#more doodles that i drew with the previous one lol

[spaghettiandart]

[wowa-bublord]

with AGS, what do you think they do when they're playing around with each other? like are they the types to be taking playful little digs at each other and horsing around during down times or do they keep most of their truer selves locked away from any public eyes? i'm also very curious how you think zack being angeals student and then making it to first affects the previous dynamics and how he ends up being taken into their little group- i don't think anyone is truly immune to zacks inherent whimsy and depth and most certainly not sephiroth or genesis (in a nothing bad happens timeline 🥲)

in public, they are much more respectful to each other. Any digs they make to each other are very subtle and passive aggressive because they don't want to get in trouble for making Shinra look bad LOL in private. they are exploding each other in the face and hitting each other with swords and BEATING EACH OTHER UPPPPP the training room scene is nothing. imagine you gave some college boys the ability to throw each other through buildings. HAVOC.

AND THE ZACK ONE... OUHHH I HAVE SUCH SPECIFIC IDEAS FOR ALL THEIR DYNAMICS WITH THEM SO I DREW A LOT OF EXAMPLES

I see his dynamic with genesis.. as mutual haters LMAO. Genesis isn't too interested in hanging out with some teenager and ESPECIALLY isn't interested in losing his already limited free time to spend with angeal to his new apprentice. He was also unhappy with Shinra putting someone so young at such a high rank in the first place since he knows how stressful it is first hand. though he is usually sweeter to new recruits, zacks place in SOLDIER frustrates and upsets him which made him act not at his kindest. Zack is very socially aware, recognizes his hostility, and matches it x300 LMAOOO

ANGEALLLLLLLLL RRRRHHHHHH. Angeal is very familial at heart and takes on a brotherly role pretty immediately, he wants to protect Zack, and becomes increasingly distressed as he realizes how impossible it is to do so in their environment. I feel like Angeal has the same desires Zack does- to save his friends, protect the world, be a hero, but through out his time in Shinra he is repeatedly crushed by the realization that he can't save anyone, in the same way Zack is later on.

he still tries.

ZACK AND SEPHIROTH. Idk how to explain them in my mind they are constantly rattling around in here. Zack knows how depressed Sephiroth is and tries to make his day a little brighter. Sephiroth has only met one other person who spoke to him so freely so immediately so it isn't a surprise when he hears Angeal is his mentor. HE IS SILLY. HE MAKES HIM LAUGH. They comfort each other but it's surface level only because talking about each others problems means addressing their own

and a bonus doodle cos i didn't draw as much for seph sorryyyy hehe

[cabi-leodrann]

Cabi! Big fan Joffrey here!

I wanted to ask, every time I see your art not only am I stunned by the quality, but also by the sheer uniqueness in style and character design. I've never seen a lamb designed quite like yours, it's so perfectly yours. What went into the inspiration behind the characters design, especially facially? Did you try and mimick a real lamb, or was there a more fantasy-element that you veered toward?

I can't specifically put my finger on it, but it gives me vague Warframe vibes. It's such a beautifully odd design and I can't get enough.

Love your work, love everything you do, can't wait to see what's next!

Hope you're well, stay safe, take care!

First of all, your ask is one of the biggest compliments I ever had in my life, I will keep it forever. You're an absolute chad! Second of all, those are very interesting questions, and I will be very happy to answer to them!

It started more or less with this drawing I made *look at the date* 2 years ago apparently. Way before I even thought of an AU- I didn't had much in mind, beside doing something that looked cool tbh.

I was very happy with the flow of it, and how it came out. And when I drew the Lamb again, I would try to nail THIS design.

The thing is, with time, I had a really big problem: Lamb looked way too young when I thought of them more as an adult. I had too much of the original game design guiding me, making a Lamb that was too cute and childlike for what I wanted. (And also, the head did not go well with the rest of the body holy shi-)

Came those drawings! I was happier with the look, Lamb was older! And I found the colored design quit nice! (I used a sheep picture as reference, but I don't think I used it well, compared to now. I used the reference for details, when I should have gone for overall shape first.) I still wanted something simpler to draw tho. The colored design was nice for an illustration, a one time gig, but I got pretty annoyed pretty fast at trying to nail the face every time. And from those attempt, you get the sketches on the right. (I also wanted to get away from other artiste's interpretation of Lamb, and at the time of those drawing, I didn't felt like I was away enough)

From those previous sketches, the idea for THaB started to emerge. I also still had problem with Lamb's design. Especially the hair. I was inspired by black hair, which is usually not a problem, but I was never happy with how it looked on Lamb specifically. I can draw black hair, I can draw black characters, but this mother-fucker would never feel satisfying to draw or finish 👀

And one day, as THaB was solidifying in my mind, I made a series of sketches that I posted! And one of them was the most important in Lamb's final design. This lil guy! (this design didn't came out of nowhere tho, Lamb was evolving into this as I kept trying. But I wont show those sketches, because those are spoilers =3)

And soon after, I made a comic that was supposed to only be a one shot, just a POV of Lamb and there reaction to Nari' telling them to die for him. But you know, things got out of hand lol

As I continued the comic and doodles on the side, I finally made myself a reference board, with real life images that were close to the vibe of this head drawing. (And I cannot stress enough how those references solidified Lamb's design as a whole. Draw with references, it is life changing. The more reference you get, the more your visual library will get diverse, and the more interesting detail and shape you will add to your art in general.) (I'd also add this: understand what you are drawing, make research and stay curious for every bit of info on everything. You never know when these nuggets of knowledge will help you as you create)

As I kept drawing the Lamb, they evolved! Things changed, slowly, like the shape of the nose, the shape of the eyes, how the hair flowed. You see those change at the face, but also on the body! As the idea of THaB's Lamb got clearer, the design got more specific. (I also got better at drawing! This comic make me draw way more often then before, and it shows)

Something before I finish: the other Cult of the Lamb character's design are way more inspired by their animals, when Lamb is more in the human spectrum. I thought of changing Lamb at some point, to make it fair/coherent, but I loved the design too much to change it again. This AU is something I do for fun, and even if it would have been more logical to change them... I don't want to-

As for the vague Warframe vibes: I play the game! And I found the character design absolutely stunning. So I am definitely influenced by the game without knowing it lol

Thank you very much, again, for your kind words! I also wish you the best, and see you next post =D

TL;DR: Lamb design, at first, wasn't inspired by much, beside the game and my style at the time. But as I retried to make them, added more intent, they got more refined. What really nailed the idea was to have real life references on the side.

[hikari-kaitou]

Translation from Gyakuten Saiban Fan Book

What sort of person is Phoenix Wright?!

How does the producer of the trilogy, Mr. Inaba, view the main character, Phoenix Wright? And what about the character designer, Mr. Iwamoto, who voiced Wright's rival, Miles Edgeworth? What's his opinion on the matter?

Mr. Inaba's comments

Interviewer: I'd like to ask you about what type of guy you think Wright is. Let's start with his birthday.

Inaba: Wright always seems chipper, so perhaps he was born in the spring?

Iv: That might be why that pink sweater suited him so well (lol). What about his living situation?

Ia: I feel like Maya probably swipes the money he makes at his law firm, so Wright is poor. He probably lives in a really basic apartment.

Iv: So his cell phone is probably not the latest model, but rather…

Ia: It's probably a previous generation one that he's used for a long time. Like one of the ones with a green display (lol). He can't afford a new one.

Iv: He's very working class, then (lol).

Ia: I definitely think he is. There's no doubt in my mind. He's got no money. I don't even want to imagine a posh Wright (lol).

Iv: How mean (lol). If he's really that low on funds, then I imagine he doesn't have much money to spare on hobbies.

Ia: He doesn't seem like the type to be particularly interested in music, and since he's poor, he probably can't afford CDs. If he does listen to music, it's probably just whatever is playing on the radio as he hangs out at the fishing pond.

Iv: So you see him as the type of guy who goes to the fishing pond?

Ia: if he did fish as a hobby, I can see him doing it in a pond or something. He's definitely not the sport fishing type.

Iv: You make him sound like he has a typical working class, chill lifestyle.

Ia: I don't see him as the type to spend most of his time indoors though. He probably plays catch or walks his dog… I think that kind of thing suits him best.

Iv: His dog is a mutt, of course?

Ia: Probably a mix of Japanese breeds. He either found the dog abandoned somewhere, or it just happened to wander into his office, or Maya forced it on him so he ended up keeping it.

Iv: Last question: what do you think Wright's type is?

Ia: Probably the dominant type. After all, he dated Dahlia and worked for Mia (lol).

Mr. Iwamoto's comments

Iv: So about Wright's birthday, when do you think it is?

Iwamoto: Maybe in May? I think it'd be funny if it were the same as Takumi-san's. Maybe his blood type and birthplace are the same as Takumi-san's too?

Iv: Inaba-san had an image of Wright consistent with a working class guy, but what do you think?

Iw: No objections (lol). He doesn't seem like he'd spend much money on his clothes. At the very least, I think he has the type of personality where it wouldn't be unusual to see him outdoors.

Iv: It's hard to imagine him wearing expensive brand-name outfits, isn't it?

Iw: He probably wears jeans, but not like the vintage kind. He probably sleeps in a t-shirt and boxers. Come to think of it, Suekane-san doodled Wright in a sweatshirt once, so he might be the type to wear sweatshirts.

Iv: So what about sports?

Iw: Maybe field soccer? If you put the word "field" in front of a sport, it sounds more working class. Like "field baseball."

