut

i think, for my story, my self-insert has my basic personality and definitely my gender. they're an artist living either in Gotham or Blüdhaven. they use a wheelchair, sometimes a rollator, and deal with my same chronic pain and fatigue. oh and bc i rarely hear southern accents in these shows, this pal is from good ol' Arkansas but moved to follow their kid brother to either Gotham or Blüdhaven

the basic Plot that my brain generated to connect my character to the Bat family hinges largely on chance. Nightwing is on patrol, maybe following leads on the current Mystery. he stops on the roof of an apartment building towards the end of his patrol and takes a breather, sits on ledge and goes through files of evidence etc etc

enter my character (uh let's call them Rhys?) who opens the door to the roof and pulls out their rollator that they've managed to lug up the last flight of stairs, since the elevator doesn't go all the way to the roof. they also have a large art canvas, an easel, and their bag of supplies precariously balanced on the rollator.

Rhys spots Nightwing, who was surprised to see anyone else on a rooftop at 4 in the morning, and they look around and go "I'm not. I'm not interrupting anything, am I? Usually one mask brings more."

Nightwing stands up and assures them they're safe. he's about to leave when they pull a huge thermos from their bag (how did they get all of this up here??)

"My brother gave me this for my birthday a few years ago," Rhys says, lifting the thermos so Nightwing could see it. They pop off the lid, which turns out to be two that can be used as mugs. "Weird kids don't make a whole lotta friends. But he said the easiest way to someone's heart is through a shared cup of coffee."

and how could Nightwing, running on a handful of hours of sleep with at least another eight hours of detective work ahead of him, possibly say no to that?

he accepts the coffee and quietly sends a message to Barbara that he's taking a brief detour, all the while Rhys is setting up their easel and canvas. there's already some rough sketches and a couple layers of paint. Nightwing knows the skyline of this city well enough to recognize it even through an artist's eyes.

Rhys tells him that the sunrises here are unique. back home, the skies were crystal clear and nearly every sunrise was hallmark-worthy. but here, the pollution and glass windows reflect and refract the light in more ways than they could've imagined, and they have a series of paintings stashed in their tiny apartment devoted to color studies.

for one reason or another, this becomes a regular thing. several times a week, Rhys takes the elevator to the top floor, then heaves their rollator and supplies up that last flight of stairs. and every so often, when they open the door, they find Nightwing waiting for them. he starts bringing breakfast with him, but tells them he likes their coffee better (bc there's something about a coffee shared in a thermos that can't be replicated by any coffee shop)

eventually they ask each other about family. obv Nightwing doesn't give too many details, but enough to add to conversation. Rhys only has their brother, as their parents have been out of the picture for years.

one day, Rhys is quieter than usual, and hasn't touched their canvas yet, instead sketching and scratching out and balling up scrap paper etc etc. Nightwing asks what's wrong, and it takes a bit of nudging, but Rhys eventually tells him they haven't heard from their brother in a little over a week. it's not so unusual, but they get anxious anyway. they assure Nightwing that their brother probably just forgot.

then a week passes, and Nightwing is alone on the roof longer than usual. he's about to leave when Rhys opens the door, and he doesn't even have to ask how they're doing because they're pale, fidgety, and the circles under their eyes are much more pronounced.

their brother hasn't returned any calls or texts. more worryingly, his phone seems to have died or disconnected several days ago. Rhys doesn't ask any favors, but they don't have to, because as they're piecing together what info they have, Nightwing is already looking through police databases and missing persons and so on.

he hits a dead end, but one that is more informative and condemning.

Rhys's brother has a file in the system, and it's buried behind a top secret confidential report. something, something, Nightwing makes a loose connection to the case he and Bruce are working on for the A-plot. he promises Rhys that he'll find their brother.

and he does. he and Bruce bust the A-plot scheme involving (insert name of gang) that was responsible for dozens of disappearances. only a few of the victims were saved, the rest had been killed long before Batman and Nightwing stormed the keep.

Nightwing finds the brother. his body is floating face down in the canal a few blocks downstream, along with a dozen or so others. he's been dead for two days at least.

once the bodies are retrieved and safely transported to the nearest hospital morgue, Nightwing heads back to Rhys.

the sky is already turning from black to grey as he lands on the rooftop. Rhys has their easel set up and looks to be halfway through their current painting. they look up, about to greet him, but their smile vanishes when they see how grim Nightwing seems.

they blink back tears threatening to fall, turn their attention back to the canvas and pick up a different paintbrush. they quietly mix different colors on their palette until they're satisfied, before slapping the paintbrush to the canvas.

"Please," they finally say. the tears are flowing freely now. "Tell me what happened."

Nightwing sits on the ledge next to his cup of coffee. he remembers how his heart shattered when his parents were killed. he remembers the crushing despair upon learning of Jason's fate.

he isn't new to delivering this message. to telling an innocent family that their loved one is gone. he's learned how to keep it professional yet empathetic, to hide the worst details while satisfying their desperate need to Know.

there was something different about this one. maybe it was the determined focus Rhys was giving their painting, despite the tremor in their hands and their short breaths.

Nightwing tells them everything he can, save for the worst details. Rhys doesn't need extra imagery for their inevitable nightmares. but he explains the gang, the villain, the blackmailing, and Rhys paints on, only stopping to wipe at their eyes or blow their nose.

he finishes his story and watches them paint.

after some time of sitting in silence, the city slowly awakens and the sun rises. it isn't until the sun is nearly level with the tallest buildings that Rhys drops their paintbrush and buries their face in their hands.

the painting depicts their usual imagery, the sunrise filtering through smog and glass towers. the foreground shows a rooftop, not so different from the one they currently sat on. at the farthest edge of the rooftop, standing on the ledge with his hands raised--perhaps greeting the sun, or waving goodbye to the viewer-- was a boy. Rhys hadn't given him much detail, but they didn't need to.

Nightwing saw not just their brother, but his. that boy could just as easily be Jason as any other kid whose lives were cut short.

Rhys packs their things and stands to leave. they don't touch the painting. Nightwing asks what they'll do with it. Rhys looks at it one more time.

"Take it," they tell him. "I can't look at it anymore."

when Dick comes home with the canvas, he leans it against the wall and stares at it. one of the other Bat family, maybe Steph? Tim? comes in and sees the painting.

"Whoa," they say. "It's beautiful. I've never seen a sunrise look so sad before."