#lines for those sketches so i had to use the ruler and it was a whole mess. so like. thats the explanation

[skcirthinq]

I have excavated some ancient relics from my sketch folder- look, and be amazed(?) at their age, millenias of time having passed since uh. *checks dates*

2023.

Anyway, I've got some sketches from @nicoforlifetrue Rotten Reflections; a crossover between Rise and 2012, where Rise's Leo and Donnie spend some time feral due to injury. The author's got some interesting lore they've been setting up too!

And then, I've got some sketches for Kraang Soup (not my turtles, not my circus) by BlueTortoise137; another crossover. This one's also sent the Disaster Twins to 2012, and like. NGL, any y'all got some unresolved frustration for 2012 kraang? Shredder?

You might enjoy this.

It's a fun take on how the genre differences really stack certain decks between the two sets of turtles.

And lastly, some positively ancient, like- found them next to dinosaur skeletons, ancient- Sketches from The Last Grain of Sand in the Hourglass by @last-hourglass Which is like! An amazing fic with Leo trapped in the Prison Dimension, the krang being shitheads, and the Apocalypse Peepaws trying to save everyone. I am not doing it justice with that summary.

Uh. Please ignore the pokemon? They don't have anything to do with these lol I just didn't want to load stuff into my drawing app- it's getting testy at me.

[theelvishfiddler]

AN ARTIST'S GUIDE TO HANDS

No, sorry it's actually not an artist's guide to drawing hands. Those are just warmup studies (which I'll talk about in this post.)

This is a guide to Your Hands and how to take care of them when making art.

No one ever sits down and teaches artists how to take care of their hands. They didn’t even teach me this while I was in art college. This is just what I've learned myself through years of pain and scouring the internet for advice.

This is going to be a long one and geared towards illustrative traditional/digital/pen/pencil artists specifically, but artists of other mediums and crafts should take care of their hands too! Well, we all should take care of our bodies in general, but this is about hands.

(advice is below the read more)

First off I'm not a professional or anyone with actual medical advice. I'm just some guy with chronic hand pain who makes art. This advice is free for you to use or discard.

WARMUPS!

Ever sit down in the morning to draw and wonder why your art is so stiff and looks so much worse than what you were drawing last night? It's because you didn't warm up!

You know how for physical sports they all warmup and do stretches before getting into the actual sport. To prevent injuries and all that? Yeah, it's good to do that for art too.

One way to warmup is to just draw lines. Try to keep them as straight as you can. Going up and down and diagonal. Draw squares. Big squares. Small squares. Circles! You are warming up, keep it loose and relaxed! Basically just scribble away.

(examples. I usually keep going until there is no paper white left. This can double as practice for drawing straight lines without a ruler, which is a great skill to have when freehand city drawing.)

Before hopping right into drawing people you can try doing some quick gesture drawings. Line of Action has timed sessions with a large variety of clothed or nude models. I usually do the 30 min class as it has a nice balance of short and long timed poses. The point isn't to draw nice art, but to warm up. Try to get the basic form down, not the details. I find that doing a full class session can really help my drawings feel more loose and grounded in reality for the rest of the day.

Some examples I found in my folders. I suggest looking into what a line of action (not the site) is and giving it a try with some of the studies!

COOLDOWNS!

For sports it's to return your body back to your everyday baseline after a workout.

Example; you are working on a big project! A masterpiece! It's detailed and cool! You have been focusing on this for hours and drawing so intensely. But you need to stop working for the day.

A cooldown is for winding down out of the go go go mindset. Put away the big project and do a couple small doodles and sketches. You are relaxing your hand and letting it stretch out. Keep the sketches loose. Let the art happen slowly. Don't polish anything, that can happen another day. Just ease yourself out of drawing.

...

Cool! Now we get into the meat of this thing.

HAND PAIN

How to avoid it and how to manage it if you already have it.

I love you artists and creatives, I am begging you to please take care of your most important creative tools. I really don't want this to sound like scare tactics like "oooh you better do this or blah blah!" Nope. I just had to learn all this the hard way and I'm extremely passionate about it.

Take this advice or don’t ╮(ﾟ～ﾟ;)╭ I can't tell you what to do, I'm not your dad

Adjustments and Small Solutions

If you are feeling physical discomfort while drawing there are many different solutions to try! Here are some suggestions that may or may not work for you.

Hold your pencil more loosely. Stop gripping that thang so tightly!!! Relax that hand! They make these… squishy pen grip things... I think they are called Adaptive Pencil Grips or Adaptive Writing/Drawing Aids? They stop your hand from being all cramped up by making your drawing tool wider. It's going to take a bit of time to adjust to drawing with it, but it's worth it for those who hold pencils too tightly.

Don't press as heavily. For traditional art, if you find yourself pressing really hard to get darker lines try moving to a softer pencil. Most standard pencils are HB, the B pencils have softer graphite. Experiment until you find the right one for you. For Digital, adjust your pressure settings so you don't have to press as hard to get thicker lines. You should not be pressing so hard all the time, it wears out both your hand and your tablet! It takes a bit of time to adapt to pencil or pressure changes. Try doing some unimportant sketches, they don't have to be good. You are just training your hand and mind to adjust using less pressure.

Draw with your arm and not your wrist! It's small repetitive motions that cause the most strain. You probably hear this one a lot, what does it even mean? It means moving your arm with the motions of your line, and trying not to make too many tiny movements with your just your fingers or wrist. This one is hard! It takes time and conscious thought to change the habit. Tips? Work bigger. Zoom in more. Use bigger sheets of paper.

(Motions exaggerated for a clearer example)

Change the angle of your drawing surface. They make angled tablet holders, angled desks, angled desktop raisers. Experiment, find and angle that is comfortable and the one that causes the least pain. (It's also good to make sure you don't have to hold your head at an uncomfortable angle when drawing. Staring straight down or hunching over a paper flat on the table can cause pain!)

Compression Glove? Wrist brace/tensioners? Some folks use them and I've been thinking of getting one for years now. I can't give advice on this one, because I don't have experience with it. Look into it if you want!

Managing Pain

First things first.

IF YOUR HANDS START TO HURT WHILE YOU ARE DRAWING. STOP! Put the pencil/pen/paintbrush/whatever down. The art will still be there for you to continue tomorrow.

I know from experience that it's extremely hard to pull away when you are hyper focused on an art piece. It's hard to remember all sorts of basic needs like food or bathroom when hyper focused. But you Need to stop when you feel that pain. (Preferably even before the pain…)

Take Breaks! Let your hands rest when you can. Just like a machine, if you don't schedule maintenance, the machine will schedule maintenance for you. Often that means having to wait a few days for it to return to functional. Best to take a day off from heavy usage or take an occasional 30 min break throughout the day to let your hands rest.

Stretching is important! Full body stretches are good; your arms, shoulders, neck, and spine are all connected, but I'm specifically talking about HAND and wrist stretching. There are a lot of stretches and massages for carpal tunnel and arthritis out there. I find they work for hand pain in general. Move into and out of each stretch slowly. Do not push a stretch if it hurts!! Be gentle!!

I am not a qualified professional and I will not be giving out specific stretches (that is beyond my personal comfort level). There are other artists out there who have made helpful stretching info-graphics which are cool, but I will not be because i don't want to be responsible for someone accidentally hurting themself. Ask your doctor for stretches & advice or look some up on your own.

Don't feel bad about forgetting to stretch frequently! Of course it is good to do it regularly and frequently, but I would be a hypocrite if I said that I remember to stretch daily. Setting timers for stop and stretch sessions can work for some people, but also doing stretches whenever you remember is fine! If you are sitting on the toilet you can idly do some hand stretches. On the bus? Laying in bed? At the beach? Do a couple stretches! Even just once a week is better than… nonce a week.

