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yuamin · 2 months

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ORORUN REDRAW GUIDE !

i think we’ve all seen the atrocity that is genshin’s unreleased character, ororun. the entirety of natlan is a mess really, but as a yoruba person myself i CANNOT keep quiet about ororun specifically.

outside yoruba mythology, in yoruba, ‘Olorun’ (the name ororun is based on, pronounced o-law-roon , with o pronounced as in orange and the ‘roon’ pronounced shortly, not dragged on at all) is actually the same word we often use to refer to God in Christianity. Christianity is the primary religion among us yorubas so honestly, i was kinda glad they misspelled his name. it would feel SO disrespectful referring to whatever that thing is with the same word we use to refer to God who we actually worship. religion aside, genshin’s depiction of Olorun (cultural god, not Christian one) is downright disgusting. i’d never paid too much attention to genshin and its poor representation, but now that my culture has fallen victim to it, i completely understand all the outrage.

edit: please note that while we use ‘Olorun’ to refer to the Christian God, Olorun is just a general word for ‘god’ itself ! for example if i say “God in heaven” and “god of thunder” we know i’m referring to two different beings, in yoruba it’s the kind of the same—the same word is used to refer to both the Christian and other gods, but we know it’s different, even though olorun can be capitalized regardless of what god we’re talking about (unlike english where the Christian God is capitalized and other gods aren’t) at the end of the day though, when we say “olorun” even without context, we are usually referring to the christian God !

1. PLEASE DO NOT DRAW HIM WITH ANIMAL EARS !

i’ve noticed that hoyoverse has this nasty habit of portraying every dark skinned character as wild or animal-esque. kaeya seems to be the only exception to this. even xinyan, though lacking any animal features, has this wild energy to her. some might call it a stretch, but i feel like her features are pretty feline in comparison to other liyue characters.

Olorun in our culture is the supreme god of the heavens. In my opinion, it is disrespectful to liken him to something akin to an animal. normally i wouldn’t even mind that much, but with how hoyo makes its few dark characters more and more like animals, i can’t help but feel weird about it. its really off putting.

2. HIS HAIR WOULD NOT BE CURLY !

majority of nigerians have 4C HAIR. not wavy hair or loose curls. some have 4B, but 4C is the usual here, that is, kinky or coily hair. Olorun is often portrayed as bald in traditional art, but trust me if he had hair his hair would resemble his people’s, not Tyla’s.

DREADLOCKS ARE A YES ! outside nigeria, locking hair is pretty common, but in nigeria a lot of people have locks naturally. our hair sometimes just grows out that way, no treatment no nothing. dreads are 100% an appropriate style, they look good asf too.

3. PLEASE USE CULTURAL FABRICS IN YOUR DESIGNS !

when i saw ororun’s outfit, i almost started crying. they couldn’t even bother to dress him up a little. they really dressed my brother in a scarf and cape and called it a day 😭 upon how fashionable we nigerians are know to be, hoyoverse still made it their mission to embarrass us stylistically. God knows my people have suffered man 😭

ankara is a traditional nigerian fabric that features bright colors and lots of patterned designs. see below:

here in 9ja, we love our ankara. it’s a big part of our fashion here and trust me it would look excellent in your designs. it’s perfectly fine to draw ororun in normal fabrics since he’s a deity and it’s not like ankara existed back then, but if you really want to represent nigeria, ankara is a must 🙏

i’m going to address another fashion piece because if you search up nigerian fashion you’ll see it a lot: beads.

these orange beads are igbo (another tribe here in nigeria) NOT yoruba. does this mean you can’t use it in olorun’s design ? no ! let me explain. tbh, here in nigeria there’s a bit of...tension between clans. it’s not that common, but older people are definitely a lot more tribalist. as a yoruba i love my igbo brothers and sisters, i truly believe they’re the most fashionable clan and i adore their festivities, they always go over the top. please, just look at them:

(only one image because of image caps, ugh)

anyway, we yorubas wear beads too. but the specific way the beads are worn around the head and in multiple layers round the neck is igbo, not yoruba. though i personally wouldn’t care too much if i saw olorun with igbo beads since all i want is for him to at least look nigerian, at the end of the day he is a yoruba deity. it might be disrespectful to dress the god of one clan as if he belongs to another, especially since there is so much historical ( and very slight but uncommon present ) day tension between both clans.

here’s a more yoruba outfit. sorry yall, it might be hard for you to distinguish if you’re not yoruba or igbo, but a lot of nigerians can tell the difference at a glance. ( actually nowadays, there is so much overlap between yoruba and igbo fashion, but there are many specific styles that may be associated with one tribe and not the other, for example how beads are worn in the above paragraph ) please do your research, he’s not only a nigerian god, but a yoruba one.

one more thing, because i know it will start discourse : skin tone.

nigerians have a very diverse range of skin tones. some of us are so pale, if not for our afrocentric features we could maybe pass for another race. however, ororun is yoruba.

light skinned nigerians are usually igbo. not to say that yorubas can’t be light skin, but here in nigeria if you saw a light skinned person, we’d automatically assume they were igbo. igbo people usually have lighter skin tones. majority of yorubas fall on the more milk to dark chocolate end of the skin tone spectrum. i’m saying this now because i know a lot of people are going to start arguments over ororun being redrawn as ‘too light’ or ‘too dark.’ i don’t really care about complexion, but i thought i’d help you all get your facts right.

that’s it ! if you read all this i’m super thankful. i don’t usually post about this kind of stuff but i honestly love my country and could go on about it for days. nigeria is such a beautiful place with a diverse range of cultures— from hausas to fulanis to so many more. natlan was supposed to be Africa’s time to shine, as well as latin americans, but hoyoverse said fuck you and your people. they did this to an extent with sumeru but natlan was done straight up dirty—not a single melanated character in sight, and the only one who does have melanin, iansan, looks so desaturated you might as well call her grey. i saw someone on tiktok call mualani a dark skinned character—it was at that point that i knew genshin was done for.

please REBLOG this post so it reaches more people and artists in the fandom !! this is literally the third time i’m making this post because tumblr refuses to show it in the tags for some reason 😭 i encourage other cultures who feel misrepresented to make posts like this too. it’s a perfect opportunity to educate and inform people about the diverse cultures genshin has once again failed to represent properly.

Hoyo has never been one to make customer satisfaction their top priority, but we’ve been able to call them out before and i truly believe we can do it again. Natlan is not poor design choice. it is blatant racism, a nation based on POC ethnicities with not a single colored character insight. Hoyoverse has been able to escape racism accusations for as long as i can remember, but natlan is the icing on the cake. we CANNOT allow hoyo to proceed as planned without giving them the appropriate backlash.

Also, if you redraw ororun using this guide, make sure to tag me here or on my main blog, @heartkaji !! i’d love to see all your redesigns. once again, thank you all for reading and have an amazing day !!

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solarpunkani · 1 year

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You know what, while I'm doing hot takes. And this one may be obvious considering I'm actively contributing to hosting the Solarpunk Aesthetic Week event but like.

Dear everyone who's constantly deriding the aesthetic portions of the solarpunk movement/genre; do you just not understand that being able to visualize the future you want is immensely important to being able to work towards it? Being able to get other people on board with it?

When I first got interested in Solarpunk, it wasn't for the hot leftist takes about the top ways to dismantle the government for the people, or top tips on how to build your own solar panel apparatuses. What brought me in? Visions of a hopeful future. I learned and began to love the rest as I dove deeper into solarpunk circles, but there is no denying that my first intro to it--and likely many people's first intro to it--was via the art and aesthetic spheres. The term 'solarpunk' was literally coined to refer to the aesthetic movement, and we've been building up from there ever since.

'When are people going to realize the aesthetic parts don't matter and what really matters is praxis--' dude, the aesthetic parts do matter. Inspiring people does matter. Showing people visions of a hopeful future is immensely important, it's why so many people join this movement. We see glimpses of what a hopeful future could look like, through beautiful art or riveting stories, we're inspired by things like stained glass and organic designs and statues and fashion concepts--and then we think to ourselves 'how can we help make this future happen?' And we learn the praxis and we work towards the goals and we share it with others because that's just how we work.

Seeing isn't always believing, but sometimes in order to believe in something with your whole heart, it helps to be able to visualize what you want. For yourself and for others.

So yes. The aesthetic parts of solarpunk do matter. Thank you for coming to my TEDTalk.

#solarpunk #out of queue #ani rambles #honestly in my opinion if the younger me saw posts saying shit like 'the aesthetic part of solarpunk is stupid and unimportant'#that would have chased me away more than anything.#A movement like this? the last thing we want is to chase people away! We want people to get excited!#We want people to get on board eagerly and wholeheartedly!#Yes I'm sure some people got into solarpunk praxis-first aesthetic-later (or maybe even aesthetic-never)#But that's no reason to deride the people who got in here aesthetic-first praxis-later #solarpunk is beautiful BECAUSE there's so many ways to learn about it and visualize it #anyways everyone get hype about solarpunk aesthetic week a month from now!!!#honestly might delete later who knows

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drenched-in-sunlight · 3 months

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I didn’t want to write this out this early because I’m sure there are even more to discover, but people are already reblogging my previous art of Marika and Messmer & saying Marika doesn’t love him, so I write this out as a guideline that all my art is drawn with this theory in mind.

(While the DLC has changed the way I feel about certain events and characters, my view on Messmer and Marika remain unchanged. In fact, I think Marika skyrockets into my most fav in the game now. lol.)

* Beware of endgame spoiler under the cut

Please note that I wrote this without providing the item descriptions I use to develop this theory, because I want to make a proper post later with all evidence after I’ve played through all of the DLC. But those items exist and could be found in game.

Here is how I view Messmer and Marika’s relationship (he is her most beloved child):

For starter:

*the winged serpent - Messmer’s symbol, is considered a wise creature and is his friend. It is NOT the snakes that are viewed as traitors to the Erdtree, since the Serpent Crest shield was even made to commemorate his crusade. It’s also DIFFERENT from the evil snake he was born with.

*this is not to defend their actions, they are still horrible people, but I want to show that they have depths and are well-written characters with stories and emotions. My unhinged mother and son duo 😔✊

—-

I like the poetry in Marika starting the war against the Fire Giants in part as revenge for Messmer (it’s implied the Fell God is the Outer God that cursed him / it’s outright stated that he hated his fire), & now Messmer leading the purge against the Hornsent as revenge for Marika and her people (it’s implied the disappearance of her village has sth to do with the spirit calling rite the people at the Tower were doing).

I actually think Marika raised Messmer in her home village for a while too. She didn’t throw him to LoS alone, she was raising him in secret in her home, fearing people will judge him for carrying a malevolent snake. The two Tree Sentinels before the village dropped Marika’s Blessing. Yes. the Blessing she made specifically for him.

When you zoom in the Marika statue in his boss room, she was smiling when hugging him. I think ppl tend to forget that Marika, like Malenia and Miquella, carries tree/ foliage motif. RADAGON IS WEAK TO FIRE. If Messmer was cursed with fire and it started to manifest around him … of course she couldn’t embrace him anymore. It was physically hurting her, and Messmer wouldn’t have wanted to cause her pain as well. The soldier ghost at Ensis castle was begging Marika to embrace her child again, implying it’s sth that he yearns for. But couldn’t have now. Because of his damned curse.

If you look at the story that way, Messmer’s death dialogue makes perfect sense. It’s his lament that he’s gone from Marika’s precious (presumably firstborn) child, a source of her happiness, to a curse against her (*point to Radagon’s hair as another connection to Fire Giants and their curse). Robbing her (and himself) of the close bond they used to share.

It’s why Messmer alone has more blessings *directly* from Marika than any other Demigods. His army also receives more blessings than any other faction on the Lands Between, and they all refer to Marika as dearest Mother and Fair Mother.

Hell, after Messmer, Marika couldn’t connect to any of her other children again. This is like the ultimate doomed mother and son. Whatever I expected from them from the beginning, Fromsoft cranked it to eleven. Jfc.

#er brainrot #sote spoilers #there are much more I haven’t put down but Marika get behind me will defend your love to your child #Gold Breaker the skill UNIQUE only to Marika’s Hammer … guess who is wielding a weapon blessed with that power now?? Messmer’s Black Knight #also the Marika’s soreseal Measmer has 😵‍💫

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galactic-rhea · 8 months

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WDYM Anakin is Luke and Leia's dad

I dunno if this post will reach the Star Wars fandom but I hope it does because I'm sure you all will get a good laugh at me.

As of recent I have developed a good hiperfixation for Star Wars, the thing is I knew nothing. NOTHING about Star Wars besides the fact it had aliens and...a war...in space? And funny swords. And main character is Luke or something, I spent over 20 years ignoring anything about Star Wars and somehow missing most references out there.

And recently, literally less than a month ago I saw a gif and said to my partner "oh this guy this guy looks cool, this gif looks nice" and he said "Oh well, he's a good character." And it all developed into me watching Clone Wars, the animated series you know and...and I was kinda blown away, on my opinion the show IS GREAT. And I love every character and their interactions, I love how much they focus on side characters, and they all seem very well written. I got hiperfixated really fast and saw Anakin and I was like "Omg, babygirl. He's a blorbo now."

