#sketching is where I like to live color is fun but in a haha what does cranking this saturation all the way up look like kinda way

[perennimal]

In love with the final look of your illustrations … correct me if I’m wrong but you use lighter colour/linear burn with gaussian blur? As well as noise? What I’m curious about is how you go about first picking your colours. (Your compositions and themes are very cool too, big fan)

heya thanks! I think digital programs offer all kinds of tools that make fussing with colors like a magic trick. Unless I already have a strong color palette in mind, I usually just color flats pretty basic and play with the many tools Procreate gives me. I also like using various effects and layer types such as overlay, linear burn, etc like you mentioned. I’m continuously inspired by photography/cinematography and my fellow peers for color ideas. I’ve circled what you can usually catch me using below

[kiruamon]

Minish AU - Sketch dump 4

Aaaand I came up with a few more ideas about the minish au. So maybe stick around for me rambling a little bit here and there or just to look at the sketches. Whatever you guys like the most.

We start with Y/N sharing some old Minish legends about a brave young hero in a green tunic defeating an evil sorcerer.

Honestly, I am kind of playing with the thought that what happened in the Minish Cap game is a part of the past in this au. That while maybe humans forgot most of the story that happened back then the Minish kept telling it from generation to generation. Some informations still might have got lost with time. Like the place where castle Hyrule was located. Or the true name of the sorcerer and his origin. So my silly little mind went to: What if instead of the old hidden pizzeria under the Pizzaplex there was the remains of Castle Hyrule? Or the old pizzeria is still there but if you go down even deeper you would find the ruins of the castle? And with it the sealed Sorcerer of the Wind? It's some fun little thing to wrap one's mind around.

Also Sun and Moon are not really believing those legends but do find them entertaining and do encourage Y/N to share these stories with them so they can tell them to the children at the daycare during story times.

_

Also! Let's talk about Kinstone Pieces! Because after living for a while at the Pizzaplex Y/N definitly decided to create a few of those! Wanting to spread a bit of joy and good luck.

They started to hide the finished pieces mostly at the playground of daycare for the children. Hiding them at some obvious places, like the shoes of a child, and some not so obvious places - behind some stuffed toys - while making sure all of them would be easy to reach and not endanger someone.

Also they did 'hide' a special Kinstone Piece for their friends. Which Sun found during cleaning time when putting away the scattered stuffed plushies.

Sun: "Oh? What's this here? A gift from you, my friend?" Y/N: "You found it, Sunny! It's a Kinstone Piece! If you put together two matching pieces it creates good luck!" Sun: "Good luck you say? So it's like a little charm? How lovely."

I would like to think that the pieces that Y/N created for Sun and Moon are multi-colored. Having a yellow and blue side which is rather unusual for Kinstones, but during their creation it just striked Y/N as fitting to use two different colors for this one Kinstone.

I was also playing around with the thought if this au would ever go the story route of the events leading to the ruin DLC and DLC itself what if instead of having to reboot Sun and Moon, Y/N or maybe with the help of Cassie would need to put the two Kinstone pieces together to cause said 'good luck' to spring into action? (Or maybe it would be a mix of needing to join the two pieces and also to do the reboot.)

-

Also... have Vanessa coming into the daycare during her shift and startling Moon or Sun causing the two to swiftly grab their little friend and hide them behind their back.

Vanessa: "What are you hiding behind your back?" Moon: "Dead mouse. Want to see?" Vanessa: "Urgh. No! Why would you even think-..." *takes a deep breath* "You know what? Throw the thing away and clean your hands." Vanessa: *mumbling to herself while leaving* "They don't pay me enough for this... "

And Sun edition:

Vanessa: "Sun have you seen anyone or anything suspicious lately?" Sun: "Oh! H-hello friend! I haven't seen you coming in! How is your day so far? I hope it's faztastic! We surely had a lot of fun today in the daycare! So many things to do. Playing with the little ones and-" Vanessa: "Sun. I asked you a question." Sun: "Haha, right, right. You did. Sorry, but I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Not at all! Everything was splendid over here. No incidents or mishaps. Just a perfectly normal day!" *Vanessa looking sceptical at him, because of how Sun acts* *but also too tired to deal with any possible bullshit* Vanessa: "... I better not find out that you or Moon are hoarding glitter glue to pour it over Monty... again. Parts and Services needed a whole week to get all that stuff cleaned up." Sun: "Oh, hahaha, nonono. Of course not. We absolutely wouldn't do that again. We know our little prank had gone too far." Vanessa: "Hmph... fine. But remember. If you see anything odd let me know." Sun: "Sure! I will keep my eyes wide open! Have a nice day."

Luckily, no human had found Y/N so far. But it was a close call with Vanessa snooping around.

[duchessdepolignaca03]

Thanks @priincebutt for the tag! This is an open tag, because I don't want to tag anyone specifically as some of these questions are a little sketch, so the answers below are a little obtuse/long-winded. This was SUPER FUN though!

Are you named after anyone?

Yes - a pop star and a jewelry company/type of diamond cut. 

When was the last time you cried?

During Totality of the 2024 Solar Eclipse, genuinely one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring moments of my life.  I was struck by the beauty of the corona which shimmered like diamonds in the sky, struck by perfect randomness of the universe that that gave us a sun that’s 400x bigger than the moon and 400x as far, creating the perfect symmetry to allow for a solar eclipse, and how this same random perfection gave me my daughter, loving husband and all the privileges I have in my life.

Hours before, I also shed frustrated and sad tears that my enjoyment of a fandom that has given me so much joy and creative inspiration has soured over being soundly, but unexpectedly, rejected. Frustrated and sad that I may have to bow out and give up something I thoroughly enjoyed giving my free labour to and through which I have made some wonderful friends that have buoyed me over the past year.  

Do you have kids?

See above.

What sports do you play/have you played?

I was never a sporty kid, but as an adult I discovered running, which has both been a lifeline and a source of endless frustration and pain. I’ve run a marathon, about a dozen half marathons,  innumerable 5ks and 10ks and kicked the butt of a 30k once in a winter storm. I can’t wait to rediscover running again and start my running journey from scratch.

Do you use sarcasm?

Not as much as I wish I would like. I’m not as spicy as I think I am, haha. 

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

How they are treating me, which tells me how they want to be treated back.

What’s your eye color?

Dark like my soul! You can hardly see my pupils, and its not because I’m high! 

Scary movies or happy endings comedies?

Neither! I love a good story, I love a drama. My favourite films recently have been films that felt simultaneously satisfying and unsatisfying at the same time. Both feature Paul Mescal (Aftersun and All of Us Strangers), and focus on parenthood and the relationships we have with the memories of our parents.

Any talents?

Not really? I suppose I have a talent for seeming more enthusiastic about things than I really am. 

Where were you born?

In a city in an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. 

What are your hobbies?

Motherhood and full time job life doesn’t leave a lot of time for hobbies, but I l have love engaging in the RWRB fandom, and reading and writing and making some amazing friends. Before writing  and posting fanfiction, I did a lot of roleplaying on IJ, Tumblr and Discord. I enjoy broadway musicals and watching too much British television. I also love riding the Peloton and a good strength session!

Do you have any pets?

Yes. But I see you with this revealing security question, potential fraudster :P

How tall are you?

I grew up in poverty in a developing country, subsisting mostly on rice and coffee and white bread with mayonnaise (yes, mayonnaise), raised by a loving but chain-smoking mother. There was no hope for me to become taller than an oversized hobbit. Let’s just say my husband and I have to toggle the Peloton back and forth between the most extreme settings possible.

Favorite subject in school?

History and Politics. The great loves of my life, if its not already obvious.

Dream job?

My current job is nominally my dream job. However, I would like to serve a government that genuinely cares about the public, that thinks beyond myopic and cynical politics and actually wants to improve the lives of ordinary citizens, uplift the vulnerable, tax the shit out of the rich and - at minimum - not support genocide. 

[acaseforpencils]

Gustavo Magalhães.

Bio: My name is Gustavo Magalhães and I am a Brazilian illustrator/cartoonist. I live in Caçapava, a small town in São Paulo state. I have worked as an illustrator since 2013.

As an editorial Illustrator, I've been published by The New Yorker, Golf Digest, Forbes, The New Republic, GQ Magazine among others. The first time I was commissioned by The New Yorker was in 2021, for "The Critics" session on a portrait of Sandra Oh" for her new show at the time, "The Chair," which aired on Netflix.

Sketch, refinement, finished piece.

I also have a web comic strip called "Curb Talk." It's published  twice a week in a classic Comic Strip format.

Lately, I am a Senior Illustrator at a Studio called "Fried Design Company ,'' in Springfield, Missouri. But I work from Brazil.

AOIKTYE Procreate Keyboard for Ipad / Apple Pencil / Ipad Pro

Mac Mini / Asus Proart PA248QV Monitor / Huion Kanvas Plus 22 Display

Tools of choice: My process of work is mixed, I like to sketch the first thumbs and sometimes more advanced pieces on paper and "ink" / color them using digital tools. It's been 5 years that more than 90% of my final pieces are done in digital, and along that period I discovered that I'm a person that likes to do a significant amount of tests while inking, and digital tools help me a lot in that.

Lately, I've been trying to achieve an inking process that I could do both on paper and on digital, that way I could do my pieces however I feel on that day, and my comic strip has been a good place for this test field, and I'm enjoying that mix very much.

Pentel .09 Mechanical Pencil / Staedtler Water Brush / Staedtler Pig LIner 0.3 / Royal Talens No. 2 Brush

If you were asking me "You are on a desert island and can bring just one setup with you," I'd say I would bring my iPad. It allows me to sketch with an "analogic feel," where it's important to feel that you are actually crafting something. But it also gives me all the testing possibilities the digital work has.

Huion Display pen Battery Free Pen PW517

Tool I wish I could use better: Coloring in general, but mostly painting. It's always a struggle to translate what I have in mind to the final piece. And there are some aspects of texture and rendering that you can only get in analogical tools like gouache, oil, watercolor. Of course there are excellent artists that do those digitally, but there are certain aspects that you need a physical touch to achieve and I have never done anything like that. Maybe one day.

Tool I wish existed: A chair + desk set that automatically corrects your bad posture whenever your body is hurting or sitting in the wrong way. I hate having lower back and wrist pains while working, haha!

Tricks: One thing I brought from the full analogical days is an adaptation of the "drawing from your shoulder thing." Personally, I found it very hard to do, so I use a bandana on my pen hand, and use the other hand to pool this and drag. This is a thing that helps me a lot when drawing straight lines with a handmade feel, instead of just using shapes in Photoshop or any digital tool for precise lines.

Misc: "Go easy on yourself and have fun!" I never thought I could work with illustration. I spent almost a decade working in the aircraft industry (half of it doing freelance illustration jobs for local bands and brands) and the factory mentality lever left my mind, just now (after 10 years as an illustrator, 7 as my main activity), I'm recovering the passion that I had as a young doodling kid. Everyone sees artistic careers as this romantic thing, but it's always a struggle (at least for me) to face your passion as an obligation day to day, and make this trade of time and love for money. So after several years going hard on myself I am finally learning how to be lighter and having more fun and joy in my work.

(Outro/Editor's note: I asked Gustavo if he would care to discuss how working in the aircraft industry affected his work as an illustrator):

I think the biggest influence I got from this industry was the routine and how to deal with work. Artists naturally tend to be less rigid in the aspect of routine because of the nature of creativity, and I think that having almost a decade working in another industry in a more conservative environment helped me in how to take it more serious in all aspects, from my day to day process, to how to treat my clients and deadlines.

