#lilia bumps into him and decides to help him with cooking it

[sandycookie]

Nobody talks about how Trey drank Lilia-influenced soup and didn't immediately die. Like...my man's got some real restraint.

[twisted-wonderland-shenanigans]

Okay, either the scientist knew she was preggo or they just thought she was going through hormonal changes or whatever, there is NO WAY CROWLEY DOESNT KNOW THE HUMAN IS PREGGO.

Also, how much should I bet that Cater is just going to keep the whole world updated with every single DETAIL.

Oh, Lilia is going to have a FIELD DAY WHEN THE BABY IS BORN, same for Trein, he’s probably going to love it.

Referring to this fic snippet here:

Okay, to be fair, I forgot to mention that the events take place shortly after Yuu's arrival. Probably between chapter 2 and 3 given the timeline we have, which puts it at about...two, three weeks after the prologue and shortly after Riddle and Leona overblot.

As for the scientists/researchers, while logically speaking they would immediately jump at the chance to come to the island to start their studies, they first had to make sure these pictures circulating on Cater’s Magicam posts were legit first. Once it is established through a video or two that was posted, that's when they reach out to Crowley to make the arrangements!

And they actually arrive a week after the pregnancy announcement, so you can bet that they are very eager to get some studying done as quick as possible! 😂

As for the staff not realizing that fem!Yuu is pregnant, they are aware of what a pregnant monster's scent is like for sure. But because there hadn't been a human in centuries, even if Crowley was old enough to have been around humans, it's not like he remembers the scent off the top of his head! The staff would all essentially be like those confused cats and dogs trying to figure out what this strange bump is and why their human smells funny before instinctively feeling protective.

Can you just imagine Crowley building a nest for Yuu without realizing just *why* he was doing it in the first place? Or the blank stare he'd give the moment someone asked him like, "...why am I doing this??" and it only becomes clear shortly after the announcement, in which he tries to pretend he knew all along 😂

I'm also reminded of this one post where OP's cat had had multiple litters in the past and was so excited when OP got pregnant that the kitty kept trying to show her to the nest she made for OP's "kitten", and it was the sweetest thing I'd ever read 🥹

Anyway, you can bet your bottom madol that Cater will absolutely be keeping EVERYONE updated on Magicam throughout the whole process, and he is getting flooded with baby picture requests 🤣 It's also sweet how mothers come across the posts and try to offer advice that they'd learned on raising their kids, which is nice, though not all of the advice would really be practical based on species 😅 But at least they're sweet enough to offer that and words of encouragement! I can even see some inviting Yuu to a mother's support group meeting ;;v;;

You can also bet that Yuu will be receiving a lot of baby shower gifts and such from Cater’s followers. At least they don't have to worry about needing to buy diapers for a while! 🤣

Ooooooh yes, Lilia is going to be ecstatic to be able to hold and care for a baby again! He will offer to help watch over the little one (hadn't decided on a gender or name yet for the new baby) so Yuu can take a break, though don't worry about him trying to feed the baby his cooking. He learned and knows that milk is important for the baby, so he makes sure to have the bottles readily available even at Diasomnia~ (though Silver and the others make sure to keep an eye on him when it comes to feeding time just to be on the safe side)

Trein has already raised two daughters, and while he may not be interested in raising another, that's not to say he won't wind up spoiling the little human baby like any grandparent would! He'll also offer a shoulder for fem!Yuu to lean on and reassure her that she's doing a great job as a mother ;;v;;

[twsthoodstar]

Twst x Pokémon Pt. 3

This is a part 3 of the last Pokémon post I did, this time with the vice dorm leaders. Sorry this is so late, I’ve been feeling under the weather recently 😓 But I’m starting to feel better now.

Request/idea received from this Anon

Babysitting their crush’s Pokémon while they’re away. However, that task has proven more difficult than expected.

Trey Clover ♣️

Trey was both delighted and nervous when you asked him to babysit Slurpuff. He had only hoped it wouldn’t be as troublesome as certain glutinous monster cat, although he had to admit he was curious. Slurpuff looked so soft and squishy! It couldn’t be that much of a handful could it?

