#and I thing my work with lighting and shadows also improved a bit

[blindecho6]

[parisoonic]

I just want to say I love how you do your lineart, it looks so good! ahhhhhhhh!!

I'm gathering a lot of advice about the topic of lineart and I just wanna know how you get it to look like that? My line weight is getting better but the drawing itself just comes out a bit.. weird.

Thank you so much! Lineart is probably the thing I've been working hardest on as I am not a lineartist (and still struggle a lot) but it's something I really need to get better at for my job. UM there's honestly so much that could be said on the topic of lineart. Big things for me are:

Weight -> Use line weight (aka thickness) to describe form, lighting, contact and scale. Thick lines imply shadow, contact and nearness-to-camera. Thin lines imply tension, recession and light.

Straights vs Curves -> Use straight lines against curved ones for maximum interest. This is partly a character design thing but as we're using lines to describe our characters it's worth mentioning :)

Complex vx Simple -> Use complex lines against simple. Faces are always complex so therefore the backs of heads should always be simple. Chests are quite complex so backs should be simple. Dorsal sides of the arms are complex (Delt, tricep, bicep) whilst the ventral side is more simple (tricep...mainly) etc.

'Think in Ink' -> Lower your sketch layer almost to 0% opacity so you're not getting hung up on how nice/energetic your sketch look and instead are approaching the piece from an ink mindset. BUT it's digital! So if there's something in your sketch that you like just bring it forward (copy and paste) into your ink layer. I sketch and ink with the same brush so I can use this workflow

'Confidence' -> small hesitant feathery lines will look nervous compared to big swooping lines. Less is always more. I'll redraw arms/limbs until I can get the appearance that it was done in one brush stroke. Again it's digital so you can erase to cheat this look : )

MISC 01: I always hear 'draw from the shoulder'........meh............it's digital so draw from your wrist...it's fine honestly. If we were working at A1 in a life drawing class then we could get some shoulder action going but most of us are hunched over 16inch tablets. I think this advice aims to pull people away from feathery-nervous lineart honestly which you can improve on without relearning how to draw from your shoulder.

MISC 02: For a 'smoother' look do your lineart at a larger canvas size than you need. Once I'm happy with a sketch I usually double the canvas size and do my lineart then.

MISC 03: In PS (at least) anti-aliasing goes funny at any zoom level that isn't in the 5 times table. So try not to look at your canvas when you're zoomed in to 87% or 71.39% or something crazy. Just stick to 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% if possible.

UNFORTUNATE TRUTH: Lineart is incredibly based on raw draughtmanship I've discovered. When you're working with colour you can hide a lot in rendering (shadows, highlights) or post-processing (depth of field) but in lineart all your mistakes are just...there for people to see. There's ways round this...which I use A LOT. 'Flourishes' (I use 'flourishes' to mean over-confident lineart where it veers particuarly thick or particuarly thin in contrast to your approach in the rest of the image) can sort of trick people into thinking you're more confident about an area than you actually are.

As well as leaving 'breathing room' within your lineart instead of actually...resolving the area. I do this the most around the face and hands.

Hopefully some of this helps? Honestly there's a lot of deep dives that could be done into indivudal things and there's also the massive caveat that all of these are 'guidelines' and not strict rules. I also favour a more...concept-arty? animation-y? storyboard-y? look to my lineart which favours flourishes and breathing room for a incomplete/work-in-progress feel which would make methodical colouring (ie: for a comic or something) a pain.

Keep up pratice is the main thing and doing studies of artists who you like that have great lineart - you'll pick up draughtmanship skills along with the lineart studies. Here's some of my lineart from a year or two ago...it varies between very 'standardised' (which makes it difficult to read volumes and to be honest, it's boring) and 'TOO EXCITING' (which...also makes it difficult to read volumes and for the eye to rest).

I'd like to share my brushes at some point as I've found 3 that I really like and use for everything more or less. I discovered that a shocking low amount of people use PS on tumblr (shocking to me I guess as i'm so used to PS being the standard) and everyone seems to use Procreate or Clip Studio Pro...so I want to check that the brushes are Procreate compatible at least before I share!

[weevil-wallflower]

Inquisitive Experiments

Cal Kestis x Reader

Summary: Cal's gaze lingered on You, his heart pounding with a mixture of nerves and anticipation as he contemplated the possibilities swirling in his mind. "You know," he began when You didn’t address him first, his voice barely above a whisper, "I've been thinking… We could try something different in the bedroom. Spice things up a bit."

Warnings/Tags: NSFW 18+, f!reader but no pronouns used, no use of Y/N, unprotected sex, rough rex, dom!Cal, aftercare, during/post-Jedi: Survivor, no spoilers for Jedi: Survivor.

A/N: I began story writing once more after a long time and while my writing has been greatly improved due to studies, English is still not my first language so I'm pretty nervous. Edited it like four times... Also my very first nsfw story so might not be super good. Aaaand this was written on a whim because inspiration struck after I played the game ^_^

Word Count: ~4,201

Also on AO3!

The Mantis drifted through the depths of space, its metal hull humming softly in the void. It was a quiet night— or day? Time seemed to lose its grip as the ship travelled through deep space, the clock in the kitchen the only thing that provided a schedule.

For Cal, the silence of the ship often felt suffocating, a stagnant calm that seeped into every corner. With no external stimuli to break the monotony, the hours stretched on endlessly. Despite the ever-present hum of the engines and occasional beeps of the consoles, the silence weighed heavy on the redhead’s shoulders.

In moments like these, Cal couldn't help but feel a sense of restlessness growing inside him. Always a man of action, the absence of excitement or activity left him yearning for something more, anything to disrupt the monotonous rhythm of ship life. To him, the quietness of the Mantis wasn't just peaceful—it was downright boring. The extreme restlessness he felt only worsened upon seeing You relaxed on the sofa, looking content as You were absorbed in a holobook.

Meanwhile, in the quiet of the ship's charging station, BD-1 lay idle. Only Cal and You remained aboard, while the rest of the crew was scattered across different planets. The original plan to meet an informant on Zeffo was quickly abandoned when the seemingly shifty Twi'lek changed course, opting for Felucia instead. This unexpected detour promised to stretch their journey twofold, a deviation that typically wouldn't faze Cal, seasoned as he was in flying the Mantis solo for nearly half a decade. However, this only made him feel more tense, his mind working in overdrive to think of all the possible ways their informant may be scheming to lead them astray or worse.

You on the other hand, felt excitement surge within You as Cal's gaze bore into You from behind, even without relying on the Force to confirm it. Standing next to the ship's kitchen counter, his intense gaze, hidden beneath the cascade of his fiery hair that he'd allowed to grow past his ears, was undeniably fixed on your form. It sparked a flutter of anticipation, prompting a subtle shift in your posture as You switched to a new page, pretending to be absorbed in your holobook.

As the stillness persisted, Cal's restlessness reached its peak. Meditation crossed his mind momentarily but he decided he would rather spend time with You. You were right there, ripe for the taking. Hence, with measured steps, he walked closer to where You sat on the curved sofa, lost in the pages of your holobook. Towering over You, his presence loomed large, casting a shadow that seemed to swallow the dim light of the small lounge area.

Cal's gaze lingered on You, his heart pounding with a mixture of nerves and anticipation as he contemplated the possibilities swirling in his mind. "You know," he began when You didn’t address him first, his voice barely above a whisper, "I've been thinking... We could try something different in the bedroom. Spice things up a bit."

You glanced up from your holobook, your eyes widening in surprise at Cal's unexpected proposal. "Something new... in the bedroom?" You echoed, the words hanging in the air between you both, laden with both curiosity and budding excitement.

Cal nodded, a slight flush coloring his cheeks with excitement as he ventured further into uncharted territory. "You know, like roleplay or maybe even some light bondage," he suggested, feeling a shiver of anticipation run down his spine at the mere thought of it. So far, the two of you have only been engaging in activities that can be considered… vanilla, so to speak. Not that Cal disliked it— Anything with You involved got his blood pumping. But he was craving something new.

"Cal...!" You giggled, unable to contain your surprise at his bold suggestion. "This is so unlike you! What's the special occasion?" Your voice laced with amusement and intrigue, wondering what had sparked this sudden desire for experimentation by the usually reserved Jedi.

"Just felt like doing something different," Cal said, taking a seat next to You. "And besides, I've seen how you respond to certain things... I can tell it turns you on." His calloused hand reached out to caress your cheek gently, his green eyes full of desire.

"Oh, yeah?" You breathed out, leaning into his warm touch, savouring the sensation. "What kind of things do I respond to?" You asked, your voice tinged with curiosity, eager to hear his answer.

"Powerful gestures," Cal whispered, his other hand slowly sliding down to your waist, his touch sending a shiver down your spine. "The way you moan when I take control," he continued, his voice low and husky with desire. Leaning in closer, his lips brushed against your earlobe, sending a thrill coursing through You. "I want to hear more of those sounds," he murmured, his breath hot against your skin, igniting a fire within You.

Unable to believe how the typically kind and shy Jedi had suddenly become so assertive, You couldn't help but giggle nervously, your laughter betraying a mix of excitement. You rested your hands on his shoulders, feeling the firmness of his muscles beneath your touch as You pressed your soft breasts against his chest, the closeness between you both heightening the tension in the air.

Cal's heart raced at the sensation of your breasts pressing against him, a surge of gratitude flooding through him for having someone like You in his life. "I want to make love to you," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper, filled with a raw intensity that mirrored the passion igniting between them. 

The redhead then closed his eyes, taking a moment to savour the moment as he took a deep breath, allowing himself to become enveloped in the sensation of your body pressed against his. "Let me show you how much you mean to me," he murmured, his voice filled with tenderness and longing. With gentle strength, he lifted You up into his arms, cradling You close. He wanted to do so much more than that. But he was at a loss for words, unable to bear the thought of overwhelming You. Fortunately for him, the two of you often worked on one wavelength. Hence, he did not have to voice his desires again as You did it for him.

"I think I'm up for a little roleplay..." You whispered, your voice laced with anticipation, as he carried You towards the bedroom at the back of the Mantis.

Cal's eyes widened with surprise and excitement at your words. "Roleplay?" he echoed, his voice tinged with anticipation. With careful yet eager movements, he carried You into the bedroom and gently set You down on the bed, a mischievous grin spreading across his face as he prepared to indulge in whatever playful fantasy you both would come up with.

You couldn't help but laugh at his excitement, your eyes gazing up at him with adoration. "Do you... still have that Inquisitor uniform from our mission last time? When we infiltrated that Imperial base?" You asked, your voice tinged with a hint of shyness, the memory of that daring mission adding an extra layer of excitement to the scenario You had in mind.

"Yes, I do," The Jedi replied, his voice hitching slightly with anticipation. "You want me to wear it?" There was a moment of hesitation in his tone, uncertain of how You would react. But seeing the desire in your eyes, he knew he had to try.

"Mhm..." You eagerly nodded before quickly justifying yourself, your nerves causing You to ramble. "Not a big fan of Inquisitors, of course, since they're ruthless workers of the Empire and all that, but I do love to see you in dark armour or uniform...!" Your cheeks flushed slightly as You stumbled over your words, hoping he understood your preference despite the conflicting emotions tied to the attire.

