#up next: more ballet sketches

[wanderer-clarisse]

... for the sorrow and the strife in the house of Finwë is graven in the memory of the Noldorin Elves. (The Silmarillion)

[gildedoak]

More Overlord!Husk AU

@celestialalpacaron - I'm not sure if you fully understand the scope of the ART MONSTER you have unleashed with this idea.

But just got some practice with quick sketches using reference photos - mostly of Frank Sinatra. (Included those too for comparison.) I think my favorite is the waltz one, because I am a SUCKER for ballroom dance. ❤️ And ballet. And jazz. And dance in general. You get such WILD and beautiful poses.

Description below the cut!

[IMAGE DESCRIPTION: a collection of ink sketches of Husk and Angel in the Overlord!Husk AU. One sketch is an overhead view of Husk and Angel waltzing, as they rest their heads on each others' shoulder. One is of Husk kissing Angel on the temple. One is of Husk scowling while holding Fat Nuggets, who's wearing a tiny top hat. The last is of Angel and Husk sitting together, wearing more casual clothes, with Husk comforting Angel as he leans into him, and has one wing curled over him.

The next four are close-ups of each sketch. The next four are the reference photos used.

END DESCRIPTION]

[twost3ps]

Lucifur is gonna be in a pit of a pinch....

A sneak peek into more of my Scott Pilgrim au!!!

Still tweaking their designs but this is what I've got so far!!! This is a sketch and not final >>>>:(

:3

But let's goooo I just need to choose one more character >>:3 to make the 7

I've gotten a few suggestions so far:

Alastor- it would be funny. Just so funny. And it makes Lucfir question when and how. it's brilliant. Idk how their dynamic would work for this one. Or when really but I'd still consider it o3o

Alastors mom- same as alastor, it's funny. And then it also let's me make lucifur fight Alastor so instead of a 1v1 it's a 2v1. Alastors mom is super scary :)

Valentino- not a lot of history, but it makes the roster start off easy. Possible hilarious character interaction. For one, easy win and second, fast punching bag. Still thinking about the dynamic, but for sure Adam and him have a rocky relationship which let to him to further solidify his hate in sinners and how irredeemable they were also some platonic holydust excuse

Dumah -angel of vindication, and I'm making him Azraels twin brother. He and Azrael will have similar scenarios. When they picked up Adam from earth, he kinda found them kinda hot. Both are ruthless and do share a similar sentiment about sinner, Dumah more so because he's the one judging them. He def hates Luficur and thinks he's pathetic and is not taking his job- the one God so graciously gave him- seriously at all. Even after the fight, Dumah would still not respect Lucifur all that much

Satan- assuming that they meant Satan, as the sin of wrath, makes Luci question again how Adam was able to do this this whole time. Adam got with him, like Mammon, by chance during an extermination. I don't think any of the sins actually care for the exterminations- they're not their people. Why should they? It implied that Lucifur didn't either until Charlie expressed her desire for redemption. Satan liked Adam's wrath and fighting spirit. Thought his weapon was cool too. He could feel all the anger and hate in Adam and was intrigued. Adam thought Satan was really cool too. Also pretty hot and both kinda get off on how much rage they have and their destructiveness.

Still considering:

St. Peter- guys. It's funny. Promise. It's the 'he was a punk, he did ballet' and Lucifur is surprised how they even got together in the first place. He's watching them and wondering what pulled them together. Peter is just glad to see that Adam is actually alive and not dead once he's brought into fight. Lucifur thinks it's gonna be easy before St peter reveals that he's actually a UNIT. Adam and St Peter got together because Adam was sent to train him to gaurd the gate. Yes, Peter is there to let ppl in, but he was also placed there as a surprising first line of defense. They train and ig one thing led to another over time and they got together. So when Luci fight him, he's very shocked at how capable St peter is

Lute- again, I still think that they have a funny father and daughter dynamic but then a saw malaierba's tags and it opened my eyes a bit and made me reconsider putting her on the roster. Adam was Lute's experiment relationship. Dated for like a week, at best, before Lute said "nah I'm gay" and it felt weird for both of them cuz they really just saw eachother as family. Lute is mad protective toward Adam and the fuel of believing that Lucifur is the reason Adam is in hell makes her all just a bit (very) more feral

Depending who I choose will moved them up or down the roster but eyyeyey

Im still open to suggestions!! I might retract the limits I said before just in case.

If I still can't choose, I'll open a poll or something :p

Next post will prob be about the background of everyone else on the roster so far o3o

[anxiescape]

Heyo, sorry I haven't been posting much lately. I haven't had any time (or motivation honestly 😖) to write or draw, but then I remembered that I have sketchbooks full of doodles, so maybe I can share those???

Here's a handful of Shadowpeach doodles, I'll try and post more in a few days!

Here's the first time I drew these dorks. I hadn't figured out Wukong's fur color quite yet, so he's kinda orange. 😅 (also this was one of those "draw the squad" poses)

This is just a little doodle for a Shadowpeach fic that @amalgamorph and I have been working on. I wanted to design Macaque and Wukong's wedding rings. 👉👈

This was one of my first attempts at writing a Shadowpeach fic, because I love ballet and I dunno, y'know??? But I couldn't figure out how to, like, write dancing, so I gave up. I'd love to make it into a comic instead, but I've gotta get better at drawing comics first. (The basic gist is Macaque does ballet to keep in shape, and Wukong finds out and wants Macaque to teach him.)

And lastly, this was based off of some TIFU post I saw on Reddit where someone insulted their spouse and I thought it was really funny. I don't really remember, it was over a year ago now. 😅

Anyway, there you go! I struggle to share WIPs and sketches (thank you, my perfectionist brain), but I'm trying to teach myself that it's okay to share unfinished art. Not everything has to be a masterpiece.

Up next, I think I'll share some character designs I was working on. Mainly, I was trying to figure out the LEGO Monkie Kid crew in my own style. 😩

[random-brushstrokes]

Thea Proctor (Australian, 1879-1966)

Alethea Mary Proctor's life as an artist encompassed more than half of the twentieth century. Born in Armidale in 1879 to parents who were soon to divorce, she weathered a disrupted childhood and a choppy education before beginning art study under Julian Ashton in Sydney when she was sixteen. At the Ashton school her fellow students included George Lambert, with whom she was to be closely associated in public and private over the next thirty years. In 1903, burning with a need to learn to draw, she travelled to London, where Lambert and his family were established. She became one of his favourite models, a regular in his household, and his pupil. Although she was desperately poor, her beauty and livery nature allowed her to meet many of the leading figures of the fin de siecle art world, and all her life she was to carry with her the modernist precepts and influences she absorbed from figures such as Clive Bell, spectacles such as the Ballets Russes and exhibitions such as the post-Impressionist show at the Grafton Galleries in 1910-11. Aside from a return to Australia in 1913-14, she was to remain in England throughout her twenties and thirties. Upon her return to Australia in 1921, which coincided with Lambert's, she immediately came to occupy a significant role in Sydney's volatile art world, and to disseminate her very strong ideas on modern art, interior decorating, fashion, costume, ballet and matters of taste in articles, lectures, formal classes, sketch clubs and at all conceivable social and artistic events. Strikingly beautiful, she never married, but supported herself into her eighties through art alone. She lived in a tiny rented flat in Double Bay, but until the early 1960s she was also able to maintain a studio in George Street, where she had lived before World War 2. In the inner city and the Eastern suburbs she became a familiar figure as immaculately dressed in brilliant purples, fuchsia and petunia shades she made her stately progress, parasol in gloved hand, seeking out the beautiful. (source)

The scenes of female intimacy in many of Proctor’s works have always been open to lesbian and queer readings. Women gaze intently at each other holding unfurled fans or proffering roses, symbols associated with female sexuality. Proctor moved in queer circles in Sydney in the 1920s and 1930s and was a valuable ally. JS MacDonald, the Art Gallery’s extremely conservative director from 1928 to 1936, wrote in 1934 of ‘the emergence of numbers of what the Americans call “pansies” … They rule the art world today, and, unless real painters speak up for themselves and right art, the women and their near-men abettors will ruin both.’ (source)

[nightingale2004]

Twilight next generation: Bella x Edward version

Elizabeth Rosaleise Swan Cullen

Faceclaim: Katie Douglas

Oldest daughter of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan and the firstborn triplet

Elizabeth is a vampire human hybrid, otherwise known as a Dhampir in her family

She looks more like her mother with a bit of her father

Elizabeth prefers to be called Liz, Lizzy, Elly, or Eliza for shirt

Like most of her family, she is gifted with the ability of mind control

Elizabeth and her siblings were born in Forks Washington, but as soon as they were born, her family immediately packed up and made their way straight to Alaska with the help of Jacob and his pack

Liz has a love for dancing, and her family comes all to her dance shows. Her favorite is ballet, the waltz, and also playing "Just Dance"

Has more control over her thirst for blood than her siblings

She's not really close with her parents but feels more close with the rest of her family.

