#i'm enjoying it but it really is a grind OTL

[0fps]

YINLIN ❖ surrender or die

[cushfuddled]

hello!! im not quite sure how to start this, i was a huge fan of your work on deviantart when i was way younger! i loved your art bro, your comics were amazing. i still remember reading your old chosen and twin shadows comics! im very surprised to find another one of your accounts on a different platform by chance, im glad i did!

i see you dont post art that much anymore. i was wondering if you currently have an active art account and/or do art in general anymore? would love to follow!

thanks for being a big part of my childhood

AKFLDS;KAFDSAKLFDSJA!!!

THIS MEANS SO MUCH GAHHHH THANK YOUUUU!!!! AAAAAAAAAAA

I posted a piece of Warriors art here with plans to post various AU fan art at some point, and then never had the time lol! Pretty much all my drawing time over the past...*counts on fingers* three years or so has gone towards the production of my book(s). Unfortunately the grind really burned me out, so I barely draw for fun anymore. I hope that can become a thing for me again sooner rather than later!!

If you're interested in my book, it's a middle grade fantasy graphic novel about flying rabbits, cults, and the importance of feeling your feelings. It comes out in May 2024; preorders are officially open for ebook, paperback and hardcover!

Pictured: Princess Aster (white bunny), Carlin the rogue bunnybird trickster (brown bunny), and Feet the sand dog (screaming)

I'm currently working on the script for book two, which means I haven't had time to make videos either. I'm enjoying what I'm coming up with so far, though!

If you want to see more preview art and stuff, I've mostly kept on top of my art Twitter! If I can remember how to be a functional human being someday, I'd love to be more active on my Bunnybirds Tumblr. (If anyone's got any questions about the series, I'd love to see 'em on that account! 👀) I also have an Instagram, but I very rarely remember to post there OTL.

Thank you so much again for the ask!! AAAAAA I'M SO GLAD YOU LIKED MY STUFF AS A KID THAT'S SO COOL

[lixenn]

A SECOND ASK FROM ME HAS HIT UR ASKBOX TODAY…!

I'm curious on the method on how she uses her flames to disarm traps! Just from this section, it looks like she really knows her stuff!

"dark blue (the same color as her son’s eyes)" -- AWWWWWWWWW 🥹🥹🥹💖💖✨😭✨ IM SO SOFT I MUST DRAW HER!!! I can imagine that's also the same color as her late husband's eyes?

Does she have any favorites in classical music? Personally, don't get to listen to them a lot but when I do, one of my faves and the one that really makes me soft is Clair de Lune (Debussy); I wonder if she likes that too? She can even play the piano, so I can imagine her playing her fave pieces with that!

not a question but --- If she truly wanted she could have taken an officer position instead of her current job but she prefers being in a support role since that lets her spend more time with her son. --- I AGREE WITH THIS MINDSET. Chill culture >>>> Grind/Hustle culture (Hey Chief Dan, I hope ur listening right now 👍✨)

also dave wtf jsfhshvfshd what happened to dave the first time it happened? like the shampoo-switching? Did Valerie fall for it or did her instincts guide her to avoid the hair-dye?

We got a lot of hm Valerie loves her son here, but I also wonder about the other side. What is Valerie like in Maximilian's POV?

*faces this ask like it's the final boss in a JRPG*

I- I will beat you! YOU WILL NOT DEFEAT ME!!!!!

*insert exterme warcry here*

---

So... Heya Ein! It's been literal fucking months since you send this in but I haven't forgotten 🫡 I just procrastinated the hell out of it because the ask required research and also because Val doesn't tell me jackshit. She's quite the reserved lady... Keeping quiet even to her creator... The audacity!!

Anyways I finally come to deliver some answers! (which will be under the cut because long lmao)

Traps Disclaimer: I don't know traps. I don't know how to research traps either tbh. So I'm kind of winging this answer in the hopes that it makes at least some kind of sense.

