#I started commissions. read some awesome books.

[potato-lord-but-not]

Let it be known that when this was posted, I was ending the year off with sparkling grape juice and drawing Moist and Adora

[musclesaber]

BIGger: Part 1

Not so Big

[Story Gallery]

Ian is tired of being small. He walks through the world as less of a man since he’s so little and is hopefully in for a big surprise in the morning. Commission I did for @maletfgrowthblog on Twitter/X.

The alarm blared out a painstaking screech as Ian rolled himself over in his bed. “Ugghhh, 5 more minutes,” groaned the freshman college student as he hit the snooze button. Sitting up, Ian rubbed his eyes and yawned. He looked at the clock and sighed. 8:45 am read the clock. Getting out of bed. Ian scratched the back of his head as he walked over to his closet. Still walking like a zombie, Ian threw a t-shirt and athletic shorts on and went over to the mirror. His clothes hung off his wire frame like a tent as he swiped a comb through his long dirty blonde hair and brushed his teeth quickly.

Making his way out the door of his tiny apartment, Ian started walking to his first class of the day. On his way, Ian had to walk through the student union building where he saw a giant cardboard cutout of a huge bodybuilder winking at him. “Step right up! Step right up! Compete in the strongman competition tonight at the carnival in town for a chance to win a free meal pass for an entire year!” said a buff student in front of the booth. 

“Hey! I’d like to compete!” said Ian with a smile on his face.

“Uh are you sure about that little guy?” asked the buff student, giving Ian a weary look. “I don’t know if this competition is the right thing for a person of your…stature.” Ian was only 5’3 on a good day and 110 pounds soaking wet. Nothing about his body screamed strongman.

“Well, are there any restrictions on competing? Am I not allowed to?” asked Ian as he took a flier.

“No, you can still compete, but if I’m being honest, I doubt you’d even beat me in a strongman competition and I know I’m not gonna be the biggest guy there,” said the student as he looked Ian’s body up and down. 

“There’s no waste in at least trying, right?” asked Ian as he folded up the flier and put it in his book bag. 

“I guess not. But a word of advice, the rec center is free to all students on campus. Maybe go and lift a few weights and learn some good form for doing lifts just so you don’t hurt yourself.”

Ian pondered for a moment before responding. “Alright, I have a few classes today so I’ll head to the rec after for some help.”

“Awesome. I know first time clients for personal trainers get their first session for free. What’s your name by the way?”

“My name’s Ian.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kevin.”

“Nice to meet you as well, Kevin. I’ll see you tonight at the carnival,” said Ian as he made his way to class. Hustling into the classroom, Ian saw most of the seats were taken except for one in the second row. After he took his seat, Ian looked up at the board and saw he couldn’t see a thing. One of the football players was sitting in front of him, and a big one at that. He looked three times wider than Ian’s body and sitting down in the chair, he seemed taller than Ian was standing.

“Hey, buddy. Do you mind leaning over?” asked Ian, tapping on the big guy’s wide shoulder. The hulking body didn’t move. “Excuse me, can you trade seats with me?” repeated Ian tapping his shoulder. Again, the wide silhouette didn’t budge. “Hello! Big guy!” Ian pushed on the back of the man’s shoulder and finally saw the big frame turn.

“What?” asked the jock as he took out his airpods. “Did you say something?” He turned and looked down at Ian shoving him.

“I can’t see the board from behind you. Do you mind switching seats with me?” asked Ian.

“My eyes won’t let me see the board if I move any further back. I have to sit up front,” replied the jock pointing to his glasses.

“But, how am I supposed to see the board behind your wide back?”

“Not my problem. Have a growth spurt maybe?” chuckled the jock. “Small fry.” He put his air pods back into his ears and turned back to face the front.

“Like you seeing the board will improve your grade in the slightest,” whispered Ian under his breath. As the professor started the class, Ian could only see about a quarter of the top of the board over the jock. “I’m not learning anything today,” admitted Ian as he sat back in his seat, defeated.

Finishing up the class, Ian was right. He could only take notes from whatever the professor had said, but had none of the powerpoint to work from. Closing his laptop, Ian rushed out of class annoyed. Ian went to his next classes without much issue, until finally he was free to hit the rec center. 

Ian had only ever been to the rec center when he was on his campus tour, but from what he remembered about it, it was a fairly nice facility. Entering the building, Ian walked up to the front desk. “Hi, I’d like to meet with one of your personal trainers for one of those free workout sessions?”

The woman working the front desk looked up from her phone then looked back down immediately. “The sign up sheet for a personal trainer is right there and a trainer will be by in a few minutes to help you with your workout,” said the woman in a monotone voice. 

“Thanks,” replied Ian, matching her energy. After putting his name down, he went to the weights section of the gym, spotting an open squat rack and nabbing it immediately. Putting his things down next to the machine, Ian started grabbing weights to rack onto the machine. After struggling to put two 45’s on one side of the bar and one on the other, Ian was returning with the last 45 to see a man had gotten onto his squat rack.

“Hey! I was using that!” shouted Ian. The man looked down at Ian and laughed.

“Oh little guy, there’s no way you could lift all this weight,” said the man, hardly containing his laughter.

“Yes I could! I’m trying to get strong for a strongman competition later and need the practice!” said Ian as he threw down the 45. The man looked him up and down and continued to laugh.

“Puh-lease, you? Winning a strongman competition? That’s rich. And what else is gonna happen today, huh? Will I see a flock of pigs flying by when I leave the gym? Is tuition gonna be made free today too? Sorry little guy, this rack is for people who actually have a chance at winning that competition,” said the man as he got under the bar. 

In a fit of rage, Ian grabbed his bag and walked back to the front desk in a huff. “Hey, where’s that personal trainer?” asked Ian to the front desk lady. Again raising her eyes from her phone for a second before returning them back to what she was looking at.

“A trainer will be by in a few minutes to help you with your workout,” she repeated.

“You said that already a few minutes ago. Are there even any trainers here that are going to help me?” asked Ian with annoyance in his voice.

“They will see you whenever they become available. Some have clients they are working with at the moment and others are doing their own workouts. If you would like to schedule an appointment with a trainer, you may. Otherwise, you can wait until one becomes available,” said the front desk lady. 

“I don’t have time for this,” said Ian as he puffed air out of his nose in a huff and turned around to leave the gym. Resigning to just going back to his apartment.

Walking back, Ian slouched his body down, making him appear even smaller than normal. Slugging his way into his apartment building, he got onto the elevator to take him up to his room. While waiting for the elevator to take him up to his room, a very fat man rounded the corner into the elevator and his big bulk smashed Ian into the back wall of the elevator. 

“Uh, excuse me!” said James. His voice muffled between the wall and the fat man’s back. As the elevator moved upwards, the large man didn’t budge from his spot. Leaving Ian pressed tightly between a rock and a hard place. Finally the elevator doors opened and the fat man walked out, releasing Ian from behind the lard prison. 

The doors closed and went up to Ian’s floor as Ian straightened himself out after he’d been flattened like a pancake. “Jesus, I’m surprised the elevator could even move with that big guy on here.” As the doors opened, Ian walked to his tiny studio apartment. Plopping down onto his bed, he looked at his phone. 4:00, he still had an hour before the meet. “I might as well shower, I did get a little sweaty from lifting those weights. Even though it was just the plates.”

Ian got up from his bed and shucked off his clothes quick enough and hopped into the shower. Why am I even doing this strongman competition? thought Ian. I’m not strong. Hell, I doubt I could’ve even lifted two of those plates. Ian looked down at his body and was unimpressed. His body was extremely underdeveloped. He had no muscle tone in the slightest, no hair on his body aside from his head, and what little size he did have was in the form of a small belly that bulged out from his midsection. That guy at the rec was right. I shouldn’t even be in this competition in the first place.

Ian rinsed off his face and started lathering his body with soap. No, I can’t give up on this. Ian scrubbed between the few crevices he had on his body. I’ve always wanted to be big and this will show all those big guys that I have the drive to get big like all of them. Ian turned the faucet in the shower off and put a towel around his waist. “I’ll show them that I have what it takes to grow big!” said Ian as he exited the bathroom.

Putting on a compression shirt and short gym shorts, Ian grabbed his phone, wallet, and keys, and headed out the door. He got in his car and the drive to the fair grounds was a quick drive, but Ian was anxious to get there. Entering the carnival, Ian bought a ticket and found the booth where the competition sign ups were because sitting there was the cute jock from earlier, Kevin.

“Hey! Kevin, it’s me, Ian,” said Ian as he walked up. “Remember me?”

“Ian, yes. Of course I remember you. Our ringer,” said Kevin with a chuckle. “Glad to see you made it. We just need a little bit of information about you before we can get started with everything.” Kevin got up from his seat and got beside Ian. “First things first, what is your full name?”

“Ian McCormick.”

“Muh-cor-mick,” said Kevin as he wrote on his clipboard. “Perfect, and what year are you at the university?”

“Freshman.”

“Got it, and what made you want to sign up for this competition?”

“Because I wanna show everyone how big I am,” said Ian. Kevin looked up from his clipboard as Ian spoke those words with an inquisitive face. “And the free meal pass.”

“Ah, you are not the only one in that category,” said Kevin as he jotted down Ian’s answer. “Alright, now last things, if I could get your height and weight, here on this scale.” Kevin stepped aside to reveal a scale. 

Stepping forward, Ian got onto the scale and Kevin started moving the blocks on top down. “Okay, it says here that you weigh…108 pounds,” said Kevin, writing down the results. Ian gave a bit of a half smile before walking over to the wall behind the booth where there was a measuring stick. Kevin got close to Ian for a moment as he put his clipboard on top of his head to get an accurate measurement. And as he did, Ian couldn’t help but admire Kevin’s fantastic physique up close. 

“I didn’t mention this earlier, but you have quite the size on you, for just being a student that is,” said Ian as Kevin stepped back.

“Thanks, I have been lifting for a long time so I’m very proud of my work,” said Kevin as he brought up his arm and it bunched up to the size of a baseball as he flexed. 

“Well, even though you said you probably have some steep competition, I hope you go far in the games.”

“Thanks little guy,” said Kevin, flashing Ian a smile. “And you are 5 foot 2 and a half inches tall.” Kevin wrote down the results and pulled the sheet of paper out of the clipboard.

“Alright Ian, now that you’re all signed in, let’s get you to the first round,” said Kevin as he led Ian behind the booth.”

“How many rounds are there exactly? It might surprise you, but I’ve never been to a competition like this before,” said Ian as he followed.

“No worries, there will be 3 rounds. First a basic test of strength, next a lifting competition, and lastly there will be a flex off with our finalist. Then a winner will be crowned.”

“Sounds simple enough. So what’s this test of strength I have to do?” asked Ian as they entered a big tent. 

“You’ll need to score high on this classic carnival game,” said Ian as he gestured toward a high striker game set up with a large hammer beside it. “You have to get at least up to the 700 point range then you’ll be able to move onto the next part of the competition.”