Well needless to say, Slurpuff was actually very helpful in the kitchen. It’s unique sense of smell helped pick the best ingredients and it was more than happy to aid in assembling the treats for the Unbirthday Party, nudging Trey to taste the batter. It reminded Trey of his little siblings back home, how they’d always try and sneak a piece.

However, it all went downhill once the part started. One by one everyone’s cakes and cookies disappeared without a trace. Unaware of the pink Pokémon sneakily using Physic to float the wonderful pastries into its mouth. But it’s cover was blown when it tried to steal Riddle’s tart, and Trey had to step in before the poor little thing lost its head.

Ruggie Bucchi 🐾

Better hope Ruggie doesn’t eat your precious little bundle of wool, might be hard to hold himself back. Shi shi shi, he’s only kidding! He wouldn’t do that to you! Unfortunately, Wooloo seemed to take that very personally and rolled away! It hadn’t even been 5 minutes and Ruggie was already chasing it down!

Poor Wooloo; perhaps leaving it in a dorm full of hungry carnivores wasn’t the greatest idea. Because it zoomed all over the place, trying to flee from any large beastmen. Though I’m sure it looked hilarious seeing the vice dorm leader chasing after a living pillow. Ruggie eventually needed Jack’s help in catching the little guy, and it surprisingly took a liking to the first year!

Wooloo was all over Jack, hiding behind his legs and nuzzling into his bushy tail. Peering at Ruggie with big nervous eyes. He hadn’t planned for this, Ruggie wanted to show you just how responsible he was all on his own, that included caring for your pet. But it couldn’t be helped. Jack hadn’t planned to babysit, but it seemed he had no other choice.

Jade Leech 🐬

(I love Psyduck so much 🥰)

Now Psyduck here is a bit of a special case, so you were a bit hesitant to leave it with Jade. Now there was nothing to worry about, Jade makes sure your Psyduck is well taken care of, he’ll pamper it to perfection. He has claimed he enjoys serving others. Although it appears Psyduck is a rather sensitive creature. But that just makes things more interesting, plus it’s adorable to boot.

Constantly rubbing it’s head, it takes in its surroundings rather slowly. It barely realized you left the room and was just recently waddling around looking for you, poor dear. 😅 Well this shouldn’t be a problem; playtime with rubber duckies, drawing a bath, Jade makes sure Psyduck is in top shape until you get back! However, there was one mishap Jade wasn’t preparing for.

It takes special skill to escape Jade’s well trained eye, and Psyduck just happened to find that perfect moment. Before it knocked into Jade’s terrarium, spilling out all kinds of plants and muck onto the floor with a big bump on its head. It was an accident, but Psyduck couldn’t shake that sudden glare in the eel’s eye. Not even when Jade rubbed its bruised head affectionately.

Floyd Leech 🦈

Oh boy, Gible was not happy about you leaving. Especially leaving its care to a stranger like Floyd. It stomped around and grumbled like a fussy toddler, aggressive to anyone that came near it. While everyone was afraid of getting their hand chewed off, Floyd remained as careless and as brave as ever. So Shrimpy left this little sharkie to be his playmate? How fun!

Gible did not want to play with Floyd, it tried making that as clear as possible. Playing basketball? Deflated. Some squeaky toys? Shredded to pieces. Dancing? It chomped the radio to bits. A yummy platter? Scarfed it down, plate and all. Floyd was clearly losing his patience and started to shift into one of his outrageously random mood swings.

Talk about bad timing when you have an angry Gible pouting across the room. Floyd, now upset the Pokémon wasn’t accepting his friendship, made the mistake of trying to squeeze it. Gible bit him 😬. Chomped right down on his hand, but suprisingly Floyd was fine. It did take Azul and Jade awhile to pry it off, then to keep Floyd from biting back! Hopefully, you’ll return soon before the Lounge ends up in shambles.

