#just a sketch for the night as I take a break from commissions

[caycanteven]

I needed Lamia!Balsam in my life immediately.

They eepin together cause she gets cold really fast.

[yyokkki]

Asking to Sketch Them

HEARTSLABYUL

Riddle Rosehearts

Honestly a bit shocked you’d ask him

But he’s had practice from posing for family portraits, so he isn’t too nervous

Until you say you want the backdrop to be Heartslabyul’s garden

It doesn’t break any rules… but that doesn’t mean someone else won’t break any rules

He doesn’t collar people as often as he used to, but he still makes it a point to lecture rulebreakers on the importance of said rule

So imagine the strain on his face when Ace walks by with a vase full of roses and it’s Wednesday.

In the end Ace sits beside you while Riddle gives a long lecture, keeping the rest of his body perfectly still so it doesn’t interfere with your work

You are sweating in fear. 6/10 a good model but it’s hard to draw when your model is half yelling at the dude sitting right next to you

Trey Clover

Might hesitate to say yes because he’s a busy guy,,

I mean they have tea parties like everyday and he’s always in charge of sweets-

You say he can go about his business and that you’re going to capture him in his natural habitat then he agrees

Raises an eyebrow cuz you make it sound like you’re on national geographic but ok

Anyways you’re drawing him while he’s baking and damnnn those biceps pop when he’s whisking

Secretly, however, he’s been holding back for a while now/

When you’re least expecting it he comes closer to you… and bam whipped cream on the side of your face

Devolves into flour tossing and chaos

6/10 you got whipped cream on your sketchbook and it was half finished but it was a fun memory

Cater Diamond

“OMS YAY of course ;DD”

Internally screaming because his makeup isn’t that good today and why him I mean there are better looking people in nrc and maybe he can get his clone to do it instead-

Overthinker fr

He’s a bit stiff at first, trying to only show his good side and checking his camera constantly to see if his smile looks good

If you’re close and you start talking to him about something he’s passionate about while you’re sketching he’ll loosen up a bit and his pose becomes a lot more natural

Eventually forgets you’re even drawing him and now it’s just him showing his true colours

Takes a pic of your finished sketch along with the both of you and posts it on magicam #muse #artistbestie

8/10 the sketch turned out well and you had a nice chat 

Deuce Spade

Has never been asked this question in his life

Boy is so stiff and awkward pls baby

He smiles like Oga from Beelzebub at first

Pls pls pls get this boy to do something else while you’re drawing him to get him to relax

Might be studying across the table from you while having a nice chat

Forgets you’re drawing him eventually pt.2

Tbh moves around a lot especially if a senior enters the room cuz he makes it a point to turn around and greet them while standing up

Is a bit surprised when you say you’re done because shit I forgot and I moved so much im sorry-

Also takes a picture of the sketch

Texts his mom the pic “I made a really good friend who’s great at drawing :D”

Will ask if you can draw a portrait of him and his mom together when you get the chance (will pay for it he just doesn’t know about the concept of commissions TT)

4/10 he’s so precious but not the best model tbh id still ask him again idc

Ace Trappola

Little shit (affectionate)

Not hard to make him agree but boy will he give you shit for it “my face is just that handsome ig” “you want me to get nude?” someone kiss him and make him shut up

At first he’s making a bunch of dumb faces and exaggerated poses and once he determines that you’re sufficiently annoyed he starts actually posing normally

Might get up halfway through and start stretching or laying down cuz he got tired though

Depending on how late he slept the night before and if you’re keeping quiet so he doesn’t get the chance to tease you, he might fall asleep

His sleeping face is cute so it works out for you ehe

When you’re done he acts all non chalant and smug about it but inside he’s sooo happy damn tsundere

Asks if he can draw you next and draws a potato with three dots on it <3

2/10 its only easy when he falls asleep but he’s cute so ill give him 1 extra point

-----

Heartslabyul | Savanaclaw | Octavinelle | Scarabia | Pomefiore | Ignihyde | Diasomnia

Graphic design is not my passion dear lord i really need to read a guide on how to format tumblr posts TT

Also first time writing omg depending on my mood next part will either be out tomorrow or next month see yall

[stardustsorbet]

𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓-𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐔𝐏 𝐖/ 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍 𝐌𝐄𝐍

WARNINGS ⁞ angst, breakups, mentions of established relationships, alcoholism, crying. writing this because if I can’t be happy nobody can (*´-`)

𝐊𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐇 — 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐔𝐏 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄

Kaveh stays up late normally, but when you two called it quits he couldn’t help but stay up even later to keep his mind distracted. His commissions got done abnormally quickly, but there would always be a hint of inspiration from you in his designs. You loved Padisarahs, so in every bit where nature could be featured, there are Padisarahs in patches of grass. Some commissioners seem worried, little tear stains visible on the layout, though he tried his best to avoid ruining his work. Eye bags would cling to his eyes, watching over the thrown away sketches. Just then he could only realize how bad this had all ruined him.

𝐀𝐋𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐌 — 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒

This guy is a total dweeb (lovingly) in his taste of books, but once you two break up, he can’t help but indulging in a new genre of literature: romance. He’ll never admit it, as nonchalant as he is, but he wishes that maybe if he read these books earlier, he’d be able to take inspiration from them. Watch firework shows with you, dance in the rain, wash your hair delicately. Maybe then, just maybe, the timeline would be different. You would both be happy in each other’s arms.

𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐄𝐃𝐎 — 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐘

Albedo always appreciated the beauty of everything around him. However, when your relationship comes to an end, he can’t help but notice even more. He’d notice beauty in the things that reminded him of you. For example, a little blue bird wasn’t just a sweet, innocent creature. It was something you’d coo and whistle at, and with everything he could see how your gentle nature would come into play. He sketches absentmindedly, and in each piece of landscape he doodles, he can envision exactly where you’d stand, gazing back at his with that beautiful smile you always wore.

𝐃𝐈𝐋𝐔𝐂 — 𝐀𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐌

He’s never violent when he’s drunk thankfully enough, but he sure is emotional. Finding forgotten letters from the previous nights, vision hazy as he tries to read the nonsense he spouted onto the pages. Diluc can’t help but test wine of his a lot more efficiently, craving the way he just forgets about you for the briefest of moments, at least in a completely coherent way. In true Mondstadter fashion, he becomes more receptive to drinks poured for him. Sometimes, however, he’ll have a late night at the tavern when another employee is managing and fall asleep upon the counter. He’d wake up with a blanket covering his shoulders, and it smells just like you.

𝐙𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐋𝐈 — 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆

Zhongli never thought it would be unfortunate to work in a slow business, but as boredom kicks in, the mind wanders. Working the front at the parlor is a rather unproductive task, most action going on in the back as the deceased are embalmed and taken care of. It gives him time to think. Think about where everything went wrong, how he could’ve stopped this from happening. He’d think about the future you could’ve had, the places you could’ve gone, the memories you could’ve made. He daydreams about the smallest things, like counting the moles upon your body, waking you up with a subtle kiss on the forehead, things he used to do when things were easier; normal.

[natedraws]

☀️Coming Into My Identity As An Artist

I guess this is kind of a re-cap of my artistic exploration of the previous year, I'm not too good at words or writing but I figured it would be neat to reflect upon 2024 through my art journey and things like that

I went through a lot of really big life changes and I feel like that shows in my work, I usually feel like I improve pretty drastically during the timespan of a year but I think the difference this time around is much more obvious. Here was my first drawing of 2024

compared to my last drawing of 2024

I began feeling unhappy with my work last year, it felt very stagnant. When I was younger ( before being burdened with the weight of needing to make money to survive ) I would draw whatever I wanted to, express myself, play, ect. When art becomes how you stay alive though you start to feel like you have to fit into a certain mould, or else you loose your livelihood

My very first aha ✨ moment was when I received this comment a comment on one of my journal entries, I can't exactly remember it 100% but it was something along the lines of what you draw for work is work, and what you draw for yourself is yourself. This perspective allowed me to finally break free from feeling like I need to fit myself and my work into this perfect pristine pretty square

I began to start using a sketchbook again, something I haven't done since I was in school. Every day, or whenever my schedule would allow me to. It's gone so far that now I even prefer to do concepts in there instead of sketching digitally. There are no expectations and I'm free to draw and be as messy as I really want to

The first piece that I was "playful" with was

This piece was the first time in many, many, years that I allowed myself to just turn my brain off and create solely for the sake of creating. In my personal opinion when I am allowed to do this is when I create my best art, free from the pressure of having to think about monetary stress, about using resources that could be used to be taking a financial weight off. Creating just for me

I would like to credit this new journey of mine entirely to the unmasking process which I have been trying to do since last year. I decided last year to finally taking an effort to begin unmasking in my personal life that I never even considered that I was also masking myself artistically. And once I created that Puffin piece it's like my mask flew off entirely. I was finally free to draw in any way, using any mediums that I wanted to and I didn't need to worry about if other people liked it ( or me ) or not for it because I was doing it for myself!

