#then had a correction of 'but they should have happiness'

[blackynsupremacy]

TEETHING TROUBLES

pairing: nicholas a. chavez x black!fem!reader

summary: baby noah is going through the dreadful time of teething. you and your husband, nicholas, are trying everything possible to ease your son’s pain until he finds his own solution.

inspo/dedication: @austeenbootler, they’re the one who has created the concept of noah, so for more context, check out their nac social media fic! it’s amazing.

contains: a bit short, fluffity fluff fluff, one swear word, reader and nicholas are married, reader is a famous singer, mom!reader, dad!nicholas, romance, beautiful family dynamics, uncle cooper and aunt billie will make a cameo, cute nickname for noah: nu-nu (new-new).

a/n: happy thanksgiving to those who celebrate!

tags: @austeenbootler @greengoblinswifey @hoffmansgirl @sabrinasopposite @venic-bxtch @thabiddie23 @oscarisaackissmykitty @motherismotheringggg @hnch33rios @xoxoglittergossip @sheydnni @supaprettyg @jkr820 @simply-the-best23 @tryingtograspctrl @elitesanjisimp @gxuxhdjdu

“c’mon, nu-nu! just try to suck on this for mommy, okay?”

you sit on the couch and try to coax your crying five-month-old, noah, into taking his usual pacifier. he was wailing in pain due to his irritated gums as he squirmed on your lap. he was at that beautiful, yet dreadful milestone of a child’s life: teething. his cries pierce your ears as warm tears flow down his chubby face when he frantically turns his head away from the pacifier that’s ghosting over his lips. you knew that being a working mother wasn’t going to be an easy walk in the park and this was just one of those moments. not only did you have to find a solution to help noah, but you had a deadline to finish off your next album with one more song to write and record. your doting husband, nicholas chavez, ran to the store to get some fruit for noah’s new tool. you both saw online that a fruit teething pacifier could help with the issue along with a various assortment of teething toys, and a finger toothbrush. you were new parents, so you both thought there was no harm in testing out different options. you just wanted your son to get some sort of relief, so that he doesn’t keep crying all day and night.

“babe—m’back!” sighing in relief, you hear nicholas call out for you as he enters back into your home with a grocery bag in his hand. you perch noah on your side with your arms securely wrapped around him. as you walk towards your husband, you try to bounce and lightly pat the infant on his back in hopes to ease his wails. noah heaves and stammers then they shift to whimpers before he’s back to sobbing. nicholas understood the struggle as he looks upon you both with a sympathetic smile, he greets you both a kiss upon your heads before he leans down to speak to noah,

“naw, c’mere, buddy. it’ll get better, i promise! wanna come to daddy?” you take that as a cue to carefully hand noah off to his father while you take the grocery bag out of his hand. noah instantly rests his tiny arms on nicholas’ chest, instantly gripping the fabric of his shirt. you all journey to the kitchen, so you could prepare this teether and give your baby relief. you retrieve the newly packaged fruit teether from the table and promptly open it to read the instructions. nicholas paces around the room as he coos and converses with his son while you choose the correct size of the teat ring that was appropriate for noah’s age. you groan in annoyance as your phone buzzes out your ringtone within the back of your jeans while you’re trying to cut the fresh strawberries for the teether. you didn’t really want to answer it, but this could be work related and most moms should know how to multitask, right?

“don’t worry, sweetheart. i got it.”

before you could reach for it, nicholas has already took the device from your pocket, swiped with his thumb to answer, and put it on speaker. when he places it on the counter beside you, you mouth a “thank you” to him and you continue with your tasks when you hear a voice call out through the phone,

“WHAT’S UP, FUCKERS!?”

you and nicholas playfully shake your heads in disapproval, trying to hold in a chuckle.

“billie eilish pirate baird o’connell, how many times do i have to tell you to watch your mouth? i do not need my baby to cuss before he says ‘mama’—” you scold your best friend, who you deemed as the godmother of your son.

“or dada!” nicholas chimes in. you listen to billie’s chuckles resonate from the speaker as you gather the chopped strawberries into the teat ring and seal it back for noah’s use. you put it in the freezer to let it get cold and as you wait, you pick up the phone.

“first of all, he’s gonna say my name as his first words—and second, m’sorrryyy!” billie humbly apologized.

“it’s all good, b. what’re you up to?” you inquire, you absentmindedly approach the boys and shift a concerned gaze on the whimpering baby. nicholas doesn’t waste time to swipe away any fallen tears from his son’s face. the poor thing wasn’t crying as loud now, but he was still in agony nonetheless. billie’s voice reverberates in the room,

“nothing much. just wanted to check in—is that noah crying? who made my baby cry? i’ll hurt them!”

“if only you could fight the one responsible for teething, that would surely be a relief!” nicholas quips, walking past you with a still whining noah to the freezer and opening it to obtain the now frozen pacifier with cold strawberries. you watch as he gives noah the opportunity to observe the object before him.

“look what daddy’s got, noah. here you go, little man.” nicholas softly encouraged.

you both adore those round, curious eyes that are now slightly red from his crying earlier. nicholas inches the teat closer to noah’s lips and he nibbles on it for a few seconds before fully suckling on it. you both let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding and billie’s voice startles you,

“aww, man. that blows, but hey, i don’t hear crying anymore. what’d you do?”

you happily explain the process of the fruit teether and other solutions to your friend. she gives you and nicholas kudos for making sure that if one thing doesn’t go right, you already have a back up just in case. you and nicholas couldn’t help to grin in satisfaction knowing that your baby will get some relief after all.

“well, i’m glad that worked out! now you can finally start working on that last—”

billie’s voice is cut off in an instant by the familiar, shrill sound of noah’s cries. you find out he just spit out the fruit pacifier. what went wrong? just a two minutes ago, he was going to town on it. now he doesn’t want it anymore? you and your husband nervously sigh as you’re back to square one.

“maybe i-uh, spoke too soon…i’ll leave you and nick to it, y/n. don’t be so hard on yourselves, you have a back up and you got this. hope noah feels better soon!”

you both thank her for the encouragement and bid her a farewell before she hangs up. you put the phone down and approach your wailing baby with a distressed expression.

“aw, nunu! i guess you didn’t really like that, huh? come to my mommy, baby.”

you reach your hands out and nicholas wastes no time to pass noah off into your embrace. you hold him close to you with his chin on your shoulder and your palm resting on the back of his head, your thumb caressing his sensitive scalp under his dark, thick coily hair. your husband approaches closer and wraps a strong, comforting arm around your side.

“it’s back to the drawing board, nick. i hate to see him like this. god, talk about growing pains—and this is only just the beginning of more to come.” you fret, lightly bouncing noah to ease his sorrow. with a reassuring grin, nicholas lays a kiss to your forehead,

“i know, baby, i hate it for him too. we may be new at this, but the best we can do is do the best we can—and that’s to keep trying until we eventually get it right. everything will work out for us, okay?” at his words, you simper. you love nicholas and noah so much that it hurts. this was your family. this wasn’t just a group of people who share vows, dna, and a house. this was life and you can’t imagine yourself living it without your boys.

“when you put it in perspective, you’re right. we can do this and this is only temporary! once we figure it out, he will feel better. babe, you always know what to say. i love you, nick.” you commend him and reach on your toes to give him a quick peck to his lips.

“i love you more—both of you. can i hold him again?” you giggle at his wholesomeness, “of course! nick, you ain’t even gotta ask.” once again, nicholas scoops his son within his grasp. he holds the baby up, so that they can be eye to eye. “hey, there’s my best boy.” he pauses to kiss his chubby cheek to which noah receives with a coo. it was so refreshing to hear a sound from him that wasn’t from a place of irritation. “mama and i got you, buddy. yes, we—oh, babe!”

you dissolve into laughter as you witness noah suckling on the bridge of his father’s nose and it appears that he didn’t want to let go. nicholas laughs at the fact that each time he tries to hide his face away, noah comes back stronger and more persistent to gum down his dad’s face. you take a video with your cellphone to send to your group chat with both billie and cooper koch, nick’s best friend and noah’s godfather. you’re in stitches when you receive their reactions, they never miss the opportunity to rag on nicholas as they’ve done in prior occasions. he just can’t catch a break!