That's basically the biggest influence and learning I got from this period. How to understand that the work isn't just the drawing and thinking, but everything that happens behind it, from the clothing choice I pick to work at home, from the time management I need to have in order to balance all simultaneous projects I have.

Website, etc.

Portfolio

Curb Talk Comics

Instagram

Twitter

----

If you enjoy this blog, and would like to contribute to labor and maintenance costs, there is a Patreon, and if you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee, there is a Ko-Fi  account as well! I do this blog for free because accessible arts education is important to me, and your support helps a lot! You can also find more posts about art supplies on Case’s Instagram and Twitter! Thank you!

[cheer-soli-art]

It was a good year for art

Commentary for each artwork under the cut :D

February - biblically accurate bam - This was back when the jokes of ‘biblically accurate (insert noun here)’ had really hit mainstream, or maybe I just finally got inspiration to do something about this topic. Since Bam is the night, I added the usual night symbols of moons and stars. The waves at the bottom represent how the tides change with the cycle of the moon, and it ties in well with the idea of Bam being a ‘new wave’ in the Tower.

February - biblically accurate bam - This was back when the jokes of ‘biblically accurate (insert noun here)’ had really hit mainstream, or maybe I just finally got inspiration to do something about this topic. Since Bam is the night, I added the usual night symbols of moons and stars. The waves at the bottom represent how the tides change with the cycle of the moon, and it ties in well with the idea of Bam being a ‘new wave’ in the Tower.

March - double city - An artwork that I haven’t released anywhere on the internet until today, as it was part of a school exhibition. The idea behind it was taking the place I grew up in and the city I lived in at the time and merging them into one location, representing how I am influenced by both cultures.

April - Marpril Colors Series - 17 Azure - This was a series of sketches I did over March and April, as a countdown for my return from Tower’s Tale (TT) hiatus. During these months, I was busy with school stuff and working on TT, so I didn’t have much time or desire to make other artworks.

May - Part 1_Page 201 - I started working on this TT page in December of the previous year, as the scene this page is a part of was important for me (oh, and the plot too). I was still practicing a new style, and though I don’t like it as much now, I still think it was worth the experimentation.

June - yanfei.jpg - This one was part of a Six Fanart Challenge that I never finished. Whoops. Anyways, I drew her because she’s the character that I’ve played with the most. I’m really proud of how I was able to capture most of the details, especially that staff, haha.

July - KBWday5.PNG - Ah, yes. The KhunBam month, where I spend 3 weeks thinking about what to post only for me to procrastinate on it until KhunBam Week arrives. I like this artwork because it’s where I finally started using references (lol), as well as understanding more organic backgrounds.

August - glitterandgold_01 - One of the two artworks I made for a WIP Big Bang. This is also the first artwork of the entire year that I finished on my laptop instead of my phone, as I had lost my stylus and only bought a new one around this time. I like that I was able to carry the dramatic mood from the sketch to the final version.

September - Part 1_Page 237 - There wasn’t a lot of artwork activity this month, apart from TT, so here is another page I’m really proud of. I wanted to communicate the overwhelming difference in power between the characters, so the pages before have a lot of open paneling and negative space that progressively build up to this one, which covers nearly the entire background in green. The frame around Goseng and Bam is actually the same proportions as the usual page border, but shrunken, to make it look like the fire was spreading beyond the edges of the page, to really emphasize the probable helplessness Bam is feeling in the situation… Sometimes, a lot of thought goes into these pages.

October - kitsune khun - This is a drawing I made for a raffle winner on Twitter. I included it here because this and the other artworks I made that week felt like they ‘clicked’. They were the ones that all the process from previous artworks were leading up to - finally I had an artwork that I was very satisfied with, where the process was fun and the final result was pretty to look at too. I’m a huge fan of using complementary colors, especially orange lighting and blue shadows..

November - Snow Study (gasp) - I don’t do studies as often as I should, so this one came as a surprise. I save a lot of images from Bing’s daily wallpaper, and since the cold weather was coming, I painted this chilly town with one as a reference. I also wanted to update my blog so it matched my current style, so this was drawn for that reason too.

December - ‘Polaroid’ mini series - “with hyung.png” - This is one of four artworks I made in a ‘polaroid photo’ style. I really like that aesthetic. There is something very nostalgic and deep about it - capturing a moment you deem important. Taking the context of polaroids and film into account, you don’t have the luxury to take various copies of a moment and pick the right one afterwards like we do nowadays, so ideally you’d want everything to be perfectly in place and extremely important before you press the shutter. And yet, in these ‘photos’, the moments captured are not of grandiose events or life-changing moments, but of casual, daily life. I wanted to appreciate the ordinary in this small series. Maybe I’ll revisit it next year.

Bonus round

There were a few artworks that didn’t make the cut, but I still wanted to talk about them. So here they are.

“A summoning ritual (that worked a little too well)” - This is where I started the habit of drawing genshin characters when I wanted them on my team. Though this one is a little rough around the edges, I still like the colors and texture of the artwork.

“met gala hwar” - I was watching a video talking about how the Gilded Gala was a disaster (unsurprisingly), and one of the looks that went by (as examples of what worked) caught my eye. So I drew Hwaryun in it.

“Part 1_Page 216.PNG” - I have a very consistent system for numbering pages - just thought you might wanna know. I didn’t count this one in the final cut because some of the panels here were from pages drawn last year, so I felt that I was cheating a bit. There is a lot of thought behind this particular panel, but I will discuss that one when I release the full cleaned-up version sometime in the next few months.

“a precious jewel” - This artwork means a lot to me. Though it was rather quick (done under an hour, curse my comic panel habits), a lot of ‘feeling’ went into it. I think that out of all of the artworks, this is the one where I’m pouring what I’m actually feeling at the moment - I can’t quite put it into words here (as it is a little awkward, and I’m afraid of things getting lost in translation too), but I’ll try. I think that for that hour, I understood where Khun was getting at with the jewel metaphor, but rather than wanting to hide someone away, it was more of wanting to keep those feelings close to my heart… that kind of thing.

“Bleak December_07” - My entry for Secret Santa this year. Just thought I’d include it. I signed up to an email address sending Edgar Allen Poe’s works, and was floored by The Raven, so the title and tone of this short comic reflect that too.

“fall for you, fall for me” - i like khunbam. and i like autumn, now. i like coloring khun’s hair, ‘cuz its color can look so different under different lightings. it’s a simple and easygoing artwork. i like simple and easygoing things sometimes too.

[afewproblems]

15 Questions

Thank you for the tag @flowercrowngods this was very fun to do!

are you named after anyone? I was almost named after my dad's sister that passed away when he was younger, but my mom thought I should have my own name, that if I had gone through life named after her it could have given all of us a few hang ups I guess.

2. when is the last time you cried? Hmm back in December I think, and maybe a little bit yesterday - there were some dogs at a trade show I was working that were from a rescue society and one had been at the shelter for 5 months :(

3. do you have kids? I do not!

4. do you use sarcasm? It's like a second language at this point.

5. what is the first thing you notice about people? Hmm, usually the first thing that I will notice is their eyes I guess for physical traits, and then for personality if they seem kind or funny - definitely a great way to make a fast friend. Make me laugh!

6. what is your eye color? Brown!

7. scary movies or happy endings? I mean, one of my favourite genres is horror comedies so...why not both?

8. any special talents? I can sing pretty decently!

9. where were you born? Canada!

10. what are your hobbies? Writing is a big hobby at the moment, but I do also dabble in water-colour painting and sketching. I took almost a year off in 2020 to make a go of it.

11. do you have any pets? I have a dog!

12. what sports do you play/have you played?......I am the most uncoordinated person I know, I play no sports haha!

13. how tall are you? Five foot, eight inches (172 CM)

14. favorite subject in school? Art for sure, then drama, then english.

15. dream job? Oof, uh maybe owning a little bakery would be very cool, but honestly I don't think I have one. I dream of living comfortably and making enough money to have the things I want and a little time on the side for my hobbies haha.

Tagging @steddierthings @monstrousfemale @stevesbipanic I hope thats alright! (I'm not really sure who else to tag, but if you would like to join please feel free!!

[anemo-writes]

hello travelers! again, thank you for putting up with my inactivity, it’s been hard to write lately haha. anyways, i thought this would be something fun to post and for everyone to enjoy, whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day or not :) (note: this will probably be more fanon than canon so please bear with me, i’ll make it as canon as it can be :’) i also kept this pretty short, so hopefully that’s okay too,, and sorry for this being late haha—i wrote this very late at night so don’t mind any typos you find please)

much love,

~ anemo-chan <3

(The Playable) Genshin Impact Characters on Valentine’s Day (Romantically)

super romantic; gifts you a bouquet of flowers and takes you out to eat at a fancy restaurant/cooks for you.

Diluc

He is nervous. He’s never paid close attention to the countless amount of people who have lined outside the tavern to ask him to be their Valentine, only to be rejected. There was absolutely no way that he would turn to Kaeya for advice, so unfortunately this was something he would have to figure out for himself. He figures that it wouldn’t hurt to go traditional, so that’s what he does; he buys a large bouquet of roses (which he had to get from Donna, seeing that at the hours that he ended work were very late and Flora’s shop was not open at the time—yeah, that was not fun) and presents himself outside your doorway, to which he invites you to join him for a late dinner—which he makes!

Lisa

She leaves a letter on top of your nightstand, paired along with a singular rose. The letter states for you to meet her outside of Good Hunter, where you find her sitting at a table with a candle dimly-lighting up the surroundings. She greets you with a warm smile, gesturing for you to sit down—the two of you enjoy a candle-lit dinner as well as bolognese she specially requested for Sara to make for the two of you to enjoy together why does this remind me so much of Lady and the Tramp,,

Tartaglia

Oh boy. It’s always a fun time spending a holiday with him, seeing that it could go two ways; one, he would be too busy to celebrate it with you on the day of, and he would take you out the day after, or two—have a store’s entire line of merchandise presented to you outside your doorstep, in which a very, very smiley Tartaglia hidden within the pile (after all, he was the best present!) After you’re done moving all of the gifts into your house (it took up the space of your entire living room), he tells you to cover your eyes and follow him. He takes you to one of the most well-known restaurants in Liyue (which currently doesn’t have a name because it is very late here!), and insists that you order whatever you want, and however much you want.

Zhongli

Over the years, he’s witnessed many, many couples celebrate this holiday and every year he’s wished to do the same. He finds the perfect opportunity to do so when Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and boy does he plan it out for the two of you. He’s even made sure to have his wallet on him at all times—it would be extremely rude for you to have to pay if he happened to forget his wallet. He makes sure to stop by to pick up a bouquet of flowers, as well as a bottle of perfume (not in a bad way, just to clarify) from Ying’er’s shop that he recalled you liked. He makes sure to pick you up early from your work place to make sure you made it to your appointment on time; after all, being late to an appointment was similar to breaking a contract, no?

surprises you with homemade sweets.

Fischl

Oh, she is so nervous—of course, she doesn’t show this. The entire week, she spent researching recipes to create a special batch of chocolate-dipped strawberries just for you—she even sent Oz to the nearby farms to “borrow” the freshest strawberries for the treat (the farmers were too scared to confront the talking bird who “borrowed” their strawberries, so luckily they got away with it). She dips them in a purple-colored chocolate (because what other color would she use, really?) and drizzles on a dark-chocolate syrup to top it off. She’s too shy to actually give it to you herself though, so she has Oz drop it off for her.

