#at least for pieces with colors that aren't like. simple base colors

[finelyagedlemons]

the play is over.

[tormentum-ab-intra]

Hey! You got a blorbo? I'll draw 'em for ya!

If you aren't sure if what you have in mind would be allowed, just message and ask! Slots [will update this post as spaces fill]: 1. [filled] 2. [filled] 3. open 4. open 5. open 6. open

reblogs are greatly appreciated ^^

Information on terms and pricing below the cut!

Will do: -ocs -fan characters and fanart -whump -gore and body horror -furries -creature/animal characters -monsters and aliens -risque/nsfw (both you and the character[s] you're commissioning nsfw artwork of must be 18+!) -kink (bondage, noncon or cnc, knifeplay, etc)

Won't do: -heavy sci-fi -mecha/robots -irl people -super detailed character designs -complex backgrounds -complex armor -risque/nsfw of characters who are minors -incest -scat/watersports -hate speech, promotion of bigoted ideas, etc -design your character for you from scratch or draw without any references. -more than three characters in a single commission -I may decline to accept/draw any commission if I deem it necessary Add-ons: -magic FX: $5 -weapons: $5 to $15 -complex hair: $5 -wings: $5 to $20 depending on which color option you've chosen -small animal: $10 to $25 depending on which color option you've chosen -large animal: $15 to $30 depending on which color option you've chosen -complex pose: +25% of base price -simple background: +25% of base price >if it's a forest background, it's only +15% of the base price! love me some trees.

All prices and add-ons are in USD.

If you want to commission me, please contact me in one of the following ways:

DM me here on tumblr!

DM me on discord: @tormentum_ab_intra -- if you message me here, please state that you're interested in a commission or tell me which post you came from or something so I know you're not a bot 😂

shoot me an email: tormentumabintra@gmail.com. Please put 'commission inquiry' or something of the like in the subject line. I may take a bit longer to respond to emails than DMs. In your message or email, please include the size of the sketch (headshot, 3/4, or full body), the color option you'd like (plain sketch, monochrome shading, flat colors, or colors with shading), and a short description of your vision for the sketch, along with any reference images you'd plan on having me use. If you get a slot and I am able to draw what you've requested, I'll give you a price estimate and we can discuss any further details before I give you a final price! If you don't end up getting a slot this time around, I'll let you know as soon as I'm able. These will be done on a first come first serve basis.

If you aren't sure yet whether you want to purchase a commission, you can still message me with questions! I'd be happy to provide answers or additional examples of the type(s) of commission you have in mind.

Some important terms and additional pricing information:

If you'd like to commission me to draw more than one character, each character will be drawn on a separate canvas and treated like a separate commission. If you would like a commission with more than one character on the same canvas in the same commission, each character will be priced separately and the limit is three characters to a commission.

Payment will be done upfront in full via paypal invoice or venmo in USD. After this I'll start with a little concept/thumbnail sketch and send it to you so you can tell me if there's anything you need changed. From there, I'll move on to drawing the actual piece. I will send at least one screenshot during the drawing process as a check-in, so that you can let me know if I need to change anything before I continue. Depending on the type of commission, the number of check-in points will vary, and I'll let you know how many your commission type will have before I start drawing. Small revisions are no issue, but you can make only one major revision per check-in. Lastly, once it's complete and you've approved the final screenshot, I'll send you the final piece as a jpg and as a png -- preferably on discord since tumblr tends to nerf image quality, but if you'd rather I send it via email or here on tumblr let me know.

You may not use my artwork for AI or NFTs. I'm sure that goes without saying, but just in case.

These commissions are for personal use only; you may print out your commission if you like, but you may not sell prints of your commission or use it for other business/profit purposes.

You can post your commission online as long as you credit me.

Please allow up to three weeks from the date of payment for your commission to be completed. I will do my absolute best to finish it before then, but this way I have a cushion in case anything comes up. If for any unlikely reason there is a delay that looks like it'll result in a wait time of longer than three weeks, I will let you know as soon as it comes up and work hard to get the commission out to you as soon as I'm able! In such cases, I will refund part of the commission price to you to make up for the extra wait.

[gregorygerwitz]

Crochet Commissions!

For those who don't know me, I'm Alex (she/they), and I started the year off with Covid. Because I had to take two weeks off work, I'm really hurting for money right now, so I'm opening up a limited number of slots for crochet commissions to try to fill in that financial gap.

