#also working on figuring out lighting and shading. that sort of stuff

[submasbrainrot]

separate ways

[ohno-the-sun]

Oh uh forgot to ask in the previous ask (the one with the digital piece of candy and scurrying and stuff)

How do you draw art so good

Like

Is there a method you use or is that just the style you've gotten over time?

you've activated my trap card

I'm just gonna preface that this tutorial is from someone who was not professionally trained and didn't have a lot of free time for art, so a lot of the tips I have is short cuts I use to get the best results quickly

If you genuinely want to get better at art then please look at references and practice that is always the best

However if you are like me and only really do art for fun but want to go faster then these are for you pfppt

Overall I'd say my style is influenced by speedpaints I would watch when I was younger, I like analyzing how people do things and what makes something look "good" to me

I always recommend watching them because they will often have techniques you've never seen before or do things a certain way that you can try out yourself

I consume good art, it feeds me

but seriously it can be super helpful when developing your own methodology, or just generally trying something new

Usually it starts with me pulling some references from artists I really admire and sort of sketching out how they do the things I like

For example 8um8le has like super good anatomy and poses so I focused on trying to replicate how they do that

venemous-qwille is super good at color and pulling focus so that's what I focused on in my study of them

In general I'd say my process is sketch -> silhouette -> color -> shading -> render

I really don't like doing lineart lol

I'd say for the sketch the most important part is using references and just kind of fudging it until it looks correct anatomically/physically

General rule of thumb is spend time on areas of interest, and keep non important areas light (like the stitching on his pants)

I don't do lineart because I think its unnecessary for most paintings I do

I naturally tend to put more time and focus on areas of interest (like hands and feet) and if you use a brush with opacity for the sketch, those areas are naturally going to be darker in the final sketch

Of course this is gonna be different for everyone but it's what works for me

Sometimes I do a really really sketchy layer underneath my sketch/lineart, just so I know where everything is going

Use thumbnails! They are great to help figure out the general layout of things and what pose I wanna do

Next is what I call the "silhouette" layer

This is super important for me cause it helps me refine the figure and make sure the pose/anatomy looks correct, also depending on what color I choose for the silhouette helps guide what colors I'm going to use on top

This piece is a good example of how it works. The silhouette shows me how the figure interacts with the background, how the pose looks and if its any good

The silhouette layer doesn't have to be super clean, as long as it follows the sketch decently well and shows where the figure is then its fine

I also sometimes make the silhouette layer multiple colors to help guide shading and vibe

Next is the coloring layer. I usually make this a clipping layer on top of the silhouette layer, or I change the silhouette layer to alpha lock, either way it saves me time on coloring everything in

Sometimes I am super rough with the coloring too, using like an airbrush or my fav watercolor brush just to generically block in color where I want it

Works out cause most objects have like a bounce light to them from surrounding objects, so this is sort of a cheat I use to get that effect without all the work lol

Also don't be afraid to have the lower silhouette layer shining through, having multiple colors sort of subtly shining through the piece helps lots

Next is the shading layer, this is usually another clipping layer, usually set to "multiply"

The colors I pick here is usually within this range, any color works, just depends on the piece and vibes.

Since this piece is set in a sunset forest I choose a more desaturated orange for the shading layer

I know there's a whole thing about multiply layer being a crutch (and it kind of it) but it is a useful tool when you just want some darker values across the piece but don't want to go through the process of color picking every single darker shade

Also in my opinion it looks better than picking a darker color and setting it to a lower opacity, idk I just think the color has more "depth"

Next is the hardest to explain, sort of the vibes layer

Usually its just a layer of more concentrated color on top of the normal color and I fudge with the settings and values until I get a result I like

Next is the longest step, is the "extra" or the render stage.

Usually I add a background before this step so that if I need to merge the figure better with the background I can

If I render with a white background but he's supposed to be in a dark forest, its going to mess with the lighting severely

Also this is when I add more "vibe" layers on top to get the figure to match the background better

Backgrounds in general I recommend checking out @/derekdomnicdsouza on instagram he's got lots of great tutorials for breaking down backgrounds simply

I'd say general rule for the rendering layer is to focus on the areas of interest and spend less time on areas you don't care about

I even blur stuff out on the edges I don't want people to see, partially to save time on fixing mistakes in areas I dont care about (oop), but mainly to help draw the eye to the areas I do want people to focus on

Theoretically parts of the background should like mesh with the characters, parrallel lines are a no no unless they are directing a viewer to look somewhere, things that are perpendicular help bring things together

tbh I'm still not the best at layout and probably need more practice, but overall this is what I like doing

Overall this is what my layer set up ends up being

Sort of a sandwich with the lineart/sketch as the "meat" lol

Color and basic shading below the sketch, clean-up and rendering on top

I like this method cause it's super flexible if I ever want to try something different or try to replicate someone's style

I can make each step less or more messy depending on the end result and can add a lineart layer if need be. Also if there's a part that is straight up not working or needs to be removed its super easy to do cause I can just paint over it on the "extras" layer, color picking from the surrounding area to get the same vibe

Generally rule of thumb for my style is: get the initial layout of colors, form and shading to look good, then the rendering should be smooth sailing

Really the best advice I can give to get better at art is to enjoy what you're doing and become very very obsessed with drawing a silly little guy

You'll eventually get very good at drawing them pfptpf

[bokettochild]

random LU hcs before I go to church

Legend likes to draw, and while he uses it for practical purposes (he's compiling a bestiary of his own) he also likes to sketch random crap he finds while traveling

Hyrule weaves. Not fabric, since that's a bit legthly and requires materials he can't get or keep for long, but he's very good at making baskets and the like! When the rest go to his cave, it's just full of woven items, including his attempts at weaving a freaking chair. Hyrule is going to become Pier 1

Sky writes poetry but never shares it with anyone. Groose used to laugh at it when they were kids, and so he's very self-conscious about it (and not very good anyways). He does come up with some really, really good pieces though from time to time!

Warriors couldn't read before he enlisted. He had to learn, and did learn rather quickly once he had to, but he still did very much not grow up with books. He is, however, very fond of oral tradition and somehow keeps a library's worth of knowledge in his head, since he never knew how to write it down before.

Warriors loves folk tails and will use any excuse given in order to share them with the younger ones

Wind is a very proficient mapmaker. he's terrible at drawing figures or anything, but he's very good at charting things out and putting them down on paper

Wind has a great eye for photography though! He and Wild sometimes play a game where they have to find a particular item and take a pictograph of it and then they'll have one of the others judge which one is better. Wild's candids are usually better, but Wind has a talent from framing and using the light to his advantage that outshines Wild's.

Wind likes composing little tunes with the Windwaker when he's bored. he has accidentally discovered several magical songs and their effects in this manner. Sometimes Time debates if just teaching his the Song of Storms from the get go would have been better in the long run, since it would have saved them getting soaked so much

Four has a fascination with artistic metalwork. He can't do it himself, and often times can't understand how someone thought up the idea in the first place, but it gives him great delight to see various metal pieces/tools/items forged together into the oddest art pieces

Twilight claims he's no good art of any kind, usually blaming "these darn big paws o' mine", but the secret is that he's a talented embroiderer, he just doesn't consider it "art" in the same way the rest do. Most Ordon folks add stitch-work to things so he considers it standard practice, not exceptional.

Sky is also very good at stitch-work of all kinds

When Sky and Twilight discover their shared skill-set, they absolutely use it for evil (start adding little patterns and things on their brother's stuff). Is this competitive? They're Links, you tell me!

Time claims not to be very creative, but he's actually quite good at art himself! Just drawing, as his paintings have a very childish sort of color combinations and the like, but he's surprisingly very good with shading and proportions!

All the boys play music, but Twilight's a good hand on the fiddle/violin (but only for short periods) and Legend has a surprising preference for the piano/organ. They'd make an excellent duet if they actually managed to know any of the same songs

Wild cannot and should not play instruments, Hylia help your ears if he does. He's also not that great of an artist (look for JoJo's comic of him drawing a new tapestry, it's hilarious). He likes the art the others make, but in general, the best he can do it just making designs and patterns that always seem to resemble Korok puzzles.

