#i remember working hard with both the fic and the art www

[len-illus]

[ the stars have a home for you too ] a complement art for the same-titled fic!

Link to the fic on AO3

(yes i wrote it too)

[carpemermaidtales]

Hello!!! ❤ I was thinking about my favorite scenes/lines from my favorite fics and got to wondering what scenes/lines stood out to the people who wrote them. Lolol. What would you say are your top 10 favorite bits from your fics?

Ok, well I spent ENTIRELY too long doing this lmao (like an embarrassingly long amount of time, so thaaaaaanks)! *squints at you* Picking felt impossible, because I think I have favorite parts from everything I write--each of them feel like my children I’ve raised and released into the world. Not to mention, some of it I’ve just plum forgotten and I’ve had to skim through my stuff and re-discover it LOL. And then there’s stuff tied up in anon fests, and wips that aren’t even posted yet, and every time I write something new, that becomes my new favorite bit. Sometimes it’s a snappy line I’ve managed, sometimes it’s a little bit of imagery, and sometimes it’s a scene that I was most excited to write when planning the story concept.BUT BOY HOWDY, HERE WE GOOOO (cut for mermaid rambling):

1. “Don’t be so smug, Potter, it doesn’t suit you. You don’t have the bone structure for it,” Draco drawled when he’d regained his composure. (From Partners of the Four-legged Variety) // Now, there’s actually a lot of parts to this one I love, but this is one of my favorite snarky Draco lines I’ve got in my repertoire. I really enjoyed exploring Harry’s past issues with his childhood through the veil of Crup training and contrasting it with Draco’s more firm methods and Harry’s more lax ideals. I also love the beginning from this, Draco’s visitor badge when he enters the Ministry still makes me smile./2. “Hermione says I shouldn’t cast duplication spells on things I’m actually wearing, so,” Potter says absently as he lays his trousers on a desk. “We had a mishap once, when we were on the run last year.” (From It’s Joggers Season [or so the Muggles say]) // This is also a fic I somehow managed to pull a post-war emotional plot out of with the premise of Joggers, so, there’s that, too. I’m also quite fond of Harry’s first entrance at the beginning of the fic./3. I don’t have any one favorite line, but I’m pretty happy with the way the imagery turned out in when life hands you (lulu)lemons :) Especially the way the sunlight is described./4. The beginning of Harry + Draco’s date in Chapter 2 of Never Feel the Burning Light, and in particular Draco’s exasperation at Harry changing in front of him. Also the walk to WWW after the date. Also Harry and Lucius’ stand off at dinner in Chapter 3./5. The intervening years into adulthood—the stint in prison and Remus’s own ongoing battle with his personal demons—hadn’t made the all-consuming need wane in the slightest. It had taken them some time, tiptoeing around each other as they mended the scraps of their friendship, tattered and broken by a war against a madman, but then there had been Firewhisky to help smooth the way.Sirius couldn’t even remember which of them had moved first, but suddenly they’d been kissing each other roughly with just as much fierce passion as they had in those secret hiding places, their hands hungrily mapping the changes in their bodies from boys into men and fingers tugging urgently at clothes until there was nothing but the drag of their fingertips against heated skin and the faint trembling in their bodies when they sagged against each other afterwards, sated and panting. Remus’s lips had twitched with an amused, tired smile and Sirius wanted to crawl inside his body and stay there forever, his heart thudding heavily in his chest. (from By the Light of the Moon) // The thing I love most about writing Wolfstar is all the angsty, heart-panging feels for these two broken men who had to grow up way too fast, so exploring some of that threaded with a quickie for that month’s DD theme was really enjoyable./6. The kiss by the sea in Weekenders, but I also had a lot of fun creating this from the art it’s inspired by, especially Harry introducing Draco to pub games. This whole thing is an exercise in Harry introducing Draco to the Muggle world and it was a lot of fun to play around with!/7. More Draco in the Muggle world from Never Got No Good Doing What I’m Told, and all of Harry’s stalking and his convoluted ideas for what Draco’s motives are for going to the market and watching movies at the cinema./8. Keith cut Lance off before he could admit to whatever—or whomever—he thought of in his masturbatory habits by jumping on him, still sweaty and disheveled from his training, and slapping his hand over Lance’s mouth, catching Lance’s laughter in his palm.Lance smelled like citrus and coconuts—something he made himself from a planet full of lush fruits and plants they’d discovered in deep space. Keith fought hard not to lean closer and bury his nose in Lance’s neck. He was warm and soft and laughing against Keith’s hand, and Keith’s heartbeat was suddenly rocketing out of control, pounding away inside his chest.Sometimes Keith really regretted his impulsive decisions, after the fact. (from [don’t] hold my breath) // I’m also really fond of the imagery of this one, especially the descriptions of water and Keith’s dream about kissing Lance underwater. S O F T./9. “Oh, that works,” Lance said, grateful to finally have some relief from the sharp tugs of skin and awkward sleeping positions. He waited a beat before leaning close to Keith’s ear to tease him. “You should’ve just said you were down to cuddle. I love being the big spoon, you know? Or the little spoon. I’m not picky.” (from Stuck on You) // I also really adore all of Keith and Lance’s bickering in this one, and the descriptions of the Dr Seuss jungle planet in the beginning./10. Annnd for the last one I thought I’d go with something from my WIP folder, but I’m not sure whether to share an except of the magically binding New Year’s Eve promises or this Love Bug/Soulmate/Fake Dating Garrison AU (a smorgasbord of Voltron tropes), soooo both?

