#starting a three-people drawing with lighting when you have only abt three hours to complete it is a tall task

[defaultbyproxy]

DAY FOURTEEN Emmet appreciation month (June 2024)

[game night]

Playing Mario Kart isn´t Emmet´s strong suit. As the (technically) older brother, Ingo get´s the "being good at games and having the controler" rights.

Emmet is on snack duty, so he´s alright with that. (Guess which one of these is a winning face- bet you´d guess wrong!)

[almguav]

What software and tech do you use to make your art? And can you show the process of how you draw, please?

Oooo i���m glad ur interested cause I like talking abt this stuff!✨

For software I use Clip Studio Paint (Pro) which I bought in June last year so I’ve been using for nearly 8 months! From someone who’s been using Paint Tool Sai (v.1) for about 8 years before using CSP, I do miss the textures and some brushes Sai had but I really really really recommend buying CSP if you can. (bonus if it’s sale which it regularly does go on! I bought mine when it was 50% off >:3c) CSP is just a powerhouse and it’s allowed to make more of my ambitious art way more easily than I would of been able to in any other art program. And you don’t even have to know or use all the fancy tools they offer.(I’m still learning abt the stuff I could do with it even after having it for so long)

And the tech I use is a Wacom Intuos Art (theres like three different tablets called that, so mine is completely black with two buttons on the top left and top right corners, and then two buttons on the side of the pen.) I got it nearly six years ago and I’ve only had to get a replacement wire once! Many people have different opinions on graphic tablets (no screen) vs tablet PCs (with a screen) so personally I woulnd’t have fun with a tablet PC, I like not having to look at my hand to draw cause otherwise it strains my neck and wrist way more faster from having them at certain angles. Using a tablet PC while not having a normal desk to work at is also a big restraint on comfort. A lot of ppl are under the impression you need a tablet PC to be ‘professional’ or to make great art but that’s far from the case pfft. 

As for my process it varies between my painting style and my normal style. There’s speed paints I’ve made here and here! As well as this explanation I answered a while back abt my painting process!

In general though, I start with a quick sketch of the basic shapes and details I want to remember. Usually I have the composition, pose, colors, and etc. already as a vague idea in my mind when I make the sketch,  but if I don’t I scroll through pinterest or social media for inspiration! I always try to draw with at least one reference on hand to the side whether it’s for a pose, a color scheme, or just a drawing with the theme I want to achieve! So from the sketch to a complete piece, on a normal day I spend around 2-4 hours finishing a drawing! Near the end of a drawings I like to utilize tools like hue shifting, correction layers, and regular overlay or pin light layers over the whole drawing to make the colors exactly how I like em!

I know that’s pretty vague but it really depends on what type of drawing I’m doing :0 (if you want to ask abt a certain piece I did, I would be happy to talk abt it as much as I can! ^^)

[lesbooblur]

i just hope you see me in a little better light

Word count: 1.8k

Characters: Deceit Sanders, Creativity | Roman “Princey” Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus “The Duke” Sanders, Morality | Patton Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders, mentions of orange side, mentions of Anxiety | Virgil Sanders

Pairings: Deceit Sanders/Creativity | Roman “Princey” Sanders, King Creativity/Deceit Sanders

Warnings: light angst, mentions of neglect sort of, low self esteem

Summary: In the beginning, Deceit was in love with Creativity. Remus immediately trusts him for a reason he can’t remember, and Roman, well Roman is so much like the king Deceit lost. 

AN: i got very into sanders sides this week and cranked this baby out in a day. please enjoy and I will be back with more angst about this series I cannot stop thinking about the new episode. please come talk to me about sanders sides. I have nobody to talk to abt this and so many ideas. title is from "to be so lonely" by harry styles which is my absolute favorite song from the fine line album

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23992327

**SPOILERS FOR PUTTING OTHERS FIRST**

Before there was anyone else, there were Deceit and Morality. They didn’t have names back then, because Thomas hadn’t quite yet learned how to talk well enough for that. Deceit kept his hands and ambitions bare. He wanted so badly for Thomas to be someone important, to mean something in this world.

Morality had taken quite a shine to Thomas’ parents. He clung to their lessons, to their assurances that Thomas was a good kid. He watched Thomas’ brothers get scolded for breaking a window and trodding in the flowers in the yard. He was, in essence, developing a checklist of right and wrong. 

(There was a third, but he didn’t leave the corner of Thomas’ mind. He used to show up a lot when Thomas was still a baby. He would never tell them what he wanted. Morality didn’t like him very much. He was just so loud.)

And then, when Thomas couldn’t have been much more than three years old, the others showed up. 

