#can you tell i dont know how to do backgrounds

[mamooshii]

cum-cum-complete

fuma x reader (band!au, brothers best friend)

wc: 4.5k

cw: smut, pinv, porn with minimal plot, oral(f!reciving), choking, hand kink if you squint, weed use, nicknames(baby, slut, whore, cockslut, dumbwhore, girly), mean!dom fuma, sub! reader, reader has nipple piercings (totally not basing reader off of me, who would do such a thing), reader has a lotta hobbies, background nichojoo, brothers bestfriend fucking

in which you’re brothers bestfriend and bandmate is hot, and you wanna fuck him.

its your first week home from your first year of college, and your brother decided that his band practice has to start at 10 am. you wake up to his bandmates screaming in the living room. you grumble and go upstairs from your basement room to yell at your brother, forgetting you're in nothing but a flimsy tank top and some boxers with little hearts on them.

“yu cant you actually shut the fuck up?” you yell as you ascend the stairs, your older brother looks at you.

“girl it's 10 am, it's not my fault you were up readin fan-” his sentence is cut off by you lunging at him, pushing him down to the ground.

“im gonna fuckin kill you” you screech at him as you are pulled off of him by strong arms, lifting you easily. you struggle in the person's hold, gradually turning around in the arms. you look up at your captor and see it's fuma, the boy, no man now, you've always had a crush on since you were 8.

“let-let me go” you stutter out, shocked by how much hotter he's gotten in the 9 short months you've been gone.

“you gonna play nice and not kill your brother?” he questions, his deep voice reverberating in your chest. you blush and look away, suddenly remembering how exposed you are in your sleep clothes. his hands rest on your hips, fingers playing with the thin fabric of your tank top.

“whatever-jus’ lemme go” you grumble, still not looking at him, still blushing but trying to get out of his iron-like grip he had on you.

“say yes, and ill let ya go,” he says right in your ear.

“fine-ill play nice,” you whine out, and he lets go. you go to the kitchen to get some breakfast, trying to hide your embarrassment. you open the fridge and figure you might as well make them something to eat as well.

“do you guys want anything?’ you ask the group of boys, they all nod and give you what they want. kei wants eggs and rice, fuma wants pancakes, nicho wants sausage, and euijoo agrees to whatever you feel like making. you summon kei to assist you in breakfast and you too make a quick work of the meal.

you have the boys set the table bc if they’re gonna eat yalls food then there gonna work for it. you guys sit down and start grubbin out. once done euijoo offers to clean up making the other help too. you decide to take a shower.

“kay guys imma go downstairs, please for fucks sake be quiet” you tell them as you head down the stairs. what you didn’t see was fumas eyes fallowing your path, eyes locked onto your ass. kei takes notice and slaps his shoulder. fuma looks at k, face saying ‘fuck i do?’.

“dont eye fuck my younger sister” kei says to him

“yea-just fuck her for real” nicho chimes in from his position on the counter.

its euijoos turn to slap someone, he slaps his boyfriend. nicho hisses at the contact, pouting as he look at his boyfriend turned attacker.

“shut up, thats kei-hyungs sister” he chastises, his boyfriend grumbles and the two start bickering playfully.

-

later in the day, you go down for a snack, and in light of fuma's previous words you bring snacks out to the garage for the boys, only to find kei missing.

“wheres kei?” you question as you set down the cut fruit you’d prepared for the boys.

“he went to get drinks, ill text him what you want” fuma says, knowing your order after all these years, he whips his phone from his pocket and your eyes linger on his hands just a moment longer than appropriate.

“kay- wait can i sing?” you gesture to the mic in the front of the garage.

“yea sure, whatcha want?” fuma says lowly, and you think for a second, deciding on sexy drug, a song you wrote for the boys to perform back in high school.

“you guys remember sexy drug?” you ask, tilting your head.

“yea we still perform it,” euijoo says excitedly. he picks up his guitar and get behind his mic, nicho jumps behind the drumset. you pass by fuma, who whips his bass around to the front. the first notes ring in your ears, and you are almost in a trance, the words of the song flowing from your glossy red lips.

you rip the mic from the stand and start to walk around to the boys. you and euijoo go back to back when hes to do his parts with you supporting. you head over to fuma and get right in his face right as it gets to your favorite part of the song.

“sexy girl come and lay with me, im frustrated and its sexually.” fuma sings into your mic, making direct eye contact with you and your knees just about buckle.

“like omg you make me cum-cum-complete” you say as you make your eyes roll back as you throw your head back, almost like you just want him to take a bite right then and there. you’re not dumb, you know damn well what you are doing, and its working. you got the poor boy wrapped around your finger, he keeps stumbling over his lines. euijoo and nicho look at each other, knowing whats going on.

the rest of the song you and him have this palpable tension that you could cut with a knife. as the last notes reverberate against your chest, which is pressed against fuma’s chest. you’re both panting, breath mingling. clapping cuts through your trance and you snap your head to where kei is standing with drinks in hand.

“woah that was good, better than me” kei says as he set the drinks next to the cut fruit. you all grab your respective drinks and you have the idea to be their photographer for the day. you over heard the boys saying they want mor pictures of them during practice, so you decise to do just that. you grab the camera that was on the table.

you wander around the garage snapping pics of random things, your scuffed chucks, yalls energy drinks all lined up next to one another, nicho behind the drums, euijoo kissing nicho, the list goes on. you walk up to fuma and point the camera at him, chest down you take the picture of him shredding his cherry red bass. his rift ends and you turn the camera to face you and you step between his legs. his hands going straight to your hips, you lean back and kiss his neck, you snap the picture.

you full away from his neck, seeing your red kiss mark on his neck you snap a picture of that, fuma is smiling smugly in the photo and you think you might just keep that one.

-

the sunset is casting a warm glow across your room, you’re perched on your bed. you’re going through all of the pictures and editing them, hand picking which ones your gonna keep for yourself, all fuma if you’re to be oh so honest, and which ones your gonna post to insta. after posting the pictures, with keis consent, you put a random show on and pull your pre-roll you got from yuma, he went as far as giving you cherry flavored filters and using pretty pink rolling paper.

you open your window and grab your lighter, you hear a knock at your door. thinking its kei you quickly hid your joint and lighter behind your back with one hand as you open the door, just to see fuma.

“fuck-i thought you were yudai,” you say as you pull the joint out from its hiding spot,

“well dont just stand there-cmon” you say gripping his wrist and dragging him into the room.

“is that a joint?” he questions, cocking his head. you blush and look away, the simple action should not be effecting you this much.

“you’re not gonna tell are you?” you ask, moving over to the window, cherry red lighter in hand. fuma shakes his head, looking around your room.

“theres more on my desk if you want-not the pink ones those are mine” you say bring your red tipped joint up to your mouth, lighting it and taking a heavy drag. fuma digs for a second and then moves to sit beside you on the window. just as you’re about to offer your lighter, he pulls his own black lighter out of his jeans.

you stare as he lifts the lighter to the joint hanging from his lips, hands cupped around the flame. he drops his hands and your eyes move to his face as he takes a drag, ghosting it. yuma must have given you a new strain because you are already not here, maybe it was just fumas effect on you.

