#trying to be way more relaxed with digital art

[lavendermaster]

winding down with some winter rwbys

[lil-lemon-snails]

🌟Welcome to Superstar Daycare! 🌟

I'm back from my hiatus!!! Celebrating my graduation by dusting off this wip I've had sitting and staring at me on my desktop throughout finals :3

Close ups under cut because I worked too dang hard to let tumblr eat my precious precious pixels >.>

also a plain background one just for funsies (i like character art :>)

[theswedishpajas]

The man truly can’t take a genuine compliment 🙄

[theelvishfiddler]

AN ARTIST'S GUIDE TO HANDS

No, sorry it's actually not an artist's guide to drawing hands. Those are just warmup studies (which I'll talk about in this post.)

This is a guide to Your Hands and how to take care of them when making art.

No one ever sits down and teaches artists how to take care of their hands. They didn’t even teach me this while I was in art college. This is just what I've learned myself through years of pain and scouring the internet for advice.

This is going to be a long one and geared towards illustrative traditional/digital/pen/pencil artists specifically, but artists of other mediums and crafts should take care of their hands too! Well, we all should take care of our bodies in general, but this is about hands.

(advice is below the read more)

First off I'm not a professional or anyone with actual medical advice. I'm just some guy with chronic hand pain who makes art. This advice is free for you to use or discard.

WARMUPS!

Ever sit down in the morning to draw and wonder why your art is so stiff and looks so much worse than what you were drawing last night? It's because you didn't warm up!

You know how for physical sports they all warmup and do stretches before getting into the actual sport. To prevent injuries and all that? Yeah, it's good to do that for art too.

One way to warmup is to just draw lines. Try to keep them as straight as you can. Going up and down and diagonal. Draw squares. Big squares. Small squares. Circles! You are warming up, keep it loose and relaxed! Basically just scribble away.

(examples. I usually keep going until there is no paper white left. This can double as practice for drawing straight lines without a ruler, which is a great skill to have when freehand city drawing.)

Before hopping right into drawing people you can try doing some quick gesture drawings. Line of Action has timed sessions with a large variety of clothed or nude models. I usually do the 30 min class as it has a nice balance of short and long timed poses. The point isn't to draw nice art, but to warm up. Try to get the basic form down, not the details. I find that doing a full class session can really help my drawings feel more loose and grounded in reality for the rest of the day.

Some examples I found in my folders. I suggest looking into what a line of action (not the site) is and giving it a try with some of the studies!

COOLDOWNS!

For sports it's to return your body back to your everyday baseline after a workout.

Example; you are working on a big project! A masterpiece! It's detailed and cool! You have been focusing on this for hours and drawing so intensely. But you need to stop working for the day.

A cooldown is for winding down out of the go go go mindset. Put away the big project and do a couple small doodles and sketches. You are relaxing your hand and letting it stretch out. Keep the sketches loose. Let the art happen slowly. Don't polish anything, that can happen another day. Just ease yourself out of drawing.

...

Cool! Now we get into the meat of this thing.

HAND PAIN

How to avoid it and how to manage it if you already have it.

I love you artists and creatives, I am begging you to please take care of your most important creative tools. I really don't want this to sound like scare tactics like "oooh you better do this or blah blah!" Nope. I just had to learn all this the hard way and I'm extremely passionate about it.

Take this advice or don’t ╮(ﾟ～ﾟ;)╭ I can't tell you what to do, I'm not your dad

Adjustments and Small Solutions

If you are feeling physical discomfort while drawing there are many different solutions to try! Here are some suggestions that may or may not work for you.

Hold your pencil more loosely. Stop gripping that thang so tightly!!! Relax that hand! They make these… squishy pen grip things... I think they are called Adaptive Pencil Grips or Adaptive Writing/Drawing Aids? They stop your hand from being all cramped up by making your drawing tool wider. It's going to take a bit of time to adjust to drawing with it, but it's worth it for those who hold pencils too tightly.

Don't press as heavily. For traditional art, if you find yourself pressing really hard to get darker lines try moving to a softer pencil. Most standard pencils are HB, the B pencils have softer graphite. Experiment until you find the right one for you. For Digital, adjust your pressure settings so you don't have to press as hard to get thicker lines. You should not be pressing so hard all the time, it wears out both your hand and your tablet! It takes a bit of time to adapt to pencil or pressure changes. Try doing some unimportant sketches, they don't have to be good. You are just training your hand and mind to adjust using less pressure.

Draw with your arm and not your wrist! It's small repetitive motions that cause the most strain. You probably hear this one a lot, what does it even mean? It means moving your arm with the motions of your line, and trying not to make too many tiny movements with your just your fingers or wrist. This one is hard! It takes time and conscious thought to change the habit. Tips? Work bigger. Zoom in more. Use bigger sheets of paper.

(Motions exaggerated for a clearer example)

Change the angle of your drawing surface. They make angled tablet holders, angled desks, angled desktop raisers. Experiment, find and angle that is comfortable and the one that causes the least pain. (It's also good to make sure you don't have to hold your head at an uncomfortable angle when drawing. Staring straight down or hunching over a paper flat on the table can cause pain!)

Compression Glove? Wrist brace/tensioners? Some folks use them and I've been thinking of getting one for years now. I can't give advice on this one, because I don't have experience with it. Look into it if you want!

Managing Pain

First things first.

IF YOUR HANDS START TO HURT WHILE YOU ARE DRAWING. STOP! Put the pencil/pen/paintbrush/whatever down. The art will still be there for you to continue tomorrow.

I know from experience that it's extremely hard to pull away when you are hyper focused on an art piece. It's hard to remember all sorts of basic needs like food or bathroom when hyper focused. But you Need to stop when you feel that pain. (Preferably even before the pain…)

Take Breaks! Let your hands rest when you can. Just like a machine, if you don't schedule maintenance, the machine will schedule maintenance for you. Often that means having to wait a few days for it to return to functional. Best to take a day off from heavy usage or take an occasional 30 min break throughout the day to let your hands rest.

Stretching is important! Full body stretches are good; your arms, shoulders, neck, and spine are all connected, but I'm specifically talking about HAND and wrist stretching. There are a lot of stretches and massages for carpal tunnel and arthritis out there. I find they work for hand pain in general. Move into and out of each stretch slowly. Do not push a stretch if it hurts!! Be gentle!!

I am not a qualified professional and I will not be giving out specific stretches (that is beyond my personal comfort level). There are other artists out there who have made helpful stretching info-graphics which are cool, but I will not be because i don't want to be responsible for someone accidentally hurting themself. Ask your doctor for stretches & advice or look some up on your own.

Don't feel bad about forgetting to stretch frequently! Of course it is good to do it regularly and frequently, but I would be a hypocrite if I said that I remember to stretch daily. Setting timers for stop and stretch sessions can work for some people, but also doing stretches whenever you remember is fine! If you are sitting on the toilet you can idly do some hand stretches. On the bus? Laying in bed? At the beach? Do a couple stretches! Even just once a week is better than… nonce a week.

Using Cold or Heat to treat pain. If you really overdid it, put your hands in some cold water or wrap a cloth around an ice pack and apply it to your hand. Cold works best for me, but warmth works for others. This is just pain reduction and reducing inflammation from overuse! This is not a permanent solution.

If your hand hurts a lot! Frequently! Talk to your doctor? Idk mine has never given real advice. Just gently poked my hand and told me there isn't much to be done about it :/ but there are really good doctors out there who will care and give helpful advice!

Again. IF IT HURTS TO CONTINUE DRAWING. STOP DRAWING! This is not a "no pain no gain" type situation. Drawing so much that you hurt yourself isn't noble, it's just… limiting yourself. You only get one set of hands. These things are very handy to have.

Other Advice

Things I couldn't figure out how to fit into the earlier sections.

Your other hand can't handle the strain! Lets say you hurt your drawing hand... the other hand is right there free to use for art. Right? Wrong. Your other hand can't keep up with the demand, it hasn't been trained to the same extent as your dominant hand, it does not have the built up muscle. If you want to use that hand for drawing you are going to have to use it s l o w l y and train it bit by bit over a long period of time. When I tore a tendon in my right hand I decided to just keep drawing with my left and I got Really Good at it. It only took like two months before my left hand hurt too much to move. Then I had 0 functioning hands to pull up my pants. Not fun!!

People who draw on phones. That is extremely impressive! I'm amazed by the things people can create on such a small space. But phone artists are the ones I see most frequently mentioning hand pain. please please please make sure you are taking breaks. Would a stylus work instead of using a finger?

Outside of Drawing. Sometimes it's things outside of drawing that are causing the pain. For me there are multiple sources, but I also have tiny baby hands. Holding a phone too long causes pain. The handheld mode for my Switch causes A Lot of pain. The way my hand rests while typing on my laptop hurts! Playing tense videogames for too long hurts! Find the source of your pain and make some changes. The same things will apply to most; take regular breaks, do some stretches, and find soft things to prop up or rest your arms on.

Change your Artstyle. This one is more of a last resort. You might have to change your art style if you are getting sharp pains every time you draw. I loved drawing tight clean lines and many small fancy details, but drawing like that left me in so much pain at the end of the day. In 2023 I had to take the better part of year off from illustrations just to learn how to sketch and draw more loosely. I had to learn how to be gentle. To stop gripping my pencil so tightly. Learn! Adapt! You might discover a new style that you love even more!

