#This was just a simple little doodle to try and figure out how to get my humanoid Zhask from pencil to iBisPaintX

[goldemas1244]

Okay but what if Moonton decided to make a humanoid office sim dating sim and then you meet this gay ass entomologist who would probably look better in a choker and kinkwear and infodumps about his husband because he's absolutely smitten-

Do it you fucking cowards

[cordeliawhohung]

ignore this if it doesn't make sense buuut

we know what mafia!simon can get for shy!reader. so what would shy!reader buy for mafia!simon or what would she do to make him happy?

!!!!!! such a sweet question!

it's not a secret that mafia!Simon is very much into touching. it's his love language, and not even in like the pervy way either. he doesn't mind pda, always wanting to hold her hand, kiss her, etc. shy!Reader is obviously, well, shy lmao. freaks out about stuff like that, what people would think, is overly self-conscious, things of that sort, so obviously trying to fill part of his love language without compromising herself too much was a challenge!

until she figured out this man loves her cooking. the first time she cooked something for him, the man was grunting the entire time, hardly speaking because he was too busy shoveling food into his mouth, and still went back and got seconds. so she cooks for him regularly, and even looks into meals that fits with his work out regiment (because this man still boxes and goes to the gym lmfao).

every now and then she dabbles with baking, just simple things like cookies or cupcakes, and he swears she's trying to kill him. light butter cream frosting, airy cake, thick breaded cookies; how is he supposed to resist that?

"it's like you're tryna fatten me up to eat me."

now i'm imagining her packing a lunch or a dinner for him when he's gotta spend a late night at the club or something like that and packing a cute note inside!!! something with little heart doodles and x's and o's. god forbid if the others (soap and kyle lmao) see him because they will bully him relentlessly :) he keeps his favorite notes taped to his fridge

they're so cute it's killing me <3

[zvdvdlvr]

Food for thought: secret relationship with Aaron. Not that you're trying to keep it a secret but neither of you were ready to tell the team and now it's almost a game waiting to see who figures it out. Either way even if your relationship was in the open I don't think hotch would engage in any romantic conversation or pda of any kind in the office or in the field BUT I raise you this the man is a not so secret nerd, he's well read, and certainly a romantic at heart...passing notes. Love notes scribbled on scrap paper tucked away at your desk to find. Little notes left in the books he lends you "this part reminded me of you" or even texts through the day just to say "I love you" plain and simple I could go on about this forever 🤭

HEGEHEHEGEHEHEHEH YES. TRUST AND BELIEVE THAT AARON IS A NERD AND A SAP.

Aaron took note of your favorite authors, songs, poets, and artists. Just a a casual pick-me-up (or rather Aaron hoped it helped lighten your mood), Aaron would use a designated hot pink sticky note to scribble out a little phrase from a poem you had been mentioning consistently. Then when you were off to lunch or just out, Aaron would tuck it neatly onto the bookmarked page of a book or file you were working on.

And you better believe he’d circle phrases (lightly) in pencil and write little notes in the margins of your shared books. If Aaron’s feeling particularly joking during the day, he’ll send you the link to Shakespeare’s sonnet 130 and say ‘Reminds me of you lol’. It makes you laugh every time.

And his texts during the day are so tooth achingly cute im in pain thinking about it/j. 😣😣 Aaron tends to stay away from his phone or most technology on a case, but you were involved- possibly too involved- on a case. Aaron watched your face light up as you read the message: ‘I love you, sweetheart.’

Can’t forget when you’re asleep at night and Aaron’s away for some fucking reason. He doesn’t get too detailed (he doesn’t need too!) but he’ll send you those: ‘You’re sleeping right now, so I wantes to let you know how much I’m in love with you’ texts, sleepily going on about everything about you.

And imagine making a shares playlist between you and Aaron :,). Or not even a shared playlist- you could just send Aaron a song during a boring day of paperwork. He’ll listen to it and think of you, looking at the lyrics and writing the song down for future reference just in case.

Another thing Aaron does is doodle. I know how ridiculous and absurd it sounds, but just little stick figures and a heart or a tiny recreation of a scene from a book you’d recently read. He doesn’t have time most days to actually give them to you, so he just tears them off and tuck the hot pink sticky notes and paper scraps of doodles into your desk and around your home to find for later :)

[anjelagarrick]

ink

john price x reader

summary: your husband notices something new.

tags: established relationship, very domestic, fluff!!!, talks about having children, i love him sm 😭

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

JOHN’S CHEST RISES and falls with each deep breath. You’re on your phone, back pressed to his chest, other hand resting upon his forearm, gently rubbing circles with your thumb. John loved his work, but he loved you more; he always craved being beside you, having you in his arms. The bedroom is quiet, other than a fan running to keep you both cool in the summer heat. “John, look.” You smile, offering him your phone. Just as he’s about to take it, a line on your wrist catches his attention. Slowly, he takes the phone, trying to peer at what was on your skin, yet you moved your hand away as he took it. It was a simple post of a saint bernard puppy, his favourite breed of dog. It makes him smile. “His name is Cash. Isn’t he adorable?” You giggle, rolling over in your husband’s arms to huddle closer to his chest. “Yeah, very.” He hums, handing you your phone back. You’re smiling as you continue scrolling.

Eventually, curiosity gets the better of John, and he gently grasps your wrist, pulling ever so slightly. You glance at him, watching his eyes trace over the tattoo upon your wrist. It was only small, barely noticeable. “When’d you get this?” He asks softly, smiling a little. “A few weeks ago. Do you like it?” You respond, a ghost of a laugh on your voice. It was a small, fluffy bear with a bucket hat on. John’s eyes are bright with amusement. “I love it.” He chuckles, it rumbles in his chest as he lifts your wrist; pressing a kiss over the mark. “Ive been talking about one for a while, and I figured i’d get something of you. To remind me you’re still here even when you’re away.” You explain, letting him run his thumb over your inked skin. “Maybe I should get something of you.” He muses, looking at you.

“I thought you didn’t want tattoos.” You tease, kissing his lips gently as John lowers your wrist once more. “I’d do anything for you.” He mutters, smile creasing his eyes. “Sap.” You chuckle, gently hitting his chest. “What would you get?” You add on, resting your head upon your lover’s shoulder. “A swan, maybe on her phone.” He half-jokes. “A swan?” You giggle, looking at him. “Mhm. They’re beautiful birds, very elegant, very precious too. You’re definitely my swan.” He smiles, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “Aw, John.” You croon, cupping his cheek to press a sweet kiss to his lips. “Perhaps you should make a design for me.” John suggests, holding you closer. “Yeah? Maybe I could…” You reply, letting your head rest once more. “Mhm. I’ve seen your little doodles. It would feel more… special, intimate.” He adds on, fingers brushing over yours before tangling between them, he brings your hand up to a soft kiss; focusing upon your ring finger where your wedding band sits.

“I’ll see what I can do.” You respond, smiling brightly. “Good, good. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.” John chuckles, already picturing what little creations you could come up with. “Let’s just hope your boys don’t tease you.” You joke, scrolling through your social media’s once more. “They wouldn’t.” John rolls his eyes playfully. “Mmm… they would.” You smile, kissing his collarbone. John let’s out a soft chuckle. “They’ve been asking about you.” He notes. “Yeah?” You chuckle, looking up at him. “Mhm. It’s all ‘how’s our mama bear?’ and ‘when can we see her again?’ It’s mainly Johnny, you know how he is.” He laughs gently, you smile. “They’re probably the closest we’ll have to kids.” You joke, knowing how fond they were of you. “I think kids would be less difficult.” John grins. “Yeah,” you laugh. “Kids don’t have access to C4.” John lets out a joking groan. “Don’t remind me.” You laugh again, gazing at your husband as the room settles once more. “What..?” He muses, smiling gently at you. “Nothing.” You smile wider, kissing him.

“Nah, somethings up. What?” He muses, hand rubbing your back. “Just… would you want kids? A family?” You ask, pressing your head into his neck. “Of course. We’d have adorable kids.” He chuckles, “They’d look like you, i’m sure.” He adds on. “Yeah?” You smile, squeezing his torso a little tighter. “Yeah. I wouldn’t mind having a few kids with you, doll.” John insists, muscular arms moving around you securely. You giggle softly, snuggling closer. “I love you.” You tell him, chest elated with joy. “I love you more, darling. Get some rest, eh? It’s getting late.” John whispers, kissing the top of your head. “Alright. Good night, John.” You respond, curling closer. “Night, lovely.”

[contact-guy]

heyyy I hope it's okay to send an ask! I just wanted to know about your art process, if you got any advise. Because I'm in love with your SH doodles, they're so dynamic and lively and the shading is such a nice accent yet it remains somewhat minimalistic? I'm relatively decent at realism but want to develop my own character in drawing more and I'm wondering how you arrived at yours, did you have a method? Thanks in advance^^

love to talk about DRAWING......

The short answer is that because I want to draw them a lot, and have limited time, I can't be too precious about how the final result looks! So a lack of perfectionism and a desire for speed ends up forcing me to simplify and stylize them. This was an organic process (if you scroll down my art tag you can see I was drawing them with a bit more detail, finish, and care a few months ago - I was illustrating vs what I'm doing now, cartooning).

Ideally when you are cartooning, every line of the character's face is doing work to make them THEM, and to tell a story. No unnecessary lines! I find that story is best expressed through eyes, eyebrows, and mouth (this might be different for you). Those features can and should change shape to express emotion. They are usually what I draw first, to figure out the emotion, and they're what I spend the most time tweaking.

The rest of the features - face shape, cheekbones, nose, forehead, ears, hairline - are less emotive, less 'plastic', they don't change shape much. These are doing work to make the character recognizable. I try to keep them simple and have a few simple rules that I can remember about each character.

(Watson is tricky because of his mustache! I've found that treating it as part of his mouth rather than a distinct piece works best, but even so it makes his face less emotive - which, honestly, works for the character, as he is less demonstrative than Holmes)

I'll usually do a simple underdrawing to figure out what the body is doing - trying to capture the energy of a pose and, again, thinking about what story the body is telling.

Then I 'ink' in the clothing, following the lines of the body and gravity. Victorian clothing is fun to draw, I find that the structure around the shoulders and neckline lends itself to expressive poses. I did a bunch of Victorian clothing studies a few months ago and felt like I built up a 'library' in my head so that I don't need to reference it every time.

