#i have even more on the sketch layer but then i got tired
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mrkanman · 1 year ago
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trying to get out of art block by doodling some of my ocs: morally dubious woman version.
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cobaltperun · 2 months ago
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Darkest Part (4) - Died In Your Arms
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Astrid Deetz x female Reader
Summary: You will never, in life or afterlife, if such a thing exists, meet anyone as infuriating, rage inducing, entitled, or frankly awful, as Astrid fucking Deetz. There isn’t a single thing you’d like more than to never be around her, but as your luck would have it, you just can’t stay away from her.
Masterlist / First part / Previous Part / Next Part
Word count: 5.3k
-Oh I, I just died in your arms tonight, it must've been some kind of kiss, I should've walked away-
This was a good life, hot chocolate, paper taped to the desk as you drew your third sketch of the building you had in mind. Away from all the worries and for a moment free from any obligations.
“How’s it going?” your mom came up to you and leaned over to kiss your cheek.
“Mom, you shouldn’t-“ she didn’t wince, her back didn’t hurt, yeah, it would end soon, and you desperately wanted it to continue. Wanted things to get better, wanted her to be healthy again.
Your phone had other ideas, as the alarm rang and the sound of it startled you awake. Curse your need to constantly change your alarm ringtone, otherwise you’d get used to it and sleep right through it. This new one was ridiculously awful, like someone constantly ringing the bell, but it got the job done. “Am I ever going to wake up well-rested again?” you wondered, feeling like you barely slept a wink. You just couldn’t get used to this house.
Well, considering the tales about it, maybe that wasn’t that strange.
Or it was just the reasonable explanation.
As it was, last night your exhausted body just collapsed onto the bed and you fell asleep, and then got woken up by the chill of the night, because of course you were too tired to cover yourself. What followed was you spending way too long trying to warm up. Winter River indeed, it really was cold. Why couldn’t this be some pleasant warm place, somewhere you could still go around wearing short sleeves instead of already needing several layers of clothing.
The only thing worse than the cold was the Chihuahua that was also in the house. “Why the fuck would I let her be on my mind first thing in the morning?” you slapped your forehead, now even more annoyed. Of all the people you could have thought of at the start your day, it had to be her.
Annoyed, you threw the covers off and immediately came to regret it as the cold air made you shiver. On second thought you should probably stay in bed a bit longer, so you went back under the covers into the warm escape from the chilling cold. You swiftly unlocked your phone and figured you might as well check up on your mom and Alex. You sent each of them a message asking how they were and if everything was fine and put your phone away. It was still too early to call them and if you had to be awake it didn't mean you had to wake them up too.
~X~
Halfway through the day and a lot of packing later, you sat down at the table exhausted with the hot cup of tea in front of you. You really needed that as the warmth of the tea seemed to seep into your very soul. Actually, you also needed a blanket around your shoulders and the nice warm fire accompanied by perhaps movie. It's been a while since you've watched ‘Kill, Baby, Kill’ and you were really in the mood for it after these past few days.
Seeing your favorite movie again would probably make your life a tiny bit better.
No, instead of that you had to deal with someone rather happy getting inside the house with an obvious bounce to their steps. You raised your head, confused and for a moment even terrified that someone actually broke in and just didn't care about making noises. And then that someone walked through the door into the dining room and you would have been a lot happier if it was a burglar.
No. Instead it was the fucking Chihuahua what a wide, frighteningly bright, and happy grin on her face and the world was going to end any moment now. You were fairly sure, and not at all being too dramatic, that Astrid Deetz, also known as Chihuahua, being this obviously happy was one of the eleven signs of the apocalypse.
“Oh, of course you're here. Well, it doesn't matter, not even you can ruin my mood,” she just  walked past you, still happy, and not throwing insults at you. She didn’t do anything! Absolutely nothing! Not even glaring at you and you could not remember the last time you were this frightened.
You scrambled to your feet and rushed outside. “Delia!” you cried out hoping the woman would have some kind of help for you maybe some medicine for hallucinations or a plausible explanation or anything really as long as it helped. You desperately needed someone to convince you that just made what happened up in your head!
It was all in your head. There was no other explanation, which made it even more concerning because Astrid Deetz being in your head and part of your hallucinations was not a good sign for you. Frankly, at this point you had no idea which was worse, Astrid being happy or you thinking about the damn Chihuahua to the point of hallucinating seeing her happy.
~X~
“Damn it Delia, why couldn’t you just get this delivered to the damn house?!” you hissed, a lot like the creatures inside the box you were currently carrying. You knew you had fear of heights before, but apparently you also had a fear of snakes. Which was made a lot worse by the sounds the snakes were making and you were praying that the people Delia bought the snakes from didn't scam her and actually defanged them.
Sure, in theory you were safe. The box was sealed, and safe, but your brain still came up with frightening scenarios. As safe as the box probably was you were still frightened that they would somehow find their way out and bite you and you did not want to die due to snake bites.
‘How many times am I going to risk my life in one single week?’ you wondered, and you really shouldn't have because you had a few more times before the end of this trip.
You finally reached the house and couldn’t have been happier to see it as you rushed up the stairs and set the box on the table for Delia to do whatever she intended to do with the snakes. You really hoped she wouldn't make you go with her because at that point you might actually think staying with Rory would be more pleasant. And just to be safe you immediately turned to Delia when she walked into the room. “I'm done with the snakes, I did my part the rest is up to you,” you urgently informed her before she could get more great ideas.
Delia just laughed. “They are defanged, don't worry,” apparently they were, you weren’t about to check.
You slumped slightly, doing your best puppy eyes to get her to let you stay out of this. “I am still not comfortable around snakes, so please don’t ask me to help you with them,” well at least she didn't look like she would push you to join her as she smiled and patted you on the shoulder.
“Come on, I'm not that cruel,” she smiled at you and then shook her head in amusement at the relief showing on your face. “I thought it would be a good experience is for you to watch, but it’s fine if you don’t. Oh and Y/N, you can rest tonight, you don't even have to go to the wedding,” she was telling you one good news after the other. “We have a few more things to do tomorrow morning and then you can go back home,” Delia surprise you but maybe you should have expected it. She had her moments of kindness and you've been on the receiving end plenty of times, despite all the less pleasant, more dangerous and difficult moments you had with her.
“Thanks Delia, I really appreciate it,” you told her as Astrid joined the two of you.
“Snakes?” Astrid looked at the content of the box, surprised by what she saw and for once you couldn't blame her. Personally, you didn't quite get why Delia got them herself but she wanted them and she got them. Something about Ancient Egypt and Pharaohs from what you understood.
“Actually asps,” Delia corrected her, and you had to admit she actually sounded excited about them.
“Why? Are they a wedding gift for Rory?” Astrid asked, hopeful that the answer would be yes.
“Now that would’ve made it worth carrying them,” you knew that wasn’t their purpose but  no one could force you to stop happily imagining Rory freaking out over the snakes.
For the first time since you've known her, Astrid actually didn't have a rude remark or an insult for you, and actually just rolled her eyes with a smile which was almost freaky but not exactly an unwelcome change.
“Too late they've be defanged, guaranteed harmless! And they're for me.” Delia shattered your dreams well, yours was never even allowed to begin because you knew from the start what she wanted to do with them. Still for a moment you could hope that she would at least use them as a prank. It’s not like they were one se only! She could use them for more than one thing. After all, she already got them, why not just use them on the bastard as a very funny prank. It would not change anything about the snakes, and they could still be used for the ritual thing she had in mind.
Well, you were left with only your dreams.
You left the two of them to check if there was anything left unpacked, you were just about to head back upstairs when Lydia rushed down and you turned around, not sure how to react to the frantic woman.
“You got your wish, we're leaving! Pack up your things, I'm driving you back to school,” Lydia seemed absolutely frantic, like she just saw a ghost, which, well, she was supposed to be able to see them. You watched from the stairs as she went by you and toward the front door
“Wait! What happened” Astrid called after her.
“You wouldn't believe me if I told you,” Lydia denied answering Astrid’s question.  That actually made sense, especially if it had something to do with ghosts, which this house apparently had at one point. So going by their relationship and the issues Astrid had with her mother you guessed it was something paranormal in question.
Delia, however, did not make that connection. “Oh you're calling off the wedding?” she went after Lydia outside and just for a moment you and Astrid exchanged looks do you just shrugged finally realizing that you couldn't even begin to try and have a normal conversation with her. That's how used you were to just fights and banter and insults and everything that came along with this hatred between you.
Eventually you just pointed at yourself then point upstairs and then point at her and outside. The message being clear, you would, rather regrettably, check up on Rory while she would go and check up on her mother.
To that Astrid, just as unsure of how to interact with you like a normal human being, just went and gave you a thumbs up and you both went your separate ways, one up the stairs to the attic and the other outside to talk to her mother.
~X~
Lydia was stuck in the office, just contemplating everything about her and Astrid’s relationship.
Apparently, her daughter was not gay. In fact, she had a date with a boy. Her first date was with a boy, not with the girl as she expected it would be. Did Lydia really mess up that much that she wasn't even capable of seeing how things actually were? Her daughter, who she believed was gay and actually had a crush on you and was just unable to properly act up on those feelings, threw her a curveball and was going on a date on Halloween night with a boy she met 2 days ago.
How did she miss the signs?
Her concerns were now even bigger because, unlike you, this boy was a complete unknown for Lydia. She didn't know his full name, she didn't know his parents, granted she didn't know your parents either but that was beside the point, she didn't know how he spent his time, what his interests were. She didn't know anyone who knew him, and she was now overthinking it and panicking and was getting even more nervous and afraid for her own daughter because this was a mess, and she was disappointed in herself as a mother for mistaking her daughter’s sexuality.