His worries eased, Cal offered You a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I understand," he said softly before leaving the room to retrieve the uniform. He felt a mix of excitement and nervousness himself as he sought out the outfit. Upon his return, he was clad in the dark suit, its distinctive black cape billowing behind him and sleek torso armour gleaming in the dim light of the room.

"S-so... we should get in character, right...?" You whispered, your wide eyes appreciatively trailing over the redhead's figure in the Inquisitor uniform. Despite the intimidating aura associated with Inquisitors, seeing Cal dressed as one only fueled your desire for him.

"How about I play the Jedi, and you play the Inquisitor hunting me down?"

Cal nodded, a wicked grin stretching across his features. "Yes, precisely," he affirmed. Stepping closer to You, his voice deepened, assuming the persona of the Inquisitor. "I've been tracking you for weeks, little Jedi."

You barely stopped yourself from letting out an excited squeal as the redhead fully embraced his role. Instead, You quickly stood up from the bed, your expression a mix of shock and fear. "How did you find me?!" You exclaimed, playing along with the scenario as your heart raced with anticipation.

"My training has prepared me well for situations like this, Jedi," the Inquisitor replied, his voice dripping with ominous authority. With purposeful strides, he advanced towards You, each step echoing in the small room. "Your hiding place was not so well-guarded after all," he added, his tone implying a sense of superiority and triumph.

You backed away as his menacing form advanced upon You, your eyes frantically scanning the room to calculate an escape route.

Cal stopped a few feet away from You, close enough to see the fear in your eyes but not close enough to make You feel trapped. "You're strong for a Jedi, little one," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "But you're also alone." He let his gaze drift down your body before meeting your eyes again. "You should've stayed hidden," he said with a sigh, reaching to his side for his lightsaber hilt.

Taking advantage of his brief distraction, You swiftly sidestepped him and dashed towards the workbench where your own lightsaber lay.

Cal swiftly spun around, his hand gripping his lightsaber tightly as he faced You. "You think you can outsmart an Inquisitor, Jedi?" he asked, his voice dripping with darkness and menace. Yet, he hadn't even bothered to ignite his lightsaber, so confident in his ability to detain You without the use of a weapon.

Gripping your lightsaber in terror, its blade not yet ignited either, You glared up at the Inquisitor. "Leave now, if you know what's good for you," You attempted to sound threatening, but your voice shook with fear too much to be convincing.

Cal chuckled darkly. "You really think that will stop me?" he asked, taking another step closer to You. "I have hunted Jedi like you for years. You're nothing special." With a menacing grin, he reached out with the Force, attempting to pull your lightsaber from your grip, causing You to grunt and hold your weapon tightly. Your arm outstretched as it was almost pulled away, forcing You to plant your feet firmly on the ground in resistance.

The Inquisitor could sense your strength through the Force as you both struggled against each other. Finally, with a surge of effort, he succeeded in dislodging the lightsaber from your grip, causing it to fly into his outstretched hand.

Gasping as You were rendered defenseless, You realised You had no other choice but to flee. Quickly, You rushed over to the door, desperation urging You forward.

Unfortunately for You, the Inquisitor proved quicker, pushing You roughly against the wall. He pressed his body flush against yours, pinning You there as he looked into your eyes. "I can offer you another choice, little Jedi," he whispered, his voice laced with a sinister undertone.

"W-What other choice...?" You stammered, your voice trembling with uncertainty and apprehension.

His lips brushed against yours, his lips cold but his heart pounding in his chest as he slowly, gently claimed your mouth in a kiss. You softly returned the kiss, standing on your tip toes to meet him halfway, almost breaking character before glaring up at him after he broke it off a few moments later, his eyes gleaming with desire. "You could give yourself up," he said silkily.

"And become a slave to the Empire? Like you? No, thanks..."

Cal smiled darkly. "Unfortunate," he murmured, gripping your chin roughly to make You meet his gaze. "You're not as clever as you believe, Jedi. You have nowhere to run." His hand tightened around your chin, forcing You to hold his gaze. "You'll eventually be locked in a cell, but I can give you one last chance," he growled, his tone laced with lethal intent.

"You could give in... to me." He continued, pressing closer as he leaned down to whisper in your ear. "Or I'll have no choice but to make you mine by force."

"I-I'll never give in..." Your voice shook as your thighs pressed together, attempting to relieve some of the ache You felt in your core. You wondered what Cal would do if You chose the harder route.

In response, Cal's eyes flashed with a mix of lust and anger. "Then you leave me no choice," he growled, forcefully pushing You against the wall, eliminating any space between your bodies. His mouth descended upon yours in a brutal kiss, his tongue invading your mouth as he took what he desired, causing You to gasp and softly moan into the kiss, your hands clutching his broad shoulders in response.

Cal's grip on You tightened, his tongue dancing with yours as he claimed your mouth completely. His other hand slipped down to grope at your ass, squeezing the firm flesh through the clothes. He broke the kiss only to growl against your neck, "You'll submit to me, Jedi. And you'll enjoy it." He grabbed your arms, holding them above your head with one hand before leaning in to nip at your exposed neck, his teeth leaving marks as he continued to grope at your ass with his other hand.

The hand that had been holding your arms captive slowly trailed down to your chest, roughly squeezing your breasts through your clothes, grinning menacingly against your neck. "You desire this," he growled, seizing a handful of your hair, causing You to wince as he pulled your head back, his lips grazing against your throat.

The redhead momentarily paused, whispering in your ear, his hot breath sending goosebumps rising on your skin. "Are you comfortable with this? Because I can go as far as you want," he murmured. He nipped at your earlobe, his other hand continuing to squeeze your breast through your clothes.

His question elicited a soft smile from You, your heart fluttering as Cal broke character to ask for your permission, demonstrating his deep care for You by being unwilling to hurt you, even unintentionally.

"I'm okay... I'm actually enjoying this so far," You shyly whispered, reassuring him. "Please, don't hold back. Be as mean to me as you want... I know I can always use the safe word if things feel too much."

Cal's smile returned as he slipped back into character. His eyes flashed with lust and power as he smiled cruelly, releasing your hair but maintaining his grip on your breasts. "You want me to be cruel? To take you against your will?" he questioned, his voice laced with dominance and desire.

"Please, Inquisitor... don't do this!" You whined, your tone almost playful as your soft folds moistened with arousal.

Cal chuckled darkly as he moved his hand to cup your sex through your pants, asserting his dominance. "Oh, but I will," he growled, his hand feeling how wet You were even through your clothes. His free hand reached up to undo his pants, pulling out his thick cock with a harsh grunt.

Your eyes widened at the sight of him. "I-I don't think it'll fit..." You whispered, aware that you both knew it was partially true. You just wanted to say it to boost the redhead’s confidence.

Cal smirked, taking it as a challenge. "Watch me," he growled, pushing your pants down and panties to the side. He positioned himself at your entrance, his thick cockhead pressing against You slowly. "Are you sure you don't want me to go easy on you?"

Your lips curled into a soft smile as your hands tenderly brushed against his cheeks, feeling the roughness of his stubble. You were so grateful for his concern and love for You.

"Yes, Cal... Don't hold back," You whispered, giving him permission to fully immerse himself in the moment.

Cal's heart skipped a beat at your words, feeling a surge of desire course through him. He pushed forward, slowly penetrating your tight folds. It was a struggle to get all of his girth inside You, but he managed it with a grunt. "Kriff..."

The intense pressure caused your back to arch off of the wall, pushing your breasts against the chest plating of his dark uniform, feeling his girth fill You to the brim.

The Inquisitor gritted his teeth, determined to fulfill your desires. He began to thrust slowly but powerfully, feeling his cock sinking deep inside You with every push. His free hand moved up under your shirt to cup one of your breasts roughly, pinching your nipple between his fingers.

"Oh... Oh, please, Inquisitor... It hurts..." You playfully whined, though your facial expressions conveyed anything but pain.

Cal chuckled darkly, the sound reverberating against your sensitive skin. "That's it, my little whore," he growled into your neck, his pace quickening as he took You roughly against the wall.

You squeaked and threw your head back, the unexpected derogatory word causing your inner walls to clench hard around him, eliciting a groan of pleasure from Cal. "You like that, don't you? Being called a whore?" he demanded, grabbing You by the hair and forcefully pulling your head back to make You meet his gaze.

Softly moaning, You gave him a little smirk, replying, "N-No, Inquisitor. Whatever gave you that idea?"

Cal laughed, his thrusts becoming even harder and faster. "Liar," he snarled, slamming into You with brutal force. His other hand slid down to your aching clit, teasing it roughly as he continued to pound into You.

The intense pleasure wiped the smirk off your face as You arched your back, closing your eyes in ecstasy. Your hands clutched Cal's shoulders tightly, one moving up to run your fingers through his fiery hair. You loved how he had allowed his hair to grow past their usual style.

Cal growled, feeling the pleasure coursing through him as he took You roughly against the wall. Sensing his climax approaching, he slammed his hips into yours with a feral intensity. "You enjoy being taken like this, don't you?"

"O-Only by you!" You gasped out, your legs wrapped tightly around his hips as he pounded into You, a grin spreading across his face as he felt his climax building rapidly. Leaning down, he captured your lips in a rough, passionate kiss as he continued to thrust into You, feeling your walls clenching around him tighter and tighter.

You moaned into the kiss, feeling Cal's tongue intertwining with yours as your walls tightened, signaling your impending climax. Cal's thrusts became more erratic as he neared his climax as well, the pleasure coursing through him reaching new heights. He felt your walls convulse around him as your release synchronised with his, and with a final roar of pleasure, he released himself inside You, filling You with his seed.

Cal panted heavily, his body shuddering as he leaned his head against yours, still buried inside You. He looked down at You, both your eyes locking in a moment of shared satisfaction. "That was... intense," he said with a chuckle, slowly pulling out of You.

"Mhm..." You hummed, feeling blissed out as You rested between Cal and the wall with your eyes closed, your legs feeling like jelly when the redhead gently placed You back on your feet. Letting out a satisfied sigh, Cal planted a gentle kiss on your forehead before he pulled You into a warm embrace, feeling a stirring of affection for You. "You're quite something, aren't you?"

"So are you..." You giggled, wrapping your arms around his neck. "Thank you for doing this with me..."

Cal smiled, his heart warming at your words. "No need to thank me," he said softly, nuzzling his face into your neck. "I enjoyed it just as much as you did."

"You enjoyed being bad to me...?" You teasingly whispered, unable to resist, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth, causing his cheeks to flush at your words. But he couldn't suppress the smirk that spread across his face. "Well... perhaps just a bit," he admitted, brushing his lips against yours playfully. "But only because it made you feel good."

Your smirk softened into a loving smile at his words, overwhelmed by the sweetness of the man and the fact that he was yours. However, You were pulled from your thoughts when Cal's eyes widened as he noticed the bruises on your hips and thighs from where he had gripped You too hard. "Oh no, my love..." he said worriedly, tracing his fingers over the marks gently. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have been so rough."

"Don't be!" You softly held his hands in yours, stopping him from fretting over You. "I wanted this, remember. And besides, it's a good kind of hurt."

Cal sighed, still grappling with a mix of emotions, both guilt and satisfaction, as he remembered the passionate encounter. He then scooped You up into his arms and carried You towards the refresher, setting You down gently on the edge of the tub, his mind set on making you feel better. "Perhaps we can take it easy and ensure you're feeling alright?"