“when’d ya start smokin?’ he asks snapping you out of the trance he unknowingly put on you.

“last summer, really helps my brain shut up, my ex gave me my first, he actually rolled this” you bring your joint up to your lip gesturing to it as you hit. fumas eyes are on your glossy red lips wrapped delicately around the tip, and fuma is thinking about just how perfectly your lips would look around his cock.

“when’d you start?” you question, words coming out more slurred than you ment, yumas new strain is fucking you up. your voice cutting through his thoughts.

“17” hes says after taking a hit, smoke coming out his nose as he speaks. if you werent sitting your knees would have giving out. the two of you sit there and fishing smoking the joints. you offer to move to the bed after and he takes you up on that offer.

-

the two of you are sitting on your bed, the tv casting a light glow onto you guys. you’re watching spongebob and you cannot stop laughing, yea this strain is good. fuma’s hand his sitting on you thigh, massaging lightly.

“‘m bored” you mumble out. pausing the show you get on your knees between fumas outstretched legs.

“whatcha wanna do baby?” he says, the nickname coming out unintentionally.

“baby?” you giggle out, heart fluttering at the word leaving fumas mouth. if you told 12 year-old you, she would be shitting bricks. fuma moves closer, confidence radiating off of him at your blushing face.

“you good with that?” he asks grabbing your face with one of his hands.

“yea- ‘m still bored” you giggle, face still ablaze.

“hmmm 20 questions?” his head tilted, bang

“yea!” you almost yell, before covering your mouth not wanting kei to overhear.

“ill start easy, whats your favorite food?” fuma asks

“yellow, last time you watched porn?” you say eagerly.

“woah jumping right into it are we? fine ill paly along, last night.” fuma laughed

“what kind?” you ask, you curiosity piqued.

“hold on girly, it my turn for a question, how many guys have made you cum?” he asked, his hand moving to your hip.

“sorry-got excited, no guy has ever made me cum before” you shyly mumble out.

“not even yuma?” fuma asks almost in disbelief.

“no we never fucked sadly, heard hes a good fuck” you say thinking back to how you fumbled that kinda hard.

“okay my turn, biggest turn on” you say, scooting closer to him.

“hmmmm…probably nipple piercings, on anyone” fuma says after some thought.

“oh- i have those! wanna see?” you giggle

“of course” fuma says hand moving up to fiddle with your loose shirt. you bring your hand to the shirt's hem, pulling the shirt off and throwing it somewhere on your floor. you reach your hands around to take your bra off, weed filled brain struggling with the clasp. you whine out a small ‘help’ and he laughs.

he brings one hand behind you back and pulls the clasp back and letting it snap against your back, you whine once more and he finally undos the clasp with one hand. you hate how much this is turning you on, nipples already hard with your flustered state. you let the bra fall off of your shoulders. you blush and look to the side.

fuma bring a hand up to your tits, thumb running over your nipple, fiddling with the jewelry going through the flesh. you whine out and push your chest up into his hand and he groans.

“beautiful,” he murmurs out, voice rasp.

“thank you- your turn” you say, prompting him to ask another question.

“whats your biggest turn on?” hes says, turning your question onto you.

“no fair that was mine,” you pout but choose to answer, “ you- your confidence, the casual dominance you throw at me, your hands, just you- and thats just sexual, don’t get me started on the emotional boner you give me.” you say, hand moving to his that is still on your tit.

“me?” he questions from below you, having moved to his lap a while ago.

“mhm-i wouldn't let you smoke my weed if i didn't like you.” you say with a giggle

“so i can do this?” he asks and its your turn to be confused. right as your about to ask what exactly ‘this’ is, he kisses you. you gasp and push into the kiss, already wanting more. he tastes like weed and mint gum. he pulls away and you almost chase his lips.

“woah there girly, kei would kill me if i slept with-” he starts but you interrupt,

“i dont care please- ill talk to him, he wont kill me-please” your voice getting more desperate the more you beg.

“you’re his little sis-” he tries

“no ‘m not, im my own person and i want this please fuma” you interrupt again, determined to have him forget your brother. you move off of him and scramble for your shirt, you go to the door and go upstairs to his room and fuma rushes to follow you. you get to keis room and you bang on the door.

“kei-get out here right now” you yell through the door.

“what do you want” he says as he opens the door, eyeing fuma who is standing awkwardly behind you, hands clasped in front of him hiding the hard-on you gave him not 2 minutes ago.

“i’m going to have the best sex of my life with your best friend and i really don’t care what you think and you can’t kill him because he’s gonna be my boyfriend and that would mean i have to kill you”you say in one breath. kei stands there with his jaw to the floor and eyes bouncing between the two of you.

“uhh okayyy umm have fun i guess?” he shrugs, surprisingly not caring, though as you turn and walk away he grabs fuma’s bicep with a death grip.

“you hurt her and i will actually kill you, she won't be able to stop me” he says in fuma’s ear, the younger nodding. kei lets him go and he follows after you. you guys get back to your room and you pull him into a kiss, his hands going back to their rightful spot on your waist.

“boyfriend huh?” he cocks his head.

“mhm- well talk after you fuck my brains out kay?” you say and he nods pushing you towards the bed only breaking the kiss to take your shirt off again, you pull at his shirt, wanting it off too.

“off-want it off” you say into the kiss. he chuckles and takes his shirt off and pulls the belt out of the loops and he sees you eyeing the belt.

“next time baby, wanna feel your hands on my cock” he says, throwing the belt somewhere on the floor. you take that as your cue to get on your knees, plush carpet cushioning your knees ever so slightly. you fumble with the button and zipper of his baggy jeans. you finally get them udon and you fish his cock out. it’s hot and heavy in your hand, the tip a pretty red, cherry red if you will, shimmering with pre from your previous encounter.

you grip his cock and lick up the bottom, base to tip, you follow the veins of his cock.when you reach the tip and wrap your pretty red lips around it, giving it little sucks and brushing the slit with your tongue. his hips jut out to meet your mouth and his hands find the back of your head. gripping your hair, he pulls you off his cock with a wet pop.

“stop teasin’ and suck my cock like you mean it” he grunts out. you drunkenly smile up at him, a mix of his taste and the weed still infecting your brain making you already cockdumb. you allow him to push you head to his cock again. you grip the base and push his cock as deep as you can take it, the tip hitting the back if your throat. you gag a bit but ultimately suppress the reflex.

“oh fuck-” fuma groans out, hands griping you hair, sending a shiver down your back. your hands start to move on the part you can’t fit in your mouth, jerking him off. you move one hand down to his heavy balls, cupping and rolling them in your hand. you move your focus back to the tip, tongue finding the underside of the tip.

“fuck-fuck baby stop-’m gonna cum” fuma moans out, he pull you off before he could cum in your mouth, you whine out.

