#trying out some brushes and rendering practice idk

[sillimancer]

been watching Yellowjackets and all the girls are so beautiful and expressive, what a talented bunch

[totheblood]

cool about it.

pairing: modern!ellie x reader

summary: ellie is your girlfriend, best friend, friend.... it's complicated... based on the song cool about it by boygenius

warnings: 18+: angst, cursing, drinking, ellie is lowkey a d*ck...

word count: 3.1k

a/n: i had plans to write this but you can thank jay (@elliewill) for begging me to write it because she loves angst... so this one is for her. also only two ai audios.. idk the angst ai audios made me sick i apologize

"i can walk you home and practice method acting."

There was an overwhelming silence in the room.

Your hand was wrapped in Ellie’s, her fingers brushing over the smooth skin covering your joints. You couldn’t see her in the dark room, but you knew she was smiling. You could smell the lavender and musk rolling off her in waves, almost rendering you useless as you leaned into her. She was intoxicating in every way a person could be. But as the lights came on and the credits began to roll, Ellie pulled her hand from yours, wiping at her jeans as she turned to the group. 

“That movie was shit.” A laugh escaped her lips as she stood up, not looking at you. Sometimes when Ellie was feeling ashamed about snubbing you in public, she had a hard time making eye contact with you after. You liked to believe it was the guilt, but you weren’t so sure of that. 

“I thought it was nice.” You smiled up at her, collecting your bag from the floor and throwing it over your shoulder. Ellie’s eyes flicked down to you, then rolled back into her head. 

“You think every movie is nice,” she teased, picking up her jacket that was thrown over the back of her seat. “It’s why you give every move 5 stars on Letterboxd.”

“That’s true.” Dina chimed in as the group began making their way out of the theater. “But I liked it, so I’m gonna have to agree with her on this one. Sorry, Ellie.”

“I don’t know,” Cindy spoke up, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the bright lights from outside. “How many Scream movies are they gonna make?”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Ellie practically screamed as she held the door for you. You wanted to think that the gesture meant more, but sadly she was just being polite. You were trying your best not to overanalyze everything Ellie did in relation to you but found it hard when her hand reached for yours in every dark room. Your thoughts were cut off by the sound of Ellie calling your name. 

“What?” You looked at Ellie, a confused look plastered on your face. 

“I asked if you wanted a ride to your apartment. Dina and Cindy are going back to the dorms.” She said matter of factly, slipping on her jacket. 

“Oh, yeah. That would be great.” You turned to say bye to Dina and Cindy before following Ellie to her car. You knew her car too well. The pickup truck she’d drive you to 7-11 in nearly every night was on its last leg and needed a repair almost every month, but Ellie swore by it. She always made some comment about how loyal she was for not abandoning her car, but you always joked back that she couldn’t afford a new one. She’d roll her eyes and grab the Slurpee cup from your hands, taking a sip as payback. 

It was tender moments like that one that kept you coming back, despite Ellie’s refusal to commit. It was an unspoken understanding between the both of you, but you knew that if you talked about it that Ellie would validate your fears. So you just didn’t talk about it. 

You let her lean over the seat and kiss you when you got in the car, but not before looking out the window to make sure Dina and Cindy had pulled off. Her mouth tasted like cherry and vanilla, and her hands pressed at the side of your cheeks. You had to romanticize moments like this, the secret kisses and stolen glances. Otherwise, it would just be pathetic. 

You were unsure if you were in love with Ellie, but you wanted to spend all of your free time in her back pocket. You wanted a necklace engraved with her name hanging around your neck as if she owned you. You wanted to bring her home to meet your parents, her hands shaking as they hugged her. Maybe it was love, or maybe it was you hanging onto the brief moments that her tongue was tucked into your cheek.

“If you’re gonna hold my hand throughout the movie, maybe you should just take me out on a date,” you laughed, watching her face fall. Mentally, you were cursing yourself, but your gentle smile remained.

“That’s not what this is.”

“I know, it’s just-” 

“The movie was scary, I thought you’d want me to hold your hand through it.” Ellie cut you off, her tone sharp. She began buckling her seatbelt, wanting to escape the conversation as soon as possible. “If I knew you’d make a big deal about it I wouldn’t have done it.”

“Yea, no. You’re right, Ellie.” You gave in like you usually did when it came to Ellie. If something you said came too close to referring to you and Ellie as an ‘actual relationship’, she would shut down completely. You don’t know why her body tensed up, or why she avoided eye contact, but you didn’t want to push it. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine, I just-” Ellie sighed as she put the car in drive, pulling out of the parking lot and onto the main road. One hand was planted on the steering wheel while the other rubbed at the bridge of her nose. “I don’t want this to be too complicated. I like what we have. It’s easy.”

“Yea, I know.” Your voice sounded as small as you felt. As easy as this was for Ellie, it was torture for you. Not only could you not tell her how you truly felt, but you also felt like you couldn’t tell any of your friends about it. Another frustrated sigh fell from Ellie’s lips, you could tell she was trying. 

“Look, Jesse is throwing a party tomorrow night.” She glanced over at you in the passenger seat, her expression unreadable. “How about you come with me?” 

You knew she wasn’t asking you out on a date. You knew that and yet your heart still leaped in your chest at her request. You knew it wasn’t a date and you still agreed to go.

-

You felt pathetic trying on every outfit in your closet, trying to make sure whatever you wore would accentuate your best features. You settled on a simple tank top and jeans, throwing a flannel over it in case it got cold. Despite knowing how the night was most likely going to go, you still wanted to look your best for Ellie. It was the first time she’s ever asked you to go anywhere public and in the back of your mind you imagined this night changing the dynamic of your relationship completely. 

Ellie picked you up early, her car making some weird sputtering noise as she pulled up. She looked you up and down when you climbed into the car, her stare making your cheeks heat up. 

“You look nice,” Ellie mentioned, hand on the steering wheel. She waited until you were buckled in to press a kiss to your lips, smiling before she pulled off. The conversation in the car was nothing substantial, just small talk about classes and friends, and how much work the both of you had to do. 

Outside of the frat house people were scattered on the lawn. A couple sat on the front porch making out while the music inside made the wood shake. There were a lot more people here than you anticipated, and you could tell Ellie was getting nervous. Usually, when she was nervous she’d reach for your hand, but tonight she trailed behind you.

Jesse, Dina, Cindy, and some of Jesse’s frat friends were huddled in the kitchen when you arrived. Jesse greeted you with a drunken smile and the slurring of your name, pulling you in for a hug.

“Nice to see you brought your girlfriend, El.” He joked, bringing Ellie into a half hug and attempting to give her a fist bump. Ellie’s mouth hung open as her eyes darted around the group, avoiding eye contact with you. Then she let out a laugh, a loud full-chested laugh as she held her stomach. 

“She- she’s not my girlfriend.” She managed between laughs. The way she said it as if it was a joke that she could ever date you made your heart drop. She still hadn’t even glanced at you. If she had she would’ve seen the way your smile faded and eyes dropped to the floor. 

“I know that,” Jesse laughed, lifting his red cup to his lips and taking another swig of his drink, “It’s just you guys always hang out… it’s a joke.”

“Damn right, it’s a joke.” Ellie chuckled with the rest of the group. You were struggling to find the humor in this so you just gave the group a tight-lipped smile and excused yourself. You pushed past the sweaty bodies to make your way into the living room where some guy was dipping red cups into a giant container filled with red liquid. He didn’t even look at you as he handed you a cup but you still thanked him.

You took the drink with you outside, sitting on the steps of the porch and drinking the vile liquid. You coughed on your first sip but as you downed it and the buzz filled your body it became more tolerable. About 30 minutes had passed with you sitting in there, occasionally saying hi to people you knew from class that were going in and out of the house. 

You didn’t even notice when Ellie came out and stood in front of you. Her arms were crossed over her chest, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

“Where have you been all night?” Ellie’s voice came out meaner than expected, but she was starting to believe you had left her. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“Couldn’t have looked that hard,” a bitter laugh fell from your lips, your eyes glued to your phone, not wanting to look up at her. “I was sat here all night.”

“What the fuck is your problem?” Ellie’s hand shook your knee gently, urging that she wanted you to look up at her. When you did, you stared her down, a tightness behind your eyes. 

“It’s nothi-”

“It’s someth-”

“It’s you!” Your voice came out in a whisper-yell, causing Ellie to look around at the other people outside. No one was paying attention to you. “Earlier when you laughed when Jesse called me your girlfriend. That’s my problem, Ellie.”

“Oh my god,” Ellie groaned, her hands rubbing at her face. “You’re serious?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” You stood in front of her, the steps making you taller than her. 

“Cause that’s fucking ridiculous, I’m sorry.” Ellie turned around and began walking down the road towards her car, you hot on her trail. 

“That’s ridiculous?” She stopped halfway down the block, turning to you. You were almost sure she led you out here to make sure no one would see you fighting.

“Yes, it’s fucking ridiculous because you always do this!” Ellie’s voice sounded tired as if she was at her breaking point with you. “You always make something out of nothing. I hate to break it to you but you are not my girlfriend and you never have been.”

“But I’m something.” You fought back tears, the sentence coming out more like a question. 

“You’re-” Ellie sighed, looking away from you. “You’re my friend, okay? That’s what it is and if you can’t handle being my friend then maybe we shouldn’t be friends.” 

This was as close to a breakup as you would get with Ellie. 

“Friend.” The word sounded bitter on your tongue. “Friends don’t kiss each other, Ellie.” Your voice was small again.

“They do.” She stated matter-of-factly, “They do because we do. You have never been more to me than a friend.”

You couldn’t stop the tears in your eyes, you knew this was how she felt but never expected it to come out of her mouth. The 8 months you wasted now hitting you like a ton of bricks. Nodding you let out an ‘okay’ and began making your way down the street.

“Where are you going?” Ellie called after you, following you as you picked up your pace. 

“I’m going home, I’m calling an Uber.” You didn’t turn to look at her but could feel her behind you.

“Don’t..” She sighed again. “Don’t do that, I can take you.”

“No, I’d rather not see you again.” Ellie’s footsteps behind you stilled causing you to turn around. The hurt on her face was evident, though no tears fell. She was just staring through you. 

“Fine,” was all she said before turning around and heading back to the party.

-

You didn’t talk to or hear from Ellie for a month after the party. She didn’t call to make sure you made it home safe or text you to tell you she was sorry. There was nothing on her end or your end so you stopped talking. Dina and Cindy barely noticed the shift between the two of you with finals coming up so they never asked.

You were left to mourn what felt like a relationship, but never really was. There was a person who knew everything about you, how you scraped your knee when you were nine, and how much you hate blueberries, who no longer spoke to you. You wondered what she did with that information. If everytime she had a blueberry muffin she thought of you. 

Not to your knowledge, Ellie did think about you. She thought about the way your hair smelt and how you used to sing along to throwback songs in the car with her. She thought about how she used to tell you the things she used to be scared to say out loud, and how you would rub at her shoulder to soothe her. She thought about the scrape and the blueberries and the way your eyes glossed over when you cried. She tried not to think about that night at that party and what your eyes looked like.