“y/n, babe, help!—noah! please, aha!” he can barely manage a word as the baby takes a grip on nicholas’ collar and he becomes more relentless with each suckle to his skin. you playfully raise your hands in surrender and shake your head.

“sorry, nick, but it looks like you’re the answer to our problem!” you joke in hysteria. just like that, your anxiety melted into the sweet relief of a true family bond.

[drinkabletoxicdishsoap]

the fandom’s characterization of peri becoming a father to dev will always be interesting to me because where it did it even come from ???

I mean in operation birthday takeback, bro CLEARLY did not care. He honestly seemed so disinterested and didn’t even care when they went into his dad’s private office by accident. He didn’t seem care or smile for his godkid when he was happy. Even got a little mean when Hazel made a nice wish for him with the rocket boots (“Well that should keep him entertained for about 10 minutes” or smth like that)

Lost in Fairy World he didn’t really seem to care either??? he really only just wanted his wand and to ‘look good’ in front of his godkid and do things his way without his parents interfering. Sort of like how a babysitter wants to look good in front of the family of the kid they’re looking after if that makes sense.

The only time we ever seen him actually care about dev was in the finale when he said that. But even after fairy world got turned to normal he didn’t really seem sad about dev??? he was just smiling after, seemed genuine too and not a fake one. Maybe it’s just me, but if I was a fairy and lost my first godkid, who took over my home, I would be doing anything BUT smiling, even if we won in the end. Peri doesn’t seem like one to hide his emotions easily either (maybe I’m reading into his character wrong)

You could bring up best of luck, which I would say is a fair point, but I’m going to bring back the babysitter/job synonym. Wouldn’t you get jealous of the person that stole your position or place in a work environment after you got fired?? Especially if your rival/enemy took that position?? I PERSONALLY don’t think the jealousy comes from a place of care, but maybe that’s just me.

It could honestly just be the fandom’s way of coping since Dev doesn’t seem to have any good people in his life after the finale, but why Peri? I mean if you really want to make one of the fairies a father figure to dev, I’d say the anti fairies more over are his family but that’s IF we have to choose.

Don’t get me wrong, I do think all of the peri and dev being a father son duo is super cute and heartwarming!! I love seeing all of the art and fics of that because it really is sweet :3 but to me, it just doesn’t really make sense and seems more out of character for Peri if anything.

He seems to care more about following Da Rules in my opinion. And while I do think it’s important to follow rules, especially when it comes to a job, you shouldn’t rely on them. At a job, you shouldn’t be constantly looking over rules to make sure you’re following them, you might end up tripping over yourself. That’s what Peri ended up doing.

If I assign the duo as anything, it would be the tired babysitter who just wants to get paid and the kid he’s looking after. A dude working a 9-5 at his job he couldn’t really care less about (dev).

I mean (only from his words) he wanted to go into the family business. Not because he genuinely cares for kids, but because it’s what his family has done. He’s treating godparenting as work, not stepping into a kids family and genuinely looking after them.

I do wonder if he would act the same way if he had an easier godkid.

BUT!!!! that’s just my thoughts. I’m sorry if I got anything wrong and feel me to correct me if I did !! Also if you disagree with anything that I’m saying, tell me why in either the replies or reblogs !! I would love to hear other people’s perspectives or opinions.

That’s it 😨 thank you so much for coming to another yap session and I hope you have a great day/night wherever you are in the world <3

[maodear]

Yapping about the contestants Guardian’s!

TW: Abuse,drugs,SA and etc.

So not many people talk about the Guardian’s in alien stage. I will be making opinions on each, but I will probably write more about the guardians when my art-book comes. Which would have all the lore I need.

Shine 🩷 (Mizi’s guardian

As we all should know, Shine is the most friendliest and definitely the most sweetest Gurdian. She loves humans and has curiosity to them. Mizi and Shien definitely had the most closest thing to a Mother and Daughter relationship out of everyone else.

Shine wanted nothing but good for Mizi, which is probably why she wanted her to be in Anakt Garden. Mizi had talent for singing and dancing. I am sure that if Shine knew that Mizi would have to suffer and go through pain. She would have not done it at all.

During round 5, Shine was watching. And you can tell how she felt looking at Mizi. She looks so sad :((

In all of Mizi’s birthday art or official art with Shine. She looked so happy in each one, always smiling or having fun. Shine loves Mizi like a normal person would love there pet. It seems messed up but Aliens see humans as Pets. But Shine still loves Mizi as her

Urak 🖕 ((Tills guardian

Urak is the Segyein of Till. And I will say he sucks the most. He treats Till horribly, in all ways. Mentally and physically. Urak has had other of his pets compete in Alien stage, but he says that Till is different from all of them because of his personality. He goes on saying that He only kept Till alive because of his Musical Talent he has. Urak believes that a Gurdian should learn right away what their pet’s strengths are to see if they are worthy.

In round 6 flashback Urak is forcing Till to sing “Oh my clematis” which Till refused to, which Urak throws a bottle at him, pinned him to a table. And when Till does break free, He attacked another segyein. Urak then once again assisted in restraining him. It’s said that Till was also SA in that flashback.

When Urak was asked about round 6 in an interview, Urak says that the only thing that matters is winning. It doesn’t matter how, if he wins it all worked. He also does expressed that it’s possible for Till to beat Luka, given how much Urak invested in him. (Which ages perfectly))

As much as I hate to admit. Even if Till is alive or not. I’m glad he lost because Urak has set another of his pets for Failure. And I hope he knows that, no matter how much he abuses, drugs or whatever shit he does. It won’t work because he will always set them in failure. Over and over again and it’s his fault.

Apparently Unsha and Urak have romance..??

Unsha🐁 ((Ivan’s guardian

Unsha is the Segyein of Ivan. Unsha isn’t physically abusive to Ivan but definitely is mentally. He has horrible has Urak since both Mentally and Physically hurt as much.

Unsha bought Ivan for his wife since it was her birthday. Ivan was choose because of his eyes which he found intriguing. Unsha also does mention that he had just begun to venture into the pet human entertainment business, so the timing was perfect for him. Which makes me believe that Ivan was Unsha’s first Pet.

If I’m correct In an interview, Ivan claims that Unsha is well known and him and Urak had nothing more then a business relationship. Saying they weren’t close in any way. Nothing more nothing less.

When asked for his thoughts on Ivan's impulsive actions during Round 6, Unsha replied saying he was disappointed that Ivan essentially forfeited the round, and he thought Ivan had a lot of potential even before Alien stage. He also admitted to being curious about what Ivan was thinking during around 6.

He closes the interview by saying he felt like he learned a lot being with Ivan, and it was worth the loss. He lastly that he doesn’t intend to participate in Alien stage again anytime soon.

Phan💀(Hyunas and Hyun-woo Gurdian

Phan is the Gurdian Segyein of Hyuna and Hyun-woo. Not much is shown or known of her since she was never brought up.

I did find that Heperu has an interesting to her similar to how Luka is obsessed with Hyuna.

((Not my picture! I don’t own the Art-book yet!)

Heperu🖕🖕🖕 (Lukas Gurdian

Heperu is the Gurdian Segyein of Luka. I might get blasted for this but I believe he’s the worst one yet. He claims that he had made Luka overcome fear, which makes me wonder what kind of things he had done to Luka. As we know Luka as went through a test with was monitoring his heart rate, and stoping his heart completely. Luka barley shows any kind of emotion. But he was crying in that art, Heperu disgust me.

Heperu ego is very high I can tell, because in a interview he claims that all of Lukas achievements and his talent is because of him. And he should thank him always for making him perfect. He always puts Luka very high, saying he will win no matter what.

In one of Lukas official art it shows Heperu shadow being in a position in which looks like kissing.?? And his hand was caressing him. Luka also looked quite young too which just gives me more creeps.