“wanna cum in you first” he says almost reading your mind. he picks you up effortlessly and tosses you on your bed. you squeak at the impact, bouncing just once before he’s on top of you, kissing hard. he moans at the taste of him on your lips, mixing so well with the weed and cherry flavor that was in its entirety-you.

fums hands start to wonder as does his lips, hands going to part your thighs making you spread them, giving him space to enter. you allow it, bucking your hips up to meet his hands, he pushes them down, a silent command to stay still and be patient. you whine out, hands moving to his hair.

fuma’s lips move to your neck and tits, leaving a trail of marks in their wake. his mouth finds your right tit. focusing on the nipple he sucks, hard, you moan out its almost a scream with how fuzzy your mind was. you pull on his hair not knowing if you want more or not. he moans at the sting of your fingernails digging into his scalp.

“please fuma-fuma please wan’ more” you whine out squirming in his hold. he glances up at you and moves dow, kissing on your stomach, he pulls your shorts only stoping when he spots what underwear you’re wearing.

“these for me?” he questions, fingers snapping the waist band against your hip. a pretty, red, lace thong adorns your body, his favorite color.

“yea-was hopin’ you’d fuck me finally” you whine out, the sting of the impact, weed making you more sinsitive than ever.

“you fuckin slut-such a whore for her brothers band mate” he shakes his head, words coming out with faux malice, guessing your into a little degradation. judging by the way your hips buck up to his hand and the absolutely filthy whine you let out, he guessed right.

“‘m not a whore” you mumble out, hiding your face in your hands. fuma grips your hips in and almost brutal grip.

“is that so,” he mocks “whats this then?”

his fingers brush over the prominent wet spot you’ve left on you pretty underwear. you moan and the slight contact.

“such a mess-” he risks out, he adjusts himself till he is lying between your legs. you can feel his breath on your core, you whine.

“such a whiny bitch- cant shut the fuck up and i havent even done anything yet” he taunts, enjoying the way you hide your face. he can see the way your cunt clenches around nothing. he moves the red fabric to the side and takes a long lick from slit to clit and your back arches.

“oh-fuck” you moan out hands flying to his hair, pulling his head closer to your heat.

“please please- wan-wanna cum, please” you babble out, thoughts incoherent and word jumbled. your hips are bucking wildly against fuma’s face. his hand moved to push your hips down into the matrisse.

“go on girly, cum on my face” fuma almost begs, needing to taste your cum,. at his word you cum, eyes rolling to the back of your head and thighs locking around fuma’s head keeping him right where you need him.

“woah you jus- you made me cum” you say in disbelief.

“yea i did baby, you did so good for me” he says coming up to kiss you. you moan out at the taste of yourself on his tongue. his hands move to your thighs gripping the flesh, kneading. he pulls away and you whine at the loss. fuma sits back on his knees and just looks at you, you turn your head away from his gaze. his hands snap to your jaw forcing you to look at him, making direct eye contact with you.

“look at me when i fuck you” fuma says getting right up in your face, you blush and nod. he scoots back and get off the bed. fuma’s hand finds your ankle and yanks you to the edge of the bed and flips you pon your stomach.

you make eye contact with yourself in the mirror that’s opposite to your bed and blush, so this is what he meant when he said to make eye contact. he wanted you to watch yourself be ruined, by him. the thought of the whole thing makes you drip and clench around nothing. hes standing behind you, hands pushing down on your back makes you arch so pretty just for him.

he gets up on the bed and kneels behind you and ribs the tip of his cock in your folds. you realise he had gotten undressed while you were floating from your orgasm. you moan out at the contact, arching your back trying to get him to fuck you faster.

”please-” you beg out needing him in you so bad.

“oh baby you can do so much better than that” he says taunting you

“please-please ill be so good-so good just for you daddy-please” you babble out, the title slipping out from you lips. fuma groans out at the name, his head falls back.

“fuck baby-you really are a slut for me huh?” he chuckles out, resolve slipping and he gives into your whiney pleas. his hips snap into yours, the force pushing you face first into the mattress. you moan is a borderline scream, muffelded by your comforter.

nah baby-i said look at me” fuma growls out, hand gripping your hair and yanking you up. his other hand moves to your clit making tight circles around the pulsating bud. you make eye contact with him in the mirror and you both moan out. his hips slow down the the thrust are hitting you so hard and deep that you can see a small bulge where his cock is hitting.

he grabs your hand and move it to the spot where is cock is poking out, making you press on in. yhou scream at the sensation, so much pressure you thing you might pass out.

“you feel that baby? feel you slutty cunt taking me so deep, like you were made for me” fuma whispers in your ear, his breath brushes your ear and you loose it. you’re sobbing from how good this man is making you feel.

“oh fuck- im gonna cum-please fuma can i cum?” you say, somehow finding the words in your jumbled up, floaty weed brain.

“thats not man name baby, c’mon you can do it” he says speeding up his movements, hips snapping into your ass you genuinely think you might have bruises. his lips find your neck adding to the many other marks he made of your skin.

“please daddy-wanna cum so bad-” you whine out, a moan interrupting you when he palaces a particularly hard suck to your collarbone.

“its okay baby, cum for me, like the good slut you are” his punctuated his words with harsh thrusts and a slap to your poor cunt. you cum, violently, with a scream and you almost black out from the intensity. you collapsed onto the bed panting and shaking from how hard you came. you can barely register him cumming but moan out nonetheless. you both moan as he pulls out, he flops beside you equally you of breath.

fuma gets up and heads to the bathroom attached to your room. you whine not wanting to lose his calming presence.

“ill be right back baby, gotta clean you up, you hate bein sticky remember?” fuma crouches next to your head, brushing the strands of hair from your face and gives you a kiss on the forehead. he comes back moments later with some wet washcloths to clean the two of you up. after he’s done with mild protests from you as he cleans his cum from you messy cunt.

“easy baby i have to clean you up” fuma shushes you as he gently wipes up your cunt and thighs. he then shushes your whines once more with a kiss. he gets up once you’re clean and grabs your fresh underwear and his shirt from off the floor.

he gets you dressed and tuck you under the plush pink comforter you have. only once you’re settled does he put his own boxers on and goes to the kitchen and grabs some water bottles. when he gets back to the room you’re asleep. he trots over to you and gently wakes you and makes you drink the water.

“c’mon baby you have to drink something” he says trying to get you up

“nooo-” you whine out trying to bury yourself in the blanket again.

“yes baby.” he says using that tone on you, one where you know you’ve gotta listen. you begrudgingly get up and chug half the water before flopping down again and make gabby hands at him.

“wanna cuddle” you say and he complies, getting in the other side of the bed and pulls you onto his chest. his arms wrapped around your waist, you feel at home. you sigh in content and start to fall asleep.

“were gonna talk in the morning kay?” he say in your ear and you just nod letting the warmth of his body and rhythm of his heart put you to sleep.

[bee-boope]

Kuriko post, sorry I disappeared for.. idk how long. 😅

[strawberry-pawz]

Elsewhere

[machboo]

hello sean nation how are we feeling about this one

[itissadbutitsmy-artblog]

she was SOO nice to me when i was born two months ago. i mean, last week.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

reading Krakoa era out of order bc reading lists online make it confusing and my local library only has so many books

just as god intended right on my friend you're doing everything right and don't let anyone tell you otherwise

[mamawasatesttube]

impressive. just looked at the timkon tag on ao3 and not one fic on the front page today is actually about timkon.