Iv: He sounds totally working class, just like Inaba-san's image. Do you think he gets together with a bunch of friends and plays a rowdy game of field soccer?

Iw: I wonder. Wright seems like the type of guy who doesn't have a lot of friends somehow. His only soccer buddy is Larry Butz, so he plays just with him. They'd be like "You play goalie next, ok?" They'd take turns doing penalty shootouts… jeez, that's depressing (lol). In contrast to Wright, Larry seems like he'd be more shy around other people. He probably doesn't remember any of those people's names (lol).

Iv: In terms of physical build, Wright has more of a swimmer's body than a soccer player body. His shoulders are broad.

Iw: Suekane-san drew him pretty burly in the first game, didn't she? I tried to keep that image when I drew him. But if you really want to know what Wright's body type is like, you can find out by having Takumi-san strip for you (lol). I think Wright is highly influenced by Takumi-san himself.

Edgeworth version

[thunderxleafart]

Some smaller doodles for you all to close out pride month! <3

I thought it'd be fun to draw the trains with coloured smoke, so why not make the smoke pride colours? xD I was originally gonna include these as bonus doodles with the previous Bill and Ben piece, but I ended up putting more time into it then I thought I would, so here it is now!

My HC sexualities/romantic preferences (since they're trains LOL); Duck is gay, Donald is Bi (and incredibly proud of it!), and since I couldn't help myself, I also drew my favourite Bees who are both Aroace! :D

Also yes I am an absolute sucker for Donald x Duck (or 8 x 9 ??). ;;

The no-nonsense type Duck with his laidback Scottish bf Donald just makes me so happy, and seeing them be silly and laugh together aGH!! They play off each other so, so well, and I love it!! <3

But yeah! That's pretty much it!

Now I'm off to frantically prepare for ArtFight just as it's about to start because ofc I waited until the last minute to do so! xD

So enjoy! <3 And one last Happy Pride to all!! Enjoy some proud/gay trains LOL

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Duck, Donald, Bill & Ben (c) TTTE

Art (c) Me! <3

[kirchefuchs]

Two more random thoughts for ya today, one silly one actiony.

The silly one is just the thought of like during a makeout or something Ted actually gets Tinky to bleat like a goat and then is over here snickering while Tinky's actually kinda embarrassed by it.

And the actiony one is like....With the was Andrew Killgore was talking about "controlling the power of Tinky" for some reason I got the sense that the CCRP don't quite worship Tinky as they are *specifically targeting* him to use his powers.

The thought that brings to mind....In the time they actually start dating, Tinky is going to end up saving Ted's life *several* times...and Ted is going to end up saving Tinky at least once.

Yeeeeee!!! I love both of these ideas so much!!! I love the concept of Tinky displaying goat characteristics. It's just soooo funny, lol. You know I had to draw the aftermath of Tinky's accidental bleat, hehehe

I was also gonna try drawing something for the other thing, and I tried a lot, but I just wasn't satisfied with any of the sketches. So, unfortunately, no "Ted protecting Tinky" doodle today :(((

Although I did have an idea that sorta stemmed from that second thought. What if ccrp was able to somehow take Tinky's powers away from him and thusly turn him human in one timeline? I'm pretty sure I mentioned this idea in a previous ask, but I wanted to expand upon it here.

I drew a handful of messy sketches for it

Mosty, I just really wanted an excuse to mess around with Tinky's design som more cuz I wanted to see how he might look if he were more human. I when on a whole spiel in my discord server about it.

After having the thought of "Tinky with long, grown out hair," you know I had to draw it. I'm still trying to make the design still feel like Tinky, idk if I really captured it cuz I was more focused on designing the hair style than his facial expressions and stuff, but ya know. I can work on it

I just got really attached to the long hair thing cuz it makes him a little more like a mix between Curt and Jeff's portayals of Tinky. Again, I just need to work on facial expressions more now that I have the hair down.

Anyways, I kinda went off the rails with this one, but I hope it was fun anyway. I just love any excuse to doodle these guys, lol

[pearlescentmoon-enjoyers]

nosey neighbors warm up doodles from yesterday (the standing ones) and today (the headshots)!

still trying to figure out my markers nonexistent skin tone scale and I feel like I definitely did better w getting closer to bigb's skintone today, but I like the pearl from yesterday more :)

au stuff under the cut !!

alr. so this is an au i've talked about in one of my previous posts. the ground rules are:

people do not remember the games, unless they're winners. after winning, they both retain their memories from the game they won & future games, and the past games.

winners retain the major injuries from the games they've won (such as pearl's frostbite and scarring in this au), but not any massive injuries from other games

typically, these injuries heal over time (such as grian's bruising after the desert duo fight), but for more extensive and permanent injuries ie frostbite don't tend to heal

the watchers are canon in this au

also disclaimer or whatever this isn't shipping the nosey neighbors!! i think they're a great duo as friends and/or mentor-student duo kind of :)

so, pearl wakes up after double life w bad frostbite damage (she didn't lose her fingers bc of that cause um i said so but the lore explanation is probably that it would make her more boring to the watchers). her frostbite made her legs and arms weaker, making it difficult to walk or take care of herself properly.

bigb helps pearl deal with her frostbite and lends her his sweater, since she didn't want to keep her scarlet pearl clothes. in general, bigb assists pearl in adapting to her new injuries, coming up with ways for her to still fight without needing to strain her hands too much, etc.

also bigb is a cat hybrid in this because um. i drew him as a a cat once, and now i cant undo it sorry guys he's furryfied.

there's more to the au (ie more interesting timeline details, especially for secret life), but i'll probably write it out more once i rewatch pearl's last life & limited life, cause i have very little memory of them lol

[serenaoffaerun]

Tenacity - Chapter 3 of the "Consequences" series

It's finally here!! Thank you all for your patience. Because of the physical letter writing I drew for Tav and Gale's back-and-forth, this took much longer than I anticipated. Plus, the story just kind of...ran away with itself... This chapter comes in at a word count over 8,000 and I don't know how that happened LOL.

Big thanks again to @alpydk who started off this series with what was supposed to be a one-off angst story, and allowed me to write my own sequel chapters to finish the story my own way. (Alphydk's chapter 2 can be found here.) As my first long-form writing in over a decade, it's been a fun challenge to take two characters I love so much and get them out of a position I wouldn't have put them in in the first place. 💜

Without making you all endure any more of my "propensity towards verbosity," I present chapter 3: Tenacity (complete with hand-written letters!)

Summary: After agreeing to try to re-establish their friendship/relationship by writing letters back and forth, Tav and Gale set out on their journey of communicating, listening, and healing. You better believe they're both going to hold on for dear life.

Word Count: 8,289 (I'm not sorry.)

CW: References to depression, alcoholism

Tags: GalexTav, angst/fluff, pre-established (albeit rocky) relationship, future smut? (no spoilers...), brief mention of infertility (in a positive way??), depresso espresso, communication, healing, Tara's getting ALL the tuna.

[I'm sure I left some out, I'll come back and add to it once I get this on AO3 - coming soon!!]

Screenshot: Taken from my own gameplay. Please do not re-post as your own.

NOTE: For those who don't want to read Tav's mediocre (but improving) handwriting or Gale's flowy cursive, the text version is printed below each letter (including doodle descriptions!)

9/2 4:45PM Pacific - EDIT FOR MORE NOTES:

My underlines went away when I copy/pasta'd from GoogleDocs, and now I realize that you can't underline because of links, so they're bolded and italicized instead.

REGARDING BHAALSPAWN INFERTILITY - this is NOT canon to BG3/DnD/Forgotten Realms. I totally made this up to fit my literary needs. 😉

Alpydk's chapter 1: Consequences

Chapter 2: Acquiescence

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tav assessed herself before she even opened her eyes. Between the wine and the crying, she was probably the most dehydrated person in all of Faerûn. The pounding headache she was used to. She'd made blackout curtains for a reason, after all. But the soul-wrenching nausea, that was new.

Being blissfully infertile, she knew there was no risk of pregnancy. One of her permanent "gifts" as Bhaal's former Chosen was the ability to be as promiscuous as she pleased without fear of pregnancy in order to weasel her way into the hearts, minds, and pants of any of her previous victims. Not that she'd needed that ability since the Nautiloid, or especially her subsequent severing from said god. But this was no ordinary nausea anyway. It was coming from somewhere much more complex.

Among the growing list of sensations Tav noticed from her downward-facing zombie position on the couch, she found two long-lost friends: the physical feeling of being simultaneously sated but also achingly empty in her core, and...hope. Surprisingly enough, she realized it was the latter that brought on the nausea.

Crippling anxiety, overwhelming depression, stabbing guilt, these are feelings she was familiar with and knew how to handle: with denial and alcohol. Just ball it up and shove it in the "future ulcer" pocket by the stomach and cover it up with a bottle of wine or two.

Hope, on the other hand, is a fickle bitch. It introduces the possibility of a better future. The idea that things could get better. Then comes the uncertainty.

‘Desirable things in life are never guaranteed,’ she told herself. ‘You can always lose them. Don't get TOO comfortable! You might still have to live the rest of your life without the man you truly believe is your soulmate.’

Tav had NEVER believed in the idea of a ‘soulmate’ before. That was even more laughable than ‘love at first sight.’ But she’d come to believe it now.

‘And you fucked it up, didn't you? You let yourself have the worst lapse in judgment, then you doubled down on it by screaming and being a hurtful wretch. You did this. You did this and you don’t deserve forgiveness, you don’t deserve mercy. No one else will ever fill the hole in your heart, so you’re going to die alone and unloved. That’s what you deserve.’  