A lot of this stuff gets more complicated in a work setting where you have to draw fast and long in order to get paid. Things like reducing your workload can help, but that can be... financially rough. But outside of that, it’s ok to be a slow artist. Going full steam and hurting yourself is not worth it.

Aaaaaanyway, thats all folks. Today's rant brought to you by me! The guy with chronic hand pain who always forgets to stretch! The guy who got frustrated with a sketch yesterday and decided to push to keep drawing for just one more hour! The guy who woke up this morning and had to spend 2 hours massaging and stretching their hands. The guy who probably shouldn't have typed all of this out because ooww ow ouch

If your hands do hurt, it's going to be ok! You don't need to be a speed demon who draws all the time. It's ok to take your time and take frequent breaks. You are going to do great things! Just be gentle with yourself...

[suguru-getos]

just some over-affectionate yan!sato blabbering

yandere satoru hasn't really snapped at you, he just doesn't. always playful, always an embodiment. waking you up with peppers of kisses, making sure you have your favorite breakfast, making sure you relax around him. he even indulges in your silly little hobbies, all for the sake of making his baby comfortable. if you like painting, he is going to buy you all the colors there are, premium quality canvas boards and everything you'd ever need to bring your imaginations into reality. digital art? then you have an ipad with procreate and a pencil, anything and everything you need.

he doesn't say it but he is extremely observant, he even notices things like your skincare before you were kidnapped, and goes out of his way to upgrade it if needed. he can be a little pesky at times. what if his baby is using the wrong skin-care? probably going to fly you to the skin and beauty land 'korea' to have your skin checked, and then buy you the 'recommended' skincare.

same with aesthetics, you like wearing a certain type of fits, you have them littered in your closet room. he prefers changing styles and wouldn't mind upgrading/donating your wardrobe when you're also bored with the same ol' things.

your room is a mixture of everything you are, and trinkets of satoru in it. you are really not allowed to sleep in your room though. it's your space, just your happy corner. it doesn't have a bed. it has plush couches that are better than most beds, neon-light which speaks of your name and scented candles, perfect desks with the perfect desk mats. you just need to sleep with satoru.

he gets specifically testy when you really don't want to give him company at times. why? hasn't he done enough? most people would kill to be in your place. that's when you can see the cracks in his carefully calibrated persona he harbors for you.

he is usually very mellow, clingy and would be so playful you often forget how strong he is. "baby- but i want cuddles!" satoru whined, pulling you close to him while you squirmed when you weren't in the mood. satoru hasn't really pushed himself sexually, but he treats you like a pet in other stances. meaning - if not huggable why so cute? so you can't really escape from him during those times.

if you really, really try hard. his laughter, soft eyes, all of it drops. the usual high-pitched excitement too... "i will count to three. if you don't really come to me, there would be consequences." you haven't really checked on what the consequences are because that sets you straight instantly.

satoru HATES when you fear him, some part of him snaps so hard at that he ends up scaring you more. this happens when he's pissed about something and you flinch/wince at his tone. he hasn't done anything to make you scared... yet? though sometimes the way he comes home... reeking of dead curses, reeking of torment and torture. you automatically end up fearing him.

there was one time you took things too far, taking his leniency too far and going out without asking him. he hasn't locked the doors like a barbarian and you're making him question if he should... that's when he took you to one of his missions. shaking, quivering as you cling to him while the curse in front of you begged for death, for being exorcised while satoru made sure it healed and then continued his torture. blaming it on you as you sobbed, anxiety and palpitations all over you. "see, this is what i do... when you don't behave. you cause pain from me to others." he just wants you to know he is/can be fucked up.

would eventually feel extremely bad when you throw up from the gore and anxiety and finish the job, bringing you home and forcing you in his arms, crying with you at how bad it makes him feel to see you like this. how he would kill himself than making you cry, though a part of him is grateful that you wouldn't really go against him for a long, long while.

whenever any action done by him fucks you up, satoru takes responsibility of undoing it. even if sometimes he needs to make sure you stay with him, no matter the consequences... he would try his best to make up for it. always pestering, always kissing you, praising you for being so good to him even if you're not, behaving like an ideal boyfriend to the point where even you start suspecting if the problem is you.

he loves so sickeningly hard you end up deluded enough to consider yourself the 'toxic' one. :3

[hydrngea]

𝖿𝗂𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗋 𝗉𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗈𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗌𝗄𝗂𝗇

a/n : ahhh i've been so busy lately but i finally got the chance to write this last night! rafe’s kinda ooc so I apologize in advance lol hope you enjoy <3

notes/summary : early mornings are for appreciating you | rafe cameron x f!reader, fluff, established relationship (you’ve been together for years) 

word count : 804

masterlist / latest rafe fic 

daylight unwraps the hues of the room while the sun shines through the window you had neglected to cover up last night. rafe rouses with the light, eyes straining open. 

it’s early; early enough for him to get up and close the curtains over the arbiture and fall back asleep with ease. but for some reason he finds himself too comfortable in the position he in right now-can’t get himself to abandon his spot on the bed and the warmth that radiates from you.

 he stretches closer beside you, turning to lay with his back towards the window and facing you. he leans himself against his palm while creating a barrier between you and the light. he’s glad you sleep on your stomach, means the sun won’t get into your eyes and you can stay asleep.

mindlessly, his free digits find the curve of your back and trace over your skin; the imprints of the wrinkled sheets left on your preassure points. the faded strech marks on the flip side of your arms. the freckles on your shoulder. 

he thinks his new favorite activity is finger painting over your features;t here’s just something about the way his calloused finger pads feel against the softness of your untouched complexion which could keep him occupied and content for hours.

rafe was never the inventive type, never good with shapes like an artist or spoken phrases like a poet. even with no knowledge of creative subjects he knew without having to study you for long that you were a work of art.

he thinks- even though he doesn’t know much about his existence- that god must of carved you just for him to admire. 

minutes pass. the tangerine mountains of the sunrise fade to the comforting yellow the of the day and the sky returning to its familiar morning blue.

his exhales synchronize with yours, the room filled with a comfortable silence which feels so underrated. 

you’re the one to break it, limbs shifting under the comforter you’ve mostly stolen off of him and lips smacking together as you awake. 

you lift your head from your pillow and look at rafe with unfocused eyes which are just beginning  to regulate to the abnormal amount of light that blankets the surface of the bedroom. 

“shouldve closed the blinds last night,” you say as  press your palms onto your eye sockets, and rafe can’t help but laugh. he pulls you on-top of him and you comply,  letting out your own breathy chuckle because of how clingy he’s acting so early in the morning. your nose grazes the side of his before you slump down over him, cheek resting on his bare chest and ear right over his heart. 

gentle lips brush on your hair and you melt on top of him, wrapping you own arms around his waist. he can feel your lips curving into a smile against his skin. “how long you’ve been staring at me?” you ask, head lifting from his chest to look at him.

“dunno.” he responds, voice still gruff. a hum exerts from you as you relax back into him. 

again the two of you fall into a warm silence, content with being within each others space. no words are said and he returns to stenciling you; drawing shapes and patterns while trying to memorize you shape and every minuscule detail about your body as if you’d disappear any moment. 

rafe thinks about all he didn’t do to deserve such a heaven sent gift like you. even after years together, there’s still a part of him who believes you deserve more, better. someone as pure as you. he thinks maybe he should express his gratitude towards you more often. 

he’s the one to cease the quiet this time, softly at first. “i feel like..” he fingers begin to drag over the same spot while he tries to come up with the right words to say. 

“like what?” 

“like you were made for me. like i was made for you.”

his words make you sit up, locking your eyes with his. “what has gotten into you today, mr. whipped cameron.” you whisper as you lower your mouth onto his and press a gentle kiss at the corner of his lips. 

 he chuckles into you, lightly squeezing your waist. “nothing.” 

 “nothing?” he lets out a sigh as you pull away with your brow furrowed.

“just promise me you’ll never leave.” 

“well if u keep saying stuff like that then why would i ever want to?” you say, dimples on display as your lips curve into a smile. 

he scoffs, and you let out a screech when rafe flips the two of you over so he hovers over you. your hands find his cheeks, and you lift yourself up just enough to meet him halfway. 

“i would never leave this.” you murmur against him, right before his lips spark over yours.

------------

taglist (let me know if you would like to be added!) : @mrsstarkey1 @of-many-fandomss @maybankslover @penny4yourthoughts 

follow and reblog and i’ll do the same for you! 

[tadashisdisaster]

𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮 - 𝐇𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐣𝐢𝐧 𝐗 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

Cw / Twˏˋ°•*⁀➷ smut, nude painting, table sex, soft sloppy sex, Hyunjin likes when you sing to him while he paints, body praise, slight thigh riding, cowgirl style, reader has low stamina, oral at the end, overstimulation, princess, pretty, baby, pet names

AN ~ inspired by one of my favorite songs ‘sing to you - dance with me’ by Monty datta. I love our moon child he makes me smile. Messy writing to match messy sex.

You make your way to your boyfriend’s studio that was just outside your shared house.

You quietly open the door revealing a beautiful man covered in paint from wiping the stray hair from his face itching the oh so ticklish itch on his nose. He had his AirPods in his ears so he didn’t realize your presence in the room till you wrapped your arms around his neck, resting your head on his shoulder.