Shading is incredibly minimal and quick. In really simple drawings, its purpose is usually to distinguish characters from the background. In more detailed ones, it's to give them a little dimension and focus the eye to the faces.

Every choice I make is in service of readability rather than beauty or accuracy, if that makes sense. So it is quite a different mindset than when you're drawing realistically or painting.

I hope this was helpful! I am a professional artist but whenever I get sucked into a fandom I find myself making leaps and bounds in my craft because I want to draw so MUCH and don't care about making it polished...truly shout out to hyperfixation for the gifts it brings

[mitchellpete]

Dating Maverick (Headcanons)

summary: What dating Mav is like. (In ‘86 and in TG:M)

pairing: pete “maverick” mitchell x gn!reader

genre: fluff, a bit of angst

word count: 1278

A/N: if anybody wants a drabble/one-shot or for me to expand on any one of these (or if you wanna just talk about or exchange hcs), drop me an inbox! 

-

1986 (and a few years after-ish)

Maverick is a very gentle lover. It didn’t seem so at first, with how cocky and flirty he might’ve been to catch your attention, but after the second date? So vulnerable and soft with you.

He can sing! Like actually super well. You noticed one day and now you ask him to sing when you can’t sleep. He was kind of self-conscious at first, used to singing with Goose in a playful, rowdy manner, as opposed to softly to you. He grew more comfortable as time passed, and now he likes to sing you his mother’s favorite songs.

But also gets incredibly obnoxious sometimes and will loudly impersonate Elvis while you’re trying to get something done.

Spontaneous road trips on his motorcycle (when he’s able). Dinner in Oceanside. Lunch in Palm Springs. A pick up in Vegas. A day in Phoenix. When? Now! Now?!

Knows the Southwest like the back of his hand, actually. It’s not as fun as flying, but driving through the wide, open stretch of desert with you clinging behind him is one of his absolute favorite pastimes.

Is from somewhere in the Southwest, therefore he absolutely hates the cold. Will have the heater on in the winter time and is not opposed to getting wrapped up in blankets by you. You tease him on how easily cold he gets, and he’ll playfully go “Whatever.”

You frequently find random candid photos of you. Taped to his wall, to his fridge, suddenly framed on his bedside table. He almost never mentions them until you laugh and point them out, to which he responds, “I thought you looked pretty there.” (With a shit-eating grin.)

Definitely has one in his F-14, by the way.

Is very stubborn about his attire. Very insistent on dressing like a cowboy at all times. You had to buy him his first pair of beach shorts.

Loves seeing you in his clothes; he’s crazy about it, actually.

Very cute lunch dates. He knows the best diners.

He likes taking you out for ice cream. Sometimes you share a cone and watch the sunset and the planes soaring through the sky. 

He’s the best kisser. He prefers soft, sensual kissing and it definitely has its effect on you.

He has a habit of leaving paper planes everywhere. Some with love notes in them, others with funny doodles. Sometimes it’s just both of your names written, a little heart in between. 

He rambles a lot. He’s very, very passionate about flying, and about his plane. Though you might not know what he’s talking about, nodding along with a simple smile and asking him a few questions makes him so happy. “Well, no, you see..” And then he goes on and on again. 

At the same time, Maverick can be difficult sometimes. Especially after Goose. Sometimes he feels he needs to be alone, but don’t take it personally. He appreciates your support, but he’s been conditioned to “suck it up and move on.” It weighs on him to have to try, so expect him to be a bit quieter at times, a bit slower. You can sit around with him as he sulks, your head on his shoulder to let him know you need him, and that he’s loved. That he doesn’t have to isolate.

You get to watch him visibly becoming Bradley’s father figure. 

“Hey, about tomorrow’s date. Can I bring the kid?” 

Melting when he’s got Bradley in his lap in front of you, making airplane noises with a french fry to watch Bradley giggle and clap. Your heart swells at how good he is with him.

“Pete.. You can’t take him to watch that movie; it’s not for kids.” His signature grin. “Carole won’t mind.”

-

TG:M

Still sings to you. Or, in general, really. He likes to hum while making you breakfast.

He writes all your dates on his calendar. 

He’s very playful with you. Likes making you double over in laughter because it usually results in you wrapping your arms around him and kissing him.

But he also enjoys when you tease him. Tell him there’s something he can’t do as well as he used to and boy, he will prove you wrong. He insists he’s getting better with age.

He’s still as flirty as ever. Except, you’re already dating, so he does it to watch how flustered you get. He loves making you blush.

He likes pet names. Sweetheart and honey are the ones he calls you the most.

He still does not like proper beach attire. Will roll up his jeans and call it a day.

He loves beach days with you, though. He likes laying back on the sand and watching you sunbathe, or play in the water.

You’re almost scared of phone calls now, with the way you’ve been called and informed of the accidents he’s been in while testing his planes. Though most are minor, you can’t help but worry that the next one might not be.

You’ve cried to him a couple times, making him promise he’ll be careful.

He’s a bigger cuddler at his older age, with the habit of pulling you from where you stand, from whatever you’re doing, and tugging you into bed with him.

He likes it when you play with his hair. It’ll lull him to sleep sometimes. Especially when you gently massage at his scalp, and bonus if you’re giving him kisses too. The fastest way to get him asleep, truly.

Alternatively, he also likes playing with yours. He’ll randomly twirl a strand when you’re in front of him, will tuck another behind your ear, will softly intertwine his fingers in it while you lay on him. 

When he’s able, sleeping in together. As often as he can. 

He notices you so well. If something is bothering you, he’ll make sure to find out what it is. He’s also a very good problem solver (duh, but with mundane things too). You feel like he deals with a lot, so you don’t always take every single one of your problems to him, but boy, when he figures out something is wrong? Expect him to walk you through the simplest of things if that’s what you need. He has an unbelievable amount of patience with you. And if it’s something he can’t help with, he’ll at least want to be there with you as you deal with it. He can be the best listener if you need him to be.

Is a lot more domestic and able to settle down. Likes the idea of having a “home” with you. (Not that he didn’t when he was younger, but he feels more grounded now. More grown up. Able to breathe a bit better.)

He makes your coffee just the way you like it. If he’s up before you, he always wakes you up with it, and a kiss on the forehead.

The days spent in his hangar. 

Sometimes, in the summer, a late night thunderstorm will pass through, and there’s nothing more thrilling than cuddling up to him in the trailer, the both of you giggling at the sound of the rain pattering and the loud cracks of thunder. 

But also the days! Though he’ll be occupied with something, you’re always a mere 10 feet away, reading or sketching or entertaining yourself in whatever way you can. Other times you just watch him work. Other times you ask him to tell you his infamous stories, or about his dad. He’ll have sort of a sad smile as he talks, but you know that he loves talking about the past. You make sure to always make room for it in the tranquility of the desert.

[twst-drabbles]

Jamil 15

Summary: You've had your fill of studying with Jamil. Now you just want to bother him a little bit. Embarrass him a little.

(So, I ended up relapsing back into my sugar addiction, which has obviously caused my writing high to vanish. So! I am trying to limit my intake once again. It will be a painful journey.)

It wasn't anything too tough, what you asked of Jamil. It was nothing more than just a review on what is the basic of basics, things that little kids and other young ones would know by heart without having to think too deeply on it.

"Quit with the judging silence, Jamil," you said when that look of exasperation briefly crossed his face, "did you forget? I'm not from here. Born in a world of exactly zero magic. Not hidden. Nothing."

You were being a bit rude at the time but you couldn't help it. Everyone around you constantly forgets this fact about you. Whenever you end up flubbing up a simple question that apparently everyone else could answer, your little group of first years either snort, actively laugh out loud, or baby you like you weren't a full adult.

So you figured, with all the approachable and semi-approachable people you knew, you may as well ask Jamil to teach you all about the basics. At least he'll have the sense to keep his frustrations with you inside himself once he figures out just how little you knew.

You were more than ready for him to reject you on the spot and say things regarding his chores and duties to Kalim. For that case, you were ready to just ask if he could write down some notes for the questions you had written down. A sort of pen pal situation.

But, to your pleasant surprise, Jamil nodded then texted you the details later of when the first tutoring session will be.

And so here you are in Jamil's room, sitting on the floor, doodling and highlighting away as you're being told how these magical gems form, how they interact with magic, how they help beyond just collecting that noxious blot, along with subjects beyond that.

"And this is where the equations come in," Jamil leaned down and tapped at the various magical sequences you wrote down to remember later, "See, magic is very tied into the imagination of its user, however, imagination as we know it isn't enough to truly draw out all of its potential. Think of it as, imagination being a basic soup broth, and magical equations are the spices that go into it. Magic itself would then be the taste of that dish."

You've been tapping your pen against your knee for the later half of the hour. It's interesting stuff, you won't lie. It's all easy to understand at least, but you can't help the boredom that crawls up after studying for over two hours already. You're very sure Jamil isn't aware of the time, simply caught up in his relaying of knowledge as you continue to absorb it.

Kind of strange to you, honestly. You'd think Jamil would be aware of it considering how he acts and deals with Kalim. Perhaps he's enjoying himself too much, being your tutor?

You look to his face, then see that were was weight to that little theory. Jamil was leaning forward, his own pen in hand as he scribbled down his own little notes in your journal, drawing arrows this way and that to help guide your eyes when you eventually need to look back upon it.

He didn't even notice how into your personal space he was. You could sigh and your breath would brush his hair.

You waited, just because you wanted to see if he would notice. But no, he didn't. He continued to scoot closer, adding in even smaller notes as he goes down the rabbit hole of basic information being broken down into even more basic part.

"Jamil." You leaned against your hand.

You can see the way his thoughts swirled to a stop. "Hmm? What is it? Did I lose you somewhere?"

"Nope," you lightly chuckled out, "Haven't you noticed? You're getting very cozy in my space. Practically sitting on my cushion."

Just to make your point known, you tapped your pinky against Jamil's own.

He blinked, looked down to your hand, to his legs leaning against your cushion, then to your face that was inches away from his own. He seized air into his lungs as he flung himself off. He scooted himself way farther than he needed to, would've probably hugged the wall if he didn't pride himself in his quick and near unbreakable composure. His face was pulled back in near horror at what he's done.