Ian looked the game up and down. He saw little lines along the side with numbers running up it by the hundreds. The 700 mark was fairly close to the top part of the tower, but it should be doable. “Alright, can I go whenever?”

“Give it your best swing.” Ian walked over and grabbed onto the handle of the hammer and struggled to pick that weight up alone. Swinging the hammer over his shoulder, Ian steadied himself in front of the tower before pushing the hammer down in front of him and hitting the launch pad. The metal ball in the machine rang out as it started to fly up towards the top. But Ian’s enthusiasm quickly melted away as the metal ball stopped in between the 100 and 200 markers and began to descend..

“Oooo not even close. I’m sorry Ian,” said Kevin as he patted Ian on the back. “There’s always next year. Maybe you could train hard in the gym and I’m sure you could make it at least to the next round no problem,” said Kevin trying to comfort Ian.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll do that. I guess.” Ian looked extremely defeated and didn’t even look Kevin in the eye before shuffling away. Walking through the carnival, Ian felt like he was going to burst into tears from embarrassment, but he held it all in. “I’m never going to get big. I’ll never be strong. I’ll always be a weakling.”

Ian headed towards the exit before a strange attraction caught his eye. The Great Zoltan! Here to Grant your Deepest Desires! “Like that could ever happen,” said Ian mockingly. Examining the machine, Ian took out a dollar. “Why not? It’s not like this day can get worse.” Sliding the dollar into the machine, the animatronic inside the booth lit up.

“I am Zoltan! What do you desire?” asked the animatronic as it moved its robotic mouth.

“I wish I could do this whole day over, but if I was bigger,” said Ian as he closed his eyes.

“Your wish, is my command!” replied the animatronic. It crossed its arms and closed its eyes before lights started flashing from the booth. A cheesy sci-fi music track started playing behind it as smoke appeared in the booth. Finally, the animatronic opened its eyes again and returned to its original position.

“This is some bullshit. I’m never getting that dollar back,” said Ian as he kicked the machine. Walking back to his car, Ian pouted the entire ride home before slugging his way back up to his apartment and flopping himself down on his bed. “What I wouldn’t give to be bigger.” Ian yawned and despite it still being fairly early, he got a strange sleeping spell that took over his body until he was fast asleep snoring. Unaware of what tomorrow had in store for him.

[romanarose]

TRICK OR TREAT >:)

i love you <3

do i get a treat now

Yes you get a treat. This is why I asked you if you like Twilight bc I needed a reason to post this.

This is a edited chapter of my first MK series, Sunshine, Starlight, Sweetheart, Brightside. You shouldnt have to read all 33 chapters of this series jsut to read this yummy premise!!! So I edited it!

In the series, its a 3rd person and OC, so if I accidentally say "she" or "sam", ignore that.

The Twilight Baseball Scene

Marc Spector x fem!reader

Summary: Ever wanted to get finger fucked to the Twilight baseball scene?

Warnings and content: Fingering. Marc suffering for love. Reader is bicoded.

A/N: Jake is not romantically involved, and is just starting to get along with Marc.

Italics is Marc, Bold is steven, red is jake

****************************

Marc Spector was being torchered. 

He had been through a lot, seen and felt a lot of things as a mercenary, his time as Moon Knight (wait. Is Jake still doing that?), and his childhood, but this? This might top it all. You were spending Saturday alone with him and Steven; Steven had you alone in the morning, and Marc had you for the evening.

Steven’s date was wonderful, he took you to the local book store and let you pick out whatever she wanted. This was, of course, after he took you for coffee. Of course. 

Yeah. Yeah things went well for Steven. 

Marc, on the other hand, was wondering if this was a sneak preview into hell. He knew that it couldn’t actually be in hell; you were here.

He was watching Twilight.

You weren't even cuddling with him, you were on the other side of the couch, actually watching the movie. When they decided to have a movie night, he thought there might not be much movie watching as there might be sex.

Guys. Guys. Marc tried to get the other boy's attention. GUYS!

WHATS HAPPENING?! If a voice in his head could burst through a door waving a gun around, that's what Jake would be doing.

Whoa, calm down.

Marc?! Whats going on?

Jesus you two, nothing is happening.

Then what do you need? You’re supposed to be on a date.

I am. We’re watching... Twilight…

Marc swore he heard Jake laugh.

Oh god, how did that happen?

I told her she could choose the movie!

Well… that was your first mistake.

I thought she would pick something like Star Wars, Indiana Jones or Jurassic Park or something else with Harrison Ford! Not Twilight.

Well if you’re going to let her pick the movie you have to- wait… did you say ‘something else with Harrison Ford?’

Yeah?

Amigo… do you think Harrison Ford is in Jurrasic Park?

Yeah? He’s the one who isn’t Jeff Goldblum

I know who you are talking about Marc, that’s not Harrison Ford. 

You think that Harrison Ford played a grumpy paleontologist in Jurassic Park, and a grumpy archeologist in Indiana Jones? It’s the same exact character.

Well I’ve never seen either-

Hold on. You named Steven after some B movie knock off of Indiana Jones but you never actually watched Indiana Jones?

You can laugh all you want, but that movie was awesome

Wait, Marc, why were you yelling for us?

… I’m bored…

Dios mio, that’s it? I’m supposed to only show up when the body is in critical danger and now I need to baby sit you though Twilight?

It’s not babysitting, I just need entertainment. She’s out of commission right now

Marc looked over at you, whose eyes were glued to the Tv. Edward was on the screen.

Jake laughed. She’s doing that thing.

What thing?

That tongue thing.

Whattonguething?!

That tongue thing she does when she’s turned on…

Not very observant, are you?

What are you two talking about?

Look at her mouth, Ese.

Marc focused on your mouth for Steven. As expected, a tiny bit of your tongue peeked out from between your teeth.

Oh.

She does that when she wants you

Why are you paying attention to when she’s turned on?

Relájate idiota

Before Marc could respond, his head turned when he heard you mutter, barely a whisper. “As if you could outrun me, as if you could fight me off”

What the fuck?! What the fuck was that?!

She watches this movie a lot. She knows this scene line for line.

Jesus.

Marc thought the world of you. He thought you were incredibly intelligent, respected your opinions and loved to hear you speak so passionately about random subjects. He just couldn’t see what you saw in this stupid movie.

It’s comforting to her. She knows it like the back of her hand. To her, it’s predictable. Calming. You should know about that.

Marc saw his point.

You gonna hold her, or are you gonna let her wish it was the sparkly fucker instead?

Marc learned where you were sitting, causing you to turn and grin at him. You still looked at him like he hung the stars, which relieved him. Maybe Edward was a vampire who sparkled (?!?!?!) but you still loved him. For whatever reason.

You planted a kiss on his lips, Marc slipping his tongue into your mouth briefly before you pulled away, eyes flittering to the tv. “Thank you for watching Twilight with me, baby. I know it’s not how you’d like to spend a Saturday night.”

Marc pulled you over to him, easily lifting you up and into his arms. He settled back down, your head on the pillow and cuddled up on his lap. “As long as you’re here, I’ll watch twilight every night.”

Idiota! ¿por qué dirías que?!

I DON’T KNOW! I’M NOT GOOD AT THIS! I PANICKED!

If she wants to watch Twilight with me next week, you’re taking the body and I’m not distracting you.

I’m not either

Oh god damn it. Jake you’re back on my shit list.

What? Steven said it first, isn’t he on your shit list?

I’m his favorite

What, are we his kids now?

Jesus christ.

I mean, technically-

NO! NO! We are not having this conversation. Steven, you’re on my shit list.

Ha. follar y averiguar. 

If I give you a little tip to distract her, will you take me off the shit list?

What do you got?

When the baseball scene comes she’s going to get really turned on. Like, an insane amount. She’s gonna start squirming. Everyone in that scene is gonna do it for her, but she especially loves Edward and Rosalie. When that happens, put your hands down her pants. She’ll drop everything for you to fuck her.

Jesus christ. What happened to Steven?

Great sex, that’s what. How long until the baseball scene.

Another half hour, probably

Marc groaned loudly in the headspace. Steven and Jake tried to keep him company.

When the baseball scene started, Steven told him to wait a minute so you work yourself up. Jake excused himself. When he felt you start to shift and wriggle her legs together (Steven was right, you really liked Rosalie), Marc slid a hand down your pants, eliciting a gasp.

His other hand that was wrapped under you spent a moment to caress your body as he teased your clit, making you body lurch in his grip.

“Marc…” You whispered.

“Shhhhh. Just watch your movie.”

What are you doing?

I’m gonna make her come on my fingers.

Yeah I get that, but you’re going to need to distract her from the movie. She’s only going to be thinking of Edward the whole time.

Marc slipped two fingers into her as his wandering hand put a hard grip on her left tit.

It’s fine. I just want her. If Twilight makes her happy, so be it. 

You whimpered, eyes glued to the tv and breath shaking from his touch. The famed baseball scene played out before your eyes and you breath hitching when Jasper did the twirl with his bat.

Marc continued finger fucking you, swearing that your eyes were on Rosalies thighs more than anything. You swallowed hard, focusing on the music and his touch. When Alice saw the vision of the other 3 characters (have they been here before? Am I supposed to know them? Marc hadn’t been paying attention.) approached, He could feel you were getting close.

His left hand played with your nipples between his fingers as he tried to figure out what was happening. These must be the bad vampires, judging by the way everyone reacted. Jesus, no one in this movie can act casual for the life of them. The hand that had been on your breast moved up to your throat, causing you to buck against him, your body pleading for more. And god, did he give you more. Marc inserted a third finger and picked up the pace, carefully restricting your airflow as you watched the terrible movie. Finally, he let go of your throat and whispered “Come when you’re ready, baby”

He continued fingering you, paying less attention to the insane dialogue and more to the sounds her pussy made, so wet, so wet for him. One of the bad vampires must’ve said something, because Edward moved into a defensive stance around Bella. That’s when you came, pulsing around his fingers and writhing in his arms, your beautiful mouth gasping for air. He held you through it, fucking you through the orgasm and his other fingers skimming over your chest and stomach.

Marc had a theory you were turned on by being protected or feeling safe. That’s why you were so into Steven so early. He made you feel safe. You coming when Edward protected Bella? Well, that confirmed his theory.

Your hand moved back to touch Marc’s pants, but Marc stopped you. “Don’t worry about that. We got a movie to finish.” You sighed contently and settled into his lap.

I think this is what they call being 'pussy whipped'

He played with your hair and massaged your scalp for the rest of the movie. Now, if you wanted to get turned on when you felt safe, that’s fine by him. You are safe with Marc and Steven, and Jake it seemed. You were safe with them. They would never let anyone hurt you. They would do anything in their power to make you smile, make you laugh, make you cum. If that means buying an iced caramel macchiato every single day, that’s wonderful. If that means having you under him, writhing and sweaty and absolutely ruined? Yeah, that’s fantastic.