She always wanted to meet her mom's parents. After they moved back to Forks, she developed a very great relationship with her grandfather Charlie Swan and his new wife, Sue Clearwater

Feels closer with her aunt Rosalie and her Uncle Emmett.

She always challenges her uncle Emmett to a dance off (which she always wins)

Loves her sister Renesmee

She is a bookworm like her dad and also has a major collection of music records

Loves her family very much

She often dances in private to let off a little steam or when she needs to clear her head

Has a great sense of fashion (thanks to her aunt Alice)

She's a loner like her dad and prefers her solitude, but there are times when she loves the comfort of her family

Is also a lover of yoga

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

E.J (Edward Jr.) Masen Swan Cullen

Faceclaim: Timothée Chalamet

E.J. is the second born triplet and firstborn son of Edward Anthony Masen Cullen and Isabella Marie Swan

Like his sisters, he is also a Dhampir

He is called Eddie, Ed, mini Ed, or mini Edward by his family (mostly by his uncle Emmett)

He has a gift as well, which is telekinesis (moving things with his mind)

When E.J. shared his mother's womb with his sisters, the three of them could communicate with each other through their minds

E.J. and his sister's still have psychic conversations with each other in case they don't want their parents hearing them

E.J. takes after his father in appearance but has his mother's awkward introverted personality

E.J. is an artistic soul and loves painting, drawing and sketching.

He is a big loner.

Prefers silence but loves hearing his younger sister Nessie play piano

Loves playing chess with Edward

He often sketches his family or anything he sees

Loves training with his uncle Jasper

He is a little gentleman and modern feminist

A big bookworm

He is Esme's favorite (don't tell anyone🤫)

He is closer with his dad and often seeks him out for advice along with his uncle Jasper and Grandfather Carlisle

He is a baseball champion and one of the fastest runners in the Cullen clan

°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°▪︎°

Renesmee Carlie Swan Cullen

Faceclaim: Mackenzie Foy

Renesmee is the youngest child of Edward and Bella Cullen and the third triplet out of her siblings

She is a mommy's girl

Takes after both her parents but has her father's beauty in Bella's opinion

Also a Dhampir

Unlike her older siblings, she is actually very social and loves interacting with her family and making new friends

She loves playing piano and is a piano protege

She is very close with almost all her family

She is called Nessie, Ren, Nes and Beautiful by her family

She and her siblings grew up in Alaska, but when the triplets became teens, Bella wanted to go back to Forks and managed to convince everyone to join her

Renesmee has a bit of difficulty controlling her thirst and can sometimes go into a spiral, which is a risk to her family.

When Ness and her family moved to Forks, it wasn't an easy adjustment, but they soon grew comfortable. At least until the wolf shifter and Volturi drama happened.

Renesmee writes her own music and original pieces. She also plays music for Lizzie to dance to.

She hates seeing her family argue with each other or see her parents fight

Her gift is shield penetration and thought transmission. She can also have psychic conversations.

Renesmee tries to see the bright side of things and tries to make everyone happy.

(Before anyone asks: No! JACOB DOES NOT IMPRINT ON RENESMEE IN THIS UNIVERSE AND I REFUSE TO MAKE IT CANON!!!)

[mystic-writings]

remember the nights | chapter eight — saturday

WORD COUNT — 1,967

WARNINGS — none

NOTES — GUYS THIS IS IT!! THE KICKOFF FOR THE ARC

previous chapter | masterlist | next chapter

Your thoughts have been entirely scrambled since your trip to New York city. Even though it’s been an entire week, the ecstasy of seeing your friends again, of sharing your favorite parts of the city with Newt, still lingered. 

Despite it, you were happy to return to your normal life again. The Monday after the trip, a two week long group assignment was assigned in your photography class. It wasn’t anything too difficult, just a portfolio of three types of photography containing a small explanatory paragraph and two pictures for each photography type, all taken and edited by yourself and a partner — who had been chosen for everyone by Ms. Porter. Almost coincidentally, your assigned partner was Sonya. 

This particular assignment led you to today. For a while, you’d been working with Sonya on the assignment; taking the photos you wanted after school and working on them the next day during class. You’d agreed to go to her house today in order to compile whatever else you needed to finish off the assignment before its Tuesday due date. 

You stood on the porch of Newt and Sonya’s barn-style home, admiring it as you knocked on the door and awaited a response. 

Within seconds, Sonya pulled the door open with a bright smile and beckoned you inside. 

Stepping inside the quiet home, you noticed its similar layout to Brenda’s house, though it was much smaller. The nook that held Brenda's bookcase had been knocked down and was a pseudo art studio, with an easel and canvases and floating shelves to hold art supplies, not to mention the newspapers covering the floor to protect the hardwood. 

“We have the whole house to ourselves,” Sonya told you as you took in the home, walking over to the living room. “Mom’s on shift until 7, and Newt probably won’t be awake for a few hours, either.” 

You nodded, admiring the artwork covering the lovely blue walls. You almost forgot that their mother was a nurse at the hospital on the other side of town, but neither of the siblings talked about it much. But you weren’t surprised that Newt was still asleep — Thomas had mentioned several times that Newt’s sleeping habits were anything but regular, and were the main reason he didn’t hang out with people until late afternoon on weekends and holidays. 

As you sat down on the comfortable, worn couch and placed your bag by your feet, you glanced back at the art studio, before looking at Sonya as she came to stand to your left. “Is that yours?”

She glanced over at the area and laughed. “God, I wish. I’m more of a sketch and photography person. That’s my moms art.” 

“That’s nice,” you said, “it runs in the family, then? The art stuff,”

“Yeah, she usually paints there after work if she feels up to it, sometimes she takes a commission or two to make extra cash. Pretty much everything hung up in the house is hers, or it’s something her friends overseas have sent her.”

You nodded, taking in everything again. “Is she why you’re so into art?”

“Yeah, actually, she is,” Sonya nodded, sitting on the arm of the couch. “I always wanted to paint with her when I was young, and she got me a sketchbook one year for Christmas and that was it. Another year, not long after we moved here, I got a camera for my birthday. It’s nice to share that with her, y’know?”

You looked up at the girl and smiled, “Yeah, I do. My mom tried to teach me ballet as a kid, but I didn’t quite inherit her grace or balance, so…”

Sonya chuckled, standing as she told you she’d grab her backpack and a few snacks for you both to eat while you worked. While she was gone, you slipped your laptop from your bag, cracking it open and loading up the assignment document. Sonya came back in as you slid the laptop onto the coffee table, juggling two bowls of fruit, laptop tucked under one arm and two water bottles cradled in the other. 

Noticing her visible struggle, you stood and took the bottles and a bowl of fruit from her grasp, allowing her to grab her laptop and take her place to your right, the second bowl of fruit landing on the coffee table. 

Sonya snagged a piece as she opened her own laptop, and you opened and sipped on one of the water bottles before you decided to dive into what was left of the project. “I was thinking that you’d do the paragraphs and I’d go through and choose what photos we should use, and then we’ll edit everything together to make sure it sounds good enough?”

You nodded, opening the Google Drive that you’d put all the photos in. “Yeah, that sounds fine. I’ll add you to the document so you can put the photos there when you’ve got them figured out.”

Since you’d also required a bit of extra research for the paragraph part of the assignment, you and Sonya spent the better part of an hour on just that section of the assignment. The nature photography paragraph was a breeze; but the other two seemed to be the worst types of photography you could have ever chosen. 

As you compiled the final bullet points for the third paragraph, heavy footsteps echoed from the stairs, catching yours and Sonya’s attention as you both leaned against the back of the couch.