The Love Bug AU: Keith is like an octopus, his arms winding around Lance’s neck and latching onto him when Lance tries to squirm out of his hold.“Uh, quick question, what the fuck?” Lance asks, shooting a helpless look at Hunk.Hunk shrugs, looking just as bewildered and surprised as Lance is in that moment.All Lance can focus on—aside from, uh, everything, about Keith being all over him—is that wow, okay, Keith actually smells really nice and his hair feels soft brushing against Lance’s cheek. Keith peers up at him and Lance’s stomach swoops when their eyes meet—and, holy shit, are Keith’s eyes actually some kind of indigo? Lance thought they were just dark before, but now he sees the complex color and gulps. This was not how he pictured his night of celebration going.

The Drarry Magically Binding New Year’s Eve Promises: The magic was making his mind work in a maelstrom of thoughts, shoving desires and questions at him left and right. Will you please go out with me? Can I kiss you? Did you enjoy your date on Valentine’s? When will you leave me to get married? Harry was panting by the time he managed to get his mind under control. He realised belatedly that Draco was speaking to him in an increasingly faster and worried tone.“…something you took? Are Ron and Hermione alright? You’re starting to scare me, can you say something?” Draco’s words rushed at him in a rush of sound.Harry felt like a plug had been pulled and all of the water had drained from his ears with a swirling gurgle. He turned and clung to Draco’s arms instead of the sofa.“Water?” Harry asked, his throat scratchy and dry.Draco’s eyes darted back and forth, holding his gaze for a moment before he pulled his wand from his pocket and summoned a glass to fill with Aguamenti. Harry’s lips twitched briefly. Draco apparently didn’t want to leave his side, even for a short moment to get a proper glass of water. He took the glass with shaking hands and gulped it down in three large swallows that left him huffing for breath.“Better?” Draco asked.Harry nodded, feeling some of the magic abating when it didn’t seem like Draco was going to turn him away or turn him down immediately. He supposed just having Draco’s undivided attention was enough for the Promise for the time being. Harry sagged back against the sofa, sinking down heavily to sit on the arm. Draco hated when he did that, but he didn’t complain this time. His face was etched with worry.“Good. Now, you’re going to tell me what the fuck that was as soon as you’ve caught your breath,” Draco commanded. He crossed his arms tightly over his chest. Harry’s eyes rested on his forearms, appreciating the way they flexed.

/I wanted to include parts from our collab, too, but I think I’ve forgotten which bits you wrote and which were mine because damn did we blend it all together well hahaha! This was super fun, boo, thanks for asking!! It made me think of taking this one step further and making it into a game: list your 10 fave parts from your fics and have people send in their favorite line/scene/etc from one of the fics listed! (people, consider this carte blanche to do that with this list)Expect me to come back at you with this question in your inbox, too!

[4nimenut]

do you have any tips on compositions? your compositions in your pieces are so good!!!

Anonymously or not, ask me something you’ve always wondered.

thank you for the ask! (/ω＼) i’m flattered omg thank you ;v; !

i actually answered a similar question here can you believe it’s been two years already LOL but because it’s been a long time, i’ll try to answer this ask a little differently! also because i took a second look at how i answered two years ago and i… honestly was questioning myself afterwards LOL

and honestly i didnt exactly stick to whatever i preached HAHA sweATS

i’m not the best at explaining things but i’ll do my best!

