#staring the new year by going through my inbox and some overall rambling

[cheddarch]

Happy New Years! Bonne année! Can’t wait for a new year of RayKev fanart from moi.

[critterbitter]

HELLO HI ID LIKE TO ASK WHAT PROGRAM AND BRUSHES YOU USE CUZ IM LITTERALY EXPLODING EVERYTIME I SEE YOUR ART

actually actually... *pulls out whole stack of paper*...I have. a FEW,, a good few,, questions to ask. they are not many I swear 😇

OK SO FIRST OF ALL HOW DO YOU DRAW SO FAST???? everyday I log onto Tumblr I always see something new from you and I get very very happy. But then I start to question my own existence because not even I CAN SPEED RUN ART LIKE THAT. AND SO SPECTACULARLY TOO

Last question! how do you color and make it look so well?? just. How. I need to know. This is a CRY FOR HE-

anyway thank you for being one of my favorite artists that always feed my brain rot, pls keep making amazing art because like a little yamper I will follow behind and stay updated.

(Stands there)

Response and thoughts under cut!

First question! What art program I use!

Mostly procreate, along with a handful of brushes! (Specifically the Jing Set and some custom stuff, which is really just a circle brush with the shape changed to a square.)

Second question! How do i draw so much!

Okay so. I am. Ahhah. Unemployed,,,,? No, I do freelance illustration, but hmm. A studio job would be nice.

i graduated college last year and I’m very used to eight hour art shifts. The body sort of remembers to keep working, even though I no longer have storyboards or visdev homework to do.

Also. The hyperfixation is a deep vast tunnel I STILL have not seen the end of the light to, good golly. (I have dreams now about the kids committing shenanigan crimes. I wake up in cold sweat and write them down in a journal. It’s like being the mouthpiece to an angry god.)

So the overall gist is: I was trained to be a storyboard artist with a visdev background, and I’m using that higher education to draw funny muppets because my brain’s funny.

I also DO have a queue, and I’ve been treating this as a sort of inktober project. I am definitely going to slow down soon though! Maybe. Hopefully. Ah… (sheepishly drops my kofi here)

Third question! How do i color!

I. I, uh. I dont know man the coloring demons have a grip on my soul and i just go along for the ride. But also, if it helps, i prefer to limit my pallets to only a few colors at a time. Lighting is king, so if you can figure out if you want to focus on either on your lights or shadows, you’ll have a much easier time composing. That, and symbolic colors— idk, something hits different about art drenched in gold with a tiny hint of a man staring into the blinding horizon, or a green leafy environment with a single dot of artificial red. I also like using blue and purple for shadows, and I’m a big fan of muting colors with only one or two that pop— one of the reasons why I was so attracted to submas in the first place is because from a design aesthetic, they’re both super funny muppet men AND really cool train guys that have a limited pallet and thematic apparel.

Overall response! THANK YOU SO MUCH. This goes out to a BUNCH of people who sent me inbox queries— sorry for not responding, it’s a tad overwhelming because some of them are story questions even I don’t really know will go yet, and others are words of praise and I’m selfish and like scrolling through the inbox to look at them when I feel down. I am more of an artist who sits in the corner and sprouts like a potato rather then a branching vine who socializes, but I really do see people’s responses and they make me go :)))))

Okay ramble over. Thanks for coming to the soapbox, and good luck on creating!

[neerasrealm]

Christmas with poly!Slenjack, Slendra, and Y/N’s kid from slenjack x single parent!reader (and Jasmine and Juliette if it’s not too much)? Love your writing btw!

I LOVE THIS ASK AND I AM SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO GET TO. I kind of fell out of doing requests and writing except for lore stuff so I apologise. I’m getting back on track now and I’m going to clear out my inbox and get to the requests that have been rotting away in here for so long. I’m sorry for all of this yall :( I just needed a break I guess. Edit: forgot to tag @queenofmandy bc she basically fleshed out the twins and made them developed characters and ik she’ll wanna see this HSDGDSJ

Anyway enjoy!

Your conventional christmas would be spent with family, surely. Dinner with your parents and exchanging gifts with your little boy, Sam. But this year is a little different. You took Sam to see his grandparents that morning. He seems very happy with his gift, and all the extra candy that's probably going to keep both of you on a sugar rush till January. Now though, it's afternoon, and you're headed for another place. Your boyfriends house. Not boyfriend's, boyfriends. Plural. 

"Y'know I don't know HOW Slender keeps managing to get the minivan through to the house," you murmur as you lead Sam through the forest. He giggles and you adjust the big plastic bag in your free hand. "You excited to see em sweetie?"