Newt thumped down the stairs with little care, wearing a plain white shirt that was so worn and faded that it barely counted as white anymore, and slightly oversized blue plaid pajama pants that pooled at his feet. You could see indents on his arm and cheek from the way he’d slept, and his hair was entirely untamed, sticking up every which way, as though gravity had no effect on it. His face was scrunched up, eyes still adjusting to daylight, and he scratched lazily at his scalp as he reached the first floor, shuffling into the kitchen, where he grabbed a cereal box from the counter and began pulling out small handfuls, shoving them into his mouth without care. 

You bit back a laugh as he carried the box outside the kitchen, likely wanting to make his way back upstairs. There was no denying that, even though you were sure there was absolutely no way anyone could look cute after waking up, Newt somehow managed to. The thought caught you off guard, and you did your best to calm the burning that stung your cheeks and neck. 

Sonya, with an entire mischievous look on her face, called out, “Nice to see you’ve woken from your coma, prince charming.” 

Newt jumped, the cereal rattling in the box as it almost got sent flying from his palm across the hardwood. He scowled, “Bloody hell, Sonya! What that hell is wrong—” Newt’s eyes locked onto yours, his face falling as you smiled at him. 

Lifting a hand, you waved at the boy. “Hey,”

He blinked. “Sorry, uh— what are you doing here, exactly?”

“Group project,” Sonya responded. “I told you about it yesterday on the way home?”

“Yeah but I thought that wasn’t until later,”

You couldn’t stop the giggle that bubbled up in your throat. “Newt, it’s like, 1 o’clock.”

“Oh,” the boy nodded simply before turning and heading up the stairs. 

You turned back to your computer, as did Sonya, your original train of thought completely lost. Newt’s departure seemed to only make things worse, because without his presence, your mind was invaded with thoughts about his appearance, about how you’d thought how cute he was — about how you still thought he was cute. It ran in circles, bouncing from what had just happened to the conversation you’d had with your friends the week before. 

“Y/n?” Sonya snapped you back to the present. 

“Sorry, what?”

The blonde girl laughed. “I said, we’re basically done. I can edit everything from here. You can go home if you want, I’ll text you when it’s done, so we can submit it together on Classroom.”

“Oh,” you said, nodding. “Okay. Yeah, that sounds good to me.”

As you packed up your laptop, Sonya furrowed her eyebrows at you. “Are you okay? You zoned out for the last little bit, there.”

You nodded, slipping your laptop into your bag. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking. Lotta stuff to do when I get home, y’know?”

You couldn’t help but feel bad about lying to Sonya, even if it was practically minuscule. You’d been getting quite close to her over the weeks, and you knew how much she cared about her friends, but there was just no way you were going to tell her that you’d been thinking about how cute you thought her brother was for who knows long, let alone what your friends had told you in New York. 

You helped the girl put the bowls of fruit back in the fridge, grabbed the water bottle she’d given you, and slung your bag over your shoulder. She led you back to the door, and you said your goodbyes, heading down the driveway and putting your headphones in. 

The walk home wasn’t too long, but it was filled with welcome distractions. The sounds of your favorite songs playing through your headphones, the beauty of the small town, and the slight chill of the cooling air that came with New York Octobers. 

Upon your arrival home, you found the house unsurprisingly empty. Maggie and your dad went to the city for the weekend to finalize wedding plans while your dad had a meeting in town, and Thomas was with Minho and Gally, who would likely later be joined by Newt. After a quick check in on Chuck, you found him immersed in a video game and decided not to interrupt him until you were deciding on what to make for dinner. 

Since you were in the clear to do virtually nothing for the next few hours, you rushed upstairs and into your room, dropping your bag by your desk and closing your bedroom door, releasing a heavy sigh as you rested your forehead on the wood. All your mind could focus on were the thoughts of Newt, and it was beginning to overwhelm you. It recalled every single detail you had committed to memory about the blond since you’d met in the parking lot — every word spoken, every inflection in his voice, every gesture he’s made, big or small. 

You wondered why he would go through such trouble to arrange just an afternoon of time with your friends, taking you to see them, spending time with them, when you knew that he much preferred sleeping until noon on the weekends. 

You thought about his hair, about how perfect you always thought it looked, even in the state you’d seen it in earlier. 

You thought about his voice, about the cadence and how it had a sort of gruffness to it; how it always soothed you. 

You thought about his eyes, how dark they were, but how beautiful they were under the sunlight. About how much he seemed to care about everyone, about how much he did for everyone. 

You thought about everything you knew about him, physical or emotional. How he could be so open and honest with you despite not knowing you for very long. About everything he’d gone through with his father and still came through it stronger. 

You thought about how he managed to make you feel as happy as you were before your mom died without thinking, without trying. How you felt as close to him as you used to feel with your mom, about how he was just so — oh. 

Oh.

series masterlist: @heliads @ghostofscarley @badbatch-simp24 @virginia-peters @third-broparcelicito @lamolaine @yes-fangirl-things (open!)

[its-toast-time]

I was thinking of what kind of a person Damian would be 10-15 years down the line and I accidentally created an OC group that I absolutely need to share bc I love them.

So I imagine that as Damian grows up, he mellows out in his own ways. He still talks very formally and has a semi-militaristic way of thinking but comes off more as a prickly introvert than a full blown assassin. At eighteen he’s more likely to glare at someone than stab them. Damian takes after Bruce in a lot of ways, he gains Bruce’s tall, wide build and complete inability to social interact. Sure, he can crush an interview or gala, but casual interaction? Forget it.

Damian goes to college away from home (not so far away he can’t visit, but far enough to be away from Gotham’s special brand of apeshit insanity). He decides to pursue becoming a veterinarian but mostly keeps to himself. He doesn’t talk to anyone, ever, unless absolutely necessary and even then it’s usually not more than 1-2 sentences.

Undergrad!Damian can be found usually in one of five spots: Class, Library, Dorm, Gym, or a cafe on the far end of campus. Now this cafe is mostly frequented by different arts majors. It’s a little hippy, but not enough to be trendy. It’s got somewhat decent food and drink, but not enough to be popular. The service isn’t great but the people who go there don’t really care. It’s mostly just a spot to work, be inspired, or lounge. Damian likes it because it’s quiet. He likes the constant scratch of sketching pencils, click of keyboards, and quiet mutter of people at work.

Damian picks a big table in a far back corner and claims it during his first week. One day, someone sits at the table with him. They don’t say a word, just hesitantly sit down with their work and sets it on the table. Damian glares at them and they meet his gaze. The two stand off for a little bit before Damian concedes to having company and goes back to whatever he was doing. The newcomer quietly does their work too. The two don’t speak, don’t acknowledge each other, just work in silence and leave.

It becomes a regular thing. They never talk, but they get used to each other. Slowly over the semester two or three more people show up. It’s basically the same process, sit down without a word, pass the silent vibe check, work at the table. By the end of the semester, they’re more or less an established group. No one has ever introduced themselves, Damian has no clue what any of their names are and he doesn’t care.

The next semester, they continue the same way. Damian quietly starts to note what classes they each work on and deduces they’re all in the same year. He also starts to take note of their regular orders. One week towards the end of the year, he has all of their drinks ready for them at the table. He’s met with a few surprised smiles and nods of the head. Maybe a raise of the cup in appreciation. It’s Damian’s small way of acknowledging them and solidifying for all of them that yes, they’re friends.

This kinda continues through the next 1-2 years. Each of them are kinda cut from similar cloth, introverted, socially inept, socially anxious, doesn’t really matter. At the end of the day they all suck at interaction and are perfect for each other because of that. They get to know each other from observing. They never quite get into having conversations per say, but people start talking. Someone breaks their silence one evening by saying there’s a good food truck two blocks away. It’s not a formal invitation, but everyone packs up their things and they go as a group anyway. Next time, someone at the table asks for an opinion on their palette for an assignment, they get a crisp, direct answer and move on. They all grow closer like this. Call and response conversations start to become common among them.

“Has anyone taken X class with X professor?” “Yeah, I hated it.” End of conversation.

“I’m going to see that ballet thing on Saturday.” “It’s supposed to rain that day.” End of conversation. All of them show up anyway, umbrellas in hand.

*eating skittles* “you know, most artificial red dyes are made from crushed beetles.” “Huh,” End of conversation.

*angry muttering* *curious noise* “fucking politics,” “oh yeah. Same.” *noises of agreement* End of conversation.

Sometimes there’s not even an interaction, someone just says something and no one feels the need to respond. It’s all good.