Using Cold or Heat to treat pain. If you really overdid it, put your hands in some cold water or wrap a cloth around an ice pack and apply it to your hand. Cold works best for me, but warmth works for others. This is just pain reduction and reducing inflammation from overuse! This is not a permanent solution.

If your hand hurts a lot! Frequently! Talk to your doctor? Idk mine has never given real advice. Just gently poked my hand and told me there isn't much to be done about it :/ but there are really good doctors out there who will care and give helpful advice!

Again. IF IT HURTS TO CONTINUE DRAWING. STOP DRAWING! This is not a "no pain no gain" type situation. Drawing so much that you hurt yourself isn't noble, it's just… limiting yourself. You only get one set of hands. These things are very handy to have.

Other Advice

Things I couldn't figure out how to fit into the earlier sections.

Your other hand can't handle the strain! Lets say you hurt your drawing hand... the other hand is right there free to use for art. Right? Wrong. Your other hand can't keep up with the demand, it hasn't been trained to the same extent as your dominant hand, it does not have the built up muscle. If you want to use that hand for drawing you are going to have to use it s l o w l y and train it bit by bit over a long period of time. When I tore a tendon in my right hand I decided to just keep drawing with my left and I got Really Good at it. It only took like two months before my left hand hurt too much to move. Then I had 0 functioning hands to pull up my pants. Not fun!!

People who draw on phones. That is extremely impressive! I'm amazed by the things people can create on such a small space. But phone artists are the ones I see most frequently mentioning hand pain. please please please make sure you are taking breaks. Would a stylus work instead of using a finger?

Outside of Drawing. Sometimes it's things outside of drawing that are causing the pain. For me there are multiple sources, but I also have tiny baby hands. Holding a phone too long causes pain. The handheld mode for my Switch causes A Lot of pain. The way my hand rests while typing on my laptop hurts! Playing tense videogames for too long hurts! Find the source of your pain and make some changes. The same things will apply to most; take regular breaks, do some stretches, and find soft things to prop up or rest your arms on.

Change your Artstyle. This one is more of a last resort. You might have to change your art style if you are getting sharp pains every time you draw. I loved drawing tight clean lines and many small fancy details, but drawing like that left me in so much pain at the end of the day. In 2023 I had to take the better part of year off from illustrations just to learn how to sketch and draw more loosely. I had to learn how to be gentle. To stop gripping my pencil so tightly. Learn! Adapt! You might discover a new style that you love even more!

A lot of this stuff gets more complicated in a work setting where you have to draw fast and long in order to get paid. Things like reducing your workload can help, but that can be... financially rough. But outside of that, it’s ok to be a slow artist. Going full steam and hurting yourself is not worth it.

Aaaaaanyway, thats all folks. Today's rant brought to you by me! The guy with chronic hand pain who always forgets to stretch! The guy who got frustrated with a sketch yesterday and decided to push to keep drawing for just one more hour! The guy who woke up this morning and had to spend 2 hours massaging and stretching their hands. The guy who probably shouldn't have typed all of this out because ooww ow ouch

If your hands do hurt, it's going to be ok! You don't need to be a speed demon who draws all the time. It's ok to take your time and take frequent breaks. You are going to do great things! Just be gentle with yourself...

[daiourage]

TFO Dual Rulers (?) AU

I've been seeing people do like a "what if D didn't go fuckin' coconuts" AU, and it kinda inspired me to start thinking of what other events would be changed in those scenarios.

(yes i'm still in denial)

Please take these lightly colored sketches!!! Also I'm sorry for lazy handwriting;;

Also also, as always, please click/press the image for quality!!!

("Brief" explanations for each of the numbered panels is under the cut (the numbers are just the order of when I drew them, and not in chronological order of the scenes)!!!)

1. I think, because D won't be the one to shoot at Sentinel because he's grounded in this AU, Sentinel would be the one to use the last of his strength to try and shoot at D, only for Orion to block it. I couldn't figure out how to draw D in immense agony about it so I just decided to make this paper a collection of ideas. If anyone has any ideas, please tell me because I want angst--//shot (I also finally remembered to write my signature this time!!!) 1-2. The main problem I had trouble figuring out was how D would possibly let go of Orion... He'd still say the "Why did you do that, why?!" line, but I don't know where to go from there. Would Sentinel still have energy to kick D's hand? Would Orion be too heavy to hold on? Would Orion tell D to let him go? Maybe they wouldn't even be hanging over the ledge and D would just be holding him--but then what? There was too many things to ponder about just one scene, and I wanted to get my other ideas out before I forgot about them. Guyssss give me your ideas please-- 2. It always bothered me that Orion and Bee left D in Sentinel's office(?) to hold him off on his own;;; like, I get it, D won't listen, but at least tell him you're leaving??? 2-2. I think the "What did he do to you?" conversation would be much longer. Not as comical and cheesy as the comic I sketched a little bit back, but... 3. (Please read it right to left;;; I just got done reading manga when I had the idea to draw this panel;;; also the entire page honestly. I'm so sorry y'all--)At the High Guards' base, I think D'd be the one to initiate a fight with Starscream still, but do it calmly. 4. I wanted to keep this line, because it would make sense still. Also might hurt a little more *screams* (D would not do the Anime Girl Pose™️, but I wanted him and Orion to match oop--) 5. After apprehending Sentinel, somehow we'd get his (Megatronus's) cog and Orion (now Optimus) would give it to D as a token of trust. Based off of @/momonsalmonmon on Twitter/X's absolutely gorgeous comics!!! (I also DO NOT remember how the cogs looked I'm sorry for not doing further research ;w; Will do better next time I promise;;;) 6. Bee and Soundwave BFFs???? (+ annoyed Shockwave) Please. Also maybe bring back Senator Soundwave as a concept??? Miss he;; It might be interesting, with Bee also "working for the government" now,,, 7. Headcanon that Orion is bad at math and confides in Elita and D for enforcing the taxes so the citizens don't become outraged but also so that the government has enough money to do stuff. D might be like "Aww he needs our help" and Elita would be like "godddd let me work out" 7-2. I feel like I draw Elita with an annoyed expression too much I'm so sorry milady;;; I promise I love you;;;

[toruro]

svt as school supplies

doing more of these bc they're so fun. i apologize if this is overly specific i am extremely Not Sober

cheol is that one binder that you've always had and it's kind of a hot mess but ur too attached to let go and so u continue to use it even though it's basically falling apart

i think jeonghan is a 0.5mm mechanical pencil. it writes super pretty, but it's lwk unpredictable as fuck and can snap on u any second

joshua is a set of neat folders u got for the new yr except they're all the same color so it's actually a nightmare trying to figure out which folder is for which class

jun is a set of pretty gel pens. pretty and lovable but also so unpredictable like wdym u rank out of ink after drawing 3 lines.

soonyoung is that one highlighter that's constantly on its last breath

wonwoo's a composition notebook. NERD.