Hyunjin jumped and took an earbud out of his ear. “Hey darling, didn’t see you come in…” you hum in response pecking he cheek. “That’s a pretty painting Jinnie… who is that?” You admire the naked woman wrapped in cloth as she slept with a content smile on her face. Hyunjin chuckles, “That’s you baby.” You blush nuzzling your face in his neck. Hyunjin shows the picture of your naked body to you from his phone. “When did you take that picture?” You huff.

Hyunjin pauses, trying to remember the time he took this picture. “Like…2 weeks ago.” Hyunjin puts down his brush and takes out his AirPod case, placing them in its rightful place and putting the case back in his pocket. You sit on the Woden table next to the isle and swing your feet closing your eyes, inhaling the calming smell of act supplies.

Hyunjin stares at you with love struck eyes, “Can you sing for me love?” You open your eyes and smile, “Of corse.” As you sing Hyunjin begins to paint, mixing colors and adding them to make the picture look more 3d.

“All done!” You pause your singing to get up and look at the newly finished masterpiece. The mixed colors made your eyes sparkle. You never knew how well blue, brown, reds and whites looked together until now. You reach out to touch the painting only to be stopped. “The paint’s wet.” You mouth a small ‘o’ and let your hand plop to your side. The paint wasn’t the only thing that was going to be wet…

He stuffs 2 fingers into your dripping cunt rubbing the sides of your gummy walls, loving the way you convulsed around his digits. Hyunjin guides your hips to grind on his fingers making your eyes cross. “Hmm, that’s it baby.” You whimper at his praise, your pussy gripping his fingers as you reach your 1st climax of the evening. You grow closer and closer to your orgasm but he stops. You whine as he pulls his fingers out, “I can’t take this anymore, you drive me crazy. He pulls down the front of his sweatpants releasing his angry red tip. His hands grip both of your sides, having you hover over his cock, slowly sinking his down on his leaking erection.

“L-love this greedy pussy baby, love you.” His hands roams your body as sweat runs down both your faces. He smashes his lips against yours, moving you hips up and down his base. “J-Jinnie…” you breathe. You were quickly approaching your orgasm and so was Hyunjin. “Gonna cum baby, cum with me?” You nod your head as you both cum. Hyunjin picks you up by your thighs and places you on the art table.

“Again?” He asks as you tiredly yet slowly relax your back on the table so you were laying down. You lift the shirt you were wearing exposing your tits. You suck in air through you nose at the cold contact of the room. Hyunjin’s eyes were blown wide as he begins to thrust harshly in and out of your raw cunt taking the way you gripped the shirt in between your teeth to hold it up over your chest as a yes.

You both were already so stimulated and sensitive it didn’t take long for Hyunjin to ruin you like a mad man. His messy man bun falling down and sticking to his forehead. “HaAa I’m, fuck, gonna cum princess.” Your pussy pulsating around his cock made his shiver. You unknowing cum, too tired to pay attention to anything. The way he was making you feel and the smell of sex and art made you feel dizzy (in a good way).

“Shit baby, lemme fill you up huh?”

“Mmm….Jinnie…” was all you could say, you were to drunk on cock and the hypnotizing sent in the room to really care. Hyunjin grunts in your ear as he pumps the last of his seed in your now dripping pussy.

“Look at all that cum princess,” Hyunjin gathers some of the leftover orgasms and smears it all over your sensitive nub. “I’m gonna have to clean this mess up aren’t I?” You jolt and try to push his head away but it was too late, “Lemme clean you up pretty.”

© Tadashisdisaster 2020/2023 ~ Please do not copy or use any of my posted work. Anyone caught doing so will be blocked and or reported depending on the act.

[parseolegacy]

Day one of @jdiknight's SWTOR-tober prompt list- for this challenge I'm actually challenging myself to do two additional things: A, to do more relaxed traditional drawing in my sketchbook- to have more fun drawing, to improve my confidence with traditional drawing, and to worry less about getting everything 'perfect'. So I'm (probably) not going to do any digital art for this prompt list. And B, actually posting about my characters' stories because my perfectionism keeps me from sharing their lore on my blog, 😅 I'm always looking for the 'right' way to present it which always ends up in me not posting anything instead. I want to change that and actually use my Tumblr blog like... a blog.

So along with drawings, I'm going to babble a bit about any eventual lore/story bits the drawings may be related to. Pretty long ramble under the cut:

The first prompt, 'Training', immediately made me think of my Jedi siblings, Akk'rai and Zilei, and the journey they have in their... well, training! And how their study of lightsaber fighting is heavily impacted by the dynamics between them. While the Jedi don't have traditional family structure, I feel like these two get as close as you can to an adoptive sibling relationship within the Order- from being extremely close friends in the same Jedi initiate Clan to learning alongside each other throughout their Padawan-hood- these two spend much of their formative years (and then some,) together.

Their masters (a former master and padawan duo themselves,) travel in a group after the Jedi are splintered due to the destruction of the Jedi temple in 0 BTC and stick together for a few years even after the temple on Tython has become operational. Akk'rai and Zilei spend a great deal of time sparring with each other rather than their individual masters due to Akk'rai's master being a little too far on older side to duel with the youths.

Their sparring is the first place where cracks, symptoms of a dysfunction in their dynamic, start to show. Before the attack on the Jedi temple, the two of them were only 'siblings'. There was no 'older' or 'younger', they were simply brother and sister in their own little way.

When the Empire strikes Coruscant, this dynamic is forcibly molded into something new. Akk'rai, the older of the two, took on the role of a protector, and Zilei, the role of the protected. There isn't much a fourteen year old child can do to shield a ten year old from fully fledged Sith warriors. She guarded him anyway, trying to lead them both through the disorder.

While Akk'rai came to the temple at a later age, slightly roughened from tough encounters, Zilei had been there from birth and had no experience facing any kind of danger. He was completely and utterly overwhelmed and he clung to Akk'rai very desperately. They never came out of it quite the same. And the seeds of a subtle conflict between them- one that would span nearly two decades- had been sown.

They retained the new dynamic long after the danger had passed- and it affected how they approached becoming Jedi. Akk'rai, despite being on the road to becoming a Jedi historian, remained frantically devoted to perfecting the art of lightsaber combat on the side; driven by the deep underlying fear that they would never be safe unless she could assure it. Her approach to combat was, in a way, scholarly- deeply analytical and systematic to guarantee a win and undermine danger or disable opponents quickly.

Zilei, on the other hand, with two Jedi masters in tow, felt no threat to his safety- especially with his sister there. Intuitively, he felt secure, and thus angled towards learning as something you absorb and experience over time, rather than something you force forward. Fighting was never his priority in becoming a Jedi Knight. The ability to defend yourself and others was just a necessary building block of the whole- and he would approach it as such, without fear. Not to say he never dealt with his own doubts and worries, rather, he managed them well enough to keep them from bleeding into his study.

As one might expect, these diverging attitudes did cause a disparity in their combat abilities. Not only did Akk'rai have more time as a Padawan under her belt, she fought with a different attitude- an additional underlying mentality guided her in combat alongside formal prowess. Losing a real fight could mean losing him, or someone else; she cannot afford to lose. But these fights weren't real. Rather than being saved from anything, Zilei's confidence in his own abilities was starting to suffer. Even if he did match her in technique, that final push of conviction often tipped the scales. Training became its own quiet battleground.

This imbalance was eventually addressed as Zilei quietly received some wisdom from his master; advice that would become foundational to his approach to combat throughout his life. To beat his sister, he would have to understand a certain principle: Dogmatically practicing every form to formulaic perfection can lead to rigidity- the faster an object moves, the harder it will crash. Every positive attribute in combat, and in life, tends to have an equal and exploitable negative- a vice that can be fallen into without care.

This mentally reframed Zilei's attitude to combat, and gave him the ground for a methodology to fall back on when approaching a fight. Staying serene, almost easygoing and waiting to trip your opponent up when they lean a little too far into unchecked drawbacks.

Both of them trained primarily Makashi (Form II) before their masters guided them into new styles befitting their individual dispositions. Akk'rai branched out into Ataru (Form IV), and Zilei branched into Soresu (Form III). Zilei ended up retaining Makashi as his go-to style for lightsaber duels, using his newfound flow to develop an almost nonchalant style of smooth, relaxed lightsaber combat. While Ataru became Akk'rai's main form, channeling that underlying restlessness into energy. Of course, things continue to change as they grow older, but that's beyond the scope of 'training' and more within 'life experience'. If you made it this far, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed :D

[ashisgreedy]

Garreth Weasley x F!MC

"Fulfilling A Fantasy"

Tags: Smut 18+🔞 MDNI | Established relationship | 1st f!anal | Anal prep w fingers/toys/mouth | Anal Penetration | Spanking | Praise | Garreth is a bit obsessed with this fantasy~ | Aged up 21+ | A|N at the end.

WC: 2,745

MC was laying naked on her stomach atop the bed. She had a pillow under her hips that made her ass stick up in the air. 

Garreth was pulling out several toys he’d collected for this very occasion along with a sizeable bottle of lubricant. He lined them up next to her legs and kept rubbing his hand over her backside and thighs. 

MC looks back at her boyfriend. “That’s a lot of plugs…” 

Her nervousness was made clear well before all of this started. Garreth promised to stop anytime for any reason, no questions asked if she wanted him to. 

