#smooth as ink

[not-rude-ginger]

How much of Ink is left to write?

It's really hard for me to say. I've still several big plot points to get to, but I'm probably some where between 2/3s and 4/6s of the way done.

I'm currently reworking a large chunk in Chapter 23, and then I'll realign 24 and 25 to those changes, and I can expect to reach 30 chapters before I'm done I think.

A crucial question is: How stubborn are the parents/uncle in this? That'll impact how long it'll be.

Also I have certain scenes I want to get to and I'm not sure if I can fit them in Ink or some kind of one-shot follow up or something will have to take it.

How long is a relationship piece of string?

[lord-prey]

Kinda wanna make a fish stamp collection

[forged-in-kaoss]

[magicicephoenix]

If you're still taking requests: palette №118 "wild dogs" for Tom and Buddy Boris

the duality of boris the wolf…

tom and buddy boris with #118 - wild dogs

[the-east-art]

The tango Maureen Sora

[dreemurr-skelememer]

i got a ruled notebook instead of a blank one and im really mad. cuz i really like the paper. but its ruled. so

[h3lian]

༝ Wanted to practice drawing his face more 💥🔨⚙️

[acheronist]

yayyy bones !!! so this was on my own leg…. AND its my own design ! wheeeee !!

9rl/7rl/11cm and took just over an hour. this is the right leg and the plan is to mirror the same design on the left leg so its symmetrical lol but i wanted to see how sitting thru the first one While Also doing the tattooing was gonna feel

[quixoticornithologist]

some dealer doodles from today and a few days ago

[not-rude-ginger]

Was thinking about Smooth as Ink today, would you mind sharing any trivia about it? (About a character, a scene, the writing, anything is okay.) I know you're working on it, I just miss it a bit. (Still, take your time, I can be patient.)

This is very sweet, I've been working on it a little this week, trying to fix an issue in the plot so I can get the boys further down their path in a satisfying way, and it's really nice to know people still want to see the rest even though it's been ages.

Let's see, Trivia, Trivia ...

I won't give the details away, but I had to spend some time trying to find a way to translate the Lan parents' story into a Modern AU that would follow the canon in spirit, even if not in detail. It ended up being kinda interesting to develop, as I didn't want it to be a straight victim!Madam Lan -- she did kill someone in canon and we don't know why -- I thought having something messier and confusing and would also tie into LQR's determined dislike of JC was much more satisfying. LQR has seen this film before, and he didn't like the ending.

JFM continues to be the hardest character for me to write, EVER. Odin Borrson, who I think was the originator of the tag 'X's A+ Parenting', was easier to write than Jiang Feckin Fengmian! He's the reason it's been such a slow process, I cannot figure out how to present him because he's so, so passive. I know he loves JC, I know he wants whats best, but Oh My God he's infuriating! I keep having to remove him from scenes because he just turns the scenes to sticky treacle.

LWJ runs away from home -- but he doesn't know how to book a hotel so he runs to the Nie because Dage will know how running away works!

Something I'd like to go back and fix before I post new stuff is small details like JYL and WWX's lives outside of JC -- JYL's wedding, her career as a YT chef, maybe some stuff about her chronic fatigue, JL being on the way before the wedding, etc. I feel I didn't give them enough thought for how important they are to JC, which is kinda normal for the story I'm writing, but I feel it would just add to the overall story to add a few things in.

NSFW trivia under the cut

I'm planning for JC to realise he has no idea what the standards are for gay virginity loss (is it sharing an orgasm, penetration, hands, mouth, what?) so he can worry to NHS that he might have taken LWJ's without making it special like he wanted. He assumed they were building to penetration as "The Deed" but thinking about it, that makes little sense (what if neither of them want to be penetrated?), and now he's not sure whether they've already crossed the line or not. NHS finds this very cute.

[finzphoenix]

A big thanks to @toxic-toon who commissioned his OC, Damon, to be drawn in a ruin-like setting and thus helped with the fundraising! You're the best! 🖤🤍

Damon, OC (c) Toxic-toon Art (c) FinzPhoenix

[hirazuki]

A tall Elf of a high kin of the Teleri, noble though grim of face; and his eyes could see deep into shadows and dark places.

