#and the improvement as well I'm so so happy with it

[wolfertinger666]

I have been noticing my art has improved quite well especially during this month and I'm very happy to see my progress from this year alone!

I kinda just came outta nowhere on Tumblr and posted my silly drawings because I wanted a space to share my art that is true to myself and away from the toxicity of twitter and I'm so glad it worked out in the end, and too see my brain rot inspiring other trans and cis people to embrace themselves and do whatever is really nice as well.

like I said I will continue to draw art that reflects myself and my friends.

[salemssimblr]

My Top 24 Screenshots Renders of 2024!

I was tagged by the so many lovely mutuals and creators! Thank you @elderwisp, @savagemagician3, @sikoi, @blvckentropy, @mosneakers, & @azeterna! I love yall so much!

I'm so sorry, despite my very best efforts I couldn't choose just 24, so have 30 instead 😅

Looking at all these together, I'm worried I may have plateau'd just a bit 😅 No but in reality, it's really cool to see that I've refined my style and methods over the year, starting in January and continuing it all through 2024. Seeing progress and improvement is one of my favorite things about this process, so doing these recaps is always enjoyable.

January:

Looking back, I'm still so proud of the first dancing set of renders for Ariss & Vasily, and who could forget the first Alice sighting?? I can't, look at her.

February:

February was a bit of a slow month for me but I still love how this A+tM album cover came out!

March:

March was a bit slower, but I love this set of Ariss (:

April:

April was a goood month, I'm still so in love with all three of these.

May:

MerMay was lacking for me a bit this year, but I really love how my contribution turned out (: & this spicy render of Ariss & Vasily is one of my favorites, if for no other reason than his little fang peek.

June:

June was all about Alice + the Madness! & like LEGIT? I still can't believe I made this Rolling Stone cover? I have a secret, I've tried to make another one for Alice, but nothing has or probably will ever look as good as this one so I've given up lmfaoooo

& this render of Erisande was such a labor of love. I sat down and said it'd be really quick and then spent hours editing meshes and adjusting the lighting... but then, that always happens with me and "quick" renders 😅

July:

Bit of a slow month, but I'm still so floored (& happy!) about the love Millie has gotten! This isn't even a completed render and it's one of my most well-received posts to date haha, but I can't blame anyone, look how cute she is.

August:

Ramping up into spooky season we have two of my favorite renders of all time, my "bog demon" and mothwoman! As obsessed as I am with Ariss and Vasily, it's really nice to do creative one-off renders and these were both SO FUN to do. I hope to do more in the new year too (:

September:

This iconic portrait of Ariss will always be one of my favorites (& is actually my computer's wallpaper rn, but a version updated with her 'new' tattoos), & this render of Kai could definitely be improved on (maybe in the new year...) but it was a really fun challenge! I do see flaws in it now but that's growing and learning!

October:

October was (not surprisingly) a very busy month for me! The idea for the render of Theo & Millie had been rolling around in my head since I first created them, & while the end result wasn't exactly what I was envisioning, I still really love how it turned out.

& though this set of renders for Ariss & Vasily took me FOR-FUCKING-EVER, and I see a lot of flaws even now (after trying my damnedest to have NONE), I still really love it. The end result/edit/colorway was NOT what I planned but I really fell in love with it.

November:

November, the month of ambitious scene-building, pose-making, and upping my skin shader game in a BIG way. I spent literal hours perfecting Ariss' new tattoo, and literal days building the scene for that gorgeous render of Kai.

& I'm so glad yall love that pose set! It was definitely a learning experience and a labor of love.

December:

Looking at this overview, December has been dark and spicy lmfao but I actually love it. Once again, all of these took wayyyy longer than I thought they would when I sat down to start them, but I'm genuinely in love with all three!

& that's a wrap (so far) on 2024! I'm having surgery tomorrow so not sure I'll be able to create/post anything else this year, but I have big plans for 2025! So stay tuned (:

I'm tagginggggggg @kuroashims, @a-m-pyra. @acidheaddd, @gothoffspring, @pralinesims, @thebramblewood, @moonfromearth, @nepotisim, & YOU, I want to see all your creations!

(There were a LOT more creators I wanted to tag but I saw yall have already done this!)

[petalruesimblr]

Hello and welcome back to my blog!

My fifth and final gift for the Petalruesimblr Advent Calendar is: Dermatology Career! This is my third full-time career that I've created for The Sims 3 and I'm so happy it is finally complete.

I just want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and hope your holiday season is filled with joy and love! 💜

If you are interested, click on ’Keep Reading’ below for more information and pictures of the Dermatology Career.

Dermatology Career

Sim File Share

Ready to get under the skin of the most fascinating (and sometimes most frustrating) aspects of beauty? The world of dermatology is calling! Whether you’re performing cutting-edge laser treatments or giving pep talks to patients with the occasional outbreak, there’s never a dull moment in the world of skincare. And who knows? Maybe you’ll even land an internship under Dr. McSteamy himself - so apply now!

Career Type: Full Time Available for: Young Adults, Adults and Elders Available Languages: English Levels: 10 Rabbit Hole: DaySpa Does it have Carpool? Yes Does it have Uniforms? Yes (details under Final Notes) File Type: Package Min. Required Game Version: 1.42 Packs Needed: The Sims 3 📣All descriptions for the levels, tones and metrics as well as skills required, salary, uniforms and other details are provided on the pictures above. Right-click on a picture and select ’Open image in new tab’ for a clearer view.