Maybe Astrid was just bisexual. Maybe. Maybe Lydia just got so deep into preparing for a girlfriend that she forgot that there were other options, all equally daunting for her as the mother of a child that would soon start, that actually just stated dating, and find her own love and heartbreak and everything Lydia herself went through all those decades ago.
Also did her daughter actually just tell her that she crashed through the fence and that's how she met the guy? Like it was just something people did for fun? How did that even happen?
Lydia began breathing deeply, huffing and taking very loud, very deep breaths. She could not go down that train of thought.
~X~
He liked her.
Jeremy liked her. Astrid knew that much, she could see signs that he wanted to kiss her, that he really didn't want to spend any time handing out candies to the kids and instead actually wanted to spend time with her.
And she, at least logically speaking, wasn't opposed to the idea. At least it would prove to her that some feelings she may or may not have were, in fact, not real and just her heart playing with her brain so she would kiss him to prove her heart wrong.
Astrid let him approach her, she felt his hands on her, hugging her and she hugged him back, and he held her like he hasn’t been touched in years. Like he was desperate to feel someone’s touch, someone’s kind and positive touch. Astrid could almost feel his breath on her lips and then she just couldn't do it, because there was an infuriating Barnacle plaguing her thoughts at that very moment.
She pulled away, separating from him even though she knew how it looked. “Sorry I just I think we are rushing too fast into this,” she apologized and he seemed understanding at first. At least from the looks of it, he just turned to the window and looked rejected “I'm not saying I'm opposed to kissing you eventually, but we just met two days ago,” she tried to cheer him up but then he turned to face her.
“No, you’re right, I'm- I'm sorry I just got excited because you can see me and for over 23 years no one saw me and I just thought we had something,” she must have heard him wrong but then she looked down and saw it.
He was floating and that's when she realized all the stories her mother told were actually true and she was actually seeing a ghost these past few days
~X~
You were in the living room, with everyone aside from Astrid and Rory, plus Jane, just lazing around on the sofa and texting Alex. You weren’t in a costume, you had no intention of dressing up for the Halloween.
The truth was, you kind of hated Halloween. Well hate might be a strong word, mostly reserved for Astrid and maybe another thing or two. No the actual word you were looking for regarding Halloween was more like indifference brought upon by that's one time you got dressed as a pumpkin and got teased for by your classmates.
It wasn't fun. It was actually horrific and ever since then you just didn't bother celebrating Halloween. So, what if Astrid was currently on her ridiculous date? It had nothing to do with your current mood. Even if you did hated the guy more than you hated her for some reason. You should have felt sorry for him, after all he was the one who had to deal with being on a date with the Chihuahua.
So, no, you did not care about Astrid being on a date with some random dude.
You just realized you’d be all alone. Delia would be at the cemetery doing whatever she seemed to want to do with the snakes and Lydia would be preparing for her wedding and Rory would be giving out the candy. And you were fine with that. You would just be hanging around on the couch in the living room waiting for Delia to sign all the papers and then you could just go ahead and leave, just start packing what little things you brought here and get ready to go back home. Luckily Delia promised she would arrange a car to come pick you up.
“Where's Rory?” Lydia asked out of blue, almost as if she was asking out of obligation, because she should know where he was and not because she actually had to know where he was. Especially since she had Chihuahua’s first date to worry about.
“Supermarket swapping out the candy I bought for carrot sticks, because Rory loves to fun suck everything even Halloween,” of course Delia did not miss a single chance point out the kind of person Rory was, because Lydia apparently couldn’t see him for who he really was. Even if it didn’t change anything you figured she did feel the need to, in her own way, warn her stepdaughter about him because as far as you knew telling Lydia that Rory was not who he was presenting himself as wasn't working. “Gotta run, see you at the church,” she turned back to Lydia and with a hopeful look added. “Unless you're calling off the wedding.”
“No Delia,” Lydia sighed and just noticed Delia was leaving, that was how focused on Astrid she was. “Wait, why are you going to the cemetery?” Lydia asked. It just crossed your mind that she in her panic earlier today did not see the snakes Delia bought.
“To commune with my dear husband spirit,” was all Delia needed to say. She quickly waved at you and was on her way leaving you alone with Lydia and Jane and from the looks of it, Jane was going to leave soon so that would just leave you and Lydia alone in the house for a while. At least until she would go and get Astrid. Oh, and until Rory came back.
Still, it could be fun. You haven't had the chance to be on your own wait the Lydia Deetz and you actually were curious about her. And it had nothing to do with maybe not wanting to be alone while a certain Chihuahua was on a date with a guy she met two days ago, while she spent so damn long hating you. Yeah, that had nothing to do with it.
Nothing at all!
You did not care where that stupid Chihuahua was or how quickly she fell in love like dumb ass.
“The closest we ever got to Disney was when Astrid dressed as Cinderella’s dead mom,” you absolutely did not filter out what Jane mentioned about her daughter and scouts or whatever group her daughter was in and you absolutely did not think Astrid’s costume sounded exactly like her.
Jane said something something fruit salad mortgage something something non triggering and then asked the question that was annoying the hell out of you, that is, she asked where Astrid was.
Lydia had this soft, yet somber smile on her face. “On a date,” she said, like a parent learning to accept their child was growing up. “Her first. I think I'm more nervous than she is. The boy lives over on Jefferson,” Lydia really did sound nervous when she said that, and you guessed between their rocky relationship and all the things that happened Astrid’s first date at this moment wasn’t something Lydia was entirely prepared for.
Something something perfect sales records something something on the market for years something something once more you're pretty much tuning out the words of the woman the Deetz family hired to sell their house. And you were doing good, tuning her out, that is until she said three words: the murder house and you immediately sat up and stopped texting Alex. A sinking feeling inside of your guts was almost telling you to pay attention because you just had a bad feeling about what was going to they said next.
“Murder house? Which house?” Lydia asked now frantic and you sort of pieced together that's maybe the house show left Astrid at wasn't that far off from looking like a murder house. Because if the house looked normal and if Lydia you got to see the parents or that boy she would not be looking this afraid right now.
“125,” James said and just from the look of Lydia's face you knew that was the house Astrid was in and so you jumped to your feet and rushed to get the car keys.
“Fucking hell Chihuahua, what did you get yourself into?” just as you've got the keys you saw Lydia rushing out. “I'm going with you!” you quickly told her and followed after her into the car. The woman was clearly in shock but all she cared about was just getting to Astrid, nothing else mattered.
You did not dare to tell her you would get there in time. You had no idea how all of this worked, sure you believed in ghosts and you've been seeing glimpses of strange things throughout your life. You still had no idea how any of that actually functioned. You had no idea if they could harm Astrid.
If the guy she was with was bad news then she probably was in danger and especially if Lydia, the most competent person to judge if her daughter was in danger from ghosts was also panicking. “He killed his parents 23 years ago!” okay, Astrid was definitely in danger. “If I just didn’t let her into that house, if I just went in with her! What kind of mother am I if something happens to her-“ Lydia was mostly talking to herself.
“Hey, wait, wait, don't go there you couldn't know!” You tried to get her to calm down. “You're the expert but you couldn't know! Just focus on saving her so you can berate yourself later,” you needed her focused because if she wasn't, you had no hopes of getting Astrid back in time. And you really, as much as you didn't like Astrid, did not want her dead or in danger.
~X~
The moment the car began slowing down in front of the house you just ran out, without even waiting for it to stop and ran up the stairs ignoring the for sale sign in front of the house. You ended up bursting through the doors so hard the handle might have gotten a bit damaged because the doors were old.
You stumbled when you entered the house, you felt sick for a moment when you saw the man. But you did not see him clearly, it was like there was a mist around him.
"Astrid!" Lydia yelled and it snapped you out of your confusion. That man was a ghost, mist meant ghost, at least at this stage of your ability to see ghosts. So, you rushed right through the woman going down the stairs.
"Wait! Deetz!" you yelled as loud as you could as you ran up the stairs two steps at a time. You saw the light and broke through the door, but Astrid just walked through something.
"What the? Barnacle?" your eyes met and you reached out to her but the ghost guy grabbed her forearm and pulled her along and the portal closed before you could reach out and grab her hand.
"Astrid!" Lydia cried out, but it was too late as well.
If only she reached out to you. For the first time since you met her you cursed yourself for not being at least civil with her. "Damn it!" you slammed your fist on the old table, right next to some thick book. "What do we do now?"
Lydia grabbed the book on the table, your outburst probably caught her attention. "Come on, I have a crazy idea," you saw uncertainty in her eyes, fear that maybe not even what she had in mind would be enough, but she had to hope. You both rushed down the stairs, every second mattered and you couldn't waste time on just talking. "Can you drive?" she asked, clearly intending to go through the book.
"Of course," you nodded and ran to the car, starting the engine once more as Lydia sat down next to you.
~X~
You had no time to waste, as you drove around the house and parked the car right in front of the entrance to the house, not even caring that you would somewhat block the path for the kids. They could avoid the car, it didn't matter, you just had to be quick and find a way to rescue Astrid, so up to the stairs you drove.
“Y/N?! Where’s the rush? You're nearly drove into the house!” Rory exclaimed as he was on top of the stairs preparing to hand out the candy to the kids, but you just ran past him not really wasting a moment to stop and chat. You didn’t even turn the engine off, just parked the car.
Lydia gave him some excuse or whatever as you both rushed upstairs. She already told you where to go so you just grabbed the crowbar on the way upstairs and started removing the boards Delia and Lydia put there just an hour or so ago. By the time Lydia came up the stairs as well you were almost done and you both pulled the last wooden board out of the way and went into the attic and from that point on you could only watch her as she found the solution.
The first thing that caught your eye was the small scale model of Winter River, done in amazing detail, and if things were any different you would have spent hours studying it.