In the music Video all-in Luka kissed Hyuna, which I want to say. Was because of Heperu. Usually when someone was SA they see as a normal thing and do it to another person. That would explain why Luka kisses Hyuna.

Luka has been out through so much stuff because of Heperu and like everyone else has. Luka as very right to be the way he is. Because of Heperu and how cruel he is, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Till did become the same way.

Heperu also has a thing for Phan, having an attraction to Phan, just like Luka has an attraction to Hyuna??

Neigh🐛 (Sua’s Guardian

Not much is known from Neigh, but from what we know is that Niegh sees pets as nothing more than dolls. She dressed them all out usually the same. In a white dress like a doll.

In Neigh’s profile it’s shown that she has 0% interest in Sua. Probably because Sua is a copy of everyone else there. They are all the same as emotionless dolls. With no feelings or opinions.

——<3

Pretty sure that’s everyone? When my art-book arrives I will make any other post on the Guardians probably.

I may hate every Guardian except for Shine, but they hold a lot of meaning in the story which I appreciate.

Thanks for taking your time to read all of this <33

[saintsenara]

Do you think there is parallel between Peter and ron.

Fandom does Peter wrong. That is a fact. He is either absent or is present just for comic relief or is pure evil. But all those characterisation are simply cartoonish. As if written by a person who is living in la la land...

Peter, just like Lupin, we only know major things about him. But like not many people see lupin as a gray shade character only a kind fluffy guy, Peter is polarised to the bad one....

Ron similarly is often given the last place if how much of a good friend each person in golden trio was to be questioned. And that is a tragedy in itself because atleast for Ron we have so much material...

Infact for me, Ron will always be a person who has bigger heart than jkr's favorite mary sue-Lily Evans. She did what any good mother should do. But fandom never stops going on and on about it Or even Harry's sacrifice at the end is so much singed about...but then we have Ron, an 11 year kid who for the sake of defeating voldy, told his new Friends to leave him. He sacrificed himself at 11. Everyone was sure that he is risking his life...but no one i see ever gushes about that act of bravery. It is always about one Potter Or the other.

Peter too. I mean he won't have been friends with the other three for 10 years if they just tolerated him and vice versa. But making him evil kr stupid kr dumb Or hideous to look at in his childhood or teen years is like taking all his personality away and giving us just a shell of a person...

He did become animagi at 15 and that is quite a commendable magic. He is cunning to pull up his stunt as a spy....

Like war as sirius describes in gof is so dark and scary. And people forgot that big things make a person change.

Ron on the other hand had done quite a lot in his life time but often he is found to be judged for leaving his friends.

I believe that the only difference between them is that ron recognised his faults and made correction. Meanwhile pettigrew simply kept on walking on the wrong path he chose....

What do you think on this..?

thank you very much for the ask, pal!

i don't think this entirely works. ron gets cast by the fandom as a gluttonous moron who's also a bad friend primarily on account of the films - and as a bad person by people who want to ship hermione with other people but don't have the nerve to do this in a complex or interesting way - but the text never suggests that either harry or hermione think of him as being in last place in the trio.

indeed, when harry does think of himself as better than ron - when ron gets made a prefect over him in order of the phoenix - he feels horrible for his brief flash of jealousy and soon gets over it. on other occasions when he notes something about himself which could be seen as superior to ron - when he notes that ron got no outstandings at owl, for example - harry doesn't actually force a comparison which is designed to position ron below him. they end up doing the same newts, which is what harry - who sees ron as his partner in crime - cares about.

ron is also demonstrably harry's best friend, and harry tends to enable him and automatically side with him in conflict - it's an example of great self-growth that he doesn't cut hermione off in half-blood prince when ron does, since he's perfectly happy to do so in prisoner of azkaban. but he's also demonstrably hermione's best friend too. harry's relationship with her is, as he says, sibling-like, which doesn't just mean that it's not romantic, but that it contains a "you can't choose your family" vibe - he loves her fiercely, but he also finds her exasperating in a way ron doesn't, doesn't make any real effort to learn about her interests or include her in his, and is often quite harsh to her. ron - in contrast - does see his relationship with her as one of active choice.

this is why i never really like the idea that the trio and the marauders are meant to be parallels. on the surface, ron and harry should be the equivalent of james and sirius and hermione should be remus...

but they're not, because the clear dynamic of the marauders in canon is that they were a group centred around james. all three of sirius, remus, and peter clearly understood james as their best friend, and their relationships among themselves primarily depend on their understanding of their and the others' relationship to james. there is - i think - a credible case to be made that, if james was removed from the picture entirely, but not in a way that caused the profound trauma of the canon timeline [if he just moved away with lily, for example], the remaining three would drift apart.

james - of course - only understood sirius as his equal, his brother. peter is obviously someone he considered inferior to the two of them - albeit in a fond way, rather than a cruel one. he clearly thinks of him the way a teenager might think of their pre-teen sibling - someone you love and are happy to include in your social life if they do what you want, someone you also don't want to embarrass you in front of your cool teenage friends by letting them do what they want instead of following your instructions. remus is clearly someone he didn't think of as quite so socially inferior to him, but he also still seems to have understood him as peripheral to his and sirius' rampant codependence.

the trio doesn't have anything like this dynamic. even though harry is narratively unequal to ron and hermione - he is their leader, they are his disciples - the relationships across the three of them [harry's active choice to be friends with ron, harry's feeling that hermione is his sister; ron's active choice to be friends with hermione, his pseudo-familial relationship with harry] are much more equal than those among the marauders.

what i have been convinced by, however, is @whinlatter's belief that the best parallel for peter in the series is ginny:

[hybbart]

This is perhaps a strange question, but do you have the sketch/lineart/framework/whatever the heck it's called that you use when you draw Tango? I decided I want to learn to draw, and my thought process was, "Ah yes, the easiest way is to try and copy my favourite Tangos cause I know how they look," and it is going... poorly xD.

Alternatively, do you have any advice on how to learn and develop a style, or how to get/keep going?

A reference sheet? I have a couple various ones, though at this point i don't really use a reference unless I need to sample colours, and I'm currently working on a colour reference for myself. Besides the point I suppose... I'll put them at the very bottom of the cut so scroll right past my ramblings if you want to.

As for advice. My advice is do not try developing a style if you are just starting out. style is the last thing that should be on your mind if you're just starting out. Style is something that happens naturally as you grow and learn what you like and get used to your tools, and being able to intentionally create a style is an advanced skill that requires the skill to draw in various styles, strong basics, self-awareness, and proper self-critique.

The rest of this is going to be very incoherent and long winded and backwards so I apologize.

The most important thing to improving is to get over yourself. You need to look at someone else's art and be able to admit it's better than yours or has a quality you wish yours had without that being a statement of self-deprecation. You need to be able to look at your own art and pick out what it is you don't like about it without using it to beat yourself up. You can't improve if you get demotivated by the information required to adjust your course.

If you must, find something in each drawing that you like and focus on learning how to recreate that. If you find yourself with a drawing that you genuinely find nothing you like about it you stop drawing and restart, because that drawing is worthless to you once you recognize that. Analyze why you don't like it, figure out what's causing you to draw that way, ask what you might prefer instead and what the difference between them is, and figure out how to draw what you want instead. The important thing is that when you examine your art and other's art you're using as inspiration you don't instead use it as a tool to put yourself down.

My shadows are flat and poorly angled, and I draw everything lopsides, and I can say those things as simple facts of my art. These are things I still do, and I use tools to fix them, like turning my tablet or using editing tools, or looking up references. If I want to know a certain technique I reach out to other artists I see using said technique and asking, or I research it myself. In the meantime I experiment and accept this flaw in my art. There's other things to like. The important thing is you don't allow your lack of knowledge to demotivate you from correcting that lack of knowledge.

The best thing you can do is ask yourself what you like about art, and what you want to do. It's a bit difficult for me to help with this sort of thing because I've literally always drawn my whole life, so helping someone who is actively choosing to take up drawing isn't my realm of expertise. But art is communication and connection and self-expression. What do you want to express through your art and what medium is that expression best done in, what do you want to convey, what do you want to share that you simply cannot without art.