Unmasking has led me to the current chapter of myself that I would like to label, "the hog" 🦔. In September my partner brought a baby hedgehog home from work for a few nights. This was the first time I had ever seen a hedgehog, and up close at that, and I immediately felt a deep connection and inspiration with them. Ever since that moment I have been unable to stop myself from constantly thinking about and creating hedgehogs. In all of my life I have never felt such a connection or deep inspiration towards anything. I have drawn, sewn, crafted, painted hedgehogs nonstop! My fixation towards them is so intense that even now I find it hard to work on art if it isn't of hedgehogs. I am my happiest when creating a hog and I can't wait to explore that even more this year

In 2025 what I would most like to focus on is continuing my adventure in exploring traditional mediums and as well to begin selling original pieces. The traditional mediums will be a bit more difficult due to the expense of them ( I know materials do not equate to the piece produced but working with cheap materials currently it can be very frustrating when you're unable to create what you'd like to ). I have absolutely no intentions to ever take traditional art commissions so I might eventually this year take on a special offer where if you buy me the materials I'll create something for you with them, I'm not 100% sure though. Apart of that which ties into traditional mediums is selling originals. I would really like to reach a point where I can move on from commissions so that I may create what is the most emotionally fulfilling for me as an artist. I have a lot of stressors in my life and I don't enjoy adding commissions on top of that as well, it also brings on those same feelings of needing to fit into a box which I don't like either. I'd be very happy if I could start making artwork that I feel inspires and truly expresses myself and if it speaks to someone they have the option to purchase the original. I likely would never do prints or stickers, I definitely do not have the time or emotional availability to run a proper storefront or anything like that haha

I will be very shocked if anyone reads all of this, thankyou so much for sticking by me! 🌈

[jabesa0]

Hii I amabsoloutly inlove eith your artstyle.

can I ask a few questions? :<

how lomg does your deawings usually take? and do you have any speedpaints,,, uploaded somewbere... for studying purposes

your drawings makr me want to to back to lineless art lol. and not take it so hard on myself.....

Hi there!! Unfortunately I don’t have any speedpaints seeing as I stop drawing while I’m working on my stuff cuz I get distracted easily 😭😭 so if I did you’d just have big periods where nothings happening LOL usually I post process shots on my personal irl server after each drawing session just so I can see how far along I am but that’s about it!

Also I fully support lineless!! I don’t do any lineart (clearly LOL) and it’s more fun to just paint over your sketch and make as you go!! And yeah don’t be so hard on yourself anon! Art is hard and shit takes time, so whether you take a few days on a piece or months I think you should be proud that you actually made something, even if it’s just for yourself :)!!

As for the question of how long I take on my drawings:

(More under the cut!)

As for how long it takes me to make drawings, I’d say it varies like this purple mammon I recently posted took a month but that’s because I had lots of final school work to do and I got sick twice during that time 💀💀 but this three pose page I did as a commission:

This one took me 9 days which is crazy when I think abt it actually cause there’s way more happening but yeah!!

This mammon in the back dress as well took about five days!! So to give you an estimate I’d say anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks? Most mammons I do usually end up being on the lower half of that range! Outside circumstances may make it vary but that’s usually the time it takes!!

Oh and I’d like to add that I usually am a night owl and only start working till around the evening times when I draw!! So when I say days I don’t mean like I spend d all day over my tablet, I don’t think that’d be very good for your health anyways 🤕🤕 take breaks yall play a game you like or watch something on YouTube!!! Don’t spend all your time working lest you burn out!!

I’m gonna be real with all of you, cause my friends make fun of me for it ALL THE TIME LOL but the largest majority of mammon drawing time is like 80% redrawing the face over and over and 20% the rest give or take. I drive myself crazy drawing mammon faces cause I need it to be perfect cause it’s mammon so when it’s not “perfect” I keep working at it and I don’t move on until it is 💀💀 my friends notice a cycle where it’s like:

“You guys I have such a fire idea for a mammon drawing” (makes sketch and flats in like 10 mins) —> (starts face) “wait you guys this face is kinda good maybe I won’t spend fifty years on it :D” —> “eehhhhhhgh okay face not looking good lemme see if I can tweak it” —> “okay face need to be redone.” —> “I decided against redoing it I’m just gonna fix what I have” —> “we gotta throw the whole idea out and start again.” —> “wait you guys I think I did it the face looks good asf was I crying for nothing before??” (They tell me yes I always do) —> (I move on from the face) —> (the rest is completed within 2-4 days) —> Done!

It’s stupid as hell I know LOL but when it comes to mammon if i don’t make him as best as I can I don’t feel like I do him justice. The things we do for love, right?

[drksanctuary]

NICOBASTER: Colors

A long awaited post by some! Warning: the accompanying fic while not NSFW is a bit on the mature side.

@them-awesome-rarepairs I hope this doesn’t break any rules? (But I finally posted one one time)

ALSO Special thanks to @pardon-me-what-the-fuck for brainstorming the AU with me and also a thanks to @thinkingjasico , @iridisentry @yonemurishiroku @gutsybitsies @dead-immortal and ofc @thomas-life for the tattoo ideas!

Enjoy the ficlet below!

Tattoo Parlor- One shot

Nico enters through the small side door as he has many times before. But this time it feels different. This time, his shadow magic has taken him here. He usually has shadows take him to the underworld or to Camp Jupiter where he knows Hazel or Reyna will be there for support. But he had unthinkingly travelled here. To the small tattoo parlor/Magic shop, that one might almost miss it if they were scanned the row of buildings it was in. At this odd hour of night, when he knows it will be open but empty save for the owner.

Alabaster Torrington is at the counter, leg propped up, lounging back in his seat. He looks with furrowed eyebrows at his sketch pad as he taps his lips with his pen, a stray lock of hair that appears to have escaped his messy bun falls to his clavicle,tracing the curve his neck.

Nico hadn’t been sure why he'd come to this place at the beginning, but in appreciating Al’s form, neck and lips… Nico knows why his instinct had led him here now.

More specifically, he knows which instinct had led him here.

Nico has the urge to say something to knock the guy out of his concentrated trance. But he just stands there observing him as an unassuming shadow on the wall.

Alabaster mumbles to himself and makes a definitive mark on the page before placing the sketch pad on the desk and finally looking up.

“Gah!” Alabaster exclaims.

Nico grins at him, his smile woven with mischief.

“Di immortales, Di Angelo, you want me to die of a heart attack?” Alabaster snaps.

“That’d be no good, who’s gonna finish my commission?” Nico says, the side of his mouth curling into a smirk.

Alabaster deadpans. “Glad to know my skill with magic is the only thing keeping me alive”

“Isn’t it usually?” Nico says as he hops onto the counter. He folds his arms and flashes Alabaster another shit eating grin.

Al opens his mouth to respond in the contrary, but then, upon consideration, just says “good point” he mirrors Nico’s insufferable grin and adds “you asshat.”

I’d wear your ass as hat. Nico thinks to himself before replying with “it’s nice to see you too”

“Mmhmm” Al arches eyebrow at him before turning his attention back to his sketch pad.

Nico’s nerves feel like sand pulsing through him.How does one segue into asking someone to, how to put it delicately, wreck him with pleasure. He is suddenly very aware that he has no idea how to flirt.

“So…what’re you working on?” Nico says, feeling a bit defeated at his unoriginality.

“You’re latest commission actually”

“Dragon scales?”

“That’s the one”

“Sweeet”

“It’s a tough one though, might take me a bit more time.” Al glances at the calendar. “Granted I hadn’t expected you back for it for another week. Is there a reason you’re early?”