[acaciapines]

on today's episode of 'acaica's background thoughts for the dess raises kris au': okay but lets be serious do dess and chara actually stay together in the end--

[nightmareslug]

one of the perspective practices or whatever

[kurp-stuff]

Well the french in the last episode of iwtv was certainly something

[prentolomaea]

i think ptolomaea by ethel cain is one of the most brilliantly crafted songs i’ve ever listened to.

the way it opens with this distorted deeper voice (isaiah) and you hear the sound of flies buzzing in the background underneath the voice, thats such a cool detail. and while isaiah is singing, you hear ethel incoherently mumble (you literally hear her say “mama?” its so 😭😭) as she’s waking up from the drugs. when we finally hear her voice, it’s high pitched, raw, and vulnerable. because of how vulnerable of a situation she is in, but she doesn’t realize it yet because of the drugs she’s on. so this whole beginning is echoey and it captures the whole aloneness she’s feeling.

and then we get a beat drop at “even the iron still fears the rot,” where the instrumentals are a little heavier, her voice is still high and raw but there’s a sense of knowing in it. (“hiding from something, i cannot stop. walking on shadows, i cant lead him back”) as her hallucinations and the drugs start to wear off, she’s facing this darkness that’s been eating away at her with “daddy’s left and mama won’t come home,” which is something she rarely comes to terms with.

then we get that dark distorted voice again saying “you poor thing, sweet morning lamb. there’s nothing you can do, it’s already been done,” which is incredibly terrifying. not to mention that deafening crash of the drums, god the way those drums thunder so intensely like you can feel the dread in your bones. and then we hear ethel’s voice again saying “what fear a man like you brings upon a woman like me? please dont look at me..” which refers to when isaiah tells her to “show me your face,” during that line. and she’s pleading for him to stop looking at him, you can’t hear it because it’s in the background but he says “come here,” and right after you hear ethel say “i can see it in your eyes, tell me, what have you done?” which then goes into a sea of begs and pleas for him to “stop, stop” until the final “stop” is not sung, but instead a bone chilling shrill shriek. which is cut off by “i am the face of love’s rage.” and if you listen to the acapella, during “i am the face of love’s rage,” right underneath that main vocal, you hear a second high pitched scream, you hear bundles “no’s” and even a “no! please!” which i think ties the story really well together.

in the acapella, while “blessed be the daughters of cain,” is being read out, you can hear the gargling and choking noises as ethel is struggling to breathe and as she’s literally dying its really sickening but so well executed from an artist perspective. and then at the very very end, you hear a death rattle like that is INSANE

i love ptolomaea, i love how the instrumentals create such a unique atmosphere that makes it as terrifying as it sounds and how hayden uses her voice in different ways to tell the story effectively. and it works, it all works.

ptolomaea is the best song on preacher’s daughter thank you for coming to my ted talk

[lesbianralzarek]

shout-out to the person in the tag last night calling hbomb "straight-passing". what does that mean here? "white-passing" is a useful term because you can usually tell what race someone is visually. "straight-passing" includes 90% of queer people, unless you really know what youre looking for (hets dont), in which case "straight-passing" only includes about 60% of us instead. do you mean he can pass as het by not showing us any male partners? hes a youtuber. are all youtubers straight unless their partners (mandatory both male and female for bisexuals) show up in the background of their shots? or do you mean he never talks about it? because he does. repeatedly. in other videos.

you have 30 seconds to explain how the term "straight-passing" is useful when discussing whether or not hbombs claims are out of his lane before i shove the biphobia L into your hands

EDIT: I HATE MY ACTIVITY PAGE RIGHT NOW, SO NO ONE GETS TO REBLOG. TOO MUCH DISCOURSE. GO HOME

[aliceinborderlandsquidgame]

We meet again | In-ho x Fem!Reader | PT3

Summary: It was only one night for fun, you never thought you would see him again. Even less in a place like this one.

P1 P2 PT4 END

Warnings: S2 Spoilers - Canon violence - Pregnant!Reader - Non canon background for In-ho - Use of (Y/N) - Angst - Protective!In-ho - Soft!Dae-ho - Panic!Reader - grammar mistakes -

Morning came once again, this time you managed to get some good sleep, between the extra blankets and Jun-hee body heat (who told you she may end hugging you since she liked to cuddle in her sleep), you did not mind and so you woke up with her snoring over you.

"How does you two feel?" Dae-ho asked from besides the bed, for him it was like seeing his sisters from back home.

"I think we are both fine, better than last night" You slowly moved Jun-hee who asked for five more minutes, not catching up were she was.

You let out a small smile and looked around, Gi-hun and Jung-Bae seemed to be engrossed in a deep conversation, there was no trace of In-ho.

"Hey Dae-ho" He made a noise to let you know he was listening "Where is In-ho?"

"Oh, he said he needed to use the restroom and asked me to keep watch over you two" He responded like it was a normal thing. "He is really protective you know? I think he sees Jun-hee like a little sister of sorts but..." He closed his mouth not wanting to make things akward.

"But?, you can tell me"

"Its different with you. I see the way he looks at you, he was very atentive when we were walking the stairs and even let you held on him"

Well, he kind of forced me to.

"And, well the first night...I saw him giving you his blanket, I dont think he sees you like a sister at all" He added a small blush on his cheecks as he felt like he was sharing a secret

You did also blush, his words hitting your heart hard and deep. Did he really care ? Did he really care for his baby ? And yourself ? Was it true that he would have stayed or went back ?

"I think you are overthinking, he most likely does it because im...fragile right now"

But Dae-ho moved his head "No, im positive that he sees you more than a friend, trust me, I grow up with four sisters, im used to see which men would see them as friends and which would see them as lovers"

"Does that mean you see me like a sister?" You asked him trying to make him forget about his ideas.

He suttered responding "W-well, I mean, you are a woman" You nodded and he laughted "Right you are, and you are pregnant no less...two of my sisters were pregnant once and I was besides them during it so...m-maybe im acting on instinct. Sorry if it brothers you"

"No, no it does not. If nothing im happy. My brother left the country when he fell on debt, and passed it to me. He never called me or contacted before it. So...if you see me as your sister then its fair I see you as my brother"

Dae-ho smiled softly at your words He was going to talk once again but the voice of Jung-Bae calling him made him stop.

~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~

"Its time for the game yet?" Jun-hee said getting up blinking to adjust to the light.

"No yet, we have a few more minutes to rest" You responded "How do you feel?"

Jun-hee dismissed your worried tone with her hand "Im fine, slept better than last night. Thank you for sharing the blankets"

"You are welcome, we must take care of each other, right?"

She smiled, a sincere one. "We have"

~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○

In-ho with his clothes of Front Man read over the food for the next days, besides him stood The Officer not saying a word knowing better.

"Add one appel for each player" He finally said, giving the officer the tablet back who nodded. "And kept the vitamins for player 222 and 344"

~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~

"Attention players, today we will be giving food, form a line and wait" The Guard called.