And god damn it, if that meant watching Twilight every night? Then shit, he’d learn it line for line.

****************

Is it lazy to repost chapters of my old fics?

Yes. But. who cares bc otherwise these scenes wouldn't have any reach outside of readers of the series.

I would like to take a sec to promo the series, its got an oc so i know its not for everyone and its long, but it deals with sa, sh, childhood trauma all that shit.

Thank you for reading ILY CLEEMMMMMMMMM

@runa-falls @campingwiththecharmings @fandxmslxt69 @whatthefishh @ahookedheroespureheart @littlenosoul @eyelessfaces @hon3yboy @ivystoryweaver @steven-grants-world @mikaelak @stevenandmarcslove @pikapuff-316 @del-ightfulling @faretheeoscar @boysddontcry @harriedandharassed

[marielaure]

(Large Text)

Adrik: Why I Love him and I Guess Netflix Thoughts?

(Regular Text)

Context: I read the Grisha Trilogy when I was 14/15 and had a bit of a book crush on Adrik. Why? He was also that age, wanted to be older and act older, and was one of the only disabled characters I’d read before.

So yeah, when Netflix made shadow and bone, I thought to myself: Will they put Adrik in the show? He’s a major side character and they added a lot of new characters, so a part of me just thought he’d be written out.

Then season two…

And not only did we get Adrik, they made him hot AND the actor was really good. That was honestly the dream. (Huge shoutout to Alistair Nwachukwu)

Adrik and his disability:

In the books and show, Adrik loses his arm due to the Darkling’s shadow monsters. Now, part of why I love Adrik is because he has to adapt to a new way of doing a skill he’s been proficient at seemingly his whole life. We get to see some ups and downs of him trying to use his powers, but we also get to see his determination to keep trying to get better. They’re in the middle of a war, and he’s adamant about not being left behind. It’s an interesting point of his character, I like it.

Now, in the show, we see a less confident Adrik. But, we still see him try and adapt, just differently.

This is where the undefined and somewhat loose magic system is a little hard to talk about. This magic system has been built up as always needed two hands/arms to control. But, book!Adrik figures out how to do so with only one arm. In the books, this is seen as some never-before-done feat. Now, shadow and bone takes the “two-handed rule” very seriously. We see show!Adrik and his sister have to fist bump and control powerful gusts of wind together. This makes for interesting fight scenes, but seemed a bit odd to me as it is established in the first season with an inferni that you can summon with one hand/arm out of commission. (Kaz chapel scene for reference)

But, just like in real life, many disabled people need some help or stability from others to get a task done, when I look at it that way it’s cool. (Though, I did not like how they gave Nadia an arm injury as well, it felt weird to me-—as if the producers thought they couldn’t do that technique with Nadia having her body intact—I don’t know I’d love yalls thoughts on that scene)

Adrik and the show prosthetic:

I hated the Luke Skywalker prosthetic. I knew it was just a glove, it was weird and also seemed to serve no point.

What could have been done if CGI-ing off the actor’s arm was too expensive:

1. Hidden the left arm? And pinned the sleeve to whatever was needed.

2. If that’s a safety hazard, changed the injury to something slightly different. Such as a head/spinal/nerve injury as a result of the shadow attack. (He would still only be squalling with one arm, it may just look stiff as he wouldn’t be able to move/feel it AND this wouldn’t be erasing his disability)

3. Made Adrik disabled from the start? Nothing in his storyline would have been different. You can’t tell me there’s never been a disabled Grisha before.

Conclusion:

I love both portrayals of Adrik, the only parts I hate are the “Netflix-ication” or “Hollywood” erasure of his disability. I think a huge problem with book adaptions are that sometimes sticking to the book limits people’s creativity. People making films have SO MUCH to consider and portray, that they can’t always do. So in the case of Adrik, they wanted amputee!Adrik, and found a great, nondisabled (maybe?) actor to play him. Fine, but they ran out of time and money to keep CGI-ing his arm off. (Literally having disabled actors is so much better but that’s a different discussion) Anyway, so the not-creative team makes the actor a weird glove and say, “Go pretend to be disabled.” It’s a tale as old as time. Is it good disability rep? Not really. Do I still love Adrik? Yes. Did the actor do awesome and do I still respect him? Of course, he’s doing his job and did it well.

I felt the need to make this post as favorite character week pops up. As a bit of an explanation to my love/sorta dislike of Adrik.

Here’s some fanart I found that is a perfect portrayal of what I think of when I think of Adrik:

Image Description: digital painting of Adrik (portrayed by Alistair Nwachukwu, a black man in his mid-twenties) wearing his blue and silver kefta (coat) with right hand extended forward and his short, left sleeve covering his residual limb is perfectly visible.

I love this piece by @doodlesnoff as this is how show!Adrik SHOULD have looked on-screen but didn’t.

Again, this is no hate to the actor. I actually can’t imagine anyone better to play Adrik. His voice, the way he interacted with Alina and Nadia and Genya…he is Adrik. I really hope his acting career is going great.

[sergeantnarwhalwrites]

Writerly Questionare

Woah okay. Thanks for the tag @winglesswriter! I'm gonna have the questions below the cut to try to make the copy and pasting easier.

I tag @chayscribbles @winterandwords @vacantgodling @the-void-writes @aether-wasteland-s @nanashi23 @televisionjester (Only if y'all want. Open tag too!)

About Me

When did you first start writing?

With actual purpose middle school. Like 6th/7th grade.

Are the genres/themes you enjoy reading different from the ones you write?

Sorta. What's actually funny is I really ain't a fan of romance but I write that shit on the side XD.

Is there an author (or just a fellow writer!) you want to emulate, or one to whom you're often compared?

I'm not really sure about that emulate part. I could list a shit ton of awesome writers though (the people I taged and many many more) Lol, I'm definitely not compared to anyone though.

Can you tell me a little about your writing space(s)? (Room, coffee shop, desk, etc.)

I'm usually writing in my room, on a crowded tv dinner table. But I write in a lot of places, including passenger seat of car. Or in the library if I'm settling on strictly typing stuff. (I usually handwrite)

What's your most effective way to muster up some muse?

Listening to music and being busy as hell.

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and places you write about?

I think so. I have a shit ton of black characters for a reason. I'm black, it's easy.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing, and if so, do they surprise you at all?

The power of friendship, violence, we were forced to together so now we working together, and "good guys" doing bad shit too. Those are usually pretty prevalent in my stories.

My Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character?

Uhhhh that's hard to decide but I guess I'll go Saz. Saz is my stud bear morpher dragged into a battle against the humans. She is stressed, bro is going through it, and she's a wrestler.

Which of your characters do you think you'd be friends with in real life?

Most of them honestly. I think I'd be more than willing to hear about Hollis's (Robots & Gardens) exploits.

Which of your characters would you dislike the most if you met them?

Cosma would get her shit rocked and I'd get mine rocked in return. And I think me and Green's anger problems would clash in really bad ways.

Tell me about the process of coming up with of one, all, or any of your characters.

They appear magically in my brain. And I obsess over them like I obsess over all of my interests. The Fucked at Five oc's were the one's that deviated the most because most of them are based on the movie Open Season.

Do you notice any recurring themes/traits among your characters?

Tough exterior but actually really soft and big women go brr.

How do you picture them? (As real people you imagined, as models/actors who exist in real life, as imaginary artwork, as artwork you made or commissioned, anime style, etc)

As a combination of as real people I imagined, comic book characters, art I made, and cartoon characters (like a banger indie animation).

My Writing

What's your reason for writing?

Teehee it's how I process a lot of things and also I have to fill the world with content I want to see cause no one else is.

Is there a specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating coming from your readers?

All of them for real. I love y'all. But any of them loving the characters as much as me honestly.

How do you want to be thought of by those who read your work? (For example: as a literary genius, or as a writer who "gets" the human condition; as a talented worldbuilder, as a role model, etc.)

A cool dude who loves to write gay dorks gaying dorkily and fighting..

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Giving my character's a personality I guess.

What have you been frequently told your greatest writing strength is by others?

I've been told I can write really fluid fight scenes or I have decent descriptions.

How do you feel about your own writing? (Answer in whatever way you interpret this question.)

Lol I think it's great when it's great and ass when it's ass.

If you were the last person on earth and knew your writing would never be read by another human, would you still write?

Yep. My fanfic writing would probably be slowed even further but I'd still write whatever came to mind in general.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely what you enjoy? If it's a mix of the two, which holds the most influence?

Oh I definitely write what I know will amuse me. But I arguably think it's a mixture of both. Sometimes I'll see something or get a response that brings me to write. And it's bangers always.

When did you first start writing?

Are the genres/themes you enjoy reading different from the ones you write?

Is there an author (or just a fellow writer!) you want to emulate, or one to whom you're often compared?

Can you tell me a little about your writing space(s)? (Room, coffee shop, desk, etc.)

What's your most effective way to muster up some muse?

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and places you write about?

Are there any recurring themes in your writing, and if so, do they surprise you at all?

My Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character?

Which of your characters do you think you'd be friends with in real life?

Which of your characters would you dislike the most if you met them?

Tell me about the process of coming up with of one, all, or any of your characters.

Do you notice any recurring themes/traits among your characters?

How do you picture them? (As real people you imagined, as models/actors who exist in real life, as imaginary artwork, as artwork you made or commissioned, anime style, etc

My Writing

What's your reason for writing?

Is there a specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating coming from your readers?

How do you want to be thought of by those who read your work? (For example: as a literary genius, or as a writer who "gets" the human condition; as a talented worldbuilder, as a role model, etc.)

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

What have you been frequently told your greatest writing strength is by others?

How do you feel about your own writing? (Answer in whatever way you interpret this question.)

If you were the last person on earth and knew your writing would never be read by another human, would you still write?

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely what you enjoy? If it's a mix of the two, which holds the most influence?

[its-elioo]

As someone who is long-time fan of Mlp EG and who has just finished watching TFP, your fic is true delight. I read it 5 times at least and it is still awesome. You perfectly matched girls with their autobots partners just as well as you did with decepticons as their evil counterpart. For example Twilight/Shockwave - both have high inteligence, but while one uses it for greater good and to help the others, the other abuses it to gain power and hurt the others; Fluttershy/Soundwave - even thought they are both animal lovers and quiet types, FS is just very shy girl while SW is calculating sadist; Rainbow/Starscream - Apart from being queer icons (If you can look at these two without the word gay constantly entering your mind, congrats, you´re legit cishet) they´re actually pretty similliar in function and personallity wise. They´re both eccentric, aroggant showoffs and are also fastest on their team. But it´s their differences that are making them great foils. RD is impaitent hothead, who jumps straight into action without the second thought, while SC is great schemer, who has his plans planed out. RD is literally element of loyalty, while SC is mostly loyal to himself and etc. I can´t wait to see all their interactions in the future. If you´re interested in some writting advice, there is one minor thing that can be fixed : your description of characters feelings and thought. You start explaining how and why they feel that way instead of giving readers benefit of the doubt. The best term I can think of is that you are describing a picture. Like you want us to see, hear and understand everything at once. It creates unnecessary sentences or whole paragraphs without which some emotional moments would have sounded better. For example if paragraph in Ch.2 with sentence "She was too stuborn." it would have sounded so much better. Or sentences like "She was too precious." are also kind of waste of space since they don´t tell anything new.It´s not worst type of description,but it can create a feeling that you don´t trust youre readers to read from emotions characters alone. Many new writers and comic artists are often doing this. It can be solved 2 ways : by improving their writing or start drawing comics. I´m sorry if I confussed you in some way. I tried my best to explain it, but english is not my primary language. If you don´t mind, I would recommend fics from @whatwooshkai to see what I am talking about ( it´s mostly TF shipping stuff, but man, the writting is so good that I can´t stop reading even if I wanted to). Overall great story and art, just writting needs a little improvment.