It's a bit daunting, those sound like profound questions, but honestly they're not. When I draw fanart usually what I wanna communicate is "I like these characters when they do this", and more often than not it's "I really liked this line/palette".

These incomplete character sketches have sat in my main D&D folder and I think about him at least once a month entirely because I was so happy with his proportions and the concept of a dewclaw heel. I ended up reusing the heel in these Jimmy designs.

It can be anything and changes with each piece. Drawing let's me express what I love and emphasize what I love about it or show it from my perspective. I'll use this raau page as an example.

This is actually based on a shop that I've gone to since I was a child, so it's a space that I've seen and thought about many times. Though it's changed, for ease of drawing and to fit into the setting of raau and for the sake of composition, but the things that are important to me are still here. The ceiling that feels slightly claustrophobically low, the rainbow coordinated shirts, the club covers shaped like animals, every inch of the shop being utilized for merchandise until you can barely see the walls, the nook shape of the section, the fluorescent lights with this specific covering that's very "soulless office job" but to me is also the playroom at my grandma's house and how both have no windows.

I wanted to preserve particular qualities of the atmosphere of the place, in order to express that in this image. That vibe that I could not describe in words to anyone who hasn't experienced it themselves so the best I could normally do is describe it and hope it sparks a similar enough memory. But with visual art I can use lightning, context, and composition to simply express it better. I can create the experience for someone else.

Sometimes writing is better at it than words, and sometimes both are needed, so I learned both. Sometimes music is better than either and I'm screwed because I can't do music. That's besides the point though.

When you're starting out you can have a hard time grasping what about a piece compels you. That's why you need to learn to critique art as you learn to draw, and that's also why tracing and copying is good.

Here's an example of me trying out @lunarcrown's art style. I made a collage and traced my favourite frame's shapes to "get my hands on it", if you will, before trying it out on my own, starting with similar poses usually. What I learned from this is I really like how Lunar does hair, actually even though this was a study of Tango I took notes on how she does Jimmy's hair and applied it to my Scar, Impulse, and Skizz, because I'm awful at short men's hairstyles.

I also cemented one of the reasons I love her art is because it does have some qualities that I already incorporate into mine, like the streamlining between flushed materials such as her Tango's skin and skin-tight shirt, or my Tango's sleeves and gloves.

If you know what you like about something it's easier to work towards incorporating it into your own art without simply copying someone else's. And starting out by copying as a way to play around with someone's art the same way an engineer pulls something apart is helpful in doing so.

Which leads me further back into simply go somewhere and draw what you see. The drawing does not have to be good, but being able to just take a sketchbook and see something that scratches your brain and mimic it is important to developing the above skills. Being able to translate reality into an image is important to developing your skills and understanding the fundamentals of breaking things down. Being able to look at something moving or possibly far away and look down and draw it anyways by breaking down its shapes is important in developing your ability to use references.

Drawing is also mostly muscle memory. So it's important to draw things over and over again. You can do this how you want, you're always going to hit a wall where you end up having to sit there and draw circles 50 times on a page to remember how to draw circles like you're trying to get a dry pen to work. You will do this before almost every serious picture. Find a way for you to enjoy this process.

The biggest most important rule about art, though, is that there is not rules. Go about things however you want for whatever reason you want. If you enjoy doing something a certain way do it that way, if you hate a particular process eliminate it. Sometimes the result outweighs a miserable process, if having something look a certain way is more important then suck it up and do so. If you care more about enjoying a motion than what the end result is then do so. You have to ask yourself what you care about in art.

For now, though, if you're just starting out. The best thing you can do is draw a lot of circles and cubes and fruit. It's an unfortunate truth that the best foundation is learning realism, because it's just going to teach your the fundamentals the best, and all abstraction is... well, an abstraction.

Of course, as just said, there is no rules, and if you genuinely do not enjoy drawing those things like me, then you can simply not. It helps improvement the fastest but if it makes you miserable in a way that isn't backed by passion then that's counterproductive. Forcing yourself only really works if you're passionate enough about what you're doing to overcome the temporary discomfort of learning, so if you're satisfied with just being able to mimic something more abstract in the beginning do exactly that and explore what would make you passionate enough to be willing to draw things you aren't stoked about for an end result. You might never be, but that's also fine, you don't have to strive to be the world's greatest artist to justify drawing.

Also accept that you're absolutely going to change your mind on things. What felt like a great line to draw you're going to hate the next day. It's up to you if you leave it be or fix it, neither's the right answer. I tend to lean towards leaving it personally, even when it drive some up a wall, simply because I have very momentary inspiration and don't like returning to old pieces once I'm done with them. Some people will return to a picture over and over again fixing it every time they think of something. Whatever floats your boat.

tl;dr figure out what you enjoy doing with art and just do that as much as you like. Improve by finding new things you want to do with art. Combine as you see fit to create art.

...

okay time for references:

I try to keep my designs simple because the style I developed for mcyt art was intended for animations. I've drifted a bit but in general I keep to simple shape-defined designs with long lines, flat colours, and minimal wrinkles. It's intentionally flat in many ways in order to create more satisfying lines, like the collar of his shirt or the way his hands ' gradient is done with the line art.

Tango is both round and angular, basically he's an almond. His shape is ambiguous in much of his clothing, with very understated joints. This gives him a move cartoony elastic sort of vibe, like he's just a pipe cleaner that can bend any which way, or a piece of rubber that might stretch.

I avoid bogging him down with logic for that reason, his hair is styled like hair but it has the appearance and moves like fire. Which is it? Who knows. Where are his organs? I haven't drawn them so they don't exist.

[lightninghikaru]

Sonic looked around Rouge’s study seeing the walls cluttered with leather bound books. It was an incredible collection, which must have taken years to accumulate. “So you’re a sorcerer right?” Sonic asked Rouge, who was reading one of her books while Shadow was reading another one.

“Correct.” Rouge said, taking a sip of her tea.

“Is that like a witch?” Sonic asked.

Both Hedgehogs flinch to the sound of Rouge slamming her book shut.

Sonic looked over at Shadow, who looked nervous, almost contemplating if he should say anything. “Th… that’s what spell casters are called in Soleanna…” Sonic said as he hears Rouge let out a huff.

“No, Sorcerers and Witches are different types of spell casters. You’d be in a lot of trouble if I were a witch.” Rouge said as Sonic’s ears tilt confused.

“Why?”

Rouge stands up walking over to him placing the book she was reading back on the shelf. She leans in close. “Witches use body parts to cast magic.” She whispered.

“Wh…what?” Sonic’s eyes widen.

“Oh yes,” She hummed teasingly. “Mostly children and virgins. They use every piece of the body. Even devouring their flesh to keep a youthful appearance. You would be absolutely delectable to them.”

“Rouge,” Shadow snarls having seen enough of Sonic slightly cower at her words.

“Don’t worry Blue. There’s not a lot of Witches left. Their practice was banned due to their unethical methods.” Rouge said hearing Sonic let out a sigh of relief. Rouge smiles glancing back at Shadow, internally happy that Blue had brought out such a reaction from her friend.

She can’t wait to see how else this Hedgehog changes him for the better.

[miss-tc-nova]

With Reckless Choices - Leona Kingscholar x Reader Pt 6

So this is kind of a long one for silly reasons. But I couldn't help imagining something a little different.

Premise: What if they lived different lives?

