#I need a way to make character reference sheets fun because I never want to do them unless I’m really inspired

[vampthropologist]

“Come on and freeze your brain.” /lyr

Yet another musical crossover. I can’t decide who should be JD and who should be Veronica.

[shadowtriovibes]

take my hand

Pairing: Ominis Gaunt x f!MC

Word Count: 3.8k

Rating: E

Warnings: 18+, aged-up characters, explicit sexual content, references to consensual sex between minors, loss of virginity, oral sex (f receiving), unprotected PIV sex

Summary: Ominis lets you know he’s ready to go all the way with you, and you quickly realize he likes being told what to do (a.k.a. my “sub-inis” response fic to #dominis)

"That should work, right?" you murmur, stepping closer to him so you can unsubtly press your chest against his and drape your arms around his shoulders. "I know you’re clever, Ominis. I can tell you how to touch me, and you’ll do it?" "Yes," he breathes, quickly stealing a kiss and letting his hands shift all the way down to the curves of your ass. He’ll have to learn by touch, you think. Or maybe even by taste. You have absolutely no problem with that.

Ominis Gaunt is simply going to drive you mad.

For several happy, lovely months you've called the young man your classmates jokingly referred to as “Slytherin’s most eligible bachelor” your love. You’ve kissed his plush lips, memorized the sharp lines of his cheekbones with the tips of your fingers, and even draped your legs across his lap while you curled up together in a secluded corner of the Slytherin common room to study.

…Actually study, of course. Because, unfortunately, he’s kind of a tease.

In fact, the real reason he’d garnered his cheeky nickname? Not one of the girls in your year had gotten anywhere near Ominis’ bed, which, by your seventh year at Hogwarts, was admittedly uncommon.

Even when you started bringing him to the Room of Requirement for some additional privacy, hoping to tempt him into some of those intimacies you know he’s never experienced with anyone else, he’s been a perfect gentleman.

Sure, by now you’ve spent many wonderful nights tangled in the sheets with him, kissing him breathless and letting your hands roam as far as you can get away with. But Ominis wants to “take things slowly,” and you respect that.

(You’re slowly going feral over it, but you respect it.)

He takes you completely by surprise one evening when he tells you that he’s finally ready to go further with you. However, when you sit on the edge of your bed with him and ask him to clarify what that means, he balks.

“Whatever you’d like to do,” he insists, noncommittal. “I’m ready.”

“Ominis,” you say gently. “I do think we should talk about this, so we can both be comfortable.”

He bristles. “‘Both?’ You mean me.”

You bite your lip. It’s true that you are significantly more experienced than Ominis, though it’s not something you’ve talked about in great detail with him. You know that you’re his first everything, that he’d abstained from any sort of physical relationship with anyone thus far because he genuinely wanted to be in love with his partner.

You, however, had pretty much done the opposite after the residual trauma of your fifth year left you with a mindset of “you only live once.” You became more and more selective after you eventually realized that, while occasionally fun, meaningless sex didn’t make you feel better about what had happened. The only thing that did was talking about it with Ominis, which is one of several reasons you fell hopelessly in love with him.

“I mean us both,” you insist. “Just because I’ve had sex before doesn’t mean I want to rush into anything either. This is important. You are important, love.”

He softens a bit when you lace your fingers with his, tugging his hand into your lap.

“I just… I don’t know how to talk about this,” he forces out. “And not because I’m posh or repressed or anything like that, but simply because I fear I don’t know what I need to know.”

“What you need to know?” you ask curiously.

“Truthfully, most of what I’ve ever heard about sex is from the other seventh-years,” Ominis admits. “It’s not like I could have those kinds of conversations with my parents, what with the way they are. I suppose if there’s anyone I could have asked, it would be Sebastian.”

You wince a little and Ominis laughs softly, bumping his shoulder against yours.

“Don’t worry, I’m not intimidated by the two of you,” he murmurs.

You and Sebastian had been “friends with benefits” (as he’d delightedly called it) toward the end of your sixth year, and thank Merlin you’d been able to maintain your friendship after it had ended.

You wouldn’t dare assume just how much Ominis knows about that fiasco, but the real reason it ended was that the two of you were simply too alike in bed – both far too dominant. Every time you came together, it felt like a duel, which was quite fun at first but quickly became exhausting and left neither of you truly satisfied.

“Well, I suppose you could talk with Sebastian,” you agree. “He’s not, er – he’s knowledgeable enough.”

This time Ominis winces, and you pat his hand apologetically.

“You could also just ask me, you know,” you tell him. “We can talk about these things. What we like, what we don’t like, what we want to do together.”

Ominis shifts closer and presses his shoulder against yours, resting his head against the top of yours. “I know. I suppose it’s just… challenging to feel so ignorant.”

“Love,” you sigh. “You aren’t.”

“I am,” he insists ruefully. “But we can… try new things together, right?”

“Of course,” you tell him, dropping his hand so you can stand between his legs and cradle his chin in your hands to pull him in for a kiss. “As long as you’re sure you’re ready.”

“Very ready,” he murmurs, resting his hands on your waist and dragging them down to your hips, more adventurous than he usually allows himself to be.

“Besides, it’s not as if you know nothing,” you tease him. “I’m sure you know how to make yourself feel good, right?”

Ominis goes red and doesn’t offer an answer, but you don’t need one to know that you’re correct.

“I can show you how I make myself feel good.”

It only falls a little flat when Ominis pointedly asks, “‘Show’ me how?”

It’s only then that you realize Ominis had a fair reason to be nervous. He probably has much less familiarity with the female body than many of his Hogwarts classmates would have had, from studying nude forms in classical Muggle art to the risque illustrations and photographs his male counterparts pour over in secret.

He would have been excluded.

“Right, er…” you mumble, thinking on your feet. “Maybe I could… tell you what I like, and you could do it for me?”

“Do it for you?” he asks, and you blink surprisedly when you realize he doesn’t sound annoyed at all with being tasked with your pleasure.

Honestly, he sounds quite interested.

“That should work, right?” you murmur, stepping closer to him so you can unsubtly press your chest against his and drape your arms around his shoulders. “I know you’re clever, Ominis. I can tell you how to touch me, and you’ll do it?”

“Yes,” he breathes, quickly stealing a kiss and letting his hands shift all the way down to the curves of your ass.

He’ll have to learn by touch, you think. Or maybe even by taste.

You have absolutely no problem with that.

For a while you let him kiss you while his hands roam, letting him refamiliarize himself with the figure he already knows quite well beneath your uniform. Then, while his hands slip underneath your skirt to explore your bare thighs, you strip off your tie, dress shirt and brassiere. He undoubtedly hears the rustling of your clothes as you remove them, but he keeps his hands where they are until you reach down and grab his wrists.

Ominis exhales softly when you press his hands to your breasts, and you hum happily when his fingers flex against your skin.

“Touch me,” you tell him softly. “Not my clothes.”

“You’re beautiful,” he says softly. “You feel… you’re so soft.”

You giggle and arch your back into his hands, and when he drags his thumbs across your nipples, you lean down and press your forehead to his.

“Not too soft,” you counter.

“Can I… may I use my mouth on you?” Ominis asks hesitantly.

Merlin.

You’ve observed that your love certainly has an oral fixation. You suppose it could have to do with his blindness, but it could simply be a part of him like anything else. Ominis has been known to suck on quills for hours while he studies – the sugar quills from Honeydukes and, regrettably, regular ones as well – which has occasionally been distracting to some of your classmates who are driven to less-than-pure thoughts while watching him redden his mouth.

“Yes, use your mouth,” you breathe, tipping your head back when he brings his lips to your skin.

He doesn’t just immediately suck at you like some of your past partners have done in a rush. He kisses you all over – the curves of your breasts, across your collarbones, down to your navel and back up again. He’s learning you, and it’s making your head spin.

“Let’s move on,” you slur after a while, nearly dizzy from how good you feel with your skirt still on.

“May I?” Ominis asks, reaching behind you for the clasp of your skirt.

You assent and he deftly unclasps it, letting your skirt drop to the floor and leaving you in just your undergarments. But before he can tug them down – and he does try – you pause him by grabbing his wrists once more.

“I am nearly naked, and you’re fully dressed,” you remind him. “Seems unfair, love.”

“Fine,” he says with a bright laugh, leaning back onto his elbows to let you tug his tie loose and pull it over his head. You unbutton his shirt deliberately slowly, treating yourself to each new inch of bare skin you reveal as you work your way down.

When you reach the bottom, you can tell he’s quite ready for you by the state of his trousers, and you deduce those need to go as well. His breath hitches when you unbutton and unzip them for him, coaxing him into lifting his hips for you to tug them down.

After that, you both hurriedly tug off your undergarments and toss them… somewhere, to be sure.

He looks like sin sitting before you, completely nude with his long cock hard in his lap.

“Are you going to show me now?” he asks hopefully, his fingers twitching nervously at his sides.

“Mmm, soon,” you murmur. “I think I want you to show me something first.”

“You – you want to see…?” Ominis asks, his eyebrows raised. “But you know what men like, how we…”

“I know how men get themselves off, yes,” you say, finishing the sentence he lets die on his tongue. “I don’t care about what men like. I want to see what you like.”

“I can’t imagine I’m that unique,” he retorts.

“Then show me because I want to watch,” you challenge, gently pushing on his shoulders so he’ll scoot back and let you straddle his thighs. “I’m asking so nicely, Ominis.”

He exhales shakily and rests his hands on your bare hips. “Well, I usually… I usually have something to – Merlin, I have a salve, so it’s not dry.”

“Let me take care of it,” you purr, lifting one of his hands to your mouth and licking across his palm. He nearly chokes, but he lets you wet his hand for him and wrap it around his cock.

“Touch yourself,” you murmur. “Tell me what you think about when you get yourself off.”

“You,” he says quickly. “It’s always you, kissing you, touching you.”

You watch hungrily as he starts to stroke himself, observing the way he drags his thumb across his sensitive head and squeezes firmly at the base.

“Touching me how?” you encourage him.

“I… like this, touching your breasts, your bare skin,” he whispers. His other hand trails from your waist down to the crease of your hip. “Here too.”

“Do it then,” you whine. “Touch me, feel me.”

Finally, with his free hand he reaches between your thighs, tracing two fingertips along your folds. You’re already wet, and he groans softly before cursing under his breath.