"Oh yeah, what do you have in mind?"

With his eye green eyes full of love, Cal replied, "How about a nice bath together?" He began running the water, adjusting the temperature until it was warm and inviting. "We can sit back, relax, and just... enjoy each other's company."

"That sounds amazing..." You sighed in delight before smirking up at the redhead. "You might want to lose all that armor..." You gestured to the inquisitor uniform he still wore, prompting a soft chuckle and nod from him. "Good idea." He proceeded to unfasten the various straps and buckles of his armor, unveiling his toned physique underneath.

You observed his body with without shame, admiring the abundant freckles that dotted his skin like stars, the scars and muscles revealing his experience as a seasoned Jedi, etching the image into your mind. "As much as I enjoy seeing you in uniform, the downside is not being able to admire you in all your naked glory..."

Cal grinned at your comment. "Well, now's your chance." He stepped out of the armor entirely, standing fully naked before You. His anticipation palpable, his cock twitched slightly as he eased into the tub. But despite his returning excitement, he reminded himself that your comfort was of greater importance at that moment. Hence, with gentle hands, he guided You in, mindful of your still-unsteady legs after your intense session earlier. Your skin brushed softly against each other as you both tried to find a comfortable position.

Once You were settled in, You sighed contentedly and closed your eyes, feeling your body immediately relax as You nestled between his legs, leaning back against his strong chest. The warmth of the bath melted away both your sweat and any lingering tension from the encounter. In that moment, You couldn't help but reflect on how safe Cal always made You feel, more than anyone else has ever been able to.

Meanwhile, the Jedi leaned his head against yours, breathing deeply as he relaxed into the moment. Holding You close, he gently stroked your hair while you both shared the bath. The silence enveloped you, comfortable and serene, allowing the two of you to simply enjoy each other's company without words. Cal placed a tender kiss on the top of your head, feeling content in that fleeting moment of peace.

After some time, he began to softly massage your shoulders and back, his strong hands working out the knots of tension that had built up there. He continued down your spine, slowly working his way towards your hips and thighs.

As the redhead's soothing touches eased your tension, You couldn't help but emit soft, appreciative sounds, allowing your body to sink deeper into his embrace, raising one hand to gently caress his stubbled cheek. "You're so sweet to me..."

Cal's gaze softened as he leaned closer, his eyes fixed on yours. "You deserve all the sweetness in the galaxy, my love." He couldn't resist pressing his lips to yours, your lips meeting in a gentle but passionate embrace. In that moment, he poured all his love into that kiss, relishing the taste of You.

[adorastarot]

What to expect from Scorpio season 2023?

Scorpio season is basically upon us! Can you feel it? Autumn is here, and the weather has cooled down. We had a storm the past 2 days and a lot of flooding but today the sun is shining and the trees look absolutely stunning, so it seems like the perfect time for this reading!

"We are in the eye of the storm. We are going through intense times and Scorpio season will bring our attention, even more closely, to personal and collective shadows, shining a light in the dark and illuminating something we normally don’t see or don’t want to see."

How to choose a pile: Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Ask the universe if there is a message that you need to hear right now. You may either hear a number or be drawn to a pack once you open your eyes!

If the message doesn't resonate then it may not be for you.

♡ Private readings and extended readings are available - Check out my Ko-fi

♏♏♏♏LET'S GET TO IT♏♏♏♏

Please like and reblog <3

Pile 1!!! Welcome to this reading! Can I start off by saying that your energy feels sooo light! I know I spoke about the trees in the intro but your energy truly feels like a red leaf falling off a tree in the sunshine by the river. Your energy is impeccable. Even if you aren’t feeling it right now or if times have been rough for you after the eclipse, know that Scorpio season is going to be good for you and you may even end up feeling more like yourself right now. You may feel like dancing in the rain during some gloomier days or having a picnic during the cooler but sunnier days. 

8 of pentacles, 4 of wands, the sun, temperance, the tower, the lovers

This may be due to your work life picking up. Work is going to be crazy for you in the best possible way! You may find yourself working at home a lot, even if things have been a bit stagnant for you, know that it’s about to change! Some of you may also be going on holidays at the very end of scorpio season - to a warmer country?! If so, don’t worry too much about your finances - things will work out for you. Work and finances may naturally preoccupy you and that’s ok pile 1. It’s about what you do with these worries. Don’t lock yourself away and stress by yourself. It’ll be ok for you to rely on others and request their help. 

This season, it will be important for you to practise restraint and moderation. Things will happen really quickly, the job situation will improve quickly - but the downstide of this is that you won’t have time for yourself and you will need to find balance. Your family life may improve too - but again you may feel like you are spending all of your time with other’s and none with yourself. So finding balanc will be very important. Out of the blue you may find that a soulmate of ours comes into your life?! I asked for a clarifier and we go the 3 of swords - for some of you this will be an ex creeping back into your life and you will need to tell them to go away - for others it will be a new soulmate who will help you heal from an ex.

I felt an eye roll coming in as soon as I started shuffling my cards for you pile 2 AHAHAHAH what’s gotten you so frustrated?! I feel like you are simply done with everyone else’s sh*t and you just want a break! Because you deserve one! Your energy feels soooo moody right now but that’s ok. Youdon’t need to try to be happy for someone else. If you feel like eye rolling, just eye roll! If you feel like face palming, do it! 

2 of swords, 6 of wands, the devil in reverse, the chariot, 4 of cups and page of cups

My dear pile 2, during scorpio season, the future is truly in your hands - what do you want to achieve? Do you have any plans? If so, then it is truly a blessing that the future is in your hands right now. Whether you take this season to work harder than ever or to take a breather - there is no wrong decision. You may have started a project during Libra season or at the very leats you’ve laid out the work during Libra season. You may not be where you want to be by the end of Scorpio season but by he end of Sag season? You are going to be an expert I am sure of it!

With the devil coming out in reverse for you pile 2, it will be important for you to establish boundaries and to not take any sh*t from anyone! Make sure you work on healthy boundaries especially since people will want to be around you, but you may need some “me-time!. If they are your friends, they will understand, No, you don’t need to reply to messages on the same day, nor do you need to hangout with your friend sif you are busy and if it will make you anxious. Focus on building healthy relationships. Even if you are’t sure what your healthy boundaries are yet, take the time to discover yourself and date yourself this month! Your energy may be quite low just before Halloween, so plan accordingly.

Do you feel like you are the only one who is getting rained on right now? Like the rainy clouds are following you around and bad luck just keeps chasing you. You may been feeling a tiny bit aggressive or just snappier than usual, but don’t worry this won’t last forever. Try to listen to your body and understand your need. What is making you feel this snappy? How can you move away from it? Even if all it takes it going for a run and exhausting that energy. Regardless of what it is. You are going through it and you need to be gentle with yourself.

The star, the hermit, the emperor, 8 of cups, 7 of wands, king of wands

Look at these cards! Scorpio season may be rather uneventful for you - at leats to start with. You may feel like retreating and spending quality time with yourself. Doing what makes you happy. You may feel very hopeful for the future, or at least for the end of the year. You may not want to get in trouble with anyone and just naturally avoid conflict this season. For some reason pile 3…I feel like you will be very comfortable in your body this season. This may translate to you buying some clothes that you wouldn’t usually - whether is an interesting fit for you, or a different colour, whateve ryou choose will definitely bring attention your way. You may even go underwear shopping which will without a doubt make your confidence skyrock! 

Things will go very smoothly for you until around the end of the month. Between 30/10-01/11 you may feel like everything is happening to you and not for you. You may break a couple of glasses, damage your favourite blanket or shrink your new clothes. During this time just be aware of your actions and follow instructions pile 3. You may want to get out of your comfort zone and try something new as well, just don’t let your clumsiness get in the way of you discovering a new hobby.

[lil-tachyon]

Got any good resources for clothing drawing tips?

Okay so quick little introduction before I try to answer this question. First of all, sorry for letting this languish in the inbox for so long. I have a lot I want to say about this and I'd really like to make a proper "tutorial" but this week took a lot out of me so what you're going to get are some visual notes on graph paper and some rambling thoughts. Maybe down the line I'll try to flesh this out more into a proper guide, but for now it is what it is.

Second- for many different art concepts I can give you some really great recommended reading for self-teaching. There's a whole section of my website with links to things that helped me learn. Clothing is one of those things where I never found a book or tutorial that really "clicked" with me. It's one of the few areas of art where I feel like it's fair to say I'm genuinely self-taught. So what you're going to get here is very much my opinion, not undisputed common wisdom or whatever. Take it with a grain of salt. This is how I draw, not the "right way" to draw.

Third- drawing clothes is not something fundamental like perspective or rendering where there are actual hard-and-fast "rules" you can learn to guide you. It's not even like anatomy where there are approaches that have been worked out and passed down by artists over generations. I think about drawing clothing as a synthesis of several different skills- a little bit of anatomy, a little bit of perspective, a little bit of rendering. Honestly a smidge of graphic design. You're employing a "cloud" of your artistic skills towards a specific end. What this means is that the TLDR of this post is going to be "do what you would normally do to improve at drawing but apply it to clothing." So don't expect something life-changing, instead just open your mind to maybe trying some new things you hadn't thought of before. Also this is going to be more about drawing than painting, that is more about "lines" than "shapes" but the two skills overlap and the same concepts should be broadly applicable. But my examples are going to be drawings.

Okay intro out of the way. Clothes are mostly just tubes of fabric, fabric wants to fall down. The human body and sometimes wind and water and other fluids will stop this fabric from falling down all at once and instead give it a shape. Keep this in mind. It's helpful to know how clothes are actually constructed if you want to know how they will deform when falling across the figure. Where a garment is simply a length of fabric, it's very flexible. It can bunch together or be stretched taught. This is most noticeable at the parts of the body that open and shut like hinges- knees, elbows, and armpits. The behavior of garments at these areas of the body is highly dynamic.

At seams where different sections of fabric are stitched together, movement can be come more limited. Seams are usually imperfect- pieces of fabric of slightly different lengths might be stitched together or fabric may shrink over time around a thread causing it to pucker and wrinkle. For these reasons, seams often act as the originating areas for folds and wrinkles, even when a garment is not in a particularly flexed/active state.

In a two-dimensional image, it can be helpful to describe a garment in terms of silhouette and wrinkles/folds. The silhouette is the actual boundary of the garment, where the fabric comes to an end. The wrinkles/folds are where different parts of the garment pass in front of each other or where the fabric becomes bunched up to the point that light can't reach inside and occlusion shadows form. You should always keep the overall silhouette of the garment in mind to inform the bigger shapes you draw, but you will use wrinkles and folds to demonstrate how the garment twists and deforms. These are the basic tools in your arsenal. Keep it simple.

There are lots of different ways to approach wrinkles. My advice and my personal preference is to draw wrinkles as shapes and not just lines. Specifically, tapered shapes (like triangles) and be really good both for implying motion and the varying depth of a fold/wrinkle. Experiment with different shapes of varying angularity, fill texture, etc. Your hands and eyes will guide you towards what looks and feels good. There's no right way but I would advise you to exaggerate! Ask yourself- what's the biggest shape I can draw here? How can I twist it to make it bigger, crazier but still describe the form in a way that makes sense? It can be exhausting to just try to perfectly copy a reference and also using your imagination like this when doing studies will help build up your visual library for when you're drawing/designing clothing from imagination. In general I would advise you to focus more on drawing something that looks good (ie is composed of shapes that you find aesthetically pleasant) than is "correct."

