#it's fun to experiment with different face shapes etc

[ifindus]

can I request sebmona date?🌹🍷✨🃏 (apparently they went out to dinner according to the manga)

Sure! Don't think I've seen much of this couple despite their canon interactions 🤔

[kisakis-boyfriend]

shikanoin heizou alphabet

For our 3000 follower celebration! (CLOSED NOW)

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

Honestly, Heizou is great at calming you down, helping you fall asleep if you need to. His gentle voice, slightly gravelly from all of the commotion earlier, helps you feel at peace after so much excitement.

He likes to touch your hair and your face after sex. Gently brushing his fingers against your cheeks, tracing the shape of your features while you chat about anything and everything.

B = Body part (Their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

He's rather proud of his chest and general torso area. Heizou keeps himself fit for his line of work, so while it's unrealistic to have a six pack all of the time, his abdominal muscles are still solid and very strong!

Of yours, I think he'd be a thigh kind of man. It really doesn't matter how thin or thick your thighs are, he loves them no matter what!

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically)

Definitely picture him as someone who ejaculates prematurely 🥴

Baby boy feels sorry for not being able to hold out for longer, but you shush him quickly, kissing away those thoughts as you continue to touch him.

Heizou's cum is extra sticky, and it's fun to see it stick to his thighs and fingers~

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

While he would call you a pervert for doing this, Heizou secretly jerks off to the thought of you sniffing his underwear or using them to masturbate. Just thinking about the dirty fabric wrapped around your cock — or, even better, pressed against your nose while you furiously jack off — makes his cock weep, ruining his train of thought during work 🤭

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

Definitely no stranger to sex, he's had many years of experience now. Also had a lot of fun experimenting with different kinks in the past, so Heizou's knowledge is pretty wide.

F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying. May include a visual)

Cowgirl, reverse cowgirl, idk if facesitting counts as a position, but he likes that too. Heizou also enjoys having his legs over your shoulders when you fuck.

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

More on the goofy side, especially with him being such a tease. Pick-up lines during sex is a frequent occurrence. He will literally ask if you're single while you're giving him a blowjob–

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

Bushy!! Heizou would have such a cute, curly bush 🤤

His hair is thick, curly, and fluffy too! His pubic hair grows quickly as well.

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect)

Quite intimate, but what did you expect from Heizou?

Of course he wants to take it slow, really feel your skin against his, and soak in the emotions in the moment.

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

He uses dildos to masturbate often, riding them or slowly fucking himself with one. He likes to watch himself in a mirror too, hooking one arm under his knee and spreading himself open to get the best view 😋

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

Bondage, being blindfolded, possibly into wax play, orgasm denial, chastity, and edging too~

L = Location (Favourite places to do the do)

While he claims that it's "too risky 😨" Heizou enjoys being railed up against a tree or something else you're hiding behind on a stakeout. Semi-public spaces are his fave~

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

It's not too hard to turn him on, as long as you know the right spots to run your fingers along. *coughs* his sides and the backs of his arms *coughs*

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Bloodplay or anything particularly painful. I can't picture him being into piss either, it's just not for him 😅

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

Extremely good at giving head, you almost can't picture a human being so skilled?!?! Heizou is incredibly seductive and dedicated to sucking your cock, it's impressive!

I think he would prefer to give rather than receive, but if you offer to return the favor, he wouldn't turn you down.

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

Slow and sensual for the win! Heizou wants to savor every touch, tracing your skin and memorizing it underneath his fingertips. He wants to savor the way your hands wrap around his thighs when you eat him out, gasping when your tongue pushes past that ring of muscles and plunges inside of his sensitive body. I mean, you're just so dreamy, how is he supposed to rush through sex and miss any part of this wonderful experience? :(

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

Heizou is fine with them, as long as you can makeout too.

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

A little bit, yeah. With locations especially, Heizou will get pretty risky. He's normally up for trying all sorts of new and exciting things, anything to spice it up once in a while~

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last)

I think he'd have a good amount of stamina. He can normally ride you for a while, endure edging or otherwise drawn out orgasms, and handle multiple rounds without issue.

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

Oh, yes, Heizou loves toys and accessories! Dildos are a classic, great for stuffing himself with whenever the mood hits. Some good old rope is another thing he enjoys using. Obviously, y'all own a couple chastity cages. I can also picture Heizou absolutely melting if you used a fleshlight on his caged dick 😵‍💫

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Oh, Heizou… he loves to tease and be teased. It's just in his nature to act that way.

He tends to teasingly flirt with you all the time, in private and in public, as well as in the middle of sex.

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

God he has the prettiest moans, so lovely~

His noises are more breathy when you edge him, and he babbles more when you do that. When you play with his cock while it's locked in chastity, he tends to whine more, and hide his face in the crook of your neck if possible.

It's rare that Heizou is ever quiet during sex, even when you're in public and there's a chance that you might get caught, he still can't keep himself quiet.

W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

Personally, I think Heizou would make an amazing camboy. He could be your twink cockslut fantasy if you give him the opportunity ❤️

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

Heizou has, like… a pornstar cock. I don't know if that makes sense, but I just think his cock would be really pretty. He's a solid 5 inches. No foreskin, unfortunately. 😔

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

It's pretty high, though he goes through periods of not wanting sex as much too. It's like a cycle — craves sex and intimacy for a week or two, then he needs cuddles and a recharge period for another week or two.

Z = ZZZ (How quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

I can picture Heizou being the type of person to take a short snooze after sex, but not necessarily every time. As I mentioned, his stamina is quite impressive, so falling asleep isn't something that he does often. Just a quick nap to recharge his energy every once in a while.

[antwuzhere]

Do you have any tips for people trying to learn how to draw full bodies and just in general more character details :3? You've made some of my favorite animatics and I like learning tips from my favorite artists <3

Awwww thank you so much!!! <33

Sorry it’s taken so long to get round to this 😞😟 and you’re gonna have to bare with me cause it’s a lonnggg post lmao

How to: full bodies

OUGH I just realised I forgot the red in Scott’s hair…

you might have to zoom in cause the writing is barely legible aaaaaaa sorry

That’s like, my main ‘how to’ when it comes to full body characters,

Art Tips I’ve learnt and love;

• I find it easier to sketch very shape based, I like to start with everything really squareish (?) And build on top of that. Cylinder limbs etc

• Tutorials and references are your friend! It doesn’t matter what ‘level of artist’ you are they are always handy, especially when trying new things or poses

• I actually forget about it a lot lmao, but variety in line-weight can make your art look really visually pleasing!

• it’s okay to have art block, or not have every single drawing you make be your very best.

Not every piece has to be a masterpiece, it just has to make you happy ! <3

• don’t be afraid to experiment with your style! Make wacky choices! There’s no rules to art!!! :p

•have fun with it!!

Character details :

I found these old drawings where I kinda explained the why behind their outfits and accessories so this might help

(I don’t think I’ve ever even shared these aaaa, the first one’s supposed to be a superhero au for wildlife)

The thought process is basically; what does this character like, what have the gone through, how do they behave, and how can I represent that as wearable objects?