I want to finish this already long post with few questions:

1.What is group dynamic with eachother? I mean in and outside of their decided pairings. I can see Sideswipe and Rainbow´s relationship as chaos siblings and that Rainbow is definitely driving Ratchet insane, but what about the others? I´m courious to know.

2.Did you already started writting the next book? If not, do you have planned when you will start?

3.Do you consider draw this as a full time comic or at least draw some parts of it? Or drawing some strips of your incorrect quotes?It´s just that you´re artstyle is so pretty and redesigns of the autobots and girls are great. It´s shame to see so little of them.

4. Did you thought about getting your comics dubbed on youtube?

5. Do you draw ideas from the asks from your followers on Tambrlane or you take commissions only? Like if they had a idea for a comic/sketch and they post it to you, would you draw it? If not, could they draw it with your redesignes?

6. What gave you idea for this crossover? My best guess is that comic from Hasbro.

Holy- I never thought I would get such a long ask.

*rolls up sleeves and rubs hands*

Okay, let’s do this!

First, I want to thank you so much for the kind words, the fact that there are people who got really interested in my fic makes my heart flutter. <3

And I really love it when readers point out small details that I haven’t thought about that much while writing! Thank you a lot for the advice and recommendations, I really appreciate it! I will keep that in mind!

Now, to answer your questions:

1. You are absolutely correct about Sideswipe and Rainbow’s relationship, in my opinion, they will be the best chaos siblings (I am 100% sure that most of the members will go insane because of their pranks) I could write more detailed headcanons for them and the others too.

2. The next book is nearly finished, I will make sure to post it at the beginning of January.

3. I will drop more art soon, promise! Sorry for the lack of content, I’ve been pretty busy for the past few months. But now I’m finally free and I will certainly start drawing again! I also have several ideas in mind for some parts of the next book.

4. I don’t mind my comics being dubbed as long as I’m credited and they’ve asked for permission.

5. Again, if I’m credited and asked for permission, there will be no problem for other artists to draw my redesigns. I don’t usually take requests and it really depends on my free time and motivation, but if I really like the idea that has been suggested, I would (probably) draw it.

6. Good guess! But actually no. I was really into this crossover way before Hasbro decided to make a comic of it. I’ve been into a lot of fandoms and reading crossover fanfics basically became like a hobby to me. I got a lot of inspiration after I accidentally stumbled upon some pretty good written Tf/Mlp fics, but it took me a lot of time to finally get enough courage and start writing my own. I’m more than thankful for the support and love that I was given through the years! It really motivated me to keep on going!

[lovova]

I see artists doing little showcasings of what they've accomplished creatively in the last year, decided that looks fun, and decided I'd do for myself an little inventory of what I've written in the last year as well, based on archive posts and what I can recall (I specify 'what I can recall', because I was not keeping track of when I did or did not update my main fanfic "Video Game Cruelty Potential" so...guestimates for that fic! I have 36 chapters, I can probably guess it was updated at least every other month) ~ So! For 2023: January: Did a fan-fanfic for my friend Lex called "The Other Rooms" where I explored off-scene implications of his cool-ass fic Room No.5 February: Created an alternate version of VGCP called "VGCP: Characters at their best" where I tried to explore some of the chars in the same setting being more well adjusted. I haven't gotten very far in it, but I am determined to get back to it this year! Also probably updated VGCP March: Did two short Kaito stories, an Oumota called "Playing with Phobias" where Kokichi messes with Kaito and a Saimota called "Luminary Hero of the Track Field" where Shuichi worries over Kaito's enthusiasm to sports while sick. April: Started what was MEANT to be a multi-chaptered Homestuck!V3 Kaito fic called "The Devotion of the Luminary of Skaia", but I haven't gone back yet to figure out what happens next yet. Thinking about it now, I think I was to make it a three chapter fic, but I just need to save some space to go back and outline it someday. VGCP? Maybe? May: A short Oumota piece called "Carnation: Please Handle Gently" that I got some awesome art commissioned for by the incredibly talented Ere. This short story inspired me so much that I'm actually basing a new original novel on the same concept~

June: I (believe) this was the month I finished Kaiden! An omegaverse original story I was writing and posting to Kindlevella. I am super proud of finishing that piece, and while I want to go back and create a more refined second draft before selling it as an Amazon book, I still LOVE this version as well. Very proud~ And VGCP!

July: Two Oumota short stories, "Touring Mortality" and "Execution Failed". Touring Mortality was especially fun to write, though I was amazed at the positive feedback Execution Failed got. It was very uplifting XD This was also the month I (re)started my original story "Pearls and Shackles". Also probably VGCP August: More Pearls and Shackles, more VGCP. September: Pearls and Shackles! Probably more VGCP! Can't remember! October: Can you guess? PEARLS AND SHACKLES! VIDEO GAME CRUELTY POTENTIAL!! November: This was a purely Pearls and Shackles month, and that was because I dedicated NANO (National Novel Writing Month) to finishing it. AND I DID! It super needs a second draft, its not ready to show off, but it EXISTS! So hell yeah!

December: A funny short V3 story called "Soulmate Goose of Enforcement!" I had a lot of fun collaborating with this one with Lex, and am hoping to do a chapter 2 with another great writer added to the mix too, Andromebaa. I also started the first two chapters of a new novel manuscript, a Hanahaki story about a pair of lesbians struggling with love in their own ways, but both trying their best! And, also, I updated "Video Game Cruelty Potential"

Did I overestimate how often I updated VGCP this year? Underestimate? I have no idea, that fic is almost 300,000 words long by this point, let's call an update every other month a generous average of how often I add to it. Other then VGCP, I did 8 Short Fanfics, finished a book, started and finished another book, and started a third book. And I'm not counting stories I had to write for my school year. Just ones I did out of the passion in my damn heart.

So, yeah! I'm pretty proud of this year, it was a good one. I hope anyone reading this had just as good a year! Writers, steal this idea, go looking back the year and brag about what you accomplished! You deserve it!

Have a good 2024 everyone!

[neatfrog]

~Notes~

~occasional 18+ content 🔞🔞

~queer faggot 🌈

~current things I can’t shut the fuck up about: hazbin hotel/helluva boss, fallout, venom (coming soon)

~my art tag here !

~currently taking commissions ✨

~About~

~you can call me kitchie (pronounced like ‘kicsi’ in Hungarian - it’s a joke bc kicsi means small and I’m 4’11”)

~you might have once known me as venomtots

~3 decades alive on this wretched planet

~married to someone I met on tumblr (follow ur dreams, kids)

~I enjoy cats and languages

~I draw (if the brain worms let me), and am capable of writing but haven’t actually done so in years. my white whale is the venom fanfic from 2018 that I still haven’t finished

~I’m autistic and have adhd so if I do something weird pls just blame it on that

~I’m not kidding when I say I’m obsessed with languages, it’s my special interest since I was like 7

~fluent - English and French

~advanced - Hungarian

~also OK - Norwegian, Spanish (Mexico), German, Japanese, Chinese (Mandarin)

~can’t speak/write but can read sorta well enough: Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Finnish (the only words I know are probably all from Antti Tuisku songs)

.

.

The rest is just my likes and shit, no obligation to read

~Likes~

video games

favs: Fallout, Baldur’s Gate 3, The Outer Worlds, Rule of Rose, Clocktower, ReMothered, Visage, The Evil Within, Resident Evil, the Dark Pictures series - most survival horror/horror in general.

I’ll admit that I often don’t have the patience for the horror games where you have to be all sneaky and try to find things & escape while constantly being chased, but I still really love those kinds of games and wish I had the patience to play them, so I’ll usually just watch a let’s play

I’m also a slut for some Mario Party, and my adhd ass can sit and play shit like Powerwash Simulator or House Flipper for hours

books/comics

horror/thriller/mystery mostly, but if it sounds interesting I’ll read whatever. we have several shelves of Stephen King books

favs: The Walking Dead, Venom, GoT, A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy, The Hunger Games

I still read manga occasionally (FMA will always be my #1 favorite)

movies

horror (any kind), foreign films, indie, comedy - again, if it sounds interesting and I’m in the mood then anything is cool. if you like horror and haven’t watched any Asian horror films, you definitely should do that

series/franchises that could be releasing their 20-quillionth remake/sequel and I would still be going to see it: saw, the purge, friday the 13th, scream, nightmare on elm st, VHS, Killjoy, Terrifier

ok I’d probably watch any Hunger Games movie too tbh

and literally anything ari aster does, I know that man’s some kinda fucked up but damn does he make some Movies

also Tubi has some really awesome shit on there, definitely worth checking out

I found Liza a rókatündér (Liza the Fox Fairy) on there and it’s now one of my all-time favorite movies

tv shows

favs: Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss, Fallout, The Walking Dead, The Boys/Gen V, IWTV, Resident Alien, Hannibal, Ted Lasso, Disenchantment, Paradise PD/Farzar, WWDITS, GoT (minus s8), Supernatural (stopped around s14 and then they did That Thing at the end so it’s more of an old fav now)

I love Scandinavian crime thrillers/dramas 🤣

when starting a series it’s honestly whatever my spouse and I decide we feel like watching at the time. I usually prefer comedy or horror, but we’ve been known to watch other things

I’ll admit I’m also a sucker for crime shows like CSI, I had season 3 on dvd as a kid and rewatched it all the time. I used to watch it and Criminal Minds with my parents so it’s kind of nostalgic cause it’s like one of the few things we all did together

(I used to be into anime but I haven’t really been feeling it for a while. My first anime was InuYasha (still holds a special place in my heart). My all-time favorite is Fullmetal Alchemist, and I enjoyed Death Note and JJBA a feral normal amount. Black Butler was also 👌🏻 and I still need to finish the manga)

music

90% of the music I listen to isn’t in English. I don’t really need to understand the lyrics, I just like how it sounds. It does end up being funny sometimes though when you find out you’ve been bopping it to a song that’s repeatedly calling someone’s mom a whore