“Well, I may have gone a bit overboard. Some of them are just for pleasure and not really prepping…” He picked two up and compared them. “This one,” He lifted a tapered egg-shaped plug. “It's more for stretching and… well it is also pleasurable.” He smiled. His cheeks were already pink from his flustered state. “This one,” He lifted the other. It was tapered and longer with three bulges. “This is a bit more for pleasure. I probably won't use all of them.” He raked his hand in his hair, visibly excited. 

He relaxed on one arm next to her legs. He was also already fully naked. 

“Well…” She wiggled her hips a little. Garreth’s gaze shot to her ass region in an instant. She smiled at the effect this was already having on him. “I’m ready when you are.” She finished. 

“We will take it slow.” He reassured her, “We go at your pace, little witch.” 

His lubed finger slid over her slit up to her ass. He rubs in a circular motion. It felt a bit chilly on her skin but warmed very quickly.

“Mm�� No one has ever touched me there so.” She lets out a soft laugh. “It’s a bit… interesting.”

“I really like touching you there…” Garreth spoke in a low voice.

He’d brought this up to her more times than she could count during the course of their relationship. It wasn’t that she didn’t want it, it just felt a bit too taboo to her and made her nervous to try something out of the box. But she trusted her boyfriend. Plus, the way his face lit up when she agreed to it made her more happy than she dared to admit. 

He was already obsessed with grabbing her ass and keeping his hand on it when he could get away with it. She knew he was a bit obsessed with her body at this point and very much loved the effect it had on him. 

His finger gently pressed inside her.

“Whew…” she breathed. The lube made it easy for his finger to intrude. 

She jerked her hips when he moved his digit in and out. 

“You’re doing so well, just relax.” He rubbed her thigh comfortingly. “You will get used to the sensation after a bit.” He reassured her. 

She blushes when he starts to play more. He moves his finger all the way in, twisting and pulling out. He dripped more lube onto her ass as he did this, getting her insides nice and coated. 

Garreth was between her legs while her ass was propped up in the air like some kind of art piece on a pedestal. Her legs were spread to accommodate his width and he could see everything from his viewpoint. 

“It’s a bit… humiliating.” She tries to joke but her breath hitches when a second finger presses against her hole. 

“It’s just us. No need to feel embarrassed.” He kissed her inner thigh and slowly adds the second finger. 

His free hand moves up her waist and down to her knee. He caresses her skin, making her feel more comfortable and reassured. 

“Do you have to watch like that?” She laughs breathlessly. 

“Yep.” He sent her a smirk when she looked back at him.  

The intrusion didn’t feel normal for a while. It was nice, just strange. She could feel how relaxed her hole was getting and whimpered when he removed his fingers. 

“Shh, shh,” He was grinning. “I’m just getting a toy now, okay? I’ll put something inside you again, don’t worry.” He pats her thigh reassuringly, teasing her. His delight was obvious that she was enjoying herself too.

She buried her face in the pillow to hide her blush. Was she really starting to crave the sensation? 

A blunt object pressed against her asshole and she tensed. It was covered in lube, feeling a bit cold. 

“Relax, little witch.” He soothed. 

She relaxed and squeaked when he pressed harder. 

Garreth sighed, squeezing her ass cheek with his free hand. “I’ll take it slow. Let me know if you need to stop.”

It took a few minutes of him slowly pushing, but soon she was shuddering as the plug fit snugly all the way in. 

“Gods…” Garreth let go of the toy and let it sit inside her. He grabbed her cheeks and squeezed, spreading them wider, pushing them up, and kneading them. “How does it feel?” 

She looked back and noticed just how hard his cock was slowly getting. 

“Feels fine, it's good. I’m comfortable.” 

He nodded, working hard to fix a smile on his lust-filled face. “I’m going to move it a bit now.” 

She nodded and felt him start to pull on the plug. He pulled just enough to take it out halfway before pushing it back in.

“Woah…” She gasped.

“Good, bad? Need a break?” He stood still. 

“Good! It's fine. It just feels so… interesting. I’m kind of liking it…” She sends him a small smile. 

Garreth’s face lights up as he starts to tug on the plug again. He doesn’t remove it all the way and keeps pulling and pushing it back into her. 

She felt quite stretched at this point and told him so. “I think I'm ready for the next size up..” 

“I was about to say, I think you’re ready for a bigger one.” He agrees and slips the plug out. He sets it off in another pile away from the unused ones and looks at his pile. 

He seems to be thinking for a long moment and MC pipes up. “Everything okay?

Garreth gave her a small smile. “Yeah! I was just thinking. It’s just… you’re doing so well. I was thinking of skipping the medium and going up to a larger one. Would you want to try?” 

“I will try. I feel very ready…” 

Garreth swallows thickly at her words. This was most definitely his biggest fantasy come to life. 

He gets the larger plug, saturates it in extra lube then presses it to her ass.

“We’re going slow, okay? Tell me the second anything hurts and I’ll stop.” He reassures her, touching her leg lovingly. 

“Understood.” She agrees. 

She takes the plug slowly. It stretches her deliciously and she clenches her eyes shut. Okay, now it was starting to feel good.

Garreth is breathless as her hole accepts the larger plug so readily. 

She notices him give his cock a few pumps while her hole stretches much farther than it ever has before. 

She whimpers as the plug gets to the largest part, breathing through the stretching with her hands digging into the bedsheets. 

Garreth bites her thigh, kissing along the skin up to her cheek. He bites her ass cheek and groans when her hole finally sucks in the last bit of the plug.

“Ah… Woah…” 

She feels a light smack to her ass, then another one as Garreth spanks her. He squeezes the flesh and leans in, kissing around the plug. 

She moans at all the sensations, rubbing her chest into the bed. 

His tongue runs all along the rim eagerly. He pulls at the plug and keeps licking and stretching her. 

“Garreth!” She moans breathlessly. Little tremors of pleasure skittling through her body from the epicenter of her backside. 

His tongue slides all around, his saliva lubing the plug even more. 

He pulls the plug out and pushes it back in, over and over while MC mewls and twitches below. 

When she easily takes the toy with no resistance, Garreth removes it and tosses it in the ‘used’ pile.

He spanks her again and grips her cheeks. 

“The next size up is my cock,” He breathes heavily. “Do you want that? Do you want me?” He spanks her ass again and groans. 

“Yes… I want you… Please,” She begs, looking back at him as he adds lube to his cock. 

He strokes himself and lines himself up. He then folds himself over her body, pressing his chest to her back, arms on either side of her face, caging her in. 

“I’m going to stay still, and I want you to push back into me at your own pace, okay? Can you do that for me?” He moves her hair to one side and plants sweet kisses along her shoulder. 

She nods eagerly and pushes her hips back. He adjusts himself so he’s perfectly angled at her asshole then cages her in again. “Slow, little witch.” He teases. 

She goes slow, moving back against the blunt tip of his cock. She feels it stretch her as she presses harder. 

“Mm, that's it. Take your time.” He encourages her.

She does, pressing slowly as moments pass. Finally, the thick head of his cock pops passed the tight ring of her ass and they both gasp. 

“Yes!” She takes a breather. “Oh… The stretch feels so good.” She whimpers. 

“Fuck…” He pants. “Yes… That's my girl.” He praises her, nipping at her shoulder with gentle bites.

Neither of them expected to get this far tonight. The training was supposed to be a build-up over the course of the weekend, but he’d made her feel so relaxed and took his time, her body acclimated very quickly. 

Garreth panted as MC started pressing back again, taking more of him. 

“Take my cock in your ass,” Garreth moaned, losing himself in the moment. He always got chatty when things heated up. “I’ll make you feel so good,” His lips trailed over her shoulder along the back of her neck. 

She trembles as she dares to take in more of him. Her knees quake as she slowly presses back for more. 

She moans louder and Garreth starts breathing heavier. His fists shake as he holds his body weight up so as to not crush her. 

“Take more, take more of me. Go slower if you need to. I won’t move.” He promised, breathing harshly into the back of her hair. 

The sensation of his cock sliding into her felt never-ending. 

“Oh… it feels so deep.” She catches her breath for a moment. 

“I’m not even halfway,” He kisses her neck and ear. “All the toys were short… just to help prepare you for penetration… Is this okay?” 

“Yes, Garreth! Gods….” She allows her body to acclimate for a moment more before pressing back again to take more of his cock inside her. 

His chest presses down on her back and she can see just how much he's stopping himself from thrusting all the way to the hilt.

They both groan the farther he’s in. Finally, fucking, finally his hips press directly against her skin. He was all the way buried inside her. 

“I need a minute,” Garreth drops his head into the crook of her shoulder, breathing deeply. 

“It feels… feels a bit violating.”  She lets out a small breathy laugh. 

Garreth inhales deeply “In a good way?” 

“Oh, yes.” She reassures him with a smile on her lips. 

“I’ve been wanting to “violate” you for a while now.” He lets out a breathy chuckle and so does she. 

She pushes back a bit, trying to encourage him to move.

“Ah, fuck…” He groans. 

“You’re so deep,” She moans, gripping the sheets. “I feel so full.” She adds quietly.

“Say that again, MC. Tell me again,” Garreth pleads, forehead pressing into the back of her head. 

“I feel so full, Garreth. You’re so big…” 

Garreth lets out a burst of air, tickling the skin on her neck. 

“Mm, and I’m going to keep filling you up, nice and deep, over and over again, little witch.” His voice is sinfully low. “Do you want that? Hm? Tell me,” 

“Yes! I want you to keep filling me up,” 

“Oh, gods…” He groans and adjusts his position minutely. “Ready for me to move?” He scrapes his teeth over a sensitive spot on her neck. 

