#I've been trying to draw this for like... 5 days straight....

[daily-odile]

Odile patting Molly Epithet Erased on the head, you know why

have two bc i care them

[glowettee]

✧ how to reinvent yourself without deleting everything this summer ✧

hey lovelies!! WELCOME TO SUMMER! so i've been obsessing over this idea of reinvention lately... like literally woke up at 3am last night to jot down notes in my phone because my brain wouldn't stop thinking about it?? summer always feels like this dreamy little pocket of time where anything is possible... where you can try on different versions of yourself between iced matcha lattes and sunset walks.

i know we've all been there... that moment when you're scrolling through pinterest at midnight and suddenly you're like "what if i just... became someone else??" (guilty of creating entire secret boards dedicated to my "french girl era" that never actually happened lmao). but the thing is, completely starting over is exhausting?? and honestly kind of impossible unless you're in a witness protection program??

so this post is for my girls who want that reinvention feeling without the whole dramatic disappearing act. because honestly? the you that exists right now is already pretty magical, we're just gonna help her shine in some new ways.

✧ why gentle reinvention just hits different ✧

i had this realization while reorganizing my bookshelf last week (yes, for the third time this month, don't judge me) the most interesting characters aren't the ones who completely transform overnight. they're the ones who slowly evolve, keeping their essence while discovering new facets of themselves.

like, remember in "emma" when she realizes she's been in love with mr. knightley the whole time?? she didn't become a different person, she just finally understood something that was already there. that's the kind of reinvention i'm talking about: the recognition, not rejection, of who you are.

✧ actually magical reinvention tips that feel like character development ✧

digital presence evolution (without the cringe factor)

• create a finsta where you post the aesthetic you're curious about but not ready to commit to (mine started as dark academia but somehow evolved into cottagecore with a side of astrology memes??)

• change your social media bios to describe who you're becoming, not who you've been

• make an email signature that makes you feel like the main character (mine has a tiny moon emoji that literally no one has commented on but makes me happy every time)

• curate a new spotify playlist with songs that feel like your "becoming" soundtrack (tip: add one new song every morning as a little ritual)

• start ending your texts with a new sign-off or emoji (i switched from "x" to "✨" and now my friends get worried if i don't include the sparkle)

• take selfies from a completely different angle than your usual (overhead instead of straight-on changed my LIFE)

tiny identity shifts that nobody notices but YOU

• give a slightly different name at starbucks, not completely different, just a variation that feels like an alter ego (i use "amelia" which is my middle name and it feels like slipping into another dimension for 5 minutes)

• create a secret signature scent combination by layering two perfumes you already own (vanilla + something citrusy has main character energy, trust me)

• change your handwriting slightly, make your y's loopier or dot your i's differently (sounds so minor but feels so intentional)

• develop a subtle personal symbol and incorporate it places only you would notice (i draw tiny stars on the corners of important journal pages)

• start carrying something unexpected in your bag that represents your new era (i have a tiny rose quartz crystal that literally no one knows about)

• choose a "power color" you don't usually wear and incorporate it somewhere small every day (even just as a hair tie or phone background)

space magic that costs zero dollars

• rearrange your room based on the energy you want to create (bed facing the window changed my sleep quality so much??)

• create a tiny altar/intention space somewhere private with objects that represent who you're becoming

• switch up where you do everyday activities (i started doing my skincare routine by the window instead of the bathroom and it feels like a whole spa moment)

• change the scent of your space. different candles, incense, or even just boiling cinnamon sticks on the stove

• put up photos from a completely different phase of your life than what you usually display

• rearrange your books by color or theme instead of author (my shelf organized by "books that made me cry" vs "books that changed my mind" feels so personal)

• sleep on the opposite side of the bed or with your head where your feet usually go (literally changes your dreams, i swear)

style whispers that feel like screams

• start wearing your hair in a completely new way just one day a week (slicked back bun on tuesdays has become apart of my routine)

• change where you wear your everyday jewelry. ankle bracelet instead of wrist, rings on different fingers

• try "dopamine dressing" where you wear something purely because the color makes you happy, not because it "goes" with anything

• experiment with makeup placement rather than buying new products (blush higher on cheekbones or across nose bridge instead of apples of cheeks feels revolutionary)

• wear the "special occasion" clothes on random weekdays

• try to add one unexpected accessory to elevate basic outfits (a silky scarf tied on your bag handle)

• match your nail color to your current emotional goal rather than your outfit (blues for calm, reds for confidence)

routine alchemy that changes everything

• take a completely different route home, even if it's longer

• switch when you shower AND the temperature (night showers ending with 30 seconds of cold water changed my sleep quality)

• read the last page of a book first before starting it (chaotic energy but changes how you perceive the story)

• change where you sit in every familiar setting... different spot on the couch, different chair at the dining table

• set alarms for weird specific times (9:43 instead of 9:45) so you actually notice them

relationship refreshers that feel magical

• respond to texts with voice memos if you usually type (this transformed my friendship with my long-distance bestie)

• ask people completely different questions than usual ("what made you smile today?" instead of "how was your day?")

• suggest a different type of hangout than your usual (art gallery instead of coffee shop, sunrise instead of brunch)

• share something slightly vulnerable if you're usually private (i told my friend about my secret passion for astrology and now we have the best conversations about it)

• write actual handwritten notes to people instead of texting

• create little rituals with friends that feel special

• be the first to suggest plans if you usually wait for others (this tiny shift literally expanded my social circle overnight)

mindset magic that costs nothing

• choose a new word to eliminate from your vocabulary (i stopped saying "sorry" before asking questions)

• pick a new word to deliberately use more (i've been using "delightful" instead of "cool" and it makes ordinary things feel magical)

• create a secret personal holiday that only you celebrate (i have "manuscript monday" where i work on my secret novel for just 20 minutes)

• start a collection of something weird and specific (i collect interesting sugar packets from cafes and it makes every coffee shop visit feel like a treasure hunt + i get to discover new food brands).

i literally started taking a different route to my morning coffee last month and ended up discovering this tiny bookstore that's now my favorite place?? sometimes the smallest detours lead to the biggest discoveries.

the most interesting people aren't completely different versions of themselves every season. they're just constantly evolving.

xoxo, mindy 🤍

p.s. make sure to rest this summer, you're gonna need it <3

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

butterflygirl738 (5)

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as dubcon/noncon, power imbalance, sickness, medical bills, and other possible triggers. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You love butterflies and your mother, but life isn’t that simple. As life gets complicated, and expensive, you find yourself in need and an unexpected miracle presents itself.

Characters: Steve Rogers (CEO/Sugar Daddy)

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me <3

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Asking for more or putting ‘part 2?’ is not feedback.

Love you all. You are appreciated and your are worthy. Treat yourself with care. 💖

This is what you wanted, isn't it? For things to get easier? For some godsend to come and save you from the deepening pit of debt and despair?

Is that what S is? Is he really going to save you? And your mother? Can his money do that? Or are you just dragging out the inevitable? Is this also just denial? False hope? What do you call it?

There's some things you can see clearly he isn't lying about. The money. It's already in your account like he said. And his car screams rich. Richer than you could ever hope to be. A rental but not the type they give to someone with nothing in the bank.

You look out at your apartment building. Those second thoughts already have you nervously picking at the edges of your nails. You take a deep breath and look straight to the windshield.

"You okay?" S asks, startling you from your doubt.

"Yeah, yeah, I... I've never lied to my mom before. Not as big as this. I mean yeah, I lied about losing her pearl earrings in grade school but that lasted all of two hours..." You frame your face and sit back in the seat. "I'm rambling. I'm sorry." You drop your arms. "And I've wasted enough of your time."

"Not wasted. Honest," He leans his hand on the steering wheel. "I'm headed to the hotel to eat room service alone." He scoffs and gives a sardonic smile. "Exciting stuff. But uh... it's a nice suite."

"Hah, yeah. Must be weird being away from home," you sniff.

"Not much different. Still empty." He shrugs.

"Uh huh," you hum thoughtfully.

"Well, you can tell your mom you went for an interview? Got something new? That could explain... things as they come up."

You pick at your lip and nod. "Makes sense."

"I could mock stuff up for you. I mean, I have letterhead," he chuckles and rubs his neck. "I'm not a great liar either, sorry."

You chuckle thinly. "It feels... hopeless." You shake your head. "Not you. Just... alright. Gotta face the music." You look at him. "S, thank you. For lunch and being patient with me. Sometimes I feel like a piece of my brain is not there." You exhale and grab the door.

"Uh, wait, before you go," he grabs your other arm then quickly lets go. You sit back and look at him. "I'm gonna be in town for a few days. So, I was hoping tomorrow we could... spend some more time together."

Your lips part. That's a surprise. You just assumed you'd have more time to adjust. To process. Time. It's precious and you don't know how much you truly have.

"Oh, right," you breathe.

"Unless... " he draws out.

"Oh, oh, I... I thought maybe you had to go back. For your business," you say as you wring your hands. Your skin is raw. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking and... you know, I have work but, I guess I'll be calling in."

"Sure, I didn't mean to blindside you. Sometimes I think things and just assume other people know," he clears his throat. "So, I'll pick you up tomorrow morning."

"Yeah," you agree and pull the handle, pushing the door out. "Please, go get some rest. You flew out here, it must've been a long day."

"It's sweet of you to think of me," he says.

"Good night," you smile and stand straight. You shut the door and turn to look up at the dingy apartment building.

You drag your feet forward. Your lips move silently as you rehearse your lies. You purse them and slant your mouth one way than the other.

You almost collide with someone else as they come out of the building. You step out of their way and wait. You glance back. S idles at the curb. You wave before you go inside.

You climb the stairs one at a time. You're wading through molasses. As you get to the apartment door, you hesitate. Stop. Get yourself together. This isn't against her, it's for her. This could save your mom.

You enter and the deja vu makes you feel out of place. Everything is as it should be yet it feels like it's all changed. Your mom is on the couch, reading, her head in her hand, her finger feeling the edge of her scarf. You shut the door gently.

"Hi mom," you say as you put your bag down. You sanitize your hands before you go any further. "How was your day?"

"Good," she sits up. "You were gone a while. I thought it was your day off."

"I'm sorry, I didn't... say." You linger by the entryway. "So, uh, I really didn't want to get my hopes up and... I thought I'd surprise you..." you let the words dangle. You watch her, waiting for her to challenge you. She looks tired. "I went for an interview and er, I got it."

"An interview?" She echoes.

"Yeah. It pays better, so I said yes... and... yeah."

"Another store?"

"Um... admin?" You say.

Her lashes flutter and she smiles. "Wow, that's great, pie. Very good." The book closes in her lap and she brings her hands up to her face. "Can you help me to bed? I'm feeling nauseous."

"Oh, of course, mom."

You near her and offer your arm. She gets up and you help her around the couch. She doesn't even have the energy to doubt you. She has bigger problems. She's staring down that abyss and you're worried about a little white lie. She doesn't need to know, she doesn't need to worry. She just needs to get better.

🦋

S arrives at nine. You're outside waiting. You're anxious, not excited. You feel bad enough leaving your mom for work, but this feels wrong. Not just that you're lying to her, but about what.

You get in the car as he smiles at you. "Good morning, I brought coffee," he announces proudly.

You look at the paper cups. You smile back. It feels strangely normal. This is what you see on TV. Real couples do this. This isn't real.

"Thanks, that's so nice," you say. You buckle in and peer around. You feel like you're being watched. Like one of the neighbours will tattle on you. "H--How was your night?"

"Not too bad. Watched a movie. Fell asleep before it ended," he snorts as he pulls away from the curb. "Old man hours."

"Ah," you nod. "I just read a bit. Checked on the butterflies."

"They getting close?" He asks.

"Yeah. Should be soon I think."

"Hm. Nice. You eat yet?" He asks.

"I had some toast." You answer.

"Cool. I hope you don't mind a bit of a road trip? I found this place in the next town. Has good reviews."

"Oh, it's totally up to you but... I don't want to be too much," you scratch your neck.

"This is the deal, right? Spending time together. So don't worry about being too much. Just try to enjoy yourself," he girds.

"Right, yes, I just... guess it's been a while since I did anything for fun. God, that sounds lame, doesn't it?" You ask.

"Lame or it means you've been working hard." He says.

"I guess so," you agree.

He drives on and you stare through the window. It's better that you leave town. It's not like you're well-known but you don't need to chance anyone seeing you with him. Out-of-towners always tend to inspire gossip. Mom doesn't go out much but...