You laughed and leaned back on your palms. "Come on, I don't mind. Be as close as you want."

Jamil was quick, as always, to put himself back together. He smoothed down his hair, did some breathing exercises, then blurted out, "Let's take a small break before we continue. Please."

"Alright, alright," you waved. And Jamil fast walked right out of his own room.

Did you tease him too much? He was practically sweating under the collar. Couldn't even look you directly in the eye. If he can't handle this much teasing, you can only imagine how he'd be if you were to be merciless.

Well, hopefully you don't give him a heart attack.

[marsspeedway]

COD HEADCANONS! (1?)

This is translated from Spanish so I'm really sorry if there is a translation error or a word that shouldn't be there!

SIMON RILEY GHOST

His casual outfit is really simple: jeans and a t-shirt or hoodie, his shoes of choice (usually his sneakers or boots) and a leather jacket if it's a more "formal" outing (a date?) or if he feels like dressing up.

Yes yes, balaclava on the base and cloth mask off the base.

Due to his past he has developed a defense mechanism of making jokes to "get over" or lighten his trauma.

After the betrayal of his team and his capture by Robas he basically got used to survive with very little. Therefore: he doesn't eat much, doesn't sleep much and is always in alert mode.

His chuckles are low, deep and feel mocking 99% of the time even though they are not. Instead his real laughter, his guffaws, are LOUD but very very strange to hear.

This man does NOT have a driver's license.

He has constant nightmares and/or night terrors so he tends to sleep very little.

Simon "Ghost" Riley is sleep deprived.

Ghost is the soldier, Simon is the human. So, Ghost is the armor that protects Simon, the tough exterior that protects the sensitive and too fragile interior. 

His room is simple, he doesn't have many belongings and the few he has are really valuable for him.

Ok yes, "Ghost collects knives" or "Ghost collects guns" but... Ghost collects lighters.

Bonus if you think he's a smoker.

Bonus X2 if you think he's an EX-Smoker!

Sleeping near Soap, or cuddling him, surprisingly calms him down (considering how much he dislikes and discomforts physical contact).

Soap is like his safe place, then Price follows, but he doesn't get that close to him physically (almost not at all really).

His closeness to Price has been very helpful to him, the man is a great listener and a great advisor and Simon can't thank him enough for always being there when he needs a shoulder to lean on or someone to give him good advice.

Ghost's "Fucking hell..." at the moment of meeting Soap in MW2 is mainly because he didn't expect to meet him again, he didn't expect to see him again after Makarov, let alone have to WORK with him again. It's not that he dislikes him, he just didn't expect the guy to be HIS sergeant instead of Price's.

During "Alone" Ghost tells jokes and talks to help Soap through the bad time, to calm him down and help him move forward but he also does it for himself because damn: just betrayed at the border of a country/city they don't know, with the colonel who received them captured, with a (his) wounded and messed up sergeant who is the only ally he has right now and who in turn is trying to get to him, with mercenaries nipping at their heels... I think the poor guy has a right to be a little bad. Well, Simon is bad because Ghost seems to be hiding it well.

Hairless?

He tends to eat fast, very fast.

JOHN "SOAP" MACTAVISH

He told Price that they should make varsity jackets with the Task Force logo on them...

Guess who has varsity jackets with the Task Force logo on them?

OG!Soap (2009) hates dogs (according to a line of dialogue) but personally I think Reboot!Soap (the current Soap, the one from 2022) likes them quite a bit.

He's a bit (too much) hyperactive.

He tends to gift and buy things for Ghost, little trinkets or things he knows Simon can use. It goes from clothes to some toy he thinks Ghost might like, they are usually toy soldiers, little action figures or legos (or anything that reminds him of Ghost).

Simon keeps them all. Every single one, even if it's a rock or a note that Soap left him or a doodle that Soap gave him.

He's a freaking master with butterfly knife tricks.

No, he doesn't use them to impress Ghost....

Maybe he does...

Ghost pretends the tricks don't impress him but they do.

He gives me Golden Retriever Boyfriend vibes that can send a bomb to your house.

Let's not forget he's a 30 year old man, military, explosives expert who basically operates in an elite task force... I mean, he could easily kill you. But, still, he's got a nice vibe, he's sociable and it's hard to dislike him.

Bookworm! He'll devour a book in a matter of hours and if he likes it enough he'll do an essay or summary.

He's a homebody with a big, big family. And he would love to have his own family with his own little house in the camp.

To pass the time he usually draws and occasionally writes in his journal. That thing is a little bit of everything: drawings, notes, stories, a personal diary, etc. Anything goes in there.

He cuts his mohawk himself and also usually takes care of rookies' hair, or really anyone who asks (nicely).

He can actually do more than cut mohawks or shave heads, his mother knows how to cut hair and he learned how to do it himself.

You want him to braid your hair? Of course, he's the one! He grew up with several sisters, so of course he knows how to braid. Ponytails? Go ahead. A bun? Sure. You ask and he'll know what to do and if he doesn't, he'll find it.

He can cook a little, just enough to get by and not live on instant noodles and take-out.

[luvleekaotix-imagines]

Buttercup Reader x 141 things

This is just a brain dump of… dumb shit I think is cute. AAAAAAAAAA. 

⋄⋄⋄ Ghost ⋄⋄⋄

💀  The relief and/or pride this man feels when he sees you making a proper cuppa one day. Like, thank god. It does freak you out that Ghost is kind of watching you intensely while you’re making a tea, but you figure out what’s happening before you finish. He approves! From then on, if you know he’s around, you’ll make him a tea if you’re having one and very occasionally you’ll find a thermos on your desk with tea in return.

💀 Ghost learns about you mostly by watching you. You tend to want to fidget if you’re trying to work problems out and you do have various fidget toys on lying around your working space - the most complicated the issue, the more fidget-y the toy. However, one day he sees you walking up and down a hallway tricking a fucking butterfly knife in your hands (it’s just a blunt hobby one). Before he can say anything, you yell “It’s fake, big annoying problem need big stabby knife.”

He for some fucking reason finds the phrase hilarious , but he doesn’t show it right away. Instead, when you’re helping operate comms, the chatter turns to knives and Ghost says, “Well, sometimes a big annoying problem needs a big stabby knife-”

You are annoyed at him for awhile, that is until he placates you with a simple “You wanna learn how to throw ‘em?”

Fine, you can forgive him for now, you guess.

💀 Price makes you go out to do annoying acquisition meetings sometimes. A lot of military gear you have to go check and purchase and almost all of the sellers or previous owners underestimate you solely because of your callsign ‘Buttercup’. Most end up being okay in the end, some are just straight up dog shit and stay dog. So Price sends Ghost with you to the worst of them, because people tend to listen to you when Ghost is looming behind you with a death stare. 

💀 You don’t do field work, so you don't have a use for a skull balaclava, but you do find a skull pin on your desk one day, which is nice. :>

⋄⋄⋄ Soap ⋄⋄⋄

🧼 Soap likes to lift you up. Like, he just, likes to lift you??? Bear hug and swing you around, piggy back rides - even in the gym, sometimes he’ll nag you into sitting on a weight plate and he’ll do some reps with a big dumb ass grin on his face. The ego on this man. Why is he so strong?? Stop.

🧼 While we’re at it, Soap is also the one who gets you work out on a semi regular basis. You hole yourself up in your office a lot because you do desk work mostly, but he encourages you to go out for a run with him a few times a week at least. It’s a nice gesture and it does help your mental health a lot. Sometimes when he sees that you’re really riled up, he’ll make you throw some punches either at him or a punching bag. If you are fucking awful at it, he doesn’t say a thing about it. You are not a frontline soldier, your strengths are elsewhere, this is just to help you work out some energy.

🧼 Your workshop is littered with little notes. Sometimes its from you hastily scribbling shit not to forget, sometimes its a note cause people couldn’t find you, most times its Soap leaving you a doodle of something. Your favourite one that you have stuck on your main screen is one of a lil smiling buttercup and a lil smiling bar of soap. :>

🧼 One day you ask him to teach you some Scottish phrases and god he gets such a fucking kick out of you trying to fucking do the accent. The others find him roaring with laughter at your attempts and your face is burning from embarrassment, but the two of you find it a lot of fun. Now these phrases are like little in jokes, others kind of don’t understand, but you know what they mean.

🧼 After while you also get to call him Johnny, if you’d like.

⋄⋄⋄ Gaz ⋄⋄⋄

[WHY ARE THERE NO GIFS OF GAZ?????????? GUYS??? HE’S SO FINE THO]

❤ You and Gaz bond through food, honestly. He gains favor with you using snacks. He figures out your favourites the fastest out of everyone. He is also the one who makes sure you’re eating something during your project crunch times because sometimes you’re so focused in your work you forget to eat. Gaz is also probably one of the best cooks in the 141 and definitely the best of Bravo Team. If he’s cooking you know you have nothing to worry about.

❤ Gaz is your MRE buddy - as in if there are any times where you guys have to have MREs and you have different ones, you’ll exchange bits and pieces with each other or just share the good bits. He also shows you some typical ways soldiers mix shit together to make it interesting to consume. Its equal bits horrifying and interesting to be honest.

❤ Collectively you and Gaz know the most trivia out of the 141. You just have so much useless knowledge between the two of you. Everyone knows not to put the two of you together if there is any kind of trivia games because then you absolutely would win, but when you’re put in separate teams, it just ends up being you and Gaz going head to head. Trivia games are just… outlawed eventually because its not fun if you and Gaz are involved.

❤ If you fall asleep in weird places and find a blanket on you, it’s probably from Gaz.

❤ Gaz is the first one to say ‘that’s our Buttercup’ and it catches on. Whenever you’re praised they say ‘Our Buttercup’ and its just so nice :>

⋄⋄⋄ Price ⋄⋄⋄

🔥 You interact with Price the least out of Bravo Team at first. Its a mix of him being busy, but also he’s the Captain and you see him as your Boss-boss, so you’re a little professionally intimidated from interacting with him the way you do with the others. This changes when one day you catch him outside having a smoke and he asks you to sit and have chat with him. At first you think you’re in trouble, but when the chat is just… shooting the shit, you realise he’s trying to get you to warm up to him. You relax a lot more around him, still professional, but a lot less scared to say ‘hi’.