Quick recap: Garments fall down, you can simplify an article of clothing into a silhouette described by folds and wrinkles. What next? Observe! Take notes! It is worth your time to think about how common articles of clothing are constructed. Jeans, t-shirts, dresses, etc. I used to do some hobbyist sewing and clothing alteration and I think that hands-on work with clothes has really affected the way I think about drawing them. You don't have to go that far but like- look at the world around you. Stuck on the bus, in school, in a meeting, etc? Even if you can't draw, look at how your pants bunch up around your legs, look at the sleeves of someone sitting next to you. I mean, don't be weird about it, but these are valuable observations. Think about how you would draw those things! Really getting good at drawing clothes involves studying them in the wild, understanding how they work, building up your visual library. Look at a faded denim jacket- at the puckered places where the indigo has rubbed away or the permanent creases that hardly see the light of day and remain a deeper blue. Look at petrochemical techwear outfits that break into jagged, high-sheen triangular wrinkles. Soak it all in!

Save pictures of and take notes on outfits you like, designers you like, garments you like. Keep track of these things. Come back and study them over time. Have fun with it! I have folders and folders and folders of images of clothes that I come back to constantly. Over time and with lots of study you'll learn what you want to draw when you draw clothes and that's half the battle. You'll have images of buttons, pockets, belts, laces, fabrics, seams, dancing around in your head that you can deploy at will. It's delightful.

Hope this helps! If anyone has more advice to add, please do! If this tutorial helped anyone, please show me your drawings! If you'd like more stuff like this from me, just send me an ask or an email and I'll answer it when I can.

Peace,

Logan

[deoidesign]

Hello I stumbled across your profile and I just say I love your art style! I've gotta ask, how'd your develop it? And do you have any advice for someone who can't decide what they want their art to look like?

Thank you so much!

To be entirely honest, I don't feel like I truly "developed" my style. I feel a lot more like I finally let myself draw it! But I am incredibly deliberate with my work, and I do have clear tendencies and preferences... So I'll do my best to explain how I got to where I am now as an artist.

It's important to remember that "style" is something of a nebulous concept. It changes with you as you grow as a person, and most artists can work in and emulate many art styles! Art really is a form of communication with yourself, and your "style" is a reflection of the tendencies and preferences you have. My art does not look how it looked 5 years ago, and my art will look different 5 years from now too. I've changed, and my art reflects that!

(2012, 2018, 2023; two pieces I remember being incredibly proud of and considered my best work up til that point, and then my most recent piece)

What you need to do, as everyone will tell you, is study the fundamentals (anatomy, perspective, form and structure, lighting and shadow, color, and composition) so you have the proper tools to make the most informed decisions possible about your art, and so you can deliberately break or follow rules as you please for your desired effect. I know it sounds silly to learn rules if you're not gonna be following them anyways, but they help you be much more consistent and intentional! More knowledge is NEVER a bad thing to have!

However, I know it's a bit demoralizing to just be told to study fundamentals. Everyone knows you're supposed to do that, but it takes YEARS to learn, and people want their art to feel how they want it to now (which is very very very normal to want!)

So on that front, I have 2 follow up suggestions that I personally find helpful (of course, everyone is different, so it's not like this is the only way to learn! But, if it resonates with you, it might mean it will work for you too.)

1: Separate study from application

I believe this is beneficial for a few reasons:

If the goal of every piece is learning, it can become frustrating, overwhelming, and boring

It's harder to self critique when there are multiple variables to investigate. I like to study one fundamental at a time

Study (usually) works best with a large quantity of output, whereas application of knowledge (finished pieces) is often more satisfying and effective when you get to take your time

Deliberate practical application of what you've learned in a finished piece helps cement the learning in your mind, and also lets you get satisfying finished pieces with noticeable improvement after a good study session!

I've found that keeping these things separate helps me improve faster and more deliberately, and it takes a lot of the pressure off of both aspects! I'm not worried about my studies looking beautiful, they're just to learn! And I don't feel pressured to critique my finished pieces, cause they're just for fun and to make something pretty. I personally find this helps me have a much healthier relationship with my art.

When studying, copy! Copy things as best as you can, all the time. It gives you something to compare to for self critique (and of course, if you're copying someone else's work and you share the study, ALWAYS give credit, share the original, and say it was for study.) In application, don't copy: reference. Make it yours!

2: Let yourself do the things that feel "easy" or like "cheating"

This one is simpler: nothing in art is easy.

If something feels easy to you, most of the time it's not because it's actually any easier... It's because it's part of your natural tendencies and preferences! This took me forever to realize, but as long as you're actually doing some study, then you're learning. You don't need to learn All The Time. When you're doing the "application" portion, you should let yourself do whatever is actually the most fun and feels easiest! This is where your style will start to come through, and where you get to learn about yourself. Take the pressure off, and have fun!!!

The only cheating in art is theft. If you're not stealing, then it's allowed!

My whole life (and yes, still!) I'd get regular criticism about both my style and my subject matter. You will too. You'll see a thousand different styles, and a hundred different things to admire in each. Your heart will ache that you don't draw like others do.

But art is a form of communication with yourself. It's like your voice, or your accent; just something that's a part of you! It can be fun to mimic others', but when you sit to have a conversation you speak naturally. (I know some people want to and do change their voice, but this is a metaphor and metaphors aren't perfect)

Don't stress so much about what you want your art to look like, especially if you're not sure. There's a lot of value to be had in constant experimentation, I think it'd be rather boring to only draw one style the rest of my life. What I draw is what I want to see, right now, for who I am now! It's a part of me and comes naturally, if I let it!

I hope this helps!

[jupyt3r]

Black

Gale stinks. Astarion wonders if he might be turning.

--

The bestial hunger growls through the psionic link Gale has opened between them, threatening to make its way out. Astarion gasps and forces his hand away, severing the connection. He's left heaving as the black mark on Gale's skin dims.

It's bloodlust. The ebony shadow of Karsus's failed apotheosis looms thick and heavy and bitter on his tongue as the air rips its way down his throat. He knows that feeling. It's bloodlust.

Gale's presence is a black shadow curling over his nostrils, that rancid scent permeating everything. Burnt cardamom and woody smoke; something that may have once had warm and toasty notes but is now nothing short of acrid. It overpowers even the smoke from the campfire the wizard leans over, as well as the scent of whatever slop he's fussing over in the pot. Astarion can't help but twitch his upper lip towards his nose in disgust, and Gale happens to catch his eye in that moment.

“Yes, well. I suppose I now know why you've been avoiding my cooking. Suffice to say, I was a little bit offended, so I'm happy to know it's a matter of biology rather than taste.”

He's completely misinterpreted the expression. Which, Astarion supposes, is fair given that humans are more often smelling food rather than blood, and because Astarion's vampiric tastes are likely top of mind for everyone tonight. The open wounds on Tav’s neck this morning had made it a little bit difficult to keep that particular detail under wraps any longer, but he doesn't regret it for a second. He's never felt better.

“Gale, my dear, you wouldn't know taste if it knocked you over the head.”

An irksome smile wrinkles his eyes. "I really don't think you're in any position to be throwing stones on the matter.”

And he's not, but he's in a good mood, so he lets the comment slide. He would be in a better mood if he wasn't drowning in the wizard’s stench, though. After the blood– that delectable, velvety nectar of life– everything is oversaturated. Scents are brighter, more vivid, and sounds are as if he'd unstuffed balls of cotton from his ears that he hadn't even known were there. He can see every pore and pockmark in Gale's skin. Not to mention the improvement to his reflexes in combat– he's nigh unstoppable. But he's also never noticed this smell as strongly before.

Is he… turning? Gale is the only human among them, so perhaps his body is simply more susceptible to the parasite. How long until the rest of them will go? The others are gathered nearby, hungrily awaiting the dubious mush bubbling over the flames; it may not be a good time to broach the subject. But later, when the rest have settled in for the evening, Astarion will get to the bottom of it.

—

He melts out of the shadows around Gale’s tent. The wizard is laying back against the pillow, reading by the light of a small, hovering flame.

“What's wrong with you?" Astarion's whisper slices from the darkness.

Gale jumps, sucking in a breath and flipping onto his stomach, fingers crackling with a defensive spell. When he sees it's Astarion, he seems a bit reluctant to let the magic fizzle out, but does so nonetheless. "Mystra's sake, Astarion, don't sneak up on me like that. I'm afraid if you're looking for a nightcap, you'll find I'm not quite as generous as Tav,” he says, rising and placing a hand over his heart, which is hammering quite loudly.

“Ugh. Trust me when I say that is the last thing I want from you. Gale, your blood is positively vile smelling. Again, what's wrong with you?”

Gale looks taken aback, as if he's unsure whether to be more offended by the accusation that he smells or that something's wrong with him. "I- I’m afraid I don't know what you mean,” he lies. “Hang on– you can smell my blood?”

“You're sick. Or something. It's not normal. Is that parasite of yours gearing up to worm its way out by explosive means? You owe us a warning before we find ourselves with a Mind-flayer in our midst." Astarion's hand comes to rest on the hilt of the dagger at his hip. “I'll make it quick."

Gale's hands fly up in a placating gesture, and he takes a step back. "No, no no! It's not that. I swear to you, it's not that.”

“But you do know what it is, then?" Astarion's eyes narrow as he recognizes that something's being kept from him. He resolves to expose this liability before it has a chance to become a threat. If the wizard can't be relied upon, let that knowledge come sooner rather than later.

“Yes," Gale admits, “but I do think that particular course of conversation is one best left alone. For now, at least. I ask that you simply trust that I am aware of my condition and I am managing it, so you needn't worry yourself." A smile surfaces on his mouth, but it's hollow.

"If you're going to faint on us mid-battle one day and require that we drag your sorry self to safety, then I think I have a right to know. We can't afford secrets like that if we're going to make it out of this alive.”

"Oh, that is rich!” Gale laughs. "Coming from someone who hasn't told us for the last tenday that we've been traveling, sleeping, with a vampire! You're one to talk about secrets.”

Astarion flounders. "I– that's different. Vampire spawn, by the way. And do you think any of you would have allowed me to stay if I had told you that on day one? Of course not. I had to keep my best interests at heart. I didn't even really mean for Tav to find out, but at least my raffish charm and good looks have had time to work their magic so I didn't end up with a blade in my chest."

He realizes then– Gale's the same. No, not the raffish charm and good looks, but he's keeping the details of his condition close to heart not because he's private, but because, like Astarion, he poses a risk to the group, yet can't afford to be exiled. He's dangerous, somehow.

"You didn't mean for Tav to find out? You were going to– what, take a bite and hope for the best that they didn't–���

"Quiet,” Astarion interrupts. "You're deflecting. How about this: you tell me a little more about whatever's putrefying your veins and let me make the risk assessment for myself, or I can simply let the others know how concerned I am for our dear magical friend who smells like he might be ill. I'm sure Lae'zel will be patient with you if she suspects you're becoming ghaik." He smirks upon seeing Gale's expression of embittered resignation.