"Yeah!" He chirps. "Are Jasmine and Juliette gonna be there?"

You laugh a bit. "Sweetheart, it's christmas. They're not going anywhere."

"Juliette doesn't have a date?"

You snort. "For once, no." You chuckle a bit as you walk over the line of mushrooms and into the spacious front yard of the house. Typically, it'll be full of colour from the bushes and flowerbeds, and the large tree in the yard would be bearing lots of fruit, but now it's all covered in snow. You trudge through it, noticing a few snow angels in the ground as you pass, before reaching the front door. You knock a couple times before opening it. They always leave it unlocked for you. "C'mon sweetie." You call gently as you step inside.

You help Sam take off his coat, hat and scarf before doing the same with yourself. He's dressed in a brand new outfit you got him. Denim overalls and a rainbow striped shirt. It's probably obvious where he got that outfit idea from. In the other room up the hall you can hear laughter and yelling. You grab your bag again and walk up the hall, Sam following at your heels.

"Can ye reach luv?"

"Pff- yeh da, I can-"

"Or do ye need ta go higher?!"

"DA! PU' ME DOWN-" Juliette squeals as LJ stretches his arms, lifting her higher up into the air. She kicks her legs and laughs along with him.  You grin as you enter the living room. LJ is holding one of his twin daughters up to the gigantic christmas tree, cackling in amusement. Sam stares up in amazement. 

"Sammy!!" Jasmine, the second twin, squeals as she spots you. She dashes over and sweeps Sam up off the ground, holding him up. ‘’There ye are ye li’le bin lid!’’ she coos. You chuckle a bit. Jasmine adores Sam, and Sam adores Jasmine. She grins.

‘’Hi!’’ Sam chirps quietly. He kicks his legs and giggles at her.

Jasmine puts him down with a grunt. ‘’Ye’re ge’in big, ain’tcha?’’ she says with a wide smile. ‘’No’ g’nna be able ta pick ye up much longer.’’ Sam whines in response and she pats his head. ‘’Don’ worry, da can still lif’ ye up,’’ she looks over at Jasmine. ‘’Righ’ Jules?’’

LJ turns to look at you. His bright blue eyes widen in surprise as he spots you. He puts Juliette down and turns to you, grinning wide. He’s wearing a thick lavender sweater, rather than his usual monochrome outfit. ‘’y/n!’’ he chirps before rushing over to you. He hugs you tight and sweeps you up off the ground. You cry out in surprise and he leans up and pecks a kiss onto your lips. He giggles. ‘’I’s good ta see ya luv!’’

You laugh a bit. ‘’You too, sweetie.’’ you reply fondly before kissing him again. He blushes a soft pink and giggles some more.

“'Ow are ye, me dear?" He asks softly, looking up at you with big blue eyes. You smile gently at him.

"Good. Saw my parents. Sam is really happy," you glance over at your son and smile. He's excitedly talking with the twins, probably about the gifts he got earlier. You look back at LJ. "How about you, birthday boy?" 

He grins and giggles. "Pre'y good," he gently sets you down again and toys with the sleeves of his sweater. "Th' kiddos 'ave been 'avin' a grea' time." He glances at the girls. Juliette notices and pauses for a moment, giving a gap-toothed grin and waving before going back to playing with Sam.

The kitchen door suddenly swings open behind him. "Jasmine dear can you-" Slender leans out of the kitchen before suddenly noticing you. "Y/n!" He steps out into the living room, having seemingly forgotten about Jasmine. You smile softly as he walks over to you. He’s wearing a red apron with a fluffy white trim. He leans down and you peck a kiss onto where his mouth would be. He stands up again. ‘’You’re early.’’

His stern tone surprises you. ‘’I am?’’

‘’Yes! You said you’d be here by three, it’s half past two!’’ he glares at you and you laugh nervously.

‘’Oh. Oops.’’ you murmur. He stands up and sighs, moving quickly back to the kitchen.

‘’It’s fine, it’s fine- you’ll just have to wait a little for lunch.’’ he mutters. 

Sam’s head perks up, noticing Slender. He grins.‘’Slendy!’’ he squeaks. Slender stops for a moment and looks at him. A tendril reaches over and pats his head of messy curls. Sam giggles and Slender disappears into the kitchen again. 

‘’’E’s comple’ly run off ‘is fee’, th’ poor bugger…’’ Jack murmurs behind you. You glance at him and he shakes his head, sighing. ‘’Ev’ry year ‘e does this, worries abou’ makin’ th’ day perfec’...wish ‘e’d jus’ relax fer once, ye know?’’ he looks down at you and shrugs, as if to say there isn’t really much to be done about it. 