this is my own personal method of how i usually do things so you don’t exactly have to follow this word for word! it’s really just an explanation of how i see things www….ヾ(・∀・；)

generally none of my methods when planning for a composition hasn’t exactly changed much from what i mentioned two years ago, but i think i’ve learnt a thing or two as well over the years; i hope it shows in my recent art as compared to older art! ;w;

to start the ball rolling, we could start on arrangement! ;0

here’s a visual representation of the differences between the visual space of a landscape and portrait orientation (・ω

i,,, usually go for a landscape orientation for the expansive feeling,, there’s also more room for feels to penetrate the visual space,,, or at least that’s my excuse anyway LOL

a landscape orientation emphasises greatly on a horizontal line of action in your works as well, and if you want to think deeper about it, a horizontal line could generally mean stability, a balance of sorts, peace and harmony, even? you could usually use it to express a sense of tranquility, wideness, etc..  

in a sense, there’s no alteration of gravity, everyone’s sitting / standing up straight, etc… 

as shown below there’s some ways you could create a horizontal line of action…. actually does this even make sense OTL it’s really there just to show the general flow of things

tl;dr i usually use a landscape orientation + horizontal line of action as my starting base whenever i want to create something with feels (∩´∀｀)∩ imagine the amount of expansiveness your feels can tap upon and make your heart ache more ASDFGDFGH

here we can compare the effects of a landscape and portrait orientation (though it might not be a fair comparison LOL)

as you can see, while the portrait orientation does provide a sense of closeness between both of them, the landscape orientation creates a greater sense of openness and greater balance… or is it just me LOL as compared to the tightness in the portrait version. it works too but i would prefer zooming them out even more to provide a greater sense of openness,,, or perhaps this is more of personal preferences hnngh //w//

usually i’d use a portrait orientation + a vertical line of action to show tension! because of the greater constraint in space as compared to a landscape orientation, you’d tend to feel a greater sense of entrapment, and that’s usually what i hope to tap upon when i want to create intense situations ;w; 

or otherwise i just use portrait orientations for zine pieces because i’m too tired to do a spread page so i just try to come up with something LOL

but wait! sometimes when you stick to just a horizontal / vertical arrangement of things in general it can get… very boring because of how strictly horizontal / vertical it is LOL ;;;;SWEATS 

so here’s my favourite part of this entire post (LOL); the diagonal line of actiooooonnnnn∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

compared to a horizontal line where equilibrium is largely established, a diagonal line expresses a sense of unstability, and the need for movement — in otherwords more dynamic! 

tilting your points of view can also provide you with interesting compositions as well because it doesn’t follow the dead equilibrium norm that horizontal / vertical lines usually set and creates a greater sense of action going on in the picture *w*

psst also, when you take on a more diagonal approach, you can fit in more things in the background LOL since usually a diagonal approach takes up the diagonal length of your canvas, leaving more room for… more dynamic stuff AAAAAAAA—

sooo here we can take a look at what usually happens when you tilt your things LOL

taking on a horizontal approach, this halloween skk piece becomes full blown complete angst instead of being simply lowkey angst in the original post why did i not do that when i was working on it LOL while the more diagonal orientation makes everything look as though there’s something more to it instead of simply dynamic movement — it’s as though there’s this force driving a story — or maybe it’s just me overexplaining things.

also i totally didn’t do it to aggravate the height differences between the both of them. nope. not at all.

to put it in a quick summary:

horizontal approach is usually for the harmony / feels / angst / kill me pls

portrait approach is usually for tension

diagonal approach is usually for more dynamic / action / it usually draws more attention towards the piece

or usually i really just yolo and whack and hope it gives people feels

i believe there’s some examples from two years ago about how detailed i can get when coming up with the composition of a piece, but i’ll briefly touch on it again, and with more detail —

when it comes to what to include in your background and how to eventually draw out your piece, you might want to try consider the following:

what kind of setting do you want it to be? and in turn, atmosphere?

what kind of ideas / central theme(s) do you want your piece to reflect?

is your piece inspired by a certain object / item / concept?

for example, in my PM Week Day 1 submission where the theme i chose was Then and Now, i thought that if i was going to do something about soukoku, then i wanted to create a sense of nostalgia, especially the ridiculous banter that they shared four years ago, and are still sharing right now in the canon timeline. the world that they live in remained relatively unchanged, so i settled for the Yokohama cityscape.

the direct reflection of both of them on the wet surface of the floor reflects how both of them are still the same even after four years, even though Dazai may have switched sides. i chose to keep ADA obscured from view instead of PM Dazai because the idea of Dazai back then has already come to pass and set into stone, and is something that will never change, but the current Dazai may have changed, and that’s why i thought it might be better to leave it to the viewer’s inference on the extent of Dazai’s change, physically and emotionally. he might be showing more emotion on his face right now, but we won’t know because it’s hidden from view, but it’s up to you to determine if he really has changed,,, wink,,,