“I can't believe I'm doing this,” she took a deep breath. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice!” you had no idea what was going on as she repeated that word? Name? Whatever it was three times.
And then the freakiest thing happened the mist slash smoke surrounding the paranormal vanished from your vision as the zombie-looking guy with green hair and striped suits and rather unhealthy-looking skin emerged from the Winter River model. “The juice is loose,” he said and vanished, only to appear right next to Lydia.
“I need you to tell me what this means,” she skipped the formalities and just showed him the pages of the book she found in that room where Astrid was.
“Let's have a look,” he pulled out a magnifying glass. “Long story short, your daughter is screwed,” well, fuck! “She decided to trade lives with a boy, he gets to come back while she's stuck on the other side, permanently. One way ticket to the Soul Train,” this guy, Beetlejuice, explained and you were just absolutely confused about what was going on. Afterlife actually existed, and people could come back.
More importantly… “She did what?! Why would she do that? Who does that?” you demanded. Astrid was smart! What did that ghost offer her to make her accept giving up her life? Or did he just outright trick her? “Shit, we need to get her back,” you turned away from Lydia and Beetlejuice and ran your hand through your hair, not even sure you would make it in time.
“The Soul Train?” Lydia asked for further explanations.
“That's right! The last stop, The Great Beyond,” he said and you just leaned back against the wall. Was there even anything you could do at this point? Astrid was on the other and you were over here in the living world. But then again Beetlejuice was from that other world. Was that why Lydia called him? Because he could somehow move the two of you into the world of the dead?
Wait, were you about to go into the world of the dead for Astrid? Not knowing the risks, or the consequences, or if it would be dangerous? You knew nothing about it, it was a complete unknown that you weren’t even sure existed five minutes ago!
Somehow you knew the answer was yes. You would take all those risks to take her back, because you plain and simple couldn’t live with yourself if you just let her die.
“Can we go in after her?” You asked as you once more turned toward Lydia and Beetlejuice.
“Quid pro quo, I want something in return,” while he replied to you he was looking at Lydia, as if he would only accept something from her.
Maybe those were the rules? Since she summoned him?
“Of course you do. What do you want?” Lydia asked ready to give him anything he asked for as long as it would save her daughter.
“Well I've got this ex-wife-“ Beetlejuice began and you've spent enough time with Delia and you knew a tangent when you saw one.
“Get to the point!” You exclaimed. Each second could be vital in keeping Astrid alive, and you did not want to waste it on his tangents.
“You want me to marry you,” Lydia knew what he wanted, and you just turned to look at her because what the fuck was that about? How would that even work? All of this was too much and the only reason you were keeping your sanity was because you had a goal in mind.
You weren’t sure you’d be keeping your sanity for much longer as so you watched this Beetlejuice act like getting married was Lydia's idea, like she just proposed to him because she wanted that. And then he made her sign some contract because apparently, he needed that in writing. You were in the most absurd situation possible and you half- expected to just wake up and see that everything was fine. Like this was all just a fever dream and you would wake up go to the work at the library you'd see Astrid there being annoying and being a Chihuahua and getting on your nerves and not on the way to swap lives with a ghost and die.
“What's the plan on getting in?” Lydia had enough of his bullshit as well and just demanded to know how you all would get in.  
Beetlejuice just vanished again and appeared in front of the wall, crouching and drawing a bomb with the fuse. He then just went and lit his thumb on fire. This was all absolutely ridiculous because the drawn fuse just lit on fire and the bomb exploded and instead of looking outside of the house you were looking into some office.
“Deetz, you're gonna be the death of me,” you said, ready to just go through.
“Trust me kid I know the feeling,” Beetlejuice said.
“I did not ask,” fuck it, you were going in, and you were not getting out without Astrid.
Taglist: @alexkolax @osnapitzmel1 @bee-keeping @nebthetautora @lololauser
@nwestra @rroyale-109 @gemz5 @social-pomegranate @mirage018
@the-thing-withfeathers @hello-mtf @leafanonsforest @jaxon-nathaniel-drake
Masterlist / First part / Previous Part / Next Part
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hjellacott · 3 months ago
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One big writing advice I can give you is, think of your writing in exactly the same way as if you were building a house, or composing music, or making a painting, or creating a jumper. You start with the sketch, then add one layer, another layer, another... and revise and add touch ups. In my head I visualise it like I'm patching up a hole on my shirt, and I've got to go from the first layer of thread, to add and add, and go over it again and again, until I can't see the hole nor notice there used to be one any more.
Or in other words, it's the difference between paragraph A and B:
Paragraph A:
Tom came into the house, tired from work. He gave Jen a look. She knew he hadn't had a good day.
'Can I make you a cup of tea?' asked Jen.
Tom grumbled something she did not understand and flopped on the sofa with his feet on the wooden coffee table. His black shoes had left mud on the floor all the way from the front door. Jen felt herself tense up. How inconsiderate. She'd told him to use the rug a million times.
And paragraph B:
It had been an exhausting day at work, and Tom's steps dragged him into the house, charged with the burden of piling tasks and unresolved arguments. His eyes met Jen's blue orbs across the room, and the immediate compassion in her eyes, which grew soft and tender under his gaze, told him she understood.
'Can I make you a cup of tea?'
Her offering was full of goodwill. A gesture of peace, a wish to make things better, and yet Tom didn't feel he had the energy even for that. A sound from his throat tried in vain to express his thoughts, but there was poor collaboration from his lips. Beaten down, all he could do was collapse on the sofa and drag his feet on top of the oak coffee table, as if the gesture would ease the heaviness that threatened to consume him. His shoes, which were as dark as the night, had left behind a trail of brown speckles over the soft beige carpet. Not far from him, Jen's shoulders tightened and she pressed her teeth together, struggling not to make the comment that threatened to escape his lips, because he seemed burdened enough, and she genuinely wanted to help and not make him more annoyed. But how many times did she have to remind him of the expensive entry rug she'd gotten? Didn't he realise that, as tired as he was, so was she, having hoovered the whole house, cleaned and tidied up, only for him to show such blatant disregard for her hard work and own exhaustion? It was as if she was invisible in plain sight.
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bialbovi · 3 months ago
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I NEVER TOLD YOU GUYS ABOUT MY OCS ON TUMBLR
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This is Leonardo (Leo). He hates his full name
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He is an introvert and a local flying showoff. Has terrible eyesight, glasses do not really fix his vision completely, but he uses lenses and devices to look close and far. His eyes are also sensitive to bright light. He is a half-idiot and a half-genius.
Despite the fluffy appearance, he is naturally drawn to the theme of death, undead, spirits, and everything related to that. He is a little too confident in his abilities and also stubborn, he’s an easy target of ”I bet you can’t do /x/” questions, because he will want to demonstrate that he actually can do /x/ better. Believes in practice over theory. He is terrified of huge bodies of water and drowning. He loves wearing dark clothes (not emo). He has a journal, or a few of them actually, where he notes his insane theories, ghost observations, to do’s etc..
He used to run away from home to practice flying and get lots of bruises when he was like almost a teen, and during teenage years, he is quiet proud of the skill he got due to his adventurous and dangerous self-teaching.
He also met Nicole and Michelle during the main plot events. And Emil is his childhood friend with who they studied together at the same school, and so they’ve known each other for years, and theyr dumb and supportive of each other but they have their mutual misunderstandings in need to be resolved as well (future boyfriends)
He has raven wings
I figured I draw him the most (DUH. SO MUCH.)
This is Emil :)
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He is an artist with a chronic dust disease (all human bodies contain it in their system, and most of it goes into wing creation, but it can also be used with your palms for example). He becomes tired much faster than other people, his body is weaker, and he gets purplish spots as a result of exhaustion (his wings are more fragile and regenerate longer).
He has a ”good imagination”, or at least he calls it that, because his years of practice let him create dust butterflies that hang around nearby. Usually dust objects, shapes, constructions, especially if they are moving, are considered a rarity and an impressive trick. (Wings are directly attached to the big surface of the back and they are not detached from the body, everyone normally can create those, like second nature)
He likes his wings a l o t, but doesn’t really like his body. He is very skinny and tall, and even though generally he’s comfortable with drawing nude bodies, he hates showing a lot of his own skin to people; he adds layers of clothes to appear bigger
He is very sensitive and emotional, talks a lot, doesn’t like arguments. He is gentle, he will cry, and he is really expressive. Jokes a lot and sometimes not when appropriate. He’s partly drowning in philosophical questions and in finding some deeper sense of self (deep). And he has lots of well other not so positive thoughts. And ofc he’s a theatre kid. Art nerd. He likes purple. He also befriended Michelle and Nicole, even though Nicole hated him because of his behaviour for some reason at first. However, both of them share tastes in music and art, so.
He has red admiral wings
Leo used to be a frequent guest at Emil’s house when they were younger.
I frequently sketch Emil and Leo everywhere, they come as a pair!,
This is Nicole.
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She is an anxious girl with facial burn scars. She’s loud, honest, and can be mean, but she also hates a lot of things about herself. She is good at noticing details and subtlety. She doesn’t trust people easily, if at all, but she is also afraid of loneliness. In the plot they do some plot stuff together with Michelle (theyr roommates ohmygod they were roommates). She befriended Leo and Emil later, even though Emil annoyed her immensely being a stranger she just met. She likes yellow :)
She absolutely loooves animals big and small, and she will always care for a traumatized creature in trouble even if it’s seen as nature’s mistake or ugliest thing ever.
She has the wings of a military macaw
Can’t tell much more about her because I feel like those are spoilers AND she is getting a big character remake in the plot department
This is Michelle!,
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She’s calm and emotionless at first glance, has a face that looks like her mind is always thinking or anywhere but here. She has low self-worth and not great relationships with her mother. She is interested in magical potions, alchemical stuff, and questionable inventions. She’s always more interested in how something works and how to get intriguing results, rather than legality or obeying rules.