I’m sure some of the others in the group have other friends, maybe an SO or roommate, but all of them eventually come to the realization that their strange little group is special. They realize that they’d rather be at the cafe with their little group of people who can’t social interact than anywhere else.

By the time all of them are in Senior year, they have all mastered the art of having full conversations without actually saying very much at all. They “invite” each other out to stuff all the time, share news, have silent inside jokes, judge others, they’re a unit. If you see one of them and they aren’t busy, at least one more is nearby. Only… none of them know each others names. None of them have ever introduced themselves. If they know each others majors it’s because they figured it out based on their work. No one knows if anyone has siblings or where they’re from. Not a single one has had a conversation that was more than three minutes with any of them. They don’t even have each others phone numbers. Damian LOVES them. They’re his absolute best friends in the world.

His siblings are aware and after some light stalking are absolutely hyped for him. Dick dramatically grabs Damian by the shoulders while fake sobbing bc “My baby bird is all grown up! He’s got friends and everything! I’m so proud of you—“

Damian, horrified by his brother’s antics but also secretly enjoying the attention and absolutely delighted to be talking about his friends and filled with so much joy he thinks he found explode “Tt.”

Anyway, I love the idea of Damian making a group of introverted/socially inept people who gravitated towards one another. Bizarre little college kids.

I can’t tell what’s the funniest version of the identity reveal: Damian demanding their identities out of the blue to pay off their loans bc Dick said stalking is bad; Damian’s friends eventually recognizing him on TV/internet; all of them end up having Damian as their vet later in life and recognizing him; all of them becoming roomies and leaning each others names via lease contract/mail; or Damian having to protect his friends as a vigilante (they’re in Gotham for some reason post-college) them recognizing his build/voice/demeanor and it not actually mattering bc they still don’t know his civilian identity and all of them just having to accept that their buddy is Robin (or whatever he becomes as an adult).

[atlas-of-the-mind]

[Img ID'S in alt text and below cut]

Introducing tlr!Sun and MC! Both just as much victims of the pizzaplex as they are perpetrators. They're both doing the right thing though.... right?

Sun: [IMG ID: A colored sketch reference of Tlr!Sun on a gray canvas. There's two versions of the sketch, one with large puffy sleeves that bell out at the wrist and cinch at the elbow, and one without. Sun is posed with their right hand loosely resting on their chest and their left hand held out and down in a welcoming gesture, and their feet close together as they stand on tiptoe. They have long pants that flare at the hips and the ankles, and a ballet-styled vest with a short bodice that only covers the ribs and has long coattails. The curls on the toes of his shoes are angular, and there's large bells where his pants wrap around his ankles. His face is simple, with a single marking across his forehead extending from the top of his nose ridge and a wide smile that curls up at the outer corners of his eyes. He has 2 layers of rays; the front layer is smaller diamond shapes and the back layer extends into long points.

His coloring is shades of yellow, orange, and red, with his base color being a yellow-cream color. There's darker yellow swirling markings across his arms and hands, and a large central four-pointed star on his stomach. His vest and pants are a vibrant red with a gradient to a dark red at the bottoms, and appear sparkly. His pants also have yellow cartoonish stars all over them, and two large 12-pointed starts at their hips. Their fingers are orange, with darker orange tips, and their rays are yellow(front layer) and orange(back layer). The puffy sleeves on the second sketch are a light cream color, matching his smile and eyes. His shoes are the same yellow as the rest of his markings, and have a small white eight-pointed star on the side of the heel.

On the right side of the canvas is text that reads:

"__The Daycare Attendant__

"Sun" they/he/she

~ Anxious

~ Repurposed from theater program

~ Stutters (from ^)

~ Hero Complex

-> can be petty + obsessive"

Next to the sleeveless sketch's upper arm is also an arrow pointing to their markings, with text that reads "Markings glow in blacklight". End ID.]

NOTES ABOUT THEM:

- Sun has no memory of there ever being a moon animatronic, nor of being a theater bot.

- The Daycare Program was rushed and is full of bugs, causing processing + vocalizing issues. These manifest as an easily overloaded system when stressed and a stutter when she speaks.

- The Daycare has been neglected for years. Sun has had to fend for themselves and very rarely does he come in for repairs, as there's no longer a technician trained in their unique mechanics.

- Short circuits cause hallucinations and/or "dreams" when powered off.

- Sun works like Moon, but in reverse. The darker it is, the harder it is for Sun to move. Also, he toe walks.

M.C.: [IMG ID: A colored sketch reference of M.C., the protagonist of The Light Room. They're a human with long, messy red hair, and a black mask and large glasses cover most of their face, hiding their eyes, nose, and mouth. They're posed facing 3/4 to the left with their hands in the pockets of their large jacket, a slight slouch to their posture. They wear faded light blue jeans that appear baggy, and a jacket with puffy sleeves that's colored to look like a S.T.A.F.F bot -- light grey with dark grey forearms and shoulders, and three gold buttons down the center next to the zipper line. The hood is also dark grey and there's a gold patch on their left shoulder. Their skin is a desaturated grey.

To the right of M.C. on the canvas are small references of the front and back of their jacket, and in the top center of the canvas is a more detailed reference of the patch on their jacket. The patch has a S.T.A.F.F. bot head in the center of it, and the words "Fazbear Entertainment" along the edges.

To the left of M.C. on the canvas is text that reads:

"M.C.

"Mike"

Definitely Fine ->

~ Fazbear Entertainment Employee

-> (repair tech)"

The background is grey. End ID.]

NOTES:

- The ProtagonistTM

- Very tired. Suffers from sleep paralysis/night terrors. Tries to sleep as little as possible.

- Manager of S.T.A.F.F. bot repairs. Also.. the only one who repairs staff bots.

- Being subjected to the Horrors.

[hanzajesthanza]

Hi yes what is this about costuming for a hypothetical stage adaptation of the Witcher? My curiously has piqued and I would LOVE to learn more !!

😅 i'm flattered that you're interested!

the final artwork i'll post here. here, i will solely talk about the project premise and include more of the analysis and early work.

this was my final project from about two years ago, during the time i was still in school and taking an elective costume design class. the assignment was to adapt any kind of text to a performance-based adaptation (e.g., stage play, dance, live-action tv or film, opera, etc.), analyzing the text and coming up with a mandatory seven separate designs (i did an extra eighth one).

i chose to adapt chapter nine of lady of the lake (the assault on stygga castle chapter) as it's a fastly-paced, highly emotional chapter that's rich in themes. it both opens and wraps up very nicely, with a contained story arc suitable for a stage adaptation (heroes arrive, heroes die...).

first, i wrote out a description of the text and broke down each character:

i then combed the chapter and noted how the text is divided into scenes, each separated by a space and asterisk or dot (depending on the language/formatting). there were 35 sections in all, this is a chapter that cuts back and forth between the action a lot, so it was a bit of a challenge to consider the next part: reordering these scenes to be practical in a stage adaptation (where you have certain constraints; you can't cut back and forth between separate situations, because you only have one stage and have to have time to change scenery and stage setup).

however, i was adamant to not cut anything from the adaptation, because all of these scenes were necessary to tell the story.

(i think as it relates to milva and cahir's flashbacks, i would have the action pause, lights dim, and the characters from the flashback walk on stage, appearing as "ghosts" - thus not needing a scene change, just a pause in the action.)

then i did a character breakdown (not included) and a costume plot (below). this is basically planning out which costume each character would be wearing in which scene, and when (if at all) they would need a costume change.

then we did some moodboard work:

these were my preliminary sketches (NOT FINAL)

i was happy with how it turned out, but the unfortunate part is that this was a one-credit class and i was absolutely swamped with final projects for my four other four-credit classes at the time, so i didn't get to go "above and beyond" like i usually did with projects, and wasn't able to some of the things i wanted. my next steps would have included:

translate: thoroughly comb the translation for inaccuracies/localizations (i found just a couple things i'd want the casting and makeup to reflect)

adapt: adapt the entire text to a screenplay, note how actors should deliver their lines

stage and lighting design: i did a bit of this, but i had no idea what i was doing, so i just set it aside

choreograph: i said i wanted this to be a ballet, so i would vaguely script out the movements for fight/dance scenes

mechanics: my best idea during this project was to have regis' actor on a mechane. (if you don't know what that is, it's a device used in ancient greek theatre to raise an actor with wires to make them "fly" - medea at the end of euripides' medea, for instance. it's where the term deus ex machina, "god of the machine," comes from). but in order to hypothetically make this happen, i'd need to redesign his costume to allow for special harnesses and safety precautions.

oh, and i also dressed up as dandelion for the final presentation :) he was the one i didn't design, but manifested in real life instead. class was on a friday and the mood was pretty accepting and silly, so i went with it.