[cyanbugremix]

Heyyyy I made another Between You, Me and the Fence Post fanart piece (based on a Shaw pack ranch AU fanfic written by @taelonsamada ) since this was another scene that my brain had a vivid image for. This scene is also from chapter 12, when Darlin' and David are having cousin bonding time and putting up trail cams around the property.

[Image Description: Fanart of a Shaw Pack Ranch AU fanfic called "Between You, Me and the Fence Post" by TaelonSamada on Ao3. It's sunny with blue sky, and snow on the hills and ground. There are a few pine trees and non-coniferous trees surrounding the lightly snowed on dirt path. Light comes through the branches and openings between trees, giving it a warmer glow. There are mountains hidden by the trees. Darlin', on the right, and David, on the left, are both riding horses on the dirt path. The dirt path has horse prints in the snow. David has warm tan skin, black hair, and sits tall on his black and white painted horse. David wears a dark brown cowboy hat, a light blue flannel shirt, a black jacket with cream fur lining the collar, tan gloves, dark teal jeans, and black boots. David's horse has medium brown bridle, saddle, stirrup straps, and reins, with a purple striped blanket underneath the saddle. Darlin' has cool tan skin, a light brown, choppy wolf-cut and is talking to David about something as they ride. Darlin' wears a white shirt, a brown jacket that isn't zipped closed and has cream fur lining the collar, lighter blue jeans that have mud stains on the bottom, black boots, and a tan cowboy hat with a black and white feather sticking out of it. Their hands holding the reins are not wearing gloves. Their horse has buckskin coloring and a black saddle, bridle, reins and stirrups straps, with a pale pink, striped blanket underneath the saddle. The tone of the picture seems happy and content. /End ID.]

-

Pretend that the bag, that Darlin' has the trail cameras in, is on the other side of the horse. And they are supposed to be walking their horses through a tall amount of snow, but i wanted to draw hoof prints, so ig also pretend that the trees kept the snow from really piling up in that one spot idk XD. My brain also figured that it stopped snowing for a bit at this point in the chapter (since this is right after the Milo and Chuck scene that I drew earlier), so we have a sunny-snow scene.

I really went to town with shading and stuff. I was working on this for, like, 4 days. Mostly because I kept taking naps but also because I got the dimensions/pov wrong in the sketch so I had to rework it A LOT. But I'm pretty proud of it :) i think it looks cute and i also like that I have sort of a facial headcanon for both David and Darlin' now. And I guess my new art style is gonna go for more realistic vibes because I like how this looks a lot.

(no song this time because i was just watching rdr 1 + 2 and cod mw2 playthroughs while drawing this.)

[thelunarsystemwrites]

Oops-

I accidentally became moots with a lot of cool undertale/UTMV artists-

*inhale*

@nobodys-reblogs Like, you were my first idol on here that I befriended 🥺 AND NOT BECAUSE YOU WERE MY IDOL- you legit just seemed cool, and I am very VERY grateful each time I see '#friend tag' with you!! I also love your style, it gives a sense of comfort because of the shades you normally use!! (<- psstt I also like your doors content!)

@inka-boi I love the way you draw chubby and plus sized people, literally helped with my own drawings of different body types! You're also super nice. And well, my mum—I love the purple yarn family, I live for the purple yarn ship, you're super sweet!

@zombiestar1934 Uhm, yeah—Yoink. Your art is very yoinkable, VERY HUGGABLE!! Looks like it was drawn in a library, where you had the peace of only hearing your drawing tablet make 'lil clicks! I love the hearts you add to blush, and the smiles you give them! Yet you're just as capable of making angst, and I love Angst :3

@absurdumsid I want to hug all, and I mean ALL your drawings. ESPECIALLY horrorpills, I love the clean look they all have, I love looking at your art, and I just- aghghgh your so cool!!

@italic-doing-random-shit man you're just very awesome, idk how the hell I manged being moots w/ you but I'm vibing with it, your art is like, yum. It gives me, hm... Oh! Okay it gives me animatic vibes, like you'd be a good animator! /pos!

@inkcat1987 AWE. JUST AWE—I love how sweet your style is, and I'm especially liking the middle school AU!! Once again, soft as angel wings!

@axinfinity there's just- there's something so HOLDABLE about your art! I just wanna pick it up and protect it!

@ant1quarian ah yes, a fellow UTMV enjoyer who collects a very specific sans, that being Dust in your case! /vpos. Your style, it's like moss. It has a natural feel, it looks like it'd smell like rain, like feathers and it's so... like this song, The Moss is how I feel when I look at your pfp!

@dzasterdumpterfire Stars. Your art looks like stars, I'm fairly sure the lighting comes from the stars. I dunno it's just kinda mystifying to look at!

@endless-emptyness Your art >>>> Very pleasant to look at. I really enjoy the facial expressions you do!!

@solusminds your art feels like it was crafted in the cozy darkness, illuminated only by a single lantern, while winter blazes outside. It's so nice and warm feeling!

@kiyo-void A lovely painting! All your works feel like they were painted, painted and set in a cool breeze to dry, especially your digital art, and I am LIVING for it! Plussssss Runetale is super cool!

@denieatsart HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE that's how I feel looking at what you make!! I love the kinda like, layered look your art gives!!

@largefound can't say a bad thing about ya, you're cool, your art gives cool feelings, cool vibes everywhere!

Annd... it's late, I can't think of anyone else BUT IF I DO I will ADD YOU to the list!!

UPDATED:

@rushin-safire. Yeah, your art? Feels like it was drawn with a cat in your lap while you've just come home from the Cafe, still sipping on your coffee. :3

@nashdoesstuff for the LIFE OF ME I can't figure out how the hell to search your art, hpw am I screwing it up?? But anyways it probably tastes like gummy bears. /pos.

@nightmarish-qeuwusha Your art tastes like cotton candy! I think that your art was woven from candy floss and glittered with stardust! ^^

@analexthatexists Containment! I feel like your art gives off SCP vibes, I feel like I'm some sort of entity when I look at it, and that, is, awesome!

@determinedfanartist okay but like, your art is "I drew this specifically bc I love my friends" and I cannot be convinced otherwise. /pos

@mrfellsans Ah, cartoony. Specifically with that dapper charm to it! I'm talking bendy and the ink machine, I'm talking swing, I'm talking pleasant to look at as you have a modern spin on it!

@the-second-reason your art is that chill older kid, the one that helps ou their younger peers figure out stuff. They're the super relaxed big sibling, your art has a mellow style, gives chill big sibling vibes. :]

@dustsansm1 I mean this in the best way possible, your art feels friendly but has anxiety. And that's okay! Your art gives me like, it wants to be friends w/ someone but too shy to do so. It has a sorta 'I'm trying my best' style, when it's already really good!

@spookuzm cover artist! I feel like you'd do well drawing the characters that you put on the cover of stuff, your art vibes me those vibes! Like it's the peak inside a new world! ^^ Hey side note this changed to comfort artist

@mellybabbles Reflections, your art makes me reflect on myself. What was behind it? Every line you etch into it makes me think, ponder, as if it were drawn from a mirror.

@wickjump ICON. Your art is SUCH an icon, you're RADIATING icon vibes. The colours you use seem to naturally give off a hue to it, giving it that pop! It's beautiful and clean and iconic! ✨️

@hialeisanimation I mean this in the most light hearted way possible—It's just happy. Like your art is the definition of :3 and I am VIBING w/ it, very lovely to look at!

@joonebugg your art has PERSONALITY, like they don't take shit from anyone. Like looking at it, feels like they'd be the decals for a 1970s diner and they're like the characters, they work too hard to take orders from ungrateful customers. THAT'S what your style looks like to me.

@milkybnnuy so your style (especially when you draw Fell!NM) is so dark and radiates that dark energy and pretty pretty please I need more angst- /pos (edit: dear cod I got that angst)

@bluu3berry - you really utilize shades of colour really well, I think you've done a wonderful job with Bluu!! /Gen! I think your style really reminds me of an older cartoon with their softer colours, like Charlie brown! And, I love Charlie brown!

