#some of the best tags I've ever gotten on my art

[alfheimr]

My Favorite Cheap Art Trick: Gradient Maps and Blending Modes

i get questions on occasion regarding my coloring process, so i thought i would do a bit of a write up on my "secret technique." i don't think it really is that much of a secret, but i hope it can be helpful to someone. to that end:

this is one of my favorite tags ive ever gotten on my art. i think of it often. the pieces in question are all monochrome - sort of.

the left version is the final version, the right version is technically the original. in the final version, to me, the blues are pretty stark, while the greens and magentas are less so. there is some color theory thing going on here that i dont have a good cerebral understanding of and i wont pretend otherwise. i think i watched a youtube video on it once but it went in one ear and out the other. i just pick whatever colors look nicest based on whatever vibe im going for.

this one is more subtle, i think. can you tell the difference? there's nothing wrong with 100% greyscale art, but i like the depth that adding just a hint of color can bring.

i'll note that the examples i'll be using in this post all began as purely greyscale, but this is a process i use for just about every piece of art i make, including the full color ones. i'll use the recent mithrun art i made to demonstrate. additionally, i use clip studio paint, but the general concept should be transferable to other art programs.

for fun let's just start with Making The Picture. i've been thinking of making this writeup for a while and had it in mind while drawing this piece. beyond that, i didn't really have much of a plan for this outside of "mithrun looks down and hair goes woosh." i also really like all of the vertical lines in the canary uniform so i wanted to include those too but like. gone a little hog wild. that is the extent of my "concept." i do not remember why i had the thought of integrating a shattered mirror type of theme. i think i wanted to distract a bit from the awkward pose and cover it up some LOL but anyway. this lack of planning or thought will come into play later.

note 1: the textured marker brush i specifically use is the "bordered light marker" from daub. it is one of my favorite brushes in the history of forever and the daub mega brush pack is one of the best purchases ive ever made. highly recommend!!!

note 2: "what do you mean by exclusion and difference?" they are layer blending modes and not important to the overall lesson of this post but for transparency i wanted to say how i got these "effects." anyway!

with the background figured out, this is the point at which i generally merge all of my layers, duplicate said merged layer, and Then i begin experimenting with gradient maps. what are gradient maps?

the basic gist is that gradient maps replace the colors of an image based on their value.

so, with this particular gradient map, black will be replaced with that orangey red tone, white will be replaced with the seafoamy green tone, etc. this particular gradient map i'm using as an example is very bright and saturated, but the colors can be literally anything.

these two sets are the ones i use most. they can be downloaded for free here and here if you have csp. there are many gradient map sets out there. and you can make your own!

you can apply a gradient map directly onto a specific layer in csp by going to edit>tonal correction>gradient map. to apply one indirectly, you can use a correction layer through layer>new correction layer>gradient map. honestly, correction layers are probably the better way to go, because you can adjust your gradient map whenever you want after creating the layer, whereas if you directly apply a gradient map to a layer thats like. it. it's done. if you want to make changes to the applied gradient map, you have to undo it and then reapply it. i don't use correction layers because i am old and stuck in my ways, but it's good to know what your options are.

this is what a correction layer looks like. it sits on top and applies the gradient map to the layers underneath it, so you can also change the layers beneath however and whenever you want. you can adjust the gradient map by double clicking the layer. there are also correction layers for tone curves, brightness/contrast, etc. many such useful things in this program.

let's see how mithrun looks when we apply that first gradient map we looked at.

gadzooks. apologies for eyestrain. we have turned mithrun into a neon hellscape, which might work for some pieces, but not this one. we can fix that by changing the layer blending mode, aka this laundry list of words:

some of them are self explanatory, like darken and lighten, while some of them i genuinely don't understand how they are meant to work and couldn't explain them to you, even if i do use them. i'm sure someone out there has written out an explanation for each and every one of them, but i've learned primarily by clicking on them to see what they do.

for the topic of this post, the blending mode of interest is soft light. so let's take hotline miamithrun and change the layer blending mode to soft light.

here it is at 100% opacity. this is the point at which i'd like to explain why i like using textured brushes so much - it makes it very easy to get subtle color variation when i use this Secret Technique. look at the striation in the upper right background! so tasty. however, to me, these colors are still a bit "much." so let's lower the opacity.

i think thats a lot nicer to look at, personally, but i dont really like these colors together. how about we try some other ones?

i like both of these a lot more. the palettes give the piece different vibes, at which point i have to ask myself: What Are The Vibes, Actually? well, to be honest i didn't really have a great answer because again, i didn't plan this out very much at all. however. i knew in my heart that there was too much color contrast going on and it was detracting from the two other contrasts in here: the light and dark values and the sharp and soft shapes. i wanted mithrun's head to be the main focal point. for a different illustration, colors like this might work great, but this is not that hypothetical illustration, so let's bring the opacity down again.

yippee!! that's getting closer to what my heart wants. for fun, let's see what this looks like if we change the blending mode to color.

i do like how these look but in the end they do not align with my heart. oh well. fun to experiment with though! good to keep in mind for a different piece, maybe! i often change blending modes just to see what happens, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. i very much cannot stress enough that much of my artistic process is clicking buttons i only sort of understand. for fun.

i ended up choosing the gradient map on the right because i liked that it was close to the actual canary uniform colors (sorta). it's at an even lower opacity though because there was Still too much color for my dear heart.

the actual process for this looks like me setting my merged layer to soft light at around 20% opacity and then clicking every single gradient map in my collection and seeing which one Works. sometimes i will do this multiple times and have multiple soft light and/or color layers combined.

typically at this point i merge everything again and do minor contrast adjustments using tone curves, which is another tool i find very fun to play around with. then for this piece in particular i did some finishing touches and decided that the white border was distracting so i cropped it. and then it's done!!! yay!!!!!

this process is a very simple and "fast" way to add more depth and visual interest to a piece without being overbearing. well, it's fast if you aren't indecisive like me, or if you are better at planning.

let's do another comparison. personally i feel that the hint of color on the left version makes mithrun look just a bit more unwell (this is a positive thing) and it makes the contrast on his arm a lot more pleasing to look at. someone who understands color theory better than i do might have more to say on the specifics, but that's honestly all i got.

just dont look at my layers too hard. ok?

[luna-loveboop]

Wait...

It's November. It's November first. Yesterday was October 31st, so October is over. ...it's over. Is it over?

Inktober, artober, whumptober, flufftober, linktober, every tag ending with -tober that's been circulating for the past month... is it over? I don't know why it's just hit me but...

This matters. So I will try to get the message across, even though I'm not the best at it sometimes

Fanartists, fan writers, artists, fic writers, people making comics, every single one of you that has created art for the past month...

Thank you

This is my first October on tumblr. When I started seeing the "tober" tags, seeing the posts from artists with wips, saying they were going to make something every day to a prompt, making masterposts to update with each day, I thought "cool"

But every day this month, I have gotten on here and smiled.

And I don't mean smiled. I mean I smiled at least 20 times every time I got on the app because I saw all the art and fics. I got to see artists/writers connect stories through different day prompts. I saw people having the most brilliant ideas and creativity, flowing from their hands into their posts. I saw artists responding to continuous asks, telling them how amazing they are. I saw artists getting behind, and keeping going.

I saw Free. Beautiful. Emotional. Amazing. Original. Creative. Art.

Every day

I haven't committed to anything of this before, so I can't directly relate to what you guys were thinking and feeling. But I'm willing to guess; I think you probably enjoyed it, because most won't do such a huge project unless they enjoy it. I think you probably saw it as a challenge you were willing to fulfill, and an opportunity to grow and develop your skills.

... but I'm also willing to bet you did it for us. For people like me, who love art, but don't do this specific type, who are in fandoms, who love tracking and watching you art and sending you compliments, who take joy in your work. For the other artists (and writers!) who admire each others styles and love to learn from each other.

If anyone ever tries to tell me that humans are inherently evil again, I will strap them to a chair, pull up these posts and say look. Look at what these people did. Look me in the eyes and tell me these sorts of actions don't come from the most loving hearts. Tell me these people don't want to make others happy, that they aren't inherently good. And I will tell you you're wrong.

I have so much going on, yet somehow it slipped into my life that I was constantly looking at your art for the joy of it without me even noticing.

And how is it possible. That we have such a beautiful community of people here that we will share. And communicate. And exchange compliments. And literally do things and send asks solely for the purpose of making someone smile.

I'm almost crying by now. God I can't express it well enough! But I am so. So. Grateful

You guys brought me a month of joy! You gave headcanons, and art, and stories!

Even yesterday, Halloween, I was blown away. Because I had expected... I didn't expect anything. And then I log on and see people sending happy halloween asks, exchanging doodles of candy, and headcanons and gifs.

And some are still catching up to the schedule or whatever, and that's ok! But at the beginning of this post, when I was simply realizing it was November, I asked myself "is it over?"

Is it over?

... I don't think so. I've seen artists say they're going to continue and expand on a piece they made and especially liked this month. Some people are still continuing, catching up to a voluntary deadline. All those masterposts with your whump/fluff/link/ink tober art? I know many as well as myself will be going through, looking over your posts with smiles, catching up on some things they missed this month... it will continue in the people and artists I didn't know existed before, but now follow. In the skills and growth in creativity! In the community we've grown, and art you've made, and the art to come, at a normal rate like every other month, even if it's not October anymore!

But my artists, writers... thank you so much. I don't know if you guys know how valuable and amazing you are. How incredible it is that you exist! People say it's amazing we exist under a sky of such stars, but how incredible is it that you made a stranger on the internet smile every day! Your life is so. So. Valuable. I can't even express how grateful I am that you exist, that you somehow are selfless enough to share the most beautiful parts of yourself simply to create, and to create joy. Thank you so so much.

(And this applies to all artists, in any fandoms, not just mine. And I'm just as grateful to people who couldn't do something every day, or only one day! You still share your art, you're just as... incredible. You are incredible.)

Okay.

So I'm gonna do this, and if others want to do it in the reblogs that's great! I do not care at all about reblogging or likes, but I want to make the people that have brought me such joy some appreciation- I hope I can bring you even a smidgen of the light you have brought into my life. So I'm gonna tag all the artists/writers I know of/can think of that have done any sort of October challenge, all of you creators that have made me smile. If people wanna want to tag others in the reblogs or replies to spread love that's cool.