Ganyu

Even though she’s quite busy, she’s somehow found time to whip up a special batch of chocolate just for you! She shapes them into Glaze Lilies (which she found quite hard, which is why there are so few of them) and presents them to you in a neatly-sealed box. She’s quite modest when your eyes widen and tell her it’s the best chocolate you have ever eaten, claiming that she only followed a recipe, when she really made it from scratch.

Keqing

Like Ganyu, you have no idea how she finds time to create a perfect array of chocolates, which she made herself! However, with her tightly-packed schedule, she has to drop it off at your house in advance, to which you accept happily. She tried to decorate them with designs of cartoon-versions of your faces, but they’re a bit...messy. Nonetheless, they’re tasty, and to her relief, you enjoy them.

Mona

Somehow, she’s managed to scrape up enough mora to buy you a necklace; yes, a necklace, and a real one at that—none of that fake, costume jewelry stuff! She even added a pendant shaped like star, just so you could be reminded of her whenever you fiddled with it or even glanced at it. She’s quite flustered when she gives it to you, ignoring the way you ask how she managed to save this much mora to be able to buy something like this, changing the subject on how you should never-ever take it off (because it looks great on you.)

Noelle

One word: pancakes. (Have you seen the ones she makes for her special dishes? They’re frigging amazing) As a dutiful maid should, she wakes up especially early to prepare a homemade breakfast just for you, to which she serves to you just as your wake up in bed. The fluffy stack of pancakes are decorated with fruits cut up in heart-shapes, as well the words, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Y/N”, written neatly with chocolate syrup—it’s quite a sight to see, to be honest, and utterly delicious. Lucky you!

Xiangling

The day before, she tells you to meet her at the restaurant around noon. When you arrive, the restaurant is adorned with Valentine decorations, as well as a terrifying amount of food; she insists that she only made it for you, so you better eat up! Before she can show you the other dishes, the restaurant is suddenly filled with a strong, bitter smell—something burning. With a yelp, she runs into the kitchen, coming out a few minutes later with a tray of half-scorched cupcakes, their Gouba-shapes adorned with...a lot of burn marks. Oh well, it’s the thought that counts, doesn’t it?

buys/makes a present for you.

Albedo

Without your knowledge, Albedo has been creating a collection of artworks throughout all the time you had spent together. The pieces include portraits of you, portraits of you and him (sucrose helped with this), as well as just random sketches of the little things that remind him of you, such as the bare, snowy-white terrain where the two of you first met, as well as its flora and fauna. If you request it, he’ll even make the painting come alive (literally), and the two of you run to Sucrose’s dwelling, who is very shocked to see the pair of you running from a Frosted Lawachurl when she peered out her window to see if she could pinpoint the sounds of distant screaming.

Amber

Is there anything better than a matching set of wind gliders? Not only that—they were homemade! She spent the last couple of weeks putting together a pair of gliders for the two of you, customizing them to your tastes (which she nailed!) She quite literally drags you to the nearest hill to test them out, and the two of you end up challenging each other on who can get back to the Knights of Farvonius Headquarters the fastest—spoiler alert: she did.

Barbara

Oh, she would make the cutest card for you—the envelope is decorated with cute stickers (some of them even had her face on it; there’s nothing like promoting merchandise, am i right? jkjks) She also pairs it off with a box of chocolates that she bought from Sara—however, what she didn’t know was that in the box was a special-edition spicy chocolate truffle. With your luck, that was the first one you chose—and boy, were you met a surprise (it was so bad that you were begging Barbara to use her Vision on you, which she refused of course). Fun times.

Chongyun

He’s real sweet. After his expeditions and commissions, he opens the freezer (yes he keeps them in there, don’t judge him) to an array of ice sculptures, shapes varying from flowers, hearts, and such—although it’s quite the simple gift, he’s put a lot of effort into them, even putting in the extra effort to cast a spell to make sure they would not melt; it’s all worth though, when he sees the absolutely giddy expression on your face, and the look of pure awe as you pick one up and study it closely, admiring all of the details and work that’s he put in.

Ningguang

She sends out informants to find out what you like, whether it be something that your gaze settled on for too long or something you’ve mentioned while talking to her—on the day of, you open your door to a mountain of gifts, with Ningguang herself peering out from behind it with a calm smile and a wave (which was the opposite of your reaction, because who has that much mora to purchase all of these gifts?!?)

Razor

He doesn’t have a clue on what the holiday until Lisa asks him if he’s planned something for the two of you during one of his lessons. When he shakes his head no, Lisa suggests that he make you something, to which he sets out on an adventure to do, looking for flowers and flower stems to weave into a pair of matching bracelets—they’re not the prettiest, but he is pretty proud of it; after all, it was his first time making something like that. He’s quite nervous to present it to you, afraid that you might not like it, but all feelings of worry melt away when you slide it on with a huge smile on your face, insisting that he wears his too.

Sucrose

At first, she considers gifting you a present that she created herself; of course, with her work being alchemy, she isn’t sure if that would be the safest option, despite being talented herself. And so, she resorts to buying a present for you—she is very picky with the present though, insisting that it should be perfect since she could not make one herself. She even consults Albedo when selecting some of the presents (he doesn’t help her unfortunately; he believes that she should figure it out herself haha). Like Razor, she’s quite nervous to give it to you, but lets out a huge sigh of relief as you thank her happily for the gift, wiping a bead of sweat from across her forehead (sucrose bby anything you give us would be perfect,,)

whisks you away somewhere sentimental, where the two of you can enjoy a special date.

Beidou

It’s ungodly early in the morning when Beidou presents herself in front of your doorstep, announcing that you’ll be joining her and the crew on a special ride. She tugs you along beside her until you reach the harbor, where you are met with the sight of her ship adorned with streamers and banners, varying between shades of pink and red. Onboard, there is a table filled with goodies the crew collected and made, and boy do they look delicious. The group sets out to sea, and you take your place next to the captain, who even lets you steer the boat (momentarily, at least.)

Bennett

He takes you to meet his dads; yes, yes—he knows that it’s not the most romantic thing to do on a day dedicated to lovers, but he figures it’s just as important. Besides, they’ve been asking about you for quite a while—they even set up a small party within the Adventurer’s Guild, with the help of Bennett, of course. You spend the day listening to their old adventuring stories, as well as bits from Bennett’s childhood (poor boy is flustered from all the information his dads are spilling, but he’s still happy either way; after all, he’s with the most important people to him.)

Kaeya

He quite literally kidnaps you; one second you’re walking in the streets of Mondstadt on your way to work when suddenly someone grabs you by the waist and pulls you into an alley way (that sounds so creepy but i swear he means it in a good way). He only chuckles and shields himself with his arms as you punch him lightly, retorting that he scared you. He doesn’t care that the two of you have an overwhelming amount of work to do—after all, Valentine’s Day only comes once a year, right? Surprisingly, he doesn’t take you the tavern, but instead...Dawn Winery! Diluc received quite the surprise when he is met with the two of you standing outside his gates, with Kaeya requesting a wine/grape juice taste-testing. Yeah...you guys didn’t get any of that, but you did manage to snag a couple of grapes on your way out! Good for you!

Venti

You wake up in your bed, opening your eyes to see a very-smiley Venti laying beside you, chin propped up against his hand as he watches you yawn sleepily as you force yourself out of bed. You’re then presented with a handpicked-bouquet of Ceceilias, the freshest of the bunch, if he may add. You barely have time to thank him before he hoists you up in his arms and out of your dwelling, gliding over the city of Mondstadt as he whisks you away to Starsnatch Cliff, where he’s prepared a special performance just for you (and no, you don’t need to pay.)

Xingqiu

While he’s not the most romantic, he does have a clue on what people look for on Valentine’s Day; after all, that’s what cheesy-romance novels were for, right? Unbeknownst to you, he takes you on a date very similar to the one the main characters in his favorite novels partook in—and you don’t find out until you catch him peeking into the pages while you weren’t (you were) looking. Again, it’s the thought that counts—

doesn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Jean

Sadly, she probably forgets about the holiday. She’s too busy holed-up in her office to notice the couples gathered up in the courtyard, sharing moments with their lover. It’s not until she walks out to take a breather that she notices the commotion—she immediately calls you over, apologizing frantically. Of course, to this you respond that’s it’s okay, but that you would much rather her take the rest of the day off to spend time together, to which she reluctantly agrees.

Xiao

“I do not have time to celebrate silly human traditions like that.” He would say as you bound up to him, exclaiming that it’s Valentine’s Day, the day where you can give sweets to your loved ones, and asking if he had someone special in mind to spend it with. He’s irked when your gaze falters and the grip on the object you’re hiding behind your back tightens—he only grows more irked as you mutter to yourself how you’ll give the chocolates you made to someone else. He scoffs loudly, avoiding your gaze as he lays out his hand in front of you to accept the chocolates (just because he doesn’t celebrate the holiday doesn’t mean he can’t get jealous!)

[1ddotdhq]

🌼 Fri Sept 25 ‘20 🧤

#better get ready for today’s rundown! I mean, we’re gonna start with Zayn’s song, of course! “Better” is a perfect blend of old school hip hop mixed with Zayn’s R&B style, filled with synthesized strings and a SICK drum track. His vocals jump from an almost rhythmic speaking/rapping style to his smooth jazz voice, running riffs like nobody’s business, and included a GORGEOUS falsetto at the very end.  Most people speculate that this song is about his previously on again off again, sometimes tense relationship with Gigi, which - yeah! Definitely could be! I didn’t want to spoil any lyrics yesterday, as it wasn’t out everywhere, but I will say that I especially loved when he said, “Still in my mind sometimes, I must admit it/Like it's a crime on trial, I got acquitted/Me and you wasn't meant, we wasn't fitted/Like it's a glove, I hated to admit it”. This seems to be a reference to OJ Simpson’s trial and subsequent acquittal, which is one hell of an image.

AND THE VIDEO!! Well, she’s definitely a #zociallydistanced #quarantinevideo! He’s getting ready, while there’s another man listening through an old fashioned radio set up. Zayn’s tattoos are fully on display, and even #better, his RED QUIFF - I LOVE that Z’s really embracing the broody, old fashioned artist vibes, but he still has a pop of color and fun in everything he does! 

You know who else really liked the song? Liam did! He went live today, planning to do a sort of draw-along, where he had a skull’s reference picture, and had started the sketch’s outline. About halfway through his first live, someone in the comments asked what he thought of Better, the song! And, in true chaotic Liam fashion, he proceeded to turn the other man in the room, and asked, “has Zayn got a song out?”. “New single,” said the man, and played it. “Ooooh yeeeaahh, I really like this,” Liam said, then turned to camera, narrowed his eyes, put on his sultry face™ and went, “oooooooh”. When I tell you I CACKLED! Unfortunately, he was having problems due to technology issues, and decided to cut it a bit short. He went live AGAIN, which worked out a bit #better for him: he chatted with fans - and his sister! - and promoted the rewatch show, which is Saturday at 8 am BST! 

Speaking of Liam, #stripitdownNiall was trending on twitter yesterday, at Liams request, of course! Niall did NOT strip it down, but you know who did? Harry! We got some shirtless pics of him having a swim in a villa in Italy, but it might have been a working swim haha: featured in the pictures were some of his crew AND his creative director, Molly Hawkins. Super quick retcon here: I said in an earlier version of yesterday’s post that we had no official confirmation that Golden was the video being shot, and that may be the case, but fans near the set have reported hearing Golden being played, so it does seem to be a Golden vid! Anyways! In the newest set of poolside pictures, he’s wearing some very short black swim shorts, and a new blue necklace, which I like #better than the pearls! The necklace is a custom Éliou necklace, with glass blue beads and little yellow flowers on them - not sunflowers, but maybe daffodils? Very pretty, at any rate! 