So my art of pearlescentmoon often has moons stitched into her clothes

Or I usually draw Scott with a canary feather on a necklace because flower husbands! (because jimmys associated with canary’s in the fandom)

But also, not every choice has to have a reason, I give Scott blue trainers to match his hair cause it’s pretty, I give lizzie space buns cause they are cute, sometimes it’s just about the vibe yknow lmaoo

BONUS :

I thought, since I don’t often post speedpaints, I tried to find some where I’m focusing on the bodies and not just the faces, and make a lil compilation of them, to idk give a kind of idea of the behind the scenes, in case this helps :p

Also featuring; yet to be seen art and designs

And a shirtless guy. Sorry about that. It’s for ‘anatomy practice’ trust

You can see that if I’m drawring multiple characters I’ll usually duplicate them, and draw on top of (but not copy so they don’t have the same features) them so I don’t mess up the size proportions.

I actually really struggle drawring two people next to eachother, and not making one being look like they’re further fowards, especially if they’re different heights, so that’s my small little hack :p

Hope this helps somehow <333

[cy-lindric]

I wanted to vent, but also ask an honest question. Since I was a teenager, I always wanted to work on character design. And one thing that always caught my attention was how I always preferred male character designs over female ones. My first thought was that I was always more into androgynous fashion and more masculine styles. But time passed and I came to the conclusion that it wasn't just that, and it seems that male characters can always be different things: fat, thin, handsome, ugly, short, tall, young, old, etc. and female characters, for the most part, fall into two categories: cute or sexy. I wanted some tips on how I can make female characters with more interesting designs, without having to fall into those two categories. I love your work and you managed to make someone else like the three musketeers <3<3

Hello ! That's definitely a good question and something I think about a lot. The bias towards beauty is very strong in character design and it takes a conscious effort to diversify output in that regard.

That sort of advice might be a bit obvious, but one habit I picked up from the director on my first feature film gig was to actually "cast" characters. Without reference, we tend to go for the kind of symmetrical face and "average" features mostly out of stylistic habit. I like to look at character actors with distinct faces (I like this pinterest page that has a lot of faces in one place) but also just acquaintances or pictures of random crowds.

When designing a character, at first I'm always building a big reference board trying to decide what Type of Guy (gender neutral) I'm going for, trying use photos rather than other people's art, because I want to rely on automatics and graphic symbols as little as possible. Whether I'm designing a man or a woman or other, I use references of fashion styles and people across the board in terms of gender so I keep the scope open. Sometimes a character ref board for me will be a picture of one of my aunts next to a bunch of screenshots of Columbo. In my experience, a lot of the times, it's mostly about going with styles and archetypes the same way you would for a male character, and switching it up somewhere along the way by looking at real women in your life and beyond as a grounding mechanism. Sometimes that will mean changing almost nothing, because the borders between genders and how you characterize them is blurry and fluid, and sometimes it will mean using features that are uniquely tied to some sort of female experience.

I enjoy realism and I think getting more proficient at it did help me diversify my designs (I find that more difficult to do with more minimalistic styles). Still, I am mostly a fantasy artist and in my case that comes with some amount of stylization and idealization of shapes and looks. I'm far from perfect in my biases and I'm not going out of my way to draw "ugly" characters because that doesn't mean much to me ; I try to draw inspiration from the faces of every day people and I associate it with my love for fashion. It's also worth noting the work I post here for fun is a lot more hash tag aesthetic than the stuff I do professionally where diversity is much more important.

I don't know if any of that is relevant but that's definitely an interesting topic ! I'd love to know others' perspective and tips on the matter.

[system-of-a-feather]

DID and Recovery

Honestly, I think something that I don't think I've seen talked about that I've only now really reflected upon and put into words myself, is just how much living DID - or at least DID with heavily elaborated parts and just a general complex / polyfragmented structure - is just how much of your life is Actually Just Internal and its not really something I've noticed until I've begun to operate in a fused manner and more grounded manner

Because growing up, I didn't really exist in the real world. I - in my many different parts and forms - occasionally existed in the real world, engaging in it like it's a job, a video game, a challenge, a maintence task, or what not. Even as a fused whole, I never really lived in this world. Every part of myself only "visited" and "checked in" whether they explicitly were aware that's what they were doing. I was just bouncing between 400 Visas and names. Living in this world never meant anything to me much more than either a place of pain, a place of work, a fun game, a challenge, a hobby, a task, etc.

My childhood was internal. Almost all of my parts, our childhood was internal. Our memories of our childhood relates to how it was internalized internally. Our traumatic memories of childhood relates to how it was recorded internally and the narrative we attributed to it. Our internal experience was more important than our external experience. Our family was not our family as much as our situational family that we existed around - our real family were the parts we were aware of during that time. Riku's siblings weren't their siblings. They were "our" siblings to which "our" didn't really exist. Lucille was Riku's adoptive sibling.

So much of our past and our history is so hard to understand if you try to talk about it in a manner that is grounded only to what was happening externally, because the experiences we had externally mean much much much less to us and how we were shaped than the internal experience. The external facts inform what was happening internally, but if I were to talk about my oldest sister's psychological abuse, it would mean a lot less than if I talked about the internal ramifications and depiction and understanding of it.

And so even now, as we've healed massively, we've really got at least 10 fully elaborated different versions and understandings of our lives. We've lived entirely different narratives and at the same time they are all me, but none of them were really here, in the real world, existing or caring about anything other than either our specific hobbies / interests and our "duties"

The past 8 years was all about us learning to really live and engage in our internal world more intentionally and mindfully and productively, learning one another and learning our overall history; the past 3-4 years has been largely us learning to figure out how to exist in a world we have never genuinely existed in. And I think our fiance played a large rule in helping us with the "culture shock" and keeping faith that we could one day kind of find our place in "this world" that doesn't feel like a fraudulent lie or a forced face.

I think its only been this past year or so since we've been in functional multiplicity, final fusion, and/or living as a fully fused multiple have we ever actually **LIVED** in this world.

And I find that it's kind of hard to explain my own life story to those that don't understand and/or can't fathom what it means to very much not live in "this world" but you know, that's okay. People don't necessarily need to fully understand it, because these days that depth of understanding isn't even really necessary. I think its just important that space is held, respected, and understood as I learn to navigate my life in the real present real world because honestly, I want to live here. I want to be here. I want to be present and exist in the world I HAVE to exist and learn to love it. I've spent most of my life visiting this world and doing maintenance so I could sustain my internal space, but honestly, I really would love to live in both. Find joy in both. Make the maintenance not "maintenance" but just part of living.

That's all just to say that living and existing in the world when your entire understanding of self and history is based on your internal world and experiences that you had in relation to that internal world that no one can really see or even properly fathom, it's all just an interesting, unique, and challenge experience that I don't see talked about much.

[chaoslibra]

♪ ༘⋆ ᴅʀᴀᴡɴ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ — t.todoroki smau

//

♪ ༘⋆ character aesthetics - the girls

⋆ y/n shigaraki

⋆ doesn't have a specific style per se, prioritizes comfort in most cases

⋆ especially since she gets paint on a lot of her clothes

⋆ wears mostly muted colors i. e. blacks, whites, greys and not a huge amount of accessories

⋆ layers. layers. LAYERS!