[njamil21]

Been a while since I uploaded some WIPs! I’m currently cleaning and packing up my apartment, so full illustrations will be a bit tough for a while.

I had recently finished chapter 5 in Twisted Wonderland (yes, I’m behind, I know) and I’m still very upset that the NRC boys never got proper dancing costumes. I know, realistically, they were probably trying to save money on models and not make whole new outfits for cards that won’t be released but it feels like such a disappointing choice overall. Having them dance in school uniforms to represent the whole school seems fine but Kalim’s model made him stand out too much and thus, would overshadow Vil as the lead. Plus, it would look very lazy on Night Raven’s College’s part to not get them new outfits and Vil doesn’t seem like he’d actually be fond of the school uniform cliche for a dance group. So I thought it would be fun to design some concept sketches for outfits they could have worn during the VDC event!

I only did the main vocalists and dancers this time around so it’s only Epel, Jamil, and Vil, and depending on how much energy I have in the next week, I’ll see if I can do the others. Everyone’s outfits are based on their ceremonial robes so their color palette is black, purple, and gold so that still represents NRC properly. Each outfit will have a short or cropped jacket and a black undershirt to reference the cloak. The main trio will also have sheer purple overskirts to mimic the silhouette of the cloak.

Please do not edit or repost without permission. (I edited my commission prices!)

Adding individual outfit details/notes under the cut so it doesn’t clog your dash.

Epel is meant to be Vil’s poisoned apple so he has that as an additional theme in his outfit. So I had his collar resemble a sliced apple while giving him apple blossom hairclips and an earring to frame his face. I wanted to play up his cute factor (which Epel probably wouldn’t enjoy, sorry dearest) and he already has a short stature so I kept his overskirt and pants rather short so that he wouldn’t be swallowed up by the outfit and have it elongate his legs. There are also frilled cuffs so his hand movements will stand out and give an added doll-like cuteness to his look. I imagine he would incorporate some ballet into his choreography since Vil made him practice it so ballet flats felt like a logical choice. I thought it would also be eye-catching to decorate his tights with little beads to represent apple seeds which would glimmer in the stage lights.

Jamil’s outfit contains a lot of ribbons since I wanted to reference the original Snow White fairytale where one of the objects that was used to kill Snow White was a corset ribbon. So I thought it would be cool to lace that ribbon across Jamil’s chest to look corsetted but not actually be corsetted so he can run, jump, and dance on stage just fine. I’m thinking of giving his short jacket a hood so the collar isn’t really detailed or elaborate but can be played with and changed however needed in the choreography. I thought it would also be fun to incorporate that corset look on his pants, exposing his legs somewhat and adding an interesting texture to his legs. I also added bows on his earring, ponytail, and shoe laces which would create an interesting motion as he dances, especially with the latter one showcasing Jamil’s footwork.

Vil is the star of the show so it stands to reason he looks the most queenly. I wanted to evoke the Evil Queen in his design without overpowering the ceremonial robe look so I added a scalloped high collar, an overskirt that’s more flared and dramatic, and a hair comb (as another reference to the original fairytale) that resembles a crown. I also thought it would be cool to give him a cape since Vil always wanted to play a more heroic role in movies and shows so this would be a way for him to manifest that. Vil’s jacket is a touch shorter so it can expose his stomach a bit and break up the outfit somewhat and I thought it would be very cool to give Vil some thigh-high boots, overall giving the look a more sexy vibe. I added small mirrors on his feet for a couple of reasons such as referencing the mirror hall at the school, the mirror the Evil Queen consults, and using it to reflect back some of the stage lights that shine on him. I also wanted to give him some longer acrylic nails because I saw that Vil’s overblot form, he had these claw jewelry pieces and thought it would be a cool sequence to his nails transform into that.

I had a lot of fun with these designs! Let me know if I should do Ace, Deuce, Kalim, and Rook as well!

[eyesanddragons]

"The Rising Star of Protection, Starwitch Aegis!"

First Draft of Winter design is here, please do send opinions and thoughts I would like that. It's actually really funny I'm going from the most "energetic" to the most "put-together" per say. It's hard to show without visuals but Kinkajou is very explosive and energetic, especially in battle while Winter is just a lot calmer and tactical.

Winter's designation was so easy to choose, it was going to be protection it could not be anything else. The name was a bit harder but Aegis was such a cool one and I liked it a lot.

Design-wise Winter was very much inspired by both princes and traditional superheroes. There was so ballet thrown in there but that mostly disappeared as the design progressed. Still not completely happy with the skirt but the transparent (or, supposed to be transparent I'm not sure if it reads) fabric over it is nice I like it.

Gave him a hair heart thing cause...Winter cares a lot and I wanted to add a visual detail that hints at that.

I meant to throw this into Kinkajou's one too but I had a lot of fun sketches before solidifying the first draft so here's two sketches for both of them:

On lore stuff: Winter is the first of the Jade Winglet to become a magical girl (he becomes one right before the story) he's very dedicated to it. He's the star of protection of course he's gonna protect. He's actually quite well-known as a result.

On that, People know that magical girls exist, they get talked about and what not. Magic does also fix all the buildings after battle-

Aegis is very popular with kids, like, Winter can't really communicate well and is very awkward because he's still trying to kick the habit of acting like a "true Icewing Prince" (he's still a prince ILL GET TO THAT) but the kids love him. They go up to him after a battle and talk about how cool he is and he gets flustered every single time.

It actually takes him a while to join the Winglet because while Winter is very dedicated to being a magical girl he still got some Issues, so he usually helps the Winglet if they need it but doesn't join till much later when he finally accepts that he needs help and wants to be friends with them.

On the prince thing this place is still one continent with multiple kingdoms, this is also vaguely modern day. Don't worry about the specifics that much I don't really think it's that important so just assume it's like canon WoF but modern day + extra world building since they should have more details than just "likes fruit" or "Literally nothing for the Mudwings"

On the DoD then actually really quickly, I imagine there not magical girls and I don't really want to handle a war since that's just feels like a tone shift I can't recover from for this magical girl au. I would have to account for the fact that magical girls exist and probably participated and were used in war and all that baggage I Don't Want To. This AU goes places but that is one I don't want to go to.

So no war, the DoD are are still teachers though and Glory is still queen. I'm leaving it vague on what there doing.

There's other stuff but this is getting long so I'm stopping now. Next up is Turtle!

[spookberry]

Your art is absolutely beautiful and amazing! It's also super cute and whenever I see it, I smile.

Anyway, what outfit is Frankie wearing in your half normie au? It's kinda hard to tell in some of your art. (They're wearing a tattered red sweater... I think).

Also! What body type did you give the main ghouls? I noticed Frankie has broader shoulders and draculaura is shorter and softer... Sorry if this is strange to ask. I'm just curious.

aww thank you!

I didn't draw Frankie's outfit in full ever, but ur right their sweater is like stylistically tattered. And they've got split pants. One leg is a solid black and the other is their signature palid. But each side has a patch of fabric that matches the other leg. And I imagine theyre wearing like chunky black platforms of some-type for their shoes

When it comes to body types I dont really know what the names and what not for all that is? I know some people have got pears and apples, but Idk I wouldnt know how to point that out to you my brain just doesnt see the pattern for those terms. I did though find this an interesting question so I went back over and did sketches over some of the designs I did.

And I thought it'd be fun to expand on why I went with the ideas I did

for the first five I did I didn't really put a ton of thought into it? I really just went with my gut. Frankie and Lagoona actually have pretty similar body types, with more "masculine" frames ie wider shoulders, flat chests, and narrower hips. Plus theyre both long limbed and a bit lanky. Theyre both a play on a square. When you look at square shaped characters you tend to view them as "sturdier" whether that be literally or emotionally. For Frankie that's square shape is fake. They aren't a very sturdy person, they're new to everything and always on the verge of tripping over their own feet but they WANT to be sturdy. Meanwhile Lagoona is a very confident person! She's comfortable in her own scales. I also wanted Lagoona to have more of a "swimmer's" body cuz, ya know. She's a fish.