ALL of the materials I use are machine washer/dryer safe

Pictures of my recent work and prices are below. Including: stuffed animals, dice bags, holiday stockings, blankets. As well as: shipping info, custom request info.

For further questions or to request a commission: message me here or email me at crochetbyalex@outlook.com

When I did my poll, most people voted for stuffed animals, and I recently finished a few that I can show my skills with. The blue penguin is my latest finished piece, with the purple penguin the first thing I ever crocheted side-by-side for comparison of how much I've learned in the last ~7 months. The mouse is technically unfinished because the eyes aren't embroidered yet, but I made it in about a day and a half, for timeline purposes.

I also just finished the above dice bag octopus about an hour ago for my roommate, which took about three hours of non-stop work (I turned on a movie and got through the stitches pretty quick). I can make them in any color you want, with either the plastic safety eyes or embroidered eyes. Most of these can be entirely customizable, just let me know what you're thinking and I'll see what I can do!

Dice bags: $10 + $5 domestic (US) shipping Stuffed animals: $15 + $5 domestic (US) shipping optional crinkle filling (washer/dryer safe): + $2 (stuffed animals only)

10 slots total (4 REMAINING)

I don't have any pictures of any of the hats or scarves I've made because it's been a few years, but I made some stockings for the apartment for Christmas last month, and that's one of my most recent projects. The green one was the last one I made, and probably the most accurate to what my capabilities are now.

If you'd like a stocking for Christmas 2024, let me know! I have an unlimited number of slots for them as the holiday is far enough away that the time crunch isn't so rough.

Hats: $20 + $5 domestic (US) shipping Scarves: $30 + $5 domestic (US) shipping Holiday stocking: $24 + $5 domestic (US) shipping

5 total wearable (hats/scarves) slots

The least popular item in my poll was the blankets, which I understand. And I'm only going to open one slot for them at a time because they take so long and so much yarn to make. The wave pattern (both blankets pictured above) is my favorite to do, but I have patterns for most simple designs, or I can likely easily google it and put it together for you. Prices are based on the time and materials these take to make, but because they're so much more expensive than the smaller items above, domestic (US) shipping is free.

Baby blanket (top left): $50 Throw blanket/afghan: $100 Full size (length shown in bottom picture): $200

1 blanket slot (0 REMAINING)

Custom requests:

If there's a pattern you've found on Etsy/Pinterest/etc that you want made, contact me by using the contact information above. We can discuss prices or my ability to accomplish that for you. ***patterns must be CROCHET patterns as I do not knit (yet)*** 5 custom slots total

International shipping:

Let me know when you request a commission where you are located, as shipping prices vary wildly from country to country. I'll go over the actual cost with you before you commit to the commission and make sure the price works for both of us.

Current open slots:

Stuffed animals and dice bags: 1. [FILLED] 2. [FILLED] 3. [FILLED] 4. [FILLED] 5. [FILLED] 6. [FILLED] 7. [OPEN] 8. [OPEN] 9. [OPEN] 10. [OPEN]

Wearables: 1. [OPEN] 2. [OPEN] 3. [OPEN] 4. [OPEN] 5. [OPEN]

Stockings: [NO LIMIT]

Blankets: 1. [FILLED]

Custom requests: 1. [OPEN] 2. [OPEN] 3. [OPEN] 4. [OPEN] 5. [OPEN]

[adobe-outdesign]

Best toy neopets?

Toy is a newer colour, having been released in 2018 as the runner up of a "new colour" poll (so no UC/styled art to compare in this one). The original toy pet used in the poll, Lenny, seemed to be a good example of what to expect from the colour: plastic parts, bright colors, and maybe one or two minor changes to the anatomy where appropriate.

However, while some toy pets stick to the action-figure formula to varying degrees, some go off in completely different directions by being based on random specific real-world toys. On top of that, some of those pets are based on very specific brands (the iDog, Furbies, etc.) while some are just based on generic classic toy concepts.

This can also lead to problems regarding overlap with other colours; the toy Kougra, Lupe, and Bruce are all effectively just plushie Neopets, albeit in a very different style than the standard plushie colour.

I point this out because I feel like either a colour should be 100% coherent across all species, or it should vary wildly by species. Toy straddles this weird middle ground of being part licensed toys, part generic toys, and part action-figure toys where it simultaneously has coherency and no coherency at all. I feel like the best toy pets are the ones where they stick to the plastic-y look but manage to put a fun species-specific twist on it.