🔥 Price doesn’t quite understand how connected you are to a whole load of networks until one day when he gets frustrated that one requisition request he has keeps getting knocked back. To be fair the requisition is going to a team that Price pretty sure has a chip on their shoulder because of Task Force 141. There were actually quite a lot of other PMCs that didn’t look upon the 141 favorably even if they had to work together on occasion. You ask to take a look at the requisition brief and you hum. “Okay, leave it with me.” Price doesn’t know what you go to do, but he does know the order is approved and he gets it within the week. He does not ask what happened.

🔥 The captain is actually the best person to talk to when you’re not feeling the best. He has been through so much and is a phenomenal leader. When you have any concerns, Price is always there to listen and it doesn’t feel like he’s doing it to placate you. He genuinely listens and talks things out with you. “We’re a team.” He reminds you of that often and with his leadership it does feel like it.

🔥 Price catches you being cold one day and you get a nice scarf and gloves as a gift. You jokingly say “Thanks Dad,” and he just says “At least one of you kids appreciates it.”

[shaarlslec]

lady leclerc

read part 2 here lovelies;

pairing: lewis hamilton x reader words: 7200 ish (i need to stop writing long introductions but i cannot); warnings/notes: bridgerton but make it lewis hamilton, not historically accurate at all (language esp), mentions of death; patriarchy? but dont worry we will make it fall; being sister to the three leclerc brothers; need to find gifs with lewis not in his racing gear to fit the theme agggh;

masterlist

Sir Lewis Hamilton’s name was on everybody’s lips that sunny afternoon of June before the main event of the summer: the debutantes’ ball. Rumours went around the whole town of London that the Marquez’s son was in search for a lady to betroth after years of not attending any season. Hamilton’s name was on the top of your family’s tongues too that day – warning you to stay afar from the most eligible bachelor that everyone else craved to have as a suitor. 

preface:

The day you have prepared for most of your life finally had arrived and you were feeling more uneasy than ever before. You felt your sweat going down on the line of your back as your maid was tightening the corset above your waist. You nervously gulped as you pushed your shoulders back to look at your figure in the giant mirror that stood tall in front of you. A very unrecognizable person showed on the other side, and you were not that very pleased with what was seen before your eyes.

Doodled up from head to toes, dressed in a pretty suede mauve dress and with arms covered in light purple lace gloves that went up to your elbows, the woman looking at you from the mirror looked way different than the one who often chooses to ditch pretty dresses for her brothers’ stolen loose white shirts and pants. But today was important, today was not the day for you to be dressed in men’s clothing. You had to look the prettiest you had ever looked while not being too much, showing elegance and class – but how can you do that when your brothers only taught you rough aggressive sports and how to properly spit against the wind?

You looked outside the mirror seeing how the sun peaked at its brightest shape, and you knew that the middle of the day was near which meant that you would have to be ready in time to be presented in front of the Queen by the beginning of the evening.

You rehashed the speech in your head, even mimicking a reverence as you were memorizing for the thousands time how to properly introduce your name in front of her majesty. Y/N Leclerc, daughter of Baron Leclerc, sister to the three Leclerc brothers. Simple, efficient, short and to the point. And yet, why was it so hard to you to find the right pace of the words? 

“Your Majesty,” You spoke out loud after you coughed twice to adjust the tone of your voice while trying to get a hold of your accent, “No.” You shook your head as the words seemed so utterly spoken from between your lips, “Your Majesty.” You tried again after you took a fresh breath of air in. 

Wrong, wrong, wrong. It sounded all so wrong.

You sighed and looked at your right at a happily smiling maid that only tried to comfort you with her positivity, “You will do just great, my lady.” She softly spoke before a short paused in which she read the stiffen and annoyed facial expressions on your face, “I will bring Baron Leclerc to you after we are done here, I believe that he will best know what to say.” She then replied, arraying the locks of your hair for the thousand time that day to make them sit perfectly on the top of your already aching shoulders. 

“Bring all of them in.” You sharply spoke, “They should be home, the morning hunting session must have been finished by now.” You added with yet another light annoyed huff, “I am so sorry for being this irritated, ma’am.” You apologized underneath your almost cut breath realizing how sharp and unkind your tone sounded with the one who has been noting but perfect in serving you as your main maid since you were a just a little spoiled daddy’s child, with the one from whom you learned how to act lady-like for the very moment you will be officially out in the social world. 

Lady D, as you often liked to call the maid since her name was unbelievability complicated for you to pronounce as a child, glowingly smiled at you once more before gripping the strings of the corset and tightly locked them at your back in a small complicated ribbon that you swore no one in the world was capable of doing, “You do not have to worry about that darling, I know that today is a very stressful day for you.” She then kindly spoke as she took a step back to fully watch the imagine you were unable to recognize in the mirror, “You do look stunning.” Lady D encouraged, and although you appreciated the woman’s support through not only that day but all your young years in the absence of your dearest mother, you were not able to escape the feeling that you looked like an unshaped pencil. 

Your shoulders shrugged again before being pushed back by Lady D, “I look stupid, ma’am.” You replied as you nervously started to walk across the room while talking and sporadically gesticulating, enhancing your tamed anger in front of your maid, “The way I look is not even the stupidest thing about today, Lady D. The stupidest thing is that I must look and behave in a certain way for a man to sway into my direction at the ball.” You exasperatedly cried out while still being attentive not to derange not even a string of hair with your hands so close to your face.

“Then, I have to make conversation with him and pretend that I am interested in whatever he will say just to convince everyone in the room that I am ready to marry and have kids, and built a family and be a good wife in his household just for him and his family to invest in me and my family and that it is just –” You stopped, the sound of horses neighing outside the window interrupting your brambling out of a sudden.

You glanced outside, and for a minute there your shoulder relaxed, and your speech calmed down a notch. 

They were home, your family was home. You were basically able to hear your brothers' laughter through the window alongside with the familiar sound of Lady D’s husband shouting at the horses to stop. Lady D followed your glare, and you once you saw the corners of her mouth lifted in a small genuine smile, you understood that her family was back home too, and nothing made the two of you happier than their presence in that very moment. You dearly sighed softly, when will you be able to smile at a man who is not one of your brothers like that?

 “I am not ready for what follows at all.” You ended, watching the three men you just earlier mentioned getting out of the family chaise to enter the mason with the thought of hurrying into your chambers, “If it was not for them, I would have stayed unmarried until the end of my days.” You mumbled, speaking for yourself rather than for Lady D’s ears to capture your bittersweet words. 

The first familiar face to exit the chaise’s little woodened doors was Lorenzo, your older brother, and the now head of the family. Baron Leclerc, as everyone called him since the early death of your late father five years ago. You had always known him as Enzo and called him accordingly using the terms “big little brother” and “you sound just like father, my dearest brother”. From between your lips escaped a chuckle once you saw him looking up at your window, checking if you were ready to be seen. You threw in a little wave, and Enzo replied with a warm smile. 

Enzo was two years older than you, and yet after your father’s passing, he had to take the household responsibility into his own hands, and that did not do him any good. Your big little brother had the most forced and rapid process of maturing amongst the four of you – Lorenzo had to, there was no other choice for your family to survive back then if he refused to do so. Therefore, although Enzo was not that mature in age, the man acted and behaved as if he reached an early maturity of a forty-year-old man and took the role of your protector against all the bad things in the world – including men, most importantly including men. You were the most grateful for your big little brother, not even imagining how your lives would have completely turned upside down if Lorenzo were not to take responsibilities for the three of you.

Baron Lorenzo was followed by Charles Leclerc, your fresh breath of air when times went rough in your family as they often had the tendency to do. You two were ten months apart, making him the oldest; fact that made Charles always believe that he had the upper hand in any of your arguments and there was nothing more that you loved about your relationship with him rather than to prove him wrong nine out of the ten times. With you two being the middle children, you grew up doing all sorts of mischief together as if you were twins with two weirdly coordinated brains. Your favourite ones being secretly shooting in the back of the garden or sneaking after midnight for a competition of horse-riding in the woods without anyone knowing.  

The last one of the boys to enter the house was Arthur Leclerc, the one you would trade one of your limbs in exchange for the boy’s unlimited safety and love. Arthur was your biggest supporter and admirer from the very first time he uttered his first words. Listening every single time at the door when you had one of your language lessons, exercising dancing practices with you and happily sitting on the top of your piano while slowly cheering and clapping when you would play them melodies during Christmas mornings, Arthur loved to do them all. You swore to yourself starting from a very young age that if somebody were to hurt your youngest brother, you would be the one to murder them in cold blood with or without any assistance from Lorenzo and Charles.  

Watching them going into the house and hearing their hurried steps on the stairs to come and see you, you realized that you would cause dreadful harm to anyone if they wrongly mingled with any of your brothers. No matter the cause, no matter the reason. Family always came first – always and forever. 

The three of them were your whole family, and no one dared to touch your family due to that. Mother died young, months after having Arthur as afterbirth complications shortly appeared, and father followed years later due to illness. You had other relatives spread across the town and country that you had to falsely pretend to adore, knowing that they were after your money and social status. And yet, none of the mattered. All they wanted was to spread rumors and listen to prefabricated lies about you and your brothers.

You were a Leclerc, and that was all that mattered. 

“I am so jealous that they do not have to all of this yet.” You spoke, thinking about how your situation as a woman was far different from the one of your brothers.

They were all happily unforced to marry yet. You? On the other hand. Oh, you were getting older, and no one wants an old maiden to marry. 

Lady D agreed with a silent nod as Enzo’s knuckles impatiently knocked on the other side of the door, “Men always had everything easier, in my next life I want to be reborn as one of them.” She commented as she threw you a sly wink, unlocking the door for your brothers to all barge in at once. 

You nodded back with a tiny smug on your face. Lady D was moderately right, you too wanted for your next life to not be revolved around the idea of marriage, and yet in your next life you would perhaps not be this lucky to have them three as your family. Therefore, being Lady Leclerc sounded just right for the moment, living in the same mansion as your brothers and sharing your life with them for long as your unmarried happy life permitted. 

“You look astonishing sister!” Arthur was the first one to affirm once they stopped in awe at the entrance of your chambers, covering his mouth in wonder as he took few steps in, Arthur continued with the loads of compliments, “I have never seen you in such a beautiful dress!” He then argued, getting closer to take a better look at the intricate lace print of your gloves, “Are these mom’s?” Arthur then asked with widened teary eyes that you adored staring back at you, although your heart ached every single time Arthur mentioned your dear mother as you knew that your youngest brother had never escaped the guilt of your mother’s death. 