NRAAS Careers Mod

Branches and Wages: I decided to focus on two branches for my Dermatology career, which branch out after level 5: Cosmetic Dermatology, focusing on non-surgical treatments and Cosmetic Dermatologic Surgery, which specializes in skin surgery. The two branches share the same skill and metric requirements, as they are both part of the medical field. The main difference lies in their salaries, with the Cosmetic Dermatologic Surgery branch offering a higher pay. I aimed to make the wages as realistic as possible however to compensate for the increased days off and decreased work hours as the level increases, I had to raise the hourly wages beyond the normal salary ranges for Levels 6-10 for both branches. Metrics and Books: This career is similar to the medical career in The Sims 3, particularly in terms of the logic skill and research as part of its metrics. However, I also included charisma, as I believe it’s a vital skill for patients to trust and feel comfortable with their doctors, especially when it comes to skin treatments. Opportunities and Uniforms: With a bit of experience in creating opportunities, I decided to add four this time, three of which are repeatable! All of them are relatively simple and offer bonuses, as well as salary increases for some as rewards upon completion. For uniforms, I’ve provided a picture above to highlight the differences between the levels by assigning different colors to the scrubs. There isn’t a general color assigned to dermatology uniforms, as hospitals usually decide the scrub colors for their various departments. As stated above, you will need NRAAS Careers Mod for these careers to show up in the game and as long as you have the latest version of it, it should work for higher patches. You can also read my #psa regarding these careers, click here. I’m not fluent in any other languages to translate so if anyone is interested in translating this career, please don’t hesitate to send me a message here, comment on this post or let me know in my Ask/Contact form (if you don’t have a Tumblr account) and will let you know the details. I have tested this career in my game, so far it is working and all scripts are showing up. All feedback is very welcome to help me learn and improve my skills so please let me know if you experience any problems on your end and I’ll do my best to sort it as soon as possible.

MissyHissy step-by-step tutorial Twallan for the Career Mod S3pe

[aleisters]

i am making the sappy post about darby, finally.

the shoot love in wrestling is something that really gets to me. and it really gets to me with darby because he's a quintessential underdog. like, shoot he used to be a loner and honestly kind of a loser and a guy with an ugly personality. he can be awkward and stuttering and lisping and he has a really fucking mixed bag of tattoos.

if you go back and watch old interviews with him, he's borderline extremely unpleasant, he's rude and obnoxious, it's often demonstrably clear that he's not happy for some reason or another. he's never really mean to the interviewer, but "shows up to the facetime interview from his bed" is like. okay.

but after he joined aew, he started getting better. for the past year and a half especially he's become someone you can trust with things. he's smiley, he doesn't talk deep and slow to account for his lisp anymore. he's trusted to do things, to do media interviews, to carry around belts, to say he wants to be world champ, to represent aew in the climbing of mount everest. tony khan is paying for some (if not all?) of his mountain climbing training. that's insane.

and i don't think you get who darby is today - outwardly generous (he has random people staying with him all the time, to learn to wrestle, to lose weight with his help, whatever they want), smiley and friendly and personable - without the shoot love. you don't have who darby is today without the fact that tony khan believes in him so much. without his idolisation of jon moxley, and that moxley believes in him for real too. you don't get it without darby being trusted to work with sting - sting! the iconic wrestler sting! and then sting trusting darby's opinion that sting can return to in-ring wrestling (instead of just cinematic amtches). in the present, darby is training sting's son to wrestle. all of that is love.

there's love with the bucks too, who wanted to hire him, who love that he skateboards and stuck up for him incorporating that into his gimmick. who have wanted to wrestle with him before and then got to do that multiple times this year. darby who appears in the background of bte doing stuff like building skateboards for matt. who nick does all the primary checking-on during stunts in their matches. darby can't manage to kayfabe say a bad word about them, he's like "yeah the bucks hired me and i'm so grateful for everything they've done and they're amazing. btw they suck yeah boo hiss evps" it's fucking... cute...

and darby and brody have such a long and deep friendship that they can't wrestle without brody making some proclamation about how they're going to do it forever. brody has a tattoo about darby. eddie kingston had darby for about 1 match before becoming a Ruffling His Hair guy. adam copeland went one step further and said i'd had this boy for one match and i'm going to cuddle him and kiss him on tv. ridiculous sweet stuff.

i'm not putting darby on a pedestal, because he's fallible and imperfect and he's done weird and bad stuff, but i'm not using this post to talk about something that requires a genuine nuanced conversation, i'm using it to talk pathetic and wax romantic about my number one favourite wrestler.

i think he is one of those people who you can really shoot see the development of from an unfriendly gremlin into like, a gremlin that everyone loves for some reason. everyone around him loves him and wants to give him good opportunities and he pays that back so much, as often as possible. he does it by being the pinch hitter when nobody else is right for it, even at the expense of his own body. he does it by raising money for the skateparks that saved him as a kid. he does it by looking after the people around him - making sure his parents never have to work again. he does it by wrestling well, at the top of his game and still improving.

and i'm soft and i believe that love did all that. i think without the people who love him he'd still be a weird off-putting little mess.

and i hope 2025 is his year. i wanna see him at the top of every mountain he wants to climb.

[bellesmadeofsilk]

What to wear M.M x FEM! reader

Overture- Matt's worried about meeting your parents

CWs- Mentions of bruises, not being perceived as good enough, one joke about stripping and not a whole lot else

A/N- oops it's kind of late but Merry Christmas if you celebrate it, and happy chanukah if you celebrate that. And have a nice Wednesday otherwise. Also the divider is courtesy of @anitalenia

You’d never seen Matt this worried before. You’d seen him have nerves before court, or even genuine fear over some of the things happening in his city– but they were always overpowered by his endless resolve. You’d listen to him talk through his problems, through opening statements, and lines of questioning– and at the end of the day he’d feel a lot better. But tonight he was spiraling a little bit and no amount of nervous pacing was helping him. 

