#artists please remember to take breaks and do wrist exercises

[awakeskydoesntdraw]

crazy how last year I did a full inktober and turned out fine and now this year I grabbed a prompt list with just 10 items and at drawing 3 my wrist simply gave up on me. Hopefully it'll get better soon enough but god damnit

[noctilin]

I'm a fairly young artist(in my teens) and i've recently gotten carpal tunnel syndrome, is there any advice you have to avoid worsening my condition?

hi there! i'm sorry to hear about the cts. it's such a finicky thing but it's manageable with the proper attention. what makes it rather difficult is that cts is usually a case-to-case basis and not all treatment methods work the same for each person. so take this with caution.

that said, before anything else, I recommend that you keep in touch with your doctor and follow any medication prescribed. it's better if you have a hand specialist (orthopaedic) to look at it if you haven't yet. ask them anything you're curious about such as things that involve your regular activities.

another thing, you should know that my cts has gotten severe to the point that my orthopaedist recommended I take surgery, but at the time, my mother was vehemently against it and I was in no position to disobey her so I had to find my own way to live with the strain. I do find myself lucky that I was able to live my life a little normally after a bit of research and trial and error. just know that I'm not encouraging going against what doctors recommend, but if you find yourself in the same situation as me, then hopefully you'll be lucky.

these are what i found that worked for me and my lifestyle:

before you do anything else, do NOT do any stretches, exercise, or any activity if it causes you PAIN. it's normal to feel a bit of tension while doing stretches and exercises but you are NOT supposed to feel PAIN. stop immediately if you do and ask your doctor for advice. until then, avoid any activity and just rest your hands and wrists.

if you only have cts on one wrist (unlike me I have both,) I still recommend doing these things for both! just to keep things balanced. it'll be good prevention for the other wrist too anyways :)

you should also ask your doctor for vitamins for your cts! i took some for a while, I'm pretty sure it was vitamin B12. BUT please ask your doctor first!

stretches and exercises

for stretches, what i did was a routine of doing them before and after i get out of bed. this is very important especially if you tend to sleep with your wrists curled or under pressure, like putting it under your head. when you sleep, you are likely to hold a position for at least a couple or so hours before you move and toss and turn (sometimes not at all) this causes stress on your wrists for a prolonged time so it's important to stretch them before and after you sleep.

i also stretch before and after working/drawing. if you know you're going to be on the computer or workspace for a while, be sure to do this and do it every hour or so. your cts is more likely to give you problems if you keep doing repetitive activities such as drawing and typing without stretching.

you're going to see these things everywhere and your doctor might give you a diagram too, like mine did. but this is almost the same one I got from my ortho.

i like to do these as a break from work, but you can also do them before and after sleeping and/or working. just do each for about 15-20 seconds and make sure to relax your hand for about 5 seconds after each one to give your wrists a breather, so to speak. put on a lil silly youtube video while you do them! makes them less of a drag to do :-3

here are some great videos that helped me a lot as well! i mainly do these before and after sleeping/working but after a while I just start to do them randomly when I'm not particularly doing anything with my hands too.

what's great about these videos is that it's not sped up or skipped around, so you can do this "with" them. i personally find it hard to follow diagrams or sped up videos so it's nice to have a real time guide, if that makes sense. eventually, you'll remember these routines enough to not rely on the videos anymore. ^^

there's another exercise i like to do that I can't seem to find a video or diagram of but basically just do push-ups on the wall for about 20 times. this is also good for your back!

here is another easy one to do whenever you're idle or just want an easy stretch (old ladies taught me this lol)

when your wrists are feeling better, you can do some wrist strengthening. you can do this with a simple water bottle. don't use anything too heavy, you wouldn't want to strain. i'd say around 300~500g plastic water bottle is enough but, of course, find what works best for you! you're not here to body build, you just want some strength back on your wrists. do this upside too. about 15-20 times each.

tools

now that i've suggested the water bottle, here are some other helpful things!

1. wrist splint

to me, this is a MUST. please get anything like this whenever you can. i got mine from sports shops but you can also find them in medical supplies and pharmacies sometimes. i wore this when my wrists were still inflamed for 2 weeks. after the inflammation had subsided, I switched to using them every time I went to sleep. remember when I said how we tend to strain our wrists during sleep? this helps prevent that. don't use it when you're doing something though like being on the computer and drawing, I found it horribly uncomfortable!! using it when i was sleeping was enough for me.

2. ergonomic vertical mouse and keyboard

this mouse will help lessen the pressure on your cts while you're on the computer. some of them can get pretty expensive but honestly I just used a cheap 10$ one. it broke every 6 months but as long as it does its job!! if you have the budget for it, throw in an ergonomic keyboard as well. if not, you can opt for at least a cushioned wrist pad. also, try to get a mechanical keyboard with red switch keys. it makes them easier to click and use! membrane keyboards tend to have some resistance so I really do not recommend them.

update (march 2025): i've been using the logitech lift ergonomic mouse the past 3 months and it's been excellent on my wrist management. it's a little on the pricier side but it's been well worth what i paid for so far. i've only used 5% of the battery, never charged, and this is with regular and extensive use.

3. stress ball

in the first exercise diagram you'll see one of them requires a stress ball. honestly just having one in general is pretty useful. squeeze it whenever you're not doing anything in particular.

lifestyle changes

here's where most of the trial error comes from. aside from drawing, I do a lot of things every day that require my hands, oftentimes straining them. chores such as cleaning, cooking, lifting groceries and whatnot. this made it difficult for me to recover during the time my cts was at its worst because BOTH of my hands were unavailable.

it was at this time my siblings didn't know how to cook either so I had to still move but with a lot of help from them. i asked them to chop anything harder than leafy vegetables, such as potatoes and carrots for me because I couldn't. i asked them to lift groceries for me and casseroles filled with water because I couldn't.

the point is, if you have people around you who can help you, it's best to ask for it before hurting yourself even more. even now when my cts is more manageable, I still ask my siblings to do these things because admittedly my wrists are still weak.

some other changes i had to make was go from ceramic plating to plastic ones. this is because ceramic was too heavy for my wrists as well. i also changed from carrying grocery bags to buying a portable grocery cart. i also changed certain ways I draw and found myself more comfortable in using tools that help me. stuff like that, yknow? so it really depends on what your lifestyle is. but the rule of thumb is, don't make things harder than it should be!

speaking of ease of drawing, if you draw digitally, I highly recommend setting your hotkeys into something easier to reach. for example, my current hotkeys are like this so I don't strain my wrist and fingers from straining them to reach hotkeys that are far apart so often.

this takes a while to get used to but I promise that it's worth it. :)

be careful as well of video games that put too much strain on your wrists. when I was recovering I couldn't play games like bayonetta because it was just too much button mashing and it made my wrists go nuts lol (I can't play skullgirls anymore </3)

i also play on a controller instead of a keyboard these days because it's less strain on my wrists. i use a ps4 controller so idk how other controllers would perform. also, if your game has controller vibration, TURN THAT OFF lol this thing makes my wrists go stupid every time.

i think it also is pretty obvious but, invest in a spacious and comfortable workspace! one that you have enough room to rest your arm comfortably while you draw or type or do anything for long hours. the reason I even got cts was because I had such a shitty makeshift table. you don't need to invest so much as to burn hundreds of dollars (but if you have the means, go for it!) I was able to make do with a simple desk chair and a spacious desk that was the right level for me.

remember, the goal is to lessen the strain on the wrists as much as possible. this includes pressing it onto hard surfaces and corners! big no-no! if your wrists hurt, stop everything, put the splint on and rest!

that's all i can think of to tell you. hopefully, you can find your way to manage things :) cts can be scary, but with the right care you'll still be able to draw and do things you like so long as you don't push it. take care!

[iraprince]

Hi i wanted to know if, as a full-time artist, you have any stretch routines that help reduce pain in ur hands/wrists/back etc

yeah!! so, my stretch bible for years has actually been.... a splatoon-themed wrist stretch poster made by the artist captainhanyuu???? you can see it here! i know nothing about splatoon but i just find it really memorable. i do a more thorough version of this where i do the finger curls (bottom left exercise on the poster) in every possible position (palm up wrist flexed towards me, palm up wrist flexed away, palm down wrist flexed towards me, etc etc).

as for remembering to do this stuff regularly: trying to set alarms with my phone or the clock on my computer usually just doesn't work for me. i find the notifications irritating, and i'm already used to ignoring my phone, so i dismiss them without thinking. recently i was recommended something called workrave, which reminds you to take microbreaks to let go of your mouse/tablet pen and look away from the screen for a few seconds every 3min, in addition to longer breaks every 30min. i've only used it for a day, so idk if it'll stick, but somehow it's been way more effective for me.

on that subject, it's not just your wrists; PLEASE remember to stretch/rest your eyes!!! at my age, my vision should have plateaued, but it's degraded severely over the pandemic bc of increased screentime/being stuck in my (very small) flat, so i often spent all day never looking at anything further away than the nearest wall lol. it's scary and i don't want it happening to anyone else! i've been trying to at least stick to the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, spend 20 seconds looking at something 20 feet away.

back pain i haven't been great at mitigating lol. i know it is extremely annoying to hear "have you tried yoga? UwU" but like genuinely when i remember to stay on the yoga wagon it does make my body feel really good. you can look up "cat and cow yoga" to see some poses that are easy and good for quick relief — but please don't overdo it and watch a few guided youtube videos if you can, it's possible to hurt yourself doing yoga poses if you just throw yourself in and imitate pictures!

[kayliemusing]

42: top 3s

1: Top 3 ice cream flavors - classic vanilla, birthday cake/birthday batter, bubblegum

2: Top 3 Disney Movies - Mulan, Onward, Soul (but this changes frequently lol)

3: Top 3 vacation destinations - I've never been outside of my home country so I'll say my top 3 DREAM destinations: NYC, Hawaii, a random countryside in either France or the UK

4: Top 3 places to shop - Dynamite, Sephora, Winners/Homesense

5: Top 3 subjects of study/classes to take - English/anything creative writing related, Interior Decorating/Design, Communications?

6: Top 3 make up products - YSL Touche Eclat Foundation, literally any Mac Lipstick but it has to be matte, & Fenty Beauty contour stick

7: Top 3 music artists - Taylor Swift - Of Monsters and Men - The Lumineers

8: Top 3 spices/herbs - Cinnamon - Nutmeg (literally tastes like autumn) - Paprika

9: Top 3 drinks - Diet Coke - Hot Chocolate - Vanilla Bean Frappe

10: Top 3 apps to use - Instagram - Pinterest -iBooks

11: Top 3 months of the year - May, October, December

12: Top 3 clothing items - My black/white turtle neck, high waisted jeans, plaid blazer

13: Top 3 binge perfect tv shows - Bones, Supernatural, Brooklyn Nine Nine

14: Top 3 romantic dates - (I've never been on a date but if I had, it would be this) Evening walk, late night drive, late night coffee date (tbh anything at night feels romantic)

15: Top 3 kinds of flower - Water lilies, cherry blossoms, roses

16: Top 3 christmas movies - A Christmas Carol (2009), Home Alone, The Polar Express

17: Top 3 OTPs - Nesta and Cassian from ACOTAR series by SJM, Manon and Dorian from Throne of Glass series by SJM, Casteel and Poppy from From Blood and Ash series by JLM.