(Basically I don't know social customs or anything at all, so if you don't want me to tag or if I was supposed to do something different or something let me know I have no idea what I'm supposed to do)(if I like accidentally tagged someone who isn't an artist/writer or forgot someone I follow... sorry)

@skyward-floored @kikker-oma @adrift-in-thyme @blueskittlesart @zeldaseyebrows @smilesrobotlover @bahbahhh @soso-dedeck @lennsart @arecaceae175 @illcamp @breannasfluff @solarfire-art @26kabeuchi @cathianemelian @truffeart @scribbly-z-raid @uniquevoidflowers

To all the artists and writers out there: thank you so much!!! You are amazing and I'm glad you exist. Your life is precious, and you matter. Thank you so much for sharing your beauty with us, we love you too!!!!!

... yeah. Just want yall to feel loved... because you are. Again, thank you. Thank you so so much to my beautiful creators who create joy as well as art, who keep storytelling alive. Just... thank you.

:)

[aces-and-angels]

ART CAMPAIGN BOOST SUBMISSIONS:

edit: i hit the image limit for this post, so any new additions will be included here

the tag is starting to get kinda crowded (great problem, dw). i just thought compiling them all here would make things easier for everyone to find! all of the art displayed below is free to use for the purposes of promoting vetted gfm's here on tumblr. no credit is needed unless specified (marked = ***). if you have any questions regarding how to craft a post using any of the art provided -> please do not hesitate to reach out to me! note: please press follow post as i will most likely need to update this masterlist from time to time.

some info is below the cut on how to best utilize this material. please read it in its entirety before using any artwork. thank you 🖤

learn how to make art for this project here:

---

this project has gained a lot of momentum and has shown very promising results. the level of engagement once art is attached to a vetted gfm increases significantly. you will see what i mean as i have linked example posts of how to best use these pieces to help families in need.

i currently have a list of over 20+ families that i am spotlighting in my own personal progress tracker (the list has gotten so long that i now need to make a second version to accommodate all the families trying to get in contact with me).

this art campaign boost is truly meant to be utilized by anyone. i would sincerely appreciate it if y'all could take some time and pick maybe 1-2 people from this list and use the art below to create your own signal boost posts on the families' behalf. as someone who is periodically tracking their progress- i know that donation rates have slowed for a number of them. i am one person and can only do so much on my own. the essence of this initiative is to get more people to mobilize as a collective. it will take everyone to get on board in order for these families to be able to reach their goals. that means spotlighting their accounts/campaigns periodically.

you need to keep up the momentum.

the individuals you are helping currently live in areas with minimal internet connection, meaning it is very difficult to spotlight themselves on their own. especially since this site is continuously suppressing/deleting their accounts. they need you to interact with their content. tumblr isn't like other social media sites. it's known for being very 'anti-algorithm' and it's common culture for many of us to not really care about our levels of engagement (i.e. follower count/amount of notes per post). it's very hard for your own content to "break" your inner circle of followers and gain traction if the topic of the post is not "popular" or "trending" these families are not operating on this site the same way you are. you may be using this platform as a means to "just vibe" but they are using it as a desperate attempt to raise essential funding to save their lives. the importance that their posts be elevated cannot be overstated. anyone who has ever created any sort of og content here knows how quickly a post can die out if no one interacts with it. this cannot happen with them.

tips for making your own signal boost post* (*for vetted campaigns):

-> make it easy to read + eye-catching: the problem i am seeing when you search many of these families' accounts is that their "tag" (username of their account) is full of the same types of posts (i.e. a generic response to their initial message to another person on tumblr) <- aka it is very easy for people to tune out which is the opposite of what we want to happen. creating your OWN posts in response to their asks allows the art to appear FIRST when people look up someone's account via tumblr's search bar, which will attract more attention to their accounts. it also forces people who are making these posts to actually sit down and read the stories they are sharing with the rest of their mutuals/lurkers alike -> include verification sources: the main reason people are searching for these accounts is b/c they are trying to see if it is okay to reblog/share their campaign with their own following. if you address this plainly and early on in your post that includes artwork -> people are more likely to interact -> tag the account you are promoting: please include the families' account as one of your #'s so it will appear when you search for their names on tumblr. also try @'ing their account in your post so it'll be easier for these families to find your work. some of them are incredibly new to the platform and may not be aware of all its features. something that you may find intuitive may not be as easily understood for these individuals. your role is to make them as easy as possible to find for others so they can gain more support. --- don't have time to type out a whole post for a family on their behalf? -> interact with one of theirs! attach something nice/helpful to their posts so it is more readily available for others to share. the same rules apply from above. as i said before, some of these accounts are brand spanking new and are not formatted in the same ways as others that may be more well-versed on how tumblr operates in terms of promoting their campaigns. (for example: even if the account has been vetted/verified by multiple trusted individuals- the owners of that account may not know to include that info in their posts about their campaign every single time they post. you can make their lives easier by including that info for them by reblogging one of their og posts and adding the necessary info on their behalf)

you can also find a more comprehensive list of vetted campaigns by el-shab-hussein/nabulsi here <- their list is now over 200+ with several campaigns that are "in the red" (very low in funding). please do not hesitate to try to spotlight anyone from this list as well!

el-shab-hussein also has a masterpost pinned here with additional campaigns (including those for other countries like sudan)

alright i've explained enough- time for the art!

artist: @rhq274 | @rhq2744 *** free to use, credit required meet raghad (read and share full post here) Hello, I am Raghad Qanou, a medical student from Gaza City. My people and I have been subjected to genocide for more than 230 days. My family and I have lived through various types of torture and inhumane conditions. This link is my only chance for me and my family to escape death and try to start over. This is not easy. But we are trying, and we would be happy to have you help save our lives and our future. instructions to utilize artwork: those who wish to share raghad's art MUST do ALL of the following: -> follow raghad on tumblr @rhq274 | @rhq2744 -> like + reblog one or more of her posts seen on her account that promotes her fundraiser (you may also include additional art shown below to help further boost her campaign; see example) once those actions detailed above are completed, you may use raghad's art to promote her campaign. *if you are utilizing this art for another campaign that is not raghad's -> you must also mention + link her fundraiser as well /// for those able: please consider donating to raghad's campaign here (vetted; no 221 on el-shab-hussein/nabulsi's sheet)

artist: me lol free to use, no credit required example

artist: @lampyri free to use, no credit required example

artist: @aria-ashryver free to use, no credit required example

artist: @monmonp0k free to use, credit not required- but if given, is appreciated example

artist: @juudaimes-true-form free to use, no credit required example

artist: @gaiuskamilah free to use, no credit required example

artist: @marnota free to use on all social media platforms (i.e. tumblr, insta, twitter, etc), no credit required example

artist: @marquainequeen free to use, no credit required example

artist: @palms-upturned free to use, no credit required example

artisit: @inkyswampbones free to use, no credit required example

[lucagray813]

Shadow Clones

Rating: Gen

Word Count: 3,132

Main Characters: Rumble, Savage, MK

Minor Characters: Macaque, Wukong, Mei, Sandy, Tang, Pigsy

Relationships: None, hints of Shadowpeach if you really want it tho

Summary: All MK had wanted was an explanation for why his clones had minds of their own, meeting Macaque's clones does not provide him with any answers.

Additional Tags: Hijinks & shenanigans, light-headed, Rumble & Savage are called Xīng & Huì

CW: None

Link to AO3 Version

----

"Hey, Macaque?"

The grunt of acknowledgement from the branch he was currently dozing on was all the go ahead MK needed, "So, you know how I've got some, er, unique clones?"

In a lazy drawl he responded, "Can't say that I do."

Undeterred MK continued, counting off on his fingers, "Yeah, I've got my food guy, my art guy, my porty guy but when I asked Monkey King why they were like that he said I should come ask you?"

He had been surprised that Monkey King would defer to Macaque on anything but given how gleefully he had, MK suspected it was less to do with any respect for Macaque's knowledge and because there was something embarrassing that was about to come to light.

The tip of Macaque's tail gave an irritated little flick before he sighed heavily. But he didn't even open his eyes as he raised a hand towards the sky and clicked his fingers, two shadows separated from him and travelled down the tree until they stopped in front of MK as two perfect circles. Unbothered, Macaque said to no-one, "Alright, have fun you two. Try not to traumatize anyone too badly."

MK took a cautionary step backwards as two forms rose from the ground and he looked between them with increasing alarm. Fully formed, they were clearly two clones but while the resemblance was undeniable they each had a distinctive sense of style.

The one smiling somewhat devilishly at him looked... Well, actually he looked really good. His hair, his outfit, his vibe - it was all so well put together. MK actually felt a little underdressed looking at him.

He was much preferable to look at than the other shadow monkey that stared at him with no emotion on his face whatsoever. His dress sense was simple, efficient and dark. There wasn't a spec of colour on him.

Wary, he called out to the original, "Macaque...?"

Macaque lazily raised a hand in the air and waved it over the brightly dressed clone first before gesturing to the rest of them in order, "Xīng, Huì - MK. MK - Xīng, Huì. Knock yourselves out."

Xīng grinned and bowed with no small amount of flair, "MK, the Monkie Kid. The pleasure is all ours."

Still unsure what to make of the situation, he did his best to be polite, even if the way Huì continued to stare unblinkingly unnerved him, "Er, yeah. Nice to meet both of you. You're both clones?"

Xīng stood and made his way over, throwing a friendly arm around his shoulders, "Sure are. How about we gather up your buddies and we'll put on a show for you?"

"What do you mean a- Gah!" MK startled at the silent appearance of Huì on his other side. He clutched at his chest as he unsubtly asked Xīng, "Is he, uh, I mean, does he...?"

Xīng patted his shoulder before forcing him to start walking forward, Huì walked silently beside them, "He's the strong, silent type. Don't you worry though, he won't do you any harm. Not as long as you stick with me."

MK edged ever so slightly closer to him before throwing a desperate look over his shoulder at Macaque.

He was not at all reassured by the grin on his face.

----

During the short walk back to where he'd left his friends on the beach he had learnt that Huì couldn't speak but that didn't seem to be a problem as Xīng could speak enough for two. MK had barely gotten a word in but, in all honesty, he'd been too focused on keeping a wary eye on Huì to really even try and offer any intelligent responses.