“Alright, alright,” he relents harshly, glancing around nervously as if their camp mates could have been roused by the mere threat. "You win. But please, keep in mind that I've been open-minded about your circumstances, so I ask for the same grace to be returned to me.” Gale looks to the stars, a wistful look falling over his face.”I'm going to tell you a story. It is the story of a man– a man who fell in love with a goddess.”

Astarion rolls his eyes. "I love a good drama as much as the next man, but please, can we skip the exposition? I don't think I can bear to hear the details of your… romantic exploits.”

Gale hardens, clearly upset at being robbed of the chance to monologue. “Fine. Have it your way. My goddess, Mystra, is more than simply the object of my faith– she is the object of my affection; and I, hers. Or at least I was. I was her chosen, and she unveiled to me the secrets of the universe. I only sought to return something to her that she had lost. But I… miscalculated. If you're insistent upon the abridged tale, the short of it is that a fragment of the very Weave itself, sealed during the fall of Netheril, now resides within me.”

"What in the hells does that mean?” Astarion deadpans.

"Are you familiar with the tale of Karsus’s Folly?”

“Who?"

“Good gods. The empire of Netheril?"

“Vaguely? Ancient, floating cities. What's that got to do with your… problem?”

“Well, I'd gladly give you a history lesson, but since you're impatient to get to the heart of the issue, how about we just–” Gale reaches out and grabs his hand, pulling it in towards his chest. Astarion tries to flinch from his grasp, but his fingers graze the wizard's skin and–

I'm going to give the tome to Mystra, adorn her with this sealed specimen of primal magic. I'll prove my value to her, be more worthy than a simple mortal consort. But… its secrets are alluring. Surely a peek won't do any harm. I open the forbidden tome, the archaic pages vibrating with the promise of the arcane. Something dark and hungry bursts from the parchment, clawing at my connection to the Weave, clawing at me. It's eating me from the inside out. I have to sate it, or it will escape, I have to–

The bestial hunger growls through the psionic link Gale has opened between them, threatening to make its way out. Astarion gasps and forces his hand away, severing the connection. He's left heaving as the black mark on Gale's skin dims.

It's bloodlust. The ebony shadow of Karsus's failed apotheosis looms thick and heavy and bitter on his tongue as the air rips its way down his throat. He knows that feeling. It's bloodlust.

“That was– you can't let it– you have to–”

"As I said before, I have the situation under control.”

Astarion's still breathing hard, but his knife is at Gale's chest in an instant, directed at the center of the offending orb. "That did not feel like one iota of control,” he hisses. He knows control.

Gale goes stock-still beneath the tip of the blade. “You really don't want to do that," he warns, quietly, evenly.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn't take down that thing inside you with you as collateral."

“Because it wouldn't be just me that's collateral," he responds. “No matter how desperately I wish that were the case."

“Explain. No more secrets. And don't touch me again."

“I'm the only thing keeping this… Netherese Orb contained for the moment. If I were to die… I fear the ensuing eruption would level a city the size of Waterdeep. So, if you please, it would be in both of our best interests for you to lower your blade.”

Astarion lets the true magnitude of Gale's predicament sink in, feeling simultaneous relief that his own secret was not the most dangerous one among the group by far, and fear for the numerous threats to their lives which could now spell disaster for countless others. He lowers the knife. “How, exactly, do you plan to prevent that from happening?"

“It can be stabilized, for a time, by absorbing raw pieces of the Weave. The most convenient source, I've found, is potent magical items. The enchantments are enough for it to lay dormant for a while."

“That did not feel dormant."

*Well,” Gale hesitates, "it's… awakening. You see, I haven't absorbed any magic since before the abduction. I imagine that's why it has a more potent… odor, to you. Although I'd really like to learn more about that, if you'd oblige me, the thought that magic has a smell–”

"Is not important. Just how long until you can't contain it anymore?”

"I don't know, exactly. I'm making it a priority to locate a suitable artifact as quick as I can. As I said before, I am managing it. You really needn't worry yourself. This is why I didn't want to tell anyone; that, and to avoid exactly the stunt you pulled with that knife.”

Astarion scoffs, rolling the knife between his fingers before sheathing it. “Oh, come now. You can't say you blame me for that. Next time, perhaps it's better to start off with I am quite literally a walking bomb so please don't kill me and therefore yourself and anyone in the surrounding area. Then you can talk about lovemaking with the divine, or whatever you were prattling about."

“I'm hoping there won't be a next time." Gale meets his eyes earnestly, and Astarion realizes he's being asked to keep a secret. His first instinct is to be spiteful, to retaliate for the extremely pertinent information that was kept from him, but Gale's secret feels… all too familiar. The serendipity of Tav's defense of his vampirism this morning is fresh in his mind, and despite his better impulses, he decides that Gale could use someone in his corner, too. More importantly, secrets are part of his allure of mystery, and as of today he's down one secret, so he sees no harm in replacing it with a new one. He tucks Gale's secret right in with the rest of his arsenal. It’s delicious to have leverage.

“Very well," he acquiesces, “but only so long as you are able to feed it. I don't intend to go out in a blaze of… whatever that is."

Gale sighs in relief, laying a hand over the mark. “Thank you, Astarion. Truly. On Mystra's honor, I'll keep it sated."

Astarion sits, uninvited, on Gale's cushion and uncorks a bottle of his wine. "Why doesn't Mystra just solve your little problem for you, if she's so fond of you?”

Gale eyes the invasion of his space warily, but falls cross-legged to the rug across from him. “By opening that book, I'd… flown too close to the sun, so to speak. I'd crossed a boundary that she could not forgive. She cast me out. And this… thing in my chest consumed the power I've spent my entire life honing. I'm no longer her chosen."

He looks away, his voice entirely absent of its usual confidence. Astarion takes a pull of the wine and screws his face up, his palette tainted by the previous night's indulgence. "And now you're just like the rest of us. I can't say I have much sympathy.”

“It wouldn't hurt you to try."

“I think it might, actually," Astarion muses. “The gods have shown themselves to be rather indifferent to my plight."

He looks as though he's suddenly very interested in whatever's happening to the cuticle of his second finger, if only to hide the rage that's begun to seethe beneath his skin. The gall to complain to him, of all people, about having lost the gods’ favor. At least Gale had had it to begin with. Astarion had lost count of the number of gods he'd prayed to as he lay, beaten and bleeding, at Cazador's feet. It's been a long time since he stopped; the last of his prayers had been to the god of death, and that, too, had gone unanswered.

"And what plight might that be? A shortage of plump necks to puncture, or perhaps a lack of hair gel?" Gale remarks flippantly, ignorant to the thin sheet of ice upon which he's tread.

“Don't presume to know me, Gale of Waterdeep,” he warns in a low tone. "We've all got our demons. Mine just so happen not to be as odorous as yours."

“Well," Gale says, sobered, his eyes probing analytically at Astarion's well-masked expression. “And here I thought that being a vampire would have been your deepest secret."

“Do you think me so shallow? I'm hurt," he responds with forced levity. “But we've disclosed quite enough to each other for one day, don't you think?”

"Couldn't agree more,” Gale drawls, his gaze lingering for a moment longer.

“I'll leave you to your reading, then. Do us all a favor and try not to explode tonight. Your fragment felt… hungry.” He picks himself up and dusts himself off, beginning to head towards his own tent.

"Astarion?”

"Hm?” He turns to look over his shoulder.

"Say the gods weren't indifferent. If they could grant you one request, what would you ask for?”

That's an easy question. "Power.”

"Funny,” the wizard answers, a smile on his lips, "I would say the same thing.”

Later that night, long after everyone's gone to sleep, Astarion tells himself that it's only some misplaced sense of pity that brings him to Tav’s tent, rifling through their bags. His fingers graze the prize, and he pulls it out to gleam beneath the moonlight; a locket, given in thanks for the safe return of one of the tiefling children. It’s enchanted to produce a small halo of dancing lights. Yes, it's pity, and nothing more, when he creeps through the darkness and lays the necklace at the threshold of the wizard's tent. And it will be pity (and fear) when, days later, a shade delivers the instructions for a timely resurrection, and Astarion follows each one to the letter. Pity when he tells him that the goddess of magic can fuck herself before demanding something so unthinkable. Nothing more.

[teopatra]

💙 Happy Blue Moon🌕 💙

💙🌕💙🌕💙💙💙🌕🌕🌕🌕💙💙💙🌕💙🌕💙

Posts like these you don’t sea 👁️ often .. maybe once every blue moon 🧿👄🧿

🪩♓️🪩♓️🪩♓️🪩♓️🪩♓️🪩♓️🪩♓️🪩♓️🪩♓️

Todays pick a pile messages are songs since Pisces energy and full moons are likened to mermaids whom are know for being sirens 🚨 🧜🏽‍♀️ 🧜‍♂️

Message 1:

During the full moon transit you’ll feel like there is a stillness in their air. Kind of like when the ocean gets eerily calm before a storm. A peaceful terror. You could feel the urge to be by yourself more or hermit in your own energy; it will befit you to turn off your devices and just listen to the sounds around you and your mind. The best thing you can utilize your phone for right now is noting your synchronicities and your feelings. If you notice people being distant don’t take it personally, but pay attention to how that makes you feel and the conversations people have with you especially your tone. Others you know are facing introspection and are delving into the deepest parts of their psyche. The intensity of repressed emotions may be too much for most to handle. I noticed my social media page engagements are lower than normal today, it reminds me of a ghost town with nothing but tumble weeds lol that’s the energy of this Pisces full moon. Work with quartz crystals, protect your immune system and indulge in a warm bath, shower, or foot soak since Pisces rules the feet.

Message 2:

At this time you will experience MORE lucid dreams. Pay attention to the people in your dreams and what these particular people may say to you in your dreams. It’s one thing to be lucid in the dream state but it’s another to wake up with dream amnesia. Why is that? Bc something in your waking life is not aligned with your higher self meaning you could indulging in bad habits like not getting enough rest and over saturating your third eye with too much media. You’re prob a creative person or a water sign so you should be clearing your mind. Create something that is visually stimulating for you to aid in your create process and ease/unload the mind; mercury rx is cashing a lot of mental tension rn. A salt bath, a foot soak with pink Himalayan salt or you may need to gargle with salt water to unblock throat chakra blockages. Try sleeping next to grounding crystals and dream enhancing crystals like blue apatite. Also don’t sleep directly next to your phone, turn TV’s, mirrors, phones, tablets, and other types of black mirrors away from your bed if you can. If not try covering them with a towel or something light. Work on protecting your aura and strengthening your auric field

Message 3:

Worrying about an ex at this time is unhealthy for you. As much as you may think this person will change it’s not up to you to focus on them, pour into yourself wholeheartedly and you’ll see where your shadow work needs to be done and why you feel the need to give to someone who probably doesn’t have your best interest at this time. I see a lot of people from your past being nostalgic over you, but that is none of your concern anymore. Turn from the past and be open to all possibilities ( this is the mantra for piscerian energy). Your destiny is waiting for you, but you are holding on to your karmic energy. The moon has met up with Saturn as he’s been transiting Pisces since the beginning of the year, so challenge yourself to let go of the things that aren’t serving you and you know what they are. Also everyone seems to be on edge so it’s best to just be quiet stay out the way and mind your business until mercury retrograde blows over. If you’ve been overindulging in tarot stop, OR you may notice that tarot isn’t resonating with you lately like it used to. Try intuitive games to improve your own cartomancy or tarot skills if you’re into that

Message 4:

I see you have done a lot of shadow work over the years and it has caused you to feel a bit isolated at times and that’s because others have not done ENOUGH self development therefore you are not resonating with most people. You are supposed to soar and it may feel lonely at the top but know that you are an example of Christ consciousness to those around you. you are a beacon of light that illuminates a path behind you. You are not a flash light searching for dark spots. Reward yourself for how far you’ve come and don’t stop because this is how you will romanize your life turning fantasies into reality. The full moon wants you to relax and to plan ahead so you can have a more fulfilled day. Pisces is a mutable sign meaning ever changing , therefore this energy can be a bit sporadic. Which isn’t always bad, BUT I see time can easily evade you if your daily intentions aren’t set properly. You’ll see what I mean if you haven’t already. I see you thinking back on this post weeks later like ohhhh now I get it. 🤭 also eat some more vegetables, try making more home cooked meals bc it’ll be therapeutic .