And because of the show, this was super unexpected, but somehow I also got, really got, into the ship with Padmé because omg, cool woman. Literal happy squeaky noises of someone who was in a bad state and needed some good ol' distraction and comfort.

Now, like I said I knew nothing about Star Wars as a whole. And I still haven't watched the movies, besides the ocassional gif?

So imagine my shock, my surprise, my...bewilderment when I realized.

"Wait a minute, LUKE IS ANAKIN'S SON?! HOLY-"

Ladies, gentleman, and others, I think I came very late to this party and I don't even know how it took me so long.

Not only that, but because of this sudden love for the series, I went to my friends circle like "BESTIE, GUESS WHAT, I HAVE A NEW BLROBO AND A NEW FAV SHIP AND EEEP"

And my friends are like "omg that's amazing, what is it?"

I tell them, and of course they all know these characters and they all react like they know this very bad secret fact and I got told several times already "Please, don't watch the episodes 2 and 3 alone, it will hurt."

I feel like blissfully walking among rainbows and blue skies while everyone else know that my future is doomed. Somehow.

(Uncomfortable silence)

Not only that, but then I spent a whole deal of time thinking "Where the heck I have seen these guys" cus there was some fmailiarity I couldn't just point out and then one day I woke up, brushed my teeth and of all sudden I realized and it was such a shock.

Do you know how SURREAL is to get very into a character, and into a ship, and then realize they're the same from that super widespread meme that has been around for who knows how much time?

I swear I thought that meme was from some old medieval fantasy movies or something.

But alas, Star Wars now is EVERYWHERE. People do references to Star Wars ALL THE TIME and it's just now I'm catching them.

I got spoilers. From a meme. In a youtube review that had nothing to do with Star Wars hah. Everything is a spoiler, the world is an apparent spoiler. Now I'm here, trying to avoid spoilers from something everyone seems to know, even my family knows. It's so surreal and I wouldn't have it any other way 😂

Anyways, if you read until here, know that a wild ride still waits me, cuz I'm only starting Season 3 of Clone Wars and I don't plan to watch the movies until I finish the series.

And yes, I made this blog just to ramble freely about SW and draw stuff because it sparked my inspiration after a long art block.

Have this doodle I drew after watching the two first episodes, my offering for you reaching this far.

Note: Wouldn't Anakin and Padmé's ship name be Animé? Cuz that's hilarious.

#rambling #star wars #star wars fandom #anakin skywalker #darth vader #the clone wars #sw tcw #tcw #tcw fanart #clone wars

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hoodedjelly · 17 days

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Sleep walk BTS post!

will go in depth with my process and put better quality drawings in here!

Before any of this i was listening to several fiddauthor/ford playlists to hear a song that really got my brain moving. Funny enough i didn't get Sleep walk from one of the 100+ song playlists i was listening to, it was in my oc playlist (thats a mad scientist who would've thought). Originally i wanted to make a fiddauthor animatic (who knows maybe i will), but THIS SONG just caught my brain in a way i couldn't refuse.

So i technically started working on it the late night of September 27, exactly a week ago! which yes yes i hear you all in unison go "WHAT???" to that, and all I have to say to that is.... I have untreated adhd and lots of caffeine in my system! (honestly felt like ford sometimes while workin on that animatic)

Started it off with some notes, then thumbnails. I had my tbob AND J3 open next to me stood up with clips for reference (prob looked a little insane looking back but its fine)

now for the rough animatic! i did this in Adobe animate 2022 (i'll get back to that later) the only thing that really got changed was i wanted to add the diner scene from j3. i realize now that it messed up the timeline i was going for with the animatic but i like to think things are out of order because of the state ford is in, things start to merge together.

After i sat with this rough animatic for a bit, i wasn't sure if i was going to make it in Adobe animate (what i usually do) or make it all in Clip Studio Paint. I wanted this animatic to be way more visually interesting then i usually do, so CSP it is. But! i only have CSP Pro, so i had to draw and export every single new frame from this animatic.

it was a little tedious at first (again never done an animatic like this before) but i got used to it! I edited it all together in CapCut and thats really it!

The missing J3 pages from TBOB spoke to me in a way that im not fully comfortable talking about to my followers. I put a lot of myself in this animatic then i'd want to realize, it's very important to me. The night when i uploaded it i was literally shaking with anxiety (and caffeine-) but the overwhelming support for it is really amazing, thank you so much! if you have any more questions please ask away i love talking about the art process.

Below im going to talk about the code and put HD backgrounds!

thank you for dyemro on here for cracking the code first! now i can talk about my insane little thought process about it

So i never planned to add a code until halfway through with the animatic. i was watching ThatGFFan videos and him talking about gravity falls codes got my brain cooking. i wanted something sweet and simple (i realize with dyemro's post it wasn't as simple as i thought, give me some slack it's my first time). like what you should with making codes you start at the end. And i wanted something that was a nice send off for drawing ford be fucking miserable for 1 minute and 30 seconds.

so i got this. (honestly every time i look at this drawing after finishing the animatic it makes me real emotional)

There are 4 codes in this whole animatic 0:02, 0:15, 0:30, and 0:58

wanted the first one to be REAL noticeable so people can stop and be like "wait... theres stuff in here". people usually think to use the bill symbols, but no! from the description theres a little hint to use the Author symbols

doing that code it leads to: imgu r.com /a/uZa iVfu (and if you know that double line a under a letter means capitalization + im a dumb dumb that used a code image that didn't have a Z so thats just a normal Z)

it makes a LINK! > imgur.com/a/uZaiVfu <

now enough of that boring stuff, heres some HD screenshots and backgrounds of my fav parts

#gravity falls #stanford pines #bill cipher #book of bill spoilers #book of bill #hoodedjelly art

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adorkastock · 1 month

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i just want to say i'm glad that you've been doing this work for so long. i remember being a preteen back on deviantart seeing your poses and thinking "wow! that's so cool someone is giving these cool pose references!" and now i'm in my late 20s and still thinking you're cool and a great help to the art community. thank you so much

aw yay! yes, this fall will be 17 years modeling. It's been A WHOLE TIME! A lot of people visit at cons and they are like, "Oh my goodness I started drawing your poses when I was a kid!" and I'm looking at a wholeass grown adult and thinking "Yes, yes, I am ancient now." 8D I love it though. It's very cool to have been a part of so many people's art growing journey. I will do it for as long as I physically can and probably well past when I should :P In turn, I gotta say thanks to everyone who has continued to support me, financially and socially. Because when I had a baby in 2014 I was like "there's no way I can keep doing this" but I didn't want to give up so I started the Patreon and shop and people have supported me, helped me yell, and it helps so much! I know I'd never have been able to continue committing time and resources to this without that initial help and now it's my most reliable income. WEIRD JOB! The happiest accident. ~♥

#ask adorkastock #heart hands #sitting #glasses

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eyrieofsynapses · 9 months

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why Aurora's art is genius

It's break for me, and I've been meaning to sit down and read the Aurora webcomic (https://comicaurora.com/, @comicaurora on Tumblr) for quite a bit. So I did that over the last few days.

And… y'know. I can't actually say "I should've read this earlier," because otherwise I would've been up at 2:30-3am when I had responsibilities in the morning and I couldn't have properly enjoyed it, but. Holy shit guys THIS COMIC.

I intended to just do a generalized "hello this is all the things I love about this story," and I wrote a paragraph or two about art style. …and then another. And another. And I realized I needed to actually reference things so I would stop being too vague. I was reading the comic on my tablet or phone, because I wanted to stay curled up in my chair, but I type at a big monitor and so I saw more details… aaaaaand it turned into its own giant-ass post.

SO. Enjoy a few thousand words of me nerding out about this insanely cool art style and how fucking gorgeous this comic is? (There are screenshots, I promise it isn't just a wall of text.) In my defense, I just spent two semesters in graphic design classes focusing on the Adobe Suite, so… I get to be a nerd about pretty things…???

All positive feedback btw! No downers here. <3

---

I cannot emphasize enough how much I love the beautiful, simple stylistic method of drawing characters and figures. It is absolutely stunning and effortless and utterly graceful—it is so hard to capture the sheer beauty and fluidity of the human form in such a fashion. Even a simple outline of a character feels dynamic! It's gorgeous!

Though I do have a love-hate relationship with this, because my artistic side looks at that lovely simplicity, goes "I CAN DO THAT!" and then I sit down and go to the paper and realize that no, in fact, I cannot do that yet, because that simplicity is born of a hell of a lot of practice and understanding of bodies and actually is really hard to do. It's a very developed style that only looks simple because the artist knows what they're doing. The human body is hard to pull off, and this comic does so beautifully and makes it look effortless.

Also: line weight line weight line weight. It's especially important in simplified shapes and figures like this, and hoo boy is it used excellently. It's especially apparent the newer the pages get—I love watching that improvement over time—but with simpler figures and lines, you get nice light lines to emphasize both smaller details, like in the draping of clothing and the curls of hair—which, hello, yes—and thicker lines to emphasize bigger and more important details and silhouettes. It's the sort of thing that's essential to most illustrations, but I wanted to make a note of it because it's so vital to this art style.

THE USE OF LAYER BLENDING MODES OH MY GODS. (...uhhh, apologies to the people who don't know what that means, it's a digital art program thing? This article explains it for beginners.)

Bear with me, I just finished my second Photoshop course, I spent months and months working on projects with this shit so I see the genius use of Screen and/or its siblings (of which there are many—if I say "Screen" here, assume I mean the entire umbrella of Screen blending modes and possibly Overlay) and go nuts, but seriously it's so clever and also fucking gorgeous:

Firstly: the use of screened-on sound effect words over an action? A "CRACK" written over a branch and then put on Screen in glowy green so that it's subtle enough that it doesn't disrupt the visual flow, but still sticks out enough to make itself heard? Little "scritches" that are transparent where they're laid on without outlines to emphasize the sound without disrupting the underlying image? FUCK YES. I haven't seen this done literally anywhere else—granted, I haven't read a massive amount of comics, but I've read enough—and it is so clever and I adore it. Examples:

Secondly: The beautiful lighting effects. The curling leaves, all the magic, the various glowing eyes, the fog, the way it's all so vividly colored but doesn't burn your eyeballs out—a balance that's way harder to achieve than you'd think—and the soft glows around them, eeeee it's so pretty so pretty SO PRETTY. Not sure if some of these are Outer/Inner Glow/Shadow layer effects or if it's entirely hand-drawn, but major kudos either way; I can see the beautiful use of blending modes and I SALUTE YOUR GENIUS.

I keep looking at some of this stuff and go "is that a layer effect or is it done by hand?" Because you can make some similar things with the Satin layer effect in Photoshop (I don't know if other programs have this? I'm gonna have to find out since I won't have access to PS for much longer ;-;) that resembles some of the swirly inner bits on some of the lit effects, but I'm not sure if it is that or not. Or you could mask over textures? There's... many ways to do it.

If done by hand: oh my gods the patience, how. If done with layer effects: really clever work that knows how to stop said effects from looking wonky, because ugh those things get temperamental. If done with a layer of texture that's been masked over: very, very good masking work. No matter the method, pretty shimmers and swirly bits inside the bigger pretty swirls!

Next: The way color contrast is used! I will never be over the glowy green-on-black Primordial Life vibes when Alinua gets dropped into that… unconscious space?? with Life, for example, and the sharp contrast of vines and crack and branches and leaves against pitch black is just visually stunning. The way the roots sink into the ground and the three-dimensional sensation of it is particularly badass here:

Friggin. How does this imply depth like that. HOW. IT'S SO FREAKING COOL.

A huge point here is also color language and use! Everybody has their own particular shade, generally matching their eyes, magic, and personality, and I adore how this is used to make it clear who's talking or who's doing an action. That was especially apparent to me with Dainix and Falst in the caves—their colors are both fairly warm, but quite distinct, and I love how this clarifies who's doing what in panels with a lot of action from both of them. There is a particular bit that stuck out to me, so I dug up the panels (see this page and the following one https://comicaurora.com/aurora/1-20-30/):

(Gods it looks even prettier now that I put it against a plain background. Also, appreciation to Falst for managing a bridal-carry midair, damn.)

The way that their colors MERGE here! And the immense attention to detail in doing so—Dainix is higher up than Falst is in the first panel, so Dainix's orange fades into Falst's orange at the base. The next panel has gold up top and orange on bottom; we can't really tell in that panel where each of them are, but that's carried over to the next panel—

—where we now see that Falst's position is raised above Dainix's due to the way he's carrying him. (Points for continuity!) And, of course, we see the little "huffs" flowing from orange to yellow over their heads (where Dainix's head is higher than Falst's) to merge the sound of their breathing, which is absurdly clever because it emphasizes to the viewer how we hear two sets of huffing overlaying each other, not one. Absolutely brilliant.