⋆ usually wears big ass jackets (that she stole borrowed from tomura's closet)

⋆ she dresses up more when she goes out, but it's still within this kind of style; like if she wears a dress or tighter clothes, she will always pair it with an oversized jacket

⋆ himiko toga

⋆ okay hear me out: i feel like himiko would experiment with her outfits soooo much, like she'd gone full scene, full gyaru and pastel goth before

⋆ the only staple is that she usually wears some type of light colors, she's worn full black punky/grunge outfits before too

⋆ but i feel she's a soft dressy girl at heart

⋆ she usually looks a bit mismatched with the rest of the band, but she always eats

⋆ her outfits are never planned, always a bit chaotic with a bunch of accessories from different aesthetics, but it always works somehow

⋆ always does fun stuff with her hair and make up as well. her staple is space buns with two front strands braided to frame her face. the make up is usually done entirely based on vibes, but i feel like she would do the blush all across her cheeks and nose a lot and like draw out shapes (hearts, stars etc.) with make up remover on her cheeks

⋆ ochaco uraraka

⋆ ik it's not accurate to canon, but dty ochaco is very rory gilmore coded and she would so rock a light academia type aesthetic (she's the academic weapon in this fic!!)

⋆ lots of warm tones and brown tones, not a lot of accessories, but always wears a watch so she can keep track of time (mostly for himiko)

⋆ she is very effortlessly put together and so are her outfits

⋆ she's the girl at the coffee shop editing her photos on adobe lightroom and sipping on her cold brew for hours (many a barista has had a crush on her)

⋆ hair is always either up in a cute bun or half up

⋆ rumi usagiyama

⋆ very masc and very much THE baddie ever!! y2k inspired but very sporty

⋆ the baggiest fits, but body is always tea and you can always tell too

⋆ carabiner always on the left.

⋆ accessories include but are not limited to belts and chains

⋆ hair is always flawless, edges are always laid and her braids always look crisp (usually dons white box braids or micro braids -> she does them herself too); if she has her natural hair out, it's either pin straight or she has the most insane curl definition

[the boys aesthetics]

[ taglist open ]

tags: @fictionalcharactersownmyheart @hktfbuo @commonmisery @lsunncy @kyiyoko @seijuroww @themultifandomgirl @samm1e13 @kalulakunundrum @porusuniverse @oddball08 @starseclipsing @jlly1 @softasshadows @peachesvault @starzzworld @starrmage @letsgolulu @cristy-101 @brixmeeler @skeletonmoths @togeswrld @personally4runa @sunolls @chiara-hotel @bakugouswh0r3 @rueclfer @bangersplusmash @defnotriri @oliveoil422 @ravencrow1995 @stanstraykidsskz @smelliottle @mistpx @mysticalhills @ressyshi @hachicals707 @undermypersuasion @greenmanshoe @hanmastattoos @dirty-ho3 @koznme @d4rlinxs @hawkwithsocks @tapiocakisses @luvv1anime @n3r0-5352 @haysgarden @makaroni-and-chez @kitkat13001

header made by @koznme ily

[quasimaddi]

Some studies when I was watching BCS for the first time. I really enjoy getting a good likeness, not just because it helps with recognizability of the fanart but also because it's a really fun challenge. Some tips on how I approach this:

You can see how I work through Kim and Jimmy's faces here: First I trace directly over screencaps from the show, focusing on marking the distance of each feature and its placement on their head shapes. How close is the brow to the eye, nose from the middle of the mouth, etc.

After tracing it out, I do some freehand sketches relying more on the shapes and proportions I've mapped out. The little arrows I've drawn next to some of the faces help me remember to keep note of the way certain lines or shapes curve into others. These are great things to exaggerate, because when you keep these things accurate and intact, the illusion of likeness comes through.

Whether you actively recognize it or not, your brain is always making connections to the negative space relationships between features almost as much as the shapes and positions of the features themselves.

Another thing I like to do is collect much more detailed, organized reference of the character I'm drawing and figure out the harmonies of the face. This is kind of a bastardized and oversimplified Reilly method, where I'll draw straight lines connecting each feature of the face to build landmarks. You can see me working though that here, with Barry.

I started figuring out his head shape, but I also found that the midpoint of his furrowed brow creates a triangle shape with the shape of his nose down to the edges of his mouth. Keeping this shape consistent, even in simplified/stylistic depictions of the character, means he will always be a little recognizable, because the part of your brain that knows what Barry looks like connects with that existing shape.

Playing with those abstractions can help you experiment with how you want a character to look. Don't worry if they don't look perfect. That's the fun of study. Here are a handful of Kimmies, each varying in % of likeness (and degrees of success), but all keeping some key points of her "design". You can see where I start to play with features, removing some things, tinkering with others.

Another little note...since we view these people through cameras, different focal lengths can affect the way their features are proportioned (take a look at the perceived width and height of Hader's enormous fucking head in the upper right corner compared to the adjacent images, for example)–– so this is a good way to keep that in check when you're doing studies. As always, this isn't drawing law. Draw fanart however you please, and feel free to discard all of this information! This is simply my approach, and it is fun for ME!

Thanks for reading.

This post brought to you by my Patrons, who saw this first on July 4 2023.

[bobacupcake]

We got the earth and the sky, but has anyone asked about what you think of Abzu?

i love abzu!!! another one i have watched the gdc talk for which you can watch here!!

the two big things in abzu are the fish animations and the overall environment lighting - lets start with fish!! there are a lot of them. and when you want to animate a lot of things, your computer will explode. this is specifically when you animate things with bones, how a lot of computer things are animated

luckily one thing that gpus can be really good at is drawing a tonnnn of the same object really fast, using something called instancing. as long as its the same mesh and material, it can be rendered a ton with just a single draw call (like i am talking hundreds of thousands). so lets make 10 thousand fish. unluckily this doesnt work with skeleton animations. luckily you dont need them! especially with fish

even though all the objects need to be the same mesh and material, doesnt mean they cant have different input. not only that but shaders let you modify individual vertexes, so, what if you just take all 10000 fish and wiggle them along an axis, like this

and give them all slightly different inputs so they arent all doing the exact same animation, maybe by giving them each their own unique number. now you have 10 thousand fish swimming around, wiggling, at almost zero rendering cost

these are all individual 3d models and all their animations are running in the shader !

the other way they animated fish without giving them bones was through something called blendshapes - these are usually used for stuff like facial animations, where you move vertices around to your desired "shape" (so like maybe your default face is :| but you edit the vertices so your character goes :> etc), and keep track of the difference between each vertex's position and its original position so you can move it whenever you want

that doesnt need any bones so they used this for things like fish going CHOMP and fish making sharp turns

for the actual environment, they experimented with a bunch of things like using actual volumetric lighting, but in the end they found that just using fog worked best!! they did tweak it a bit though - they had a "zone" between where the fog started to get thick and when the fog just ended up being a solid color where they dimmed any lighting - this really helped the background geometry stick out and give that underwater feel (left is without dimming the lights, right is with dimming the lights!! fun to think about how firewatch did something similar but changing the fog color based on depth rather than literally dimming the lighting)

they also let different volumes have their own fog value, so if there was say a cave off in the distance, it could have less fog than the surrounding area for clarity & also made the fog look a bit more volumetric

and the other huge thing that helped was "portal cards" - not an official term but its what they called them, basically just quads they could stick in any place where they needed to make something "stick out", like a cave, or a hilltop that blended with the background too much. the card sampled the depth of objects behind it, and used that 0 to 1 value to map a color to it. and then the closer youd get to these cards, the more transparent theyd get, until youre right on top of it and you dont need the objects to stick out of the background anymore!! here you can see a Me, but very dark, and then i slide the card over it. the black and white is the camera depth of all objects behind the card, minus the depth of the card. and mapping that to a color makes me stick out way more than i was initially!! then as you swim closer to me, the card fades away, until you pass the card completely

these portal cards were also used to make the light beams poking out from the surface, theyre just animated a bit!! you can see how the portal cards affect the look of things in this frame breakdown

and one other thing thats pretty prominent that wasnt touched on in the talk is all the caustics on the ground, those little wobbly light things you see underwater. but those were probably? just added to every shader as a "add this caustics texture on top based on the with the texture mapped to the world x and z position and only if the object is facing up"

like this !