18: Top 3 quotes to describe your life - "I write not to find, but to leave" by Scherezade Siobhan - "I want to be myself again. I want to be six. I want to stop knowing everything I know" by Catherynne M. Valente - "The truth is, I pretend to be a cynic, but I am really a dreamer who is terrified of wanting something she may never get" by Joanna Hoffman.

19: Top 3 characteristics you love about yourself - my kindness bc it's not surface level kindness, but actually something deeply rooted within me - my resilience even tho sometimes it doesn't feel like resilience - my loyalty bc it is a hard as steel kind of loyalty

20: Top 3 kinds of candy - Maltesers, Kit kats, smarties

21: Top 3 ways to exercise/ be active - Walking, dancing, mowing the lawn/shoveling the sidewalk

22: Top 3 spirit animals - wolf, hummingbird, tiger (i googled it bc i didn't know and i was scared it was a joke but)

23: Top 3 petnames - I like 'lovebug', 'love', 'sweetheart'

24: Top 3 books read outside of school - The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas but viewers discretion is advised, Crush by Richard Siken

25: Top 3 most used websites - Youtube, Tumblr, Pinterest

26: Top 3 people you last texted - my mom, my bestie megan, and my sister bc they're the only people i text...

27: Top 3 hashtags you use - the only time i use hashtags is if i'm trying to promote some of my writing so I'll usually use writingcommunity, writersonig, poetryonig lol

28: Top 3 instagram accounts you follow - Trista Mateer, Griefmother, obviously taylor swift

29: Top 3 guilty pleasures - buzzfeed quizzes, early 2000s music, romance novels

30: Top 3 summer activities - Going to the zoo, long evening walks, campfires and s'mores

31: Top 3 things to draw/doodle - hearts, flowers, random swirls bc it's the only thing i can doodle...

32: Top 3 aesthetics - cityscape aesthetic, autumn aesthetic, rustic aesthetic

33: Top 3 things you'd buy if you gained three million dollars - a new car, a condo, another cat

34: Top 3 ways to treat yourself - facial, a large bag of maltesers, buying the makeup i really want but have been putting off

35: Top 3 celebrity crushes - Evan Peters, Matthew Daddario, henry cavill

36: Top 3 books from your childhood - Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, The Big Friendly Giant by Roald Dahl, and Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmens

37: Top 3 accents to hear - Australian, super poshy british accent, new zealand accent

38: Top 3 scents - Fresh rain, vanilla, sweet cinnamon pumpkin from bath and body works

39: Top 3 "Friends" quotes - "WE WERE ON A BREAK" -Ross, "Guess things were just going too well for me" -also ross, and "it's so exhausting waiting for death" - phoebe

40: Top 3 cupcake flavors - tbh I haven't tried that many cupcakes so your typical vanilla, chocolate, and Pink Lady Cupcake from Babycakes Cupcakery

41: Top 3 fruits - Pomegranates, Strawberries, Raspberries

42: Top 3 places you've had amazing pizza from - Pizzahut, Dominos, Pizza73

43: Top 3 sports teams to watch - i don't

44: Top 3 crayola colors - uh, i guess red, purple, and pink??

45: Top 3 things you hope to accomplish in college - Certificates/Degrees in Copyediting and Creative Writing, and I think simply just deeper critical thinking skills when it comes to writing and books

46: Top 3 fanfictions you've read - I read more books than fanfics, I've read a couple on tumblr but don't remember the names sorry :/

47: Top 3 people you miss right now - my dad, my best friend bc she's in vancouver, taylor swift bc she's not on tumblr anymore rip

48: Top 3 fears - Failure, Loss, not achieving anything in life/not reaching my full potential

49: Top 3 favorite literary devices - Foreshadowing is always god tier, cliffhangers although evil i love those too, symbolism

50: Top 3 pet peeves - People dragging their shoes on the floor when they walk, when you tell someone your fav hobby/music artist/interest and they immediately go 'oh I hate X!', and people who go 'you're so quiet!!!' but in a way that draws in more attention and/or makes me feel more uncomfortable like i would literally rather die

51: Top 3 physical things you find attractive - Hands, nice hair, defined jawlines

52: Top 3 bad habits - Nailbiting, picking at my blemishes oops, lip biting

53: Top 3 pets you've had/wish to have - Cats bc they complete me, I've always wanted a Samoyed, and I've always wanted a turtle

54: Top 3 types of foreign food - Chicken Chow Mein, deep fried shrimp, japanese chicken wings

55: Top 3 things you want to say to someone in your lifetime - 'I quit', 'I love you', 'you changed my life'

56: Top 3 dog breeds - Samoyed, german shepherds, collies

57: Top 3 cheesy romance movies - You've Got Mail, How To Lose a Guy In 10 Days, 10 Things I Hate About You

58: Top 3 languages you speak/wish to speak - French, Sign, and maybe Japanese?

59: Top 3 series (book, movie, television) - The Cruel Prince series by Holly Black, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas (but literally only for Cassian and Nesta), From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout

60: Top 3 pizza toppings - Mushrooms, alfredo sauce, pineapple

61: Top 3 youtubers you're subscribed to - Game Grumps, Charlotte Dobre, Megan Batoon

62: Top 3 tattoo / piercing ideas - I want to get a tattoo on my wrist of the last thing my dad ever wrote me, a hummingbird tattoo right next to it, and then a cross on my index finger

63: Top 3 awards you want to win - National Book Awards, Nobel Prize, and maybe even Goodreads Choice Awards lol

64: Top 3 emojis - Laugh/Crying emoji, the please sir emoji that kinda gives off those puss n boots eyes, and the stars emoji

65: Top 3 cars you dream of owning - 1970s Chev Impala, tbh a cute little Hyundai Venue, and maaaaybe the 1964 ferarri 250 gt luso (idk if that name was totally right but i had to do tons of googling to find it. i don't know a lot about cars and i don't really have a top 3 lol)

66: Top 3 authors - Right now I'm really into Sarah J Maas, Sally Thorne, and Holly Black maybe?

67: Top 3 historical figures - Jesus, Anne Frank, Vincent Van Gogh

68: Top 3 baby names - Ryder, Leila, Gracie

69: Top 3 DIYs - Candles, refurnishing old furniture (i.e. my mom and i painted our wooden garbage can), and really just any type of autumn diy

70: Top 3 smoothie combos/flavors - Strawberry/Banana, Mango, Strawberry-Mango

71: Top 3 songs of this month - Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish, Biblical by Calum Scott, and Visiting Hours by Ed Sheeran

72: Top 3 questions of this post you want to be asked - I did them all bc I made it a survey instead of an ask meme ;)

73: Top 3 villains - Regina/The Evil Queen from Once Upon a Time, Cruella De Vil, and Moriarty from Sherlock

74: Top 3 Cities you want to see - Montreal, NYC, Vancouver (honorable mention: LA)

75: Top 3 recipes you want to try - different kind of salad and/or burger bowls, Stuffed bell peppers, and homemade lemon loaf

76: Top 3 dream jobs - Bestselling author, the person who runs a companies social media accounts, youtuber/blogger

77: Top 3 lucky items - tbh don't have one

78: Top 3 traditions you have - Christmas Eve Service and if I don't go to that at least incorporating reading the christmas story on christmas day or eve, idk if this counts as tradition but going to the corn maze every fall, and whenever it's easter/christmas/thanksgiving we always have a big meal w/ family

79: Top 3 things you miss about being a kid - reckless abandon, dreaming about growing up with hopefulness and no dashed hopes, experiencing holidays like halloween and christmas as a kid

80: Top 3 harry potter characters - I've never read or watched Harry Potter rip (ok well i saw the first and second (and maybe third?) movie in the sixth grade I think) but I think I really liked Hermoine, Harry obviously and Dobby

81: Top 3 lies you were told - i don't have 3, but this one has a story but basically when my sister and i were in elementary school my sister got hit by a car and so the insurance thing was that she would recieve 10k when she was 18 and as a child i thought that was unfair so my dad told me that my sister had to split it with me when we were 18 lmao obviously that didn't happen (i think i realized that wasn't true in middle school)

82: Top 3 pictures in your camera roll right now - Pictures of my cat, one of my sister in a hilarious filter, and a picture of my rocking my TS merch

83: Top 3 turn ons - Kindness, defined jawline, easy going

84: Top 3 turn offs - arrogance, unkempt, super loud and obnoxious

85: Top 3 magazines/news papers/ journals to read - I don't read much of those so I'll tell you some sites I love for writing purpose's: there's Wellstoried, justwriterlythings, springhole.net (which is filled with generators if you're stuck and also tons of infomation and advice)

86: Top 3 things you wish you had known earlier - that toad in Mario Party was wearing a mushroom hat and that it is actually not his head, that immaculate means 'clean' before i misused that word like several times over the years, and that the one turn i always take on my way to work where i thought everyone didn't know how to drive was actually bc i didn't have the right of way rip me

87: Top 3 spongebob episodes - the one episode where spongebob and patrick find a ghost ship, that one episode where they form a bikini bottom band and perform it at a football game in a little fish tank, and the one episode where squidward has his first snowball fight

88: Top 3 places to be in the world - I'd love to be in NYC, Montreal, or Hawaii

89: Top 3 things you'd do differently - I would not have applied for RDC, similarly I should have just paid the 500 dollars to the one certificate program I wanted to do instead of overthinking it, and I wish I wouldn't have ended a friendship the way I did

90: Top 3 TV shows from your childhood - Spongebob Squarepants, That's So Raven, and Hannah Montana

91: Top 3 meals you love - Turkey Burgers, Chilli, and Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

92: Top 3 kinds of tea - i don't drink tea

93: Top 3 embarrassing moments - one time in sixth grade I tripped and fell right on my face in front of my crush, this other time like a couple years ago i opened the door to my car and only realized much too late while i was staring at this random family that it was not my car, and when i went to the gas station to get gas and couldn't get my gas lid on my car opened and this guy had to help me which was already embarrassing enough but then the gas pump wouldn't work so i had to go inside to pay just to realize i forgot my wallet and had to shamefully walk back to my car and then run back inside the convenience store and then pay and then walk back to my car and finally fill my tank.

94: Top 3 holidays to celebrate - Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving

95: Top 3 things to do in the rain - have an existential crisis, pretend you're in a music video, walk through puddles like you're six again

96: Top 3 things to do in the snow - Sledding, Build a snowman, shovel it even tho you don't want to

97: Top 3 items you can't leave the house w/o - phone, keys, wallet

98: Top 3 movies you'd like to see - Jurassic World 3, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania bc i'm a child, and the animation of the addams family

99: Top 3 art mediums - Writing fiction/poetry, painting, music

100: Top 3 museums you've been to - Royal Tyrell Museum, Canadian History one in edmonton lol, and heritage park in calgary

101: Top 3 school memories - Middle school dances when the popular kids would grind to the song "Low" which was always an interesting experience, in the twelfth grade at winter formal when we all shouted "SHUT UP AND DANCE!" at the same time when they played Shut Up and Dance, and the day i left

102: Top 3 things you don't/Won't miss - School, my sisters ex, 2016 bc she was a rough year yikes

103: Top 3 pick up lines - "My name is Will. God's Will.", "I'd like to take you to the movies but they don't like you bring your own snacks", "are you from tennessee bc you're the only 10 i see"

104: Top 3 sports to watch - none of them

105: Top 3 taylor swift songs - all too well - exile - coney island

[doomedhowell]

Life Finds A Way

Summary: Dan and Phil in the Jurassic Park world! With a genderswap twist. Daisy and Penelope are sent to Isla Nublar to check out the upcoming Jurassic World amusement park. Daisy wanted a nice trip, wanted to see some dinosaurs, and hang out with co-workers. Nothing more, and nothing less. Unfortunately, a dinosaur breaks out of containment and all hell breaks loose.