Nico’s stomach jolts. Flirting. Exe has failed to load and he just stands there like an idiot.

“Um…”

Alabaster raises an eyebrow. The one with the piercing in it. Nico remembers thinking about how hot that piercing was when he first saw it. He thinks it’s hot now. Focus Di Angelo! He thinks to himself. Don’t just stare! Apparently thirsty.exe is running just fine. Maybe too well.

Alabaster smiles warmly at him and it ruins his focus again, as now he’s gone from staring at Al’s eyebrow to staring at his lips.

“Y-yeah, no. Just the tattoo commission …that’s why I came” Nico lies. “But if you need more time…”

“I’d certainly appreciate it” Alabaster responds, leaning back into his chair and crossing his arms. “Perhaps I can help you with something else? Maybe touching up your ink-sourced tattoos?”

“My what?” Nico says, and instantly regrets how stupid he sounds. He had been only half paying attention as Al crossing his arms had accented his biceps and Nico had been checking them out.

“Ink sourced tattoos?” Alabaster says. “The ones that don’t draw energy from you directly, just from the ink itself.”

Nico smiles dumbly.

“Your failsafes?” Alabaster gestures to Nico’s jacket clad biceps.

Nico is slightly impressed that Alabaster remembers where all of his tattoos are. He has so many. But Nico supposes that it’s because Al works so hard on them that he remembers.

“Oh” Nico says, not hesitating at all to take his shirt off. “Sure. If you could”

It’s Alabaster’s turn to be distracted. No matter how much he’d worked on that torso he still very much enjoys the sight of it. His skin is soft between scars and his chest is beautifully muscled. He looks like the kind of demigod Ancient Greek sculpturists might use as a reference. Alabaster has, more than once, had to suppress the urge to lick those muscles when he got too close. How very unprofessional of him.

But he also enjoys Nicos company. He forces himself to focus on that instead. The son of Hades often tells him the stories attached to each meaningful Tattoo he has. AL loves hearing about adventures and meaningful events in Nico’s life. It was a life he’d left behind. Heroes never die, he thinks bitterly, but they do, however, fade into the background. Perhaps that’s the best way to keep people alive. He shakes his head and turns on his equipment.

Alongside Nico’s tattoos are scars that serve a similar function. The scars tell of battles fought. Of Battles not easily won. Battles endured for selfish Olympians who didn’t deserve Nico’s help. When Nico visits, he tells Al all about them too (sometimes needing some emergency healing as well). But that’s just fine. He’s not going to be callous about demigod life just because his side lost the war. Doing so would make him no better than the negligent Olympians he despises.

Besides, Alabaster is good at providing what Nico needs. Alabaster briefly wonders if those needs include…something more than healing. Something more than the niceties they go through. Something more than the conversations they have as friends.

Alabaster unmindfully traces his fingertips along one of the scars on Nico’s arms. Enjoying the sensation of Nicos skin against his fingertips until Nico tenses under the scrutiny.

“Sorry” Al says, “does it hurt?”

“Oh, -uh nope” Nico’s says hoping he’s not blushing. It doesn’t hurt at all. It feels really good but he can’t just say that….can he?

“Oh good ‘cause I was gonna say…” Alabaster says as he starts the tattoo pen “this is probably going to”

Nico smirks “I’m ready”

Alabaster works expertly. Nico can’t help but watch. Al’s non-pen hand is gentle as it supports his arm but exerts full and firm control over him when necessary; moving Nico’s arm into whatever position it needs to go. Nico hopes those hand skills are transferable to…other things.

“So…” Nico starts “I don’t usually hear a lot about you.”

Alabaster glances up at him. Nico’s eyes aren’t interrogating, only inquisitive. Calm down Torrington, war is long since over no need to be paranoid. Besides it’s Nico he’s….good.

“Listening is easier than multitasking by talking and working, but” he moves Nico’s arm so he can work at a different angle. “I suppose there’s also not much to say…I don’t go on as many adventures as you do”

“But you do go”

“On occasion, to find the odd potion ingredient, magical object or what not”

“Nice, like with this one?” He points to snake tattoo on his wrist.

“Ha, yeah…anything for my favorite customer” Alabaster says with a wink.

Nico again hopes he isn’t blushing “It was worth the extra I paid for it” Nico grins. “I’ve used it at least 3 times since I got it. Constantly saves my ass”

It’s certainly an Ass worth saving Alabaster thinks to himself and he smiles. How lecherous of him. Though did he see a slight blush in Nico’s cheeks when he called him his favorite ? Perhaps he imagined it.

Nico sees the slight grin, and assumes Al is smiling with pride, it’s a subtle smile but Nico notices it just the same. Maybe he can flirt. Or…well, maybe Al was just being polite.

“That should do it” Alabaster says, placing a healing rune index card on Nico’s arm and activating it.

“I am so glad that I don’t have to wait a normal amount of time for the tattoos to heal” Nico says with a sigh as the glow from the card fades and takes the pain with it.

“Magic is truly magical isn’t it?” Al says. His eyes glow slightly as he says it.

Nico hums in the affirmative more entranced by the glow than he’d ever admit. Or was it just those eyes? Nico’s not sure.

Alabasters gaze lingers on Nico’s lips . He saw the slight tint of green shine off of the white gold piercing. He suppresses the urge to kiss it.

“So… what about you?no stories today?” Alabaster asks. Clearly he needs to take his mind elsewhere. It didn’t do to have it be in the gutter when there is a client present. No matter how hot the client is. No matter how he looked at him with beautiful black, inquisitive eyes that seemed to eat up the light around them. Hungry for sights. Perfect eyes for a patron of a tattoo parlor. Perfect eyes for a son of Hades. Perfect eyes.

“Umm… I’ve actually mostly just been helping train some of the younger campers.” Nico says. Knocking Al’s mind back into the present and not the ethereal plane on which he was waxing poetic about Nico di Angelo’s fricking eyes. Not like they’d ever be for him anyway. Alabaster has to remind himself that he is just an exile forced to work the fringes of human and demigod boarders to muster up a living. Children of the big three did not regard such demigods like that. But Nico did always treat him respectfully. It was a low bar, but Nico far surpassed it. He likes that about him.

“That’s good” Alabaster says with a nod. And he does not add any comment about the camp even though the anger still burns within him. The Olympian safe haven…only safe for those who comply. But-

“There’s this 10 year old child of Themis who was attacked by an empousa at the courthouse”

“Hehe I imagine that’s where a lot of those blood suckers work” Al says with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s what I said!” Nico says with a laugh, unconsciously putting his hand on Al’s.

As cheesy as it sounds, Al feels a spark. It’s not a sudden jolt of electricity or his heart skipping a beat. It’s more like, an unexpected tingling sensation. Like being tickled. He’s tempted to hold Nico’s hand as it lingers but Nico retracts it before he can.

“Um…but anyway I’ve been training him with a sword, and he likes to call

It his ‘blade of Justice’ so that’s pretty cool” Nico’s blood rushes to his ears. He know firsthand how it felt to be touched unexpectedly. He mentally berates himself for doing it.

“Pretty cool” Al nods, and this time his response is genuine. He wants to curse himself for how he’d almost got lost in dwelling in the past again. But he is grateful to Nico for reminding him why the camp is good. Or at least better than it was for those minor gods children. It’s not the life he’d fought against Olympus for, but it was still better than what he’d had. He’s happy they have a home.

They belong there with a hero like Nico who can keep them safe in his capable hands. As he’s thinking it Al find’s himself reaching for those hands again. What was the matter with him?

He holds Nico’s hand before he can stop himself and is surprised when Nico doesn’t retract it again. He traces the skin of Nico’s hand that not obscured by the gloves, before looking up at him again.

“It’s good they have you to care for them” Alabaster says, voice soft but still deep and solid.

It makes Nico shiver. He knows Alabaster’s past. Minor gods’ children used to not have a place at camp. And if they did it was shoved into the Hermes Cabin.

“Well yeah..Demigods only really have each other in the end, right?”Nico says

Alabaster meets Nico’s eyes, something stirring within him. He’d said the exact same thing to Ethan back when…back during the Titan war. It was almost as if he was repeating Al’s own words to him. Maybe it’s something Al has said to Nico in the past without thinking it. Or maybe…maybe Nico just believes it. Maybe he and Al’s feeling on that matter align.