As summer came around and everyone packed their bags to go back home, you found yourself enjoying the heat from the sun as it prickled at your skin. Summer’s in Jackson were filled with fireworks, sidewalk chalk, and popsicles. Groups of teenagers hung out in the parking lot of the local convenience shop, drinking redbulls and laughing loudly with their friends. 

Jackson was small so the fear of running into Ellie only grew as the summer went on. You did your best to avoid the places you knew she went, until you couldn’t. You found yourself inside the brightly lit convenience store right by Ellie’s house, looking through the candy section for gummy bears. It was late and this was the only store open close enough for you to ride your bike to so you took that risk. 

As if fate was out to get you, Ellie walked into the store phone in hand and freckles more prominent than they usually were. Her face had a little bit of a red tint to it and her hair was pulled back into a bun. She looked relaxed, but more than that she looked fine. You don’t know why it bothered you, but it did.

Upon seeing you her entire demeanor changed. Her entire body became rigid, mirroring yours as she contemplated on what to do. She looked to the packages overflowing in your hand and laughed. She wanted to make a joke, but didn’t know how you would take it so she remained silent. 

“Hey,” she pursed her lips as she approached you. You looked like you had seen a ghost and Ellie wanted to laugh, to kiss at your nose until you smiled but she doubted that would happen.

“Hey,” you responded flatly, not wanting to give her any satisfaction. 

“Long time, no see,” she breathed out a short laugh, looking around. Ellie forgot what she came in here for. 

“Yeah,” you rolled your eyes and pushed past her, placing your things on the counter. The guy behind the counter began ringing them up, eyes looking in between you and Ellie as she followed you to the register. 

“Do you think we can talk?” Her voice was hushed, smooth even, and god you missed it. You glanced at her, worry was written all over her face. You sighed and reluctantly agreed. When you got outside you placed your bag in the basket of your bike and turned towards her. 

“I’ll walk you home, but after that I’m leaving, okay?” This was the rudest you have ever been to Ellie and you felt awful. You were just protecting yourself but you didn’t want her to see this as a way to wiggle back into your life. 

“Cool, cool.” Ellie responded as she watched you walk with your bike, your hand firmly on the handles. She glanced over at you, heart warming at the sight of your face. “How’ve you been?”

“Good, finals went well.”

“That’s good.”

“Do you regret it?” You stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to look at her, to see her reaction when she answered. 

“No,” was all she said, making you roll your eyes. 

“Why?”

“Cause I wasn’t ready,” she sighed and continued walking, hoping you would follow her. “I would’ve destroyed you.”

“You did.”

“No, I didn’t,” her green eyes looked dark in the illumination of the street lights. “Look at you, you’re here and you’re still you.” 

“I’m not still me,” you rolled your eyes, “I’m scared-”

“-I was scared,” her voice over lapped yours, the bite in her tone back. “I was your first… whatever that was… but you weren’t mine.” 

“Way to rub it in.”

“No, I mean,” she took a deep breath, “I did the relationship shit before and it didn’t end well. It made me into this. I think if you and me became real… it would’ve not only killed you but also me.”

“I think you should’ve let it happen. Give me that choice.”

“I did what was best for me,” Ellie’s voice was strong, she was sure of herself, “and for you, but you don’t have to believe that.”

“I don’t believe it.”

“That’s okay.” 

“Do you miss me?” you whispered.

“All the time,” she smiled to herself, “but I’m doing fine.”

When you got a good look at her you noticed the bags under her eyes, the worry line on her forehead that was growing. She even looked smaller. Nothing about her made it seem like she was doing okay, but it didn’t make sense to press her on the matter. It hurt, but a part of you understood it, understood her. The idea of getting close to someone terrified you, and you couldn’t pretend that you didn’t understand where she was coming from, but it didn’t help that her deep-seated fear was now being passed down to you.

“That’s good,” you gave her a fake smile, “I’m happy to hear it.”

“This is me,” she gestured towards her house before turning back to you and giving you one last smile, “You’ll be okay.”

“I know.”

ai audios:

[hinamie]

do u have any tips for uhh idk art term....highlight and contour but for art? specifically w digital art? w pencil and paper it feels super intuitive but then when i switch to digital it looks all flat.............

(is it shading? idk what im doing tbsh)

(also hope ur doing well i feel like im crawling into ur asks every two days or smth looking for art tips sorry T_T)

(yuuji comic made me cry so hard btw)

hi rin!!!!!!! that wld be shading/rendering yes hgbhgfjs there’s no One specific term tho so ur all good <3 also omg re: the yuuji comic IM SORRY I KEEP MAKING U CRY GHJKGJDSGHKJ its ok i made a lot of people cry if the death wishes/pos in the tags are anything 2 go by so ur in good company :D i teared up also

i would Also like to apologize in advance because fr me this is one of those Art Things that becomes more intuitive the more u do it so i am a bit. lost as 2 how to explain but i will sukuna voice ganbare ganbare !!!!

it’s all about light sources babes so pick a direction where the light is hitting from and use that as your main point of reference. If u need to remind yourself where the light is coming from i was taught to draw a lil arrow or sun somewhere on your canvas 2 keep track . areas closest to the light or planes that are more Elevated will be brighter than areas farther away or Deeper. When u think of a face, the forehead and cheeks rest Higher than fr example, the eye sockets, so those areas will catch more light and appear brighter. it /is/ kind of like makeup in that way. 

also, shadows/highlights can have soft or hard edges depending on how . uh . intense, i guess?? the angle of the light is. like with a box vs a sphere, the former will have a lot more Cut and Defined areas of darkness because the plane where light hits is cut off more directly by the presence of a corner, whereas with a sphere the Slope means that the values follow more of a gradient. 

tbh tho if you’re still starting out, to practice light sources and shading it actually might be good to scribble and shade some 3D shapes and spheres/boxes or maybe even draw from life so u can really take time 2 pay attn to how light catches different surfaces . it’s boring work but the practice is never wasted !! lighting can be tricky so try and take the time 2 form Good habits :'> references r ur friends here now more than ever.

other than that, which i feel more or less covers the basics n fundamentals, my wisdoms 2 u and any1 else who will have it: INVEST TIME IN2 FINDING GOOD BRUSHES omg i feel like a lot of that New Artist Look (tm) comes from using default brushes —which on its own is fine, but the kicker is not taking time to get comfortable with how to make the best use of them. the fun of the render is getting to play with textures and colours so find some brush settings that help add a bit of personality!! also . resist defaulting 2 the airbrush tool to shade it Rarely cooperates and can muddy a piece. uhhhh what else what else try not to shade with black for the same reasons ???? i'm scraping the bottom of the barrel here but i hope something here was of any value :'>>

[thatsthewrongwallcraig]

hiii it's the domestic lover kappa hc and the "ive never felt that way about anyone" anon 😭😭 after reading the carousel fic you've made me develop a crush on gabe too LMAAOOO umm anyways 🤭 he's such a sweet boy like always trying to do right by you and i just wanna hold him and just reassure him that i'm not going anywhere EEEEEEEE HAHAHAH sorry especially whiny gabe???? id do anything for him idk idk maybe it's just me but i'd love to see your take on this

Dear nonnie, I'm so so so thankful for all your asks! I love and enjoy writing them so much!! ✊🏻😩🫶🏻

Cake

Summary: Whilst holding Gabriel in a close embrace, you force yourself to face some facts…

Pairing: virgin!Gabriel x nurse!fem!Reader

Word Count: -1.1k

Content Warnings: Hurt/Comfort, A Lot Of Emotional Constipation, Kinda Angsty, A Little Bit Of Making Out 18+!,

A/N: I successfully made myself cry over this…my heart is ACHING for Gabe!

Sequel to Carousel!

Tagging the horny horde:

@crypticsewerslut @quicksilversg1rl @cc-luvr @icarus-star @milaeth @roryculkinsgf @spookyorchid @arch1viste @whoareyoi @angelsanarchy @blueberrypancakesworld @rocketqueen-world @r0ttenmess @doddernix @svgarcaine @amayalul @basementgrl222 @kristennero-wallacewellsver @iiheartsai @fan-goddess @shady-the-simp

Your skin is warm like an oven

Your kiss is sugary sweet

Your fingers feel like cotton

When you put your arms around me

I feel like I'm just missing

Something whenever you leave

- Cake By Melanie Martinez

With your fingertips deeply hidden away in Gabriel’s hair, his cheek resting right against your collarbone from where his warm breath breezed over your bare skin, you let your eyes wander through his room. Of course, you’d entered and left it plenty of times in the last 2 years but it slowly dawned on you that you actually never really took close notice of all the little things and trinkets he surrounded himself with.

The wall right next to the door giving way to the corridor was practically plastered with posters of his favorite movies and pictures. Photographs from times long gone, the sun shining brightly into happy faces of an intact family captured on a piece of shiny photography paper. You looked at them, studied them closely one after the other, and with every passing second the reality of your situation settled into your chest. What in the everloving fuck where you doing here? Why was your “patient”, a resident of Ward 4, cozily nestled in between your legs whilst your fingers played with strands of his hair, twirling them around your digits again and again? You’d be royally screwed if someone were to find out about any of it, that much you knew.

“Gabe..?” Your voice was low as you addressed him.

“Hmm?” He hummed back, his fingers tracing the curve of your breast lazily, sending a comfortably warm wash over your skin.

“You gotta promise me that you won’t tell anybody about this…” You felt your voice breaking off as your brain jumped to the necessary cause of you feeling so strongly about it.

There was much more to it than just the fear of losing your job and probably ending up as a juicy headline in the local tabloids for a week or two and by now you had to force yourself to face it.

“Because…”, It left your mouth in a heavy sight, “Because I don’t think I could deal with not seeing you anymore.”

The last thing you’d expected was for Gabe to laugh out at your words. At first, you felt a mean sting of hurt jolting right through your chest but it eased up as soon as Gabriel raised his head from your chest to beam at you with the brightest smile you’d ever seen on his face.

“I promised you already, didn’t I?”, He chuckled softly, slowly pulling himself up to nudge the tip of your nose with his, “Promised you to be a good boy about it, no? Wouldn’t wanna be without you either.”

“Yeah, you did.”, His lips brushed over yours and you smiled against them, feeling how your body rendered hungry for his touch again, “It’s just…I couldn’t…I- I can’t fathom losing you, Gabriel.”

“You won’t, I’ll make sure of that, I promise.” Gabe quipped before pressing his lips to yours, teeth playfully nipping at your bottom lip until you darted your tongue out to push into his mouth.