Triggers Warnings: dinosaurs, violence, injury, blood, swearing

Word Count: 3,162

Artist: @phanomeheart [will link later]

Beta: @et-in-cinerem-reverteris [thank you so much for being an amazing beta!]

[READ ON AO3]

A/N: I’m so excited to post my fic for the @phandomreversebang! I’m so happy with how it turned out and hope that everyone loves it. Yes, this is my third Jurassic Park crossover. I just really love Jurassic Park. This is also my first Gender Swap fic to match with the theme of how all dinosaurs are female. So, please let me know how I did for my first Gender Swap :]

“I should have never agreed to this. I should have just stayed home when I had the chance.”

Annoyed, Daisy rolls her eyes as Penelope complains for the millionth time. They’ve only been stuck alone together for thirty minutes, but with the amount of whining Penelope has done, to Daisy, it feels like they’ve been trapped in this jungle for an eternity.

“Penelope... If you complain one more time, I swear, it won’t be the dinosaurs you have to worry about!” Daisy warns, glaring at Penelope, who responds with a frown.

“Are you threatening me, Ms. Howell?”

Daisy sighs. “Seriously? You’re still calling me by my last name? We’ve known each other for ten years,”

“Well, considering you’re practically my arch nemesis in this job, yeah,” Penelope nods.

“Arch nemesis? I think you’re taking it a bit too far now,” Daisy scoffs in response, shaking her head.

“Ask anyone who knows us. They’ll tell you the same thing."

“Oh, whatever. Just be quiet. We’re trying to hide from dinosaurs. Specifically, a t-rex,” Daisy seethes. “Unless you want your head chewed off, then by all means, keep talking.”

“You’re in a mood today,” Penelope mutters.

“Well, you’re not the only one suddenly wishing they had stayed home!” Daisy cries.

Suddenly, the ground begins to rumble. Leaves shake and nearby animals scatter as the all-too-familiar sound of loud footsteps and roaring echoes throughout the forest. Adrenaline shoots through Daisy’s body. She looks over at Penelope, who stands frozen in shock, having the exact same realisation as she. 

“Fuck. Penelope, we have got to get out of here.”

Poking her head out from the bush they’ve been hiding behind, Daisy gasps when she sees a Tyrannosaurus Rex heading directly towards them.

“Now! Let’s go!”

“Go where?” Penelope shrieks with panic when Daisy grabs a hold of her wrist tightly.

“Look, Penelope, I don’t know! We’ll figure it out along the way!” the brunette exclaims, yanking the frightened woman in the opposite direction of the T-Rex. Frankly, she has absolutely no idea how they’re going to get away from this terrifying situation, but one thing she’s certain of is she’s not giving up without a fight. She’s too young to die, and she still has so many hopes and dreams she wants to conquer.

All Daisy wanted was a nice trip to Isla Nublar, with a group of co-workers, Penelope being included, and check out Jurassic World that was meant to be opening next year. They were here for an advisory trip. Nothing more, and nothing less. And yet somehow dinosaurs escaped from containment, and now Daisy is running for her life with someone she considers to be an enemy. 

She and Penelope Lester have never gotten along - always one-upping each other whenever they got the chance to, calling each other silly and childish names whenever they were near one another. And now, somehow, Daisy finds herself running for her life from a posse of escaped dinosaurs with no one else but Penelope fucking Lester; her number one competition, little miss goody two-shoes, the face of an absolute angel…wait a minute- what?

Daisy quickly shakes her head, pushing those thoughts away. Now isn’t the time for that.

“We’ve been trying to get back to the park for like thirty minutes!” Penelope whines.

“I know that, genius, but we have to keep trying, alright?” Daisy groans in response. “I mean, we can’t be the only ones out here in the middle of the jungle running for our bloody lives!”

“Well no, of course not. The other girls must be out here somewhere as well. Honestly, whoever thought that it was a good idea to have our group split up is an idiot.”

Daisy snorts. “I’m telling Louise you called her an idiot.”

“Howell!” Penelope shouts, glaring back at her enemy. As she does so, her eyes widen as they land on something much, much worse than Daisy Howell; a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Chasing after the two women. She screams, and starts running even faster.

Daisy is unable to stop herself from bursting into laughter at Penelope’s reaction. “What the hell, Lester? Did you forget we were being chased by a bloody dinosaur?”

“No, shut up! I just haven't looked at her yet!” Penelope cries.

“Keep running!”

After a few minutes of constant sprinting, Daisy and Penelope find themselves standing on the edge of a waterfall. The T-Rex is right behind them. They can both hear the rumbling of the ground.

“Now what the hell are we supposed to do here?” Penelope asks with panic, glancing back.

“Obviously we’re supposed to jump if we want to outrun the dinosaur,” Daisy replies, trying to catch her breath from all the exercise. She looks over and rolls her eyes when she sees Penelope’s eyes widen for the second time. “Oh, come on. Don’t give me that look. It’s the only way. The T-Rex isn’t going to jump into the water after us! I’m pretty sure they don’t even swim.”

“And, how exactly do you know that?” Penelope asks, frowning.

Daisy sighs with annoyance, and then harshly grabs Penelope’s arm, shoving her forward.

Penelope lets out a scream as she falls into the huge mass of water. Daisy looks back and squeaks when she sees the T-Rex quickly catching up with them. She doesn’t need another second to think before jumping in after Penelope, who’s already swimming out of the pool and back onto dry land.

Daisy pops back out of the water, gasping for air and looking around with panic before making her way over towards Penelope, gripping onto the grass as she hauls herself up from the mini-lake. “I’m never saying yes to one of Louise’s trips again,”

“At least not to Isla Nublar,” Penelope mutters, groaning and flopping onto her back.

“Hey, don’t get too comfortable,” Daisy says as she pushes herself onto the land, looking over at Penelope. “We’re not safe yet. There’s still other dinosaurs out there we have to be careful of.”

Penelope rolls her eyes in frustration. “I honestly hate you so much,”

The brunette doesn’t reply, only feeling a pang of sadness as she pushes herself back onto her feet.

Penelope looks at Daisy and gasps when she sees a bloody wound near her ankle. 

“Hey, your leg!” she quickly pushes herself up to crawl over to Daisy, who glances down and frowns when she sees that her leg is in fact injured, only she didn’t feel the pain until Penelope pointed it out. 

“Oh,” she mumbles, bending down to touch the gash. “I must have hit my leg on something jumping into the water. I’m sure it’ll be fine. There’s nothing we can do about it at the moment, can we?”

Penelope looks up at Daisy and frowns. “Will you be able to run with an injured leg?”

“I’ll be fine,” Daisy snaps, glaring at Penelope, startling the older woman with the harsh tone in her voice. “Besides, why do you care? I’m sure seeing me suffer will bring you joy,” she scoffs angrily before taking a step forward and wincing when pain shoots through her leg.

Penelope watches with concern as Daisy starts limping away, before jumping up and following her.

“You’re honestly the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met in my life,” Penelope grumbles.

“Anything else you wanna get off your chest while you’re at it?” comes Daisy’s angry reply.

“Erm, maybe now isn’t the time for this. We’re running away from bloody dinosaurs and are supposed to be figuring out how to get back to the island.” She pauses. “Do you think the group will leave without us?”

“They better not, or I’ll sue every single one of them once we get off the island.”

Penelope lets out a sigh. “Daisy, I just don’t understand why you like... totally hate my guts,” she says, catching her co-worker off guard. “I mean, I don’t remember doing anything super horrible to you.” They’ve never had a conversation about why their relationship is so tense, or how they actually became enemies in the first place. It's never something Daisy wanted to discuss with the older woman.

Daisy hesitates as she thinks about what she’s going to say. 

Is she really about to confess her love to someone who’s supposed to be her arch nemesis? She never planned for any of this to happen. She never planned on telling Penelope even after ten whole years of knowing this woman and secretly being in love with her, because they were supposed to hate each other, not fall in love.

“Look,” Daisy begins, stopping to glance over at Penelope and forgetting that they were currently running for their lives. “I never… I never actually hated you, okay?”

“Really?’ Penelope asks, raising her eyebrows. “Because it sure seemed like you did.”

“Well, because I thought that you hated me, and that… hurt me. I never hated you, not from the start. Actually, in fact, it started when we first met. I- I tried to be your friend, but you gave me the cold shoulder. I thought you hated me, and that hurt me, because I…” she mumbles, shaking her head in disbelief. “Fuck. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but-”

“Daisy? You’re starting to worry me...” Penelope frowns.

“Penelope, ugh, shut up, okay? I’m trying to tell you that I- I l- love you. Is that what you wanted to hear?” she cries, taking a deep breath. “I love you, and... I’ve practically been in love with you ever since the very first time we worked together on a project, but you obviously never felt the same way that I felt. You always had to be better than me at everything we did!”

Penelope’s eyes widen with shock at Daisy’s confession. “I-” She begins, stunned.

Daisy yelps when the two suddenly hear a distant roaring, alerting them that a dinosaur is nearby. “Fuck!”

“We have to go!” Penelope cries, grabbing Daisy’s hand and leading the way.

“Penelope, my leg!” Daisy is trying her best to keep up, but the pain is starting to become too much for her to handle, and they’re nowhere near close to being safe.

Penelope stops running and looks at Daisy. “Are you heavy?”

“Excuse me?” Daisy snaps, finding the question slightly offensive.

Penelope rolls her eyes. “That sounded rude. I’m sorry. I mean, do you think I’d be able to lift you?”

“Oh, uh… I don’t know. I don’t think I’m that heavy. I work out a lot?”

“Of course you do,” Penelope mumbles, shaking her head. “I have no other choice, so-”

Daisy yelps as she’s suddenly being lifted off her feet, and being carried in the arms of Penelope. She had no idea that her co-worker was so strong! If Penelope Lester can actually manage this without getting either of them killed, then Daisy will be incredibly impressed - not to mention grateful for saving her life.

“What can I say? You’re not the only one who works out,” Penelope replies with a grin, earning a laugh from Daisy. “As much as I’d like to continue this little conversation, there’s a dinosaur chasing us…”

Penelope somehow manages to carry Daisy as she finds her way out of the jungle, eventually coming across an abandoned old building with two broken down Jeeps inside of it. “Oh, yes! Perfect! This is exactly what we needed to get out of here!” Penelope exclaims when she spots the cars.

“Perfect? What are you going on about? They’re broken. They’re useless!”

Penelope rolls her eyes and leads Daisy over to one of the Jeeps, opening the door with a free hand and carefully helping Daisy to sit down in the passenger seat.

“Good. Okay, sit there while I work on getting this thing up and running again,” she orders while walking around to the front of the car, ignoring the annoyed look Daisy is giving her.

“Honestly, do you even know how to get one of these started? This thing is probably ancient.”

“I fixed cars with one of my old friends as a summer job. So, yes, I should be able to get it started. If not, then I’m afraid I’ve failed my friend, and that simply cannot happen,” Penelope replies with sass as she pops open the hood of the car, looking around at what she has to work with. “Okay. We’ve got minimal time left here. Please let this work so we can get the hell out of here.”

Just like that, Penelope actually manages to get the vehicle running again after about fifteen minutes of cursing and frustration, surprising Daisy once again with her hidden skill. But Penelope certainly wasn’t going to give up when they were so close to the island, and Daisy still needed help with her injury.

