#i'm taking these as mini illustration prompts

[repressedgaymer]

"I remember thinking, ‘He looks good – I wouldn’t mind being in a group with him’."

day 2 of the beatles drawtober prompts (i am Behind already)

[cuties-in-codices]

whenever i'm on instagram looking at accounts that do stuff similar to what i do over here (i.e. posting medieval art and manuscript illustrations) i'm like... damn y'all live like this?? 🤨🤨

they'll post the most interesting images that get 1000+ likes, but then you look at the comments and at best it's like, 1-6 people leaving some fire and heart eye emojis... meanwhile whenever one of my posts on tumblr (with the exact same kind of content) reach that number of notes there'll be 50+ witty and/or deranged jokes in the tags, at least as many references to fandoms i've never heard of, people tagging their mutuals like "hey look at this", several people engaging in serious discussion around the subject of the depiction, asking or answering questions, people taking the images as mini creative writing prompts, adding memes, etc...

idk, there are so many people doing cool and interesting stuff on instagram but it just feels like such a fundamentally dead place to me. it's so divided into 'content creation' and 'content consumption' with little space in between for any real social interaction to take place... i don't like this genre of self-congratulatory tumblr posts about tumblr culture but honestly i wouldn't know where else to go 🤷

[leafington]

𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙞𝙣'𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣' 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙪𝙥, 𝙨𝙤 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙮, 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙩 𝙪𝙥! - kento n.

content warning !! - drinking, intoxication, ceo!nanami, subby!nanami-ish, hostess!reader, blackfem!reader, sex implied but no smut, very subtle angst

a/n - im a little rusty yall stay with me + ib that one picture of the girl pouring the drink into the guys mouth, yk the one 🌚🌚

Beautiful wasn't the right word to describe his favorite woman, she was ethereal. Her beauty incapable of being described in such a way that covers the entirety of it all, it was damn near impossible to pull a word out of his broad vocabulary to illustrate her. To be watched under her eyes felt like that of being stalked, like every small movement of his was documented in her head.

Never in a million years would Nanami have caught himself in an entertainment bar of all places, part of him feeling ashamed he even wound up in such an environment all because of some woman. He's gotten one taste of her and all of a sudden it's a basic need of survival for him, stopping by her job every other day to see if she's there. This time, however, he was incapable of doing so due to a business trip overseas which left him exhausted and, above all, needy.

"You alright?" She caressed his cheek lightly, eyes scanning over Nanami for any sign of harm done. If anything, he should be checking on her, her head still feels light after being shown just how much he missed her over the course of two whole weeks. Nanami takes a few deep breaths, recollecting himself from what he considered to be the most euphoric moment ever experienced, then nodding in conformation.

He's a big man in every sense of the word; his build, his size, and his work status. She's used to seeing him so calm, stone-faced, rarely ever disheveled or beyond his own consciousness. "Age catching up to you, I see." She tries to lighten him up, moving her hand to play with his hair. "... very funny." Nanami quips back, leaving her satisfied knowing he's still a bit snarky. "I know right? I think I'm hilarious." She giggles, tugging his hair back just a bit so she was the one looking down on him.

It was nice being the one on top for a change, she didn't think it was possible to be the one to reduce the Nanami Kento to a groaning mess who cums like a virgin when he's desperate, and boy was it a sight to see.

She didn't really know why he came back to her all the time, Nanami swore up and down that he hated this place and everything involving it, but every day he's available after work he's here, requesting for her, and enjoying a nice glass of scotch while watching her work. Not that she minded it, it was a nice change of pace having someone call for her company and pay her thousands just to be by their side.

"You'd do better outside of a place like this, y'know?" He gruffs out, watching her slip her bikini thong right back on and mentally grovels. "How many times are you gonna remind me?" Y/n makes quick work in straightening herself out because who knows what her co-workers will think about her disheveled appearance. "Until you finally quit." Nanami glares, although not intentional, he genuinely believes she'd be better off somewhere safer, a less taunting job than buttering up a few men and getting tipsy.

"Well get used to it." She prompts, carrying herself to to mini-bar and scanning for anything he might like. His usual isn't there, so she just assumes that if he can down some glasses of scotch whisky, he can handle some sips of bourbon. Y/n pops up with the bottle and finds his cup to fill it up, Nanami watches her after regaining himself and buckling his belt. "Was that your plan? Letting me fuck you senseless then trying to take me out?" It's not often Nanami cursed around her, he's proven how strict and uptight he is about how he carries himself. "Just doing my job. You don't have to drink it." She sasses him back with a roll of her eyes, and he doesn't deny her so she settles herself in his lap and takes a few sips on her own.