‘’y/n!’’ you turn around at the sound of your name being called. Standing in front of the kitchen door is Slendra, LJ and Slender’s third daughter. She’s short, but also taller than her older sisters. Her hair is fiery, turning from blonde to red at the tips, and she has small horns that curl toward her face. Her skin is a reddish-brown, with golden eyes and freckles across her face. She’s wearing a small red dress with a white collar and trim. She smiles at you, hands clasped together politely. ‘’Happy christmas!’’

You smile and step toward her. She runs over and hugs you. ‘’Happy christmas, sweetheart.’’ you murmur softly. She steps away and looks at the bag in your hand.

‘’Want me to take that?’’ she asks, polite as ever. You chuckle and pull it away.

‘’No, no. Those are the presents.’’ you wink at her. She looks surprised for a second before breaking into a grin. You can feel LJ’s eyes gazing intently at your back. He definitely heard that. You walk past Slendra and crouch down at the gigantic christmas tree. A bonus of having a big house with high ceilings. You take your gifts out, one by one, and set them under the tree. You glance up and see LJ is standing next to the tree, watching you intently. You giggle. ‘’You’ll get yours later, sweetie. Promise.’’ you chide. He smiles and laughs a bit before moving over to you. You let out a noise of surprise as he suddenly picks you up and carries you past the kids to the couch. You laugh a bit as he sets you down. 

‘’Ya want anyfink, luv?’’ he asks. You think for a moment.

‘’A drink would be nice.’’ you say before glancing at Sam. ‘’Sweetie, do you want anything?’’

He looks over his shoulder at you. ‘’Do you have batteries?’’ he asks. Jack arches a brow and looks at you.

‘’He got a car from his grandma. It needs batteries.’’ you murmur. He smiles in understanding and nods before reaching into his sleeve. 

‘’Sure, kiddo.’’ he pads over to him and pulls out a package of batteries. ‘’Le’ th’ girls pu’ ‘em in, okay? Don’ want’cha ge’in ‘urt.’’ 

Sam grins and nods, taking the batteries. ‘’Thanks Jackie!’’ he chirps before handing them off to Jasmine. Slendra walks past them as LJ disappears into the kitchen, sitting down beside you with a sigh. You tilt your head at her and smile. 

‘’I like the dress.’’ you say simply. She looks at you and smiles. ‘’You been working in the kitchen?’’ 

She nods. ‘’Yeah. Mum needs ‘elp, and th’ twins are lazy soooo…’’

‘’I ‘eard tha’!’’ Juliette calls, glaring at you both. The two of you laugh. You listen to Slendra talk about her morning so far. She got some notebooks, a new dress from her uncle and a couple stuffed toys. You listen to her ramble about the lunch she’s been helping Slender make. Apparently she’s supposed to get more gifts, later, after everyone’s eaten. Slender and LJ must be saving some for when you and Sam came over. Considerate, you wouldn’t expect anything less.

"Ere luv," LJ's voice makes you look up from your conversation. He's holding a glass of champagne in one hand. He smiles at you and holds it out. "Budge up, will ya?" He moves over and takes a seat on the couch, putting himself in between you and Slendra. Definitely on purpose, as he ruffles the girl's hair affectionately. 

"Pops! Be careful! If ye mess up me 'air mum will be mad!" She squeals, pouting. LJ laughs and looks at you.

"Kids, eh?"

You roll your eyes. "Tell me about it." You reply with a grin. You sip your champagne and look over at Sam and the twins. The car is up and running, and it's spinning around the floor in donuts. You smile a bit, watching Sam play with the twins (if by playing you mean listening to them talk his ears off).

The kitchen door swings open and you glance aside. Slender seems to smile. ‘’Lunch is ready, my dears.’’ he calls softly. You smile and get up. Jack takes your hand in his and tugs you into the kitchen. You can hear the twins behind you, still talking to Sam. He doesn’t seem to mind. He’s probably happy to be included in a conversation, especially with much older kids. The second you enter the kitchen you’re hit with the heavenly smell of fresh-baked pastry and roasting meat. You glance around, admiring the decorations before your eyes fall on the table. It’s practically a banquet, with plates of pastries, bowls of vegetables, a roasted ham and what you assume to be a casserole? You stare in wonder at the pigs-in-blankets before the sound of a cork popping makes you look up and over at Slender, who’s holding a bottle of wine. ‘’Do you want a drink, dears?’’

‘’I’ll ‘ave one!’’ Juliette calls with a grin as she sits down at the table. She ushers Sam to come over and sit between her and Jasmine. 