“Let me show you,” you whisper, wrapping your fingers around his wrist to guide his hand.

You shift his hand up until his fingertips are pressed to your clit. “This is one of my favorite places to touch when I’m alone,” you tell him, nosing along his cheek. “Just touching here can get me off, actually.”

“R-really?” he breathes. “But what about… inside?”

“Inside, hm?” you croon. “Seems like you aren’t as ignorant as you let me believe.”

Ominis blushes a little and ducks his head, but he quickly tips his sightless gaze back up to you when you trace his fingertips along your slit to your entrance.

“Here,” you breathe. “If you want to go inside, it’s just here.”

“Can I?

“One finger first,” you tell him, and he’s perfectly gentle as he presses his long middle finger into your body.

You press your lips against his cheekbone and murmur, “Tell me how I feel, Ominis.”

“Warm. Wet, so wet,” he groans. His hand on his cock has gone completely still, forgotten in favor of exploring you with his other hand. “And – tight.”

It’s then that you have a brilliant idea.

“What if I let you use your mouth on me here?” you keen when he drags his thumb across your clit with his finger still inside you. “Would you like that?”

“I can do that?” Ominis asks. “You would want me to?”

“If you’re comfortable,” you tell him, gently running your fingers through his hair to loosen it a little from his daily coiffe. “I’d like to try it with you.”

Stunned, he nods and gently pulls out of you so that you can join him on the bed and lie on your back. Carefully, you drape one leg and then the other over his shoulders as he kneels between the apex of your thighs. You cross your ankles behind his back to coax him closer and onto his elbows, his face inches from where you most want him.

“What, er… how should I…” he asks.

“It’s instinct, love,” you croon, leaning back on your elbows and watching as he leans in a bit more, transfixed by how close he is to you. “I couldn’t possibly tell you, I’ve never done it myself.”

“Has anyone ever…?” he asks suggestively, one of his hands wrapping around your thigh.

“Ever what?” you tease him, utterly in love with the way it makes him blush harder.

“Has anyone else ever used their mouth on you?” he asks more firmly, nuzzling his temple against your inner thigh.

“Mmm, no,” you murmur.

He smirks to himself. “So I suppose I needn’t be worried about being compared.”

“Ominis,” you sigh. “I need you to do something, anything. Just try, I promise I’ll tell you if it’s working or not.”

“Please, tell me,” he requests. “I might not… It’s harder to be sure that I’m doing it right, if you’re quiet.”

“Somehow, I don’t think that will be a problem,” you reply cheekily.

Without another word, Ominis leans in and presses his tongue to your skin, licking you open with broad, curious strokes of his tongue while he learns the taste and feel of you. You quickly lose your breath as he explores your drenched core.

You gasp sharply when he presses his tongue against your clit, and he quickly asks, “How does that feel?”

“Amazing,” you breathe. “That’s good, Ominis, right there, keep going.”

Ominis simply lights up after receiving your praise, and it makes your heart race adoringly to see how much he loves this – loves you.

He becomes more and more assured as he presses his tongue against your clit, and even without his sight, he couldn’t possibly miss how your legs tremble helplessly when he moans into your body, the vibrations sending you closer and closer to your climax.

He experiments with pressing his tongue inside you as well, and it feels nice, of course it does. But it’s just not as nice as when he’s paying attention to your clit, so without thinking, you reach down and tug on his blond hair to direct his mouth back to where you want it.

This time, when Ominis moans against your clit, it’s not for your benefit.

“Did you like that?” you ask knowingly, twisting your fingers deeper into his hair. Usually it’s so perfectly coiffed, but you imagine by the time you’re through with him, it might look more like Sebastian’s does after Quidditch practice.

“Yes,” he admits, his voice nearly a whine.

“Good. Make me come and you can tell me how else you’d like me to touch you.”

Desperate to finish you off, Ominis first wraps both hands around your thighs and positively buries his face between them, his tongue flicking over and over against your clit. Then he pulls one hand back and presses the tips of two fingers against your entrance.

“Inside?” he asks quickly.

“Yes,” you grit out. “I’m so close Ominis, don’t stop.”

Obediently, he presses his long, thin fingers inside you and curls them how you tell him to, and you only last another minute under his focused ministrations before you come hard, both hands now tangled in his hair to hold him in place until you’re too sensitive to take anymore.

When you finally push his face away, Ominis looks drunk. His mouth and chin are soaked from your release, his pale skin is burning red and his hair is a wild mess.

“So…” he murmurs, dragging a thumb across his lower lip and briefly sucking it clean. “How was that?”

“Don’t be daft,” you laugh deliriously, still staring up at the ceiling. “You’re a natural, Ominis, you get an Outstanding from me.”

He smiles and rests one of his hands on your bare hip, trailing the other up your waist to your neck so he can lean down and kiss you, letting you taste yourself on his tongue.

However, despite how formal his countenance often is, he’s still a young man – and not a very patient one.

“I believe you said something about touching me now?” he murmurs, kissing down your chin to your neck and gently nipping at your pulse point.

“Mmm, yes, I do think you deserve a turn,” you agree.

You reach down to wrap your hand around his cock and slowly stroke him, earning a choked-off moan and a much less gentle bite against your neck.

“Which would you like, Ominis? My hand, my mouth, or my cunt?”

Ominis curses under his breath – you can tell he likes it when you’re vulgar, despite how often he chides Sebastian for using similar language around their other mates.

He zones out for a moment, considering, so you stroke him harder to bring his focus back to you. “Tell me, love.”

“Your – your body, I want… I want to be inside you,” he admits. “But I don’t think I’m going to last very long.”

“That’s alright,” you reassure him. “It’s only your first time, we’ll have many more times to practice.”

He whines softly and presses a kiss over the bruise he’s worked into the skin below your jawline. “Many more?”

“Focus,” you tease him. “Let’s enjoy this time first, alright? Are you ready?”

You drop your hand from his cock so he can sit back and line himself up against you, and you think that this must be where some amount of instinct kicks in because the juts of his hip bones line up perfectly with the insides of your thighs without so much as a guiding hand from you.

“Good, Ominis,” you breathe, and his cock jumps, its wet tip tapping against his stomach.

He takes himself in hand and presses the head of his cock against your entrance, tracing a line from your hole to your clit and back to learn just where to press in, and then he starts to sheath himself within you.

“Oh, fuck,” he groans, and you beam delightedly – you’ve never heard him talk like that before.

“That’s it, keep going,” you encourage him. “I can take all of you.”

He’s quite long, but he takes his time with you, slowly pressing in until his hips are flush with your thighs and his arms are trembling slightly as he holds himself above you.

“Am I hurting you?” he asks, restraint clear in both his voice and the tense line of his jaw.

You cup your hand against the side of his face and murmur, “Not at all, you feel wonderful.”

“Can I move?” he pleads, and you breathe your yes against his lips.

Even without the muscle memory of a more experienced man, Ominis is a fast learner. He quickly sets a rhythm that has you dragging your hands down his chest and demanding more, harder, faster.

Your heart can barely take it when he simply meets your demands without a word, his hair falling into his eyes as he fucks you like it’s a gift to be inside you.

“I want to make you come again,” he confesses, leaning down to kiss you wherever he can put his mouth on you – your jaw, your shoulder, your lips. “Can I?”

“Yes,” you breathe, because your first orgasm had left you so sensitive you’re sure you can come again before Ominis finishes.

In fact, you think if you asked him, he’d make himself wait for you.

You slide a hand down your body and start to touch yourself, rubbing your clit the way you know you like when you need a release. You want to be quick – you want him to learn how it feels when you come around his cock.

“Close,” he grunts, his hands fisting in the sheets beside you. “Love, please…”

“Don’t you dare,” you hiss, leaning up to nip at his lower lip. “Let me come first, Ominis, I promise it’s worth waiting for.”

“I can’t,” he whines, but you know he can – you can see how he’s straining to hold back, his stomach taut and his arms tense beside your head.

“Just a little more, love, and – ah!” you gasp, because when he sits back just a little – as if trying to physically pull back from falling over the edge – his cock presses against a spot inside you that’s just enough to make you see stars.

It’s barely seconds after you come that Ominis groans helplessly and spills inside you, his thrusts coming to a halt when he feels you become impossibly tighter around him.

You stroke your hands lazily up and down his back while he catches his breath, mercifully not dropping his full weight onto you in favor of gently rolling to the side, hooking your leg over his hip.

“What’s the verdict, then?” you ask him softly, tracing your fingertips along his jawline and smiling at the blissful look on his face.

“We’re doing that again, quite literally as soon as I can,” he pants, and you can’t help but laugh brightly and bury your face against his chest.

“How charming!” you tease him. “That’s it, hm? Have I finally made a monster of you?”

“Without a doubt,” he agrees, pressing his nose to your hair.

[rott1ngbra1n]

Sorry for being sudo inactive!! I’ve been on a trip, where I got to see Sweeney Todd on Broadway!! Genuinely such a good show. If I went on about how amazing it was, we’d be here all day

But on the note of me being gone for a bit, ya boi has been crafting! Along with some more ramblings as usual-

More art below the cut (under my ramble-)

The chapter one outline of the Alley Cat AU has been completed! Now it’s on to drawing some panels out and finalizing the draft! Of course I will probably post more concept work before then, as some details still need to be worked out. But we are making headway!

I’m going to also work on making a masterpost here soon, so that way everything is in one neat spot. But the story will be hosted here! Here’s some more smaller concept work to tide you guys over until the next post! I obviously want to finish a couple chapters but I’ve also started work on a chapter explaining how Morro met his cat! Originally the cat was unnamed but I think Wisp works well for them, I will try to finish the reference sheets for all of the characters before I post any chapters.

I’m also going to finish up my work on chapter one, before posting any of it. So that way the wait between isn’t as awful (fun fact that’s been my New Year’s resolution- to try and post more-) but please be patient with me, I’ve never really worked on a project this big before and I am a full time college student with a job. So I will do my best!

I want to let you guys know as well, the ninja and their dynamic with Lloyd will stay pretty similar to that of the show. With them obviously being suspicious of Lloyd and his “cat”, but because they find him and Lloyd doesn’t try to do anything regarding the Serpentine (because Morro shook some sense into him-) there’s no residual “you unleashed the snakes on us-“ vibes. Instead right off the bat Kai takes one look at Lloyd and says “You are now my little brother. You cannot deny this.”, adding more fluff.