Obviously she feels emotions and lots of them, but she doesn’t let herself open up.
She also has only one big albatross wing. The build of her back makes one of her shoulders lower than the other (right shoulder lower)
Also that grey art has her newest face proportions, which I couldn’t quiet capture before, but now this is final :)
And here we are again in the spoiler zone
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This is Ivor! (Old reference) (I got tired and didn’t draw him a new one)
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He’s THE gossiper, who loves scandals and dramas. He plays a bandura (a ukrainian string instrument)(fyi he holds it in unorthodox angles [due to his deafness] and he definitely did not learn to play it at a school) and with it composes rumors or stories obviously inspired by something that has happened in real life. He says that the more people he knows the more interesting songs he can create. Loves being the narrator and shining in the crowd. He can actually sing well. He is also deaf in one ear
He has the wings of a european goldfinch
He is more of a secondary character though
This is Séaghdha (from my extensive research, it is close to "Shay" pronounciation, even tho that one could be an independent name by itself)
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ACTUALLY I have recoloured him to have brown hair. So if you see this guy randomly having green hair 1. It could be my old concept 2. Maybe it's a new concept but I found a way to utilize it in canon 3. Tbh he would dye his hair but I settled on brown and green was really hard to separate from his character concept
He vibes as a technical guy, but he’s actually really artsy, and crafts decor, and stained glass thingies.
He’s a local mystery-man who was born with a completely unthreatening height and small build (he is very short), he carries a parasol and he is limping (it’s made with lace and was gifted to him). He is generally calm, tired, masks a lot of stuff with sarcasm type of guy. He’s actually farsighted. He can also walk and even run without his parasol, but he has it on him 99.9% of the time. He has silvery hairs because of the magical trauma that scarred half of his body.
He is ultra responsible and he wants to do good things, for the sake of justice, (or at least he wanted) and he regrets it
He knows Emil’s father, and Séaghdha is also close with Thia (technically in Ukrainian her name is Tsia, but in English it shortens from Forsythia; I haven’t decided on minor changes like that). Séaghdha actually kind of fell in love with Thia from the first sight, and they bonded because of music and musical instruments. Both of them are plot partners and they suffer together and they luv each other. They had an argument and they weren’t communicating for some time but they can’t live without each other
He has wings of a sharp-shinned hawk
This is THIAAAAA
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(Left reference is the newest one) I didn’t finish her grey ref, but I am likely redrawing all of them again on a new canvas, so old refs won’t matter!
She does not have a final final design, but I am imagining her in all kinds of flowery dresses!
I also do not have a final version of her character yet and more will be added. She’s literally the only good thing in the world. She’s a kind aunty and a talented singer with a low voice. She has lots of patience, she adapts easily to changes and has a calming effect on people. Likes to have a chit chat with Ivor.
She is a pretty famous singer (both she and Ivor are local legends, but in different ways). I would say that Ivor tries to build a character for the public more, than Thia, but Thia just has it much more subtly. Ivor knows people recognize him for his performance, Thia doesn’t really have an over the top flamboyancy, so in comparison she looks like a normal person. It doesn’t feel like she even gets into the role of a performer and feels authentic. ANYWAY, JUST THOUGHTS.
I also want her to be into some cloth handmade stuff, or lace, or a different little hobby. I think to balance out the signing she would love making something with her hands
People suspect that Forsythia is not even her "real" name, how could they.
She has the wings of a bluethroat :))
LAST BUT NOT LEAST THIS IS AYA :з
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She is an absolute menace. Uhh she is really fucked in the head. She is an insane ghost who wants to scare people to death and wishes for revenge.
UH. Theres lots to her
she is absolutely deranged
She also had bee hummingbird wings
OOOOF THATS IT FOR NOW
Note for self: just send this post to your english speaking friends next time they ask for an oc exchange because writing out stuff from the scratch is painful and I wont do it again until I have actual new info (crawls into bed)
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pyrajanison · 5 months ago
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Midnight Snack - Short Story
Felt compelled to write a little story that's been banging around in my head, courtesy of @smellyvampirez's vampire Loboto artwork. Plus got some little sketches to go along with it. Hope you enjoy.
Support me on Ko-Fi so I can do more stuff like this. LINK HERE.
*Warning* Contains blood, and hardcore vampire stuff, plus generally angsty vibes. Reader discretion advised. Full story below cut.
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It had been a while now. PJ couldn't be sure of the exact days, as time was hard for her to keep track of, but she could tell it had been a while due to the scabs.
There was a routine that she followed with the checkups the doctor preformed weekly. Examination, full physical assessment, a small test of her psychic abilities, and finally, a blood test. This part was always fuzzy, he'd take a bit of blood from the crook in her arm every time, the loss of it must exacerbate her memory loss. She could never remember the end of the tests, only to find herself being escorted back to her room by either Sheegor or Crispin.
PJ peaked under the bandage. Usually, the frequency of the these tests left her arm scabby. She wasn't sure how many times he'd taken her blood, but it was enough for her to know what the wound should look like by the time the next exam day came around.
Now it was almost healed over, which could only mean she hadn't given blood in a long time.
It was hard for PJ to trust her memory, she didn't have any memories most of the time, but there did seem to be a feeling of routine break, that something was out of rhythm. It could just be that there were no more blood tests, but she couldn't recall a change in that pattern.
She hadn't been called for exam at all. In a long while it would seem.
She couldn't even recall when she had seen Loboto last... where was he?
The amnesiac patient absentmindedly thumbed the rusty red bandage on her forearm, worn now with extended wear. The action sparked a small memory.
She was thumbing the bandage, following Sheegor, her hunchback caretaker, as they went around inspecting the asylum's integrity. It was something that was done periodically. But something was amiss.
"Hey, Sheegor?"
"Hmm?" The older woman peaked down an elevator shaft they were passing.
"Where is Loboto?"
After a pause, Sheegor let out a sigh, looking her way with a tired expression.
"He's gone away for a bit," She said, trying to cover up the exhaustion of having to say this for who knows how many times, but PJ heard the suppressed annoyance, and instantly felt bad.
"Oh..." The next question hung in her throat for a few minutes, the embarrassment of knowing she'd unknowingly repeated herself made her keep her mouth shut, but as they got to one of the upper floors, close to the lab now, she felt his absence through the walls, and that weight finally un-cagged it. "When is he coming back?"
This pause was different. The wrinkles on Sheegor's face were of deep concern and something else unsaid. Quickly, she tried to hide it, giving PJ a weak smile. "Oh, um, soon, very soon!" Her voice squeaked with false reassurance.
PJ blinked, how long ago was that? A thin layer of sweat formed on the back of her neck, and PJ felt the pricks of anxiety start to effect her insides. Where was the doctor? Was he ok?
Overwhelmed, she hugged her legs close, forehead resting on her knees as if in prayer. She knew it would give her a headache, but she couldn't help it if it meant knowing he was well. He was everything, the only thing that PJ felt was constant enough, that one memory she could not forget, would not forget. Like the support beam of a house, she feared that his removal meant the entirety of her mind would come crashing down, and it scared her to no end.
So, against better judgement, she reached out with her psychic abilities, branching out like ectoplasmic worms through the ether, roots searching for a trace of him and his essence, to know if he was ok, somewhere out there in the world.
Please be ok, please be ok, please be ok, please-
Suddenly, much sooner than she expected, she found him.
But something was wrong.
Like feeling she had touched a hot stove, PJ stood up with a jolt, head snapping up. Her gaze met the ceiling of her padded room, but she was looking, feeling, beyond it.
He was up in the lab! He was back, she was sure of it! Only something, like a cloud, was swirling up there. An emotion of some kind, she wasn't sure what. Felt like trouble.
Without thinking, she got out of her cell and was soon racing up the towers. The night air whistled in her ears as she ascended the crumbling building. It was late, by which that meant it was approaching dawn. That made her nervous, as the sun was too bright for her eyes. But that worry was pushed down as she finally made it to the elevator.
As the birdcage-like lift reached the lab, it felt like PJ had entered into a dark storm cloud. There was a dangerous feeling in the air.
Go back said a voice in her head, a voice she always ignored.
PJ approached the ladder to the lab, noting the crow that was always there. It must have sensed it too, as it was flatted on the floor of it's cage, shrinking away from a commotion that was now audible from above.
Don't said the voice, as she climbed up the ladder and entered the lab.
It was dark. The only light was the paling sky coming through the windows. PJ's eyes were slow the adjust, but she could vaguely make out what was going on.
It was the doctor, no question, she'd recognize his silhouette anywhere. Though at first it was a little hard to see it was him given how fast he was moving. The crashing and shattering commotion was definitely him, and him alone. He was throwing things, upturning equipment, a shrill vocal peal of his voice was one of desperation. PJ felt it on him in waves; fear, need to find it, where is it, out of, no more, where, where is, need, need, NEED-
"Doctor!"
All at once, the shape in the dark froze. Two lights appeared, his eyes snapping to look at her. PJ felt her chest tighten with alarm, but as to why, she didn't know.
".. I-I'm glad you're back. Are you ok?"
There was no movement other than a very slight tilt of the head.
"Do," PJ's eyes flicked to the debris of empty plastic bags on the ground, "Do you need help finding something?" Wait, her eyes went back to the bags, they were familiar... stained.
Her eyes flicked up just as his did as well, and they held gaze for a moment before she heard a soft chuckle from him.
"No," her doctor giggled, his teeth flashing, "I found it." Something in PJ's stomach dropped as a wave of something else hit her, something hungry.
RUN the voice yelled, and this time PJ heeded it. But it was all too late.
What happened next was too fast.