You allowed his words to settle right in your heart that was thumbing against your ribcage a little faster with every next kiss Gabriel planted to your lips, his tongue now curiously exploring your mouth as well. For a moment, you just pushed everything else to the side and breathed him in, your body craving to soak up as much of him as you possibly could. With Gabriel right above you, it took every last bit of self-control from you to not simply wrap your legs around his hips and pull him into you. One thing after the other, you had to repeat it to yourself in your thoughts over and over again whilst your hands ruffled through his hair, tenderly shaking it out a little for it to fall into his face.

“Can I ask you something?” Gabe reluctantly broke from the kiss to look at you with a slightly watery sparkle in his eyes.

“Sure, of course, angel face.” Right after the words had left your mouth, you felt just how much truth and intention you’d been putting into that seemingly simple pet name of his.

Sweet, sweet Gabriel really had an angel’s face, especially when he smiled at you like this. It made your knees weak and your heart ache for him.

“Do you love me?” He asked carefully and the question itself made time stop for a split second.

You felt your mind short-circuiting for an instant, thoughts crumbling into oblivion as the way his eyes widened in anticipation violently pulled and tugged at your heartstrings. It made an awful lot of sense to you how he asked you first. It was a last-threshold safety measure. That way he could act all indifferent and unfazed in case you were to answer with something he didn’t want to hear. However, you knew that he wouldn’t have to.

“Yeah, I do.” It trickled from your lips in the very same second you could feel your heart breaking apart inside your chest.

You did, you were in love with Gabe but the last shreds of sanity and responsibility revolted as loud and painful as they possibly could.

“You…do?” A tell-tale accumulation of forming tears pooled at his lower lashline, Gabriel wasn’t expecting that for an answer it seemed.

“Uh-huh, I’m afraid I fell head over heels for you, angel face.” On the inside you felt like falling apart, your conscience screaming at you that this ship was bound to sink, that the entire endeavor was doomed from the start with Gabriel being locked up in here and you being his godforsaken nurse.

There wouldn’t be anything good coming out of this, yet you refused to believe that all of it was wrong.

[vampstel]

Out of your favorite designs you’ve redrawn or has drawn who do you enjoyed working on the most?

As a character designer myself, I can’t help but love all my ocs equally, and learning from you actually helps me expand upon my stories. You’ve helped me so much writing a story for Victoria (She’s a princess vampire who is generations after Dracula (Temporary name because some details are being worked on) in my universe I don’t think this made sense but hopefully it does?) and I actually took some inspiration from your video in order to fully develop her.

I also love it when you diversity your work. It makes me really happy seeing all sorts of characters with real life details? If that made any sense. I like learning from you and I wanna try to understand more about details. Mainly because I suck at drawing details and idk how you do most of your stuff by hand. (I usually try to find brushes on IbisPaint on Pinterest for my work)

What kind of advice do you have for any upcoming artists who’s struggling with character designing?

Do you start with the character and then work on the story or is it the other way around?

This is going to be a VERY long response so it’s all gonna be under the cut…

I don’t really have a favorite design honestly... It’s hard to pick favorites when your characters have different aesthetics to them. It feels unfair to me to compare them because of that LOL so I try my best to avoid that.

That being said though, I can definitely say I had so much fun redesigning Elliot and making her her own person rather than a character who’s meant to represent me. She doesn’t have a full body render yet but… I think she’s neat :3

She’s just got all the things I love in one design and since she’s so personal to me, I guess you could technically say she’s my current favorite design out of all my OCs so far. Minus Rei, of course…

But yeah I can definitely relate to loving all your characters equally!! Victoria sounds cool and I’m glad my content helps you out ^_^

As for the last few questions… Details are really hard to draw especially if your art style is more on the cartoony side. There’s nothing wrong with using brushes or patterns online to help out the process but if you want to practice without them, it’s good to try out how to simplify details!!

Not everything has to be crazy complicated. So long as you get the general idea or silhouette of something in your art, it translates pretty well in the end results. Lots of artists simplify things to make it easier for the eye and it’s a hard skill to master but as you get used to it, you’ll become way better at it. Try and be fluid with your line work. That’ll help a ton!!

For advice on character design: I’d say the most important part to designing a character is making them feel alive by having meaning to their physical appearance and attire. A lot of beginner artists tend to forget that which results in a boring or un-relatable character.

We all have some sort of history with our appearances and it’s good to try and figure that out with your OCs. I usually do that during the design process but it’s fine if you do it after or before it. Before it is more ideal in a professional setting though!!

Go insane with designs. Mix and match aesthetics if you want and use LOTS of references and inspiration. That’s the second most important part. It’s why I have tons of pins saved on Pinterest and tons of reels saved on Instagram. But remember to always ask yourself questions like:

Would this character dress like this? What do they think about their clothes? Do they dress traditional, medieval, or modern?

Would they like this sort of thing? What sorts of fabrics and textures do they prefer to feel on their skin? Are they comfortable with revealing attire or do they prefer something more formal?

What sort of history does their clothes have? Was it a gift from someone, did they buy it from a thrift store or did they make it themself?

Do their accessories have sentimentality or are they completely irrelevant and something they use just for aesthetics?

Is there a way to incorporate things from their backstory or their current story to their appearance? Like scars/marks on their body? Maybe even accessories from a loved one or no?

Can you explain why they have specific physical features? Why are they skinny? Or muscular? Do they work out and eat healthy or do they barely take care of themselves?

It’s a lot to consider but when you can answer these questions, your character becomes much more lively and unique.

I personally tend to start the design of the character first but as I go through the drawing process, that’s when I flesh things out like their story and such. I don’t recommend this process to beginners since it’s SUPER messy but do what makes you feel comfortable! Hope this was helpful and thank you once again for the sweet compliments <33

[attollogame]

OC Kiss Week 2—idk man just get it

Sysba—??? It's somethin [1.4k-ish; NSFW cont. will be on Patreon by end of the day]

Spelunking and Monsters

There is a pit within the factory. 

It descends far enough down that, to the naked eye, it seems practically bottomless. When you lowered yourself down, and the platform you stood on creaked with both age and effort from disuse, you couldn’t shake the lingering fear that you were aiming for a non-existent end. It was only when your feet touched the cold dirt floor and you could look up to see the pinprick of light that was your exit did that fear morph from an end to the unknown. 

And there is a tunnel within that pit. 

It felt like you were walking for eons. The light of your phone—which was rapidly losing battery—barely penetrated the darkness beyond and the heat of the humid underground made your clothing stick to your skin. When you saw an orange glow reflecting on the wall ahead of you, you turned off your flashlight and watched as it flickered and varied, like a burning flame deep within the earth’s core.

And there is a chapel within that tunnel. 

A door, which looked like it was carved in an era long-passed, allowed only a sparse amount of that orange light to break through the cracks. It was cold to touch—far colder than the tunnel it sat in—and when your hand grasped the steel knob, the metal burned against your skin. Twisting it had been met with no resistance, and when you pushed the door open enough to peer into the chasm, an awful, heavy silence is what you were greeted with.

And within that chapel there lies a beast.

Which is how you came to be now. 

It lay before a makeshift altar of sorts, with a large window that permitted no light directly behind it. Candles lay burning on the floors and on old oil-lamp hangers, which look as though they’ve been out of use for as long as the platform you descended on. The walls are of stone and carved rock, allowing a blend of both nature and man to collide in some unrighteous abode. But it was the being—the one before the altar—which drew your attention the most. 

You could see what lay before you, but for some reason, it was like your mind couldn’t comprehend its form. The mass of feathers which twitched and spasmed by the sudden burst of hot air brought by your arrival had no distinct shape, and when they parted to reveal a slitted scarlet eye that peered out at you with nothing less than contempt at your disruption, you found yourself rendered immovable from your position. 

When it speaks, the voice is the only part that you come to recognize, although it sounds hoarse from their presumed slumber. 

“You, again?” 

“Sysba,” you breathe, the name escaping from you with a tone of relief you didn’t anticipate. The sound of feathers rustling fills the room as the great mass—wings, you realize—unfurls enough for you to see a familiar pair of black eyes. 

“You’re quite a nosey one, travelling all the way down here.” They sigh—a wistful, papery sound—and an arm emerges from behind the wings. It’s pale, but their fingers are claw-like, and look as though they’ve been dipped in black ink. They beckon for you to approach. “Come closer; we aren't alone down here.” 

You approach with a sense of apprehension, and as you do, one wing unfurls fully to draw you in. You try your best to ignore the scarlet eyes that continue to watch you, or how the sensation of the feathers on your body feel more like needles than anything soft. Sysba sighs again, and the sound of it overwhelms you with just how close you are now. It’s dark within their embrace, to the point that you can’t see anything at all; an experience in sensory deprivation, if you will. 

“What should I do with you, now that you woke me up from my rest? We can’t just stand here in silence, after all.” The feathers move around you, and you shiver by reflex. When they speak next, their hot breath brushes against your cheek. You didn’t even realize how close you were. “And we’re past the talking stage.” 

“You said there were other things down here—” your voice hitches as the feeling of something cold pressing against your cheek halts the words. You feel it warp in shape, and you realize it’s Sysba’s lips—or what you assume are their lips. Their wings pull you in closer until you feel constricted as they press a kiss against your temple. “—other things down here—”

“Mhm~?” they hum, halting your words again as they kiss the corner of your lips. You squirm and try to look behind you, to where you entered from, only to see nothing but a wall of darkness. 

“You’re thinking about something else? When I'm right here?” You feel a hand that ends in clawed fingers cradle the back of your head, forcing you to look back where Sysba’s face presumably is. You feel like all sound is becoming muffled around you until only a faint ringing in your ears remains. There is no scent, no sight; only the touch of needles on your skin. Their hand slides down until it rests on the back of your neck and their fingers curl, as though attempting to choke you from behind. “I thought you came down to see me?” 

“I—” protests rise, and then they fall as you’re pulled closer, as the heat of Sysba’s breath brushes against your lips and although you can’t see it, you can feel the way that they’re grinning over your reaction. 

“Then you should only focus on me. There’s a price to be paid for waking me up, after all.” 

You open your mouth, intending to reply, but any words you may have to offer are swallowed up as Sysba’s lips press against yours. The taste of ozone overrides your senses as they force you against them, as you feel every monstrous change that has overtaken them in their semi-transformed state. You feel as though you’re spiralling, as though your body is sinking further into the darkness that surrounds you as they kiss you with a greater urgency, with a hunger, never encountered before. 

In response, you raise a hand to grasp at the nearest wing you can reach, tugging sharply on the feathers as you do so. You feel the limb shudder with your action and Sysba groans, their smile widening in response. 

Then they withdraw, leaving a string of saliva connecting the two of you, which they quickly swipe away with a laugh. Your breath escapes from you in haggard pants and your mind is swirling as Sysba’s hand comes to rest on your waist, toying with the hem of your shirt as they do so. They lightly bite at your earlobe before shifting their body against yours, as though they wish to make sure any audience you may have knows who's favour you're in. 

“Don’t think this is over just yet, my dear.”