anyways thats all from me on abzu..!! really pretty game

[parasiticghostwasps]

I've watched a few different youtube channels where professional therapists interpret fiction through the lens of their profession. And one thing I've noticed that also reflects my experiences with therapy is that this type of interpretation tends to leave huge gaps in their analysis where the political context and material reality of the characters is. It feels bizarre to hear someone talk about Night in the Woods or Arcane and spend the entire time talking around the politics

There is media where the therapist approach works really well! I've been watching Euro Brady's Slay the Princess videos and with the game being so much about interpersonal relationships, the different ways those develop, and how the way we interact with people shapes all parties—all the talk of emotional range, defense mechanisms, etc makes a lot of sense and offers in interesting perspective on these things

I've also started watching his Disco Elysium videos and having fun so far, I'm interested to see where those go because Disco Elysium is a game that will outright mock the player for trying to avoid engaging with the politics of the game. It's not only intensely political, it is aggressively in-your-face about politics. So far he's followed the trend of mostly avoiding engaging with the politics too deeply, but I've seen one of his later DE videos is titled something like "Am I a Communist??", so I'm curious if the game manages to pull more political discussion out of him

[hiveworks]

Convention Guide: Basic Tabling Gear

September 2023

Whether you’re an artist alley newbie or you’ve been doing the convention circuit for years, putting together your table essentials is a crucial part of selling your wares at events and ensuring your weekend goes smoothly. In this guide, we’re covering the basics of setting up your first ever table.

This list is a non comprehensive assessment of things a tabler might need and should be used as a simple starting point. The four main categories we will cover are:

The Display

Behind the Table

Money

Quality of Life Suggestions

—🐝—

1. The Display

a) Tablecloth

Starting from the base layer, we’ve got tablecloths– an easy way to add some color and personality to your table. Your tablecloth doesn’t even have to be an actual tablecloth! You can use a length of fabric cut from a bolt at your local craft store. Convention tables tend to be 6’ long, so when selecting your fabric, look for measurements longer than 72” (183cm).

Play with color and texture to find something that fits the theme of your work on display. Patterns can be fun, but might distract from your inventory or signage if the colors/design are too bold and busy. Tip: your cloth may get messy from food behind the scenes or dust/dirt if you do outdoor events. Get something that’s easy to wash in your machine!

b) Display supports

Most artists these days use cube organizers that break apart into flat panels and connector joints. They are easy to store when not in use, easy to transport in a suitcase or tote, and you can change the shape depending on your table set up and inventory. Tip: constructing your display to include shelves that face you behind the table helps organize your backstock during the show.

These cubes aren’t your only option. Some people use milk crates, picture frames, wooden boxes, custom built shelves, etc. Consider what works best for you, your aesthetic, and your storage/transportation needs. When in doubt, you can always lay your goods flat on the table.

c) Signage

Having clear signage on your items to denote price helps people feel more comfortable purchasing from your table. Your price markers don’t have to be fancy. Prices written neatly on pieces of paper and paperclipped to your books or taped up next to your stickers is a simple and effective strategy. Some people print out a price list or use a sign board. It’s totally up to you!

Include a sign with your name somewhere in your display, including your social media handle if it is different from your artist name. This will help fans of your work more easily recognize you. Tip: use a QR code prominently displayed on your table that links to your portfolio, linktree, etc.

d) Banner/backdrop

Look out behind you! Whether it’s a banner, a backdrop, or something else, the space behind your seat can be put to use. While it is relatively easy to print custom banners at most print shops, many tablers cite this as an unnecessary expense, especially for first time artist alley participants. If you’d like to hang a collage of your work behind you, look for photography backdrop tripods, which can collapse and fold up neatly. The behind-the-table space is shared with other artists, and it can get cramped. Be mindful of your needs when deciding how to do a backdrop. Some artists opt to exclude a backdrop and just use their cubes to arch over them.

Optional: Decorate your table! Flowers, string lights, plushies, etc. can all bring a special one of a kind experience to your set up.

2. Behind The Table

a) Inventory

Now that we’re behind the table, let’s talk about what’s going on back here. Starting with inventory. If you’re absolutely unsure how much to bring, a good starting number is about 10 of each item. If you sell out, congratulations! You’ll know what to bring more of next time, or you’ll know you should raise your prices. For storing inventory during transportation to the con and while at the show, you might consider simple boxes, an accordion folder, or a portfolio case, depending on what kind of items you’re bringing. Reminder: if you’re using display cubes, structuring them to give you shelves on your side of the table will help you keep things organized.

b) Suitcase/storage tote

Under your feet will be your suitcase/tote box, and perhaps a dolly, if you used one to wheel your boxes into the building. It is recommended that your suitcase/tote has a lock on it, as you’ll be leaving inventory overnight. Hopefully no matter what you use, it has wheels of some kind. All this gear gets heavy. If you are not using a wheeled device, make sure to check your pack’s weight as you assemble your supplies. You will have to carry it from the parking garage or bus stop through the convention center, and back out again at the end of the show.

c) Cover cloth

What else is in that box? Your cover cloth. This one is optional, but some artists like having a lightweight cloth to cover their table when the day is done. Something like a vinyl picnic tablecloth works perfectly. The cover cloth helps prevent anyone from accidentally knocking your things over or having things go missing.

d) Business cards

On your side of the table, you ought to have plenty of back up business cards. You’ll have some of these out on the table for passersby to pick up, but this item is the number one thing you’re going to hand out the most of. It’s always better to have too many rather than too few. For a single three day convention, you might need 200+ cards. Make sure your website/online shop is easy to find on your cards. Cute business cards go a long way to making your table memorable long after the con has ended.

Bonus supplies: Here’s a short list of things you might need throughout the weekend to touch up your display. Keep them in a bag and bring them with you every time you table!

Masking and clear tape

Spare paper for impromptu signage

Sharpies and pens

Zip ties

Scissors

3. Money

a) Card reader

The most commonly used card reader is Square, but there are alternatives. Research their fees and prices to determine what fits your needs. You’ll want to get a hold of a card reader and set up your account well in advance of your show. Card readers require wifi/data to work and will only work in your country of business, so take that into consideration when packing for your show. Most convention halls have wifi (sometimes at a cost), but if your show is outdoors you might be relying on data.

b) Cash/change

Cash is king! Make sure to bring enough cash/change for your show. About $25-50 in small bills is usually enough if you’re also accepting card. At the end of the day, consider tucking your big bills away in a secure location in your hotel room. If something were to happen to your bag, you’ll appreciate not having your entire weekend’s earnings in it!

c) Fanny pack

Keeping your cash attached to you at all times is smart. People often use fanny packs or cross body bags to manage their money.