The words from the voice in her head kept playing on a loop for the last six months and they wouldn’t shut up. Drowning them out with wine and sleep had become her modus operandi. There’d been nothing to look forward to, nothing to hope for. It was the way things were going to be, she’d accepted it. Especially in the last few months after Waterdeep. She couldn’t have her heart broken again if she didn’t expect anything.

But now, new words were taking up space in her brain. His words.

‘…there was a time that we’d also brought out the best in each other, once. I refuse to believe we can’t find our way back there again.’

‘Fuck.’ Those words had stolen her breath. Given her reason to think that there was a chance. That maybe he would give her the mercy she knew she didn’t deserve. Gale was just that kind of man.

If that were truly the case, though, why did he shut her out so quickly in the first place without getting to even talk about things. Why did he go straight to the biting comments and yelling instead of showing any kind of signs of forgiveness being a possibility.

‘Because you ripped out his heart that was already broken and threw it on the ground with all the remains of any self-confidence he had left after Mystra, you inconsiderate, unfaithful monster. It’s a wonder he’s still alive.’

These were the new conversations Tav now had running back and forth in her head and that’s where the source of the nausea was seated. In the unknown future where happiness still existed. Along the path that could go to life-long depression and loneliness or a blissful existence with the man who completed her, and she wouldn’t know which way she’d end up traveling until she got there. It was terrifying.

‘I refuse to believe we can’t find our way back there again.’

Face still mashed in the couch pillow, she balled up her fist and slammed it down into the cushion. Depression wasn’t going to win today. Or any other day, for that matter, at least not like it had been. She would not allow herself to be swept up in the waves of self-loathing and doubt to the point of being non-functional. Not anymore.

She took a deep breath and sat up, eyes still closed. There was a warmth on her face that she knew would be the late-morning sun coming in through the living room window. As she cracked her eyes open, she winced as the light seared into her brain and fired off pain signals. Slowly, she stood up, walked across the room, and felt around for the blackout curtains.

Medicine. Shower. Food. In that order.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Looking around the room later that day, Tav felt pretty proud of herself. Once she got herself cleaned, fed, and a bit more clear-headed, she opened the curtains again and opened all the windows. Her little depression hole needed a good airing out.

Starting with all the trash, she got rid of the wine bottles, the old food, even the bin filled with dirt and burned clothing. After washing off surfaces and sweeping floors, she put all the books back on the shelf, keeping a box full of scrolls and a quill pulled out on her desk. One sandwich and two sinks full of dishes later, it was nearing night time, but she had one more task ahead of her: the letter.

She’d been chewing over words in her head all day, but she still had no idea where to start. How do you even begin a letter like this? ‘Hi, Gale’? ‘Dear Gale,’? ‘Esteemed Professor Dekarios,’? If the greeting was this difficult, how would she even move on to the rest of the letter? She knew for damn sure that she wasn’t quite ready to be fully emotionally vulnerable, especially with him (even though he’s the only one she should ideally be emotionally vulnerable with…).

‘Welp, might as well just start,’ she said to herself as she sighed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hi Gale,  [in the top right hand corner was a little swirly doodle with some flowers and leaves. Next to it was written ‘I don’t have fancy paper, so I tried to do something cute?]

I’m having trouble starting this letter, so I figured maybe just admitting that is as good of a place as any. I don’t know what to say, I don’t know what you want to hear, I don’t know what will help or what will just hurt… Here’s what I do know:

-          I’m sorry. [there are tear stains on the paper here]

-          There’s no excuse for what I did.

-          I don’t even know if I know the reason for what I did.

-          I don’t feel like I deserve your patience, your forgiveness, your mercy, anything, really. Your anger is totally justifiable.

-          I don’t know who I was that night or in the months following.

Except, I do. I’d reverted back to the person abomination I walked away from. The hateful, murderous, evil, wretched thing I said I’d never be again. Yet, I can’t claim that I wasn’t in my right mind at the time either. I never lost consciousness. I was aware of the decisions I was making. I just don’t understand why I made them in the first place, other than I’d lost hope. I’d stopped trusting you. I’d assumed you were going to leave me and go back to Mystra or pursue godhood where you’d no longer be…you. [Next to this is a small sketch of a broken heart.]

Here's what else I know:

-          You didn’t deserve that.

-          I don’t deserve you.

[Below this was another item that was heavily crossed out, but you can make out the words ‘I still’.]

(this letter is a mess, I’m sorry. I’m just…flustered)

[On the right side of the paper, there was a list of four items outlined in a rectangle, above which was written ‘Good things’ – a question mark had followed this, but it was crossed out with an X. The four items are:]

-          I took a shower today.

-          I cleaned my house for the first time in weeks today.

-          I’m going to stop drinking for a while.

-          I’m exhausted and I’m going to bed.

It’s not ‘the letter of a lifetime,’ but it’s a start. I hope you’re well and that your students aren’t giving you too much of a hassle. Can’t be as bad as slaying a whole camp of goblins, right? [Here there was a small doodle of a goblin head, X’s for eyes and tongue sticking out, laying in a pool of blood next to a sword.]

I look forward to hearing from you. Take care of yourself, please.

-Tav

P.S. I’m working on my handwriting. I’m sorry if any of this is illegible. Not really a subject that was covered in “Bhaalspawn University.”

[At the bottom of the letter was drawn a curvy vine with leaves, flowers, and flower buds.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Gale swallowed thickly as he held the letter in his trembling hands.

‘She did it. She actually wrote, and it wasn’t full of anger and insults. It was a real, honest-to-the-gods attempt at talking.’

His eyes shimmered as he re-read two lines over and over again:

-          You didn’t deserve that.

-          I don’t deserve you.

His heart ached as he pondered the fact that she thought so little of herself. It made him remember his inner monologue after the debacle with Mystra and the orb. All Gale told himself for a year was that he’d made mistakes so huge that no one should have to ever bear the burden of his presence again. Anyone who showed any affection towards him, platonic or otherwise, was a fool who was wasting their time. They’d just end up being let down by this depressed shadow of a former Archmage. Knowing that Tav was the one now who truly felt she wasn’t deserving of forgiveness or mercy brought tears to his eyes.

He felt a bit lighter, however, at the implication that she even cared whether or not she was worthy of him. Not only cared, but was taking bolder steps forward. She’d apologized, she’d wished him well, she’s taking care of herself… Then it dawned on him that she’d gotten so low that a task as mundane as taking a shower was to be celebrated on a list of positive things.

Oh, did he remember that pit of despair well. He’d spent a year down at the bottom of it. Cut off from all outside contact, forgetting (or refusing) to eat, going days, even a week or more without bathing because he didn’t have anyone to see anyway. No point in expending the energy.

Now, however, Gale was at least teaching. That had kept him going. Even if he didn’t interact with many people outside of Blackstaff Academy, he was still getting dressed, going to a place with other people, and teaching Faerûn’s youth to harness and control the Weave.

But what of Tav? How often was she seeing others? It seems she had relocated after all. The return address is listed in Daggerford, a town not far south of Waterdeep full of retired adventurers, artisans, craftsmen, and farmers. A relatively quiet place compared to Baldur’s Gate, but still a city with plenty of opportunities. (And only a three-, maybe four-day travel from Gale. That would explain how easily she ended up in Waterdeep in the marketplace on that cold, rainy day…).

He remembered her telling everyone how much of a hero she’d been at the reunion party. What happened to her adventuring? Would she even be home enough for their letter-writing to be consistent? She’d made no mention of her activities, that was something he’d want to follow up on. As much as it would have previously brought him satisfaction to see her put in her place for everything she’d said, cut off from others and alone, now it just caused an ache in his chest.

The threads of his bitterness and rage had already begun unraveling. He’d been letting the truth sink in since the reunion: Tav had acted reckless and lashed out because she was scared. Scared of losing him. The thought of him abandoning her for Mystra or for godhood drove her to seek pleasure in someone else. Yet he hadn’t bothered to get to the root of the problem at the time. All he knew was that he had his heart broken. He had been betrayed. He had been ‘abandoned.’

He sighed heavily as the pangs of grief and remorse started to take hold. What a fool he’d been. A self-centered, arrogant, quick-tempered fool. But he shook those thoughts out of his head. This wasn’t the time to keep dwelling on what he had or hadn’t done in the past. Where the ball of anger had resided in his chest, just as roiling and hungry as the Netherese orb had been, he felt the tension had begun to break apart. There was still much healing to do, but now there was a little room for the patience and understanding he’d wished he’d displayed before.

He re-read the letter again, chuckling lightly at her doodles and scratches. Her handwriting had much improved, she gave herself too little credit. It was good to see she still had her silly sense of humor as well. She hadn’t been completely robbed of her beautiful qualities.

Draining the last sip of wine in his cup, he arose from his spot on the balcony and walked inside to sit at his desk. One thing nagged at him before he could start writing his response, though. Underneath the bottom list where she said she didn’t deserve him, she’d written something and then furiously scratched it out. He thought he might know what it said, but didn’t want to get carried away if he was wrong. Holding the letter carefully in front of the lit candle on his desk, he stared at the scratches, trying to piece together the words underneath. His breath caught when his eyes brought them together:

‘I still’

I still… Still what? I still hear the voice of the Dark Urge? I still won’t forgive you?

No. Given the context of what was said and the direction they were going, it had to mean only one thing. He would only allow himself to think it was one thing.