When the three of them emerged from the trees, it was not to the delight of everyone waiting for them.

Pigsy pinched the bridge of his nose, "MK..."

Mei was slightly less tactful, "Ugh, why are there two of him? One is more than enough."

Tang nodded decisively beside her, looking more than a little nervous. Sandy was the only one that didn't seem at all put off by the two renditions of Macaque beside him.

He ducked under Xīng's arm and moved closer to his friends, "I know, I know! I went to ask him about the clone thing and this was how he responded! So, I guess we're stuck with them for just now?"

Xīng commented dryly behind him, "You know, I'm beginning to think we're not welcome here. We didn't even get a chance to introduce ourselves."

MK turned around and did a double take, "When did you change your outfit?"

Xīng held up a corner of his coat and asked coyly, "Why? Do you like it?"

Mei walked up beside MK, and eyed the clones suspiciously, "Ok, so what's their deal then?"

"They say their names are Xīng and Huì, and I guess they're Macaque's equivalent of Porty MK?"

Xīng clicked his tongue, "You know, clones or not, it's pretty rude to talk about someone as if they aren't there. Can't you see how much you're upsetting Huì? He's a sensitive soul."

They all looked at Huì, who stared back with dead, emotionless eyes. Deciding it was better to err on the side of caution MK apologised, "Er, sorry, Huì? We didn't mean to upset you...?"

Huì didn't so much as blink but Xīng nodded, "That's better. Now..."

He disappeared into the shadows only to reappear sitting on top of the picnic table they'd set up, oddly in yet another new outfit, "What do you lot do for fun around here?"

Mei whistled, "Damn, that is actually one nice dress. Where'd you get it?"

Xīng just smiled and clicked his fingers. A miasma of shadow tendrils quickly wound their way up and around Mei and when they disappeared she was wearing a similar dress with her hair put up in a matching hairpin.

Mei had looked fairly alarmed at the shadows but it was almost immediately forgotten about as she picked up the skirt of the dress and started to turn this way and that, "Hey, not bad! You got it in green and white?"

A click and a flash of shadows later and she had what she requested. He even summoned a full length mirror that stuck out of the sand so she could check it out properly, "Damn, you even did my hair! Do you know how much of a pain it is to put up like this?" She turned to Xīng, "Hey, can you put it up in, like, a french braid bun?"

It was done in the blink of an eye and Mei was delighted, "You know what, I take it back, this Macaque has already outranked the original in my books."

Xīng laughed, "High praise. Anyone else want a costume change? What about you, big guy?"

Sandy actually looked a little hopeful, "Well, it's sort of hard to find clothes in my size... But I've always really wanted to try on one of those fancy three piece suits...?"

Sandy blinked down at himself before gasping and rushing to the mirror, looking exceptionally pleased with his outfit and posing this way and that before bringing his hands to his face, "I should put braids in my beard more often!"

Admittedly, a little won over, MK also looked towards Xīng hopefully. Xīng just stood up on the table and grinned, "How about that show I promised?"

They all had to dive out of the way as the shadows suddenly converged to raise something massive from the ground but they faded away to reveal an extravagant catwalk. Mei vibrated with excitement beside him, "Oh my god, yes! Hold on! We need music! We need a film crew! We need an audience!"

MK grinned and reached for his hair, "Coming right up!"

The only thing MK didn't have confidence in creating was a camera, well he could make one but he wasn't sure how they would actually get the videos from it, but Mei eagerly volunteered her phone. Entrusting it to the MK clone crew.

Xīng was clearly ecstatic about the additions to the stage and by the time they were backstage he was taking it all very seriously, directing clones and doing up hair and outfits as if he was born to do it.

Mei nudged MK, "Dude, this is totally Theatre Macaque. I bet he came into existence the same way Porty MK did."

He could totally see it, a shadow clone forgotten in a theatre hall that decided he was going to make this his entire personality. Honestly, MK was kind of here for it, so far he was way more fun than the actual Macaque.

Xīng was clearly both the star of the show and the director. No outfit was too outlandish for him and he absolutely went for broke when he struck a pose at the end of the runway. He would shout out directions for everyone else, demanding they be just as bold and brave.

It was a lot of fun but by the end of it they were sweating and exhausted. MK thinks they had all been taken aback by the dangerous look in Xīng's eye when they suggested they called it quits but it was quickly replaced by a cheerful declaration that they needed a finale - last walk down the aisle, no holds barred!

MK had sighed a breath of relief, for a second there he thought he was going to go all "the Porty never ends" on them, but it all ended on a high! Once MK had dismissed his clones, they had all gathered around Mei's phone to watch the highlights.

The review was cut short by Tang's frightened scream but to be fair to him, MK probably would have reacted the same way if Huì had materialised beside him like that.

Mei eyed him up, before addressing Xīng, "Alright, we get your deal, but what's with creepy here?"

Xīng smiled as he walked around and threw an arm over Huì's shoulder, "Creepy? Huì? What are you talking about? He's just a little guy."

Pigsy scoffed, "Oh yeah, he's a real charmer. The unnerving silence, the dead eyes, the total lack of emotion - he's not creepy at all."

Xīng grinned mischievously, "Oh? You hear that, Huì? Your natural charms aren't doing it for them. How about you treat them to a smile?"

The five of them couldn't put enough distance between them and Huì.

"Why does he have so many teeth!?"

"Oh my god, they're like knives!"

"Those eyes...! It's like staring into the abyss, into the unending void!"

Xīng looked entirely amused. He patted Huì's shoulder before approaching them, "Well, that doesn't bode well for the favour I wanted to ask you."

Bravely, MK stuttered, "Wh-What favour?"

"You see, Huì and I don't get to come out and play very often and you've all done me such a kindness by putting on a show. But Huì hasn't had a chance to have any fun yet."

Tang gripped Pigsy's arm, "What does he do for fun? Steal people's souls?"

Xīng laughed, "Of course not. What Huì loves more than anything else is a good fight! If you brave heroes would be willing to indulge him it would just mean the world to us!"

Mei seemed to regain her courage, "A fight? Against all five of us? A bit overkill, isn't it? I mean, I could totally take Macaque by myself!"

Xīng pandered to her, "Oh, I don't doubt it but who knows when we'll be let out again and Huì loves a challenge."

The five of them exchanged a look before huddling together, Mei kicked them off, "We could totally take him."

Tang shook his head, "No way. We're being baited. That... thing is straight from my nightmares!"

It took a little back and forth but eventually they turned back to Xīng, and MK spoke for them, "Alright, we'll do it! But on the condition we can keep all the clothes from the fashion show."

Xīng's grin was unsettling, "Deal." He clicked his fingers and a rack of all the clothes from today materialized beside them.

He then gestured for them to follow him, "Well, come on then. I know the perfect place for your fight."

Pigsy looked a little unnerved, "Why don't we just fight here?"

"Oh no, no, no. That would have been like having our show without a proper stage. You have to give Huì his chance to shine."

Warily they all followed after Xīng and Huì until they arrived at a large but empty hall hidden not too far from Monkey King's vault. The door creaked open to reveal a room in pitch darkness.

Tang immediately backed away, "Nuh-uh. No way. Not happening. I'm not fighting in the dark!"

Xīng simply clicked his fingers and a number of shadow portals opened on the ceiling, a single lightbulb hanging from a wire emerged from each of them to create cones of light.

They reluctantly followed the clones in as Pigsy gruffly complained, "You couldn't have gotten better lights?"

Xīng hummed, "We're shadow clones, I'm simply evening the playing field."

Despite the overwhelming odds in their favour, all of them were undoubtedly uneasy as they took up their positions under one of the spotlights, while Huì stood across from them just behind another.

Xīng leaned casually against a wall, "Everybody ready?"

They all nodded grimly, their eyes not leaving their opponent.

"Wonderful. One last thing then. Huì? Don't eat them."

MK let out a strangled, "Wait. What!?"

He saw Huì's terrifying grin for just a moment before all put two of the lightbulbs shattered above them, eliciting more than one terrified scream. The two that were left started to swing unnaturally.

The next five minutes could only be described as a real life horror movie. No amount of fighting ability could save them as one by one they were picked off, dragged into the shadows by horrifying flashes of teeth. He couldn't even run, walls suddenly appearing to cut him off and turn him around as he tried to escape.

In sheer terror he held a hand in the air and a ball of pure light erupted to banish every shadow from the room. He breathed heavily as he looked around to see his friends picking themselves up from the floor, shielding their eyes, while trying to figure out what was going on.

He startled as he heard Xīng shout, "We're outside! Lights too bright for us!"

Mei groaned, "It's too bright for us too. Can you turn it down MK?"

Tang quickly added, "Just a little! Do not turn it off!"

"Er, I'm not sure how?"

Pigsy just forged ahead to the door, "Let's just get out of here!"

Everyone scrambled after him and it was to great relief when they saw the blue sky above them. MK dismissed the ball of light and turned to the others, "Are you ok!?"

Sandy nodded, "Shaken up but not hurt."

The sentiment was shared, no-one had a scratch on them, but god knows none of them were going to sleep easy tonight.

He swung around at Xīng's voice, "Ah, what a performance! You five really know how to make a shadow clone feel alive!"

Mei was incensed and she started to match towards him menacingly, "How could you do that to us!? That was so messed up! We agreed to a fight, not a-!"

She stopped short as Huì stood in front of Xīng defensively. Xīng grinned over his shoulder, "Forgive him, he's a little protective. What were you saying?"

She didn't move closer but she was not deterred from letting her displeasure known, "I can't believe you would set us up like that! That wasn't a fight! It was a horror movie!"

Xīng did not look apologetic as he took a step to stand beside Huì so he could lean an elbow on his shoulder, "Ah, I'm sorry for misleading you but no-one ever lets Huì play with them if I tell them the truth."

Mei cursed him out as she stomped away, "MK, get these two out of here! I don't want to see their faces ever again!"

Xīng held up his hands, "No need to show us out. We've had our fun." He took a bow, before offering, "But for the record, we are genuinely grateful to you for accommodating us today. C'mon Huì, let's go."

They sunk into the shadows and disappeared.

----

Macaque sighed as he felt trouble reform on the ground below him, "Did you have fun?"

Xīng responded, "Oh, we had a great time. Shame we never get called for an encore but to be fair Huì is a hard act to follow."