Jamil Viper 🐍

Honestly Jamil thinks your Salandit is super cool. Sly and cunning with a streak of mystery, it reminds him of himself. (You smug snake 😑) It was almost the perfect pet for himself, a powerful on way that. Now I’m sure Jamil has some experience with animals, he is Kalim’s right hand man and a servant of the Asim family, the kid knows a thing or two about parades.

So it’s a cake walk babysitting Salandit, at least for the most part. Pokémon are unpredictable creatures and unknown to Twisted Wonderland, so Jamil’s in for a big surprise when Salandit starts dripping actual v e n o m. The red liquid oozes out of its mouth as it starts to burn small holes in the carpet. Of course panics because, that carpet is expensive! And why did you have such a creature in your possession!

He was not prepared for this. Apparently it was having a scuffle with Kalim’s magic carpet, the piece of matting simply wanted to play with Scarabia’s new guest, but the poisonous fire-type took it as a threat instead. Chasing each other around like wild dogs. Reacting quickly, Jamil put it outside using Snake Whisper before things escalated, but decided to give you a call.

Rook Hunt 🏹

You thought Jade was pampering, Rook is over the moon for this fairy type! What a wonderful creature, absolutely beautiful! Rook is completely captivated by the fairy-like creature, the pure pink essence of love in its true form!~ ✨ As he puts it anyways. 😅 Rook will smother Sylveon with attention!

He’ll groom it to perfection and flaunt it to the entire dorm, this of course draws some attention. No one has ever seen a creature quite like Sylveon, with its sweet voice and flowing ribbons. And you left Rook himself in charge to take care of it isn’t that wonderful! ~ ✨ This basically turned into one big photo shoot, with Rook at the center gushing over his new friend.

He even takes Sylveon out on a hunt stroll with him. Man cries when it wraps it’s ribbons around it’s wrist. Let’s just hope no rowdy students make fun of their little adventure, they’ll have a merciless arrow drawn back ready to face them. Rook won’t tolerate gossiping, no one is allowed to tarnish the beauty you and your partner share together.

Ortho Shroud 🤖

Ortho was more than happy to take care of Pikachu for you! He was the one that actually accepted in the first place. It was just so cute and round and soft and friendly, a perfect companion for our little Ortho! Plus, he was really excited to analyze it for his database. Although, in reality he took this opportunity to get Idia out of his shell and help him.

Humans and animals were already a well known subject Ortho knew plenty about, even a few beasts were a well known species. So a loveable Pokémon shouldn’t serve a problem. While Idia wasn’t all that excited about watching a living, breathing, messy pet (virtual pets were much easier) Ortho was not having it and saw this as a good experience.

Playtime was his favorite, Pikachu was just so fast and full of energy. Zipping back and forth with a Quick Attack to chase the bouncy ball, or using its tail to play catch. It was such a cheerful little sunshine, it even shocked Ortho a bit with its cheeks. Emitting little sparks of electricity, which felt really nice. They’re both just so cute together, Idia snuck a few pictures of them napping together.

Lilia Vanrouge 🍷

Another child for Lilia to adopt!! Oh how precious! Immediately Lilia’s fawning over your cute Noibat, however, you tell Lilia to be careful as this Pokémon is quite young. Of course Lilia heads your warning and bids you a graceful farewell, before rushing off with the cutie in his arms to flaunt to his whole dorm.

Almost immediately Lilia’s going to test his cooking skills; a growing boy like that needs to eat right? Well don’t worry, chef Lilia will whip up something nice, which of course has Noibat cheering for a hot meal. The trio of terrified fae and their drowsy human: they couldn’t have Lilia kill off something so precious, you’d be heartbroken!

However, perhaps they were a bit too slow in stopping Lilia, because thanks to his magic he had already whipped up a horrendous looking hole of soup. But what had everyone’s jaws dropping was that Noibat enjoyed it! It even cooed for seconds, nudging Lilia with the bowl. Of course Lilia was over the moon, he’ll have to ask to babysit more often.

[spiderling-space]

For Malleyuu Week 2021

Day 3: Hurt or Comfort 

This short fic is between my MC, Natalie Croft, and Malleus. Written in 3rd perspective from Malleus' POV.