‘I still love you.’

Hoping with everything he had that it was true, he took another deep breath and pulled out a scroll from his desk drawer. It was his turn now.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dear Tav, [In small writing to the right of the greeting, it says (my ‘fancy paper’ is at the academy) with a winking face doodle.]

Sometimes I think I’d prefer a good goblin massacre to a room full of hormonal teenage wizards learning to control a firebolt spell, but each day is a new adventure, after all! [After this sentence, Gale had doodled a flame, his head/hair with wisps of smoke, and in small writing with an arrow pointing to the drawings, (I tried).]

Thank you for your thoughts, and especially for your apology. I can’t in good conscience say that everything is forgotten, but I fully believe we are on the right path forward.

I would also like to apologize, because you deserve it. You are so much more deserving than you think you are of kindness, understanding and, yes, when I am able, forgiveness. I understand, likely better than anyone else you might know, how strongly self-loathing can take hold.

Which is why I want to tell you that I’m proud of you. I don’t know what you’ve been up to in recent months. I heard you telling the others about some adventuring opportunities, but I gather from your letter that self-care had gone by the wayside. I’m proud and happy to hear that you’re starting to focus on yourself. Yes, I agree with you: showering, cleaning, limiting alcohol intake, and even being tired enough to go to bed are all good things. I hope you continue being kind to yourself.

Admittedly, I’d fallen into a similar rut. While I get plenty of social interaction at the academy, my extra-curricular life has been…non-existent. I come home to my tower, I usually remember to eat, I grade papers, stay up entirely too late researching, and then attempt to get enough sleep to repeat that schedule ad nauseum. The cleanliness of my home, and myself, had been sorely neglected. But as you are focusing on self-improvement, I shall endeavor to do likewise.

Speaking of self-improvement, that’s where the letter-writing idea came from. Rather, through Tara’s efforts to help me during my year of isolation. She’d suggested I do some journalling to write out my thoughts and emotions regarding Mystra. Not only to get them to stop rolling around in my head, but to be able to articulate them. It did help, quite immeasurably, in fact. That’s why I’m so thankful you’ve agreed to this in the first place. I feel like it will serve us well. [A filled-in purple heart was drawn here.]

Actually, I can’t tell you how many letters I started writing to you in the last six months. I really did try. It just always felt…wrong, somehow. Like it wasn’t the right time, or my words weren’t sincere, or they’d fall on deaf ears. But I’m so glad we’re ‘talking’ now. I’ve missed you, Tav… [A filled-in but broken purple heart was drawn here.]

Tell me what you’ve been up to! Tell me your thoughts. Tell me any and everything you want to. I’ll be waiting to take it all in.

Yours,

Gale

[To the left on the bottom, Gale had drawn an open book with an ink pot and a quill. In the middle on the bottom, Tara had been drawn, wings outstretched, lying down, eyes closed, with a small note: (Tara’s sleeping on my desk and she’s adorable!). On the right under his signature, Gale drew a wand with sparkling stars and a curved line of weave making a flourish.]

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dear Gale – [Here, she had drawn a wand with stars similar to the one he’d put by his name in his letter]

Thank you for saying that you’ve wanted to talk this whole time. That makes me feel so much better. I never put quill to parchment, but I started countless letters in my head. Like you said, it just never felt right. [After this, Tav drew a scroll, an ink pot, and a quill.]

This does feel like the right path at the right time, but to be honest, Gale…I’m scared. I’m scared to put everything on the table again. With how much I got we got hurt last time we allowed ourselves to be vulnerable with each other, I can’t go through that again. Nor do I want you to go through it again. [Tav had drawn two filled in broken hearts after this paragraph.]

It humbles me to think you feel I’m deserving of good things. Truly. I don’t feel like I am, so I suppose it’s good that someone in this world does. Your encouragement in taking care of myself is unexpected, but ultimately not surprising. That’s just who you are. I’m thankful to hear that you’re taking it upon yourself to improve as well. [Here, Tav had drawn some grapes and cheese on a plate, and to the right of it, a broom and dust pan.]

I fully understand, however, that you can’t forgive me, at least not yet. (I wouldn’t forgive me either.) Hopefully I can begin to earn it over time. I’m not going to sit here and defend my actions with trying to find solace in Mizora’s…experience. It wasn’t even fulfilling, if it makes you feel any better. (It won’t, I know you). It was just tricks of the mind and a devil’s words of promises for things I didn’t even desire. (Perhaps the ‘old me’ would have.) I regretted it immediately, yet it has marked me forever.

But I know that how it left me afterwards is not the point. The point is why I let myself go along with it in the first place. I’ve done a lot of thinking in the last months, especially since the reunion. Let me preface this by saying that I am not shifting the blame. I still made the decision to give in. However, after days and weeks of your near-obsession with the Crown of Karsus, I could see that look in your eyes. You couldn’t stop thinking about the power it could offer. Power that we know all too well would only corrupt you and change you. Then, your meeting with Mystra, introducing her back into your life with her deal to get rid of the orb for the crown… I could feel you slipping away from me.

[On the left side by the words Crown of Karsus, Tav had drawn the crown with a big ‘X’ through it. Near where Mystra is mentioned, she drew a scared ‘Mystra,’ identified as ‘witch bitch,’ being threatened by Tav with a dagger.’]

What I should have done was keep talking to you, seeking reassurance. I should have spat in Mizora’s face and told her to get the fuck out. [In this area, Tav drew herself spitting in Mizora’s face.] I should have sought solace in your embrace, in your words, in your love… But one thing I need you to understand: I was brought up my whole life to be let down. Every success came with a defeat. Every win came with a loss. Every gift came with a sacrifice. You were the most important gift I will ever have in this world or the next. I was positive I was going to lose it, so…I don’t know. I think maybe I wanted to push it from myself first before it was taken outside of my control? Mizora approaching me with her “offer”… She knew exactly what she was doing: giving me an “out” that she knew I would take because I was at my most vulnerable.

For all my accolades being a “Hero of Baldur’s Gate” and savior to many, I clearly didn’t have the strength to stand up to her temptations. I let her use the fact that I have major trust issues to weasel her way into my deepest fears and exploit them. I didn’t have a chance. It doesn’t excuse my actions, but I hope it at least explains them.

I’m running out of parchment. You asked what I’ve been up to. If it’s of any comfort, things are going well enough. I’m eating mostly regularly, I’m keeping up with the chores, and I’m even starting to finally organize some garden space in the yard. I’m trying to spend some time outside every day, and I’ve replaced the wine with various teas. They’re small steps, but they’re steps.

I don’t know if I’ve gotten us closer to any kind of resolution, but hopefully my words can fill in some of the gaps. I look forward to hearing your response.

Thank you, by the way, for giving me something to look forward to again.

I’ve missed you too. Very much so.

Humbly yours,

Tav

[At the bottom left of the page, she drew a cup of tea]

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dearest Tav, [to the right of the greeting, it says in smaller writing (I apologize for the condition of this letter. It was rather difficult to write.) The letter is littered with smudges where tears had fallen and letter had been re-written over them.]

As I wrote my last letter and have been pondering your response, it weighs on me just how grave a mistake I also made. The blame for our downfall does not fully rest with you. (Let me finish…)

Feeling like you’re not worthy, like you made too big of a mistake to recover from; you know how familiar I am with those thoughts. Looking back, this means I should have been the one who was there for you the most. Yet I wasn’t. I was the furthest one away.

I agree with you that my anger was justified. I’d felt like I’d been told I wasn’t enough for you, which is exactly what I feared from the beginning. In my mind, you had openly told the entire world that Gale Dekarios, fallen Archmage of Waterdeep, scorned by Mystra herself, could not, in fact, make you or anyone else happy. You had to go find your pleasure elsewhere.

Where my mistake lies is in never stopping to think how much you had to have been hurting in order to find solace in Mizora in the first place. I don’t think I even gave you the chance to confirm you hadn’t been possessed, quite frankly. It’s no wonder your defenses went up immediately. My reaction, while potentially understandable, was absolutely awful.

I am so sorry that I never gave you a chance to talk things through before letting my hurt and rage take over. What I should have done was walk away and screamed into the void instead of at you before hearing any kind of explanation. I suppose I figured there would never be one good enough. Never did I think until recently that I could have possibly had something to do with you feeling pushed in that direction. I should have been more reassuring. I should have given you no reason to doubt my love for you and my dedication to you.

The possibilities that came with the crown had taken over my waking thoughts, and even infiltrated my dreams. Providing an eternal life without conflicts for both you and I sounded like the perfect solution, and I became hyper-focused. You had tried telling me that you were scared, that you didn’t want me to lose my humanity. I just still thought I was smarter and had this whole grand plan all figured out and you would realize it eventually.

[Before the next paragraph is drawn an infinity symbol, a heart nestled into the loops on either side.]

But I didn’t do enough to put your mind at ease. I didn’t help you understand that I wouldn’t have actually left had it come down to choosing between you and the crown. I never, never would have left you, Tav. As I shouted rather rudely before, I only ever truly wanted you. I assumed you knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt, so I didn’t spend any time reinforcing it. I let my focus drift too far. Then, I left you scared and alone afterwards with no chance to explain. I, the ex-Chosen and ex-lover of a goddess, from whom he should have learned humility after his hubris, the man to whom you showed so much kindness and understanding and support when anyone else would have run in the other direction, I couldn’t even show a fraction of that back to you.