[foster-the-moths]

If you don't mind, could you give us a tutorial or brief explanation on how you render hair? /nf

YES!! unfortunately i got. very tired after making this so this is only one hair type :( was gonna go into all the different types of hair textures but. i will just have to do that later. also keep in mind i drew this in like. 7 minutes its just a simple guide to get out the basic steps

^i didn't put music in this so. listen to whatever u want while ur watching this (its 6 minutes 40 seconds). also its slightly sped up this isn't real speed

elaboration of each step under read more:

step 0: look at other hair tutorials/pictures of real hair to figure out how light reflects off of them. then completely disregard that and just make things up (this is the best artistic process trust me i do it every day)

step 1: just get out that basic shape. it doesnt have to be anything fancy,

step 2: just fill it in and adjust the shape as needed

step 3: figure out how the hair moves and flows, which parts go out more (highlights), which parts are closer to the head (shadows/base), etc. i highly recommend just looking at pictures of hair online, or taking pictures of your own hair. for coily/curly hair, you just kind of have to do this for each curl/coil. one thing to keep in mind the highlight is in the middle of the curl/coil and the shadows are on the edges (usually). i'll elaborate more on that once i have an actual video for it

step 4: just make it so the edges of the highlights transition a bit more smoothly into the base color. it just helps for later steps tbh. try not to over do it, don't want to completely get rid of the highlight, just soften it

step 5: add more highlights with thinner brush. this should be where the light would bounce off the hair the MOST. i think i forgot to say in the video uhhh add in some base value too. maybe a few shadows. mostly this step is for highlights tho.

step 6: idk what else to put here sorry. ngl just get silly with it

step 7: it is very important to do one stroke per area in this one. do not lift your pen off the screen/tablet/whatever until the little area youre working on is one smooth transparent shade, then move on to the next. idk if i'm explaining this right hopefully this makes sense.

step 8: complete opposite as step seven. make as many strokes as you feel it needs. not TOO many, just enough to get some texture and then some yk? i recommend making a copy of the layer youre working on before doing this so that if you mess something up you can always go back to square one.

also a lot of these steps apply to pretty much any hair type just. in a completely different shape with completely different rules. which is to say its exactly like this but it actually isn't like this at all. which is why i plan on making other videos some day (hopefully) also look up "hair texture chart" it will help you find the words you need to look up good refs

remember: always get silly with it. the only rule to to make things up and change your mind 400 times. bring a 'fuck it, we ball' mentality to your art program that the haters (your brain) really won't like. practice makes perfect and all that, do NOT expect to get something good first try, sometimes i still struggle with drawing hair in a way that i like and just scrap the whole thing. also i'm not kidding about those real hair reference pictures it helps so so much

hope this helped at least a little bit bc i am not good at explaining things 👍

[meowza315]

hello🪿☕️

Hour art is beautiful. I saw your latest drawing and was wondering if you have any tipps on improving digital art skills?

have a great day 🌬️✨

thank you!!

I’m honestly not really sure, I’m not the greatest at giving tips but I’ll do my best I guess.

- References… reference images save my life 💀 months ago, maybe even a year ago, I was using references and practicing by tracing over my reference to get a feel of where specific parts of the face were and how they were shaped. That tends to help!!

- Studies. I also did a lot of screencap redraws and studies in early-mid 2023. I tried getting colors as close as I could without color picking them, but also checked to see how close I got them and making the adjustments I needed in order to get it closer. That helped my sense of color theory in a way? You think it might be one color but really it’s different, like a blue tone in the face may look blue but it’s just a dulled orange.

- Try out different brushes and tools, some may work or feel better to you than others! I used to (and still sometimes do) switch between brushes for my lineart, but I’ve stuck with the same rendering/coloring brush.

honestly idk what else. my brain is failing me rn ‼️‼️

I also don’t give the best tips in general so 🔥 that’s all I really have

[99yikes]

Hi! I’m a beginner artist when it comes to digital art and was wondering what app and brushes do you use for your art, or maybe if you have any tips on digital art. I figured I’d ask you since your art is so cool and looks so nice!

aksjskdjf hello there! thank you so much for the compliments, i'm flattered!! my art is super sloppy, but i'm happy you like it (꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ)♡ i'm honestly a little embarrassed to post this cuz i'm pretty much still a novice at digital art stuff, so there are probably better/more concise ways to go over all this, but i'll gonna try my best anyway!! sorry if i ramble ;;

to answer your questions, i use procreate! i'm also pretty lazy and i don't really like to switch brushes often, meaning i work almost exclusively with the 6B Pencil. i sketch with it. i line with it. i even color and render with it sometimes. i knew when i got into digital art i would want to use a textured, pencil-like brush bc my favorite artist did and i always loved the way it looked.

here's an example of just how excessively i use it lmao (with some Pro Tips™ /j):

but ! because i use it so often, i've made some minor adjustments to the brush -- not enough to warrant calling it a completely different brush, but enough that there's a noticeable difference between the original and what i use when actually drawing.

personally, i like a tapered end when sketching and lining so i gave it a little fall off and adjusted pressure taper settings, and i also appreciate more control (less loose/shaky lines bc a pen tip on a glass screen is SLIPPERY), so i upped the streamline setting too!

here's a look at what settings i tweaked if you want to try it out yourself:

other brushes i tend to use are:

Round Brush for coloring. very super mega basic, but easy to work with!

and it's worth mentioning that lately i've been using Baskerville to line things! i used it in this itafushikigi piece. it gives me a lot of control and it's very tidy so i like it (bˊᵕˋ)b

and that's...really it lmao. of course these are all default procreate brushes. no matter what program you use, i just recommend testing out different brushes and adjusting settings until you find what works for you! you can always reset to default if you dislike it and duplicate the brush if you adore it. you can also download other brushes, but i don't have much (read: any) experience with that 💃

other tips would just be get familiar with your app and practice as much as you can. i'm very much a "pick one thing and draw it a million times" kind of person bc repetition gives me an opportunity to work on things i want to improve. 'if i draw yuutafushi enough times, eventually i'll perfect how i draw them' -- that kind of mindset?? idk if that method works for everyone, but, y'know...having a muse helps ;;

digital art was like a whole nother ballpark for me and i felt like i had to relearn how to do everything, so don't feel discouraged if your traditional art abilities don't immediately transfer over! it just takes time to get comfortable with it. drawing with your finger on a screen vs a pen on a tablet vs a pencil on paper are all very different experiences and there's a learning curve for each!

anyways, i hope that helps a little. sorry this is super long! good luck on your digital art journey ❤️

[zukotheartist]

hi ! i realized i had some more tips for stylization that i forgot abt until now so i figured i'd send u an ask :

1. using references and exaggerating the shapes. this is kinda hard 2 explain w/o a visual but i'll try my best lol.

yknow how cartoon men will have very triangle shaped bodies w/ wide shoulders and small hips and the women have very hourglass bodies?? i mean kinda like that. it takes a lot of trial and error to perfect this sorta thing, but its really all about finding the shapes u like. and it doesnt always have 2 make perfect anatomical sense, as long as it Looks like it does lol. i like to exaggerate the elbows (making them more prominent and pointy? ig?) and the shoulders, as well as facial features like eye bags and the sides of the nose (i really dont know how 2 explain that w/o a visual, soz)

i also dont just mean w bodies w this technique(?). practicing using exaggerated shapes w things like animals or inanimate objects is great if u dont wanna just jump straight in2 bodies (cuz , at least 4 me, thats kinda scary lol)

i also have a pinterest board full of references if u wanna look at that. i dont think theres much inanimate objects tho .. i should probably work on that myself lol

2. if u want a more painterly-esc style/style w/o lineart (smth like these > )

mix hard and soft edges when rendering. if u look , the undereyes and the shadow under the lips as well as the sides of the nose all have hard edges, where as other places have more softer and blended out edges. a tip i learned from an art yter is "wherever u would put a line in a sketch or lineart, put a hard edge." an example of that would b the jawline or smth like that.

also ! i dont knkw what art program u use for digital art (if u do that idk) but i use procreate and i used the medium hard blend brush (in the airbrushing section) for those ^ up there but i changed the shape to the 'brick' shape which u can find in the 'source library' option when u click 'import' on the shape editor. and for the recent byler art, i use the 'gesinski ink' brush (that i edited 2 have min opacity set 2 max in 'brush properties') for sketching + lining + for most of the colouring (w/ the skin i added blush w the medium hard blend brush i mentioned b4, the freckles w the 'driven snow' brush on super low opacity and the 'derwent' brush for body hair) if thats smth u wanted 2 know?

i hope these were more helpful tho <3 have a good day/night :)

Hi🤗! Thank u so much for taking the time to answer me TWICE🥺!!! The hard edge - sketch line thing is actually so eye opening😳! When going for a more realistic style digitally (i use Krita btw! But thank u for the brush names bc im thinking of getting an ipad one day even just for Goodnotes😭) i always kinda winged when to blend and when to leave a harsh or harsher line, this helps a lot! And I'll definitely take a look at your pinterest board, tysm for sending me a link🥺! Once again, thank u SO much and i hope u have a great day/night🥰💕!

[trashpocket]

Okay so I got this headcanon that Lalli is actually a really good singer when he wants to be. (like, he's a mage so he must be good as singing runos...) Anyways how about : Emil hears Lalli sing and falls in love with it... OR maybe Lalli singing lullabies to Emil in Finnish? Idk, feel free to play around with that if you want ^^

Sleep, sleep meadow bird,

Tired, tired, wagtail.

Sleep well in the grass,

Drift into the white land.

- Sleep, sleep Meadow Bird

Emil’s mind was a mess of hallways, and rooms, where many served no purpose, and led to dead ends. There were many corners and spaces where one could hide, and many nooks and crannies where things lay, untouched and out of place. As if it was left there, after being forgotten, afraid to be picked up once more in order to return it (as if there was no other place where it could return to). 

Lalli knew how dreamscapes functioned. They were basically an extension of one’s mind and soul, materialized into an ideal place that fit the person the most. That told the most. If you were like Onni, whose space was dominated by a lake in the center, that stayed in perpetual twilight, with a guard of trees, so thick and wide, the rocky terrains were nothing but just the beginning. Then, one would know you hid a sadness at the core of you, guarded well by walls of fear and concern, shutting anyone out from accessing the sadness that ran deep in your bones.

 And if you were like Emil, who resided in an endless maze, with every window and door shut, every drawer and cupboard filled, and everything sealed so tight, that it offered no leverage (but kept one away from the fire, away from the burning), then one would know that you were good at hiding things. 

At burying them deep.

That’s why, when Lalli witnessed Emil silently cry through a nightmare, without making a sound (as if the action was so practiced, and pressed deep into his bones, that it hurt for Lalli to even think about it), he was surprised that Emil had been hiding his tears and cries so well. Just when Lalli thought he knew Emil, who seemed like an open book, and wore his very heart on his sleeve, there Emil was, shattering his beliefs by taking him into a dreamscape that wasn’t meant to be possible. There he was, acting so unlike himself in his arms. There was he, destroying the belief that Lalli ever knew him at all. 