Y/n recoils back, holding the drink away from her and making a face. "That's so not good." She gags, tensing up even further when Nanami's hands glide up her body. "Poor girl can't handle a little strength in her alcohol. What a terrible job you're doing." He taunts and further more pouts at her, patting her side as if she were a child. "Oh really?" She grits and adjusts herself. "Why don't you show me just how I'm supposed to do that?"

She raises herself high enough to be above him, tapping the bottom of his chin. "Open wide." He follows her command with ease, letting her tip his head back to pour the liquid in his mouth, her own slightly opening as if to pursue him further. "Up, up, up... thereee we go. Atta boyyy." She coos, a bit of the chocolate-noted honey dripping down, grinning when he swallows it whole.

Her free hand comes up to wipe the stray droplets off before it stains his clothes, she smiles at him when his drunken eyes land on her. "You got what you wanted," His voice comes out raspy from his intake, reaching for the bottle and trickling some more in the cup, taking it in his own hand and holding her up firmly with just one hand, the cold silver band of his watch pressed up against the flesh of her ass. "Now let's try that again, doll."

©2024 leafington dont steal please!! :)

[randomfoggytiger]

I don't have a list dedicated to Scully and Mulder parenting, but I do have Dad!Mulder fic collections:

Fics That Fit My Niche "Dad!Mulder" Likes

MORE Fics That Fit My Niche “Dad!Mulder” Likes

Dad!Mulder, His "Mini Me"s, and Sports 

S9, The Season of Secret Dad (Long Fics) 

BUT I'm no quitter!

Here's some long-form parenting fics:

@touchstoneaf's ongoing rewrite of S9's mytharc (Amor Fati: The Fated Love) depicts Scully deciding not to adopt William out, instead joining Mulder on the run. (To me, it's a must read.)

Lapsed_Scholar's Season 9 Rewrites and Musings is in a similar vein except Mulder never left. However, her Family Stories is a completely separate AU, with Emily as part of the Mulder-Scully family.

@ghostbustermelanieking's William AU branches off from S9 canon: no adoptions allowed. (Threw in two short fics the same vein because why not: unnamed "William has literal cold feet" fic./Can I request a fic set during Christmas?) Secondly, her infamous Half-Light Universe features a complete do-over for Revival Mulder and Scully, sucking them back to their missing time in the Pilot. ("miraculous", "luminosity", and "Five Moments Mulder and Scully Shared" specifically feature the duo as parents.)

@aloysiavirgata's By Falling In And In series is a juicy family anthology. Elysium/A Heart of Star/Something in the Dryad universe!/Prompt: Mulder arcs a perfect three all fit into a separate universe (I think.) Lastly, All Budding Things is a third, post S9, on-the-run universe~.

@slippinmickeys's AU show S9? Mulder and Scully struggling to parent their son's burgeoning abilities (Part I/Part II/Part III.) Also, her North of Zero/(12) More North of Zero Colonization AU still fits the bill, I believe, even if the family is reunited later. (I'm also slipping NOT INSPIRED BY ACTUAL EVENTS in because it makes me chuckle.)

@myownsuperintendent's See the USA follow Mulder and Scully as they do their best to raise William on the run, then struggle to transition back to a normal life. And All a Family follows the slow-burn of the MSR romance after Scully adopts Emily.

@sigritandtheelves's three different AUs satisfy whatever scratch needs to be itched: Au where Mulder and Scully raised William illustrates the hijinks William has to put up with, Six Octobers follows Mulder as he falls in love and becomes a father, and Advent touches on each Christmas as Mulder and Scully fall-in-love, start a family, and save the world.

@mldrgrl's They Grow Up So Fast journeys along with Mulder and Scully, from the first positive to Will's first crush.

@h0ldthiscat's Unnamed is a short but lovely Christmas fic.

@lyndsaybones's Resolve and Thou Art Free's explores the family dynamic during a mini tragedy. (Her short fic Small is a happier dose of post-Existence humor and heart.)

@firstofoctober's Every Story Has Its Scars AU weaves William into their lives during My Struggle II-III with a better, more wholesome outcome.

@blackcoffeeandteardrops's My Struggle I-II also features a reunion between Mulder and Scully and their son as the three work together to establish a new life together: Ties That Bind/Clarity/Enough For Now/Mashed Potatoes.