Favorite Species:

Mynci: Speaking of which, the toy Mynci is basically perfect in this respect; it keeps the hard jointed plastic look while also being based off the classic cymbal-playing monkey toy, which fits the 'pet for obvious reasons. The colors also look quite nice, and as an added bonus, the clothes are removable (though I do wish the base removed the out-of-place head hairs).

Gnorbu: This one falls into the "generic IRL toy" category, and while it's not the most coherent thing in terms of the overall colour (I'm hesitant to even think of a piñata as a toy), it's such a fun concept and it looks great. There's a lot of colors used but they're all balanced well, the concept reads super clearly, and the subtle inegration of thigns like the mane are just perfect. My sole nitpick is just that the black outlines on the eye look out of place, and something flatter to match the papier-mâché look would've been nice.

Jetsam: Based off a pool toy, this one kind of plays with the action-figure concept by keeping the plastic idea but not being hard plastic or jointed. It's perfect for a water-based Neopet, and the inflatable plastic is spot-on visually, complete with seams. Only issue with it is the weird handle on the side, which might be a thing with shark pool toys but isn't something I've ever seen in-person.

BONUS: The toy Bori takes a similar route to the Mynci, keeping the hard plastic idea but putting a twist on it by making the back plates into an xylophone, which is a fantastic concept. The multi-colored plates really draw attention to the concept and the rest the palette is a simple yellow with a few blue accents.

The only issue with it, and the reason it's a bonus, is that weird bone in its mouth. According to Jellyneo, it's based off a [checks notes] Toddlerz Toddlin' Tunes Puppy, which is just weird because Bori aren't dogs or even dog-adjacent. What was wrong with just making it a regular non-branded xylophone?

Least Favorite Species:

Koi: I absolutely love the idea of this being a bathtub wind-up toy; however, the problem is that the key, which should be the focal point, is so tiny and hard to see that I only noticed while doing this review that it's even there. Even putting that aside, there's way too many colors going on here, and the addition of stripes over the body is strange and does nothing but clutter the design. It's also strange that the back fin is a solid color and one piece while the tail is lobed and multi-colored; feels like those two should match.

[charon-cries]

how do you determine your color palette...? color is something i have a lot of difficulty with and i really want to learn how to at least figure out a color palette 😅

i guess another way to phrase it is how did you go about learning color theory?

the number one most helpful thing i did for myself when teaching myself to color was to realize that every artist colors differently.

i already knew color theory in advance, i memorized every word i had been told throughout every highschool art class i had taken, but knowing the actual facts and knowing how to apply them are very different skills!

if you haven't learned the facts of color theory, i highly suggest these two videos (thing 1) (thing 2). <- the most important part of watching those videos is to hold them in your head as facts. if watching them doesn't make you necessarily understand how to apply them, that's okay! these videos are to give you the skills to be able to study color.

for a simple example, when it comes to picking colors based off the mood of your piece, pretty much everyone knows that blue will make an image feel more sad and emotional. yellow feels happy, red feels angry, pink feels affectionate.

a great way to teach yourself how to APPLY mood through color is to go back to a drawing you're already very proud of, and just mess around recoloring it. pick one thing you want to work on and try to use your color choices change the emotional effect of the piece.

it's incredibly helpful to use a piece that you have already colored, preferably one you're the most proud of. this is so that you aren't stressing yourself thinking about things like proportion or composition, and allows you to think solely about your color choices.

here's my example! for this example, my goal was to make this one feel far more bleak than my original finished piece.

i achieved this change by shifting the colors to all be more cold and desaturated, as well as making the blacks of his undershirt and tie look more washed out. most people associate cool colors with sadness, and dull colors with defeat. mixing those two makes the mood more bleak. color placement can also change a lot— for this version, i placed a lot of the blush color (which i desaturated significantly) higher up his face, which gives him a more horrified and thoughtful expression

once you've done exercises like this once or twice, a great way to decide how you want to color is to find out how other people pick their colors. one way to do this is color picking studies, and another is to watch youtube videos like this one where an artist explains their personal thought process while choosing colors.