You softly smiled to him as you took Arthur hands in yours after nodding, “They are, she wore these when she met father.” You spoke, “Enzo offered them to me as a gift.” You added, gently looking into your big little brother direction, “I will keep them in good condition so you will gift them to your future wife.” You teased, knowing very well that the idea of marriage was an estranged feeling for the twenty-two-year-old boy. 

“They are perfectly made for you, sister.” Enzo added, leaning on the now closed door behind Lady D’s exit after a short reverence from her side in front of him, “When was the last time I specifically required Lady D not to kneel in front of me anymore?” He then asked, making sure that your maid was unable to hear him anymore, “I hate when she does that, it makes me feel so dirty.” 

Charles’ short giggle filled the room, “Because she is forty-five?” He then asked, “I am pretty sure you had older women than her kneeling in front of you, brother.” Charles then teased, throwing you a short wink as your favorite topic of discussion when you two were alone were Enzo’s affairs, “Arthur is right sis, you do look astonishing in this dress.” He then added as Charles also came closer to you and Arthur to look at your dress from head to toes, “You might even make Sir Hamilton’s neck turn.” Charles then chuckled, picturing the whole imagine of envious women watching the whole scene as he indulges in bourbon in one of the ballroom’s dimmed lighted corners. 

Lorenzo had decided to drop any reply to Charles’ nasty comment or to scold you for your short chuckle as a response to Charles’ wink, and yet he was not able to hold back when he heard the name that just came out of your brother’s mouth, “You will make a lot of necks turn, anyone but him – you are not allowed.” Enzo then spoke, and you knew that judging by the seriousness in the man’s tone that he was indeed not joking around as Charles was. 

You knew how Sir Hamilton was, everybody knew who Sir Lewis Hamilton was and everybody had heard that he will be present that night at the ball – first time ever for him to do so. High rank in the aristocracy, friends with the royal family, clean reputation with business partners, and a good son to the Marquez and Marchioness Hamilton with the exception that he refused to marry by now preferring to study aboard and see the world before doing so.

Not to mention, devilishly handsome as you often heard people talking about him during your social gatherings, extremely humble for a man his status, gentle with everyone he had ever meet in public, and educated in most topics that existed. You have never had to chance to meet him in person, thought.

As if somebody carefully orchestrated that, and now that you heard your brother’s serious tone and saw Enzo’s furrowed eyebrows, you suspected that Lorenzo was the one to blame for not letting you get a hold of a sight of Sir Lewis Hamilton yet.

“Why not him?” You inquiringly asked Enzo, “I thought he will make the top of your list.” You then added, knowing that Lorenzo had all it planned for you and your family business-wise with any eligible suitor in town, “From what I have heard, the Marquez’ son fits all of your criteria.”  

Oh, how many things you have heard of him.

There was no one in the whole town who was more surrounded by mystery rather than the figure of Sir Lewis.

As the Marquez’s son was rarely in town, people gossiped about him at all social gatherings that you and your brothers attended: some said that Sir Lewis was one of the Queen’s illegitimate sons, and that was one of the reasons why he was never seen in her presence although everybody knew that the Hamiltons were in good relations with the royal family. You never quite believed that rumor or anything else that was said about him, and yet part of you was very much very intrigued by this character – as all town was.  

Lorenzo let out a deep sigh, “What about your criteria Y/N?” He then breathed, “Do you want a self-centered selfish man as your husband?” Your little big brother inquired, sending a look of disapproval by shaking his hand. 

Your eyebrows frowned in confusion, “How do you know he is all that? From what I know the Marquez’s is barely even here.” You replied, seeing Lorenzo all defensive about this enigmatic character of a man.

Charles commented as he stroked one of your shoulders for reassurance and comfort all together, “We happened to stumble across him at the club quite a few times sis, trust Enzo when he says that Sir Hamilton might not be the best choice for a husband.” He then spoke with a light smile, “You will do turn his neck, and you better leave it turned. That is if he attends.” Charles highlighted with yet another soft chuckle, “You can do better than a Marquez.” 

Your eyes slightly rolled, “Like who? A prince?” 

Arthur nodded, “You can definitely lure the prince looking like this!” 

You stroked the boy’s hands, Arthur showring you with compliments was so familiar and yet so surprising every single time, “Thank you.” You softly spoke, “What about you Arthur? What do you think about Sir Lewis Hamilton?” You asked, knowing that Arthur would be the one amongst the three of them to support even your dumbest decisions.

“I am as clueless as you sister, I have never meet Sir Lewis in flesh and bones.” Arthur spoke, “They never take me to the club!” He then argued, sending sharp looks towards his older brothers, “Something about being too young to play chess and watch people fight.” He then commented, looking straight at Lorenzo who was the one who vehemently opposed to Arthur becoming a frequenter of the club the two of them enjoyed.  

“That is what you do there?” You argued too, “Play chess and watch people fight?” You inquired while switching glares from Charles to Lorenzo, “Sounds very boring my dearest,” You paused as you patted Arthur’s light ruffled chestnut hairs, “Lady D’s stories are more interesting that what these two are up to.” 

Arthur agreed with a nod, “They do not deserve me in that club anyways, sis.” 

You and Arthur both approved at the same time with yet another nod, making Lorenzo and Charles laugh at your synchrony. If you could choose a moment to freeze in time, this would be it. The four of you laughing together in the same room, all of them admiring you and you admiring them back. And yet, reality was that you had to find a good enough man to leave them for their own sake.

Baron Leclerc was doing a good job maintaining the family’s status, and yet you were slowly yet surely running out of money to live a comfortable life as Lorenzo was not enough to provide goods for the entire family and the few remining servants that you had in your mansion. 

You sighed for the thousandth time that day thinking about the way in which you had to repay them for being your brothers, “Fine boys, leave me and get changed into fancier clothes. We need to be at the palace in less than three hours.” You demanded, unclasping your hands from Arthur, and giving Charles an anxious look, knowing that he was the one who understood you the best when it came to your emotions.  

“You will do great sis.” Charles then softly spoke, stroking your shoulder for one last time that afternoon before they went to their chambers to prepare themselves for being your three wingmen while also acting like your protectors. 

“We are here for you, Y/N.” Enzo spoke at the door as he was the one to close them back, “Always and forever.” Your brother then ended as the door were closed not only after giving you the same warm smile that Lorenzo got you used to since you were children. 

“Always and forever.” You mumbled back, knowing that the “always and forever” meant being away from them for the remining of your life. 

The atmosphere back at the Marque house was far different from what was happening at your place. Sir Lewis was back home for almost two months now, and yet no one saw him outside except for maybe the people that were members of the Gentlemen Club that he frequented. Such a pretentions name for what was really going on there. The chess and watching fights that your brothers mentioned to you were only two of the surface things that took place there. The parts where they would play poker for money and watch ladies dancing almost naked on top of tables while they take handful sips of bourbon and smoke cigars were left outside the discussion. It was not the ideal place to be, and yet your brothers much like Lewis went there to get a pause from whatever life was stressing them for. 

For Lorenzo and Charles was keeping the family together by attending events in high society at the club with the ideal of forming business relationships over placing bets for people fighting in the ring, and as for Lewis quite the opposite.

Ladies and alcohol were the two things that interested him, wanting to have little escapades from the pressure of being the Marquez’s only son. Not the ideal place to be, and yet Lewis would have wished for that afternoon to be spend there or anywhere else in the world far apart from his home where her mother tossed a huge list on his bureau with eligible women to meet at that evening’s ball. 

“Explore them and let me know what you think, you can cross names off the list after you talk with them at least once at the ball.” She demanded, pointing at the top of the list where the name of Queen’s daughter stood tall, “She is eighteen now, and the Queen is more than happy to send her off.” She then spoke, attentively watching her son taking a glance over the names. 

Lewis heavily huffed as he stood back into his chair to relax his already tensed up muscles, taking the list in both of his hands just to please his mother, “Do you really want me to marry a child just because she is a princess?” He then argued, two fingers now standing at the top of his upper lips as he counted all the ladies’ names, “Thirty-five?” Lewis then gasped in shock, “You want me to talk with thirty-five people this evening alone, mother?!” He then argued again, knowing way too well that he was not willing to do so. 

The Marchioness nodded, “And I expect you to like at least ten, and we will see from there.” She then spoke while tapping her fingers on the wooden surface, “We have let you experience life on your own too many years.” She guilty-trapped him while using the sweetest tone a mother can use when they want to manipulate their children, “Your father is deeply sick, and you need someone to rule this whole estate with a woman that can bear your children. That is our last wish as your parents, Lewis.” 

“I will try.” Lewis promised, glancing at his mother’s pleading face and then back to the sheet in front of him full of names until the very one to catch the man’s attention was the last name wrote in cursive at the bottom at the page, “Lady Leclerc.” The man mumbled, fingers back on the top of his lips as he let your name being out of his mouth as if it has always belonged there, “Why is she on the foot of the page?” Lewis inquiringly asked, giving his mother a confused glare. 

The two Leclerc brothers were very much just acquittances of his, and yet amongst all the names that were written on the pages yours sounded the most familiar and your face the most well-known.

You have never got a hold of Lewis’ sight, although the man got one of you years ago when you were at arms with Lorenzo cruising through the park near the lake in one late fall afternoon of October.

It was something about the way you looked, something about the way you clasped your hands together to blow hot air into them to warm yourself up, something about the sound of your giggle at one of Lorenzo’s bad jokes that Lewis never seemed to forget.

Lewis wanted to say ‘hello’ back then, to introduce himself and to politely ask your brother about your situation as he was struck by lightning at your mere presence ten feet away from him. And yet, Lorenzo’s sharp look over his shoulder pierced Lewis harder than your beauty. 

Months later when he was back home visiting during his studies break, Lewis met Lorenzo at the club and asked about you and your full name. Lorenzo then laughed straight into the man’s face not wanting to disclosure anything about you. Lewis understood right from there that you were off limits, and not wanting to get into a fight with the Leclerc brothers, stepping outside was the right move.

And yet, two years later there you were – on the bottom of his mother’s list meaning that you were going to be out in the social world for the very first time as a woman who wants to marry. 