@snickerl's Of Miracle Births and Other Wonders sets the birth of Mulder and Scully's second miracle baby in a better lifetime (one with college-aged Emily and teenager William.)

whatliesabove's ghost ship and Humphreywrites's Itero kinda fit the bill and kinda don't.

And misslucyjane's An Acceptable Level of Happiness taps into the scars post S8 Mulder still carries from his abduction while Shooting Star takes place in a late-in-life post S7 reunion, faulty memories and a withdrawn teenager intact.

(For the crackish fun of it, Neoxphile's Birthday Week curses Mulder with multiple days alone with his multiple kids.)

Short fics I have to include because they're seared into my brain:

@mappingthexfiles's The Law of Large Numbers (S9 AU birthdays.)

@o6666666's post-S9-where-nothing-went-wrong fics include AU where nothing went wrong after existence/mulder if he hadnt left in season 9 as a stay at home dad/au where mulder and scully raise their fat baby son. Her post-S9-where-everything-is-fixed fics include It was what it was./if they took the baby on the run they’d have pulled off at rest stops/and my penultimate favorite: she almost can’t hold the baby anymore, but she makes do.

In a similar vein (the second), @freckleslikestars's Halloween Costumes and Milestones showcase Mulder and Scully as parents on the run, doing their best to keep their son healthy and his happiness intact.

All of @baronessblixen's S9 AUs but today's honorable mentions are Lights in the sky and 8. The floor is lava.

Humphreywrites's Sundries in the X-Files Universe - Chapter 11 AU shows Mulder and Scully helping William settle into college.

@dreamingofscully's Unnamed post S9 AU could easily slot into the IWTB era (if it existed in a better timeline.) It also features Mulder being manipulated into then almost lost to a case. e Mulder and Scully help William settle in to college.

Hope these fit the bill! :DDDD

btw sorry if you've already made a post like it but do you have any favourite parenting fic recs with any of those tropes? I've read a few but not that many...

i was gonna say i haven't read a ton of parenting fics, but i went through my library for you, and here are a few parenting or parenting-adjacent ones:

Shine On by @cecilysass - probably not exactly what you're looking for since they're not raising a kid together, but read it anyway if you haven't yet because it's *amazing*.

Terra Firma by Malibusunset - it's so sweet and will give you so many feelings of the good and happy kind.

All that is Dark and Bright by Malibusunset - be prepared to cry and laugh and cry angsty and happy tears. soooo good.

Three Part Harmony by @slippinmickeys - i mean hooooly shit this one will make you miss your bed time several days in a row. it's not fluff, if you're looking for that. but read it. do it. right now.

of our own making by @television-overload - pre-parenting, but if you haven't read it, definitely do so. i love this fic.

there are more but my AO3 is so slow this morning. @randomfoggytiger I trust that you can add on a couple more here?

[corysmiles]

Part 2 of the SBI rust g/t prompt! :]

----

2 days later, he returned.

Once again, it took Tommy all the self control he could muster not to hug wilbur with his hand when he saw him. Wilbur chuckled and sat down, closer to the giant, he found.

Most of the visit, and the one that would follow, had Wilbur looking through old scientific researches, noting down important info in his book, and talking to Tommy.

And everytime, Tommy brought his hand to Wilbur's head and did what he would later call 'mini cuddles'.

"You like doing that stuff, do you?"

"Been so long since I had a proper hug. My mom used to do that kinda stuff when I was younger."

Wilbur widened at the quiet, hoarse voice.

"... Oh?"

"Yeah." Tommy added, and goodness, he sounded so young. "It was nice... I miss it."

"It's... probably not easy to get a good hug in your conditions." He tried lightning the mood.

"... you're right."

Shit.

That was... very awkward.

Wilbur didn't know how to handle that.

"... I really miss it."

He groaned internaly. What was he supposed to do??!?!? He was very glad when he got away from his house, and disasters kept happening so he didn't have to worry about family dinners. How was he supposed to deal with a kid that missed his parents?!

"Well, um..." he tried, not having a clue where this was going. "At least you're..... not.... alone?" Wonderful start, Wilbur. "I'm keeping you company if that's anything..."

Silence drew out. It was really, really, awkward.

"... Yeah." Tommy nodded ever so slightly. "... Can I try to hug you?"

Wilbur's breath got caught in his throat.

A hug. As in, close to his chest. As in, carried by the giant. As in, a good dozen feet away from the ground with little to no freedom of movement....