Taviela, my heart, I am so, so incredibly sorry that I wasn’t there for you. When you pulled me from that portal and later heard my harrowing tale of foolishness and desperation, you stood by me. You took care of me and encouraged me, and I threw that back in your face at the first opportunity. It will be a long time before I can forgive myself for that. But I humbly, honestly, and hopefully ask if you could ever forgive me. I understand if you cannot, but know that I will spend the rest of my life proving myself to you.

Please keep telling me your thoughts, Tav. I want to hear them. I need to hear them.

Repentantly yours,

Gale

P.S. I’m far too emotional at the moment to do many little doodles, but yours warm my heart. Please keep doing them. [A filled in heart was drawn here. He had also drawn a simple version of the wand and stars under his name.]

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

My Dearest Gale, [Across the top of the page was a wand, a wavy line of weave, and small stars.]

I’ve been staring at this parchment for at least an hour, but I haven’t been able to write anything until now. I’m sobbing at your words. Your insight about everything I put you through, the weight of what happened after all your hurts and insecurities from Mystra and the orb, the fear of being inadequate to me… That weight is almost too much to bear. I’ve berated myself for months now for hurting you, but the full impact never hit me until I read it in your words. I want to fall on my knees and cry at your feet and beg for mercy. But how could you possibly ever forgive me? I’m sorrier than you will ever know for allowing you causing you to feel that way again.

Also, to think that you are taking any of this upon yourself so strongly, I really don’t know what to say about that either. I still feel like this is all due to my deficiencies. My weaknesses. My fuck-ups. But I can understand where you’re coming from, wanting to take some responsibility. All I’ll say is that there is nothing to forgive anymore. I hold no more ill will towards you. We both acted like children throwing tantrums, but we were each already pushed to our limits and didn’t stop to think about, well, anything, really.  [Tav had drawn 5 filled in hearts here, along with writing (I don’t know what else to doodle here because I’m also emotional).]

It feels cheap to keep coming back to my upbringing, but it’s an unfortunate reality where I’m concerned. Everything was always a bitter fight of either words or daggers. There was no real “communication” to speak of. There were no “feelings” shared. It was all cruel lessons with harsh punishments. ‘Be a bitch, or get walked over’ was something I told myself a lot. I never truly learned to stop and step back and give things time to breathe. Putting myself in another person’s shoes is something I’ve forced myself to learn, especially during our adventures.

I have a confession to make. When I (literally) ran into you in Waterdeep a few months ago, it wasn’t just happenstance. I’d come there with a purpose. The downward spiral had begun weeks prior and I was nearing rock bottom. I came to look for you. To see if you were possibly even half as miserable as I was without you. I was certain you would be, and that it would give me a reason to approach you. We would be on common ground and might actually be able to talk. [On the right side of the page, Tav had drawn an open book sitting in a puddle of water in the rain. On the pages of the book it said ‘I’m sorry about the books.’]

But then I saw you. You were in the marketplace, smiling, making small talk with the merchants, even laughing with them. You looked full of life. You looked like you were doing just fine – without me. My heart dropped into my shoes and I’d considered just walking away, never letting you see I was even there. But something in me snapped. I apparently just had to get in a couple more digs before I walked away forever. That was childish and unacceptable and I’m sorry I put you in that position. (I don’t blame you one bit for the Hold Person spell, for the record. I deserved it.) [Tav had drawn the symbol for the Hold Person spell here, along with Tav approves.]

Please forgive me, but I’m emotionally spent. I think I’ll wrap this up to send in the morning, go sit on the back porch with a cup of tea, and just think for a while.

Still yours,

Tav

[Along the left side of the bottom of the page, Tav drew a small flower garden. On the right side, a cup of tea.]

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

My Darling Taviela, [On the right side of the top of the page was carefully drawn an eternity symbol. Inside each side was a heart – a G written in the one on the left, a T written in the one on the right. Next to it, Gale wrote:] (I’ve been doodling this a lot lately.)

My heart aches for you, for us both. You’re right. There’s nothing to forgive anymore. We were both stretched so far beyond our limits, no wonder we broke down. We both have acted out of turn, we both have put ourselves through the wringer, and we both built impossibly high walls around ourselves. I’m happy to say that I believe we can push those walls down now. I want to move forward in whatever way we can, even if that ends up being as friends (though judging by your comments, it doesn’t sound like that will be the case, but please correct me if I’m reading the situation incorrectly).

I have a confession for you, in light of your revelations regarding our “run-in” in the marketplace. It was all an act to save face out in public. The laughter, the ‘life’ you say you saw in me, the light-hearted interactions – they were all a façade. I was miserable without you, however angry I was. After that interaction, it got even worse. I felt awful immediately, leaving you standing there shivering in the rain. [Gale had drawn a hand getting smacked by a ruler with words in a bubble outlined in sharp angles: BAD WIZARD!] I couldn’t believe that, even though there was some provocation, that I’d still reverted to such a childish response. I sank further into my depressive state. I almost didn’t come to the reunion with our companions either, actually. It felt like more of an effort to get myself put together than I was capable of. Fortunately, Tara snapped me out of it.

Speaking of Tara, I’ve been working on getting her to be more understanding. I’m sure you have noticed that her protectiveness of me overrides any kind of empathetic nature towards anyone who has caused me even a lick of hurt. But she’s come a long way in understanding both sides of our…predicament. I’ll keep at it, for both of our sakes. [A trail of small paw prints was drawn after this.]

I’m pleased to say that I’ve been keeping up with the cleaning, [on the right side of the page, Gale doodled a robed hand holding a sparking wand next to two balls of dust that look like rabbits. Underneath was written, (dust bunnies).] I feel like I finally have a handle on my students and my lesson-planning, and I’ve found joy in cooking meals again. Too much time is being spent grading sub-par assignments in the evenings, I’ll admit, but it comes with the territory. My heart has been all the lighter in the last couple of weeks, and it’s all thanks to you: your words, your patience, and willingness to work on…well, us.

What have you been up to lately? Any more adventuring opportunities coming your way? Are you doing any traveling? I wonder if there’s any chance our paths might cross in the near future.

I’ll admit, my mind has been wandering to thoughts of seeing you again. I miss the warmth of your embrace, the sparkle in your smile, the feeling of home when I look into your eyes – I feel like a part of me has been missing since our falling out.

I was actually thinking… What would you say to coming back to Waterdeep for a proper visit?

Take care of yourself, my darling [a filled-in heart was drawn here]

Gale (no fancy drawing in my name this time. Just me, missing you.) [above this, Gale had drawn a side profile of himself from the chest up, looking down, eyes closed, a tear falling from his eye.]

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The letters had been going back and forth at a regular, weekly pace. It was about six weeks after the reunion, which already seemed like forever ago. They had come so far, and his words made her realize that she missed him more than she knew was possible.

However, when Tav saw the last question in Gale’s letter, she froze. Her chest tightened and her breath quickened. She got dizzy, her hands shook, and her mind raced, tears threatening to overflow onto her cheeks. She was having a panic attack.

She threw the letter in her top desk drawer, slammed it shut, ran down the hall, and pulled the lever for her shower without bothering to warm the water first. Fully clothed, she stood underneath the cold deluge until her breathing slowed and she could process her thoughts.

The nausea was back. She sat on the floor on a towel and just let the water drip off her. Tucking her knees up to her chin, she stared at the wall and focused on her breathing. She wanted nothing more than for Gale to walk in the room right now, pick her up, and hold her in his lap, caressing her hair and whispering comforting words to her until she felt better. But as much as she wanted to feel his arms around her, to smell his scent, to run her fingers through his hair and more, she was absolutely terrified.

All she could think of as she started rocking back and forth was that she was going to end up hurting him again. She cried and cried until she resigned herself to lying down on the floor and crying herself to sleep, shivering in her damp clothes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A week went by and there was no response from Tav. Gale tried to brush it off, attempting to convince himself that perhaps she had gotten a chance to do some traveling, and was running behind sending her letter.

Nine days went by and his resolve started to falter. He replayed every word in his head that he’d written in his last letter. Was he moving ahead too fast? Did he assume too much? Did he push her too far? He ached to see her, to hear her voice, and to comfort her. But he could NOT let himself fuck things up again…

On the tenth day, he sent just a short message in hurried writing, requested for the utmost urgent delivery.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tav,

I’m truly, deeply sorry if I’m pushing you too far. You don’t have to answer the last question. We can continue just writing if that’s what makes you comfortable. I’ll do whatever you need, but I cannot, I will not lose you again.

Please, talk to me, my love.

Gale [A filled in heart was drawn after his name.]

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sleep never found him that night. He let his brain run through every worst-case scenario it could come up with. Tears were still crawling down his face every so often as he saw the faintest colors of the dawn coming to greet the eleventh day. Thank the gods he had the next couple of days off for Midsummer…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On the afternoon of the twelfth day, Tav’s response arrived. Gale didn’t even go back inside or shut the door. He ripped open the envelope and tried to steady his breathing as his shaky hands held her letter. He let himself take a deep breath and fall back against his door frame as he read:

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

My precious Gale,

I am so very sorry for the delayed response and for making you worry. I don’t know what came over me, but when I saw you asking to see each other again…I panicked. I had a full-on panic attack, after which, I slept for days. I lost all track of what day it was or how much time had gone by. I kept picking up my quill and the words just wouldn’t come. I’m so sorry. Your words in the message I received today snapped me back out of it. Thank you for checking on me. [A filled-in heart was drawn here.]

