#um teehee

[faiell]

HD Erised Art Claim - Stolen Glances 👀✨

It takes a while for their gazes to meet, but it doesn't mean they weren't always looking.

My giftee was @dodgerkedavra! It was very serendipitous, because dodger had written a fic earlier in the year based off of my prompt for the HD Hurt/Comfort fest. It felt like a good way that I could get her back, so... I tried my very best to!

She asked for: "kissing, intimate times, gorgeous light, when they’re looking at each other and so in love" and "intensity? of color" and "manbun", all of which I tried to deliver on. So yes, everyone thank her for the manbun.

A bit about it

I wanted to see if I could do the equivalent of a pining/slow-burn longfic with just a sequence of illustrations--and not even big, flashy ones with varying compositions--just relatively consistent shots that focus on them and the gradual shift in feelings towards one another.

The main concept was, as the title suggests, that they keep looking at each other when the other is not looking back. Visual yearning! In each illustration, the observer and observed swap. They seem to keep missing each other's glances, until the very last illustration, where they are gazing domestically at each other hahaha.

For each illustration I also tried to work with different color schemes, lighting, and moods, depending on what was happening. Draco's hair also goes on a bit of a journey, which was fun! It was my first time giving him long hair! My favorite length is just right before the manbun, when it's probably long enough to be annoying but not long enough to be put up.

The fest/exchange was all the right things for me - fun, inspiring, and challenging. Thanks to the lovely mods for all their hard work, and for making everything run so smoothly. And thanks to everyone who already left me really nice comments.

View on AO3

[max-the-silly-guy]

I'm literally going insane ><

[snoozeeroo]

arcane modern au continued !!! (i'm super unwell abt them 💔)

[officialmiintee]

put pasilyo on repeat, we’re yearning today

[rouzys]

kappy as a center 😳😳😳😳

[patchworkcuddlebug]

A Parasite

Norae was always... resistant to having a doll. Her covenmates tell her about theirs like they're little slave-things, always wandering around your house and doing things you should be doing on your own. It's creepy, and (she would never say this out loud) enabling laziness.

But as her power grows, so does her manor. She begins noticing hallways stretching out longer than they once did, with protrusions shaped like doorknobs emerging from the walls. There's already a set of stairs leading uselessly into the ceiling, no doubt where the second story will begin to grow.

The effort she put into keeping things in order used to be paltry for a witch as powerful as her, but she's starting to get annoyed by the distractions. She is growing tired of pruning new furniture like weeds.

She knows nothing of clockwork, and she never developed her skills in magical dollcraft for obvious reasons. But she will sometimes catch sight of a stray, trying to find purpose in picking the wild berries just beyond her yard. She wonders if she'll be helpful enough, before quietly correcting herself and wondering if it will be helpful enough.

She told her coven how she was thinking about leaving a sort of trap for it, a cup of tea under a cardboard box held up with a stick, only half serious. Regardless, they told her that dolls are much more trusting and docile than she was assuming, and that she simply needed to approach and talk to it.

She waited with a book, just on the edges of her property. The wide brim of her hat helped block the glare of the sun as she'd occasionally look off through the trees. Soon, it came walking past her unceremoniously, seeming as if it's trying to ignore her. It's walking to the bush. There's already a few ripe berries piled neatly in its hand.

It was made with porcelain, with a more tattered version of the maid dress they all seem to wear, walking with just as much rigidity and poise. But this is the first doll she's seen with a wind-up key. It slowly turned just a few degrees for every moment that passed. She could see a little rope tied to one of the sides, presumably so that one could wind it on her own.

"Excuse me? ...Doll?" Just as she starts speaking, it perks up, looking ready to leap into action. "Y... yes, Miss?" Its voice is timid, but eager.

"Would you like to, uh..." She hesitates for a moment, feeling ridiculous. This is the first time she's had to say something like this out loud. "Belong to me? I have tea."

It gasps. "Yes! Oh, yes, thank you Miss!" She runs up to the witch as if to give her a hug, only to skitter to a last-second stop just in front of her and give a polite bow, with proper curtsy.

"Right. Um, follow me, then." She closes her book and begins walking back to her door, her movements awkward as the doll followed close behind. She can't stop looking back at it, at its bizarrely serene face and excited steps. "So, do you have a name?"