Message 5:

Please be mindful that with most people in their late 20’s experiencing their Saturn returns with the moon currently in the same sign as Saturn may force you to observe people change for the better or for worse. It all depends on one’s karma and the work they’ve chosen to do or lack thereof. With the sun being n Virgo and Virgo being the sign of the hermit, the change of season will cause you and others to recluse and maybe even become lethargic. For example during this time of year most people go back to school, and as the older generation phases out and retires, the old “students” are the new teachers. I see a lot of millennials changing the dynamics of school systems compared to how we experienced it growing up. You are the future, help your inner child and inner teenager even if you’re an adult by connecting with those younger than you. If YOU are a teenager pay attention to those in their mid to late twenties. A lot of times we think our lives are going to go certain ways and end up something completely diff. Just know that if you’re aspiring to do something that may not need a traditional education don’t waste your money going to school for something you don’t even really wanna do or you’re doing it for just the money or to satisfy family. Find the moon tonight and do some moon gazing , stare at her and let your mind wonder off; your higher self will handle the rest.

Message 6:

People want to know what you’re up to 👀 I see you have a magnetic energy like the moon. People stare at you like they do the moon, for some reason I see you’re a walking personification of a mirrored portal. You are a conduit of the higher dimensions, you see a person but they see you as a hypnotic metronome. Just like the effect the full moon has on mythological creatures like mermaids and werewolves, I’m seeing you know you had some time of power of psychic gift but you’ll begin to resonate with being other worldly as your gifts play out in front of you. Pisces energy is about illusions and for some reason you create an optical illusion that doesn’t play tricks on peoples eyes but their minds 😵‍💫 THIS message will only resonate with a small few but please comment if you experience any weird nuisances. With great power comes great responsibilities, be careful not to put people in trances at the wrong time, don’t stare at people back if they stare at you but if it’s a lover stare and you’ll both take an astral trip. Please move in silence at this time and work on grounding. Going into hermit mode will benefit you and please don’t get distracted by lust bc I see that being the side effect of this heightened power rn like a hungry vampire. Also stop trying to be captain sage a h*e and realize how earthly you’ve been, lighten your aura in weight.

🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝���🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌖🌗🌘🌜

🩻This is your time to illuminate the truth deep within you bc you already hold the answers you seek.. there’s no research to be done at this time because you have spent the time and effort. Now you are reaping the rewards

[tamelee]

Hello Tamelee! Do you have any advice to give to beginners regarding drawing? Maybe some exercices that helped you to make progress? I’ve seen that you learn to draw all on your own, and that’s really impressing (and inspiring)!! ❤️

Hi!! 🧡 thankyou so much (ノ・∀・)ノ♥︎ Ah yes of course!!! I wanted to make this earlier but I waited until I finished a few drawings to see if I could come up with more tips and find out what really helps for me.

✍️;

 I did learn to draw by myself, but I watched a lot of speed video’s for guidance ^^ I used to slow them down a lot and really tried to study what artists that I liked did, but I wouldn’t recommend this for beginners. Especially when you don’t really know the program and you won’t understand why they do what they do.

I used to copy the greyscale method even though I knew nothing about color so I heavily relied on values only which made everything look very muddy.

It’s actually only recently that I’m understanding the things that I do and I feel like my anatomy/coloring is improving slowly because of it. 

So, first, I’d highly recommend to instead of copying only as a study method, (like faces for example) to understand why things are the way they are. If you know how planes of a face work, it’s much easier to remember why a certain perspective is like that, when something feels off and how to fix it or how to lay down shadows. The ‘Asaro head’ is a favorite for many, the free version you can find HERE a video on the topic is HERE and learning how to shade is explained very well HERE. Sinix Design has a great video that goes beyond that and it may help you for different kind of faces which you can find HERE. If you're more interested in Anime faces (though the planes work the same), you can find and manipulate 3D models for free HERE or HERE that you can use as a reference. Of course you should always make it your own but they can help with perspective. In fact, you can find many different kinds of models on Sketchfab. Your character holding a cup and you aren't sure how to draw it in that angle? Find one, manipulate it, screenshot and study the perspectives ^^ (I don't recommend tracing or copying.)

Learn about environmental lighting and color temperatures instead of value's (light and dark) only!!! Trust me, the earlier you learn this, the better >*chants* color temperature, color temperature, color temp-

Anatomy is interesting. A lot of tutorials recommend you use photo's to learn it, but it confused me a lot. Pictures aren't always clear enough to see how the body parts are connected and I always thought it was a bit pointless to learn muscles, but it really isn't. I'm not sure how to explain it well, but a picture is often too complicated and you have to narrow it down to find its foundation. I personally think it's helpful to find an artist you like and look how they do anatomy if they have shared any sketches.

Not sure if that makes any sense xD but what I'm trying to say is that for me, looking at pictures alone didn't help me understand much of anything else at all and in some cases made it even more confusing. Clothing makes much more sense in drawings when they're simplified, but this also depends on style!

You can use a napkin around you finger and bend it to get a quick fold reference for a sleeve or something!

Studying the body means... well, studying the body. Naked, in underwear or swimwear. You can find many free references! But there are special anatomy reference packs that are being sold like these.

I don't really do drawing exercises because my ADD just won't allow me to. My motivation immediately drops to zero. So I can't say which ones are very helpful but always feel free to try anything you want and see what works for you! But if there's anything you should exercise always... it's your hands.

Trust me on that one. The pain for ignoring your pain is a consequence you don't want ;-; and sometimes it even leaves you unable to draw for a long time. Avoid issues with carpel tunnel or RSI as much as possible. There are many video's but you could use THIS ONE for example.

I do practice though with everything new that I create. I always try to learn something.

I think the thing that helped me a lot in the beginning was by getting the habit to save everything that I liked. An expression in a movie? I saved it. Favorite art styles? I saved them. Naruto looked particularly adorable in that panel? Saved. Sasuke's hair spikes flawlessly there? Saved it.

If you're quickly overwhelmed though (like me lol) then it's not a good idea to save a bunch of screenshots in a folder because you'll have no idea what to even look for. If you do this then try to keep things as organized as possible so you actually have some use for it and even narrow it down as much as you like. Some panels for Naruto and Sasuke for example I have saved in several folders like 'expressions', 'manga style' or 'outfit' for example. I don't want to spend too much time looking for things, because unlike some of you think, I don't have that much patience xD

INVEST IN EXTERNAL SSD('s) and BACK UP REGULARLY!! Like, everyday if you can, but at least 3x a week. Once a week at THE VERY LEAST. You'll thank yourself one day. Save your art-files so you have access to full versions always but post smaller files if you're drawing in large 300DPI (or more) files. Whatever program you use you can learn to reduce sizes, you don't need to save every layer always when you've finished a drawing, but in Photoshop for example you can 'merge layers 'duplicate all visible layers' as a copy and put it in a progress folder in case you ever need it, like so;

Some other things that helped me a lot also was to create my own short keys to flip the canvas and making the current layer I'm working on visible or not. Personally I have the flipping on 'command+§' and layer visibility on 'command+1'. If you're working with Windows you can switch command key or pick anything else you think would be easy! Flipping your canvas horizontally helps a lot to find mistakes and layer visibility.... I don't really see anyone talking about it, but when I'm rendering over a sketch and get lost in it, I often use this short-key to see if I'm not overdoing it or losing the original perspective which can easily happen!

I hope some of these are helpful, I can't really think of much more right now, but feel free to ask anyway if there is anything in particular! 🌷

[aria-ashryver]

Woven Threads and Winding Roads (Pt. 3&4)

Book: Blades of Light and Shadow Pairing: Tyril x f!human!MC (Raine) Words: 1.3K Ratings/Warnings: General; none

Summary: Five times Tyril attempts to braid Raine’s hair; and one time those threads begin to come together again as they should.

A/N: Written as a gift during the Choices Secret Admirer event - Raine belongs to the wonderful @thosehallowedhalls 🌼💛 Also participating in Choices February 2024 with the prompts Eros, Philia, and Pragma.

‘I thought we were training swordplay,’ Tyril protested, rubbing at his arm where Raine had just landed an unarmed blow. The sun dipped low to kiss the horizon; the woods were cool and calm this time of evening, perfect for a spot of sparring, just the two of them.

They’d been trading the “we can relax now” argument back and forth between them as the weeks wore into months; Undermount remained as well-guarded, well-provisioned, and frankly boring as ever, and still some days Raine woke, her fingers itching for the comfort of a blade.

By some unspoken agreement, she and Tyril had kept room in their slowly filling schedules to prioritise their weapons training. Peaceful though their corner of the world may be, they wanted their skills sharp.

‘Imtura said my Boulder form needed work.’ Raine grunted, trying her damnedest to slam into Tyril with her shoulder. ‘She threatened to make me spar with Skullcrusher if I hadn’t improved my Kaytar by the time we saw her next.’

She lunged forward with a jabbing thrust that Tyril parried, stepping within his reach and trying her Boulder form again. 

‘Here, be a little shorter for a moment, will you? Maybe just… humour me and fall down a little bit?’

Tyril stepped easily out of the way of her manoeuvre, the tip of his sword pointed low in a ready guard.

‘I think not.’

‘Damn it.’

They circled one another, blood humming with exhilaration.

‘You’re really not letting the cape thing go, hmm?’ Tyril smirked as Raine’s footwork turned a little more… swishy than was entirely necessary.

‘“Hero of Morella”, Tyril!’ Raine countered, a verbal riposte to match her swordplay as steel rang against steel. ‘How did it go? “Champion of the Realm and Saviour to all”? No, I am absolutely not letting the cape thing go. A title like that deserves a fancy cape now and then.’

Tyril gave her an unreadable stare. On the next swing of her blade, he side-stepped, grabbed the edge of her cloak, and jerked it so she stumbled off-balance.

‘Ack— hey!’ Raine laughed at the mischief dancing on his face. ‘Now who’s cheating!’

The leather band she’d tied her braid with came away in his hand; they traded blow after blow as her hair began to unravel.

Calling a draw some time later, they collapsed together on the soft earth, chests heaving. Their fingertips found each other’s in the grass, wildflowers and clover tickling their skin. The minutes passed in quiet harmony as they watched the sky melt from gauzy pink to deep tangerine, the sunset shining majestic through the gaps in the canopy.