This is slightly inspired by this idea

Italics indicate thoughts

Malleus Draconia & Natalie Croft

"Natalie"

"Malleus," Natalie greeted him, smiling and waving "oh, you addressed me by my name which means this is gonna be a serious talk." She shook her head and adorned a faux serious expression.

After spending a long time together, Malleus started to pick up when Natalie was being playful, sarcastic or stern. While she was trying to humour him, she made a correct statement. What he intended to say was crucial for him.

"It is," He affirmed the gravity of the situation serenely. "I would be elated if you agree to meet my grandmother." 

She tilted her head, furrowing her eyebrows. "I uh... What?"

"I told my grandmother everything about you. She requested to see you in person in order to get to know my special friend." Malleus clarified her confusion. That was right. He wrote about his special friend in his letter to his grandmother. All those moments they spent together, all the activities they did together and all the emotions she made him feel. She was truly a special friend as Lilia explained the type of relation he had with Natalie.

Her expression softened "Aww," she patted his arm, beaming at him, "thank you!" To his contempt, she withdrew her hand. "I'd love to meet her! When can I meet her?" Her excitement to meet his only relative was fluttering his heart gleefully. 

"I will be going back to Valley of Thorns during spring break. It would be magnificent if you choose to accompany me."

"Of course!" Malleus was overjoyed to hear her response. "Oh wait!" She touched his shoulder before he apparated away, making eye contact. Her beautiful green eyes were glinting with mischief. "So you think I'm special?" She flipped her hair with her hand, a bright smile adorning her face before winking at him, making his heart skip a beat.

Malleus became accustomed to her teasing, in fact, he sometimes yearned for it since he knew she was that way only with the people she deemed close. However, right now he just needed to send a letter to his grandmother, notifying her that his special friend agreed to meet her during the break. Getting away from her question was just another perk. "Farewell, Natalie." He chuckled before apparating to his room.

--------

The first day of spring break arrived in the blink of an eye for Malleus. Lilia and Silver were first going to go to Lilia's house in the forest, taking a break from knight duty while Malleus was already surrounded by multiple Royal Guards. Meanwhile, Sebek was going to stay with his parents even though he insisted to continue being his knight. Malleus knew that boy needed a break but was too proud to admit so he ordered him to spend time with his family. 

Then there were just him, Natalie and Grim who would go to his palace. He had ordered a special room to be prepared for her and Grim, filling the room with her aesthetics and ordered the cooks to prepare her favourite meals. He wanted to impress her and show her a  glimpse of the life she could have in Valley of Thorns. He also took Grim's preference into account as he knew Grim was holding a significant place in her heart.

"Nice," As Natalie's melodic voice filled the Magic Mirror room, Malleus started to get excited, yet showing a stoic expression on the outside. "Last time, students were going back to their homes, this place was like a circus."

"The others don't want to accidentally bump into me. Headmaster Crowley doesn't want the students to experience fear as they return home so he arranges my return home earlier than others." He explained casually.

"That's so cool! You won't get squashed between people and move freely!" Natalie added as she was pulling her 2 large baggage, clearly having a hard time with it. "Grim! Stop sitting on the case and help me push!" It was an amusing scene for Malleus but he didn't want her to force herself so he flicked his hand and her baggage started to float towards the Mirror. "Gosh, I wish I was able to do that!" He was always delighted to see her impressed by something he did or said. She looked around the room as if she was searching for something. "Where is your baggage?"

He chuckled, such a silly question, "I do not have any need to bring any of my stuff as I have everything I need in the palace." He then took a note of her baggages, it looked heavy in human standards as she was having a hard time moving it, knowing that she wasn't a weakling. "Do you plan to move in completely?" He had an opportunity to tease her so he had to take it.