"This one's old witch called it Lullaby, Miss!" It seems so happy to say.

"That's... still your name then, I think."

"Yay! Thank you Miss!"

. . . . .

Colloquially, the word "doll" is often used to describe any construct that obeys a witch, with considerable variation thereupon. Perhaps the most infamous among these variants in classification is the combat doll. These ones can often be identified by their more metallic exterior, such that they can easily be confused for androids at first glance, but there also exists combat dolls that

"Excuse this one, Miss?" the thing knocks at the door to the witch's study. It lingers in the doorway, not wanting to intrude further.

Norae tries to stifle a sigh of annoyance as she turns away from her book. "Yes, Lullaby?" She just noticed that her its hair just a little dishevelled from working, but it's not nearly as matted and gnarled as it was earlier today. She's glad it looks so much more... healthy.

"This one has finished sweeping the first floor, Miss!" The doll smiled, clearly proud of herself. The witch is caught in her own head for only a moment, ruminating on owning someone... something so close to a human. "What would you like it to do next?"

"You..." it takes her a moment to stifle her shock. She's read enough to know that such a task is to be expected from dolls, but it still seemed to work so hard so fast. "Then you've completed your chores. Treat yourself to some tea." She tells it matter-of-factly and turns back to her book, trying to match the professionalism of her literature.

"But, Miss!" The doll says. Norae turns back, and sees the doll has a very human, very concerned look. "This one has barely worked today! Would you like it to scrub the floors as well? Or organize your bookshelf? It can cook for you, Miss!"

"Hey, calm down, it's alright." The doll's owner tries to sound reassuring, as one would to a friend. "I don't know how your last witch did it, but I don't want to overwork you. Do you like to read? I have a library."

The doll tried to swallow its apprehensive look. "This one will read for you, Miss." It nods dutifully and runs along.

That... went well, she thinks. She understands that dolls are... eager, to a certain degree, but she's sincere about not wanting to exhaust the poor girl thing. She also thinks about her own autonomy, and how listless she'd feel if left without her own chores.

. . . . .

Norae lets out a bored sigh as she watched the vegetables sizzle in their pan. She tries to stir them around, spreading them evenly in the oil, but it's more to entertain herself than to properly cook.

She hears Lullaby quickly, yet still with a polite reservation, hurry up the stairs.

"Miss!" It calls out, drowning out its footsteps before it turns the corner. As it emerges into the kitchen, it looks... mortified. "It's so sorry, let this one, good dolls should-"

"Lullaby, it's okay!" She holds the frying pan up, higher than the doll can reach. "You don't have to do everything for me just because you're a doll."

"But, Miss, this one wants to!" It looks desperate and pleading. "Please, Miss, you've been so nice, and this-"

"Hey, calm down, there's no need for that." Norae tries to sound reassuring. She sets the pan down and turns to give Lullaby her full attention, kneeling to match her its eye level and placing a hand on its shoulder. "I know you want to help, but I enjoy being able to take care of myself, too. You already do plenty, and you should be proud of that."

The doll trembles, only as much as its docility will allow. "Yes Miss, Thank you Miss." After a quick bow, it gets out of Miss's way, leaving her to return to her monotonous stove-watching.

Lullaby takes a seat on Miss's couch. eyes forward and hands on its lap. It's so comfortable, the soft cushioning much more enveloping that the stumps it was used to sitting on. It tries to find a place to rest its eyes. On Miss's roaring fire, magically permeating a tender warmth through the room? On the door to the maid's quarters, where Miss had cleaned it and told it all it had to know? On Miss's beautiful and intricate grandfather clock, which it is letting collect a thin layer of dust?

It shouldn't cry. Miss is being nice, after all.

. . . . .

The doll shakes itself from a stupor. It wasn't still; there was no comfort in its emptiness, just effortful restraint fading into a half-present miasma.

Norae gestures for it to face away, gently guiding its shoulders to face where she sat on the couch. "Lean forward, please."

"It's okay, Miss." The doll sounded groggy, words tumbling heavily out of its mouth. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

The witch leaned to the side, showing the sympathetic look she had on her face. "Why wouldn't I wind you up? It's no trouble at all, and... I can't just let you pass out."