I don't have much to say on the other three. Draculaura's body type was inspired by my own, but it's not exactly like mine either, I'm not as short as her lol. Clawdeen has a fuller figure as well, but she's a very active person so a lot of that is actually just muscle.

Cleo is the most generic of the group lol.

Spectra was the next character I actively tried to design, and for her I kinda leaned into her canon monster high body type. Primarly cuz I really wannted to make her look like a y2k girl with the lowrise boot cut jeans and little ballet flats. fun fact tho! I also really wanted to lean into her being a more sharped edged person with the only exception being her round face, and this is to accentuate the type of character she is! At least, my version of Spectra is meant to be a bit more antagonistic. She does mean things without fully thinking through the consequences of her actions and how they might affect the people around her. She can be pretty self serving. But that's not to say she is unfriendly or that people don't like her.

and here obviously is my most recent line up lol.

Much like Cleo I honestly did not put much of any thought into Ghoulia's actual body type.Her pose I did somewhat though, I wanted her to slouch a bit and look kind of droopy.

For Venus and Rochelle I had opposing strategies for both characters. For Venus I wanted to make her very sharp edged and punk, Just overall I wanted her monster type and personality to really come across. And i like the idea of her being pretty muscle-y actually ngl. Rochelle I tried to go for a more "pear" shaped body? Which with the pose and clothing choice I feel gets lost a bit. I like the idea of her having a very soft and rounded silhouette to contrast the whole... spikey rock monster thing lol.

Abbey being giant and thick just makes sense to me imo, but also I really wanted to lean into rounder shapes to contrast the first impression she usually gives people. That whole Cold, Stoic, and Mean impression people get from her isn't true, in reality Abbey is quite friendly and sweet once you actually get to know her.

[yamiyamiart]

It's mostly other people's Art or works that makes me consider certainly ship since for some reason until than I wouldn't even had put those into a room.

But yeah, I was a bit sad that oda actually canon backed away from Kamabakka Sanji, since he even drew him actually enjoying being there after a while. He clearly started to feel more comfortable in a dress and make up and being spoiled and he started to explore himself more. I honestly loved those moments.

Him just being at peace which himself. Accepting who he truly is and or could be.

But yeah I can also see Crocodile's side. He's probably out as gay since his teens or early adult and he doesn't regret it just being himself since he stopped caring what others could think about him. He just wants to enjoy his life and doesn't want to bend himself to please others.

So coming across Sanji maybe even made him a bit sad. Seeing someone refuse to be themselves so much yet he understands that it's the cause of the past circumstances Sanji had went through so he gives him time and space to understand that Crocodile will be a safe person for him around who he can be who he actually is.

Also please tell me about the horny stuff, I love hearing these kind of things.

Yess that's exactly how I love them !! Sanji deserves to be comfy in a dress an heels as often as he smokes ... And I go insane from how good he looks in pink 💕💕

Ok so! Horny time!

I've already written about and sketched so many scenarios with these two! I have a dear friend that also loves this ship and gives me the best inspiration for new sexy hc's

Like it should be a given that if Crocodile is present in a ship there will be a Daddy kink , that man gives off such a giant sugar daddy vibes and the fact that he's actually rich and dresses in only the finest clothes, high expensive taste is a given

Now imagine how highly possesive and dominant he must be in bed, I have this hc that the only man brave enough to confront his mood and top him is Doflamingo (even if it would end up in non-con most of the times considering how they both are) , so he would expect to be pleased, to be pleasured by his sugar baby and here comes Sanji who canonically would do anything that he's asked even if he complains about it the whole time , who's a people pleaser due to his low self esteem caused by his family's abuse , who would make the perfect submissive partner in bed... He's all loud yelling and curses towards any men outside his bedroom but once he's in the privacy of their shared room? It's like a switch gets flipped in his head 💞

This idea I have of him comes from how he acts around women in the canon story, Sanji is all flirting and declaring his love loudly but everytime a girl flirting back or proceeded to touch his hand he turns into a pathetic blushing mess and that's exactly what I love about him , he's all bark not bite

For me that idiot is a sub bottom through and through, even when he sleeps with women they would wrap him around their fingers in a second ♥️

So the idea of him turning into a pillow princess and letting the other take control of the situation, letting him use his body as he pleases it's just so fitting and hot for me . Crocodile would train his body to only feel good when he's the one fuckin him in a way that if he were to sleep with someone else it would never be enough to let him finish, that something would be missing ...

Now for some more explicit hc's, the most important part to remember is that Sanji canonically is extremely flexible and has all his strength in his legs, I like to imagine he has the muscular build of a male ballet dancer , so this man in bed would be so good at riding his partner... Putting those thunder thighs to good use (and there's the fact that Crocodile is a giant next to him so being under the blond will be more comfortable for both when he wants to take it slow and calmly)

During more firey sessions Sanji would get spanked, his hair pulled, bitten all over, ravaged until he's a crying mess, and at the end when he has a satisfied smile and tears are rolling down his face from the ecstasy he would thank Croco for it , blinded by the pleasure :^)

That's how I like my boys, going full animal instinct until they satiate their thirst and then when they are done , back in public people can tell what they just did by their faces alone

Oh and also Crocodile would spoil him rotten gifting him the most expensive lingerie sets besides clothes and perfumes, too bad they always get destroyed when he gets his hands on his boy :3c

[softgrungeprophet]

Seth works for the Soundview Ballet, which is very loosely based on the PNB (in terms of size, season, etc) which irl apparently is known to have a preference for tall dancers instead of the usual bias for the tiny (some of the girls that dance for them are 5'11", 6')

transposing this onto the fictional SVB is useful for me since Seth is 6'2"

though at the same time, the next tallest is Casey, at 6 feet even, and the rest of the dancers of both genders have a wide range but mostly fall between about 5'9" and 5'11" except for a couple smaller dancers. so seth still stands out.

Seth has often been excluded not just because of their height. They are very quiet, have trouble making friends because of it, are effeminate yet take up space, are pretty and muscular and strong, work twice as hard as many of the male dancers while still generally looking like one of them. they are often assigned roles en travesti. no one can decide if this is more or less offensive than having a man do it but at least the step sister role is technically challenging and fun. (but seth doesn't want to be confined to comedic roles like the eldest step sister or the ass, or non-dancing roles like the larger-than-life mother ginger) (as fabulous as she is)

which is of course where the swan comes in, and later the firebird

seth suits bird roles imo. when you watch choreo for swan lake, some dancers are graceful but that's about it. but some of the swans have very defined back muscles, and when they move their arms like wings it really brings out a lot. swans are large, powerful birds which is why seth even landed an odette/odile role in the first place. (they will never, in contrast, dance the waifish and sickly Giselle)

anyway where i'm going here is that there are two male dancers with the confidence and upper body strength to lift Seth, because most of the dancers are very close in size and there is still a higher percentage of under 5'11" women than men and the women tend to be less buff cause most of them don't do kickboxing to work out stress lol

(and some of the dudes are just jerks who don't want to dance with seth)

one of the people who can lift Seth is Casey because he is the second tallest dancer in the entire company, and more importantly is willing to put in the work and willing to touch Seth's body without discomfort. Casey's also gay and he and Seth are pretty into each other lol so unsurprising that he winds up the prince to Seth's swan. he brings out passion in Seth. and also can lift Seth up for the little leg movements and music trills.

the question is whether or not Casey can carry Seth bodily overhead. because a lot of the swan lake lifts involve the swan propelling herself under her own power (i mean, flight, right) so really mr handsome prince is there to keep her centered and complement her jumps

BUT in the firebird, there is at least one partnered dance that involves the male lead carrying the eponymous firebird like... over his head.

There is another dancer who can lift Seth. His name is Mark. They may or may not be exes, he may or may not be heteroflexible (i still haven't decided but the juiciness of their abrasiveness together being a breakup that can't totally extinguish their mutual respect is like, yeah)

Anyway Mark is 5'5".

so imagine me looking at my notes like, well i don't want Casey to ALWAYS be the only one to dance with Seth and Mark and Seth are compatible in the strength department -- but also i'm sitting here laughing imagining this burly 5'6" tank of a man holding Seth's 6'2" frame overhead, not to mention any scene involving Seth going en pointe of course involves a full extra foot length in height, which is very noticeable even when the male dancer is taller... tfw seth is en pointe which would, with mark, make them a Full Foot Taller

it could PROBABLY work but it might still look goofy 😅 i should sketch it out sometime

also imagine the firebird is dressed like a 1920s burlesque fan dancer

[demy85]

Epilogue - Home

Almost three years had passed and Alec was still astounded by everything that had unfolded since. Even now, he could hardly believe his luck.