4. Quality of Life

a) Backup battery

Since you may be using your phone to complete transactions, or maybe you’re drawing on your iPad with time to kill, you’ll want to bring a back up battery. Most tables don’t have access to electricity, so having a battery and charging cables is a good idea.

b) Hand sanitizer & masks

One hand sani pump out front and one behind the table. You’ll be handling money, shaking hands with strangers, and touching surfaces that thousands of people have been touching all day. As long as there have been conventions, there have been con plagues. You don’t want to get knocked out with a cold (or worse) so masking is great!

c) Table buddy

If you’re able to, bring a friend to help you table. Cons will often give tablers 2 passes (one for you and one for a friend). They can help you grab coffee or lunch, get change, package a big purchase, cover you for bathroom breaks, etc. Table buddies are truly the unsung heroes of artist alley.

d) No table buddy? No problem.

Check in with con staff and volunteers. Many comic cons will have a green room for artists to take a snack break and decompress, and con staff will help guide you there. Some conventions also enlist volunteers to help sit your table while you’re away. They’ll make sure your table stays in order, direct people to your business cards, and inform curious patrons when to expect you back.

e) Fun stuff!

There will be plenty of downtime. Con hours are long and often slow in the mornings. Bring something to keep you occupied, but not too engrossed, so you can easily pull away to greet customers and fans. Fidget toys, a puzzle book, knitting or crochet project are all great ideas.

f) Get Comfy, Eat Well, Stay Hydrated

Going from your quiet desk to the high octane energy of artist alley can be a shock to the system. Some items to help reduce the fatigue are: noise canceling headphones during downtime and breaks, sunglasses to combat the fluorescent lights and rest your eyes, slippers or comfy shoes for under the table, and layers of clothing. Convention halls can fluctuate temperatures wildly. With lots of AC during the summer, sweaty crowds, and the flow of traffic to your table, you’ll be working up a sweat fulfilling transactions one second then freezing after sitting still for a minute.

Most importantly, have a small cooler with snacks and drinks. You may not get a break, but it’s important to stay hydrated and energized.

—🐝—

The next time you're at a convention, take note of displays that inspire you. #ArtistAlley and #ConTable tags on Instagram or TikTok can connect you with creators sharing their setups. Your table design is an opportunity to be creative and express yourself, while also learning along the way what works for you. Most tables, however, are built up over several convention seasons of trial and error, so while it’s good to take note of others' displays as a source of inspiration, try to keep your first table relatively simple. The more you table, the more you’ll be able to identify your needs for you and your merchandise.

We’ll close out this blog post with one final suggestion. Big, multi-day conventions can be fun, but they can also be expensive. Your tabling supplies and inventory aside, if you’re doing a show away from home, you’ll contend with table fees (often $250-450 USD), hotel, transportation, meals, etc. And not every convention is a good fit for your wares! Small, local events and art festivals are a great, low stakes, relatively cheap (or free) way to start tabling. Check your area for zine fests, queer makers markets, and craft fairs.

Sound off if there’s anything we missed! Good luck on your tabling adventures.

[mundo-mundoposting-as-usual]

I am intrigued by your madman fellow. Is there any kind of gameplay concept- skills and paths, or even just a general role- or do they exist purely as a character?

((DISCLAIMER- Madman is thought to fit in both dd1 and dd2 since i like to mishmash both games together since while i like some things from 2 i highly favor stuff like different states of virtues and afflictions as well as the camping mechanics etc. I'll enter into more detail about this version of the game if asked/whenever i feel like i need to mention it in the future.)) Oh boy do I have CONCEPTS. There is a LOT of stuff I'm working on for them that's still very very very rough around the edges, that being a 3d model, general lore and shrine of reflection story, skills, trinkets and mechanics and while there's no paths for now i plan on also thinking about them when I'm done with the skills (since i'm missing some + need to tweak the ones I thought of.) As mentioned things are MESSY and I'm also not the best at balancing and thinking things through so take it all with a grain of salt. VERY LONG POST UNDER CUT WITH EVERYTHING I HAVE AS OF RIGHT NOW.

STORY-

ORIGINS LOOK-

Madman/Raymond has 2 different Origins looks, one of when they were a merchant and one that looks exactly the same as how it is now but rather than a cage head it's a shame maks in the shape of a dog/wolf. Merchant look + shirtless, they ripped their own chest off as an act of defiance when they weren't wearing a straitjacket still, after miraculosly surviving it (madman thinks it was a sign that the light accepted its suffering for final redemption) they were locked up for good

SHRINE OF REFLECTION-

Some extra commentary about it between me and @zettaaznec (who also made these insanely cool sketches):

ABILITIES-

I'm missing a bunch of them and some of these might not even be the starting ones. They are MEANT to be a bad unit to bring along because i think that's funny. They favor being at the front of course. Whatever you do bring Jester along, holy stress fest. (I'm too bad at numbers to put down proper ones :') ) TRINKETS-

Madman's trinkets are Home (their old shame mask) and an unnamed pile of notes/papers that are its old merchant route/logs/notes :) They also release a special trinket on death that is just the padlock that's attached to their cage (from barks when at death's row it asks for the cage to be removed when dying, this is just a hint at one final act of kindness) Madman's Padlock item drawn yet again by Zetta:

3D MODEL-

Still a super early WIP, only front facing sketch available

2D SPRITES-

Maybe one day! I do plan on at least having some of them drawn, animating them is outside my capabilities but it'd be fun :)

BARKS-

I have a few ideas for them but given the length of the task (writing all of them + making sure they fit Madman's speaking habits) i have nothing to show for it yet, only loose ideas.

EXTRA FACTS-

Their model is almost always shown with the arms bound, only appearing unbound at the Inn or when Camping

Their barks become fully normal sentences when afflicted (Irrational only) FINAL-

I really want to discover how this character interacts with the other heroes, it's been a very fun experience to work through the details and while I have ideas and lore for Bigby, Sarmenty, Dismas, Runaway, Bounty Hunter and especially Leper I want to clink him with the others too.

[manicplank]

Romance headcanons ;)

Peppino: Nervous wreck at first. Can barely complete a sentence without stuttering. He eventually does come out of his shell and turns into a complete gentleman. Will buy you flowers, cook a heart-shaped pizza, buy you a plush (with what little money he has). He's not too keen on touch until later on, then he's a teddy bear. He loves holding hands. He always tells you how much you mean to him and how he feels safe with you.

Gustavo: Another gentleman. Starts easy with compliments. Really listens and gets to know you well. He'll do small things that mean a lot like getting you your favorite coffee with a million different flavors like you like. He's a huge snuggle bug. Always wants a hug. He headbutts your shoulders as a silly way of showing affection. He loves to give pecks on the cheek. Has to fight off Brick at times as Brick can get incredibly jealous. Eventually, Brick will adore you just as much as Gustavo does.

Mr. Stick: Big mushy flustered mess. Gets pretty nervous when it comes to love. Has the same romantic experience as a high schooler. Cheesy, but sweet. Will get you a giant bouquet of flowers. Not the biggest hugger, but will snuggle up to you during a movie and fall right asleep. Will deny his feelings for a long time before admitting to anything. Will put his hand on your shoulder as a small way of showing affection. After a while, he will vocalize his feelings and turn into a big softie.