That also means we have to find another person who unleashes the serpentine. Because plot reasons and all that jazz, I’m working on it but I think it would be funny if Jay did it by accident or one of the other darkly boys did it. I’ll toy with both ideas and some other ones before I settle on it, I have time. I hope.

I’ve got some other things I’m cooking up, some Ninjago related, others pertaining to other fandoms I’m in.

Aside from that, I also have a Redbubble! There’s some stuff in there I’m reworking, so a minder and apology for that, but I’m going to try to get some more Ninjago works posted up there. Along with some original works! Here’s the link if you’d like to check it out!

I also have a KoFi that I am also redoing and working on! If you’d like to commission me, that would be the spot! I’m still trying to figure it out so if you have any questions don’t be afraid to ask! KoFi link here!

I really appreciate all of your kind words and reblog tags (I do see them, they make me laugh and smile), it means a lot and I hope you all enjoy what else I’ve got in the oven!! Thank you so much!!

[prolix-yuy]

Well uh... boy howdy. I got kneeling reach around for the position... so I'm gonna have to go for Dieter <3

Ohhhhh baby, that boy does deserve a kneeling reach around (and oh so many other positions!). I'm taking a slight change from my normal F!Reader characters though, because I want to give our bi boy a little love in a different way this time around.

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x M!Reader

Position: Kneeling Reach-Around

Word Count: 1340

Warnings: Explicit, 18+ MINORS DNI, mlm dynamics, bi Dieter, implied fingering (m receiving), anal sex, handjob, unprotected sex (don't be a fool, wrap your tool), references to blowjobs, cumming inside, consensual degradation dirty talk (requested by Dieter), some feelings at the end because our sweet boy needs to be cared for.

Notes: Dieter is our resident filthy boy, but I can never write him without some feelings so here we go! And this time we're going to have fun with a male reader! I default to F!Readers a lot just from my own personal experiences, but I really enjoyed this prompt with this reader character. There is a short scene including degrading talk going on here (as part of safe sexytimes), so if that's not your thing here's a quick heads-up!

Your hands smooth over Dieter’s back, riding the ridges and lines of his muscles from the nape of his neck to the base of his spine. When your thumb teases just at the top of his crack he hisses into the pillow.

“Still want to do this, handsome?” you say, adding just the slightest edge to your touch with a scrape of nails. Dieter keens, veins popping on the backs of his hands as he fists the sheets. 

“Yes, please, want you inside me,” he groans, arching back against your cock. The slick slide of his well-lubed hole tugs at your restraint, fingers digging into his hips. 

“Good boy, asking so nicely,” you say, circling the base and teasing your head against his fluttering entrance. 

It was not the way you thought your night would go, but when Dieter’s involved all bets are off.

He’d strode up to you at a gala, emerald velvet suit glimmering like a jungle cat under the candlelight, and offered you a drink. Two in his hands, so clearly this was a plan from the get-go. He talked to you at length, gently urging you away from the crowd with subtle motions until you no longer had to half-shout to be heard. Drinks finished, and enjoying a cooler breeze on a private balcony, he looked you up and down with a smirk.

“Seen some of your work,” he said, allowing you to try and make polite thanks before continuing. “The early stuff. You had a much worse stage name then.”

Your blood ran hot, then cold, then blazing as you realized what Dieter Bravo had seen you act in. A handful of softcore porn art films that toed the line of decency. You had a secret sense of pride in them, especially the one where you played Pan to a number of nubile men and women. Some of those scenes were much less simulated than others.

“Hey, don’t go swallowing your tongue on me, I liked them,” Dieter said, sidling up to you close enough that his heat ate through your jacket. “Liked you in them especially.” One of his expansive hands slipped under your jacket to stroke your waist, making your eyes flutter briefly. Regaining your senses you snapped your head around to see who might be looking or photographing. Dieter turned your head back with two fingers, dark promise in his eyes.

“I liked how you took charge,” he purred, brushing his lips against yours before stealing a kiss. His mouth made you weak in the knees, letting him part your lips to lick sinfully in. 

The path to his place was blurred around the edges, flashes of him straddling your lap in the back of his town car, palming your aching cock, a desperate whine muffled in your jacket when you gave him a hickey just below his collar. By the time you were stumbling in his hotel room all you wanted was his skin under yours. Pressing him against the door you kissed him breathless, tearing off your jackets and shirts before tumbling into the king bed. 

“Knew you’d be fucking sublime,” Dieter gasped as you hovered over him, hungrier for another person than you’d been in ages. 

“What do you want?” you asked, the deep rasp foreign to your ears. Dieter breaks into a beatific smile, eyes hooded with desire.

“I want anything you’ll give me.”

What you want to give him now, after plunging your fingers into his tight hole to work him open, is your cock for as long and hard as he can take it. He certainly feels ready for just that, pressing back on your length just enough to begin stretching him open. 

“Nice and slow, I don’t want to hurt you,” you say, and Dieter scoffs into the pillow. Your first push knocks the sass out of him, shuddering and moaning as you give him inch after inch. He gasps when the thick ridge of your head fits snugly inside, holding still so patiently as your eyes roll back at his tight heat. He feels fucking amazing around you, muscles clenching as he tries his best to be good for you. He’ll be richly rewarded for that.

One last pump and your hips are flush with his pert ass, letting him adjust to your full weight inside him. Reaching up, you stroke his sweaty locks.

“Ready for me to fuck you, handsome?” you ask, and when he turns his head pride surges in your chest. He’s fucked out and you’ve barely begun. A simple nod urges you to set the pace.

A shallow pull back, then a firm thrust forward has Dieter babbling into the pillow, every new pulse into his ass pulling wanton moans and whines. He’s slick and wet clutching at you, making you bite your lip at each new slide.

“Please, tell me…tell me I’m…f-fucking filthy. Tell me I’m a little whore,” Dieter stutters, your balls tightening up as you grind into him. Leaning over his sweat-slicked back, you pull him to his knees to sit back on your lap. You tug his head back on your shoulder, holding him firmly there as you grip his throbbing cock. 

“That the way you like it? You like me telling you how you’re dripping on my dick? I can feel how desperate your ass is for me to pound it. Pretty little slut, prancing around that party waiting to suck my dick. Begging me to go home with you. You’d do anything to have me split you open.” You steadily pour filth into his ear as you fuck sharply up into him, relishing in the slap of skin on skin. Dieter’s nails bite into your thighs but the pinpricks of pain only sharpen your arousal, taking his earlobe between your teeth to press just short of breaking the skin. 

“Fuck, yes, please, I’m your slut, let you fuck me any way you like, please please please…” Dieter wails, your first twisting at the tip of his cock to put him right on edge. Your orgasm is breaths away, Dieter’s perfect ass sucking you in and urging your hips to slam him recklessly. 

“Perfect. Little. Whore. Cum for me, you gorgeous cockslut,” you snarl out, and like you’ve found the button to Dieter’s fantasies he cums with wracking shouts and shakes over your fist, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. You follow quickly in the impossibly tighter grip of him, spilling hot spurts of cum deep inside. A primal being roars in your chest, pleased that you’ve marked him inside and out. 

You stay inside until his breathing evens out, hard grip turning smoother and softer through his hair and over his chest. He giggles dryly a few times when your fingertips trace a sensitive spot. Finally you steady his hips and slowly pull out, kissing the back of his shoulders as you ease him down. You use the edge of the bedsheet to wipe your cum dribbling down, parting Dieter’s cheeks to collect the last of it there. 

Dieter is silent now, lying on his stomach with his face buried in the pillow. It makes your heart clench, a worry you didn’t expect prevailing.

“That was fun. I had a good time,” you say.

“Yeah, me too,” Dieter mumbles, tugging the comforter around him in a messy jumble. Over his shoulder you think you see deep red on his cheeks, and it strengthens your resolve.

“Can I stay for a while?” you ask, already sliding in beside Dieter. He’s stiff at first, then eases when you pull him back into your chest. 

“Sure, yeah, that would be…nice,” he says, lacing your fingers together as you press a kiss to the back of his head. 

“You don’t do this much?” you ask quietly when your eyelids start to droop. Dieter hums for a moment.

“Not this part,” he finally answers, barely a whisper. You press your laced fingers to his heart.

“You can do this with me. Anytime.”

You hope he believes you.

END

LJ’s Bangathon 2023

[browniefox]

The Very Best Fics - 2

I am making a second 'best fics according to me' because it is very long. You can access the previous post from here.

On this list is: Daredevil, Disco Elysium, Trigun, Psych, Mob Psycho 100, Undertale, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy VII

Daredevil

My Guardian Avengers (Can I Get A Refund?) - prettybirdy979

Daredevil needs to protect a certain law firm in Hell's Kitchen. He's a little slack about protecting this Matt Murdock fellow though, and the Avengers are only too happy to step in to help. Matt is SO not okay with this. (Shut up Foggy, so what if it's his own fault!)

Prettybirdy979 has done 'Daredevil meets the Avengers' like ten times, and you know what? they hit it out of the park every time. Hell yeah! This one is just as fun, and it's always nice to read a new (uh, new-ish) fic from an author you love :D

Disco Elysium

Excerpts from the Case Notes of Kim Kitsuragi - Hosekisama

Excerpts reference Lieutenant Double-Yefreitor Du Bois' belief that he can (and does) "reload" his own life after failing, like some kind of video game character.

Disco Elysium plays with so many fun video game mechanics, like the 'jamrock shuffle', so honestly the idea that Harry would think in terms of 'reloading' is way fun! I love the ambiguity of whether or not there actually are saves or loads.

Trigun

Start here - AsterAspera ( @aster-aspera )

The first time he wakes, he is in a room. Heavy curtains hang over dusty windowsills and there are crumpled sheets on the bed and crumpled sheets on the floor. The world is quiet while his body screams. Every soft, fleshy, vulnerable part of him is on fire, writhing and roiling in unbearable agony. He wants to move, get away from the mattress that digs into his skin like fingers, like knives, like roots, but his body is frozen without his consent, time stretching endlessly around him as he fights an ocean of pain. And suddenly there are hands on him and worried grey eyes and he wants to scream but his throat is already scraped raw.