if you'd like to know how i, personally, go about picking my colors, i would be happy to make a separate post outlining my process! it would take a pretty long time, though, because a lot of my process is to not leave things alone until i'm satisfied with how they look

the thing about being a self-taught artist is that everyone tells you that the way to get better is to "just practice," but that's not the whole story! art is a skill you have to build, and i've found the most effective ways to improve are to do studies, and to learn how to spot your mistakes and problem-solve until you can fix them.

i hope this was a good way to get you started on learning how to internalize and apply color theory! the more you study, and the more you learn, the better your results will be

[coldgoldlazarus]

Given how much I bent normal Lego building and euclidean space into a pretzel with these masks, would you believe me if I said the main purpose of this was just to fiddle with color palettes and placement? Rambling details below:

But yeah, test designs of a more MoL-esque take on the GWP System Matoran design

I figure a proper do of system Bionicle would at least still have custom mask molds, so that's part of why that's so fucky

(Also, apparently it turns out the ball pieces I used for the shoulders and legs are long discontinued by lego and not actually compatible with mixel joints, RIP)

(Like I figured these were physically unbuildable anyway because I quickly gave up on trying to make the masks align with conventional euclidean space, and the coloration of pieces reinforce that further, but the problem goes deeper than I realized ^^; Ah well, this is more an aesthetic exercise at the end of the day.)

Rule was everyone has a primary color, a secondary color, a translucent/glow color, a metallic color, and an eye color

And those can double up in function, it doesn't have to be a full palette of five, but still that idea

And then like, the layout of said colors differs based on team:

---

For the Metru, the metallic color doubled as the secondary color and the eye and glow colors were also the same, cutting the five down to three, but then of course some Metru Grey at the joints as a pseudo-tertiary. The primary Metru Elemental color as more of a baseline, with the metallic secondary given a fair bit of prominence in reflecting their LomN and turaga designs, and then the glow kept to like, accents with low surface area. (In a more full figure I'd want that as like, basically Tron lines to add just a bit of cyberpunk to the Art Deco/Alien Dieselpunk vibes of Metru Nui.)

Also hadn't gone fully off the rails with the masks yet, so Onewa's Komau and Matau's Mahiki are still pretty simple at least, and the rest aren't too egregious yet. Decided to integrate Nuju's scope as a toa into his noble Matatu design, but it's easily removable if I copy-paste that mask over to others.

---

The Mata are pretty obviously influenced by their G2 incarnations. Particularly the like, three-pairs of shared metallic colors, (Gali and Pohatu with Gunmetal, Onua and Tahu with Pearl Gold, and Kopaka and Lewa with HF's Flat Silver,) and the like, glow color being the secondary while the secondary was relegated to more of an accent role. I just really love the idea of these six being so powerful compared to typical Toa that it shines out through the seams in their armor. For G2's other faults, I think it was a success on the character design front. (Also added their metallic color to the toes for a more armored look.)

(Decided on pink for Pohatu instead of G2's lime on a whim, but I think it works. Pink bands in a canyon wall, the sunset over a desert, and his love for his friends and villagers.)

Still, also brought things back to their original selves as well, with the eye colors, the use of black as a tertiary the same way I used grey for the Metru, the original brighter shades of their main for Gali, Pohatu, and Lewa, and similarly bringing back lime and tan as the latter two's accents.

As for how the accents were handled, I kinda split the team into two groups of three there; Tahu, Gali, and Onua, where the accent is from their G2 sets and thus goes for more of a high-contrast vibe, I relegated to the small parts again, to stand out without standing out too much. Meanwhile, with Pohatu, Lewa, where I brought back their G1 colors that are more of a light-shade complement to their primary rather than a contrast against it, I let occupy bigger pieces on their limbs, swapping position with the primary on their arms, and with their metallic on the legs. I also applied this layout to Kopaka, despite sticking with the Metru Blue from his G2 design, both for an even team split, and because I felt it wouldn't feel as weird with more prominence due to contrasting with the primary by being darker than it instead of brighter.

I kinda went nuts with the masks lmao. I feel like the Pakari in particular is kinda my crowning achivement, but probably not worth having spent so much time on it alone yesterday, and frustrating because I ultimately can't build it IRL from all the clipping. Still kinda like the moleman/gas mask vibes of how the eyes turned out. (Also went back and changed the Hau and Kakama near the end, to align better with the rest.)