He had three near-identical suits laying on his bed, and was pacing from the bedroom to his living room where you sat on the couch. It started with him trying to decide on his clothes for tomorrow and had become– this. 

“What if they don’t like me?” You really tried not to laugh at him— like your parents wouldn’t like the nice guy with perfect manners and a stable career. 

“Matt, they’ll love you– it’ll be a great day tomorrow. I’m cooking, you’re going to be so wonderfully charming, and my parents have never even been to New York before– you’ve got the home field advantage.”

“What if they see one of my bruises– or my scars? I don’t want them to think I’m violent.” Currently his bruises were confined to his upper arm, chest, and back— no one would see them.

“Well then I guess you can’t strip at dinner.” It wasn’t especially often that you could tease Matt, but he was being more than a little ridiculous– no one would guess that your blind boyfriend got a bruise because he was fighting someone on a random rooftop at one in the morning. You laugh a little bit as you put your hands on his shoulders, stopping his pacing. He allowed you to give him a peck on the lips, even though he was still antsy. When you pulled away, he put his hand over yours, still on his shoulder. 

“I’m serious. They’re going to think I’m not good enough for you.” 

“Oh Matt– they’d never say that.”

“But it’s true. I’m not good enough for you.”

“Matt– I think you are wonderful, smart, and sweet, and my parents are going to think you’re great– I’m sure of it.” He could hear your heartbeat. He knew you were telling the truth. But you could think that they’d like him all you want, it wouldn’t change the fact that they might not. And much to your dismay he could only sigh in response, looking down at you. 

“Matt, I'm serious. At the very least, they’ll think you’re a polite young man with a stable job and a nice suit.” That got a laugh out of him— it was self conscious, but an improvement over the frown he had before. 

“Well that’s good at least. Something in my favor.” 

“And Matt? Just for the record it doesn’t matter to me whether or not they like you. I love you, and they love me, and nothing is going to change that.” You’d never said that to him before. Not out loud at least— you’d thought it, and when you knew he was far enough that even he couldn’t hear you, you’d practiced saying it. But he’d never heard you say it before. 

“You love me?”

“Obviously— I don’t know if you noticed, but you’re pretty fantastic.”

“And you’re sweet. And I love you too.” He kissed your forehead and pulled you into a hug, your face buried in his chest. 

“So you’ll be ok tomorrow?” He just gave a contented sigh and pulled you even tighter to him, inadvertently squishing your face. 

“As long as you’re there, I’ll be fine I think.” You squirmed away from his hold just enough to press a light kiss to his jaw, then to his lips. You could physically feel him smile, and then feel that smile fade a little bit when he started talking again. 

“But seriously, which suit do you think?”

[vickytaa]

𝐅𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐌.𝐒.

summery: After a great game, y/n is not happy with her participation

___________________☆___________________

My team was happily celebrating winning the match, while I was thinking about what I needed to improve for the next one. I haven't been good enough, I made several mistakes that definitely won't happen in the next one.

I need to train more to improve, I must not drop any balls. Maybe watching the video of my match will help me see where I went wrong.

I played badly. I need to train more, maybe I'll sign up for another training session, surely another coach can tell me what I'm doing wrong. Or als-

"Hey," Matt's sweet voice interrupted my post-match thoughts. He walked over and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I quickly looked up, meeting his worried look.

He knew that I took the sport very seriously, but he never supported me in going to train more hours and refused to take me to training sessions that were "Too much" according to him.

I let out the breath I had been unconsciously holding. "Can we go home?" I asked, my eyes filling with tears. I didn't know why I felt like crying so badly, nor did I know why I felt like I had played so badly.

But it's true, I played badly.

Matt slowly nodded, not even asking why I hadn't celebrated with my teammates, or how I felt after the game, like he always does. But I think I know why he doesn't, it's because he already knows the answer.

I'm never satisfied with how I play, there are times when I come home crying, torturing myself all day about how I played badly while everyone told me I was the player of the match. But it wasn't enough, it never is.

That's why I always try to find ways to improve, watching my games and counting my mistakes in my notebook:

- 1 serving error, I got to 8/10 touches, I was blocked 3 times, I have to run faster, open up to attack faster, I need to train more.

We left quickly, people who passed me congratulated me for the great game we had, but nothing filled the emptiness I felt inside. Matt noticed it, he knew what was going on inside my mind. Well, maybe only a part of what goes on inside it.

When we got to the car, we got in but Matt wouldn't start the car. He knew this had to stop, what was happening to me was a very serious problem.

"Y/n" Matt said, his tone normal, covering the great concern behind it. I turned my head, just enough to look him in the eyes, and that's when I saw it. The concern, the fear.

The tears that had formed earlier were now rolling down my face. The silence filled the car with noise. Our gazes did not move away, as if they were communicating with each other.

Matt shook his head slightly, inviting me to sit on his lap. I had never given myself to him easily. Whenever I cried after a game I always found a way to cry alone, immersed in my own thoughts.

But this time it was different, there was nowhere to run, and there was no reason to. I slowly unbuckled the seat belt and curled up on his lap, my head resting on his chest, feeling his heartbeat.

It was all very intimate, the moment, the closeness, the love. I had never felt strong enough to let myself be so vulnerable in front of someone, but I couldn't with Matt. He was my safe place, where I recharged my energy to carry on with my day to day life.

He hugged me tightly, as if he was trying to gather the broken glass. The tears kept falling without stopping. Even though there was not a single word, he understood me, I understood myself.

"You shouldn't torture yourself like this. Please, Y/n, it kills me to see you like this every day" Matt confessed. I always knew that he had a bitter taste in his mouth whenever I came home crying from a training session or a game, but hearing it from him?