We love QPR Vash/Meryl/Wolfwood, and we love stories that drop you into something and you have no idea what's going on. Such a good and interesting fic that drops ideas of what has happened, but also you're not totally sure, and it really puts you into Vash's head for the fic.

I Just Want To Slow Dance With You by easternCriminal

"Wolfwood swears at the radio, and then finally the static parts like the sands after a storm and the warm, slow sounds of a guitar comes out from over the dunes and fills the small room." oOo A soft domestic moment, inspired by Start Here by AsterAspera

Inspired by the fic above, a scene between Meryl and Nicholas (and Vash) as they try and figure out what their dynamic is now. Wonderfully domestic.

Rinse and Repeat by easternCriminal (@the-east-art)

Somehow, Meryl can head the monotone flatline of his heart. And she wakes up again on the road. Meryl starts to realize what is going on.

Time loop, time loop, time loop! Time loops where you're trying so despeartelyl to save someone! Time loops where you start realizing some sacrifices have to be made! Time loops that make you hate and love someone like you never have before!

Press my Corpse against the Wall by Rayawastaken

Meryl kept thinking back to Tonis, small and still so young in his mothers arms. She kept thinking about the fact that if she held onto him a bit stronger, if she had more conviction, he might still have both of his arms. And about how if she had any less of it, Wolfwood might have not woken back up again in that bar. Surely, getting a bit scratched up was worth saving someone’s life. But that’s not how Wolfwood saw it. To him, she’d forever be just some defenseless little thing that stumbled around helplessly and had to be protected. And for all that he complained about Vash having a self-sacrificial streak, he'd rather bleed out on the floor than admit he had needed help. - Wolfwood almost dies, Meryl saves him and gets hurt in the process. They have a fight about it.

I love Mashwood, but the dynamic between Wolfwood and Meryl is often under represented. I especially love this fic's exploration of the fact that Meryl, of the trio, is the most human and the position that puts her in a lot of the time.

CHANGING NATURE (‘TIS THE SEASON) by ainosyn (@tristamp-gunpede)

“How could anyone kill you without killing a part of themselves?” and “I can’t help it, it’s my nature.”

An exploration of all the different ways the story of Trigun could have gone, or could have been told, and about what is inherent to someone's nature. I love this, such a great character study of Knives and Vash.

Never understood a single word he said by aboxthecolourofheartache (@aboxthecolourofheartache)

Meryl drums her fingers on the steering wheel, and Wolfwood gets the sinking feeling of spotting bullshit at a hundred yarz and being unable to do anything about it. “Is it really buried treasure? I don’t believe you,” Meryl sniffs. “You’re stalling or something.” Vash’s lips curl up at the corner and, yes, there’s that mischievous little dimple that heralds doom. “Only one way to find out. If it is buried treasure, next night at a motel is on me. What do you say?" “Hot showers and everything?” Meryl squints at Vash sidelong, she the very picture of suspicion and he of innocence. “Cross my heart,” Vash vows, making a solemn X over his chest. ~~~ A detour turned nightmare, water from the rock, Three Dog Night, and unconventional gestures of trust.

MUST READ MUST READ MUST READ!!!! Best Trigun Fic I think I've ever read, with perfect characterization of Meryl, Vash, and Wolfwood that all feel distinct and accurate, a lot of fun interactions, and just a hint of the good good 'Vash isn't human' stuff I live for.

Psych

All We Are by jumpfall

"I want eyes on Spencer ten minutes ago!" Shawn thinks that maybe another hostage situation is just what they need to bring the team together again.

Love when you find a fic that captures the vibes of the canon so well! The team-as-family in psych is so good and fun, it's what makes it all worthwhile, you know? The characters in Psych are really good, and I'll be honest I live for the times that Shawn manages to actually be selfless and care about others.

the robbed that smiles steals something from the thief by EclipseWing (@shadow-of-the-eclipse)

That one in which Shawn is a con-artist, a liar and a thief.

Hell yeah, EclipseWing, all my homies love EclipseWing! This one is so fun! It's nice to see a Shawn who doesn't get into crime solving but still needs to find something to preoccupy him becoming a theif instead, it's so in person I love it!

Mob Psycho 100

Come Morning Light by NotHereForIt

Reigen is standing in a world that exists, but doesn't, in front of a house that is Mob's, but not, with a man that's dead, but isn't. In which Reigen thinks he's dreaming, and he very much is not.

Dream walking time, hell yeah! In which Reigen helps Mob through is dreams. Poor Mob has PTSD, but at least he's not alone.

knife trick by ruthwrites (@ruemilley)

There wasn’t a rule, exactly, that said that Ritsu wasn’t allowed to spend time with his brother. It was just something that was understood, like how Ritsu understood he wasn't supposed to press his hands along the sharp edges of his mother’s kitchen knives. (or: an age swap where only Mob and Reigen's ages are changed. Shigeo asks his little brother if he wants to walk him home after school. Ritsu should say no. Ritsu does not say no.)

The ending of this one sticks with me, ugh it's so good. Swap au's are so interesting, and I love the way it's done here, especially with Mob and Reigen being swapped, but Ritsu still being the same age.

citrus by orphan_account

He can just barely see Reigen pacing, purposefully quiet. He’s not smiling or laughing like he usually does on the phone. He looks sad. No, he looks upset. Shigeo doesn’t get a chance to wonder why before Reigen is walking back out, eyes carefully trained on his phone before he flips it shut. “Mob, we have a client to go to. I would have taken you home, but your parents aren’t there.” “Why would I have to go home?” Reigen goes quiet for a moment. “We aren’t dealing with a spirit.”

Reigen getting to deal with big problems through his job, and baby Mob learning important life lessons, what more do you need?

I know who I am when I'm alone by RedWritingHood

I'm something else when I see you. The world revolves around the suffering of Kageyama Shigeo. It fails to anticipate the determination of the Greatest Psychic Detective of the 21st Century.

In which Reigen is in Mogamiland and is as stubborn as a mule - even if he doesn't know what he's fighting against or for. A great moment of Reigen being able to comfort Mob - more or less. There are struggles that come with trying to accomplish that.

Undertale

Second Contact by Ononymous

To the participants, monumental days in history rarely feel very monumental when they wake up that morning. A young man at his summer job in the middle of nowhere was about to learn this the hard way.

I love this fic, of Asogre and Frisk meeting the first human outside of the Underground, told from outsider pov. It's a fun continuation of the story, and of how a poor service employee has to be the one to deal with the mess first.

What Little Monsters Are Made Of by Mangaluva

Nobody understands why you keep Flowey. You're not always sure why you do. But you found a way to save everybody else.

A story about love, and a story about believing in someone or something, and about how it's never too late. Post-Game, exploration of the relationship that builds between Flowey, Frisk, and the rest of the monsters over the years.

Kingdom Hearts

Scar Tissue - mimiplaysgames

Terra doesn’t remember certain things. He’s not in control. Even after everything they have been through, he still has the Guardian to contend with.

A little confusing to read sometimes, but super interesting look into after effects of having one's heart stuck in various places, and how it impact Terra without him even knowing it. At the end of the day, Terra is a guardian.

Umbra, Penumbra - end_alls

Roleswap where Vanitas is the one raised with care and compassion in the Land of Departure, and Ventus… is not

A fun and interesting role reversal. In general, the concept of 'too much light' is not explored enough in Kingdom hearts, so a fic that goes into how Ventus is left so incomplete without Vanitas is great.

Affecting Eternity - b-na_hime

One new Keyblade Master. Two new Keyblade wielders. Three thousand ways it could go horribly wrong…

Riku trying so hard to train Lea and Kairi when he's never been formally trained either. Great relationship building between them and how each of them feels about being a keyblade wielder.

reflections, refracted. - vvingblade (@vvingblade)

It's been ten years since then. Time has passed, and wounds are slowly healing. Ven thought he'd moved on, that the memories no longer bother him. All it takes is a single muddled spell to prove him wrong.

Ven has some serious PTSD and it rears its ugly head. Also, Ven can kick ass when he believes his life depends on it. Great Ven characterization that fleshes out Ven a bit more than he usually is.

Final Fantasy VII

The Fifth Act by Sinnatious

Cloud has an accident with a Time materia, and finds himself in the middle of the Wastes at the start of the Wutai War. There are people to save… and for that, there are three people who need to die.

My favorite time-travel fix-it for FFVII I've found so far. Good characterization, fun interactions, and I love how much it grapples with the question of 'should Sephiroth die, when he hasn't done anything'.

A Feather's Edge by Boomchick

Rescue arrives for Sephiroth while he is still a child. It arrives in the form of a blank-faced blonde-haired hero who cannot look at him; Who tends his wounds, and speaks kindly, but whose eyes are filled with hate and fear. If only Sephiroth knew the rules of this world outside the labs, maybe he could figure out how to stop making Cloud so angry...

An interesting look into, even if Sephiroth was saved, how messed up he is since childhood and how that impacts how he views people, sitautions, and relationships with other people. Kinda wish it was a little longer, but also I think it ends where it needs to end, if that makes sense. Really love Cloud trying to grapple with being a good adult for a child while battling his PTSD over said child.

In the Woods, Somewhere - DoveFanworks

On an ordinary day, two against one would hardly feel fair. But today was not an ordinary day, and Gods damn if this man wasn’t proving to be worth every bit of their combined effort. It was ludicrous. Unheard of. Before today, he would have thought it impossible. But somehow, someway, this man, this stranger who had come from out of nowhere, was fighting off two of the most powerful fighters in the world. At the same time.

Unresolved Time Travel au where Cloud takes on the three Firsts and kicks ass! I love how thought out the fight scenes are, taking into account the abilites of everyone involved and what they're capable of. Wonderfully orchestrated, wonderful to read.

Rebound - emrald_writes

Genesis knows the moment that they step into the little town that whatever it is plaguing them it isn’t a curse.

I Love fics that have surprisingly in depth worlds that makes you feel like you're looking into a world so much bigger and more thought out than you expected. Such an interesting magic system and a fun mystery to boot. I will say, the ending feels a little strange, but the rest most than makes up for it.