jihoon is white out

no one can disagree w me on this bc seokmin is mr. sketch markers incarnate

mingyu is one of those big ass binders with zippers and a whole file storer

minghao is like ... a black spiral bound notebook that one crazy smart kid has for all their classes but never uses it for anything other than doodling in it

seungkwan is a mini stapler

vernon's that one bic pen u found on the ground 2 years ago

chan is one of those kinda transparent bendable rulers

[fagboyfriend]

i rlly like ur composition, i wanna know about your process :D

thank uuu !! yeah so like. composing a scene for me generally begins with a vague idea that i want to get down as quickly as possible- and for me that usually starts with finding a setting. I knew that i wanted to draw a) a group of roomates gossiping in a crowded kitchen and i wanted there to be b) one figure in the extreme foreground and c) lots of plants. i do use some tools to figure out perspective, mainly the csp perspective ruler. Usually i start by finding a picture i like similar to the vibe im going for- but instead of referencing anything else- im purely interested in perspective. sorry to anyone who is shocked i dont generate all of my perspective purely by myself- i can draw in perspective fairly well but i struggle to make straight lines and this is easier to make grids with than the line tool lol ^_^ i try to use it kinda more like spellcheck on typos than like something to fully rely on. this is the video i learned this trick from:

i saw the left photo and realllly loved how the cabinets alligned with the wall- so i used my ruler tool to draw out my inital plotted points from the image- basically the linear movements i was most interested in and then i turned off the image layer and worked with those lines and the ruler tool to move on. eventually i had this:

which was enough for me to put my characters in for the inital round. if you notice- i made a looot of further adjustments as i go on. this sketch is not a final layout, its so my characters have somewhere to be! i cannot draw someone standing on a floor if theres no floor, nor leaning on a table that doesnt exist. i can’t draw my characters without a background, but i also cant finish my background without accounting for how my characters can comfortably exist in it!!

this was the like.. very basic start. i knew the positions of two characters- but i needed to change a lot not only to fit them better but to allow for the other two figures i had planned.

okay.. a little better. i widened the kitchen, closed the fridge door.. added a chair and fit in all the figures.. but this is waaay too dramatic. only two figures are actually interacting- and they are at wildly different energy levels!

this is where things started to make a little more sense characterwiss, so i was ready to refine backgrounds and figures and unite the two.

inital base sketch. much better layout.

okay- this is where im getting my footing but things seem.. really really off. You can see me working on my framing here- theres some good linear movement from left to right here- but not vertically. It’s hard to notice the figure in the far back, so i need to redirect the viewers eye to move upwards as well!

this is where i decided to zoom out, add an interesting vertical element to the left of the image and make it clearer whats happening in the foreground. i had to account for some stuff by adjusting the cropping, but i paid attention to that as well.

annnd- thats what a clean sketch looks for me! i have all the elements of my scene accounted for, and things are clean enough to read.

the next step for me would be transfer! essentially- I print the image of my sketch out, resizing and taping pages together so my sketch matches the size of the paper i want to paint on, and then i use a lightboard to transfer my sketch with pencil onto my paper. Then i refine the sketch a few times on paper before stretching my watercolor paper (essentially just prepping for painting) and inking with a brush and colored ink before going in with watercolor, gouache and ink, then usually finishing with marker, colored pencil, pastel and ink. it’s a lengthy process but a lot of fun lol. but sketches for me can be like.. 15 layers of different roughs until im happy with just the sketch. there were more images but im on mobile and theres a 10 image limit 😭😭 im a bit masochistic but i believe that if i dont have a good sketch i dont have a good painting!!

[incorrectshantaequotes]

so I did two sketches based on @shantaeandthebluemoon's musing over transfem!Bolo

First one being...well, the obvious

And...yeah, it's Bolo if she transitioned! Not too different from how she used to look, all things considered, but she's fairly happy with this, so all's well!

Now, I'm sure you may have noticed the hint of the OTHER sketch I did, which...well. I thought about the "what if Bolo was turned into a girl the others didn't recognize" thing shantaeandthebluemoon proposed and I had an idea

In THIS sketch, Bolo ends up accidentally picking up a magical artifact, going to sleep with it not realizing what it is, wakes up...and finds that not only is she a girl now, but there's also someone else with her. Say hi to Queen Echidna's first drawn appearance on this blog, everybody!

For those of you who either aren't aware or don't remember, Queen Echidna is a minor OC I made who happens to be one of Sequin Land's past rulers...and one of the worst tyrants it's ever known, with her beauty only matched by her vanity and cruelty. Also, if it isn't obvious from the outfit, she and her followers are the direct ancestors to the guys on Tan Line Island; they were forcibly banished there after the people of Sequin Land had enough of her shit

So, yeah, Echidna being with Bolo here is a bad thing; she's trying to mold her into what she deems a suitable vessel so she can possess her and resume her rule...but at least she supports trans rights? Diversity win: cruel despot who is now a ghost and trying to return to the land of the living to resume her reign supports your transition

[a-s-levynn]

Okay so the tags all day under my high water small offering genuinly made me super emotional..

I don't know if anyone would be interested in it seeing almost step by step while i ramble about it a bit? But i did it anyway. I'm missing a lot of stages because i wasn't planning to do something like this. I'm not even completely sure why i scanned some of the steps to be honest. But at least you can see some of the progression of it?

Anyway if any of you is interested in it i put a rundown under the cut. Also the obligatory measuring tape/ruler shots at the end of it, because yes i've seen those tags as well. Spoiler for those who understandably do not want to chew through my pointless ramblings: yes, it is fairly small.

Disclaimer: It's long and rambly, you have been warned

Just to preface this: this is not advice on art because i can't give you that. If you ask me how i do stuff i can tell you but beyond that i'm useless. This is just for funzies.

Okay so i don't have the step with sketching Vessel, but you still can see some of what is left from his torso and head and spine-line under the cloack. Maybe even traces of the right arm connecting to the torso.

When i draw figures, i usually start out with a line for a spine and then build it outwards. And i always draw them semi-naked first. It's so much easier for me to dress them, rather than go for the clothed version immediately. Helps me a lot with the fold placement.

Also for pose references i use a free browser app. I certainly can't draw human figures from scratch if the pose is more dynamic or the angle is something more complicated, but i'm decent at eyeballing what i can see. This one didn't really needed that 'cause Vessel does this a lot and i looked at the man's pictures and videos so much at this point, i can kinda mock it up. And like.. i usually draw up a standard male figure and just.. make it slightly skinnier and bam. Vessel proportions. Or something close enough to pass for it. But in general i look up a lot of reference photos for stuff because it is easier to understand something you see rather than something you imagine. At least for me.

Initially i was planning to add tendrils into the waves to indicate that those are raising the water around Vessel. That pulling himself beneth the waves maybe not so much just his own decision he just can't fully see the outside force hiding inside the water or something something i don't know i'm not smart for stuff like this.

What you can't see is that i was thinking about putting a faint silhouette of the tmbte moon behind the clouds but i quickly forgone that, because it was just not dark enough visually that way and also felt far too busy.

So i laid out a rough shading idea for where i want stuff to sit tonally and was like, nope, still not dark enough.

And so darker it got. But the sky felt flat, it needed something. So i was like, okay i have no moon or anything but like i could warp the clouds towards Vessel. Like as if the sky is collapsing into him or sending him a sign or maybe it's just in his head or whatever? I'm still not smart enough for concepts.

Also rain had to be added, because "wash me clean again before..." you know. To stick to the prompt.

It's almost there at this point but the waves look so sad and got smaller than the initial sketch. But i knew there is going to be froth on top of them so it was not a big deal. I knew they would be a sorry sight if i only do it with pencil anyway. It was never an option. So the trusty gel pen came out and it is such a drastic difference:

It also gave Vessel and the stone he stands on a sharp edgelight which is super dramatic looking. Also lifts him out from the background a bit more so he doesn't fully disappear into it. And the waves actually started to look like waves insted of weird grey cones.

And here again the finished version:

There is not much thought or like amazing skill that goes into these, i'm just trying to hide what i can't do and lean into what i can. And what i can do is shading. Someone told me close to two decades ago now that "don't rely on the outlines, shade behind the things to create depth" and that is something that my brain just latched onto and wanted to do that. And so i did. Or at least tried. Didn't took long for me to really start to enjoy shading and got fairly good at it, because i did that most of the time. And that's it, i guess.