Your mind won't stop. You try to calm it as the minutes tick by. Your worries are replaced by curiosity. Where exactly is he taking you?

Before you can assume the worst, you recognise the large stone behind the town sign. You haven't been around this way in years. He steers past the green park and through town square.

As he pulls in at the vaguely familiar yellow brick building, you can't help but pinch yourself. How could he know? Maybe just a lucky guess. You went to the conservatory once as a child. You realised later how expensive that birthday trip was.

"Here we are," S says. "I know it's nothing fancy."

"It's... it's great," you say. "I love this place."

"You've been here?"

"Not in ages but once," you answer.

"Ah, I should've figured."

He grabs his phone and wallet as the engine quiets. He gets out and slides them into his back pockets. You undo your belt and climb out as he comes around the car.

We waves you ahead of him toward the arched front doors. He pulls one open and lets you through first. He approaches the desk and takes out his phone. He has them scan his passes and puts it away again.

He turns to you and offers his hand. You stare for a moment before you accept. His skin is warm.

He takes you through the entryway to the first wing. Here they have all the antiquated inventions; funky looking glasses with stacked lenses and scientific tools you couldn't guess at the purpose of. You stop to read the placards as S leans in to admire the objects.

"Probably not your favourite part," he says.

"I don't mind. I like old things."

"Ah, me too. Maybe one day... well, who knows, I might take you to the museum in New York... but... who knows," he shrugs.

"Maybe," you say. You don't know about all that. That's a long way away.

You continue on around the winding exhibits and into the room with the live exhibits. Insects of all kinds. You let go of S and stop to watch the bees in the hive with a tunnel to the outside world. There's a little sign explaining that the conservatory houses the hive as a protective effort.

"They have a new part to it," S says. "I saw it on the website. Down that way."

"Oh," you back up. "Sure, whatever you want to do."

He leads you on. You admire the windows that look onto colonies and tunnels of different insects. You stop short at the next door. 'Butterfly Room.' You look at S. The last time you came, you remember there was one tiny little exhibit of unhatched chrysalis.

You rush through ahead of him in excitement. A blue flutter brushes over your forehead and another flap of yellow sweeps by. You spin as the lazy wings beat around you, others still as butterflies rest on petals or branches. It's a menagerie. A garden full of colours.

You turn and look all around. You're breathless and amazed. In that moment, there's nothing else but the beauty of those creatures.

You smile and tilt your head up. A monarch lands on your nose and you freeze. S laughs and you look over at him as he aims his phone at you. The butterfly flees.

He turns the screen to show you the picture. You blush and rock bashfully. "That's cute."

"It is," he agrees."

"S," you gasp, "this is amazing."

"It is." He looks around and lowers his phone. "It's nice to have someone to enjoy it with."

"It is," you cheep. You turn and follow the path of a white flutter.

You go to the bench and sit. It's bittersweet. It's nice to not be alone, but you wish it was your mom here with you. She's all you have but with her being sick, it only sinks in then, how lonely you've really been. She's there but not really. She's fighting a battle you can't understand.

S sits beside you. He's quiet. You blink away a glaze of tears.

"It's really beautiful," you say. "Thank you so much. I can't... I can't even begin to tell you how much..." You sniff. "How much I appreciate this."

"You don't have to say it," he assures you.

"But I should. There's so much I never say. So much to say. So much I might never have the chance..." you lower your head. "I'm really trying. I don't want to be sad. I don't want to ruin this day." You exhale. "You didn't pay to watch me mope."

"I did. I paid to be close to you. To be with you," he shifts closer. "And whatever that means, is fine with me." He puts his hand on yours, like the day before. It doesn't feel as strange anymore. "I don't want you to think about that. The money. I want you to have a nice day. With me."

You nod and gulp. You breathe out the emotion and look at him.

"Why?" You croak.

He stares at you. His cheek dimples. "I got lucky. I took a chance... and I met you."

He squeezes your hand and you look down. His hand wraps easily around yours. It makes you feel safe. It's been so long since you felt anything close to that.

[vaporclan]

I know this is my comic account but it's the account that has the most followers on it and I'm really scared for my cat and don't want to be alone right now.

I'm at a loss. He's been to the vet 3 times this month, and I'm completely drained of money.

I suspect there's something wrong with my cats mouth, and paid for a vet visit. The vet had a quick look at his mouth and told us to drop it, and that his teeth are fine. But...

I just. It's the only conclusion I can come to after witnessing his symptoms.

He's throwing up - usually bile. He's gone so skinny because he just won't eat anything even remotely solid. If it's got bits in it, he won't eat it.

He's not lethargic. There's NO DIARRHEA. His pooping is 100% normal, doesn't strain or anything. Completely solid poops.

His appetite is NOT gone - he TRIES to eat food and struggles. He tries solid food and immediately gives up because it's too crunchy. He TRIES to eat his wet food and gives up once getting to the chunks. HE TRIES!!! It's not a lack of appetite! He's starving!

Just 5 minutes ago I saw him walk over to the bowl of dry food, try to eat it and immediately give up. Its not an appetite issue! He is *struggling* to eat it! This is his favourite dry food, btw.

A couple weeks ago, I gave him one of his favourite treats - he was Excited when I opened the packet. He tried to chew it, failed and gave up. This was my first suspicion.

He is 13 years old and has a snaggletooth and has had it for as long as I've known him, but was not born with it. He got it back when he was my sister's cat and was attacked by her dog (He no longer lives with dogs!). They never took him to the vet for this.

I vividly remember taking him to get a checkup last year, and the (more expensive, might I add!) vet saying he could possibly have some dental issues.

So why would this second (cheaper) vet, after a quick look at his mouth, tell me it's 100% not dental and it's likely a gut issue? And then jump straight to "it could be CANCER" after a less than 2 minute long inspection? They barely looked at him!

(I went to the cheaper vet because I ran out of money this month, and they've been good in the past...?)

Why is he trying and failing to eat solid food? If he was turning his nose up at any and all food, I'd agree with the idea that he's got a lack of appetite. But he's trying *so* hard to eat.

I dunno, I get a lot of mouth pain myself and I can attest it is very difficult to eat solid food when it gets painful. Maybe it's confirmation bias, but....

‼️ I heard a CRUNCHY noise coming from his mouth when he was eating KITTY YOGURT 2 days ago.

The way the cheaper vet looked at him for less than 2 minutes and immediately shut us down, told us it's 100% not dental issues and he might have CANCER instead and immediately gave us some meds without explaining what the medication even does makes my stomach feel a little queezy. My gut is telling me something is not right here.

He has a heart murmur. I looked up the medication given to us by the vet - prednisolone - and after some impulsive Googling found out it can make heart conditions worse and should be given with caution after an ecg. They didn't even SUGGEST an ecg. They didn't take his heart murmur into account at all. Again, the appointment lasted *2 minutes*.

Am I crazy? I feel all sorts of crazy.

I get paid like, £600 in a few days. The cost of a dental x-ray is anywhere from £200 to £400. And that's Just The X-Ray. If he needs teeth out, that's an extra £400, and where am I gonna pull that money from?

I get paid another £600 or so on the 28th.

He's so fucking skinny, man..

I don't want to make another donation post and I really truly do not have it in me to draw commissions right now. I don't know what to do.

[elliyoyo]

The Time You Thought Too Loud (Gale Dekarios/Reader)

This is Part 1 of 5 times Gale got teased + 1 time he got his payback. If you're starting, this is right place :) I'll be posting the descriptions and prompts on My Masterlist so you know what to expect, but this will be posted one chapter at a time.

Desc: You catch Gale conjuring his goddess, and he gives you a quick legend in the arcane. You can't help but fantasize about him after he gives you the most wanton look known to man.

Warnings: SMUT 18+, afab reader, vague f!masturbation, and fantasizing (including p in v, f!receiving oral, and creampies).

Words: 1.5k

After a long day's running around, all you wanted was some rest. You had used what seemed like tons of extra supplies because of your own mistakes, you didn't know if your left pinky finger would ever feel the same, and you were completely over today. Hell, you were over this week already, and it only just started!

Despite all of that, however, you couldn't help but focus on (and grow curious about) a low shimmering noise from across your group's makeshift camp. It could only be described as weave incarnate, and the most magic you could do was a measly fire bolt… How were you supposed to fake not being interested?

When you look in that direction, you see a faint blue light coming from Gale's area, which confirms your sixth sense for the weave and draws you in even more. You push yourself up from your bedroll and take a sip from a nearby bottle of water before heading over to check out the small commotion. A small projection floats above Gale's hand, a portrait of a beautiful, straight-haired woman whose look alone commanded attention and grace.

You stare for a moment more, taking silent steps up behind him to get a closer look, a finer examination of all the details on her delicate face… The earring she had in common with Gale.

"Oh my, you startled me!" Gale finally notices your presence, jumping in place as the projection vanishes. "I, uh… I was miles away," he mumbles, hands coming together behind his back. Even though you had seemingly interrupted him, there was no hint of irritation or anger, only embarrassment.

"Is everything alright?"

"Of course! I was just… practicing an incantation!" He flashes you an effortless, but emotionless grin, clearly trying to get you to go about your evening. That wouldn't work on you, though.

"Hmmm… Gale, I think there's more to it than that. The figure I saw; she means something to you, I'm sure of it. You can be honest; I'd like to say I had a pretty tame reaction to Astarion's vampirism and Shadowheart's Sharran worship." You can't help but physically respond to him as well with a raised eyebrow and a hand flying to your hip.

"She does. She… is Mystra. I cannot quite describe it, the need I sometimes feel to see her--- to draw the filaments of fantasy into existence." His eyes have glazed over, staring off in the distance towards nothing as if he was now conjuring her up, detail by detail, in his mind. Of course, Mystra was important to him, but no ordinary devotee would feel so desperately drawn to see their idol. "No sculpture or painting could ever do her justice, only the fabric that she herself is and embodies; The weave. Mystra is all magic, and as far as I'm concerned, she is all creation."

"I didn't realize the depth of your devotion." There is a twinge of jealousy, even though there is no reason for it to be there. You have no relationship with this man besides both being survivors, just as there is no reason for you to feel anything towards this goddess.

"Magic is my life. I've been in touch with the Weave for as long as I can remember. There's nothing like it. It's like music, poetry, and physical beauty all rolled into one and given expression through the senses…" He shows off for a moment, flashing lights and shapes between his hands and in front of your face. Impressive, but he's certainly holding back, not revealing too much of his hand yet.

"Would you like to experience it firsthand?"

"Yes, of course I would!" Personal magic lessons from the magic prodigy? Maybe you were wrong to think there was nothing here. He could have thunderwaved you across camp by now if he had been bothered by your intrusion.

"Then follow my lead." He poises his hands up, doing a quick (easily copied) movement that has you feeling ready and at ease.

"Excellent! Now, repeat after me: Ah-Thran Mystra-Ryl Kantrach-Ao."

"Okay, uh… Ah-Thran Mystra… Ryl, Kantrach-Ao!"

"Very good, and I know it's exciting, but no need to shout," he laughs out, doing his best to hold his arms and hands steady. "Now I want you to picture in your mind the concept of harmony. As true as you can."

You let your thoughts and consciousness fade from being at camp, next to Gale, with a mindflayer worm in your gods damned head, to your childhood. Early. Before it had the chance to get bad. Picking dandelions with your friends from the spots of land surrounding your family's. Birds chirping, the smell of fresh baked bread wafting out your kitchen window. Not a drop of blood or a tear in sight. And suddenly, as if you'd been doing it your entire life, the state of calm you'd achieved pushed out a burst of Weave. Gale's eyes widened for a moment, but quickly returned to normal before too long.

"You did it! you're channeling the Weave--- how does it feel?"

"It feels effortless… You're a wonderful teacher, Gale."

"I know." His nose crinkles when he laughs this time. It makes you feel something strange and new in your stomach, makes your throat seize and your guard immediately fall. The moment connects you two, it feels intimate in and of itself. The confidence of having just successfully performed magic, magic for gods' sake… and in front of the most awkwardly attractive wizard you could have been stuck with in this whole situation.

You can't help but think of kissing Gale. With passion, cradling his cheek and neck with a hand each. It's a knee jerk, uncontrollable want that invades your mind before you can hide it from Gale. And see it he does, he nearly chokes on his own breath while his cheeks gain a dusting of light pink and sheen.