Logic didn’t really like him, and he didn’t really like Logic. Logic tended to side with Morality more often than he dared to admit. He would claim that “no, Thomas shouldn’t seek revenge on that idiot who pushed him on the playground, because then he would get in trouble, and that would not be very beneficial to Thomas’ education,” but revenge sounded pretty logical to Deceit. You know, as long as they didn’t get caught. 

But it’s fine, Deceit didn’t have to win this one. It’s just that he didn’t win any of them. 

And then Creativity showed up. 

He was just as wild as he was smart, and his wit made him fascinating to Deceit. Sure, Logic and Morality tolerated Deceit, but Creativity was the first one to ever choose Deceit’s company. 

“Want to play ‘the floor is lava’ with us?” he had asked once. He only ever spoke in what Deceit would later learn is called the “royal we.” It had been a particularly taxing day for Deceit, as Thomas had spent over an hour deciding whether or not to tell his mom about the lamp he broke only to have Shea rat him out anyway (Deceit was on team “don’t tell.” Not that it mattered very much when he had both Logic and Morality against him. There were two people lurking in the corner. One of them, he found out later, called himself “Anxiety.” Deceit spent his energy deliberately not looking over there.) No one had ever asked Deceit to play a game before. At best, the others just sort of avoided him. 

Creativity took him into a place called the Imagination, and it was beautiful. It was the oddest mix of serene and twisted. A divine balance. 

Creativity was the best at bedtime stories. He could spin you a tale out of even the smallest hint of an idea. He came up with amazing villains and glorious heroes. Deceit always liked the stories best where the villain and the hero would fall in love and run away to live together.

Morality did not. Morality’s favorite stories were the ones where the good guy vanquished the bad guy. When Creativity told stories in the common room, they were always those ones. He always looked so disappointed by the end of it, though.

Creativity never asked Deceit for anything, so Deceit offered him the world. 

“Run away with me,” he said one night. “We can go live in the Imagination together.” Thomas would have been about five. 

“Deceit, they’re- We would love to, more than anything, but…”

He trailed off, brown eyes glancing back towards Deceit’s door. They were sitting in Deceit’s room drawing a story of a brave knight falling in love with the dragon he’s supposed to kill. 

If Deceit was sad, only his brown eye showed it. The yellow one stared unblinking. Creativity focused on that one. 

“They’re your friends,” Deceit said. “But what about me?”

“Of course you’re our friend! Why would you even-”

“It’s okay,” Deceit said. “Nobody around here likes me much anyway.” 

“No, Deceit- We- Look,” he said, and grasped Deceit’s hands in his. His skin was warm against the yellow gloves. “Our name is Romulus.” 

Deceit started. “Are we- We’re allowed to have names?” It was half a question and half a revelation.

“The others do,” Romulus said, voice soft and shameful. 

They didn't tell Deceit, but that was just par for the course. 

“Oh,” Deceit said. He felt the smallest he ever had. He wondered if it was possible to shrink down so small you vanish. 

“Morality is Patton and Logic is Logan.”

“Oh,” Deceit parroted. So that is what being trusted felt like. 

“You need one,” Romulus said, and it was not a question. It was a lifeline in a storm. “How about… Janus. God of crossroads and choices.”

“I love it,” Janus said, and he was not lying. 

That night, Romulus vanished. Janus searched the Imagination for hours. All he found was a kid with bright red eyes dressed in green and black. 

“Remus,” he said when Janus asked his name. Janus did not cry.

“Okay, Remus,” he said instead. “Let’s go home.”

--

Janus is not having the worst day ever. He’s not, and if you ask him he’ll tell you that. He just hasn’t left his room because… it’s too warm out. 

Remus had left him a pile of stale cookies at the door. It was weird to have someone trust you so completely for no reason that they remember. Janus doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to it. 

So maybe it’s not the worst day ever, but it certainly is in the top three, because Janus had been working so hard to get Thomas to just go to that callback, and Roman just up and ruined the whole thing. Like he doesn’t know that it’s already exhausting to be around Roman due to the sheer similarities to Romulus. Which he actually doesn’t know. Remus may have inherited Romulus’ trust of Janus, but Roman inherited the bulk of the similarities. Roman has no trust of Janus.

And that’s fine, honestly, because Janus is not helplessly in love with Romulus. Which frankly, is stupid, because neither twin has the memories of Romulus or even the ability to become Romulus again, so Janus can just spend the rest of his life sulking and missing his friend. That’s cool. 

Maybe it’s good that Roman hates him. It would be worse if he didn’t. 

Virgil doesn’t trust him, which is fine with Janus. He gets it, he’s a handful, and not particularly easy to get along with, so Virgil can sit and sulk in the juror’s booth and pretend to be one of them. What are they calling themselves these days? Light sides?

He guesses Dark Side has kind of a cool ring to it. 