Gale, I can’t bear the thought of hurting you again. I’m not saying that I don’t want to see you. Believe me, nothing would make me happier. My dreams of getting to be near you, to hold you again, to be held by you, they are my greatest source of comfort. But we haven’t spent any time together in person since the reunion, and we spent months before that acting like completely different people.

What if we can’t change, Gale? What if seeing each other brings out all the anger and spite again? I can’t forgive myself, even if you have. I don’t know what to say – I can’t lose you again either, I won’t survive it. And I fear that I will become upset by something and fall back into my old ways of dealing with arguments: with juvenile pettiness and venomous words. I’m so scared…

In fact, I’m going to deflect now so I don’t dissolve into another panic attack.

To answer your other questions – honestly, adventuring hasn’t happened in a while. I was being truthful at the reunion when I said I’d been adventuring and helping people. But coming back from Waterdeep is when I started to shut everyone out. My house descended into chaotic messes that I didn’t have the energy to clean, I stopped eating regularly, I was drinking at least a bottle of wine a day, and I slept all the time. I have enough money set aside that I can get away with not working for quite a while, but that won’t last forever.

The gardening is going well now though! I haven’t killed so much as a tomato plant! I’m growing flowers and selling bundles here and there. I’m also growing my own vegetables and some fruits, though I haven’t begun selling those yet. I’m getting the itch to start baking, however… I’ve found a great deal of fulfillment in creating (growing) some kind of life now instead of dwelling on the memories of taking it. [Along the left side of the page, she drew a tomato plant crawling up the side. Along the right, she drew a plate of danishes and a cup of tea.]

I’m so sorry again for worrying you. I just froze because I don’t want you to get hurt. I’ll get this sent to you as quickly as I can, but please tell me your thoughts. I’m hoping your insight can be of some comfort.

With all my heart,

Your Tav

[At the bottom of the letter, Tav drew the same symbol Gale had been doodling on everything he could: the eternity symbol with the hearts in the middle, one with a G, one with a T. Next to it, she wrote:] (I tried… Yours looks much nicer.)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

My sweet Taviela, [Their infinity symbol with hearts and their initials was on the top right.]

Thank you for explaining the reason for the delay. I completely understand, and I’m sorry to have caused you to panic. If I may offer some encouragement, however, perhaps I can help quiet your heart.

Neither of us are under anywhere near the amount of pressure and stress that we were at the time back in Baldur’s Gate. We are taking care of ourselves now as individuals, fully independent of others, and neither is a crutch for the other. This bodes well for quelling any fears of being too dependent on each other for our own good.

We’ve seen what damage can be done by careless words and actions, and we’ve walked back from that ledge – together. Now we’ll be more aware of the warning signs should we become frustrated with each other again. We’ve talked about what we can do to avoid arguments in the future, like walking away for a breather, should we need to. Lest you have any unrealistic expectations, please remember that we will become frustrated with each other and we will likely have some arguments. That’s only natural for any two beings that have a close relationship. But we have some experience now and wisdom gained. I truly believe that we can be better for each other. We can change. Together. [A filled in heart is drawn here along the left side of the page.]

If you are comfortable thinking about the possibility of visiting, I have a proposition for you. Some simple guidelines that will help keep us in check as we try spending time together again, under completely different circumstances.

-          I will get you set up in a lovely room at The Yawning Portal for one week. The bartender owes me a favor for clearing out some riffraff a few weeks ago. Then you can have a place you feel comfortable retreating to without feeling trapped in my tower, should you wish to get some space.

-          So as to not put too much pressure on either of us too quickly, we can have a date each day, but we don’t spend the entire day together (at least not every day). It may be midsummer, but I still have regular responsibilities with the academy that I need to see to. Besides, that will give us time to individually reflect on our time together and how we’re feeling.

-          At the end of the week, we can talk about how things have gone and what direction we should go at that point. We won’t pressure each other, and we’ll agree that we won’t be disappointed if one person needs more time than the other. Above all, we need to make sure our friendship stays in tact.

So, what do you say? Look! I even got Tara’s stamp of approval! [On the side of the page is an ink pawprint.] (Do you have any idea how much convincing it took to get her to put her paw in ink? I owe her tuna for weeks…)

I won’t pressure you, but if you’re amenable to this plan, we can do this as soon as you’d like – even next week. Having said all that, if you still want to take things slower and keep writing letters for now, I will fully support that decision and be delighted to keep doing so.

If you will allow me, however, I would like to make one last plea: I want to see you, Taviela. I need to see you. My heart aches for you and my arms feel so painfully empty without you in them. I long to curl my fingers into your hair, to hear your contended sighs, to be lit up inside by your laughter, and, when you’re ready, to make love to you and cover you in affectionate, healing kisses until every hurtful word we’ve ever exchanged is erased from memory itself.

I know you’re scared, my darling. But I believe in us. I believe things will be different this time around. I hope and pray to every god and goddess who will listen that you can find it in your heart to take the risk.

Come here to me, my love, and we can keep walking our way forward - together. [A filled in heart is drawn here.]

I eagerly await your reply, whatever it may be.

Yours always,

Gale [A doodle of a wand surrounded by stars is by his name.]

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tav’s hands trembled. Gods, she missed him so much it physically hurt. Especially now that she knew how much he was missing her as well. Sitting at her desk, she re-read his last full paragraph with tears flooding her vision and heart filling her chest, not to mention a familiar heat between her thighs. She knew at that moment that her desire and her renewed trust in Gale Dekarios FINALLY outweighed her fears. She didn’t even need to think about her response. It was short and sweet:   

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Gale, my love, [Their eternity/hearts/initials symbol was drawn on the top right.]

I’ll set out tomorrow by horse from Daggerford and will arrive at the Yawning Portal on Sunday evening around dinner time. I sincerely hope your arms will be waiting for me, because I’ll be rushing into them the moment I see you. [A filled-in heart was drawn in.]

Just don’t be holding a stack of books this time… [ Tav had drawn a doodle of a winking face here.]

Yours always,

Tav

P.S. I doubt we’ll be waiting long for those healing kisses… I know we’re going to space out our time together, but stay with me the first night? Help me “settle in” to Waterdeep? [Tav sketched a set of lip prints in the bottom right.]

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tears fell from Gale’s eyes, but happy ones this time. He could tell his cheeks were flushed too from her “P.S.”… He laughed at her jab about the books, then folded up the letter and brought it to his lips, kissing the edge she would have folded with her soft hands.

He had planning to do. 

[mystery--mist]

Ok, first at all, thanks a lot @hypnoticmoth for considering tag me ♥ People don't usually tag me in... anything in general XD So it makes me happy when they want to include me X) heh~♥

No wednesday but I have a lot of WIPs, justly myself cause... busy with a lot of things :") I'll try to post from the oldest to newest. Surely I will redraw the most of the WIPs

Previous Tag!

I tag before showing my WIPs cause I don't want to disturb peeps with my pics :")

Dunno who tag honestly, I usually tag friends and mutuals cause a lil trust but I don't think I have a lot of mutuals here... uuuhh let's see...

Don't feel forced to do it anyway! >o<

Tagging: @dimneo1010 you bitch, I mention you cause I want to annoy you :3 ♥

@smthaboutusss we are mutuals :"3c but I hope you don't mind ♥

@strawberry-aliik you mutual :"D ♥

And feel free to join, random peep ♥

Beware, there's some suggestive pics below :")

Valentino and OhMamaWho-

That's... the second time I drew Valentino (?) This is from 24th April. Only erotic, no explicit. And nope, that's not Angel nor an Oc :") Guess who

When I finish you'll see heh

The 2 Alastor Haters

An attempt to draw an icon of my 2 top husbands together who don't get along with Alastor :"D It was my first time drawing Vox and Lucifer :")

Vel and Vox

Teaming up both because they kick doors with style. Actually Valentino would be in the background just vibing lol

Vox and Morgana

Ah yeah, that's my Hazbin Oc intimating with Vox :") It meant to be erotic/suggestive but not explicit, they are not naked actually XD

VoxVal Doodle

Cause yeah StaticMoth X) I was even drawing Val with more insect legs here

Human Valentino Concept Design

I was trying to design my own version of a young human Valentino when he was an Art student college. Some of my inspirations were Joel (Valentino VA), Freddie Mercury and Elvis Presley. The girl next to him meant to be the human version of his real lover when he was alive. All that from the AU with Dim,

Kinsona / Veesona

Yeah my Kisona with Valentino XD I didn't finish the design aaaah-

Sad Vox

I hated so much how I used to draw Vox (like really, he looked ugly ;-;) that I didn't even want to draw his face. So I didn't finish this one. Surely I'll redraw it better.

VoxVal Doodles

It meant to be a whole canvas about VoxVal and there I even designed my fankid Vanexa :") Need to continue ona day and render some doodles. And finish Vanexa design too eeek...

The Real NSFW (Censured)

We don't talk about my Shark Vox and my first RadioStatic NSFW ^w^ Keep scrolling down

VoxVal Portrait Family

My most recent and last WIP I think. This was for the Hellaverse Kid Week but I didn't have the time to finish it. I only have to render with lighting and a background but I am full unmotivated now for that :") I mean the background ugh...

Ok that's all, actually I have some more WIPs but I think this is enough. I am a big mess for unfinish drawings :") Sorry

[btsgotjams27]

between the lines | kth

summary: the boy you have a crush on loves to draw between the lines of your notebook.