Words: 3,344

Music Inspirations: Rewrite the Stars - The Greateset Showman

~~~Another Life~~~

               Excitement buzzes in my chest like electricity on the verge of bursting. My elation brings with it queries from those I encounter through the day, most assuming that the prince and I have a lovely evening planned. I don’t correct them of which prince, however. Perhaps I should care more about such guesses, but my thoughts are far too gone to really dwell on those worries.

               “Your highness, are you feeling alright?”

               Coming to a halt, I look to the only person who’s questioned my sanity today. My escort too stops in the middle of the trail, auroral eyes blinking rather unassumingly. My arched brows furrow together.

               “I’m doing quite well actually. Why do you ask?”

               Ever stoic remains his expression. “My apologies. I just thought that you weren’t quite your usual self today.”

               Maybe I am going a bit overboard. Still, a soft smile overcomes me.

               “I guess it is a bit out of sorts for me.” Fluttering feathers of twitterpated love birds find my admiration upon a garden hedge. “I can’t even remember the last time I felt like this.”

               Though he knows not why I smile, the young guard mirrors the sentiment. “Then I’m glad to hear you’re in such high spirits, your highness.” He gestures further along the path to continue our walk. “I presume you’ve no more meetings to attend today. What do you intend to do with the rest of your day?”

               “Not much.” Lies, typically bitter in nature, taste all too sweet today. “Perhaps I’ll simply relax in a hot bath and read in my room.”

               “If it’s not too bold to say, you’ve spent a lot of time alone in your room of late. Wouldn’t you prefer to spend time with His Majesty?”

               There my smile slips. “I’m sure His Majesty has more pressing matters he’d rather address.”

               “How can you be so certain?”

               “Because he always does.”

               His walk once again pauses to look back at me while I continue right past him. That statement had come without thought though I forgot with whom I was speaking—one of the heir’s closest friends. Thankfully, my callousness does not come up again.

               Our afternoon walk meanders the garden and concludes at the threshold of my room. Before I slip away for the evening, he addresses me once more.

               “You know, if you’re ever feeling lonely, I’d be happy to be your company.”

               I know he means well; he always has. Of all the royal staff, he’s been the one most amicable to me. But his proximity to the future king has me apprehensive.

               “I appreciate the offer, Silver. I’ll keep that in mind. Good night.”

               “Good night, your highness.”

               The door clicks shut between us, followed shortly by the lock.

               And with that, I’m free.

               Excitement comes rushing back, flooding my veins with adrenaline. Ripping through my room, I cannot get ready fast enough. Thoughts of warm hands infect my skin with goosebumps, their touch sending my heart aflutter.

               It’s not that anything particularly exciting or important is happening today. Life outside our scandalous little paradise had simply gotten in the way, dragging out this woeful separation for several weeks now. Added to the fact that it’s impractical for me to have a phone in the first place, it’s not as if I can spend my day texting my lover to assuage this yearning. Needless to say, having Leona Kingscholar in my arms again can’t come soon enough.

               A quick message precedes the portal that opens wide to a particular room in the palace of Sunrise City. My elation sends me leaping through, right into the arms of a lion caught off guard. Nevertheless, a chuckle ripples in his chest, the happiness infectious as he holds me close.

               “Didn’t realize you could get any clingier.”

               His snark cannot douse the high evident on my face. “I’m sorry. I could go.”

               That grip tightens, a daring gleam in his eyes. “Go ahead and try.”

               Giddy quips falter in the face of adoration. His kiss is like a fresh breath of air, bringing vibrancy to my grey life and I wonder how I ever lived choking on smoke. Just as I imagined, greedy palms press against my skin, not-so-sneakily slipping beneath my shirt to press against my lower back, eliminating what little space didn’t exist between us.

               A soft click breaks the kiss, quickly chased by another and another, Leona as greedy for this reunion as I’d been. My own laughter interrupts his indulgence.

               “Didn’t realize you could get any clingier.” His own words are sweet on my tongue, a close second to those lips.

               A lazy sneer displays his annoyance. “Real funny.”

               “I thought so.” Irritation melts beneath my touch ghosting his face. “So where are we going?”

               Disengaging from my arms, Leona pats a pile of linen atop his bed. “I thought some time where literally no one can bother us would be good.”

               “Oh? And where could we go for that?”

               I love that smirk. “Same place you took me on our first date.”

               A second ticks by, maybe two, before I understand. “Yeah? Where no one can hear you scream?”

               Turning away, I draw up our transport. But just as the magic reveals the destination, a hand sneaks under my arm to snag my chin. The warmth of his chest against my back sends fire up my spine. Heady breath whispers past my ear as his deep voice consumes every coherent thought.

               “Let’s be honest, if anyone’s screamin’ tonight, it’ll be you.”

               The force of his implication shakes my very core, nearly disrupting the portal to our escape.

               There’s a swagger in his steps as the lion struts on past, arms full of blankets. The smarmiest grin sits on his face as he looks back to offer me a hand.

               There are those claws again, so plainly bared to ensnare my heart and drag me in.

               It’s too late to hesitate anyway.

               Stars glitter across the night sky, glorious in its fathomless depths. Some pale beside the moon that brings light to our nirvana, but the view’s magnificence reigns all the same. Hills of sand stretch endlessly in all directions, the soft texture conforming beneath bodies and blankets

               Though the sun has long since receded, I find more than enough warmth in the presence of my love. Conversation fills the silence, his baritone I could listen to for hours.

               “Hey, this is for you.”

               From his discarded jacket, my lion produces an envelope.

               My finger traces the blank face. “A gift? Whatever could it be?”

               “You want me to tell you or you gonna find out?”

               With a small chuckle, I take the paper and tear open the spine. Inside is a single paper—no, not a paper. It’s made of something thicker, but still paper-esque. The rectangle is printed in red and gold, a familiar insignia of a lion on one side. In bold, it reads “National Championships.”

               I can’t suppress the urge to tease him. “Is it presumptuous to assume your team is the Lions?”

               Exasperation rolls his eyes. “Hey, I didn’t name the team.”

               “So the big championship game, hm?”

               “Thought it would be rude if I didn’t invite my biggest fan. So I got you the best seat in the house. Kifaji was pissed I told Cheka he couldn’t come.”

               “Oh you think I’m a fan?”

               “Of the sport? Nah. Of me? Well, yer pretty crazy ‘bout me.”

               “I should not be feeding that ego of yours.”

               “What ego? You know I’m right.”

               He very much is. “Yes yes. I’m crazy for my clever kitty.”

               “Yeah, you are.”

               We settle back into the sand, the silence comfortable. My words, however, echo in my ears, bouncing off stray thoughts of the reality of our lives. It doesn’t take much for a desire to give itself a voice.

               “Can you imagine if things were different?”

               An ear flickers. “Huh?”

               “What if things were different and we were just normal people, with normal lives and normal worries.” My eyes trace the stars, sending thoughts to a world that never was. “Maybe I’d have a little book shop or something to pay bills—saving every spare thaumark just to treat myself a little down the road. Maybe I’d go to the markets, picking out fruits and vegetables for dinner.” His disgust at non-meat products draws a giggle. “Maybe I’d know how to cook all sorts of food, even though I’d have to do the dishes after. Living in my own little place without all the pressure to uphold appearances.”

               Propping himself up on an arm, Leona looks down at me. “You really think about that stuff?”

               My shoulders shrug. “Sometimes. What kind of life would you have? If you weren’t Leona Kingscholar?”

               Leona lies back down, his contemplation rising to the sky. “I’d probably be a shitty manager at some game shop or something.”

               That I was not expecting. “What?”

               “It’d be easy, makin’ all the grunts do the hard work while I get to test out board games all day. Maybe I’d finally find a decent chess opponent.”

               “You’d have to put up with a lot of children.”

               “That’s what the grunts are for. You think I’d really step out of the back office with kids around? Fuck that.”

               Laughter bubbles in my chest. “I should’ve known.”

               “And you know, my way to work goes right by this little book shop.” A coy quirk plays at his lips.

               It’s contagious. “Oh?”

               “Yeah, I mean it ain’t fancy or nothin’.” He thinks he’s funny. “But the owner is pretty cute.”

               Sitting up, I peer down at the smug cat. “Just cute, huh?”

               “Okay, fine. Maybe there’s a reason I’m always late for work.”

               “Leona!” I tease.

               “Hey, I said I was shitty manager.”