Most Listened: Antti Tuisku, Apulanta, Evelina, Szakács Gergő, ByeAlex, Intim Torna Illegál, Leander Kills, Dubioza, KYO, Stromae, Siri Nilsen - etc (Linkin Park is still an all-time favorite as far as American music goes)

I admit I’ve been obsessed with the hazbin hotel soundtrack lately

ok I won’t say no to the occasional k-pop or j-rock song (I used to be Obsessed lol)

that said I’ll listen to literally anything if it sounds good (nice beats make brain go brrr). only genre I actively dislike is post-9/11 country music

~Dislikes~

spiders (i’m sorry lil dudes ur rly cool y’all just irrationally scare me), making phone calls, unwarranted rudeness

[quinloki]

QUIN! I hope you're feeling better. Hopefully this is a little distraction ramble before I head off to work <3

SO I don't have any particular OTPs anymore (and I picture my OC with everyone at this point sooooo the vibes change depending on who lol) BUT for the longest time my OTP in one piece was Nami/Zoro and it's so funny bc shipping a navigator with someone who is directionally challenged cracks me up. Tbh I tend to pick two faves and ship them, like Kurama/Botan from YYH xD But I don't really ship much anymore but I do love to see all the ship art of everything people are so creative in their ships between canon/canon or canon/oc characters too I love it

ANYWAYS I don't know that I've ever told anyone about my OC (except like, people I used to RP with back in the gaia days) but she was basically assigned to me when I was 13 (so like 20 years ago lmaoooo) and I've just rocked with her since then, making some changes here and there but her general appearance/name has stayed the same. Her personality/age changes a little depending on the world I'm thinking of her in, but she's kind of just like a self insert but cooler/stronger. And for some reason I always think of her as an interpreter in any modern AU even tho I can't speak other languages. I'm not sure if you've read false confessions (the manhwa) but I was shook when I first started reading that bc the main character is exactly what I pictured her like in terms of appearance. Honestly I'd really like to get back into drawing just for her bc I used to draw her all the time and it's been years since then but I'm out of practice and starting up again is harddddd. I did get some anime coloring books and I'm planning on coloring some with her colors maybe xD

anyways here's an old art of her I commissioned back on gaia bc I found it on my computer recently

Hope you get through this Wednesday!!

(ps fuck law, marry marco, kill teach byeeeeeee)

Okay, Nami/Zoro is hilarious for the Never Lost, Never Found kind of vibes xD

(Speaking of Kurama/Bulma I want to share something that I wrote in 2010... ) 😎

Oh gaiaonline, man, talk about some memories. O_O

( 🤝 cooler/stronger self-inserts are awesome OCs)

I love the art \o/ I love EVERYTHING about this ask. I wish I had less snot in me and more brain left, so I could articulate things better >.<

Also you're right for that FMK and I'm not gonna disagree. ❤️

Ship it Good ask game

[kariachi]

Who wants nearly 3500 words of Kevin and Irene's first meeting and date?

Doesn't matter, you're getting it anyway, they're precious.

~~

“Oh, that’s a good one!”

It was probably a good thing that Kevin started at the statement, his shrink would have things to say about ‘getting past the need for hyper-awareness’, but he still felt like a fucking idiot. Adjusting his grip on the book in his hand, he turned his attention to the Lenopan who had just a few minutes ago joined him in the aisle. Done up in contrasting colors like a poison dart frog, they seemed to have realized they’d said that out loud and retracted their mass in embarrassment.

“I hope so,” he found himself saying, “the selection out here’s normally pretty crap.” That was the problem with moving to a new station, if there were stores for something it was probably only one and it probably was casting a wide net. With a galaxy so varied as the Milky Way, that meant it was harder to find, say, any one book that fit your tastes.

“Tell me about it,” they said, desaturation rolling swiftly over their body. “Irveh has an amazing grasp of words though, and the poems were written in Gal Standard so you don’t get any of the issues that come with translations.” Kevin blinked. He hadn’t known that, and it definitely affected his opinion.

“Awesome. Translating’s rough, I know, but fuck is it nicer to read something in the original language.”

“You lose something in the cultural differences,” they said with a bob of the head, “but not in language ones. Seriously though, the one on page… Frick… Can I?” Reaching out a bit of mass, they gratefully accepted the book and flipped to the table of contents in the back. “Yes! Page sixty-two. I spent at least five minutes splayed out on the floor, you’d think I’d been dropped there.”

“Probably shouldn’t read it now then, huh?”

“I can guard the aisle for you.” Kevin gave a snorting laugh as he took the book back, prompting a chuckle from the Lenopan.

“Wouldn’t waste your time.”

“Lucky you, there's next to nothing here worth sorting through so I have it to spare.” Their colors shifted to something a touch more desaturated. “I want to support local businesses, but…” Huffing a sigh, Kevin nodded.

“But they gotta at least try to meet a fucker halfway.”

“At least we’ve got a bookstore though,” the Lenopan admitted with a sigh. “I keep having to order my art supplies on the ethernet and that gets expensive.” Immediately Kevin’s interest was piqued. He’d been enjoying the conversation before, but didn’t meet other artists in person very often. Mostly because he’d only begun openly working on his art again when he moved out there and, well, no supply store to meet people at. Tucking the book under his arm, he smiled widely at them.

“What sorta art do you do?” Their colors shifted again, richening with the new topic.

“Photography and painting, sometimes sketchwork. Most of my stuff is digital anymore but, sometimes you just need to slap some paint on a canvas, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.” Not specifically paint, but he knew. “I got back into sculpting a few years ago and depending on what I’m making getting new materials is a fucking bitch.” Metals he could do, there was a place for parts on the outer rim of the station, but wood, glass, stone? All had to be ordered in if he didn’t want to pull from preexisting work.

“Oh? I haven’t met a sculptor since college. What mediums do you work in?”

“Mostly metal and stone, you’d be amazed what you can do with that stuff, and some of the colors you can get.” Whoever had said stone was just boring grey had been an idiot and possibly colorblind. The Lenopan bobbed their head again.

“I’ve had to do metallics on commission before, the range can be amazing.” Kevin chuckled with a nod.

“And I’m guessing that was without heat treatments. Steel does awesome stuff over a fire.”

“Really? Cool! I’d love to see, if you have pictures?” Without even a second thought- and wouldn’t that hit him later, that he hadn’t had a second though about getting close- Kevin pulled out his tablet and went searching for a piece as he moved to their side. Eventually he settled on a butterfly Rad had commissioned for his mother, colored in a host of yellows, blues, and purples.

It struck him, as they ooed and ahhed over his work- far more than he felt it deserved, he could see a million problems he wished he could reach into the picture and fix- that he didn’t know who the fuck this was. They were a painter and a photographer who liked poetry and was also annoyed with the lack of shopping options on the station, that was it. But here he was, showing off his art. For a moment the thought that not having names was good darted across his mind like a spooked deer, but he shoved it back.

“Kevin Levin, by the way,” he said. “Pronouns he/him/his.” The Lenopan’s attention was pulled from commending the detail he’d managed to Kevin himself. They tilted their head, just slightly, and a ripple of discordant color change flashed over their body.

“Middle name Tevin, maybe Jevin?” He snorted.

“Ethan.” There was enough quiet for a heartbeat before they broke into gurgling chortles.

“Kevin E. Levin,” they said, “the man is a pun.”

“What can I say-” Kevin grinned and shrugged- “-I’ve got good taste.”

“Yes, you do,” they continued to laugh, something going light in Kevin’s chest at the approval. Before the pun had been his mom’s choice and so he’d been pitied, but anymore people, sometimes affectionately, judged him for keeping it. “Irene Beyer, pronouns she/her/hers.” Ah, one of the Earth population. The head tilt had had him wondering, he didn’t know if it was a general Lenopan thing. But there were more important things, like the name being familiar.

“'Irene'. Like, ‘Princess and the Goblin’ Irene?” She perked up like she’d just won a prize, tendrils wriggling, colors going wild and bold.

“Yes! Exactly! Nobody ever knows it!”

“It was everywhere when I was little,” he said. The Princess and the Goblin, plus its sequel, were among the books his mom used to read to him, and his dad had of course been going to buy him the movie where singing and music held the power that saved the day. “I don’t think I’ve ever met somebody whose name was pronounced like that though.” Irene drew herself up proudly.

“Well, somebody other than you had to have taste.” Feeling that much more comfortable, Kevin burst into snorting laughter, Irene following behind with her gurgling tones. More than likely they attracted the attention of anyone else in the small store at that point, but neither gave any indication of noticing or caring. As they died down, Irene sunk back into herself, colors toning down. Her tendrils kept wriggling though.

“Um… It’s getting to get that time,” she said, “…can I buy you lunch?” As he caught his breath, Kevin considered the offer. When was the last time he’d been on a date that hadn’t involved him flirting out of hunger prior to it? Since leaving Gwendolyn he’d been a lot more focused on his mental health than on his love life and only had a sparse few attempts at relationships. But, he was enjoying himself, Irene seemed nice, and most importantly he was comfortable.

Standing tall, he grinned down at her.

“Lead the way.”

~~

Did he shoplift the book rather than waste time not talking to her? Yes. Did she say anything about it? No.

~~

They ended up at one of the annoying number of restaurants on the station in comparison to things like art supply stores. An Appoplexian place that sold the most unctuous braised meat Kevin’d had outside of Osmosian cooking and a fried fish so hard you had to soak it in soup or crack it like bone. He ordered both sorts plus the meat- he'd gone hungry too often in his youth to pass up a chance to load on calories and no matter what anyone said any pudge he managed was a gift- while Irene went for the meat, soupy fish, and something akin to a British pudding Kevin had never bothered to try.

“So,” Irene asked as their waiter, a young Lewodan, left with their orders, “um, what do you do for work?” In a heartbeat Kevin decided to have some fun.

“I’m a spy,” he said, pulling on all his con experience to not grin while he did it. Not that it mattered, it was a wild lie and Irene smirked as she leaned partly over the table.

“Why do I not believe you?”

“Just an untrusting soul, I guess.” He shook his head sorrowfully as he said it. “Major character flaw.” She just chuckled.

“If you get to be a spy, then I get to be a model.” Snorting, Kevin let the smile back out.

“I bet you’ve been in every major magazine.” Irene hummed.

“I mean, technically… My work has been in a lot.”

“Wait, really?" Kevin was honestly a little impressed. “What sorta work?”

“I’ve done some freelance photography,” she said, drawing in again, “but most of the time it’s just ads and things. I’m a graphic designer by trade so… Most of what I put out is logos and posters, stuff like that. I do commissions on the side sometimes though.”

“Cool. Remind me to buy something off you sometime.” Snorting, Irene flashed brighter colors for an instant.