Eventually Tyril pulled Raine upright; she sighed happily as he braided her hair once again, the slight tug of her roots against her scalp soothing as he worked. When he tied the end off with the leather band he’d stolen, she tugged it over her shoulder to inspect his work.

‘Not bad!’ Gingerly, Raine felt around her scalp. ‘You’re starting to get pretty good at this.’

‘I hope so,’ he said gently. ‘I can’t think of any other way I’d rather spend my time.’

‘What?’ Raine laughed. ‘Braiding hair?’

‘No.’ Easing her back down into the grass, Tyril captured Raine’s mouth in a slow, tender kiss. ‘Taking care of you.’

His kisses tasted of moonflowers and honeydew, the crisp, salt tang of sweat and steel. Raine drank him in deep, winding her arms around his neck to draw him close.

The world was easy, when it was just the two of them. When they had nothing and no one to please, little to think about except making the other smile.

Undermount was lovely… but sometimes, Raine found she couldn’t quite relax. She was plagued by this constant feeling that she was forgetting something. Missing something. 

Some spark of adventure. 

Life and laughter. 

Camaraderie and purpose.

Her purpose was in loving Tyril now, she supposed. There was freedom in that. The joy he brought her was so abundant it almost terrified her sometimes. She could do worse than spending her days making him smile.

Happiness brimming in her heart, Raine wrestled Tyril onto his back, peppering his face with tiny kisses, feeling his eyes crease with a smile beneath her hands. 

She pushed up onto her feet when he tried to kiss her back, darting just out of his reach.

Delighted, he laughed. ‘What are you doing now?’

‘Zephyr form! Try and catch me!’

Tyril’s expression lit with playful challenge. He sprang to his feet, his mouth curved in warning.

Grinning, Raine took off through the trees.

Raine jerked herself awake as Tyril brushed a lock of hair back from her forehead, pressing a kiss to her sleep-warm skin. 

Groggily, she glanced around at the book splayed open in her lap, the fire burning low in the hearth. The embers crackled, their molten glow soothing against the night dark that had stolen into their bedroom.

‘Was your book so interesting?’ he teased. Her cheeks were pink and creased with sleep; strong as she was, it melted his heart to see her look so impossibly soft, at times.

Every day, Tyril found a reason to fall in love with her again.

‘It was, actually,’ she said, indignant. ‘I was utterly riveted… up until the part where I, uh, fell asleep.’

Tyril chuckled as Raine tugged her shawl around her shoulders, shifting to make room for him on the soft, shaggy rug before the fireplace. He breathed in the scent of her skin as she snuggled into his side; Raine smelled of old parchment and sunlight; of wild thyme and blade oil. 

To him, she smelled of home.

Thumbing the dog-eared pages, Raine set her book aside. ‘Kade would love this series.’

‘You’ll have to lend it to him the next time he visits.’

Something soft glowed in Tyril’s chest at the warm smile that lit Raine’s face at the mention of her brother.

‘I’d like that.’

Snagging a pillow from the chair beside them, Tyril eased them back, his fingertips tracing idle patterns against her arm as he held her close.

 ‘We should put a bigger settee in the library,’ Raine mumbled into his shoulder, already half-asleep again. ‘So Kade can sleep there when he visits. If he wants.

Tyril pressed a kiss to her forehead, watching the firelight play in soft shadows across her face.

‘I miss him,’ she said quietly.

‘I know.’

‘I hope he has time to visit us soon. This house is too empty just for the two of us.’ Raine was quiet for a long time, before she added, ‘There isn’t enough laughter in the taverns here.’

Tyril had been feeling it too. That emptiness everywhere their friends weren’t. Kade. Mal. Imtura. Nia.

‘Tyril?’

‘Yes, my heart?’

Raine’s fingers knotted into the silk of his nightshirt. 

‘Can we sleep down here by the fire tonight? I just feel like I need…’ Her words were lost beneath a shuddering yawn. ‘I don’t know what I need. But, will you stay with me? The bed is just… it’s too soft, sometimes.’

Some nostalgic pull hooked itself beneath Tyril’s ribcage. Gathering up the blankets from the bed, he nestled them around Raine, slipping in beside her to gather her close once more. 

‘I will always stay by your side, beloved.’

Gently, he tugged the tie from the end of her braid, unravelling it with loving fingers. She groaned in contentment as he worked his fingers against her scalp, soothing away the day’s ache.

Tyril let the golden strands spill across his fingers, sunlight made solid. It wasn’t long before Raine’s breath had evened out beside him in peaceful rest. He watched her for a long time, memorising the lines of her face.

The wind blew cold beyond the frosted windows. It was a long time before sleep found him.

Click here for: [Prev - Parts 1&2]

Tagging: @choicesficwriterscreations @choicesfandomappreciation @choicesfebruary2024 @thosehallowedhalls @dutifullynuttywitch @lilyoffandoms @stars-are-within-me @jerzwriter

[grimvestige]

2023 Summary of Art!

This year was full of experimenting and trying new things, and I think it really paid off in the end. I'm getting more comfortable with pixels, I finally have a way of painting I can do reliably, and I feel like I refined my main cel-shaded style a lot! I also feel like I improved on fundamentals just a bit more, with more solidly constructed anatomy (which I want to get even better at in 2024), and shading that actually makes more sense.

I feel like I'm finally getting to a point where I like my art - and a huge part of that is my partner picking up the habit of asking me what I like about a piece whenever I showed him something I made this year. It was super hard when he started, but now I can find at least one, maybe two things that are my favorite. I used to feel really, really neutral to bad about most of my work. I just did it and it was done, and on to the next piece. I knew I was "good" at art, but never really in the way I wanted. Now I'm daring to set my own work as my desktop and phone wallpapers.

I also finished a yearly challenge for the first time ever! Not that I completed every day of it, but I tasked myself with drawing a "Daily Snake" each day - as in Metal Gear, not the creature. It was sort of like those year of Miku challenges, but with Snake that left me room to draw any version of him. It was a fun thing because at the end of the day it ended up being like a little diary of my art, I could tell how I was feeling, whether I had lots of time to draw, all that. I think there was one time when I drew Liquid, there was an ACAB Snake in there, and also a trans one for fun.

Going into 2024 I have three big overarching art goals I want to work towards.

I want to learn and improve my anatomy enough to be able to solidly construct a body in perspective without needing to grab reference. (Not that I'll stop using reference, this is meant to be a goal that forces me to learn even more anatomy to feel confident with it)

I want to push my colors to be a lot wilder and more interesting. Rather than just picking the correct "local" color and working with light, shadow, and gradient maps to tweak colors, I want to be able to make interesting color choices right off the bat.

I want to at least try to start figuring out 'the style' for ttrpg art. (That nice rendered painting style you see in core books!) I'd really LOVE to start working on those projects, but I know most of them shoot for a different art style than I have.

The general plan is to keep doing studies, with the first half of the year being anatomy, the second half being color, and the ttrpg style thing being spread out throughout.

Thank you to everyone who's supported me and hung out on Tumblr! It genuinely means a lot, as this has been my go-to site when I'm down, and the one where I feel most comfortable sharing my art because the platform itself isn't predatory. I hope 2024 brings everyone lots of comfort and joy this year 💕

[salchat]

Is this a bad drawing?

Well, yes, in a way, of course it is! I mean - poor Dean! What a mess! On the other hand, no, it isn't. In fact, why does it even have to have a value judgement on it? Did I enjoy drawing it? Yes. Did I learn anything? Yes - because I was trying to get a sense of shape and form and playing with how angles and planes and features work.

Anyway, it's on cheap newsprint, so it doesn't matter, which I think is important for playing around, which is when good learning happens. Also, I used crayons, which don't erase, so you can't get all 'ooh, I've done it wrong! I have to rub it out!' But you can scrub over the top, which is much more fun.

Here's what I did next (all my progress shots have shadows in because I sit facing away from the kitchen window):

Things have changed. But sometimes colour helps to see what works and what doesn't, especially putting in the light bits, so you get more 3-d sense. And colour's fun.

I used yellow for highlights and a dark grey to get more of a contrast on the deep shadows. And I like scrubbing over the top with a pink to get a bit more 'life' into it.

Here's the next stage. I used some white crayon:

And here's another - see if you can spot what I changed. Sometimes I improve things, sometimes they get worse! Which is fine, because I just keep going and messing about and scrubbing over the top. Only rarely, when I'm working on a drawing on the good paper and I've realised there are major proportional problems do I get all 'argh! It's wrong! @#£!££#%%@!!.' And even then, you'd be surprised how you can move a whole eye or the entire mouth and it's still fine in the end.

And then I did just a couple more tweaks and then moved around the table so I don't get a shadow (you can't sit there all the time because it's like a major family thoroughfare and you get bashed). I also edited to try to show what it really looks like, which my camera's not very good at.

There he is. A finished Dean - nothing special in the grand scheme of art, but I played and had fun and learned things, which is an important way of living, I think.

[gattnk]

About accessories and their secondary functions in Animation and Character Design

Well that title makes it sound way grander than it is, haha! I've no idea how this thing will go since I don't really have experience writing essays in english, but I'll do my best to give it some semblance of order. Shoutout to @haloheadhater who brought the topic out of me and showed interest in my sharing further!

Here's the TL:DR. Characters often wear accessories to complement their outfits, and these items don't just function as a visual representation of their personalities and interests (like real people); they also may have a "mechanical" function, so to speak. This function is much more secondary to visual storytelling, but sometimes designers will strategically place accessories on a character to facilitate their jobs on the long run. It is often a "two birds, one stone" situation, really.

Here's how that works in more detail.

Disguising Joints

Humans have joints all over their bodies, that's fact. It's what allows us to move and bend like we do. When designing toys, we try to imitate just that: articulated dolls, mannequins, marionettes, figurines and puppets have hinges and ball joints so they can be posed more realistically. A sign of care and quality in manufacturing all these is how well these joints are disguised, so they look as "organic" as possible. Screws and hinges get covered up as seamlessly as possible, so these puppets may resemble people more accurately: obvious, open and visible joints quickly break the immersion (and often places them in the uncanny valley). Compare these high-quality doll hands to your basic wooden posable hand models. Notice how the doll hands do their very best to imitate the natural curves of human hands and how the knuckles cover the joints as much as possible even when they're bent. Meanwhile, the joints in the wooden model hands are plainly visible, and the shapes are very stiff-looking, so they don't feel as human.

Animation is no different! A good animated character manages to suspend disbelief: for however long the character moves on screen, the audience has to feel like this character is alive and real enough to relate to them and their story. Human brains are really good at detecting when something moves wrong, so the more "natural" your character is, the easier it'll be to keep up with them. In puppet animation (often called flash animation thanks to Adobe Flash, now Adobe Animate, popularizing the method), characters are made of cuts, individual pieces held together by joints, much like traditional paper shadow puppets.

Animators and character designers often place accessories to cover up these cuts between joints, so when the character moves there's less risk of seeing them. My favorite example is vambraces, wristbands, watches and bracelets! Notice how uncommon it is to find a character with naked wrists? Well now you know half a reason! As the years go by and animation softwares improve, there's less need for this trick, or rather, it is often less obvious.