He opened his eyes and peered down at Huì, "You take a bite out of anyone?"

Xīng answered, "Nah, he was good. The bird and rodent population may have taken a sharp hit today though."

Wukong better not give him shit for that, there's no way he'd sent MK to him and not known what he was getting him in for, and it wasn't Huì's fault that the hunger of the shadows he embodied couldn't be satisfied.

"You both done for the day then?"

Xīng stretched, "Yeah, let us out again soon though. We never even got to see Wukong - you know he's my favourite model."

Macaque raised an eyebrow, "I'm not stopping you."

"Next time. Huì needs a break. All this sunlight takes a toll on him."

He shrugged, "Fair enough."

The two sank back into the shadows and rejoined his magic. He just snuggled back against the tree, planning to finish this day as he started it - doing absolutely nothing.

----

MK couldn't believe what he was hearing, "You what!? How can you prefer Huì to Xīng?"

Monkey King made a face, "Ugh, Xīng is so annoying. Changing your clothes a hundred times a day, pestering you to put on a show, quoting poetry, randomly bursting into song. I'll take Huì any day, he's basically just a big puppy."

"He's literally a monster!?"

"A monster? Nah. The real monster is Xīng - he's so bossy! A real shame that the two of them are a package deal."

Momentarily distracted from Monkey King's terrible taste in shadow clones, he asked, "What do you mean?"

"Hm? Ah, Macaque can't summon just one of them. It's both of them or neither."

"What? Why?"

Monkey King shrugged, "No idea. But I wouldn't waste too much time thinking about it. Macaque summons them like once a millennium, usually just to annoy me. You won't see them again."

He couldn't say he was upset about that but he still couldn't get over Monkey King's preferences, "But Huì? Really?"

--End--

[A/N - I did my best to illustrate what Xīng and Huì look like here - the post also provides a few additional details about them both if you want to know more! 😁]

LMK Fanfic Masterlist

[m-jelly]

@utaackerman14

Hi so how about like the reader is a cadet in the survey corpse and the reader is hiding their status as an omega and the Levi some how finds out and it gets spicy

So due to cadets being 15 years old in the survey corps, I'm going to change this so everyone is in their 20s.

@kenkopanda-art <3

My Omega

Pairing: Alpha!Levi x Fem Omega!Reader

Genre and tags: Omegaverse, canon world, fluff, romance, talks of heats, suggestive words and material, Alpha and Omega, smut, rough smut, mentions of mating and knotting, biting, passionate, unprotected.

Concept: Levi has recently joined the scouts and he's getting to know everyone in the group. He doesn't know why, but he's rather fond of a scout who cooks. Levi loves your scent and is drawn to you and you are to Levi. Levi soon discovers you're an Omega and his instincts kick in.

Taglist: @ladycheesington @levisbrat25 @skittlelover69 @nyxiieluna @li-anne @galactict3a @youre-ackermine @thebobaprincess @2moth-anon2 @cypidity @notgoodforlife @nbinairyn @demonsimp6

Levi felt a bit restless and he didn't know why. He couldn't settle as if he had an itch that he couldn't scratch. He was irritable, so he decided to take a walk and see if that would soothe him. He just needed to walk the scout halls and possibly have a cup of tea or talk to someone.

He stopped when his autopilot turned off and he realised he was on a path in the woods. He frowned as he looked around trying to figure out where he was and why he walked this way. He felt frustrated with himself and thought it was possibly due to losing his friend to a titan.

He was still new to the scouts and didn't know anyone really. He wasn't close to any member of the scouts and it pulled on his heart. He felt alone and knew he had to reach out more. However, there was one person that came to mind when he thought about being close to, you.

You and Levi had slowly gotten to know each other over wonderful cups of tea made by you. You had introduced him to so many different kinds of tea, along with some of the best treats he's ever eaten. You brought him great comfort and you made him think and feel things he'd never felt before. You flustered him.

"Levi?"

Levi flinched when he heard your soothing voice. He turned and looked down a side path to see you. He sweetly said your name and hurried over to you as if you had a magnetic pull. "Are you okay?"

You hummed a laugh. "I am. I came out here to have a little picnic."

He looked around. "A date?"

You sighed as you felt your cheeks heat up. "By myself." You smiled at him. "Would you like to join me?"

Levi felt excitement rush through him. "Yes, I'd love to."

You walked with Levi towards a little patch by a small river. You put a blanket out and made tea for you and Levi along with some snacks. You smiled at Levi as he ate quickly and seemed so excited and happy to be with you. You just smiled at seeing him so happy.

You shifted a little closer to Levi. "How are you feeling?"

Levi inhaled deeply and felt drunk on your scent. "You smell good."

Your heart skipped a beat as you and Levi gazed at each other. "Th-thank you." You gulped hard as a delicious scent rolled off Levi. You felt yourself getting hungry and a little loopy. "You...you too."

Levi clenched his fist around his cup and looked away. "I uh...you asked me a question...I feel better."

"I'm glad." You fiddled with your trousers. "I've been worried about you."

"Really? That makes me happy."

You gazed at Levi and smiled at him. "You know, you can always come to me whenever you need company." You reached over to him. "I'm here for y-."

As soon as you and Levi touched hands electricity shot through the two of you. You stared at each other and felt strong urges towards each other. You held your breath as he played with your hand a little and moved closer to you. You whined a bit and tilted your head ready for a kiss.

You turned your head when you heard people talking and getting closer. You packed the food up and stammered your words. "Th-thank you for joining m-me. I umm I need to get to Hange for m-medical reasons."

Levi frowned. "Are you sick?"

You stood up and hummed. "I-I have a sickness, yes, b-but it's manageable."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Ye...mm...u-uh. I-I'll talk to you s-soon."

Levi stood up and watched you run off with your basket, but you left the blanket behind. He folded up the blanket and hugged it close to him. He slowly made his way back to the base as he thought about you. He always felt a strong pull to you and didn't know why. He knew he was an alpha, but he was sure you were just a beta like everyone else.

He followed your scent all the way to Hange's office and overheard the conversation inside.

You whined a little. "Hange, it's getting worse."

"Worse?"

You sighed. "Yes. The suppressants are great, but for some reason they're losing their strength. Is this normal for Omegas?"

Levi's eyes widened. "Omega?" He softly whispered so he wouldn't be heard.

Moblit cleared his throat. "Perhaps there has been a change? You've been okay for a while."

You whined a bit. "I've been spending a lot of time with Levi." The room went quiet before you spoke up. "What's with those looks?"

Hange laughed. "I think, my sweet, you have found your alpha!"

"Alpha? Levi's an alpha?"

"He sure is. You're lucky you've found each other. He's a good man. He'll look after you and he'll help you out with these feelings and needs."

You whined a bit. "I feel guilty for that."

Moblit hummed a laugh. "Do you like him more than a friend?"

"I do. I really like him a lot. I like him so much, I just don't want him to think I'm using him." You mewled a little. "I would like to be with him. Oh, but being an Omega with an Alpha, I might have to live with him and do less work."

"Don't worry, Erwin will be okay with all that."

Hange hummed in agreement. "He'll support you both. We're prepared for this since we were aware an Omega joined us."

You let out a long sigh. "Guess I mess this all up."

"You don't, darling, you don't. You were born this way and you have every right to be treated like everyone else. You'll be okay. Just have a chat with Levi."

You hummed in agreement. "Thank you, both of you. I'll see you soon."

Levi panicked a bit you were going to discover him. He knew he couldn't run and hide because you'd likely smell him. He stepped back and waited for you. He smiled a little when you walked out and saw him. He said your name with a bit of a stammer. "Hello."

You stared at Levi for a while and felt your cheeks burn. "Hello."

"I ah...I followed your scent and umm...I heard what was said."

You grabbed Levi's hand and hurried down the hall with him. You yanked him into your private room and slammed the door shut before locking it. You held the door handle and thought about the things you'd tell Levi. You wanted to talk it over with him and possibly reach an understanding.

Levi's breath hitched when your scent in your room overwhelmed him. He felt his desires and instincts bubbling up inside him. He eyed the door in the corner and knew it was your bedroom. He wanted to go in there so badly and roll around in your sheets. He wanted to press you against your bed, make a nest there and mate with you until he had nothing left to give.

"Levi?"

He turned to face you and saw you were panting a little meaning your suppressants weren't working as well as they should and he was putting you into heat. He was sure that this was because you had such strong romantic feelings for him, so your feelings were causing your desires to fight the suppressants.

He moved closer to you making you back up towards your door. "Yes?"

You gulped hard. "It is true. I'm an Omega and I've been taking things so people don't know." Your legs shook as you felt an overwhelming build-up of arousal. "I um...I have met other Alphas, but there is something about you." You squeaked a bit when Levi caged you in by placing his hands on the door on either side of you. "You do things to me. I know you probably don't feel the same, but Levi..."

Levi pressed his body against yours and kissed you roughly. He bit your lip making you moan before slipping his tongue into your mouth. He moaned in delight at how sweet and delicious you tasted. He felt as if he was finally kissing his soulmate. He was starving for you.

You wrapped your arms around Levi's neck and leaned into him and kissed him back with just as much passion. You felt so complete kissing your Alpha. You needed Levi, you needed him to be inside you. You needed him to mate with you and knot you. You craved it so badly.

Levi growled into the kiss and started fumbling with your belt and trousers. He yanked them open and tried to pull your trousers down as his erection strained against his trousers. He grunted as he got frustrated when your trousers got caught on your straps.

He shoved his hand down into your trousers and touched the outside of your panties and felt how soaked you were. He pulled from your lips dragged his hand out and studied his hand. "So much..."

You whimpered. "Levi."

He licked his fingers and felt like he could just cum at the taste. "Delicious."

You panted and gripped his shirt. "Give me a bonding mark. Mate with me. Please, I need it."

Levi growled and attacked the crook of your neck. He bit hard and made sure you had the biggest bonding mark possible. He wanted and needed people to know you were all his. He needed to be inside you now but your trousers were being difficult.

You fumbled with Levi's trousers and freed his hard and throbbing cock. You pumped your hand on him and felt he was slick with precum. You glanced down to see his tip was angry and needed to be inside you. You were desperate as well and felt like your arousal was running down your thighs.

You whimpered. "Levi, rip my trousers open."