Harry was also seen out and about in Naples, where he WAS fully clothed, and layered on a THIRD necklace - Éliou custom again, with pearls and pastel beads that look rainbow-like. The MASKS and SURGICAL GLOVES have also returned, and I think that’s very sexy of him. He seems to be wearing his rings under those gloves - #better than having to take your rings off every time you wash your hands, definitely! Another thing about the pictures is that you can often see Harry taking his own pictures of the view - and sending them - both on his phone and a disposable camera. Harry, I’m begging you: share your photography account with us. At any rate, I hope his days on the coast are golden!

And, on the topic of Golden people, Louis came out of hibernation briefly to tweet about something he’d seen on the (local) news:  a mutual aid fund called Free My Meal. It is an organization that connects people in need of a meal with families who are able to provide it, and it is located primarily in the UK, although it is trying to expand internationally. “What an incredible thing to do,” said Louis, “please give them a follow and have a look.” The Free My Meal twitter account went from around 5k followers to 32k, and I just have to say - this is what using your platform looks like. He asked the organization to send him some contact details, presumably so he can get involved in some capacity. Your intern has a lot to say about food insecurity, but suffice to say that every time I didn’t think I could love Louis more, he proves me wrong.

Meanwhile, Niall posted a (clothed) Instagram story of himself covering “When The Party’s Over” by Billie Eilish.

[salemorbit]

Hey! If matchups are open could I request a Legend of Zelda one? I'm a 5'7 nonbinary person, my favorite color is blue, I'm bi but I lean more towards guys and nonbinary people, my favorite color is baby blue or just any variation of light blue, I've got brown eyes and brown braided hair (knotless braids specifically!!) I'm multiracial as I'm Black, Korean, and another thing I don't feel comfortable putting eheheh, I'm a big forest person, especially forests that give a spooky vibe to it, i love feeling like I'm some sort of creature that lives in the deepest parts of the forest.

I'm also a very adventurous person, I like to explore! And I also collect random things like rocks, sticks, leaves, pretty much anything and will do whatever I'm dared to do, someone tells me to get candy off the floor I'll do it because I'm also impulsive! I like to draw, write, and play my Ocarina! (It's the Ocarina of Time from LoZ: Ocarina of Time! I got it for Christmas a few years ago!)

Thank you for your time answering this^^ sorry if it's hard to work with haha.

hi! you're absolutely fine lmao thank you for the request!!

also fun fact: ocarina of time was the first zelda game i played but i played it pretty young so i couldn't really figure it out and hated the loz series until i played botw this last year HAHA

how the turn tables, am i right

anyway! hope you enjoy this :)

~~~~~~

LOZ Matchup!

Based on your characteristics, I think you'd do best with...........

Revali!

~~~~~~~

Revali took to you pretty kindly when you first met

Albeit perhaps it was a bit out of character for him, he found you intriguing

You two were very different in that you liked the ground and forest canopies, but he was more partial to the sky and open air

He actually met you in the forests surrounding Rito Village while he was clearing out the overpopulation of wolves around his home

(They were interfering with livestock)

Revali hated forests and hated how sometimes the leaves and branches were so thick that he couldn't see the sky (or a way out)

But he had to go through and clear out the wolves as best he could so they stopped disturbing the stable near his village

As he was picking through the branches strewn across the ground and thinking where the wolf dens could be, he stumbled upon you huddled behind some bushes and looking at some rocks

Promptly he asked what you were doing there, to which you replied: "I'm finding new rocks for my collection! Aren't these pretty?"

And then showed him the rocks which were, in fact, very pretty

He admired your willingness to just pluck things from the ground and find their untapped beauty, as well as your ability to stay so calm in dense forests

You accompanied him through the rest of his task, making sure to stay out of his way, but acting as his forest guide as he became more accustomed with the terrain and your company

From there on out, he made nearly every point to get to know you better

You were staying around Hebra for a few days, so Revali took this opportunity to talk to you and become a friend

You and him bonded over your braids, him explaining the cultural significance of his braids and you being enamored with the way he explained things

You were also a big fan of his feathers and the different shades of blue they came in, how they shone in the sun and such

In the evenings, you would sit by the cooking fire and talk to him about this or that, eventually coming on the topic of your interests and how you liked to play the age-old instrument: the ocarina

Revali asked you to play, naturally, and you gladly blew out a few tunes for him

For once in his life, Revali didn't know what to say! It sounded beautiful and they way you played it so effortlessly ruffled his feathers in a good way :)

You would often sit and sketch Revali as he flew through his exercises every day

He loved the little drawings you gave him afterwards, keeping them tucked away in his journal under his hammock

And even though he really disliked forests, he'd make the effort to walk through them with you when you wanted to