"Oh my! You figured out my secret! How did you know?" She answered with the most exaggerated shocked expression he had ever seen. He knew she was only joking but a part of him wanted this to be the reality. He let out a small laugh to let her know that he understood her joke. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you. I have hidden a body there and I was planning to dump it in Valley of Thorns." So she wished to continue with her silly jester. "Fine, I'll tell ya. As you see, my clothing is different than usual." he nodded in agreement, he had noticed everything about her the moment she walked in. "I noticed that you cover your skin and I thought that it might be something cultural so as you see, I am covering more of my body. In my luggage, I have clothes in different styles that I'll wear if it is okay by Valley of Thorn's culture. I didn't want to be disrespectful towards you or your culture." His heart melted at that moment. She was sensitive towards his homeland and it was further proving that he chose the correct person. "Other than that I have my shoes, personal hygiene, feminine hygiene, ibuprofen, Grim's stuff, makeup, hair care products, hairdryer, hair curler, sunglasses, slippers, pyjamas and so on." He didn't expect a literal answer and was impressed by her dedication to her needs on vacation. Though, he didn't understand some of the items she listed.

"Since you have arrived, we can finally go." Malleus extended his hand towards Natalie, waiting for her to hold it as they went through the mirror. The second her hand touched his, grabbing it, Malleus felt a jolt run through his hand. He searched Natalie's face to see any reaction that would indicate she felt the same way but she was busy with holding Grim's paw and one of her luggages. He didn't want to wait any longer as he grabbed her other luggage and imagined his home before going through the mirror.

---------

"Not gonna lie here, I'm nervous about meeting your grandma. I feel like I'll mess up and leave a bad image of me." Malleus somewhat understands her worry, his grandmother was the one who would give her blessing to their relationship and she was known as the fae with the highest standard.

"Do not worry, Natalie, my grandmother knows how dear you are to me." He tucked in a strand of her red hair behind her ear. He wanted to hold her face there and then but now was not the time. He placed her hand interwoven with his arm and signalled the guards to open the door.

"You didn't even tell me how I should address her!" She whispered hurriedly as two Royal Guards opened the door of the throne room with their magic. There were no usual guards inside the room. He assumed she wanted to meet his special friend privately. As they walked inside the room, the door was closed.

Malleus' grandmother was nowhere to be seen as they neared the Dragon Throne. Then suddenly, he felt a shift in the magic behind them, indicating that his grandmother had arrived. "Malleus, my dearest!" His grandmother opened his arms waiting for a hug. He didn't make her wait, he let go of Natalie and walked towards his grandmother, hugging her tightly.

"Good afternoon," He greeted her before turning towards Natalie, extending his hand toward her direction. "This is the one I talked about, Natalie Emilia Croft." He spoke proudly, the moment he had been waiting for had arrived.

However, something didn't go as he imagined. Natalie, the person who always had something to say was standing there like a statue, eyes wide and not moving. He could hear how fast her heart was beating and thought it must be the sheer excitement. "Natalie," She didn't give any reaction again so he took quick steps to near her. "Natalie," he tried once again, touching her shoulder and shaking delicately.

"Huh?" Natalie got out of her trance. "Oh..." She shook her head as if it would clear her thought. Then she giggled, putting her hand on his bicep lightly. A cute smile formed on her face as she looked up at him. "Malleus, you told me we would meet your grandmother," she then withdrew her hand and turned towards the other fae in the room, "You didn't tell me you had a sister!"

Malleus was confused, trying to understanding the situation. He could sense that his grandmother was as confused as him but she was the one that recovered first. "Sweet little human, your flattery will not work on me."

Natalie took a few steps towards his grandmother. "I was only telling what I see, a goddess on Earth-ah-Twisted Wonderland." Something was off with the way she spoke. Her voice tone and expressions were way different from the way she spoke with him. "I am so sorry. I was enthralled by your beauty that our introduction was cut short. I am Natalie Croft, a friend of Malleus from Night Raven Collage. Lovely to meet you!" Natalie extended her hand toward his grandmother for a handshake. He didn't even pay attention to what Natalie said about their relationship. All of his attention was focused on his grandmother, waiting for her reaction.

His grandmother didn't shake Natalie's hand. Instead, she lifted her eyebrow, scrutinizing her as if she was trying to decide if Natalie was lying. "I am Maleficent Draconia, the Queen of Valley of Thorns and Malleus' grandmother."