Unsteady, PJ glanced away, stepping toward the ladder, tripping and falling toward the opening. Only she didn't fall, as a large rubber hand gripped her arm and pulled her back. The relief at being saved from the fall was soon replaced with confusion as she found herself hoisted off the ground, the grip on her arm tightening like a vise. She felt the metal next, pulling at her, then cold air hitting her shoulder as her straightjacket gave way, buckle snapping and zipper tearing. Alarm mounted, the removal to her was like something pulling off her skin. What was going on!? A frantic attempt to pull away was met with a steel grip, metal claws closing her throat, the prosthetic elbow pining her wrist as she blindly tried to get way. Then, the claws tugged her head, and something pieced her shoulder.
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A surprised shriek left her lungs as the bolt of pain shot through her. She could feel muscles and tendons being parted, then hot wetness. Animalistically, she struggled, bleating and kicking like a trapped fawn, but the form that held her was like mahogany.
Then came the slurping.
It was loud in her ear, the sound of wet, desperate gulps.
But what was worse was the new waves of emotion that she felt emanating from him. They didn't have words, only the feeling of satiation, satisfaction, and the need for more. And more. MORE!
And he kept going, and going. He seemed deaf to her cries, weak from the grip on her throat. It was when she couldn't moved her legs, when the cold began to creep in, when the dots started to dance in her vision, she remembered where she had felt this before.
"I just need a little more, PJ dear."
The needle in her arm hurt, and she did her best to look away. Seeing the red moved through the tube, into the little pouches, was sickening. If she watched, she'd faint faster.
"Why... why do you need so much?"
A playful giggle tickled her ear, "Well, I'm going to be gone a bit. Business trip, meeting with client, you know how it is."
PJ didn't understand. "What.. Where... are you... going to..." Her head swam and she sagged forward, almost falling off the chair. A rubber palm caught her.
"Ah, ah, careful there, don't want you falling over and breaking that egg of yours!"
The palm cupped her cheek and through the growing soft darkness, she saw the red and green lights.
"I gets so peckish on the road!" Without a care, he flashed his teeth, "And your blood is the perfect pick-me-up. My favorite little midnight snack!"
That brought things back into focus, confusion and revelation filling her, "Wh-what?"
But it was too late, and Loboto knew it. He grinned, his sharp teeth bared with a knowing confidence. "Oh, don't you fret dearie." With his claw, he popped the tube out of the last blood bag and brought the dripping end to his lips. "You won't remember this," like a straw he sipped, and PJ could feel the suction pull in her veins as consciousness left, a chuckle the last thing she heard, "You never do..."
And she was going limp now, falling away into shadow. He was taking too much. He was too hungry, too hungry to stop.
Soon, she'll be nothing.
Just an empty plastic pouch.
But then the voice again. It shouted in defiance.
NO!
There was a sudden cry, and she feel to the ground. Through the swirling black, she could make out the doctor clutching the side of his head. What just happened?
"Argh! You abhorrent little abomination!" He snarled, fangs baring, and lunged.
There was a sudden pull, like being tugged on a string, and she was suddenly flying across the floor, dodging the pounce. She watched as she was pulled away backwards, leaving a red trail behind, and the last thing she saw of him was two fiery eyes and a bloody maw twisted in rage before she was flung out the lab and over the catwalk railing.
And she was falling.
Falling.
falling...
...
WAKE UP!
PJ snapped awake just in time to see the ground speeding towards her. Out of instinct, she caught herself, and levitated a moment before collapsing onto the ground.
She was on a landing near the middle of the tower.
She had to hide.
With the last of her strength, she pulled herself into the building, finding an empty room with a cot. She crawled underneath it and curled into a little ball.
Her shoulder was wet, she could smell blood. Touching it, she found fresh wounds. Light was starting to come in through the windows. She felt a wave of fear.
With her straightjacket and stuffing from the mattress above, she dressed the wound as best she could. She felt herself retreating into sleep.
As the sun began to rise, PJ shut her eyes. The light was always too bright. It felt more so now... it almost hurt...
...What was going on?
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END
If you like the short story, please consider supporting me on Ko-Fi.
💙💜PLEASE BUY ME A KO-FI💜💙
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neteyammeowmeow · 1 year ago
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DEEPSEAENERGY HEADCANONS 🔥🔥🔥PT 2 HURRAY???
also have this sketches lalala, they are so broppy but like in the way if you’re crazy enough to understand (poppy is determined and outgoing and she tries to see the bright side, however when things don’t work out her way she gets surprised-surprised, but she gets back up again… ok sorry… while branch is paranoid and has four brothers that left him when he was younger and caused abandonment issues — errrmm, but he’s also a total nerd that does nerd stuff and he’s such a caring guy) I LOVEEEE TROLLS
anyways these are headcanons about like. everything i can think of for now. yayyy
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Benthomaar really loves listening to the Ninja's experiences on their previous missions, and that eventually led to Lloyd pouring everything he had in his mind to him, may it be good or bad. At first, Lloyd got embarassed when he got carried away because he's not used to having an active audience to listen to him, but the more he listens to Benthomaar's calm and intrigued responses, he becomes a lot more comfortable. The Ninja are glad that Lloyd has someone he can talk to than just keeping it to himself.
Sometimes when Lloyd talks to Benthomaar, he lays his head on his lap and drift off to his words, then he snaps back and notices his bangs were somehow braided.
It's a mutual comfort that they share a lot of things with each other. For Benthomaar, he'd ask so many questions about the surface world, about the nature to the people. He also loved sharing about what Merlopia is like, why wouldn't a King be proud of their nation anyways? When it comes to cultural experiences, he promises Lloyd that they'll find the time to do them together. He hopes that Lloyd could fall in love with the sea as much as he fell in love with the land.
Benthomaar's words are so polite and formal, sometimes he can be very poetic, Lloyd thinks he talks like a storybook or sounds like a lullaby, and sometimes he falls asleep listening to Benthomaar's voice. Somehow, Lloyd always finds a more peaceful rest when he does.
(There's like a layer of lore behind this reasoning, but my own worldbuilding has Merlopians be blessed or chosen by certain sea animals to have their traits) Benthomaar doesn't need to sleep all the time, he feels exhaustion only after something stressful or incredibly tiring. So he mostly spends his time wide awake — and his old habit was to spend his time reading boks, but now, whenever Lloyd is with him, he'd also take his time to watch over him while he sleeps.
It was Nya and Kai who told him that Lloyd struggled with sleeping peacefully, he'd always shake around or wake up from a nightmare. Most of the time, he wouldn't tell the others about it because he doesn't want to bother them, but they could always hear him and know either way. He doesn't like to talk about it.
Noticing how comfortable Lloyd is with Benthomaar, she asked if he could help, so he did. Lloyd was pretty stubborn and insistent that he didn't need anything, he doesn't want to bother Benthomaar more than he already has. But Benthomaar explains how it's not like he has anything better to do than stay awake and ponder while everyone else is asleep.
If Lloyd woke up restless, Benthomaar was there to calm him down and reassure him. If he was restless in his sleep, then Benthomaar would do the same nonetheless. And Lloyd would wake up looking much better than he did previously, the Ninja noticed this change too. (Benthomaar definitely earned a bunch of points from his In-Laws).
On the topic of finding it hard to fall asleep peacefully, Benthomaar faces the opposite problem from Lloyd. Whenever he overworks or tries to push himself as much as he can to continue his tasks, even until the point he tires himself out, he'll immediately fall asleep wherever he is — and he doesn't wake up.
The first time Lloyd saw him in that state, it was during the coronation month. Benthomaar was pretty much passed out on his chair, his head was resting on the table, and Lloyd tried to shake his shoulder to wake him up, or call his name, but nothing worked. Lloyd decided that he should rather just get Benthomaar to rest somewhere comfortable and not on his workspace.
Anyways, the first thing Benthomaar noticed when he woke up, was that he was covered in a warm blanket - from the surface, and that he was on a cushioned couch, a distance away from his desk.
Benthomaar taught the Ninja how to do Merlopian Sign Language as a way for Merlopians to communicate underwater (talking would cause a lot of bubbles and discomfort during conversations, so much more). When Benthomaar teaches Lloyd, he'd always find a way to sneak in a few jokes, or tease him, but he's pretty smooth with it. He is AWFUL at it.
"Bentho, how do you sign my name?"
"Your name, Lloyd? That is a simple structure to work with..." And guess what Benthomaar signed?
"I don't remember L looking like that..."
"Because it is not an L, this means cute in Merlopian. Do both not fit you?"
If Lloyd messes up a gesture, Benthomaar would hold his hands and recorrect him. Sometimes, Lloyd does his mistakes intentionally so that Benthomaar would hold his hands.
Benthomaar signs kind words on the scars that's on Lloyd, sometimes he does those on bad days, but sometimes he does it randomly. At first, Lloyd didn't understand why, then Benthomaar explained how he believes that despite all the wounds that have scarred on the person, no matter mentally or physically, their presence still exists, it matters, and they're still trying to persevere past that. Striving past the burdens of the past is incredibly difficult, and so the people who are able to, he believes they are very strong. Of course, with that point Benthomaar believes that Lloyd is incredibly strong. (They hugged after that because Lloyd didn't want Benthomaar to see him cry)
... Lloyd and Benthomaar have a specific sign that they use to greet each other. (Benthomaar also has one with Jay)
Benthomaar prefers to be served raw fish. Any fish that is cooked or heavily seasoned tastes weird to him (he’s not used to it, but he tries) — so whenever they hang out in the city, Lloyd’s go-to is always a sushi bar because that’s one of the few places where they both can eat fish without the other getting sickly of it. (Benthomaar loves Sashimi oh I bet 100%)
Due to their culinary cultures being vastly different, it took them awhile to adjust and figure out what the other likes. It’s very difficult to sort out considering most of the things Benthomaar likes to eat, Lloyd can’t, but the things Lloyd likes to eat, Benthomaar finds it a peculiar taste. It is really that hard when one eats things fresh from the hunt, while one eats things already cooked for taste. If it weren’t for Zane and his recipe books, they’d be stuck on debating what to have for dinner.