---

With the Mahri, I was originally going to do the same three-pairs setup with their metallics, but then wound up opting to make those all fully personalized again like the Metru. Their main trick there instead, is being all chrome colors. Idk if it entirely lands for all of them, (I have mixed feelings on Kongu's pink instead of sharing blue with Matoro per original plan, but I didn't want to double up on only two of them and leave the rest more scattered, and I was already too married to my choices for all them) but I kinda like how it turned out.

Instead, the three-pairs setup applied to their glow colors, which I pulled from their Inika forms; the Zamor spheres and the flashing lights on their weapons. The one case where adherence to this also feels like a mixed bag is Hewkii's red going with the green chrome I gave him, giving a bit of accidental christmas vibes instead of the copper patina look I was trying to invoke, but ah well. In general, focused their glow in the shoulders and legs, both as a reference to Jaller and Matoro's translucent Inika "bone" pieces, and as a midpoint between the Metru's subtler use and the Mata's prominence.

---

Also on that note, in comparison to the prior two teams, I averted using any tertiaries like black or grey, made the metallics the most minimal parts, and really emphasized their flat secondaries as secondaries instead of accents. Same as the Mata, I split them into two different layouts for that, (which wound up falling along the same lines, not intentionally but that's how it worked out) based on whether their elemental color or personal color was the darker/brighter of the two.

(On that note, mostly went back to their Matoran color schemes with the more exotic colors, though for Hahli and Jaller favored their Mahri color schemes instead, and tweaked Kongu's lime to be Apple Green instead. Those, and Hahli's mask, are the cases where I permitted myself to not force an even split among the team, for the sake of everyone looking best individually instead.) For all of them, the brighter color always went to the stripe on the chest, while the darker went to the hands and feet; mainly the arms and masks where they're different.

For the left-hand side, where their personal color was bright and their elemental color was very dark, I opted to downplay the personal a little more on the arms, since it was instead prominent on their masks. Hahli being the exception, because a big block of lime would not have been a good look, and I really wanted its brightness to pop out from the underlayer of her otherwise very dark colors.

Also like what I did with Nuparu, having his orange mask intact overall, but keeping the sort of "internal" area of the sidevents and eyes black for contrast, again a bit of that moleman look to go with his gremlin inventor personality.

Then the other side, where the personal color and the color on the mask was darker, I instead let the brighter elemental one take prominence on their arms and the back of the torso, which also just ties in nice with the original clean mctoran color layout. Not as much to really comment on with them.

Also, I played fast and loose with their eye colors, since those were always homogenized some amount in each of their incarnations but inconsistent across them, and I wanted to maintain everyone having their own separate eye colors like the other two teams. (And the eyes being different from the glow color like the Mata.)

So Jaller now has dark blue and Kongu has azure; Hewkii's supposed to be apple green, (though as with Whenua, I had to use the same color as Onua's dark green, since this was the only green glow shade aside from lime that didn't just look washed out and/or too blue) while Nuparu is lime, since he alone was mostly pretty consistent in that. Hahli got red for her later Barbarian arc, while Matoro got a softer orange, both for contrast with the frosty blues of Nuju and Kopaka, and just cozy vibes to match his kinder personality.

---

So, yeah. Clearly a good use of the past two and a half days lmao.

May also do Takua and the Chronicler's Company, the Disk Metrutoran, and maybe even the Voya Nui resistance team at some point? Though for now, need to focus on other stuff I'd been distracted from by this.

[ordinaryschmuck]

Full Family AU Part 12

Hours just flew by as Camila and Vee spending their time watching nature documentaries together, this time on the couch as the floor felt too rough on Camila's rear. She glanced down at Vee, still snuggled up in Manny's jacket but looking far more comfortable than she did the night she arrived.

The little creature looked adorable. Wholesome, even.

The next thing Camila knew it was three o'clock, which was easy to guess by the seven year old running into the house screaming, "I'M HOME!"

"Three already?" Camila asked once Luz ran into the living room, pieces of paper in her tiny hands. "Where does the time go?"

"Forward. Teacher said so," Luz said innocently before smiling wide at Vee. "I've got a surprise for you~!" She sang.

"Surprise?" Vee asked.

"She means a gift," Camila explained.

"Gift?"

"It's...a thing you give to people that you care about."

"And here's a special gift for you! TA-DA!" Luz lifts up the paper revealing crayon drawings of what looks like human girls. At least, that's Camila's best guess, as they were each just different kinds of stick figures with different colored squiggles for hair.