Levi grabbed your white trousers and used his Alpha strength to tear them open at the front, along with your panties. He picked you up and pressed you against the door. He was so desperate and in a deep rut for you that he started humping right away and missing your pussy and simply rubbed along your slit.

You reached down and lifted his cock up and allowed him to slam into your pussy. You both moaned out in pleasure at finally being one. You gripped Levi's back and moaned as fucked your pussy at an unrelenting pace. You held on for dear life as your juices covered Levi's cock and dripped onto the floor below.

Levi panted as his big thick cock pounded in and out of your hot and wet pussy. He was in bliss at feeling your silken pussy walls around him. You were dragging him back in every time he pulled back. You were squeezing his cock as if your body was begging him to cum inside you. He was drooling at how cute your moans were.

"Le-Levi."

Levi gazed at you and adored the flushed look on your face and how you were in euphoric paradise from his actions. He called your name to you. "My Omega. Mine." He growled at you. "Mine, all mine. Mine to breed."

You moaned in delight. "Yours! All yours! Breed me, Alpha. Knot me. I need it. I need you."

Levi kissed you roughly as you whimpered and whined at him. His fingers dug harshly into your hips. He growled against your lips as the room filled with the sounds of your wet pussy being ravaged by his cock, your pleading moans for him to cum, the slapping your your hips together, the slight thudding of the door and his primal grunts.

He inhaled deeply and felt driven even more for you. You were filling the whole room with your scent of arousal and pleasure Levi was drunk on you and your Omega scent. He was addicted to you and was going to keep you as his forever. He moved his hips hard and fast as he tried to fuck his feelings into you.

You leaned your head back against the door and cried out in pleasure. "A-Ah! C-coming!" You screamed in delight as you came hard around Levi. Your legs shook harshly around him as you felt your veins burn. "Levi."

Levi carried you to your bedroom door and kicked it open. He yanked his cock out of you and threw you onto your bed making you whimper and cry and not feeling Levi inside you. He kicked the door closed and panted heavily as his hunger consumed him again. He watched you write and wiggle on the bed with need.

You mewled at Levi. "Alpha, please." You shift and pushed your torn trousers off and panties. "Please." You pleaded with him as his cock twitched and his base swelled a little with his knot. You turned onto your stomach and raised your hips. "Alpha Levi." You reached down and pulled your pussy open for him a little. "Mate with me. Give me your knot."

Levi ripped his trousers off and let go of the last of his restraint. He dove onto you and slammed his cock into your open pussy. He grabbed your wrists and pinned them before biting the back of your neck and bucking into you so hard and fast that his hips spanked your buttocks. He needed you more than ever.

You drooled against the bed as Levi ravaged you just the way you needed him to. You felt your arousal spilling down your thighs and onto the bed. You wiggled your arms a little and smiled when Levi moved his hands and entwined his fingers with yours. You whined at him and shivered in delight.

Levi released your neck and kissed you roughly. "I love you."

You smiled at him. "I love you too."

He panted and grunted as he felt his knot swell. "I love you so much." He whined at you. "Be mine. Be only mine."

You nodded and mewled at him. "Yes. You and me."

He kissed you one last time before kneeling up and grabbing your hips and pounding hard into you. He stared down at his cock pumping in and out of you. He shivered and whimpered as his knot kept tapping against your pussy. He needed to push it into you, but he wanted you to cum first.

He called your name. "Touch yourself."

You reached down and moved your fingers against your clit. "Yes, Alpha." You almost howled in pleasure as your eyes rolled back. "Fuck. Levi. S-so good! You're perfect. Your cock is perfect. Give me more." You cried out in pleasure as Levi pressed you against the bed under the weight of his body. You bit your fist and tried your best to move your hand under you as Levi humped you against the bed. "Mmm!"

Levi panted as he felt his urge building up. "Mate. My Omega. Mine."

You bucked hard and screamed in pleasure as a spine-tingling orgasm ripped through your body making you shake and spasm under your lover. "A-Ah! Kn-knot me!"

Levi plunged his knot into you making you and him moan in unison at him being fully connected with you. He bucked a few times against you before pressing in as deep as he could go. He smiled when you lifted your hips a little allowing him to go even further and his tip pressed past your cervix

He wrapped his arms around you and bit you hard as he poured his seed deep into you. He panted through his nose as ribbons of hot sticky cum entered your pussy. He released his jaws on you and panted a little. He licked your wound and hummed in happiness.

You giggled as Levi nuzzled the crook of your neck for attention. You turned your head and smiled at Levi. "Thank you for helping me with that sudden heat. I know it'll come rushing back soon, but I appreciate it."

Levi kissed you and sighed. "I meant what I said. I love you and I want you. I want you to be mine. This isn't about you being and Omega and me an Alpha, this is about me having very strong feelings for you."

You welled up and smiled at Levi. "I meant it all too. I want to be yours as well."

He hugged you and kissed you. "I intended this to be more romantic instead of confessing while my cock is in you and we're knotted and I'm still kind of cumming."

You laughed a little. "Cute."

"Ngh, don't laugh too much. It feels good and gets me riled up."

You giggled a bit. "Sorry, sorry."

Levi blushed and played with your hair. "You're so pretty. Oh, I guess we'd need to live together now so I can protect you from other Alphas."

You nodded and hummed in happiness. "I'd like that."

"I like you." He played with your hair. "I love you." He said your name as he blushed hard. "I love you."

You whined a little. "I love you too, Levi. I wish I could hug you."

He shifted. "Wait..." He grunted as he managed to pull out of you. "Okay."

You rolled onto your back and hugged Levi tightly. "Mm, mine."

Levi rolled onto his side with you and wrapped his body around you. He smiled sweetly as he snuggled close. "Mine. All mine."

[forest-hashira]

Lucky Shot

I'M BACK AGAIN i have just been on a roll with writing lately but you know what? i'm not complaining lol. anyways, this is my second entry to @kentopedia's "Love Through the Ages" collab! you can find my first entry here, but be sure to keep an eye on the masterlist for the other entries!!! this is the first time i've written solo suguru/reader so. be nice to me pls. also plese check out this art by @/diosaurr! i had already started writing this fic when they posted it, but three separate people tagged me in it knowing i was writing the fic so i want everyone else to see it, too!

read on ao3 here | wc: ~2.7k | cw: fem! reader (i know who am i???), outlaw!suguru, saloon girl!reader, gun violence, mentions of blood/injury, mentions of death. if those things will upset you i suggest you give this one a pass!

Maybe you should have listened to your father after all.

He’d told you countless times that traveling west, especially without a family or close group to help you out and keep your best interests at heart, would be difficult at best and dangerous at worst. Especially for a young unmarried woman such as yourself. 

But you had always been headstrong and stubborn, and your father had always been a worrier, so you assumed he was exaggerating to discourage you, his eldest daughter, from following your dream and going out west. You secretly saved up money for months, and at the first given opportunity to leave your family and head west, you’d taken it, leaving only a goodbye note for your parents and younger siblings when you slipped from the house in the early hours of the morning. 

Turns out, your father wasn’t exaggerating. Joining a party as a solo traveler had proven even more difficult and dangerous than you could have anticipated. You managed to make it out west, just like you wanted, but you had no money to your name, only the clothes on your back and two other outfits in a bag as you walked through the town, wandering from business to business, asking for work; you’d nearly wept with relief when the saloon owner said you looked like you could have some potential as a saloon girl, after you cleaned up. 

He’d provided you a boarding room above the saloon and a new outfit – the ones you had weren’t up to his standards – up front, and while you appreciated it, you also knew he’d be taking that out of your pay until he decided those things were covered, which you could only guess would be never.

Despite the strings that came attached to your new job, things weren’t all bad. You got to know people in the town pretty quickly – the ones that frequented the saloon, anyways – and you were always in the loop about local “news”, most of which was just gossip. 

One character of particular interest in the local gossip was a man named Geto Suguru. When you’d asked what was so interesting about him, you’d gotten some questioning looks, until you’d said you had only just recently moved out west. After you were shown his wanted poster, though, you began to understand. 

He was one of the most – if not the most – attractive man you’d ever seen. Dark hair that fell past his shoulders; thin, almost cat-like eyes; and even in the poster, there was a sly look on his face. 

Not only that, but he was wanted for robbing stagecoaches, stealing money and jewelry from rich people who gave into his – apparently – intimidating presence. He was also known for spending that money generously in towns all over the west supporting local businesses; plenty of women from across the state also bragged about the jewelry he would gift them, simply because he thought it looked good on them. 

After spending weeks hearing stories – that you were certain had to be at least a little exaggerated – about this pretty outlaw and staring at his wanted poster, you resigned yourself to the fact that you would never see him with your own eyes. 

So you couldn’t have been more surprised when you watched the man himself walk into your saloon without any sort of fanfare or dramatics and sit at the bar. 

You stared at him, eyes wide, until he gave you a small smile. 

“I’ve heard you’ll catch flies if you leave your mouth open too long,” he said, smooth voice lilting with amusement. 

Realizing he meant you, you quickly snapped your mouth shut, your whole face burning with embarrassment. “You try meeting a living legend when you’ve only lived in the area for a couple months, see how you react,” you snapped back. When you realized what you’d said, you opened your mouth to apologize, but stopped when you saw the way his eyes sparkled with interest, one perfect brow arched in your direction.

“Feisty, aren’t we?” he chuckled. “I think I like you already, new girl.”

“What do you want to drink?” You turned away from him to grab a glass, hoping he didn’t pick up on how flustered you were over the nickname. 

“Surprise me.”

You straightened at that, and now it was your turn to arch a brow as you looked him over. His expression never wavered, his head tilted slightly as he waited to see what you decided to serve him. 

With a quiet huff, you turned your back to him, looking over your selection of liquors. Part of you wanted to serve him the cheapest, nastiest drink you carried, just to see if he would actually drink it or demand another drink, but ultimately you decided against it. Instead, you reached for the top shelf, grabbing the unopened bottle of some fancy imported scotch your boss had just gotten in a couple days before. 

“Opening a bottle just for me?” Geto asked, still with that playful tone. “Well now I feel special.”

“Don’t make me change my mind,” you threatened, turning as if to put the bottle back in its place. 

He held up his hands, as if in surrender, and you set the bottle down on the bar to grab a glass, though you took a brief moment to admire how strong even just his hands looked. 