Sometimes you would sneak away when he wasn't paying attention and pop out to scare him, as if being in a dark forest wasn't torture enough for the poor guy HAHA

~~~~~~

hope you liked it!! thank you again for the request :)

requests are welcome!

[pink-imagines]

spice it up

request: Ok this is something that’s been on my mind for a couple of days now, and it’s SUPER CHEESY but plz bear with me haha. I’ve been watching a lot of ANTM and it inspired me to think about an au where Bakugo is a pro-hero and Y/N is a upcoming top model visiting Japan to walk and display a new line of lingerie based off of Pro-Hero’s costumes (kinda like for a Victoria’s Secret fashion show) She’s chosen to wear the Ground Zero lingerie and she gets permission to shadow Bakugo for a day or two to get a read on his personality so she can base her walk off of him. Thing is, off the catwalk, Y/N’s personality is free-spirited, laidback and even a little shy, so when Bakugo meets her he’s like “why the fuck would they choose an extra like her to be me?” but little does he know on the catwalk her personality does a complete 180 and is outrageously fierce and confident. Pro-hero’s got a free invitation to the fashion show so with some convincing from his friends (and maybe because he was curious to see how the hell she was going to pull this off) he goes to the show and his reaction to when she steps on the catwalk… Lol I want to leave it up to you. Wow that was wayyy longer then I expected it to be. I’m sorry to spam you like that 😂 I feel like ppl are either going to love or hate this idea so if you don’t want to write it I honestly don’t blame you haha. Either way I love your posts! You’re writing style is very fun to read!

a/n: hellooo! hope you’re doing well! sorry for the late update, but i hope that this is an alright imagine!

warnings: description of lingerie(??)

masterlist

You were exhausted. The airport had always been a stressful place, but now you were jetlagged aswell. Flying to Japan wasn’t an easy task, but it was worth it. You carefully pushed the sunglasses you were wearing up the bridge of your nose. It was a weak disguise, but you really couldn’t care less.

“The car’s waiting outside. Let’s hurry up.”, your manager spoke fast. You grabbed your bag and followed after her. The paparazzi were flooding the exit, luckily they had put up fences. This was one of the reasons you had to look atleast a little bit dressed up on airports. Which was the most uncomfortable thing ever, but you just had to live with it. By “dressed up” they usually just meant “don’t wear sweatpants”. So you could still wear your comfy pair of jeans and a nice sweater or something of the sort.

“How do you feel after travelling so much? From New York, to London, to Paris and now here in Tokyo. How do you cope?” The same questions were popping up everywhere, but you didn’t stop for any of them. The only time you did stop was when you saw a few fans getting strangled against the fence. You hurried towards them, got their things signed and made sure they got back to safety.

“Let’s go, Y/N.”, your manager warned.

“Coming!”, you sighed and kept walking.

The next day you were driven to the place where you’d be messured for the lingerie.

“Y/N? Over here, honey!”, the designer said. He got you into a chair as soon as you arrived.

“What do you have for me today, Ray?”, you smiled kindly.

“So, heroes are a big thing. So we’ve made a line of hero-inspired lingerie, we think it’ll be a hit.”, he said with a big grin and showed you the sketches, “We’ll get them ready as soon as possible, but we need to match the right hero to the right model.”

“Alright, I trust your judgement.”, you looked through the sketches, “Give it to me, Ray.”

“Okay, okay. Since you’re the most charesmatic of the girls, we want you take care of the hothead.”, he pointed at one of the sketches, “Ground Zero.” You looked at the sketch. The top was some sort of dulled down orange color, in a lacy material. That wasn’t that bad, it was the usual, but there was a leather harness on top of it... a leather harness that connected to a leather choker. The bottoms were high-waisted and in the same lace material but black. But that wasn’t it. There was a pair of leather, knee-high, boots along with it.

“It’s... extreme.”, you sighed, “But, sure... I’ll do it.”

“Oh, thank you, Y/N. You’re a life saver, no model in Japan wanted to take the roll.”, he chuckled, “Here I’ll show you what we thought we should do for the face.” He showed you a face with cat-eye eyeliner, a simple nude lip and some sort of explosion looking thing behind the ears. You guessed that was a part of Ground Zero’s hero costume.

“Looks great, Ray.”, you smiled.

“Go get yourself meassured, your manager is booking you a meeting with Ground Zero so that you can study his personality.”, he said calmly and started to walk away.

How had you gotten yourself in this mess? To be honest, you didn’t know anymore. Everything happened so fast and now suddenly you were in the lobby of a hero agency, waiting for Ground Zero to go on his lunch break.

“Y/N Y/L/N?”, a rough voice asked behind you. You turned around to see a pair of crimson eyes staring into your soul. His hair was messy and he was just wearing jeans, a hoodie and a leather jacket. You didn’t know why you thought he’d show up in his hero costume.

“I’m guessing you’re Ground Zero?”, you stretched out your hand.

“You can say Bakugo.”, he scoffed and ignored your stretched out hand. He instead put his hands in his pockets.

“Are you ready to go?”, you asked.

“Why else would I be here?”, he sighed and walked to the exit. This was gonna be an exhausting week.

Bakugo walked as if he had just proven a point, or like he had just won an argument. To say the least, there was only pure confidence flooding in his veins. You hated it, but you simply had to see this as a job. You weren’t in your body, you were only watching from the audience.

“Are you just gonna sit there looking at me? You’re not gonna talk?”, he quirked an eyebrow at you.

“Fine then... um... what kind of music do you listen to?”, you asked innocently.

“Music?”, he bursted out into laughter, “That’s it? You really are just another extra!”

“Listen, man, you’re the one who wanted to talk. So talk.”, you kept your calm, you didn’t want to make a scene out in public.

“Eh- this place sucks, let’s go to my apartment. We can talk there.”, he shrugged and walked faster.

“Your apartment?”, you squeaked.

You were just supposed to follow him around for a while every day, but now you were in his apartment. This was only the first day! His apartment was nice though... it kind of had an oldschool aesthetic to it. Like he came straight out of a private school in England during the 1980′s.

“You asked what kind of music I’m into or something?”, he sighed and walked over to a record player after taking off his shoes and hanging up his jacket. You stopped for a second. Didn’t he just make fun of you for asking that? You watched as he flipped through a few records.

“Yeah, I did.”, you answered cautiosly and hung up your coat next to his jacket.

He effortlessly handled one of the vinyls and quickly put it on the record player... it started playing and-... was that The Beatles? Bakugo sat down on his couch as if it wasn’t extremely shocking for him to listen to this.

“You listen to The Beatles?”, you asked as Paul McCartney started signing the first verse of Yesterday.

“Who doesn’t?”, he sighed, “C’mon, sit down.” You sat down in one of the armchair’s and finished listening to the song.

“You don’t seem like you listen to this kind of music.”, you commented as the next song started playing.

“I don’t only listen to this, idiot.”, he snarked, “This was the first thing I found.”

“Whatever you say.”

A few days went by and you’d go through the same schedule. Wait for Bakugo to go out for his lunchbreak, walk around for a bit, go to his apartment and go home when he had to start his next shift. He started making you lunch, and he was a surprisingly good cook. 

For the last day he stopped you before you parted ways.

“Wait-... can I meet you at your hotel later tonight?”, he actually looked a little bit nervous for once.

“I mean, yeah... but why?”, you gave him an unsure smile.

“I’ll take you out for food, something spicy... unless you can’t handle that.”, he grinned, his confidence was suddenly back.

“You wanna bet?”, your laughed.

“Alright then, it’s a bet.”, he chuckled, “I’ll meet you around 7 in the lobby.”

“For sure. I’ll see you!”, you waved goodbye and so did he.

Just when you were about to sneak out to the lobby your manager walked past.

“Where are you going?”, she asked.

“I was just uh...”

“And why’s Ground Zero in the lobby? He’s starting a commotion! We don’t need that, we need you to rest for the show tomorrow!”, she sighed.

“Please, I just wanted to-”

“No, Y/N. You can’t go out tonight, you have a damn show tomorrow.”

“Well, please just tell Bak- I mean... Ground Zero that I can’t come... and that I’m sorry.”, you pleaded, “Please.”

“Fine...”, she agreed.

The next day you woke up early to go to the fitting, so that you could later that day go to the show. Since they had your measurments, it fit perfectly.

“Hey, Laura!”, you stopped your manager as she passed by your make up station.

“Yeah, what’s up? Need anything?”, she asked.

“No-... I was just wondering if you know if Ground Zero would be here tonight.”, you asked.

“I don’t know, honey.”, she sighed, “He hasn’t said anything about it.”

“Alright, thank you.”

You got a moment alone in your changing room before you were going backstage. There was a harch knock on the door, which prompted you to go over to it and open the door. 

“Is it time to come out n-”, you stopped dead in your tracks when you saw Bakugo in front of you.

“Hey.”, he said quietly.

“Hi.”, you responded, “How did you get back here?”

“It’s not that hard for a hero of my status.”, he grinned and puffed up his chest a bit.

“Okay, okay...”, you chuckled and wrapped the silk robe you had on tighter around you, “Well, I’m happy you made it.”

“Y/N! Showtime!”, you heard your manager shout.

“Coming!”, you answered.

“Good luck... on the show...”, he muttered.

“Thank you! I expect to see you in the crowd.”, you grinned and ran up to the backstage area.

-

Maybe he should’ve tried to see what she was wearing. He really hadn’t thought about it at all...

The show was in alphabetic order, so he’d have to sit there for a bit before she’d come out. He really didn’t care much for the other models and he might’ve fell asleep for a few minutes here and there... but that was the chair’s fault! It was too comfortable, it even had armrests! How could he not fall asleep? Just for a bit... 

“Ground Zero!”, they shouted, making him almost jump out of his seat. Eijiro, who sat beside him, let out a quiet chuckle.

“Shut up, man...”, he whispered before glueing his eyes to the runway. He didn’t even recognize her at first. Y/N was... different... and it wasn’t just the clothing... or more like the lack there of.

Her whole aura was different when she walked she was like a whole new person. She was fierce, confident, simply the embodiment of a goddess of war and destruction.  Katsuki’s eyes were glued to her, every curve and edge, and his mouth was slightly agape in shock. He didn’t even realize that people were taking pictures of him.

After the show Katsuki made his way backstage, where he met up with Y/N who was now wrapped up in her silk robe again.

“What did you think? Did you like it?”, she grinned.

“I-...”, he looked around at the people around him who were all watching, “It was alright.”

“Alright?”, you laughed, “Okay then, you diva, I’m gonna go get changed!” His gaze followed her form as she walked away from him to her changing room... until he noticed that people were staring at him.

“Oi! What are you looking at!?”

-

The next day you were already at the airport early in the morning, which was way to early since the plane didn’t leave for another hour. So you decided to look at the articles about last night.

You scrolled quickly through most of them until you saw a picture of a familiar face. It was Bakugo! Looking absolutely star struck as your figure strutted down the runway. A smile spread across your lips and you took a screenshot of the photo.

“Hey, do we have Ground Zero’s buisness email or something like that?”, you asked your manager.

“I can get it for you. Why do you need it?”, she quirked an eyebrow at you.

“Oh, I just wanted to thank him.”, you smiled sweetly, “Also, do you know the next time I’ll be working in Japan?”

“In a few months or so.”

“Perfect.” You couldn’t wait.

-

permanent taglist: @theoceanphoenixhasrisen | @raven-r0ses | @darkbeautyswife | @sondering-thoughts | @gowoneandonlyone | @bnhabadass | @queenblackcat | @jayetheanimefreek101 | @witchy-anna 

tagged for this fic: @bnha-violetnote​ | @succulent-momma​

[franeridart]

Anon said: How are you just like "Oh these are just some warm up sketches" and post a full finished piece, while I'm over here sketching a triangle person and calling it a finished piece.

I dunno if this was a legit question asking for a legit answer, but I do happen to have a legit answer so I might as well give it! If I wanted to go into detals with it it’d take me forever though, so allow me to separate it into two points to make it easier

I learnt how to be very fast in putting down my lines and trained myself into not overthinking every single dot I put down. This took about five or six years of drawing daily and a whole life of drawing occasionally before then, because to do so you need to reach a point where you’re drawing something you’ve drawn so many times that by now your hand sort of goes without you needing to think about it much, so it’s not a fast process, but boy is it worth it. Mostly learning how to not overthink it, overthinking it used to be 90% of my time spent on a drawing and dear god did it suck the joy out of everything I drew

I have two very distinctive ways of approaching a drawing, one where I actually put effort in it and the other where I just want to let the squiggles out of my pen, and warm ups are the second one - the lack of effort I’m putting in can have different forms and show in different ways, so a warm up could be a fully colored piece as it could be just a pencil doodle, depending on where and on what exactly I’m being lazy: it could be the type of tool I’m using that allows me to draw without having to line, it could be a very tiny canvas that lets me avoid a ton of details a big canvas would demand. I might be cutting the time I usually put in making sure my anatomy is correct, I might be using a shading technique that takes a tenth of the time my usual one would, I might be using a style that’s just easier and faster to draw, or drawing characters I’ve drawn a trillion times in extremely generic poses and clothes. There’s a lot of things that I can do to make things faster for me! It’s skills you gain as you draw a lot - you learn how to draw things the hard way, and then you realize that along the way you learnt how to do them the easy way too