Also yes it is small-ish. I'm using two relatively small sketchbooks, the "larger" one (with the ecru/yellowish paper, which i use for the small offerings <- this is where tha name came from originally) is 15x10,5 cm, and a slightly smaller one (with the grey-ish reused paper, which i use for everything else currently) which is 14,5x9,5cm. The card i did Ash's ballpoint pen iii is 16,5x11,4cm.

Basically everything i do is kind of small. I don't know how to draw large anymore to be honest. If i can't see the entire piece properly in one i mess up proportions big time. And i love detailwork and if i draw small the less detail i have to put into it. Because i'm also lazy.

So Vessel is about 4,5cm tall here... which is only a cm taller than the average height of Tiny Token.

[oc-cafe]

No one killed the King.

It’s been three days, seven hours, nine minutes and exactly sixty nine seconds since Vea Amaris broke into our ballroom, collapsed on the floor and cried. In the past three days, seven hours, nine minutes, and exactly sixty nine, well seventy seconds since then, a lot has happened. My mother has decided to acknowledge herself as the queen until I breach eighteen. After that, I will be the ruler, and she an advisor.

Vea Amaris is now well enough to sit up straight, well partially. Their ministers  have already received a letter, explaining where their acting ruler is, as their father’s whereabouts are unknown.  Eren left early yesterday morning, determined to find King Amom. 

There’s so  much to do. Father’s funeral has already been held. We had no body to bury so we buried his falchion, even though he never used it. He stuck to his daggers until the very end, but they were lost at sea along with his beloved bow and arrow, if only we had them. 

Grief weighs down every move in the castle, Zuri can no longer be seen sketching the horizon or taking one of her long walks on the beach, she’s shut herself in her wing and has allowed no one to see her. She’s even stopped taking her meals with mother and I! 

I wish I could fault her, blame her, but it would be hypocritical of me. If I could, I would  hide away in my room as well, but I have duties. I am expected to rule while my mother recovers from the shock, she is still queen but I am still the heir. I still have to lead my people, I still have to look after Vea, soothe our agitated allies before they turn on us, defend my kingdom and most importantly, find my father’s killer.

There aren’t any leads to follow, I haven’t been allowed near Vea, therefore I cannot question them about his death. There’s no ship to inspect, no bodies, no witnesses, nothing. Nothing. NOTHING. 

Nothing’s such a horrible word, there’s no point to it. It’s the only lie we accept. Every question in the world could be answered with those seven letters, but it’s never nothing, is it? There’s always something, or someone. 

This is basically a long winded way of saying, I’m sneaking into Vea’s hospital room to ask them questions about my father’s brutal murder. Yay! This will definitely not backfire, Amaris is… reasonable, for the lack of a better word. 

My shoes are off, and all that could give away my identity is hidden away in my room, where I’ve arranged a few cushions to pretend that I’m asleep in my room. The borrowed (read: stolen) servant’s gown is slightly uncomfortable but nondescript enough that no one will pay attention to me. 

Now. I have a royal to harass. 

-X-

I quietly make my way around the clinic, careful to stay on my guard, while Ababyomi may be out for now, she’s sure to return soon, and she knows every single nurse that works for her. The second she’s back, I’m screwed.  The other nurses mill about restlessly, currently the only patient in the castle is Vea. That makes my work a lot harder. I manage to disappear behind the curtain that separates my mark from me and my questions. Vea looks less pitiful today, the swelling around their eyes has gone down, making them look less racoonish. The blood that clung to their armour and skin that night, has been painstakingly cleaned, the only trace of their injuries are the stitches that line most of their body. 

They cock their head to the side, and sit up. Their smile is tired and their hands barely obey them when they lift it in a silent gesture. “You’re welcome here.” It’s small and silent, a mutual understanding. We’ve both lost our fathers and for tonight, there is to be no mention of the war, only a grim compromise. 

 I’ll tell you what you want to know, and you’ll tell me what I want to know. No ifs, no buts. 

“Good evening, Vea.” I drag a chair next to their bed, allowing my body to finally rest. For the past three days, I’ve done nothing but run around, and deal with agitated allies. A few moments of rest and relaxation was much needed.  “Daraja. I am truly sorry about your father, I wish I could have done more , helped him, somehow.” 

“You still can, help me find who killed him, Vea. Please.” I want to scream and cry but diplomacy helped us before, perhaps it can again. 

“I’ll  help however I can…. For a  price.” 

“A price?” “Nothing is ever free Princess.” They smile at me softly, their gaze carries no heat, a simple aura of cool intellect hidden by a weak exterior. 

“I’m aware, name your price.” “A walk around the palace?” Well. That was…surprising. 

“Uh. Sure.”  What could possibly go wrong?

  -X-

After a nerve wracking  escape from the clinic, we wander around in the gardens, there is not a single soul in sight. Only Vea and I. 

For a few moments neither of us speak, the only sound passing between us is that of their cane sounding against the cobblestones. 

“So.”  A brave attempt at breaking the tension, a failed one but brave nonetheless. 

“Right.” “I don’t know how to start.” A beat. 

“I’ll tell you exactly what happened and then you can decide what you want to do with me.”  Vea offers, their gaze turned away from me.  They don’t wait for an answer.

“We set sail almost immediately after the treaty was signed. He didn’t want to wait until dinner, he didn’t want to wait a second longer. All he could talk about were his girls, he talked about Zuri and The queen but mostly, he talked about you and how proud he was of you. He really loved you Daraja.” The weather is exceptionally warm, even my eyes are perspiring.  

“  I wish both of us could have made it home Daraja, I really do, but when those monsters took me…” 

“Monsters? Took you? Wha-” WHAT MONSTERS? LITERAL? FIGURATIVE? ELABORATE. 

“They didn’t tell you, did they?” Of couuuurse they did, I’m just pretending not to know. Read the garden Amaris. 

“I’m sorry, um I forgot that Aiga wasn’t aware of  the skelons.”  Skelons? What? 

“Skelons?”

“It’s a long story…” “I’ve got time.” 

A/N: Has this been beta read? Absolutely not no. Has this been posted after a billion years? Absolutely yes. 

I apologise for the incredibly long hiatus, I really didn't mean to do that. I’m really hoping y’all haven’t lost interest yet.

Mod Tag: @tiredguyswag@ne0npurplefantasies

Taglist (send an ask to be added or removed): @ghostdragoncookie @jewishdainix @ialmostdonothingnew @just-call-me-a-god @death-and-the-lady13 @fierreth-who @mister-finally-found-himself @coffeelovinggayidiot @pinkyy-promises @sassychaostrash @lesbiansayaishii @a-cloud-for-dreams @brkh96 @i-likestuff86 @redvelvetpdf @xx0yeet-everything0xx

[call-me-double-trouble]

Old Art

Hi, all! To celebrate my 1-year anniversary of this blog, I decided it’d be fun to show some of my first, never-before-seen drawings of Double Trouble. All of these are traditional, as I hadn’t gone digital yet. Some are also unfinished, and many were sketches at work that weren’t really meant to be “good,” just something to entertain me when I didn’t have any tasks to do.

I’m going to poke fun at some of them, as I’ve improved a lot since drawing them, but I'm not trying to encourage artists to be overly-critical of their past works. Recognizing your mistakes and flaws in your old work only shows how far you’ve come, and I just want to have a good giggle about how silly some of my old sketches look.

Art under the cut because this list goes on for awhile

Here’s the first drawing of DT I remember doing:

I used a reference for this one, hence why it looks better than some of my later entries in this post. Unfortunately, it suffers from Long Head Syndrome, a mistake I still often make with traditional art because at the angle I’m seeing it while I’m drawing, it looks perfectly fine. But then you hold it at eye-level, and uh...