Jun-hee and you moved to get in line, followed by Jung-Bae, Gi-hun and Dae-ho. "Why are they giving us breakfast? And where is In-ho?" Jung-Bae asked looking around with confusion, even Gi-hun had started to get worried.

"Well...he did say he needed the restroom, but he has been gone for much time now" Dae-ho said looking around too.

"Maybe he got lost?" Jung-Bae said getting a look from the four of you. "Well dont look at me like that!"

"You four went to the restroom last night, how far is it?" You asked a bit worried

"Not far, and the guards keep watch" Gi-hun responded

"Maybe he tried to escape?" The voice of Jun-hee asked

All of you fell in silence, the words of the other players muffled by your own thoughts.

Slowly the line went on, the four of you moving in a robotic way, like already mouring his death. 

It cant be, I cant lose him again.. 

You almost fell but Dae-ho noticed it and took you in his arms

"Hey...he may he alright..."

You wanted to cry, maybe the pregnancy was getting on you, maybe the stress was too much.

"And what if not? What if..."

"Next"

Dae-ho helped till you two were in front of the guard who this time gave milk, bread, an appel and the same plastic bag as last time"

Dae-ho looked with curious eyes but a loud sound from the guard and and an almost violent push of food made him look away.

You took a seat and forced yourself to eat and take down the pills. You knew you needed them for your baby.

Dae-ho followed by the others came too, once again Jung-Bae offered Jun-hee and you his milk.

All of you ate in silence, no one knew what to say or do, everyone was confused because of the suprise breakfast but also worried over their other teammate.

"What's going on, the food cant be that bad" The voice from In-ho broke off the dead silence.

"In-ho!" All of you exclaimed, it was a fun scene for the outside of it.

In-ho took a look at all of you, he could tell all of you were worried over him. His gaze lingered on you for a longer moment but he broke the eye contact and took a seat.

"Where were you?" Gi-hun asked between worried and suspicious

In-ho kept his eyes, "I had a small injury from last game, needed to check it" He lied "Tried to go during the night but the guards did not let me"

The silence was still tense but you decided to break it.

"Im glad you are fine" You went to munch back the appel blushing a bit under his eyes. He smiled at you and passed his appel to you, "Jun-hee and you can share it, I dont need it"

~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~

"Attention players, the next game will start soon, form a line and follow a guard"

All of you moved, In-ho once again being in front of you while Dae-ho was behind.

"Really, I can climb these just fine" You told them but they just ignored you.

However this time the guard lead the line of players where you were around a different path one with almost no stairs and the ones that did appear where short ones.

You did not want to show it, but you were grateful for this. Not questioning why the path had change.

Jun-hee was as content as you, holding her own belly, even if she was not as pregnant as you, she still got tired from time to time. She looked at you smiling a bit when he saw In-ho looking over his shoulder to check on you.

Oh, she was sure you two had something. Maybe he was indeed the father of your baby. Maybe it was fate that you two met in here. Much like her own....even if she did not want anything to do with the father of her own baby.

If by the next game all of you were out then she would like to stay close to you. Maybe you two could go and look for cheap clothes for your babys, pick a color for their rooms. If you were living alone maybe you two could live together, or she could live close to you if by any chance In-ho and you shared a place.

She would love to go and have dinner, the three of you. She could picture In-ho not letting you or her do a thing, he would most likely cock and clean.

Maybe Dae-ho could come too. He did said he grow up with four sisters, maybe he would give you two some tricks and help you two. He could introduce his sisters to the two of you.

Her dream ended when they arrived to the next game.

~○~○~○~○~○~○~○

In-ho was nervous. He knew he could not change the game itself, it would make these watching it get too invested and suspect, last thing he wanted was for the "VIPs" to get their attention on you.

Still, this game was dangerous. Specially for you, it did include running and the spinning, he swear to himself to stay besides you during all of it. But even with that...what if the stress was too much ? The music ?

Fuck, fuck all of this. Fuck it being The Front Man, fuck the dam games, fuck Gi-hun for causing trouble. Why could him just take the money and live his life?

Maybe it was wrong to blame Gi-hun for this. After all, it was not his fault that he had let you pregnant....

But it was his fault he had to make things harder, use all his energy for the games, for these on top of him to be satisfied, if he had not cause trouble outside....

"In-ho" Your sweet voice made him get back "What do you think? About the next game?"

Were all of you talking ? He never noticed.

"Mhm, could be migle" He trailed off

"Like, when we used to count run and hug each other?" Jung-Bae asked

"Must have something to do with these doors" Gi-hun pointed out "Make teams and go inside, something like that"

You little fucker....

"These are too far away..." You said starting to get nervous

"We wont leave you behind" In-ho told you giving your hand a quick grip

I wont leave you behind.

The guards had been ordered to not shoot you. Only to take you to his room in case you did lose. But In-ho would not let you go, he did not want to be separated from you.

"Yeah, we are a team" Dae-ho said taking your hand and Jun-hee who was also scared. "We wont let you two behind"

Maybe the four men from your team had different reasons to be in the games, but they had one objective this time.

Protect you and Jun-hee at all costs.

~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○

"Attention players, the next game is Migle, please get on the platform, when the song stops a number will be say. You must form teams of that number and go inside one of the rooms. If you fail to do so, you will be eliminated"

"You were right" You said to In-ho who helped you get on the platform "And Gi-hun, you were also right about the doors, you two seems to share the same brain"

Gi-hun said nothing while In-ho gave your hand a small grip. The platform started to spin, he could see you already feeling dizzy.

"Try to focus on a specific spot" He said avobe the music "That way you wont faint"

You did as he told you, eyes focus on a specific spot, the song was the old one you would hear kids sing back in your town. It made you want to vomit, to think on how twisted this was.

"10"

All of you started to look around, you were already six, just needed four more, but no one seemed to be around even if there were lots of players.

"Fuck what do we do" Jung-Bae said looking around

"How many are you?" Player 120 asked, behind her player 095, 007 and 149 stood.

"Six" Gi-hun responded quickly scanning the group seeing they were four, the number they needed

"Alright lets go then" In-ho said taking your hand between his, Dae-ho took Jun-hee hand with his, player 007 seemed to be dragging player 149, they were mother and son after all.

"There!" Gi-hun said running ahead opening a purpel door and making sure all of you went inside before he did it.

All of you were breathing hard after the run and stress.

Suddendly the door lock and the voice said time was up, next thing that came were the sounds of gunshots and screams.

"Oh you poor girls" The older woman said looking at Jun-hee and You like a mother would look at her daughter.

"We are fine" Jun-hee said hand on her belly as she took a quick look at you who nodded with a small smile.

"We are holding up" You told the older woman who was now cursing whoever would let two pregnant woman enter such a dangerous game.

In-ho had his face void from any emotion, even his eyes were stone cold while he listened to player 149 rant. It was destroying his heart.

The door unlocked again and the ten of you went out. Not knowing which number could be said next the ten of you decided to be close once the platform started to spin again.

"4"

Fuck, two will be out. You thought and all seemed to think the same, each one looking at the rest.