As They Bask in the Material World - Traxits

Every year, Reeve tours the outer reactors. This year, Veld is unable to escort him, so Tseng gets the job. It's just his luck that the car breaks down, and perhaps the best idea was not to spend the night in Cosmo Canyon…

Hi welcome to the beginning of the 'brownie falls in love with reeve' section of this. Anyway, great and interesting relationship between Reeve and Tseng, and EXTREMELY cool take on how young Reeve would react to Cosmo Canyon.

Before She Hangs Her Head to Cry - Traxits

Reeve had been reasonably certain that no one was in his office. It seemed like a logical assumption to make, given that he was not there and that no one short of the President had a key. One day, he would learn to stop assuming anything when he counted the Turks among his friends.

Not enough people talk about Reeve and kidnapping Marlene! Love the backstory that is hinted at for Reno here, getting to see Reeve's thoughts and such, and how Marlene's upbringing shows up throughout her actions. The characterization is just, *mwah*, beautiful.

Little Birds by katineto

Marlene's Papa is gone, and she is scared—or, the kidnapping, from Marlene's perspective.

Reeve is terrible with children. I love seeing Marlene's POV in the whole mess, trying to make sense of what is going on and feeling so scared.

Through Another's Eyes by CorsairOriginal

Elmyra Gainsborough had only wanted to live a life in peace, but war keeps coming to her door. She had only wanted her arrangement with Marlene Wallace to be temporary, but now that she's a part of Elmyra's life she has to face the consequences of that decision. Director Reeve Tuesti didn't choose to become a spy, but orders from President Rufus Shinra are not to be refused. He didn't choose to admire a group of renegades, but now that they're a part of his life he can't walk away so easily. ~ "Through Another's Eyes" is an in-depth view of the major notes of Reeve's story in Final Fantasy VII, starting from Marlene's abduction by Shinra to the end of the original game--rewriting some concepts and adding elements from the Compilation of FF7, including Before Crisis and FFVII Remake.

THE PINNACLE OF REEVE FICS. So so so good! Great relationship of Reeve with everybody, and how he deals with the events of FFVII. The moment at the end when he finally meets everyone? FUCK YEAH, that's what it's all about baby! Fic that got me hooked on the inspire!Reeve characterization.

I'm Fine - WinterEvenings

“Cloud!” His eyes snap open, but it doesn’t do much good. All he can see is darkness anyway. They were trapped. It was his fault. It was all his fault.

Cloud is so fucked up as far as priorities and his own health is concerned. it's terrible and wonderful at the same time. Gotta love a good dose of whump.

[misasimagines]

jjk characters when you’re scared of a bug

included characters: Yuji, Megumi, Maki, Nobara, Gojo, Nanami, Choso rating: sfw warnings: bug mentions but I avoid any concrete details because ya girl is Terrified of Bugs! I use flowery language to refer to them also because again! ya girl is Terrified of Bugs!

Yuji:

will kill bugs for you if you’re scared! But he’s not the best at catching them if they move around. He’ll go and punch the wall and then you look and it’s running away and he’s screaming because it’s coming at him.

He might accidentally put a hole in the drywall because he slapped down on it too hard. Like yes, it’s dead, but he’s also now bleeding and you are not getting your security deposit back.

Slaps gnats/flies/etc out of the air but also ends up knocking things down when he does- basically, Yuji is at 110% power and 2% environmental awareness. You need to stay out of the way.

If seeing a buggie gets you paranoid and freaked, he’ll investigate every corner of the now-quarantined room and will be using DIY bug-repellents until you feel safe. He doesn’t make fun of you for being scared or paranoid. He agrees they’re freaky! He only can be brave because he has you to protect!

Megumi:

He’ll catch and release, he won’t kill, but he will make sure it is deposited far enough way that it won’t be coming back easily.

He thinks you’re a little ridiculous for being so scared but he won’t tease you about it. Maybe at first, but then he sees your eyes are all glossy and your shoulders at all tensed up and he’s like, okay, okay, I got it, don’t worry about it.

He just has you leave the room and then warns you when he’s going to walk by with the horrible beast trapped in a cup. He also, and I gag to say this, would not be afraid of even touching the horrible monsters with his hands if necessary. Could Not Be Me.

Megumi will search around the room at your behest to make sure there are no other creeps lurking about. You probably have to point out all the areas you’re most afraid or else he’ll only look in the more obvious spots. He’ll even go out and get bug-repellent/killer so you stop pacing around and jumping whenever your hair brushes against your bare skin....

Maki:

If she knows you’re freaked by bugs, she kills them before you even know they’re there. She isn’t bothered by them, but she also doesn’t like them in her home. They aren’t paying rent or cooking her dinner, they don’t get to stay. 

Keeps a heavy duty bug killing spray on hand and whenever she sees/hears you fleeing from a room because you’ve been ambushed, she’s marching right in there and killing it asap. She prefers spraying them to hitting them with her hand or a shoe or something because it’s just cleaner and she doesn’t want to end up with holes in her walls like Yuji’s place.

If you’re paranoid about it afterwards, she’ll help you replace the sheets, vacuum, dust, etc so you clean up the place rather than just scoot stuff around checking out the place.

She will tease you for being scared, but she’s not mean about it...most of time. She’ll say that, knowing you, your fears are correct and you probably could get your ass beat by a gnat-

Nobara:

She says she’s not scared, she’ll do her duty to protect you, you’re too baby to take care of yourself but that’s okay because she’s there- you never said it could fly!!! She’s screeching and slamming the door shut behind her and announcing that you will never go into that room again.

She has to pull her hair back, suit up, shoe in one hand, spray in the other, and then she’s bursting through the door and you hear the thump of the shoe hitting everything and anything, the spray coating every possible surface, and Nobara’s battle cry. It’s dead! You need a new lamp!

They’re scary, she isn’t so much scared of them as she is afraid of where they are when she can’t see them. It makes sense, totally. She doesn’t tease you so much as she likes holding it over your head as something she does for you. Not in a mean spirited way, she just likes that you rely on her for this!

She’ll help clean up the area and make sure nothing else is hiding around, but ultimately she’s calling someone else over to do the job of exterminator (probably Yuji and Megumi...)

Gojo:

He sees you’re scared and puts on an act like Every Single Time. Honestly, it kind of snaps you out of being freaked. He jumps up and he’s like, where’s the villain who’s scared my darling?? and then he’s grabbing a shoe and stomping into the afflicted room.

He kills it, makes sure you hear the sound of it being beaten to death, and then checks around to make sure there’s nothing else before he lets you back into the room.

It’s in his nature to tease you, but you’re so upset and uncomfortable that he reels it in. He just makes a dramatic speech about saving and protecting you and then gives you a hug and asks if you want to get out of the house for a bit.

Takes you out for ice cream or something so you can relax and then when you go back, he might have called in a maid service to clean up so you could feel comfortable knowing that everything was bug-free.

Nanami:

At first, he kind of thinks you need to get over it and take care of it yourself. But then he realizes that it’s just one of those phobias that isn’t something you can rationalize, and he steps up.

Prefers catching and releasing them, but if you’re freaked out, he’ll just kill it to appease you. It doesn’t bother him that much. What bothers him is that how did this stupid bug get into his impeccably clean apartment?

He doesn’t tease you about it, he doesn’t make a big deal about it at all. The lack of energy he puts into it helps you calm down a lot easier. Just another day, not some cosmic retribution or curse on from a vengeful goddess.

Coincidentally always suggests a cleaning day after an enemy has been spotted, and he always focuses his attention on the room it invaded while letting you take care of other rooms.

Choso:

He doesn’t have a problem with bugs, but he does have a problem with it scaring you and that means it has to be punished. He does feel a little guilt at having to kill the terrible brutish monster on your bathroom ceiling, he thinks about it’s family, but then he kills it and flushes it because it knew the risk it was taking wandering in here... This is the tragic outcome.

It’s not that deep babe-

Cleans the place, like with the heaviest duty cleansers you have, so there are no remnants of it. Like Yuji, he’ll mix together some DIY repellents, but unlike Yuji who would google what to do, Choso just throws together things that he’s certain will kill bugs- and maybe also you guys! Don’t mix bleach with anything!!

If he catches the infiltrator first, he will take the chance to catch and release it. It hasn’t scared you yet so no crimes have been commit.

[o0o0thorn0o0o]

Mineko Old Art Dump, Cont.

Part 2 of 2 :

Now, time for info!

So, for starters: her name. As mentioned multiple times by now, her name is Asano Mineko, as in 峯子. Whereas Karma gets his kanji from their mother (my OC Kuniko) and Gakushuu gets his partially from their father, Mineko gets the remaining two from both. I was trying to see if there was a similar “updated” thing with Gakuhou’s second kanji (like how 学 is derived from 學), but that doesn’t seem to be the case from what I could find. So even though I don’t need to explain why they did that for Gakushuu and Mineko, I came up with one anyway: it’s a trade-off. Gakushuu keeps the reading over the exact kanji, and Mineko keeps the exact kanji over the reading (Mineko was always the plan, though; not fond of “Houko”, especially for her).

I also mentioned this before, but since I’m dumping quite a bit of info about her here, I’ll mention it once more: Mineko’s the middle child, with her birthday being January 1st, just like her younger brother. In these AUs, Karma could be born on the same day, or he could still be born on Christmas—both ways are possible, though I have a slighter preference for the former for some reason.

Before I get into her personality a little, lemme explain some of the drawings. Only some things. The rest will definitely be mentioned in a character sheet—or before: if I happen to draw it again before it gets done, I’ll probably talk about it at least a bit. Let’s go in order now, shall we?

So, um, height? Mineko’s tall, but idk, I feel like I made her too tall in that Until Dawn AU sketch (she’s not in the AU officially, but I do think about her in it from time to time. And jeez, I need to post about that AU some more…). Either that, or I made Rio too short. Like, idk, year 3 Mineko is 5’6” (167 cm), and she’ll be 5’8” (172 cm) at her tallest.

Second: er, you know that sketch that looks like she’s holding a large ice cream cone in a weird way? Uh, yeah, that’s supposed to be a telescope ^^;;; I just never got around to adding the tripod… or, like, referencing an actual telescope instead of from memory, oops. I might actually turn that into a proper post, but no plans as of the moment. But yeah, anyway: Mineko loves astronomy, and one of her favorite hobbies is star-gazing.