“She is an orphan, daughter of the late Baron Leclerc.” The Marchioness shortly replied, “Her three brothers take care of her since they were children as they had to rise themselves since the father was occupied with business affairs rather than taking good care of them, she has no mother-figure to teach her the rights and the wrongs of being a good wife.” She then crudely added, “Her family does not have that much money left since their father died, and quite a few proprieties under the Leclerc name for a Baron.” Lewis’ mother continued, “The only reason why she even made it on my list to begin with is that her father has a small cousin connection with one of the Queen’s half-sisters and I happen to know her late mother very well.” The woman softly sighed, “Poor girl, to be part of such a damaged family with no mother by her side to guide her.”

Lewis pondered his mother’s words. And yes, as harsh as they sounded – the Marchioness was right. In the eyes of such people as her, you were just a poor girl from a damaged family where the parents left too soon and nothing more. You have been stigmatized almost whole adult life for being an orphan, and so were your brothers. And yet, what everyone was unaware of was the happiness that you four shared in your ‘little too-tiny’ house for a Baron. 

“I know her two eldest brothers.” Lewis spoke, “They do not look poor.” He argued with a smug on his face, remembering all the times in which Charles ordered the most expensive bourbon from the bar to share with the entire room while Lorenzo was already hammered on one of the seats after closing a good deal with the Duke of Hastings, “She does not look poor neither.” He then added while the smug widened on the man’s face, remembering how your neck was covered in pearls that fall afternoon and how beautifully your face was illuminated by the sun’s relaxion in them, “She looked beautiful.” He lastly covered, reminiscently curving all the details of your face from that one single day. 

“The princess is even more beautiful.” The Marchioness bluntly spoke, “Now please go and get dressed, we have to go in less than three hours at the palace.” Lewis’ mother demanded, and the man had no other choice but to listen.

Your knees weakened once you were at the top of the stairs, getting ready to be announced in front of the Queen. Charles and Arthur were next to your trembling body as Lorenzo was waiting for you at the end of the stairs to clasp your hand with yours and hand you in front of the Queen who was already bored of all ladies before you who gave her nothing but tacky lines and poor curtsies.

There were three more debutants before you, and you felt like the world was about to collapse once one of them stepped aside and her name was loudly announced.

“I will trip and fall.” You whispered to both of your brothers, “Can you please take me back home?” You desperately pleaded, grabbing Charles by the collar of his white shirt with both hands while looking at him, and then at Arthur whose emotions might have been even bigger than yours. 

“You will not trip and fall.” Charles assured you while searching for something in the insides of his suit, “Here, for courage.” He then spoke, showing you the tip of a metallic flask which you were sure was filled with the finest of Charles’ bourbon collection.  

Not giving it a second thought, you fetched the flask from Charles’ suit and secretly took a huge sip of the liquid as Arthur and Charles covered for you, “Do not tell Baron Leclerc about this, Enzo is going to be so mad knowing that you are trying to get me drunk to meet the Queen.” You chuckled as Charles quickly took the flask from your hand to place it back at its rightful place. 

“Secrets are always safe with us, sis.” Arthur assured you, watching you take yet another two steps as it was rapidly your turn to get down the stairs of hell, “See you on the other side.” He then teased, placing a short kiss on the back of your hand before letting you go. 

You took a deep breath in, and once your name was announced loudly in the room your body went on automatic pilot. You had no idea how you managed to go down the stairs without holding the railing, with your back straight and your shoulders pushed back just as Lady D thought you, and yet you successfully achieved to do so while looking elegantly radiant. Once you got a hold of Lorenzo’s hand in yours, you shortly exhaled in relief and your muscles relaxed underneath your brother’s touch.

And yet, once the eyes of the Queen looked dead into yours, your heart started beating faster than expected and your words seemed to not find their ways out.

Your hand got slightly squeezed by Lorenzo and you saw Charles and Arthur in the crowd behind the Queen, your mouth opened with class and beauty - they truly were your anchor.

“Your Majesty.” You spoke, clam and controlled as you greeted the Queen with a short reverence, “Y/N Leclerc, daughter of Baron Leclerc, sister to the three Leclerc brothers.” You added while looking at the ground, lifting your glare up just for a moment in which your attention was not fully focused on the graceful woman standing on the chair in front of you, but rather on a pair of dark-arson eyes watching you from behind her shoulder.

You went silent as your glare was caught by the man to whom the black panther’s look belonged. It was him who looked at you with interest, it was him whose name you knew very well but never met in person.

And yet, you were not then aware that Lewis’ eyes were all on you while everybody else was closely watching the Queen’s reactions.

Sir Lewis Hamilton’s memory was right – you were just as beautiful as he remembered. Your lock of eyes lasted for way too short for you to figure out who was eyeing you back, and you were too caught in the moment to analyse the look.

Your back straightened, your shoulders were then again automatically pushed back as you were waiting for a sign from the Queen who was analysing you from head to toes for a good moment before a short smile appeared on the woman’s face. 

“You smell like bourbon.” She then commented, and the room went quiet. 

Your eyes widened, and so did Lorenzo’s. You felt Charles and Arthur looks on you then, absolutely forgetting in an instant those dark-arson eyes on you.

You wanted to say something, and yet you were taken aback by the following sentences that came out of the Queens’ mouth, “I do enjoy my occasional sip of bourbon as well, Lady Leclerc.” She then spoke with an even wider smug now on her face, “Please do enjoy the night.” She continued, and then everybody else around her loudly clapped.

It was for the very first time when she pronounced one of debutantes’ name, let alone whishing one of them to enjoy the night.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” You simply and effective responded before Lorenzo took you out of the spotlight and went straight to your brothers who were happily giggling once you arrived at their spot. 

“Which one of you morons gave Y/N bourbon?” Enzo whispered in between his scrunched teeth, making sure that no one around you four can hear him.

Charles’ eyes went on the celling, and Arthur followed suit in a split of a second. You covered your light chuckle with your hands, “I think we need to thank whoever did it,” You commented while titling your head towards your little brother’s side, “I made the Queen smile.” You added, and Enzo had no other choice but to drop the scolding in front of his youngest siblings seeing how outnumbered he was. 

You took a short look around for the man whose eyes arose in the back of your mind again after the moment with the Queen was passed, and yet there was no sight of the man around you or your brothers. 

“Come on Y/N, I have to introduce you to some people.” Lorenzo demanded, grabbing your hand again in his to closely shelter you next to him and your other two protectors for that night. 

You sighed, “Fine.” You spoke, taking one last look over your shoulder lusting to find the one that resembled the black panther from earlier and yet being unsuccessful to do so, but being left only with the craving of satisfying your curiosity. 

Lady Leclerc, Lady Leclerc. 

Your name rumbled into Lewis’ mind as he was roaming around the ballroom trying to talk with as many women as the Marchioness demanded him to do so.

Lewis’ mother was closely watching him from across the room, still calculating each step of her adult son. The reason why Lewis’ eyes went away from yours as you were introducing yourself to the Queen was the Marchioness who hurried him to find a spot next to a couple of women who were already introduced before you.

Oh, Lewis needed to please the Marchioness quick, and the Marquez’s son had decided to do that since the very beginning of the evening so they could leave earlier from that hell of a ball. 

The beginning of the evening was exhausting for both of you. Lorenzo and Charles introduced you to as many people as achievable, while Lewis had to introduce himself to as many women as imaginable.

Statistically it was unlikely for you two not to meet at some point during the evening, and yet your brothers made sure that Sir Lewis Hamilton was not in your way.

Charles was the one to search for Lewis in the crowd and inform Enzo, and Enzo was the one to move you like a pawn during a very elaborate chess game. There was no way in which they would permit him to be in your proximity – and they had to make sure that you were not accidentally into his.

While all of that was happening, you and your little brother were completely clueless about your eldest brothers’ plan, and you just smiled and talked and then smiled and talked some more, you smiled and you talked until your mouth hurt from that much smiling, and especially that much talking. 

You needed a break – both of you were. Lewis was as exhausted as you to pretend to want ladies’ attention which he anyway got no matter how hard and little he tried. All of them were interested in the same topics, all of them used the same prefabricated lines, and all of them told him straight away how many kids they desired and how good of a wife every single one of them were.

When the dancing started and you firstly picked Arthur to dance with, your brothers were left with no other choices but to invite other two ladies and dance. They had to be around you, they wanted to be around you for you not to make move or say the wrong thing and you were feed up already by their schemes. 

“Little brother, I need your help.” You pleaded Arthur as you two were dancing together, “I need a break from this.” You almost cried out, “Can you be my diversion?” You spoke, and you knew right away that Arthur will never say no to one of your pleadings, “I will sneak out for a fresh breath of air only for five minutes and be back, make sure that they do not notice.” You spoke, titling your head into Enzo and Charles’ direction. 

Arthur agreed right away with a nod, no matter how much he feared to leave you alone unsupervised. You have shown him that although you are a woman, you knew way better than himself to take care of you. You needed an out, and Arthur was more than willing to help his sister.

You sneaked out on one of the balconies in dance steps, while Arthur took another woman to dance with as he threw you a grin on your way out. You had time only for a couple of minutes before the music stopped, and that was more than enough for you.

And yet, what you were unaware of was that during your little sneaking method, Lewis bumped into you, the man was planning the exact same thing as you – alone, five minutes, on one of the balconies of the palace.

Once you got out the whole charade and let your lungs freely inhale the evening’s piercing fresh air, your whole body relaxed against the palace’s wall. With your hand at your chest, you kept playing with the tiny purple diamond that was tucked in your dress by now, swirling the neckless in between your fingers.

It was the first piece of jewellery that your father gifted to you, and now having it in your hands made you less anxious at the thought that you needed to go inside and be social for the rest of the night in hopes that you will find a potential husband. Lucky enough, your potential husband followed you outside the ballroom and was now taking his first steps into your little world. Without wanting to cause you a heart attack,

Lewis coughed twice to adjust the tone of his voice and to make his presence acknowledge at your back. 

You slowly turned to look over your shoulder, thinking for a split of a second that it was either Enzo or Charles that wanted to scold you for sneaking away and not at all expecting to find the darkened eyes of the black panther staring back into yours as they shortly did hours ago. Your entire body froze, and not in the way that it froze on the top of the stairs, but in a way that it was shocked on how exhaled it was to be in the man’s presence.