"I… didn't think… Sorry, I wasn't expecting… that… But it is a pleasant image to be sure!" His eyes are wide open up until he chokes on his own hitched breath, the unexpectedness of such a romantic gesture tugging at his heartstrings. Making him want. He would have jumped at the chance, sure, but not now. Not with the burden it would put upon you. "…And there it goes. How easily things slip away from us, no matter how hard they were to obtain." He meets your eyes one last time before he turns around, retreating into his tent. "Good night, I enjoyed sharing a moment of magic with you."

And with that, you were left alone, to wander off to your own bedroll and ignore the snores and sleep talking of your other companions. You would do anything to be in that tent after the tension you just accidentally caused, but a daydream or fantasy or two wouldn't kill you, eh?

You could only sit still for a few moments once you had gotten beneath your cover again. Your hand felt like it was physically itching, needing to slip under the loose waistband of your resting pants. Plenty of mental groaning later, you had your fingers gently, slowing moving over yourself. You think of the fact that you left each other breathless— you left Gale breathless— and that he hadn't exactly been upset by you thinking of kissing him… He seemed flattered. He looked at you with bashfulness, after being so cautious and slow to reveal himself for the first while.

It turned you on to no end.

Countless images flashed through your brain, all of them uncontrollable and barely coherent, but enough to bring you closer and closer to the edge. Gale mischievously looking up at you from between your legs, your legs well above your head as he splayed your thighs open and fucked you slowly, meaningfully… He dipped a finger down and toyed with your clit, swollen and sensitive from however many rounds he had already egged you on to do. His eyes were closed in ecstasy, his teeth digging into his lip as he tried to hide a miserable, high-pitched whimper of, "Feels so good, you feel so good, 'm gonna cum!"

And then, you came along with him, in your head. A soft moan slipped past your lips that you prayed nobody heard and sweat clung to your body and bedroll. You slipped a few fingers inside yourself while riding the orgasm out and relished in the slickness. You allowed yourself to sickly dreaming that you were full of Gale. The clarity quickly came in tow, causing you to shake your head and grimace at yourself. At the fact that the situation had made it so that basic human kindness and attention would be enough for you to finish to the thought of somebody.

You wipe your fingers off, let your mind wander around the feeling of his skin and hairs of his chest, as if it were under your cheek that night. You slipped off thinking about the kiss he'd leave on your forehead and soft murmurs you'd have in your ear.

Little did you know that a very flustered, erect Gale was now the one with a difficult night mere meters away.

[burningcheese-merchant]

The relationship between Burning spice and Pepper Jack reminds me terribly of the relationship between CrowFeather and Breezepelt

of warrior cats

you just inspired by them?

Oh my God... Jesus, Mary and Joseph... Warrior Cats........ Got sent back in time like 15 years with this ask. I feel so old right now.... Live footage here

No actually, I wasn't thinking of Crowfeather and Breezepelt 😅😅😅 in all honesty I've been taking a lot of inspiration for Burning Spice and Pepper Jack's relationship from Kratos and Atreus from God of War (4 and 5). The sort of redemption arc/change of heart and post-redemption attitude/behavior I gave Spice in my canon bears a bit of resemblance to how Kratos behaves in GoW, and while I was imagining his relationship with Jack I remembered what Kratos goes through with his own son and realized I could maybe learn from that and see how I could make my version work with these two characters instead. Former mass-murdering, vengeful lunatic who's calmed down and realized the error of his ways and is just trying to carve out a decent life with his new family, having some issues connecting with his son because they're so different from each other in so many ways, and also because the father is hiding the truth of his dark past out of shame and fear of what the son will say and think. (Obviously I don't want to just straight up rip off GoW, just take inspiration haha. I think I've made my own take unique enough that I don't have to worry about it much)

I do want to draw Spice and Jack dressed up as Kratos and Atreus one of these days though :P maybe for Halloween or something. Gonna title it "God of Destruction" instead of God of War. It'll be cool I promise

... Chat, should I try to depict the family as cats from Warrior Cats now? I'm getting hit with nostalgia so fucking hard rn

[fuzzyautumninmetal]

Little Thief

After like 5 months I've finally found time to write.

I'm aware there is very little Spanish in this but my only way of translation is google and If I'm correct it isn't very reliable.

Anywayyy I hope y'all enjoy

(This is just smut with a small plot)

You were the tech analyst for the Task Force 141, or as you call yourself 'The Tech Gal', you had been assigned to work for Los Vaqueros for a few months and it was a breath of fresh air. You struck up a friendship with Rudy and one night while you were drinking he dared you to do something people would claim extremely stupid. He dared you to steal the colonel's clothes.

"I don't know why everyone is so scared of Alejandro" you said while taking a sip of your drink, Rudy laughed "Have you not heard him when he's pissed off". You shrugged "I think it's sexy....Look that man could tell me to dress up as a clown in Spanish and I'd obey" you admitted and that made Rudy laugh "Okay I dare you to steal his clothes, let's see how 'sexy' he is then" he sipped his drink not thinking you would accept. "Price is my Captain. Ghost is my Lieutenant. Nothing scares me" you laughed back "I'll do it I'm not a pussy" you both shook on it and all you had to do was wait for the right time.

It's been a few days since Rudy's dare but you were waiting for the right time and when you saw Alejandro go to the showers you knew this was your chance.

You carefully and quietly sneaked into the guys shower room, you may have been the tech analyst but Ghost had shown you a few things, you saw that Alejandro was preoccupied. Perfect you smirked to yourself as you tiptoed towards his locker before taking his clothes.

You should of gone to straight to Rudy but you wanted to hear his reaction so you hid in one of the stalls with his clothes in hand.

"HIJO DE PUTA-" you heard him curse along with a loud bang from him slamming his locker door. You couldn't help but laugh, giving away your hiding spot.

The sound of heavy footsteps draws closer, and suddenly. Alejandro's massive frame is looming over you. His muscular arms crossed over his chest, his dark eyes narrowed into slices as he stares down at you "So, you think this is funny?"

You tried to look serious but couldn't "Yes. Yes I do" you looked up at his unamused face "And also stupid. Look Rudy dared me to do it because I said I wasn't scared of you"

Alejandro's eyebrows raises in disbelief, his expression shifting from anger to amused curiosity. "So, you've been dared by Rudy to steal my clothes? And you actually thought you could get away with it?"

"Yes" you looked towards the door and then back at Alejandro trying to think of an escape plan. Alejandro chuckled deeply, shaking his head in disbelief. He reaches out and grabs your chin, forcing you to look him in the eyes "You know, I could make this difficult for you. But instead, I'll give you a choice".

You looked at him innocently "I'm listening". His grip on your chin tightens ever so slightly, his gaze boring into yours "You can go to Rudy and tell him you couldn't go through with his little dare. Or... You can spend some time with me, and I promise to make it worth your while. "I-i" you were shocked at his response.

Seeing you surprised, Alejandro smirks, releasing his grip on your chin "What's the matter little thief? Didn't expect me to be so generous? Or perhaps you like the idea of spending time with me?"

Oh you would absolutely love to spend time with him but you was a kinky little whore who had a better idea. "Or you could let me go with your clothes, I tell Rudy it was a success and everyone thinks I'm mad for pissing you off" you smirked "Then, at any point, you take me by surprise and punish me for today."

His smirk fades, replaced by a look of amusement "You're full of surprises, aren't you?" he thought for a moment. "Very well. Take my things and go. But remember, I'll be watching you". You took his clothes and walked to the door before stopping "You can punish me in any way you want and I can't say no" and left to find Rudy.

As you made your escape, Alejandro can't help but shake his head with a mix of admiration and amusement. His mind is already planning out the ways he'll make you pay for your audacity... and the countless ways he'll enjoy it.

You found Rudy in the cafeteria and held Alejandro's clothes up for him to see. "You actually did it?" Rudy asked and you nodded while sitting down "Told you I wasn't a pussy".

"You better beware, little thief. I've got quite the taste for adventure now..." Alejandro mutters to himself as he walks away from the locker room, already plotting his revenge and anticipating the thrill of the chase.

It had been 3 days since you stole Alejandro's stuff and yet he hasn't done anything. That's the part that excites you the most.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the halls, drawing closer to your location. Alejandro's eyes darkened with anticipation as he rounded the corner, spotting you engrossed in your workout. With a sinister smirk playing at his lips, he approached slowly.

He stopped just inches from where you were sitting, his towering figure casting an ominous shadow over you. He leaned down slightly, his voice low and threatening. "Well, well... looks like our little thief is all alone." "For now" you smirked.

Alejandro's eyes narrowed at your defiant tone, but a slow smile crept across his face. He leaned in even closer, his breath warm against your ear. "You're playing with fire, little thief. And I plan on making sure you get burned." 

"You'll have to catch me first. and I'm fast" you made a run for it. It caught Alejandro by surprise.

With a growl of frustration, Alejandro sprinted after you, his muscular frame moving with surprising agility. He caught up to you in no time, grabbing your wrist roughly and spinning you around to face him. "You think you can escape me?" 

"Yes" you stepped onto his foot and ran off again. Everyone was either cheering for you or praying for you're safety. You turned to see a very pissed off Colonel behind you.

As you ran, Alejandro let out a grunt of pain from your sudden move but quickly regained his balance. His anger only fuelled his pursuit as he chased after you once again. This time, he was even more determined to catch you. 

You were running around the base endlessly trying to find a place to hide. You looked to see that you was free from Alejandro for a moment so you went into the first room you came across and hid. 

As Alejandro caught his breath, he realised that you had vanished from sight.  His mind raced as he tried to think as to where you could of gone. The door near him was slightly open, a mischievous grin spread across his face - you had led him straight to his own bedroom.

You quickly hid under the bed in the room and steadied your breathing to the point it sounded like you wasn't breathing. 

Slowly, Alejandro approached the door to his bedroom, his heart pounding with anticipation. He paused for a moment, wondering if this was really happening. With a sigh, he pushed open the door and stepped inside, his eyes scanning the room for any sign on you. 

You saw his feet and froze, the longer you stayed away from him the worse your punishment would be. That's exactly what you wanted. 

Alejandro noticed your footprints on the floor, leading straight to his bed. A mischievous smile crossed his face. He knelt down, grabbing the edge of the bed and lifted it up slowly. 

You saw the bed lift up slowly and looked up to see him smirking, you grinned sheepishly before trying to get away but he was ready for you this time. 

As you tried to crawl away Alejandro grabbed your ankle, pulling you back to him. He stood up, towering over you once again, his eyes filled with a mixture of anger and amusement. "You really thought you could outsmart me?"

"I mean I kinda did" you stood up, brushing the dust off your clothes. Alejandro put his hand on your waist and chuckled darkly, his grip tightening slightly. "Oh, you may have gotten away for a little while, but now it's time for your punishment"

You leaned back a little, bringing the back of your hand to your forehead "Oh what am I ever going to do" Alejandro's eyes flashed with lust as he pulled you closer to him, his other hand reaching down to grab your waist. "You're going to learn your lesson, little thief. And trust me, you'll enjoy every second of it"

You brought your face up to his ear and whispered "Oh I don't doubt it". His lips curled into a smirk as he continued to hold you captive with his gaze. Slowly, he lowered himself onto the bed, pulling you on top of him. "You're such a naughty girl hiding from me"

You put your hands of his chest "Oh what are you going to do to me Colonel?" With a mischievous glint in his eyes, Alejandro began to explore your body with his hands, tracing patterns on your skin that made you shiver with anticipation. "Oh, I think I'll do more than just punish you, little thief"

You brought your hands to his waist and push yourself up from his chest "a deal is a deal. You caught me so you can punish me however you want". Alejandro grinned triumphantly as he listened to your words, delighted by your boldness. He leaned in close, his lips brushing against your lips as he whispered "Don't worry, I fully intend to take full advantage of that"

You bit your lip not realising what you have gotten yourself into and that made Alejandro chuckle softly, his warm breath tickling your lips as his continued to tease you with subtle touches. "You're such a tempting little thing" he murmured. "I think I'm going to have a lot of fun breaking you in"

You decided to be a brat one more time, when he walked into the room you noticed he left to door ajar slightly, now he was distracted you made a run for it once again. 

You could hear Alejandro's frustrated growl as you made your escape. "Damn it, little thief! Come back here!" He quickly gave chase, his footsteps thundering the corridor as he persuaded you relentlessly.

"No" you laughed. You passed Rudy as he shouted "I'll see you at your funeral". Alejandro's eyes flashed with anger as he chased you through the halls. He caught up to you just as you turned a corner, grabbing onto your arm roughly to stop your escape. "You think this is funny?"