(A few other notes of appreciation to that panel: beautiful glows around them, the sparks, the jagged silhouette of the spider legs, the lovely colors that have no right to make the area around a spider corpse that pretty, the excellent texturing on the cave walls plus perspective, the way Falst's movements imply Dainix's hefty weight, the natural posing of the characters, their on-point expressions that convey exactly how fuckin terrifying everything is right now, the slight glows to their eyes, and also they're just handsome boys <3)

Next up: Rain!!!! So well done! It's subtle enough that it never ever disrupts the impact of the focal point, but evident enough you can tell! And more importantly: THE MIST OFF THE CHARACTERS. Rain does this irl, it has that little vapor that comes off you and makes that little misty effect that plays with lighting, it's so cool-looking and here it's used to such pretty effect!

One of the panel captions says something about it blurring out all the injuries on the characters but like THAT AIN'T TOO BIG OF A PROBLEM when it gets across the environmental vibes, and also that'd be how it would look in real life too so like… outside viewer's angle is the same as the characters', mostly? my point is: that's the environment!!! that's the vibes, that's the feel! It gets it across and it does so in the most pretty way possible!

And another thing re: rain, the use of it to establish perspective, particularly in panels like this—

—where we can tell we're looking down at Tynan due to the perspective on the rain and where it's pointing. Excellent. (Also, kudos for looking down and emphasizing how Tynan's losing his advantage—lovely use of visual storytelling.)

Additionally, the misting here:

We see it most heavily in the leftmost panel, where it's quite foggy as you would expect in a rainstorm, especially in an environment with a lot of heat, but it's also lightly powdered on in the following two panels and tends to follow light sources, which makes complete sense given how light bounces off particles in the air.

A major point of strength in these too is a thorough understanding of lighting, like rim lighting, the various hues and shades, and an intricate understanding of how light bounces off surfaces even when they're in shadow (we'll see a faint glow in spots where characters are half in shadow, but that's how it would work in real life, because of how light bounces around).

Bringing some of these points together: the fluidity of the lines in magic, and the way simple glowing lines are used to emphasize motion and the magic itself, is deeply clever. I'm basically pulling at random from panels and there's definitely even better examples, but here's one (see this page https://comicaurora.com/aurora/1-16-33/):

First panel, listed in numbers because these build on each other:

The tension of the lines in Tess's magic here. This works on a couple levels: first, the way she's holding her fists, as if she's pulling a rope taut.

The way there's one primary line, emphasizing the rope feeling, accompanied by smaller ones.

The additional lines starbursting around her hands, to indicate the energy crackling in her hands and how she's doing a good bit more than just holding it. (That combined with the fists suggests some tension to the magic, too.) Also the variations in brightness, a feature you'll find in actual lightning. :D Additional kudos for how the lightning sparks and breaks off the metal of the sword.

A handful of miscellaneous notes on the second panel:

The reflection of the flames in Erin's typically dark blue eyes (which bears a remarkable resemblance to Dainix, incidentally—almost a thematic sort of parallel given Erin's using the same magic Dainix specializes in?)

The flowing of fabric in the wind and associated variation in the lineart

The way Erin's tattoos interact with the fire he's pulling to his hand

The way the rain overlays some of the fainter areas of fire (attention! to! detail! hell yeah!)

I could go on. I won't because this is a lot of writing already.

Third panel gets paragraphs, not bullets:

Erin's giant-ass "FWOOM" of fire there, and the way the outline of the word is puffy-edged and gradated to feel almost three-dimensional, plus once again using Screen or a variation on it so that the stars show up in the background. All this against that stunning plume of fire, which ripples and sparks so gorgeously, and the ending "om" of the onomatopoeia is emphasized incredibly brightly against that, adding to the punch of it and making the plume feel even brighter.

Also, once again, rain helping establish perspective, especially in how it's very angular in the left side of the panel and then slowly becomes more like a point to the right to indicate it's falling directly down on the viewer. Add in the bright, beautiful glow effects, fainter but no less important black lines beneath them to emphasize the sky and smoke and the like, and the stunningly beautiful lighting and gradated glows surrounding Erin plus the lightning jagging up at him from below, and you get one hell of an impactful panel right there. (And there is definitely more in there I could break down, this is just a lot already.)

And in general: The colors in this? Incredible. The blues and purples and oranges and golds compliment so well, and it's all so rich.

Like, seriously, just throughout the whole comic, the use of gradients, blending modes, color balance and hues, all the things, all the things, it makes for the most beautiful effects and glows and such a rich environment. There's a very distinct style to this comic in its simplified backgrounds (which I recognize are done partly because it's way easier and also backgrounds are so time-consuming dear gods but lemme say this) and vivid, smoothly drawn characters; the simplicity lets them come to the front and gives room for those beautiful, richly saturated focal points, letting the stylized designs of the magic and characters shine. The use of distinct silhouettes is insanely good. Honestly, complex backgrounds might run the risk of making everything too visually busy in this case. It's just, augh, so GORGEOUS.

Another bit, take a look at this page (https://comicaurora.com/aurora/1-15-28/):

It's not quite as evident here as it is in the next page, but this one does some other fun things so I'm grabbing it. Points:

Once again, using different colors to represent different character actions. The "WHAM" of Kendal hitting the ground is caused by Dainix's force, so it's orange (and kudos for doubling the word over to add a shake effect). But we see blue layered underneath, which could be an environmental choice, but might also be because it's Kendal, whose color is blue.

And speaking off, take a look at the right-most panel on top, where Kendal grabs the spear: his motion is, again, illustrated in bright blue, versus the atmospheric screened-on orange lines that point toward him around the whole panel (I'm sure these have a name, I think they might be more of a manga thing though and the only experience I have in manga is reading a bit of Fullmetal Alchemist). Those lines emphasize the weight of the spear being shoved at him, and their color tells us Dainix is responsible for it.

One of my all-time favorite effects in this comic is the way cracks manifest across Dainix's body to represent when he starts to lose control; it is utterly gorgeous and wonderfully thematic. These are more evident in the page before and after this one, but you get a decent idea here. I love the way they glow softly, the way the fire juuuust flickers through at the start and then becomes more evident over time, and the cracks feel so realistic, like his skin is made of pottery. Additional points for how fire begins to creep into his hair.

A small detail that's generally consistent across the comic, but which I want to make note of here because you can see it pretty well: Kendal's eyes glow about the same as the jewel in his sword, mirroring his connection to said sword and calling back to how the jewel became Vash's eye temporarily and thus was once Kendal's eye. You can always see this connection (though there might be some spots where this also changes in a symbolic manner; I went through it quickly on the first time around, so I'll pay more attention when I inevitably reread this), where Kendal's always got that little shine of blue in his eyes the same as the jewel. It's a beautiful visual parallel that encourages the reader to subconsciously link them together, especially since the lines used to illustrate character movements typically mirror their eye color. It's an extension of Kendal.

Did I mention how ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL the colors in this are?

Also, the mythological/legend-type scenes are illustrated in familiar style often used for that type of story, a simple and heavily symbolic two-dimensional cave-painting-like look. They are absolutely beautiful on many levels, employing simple, lovely gradients, slightly rougher and thicker lineart that is nonetheless smoothly beautiful, and working with clear silhouettes (a major strength of this art style, but also a strength in the comic overall). But in particular, I wanted to call attention to a particular thing (see this page https://comicaurora.com/aurora/1-12-4/):

The flowing symbolic lineart surrounding each character. This is actually quite consistent across characters—see also Life's typical lines and how they curl:

What's particularly interesting here is how these symbols are often similar, but not the same. Vash's lines are always smooth, clean curls, often playing off each other and echoing one another like ripples in a pond. You'd think they'd look too similar to Life's—but they don't. Life's curl like vines, and they remain connected; where one curve might echo another but exist entirely detached from each other in Vash's, Life's lines still remain wound together, because vines are continuous and don't float around. :P

Tahraim's are less continuous, often breaking up with significantly smaller bits and pieces floating around like—of course—sparks, and come to sharper points. These are also constants: we see the vines repeated over and over in Alinua's dreams of Life, and the echoing ripples of Vash are consistent wherever we encounter him. Kendal's dream of the ghost citizens of the city of Vash in the last few chapters is filled with these rippling, echoing patterns, to beautiful effect (https://comicaurora.com/aurora/1-20-14/):

They ripple and spiral, often in long, sinuous curves, with smooth elegance. It reminds me a great deal of images of space and sine waves and the like. This establishes a definite feel to these different characters and their magic. And the thing is, that's not something that had to be done—the colors are good at emphasizing who's who. But it was done, and it adds a whole other dimension to the story. Whenever you're in a deity's domain, you know whose it is no matter the color.

Regarding that shape language, I wanted to make another note, too—Vash is sometimes described as chaotic and doing what he likes, which is interesting to me, because smooth, elegant curves and the color blue aren't generally associated with chaos. So while Vash might behave like that on the surface, I'm guessing he's got a lot more going on underneath; he's probably much more intentional in his actions than you'd think at a glance, and he is certainly quite caring with his city. The other thing is that this suits Kendal perfectly. He's a paragon character; he is kind, virtuous, and self-sacrificing, and often we see him aiming to calm others and keep them safe. Blue is such a good color for him. There is… probably more to this, but I'm not deep enough in yet to say.

And here's the thing: I'm only scratching the surface. There is so much more here I'm not covering (color palettes! outfits! character design! environment! the deities! so much more!) and a lot more I can't cover, because I don't have the experience; this is me as a hobbyist artist who happened to take a couple design classes because I wanted to. The art style to this comic is so clever and creative and beautiful, though, I just had to go off about it. <3

...brownie points for getting all the way down here? Have a cookie.

#aurora comic #aurora webcomic #comicaurora #art analysis #...I hope those are the right tags???#new fandom new tagging practices to learn ig #much thanks for something to read while I try to rest my wrists. carpal tunnel BAD. (ignore that I wrote this I've got braces ok it's fine)#anyway! I HAVE. MANY MORE THOUGHTS. ON THE STORY ITSELF. THIS LOVELY STORY #also a collection of reactions to a chunk of the comic before I hit the point where I was too busy reading to write anything down #idk how to format those tho #...yeet them into one post...???#eh I usually don't go off this much these days but this seems like a smaller tight-knit fandom so... might as well help build it?#and I have a little more time thanks to break so #oh yes also shoutout to my insanely awesome professor for teaching me all the technical stuff from this he is LOVELY #made an incredibly complex program into something comprehensible <3 #synapse talks

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vetteltea · 18 days

Text

To Be Free | CL16

Summary: You had always dreamed that your creativity would take you further than you could ever imagine. You never in your wildest dreams imagine it would take you to Monaco [5.8K, A]

Warnings: Implied Smut, Charles Leclerc being a Red Flag

Note: Hi. I’m not dead, far from it. Thank you all for being so patient as I post my first piece in over a year. I hope you all enjoy it. Thank you to @a-distantdreamer for always being my cheerleader, to @vinvantae for getting my out of the mid-writing funk and @percervall for giving me the balls to post. I love you all.

In order for art to tell a story, it has to be free.

At least, that is what your creative design professor told you the week before your final project was due. It was hard to be creative in a mundane town full of the same people, conversations and routines. Every day you would wake up while your mother told a story about how ‘Jenny at the gym seems to have filled out again!’ Your father would grunt, tell you he would be home late from work, and slip out the door, half-drunk coffee on the table.

Maybe simply being creative was difficult because you were crammed into a squadron of children—three brothers, two sisters. You were never referred to as an individual; it was always ‘She’s one of their kids.’ Your friends at school only became that because of their established relationship with your family. Nothing irritated you more than when a teacher would call you by a sibling's name. You were your own person, or at least, trying to be. It didn’t matter what colour you dyed your hair or how loud the clothes were you wore; your identity was tied to them.

Art was an escape; everybody had insisted you would be the same as everybody else in that town. In the fullness of time, you would fit into a job where you were paid to sit at a desk and answer the same two questions: No, I don’t want a coffee. Yes, I sent that report over. Your story would end traditionally, with a wedding and children.

The thought of being just another figure in suburbia terrified you. It may have been the dream for so many, but it was not yours. Each piece of art you created seemed to come back to the beginning. A frown from your teacher. She had told you once to drive outside of the town, go to the lake behind the Old Manor House, and see how it makes you feel.

Being five miles away from your hometown had created the piece of art that had skyrocketed your grades. You could only wonder what being five thousand miles away from home would feel like. It was the push you needed, the metaphorical map to make you leave.

Overnight, you packed away your life in a suitcase, kissed your mother’s cheek farewell, and set out to be free.

It turns out that being free was a lot more expensive when you didn’t have a degree behind you like the rest of your family.

Something had led to Toulouse, the classified city of art and history. With the money you had saved, you had been able to manage a week in Paris. (It was terribly overrated in your opinion, and the only highlight had been the overpriced pair of ears and waffles at Disneyland, but you couldn’t live like an artist when you couldn’t sell art.)