In fact, Lalli barely knew anything, if he thought about it. 

When he found Emil crying, he was woken to the scent of salt.

He hated the smell of it.

It reminded him of wet sand (sinking him to his knees), of grief and mourning (when he screamed till there was nothing to scream about but the deafness in his ears) and Tuuri (who had been swallowed by the waves and whose body he had lost to the sea).

Lalli had long know that the world was cruel and merciless; was harsh, and unkind. He knew it firsthand in Saimaa, witnessed it once more in Denmark.

And here? — it just hurt to watch someone he had thought were ignorant and blind, and protected from grief, be silently inflicted with it all along. Lalli was supposed to notice things. Was supposed to be perceptive.

And yes, he was.

It's just — Emil was just better at hiding some parts of him that he didn't want Lalli to see.

And though Lalli wasn't happy with the fact that there were still many things he didn't know about Emil, he pushed those worries aside. In due time, they would, but right now, he had someone who needed him.

He reached over and tentatively smoothed out Emil's hair from his wet cheeks. He continued doing so, until Emil himself woke up, eyes hazy and clouded with confusion.

"Lalli?" his voice was gravelly with the sound of sleep and breathlessness; there was a tremble in there that he also caught. Lalli didn't know what to say. Everything will be fine? He was here? Don't worry? No words seemed appropriate for Lalli to say, when they were out in the wilderness, searching for his stupid cousin, as trolls and beasts wandered about, ready to murder them if they so much as squaked at the wrong moment.

Lalli didn't know what he was trying to do, but he sat up, and his body language must've signalled comfort, because Emil allowed himself to hug Lalli around his midriff, burying his face into his belly. Lalli found it almost surreal that he was the one cradling Emil this time. It had always been Lalli who was held first.

But Emil was releasing shuddering breaths against him, trusting Lalli to muffle and take away that noise, the pain. Lalli's heart twinged strangely at that, and he carefully cradled Emil to him, content with the trust Emil thrusted upon him.

It was only natural for Lalli to sing a spell under his breath. Enough only for Emil to hear.

"Nuku, nuku nurmilintu,

Väsy, väsy, västäräkki.

Nuku nurmelle hyvälle,

Vaivu maalle valkialle."

He brushed the golden strands of Emil's hair, content to hold him there.

"Lintu tuopi liinahapaijan,

Haapana hyvän hamehen.

Kaskeloinen korvatyynyn,

Pääskynen peäalusen."

Emil had softened his grip around Lalli's waist, as he burrowed his face into Lalli's stomach. Lalli allowed him, more happy with Emil staying than pulling away. It was his fault, after all. Tearing a hole into the mind of a godless heathen? Leaving their dreamscape open and vulnerable? No wonder Emil's nightmares were terrible.

"Nuku, nuku nurmilintu,

Väsy, väsy, västäräkki.

Nuku nurmelle hyvälle,

Vaivu maalle valkialle."

But, maybe this was what Onni felt like, when he held Tuuri and him after the fall of Saimaa. Maybe this was what Onni felt, when he would sing the same spell to Lalli, on the nights where memories and terror combined so well, to reign in his nights the hardest. Maybe this was what Onni felt like, when the pressure became too much at sixteen, when he found himself alone in the world, with two of his family left, with no one to properly care for him in return.

Maybe this was what Onni felt like, when he had someone to protect.

And now, Lalli understood why Onni would run into danger, when one of the people he loved the most was taken from him.

(Still didn't excuse him, though.)

Emil looked up at Lalli, the vestiges of sleep almost engulfing his eyes. But not before Emil smiled softly, reaching up to brush Lalli's hair from his forehead, trying to comfort Lalli's worried brow.

Lalli snorted at his hand, rolling his eyes. He was comforting you, stupid, not the other way around!

But Emil didn't care, settling his cheek on Lalli's chest like an anchor, and breathing out his last words of the night before his nightmares were chased away.

"Thank you, Lalli."

That's why Lalli won't give up. If he won't give up on Emil, then he won't give up on stupid Onni, either. He had people to protect; to bring home, to talk to, and to live with.

He won't give up, not like this, when he could chase their nightmares away.

Besides, there was comfort in knowing that there was someone out there that Lalli could at least protect, and he was there, pressed close to his heart, offering a comfort Lalli hadn't thought he could ever afford.

_____________

(So, I was planning for this to be fluff, until my hands took control and now this happened but, nvm that. I wanted this small piece to emulate a dream, and im sad i didnt have enough time to fully render it :'D but i hope you enjoyed it anyway. I also didnt know if u wanted a small fic, or just a piece, so i thought, why not both?

I wanted to explore Emil's dreamscape a bit, and just think about the repurcussions of a heathen having a dreamscape that held no protection or any control for his dream environment. Would nightmares become more vivid? Would memories come out easier than before? Would Emil be even able to protect himself against any foreign entity who wished to enter his mind? Anyways, the lullaby is Nuku, nuku, Nurmilintu. Hope yall liked it!❤)

[paipayaseeds]

(idk if there was a certain person supposed to be at the door i don’t remember the game oops so i just picked kaede bc they need the cameras or some shit idk)(also there’s alcohol in this so if that’s not okay pls tell me to rewrite it or just end it if you want to! i just want to make sure ur okay dandbrjsjnfndan)(also idk man i only have one experience drinking vodka and i hated it so if it’s weird that’s why LMAOFIDJDJ)

waking up with a gasp, she looked up at the monitor mounted to the wall of her room. she winced at the loud volume of the speakers, and at the unnecessary reminder that her life would be cut short tomorrow night. when the tv turned back off, the uneasy feeling in her chest lingered; there wasn’t anybody there to hold her and tell her ‘it’s okay, it’s just the announcement...’ her arm was asleep, and when she looked down, she was hit with yet another reminder of how alone she was, met with the sight of a detective’s jacket... but no detective.

for a good half hour, she tossed and turned on her mattress trying to fall asleep, but to no avail. once she spent the night with shuichi, there was no way she’d be able to spend another one alone again. so, she got up and took a warm shower: one last attempt at relaxing herself enough to fall asleep. (she wasn’t a stinky little bitch-baby like shuicheese across the building). she didn’t care about her face, she wouldn’t have to see it for much longer anyway. she brushed her teeth and combed her hair before changing into some clean clothes. she was going to slip under blanket until she noticed the uniform still sitting there. i should... give it back. it was really just an excuse to go to shuichi’s room. she folded it over her arms and walked over to his door, leaving her mask in her room since everyone would be in theirs anyway. once she got there, though, she couldn’t bring herself to knock. instead, she just stood there with her knuckles barely brushing against the door while she was frozen. eventually, she backed up and folder the clothes neatly and placed them on the floor right in front of his door for him to pick up in the morning.

-

she managed to get a little shut-eye during the night, but not much. she let out a loud groan at the morning announcement before dragging herself out of bed and cleaning herself up for the day. that included putting on her mask. despite it only being two days, out of habit she waited for shuichi to come and walk with her. but, when she stood outside her door and noticed kaede knocking at his door, holding the clothes she had left there last night, she realized that wouldn’t be happening today. she shook her head before heading out the door and towards the dining hall.

when she arrived, she walked into a very weird conversation. rantaro and ryoma seemed to be arguing.

“nobody will be dying, you hear me?”

“you heard the bear, someone’s gotta kick it if you wanna live another day. i’m sayin’ that someone should be me.”

fumiko was a little shocked. why was ryoma trying to sacrifice himself...? he offered a lot to the group, and he helped out with the chores a lot!

“n-no...! k-kill... kill me instead.” fumiko spoke up, making the rest of the room look over and realize she was there. korekiyo seemed to be very interested in the conversation, how brilliant was it to see not one, but two people willing to give up their lives for the sake of others. “i’m- i’m serious.” because you deserve it. rantaro shot her a look that sent a shiver down her spine.

“i said, nobody will be dying. if any of you try anything... so help me god... just- just trust me, alright? don’t do anything stupid.” the green-haired man said, placing a hand on fumiko’s shoulder as he talked before leaving the dining hall. her gaze followed him, and when she turned around she saw a detective and a pianist standing at the doorway, seemingly watching this whole thing go down.

“fuck this, i’m gettin’ somethin’ to drink! if anyone wants to join me, feel free, hmph...” miu said, following in rantaro’s footsteps out the door before opening the entrance to the warehouse. i’ve never gotten drunk before... fumiko thought. she stood there in thought before ultimately deciding to follow the inventor into the warehouse, brushing her shoulder on shuichi’s as she did.

“h-huh? someone actually came?” miu said when she heard the door open. “Y-YOU...? FOR REAL? HAH! i might’ve underestimated you!” the blonde seemed to have known exactly where to go to find alcohol, as if she’s done it before, and she pulled out a bottle of vodka. fumiko stole the bottle from her hands and started downing it like it was nothing.

“w-w-what are you doing....!? H-HOW?” it tasted awful, and she hated it. but being drunk was supposed to be fun, right? so she squeezed her eyes shut and dealt with the pain. the door to the warehouse opened, and fumiko continued drinking. miu was so fucking out of it, she had no idea what was going on. she saw kaede and shuichi at the door and knew what they were going to ask. before she acknowledged them, though, she ripped the bottle from fumiko’s hand.

“give me that,” she mumbled, “WHAT THE FUCK? YOU DRANK HALF-”

“miu!” the pianist shouted, walking towards her, “are the- are they finished...?”

“yeah, yeah, come with me. i’ll give ‘em to ya.” miu stomped out of the room, open bottle in hand, and led the two visitors to her lab. all fumiko did was sit on the ground and rub her head. her whole body felt shitty already from the idiotic way she drank the beverage, the gross taste lingering in her mouth for much longer than she’d liked. it didn’t help that she got maybe an hour of sleep the night prior, which already rendered her ill. what was she thinking? that she would be dead by tomorrow. that’s what she was thinking.

Opening the door to his room, he was met with Kaede, and... his clothes? How did she get his clothes? Voicing his troubled thoughts, he furrowed his brow at her, "W- why do you have my clothes...?" Kaede blinked, "Huh? Wha-?" She looked down at the article she had held in her arms, somehow forgetting she had picked it up. "Oh! I found this outside your door!"

Taking the folded clothing from her hands, he gazed down at it thoughtfully, racking his brain to try and think of why that had been— "C'mon, let's go! You already made me wait long, we have to get Miu's cameras and then you know," She spoke in a hushed tone, a cheeky smile on her face, "Set up the plan."

--

Shuichi found himself balancing on the line of giving her space, and running to her side to check on her—and you know what? It was stupid! He was stupid. What if she got alcohol poisoning? What if she does something rash? Most importantly, why? Throwing away the barrier that prevented him from interacting with the girl he loved, he concluded she had enough space. 

God knows if she forgave or not for his bullshit, but that was beside the point she had just downed half a bottle of Vodka. As he practically dashed to the girl sitting on the ground, he left the disgruntled pianist behind—sadly, this hadn’t been the first time he had done that. 