Pain flooded my chest, knowing how the mental damage I was doing to myself was affecting those I loved the most.

This had to stop, it wasn't good for me and even less for those who care about me. I must stop beating myself up for mistakes that aren't that big of a deal.

"I'm sorry," I said, my voice cracking. And I really did. My sobs were the only thing that could be heard at that moment, the sound of them ripping through Matt's soul. Seeing me this broken, this vulnerable, killed him.

He quickly gave me a small kiss on my forehead, and then hugged me even tighter, as if he didn't want me to ever leave. "It's okay, baby." He said, his words hanging in the air as I tried to hold them in and believe them.

It wasn't okay, not at all, but in that moment, I felt like everything was going to be okay. We were going to get through this together and we weren't going to let my frustration win.

"Thank you," I said, my voice low, almost like a sigh, but just enough for him to hear. "I love you," Matt said as he rested his chin on my head, trying to hold me as close as possible.

"I love you more," I said. My sobs slowly calmed down, the air became lighter and the voices in my head quieter.

𝐕 -

[ihaveathingforwomen]

Mock Trial - Professor AU

Professor!Alex Cabot x Fellow!Casey Novak

Chapter 11 - Masterlist

Word Count: 4.7k

Summary: A review of Christmas break, clarity about our lovers' connection, and the introduction of our dearest title, Mock Trial.

A/N: Happy Holidays!! Life has been improving and so has my motivation. Thank you all for being patient during this rough point in my life. I'm excited to keep this going!

Hands brush over curves. The dim light of the bedroom passes through them as their lips meet to create an electricity that ascends through their bodies. Casey’s moans appear in the air as bubbles shimmering with cosmic stardust. Alex’s fingertips create trails of electricity over Casey’s body, illuminating her veins. Casey’s chest swells, trust and pleasure radiating from her heart just as the heat grows in her stomach. Her mouth falls open -

The alarm plays violently, startling Casey from her sleep. She rolls over with a groan, turning off the alarm. For a singular second, her heart leaps as she turns back over, expecting to collide with the body of her lover. That second passes quickly when she arrives on the other side of the bed without collision. The start of the semester signified a pause in their dream-like life, wherein Casey could no longer reside with Alex as consistently. Now, at six in the morning, they have been apart for nearly twenty four hours. Anyone else and Casey would not have blinked at the time spent away, but with Alex she feels the tug at the base of her heart, willing her back into her arms. As Casey forces herself out of her deceivingly large bed, her mind wanders to reminiscence of the holiday break. 

Leading up to Elliot’s arrival, Casey worried herself nearly sick with how he’d perceive her relationship with Alex. She couldn’t help but imagine him claiming that Alex is using her, or questioning whether or not Casey really likes Alex or if it’s just the attention. She knew that he’d find a way to comment on their age gap and Alex’s place of power. Unfortunately, these fears came to reality, more or less, when they picked him up from the airport. 

----------

The anxiety and excitement gnaw at Casey as they stand at baggage claim, waiting patiently for Elliot’s plane to land. Her eyes dart around, watching the baggage carousel and the people surrounding it. Her hand squeezes Alex’s tightly, the other picks at her face as she watches. 

Casey’s twitching catches Alex’s eye and she turns to observe her partner. She narrows her eyes for a moment and then reaches her hand to stroke Casey’s arm. “Case?” 

Casey turns to look into Alex’s eyes, grinning, “what?” 

Alex looks her up and down, “What’s wrong? You’re all over the place.” 

Casey sighs and looks away, going back to observing the space around them. She shakes her head softly, “nothing, Lex. I’m okay,” she claims, eyes vacant as she stares at the people passing by. 

Alex scoffs and squeezes Casey’s hand as she moves in front of her. “Casey,” she says sternly. Casey’s attention is redirected, her eyes wide as she stares at Alex. “What’s going on?” Alex asks her with a soft, sympathetic look. 

Casey looks down, avoiding Alex’s gaze. Alex intuitively pulls Casey into a hug, squeezing her tightly. Casey mumbles into Alex’s coat, “How are you not anxious?” 

Alex laughs, “About meeting your brother?” 

Casey pulls away, holding Alex’s hips, “Yes!” She bites her lip, “I know he means well, but I don’t want to hear his snide comments.” 

Alex shakes her head, “I know, it’s going to be okay.” She takes a deep breath and Casey notes the wisdom seeping through Alex’s demeanor. “I’ve met plenty of detectives, I can handle him.” 

Casey smirks, a wave of ease washing over her. “But have any of the detectives been your girlfriend’s brother?” Casey quips, watching Alex’s expression. 

Alex blushes and looks away, smiling, “Nooo…” she giggles, “but I’ll be okay. So will you,” she presses their foreheads together and kisses Casey softly, the redhead humming against their lips, content. 

As they pull away, Casey glances over Alex’s shoulder and her face lights up. Elliot comes strolling down the walk way, grinning like an idiot. Casey pats Alex’s shoulder softly and Alex steps out of her way, watching her girlfriend rush over to her family. She envelops him in a huge hug, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Alex gazes at her lovingly, picturing herself in Elliot’s shoes, and feeling her heart swell. 

Elliot hugs her back of course, though with only one arm as his suitcase trails behind. He squeezes tightly, murmuring hellos in Casey’s ear. After greeting his little sister, Elliot peers up at Alex. Her eyes are firmly planted on Casey’s figure, eyes swollen with affection as she takes in the elatedness of her partner. He smiles, eyes still apprehensive, and speaks, “And this must be Alexandra Cabot.” 