Slender shakes his head. ‘’I know you do, Juliette.’’ he murmurs. ‘’You too Jasmine?’’ he asks. The girl nods. He doesn’t even need to ask Jack, he already knows it’s a yes. He looks over at you as he walks over to the table. ‘’y/n? Wine?’’

You smile and nod as you sit down beside Jack, across from Juliette. ‘’Sure.’’ Sam watches Slender pour out the wine and glances at you.

‘’Can I have some too?’’ he asks innocently. Your eyes widen with surprise and Jack wheezes beside you. The twins both cock a brow, looking at him in bemusement. Slendra watches him from her own seat, seemingly impressed by his brave ask. 

‘’No, wine isn’t-’’

‘’Sure, sweetie,’’ you interrupt Slender, catching LJ’s eye and grinning slyly. ‘’One of the girls can give you a sip, can’t they?’’ you look over at Jasmine. Her eyes narrow at you for a moment, seemingly debating if she wants to go along with you or not. Eventually she gives in, holding her glass to Sam.

‘’Aight.’’

‘’Jasmine!’’ Slender practically shrieks, making LJ snicker. Slendra has to slap a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing. Sam takes the glass from Jasmine and takes a small sip. 

His nose scrunches up in disgust and he shakes his head. ‘’That’s icky!’’ he declares. Juliette wheezes beside him, leaning her hand on the table for support. You can’t help it- you start laughing too. LJ is the same, cackling with that infectious laugh that has Slendra giggling beside him. Slender folds his arms.

‘’You’re all ruining christmas.’’ he mutters before sighing. ‘’Slendra, Sam, do you want juice?’’

‘’Yes please.’’ they both chirp. The rest of you start eating, passing around plates and bowls. The food is delicious. The roast potatoes are cooked to a perfect crisp, the meat is juicy and flavorful and the casserole is apparently potato, cheese and chicken. The pastries too are perfect. Fluffy and crispy, filled with delicious vegetables and meat. This is supposed to be just lunch?

‘’I think I did the ham wrong.’’ Slender murmurs, breaking the silence. You didn’t even realise nobody was talking, you were all too busy eating. You glance at him in surprise. ‘’It’s a bit too sweet.’’

Jack rolls his eyes. ‘’Slen, ye did i’ grand. ‘Ones’ly, this is amazin’. This is good enough fer th’ bluddy queen.’’ he gives Slender a firm look and you nod in agreement.

‘’Yeah,’’ you pause to swallow the bite of casserole in your mouth. ‘’This is delicious, sweetheart. I don’t think I’ve ever had something this good! Definitely better than I can do, right Sam?’’ 

The boy nods. ‘’Yeah! You could never make something as good as Slendy’s cooking!’’ he chirps. Your smile drops.

‘’Gee, thanks.’’

The twins giggle on either side of him. You roll your eyes playfully and get back to eating. The food is amazing, as you expected, and the meal is fun. LJ and Slender’s family are always fun to be around. The twins poke fun at each other, LJ makes bad jokes and Slender always has a blunt comment to add that makes you and Slendra laugh in unison. By the time you’re finished eating, you’re stuffed, and dinner feels like an impossible task. Slender shoo’s everyone out of the kitchen, and LJ leads you by the hand to the living room and onto the couch. He pulls you onto his lap, nuzzling against your neck lovingly. He feels soft, like a giant pillow, which makes you giggle. Jasmine shoots you a dirty look, but it disappears when Slender walks into the room. 

‘’Are we ready for gifts?’’ he asks. Sam and LJ’s heads snap up, looking at him. You laugh a bit.

‘’Think so.’’ you reply. You wriggle out of LJ’s arms and move over to the tree, crouching down. ‘’You guys mind if I go first? I uh- put a lot of effort into my gifts and wanted to make them really special…’’ you look over your shoulder and smile a bit. LJ grins and Slender nods. You smile and sit back on your knees, pulling out two of the presents. ‘’Uhh...these are for Slendra and Juliette.’’ you turn around, holding out the gifts. The two girls walk over, taking their gifts. Juliette shakes hers, since her gift is bigger, while Slendra kneels down and carefully unwraps the paper on her gift. She gasps and holds it up.

‘’No way!’’ she grins at you. In her hands is a small box, with transparent plastic on the front, showing off the bow-tie inside. In the centre is a bright blue gem, and on either side, several peacock feathers. She grins and looks down at it. ‘’This is so fancy!’’

You chuckle. ‘’Yeah! I saw it and- well I remembered that time we went to the zoo.’’ you smile at her. She chuckles.

Juliette suddenly squeals and you turn to look at her. She’s grinning wide. ‘’Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!’’ she squeals, picking up the box. 