Another one of her favorites that I feel like mentioning now, too, is she loves listening to and composing music—mainly instrumentals/orchestral music. She’s the kinda girl you’d invite to an opera, haha (though, not romantically; she’s aroace. The main reason why this is is because I did not want to end up making an OC to pair with her (this has happened multiple times before with others, so this is a way of me putting my foot down with her, haha). That, and it kinda references the fact that at some point in time I headcanoned Karma and Gakushuu as aroace. Though, I still do personally see them being somewhere on the spectrum. But yeah, she aroace).

Then that one sketch where the art style’s very different from the rest—I’m actually not too fond of it anymore, especially the face, but I thought to include because I like the rest of the sketch and especially because—you know that art style I dub my doodle style? The one where the nose connects to the upper lip, and if the mouth’s open, I add a bottom lip? The one I introduced Mineko in? Yeah, fun fact: this sketch was the start of that art style. It’s changed a lot since, but perhaps I wouldn’t have drawn in it were it not for Mineko, haha.

Last thing before I get to her personality and stuff: I’ll mention something about the traditional sketches. Idk if you can tell, but Mineko is a huge junk-foodie—a sucker for fast food. She still keeps track of healthy food, for the most part—but yeah, she’d never turn down fast food, haha. Also, regarding the water: she’s more likely to casually see food in a “romantic light” than she ever is people, haha.

Speaking of, I headcanon both Karma and Gakushuu as good cooks—they can whip up something decent, at least, haha. Mineko on the other hand has no such interest. She’s got her brothers, after all. She doesn’t see a reason to… until she grows up, and her brothers are living their lives, and she realizes she’s got no one to cook for her anymore… Welp, fast food and restaurants have never left her down before, haha.

Ok, now I’ll finally discuss her personality a bit… well, traits? I wanna talk about her intelligence first. She’s a very smart girl, being in 3-A, but she’s not as smart as her brothers and has to try harder to somewhat be on the same level grade-wise—definitely not touching the virtuosos, but 3-A all the same. She also participates in extracurriculars but not nearly as many as Gakushuu—she can only handle so much.

But while she knows she may not have as high an IQ as her brothers, she very much believes she has a higher EQ than them. And to her credit, she does, but probably not by nearly as much as she thinks. See, she’s emotionally repressed, too—don’t let that smile fool you, haha.

For one, she doesn’t like conflict and does her best to smooth things over when/if she can, play the middle man (she likes to think of herself as a bridge, connecting two conflicting sides (especially her brothers; she also likes to say that’s the reason why she’s shorter than them, as (certain types of) bridges tend to dip below the two points they’re connecting, haha. Just a silly thought she likes to muse)). She likes fixing conflicts but would never intentionally start any. Cautious of stepping on toes.

That’s always why she tries her best to plaster on a smile regardless of how she feels—everything’s fine, don’t you know? She’s completely happy with her circumstances; don’t ever worry otherwise! She should be more worried about you than you about her! But yeah, she’ll either only let it slip should a situation get too stressful that she can’t keep it up or if she believes she’s all by herself. All that said, she’s usually fine. Usually. It’s just… when she isn’t…

Also, this girlie’s got major trust issues and is a misanthrope (Gakuhou’s her dad; enough said). She does believe that, of course, not all of humanity is bad. It’s just… she doesn’t trust individuals, especially the more friendly seeming ones. She’s been raised in a family of masks, adorning one herself, so she has no clue whether someone is being genuinely kind or not. It’s just easier for her not to trust them rather than be let down. Everyone’s got hidden agendas, it seems.

And while she’s friendly and polite to everyone regardless of her suspicions—even when there’s blatant evidence she’s right. Because she wants to be kind and helpful regardless. And again, she kinda believes most are like that anyway. Proof is just more of a confirmation of something she believes already—and while most would find her company agreeable, she currently doesn’t have any friends outside her brothers. And nor does she care to. She doesn’t see what she’s missing. Why would you hang out with someone who’s potentially fake? While helpful, she tries to make herself scarce whenever she can.

But yeah, the only way she’ll ever make friends is through a whole lot of interaction; she needs to be able to build up that trust and feel safe. Being close to her brothers is a good start, but she’ll still be wary for a good while. Not something easy, essentially, and could take years. Hence, no friends as of the moment.

Er, yeah, I guess that’ll be all I’ll share for the moment. Ended up being a lot longer than I thought, but I don’t feel like cutting anything either. So yeah; here is she! I adore her, so I hope you like her, too, or find her interesting at least ^^

I feel like you know about her more than the other OCs I’ve already revealed when they’ve been out for a couple years now. Oops ^^;;

[dokidokitsuna]

Working on Magical Friends: Doki’s animation “pipeline”

…Since this is still an incredibly basic 1.5-man operation, it’s not much of a pipeline. ^^; But I wanted to put together a little thing to show the public how I do what I do, and if this sounds doable or interesting to you, I’m always on the lookout for more volunteers! dokianimara@gmail.com is my official ‘art business’ email, just FYI~

So let’s start by taking a look at this GIF preview of a finished scene:

I chose this sequence because it’s probably the longest and most complex one I’ve done so far. The character rotates, the scene pans up, I got some spinny light effects in there, lots of weird stuff I’ve never done before. (●u●;;) But it came out alright in the end, so let’s examine it.

So before I start thinking about animating, I refer to the work of my storyboard volunteer, Greytan. They actually gave me just one simple shot:

Which I extrapolated into…what I did. ^^; I don’t mean to ‘ignore’ their boards, and I hope they don’t feel slighted when I do things like this, it’s just that they are genuinely a much more skilled and more professional animator than I am, and our brains just don’t work the same way so sometimes I have to diverge a bit. :P Or, y’know, sometimes I come up with a great idea of my own that I really wanna try, which is probably what happened here.

Anyway, my first step after looking at boards is to grab a pencil and paper and draw the shot: a picture that lays out what the scene will look like, with either the starting frame or a key frame, and the background included. As you can see, I doodled some of my ideas for how the sequence would progress, which is good, because after drawing this I wouldn’t return to this shot for like 6 weeks. ^^;

When I finally did get back to it, I grabbed a second piece of paper for Step 2, which is the actual ‘animation’: using the shot as a base to draw the rest of the frames that will go into the sequence. This is where my lightbox comes in handy, although usually I can see through the paper well enough to just draw wherever. ^^ [Fun fact: in my early days, I would just scan the original shot, erase it, and replace it with the next frame, drawing each new frame on the exact same piece of paper. I am…very glad I don’t do this anymore]

Now, animation is mostly guesswork for me. ^^ I mean, my guesses are pretty good, but they’re still guesses, which is why I call myself an amateur. It’s not me downplaying my skills, it’s just me admitting that they aren’t based on solid expertise or experience (yet).

When I animate a shot, I try to make sure each frame looks like it has movement in it all by itself. Gesture drawing, dynamic posing; those are things I’m already good at, so when I animate I make ‘em work hard for me. >:3c

The end result comes out looking kind of like a sprite sheet:

And I do use these drawings kind of like assets; Step 3 is to scan them (along with the initial shot) and use them to ‘construct’ the frames that go into the video editor. This is the step that takes the longest, where I clean up the sketches and color them and paint the backgrounds (separately, if necessary). It’s not as difficult as Steps 1 and 2, but it’s a lot more tedious.

So naturally, sometimes I like to make sure my sprites actually work before I start all that…work. ^^ So I throw together a test animation based on what I have:

And this did help-- it assured me that the first half with Mago would probably look fine, although the second half with the magic light-thing probably needed to have a cleaner sense of direction and more frantic movement as it ascended. When you’re working with a low frame-rate, you generally want things to move a LOT or hardly at all; you don’t want any of that in-between stuff. So I took that into account when preparing the “finished” product. I put “finished” in quotes because I’ll probably adjust the timing of the frames a little when I move to the video editor (Step 4, which I’m not going to talk about here). But yeah, that’s pretty much it. ^^

Generally when I think about adding artists to the team, I’m thinking about them doing Step 1, Step 2, Steps 1 and 2, or Steps 1-3 (so basically, completing a full sequence of frames that I can just add in). For me to hand sketches to someone and expect them to do Step 3 alone would require a level of trust that I’ve never had in any fellow artist before…but idk, anything can happen in the future. ^^;

[rapunzelpumpkin]

This is Felix!

Ive been wanting to make character sheet for all my original characters just so I’m not lost, and so if anyone else needed to use a reference they would be able to!

Felix is the lead singer and guitarist of Tryhard. The only time his voice is ever heard is through song. He never tries to put on a facade or anything, anytime he does get a bit flashy, it’s just him having fun doing what he loves. He’s way less of an open book than the others but he’s the one who got them all together in the first place.

I’m a bit biased towards him because I’ve been working on his character for as long as I I’ve been working on Tryhard. Though the others came soon after though.

[lucidicer]

hi olli! do you have any tips on developing your ocs above the surface level like personalities, traits and such? i feel like with i know my ocs but not to an extend of having them fully developed? do you use any prompts and what advice could you give to someone who's terrible at building pinterest board for their ocs? 😭 thank you <3

omg hi!!! first of all im flattered that u came to me of all people to ask this omg? and absolutely!!! gonna do it under the cut cause i have a lot to say <3

okay i get what u mean abt not knowing an oc past the surface level omgg it takes a lot to break through that, ive had vin as an oc for i think just over two years and it's only recently ive truly been able to get deep into his core. i find that doing ask games and such for ocs helps me because it forces me to think of aspects i never really considered so my first tip is look at ask games, you dont need to have the questions send to you to answer them!! it helps develop your character in the smallest ways that can snowball into bigger aspects of their personality. you can find some at @ocaskmemes also @develop-your-oc is SOOOOO useful omg their tag page has everything you could possibly need!!!!! also i LOVE using this ask game by @/deathbypufferfish for developing romantic relationships between ocs!!! i like to keep all the answers in a document to reference later!! (also those cute as hell oc sheets? a god send. if you search oc profile on pinterest u can find so many!!)

fully developing an oc is pretty tricky tbh so don't feel like you need to have everything set in stone within a week or smth, take your time, switch ideas around, scrap things entirely. in the end this oc is YOURS!! you don't need to have their entire life known to you for you to enjoy them!

pin boards for ocs are also helpful for development tbh. when you start a board dont expect it to be amazing right away like my tang board is terrible and its only recently ive figured out how i wanted it like just look at the difference (top is the new one)

expect your boards to be bare bones when you first start them!! usually i have a vague idea for an oc when i start them like their appearance and for solitude specifically i know what their issues are no matter how undeveloped it is. i like to start with like appearance based pins first tbh cause it sets good ground work like eye colour, hair colour, outfits etc (these are all subject to change so don't feel tied down to them) and trust eventually you will reach an aesthetic you like. just keep adding things that make u think of that oc!! u can clean it up later when you have a more solid idea of what you want. one of the big things i recommend is to follow other simblrs on pinterest, if you want some good ones just look at the people i follow (@/lucidicer on pin) look at their oc boards they can really give u some good inspo and dont be afraid to steal the pics pdjfhjdhg. also BIG one...add 'aesthetic' to all your pinterest searches 😁

just have fun and go crazy :D ENJOY UR SILLIES!!!!!!!