Slowing down to a stop, he crouched down across from her, subconsciously trying to see her eyes. It was strange, but he found himself wishing for a flashlight to see if the alcohol had kicked in yet.

Shuichi had to shove down the urge to scold her on drinking alcohol, knowing she didn't enjoy yelling nor was it even an okay thing to do. He had put himself on a permanent hiatus from yelling, he didn't want to see her upset like that, not today, and not ever.

"H- hey, uh..." He flinched at his own shaky and awkward voice, feeling the huge difference to how he talked to her before. Things shouldn't have felt so tense between them, today could've been the last day they— No. No, the plan would work.

"Why did...-" Shuichi pursed his lips; why did he bother asking? He knew why, didn't he? Well, maybe he just... didn't want to believe it. "W- were you drinking because of... what you said earlier? A- about the.." He trailed off, expression slightly saddened as he remembered her self-sacrificial remark.

Clearing his throat, he sat himself down fully on the floor across from her; a safe distance as he was afraid she still didn't want to be too close to him. Forcing words out of his throat, he spoke with feigned determination; despite his soul-crushing fear of 'what if the plan doesn't work?', he tried to remain strong. If not for himself, then for Fumiko, right?

"No one is going to have to die. E- especially not you, never... never you." He tried swallowing the rising lump in his throat, eyes focusing onto the ground as he tried to get rid of his emotions. He cleared his throat again, blinking violently as to rid the tears; he wasn't going to cry in front of her. And especially not Miu. "... S- sorry." Ah yes, the apology he had forgotten to give to her when he yelled near her. This fucking prick-

[psyce]

yo just curious because i just got an art tablet and i think your art is really cool,, do you have any tips for a beginner or like what brush settings to use or anything . idk if its normal but i feel like such a dummy trying to use it -_-

honestly i started drawing digitally when i was twelve like eight years ago so i dont really remember what the transition was like but id honestly recommend experimenting a lot whether youre making full pieces or just doodling; some techniques working with traditional transfer over to digital but a lot dont so figuring that out is helpful. drawing on a tablet and looking at a screen takes getting used to but practicings the only thing thats gonna get you used to it so do a lot as well. there’s also not one way to do art besides just “lines with color” and “fully rendered painting” so study peoples techniques, i did lineart for sooo many years before realizing that it limited the flow of my drawings so now all i do is clean up my sketches and use that as lineart and i highly recommend trying that if youre not happy with your lines 

lineart definitely doesn't work the same and its sooo important to use big, long strokes to get a good look whether its a sketchy style or not. just drawing circles and drawing two dots and then connecting them will get your wrist used to lining too, look up inking exercises to make your lines look better. i really recommend a textured brush for lines to start out because it doesn’t need to be super clean looking. people say “brush settings dont matter its just skill” but it can make or break the look of a piece, look up “brush settings+ art program” on yt and google and pick out some you like and try them. but also brushes arent everything and you can make art look good w any brush! theyre there to assist your art and make it more polished but the form is what really matters 

look up tutorials! you dont have to copy them directly but even learning one thing from them can help you in the long run

use the bucket tool for coloring it saves soo much time. and try and learn tools in your program bc theyre there to make your life easier 

remember youre learning a completely different medium with tons of its own techniques that can produce to many unique styles so dont be discouraged starting out, rn is just an awkward stage but as long as you experiment youll be able to find a method that works for you. gl!

[spacegaywritings]

Warming Paws and Melting Walls (2/8) “The Naming of the Beast”

Summary: Remy gets home, his day unusually long and body extremely exhausted. Still, he and the cat seem to get along a bit better as they share a bit of time bonding in their weird states.

Tags: mentions of the vet (+ aftermath), abandoned cat, alcohol/wine, tipsy Remy (being a soft man), food/ meat, pain killer mention, drinking, dummy logic, dummy thicc fucking Remy, Remy the cat whisperer, mentions of Kim Kardeshian.. shien..? idk man, slight mention of systemic oppression bc wow Remy is spilling the beans, name talks, cuddling, snuggling, books, mentions of vaccines, soft insults bc Remy, purposefully horrible old english.

ao3: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 // all.

tumblr:  1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8.

My KoFi  - Support me ♥ or Commission me

Note: If you miss any tags, have issues with links or any other concerns, please feel free to contact me. Anon is on and my DMs are open.

Story under the cut! (Wordcount: ~3,5k)

 It was late when the kitty cat and Remy returned and in all honestly, the receptionist was more than exhausted and done with everything. The whole day had taken a toll on him and interacting with people under bright lights was obviously not the best for a person with photo-sensitivity and self-diagnosed bitch syndrome.

 His body was hurting, the pain had gotten more intense and rendered him a heavy and sleepy mess. He still needed to feed the cat. While the pain killers had done some to ease his pain, the extra activity had him feel like absolute trash, after all.

At least, the vet had found the little queen to be healthy and taken good care of. It indicated that there were owners or strangers to take care of the kitten but there were no tattoos, no marks or anything. Whatever care the cat had received before, it seemed to be over now. Nobody was looking for the cat as far as the vet and the local pet shelter have told him.

 To make sure the cat would be okay, he got scheduled appointments for vaccinations (the kitty cat already got some that day). In like, a month, he was supposed to come back. Considering the cat was about one year old, it was time to refresh vaccinations anyway, at least that is what the vet said. There was so much information smoking in his brain and it hurt him. It was extra weight putting his head down.

 There was no chip for the kitten.. He would set up an ad on-line to show that the cat was found. He and the vet assume the cat to have run away from home or having been left behind after the family moved. Something like that.

Still, he could try so the cat would not really be his problem anymore. There was obviously no name tag or collar. He would have noticed, he is not that fucking dense. The vet, too.

 At least Remy got some answers for what the fuck this kitten should eat and could not ever eat because it could hurt.

 Also, the cat was a she. Well, too fucking bad Remy settled for they/them pronouns. While he talked to the cat, he could at least practice pronouns he usually did not use much. The cat could not get offended. Totally a win-win situatuon.

 The coffee lover curled up on the couch, kitty cat still somewhat drowsy in his lap.To be honest, the cat felt drunk to him, so Remy did not know better but to nurse his own wine while giving the kitten some chicken he had gotten for them.

 “Queen, you are a really really unbelievable thing”, he started as he looked at the tiny void in his lap that was currently chewing on a last bit of chicken pieces.

 He had removed all that bone stuff and washed off the meat before to make sure it was not seasoned or too greasy and such for the kitten. Totally no need to kill the poor thing when he could just be fucking careful and mind their needs and limits.

 “You know, you get all hot on those funny things and you are living with me now - without paying rent - and like, you do not even give me your a name. You are, like, the most mysterious person I have ever met. Fucking rude, you little harlot.”

 Remy sipped a bit of his wine and placed the package on the table. Yes, he drank wine out of a package because he was a cheap person. He needed to pay off the flat he had bought because his job did not make the most money ever. At least it was enough for him having a somewhat cozy and stable life.

 He carefully shifted under the warm weight of the warm fluff. Remy was so glad the vet cleaned the cat so he did not need to do that. Was that extra service? He definitely paid for this shit, not gonna lie. Well, he would get a bill eventually and then he could still get upset over that. Ultimately, it did not matter right? He had some savings and the cat would be gone soon because it was someone else’s kitty cat.

 It was not even in his place to just cuddle with the kitten while watching some bitch flick. But now that he had to ditch his weekend routine for the cat, they had to suck up for it. Also, he was just in a ton of pain by now and hoping for the local wine package to just knock him out well enough. If his senses were numbed, so were his pain receptors because brain foggy when Remy drunk-y.

 “Listen up, kitty cat. We might need a name for you, darling”, he started and looked down at how they were licking over their muzzle and nose.

 The meal was done and the cat seemed satisfied... The little tongue looked so cute, it was so so pink.

 “I mean, maybe you already have a name but calling you queen all the time ..”, he trailed off and shrugged, “you know, don’t know whether you, like, deserve that title to be a name. It is something you earn and live, but you are not just some queen. Except when you are some fucking royal but who the fuck cares about that shit.”

 The cat looked up at him and he vaguely looked back before sticking his tongue out and gently brushing through the soft fur of the little monster of coal he sheltered.

 “Yeah, right. Fuck the Queen. It is not the same as you being a queen. Anyway, it would kinda not be the same for you to be a queen and to be Queen. You know?“

 Remy chuckled as the kitten pushed its head against his ribcage.

 “You totally get me, don’t you?”

 The kitten meowed in reply and he continued to pet the little ball of softness. The little one even smelled great. Well, now.

 “Okay, let us give you a name that fits you. I don’t know, honey. Something fancy but also classy because it is you”, he giggled, “I don’t know but we will find something!”

  Remy gently picked up the little kitten and hummed as he stumbled over to the bookshelves. His wine was abandoned and the small void simply meowed in response to his actions.

 “You know what, fuck that show. They all suck anyway, honey. Reality TV is just a nice background .. nice, like.. what else would people watch Kim Kardeshian for? Genuine interest? Gurl, it is all about the sounds and sights or plainly being the malicious bitch to gossip and ridicule these people.”

 He giggled and settled before the bookshelf, sitting there with the little queen on his arms. Was queen a title, now? Not a name but somehow some kind of pet name, huh.

 “You know what, kitty?”, he whispered and the cat shook their head at the sudden sounds and the wet breath Remy offered. They pushed their little head against the man’s collar bone.

“I am that kinda bitch to do all the heavy gossiping.”

 He laid down and let the cat rest on his chest. His back was pressed against the dark floor in his reading corner. The curious little cloud looked around and stood up, tail curiously moving from one side to the other. Then it stayed and moved in slow-motion before returning to the other side while staying kinda between low and horizontal.

 Cats were so cute.

 And the cat really looked like a cloud.

A dark one.

Not a black sheep, a black cloud!

 “Storm cloouUuUuUd”, Remy sang softly and the cat turned back to him, letting out a responsive sound in reply.

 They understood him! Or were at least annoyed enough to react and give him a “what the fuck” look with all the sassy cat-ness in their bi-coloured orbs.

 “Aw!! You react! But that is a long way to go, still, you brooding little dust ghost.”

 He blew a little bit off of the cat’s head and brushed it off to make sure it was all clear. Maybe from the chicken or the couch.

He had to cleaaaan, ew. Woooork.

Bad cat. They really be spreading the dust around like a little ghost.

Damn it, he only wanted to find some nicknames for the small being.

  “Cat, can’t you do the work for me? I mean, come on, I totally got you to the vet and you got drugged for free. That is a real favour to do for a stranger, gurl.”

 The cat looked back up at him.

Oh, how could he have forgotten about that??

 “Bitch!”

 Remy exclaimed wildly and sat up, simply to fall back into the ground with a dull ‘thud’ accompanying his motions. The insides of his head seemed to be forcefully shrunk together and the tipsy man groaned in annoyance. The pain was so fuzzy and far away, it was basically a street sign on the other side of the street during a day of heavy fog.