Lloyd and Benthomaar aren’t the greatest cooks, it’s fortunate that Lloyd learned from watching his siblings. They try to learn how to figure things out together like they always do, even if there’s a lot of trials and errors — Lloyd’s just glad that Benthomaar is a patient person. Lloyd was the one that taught Benthomaar how things work in the kitchen as best as he can (he’ll leave the rest to Zane). The kitchen is, actually, one of the places where they end up laughing and talking together the most.
They’re kind of in a long distance relationship? It’s hard for them to meet up and spend awhile together due to their duties as leaders, with Lloyd spending most of his time in the Monastery or accepting commisions to help the citizens, and Benthomaar being the King trying to reestablish Merlopia after his brother’s short lived — yet destructive rule. They promise to meet whenever they can by the sea shore, which is an equal distance far away from their own homes, it’s a very difficult promise to make but of course they’ll have the time for each other.
Lloyd once surprised Benthomaar by visiting Merlopia during his week off duties. Benthomoaar had no idea about what was going on until he recieved news that a surface dweller’s ship sailed all the way to their nation, he was just about to panic because they were informed nothing but then, he sees such a familiar looking blond adorned in colorful shades of oranges, reds, and greens, and that’s Lloyd. He was trying so badly to try and not look so excited but he was, very, very, very excited.
“My friend,” so he said in a calm collected tone. “I am so happy to see you again.”
Lloyd thought his voice sounded absurd, maybe Benthomaar didn’t notice that his wagging tail betrayed his composure. But he didn’t need an affirmation because only seconds later, he was being squeezed to death, Benthomaar’s hugs can just do that, he guessed. He missed him so much.
Likewise, if it were Benthomaar that surprised Lloyd… Lloyd would be unsure how to approach Benthomaar, so he’d stand there contemplating his disbelief and his choices before giving him a hug, except it’s a very awkward yet happy hug.
When I said “In-Law points” a few headcanons back, there’s this silly concept I thought of that Benthomaar would be put on trial for the Ninja to know if he’s truly “Significant Other Candidate for Lloyd” enough, because they absolutely do not want a repeat of last time. Benthomaar doesn’t know about the trial, however, only the Ninja do — Lloyd caught on eventually after he noticed they were acting weird around Benthomaar. It’s only funny because they started doing that even before Lloyd and Benthomaar were in a relationship, Lloyd was incredibly embarassed. They’d ask Benthomaar random questions out of nowhere with peculiar scenarios, or ask him to do certain chores just so they’ll know if he’s worth it. He was sent to a war he didn’t know he was in.
Lloyd and Benthomaar are like Dragon and Phoenix :3 The dragon represents strength, power, and good luck, while the phoenix represents high virtue, grace, power, and prosperity. When paired together they’re yin (phoenix) and yang (dragon)
That is it for NOW… Also have Bloyd coded songs methinks
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thelegendofstella · 2 years ago
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you have to wake up.
how?
you turn on the light.
(click/tap for better quality. closeups, notes, etc. under cut)
EDIT 4/9/2023: Image alts updated with IDs as per asking/request! I was way too tired to even think about doing them when I first posted this, lol, my bad
Closeups:
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I CAN'T BELIEVE I MANAGED TO FINISH THIS IN TIME FOR THE FINALE. OH MY GOD
I've been working on this for ages (read: procrastinated until the last few days) and I can't believe how good this turned out in the end. For my standards, anyway. I just had to get this out somehow before the finale aired and I actually made it,,, Yay ;u; (1:30 AM on the day of is close enough, man fgyusdgshfsddsf)
This is basically kind of a redraw of one of the scenes in the WaD trailer we got a couple of weeks back that implied Amity and co. were attacking Luz because they thought she was Belos, because wow that was sure something. But I really have to give credit to this post for being my main inspiration and reference—that combined with the analysis posts of the trailer that have come out since then just really got my drive going.
I surprisingly don't have much to say about the process of this other than oh my god it was so hard to get all of their base colors??? Especially Willow's eye color, can you believe they've never shown her open eyes without glasses in natural light. I can, I looked. Besides that I am woefully unpracticed in shading so I just kinda winged it as best as I could here fdhjsdf.
(Please appreciate Belos' hands here, it took me fucking ages to get them right in the sketch. Perspective hands SUCK)
This came out to 3000px width by 1200px height, the largest canvas I've ever done so far. The .kra file of this has 981 layers, including folders (of which there were a lot because I am stupidly organized like that), and more filter layers than I know what to do with lol.
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khruschevshoe · 1 year ago
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Lucius Spriggs and Pete Hands-Spriggs
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And time goes quicker
Between the two of us
But oh my love, don't forsake me
Take what the water gave me
Lay me down
Let the only sound
Be the overflow
-Florence + the Machine, What the Water Gave Me
Lucius is tired. He often is, but this was his first raid in months, since before he was spat out by the ocean, since the Spanish captured the Revenge all that time ago. He wasn't even supposed to participate, but he'd seen Jim struggling from his spot on the deck of the Revenge and he'd lurched up into trying to help. He'd fired, and thankfully hit his general target, but then he 'd dropped the crossbow, the weight pulling his fingers down, and staggered over to sit on the steps leading up to the wheel. Once there, his eyelids had dragged themselves down, heavy as anchors. If a sailor had crossed onto the Revenge, Lucius would have been a waiting duck, completely done for.
"Hey, Lucius, love," comes a familiar, much-loved voice accompanied by a gentle shake to Lucius' shoulder. He opens his eyes to find Pete crouched by his side, a gentle hand on his shoulder, coaxing him awake.
Lucius is so fucking tired of being tired, and sick, and scared. (Well, not so much scared anymore- since Jim pulled him out of that trunk, since he reunited with Pete, since Pete gave Izzy his new leg, since Lucius got to push Ed Teach overboard, Lucius hasn't been as frightened.)
Lucius was useful for a moment, but just a moment. He can't finish a sketch in the normal amount of time anymore. He can't hold his pencil in place for long enough to be a scribe.
Today, summoning the energy to help out Jim? That took a split second of insane energy, brought on by a burst of terror and protectiveness and the stubborn notion that Lucius was not going to lose a friend after surviving all of the shit they'd been put through.
And that one motion left him more useless than ever before- an accomplishment, considering how Lucius has always been the weakest member of this crew to begin with.
"Fuck this," Lucius mutters.
Pete's brow furrows with concern. "What's the problem, babe?"
"I'm so fucking tired with being tired," Lucius says, "With falling asleep so easily, with my eyes sliding shut whenever I sit down, with it taking so fucking long to recover-"
Pete's fingers clench over Lucius'. "You lived, babe," Pete says, "And that's what matters. I don't care how long it takes you to recover, to figure out how to fit into your new life, because you're still here. You're still with me." He flashes a smile over Lucius's shoulders, and Lucius turns to see Izzy standing there, using his sword as a cane. "You survived. You and Izzy both did. And I survived to come back to you both."
-aletterinthenameofsanity, if you stumble and fall (i will be where i always was, standing at your side)
I *adore* Lucius and Pete's dynamic, both in the show and in fic. There are so many thematic layers to the fact that Pete, who was obsessed with proving himself as a dread pirate, fell for the seemingly weakest member of the crew and whittled him a finger, showing a level of care that really informs him as a character. Though I loved Pete and Lucius' engagement and wedding, I was not the biggest fan of how the show handled Pete's response to Lucius' trauma in Season 2- I was so glad to see both his reaction to Lucius' trauma and his new disability handed much more delicately and supportively here.
@polikate @possumsmushroom @yuenity @bricksbloggyplace @angxlwiings
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quotidian-oblivion · 7 months ago
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Your turn, Voidster!
sketching pad: describe yourself from a stranger’s point of view!!
oof, okay uhhh i'll try my best 😅
~
I see her walking across the street every day to school, always fully covered and quite comfortable. I suspect she wears her school uniform under her outer layer (abaya). You can always tell what she's thinking because she's very emotive and expressive.
A slight spring in her step, a smile stretched across her face, a quiet laugh to herself, some happy muttering which she thinks no one can hear, means that she's happy. She's having a good time. You see that often, which makes me wonder how someone can be so cheerful so often.
Shuffling footsteps, eyes stuck to the ground, head bowed low, hands barely moving by her sides or on the straps of her bags, a dull shine to her eyes, and eyebags more evident means she's either tired or sad. Her voice is either quiet or not there at all.
Except when she sings.
She always sings. Whichever song is stuck in her mind, she sings it. She takes approximately 7 minutes to walk to school, but she likes stretching it out whenever she can. You can always hear her singing whenever she's idle. It might be a habit or a personal tic, but it's clear that her voice is something she is connected to. I've seen her use it up on stage and in front of a crowd sometimes too. But singing...
That's something she uses to calm herself down if she's upset with sad little songs that imply hope. She sings high-pitched and bouncy songs when she's happy. She sings screamy songs when she's angry or frustrated about something.
She thinks no one can hear her because she watches the shadows and frequently turns her head to see if someone's near to lower her voice while singing, but you hear a few notes anyway. And they're always so full of emotion. It makes you wonder how someone can express so much yet hide even more.
She doesn't look anything special. Black hijab, sky-blue or sometimes black abaya, brown skin. Just an average Joe, really. But when I got closer to her, talked to her, became a friend, I was opened up to a running tap of different perspectives on life. She tries her best to be the best, even though she doesn't have to. There's a world of tragedy beneath all that emotion, but she embraces it. That's why she holds so much cheer and emotion. She embraces all the good and all the bad, though with difficulty. She's confused, but does everything to figure it out. She wants to please everyone, but sticks firmly to her values. And she loves. She loves so much and so passionately.