“Right” Alabaster says softly with a squeeze of reassurance to the hand that he is holding.

Nico’s heart flutters a little.

Alabasters eyes capture him, they engage him with such scrutiny. Thinking a million things at once, but at the same time…focused on one goal at a time.

“Like I said,.” Nico says “you and your tattoos save my ass all the time”

“Again, You’re welcome” Al says the side of his lips curling into a smirk. This time he gambles. With Nico’s hand in his own,he stands and leans in close, his face inches from Nico’s own their gazes still locked., “it’s…certainly an ass worth saving.”

Nico’s breath catches at the proximity. And Alabaster’s tone was…suggestive? Sensual even. Yes.

“Is that right” Nico starts, so glad he doesn’t have to give the cue, only take it. “Well…maybe you could…do more than just save it?” he says in a breathy whisper. His eyes trailing to look at Al’s lips, and then right back into those glowing eyes. He parts his own lips inviting Al to make the first move.

Al’s heartbeat quickens as he leans in to close the distance between their lips. This time it is a like an electric shock. A surge of sensation between the two of them. They both melt into it. Their breaths becoming heavier as the kiss deepens.

Nico’s mind becomes hazy and his body takes over, finally bringing to the fore, those urges he hadn’t been aware he was suppressing. He grasps at Al’s shirt with wild abandon and pulls him close, sucking on Alabasters bottom lip.

Al’s hand cards through Nico’s hair and pulls it. Asserting some control.

Nico moans and Alabaster notes the reaction. Mmm seems he likes that.

Nico tries to say Alabaster’s name but his voice just vibrates through their mouths as empty noise. He wants to be pulled again. He wants to be pushed. He…wants.

Alabaster can feel the cold of Nico’s lips ring, but the rest of Nico’s mouth is warm and inviting. And the sounds he makes are intoxicating. Al pushes Nico down against the chair with his upper body and positions his lower between Nico’s legs. Nico lets put a pleasured gasp before Alabaster reconnects their lips in haste. He plunges his tongue into Nico’s mouth, sliding it along the front of his teeth before delving further.

Nico moans again before meeting Al’s tongue with his own. Wrestling it. Prodding it. Trying to reach Al’s teeth.

Nico’s fingers move in a frenzy along Al’s back grasping cloth and scraping skin. It’s intoxicating.

When they finally release the frantic kiss Al stays close, both of them breathless, eyes locked with one another’s

“I’ve…wanted to do that for a while now” Alabaster admits

“Yeah?” Nico says. He gives it some thought. “Me too” he realizes.

“D’you-“

“Yes”

Alabaster chuckles “I didn’t finish my question”

Nico smirks “Yesssssss” he says again in a warm breath against Alabaster’s ear, tugging at Al’s shirt to cement his desire.

Alabaster shivers. “Let’s go to my place.”

*****

[microwave-core]

Roxie Posting

Sorry that I've been sitting on these for awhile. I haven't had a ton of motivation to write recently, but I really enjoyed writing these once I finally sat down to finish them up!

First thing that comes to mind, Roxie is a night owl and has an absolutely terrible sleep schedule. She spends most of the night at the Virbank Gym, and other venues around the region when she’s traveling, so she ends up tucking in during the early morning hours, typically sleeping in until noon, if not later. She goes to sleep at more reasonable hours sometimes, but she won’t be happy about it.

She isn’t against cuddling, but it usually doesn’t end up happening, likely because your sleep schedules don’t line up all that well (or maybe they do, I don’t know). If you settle into bed with each other, she’s actually a bit clingy, wanting to be held close, but she tends to sprawl out once she’s asleep, and also shifts around quite a bit. At the very least, it’s easy to get out of bed once you wake up.

Roxie’s style in outfits isn’t particularly set in stone, but her hairstyle is. Letting her hair down doesn’t happen often, much less in public. She usually only lets it down at home, typically when sleeping or showering. Even then, though, it’s not too uncommon for her to fall asleep with the ponytail holder still in. Her hair itself is pretty flat and a bit thin, and doesn’t tangle easily. Surprisingly smooth, nice to brush and card fingers through. 

Music is obviously her passion, and she loves inviting you out to spend a wild night at the club, letting you watch her shred and sing her heart out, taking pride in you watching her work. At some point during the night, she’ll stop in between songs, pointing to you in the crowd, claiming that the next song is dedicated to you. Although, all of the songs are when you’re there to hear them.

She’s not on stage all night, taking a break or two to just relax her voice and fingers and bask in the night’s glow. She loves the club’s fiery aura, but she also loves the cool air of the night. A bouncing joint gets hot, temperature wise, quickly, after all. She’ll seek you out in the crowd and pull you out to sit in a nearby alleyway to unwind, chatting and laughing, before stepping back in. 

If you manage to stay the whole night without heading home early, she’ll gladly walk back home with you, obviously tired, yet satisfied. Always complains about the sun coming over the horizon. The sunlight, though faint in the early morning, is too much for her dark-adjusted eyes. 

When she goes traveling for league business, she asks you to join, obviously. Traveling with a partner is way more enjoyable than flying solo. League work is just work, but once she’s off the hook, she’s walking into the nearest club or bar. Whether she plays a few songs or just vibes in the crowd depends on where she goes and on how drained she is from the aforementioned work (although the prospect of music seems to give her a second wind). She drags you along to the place, and you’ll have to drag her back to wherever you’re staying at a reasonable time.

Roxie owns tons of different guitars. Her iconic black and purple, Scolipede-inspired bass is her favorite, but she has many others. Some of them are relatively normal, but she has other pokemon-inspired one’s, including some other Venipede line inspired ones that came before her current. Loves bold colors, flashy patterns, and unique shapes. Has commissioned Burgh at least a few times to sketch up designs for her. She also plays and owns a few different instruments, but bass is her one true love.

Would absolutely love it if you played an instrument or sang. While she’s clearly very rock and punk in her style, she’s more than willing to indulge in other genres if it means jamming with you. Loves all types of music, whether she admits it or not. To her, the perfect date is just the two of you lounging at home, donned in comfy clothes, while mindlessly prattling out beats together. The compliments on your skill will be endless. Would love to teach you guitar if you didn’t play it already, making for a surprisingly good teacher.

Greatly encourages you to follow your dreams or pursue your hobbies, but also advises you to not just up and leave everything else. Especially if you have an important job that would greatly disturb the life of others if you just suddenly stopped, like her old man did once.

Speaking of her old man, she complains about him from time to time, but she does care about him a whole lot. Holds the whole “suddenly abandoning being a ship captain to star in movies” thing over his head, if that wasn’t already obvious. While she does find him embarrassing, she does introduce you to him once you’ve been together for a while.

She writes all of her own songs, and is usually pretty good at it. When she’s facing artist’s block (or writer’s block? I think both technically apply in this context), she gets incredibly frustrated. She’ll pace around her home, pencil in hand, room covered in crumpled up and torn pieces of paper, until inspiration eventually strikes her. You might have to step in and force her to take care of herself if it goes on for too long, although it might be easier to help her find the inspirational spark she’s in need of first. She can be damn stubborn at times.

The lyrics of her songs do tend to be pretty simple. The intricacies of her work stem from the notes. Loves to inject solos, guitar riffs, and heavy basslines into all of work. She doesn’t stay in the spotlight all of the time, though, giving her bandmates the time in the limelight with their own solos. They’re just as important to their performance as she is, and so she wants them to be recognized for all of their hard work and skill.

Roxie doesn’t just take pride in her music, she takes pride in her strength when it comes to battles, too. Her beloved, toxic babies put everything they have into each and every battle. Whether win or lose, she’s proud of them. Her confidence isn’t arrogance, however, as she’s more than willing to acknowledge another’s strength if they beat her. She likes a challenge, and throws herself into any battle, even if the odds are stacked against her.

Along with inviting you to her gym when it’s a bumping club, she also invites you to listen in to the band’s practice before the night hits. Not only does she take comfort in your presence and value your feedback, it also gives you the chance to watch her face off against any challengers that stumble in. What can she say, she likes to show off in front of you.