@hiro-doodlez - Your art uses ALL of your canvas to your advantage! Like rarely have I ever seen you draw something and leave a blank space, which also helps you create a ton of interesting shading! I like how you draw over colours w/ other colours, so your base colours helps the top layer—Does that make sense? ^^ like, your style is very out there! Very you, very recognizable!

@dustbvnnyy Y2K INVADER ZIM like it's awesome, your artstyle gives me y2k alt vibes!! I love the soft saturated (is that a thing? ^^') colours that go into your pieces!!

@murder-clown-around-town fun!! I saw your pinned post and from what you drew IT LOOKS SO FUN!! Like a balloon animal!! I like how the lines overlap and create a structure!! :D

@miracle-negative soft and heavenly! Your art, even using a darker pallet is soft and smooth!!

@yellow-computer-mouse it's quite relaxed! I like the shading you did on that smoking Dust picture! ^^

@eco-systeme royal! You have a very royal, a very fancy looking style to me!! Like, someone paid you a good amount to draw it! I hope you forever remain creative, love your art!

@wishtale-blogs spring vibes!! Absolutely beautiful spring, butterflies, meadows and more!! I LOVE MONARCH I've literally never seen orange and pastels work well like yours does!!!

@swiftmitsu YOOO MY FIRST FRIEND MADE ON DISCORD!!! I'd like to say I'm a huge fan of your artstyle! It's a good mix between adorable, but can be taken seriously if the tone demands it! This is a hard skill to acquire, because a lot of adorable art can be hard to feel the wanted emotions conveyed — But you found just the right balance! I always look forward to you posting! ^^

@cocopebblez Detailed and stylish! I look at your art and go WOAH, I look at your sona and they're STUNNING, I look at you and I see cameras flashing as paparazzi tries to get your photo as you strut down the red carpet. So fame worthy is how I perceive your art!! And fame in the future I see!

@underfaithangelz welcome to the wall! I see your art has a very lantern vibe! Using this as my reference! I love how you can use low lighting and still make everything perfectly visual! It gives it a warm glow! I think your style is like fire, with all the intricate brush marks like flames! Beautiful and gorgeous just as your voice!

Also, we may not be moots—But honourary mention to @somegrumpynerd you're my comfort artist, I go searching for Dadmare if I'm down and I find your art—I love how it just looks like the embodiment of Marshmallows. I love how you draw each and every scene you've made, the emotions you convey even if it's supposed to just be a silly post! Just ahhhhhh I love looking at what you make!!

Have a good day, night, evening, morning, or whatever time it is for you guys!

[delurkr]

May and Ada, 1858

Whaaaat actual progress on drawing the Tilly Johnson era??? I thought we'd never see the day these two got posted, especially after the first version I had started over a year ago up and vanished and I had to start all over...

That aside, we have Ada Johnson, twin sister of Phineas Johnson and aunt to Tilly, with little May, who exists in the gray area between Ada's adopted daughter and housegirl (live-in servant) at the point in time when people were just starting to try to figure out how fostering and adoption should work. Ada is a weaver, having inherited that side of a long-standing family linen business while her other brother Jesse has the farming side, but, between her own failing health (think COPD although they didn’t have that term) and the Carvers' nearby cotton mill and many other mills like it crowding out the local linen industry, the Johnson business has been struggling to survive for many years.

Ada is also the owner of what became known as the Tilly Johnson House. Ada, May, Tilly, and Tilly's step-father all lived there together by 1856 (that lore will surface eventually), and as we know 1856 was the year Tilly's novel was published and became famous, which made enough money to keep all the Johnsons secure despite their failing business.

On to the art, I won't go over everything but as usual I'll point some things out starting with May:

The pattern on her dress has elements from all the M's, first with nods to the little girl's plaid and Megan's floral as well as the little girl's red, Megan's light blue, and more subtly Mary's dark brown. The 1850s adored plaid so that was a no-brainer, and I hadn't planned on the floral part, but then I saw the dress in this portrait with a great mix of both patterns in the colors I was after so I worked off that.

M's peter pan collar and long sleeves are ofc her staples but while they wouldn't be out of place in 1858 (except that this is set in the summertime and girls predominantly wore short sleeves) I figured I'd go with styles more typical for children's clothing this time. The two parts are not related by the way; the collar is an interchangeable piece sewn into the dress, and the undersleeves are from her chemise (the base layer of female undergarments).

Part of May's role is to serve as an errand girl in the Johnson business, where she goes back and forth between the house in town and the farm on the outskirts. That has an important part in the story, hence the basket I gave her.

Also note the piecing of her dress fabric up by the shoulders, included just for funsies. Cloth was not to be wasted, so it was not uncommon or frowned upon to more or less carefully piece odd-shaped sections of cloth together to squeeze as much out the fabric as possible, even when it meant putting random seams in conspicuous places and even if the pattern didn't quite match up.

Ada:

She's wearing a one-piece wrapper, which was the unstructured in-between sort of garment a woman would wear in the morning when she wakes up to get stuff done around the house before she gets dressed for the day. A sick person who didn't get out of the house much might have worn one throughout the day, which is Ada's case since she is chronically ill. (They weren't necessarily as short as I made hers but they were very casual and I wanted to draw 1850s cloth shoes my beloveds, these in particular having similarities to Angela’s two-tone oxfords). It made a perfect equivalent to Anne's housecoat, especially with quilted trim inspired by this extant wrapper. And ofc it’s done in horizontal stripes like Angela’s shirt, and it has shades of brown, blue, and a version of pink, adjacent to canon A-ladies’ colors.

Her chatelaine✨ Basically a clip that was worn on a belt with chains suspending various items that were useful to have on hand. They have a long history and were popular for women to wear at home as well as in certain occupations. I was very excited to give her one after I took notice of the purse Amy has on her belt.

She is wearing an indoors day cap (not a bonnet), a relatively simple one similar to Amy's bonnet. This era was the last hurrah for women wearing headgear at home and only older women were still doing it.

And lastly, her hexagon eyeglasses✨✨ You see them every so often in antique photos and I'm a big fan.

Here are the other drawings I've done for this set so far:

1858 Tilly Johnson (I'm going to do this one over eventually but that's the old version for now)

1846 Phineas and Tilly Johnson

1858 Mona and Solomon Carver

[rocky-road-to-london]

why do you call barok van zieks mr pretty prosecutor?

well i cant say i didnt sorta expect this after everyone wanted me to prove my case about mr handsome like a lawyer but i can do it again!! im no one trick pony!!! its because he is both the prettiest man in all of england and also a prosecutor and i liked the alliteration!!

so!! my proof is that he is very very pretty!!! its unfair. ive sort of not really gotten used to it?? because hes such a public figure, you see him in the newspapers all the time and in weird alleys and sometimes he just shows up in pubs and stuff and you just know someones doing a gambling ring. youd figure, right? youd figure all that murk and grime and crime would make him less pretty.

and youd be wrong!!! he mirrors the beauty of the daoine sidhe, all crisp and without flaw. i know he owns a cat because that cat slept on my stomach last night and yet somehow his clothes are not covered in cat fur. without flaw. i dunno why he ever has to fight people, hes so disarmingly pretty i would just drop my weapons the moment he looked at me yknow??

his eyes are the exact shade of frosted violets in early spring and i have been trying to write a song about his hair for like, two months, and sure it isnt going super well because the melody isnt quite working out the way i want it to but heres a preview!!!

Hear the tolling, hear the rolling of the bells in the distance Hear the baying of the dogs, his arrival do they tell Eyes like frost on a full moon's light And his soul, ah, his soul, it's lavender blue.

he smells like blackberries by the way. i can never decide if its blackberry flowers or blackberry syrup, like the kind you put in tea, but its definitely blackberries!! smells very good and very nice. his hair though... he brushes it back a lot but i could tell he had ringlets right from the start, then i got to see him with his hair all messy a couple of days ago and i can confirm. he has the prettiest ringlets.

my hair does not do ringlets!! it just curls and curls in every direction thats been invented and some that havent been. mr pretty prosecutor has perfect coiffed ringlets and one day! one day!!! i will find out if theyre as silky as they look. and that mystery will be solved!!

last thing i promise. i saw him smile once. and it was so pretty he could maybe have resurrected the dead with that smile. the fact that flowers dont bloom where he walks is proof that the world isnt just, because if it was, it would see mr pretty prosecutor and agree that flowers should bloom where he walks.

and that is why he is mr pretty prosecutor!!!