Alex is shocked from her haze when Casey releases Elliot and he steps forward, extending his hand. Alex nods and takes it, shaking it firmly. “I hope you’ve treated my little sister well,” Elliot comments, smirking at Alex, who adorns her white coat and black gloves. The first thing that comes to Elliot’s mind is that she looks like a pimp’s wife, but he shoves it back for the sake of his sister. 

Alex smiles widely, hiding her gulp, “Nice to meet you, Elliot,” she nods. 

Casey, wide eyed and fighting nausea, steps between them, glaring at her brother. “She’s been treating me very well, Elliot. Let’s get your bag,” she attempts to diffuse his tension. 

“This is all I brought, Case. I travel light, remember?” He tells her with a chuckle and she nods, taking a deep breath. 

She glares at him and mouths the words, “be nice.” He giggles and follows as Casey leads the way. They end up in a line, Casey in the center, as they make their way towards the parking garage. Elliot tries his best to make polite conversation as they meander through the airport. 

“So, Alex,” he begins lightheartedly, “Casey tells me you’re a great professor.” 

Alex’s face flushes bright red as they step outside, the heat worsened by the cold wind. “Well,” she begins, “Casey is a great student. She’s very bright and takes instruction well. She’s a pleasure to teach.” 

Casey’s heart flutters at Alex’s insinuation. Meanwhile, Elliot scowls as he looks ahead. “She’s always been the teacher's pet. I just never thought it would turn into anything real,” he quips. 

“Elliot!” Casey scolds. 

“It’s okay, Case,” Alex reassures her, rubbing her back as they step into the elevator. “I understand your apprehension, Elliot.”

“Do you?” He asks, turning around in the elevator to address them both. He sighs and softens his gaze when he catches his little sister’s sad eyes. “Look, I want to celebrate the holidays with my sister. I know that you mean a lot to her, so you’re going to be there.” He takes a sharp breath, biting his lip as he looks down. “I’m going to try to get to know you as her girlfriend, not as her…” he sighs, “professor.” 

The elevator dings to the floor of the garage, Alex smiles awkwardly at Elliot. They fall out of the elevator and Alex leads them to the car. While Elliot puts his suitcase in the trunk, Alex goes to open Casey’s door, as she always does. She then waits near the trunk, hoping to speak with Elliot for a moment. He looks up at her just as he closes the trunk, and she smiles awkwardly. 

“I have no ill intentions towards Casey,” she reassures him. 

He scoffs, giving her a once over. “We’ll talk about this more later,” he nods, trying to push past her. 

“Okay,” she agrees timidly, watching as he gets into the car. She swallows and gets into the driver’s seat, frustrated with his preconceptions. 

----------

Tension builds in the pit of Casey’s stomach as she gathers the last of her things for class. Her final semester of law school has finally arrived. Instead of being riddled with excitement, she’s riddled with anticipation of how much people know about her and Alex. Quiet and vile voices whisper in the back of her mind, commenting on how she’s dating Alex for the grades, for the money, for the connections - anything but for who she is. In preparation for these types of assumptions, both of them agreed to keep their relationship under wraps while at school. 

Despite knowing this is for the best, Casey can’t help but hope that Alex will wrap her arms around her when they see each other in the hallway. She hopes that she’ll be able to talk with her and banter between classes, or that she’ll be able to visit her office without it catching anyone’s eye. That will be more difficult this semester, as Casey has no courses with Alex, giving her less of an excuse to see her during the school day. In the back of her mind, Casey knows this won’t stop her from visiting. 

When she arrives at the school, her eyes dart around in search of her partner. Through the parking lot, down the hallways, peering into the closed rooms, no sign of Alex. As her discouragement starts to take hold of her heart, she startled out of her goal when Charlie purposefully bumps into her.

She scoffs at him as he giggles, “looking for your long lost love?” He jokes. 

Casey rolls her eyes, a grin surfacing through her feigned annoyance. “Yes, have you seen her?” 

He shakes his head, “sorry, Love. No tall blondes in my sights this morning.” He cuts in front of her as they walk towards the library, spinning around to look at her as he continues moving backwards. “Now, I have seen the most handsome man downstairs today. You should’ve seen him - his hair naturally swooped, his eyes were basically black, his jawline - ooohhh, Case.” 

She smiles weakly at him as they step into the library. “I can only imagine, Char.” They take a table in the corner and set up like they’re going to study for class only to end up talking the entire time instead. They talked about their break, their time together and apart. The entire time, Casey couldn’t help but hold onto the Christmas dinner that they had at Alex’s.

----------

The entire home was enveloped in warm light. Soft, white twinkle lights danced around the outskirts. A well lit tree, perfectly decorated with gold lights, green and red tinsel, and matching ornaments all over - none of which had glitter. Wonderful scents waft from the kitchen, where Casey works multiple dishes simultaneously. Alex meanders all over the apartment, tidying and admiring her partner. Casey’s abilities never cease to impress her, a gentle grin rising to her cheeks each time she passes by the kitchen bar. 

A cop knock at the door and Casey starts to pause her cooking when Alex surprises her by wrapping her arms around her waist. Alex kisses her cheek softly and whispers that she’ll take care of it, sensing the tension rise in Casey’s body. The knock raps again and Alex hurries to the door, opening it to exactly who she’d anticipated.

Elliot smiles half-heartedly, “Hey,” he greets himself. 

“Come in,” Alex waves him inside, extending her hand. “I can take those for you,” she offers, gesturing to the two decorative bags hanging from his hand. 

“Ah, no, it’s okay. Where would you like them?” 

Her face blushes and she closes the door behind him. “You’re welcome to put them under the tree,” she tells him. He goes without speaking and, behind his back, Casey whips around and makes eye contact with Alex. She furrows her brow as her eyes slip towards Elliot, wondering why he couldn’t just let Alex take the gifts. 