Also, what the heck kinda hairline did I give them? It’s like it meets at a point, but not in the middle of their head.

Next up, these two:

Will the Long Head Syndrome ever cease??? As you can tell, I liked the sketch I did at work, so I traced it onto watercolor paper, made a couple changes, and painted it. This one’s not too bad, though it does look like their eyebrows missed the memo as to what angle their head was at.

This next one may be the worst:

Like...WTF is that? What is that hair poof? Why is one eye so much smaller than the other? What’s going on with that mouth? This is why references are important, kids.

With this next one, I got bored and wanted to color DT in with Sharpies:

So bright! My eyes! The hair poof is too small, but at least it’s not wiggly like the last one. Also, here’s a magnifying glass to help you see those tiiiny eyebrows.

Here’s another I did with fine line markers that I keep on my wall like a sticker:

I messed up on the smile, so I made it a frown. Now their eyebrows are too big, and so is that one ear. (Also, my walls aren’t that bright in real life, they just showed up that way on camera.)

Next up is--

Oh.

WHAT IS THAT

And next we have one of my favorites!

The little menace themselves, cute-ified. (We don’t talk about hairlines, no, no, no~)

And here we have one I turned into a digital drawing, but you may notice...

the ears are too fucking small. DT went from rulers on the side of their head to kid-sized ice cream cones. A real downgrade.

This one’s an unfinished (and will never be finished) drawing:

What even ARE those hands. Ok, yes, they were guides for drawing in fingers later, but...ew.

Here’s the first full-body, colored drawing of DT I ever did.

I had drawn them meeting a character from the book I’m writing, hence the speech bubble, but cropped that character out because spoilers! Anyway, this drawing was done with several references and looks much better than some of the others on this list. The main issue is that they’re standing at an angle. Why are they slanted??? Why can’t I draw a straight line??? *sees ace pride flag* Oh yeah, that’s why.

And lastly, here’s the first time I used the DT doll base from @sheblah​ :

Since this was before I had my iPad, I had to trace the doll base to use it, though I decided to draw the face myself. Oh, asymmetrical eyes, how I loathe thee.

Well, that’s all of the old traditional drawings of DT I have! As you can see, I’ve come a long way since then, but it’s always fun to look back and see where you’ve come from. I hope you enjoyed these silly doodles!

[m4lexxx67]

I did not expect this to blow up so much, seriously, this is so weird and incredible. Thank you all so much for the incredible feedback, it made my fucking week ^^

And since a few people asked how I did this, I thought I'd take the opportunity to ramble about how I paint shirts and hope that those who asked see this <3

First off, if someone wants a hoodie or a t-shirt with this design for themself, I'm totally cool with you using this as long as you only do it for yourself and don't profit from it and give credit if you post it somewhere. Also please send pics should anyone actually do this themself 😊

So how did I do this?

First I made a sketch on paper and like I said calculted how big and how far apart everything had to be (I even measured the space I have for the letters lol). Then I put it up against my window and traced the backside with pastel chalk (I used different colours to better tell apart the different parts of the design and used scissors to get a finer edge on the chalks so I could draw more delicate lines (if you do this, do it over a glass of water because you will not get rid of the dust if it's not floating on water!))

After that, I used a wet cloth to dampen the hoodie so that when I pressed the sketch onto it, the chalk would stick better to the fabric. Which worked really well (I'm pretty sure I sketched where the fly should go before that and while wearing the hoodie so I'd know how it would look. Also put a piece of card board inside the hoodie so that it stays flat and to protect the backside of the hoodie. And when you press the chalk on the hoodie, use a lot of pressure, like slapping your paper everywhere that you want the chalk to stick to the fabric, your chalk print cannot be to exact) but it's still just basically chalk dust so as to not risk to destroy the chalk print which was essentially my sketch I used these pens I got from amazon that can draw on fabric and vanish when you put heat on it (It's probably better to wait until the fabric is dry before you use these, but I'm impatient so idk if I did this). I defined the sketch with those so it wasn't just vague shapes anymore but something detailed drawn with a pen. And then I had to do this all over again because I did not like the position of the print lol.

Anyways, once the sketch was where I wanted it to be I used fabric paint to paint what you can see on the photo. (Most of the chalk was gone by then because of my hands (do not touch the areas that you haven't otherwise secured yet or move the hoodie to protect the chalk sketch as best as possible!) and because I used a lint roller (this is the latest point where you should use one because you don't want dust or lint to make your life harder; if you want, you can also use one before you wet the fabric but do it again before you apply the paint, just to be sure.) to get rid of anything I don't want to stick under the paint but also the chalk dust. You can also use another wet cloth for the chalk dust, just be careful to not ruin the more secured sketch; should you use the pens I used, that should be fine tho. You should just get rid of as much chalk as possible to not ruin the colour of your actual print, especially if it's supposed to be white. Although you can still paint over it, if you do get chalk into your paint)

I started by painting the writing first so the fly would look natural on top of it and so there were no weird gaps. But I do believe that I painted the outlines of the fly with one layer of paint because I was afraid the hoodie might somehow get too hot and the pen would vanish. Also, I used a ruler to add in some guidelines from the pencil sketch to keep myself in check and correct any mistakes that might have gotten the writing or all wonky or something.

When the writing was done (the fabric is black so obviously you need several coats of paint for the paint to be opaque) I painted the fly over it with yellow and filled in all the details of the fly (some areas I wanted to stay clear of paint I vaguely sketched with the aforementioned pens and just kind of carefully crept closer to the shape I wanted it to be if that makes sense) and when that looked like one (because you could definitely see that all the details were kind of added on to a bigger patch of paint) I went over it all with a mix of yellow and just a little bit of black to give it a green touch without it being too close to actual green and to stay closer to the kind of dirtier colours that MCR are using for their Foundations of Decay stuff. (I would have used yellow and green but that probably would have become too much of bilious green and wouldn't have fit. I found out about being able to use black instead by trying the colour scheme on a piece of black cardboard and suddenly the yellow looked green because of the black shining through and it was perfect. So try to find the colours you want to use before you start, especially if you only have a handful of colours and have to mix everything else yourself)

Lastly, when I was done painting I let it sit for at least 24 hours and then flat ironed it with a sheet of baking parchment between the hoodie and the iron so it wouldn't come off when washing it.

This got so long, oh my god, but that's it and I hope this helps someone ^^

Finally fucking done with this one, jesus fucking christ this took me so long! (Mainly because I took several month-long breaks from working on it lol) But it's done and I can't wait for it to be cold enough to wear, it turned out so good!!!

But there was so much math involved in making the design, seriously, it was so hard to fit the fly to the words in the background and make them the same size and all and I'm pretty sure it only worked out because I used the wrong measurements or made a logical mistake, something like that lol (it's been a while, I think I made the sketch in like January or February)

[faintvibes]

Oh BOY did this take a while!!!

Ramblings about my process are under the cut:

Starting, with the drawing on the outer edges, as it's what I completed first, I'll note that Germania's outfit is absolutely inspired by this post [1], and not necessarily what is most historically accurate. That's something I still need to do more research on, however (due to that being a more obscure field of study with limited easily available sources, and that image I liked being right there) I'm ashamed to admit the thought didn't even occur to me. I'll take the L this time, and try to be more thorough upon the next opportunity.

With Rome, there was more effort put into the historical accuracy.

To clarify the time: this image was intended to take place in the 400s or so. I tried to include lots of tiny bits of symbolism while working on this illustration (most of which are too tiny to be noticed, or make too much sense, but shhhh), and this is one point in this. This is meant to slightly foreshadow the Fall of Rome, where Rome himself is looking to Germania, when it is his descendants that will cause the fall, but Germania is looking to the next image in the line, which takes place in the future, indicating that he will go on to see things Rome will not. (Admittedly, I don't hc Germania surviving long enough to be alive to witness the time period in the image he's looking at, but the point is still there.) As an added little bonus, though I need to work on my ability to draw detailed backgrounds, the forest behind them is based off a reference image of Teutoberg Forest.