[royalcharlieofficial]

I've been a bit inactive because I've been overall not feeling the greatest and trying to catch up with some school work. HOWEVER, I was able to bang out these things real quick! I'll likely be working on Magic Reborn and the Sleepwalk PMV before doing DW stuff, or at least do those a little less. Sorry gang I'm really not enjoying it too much HELP. For these, I had ORIGINALLY planned to make the second one a flat. However, because I hadn't done it for a while, I figured I kinda owed my friend something a little grander, even if it was just a gift and not any sort of commission. I wanted to try doing a bit more testing with some cell shading and also lighting direction a bit more. First cat, Barracudastar, owned by @soupstarss. Second cat, Stormchaser, owned by Scarlett/Rockstardog (on ToyHouse).

[hazbinhazbinhazbinreblog]

For once not crossover chaos hfkdjsf

But I remember awhile back an anon or someone else, can't remember, talked about the Charlies ages and I do wanna talk about that alongside other stuff too! So consider this like a small pool of trivia for Radio Guard!

-Radio Guard Charlie is just a few months younger than her canon self. So she isn't super young, she is on par with her canon self

-Alastor and Vaggie spar sometimes

-Alastor despises Lilith. He has never met her in the AU, but in this case that is a blessing since Alastor would throw hands with her. Since who in their right mind just up and LEAVES their family, especially when your child is so young, and in turn leaves said family a wreck?

-Lucifer is going to therapy

-Alastor has actually been to the other circles/rings of Hell. And so far, he hates most of them tbh. The only ring he is neutral on is the Wrath ring because it provides fresh produce you cant get in the Pride Ring and its nice hunting grounds for game too. Wrath ring vacations with the Morningstar family are his fav for this reason alone.

-Speaking of Rings, yes Alastor has been to the Lust ring. He hated it with a burning passion. Besides for the obvious sex repulsion, he also got overwhelmed quickly. The neon lights, the loud senseless music, the smell of sex and alcohol, the suffocating feeling of so many people. He was legit about to actually blow a fuse and probably damage a good chunk of Lust, if Asmodeus didn't intervene and take Alastor somewhere quieter before having to go back and discuss stuff with Lucifer (Charlie was with Fizzarolli during this, since the jester could be trusted with the young princess of Hell). Because of that, Alastor discovered Lust has more peaceful gardens, which surprised him. He may have also passed out after the overstimulation crash too. After that, anytime they have to go to Lust, Alastor wears shades and a mask to block out the scents and bright lights at least.

-Alastor still has access to his old radio tower. He just doesn't visit due to the memories attached and how those are scars he isn't ready to pick apart/look at again. On the flipside, Vox visits alot for memory sake.

-Alastor can uses modern tech and knows how it works. He just straight up refuses. The most anyone has gotten him to use is a tablet for important documents or organizing files or similar stuff. He still prefers his way, aka the old way of having physical files and written documents.

-Alastor would rather die than admit this, but he does see Husk as a father figure as sorts. He's not perfect nor a good role model, but he does offer advice and support, something Alastor lacked heavily with his own father.

-While Alastor is quite skilled with magic, and he would brag about that. He doesnt solely just use magic. He knows how to use rifles and sometimes prefers to hack away at his victims, meals, targets, or whatever you wanna call them with knives. Mainly a butcher knife.

-⚔️ anon

I LOVE getting radioguard lore/trivia, it brings me so much joy. Vox visiting Alastor's old tower without him made me emotional a lot, and I like how Alastor has the ability to travel rings here

[areyouscaredyet]

Love seeing your art on my dash, been following u for a while and i enjoy seeing your stuff from other fandoms too. Do you have any tips on picking colors?

hi anon! first of all, thank you so so much for this! i'm happy to know that there are people who don't mind my inconsistent posting habits lol. i have such a hard time staying still and the same can be said for my fandoms HAha for your question-- prepare for rambling!! as an educator, i simply can't refuse the opportunity to talk about art!! (you have been warned!!!)

i don't wanna make assumptions about your own art experiences, but i love to talk and for the sake of other people seeing this, i'm gonna rip the band-aid off RIGHT NOW.

the best thing you could ever do for your artistic practice is

LOOK AT ART ALL THE TIME.

it doesn't matter what era of art history, if it's contemporary, what medium it's in, none of that! just keep looking at art, you'll pick up on things naturally as you gain familiarity with different artists and experience in close-looking. you'll find what jives with you best based on your own aesthetic and thematic preferences.

(to talk about myself VERY briefly) i'm a painter-- most of my formal art training is in oil painting, so a lot of my influences for specific technique and color language come from painters. i bring this up so that you understand that what i'm saying is malleable and also so you trust what i'm gonna say! you don't have to look at the specific artists i'm gonna bring up, it's just so you can get a sense of thought process.

(read more for the best advise you'll ever hear)

REFERENCES ARE YOUR LIFE-BLOOD

nothing is original anymore, and it never was! not even in 1200 BCE or whenever else. when thinking about a piece, i try to consider as much as possible at the beginning, and then i start pulling references. people have been studying and experimenting with color since the dawn of time, why make things harder by forcing yourself to figure everything out on your own? having a repertoire of images to pull parts from can be extremely helpful and make things move much more smoothly.

my work is very influenced by historic christian art and more recently, a fuck ton of sci-fi shit. finding specific artists that make this type of work was important to me, because i had something i could concretely look into if i needed to solve a specific problem with a painting, or if i had a question that needed answering. for example: because of common trends throughout art history, certain lighting conditions and certain color choices already have certain associations! you don't need to memorize anything like that, but a quick google search (after you sort through the AI bullshit) can take you a long way!

off the top of my head, here are some really great artists to look at if you're interested in the kind of color fields that i explore!

Paulo Veronese

a 16th century italian painter (boring i know!! pls don't run away!!)

if you spend some time with his work you'll notice that his use of color feels very contemporary for someone born in 1528. a fun fact: green is notoroius for how difficult it is to wrangle in a painting. this guy, however, was SO good at painting with green, that they named a shade of green after him! it's aptly called Veronese Green!

Zdzisław Beksiński

"I wish to paint in such a manner as if I were photographing dreams" 

a must-know if you are interested in creepy sci-fi landscapes and eerie color pallets! he was a 20th century polish painter who worked in a lot of thin layers, building up these super wonderful and atmospheric pieces. he kept painting over and editing his works until he was satisfied- he had a bit of a weird attitude towards painting lol. he also had an extremely interesting life- i recommend everyone look into him just for the sake of hearing about the most tragic man ever

Sleeping By the Mississippi - Alec Soth

a lovely photo book from 2004 that uses vibrant color and funky composition to represent places visited by the artist on a series of road trips along, well, the Mississippi! to me, the book feels like a Nutcracker-esque exploration of the American Midwest, and does a great job of chronicling the connections formed while on his journey. everything is very quiet, but the use of color makes the world feel lived in and whimsical. each subject has their own soul. even if there's no person present in a photo, the energy of the image is palpable.

Reconciliation - Billie Mendel

an AMAZING study of light and color. this artist spent hours of her time in the confessional booths of churches taking long-exposure photographs. the delicate way the light reflects off of different surfaces, pierces through cracks and holes, and washes over walls makes the spaces feel inhabited by actual spirits. there's an eerie, yet comfortable, feeling i feel when i look at these photos. it does an amazing job of visually portraying silence. this book was so important for me in helping with color pallets and lighting conditions!

i chose these example to show that looking at artists who use different mediums can also be a great way of seeing how people approach things from different perspectives!

anyways, sorry for the rambling! this was a long and convoluted way of telling you to just take color pallets and lighting conditions from other artists hAHA-- but hopefully this was helpful to you! if you want to reach out to talk about art or finding artists to look at, I would be more than happy to! the beautiful thing about the world is that there are millions of makers that exist RIGHT NOW, and you can find them at the click of a button!

thanks again, anon! best of luck with your creative journey :)

[beast-feast]

Hey idk if you've answered this but what is your art process and what do you use for traditional and digital art?