               “You know, I think I saw some stray cat standing outside my shop a few times. Thought I might have to call the cops but, you know, he’d be pretty attractive if he stopped creeping around.”

               “Then I guess I’ll just have to wander in and have a chat—use every bit of charm I got to ask for a date.”

               I pretend to consider. “Mmm, I suppose one date wouldn’t hurt. I hope it goes well.”

               “I’ll make sure it does. It’ll be the best damn date on a lowly manager budget. And whatever falls flat I’ll just cover up with a little charisma.”

               “I hate to tell you, but I can see right through that cheesy charisma.”

               “But you love it anyway.”

               That toothy grin has me there. “I suppose your efforts earn you another chance.”

               “That’s all I need. One chance leads to another and another, and pretty soon I got you hooked.”

               “I don’t know, I might be busy with that bookshop.”

               “I already manage one store. Keepin’ track of your dinky little shop wouldn’t be hard to pick up.”

               “What makes you think I’d let you manage my shop? You don’t even manage yours.”

               “’Cause you wouldn’t have a choice. I been hanging around, pickin’ up a few things. Before you know it, I’m watchin’ the shop while you got some errands or something. Probably didn’t even notice I got a second set of keys made.”

               “That’s kind of unsettling.”

               “What? Couldn’t keep taking yours every time you stepped out. Also made a copy of your apartment key while I was at it.”

               “Leona!”

               “Not for creepin’, sheesh. Calm down. Jus’ for emergencies. You know, like watering plants while you’re gone or checking your mail.” With each excuse, his grin gets cheesier. “Or bringing over dinner, or borrowing dinner, or naps.”

               I knew it. “What happened to your place?”

               “I got this wannabe-model roommate with a stick up his ass. He keeps harping on about stupid shit so the sooner I can find a quiet napping spot, the better.”

               “You’re incorrigible.”

               He does not deny.

               “Well, I suppose if I’m expected to come home to a bum passed out in my house, you might as well have the keys to earn your keep. But I expect you to do your own laundry. And could you at least let me know when we’re out of milk?”

               “Hell, I’m not useless. I’ll pay for what I eat. Damn.”

               “And unless you’re paying for a cleaner, you better make sure your garbage finds its way to the trashcan.”

               “Yeah yeah. Fine.”

               In brushing a hand through his hair, it pauses just behind his ear where I rub my thumb. I love the way his eyes flutter at the touch. “It’ll be nice to have the company.”

               “Woah, don’t get me wrong. I’m not just a roommate. You let me in the house and we’re serious.”

               “I didn’t let you in.”

               “Same difference. We’re that couple that have been together so long, everyone knows we’re together.”

               “You broke into my house.”

               “And you let it happen.”

               My brow arches, but Leona’s gaze finds the stars again.

               “You’re always the first out of bed, makin’ breakfast before heading out to open shop. After you’re gone, maybe then I’ll get outta bed—when I won’t be in your way. I pull my weight, even if I have to deal with teaching snotty kids how to play chess. Maybe if I have extra cash, I’ll buy lunch and bring it over before I have to get back to work. If you’re lucky, there’s a cinnamon roll for a special treat.”

               “A whole cinnamon roll?” I tease.

               “I didn’t say that. But who knows, I might actually take work more seriously, grab an extra shift or two. Gotta save up if I’m ever gonna get that ring.”

               The breath hitches in my throat.

               “Might not be fancy or anything, but I do my best to make it mean somethin.’ A quiet night in, takeout ready when you get home, couple candles, cheap champaign, and the sappiest music I can find.”

               By now, he’s got me mesmerized. “And what do you say?”

               “I dunno. Probably somethin’ stupid. Romance ain’t never been my best subject. Honestly, I probably screw up whatever plans I had and you start laughin’ at me. Might get a little frustrated, but I do eventually spit out that you mean a lot to me. And that maybe I don’t deserve you, but I’ll spend my life trying to do what I can to make up for it.”

               “Leo…” I murmur.

               Leona pushes himself back up, taking a moment to bask in the feel of my hand against his face.

               “And then I ask you to marry me. ‘Cause I want us to share everything. A house, a bed, bills, achievements, secrets, troubles, laughs…”

               I can tell there’s one more thing he wants to say, but just the gleaming light in his eyes tells me all I need to know.

               “You’d do that?” The intensity of his statement has my voice weak.

               His forehead meets mine softly. “I wanna be there every moment. I’ll do the chores, so you have time to enjoy. When you come home from a bad day, I’ll grab the blankets and put on some stupid show for us to watch.” He brushes his nose against mine. “I’ll even learn how to use the stupid microwave to make soup when you’re sick. I’ll take care of you. Every day. For the rest of our lives.”

               Somehow, his voice becomes even softer.

               “’Cause I’d do anything for that pretty little shopkeep at the bookstore.”

               When his lips meet mine, I almost can’t believe this is Leona. So far every kiss has been voracious hunger, consuming everything. Even after his confession, his deepest desires burned bright so that he could hold fast his treasure.

               This is entirely different.

               Soft, sweet content pours from his mouth. It floods into my chest, swelling in my heart as I too find solace. Each move drags me deeper and deeper, drowning me in a euphoria I would willingly succumb to.

               Meanwhile, a warm hand finds the small of my back, guiding my descent back to the blanket. This is when the kiss breaks, but his mouth quickly finds ways to continue its work. Every bit of skin exposed his lips find, each kiss a whisper of reverence. Fingers intertwine, praying to never part again. A knee over mine grants him better stability and I can’t help my leg hooking across it to keep him close. The air trembles in my chest at the feel of his tongue tracing my neck.

               Hands untethered begin roaming. Mine finds its way into his hair, nails trailing along his scalp. His, meanwhile, leaves my back to slip beneath the hem of my shirt. The chill of the night air vanishes beneath the warmth of his palm. In retaliation, I move from his hair, venturing down his chest, tracing the contours along the way. Finger tips dance at the edges of his pants, finding the cool metal of a buckle. The grip at my hip tightens and all else freezes. Leona moves not a single muscle, waiting for permission, while my finger hooks under the belt. Then it comes undone.

               A jarring buzz rips the soul from my body.

               Rolling onto my stomach, I scramble for the cellphone just out of reach. I can’t silence the alarm fast enough, nearly prepared to break the thing to shut it off.

               Awkward silence follows the fumble. Mentally, I curse myself for setting an alarm knowing what must happen now.

               I sit up, letting loose a heavy sigh. Every bit of willpower I can scrounge together is almost not enough to speak. “We should go.”

               In protest, arms drag me close, his face nuzzling into my shoulder.

               I murmur his name. “Leona, come on.”

               “Stay.”

               The softness of his word shakes my resolve. “I want to, but you know I can’t. I have wedding plans to tend to in the morning.”

               His face finally lifts, but when those harlequin eyes fall on me, I feel a twist in my stomach.

               “Then cancel.”

               “I can’t just—”

               “Cancel the wedding.”

               Barren sands preoccupy my gaze. I thought he was smart enough to know that would never happen.

               “That’s not an option.”

               All that pining weakness suddenly turns searing. The hint of a growl belies his words. “There’s always an option.”

               Though I’m cautious, I try to relay common sense. “Not always.”

               “Of course there is,” he snaps back. “Walk away. You don’t even want to marry that bastard. So don’t.”

               “It’s not that easy and you know it.” Before he retorts, I crawl out of his grasp. “There are consequences to—”

               “Damn the consequences.”

               “You can’t just say ‘damn the consequences’ and things will magically work out. I know you’re used to doing whatever you want, but that doesn’t work here. Not this time.”

               “Bullshit it doesn’t. You don’t go back. You tell them no. When they ask if you do, you say you don’t. You choose me.”

               “I can’t do that, Leona.”

               “Why not?!”

               “You know why!”

               “Then what am I—”

               I can’t take any more of this conversation.

               “THAT’S ENOUGH!”

               His mouth clamps shut, shock overwriting his anger. There’s a sting in my eyes when I spot the pain barely hidden.

               Hands trembling from frustration push the hair from my face in a feeble attempt to compose myself.

               “It’s time to go.”

               Without another word, I draw a line through space, opening the door directly to the prince’s palace bedroom. Gathering the blankets, I throw them through the magic and wait for Leona. Rounded ears lie flat and he keeps his gaze down, not saying a word as he steps through.

               “Goodnight Leona.”

               I just catch the sight of him whirling back before the magic snaps shut, leaving me all alone in this vast, desolate desert that feels so small. A shudder wracks my chest, nearly bringing me down, but the tears still escape into the dry sand.

               Once I manage to regain my composure, I redraw the magic, only this time, it leads to my room in Briar Valley.