[oldprince1587]

Its time for a little something I like to call “William Needs to Come Up with Ideas so he Talks to Himself”

The topic of today is

I have a little logo and everything, it’s hysterical.

I know that a number of people have made homestuck ttrpg adaptions, and I’ve read a lot about one called Tablestuck, if I recall correctly. They’re super neat and all the little things that they have are super cool! HOWEVER! The thing about Tablestuck is how many RULES there are.

Like holy shit. There’s SO MUCH. SO MANY THINGS. Every cannon grist type that has a name is listed. There’s a WORKING ALCHEMY SYSTEM and theres like SIX MILLION TYPES OF DAMAGE!!! That’s cool and all. However.

I am a fucking todler in the world of TTRPGs. I’m so very new to them. I’ve never ran a campaign. I’ve been in some, though!

So, the issues that I am facing; 1) The existing system is TOO hard. 2) The game should be enjoyable for people who aren’t huge homestuck fans

The solution? Resort to much more personalized, abstract, and interpretive concepts.

There’s so much about homestuck that I can’t like, sit here and be like “okay you’re a void player so at X level you get x many hp and get these traits” like you do in other systems, because Classpects are so diverse and personal. And you know how you fix that issue? You don’t!

For each character, we are going to discuss exactly what we want out of level ups, which decides what Fraymotifs (i think thats the right term. if its not, i dont care) they get! Things that will fit their character AND be useful to them. It’s personalized!!!!!!

Another thing about Homestuck that was carried over into tablestuck that i couldn’t work with was how lonely it was. Everyone was separated, there wasn’t much of a party. That’s a theme of Homestuck. HOWEVER! That is NOT something I can deal with, and it wasn’t something my players enjoyed. Solution??? Put em all together.

It really doesn’t matter how, I suppose. It’s like any other campaign, find a way to get them all in one spot, baybie!!!

But like. What about the character sheet? It went through a few iterations, honestly. But I’m settling on something more like this!

Its so pretty! and it’s a google doc!!! look at it!!! I’m so in love. The thought for the stats was that we have four, maybe five. They’re called HARDER BETTER FASTER STRONGER as an obvious reference. It was a remnant of our first concept. However, these WILL be changed in the near future, since they overlap way too much to make sense. A fun thought is that all the stats are very general, so you get to make your case to the DM about which one to use for a roll. I feel like I’m gonna use some sort of dice scaling, but yeah! Not sure. And, under the categories, people get like, special skills to roll more on!

[jackalxhearts]

I'm running Snare with my friends tonight and i'm really excited, especially since they all made characters I think are really fun. However, the setting is an entire small town; am I out of my depth?

I think that the size of the setting is up to you and how comfy you are with the characters being able to explore the town. Sometimes, I try to limit the number of NPCs around if I'd rather not try to play them/come up with a lot. But, I know other DMs really enjoy creating and playing lots of NPCs! :) If I have a game with lots of NPCs or locations, I try to make a little cheat sheet list, knowing that my players will probably be running around/wanting to talk to lots of people. (This might not be the problem you're anticipating, but I'll share this tip since it relates to my biggest struggle in some games: playing tons of NPCs and not being able to come up with names/personalities fast enough.) Typically, a cheat sheet for my NPCs is just a list of names + a trait/existing character they remind me of. That way I can come up with a name + personality fast, especially for minor characters I don't expect players will talk to extensively. So basically, my cheat might look like: John Smith - runs gas station, cheerful, elderly Lu Weili - librarian, captain picard (?) Kathy - carpenter, kermit the frog Ash - if willy wonka was the mayor of a small town Betty - tall, grumpy, mysterious And then have 10+ more characters. You don't have to be detailed, you just have to note references/ideas that you'll understand immediately. You also don't always need to list occupations/locations. In this example, Betty can be or work anywhere. If you never wrote anyone down to work at the pharmacy and you're in a pinch, then bam! That's where Betty works now because that's where your players went. As for locations, if the location is very important or specific, then writing a few notes for it prior to the game makes sense. But if it's a generic location, most folks will be happy with a basic explanation. (In my personal experience, it's easy to say "Yeah, it's a grocery store like any other. It's a lot like a Kroger." but hard to come up with the cashier there on the spot, hence why my cheat sheet focuses on names/vague personalities.) This was a super long answer, but I hope this helps! Basically (TL;DR): You're not out of your depth if you're comfortable with making stuff up or scribbling down some NPC names! <: Also, a cool group of players will be chill with however you run a first-time game with a brand new system. (Every time I learn a new system, my first game doesn't always go perfectly, and I learn what I might want to change or do the same the next time.) And even then that doesn't stop me from forgetting what names are and going "ummm....the..pharmacist's name...is...jimothy. I guess" sometimes, lol.

[lotusprotocol]

dreamcatcher devlog: april 2024

(new menu, posting here bc i still think it's good)

full devlog under the cut!

welcome back! sorry for being a couple days late; i specifically tried to start early so this wouldn't happen but some other stuff got in the way (mostly myself). without further ado, here's everything that happened this month:

month started off with some pretty slow progress :/ i usually end up doing a lot in the few days after pushing a new playtesting build but lose momentum until it's almost time for another one

i got interested in multiplayer in godot and took a detour to make something with it! over a span of around 48 hours, i made a prototype called rocket science, which you can play here. it's a fast paced smash style game where everyone has rocket launchers and tries to blast everyone else off the map. idk if i plan on doing anything else with this but feel free to try it out with your friends!

(quick preview screenshot of the game)

later on in the month i finally pushed a new build! it includes a hub level to access the two finished levels in the game so far, and although there's not much there yet, it's a step in the right direction.

i worked on some bugfixes and small suggestions in the couple days after that. i have a reports channel set up in the playtesting section of the discord (which you should join wink wink nudge nudge link is in my pinned post), and it's very helpful for figuring out what i need to address.

i've started working on the next level, but have barely made any progress. it's mostly because there's a lot of sprites i need to finish before i can really start planning the layout, so it's just a matter of getting those done.

i also updated the main menu and made it look pretty cool (which is shown in the gif at the top of the post)

aaand that's about it! as always, here's what i have planned for this month:

make reference sheets for the main cast

finish character sprites (spoiler alert this will never happen)

catch up on school work

do good on final exams

finish the next level and push a build

have fun :]

if you made it this far, thanks for reading! and if you want to see more updates about the stuff i'm making, i'd really appreciate if you left a follow <3

[wizardlizard32]

LASTLY we have some QUITE A FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW original characters for stories I want to tell to go through so prepare yourselves for a long one cause this will be THE DOOZIE I'll do my best to organize them by stories though so lets start with a WHOLE HUGE STORY I WANNA MAKE.

-Tales of Uvanos (its called this cause its literally segmented in different book terms and in universe is a collection of stories)

this is a character simply known as "The Originator of Cycles" a design inspired by my brain seeing something in a piece of EXTREMELY vague ambiguous album art that probably wasn't intended.

the first piece was my earliest exploration of the character when I didn't quite have things figured out while the second is a relatively recent Reference sheet in an attempt to really finalize the design I'm quite happy with it

some visual themes I kept in mind for this character were "Duality" "Clocks" and "Eyes" I do have a human form for this character PLANNED but the problem is I just...I cant quite make one I'm satisfied with

next up is a character by the name of "William" a Giant lizard person (in universe known as "lizros") with a... "bit" of a hoarding problem, despite this he has a heart of pure gold and a brain of peanut he...he is very dumb and kind of wholesome? he cant read by the way he just sees people look happy while staring at books and wants to join in on the fun...don't ask how he got the glasses.

this one is called "Father of the Infinite Horizon" they are...they are space god THEY ARE SPACE GOD DRAGON in universe they would be described as having "as many tails as they do hands" in other words INFINIT HANDS AND TAILS.

and with that, that would be all this universes designs lets next move ontoooooo... -HiveWire (a western style story about Robots and bugs named after in universe songs and robots that control bug)

this is Julias Fort otherwise known as "the brass devil" a machine outlaw with no Sectoid of his own, he runs a gang of similar minded folks called "the Devils of red hill" as the design probably gives away he is OBSESSED with fire and explosions this is because he woke up from his long sleep (a long period of time since humans left mars oh yeah THIS IS ON MARS where machines are stuck in sleep mode some never woke up) on a 4th of july celebration.

I'll be honest...I'm not a big fan of this design anymore and I will likely change it in the future this is one of those first draft designs.

Gold Rush Crush an enigma among mars all that's really known about it is its looks and the fact that it might not even be real? it seems to like mirage sometimes appearing in multiple places at once or moving in frames what's worse is that it can mess with a robots connection to their sectoid (bugs) partners driving them wild when near.

this is a design I am MUCH MORE SATISFIED WITH its old but I'm still kinda proud how ever I do need to tweak it a bunch still

that would kinda be it for hivewire I still need time to really explore this story idea but I have a lot in mind now lastly I have this story idea which is...also my oldest.

-EndlessWild (robot and wild human travel post apocalypse world Robot unfamiliar with new world wild life but is familiar with people, Human is familiar with new world wild life but is unfamiliar with people)

this is Parental and Educational Network or P.E.N. for short a machine from before the fall of humanity designed to assist in supervision and education during late work hours they've woken up to the now mostly animal dominated world and is lost in a familiar but off setting that doesnt quite line up with its old world data.

another personal favorite albeit still in rough stages design I kinda want his design to be a mix of fantasy wizards and magitech with some Art deco influence.