Daisy glances back and peaks through the window of the jeep as Penelope celebrates fixing the car. Suddenly, she notices the shape of a T-Rex on the edge of the jungle, and lets out a gasp.

“Penelope! We’ve got a problem!”

“Wha-?” She looks up and gasps when her eyes land on the T-Rex. “Shit!”

“Come on! We’ve got to go!” Daisy yells, flailing her arms in panic.

Penelope slams the hood of the car shut and runs over to the driver's seat, jumping into the car and fumbling around with the wheel, trying to get the car started as fast as possible. “We’re almost there. Fuck! I’m not gonna lose this for us,” she says, feeling confident for the first time since being stranded and being chased in the jungle by a bloody dinosaur. After starting the car she looks over at Daisy to make sure that she’s alright, but frowns when she sees how the other woman is staring at her. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Penelope questions curiously.

“No reason. You just... look really hot right now,” Daisy admits, smirking slightly.

Penelope blushes instantly, never thinking Daisy Howell would ever call her hot, but here she is. “Fuck. Now’s not the time for that, Daisy,” then backs the car out of the building. As soon as they’re outside, the T-Rex has nearly caught up to them, which they both realize simultaneously with a scream as Penelope speeds off towards the island, which is thankfully now in view, and Penelope is suddenly grateful for the summer she spent fixing cars, otherwise they’d still be stuck in the jungle. 

“Thank God the park isn’t officially opened. Otherwise, everyone would be dead!”

“Something tells me that the park is never going to open after today’s events,” Daisy mutters. “Now speed!”

“So demanding,” Penelope teases, before she puts pedal to the metal and floors it.

Finally.

Finally the girls make it back to the island. They find their group. Not everyone is there. Some of the girls haven’t returned from their duties yet, which worries the group as there’s still four girls missing.

“Don’t worry. We’re not leaving the island until we find the others,” Louise tries to reassure Daisy. “Now, what the hell happened to your leg, and… why are you both wet?”

“We had to jump into a waterfall to get away from the T-Rex,” Penelope explains, before frowning slightly. “Wow. That’s a sentence I neer thought I’d say. Anyways, she was still following us when we were coming back to the island. I hope there’s someone to take care of that when she finally reaches us.”

“Don’t worry, it’s being sorted. We’re safe,” Louise replies. “Come on. You need medical attention.”

Louise starts to help Daisy, but Penelope suddenly rushes to take her place, surprising them both.

“Wait! Let me,” she interjects, carefully  wrapping her arms around Daisy’s waist, helping her stand up. She looks up at Louise and smiles innocently. “Lead the way?” She holds onto Daisy protectively, and Daisy instantly melts into the hold, grabbing onto Penelope for balance.

Louise looks at them back and forth. “What happened while you were in that jungle?”

Daisy blushes and looks up at Penelope. “A lot can happen while you’re running for your life,” she says, maintaining eye-contact with the woman next to her. “By the way, you smell awful.” She laughs when Penelope lightly punches her on the shoulder.

“Come on you two. You need medical attention, immediately,” Louise pushes again. “Weirdos.”

“I do feel a bit lightheaded,” Daisy mumbles, groaning in pain as Penelope starts walking towards a medical tent set up for the girls who were also injured.

As Daisy is being looked after by a nurse, Louise and Penelope stand aside chatting together.

“So, have you two finally kissed and made up with each other or what?” Louise asks.

Penelope rolls her eyes as she looks over at Louise. “Kind of. Turns out Daisy is in love with me.”

“Well, yeah… even a monkey could have told you that,” Louise snorts.

“What?” Penelope asks, frowning. “Has everyone known about this except for me?”

“Yup. Kinda sad that it took you ten years to realize this, but… I guess life always, uh, finds a way, right?”

“Yeah. I guess so,” Penelope replies with a soft sigh. She shakes her head before walking over to Daisy, who the nurse has left alone for a second to grab more medical supplies to help with Daisy’s injury. “Hey, by the way... I don’t know if I made this clear or not, but I don’t hate you either.”

Daisy blinks a few times as she looks up at Penelope with shock. “Wh- What?”

“Do you wanna go on a date when we get home?” Penelope bursts out, glaring when she hears Louise laughing at her. “Oh, shove off, Louise! Mind your own business!”  She looks back over at Daisy. “Look, I’m not really good at this whole dating thing. My longest relationship lasted two months...”

“That’s okay,” Daisy giggles. “Neither am I. I would love to go on a date with you when we get home. But, it better be more than just a boring old movie. I’m an adventurous kind of girl, y’know?”

Penelope lets out a sigh of relief when Daisy speaks those words, “yeah, I can tell,” and then she quickly leans down and presses her lips against Daisy’s, bringing the younger woman into a sweet and soft kiss. When she pulls away, the girls from their group are cheering loudly for the two. Everyone has known about the Howell vs. Lester feud for years, Penelope imagines everyone is relieved that they’ll no longer have to put up with the constant fighting from the two. Penelope coughs, blushing. “What a day, huh?”

Daisy laughs. “Yeah… I guess you could say that,”

“Now, hold on a minute. You’re telling me that it took a bloody dinosaur chasing you through the jungle and running for your lives to get you two together?” Zoe asks, who’s also being looked over by a nurse, speaks up, throwing her arms up, Daisy and Penelope both bursting into laughter. “Honestly.”

[minthysugamon]

Everybody wants to rule the world.

Noble Assistant! Namjoon x Assassin! Reader.

1789! AU

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: Mention of dried blood,gunshots and other stuff...i mean..it's the revolution..so yeah.

(Credit for the Original Photo: @/athenaa. I only edited it a little bit. But all credit goes to the original artist who posted the photo first in it's original version)

(Painting: La liberté guidant le peuple by Eugène Delacroix)

14 Juillet 1789,

The streets were overcrowded,people were standing for hours in front of the Bastille. Everybody knew...the reunion of the General Estates was chaotic. The deputies spent months to collect all the reviews that could help them make a reform,that could help the Third Estate to have the same rights as the nobility...but instead of that,King Louis XVI refused all the changes that should have been made. So...the whole Third Estate was back to case one. It was no surprise when the King had dismissed the assembly to go back to his residence. But what surprised him was the determination that the future National Assembly had. They swore,they will give France a constitution,they make up the large majority of the country,they can do it without being harmed too much. The King still didn't care about the 1200 Deputies plea for equality. But dear lord,the Regent was wrong for ignoring all the warning signs about the revolution.

But there she was,waiting for her brother to come back,in a house near the Bastille..waiting for the three volounteers to come out with the gun powder. Not as if she wanted to kill or wound someone..but..she wanted to participate. She wanted to see how people will take over the power. Her brother is a Lawyer...Maximilien Robespierre is his name. But since she is a woman..she will never have the chance to become one...she can only learn from him,in secret,because work is a taboo for women.

"Why are you here?" Her brother grabbed her wrist,looking her dead in the eye. He wasn't amused,at all. "I..i just wanted to come..to see if everything was alright...Mère s'inquiète pour vous¹..." He sighed,letting her wrist go,and he bowed his head. "I told you clearly to stay in Arras,didn't i? You are too curious for your own good. One day it will bring you trouble." She cracked a small smile,only for a moment though,and while she exhaled,she whispered a small "Je le sais,mon frère.²" As she sat down,in front of the window,Maximilien went behind her and watched the chaos unfold in front of the Bastille. "What are they trying to do?" She looked up at him,with glassy eyes. She would never admit it but as much as the revolution gave her adrenaline and excited her...she was also scared. Scared of what will happen. "They are trying to get the gun powder...i guess Launey still didn't give in to take the cannons back." He watched as the people were getting more and more impatient,and then,he headed out of the small townhouse. Since she was also the curious type,she headed out after him. "LA POUDRE. LA POUDRE. DONNEZ-NOUS LA POUDRE³". The crowd was screaming for the gun powder. While Launey was still discussing with the three peasants.

While the crowd was roaring outside,Launey was talking with the three peasants. "Monsieur Kim,would you please tell the soldiers to retract the cannons?" The young immigrant who became Launey's assistant just looked at him confused. "But..Maître...it's nearly impossible to get them retracted,we don't have the King's authorisation." And as the three peasants looked at him with an evil expression,the assistant hesitantly said "I will try to persuade them...but i may need your help if anything goes wrong." The keeper of the Bastille just looked at him with a reassuring smile and said "Don't worry,Mon fils,everything will go alright. Just do as i say." The boy went up,and tried to tell the soldiers what was bound to happen if they don't take the cannons back. The soldiers just laughed and told him to piss off. But at the view of the weapons not getting retracted,the crowd was growing louder with every second that passed. The chance of them getting into the Bastille was also increasing with every shout that left their throat. The assisstant of Launey was running back down to the study of his mentor.

"Maître Launey,what are we going to do? They don't want to retract them. I tried to persuade them,but they aren't listening." Launey only sighed,and stood up. "Si vous pourriez m'excuser,je vous en serai reconnaissant.⁴" With that said,he went up with the young man that he swore to protect after his own son died in his arms due to pneumonia,and looked at the Soldiers. "I sent the message of retracting the cannons. Then why do i still see them here?"

One of the armed men was brave enough to say "We thought that your assisstant maneuvered on his own..." and to that,the Master of the Bastille answered clearly,exercising his authority on them. "Whether it's me or my assistant,you are obligated to comply to my wishes and my commands. Whether you like it or not. Now get those cannons retracted before the people think that we want to hurt them."

At the same time,the youngest Robespierre was following her brother. What Maximilien didn't know was his sister's abilities. Nobody knew,but she was the one of the best trained assassins of the country. She went in the crowd and got lost in it,so no one could see what she was about to do. Her plan was to climb to the first floor and open the gate. And it was going well until ths crowd heard a gunshot inside the court of the Bastille. "THEY KILLED THEM. THEY KILLED OUR ALLIES. LET'S SHOW THEM THAT THEY CAN'T MESS WITH US." "Merde...⁵" The swear word escaped her lips as she was near the backyard of the Bastille. But that didn't stop her. Just like how the crowd didn't stop running down the doors.

Namjoon was scared for his life. As soon as the people swarmed in as bees in a beehive,he was becoming more and more nervous. "Maître,what are we going to do?" And his mentor looked at him,with his pale face,then shouted at the brigade. "RASSEMBLEZ LA POUDRE.⁶ GET ALL THE POWDER. AND TAKE IT DOWN. WE WILL ACT ACCORDING TO WHAT WILL HAPPEN." Then he looked back at his assistant,sending him a look full of emotions and calmly said. "Son,go and hide in the study. Lock all the doors. Don't do anything wrong,and they won't get in." And for once,he spoke to him in an informal way,like how a father would tell his son how to hide. "But,Maître-" Namjoon objected to the idea of letting his mentor,but also his adoptive father in some ways,fight for the Bastille. But before he knew,he was pushed into the study by Launey,and he locked the door before going back to his soldiers. "Que Dieu...aie pitié de votre âme...Père...⁷" And with a heavy heart,he blocked the door with a cupboard and the handles with three swords..the more,the better.