~~~~~

Part 7 (Coming Soon)

Nova’s Twisted Wonderland Masterlist

[poore-choice-of-words]

An important mentality I've built when recovering from Evangelical nonsense is this:

It doesn't matter whether or not someone deserves whatever. What matters is what they should have, sometimes that's a need, sometimes it's a desire.

I've spent too much time being told everyone deserves to go to hell to believe anyone deserves anything good, but I can believe people should have good things.

[copia]

"And there's nothing you can do!" ⛧ Ghost - Rats for WORLD RAT DAY 04/04/2024

[desultory-novice]

Magalor gets the crown but neither turns on the main cast or gets controlled instantly and just kinda leaves.

(Bonus points if he gradually gets controlled, taking such a long time (like a couple months - a couple years) that people can see it happening but just can't stop it and have to watch it happen no I'm not copying adventure time)

Since you said Magolor left Kirby and the others alone, I'm afraid you'll have to deal with a Marx and Marxolor-heavy version of this prompt! (I sure hope you're one of my readers who either likes or doesn't mind some shipping between them, Anon! >w< )

I originally wrote this as a script to maybe comic-ify before I realized it was way too long and quickly transformed it into a prose piece!

"False King's Lament" Pairing: Marxolor Genre: Angst Words: 1,000 Warnings: Uh...they kiss briefly...?

[Read More]

A breezy question, spoken almost out of boredom, echoed with unexpected weight throughout the room. 

"How long you gonna keep wearing that?"

The wizard king turned in the direction of the voice: it came from his court jester, who spoke to him upside down, being in the middle of a series of complex acrobatic exercises. 

The jester was the only member of his court. For theirs was a kingdom of two.

"...Wearing what?"

"The big glittery crown on your head, your majesty."

They tried to invite others to join in their kingdom of laughter and good times. Most refused with looks of disgust or terror. Some took up weapons. Some simply ran. Of course, together the two of them had the ability to force anyone they wanted to stay, but after a time, the wizard king would sigh and say their screams weren't the ones he was looking for and let them go–to the jester's disappointment.

"The Master Crown is an object of unlimited power." 

The golden diadem in question, sculpted to resemble some kind of airborne creature, like a bird or a bat or perhaps a dragon sat atop the wizard king's head. The jewel in the center, a light opalescent color that every so often looked blood red in the light, sparkled on its own, as if it somehow knew it was being spoken about. 

"Why would I ever stop wearing it?"

The jester hopped forward, deft in his comically oversized shoes.

"Uh, cause it looks dumb on you?"

The veil of majesty on the wizard king's face fell away, one gloved hand massaging away the annoyance he felt in his brow from betwixt the crown's enormous claws.

There was no more dignity there as he dropped the royal charade to sigh at his longtime friend and lifelong partner in mischief.

"Ma~rx..." Irritation rose in the last notes of that name.

The jester, unfurling his wiry wings, crossed the distance between himself and his king with a single glittering flap.

"Seriously, Magolor. You haven't taken that thing off since you came back with it. I know you like looking all important, but come on!"

Magolor noticed Marx's ever delighted smile had left his face. His own countenance was a frown.

"Once more, I have to question you why I should?"

"...Can you?" This question was softer in pitch than that which initiated this conversation. Heavier in tone.

"What was that?" Magolor feigned a fool's ignorance. It was true that his hearing was not what it had been in years past. But to say he hadn't heard the jester's question would be the kind of lie that distinguished his life before his coronation.

"Can you take it off?" 

Firmer now. Marx no longer concealed his concern.

"....Why is that a question?" Golden eyes looked around the throne room for anything else to concentrate on. (Though had it not, at one time, been built for a purpose other than ruling? Had this empty castle in his image not been made to host more than just them?)

Marx wrapped his hands–though it was only Magolor who thought of the large, monstrous claws that way–close around the two ends of his jester's cap like they were cuffs, miming his king's horns.

"It's hugging your head pre~tty tight." His violet eyes glimmered as he stuck his tongue out of a crescent smile. "Even tighter than I do!"

Magolor laughed, suddenly at ease again. "Is that it? You're jealous over a piece of headgear?" 

He lifted the small jester in his large hands; up to the brim of his scarf for a secret kiss. But as the two pulled away, Magolor saw that the mirth in Marx's expression had been only temporary. A trap to encourage Magolor to let down his guard.

"I'm being serious for once."

Magolor absentmindedly bounced the jester from hand to hand as a distraction, Marx nimbly skipping and twirling along the stairs of the other's fingers in their little lover's game.

"Whatever you're worried about, don't be. I've spent years researching the Master Crown and its power."

The last two words came out with crushing force. "...I'm fine."

"Great!" Marx stopped, smiled, and hooked one hand on a white gloved finger, orbiting it like a trapeze artist to fling himself up on top of Magolor's head. "Then you'll be fine without it too!"

"...Marx, just let it go." Magolor wanted to crane back to pull him off but knew that he would not be able to turn his head to his satisfaction. He instead swatted uselessly at the air behind him.

"No, I won't." A once soft voice hissed with anger and determination. "Not until I get this creepy thing off your head, Mags."

Magolor's blind grasps grew quicker and more panicked. Marx stretched his wings to their full span and slipped the tips of his bony claws under the thick golden ones that wrapped crushingly close around the head and horns of his lover. 

The fake royal finally let the old weakness and helplessness of his former life slip through the cracks in his voice as he began to shout, "Don't! Don't tou-...!" Then, Marx began to pry at it.

"...Ngh!" Magolor groaned, feeling his head simultaneously forced up and pressed down by Marx's determined efforts to de-crown him. It was uncomfortable, but not unbearable. Yet. Still, he cried Marx's name through tight lips, pleading with him to stop before...

His howl of excruciating pain echoed through the room, bounding across every wall like a wounded animal desperate to escape as Magolor violently arched back, flinging Marx off of him like a missile.

"Ugh...!" Marx rolled several times before coming to a stop against the wall. He shook his head to clear the dizziness. "Mags, what the..."

He looked up at his injured king, whose hands were tightly clutching the crown that now appeared to be wriggling atop Magolor's head like it were alive. Magolor shook and shuddered, whimpering at the angry, punitive thrumming of the crown-creature that wore him.

Marx noticed that, in the struggle, Magolor's neck wrap had fallen. His round eyes widened, irises like dots, at what he saw.

"M-Mags...?"

The jester traced the path of the crown-creature's claws with those eyes. Unlike the ones clutching his brow and hugging his horns, these trailed down a ways before they disappeared entirely into Magolor's back, where body and gold fused together.

"Are you...satisfied...now that...you know?" A glint of a golden eye found him, wavering as the light illuminated a stillborn tear.

Marx flew around immediately to face him, kneading his claws gently into Magolor's curled fingers until they unfolded once more for him to hop up into. "How long has it been like this, Mags...?"

"I don't remember... Right after I put it on? Months later?"

Anger boiled over in Marx to the degree that he no longer knew where to direct it. "How do you not remember when this thing suddenly began crawling over your head and growing into your back?! How did you study it for years and not realize it wasn't a stupid crown at all but some sort of...messed up monster?! Do you even HAVE limitless power?! Then use it and get rid of it! Blow it up or take it off or whatever you have to do! You CAN do that, right?" 

The lying wizard ducked his head in shame; he did not want to lie.

"...What's it doing to you Mags...? What's it going to do?"

The jester, who in a moment had forgotten forever how to laugh, looked at his liege, his fellow trickster, and his love as the other opened lips split in a most unnatural way. "...I don't know..."