“At least see my art first.” She pulled out a tablet- from where Kevin had never asked Lucy and didn’t intend to ask her- and poked through it a moment before sliding it across the table at him. He couldn’t help a small whistle as he flipped through the folder she’d brought up. She clearly played heavily with mixing colors, outside of a few simpler pieces he assumed were day-job related, and seemed to prefer broad, textured strokes. A closer look showed a propensity towards swirls that he vaguely remembered maybe being a facet of traditional Lenopan art? One pair of nearly identical images felt entirely different because, he realized, one using swirls and curves to give it a lightness and sense of movement while the other felt heavier and still with only, in truth, straight lines.

“Yeah, I’m buying something,” he said, flashing his throat as he gave the tablet back. “You’re good.”

“I- Thank you,” she said, stowing the tablet away again. “I’ve been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember. Even went to school for it.”

“I considered that,” Kevin said, “but I never ended up doing college so…” He shrugged. Gwendolyn had encouraged him to go, but the only things he was interested in learning more of had been the arts, which he had been uncomfortable engaging with openly at the time. It had all felt very private, and he’d known that Gwendolyn would have expected to, insisted on, being allowed to engage with his work. When he’d left he’d moved to the Saturn Station and, well, it wasn’t worth the effort of ethernet classes, even if he was already doing therapy that way. “Mostly I do engineering, some writing and sculpting on the side.” He chuckled. “I’ve been considering combining the sculpting and the machines. When I was little I always wanted to do practical effects like in movies, the animatronics and stuff. Figure it can’t hurt to give it a try.”

“You should! If that butterfly was any indication you’re really good at the sculpting part, and if you’re engineering without a degree you’ve got to be good at that too. You could be the next big thing!” Irene’s colors got more saturated as she went, perking up and tendrils going again.

“Can you imagine,” Kevin laughed. “Finally make a fucking name for myself.” Outside of the crime, at least. Irene didn't have to know about the crime. If things got serious she’d have to, but he had no intention of scaring her off just yet. “Not getting recognized isn’t so bad though. I’ve got buddies everybody knows and they’re always bitching about it. Well, expect for Argit, but he could turn a mosquito bite into a mountain, get a publishing deal for being the first one on it, and get me to write the book for him.” Chortling as their drinks arrived, Irene mirrored him in a polite ‘thank you’ before asking

“Why do I think I’d like him?”

“He’s a complete asshole,” he said, taking a long sip of his soda as she dipped some of her mass into her own to soak it up. “He’s also my oldest friend, first mate, and the most reliable guy I know on a personal level so long as his tail’s not on the line.” Her head tilted again, slight tension in her mass.

“‘First mate’?” Oh, he hadn’t even been thinking…

“I don’t have kids,” Kevin assured, “not yet at least, but…” For a moment he questioned whether to admit to being Osmosian. The information wasn’t hard to find, but well over a decade of people enslaving him had made him wary. He’d started this though, and he wanted to trust her. “I’m Osmosian, we take a lot of mates at a time, share rights and responsibility for any kids. Sorta we’re married? Not like, legally but...” The tension drained away, tendrils giving a wriggle.

“We do the same sort of thing, but it’s not considered a marriage of any kind and sires don’t really have a right to their children.” That made things so much easier.

“Is there anybody I should know about?”

“Not right now,” she said. “I’ve always been kind of… wary, with my dating choices.”

“And you went for me?!?” Clapping a hand over his mouth, Kevin went red. He had not intended to say that aloud. Even if it was a valid question. He'd seen himself. Irene tucked herself away again.

“You seem nice, and fun, funny, smart. And unlikely to try to murder any of my other suitors.” For a long moment, Kevin was silent, mouth hanging open.

“I will try not to- did that actually happen to you?!”

“Not to me,” Irene said, her colors evening out as she leaned in, Kevin mirroring her as was proper with gossip, “but my uncle’s other brother’s cousin. She started seeing a human Plumber and her other suitor lost his shit. I mean, yeah he was a Plumber and this was right at the end of the whole feud, and the only other human I know of that courted a member of our community was a complete asshole, but still. Bit of an overreaction to somebody deciding to be serious with somebody.” As she spoke, things clicked into place in Kevin’s mind.

“You wouldn’t happen to know a Lucy Mann, would you?” She went still, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“Yessss.” Figured.

“Yeah, the human side of that family can be iffy. My clan and my mom’s are this far from starting a feud with them themselves.” Irene sighed.

“I wish I was surprised. I mean, she did follow in her grandpa’s footsteps and become a Plumber of all things. People are still talking about it, the only positive comparison to her I’ve ever gotten is I don’t associate with them.” Kevin cringed.

“How close does it have to be to be ‘associating’?” She slumped.

“Tell me you’re not a Plumber.”

“I'm not,” he assured her, “I was pressured into becoming one like a decade ago but I only lasted like three months before I quit. Couldn’t do it, nearly ate my boss.” A chuckle, a good sign. “I’ve got like five relatives who used to be Plumbers too, but the only one who didn’t quit was my dad and he both died and only joined because he’d received a holy vision about dying.” Her eyes went wide.

“Damn.”

“Yep.”

“And the others?”

“My mom joined as a mole for her gang after they threatened to toss her in prison and quit after my dad died, my other mom joined normally but quit after like six years when she found another job she could feed my brother with that wasn’t morally bankrupt, my brother joined because he wanted to be like mom and dad and quit when his partner died, hated every minute of the job, and my cousin Molly joined as a mole to keep an eye on that side of Lucy’s family because I was dating one, quit as soon as we broke up.”

“I repeat, damn.” Irene heaved a sigh. “If this lasts my family is going to throw their biggest fit yet.” Kevin snorted despite himself.

“So, we’re good, despite the history?” She drew herself up, colors going monotone in seriousness.

“Depends, what’s your opinion on the Plumbers as a whole?” Oh that was easy, his opinion had been drug around a while as life battered him in every direction, but in the end…

“Corrupt, ineffectual, bigoted by design, untrustworthy. Looking back, I can’t believe I dated someone who liked them nonetheless became one.” He chalked it up to just how shit his mental health had been at the time, combined with social pressure and expectations from the Tennysons. Whatever the cause of the base issue, his words caused tension to fall off Irene in buckets this time, color returning to her mass as she gave him a smile.

“Then we’re good, as long as that’s the case. And you’re okay knowing my family’s probably never going to like you as a result.” Kevin shrugged.

“I’ve been hated for worse reasons. How often can I expect it to come up?”

“Well, I moved out here,” she said, throwing a gaze around the place, “and they’re still on Earth, so… For my species, this is about two steps from just disowning them entirely.”

“So, they’re assholes.”

“They’re assholes.” Nodding, Kevin sat back in his seat and took another sip of his drink.

“Okay. Assholes I can deal with.” He smiled at her. “Promise as long as you treat me well you’ll probably make a good impression on my family.” Irene gave her gurgling chortle again.

“But will I make a good impression on your mate?” Kevin snorted, perking as the waiter headed over with their food.

“Treat me well and buy him jewelry, you’ll be set.” The table became awash with ‘thank you’s alongside pleased rumbles and purrs as lunch arrived. Immediately Irene downed her pudding with a slow swallow he could only describe as luxurious, while Kevin set to work tearing his meat into pieces he could lay over his fish. “So, got any pets?” Her colors dimmed slightly.

“No, I’m in one of the blocks that doesn’t allow them. I’d trade one of my sisters for one though. I have three, it's fine.”

“Lucky them I’ve got a baskurr, then, huh,” he chuckled, warming at the way she perked back up.

“See, I knew asking you out was a good move-”

~~

Kevin could feel a deep purr rolling in his stomach alongside lunch as the two of them exchanged contact information. It had been a while since he’d been on a proper date, and longer still since he’d been on a date with somebody he took to this readily and this fondly. Irene’d was fun, sweet, so smart, and aside from the brief Plumber situation hadn’t judged him on a single thing. Even eating that fish like it was a cracker. It had been nice, chill, in a way that still felt fresh when it happened.

Certainly didn’t hurt he was even then thinking of what he would use to get the rich, bold colors she was showing in a piece.

“Call you tomorrow,” he asked, mindful of the plans she’d mentioned that evening and the nap she intended to go home and take.

“Text me,” she said, “my schedule can get weird and, it’s just easier that way.” Nodding, Kevin stowed his tablet away and gave her a smile he hoped warmed her like the pleased wriggling of her tendrils did him.

“‘kay, I’ll make sure to.” With a not-negligible amount of effort he took a step back. “See ya, Princess. Sleep tight.”

“I’ll try to avoid any peas,” she chortled with a little shake of her head. “See ya, Kevin.”

The smile wouldn’t leave his face as he turned and walked away, heading for the rim of the station on a few more errands. He already wanted to see her again. But no, she had things to do, he had things to do, and he didn’t want to come off as creepy. He could wait, text her maybe around dinner, just to say hi. There was a Khoron romantic drama playing in a few days, he could invite her out to see it with him, pay her back for lunch. Until then he had errands, projects, and a brand-new book to read.

He got the feeling he was going to love it.

[wuntrum]

I love your art & your style! I’m also an artist & I want to be a full time artist one day, but I'm not sure how that may look, so.. Do you do art full time? If so how does it look for you personally?

sorry if this is an intrusive question, I just want to learn more :) Thank you! have a good day!!!!

hi!! i feel like this is gonna be a long answer so i'm gonna put this under a read more haha

so being an artist full time looks different from one artist to another---there's so many different ways artists can support themselves, some methods i don't even know about! keep that in mind, as the stuff that i'm doing right now isn't the Only way to do art full time :)

right now i'm doing art full time-i'm in a weird sort of spot where i either need to just Commit and really pursue art full time, or get a job...but that latter has proven difficult with my mental health, so either i'm gonna stay full time, or get a part time job once i see a psychiatrist LOL. i'm in a very fortunate spot where my rent is cheap (for the city i live in) and my parents are able to hypothetically help me with that if i were to ever need it, so that's certainly a factor in how i went from graduating -> freelancing. (i did also work a full time job back in july/august, and that money has helped me with doing art full time too).

my main income is through commissions---i've been doing album covers mostly, but i think for the future i want to explore getting an agent and representation so i can start doing bigger jobs like book covers and that sort of thing. i don't loooooove doing commissions to be honest---i love my clients, especially the ones who i've worked with over and over again, they mean the world to me---but in terms of actual fulfillment through art, i don't feel super fulfilled doing that. so long term, i'd ideally like to not take on as much commission work, or at least only do the stuff that i'm really excited about, y'know?

along side that i have some other "passive" income (i put passive in quotes because there's obviously still work that goes into setting them up lol), mainly my inprnt shop and instagram reels. inprnt has been a HUGE lifesaver because i don't have to ship any of the prints myself, and the profit margin's a lot bigger than other print-on-demand services like redbubble (it's not perfect; you have to wait a month for transactions to clear, and there's a certain threshold you have to make before you can withdraw the money...and it takes like a full week for it to actually show up in your paypal but i digress). getting people to buy the prints is the hardest part, but if you can do that, it's great! (it took me years to get my first pay out on inprnt, but now i can do it 1-2 times a month) if you have a certain amount of followers on instagram you can get their reels bonus, where basically if you make reels they pay you for how many views it gets; it used to be Awesome but now its just okay, the amount of money vs amount of views ratio has gotten a lot worse (used to be able to make $180 for ~40k views, last month i got paid $115 for 140k).