While the crowd was swarming in,(Y/n) was trying to get a better view of the situation by climbing the wall of the gigantic fortress which served as the royal prison. "Pour l'amour des cieux⁸...why did that idiot have to cry wolf when nothing was going on..." and as she finally climbed the first floor which had a corridor,she sneaked in,just like a shadow,almost invisible. The people were or too busy trying to free the seven remaining prisoners,or trying to kill any guard that came their way,or to find the gun powder and leave. She was feeling nauseous from the smell of dried blood on the walls of the hall,but she won't vomit here and now,or people will think she's one of the guards or just a simple whore who paid visit to Launey. But speak of the devil. Two men saw her,and started chasing her,so in the first turn,she turned to right,then to the left and continued this pattern until she fell through a passageway to the Study.

Namjoon was shocked when he saw the girl fall through the secret passage,but nothing shocked him more than to see a girl being armed like a professional assassin. "Qui diable est-tu?⁹" his voice came out more shaky than expected. And the girl only answered "Be glad that i'm not here to kill you. Who are you? You don't seem to be from here." If she was being honest...she never saw someone like him. She could only think about the fact that he wasn't here. Thanks to the books of her father and her brother,she quickly guessed that he was from the Far East. "I asked first,mademoiselle." And she looked at him,unfazed. "Look,i don't have the time to play this. Where is Launey,i have to talk to him." And the young man picked a sword up and quickly took her in his arms to put the blade against her neck. "What do you want from him? Seeing how you are dressed and what you're carrying,i am pretty sure that you mean no good. And most probably,you're on their side. Aren't you?" The only thing she could say was a determined "Yes. But,I only want to talk. That's it. If i wanted to kill him,he would be already dea-" her voice was cut off by loud banging on the front door. "LAUNEY,ON SAIT QUE TU ES LÀ.¹⁰ STOP HIDING AND BE A MAN." And Namjoon only looked at the unknown girl,with panic in his eyes,and she looked back at him. "Go,find somewhere to hide. I'll tell them that no one was here." The assisstant looked at her with confusion plastered on his face. "But..you have the chance to kill me now. Why won't you do it?" And she laughed but in a bitter way,trying her best to keep the door closed. "The stars aren't alligned for that today. It's your lucky day today,Sir. Now go. Hide before they kill you." With a quick nod he started to run towards the secret passage,but quickly turned back and looked at her. "Name's Namjoon." And the youngest Robespierre just looked at him,with an amused look and replied "(Y/n). Remember that name when you'll say grace to God for keeping an eye on you. Now go." And as soon as he was out,she let the door break free. With a half smirk and playful eyes,she cocked her pistol towards one of the peasants. "Good Morning gentlemen,beautiful day to cause a revolution i see. It would be a shame if something..or someone stopped this. So i advise you to turn back around,and go on your way to find the much-wanted powder." One of the peasants just laughed at her,but when she shot him in the arm,the other two,unarmed,were quick to run out of the study.

Namjoon still didn't understand why she spared his life,but he was thankful. For once,his luck was immeasurable,and he felt good about it. But the same went for her...(Y/n) still didn't understand what took over her to spare his life and shoot someone,who was playing on the same side as she was. But sometimes...life puts you in a situation where a plot twist is inevitable.

As the battle was still going on in the court,after what felt like an eternity,(Y/n) but also Namjoon realised...whether you're a revolutionary or a nobleman...you have one thing in common. You want to rule the world. Because if there's something in common in the power hungry humans...is the will to rule the world..because Everybody wants to rule the world.

Translation:

¹ = Mother is worried about you.

² = I know it,brother.

³ = The Powder,the powder,give us the powder.

⁴ = If you could excuse me,i would be grateful for it.

⁵ = Shit...

⁶ = Get all the powder.

⁷ = May God have mercy on your soul,father.

⁸ = For Heaven's sake

⁹ = Who the hell are you?

¹⁰ = Launey,we know you're inside there.

(A/n: I know the end is rushed but i hope you guys still liked it. The idea came to me when i had my history exam,and that was in December,but i didn't have time to finish it...so here is a bit rushed-ended one shot about Namjoon in the 1789 French Revolution. Thank you again for your patience,and i hope you guys are doing well! ❤)

[cryinggargoyleiii]

Hey artist, writers, gamers, ect. remember to:

1. Take a break and eat, drink, exercise, sleep, whatever you need to do. Give your body a rest and take care of yourself. Hydrate!! Please!!! Drink water!!

2. Stretch your body, but especially your wrists and fingers. Remember to do warmup sketches before big pieces as well! It's good hand exercise as well as getting your bearings for the thing you are about to draw.

3. Go outside, sit in the grass, go to the park, go out with your parents on errands, get out of the house/studio for a little while!

4. Dont forget to take a break to stim if you need, take your meds, make sure to shower, brush your teeth, put your retainers in, keep your room non cluttered around your desk, all that.

Have a great day bros!! %^)

[tenshinaki]

Oh yes this is all the & do I do any of it no I'm dumb lol also WRIST & ARM EXERCISES/STRETCHES guys do them set times please I have some minor issues because of RSI (repetitive stress injury) you don't want that & I stress the minor some pros will tell you how bad it can get!

Also for the arm thing to train it into you if yoube already formed the bad habit of using the wrist (like we do for writing think of it as a flicking motion of the wrist) get some big paper (cheap newsprint pr any other cheap large pads you can find CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP it's fine go cheap do it) & either charcoal (can sharpen with a knife & keeps a log lead that way so it's nice also it works well on cheap stuff cause it's soft!) But whatever works really and just practice drawing I say with your arm over shoulder be a use it sounds right & sits in my brain better, keep the paper up & away from you if you can if you don't have an easel it's okay maybe stand at our table what ever keeps you from resting your arm or elbow on the pad (that's how you will fall back into the wrist movements instead of arm movements) & literally do the warm ups explained above & then maybe move I to gesture drawings if you like drawing people of perspective cubes & such if you like backgrounds & then into drawing drawings to get the muscle memory of using your while arm not your wrist if you still find it really hard get a cheap wrist brace so help you stop using your wrist but & I STRESS THIS if your wrist starts hurting in the brace from using it while drawing TAKE IT OFF STRETCH YOUR WRIST & TALE A BREAK again I have RSI issues & I have to use a brace for wrist pain but sometimes it starts to cause me pain & I have to take a break from the brace being immobile or trying to move when/where it can't also can make it hurt also keep it loose cause you don't need it for support but jut to stop you from drawing with your wrist! I accidentally trained myself to draw more with my arm because in college I had to use my brace a lot & had to learn to draw with my whole arm (or from the shoulder as others say) which is why I say f you are truly struggling give it a shot cause if you keep drawing with your wrist & don't do the stretches you'll need the brace eventually anyways but for support😬

Also trust me the warm-ups are not a waste of time & don't have to be a waste of material either it doesn't have to be the exact same material you are going to use like if I'm using watercolor I can do warm ups in my sketch book or on news print & with a cheaper pencil or cheap paints, once it's dried you can even use the warm up sheets often if you aren't found the more precise ones like the dot connecting & such but when your done with them you can also turn them into something I mean look at the people who take kids scribbles and do outlines with them & stuff, or if you're doing watercolor like I said you can shred it or cut it up & wow you got colorful confetti right? Obviously with digital you just trash the Lauer or make new ones but I know people who are strapped for cash may not do the warm ups because materials cost money & I know I get it so much so don't worry if you got to get sheep stuff to do the warm ups it's just to warm up it doesn't have to be premium stuff & really shouldn't be anyways!

So yes warm ups, draw from shoulder/with arm not wrist, do stretches, take breaks stay healthy because oh gosh do you not want RSIs guys! Also remember before a game all sports people warm up, musicians & singers warm up so it only makes sense to be at our best we artists should warm up too!! Oh & DRINK WATER & TAKE WALKING/JUMPING BREAKS get those legs moving to avoid blood clot/nerve/tingly sleeping leg & feet issues! For those who have legs & mobility capability of their legs of course 😅

being a self-taught artist with no formal training is having done art seriously since you were a young teenager and only finding out that you’re supposed to do warm up sketches every time you’re about to work on serious art when you’re fuckin twenty-five

[polyamorous-mysme]

if i remember right, you did non-mc poly ships as well right? do you have any headcanons related to the first post thing you reblogged with zen/yoosung/seven?

oh my god that other anon that asked for this one got the TOTALLY WRONG ANSWERS because i used the wrong ask meme 😭😭😭 so sorry non

and yes i actually prefer non-mc ships tbh!

If you had to change the pairing’s very first meeting, how would you change it?

hm this is weird with mysme but i have to say i totally love the idea of seven and yoosung meeting in LOL and being cute gamer bfs and since we all know seven is a huge fan of zen i like the idea of the pair of them like. being somewhat famous in zen fan circles for mixing gaming and zen characters and zen meets up with them to thank them cause 707 has done so much to boost his popularity like. literally singlehandedly

What song fits your pairing the most?

not really the song itself but more the title maybe a bit of both but 15 reading homestuck on the internet - atlas is the first that comes to mind (as i was writing this i remembered internet personas by the same artist and it fits SO well)

What is your favorite AU/prompt idea/trope for your pairing?

HMMMM maybe a soulmate au like i love yoosung and seven getting paired together in a viddy game match and yoosung hearing “YO WHATS GOOD GAMERS LETS GIT THIS BREAD” and thats literally whats tattooed on his hip and 707 having “omg wadda hell” on his wrist and both of them have like. “are you here for a selfie:)?” w zen just having “oh” “um” on him like that would be so fucking FUNNY. for a prompt idea or trope i really like the idea of enemies to lovers like yoosung and 707 being competitors in an esports league that zen managed to score a place in like hosting cause his manager said it would be really good to expand his fanbase. i love it. gorgeous.

Do you prefer canon ideas or do you have your own headcanons for them?

little bit of both i mean i like 707s canon interactions w both of them but when it comes to zen and yoosung they arent really the BEST of friends and they butt heads a lot so you really kinda have to hc where those interactions are coming from

Favorite canon moment of them?

oh the COFFEE prank definitely

Least favorite canon moment of them?

HMMMMM altogether i wouldnt be able to think of one off the top of my head but i dont rly like the convos of zen like. telling yoosung like. “you should be more like me:)” or 707 like. FORGETTING he told yoosung to come over to his house neither of those are really fun for me

Favorite headcanon trope/idea? (Your own or someone else’s)

no legit now that i think about it that soulmate au idea is so funny to me i literally might write like. just a little one-shot for that cause its entertaining me immensely rn

Least favorite headcanon trope/idea? 

okay this isnt for the ship but i HATE tsundere yoosung please stop its gross. also stop treating trans!yoosung as an omg soft baby boy always anxious widdle baby like he is an adult w anxiety but he’s not. precious. he just needs to learn how to cope w shit better

Favorite aspect of them/their relationship dynamics?

i love how much zen and seven like. genuinely love yoosung. genuinely they both just want him to do well and start feeling better and zen trying to push yoosung to exercise and sevens little pranks are both just. them trying to make him feel better because they love him and i LOVE that

Least favorite aspect of them/their relationship dynamics? (Can be headcannon)

again: precious baby cant do anything himself yoosung or like. MEAN 707. he’s not mean or malicious.

If they aren’t a canon pairing, how would you get them together?

hm. in canon? 707 and yoosung sleepovers getting ready for party and zen seeing them both kinda work themselves/hide themselves away to death and forcing them to get out and have FUN and interactions with people. 

NON-canon … seven and yoosung pro gamer boyz meeting zen like over twitter and realizing that they actually live in the same city and meeting together for coffee and then just. going from there!