Logan and Patton are the same. They remember him and remember hating him, but they haven’t really bothered to see how the past 25 years have changed him. That’s fine with Janus. He’s got all the friends he needs.

He has a family of his own now, after all. One of them still hides in the corner. That’s okay. He will show up on his own time. 

Remus is a lovable handful. He still possesses all of the eccentricities of Romulus with very little of the personality. He’s made himself into something new. Janus can respect that. 

It was Remus who was torn from Roman. It is Roman who maintains the essence of Romulus. It gets harder and harder for Janus to ignore that fact.

“I just love you, Roman,” he told Roman in the courtroom. When Roman had flushed red, Janus pretended it didn’t hurt. 

It does.

The next time he sees Roman is worse. It is everything Janus secretly fears, because there is something close to recognition in Roman’s green eyes when Janus says his name. And then it’s gone, replaced by anger and scorn. When he leaves and Patton follows, Janus does not. 

It’s better this way, he reminds himself. Janus is only a nuisance. 

He didn’t expect Roman to end up at his door. He didn’t expect to ever see Roman again.

Roman’s cookies aren’t stale, and they have walnuts in them, which are Janus’ favorites. It’s silly that being with Roman feels like knowing you’re almost at the summit of the mountain. 

“I don’t expect you to forgive me,” Roman says, green eyes staring down at Janus’ covered hands. “Ever. But I just wanted to bring you these. I’m so sorry, Janus.”

It’s a whisper, barely even that. A regret and a promise.

“Your brother is not a bad person, even if his cookies are stale. To call him evil, and to call you evil, that wasn’t fair. I’m sorry, Roman.” 

The name feels weird in his mouth. They named Rome after Romulus, didn’t they? 

“Can I come in?”

Janus hesitates for a while. No one except Remus and Virgil had ever been in there before. 

“Yeah. You may not like what you find,” he says, cracking a smile. 

He steps back, and Roman enters the room. It’s hauntingly familiar. 

Roman takes a moment to look at the room. His eyes fall on the drawing tacked up to the wall. Any lines on the page are wobbly like they were drawn by someone young, but it’s clearly a prince and a dragon falling in love. 

“Did you…?” Roman asks, and Janus understands the question anyway.

“And old friend,” he answers. 

“It looks familiar,” Roman says, tilting his head to look at the picture. 

“It shouldn’t,” Janus responds. 

“Were you lying that day in the courtroom?” Roman asks. 

“I lie a lot. You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“About loving me.”

“Oh,” Janus says, and his mouth closes with a soft click. “Yes.”

“Oh,” Roman responds. “Okay. Wait, is that-”

“Half a lie,” Janus says. “I was in love with the person who drew that. Maybe I still am. He was the only person who ever listened to me.” 

Roman studies the photo again. “Romulus,” he says, and it shakes Janus. 

“I was one of the first sides to be born,” Janus says. “I remember the day you split.”

“Then you know who did it,” Roman says, but it’s more of a question than anything. 

“No,” Janus lies. “I found Remus in the imagination shortly after.” 

“I can’t be Romulus again, Janus,” Roman says, and now he’s looking at the side of Janus’ face that is facing him. Janus doesn’t have the strength to turn to meet his gaze. 

“I know,” Janus says, and he’s not sure if it’s a lie. 

“You’re in love with a ghost,” Roman says, and it stings in the way only the truth can. 

“Yes,” Janus says, and it’s not a lie. “I’m sorry.” He doesn’t know what he’s apologizing for.

“Tell me about him,” Roman says. “I’d love to hear.” 

Janus tells him about Romulus. In exchange, Roman tells him a story about a handsome prince falling in love with the charming lawyer who dressed in yellow and black.

[welplookslikethisblogisdeadtoo]

(for the fic writer meme) 1, 4, 8, 13, 20, 29, any or all that you feel like!

Thank you so much! I’m putting it under a cut bc its Long but please read as it includes fic recs, possible upcoming fics from myself and a whole lot of other author appreciation!

1. Describe your comfort zone—a typical you-fic.

Hm…Fantasy AUs, Mundane AUs with a REALLY GOOD twist (either mentioned or as a surprise), Canon-Divergent fics that either delve deeper into a character development and ‘what-ifs’, and stories with more to them than ‘character A + B (+ C, etc) get together - I like stories with relatable or interesting plots.

4. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them?

Hm…I have MANY ideas tbh, but if I were to write them I’d need to fill out the plots a LOT more! 

I think that my fav idea that I would have the most to work with rn is my Nart Pitch Perfect AU (Which sounds a little strange but me and @artlessictoan have worked out the entire plot and its Good Shit) but I don’t know whether I just wanna make redraw scenes and write up a few snippets or draw a few comics of the plot and stuff? Idk, I’m still debating on that one, lemme know what you think!

8. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

‘ November 5th was certainly going to be remembered by every one of their classmates, but for all the wrong reasons. It was no one’s fault, the firework had simply been a faulty one. Accidents caused by them happen by the thousands every year.

But the memory of Sakura, still only in her second year of Uni studying to be a doctor, saving Naruto’s life with a blanket and plenty of pressure, the ambulance rushing him off to A&E for emergancy surgery, huddled as a group of eleven in a crowded waiting room with nothing but hope and fear until the early hours of the morning… It was a memory that would haunt them their entire lives.

And as for their failure of a relationship, that was the last straw. It wasn’t as though Hinata wasn’t supportive of Naruto, of course she was - all of their friends were, but the stress tore the two apart. But what was even scarier, was the fact that, apparently, if you break up with someone, it’s impossible to stay friends with them. But how could they not stay friends? They were simply too important to each other to loose.

As Hinata staired at Naruto, the golden light bouncing off the frost dusted windows catching in his hair and highlighting his olive skin in an orange glow, real arm reaching down to change his car’s gear, face alight with new hope and happiness… The content warming her heart like a fire in a harth told her that she wouldn’t have life any other way.” ‘ - Exeunt, Chapter 2.

I think this is my favourite piece of writing that I’ve done recently because it starts of very jarring, really the first angsty/darker part of this fic - and there will be more of that to come, just some warning - but it ends in a really peaceful, warm way that I think really ties that section of the story up nicely. I’m also really happy of the way it flows and builds back up from the trauma into something lighter.

13. What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?

Make characters flawed, conflict one of your best plot-bunny devices, find yourself a Writing Alpha bc Artless is The Best tbh and my writing is improving tenfold after just a few sessions with them talking abt my stories.

20. Describe your perfect writing conditions.

I’d say when I’m REALLY in the Mood to write something/the scene I’ve been stuck on, or if something has just Clicked in trying to work out how to progress with a fic. In my bed with comfy clothes and fairylights on in the evening after dinner. Listening to a playlist that immerses me into the story and scene I’m writing and no distractions.

29. If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose?

If I could then I would re-write, or continue (because the sequel hasn’t updated in 3 years) the Coming To Terms series. It was actually one of the first fics I completely fell in love with and its super mundane and there are lots of different plots for various characters while still keeping the pace and keeping track of various storylines. It had a REALLY GOOD ending to the 1st part but there was SO MUCH more potential for the sequel and there was a lot of unresolved things and it was all leading up to one big bang which it didn’t get around to. Honestly I highly recommend it though, its super nostalgic for me and still one of my fav works of all time!!!

(my choice!)

15. If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose?

Exeunt, without doubt. It’s the Magnum Opus of all my Naruto AUs and something that I want my writing to develop with as it is created. I think it has the most potential too seeing as it is completely different to the original Naruto series so it has the potential to be a stand-alone thing.

27. How do you feel about collaborations?

Oh boy, oh man I LOVE collabs. Have you even read A Time For Change, holy shit that AU is just like my Happy Place and its SO NICE to talk about the plot with someone else without spoiling anything bc you’re both in on it?? Its just a really special experience!

28. Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.

Hooo boy here we go.

@artlessictoan, holy shit, their works are just. Goals. Absolutely, this isn’t even coming from a ‘i work with them a lot so i have to be nice 2 them’ this is a legit thing like their fics are some of my favourites of all time and their characterization is SO SPOT ON. They’re REALLY GOOD at writing dialogue and they really delve into the root of the story when it comes to writing them, their research shows through so well and they cover things that you wouldn’t even think of. They’re one of those writers where you have to just step back after reading one of their works and think ‘Oh my god. Oh my god what a wild ride why didn’t I think of that oh my gOD.’ Check out their work, seriously guys!

@linddzz Oh my god, their writing, where do I even begin. They NAIL the characters completely and utterly when they write them, they really bring to light Credence’s personality and the problems and issues he had to face and faces still, especially in my favorite of their fics A Study on the Habits of the Adult Obscurial. I really like the way they represent Newt also, he doesn’t know how to People very well and he’s just so very in-character that once you read their fic you just accept it as canon honestly.

@jinglebellfic Listen up folks if you haven’t read Riptide Lover then you ABSOLUTELY SHOULD, its one of my favorite works and it’s been updating for YEARS and its still being updated bc they talk abt it all the time and this AU just gives me LIFE. Just a warning for those who aren’t keen that it is Very NSFW but the story just has SUCH A GOOD PLOT and it starts BANG in the middle of the action, no messing around, it’s so well-written that I was sucked into the story (and the fandom, this fic is what got me into it in the first place!) so quickly and I enjoyed it so much that I spent abt a week reading it whenever I had the spare time to. It’s very nostalgic to me now and it makes my entire month when it updates.