Disguising Texture Seams

Now see, 3D models look gray by default: you have to paint them over, like one of those tabletop figurines, for them to look pretty and presentable. This painting process results in a 2D image (called texture map) that has to be projected onto the 3D model. There is a variety of other maps that control different things, like how the model's surface reflects light (specular and diffuse maps) or if it's a porous, creviced or bumpy surface (bump, normal and/or displacement maps), but let's just focus on the texture map this time.

The process of projecting a 2D map onto a 3D model is called UV Mapping, and it looks similar to sewing patterns. There's plenty of methods to hide the seams in maps, but computers can be a bit unpredictable, and all 3D renders require touch-ups and a post-production process (especially light and reflectiveness). Sometimes though, covering seams with accessories is frankly easier, so CGI artists always keep clothes and items in mind when UV mapping, as well as the natural folds and crevices in the character's model.

Here's a good example of what I mean (by Thora Tong). This 3D model's UV seams, highlighted in white, were placed in a way that they'd be easily covered by clothes and accessories. Notice the seams on the wrists and ankles, and how the other seams around the body are very similar to the ones you'd see on actual pieces of clothing.

Volume and Foreshortening Guidelines

Drawing perspective is hard as it is, but organic shapes are particularly complicated. Accessories can help disguise certain perspective errors, or help convey the volumes and shapes of the body much more clearly. They are especially useful as guidelines for foreshortening.

Anything you append to a character is a useful marker for later. The way these items bend alongside the body thanks to perspective is a useful visual key for later. If you're not sure how an arm will look from a certain angle, maybe imagining a bracelet on that same angle would be easier! The bracelets I drew over the naked arm serve the same purpose as the guidelines you see in the image above. This is especially useful for drawings with little to no shading, where conveying the volumes of muscles presents a challenge.

Bonus - Body Lines

When a human fetus is forming, its cells grow in a particular pattern; these patterns that the body cells follow determine the flow of muscles, nerves, and even how the skin folds or how pigmentation distributes itself. There's a variety of body lines, though the most known and studied (as far as I'm aware) are Blaschko's, Kraissl's and Langer's lines. Langer's lines are particularly interesting: they're also known as skin tension lines or cleavage lines, because they indicate the best place for medical incisions on the skin, especially in the forensic field. There's many different models but here's a good example illustrating them.

Placing accessories following Langer's lines can be really aesthetically pleasing. Since tension lines follow along muscle mass and fat, they also indicate how the skin warps and folds around them. Knowing tension lines is especially useful in terms of studying how the body creases when bending around (and subsequently, clothes too!), so discretely marking them out with accessories can be useful on the long run.

Japanese animation is especially guilty of using Langer's lines on skin-tight scifi suits. They're simply incredibly useful as design and anatomic guidelines, and they look so good, they easily survive the test of time!

Conclusion

Character design often involves following rules of practicality that viewers seldom notice. This is perfectly fine because they're not really meant to be noticed by anyone, except members of the team of course. Design of any kind should be done under the premise of aesthetics and function working together, and not against/in spite of each other, so it is no wonder that animators and character designers put some thought into meeting both when adding a little "spice" to their designs. Anything and everything you can do as a character designer or animator to facilitate your work on the long run, or that of your team mates, is welcome. Covering seams and joints makes it easier for the guys in postproduction, as they have one less thing to look out for, for example. The animation industry is built on the backs of (often) exploited employees that sacrificed a lot of their time and resources into doing what they love most: deceiving the human eye and brain into believing for just a little bit that what they made is real. Truly wonderful! So next time you're working on a character, try to think about the functionality of what you're including into them. Test your imagination, and see what comes out of your mindful placement of accessories with secondary functions.

[madsmilfelsen]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @thenookienostradamus, quyanaa!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 22 :)

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 237, 409, yeehaw!

3. What fandoms do you write for? Magic Mike (allegedly), Always Sunny (allegedly), Killer Joe, True Detective (season one, I get too weepy if I think about season four too long but someday!), Midnight Mass, Shadow & Bone, Tell Me Your Secrets, Loki, and I've got an original work snuck in there, too

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

5. Do you respond to comments? Typically! I have a habit of hoarding my favorites in my inbox so if I take a week or three months to answer you it's because I've been thinking about kissing you on the mouth. Comments really make my day so I do my best to show gratitude to those who take the time to make them.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Maybe Sinhound? I don't set out to write angst.................. ever, but ending with Mildred's funeral wasn't what I was expecting either.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? All of them :) I'm a sucker for love and happy endings :)))))

8. Do you get hate on fics? no and that gets more and more shocking each time I post a new work lately as my ao3 becomes a pit of depravity while I work through everything I can't put in my novel manuscript.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? hell yeah fuck yeah. I like playing in varying degrees of consent, unhealthy or unbalanced dynamics, girls who come too fast and have weird relationships with sex, yada yada. I have a really supportive husband who I am disgustingly, deeply in love with so a lot of genuine warm and fuzzy feelings for one old man in particular generates a lot of material.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? I simply don't have the mind processes for it and admire those who can mix media like that.

11. free space / no question here, send me an ask with one instead please :)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Not that I know of! would be awfully neat though.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Oh man, I had a fun star wars piece I was writing with my dear friend, Jess, when impostor syndrome struck too hard to finish-- I still have the embroidery she did of our title (the inverse must also be true) in my office hanging below my first rejection letter :)

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? every goblin couple that make out nasty style, so uh, rust/sugar :( they're so special to me and pulled me out of a Hellacious writer's block

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? My only wip is Sunday School Dropout because I sort of forgot where I was going with it, it'll come back with light voyeurism, blood drinking, virginity taking, the usual order

16. What are your writing strengths? I feel like this is question to really sell myself but honestly, hell if I know, creating place? mannerisms maybe? Beyond my general insecurities, some of the nicest compliments I've gotten are for things I did unintentionally so hard to say! I have crafted some fuckin nonlinear bangers I'll give myself that much.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I DON'T KNOW HOW TO MAINTAIN TENSE and I HAVE NO WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF SENTENCE STRUCTURES, which annoy me and are my father's biggest complaints so I can't take them seriously enough to consciously attempt to improve on them yet. Lately, I've been smoking weed and flipping vocabulary flashcards before bed because my diction feels stagnant, a bit repetitive across pieces like.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I can't even speak english well enough to write coherently I'm not going to fuck up further with google translate. I did some ballet au's a few years back that I know have some french in it but I think I did a firmly okay job with the sprinkles of dialogue-- I know damn well my terminology is correct.

19. First fandom you wrote for? technically game of thrones, I have a sansa/sandor reunion very angrily tapped out in my notes app when season eight skipped it. The first work I posted was Seduction of Odile after I saw a post here about the potential of a rey/kylo blackswan au, reached out and asked if I could give it a try and here I am 22 works and years later :)

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? I'm going to be corny but I have a soft spot for every fic that connected me with other writers who are so talented and inspiring and force me to be better so I feel like I can talk to them lmao

tagging tagging tagging @the-heartlines @labyrinthphanlivingafacade @littleredwritingcat @abeadofpoison @teeth-ing @itstendereye @barbie-nightmare-house

[braemjeorn]

a long ourank oc presentation because braem is just a writer at heart and soul.

this is honi.

honi is from my fanfic here. would be glad if you read it. would be so happy if you like it. haven't updated it in a while so below are some spoilers for us all(?)

i know. i can't draw the same face. though #Shook is my favourite.

she has longer hair in earlier designs. but then i gave her short hair and thought, oh she looks cooler. like she could be a really cool mom. that's all you need honestly. like why make your ship lovers when you can get kingdom management done with the spiCE that is legal union!

'scuse me. kept the long hair for her younger-tween looks, anyway - wasn't mentioned why in the fic but let's just say that making it to the underworld was life changing. one way or another. she got a scar on her left cheekbone after her twenties (so yeas, i forgot the middle one im sorry).

here's our man because why not. we crave loose hair desha in this house.

im so bad at drawing crowns.

i was keen on the idea of someone to balance desha's personality out, instead of the complete opposites-attract. coz this here is a brash and unapologetic man who mercilessly cackles and taunts bojji and domas at the first meeting. half the fun will be when someone doesn't really flinch at that. tempers him down a bit or countering and riling him up to make firecrackers is what I want to see.

pink ram-lion babies coz why not

honi was nearly engaged before - somewhat more experienced in the field? but things happened and romantic pursuits were shelved before they met. honi acknowledged that he was a man early on in their meeting, but after making up and a few more formal encounters assured her that he was worth being friends with. worth the days-long flight just for a few weeks of teasing, good mead and mushroom pies.

after the winter breakfast but she's still confused.

figuring out she has feelings was a breakdown on a catastrophic level.

but eh, iss all good.

cuties.

not officially engaged but at least the lightning discharge was minimum.

that's all, i guess. some wish-wash, fluffy, alternate-or-future universe musings.

(but then in the manga the ominous naration was like, desha never returned and the underworld fell into ruin *cue queen elinor toppling chess pieces* (overthinking desha's pre-canon shonen arc and how his power is what made him rank 2nd as well as keep order in the multirace, monstrous underworld). in case reclaiming the throne won't work the option is mountain-nymph!honi or passing-farmer-girl!honi. pick.)

(but also the idea that if the canon queen is the persephone counterpart and was on the overworld for her six months deal when the whole season 1 happened is also great. which makes it hilarious if they met during part 2 coz she'd be like 'what tf happened to you?' and heartbreaking if he doesn't remember her. would be fantastic if she's any sort of queen like hiling and stubbornly gets shit done - might have a crisis that she cant find despa or ouken around, or launch some curses to the judge. but I don't know abt canon-queen. only the writer knows what might happen. as long as it isn't some poor excuse of a girl-failure of a villainess miranjo is, I'll be satisfied.)

sometimes i worry if my art will be considered ai work due to my poor anatomy but i swear it's really just a poor concept of anatomy😭 i have so MUCH to improve on digital painting. lighting, shadowing, composition, their size difference—they say the captain is 265 and desha's around the same height in the artbook. honi's like 180 and she's still so tiny! next to him despite being taller than average.

bonus, somewhat suggestive comic below.

double bonus: i think they both agree that domas is a joke and keeping 2000 km distance with miranjo is a must

[pixelrushiguess]

do you have a favorite YouTube video you have made?

Hi! Thanks for asking!

Unfortunately it’s kinda hard to pick a favourite video. See, the thing with making animation is that you’re always improving little by little. So something that looks good in the moment can look pretty bad in hindsight.

But there are some videos that take me back to an earlier point in my life. For instance, “Shadow’s First Christmas” was, at the time, the biggest video I had made. But it’s also a miracle it was finished at all since I was bedridden and suffering with Long Covid, something I’m still recovering from all these years later. So there’s an element of nostalgia to it...or trauma, could be both honestly.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UpQ_LkA4nFE&t=3s

But I’m also fond of “Where There’s Light” and “Embers of the Past” just because they’re so different from what I usually make and going for a darker tone was a cool challenge that worked out pretty well.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LmZ_0t2iwcc

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QB_A2jlNvYQ&t=179s

I should probably wrap this up but I gotta mention “The Glory Days” and especially “Giving A Sign.” I got to finally explore my take on Sally in a nice way and the amount of love I got for “Giving A Sign” was so surreal and it was so nice to know I did a decent job of depicting deafness and the struggles that come with it.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lyFRlFRaFZg

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ECCRmuI7yho&t=1s

Thanks for the question! Sorry if I rambled a bit.