She’s… not the most romantic person in the world, but she is passionate. Don’t expect her to come up with elaborate date ideas, nor a wide diversity in the one’s she does propose. She’s fine with going out to restaurants or to see movies if you want, but she’s unlikely to suggest those ideas herself. Most of her date ideas boil down to clubbing, concerts, and walks in the moonlight. 

Middling with affection. She’s not averse to it, but she doesn’t always actively seek it out from you, unless you’ve been apart for a long time. Kiss her on the forehead, and she’ll melt into your arms.

She’s most certainly a little spoon.

Her love language is definitely words of affirmation. She’s not writing sappy love songs or anything, but she’s good with her words, and knows how to string them along to fully articulate how she feels in the moment. 

Now, if you’re in a relationship for long enough, then she will actually write a, if not multiple, love songs for and about you. They aren’t overly sappy, like said above, but they are a bit cliche, as they detail everything she loves about you, and how proud she is of you, and everything she’d do for you. These tracks are for private performances only, though, made for your eyes and ears alone.

In general, she’s a pretty good punk girlfriend. As long as you aren’t looking for the overly romantic type, have a love for music, and don’t mind wrangling her in now and then, you’ll get yourself a loyal partner who will, quite literally, sing her praises for you.

[vinnybox]

LIFE UPDATE

TLDR: Less activity overall on all platform until I'm finished with interning cause low energy/anxiety and stress.

Read more in detail. There's a lot tho. vvv

So I've started my interning for maybe a week now, and it has made me realized that I'm going to be busier than I anticipated.

There will be lesser activity from me when it comes to posting art and I won't be accepting anymore commission until my current queue is cleared (Unless its an on-stream commission which will be done on stream only but even then, I'm not sure if I can even stream like I planned to).

It has been fun and very nice interning, but it also takes pretty much most of the free time I would have had during this third year break. Personal art has been a little low, and I'm kinda struggling to pick up on art for things that's fun for me (Fandom or personal) and replying to DM/Comments has taken more energy than it should have.

Until my interning is done in one or two months or so, I'll be posting less with maybe few doodles/sketches here and there only. (Will still be active on Discord, but mostly lurking.)

I'll also be doing my best to take it easy at least for a bit while working on older comms from the side when able to. I've been dealing with random bursts of anxiety and been riddled with stress too so most weekends would be spent resting. Plus recent dreams I've had left me kinda emotionally exhausted since it was very personal.

Another note, but not as serious. I was looking forward to Art Fight too, but I don't know how much I can do this year :( but I am going to do my best to participate cause I want to! Just don't expect completely rendered art for all attacks.🙇‍♂️

If you've somehow read through all of this, thank you for taking your time, please take care as well and I wish you a good day or night. 💙

[winter-cheshire-writings]

Echoes and Experiments Chapter 11

Mieko's birthday flew by, and the woman was right back at working again. Albedo was worried about her, but he also didn't stop her from doing what she felt was necessary. It was becoming harder and harder for her to pay shop rent, and she was fighting hard every day to make it work. Albedo didn't want to take that from her. But some days, he felt like he had to distract her, force her to sit and rest. It didn't usually work for long, but Albedo would exploit the fact that she listened to his requests and would turn up the charm to get her to agree. “You're terrible.” She would tell him while smiling. “But I'll rest, just for you.” However, her sleep schedule was deteriorating quickly. And one day, after one of the sleepless nights, someone came by to visit.

“Miiieeee!” A brunette with blue eyes ran into the workshop, nearly knocking Albedo down in the process before clinging to Mieko. The woman gave an exasperated sigh before petting the girl's head.

“Natalie. What are you doing here?”

“Let's go out, Mie!”

“Out where?”

“To fight some monsters!” Albedo was surprised that someone was asking his workaholic partner to hunt monsters, he was sure everyone else in Mondstat thought Mieko was just a shopkeep, save for the Knights of Favonious vision holders and Koyuki's family. Who was this girl?

“Introduce yourself to Albedo first, then. I'll go and change so we can go.” She sighed, getting up from her chair before heading to change out of her workshop outfit. Albedo quirked an eyebrow at the brunette, who turned to him with a big grin on her face.

“Ohh, so you're the one Diluc told me about!” She smiled. “I'm Natalie, I've known Mie and Diluc since I was little.” She grinned. “So, so. You're her partner? Her boyfriend???” she questioned, inquiring about how Albedo treated Mieko and stopping when the woman returned. “So, let's go!”

“Go where?” Mieko asked, seeming exasparated but not willing to let this girl go anywhere herself, much like how Jean treated Klee.

“I got a commission, so let's go to Brightcrown Canyon!”

“Goodness, you picked the most infested place.” Mieko grumbled. “Did you introduce yourself?”

“I did, I did!”

“She did, Mie. Are you sure you're alright to go fight monsters in your condition?” Albedo asked her, knowing her stress was high and her sleep had been limited.

“I can't exactly turn Natalie down. Diluc will throw a fit.” She replied simply, smiling. “Want to join us?” She asked.

“I haven't been there in a while. I will accompany you, to sketch the scenery.” He said, smiling at her.

“Very well.” She nodded. “Then let's go.”

-

Upon arriving, Natalie went right to work and Mieko just hung back and let her hunt down her monsters by herself. “She was always clumsy when she was little, and I think it got worse when she got her vision.” Mieko explained. “Diluc has always worried that she might impale herself on her sword if she isn't careful, so I got used to escorting her around on missions since her return from Liyue, and she got used to coming to ask me so Diluc wouldn't scold her.”

“You must see her like a sister, the way you worry about her.” Albedo pointed out.

“I do, I do.” She nodded. “If Yuki had grown up… I think she and Natalie would've been good friends.” She smiled a little sadly. Albedo understood now why she was so willing to stop everything she was doing for Natalie's request. He took her hand and squeezed it, making Mieko turn to him.

“I'm glad, that you have something other than work to do.”

“Ah, have I been overdoing it?”

“I think you have. You clearly need a break from the shop.”

“Hm… Very well. I'm sorry, if I've been causing you to worry.” Mieko squeezed his hand back.

“You can make it up to me later.”

“Hey. C'mon you two, over here!” Natalie waved from the top of the cliff. “I think I found a good one!”

“A good one, huh?” Mieko sighed. She began walking up the hill with Albedo. “Probably a big camp of Hilichurls…” as they arrived at the top, Natalie pointed at the camp, telling Mieko that they could attack from up here when Mieko froze, whipping around and blocking an attack from hitting Natalie, eyes wide. “Oh no…” A Pyro and Electro Abyss Mage appeared in front of them. “Of all the rotten timing…”

“We need to take care of the Electro first, the Pyro can wait.” Albedo told her, the woman nodding. They fought as well as they could against the two enemies, but something was still bothering Mieko about this. It didn't feel right. As Albedo was thrown back and away from her, something caught his attention. “Mie, move!” She managed to side step a stray bolt of electro coming at her, glaring at the appearance of a tall being cloaked in purple.

“Another being of the Abyss…?”

“What a fascinating little specimen you are.” It cooed, staring right at Mieko. It clearly held some interest, but why? “You fight so hard… Why don't you just go to sleep?” it asked. Natalie was occupied with the Pyro Abyss Mage, and Albedo with the electro one.

“You're not convincing me any more than a burglar breaking into my house telling me to sleep.” She stated.

“How dreadful.” The Abyss Lector laughed. “If you sleep long enough, you can go and see your best friend again. Wouldn't that be nice? Her name is Yuki, isn't it?” He asked, Albedo's eyes going wide when he heard the being say Yuki's name.

“Mie, don't listen to him!” the intrusive thought of losing her to the Abyss terrified him, a feeling that he was very unused to. But she simply stood there, listening to the Abyss Lector talk.

“What do you say, hmm?” The Abyss being asked after offering her the “sweetest dream” of being able to spend her days happily with her dearly departed friend.