So, with all this considered, as well as the more easy availability of information about anything Roman, I put myself to work on finding sources on Roman armour in the 400s. The first source on Google [2] was very insightful, and included a very helpful little image at the top, though I unfortunately haven't been able to find the original source for it. If you view it on the link, however, you'll notice it bears great similarities to the outfit I've depicted Rome in.

I'll note here that this above drawing, as well as the following two I will discuss, were actually made over two months ago, with only the middle one being completed recently. As such, I might miss some details, or not understand why I made a certain creative choice as well as I might've months ago. I don't expect this to be overly intrusive, but just something to be aware of as we continue.

I did the next two drawings simultaneously, and they hold similar symbolic roles as well. Generally, in this illustration, there is a significance to the order and appearance of characters on the left -> centre side, as well as the right -> centre side, with both sides mirroring each other. Hungary and America here are both here as sort of 'successors' (I use this very loosely) to each ancient beside them, the imagery in their respective drawing showing both their continued existence (the flame of life still burning, or something along those lines) as well as being a reference to their personalities. Hungary I more use as a successor in the sense of being a state which rose after Germania's time, who held a similar warrior-like attitude to the one I imagine him having, and also being associated with Prussia and Austria, which connected her to Germania's descendants. America, meanwhile, is a successor in the sense of having success in a way similar to, and modelled after, Rome. Neither of them are meant to be true successors by way of inheritance, or passing the torch, serving more accurately as a reminder of powers long gone.

Hungary is depicted ~1200s, and her illustration is based off of an older sketch I had, where I was playing around with those years when she'd just realised that she was, biologically, female, and had to find out what that meant to her. And also what it meant to her people, and rulers! This specifically depicts her in feminine clothing, which is based off of this painting[3] and this painting[4] of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary/Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet. I struggled to find resources for Hungarian, specifically, women's clothing around that time period, so I focused in on Hungarian women from the time, and attempted to find illustrations of them from as close to the era they lived in as possible. (If anyone wants to ramble to me about Hungarian fashion history, I eagerly invite you.) The cream-coloured background in her image is also a reference to this second painting, though I recognise that absolutely no one would realise that without me pointing it out. Additionally, I'll note that I depicted Hungary without a veil, when this is a characteristic feature of this period in European fashion- this is because veils were typically reserved for married women. Again, though, I cannot speak for Hungarian fashion specifically.

America's one also depicts him in a dress (of sorts), though to memory this isn't intentional. His is also based on a prior drawing, as I was reattempting an old project, where I depicted him in this same outfit, from a year or two ago. The general story behind this image is that I love the hc that he cross-dressed during the American Revolution to hide from England, and this is an outfit I found a depiction of and that I absolutely adore. It can be found in World of Art: Costume and Fashion[5], where in the 18th century section, there are a set of three sketches included by an artist drawing women he sees on the street. This dress is, then, actually from the 1730s, but as it so clearly depicts clothing worn by someone of low social standing, I doubt it would too out of place in later decades, beyond its wearer's clear lack of money. I don't have a particular scenario in mind where America would wear this dress, but I imagine that he would do so if trying to blend in on the street. As an added note: he's also grown his hair out a little, to make the disguise work better. (Why wouldn't he wear a wig? Don't ask my past self obvious questions :/)

And finally, we have the centre drawing. Technically, this image exists as part of its own little AU (which has lived in my head rent-free since I first thought it up while making this), it also occupies a strong place as symbolism in this overall illustration. Again, the character placements are important: Prussia and Germany finish the progression of Germania and Hungary, while the Italies are a callback to Rome. Both groups, unlike Hungary and America in the images to either side, have claims as the 'true inheritors' of Germania and Rome's legacies. Additionally, not only is this where both sides of the illustration 'come full circle', but the image itself depicts unity. This is the 1870s y'all!! Germany's unified! Risorgimento just came to an end! Double unification, both of which ring with reminders of the past!! Should Germany still be a kid? Probably! Why is Veneziano the only dude? I wanted to draw dresses! (Both a connected to the AU portion of this. If you're curious, dm me and unlock exclusive rambles. But I did also just want to draw dresses.)

For the references for this image, I drew the girls' clothes from this Harper's Bazaar compilation[6], which I found the link to on this glorious google doc[7], which I enthusiastically recommend. Meanwhile, Veneziano's outfit is mostly based off of references from this page[8]. Unfortunately, particularly for the girls, I saved all the specific images months ago, but did not save the particular pages I found them on, so if you're curious about anything in particular, you might have to go digging yourself.

The frames, of course, are references to the images they contain. The Rome/Germania frame is gold and decorated, to represent the legacies they (particularly Rome) left behind. (Yes, I know the frames are uneven, and the Rome-Germania frame doesn't line up. Allow me to have a couple vices in life.) Hungary's and America's represent the shape of their fire and sun, respectively. The middle four's frame is silver, linking it to Germania and Rome's, showing that they, too, have legacies of importance, even if they might not be quite as revered as their predecessors. The lines at the corners was just to be funky, and the flowers are a reference to those on Germany's dress and in her hair, not because of any particular symbolic reason, but because they're placeholder flowers since I wasn't assed to draw anything more detailed, and by the end I found that really, really funny. Did I mention that the middle drawing took half the total drawing time? I was really losing it by the end.

While working on this, I'd tried out a couple different ways to frame the drawings and provide a foreground, but ultimately this hallway setting was the only one I was satisfied. This is now where you are when you're looking at my work, I guess. Welcome to the blue hallway, Tumblr.

Edit: Totally forgot to mention!! This idea was originally inspired by a piece of fanart I'd seen before, so a nod to that for the idea!!

Sources:

[1]: Illustration of Germania, Gaul, Britannia, and Rome by Tumblr user Kuso Horreum, published approx 5 years ago

[2]: “The Advancement of the Late Roman Armor and Its Effectiveness”, by Hayden Chakra, published May 6, 2023

https://about-history.com/the-advancement-of-the-late-roman-armor-and-its-effectiveness/

(for some reason, inserting a link won't work for this one, so ig just trust me that I'm not posting a virus link or smth???)

[3]: "Santa Elisabetta d'Ungheria" by Pietro Nelli, painted circa 1365

[4]: Title unknown, artist unknown, presumably pictures the right person??, dated to the late 1400s

[5]: “World of Art: Costume and Fashion” by James Laver, published by Thomas & Hudson, published 14 April 2020 (there are earlier versions, but this one includes some edits, and it is the one I use)

[6]: “Victorian Fashions and Costumes from Harper's Bazar, 1867-1898”, complied by Stella Blum, published by Dover Publications, published in 1974

cuttersguide.com/pdf/19th-Century-Female/Victorian-Fashions-and-Costumes.pdf

(This is another link that tumblr just doesn't like... Fair warning that this is also a copy of this compilation that is available for free, however that might not necessarily be how the publisher wants you to view it)

[7]: “Claire’s Historical Fashion Reference & Resources”, created Apr 19, 2016, last updated 16 October 2022, created by Claire Hummel

[8]: “1870s Fashion”, by Bloshka admin, published 27 October 2022

[elfrixc]

i love kyu ― painting

some texts and writing underneath!

"who are you so busy texting?" changmin asked when you giggle again over your texts.

you looked up. he wasn't looking at you though, he was busy, drawing dark lines with a ruler in his sketchbook to create what you assumed was a border.

his glasses ran down to the end of the bridge of his nose as he leaned over his word. you were caught in a gaze for a while before you remembered what he had asked you.

the nature of the question seemed suspicious but you disregarded it for the moment.

he has never asked these types of questions. he was normally just so easygoing and...not suspicious?