"I am sorry, I have no idea how I shall address you properly. Where I am from, we only used Queen Elizabeth or the Queen, I have never had a chance to speak directly! Oh boy, I'm speaking quickly but it's because I cannot contain my excitement to meet you." Maleficent was known as a strict person so he was worried that she would disapprove of Natalie now.

Luckily his worries were farse. Maleficent chuckled, "Is this how you charmed my grandson's heart, little human?" She asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"I'm 170 cm so I am not really little," Natalie let out a little laugh, "I wouldn't say I charmed his heart per se. He is my friend and I behaved the same way I behave towards my other friends. He and some other people mentioned that people are afraid of him but, to be honest, I've never seen Malleus do something that would make me fear him. Also..." Natalie was talking about him but he lost his focus the moment she said that he wasn't treated special. He could see the same confusion on his grandmother's face.

"Little girl!" Maleficent's voice boomed, he could feel her magic in the air. "Did you admit you treat the others the same way you treat my grandson?"

Natalie gulped, "Y-Yes..." 

"So you admit you cheated on the person you are courting?" If things accelerated, he would step in between them. However, a part of him wondered the same question.

"Courting?" Natalie was confused. "I have read medieval setting books, I know that word." In all honesty, Malleus was impressed that she could form a coherent sentence in front of an angry Maleficent. "There is a misunderstanding. I am not courting Malleus or anyone. We are simply friends."

His grandmother calmed down as he heard Natalie sighing in relief. "Well then, we will converse again but first, Malleus," Maleficent looked at him, "Escort Natalie somewhere where you can have a private conversation. There is something you have to resolve." She apparated on her throne.

Malleus nodded, walked to Natalie's side, offered his hand. She held his hand once again and he ignored the sparks he was feeling this time. He apparated them to his rose garden before they sat on the bench. "Natalie," he started, "What did you mean back in the throne room?"

"Can you answer my question first?" She asked in the most sincere voice he had ever heard. He nodded in agreement. "Did you... tell your grandma that we are dating, I mean courting?"

"I could not contain my happiness and she loves to hear the changes in my life. I did write her letters mentioning all the activities we did for our courtship, you inviting me to places where only two of us are, us taking nightly strolls, you hugging me and kissing me."

"I- I only kissed your cheek as a thank you!" She answered apprehensively. Then took a deep breath. "You and I from different worlds and cultures that caused a misunderstanding to happen between us." She wasn't making any sense. Lilia told him all of them meant they were courting. "Everything we did together, me hugging you and giving you a kiss to a cheek are all friendly gestures. I-" She gulped, lowering her eyes momentarily before taking his hands into hers and making eye contact. "I don't see you that way."

"What way is that?" Words left his mouth before he could stop himself.

"I don't have any romantic feelings for you. I only see you as a friend." Natalie said only two sentences but it felt like she tore his heart from his chest and stabbed it. "You have been nothing but kind to me. You are the only person who was not mean to me ever. You have no idea how much that means to me."

If I mean so much to you, then why do you not want to be with me? Mean thought plagued his mind.

"You are one of the closest friends I have ever and I appreciate it truly." 

You do not seem to appreciate me as you break my heart.

"But I have never ever seen or thought of you anything more than a close friend." 

Malleus looked at her face to see if she was joking. As much as he wanted this to be a cruel joke, he saw that she was serious. But he wanted to try one last time. "Is there a chance of you to change your mind?"

She bit her lips, before plastering a smile on her face. "I cannot command how my heart feels, Malleus. I am sure you can understand that."

I understand it very well, Child of Man. A part of him was angry that she rejected him while the other part of him was upset that he assumed how she felt about him and their relationship were completely wrong. He wished he could tell his heart to stop loving her as more than friends and to seize aching but even with all the magic he had, it was impossible. He just needed some time alone to process all of these.

"You are free to explore the palace." Malleus had said as he retreated his hands from Natalie and stood up. Anyone would understand that he was upset as a lightning storm started over the palace even though he had stoic expression. "I have a matter to take care of, until then Croft." He bid her farewell before apparating to the mountains of Valley of Thorns.