You have to succumb, moving away from the capital and towards the south, wondering why you didn’t come here in the first place. There was something romantic, peaceful. Neighbours said hello, and something seemed to be happening on every corner, not just middle-aged women doing pilates or another school bake sale. (Bake sales were fine, just not when the one English-speaking cafe you now had a job in seemed to have one every three days.)

There were perks to working there: Tuesday and Sunday off, where you could sit by the Garonne with a set of pastel-half sticks that had been crammed into your suitcase. It was a view you could draw over and over, the deep blue twinkling in the afternoon sun. The contrast of the great greenery on each bank of the river made for a beautiful sight—maybe, in your opinion, a beautiful piece, too. Once or twice the locals had raised their eyebrows at the girl in a fluorescent jacket and mismatched trainers, arched over a sketchbook, but even they had stopped, paused to take in her artworks, and nodded approvingly. One woman had even placed a twenty-euro note at your left-hand side in exchange for one of the copious drawings in your book.

You didn’t understand all of their words, still picking up snatches of French each day (and Duolingo had been a welcome companion on your phone), but their smiles and points between the paper and the view were enough to confirm you of their satisfaction.

On the fourth Tuesday of your arrival, your position had adjusted slightly, setting up shop on the bridge rather than the greenery. You almost drop your pencil into the river when somebody stops behind you, humming in admiration. This piece was different; inspired by Lindsay Fox; softer colours, harsher lines in an almost marble effect.

The man says something in French, but you have to shake your head; it’s way beyond a 34-Day Streak for Duolingo. He smiles, understandingly, changing to speak in English.

“That’s a beautiful piece.” He pauses. “Is it your own style?” His accent is clearly from this area but seems almost more reformed and classier.

“It’s inspired by another artist.” You explain, never bothering to go into further detail; nobody ever understands beyond that. “But it’s my own take. I never get bored of this view.”

“Can I see more?” He asks.

You still find it strange; hearing people around the area speak English isn’t uncommon, but their few words are usually to tell you they like what you’re working on or to order a coffee. There’s a hint of worry in your body language when you pass over the sketchbook, but he’s careful, fingers gently turning the pages, pausing every few moments to take in one piece, gently following his fingers across the sketch lines.

“It’s incredible.” He insists, handing the book back. “Tell me, do you take commissions?”

You have to pause. Commissions had come so few and far between; since being here, you had managed to expand your portfolio. Sometimes, locals would ask you to do a sketch of them or their loved ones, returning later in the day to pick up the piece and marvel at the design. You can’t offer a straightforward answer, so you have to just nod.

For the first time, you look at him properly, too. Dark hair, tousled, and clearly in need of a cut. His eyes are the same colour as the river you draw almost every day, with mismatched dimples on each cheek. He’s beautiful.

“Perfect.” He nods, feeling in the pocket of his loose jeans for a pen. You raise your eyebrows, watching as he holds out his hand, nodding for you to give yours over. Hesitantly, you do, eyes fixed as he scribbles a number down on the back of your palm.

“Do you know how to get to Monaco from here?” He asks casually. You have to pause.

“Is Monaco nearby?” You ask, dumbfounded. It’s worth it, you decide. For the smile on his face that appears.

“A few hours away.” He clarifies. “Can you... do that? I can just show you a photo and come back myself, but... the place. It’s special to me. I’d like to see how you would interpret it in your style.”

A frown appears on his face when you don’t answer immediately.

“I can pay you an advance now.” The man insists. “Eighty? Ninety?”

You have to pause then. Eighty or ninety euros may seem minimal in some precautions, but that could buy your groceries for a week; it was practically a day’s work at the coffee shop for a piece of art.

“That would be perfect.” You smile. “I’m off next Sunday. Would that work for you?” You ask. He’s smiling now, nodding in confirmation.

“It would work for me.” He clarifies. “Text me over your bank details." He nods, watching as I reach for my phone, typing in his phone number. “I’ll send you the advance and we can arrange a meeting time.” He finishes, looking down to his watch; his footsteps draw away from you, giving a final nod, but then holds out his hand.

“Charles.” The man introduces himself with his name. You don’t hesitate in taking his hand, shaking it back, and giving your own name to him. “Nice jacket, by the way.” He adds.

You raise your eyebrows, looking at the deep brown leather jacket around your shoulders. It oddly complimented your black and white plaid dress and deep green boots, or so you thought. A grin appears on your face when you pull off the garment, taking in the prancing horse on the back.

“It's a Ferrari.” You explain. “Pretty unique, but people don’t seem to realise it. Found it in a second-hand store.”

“Honestly.” Charles grins. “Some people wouldn’t recognise a Ferrari if it came and shouted in their face.”

Sometimes you need to clarify details before agreeing to something with a complete stranger.

To begin, he hadn’t told you that he meant Monte Carlo; you were being asked to commission in the most expensive city in one of the most expensive countries in the world. You had taken a train out of Toulouse on Saturday evening after your shift, bustling through the crowded town of people on their way out to enjoy the weekend. Suitcase in hand, you had curled up in the corner of a carriage, watching as the ocean and scenery passed you by, practically falling into bed when you arrived at the last-minute hostal bed you had booked, bypassing the sounds of the noisy couple above you.

Secondly, ninety turned out to be an incredibly misleading number.

You had let out the oddest mix between a scream and a gasp when you checked your bank later on that evening, seeing that ninety-thousand euros had been sent over under C.LECLERC. It not only gave you a heart attack, knowing that money could keep you afloat for a lot longer than it would take saving from working in the cafe, but it also gave you a name.

Typing the name into your Google search later that evening had been like discovering a state secret. Charles Leclerc, Formula One driver for Scuderia Ferrari. His face was plastered over your home screen, adorned in red fireproofs, atop a podium, in a car with aerodynamics you couldn’t even begin to understand.

Your stomach had twisted. A truly evil part of yourself had the idea of disappearing and never returning, ninety thousand euros richer. That money could lead to your freedom. But in your heart, you knew what you were. An artist, trying to path their way, and how would it look if you had disappeared after taking money from such a well-known being?

The train from Nice to Monte-Carlo is only forty minutes; before you know it, you’re stepping onto the train platform, mismatched converses in red and black complimenting the cherry red clip pinning back your hair. You had shoved the scrap of paper you had scribbled the meeting point on in your dungaree pocket, pulling it out and shuffling to the side of the platform. It’s only a short walk, but it’s made longer by the constant pauses, taking in the sight of the city. Extravagant, classy, old buildings piling up either side of the winding roads, peeks of an overcrowded harbour, boats that were worth more than you would ever make in your life on view. It was like walking around a movie scene; there was no other way to describe it.

The main character of the city is sitting at the bridge on the address, hands in his pockets, lips turning into a grin when he sees your figure, identical from the day back in Toulouse. Immediately, Charles has left his spot, smiling at your presence.

“You made it." He grins, starting to speak before your tone interrupts him.

“And you didn’t tell me who you were!” You exclaim, your moral compass falling over you. “Charles, I can’t accept that much.”

“I’m sorry?” He pauses. “I thought we discussed; that was just a pre-”

“It’s a pre-nothing!” You shake your head. “I’m not a proper artist—I can’t charge that much!”

“Really?” Charles pauses, nonchalantly. “You seem like a...proper artist to me. Your work is incredible.”

He doesn't give you time to argue further, offering his arm out and motioning to follow him. You can’t help but raise an eyebrow, falling into step alongside him. It suddenly makes sense; why is he keeping his head lower than when you originally met, keeping the sunglasses across his eyes? You want to try and make conversation; you want to feel less awkward than walking alongside a literal billionaire.

You don’t need to; he makes the conversation for you.

“Why Toulouse?” He asks, slowing down his pace, wanting to hear your answer. “Not many artists stay around the South of France for too long.”

“Paris was overrated.” You shrug, giving a completely honest answer. It doesn't hit you until you’ve said it that you had practically insulted the country where you were currently residing and your hand comes over your mouth in realization. “Oh my god, you’re not from Paris, are you?”

Charles is laughing. Something about your expressions made him grin. “You searched me up, but didn’t think to check where I was from?”

“I didn’t get to it.” You quip back. “I was kind of distracted by the fact you’re a multi-race winner in the biggest Motorsport in the world.”

“And you still didn’t recognise me on the bridge.” He pauses. “I’m from Monaco. I’m not French. Just…a lot of drivers live here.”

“A Tax-Haven, right?” Your personality comes through at long last, any sense of awkwardness washing away. “You set up camp here, but you’re not here most of the year, so... more money.” You can tell from the way Charles stays silent you’re banging on, correct in your guess.

“Monaco is my home, too. I am actually from here.”

Our pace slows as we reach a hill. The road is more prominent there, curving in a hairpin. Everything in its surroundings seems to complement it: the high buildings, the shrubbery, the bright red and white stripes outlining the road. Charles has frozen in his spot, and you can tell that this is the spot he was talking about. His commission. You can practically see the memories from track in his vision, almost as if he’s taking in every turn he’s ever made, every time he’s walked along this road since a toddler holding onto his mother's skirts.

“This is it.” You narrate for him. “This is your spot.”

He turns to you, eyes lifted, bright. “What do you think?” He asks, your own eyes still focused on the place.

“It’s beautiful.” You say it with sincerity. It is the way the entirety of Monaco, of its racing pedigree, seems to be captured in one shot. It almost feels too surreal; it almost feels as if you wouldn’t be able to do justice to this place with a mere canvas. “What kind of style?”

“That’s completely up to you.” Charles pauses. “Your creative style. How do you see this place? Because I think you see it the same way that I do, yes?”

“Yes.”

A lot can change in two weeks.

Your bedsit in Toulouse had been the biggest change; in the centre of the room was a large canvas, a curved road in the middle of the page clearly outlined. The sofa is littered with various paints, chalk, and pencils—a collage of rich reds, deep greens, and charcoal black.

The cafe hadn’t been forgotten; you had taken a sabbatical, insisting you needed two weeks—just two weeks—then you would be back to making overpowered coffee and refolding a newspaper four times in twenty minutes to place back on the front table.

Charles stays in contact; it’s a little difficult, within the midst of time zone differences and media releases. Sometimes it’s a text, and other times it's a video sent of where he is, insisting it would be good inspiration for your next portfolio piece. You don’t know how many times you have to explain it’s different; you need to feel it. Understand it further than a picture on the screen of your run-down phone. Sometimes it’s difficult to deny the flutter in your stomach when you receive one of these messages.

You get a FaceTime call on the Saturday night of his current race weekend in Barcelona. The weather is cloudy and there’s already been engine issues on his teammates home turf; Charles was frowning when he originally joined the call. Clearly a weak qualifying was looming in his head.

“Hey.” You’re starting the conversation, a paintbrush tucked behind your ear, a colourful shirt misbuttoned. “Is everything alright?”

“I just wanted to see how it was going.” Charles explains. “I mean, the painting—and well, you obviously. Did you find a chocolate pastry in the end this morning? I know you were craving one.”

A smile falls to your lips; in the midst of a race weekend with no luck, no speed, and no chance of getting into Q3, he has still found time to check in, lying back in the stupidly expensive sheets of his hotel bed, stubble and hair both overgrown, the buttons of his Ferrari Polo discarded, golden chest peeking outwards.

“It’s…going.” You shrug, “I want to do it justice—to find the colours and style that just...” One hand moves in a dramatic gesture. Charles nods understandingly as you continue your rant. “I’ve gone back there three times since the original visit, you know?”

A smirk appears on the driver’s face. “And you didn’t bother to let me know?”

“You were in Canada. You’re also my client; I want to make sure it’s what I promised.” You insist, walking back over to the array of shade pallets on your couch, fingers reaching down to select your third red chalk of the afternoon. Charles is content to watch your eyes focus, the nudge of the camera indicating you were rotating through your next tool.

“Hey.” His tone causes you to turn your attention back to the camera. “Do you want to see something cool?”

“I always want to see something cool.” You grin, watching as Charles sits himself up from his bed, the sound of his bare feet padding against the tiles of his Mediterranean hotel room. There’s telltale signs of his presence in the background: the phone charger by the mirror, the watch he had worn the first time you met him in Toulouse, a bundle of friendship bracelets, lovingly made by the Tifosi.

None of it, however, compares to when he lifts his phone, skin glowing in the soft sun, and flips the camera around to portray his balcony view.

The sight of Barcelona in the deep sun from Charles’ phone makes your heart stop. The sky a deep blue you crayoned as a child, roads twisting into an abstract stroke of tar and coloured dots of various sporting cars. There’s bright greens, specks of colour from the greenery. In the distance, you can still hear the ocean and the lapping of the waves.

You’ve always been clear that before you commit to creating art, you want to see the place and feel the place first. There’s almost certainty in your mind that the rule can be relaxed for the view you’re currently experiencing.

“It’s beautiful.” You finally whisper, after a full five minutes of transfixing through the phone screen.

“I’ll take you here one day.” Charles insists. “Paints and all.”

He doesn't miss the way your eyes flicker to the side, the pink that decorates your cheeks and matches the ribbon tying back your fringe whilst you work.