hope this actually answers your question! If it was a question at all lol if it wasn’t then sorry for rambling, please pretend I didn’t say anything hahaha

Anon said: I love your newest comic!!! So adorable!! I noticed Bakugou's mom does the affectionate hair rustle thing to him in the manga/anime, do you think Bakugou subconsciously does the same to show affection cause of it? I love the way you draw faces and poses, it's so expressive!!

Ahhhhh thank you so much!!! And yeah, it might be! After all we do take a lot from the people we live with even without realizing, and he’s already so similar to his mom!

Anon said: I saw your bakushima comic from October 9th (2019) where Bakugo falls asleep studying and Kirishima sets him down on the table properly and it was so soft my heart is crying

;;;;; !!!!!!!! I’m glad you liked it!! <3<3

Anon said: If it not to much, could I possibly get a Ochamina doodle pls? I just love some sweet lesbeans 👉👈

Awww I’m not taking requests right now, but I’ll keep it in mind for next time I want to doodle and don’t know what!

Anon said: I love your art! I envy you.

Please don’t! There’s a lot of reasons why being me isn’t a lot of fun - if it’s just my skill you envy, then all you gotta do is draw a lot! 

Anon said: i just went through your entire kiribaku tag and omg it was beautiful seeing the progression in your art skills but still keeping the same funny/cute/heartwarming/etc traits you thought up for their dynamic!! i hope that makes sense haha !! love your art keep it up

It does make sense!!! Thank you so much both for looking through the whole tag and for thinking so, it means a lot to me!! ;;; <3<3

Anon said: Hey fran! I hope you're doing well(especially with quarantine and all)!! I really love your anatomy and how fluid and stylistic it can be! It's super fun to look at! I wanted to ask you if you ever did any in depth studies on anatomy? Like muscles and bones. I've heard a lot of artists mention the necessity of studying bones/muscles, i'd really like to know your opinion on the subject

Ahhh god thank you so much!! And... hmm let’s see if I can word this properly and have it make sense - always keeping in mind that this is just my opinion, of course!

If all you want to do is to draw, then all you need to do is to pick up your pencil and draw - it’s really that easy as far as I’m concerned. You don’t need to know anatomy in depth to just draw, everyone has seen a person, everyone knows how a person looks. That is, if all you want to do is to draw for the sake of drawing. If you want to draw an anatomically correct looking human being, though, you do need to know how anatomy works - and the deeper you’ll go into studying it the more correct your people will look. It’s kind how everyone can draw a bicycle, but if you want to draw a realistic bicycle you’re gonna need to look up references for it, you know? It’s all on the level at which you’re interested in drawing, the more technically skilled you want to be the more you’ll have to study

As for my personal experience with this, I hate studying with a passion. Studying puts a damper on my enjoyement of everything, and drawing isn’t excluded from this - you put a book in front of me expecting me to study it and suddenly I never want to pick up a pencil again. This means that I never sat down and studied anatomy in depth and all in one go just to learn how to draw a human being, but it doesn’t mean that I didn’t, slowly and now and again and in bits and pieces, study parts of the body to get a better understanding of it. I know better about the skeleton than I do about muscles, and I still have enough to learn about everything that anyone who’s studied anatomy properly would find a trillion mistakes in everything I draw, but my way of going about drawing has always been and always will be putting my enjoyement of it first and foremost, so I’m not interested in putting myself through a tour-de-force to learn everything there is to know about anatomy just to make my doodles look appealing to someone with a medical degree haha I’m just doing me, and when the mood is right I look up how to properly draw something, but until then I just do it as best as I can with my limited knowledge, being fully aware that what I’m producing is far from accurate but being willing to make that compromise for my own comfort

So that’s my opinion on it lol it all boils down to how important it is for you to know how to properly draw the human body - of course it’s gonna look more professional and better if you’ve studied it, but everyone has their own priorities, you know?

Anon said: Thank you for your hard work, seeing an upload from you is so nice, and the colors are so pretty

Thank you so muuuuccchhhhh!!!! TTATT <3<3<3

Anon said: Opinions on Tokoyami Fumikage 💕

One of my top faves in the whole manga, actually! I have a drawing in the making of him, I should get back to it..........

Anon said: HOLY SHIT FRAN THE TOES HOW YOU DRAW THE TOES SO WELL FEET ARE THE DEATH OF ME AND YOU’RE OVER HERE DRAWING TOES THEY’RE SO GOOD PLEASE TEACH ME YOUR WAYS!!! -❤️

Thank you!!!!!!!! So pretty much my way of learning this specific skill was being obsessed with elves when I was fifteen and wanting to draw them all the time  and also for whatever reason being convinced that they were not supposed to wear shoes so I just drew a lot of feet with references and tutorials and stuff till I could draw my elves properly. Which isn’t necessarily what you need to do to learn how to draw feet, but, I mean, it worked for me lol

Anon said: I love ur Bnha ships and all but what would u do if some of them didn’t become canon??

Oh, I actually don’t care about that at all? I don’t expect most of them to become canon anyway - like, ochadeku sounds reasonable and kamijirou seems to be getting there, but everything else I never even considered it as an actual possibilily. I don’t really ship because I want to see my ships become canon, I just like the potential in what I can make with them? If that makes sense? They’re just fun to think about and I like making fancontent, that’s all there is to it really haha honestly if I had my way no ship would ever be canon ever ha ha ha

Anon said: Slep is for the wek

No actually sleep is for Frans who want a chance at getting up tomorrow morning without an headache for once, so I should do that and go to sleep already lmao

[emy-loves-you]

Wrong Numbers and Useless Gays Chapter 4

Sad Boys and Fun Facts

Patton’s a sad boi but Virgil has a distraction

Chapter 3 | Masterlist | Chapter 5

Three weeks had passed since Virgil had first texted Roman. In those three weeks, Virgil had learned a lot about his new friends.

First, there was Patton. God, did that man love puns. Virgil also loved puns, but he preferred reading Patton’s puns over making his own. Remus had caught Virgil blushing at his phone and made a comment about his new “friends with benefits” (Virgil had been unable to respond. He was too busy trying to hold back his giggles from one of Patton’s pun tangents). Patton also made it clear that he was the “Dad Friend” of the group. Virgil couldn’t type a single self-deprecating comment without Patton threatening to physically fight him. It was rather terrifying, really. He also made sure that everyone was taking care of themselves. Once they learned that they were in the same timezone (They hadn’t shared cities yet. Friend or no, Virgil was telling where he lived in that quickly) Patton made it his goal to check in and make sure that Virgil ate at mealtime. One last thing about Patton was his… struggle with technology. He tended to send almost everything directly to the group chat instead of private messages. Logan said that he tried to teach Patton how to do so, but the lessons never seemed to stick.

Speaking of Logan, the nerd had his own quirks. He didn’t type much, usually only responding when someone required everyone to respond. The other time that he typed was during debates. Nine days into their friendship, Virgil had mentioned saying “you too” to a cute barista and claimed that he ruined any chances with his new crush. While Patton and Roman offered words of encouragement, Logan remained silent. Virgil had assumed that Logan agreed with him but didn’t want to upset his boyfriends. As soon as their conversation ended, Virgil received a private text from Logan, requesting to debate. They argued over cognitive distortions for a whole hour before they reached a compromise. Logan had called the debate “lit” and asked if they could debate again in the future. That was another thing about Logan. Apparently, he had vocabulary cards for slang words. When he was talking out loud, he would hold the card up so the others knew what slang word he was attempting to use. When texting, he would put quotation marks around the word. It was adorable, in Virgil’s humble opinion.

Then there was Roman. Princey was known for his dramatic flair and Disney references. When he was feeling especially Extra™ , he would use “thees” and “thys” and call people peasants. He also had a love for nicknames. Patton had very few personal nicknames, with most of them being terms of endearment like “honey” and “amor.” Most of Logan’s nicknames pertained to him being a nerd, such as “pocket protector” and “Microsoft Nerd.” He seemed to have a limitless number of nicknames for Virgil, with most of them referencing his emo-aesthetic (how Princey had discovered that so early in their friendship, Virgil had no clue). He never repeated Virgil’s nicknames; the only exception was “storm cloud,” which he tended to use at least once every conversation.

Virgil had become extremely close with the trio over these three weeks. That wasn’t the only thing he did, just the thing he did most often. The Dark Sides had finalized their contract with Thomas, who set up a tour almost immediately. Virgil really should have seen that coming. Their band had become extremely popular over the past few years, and they had only done one tour before this. Performing across the country would help boost their popularity even further. Virgil sighed, his anxiety spiking at just the thought of seeing all those faces in the crowd. That was why he used the persona Anxiety. Anxiety wasn’t afraid of anything, he was fear. Being Anxiety allowed Virgil to be confident and suave without worrying about judgment. They judged Anxiety, not Virgil. The case was similar for Janus and Remus. Deceit was elegant and mysterious, while Duke was loud and over-the-top. They didn’t have to be rejects wanting to fit in with society. No, they were Rockstars. Society wanted to fit in with them. And Virgil was just fine with that.

Bzzz

Vigil glanced over at his phone. He was in Los Angelas right now, around halfway through his tour, which put him 3 hours behind his new friends. He glanced over at his clock, 9:45 PM glaring at him through the dark. He turned back to his phone. Why are they up at 12:45 in the morning? I know Logan keeps them on a rigid sleep schedule.

P- (9:45 PM) Ro? Are you still up?

V- (9:45 PM) Pat, why are you still up?

P- (9:45 PM) Why are you still up, kiddo? It’s almost 1 AM! Don’t you have a hangout with your friends today?

Virgil sighed, thinking of the concert he had tomorrow. He glanced over to his sketchbook. Patton had been really impressed with his sketches, so he had been practicing less gory drawings to show him. It had evolved into something almost therapeutic. Knowing how he worked, Virgil would probably sketch until around 2 in the morning, then sleep until 8 AM. The concert wasn’t until 7 PM, so he had enough time to sleep in if necessary.

V- (9:46 PM) First of all, you know I’m in California right now. It’s 9:46 for me. Second of all, we’re not hanging out until tomorrow night, so I can sleep in if needed. Third of all, you’re avoiding the question: What are you and Roman doing up at 1 in the morning? I thought you guys had work in the morning.

P- (9:47 PM) We do. Roman got a burst of inspiration at around 10, and he usually refuses to sleep until he writes it all down. He probably fell asleep at his desk, that silly billy!

V- (9:47 PM) That doesn’t explain why you’re still awake. And why didn’t you get up to check on him? I thought you guys lived together.

P- (9:47 PM) We do! I just couldn’t fall asleep tonight. And the bed’s too warm to get up!

V- (9:48 PM) Well, Princey’s probably being a “sleeping beauty”

Virgil frowned at his phone. Patton hadn’t responded to his text. Sure, that wasn’t a very good pun, but it was still a pun. Patton laughed at every pun he saw, or at least followed it up with another pun. He could be asleep, but didn’t he just say that he had trouble sleeping?

V- (9:50 PM) Pat?

P- (9:50 PM) Yeah, Kiddo?

V- (9:50 PM) Are you okay?

V- (9:52 PM) Patton?

V- (9:52 PM) I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Just because you didn’t answer my pun doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with you. I’m sorry that I sounded like an asshole.

P- (9:52 PM) No, Sweety. It’s fine! It’s nice to know that someone cares about you!

P- (9:53 PM) I’m just a little sad today.

V- (9:53 PM) Do you wanna talk about it?

P- (9:54 PM) I’m fine, Kiddo! This just happens sometimes. No need to worry!

Virgil sighed, thinking about how much Patton reminded him of Janus. Janus grew up neglected, and was taught to convince everyone that his life was perfect. By the time Virgil had met him, Janus was 19 and a compulsive liar. Virgil wasn’t much better, having just gotten kicked out of the foster system. Virgil lived with Janus (and soon Remus) until The Dark Sides had enough income for Virgil to live on his own (technically Janus had more than enough money for that- his parents were loaded. But Virgil wanted to have something that he earned. He wasn’t just some charity case). When they first lived together, Virgil could never tell what Janus was actually thinking. It took a lot of time and trust to separate Janus from Deceit. Now, he was still heavily sarcastic, and he tended to close himself off when he got upset, but Janus had come a long way.

Virgil looked back to his phone. Patton didn’t seem to have it as bad as Janus did, but you could never tell. At least he acknowledged that he wasn’t okay. There is the chance that something really is bothering him, but Virgil had to trust Patton on that note. It is entirely possible that Patton is just feeling down today; God knows how many times Virgil would question why he should get out of bed. He bit his lip. What helps me when I feel sad for no reason? He smiled, remembering when Remus would spout the most obscene things to distract himself from his own negative thinking. A distraction.

V- (9:56 PM) Did you know that giraffes can clean their ears with their own tongues?

P- (9:56 PM) What?

V- (9:56 PM) “Rhythm” is the longest word in the English language that doesn’t have a vowel.

V- (9:56 PM) Elephants are the only mammals that cannot jump.

P- (9:57 PM) More like Elecan’t!

V- (9:57 PM) Haha :)

V- (9:57 PM) Without food coloring, Coca Cola would be green.