"Oh I think it's fucking hilarious making you work for it" you twisted his arm slightly so he would let you go and ran for it. 

"Fucking tease" he muttered under his breath as he followed after you once again. He was beginning to lose patience, and the look in his eyes showed that he wouldn't be stopping until he had caught up with you. "I swear, If I catch you..."

You looked at your watch "What's that? Sorry It's home time" you smirked before running to your car. Since there wasn't any room for you on base, Laswell manage to find a temporary home for you while you were in Las Almas. 

Alejandro's eyes narrowed as he watched you run to your car, his mind already planning his next move. With a determined stride, he headed towards his own vehicle - a sleek black sports car that matched his dominant personality.

You laughed as you drove home, this was the most fun you've had in years. You were safe for one more day you thought to yourself completely oblivious of Alejandro's plan. 

As he drove, he couldn't help but feel a mixture of frustration and arousal. He hated being toyed with, but there was something about the chase that turned him on. His mind was racing with thoughts of what he would do to you once he finally caught you. 

Once you got home you had a shower and change into some comfy clothes before getting on with some chores around the house. 

Alejandro was waiting for you outside your house, leaning casually against his car with his arms crossed over his broad chest. He watched you walk around your house, a smirk playing against the corners of his lips. 

As you changed into something more comfortable, Alejandro's mind wandered to the tantalizing image of you naked. His body was tense with anticipation as he imagined how you would look underneath him. He couldn't wait any longer and decided to make his move.  

You were in your bedroom putting some clothes away but the squeak of a door caught your attention, you looked outside your bedroom window and saw his car. Alejandro had followed you home.

Alejandro's heart raced with excitement. He quickly moved towards your room, his footsteps silent on the hardwood floors. As he reached your bedroom door, he took a deep breath to steady his nerves before pushing it open slowly. He expected you to be in your bedroom but you wasn't, you hid from him again.

Alejandro's eyes scanned the room, searching for any sign of you. His mind was filled with possibilities of where you could be hiding. He knew he wouldn't rest until he found you.

You giggled from your closet, you knew this was one of the most obvious places to hide but you decided it was time to endure your punishment once he found you.

The sound of your giggles echoed through your bedroom, guiding Alejandro straight to the closet. His eyes narrowed as he slowly opened the door, revealing your smiling face peering back at him. He stepped forward, his body closing in on yours as he finally had you cornered.

You held your hands up "You caught me, I won't run this time I promise"

"Good," Alejandro growled, his voice low and threatening. He grabbed your wrists, pulling you out of the closet and pinning you against the wall. His body was pressed against yours, his hard cock straining against his pants as he dominated you completely.

Alejandro's grip on your wrists tightened, causing you to gasp in surprise. His eyes bored into yours, a mix of lust and dominance in their depths. "I'm going to punish you for running from me"

"Good" was all you said. A dark chuckle escaped Alejandro's lips as he leaned in, his breath hot against your ear. "You're going to beg for it," he whispered, before capturing your lips in a rough, possessive kiss.

You pulled away "Oh but Colonel. I don't beg" you were playing with fire here but it was exciting not knowing what was going to happen next.

Alejandro's eyes flashed with amusement at your boldness. "We'll see about that," he growled, his hand moving to grip the hem of your shirt roughly. He tore it apart easily, revealing your smooth skin beneath.

You didn't move, you didn't cover yourself. Instead you decide to play with your nipples to see how he'd react.

Alejandro's eyes darkened further as he watched you play with your nipples. His mouth watered at the sight of them hardening under his gaze. "You're a tease," he murmured, leaning in to capture one of your hardened peaks between his lips.

You bit your lip as as he suck one nipple and you played with the other. Alejandro moaned against your skin, the taste of you sending a jolt of pleasure through his body. His hand moved to your other nipple, giving it equal attention as he continued to dominate you. "I'll make you beg,"

You cupped his face and brought it to yours "I'd like to see you try" you kissed his neck before biting into it. 

Alejandro's eyes closed tightly in a mix of pleasure and pain as you bit him. His hips began to grind against you, their movement mirroring the desire he felt for you. "Fuck," he groaned, his hand moving to squeeze your ass roughly.

With one strong arm, Alejandro picked you up and tossed you onto the bed. He followed you down, his large muscular body looming over yours. His hands moved to tug at your shorts and panties, desperate to get them off you.

"Someone's desperate" you smirked.

"You have no idea," Alejandro growled, his voice low and rough. He finally managed to pull your panties off, revealing your wet folds to him. His tongue darted out to taste you, lapping at your entrance like a hungry animal.

Alejandro's sudden intrusion caused you to cry out in surprise "Oh fuck". He thrust his tongue deeper, using it to stroke and tease your sensitive nerves. You couldn't help but squirm underneath him, your body aching for more.

You gripped on his raven hair and teased "This isn't much of a punishment"

Alejandro's eyes met yours, full of lust and amusement. "Oh, it's just beginning," he promised before pulling away from you. He positioned himself at your entrance, his hard cock pressing against you through his pants.

You sat up and started palming his cock through his pants but he pulled your hands away.

"No," he growled, capturing your wrists in his strong grip. "Not yet." He pushed you back onto the bed, his body following after. With one swift movement, he pulled off his pants, revealing his large, throbbing cock to you.

You looked at his cock with wide eyes, you had a feeling his was big but you never thought he'd be that big. Alejandro's eyes glinted with satisfaction at your surprise. "Do you like what you see?" he asked, stroking his cock lazily. You could only nod in reply, unable to tear your eyes away from the sight of him.

He smirked before bringing his fingers towards your wet folds, "you won't cum unless I say you can. Do you understand?" he asked and you nodded.

Alejandro's fingers plunged deep into your folds, searching for your sensitive spots. He rubbed circles around your clit, increasing the intensity of the pleasure he was giving you. "Such a good girl," he murmured, his voice thick with approval.

You moaned while bringing your hands down and started playing with you nipples again. At the sound of your moan, Alejandro's fingers worked faster, stroking and pinching your clit with precision. He watched as you arched your back, pushing your breasts further into his view. "So fucking beautiful,"

You wanted to come so badly but you couldn't. Not without Alejandro's permission but you weren't going to beg for it.

Alejandro could sense your desire to climax, but you needed to beg him if you wanted to cum. He continued his assault on your sensitive areas, increasing the speed of his fingers. "You're so close, aren't you?" he asked, his voice dripping with anticipation.

"Y-yes" you chocked out. "Tell me," he commanded, his other hand reaching up to pinch one of your nipples hard. "Beg me." "Never" you said through your teeth. You've never begged a man for something in your life

"Oh little thief, you will," Alejandro promised, leaning down to take one of your nipples into his mouth, sucking hard. He increased the pressure on your clit, causing a wave of pleasure that threatened to overwhelm you. "Beg me."

"N-no. I won't beg"

Alejandro smirked at your resistance. "I love a challenge," he murmured, circling your clit with his thumb while pinching your other nipple between his teeth. He sped up, practically abusing your pussy with his fingers, you started to cry "God yes".

Alejandro's eyes glinted with malicious delight at your cries. "That's it," he murmured hoarsely, his fingers working magic within you. With another forceful thrust, he pushed two fingers deep into your wet core, hitting your G-spot perfectly. 

You looked at him, pleading him to let you cum but his dark chuckle made you realise he doesn't care "Unless you beg you can cum mi amore." 

Alejandro's fingers curled inside you, his grip tightening as he stroked and pressed against your most sensitive spot. You could feel your orgasm building, the intensity of it unlike anything you'd ever experienced before. "Beg me," he commanded once more.

You caved in, for the first time in your life you begged "F-fine. Please let me cum please"

The moment you begged, Alejandro increased the pressure on your clit and G-spot, pushing you over the edge. Your orgasm crashed down on you like a wave, leaving you gasping and shuddering in its wake. "Mi amore,"

It was so intense, you had never experienced anything like this before

As you rode out your orgasm on his hand, Alejandro slowed his movements, his fingers gently tracing inside you as your body trembled and spasmed. With a soft grunt, he withdrew his fingers, bringing them to his mouth and licking them clean with a satisfied smirk. 

You're breathing was heavy but you knew this was just the beginning. "I always get what I want, mi amore" Alejandro whispered, his voice low and husky. He leaned down to capture your lips in a deep, passionate kiss, his tongue delving into your mouth as he claimed you completely.

You cupped his face and rolled over so you was on top of him. Alejandro flipped you over onto your back, pinning your wrists above your head as he gazed down at you with hungry eyes. He allowed himself a moment to appreciate the sight of your body beneath him, before leaning down to suck and bite on the sensitive skin just below your ear.

You locked your legs around his waist and tried to pull him down but he wasn't budging. You didn't deserved to get fucked yet

"So desperate little thief," Alejandro smirked, his voice rough with desire. He kissed his way down your jawline, trailing gentle bites along the way, until he reached your neck. "You need to beg for it." Alejandro got a kick out of your hatred for begging.

He carried on kissing down your body until his face was between your legs. With a smirk, Alejandro trailed his tongue along the soft flesh of your inner thighs, causing you to shiver in anticipation. He parted your legs wider, revealing your wetness to him as he leaned forward to take one swollen bud between his lips.

You arched your back in pleasure "Oh Alejandro". The sound of his name coming out of your mouth made him feral. You sounded so sweet, so innocent. He started sucking and slurping. He ate you out like a starved man.

Feeling your body tense and tremble beneath him, Alejandro knew you were close. He increased the pressure on your clit, pushing you over the edge as he felt you climax on his mouth. You moaned so loudly you wouldn't be surprised if you got a complaint from your neighbours but you didn't care.

Chuckling softly, Alejandro relished in your cries of pleasure as he savoured the taste of you on his tongue. He continued to stroke your inner walls with his fingers, milking every drop of pleasure from your body as he pressed a kiss to your swollen, sensitive clit.

He came up and kissed you. He wanted you to taste yourself on his lips. Alejandro smirked against your lips, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Mmm, you taste delicious," he murmured before leaning in to capture your lips in another deep, passionate kiss.

The kiss didn't last long as he soon had his hand around your throat. With a growl of desire, Alejandro pushed you back onto the bed, his hand still wrapped around your throat as he hovered over you. "Now beg," he commanded, his voice low and threatening.

"Ple- Please fuck me" you begged and it was like music to his ears. "That's it," Alejandro rasped, his eyes dark with lust. He lowered his body onto yours, guiding his thick cock towards your wet entrance. With a forceful thrust, he impaled himself inside you, filling you up completely.

"You're too big" you cried. "That's a shame" Alejandro growled, pulling out slightly before slamming back in again "If you hadn't ran away from me earlier" he pulled out and slammed back into you. "Maybe I would of eased you onto my cock" he pulled out completely before slamming back into you harder.

His pace quickening, he took you roughly, your protests turning into moans of pleasure as he hit deep inside you with each powerful stroke.

Alejandro's hand around your throat tightened in tandem with his thrusts, the rough treatment heightening both of your senses. His other hand found its way between your legs, fingers once again finding their rhythm as they teased and massaged your swollen clit.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck" you was becoming a blabbering mess. Alejandro's thrusts became more erratic, his body tensing as he neared his own climax. "That's it, beg for me," he demanded, his voice laced with lust and dominance.

"N-no" you smiled, you was still trying to test Alejandro's patience. "What was that?" Alejandro snapped, pulling out almost completely before plunging back in with renewed force. His hand around your throat tightened even more, cutting off your air supply momentarily as he took you roughly and without mercy.

Your eyes rolled to the back of your head as you screamed his name.

"That's it, call out my name," Alejandro growled, taking you deeper than ever before. Your scream echoed through the room, the sound of his name on your lips driving him wild with desire. "God please let me cum" you caved in again and begged.

"Not yet," Alejandro said, pulling out almost completely again before thrusting back in with a force that sent waves of pleasure through your body. His other hand left your throat to grab your hair, using it as leverage to pull your head back and expose your neck even more.

Alejandro's mouth descended on your neck, his lips and teeth leaving a trail of bruises and kisses as he marked you as his own. His hips pumped hard and fast, driving deeper into you with each powerful stroke. "You're mine,"

"I'm yours, I promise" you clawed at his back, you needed to grab something. Anything. "Yes," Alejandro hissed, lifting your legs up and around his waist. He grabbed your hips and held you tight as he plunged into you with a force that made you cry out.