Monte-Carlo on the Saturday evening before the Monaco Grand Prix is an experience like no other.

Charles had pleaded to send a car to collect you from France, despite the fact the journey would have been faster by train—a whole two hours faster. In the end, the compromise is a ticket that would keep you safe and well-looked after in the First Class carriage. While you reclined in the leather seat, a high-end soda on your table, a canvas wrapped in brown paper, secured with nimble string, was nestled at your side.

You were certain you had spent an entire hour just…staring when it was completed. In your hearts, it was certainly your most intricate and perfect piece. A part of you could have spent the rest of eternity just staring at the landscape, the rest of your bedsit out of focus while you were transported back to that road in Monaco. It helps the mental stimulation that had overpowered you for the weeks; how you had spent an evening comparing your books on Sylvia Hikins’ minute but powerful detail and the reflection work of Dmity Oleyn.

It’s not a huge walk to Charles’ apartment from the train station; what makes it longer is the amount of racing fans, clad in bright red, papaya orange, or deep blue. A cacophony of colours lines the streets of Monte-Carlo, attention diverted to the paddock nestled alongside the arbor. Your heart rate increases as the crowds become thicker, desperately trying to keep your packaged painting away from nudges and knocks.

It’s only when you reach the edge of the city that the crowds loosen a little and there’s a chance for you to slide out your phone, thumb-tapping in the address on Google Maps, a reminder of your first encounter with Charles almost three weeks ago.

There was in fact no need for this in the end. You’re not sure which event takes place first: your map location updating to announce you were less than a one-minute walk from your destination or the shout from above you. Instinctively, your head turns upwards, feeling the long braid of hair fall down your back and locating the source of the noise as a smile beams from your mouth.

There’s two figures on the balcony, both leaning over the glass barriers. One is shorter, a mass of dark hair and thick-rimmed glasses, waving wildly to gain your attention. The other is blessed with brown hair and instantly turns from the balcony when he sees your figure.

A minute later, the door to the complex in front of you is opening, your client grinning as he steps out from the foyer, feet covered in just socks as he hops down the path to you. Maybe it’s the soft sunset, or the way his oversized tee shirt makes the muscles peeking from his arms look even more defined. You’re certain Charles Leclerc could look beautiful by any means necessary.

He doesn't give you time to process these thoughts any further as he wraps an arm around your shoulder, clearly in high spirits from his home race weekend.

“Is that for me?” He grins, eyes widening at the parcel as you shake your head.

“No.” You hum. “I just tend to carry around a giant square wherever I go.” You grin, looking down to your own outfit, then to his own. “Are you sure I’m in the right city? I feel very overdressed compared to the people in sports shirts.”

“You look perfect.” He insists, his arm falling from your shoulder to your bicep. “Come on. Come up and meet everybody.”

“I’m sorry?” You falter. “You want me to come and meet-“

“Please?” His hand falls lower, fingers tracing around your wrist as he slowly connects your palms together. “I want to introduce them to you. Put a name to a face.”

The insistence is good, and you refuse to move your hand away when he entwines your fingers together, praying that you aren’t going to drop the painting or your jaw from the unexpected intimacy.

The smile only grows on this face when you nod, letting him slip your threaded backpack from your shoulder, guiding you into the foyer.

The painting reveal goes…incredibly well.

Four hours ago, you had been led up to his apartment, introduced as ‘The next Van Gogh.’ He gives you a few moments to introduce yourself, noting to you that this wasn’t the entity of his group; you would meet some more faces tomorrow, should they be celebrating. When somebody had opened their mouth to argue that if you were really that good, you should have been nicknamed after Leonardo DaVinchi. Charles only grins when he gives his response.

“But DaVinchi was never a landscape painter like my girl, was he?”

You’re lucky enough to get to watch the reaction of several Monegasques seeing one of the most iconic portraits of their country come to life. There’s applause, cheers, and for the first time in your life, you feel like an artist. Not just somebody who places pencil and pastel to paper, hoping for the best. Your eyes can’t even focus on the work; the colours and strokes entwine into one. No, they fall to Charles; blinking back the tears, he's... overcome. You saw his vision. You got his understanding. You understood him.

He doesn't hold back from walking over to you, arms wrapping and squeezing you oh-so-tightly, applauding and thanking you over and over for your work.

In the remaining three hours and thirty-eight minutes since the reveal, there had been celebrations, soft drinks, and music. Your attention has been completely stolen by a golden dachshund—Leo, somebody tells you—who licks your ankle and insists on being lifted. Do you spend the rest of the gathering with the puppy in your arms? Quite possibly.

When the group dies down, Leo is placed in his sofa spot, chewing on one of his toys, occupied whilst you take the opportunity to look over the lights of the city—lights of buildings twinkling along the shoreline, a clear sky enveloped in black, how the deep blue of the ocean in the harbour is illuminated by the streetlamps.

You’re so engrossed that you jolt when you feel a hand on your back, before a string of apologies and a soft laugh fall from Charles’ lips. A comfortable silence settles for a moment before he speaks again, looking back over the skyline.

“I used to look out over the harbour when I was young.” He explains. “After I had a bad race or lost on something... I knew my home would always welcome me back.”

“It is quite beautiful.” You hum, shuffling from the open-aired area and back into the lounge. Your art piece now hangs in pride on the wall, next to a silver trophy. His first win, one of his friends had told you when they had caught you staring.

Both of you stare at the trophy and then the art piece, and the smile crawls back onto Charles’ face. Before he can fall into an endless spiral of gratitude again, you have to speak.

“Did you always want to be a racing driver?” You ask. Charles nods.

“It’s a part of me, no? Like I believe that being an artist is a part of you.” His expression softens as his vision finally meets the side of your cheek. “I want to know the other parts of you, too.”

It’s enough to make you turn your head from the view, and for the first time all evening, you see Charles. The same one you had seen at the hairpin turn all those weeks ago. Slowly, his hand comes back out, gently circling your wrist. You swear the entirety of Europe could feel your heartbeat, most certainly the man in front of you.

“I want to know about these paintings you love.” He murmurs. “About the necklace you always wear and why your eyes sparkle when you see open water.” His forehead skims across your own, noses bumping, lips dangerously close as his hand moves from your wrist, dancing up your arm, holding your chin.

“Will you come to the race tomorrow?” He asks softly.

Words seem almost incomprehensible until you softly breathe out. “Yes.”

That’s all it takes; the butterflies in your stomach swarm as he surges forward, finally pressing his lips to yours. The world seems almost right; everything finally makes sense; you don’t need to be free to create art; you just need to be found. Found by a man who understood art on the banks of France. Who understood the tri-colour shirts you wore on a phone call? Who understood you?

You had never felt more found then when your lips pressed back into his and he softly guided you back into his bedroom.

Being found washed over you for the next fifteen hours.

You had rolled out of the Navy Blue bed sheets that morning after a deep slumber, wrapped up against Charles’ bare body. Any detailing of his room had been completely bypassed when you had sauntered through his apartment, the top he had been wearing the previous night covering your frame.

Part of you is disappointed to see his golden torso now covered by a scarlet shirt as he bends down to give Leo his water bowl, humming in contentment as his puppy excitedly laps at the water. The happiness only grows further when he reaches back up, arms opening to envelope you into his chest, a hand threading into the back of your head as he tucks you into his neck.

“I didn’t expect you to be up so soon.” He murmurs. “Did I wake you?”

“Leo did.” You grin. “But I could never be mad at that face.” You insist, feeling Charles’ chest vibrate with laughter. Eventually, the hands on your hips have to pull away, a soft kiss being pressed to your hairline.

“Joris is going to be here in a couple of hours to bring you and Leo to the track.” He hums. “I left your Paddock Pass next on top of the mantelpiece. Otherwise the raptor would have chewed it.” He grins, his smile dropping when he sees you look out of the window, towards the track layout. “I’ll… You’re still coming?” He asks curiously.

“I am.” You smile. “I said I would.”

True to your word, you do so. True to his word, Joris appears at Charles’ apartment door one hour and a bit later. He greets you pleasantly enough, asking how you found Monaco and congratulating you again on your art piece. When he goes to collect Leo into his arms, the puppy backs away, sniffing at your legs as he practically demands to nestle back into your arms. You can’t help but laugh, letting him nuzzle into your chest.

Joris says nothing, but when he leads you to his car and you’re reunited with the group of friends who would be attending the race in the Paddock, he makes sure that he takes Leo so that you can enjoy the conversation with the remaining people in the group.

The conversation flows freely and happily, only interrupted when the puppy begins to bark, pulling on his lead towards a figure in front of the group. A beautiful, slender figure dressed in soft pink, dark hair glossy and neat, a smile worth a million stars as she steps in time with Charles.

Joris laughs as he lets go of the lead, and Leo goes bouncing over to the figure, clearly recognising her. When she stands back up, the puppy in her grasp, and steps closer to Charles, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, your stomach immediately drops.

Charles’ own eyes flicker to you for a split second. He’ll never erase the look that was washed over your face when the girl nudges him softly, telling the group that her Charles must have slept well the previous night, which he never usually does before a race day.

Part of you—a strong, passionate part of you as deep and as powerful as the paints in your works—wants to scream out and tell this woman that her Charles had been wrapped up in your hot touch less than twenty-something hours ago. That he had whispered in your ear as his hips rolled against yours, that he had told you soft stories of a promised future together as you had found rest in his arms.

In such a short amount of time, you had allowed yourself to be chained, to be latched into a rope of feeling from the beautiful man who had approached you in a city that was almost perfect. If it had been perfect, the man would have walked to you, squeezed your hand, and gently kissed you again. Instead, his hand finds the woman’s hip, walking with the rest of the group whilst you falter behind, barely giving a second glance, slipping away from the gaggle of conversation, unseen.

As Charles climbs into his car that afternoon, you slide the keys to your bedsit into a small envelope, leaving a wad of cash and an apology note for leaving your contract so early.

In order for art to tell its story, it has to be free.

Charles returns to Toulouse on Monday morning, low on the P8 result he had received the afternoon before and the way his girlfriend had kissed his cheek and told him not to worry, that his luck would change. All whilst she whispered praises into his lips, caught in a kiss at the back of some overpriced club, his mind is overpowered by the thoughts of you, as bright as the landscapes in your sketchbook.

He has to explain. He longs to pull you into his arms and tell you he meant what he said. When he arrives, he looks everywhere. In every art shop, every park, every museum. He remembers you mentioning a part-time job in a cafe. On his ninth attempt, he freezes when he steps through the entrance, the chime of a bell hitting the front foot in mid-ring when he sees a landscape displayed proudly on the wall.

He doesn't need to ask. Feet come over to the counter as he looks over. Two girls. Neither of them are you. One of them turns around and smiles nicely enough, asking what the man would like to order.

“The woman who painted that.” He nods to the picture of the Garrone. “Where did she go?” It’s clear the girl behind the counter knows something and bites down on her lip to stay silent. It only takes one more pleading look from Charles before the words spill from her lips.

“She’s gone. Left the city on Sunday.” She pauses. “She’s gone to be free. I don’t think she’ll be back."

Charles feels his heart crack as harshly as the damages in Manet sculpture on your phone screen wallpaper. Your story insisted on you being free. After all, you had been the art. The piece where no matter what he saw for the rest of his existence, he would never be able to forget.