Magnus had graduated from Idris College with honors in dance and choreography. He now had a promising career with the New York City Ballet, where he had quickly risen to the position of soloist. 

Alec had also excelled in his studies, graduating with a degree in fine art, specializing in figure drawing. The exhibition of his graduation work, for which Magnus had been his muse, received widespread critical acclaim. In the following years, he worked as a freelance artist in New York.

Shortly after graduating, they moved in together. At first, they had shared a small apartment in Soho before buying an old warehouse in Brooklyn with their friends from college and family so that they could renovate it to suit their needs.

The basement was used to store art materials for Alec and Clary and also contained some exercise equipment for Magnus and Izzy, things they used from time to time for their training but didn't need permanently in their dance studio.

The ground floor was divided into two areas. Magnus and Izzy had started to furnish a dance studio according to their wishes. It was not finished yet, but it had taken shape. One of the outer walls was made entirely of glass, the opposite side was a single large mirror with a ballet bar extending from one end of the mirror to the other. All that was missing was the hardwood floor and sound system and Magnus and Izzy would finally be able to train in their own little studio if they didn't want to travel to Manhattan to rehearse at the New York City Ballet's facilities.

The other half of the ground floor served as an art gallery for Alec and Clary. With the help of Clary's mum and her stepfather Luke, they had dared to open their own gallery.

It had been the first room in the old warehouse that they had managed to convert. 

The walls were painted white and there was a grey concrete floor. The former metal pillars had also been painted white and white walls had been inserted between some of them to create more space for their artwork. The room was lit by ceiling spotlights and above each place where one of their artworks would later hang, a single spotlight had been installed so that the art would be well lit.

𒐣

Only the façade of the former warehouse remained the same, the interior had been entirely reconstructed. The building consisted of three floors plus a basement. The first floor was occupied by Magnus and Izzy's dance studio and Clary and Alec's art gallery. They had divided the middle floor into three apartments, one of them was the home of Izzy and Simon, the other two each occupied by Clary and Cat.

The top floor belonged entirely to Magnus and Alec.

They had built a wonderful home together, even though two people were missing.

Jace had signed a contract with the 49'ers and stayed in San Francisco and Raphael had decided to live with his sister.

But even those two always had a room in the loft waiting for them.

And Jace's next visit was not far off. He had promised that he would come to New York for the opening of Alec and Clary's art gallery, which would take place in just a few days, to celebrate his brother's success.

𒐣

Alec was standing in the living room of their loft, unpacking the last of the boxes, when he picked up a wooden framed drawing the first he had made of Magnus. 

He placed the framed sketch next to the photo of Magnus' first performance with the New York City Ballet on the mantelpiece. And as he looked at the two frames, he was overcome by a warm feeling of contentment.

Their journey together had been full of challenges, but also full of love and growth. He thought back to the day at Idris College when Magnus had modeled for the course Alec had taken - how nervous and unsure he had been, and how Magnus had helped him to come out of his shell.

Now here they were, building a life and pursuing their passions side by side in New York City. Alec couldn't wait to see what the future held for them. At that moment, he heard the door open and Magnus' familiar footsteps.

‘Alexander, I'm back!’ he heard Magnus call out. 

Magnus appeared in the doorway, still in his dancing clothes and sweat dripping down his forehead from the rehearsal. His eyes lit up as he took in the newly decorated living room. 

‘Oh Alexander, it looks wonderful!’ exclaimed Magnus, crossing the room to pull Alec into a hug. 

Alec breathed in Magnus' familiar scent as he returned the hug. ‘I'm glad you like it. I wanted to surprise you.’

Magnus pulled back slightly to look Alec in the eye. ‘You never cease to amaze me,’ he said softly before leaning in for a tender kiss.

‘Welcome home,’ he said softly. Which he meant in the truest sense of the word - this loft, their life together, Magnus himself - all of it made him feel at home.

𒐣

As they were wrapped in each other's arms, Alec couldn't help but marvel at how far they had come. The loft around them was a testament to their shared dreams and hard work. 

“How was the rehearsal?” Alec asked as his fingers absently traced patterns on Magnus' back.

Magnus sighed contentedly, his body relaxing into Alec's embrace. “Exhausting, but more exciting. We're working on a new piece right now that's really pushing me to my limits. I can't wait to show you once it's finished.”

Alec smiled, imagining Magnus moving gracefully across the stage. “I can't wait to see it. Maybe you could give me a sneak peek as soon as the studio is finished?”

Magnus chuckled and pulled back to meet Alec's gaze with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Only if you agree to let me model for you again. It's been too long since I've been a direct inspiration for your art.”

The suggestion sent a shiver down Alec's spine. Despite their years together, Magnus still had the power to make him blush. “I think that can be arranged,” he replied with a grin.

As they stood there, surrounded by the life they had built together, Alec felt a wave of gratitude. For Magnus, for their friends and family, for the opportunities they had been given and for the love that had led them to this moment.

𒐣

The dream Alec and Clary had of opening an art gallery, a vibrant space where they could showcase their work, had finally come true. 

The gallery vibrated with excitement as friends, family and all sorts of other people filled the space and mingled amidst the bright colors, bold textures of the artwork and charcoal drawings. 

Looking at his drawings displayed on the walls, Alec felt a surge of pride, but beneath the surface there was also a glimmer of doubt. His drawings were deeply personal to him. They depicted hauntingly beautiful figures and intricate landscapes, reflecting emotions that he often struggled to put into words. 

Alongside his work, the vibrant paintings of Clary were bursting with life. Swirls of color dancing across the canvas, representing joy, chaos and all in between. Exuding energy and optimism, her work stood in stark contrast to Alec's slightly more subdued pieces.

As the evening progressed, the initial excitement began to fade. Clary glanced at Alec and a silent request for reassurance flickered between them. 

“Are you all right?” she asked quietly, her voice barely rising above the murmur of the crowd.

Alec hesitated, his brow furrowing. “I thought I was fine, but... What if no one can relate to my work?”

Clary's expression softened. She stepped closer and positioned herself so that the audience disappeared into the background. “The work you create is both meaningful and unique. So much of your time has been spent perfecting it. Don't let doubt steal this moment from you.”

He sighed, “I know, but... Seeing it all on display feels different. What if all they see is the mess and not the story I'm trying to tell?”

Clary put her hand on his shoulder to ground him. “Art is subjective. They'll see different things - some might not understand it, but others will. Just like with my paintings.”

The tension in Alec's whole demeanor seemed to ease a little as Clary spoke, but doubt still tingled in his chest. “And what if they connect more with yours?” he murmured, a hint of envy running through his words.

At this, Clary tilted her head and considered him. “That's a risk we take as artists. Remember why we opened the gallery. The reason is that we both believed in each other and our vision. So this moment is for us both.”

Alec nodded slowly, grateful for her unwavering support. The crowd continued to swirl around them, laughing and discussing the pieces, but he felt connected to Clary, as if her confidence fueled his own. 

Sharing a smile, Alec felt the anticipation building again. Perhaps this was true - tonight wasn't meant to be a competition, but a celebration of their passions, a platform for stories waiting to be told.

𒐣

The more the evening went on, the more attentively Alec listened to the voices around him. More and more people began to share their thoughts, praising both his charcoal drawings and Clary's exuberant paintings. With each conversation his anxious heart was soothed, realizing that art had a way of making connections and bridging gaps.

Alec dropped his fears and turned his attention to Clary, who was now animatedly discussing her favorite painting with a small group of admirers. He couldn't help but smile. 

This gallery was a testament to their growth as artists and as friends. 

And then something happened that Alec hadn't been expecting. His parents had turned up uninvited and cast a shadow over the evening's celebrations. Their arrival was met with a mixture of disbelief and concern; they had made it clear in the past that they disapproved of Alec's choices - not just his career choices, but also his sexuality. 

The smile on Alec's face faded as he caught sight of them near the entrance, their expressions a mixture of both disdain and condemnation. 