Setting the glass in front of him, you broke the seal on the bottle, then intentionally poured him about three times as much of the amber liquid as you were supposed to. Your boss could yell at you about it later. 

Geto lifted the glass, tipping it towards you slightly in thanks, before taking a sip.

Just as you were about to speak to the outlaw in front of you again, the saloon doors swung open in your peripheral vision, and you looked up to see the sheriff walking towards the bar.

“Afternoon, sheriff,” you greeted him, glancing briefly at Geto to see what his reaction was, and you were only a little surprised that he had no reaction at all. “Your usual?”

The sheriff tipped his hat to you, sitting down at the opposite end of the bar from the bandit. “Please and thank you.”

With a nod, you placed the bottle of scotch on the counter behind the bar, then grabbed another glass and the brand of whiskey the sheriff always drank. You walked down the length of the bar, setting the glass in front of him and pouring his drink – the expected amount of liquor for him, unlike the bandit down the bar – before you walked away to put the bottle back. 

You felt hyper-aware of the two customers at the bar, worried that any second now the sheriff would recognize the outlaw and all hell would break loose, especially when the other patrons at the tables in the building were always itching for some sort of fight, just because they thought it was entertaining. 

In the end, though, it wasn’t the sheriff that recognized Geto, it was another customer that walked up to the bar to get another drink.

“You look familiar,” the man drawled, narrowing his eyes as he analyzed Geto’s face as best as his intoxicated mind could manage. 

“I get that a lot,” the outlaw answered evenly, not sparing the man a second glance.

“No, I’ve definitely seen you somewhere before…” he trailed off, scowling, his gaze wandering until it landed on the handful of wanted posters hung on the wall beside the bar. His eyes lit up with recognition, and you swore you felt your heart drop to your stomach.

“You’re that stagecoach robber!” the man exclaimed, turning back to Geto; out of the corner of your eye you saw the sheriff turn to face the commotion.

Shit, this is bad, you thought, placing the man’s beer on the bar in front of him, though he was far beyond caring about the drink anymore.

“I’m pretty sure you have no proof of that.”

“That’s your face on the poster,” the man insisted, then turned his attention to you. “Don’t you think?” 

“It looks like it could be a lot of people,” you replied lamely, grimacing at how obvious of a lie it was.

The man scowled at you. “Shoulda known better than t’ask a whore,” he spat, slurring his words a bit. “Whores always lie.”

Almost before he finished speaking, Geto grabbed the man’s collar and slammed his face down onto the bar. “Apologize to her,” he said, voice calm but eyes sharp with anger. 

You blinked in surprise at what had just happened, and once you processed what had been said to you, you found that you were quite offended, and also quite pleased that this outlaw had taken up for you so quickly. 

“Like hell!” the man protested, struggling against Geto’s hold. Even with his head forcibly pressed to the bar top, though, the man managed to pull his gun from his holster. 

The scene before you seemed to slow impossibly for a moment: the sound of the gun cocking, seeing it aimed at Geto, the man’s finger going for the trigger. Then suddenly everything was back to normal speed, and the outlaw used his free hand to shove the gun to no longer be aimed at him just as the trigger was pulled. 

You turned your head to see where it landed, and you watched in horror as a wound burst into existence in the sheriff’s shoulder, blood soaking into his shirt in an instant. He let out a shout of pain, clutching at the wound with his hand.

“You rat bastard!” the man shouted, working to cock his gun and aim it at Geto again, but the outlaw was quicker, pulling out his own gun, pressing it to the man’s ribs, and shooting him almost before you could process what he was doing. 

There was a wet gasping sound from the man, and when Geto’s hold on his collar was finally released, he dropped unceremoniously to the floor, his gun sliding out of his hand. You couldn’t tell if he was dead yet or not, but he certainly wasn’t making any effort to get off the floor.

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see the sheriff draw his own gun and aim it, but it was in his non-dominant hand, so the bullet did not hit the robber as the sheriff intended; instead, it shattered the whiskey glass on the bar in front of you, and you dropped to the ground in fear.

With your hands over your head, you kept as low as you could. You couldn’t see what was happening anymore, but from what you could hear, at least half of the other patrons of the saloon had joined in the gunfight. Stray bullets hit the wall behind the bar, shattering multiple bottles of liquor, including the fancy bottle of scotch. My boss is going to be so pissed, you thought, an oddly practical thought to have in the midst of hiding and praying you weren’t accidentally shot.

Almost as if summoned by your thoughts, a bullet tore through the front of the bar, sticking in the cabinet about six inches from your head. With a shriek, you scrambled aside, towards the end of the bar; maybe if you were lucky, there would be time for you to slip out of the building without being caught in the crossfire. 

You scanned the building as quickly as you could while keeping yourself hidden, not wanting to make yourself any more of a target than you already were. Bullets were still flying, leaving no chance for your escape, and you cursed under your breath; you were going to be stuck here until everyone ran out of ammo. 

As you looked around, you noticed the first man that Geto had shot, a pool of blood slowly growing beneath his torso. His chest still rose and fell slightly, but his eyes were glassy; he was alive, but he was not long for this world. Suddenly, you remembered that he had dropped his gun when he had fallen, and you scanned the area around him for it, finding it a foot or so from his outstretched hand.

Deciding to run the risk of getting shot, you lunged for it, gripping it tightly in your hand once it was in your grasp. You’d never held a gun in your life, much less shot one, but having this one in your possession made you feel a little less cornered, a little less helpless.

Daring a glance upward, you saw that Geto had turned so that his back was to you and another corner of the saloon. Another patron had somehow managed to sneak around into the outlaw’s blind spot, and was clearly gearing up to shoot him in the back of the head. Knowing you couldn’t just sit there and watch it happen, you fumbled with the gun, your sweaty hands failing to pull back the hammer twice before you succeeded. With no clue how to accurately aim the weapon, you pointed it at his leg, squeezing your eyes shut as you pulled the trigger.

A shout of pain a moment later indicated that you had hit… someone, and you quickly opened your eyes again to make sure you hadn’t somehow hit Geto by accident. Thankfully, you hadn’t. The man you’d been aiming at had taken the shot to his knee – which actually had been what you were hoping to hit when you fired – bringing him down to the floor on one knee.

The shout was enough to alert the outlaw to the threat behind him, and he wasted no time spinning around and drilling him between the eyes. He slipped his guns – you saw now that he had two, rather than one like you had first thought – back into their holsters as the last man’s body dropped to the floor.

Once there was no longer another person blocking you from his view, Geto blinked in surprise, smiling as he stepped over the body and crouched down in front of you.

“You shot him?” he asked, his eyes glinting. The sight made you realize you’d been wrong before, when you’d thought his eyes were catlike in his wanted poster; in person they were foxlike, sharp and intelligent and clever.

“I-I, uh… yeah, I shot him.”

“Have you ever fired a gun before?”

“Not until just now.”

He glanced over his shoulder, taking in the bulletwound squarely in the side of the man’s knee. “You’re a good shot,” he observed, turning back to face you.

“Uh… thanks?”

He chuckled then, a low, smooth sound that made your stomach cartwheel. “You’re welcome.” A beat passed, then another, as he examined your face, though you were unsure what he was looking for. 

“What?” you demanded, scowling at him despite the way your hands were still shaking.

“You should come with me.”

“Huh?”

“You should come with me,” Geto repeated easily. “I think you’d be a good addition to my crew. Besides, it really won’t be a good look for you if people come in and see you here with a gun after I get the hell out of here.” There was a slight smirk tugging at his lips, and despite the fact that you probably should have taken his words as a threat, you didn’t.

“What the hell,” you sighed. “It’s not like I have anyone keeping me here.”

“Wonderful,” he said, offering you a hand up off the floor, which you readily accepted. “Get what you need from your room and meet me outside. Be quick, my guess is that someone will come to investigate all the noise sooner rather than later.”

You nodded, brushing broken glass from your dress and your hair as you hurried towards the stairs, unable to hide the grin tugging at your own lips.

Maybe not listening to your father had been the right decision after all.

tagging: @kentopedia @kentohours @mitsuristoleme

[dreadfutures]

Fan Work Friday

Rules: If you’re tagged, MAKE A NEW POST to showcase one fanartist and/or fanfic for any fandom you recommend (with links), and tag someone to give their recs next! Don’t forget to reblog the rec you were tagged in, and include these rules! :)

Bonus: Choose works by people you aren’t super tight with, or choose older works that maybe haven’t gotten some love in a while. :)

Fanartist: @kiivg

The first time I saw one of kiivg's pieces, I had the thought: I've never seen anything like this. Then I did a double-take, because even though I can't pinpoint it, this style strikes me as quintessentially storybook. It should be on the cover of a comic, or it should be a bonus chapter illustration in your favorite novel--both because of the striking style and the amount of STORY King packs into each single standalone piece.

The first of King's works I saw was one that I consider really KING now: oriented so that I had to tilt my head to get the full picture. I find it only pulls me in deeper, looking really closely at every detail before I get the full picture. Here's one of my favorites (give it a reblog!):

Definitely give King a follow. When they do post art, they have plenty of Dragon Age, Cyberpunk, and BG3 art to wow you with!

Fanfic: its free son - SlinkySpiders

The note I had in my bookmarks was: "there are elotes in gotham and this author is my hero"

SURPRISE this is a fanfic for the Robert Pattinson The Batman film, which I think is a nearly perfect hopepunk movie, and the first Bruce Wayne I've ever seen on film who NEEDS A ROBIN. So here, have a batdad and his kid.

I love an awkward man trying his best to be a parent to a kid who has the same problems he did. Let's parent our inner childs through real children, that's my weakness. Also, Dick gets to be childhood friends with Barbara Gordon, so that's great.

It's "unfinished" but I think it does just fine for what it is, and I hope people enjoy!

Rating: G Pairing: Bruce Wayne & Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne & Alfred Pennyworth, Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne Chapters: 2 (unfinished) Length: 11,678 Summary: Three years after the events of the Riddler, Bruce finds himself taking care of an eleven-year old, completely out of his depth.