278 notes · View notes

jjunieworld · 7 months

Text

stupid cupid! ` . ᡣ𐭩 ་ જ⁀➴

pairing: huening kai x gn!reader

genre: fluff-y mainly, cupid!hueningkai, sort of psyche!reader, blonde!kai, strangers to lovers, love at first sight(?), yearning to the max, kinda mythology au? (references to gods & myths), both y/n and kai’s pov are shown

synopsis: hueningkai, better known as cupid, is known for his art in helping people fall in love. shooting his arrows here and there, getting those who are meant to be together. what happens when after he shoots one of his love arrows at you, the other one somehow ends up hitting him?

word count: 6.5k┊v-day event masterlist┊masterlist

a/n: last and final part of my v-day event! happy valentine’s day!! kai’s look and outfit is heavily based on his look and outfit from the freeze concept photos (above)! lowkey this made me wanna get into more mythology aus, maybe even delve more deeper into cupid!kai and psyche!reader… who knows! i hope you enjoy! ♡

valentine’s day was always a good day for hueningkai. it was when he really got to shine at what he did. hueningkai liked to people watch, liked to see just what makes two mortals fall for each other. yes, he was well versed in all things love—thanks to his mother, but he’s never actually experienced it before.

inhaling deeply, hueningkai steadied his bow and aimed towards the boy a couple yards from him, his large ivory wings flaring out behind him. he shifted slightly from high up on his perch as he aimed for the boy’s heart, light pink arrowhead beaming brightly in the early morning sunlight. time slowed as hueningkai exhaled, no sound, no movement, nothing. all at once everything flew back into motion as the bowstring flung past his limp fingertips, the silver arrow shooting through the boy’s heart and unrequited love consuming him.

hueningkai pulled out another shaft from his quiver at his hip, this one with a blunt tip made of lead. he aimed it at the girl beside the boy and fired it, aversion filling her body as the two of them looked at each other. hueningkai lowered his bow as he watched the mortals, intrigued. his wings tucked themselves into his back behind him.

as the boy professed his love for the girl, as they always do, the girl’s face fell more and more. a polite smile formed on her mouth and she pushed the extended card back towards the boy. hueningkai watched her lips, her mouth forming: “i’m sorry, but i just don’t feel that way about you.” he then watched as the boy’s shoulders dropped and he turned to walk away. hueningkai hummed. how curious, he thought.

flying over the crowd of people, the eye that wasn’t covered by his pink heart-shaped eyepatch was focused on the sky ahead of him. hueningkai lifted the eyepatch, closing his eyes briefly as he landed to adjust to the sudden difference in vision. when he opened them again, wings coming to lay flat at his back, they landed on you a few feet in front.

pulling out a golden arrow of uncontrollable desire, hueningkai aims it straight at your heart. hueningkai felt his own beating heart in his chest as he steadied his slightly shaking fingers, staring at the slightly transparent pink halo that’s around your body. you were quite beautiful, and that was saying something coming from him. releasing the arrow and watching it pierce through you, he looks around for your matching halo but sees no one. hueningkai furrows his eyebrows. how odd, this has never happened before, he thinks.

hueningkai moved to put his bow over his shoulders when the heart-shaped tip of one of his golden arrows grazed his skin, scratching him. thinking nothing of it, he moved to continue on his way. he is very busy today, and he still had to shoot his arrows into a plethora of other people. surely his own arrows of desire couldn’t affect the god of desire?

he gave one last look at you as he pulled his eyepatch back down. suddenly, hueningkai felt as if his heart was physically trying to leap out his chest and he reeled backwards from the feeling, wings enveloping him as he squeezed his eyes shut.

what the hell? he thought. what is this feeling? shaking his head slightly, he looked back up at you just as you looked up from the paper you were scribbling away on. your eyes widened and eyebrows had knitted together as you seemingly saw him.

that was impossible, hueningkai should’ve been invisible to the human eye! taking flight, hueningkai flew high into the clouds at a rapid speed. today was already off to a rough start and the day had barely begun.

you felt like there were a heavy set of eyes on you, burning a hole right through your body and to your very soul. looking up from your sketchbook, you locked eyes with what you could only describe as an angel. you couldn’t see much of him, his body and face mainly being covered with wings as white as snow, but you saw his dark eyes and his fair hair.

his eyes pierced through you with such intensity, it caused your heart to pick up in speed and your breath to hitch. both of his eyes were brown, but the right one had a ring of dark pink bleeding into the iris. they were shadowed with a deep pink and you saw what looked like an eyepatch above the strange looking right eye. light blonde hair fell messily over his forehead. who was he, this man—this creature? what was he? was he even a he?

furrowing your brows, you didn’t have the chance to answer before the winged creature took to the sky. you looked around you as confusion seeped into you. nobody else seemed to have seen a thing. not even the fallen winter leaves seemed ruffled by the wind of it’s wings.

at first, you thought maybe a prank was being played on you, but the more and more you looked around and saw nobody reacting to what you just saw, you began to think against it. maybe it was your mind playing a trick on you from your lack of sleep? running a hand over your face and sighing lightly, you gathered your sketchbook and your supplies and threw on your black jacket as you headed home.

that night, the creature wouldn’t leave your mind. his tormented eyes and the light against his hair haunted you all the way to your dreams.

in your dream, you were in a vast, intricately decorated palace. golden columns, carved ceilings of ivory, and walls full of wild animals beckoned you forward on the jeweled mosaic floor. in the distance you can hear piano playing softly, so you decide to follow it through the empty corridors.

you walked into a large open room with a single, long table in the center. there was only one chair, at the head closest to the entrance. half of the room was lit up by candlelight, the other half was basked in darkness. the strangeness of it all halted you, made your pulse quicken. it didn’t help that you could feel someone from the shadows watching you intently from the other side of the table, could barely see the outline of their silhouette.

“take a seat, my darling,” a honeyed voice said. something didn’t seem right about it. it sounded almost twisted at the corners; unreal and slightly disembodied. slowly, you made your way to the only seat available, confused eyes and knitted brows looking around the room. at the blink of your eyes, there was suddenly a feast in front of you. the plate just in front of you was almost filled to the brim with various types of dishes and there was a goblet with a candelabra next to it filled with who knows what. “don’t be shy, fill your needs. and then fill them more,” the voice spoke softly.

you leaned away from the table slightly, not a lot to cause suspicion or alert whoever was across from you. you didn’t think that mattered, though, because the gaze on you was already piercing. somehow, you felt like you knew it was that creature you saw earlier who was now hiding in the darkness.

a softly humming voice joined in with the piano and it sent a shiver down your spine from how beautiful it sounded. “are you a man, or an angel?” you asked the darkness, scared of the answer. a slight chuckle followed, “i am neither.” with narrowed eyes, you hope you were staring the creature directly into its eyes.

“so what are you then?” you asked, courage filling you. silence hangs in the air thickly and you feel the courage you built up slipping. after what felt like forever, the voice replied, “i am the son of love, i am desire.” you could practically hear the smile on the creature’s lips. before you could respond, ask the creature what he means, you felt yourself begin to fade. the edges of your vision was getting hazy and the details of the room were becoming blurred.

almost feverishly, you wake up in your room to sketches absolutely everywhere. your room looked like someone flung papers all over the place. in front of you was a canvas, the portrait of the creature the morning you saw him on it. looking down, your hands were absolutely covered in various shades of paint. there was paint on your arms and looking in the mirror hanging on your wall, there was paint all over your face and in your hair as well.

you turned to see the scattered sketches. his eyes were looking back at you everywhere; the slight wave of his light hair. over and over and over again. what is happening? you wondered. what is this… thing? and why couldn’t you stop thinking about him, this son of love, this desire?

pulling your laptop open, you began to search the large ocean of information on the internet. you just had to know.

hueningkai shook with the need to soar through the sky. to find out why he is so drawn to this mortal human and why. and how. he could barely carry out his tasks of bringing people together when all he was thinking about was being with you. it was driving him absolutely insane. driving him completely insane not following the call of heart to you.

how stupid he was to visit your dream, it just made everything worse. hueningkai didn’t understand, his arrows shouldn’t affect him. right? he thought back to the moment he drew his arrow at you, the moment he aimed straight for your heart.

the way his own heart picked up in beat, the slight shake of his fingers. this was so unlike anything he’s ever known, ever witnessed. hueningkai needed to see you again.

ripping his eyepatch off, hueningkai scanned his surroundings, letting his bow and arrow go limp in his other hand. that’s when something caught his eye. there was a slightly transparent pink halo around him. hueningkai’s eyes widened in shock. it was the same halo that was around you when he shot his arrow.

his eye gave him the ability to see which people connected and which ones didn’t, see the red string between them. hueningkai didn’t need to use that power of his often, only on days—such as valentine’s day—when things are particularly hectic. holding up the hand with his eyepatch dangling from it, hueningkai stared down at his open hand; stared down at the string of red tied at his pinky. he stared at how the string—more like a ribbon—spread ahead of him forwards.

could the god of desire—the god of attraction, god of affection… fall in love? be in love? even experience love? at least in the way that these humans he loved to watch do? was it possible? hueningkai was afraid to let himself hope, let himself wonder, but he just had to know.

following the red ribbon, hueningkai made his way towards you. this time, he watched from the shadows casted by the cloudy morning sky as you scurried around the inside of a library, tugging the ribbon in every direction you went. hueningkai watched on curiously, he wanted so badly to get closer to you, but he knew better than to show his face.

he knew better than to see as your eyes fog over as you saw what everyone else saw, the thing you most desired. the person who you wanted him to be, to look as. he knew better than to break his own heart. you would never see hueningkai as himself.

but he just had to get to know you. even without the red string of fate tying you together, without hueningkai’s arrows, you still piqued his interest. your beauty was unmatched, and the more he watched you through the library window, the more he was curious about your personality as well. hueningkai decided that he would meet you again in person, not face to face, but as close as he can get.

hueningkai decided that instead of beating around the bush like he did in your dream, that he would answer your questions, and even ask some of his own. maybe the two of you could get to know each other? i mean, it’s only a matter of time.

you couldn’t focus on the book you were reading. the quiet, relatively empty, library was too loud—too bustling. you couldn’t focus with all the thoughts of him running rampid in your mind. it also didn’t help that you felt eyes on you again—his eyes. you knew that somewhere, he was watching you.

if you were honest, you couldn’t say you hated the attention. at least, not from him. it was strange, you weren’t one to want to be the center of attention, but you found yourself wanting to be the center of his attention. his eyes on you almost felt… comforting? refreshing? like a warm blanket on a cold day; a sip of ice cold water on a hot one.

it also helped that you now knew his true name; cupid. or that’s what your books and the internet say anyways. to you, he didn’t look like some baby with wings waving a bow and arrow around. you didn’t even see a bow and arrow, not that you saw much of him at all because of his large wings. but knowing his true name had to mean something, right?

you wanted to meet him again, see him again. it was as if you craved it. as if you’ve been waiting all your life for it and now that you’ve had a taste you’re ravished. but you didn’t know how to see him again, or if you even could for that matter. you assumed that your next meeting—and probably future ones, as well—were entirely up to him.

looking up at your spot from the wide desk, you stared out into the open library window. stared into the shadows where you saw absolutely nothing, but felt his presence. you lifted your head up high and dared to do what one should never do.

“cupid,” you mouthed, eyes staring intently into the dark. you could practically feel his smile. it was like a tingle up your spine. you could feel your heart pick up pace as his gaze burned into yours, even without seeing him.

putting your head in your hand as you leaned on the desk, you tried to act unbothered but it felt like every cell in your body has electrified, every individual hair standing up on end. then, the heaviness of his gaze had suddenly disappeared and you knew that he was gone.

slumping onto the desk, you inhaled deeply. could it be true? you were being haunted by the cupid, god of desire? you? this all felt unreal, and if you hadn’t had as many encounters with cupid himself that you’ve had thus far, you would’ve written it off. there’s a part of you that still wants to.

every interaction felt loaded. his honeyed voice still rang in the back of your mind, even with how distorted he no doubt made it. every interaction made you want more of him—need more of him. you had to see him. jesus, it’s only been a day and you felt like you were already starting to fall for him. him—cupid. it all seemed so ironic, like a big joke.

you put the books away and made your way home. the ball was in his court now. or should you say: the arrow was in his quiver? it was up to him how this whole relationship forming between the two of you continued, but you hoped you saw him again.

when night fell, you cuddled up in your bed early. perhaps he would come to you in another dream? you squeezed your eyes shut in the pitch black darkness of your room. it seemed like you laid there like that for forever, beckoning sleep, when you suddenly heard the light flap of wings against the wind. you had forgotten that you left your window open to let the cool night air in.

your eyes shot open and immediately looked towards the window. there was nothing there. how could that be? you distinctly heard wings, and you knew that no bird's wings around the area you lived in carried that kind of sound.

“you cannot look upon me…” you heard his voice trail off, barely above a whisper. you had to strain your ears slightly to hear it, but it was the same voice from your dream. only this time, less off-putting and disembodied. “it would not be good for the both of us,” he—cupid, continued.

you sat up in your bed, squinting your eyes for any glimpse of him you could manage even if he said that it wasn’t good. “why not? are you hideous?” you asked him, genuinely curious. cupid’s laugh carried through the window and to your ears, “that’s not possible. i thought you knew who i was? you dared to utter my name, didn’t you?”

“you are cupid, yes?” you asked him. cupid hummed softly in response. “since that is your true name, why must i not see your face? will i be blinded by your beauty?” you felt bothersome asking him so many questions, but what else were you supposed to talk about? how was your day? how many arrows did you shoot through the hearts of mere mortals and immortals alike?

there was a clear smile in his voice as cupid responded, “something of the sort… but cupid is not my true name.” your brows furrowed and you swung your legs over the side of the bed, blanket discarded to the side. in response, your body shivered slightly from the sudden exposure to the cold air. “then… then what is it?” you inquired. everywhere you looked, it said that cupid was his name. if not cupid, then what?

it was silent for a few moments and for a second you thought that he had left when he suddenly spoke, “knowing my true name isn’t safe, not yet. but, you may call me cupid. do i get to know yours?” a smile formed on your lips and you felt your face heat up against the cool air. he was just asking your name, what were you so flustered? “y/n…” you replied. “my name is y/n.”

“y/n…” cupid said, trying your name on his lips. you felt the tingle of his smile. you almost melted from your name coming from his mouth. “what a beautiful name,” he added. muttering out a thanks, you hid your burning cheeks with your hands. thankfully, the room was dark enough that he couldn’t see it, at least you hoped. you didn’t really know how gods worked, didn’t even know they were a real thing until cupid appeared in front of you.

cupid would come every night since then, just behind the barrier of your open window and pressed against the shadow of the night. the two of you would get to know each other—well, he would mainly get to know you and you would get some additional information or corrections on the things you could find about him on the internet and at the library.