All he did feel was the heaviness of his head and the horrible throbbing that came right after he limply dropped into the hard wood again.

 “uh… Aw, I am the dumb bitch, here. Kim, save me”, he weakly slurred.

 Obviously, he was in about the greatest state to take care of another being, especially one that was just as drowsy as him and slowly processed his sudden movements with flinches away from him.

When the man did not move, the curious guest nudged Remy’s nose with their own.

Had the coffee lover seen it, he would have swooned, probably.

 Well, on the other side, he slowly got himself together and carefully shifted again, this time being considerate of his own and the kitty’s needs. He was much slower, lethargic in a way, it would make Sloth itself jealous.

Eventually, he was in position, vision still blurred with blackish spots tainting his view on the dimly lit apartment.

  “So- as I was saying… wait”, he started yet trailed off soon after, voice quieting down and light eyes closing.

“uh.. yeah, I know where I left off. So, as I was, uh, saying.. Like, bitch! You are totally as tipsy as I am with all those killers in ya, big boi.”

 Once more, his own giggles filled the room while the cat just pushed their head against his chin. The creature somewhat vibrated a bit and it felt oddly funny to Remy. Indescribable sounds came from the little kitty cat. It did not sound like a Queen, not really. It was more like uh.. a cat. Nothing else Remy has ever heard sounded quite like that.

 “You uh.. you still need a name, you little void egg, you. Hihi.“

 Remy curled and gently cradled the black ball closer. His grip around the cat was secure yet loose. The cloud of nothingness was comfortably sunk into his arms as the man got onto his wobbly legs and moved his jelly sticks closer to the little corner of books and boxes once more.

The kitten did have more than just great taste to hide there when they first started exploring some shit around his flat.

 Their flat?

… uhh.. the doc said to look for the original owners.. oh man, he still had to do that on top of all the things he had to do. And he did not even know whether it was worth it but it was much better than just giving the cat over to some shelter.. uh.. cat thingy.. cat orphanage?

Cat orphanage. Sounded like a totally valid word. Yes, Remy, the name was, like, totally not sanctuary. Absolutely it was not. You fucking genius.

 The kitten was snuggled up to Remy’s chest, acutely unaware of the change of environment that slowly came around with Remy wandering off their spot to really dive into the corner of his secret reading delights. He was back on the oriel, the space were the floor was not any dark wood anymore but instead carpeted in wine red. This was the only piece of floor in his home that had a little bit of carpet and it just started with a provisional glass door he had put there with more than just a little effort.

Basically, this little corner was a glass globe library with the perfect sight on the snowy streets and other weather conditions throughout life. Due to architecture, he basically had a built-in bench because some oriels build a “dent” into the home which can be used as some kind of elaborate and excessively broad window sill.

 It was worth all the work he had put into it.

Whenever he came in to read, it was calm and silent, it was warm but easily adjusted by opening the windows or turning on the heating (considering he did not live in the warmest region on earth at all. In fact, he lived in a more moderate climate and enjoyed the tendency towards coolish temperatures. Despite climate change, there was still snow early in the winter months).

 The two curled up on the floor, leaning against a beanbag. Remy was leaning against the beanbag, to be specific. The kitten was curled up on Remy, cuddling into his arms like the hazy bitch they were. The Queen could barely process anything but well, steady ground it was.

Remy was resting on the bean bag, the cat silently meowing at the change of softness around them when the home-owner slowly turned his body for the kitten to slide against the bad with him.

Maybe the cat liked it. Nobody could know anything because the cat was out of it and also, cats were hell-spawns who were not to be understood but worshipped only.

 A book was resting in Remy’s lap. When did he pull it there? He did not remember. Maybe it had just settled with him, flying over or whatnot.

The book was one hell of a beast.

Pages upon pages were stacked on top of one another and bound together in the obscene creation of a whole book that held knowledge, big enough to rival a human brain in size - at least when putting this knowledge onto pages in barely readable fonts and size.

 “Yo, cat. We need a name for ya, honey.”

 He let his head roll to the side and then back into position again. The void looked over at him and seemed to shrug. Maybe Remy was imagining things.

 “Uh.. You can’t read that for me, now, can you? Why do people even get cats, man. Like, no offence but is that not why we have human beings? So we socialise and uh .. uh like.. taaaalk and hate one another. Cuz we totaaally need that kinda interaction.”

 His voice let the words blend in together, the muffled sentence barely resembling different words or sounds but instead one big hum. Useless blabber, at most. Not that the pet would understand him if he was putting proper effort into talking like a sober and completely sane person.

 “Caaat. Caaaat, just learn reading? Give yourself a name, gurl. Independence!”

 Yeah, well.. This seemed not to work, in fact, it obviously resembled a fruitless endeavour instead. Much like teaching a donkey how to sow greens, the cat took up Remy’s words and ignored them skilfully. Even in his tipsy mind, he was well aware that an animal would not just magically learn reading and then read out to him. However, the wishful thinking was still in his heart… and his foggy dummy mind.

He reverted to child-like attention spans and reasoning abilities whenever he got to drink just a bit more than a little. And honestly, the wine got a little to him, especially with this bottomless void eating, like, all of this fucking chicken.

 He mumbled something about sharing under his breath before he pulled the book closer and heaved it open with his weak noodle power. There was not that much energy left in his heart. He was tipsy and as soft as molten butter.

The book groaned as it was opened, awakening the pages of knowledge from deep slumber.

It willingly dropped the front and backside onto Remy’s lap. It spread like a good partner for the intimate deeds. The excitement of being handled and warmed by a knowledge-seeking person got to it and drove the book to reveal just the right passage for them.

 “Names.. Names. Kitty cat, pick a name.”

 “mrrrow..?”

 “Yeah, hoe, but like, you’re a Queen.. to me and not to others so how about you lemme pick a name,  so the mortals can give you their foolish attempts of daring to raise their voice at you without spoiling your title, you void hoe.”

 The cat gave him a slow-motion blink of two eyes. These wonderfully coloured eyes.. How were cats allowed to just have such precious gems as eyes. Like.. did he rob some jewellery store thing.. did they have names again, he felt like they had some kinda name and he was supposed to know this and all.

Uh, he would be clever later.

 “Alright. This is a name dictionary thing. Like, for when you get a baby and you need to name that little shit, so the system can discriminate against it. It gives you names, you know. You have them according to the alphabet which is a linguistic attempt at bringing order into the way we communicate and organise shit. By the way, this is totally lame because language is fucking liv- ah, uh.. alive. That’s the bitch I was looking for.”

 Remy suppressed a burp before he allowed himself to continue.

 “Can you .. can you just paw this thing?”

 The cat did not move. Uh.. He carefully nudged the little monster. A lazy glare was thrown his way but this is where it stopped. Such a lazy hoe. They would be the bestest of friends very soon.

Seriously, kitten? Not even some dumbass meow sound or whatever? Wow, okay. Selfish much.

 He groaned.

Now we was getting upset with a little cat. He made it this far in his life. Instead of diving deeper into any negative feelings, he moved himself. His finger gently tapped onto the paw once more and softly stroked it before putting it onto the page.

 “Oh, mine own dearest liege, I has't did summon all the fucks i has't hath left to giveth and ‘t wast enow to maketh.. this miracle! Uh - thou hath moveth thy fucking paw. ”

 …Not even that did get the cat to as much as meow at him. At LEAST the void monster spared him a glance of annoyance for his effort. Valid, valid. At least some feedback, thundercloud. Yet, the moment was gone as soon as it came and the kitten then dropped the whole thing and looked down again.

Some sorta ritual to close their eyes and nap away. Even the cat had better living habits than he did.

 “Nonononono, dun nap jus yeeeet! V-V … uh..”

 He had taken up the name from the book, accepting the fate of the paw and started looking into the decision of the higher spirits. He was ready to act up on whatever the heavens and skies and all that shit have decided for the cat to be named.

 The man squinted at the pages.

The top of it said “V”, so he knew that this was the start for their name now. Of course the Queen would be such a diva and end up with a name as unique as starting with such a rare letter. Totally Extra :tm:.

To be fair.. who the fuck used those letters anyway, man.. xylophone? Laaaaaaaaaaaame. Virginia, Voltron, V-.. V…

 “Virgil”

 Remy blinked.

He blinked multiple fucking times.

The name did NOT, unlike his mind’s stupid expectation, suddenly change into something like, uh, you know,… Jared. Some funny shit.

 No, it was still this name. Virgil.

 “Is that even a name for a cat who I declare to be gendered in the neutral only? Uh, you know.. whatever, like, it is whatever because you are a QUEEEEEENG.. Queen.. a queen. You just un-rule gendered names. They are stupid anyway, guuurl. Fuck this all.”

 “Queen Virgil! Now how does that make you feel, huh?”

 The kitten gave him another blink and finally retreated their paw.

 “Yeah, my little nightmare goat. We are gonna go nap all night, all day!”

 The man giggled again. Then he made sure to just give up and fall asleep like that, curled up on a beanie, kitty cat fur tickling him and doing nothing to facilitate his breathing. All he breathed in was ai- uh.. No.. Virgil’s fur.

 Welcome to a change of life, huh?

Or simply: “Welcome, Virgil”.

[thedailyimagines]

Imagine finding a cursed Rabbit Foot, then trying to survive after losing it while on a mission with Zatanna and Artemis.

Anon requested: “Imagine finding a Rabbit Foot (and not knowing it was cursed) and trying to stay alive after losing it while on a mission with Zatanna and Artemis. “How was I supposed to know it was cursed?!””

.