“What do I say?” Mieko laughed, confusing the Lector. She looked up at it with a dark look on her face, her eyes strangely sharp and dangerous. “You don't think I hold onto Yuki's memory because I would give anything to see her, do you?” She slashed the Lector across the face, causing it to stumble. “How dare you say my dear sister's name, trying to bait me.” She slammed the broad side of her weapon into the Lector's head, then stabbed her polearm through the Lector's robe. “Natalie. I believe Diluc will forgive us in this circumstance. Go ahead and do it.” She activated her skill, causing dark, dangerous rainclouds to form above the beings of the abyss. Mieko took a few steps back from the Lector and walked over to Albedo as he flung the Electro Abyss mage towards the other enemy. Natalie grinned when she realized what Mieko meant and flung the Pyro Abyss mage, causing it to barrel into the other two. It began to rain heavily around the place Mieko's weapon was plunged into the ground, the circle of rain ending just short of Mieko, Albedo, and Natalie.

“Alright!” The brunette exclaimed, raising her hand to the sky. “Time for a Snow Day!”

“A… Snow Day?” Albedo asked, confused as Mieko took his hand. The sky grew darker and the air chilled. Little white things began to fall from the rainclouds at frightening speed. “Are those…?”

“Snowmen.” Mieko smiled. “Natalie is one dangerous kid, when it comes down to it. But combined with my powers?” She chuckled. “It's much worse.” the snowmen rained down on the Abyss Mages and the Lector, pummeling them. When it was over, the Lector stood up, ripping his robe from the weapon. The mages were long gone.

“You think that was enough to stop me?!”

“No.” Mieko replied. “But this next one certainly might be.” She smiled, a flash of orangey red slammed into the Lector. When the dust settled, there stood the red haired young master of the Dawn Winery. “Great shot, Diluc~”

“Mie.” He sighed. “You can't always count on me to show up…”

“But I can when Natalie is involved.” she smiled, the red haired man clearing his throat.

“Heyyy, Diluc you melted my snowmen!” Natalie exclaimed, hands on her hips and a pout adoring her young face. Diluc paused as he turned to the brunette, sighing as she pouted at him more.

“Is that what you imagine Yuki would have been like?” Albedo asked, Mieko nodding while holding his hand. “I see… What an interesting personality.” He replied.

-

“Mie?” Albedo walked into the kitchen to see Mieko sitting on the kitchen counter again, staring down into her cup of tea. “Is something wrong? It's well after 1am.”

“No… I just can't sleep again.” She stated softly. “I'm alright…”

“You hardly seem alright.” He stood in front of her, placing his hand on her thigh. “This is the 4th day in a row you couldn't sleep, isn't it?”

“I'm really okay, Albedo.” She shook her head, placing her cup down. “Don't worry, I just-”

“Don't say another word.” Albedo's finger came to rest on her lips. “Come along. Bed time.” he helped her down off the counter and took her to her room. “I'll make you another potion, if it will help.” he said as he sat down with her.

“I took the one you left for me… It didn't do anything.” She replied, leaning on his shoulder. “You help me sleep far more than any potion… But even now, it's hard to rest, for some reason.”

“Then, let me stay with you until you manage to fall asleep.” he said, reaching to play with her hair. She was clearly exhausted, and Albedo was getting concerned again. “Since you won't sleep yet… Windblume is coming up, isn't it?”

“Yes. I'm hoping that perhaps I'll make some good sales.” She replied. “Windblume is a big event… I can only hope it will be lucrative.”

“I see… I… Wish you the best of luck with that.”

“Hmm… You sound disappointed.” She looked up at him from his shoulder, smiling. “Were you perhaps… Hoping to go together?”

“I was.” He admitted, staring back at her before kissing her forehead. “But if you'll be busy, I don't want to bother you.”

“It isn't a bother.” She replied. “I will spend some time with you for at least 1 day.” She added.

“That would be lovely… Thank you darling. Now, try and sleep.” He had her lay down and pet her head, sitting at her side until she fell asleep finally. He sighed, staring down at her. “Mie… You keep pushing yourself so hard… Why won't you take a break?” He pondered, smiling a bit as she grumbled in her sleep. He sighed, staring at her for a while before laying down at her side, gently playing with her hair. “One day, perhaps, I will understand that behavior of yours, darling.”

-

Mieko was practically running herself into the ground, and Albedo could see how tired she was. But she pushed through until the week before Windblume, and now he finally had her to himself for a short while. He took her to Dragonspine and kept her with him, the isolation from her shop finally allowing her to decompress a little. He knew her living above her workspace made it hard on her, because work was always on her mind. But this felt different. He took a deep breath as she laid there on his cot, continuing to work on his experiments with a potion brewing on the side for her. The urge to protect her only grew stronger with every passing day, every incident of her not feeling well or pushing herself. Albedo put a hand to his chest, taking a deep breath.

“Mie… What is it about you that makes me feel like this?” he asked, glancing back at her as she rested. He was becoming fearful for her health, for her state of being. “These feelings have grown so deep, Mieko… Can you explain them to me, one day?” He asked as she stirred, smiling as she sat up.

“Did you say something, Albedo?” She asked, rubbing her eyes.

“Just musing to myself, my dear. Did you sleep well?”

“Mmm, for the short while I was asleep, I think so.” She yawned. “It's almost dinner time, isn't it?”

“That it is.” he nodded. “Are you craving anything in particular?” He asked, putting down his work.

“Honestly…? I'm not all that hungry. I'm hoping the smell of good food will work my appetite up.” She admitted, tying her hair back up with the hair clip and ribbon Albedo had given her. “Did you want me to make Sunshine Sprat?”

“I don't mind cooking.”

“I mind, you've been babying me since I got here.” She said, eyeing him from her seat.

“Perceptive as ever, darling.” He chuckled. “I'm concerned for your health. Your lack of sleep worries me. It's been getting worse.”

“I… I know.” She sighed, looking up at him as he walked over to her. She pulled him gently by the hand to sit in her lap and leaned her forehead against his shoulder. “Since that fight with the Abyss Lector, I've been sleeping less and less.” She nuzzled him as he moved to wrap his arms around her. “It's bothering me… The way it called me a specimen… And the way it talked like it knew me and my past…” she clung to his shirt, releasing a held breath as Albedo rubbed her back. “It doesn't feel right, Albedo.”

“What does it feel like, Mie?” he asked. “Can you verbalize the feeling at all? Explain to me the closest thing it reminds you of?”

“I can't tell…” she shook her head. “It just feels bad…” she said softly. “I… I just feel strange… It feels kind of like when…” she paused. “Oh… It's… Similar to the day before Yuki died…” she said softly. “That's the closest thing I have to compare to…” she added to Albedo.

“I see… Well, I'll do my best to stay at your side, so you don't have to worry.”

“I… Alright…” she nodded, not denying his assistance and company. “I don’t know what the feeling is linked to, but hopefully it at least settles my nerves.” she smiled a little, hugging him back. “For now…” she kissed him. “I think having you right here is helping more than anything else…”

“Then, let's enjoy a light dinner and the evening air.” Albedo smiled back at her. “Then you can take what you need from me, my Mie.”

-

Mieko always had trouble falling asleep, but somehow the way Albedo would slide his hand into her shirt and gently rub the small of her back was so soothing to her. She felt so safe when he wrapped his arms around her that it usually lulled her right to sleep. She would nuzzle into his shoulder or the crook of his neck, depending on how he was holding her. Albedo would plant soft kisses to her forehead or the top of her head, and hold her tight. "Goodnight, Mie, darling." He would whisper as she began to fade. Mieko knew that now, there was no one else for her. Albedo was her one and only, as long as he wanted her. But even then, a little voice inside her head told her that wouldn't be enough. That not even Albedo could save her from what was coming, even though she had no idea what that thing was. She sighed, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

-

“Yuki! Yuki!!!” Mieko sighed, opening her eyes. Again with the nightmare about Yuki dying. This happened often enough, but recently it had been getting louder, more painful. She watched as her younger self cried over losing her sister, her best friend. But then something changed. Mieko looked up to see Yuki's parents and brother staring at her. She steeled her nerves as they opened their mouths to speak.

“You're the reason Yuki died.”

“That's a lie.” Mieko muttered.

“You killed our daughter!”

“A lie.” She repeated.

“That damn vision of yours, why didn't you die instead?!” Mieko shook her head, shaking a little.

“I don't know.” She replied honestly. “It was my fault…”

“It wasn't.” Mieko paused, turning to hear a very familiar voice. “Big Sis, cmon, don't cry.” She couldn't see who was talking, but she felt a hand on hers. “I'd never blame you, Mie.”