V- (9:57 PM) A 3-year-old boy was elected as mayor in Dorset, Minnesota

P- (9:58 PM) No way!

V- (9:58 PM) Yes way! His name was James Tufts.

V- (9:58 PM) 7 different dogs have been elected as mayors in the US.

P- (9:58 PM) I love dogs! They’re such good boys!

Virgil smiled, adding Loves Dogs to his mental list of Quirky things I like about Patton Morale. They continued to talk about dog mayors for a while until Patton ended it abruptly.

P- (10:14 PM) Why are you doing this?

V- (10:14 PM) Doing what?

P- (10:15 PM) Why are you going out of your way to try and cheer me up? You should’ve stopped talking to me 20 minutes ago. Instead, we’re laying here at 1 AM talking about dog mayors! I would have been fine on my own. Why are you wasting your time on me?

V- (10:16 PM) Pat, if you tell me that I’m wasting my time talking to you, I’m going to have to physically fight you. You are my FRIEND. I care about you. When you’re sad, I WANT to cheer you up. When you’re happy, I WANT to laugh along to your punny jokes. Because I know, at the end of the day, if I was sad and needed someone to cheer me up, you would do it in a heartbeat. You, Lo, and Princey are amazing people, and my time spent with you will NEVER be a waste. I swear.

Virgil sighed, dropping his phone on the bed. He might’ve been too forward with that last text. But it was true. While the four of them weren’t nearly as close as Virgil was with Janus and Remus, he still cared about them a lot.

P- (10:18 PM) Thanks, Virgil. That really means a lot to me

P- (10:18 PM) I’m gonna try and get some sleep now

V- (10:18 PM) Alright Patton, Goodnight

P- (10:18 PM) Goodnight

The next day, Virgil saw a postcard in the window of a gift shop. It had a puppy with sunglasses on the beach, with cartoonish letters saying “Having A WonderFUR Time!” He took a picture and sent it to Princey.

V- (1:08 PM) What’s your address or PO? I wanna send this to Patton.

R- (1:09 PM) Say no more, Hot Topic!

V- (1:09 PM) Aw, you think I’m hot.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taglist: @bisexualdisaster106 @self-taught-mess @itawalrus

[lateknightsimmer]

Sims Tag Game

Rules:

Pick a sim of your choice

Tell us about them

Tag someone else (if you want to!)

I was tagged by @lilyshadowwriter to do the Sims Tag Game. Aww, haha, my first little thing I’ve been tagged in since I started paying attention to my Tumblr again. Thanks! You’re a sweetie. I’ll tag @freckled-pixels because I ♥ wuv her. LOL.

I’m choosing my Generation 3 heir from Echoes of Eternity, the current generation I’m writing.

Name: Armand Decimus Hunt

When is your sim’s birthday? Mimicking LilyShadow here, I’m a bad Sim Mom. I have a super nerdy reference sheet of everyone’s ages, from Generation 1 - Generation 3 (both main and supporting characters, yes like I said I’m super nerdy), but I didn’t give them any specific birthdays. I do know that as of the most recent chapter, Armand is 22.

What is your sim’s zodiac sign? *has to go in game to look it up* *pretty sure I just randomized it* *so if Armand’s personality that I wrote has nothing to do with his zodiac sign, that’s fucking why* ----  VIRGO.

Marital Status: Single.

Does your sim have any nicknames? No. I have bad RL experiences with nicknames, so I tend to not nickname my Sims either. Unless it’s like an obvious shortening that’s something like Maximus (my legacy founder), and he gets called Max. But no nicknames like he has a quirk, so he gets a nickname. None of that shit. LOL. Armand’s name is two syllables and calling him “Arm” or “And” just sounds stupid. LOL.

Do they have a job? Armand just graduated from college, and he is still looking for a job.

Where does your sim live? Armand lives in this three story split level house in Twinbrook, Louisiana.

Who does your sim live with? Armand lives with his best friend, Remy, a Louisiana native.

What environment did your sim grow up in? Armand had a neglectful, spiteful mother, and a kind, loving father. They couldn’t have been more polar opposite from each other. Literal environment wise, Armand grew up in Silicon Shores, California.

What is your sim’s favorite food? *goes in game again to look because doesn’t know* *again probably randomized* *shitty Sim Mom, knows it* --- GRILLED SALMON. Armand is damn fancy.

What is your sim’s favorite drink? Alcohol - Armand likes screwdrivers, they’re pretty simple yet delicious. Non-Alcohol - Armand likes 2% milk.

If they have one, what is your sim’s favorite color? *goes in game again* *doesn’t know* *you know the drill now* --- LIME.

Is your sim introverted or extroverted? Introverted.

What is your sims favorite woohoo position? Armand enjoys being on top of the girl he’s woohoo-ing with so he can see her reactions. He wants his partner to have ultimate pleasure, and the girl’s face often reflects whether the pleasure is there or not.

Is your sim a pet person? No. Armand is often lost in thought in his head, he’s self-aware, but he has a lot of things to think about. He doesn’t really want to put his mind in a place where he might accidently neglect a pet just because he’s spacing off about something.

Does your sim have a best friend? Yes, Armand’s best friend is also his roommate, Remy.

What is / was your sim’s favorite school subject? Art class, anything that has to do with painting, drawing, or sketching.

Are they planning to go or have they already been to college? Armand just graduated from college. He’s been done for about a month.

Does your sim have a favorite TV show? Armand likes Penn & Teller’s Fool Us. It’s a magic show where Penn & Teller try to guess how a magician does his trick. They also give magicians whose tricks they cannot guess a chance to perform at their venue in Las Vegas. This is Armand’s favorite show because it reminds him of his father (a magician), whom he loves and adores dearly.

Does your sim like books? Armand has mixed feelings about books. On one hand, they remind him of his terrible mother, but it’s not like he won’t touch the things. The memories suck, but he did read his textbooks when he needed to for college. However, he wouldn’t turn to books for fun.

What is your sim’s personal style? Armand has a bit of a rock star style, he has some shirts that are ripped in just the right places, and he’s not afraid to wear something that looks a little messy. Armand’s family has a dark hot pink hair gene, started from his great-grandfather, Alexander Hunt, which makes Armand not shy away from bright colors in his outfits.

Is your sim religious? Not really. Patrick (Armand’s father) raised Armand with good values, but they weren’t tied to religious ideals. Although some of them might have similar ideals, like treat others with kindness and respect, it wasn’t religion that was the driving force behind it.

What kind of music does your sim listen to? Armand likes when he plays the guitar, although he hasn’t written anything himself, he does like what he plays. He also likes pop music, like the song Ghost by Ella Henderson.

What is your sim’s favorite type of weather? Armand likes California weather, sunshine, a light breeze, 70s for the high, 40s for the low. He doesn’t like a lot of humidity, he’s finding out as he lives in Louisiana for now. LOL.

Does your sim have a dream job? Armand would love to paint and be a famous artist, selling his art to high end galleries. He just wants to let his creativity out and be paid for it. LOL.

Does your sim have any siblings? No. Armand’s parents didn’t get along very well after he was born, so they never came together long enough to make or want to make any siblings for their son.

Does your sim get along with their family? Yes and no. Armand’s always gotten along with his father, grandfather, and grandmother. He never got along with his mother, who is now deceased. He does get along with his new step-mother.

What is your sims favorite hobby? Armand loves to sing and play his guitar.

What does your sim look for in a romantic partner? For now, Armand has just been playing the field, he’s slept with a few women without searching too hard for romance. All he knows is he doesn’t want anyone who remotely resembles his crazy dead mother. 

What is a flaw your sim has? Armand has a traumatic past so he has a bad habit of getting into cycles where his brain makes him think he hates himself and that he’s worthless. He knows at this point that none of that is true, and he’s working on it.

Does your sim have a greatest achievement? Armand is still young and he has his whole life ahead of him, but he would probably say his greatest achievement for now, is that he was able to overcome the bad memories that he associated with his childhood home. He recently visited his parents’ home for Thanksgiving break and he was able to feel happy while being in that house, which is something he’d never been able to do until now.

If they have one, what is your sim’s greatest regret? Armand’s mom died young, and their relationship had always been super shitty. His regret is that he couldn’t patch things up with her (if that was even possible) while she was alive.

Wooo! Thanks for tagging me! ♥ This was great fun.

[lsenvs3000-20]

Nature Interpretation and Me

As this semester comes to an end, it’s hard not to look back and reflect on everything I’ve learned both academically, and personally.  I doubt I’m alone when I say that has easily been one of my most interesting semesters to date.  Interestingly enough, it has been one of my favourites.

Throughout this course, I feel as though I’ve come to understand what my definition of nature interpretation is, and where I see myself fitting into the field once I graduate.  By using the knowledge I’ve attained from completing my degree in zoology, and the communication skills I’ve gained in respect to nature interpretation, I hope to be able to aid in the conservation of our earths species in any way I can.  

Even as a child, my parents instilled in me that one of the best things for conservation, is education.  They taught me that if people are unaware that there is a problem at hand, there is very little they can do to rectify the situation.  Unfortunately, there are countless species which are on the brink of extinction and the sad truth is, if a majority of them disappeared, many wouldn’t even notice this disappearance.  In my opinion, a major issue is that the media tends to focus on the species which are the most charismatic.  Pretty much everyone knows that polar bears and rhinos are facing extinction, yet I’m sure only a very limited few know that the blue-throated macaw is on the brink of extinction.  With a population estimated at less than 200, they are the most endangered parrot in the wild.  This is a great shame as blue-throats are such personable birds and in my opinion, they should be getting as much attention as for example, polar bears.   

Pictured above is Olivia, one of the blue-throated macaws I’ve had the pleasure of working with.  Although she wasn’t the biggest fan of me, her mate Neuton grew fairly attached to me as I was one of the few people who didn’t scare him haha.                        

Due to this lack of knowledge, my goal as a nature interpreter is to educate the public and raise awareness that many known and unknown species are facing extinction and that we should be taking the initiative to save them. I say this because most of the species are going extinct due to our actions.  All species are important in some and we should be attempting to save as many as we can and not just the ones that we think are cute.       

One belief that I feel I bring to the table is that much of science is extremely unaccessible to those who do not have a background in science.  What I mean by this, is that almost every scientific paper I’ve had to read has required at the very least, 3 read throughs in order to fully digest it.  I believe that this is largely due to the at times, excessive use of scientific jargon.  In my opinion, scientific articles are seen as the be all end all when it comes to communicating research.  I feel that this is very outdated as there are plenty of methods of communicating information that could appeal to a much broader audience.  The methods I speak of include but are not limited to; infographics, videos, podcasts or even comics!  By using more accessible types of media, is able to be understood by more people which in my eyes, makes them much more valid methods for scientific communication.         

Another course I was in this semester which I felt did an excellent job of instilling this message was ZOO*4910 or, integrative vertebrate biology.  For our final project, we were tasked with presenting one of the scientific papers we studied in class in an untraditional format, which I thought was an incredibly cool assignment.  For my project I decided to present Stoddard et al.’s study, “Wild hummingbirds discriminate nonspectral colors” as a video sketch, which I had a lot of fun making!  I chose to do a video as I felt that using things like, music, pop culture references and comedy would make the material much more interesting and engaging.  To ensure that the information presented was easy to understand, I sent the video to a few of my friends who don’t study one of the sciences.  Thankfully the consensus was that the concepts presented we extremely clear and easily understandable which told me that I had done job well.  If I’m being honest, this was probably the most fun I’ve doing a project in university and it is hand down the one I am most proud of.    

A screenshot from the video capturing the eye sore that was my hummingbird costume.  For anyone interested, the video itself is available at this link!    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adcbJtaqw_M   

Having played live music for a decent amount of time, performing is something that I not only enjoy doing, but I also think I am somewhat good at (could be delusion though).  Because of this, I feel that this sort of performance based education is something I would like to get better at as I feel as though it is the method of interpreting nature that works for me.    

As a zoology major, I feel as though it is my responsibility to use the knowledge I have gained to aid in the conservation of the species that we share our planet with.  This extends to ensuring that the next generation will be able to see and experience the same biological diversity that I had the pleasure of experiencing.  It may be one thing to view nature through the glass of an exhibit at a zoo or on a screen, but it is a completely different thing seeing it first hand in the wild.  For me, I will never forget seeing killer whales in the wild, it honestly felt like I was seeing some sort of mythical creature that was thought not to exist.    

A picture I took of the pod of killer whales I was lucky enough to see out in B.C.

Nature truly is a remarkable thing and it would be such a shame if we lost one of the most incredible things this planet has to offer.

[krakenator]

✏📚🐻🌗????

Also, one of my own!

What's your favorite part of drawing? Sketching, lining, coloring, etc?