… or so goes my thought processes about this piece, anyway, ww..

usually when it comes to drawing fanart based on fanfics which i do like 99% of the time, i like to consider any other possible objects involved in that one particular scene / just the overall fic in general and try to make a reference to them somehow in the fanart, and determine the mood from there.

for example, in my Muse (chapter 21) fanart where Akira finally kisses Yusuke in the jellyfish tank, i imagined that one moment to be a rather magical moment, especially since the story is told from Yusuke’s point of view, who views the world in a slightly different manner than the rest, hence i was aiming for the magical, ethereal feeling through the jellyfish; as though they’re wisps of spirits circling around the both of them ;w; the fanart is actually viewed from the inside of the jellyfish tank, but because i chose not to make the distinction of the glass / hard plastic surface of the tank, it feels as though the jellyfish that glows in different colours are actually in the scene with them and lighting everything up ///w///

… or that’s how i hope it goes anyway LOL i feel like i’m just rambling about my own artistic thoughts HAHA.

though, these thinking processes mainly come from my own experience from having taken literature and having to analyse things and stuff, so i hope this entire post provides some insight on how i usually put together my compositions and the like ^q^!!

again, you don’t have to take this word for word, but i hope it’s able to provide you with a better insight on how i do my art—! ;w;

and remember to have fun!! (*´ω｀*)

[sunshinetrappedinourhearts]

Sunlight’s warmth - Haudion

Okay, so I’m writing 2 one shot fics based on 2 collaboration artworks by @kamenmango and @kell0x, and this is the first one! Based on this super pretty art. ;www; (also on deviantart) Title: Sunlight’s warmth Fandom: Pokémon Sun and Moon Pairing: Hau/Gladion Word count: 1484 AO3 link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9249266 Summary:  "Hau was warm, he always was. Shining bright and radiating warmth like the dazzling sun above Alola. Gladion had found himself blinded by it at first, until he slowly but steadily started to be attracted to his light. Before he realized, he was in too deep, with no way back, and he had completely fallen for the boy two years younger than he was. Back then, he was young and didn’t understand love. Heck, he hadn’t even received any love from his mother, how was he supposed to grasp it? But Hau taught him, with small steps."

He was bathing in a sea of pleasure, his head swimming, unable to completely process all these new wonderful sensations. It was hard not to drown in them, he had to remember to keep breathing. A wave was getting closer and closer, though, building himself bigger every second. When it finally crashed down on him hard, throwing him violently back to the surface, Hau’s name was on his lips. Everything was Hau, Hau, Hau, and he almost wanted to cry, because he’d never felt so good in his entire life.

He found himself back in the world again, lying in the soft sheets of his bed, and he wasn’t sure anymore whether he had cried out his name in reality or if he’d just imagined it. His vision was still a little blurry as he panted, retrieving his breath. Then, Hau let himself fall on top of him with a soft sigh. With his right hand against his shoulder and his left wrapped around his back, his boyfriend pulled himself closer, resting his head against Gladion’s chest. And even after everything they’d done, or maybe exactly because everything they’d done, Gladion suddenly found himself blushing like crazy.

Hau was warm, he always was. Shining bright and radiating warmth like the dazzling sun above Alola. Gladion had found himself blinded by it at first, until he slowly but steadily started to be attracted to his light. Before he realized, he was in too deep, with no way back, and he had completely fallen for the boy two years younger than he was. Back then, he was young and didn’t understand love. Heck, he hadn’t even received any love from his mother, how was he supposed to grasp it? But Hau taught him, with small steps. First, they became rivals, then friends, then lovers. The last step was the most scary one, but Hau had been patient. Sometimes he still found it ridiculous that Hau had to teach him, wait for him, reach out to him, instead of the other way around. Even now, he was 18 years old and Hau was still 16. Whenever he let go of his pride and talked to his boyfriend about this, though, he just smiled his usual smile at him, while wrapping his hands behind  his head, and shook his head. ‘You’re always trying to look so cool, but on this inside you’re worrying so much about the most silly things. Try to relax some more, Gladion. Then life will be much more fun!’

Gladion felt a small smile tucking at his lips remembering these words while returning his boyfriend’s embrace slowly. He could feel Hau smiling against his chest. Then, the younger teen rose to lock their eyes together.

‘Hey, Gladion, remember when I first took you on a date?’

He did.

‘I invited you to eat malasada’s with me, and boy, was I nervous,’ Hau laughed, making Gladion smile. He loved to hear him laugh; it was honestly the most beautiful sound in the world.

‘You were so damn late and I thought you’d never show up, so I started wandering around the city. Then I found you on the beach, staring at the waves all emo.’