Oh hell no, he thought.

"Suuuuuuuuure?" He replied.

Tommy smiled, and he tried offering one back. "Just be careful, please." He added.

"Okay." He said.

Then, a hand thrice his size came for him. He closed his eyes as fingers wrapped around him like a blanket and he was brought off the ground.

He felt movement until a fabric, which he deduced was a shirt. He was softly pressed against it as the hand rubbed against him.

That... was.... weird. Weird was a good word to describe it.

Slowly, he brought his hands in front of the mass in a pitiful attempt to embrace it. It probably looked comical.

He felt Tommy's second hand coming and cupping the first. It... didn't feel awful. Weird, sure, but not awful.

After a few minutes that seemed an eternity to the human, he was brought down to the ground. When he saw the giant's expression, it had a smile on it.

"Thank you Wilbur."

"..No problem."

The rest of that day was spent reading the documents and doing lighter conversations with the teen.

---

3 days, 2 days, 2 days, 2 days, 3 days, 1 day, 3 days, 1 day, 2 days, 1 day....

Turned out, there was a whole fucking lot of papers to read.

But Wilbur didn't mind going back to the Dome every other day.

And he didn't mind the company there.

But he was determined to finish his researches today.

Which made Tommy's more often intervention particularly annoying today.

"So, they messed up with like, nuclear shit?"

"No, no. The nuclear testings were 4 years prior to that, I told you already."

"But then how come the researches were public after this one??"

"They kept it to themselves, Tommy. Couldn't risk other countries knowing about such a thing."

"Well that's dumb."

"I'm not gonna be one to judge. Can I continue reading now?"

"Mmhh, I don't know, you've had your head stuck in the paper since you came."

"Tommy."

"Okay, okay. Geez."

"Thank you."

He read in silence, a small satisfaction building inside of Wilbur with each page closer to the end.

And he was really glad Tommy wasn't in a too rambly mood today. Sometimes, he would tell stories of when he was younger, or elaborate on random thoughts. It was nice and a wonderful occasion to know the teen better. Not to mention, the giant was very endearing. But today, all wilbur needed was calm and silence.

And he got silence.

As time went by, though, he felt eyes more and more insistant looking at him.

With a small grunt, he looked up and saw the face almost 5 time his size (could be more, he wasn't sure himself.) Looking indeed at him like he was trying to read his soul.

"What's up?" He tried not to be too aggressive in his tone. There was only 10 or so pages left.

"You know I was like you before."

A beat of silence. Then confusion.

"... what?"

"Finish your reading and I'll tell you about it. You want it done today."

Wow. Way to be passive agressive.

"... I..." wilbur sighed. "I can take the papers back home and study them there." He sighed, putting the small little pile down. He wouldn't get much sleep, tonight, would he? "What do you mean, you 'were like me'?"

Tommy smiled at Wilbur, though its joy dissapeared as quickly as it came. Melancholy or nostalgia perhaps.

"I used to be... you know... small." He used his hand to illustrate, having his thumb and pointing finger about the size of Wilbur apart.

".... Heh?"

"Yeah." He chuckled at the confusion. "I wasn't born like that."

The natural question followed.

"Then how...?? How did you get like that?"

Tommy looked almost sad as he said. "Well, what are the papers about?"

Wilbur frowned. He looked at the papers, and his book, and back at Tommy.

What are they about?? Well, obviously, about the incident that resulted in humanity's downfall and the mutation of a ton of-

Oh.

Mutation of-

"... you're a... mutan?" He tried. That sounded weird on his tongue, but that was the only word that applied.

"Victim of a bunch of weird radiations. It almost sounds like a movie speech if you present it right."

Wilbur only looked at him, mouth agape.

".... Huh."

Tommy chuckled humourlessly. "Yeah. I know.

It kinda fucked up everyone."

"Well... I feel like, in those circumstances, it gives you advantages of some kinds." Wilbur reassured.

"... mh. Not that great when I can't have a house that fits me, but..."

Wilbur looked around. "... the dome fits you."

"For now. I'm only, like, 16. I don't know how big I'll get."

"YOU'RE 16 YEARS OLD??!?!?"

Tommy tried really hard not to burst out laughing at the absolute shock. Hand rushing to cover his mouth.

"Mh-hm." He nodded, repressing his wheeze.

"Holy shit you're a FUCKING CHILD!!??!"

"I'm a teenager."

"YOU'RE A FUCKI- OH MY GOD."