Elliot takes a comically large whiff of the room, “wow, Case! It smells amazing here, are you making mom’s ham?”

“I ammm,” she drawls, “among other things.” Elliot makes his way towards the kitchen, seeming to automatically dominate the room. They begin chattering about the food and Alex finds something to feign her busyness with. Eventually, she can feign it no longer and she takes a seat next to Elliot at the bar. She listens to their conversation, hoping for an opportunity to jump in and save herself. Just as she finds the perfect entry, a softer knock lands on the door. She stands to get it, stating so, just as Casey turns around. She wipes her hands on a dish towel, having completed the last of the cooking just mere seconds prior. Her eyes land lovingly on Alex’s figure as she opens the door and greets her friends. Elliot follows Casey’s gaze and smiles, noting the loving expression undeniably clear on her face. Alex closes the door behind Charlie and Linda, and she looks up to meet Casey’s eyes. Elliot witnesses the spark fly across the room when their eyes meet, the small grins on their faces and the redness pooling in their cheeks say it all. 

Alex puts the gifts from their friends under the tree and Casey finally diverts her eyes as Charlie and Linda make their way towards the table. “Dinner is ready! You guys want to help me put it on the table?” Everyone chimes in, agreeing, and makes their way into the kitchen where Casey directs them. In a few seconds, they’ve all managed to put the collection of dishes onto the table just as Casey instructed. 

With all of the dishes placed on the table in a strategic manner, the family took their seats around the table. Alex at the head of the table, Casey to her left, and Charlie to her right. Elliot took place next to Casey and Linda took place next to Charlie. They smiled and engaged in momentarily awkward conversation, but after a bit, everything seemed to fall into place. Through conversation and playful banter, Elliot was able to see more of what Alex was like with them. For a time, he forgot that Alex was his age, that she was Casey’s professor. For a time, he saw how in love they are and how Alex holds great reverence for Casey, valuing her every word, letting them stick to her like honey. 

During the course of the meal, Casey and Alex’s tension waned. Alex’s concerns with Elliot’s perceptions fell to the wayside the more she saw Casey loosen up. Love bubbled in her heart and made its way through to her fingertips, which wandered to Casey’s hand whenever the chance presented itself. Every time they held hands, Casey offered the occasional stray look and felt electricity pulse through her. Her skin warmed slowly and her heart leapt, but her chest calmed. Security washed over her with every look she exchanged with Alex. 

Eventually, the meal came to an end and sweet gifts were exchanged. Elliot brought something for Casey and Alex, Charlie and Linda brought a gift for Casey and a card for Alex, and Alex found small gifts for everyone. Each of the gifts exchanged showcased the attributes of each individual, a totally personal connection and full of meaningful gestures. Towards the end, Casey and her friends engaged in a conversation that Alex and Elliot could only listen to. Alex took a second and kissed the top of Casey’s head, stepping out onto her balcony to cool down. 

Casey paid no mind as Alex stepped out onto the balcony, sure she just needed a moment to herself as was often the case. Light snowfall landed onto the metal fencing surrounding the balcony, and sprinkled on Alex’s cheeks, melting on impact. She lit a cigarette, leaning against the railing and looking down at the cars below. Her mind and heart slowed, grateful for how the night had turned out. Her worries seemed to be extinguished as Elliot was going home the next day. In the same breath, the balcony door opened quietly and shut with the same tone, causing Alex to glance over her shoulder to find Elliot stepping out with her. 

----------

When Charlie and Casey finally make their way to class, Casey can’t help but keep her head on a swivel, searching for Alex. Arriving at their classroom door, the last two in, Casey’s head finally falls in disappointment. 

“Casey!” A faint voice calls down the hallway as it passes the corridor. 

Casey’s head shoots up, blushing almost immediately. The blonde peeks past the edge of the corridor and waves at her partner, smiling. Casey waves back, and Alex blows her a kiss before  making her way down the hall. Casey feels a weight slowly flutter away from her chest as she enters the classroom, her cheek seeming to burn from the kiss blown in her direction.

Just a short distance away, Alex rushes to her class. She hates to run late but she struggled to wake up this morning, missing her partner, who seemed to be a natural alarm clock. Throughout her class time, Alex couldn’t do anything other than think about Casey. She longed for her scent, her conversation, the touch of her hand, her warmth as she snakes her arm around Casey’s waist. She daydreams about having lunch with her later, having texted her an invitation at her soonest convenience. Since the holidays, Alex’s confidence in their relationship grew exponentially. 

----------

Between the holiday party and Elliot’s arrival, Casey and Alex enjoyed their time playing house. Alex began going to the grocery store with Casey, they cooked together, they lounged around reading and watching sports, and they had many dates. They started to get used to waking up to each other every morning, becoming increasingly aware of each other’s habits. Issues came and went, but both seemed to be willing to resolve the issues calmly. Alex had never felt so comfortable with a partner, and had never imagined she would. She started to look forward to the future again, daydreaming about Casey’s place in it. 

Meanwhile, Casey felt much the same, though it was tainted with fear of what others would think of them. She imagined her peers assuming she chose Alex for the money or connections, merely using her as a leg up on the latter. She feared how people would view their age gap as time went on and how they would handle it. When the anxious thoughts finally catch up to Casey, she peels her eyes open from her slumber and pulls Alex closer. She takes a deep, wakeful breath and kisses Alex’s shoulders, down into the crook of her neck. 

“G’morning,” she murmurs into Alex’s ear. Alex had been awake, reading on her phone and petting Toby, who sleeps peacefully curled up against her chest. 

Alex turns her phone off and turns her head slightly, allowing Casey to kiss her lips before receding back to her neck. “Morning,” she whispers back. Her hands gravitate towards Casey’s, wrapped around her torso, and she strokes them softly with her fingertips. 