"Alejandro"

"That's right, say my name," Alejandro demanded, his thrusts becoming even more intense. He leaned down to capture your lips in a bruising kiss, his tongue forcing its way into your mouth as he continued to claim you completely.

"Please" you whispered

"Please what?" Alejandro asked, his eyes were wild and his breathing ragged as he looked down at you with an intensity that made your heart race. "Please let me cum" you cried.

Alejandro growled low in his throat, a sound of pure male satisfaction. His hands gripped your hips tighter as he began to thrust harder and faster. "Cum for me," he commanded, his cock hitting your sweet spot over and over again.

You was finally allowed to orgasm.

Alejandro's hips bucked wildly as he felt you cum around him. He groaned deeply, his own orgasm hitting him hard and fast. His cock throbbed inside of you as he released himself completely, filling you up with his hot seed. "Fuck,"

You both held onto each other as you both rode out your orgasms. Alejandro held onto you tightly, his body trembling with the force of his release. He pressed a kiss to your forehead before pulling out of you, his still hard cock slipping out with a wet slide.

You laid there, all sweaty and a blabbering mess. Alejandro chuckled softly, his eyes roaming over your flushed skin. "You're a mess," he said teasingly, reaching down to run his fingers through your hair. He leaned in close again, nuzzling his nose against yours. 

"Are you okay?" Alejandro asked and you nodded your head lazily. With a satisfied grin he pulled you up and into his arms, holding you close against his chest. "I should start stealing your stuff more often" you chuckled.

"You'd better not," Alejandro said, a hint of playfulness in his voice. "Or else I might have to punish you again." He nipped gently at your earlobe before kissing it softly. "I'm okay with that" you smiled.

"Very well," Alejandro said, grinning widely. He claimed your lips in a passionate kiss before breaking away to murmur against your lips, "But you might not be able to walk straight for days." You playfully smacked his arm "then you can explain to everyone back at base why I'm not in"

Alejandro chuckled, his eyes dark with desire. "Oh, I'll make sure to take full responsibility for your condition." "Deal" you kissed him.

Alejandro deepened the kiss, his tongue tangling with yours in a sensual dance. His grip on your lower back tightened, pulling you closer to him as his passion grew. He broke the kiss, looking into your eyes with hunger. "We should do this again sometime,"

"But not now" You laid down and pulled him with you, "Right now I just want to sleep" you giggled.

"Very well, sleep tight little thief" Alejandro said, his voice husky with desire. He lay down beside you, spooning you from behind. 

[lucagray813]

Journeytober (2024) Days 1 - 15

Last year I discovered @vorpaldoodles's Inktober/Journeytober prompts halfway through October and I decided that I wanted to go back and do the first half that I missed.

This is a project I've been working on on and off for the past couple of months and because I wasn't on a time limit I wanted to try and challenge myself in different ways and I definitely did that! Very glad I did it but also very glad it's done! 😅

If you want to check out the ones I did last year - you can start here at Day 16

Below the cut is a bit more detail on each prompt.

Day 1 - Tree I'm really pleased with how this one turned out, I think the sketch and the line weight of the ink is really good. I'm forever trying to figure out the right medium for colouring and I was determined to give pencils another go. I really tried to do it "properly" doing layer after layer to get it looking right. The leaves I think I nailed but I definitely lost steam by the time I got to the hill 😅 but overall I'm still very happy with it

Day 2 - Ghost So one ambition I had for completing this challenge was to try and do less straight up screenshot redraws and while this is still technically a redraw I definitely put a lot of effort into changing it up! I looked at so many screenshots and artwork of LBD's little ghost things but in the end two pieces of art really helped me figure it out. The first is this amazing work by wurmje and the second is this work I found on Pinterest that I unfortunately couldn't find the original post for. I honestly don't know how wurmje got those smoke trails on the skulls looking so good - experience, practice and talent probably! - but even after staring at smoke trail vectors on Pinterest this was still my best attempt 😅

Day 3 - Fruit I had an epiphany when I was brainstorming ideas for the remaining prompts and that was that there was nothing stopping me from taking inspiration from my own fanfics. So, this basket of fruit is reminiscent of the one Wukong gave to Wǎn'ér the last time he saw her in Until the End. His inclination to peaches means that they always end up being the most prevalent fruit. Generally, the more he likes you, the more peaches he'll give you. But he put together this basket about two dozen times trying to put together the best possible combination for Wǎn'ér's health and enjoyment and the amount of peaches was a critical consideration. At several points it was just a basket full of (non-immortal) peaches. I was experimenting with the line weight to indicate shadows but I was always messing about with new liners so it's maybe not quite as tidy as I would like and also I don't know actually know how the shadows would work here but I gave it a good shot!

Day 4 - Bear Meet (Zǒu Xíng) Shí Xióng, the (Misshapen) Stone Bear, Nǚwā's assistant and one of her failed attempts to create MK - you can find out more about him here. Bear Ref I used was this.

Day 5 - Lotus Who else was it going to be? I struggled with this one a lot - I wanted to try my hand at a non Lego body type and I really struggled with the face, especially the eyes. I must have looked at hundreds of different LMK artists to see how they drew their versions of characters and I honestly still don't know how they make them look so good (I mean, I do - it's practice but you know what I mean). But overall I think it was a decent attempt! I really tried to make the line weight a bit dynamic but honestly I really like how I messed up his wheel and just went ham - maybe a style to really commit to another time!

Day 6 - Cycle Get it? It's a motorcycle? Sorry 😅 People that draw machines are built different. People that can ink circles though? God like ability. You should have seen me sweating putting pen to those wheels and then I messed up the back one so badly I just coloured the whole thing in (it was still a bit off so I also cut out some paper to try and fix it a little). I accidentally missed out some little bits by not getting the proportions quite right but I don't think you can really tell so I'm calling it a success!

Day 7 - Scripture So my initial plan for this was to have Tang crying over some scrolls but I was trying to demand something of myself I just didn't have the skills for yet, positioning a character I didn't have a reference for, and it was just getting frustrating so instead I pivoted to trying to do backgrounds and using line weight to show distance from the viewer. Overall I think I did ok but the pillars were impossible to get straight 😖

Day 8 - Legacy I had a much more ambitious idea for this one but it was turning out to be more frustrating than challenging and I was getting grumpy so I changed tact and did something simpler!

Day 9 - Wound/Scar My initial plan was to do a couple different characters from my fics and focus on one of their most significant scars but I really want to try and explore other styles and since this was going to be a straightforward prompt (i.e. not fully body drawings) this felt like a good opportunity to experiment a little! So I did some little studies of some very talented fan artists work trying to understand how they put faces together and make them look good! Links to the artists and their works: pinkydonatsu, bismuthfool and ninjadudexx

Day 10 - Spider I've written some more about this scene here but basically this is pre-working for Spider Queen and she's got her eyes on Syntax. Pretty happy with how this turned out! I'm not the best at blending different coloured pencils together but I think it looks pretty good! It is pretty obvious that the yellow was a higher quality pencil tho 😅 I also managed to preserve those white lines in his hair so it doesn't look like on big mass.

Day 11 - Creation I did think about doing someone with Nǚwā and her stone carvings but Red Son's little flame sprite from Season 5 just really grew on me the more I looked at it. Decided to have a bit of fun with it and do a little fakemon evolution for it, I actually did a digital version first (add link) before putting pen to paper. Also decided to give the glitter gel pen ago and honestly apart from the fact the glitter sometimes clogs up the ballpoint it was actually pretty nice to work with. But it also does NOT dry as fast which I didn't enjoy accidentally discovering 😤

Day 12 - Underworld So this is another example of me drawing inspiration from my fics. In my Monkey Talk Series, the Red-Bottomed Horse Monkey is the celestial primate of the "underworld" - predating the Ten Kings by eons. She's held many a soul in her life time. You can read more about her here and this is the ref I used. Did a digital version of this one too! Continued to try using the gel pen and found it's more forgiving than traditional liners when it comes to hand shakiness, I'm not sure it layers quite as nicely though!

Day 13 - Pagoda The colours for the 100-Eyed Demon were just so ahem eye-catching and I thought I could maybe do something fun with it. I was messing around with various pencils and pens but the bleeding on some of the pens was really annoying me and so this somehow became a bit of a paper craft project with at least 5 layers and 17 different cut out shapes! Very finicky but I actually did enjoy it! And got to experiment with some pencil techniques so overall I'm happy with it!

Day 14 - Lunar Cutting out paper with a craft knife? Way, way more difficult than it has any right to be. Also, I kid you not, as soon as I was done my brother came through and was like "Oh, yeah, I've got a craft knife specifically for cutting out curves." RIP me, I guess. But I think I did alright regardless! I was half tempted to add some craters to the moon but I was too scared of ruining it.

Day 15 - Mercy I struggled coming up with what to draw for this one but eventually I remembered that Sandy exists and how he very pointedly spares Huntsman! But I wanted to give myself a bit of extra challenge and so tried to draw his hand a bit more realistically. If you're wondering why he's missing part of a finger that's because I used a picture of my dad's hand as a reference, who due to crane related incidents, is down half a finger. But I could believe Huntsman lost a finger in his life - I had thought to add some scars but I forgot. But yeah, overall happy with this one!

Overall, I'm pretty proud of myself! Even if a drawing didn't turn out quite like I'd hoped I can still find something I like about it and almost everyone had it's own unique challenge that I gave my best shot! Thanks again to vorpaldoodles for the prompts!

[milesconure]

So yesterday after dodging spoilers like crazy for the past week I finally managed to see Sonic 3 Movie and… I think I need to talk about one thing that really disappointed me. It's going to contain spoilers.

First of all, I cannot say that I didn't have fun. I've been waiting for this movie so much and the first thing I did after returning home was taking down the poster from Sonic 2 Movie and putting on a poster from Sonic 3 Movie. The second thing I did was take my graphic tablet and immediately drawing a huge fullart for it. Sonic 3 Movie was on my mind the whole day and I still can't stop thinking about it. It WAS fun. But after hearing people talking about how perfect it is I honestly... got a little disappointed- Am I seriously the only person who got the experience kinda ruined by Gerald's character?? I'm gonna be honest, yesterday I wrote the whole rant about it, but didn't upload it, because of some errors. But it was really REALLY negative and I was kinda pissed off. My opinion still didn't change, but I cooled down a bit so I'll keep it short. For me, Gerald was absolutely the worst thing about this movie. He and Robotnik both. I can kinda understand Robotnik acting like a clown, because Robotnik was always crazy, but Gerald? He was never this ridiculous. Thing about Gerald is that he's a tragic character. He was never really a bad person. Just a scientist trying his best to cure his granddaughter who was then literally killed by a military. A child. The dude had every right to be angry. It was understandable he felt vengeful. But the movie made a clown out of him. The jokes/scenes with Gerald and Robotnik were literally so unfunny. Only one joke amused me and it was the one with the 4th wall break. Listen, I get that those movies are for kids. But even Sonic games in their worst family friendly era didn't have jokes that lame... And you know? Fine. I could totally tolerate the jokes. But I'm so pissed off that they didn't stop even in the finale. We got Super Sonic and Super Shadow. We got a damn LIVE AND LEARN. Literally perfect scene right there. Did the creators really had to interrupt it with "funny haha" scene with Gerald spanking Robotnik??? Is it really that difficult to be a bit serious for at least 5 MINUTES?? Not to mention, the movie really tried to claim that Gerald is this evil guy that wants to destroy the world after what happened to Maria. But they made such a goof out of him that it didn't even look as if he even cared about Maria. I just... I had so much hopes for this movie to be "more serious". I noticed myself getting annoyed with some jokes in Sonic 2 movie, but decided that it wasn't that big of a deal. But they went completely overboard in this movie. To the point where I feel like this movie isn't really about Shadow. It's a Jim Carrey movie. After watching it, I feel like Gerald and Robotnik got more spotlight with their unfunny scenes than Shadow did. And it felt like they completely rushed Shadow's backstory too. They literally decided that straight up saying that Shadow's story is painful at the beginning of a movie was a good idea. I just... I don't know what to think. I'm conflicted. This is of course only my opinion. I saw people saying that this movie is perfect in their opinion and people liked Gerald and Robotnik. I'm glad. But in my case, that really disappointed me. Of course, I still had fun with the movie! I could probably make a seperate post with a spoiler warning, talking about things I did enjoy!

[leoruby-draws]

Finally, I can introduce Indigo aka Brainiac 8! Last one, and with this I've done 8 straight days of posting. Not the best week (pretty shitty tbh) but posting these helped take my mind off all that horrible shit. Hopefully it helped a little for you too.