"Dae-ho, In-ho you two go with (Y/N) and Jun-hee, you four go together" Gi-hun started to make teams

"W-wait, what about-" Jung-Bae nervously asked but Gi-hun talked again "We will find two more, now go"

All of you splitted out, you were able to see the other four go inside a room before Dae-ho found one.

The four of you stood there, you went to look outside since the door had a small space, but between the lights and chaos you could not see Gi-hun or Jung-Bae.

"Hey, Seong was here before, and Jung-Bae its his best friend" Jun-hee said pulling you away from the door "I think they will be fine"

The door lock once again and the same sounds from last time repeated.

You closed your eyes feeling the breakfast trying to go up and out but you forced yourself not to.

Time passed slowly till the door unlock, the four of you inmediatly started to scream for Gi-hun and Jung-Bae but they did no appear.

"I dont see them" You said starting to panic "I- are they dead? I cant remember their numbers...did they said their numbers?" You asked getting more and more nervous not seeing around a player hitted your side

"Watch it caw" player 009, the same from the last game said.

"That little-" Dae-ho was about to go towards him but the screams from Gi-hun and Jung-Bae stopped him.

"Guys!" You said going towards them and hugging them, you felt Gi-hun tense under the hug, maybe he was not used to being hugged. "I was worried over you two" You separated yourself from them

"Gi-hun managed to find two more, its all thanks to him" Jung-Bae said but Gi-hun said nothing still lost in some thoguths

"Im glad you are safe" He finally said. He felt specially protective over you and Jun-hee, but since you seemed to be almost about to cry he could not help but let you know how he felt.

"We are, thanks for your quick thinking" In-ho appeared besides you, it did appear that he was covering you with his body but you did not say a thing.

The six of you went back to the platform, the other four players decided to stay close in case a high number was said.

The platform started to spin once again, the song was short played

"3"

"Let split" Jung-Bae said, already getting besides Gi-hun, "Jun-hee you can come with us"

"But-" Jun-hee did not want to separate herself from you. Last two rounds were heavy on her, being close to you had helped her calm down. She knew you would be safe with Dae-ho and In-ho, specially with In-ho.

"Go with them, we will see each other again" You softly told her giving her a quick hug and parting ways with Dae-ho and In-ho who was looking for a room. Most were already occupied but he would not let that stop him. He will get you inside one no matter what he had to do.

"There! Green one on the left" You screamed at them and both nodded going towards it.

However the three of you were not the only team that was going towards that door, In-ho noticed them right away and with decision ran faster taking one by the collar and punching him. The other two went to help their fallen companion but In-ho managed to fight them off giving Dae-ho and you enoguh time to get inside the room.

"In-ho, lets go time its almost up!!" You called him from the door not being fully inside yet.

He took a glance at the timer and sprinted towards you, barely making inside when the door closed with a loud sound.

"You fucker!! That was our room" One of the players that In-ho had stopped started to punch and scream.

Dae-ho hugged you pulling yourself as far from the door as he could while In-ho stood at the front, blocking the view.

He knew what was coming next and the player being too close would only make it worse.

"Cover her ears" In-ho told Dae-ho over his shoulder who catched up and did as told

The gunshots happen again, this time louder and closer. The player that had been screaming was dead outside now.

"Its ok, we are ok. (Y/N) how do you feel?" Dae-ho asked worried seeing you trembling. "H-hey whats wrong?"

In-ho moved towards you pulling you against his chest. He felt the tears falling down your face and the sobs.

"Shh, its fine. We made it, you and the baby are fine" In-ho calmed you down his own heart beating fast. If he was not inside the room before the time was up something could had happen. Even if the orders were clear to not hurt you, he had no idea how the guards would have manage the fact that inside the room where only two and not three players.

Would they ignored it? Kill Dae-ho and let you live? Give him more time?

He was taking many risks and was getting more worried over you and his baby. This game was too stressful, what was he going to do?

Once the guards removed the bodies the door did unlock, it was a nice suprise not seeing a pool of blood outside the door of the room you were in.

"Guys! Here" Gi-hun voice called, behind him Jung-Bae and Jun-hee followed

"Hey..." You said in a low and tired tone.

"What happened?" Jun-hee asked taking your hands in hers

"T-here was another team and we-" You could not finish the memory of them coming back.

"Its not your fault" Gi-hun said, knowing that most likely you three had to fight for the room. "Its no ones fault"

"In-ho saved us" Dae-ho said patting his back

In-ho tried not to let a groan, he only gave a small smile.

"Players get on the platform, next round will soon start"

The six of you went once again. In-ho made sure to take your hand in his. You looked at him giving him a significant grip and nodd.

"6"

It was like heaven had hear your prayers, the six of you did not waste time and ran to a nearby door. Not lots of players had exactly six so luckly you all made it without having to fight.

"I think this has been the easiest round" Jung-Bae said letting himself fell against a wall

"We got lucky, other number would have gave us problems" You said also slowly falling to sit

"How many rounds do you think we have to play?" Jun-hee wondered and all of you started to think

"Most likely one, I believe they had eliminated enough players by now" In-ho said feeling a headache forming.

"Then which number?" Dae-ho asked making silence fell over the room.

"It would be too much to ask for six again, right?" Jung-Bae said

"I dont see them being that generous" Were your only words.

Finally, the last round. The platform was once again spinning, song playing, In-ho knew it was the last round and that it was going to be two. He had decided he would go with you, the rest could separate as they wanted. But he would not leave you.

"2"

"Pairs! Form pairs and go" Gi-hun said seeing that most players had already started to move

In-ho took your hand once again not giving you time to think as he took you to the nearest room.

"W-wait, what about-"

"Jun-hee will be fine, and so will the rest" He said opening the door and making you go inside. "Stay at the back in case they try pulling the door open" He ordered and you did as he said.

Not sooner than later players were trying to open the door but In-ho had an iron griop on it, he was using all his force to not let them in.

Cmon, just finish the dam timer

"Times up"

The door locked for the last time and In-ho took a moment to collect his breath back. He turned to see you on the floor, eyes red and tears falling, hands over your belly.

"(Y/N) look at me, you are fine. The baby its fine" He assured you getting closer taking your face between his hands and cleaning your tears.

"I wont let anything happen to either of you" He added with lots of conviction "I will make sure you two are safe till the end, alright? Dont worry about anything just focus on surviving"

"But im scared, what if you die? What if you leave?" You asked criying a bit more.

"I wont, I promise you. Im sorry, sorry for everything. Even if you dont blame me anymore, im so sorry. Nothing like this should have happen. You should not be here"

You did not know. But In-ho was apolozising not only because of that. But because he was the one who came up with the games. Made them so he could break Gi-hun's will. It never ocurred to him that you would end here. Never in a millon years would he have thought the girl who he slept once was pregnant, the girl who plagued his days and nights was going throw a lot alone.

He felt deeply sorry for everything.

"Stop it, you know I dont blame you. If anything...im happy" That made In-ho look at you suprised. "I never thought I would be a mother, I never saw myself as one but, you made it possible. Even if things were not ideal. Im happy, and im happy with you. Im happy I could see you again, im happy that you care for me and the baby"

"You have no idea how much you two mean to me, listen (Y/N) you said it, it was not ideal, and our moment together was short. But never, I have never cared for someone as deep as I care for you"

Maybe only for his brother, but he had shoot him, so you were higher on the list.