“Lex?” Casey asks nervously. 

“Hmm?” Alex responds, eyes shutting for a moment as she tunes her ears to Casey’s words. 

“May I ask you a question?” Casey’s eyes are sad as they stare into the distance, brushing her lips across Alex’s neck, the soft sensation stimulating her. 

Alex chuffs, “you can ask me as many questions as you like, baby.” 

Casey’s heart still skips a beat. She nuzzles her face into the back of Alex’s neck, breathing in the scent of her conditioner and their sheets. “Do you know that you love me?” 

Alex furrows her brow and turns onto her back, forcing Casey to meet her gaze. She smiles sheepishly as she considers the question. She pulls Casey down for a quick kiss, “I do. I know that I love you. Why?” 

Casey scans her face, seeming to ignore the question. “But…” she sighs, her face contorting in confusion and concern. “How do you know?” 

Alex giggles and shuts her eyes for a moment, trying to determine how to articulate her feelings. She opens her eyes and takes a deep breath as she peers into Casey’s green. She grins, feeling her cheeks begin to warm, and looks down at Casey’s lips. A deep breath allows the words to creak past her lips, “It’s like knowing how to breathe, Case.” Her eyes return to Casey’s, which have softened with what Alex believes to be love. “I just know.” 

Casey closes her eyes in thought for a time, then leans down and kisses Alex deeply. When she pulls away, she moves down to pepper kisses along Alex’s cheek before nuzzling into her neck. “I love you, too. A lot,” she whispers into Alex’s ear. Alex’s heart beats heavy, and she turns to wrap her arms around Casey’s body. She pulls her in close, stroking her fingers through Casey’s red tendrils and kissing the top of her head. 

----------

Lunch finally comes around and Alex practically falls into her office, setting the food on her desk in a clamour. Once the food is set, she turns on her phone and searches for Casey’s response. 

Casey <3: I’ll be late, but I’m coming to your office for lunch <3

Alex smiles, sending back a heart, and then taking a moment to split the food. She took the extra time to sit down and sift through her emails. One reminds her that she volunteered to be a coach for the 3L’s mock trial competition. She sighs as she reads the details regarding their expectations for her. She glances up at the clock, Casey’s at least fifteen minutes late. Her chest starts to sink, just a bit. She bites her lip and decides to start prepping the material for the mock trial team. More time passes and with each glance at the clock, her heart sinks and she checks her phone. 

With only twenty minutes left of her lunch, she starts picking at her food with a distracted mind. So distracted that the knock at the door frame causes her to jump. Her eyes dart up to the door, aggravated at first that she was startled, but her expression eases when she notices her sweetheart smiling in the doorway. 

“Hi,” Alex whispers sheepishly. 

Wordless, Casey makes her way over to Alex’s chair. Alex spins out a bit, just in time for Casey to cup her face and lean down, kissing her passionately. A delighted hum is shared between them, smiles slowly spreading on their cheeks. Casey pulls away for a moment, just long enough to whisper back, “I’m sorry I’m so late. We got the results for the mock trial this semester,” she kisses Alex again, a few times over, not allowing her time to speak. 

Alex snakes her hands up Casey’s body and pulls her into her lap, cradling her carefully. She figures out how to steer their lips apart and kisses Casey’s cheeks over and over. “It’s alright, I’m just glad you made it,” she murmurs into Casey’s warming flesh. 

Finally separated, Casey cups Alex’s face, stroking her cheeks and treasuring how Alex’s arms fit around her, like puzzle pieces. A moment of dazzling eye contact and they’ve regained their composure. Alex brings the food closer to them with one hand and Casey takes the one she knows is hers. They start to eat and Alex barely collects herself. Once again, she’s revisited by the powerful sensation of love, seeming to vibrate in her chest and distract her from anything needing her focus. In the moments of shared silence, her mind subtly wanders to the balcony of her apartment, snow falling softly on Alex and Elliot. 

----------

“Hey,” Elliot says quietly as he approaches Alex, who leans on the railing, letting the cigarette burn between her fingers. 

She smiles sheepishly, whispering “hey,” back to him. 

“I didn’t peg you for a smoker,” he states as he mimics her stance. 

She scoffs, “I don’t regularly. Just when I need to clear my head.” 

A moment of silence passes between them and Elliot shoves his hands in his coat pocket, turning towards Alex. “I don’t dislike you,” he states. 

Alex furrows her brows, flicking her cigarette and turning to face him. “You don’t?” She asks apprehensively, a faint smirk present on her face. 

He laughs and shakes his head. “No…” He takes a deep breath through his nose and exhales, his breath fogging between them. “I see the way that you look at her. I’ve been paying attention to the way you treat her and the people she cares about.” He bites the inside of his lip and glances into the distance behind her. “It says a lot about you.” 

She tries to slow the smile that slowly rises to her face, “thank you.” She looks him up and down, “I like you, too. I’m really glad that someone cares about Casey as much as you do. She loves you,” she glances at the door, peering through the glass at her lover, “a lot.” 

He glances the same direction, and then back to her. Her eyes are still planted on Casey, her features softening before his eyes. He remembers seeing this look on his father’s face every time he watched Casey’s mother from afar. He remembers giving this look every time he admires his own wife with their children. Joy fills his lungs at the thought someone could look at his sister this way. Having protected her all his life, he could only hope that she would find someone who looked at her this way and treated her the same. 

