#(alternate depending on the day)

[tblsomedoodles]

The Preferable Alternative - Part 10

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Getting ready for work but i just finished this so here it is

: )

[nadiajustbe]

A music band HMC AU, but no one actually plays in this band.

See, Howell was put there because of his connection to Suliman, the band's main singer and guitarist (Justin is the second singer and sometimes adds some sparkle, and there are rumors that they are together, but no one can be sure because it's the 80s), with the addition of Megan's screams about how Howell can't find a decent job. Well, he did. And there he's...no, not playing. He's not even a full-fledged member, a he was born an unmusical Welshman and he's terribly upset about it, but still carries that guitar with him, just for it to be. And he tells all the others, especially the girls he's courting, how cool he is and how strong his connection to this cool Suliman's band is, but in reality he's usually just there. He hangs around backstage, gets ready for hours in front of the mirror only to sit at a table eating sandwiches and complaining about his incredible life because yet another woman, whose name he will forget tomorrow, doesn't like him. Oh, and of course, he does some orders, paperwork, sometimes helps with lyrics or costumes, calling himself an expert in everything (but he especially loves costumes, yes).

In general, he lives his best and worst life, sharing Welsh jokes with Suliman™.

Michael got there as a 15-year-old orphan who desperately needed some money. Howl was undoubtedly the author of the idea to invite this unknown sad boy, who had been sitting on the bench for an hour after the concert had ended. He decided to try his hand at mentoring, to elegantly take the boy "under his wing," but it didn't work out well, to put it mildly. Because, although Michael's job is to actually carry things back and forth and be Howl's second assistant, in fact, it is he who is trying to be the voice of reason for this piece of Welshman, because "you can't spend money on another guitar you can't play because Ben bought a new one for himself. No, I don't recommend buying a skull either."

(He complains about this to their local fiery red cat with yellow and blue eyes named Calcifer, who purrs as if he agrees, and then stares at Howl with his eyes burning eyes)

Sophie was miraculously put there by Fanny, because in all universes, Sophie Hatter is destined to be exploited for labor for a pittance because of Fanny. She was personally assigned to the task of sewing costumes, hats, and general decor, and in fact, she was the only one of this team who seemed to have a clear job in this under-troupe. However, over time, she accidentally moves away from hats and becomes (of her own free will) the cleaning lady behind Howl's mess, oops...

At first, she behaves quite quietly, trying not to draw too much attention to herself: she is the eldest of the three, and it is her fate to be stuck somewhere here, behind the scenes and out of the spotlight of the good life and fame, without even thinking about regrets. But over time, seeing how much the crowd really doesn't care about her, and perhaps after breaking a few bones and walking around with a cane, she finally decides to screw it all and goes on all kinds of adventures.

And - oh, yes - she and Howl can't stand each other. So much so that from the moment Sophie arrives, they can't stop arguing about the fit, or the colors, or the look of the performance, or the fact that the little hint of a bathroom they're given was designed for the band members, not for Mr. Howell Jenkins, who has already spent hours in his home shower. And, of course, Sophie continues to involuntarily look at Howell's writing and threaten to remove the spiders he has safely hidden somewhere in the corners, for which she will be called "Ms. Nose" by him (she responds by calling him a slither-outer because, God, man, when are you ever going to face anything but your own reflection?)

Of course, one day she finally finds the moment to go into the bathroom for a second to get something she needs and accidentally mixes the cans of dye Howell left there (it feels as he just leaves his stuff in the bathroom like that on purpose to make Sophie complain, about how his trash shouldn't be there) and OH SURE, the day after that she has to stay up all night cleaning up the scene after Howell throws a horrible tantrum, smashing everything in his path, with good-natured Michael helping her. (And, OF COURSE, this idiot will then say that the color is actually not bad and go on about his business)

And - finally - they can't stand each other so much that they can't spend a second

not to get into a fight with each other (and just be without each other, it seems), so much so that it took Sophie a long time to lose her confidence that all her feelings for him were solely because of the professionally tailored suits she makes, which he always steals from Suliman and Justin, and that stupid damn smile. So much so that they end up kissing somewhere in a secluded corner right before the eyes of the unfortunate spiders.

Obviously, they can't stand each other enough to repeat it more than once.