"oh, just my friends. they said something funny."

"ah..how are you going with your sketches?"

you looked down at your sketchbook to see a blank page staring right back at you as if making fun of you.

he giggled, however.

"i thought we were spending time together doing this."

"oh...yeah, we certainly are!" you placed your phone face down and picked up a sharpened pencil to begin sketching your idea for the portrait you were soon going to paint.

you knew you were going to ace the assignment. you believed you were gifted with artistic abilities, it's always been your strong suit and a way of expression. like how some people write, sing, dance―you liked art, you loved it.

you watched the grey lines etch gently against the paper, mindlessly sketching something as you had no idea yet of what to do. you would soon feel a spark that would carry you to a new level of understanding. but for now, it was just littered lines all over the page.

"don't know what to do?" changmin asked.

he peered over at you, pushing his glasses up as he flicked his pencil between his thumb and index finger. you've noticed that he always preferred to stand up when sketching a first draft. he told you that it kinda helps him. you didn't get it, but went with it.

"it'll come to me."

"it always does." he solidifies with a soft smile.

the eye contact you held was seconds long. however, those seconds lasted an eternity and the twinkles from the light fixtures above expressed the glitter in his eyes.

something pushed you over the edge.

"what did you think when you read my letter?" you asked right away, not expecting the words to fall out.

but the curiosity was killing you. you just had to know.

after the distance you had to endure from your first love with all those overpowering feelings which had to be coveted to avoid any mishaps, you wanted to at least know what he felt when he finally read between the lines.

"i―"

a girl stumbled into the classroom.

"changmin! i am so sorry! i forgot to return your..."

she slowly looked over at you and you felt your dignity being crushed by the pure embarrassment. you'll never know now because you'll never find the confidence to ask him again.

your eyes widen as the girl hands over a neatly folded hoodie.

your heart dropped to the pit of your stomach.

you couldn't believe it.

"thanks, sumin."

"i gotta get back to class. i gotta metaphysics assignment to write." sumin said and she smiled at you slightly before running out of the class.

"it was raining the other day. she had my locker code and needed something to shelter her and i wasn't in school grounds―"

your phone started ringing on the table unexpectedly, making you almost want to cuss out of frustration.

you picked it up, seeing a caller id you were not expecting at the time.

"i kinda need to pick this up...sorry, changmin."

you ignored his worried eyes as you picked up the call.

"hyunjae! where have you been?! we've been worried sick."

"do you want me to spare you the details?!" he yelled through the phone.

"yes please. but, are you safe?"

"HAHAH…that depends. sooo, um...i've somehow ended up on jeju island after accidentally sleeping on the bus. which i found out was the wrong bus, so yeah. please send help..."

you stood there, speechless. "how even? you didn't even think to call us?"

"i DON'T KNOW, I THOUGHT YOU GUYS WOULD BE MAD. PLEASE TRANSFER ME MONEY. I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TO GET BACK HOME."

"you bet i'm mad! just wait a second." you yelled, feeling your heart race.

lee jaehyun was a big problem on your ass if you were being serious. always on something crazy.

you expected eric to be the one who was hard to deal with when you first moved schools. oh, but when you met hyunjae, it was a whole different story.

"get your ass on the groupchat."

you hung up on him and a distressed changmin was gawking at you.

"sorry. i need to attend this. i'll see you another time."

you began packing up, knowing you had to go see find younghoon. he didn't seem like the most mature person on the earth but he was the oldest, there had to be some inner wisdom that was peeking from underneath his inner child.

"y/n..." changmin began quietly when you were shoving everything in your bag.

you knew he wanted to say something about sumin and it was tugging a smile on your face. but you stopped it. hyunjae was stranded.

"yes?"

"nothing. you should go. i'll talk to you another time."

"thanks, changmin." you bid him.

previous | masterlist | next

i love kyu! ― ji changmin x fem!reader

summary: changmin (your ex crush) and you have lost contact since high school after you moved a town over. you meet again at university and you realise that those feelings you felt once are still there. now, you have to find a way for him to reciprocate your feelings.

[melty-choco-bjd]

Edwardian-Inspired Doll Hats

This is cross-posted from my DoA thread for those of you who don’t use that site!

I really like the big, old-fashioned lady's hats with all the ruffles, bows, ribbons, and flowers, sort of like these (particularly #6 and #3), so I decided to try making one! I loosely followed this tutorial for 1/12 scale hats, except of course some things have to be changed for 1/4. I measured out my own pattern pieces. I am an absolute beginner myself when it comes to hatmaking and am mostly following someone else's guidelines. This is my first time making a hat (for dolls or otherwise). ☆ PREP: MATERIALS USED─── ⋆⋅☆ - secondhand fabric (satin, cotton) - secondhand accessories (lace, fabric rose, plastic pearls) - cardstock - hot glue - needle & thread This was intended to be a no-sew project, but halfway through I realized I needed something to line the inside of the main hat body, so I ended up sewing up a quick cotton lining.

☆ PREP: PLANNING THINGS OUT─── ⋆⋅☆ I started by sketching out my rough idea for the hat design; a simple hat with some lace, flowers, and beads, based on the materials I had available. I tried to visualize the structure to help me understand the pattern shapes I'd need to make.

Next up was making the pattern -- which took a little math but was still pretty easy. I had to make a circle freehand, so I used a ruler to make sort-of-equal lines to guide me. I measured an approximate distance for the brim on my doll's head, and the width of the hat inner hole / outer top, then used those measurements to make the pattern pieces.

I cut them out for testing and I ended up needing to redo them a few times.

Afterwards, I made a "final test copy" from cardstock and taped it together loosely to see how the scale looked on my doll, and to try out some accessory placements.

The main body ended up being too tall, so I took the cardstock model apart and trimmed it before moving on. ☆ WORKING ON THE ACTUAL HAT─── ⋆⋅☆ Now that I had a base out of cardstock, I moved on to gluing the fabric onto the main pieces. I was using this pretty blue fabric!

I mostly did this on my own, but after looking at the tutorial again I realized I basically did the same thing as them. I used hot glue for this process -- while it was drying I pushed it down with my fingers to keep it flat and to help keep things flush together.

Now that I had the main body pieces done, they looked like this:

At this point I realized I was going to need to find a way to line these pieces, or else you'd be able to see the glue-y parts underneath. I decided to make a second brim, cover it in fabric, and add lace to it, so I could glue the "bad" sides of both brims together to both hide the glue and add lace cleanly.

I also made a little lace bow out of the extra lace I had left over.

Next, I glued all the main pieces together. First the hat top and the side strip, and then the main brim to the little top-sidepiece combo.

This is when I stopped to sew the cotton inner lining and glued it inside, so I could later sandwich the sticking-out ends in between the "bad sides" of the two brim pieces.

Then I glued on the bottom brim piece, and the main piece was complete!

☆ ACCESSORIZING AND TRYING IT ON─── ⋆⋅☆ Finally, I placed on the beads, lace bow, and fabric flower, and glued them into place.

I think it came out surprisingly cute!

I tried it on my doll after, but it was a bit hard to get it to stay still and not fall off. It's likely because the head hole in the hat is a bit too small.

I was only able to get it to stay on a flat angle, but I intended it to be tilted a bit. I think it looks a bit silly flat, but I can't think of a way to fix it

Overall I think it came out really well, even if the fit isn't 100%. I'm definitely going to try making more hats in the future. I'd like to try a top hat, or a leather hat, maybe.