Clary, sensing the change in the room, reached for Alec's hand to ground him in the moment. It was a testament to their friendship as well as their individuality, so they would not let bigotry and prejudice get in the way of their celebration.

Magnus was not long in coming either. He had immediately stopped the conversation he was having with a few of his colleagues from the ballet when he saw Alec's parents and stepped up to his boyfriend's side.

Wrapping an arm gently around Alec's waist, he asked him softly, “Is everything all right? Shall I send them away?”

Even though Magnus had only seen the Lightwood parents once since he'd been in a relationship with Alec, he wouldn't hesitate for a moment to show them the door. Alec had told him what had happened during spring break before Magnus had modeled for Professor Frey's class and at their graduation.

It didn't take long for Alec to realize how a fierce protective instinct rose up in him, not only for his relationship with Magnus, but also for the gallery he had built with Clary. 

Alec knew he had to face his parents.

𒐣

He was aware of Magnus' hand finding his, a grounding presence in the midst of his emotional turmoil. His boyfriend stood by his side, radiating both assurance and love. 

Izzy and Jace flanked the two, their gazes silently promising their support, and Clary had joined them as well. The room buzzed around them, animated voices could be heard, but all Alec was able to focus on was the impending confrontation with his parents - the same people whose narrow-minded views had long cast a shadow over his life.

As they slowly approached, Alec straightened his shoulders, ready to face them. He would defend not only his art, but also his identity, his love for Magnus.

It was at that moment, while standing with his chosen family, that Alec realized that no matter how bitter the confrontation might be, he was finally stepping into his own light - an artist, a partner, a son, and a man who was not ashamed of who he was.

With a racing heart but full of determination, Alec walked towards his parents, who were now just a few more feet away. The air grew thick with tension as he stopped in front of them, his voice calm despite the turmoil inside him. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked, with an edge creeping into his tone. He sensed the warmth of Magnus at his side, reassuring him as he was facing his parents.

The icy indifference on their faces struck him more deeply than he had expected. 

“Have you come to support me or just to make a scene?” Alec asked defiantly. He glanced at his siblings, Izzy's eyes flashed with concern, and Jace stood by his side, ready to intervene if things got out of hand.

“We thought it was about time we saw what you've been up to,” his mother replied, barely able to hide her disapproval. Alec found Magnus leaning towards him, it was a subtle reminder that he was not alone in this fight. 

“You thought you could just come here without invitation to look down on me?” Alec's voice grew louder, spurred on by the love and support around him. 

While standing there, accompanied by the people who believed in him, he came to realize that this moment wasn't just about art; in fact, he was making a clear statement about his identity and a resolute stand against the prejudices that had shadowed his life for too long.

𒐣

Robert, who had always kept his head down, was unable to take any more. He simply couldn't watch his wife trample on their bond with their children like that any longer.

Since she had kicked Alec out of the house, Izzy and Jace had also turned their backs on them and Robert's heart ached. Even though the two had never completely broken off contact, showing up at home every now and then, unlike Alec and really, who could blame him, it wasn't the same as it had been before Maryse's tantrum.

He stepped out of Maryse's shadow, cleared his throat and went on to say in a calm tone, “Alec, please. We're not here to criticize your work or your lifestyle.”

Alec snorted and Magnus could be heard grumbling, “Funny way to show it.”

Robert shook his head dejectedly, he understood the reaction and he stopped Maryse with his hand when he noticed she was about to take a step towards Alec and had already started talking.

“That's enough, don't you realize you're pushing our children further and further away from us? I've had enough of this. Our son is gay, so what? Maryse, please. These are our children,' Robert said, turning to his wife, almost pleadingly.

But Maryse just huffed, turned around and left the gallery.

Robert stayed a moment longer, not really surprised by his wife's reaction, and turned back to his children.

“I'm sorry, Alec. I should have spoken up a lot sooner about the way she treated you when you told us you were gay.”

He turned to go after his wife, but then paused for a moment, turned back around and said, pride audible in his voice, “The gallery turned out great. You and Clary sure are talented.”

Without waiting for a response, Robert disappeared, leaving his children speechless.

𒐣

Alec's mood was at rock bottom after his mother's appearance at the gallery and all he wanted to do was disappear. Hide away in the loft and lick his wounds.

Despite only receiving encouragement from the people who really mattered - and his father  not being as narrow-minded as he originally thought, the way his mother had looked and talked to him, had once again affected him deeply. 

He should know better by now, yet somehow he still yearned for her support. He longed for her encouragement and love.

Maybe his relationship with Robert could at least get better. But Alec didn't hold out too much hope. 

Then he was torn from his thoughts when he noticed a warm hand on his cheek followed quickly by Magnus appearing in his field of vision.

“Hey, are you okay?” he whispered to him quietly, concern evident in his expression.

Alec closed his eyes and shook his head. How could anything be okay after that whole scene? His mother had once again managed to crush him.

He took Magnus' hand in his, squeezed it briefly and let it go again before turning away from him and disappearing into the back of the gallery where the art studio was located, that had a door leading to the stairwell.

Alec needed some time alone to clear his head, even though he felt bad leaving Clary alone on opening night. He knew she would understand.

𒐣

Magnus lingered a while longer at the gallery. He tried to put on a brave face and not let his inner turmoil show. He knew only too well that Alec needed some time to himself. 

Not sure how much time had passed when he said goodbye to Alec's siblings and Clary to go upstairs to their shared loft and check on Alec, Magnus only hoped that he hadn't waited too long to go after Alec.

When he arrived at the loft, he saw that everything was covered in darkness. Alec hadn't switched on a single light, only here and there the room was illuminated by the city lights coming in.

He made his way through the living room intending to head for the bedroom when he noticed that the patio door was ajar.

Pushing it open further, Magnus moved out onto the spacious terrace, overlooking the East River and the New York skyline. And there, at the edge of the terrace, bathed in the evening light of the city, stood Alec, his back to Magnus.

It was a quiet moment. A beautiful sight and a revelation, yet not really. He was overcome with a feeling of love as he looked at Alec and then heard him muttering quietly to himself. Getting upset and ranting about his parents just showing up for the gallery opening.

All Magnus could think as he stared at Alec, his heart beating happily, was that he loved this man with all his heart; that he wanted to spend the rest of his days listening to him rant and draw and laugh and fight about whatever and love. 

And then he was overcome with the thought that he really, really wanted to marry him and spend the rest of his life with him.

It shouldn't have been a surprise, because obviously he'd known this for a long time, but the thing was, it wasn't a distant thought in his mind. No, he was already thinking about proposing and his mind was racing. 

His heart was pounding as he came to the realization that he didn't want to propose to Alec some day, but at that very moment.

𒐣

Magnus approached Alec, being careful to not make a sound, and then he wrapped his arms around Alec's middle, causing him to sink straight into the embrace and take a deep breath.

He turned around in Magnus' arms and looked at him. At that moment, all his worries and all his dark thoughts seemed to vanish into thin air.

Magnus' face bathed in moonlight and the city lights of the night was a breathtaking sight.

Just then he felt Magnus' warm breath on his face as he started to speak.

“'I am the least difficult of men. All I want is boundless love',” Magnus quoted the words from the bottom of his heart and slightly hesitated before continuing, ”I think I've found my boundless love with you.”

With that, he loosened the embrace and instead took one of Alec's hands in his as he settled down on one knee.

Alec didn't know how to breathe when Magnus sank to his knee in front of him and looked at him with a smile on his face. His breath caught in his throat as he heard the words he had been dreaming of for months.

“Alexander Gideon Lightwood, will you marry me?” 

The question hung in the air, delicate and electric, and Magnus Bane felt his heart race in that heartbeat of silence. He looked at Alec, his lover, framed by the soft glow of the moon. 

Magnus looked at him from under his lashes, his dark eyes sparkling with a mixture of hope and nervousness, waiting with bated breath for Alec's response. 

The silence stretched out, thick and heavy, broken only by the distant sounds of the city below. He could see the flicker of emotion on Alec's face - surprise, disbelief, and then the unmistakable softness of love that made Magnus' heart swell. He felt the anticipation build and each second became an eternity as he silently prayed that this moment would strengthen the bond they had forged as partners navigating the complexities of life together.

Finally, the corners of Alec's mouth tugged upwards, a smile breaking through the tension like dawn on a long, dark night.

“You are my boundless love too, Magnus. So yes, yes, I want to marry you,” Alec almost whispered.