Seeing him from head to toes and standing in flesh and bones right before you, you put all the heard description of the man together and you figured it out that your gut instinct was right back there – it was him, the one that everybody wanted as a suitor and who your brothers from some unknown reason detested. 

“I apologise, my lady.” Lewis softly spoke, not daring to take any step further to not frighten you no more, “I was not aware of somebody being here.” He then lied, casually resting his shoulder on the door frame with both hands clasped at the front, “And yet, now I cannot leave a lady alone in the dark.” He then spoke, Lewis’ eyes fixing on the swirl of your finger against the purple diamond. 

You chuckled, “I do appreciate the effort, my lord.” You commented, “And yet, there is enough light coming from inside, and I am only inches away from my brothers.” You spoke with a care choosing of your words, “This lady actually enjoys being in the dark alone in silence, my lord.” You added, watching Lewis’ lips being pressed together in tension every time you finished your sentences by calling him “my lord.”

Lewis wanted to make a step back and go inside, and yet at the same time it was not just you who lured him on the balcony. The man needed silence for his own good, “I was searching for the same thing as you, Lady Leclerc.” Lewis then spoke, and you were awed once again that night by someone calling out your name in such a manner, “Do you mind if I join you in silence?” He then asked, and there was no way in which you were able to refuse such an offer.  

You agreed with a nod, and Lewis permitted three steps of a slow yet powerful pressed walk on the balcony finding a spot for his body close to yours and yet distant enough for people to not interpret something if they were to witness your very first dialogue. 

“You know my name.” You commented with your eyes closed, engulfing in the sounds of the evening alongside with the voice of the man that close to you.

[spacey-xannabelle]

Fateful Encounter...

Last month, at around April 10th, I decided to revisit an old project I started months prior which was to polish up a test sketch of a comic page about Lucy encountering Lumi in the dreamspace. And after slowly making progress on this, I'm finally finished with this!

I'm gonna leave some artist notes under the read more, but overall I'm super proud of how this turned out!! This is pretty much my first serious attempt at making comics in general so this has been a very interesting learning experience!

Artist notes: So this is what the original sketch for this whole thing was. It was just me scribbling out a scene I had in my head for Startrails that I wanted to put on paper:

This I'd say was made around 2020-2021 ish. At the time, I didn't really do much with it. Until several months ago, I thought of trying to redraw this page and expand upon it.

But my first attempt at doing this didn't quite lead anywhere. I barely got through the thumbnailing process and just gave up bc I lost motivation (and life/work stuff was Happening so yea I had to put this aside as I figured stuff out). Here's the first draft of the thumbnails:

It was just two pages at the time and was pretty simple. I left this project sitting in my files for a while until I one day just, started binging videos from Thestarfishface on YouTube, primarily her webcomic guide videos. And I decided I'd give this project another go.

It was here where I began making a second draft of the thumbnails and this was what I had to work with:

I wanted to experiment with the panels and get funky with the compositions this time around. The 2 page draft expanded to a 3 page thing. But I thought it would've been better if I added one more page at the end with Lucy waking up as a conclusion to wrap this whole thing together.

And in the middle of working on page 3, my friend had suggested to do a an impact frame page, which I hadn't considered during the thumbnailing, so 4 pages became 5. And this was the result!

I posted the pages as I finished them onto my deviantart so that's where a lot of my thoughts were journaled as I went along dfjsdh. To summarize my ramblings there, this project was a very fun (and a bit frustrating) learning experience! I'm hoping to keep practicing and improving my workflow, and hopefully one day make Startrails a full fledged webcomic :')

Additional ramblings:

The structure that Lucy finds Lumi in is inspired by an orrery.

For page 5, I initially didn't plan for much dialogue but as I drew it, it felt just a liiiitle bit empty, so I kinda just threw in some dialogue for Mira. But bc I was already in the inking process (and I just wanted to have this project completed), I didn't redo the page to even include Mira in it. So Mira's just out of frame sdfjskdh. If I had more time and energy to keep this up, I'd have made a revision of the page so I could include her.

This experience has taught me that I could seriously work on my rendering process a bit more, and that my layer management is just atrocious sdkfjksdfh

This has also taught me that while Medibang has the tools needed for me to draw these pages just fine, it also lacks some stuff that I personally need if I were to do a longer project like this. So I'll be experimenting with CSP next!

The dialogue throughout this whole thing wasn't all that planned out- I really just stuck close to what the initial doodle had which probably wasn't the best idea bc I just have like, 2 pages of Lucy's awkward sounding dialogue aaaa. I might do something a bit more dialogue heavy to help improve this skill next time.

Anyway, thank you for reading through my 1 am ramblings on this little project of mine shdkjhks

[velnna]

This might sound like an odd question but I’m planning on making my own comic at some point and I was wondering if you had any advice? Specifically in making the plot, deciding what each character does and maybe panel/page composition and how to make harmonious colour palettes?

Also one more question but when you were at the beginning of developing Stray Souls did you post little lore/plot snippets and character doodles/info or did you mainly wait until the comic was out?

(Sorry I know this is a lot but I was just wondering sort of what your process is because everything seems so seamless and well-put-together :> )

Ehh first of all the seamless and put-togetherness is an illusion 🫠

A lot of my work is built organically (fancy way of saying I just sorta wing it) and very dependent on what makes me excited at each given point. Generally, I come up with an idea for a character or a plot point and from there start branching out.

Say, I create character A. A needs a story so I create some beats for them, a beginning-middle-end type thing. While thinking of this, characters B, C, etc pop up as placeholders/devices for A's story, and the world gets shaped around it as well. Then suddenly something in the world gets decided that in turn changes A's story a little, and so on. Then I go into B, C, etc and do the same thing (build a story, let it bleed into the world and let the world bleed into it).

There's pros and cons to this sort of thing of course. Most of the time I over-develop characters or world bits that are completely unnecessary and clutter the narrative (especially when it's something like a comic, where things need to be explained visually and economically), and because of this sort of chaotic process I also tend to get entangled in my own concepts and lose track of my main threads. I don't dislike it entirely so it's just a matter of figuring out what works best for your own goals and processes.

Some general advice for comics that I've learned from trial and error: try stripping your story down to its bare bones and see what you absolutely need VS what's there for flavour or added context. Only add flavour once you're sure you can tackle the minimum, both in writing and artwise. Keep your character designs simple if you value your hands lol. It's fun to design complicated details but you WILL get tired of drawing them after a while. Sometimes it's ok to tell and not show 🤷‍♂️ if you're a one-man team sometimes you just gotta bite the bullet. Bear in mind that long stories will take YEARS to complete in comic format. Not an end all be all, but you do need to think about that. Also just go for it once you've got a structure you feel good about. I personally don't like over planning and don't even script things, so I don't think you need to have everything on paper before getting some chapters rolling. Most of what I've learned about comics has been making them, not thinking about making them. Oh, and readers tend to be more lenient than we give them credit for - if you're passionate enough about your world or characters, chances are at least some people will be interested regardless of whether you think art or writing are up to par

As for the other question, I spoiled the shit out of stray souls before launching it and still kinda do it for fun LMAO. Nothing too serious ofc but I've always loved giving people an insight into characters and world outside of the comic since the comic itself is a little peek into the whole thing. It also kinda serves to keep people interested imo

And I just can't keep my mouth shut about my stories lol

[brainyrot]

Small little things I imagine bendy does, because we don't see much of what he does aside from the quest itself or training

- he draws. He likes to doodle a lot. people, clothing, backgrounds or new things to build, he likes to doodle.

Sometimes he enjoys drawing his friends in "the weird style" (aka: our realism.)

- whenever he builds, it's like if he was playing with Legos. He created so many things simply because it's fun.

- sometimes he likes to talk to his shadows. just, simply talking, about the weather, opinions, anything.

- he likes to imagine things, when he doesn't know. He has questions books don't answer, and hat has no time for him, so he doodles his questions.

He could be doodling different forms of demons, how some types of demons he has never seen works, certain powers he saw from books and so on, and so on. He lets his imagination give the answers, or theories.

Sometimes he likes to doodle demons he saw from hell, they look intimidating and probably most are aggressive but they look cool in his opinion :)

- he likes to dance, while humming. He does simple dances, like a small piroette or just swinging around.

- he likes to do things in his room with the lights off. He can hear the shadows better, and it feels comforting.

- his sleep schedule depends on the day, usually though, he stays awake all night doing homework, then at 6 he goes running, then at 7 breakfast, then sleeps and then wakes up.

Sometimes he stays up during the day but usually 11-12am hits hard and he just goes to sleep.

- he always wants to try shapeshifting, so he uses a mirror to just try and see what he can do, but only small things. He always ends up doing something but never understanding how do it again.

In the end, he is always teaching himself to do things, because no one bothers to properly teach him.

- He once did try to change himself completely, by making himself taller and such, but he figured he is not comfortable in it, so he changed it back, it's real handy when you can change things at will. Maybe he'll only be tall to tease Cuphead.

- he likes to snuggle in his bed a lot, he figured that since he now lives in a house, with food and people without having to worry about the money, or food or taking care of everyone he can just relax, so he does. He snuggles and sleep. He likes taking naps, he eepy.

So he just does things from his bed, unless it's about building things. If he can lose a pencil in his bed imagine all the small things he has to get to build stuff.

- he steals stuff from others. At night, if he has no homework, he just sneaks out and steals things to build other things, like with toad's clock.

[tues-dayy]

Midnight is not the tallest out there and, flanked by her first officer, she looks even shorter. The fact of her height doesn't matter at all when the way that she holds herself, shoulders back and chin up, makes her seem larger than life. Her presence extends from her body like a tangible thing, pressing into the walls and crowding around the empty spaces between officers. Claire’s breath goes a little thin as Midnight makes her way deeper into the shuttle bay. Jason, on the other hand, is half there, like an extension of Captain Midnight. He’s smiling and relaxed (if an AI could actually be relaxed) as he hovers just behind Midnight. He’s vibrant in a way that Claire knows is intentional, programmed into him by some higher up engineer that doesn’t want any AI to go unrecognized. “My interns!” Captain Midnight exclaims, arms wide open. Her smile is almost blinding in its intensity, and a few of the Ensigns around Claire grin in return. “They’re called ensigns, Captain.” “Enough micromanaging Jason, let me greet our interns.” Jason, instead of sighing or looking annoyed, just smiles at the Captain. It’s indulgent, fond, overall very sweet, and unlike anything Claire’s encountered during her training. There’s always respect between a Captain and their First Officer, and Claire’s seen it in many different shapes and forms, but this goes beyond simple respect. They’re more than just coworkers, that's for sure. She wonders what exactly she’s gotten herself into as the Captain, tailed by Jason, goes down the short line and gets everyone's names.