something i used to do and plan on doing again is creating an online shop! people make merch of all types; i've personally dabbled in zines and prints, i'd love to make more stickers and apparel. now this definitely has some things you need to consider: there's a lot of cost involved in actual manufacturing, getting the stuff you need to ship orders, buying shipping labels, etc. etc....i would recommend starting small, like just selling stickers + shipping them with normal USPS stamps, to get used to the workflow of owning your own shop. but, its definitely something to consider! if you like designing for physical products and want to actually Make things and see people WIth those things, it can be a viable avenue to explore! (i definitely plan on exploring it more, to say the least).

there's also subscription services like patreon and ko-fi, which allow you to set up a membership so that people can pay you directly and support what you're doing. if you can get people to join, i think this is great! the main issue is the actual getting people to join part...and to be honest, that's something i've struggled with myself. i thiiiink i'm gonna switch from the ko-fi i have now to a patreon, just because people seem to recognize the name more. i'm also gonna assess what i'm actually offering people, i really wanna do a postcard of the month? or maybe a zine club sort of thing? i'd recommend looking at other artists' patreons and see what they're providing, to get an idea of what that can look like. ideally, i would love to just be able to support myself through patreon and make all the silly little stuff i want to...we'll see if i can make that happen!

there's also selling originals, if you work traditionally as opposed to digitally. again, this is something i wanna get more into in the future. there's challenges to this as well, just like anything, but if you prefer to make art with physical materials, then selling that original artwork can be a great revenue stream!

in terms of social media you can also explore being a youtuber or a streamer...those have a lot of moving parts, and you really need to commit in order to see success in those fields, but if you like producing/editing videos or like the performance/live community aspect of streaming, that's something to look into as well! those people make most of their money through sponsorships / things like patreon, but having that additional revenue stream of adsense or twitch subs can't hurt!

another thing to keep in mind is that this sort of stuff can vary a lot from month to month! i won't be seeing the actual pay out until november (or maybe december? honestly don't know LOL) but i'm part of the shortbox comics fair this month, so that's another source of revenue that i didn't/don't have access to beyond october! the amount of, for example, support you get for a new launched product, or how well a piece performs (which then leads to people buying prints of it), or how many people reach out to you for freelance work changes a lot from one month to the next. my biggest piece of advice if you want to pursue art full time is to have as many different sources of income as possible! that way, you can account for the inherent instability of freelancing, instead of not being able to pay your bills because no one's buying your stickers right now.

i hope this helps!!! and i hope all the financial talk wasn't too dread-inducing 😭 i'd definitely recommend asking other artists too and getting their feedback; like i said at the start, "full time artist" looks different from one artist to the next <3

[sexytummyache]

personal rant about managing my own moral identity with the social realities i find myself in

its weird to go from like tumblr and a lot of the spaces i spend time in on the internet where everyone pretty much agrees that AI sucks (for the environment and also for the people/artists it rips off and the services it makes worse) to like the world of indie web novels where so many authors are using AI for book covers and stuff. its disheartening honestly. I want to play nice to connect with other people also doing this and to build an audience but like how do I maintain my own moral principles at the same time?

It has me thinking about how having consistent morals is sort of automatically antisocial because it prioritizes something (platonic morality) over the maintenance of social reality and cohesion. Is that good? is that bad? idk it just is. although maybe im wrong somehow? social cohesion isn't automatically good or bad. context matters there probably.

but i feel like i shoot myself in the foot a lot in social situations where some of my unflinching moral stances makes it harder for other people to connect with me. at the same time, i value 'right action' right? certainly i value the reduction of harm.

i will never use AI art in my work (writing, illustration, etc). ive been commissioning an artist who has designed an awesome cover and is doing some awesome work with the monster designs.

and ive been very clear in these spaces about my distaste for AI and refusal to engage with it while also trying to avoid starting arguments because I have a history of struggling to regulate my emotions especially in online spaces where ive gotten into more arguments than i can count. its not productive and its not good for me. basically when asked i said something like 'here is a quick summary and I'm happy to go into more detail in direct messages because i dont want to derail this server' or whatever

but then what sucks is because the book covers are shrunk down on my phone and stuff, i sometimes get into a story before realizing the author used AI for the cover or whatever. and its like, do I keep reading? im certainly not going to join the patreon of anyone doing that but does any engagement discount the value of my morals?

maybe its enough to say that i will not personally use or engage with AI to the best of my ability and I will not hide my distaste for it but because I don't consider it productive to argue on the internet, i will not do that to the best of my ability. i think i just have this ex-catholic current-autistic need to have all my sins recognized and forgiven or accepted by some external social force. its not a healthy impulse to be sure.

[whiteclericmaris]

In my younger years I accepted that I would always be drawn to certain "cartoons/animations". I know some people say "It's just a cartoon" and dismiss the messages some of the series themselves have in a similar way that people dismiss religions. I gave myself the nickname colorfulwatcher in my tumblr account as a basis for this as the cartoons/anime that I was drawn to would usually be colorful. I know Yu-Gi-Oh! Is a prime example of this with the "outrageous" hair some characters have and I do remember a comment somewhere that said "I can't take it seriously with the outrageous hair".

So I would watch anime/cartoon that would be recommended to at least watch and I do prefer sub instead of dub.

When I was younger I didn't really like Yu-Gi-Oh! When advertise on TV. There was just something I didn't like and I don't know if it was the style. However one day I got to watch one episode and I was hooked to it. This was mainly DM back in the day when TV and not streaming was your only option. I don't remember what it was exactly that caught my attention but I was hooked.

Granted Kazuki Takahashi has sadly passed away but I will say that his legacy with Yu-Gi-Oh! To the point of making a trading card game that is still being sold to this day is awesome! Just seeing how much art has been created and converted to a trading card game is cool!

There is something that is charming about Yu-Gi-Oh! and there was a question posed by my Mom about "What will Yu-Gi-Oh! (And Pokemon) teach you about life?" Granted my Mom apologized as when I was younger I couldn't respond to this question and it made me sad and frustrated. As she plays Pokemon Go she said that she sees it brings a community as there were some friends she made through the game. Yu-Gi-Oh! Also brings a community as I remember when younger that I would trade some cards of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! With other classmates back when there would barely be TV and if you wished to see a series you'd have to watch it at a scheduled time.

I remember making my own 'OCs' and writing about them going on adventures with Pokemon as to be honest 'school could barely keep my attention'. Whenever there would be a class I started a habit of writing about my own 'OC' incorporating the knowledge that was passed down through classes and the place that this was most evident was in science class. I remember writing about how magicians could control their cells and even recently I did some worldbuilding with some of those OC's but eliminating the Pokemon. It's interesting where "Oh gosh they would be around their early 40s" and what to come up with would lead you too.

I had an idea about my OC's wanting to publish them as a children's book series. I even had the plan that each of the books would focus around the age of the characters when young to teenager to young adult and adult as there were 4. I didn't do it but I still have fun with my OC's thinking thoughts about what they would do at the moment to commissioning art of them.

In my adult years I thought why not have these 4 (later a 5th) be of different religious background. My main OC would be of "Christian connotations" as although they didn't partake of lent and things like easter mainly focused on the easter bunny. It's how I was raised in my early childhood as the only thing that was Christian connotation celebrated was Christmas. My second main would be pagan/witch culture. My third Jewish and my fourth Santeria. That way we can really say we are in the United States of America as there are people with different religions that can be friends in school.

These OC's have led me to certain adventures and I remember acting out/playing with 'dolls' with my OC more about the magic world and magicians because I always liked magic. Imagine my surprise when I started reading the Bible and in the old testament one thing mentioned by GOD to Moshe was that they will not do the same thing as magicians. I don't remember the exact verse but wizardry/magicians were mentioned in the Bible/Torah (as there were magicians/wizards in Egypt) and it really hit me as one of my favorite tropes was magic and how often it is portrayed in works of 'fiction'.

These days I barely watch as much anime/cartoons as before and I find it hard to choose something to watch when streaming in TV. I haven't forgotten how much Yu-Gi-Oh! and other animes made me feel as I still reblog some pokemon and yugioh artworks. The fanart posted by the brave artists still makes me feel some comfort sometimes to the subject.

However after Pokemon Sword and Shield experience with having to purchase Pokemon Home and the downloadable content I decided that it would be the last Pokemon Games I would experience. As a part of a higher calling I donated most of my Pokemon games and console to St. Jude. Trying to play a Pokemon game I don't find the same entertainment as I did when I was a child and I have learned that GOD does not like Pokemon and to be fair the whole Pokemon games sound like familiars which are also mentioned in the Bible/Torah. I remember how amazed I was that the Torah even mentions some things that are relevant in the present day.

[paperairplanemob]

What was the single best thing that happened this past year? Had my work validated more than I honestly thought would happen.

What was the single most challenging thing that happened? Not really a single thing, but trying to navigate The Rona™ between variants and boosters that we couldn’t get.

What was an unexpected joy this past year? Tiny humans: getting to play Pokémon with the Card Goblin, teaching her brother to fist bump, and seeing my niece start to walk and babble.

What was an unexpected obstacle? Seeing, for all the progress I’ve made in dealing with my particular mental illness, that I still have progress to make.

Pick three words to describe 2022. “Someday” is today.

Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your 2022 (don’t ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you). Even more awesome.

Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their 2022 (again, without asking). Taking next steps.

What were the best books you read this year? facepalm

With whom were your most valuable relationships? Old and new coworkers, friends that knew how to navigate careers, and my wonderfully supportive wife.

What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year? I started the year wanting to be a senior-level developer. I ended March taking a new senior-level job that literally doubled my salary. I’m still kind of in shock.

In what way(s) did you grow emotionally? I’m getting a bit better at recognizing when I’m hitting a bad train of thought. A bit.

In what way(s) did you grow spiritually? Somewhere in between Canaan and Egypt, but I think I’m getting a better handle on what I believe. Still trying to separate the God I know from the God I was told about.

In what way(s) did you grow physically? I went to physical therapy! After I tweaked my back again this summer, I finally did something about it. It’s helped a ton.

In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others? I feel like I’ve grown to trust others more, both as friends and as coworkers.

What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)? I made a conscious effort towards Smolblog this year, including commissioning a logo! (It helped that one of the people I look up to in the industry showed some personal interest 😬)

What was the most challenging part of your work (both professionally and at home)? Said lucrative job required switching to an entirely different tech stack and development architecture.

What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year? …probably Smolblog. I might have changed architectures multiple times…

What was the best way you used your time this past year? Time in therapy, time with Brittany

What was biggest thing you learned this past year? I always knew I was capable, but I feel like I really learned to execute sustainably this year.