-

[gingermintpepper]

Recently read a really fantastic fic on Ao3 by the very talented @hellokittysasuke (Link can be found here - do check it out if you're interested in an exploration of Apollo and his many griefs) and one of the things they mentioned in their wonderful reply to my extremely long comment has been rolling around in my head a bit.

Specifically, it was about readings of the Iliad where people view Apollo's directing of Paris' arrow as an act of mercy - that it was a rare act of compassion from a god that had been otherwise adversarial to Achilles because he, more than any god or mortal, understood the pain of continuing to live after one's soul has already died. I find this interesting for a myriad of reasons - the fact that Achilles' death is not actually portrayed in the text of the Iliad notwithstanding - but chiefly because, well, put plainly, Apollo despises Achilles. And, even more relevantly, in the context of this fic which deals primarily with Apollo writing a letter to Hyacinthus, I felt like it highlights even more intensely what Apollo despised about Achilles.

In Book 24, when Apollo makes a stand against Achilles' prolonged desecration of Hector's corpse and rights as a warrior, he says:

"But murderous Achilles... that man without a shred of decency in his heart... his temper can never bend and change--/Achilles has lost all pity!... No doubt some mortal has suffered a dearer loss than this, a brother born in the same womb, or even a son... " "The Fates have given mortals hearts that can endure."

Because grief affords lenience - just as wrath, or passion or any other myriad of intense, afflicting emotion but Achilles had lost his humanity in his anger, had lost every human decency and thus had to be hunted like a beast and slain with the arrow instead of the sword. And I think the contrast between Achilles' grieving and the other examples that are presented in the fic - Prometheus' anguish as he's eaten alive, primordial man when they were severed down the middle and left yearning, Apollo who must love and lose in perpetuity - are that they are examples of that human quality of endurance. That yes, things hurt - they might even hurt for thousands of years, but eventually, eventually they will stop hurting. The pain that was endured will be alleviated, it will be a memory, it will be a kindness and it must be accepted just as joy and peace and love are accepted.

Anyway, go read hellokittysasuke's fic, it's really good and I cannot stop thinking about it.

[triglycercule]

How do you think the fandom somehow turned Horror into a really nice sweet guy who can practically do no wrong when his original counterpart is just such a fucking dickhead

ERUAGH this topic always intrigues me as a proud asshole horror truther BUT ALSO i love fanon horror too 💔💔 because for me i was "there" for the og years of horror's character getting turned into this total baby but i wasnt THERE THERE (aka here on tumblr because i didn't even know what tumblr was back in like 2016-17 💀)

so for me i can only guess. imo i think it was just a combination of flanderization & lack of canon knowledge PLUS the fact that the only info that was first known about horror himself was just from the flashgame (since all of chapter 1 of horrortale is about toriel and the ruins so by then horror's already got an established stereotype and image and people just dont read the comic enough to actually correct this). its just a bunch of layers of mischaracterization that quickly piled up and its packed TIGHTLY now in this current age

horror in the flash game is presented REALLY simply,,,, he's just this guy that taps on wood with a cleaver that kills you if you get too nosy or dont listen to papyrus and makes jokes about food. we dont know if he doesn't eat food at all yet since the panel establishing that horror hasnt eaten food in 7 years comes out in 2018 in pg44 💀 (and technically the hint that he hasn't eaten humans at all came out in pg33 but again making comic pages takes awhile and i know that horrortale's had its fair share of hiatuses thru the years,,,,) so this lack of knowledge about his hunger can ALREADY lead to the "foodie" trope that he has since he makes jokes about head dogs n stuff

the protective part can also be assumed by how he's always making sure that aliza plays along with papyrus's games and when we get later into chapter 2 and learn about snowdin that he also provides for everyone there by feeding them with humans. i always see people bringing up these arguments of how "OH WELL horror feeds everyone in horrortale and protects them from undyne so he'd do the same for others too!!!" well yeah sure but like,,,, he also feels incredibly guilty about the position that he's put them in and feels obligated to do that just because,,, MAYBE he'd provide for others like how he does in snowdin but REALLY? youre using the bare minimum of him providing BASIC FOOD AND PROTECTION as a way of justifying his protective tendencies??? i feel like that could work better (in a bad sanses context. because you always see this bullshit in nightmare's gang,,,,, (nightmare is a catalyst for bad characterization WHEN I CATCH YOU WHEN I CATCH YOU)) if his provider tendencies were given a more unique approach than just feeding them and stuff. horror wouldn't have the same attachment he had to snowdin with any of the gang so he wouldn't treat them the same or even similarly!!! AT ALL!!!!! oops i got sidetracked BUT ANYWAYS

and then for the big bear giant thing where people make him 3x the size he normally is (WHICH IS PEAK KEEP DOING IT,,,,,, epaugh small dust big horror would be the second only thing to put me to death if i was 95 and on my deathbed. right after any mtt fanart poly or not) i feel like just came from the simple idea of Big=Scary because idk megalophobia or smth. like people saw him and maybe horror was too much of a kicked puppy to be scary in their eyes so people were like lets size him up!! i do remember seeing a post where the reason why people hced horror was big was bc all his limited magic was put into sustaining his body and thats why his bones are thick but that just like,,,,, doesn't make sense to me. like even animals here on EARTH with normal diets have limited growth capacity simply because a larger body means more sustenance for it so why would he be bigger if that would just make him hungrier??? nevertheless I STILL LOVE DISPROPORTIONATELY BIG HORROR but unfortunately it does contribute to fanon horror 💔💔💔

this fandom is notorious for not reading canon info too sooo,,,, LIKE I SAID it was a mix of lack of canon info + horrortale being underdeveloped + flanderization of his basic traits which were then amplified when people came up with hcs for this flanderized version of horror and not his canon one. i mean you gotta be honest that fanon versions of characters will almost ALWAYS be easier to make fun jokes and art and writing of just bc of the fact that they are simpler!! almost all of the utmv au characters have this trait where their fanon version is a really really REALLY simplified/flanderized version of themselves which like,,,, you go you! just make sure to read horrortale pls :3 its peak fiction pls :3 the comic is so fire :3 the gore isnt really that graphic (in my opinion) you might be able to stomach it :3

[mariocki]

Infinite list of favourite lyrics: 229/?

Bobbie Gentry - Ode to Billie Joe (1967)

"And Papa said to Mama, as he passed around the black-eyed peas:

'Well, Billie Joe never had a lick of sense; pass the biscuits, please.

There's five more acres in the lower forty I got to plow'

And Mama said it was a shame about Billie Joe, anyhow.

Seems like nothin' ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge

And now Billie Joe McAllister's jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge"

[...]

"Mama said to me, 'Child, what's happened to your appetite?

I've been cookin' all morning, and you haven't touched a single bite.

That nice young preacher, Brother Taylor, dropped by today

Said he'd be pleased to have dinner on Sunday - oh, by the way

He said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge

And she and Billie Joe was throwin' something off the Tallahatchie Bridge'"

[thedreadvampy]

guess who's in 🎶troooouble🎶

New Boss does not appreciate my Vile Insubordination (giving an informed opinion in an email chain where she said some factually incorrect things and got called out on it - I said hey yep you're right that what she said isn't true but here's why it's still important to listen to our team)

and now we have to have a Quick Chattette about my Behaviour and Unsatisfactory Response (didn't apologise for being correct)

[hellfireeddiemunson]

finally having time to myself since 3pm yesterday (it’s 11pm rn) and i want to stay up and relax and watch stuff so i can have a nice time by myself before having to work tomorrow but i am EXHAUSTED and also want to sleep so bad😭😭😭

[oculusxcaro]

One of the things that hurts Khare the most isn't so much the eyes and teeth growing in her flesh but rather her memory issues, how easily she forgets things and struggles with the most basic tasks. Her IQ wasn't impressive before getting experimented on but she lived independently and picked up a range of skills from doing so along with working many odd jobs back in Hull. It's immensely frustrating - and upsetting - to her when it takes so long to learn what should be a simple thing.