Wilbur paced around the room as Tommy giggled in small bursts that vibrated through the brunette's body.

"A child. A child who turned into a fucking giant. And he's my neighbour. What the fuck. What the actual fuck."

"I thought you figured out, since you always call me a child."

"Everyone my younger by at least two years deserves that nickname- I knew you were young but holy shit-"

"Well, I'm almost a man if you take the old legal system."

"Yeah,right" he scoffed "the legal system that surely applies 8 years or so after turning into ruins- Wait."

Wilbur paled and he looked into giant blue eyes.

"... How long have you been alone?"

The silence covered the room like a suffocating mist.

Tommy's throat was tight, he tried a few times, opening and closing his mouth as nothing came of it. And his eyes were teary as he replied.

"Well... 8 years or so."

Oh.

Oh.

Oh goodness.

SOBS THIS IS SO GOOD

I love Wilbur being so shocked that tommys a kid but damn 8 years is so sad :”(

(Also here’s part 1)

[littleeyesofpallas]

I was going to do these at random but then i got it in my head to stage these as an alternative first round of fights like in the manga, even though we really didn't get to see most of those play out...

To start i feel like the most obvious match up that we missed out on would've been Zaraki fighting Driscoll: For one Zaraki works around the bankai theft by not having one, and his whole made for battle/blood knight character type plays directly with The Overkill. Kind of like in his fight with Nnoitra, it'd make for a great emphasis on what Zaraki's actual strengths are; not that he simply fights and kills people, but that his supposed infinite potential comes from being pushed to his limits and learning to adapt and overcome new opponents. By contrast Overkill only gives Driscoll more power based on killcount, even if the people he slaughters are weak and he doesn't learn anything from fighting them.

So, the fight could start with the two of them both hacking their way through waves of faceless low rank goons to draw a parallel, but in the fight itself Zaraki's emphasis would be on drawing on meaningful fighting experience even with no bankai, while Driscoll would rely on a stolen bankai and a superficial killcount. There could be a fun moment where in a fit of desperation Driscoll tries to boost his power by squeezing in extra kills, targeting more weaklings, and lashes out at Yachiru, but she deflects his attack all on her own, he's shocked and confused, and in the moment of hesitation Zaraki lands the finishing blow.

Much less thematic, but I feel like Bambietta, with The Explode, would've made for a better counter measure to Byakuya's Senbonzakura. She could've opened the fight with her projectiles and Byakuya would got through his usual routine of fighting at a distance and being dodgy and precise with his blocks and counters, until suddenly he'd realize there were less petals than before, and Bambi could explain how every time he "blocked" her Explode projectiles they turned some of his thousands of blades into bombs and blew up. And she'd taunt him about how many blades does he have left and how long can he keep up defending himself while sacrificing his petals. He'd smugly use his bankai to summon up its crazy number of petals and ask if her explosions can keep up with so many petals, but then we'd get the reveal and she'd seal it away. Then Byakuya would have the moment of stark realization where he has zero petals to fight with. And then he'd get blown to hell and back before ending up in basically the same situation he was in with As Nodt in the actual manga shoved into the back of a bloody crater.

Similarly I don't think there's too much thematic resonance in this match up but I like some of the kind of obtuse dynamic they could have. it's never properly addressed, but we do know that Candice is technically one of the newer Sternritter, as she's said to have less control over her Vollstandig when hers is involuntarily prompted. Giving her lightning theme I like the idea that maybe she's something of a prodigy herself. Obviously not as young as Hitsugaya, proportionally speaking, but a fast learner and someone who rocketed up the ranks of the Wandenreich as a genius technician of Quincy skills. Hitsugaya could have a little back and forth about what it means to be a genius, and the difference between instantaneous intuition and carefully practiced talent. It would prompt his bankai and how real power comes from sober self reflection and not self aggrandizement, but then she'd take advantage of his weather gathering, like he used with Tier, and use it to amplify her lightning, get one good hit in, Hitsugaya would brush it off and ready a counter attack, and she'd seal his bankai.

Also room for some kind of banter with Rangiku, I'm sure. Probably with her calling Rangiku old and starting a whole cliche back and forth over that.