✨ title: between the lines | ✨ pairing: taehyung x f!reader ✨ genre/au: fluff | college!au | ✨ rating: g | ✨ word count: 1.3k ✨ warnings: none (?) is this the first time this has happened?? lol at least i don't think there are any, if you find one lmk. ✨ a/n: thank you to @alphabetboyluvr for helping me with this fic title and the hubs for helping me draw some things! and happy birthday to taetae.

"Can I get a piece of paper? I forgot my notebook."

Without hesitation, you tore out a piece from yours and handed it to Kim Taehyung - the boy you had been crushing on since the first day of class. He first caught your eye when he showed up in a full-on suit, which you thought was odd, then on other days, he'll show up in a hoodie and sweats. He loved flip-flopping between the two styles.

"Can I also borrow a pen?" he asked with his bottom lip tucked under his teeth, hoping you didn't mind him asking more of you.

You chuckled and shook your head. How could you say no to that face? So you began digging through your bag for a pen. "Are you always this forgetful?" you asked, pointing the pen at him, waiting for him to take it. But also, how does someone come to class unprepared? It's not like it's a surprise.

Taehyung smiled. "Yes," he said, plucking it from your grasp.

"Don't lose it. It's my favorite pen." You already felt you wouldn't be seeing your pen again. There was a twinge of regret in your heart when he clicked the pen and began scribbling away. God, he's going to use all the ink!

Your professor continued his lecture. Twenty minutes in, and you couldn't stop yawning. An eight o'clock class was just too early for anyone's brain to function, but you wanted to get this class out of the way. And you liked the rest of your day free from classes.

Since you were young, you have always doodled in your notebook—little stars or spirals in the corner. You couldn't draw to save your life, but it helped pass the time.

You covered your mouth as another yawn escaped - the third one in ten minutes. You straighten your posture, hoping it will help.

Taehyung looked over, watching you struggle to stay awake. He focused on the pen, and the top was adorned with a brown bear. He leaned into your personal space, taking his thumb and index finger, and squeezed the bear.

"What are you doing?" you whispered as he squashed the bear violently between his thumb and index finger.

"It's squishy," he said, marveling at the softness.

You yanked it away from him. It's not like you were writing anything important, you were doodling, but he was interrupting. And yes, you bought this specific pen because it was cute, squishy, and a good stress reliever.

"…Sorry," he mumbled, sinking back into his chair. He returned to his previous position, facing the front.

You scowled at him, looking at his paper; he had nothing written down. What was the point of you giving him paper and a pen if he wasn't going to use them? You ignored the cute boy with fluffy hair and continued doodling away — swirls, clouds, and stars filled the corner of your notepad.

The professor's words went in one ear and out the other as you mindlessly drew; from your peripheral view, you could feel Taehyung's eyes back on you. Then you could see his raised arm coming in your direction, his pen drawing a nine-square grid with a big X in the middle.

You turned to him, catching his smirk before returning to the grid, marking an O in the top right corner. The two of you continued until it was a cat's game, and you would not let him win. Turning to him, you playfully stuck your tongue out before returning your focus to your professor. But you should've known that Taehyung wasn't finished playing games.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please take note of this section in the chapter because it will be on the next exam. This exam will be worth ten percent of your grade," said your professor.

You were ready to jot down the chapter he referenced but Taehyung nudged your hand, writing the letters: M.A.S.H.

God, he was relentless, wasn't he?

Growing up, you and your older sister used to play this silly game all the time. In the 'future partner' column, you wrote down your choices: Park Jimin — Taehyung's best friend, and Jeon Jungkook – Taehyung's roommate. And you were going to write down Yoongi, the TA but Taehyung knocked your hand out of the way, scribbling down his name.

The next column was the number of kids. The two of you took turns writing down numbers: 2, 99, and 4. You rolled your eyes at his 99. Imagine pushing out 99 kids? Is that even possible?

It was time to choose places you'd want to live. You'd always dreamt of Sydney and Paris, which you quickly wrote down before Taehyung wrote his choice — New York. His was also a good one, you couldn't complain.

Next was the type of transportation, and being the jokester he was, Taehyung scribbled a tandem bike, making you roll your eyes. Your choices were a Range Rover and, for giggles, a school bus. Taehyung snorted when he saw what you wrote.

You mouthed, "What"?

"Cute," he mouthed back.

You grinned at his comment. Did he mean you were cute or what you wrote was cute?

And lastly, was the column for future occupation. You paused to think as though this silly little game was real life, writing down tech bazillionaire. If you chose 99 children, you need to be able to provide for all of them. For the last two options, you let Taehyung choose: astronaut and art curator.

Now was the moment of truth, drawing the spiral to determine your fate. You elbowed Taehyung. "Tell me when to stop," you told him as you closed your eyes. With your pen to paper, you began drawing a spiral.

He leaned in, whispering, "Stop."

You opened your eyes, clearing your throat, when you realized how close he was to you. Looking at the spiral you drew, you counted seven lines and began counting and eliminating the written choices.

Taehyung snickered when his friends' names were crossed out, and you circled his name. "Guess we're getting married," he teased, licking his lips.

Honestly, you'd marry him in a heartbeat, no questions asked, given that you hardly knew the guy. It would help if you had a real conversation before letting him get on his knees.

You continued eliminating the choices written on the paper. Taehyung peered over to see the results of the silly game. He flashed a wide grin, chuckling softly. You guessed he was happy with the results, which concluded in a marriage to Kim Taehyung, with four kids, living in an apartment in Paris. The two of you would have to figure out the tandem bicycle as a mode of transportation because it wasn't suitable for a family of six. The occupation aligns more with Taehyung than it did with you. He was definitely artsier than your silly doodles on your paper. 

You peered over at him again, but he was focused on the professor. You wondered what other interests and hobbies he had and if he was a good flirt through conversations, not just on paper.

"Okay, class. I will see you on Friday. Please study hard, and if you have any questions, you can reach me via my office hours."

Finally, the class was over, and you were getting ready to gather your things, but Taehyung stopped you from closing your notebook.

"What are you doing?" you asked, glaring at him as he scribbled something before closing it. He grinned as you watched him take off without saying a word. You wondered what his deal was

Half the class was already gone by the time you finished gathering your things. You flipped to the page the two of you had been writing on. Scanning the page, you saw what he wrote: I like you.

You had to give it to him. He knew how to make you blush with the simplest of things. Quickly, you grabbed your things to try and find him. You poked your head out the door, looking both ways before you spotted him. You caught his gaze just as he turned back.

"What about my pen?!" you yelled out after him.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around. "If you want it, come and get it."

[sunbloomdew]

i drew the main 5 characters from ans as kids :3 THEYRE SOOOOOOOO TINY

just a simple doodle for fun, i barely used any refs for it so don't think too hard about it ksjfhksjd

i was doing everything at a guess so that's why zen is so short lol. it's kind of adorable tho :]

i really love this story and only recently had read the entire manga. i first watched the anime when i was younger and while i liked the series it didn't stick with me for long. fast foward a couple years and now im obsessed

a bit about this doodle! first, ages: shirayuki - 12; zen - 13, kiki - 14; obi - he would be 15 but he looks closer to kiki's age so let's say he's 14. maybe his 15th bday is coming up, who knows. and lastly mitsuhide - 17. so like i guess they're not really kids kids but like from young to older teens. eh i dont care about specifics with this one

shirayuki is vibing. maybe she was sent by her grandparents to run some errands in the town which is why she has the basket. she might run into some trouble... but she is determined to enjoy her little trip

zen is in his teenage rebellion phase, as that was the case when mitsuhide became his aide. i keep looking at him and shirayuki cuz they just look so smol and cute

kiki!! i absolutely love her. i don't exactly remember how long after mitsuhide joins zen do they meet kiki with this haircut. i wasn't exactly thinking about anything i just wanted to draw her cute short hair <33

we basically know nothing about obi's childhood. i'm headcanoning he has been in his previous line of work for a loooong time, probably had to in order to survive. so we have tiny obi trying to get out of a rough situation maybe. now that i think about it i could have had him use the ripped off sleeve as a bandage instead but oh well

last but not least is mitsuhide! i'm obsessed with his cute expression, he's such a softie mother-hen. he's standing straight up and has no idea how to act with the little snarky prince

i'll definitely be drawing some more stuff!! the hyperfixation is going really strong... almost a little too strong...... 💀

[universal-casey]

very cool seeing another anon also intersted in the $wap au and $wap!sovime (/gen)! may i ask how $am (side note: is that a pun based on uncle sam?) treats $oviet, and how $oviet reacts to it? it doesn't seem like $oviet's missing an eye, so presumably the gardening incident didn't occur here? do they feel differently about each other, since sovame exists? may i ask how the takeover happened here, since it seems very different to the original sovime's version?

— 🎶 anon.

I have no clue how y'all are able to find all these super old AU doodles lmao. Cause I can't find them to figure out what the hell I drew!!

Yes, $am is a pun based on uncle Sam :) It's also just "$wap Ame" shortened, but I didn't want his name to be "$ame" lol.

As I mentioned in your previous ask, it's kind of a toxic yaoi dynamic.

Initially, they used to be close. $oviet, despite not agreeing with $am's ideals or ways, genuinely found him charming. And he was incredibly kind and loving to $ov's kids. A relationship formed between the two.

But, $am started to get sick. Radiation sickness, to be exact. His nuclear power stores, nuclear weapon stores, and excessive nuclear testing of all sorts of shit (also it was uranium glass and Fiestaware GALORE. Radioactive shit was being sold like hotcakes), just led to him getting really, really sick.