“Yes… start moving a little bit,” She braces herself for the foreign feeling. 

“Let’s see how well you take me,” He whispers in her ear and kisses it before he gently moves. 

“Oh, gods!” She yanks on the blanket. 

He rocks his hips slowly, filling her to the brink before pulling out again. 

“You’re doing so well,” He rocks a bit faster when she doesn’t protest. 

She moans and sucks in breaths. “I’m going to fall apart, fuck…” 

“I’m just getting started,” He uncurls himself from her and sits on his knees between her legs. He lets out a moan at the sight of his cock in her ass and starts thrusting. 

The absence of his body heat makes the air in the room feel cold on her back. She shivers as she whimpers little cries of pleasure. “So full…” 

“Yes,” Garreth drives his cock home, again and again. “Your ass takes my cock so well,” A quiet ‘fuck’ falls from his lips. “I’m going to fill you up even more with my cum, my little witch. Do you want that? Want me to cum deep inside you?” 

“Yes! Oh, Garreth…” She pants as he goes faster, fucking her at his normal stride. 

Garreth’s hands grip her ass. He sits back and spreads her cheeks, watching himself fuck into her. “Ah… MC…” 

“That angle! Yes!” She desperately pleads.

“I never want this to stop,” He huffs as he fucks her at the angle she requested. “You like this angle? Is it pressing against all the right spots?” 

She found her center of gravity again and started pushing back into each of his thrusts. The angle he was hitting her made her feel all kinds of good things inside. 

“It is, Yes! Oh, don’t stop,” They find a matching rhythm and speed up together. 

He spanked one of her ass cheeks and squeezed the other one, gripping and pulling her with each thrust.

“This is better than my fantasy,” He let out a breathless chuckle. 

Her neglected pussy was slick with desire. Garreth reached around and rubbed her little clit. 

She was yelling out ‘yes’ and ‘more’ as he touched her intimately. 

He used his other hand to smack her ass again and then she was falling, flying, shaking under him. Her orgasm hit her like a bus. 

“Gods, that feels good,” Garreth commented on how her walls squeezed his cock as she came. 

As her orgasm ended, she started to squirm and whimper. He removed his finger and went back to chasing his own release. 

His hands dug into her ass, thrusting faster and faster. His knees dug into the bed and each thrust sent her body jolting forward. The pillow below her hips gets pushed and pulled, almost becoming useless. 

“AH!” Garreth moans louder the closer he gets. “I’m close,” He alerts her. 

“I want it!” She mewls into the bed. “Cum inside me, please” She begs him. 

“Fuck…” His hips studders. “Tell me again!” He demands as he huffs air. 

“I want your cum! Please, fill me up!” 

Garreth thrusts into her deep one last time and his cock throbs hard as his eyes clench shut. 

He curls back down on top of her against her back, keeping their bodies locked. His moans fill her ears as his body pulses with pleasure. 

His chest is much warmer now against her back, sticky from sweat, but oh so comforting. His familiar musk fills her nose and her whole body relaxes in his embrace.

“Just gonna…” Garreth kisses her neck lazily. “...stay inside you until I get hard again.” 

She laughed and Garreth cracked a smile. 

“I have a feeling you’re going to want to do this more often.” She spoke quietly between them, resting her cheek on the bed and looking up at him. 

“Oh, you bet,” He chuckled. “If you’re up for it.” 

They relaxed like that, catching their breath and having some pillow talk before Garreth’s body inevitably reset. 

.

.

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Thanks for reading! ❤️-Ash

AN: I wasn’t sure what to call this. A fic? A HC? A drabble? A babble!? Regular fic writing has been making me feel too intimidated lately to do. I decided to write it like this. The story flowed easily and I really enjoyed it! Not sure if this will be a regular format going forward but I’m just happy I was finally able to write without feeling impending doom. lol

Masterlist in bio

ᵀʰᵉ ᵒⁿˡʸ ᵗʰᶦⁿᵍ ᵒⁿ ᵗʰᵉᵐᵉ ᶠᵒʳ "ᴴᵒᵗ" ᵂᵉᵃˢˡᵉʸ ᵂᵉᵈⁿᵉˢᵈᵃʸ ʷᵃˢ ʰᵒʷ ʰᵒᵗ ᵗʰᶦˢ ᶠᶦᶜ ᵐᵃᵈᵉ ᵐᵉ

[pebblume]

I never realized how liberating writing fanfiction would be. I hadn’t written creatively in years. It’s been so long that I kind of forgot what it felt like. The childlike rush of pouring your heart out onto a blank page, not caring about the results as long as you were having fun. I’ve tried writing fanfic a couple of times, for different fandoms across the years, but never finished anything I was really happy with, nothing that I felt comfortable sharing with the world. But something just clicked for me this past week. I realized how much fun it was to stretch out my writing muscles, to get inside the heads of my favorite characters. I realized that it didn’t have to be perfect to be worthy of being shared and loved by others. I realized that I had so many stories inside myself - more than I thought possible. 

But perhaps what I’m most in awe of is fanfic readers. The people who read my work and leave kudos and bookmarks and comments - one word comments, sweet comments, silly comments, paragraph-long comments. I love them all. I used to be afraid of leaving comments on AO3, afraid I wouldn’t have enough words, wouldn’t have the right words, to depict how I felt. But when I felt firsthand how much those comments meant to me I started leaving more and more of them, spreading a digital paper trail of love to all my favorite authors. More and more often I recognize the profile names and images in my comment section and think, Hey, I know you! Now I’m not just a guest on AO3, or a passive reader. I belong here. 

I won’t lie and say I don’t miss drawing a bit, my previous creative outlet. There are plenty of drawings inside me too, itching to be realized. I really just don’t have the time for two time extensive hobbies, not when I need to balance school and practicing and little things like sleeping and eating and relaxing. I miss it, but not as much as I thought I would. There’s a level of investment to sharing a story online that feels…special. When I post my art, I get engagement, and it feels nice, but ultimately, most people are only spending about ten seconds looking at the work I spent eight hours on, if that. When someone reads my fics, we’ve now spent time together. You’ve lived inside my head for a bit, made it your home. It’s about feeling seen, I think. Writing makes me feel understood in a way visual art sometimes doesn’t. It makes me feel vulnerable in the same way performing music does, but less exposed too. It’s interesting to me. 

The only downside, if you can call it that, is now that the writing bug has infected me, I’m finding it harder and harder to stop. I’ll have an idea and then suddenly five hours have flown by because I’m on a creative streak and I just want to write one more idea down, which turns into two, and so on and so forth. I dread stopping, because what if I forget something? What if I get into a writing block later? Suddenly I have people who want to read the things I write and I want to provide it, I really do, but I also have responsibilities. I say, as I write this, ignoring my audition tomorrow afternoon. 

I still have a bit of embarrassment attached to fandom works. When I tell acquaintances that I like to draw or write, I rarely tell them I mean fanart and fanfiction. As if loving something that deeply, that sincerely, is inherently shameful in this age of irony and soulless remakes. Especially when my interests usually consist of media marketed towards children, nevermind the fact that it has more emotional maturity than most ‘adult’ works. But I’m trying to get better about it. A lot of my closest friends know about my hobbies, and some I’ve even let see my work. It’s terrifying but also giddying, seeing them like an art post or comment on a fic. After all, to reap the rewards of being loved, one must submit themselves to the mortifying ordeal of being known, or something like that. 

I realized today that I’ve written over 30,000 words in the past two weeks about about two characters who don’t belong to me, but whom I’ve made my own.

And I’ve never felt happier

[the-s1lly-corner]

HELLO HI HI

dlfkwkfowowo im secretly staking ur blog

if this is okay with you…

could there perhaps be a tadc x reader who smiles… but like all the time

like no matter what happens, reader always has a smile on their face to never show weakness!

this can come off as creepy because the only thing fhat you always see is their smile, they never frown, or anything like that

feel free to ignore this though if you aren’t interested! take care! <3

TADC cast x reader who always smiles!

gm everyone its 6 in the morning and the admin woke up at around 2am, unable to go back to sleep.... sooooooooooooo.... yeah! gonna answer a few requests then imma make breakfast, work on art, and hopefully work on more requests! might make cookies again today.... we'll see!