A commission by @naarisz of Eöl -- LOOK AT HIM!!! Absolutely gorgeous work; the rendering and the colors and textures and the lines and the reflection and writing on the blade and his face ♡♡♡ I literally cannot stop staring at this and am far too incoherent with happiness to express myself properly; thank you so, so much!!

(psst everyone who can should go commission her, in addition to being insanely skilled she is also lovely to work with)

[goldenstorm0]

preview of the simple guide I'm working on. I am putting too much work into this, but I'm pretty happy with this diagram

[blackxxmagic91]

🖤SummerTime🖤

[keeskiwi]

A couple more watercolor esk, testing out some new paper! It turns out that uh, using high quality watercolor paper has some benefits huh.

[mantisgodsart]

Did you know? You have to post art for people to see it. Wild, we know. Anyways, we finally drew our Bau's swords, and we're going to make you decipher their extremely thick (designated south Appalachian from our American Accent Experts) accent. Also comes with bonus notes under the cut.

"Y'see, the thing with weapons is that if y'ain't careful wit'em y'can really tear up a man. Throwin' metal aroun' th'place doesn' come without consequences. It c'n take a lotta work ta master any weapon't all, an' even more work t' keep from hurtin' anyone y'wouldn't want to." "Take m'swords, for example. These're cuttin' blades, n' they're hooked't th'tip. Y'see this sorta thing fer sport, usually, but they're a bit useless fer actual fightin' cuz they don't cut shell. Y'need t'have some dexterity t'put 'em to work, 'cuz hitting shell with 'em's worse'n useless. Dulls yer blades, 'n such. Y'need ta hit b'tween th'shell, or't does nothin', 'n any actual hit'll be real likely t'kill 'r maim." "Mine've got swordbreakers in'm, cuz I don' really use'm t'cut. Bit narrow t'really club with, but I like'm narrow cuz I like t'get inta guards. Th'hook's made ta get inta joints, but't works just's well t'grab shit outta bags'r hands, n' th'extra grabbin' bits make't a bit easier t'nab that." "'f I miss, worse't happens is't some bug gets'r shell sliced, 'n tha' doesn't mean much, y'know? No major hit, 'll scab over'n a few hours'n be fine. 'f I used a crushin' weapon, though, 't might actually hurt 'em." "'n a pinch, they'll work jus' fine fer th' original purpose. Fit th' hook 'nto a limb, give'a shallow cut, 'n most people'll back off once they know y'could've ripped a limb off. Makes't harder for'm t'wield a weapon, too. If's somethin' real fussy like a velvet ant- they don' clot like other bugs, so y'can't really draw blood from'm- then'm usually stronger'n em, so disarmin' works jus' fine, 'n I can hold onto 'em if'ey still wanna pick a fight." "…'sides, carryin' aroun' two'a these makes me look real cool, don'tcha think? All fancy'n such."

Bau's specific accent for the in-universe setup rather than the "translating things" is, like. Distinctly "cricket or grasshopper who has not really made an effort to, like, get around the fact that their mouthparts aren't super made for the sorts of sounds used in bugnish" which is perceived as a Hick Accent because a lot of crickets Do tend to work around similar, like, Perceived As Hick Industries Done By Mostly Uneducated People. It takes Effort to sort of train yourself to speak in a way that will read to other bugs as More Educated, and Bau has just sort of… never bothered? Best they've got is enunciating it a bit more clearly, chief. They're not relearning how to speak a whole language to be seen as Slightly More Educated.

In terms of actual in-universe sounds that are Not translated to English they'll just sound a lot chirpier. You could probably interpret some of the words in there as adjacent to the sort of shit you hear out of birds. Might be able to unintentionally set off the fight-or-flight of bugs who used to be heavily preyed upon by small songbirds if cussing violently enough. Sometimes you accent sounds with actually making the standard cricket-chirp sound if you're trying to be sexy.

Sometimes you also do this when you are pissed off at people, This is because crickets are Like This and a lot of them will fucking fight each other for the approval of a potential mate.

Anyways, the fun part of Bau's weapons is that they are deliberately built for being showy and impressive and letting them do flashy sleight-of-hand with their opponent's belongings while also being hideously inefficient enough as actual weapons that bringing them onto the battlefield in the first place actively seems like a terrible strategic decision.