Now, in the typical $wap AU, this just makes $am too weak to stomp out any sort of rebellion and the states rise up and collapse the UCSA, thus killing him. He'd come to terms with this, at that point, and didn't fight it. He knew he needed to go.

In $ovime, though, it results in a brain tumor. One that fundementally changes $am's entire outlook on life and completely reverses any progress he may have made with $oviet in terms of becoming a better person. Instead, he grew obsessive and possessive, and gained a nightmarish fear of death. In his mind, he was essentially god and should have anything he wanted. And that included people.

Because of this sudden shift in personality, $oviet started to grow distant and tried to pull himself away. Which was a bad move, because now $am had the motivation to force $oviet to stay. He wasn't going to lose the one man that kept his attention.

$am's takeover was more aggressive. Though still calculated. He managed to corner $oviet into a "treaty" that gave $am all of the control. Resulting in $ov becoming a puppet state, and a guinea pig for $am's cybernetics.

[saltymongoose]

Final refs incoming! Hope you enjoy big ol' beefcakes because we got three! :D It took me over a month to finish the Gol3ms.

I decided to give them a blue tint to envoke a sense of partial decomp, as these two are made from the flesh of various grunts. Plus we do not know how fresh the corpses used were, or if they were preserved at all. These designs are based on previous sketches and designs I had made for them. :)

When making this big fellow, I decided I had to give him even more muscle groups than others, due to sheer size. Especially on the legs and upper arms. This entire project was fun and a good excercise for my anatomy skills and research into muscle groups.

:) Who knows, may do someone else. Time will tell ;) -Krystal🦊

Omg Krystal, these are amazing! :D Church and Jorge are looking good; I love how you detailed their stitches and included a more "deathly" looking skin tone to show their G03LM traits. Plus, I also really like how you used the metal plates from their original designs here, it fits really nicely. (Also, this is more minor, but Church's hair is A++, I love the longer back to it lol.)

The sketches are also adorable, as always. I literally caught myself thinking "Haha those rascals :)" unironically, so you definitely characterized them very accurately lmao.

Finally, we got the best boy Torture! First off, I can see how much detail you put in with his anatomy, and given his status as a MAG, it makes sense. The skin that grunts have also is also quite stiff, so the fact that his muscular structure is so visible can be attributed to that as well. (It's likely even more accentuated by it being like Kevlar. Which I'd imagine is also pretty painful, thanks AAHW.) Also, as someone who struggles with drawing anatomy, I really appreciate the work that you put in to do it so accurately here. The attention to detail is always spectacular, but this is something else haha. <3

Of course, we have to mention the little doodles too, and my favorite is definitely the one of the engineer and agent telling him about the Player. There's just something a bit comical about how far Torture has to stoop down just to listen to them, but I also really like how it emphasizes the differences between him and normal-sized grunts. I also find the interactions you drew of him actually with the Player really cute; he's just sort of a big cat around them, and I love how soft he is shown as being towards him. These were just great, and I love them very much. Thank you!! ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡♡♡

[hyperkitten224]

Introductory post since I have a hundred-something followers now. yay?

(strawpage)

Hi hello I go by Hyper, I am a dumb autistic young adult on the Internet, I am a genderfluid asexual lesbian, and I do drawings. I do nothing but drawings. thassit. if you want to see said drawings. um. check out the #hyper drew this tag on my account :) (but jsyk, I have two art styles and one of them is less detailed than the other)

actually when I'm not drawing, I'm yapping. so if you wanna see what I've yapped about, take a look at the #hyper said this tag :)

my "sona," I guess, is the little dude in my pfp. pins are optional. I also have a few other sonas, including a more detailed alt of the pfp dude. they look like this

if you wanna tell me anything. questions about how I interpret my special interests, doodle requests, you name it, just shoot me an ask. previous asks can be seen on the #ask answered tag if ur curious :3

while asks are okay, DMs scare me (if I don't know who you are.) if you want to talk to me, you can use the ask feature, and if you want to follow me, just frickin follow me. I will not care lol

my special interests include The Amazing Digital Circus(which is my current special interest), Splatoon, Five Nights at Freddy's, Undertale/Deltarune, Portal, Spooky Month, Inscryption, and many many others. don't ask me about my special interests or else I will infodump

anyway that's all I have to currently say. I might update this in the future. bye now

[zwy01]

Genderbending time!!! I drew Previous Lord and Raizel!!!

I gave PL the fanciest outfit in my entire genderbender cast lol. Fancy. Shiny. Gorgeous. Oh my~~ you’ll be blinded if you look at her for too long. Raskreia’s funny mom-lord, known for her eccentric personality. Tries to make her stoic son smile just a biiiit more, and turn that frown upside down. C’mon! Mom’s trying her best. Ehh, maybe it didn’t work this time. But that’s okay. Her son doesn’t always understand her actions but he greatly respects her. Funny mom-lord cares a lot about Raizel and encourages her to live a free life. Splits her soul weapon and leaves one to Raizel, shocking her son and heir, as well as everyone else. Still likes to tease people after entering eternal sleep. Karias jokes around and claims to be her daughter.

Rai doesn’t really change that much. Still Rai. She just wants to stare outside her window… for now. Once had an older sister. Executed her sister with her own hands for abusing the power of the Blood Stone. Peak elegance. Eventually attends Yeran High School and immediately becomes the most popular girl at her school. Befriends human children and her fellow students, including an athletic girl, a nerdy girl, a cute guy and a celebrity guy. Favorite food is cheap instant noodles. Still doesn’t know how to eat banana. Send help plz.

Anddddd this is the last one of the bunch!! They’re done!! Woo!! I’ll still be doodling all of these designs from my genderbender series here and there but this is it for the fullbody drawings lol. Soo happy I got through everything I wanted!!

You might notice that some nobles are missing. I left those out since I felt like their designs would be too similar to some of the ones I already have here. Maaaybe I’ll do them someday if I feel like it, but idk yet; anyways this is it for now.

I actually finished it!!!! So proud of myself haha

[peculiar-potato]

My Art Fight 2024 Stats & Summary!

(This might be really boring but I like numbers and this is my tumblr so too bad)

For starters, here’s my progress on the Art Fight Bingo card, almost blacked the whole thing out! I hit a lot of categories with the same attacks, so to avoid too much repetition I decided to fill in the blocks with attacks I thought fit the brief the best, even if they weren’t the first one to check it off.

A few things of note, compared to previous years:

I had 28 level 1 attacks I needed to revenge (not counting chains). This most direct revenges I had to do so far! (Previous record was 21 in 2021). Essentially a lot more people attacked me first this year!

My attacks to defenses ratio this year (including mass attacks I was included in) was 42.2%. This is my lowest ratio of all the years, and the first time it fell below 50%. I did revenge everyone but I got a lot of attacks back for my mass attack so I technically received more art.

I did 38 attacks, which is my second-lowest amount of attacks (I did 31 in 2018). This was because my mass attack took up a ton of time, and now it just takes me longer to make attacks of the quality I want to.

18 of those attacks were friendly fire, which ties for the most friendly fire attacks in a year (I also did 18 in 2020), but friendly fire overall made up a higher percentage of my total attacks this year.

I had at least one character included in 19 mass attacks, which beat my record of being included in 12 in 2021. (Worth noting that between both 2022 and 2023 I was included in only 8, so I was not used to this many ahah).

This year my mass attack scored 9609.75 points, which absolutely destroyed my previous personal record of 3750.25 in 2021.

That helped my total points scored this year land at 12445.75, which is way more than previous years, my previous record being 7340.75 also in 2021.

In general, my fan characters took my art fight by storm, receiving wayyy more attacks than any of my original characters, which hasn’t happened before! I think a big contributing factor to this was all the mass attacks I was included in, but still, it was really interesting!

This year’s “fan favorite” (character who received the most attacks) was actually a tie between two characters- Twelve and Cyrus, both being included in 12 (aha) attacks each! Gray was a pretty close second being included in 11 attacks.

New/different things I did this year:

A lot more animation! I’ve done tiny bits here and there, but this year I actually fully animated a few attacks (including my mass attack)

Also my giant amv mass attack lol. So much fun but so much work ahah.

A traditional art attack! I’ve never actually submitted a traditional art attack in all my years of art fight despite originally being a traditional artist before I got into digital art in like 2017.

More comics! I did quite a few comics as revenge, (usually as revenge for others’ comics), and those were really fun too.

A lot more character interaction! I included my characters in attacks on other characters more, usually as revenge for people who already drew our characters together. Building off of other attacks and kind of “continuing the story” when I got a coupe comics was really fun.

Bonus doodle reward! Whoever was the first to draw one of my characters for the year got a bonus mini-doodle in my cartoony style of the character of theirs I attacked/revenged with. This was in an effort to try and get more of my characters attacked instead of people just focusing on some of the same ones. I don’t know if it actually made that much of a difference in getting more of my characters attacked, but it was kinda fun. I almost forgot to add the doodles though sometimes ahah. I haven’t decided if I’ll bring that back next year or not

Overall I had a great time! I would say this has been my favorite year of Art Fight so far, beating 2021 which was my old favorite. Only disappointment is not getting to do quite as many attacks as I wanted to due to time constraints- there were a few people I wanted to attack but didn’t get to. In general though, this year was awesome, and I’m sad to see it end. Already cooking up some fun ideas for next fight though!

Here’s a few screenshots from my overcomplicated spreadsheet that break down some of the numbers!