Pepperman: Overconfident and cocky. *Tips fedora* m'lady type of guy, you know? Will ask you to model for him while he paints you but ends up staring at you the whole time. Big hugs, likes getting kisses on the cheek. Materialistic, loves buying you things and love when you buy him things. Can be a bit overwhelming but respects it when you set boundaries.

The Vigilante: Old style gentleman. Will gently kiss the top of your hand. Relatively confident when it comes to romance despite not having much experience. Wants to take you out to dinner dates. Doesn't really like movies too much. He would rather take you to the farm and show off his legacy. The ghost of his peepaw might make fun of him a bit in a loving way, then he continues to tell you all about when Vigi was a baby (embarrassing stories that make Vigi blush).

The Noise: Overconfident and cocky at first. He acts all cool and tough. Once he falls for you, he's head over heels. He melts for you. He gets super flustered at times, especially when giving or receiving affection. Not a fan of PDA because he turns into a bashful mess and doesn't want to be seen that way. After a while, he gets a bit cocky again while also being a flustered mess. He bites to show affection. He also loves to play fight or tease you for something silly. Secretly loves affection.

Noisette: Giddy and giggly. She likes to tease and play with you. She might boop you on the nose or poke you a bunch of times. Loves to play fight. She might randomly burst out in a game of tag. Usually doesn't make the first move unless you're too nervous. Loves loves LOVES any and all affection. Loves hugs, kisses, cuddles, hand holding, etc. Loves movie dates, dinner dates, would even love to go on a hiking date as long as she gets to spend time with you.

Fake Peppino: (So this one is difficult for me as I don't see him as romanceable, so I'll write more of how he shows platonic love and affection. Sorry if yall ship him with anybody.) Big old baby! Loves affection but is finicky about who can give it to him. Loves his cheekies rubbed. Licks to show affection much like a dog would. Will rub his head on you like a cat. Will make lil noises of happiness when you talk to him lovingly. Likes his head, face, and back rubbed the most. Will bring you dead things (birds, mice, etc) as presents. Gets sad when you tell him those are not good presents.

Skipping Pizzaface sorry idk how that would work with him

Pizzahead: LOVES to be spoiled, whether it be with affection or presents. He's silly and goofy, always joking around with you. He's big in affection. He would stitch himself you your side if you would let him (but you won't). Will OBSESS over you instantly. It doesn't take long for him to fall in love. Wants to spend all of his time with you. Wants to make clones of you so he can have a million of you at once. Loves to wrap his arms around you as much as he can stretch them.

Pillar John: Charmer, big sweetheart. Can be a bit bashful at times, especially when you give him a compliment. Loves the idea of bonding over food; dinner dates and movie dates (he will buy all the snacks they have). Likes to goof around and laugh. Big jolly guy overall. Likes affection but is made of stone, so it's a bit uncomfortable. However, he does like rubs especially on his back and shoulders.

Gerome: Quiet, stoic. A bit emotionally unavailable... at least at first. He'll eventually grab your hand and hold it. He likes quiet time together. His preferred date would be a picnic as you watch the sunset. He's quiet and soft-spoken... But that just makes it more special when he compliments you or holds your hand. Will get you your favorite candy but act all casual about it as if he wasn't thinking of you the entire time. Not super affectionate overall, but will make sure you know that he loves likes you.

[cryptiidcrowe]

i’m working on my oscar design now and have been so glad for the excuse to practice diversifying my body types!! chubby oscar is real to me <3

in general though making sketch pages of all the malevolent guys has been such a fun way to flex my character design muscles. i love experimenting with various different versions of each character, and also making sure each of them have visually distinct face shapes, noses, eyes, etc from each other

[blakeswritingimagines]

Kink list with Trevor Zegras:

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

He's attentive to your needs and provides the aftercare you need. He's not afraid to talk about his feelings and makes sure you're comfortable. He's also open to doing more intimate things like cuddling or showering together after.

B = Body part (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

His favorite body part of his is probably his abs because he's worked pretty hard to get the definition he has. As for your body, he's a huge fan of your curves, particularly your shapely figure that fits perfectly in his hands regardless of your size. The smooth texture of your skin is also a huge turn-on and a huge part of what makes you so irresistible to him.

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically… I’m a disgusting person)

He usually cums inside of you, as finding that's more satisfying. However, from time to time. He enjoys cumming outside, such as on your body like chest or face.

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

A dirty secret of his is that he's a bit of a voyeur. He enjoys watching people secretly and from discreet locations. It's fun to find a good spot and observe people without them knowing. The thrill of being discovered or possibly caught gets him going.

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

He's fairly experienced when it comes to sex, and he's had his fair share of relationships and hookups, so he'd like to believe that he has some idea of how to handle himself. However, there's always room for improvement and learning new things, so he's always open to exploring and experimenting with you.

F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying. Will probably include a visual)

Oh, that's definitely a tough one. I don't think he can narrow it down to just one position, because he enjoys a variety of positions depending on the mood and the person he's with. Some of his favorites are standard positions like missionary and doggy style, while others are pretty unusual like the butterfly or the wheelbarrow. At the end of the day, it's all about experimenting and having fun to find what works best for both parties.

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

He tends to be more serious when he's focused on your pleasure. He likes to give his full attention to the task at hand and make sure he's doing everything right to make you feel good. That doesn't mean he doesn't have a sense of humor, as he loves being playful and adding a bit of comedy and silliness to the situation. It all depends on the vibe and the mood you're in.

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

I'd say he's pretty well-groomed and his carpet definitely matches the drapes. He tends to keep things fairly trimmed down there, but not completely shaved off. He likes to keep things neat and well-maintained.

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…) 

When it comes to the romantic aspect, he's very affectionate and attentive in the moment. He's all about the foreplay and the build-up to the main event. He enjoys teasing and seducing you, getting you hot and heavy before finally engaging in the act itself. Once you're there, he's all about the intimate touching and caresses. He's all about pleasing you and taking his time to make sure you're enjoying yourself.

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

When it comes to masturbation, He enjoys fantasizing about having a lot of different sexual ideals with you. In his head, he imagines himself experiencing the pleasures of intimacy, how often he does it is highly dependent on his mood and his mental state, but I'd say he typically does it several times a week on average.

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

His kinks generally tend to reflect his personality and what he's into in general. Some of his kinks include BDSM, role-playing, dirty talking, dominance/submission, bondage restraints, and experimentation.

L = Location (Favourite places to do the do)

He doesn't have a specific favorite place for doing the do, but some of the more interesting and unique places are in are the backseat of a car, the beach, and some abandoned buildings. As for the more typical places to enjoy, the bedroom, the living room, and even the kitchen are all favorites pretty much he can get it he will.

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

What turns him on and gets him going can vary greatly, but some of the most common things that do it for him include a sexy outfit or clothing, foreplay, dirty talk, and watching you enjoy yourself. In general, he's easily turned on and excited by the thought, sight, or idea of anything involving intimacy and sex with a partner.

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn-offs)

Something he wouldn't do is engage in any of the dangerous or excessive fetish activities. He doesn't want to risk health or safety in the name of pleasure and enjoyment, and he's set up boundaries for himself that he won't break. As for turning him off, poor hygiene or lack of cleanliness can be an instant turn-off for him.

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

He's more of a receiver than a giver, but he definitely enjoys both equally. As for skill, I'd say he's pretty confident in his ability to please you and do the job right. He's had plenty of practice and experience and likes to think that he's gotten pretty good at it over time.