‘You didn’t tell me where we’d meet,’ Gladion shot back, remembering walking around Hau’oil City as well. Somehow he had ended up on the beach, drawn by the smell of freedom.

‘That’s true,’ Hau let himself fall on the bed next to him, snuggling closer until their arms touched. ‘I’d completely forgotten. Lucky I found you in the end.’

He was silent for a while and Gladion looked at him, waiting. When Hau’s cheeks turned a little more red, he had to hold back the urge to touch his face softly. Then, his boyfriend looked at him and took his hand. Only then Gladion realized he had already stretched out his arm a little.

‘You looked very beautiful,’ Hau said, smiling. ‘Watching the sea like that.’

Softly squeezing his hand, Gladion couldn’t help but smirk. ‘Didn’t you just say I looked emo?’

‘Ahw maaan, those things just go together sometimes with you. Only-’ Hau let go of his hand to poke his cheek. ‘Back then, you looked a lonely and fragile kind of beautiful. When you smile, you’re a happy kind of beautiful. That’s better, isn’t it? You’re the most beautiful when you smile.’

‘You are, too,’ the words left his lips before he noticed, and for some time, Gladion wasn’t sure in which direction to look. He could already feel Hau’s gaze on him and in the end he gave in.

‘Hehe, that makes me happy,’ Hau said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. ‘Anyway, I think that’s the moment when I fell in love with you, you know. You were beautiful, but also lonely. I felt like I wanted to cure that loneliness. I’m not sure why I invited you to eat malasada’s together, probably because I was frustrated that I didn’t understand you and wanted to make you lose your cool or something.’ Hau laughed again, and Gladion felt like he was staring. It was a little strange hearing about Hau’s experience, because that day had meant so much for him, and he couldn’t have imagined it had also meant a lot to his boyfriend; they’d never spoken about it before.

‘In the beginning it was all so frustrating to me, I wasn’t sure whether I hated you or wanted to be your friend or both. I couldn’t stand you, but I wanted to know more about you,’ Hau said. He started caressing his cheek softly, and Gladion wanted him to never let go. So he grabbed his boyfriends hand and laced their fingers together before looking him in the eye. The younger teen’s look was a little puzzled, he was probably surprised by Gladion’s sudden actions.

‘You taught me so many things, Hau. Thanks to you, I know what friendship is, I know what family is, and I know what love is,’ Gladion then heard himself say. Those were words he was always thinking about. Hau probably knew it as well, but he had never spoken them out loud. Indeed, his boyfriend was smiling at him in reaction, waiting because he understood that there was more to be said.

               Gladion chewed at his lip, and tightened his grip on Hau’s fingers. He wasn’t very good at translating his feelings into words, he had never been. Though sometimes they were necessary, because it felt good to say them, because he had to make sure.

‘And above all you taught me what freedom is. Even after I thought I had freed myself I was still a prisoner to my past. But you let me move on, start anew. Forgiving my mother, letting go of suffocating memories, learning what I want to do for myself. You supported me in all those things. I really love you, Hau.’ When he was finished, Gladion found that he was smiling, which was probably why Hau was staring at him in such a distant way. After some time, he blinked and scratched the back of his head again – something he always did when he wasn’t sure what to do or say.

‘Whew, Gladion, when you let go of your cool you become extremely sappy, I don’t know what to say, man.’

The blood rushed to his cheeks – had he really sounded so sappy? Gladion grimaced. ‘Well, then don’t say anything.’

His boyfriend raised his eyebrows. ‘Are you trying to be smooth?’

‘Eh?’ Before Gladion could try to understand what Hau possibly meant by that, his lips were locked to his, and his eyes closed automatically as Hau softly kissed him. It dawned on him when they let go of each other.

‘I didn’t mean it like that, you idiot,’ he muttered, but the other teen only laughed at that, and jumped up from the bed. Gladion watched as he turned around and offered him his hand.

At first he only stared at it, uncertain about what Hau was trying to do.

‘Take it, silly!’ Hau called out when he took too long. ‘Let’s travel around, you and I, and our dream teams. See other countries, different Pokémon. That’s why you’re always looking at the sea, right? I wanna go too, we have been here in Alola for too long, let’s get stronger together and face Sun when we come back!’

As his boyfriend spoke, it was almost as if the words came to life in front of Gladion’s eyes. He could already see the both of them on board of an enormous ship, with only a backpack and their hands laced together. The smell of freedom surrounding them, on their way to a whole new place, a whole new adventure.  And Gladion honestly wanted nothing more than that, so he tried to blink his tears away – desperately failing – and took Hau’s hand.