LJ tilts his head from the couch. ‘’Wo’ is i’, luv?’’ he asks, smiling in amusement. 

‘’A nail kit!’’ she squeaks. ‘’L-Like in th’ salons! ‘Cept I can do i’ a’ ‘ome now!’’ she grins, turning the box over to look at the information on the back. You chuckle.

‘’I remember coming over here and hearing you complain about how expensive getting your nails done is so…’’

She looks up at you and smiles in surprise. ‘’Ye were listenin’ t’ all’a’?’’ she asks, her voice soft and taken aback. You nod and tilt your head.

‘’Of course I was.’’ you reply. She looks down at the box again and smiles wider. She looks genuinely happy. You grab the other gifts and stand up. One large, flat triangle and an elegant black bag. You walk over to the couch and hold out the triangular gift to Jasmine. Jasmine has always been a little...wary of you. You don’t blame her. You’re dating her parents so it makes sense. She takes the gift, unwrapping it curiously. 

Her eyes widen and she gasps. It’s a large, heart-shaped eyeshadow palette. ‘’I’ve been savin’ up fer this!’’ she yelps. You catch LJ’s eye and he winks at you. Jasmine looks up at you and smiles, pressing the palette to her chest. ‘’...Thanks y/n. I luv i’.’’

‘’Ye be’er plan on sharin’ tha’!’’ Juliette calls. Jasmine purses her lips and narrows her eyes.

‘’...only if ye do me nails fer me.’’

‘’Deal.’’ 

You laugh and turn to LJ and Slender. You smile nervously and reach into the bag. ‘’I hope you guys don’t mind...I combined your gifts into one.’’ they both tilt their heads curiously as you pull out two small white boxes. You hand one to each of them. ‘’You guys are...really open about yourselves. I mean- the matching wedding rings, eheh- and I know I’ve only been dating you guys a couple months but...I wanted to get something that represents all three of us.’’

LJ opens his box and pulls out a small, gold necklace. He gasps. ‘’Oooh!’’ he grins, eyes sparkling excitedly. 

Slender is more delicate as he lifts up his own necklace, examining it. ‘’Oh- oh! Oh, dear you shouldn’t have…’’ you can tell he’s really happy. His head turns, looking at LJ. ‘’Dear do you- know what the symbol on it is…?’’

LJ looks up. ‘’Eh?’’ he looks down at the necklace. ‘’I’s er- well i’s a ‘eart, and one ‘f em uh- infini’y symbols!’’ he looks up, smiling, seemingly proud of himself for getting it right. You laugh a bit.

‘’I mean you’re half right,’’ you murmur. He looks at you as you tug out the gold chain around your neck, revealing that you yourself have a necklace to match them. ‘’It’s an infinity heart...it’s a symbol for polyamory. It represents us.’’ you explain softly. LJ looks at you in surprise, then smiles. 

‘’Awe...luv…’’ he grins and reaches over, pulling you onto his lap. You giggle and grab his necklace, fastening it on for him. He smiles proudly and pecks a kiss onto your forehead. You laugh again, blushing hard. Slender suddenly taps your shoulder, catching your attention. You look up at him.

He’s holding a small gift, wrapped in festive red paper. Curious, you take it and pull off the paper. Inside are two things. A picture frame, and a piece of paper. You flip over the picture and your face lights up. It’s a picture of yourself, Slender and LJ from one of your first dates. You smile. ‘’Awe...Slender…’’ you don’t even have to ask if it was his idea. This has his name written all over it. He pats your head, pleased that you like it. Your attention turns to the slip of paper. You grab it, flipping it over. Your eyes widen and you look up at Slender. ‘’A- a spa weekend…?’’

‘’Tha’ wuz my idea.’’ Jack says above you, sounding proud. You look up at him in surprise and he smiles. ‘’Ye work real ‘ard, y/n...fer Sam, fer me an’ Slen...ye deserve a break. Ta trea’ yerself.’’ he leans in close and kisses your cheek. His clawed hand runs through your hair.

‘’We can look after Sam while you take the weekend to yourself.’’ Slender adds. You look up at him, then back at LJ. You smile softly. ‘’We really care about you, my dear…’’

‘’Yeh!’’ LJ smiles at you gently and caresses your cheek. His expression softens. ‘’...ye are g’nna look after yerself, righ’ luv?’’ he asks. ‘’Cuz we care abou’ ye...a lo’.’’ he tilts his head, cupping your face in his hand. Slender’s hand rests on your shoulder, reminding you he’s there, and that he loves you. You smile gently and give a meagre nod.

‘’Yeah...I will. promise.’’