--

[formlesschromatic]

You nod, and for a long, quiet moment the two of you stand in silence, watching the work below. You think of the Emperor, of Dragomas and Algard, of Abelhelm and Frederick. "Sacrifice," you say eventually. "All worthy rulers sacrifice their time and effort. Some their lives. A few, even their sanity. But the hardest test is when it is their honour they are called on to sacrifice." "My honour is my life and without it I am nothing," King Belegar says softly. "And yours has taken a few hits because you've had to play politics for the good of the Karak," you say. "But I wouldn't still be here if you were so short on honour that this battering would destroy it." King Belegar shakes his head. "Some say humans are Vornari. Perhaps a furrow in the soil can be smoothed over. But Dwarves are Durazi, and stone does not heal." You give him a flat look, and hold it in silence until he turns to face you, and then you turn your gaze to the ancient gates being restored below. He sighs. "Point made."

The switch to Mathilde being the more mature one to Belgar is a fascinating bit of the characters' relationship

[ ] Karak: Collegiate How independent the Colleges are from each other depends a great deal on your perspective. There can be a lot of value in bridging those gaps.

one day we will get the wizard diplo trait 😔

(especially annoying when we barely ever choose to use Windherder)(not that its not cool when we do use it) (but youknow)

you send word and a few coins to the University of Altdorf's oft-neglected Division of Arts. After being startled by a few sketched proposals that lean hard into reinterpretations of the nature of Shallya's Tears and the Goblet they were drunk from

😳

...i do wonder if she kept those sketches tho

With every movement sending echoes through the long-empty hall, you walk towards the closest and consider the modest stack of gold, and the carved stone token in front of it. Ea-Nasir it says, using the stilted form it uses when phonetically spelling non-Khazalid words. Copper merchant. Tylos. Account opened 11.5.2702.

he is unescapable

"If all goes well, this should only take ten minutes or so," he says. "And if it doesn't?" "Oh, we'll know right away," he says with a tense little laugh. [Rolling...] You know right away.

good line from Boney, bad time for Johann

okay starting another Divided loyalties readthrough. going to post stray thoughts and comments here reacting to it.

Better clean the… whatever that was… off you, because it's time for the ceremony. Thankfully your normal grey robes count as formal dress, because otherwise you wouldn't have a thing to wear.

there are many benefits to being a wizard

[datmcomic]

Posting page 100 today holy shit

100 is SO MANY pages of a comic. Way more than I've ever done before.

My record for longest comic before Death and the Maiden was set when I was about 12, maybe 13. I started a comic book with my friend. We wrote and drew it together, heavily inspired by all the shoujo manga we read - the main character was a clumsy magical girl who was also a pop star but was SO relatable! My friend would come over after school and we would use a ruler to draw straight lines on printer paper and use pencil to sketch in the panels. We did this for weeks and drew nearly 35 pages before we lost interest. Nobody ever read those and I don't know where they are now.

But I did stuff like that all the time! From like 4th grade through now I've started comics with at least three of my friends and tried to start more. I drew comics for birthdays and I was in comic-drawing clubs at school. I never had to make an effort to keep drawing comics, I would just DO it.

Drawing Death and the Maiden is an effort. I have to work to keep it going. But I know drawing comics is something that I love to do, and I'm proud of Death and the Maiden in a way that's different from how I'm proud of everything else I do.

It's a love letter to all the comics I've started in the past. It's a monument to my own love of comics, fittingly, in comic form.

ANYWAYS I'm getting myself a treat today 🎁🎁 I don't know what it's going to be yet, I'll keep my eyes open and let it happen when I see something I want :)

[wincestisasincest]

Waves on the Shore - Chapter 10 Sneak Peek

Aight so the update for this week is definitely going to be late. I will try to have it within 24 hours of the usual time, but no promises. I have spent half the week without my medication and the whole week with hay fever (rip allergies) but things are getting better and I will be more active now.

To celebrate my momentous return, enjoy a little bit of chapter 10.

WOTS masterlist // wc: 683 // triggers: dissecting animals, mention of Noxus being expansionist assholes // @edenstarkk, @modernamilf, @dedicated2viktor, @doctorho, @yeehawbvby, @arcaneparx

“Sounds good,” Jayce’s voice cut through Viktor’s thoughts, “any idea what happened?”

You sighed, picking the pieces that the explosion had rendered useless and dropping them into a pile.

“Yeah,” you mumbled, refusing to elaborate, “just gonna take a while to correct now. What about those Ionians?”

Viktor dropped his head back to the open mouse, continuing to prod its exposed systems for any lead. He remembered dissecting animals in one of the biology classes here, and he hated it as much then as he did now.

Even though they were dead, the poor animals looked so tortured, spread out on a table with formaldehyde fuming from their guts. It was paradoxical, how one could be reminded that this was a living being with just as much complexity as a human, and then told to break that being down until it no longer resembled anything with a conscience.

The skin underneath the mouse’s fur was so stretched and thin that it tore even in places that Viktor wasn’t investigating. He kept the conversation between you and Jayce on in the background as a distraction.

“What about ‘em?” Jayce crossed the room to you.

“Didn’t you say they like… needed help?”

Viktor clicked his tongue quietly. The mouse’s intestines still had bits of cheese in it, which should’ve been impossible with everything else that Viktor had uncovered.

“They do, but we don’t wanna rush things here,” Jayce said.

“Well, yeah, but couldn’t you send them some aid or something in the meantime?”

“No can do.”

“Why not?”

“Noxus. We would alienate them.”

Viktor checked his notes again, running his list. Flaky skin, lost hair, bloated belly, and, most importantly, tissue breakdown.

“And you’re not alienating them by aiding the refugees?”

“Not at all. Even Noxians don’t like casualties of civilians, so they’re fine with them being sheltered somewhere else temporarily. They know that if they eliminate everyone from the land, then there won’t really be anyone to have power over.”

“That’s disgusting,” you said flatly, “I hope the Ionians win.”

“That’s Noxus,” Jayce shrugged, “though, I’ll admit, I thought you’d be more on board with this whole thing.”

No, Viktor mentally corrected, Jayce thought that he knew you well enough to make predictions. Jayce thought that you were his friend.

“Why’s that?” you perched your chin on your hand.

“Prioritizes lives saved over everything else. Sounds like your brand.”

“I’ve got a brand now?” you deflected.

“Yeah.”

“Maybe you can draw me a logo.”

Shit, maybe you were Jayce’s friend, Viktor thought as Jayce chuckled at your remark.

“You’ve seen my work?” Jayce said cheekily.

“Uh, yeah,” you answered, and Viktor could practically hear you playfully roll your eyes, “every time I pass by your desk it looks like an art museum.”

Viktor noticed Jayce’s art too, when he first looked through his notes. It wasn’t exactly a hidden talent, but it wasn’t something that he advertised about himself either.

“What can I say? I’m a creative at heart.”

“I’ll try to keep up, then.”

“You keep up fine. I’ve seen your sketches before – way better than most engineering students.”

“I use a ruler to get the lines that straight.”

“Oh. Well, then, I guess their content will have to suffice.”

Viktor’s head was swimming in déjà vu as he listened to the banter. Jayce sounded just like he did when he and Viktor had begun to work together, and for some reason, that made him angry.

Exhaling with frustration, Viktor set his eyes and forced his train of thought back onto the rails.

The mouse’s death was impossible because it died of starvation.

“Pardon me.”

A new voice, slick but cautious, like honey seeping down the back of your throat, entered the room, shutting down the lightheartedness with formal sobriety. Viktor didn’t need to look up to know who it was, but he did anyway.

“What’s up?” Jayce asked, the edge of his question just a little too high for it to be natural.

“I’m afraid I have some bad news,” Mel folded her hands, casting a long shadow into the hallway.