[raitrolling]

Life Update

=> A new video has been uploaded to Velour's channel!

[Transcription below]

Hello everyone, welcome back to another Velveteen Vanities Vlog. It's been a while, hasn't it? I apologise again for the radio silence, but if you've seen the statement I put out on Twitter and also on the community page here a couple weeks ago, you probably know that I've been on a mental health break for some time now. But, I thought now might be the time for me to keep you all updated on what's going on. Firstly, I'm here to tell you all that I am okay! This break has been doing wonders, as someone who has been working non-stop since I was around six sweep old, all this rest has been quite welcome! I've even picked up a new hobby, which is drawing more than just my fashion sketches. It's been difficult as I've never drawn so many faces and hands in my life [laughs], but! It is also very rewarding, and I highly recommend it to anyone who has wanted to start drawing to just pick up and pencil and have a go! It doesn't matter if your first attempt is not perfect, as every new sketch is a new learning experience! Secondly - and probably what you have all been waiting for the most, - I do have to say that at the moment I will be continuing my hiatus for the most part, but I do plan to slowly working myself towards a proper schedule again. This was also at the behest of the professional I have been consulting with, who thinks this is the best course of action. And I agree! Sometimes it is better to dip your toes in the water first, rather than jumping straight into the pool and discovering that it's incredibly chilly! So, you may see the occasional video from me for time to time, but at the moment there will be no set schedule. I hope you guys are looking forward to my return, and I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things once more! Slowly, of course. Thirdly, and following on from the last point, while I still will not be making any public appearances or interviews for the time being, I will be reopening my custom outfit commissions soon! I will be taking on a smaller workload than usual, but just like my videos, I do plan on easing myself back into a more consistent work schedule. I will be putting an interest check up on my website shortly, as well as readjusting my prices and terms of service. Finally, I have one more special surprise to tell everyone... Which is, well... I have a moirail now! Yes, you guys might not have seen it coming, and we weren't sure the best way to announce it, so... Consider this a soft introduction? We're still working out on if my partner would like to make a public appearance on the channel, or if he would prefer to stay out of the spotlight, but! Whatever decision he makes, please do show your utmost respect for his wishes. It's been wonderful having him by my side during my hiatus and I cannot express how grateful I am for him with words alone. He's a real darling, and I do hope you continue to support me and my new relationship for the future. And, well... That's all for tonight! Thank you again for listening and continuing to support me during my hiatus, and I look forward to seeing you all again in my next video, whenever that may be! Have a great night everyone, this is Velour, signing off!

[Transcription ends]

[visionthefox]

does anyone still use Sai 2 ?

and also use windows 10 ? im so so tired, the app works fine, then the next day it wont open.. this is the 3 time now.. I donwloaded so many others .exe , I delet it, and re install it again, nothing I did last time changed! is like any other night! I was just cleaning up sketches! and today no Sai.exe open, none of the 3 files I have! and no, I can not affort pay over $40 dollars, the money I make goes directly to buy food and pay taxes.. and just, the app worked just fine!! why? is it because is windows 10 pro? Is it because my ran is too filled?? why?? I need to finish so much work.. please if you use paint tool sai 2 , please help me out, I need to finish this work, I need the money of the commissions! I did every step that reddit shows up, I have tried getting any sai.exe that I can get.. I just dont get it, it worked yesterday , I was drawing ! why today wont open?? Edit- had to move some files from a unfinish Sai 2 to the files I already have.. lets see how long it takes to break again.. Edit 2 - seems like the issue is the custom brush I made for myself.. any of those files may have corrupted, ending with first an error that Sai cant open..something like "createprocess failed with error 2" I suppossed that the "creaste process" the app tried to bring back my tools, it was after I kept trying that suddently it would open but not respond, forcing me to use the adm. to force the app to close.. so yea.. Im sure there's only 3 ppl left that use Sai . but in case my future self gets in trouble, or anyone, I'll leave this here..

[max-cortez]

location — the midnight club

character — @leviroyce

Another restless night had him searching for reprieve in a place he'd come to know as a comfort. Perhaps it was more so the company kept there than the place itself, but if he ever needed a break from his own headspace, he found himself being welcomed by the quiet chiming of the bells above the doorway.

"If it isn't the prettiest damn barista on this side of town," he teased quietly as elbows fell atop the ordering counter. Some nights were met with disappointment whenever the other wasn't working, others were a pleasant surprise to know that he was.

Their relationship, or the lack thereof, had all started with Max's favorite gig. To ink someone was to know them, and to know them was sometimes his favorite part of the job. "You thought any more on getting another piece lately? I just finished up one hell of a commission piece. Check it out." He slipped his worn phone from his pocket and after carefully navigating through his images, flipped the cracked screen for the other to see.

"Covered the whole damn back." Sketching for the piece had been the fun part, but to be trusted enough to ink such a thing onto someone for a lifetime? It was one of the best feelings he'd ever had. "I'll take my usual, by the way. Maybe something to snack on if you guys have anything left."

[allenvooreef]

How much time to you spend drawing? I want to draw more but can't seem to find the time with work and school 🫠

Most artworks take me anywhere between 3-8 hours to fully finish, but I never do all of that in one day. I also have a day job and a household to run, plus many other hobbies, so sometimes there's big stretches of time that go by when i dont draw at all. It's also something i just kinda have to be in the mood for. I can 'make' myself work on commissions regularly, but for my personal art i kind of depend on waves of inspiration that hit me after D&D sessions or getting really into a game or just randomly sometimes. For instance after last weekend, i grabbed my ipad to work on a commission, and after that i was suddenly overcome with mad art frenzy where i drew like seven different sketches and the setup for a bigger piece all in one evening because i was just so excited. 🤷 So for me, the time i spend drawing isn't steady enough to measure or average out for a day.

Evenings often work best for me to find a moment to draw, if I'm looking for one. Or when I'm on public transport for an hour or so. But the only time i really had a dedicated drawing time in my week was when i did regular Wednesday night livestreams. Those were nice to really get around to getting things done, though it's also nice to take a break from that for a while now.

Hope you find a way to carve out some time for art in your life as well! It's so important to have a way of self expression in your day to day, without it feeling like just another thing on your already overwhelming to do list. I'd also love to hear from other folks how they make time in their schedule for art or writing or other creative endeavors!

[bllsbailey]

Harris Appears On SNL, FCC Commissioner Claims Appearance Violates 'Equal Time' Rule

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris (R) and US actress Maya Rudolph participate in “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) live late-night sketch comedy show at NBC studios in New York City on November 2, 2024.

Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on the final episode of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) before the election, with what might be a violation of an Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Rule. 

On Saturday, Harris appeared on the episode as the “mirror image” of herself, portrayed by Maya Rudolph. 

The skit started with Rudolph wondering, “I wish I could talk to someone who’s been in my shoes. You know, a Black, south Asian woman running for president. Preferably from the Bay Area.”

Then Harris was revealed to be sitting across the vanity from her, when she said, “You and me both, sister.”

The vice president then took a shot at former President Donald Trump and said “I’m just here to remind you, you got this. Because you can do something your opponent cannot do. You can open doors.”

Trump was seen struggling for a moment to open the door of the garbage truck where he spoke with reporters earlier this week. The garbage truck and vest were intended to highlight Biden’s recent claim that Trump supporters were “garbage” which sparked outrage from many. 

Rudolph poked fun at Harris’ laugh, leading Harris to ask, “I don’t really laugh like that, do I?”

“A little bit,” Rudolph responded.

Then the skit led to a series of rhymes around the name Kamala. 

“Kamala, take my palm-ala,” Rudolph said. 

“The American people want to stop the chaos,” Rudolph said, with Harris adding, “And end the drama-la.”

“With a cool new step mom-ala. Get back in our pajama-las. And watch a rom-com-ala,” Rudolph said, with the two later touting their “belief in the promise of America.”

Rudolph added at the end of the skit, “I’m going to vote for us.”

“Great. Any chance you’re registered in Pennsylvania?” Harris asked.

“Nope, I am not,” Rudolph said.

“Well, it was worth a shot,” Harris said, before the two delivered the show’s signature, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung spoke with Fox News Digital regarding Harris’ cameo on the show. 