Honestly I don't even know but at the same time I know the processes are very similar. I'll try and do my best HSNFKAH

Digitally I like to just Do Whatever Feels Good so it's a very "trust the process" kind of thing. Mainly when I draw digitally though I'll start with this.

Basically just making rough shapes and then the details on different layers while changing the opacity.

In the case of traditional it's a LOT more casual and I really don't have a good explanation for it? Basically skipping the rough detail layer and instead going to a sort of rough sketchy look (which is what I've been doing traditionally mostly these days.)

Digital linework is where I correct my mistakes (most of the time, if it's something Not Serious like this it'll be a lot looser looking!) And most of the time that's actually kind of where it ends lol, most of the digital stuff you see from me nowadays is only finished stuff I put effort into.

But when I finish lineart I tend to delete the sketch layer entirely so I don't mistake it for something else, and then color under the lineart layer.

And in this case I decided to give you a rough idea of how I do my shadows+highlights? I don't do it All The Time but I put them on separate layers and play with the layer settings !!! Genuinely cannot advise this enough it's really nice and fun to just see what looks best. In this case though I used a basic multiply layer for the shadows and then on a layer above it placed a few highlights where a general light source would be coming from.

Something I highly suggest is doing what feels right to you in the moment. If you're itching for something that you haven't drawn before, look at photos of what you want and then try and memorize as much of the look as you can! It's a neat little exercise for stylization I've found out, but it's also super useful for when you need references too. Don't ever be afraid of them.

Going back to trad. art though. When I'm not working with very quick sketches with pen/pencil it can come in two ways: clean pencil drawing or something made with pen+marker.

I use mainly Sharpies for colored traditional pieces, and my secret is that if you're limited on colors, LAYER IT ON!!! One shade of a green can give you a decent shadow!!! I use Micron pens for lineart and a white gel pen to sneak in a few little highlights here and there. On paper I don't put much emphasis on light and instead focus on the shadow part (mainly because it's hard for me to figure out a good lighter color for things HAHSHSJAH)

But genuinely whatever you do I don't think having a "style" is perfectly fine. It's a fluid thing that's ever-changing for some and if you fall under that category it doesn't mean that you're not skilled! Play around, have fun, generally just see what looks cool and cooler :)

[pialikesskz]

boarding: the floor plans

so um... hi folks! if you're here, you've probably been reading my skz fanfic boarding over on ao3. some of y'all have been asking to see my floor plans that i've made for the story. this is me, obliging. hope you enjoy :)

introduction and vibes

i'm planning to upload some edits to the earlier chapters within the next month or so to give a bit more of an image of what i imagine the space to look like, now that i actually have it. in the beginning, i was really just putting scotch tape over the world-building in order to get to the character interactions. for now, here's the edited version of the initial description of the school:

"In the distance, the sparse forest through which they’re driving melts smoothly into a series of rolling hills. With how early it is, the hilltops still catch a hint of morning reds and pinks from the lazy sunrise. The car rounds one last bend in the road, and Felix’ breath catches in his throat. The ground slopes gently upwards for a few hundred yards, and at the peak of that hill stands an ancient estate, cloaked in brickwork and ivy, rising up out of the landscape with impossible grace. It is majestic, and dignified, and makes his heart sink in his chest with a pain like simmering water." (Intro Pt. I)

i can't actually draw, in fact i can barely sketch, so u will just have to use ur imagination on that. but keep it in mind for overall vibes.

the school grounds

this is the worst of these sketches, and i apologise, but this is generally how i imagine the layout of the school. that big thing in the front is the mains, then the courtyard, and the three houses: yang, park, lee. the line around it is a sort of brick-wall fence, old-looking and worn. it's all surrounded by forest that gets thicker the further u venture away from the school, but light enough to allow for hyunjin to catch glimpses of the sun reflecting off the lake on a good day. here is part of the updated description:

"Changbin directs them outside by way of the back door, which leads out to a large manicured courtyard bisected by cobbled walkways; it’s structured a little like a park, complete with benches clustered around trees and small sectioned-off parts clearly set up for games. It’s about a five-minute walk through the courtyard to the dorm buildings, though that’s with the added weight of the suitcase. Felix tries his hardest to memorise where he needs to go — the school grounds certainly seem large enough to get lost in at some point." (Intro Pt. I)

the distance between the houses and the football field is way larger than it appears here; unfortunately, i only had so much paper to work with, and i wasn't gonna start again at this point. it's definitely a five to ten minute walk from the field gate - u can see it in the gap in the fence - to the football field. the path to it slopes vaguely downward. the building next to the football field is the auditorium where choir practice happens, and sometimes assemblies. (we'll get to that in the story eventually, i promise.) also there's changing rooms for when there's football matches.

the mains

this is how i imagine the layout of the main building. the cellar is on a separate page because i make bad choices in life. "T.H." stands for teacher housing. anything with diagonal lines across it is storage of some sort. the grey-shaded thing on the second floor is a bit of roof - for architectural interest, u feel? i play a lot of sims.

the dorm houses

this is how i imagine the layout of the three houses - or, at least, park house. (btw has anyone figured out why i named the houses the way i did? it made me feel really smart when i came up with it.) more on the single dorms later. the stuff in dotted lines is, like, stuff that exists on one floor but not on others - like, the ground floor has those wing things to the sides, but there's no equivalent above or below, it's just roof. hope that makes sense.

the dorm rooms

and finally, this is the layout of the dorm in my head. yes, it's pretty small, but consider this: stuck-up private schools don't care about the rights of children. for this one, i actually tried to work with some realistic measurements, but like, take it with a grain of salt, y'all, i'm an english literature major. as to who's in which room, peek at the top of the page. updated description:

"(The door) opens into a small common room populated by an assortment of worn-looking furniture: a closed wooden storage cupboard in the corner, a mostly-empty bookshelf leaning against the wall, two sofas with a wild assortment of pillows on them placed haphazardly around a chipped coffee table." (Intro Pt. I)

fin

so that's that! i've put a lot of thought into this space, and i think at this point i've got it down pretty well. of course, these are all just what i have in mind myself - if it doesn't fit with your vision of the story, that's cool! keep picturing that! we love anarchy here.

feel free to let me know your thoughts on the floor plans, the story, anything at all! i am really happy to talk to y'all, and answering tumblr asks make me way less anxious than replying to ao3 comments lol. have a lovely day, and i'll see you for the next chapter!

-pia

ps: i took the leap out of my comfort zone and put this on my personal skz tumblr, instead of one specifically created for the purpose of sharing ao3 things. that's big for me. be nice.

pps: if you know me in real life, and you want to tell me that my writing is cringy: don't! it will make me sad. so mind your business.

ppps: if anyone steals/reposts this, i will hunt them down and make them eat a ten-pack of tissue paper. do not test me.

[justaboymadeofhoneyandglass]

hey!!

so, i was just curious. um. this may sound dumb. but. how did u know u have synesthesia? do u get synesthesia only when u hear things? i'm just curious. not to come off as ignorant tho.

also: are u an artist?

one more thing: which is ur fav view, like with synesthesia?

also: this is stupid: were u born with it?

um also: what do u see when u hear ur name?

also: is ur condition annoying to u? does it create hurdles in ur day-to-day activities?? like when u study, can't u listen to music cuz u see shapes and stuff? which distracts u?

um one last thing: ur follower event looks really different from everyone else's i've seen, looks real cool. um kudos to that i guess.

um thanks for answering! (if u choose not to, it's fine, these are ridiculous questions even i know)

Hii! Dw about asking so many questions I love talking about my synesthesia, and you're not coming off as ignorant, it's not smth that a lot of ppl know a lot about so dw

My main clue was when I started telling people what colour they were to me and they went what the fuck do you mean by that and I juts thought oh so that's not a thing for everybody? Cool I guess. that was about two years ago and since than I've figured out so so so much stuff about this haha

Yup i would say I am, im not the best at realistic drawing but my brain has too many ideas to not do some off them, I usually draw very abstract because that's how my synesthesia works, but I also sometimes do scenery mixed with it because my brain is rlly rlly associative, like it associates everything with everything so that's what I draw hehe

I'm also a poet and a writer, although the only stories I actually write nowadays are fanfictions 😅, I do write a lot of poetry still, mostly to deal with life or express my love for things or ppl *cough* @aesthetic-writer18 *cough*

My fav view? Bit confused by the question haha /lh if this means like favourite colour associated with smth I could not decide for the life of me haha

I really like the colours of some songs,

This one the most rn I think!