"You like them Vee?" Luz asked as she held out the drawings. Vee slowly and carefully took them all. She gave the paper a sniff, looked at Luz, and then looked up to Camila, a underlying question in her eyes. Camila just gave an encouraging nod, hoping Vee would figure out the right thing to do on her own.

And so Vee held up one of the drawings and, out of nowhere, started nibbling the corner of it.

"Oh, no, no, no!" Camila exclaimed as she took the drawings from Vee all while Luz sincerely giggled.

"Those aren't for eating silly!" Luz explained. "They're for inspiration!"

"Inspiration?" Now Camila was confused as she looked back at the stick figures.

"Yeah! Papi said that it'd be hard for Vee to fit in because she's a snake! But because she can shapeshift, she can look like anybody she wants! So I drew people Vee can look like so she can be human and go to school with me!"

"...Manny!" Camila called, her voice having that 'You're in trouble' tone to it.

"I also explained that it wasn't that simple," Manny said as he finally entered the room. "There was other things to consider like what do we do if a person asks where Vee came from."

"Those are future things to worry about!" Luz said. "Mami says to solve a problem one step at a time! Making Vee look human is the first step!"

"Mija, it's more complicated than that," Camila told her, handing the drawings back to Vee. She then got off the couch and knelt down to Luz, meeting her at her level. "It's sweet that you want to help Vee, but we can't just simply say that some girl belongs to us. They'll ask questions, they'll want to see proof."

"Like the birthday proof and the documentaries?"

"What?"

"Proof of birth and documents," Manny added in quickly. "Sorry, that's my bad. I forgot I was talking to a seven-year-old."

Camila rolls her eyes before focusing back on Luz. "Well, yes, we will need those things if we want people to not...question the random child we have in our custody. Legally, we will need evidence and I'm not even sure we can do that."

"Right," Manny agreed. "We can't just walk up to a government building and ask if we can just go to some place and ask if we can fill out a form to adopt a child...Wait, can we?"

"I...have no idea. Might actually have to look into that..."

"You see?! It's not impossible!" Luz cheered. "Vee can be a part of us if we try!"

Camila and Manny share a look, a silent conversation passing between them of whether or not this really is possible. And, if it is, can it be something they can really do?

"...We'll talk about it," Camila decided. "At least, we'll figure something out this weekend. Until then, while what you did was sweet, I don't think Vee can just transform herself based on your drawings. She's probably going to need something a little more--"

As she was talking, Camila turned around to look at Vee only for her words to die down. The tiny basilisk was no longer the one sitting on the couch. Instead, it was a little girl, no bigger than Luz, with tan skin, round cheeks, wearing a yellow dress, and had a mop of dirty blonde hair with bits of blue in it. The little girl held up one of Luz's drawings that looked like a crude version of herself.

"I liked this one," the girl said, her voice exactly like Vee's. Because it was Vee, and that realization stunned the whole Noceda family into silence.

Luz was the first one to make a noise, which was an excited little "Squee!"

[fandomstuckportal]

Stikbot Biology

((also, since people are always interested in my headcanons for them, a guide on stikbot biology. this is in an otg context largely!

Genetics

we know that stikbots are somehow physically born from two parents. whatever this mechanism, their coloration, shell type, etc. are heavily determined by their parents.

i like to think that, similar to breeding games like flight rising, color is determined on a range, based on the shortest possible distance between two colors. if parent a is yellow, and parent b is blue, you can assume their kids will be yellow, green, or blue. if parent a is red and parent b is purple, their kids will be red, magenta, pink, fuchsia, violet, or purple.

this can also work to muddy colors. if parent a is orange and parent b is blue, their kids will be orange, brown, or blue.

lets look at this in canon!

lance and clint are brothers. they're pretty easy given they're both blue and solid. their parents, we can assume, were identical to them- one parent was teal, the other parent was blue, and both were solids. unless you wanna go out one step further and say one parent was green and the other was blue.

shift and jamie are siblings. we actually see what their whole family looks like, thankfully! whats interesting here is that shift is a solid, and jamie is a metallic.

we know that their parents are identical to them. one is a lime green solid, and the other is a gold metallic. however, if they had other siblings, we could see yellow-green colors.

metallic, reasonably, would be a rarer shell type than solid, but itd be possible to have metallic kids since one parent is metallic.

lets apply this to pixel and striker!

pixel is a pink glitter, and striker is a bronze metallic. their kids would be metallic, glitter, or translucent, and be either pink, magenta, red, rust, orange, or bronze.

okay but what the fuuuuck am i on about this!! what is all this shell type stuff!