CAINE:

completely unphased by any creepiness of your perma smile, in fact he would go on to compliment it anytime he sees it... which is... all the time.... whether your smile is permanent due to your digital body, or you willingly choose to smile all the time.. doesnt matter to him, hes going to let you know that he loves how you look! doesnt raise a brow when it doesnt falter in the phase of danger or stress, probably thinks thats... only slightly strange, but not anything to raise any questions... you know? pretty much ai not fully understanding humans deal with that one

POMNI:

genuinely freaked out by it because it can get.. unnerving at times especially if youre quiet. like can you imagine you just slink into the room and youre just. smiling. god she would probably jump a few feet into the air when she finally notices you.... not cool, reader!/lh

nervously smiles back, though she does relax a little when she gets to know you better and why you smile all the time, eventually getting over her fear for the most part! though, i think she would gently push for you to let the smile drop every now and then

RAGATHA:

assuming she knows you do it to not be vulnerable you can bet your ass shes going to try to get you to let your walls down around her, lets you have alone time with her and reassures you that theres nothing wrong in having a moment of weakness. things like that. though, she may come off as pushy just know that she means no harm. like pomni, when first getting used to you/getting to know you i think she would be a little put off by your perma-smile but soon grows used to it. much faster than pomni does, i think

JAX:

probably teases you about it and gives you nicknames for it/being perceived as happy and cheerful... perhaps keeps it up even after he finds out why you do it/puts the pieces together himself. though, he doesnt try to get you to open up, since thats a you issue and jax doesnt seem like the type to have you take a step towards that since it seems to be working for you. sooooo... honestly i think he would still smile too, only because he knows it unnerves some of the other circus members. not at all for the same reason you do it so take that as you will

KINGER:

honestly depending on how the smile looks (normal, or perhaps stretched wide) it might dip into a sort of uncanny valley for him... actually, even if it looked normal, seeing someone just smiling all the time can put anyone off, i think. especially someone like kinger whos always paranoid about something terrible happening... definitely going to have to either drop the smile around him or fill him in on everything. do i think he would be rude and/or run away at the mere sight of you? definitely not, especially if you guys are friends/partners, but hes definitely going to be a little anxious on bad days the first few weeks he knows you, you know?

ZOOBLE:

doesnt really care either way. does think the smile is a little creepy, though. but that doesnt exactly mean its a bad thing, in fact they think its cool. interesting. different. admin likes to headcannon that zooble was into horror/disturbing stuff so something like this might be up their alley, reasoning for the smile aside. though, i do think they would have a little pause if they find out your reasoning... mostly only if you guys are close since otherwise they brush it off as its not their business. buuuuuut... if you are close, they probably tell you theres nothing wrong in being vulnerable, at least in their own way which may come off as sarcastic.. so !

GANGLE:

i was about to say that she would be put off by it, but honestly? she gets it. i saw somewhere/someone said that gangles masks are like metaphors/comedy mask is a false thing and shes not ACTUALLY happy or confident with it on.. if i had the post id link it but </3

out of all of them i think... with her, youre the most likely to drop your own mask and open up to her, at least with the most ease because you guys can relate to one another. sure, gangle has her masks for a different reason (as well as them simply being a part of her digital body), but you guys can still relate and find solidarity in one another

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

04/20/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; David Jenkins; Con O'Neill; Jes Tom; Damien Gerard; Save OFMD Crew; Relax I'm From the Future; Fan Spotlight: Our Flag Means Fanfiction; Cast Cards; Colouring Pages; Articles; Love Notes; Daily Darby Tonight's Taika.

== David Jenkins ==

Img Src: David's IG / Kinga's IG

Img Src: @vannakitty's IG

== Con O'Neill ==

Img Src: @CorinSilvas IG

== Jes Tom ==

On WED MAY 15th show at 9PM, Jes Tom will be at Asian Comedy Fest at Sugar Mouse in NYC! Want tickets? Visit Asian Comedy Fest

Img Src: Jes Tom's IG

== Damien Gerard ==

Damien having a lovely hair down kinda day :) Img Src: Damien's IG

== Save OFMD Crew ==

Save OFMD Digital Advertising van follow up! Last month the trust overheated halfway through the paid for window so yesterday it got it's final chance to show streamers how much we want out show back. Src: @saveofmdcrewmates Tumblr

== Relax I'm From The Future! ==

Relax I'm From The Future is streaming in AoNZ! Thank you @wastingyourgum for keeping us posted <3

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Our Flag Means Fanfiction =

Coming Monday 04/22, our awesome crewmates over at Our Flag Means Fanfiction will be running a "The Lore of the Ring" episode! Check it out when it comes out Monday!

Src: Our Flag Means Fanfiction IG

== Cast Cards ==

As always, our awesome crewmate @melvisik is keeping us busy with more cast cards! Today is Cerris Morgan Moyer, or otherwise known in OFMD as "Victoria Archer, who assured Mary Allamby that her future husband was not some derelict..." Thanks Mel!

Src: @melvisik's Twitter

= OFMD Colouring-In Pics =

More colouring pages from our lovely crewmate @patchworkpiratebear! Get your creativity on and color in some OFMD related art! I may or may not be printing these off for my son and I to work on tomorrow... PatchworkPirateBear's Tumblr

== Articles ==

Our friends over at @adoptourcrew on twitter highlighted some great articles over on twitter. AdoptOurCrew Twitter Article Thread Forbes Article on Black Sails (mentions OFMD)

7 Shows Like The Great

Sun Article on Historical Series

== Love Notes ==

Happy Saturday my dears! I hope you are finding some time to relax today-- it feels like this past week was like a month long! We're coming up on the beginning of the week again so please remember to get some rest tonight if you can.

Do you ever feel anxious for seemingly no reason? Do you feel like you start talking to a group and then somehow everything just feels 10 times heavier? I know I do a lot. That's the part of our brains that have been dealing with so much crap for so long that it's trying to protect us from potential emotional harm again. It's been trained to question whether or not we've said the right thing, if our tone was non-offensive enough, if we're annoying someone.

It's doing it out of protection for us, but it can make things a lot harder in the long run. If you're feeling that kind of anxiety, please remember that it may just be your brain chemistry...and most likely no ones upset with you, or feeling like you're awkward, even if you yourself feel that way. You haven't done anything wrong with engaging with others, and you certainly deserve a chance to do so. Tell your brain to take a break too-- take a shower, or a bath, or heck, just splash some cold water on your face. We are our own worst critics lovelies, and sometimes we have to put a mute button on our own inner voice to get some peace.

You're doing great lovelies. Remember that. Don't let the anxiety succeed at making you feel like you're not good enough. You are good enough, and you're doing great. Finally, here's your gentle reminder to please go eat something, and definitely drink some water. I know it's a lot just to exist sometimes, but you're making it happen, be proud of yourself for that. You got this <3 Sending love and good vibes <3.

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

While I don't personally partake-- tonight's theme is 420! Hope all who celebrated had a great and chill time <3

Gifs courtesy of @blakbonnet (darby) and @stedebonnets (ed)

[daftpatience]

Hi, I used to draw a lot but I've not drawn/created for a long time now, any tips to get back into it?

Or rather the whole thing about making art for yourself, I used to get a lot of attention for being good at art from other ppl and I'm not sure how to connect it back to myself again

I'm also contending with the Autism "It needs to be done in this way" and the ADHD "I can't focus for shit"

Also please don't worry if you don't know what to say, I'm just trying to get a variety of opinions to try and untangle my brain

Thank you in advance 💕

i think a good way to get back into creating *for yourself* whether its to come out of a dry spell or just to get back to creating things that you like, is what i call 'backtracking' (bearing in mind that my particular methods may only work for me! im lucky ive never struggled with focus when it comes to drawing things, but maybe some of these things will help as my main goal when drawing is to entertain myself!)

also before i move on this i think is valuable: you gotta draw things that you aren't gonna post sometimes. it's fun and fulfilling to make art for an audience, and wanting attention is not shameful (ITS HUMAN!) but also we live in panopticon times and i think its good to train your "i am alone doing something for myself and no one has to see it" muscles.

backtracking is a couple different things:

look back to when you were really young. what kinds of drawings were the most fun to do? what did you spend time on or get really into? for me, this was a few things! tracing cartoons, drawing up elaborate scenes of lots of little creatures doing a thing, and designing little characters as paper dolls and making their houses and little furniture and accessories and such to cut out and play with. also getting paint all over my hands (i still paint my whole hand whenever im done doing something with acrylics before i wash up! its stimming)! backtracking here is when you try to take those things and make use of them now. try to find that old joy and use it in a way that makes you happy today, even if it's something small or silly or embarrassing. it can really help you rediscover what parts of art make YOU happy!

if you're regularly drawing and in a slump, backtracking for me is stepping back and doing either more exercises and practising the things you feel like you already know how to draw (ie. studying angles of the face or pulling up imgs of rooms on pinterest to see how normal people arrange furniture etc.), or simplifying your drawings to a level that feels more relaxing and less stressful. (ie. chibis instead of more detailed characters etc.) i find i kind of fall back to chibis when i feel lost, and then sort of rebuild from there. its fun to let my style change as i grow!

ALSO! im telling your autism this for your adhd's sake (this is useful for anyone i think): if there is a part of art that you do not enjoy doing or find boring but you feel it is an important or necessary step in the process? the secret is it isnt! art is made up. if you hate lining, dont do it! if youre a digital artist and get caught up picking a brush every time because you feel like you need the perfect one? switch to mspaint for a bit to get the nerves out. it can be really freeing!

art is for having fun and fulfilling our need to create. the rules are all made up and not real. perfectionism is the little death that something something i forget. yeah

[awful-little-goose]

Some more doodles with Buzz!

Buzz (or Buzzbuzz) kinda plays the role of the “teacher” character, sorta like Dora y’know? Of course, it comes from a play on “spelling bee”. They don’t- control it, and sorta just blurt out facts, lessons, or questions to the camera- which greatly confuses both the other humans and Buzz themselves.

Now for how they feel about other characters!