“did you really shoot a lead arrow at that nymph?” you asked him. you had dared to sit just below the window, your back pressed to the wall against it as you stared into the darkness of your room. his voice came from overhead, and you could tell he was leaning above you, watching your figure. “it wasn’t one of my proudest moments…” cupid trailed, his voice closer than ever before, although there was some playfulness in his tone. “i felt really bad for what happened to her after. but it was so long ago, i haven’t even thought about it in a while…”

how badly you wanted to look up at him, climb through the window onto the fire escape and look into his eyes, but this was your compromise. cupid was watching you intently, like he always did, and you knew that once you saw his face it was over. your eyebrows raised, “and just how old are you?”

you knew that was a somewhat stupid question. he was a god, he was probably here when the earth had dinosaurs or whatever. in any case, he was definitely older than you were. “old enough,” he chuckled and you swear he held your heart in his hands right then and there. you couldn’t deny the feelings you had for him anymore.

a breeze flew through the open window and your body reacted with a shiver. “if you’re cold, go lay under the blankets. you don’t have to sit under the window,” cupid spoke, voice deep with worry. you shook your head and wrapped your arms a little tighter around yourself, “i want to talk to you… and i can barely hear you all the way over there. i’ll be fine!”

cupid let out a sigh, “i can come inside, if you want…” you tried not to let the smile creep over your face at the thinly veiled shyness in his voice. you nodded, “okay!”

“close your eyes and take a couple steps forward,” cupid spoke and you obeyed his demands. behind you, you could hear the screen part of your window opening and closing. you could hear his light footsteps come towards you. goosebumps trailed up your skin and you gripped the fabric of your pajama pants to keep your hands from shaking in anticipation.

you felt as warm hands found their way to your shoulders and again you resisted the urge to turn around and stare. another shiver ran up your spine, only this time it wasn’t from the chill. “still cold?” cupid asked. his hands trailed down your bare arms and to your waist, leaving more goosebumps. you felt as your body warmed at his touch.

this was the first time you had ever been so close. the first time that you both have even touched, and you weren’t gonna ruin it. squeezing your eyes firmly shut, you barely managed to nod, even though the coldness was now completely gone from your body. you still wanted him near you.

humming, cupid snaked his arms around your waist and pulled you towards him. his ivory wings wrapped around the two of you, enveloping you in its warmth. you sighed lightly as you sank into his touch. the two of you stayed like that for a while, his arms and wings around you and his head resting on top of yours.

“it’s hueningkai,” cupid had whispered after a long bout of silence. you had begun to fall asleep in his arms but his voice woke you right back up. “hm?” you hummed, confused. “my true name,” he spoke. “it’s hueningkai, but you can call me kai.” you smiled widely, so happy you were about to burst at the seams. “okay, kai,” you whispered back.

kai moved his face down so you were almost cheek to cheek. you felt him smile. “sleep, my dear.” melting at his words, you pouted slightly at how he moved his wings from around the two of you. you dared to crack open your eyes and saw the first beams of sunlight sneak into your room and the wisps of blonde hair in your peripheral.

“but… i’m not tir—“ you were cut off by a yawn that you couldn’t fight even if you tried and you mentally kicked yourself. kai’s chuckle was in your ear and he pressed a kiss to your cheek, immediately setting the skin underneath on fire. “i’ll see you tonight,” is all kai said before guiding you gently to your bed. you had gotten into it, facing away from him the entire time with your eyes once again shut, and curled up under the covers.

kai pressed another kiss to your temple and you heard his retreating footsteps towards the window. “sleep well,” he said before you heard the opening and closing of the screen of your window. then, somehow, you heard the closing and locking of the glass part of your window. you didn’t even bother questioning it, most likely part of whatever powers he had, as you drifted off to sleep.

that was the only problem with seeing cupid—hueningkai. it was only at night where he was sure that you couldn’t see his face. you even took extra measures to ensure that, facing away from him in the darkness and even closing your eyes at some points, not wanting his visits to come to an end. he always left before sunrise could peek its way over the horizon, and always came back just as the last house fell into shadow.

the next night, the world was darker thanks to the new moon. kai was back inside the four walls of your room, this time near the window of your room as you laid on the edge of your bed wrapped in your blanket. he had allowed you to look in his direction freely, not that you could see even his silhouette anyways. your bedroom felt like the void and it made you nervous that he would slip away.

“can you come closer?” you asked sheepishly, voice quiet against the night. “there’s so much distance between us and the heavy darkness is making me feel disconnected.” you heard kai’s light laugh trail closer and closer to you, “is that so?”

once he was just mere inches from where you laid on your bed, kai asked, “how close do you want me?” your cheeks flushed in slight embarrassment. there wasn’t anything flirty about the way he said that sentence, he seemed genuinely curious, but the fact that he was willing to be this close to you showed progress. you decided to be bold and scooted over in your bed. “can you get in?” you asked shyly, regret immediately pouring into you.

what if he said no? or worse, what if he left? what if he—

kai slid into the bed next to you, wings tucked tightly flat against his back. you felt him look over to you in the dark. “close enough?” he asked. there was a hint of a smirk in his voice. he leaned in towards you, until your noses were centimeters from each other. “or do you want me to get closer?” kai asked lowly.

you swallowed hard and hoped he didn’t hear. slowly, you moved closer to him and laid against his chest. you then tried not to smile at the quickening of his heart. kai moved to put the blankets over the two of you and then wrapped his arms around you. you heard soft humming in your ears and you didn’t know whether it was kai who was humming or if he was making you hear humming like he made the music play in your dream.

fighting against sleep, you moved to look up at him. although you couldn’t see him, you could feel his stare back on you. you raised your hand up to his face and let the pad of your thumb trail across his cheek. kai jolted ever so slightly at first, but let you continue.

in the darkness, you tried your best to map out his features. his cheeks, the curve of his nose, and plumpness of his lips. kai’s eyes closed as you ran your thumb lightly over his eye and felt his eyelashes.

the two of you said nothing, and slowly you dozed off with your hand cupping his cheek. the lace of his collar tickled your chin as you curled into him closer. in the morning, hueningkai was gone once again.

as hueningkai aimed the pink arrowhead at his target’s heart, his mind was completely on you. how close the two of you were last night to the point where you were curled up against him, breathing softly as your hand rested against his face. his heart had been drumming to the beat of a thousand drums and he was sure that you heard it.

with his entire being, hueningkai wanted to see you in a scenario that wasn’t the two of you in the pitch black. although he could see in the dark way better than mortals could, he wanted to see your face in the sunlight. in the candlelight—in some type of light. hueningkai wanted to watch as your features brightened even more with the introduction of light. he wanted to see your smile in all of its glory.

but he was afraid. afraid that you would see him as something he’s not. that you would start praising features he didn’t have. hueningkai was absolutely terrified that when you described what you liked about him, you would start describing someone else. but the need you see you in a different setting—the desire, knocked the wind out of him and consumed his thoughts. so as he let his arrow pierce through another heart, he made the decision of a lifetime.

hueningkai was going to show you his face.

as the last ray of sunlight fell below the horizon, he flew to your apartment building. just as the night devoured the daylight, hueningkai landed gently onto your fire escape. he opened your unlocked window and stepped lightly into the abyss of your bedroom. he watched as you turned to where you would assume his figure to be, and you surprisingly made eye contact with him. “hi, hueningkai!” you beamed with a warm smile that lit up your features.

“y/n, my love,” hueningkai had replied, his own smile taking over his face. he felt all his stress and worry of the day fall off of him just at the sound of your voice, his name coming from your lips. hueningkai extended a hand out towards you even though he knew you could see it. “i have something important to show you, will you follow me?”

you didn’t think twice as you got up from your bed and made your way towards him by the window. somehow, you found his hand in the dark and intertwined the two of them together. hueningkai helped you out of your window, making sure to close and lock it with a wave of his hand, and pressed you close to his chest. in turn, you wrapped your hands around his waist, gripping onto the back of his white lace top.

once he made sure you were secure and you wouldn’t come to any harm, hueningkai took off with you in his arms and into the night.

landing in the grand hall of his palace, hueningkai made sure that you were completely steady on your feet before letting you go. you had cracked your eyes open, no doubt noticing the light coming through your eyelids, and kept your eyes downcast as you turned away. you then looked up at the intricacies of hueningkai’s palace.

“it’s even more beautiful in person,” you mumbled. “so are you, my love,” hueningkai said, smiling at the back of your head. you scoffed playfully and shook your head, “you’re so lucky i can’t turn to look at you right now…”

hueningkai took your hand and guided you up the grand staircase to his wing of the palace when his bedroom resided. he wanted this moment to be special, just between the two of you, and didn’t want to be disrupted by any of the palace staff. you followed behind him, gasping and remarking on all of the detailed carvings and of the silver and gold accents as the two of you moved from hallway to hallway.

once the both of you had reached hueningkai’s bedchambers, he began to hesitate. what if everything went wrong? crashed and burned and crumbled? hueningkai couldn’t bear the thought of you desiring another. not when his heart was so full of you and only you that it was about to explode. not when all he wanted was to be by your side for forever. not when he loved you so much and so deeply—something he thought he was never capable of—that to lose you now would break him completely. strip him of his immortality and throw him to the darkness down below.

hueningkai couldn’t do it, he couldn’t show you his face like he had planned. at least, not tonight. he would try again tomorrow—but tonight, tonight he was all yours and you were all his.

“what did you want to show me?” you had asked him softly, keeping your back to him as you looked around. taking your hand, hueningkai led you to the bed and curled you up against him. with another wave of his hand, the candles snuffed out. “the change of scenery. thought that you might like being somewhere else for a change.” hueningkai pushed out, feeling guilty.

you smiled as you nodded. “can you stay with me, kai? until at least the early morning?” you then asked quietly, barely above a whisper. your hands gripped the fabric at the sides of hueningkai’s waist in a silent plea. how could he say no to you? “i will,” he whispered, pressing kisses to your eyelids. “when you wake, i’ll still be here. i promise.” it was the least hueningkai could do. and tomorrow, i will show you my face, he thought.

the two of you fell asleep that way, your chests rising and falling together in sync. hueningkai was determined to keep both of his promises. he just hoped that when you saw him, you didn’t see another. that he wasn’t see-through.

in the middle of the night, hueningkai felt you shift but thought nothing of it. he thought that you had just moved to a more comfortable position. his suspicion rose, and he started to wake up from his sleep a little, when he felt warmth near his skin. suddenly, something hot dripped onto his cheek. opening his eyes, he reared backwards, eyes wild as his back hit the wall.

there you stood, a lit candle dripping wax in your hand and a severely guilty look on your face. hueningkai’s first instinct was to flee, and he wasn’t thinking clearly. he launched towards the door when you yelled out, “wait!”

your voice barely registered in his mind. that was until you cried out, “hueningkai, please!” hueningkai stopped dead in his tracks, completely frozen by your beautiful voice. slowly, he turned to you in the light of your lit candle, his wing covering his face.

“i’m so sorry! i’m so sorry. i didn’t mean to, curiosity took over me and the next thing i knew, i was hovering over your face with this candle. it wasn’t my intention to disrespect you or to put the both of us in danger. truly, i don’t know what’s gotten into my mind—“ you rambled as hueningkai turned completely, tucking his wings behind him. you cut yourself off mid-sentence, breath hitching.

hueningkai closed his eyes—or the eye that wasn’t covered—as he prepared himself for the heartbreak he was about to face. for you to see someone else. he jolted as he felt your hand cup his cheek. agonizingly slow, he opened his eyes to make contact with yours, his brows deeply knitted together.

you reached up and pulled away the eyepatch, letting it drop to the floor. not once did you take your eyes of his. hueningkai’s confusion deepened when he didn’t see the glassy look in your eyes. instead, the were clear as they moved from his eyes to the rest of his face.

fluttering his eyes closed at your touch, hueningkai felt as your fingertips glided over his eyelids. he opened them when they traveled down to his nose and cheeks and then rested for a moment at his lips. hueningkai could feel the pink spreading across his cheeks.

your eyes were wide, soaking up as much of him as you could take. your fingers then reached up to run through his fair hair. “i almost got your eyes right. they’re a lot warmer in person…” you had trailed, fingers moving back down to his lips. “and your lips are way more pink that i was expecting. around your eyes too, even though they’re the one feature i did see.”

hueningkai let out a soft sigh as he practically melted into your touch. nobody has ever seen him for him before, nobody. nobody except for you. you’re the only one who didn’t look at him with foggy eyes of glass, spewing random things about how he looked that weren’t true.

everything was too much for him at that moment and hueningkai pulled you close to him and into a feverish kiss that he wanted to do for so long. all he needed was your lips on his and the world made sense again. hueningkai now understood how and why mortals have gone mad by love. all because of you. all because of how much he loves you.

your hands grabbed hueningkai’s face as he deepened the kiss. both of your mouths worked together in perfect harmony, and when you pulled away, lips plumped and breaths heavy from lack of air, your lips were back on each other’s before you could even get a full breath in.

pulling away as you inhaled deeply, you and kai looked into each other’s eyes like the two of you were the only things that mattered at this moment. “i love you, hueningkai,” you had spoken, voice confident. hueningkai smiled brightly at you like you hung the stars and the moon, “i love you, y/n.” he then pressed another kiss to your lips, this one softer and less filled with need but still full of desire nonetheless.