A villain turned hero (then villain again) who comes from the future and tries to make the future belong to Brainiac! She'll be fulfilling the superman role in the group! Best of all, she has pink hair! Yes that's important (no its not lol)!! You know how long she's been in the drafts? Since more than a year ago!

In my last post, I was considering making a oc that would fulfill what I would like for my superman expy of the group but decided against having an oc for that, but ironically I did find a character who was pretty similar to her. The fact that she was actually a 'child' of Brainiac made her, in a way, more perfect for the role. A lot of the kids on the TrWh Outlaw team tend to be stuck on the border between good and bad, so Indigo will have company in that regard. I think at a later point she'll also start making friends with her outsider teammates from the comics as well, I've got a couple of drawings of them as well. I'll post them later tho.

Indigo's personality is split, because just like in the comics, she actually has two sides to her. A sweet, inquisitive, innocent but manufactured side and her 'real' personality, an evil monster bent on enacting Brainiac's plans. Her entrance is similar to the comics, she comes blasting in from the future to try to kill Donna. Unlike in canon, Indigo fails. Cyborg helps rewire her and Donna tries to figure where to place her. Donna then thinks of those Outlaw rascals making trouble everywhere and gets an idea...

Here was where I was working out her costume, I gave her a black dress cuz of her canon black outfit, but it felt kinda boring no matter what I added to it. So I changed it up. I also gave her a human disguise, for whenever she wants to blend in. I also tried to give her a name of sorts 'Aryrl Dox', tried to make it sound like Ariel but don't know if it works.

Also her hairstyle, I kinda styled it after Yukino from KareKano. Yukino was someone who tried to create a secondary facade to fool her classmates into thinking she was perfect. Her obsession for maintaining two different personas gave her a similarity to Indigo, so I thought it'd be funny to give her hairstyle to Indy.

Also with Indigo being the superman of the group, this means Jason/Vanessa/Indigo are the trinity of the TrWh Outlaws. Seems like Vanessa doesn't feel too comfortable around Indigo.

And Vanessa isn't the only who's uncomfortable around Indigo. Karen, Kara, and Brainiac 5 seem rather apprehensive about her. I said earlier that the story that introduces her is similar to canon, where Indy flies in from the future to kill Donna. Since this happens earlier in canon, the plot point from Graduation has to be different. My idea was to have it happen in a ceremony where the heroes(Justice League?) formally establish Steph's and Tim's hero teams (Jason's team mostly rejected doing this, much to Toni's chagrin). A lot of heroes were there so a lot of people saw the destruction Indy brought, so she's currently got a pretty bad reputation atm.

Also I made Indigo's outfit more similar looking to Supergirl's, perhaps its her way to make herself easier for others to accept her.

More Indy's and a little moment between her, Jason and Vanessa. I imagine they're closer to 13/14 here. You can also see me putting her in her canon hairstyle, maybe I should've stuck to it, much easier to draw tbh.

Also here's a bonus little comic under the read more:

A fun comic showing how Indigo comes blasting into the team's life, Donna can't help but find this all rather amusing. As for why is Donna introducing Indy to the team? Well I figured it would just be like her to want to help this child, even if that child tried to assassinated her. Doesn't every child deserve the chance to make friends and be happy? It's a major reason why I like making this au, giving lonely young heroes a more happier life.

A little bit of an epilogue here. It was very important to me that at one point Jason would meet a character that basically 'beats' the shit out of him and then would make him laugh. Basically a parallel to his own meeting with Bruce, at least one meeting like this had to happen! What better character than the girl who doesn't know what humor is yet? I think they're gonna be great friends, lets hope these happy times last forever...

And with that, my 8-day streak of posting is over!!! My poor poor hands, I think I'll skip next week honestly.

Well, I hope you enjoyed all of that, and I hope you all stay safe out there!!

[animalsalvationassociation]

Calling all Octo-Agents!

Yes! You! Please read till the end, and if you don't have the patience/energy for it rn, come back later! It'll be worth it I promise!

So the holidays are now pretty much over, (except for New Years ofc, but I digress.) meaning I've been looking for new ways to improve my Au. You see, it's come to my attention that I'm not as organized or as thorough as I thought I was.

I've created a lot of lore/characters for this Au, but not very many people really know what's going on anymore. Even I get lost, and it's been a little frustrating ngl. So, seeing as this blog is officially over a year old, I think it's time to "fix" my mistakes and take a new approach.

Ya'll might've noticed that I've been slowing down on content. I haven't been spending as much time on my art, meaning the quality (well I wouldn't say it's gotten worse) hasn't been as strong as some others I've created in the past.

(Don't get me wrong, I'm not making a resolution for the new year, that's dumb and we all know those never last.)

So here's what I'm promising instead since this clearly is the only thing I'm allowed to work on at the moment (not saying I don't have other projects, but if I want to actually publish this story at any point I'm going to have to spend as much time as I can on it, meaning I have to make some sacrifices - RIP my FNaf's & Undertale fanfics)

1. Full Character Redesigns

Taking all the core characters (The Octonauts / Octo-Agents / Y.N. & Fae / The A.S.A. / C.L.A.D.E. / etc.) and giving them a full reference sheet with details, headcanons, and an updated design.

Creating family/relationship tree for those characters (parents/siblings/love interests/etc.)

Family/Team “Photos”

Crossovers (I will still be doing multiple crossovers and soon they will get their very own redesigns!)

2. Updating the Master Post

3. Updating the “Pinned” Blog Post

For reference this will no longer be the current top post with all of the A.S.A. members, but a poster I will create for the fanfic to make the blog appear cleaner. (I won’t delete that post I’m just going to unpin it since the designs are old and not as useful as they used to be)

4. Asks will open January 1st, but I will not start answering any asks before February 1st!

That is so I can properly prepare and reevaluate the blog’s content so there is more information available to anyone who wants to ask questions for the Octonauts/Octo-Agents.

5. A.S.A.’s Rating & Genre (Fanfic)

This story will now be classified as Cryptozoological Fiction, with partial Horror / Science Fiction & will be drawing straight from Folklore & Mythology. (For “Sci-Fi” don’t think space/aliens, think Cryptids in a scientifically evolved world.)

The rating is now PG-14

(Poll Results)

6. Fanfiction

This is really for the fanfiction itself. I’m still trying to figure out how to go about this. As of this current moment I have 1, maybe 2 chapters written out, and soon I hope to have more. However I am my own editor/beta reader, so it might not be as polished as I’d like to be, but I’m just going to have to accept that.

Unless I can find a bunch of people who can do that stuff for me, for fun, that’s the state this story will be in. You’ll have to have patient with me, I’m using all the tools I have at my disposal (Grammarly, Google Docs, LibreOffice, etc.) but I am a human with heavy ADHD and reading/comprehension disabilities, so please be kind.

7. Weekly Posts

I will still be posting weekly, just not on Tuesdays. I realize it’s only been stressing me out to post on that day every week and so I’ve been abusing my attempts at a proper sleep schedule because of it. I still work a very busy retail job and will have to get a secondary job sometime soon, so unfortunately you’ll just have to add me to your notifications if you want to know when I’ve posted.

8. The Future . . .

This one is for anyone who’s gotten this far. I want you to know that the Octonauts still mean so much to me. Even if we aren’t getting updates anymore, the community is still somewhat alive even if it's only a few of us. Maybe one day we’ll get our kickstart, but for now I will continue making content until I’m satisfied with the story and it’s ending. If I stray every now and then, that’s just because I have the attention span of a goldfish with a million hobbies and fandoms that constantly need attention. I love you guys and I promise to do my very best to make my mark on the internet, even if it’s for a silly kids show about talking/walking/nerdy animals who save fish every day.

9. January's Posting Plan

Week 1: Finishing the Octonaut's Headcanons

Week 2: My Christmas gift to the Community

Week 3: Silly Y/N & Fae Content (No it doesn't make sense, deal with it)

Week 4: Screencap Redraw

Week 5: Starting Redesigns

If you made it this far . . . here's a cookie and the secret formula.

🍪🍾

[justsomerandomfanfic]

Hii !! Could I please get a romantic and a platonic MHA matchup ?? I'm a 19 year old pansexual (no gender pref) trans man (he/him).

- I'm 5 ft tall and chubby with a shoulder-length chestnut brown shag, greyish-blue eyes, and a sad resting face. I'm super pale and I have a ton of freckles all over my face/body. I honestly dont know if I really have a specific style, I just wear whatevers comfortable for me at the moment.

- Personality-wise, I tend to be more quiet and shy side unless I'm friends with someone. I try to be social sometimes, but I'm just kind of an awkward person. I feel like I might have some trust issues so it can take me a while to warm up to someone and consider them a friend. Once I know someone, I basically do a complete 180°. I become very friendly and social (also kind of loud but that's unintentional). I feel like I'm super clingy too but I could be biased with that. I'm also very protective of them so I have gotten into a lot of arguments/fights because of this. However, I still do my best to be understanding and patient with others despite this.

- I don't know how important this is, but if I have feelings for someone: It's (probably) horrible for anybody witnessing it. I just start getting flustered super easily and I start to get super quiet/awkward again. Also, I tend to freak out and accidentally say things that are just so embarrassing that a part of me wishes that I could just fly directly into the sun sometimes. I also just become the most oblivious/dense person on the planet, so I won't realize if the person likes me back or not the majority of the time unless they just straight up tell me. (If I do somehow notice, I will typically talk myself into thinking that I'm just overthinking)

- For hobbies, I like to: watch video essays, crochet, draw, read, bake, hang out with my animals (I have 4 chickens and 2 dogs), collect plushies, and listen to music! (Some of my current favourite artists are San Fermin, Tyler the Creator, Sparkbird, That Handsome Devil, and Jhariah) I also like to learn new things, whether it be about some animal I saw online, a weird experiment I heard about, or some hobby that I've been interested in for a while now.

- I like the colours blue and teal, nature, puppets/muppets, decorating, bugs (specifically yellowjackets and hornets), vintage items, summer, and animals (I specifically like vultures, owls, chipmunks, squirrels, alligators, chickens, snakes, and foxes). There's not that I dislike to be honest other than super basic things such as the cold, incredibly negative people, and people who hurt animals/other people on purpose.

Sorry if I wrote too much or too little, I've honestly been kinda nervous about that while writing this. Anyways, thank you so much in advance and I hope that you have a good day/night !! 💙💙

Hello!

I would love to give you a platonic and romantic matchup for MHA!

I really had a great time with this one! After reading, I had many ideas flow through me!

Hehe

<33333333333

Also! I also love Jhariah! (My favorite song is Promises)!

Anyway!

I hope you like your matches!

Enjoy!

<33333

Romantic and Platonic Matchups; My Hero Academia

~~~

Platonic;

~~~

My Hero Academia;

Yagi Toshinori (All Might) -

You were visiting UA to drop off something for a special someone who had forgotten it at home when you ran into the big man himself

You were carrying a paper bag of your special someone's lunch, nearly dropping it

"Is that paper bag just full of seven sandwiches?"

"How do you know?"

Your special someone introduced you to Toshinori

You were shy, but he instantly warmed up to you

Toshi becomes something of a gentle uncle figure to you

He checks in every now and then, always careful not to push your boundaries

You start hanging out after you visit with your special someone

Helping him water his plants ot talking about music and books

He was especially curious when you told him you liked bugs

You showed him your sketchbook full of insect drawings, and he was so fascinated that he kept asking questions.

He helps you carry bags, makes you tea when you visit, and always encourages your creativity

The two of you bake together

His cookies turn out to be hard as bricks

But he tries

You both go on nature walks, stopping to identify bugs and birds

Yagi is protective but respectful

You open up to him more than you expected

You tell him when you’re feeling nervous or when someone hurts your feelings

He listens without judgment

He tells you you’re stronger than you know

And when you get into protective mode for your friends?

He always backs you up with a smile and a proud pat on the back

“You’ve got a big heart, and I’m proud of you for defending what matters.”

~~~

Romantic;

~~~

My Hero Academia;

Hizashi Yamada (Present Mic) -

It started with chaos

You were out walking your dogs, just admiring the sunshine, a little music in your ears, when your dogs suddenly slipped their leashes and bolted across the street

You were shocked

How did they manage to do that

They are usually well-behaved

Must have been fate, broski

You were calling for them in a panic, running after them, heart in your throat, when suddenly-

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEOW! DOGGOS ALERT!"