[rheaamyett]

RECAPITULATION, Vol. 2 OF 12

And so our SECOND art stew recap begins.

{February 6th-5th of March}

I am not a four exclamation marks kind of person but if I were they would be framing every sentence here because the fact that we had a whole hearted, contribution filled February just sunk in for me.

Every week art consistently flies into the Art Stew pot… there are over 300 deliberate and relevant posts in the #artstew52 on Instagram!

SO! It’s time for that sentimental (really fun for me) task of reminiscing and highlighting the month that was in the Art Stew Fifty-Two. I’m thinking what better way to start than in all the “Lovey-dovey”, sappy ways which was...

WEEK SIX—LOVEY-DOVEY/VALENTINE

Love can be celebrated by us anytime but there was an extra focus on it for the Stewards the very first week of February. All your individual takes on the prompt gave me the warm fuzzies and some inspired chuckles and well…. inspired me to be a better person like Sophie’s did...

Art by Sophie Greve, @wild_and_precious_creative, “…last week’s prompt was Lovey-dovey, and I just so happened to have the great pleasure of making over 80 Valentine’s for this amazing home in my area that takes in women who are in domestic abuse situations. I love love love card making and hand-lettering, and I pray each one finds it’s way into the hands of someone who needs it. I hope today you get to spend time with the people you love, and I also hope you show some love to strangers too—you never know who needs it.❤”

WEEK SEVEN—INSPIRING FIGURES IN HISTORY

You guys are all-time saying that I’m torturing you by making you pick favorites!! Well, it is kind of true... it is always hard to pick just ONE from several favorites and inspiring figures are especially near and dear to us. It is so exciting and rewarding for me personally to see “works of art” week after week that solely came to fruition because of the Art Stew prompts. This piece in particular reminded me of that as well as put me into a “wow” trance.

Art by Emily Holtane, @emilyh_art, “This week's prompt was "historical figures" so, I decided to draw this white and black charcoal portrait of Virginia Hall. She was an American spy during WWII. She was a badass. Look her up.”

I found myself wanting to do a lot of “looking up” for our Inspiring Figures this week. There were some I had never really focused on and others that I hardly heard of SO! to make it easier for all of us to keep up here is a list of everyone’s INSPRIRING FIGURES IN HISTORY with links to the art they inspired:

@bertillustration started the week off by making the prompt extra awesome by imagining her Inspiring Figure dinner party guest list. (Click on the Stewards names to be linked to the original Instagram post.)

Elizabeth the First

Anne Boleyn

Beyoncé

Carrie Fisher

Michelle Obama

Virginia Woolf

@lungfamine - Thomas Paine

@teaganolivia - Winston Churchill

@opallonia - Mary Winston Jackson

@ariellebacon - Sydney Smith

@coreycatkins and @gracie_eyre - Vincent Van Gogh (there were two, no surprise here!)

@klaing_ - Dr. Seuss

@wilkinsonsophi1 - Eleanor Roosevelt

@hatchingartist​ - J. M. Barrie

@alyssa.kinde - Lilias Trotter

@thistleandleaves - Atticus

@jennapaddey - Audrey Hepburn

@homebodiesco - Abby’s: St. Francis, Reagan’s: Cleopatra

@1bird2go - David Hockney

So take this as another “to read” list when you’re feeling you need some inspiration. Hmmm... maybe someday we’ll appear on someone’s Inspiring Figures list. :)

WEEK EIGHT—MUSICALLY

Music and creating art goes hand in hand doesn’t it? (Oh, speaking of, I’ve got a music themed gift for you... more on that later.) The post below was submitted by one of my old friends and I actually met her grandad once. The memory is unforgettable!

Art by Bronwyn Cotten, @themythicalphoenix, “When I saw that the prompt for this week’s #artstew52 was Musically, I thought of this song. My granddaddy used to sing this to my grandma. Most of my time with them was at the end of their lives, and it was easy to focus on the negative, Granddaddy had Alzheimer's and Grandma had dementia. But every now and then I think back to my childhood, to him singing this song and I smile. Granddaddy called Grandma his sweetheart until the day he passed away. 