That's my post for this week! I'm excited to see what everyone tags me in. It's been great to find new artists and fics through this game. :)

Tagging:

(again, for any fandoms! let's spread the positivity <3)

@thedreadblog | @noire-pandora | @wolfsskull

@demarogue | @thevikingwoman | @anneapocalypse | @fiadhaisteach | @victoriousscarf

@kiastirling

@warpedlegacy | @rakshadow | @rosella-writes | @effelants | @bluewren | @breninarthur

@ar-lath-ma-cully | @inquisimer | @crackinglamb | @theluckywizard | @nirikeehan

@oxygenforthewicked | @exalted-dawn-drabbles | @melisusthewee | @blarrghe | @delicatefade

@leggywillow | @about2dance | @plisuu

[onthewaytosomewhere]

okay it's wed and that means it's time to post some words and well i've really only been working on ficlets from friday (very slowly) this week as i work on the one that has gotten away from me and is so angst-ridden (for me at least) so i have to work on the others in between it (so they're all going slower lolz) ... ASHLEIGH I DON'T KNOW HOW I LET YOU CONVINCE ME TO DO THIS SILLY STUFF AND THEN LET IT GET SO CARRIED AWAY ... BUT HERE WE ARE 🤣🤣🤣🤣

so thanks ever so much for the tags today lovelies - y'all have been busy lil bees @tailsbeth-writes @suseagull04 @firstprincehornyramblings @thighzp @sophie1973

@tinyarmedtrex @caterpills @basil-bird @inell @sparklepocalypse

@thesleepyskipper @thinkof-england @taste-thewaste @zwiazdziarka

so words are from my lil Streetfighter!Buck post-season 4 Buddie fic

Buck is at a bar once again. He can’t stand to be home—can’t stand to be anywhere alone with his thoughts. He just needs to get away from everything, so he has found a bar within walking distance of his apartment, which he’s never been in—a place no one else will find him. He needs some time to process everything, all the anger he feels. He just needs to get drunk so he stops having nightmares. He overhears some people sitting near him at the bar talking about a gym nearby with an area for boxing. It starts as a momentary thought, but by the end of the night, he has the name of the gym and the name of someone to talk to when he goes. Someone who will help him get started on his boxing journey—Art. It's not long before the gym replaces the bar; he’s there most nights after a shift that he’s not with Eddie or Christopher, and on days when he’s off, he spends hours there. He beats on bags until he’s deemed ready to jump in the ring with other people. He’s learned the best ways to protect his hands. Art teaches him the proper way to wrap his hands to avoid injury, and he’s invested in a quality pair of gloves. On his first night in the ring, he goes up against a dude that hands him his ass in under a minute. The sting from the punches to his torso makes him forget for a moment the pain inside his head. It becomes a thing he can’t get enough of, something he’s always chasing, jumping in the ring with people that will wail on his body, never his face, but his body is fair game. It goes on like this for a few weeks, and then she walks in. At first, Buck doesn’t place her, but when she comes over to talk to him when he’s pounding into the heavy bag, he remembers. Lena. The person who got Eddie involved with the fight club after the tsunami and everything else. “Buck? Right?” She says, and Buck wants to tell her to go the hell away, but he also hopes she’s still part of that underground fighting ring. “Yes, Buck—Evan Buckley, actually. It’s Lena, right?” “Yeah, how’ve you been? I heard what happened to Eddie; that must have been horrible.” “Still is horrible, actually.” It’s more than he means to say. “Let me guess that’s why you’re here pounding on things—either to clear your head or think them through.” “Something like that.”

so tag ur it!!! @typicalopposite @adreamareads @judasofsuburbia @piratefalls @priincebutt

@tinyarmedtrex @duchessdepolignaca03 @catdadacd @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @stellarmeadow

that is a much more abbreviated list than normal but it's also after 8pm so ya know ... if ur seeing this and wanna play and haven't heres is your

BIG OLD OPEN TAG!!!!

[m00dych3rry]

I know I usually don't post anything that isn't LBP related but I've been really interested in learning more about Modnation Racers recently. I've heard about it and seen art of it, I even listened to the songs from the game (the game has really good music). Also here's a quick art of Tag, sorry if it's not the best, I haven't gotten to draw in a while and this is my first ever time drawing him. I've been thinking about this game too much for me to not draw him. The game seems like a really cool and fun racing game that I would love to play, since I've stated a few times now that I love racing games. This game looks like something that I would be obsessed with as a kid. I really enjoy the vibe and aesthetic that this game provides. I've seen some really cool Mods (that's what the customizable players are called I think). I really like that you can customize your player character, karts, and even the track! It's interesting to note that the same people that made LittleBigPlanetKarting also made Modnation Racers. I would love to play this game and make really cool characters inside it.

[sopheadraws]

Thanks for the tag, @birdofmay!

Okay, so I don't actually have any playlists of my own; I entirely use playlists made by other people/generated by Spotify/actual albums, so I had to improvise. I stuck all six Spotify "Daily Mixes", my top 100 songs of 2021, 2022, and 202; my "On Repeat" playlist, and my "Repeat Rewind" playlist into a brand new playlist that contains 563 songs. I'm not good about favoriting songs, so I thought this was the fairest system. Some songs I don't actually know may come out of the Daily Mixes, so if that happens, I'll listen to it for the first time. Okay, cool.

1. Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran do a cover of the "Thriller/Heads Will Roll" Glee mashup.

Well, Taylor and Ed are two people, and this is a duet, so that's a good start. However, that's as far as my enthusiasm goes. Taylor has a *good* voice, however, she's not really a belter, which is all the "Heads Will Roll" part is. And Ed Sheeran covering Michael Jackson is not something that needs to happen.

2. The Warblers from Glee cover "I Feel Pretty/Unpretty"...also from Glee.

This is a song a female insecurity (arguably with lesbian undertones). I do not want an all male a cappella group involving themselves. Terrible idea.

3. Johnny Cash covers "Girl on Fire". Specifically the Glee arrangement.

This is so stupid that I love it. Johnny "Ring-Of-Fire" Cash covering a 2010s pop song about a woman being metaphorically on fire is hilarious to me. And the Glee arrangement is the icing on the cake.

4. Johnny Cash covers "champagne problems" by Taylor Swift.

Interesting that I got Johnny Cash twice in a row. Anyways, I think this just might work. I can't explain why. But it would.

5. Brittany from Glee covers "Million Reasons" by Lady Gaga.

Brittany can only really pull off heavily produced dance pop, and this song is a belting-heavy ballad. Sorry, Britt, but it's a no for me.

6. Simon & Garfunkel cover "obsessed" by Olivia Rodrigo.

I can't * f a t h o m * how this would sound. I am intrigued to hear it, but I sense it would be terrible. But, then again, Paul Simon is a musical genius and I could listen to Art Garfunkel sing anything.

7. Natasha Bedingfeld covers "Last Kiss" by Taylor Swift.

Natasha Bedingfeld is one of the never-heard-of-this-person-before-in-my-life musicians I warned you might appear on this playlist. Having heard one song, she's a generic pop artist. Sort of a Beyoncé vibe. I'm sure she'd do just fine covering Taylor.

8. Avril Lavigne covers "Operator" by Jim Croce.

Avril is another person I don't actually listen to (I actually know who she is this time). Uhh.. this cover would be wack, but I'm not sure if it's wack in a good or bad way.

9. Darren Criss covers "Talkin' Bout a Revolution" by Tracy Chapman.

(Yes, this was a DC original song, not a Glee cover.) Okay, so, having been on Glee, Darren knows how to do a killer cover, and I'm sure this would be no different. Kind of a tone deaf song selection on his part, however.

10. Olivia Rodrigo covers "Heaven Is A Place on Earth" by Belinda Carlisle.

I do know this song, and it's not *out* of my taste range, but I don't think I've ever listened to it on Spotify before, so. Anyways, I think this is the best combination I've gotten! I really want to hear this now! Best for last!

Well, Sina, and these the crazy combinations you expected from me? Very Glee heavy and most of the combinations would be horrid, which seems in character.

I would like to see what @doctor-whu @porcelainvino @wheresurboytonighthelookslikeenj @katyobsesses @angelhummel and @hevanderson get if you want to try :))

[itsjaywalkers]

do you have any jegulus fic recs? :)

i do!! i always do nonnie <33

u should definitely check out my bookmarks on ao3 bc i have most of them there + browse through the fic rec tag here on my blog but here are some of my favs:

ruin it all over by my beloved braineater @carniferous (i will never stop until everyone has read this fic) (all of dil's fics are amazing tbh)

light as a ghost (on my mind you weigh the most) by my baby @static-radio-ao3 (it was a gift and it's still one of the best gifts i've ever gotten i fucking love this story)

riding shotgun next to your free slurpee by @theapocryphaofantares (a fake dating au aka the best trope in the world) (i devoured this it was SO GOOD love it when jeg are completely obsessed with each other)

ecliptic by the lovely @arsonfaerie (i've been rereading it so i can finally start with the sequel and god . i forgot how life altering it is . i keep gasping and pacing around my room)

the art of getting off by @just--vi !! (i started it recently and i'm loving it so far, it's so fun and i adore this james very much)

[juicezone]

DNI / INTRO / LINKS

DNI as of 9/04/24

If you're following me for a sideblog it's REALLY really appreciated if you drop me a message or an ask - i won't publish it, but i'm not comfortable having non-agere blogs follow me due to past experiences. I know a lot of ppl have non-agere mains and have an agere-side, which is okay! But I tend to soft-block if it's not an agere blog ^^'

If you engage in sys/course. we personally are fine with systems regardless of origins, because the brain is complex and dumb, and sometimes it's hard to A) describe what's going on and B) it's nonya business. basically, we'll do our best to not interact with you, and we ask you do the same >TLDR: we are ENDO-SAFE. if you aren't, please leave us alone, and we'll leave you alone.

I'm probably not going to be following you back if you're under 18 and def not if you're under 16, sorry ^^' my "big" age is 21+ and i'm just not comfortable doing it

from the river to the sea, palestine will be free. Don't follow me if you're a zionist, you're not wanted here.

if you think padded regressors are gross/nsfw/ ect. it's totally okay if it's not YOUR thing, but don't assume that diaps make someone k!nk. This included if you think padding is fine unless they're actually used. There are so many reasons why someone might need/want to use them. don't be a dink.