"In-ho...."

"Can I kiss you? Please, please I need to kiss you, I need to know this is real" He begged you his walls falling and desesperation coming out.

You nodded and he leaned in keeping his eyes look in yours till his lips were on you.

It was soft, and tender. His movements were slow but passionate pulling all his feelings on it. It felt like the first time you two kissed, the world fading outside, only you two mattered.

In-ho pulled his hand over your belly not yet touching it, but you moved them and for the first time he was able to feel your belly. To think his baby was inside, was too much, too emotional, he did almost cry.

But a kick, a soft one directly where his hand was made him stop. He looked down, not beliving it when he felt it again. His baby was kicking him, his baby was alive.

"I think it knows its father" You said smiling feeling one more kick. Your baby almost never kicked, it was mostly quiet and would move when the sun was too strong but nothing much.

However, with In-ho around it was like it had woke up from a long nap.

"Do you know the gender?" He asked in a state of bliss

"No, I want it to be a suprise"

"Then, how do you call it?"

"Little one"

"Hello Little One, im your father In-ho" at this the baby kicked once again "Stay safe in there, your mother its going amazing so far"

And there, in that small room. In these deadly games, with blood and bodies outside. In there, In-ho found himself being the happiest man alive, with you by his side and his little one.

~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~

Tags:

@maria-trisha @blueyesuguru @imenekiki @victorie767 @futuristicdefendorfart @heyitsmefall

@love-you-louise @fantasylovestoryme @sleepyycatt @nightdark-dreamdark @lindsay000000 @ourlovesarang @smally97 @zigmasstuff @aleemendoza2425-blog @the-disaster-in-waiting @ilovequeen978 @sc4rrc @sylviavf @l4venderia @blueeclipsepaperstudent @annasnape7

I could not tag some, sorry.

[oliveforluv]

10 step sunday reset routine

as someone who struggles with depression, cleaning my room and getting my life together is a struggle.

having a reset routine can help bring me out of a funk and lift my spirts a little.

i'll be completely honest i have a pretty bad depression room going, and my depression has taken over my life these past few months. so even though this is my sunday reset routine, i haven't done it in a while. but i've had enough. i'm determined to dig myself out of the hole i put myself in. and the first step for me is doing my sunday reset routine.

music, stretch, and workout

i am resetting my whole routine, and the first thing i prioritize is my physical health. when i'm in deep into my depressive cycle, i don't prioritize my physical health at all. in fact, i find that my physical & mental health overlap a ton. so in order to properly reset and get off on the right foot, i need to move my body in a positive way.

2. wash bedsheets

bed rotting is my favorite activity during my depression. so, it's a must to clean my sheets and make my depressive rat's nest into a cute bedspread again.

3. put away dirty and clean clothes

i always make piles of dirty and clean clothes when i start to get back into bad habits again. it always starts with cleaning my clothes but not folding/putting them away. this is usually a majority of what's on my floor in the first place, so this frees up a lot of space and immediately makes the room look 50% better. my favorite thing to motivate me to do this (& make it more fun) is putting on a mindless tv show in the background (i always watch greys anatomy).

4. clean & get rid of dirty dishes

i usually stack up some cups and bowls during this time. so now is a good time to start getting rid of these items and bring them down to the kitchen. i unfortunately dont have access to a dishwasher, so i need to handwash all of my dishes, but this would definitely go by faster with one!

5. wash dirty clothes

by this point my bedsheets have most likely finished in the wash and i've sorted through all the clothes on my floor, so now it's time to finally get the giant pile of dirty clothes tackled. as a uni student living in the dorms (don't worry, i have a private room), scent beads are my favorite go-to to feel comfy and more at home when i wear my clothes.

6. pick up and take out trash

my trash and recycling has definitely piled up at this point (in my room and in their respective cans). i'm also halfway through my routine and i most definitely need some fresh air for a minute. this step may be inconvenient (especially as a uni student who has to lug their trash cans to their uni dumpsters somewhere on campus) but its also a good way to get some vitamin d (and add to my daily steps!).

7. clean & tidy surfaces

i dont know how it happens but there is always some mystery gunk on my desk (usually from my makeup), so all my surfaces need a serious wipedown. i also find this the most satisfying part!

8. vacuum/sweep (my least favorite...)

i may not always do this step, mostly because i absolutely loathe vacuuming, but after this recent depressive episode, my floors need a good vacuum. so unfortunately, i must do what needs to be done...

9. make my bed and put away clean clothes

the finishing touches. i'm tired at this point, and this is where i usually call it quits and tell myself that i will fold and put away my clothes later. but i have to call myself on my bullshit0; i will not fold and put it away later. i have to do it now. a useful tip is imagining your crush (or just a hot celebrity) is coming over. now i want my room to be perfect for them!

10. light a candle and pat yourself on the back

this is a safe space and you deserve to be proud of yourself! even if you only did one thing in this routine... because that's one more thing than you did yesterday <3

xoxo

[kings-highway]

pre-relationship bullshit haikyuu teams probably had to put up with before various ships managed to get their shit together

daisuga probably was really annoying with like small/petty jealousy, like a girl would hit on one of them and the other would be standing behind their back making faces about it and mocking it and everyone else on the team just has to put up with it. and then theyre all overly sweet to each other to make up for the petty jealousy or some odd version of "winning them back" after the flirting event and the team is rolling their eyes *so hard*

i think asanoya is so annoying bc nobody can convince Asahi that Noya likes him. Like full stop. Eventually someone pulls him aside and is point blank like "Noya said he has a crush on you ask him out" and Asahi is just like: "Haha he was probably joking" and just leaves the scene. Like the absolute refusal to believe it from Asahi combined with Noya's classic teen boy inability to be sincere means that even after theyve both been told they somehow still havent gotten together??? how long is this going to take???

tsukkiyama probably ruins everyone's week the week before they get together bc one of them *saw* a confession letter stuck into the other's bag and absolutely went (emotionally) off the rails for the days leading up to them discovering it was for them.

I am fully of the camp that iwaoi start dating before they label it/make it official so the whole team is screaming like "PLEASE HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT IT" meanwhile Oikawa is saying "we just went on a few dates and kissed a few times it doesnt mean anything" and Iwa is in the background shouting "yeah I dont wanna be anyone's boyfriend that's lame" and then they wander off to go eat dinner together holding hands and the team is left in frustration because ALL they talk about is how theyre *not* in a relationship.

for bokuaka its mostly just Bokuto pestering every goddamn person he knows for like 4 months asking "do you think Akaashi likes me?" or "do you think he'd say yes if I asked him out?" and then one day making Konoha *snap* when he says "I need to tell you a secret" and the secret is that he has a crush on Akaashi as if nobody had known that

with ushiten I imagine Tendou was probably really obvious with his crush/interest but in like a very casual "not taking myself too seriously" kind of way so he's comfortable openly flirting, and Ushijima, against everyone's expectations, doesnt seem to mind the attention but is still who he is, so the whole team just has to put up with the most INSANE interactions. Like Tendou walks into the locker room and cat calls him and Ushijima just replies with a formal "thank you" and Semi is contemplating slamming his head in a locker. There's like 12 months of this.

okay okay but I think arankita is *very classic* in that Aran compensates for his crush by over-supporting Kita. so like the whole team gets super annoyed bc Aran wont risk disagreeing with him, is always offering to do extra work, is generally just sucking-up really badly and the twins suffer the most for this bc Aran used to just ignore their antics but now he's super annoyingly on them all the time to try and impress Kita

kuroken is a little different. Yaku asks Kuroo every single day if he's asked Kenma out yet. Lev asks Kenma if he has a crush on Kuroo every chance he gets. Fukunaga gives them a wink when they leave practice to walk home together. This is the only pairing in which the team is the irritant pre-relationship and then post-relationship everyone loses interest and moves on.