Lullaby slowly, heavily, shook its head. It wanted to be polite, to word itself delicately and reserve itself, but its clockwork was moving too slowly to stop it before it spoke. "No, please. It's a bother. This one doesn't do enough, it's not worth it."

Miss places a hand on its shoulder. "Oh, Lullaby, no, that's not true at all. You do just as much as you need to."

"It's not enough." The doll rested its elbows on its knees, leaning forward and cupping its face in its hands. "Miss is so nice, and this one just... takes it all in without giving enough back. It feels so useless, and pathetic, and... i-it just wants to be helpful." Its voice falters just at the end, hitching into a repressed sob.

Norae felt a pang in her heart that deepened with every word. Of course, she's been such an idiot. She feels like a bum when she doesn't keep herself busy, how would a being purpose-made to be helpful feel? It finally dawns on her, what the extent of a doll's inhumanity means.

"I'm so sorry, I... had no idea you felt that way." There's a sincere sorrow in her voice, the doll hearing Miss's confidence drop for the first time. "I never meant to hurt you, I just didn't want to be too hard on you."

She placed a hand on her doll's back, careful to leave room for its key to turn. "From now on, you get to do whatever you like. Cooking, cleaning, anything. I might still make you take some breaks so I can do something myself, but I'll never leave you with nothing to do."

Lullaby slowly, hopefully, lifts its head to look at Miss. "This one doesn't want to make you do anything you don't want, Miss, it can-"

"Lullaby, if you do everything you can to never feel like this again, you'll make me the happiest witch in the world." She put on a reassuring smile.

Norae didn't have time to see the grin widening on her doll's face before it latched on for a hug. All it could say was thank you as its tears left wet marks on the witch's dress.

"I'm just happy that you're happy." Miss hugged back, making the doll feel more loved than it could remember. "Now let's get you wound up, you've got some dishes to do."

[koropukgoro]

i love doodling my favs shrunken itty bitty and can fit i n a teacup

[fvedyetor]

everyday normal binder experience. right guys. right.

[absurdumsid]

they should just kiss already

[max-the-silly-guy]

@theizzizzy I regret nothing

:3

[alisaint]

mr coriolanus snow did not live by "snow lands on top" + take pleasure in making sejanus squirm and having power over him (+ get thoroughly upset when he didn't) + spend every waking moment of his entire life scheming to be the top dog with all the power and control + fail and refuse to truly trust anyone + muse multiple times about wanting to put his hands on sejanus + get Uncomfortable whenever things didn't go how he specifically expected + behaved as sejanus's keeper that took care of him all the time for y'all to be calling him a sub bottom now... my fellow countrymen, you can't let the whole skinny, white, blond with light eyes combo fool you into such treacherous heresy. sejanus was his sweet, sensitive, wide-eyed, rabbit-like fool with soulful eyes! and he was his keeper! snow lands on top! on top, he said! t-o-p! 🗣️🔛🔝‼️

[sqrkyclean]

No fucking way that just happened

[thomaskong]

It was another version of him that kinda shocked me. It was cute, though. He’s normally quiet, but, on that day, he was like… He was saying something about the stars being cute. I was like, “What? Is this really happening?” I was a bit surprised. I was rambling and babbling. I didn’t know what made me say that. It was probably my true feeling.

DMD Friendship The Reality EP. 4

[captain-clandestiny]

Take and Leave

Smooth, steel digits unfurled around her own- easily, and entirely eclipsed under the shadow they cast. Massive artificial joints flexed and retracted with an ease rivaling even that of human capacity. The familiar whirring of pistons underneath armored plates was now near impossible to discern from the cacophony of gunshots and voices echoing off what was left of the west wing rooftops. In her once empty palm rested a small USB stick that almost looked older than she was. Scratches of blue and orange on the long side obscured a logo that had once been printed on there, and a ball chain strand had been woven through a hole on the opposite end of the applicator. No label, no logo, but she had a hint to what it contained. 

“L-Lanning, I…” her voice was hoarse, a couple decibels shy of a wheeze. “...is this…?” 