Yup I was born with it! It's a neurodiversity, so you can't have it and not be born with it. some people think they have synesthesia because they have like 5 or 6 associations, there's not rlly a rule for how much it needs to be but I think those ppl are bullshit, cus most ppl have some sorts of taught associations that are not synesthesia lol

my name for me is kinda light brown with yellow and red! Well my chosen name is, my deadname is light pink with red in it lol

I usually don't rlly associate a lot of stuff with myself or things about myself but the name James I took form James potter so that influences how I see it lol

Hmm, I wouldn't say it annoys me, but it does create some difficulties:

Some people I dislike don't have colours at all, or they have a rlly annoying or ugly colour, I know a girl whose voice is the most skin crawling shade of purple ish red it's so fucking annoying I can't stand to be around her

the music thing does happen, I usually try to listen to music that doesn't trigger my synesthesia a lot (which limits the possibilities a lot) and also doesn't trigger my maladaptive daydreaming but that's a whole other thing

One thing about my synesthesia is that when I think too much about it or concentrate on the associations too much I get a rlly bad headache which sucks lol

Thanks a lot! It's largely based on my synesthesia hehe I rlly like it!!

Thanks for the askkk!

[can-of-pringles]

When I'm Alone with You - Chapter 13

Rating: Gen

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1k

Summary: Copia and Silas discuss names.

Note: Odd summary I know but trust me it'll make sense when you read it.

Also Read on AO3

Copia and Silas were out in their usual walking space. Hardly anyone else would be out there while they were, which gave them a lot of private time just to talk with each other. They followed a familiar worn dirt path, the occasional stepping stone lay about. As well as several tall trees surrounding them, some looked to be as old as the Ministry building itself.

The two walked under the shade. Light shone through the leaves, causing a bit of a dappling pattern to fall on them. Silas’ light blue sweater looked excellent in the light, at least that’s what Copia thought. He noticed the soft knit of the material. The sweater wasn’t a turtleneck like Silas usually wore, allowing for Copia to see the plain white shirt underneath.

“Copia?”

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Silas’ voice trying to get his attention. He blinked. “What?”

“You okay? I was going to ask you something, but you seemed sort of… spaced out,” Silas said, raising his brow.

“Oh, yes, sorry. I guess I was thinking about… stuff.” He fidgeted with his gloves like usual. His face felt warm from embarrassment.

“I understand. My mind is so… loud sometimes.” Silas sighed, glancing down at the ground for a second. “Just constant noise and thoughts,”

“You too?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, all part of the ‘mess’ in here.”

Copia frowned. “Your mind isn’t a mess. Or at least I don’t think so… you always seem so sure of yourself. Confident. I envy you sometimes.” He admitted.

Silas felt an odd fluttery feeling in his stomach but chalked it up to nerves. “You really think so? I just… sort of stick to myself, y’know? Besides hanging out with you and Hanna, maybe some others occasionally… You should’ve seen me when I was younger, just a whole tangle of anxiety constantly.” He gestured vaguely.

He stayed silent, thinking over his words. “But you got better?”

Silas let out a breath. “I wouldn’t say better… maybe better managed.”

Copia sighed and nodded. “I think I’m still working on that myself.”

Silas patted his shoulder, ignoring the urge he felt to take his hand. “Yeah… it isn’t easy.”

Sensing the tension, he decided to change the subject. “I’ve never heard the name ‘Copia’ before… is it a common name in Italy? Or in the Ministry?”

Copia swallowed nervously. It was always such a struggle to have to explain his unique name to people who weren’t familiar with Italian. “Actually, it’s not really a name. I mean—It’s definitely my name!” He gestured to himself. “I meant, it’s a word in Italian, but not an Italian name. Am I making sense?”

Silas glanced away and furrowed his brows before he looked back at him with a more open expression once again, nodding. “There’s plenty of things people are called that don’t traditionally start out as names. Seriously, the amount of people I’ve heard named ‘Colt’ or something similar. That’s the south for you.” He scoffed.

Copia chuckled shortly. Well, it certainly could be worse. He could’ve been called “Cavallo”

“My name.” He cleared his throat and looked down at his clasped hands. “‘Copia’ means ‘copy’ in Italian.”

They both were silent. Copia anxiously waited for a response, quickly glancing at Silas to see his reaction. His expression didn’t reveal anything.

“Did the Sisters name you?” Silas asked, his tone neutral.

Copia shook his head. “I was told that my mother named me before she gave me up to the Ministry.”

Silas furrowed his brows and hummed. “Maybe it’s like another way of the whole junior name thing? Like you’re a ‘copy’ of your parents, so you were named Copia as a legacy thing.”

His eyebrows raised, caught off guard by Silas’ nicer interpretation. He’d always assumed the worst and figured no one thought he deserved to have a ‘real’ name. That was something he and his brother figures had in common. Names in the Ministry were… odd.

“Though I honestly don’t know how names work in Italy,” Silas added.

“Well, maybe you could be right… it’s certainly better than what I had thought,”

Silas refrained from frowning when he didn’t clarify what he’d meant by that last part. He already knew that Copia often didn’t treat himself as well as he should’ve. “Well, I’m glad I could offer you a different perspective.”

“Yes.” He had a small smile on his face.

“And for the record, putting what it means aside, I like your name. I don’t think of ‘copy’ when I hear it. I think of you.” His arm lightly accidentally brushed against his as they walked.

Copia noticed and looked away, fighting the blush he felt. “Thank you. I like your name too.” He looked at him again.

Silas smiled. “Yeah, I… my parents chose well, I think. It’s better than ‘Garrison’.”

“Oh, for sure… I can’t imagine you as a ‘Garrison’.” Copia’s face scrunched up.

He chuckled. “Don’t worry, it wasn’t seriously considered from what I’ve been told.”

“Good!” Copia exclaimed. “Imagine being called ‘Gary’… no offense to people named Gary. I’m sure some of them are fine.”

Silas’ chuckle grew to a laugh. Copia grinned at the sight. He eventually quieted down. “Some of them?”

“Well, I’m right, aren’t I?” Copia puts his hands up in mock defense.

He shook his head and sighed. “I guess… it’s just funny how you said it. I also think it’s funny you assume I’d automatically go by ‘Gary’ instead of the full name.”

“Not a nickname kind of guy?” Copia asked.

“Depends on the nickname…” Silas stuck his hands in his pockets.

“Oh, okay… Si.” He murmured near the end, looking away and hiding his smile.

Silas quickly turned to look at him. “Did you just call me ‘Si’?” His tone wasn’t upset, opposite in fact, but still surprised.

Copia bit his lip, trying to stop a grin from showing. “Maybe…”

He beamed and glanced away for a second before looking back at him. “You’re so…”

Why did the word cute appear in his head? He internally scolded himself.

“You’re so silly sometimes,” he settled on that instead.

“In a good way, yes?” Copia tilted his head.

“Yes… Cardi.” He joined in on the nickname game.

As soon as the words registered in his mind, Copia’s eyes lit up and he smiled. “You called me Cardi!”

“Yeah, I couldn’t think of something short for ‘Copia’, something that sounded good at least,” Silas said.

“What do you mean? Copi is definitely the perfect nickname. Nice to meet you. Call me Copi. Nope, scratch that, Pia is better.” He joked.

Silas snickered before it turned into infectious laughter, causing Copia to laugh along with him. Once they settled down, Silas glanced at the clock on his phone.

“Alright, we should probably be heading back soon…” He sighed.