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

He tries to be a pretty dynamic lover, so he can range from being fast and rough to being slow and sensual. It depends on the mood and the person he's with, and he likes to switch between the two and try to create a good balance. But he definitely has a natural inclination toward the fast and rough side.

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

Quickies instead of proper sex is definitely a more convenient and quicker way to get the job done. It's not the same level of connection and intimacy as properly taking your time, but it's still an enjoyable experience. On average, he's prone to having a quickie about a couple of times a week when he's really feeling the urge.

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

He's definitely game to experiment and take risks when it comes to sex. He's always open to trying new things and pushing his limits to see what gives him that extra thrill. He'll definitely research and read up on different techniques, positions, and kinks to try out. He's also not opposed to trying out things that may feel a bit dangerous or taboo, like public sex at a park or on a beach during the night.

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

In terms of rounds and duration, that's a very hard question to answer. It's mainly dependent on his mood and performance. I'd say he's been able to go for multiple rounds in one session for about an hour or so. But every time you do it, it's different and unique.

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

He does own a few toys which he uses on you and himself from time to time when he's away. The majority of his toys are more on the traditional BDSM side, it adds an extra element of fun and intimacy to the mix when you incorporate them into the equation. They can be a great way to spice things up and add novelty and variation to your sex life.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He absolutely lives to tease. One of his favorite parts of being intimate with someone is slowly building up the tension and suspense. He likes to take his time and prolong the anticipation as much as he can. He loves seeing you get more and more worked up until you're practically begging him for more. It's so erotic and fun to play with your emotions and drive you wild in that way.

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

In general, he'd like to think he's pretty quiet during the act. But if he's enjoying himself or he's getting really into it, he might make some soft moans and grunts. Sometimes he also makes some noise as a result of breathing more heavily or just out of instinct or emotion.

W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

A dirty secret of his is that he enjoys getting very descriptive and detailed when talking about sex or intimate events. He likes to talk about all the different details and aspects of the act in a way that's almost too explicit or raunchy. It turns him on to hear you get so into it but it definitely gets him going.

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

7 and a half inches no more no less and the sensation of his veins and his bulbous tip throbbing against your insides enough to let you know that he's close.

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

On a scale of 1-10, I'd say his sex drive is around an 8. He has a high libido and enjoys a healthy and active sex life. He's usually pretty motivated and eager to engage in intimate activities and often finds himself thinking about or desiring sex.

Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

If it’s a nighttime or late-night intimate session, he finds that he typically falls asleep pretty quickly after. It’s a feeling of relaxation and satisfaction that usually causes him to drift off to sleep. But if it’s in the morning or daytime, he's usually pretty energized and ready to go again before going on with his day.

[neuroprincess]

Maura Isles - NSFW Alphabet

Word count: +1800

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex) 

Maura is very attentive and affectionate, especially after sex, she wants to make sure all your needs are met and before hers. She would probably convince you to take a relaxing bath together, then prepare something light to eat and bring water to the bedroom, giving a speech about the benefits of hydration. At the beginning of the relationship she asks if you want it, then just takes over the care;

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s) 

On herself, hands and hips. Hands because they are elegant and skillful, at work and at making you come in minutes, it's a beautiful sight to see the fingers entering you while the palm caresses the clit. Hips because this woman looks fantastic in clothes that are tight all around and she knows that;

Her favorite part on you is for sure the neck, it's warm, soft and smells good. Perfect for kissing, where she leaves marks declaring who you belong to and also where she sinks her face as you make gentle love, exhaling the natural scent, completely absorbed in the sensation. Also where she hides the face while receiving a cuddle, it's a sweet spot she's completely addicted to;

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically) 

The blonde doesn't make much of a mess but doesn't mind if you do, in fact it's something to be proud of when you're a complete hot mess in the sheets. After the act she catches your cum with fingers and makes you taste yourself while she attentively watches, green eyes clouded with lust;

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs) 

Well, she has the desire to fuck you in a (semi)public place, testing the emotions and adrenaline of the possibility of being caught by someone is interesting, something she wants to experience one day and has the perfect place for it, her office. The image of you leaning over the desk is a sin that occupies that genius mind with some frequency;

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?) 

Experienced with men, not so much with women, but she is very open to learning and honest about what she knows, what has done and what is willing to learn, eager to please. Lucky for you she is a great learner;

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying) 

The classic good Missionary, Maura loves the intimacy and closeness of this position, bonus if one of you is wearing a strap-on so you can touch each other freely. Side by Side on soft days, her long slender fingers trailing down your body as her shapely thigh is pressed against pussy. And she loves Cowgirl, whether it's with you riding her fingers or cock, hips thrusting hard, hands squeezing your waist and a lot of eye contact, which the doctor appreciates very much;

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.) 

Both. If she's drunk or being provocative she will be more humorous than usual as you fuck rudely. If she is jealous or making love she will be serious;

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect) 

Have no doubt, she is very romantic. Especially while she's being soft, there are lots of sweet words whispered while her hands caress your skin, tickling the most sensitive spots, lingering kisses left on neck and temple. So yes, Isles is romantic and loves intimacy, except on days when she's being rough, in which case, it's the opposite;

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon) 

She has never had a problem talking about masturbation, it's something natural and that she openly practices, not much different when you start dating, just less often. She encourages you to do the same, knowing your own body is essential and beneficial, including for sexual life as a couple;

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks) 

Role play, she loves dressing up accordingly and playing a role between four walls, from the silliest to recreating some book/movie scene, it's sensually fun;

Praise, she's very subtle about this and it might be one of the only things that makes her shy to admit, but Maura loves to be praised during sex, she needs words of affirmation and to know that is making you feel good. She also likes to praise her partner, it's a two-way street;

Marking, loves to be marked and to mark, in both cases in places that only you can see, it simply makes her ecstatic to know that you carry her love marks under clothes. And she may or may not give you a necklace with an M pendant, just to reinforce it;

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

Despite the fantasy of one day having semi-public sex / in her office, the truth is that Maura prefers the comfort and privacy of home when it's time for intimacy, however this doesn't mean that you are restricted to the bedroom, she certainly proposes to baptize every room in the house, kitchen, lounge, bathrooms, even the yoga room. When buying new furniture, the rule is the same; 

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going) 

Seeing you focused on something makes her turn on almost immediately, maybe it's the frowning lips, eyes fixed or how cute you can look listening to her attentively while the doctor rambles about random things. Clothes too, the more provocative and transparent the better, because this woman won't even wait for you to get home to take you in her arms. You speaking another language. She disagrees, but touches on her hips also make her very excited;

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs) 

Choking, she would never put her hand on you like that and no matter how knowledgeable enough to make it a safe practice would never put you in a risky situation, it's a big no;

Heavy degradation, give or receive. Even though she is a tease and uses some dirty words, she doesn't like to degrade, humiliate or things like that. If you're into it, maybe she'll call you Slut or Whore, still going to sound affectionate;

Knife and Blood play, there's not much to explain with this, the blonde just hates the idea and would never do it;

There's not much she won't try besides that, anything else she'll be willing to try at least once in life;

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.) 