She kept the hand extended in front of her, neither accepting nor rejecting the responsibility he was preparing to assign her. The chain tied through the device swayed in air that smelled of smoke and death, bursts of gunfire echoing off what was left of the rooftops.

“Listen.��� A shudder ran through the floor under her feet, rivaling that of her own shivering as the mech dropped a knee to the ground, setting its single, rounded lens in her direction. He leaned in closer, the glass hovering inches away from her arm before the body completely stilled. But she didn’t waver, not even flinch.

“This is it, didn’t you say? Remember you told me?? There’s–! You’re–! They destroyed everything else!! There’s nothing left! There’s no coming back if you– you–”

On the smooth camera surface, the reflection of the woman standing amidst what was left of the third floor medical studio was not a forgiving one. An ugly frown creased the flesh of her cheeks around a quivering lower lip, filtering her words into a pathetic stutter. Streaks of blood painted her face and uniform. Some patches old, flaky and dry, some fresh, sticky, still wet. 

“I’m not letting you do this. There’s people that need you, Lan… I…”

“No,” his artificial voice overpowered any resistance, leaving silence in its wake.

With a single finger, he pushed the hand holding the drive to her chest before she had the chance to throw it away. He knew just this gesture would be sufficient to express his command, but he still lingered there for a second more. Underneath the angled fingertip, kinetic sensors mapped a signature. Only until he felt bruised, bloodied fingers closing around the drive did he let up.

“Listen,” he repeated. “Not another living soul touches this. Not crew, not your mother, not the leader of the free world.”

“Just give me the fucking nuclear codes at this point! Anything but this!”

In her grip, the USB felt foreign. Flat corners dug into the heel of her palm, but the weathered edges inflicted no pain. She almost wished she’d been tasked to the Nautilean unit instead so she could crush it rather than submit to this decision she had no choice in.

“Please,” she pleaded, a sob hitched in her throat. “We’ve had our disagreements, and you’ve always been right. You’re always right, b-but just once just listen to me!”

It was almost poetic. A stubborn force against a static object. Back and forth until you couldn’t hear the screams any more. But as the booms of artillery intensified, it was clear who the victor would be. She took one second to breathe, struggling to gather her thoughts and hear her own voice with explosions dotting the sky every other second. And one second too much, as that was all it took for the robot to decide she’d lingered long enough. 

“This is not a debate, this is an order. Go. Now.” Ignoring a handful of whitecoats that had paused along their escape route to take in the spectacle, he pinched the length of her tie that had been fluttering freely from the uniform jacket. The artificial voice, amplified by the size of its vessel easily commanded her attention, as well as that of the passing survivors. 

Careful not to rip it straight off her neck, or drag her over the third floor edge, he tugged it closer as he quietly added,”and tuck this stupid thing in before you lose it.” In the vicinity of interested ears, it was unsure whether he was referring directly to the tie, or the USB of interest looped under her collar.

“As far as my detections yield, you are the last ones,” he announced to everyone now, raising his visor as if to affirm it with a final scan. “Endeavour has already departed. Supervisor Evans, I’ve rerouted you to the Pacer.”

Evans made himself known at the far end of the hallways as he fumbled with the tablet in his breast pocket. It bathed his face in a ghostly blue light, undoubtedly the site navigation UI that pretty much every staff had to reference daily. From the angle he held it in the crook of his arm, the path clearly outlined in red, blinking dashes affirmed the directions were received. Satisfied, the mech straightened its posture again, taking a step back to rise to its full height.

“They will not wait long. Run, there is nothing more to be salvaged here.”

HIIII yes im aware of the visual discrepancies between the images... lets just say this took a good week or two to actually finish. "finish." i dont like how it came out, but im glad i could finish it because WOW this has been a scene lingering in my head for a long time. better to draw than do nothing at all right. i could spend all day nitpicking everything i rendered wrong that i don't yet have the skillset to fix, but instead i am going to sleep before 2 am :)

wait!! before i go!! this is not lannings final design btw!!!! please!!!!!! bear with me!!!!!!!!! im still designing the body though i got his head together lolol

[gyrmirr]

they got me so bad :-(

[luminousstardust]

We’ll find that cottage, alright? At the end of this? 💜⚡️

happy finale day, bells hells!