Body Coloration + Shell Types

color has always been a big focus to me with stikbots!

stikbots come in a few shell types: solid, transparent (no color), translucent, glitter, metallic, and glow.

solids are shiny, solid-colored bots with no metallic paint. metallics have this metallic paint. translucents are colored and see-through. transparents are colorless and see-through, often bunched in with translucents. glitters are colored, see-through bots with little pieces of glitter in them. glows have a weird see-through coat that looks a little misty sometimes, and they glow in the dark.

like breeding games again, certain shell types are rarer than others. from most common to least, i imagine it runs like this:

solid

metallic

glitter

translucent

transparent

glow

metallics are almost exclusively metallic colors like bronze, silver, copper, gold, metallic blue, etc. translucents, glitters, and solids can be any color. translucents have no color at all. glows are typically teal, green, or white.

there are other combinations though, but they arent linked to shell types, and this is where our genetics are going to get a little funky.

Rare Combinations + Colors

these aren't shell types or colors by themselves, but rare genes.

multicolors are pretty simple. they can occur in any shell type and are usually bi-colored bots. how do they work in our genetics? pretty simple, really. parent a is blue, and parent b is red. while their kids will normally be somewhere in the blue-purple-red range, their kid may ALSO be a mix of two colors, both red and blue.

tricolor multicolors can occur, but theyre exceedingly rare, and almost always mismatches. the one i have in the image above has a translucent body, but a solid head- a mismatch. theres another bot i found earlier that has a solid printed body, but a metallic head, also tricolor. these likely occur when a multicolor has a child, resulting in 3 colors being expressed. parent a is a red-blue translucent multicolor, parent b is a solid white- bam, tricolor mismatch.

why mismatches dont occur in bicolor (trust me, i looked!) can probably be assumed to be just a genetic incompatibility thing, where a tricolor mismatches just because theres so much color clash going on.

bicolors and tricolors, and especially mismatches, are probably something like chimeras. i imagine due to genetic weirdness, mismatches would have some health complications, but this is just me projecting since im disabled, oopsie!

okay, now the easier ones. melanism and albinism are simple enough, polar opposite conditions that affect pigmentation. to be fair, stikbots probably dont have melanin, but they sure have something.

melanistic bots are bots with dark colors and white faces. a melanistic bot must ALWAYS have a white face! that is how you know a bot is melanistic. they come in all sorts of shell types and colors, and they are the only ones to ever NOT be see-through when they are glitter. there are no melanistics that are visibly translucent, the melanism gene always making the shell solid.

albinism in stikbots comes in two varieties- eyes-affecting and cups-affecting. albino bots are ALWAYS white (solid/translucent/glitter) or silver (metallic), with red faces or red suction cups. the best example of albinism in bots is raptus (yes, i know he's custom painted, but let me have my fun), with those stark red eyes.

Eyes

(this headcanon specifically pioneered by @anobodythatsall)

stikbot eyes are camera lense-esque in nature, with square "pupils". colored shutters act as eyelids, giving them a wide range of expression. these can be damaged and cracked like normal camera lenses. they can be repaired and replaced.

red eyes are a sign of albinism, while white are a sign of melanism.

like humans, stikbots with misshapen eyes, such as ultimate raptus, have a more difficult time seeing.

stikbots have a stellar feat to be able to dodge things moving at supersonic speeds (bullets), and part of this can be contributed to their eyes. their little camera eyes can process the information so fast that they can swiftly dodge out of the way of bullets. this was developed for survival- stikbots are the #1 prey animal in their universe, after all!