“It would be a lot easier to stay out here with you.” Copia nudged him with his elbow.

Silas smiled, and then it faded. “Yeah, but I don’t feel like getting into trouble with Sister and her Ghouls…”

He nodded. “Good idea.”

Copia seriously didn’t need to get on her bad side, not after everything that had happened. He still found it difficult to be around her, but put up with it to stay safe.

Silas gently patted his arm for a second. “Come on, let’s go back in.”

They went back the way they came, walking side-by-side. Their pace absentmindedly slowed once they were getting closer. After following the path back, they made it to the building; heading inside. The outside weather was alright, but they couldn’t deny how nice the cool air in the building felt after being in the heat.

They stood in one of the long, winding hallways; the sun shining through the colorful stained glass.

“Thanks for spending time with me so often,” Copia spoke.

“Of course, it’s what friends do. I can’t imagine spending time here with someone else,” he replied.

Copia felt the urge to smile. “We’ll talk later, okay?” Copia asked.

Silas nodded to confirm.

With that, they each turned to go back to their jobs, already thinking about the next time they could hang out together.

-

"Cavallo" = horse

[sachiko6243]

The good old Doc - Part 12

Missed the start? No problem, here is the first part, the following ones are always linked at the end, so you dont have to search endlessly. 😉

Summary: Lieutenant Lilith Adams enlisted back in the military, only to be met with a certain cocky pilot. Overcoming certain past traumas, she tries to fit in with the team of pilots as their personal medic. Soon finding her stuck between a certain good looking aviator and her work morals.

This is a series which is currently in the making, so I don’t exactly know how long it is going to be. 😊

Word count: 2591

Warnings: a little talk about the general rules/pace of their relationship (kinky if you squeeze your eyes)

When he came back, I was already putting a bathing bomb in the water, watching it dissolve in light purple streams. He handed me a glass of water, holding out a variation of snack bars. I took the glass of water with shaky hands, downing half of it, before I put it down and turned my attention back to him. “So, what do you want to tell me?” I asked, sinking into the hot water. My head fell back, once I was fully submerged. With half closed eyes I watched him, patting the water to invite him in. Jake shook his head, stepping into the shower. “Thank you, darlin. But I would rather cool off than cook myself to death.” I grumbled at his words, snatching a snack bar from the counter, and opening it.

Watching him shower, I ate my food, not exactly sure, what I wanted to ask him. “You are experienced in that kind of stuff.” I said.

“I am. Yes.” He answered, staring back at me. “You don’t know what you want to ask, do you?” He smiled softly, turning off the shower. “Okay… how do I start that without me sounding like a total weirdo… Well, as you might have figured out, I like to be in charge in the bedroom. I like it, when women submit to my command, letting me take care of them. It gives me a sort of confirmation I cant quite put a finger on.”

“So, you want me to submit to you?” I asked curious of where this talk was going. Jake tilted his head. “Yes and no. I have the desire to dominate you, own you, yes. But I don’t want to force it on you.”

“Does this thing you like to do extend outside of the bedroom?” Scrunching my nose, I watched him put on a new pair of boxers. He sat down on the edge of the tub, stroking my cheeks. “Only if you would allow it, darlin. I wont do anything that you don’t want. But yes, it can. It can be whatever we want, or nothing at all.”

I leaned into his touch, thinking about his words. It sounded interesting, filthy, a little secret between us. But it also scared me. All my life growing up, I was supposed to be strong, told to bow to no man. And yet, here I was. Craving the possession Jake showed in little glimpses of what he was doing, the way he ruled over my body, the way he stepped up for me, putting an undeniable claim on me.

“I… I don’t know what to do.” I answered honestly. “I want to try it. But I also don’t want other people to look down on me, because you do.”

“Darlin, no.” He interrupted me. “I do not look down on you. That’s not how these things work. Yes, there can be degradation involved, but it doesn’t need to be. We don’t need to act it out in public at all, if you don’t want to. You submitting to me, would not make you less of a human. Rather the opposite. You giving yourself to me, trusting me… That’s everything. I want to care for you, protect you, worship you the way you deserve.”

His words had me thinking. Something in my head told me, that I already heard about stuff like that. “So, you are some kind of Christian Grey, just in uniform and hotter?” I asked, cocking my head playfully. He laughed at my words, putting a strand of hair behind my ear. “BDSM is way more, than that book lets on. I would even go so far, to say that fifty shades of grey does a horrible job of describing the interaction between a sub and a dom. But yes, it is kind of what I am. Without the insane amount of money, trust issues and manipulation of course.”

“Okey.” I said after a while. “I want to try it. But I don’t want it to interfere with work. As soon as our relationship would be public, I will already lose my reputation. I don’t need people to have another reason to go after me.”

“Of course, darlin. We will find our pace and make our own rules. What else?” Jake nodded, helping me out of the tub, when I reached out for him. “I want to take it slow. Start with you being in charge in the bedroom and then see how far I want to have it in my life. You can be possessive in public, if someone hits on me or harasses me, but I don’t want you to talk over me, dictate what I wear or what I do. The team can know about it, but I don’t want to have a big announcement. If they suspect things and ask, we answer honestly, but nothing more.”

“Noted.” He said, handing me a towel. “Anything else?”

I thought for a moment. “Not that I can think of now. Regarding the sex, I am not as experienced. Compared to you, my exes were rather narrow minded and boring, so if you want to try something new, I want to know beforehand and speak about it. Other than that, I think that’s all. At least as far as I can think of.”

“That’s more than I could ask of you.” He murmured against my ear, pulling me into a tight hug. “Thank you, darlin. I promise all I want for you is to feel save and loved. And I am so proud of you for trying it with me.”

I snuggled into his embrace. “Is it possible you have a slight praise kink?”

Smiling at me through the mirror he gave me a small kiss. “Only for you, sweet cheeks.”

The next morning, I woke up being buried between Jake and the blankets of my bed.  I reached for my phone, looking at the time. 10am. That’s not too bad. Then I saw a message in the group chat from Rooster: Anyone down for some beach time?

The team already agreed to it, so I nudged Jake awake. “Wake up. The team wants to go to the beach. You in or not?” “M in.” He mumbled, tugging me even closer. I typed our answer, asking when the squad was ready to meet. To my surprise, Rooster sent a picture of them already playing Volleyball in front of the hard deck. “Come on, Jake. They are already at the beach.” I said, shuffling out from underneath him. When I stepped in the bathroom, I gasped at my appearance. My whole upper body was covered in bruises and bite marks. Jake now leaning against the doorframe smiled proudly.

“What the fuck, Jake! I cant go out like that!” I yelped, twisting and turning while inspecting the way I looked. He just chuckled. “You can. Nobody will mind.”

“They will make fun of me. Of us.” I squeaked, hiding behind my hands. I felt him come up to me, hugging me. “They will do that either way. But if you really don’t want to, we don’t have to go, darlin. Even though I don’t mind showing off my legacy.” He grinned cockily. I punched him jokingly. “Your legacy? You are such a dick!” He just laughed at me. “If I remember correctly, you quite like my dick.”

“Jacob Seresin!” I yelled hunting him back into my bedroom. Tackling him into the sheets I started a pillow fight, which I quickly lost. Now out of breath and pinned down I smiled at him. “God, I love you…” He said, kissing me softly. As soon as his lips connected to mine, I gave up the fight I put up. Melting into his touch, the beach already forgotten. To my dismay he ended the kiss, making me huff in annoyance. Pulling me from the bed, he just chuckled: “Come on, we need to get ready. Breakfast on the way?”

Now dressed in a skimpy excuse of a bikini, a beach dress thrown over me, I sat in his Pick-up, a cup of coffee in one hand and a bagel in the other. Jake had dug through my closet of course choosing the most revealing thing he could find. Generally speaking, I didn’t mind showing off my body, but normally I didn’t look like a purple version of a leopard.