Receiving, just the sight of having you between her legs makes her melt completely, fingers laced in your hair as she encourages you to continue. Being a total switch she also likes to give, your moans are music and make her go even deeper inside you, Maura is very skilled, she can get you through heaven and hell in seconds;

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.) 

In general, slow and sensual, whispering kind things and kissing your skin while bringing you to climax. Especially if it's morning sex, so gentle and full of giggles. At other times, like when she's jealous or having a bad day, she prefers it fast and rough, sometimes feeling a little guilty for taking it out on you, but still a sexy sight;

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.) 

It's not her favorite, but ends up becoming something habitual because of work, often you are interrupted in the middle of the act by a call from the department, after hanging up Maura bets on how many minutes she can make you come or you can make her come;

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.) 

She likes some risks, but only calculated ones. And is willing to try almost anything, as long as you both agree and are comfortable with it;

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?) 

If it's a tiring day, maximum two rounds and it will be slow. Other days Maura can take you all night, she has the physical preparation and resistance for such thing, in this case it can be several quick rounds without stopping or a few that are long and make you feel the most special person in the world;

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?) 

She definitely owns toys, for herself and for you. Vibrators, aphrodisiacs, vibrating panties (which she's sure to make you wear at some event) and strap-ons of different sizes, the last one to be used more on you than on her, maybe it's the possibility of touching you freely that makes it the blonde's favorite. There's also handcuffs and blindfolds, sensory deprivation sounds interesting because that way you have no idea what's the next thing she's going to do or use;

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease) 

Maura is a great tease as mentioned earlier, there's a lot of shameless flirting, insinuations, fingers caressing the skin in sensitive spots and passionate kisses, just to leave you squirming yearning for her and not giving what you want so much. And when the game is reversed? She tries to enter and loses miserably, not knowing how to deal with the painful tingling in her belly, at the first opportunity she will take you back home and make you pay for it;

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.) 

She isn't very loud, her moans are soft and almost sound like whispers in the air, on the other hand she loves to talk and can be very vocal, be it compliments, affectionate nicknames or even curious facts that she remembers, like about the creation of vibrators while you use one. And she doesn't care if you are loud, when the doctor makes you scream/whimper at some point it will make her more turned on and convinced;

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character) 

Maura has already found herself imagining how it would be to watch somebody else fucking you, she is a very open person and maybe enjoys a threesome, with a man or a woman, it doesn't matter to her. Not pure images of someone taking you to new limits while she just watches or makes you cross those new limits… and she kind of imagined Jane being that person;

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?) 

Above average, at least three times a week and, if possible, every weekend. If your desire isn't as high or you're just not into it, Maura will certainly respect that;

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards) 

Waits for you to go to sleep first after meeting all the needs of both, only then she'll fall asleep while watching you lovingly. On a particularly tiring day she'll fall asleep quickly, especially if you wrap her in your arms and kiss the blonde hair, letting her use your boobs as a pillow, arms around the waist, listening to your hearts go in sync.

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[altocat]

Um. Long essay ahead, sorry lol.

We are talking about the Genesis-Sephiroth drama and I must say: Genesis is so very human and I love that. I think he seriously thought that Seph needed to hear some cold, harsh truth to finally see why Shinra sucked and why he and Angeal had defected. So, he just went straight for Seph’s most painful issue—his mother and the answers regarding her. 

I know we react viscerally to the idea of Gen having known about Seph searching for his mother and then weaponizing that, but think about it. Angeal is dead by that point and Genesis is on the verge of death. He is desperate. The man is broken to pieces after discovering that his entire existence had been a lie, an experiment, an abuse of power, etc., and that his own adoptive parents had “betrayed” him. He basically was reduced to an orphan that discovered how awful his care-takers were and how they had used him. 

On top of all this, he lost Angeal, his closest childhood friend, to the SAME horrific downfall. I don’t think we talk enough about how Angeal’s death probably messed with Gen, but I feel that he gets noticeably crueler and frailer afterwards. Shinra took everything from those boys, and Gen’s last hope for any salvation was Sephiroth, who was STILL letting himself be under Shinra’s command. Genesis absolutely wanted to hurt him with a wakeup call and went for the heart with his dagger. 

He probably thought he was doing well, that Sephiroth needed it, and yes, a strain of bitterness from their past rivalry tainted his words, but wasn’t it all just forgivable drivel in the face of their deeper friendship? In the end, Sephiroth could overlook that after seeing the light, yes?

Genesis wasn’t an idiot. He really did believe Sephiroth would help him despite the rude awakening, but what he lacked was deeper insight and empathy for his old friend. 

Genesis had a normal chldhood. He understood family, he understood the idea of a “hometown,” he knew how to hold friends and have fun with his life—he had autonomy despite the lies surrounding his birth. Sephiroth had absolutely none of this throughout his life and had trusted his heart only to his friends—one of whom was dead by that point and the other seemingly a traitor who appeared to use his greatest weakness against him before demanding a part of his very essence. Sephiroth had nothing left in that moment.

Genesis did truly descend into his frenzied, imagined glory-tale of three friends that were all monsters and could save themselves together, thinking that he had a chance to full-fill that dream, but he made the mistake of underestimating Sephiroth’s crumbling mental stability as a human being. We saw what discovering the truth did to two kids that grew up fairly normal. It ruined them, killed them, made one of them cruel in many ways. Gen and Angeal suffered immensely believing they were monsters and eventually reshaped pieces of history in retaliation.

But Sephiroth? The “other” child of Shinra? The solitary one? The one that had been violated directly from the womb…not just through his mother’s cells…but from the time his own life force began to take shape? The one that had been raised to be a killing machine with no true connection to the outside world? His discovery of the truth broke his psyche and led to apocalyptic events. 

Genesis simply failed to consider this, so his “splash of cold water” mixed with his own bitterness, which would have been cruel enough under normal circumstances, actually led to extremely dark consequences. I absolutely believe he knew that Sephiroth had been searching for his mother for his whole life, that Sephiroth had indicated it or brought it up at some point during their youth, regardless of whether the picture was involved or not.

I absolutely think Genesis weaponized Sephiroth’s gaping wound in that area, but I don’t think he realized how damaging it would truly be. He forgot that his friend was not at all “normal” and that his orphanhood was a different entity—something colder and more feral than most. Even most orphans are not completely deprived of normal lives and raised as weapons. We see this with many other characters. So many that lost their families or never knew them still found a way to make a place for themselves in the world or substitute their loss with something else.

Sephiroth literally could not do this as Shinra’s weapon. He had tried with his two friends and lost them both. He was already collapsing under the weight of it all, and Genesis simply did not see it in time. So, he played with fire and paid the price. That look of hurt on his face when Seph rejects him is genuine and raw and real. He had faith in them, in their friendship, and thought that it could withstand a bit of turmoil like it had in the past—but that only could have maybe been the case if Sephiroth had not been who he was—if he had been normal.

Genesis never quite fully understood his hero in the end and it makes me so fucking sad.

I don't think I could have said it better myself. Amazing analysis.

Genesis is a severely misunderstood character. It's really easy to dismiss him without taking a closer look at his feelings and motives. I think there was plenty of bitterness towards Seph, but we all seem to forget that Genesis' deepest, dearest desire at the end of the day was to share the apples with Sephiroth in a moment of acknowledgement. Genesis hurt Sephiroth badly, but there's more layers to it than just petty rivalry and Genesis being terrible just for the sake of it.