“Kamala Harris has nothing substantive to offer the American people, so that’s why she’s living out her warped fantasy cosplaying with her elitist friends on Saturday Night Leftists as her campaign spirals down the drain into obscurity. For the last four years, Kamala’s destructive policies have led to untold misery and hurt for all Americans. She broke it, and President Trump will fix it,” Cheung said. 

Brendan Carr, a Republican on the FCC, described the appearance as a “clear and blatant attempt to avoid the FCC’s Equal Time rule.”

“The purpose of the rule is to avoid exactly this type of biased and partisan conduct – a licensed broadcaster using the public airwaves to exert its influence for one candidate on the eve of an election,” Carr said. 

— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) November 3, 2024

Trump campaign senior advisor Jason Miller spoke with Fox News Channel‘s Jacqui Heinrich and stated that SNL did not extend an invitation to Trump.

— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) November 3, 2024

Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts

[moltensunlight]

These are just notes to myself so I can keep track of how long art things take me, basically trying to understand the break down of this stuff so I can figure out what I would charge for commissions

Art notes:

current style (semi-realistic, semi-cartoony)

full body

full lineart

"cell render" (semi-realism, semi-cell-shaded)

detail (small chains, gems, and sheer/translucent fabric)

full background (dragon)

scene? No

reference? Yes

Day 1: 4-8pm

4 hours

initial composition

basic sketch

first anatomy fixes (had the legs backward lmao)

some altering of basic sketch

Day 2: 5-11pm

6 hours total

~ 4 hrs

fixing anatomy

CLEAN LINEART

~ 2 hrs

base color

basic highlight & shadow

some highlight & shadow cleanup

basic bg stuff (iceberg - square brush)

Day 3: 2pm-9pm; 11:40pm-1:40am

9 hrs total

7 hrs

Fixed anatomy issues (technically 10-15 minutes previous night)

Basically today has just been RENDERING time

completed my list of to-do items on the previous day’s progress post - which. Damn.

did. Colored. Fucking. Lineart. Under the shading & highlight layers. Who am I????

rendered gems, highlighted gold, redid chains & did individual shadows& highlights for them, rendered connecting rings from gems to chains

2 hrs

BG WORK

rescaled character & dragon

lineart for dragon

flat color for dragon

LOTS of blending layers to experiment with what I wanted to do for the bg

bg fog & light

Day 4: 1pm-2pm

1 hr

BG WORK

basic cell shade layer (no highlights)

re-toning overall bg colors

ice pattern for bg

dragon eye glow

Total hours spent: 22

[pheemuru]

I want to get a little personal for a sec

Below the cut I'm going to talk about my struggle with art, energy, time management, and trying to be an artist in the current social media climate while having a full time job in an unrelated field

In august 2023, i moved out of my parents home for the first time--I moved out of state and got a full time job. this is a good thing and a super positive life event for me! I'm now living with my partner of nearly 7 years and my best friend of 5.

However my relationship with art since before I even moved out... has been really rocky. My job now occupies my time for 6 hours a day 5 days a week. I work from 6:45 am - 10 am (im including travel time here because its still my time thats occupied by work...) and then I have a break until 2 pm. Then I work 2 - 6 pm, and depending on where I'm working at, I get home anywhere from 6-7 pm. I go to bed at 11 pm (This is a very big struggle mentally for me since my jobs schedule is very much opposite of how my body functions. I'm a night owl and not at all an early bird.) This is my monday thru friday.

By the time the weekend comes, I have other household chores to keep up with before I feel like I'm "allowed" to waste my time basically. I also use my time just... recovering for the next week. Every night I get home from work I take a couple edibles to wind down and relax, which is possibly the best part of my day when I finally get to turn my brain off from having to mask and wrangle 30 something kids throughout the day. (daycare aide moment)

How this relates to my art is that I really have zero drive to do any kind of art. I have no ideas. I see stuff online and think "wow I want to do that, I wish I thought of it". Creativity doesn't come naturally to me if it isn't the result of a college assignment or a commission. I struggle a LOT with concepting and sketching. I genuinely don't know how to doodle anymore either

In 2024 I want to focus a lot more on what's going to make me feel satisfied in a career, and so far the only option I have for that is making art my full time gig. However, anyone that is trying that or has tried that knows how difficult that is and how unrealistic it is to just be able to do that with no build up.

Here's where my struggle comes in; I have no fucking energy for anything anymore. I got diagnosed with adhd and autism last year, or just about last year. My job is insanely socially heavy (I'm around 30+ kids and have to manage them) so by the time that I get home, I just want to get stoned and watch movies. I don't want to create. I don't want to do anything. not even shit i like to do.

drawing has become so fucking hard for me. it takes me so goddamn long to finish a piece, I get overwhelmed by current trends, and it doesnt help that the fact of the matter is, social media has moved onto video formats. This means I will have to keep up with video trends to get any kind of eyes on my work. But how do you keep up with video trends when you don't even have any art to show to begin with, nonetheless ones that fit with the theme of the trends going around?

So now I need to make supplementary/filler recordings to fill out content if I want to be serious about my social media presence. On top of the fact I actually have to create art. On top of the fact that there's dishes in my sink every day and laundry that has to be done every week and groceries that have to be shopped for and a job that has to be attended to five days a week. I know 30 hours a week truly is not as much as others work to be full time but my god is it exhausting? All this shit on top of itself makes me feel like I regret moving out a little bit. Overall I don't, because I don't have to live with my parents and I can relax around my partner, but like. oh my god?

literally how does anyone live like this and not want to kill themselves. I had to get a zoloft script because i kept having mental breakdowns every sunday because I have to go back to fucking work and I never feel like I have enough time to do anything meaningful. by the time my brain is like, "ready" to work, its 9 pm and i have to get ready for bed in 2 hours.

I've contemplated getting my masters in teaching to be an art teacher, but I really wouldn't.. want to do that for the rest of my life? you don't really get days off if you need it, youre obligated to work outside of work hours just to get anything done, parents right now kind of suck, school admins also suck, curriculums are cutting art programs, and kids are also becoming so much more disengaged with art at younger ages.

with the state of everything I find it really hard not to just spiral into a depressive episode. I don't know what my future holds. Sure, I have my parents as a safety net now, but theyre approaching their 70s and arent going to be around for the majority of the rest of my life. what happens then? what happens when theyre gone and i have literally no other support beyond the little life i made for myself right now? i already feel like im not allowed to prioritize myself at the moment given my position in the household (full time consistent job that pays somewhat decent ((Decent being $16.75/hour lol)) for the area im in, im the one that can drive, im the one with the largest paycheck and most consistent hours). I can't really get days off at work if I wake up having a panic attack or even physical sickness. I'm supposed to just deal with it and clock in because we dont have enough people to cover last minute like that. And I'm someone with (honestly) debilitating stomach issues. I had to have an upper endoscopy and tests done which only yield so much if you don't follow up with an allergist, which I still have yet to do...

Currently I'm supposed to set up appointments for my dentist, an allergist, a cardiologist, and I need to contact my psych because my pharmacy told me my zoloft cant be refilled (second month on it btw lol).

so like. when the fuck am i supposed to have any kind of every to dedicate to a second part time job, my own fucking art business? the thing i want to be the most passionate about, i have no energy left for. I feel so wildly unsatisfied in my life right now because of this. I'm struggling. I'm struggling a lot and I wish i didn't have to work at all. I wish I could just have my art be my full time thing, but I dont have the audience nor the social media prowess to make that happen so quickly.

I'm tired. I'm fucking tired. everyone keeps saying "take care of yourself" or "self care" but jesus christ how am i supposed to when i cant even just work 4 days a week consistently because for whatever reason I'm the only person at my job that can do what i do? how am i supposed to practice self care when that self care would mean i quit my fucking job lol. i'm at such a loss and i feel like im just letting the time pass by like grains of sand in an hourglass. being torn between wanting to die and wanting to push through is a fucking insane feeling. all we do in life is struggle until we die and I'm finding it harder and harder to get over that kind of mental hurdle. every time i drive i have to fight the genuine intrusive thoughts of yanking the steering wheel to put myself in a ditch with my car just to give myself a couple weeks of a break.

I'm tired. And there's nothing i can do about it. how long can one weather a storm before getting lost at sea