Part of my current Space Rocks! wip because I'm losing my mind over here.

some more excerpts (and doodles) below:

Sitting innocuously in her inbox, is [If you’re free, come to the brig.] Claire frowns and rereads the message once, twice, and then gives up on trying to figure out if the Captain is being serious. She sends back a simple, [Brig?] and waits. [The Captain means to say bridge!] Jason messages soon after. Considering that it’s a direct message with Captain Midnight herself, Claire figures that Jason spends at least a small percentage of his power on reading everyone’s messages. Or maybe just the Captain’s messages. Either way, Claire wonders what exactly privacy means when the Harmony’s computer is this tapped into the messaging system.

She doesn’t know how long she’s there zoned out and doing nothing, but eventually a chime brings her out of her foggy mind. “Duncan to Claire.” “Claire here.” “Canelli went back into the holodeck.” Claire sighs, even as she feels a smile tugging at her lips. “On my way, sir.”

Featuring my first shot at an Engineer design -who I've been calling Duncan, based on this spreadsheet- that is very self-indulgent (I have so many headcanons about this guy and I will post about it in time, trust 🤞).

The fic is Claire-centric and it explores what life might've been like on the Harmony before Groovatron V. I wanted to see the crew dynamics and put the experience of Space Rocks! into the Star Trek universe. It's far from finished and it'll be a while 'til I actually end up posting it, but I wanted to put some thoughts out there because my mind is just full of Space Rocks! and I needed to do something before I exploded.

The technology displayed in the drawing are not accurate to the actual date in Space Rocks! but I haven't even touched ST Discovery so I don't have a clue what the technology looks like in that era. I'm just making things up as I go atp

[spadesncrows]

Hey ! I have a little question : how do we start drawing ? And, if we need tuto, what tuto do you recommend ?

Have a good day !

Lord almighty, I hope ur ready for the rant of ur life. Buckle up buster bc we are diving headfirst /hj

Ok so first things first, there’s really only one way to start drawing: grab a pencil, get some paper, and just go. Ik, it’s very anticlimactic, but the only way to really get started with it is to just start. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, it doesn’t have to be some big illustration, just start somewhere. You don’t need expensive or fancy supplies, just a pencil and paper are great (or even just ur finger and ur phone if u wanna do digital!!)

Just remember: everyone starts somewhere!! Don’t beat urself up if it doesn’t look how you want it to the first go around. Art is just like any other hobby: you get better the more you practice, the more you get into the groove of it and the more you learn the fundamentals and building blocks of it. You don’t have to draw everyday, but drawing consistently does help.

Now let’s say u got ur paper & pencil, but nothing comes to mind. Here’s a few simple exercises that I personally enjoy as warmups and simple doodles to fill my sketchbooks:

𒊹︎ Shapes !!

- This is one of my favorite warmups bc of how simple it is. Draw spheres, cones, cubes, etc!! (Bonus points if you add a light source and do some shading as well <3)

- this can be rlly good for studying perspective using very simple objects and adding a light source can make it feel a bit more fleshed out. Plus, it’s always good to study how light affects 3d objects so it can be applied to full illustrations and the like later down the line !!

- to add onto that, learning how to draw basic 3d shapes can be very beneficial when moving onto more complex designs and figures, as it can make the area/object appear less flat and more fleshed out if that makes sense !!

Examples :

𒊹︎ Look at the world around you !!

- find different objects, buildings, etc, and take a picture of them.

- next, using that photo as a reference, try breaking it down into simpler 3d shapes

- Think of these shapes as the building blocks of the figure. They create a general silhouette and portrays the figure in its most simple form. Being able to break down complicated visuals into simpler shapes will make it easier to draw them from scratch !!

Examples :

𒊹︎ Find reference photos online !!

- Personally, I like sites like Pinterest or Instagram for this, but pls note that these aren’t ur only options !!

- some other sites include: Line of action and QuickPoses !!

- reference photos can be very good for studies, but you don’t rlly learn much if ur just copying off of it. While there isn’t anything wrong with that, I suggest trying to break it down. Try to understand the form in a 3d space. Like I said before, doing that will make it easier to draw from scratch and may even help when trying to draw it from a different angle

- reference photos can also be a very good way to get inspiration!! Whether it be for just one drawing, for a storyline, or for a whole production, if ur stuck on a scene it wouldn’t hurt to look at few refs to get a feel for what ur looking for.

Tutorials:

If there’s one thing to remember, just know that you don’t need to follow any tutorials to make art. Hell, u don’t even have to listen to my advice abt art either. There are no rules to art, so take everything I say as suggestion rather than gospel !!

That being said, tutorials are mainly there to help you improve by teaching you various fundamentals and techniques. In other words, to help you make your art look a bit more visually appealing or look like a specific style. There’s not exactly one set list of tutorials that every artist needs to follow, so you kinda just pick and choose depending on what you want to focus on!!

Here’s some tutorials I’ve seen and/or used before :D

𒊹︎ GOOD vs BAD Character Design: Tips & Tricks!

- a classic 🫶🫶, goes over various subjects such as color and shape theory in order to make characters and scenes more memorable. This can be especially useful if u intend to make characters & scenes for animation, but it works for other mediums as well!!

𒊹︎ Basic Color Theory

- pretty self explanatory!! Goes over the basic fundamentals of color theory and how this artist likes to apply it themselves. Color theory can be good to use to ur advantage as it can be used to set the tone of ur art, to show the general time of day, to draw ur attention to specific areas, etc!!

𒊹︎ Anatomy Quick Tips

- this is actually a playlist instead of just one video ^^ each vid is dedicated to different parts of the human body and tips for drawing them!! There are 15 vids total as of today going over stuff like hair, eyes, hands, backs, hips, etc.

If there’s anything I missed or anything anyone would like to add on, feel free to do so !!

[seukorei]

I love ur art so much!!!!🥹🫶🫶 how long have u been drawing for? and I was wondering if u have any tips(?) for drawing cuz im trying to learn how to ehe👉👈

thank you so much!! sorry for the late response

i honestly dont know how to answer how long i've been drawing for because i kinda just been doodling since i was a toddler but i started doing it more seriously when i was in 5th-6th grade and then digital art when i was around 12? it doesn't really matter when you start though

tips!!!!!!!!!! this might get long i hope i dont sound pretentious

in my opinion, art is 70% observation and 30% putting it into practice i.e. you first have to see the concepts and the breakdowns and the details before being able to use them at all. they're not going to appear by brute force or out of thin air unless you first observe that they exist and how they are used.

i have an entire archive on art tips and breakdowns that i store that cover basically everything like anatomy, color theory, composition, perspective etc. i also have an archive for art that i just enjoy looking at and want to emulate! that doesn't necessarily mean to copy verbatim someone else's style, but to pick up details in how they use colors or how they conduct lighting or how they paint a landscape. it's to pick out what makes their art so appealing and figure out how that can then be used to apply to your own art! I also just like looking at beautiful art to inspire me :)

general tips i think are really good for improvement vv

study the difference between cast shadows and form shadows. this is REALLY helpful in making your art look more 3 dimensional. for simplicity's sake, cast shadows are generally more hard while form shadows are generally more soft (depending on the form) and every object has a combination of the two. the way that you can see it most notably and then apply it is on clothing, where the clothing folds will cast a shadow while also being rounded and have a form shadow

color and light are deeply intertwined and something that you can use is cool shadows/warm light or vice versa! this doesn't ALWAYS apply, but it is a good starting point.

think of shadow not as an addition but the starting point while light is where you are adding. therefore, the shadows should be heavily influenced by the environment that they are in, i.e. a white box in an entirely red room is not going to have gray shadows, but red shadows. when the white light is shined on it then it becomes white.

use dynamic lighting to create the sense that something is real! this can be done in the way that either your shadows are rendered while your light has little detailed or that your light is rendered and your shadows have less detail

when referencing, use at least one or two "reference" lines that go across the entire picture horizontally or vertically so you are not trying to draw everything relative to each other but instead search for where something is relative to that line and you will be able to then capture the proportions in much more more comprehensive manner

i think this one might be overdone but break everything down into simple shapes!! it becomes a lot easier to understand something when it's not as visually complex and then after you have gotten down the basic shapes of a figure

use blank space as a guide (when referencing or otherwise). sometimes something isnt looking right when you have tried to redraw something and that might be because the blank spaces in between the lines of the figure and outside the figure arent actually matching up!

the heat of your drawing is determined by the dominant colors and when trying to make a color more cool or warm, you don't necessarily need to shift your hue over to that color. for example, if you have a predominantly warm color scheme with strong oranges/reds/yellows/pinks, if you wanted to have bluer shadows all you need to do is to make the color more desaturated. it will pop out as blue because your colors are mostly warm

make shadows a bit more lighter/saturated in the insides of them because light is being reflected onto it

this one might not apply to you, but it really helped my art when i stopped trying to force myself to do lineart. there are ways to improve at lineart but i prefer not to do it and to just create multiple layers of sketches and then at the very end after i've colored i create a layer on top of everything to clean up the messier bits

implement light fall-off! tbh i don't reallyyy know what this is i just see it a lot but it's basically a really saturated red-orange that you mostly see on skin where the shadows meet the light

pick what your brightest and darkest colors are going to be when you start coloring. i would normally stay away from pure white or pure black because by picking other colors as your brightest/darkest you can create mood and tone

fade out the hair at the edges of it because hair isn't really a block despite often being drawn like one. it's a large collection of strands and as it nears the edges those stands would begin to thin out in comparison to the cneter. in addition, add flyaways to your hair to make it more realistic because again, it's a collection of strands that is usually composed into blocks because that's how it looks most of the time

alright that's kinda all I got for now there's so much more i could talk about but i think this is getting long LOL... i hope that at least one of these is helpful in some way, shape, or form <3