You turned just in time to see this cute guy swoop in, arms out, catching your pups in a surprising display of agility

He handed them both to you with a grin that was blindingly bright

"You okay, listener? These cuties are so cute! I'm glad I was able to catch them!"

You were already flustered, but when he crouched down to pet your pups and looked up at you with those kind eyes and that electric smile, your words tangled into a shy, flustered mess

"Thank you! I-um, oh my god, I might cry- but not in a bad way! I- I'm sorry about them!"

You wished the ground would open up and swallow you whole

He just chuckled, not in a mean or teasing way, just in that soft, warm way

"No worries! Happens to the best of us! Wanna grab a Pup Cup together sometimes?"

You blinked, stunned

Was he asking you out?

No

Couldn't be

He probably just wanted to hang out with your dogs again

Right?

Your dogs ended up being the key to your eventual friendship

Hizashi would visit often, bringing treats, paying with them, and eventually inviting you to parks, and quirky pet expos

He started showing up with loud vintage band tees and plush toys, he said, "looked like something you'd love"

You'd crochet him scarves and decorate his jackets with custom-made pins

You bonded over music tastes and animal facts

You baked cookies for him once, and he loved them

You apologized for ot making more, and then apologized for apologizing

You were shy, awkward, and unsure of yourself, but he never once rushed you

He just let you be, always upbeat, always gentle

He noticed it first - how you'd look at him when you thought he wasn't watching, then immediately look away when he turned

How your voice would get a bit small and soft around him, cheeks becoming hot under your touch, and hands fidgeting

"You gettin' all shy on me? I must be pretty charming, huh?"

You'd mutter something like, "Not that I- not what I meant- you're not un-charming, I mean, ugh, forget it."

But then you'd leave him a note with a drawing of an alligator holding a mic

He kept it in his wallet

He started walking the dogs with you more often

All the while, everything he said and did, you assumed he was just being friendly, since he was your friend

Friends did things for each other, right?

Friends brush each other's hair behind their ears, and friends call each other "sweetheart" and "babe"

It took one very warm summer night

You were both lying on a blanket outside with your dogs playing nearby

He was telling you about his day, and you were crocheting a little plush chicken

"You know... I thought I was being obvious, but I like you. Like, like you like you. A lot."

You dropped the plush mid-stitch, "Oh- uh- I, are you serious?"

"Dead serious. Been crushing on you since your dogs ran into me."

You didn't speak

You stared

"Sorry. I'm not too good at this. I think- I also like you. Probably. Very much. But if you change your mind later, that's okay too-"

He leaned in and kissed your burning cheek, "No takebacks, baby."

Dating Hizashi is vibrant, loud, and deeply affectionate and supportive

He respects your shyness and always gives you room to retreat

But never lets you feel like you're too much or too little

He loves it when you get excited about facts or experiments

You'll start explaining something, and he'll listen

He'd listen for hours

"YES! Talk nerdy to me!"

He spoils not only you, but your dogs and chickens too!

One time, you saw him mimicking your chickens, waddling around, and clucking

Anyway, back to the gifts!

For your dogs; bandanas, plushies, dog beds, and treats

For your chickens; chicken treats?

For you; anything your heart desires!

If you so as much glance at something, it's yours

He tries crocheting, but he fails miserably

He shows you around the radio studio and lets you choose the songs

Every day, at 3 p.m. sharp, one of your favorite songs from Tyler the Creator

He lets you draw on his skin with a marker

Will walk with your art on his arms proudly

You organize his studio space because it's a disaster, and he keeps getting overwhelmed

He buys you vintage animal figurines from flea markets

Teal and blue hoodies!

He will defend you loudly and proudly

If someone is rude to you, he's already throwing hands verbally

And you know he gets his point across cause he's so loud

He will respect your boundaries completely while also encouraging you to be yourself unapologetically

You crochet him keychains of his favorite animals

You help him wind down after long, loud days

Hizashi and you?

You balance each other out perfectly

[piyo13sdoodles]

day 28, chapter 76:

At the expression on Quintus' face Cliopher could take no more. He started laughing before he made it out of the room, though the loudest whoops came after he'd reached the hallway. He did not get far along, just sank down at the top of the stairs so he could try to muffle his mirth with his hands. ~ "Your family seems somewhat perturbed," Rhodin observed after a few minutes.

and bonus gallery shot + musings under the cut because it's been exactly 4 weeks now:

fun to see what kinds of patterns intentionally or unintentionally crop up... or also which days i can tell i was busy vs which days i had time or worked in advance to dedicate more time to the piece. if anyone's curious, on average one of these might take me 2-3 hours to complete! more detailed ones like october 23 i think probably took me closer to 5 hours, simpler ones like october 9 maybe 1.5h.

i am both sad and glad it's almost over--i've definitely lost a fair amount of sleep trying to get these done in time (usually i work a day ahead so i can post at a reasonable time, but that hasn't always worked out, especially in the final stretch here), so this pace does become untenable on top of work, but it also is really fun to make so much art! and to always have something to work on rather than becoming trapped into that idea of 'what should i do, too many choices, can't decide..' the answer is always inktober!

in any case, seeing the gallery like this is also interesting to me because it really helps me realize where i could have/should have pushed the ink a bit more--working in ink is (to me; this is definitely not gospel, just how i consider ink work) an exercise in controlling contrast. you don't have colour to drive edges or cool/warm tones, so the only value you have is the light-dark contrast, and in my mind at least, good use of contrast should carry across to a smaller format. for example, zoomed out like this i can see that october 11th really needed more contrast in the feathers--they blend too much into the background in a way that doesn't really work to emphasize that ludvic is standing in front of the candles there. otoh, on october 5, i think that one's fine because what i wanted was for the moon to draw the eye first, and THEN for you to notice HR sitting there.

overall, also, i want to keep these interesting--if the compositions are always the same, then it can become repetitive or boring, so i wanted a good mix of light and dark compositions, and a good balance of tone across all of them. which so far i'm pleased with! and this year i let myself use pencil undersketches and do thumbnail planning and everything (last year i really wanted to get better at visualizing the piece in my head so i set the challenge of just committing straight to paper... i'm still happy with last year's but you can tell i took on much more challenging compositions this year lol)

anyway!! much to think about, so much to learn, i wanted to work a bit in advance again so i won't be putting tomorrow's up almost at midnight again but alas i think it was not meant to be, so i'm off to bed and if you read this whole thing, congrats, have a cookie *hands you a cookie*

[buttastic]

so over the past few days I read this comic called mary tyler moorehawk by dave baker and I think I have to talk about in a more formalized sense but I don't want to do it on a platform where I'm connected with actual comics people so here you go tumblr. there's gonna be a lot of spoilers for mtmh here (and to a lesser extent of house of leaves and rant: the oral biography of buster casey) because it's impossible to talk about this thing otherwise

here we go

the first thing I will say about it is that it takes rather a lot from both mark z danielewski's house of leaves and chuck palahniuk's rant: the oral biography of buster casey.

this is not a problem for me. if anything, this is the opposite of a problem for me. I love those books. I've been wanting more comics and specifically more big published graphic novels that do the kinds of post-modern structural weirdness that these prose novels do. but that kind of gets to my problem with it:

there are completely vanilla straight-forward comic pages and then there are hol-esque prose sections and never do the two intertwine.

the story is this: à la house of leaves, a journalist writes about the production of his favorite canceled-after-9-episodes tv show, mary tyler moorehawk, in an alternate 5-minutes-to-a-hundred-years future dystopia à la rant. this leads him to try and track down the original creator of the characters, where he discovers that mtmh was originally based on a comic. the structure then bounces back and forth between sections of this comic from plot points long past where the show cut off and journalistic sections where the narrator interviews people and does a bunch of junior detective stuff. that is the Plot and Structure.

the Premise is that dave baker, the actual author/cartoonist who lives in our world, receives a package in the mail that contains the manuscript of the book we're reading, that was delivered to him by dave baker, about his quest to find dave baker. I wish I could post screencaps of the intro, but alas hoopla doesn't let you take those so I'm stuck with what other people have posted.

but so anyway this entire book revolves around dave baker doggedly extolling the singular genius of dave baker while dave baker kind of shrugs at the camera. it's breathtakingly narcissistic in a way I almost respect.

the dystopian future that this takes place in is one where owning physical objects has been made illegal--for environmentalist reasons?? we'll come back to the bonkers politics in this. but so the primary entertainment is either fascist propaganda films or hologram web streaming videos with no stories where you watch people do mundane activities that I have to imagine is some kind of dig at tiktok. the only option outside of that is the way of the physicalists--people dedicated to the cult of illegally hoarding physical art objects from before such things were purged. the only people who are allowed to own anything are corporations, who can own anything including people, but honestly if we think too hard about what it means to live in a world that truly owns nothing this whole story starts to fall apart.

like it seems like mostly it's illegal to own art? but people are described as drawing several times so art SUPPLIES are at least acquirable, somehow? but whatever, not what this is about.

but so anyway somebody gets the bright idea to revive the old ways of tv shows (except they have to broadcast them onto dishwashers instead of tvs, since dishwashers are one of the few things people are allowed to own. also, somehow, broadcasting is meaningfully different than streaming) but also along with this she revives all of the evil predatory shit tv companies do verbatim, which feels really weird.

like the book is about dave baker (the journalist)'s quest to figure out why his favorite tv show was canceled and he lives in this dystopia where art is illegal and he managed to illegally watch this show because his uncle knew a guy who knew a guy and he has to dodge police raids to even talk about this stuff--

--but the reason his favorite show was canceled is because a tv ceo tried to claim perpetual rights to someone else's comic characters and that person left in a huff?

like idk! do something interesting with your setting! I actually do not think trying to combine the approaches of house of leaves and rant is a bad idea. they both feature people talking Around an object/person that is never directly depicted but still shines through anyway, and both have elaborate metanarratives running at the same time. there's a lot to work with there!

so I think the mistake here is trying to combine the Worlds of hol and rant. hol takes place in a world that is basically identical to our own to try and get you to wonder if the navidson record actually happened, or at the very least if johnny truant actually found someone writing about it. rant takes place in a scifi near-future to continuously bait and switch you with wondering how far removed this reality actually is from our own. both of these are extremely Core To What These Books Are About.

mary tyler moorehawk, on the other hand....seems to just be using these as a fun aesthetic to explore?

mtmh makes extensive use of hol-style footnotes, but they never really go anywhere. they're extra set-dressing but they always immediately resolve themselves and are almost completely ignorable. every once and a while one will loop back around, but never in a way that's plot-critical.

the scifi setting is completely incomprehensible unless you've also read rant and know kind of what it's aping. in rant there is a big cultural divide between upperclass people who do their media consumption by plugging sensory recordings into jacks in their brains to feel things second-hand and lowerclass people whose brain jacks have been rotted out by exposure to rabies (listen it's chuck palahniuk) who have to actually experience things in person if they want to feel anything.

like, I feel like this is what mtmh is gesturing towards with the divide between hologram tiktoks and Real TV but it feels sooo telling that baker decides to replace palahniuk's focus on real sensation to one about....watching better tv

I don't want to get too in the paint of defending chuck palahniuk here because I am on record as hating that bastard (and I do. even if I do like the book rant for the most part. it's complicated) but rant is at least a book About something. rant is a book about feeling everything you can and defining who you want to be when other people have already made up their minds about what you'll be and also the AIDS crisis. house of leaves is a book about love and grief and obsession and rampant un-checked obsessive-compulsive disorder.

so what's mary tyler moorehawk about? that's easy: comics! sort of.

at least, it wants to be about comics. mtmh is trying to weave you a tale about how discovering the right piece of media at the right time in your life can Change you and make you realize how wonderful art can be. problem number one with this is that in mtmh the medium that touches people is a tv show, not a comic, but we'll come back to that. problem number two is that this revelation doesn't Do anything for these people except teaching them that they like art now. nobody except genius auteur dave baker attempts to actually Fix anything about their situations or society, and a constant throughline in this is is that fictional people are better than real ones.