“it was hard trying to draw you based on only your eyes and hair and what i got from touching your face, but it seems i was pretty accurate!” you exclaimed, smiling sheepishly. hueningkai hummed, “you’ll have to show me in the morning!”

hueningkai wrapped his arms around you tightly and you clung to him just as tight back. he had no plans of ever letting you go.

permanent taglist: @jjunberry @gothgyuu @spooksh0wbabe @beargyuuzz @kittyhyuka @dani-is-tired @soobieboobiedoobiedaboobie @rapmonie2047 @riaawr

(divider credit to fairytopea!)

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icepoptroll · 3 months

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@june-doe-2024 day 30: Disability Pride Month

***From my Everyone Lives AU wherein an alternate Karnak is the kids' nurse following the Cyclone accident***

In which the kids all come back to life and Ricky finally gets to say his piece. I felt my AU was a good vehicle for this and will probably incorporate this into the fic later down the road.

Wooooooooo!!! My last June Doe for this year! I had the time of my life doing this event. Usually when I do month long art challenges like these I fizzle out by the end of the month and either don't finish or by my last few pieces I'm just not feeling it anymore but this time I think I really finished strong with my last few days. Or, well, comics have never exactly been my STRONG suit but I felt like this conversation deserved one. This is a conversation that we never really got to see in canon. Had I had more time, I probably would have made it even longer.

I always felt like Ricky sort of avoids confronting Ocean on the things she was wrong about, for a lot of reasons. For one, he'd rather occupy his time with things he sees as productive and fulfilling, and he was just never sure he'd get anywhere trying to explain these things to her. For another, he's very observant and he's seen lots of other people's conflicts with her devolve into a debate which she's always trying her damnedest to win. But while he knows who he is and he never felt the need to prove himself to her, deep down it does bother him that this issue never got addressed, and Penny can see it. Something I noticed (at least, in the 2016 version wherein Ricky still has enough lines lol) is that Ricky doesn't really care what Ocean thinks of HIM, but where he DOES feel the need to correct her is her views on the whole of HUMANITY. I think after the accident, getting a lot of time to reflect, he would come to realize that her misconceptions about disability not only affect the way she sees him, but the way she sees disabled people in general. I also did reference the 2018 version here: in that run, Ocean had a line speculating that Ricky had "two? three years?" left to live, insinuating that that's why he shouldn't be the one to come back.

Yes, I definitely could see Penny separately luring the two of them and then trapping them in a room with her to put this to rest, lol. It's the kind of tough love she'd be bold enough to provide. She definitely thinks he deserved a chance to speak his mind and that Ocean owes him an apology.

Mostly. . . Ricky just wants Ocean to love her fellow human. I can't wait to write more of my AU because Ocean's really going to shift her focuses after surviving the crash and I feel like writing all the changes in her thinking and beliefs will be interesting.

Big thanks to @victoriawaterfield for hosting the June Doe event. I had a wonderful time and it worked wonders for my art!!

#rtc #ride the cyclone #ricky potts #ricky rtc #ocean o'connell rosenberg #ocean rtc #penny lamb #penny rtc #artists on tumblr #my art #art #comic art #nurse karnak au #june doe event #june doe 2024

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midwestprincesss · 3 months

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patrick zweig sfw alphabet

a/n: i love my mannnn. btw sex is mentioned in these hcs but like it's patrick so i can't do anything about that....... but it's nothing like. detailed. so yeah. also there's one single use of y/n (i hate using it but WHATEVERRRRR)

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

before dating, you started out as friends. then best friends. then friends with benefits. so it took him a lot of time to get used to the idea of being affectionate with you. like he was so convinced no one wanted to have an actual relationship with him besides from fucking him. so first he refrained from any form of affection, especially pda. poor baby didn't want you to feel embarrassed with him :( . everyone knew him as the guy almost every girl had a one-night stand with, so obviously he didn't want to give you a bad reputation. it was like that for a few months, until one day when you decided to ask him about it.

"why'd you drop my hand?" you asked him, eyes wide and confused. and even a little hurt, maybe. patrick didn't say anything. he just hummed and tilted his head at you. "patrick. in the cafeteria- we were with tashi and art and we were holding hands but suddenly you let go of mine."

patrick did not understand why you were asking him that at all. "there were a lot of people there...?"

you raised an eyebrow at him. did he want to keep your relationship a secret? art and tashi knew- you figured other people found out as well, so what was this all about? "what do you even- patrick. are you embarrassed with me or something?" you joked. but it wasn't really a joke to you, because the question haunted you for a while now. every time you tried to be even remotely affectionate with him in public- he turned you down. so something must be wrong with you, right?

he laughed. in your face. "how could i ever be embarrassed with you? i thought maybe you were embarrassed with me!" he confessed and you had to refrain yourself from actually yelling from disbelief- "why the hell would i be embarrassed with you?"

"i'm asking you the exact same question!" he said, looking down at you with a little smirk. but his eyes were sad. "thought you didn't want people to know about us. thought maybe they'd give you shit for dating the manwhore" he referred to himself, laughing a little.

"you're so fucking stupid patrick! everyone knows, and no one gives me shit, because guess what? no one cares. and stop calling yourself a manwhore. only i get to." you scolded him and he chuckled. "why do you get to?"

"cause you're my man. and you're also my whore." you joked. and after that he couldn't keep his hands off of you. he was so happy to show you off- and he was so happy you let him show you off. so yeah, he's very affectionate. in every way possible- carrying your bag, giving you his jacket, buying you every thing you could ever wish for, keeping hair ties on his wrists for you in case you need to put your hair up, buying the same lip gloss you always use and keeping it in his car in case you need to reapply and you forgot it at home, and so. much. more.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

your friendship with patrick started in highschool, really really randomly. you were both freshmen, and art and him were running after eachother in the hallway. you thought hmm i should be silly and trip one of these guys over! so you made art trip over ur foot. and patrick was like omg noo dont do that to him blah blah blah! it kinda just started from there. and he's like THE best friend. he's funny and nice and helpful and supportive and tells u everything. sometimes too much. tells u so fucking much that u knew all his kinks before you even started hooking up. so yeah.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

PATRICK LOVEEEEES TO CUDDLE!!!!!! it's his favourite thing ever. and it'll take him a lot to admit- but he likes being the little spoon. like yeah yeah he's a little bitch who's way too cocky for his own good- but he always needs you especially after a he's had a bad day, or when he's lost a match. he loves it when u take care of him. bonus points of u play w his hair<3

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

if he finds the right person(you😉), he'll def want to settle down. now...the cooking part- he'll try. he'll try really really hard for you but unfortunately i feel like the best he can do is make an omelette. but!!!! you two manage to split house chores, so you cook and he cleans usually.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

so i feel like there's no in between- he either just dips with no explanation, or overthinks it for 1 whole month and then when he finally gets the courage to do so he can't seem to actually say the words "we're breaking up" and just tries to give hints??? . i will not explain any further mostly because I HATE THIS QUESTION! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!!!!🔥

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

ohhhhh. before meeting you he felt like committing to someone was limiting- like having to go to prison or something. but after he realized the feelings he had for you were more serious, he actually started thinking about it- being married to someone as amazing as you didn't sound so bad. not bad at all. so tbh if he could have he would have proposed to u on the first day of highschool

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

ok this IS ACCURATE and i do not give a shit what anyone says- patrick is so so so gentle with you. (and like now im not talking ab sex cause he can def be rough there) he's such a cutie- whenever he says something he thinks might upset you he chooses his words really carefully. cause he doesn't wanna make you feel bad about anything ever :( (but like except if he's angry cause if he's angry then he doesn't think he just says shit)

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

patrick loves hugging ANYONE. literally anyone. i mean, we've seen that one scene with art where he's just running after him to hug him. he just loves physical touch overall. bear hugs = patrick. that's the only way he hugs ppl.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

it takes him a loooot of time to say it. and as much as I don't like it he'd probably say it the first time u guys are having sex, after you started dating and not while u were still fwb. of course, he's thought about telling you before, but he just couldn't!!!! but after you're done and you're laying in bed next to eachother, he kisses you on your forehead and tells you "i meant it, by the way. i love you. a lot"

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

really fucking jealous. and when he's jealous he turns into the bitchiest man ever. he can't help it. he gets a lil mean. like, a guy is hitting on u at a college party- but u brush him off, you tell him you're not interested. but now patrick is mad at you too for some reason??? he won't talk to you, he'd just give you dirty looks. all while constantly walking past that guy and "accidentally" bumping into him with his shoulder. maybe he'd even accidentally spill his drink on him, oops!

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

his kisses are hungry, passionate, like he might pass out if he won't kiss you. he kisses you EVERYWHERE. literally everywhere. and he mostly likes being kissed on his neck, especially if you leave him hickeys.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

patrick might be a cocky bastard to most people, but with children he's a sweetheart. he gets along with them so well, and children love being around him as well (mostly because he's a manchild)

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

slow. you wake up at 10, you stay in bed two more hours. he insists on spending the whole day in bed, but you tell him it's a really bad idea. "i'm really late for class, patrick." you tell him. and honestly, he does not give a fuck. he just pulls you back in and starts kissing you.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

screaming crying cause this is actually a sfw alphabet so............... i will be sfw....... on nights when you're really tired, you watch movies together. patrick loves old animated movies, like he finds them really fucking hilarious for some reason- as i said he's a manchild. you both just end up sleeping before the movie ends but still, the action counts.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

once you're best friends with him, there's no way out. you WILL know every little detail about him. the good ones and the bad ones. the ones you want to know and the ones you don't. he tells you every. single. fucking. thing. even if it's unimportant. he just bought strawberry jam? you'll know. once when he was 10 he saw his grandma naked and it gave him reccurring nightmares for 2 months? you'll know. there's really nothing you can do about it.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

i feel like he gets angry pretty easily, but most of the time it passes easily too. and usually, it's not about something serious either. like he'd be pissed off cause you told him you can't hang out cause you're tired. he'd text u shit like

oh yeah?

okay then.

go sleep

sleep with whatever man is in ur bed rn.

(3 mins later)

i was kidding!!!!!!!!! i hope u sleep well and ilove u😇❤️

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

he remembers everything he knows everything he is constantly thinking about you etc etc etc. he sees a turquoise dress. he remembers you once told him that your favourite colour when you were a kid was turquoise. he buys it. #richboyfriend! ,(more like rich parents but oh well)

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

he thinks it's stupid but one time you two were sitting in the kitchen, and you pulled out a crumpled up gum wrapper out of your pocket and with your lipliner you drew two stick figures, a girl and a boy, with a heart around them. you showed it to him and said - "it's us!"

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

not protective but more like possessive . as much as i hate to say it, you two have a lot of discussions about that. but at least he never comments on what you wear- "my girl can wear whatever tf she wants cause im afraid of her" is so patrick.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

he'd put a lot of effort into everything he does for you, but it doesn't always turn out amazing:( but at least he tries, and that's good enough for you!!!

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

i feel like patrick gets really fucking drunk at parties, to the point where he can't even walk without someone's help.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

women and men want him. like soooo bad. and all the time. wherever he is there's always someone checking him out. he literally radiates big dick energy. so I'd say he's not concerned about his looks at all.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

yes, very much so. even when he's on tour and he's away from you, he feels like a part of him is missing. if he has a bad day, he'd think "it's okay i'll go sleep over at he place after the match anyway" but then he realizes he's in another fucking country and he gets sooo sad:( but at least he can call you. so that's okay

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

patrick CANNOT spell also he does not use emojis correctly. like that man has big ass hands his phone keyboard is way too small for him.

hey hoeney i am donwe with practice!

patrick what did you just call me

oops i meantm honey*

im at the suprmarkert you want ice cream?👄👅

PATRICK STOP USING THOSE LMFAO???

why. Whats wrong with tthem?

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

if someone doesn't get along with art that's like a huge ass red flag for him so ...yeah😭😭😭😭

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

patrick talks in his sleep like crazyyyy!!!! and it never makes any fucking sense. this man never shuts the fuck up!!!!!!

"y/n"

"hmm?"

"if we go get the soap it will not be okay i already told you she said it will destroy it. don't go there. stop!!!!! stop!!!! put it back!!!"

"what the fuck"

yeah guys i had sm fun writing this.......... YIIPEE!!

#patrick zweig #patrick zweig x reader #patrick zweig fluff #patrick zweig fanfic #patrick zweig x you #Patrick zweig imagine #patrick zweig headcannons #patrick zweig hcs #challengers hcs #patrick zweig sfw alphabet #sfw alphabet #challengers #challengers x reader

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