“You know, Alex,” he begins to catch her attention. She slowly turns back to him, her eyes light and soft in the dim light of the apartment as it casts through the window and reflects on the snow. “Love is…” he exhales deeply, “a connection that transcends everything. It’s not an obsession.” Alex narrows her brow and tilts her head as she listens, hoping he’ll continue. “When I first heard about your relationship, I thought it was an obsession, an infatuation.” Alex scoffs with a light grin, he does the same as he continues. “But the more that I’ve gotten to see you both interact, the more that I’ve seen how she acts with you, and you with her…it’s apparent that it’s far more than obsession.” They meet each other’s eyes, Alex’s twinkling with anticipation, unsure if he has more to say. He smiles awkwardly at her and lets out a chuckle, “Alex, she loves you. And it’s obvious to me that you love her.” 

Alex, trying to muster a response and being met only with the impulse to tell him that he loves her, is interrupted by the glass door opening. Casey peeks her head out, grinning with her teeth wide in the chilled air. “Everything okay out here?” 

Elliot and Alex look back at each other, smiling, and then back at her. “Everything is perfect, Case,” he tells her. 

A moment of silence passes as they all exchange glances. “Well…” she starts, her eyes darting between them, “come back inside. It’s cold!” They laugh at her and nod, Elliot rolling his eyes as he leads the way back inside. Alex flicks her cigarette to the ground and snuffs it, stepping inside after him, and kissing Casey softly, whispering an ‘I love you’ that had been trapped in her throat. 

----------

Once they’d quickly eaten their lunch, Alex finally took a moment to breathe and acknowledge Casey’s reasoning for her lateness. “What were the results for the mock trial, baby? I got an email about it, too, but I haven’t looked at the list yet.” 

Casey grins, returning to Alex’s lap after cleaning up from eating. “I got in! Charlie, too.” 

“That’s so amazing, Case. I’m proud of  you,” Alex tells her, cupping Casey’s face and pulling it down to kiss her deeply. 

“You should see who else got in,” Casey presses. “I haven’t gotten to talk to anyone else,” she reasons. Alex rolls her eyes but does as proposed, turning around, and using one hand to navigate her computer. With the other hand wrapped around Casey’s body, softly stroking her with her thumb, she pulls up the email about the mock trial and begins opening the attachments. 

“Mmmm,” Alex hums, a devious smirk pulling at her cheeks. 

“What?” Casey asks urgently, “what is it, Lex?” 

Alex runs her tongue over her bottom lip and pulls it between her teeth as she turns to look up at her lover. “Well,” she begins, trying to tease Casey a bit by dragging out her answer. “It looks like I’m coaching your mock trial team.” 

[nicholassanders]

Some cute sketches made at work. Sorry for the lack of work, it's been a very tough month and I'm mentally exhausted.... But I will try to improve! ✨

And I also want to thank you all for being with me. There are already 102 of you! My God, I never thought that so many people would like my work... I am very happy and grateful to you all.(⁠｡⁠ﾉ⁠ω⁠＼⁠｡⁠)❤️

I hope you are all well. Take care of your health and try to rest more! The New Year is coming soon, very soon we will all finally be able to relax and say goodbye to the old year, forget about all the problems and troubles for a while.

Once again I want to thank you all for your reactions and for being with me. I love you guys.❤️✨❤️

[lienwyn]

Kang Yo Han in his natural habitat, as observed by Kim Ga On

OR

You want to fuck that old man so bad it makes you look stupid

[sysig]

For Requestober No.2

What about Handplates Gaster and Papyrus trying hard to have a bonding activity and Sans just chilling behind them eating popcorns...?

👉🏻👈🏻

Day 14 - He's supervising

[fluffs-n-stuffs]

"We will surpass the legends." 🐉✨

A super belated celebratory piece for Pokemon Masters' fifth anniversary - and for Arc Suit Lance coming home when I pulled during my country's PokeCon weekend 😔🙏

[yunamiudon]

The End of the War !!

My codywan piece I did for New Beginnings by @thecodywanzine. Thank you for all the hard work!

(Actually, this was a re-drawing of a piece I did two years ago. I decided to draw this cuz I thought the end of the war is the beginning of their new days.)

[rileys-battlecats]

was trying to figure out why I feel so Wrong rn and I think it's because I didn't follow my usual daily routine like At All and now my brain is freaking out. woke up at a vastly different time, had entirely different tasks throughout the day, took a nap at a weird time (to make up for the fact I had about 3 hours of sleep last night), zero human contact for the past 15 hours, and ate different food from usual (various leftovers from social events/thanksgiving, instead of cooking for myself like normal). and before I really realized that these were all things that were Bad For My Brain I was just wandering around my house like "why do I feel like garbage?? I've literally been outside so much today my brain should be happy"

ANYWAY here's to me not remembering I have issues with unstructured living because my days have been so similar for the past 4ish years that I straight up Forgot that things being too different too fast makes me crazy ✌️

[xxthebubblewitchxx]

Artfight is finally over yay!! This year was so fun and I wanted to try out some stuff like making more interesting pieces and full illustrations with backgrounds or with diffrent elements as well as push myself to color and shade more finished drawings! I have to say I'm proud on how they came out! :D

But on another note I have many places to improve on! I can't stop ignoring it, I always draw the same face shape! I have to admit that drawing faces is the part I hate the most so I always go for what's more comfy but I really have no excuses I've been drawing the same face for years now hahaha And it became more obvious with all the thumbnails of the drawings side by side- But hey i'm here to get better little by little so i'll see what I can do to work on that! >:)

[kuromi-hoemie]

feels so good being the person in charge of deciding whether our organization will use AI or not. I'm going to write an argument so strong... no we will not waste an ounce of our time and energy on what's essentially a bubble the IT industry Really wants to try forcing on people and is betting on/wanting so badly for it to take off. The real gut punch is at some point I'm going to compare it to NFTs lol

[wilting-fl0wer]

back muscle practice/study w Sol