Do you prefer traditional art or digital to relax? It used to be traditional, for sure- it’s only this year that I’ve gotten comfortable and in the groove with digital art. Having the tablet now pretty much permanently hooked up means I reach for it first, but the sketchbook also lives on the desk.

How many layers do you typically use? Haha. Checking my last “complete” pieces they’re 8-9 layers Out of sheer curiosity I’ve looked through my 2021 folder! Here’s the stats Title cards complex pieces.commissions with multiple characters/backgrounds/shading average at 24 This one wins at 36 layers though!

This is basically because everybody got their own layer in sketch AND lineart

Your go-to things to draw when you need comfort? I like swishy-swoopy shapes- long hair, flowy clothes/skirts/dresses, bilgerat’s tail. Stuff with movement basically. I’ve been told a few times recently I do motion good and aaaaaa!! That right there is serotonin I’m gonna be riding on for months.

Is night or day better for drawing? I don’t think it makes a difference personally? I draw when “time” and “inclination” meet up. This could be 1pm or 4am

What's your favorite part of drawing? Sketching, lining, coloring, etc? Lining the sketch. Sometimes it’s tough to get the same energy to translate from sketch to line, but I think I’ve gotten better at it- loosy-goosy in lines and movement help. Shading is also fun! It adds a TON to the piece and figuring out where the shadows and highlights should be is like a puzzle.

[unkemptgardens]

CHAPTER FOUR

The following morning Tesla was awoken by the timer kicking the lights on in her face.  She squinted against the purple.  The plants all had fully-formed buds on them.  She shot out of bed to investigate. 

Completely frosted.  A mix of white and amber trichomes, fully covered, like a cupcake.  The buds were then layered with a thick coat of orange hairs.  The buds themselves were dense and gigantic, taking up the majority of each stalk's length.  Tesla rushed to find Daisy.

A few hours later the bud was harvested and spread out in a mesh hanger to cure.  Harvesting had been promising.  They had went through a few pairs of scissors because the trichomes kept gumming up the blades.  Each plant was different.  Daisy had loved picking out the different terpenes with her nose.  She inhaled the bud she was holding.  “Beta-caryophyllene, limonene...a little humulene?”

“I think that's the Girl Scout Cookies.  It smells like my last bag.  Only a million times better.”  Tesla had never seen weed like this in her life.  She couldn't believe it.  Daisy was the real deal.  She even did magic to speed up the curing process – they were hoping the faint grass smell would be gone by tomorrow.  

It was Sunday so the shop was closed.  Daisy didn't feel like working on the website on her day off so they hung out and relaxed instead.  Daisy did another tarot reading for Tesla which turned out to be hopeful and encouraging.  Tesla then tried her hand at doing one for Daisy, but the messages were conflicting.  Tesla helped Daisy repot some of her plants and even ate some of her peanut-butter tofu stir-fry (worth eating).  They checked on the weed.

Tesla smelled a perfect nugget.  “It smells ready.  Shall we try it out?”

“Me?”

“We'll compare notes.”

Daisy didn't say no and didn't kick Tesla out when she started breaking a bud up.  She sat down at the table where Tesla finished loading a bowl into a rainbow pipe that had a large chip on the side.  

“Okay, I'm gonna need you to corner this.  You don't want to get too high.  Just burn a small bit and then stop.  Don't get brave,” instructed Tesla.

Daisy took the pipe.  She did as she was told, nailed it, and then handed the pipe back.  She waited.  “I don't think I feel anything.” 

“Nothing?”

“Wait, no.”

“........”

“Wait, no,” Daisy repeated and then she burst out laughing.

Tesla eagerly took a puff.  Her body instantly melted and suddenly she had a big, goofy grin.  

“How do you feel now?”  she asked Daisy.

“Like I wanna go on a walk.”

“Where?”

“The backyard?”

“You don't have a backyard.”

“Damn.”

They settled on the park.  Daisy was having the time of her life looking at all the different trees and was completely incapable of playing it cool in public.  Tesla had little success hushing her.

“LOOK AT THE WEEPING WILLOW, TESLA!”  She did this with each new tree.  It was a park full of trees.

Somewhere between an oak and an elm Tesla was hit with a full-blown munchies attack.  She needed food, and she needed it now.  “Daisy.  Daisy we have to leave.”

“Is that person over there with the binoculars sketching you out too?”

“They're bird watching.”

“Oh.”

“No, I've got the munchies.  Let's go get food.”  

They couldn't find Tesla's jeep.  It took them a quarter hour to realize they were on the wrong side of the park.  Then they got lost on the drive back to the shop.  Finally they made it back.  Tesla realized that she had completely forgotten to stop and get munchies and had to settle for Daisy's weird pantry.  They gorged themselves on spicy dried fruit, granola yogurt bites, dark chocolate, baby carrots and humus, and kelp chips.

“This might be the weed talking, but these kelp chips are really hitting the spot,” said Tesla, slouched on the couch, covered in crumbs.

Daisy looked out the window.  “It's already dark!  How long has it been?”

Tesla checked her phone and sat up.  “Wow.  Hours.  Usually you don't feel it for this long unless you, like, eat edibles or something.”

“Well I think I'm getting sleepy.  I'm going to go to bed.”

“Me too.”

The next morning they were both still high.  “Okay, this is weird,” said Tesla, accidentally buttering her phone instead of her toast.  “We shouldn't still be high.”

“....was it all of the magic?”

“Probably, Daisy.  I have a confession to make.  I was doing magic every night too!  You kept going on and on about intention magic, I figured it wouldn't hurt to talk to some plants.  They're honestly a good audience.”

“Tesla!  So we're too high?”

“I mean, I am, and I can only imagine how you feel, never having smoked before.”

“I just thought this was what it was like!”  All of Daisy's clothes were on inside-out.

“Just give it a little bit.”

It did eventually wear off, much to Daisy's relief.  She kept losing things.  On one occasion, after a half-hour of searching for her keys, Witchcat brought them to her, rabbit's foot in mouth, and released them at her feet with an exasperated sigh.  On another occasion, while cooking, she had looked all over the kitchen for her spoon only to realize she had been holding it the entire time.

“A day and a half!” said Tesla excitedly.  “This weed is magic.”

“I don't know, you don't think it's too strong?  I forgot the word 'door.'”

Tesla waved it off.  “It's fine.  I'll start selling tomorrow.”

And away she went!  The next morning Tesla's very first stop was the library.  She marched right up to the librarian's desk.  “Meet me in the occult section.”  Five minutes later they were face to face with Tesla's backpack between them.  “It's magic.”

Charles looked up from where he was inspecting a fat purple nugget.  “Yes, but what do you mean?”

“We grew it with magic!  Daisy did her green witch thing and I talked to them a lot!”

“Magnificent.  I'll take a quarter.”

Then Tesla went to the local college campus where she had pretty good luck.  Finally, she found herself inside of The Third Eye.  She did feel a little guilty, but then Jack spotted her and came over with a wave.  

“Tesla!  Right?”

“Haha.  Yeah.  Haha.”

“You didn't bring your friend, did you?”

“Don't worry, I think she hates you just as much as you hate her.”

“I see.”

“Yeah, hey, I actually came in today because I just grew some just absolute dank.  I'll smoke a bowl with you and you can decide if you want some.”

They went to a back room, where there was already a bong out on the coffee table.  It was surrounded by loveseats in a circular fashion.  She picked the one in the middle, small and cushioney.

Tesla's backpack reeked.  She pulled out the bags.  “Look at this madness.”

Jack was thoroughly impressed.  “Okay, I want some.”

“Just wait!  Bong?”

“You bet.”

Tesla loaded her up and offered him the green hit, which he took in a practiced manner.  The effect was immediate.  It was an indica, and he grew very still and soft, eyes unfocused.  “That tasted exactly like berries,” he said finally.

Tesla threw her arms up in a touchdown.  “It’s the best!”  She took the bong for herself.  She hesitated a moment, remembering how completely baked she was last time.  Had she been too high?  Impossible.  She took a big rip.  The lights got brighter, the colors more vivid.  Suddenly she heard every single lyric coming from the small laptop in the corner, which she hadn’t noticed before.  Then she forgot where she was.

“I think this is the highest I’ve ever been,” she heard.  She looked over at Jack staring at his outstretched hands and remembered.  Then she felt ridiculous and giggled at herself for a bit.  “Do you want some?”  she asked.  She sold him an eighth.  It was hard for him to count out the money but they managed.  They both sunk further and further into the couch, letting the music play.  It was wonderful.

“What is this?”

“I don’t remember.”

They talked a little.  “What’s the deal with your friend?”

“Daisy.  Get this: she owns an occult shop.  On the other side of town.  Can you believe it?”

“Yeah I think I’ve heard of it.  Six Roads?”

“Five Roads.”

“How’d she get that name?”

“Said it came to her in a dream.”

“No shit.”

“Yeah, she’s just as weird as you, don’t hate her.  I know she was a lot when she was in here, but she really isn’t that bad.  She just kind of lost it when she found out about your shop.”

“She didn’t know about it?”

“I don’t think she gets out much.”

They stared dreamily off into space for a bit.  “You think I’m weird?” asked Jack after a minute.

“A little.”

“Why?”

Tesla laughed.  “I’m not into all this.”  She gestured around her at the room in general, hung with tapestries and filled with candles and incense smoke.  “I think it’s cute though.”

“You bought enchanted lube!”

“I mean, I couldn’t not buy the enchanted lube.”

“Do you like it?  I enchanted it myself.”

“How do you enchant lube?”

Jack grinned.  “Trade secret.  Now that I know you’re friends with the competition.”

“It better not be weird.”

“It’s not.  It’s very normal.”

“Enchanting lube?”

“Yes.”

Tesla’s phone vibrated.  It was Daisy, wondering if she wanted dinner.  Tesla smiled at the thoughtfulness.  “Well, I better go.  It was nice talking to you again.”  They said goodbye and Tesla left in a blissful haze.  She couldn’t get her jeep open.  It took awhile for her to realize she was pressing the lock button.  But the ride home was fairly uneventful and soon she was in Daisy’s tiny, delicious-smelling kitchen, dumping her cash from that day onto the table.

“Are you kidding me?” squealed Daisy.  “This is enough for rent!”  

Tesla rolled up her sleeves and started flexing and kissing her muscles.

Daisy squinted.  “You’re super-stoned again!”  she accused.

Tesla laughed.  “No I’m not!”

Daisy crossed her arms.  “If I have twelve apples and I take away five and add seventeen apples, how many apples do I have?”

“What, are you dealing apples?  Another day at the ol’ apple factory?”

“See!  You couldn’t figure it out if you tried!”

“Daisy, sometimes the answer comes from within.”  Daisy rolled her eyes and set a plate of steaming vegetables down in front of Tesla, who glady dug in.  She had eaten more green stuff since living with Daisy than she had in the past six months.

“Well I’m not smoking the stuff anytime soon again.  It was fun and everything, but that is just too much for me,” said Daisy.  

They discussed what they still had left to do for the website, and how the new source of income could benefit the shop.  Tesla was too super-stoned to be helpful.  “Let’s get one of those crazy, inflated floppy men out front!” 

They talked about their day. 

“Don’t be mad, but I sold weed to the guy at The Third Eye.”

“Tesla!  He’s the competition!  Don’t associate with him!”

“I said don’t be mad.  His money’s just as good as anyone else’s.”  Tesla didn’t mention his soulful eyes or pretty smile.  Or that he only bought an eighth.  “Well, how was the shop today?  Any new customers?”

Daisy sighed.  “Not yet.”

The next few days flew by.  The shop, as always, was slow, but gave Daisy plenty of time to work on the website, which they got up and running.  Daisy reorganized and looked at adding new inventory.  She also started considering taking ads out in the local newspaper or perhaps having a commercial run on the radio.  She had the funds now.  Tesla, who had taken to wearing sunglasses inside and smoking cigars, brought in a steady stream of cash everyday from selling.  Tesla noticed her repeat customers were all still super-stoned, but that they just wanted different strains of her “magic weed.”  Each time, they went on and on about how good it was.  She could recognize her customers, many of them college students, throughout town from a mile away.  Many of them were conspicuous in some manner.  For example, one girl looked like she had accidentally slathered toothpaste all over her face instead of moisturizer.  Tesla didn’t have the heart to tell her.  She had come down from her own magic high and had opted to take a break from the World’s Best Bud.  She didn’t see it as a problem, however, until things started hitting close to home.

Tesla recognized that some of her campus customers worked at Arby’s, which, naturally, she frequented.  It started out small.  No Arby’s sauce in the bag.  Barely noticeable, normal even.  Then, no curly fries.  No curly fries!  How could they?  Soon, the entire order was missing.  It was just a paper bag with one measly napkin in it. 

Tesla went inside.  “Who’s in charge here?” she asked at the counter.  The three employees, all super-stoned, all looked at each other blankly, as though they had forgotten.

Tesla held up the paper bag.  “You forgot my entire order!”  The employee at the register, Kyle, who had bought an eighth, looked into the bag and broke into a lopsided grin.

“Whoa,” he said.

Tesla waited.  “Well?”

“What did you order again?”

Ten minutes later, Tesla left with extra fries, dessert, and two extra sandwiches.  She was a little worried though.  Would things be like this forever?  She noticed things amiss on the way home too.  Everyone was driving with a blinker light on.  At a four-way, no one knew who was supposed to go and then everyone tried to go all at once.  It might’ve caused an accident but everyone was driving too slowly.  “Does this whole town smoke weed?” cried Tesla in frustration.

Shortly at Daisy’s, Tesla brought it up.  “We have to do something!”

“Just stop selling it!  It’ll wear off eventually.”

“Will it?  Samantha only bought a gram and today I saw her give her entire order at Arby’s to the sign without the speaker in it.”

Daisy’s expression brightened and she snapped her fingers.  “I know!  We can go visit Charles and see how he feels!”