I wish I had a love and passion like that. She says that she loves too much sometimes. But I don't think so. I think with a love as great as that, she can spread it in this world where there are magnanimous vats of hate. She just needs to learn when and where and how to release it.
She's a special person, she just needs to learn how.
~
I've heard of character analysis but this is a whole different level.
I think I need therapy.
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marzules · 9 months ago
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the strangest thing I've ever seen
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oh my cod.
this took so long.
I started this back in October so I would have something nice to look at when I checked in for Nanowrimo... obviously I did not finish it by November lol but it was still fun to do!!!
here's some process photossss:
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(I drew a terrifying amount of thumbnail sketches. It was in my head so clearly but it was so difficult to get)
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I think this photo makes me look like a very skilled artist. also I think it's pretty. Look at that lighting yes it is wonderful to work in
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chaos (I worked so hard on that toilet and that lamp and both of them are covered dude. For the sake of not making this any longer than it already is I won't include more photos but imagine perspective lines everywhere. Every color. Red (Red Rose) Blue(-da-ba-dee) green yellow cyan orange okay I don't think I got that far but it was bad so many layers I kept drawing on the wrong layer it was soo bad
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this is the first version of the piece I finished in... December... for an art assignment. I don't know how I forgot to put a soap bottle on the sink when Sophie washes their hands in this scene... like it's the whole main focus....
Also the colors are different because my laptop colors absolutely suck and make everything more blue and desaturated. I asked like 10 different people and it is definitely a problem with my computer so I adjusted the colors in the top image... started doing that at 7:09 pm today thinking it would only take 20 minutes and it is uh. 10:40 pm. sobs
the colors are very accurate to what I am seeing on my screen though I promise you
anyways one more yapping section THE LORE!!! so basically REDSHIFT is a thing I've been working for a couple of years now, started as a book in like journal entry format and now it's flip flopping between a very small animated series or a very small movie I don't know which one. anyways
[i changed the lore. sorry guys. give me a bit]
Anyways back to where this thing even happens it's a dystopian sci-fi story!!! which means. It takes place in a dystopia. And it is sciency. Their planet is really nice you know they've been the most environmentally friendly planet for the past 117 years in a row!! Did you know that they contribute to the largest space arsenal in the universe and they have some of the best technology??? WOw good for. them. okay im tired man I want to be done writing this it's late lol. Also there's Steve I didn't mention Steve because he's kind of irrelevant big happenings wise only character development wise but he's very cool and I think u guys will Love Him he becomes Sophie's friend :))
anyways one more thing about half of the population here are kind of just... voids. Like space voids. Like you look at them and they're just a silhouette of a person and you just see space through them. It's a bit inconvenient at times yeah you can't tell people apart unless they're wearing clothes yeah there are other planets with only humans and only spacey peoples and other planets have other species entirely but they're all pretty much in their own bubble and this one's got flesh humans and space humans. They've got quite a history I think you will find. Very big on science... experimentation innovation whatever... personal improvement. just want to make their world a bit better you know...
okay that is all. goodnight
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soggy-bread · 9 months ago
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Progress pictures for my cormorant! I had a fun time and learned a lot working on this. It took about a month working on and off, and is my biggest stamp project so far. These are in chronological order and I’m going to talk about them bellow the cut as a reflection/journal entry for myself.
A lot changed over time as I worked on this. I started with the cormorant, knowing I wanted something that would fit on my jacket and be worn daily. I wanted to include aspects inspired by the song The Cormorant by San Fermin, such as the beak and the eyes. In the first sketch, the cormorant was holding a small orb in its beak, also referencing the song, and something I changed later. I also changed the perspective of the bird, having its back turned to the viewer based on the reference photo I was using.
While lining, I felt like I was focusing so much on photo realism and getting every detail that I was unsure of how to translate that onto the stamp. I talked through this with a friend and was able to go a more fun (whimsical?) route, adding the spirals on the wings and simplifying the feathers.
Out of all of it, and probably my least favorite part of making larger and/or more detailed prints, is transferring the sketch. There has got to be a more efficient and less stressful way than the way I’m doing it, but that’s going to come with learning and practice. For now, I’m pleased with how the cormorant transferred.
My favorite part of the carving ended up being the swirls on the wings. Carving was also where I feel like I learned the most. I really like the more rough style of other stamp carvings, and compared to the last piece I did, this had a lot more negative space. Before, I had been focused on line detail, but while carving out the negatives I realized that I could be making my lines that way, carving around them instead of lining around them. It felt like I had found a way to stop stressing over the tiny details and also get that different style I wanted.
What I would change. Mostly, sticking to the design elements that reflected lines in the song, such as stylizing the eyes to look more diamond and geometric, and the beak to be sharper. Also, keeping the orb, representing the heart of the person in the song. I’d also change the perspective on the shorter left wing, as the feather layers near the top don’t quite follow the wing shape how I’d like them too.
Overall, I am super proud of this piece, and it’s made even more special by the fact that I finished it (on the morning of the concert lol) and got to wear it to said concert, and that I was able to talk to and get to show one of the band members, Ellis. I’m really excited to keep working as well, I’ve got some sketches for Mother’s Day cards that I feel like I’m much more inspired to do, having a new way of looking at the progress. I want to come back and redo this one day.
Pretend there’s a link to the song here, I’m unable to link it myself for some reason. If anyone reads this far I highly recommend the entire Cormorant I & II album by San Fermin (Or anything by them but I’m a huge fan and biased lol). I don’t really have the proper words to describe it, but the vocals are incredible, and I love the way the different layers and instruments interact. At this point I’m tired and running out of steam, so I might come back and edit the link in later. If not, oh well, this is mostly for my own reflection and enjoyment ✌️
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bvannn · 1 year ago
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Weekly Update December 15, 2023
Finals week is done. I’m still worried about the one class but I’ve done everything I can. Next week I have some doctor appointments but otherwise am good to rest up and hopefully get more work done. I have tonight and tomorrow morning also before I have to do a long drive, so maybe I’ll finish off some other projects.
TRGA: 1-4 Tim’s tweens are done, and I have what I think is a faster strategy for tweens now as well, so all that should be moving faster. I just need to do Tim’s face and clean up his joints and he should be good for the shot, I can make and add in props and I’ll post the wip. I’m planning to do backgrounds all in one go at the end so they stay consistent from shot to shot, and sketch lines as well. I’ll probably do some of the more tedious work (exporting and reimporting sketch lines, and cleanup) in the evenings and the more brain intensive work like props during real free time.
Still chipping away at late drawing prompts. I got the rest of the Inktober set sketched, I’m nearing the ‘easy’ prompts for the cringe set, and the gore set I just haven’t had motivation for but I can maybe try to finish that one off in the next few days. Also haven’t gotten comic thumbnail stuff done since like 2 weeks ago but I might get cracking at that in the car ride tomorrow, or definitely after, there’s a lot more interest in my OCs than I thought so I really should be prioritizing that higher.
Music: real close on the one song, and recorded pieces for a piano arrangement of another thing. I wanted to doll it up with real instruments, and maybe I still will but I can also do a just piano version and throw that out. The main original I’m working on is close to done instrumentally, I was going to record the breakdown tonight but I’m a bit tired because I decided to do some chores, so maybe it’ll be tomorrow or maybe I will do it tonight. Also started poking around Melodies for a second song before realizing my retro sound chip plug-in set is a pain in the neck and will only play one note at a time so I need like 5 or 6 layers to do what I want and also the gameboy chip has hella delay for some reason. Not unfixable but annoying. Theoretically I should be moving to a new computer soonish so maybe I can try out some voice synths for the main song I’m working on since I don’t think I can sing.
I’m kinda hitting that tiredness wall but I should hopefully be able to get some rest in the coming week, get some stuff together to post, and be nice and ready. I should also mention I have a surgery coming up too which should take me out of commission for some time, idk how long, doesn’t sound very long though, at least not as long as the last one. That’s not until the week of christmas though so I should still be good to do stuff until then. Maybe I’ll draw tonight, maybe I won’t since it’s already late. I’ve been getting weird bouts of restlessness where I just decide to do a bunch of things at once, but I think I already got one when I decided to do chores. Oh well always tomorrow.
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Day 6 of No One Except @mr-orion Asked November (NoOneExOriAskNov). I’m really coming to appreciate the ‘auto’ edit button on Apple devices.
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Five and a half of the Hermit Civilizations in my Horizon au, because I’m tired as hell. From top to bottom, there is Bdubs’ Land of Livingstone, Cub’s Climbing Spires, Doc’s Maw, False’s Umbra, Gem’s Evergreen, and unfinished Scar’s Technicolor City.
I kinda just chose random sections of each hermit’s aesthetics and building styles to make these civs.
I’m gonna draw these places a lot more for landscape and building practice, of which I have almost none.
In-depth descriptions below the cut. They’re what I based these sketches on.
There are two great hills, steep and rocky, that surround the vale at the center of the Land of Livingstone. Straddled by two great bridges of white rock and creeping vines, their arches swirl with carvings and gradients. Similar odd shapes dot the valley, anchored into the sides of the hills: rusted buildings of metal and brick, adorned with half-crumbled chimneys and long shut doors. Nature has reclaimed this place, as the flower forest grows closer every year, and even the great bridges look as if they are about to buckle. But the ancient buildings persist, unwilling to yield to the land. Some still halfheartedly belch smoke, spooking the birds into flight.