They like Kinger well enough! He’s the only one who doesn’t complain about the bees that spontaneously spawn near Buzz, so they like to give him some bees every now and then since he likes insects. He sometimes calls them “Their Majesty Bee”, as a variant for “queen bee”, no one knows if he’s purposely making a joke or just- being odd. Overall they view him as a sort of slightly crazy but still nice uncle

They really do not like Jax. Since Buzz is HEAVILY influenced by cartoon logic, any accident they may suffer may result in an extremely amusing (yet still unpleasant) visual…so that means it’s twice as more funny to cause them harm for Jax

Buzz has a lot of sympathy for Gangle. As a pretty laid back and somewhat optimistic person, they always try to cheer up Gangle when they’re stuck with their tragedy mask, by trying to shine another light on the situation at hand or performing tricks

They’re not too fond of Zooble (who- is personally my favorite character LSKSKSK I love them so much). Again, as someone who’s rather laid back and onboard with doing lots of activities, they don’t really vibe with a person’s whose whole stitch is “fuck off, leave me alone”. Still, they know that Zooble is far from being an ass like Jax is, and the two of them get along from time to time

Buzz gets along with Raggs pretty well. Since Buzz’s room is basically a garden, they like to take her there to garden together- they’re fully aware of how stressed out she really is, so they try to help out in their own way. It’s their way of thanking her for being such a positive force around

They’re…conflicted when it comes to Caine. On one hand, they don’t hate being there at the Digital Circus, and they appreciate how invested he seems to be in keeping them active and stimulated. Yet, they can’t help but feel uneasy around him…their wings will start buzzing and their ears/antennas will get all twisted

They…don’t dislike Pomni, but her concerning attitude and obsession with that so called “exit” make them wary around her. They’d also just like her to relax- sure, the transition from one world to another is tough, but how can she be sure she actually had a life before all that? She can’t even remember her name, can she? So, that means there probably isn’t anything to return to, so she should just accept it and chill ouuut…or else she’s gonna abstract REAL SOON, and they are NOT sticking around for that

They REALLY don’t like Bubble, just because it’s so- unpredictable. Fortunately, their bees (who they have no direct control over whatsoever) seem to feel that, and are always around to pop that nuisance away

And as a bonus…Kofmo! Who I didn’t draw! All I can say is that they were really fond of his puns, they like plays on words the best, but they did not care for how upset he’d get over people no reacting properly or sincerely enough to his jokes

Concerning their severe case of “cartoon logic”, that’s something they’re also somewhat a bit mad at Caine about: their cartoon experiences tend to be really unpleasant, but they also have to put themselves back to normal on their own! They’d just like him to at LEAST ensure that they get back to normal automatically, that’d be the bare minimum

Also bonus Zooble because they ALWAYS get forgotten in arts, and I get it they’re super complex and hard to draw, but I LOVE them, I LOVE their design, and I LOVE their personality- please love my geometric baby

[ellaa-writes]

The Art of Survival

authors note: Will probably move this over to a03 due to the mature themes. Was inspired by many of my favourite horror movies such as The Collector/Collection, Hellraiser, Martyrs, Hostel etc. This is not a romance, all works of fiction. AU of the character Konig from cod. Readers discretion is advised. 18+ MDNI

summary: He went by many names, Doctor, Son, Professor, Colleague, Apprentice and his favourite Master. He lived his life by strict rules, follow them or lose it all. Their's been many before her and their will be many after her. She was the first to succeed, the first to prevail. She was his special toy, all dressed up just to make sure she sells. Strutting on a shelf, waiting to be picked out.

cw: Dark Themes ahead, kidnapping, torture, violence, blood, death. Non-con, Dub-con. 18+ MDNI, unrealistic and unsafe bdsm practices/references. Dead Dove Do Not Eat.

The rhythmic tapping of her nails against the keyboard resonated through the tranquil office, the sole audible presence in the late evening. Past 7 pm on a Thursday, she found herself the lone inhabitant of the building's floor, her colleagues and supervisors having long departed the mundane office space. Yet, she remained, diligently working on her company-provided laptop. While she could have taken her work home and completed it before night's end, she knew that once she stepped into her apartment, her motivation would wane.

With the final paragraph taking shape on the screen, she paused briefly to flex her knuckles, reassuring herself with the mantra of just one more day. Soon, she envisioned herself on a distant beach, basking in the sun's warmth and the caress of the salty sea breeze against her skin. Returning her attention to the screen, she meticulously proofread the document, ensuring every word was correctly spelled and properly spaced, determined to evade her boss's reprimand for any hint of unprofessionalism. Releasing a small breath she was holding, staring at the blank screen, letting her work mind ease knowing one more thing on her list was done.

After saving the report and attaching it to an email, she carefully selected the recipients before hitting the send button. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she watched the blank screen, the weight of completion easing her work-weary mind. Swiftly gathering her belongings, she plugged in her laptop, tidied her desk, and emptied her trash, eager to leave the dimly lit confines of the high-rise building. As she made her way down the corridor toward the elevators, she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling of being alone in the building at night. Absent were the familiar sights of the cleaners or any other occupants on her floor. Assuring herself they must be elsewhere, she pressed the elevator button and waited, her gaze fixed on the descending digital display.

The mass was huge and in all the imposing presence sent a chill down her spine. The mass raised its head, green eyes, stared back at her. It shifted to the side, making room for her. She hesitantly stepped into the elevator, leaning towards the side panel to push the parking level but stopped when she noticed it was already glowing yellow. She huddled in her corner, trying to give herself enough pace between her and the huge mass next to her.

She couldn't help the feeling of uneasiness as it settled heavy in her lower stomach, it felt like she swallowed cement. Eyeing him she noticed he was wearing what looking like some sort of vest, tactical maybe? Black slacks and a long black compression shirt under the vest. He had a surgical mask covering the lower half of his face and a baseball cap on top covering up his freshly shaved head. The cap read, Security, a rushed breath of relief shot out of her. Her shoulder slumped and she began to relax as the numbers above the doors got closer and closer to the parking level.

The elevator slowed as it finally reached her destination, coming to a full stop before the last ding rang out and the doors shifted open. "Have a good night!" she sing-songed out as she exited, making her way across the desolate and dark parking level. "Good night, stay safe." his voice was a little higher pitched then she imagined it, with a hint of an accent. Her heals clicked against the concrete as she made her way across the dark and desolate parking level. Her car was right next to one of the stair wells, it being the only space available when she arrived this morning.

Digging her keys out of her purse, she hit the unlock button watching has the lights to her Lexus glowed. She walked past the stairwell door, a cold draft catching around her ankles. There were a few other cars still left on this level, she opened the back seat, setting her hand and other belongings inside. She didn't hear it right away; it wasn't until she felt the rush of air and the hard body on her back. The thick strong arms wrapping around her frame, a black leather clad hand clamping over her mouth in a bruising grip. She tried to push back and kick out but that resulted in a unhappy grunt before her head was thrusted into the roof of her car. Tears sprang to her eyes has she cried out, her delicate skin splitting open and running with blood.

The open back seat door was slammed closed, her body pressed up against it. She tried squinting through the blood and blurriness, her head was pounding, and she had a hard time thinking straight. It made her more pliable, her attacker binding her arms behind her back. Tugging tight against whatever material they were using, something was slapped over her mouth, duct tape. Her knees began to weaken as they rippling headache began to overpower all her senses. Struggling to keep her eyes open, her body getting heavy.

The unknown assailant opened the driver's door, triggering the trunk latch before forcefully shoving her inside headfirst. Bound and disoriented, she lay in darkness, attempting to orient herself as the car started its engine. Straining against the cords binding her, she only succeeded in causing further harm. With her face coated in blood and tears, she managed to peel off the duct tape with effort, her skin protesting against the sticky residue.

She was able to roll onto her back, the pressure on her bound arms became intense but she ignored it. Lifting her feet up she began banging them against the roof of her trunk. Hoping someone near by could hear it and save her. The low hum of the radio coming from the front of the car got louder, trying to drown out her attempts. She knew she could scream but she didn't want to risk her life. She's probably going to die anyways she thought, might as well try to live a little longer. Giving up she rolled to her side, she couldn't tell what way she was facing using her feet to feel around in the dark.

The drive was long, the buzz of the city fading away behind her. Wherever they were taking her was outside the city limits, beyond the river and into the forest surrounding her city. It felt like hours passed as she rocked back and forth until the car came to an abrupt stop. She listened in silence and fear as the door to the driver’s side open and closed. The sound of footsteps approaching the back of the car. She stayed still, unable to move as the dread washed over her. It felt like hours passed before the truck was opened, she squinted back at the sudden bright light flooded the dark space. Before she could register what was happening, she felt more tape being wrapped around her head, sticking to her hair and slightly cutting off her hearing. She tried to fight him off, kicking her feet out at the stranger. They grabbed on to them, using the same tape and began binding them together at the knees.

She didn't understand why this was happening to her. Why her out of the millions of people living in her city. Was the planned or just a unfortunate coincidence. Her mother always told her the city was safe for a young naïve girl like her. But her mother was crazy but maybe she was right about one thing after all. Her attacker grabbed her by the hair causing her to hiss, they pulled her out of the trunk and threw her over their shoulder. She tried looking around for any distinctive markers but all she saw was trees and blackness. She watched as her car got further and further away from her, trying to see around the huge mass.

Maybe she was happy she couldn't see, if she saw the blacked-out van with the back doors open. The wooden crate with the top off, the hard rubber cords, tape, a strange looking hood and a few knives. She might have gone into a full panic attack, instead the hood was shoved over her head. The cord wrapped around her neck to keep it on, the crate being pushed over to the side as her attacker shoved her in. She once again tried to fight back but it was pathetic. All bound up, she looked like a fish out of water, flopping around on the ground. The lid was slammed on top, the sound of hammering filling her ears. If it wasn't for the duct tape and hood over her, she would have thrown up.