I Love You Truly

I love you truly, truly, dear, Life with its sorrow, life with its tear, Fades into dreams when I feel you are near, For I love you truly, truly, dear. Ah! love, 'tis something to feel your kind hand, Ah! yes, 'tis something by your side to stand; Gone is the sorrow, gone doubt and fear, For you love me truly, truly, dear.”

I can think back to a very fond memory of the man in the picture that was not so long ago. I was standing in a crowded reception room. Everyone was shoulder to shoulder bumping into each other trying to see the bride and groom as they were getting ready to drive away when suddenly someone straight up ran into me. They grabbed hold of my neck to steady themselves, both of us apologizing, and I was laughing and looked to see who it was. At the time I had no idea, he just looked like a little happy old man. I was about to step forward and then realized after a second that he wasn’t planning on letting go of my neck anytime soon so we had a meet and greet right there! Him looking up at me and asking me who I was and how I was doing from an inch away. Someone came by to collect him then but before he left he told me I had a beautiful smile and I believed him because no one had ever gotten such a good look at it before!

One last highlight for me from this week was hearing some of the Stewards use their art to play and sing. Did you know that Coralyn (@coreycatkins) has the voice of an angel? She said this was “An attempt at Gloomy Sunday.” (I’m still waiting for the attempt part because this is wholey and totally beautiful.)

A post shared by Corey (@coreycatkins) on Feb 25, 2017 at 1:18am PST

WEEK NINE—WINTER’S LAST BREATH

“Her crimson cheeks and white velvet cloak dissolve into vernal rains and floral gowns. Winter's Last Breath is Spring's First Song.”—Arielle Bacon (see the art combined with her words here: @ariellebacon) 

I learned this week that Arielle is a writer as well as a core artist. You go on to Teagan’s embroidery piece, I’ll catch up in a second, I’m going to read that again, it’s so beautiful.

Art by Teagan Olivia Sturmer, @teaganolivia, “My piece for this weeks #ArtStew52 prompt—"Winter's Last Breath". Loved this prompt so much. Today really does feel Spring-y. I slept through my first tornado yesterday, but this morning was bright and beautiful and filled with chirping birds.”

Okay, we’ve reached “gift” time. 

The Stewards in the Facebook group all put their heads together and came up with some songs they felt had “spring-y” vibes. You’d think the different genres and styles would not sound good together but It’s that stewy dynamic magic I tell you! Our tastes all compliment each other. This playlist is really special. We’ll have to make another for summer.

I named it:

SPRING STEW

Listen.

I’m getting to know you all so well and I’d like to give one particular Steward a shout out for helping keep me inspired behind the scenes this month.

Lydia Grace!! (@gracie_eyre) She does a weekly Instagram live in which she plays the piano and takes requests. I do not have an example for you but I do have a tiny clip of a very relatable epiphany she had during one of our conversations the other day...

A post shared by Rhea Amyett (@artstew52) on Mar 5, 2017 at 1:58pm PST

We share so many favorite books and films and she sent me this after one particular film conversation. I died laughing. :D Make sure you follow her, she is pure comedy AND she will enlighten you on how to successfully make an Instagram Live video!

I will close out with the bonus prompt we had running all month (and will continue to run forever because INTRODUCTIONS are timeless.)

There are so many us “profligate guppies” now! (As @lipstickandgelato dubbed us.) If you want to add your own introduction or already have an introduction but don’t see it here just tag with #artstewards on Instagram! (Also if you want, click the hashtag to read more about each Steward or say “hi”.) There are a handful of men around here but just in case...

The Stewards do not bite nor cook man-artists!!

;)

Okay, see you on the flip side! Particularly when we start sharing our art for March’s extra exciting Prompt List! 

MERRY MARCH, EVERYONE!

P. S. There is not an option to leave comments below but I would love for you to leave any thoughts, reactions—anything, by clicking the tab under the header that’s labeled “Comments & Good Conversation”.