The sun is hot and inescapable in the southern realm of Climbing Spires, its beams blanketing the red sand and enormous rock formations that give this kingdom its name. Adorning these spires are buildings, spindly and delicate yet sturdy enough to cling to the colorful rock. Perilous staircases and thin walkways of metal and wood are contrasted by robust columns and arches of sandstone and brick. What little fresh water can be found here is carefully shuttled about through pipes and waterfalls, adding a sense of movement to the otherwise eerily still architecture.
Whether the Maw got its name from the great spines of ice on its surface or the toothlike rocks of its underground is unclear, but wherever it came from, this land has a fitting name. Icy and inhospitable, the surface is deceptively barren of buildings aside from a few circular boreholes reinforced with iron. But these are no mere pits; they are the entrance to the subterranean complex below the snow-covered landscape above. Practical and brutalist, the underground buildings of this land are home to many strange machines that farm food without light and produce material in seconds, making this underground world one of the Land of the Sunrise’s best kept secrets.
The simple name for the land of Umbra is fitting; forested and shady, the thick canopy of trees hide the incredibly advanced yet eerily dark civilization whose inhabitants are almost never seen. Smooth buildings of dark stone and tinted glass manage to be imposing in their small size, draped with strange foliage that glows unnatural colors of red and blue. Towers that mimic trees and doorways like metal cave mouths are obscured beneath years, if not decades, of underbrush. This realm is closed to most outsiders, and not even traders may come any closer than the upper canopy.
True to its name, the queendom of Evergreen is completely forested in pine, spruce, and fir trees. The deep green canopy is broken by tall castles, their pale tiled spires and dark wood halls evoking a sense of regality and wonder. Thin, arcing bridges connect stone tower to stone tower, allowing their inhabitants the ability to cross rivers and valleys without ever touching the earth. Below these great structures is a dark, fertile ground from which mushrooms and sweet berries readily grow, a thick layer of undergrowth that houses foxes and wolves alike.
Too big to be called a city, yet too small to be an empire of its own, Technicolor City seems to have been plucked straight out of a painting. Every building is unique and colorful, yet they all perfectly meld into a skyline that seems to be made of jewels, aided by perfectly swooping hills covered in flowers and trees. Wide boulevards share space with quaint streets and footpaths, each and every one lit day and night. Every inch of the city seems to reach out in welcome to all comers.
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plaindangan · 1 year ago
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Kaede and miu constantly bicker about who's the biggest, knowing how boob obsessed this class is, they constatnly ramble about it so much that tsumoomoo and kirumilf cant take it anymore! Thank god when beach day happens they can show those blondes what "big" is~
Disclaimer: R18 material! If not to your liking then please do not read!
"Shut it, ant-tits!!! I have the biggest rack here and everybody knows it!!"
'For the love of-!! Look, it's clear we're practically the same...even if I'm slightly bigger~"
"You little-!!"
As the two continued to argue both Tsumugi and Kirumi, who were sitting nearby, found their patience wearing thin. Again. This has been going on since these two met and both were quite sick of it. Especially, since, well, both had an idea on who the clear 'winners' of such an exchange truly were~
'Ugh, you'd think both were tsundere's for each other with how much they bicker and fond over each other's boob size." Tsumugi muttered, trying to block out their fighting by working on a sketch for a new cosplay.
"It's a tiring effort." Kirumi agreed, before a thought occur to her. She usually doesn't like to meddle with potential client own affairs...but if it was for the sake of peace, then that might be a different story~
"Though...Tsumugi, might I ask something of you? What say we end this once and for all for the upcoming trip? I believe if we put your talent to good use, that might end things." Tsumugi looked over as the two's arguing turn even louder and louder and-!!!
"Okay, yeah, I'm in..."
For the likes of Kaede and Miu, the beach trip was a perfect way to 'compete'. Who had the biggest boobs? Whose boobs looked better in their bikini's Whose boobs tanned better? Stuff like that had both wage war constantly whenever they got to the beach...
Which is why when both Kirumi and Tsumugi arrived on the beach, they looked pretty shocked. Kirumi and Tsumugi were well known for being conservative in their clothing. Long skirts, layered shirts and jackets, generally composing themselves in a modest manner...
So it was a real out of left field moment when both arrived on the scene in a casual, dare one say even flirty, manner in swimsuits that outclassed both blonde's easily. For Tsumugi, she was wearing a light blue slingshot bikini, while Kirumi she opted for a white, see-through tube top and a short dark green 'skirt'.
Both suits doing well in showing just how gigantic their busts were, especially in the case of Tsumugi's, whose swimsuit was barely covering her tits and was bouncing about with each step as she got closer to the blonde's. Kirumi was 'technically' more modest, but whatever oil or sweat or anything she applies or felt had her tope moisten to the point it gave Miu and Kaede a great look at her puffy nipples. But 'modest' or not, it was clear as day their chest made both Kaede and Miu's look like A-cups.
But beyond that both blonde's could see they were very voluptuous, with Tsumugi's hips and cake being blatantly on display for the world to see. While Kirumi''s skirt did cover her lower waist a bit, it was small enough that there was a major thigh opening the showed off not only her well curved milky thigh, but enough to show she wasn't wearing a bikini bottom underneath~ Likewise, her own massive buns would make anyone eye up her backside, regardless if she was wearing a skirt, bikini bottom or plain nude down there~
"Ah...Kaede? Miu? Are you two alright?" Asked Kirumi, arms crossing underneath her chest, which only made them be emphasized more to Kaede or Miu. Both haven't responded yet, and seemed frozen in place staring at the duo.
"Hee-hee~ I think we've broken them a bit, Kirumi. And we didn't even need to do anything really ecchi for that to happen!" Tsumugi said waving a hand in front of Miu's face. Kirumi sighed, but did look a bit proud of herself. Wasn't often she gets to be so daring~
And if wearing a skimpy suit is all that is required to get both girl s to finally realized who were the true busty beauties of their class? Then she'll happily wear it all she wants~
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sdyuteiaok · 1 month ago
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Just aimless sketching while checking out Reid Duke's first Pioneer Master's draft. I've been so out of it, unable to sleep lately for more than just a few hours. I've got another meeting coming up shortly, so I am also just trying to stay awake so I'll be too exhausted not to sleep before hand. Of course, there's always the risk of still not being able to fall asleep, and then you're even more exhausted for the meeting. I was just tinkering away at a drawing for the most part earlier, which thankfully ate up a lot of time, but didn't tire me out enough to the point of actually falling asleep. Sleeping at my desk always seems to be more reliable. The drawing is following a guide I saw on YouTube, and I'm basically trying to mimic each step I can see in the non-narrated video, so a lot of pausing and screen shots of the different brushes, settings, and specifications. So far, nothing too removed from my usual flow, but the real twist comes in the coloring, as this technique starts monochromatic, and then uses gradient maps, which isn't how I normally do it. I did one drawing like that a while ago, and it was nice, but certainly not with all the further bells and whistles I see in the video, but there are also a bunch of other steps I wasn't quite able to discern, so I'll just have to guess and extrapolate on some of the more advanced stuff--I can see layer names and because it's CSP, some info about the layer properties, which is definitely helpful, but not too much info beyond that, and most crucially, without any narration or captions, it's just a lot of guessing at the end of the day. But other than that, it feels reasonably straightforward, hence why I chose to mimic this guide. It's mainly cel shading, too, and I still have to try to finish my more painted test illustration, too, not to mention my oil painting practice piece. On the Magic front, had a nice little run in the last day of Explorer, now it's officially Pioneer, imagine that. But on this last day, we finally got all the neat, weirdo, rando decks--where were these all format?
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caramariafilm · 9 months ago
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The Man Who Fell in Love with the Sky - Production Design
Mid-February - End of March - Making the Wings
(not using specific dates as all these PD projects took place over a month and a half)
*quick disclaimer, I have spoken about each of the design processes in one continuous post as I already have a lot to talk about and didn’t want elements of the design to get lost*
This is gonna be a loong post, but I will try to keep it to the point!
SO, first I made the template out of packaging foam. I doubled over the packaging foam and made them around 2 metres long. I had one huge rectangle and - instead of building a wing either way - I thought I would build the two wings attached all the way through for strength. 
I then placed the backpack back (and straps) in the middle of the rectangle, measuring either side to make sure both wings would be even lengths, before sticking the backpack to the packaging foam.
After this, I cut out the basic shape of wings - following my sketch for the shape - and tried the wings on to see how they looked.
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I sent this shape to the production design chat, asking to see if the size was okay. Ivan was really happy with this! Meaning I could get started on the feathers.
Now, I would like to say that the feathers ALONE took me 30 HOURS to make!!!
Just trying to break this down, cutting out a singular feather and sanding it into shape before adding line details, took 6 minutes. For one feather! And there were over 300 feathers.
This was a LONG process, I spent days and days doing this. It was honestly loads of fun but it was very very tedious.
Feathers process!
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I realised having only foam feathers would be fairly heavy on the wings and I didn’t want any discomfort for the actor. So, I added layers of paper feathers in between to lighten the whole thing up and cover large spaces of the packaging foam.
Looking at layering with foam feathers and paper.
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This worked really well and I was really happy with how the wings were shaping up. 
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I kept taking photos and videos throughout, trying on the wings to make sure they were still wearable and showing the production design chat to make sure everyone was still happy.
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After I got all the basic feathers and layers on the wings, I was really happy with how they looked. The process was tiring but I loved every second of it :) 
I then worked on all the small details, slotting in small scraps of foam to build up more variation and texture on the wings.
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This job was a lot bigger than I expected, I’d say it was over 60 hours on the wings alone.
Last photo of the wings before the shoot started!
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However, I learnt SO much!!!!! So many skills I can apply to projects later down the line. I was super happy with the final project. I wish I had more of a budget for the wings as I definitely think that would have helped me make a more realistic set of wings, but I’m still so happy with what I did.
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