[braisedhoney]

So what's your LEAST favorite pigment?

oooooh... let me see.

i don't think i have any one particular pigment that i dislike ALL of the time—watercolor can be temperamental, and the difference between using a transparent vs opaque color really can change the entire experience. they even dry differently, depending on what color you're using and with what materials. i can't really speak to oils or acrylics though since i've only used those in passing. (i do want to get into oils at some point... it's a gorgeous medium.)

if i absolutely had to pin down a specific pigment or pigment type that i don't particularly enjoy using myself, it... miiight be the cadmiums? yellow, red, orange, it doesn't matter. i know a lot of artists love them to death and they're even a staple on a lot of palettes, but the opacity and toxicity of them just puts them lower down on the list of the pigments i would usually reach for. (as long as you aren't eating them or inhaling the pigment itself handling cadmiums is usually okay-ish, but i prefer to err on the side of caution.)

that's not to say that i outright hate them, i've used them once or twice. but if i have an alternative to cadmium red (pr108) on hand like pyrol red (pr254) or something, i'd rather reach for that. especially since it can make cleaner mixes! (colors that are really opaque tend to get muddy easier, which is also the reason people hear 'don't mix with white, just dilute it' all the time. pyrol red is still opaque, but yk.)

for a while, cadmiums and the like were the only way you could get really true, lightfast and vibrant colors of whatever category they occupied, but there are so many other alternatives now that i find fun to explore and more comfortable to work with.

that said, it makes more sense in general to just play it by ear and see what colors speak to you. pr206 isn't exactly a perfect all-purpose mixing red, but that doesn't stop it from being one of my favorite colors of all time lol. and warmer reds do have a much smaller selection than cooler toned reds do!

(also, not a huge fan of colors that are incredibly hard to rewet, like true viridian (pg18) or potters pink (pr233) even if i do find their shades delicately pretty and really unique. working with them can be frustrating if you aren't using them directly from the tube. some brands are better about that than others though! and both of those are kind of bad examples anyway bc i think they're gorgeous when allowed to granulate on cold or rough press paper, in mixes or on their own.

ultramarine blue (pb29) sometimes has a similar issue actually, but the color is so intense that it remains a staple for me anyway lol. sucker for certain classics ig.)

[tinyfantasminha]

Usually I try my best to hide my simp for Leona and the fact that hes my second fav twst chara but. how can I keep up with that mask anymore when mf barges in my home lookin like THIS

ahhhahahhaahhhahaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[dragons-and-yellow-roses]

I can't stop thinking about Orpheus and Eurydice...

[boycannibal]

sooo sad ive had long hair for a few years now and only discovered the convenience of braids now... this is so awesome

[neuvis]

Day 2 of using a magic drawing pad and holy fuck this is leagues better than drawing on a Samsung or iPad and for half the price of some of those tablets too

[swordmaid]

made my canon durge (bc durge shri’iia is just an au…!!) her name is yves, a half-elf cleric of kelemvor 🫶 my creepy funeral nun who was born with serial killer genes and she speed-runs people to their own funeral so she can serve them….or something….idk

[genyasglockk]

made a post about paz hating din's guts and the two types of people that interacted with it were "yeah paz hates seeing din be the golden boy. sibling behavior fr" and "wow paz wants to fuck that man so bad it makes him look stupid"

[queenqunari]

Ppl have actually used this “insult” for me…when I’m wearing blatant pride gear….like yeah, that’s the idea

[ineedibuprofen]

i'm such a LOSER lmao

[doyouevermakeasound]

Febuwhump Prompt Day 28: “You’re safe now.” CW: Implied past torture

That familiar musky scent filled their senses as caretaker's arms wrapped around them, overwhelming them.  They smelled like home and that was enough to make whumpee begin sobbing.  The dam had broken and there was nothing to keep back the flow of water as they leaned into caretaker’s hold.  

“Shh, shhh… you’re safe now.  I’ve got you.”  Caretaker also began adding their own tears to the mix.  “We’re going home now.”

Whumpee clung to caretaker as if they were their lifeline and, in a way, they were.  They had been the light at the end of the tunnel, someone for whumpee to focus on as they endured torture after torture and now they were finally here.  

They couldn’t believe it and they waited for the cruel trick to end but it never came.  They were actually going home.  They were safe. 

@ febuwhump

[adrift-in-thyme]

Thinking about doing something super angsty for Day 4…

[frecht]

i really really hate that google docs knows the difference between american english and other types of english because sometimes i just like the british spellings better and google docs gets so mad at me. like i write cancelled with 2 l’s because one l is ugly and it is always asking me to switch my location but maybe i just want to swap between varieties of english for fun and i don’t think it should count as typos when i do so.

[m0e-ru]

just watched chaircar adventure. again. biggest smile on my face for seven minutes straight until my cheeks started hurting too much I had to stop and massage it physically. would say a million things about it. me when I'm full of love.

[fantabulisticity]

Only a little bit of gravel made its way into my spilled milkshake that I put back into the cup! I was able to pick most of it out. These bits were significantly more crunchy than the rest of the oreo pieces in the milkshake.