If you had to take them and plunk them into another fandom, what fandom would that be? Why?

dont know what this means. they’re all in the zen is hot fandom tho

How hard is it write/draw your pairing? Scale of 1-10.

not that hard given other pairings they do have a great dynamic that i love. though i have a harder time writing zen in general so that knocks it down to a high seven/low eight

Is there a pairing that you think rivals them?

jaehee/mc/zen 

Which character of the pairing do you like more? (Would you ever pair yourself with them?)

707 i love him so much cause i relate so hard. im a lesbian so not really but i had a hard comphet crush on 707 for a while.

Which character of your pairing would be the one to break up with the other? Why?

707 might if he thought he was gonna get them in trouble or put them in danger w his work. zen would if their unhealthy habits just kept going throughout the relationship and he felt like he was babysitting them more than dating them

Are they relatable as characters or as a pairing?

oh always. truthfully i can relate to all of them in a lot of ways and as a ship? yeah. love them.

Did you once/ever dislike one/both of them?

ive never been zen’s biggest fan tbh i did his route last and i didnt enjoy it really very much at all. him and yoosung just slide a lot under the radar for me but i dont dislike or hate either of them in canon or my own personal fanon. other ppls fanon though … yikes

On an estimate, how many posts have you made about them?

most my posts have 707 most of my reqs have 707 or zen. yoosungs pretty popular too but i think 707 would be the big one

What made you decide to ship them?

its my job:/

Favorite genre for them? (Angst, fluff, etc.)

angsty fluff. like good angst w some fluffy bits in the middle and ends in a big enormous $200 beanbag

[robertdowneyhiddlesbatch]

Daddy’s Little Hel: Kiera Rogers

ch 5: New Hire

They'll be here any minute! She has to go.

I need more time, please.

Love, it was your idea in the first place. She has to go, or they'll find her and-

Okay, okay.

[the baby begins to cry]

hush, my Elska. You mustn't cry. Kjære, you must quiet her.

hush my love, don't cry.

#Constant as, the stars above always know, that you are loved And my love, shining in you will help you make your dreams come true will help your dreams come true.#

She is asleep.

good, cause we are out of time.

[the man hugs his wife as she held their sleeping baby, then he takes the bundle from her arms and puts it in the "box" to send her away. A green cloud forms above the baby just as the door bursts open. Screams filled the air and the baby-]

Kiera woke up with a snap, suffocating under the constriction she felt on her chest. She turned on the side lamp and swung her legs off the bed, letting her head drop between her knees as tears lined the rim of her eyes. She'd had the same dream a thousand times, but each time struck her hard, as if she were actually going through the events right then and there. Kiera blinked back her tears, keeping her face from any water marks. She picked up a hoodie from the floor, wrapping the large unfitted cloth around herself for comfort. The hoodie was Steve's, he had let her have it before they had gone to get her her own clothes. Kiera crossed her arms, holding each shoulder with the opposite hand, throwing her head back with her eyes tightly shut, again in an attempt to hide her sorrow. Just then, there was movement outside her room, causing her to stand at attention. The clock told her it was 5:30 in the morning, so she didn't bother going back to bed, instead walked out her room to join Steve in the kitchen.

The super soldier always woke up early in the morning, but it was a surprise for him to see her up at the same time.

"Morning," he said to her as he closed the cabinet.

"Morning, Steve," Kiera mumbled as she pushed herself up on the counter.

"Sleepless or excited?" Steve pushed for a reason for her being up so early.

Kiera didn't bother with a reply and wrapped the hoodie tighter around herself. Steve noiselessly put the can of coffee on the other counter and walked over to her, collecting her in his arms for a hug.

"I didn't say anything," she spoke coldly, without returning the hug.

"Maybe it wasn't for you. You're not the only one with nightmare pasts you know." Steve tried not to be too cheesy, and Kiera eventually gave in, pressing her cheek to his chest as she finally allowed a selective amount of tears to drop.

Steve let her have her moment and then pulled back as no more tears fell, then went back to making breakfast.

"So, we should head out to the park after breakfast, then. A little morning air and jog should do the both of us some good."

"Yeah, definitely."

The Dawson's walked up the path to the park with the twilight behind them providing a majestic background to their arrival. Kiera thanked above for having a good cold breeze run through her lungs, clearing her system. The cold, no matter how bad, never seemed to bother her, as if it were a part of her.

Their things were set under the same big tree where they watched the movie and first met Lindsay. They took ten minutes to warm up, each in their own way. Steve took the head start on the first lap, but Kiera had left him in the dust in the next three.

The siblings weren't the only ones out in the morning apparently. The pair often ran past the same man, wearing camouflage pants and a black tank top. Kiera was getting tired by the 15th lap and skipped to a rest by the tree, where the man was running up. Steve came in sight soon and ran past the other jogger.

"On your left," Steve warned the guy a tenth time as he ran past him, and the man skipped to a stop as well, leaning against the tree, panting. Steve stopped ahead and slowly walked back to them.

"Your brother's quite the athlete."

"He was in the army."

"Oh, so am I. Which division?"

"Umm-" Kiera thought for an answer when Steve finally caught up.

"Steve R-Dawson. 26th Infantry Regiment."

"Sam Wilson. Just got back from my first tour with the Air Force."

"Awesome. So, what do you do back home?" Kiera chirped.

"I, er, I work at a Veterans Affairs down here."

"Do you like it there?"

"It's fine, I suppose."

"Kiera, what are you doing?" Steve whined.

"Do you want to work at our gym?" Kiera asked without giving a thought to Steve.

"We barely just opened, so we won't be able to pay so much. But Steve's doing martial arts classes and training, you could work with him. We need the help we can get."

"Kiera-" Steve protested.

"Sure, sounds fine to me."

"You don't have to say yes to her, Sam."

"He can if he wants to! And hey, now you have an army buddy."

"It really is no problem, Steve."

"See, he's fine with it." Kiera pointed out a second before she heard her name being called, and looked to find Lindsay and her brothers coming up to the park. "Steve will tell you where you can find us, see you then!" Kiera ran off to meet Lindsay.

"She's the boss, huh?" Sam teased.

"She is definitely the boss," Steve huffed as he put his arms on his hips.

Steve and Sam gave beginner training to Joey and Pacey, which attracted many onlookers. Kiera noticed the audience and eyed for Steve to promote their gym, a concept better understood by Lindsay's brothers. The girls were sitting under the big tree, making posters and fliers, and once again, Kiera's artistic abilities were outstanding.

"So, what's the story of your wrist?" Lindsay asked as she worked.

"Hunh?"

"The star, on your wrist."

"Oh," Kiera turned her wrist to look at it.

"I don't really know. Maybe a birthmark?"

"It looks too detailed to be birthmark?"

"You know what, I do have a story. I got this mark when I first got my magic powers. Of course, I wasn't a beast at magic, so I turned out to hurt myself, and this happened!"

"Great! So you're good at all kinds of art, not just the visual ones!"

"Hah! Yup. You know the mural wall in the gym..."

"You did that whole wall?! By yourself?"

"Yup! got it from my mom."

"Sweet."

"Hey!" Lindsay chirped as a light bulb shone above her head.

"Could you make over my mom's bakery?"

"What?"

"Paint my mom's bakery! We'd pay you, of course. Or, or, you could work at the bakery, as a decorator?"

"That sound's really awesome! You sure your mom would be okay with this?"

"Well, I'd have to ask, but I don't think there's a reason for her to say no."

"Cool, let's do it!"

"We should definitely do it."

"Hey! You're supposed to be my student, remember?" Kiera teased.

"So? I'll work in the back, or at the counter. *Le gasp"

"What?"

"I just got an idea!"

"Which isss..."

"We could build a student's corner! Where students can come in and chill and work and have pastries!"

"That does sound like a nice idea."

"Doesn't it?"

"How're you gonna get it done?"

"Well, I hope you don't mind me saying this, but maybe Steve could build it? He did a nice job with the gym, and we could pay him obviously, you know, so you get a head start on the income?"

"I do suppose we need money, cause the gym will start slow. I don't think Steve should have a big problem with it."

"Awesome!"

"Hey, so if I get a job at your mom's bakery, do you think she could hire me and pay me without Steve knowing?"

"Hunh?"

"It's just, he's been such a good brother, and I've been such a burden to him, so I thought I could secretly pitch in and give him a surprise."

"You two, are the cutest siblings I know! Yeah. I don't suppose mom'd mind."

"Mind what?" A wheezing voice interrupted and the girls looked to see Pacey standing above them, panting from his exercise.

"Nothing that's your business," Lindsay snarked.

"Dang! That's some nice art right there." Sam said, with Steve and Joey coming up right behind.

"I suppose you're referring to Kiera's drawings, she's a Picasso," Lindsay complemented her friend.

"You should see the gym. Care's got a whole artistic gene." Steve pitched in.

"Guess I'm definitely working there!"

"That's awesome."

"Yeah, you guys are gonna need him, cause your gym's getting plenty of customers. Man, your brother is awesome!."

"Thank you." Steve said.

"That's not breaking news," Kiera teased.

"Okay, you kids need a hand taking everything home?"

"Nah, we're good. We brought a wagon with our bike."

"I see. So, we'll see you guys around?"

"Yeah. Kiera, I'll let you know what my mom says."

"Okay great, see you then!"

Lindsay and her brothers filled the advertisement in the wagon and cycled away, and Steve, Sam and Kiera walked back to the tree.

"What her mom says about what?"

"Nothing you really need to know." Kiera teased.

"So, you two headin to the gym now?" Sam asked as they picked up their stuff.

"Yeah," Kiera replied, "well, our apartment is right above it."

"Hunh, cool."

"Wanna come along?"

"You just don't stop, do you?" Steve teased and lifted Kiera in the air, who screamed in fright and delight.

"You two seem close," Sam commented as he picked up the dropped things and walked along Steve, who had Kiera on his back.

"You wouldn't believe if we told you."

The whole walk back, they talked and asked questions, getting to know each other. Sam told them the better stories from his tour and what he did in Veterans affairs. Steve reminisced and put in a comment or two, and the siblings played finish my sentences as they told Sam their made up past.

The three finally reached the gym and Steve gave Sam a tour while Kiera got them beers from the mini cooler. Sam was impressed by what they had done in just two weeks.

"Wow, you guys worked fast and good."

"Thanks," Steve said as he sat on a machine.

"Did you buy these machines?"

"Buy them? No, this was already a gym before we moved in. We just remodeled and reopened it," Kiera said as she joined the boys.

"I see, and let me guess, this your artwork on the walls?"

"Yup. Want a beer?" Kiera offered him a tall neck bottle.

"Sure," he grabbed the bottle and popped off the cap, "thanks."

Sam walked along the mural wall as he drank his bottle, giving compliments at each picture. He stopped at the last painting and almost spat out his drink.

"This. Is Captain America!" he said as he looked on astonished at the mural.

Kiera and Steve hopped up and glared at each other. Sam smiled in excitement and looked back and from the wall and the siblings, but his smile dropped when recognition finally punched him in the face.

"Steve, tell me you ain't Steve Rogers?"

"Umm, guilty?" Steve nervously said as his hand scratched the back of his head.

"Wow! Oh," Sam put down his bottle and stood to attention, his hand to his head in a salute.

"It is an honor to meet you, sir. Captain, sir."

"Honestly, Steve works just fine," the captain said as he extended a hand, which Sam excitedly shook.

"So, I guess you'll be staying for dinner?" Kiera finally said.

"Will that be a problem?"