I do agere/petre art! Please check down below in the LINKS section - follow the rules, please! And please be polite <:) Please and Thank yous are very much appreciated

INTRO / LINKS

Intro

🦈Hi! My name's TL ^^ I'm 21+, a trans man (he/it) and a system (yes, trauma origin, yes, fine with endo, just block and move on lol)

✨I regress somewhere from Really Little to Little-ish - I find it's kinda hard to find a range? sometimes I just babble (love the letter b. the bbbbbbbbb) to various levels of poor spelling :P

🦈I like sharks, space, Star Trek, Tigger, pokemon, lots of stuff ^^

✨Host of a system - they don't really post on here, but Flint + AV have their own tags! Capri has her own blog -> @capri-sunnyd (Plus i have an agere-png blog @juice-agerepngs )

🦈Bones is my fictional CG!! He's my favourite ever :)

💙These are some awesome things i've gotten or requested! > The best Icons ever with McBones! > Tigger/Sheep/Shark moodboard made for me! > McBones hanging out w my friends plushie! > An AWESOME board with Bones💙 AND My McBones! > A super cute piece of Rory by @/theogclownboy !!! >DNI banner credit to @thecouncilmakes (heads up, isn't a SFW specific acc!) >this AWESOME board Capri made me :D!! >Cooper + Rory + Ward Board by Moth :D!!! >Cooper + Ward OC board by capri!!! >Cooper bite Ward (extreme casuality /j) by will :D!!! >anon so nice to me... > > >there are DEF others i'm missing like past art trades, but i'm barely starting to organize |D

Links

Interested in sending me a request for agere or petre art request? Follow this link, read the rules, and send me an ask!

Interested in seeing what reqs are queued/in the inbox? Follow this link!

Interested in checking out my character fics? Masterlist here (word count + summary!)

Rory | Ward | Cooper | Cade Rory Ref ( Capri Ref ) | Ward Ref | Cooper Ref | Cade Ref

[windsweptinred]

Shipper tag game

Thank you for the tag @marvagon, you glorious human 💖💖💖.

What ship were you completely obsessed with as a teenager, but now you don't care about anymore?

None. I may not be as passionate about them as I once was. But I still hold all my past ships near and dear to my heart. I'll even occasionally nip into their tags on A03 and have a dip into newer fics.

What ship would you consider your first one?

Daiken/Kensuke from Digimon 02. I remember watching it on Saturday morning and wondering if anyone else was seeing what I was seeing. That led me to discover Fanfiction.net. And the rest is history...

Your first fanfic was about which couple?

My very first full length fic was Corinthiel, posted here on Tumblr. My first fic posted on AO3 was Dreamling, and I wrote both last year. I am a very, very, very late comer to fanfic 😅. I'm honestly much more at home drawing fanart then writing. But will occasionally give into temptation, when an idea obbsessively hounds me to the point of insanity.

Do you remember the first couple you saw fan art of?

I genuinely can't. 😅 I remember it was probably on deviantart.

Have you ever gotten into ship discourse?

I try desperately to stay out of ship discourse. To me people's ships are their joy... And I've got no interest in being a theif of joy. If there's something I want to see more of in the fandom, like a rare pair I'm fond of, I just try and create content and hope someone else joins in (@bobbole loves you 💚🤍😅) . If it's not for me, I just keep scrolling on by.

Did you use to have any NOTP or have one currently?

Again, no. I've always been happy to pick and mix my ships. I have my favorites ofcourse. But I've never outright refused to dip my toe into any ship. Maybe if it ventured into an area I personally deemed problematic. But mostly, I'm happy to try anything once.

Who were the last couple in the last fanfic you read?

I'm currently reading Remy Lebeau x Logan fanfic from Xmen. 😅 What sent me in that direction, I do not know. But I've found some amazing new fics in and amongst revisiting some old favourites.

Currently, do you have any OTPs?

I can proudly say until recently I've never had an OTP. Being a multishipper makes that kind of hard. But I don't know, I may be in too deep with Corinthiel. I'm not sure I could picture Danny and the Second Corinthian with anyone else but each other now. (Curse you @ibrithir-was-here. See what you have wraught! 😆). Them and Charmes (Charon x Hermes) from Hades. Because why would you split up the professional associates like that?! (Again very much your fault @mashumaru 😆) , Damn, I guess I've got OTPs now. If there's an established, happy couple in canon, most of the time I'll respect that and leave them be. So I guess that kind of counts too.

Is there any couple that, to this day, that you are extremely mad about not getting into?

Again no. If the juggernaut ship of a fandom doesn't really tickle my fancy, I'll sometimes stare forlornly at it. And sigh like a sad bohemian poet. But that's all content envy and I know it. 😆

Is there any ship you used to dislike but now you think they're kind of interesting?

🤔 I didn't dislike it, but I never really ventured near Corintheus until I started shipping Corinthiel. That made me backtrack and consider Morpheus and the original Corinthian's relationship from an entirely different perspective.

Do you have any ship that, in the past, would have been considered normal but now you would be cancelled over?

No I don't think so. As far as know they're all still alive, well and for the most part, living in peace and harmony in their respective fandoms.

What is your favorite crack ship?

Bookend, Destiny and his Book. The old book and chain. Living their best, grumpy old married couple, life together. @jazzy-a 🤜🤛🤣.

What is the couple you read the most fanfics about?

Most recently was Dreamling. I'm a bit of fandom butterfly at the moment, fluttering between multiple fandoms, waiting for the next all consuming passion to strike me down. I read, and reread ANYTHING Corinthiel 😅. But of all time?..... I couldn't say. I revisit so many of my ships so often.

What do most of your ships have in common?

Two bastards in love will always be my favourite. I'd love to boldly claim it's all about two morally dubious rogues, being despicable in the kinkiest ways together. 😅 But I know it's more about two people, often misunderstood and maligned... Finding a deep sense of belonging with each other. But I'm an eclectic sort and I've got a lot ships that don't fit that category I still love dearly.

What do you absolutely hate in a ship?

Absolutely nothing outright. I'll sometimes go off a ship a little once it reaches that point where fanon locks in too tight around it. But I think that's a very me problem, as I crave variation/new experiences/ideas. I'll still love the ship, I'll just know that's just my time to move onto something new and come back and visit every so often.

I'm tagging @martybaker @thelostkelpie @missingrache @thirrith @zigzag-wanderer @lucienne-thee-librarian and @tickldpnk8 and anyone mentioned above. If you want to have a go. 😁

[herteitr-runar]

hi! idek how to introduce this so here we go

(genuinely so sorry if this is the weirdest ask you have gotten in your life or i sound like a crazy person or anything at all like that 😭 really i just admire your skill and creativity a lot)

so- when i was trying to find the art style i wanted to have there was this super specific appearance and like feeling i wanted it to have but i could not really conceptualize it or figure out how to do what i wanted to do. like i wanted it to be kinda dark in tone and like similar to a look that another artist i like has but more like realistic but still working with a cartoonish vibe sometimes. but very specifically with all of that i wanted it to be like a really old fairytale books illustrations feeling mixed with anime ish-ness

to my eyes at least, your art is the exact feeling i really wanted my art to have, like i saw it for the first time scrolling in the norway tag and kind of just stopped? it was like- actual out loud „Holy shit that is incredible“ moment. so! uh yeah! seeing your works is really really awesome and i really enjoy all of your different art styles and works

anyways i wanted to say all that because i think artists deserve a lot of appreciation and to know directly their work is appreciated, and also your art is like- one of my favourites ever so i thought i should let you know? anyways! i hope you always find enjoyment in making art and wish you the best :D!

i've only opened the app again to see this and i've been reading it over and over and over looking exactly like these

DON'T BE SORRY !!! THAT'S GENUINELY THE NICEST THING I'VE LIKE. EVER RECEIVED AND I'M AT SUCH A LOSS FOR WORDS ON HOW TO EVEN START TO THANK YOU ... 😭😭❤️❤️

just knowing that my art is something that had such an impact on you on these aspects ..... !!!!! I don't even know how to describe how astounded i am . seriously 🥲 astounded is far from the best word i'm like. feeling every feeling ever x10000 (i am very articulate with my thoughts as you can see)

from the bottom of my heart it's such an honour to read this 🫶 and i wish the exact same for you as well !! keep on drawing to achieve everything you must ❤️

(if you would ever want suggestions, some tips or anything else regarding art, art styles & artists please don't hesitate to lmk also! there's a lot i'd be happy to share if needed!! 🫶)

[discopolice]

using beets to go thru my big boi sized collection of mp3s dating back to 2004. some take-aways from this process that may be enlightening to those of you who are not quite as Old Web as I was:

many of these were from piratebay "best trance collection" megapacks, which means I'll never know where they truly belong. one of these megapacks has the album art set as an ad for some guy's now-defunct law firm

kind music lovers on geocities used to have a thing called "music rotations," where they'd post an mp3 they liked each week, usually jpop or jrock, then take it down before copyright trolls could snipe them. sometimes you'd get lucky and someone would post a whole album. I've gotten some really rare and delightful stuff that I'd never be able to replace

including an amaterase single with a BEAUTIFUL acoustic version of kibou ga oka???? I need the flac but I can't find a flac version anywhere

it'd be fun to see how much of this I can replace with flac versions, I'm not in middle school anymore, I'm a full grown 30-year-old data hoarder and 128k mp3s won't feed my need anymore

a number of these are from an old website called "gendou's anime music," which furnished direct downloads of anime OPs, EDs, and other Anime Music. gendou had some kind of beef with my middle school girlfriend and so they would occasionally go in, troll him, and get banned

I am realizing, in this very moment, trying fruitlessly to match these mp3s with anything on musicbrainz ever, that gendou sucked ass at tagging and metadata. this is a bloodbath. why would you put the word "Single" in the album field and nothing else

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tysm for reblogging my art, i love the concept of your blog <33 is there anything we can do in return? ty again!!

Thank you!! There are some things you can do in return if you're willing ♥

To help the creators I share:

-Reblog some of the OCs I've shared, and if you leave some nice comments in the tags that's even better! -Check out the Needs Love tag, which is for the pieces I've reblogged that have gotten only 10 or fewer notes, and give them some love with likes and reblogs!

To help the blog:

-Follow! -Please feel free to spread my Introductory Post to let more people know about this place, it's the best way for it to grow and thus give more visibility to original creators! If this post ever blows up, which I hope it will someday, it will make it much easier to reach creators far and wide ♥