We reached the beach and I waited for Jake to open the door for me. I tried to do it myself back at the coffee shop, earning a grumpy huff and another lecture of how he is supposed to do it for me. Jake had already taken off his shirt and stuffed it in our bag. Then he slung the bag over his shoulder, taking his coffee in one hand, offering me the other. When we walked to the beach, I let my eyes wander over his back. Proudly noting, that I wasn’t the only one with marks on my body. On either shoulder he had claw marks and crescent indents. I touched one red stripe with the outstretched finger of my hand, causing him to his and roll his shoulders. “Sorry…” I mumbled, head hanging low. He just shrugged it off, turning around. “Don’t be, darlin. It looks worse than it feels.” Offering me a crooked smile.

“Still. I kinda feel bad for it.” Emptying my cup I threw it in the nearest bin, not daring to look him in the eyes. Now that my hands were empty, I crossed them before my chest, playing with the hem of my sleeves. “Why would you feel bad for it? If I had a problem with it, do you really think I would have let you do it?” Jake asked, leaning against the sign with the beach rules. I shook my head. “No, but my exes always made a fuss about it. Saying it was childish and insecure, since I would not trust them and therefore mark them up for other women to know.”

“You’re joking.” He let out, blinking rapidly at my statement.

“Unfortunately, not.” I said through gritted teeth.

Jake took a deep breath, then he smiled my favorite cocky grin. “Good thing you are with a real man now. I cant believe they would scold you for simply enjoying sex. They should be pleased to have gotten marks. I am. It just shows how good I am at fucking your brain out.”

“Jake!” I whisper yelled, looking around like he just dropped the biggest secret of the United States.

“Oh, come on, darlin. Stop being so uptight. Nobody gives a shit about it. And if they do, they can answer to me. Don’t think about it too much and enjoy life a little more. Otherwise, you will soon look older than I do.” He nudged me playfully in the side. I just raised an eyebrow. “Did you just call me old?”

“No?” He slowly asked, trying to figure out my expressions. Deciding to tease him further, I put on a sour dace. “I think that’s just what you did.” He reached out for me, but I stepped around him, walking over to where I saw the team, avoiding his touch. “Darlin, you know how I meant it. Please come back.” Jake came running after me, a slight whine in his voice. I fought hard to suppress a smile, when I turned around. “Fifty kisses, or I will break up with you.”

Jake stopped midway over to me, finally realizing, I messed with him. “You are such a…” Not finishing his sentence, he chased after me. Quickly I turned around, racing down the stairs towards the other, giggling and screaming like a maniac. My sudden appearance while running away from Jake, caused the team to turn heads. “Protect me, Rooster! He is out of his mind!” I yelled, jumping behind Bradleys back. He just stood there still processing what was going on. Jake on the other hand, threw his bag roughly in the direction of the sunshades, rounding Rooster. He was making ground with every meter I ran, quickly scooping me up and throwing me over his shoulder. I screamed and tried to wriggle out of his hold, but it was impossible. He had a strong grip around my waist, visibly not impaired by my fist pounding against his back.

My fight only got harder, when I realized he was making his way towards the ocean. When he stood hip deep in the waves, he pulled me from his back, holding me bridal style over the waves. “What do you say for messing with me?” He asked, smiling down at me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to get away from the cold water. “I am sorry! I didn’t mean to mess with you. Please let me down!”

“Oh you want to be let down?” I could feel him loosening his hold on me. I squirmed: “No! Not like that!” But it was already to late. With a loud splash I landed in the water, fully submerging, because I wasn’t prepared for the fall. When I got up, Jake was still standing in front of me, laughing uncontrollably at my soaked appearance. “You will pay for that, Seresin! Trust me, I will get you wet as well.”

He just hummed in pleasure, stepping closer to me and pulling me up in his arms. I was clinging to his body wrapping my legs around his waist. “Hmm. I cant think of a way I want to get soaked by you.” I groaned at his words, but the smile creeping up my cheeks betrayed me. “You are such a filthy minded, cocky idiot.”

“Yeah, I am. But I am your idiot and you like it that way.” He murmured, pulling my face in for a kiss. I let myself fall into his embrace, giving in to his warm hands, squeezing my ass, his tongue forcing itself through my lips.

What I didn’t think about, was the fact, that Jake would let himself fall back, pulling us both under water again. Startled, I pushed him down, on my way to get up. When I came back up, I was coughing, spitting out water. “I hate you!” I let out between harsh breaths and wiping away my hair. It was impossible to manage it, so I leaned back, wetting it and raising my head again for my hair to slick back. I probably looked like a drowned rat at this point with my hair, glued to my head and the beach dress sticking to my body, but I didn’t care. Walking out the water I made my way to the team. Phoenix was the first to greet me. She already set up my towel next to hers under the shade. Handing me a cold bottle of water. “Jake being an ass again?” She asked with a grin on her face. Looking behind me, I watched my boyfriend walk over to us.

His tanned and muscular body was glistening in the sunlight. Water droplets running down his toned chest, his abs before dripping of his shorts. His hair was slightly darker, giving his green eyes a different shade in which I was about to get lost. Fuck he looked hot like that. My mind started wandering to what I wanted him to do looking like that… Phoenix giggling ripped me out of my daydream. I quickly looked away to hide my blush. “He is excused for looking like that.”

“I am sure he is…”

I needed to put it in again... He just looks too hot to not do it... 🥰😅

[aurumcordis]

❛ i already told you, i’d do anything for you. no questions asked. ❜

⋆ quotes from stories I never finished . accepting

"Aw, would you look at that? All this Atlas tech and you still didn't fix the brain damage," Fiona chuckled, hand nursing her drink with no small degree of amusement and watching the liquid swirl inside the glass. It was a beautiful shade of dark red, and the aroma was delightful, too - top shelf stuff, really. Apparently, Rhys hadn't been lying when he casually mentioned that Promethea had very good wine.

(Not that it had been the decisive factor in Fiona dropping by this time - not at all, but the woman wasn't about to give that detail away for free.)

"I don't know much about running a big corporation, but I thought you'd at least ask me for details. A proposal, maybe - with some nice estimates and pretty pictures? Isn't that the sort of thing you get from people these days?" the grin came easily, but it was still mostly just a guess - based on things Fiona recalled hearing from Vaughn and his routine, but even that felt like a lifetime ago.

"But fine. Fiiine. I'm not going to complain if you don't need me selling something if you're that desperate to buy anyway," the former con artist laughed this time, a larger sip of the wine following in a way that made clear that, regardless of the adventures Fiona had lived through the last few years, it hadn't fundamentally changed her - in the same way the money inherited from Felix had led to no difference in how both her (and Sasha) viewed the world, except for a nice little paintjob for the caravan and some cool upgrades to their weapons of choice.

(Six bullets could go at once in her prized derringer now - Athena would be so proud, but Fiona still liked to think about them as contingency plans; six of them - but only as fancy back-up.)

"But maybe you should tell your secretary or whoever deals with your calendar that you're going away for some time. I can't believe I'm going to say this - but I need your help. I don't trust anyone else with this," the woman said with a seriousness that suddenly felt out of place given her previous smiles and light teasing, but it was not difficult to see it was a sincere emotion. Fiona's green eyes were on Rhys and locked onto his figure, not distracted by the wine or anything about their nice surroundings of a transformed Promethea.

She meant business.

And it was not even family business - her recent falling with Sasha meant as much; Fiona was asking for a favor (and a hell of a big one at that), but since Rhys had been so willing and welcoming of her needs, she was not going to change tactics in the face of unexpected luck.

"I think I found some sort of tracking device for the vaults. For all of them. Location and time stamps," the woman said in a conspiratorial whisper, leaning in closer but given Rhys a hard, determined look that was unbothered by his bicolored gaze, "But I need help figuring that thing out to see if I'm right. If I am, though..." a pause, followed by a sharper intake of breath, "I'd be willing to work on an exclusive basis for you as your own personal vault opener - just so we make sure no douchebag gets to make another planet into their own slave colony or something equally disgusting."

The part left out was related to the potential dangers along the way, of course - it was also assuming that Fiona was right (she usually was), that they would get the device up and running (Rhys typically did these things) and that all would flow according to plan - and that was where they had horrible, shitty luck.

But they had done it once against fucking unbeatable odds; maybe the could do it again for one last time.