Quinn mortison The Cackling Crow, an old trader with a strange cough like that of a crows croaking he is not to be trusted as there is suspicion that he is behind several missing caravan reports due to wild life (although how he lures several species of creatures is currently unknown).

the painfully obvious planned villain of the story while this design has undergone....SEVERAL revisions I'm still not quite...happy with it...not yet its close but not quite enough.

The Radiant Maglight a being of myth in the endless wild among all this being is said to be a magpie made of pure light who will signal when humanity can settle once more by slaying the horror of their own creation "The Wrong Wyrm".

these are also super rough a trend you'll notice a lot in my art I'm quite pleased in the direction this is going but just something about the design doesn't... feel right... hmmmmmmmmmmmm >:l

these are cobblids a tiny species of monitor lizard named for their cobbled stone like scales that seem to be following the same path as early humans while it is hard for humans to understand them efforts have been made and progress is going.

I...I have a bias for lizards I like lizards anywho these little things make me happy it especially helps cause they got me out of a HUUUUUUUUUUUGE art block TWICE when I made them and then continued to explore the designs I still wanna work on em I like how cute they are but Idk they feel too...mascot-y.

in this world theres also Paved river monitors another species of monitor lizard thats evolved for a more aquatic lifestyle akin to crocodiles they live in "paved rivers" as the name implies which are old roads flooded and deepened with a constant stream of water making new rivers within the now worn down ruined cities of old.

these were just fun I think taking simple abstract concepts or inanimate objects and turning them into semi believable animals is one of my favorite things to do in art its just...fun and a lesson I learned from listening to mh devs talk about how they make things :>

lastly we have "Pine walkers" while they look more akin to a strange kind of dog they're actually derived from old bears they've evolved to resemble young pine trees under thick layers of snow the live way up north and will use their claws to chip away at frozen water surfaces and fish for food using their tongues as lures. this was one of my earliest concepts for this story idea and came from a similar mindset as the originator design all the way up top albeit with a tree I saw outside rather than a abstract album cover I definitely...like this design? but I definitely want to revisit it.

[ghostchasersmagazine]

Goober and the Ghost Chasers model sheets pt. 1 - Goober and the Ghost Chasers’ References 

Uploading the Goober and the Ghost Chasers model sheets next, so here’s part one with the titular characters. Commentary under the cut:

- The top Goober pose is a fun one to me. Anything that emphasizes how spindly his limbs are is entertaining to me.

- The pose on the bottom is fun too. Partially because that seems to be Hanna Barbera’s Dog PoseTM (as Elvis had that in his model sheet, and I’ve seen it for dog-adjacent characters like Howler too), but also because they gave him his default character expression with it, so it looks like he’s scratching just to scratch. No thoughts head empty.

- I don’t have anything to add with this pose I just wanted to add it here. Smiley boy.

- This is less about the model sheet and more a general comment, but I do wonder why Gillie was never shown to use his jacket pockets for anything. Like, you can see that he actively has to push past the jacket pocket to use his pants pocket. I do agree that it looks more natural for him to use his pants pocket more, so I assume that why, but still. He should at least use the jacket pockets for something.

- Gillie gets 6 headshots in his expression page, while Ted and Tina only get 5. Why Gillie needed to be drawn with the back of his hair showing and the other two didn’t is unclear to me. Maybe they just liked drawing Gillie’s hair.

- One thing I noticed about these expression sheets compared to the ones for the Sundance Kids is that two of them have the character facing the same way, but one with an open mouth and one with a closed. It’s interesting to me that that was the way they decided to do the open mouth/talking expressions for them. Maybe to mimic how it would look in animation if they talked?

- All three of the Ghost Chasers’ front-facing expressions are almost a :3 face. Friends that :3 together stay together.

- Ted gets a bonus :3 is his expressions, good for him. 

- These model sheets show that Ted having his hair parted to the right is the canon way for him. This doesn’t always show in the show itself (since there are scenes where the part changes depending on which direction he’s facing), so it’s good to know which way is correct. It’s also good to see that Ted can be drawn well facing forward - a lot of the time in the show Ted looks wonky facing forward. Maybe he’s just not photogenic.

- Not directly related to the model sheet, but it reminds of how much I like Ted’s design. The waist-high pants, the short jacket, how they’re both a matching purple. Good stuff.

- Ted’s side view makes it look like he has really long legs, which is amusing to me. Legs for days or miles or whatever your preferred saying is.

- These model sheets also reminded me how much I like Tina’s design as well. She’s got both the 70s mini-dress AND the 70s bell bottoms at the same time. Why choose one fashion trend when you can have multiple?

- Very glad there were poses where Tina had her hands pointed outwards on her sheet. The superior Tina poses.

- I like the little detail that Tina doesn’t have her eyes colored in while Ted and Gillie do. It’s a nice little nod to how Tina has a light eye color in the show while Ted and Gillie have the classic black eyes. (Also, they talking.)

[bouncingtigger10]

Whose Blood? Author post

Half-succubus attorney Lily Knight has blood on her hands. The Cambion Series: Writing Resources, Research, and Finding Inspiration in Folklore Thanks for having me as a guest writer on your blog! You asked me to talk about the resources I use for writing my Cambion series and how I research my stories. You also asked about the myths and legends that inspire my writing, which is one of my favourite topics. Nerd mode, engage! Writing Resources: Emotions, Saving the Cat, and Finding the Right Words As far as writing resources, two reference books I use quite a bit are The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi and its companion, The Emotional Wound Thesaurus. I consulted these a lot when writing CAMBION’S BLOOD. They really helped me deepen my character’s internalizations and emotional expressions, which is especially crucial when writing in first person. A lot of my writing resources are online. For instance, there are a couple of blogs that explain the Save the Cat beat sheet and corresponding manuscript percentage milestones that I visit often while revising. This helps me with pacing and structure, so my plots don’t lag or rush too much. I also use Thesaurus.com constantly when I’m drafting. Surprisingly, it’s not usually for synonyms as much as for when I can’t think of that word that’s on the tip of my tongue. Research: The Internet Is Full of Things (But Not Everything) The same is true for research: I do much of it online. When I need specialist knowledge to fill in details, my first instinct is to go directly to Google. This can be risky, because I have a tendency to fall down research rabbit holes for hours, but I at least come out the other side full of weird facts and sometimes they even make it into my books. Since my urban fantasy series is set in a real place—modern San Francisco, California and surrounding areas—I consult Google Maps and Google Earth a lot. Google Earth is especially amazing for writers, I think. You can get an instant visual feel for an area using it, with a level of detail you never would have had access to even ten or fifteen years ago without visiting a place yourself. It’s one of the best things about living in the Internet age. I’ll look up pictures of settings too and find home listings that match what I envision for my characters. It’s funny—after my first book came out, a friend told me that she didn’t think my character could afford the apartment I had her living in, but I had specifically researched it to make sure! I knew the street she lived on and everything, even though that never made it onto the page. Lots of details never do! It’s true, though, that Google Earth can’t match going directly to a place and experiencing it. I live in Sacramento now, which is a couple hours east of San Francisco, but I grew up in Northern California, so I know the setting well—it’s ingrained in some of my earliest memories. But recently I took a weekend trip with my husband just north of the Golden Gate with the express purpose of doing research for Book 3 in my series. I had a lot of fun exploring some spots I wanted to write about and taking pictures for later reference. The things you can’t get from Google are still important, like the way the air smells and feels, the energy of a place, the character of a neighbourhood, soundscapes, the weather patterns. It’s inspiring to get that local colour and it always adds something. I also love to have the excuse to travel, so I’ll never say no to the opportunity to visit one of my book settings. It’s a good way to convince my spouse that we need to take a vacation, too! Folkloric Inspirations for the Cambion Series I love to research folklore, legend, and myth to help me find inspiration for my supernatural plotlines and characters. The idea for my main character came from folklore surrounding incubi, succubi, and cambions. When I set out to write urban fantasy, I didn’t want to write about traditional vampires or shifters, so I turned to this slightly less well-known type of supernatural character. A cambion in folklore is a half-demon, typically with a demon father and human mother, usually the product of a human liaison with an incubus or succubus. As one character points out in CAMBION’S BLOOD, Merlin was probably the most famous legendary cambion, said to be the child of a mortal woman and an incubus. Merlin’s heritage gave him powers of insight and shapeshifting, along with potential immortality, and my character has some similar abilities, though she’s no wizard. The term “cambion” originally meant a “changeling,” like a fairy child placed in a stolen human child’s cradle. Later it came to mean a hybrid entity, a child of two worlds, with the connotation of a bad or wild seed. That’s the meaning I adopted for my main character, Lily, while subverting the idea that a cambion is necessarily evil. According to some stories, cambion children were hard to feed sufficiently and sensitive to touch. Those details inspired some of Lily’s basic conflicts: she craves human life energy which she can absorb through touch. At the same time, touch can be extremely fraught for her, because the quality of the energy she takes affects her. She had a traumatic early life with a human family that ultimately rejected her due to her half-demon nature. Some other folklore that I use in my books include apocryphal legends about fallen angels who bred with humans, the Nephilim. Lily references these legends and her near-namesake Lilith when she swears by the “mother of monsters,” a phrase she got from her incubus mentor and former lover, Ariel. As a note, Ariel’s name is derived from that of the archangel Uriel or Auriel, but also from the Shakespearian character Ariel, a trickster spirit of the air. (No relation to the Disney mermaid.) In CAMBION’S BLOOD I also delve more into some Celtic and Irish myths, but I can’t talk too much more about that without spoilers. I hope your readers found this background interesting, and I hope you’ll check out my books so I can explore more interesting myths and local places for the next one! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Erin Fulmer (she/her) is a public benefits attorney by day, author of urban fantasy and science fiction by night. She lives in sunny Northern California with her husband and two spoiled cats. When she’s not writing or working, she enjoys yoga, taking pictures of the sky, playing board games with friends, and napping like it’s an Olympic sport. CAMBION’S BLOOD, the second book in her Cambion series and sequel to her debut urban fantasy CAMBION’S LAW, is out June 7 from City Owl Books WEBSITE GOODREADS FACEBOOKT WITTER Read the full article