Meninas deserved more love, and screen time, and a real fight to herself. I feel like the best way to really illustrate her schift as The Power would've been to have her, and not the early unrevealed PePe, be the one to fight Jidanbou. Not that the gate guardians even make much sense being involved when the Quincy didn't invade through the four gates, but still... I'd love to see little Mini just arm wrestle Jidanbou and/or the other gigantic gate guardians into submission effortlessly. Have Komamura show up with his bankai as the one thing even bigger than the gate guardians. And then Mini steals it, instead of Bambietta, and gets into a raw strength beatdown with Komamura himself as the biggest of the captains.

I'm still mad she never hulked out properly. We only ever got the one panel of her with a buff arm going after Liltotto when she got lovestruck. Unrelated to this iteration of alternate fights, but it also would've been neat to see her fight Kira; he'd try and utilize his shikai the usual way, but Meninas would just get bulkier the heavier Wabisuke made her to carry the additional weight. And then Kira would end up baffled and terrified in the shadow of a fully hulked out Meninas.

Maybe a little too obvious, but I feel like a proper wushu fight between Sui-Feng and Cang Du was stolen from us. It also would've been a perfect set up for the bankai theft because Sui-Feng could go full assassin but immediately run into the problem that if Cang Du's Iron skin can't be pierced, then she can't leave any marks to hit twice. So obviously that makes her only option the bankai, and he can swipe it from there. I feel like unlike most of the other captains Sui-Feng would get to have a cool moment where she still fights Cang Du to a standstill even without her bankai, but then of course he just sinks back into the shadows at the end of the first raid.

This one feels like a stretch, but for all the weirdness of PePe and the creative choices that went into him, I liked the little bit of his explanation of his powers where it wasn't just a romantic or erotic kind of Love that his power controlled, but that he compared it to the instinctive need to protect an innocent baby. And with Jizo being the patron deity of dead children, it would have been really cool to see him have some thematic play with Mayuri. I know it's not how his powers worked in canon, but I actually would've really liked if his power wasn't as directly focused on himself. So that he could provoke people to act on their strong desires to the detriment of logic, but without a lot of direct control over it. So he'd hit Mayuri, and Mayuri would shrug it off because he doesn't care about anyone and then without warning Nemu would be put in danger in the course of the fight and Mayuri would be compelled to protect her. And he wouldn't know what happened as he threw himself in the way of an attack. Then like everyone else he'd pull bankai and PePe could steal it, so that weird creepy cupid man could have a giant creepy baby. but more importantly Mayuri could quietly and furiously ruminate on his feelings during the interim training arc

I know Mayuri didn't actually lose his bankai with the rest during the first attack in the manga, but it felt like he should have since his was part of that batch of SS arc bankai we saw earliest and got kind of accustomed to throughout the rest of the Arrancar arc. (more so than Sui-Feng's at least) Actually in regards to that same sentiment, I feel like renji should have lost his bankai too, even though his ostensibly posed less of a threat than some of the more well honed captains'. It's a shame that so many of the lieutenants just kinda got lost in the background of this arc. It would've been really cool to see the gotei compensate the loss of their bankai by doing more tagteams and group fights

[literaticat]

I'm an illustrator with an agent. Is there anything I can do to market myself to publishers in addition to what the agency does? Should I send physical postcards to editors? Mini portfoilos? It would be great to know what is received in good spirits and what sort of thing is viewed as too pushy as I get the impression publishing is a somewhat politely restrained business, but I'd really like to succeed too.

IMO the top things you can do, in order, are:

* Have a great, clean, easy-to-navigate website that is updated with both info and includes a lovely portfolio that you refresh with new art fairly often.

* Use Instagram (and, to a lesser extent, twitter) -- make sure you are "friends" with your agency, befriend every other illustrator you admire (as well as editors / art directors as you cross paths with them), "like" things, and post your own wonderful art fairly consistently.

* Take advantage of twitter/instagram hashtags and prompts as they crop up -- like I believe there's a #KidLitArtPostcard event once a month or so (search that hashtag on twitter to see what I mean) and there are various events that come up that you'll see if you are following lots of other illustrators on either of those platforms.

* If you are able to (and want to), join SCBWI and take advantage of things like their portfolio showcase -- you get lots of info as a member that you might find helpful and it's a good way to link up with other creators, as well as professionals in the sphere.

In the old days I would have also advised that you do an occasional physical postcard mailing to art directors, however because of COVID, most people are working from home still at least most of the time, and there isn't necessarily anyone in the office to receive them. So for now, at least, I wouldn't bother with the trouble and expense of that.

ETA: ALSO - in addition to the above - I would strongly advise you to ASK YOUR AGENT what THEY think the best ways for you to boost yourself and amplify their efforts are!