So this is taking place during season 1, in the episode ‘Secrets’. It’s the Halloween one with sword dude (Harm) and Greta (Secret). Spoilers I guess? (Can there be spoilers for something that’s been on for a while? Idk).

~~~~~~~~

“What is that?” Y/n looked up at a very disgusted Artemis. After working with the team for so long, the archer and the magician were...at odds sometimes. Maybe growing up around John Constantine has changed some of y/n’s perceptions?

“This? I won it at an arcade game. It’s a rabbit foot.” Artemis shook her head.

“That is disgusting.” Y/n shrugged and headed to their room.

“They’re supposed to be lucky. Besides, it’s probably not a real one. Why put a real one in an arcade?” Neither one noticed the faint glow the rabbit’s foot had.

<—>

“Soooo...Halloween night, and we’re fighting crime?” Y/n toyed around with the bouncy ball in their hand. Normally Halloween was spent with Constantine fighting demons. But Zatanna had insisted they tag along tonight with her and Artemis.

“Yep. Let’s get going before the bad guys get too far.” Zatanna happily turned to start the patrol around the city. Artemis shrugged and checked her bowstring.

“Alright then—watch out!” Y/n threw up a magic shield at the last moment. Which would have worked perfectly if the second attack hadn’t broken through and hit them head on.

“Y/n!”

<—>

When y/n came to, they were in a dusty room. There were no lights, no sounds, and most importantly no sign of Artemis or Zatanna. If there was a door, it wasn’t in y/n’s line of sight. Great.

“Where the crap am I...?” The sound of footsteps from behind caught y/n’s attention, then a sword was held up to their throat.

“It is finally awake.” Y/n jerked their head towards the voice, finding a rather built man wielding the sword. The sword was practically humming with energy.

“Listen buddy, I don’t know who you are but if you want to keep your bollocks then I suggest you let me go!”

“It thinks it is in control. Amusing.”

“Screw you!” The swordsman was about to say more until something fell out of y/n’s pocket. He picked it up and y/n saw it was the rabbit foot. Hadn’t they left it at home?

“It seems that one had a gift on itself. Harm knows what this is, and it curses the last holder.” Y/n rolled their eyes. Of course the crazy sword guy would think a cheap replica is actually magic.

“That’s just a prize from an arcade. It’s not real!” The swordsman smiled menacingly.

“It doesn’t sense the magic. But Harm does, and Harm knows that it is cursed.” Magic? There was no way that stupid foot was magic. Right?

“Look, I really don’t care that you took the charm. But how would it have been cursed? And in an arcade of all places?” Harm ignored their comment and pocketed the rabbit foot.

Extending the slightest bit of their magic out, y/n tried to sense the magic energy around the rabbit foot. They could only sense a hint of magic. Whatever was there, it was either long gone or y/n wasn’t skilled enough to sense more.

“Harm does not care where it found the gift. But Harm will be back to dispose of it after slaying it’s allies.” The swordsman left the room, leaving a tied up y/n to worry about their friends. Y/n hoped that Artemis and Zatanna found a way to escape.

“Y/n! Are you okay?” Speak of the devil. The two heroes entered the room. Artemis kept a watch on the door while Zatanna cut the ropes around y/n’s wrists. Y/n rubbed their raw skin and nodded.

“I’m fine. Listen, remember that rabbit foot?” Artemis groaned and rolled her eyes.

“Really y/n? Now?” Y/n waved her off and kept explaining.

“It’s real. An actual charm. It’s cursed so that the last person to hold it is cursed when they lose it.” The color drained from Zatanna’s face. Artemis however, was not as affected by the revelation.

“So how is that relevant now?” Y/n swallowed hard.

“I was the last person. And Harm took it from me.” Zatanna’s eyes widened in horror.

“You let him take it?!?!” Y/n put their hands up defensively.

“He took it! I was tied up, I couldn’t keep it from him! And it wasn’t even supposed to be in my pocket!” Artemis snorted and led the way out of the room.

“Leave it to you to get cursed.” Y/n glared at the archer.

“How was I supposed to know it was cursed?!?!” Zatanna stepped in and pointed down the hall, where the three could see Harm with a look of rage on his face.

“Guys! Right now we should focus on not dying!” The three heroes ran throughout the old house trying to avoid Harm. But he seemed to find the at every turn. Finally y/n had enough.

“Listen. That foot is either giving him the advantage or I’m giving all of us a disadvantage. The best thing to do would be me to split up with you guys.” Both Artemis and Zatanna shook their heads.

“No way! We are not leaving you alone for that monster to find you!” Y/n pulled away from them and stood their ground.

“This isn’t up for discussion! I’ll be fine, I promise.” Y/n gave them a smile, hoping their fear wasn’t showing. “I’m not going to die on Halloween, it’s too cheesy.”

With some hesitation, Artemis and Zatanna ran down the hallway. Y/n watched them go and then ran down the opposite hall. If there was a way to get out of the house, they could contact the team, the Justice League, Hell even Constantine!

“There it is.” Of course he found them. Leave it to a curse to get y/n killed. Ducking beneath the sword swinging towards their head, y/n darted past Harm towards what was hopefully outside.

“Missed me, missed me, now you gotta kiss me!” The sword wielding psycho turned and ran after y/n.

“Harm will do no such thing.”

“Well fine then! Not like I wanted to kiss a psycho!” Y/n took a sharp turn and darted down another hall. How big was this house? The next door y/n ran through led them outside.

“Y/n! You’re alive!” There was Zatanna and Artemis, with what looked like a little girl? Y/n brushed it off and gave both the heroes a tight hug.

“Why do you sound so surprised—is that a grave?” The sight of the grave surprised them. What was it doing at a place like this?

“It’s Harm’s sister, Greta. He killed her.” Y/n was nearly rendered speechless. How could a brother do that to a sister? Wait, did that mean the little girl was—no, not the time now.

“That bastard.”

<—>

It was done. Harm was arrested, Greta moved on, and everything was hunky dory. And after they got the rabbit charm back, y/n found themselves taking a zeta tube to London. They walked the rainy streets until they found the flat they were looking for.

Y/n steeled themselves and knocked on the door of the flat. Mild curses were heard from inside before a disheveled blond man opened the door.

“Y/n?” Y/n shifted from one foot to the other nervously.

“Hi Mr. Constantine. I need your help.” Y/n held up the rabbit foot charm. John blinked, and then stepped aside to let y/n into his home.

“Of course kiddo. And I’ve told you, call me John. Now come inside, you look like you’re freezing.”

~~~~~~~~

I don’t own the above gif, all credit goes to the owner.

[earthlyem]

i just recently finished up my freshman year of college at art school and so now seems like as good a time as any to talk about my experience and feelings about it and maybe lend a hand of advice if you are going into college this year, especially at an art school. because i feel like there is so much important stuff to cover im going to break into up into different parts of the process starting with…

moving

moving out was a big deal for me. growing up i never had a huge urge to move far away from home, i loved where i grew up and i loved the people…but  every college that ever peaked my interest was out of state. and as early as i could process the idea of a further education i would spit out colleges i’d hope to attend every night at the dinner table. and while a young child rambling about dreams of studying in paris to be a fashion designer while eating dinosaur shaped nuggets is easy for a parent to laugh at and then file into the back of their mind, a junior in high school taking college classes for drawing and animation talking about wanting to go to an art school is a little less easy to brush off. so after getting lots love and support from my family, friends, and teachers, and the financial aid of scholarships, I ended up deciding to attend an art school several states away to study visual effects and stop motion animation.

sooner than i could have ever anticipated the time came to move out. i loved this place, it shaped everything that i was, but after some unfortunate events throughout my high school experience i began to associate my beloved home with guilt and sadness. at this point, i was incredibly thankful i had chosen to move far away. with no one from my high school attending, and it being a good 15 hour drive away from my hometown, it felt like the perfect time to start over. be someone new, someone i always strived to be. the problem with that is we can’t run from our past. something i learned all to quickly at my new school. the physical move was easy, i flew down with a couple of suitcases and purchased all my dorm and school supplies the day before I moved in, which while rather stressful, ended up working out. i went in blind, so i was terrified of meeting my roommates. i would be living with three random girls, and with us all being here to pursue careers in art, i couldn’t help but be intimidated. im sure everyone who has, or will attend an art school feels the pressure. we’re used to being of the best, if not the best in our respective fields throughout our whole lives. and piling in a ton of talented people, where now you’re unsure of where you fall is petrifying. but alas there is really no need to fear. art school is about work ethic, not talent. Its about creativity and willingness to be free, experiment, express, the performance aspect is whats taught to you. if you love what you do, your professors will be able to channel that energy and turn your art into something polished and professional. seriously, i’ve seen people come from shaky sketch outlines, to fully rendered detailed pieces over the course of the year with the right ambition. but non the less i was still scared. in hindsight i had no reason to fear, my roommate was an absolute angel and really helped me through the turbulence of my first quarter, and made the craziness of roommate drama tolerable.

the first few weeks i had expected to be this big social clusterfuck and as a social person I was really excited to meet new people. unfortunately the reality was being holdup in the dorm, seeing others hanging out with people they met over the internet, and feeling entirely alone. i felt like there were very defined cliques established in the first week and i didn’t make the cut for any of them. packs of friends, all easy to see as they were almost perfectly divided by aesthetics, would go eat at the cafe together, smoke outside the dorms, go to parties, skateboard around the buildings, go to the parks and beaches….suddenly i didn’t think the social label assigned to me in high school seemed to fit so well. thats the scariest part of moving away, you are stripped of everything you once were to anyone but yourself. all the ways you were defined by the people you grew up with are gone in the eyes of every new person you meet. its intimidating, but it can be the most beautiful thing if you let it be..this is when it really hit me that when moving anywhere, even if its with a few people you do know, you’re given this huge slate to lay down exactly who you want to be, change the way the world sees you… but thats a big task…a lot bigger than i thought. and its hard, its hard to be this great big wonderful  person you feel like you are in your head when you don’t accept and embrace what brought you to that point. that guilt and anger and sadness and embarrassment was burned into me. i didn’t get to just throw it out the airplane window on my way down. it took me nearly the entire first quarter to sort through those memories, those events that ate away at me and altered my path of existence. because its not that the people i went to school with weren’t accepting people, many of us felt out of place at sometime in our life, and with that comes an deep empathy and care for others. i felt like i just couldn’t seem to put myself out there enough, or cross paths with the right people. it was towards the end that i looked up and saw the world i was building around me without even noticing. i had two wonderful roommates who listened to me and danced with me and ate with me and went to class with me, who held me up through all of it. I had amazing neighbors…just seriously the coolest people in the world. They helped me understand so much about myself and always had their door open so I didn’t have to feel alone. no one was isolating me but myself. and those cliques i mentioned, were just people, people like me who felt alone and scared, or were facing their own problems with moving and by labeling them i put up a wall, and excuse not to talk to certain people because i was insecure that i wouldn’t be artsy enough, or nerdy enough, or edgy enough… and i know that sounds cringy but i know so many people who felt exactly the same. with creative minds, comes creative ways of self expression and i guess the take away im trying to get at is that people are so much more than the aesthetic they have or the way they present on their instagram, something I think all of get lost in sometimes. my point is, moving is going to be scary for most, and even if you think you’re this huge mess that’s wearing all their feelings about the process on your sleeve… i bet no one even notices, because they are so far in their own heads feeling the exact same way. take a step back, say hi to the group of kids kicking around a soccer ball outside your building, or ask the people you sit next to in studio to grab lunch at the cafeteria, it seems scary because it looks like they already have groups and their all set they don’t need another, or your afraid it will be awkward… and well it will be. but life goes on, and a couple hard awkward minutes is worth not isolating yourself, or beating yourself up in your head for not being cool enough to fit in somewhere. you aren’t giving so many wonderful people enough credit when your write them off as though they won’t give you the time of day and it took a lot of learning and practice for me to understand that. you can hear advice, and agree with it, and even tell yourself you’ll implement it… but until you make your own mistakes and have your own trails with life advice doesn’t make as much sense, but heck idk maybe it can help.. i know i needed to hear this.  

so attached are some pictures of my dorm room and some stuff from my first quarter :) relax, don’t fear your move, or do either way it’ll end up just fine, and if its not fine, you’ll find the strength to move on from it