Vals's analytical mind, observant nature and love for puzzles make it easy for her to identify and pick traps apart even when she just started out as an assassin. Her engineering studies also gave her an upper hand in the subject. So her disarming of traps is mostly analysing the bigger picture and then disintegrating the part of the trap that would do you harm with her Storm Flames. This means that while she sometimes just needs to take care of a small part of trap (for example the trigger that would set it off) at other times she just needs to get rid of the thing in its entirety or even spring the trap because everything else would be too much of a hassle.

Eyes Thank you for wanting to draw her 🥹🥹🫂💜💜 I haven't tried it myself yet because I'm honestly not sure on how to do her justice (<- this user doesn't know how to draw wrinkles in her style to safe her life) but dear @discendia actually did an absolute fantastic job of it, so now there's a Val visual!! As for her sons eye colour: Yes, he shares the same eye colour than her late husband (may he rest in piece 🙏).

Favourite music This might have been the most difficult question to answer simply because I don't know music OTL. I do enjoy instrumential music a lot but I don't know classics, which made answering tricky. Thankfully @myrmyrtheorca came to my rescue and saved my ass 🫡 You're a gem buddy!

Val has a fondness for waltz because her husband and her often danced together to it so we have:

Dmitri Shostakovich - Waltz No. 2

Aram Khachaturian - Masquerade Suite - Waltz

This one isn't a waltz but it's the kind of upbeat and fast paced she also likes Hungarian Dance no. 5.

Tchaikovsky - Valse Sentimentale okay this piece is less one of her favourites and more kind of a theme song for her and her husband because when I listened to this I got a lot of... bittersweet sad vibes and that reminded me of them.

I honestly don't know if you can play these pieces on piano? I would think if you could she would play them (music is really one of my weaknesses sometimes). But Val doesn't just like playing piano she also likes listening to classical music even going on live concerts for it when she has the time.

Chill culture Unlike certain other people I could name, Val has a very healthy work life balance which is mostly based on the fact that she was unwilling to compromise on her time with her son. It was hard at the beginning but with time and experience she got into a rhythm which she maintains with stubborn determination. She rises and sleeps early. She takes scheduled breaks. Vacation days aren't gathering dust and she will go on sick leave if needed. Unlike Dan who needs to be dragged from the office more often than not (he's also in fact not listening lmao).

Hair dye And it wouldn't be a proper Ein ask with me throwing in a snippet, would it? It's a bit on the shorter side but here you go!

Steaming hot water ran down Val’s back, washing away sticky sweat and doing wonders for the tension in her muscles. Training had been rewarding but her body wasn’t what it used to be, long since worn down by age and numerous injuries. Heat helped but something always complained even on the good days.

That’s the cost of living, I suppose.

Humming a nonsensical tune Val turned off the water and blindly reached for her shampoo bottle. She squeezed some product into her hand, eyes still closed and ready to massage it into her hair when a sharp smell reached her nose.

Val froze.

She gave up scented shampoos and soaps decades ago when subterfuge and stealth took priority over unnecessary comfort. With time reaching for the simple products on the shelf became a habit she never saw the point in breaking. Most of the fancy stuff irritated her skin anyways, it wasn’t a huge loss.

However, this begged the question:

Why the hell did her shampoo smell like ammonia?

Brightly coloured hair and a mischievous smile came to mind. Talking a mile a minute about how she would look great in red.

That little brat!

With a wave of her hand, Flames sparked to life, ridding her off the dye staining her skin. She left the bottle and its nefarious contents alone, better to have some evidence as backup just in case.

She dried herself in record time, put her wet hair up in a bun and grabbed some fresh clothes out of her closet. Her shirt was still half unbuttoned when she reached for her trusty naginata, ready to make a pesky little nuisance regret all his life choices.

---

^so yes Dave got caught and Val was not amused. He survived her warth but definitely needed to pay Varia medical a visit.

Maxi Val's love is equally returned by her son. Their relationship isn't without conflict because even though Val tried her best she was still extremely busy in her early assassin days, needing to leave Maxi with friends for days during her numerous missions. But he learned that he will always be her priority and that she will always come running if he calls her. Somtimes Val can get a bit overbearing because she's super paranoid that someone will take Maxi from her the same way her husband was burtally ripped from her life. Maxi tries to be understanding but he has limits (and he's a teenager) so he sometimes storms of in a huff to sleep over at his friends after they fight.