The slam of the back doors jolted her, despair settling into her stomach. She tried not to think of all the horrible, disgusting, and disturbing things that would be done to her. She began praying that this was all just a very fucked up realistic dream. Closing her eyes she began repeating over and over that this was exactly that, a nightmare. And she'll wake up in her bed, in her room, in her small but cozy apartment. She'll even laugh a little about it, over and over in her head until the darkness latched itself onto her and pulled her under.

The unmarked van pulled in front of an abounded warehouse, the metal sheeting clipped and peeling away. The windows busted out and the outside marked up with spray paint. It used to serve as a wood mill until they built a bigger and better building in a more easily accessible location. The surroundings were enclosed in with an electrical fence and topped with barbwire. To keep things out and in. Situated deep in the dense forest, overlooking the glowing lights of the city.

He exited the vehicle, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders. This was all rushed and unplanned, making a mental note to dispose of the car and any other evidence. He already trashed the security footage from the office building and parking garage. Rubbing the aching spot on the back of his neck, debating on just slitting her throat and dumping the body. But he's made it this far already, no time to give up now.

Swinging the back doors up to the van, looping the extra cord around the hand to the wooden box. He gave it a good yank watching it crash onto to the dirt below. He dragged it over the threshold of the warehouse, the crunch and scrap of discarded glass and other garbage. He stopped before a set of steel doors, lifting the cover to a number pad, punching in the code. Stepping off to the side as the doors hummed to life and slid open, he stepped behind the box, giving it a hard shove into the elevator shaft. Following in close behind it, reaching up to pull the grated doors down before hitting the descend button. He didn't heat any complaints coming from the box, hoping his prize is still alive inside. Once the shaft stopped and the door slid up, he stepped into the dark space. Dragging the box behind him until he reached another set of locked doors, using the key attached to his wallet he retched it open. Turning the light on to show a staircase, he gave the box a hard kick, sending it tumbling down the stairs. Hearing to shatter open before closing the door and locking it closed.

He stepped into the dark hallway, the one leading into the kitchen from the entry way. Turning on the low glow of the lights as he entered room after room. Heading straight to the sink has he turned on the garbage compactor and chucking in the cell phone from the women now in his "basement". He dumped the rest of the contents of the bag out on his island counter. Not finding anything interesting he grabbed the garbage can from under the sink and tossed all the items into it. He walked over into the next room, heading straight to the fireplace in the living room. Flicking the controls on and setting the fire to high. The flames roared to life, blanketing the drab living room in the soft warm glow. He waited for a few moments before he opened the door and tossed in the contents of the can inside.

His muscles were tight, and his head was pounding. He needed to get out of these clothes and take something before he exploded. He began undressing in the living room, taking everything off including his briefs and socks. Folding everything neatly on the ledge of the fireplace, before he opened the door up again and began tossing item by item inside, his shoes where last. Setting them atop of the wood that was flaming hot. Closing it back up and turning down the controls to low. He walked completely nude through the dimly lit home and up the stairs. Made his way down the dark hallway and into the room at the end. Turning on the light, he was standing right in front of the mirror. He looked into his eyes, looked down chiseled chest and to his now hard dick standing tall. soon. He told himself. soon.

Steam filled the small bathroom, the door still open. The glow of the bathroom cascading into the dark hallway. He let the hot water work out his stiff muscles, the temperature helping easy his hard cock back into place. Scrubbing the day off his well toned body, the dirty water flowing down his thick defined legs and into the drain. He got out quick, not bothering in turning the light off has he wiped himself off with the towel. As he walked out of the guest bathroom and into his room. Running the towel over his head and throwing it into the hamper near the walk-in closet. Stepping inside he opened his top drawer, pulling out his favourite black brief's that he had hundreds of pairs of. Pulling them over his taunt hard ass. Opening another drawer and pulling out a simple pair of black sweats and took a matching long sleeve t-shirt. Pulling them onto his body fast and making his way back downstairs.

He walked down another hallway on the opposite side of the kitchen, reaching a locked door that required his fingerprint to open. Once it did, it revealed another set of steps leading down. A few small pockets of lighting auto lit has he made his way down, the door behind him swinging shut automatically.

When he reached the bottom, more lights auto lit has he walked further into the room. Smooth metal cages lined one wall, a few already occupied while others were empty. The center of the room contained a operation table, a bright light hung above it. Another smaller examining table sat to the left of it. The shiny metal reflecting off the overhead lights. He walked up to a desk on the other wall from the cages. A large, long desk filled with different monitors, as he walked up the main screen turned on. The light casting over his face, a small window popped up and a robotic voice spoke "name". He stood there for a moment before he leaned forward towards the speaker, he opened his mouth and spoke in his odd accent.

König 6669

The computer turned off before turning back on, the main screen coming to life before his eyes. He pulled out the stool he stored under the desk. Using the mouse to click on a few tabs before he typed in some information. Within seconds pictures filled the screens, pictures of the women he had locked in his basement. He scrolled through the information, he had everything from her medical files to her school records. Having studied them intensively over the past few days. Usually this would take weeks if not months, watching their every move to make sure they were the perfect subject. But deep down in his heart, or whatever was left of it, he knew she was the one.

A small whimper caught his attention, peeling his eyes from the screen towards the wall of cages. Noticing one of his pets was awake, barely. Checking his watch and noticing it is feeding time. He got up from the chair, using his thick long legs he walked across to the medical cabinet. Opening the cupboard to reveal an array of bottles and small tinctures. Pulling one out he set it down before opening a drawer that contained syringes. He used the small sink and washed his hands, then grabbed some sterile gloves and pulled them on. He walked over to the small examining table and began laying out his supplies, using the stool as a tray he began filling up the syringes and laying them out next to one another. He wheeled it over to the cages, checking the monitors in front of each one. There as also IV bags hanging on each cage, he started with the first one. Taking a syringe and injecting the needle into the solution, watching has the clear liquid became cloudy. When he was done with the last one, he wheeled the stool over to the garbage can and tossed the contaminated items inside, taking his gloves off and throwing them in after.

The monitor he was previously at turned off as he made his way back up to the main floor.

It was time.

[walks-the-ages]

Sorry peeps, but if you're genuinely out here trying to defend generative Ai because you think anyone against it is "ableist" sorry not sorry you're not just getting unfollowed you're getting fully blocked along with the OP and who you reblogged it from lmao.

"most people angry about Nanowrimo allowing AI are just being loudly ableist!!! Generative Ai is a great tool for disabled people!! Everyone should be able to use it!"

Hmm, sorry, maybe you need to curate your dash some more like I just did by blocking you, but literally the ONLY people I've seen talking about Nanowrimo's AI stance are people who are actually disabled themselves who are pointing out how fucking shitty it is for Nanowrimo to defend themselves and their sponsor using AI (and possibly scraping your works to further train their AI) By using ~Disabled People~ in concept as a shield against criticism.

Many, many people have posts on here about how they are physically or mentally disabled and they would absolutely hate having someone belittle them by telling them the only way they can accomplish something creative like writing a novel is to have a Computer spit nonsense out into a word document, or generate a "masterpiece" digital image for them from a few words typed in...

Like.

If you actually care about disabled people, you wouldn't be advocating for generative AI to be used to erase their creativity by just letting a computer churn out crap.

If you can type in a prompt on an AI generator, you can type in a word processor to write your story.

Can't physically type at all?

Use speech to text,

or do an audio recording of your novel, and have someone transcribe it,

or use actual existing Closed Caption technology to transcribe it for you!

These are all accessible technology options that actually help disabled people be creative, not just tell an AI generator "hey write me a book about x"

Disabled people have been authors and artists for millennia.

Stephen Hawking used a combination of Predictive Text, eye-control cursors, and an infrared sensor mounted on his glasses that would detect if he was tensing or relaxing the muscles in his cheek, allowing him to scroll a virtual keyboard.

Somehow, I don't think the people championing generative AI actually care about "disabled people" when they try to insist that typing a prompt into a generator and having it churn out random slop is the solution to 'allowing disabled people to be creative' instead of actually giving them the various technology and accessibility tools that have been a thing for at least 25 years, like:

Eye-tracking software that allows you to type or paint on a computer screen (this is now at the point where people can play online video games with this software!)

Having any kind of smart phone set up with speech to text and a word processing app like Google Docs or a notepad app

Using basic sound recording apps to dictate your novel for later transcription

Using other body parts than your hands (or using prosthetics) to hold paint brushes, pens, markers, digital stylus, computer mouse, etc to make art with.

And so much more!

The real ableism here is when pro-AI bros try to insist that Disabled People, categorically, are incapable of being creative and accomplishing anything without a computer doing all the work for them by generating things based on millions of stolen works, and the complete erasure of all of the disabled artists who are here *now* and existed in the past, acting like they do not and never existed, all so that rich white ai bros can continue to flood reddit with "super cool badass art I just made" which is a nonsense amalgamation, and throw tantrums when artists start using programs like Glaze and Nightshade in an attempt to protect their art from those same predatory ai tech bros.

Technology is meant to help humans be creative, not steal our works and livelyhood by replacing writers and artists entirely, because all some rich guy has to do now is type in a prompt.