I'd include kagehina but once again the entire goddamn show is everyone putting up with them flirting so whats the point.

[alfheimr]

My Favorite Cheap Art Trick: Gradient Maps and Blending Modes

i get questions on occasion regarding my coloring process, so i thought i would do a bit of a write up on my "secret technique." i don't think it really is that much of a secret, but i hope it can be helpful to someone. to that end:

this is one of my favorite tags ive ever gotten on my art. i think of it often. the pieces in question are all monochrome - sort of.

the left version is the final version, the right version is technically the original. in the final version, to me, the blues are pretty stark, while the greens and magentas are less so. there is some color theory thing going on here that i dont have a good cerebral understanding of and i wont pretend otherwise. i think i watched a youtube video on it once but it went in one ear and out the other. i just pick whatever colors look nicest based on whatever vibe im going for.

this one is more subtle, i think. can you tell the difference? there's nothing wrong with 100% greyscale art, but i like the depth that adding just a hint of color can bring.

i'll note that the examples i'll be using in this post all began as purely greyscale, but this is a process i use for just about every piece of art i make, including the full color ones. i'll use the recent mithrun art i made to demonstrate. additionally, i use clip studio paint, but the general concept should be transferable to other art programs.

for fun let's just start with Making The Picture. i've been thinking of making this writeup for a while and had it in mind while drawing this piece. beyond that, i didn't really have much of a plan for this outside of "mithrun looks down and hair goes woosh." i also really like all of the vertical lines in the canary uniform so i wanted to include those too but like. gone a little hog wild. that is the extent of my "concept." i do not remember why i had the thought of integrating a shattered mirror type of theme. i think i wanted to distract a bit from the awkward pose and cover it up some LOL but anyway. this lack of planning or thought will come into play later.

note 1: the textured marker brush i specifically use is the "bordered light marker" from daub. it is one of my favorite brushes in the history of forever and the daub mega brush pack is one of the best purchases ive ever made. highly recommend!!!

note 2: "what do you mean by exclusion and difference?" they are layer blending modes and not important to the overall lesson of this post but for transparency i wanted to say how i got these "effects." anyway!

with the background figured out, this is the point at which i generally merge all of my layers, duplicate said merged layer, and Then i begin experimenting with gradient maps. what are gradient maps?

the basic gist is that gradient maps replace the colors of an image based on their value.

so, with this particular gradient map, black will be replaced with that orangey red tone, white will be replaced with the seafoamy green tone, etc. this particular gradient map i'm using as an example is very bright and saturated, but the colors can be literally anything.

these two sets are the ones i use most. they can be downloaded for free here and here if you have csp. there are many gradient map sets out there. and you can make your own!

you can apply a gradient map directly onto a specific layer in csp by going to edit>tonal correction>gradient map. to apply one indirectly, you can use a correction layer through layer>new correction layer>gradient map. honestly, correction layers are probably the better way to go, because you can adjust your gradient map whenever you want after creating the layer, whereas if you directly apply a gradient map to a layer thats like. it. it's done. if you want to make changes to the applied gradient map, you have to undo it and then reapply it. i don't use correction layers because i am old and stuck in my ways, but it's good to know what your options are.

this is what a correction layer looks like. it sits on top and applies the gradient map to the layers underneath it, so you can also change the layers beneath however and whenever you want. you can adjust the gradient map by double clicking the layer. there are also correction layers for tone curves, brightness/contrast, etc. many such useful things in this program.

let's see how mithrun looks when we apply that first gradient map we looked at.

gadzooks. apologies for eyestrain. we have turned mithrun into a neon hellscape, which might work for some pieces, but not this one. we can fix that by changing the layer blending mode, aka this laundry list of words:

some of them are self explanatory, like darken and lighten, while some of them i genuinely don't understand how they are meant to work and couldn't explain them to you, even if i do use them. i'm sure someone out there has written out an explanation for each and every one of them, but i've learned primarily by clicking on them to see what they do.

for the topic of this post, the blending mode of interest is soft light. so let's take hotline miamithrun and change the layer blending mode to soft light.

here it is at 100% opacity. this is the point at which i'd like to explain why i like using textured brushes so much - it makes it very easy to get subtle color variation when i use this Secret Technique. look at the striation in the upper right background! so tasty. however, to me, these colors are still a bit "much." so let's lower the opacity.

i think thats a lot nicer to look at, personally, but i dont really like these colors together. how about we try some other ones?

i like both of these a lot more. the palettes give the piece different vibes, at which point i have to ask myself: What Are The Vibes, Actually? well, to be honest i didn't really have a great answer because again, i didn't plan this out very much at all. however. i knew in my heart that there was too much color contrast going on and it was detracting from the two other contrasts in here: the light and dark values and the sharp and soft shapes. i wanted mithrun's head to be the main focal point. for a different illustration, colors like this might work great, but this is not that hypothetical illustration, so let's bring the opacity down again.

yippee!! that's getting closer to what my heart wants. for fun, let's see what this looks like if we change the blending mode to color.

i do like how these look but in the end they do not align with my heart. oh well. fun to experiment with though! good to keep in mind for a different piece, maybe! i often change blending modes just to see what happens, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. i very much cannot stress enough that much of my artistic process is clicking buttons i only sort of understand. for fun.

i ended up choosing the gradient map on the right because i liked that it was close to the actual canary uniform colors (sorta). it's at an even lower opacity though because there was Still too much color for my dear heart.

the actual process for this looks like me setting my merged layer to soft light at around 20% opacity and then clicking every single gradient map in my collection and seeing which one Works. sometimes i will do this multiple times and have multiple soft light and/or color layers combined.

typically at this point i merge everything again and do minor contrast adjustments using tone curves, which is another tool i find very fun to play around with. then for this piece in particular i did some finishing touches and decided that the white border was distracting so i cropped it. and then it's done!!! yay!!!!!

this process is a very simple and "fast" way to add more depth and visual interest to a piece without being overbearing. well, it's fast if you aren't indecisive like me, or if you are better at planning.

let's do another comparison. personally i feel that the hint of color on the left version makes mithrun look just a bit more unwell (this is a positive thing) and it makes the contrast on his arm a lot more pleasing to look at. someone who understands color theory better than i do might have more to say on the specifics, but that's honestly all i got.

just dont look at my layers too hard. ok?