I just think that's really sad? that's really sad. in the end of the book dave baker the journalist takes back his own findings and dave baker the comic genius' loose pages back in time to deliver them to our world dave baker, who is apparently the younger self of the coolest guy who ever lived. (I found This whole plot weirdly derivative of the scott pilgrim anime but what's another one here, right?) dave baker the genius tells dave baker the journalist (these ones are actually different guys) that he needs to make sure mtmh gets published as a comic, not as a highly corporate work to get butchered, and to foster a future where art and artists by extension are protected by society.

well that's all well and good, but what does art Provide in this universe, exactly? mostly, it seems like the primary functions are escapism and validation, the two most toothless things anything can provide. in the face of this horrible dystopia we must endeavor to Feel Better About Ourselves In A Way That Makes Us Feel OK About Avoiding Other People. great, awesome

I know I'm avoiding talking about the comics thing once again, but let's circle back to what this dystopia actually is. oh god tumblr is eating my shit let's see if I can reconstitute this

so things are described as fascist and corporate in mtmh a lot but the actual things that happen—loss of private property for environmentalist reasons, a focus on communal experiences instead of private ones, the death of consumerism—feel pretty unambiguously leftist. it's not enough for me to call this comic right wing, but it IS enough for me to call it centrist hand-wringing about how art won't be able to exist under communism. but whatever. this book is not really interested in making grand political statements.

so if there's no point in a better future, let's imagine a better past. finally, let's talk about mary tyler moorehawk's relationship with comics.

the climax of mtmh occurs when journalist dave baker finally tracks down auteur dave baker and discovers that mary tyler moorehawk—the beloved, deeply flawed, and obviously meddled-with tv show he dedicated his life to—was originally based on a much longer, infinitely more nuanced and elaborate series of comics.

this is the crowning achievement of this entire book. the world opens up under our protagonist and he learns to no longer be content with shadows and to walk out of Plato's cave. everything this book was trying to do crystallized for me at this moment, because of how much it mirrored my own entry into comics. for me, it was the feeling of discovering my favorite anime were based on manga. it was hearing that the guy behind invader zim also made comics. it was learning who jack kirby was and how hard he had to fight to make his art. it's the Core Thesis of not only this book but all of cartooning—that indie comics are a beautiful realm of possibility that are one of the few modes of expression that can exist completely divorced from corporate oversight and executive meddling. it's beautiful!

and it's maybe 3 pages out of this 250 page book?

I've been talking almost exclusively about the prose side of this book so far. the other half is the actual comic Mary Tyler MooreHawk, the one the show is based on.

it's a fun, cute pulpy adventure comic about a family of do-gooders repeatedly trying and failing to save the world.

it gets bleaker and bleaker as it goes along. where the prose half is potentially the more interesting half, I think the comic half is the more compelling one, where a recently aggrieved bunch of adventurers keep losing more and more but decide to pick up and keep trying anyway because it's all they can do.

the style is fun, both visually and in terms of genre. it's kind of a pastiche of all kinds of adventure comics from different decades and different countries, though this does mean it dips into some pretty racist tropes near the beginning.

it, like the prose, is much better on emotionality than politics. unfortunately for it, I think it gets bogged down in what the other half of the book is doing. it's a petty simple and compelling story but elevating it to being The One Story That Will Save The World shines a lot on a lot of its inadequacies, some of which I don't even think are actual inadequacies.

pinning the entire media revolution on what appears to be a flimsy children's serial is summoning my inner "read another book" guy and I don't even think it's a bad children's serial. I think if the prose part had talked up more about the parts of this comic that we don't get too actually see at all instead of presenting a small section of it like a mic drop it would've gone over better.

because at the end of the day, mtmh is just a pretty conventional comic. even in-universe it seems like the thing that was novel about it is that no one else was making comics. this kinda gets at my big picture problem with this whole book:

I have been talking about the structure and maneuvers of this narrative purely in comparison to prose novels.

part of this is on me. I could really easily compare the included sections of comics in this book to the black freighter sections from watchmen, for example. but that's not really the most interesting part of watchmen, is it?

I see in mtmh a deep and abiding desire to do something different with comics as a medium, or at the very least a desire to do something different and also showcase comics. but the problem with that is that it derives most of its big maneuvers from and expresses them through prose.

I found this comic because I was reading through reviews over on solrad the other day and found this one by elias rosner. I was getting annoyed about 1) this book being an obvious house of leaves pastiche and then not getting talked about by someone familiar with house of leaves, and 2) the assertion that this book was more about tv than comics when it seemed obvious to me from the premise that this a book about the way comics are devalued.

but the more I read of this thing the more apparent it became to me than while it has massive respect for comics as a cultural heirloom, it either doesn't know or doesn't care about the interesting structural and narrative maneuvers unique to comics and defaults to drawing from prose.

grant morrison has been churning out bizarre post-modern comics since the 80s. we live in a post-homestuck world. pick up a michael deforge comic. read even just a scott mccloud book on the possibilities of comics? read anything. read shoujo manga with brain-breaking panel setups. read webcomics interrogating what it means to be a comic. read abstract comics. read weird comics. comics comics COMICS! there's so many of them!! they're all so interesting and weird!!!! come on man!!!!

anyway. I think there's a part of me that really wants to like this book. in a lot of ways, I feel like I was the target audience. but I also think it had ambitions that were not at all matched by the level of skill and effort baker could put into it. idk. I've only ever read one other book by dave baker, everyone is tulip, which struck me as a solid but weirdly copyright-dodging retelling of real life musician poppy's real life abuse. maybe I'm just destined to always be frustrated by this guy.

[katyspersonal]

In today's SoTE progress: ARRRGHHH I am SO goddamn angry!!!! Gfhghmjm But also I am thinking about Messmer and Marika a LOT now.

1) So, I was getting mentally prepared for going to battle Messmer, and decided to visit just one last piece of fort associated with his location!

^ This shield was dropped by a Black Knight Garrew that acted like a boss but was no harder than a regular enemy. He was using a Crucible aspect that gave him chameleon's shooting tongue to attack with and I hoped he'd drop it instead hfhghgj I'm gonna assume it was somewhere in the game and I just missed it for a dumb reason :pensive:

^ A valid reference in case if anyone will want to draw/write certain grim scenes in detail or something like that

2) There was also a fairly well-hidden secret that I felt proud of discovering, but it was just a stronger version of the talisman that makes arrows stronger! And not only I don't use bows, but also it didn't even give lore! Goddamn it Fromsoft reward me with INFORMATION for my explorer's interest!!

3) Okayyyy sooo :/ I was soooo ready to get my ass kicked by Messmer that I kinda dreaded it, but needed to get this over with! Alas, DLC should end sooner or later...

And at first, I did get my ass kicked, sure. But..... ...not only he switched to the second phase halfway through his health bar and not after it was fully reduced like I expected.. but also I adopted OBNOXIOUSLY fast. :/ :/ :/ It didn't take me EVEN 15 MINUTES to fully adapt to him and just get closer and closer with every try. And!! I did kill him? Like are you JOKING. Are you KIDDING me. That was IT? It took me several days and tormenting @fantomette22 for useless tries to finally defeat Rellana, I had to try many strategies and be extremely smart and inventive with her!! I thought if she was so strong, Messmer would have been even WORSE, and yet I am just sitting here like:

Dude yeah no SHIT you needed Rellana to protect you :/ Guess I was not impressed by 18 inches of Messmer the Impaler 😔😔😔

4) Okay but I DID like his voice acting a lot hfhgv I was just sitting there like "stop sounding sexy you dunce, I already decided that I'm going to dislike you!" XD /j

5) His final words were "Mother... Marika... A curse... upon thee..." and.. hell if I know whether he cursed us or her. I am assuming he cursed her since switching to calling your parent by name instead is a kind of strong sentiment. Like defying them their status over you sort of. Besides all the statues of her in Shadow Realm but one being headless. So... yes, interesting.

6) It was not patched out btw! :>

7) Okay actually when I was about to beat Messmer's ass for good I've accidentally found the summon sign for Hornsent NPC! I was not seeing it during the fight, just happened to run into it, and if Igon taught me anything is that such summons are a good idea because they progress the questline. Maybe. So, he gave a dialogue after Messmer was defeated:

"We meet again I see, comrade-in-arms. Upon his end, did you see Messmer's face? Twas sublime - a very tangle of snakes! To think he dared to call us savages. When he himself was most base of all.

To say the least, I am to you indebted. Yet unquenched remains my thirst for revenge. The death of Messmer was merely the start. Now comes the piper to collect from Marika, her offspring, and all the Erdtree's denizens... In vengeance for the flames, my blade I wield... If Miquella's redemption soothes the ache... that throbs within, demanding blessed vengeance... Then I wish not to be by him redeemed."

Sigh... I just can tell that the guy will have to turn on us sooner or later. Honestly, rejection of anything that could help/heal/etc the pain that demands revenge is such a... real reaction? He is a very real character. He straight up doesn't want to stop even after achieving his objective and himself, ironically, fell for the path of punishing every associate including innocent people whose only sin is being "born in this culture". He became like Marika in this regards!

Honestly, this is a very good writing moment! Second favourite after Miyazaki's jab at horrors of believing in "sacred mission" in Crusader's Insignia! (I like the character even more now for very real negative character development, but I just can TELL we'll have to kill him gfhhgg)

8) .... ah, right, I forgot this post about Messmer

Again: hatred like what? Hatred coming from Abyss Serpent? His hatred for Marika? Hatred for all divested of her grace? Hatred for himself? Is this many things? Fromsoft spare me I am too autistic to read hfggjhgjgb

9) This is actually sweet:

So, the snakes were friends all along, and I suppose the counterparts/antagonists to the "evil" serpent within him!

10) *points at this like in the meme* Hey I remember that this bit was mistranslated! XD

It actually says that he did that for his mother's sake, and not by her wish! It makes even more sense with the following sentence, as if HE really wished for no single mfer to look weird at her. No, as if he INSISTED to accept all blame and hatred. Considering he curses her in his dying breath, after all (or at least calls her name which is a bad sign from a child), there must have been such a long build-up of unhealthy relationship between them to it...

He not only wished to keep her away from all fear and hatred that follows, and fulfill her vengeful desires, but also basically said to use him like a punching bag. But if she feared the curse within him in the end, then SHE is to blame that he gave up on any and all hope to be pure, good and loved. Like.. whose fault do you guys think it IS that his self-image centered entirely on being fear and dread, as well as someone to hate? I have an impression that he did want to take the blame and excile for her sake, but also resented that she actually accepted his request to use him. Like.. maybe he didn't even realize that what he, subconsciously, wanted was for her to refuse. I might be speaking from too much personal experience, but sending such mixed signals (requesting something with expectation that the person will refuse) is a sign of bad parenting at least, abuse at most. And knowing Marika's horrid parenting skills... yeeeeah.

Again, really good writing. They are saying so much with so little, as always. Glad that Mister Miyazaki keeps the mark with his stories only being readable if you have at least one PTSD ggbhjghbb

11) I have a bad guess that they did not elaborate on what exactly Abyss Serpent is, otherwise @val-of-the-north would've already spoilered me because we love worldbuilding xd

But seeing how Marika Had a Moment about Giants' Fire all because it's capable of burning the Erdtree, the reason is probably similar. She I with Fire like Gwyn is with darkness: it can end her era, maybe end herself, so it is terrifying.

At the same time, she was trying to love her children, at least at first. She created this eye for Messmer and created a lot of Divine Blessings to ease his burdens in the past. Then there were Omen Twins that she yet named with her initials and at least Godfrey and Godwyn were seeing them, although horned creatures would be her worst nightmare. I feel like the pipeline from this to "children become kings or lords or else you'll only be worthy of sacrifices" + "unwanted bastard in Mausoleum" was a long one. She tried to love even the children that were either a walking hazard or walking PTSD, but failing to overcome fear before Messmer set her down the spiral. God, I can see all of her snapping if Messmer asked too many questions, accidentally acting hostile if he tried to be physically affectionate unable to conceal her fear fast enough... She would not be the type to try again with anyone after casting him aside in the end, but, she would take the passive position of "kids, prove me that you deserve my love because ME putting in effort won't avail anything, apparently". The guilt but one that made a quitter rather than a better person.

12) Also *points like in the meme again*

Yeah, every forge type of the dungeon in Shadow Realm has throwing weapons!!! He adapted!

__________

So yeah this post gotten EMOTIONAL ALL OF A SUDDEN when I expected it to be short. Damn, the girls didn't lie, he IS an interesting character!

[mogamingthe1st]

It Spreads DTIYS!!!

Wow, TWO digital pieces from me in one day? That's crazy.

For context of the mental state I was in while drawing this, I'm home sick rn and I've been listening to Creep acoustic version by Radiohead on loop for like 5 hours straight lmao

Anyways, It Spreads is by @foxxology and it just had its 1 year anniversary! It's so good read it please!!!!!!!!

I think tumblr is trying to kill the quality of this image but that's okay