Create a phrase or statement that describes 2022 for you. Ride the wave while it’s going!

[agape-bakery]

Hi ! I love your blog and your idea to make a bakery is just awesome ^-^ anyway how are you ? I hope you have a good day :) I'm here to request a female mc who love drawing. And i wonder if you can make brothers react to mc who draw them when they're sleeping, eating or i don't know like you want. If you can of vourse it's not an obligation :3

I wish you a good day \(^-^)/

💫

Thank you so much! I really enjoy the location-themed blogs here like Cafes and such so I'm happy you think the same! I'm doing good! And also, YESS!! I love Artist MCs/Y/Ns because I'm an artist myself! I hope you enjoy these!

The Brothers with an F! MC who draws

Lucifer

He already knew you love to draw and didn't mind that, at least that's one good hobby someone has on his list compared to gambling and parties

If there is something Lucifer appreciates about humans, it's their art and cultures, he might take you to art museums for inspiration and have a date in a cafe and talk to you about the paintings you both saw

If art museums are not your thing, he would be a little disappointed but then again, some artists like more modern artworks and some that are shown online so he understands

And frankly, having you draw him makes him immensely proud of himself for having a talented girlfriend like you, he doesn't ask that you draw him but he secretly wants to

Lucifer occasionally buys art supplies for you but only if you've been good

"So you joined Mammon on going to the casino to draw the people there?"

"Pretty much...."

"Hmm.. I guess you aren't going to get some Copics from me anytime soon."

"WHAT-"

Lucifer is also observant and knows when and who you're drawing immediately

"I can see you staring at me."

His eyes looked up at yours as you looked away, pencil in hand.

"No, I'm not."

He's seen you glance at him several times before looking down at your sketchbook.

It was breakfast and you were sat between a sleeping Belphie and a distracted Beel so you took the time to draw the eldest when no one's looking.

Lucifer hummed and told Beel not to eat so messily as you continued to draw him.

Lucifer has seen many sketches of him and the brothers and when you give him some as a gift, he keeps it well-protected somewhere that Mammon can't steal in his bedroom.

Mammon

He absolutely cherishes every drawing you have, the boy keeps a doodle of him and you as a good luck charm too <3

He might ask that you do commissions and he gets some of it (for giving the idea and managing the commissions-) but one glare and he'll shut up with a nervous chuckle and an "H-hey! It's just a joke!"

When Mammon sees you staring at some art supplies, he checks it again when he's alone and dies inside because of the price and buys it immediately, he doesn't care if he loses a lot of money only a little bit, all he wants is to see your face when he gives it to you

"You better be grateful that The Great Mammon even thought of giving this to you!... Do-don't look at me like that! It was on sale!!"

While Mammon was napping on his couch, you hastily opened your sketchbook and started sketching him and the boy never realized

By the time he woke up, you were already finished doing 5 sketches of him and taking pictures of him for reference

"Oi! What are you doing? Gimme that!"

His heart completely melts because??? you drew him so good??? his girlfriend drew him???? for free??? and out of love????

He also draws you but it's just a stickman with a messy face but you still love it all the same

Leviathan

Finally...another Artist...AND HIS GIRLFRIEND NO LESS!!

He's so happy and giddy to show off his art supplies but he's hesitant when it comes to showing off his art because he thinks it's horrible compared to yours

You encourage him and usually learn together with him whenever he feels awful about his art

He's the Avatar of Envy so there are many times where he's compared himself to other artists so you had to be there to keep him grounded

Art Date, anyone??

It doesn't matter whether you buy art supplies or just take a break from school, it was always nice being around Leviathan

You took the chance to draw him while he was across from you and excitedly showed it to him

He had drawn himself (albeit, in a persona) in many games and animes but your drawing was more special than anything he's ever done

He looked away, avoiding eye contact as he gave you his own drawing which was you in your favorite video game

From now on, whenever the both of you wanted to give small gifts, you draw each other!! <3

Satan

A demon who enjoys impressionism art, there's something about the dreamy landscapes and colors that really makes him calm aside from reading

I think he would paint for a change of pace but gets frustrated because of how difficult it is so he goes back to reading

So watching you draw makes him impressed, drawing takes so much time to master

He doesn't mind whatever art style you have, aside from the impressionism style, he would have yours as his favorite

He understands the pain of art block so he often invites you in his room, one where the others wouldn't bother you, just don't touch anything or else you'll turn into some random animal for a few hours

He also encourages that you read with him when you're uninspired! Reading helps the imagination and the mind, and he'd be happy to recommend some for you!

You trust him with your sketchbooks and he trusts you with his books! The both of you knew the other wouldn't do anything which is why he only lets you inside his room

While Satan makes a drink for you, humming an old song in his DDD, you drew him in overalls and glasses

When you were bored, you would always draw your boyfriend in random outfits and would often show it to him (which he all loves)

"Overalls and Glasses, huh? I might wear it tomorrow." Satan grins, peeking at your sketchbook as he puts down the drinks.

Don't get your hopes too high, he isn't going to wear a maid outfit........yet-

Asmodeus

Oh? You draw? Wellll, if you need a model, he's happy to be your own personal model, but it comes with a price ;)

He loves that you draw! And would ask you to draw him

There's many artworks he likes but yours he enjoys the most, even if you aren't his girlfriend

Might ask you if you can design outfits and draw him in certain outfits so he can try them out!

Of course, drawing is not an easy feat so he'll pay you handsomely~

If you do commissions, he gets one just so he can support you

He knows that art doesn't pay much yet it is so overlooked by others

"Everywhere is art, darling, I'm surprised some humans don't know that! Of course, I'm the most beautiful art there is but I'll have you as second~"

He might blush if you draw him without him asking, he think he's desirable enough to draw without a price! After hearing that you just love him might make him blush harder! Aww, you!

He'll give you several pecks as he laughs after seeing your drawing of him! One where he was posing in one of the photos you had of him during your dates

Anatomy is hard so if you want a nude model, he'll volunteer on the spot, sure he has thoughts but if you're fully intent on getting better, he's happy to help!

Beelzebub

He's not the type to focus on art so he doesn't understand it much, that doesn't mean he isn't impressed though!

He has heard of Food Art and Food Illustrations though...Based by the Arty Event, he seems to be good at drawing food! He wanted to try it more but Lucifer forbid him in case he would eat the paper and get chemical poisoning or something-

However, if you could also draw food, he would be so delighted!!! He won't eat it, he promises!

It's fine if you don't, though, he expects that you might not understand working out and sports like he doesn't understand art

Might be clueless if ever you feel bad about your drawings, he thinks it looks really good! But upon hearing how frustrated you are, he would give you hugs to comfort you!

While Beel is a oblivious sweetheart, he fully supports your hobbies and would invite you to diners and restaurants so you can draw while he eats! He might even join you while he's eating

As he eats a huge cheeseburger, you drew him, smiling at how happy he looked

When you gave it to him, he told you how spot on you drew him when he eats and keeps it around him, he avoids it getting dirty at any cost

Belphie suggested that gets a photo frame so he bought one! Now your drawing of him lays on his bedrest safely~

Belphegor

He used to love art as much as Satan and Lucifer does but he doesn't anymore, not until you showed him your drawings

You rekindled a small flame in him that he never thought would come back

He doesn't draw because it's way too much work but he enjoys hearing you draw, the sound the pencil makes when it moves around the paper, and the smell of lead and paper makes him sleepy

He secretly likes those papers that have a nice smell in them so you buy some whenever you go out to get some art supplies

"That's way too many sketchbooks, MC."

"Nothing is way too much-"

Because he always sleeps around you, he doesn't entirely realize that you have a bunch of drawings of him in your sketchbook

It makes him warm when he sees your drawings of him

He wishes he could do more to support you even if you tell him he doesn't have to so like Beel, he keeps your drawings near his bed and looks at it before he sleeps

[thecraftymagician]

Lucio as a Parent

Like most things in his life, Lucio will try to act as calm and confident as he possibly can. If you're having a baby the old fashioned way I can absolutely see him fainting. It's not that he doesn't want kids he just.. never really thought too much into it or just assumed if it did happen that well, what happens will happen. Basically, he doesn't know what to do but he is very happy.

If you adopt or anything else, he'll definitely be more prepared but even then won't know everything. He really does want to pay attention but it gets confusing and this man hates feeling stupid.

Baby proofing? What's that? No, the baby must see all of dad's swords and his arm and everything to know what an awesome family their apart of! ..He'll see your point and put most dangerous things high up out of reach but still visible.

As loud and boisterous as Lucio can be, he's so gentle with the baby. He refuses to do more than whisper yelling while holding them and loves holding them even just to pace around the palace halls/ house.

His biggest fear is being like his parents. The last thing he wants to do is be too intense of push his kid too far. Set up hopes that just can't be but at the same time will absolutely support and spoil them.

You have to negotiate what is okay and not in regards to random gifts and spoiling. If he had it his way their would be a party for every single achievement; first steps, first words, potty training, etc. He wants to celebrate everything but you try to keep it down to just some wine between the two of you.

You let him have birthday bashes though of course. They don't last nearly as long as his usual parties because bedtime and naps but there are ponies and every kind of kid friendly fruit juice in fountains. Not to mention the greatest smash cake ever!

As previously stated he doesn't know alot about babies or children besides how to be cool and impressive to them, it's very important you know. That doesn't mean he's incompetent though. Sometimes he'll surprise you with little things like expertly changing diapers, making sure food and milk are the right consistency and temperatures, etc. You later find out that Nadia had been buying him parenting books, even catching him reading them while rocking the baby when he thinks your asleep.

As soon as their able to stand up right and toddle along, he insists on walking with them every where. When they start running he's the only one fast enough to catch them.

Will of course rough house. Not to an alarming degree but you've seen the memes. Absolutely will hold them upside down like their the catch of the day at the docks and throw them up in the air. He catches them every single time.

If there are any injuries, even little scraps or weird things like baby hiccups he's screaming and pounding on Julian's door NOW. Luckily the little one doesn't seem to be nearly as needy as Lucio even with tears. It's funny because normally he'd find scars to be cool and a sign of a good fight but.. "They're too young for battle! They're too cute for scars!"

He loves playing especially pretend and dress up with the little bean. He'll commission a set of play wood swords sanded perfectly so there will be no splinters and teach them how to sword fight. Even fencing later on. Sometimes he'll insist everyone come over because the kiddo wants to play pirates or adventures. Of course the bean will be too cute and charming for anyone to resist.

He gets jealous when the kiddo becomes obsessed with anyone else. "Aunt Nadi is sooo pretty!" "Muri is so TALL!!" He will pout about it for a while. He's pretty and.. shut up.

Eventually he'll let them run around and play on their own, even if it makes him sad. He'll honestly cry a bit because he loves being their best friend and it's hard to watch them grow up.

This one was a bit thicker and I might've just repeated myself a bunch, I'm sorry.