"Not at all, trooper." Steve patted Sam on the back and lead him to the stairs. He let Kiera take Sam up as he stayed behind, feeling an eery presence drilling holes in his back. He walked to the window and looked all ways, then drew the blinds closed and went up the stairs himself.

The black coated man stood outside the gym, watching the girl hand her guest a bottle. The man after a while jumped to attention and saluted the Captain, who shook his hand instead. As the trio walked further in the building, the figure dared to step closer, but stopped as the Captain stopped. He stood still in his place, certain that the darkness of the late night camouflaged him, then walked away as the Captain turned off the gym lights, and joined the people in his upstairs window.

ch4 ch6

[acadieum]

Do you have any tips or advice for someone looking into digital art?

Mmm, I dunno if you’re asking as in software, products (tablets), or the process of actually doing art but? I’ll give you a couple tips for all of them, but if you want tips on something specific, feel free to ask!

Also, this is kind of just my input on it? So don’t feel like everything I’m saying is an absolute MUST, y’know? It’s just suggestions and whatnot. But anyways, I’ll put it under the cut since it’s a bit long!

For software, I’d try out the free programs first. That way, you’re not paying for a program you don’t like when there might be better programs for you out there that are free to use. (Regardless if you’re downloading a “copied” version or the original software, always make sure you’re downloading from a reliable source! Verify that the website is safe and check what it plans to install so you don’t get viruses!) 

Over my art experience, I’ve tried multiple art programs, but Paint Tool Sai has always been the best one for me. A few other programs that I’ve tried are Fire Alpaca, Krita, Medibang, etc. and they’re all free and work fine! I’ve also tried Manga Studio, which is a paid software, and Photoshop, which I didn’t pay for, and they work great also! It has plenty of tools and extras on the program so it was definitely worth the money! Though, for drawing, I still heavily prefer Paint Tool Sai because of its setup! However, every artist is different and there are plenty of digital art programs free and available out there, so try ‘em out! See which one’s work best for you! Just make sure it’s safe.

For products/tablets, I would only suggest buying a tablet if you see yourself actually using it and frequently. If you’re uncertain how frequent you’d use it, I’d suggest buying a less expensive tablet. There are plenty of drawing tablets that are under 50 USD and they are perfect to use as starters. (If desired, you can buy better quality tablets in the future as you become more comfortable with drawing digitally. You know, like upgrading your setup, but I wouldn’t go super expensive right away.)

If you’re getting your first tablet, DO NOT go over 100 USD. This is just in case because you may end up not liking digital art and that’s totally fine! It’s not for everyone. Some people prefer traditional and that’s completely okay! But if that’s the case, it’s better to have spent 50 USD vs 100 USD on something you won’t use. 

Regardless of which you choose, just make sure that the tablet you buy is compatible with the drawing software you desire to use! The description of the item should tell you if it’s compatible or not. If it’s not compatible, it will either not work on the program at all or just won’t have pressure sensitivity.  (My first tablet wasn’t compatible with PTS so my pressure sensitivity never worked but I could still draw on it. Some people can still make great art without pressure sensitivity but I am not one of those people. orz)

If you see yourself using it often, I’d suggest getting a more reliable tablet - one that will last you a while. Just like drawing softwares, drawing tablets can vary in preference from artist to artist. 

My first tablet was around 40 USD and while it was bigger, I occasionally had problems with it. Sometimes, it would have problems connecting, etc. I can’t speak for others, but the tablet I currently use is a Wacom Intuos Draw and I heavily prefer it to my first one. I think it was 80 USD when I bought it and it works super great! Though, it’s a bit on the smaller side, so if that’s not your thing, it’s probably not the product you’re looking for. 

But, I’ve never had any problem with it so I’d highly recommend it! I personally don’t have a tablet size preference but I’ve had it for a couple of years, and thanks to commissions, I’ve already paid back its cost multiple times over the duration that I’ve had it. So while a bit more expensive than other tablets, it was a great investment, esp if you plan on doing commissions!  

For the art process, I don’t really have tips for this one because everyone does art differently? So here’s a few maybe not-so-obvious tips?

USE MULTIPLE LAYERS. 

Designate linework and color layers! (Unless you’re a daredevil and wanna do it in one, go for it.)

ABUSE THE TOOLS OF DIGITAL ART. 

Traditional art is great and all! But the difference between traditional and digital is immense. Take advantage of using clipped layers, preserving opacity, layer options, hue/saturation, etc. (If you don’t know what those are, hmu and I can explain.) 

FREQUENTLY SAVE YOUR ART.

I don’t know how many times I’ve been working on a drawing and it’s just hours and hours of progress lost because I forgot to save. PLEASE remember to save your art.

TIP: Some programs have a setting where it automatically saves every set amount of minutes, so if it does have that setting, I highly encourage to use it.

IT’S OKAY TO TAKE A BREAK.

Sometimes, I have not-so-great art days and I get upset that nothing I draw comes out right. This especially happens when I come back after a huge art block. 

Dealing with Art Block.

It’s okay if this happens. At this time, don’t overwork yourself and don’t focus on perfection. It’ll probably get you more stressed.

Just breathe and try doodling small things to get you back into the groove of things. Again, don’t strive for perfection. Just make little meme scribbles so that your hand can re-learn the movements and then along the way, you’ll hopefully get inspired and go back to making the beautiful art you had been before! But it takes time, so don’t rush anything!

REMEMBER TO STRETCH AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.

I often draw for hours on end without getting up, stretching, or hydrating. As a result, I have many frequent health issues and wrist problems. 

Please take care of yourself! Every now and then, remember to get up and do stretching exercises. Take a drink of water, breathe, walk around, etc. It really prevents the strain in future scenarios!

If you have any other questions, feel free to lmk! Hope this helps somewhat???

[pencokun]

I'm probably going to need to ask you for some art tips friend, you have some amazing stuff here!!!

Thanks for liking my works! I’m glad that you consider my works amazing. I still have a long way to go, though!

Art tips, huh? Well, I think I do have some that might be helpful.

Tip #1: ALWAYS SAVE YOUR WORK. This is super important, especially if you’re making a huge piece or an assignment of any kind. I usually try to save my works at least every three minutes to ensure that my progress is saved.

Tip #2: When in doubt, trace. Now, I know that tracing is considered as a newbie’s move or something a small budding artist will do but hear me out. Tracing actually helps you to get a better grasp at how to draw certain objects or how to draw certain characters and get their basic proportions right. One of my favourite artists, @down2thebone does this as a way to get a better grasp on how to draw Miguel and it’s really effective! But always remember to not claim traced works as your own original work. Tracing as a way of practice is good but please do not sell them!

Tip #3: Practice, practice, practice! Even if it’s just a small doodle, it still counts as practice in a way. Practice on shading. Practice drawing masculine and feminine characters (very important). Practice anatomy. But always remember that practice doesn’t make perfect-but it does make excellence and expertise.

Tip #4: Learn a bit about colour theory and how to use colours effectively. You have no idea how much a little colour theory will help you. Not only can learning it helps bring your artworks to life, it also helps you tell a coherent story. This is especially useful if you’re planning on working in animation or comics or illustrations. And speaking of using colours, this also applies to choosing colours for shading. Sometimes black works but I will recommend you using other colours instead like dark red or purple or Prussian blue or even hot pink, depending on the mood of the drawing.

Tip #5: Experiment with shapes and lines. This helps with fluidity in your artwork, especially if we’re talking about characters. From shapes and lines alone one can already determine the personality of a character.

Tip #6: Take care of yourself. Don’t forget that having good health, both physical and mental health, is very important in order to make art. Get some well-needed sleep, treat yourself to some good things, don’t forget to stretch, drink water, do some wrist exercises, talk to loved ones, and take a break if necessary.

Tip #7: All-nighter? Water is your best friend. Unless you’re in need of some quick shot of caffeine without actually staying up til dawn (drink café au lait or white coffee instead of straight up black coffee), water is your best shot at staying up late.

Tip #8: Before moving on to digital art, try to at least get the fundamentals of traditional art first. Draw with pencils, colour with colour pencils, practice with aquarel paints. The more you understand them, the more you will be able to handle digital art. Besides, there is no Ctrl-Z in real life. So don’t rush to get that sweet Wacom/Huion tablet just yet. You have to get along with that 2B pencil first.

Tip #9: Don’t be afraid to show your work to the world. By posting your works, you’re basically showing the world what you can do. And as you post more and more, you also show the world that you’re growing as an artist and that is a good thing! And it’s not a bad idea to join in cons and stuff. By partaking in cons or other events that allow people to sell their work, you’re basically expanding your marketability and, who knows? Maybe one day you will end up with a pretty sweet deal.

Tip #10: Strive for excellence, not perfection. This is a life lesson I got from watching a Bollywood movie titled “3 Idiots” and it’s honestly such an important life lesson that people tend to overlook. There is no such thing as an objective concept of perfection because perfection is always a relative and subjective matter, depending on the individual. If everything in this world is perfect then it would be a pretty boring world. Striving for excellence is great because it’s a learning process. And as long as you breathe, you’ll always learn new things which will result in you being more and more excellent in what you’re doing.

[transcending-chaos]

hey do you have any advice for someone who mainly draws faces and needs help with drawing bodies? like, i'm developing a style i like and i'm actually improving! but it'd be nice if my faces were attached to bodies and could rotate.

Dude I’d love to see :D

REFERENCE 

Here’s some good resources if you need stock images/models for poses:

 https://daestock.deviantart.com/gallery/

https://epiphany-poses.deviantart.com/gallery/?catpath=/

https://faestock.deviantart.com/gallery/

https://mjranum-stock.deviantart.com/gallery/ (this one involves nudity, so be warned)

https://senshistock.deviantart.com/gallery/

https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=pose%20reference&rs=guide

https://line-of-action.com/practice-tools/figure-drawing/  (this one also has a lot of nudity in it, but it’s basically an online figure drawing practice tool)

Spend your time either working from real life or from photos. Do some cafe studies trying to capture the gesture (the ‘line of action’) of the figures. Here are the anatomy books I have from school:

Do master studies. Look at Leonardo Da Vinci for how things work and fit together, but look at Michelangelo for how forms move together. Norman Rockwell and JC Leyendecker are great for folds, form, and color. Try to focus in on artists with semi-realistic to realistic styles in this regard as you should be looking for how the figure works together, moves, poses, etc before you stylize it.

Lastly on this note, try not to build a foundation of figure off of cartoons. Figures are fun and can be stylized, but you need to be familiar enough with anatomy before you begin to break its rules. Simple things like if you come across one of those pose memes here on Tumblr, try finding a photograph of the pose you want (or just get a mirror and pose for yourself, I take my own reference all the time :D). 

STYLIZATION

Now that you’ve got your reference and understand how bodies move, let’s do a simple layer building exercise:

The first drawing is the gesture, which I like to draw as a rudimentary skeleton. Think about how your character stands, which leg they put more weight on, which shoulder they raise, do they lock their legs when standing still, etc. You also use this stage to mess with things like the bones and proportions of a character, as well as what their stance can tell you about their personality. For instance, he has three points of contact on the ground, which means stability and can insinuate that the person is grounded or stubborn. There’s also a lean in the hips, which in character design language, typically means they’re personality has some swagger or boldness to it. Lastly, the head is fully facing the audience, and that is usually indicative of the character being unafraid of confrontation. So remember kiddos:

The second drawing is a sketch of the masses of the body, although very simplified. Blayne, the character I’m using, is skinny with a triangular frame. Be aware of your character’s body type, certain traits and masses won’t be emphasized because of their weight and masses. For instance, you don’t really notice that Blayne has broader shoulders because he’s so thin. Instead, features like his legs and neck are more exaggerated because of his lack of mass. 

The third drawing is a basic sketch of how the wardrobe on your character would fit. Understanding how and where things would fold, hang, dip, and lie flat help give the illusion of form and substance to a figure. Basic folding areas are the elbows, knees, ankles, wrists, hips, and collar. There are different types of fabric folds as well, so familiarize yourself with them and understand what types of fabrics fold in that way. 

The fourth is a color test, as well as a test of value (how light and dark colors are). This is a pet peeve of mine that I will explain in a later post but please test the values of your colors against one another. The color scheme above fails in some critical areas that need to be addressed. 

Hopefully this helps! There are also tons of reference and drawing-tip blogs here on tumblr, so know what you’re looking for and you should be able to fid it! Good luck with your art! <3

[robertdowneyhiddlesbatch]

Daddy’s Little Hel: Kiera Rogers

Ch5: New Hire

They'll be here any minute! She has to go.

I need more time, please.

Love, it was your idea in the first place. She has to go, or they'll find her and-

Okay, okay.

[the baby begins to cry]

hush, my Elska. You mustn't cry. Kjære, you must quiet her.

hush my love, don't cry.

#Constant as, the stars above always know, that you are loved And my love, shining in you will help you make your dreams come true will help your dreams come true.#

She is asleep.

good, cause we are out of time.

[the man hugs his wife as she held their sleeping baby, then he takes the bundle from her arms and puts it in the "box" to send her away. A green cloud forms above the baby just as the door bursts open. Screams filled the air and the baby-]

Kiera woke up with a snap, suffocating under the constriction she felt on her chest. She turned on the side lamp and swung her legs off the bed, letting her head drop between her knees as tears lined the rim of her eyes. She'd had the same dream a thousand times, but each time struck her hard, as if she were actually going through the events right then and there. Kiera blinked back her tears, keeping her face from any water marks. She picked up a hoodie from the floor, wrapping the large unfitted cloth around herself for comfort. The hoodie was Steve's, he had let her have it before they had gone to get her her own clothes. Kiera crossed her arms, holding each shoulder with the opposite hand, throwing her head back with her eyes tightly shut, again in an attempt to hide her sorrow. Just then, there was movement outside her room, causing her to stand at attention. The clock told her it was 5:30 in the morning, so she didn't bother going back to bed, instead walked out her room to join Steve in the kitchen.

The super soldier always woke up early in the morning, but it was a surprise for him to see her up at the same time.

"Morning," he said to her as he closed the cabinet.

"Morning, Steve," Kiera mumbled as she pushed herself up on the counter.

"Sleepless or excited?" Steve pushed for a reason for her being up so early.

Kiera didn't bother with a reply and wrapped the hoodie tighter around herself. Steve noiselessly put the can of coffee on the other counter and walked over to her, collecting her in his arms for a hug.

"I didn't say anything," she spoke coldly, without returning the hug.

"Maybe it wasn't for you. You're not the only one with nightmare pasts you know." Steve tried not to be too cheesy, and Kiera eventually gave in, pressing her cheek to his chest as she finally allowed a selective amount of tears to drop.

Steve let her have her moment and then pulled back as no more tears fell, then went back to making breakfast.

"So, we should head out to the park after breakfast, then. A little morning air and jog should do the both of us some good."

"Yeah, definitely."

The Dawson's walked up the path to the park with the twilight behind them providing a majestic background to their arrival. Kiera thanked above for having a good cold breeze run through her lungs, clearing her system. The cold, no matter how bad, never seemed to bother her, as if it were a part of her.

Their things were set under the same big tree where they watched the movie and first met Lindsay. They took ten minutes to warm up, each in their own way. Steve took the head start on the first lap, but Kiera had left him in the dust in the next three.

The siblings weren't the only ones out in the morning apparently. The pair often ran past the same man, wearing camouflage pants and a black tank top. Kiera was getting tired by the 15th lap and skipped to a rest by the tree, where the man was running up. Steve came in sight soon and ran past the other jogger.

"On your left," Steve warned the guy a tenth time as he ran past him, and the man skipped to a stop as well, leaning against the tree, panting. Steve stopped ahead and slowly walked back to them.

"Your brother's quite the athlete."

"He was in the army."

"Oh, so am I. Which division?"

"Umm-" Kiera thought for an answer when Steve finally caught up.

"Steve R-Dawson. 26th Infantry Regiment."

"Sam Wilson. Just got back from my first tour with the Air Force."

"Awesome. So, what do you do back home?" Kiera chirped.

"I, er, I work at a Veterans Affairs down here."

"Do you like it there?"

"It's fine, I suppose."

"Kiera, what are you doing?" Steve whined.

"Do you want to work at our gym?" Kiera asked without giving a thought to Steve.

"We barely just opened, so we won't be able to pay so much. But Steve's doing martial arts classes and training, you could work with him. We need the help we can get."

"Kiera-" Steve protested.

"Sure, sounds fine to me."

"You don't have to say yes to her, Sam."

"He can if he wants to! And hey, now you have an army buddy."

"It really is no problem, Steve."

"See, he's fine with it." Kiera pointed out a second before she heard her name being called, and looked to find Lindsay and her brothers coming up to the park. "Steve will tell you where you can find us, see you then!" Kiera ran off to meet Lindsay.

"She's the boss, huh?" Sam teased.

"She is definitely the boss," Steve huffed as he put his arms on his hips.

Steve and Sam gave beginner training to Joey and Pacey, which attracted many onlookers. Kiera noticed the audience and eyed for Steve to promote their gym, a concept better understood by Lindsay's brothers. The girls were sitting under the big tree, making posters and fliers, and once again, Kiera's artistic abilities were outstanding.

"So, what's the story of your wrist?" Lindsay asked as she worked.

"Hunh?"

"The star, on your wrist."

"Oh," Kiera turned her wrist to look at it.

"I don't really know. Maybe a birthmark?"

"It looks too detailed to be birthmark?"

"You know what, I do have a story. I got this mark when I first got my magic powers. Of course, I wasn't a beast at magic, so I turned out to hurt myself, and this happened!"

"Great! So you're good at all kinds of art, not just the visual ones!"

"Hah! Yup. You know the mural wall in the gym..."

"You did that whole wall?! By yourself?"

"Yup! got it from my mom."

"Sweet."

"Hey!" Lindsay chirped as a light bulb shone above her head.

"Could you make over my mom's bakery?"

"What?"

"Paint my mom's bakery! We'd pay you, of course. Or, or, you could work at the bakery, as a decorator?"

"That sound's really awesome! You sure your mom would be okay with this?"

"Well, I'd have to ask, but I don't think there's a reason for her to say no."

"Cool, let's do it!"

"We should definitely do it."

"Hey! You're supposed to be my student, remember?" Kiera teased.

"So? I'll work in the back, or at the counter. *Le gasp"

"What?"

"I just got an idea!"

"Which isss..."

"We could build a student's corner! Where students can come in and chill and work and have pastries!"

"That does sound like a nice idea."

"Doesn't it?"

"How're you gonna get it done?"

"Well, I hope you don't mind me saying this, but maybe Steve could build it? He did a nice job with the gym, and we could pay him obviously, you know, so you get a head start on the income?"

"I do suppose we need money, cause the gym will start slow. I don't think Steve should have a big problem with it."

"Awesome!"

"Hey, so if I get a job at your mom's bakery, do you think she could hire me and pay me without Steve knowing?"

"Hunh?"

"It's just, he's been such a good brother, and I've been such a burden to him, so I thought I could secretly pitch in and give him a surprise."

"You two, are the cutest siblings I know! Yeah. I don't suppose mom'd mind."

"Mind what?" A wheezing voice interrupted and the girls looked to see Pacey standing above them, panting from his exercise.

"Nothing that's your business," Lindsay snarked.

"Dang! That's some nice art right there." Sam said, with Steve and Joey coming up right behind.

"I suppose you're referring to Kiera's drawings, she's a Picasso," Lindsay complemented her friend.

"You should see the gym. Care's got a whole artistic gene." Steve pitched in.

"Guess I'm definitely working there!"

"That's awesome."

"Yeah, you guys are gonna need him, cause your gym's getting plenty of customers. Man, your brother is awesome!."

"Thank you." Steve said.

"That's not breaking news," Kiera teased.

"Okay, you kids need a hand taking everything home?"

"Nah, we're good. We brought a wagon with our bike."

"I see. So, we'll see you guys around?"

"Yeah. Kiera, I'll let you know what my mom says."

"Okay great, see you then!"

Lindsay and her brothers filled the advertisement in the wagon and cycled away, and Steve, Sam and Kiera walked back to the tree.

"What her mom says about what?"

"Nothing you really need to know." Kiera teased.

"So, you two headin to the gym now?" Sam asked as they picked up their stuff.

"Yeah," Kiera replied, "well, our apartment is right above it."

"Hunh, cool."

"Wanna come along?"

"You just don't stop, do you?" Steve teased and lifted Kiera in the air, who screamed in fright and delight.

"You two seem close," Sam commented as he picked up the dropped things and walked along Steve, who had Kiera on his back.

"You wouldn't believe if we told you."

The whole walk back, they talked and asked questions, getting to know each other. Sam told them the better stories from his tour and what he did in Veterans affairs. Steve reminisced and put in a comment or two, and the siblings played finish my sentences as they told Sam their made up past.

The three finally reached the gym and Steve gave Sam a tour while Kiera got them beers from the mini cooler. Sam was impressed by what they had done in just two weeks.

"Wow, you guys worked fast and good."

"Thanks," Steve said as he sat on a machine.

"Did you buy these machines?"

"Buy them? No, this was already a gym before we moved in. We just remodeled and reopened it," Kiera said as she joined the boys.

"I see, and let me guess, this your artwork on the walls?"

"Yup. Want a beer?" Kiera offered him a tall neck bottle.

"Sure," he grabbed the bottle and popped off the cap, "thanks."

Sam walked along the mural wall as he drank his bottle, giving compliments at each picture. He stopped at the last painting and almost spat out his drink.

"This. Is Captain America!" he said as he looked on astonished at the mural.

Kiera and Steve hopped up and glared at each other. Sam smiled in excitement and looked back and from the wall and the siblings, but his smile dropped when recognition finally punched him in the face.

"Steve, tell me you ain't Steve Rogers?"

"Umm, guilty?" Steve nervously said as his hand scratched the back of his head.

"Wow! Oh," Sam put down his bottle and stood to attention, his hand to his head in a salute.

"It is an honor to meet you, sir. Captain, sir."

"Honestly, Steve works just fine," the captain said as he extended a hand, which Sam excitedly shook.

"So, I guess you'll be staying for dinner?" Kiera finally said.

"Will that be a problem?"

"Not at all, trooper." Steve patted Sam on the back and lead him to the stairs. He let Kiera take Sam up as he stayed behind, feeling an eery presence drilling holes in his back. He walked to the window and looked all ways, then drew the blinds closed and went up the stairs himself.

The black coated man stood outside the gym, watching the girl hand her guest a bottle. The man after a while jumped to attention and saluted the Captain, who shook his hand instead. As the trio walked further in the building, the figure dared to step closer, but stopped as the Captain stopped. He stood still in his place, certain that the darkness of the late night camouflaged him, then walked away as the Captain turned off the gym lights, and joined the people in his upstairs window.