Internals

GUTS GUTS GUTS GUTS

seeing stikbot internals is pretty easy when we have things like translucents, but they arent completely accurate to canon (but we will talk about the things translucents let us know about stikbot biology). in lore terms, lets see whats going on under the hood.

stikbots are, notably, full of gears. we see them from the chest a lot if not always, as of course, fuel cells are the primary currency outside the grid, and fuel cells are located in the chest. where the heart is, yknow.

i recently changed how i draw internals to reflect this a little.

a load of gears would need to packed away somewhere in the chest, so i picture a sort of "ribcage" here. what is this area for? well, probably energy storage and arm movement. we dont see a lot of joints going on in stikbots, after all.

but why the fuel cell outside the chest, if people are tearing into stikbots to get fuel cells?

it looks baller

STIKBOTS ARE COMICALLY THIN-SKINNED

we see how easily stikbots are torn to shreds in otg. to get to a fuel cell, youre PROBAAAAABLY going to accident pierce the chest cavity too, where a fuckton of gears are stored.

blood! stikbot blood is black, most definitely oil. this is stored in the chest cavity, "skull", hips, and probably some within the wires.

as for hips, ive been thinking of this sort of like just your fucking hip bone. more gears, all for leg movement. it also corresponds to this plug in the lower torso:

again, no joints on a stikbot.

but waaait what do i mean "no joints". i mean like, in the traditional sense. stikbots lack a skeletal structure.

zing calls these "joints". i call them WIRES. theyre like massive nerves, sending signals to the rest of the body to move.

finally, da BRAIN

stikbots have these plugs in them where their bungee cords that make them move end, so they dont fray and fall apart. this one the head has always caught my eye, and i treat it as a skull of sorts.

like a human brain, a stikbot's main computer would be located here. all their processing.

The Weird Shit

hey, remember when i said stikbots can dodge supersonic things? lets talk about that!

this is another thing @anobodythatsall pointed out to me when i was rewatching otg (his first watch). either bullets in otg are subsonic, or stikbots are capable of moving, briefly, at supersonic speeds.

we settled on the latter because it SOUNDS SO COOL.

they are actually worse at dodging things at subsonic speed. more often than not, we see stikbots in otg getting hit by things moving subsonic more than they get hit by bullets. this is probably the tradeoff of having evolved to dodge supersonic things.

so lets get poppy!

pixel reflecting a bullet with excalibur is a good time to bring back that stikbot eyes are capable of sensing supersonic motion as it happens, their brains are capable of processing this data and reacting accordingly.

of course, to dodge or purposefully hit supersonic things, you need to be moving as fast or faster. this swing to hit this bullet is undoubtly a supersonic movement.

same goes with striker deflecting these bullets. okay, this WAS where he had already noticed there were bullets involved (this is right after "no one told me there were live rounds"), so he couldve reasonably been prepared, but he just deflects them so fast.

same scene, pixel deflects 4 shots in a row, alternating her arms she deflects with each time. this literally has to be supersonic movement or she is taking 4 bullets to the chest/face. look at how fucking fast shes going dude!!

heres some projectile dodging.

a stikbot's supersonic movement is most likely a survival adaptation. theyre in a world where guns and similar weapons dominate.

these quick dodges and actions would cause a popping/snapping noise as stikbots briefly break the sound barrier.

lance throwing shit at clint compliation

stikbots, for all their size and relative puniness compared to the rest of the species of the world, can sometimes be really physically strong. throwing heavy objects, tossing off heavier enemies, we see it a few times. this may be a supersonic movement thing, this may just be that some stikbots are really fucking beefy, this may be something else entirely.

we also see stikbots with heavy armor and extremely large, heavy weapons- even shift, who is kinda pathetic (sorry king), carries a load of really big guns around. maybe their suction cups provide something here...

speaking of!

we know these are hands and they work identically. they can pull triggers, grab objects, toss things, do delicate mechanical work, just like human hands.

so, of course, i draw these guys with claws. because claws are cool. their suction cup i draw in the palm of their hand. why keep it? extra grip strength, likely needing to pick up such heavy items.

@anobodythatsall interpreted this a while back as stikbots having something of "invisible" fingers, and the way they manipulated objects was by way of electromagnetism, their suction cups being electromagnets.

i kinda like the inbetween, mostly cause i just like drawing them with little claws. the palm suction cup acting as an electromagnet for grip strength, and the digits allowing for manipulation.

suction cups come in tons of colors, which is really cool, btw. i dont have an hc on this. i just think its need. maybe wrap it up into color genetics.

ummm thanks for coming to my ted talk??? feel free to use these headcanons wherever you want, or build upon them!

watch stikbot off the grid))

[the-bugsnax-journalists]

Alright, little sneak peak!

Although I wanted to finish the piece today, a few things happened that got in the way (hence why I'm posting this, well, this late) That being said though, I have finished the line art of the Journalists as I had promised, and since I wanted to at least post something, I'll post this! Some silhouettes of the characters in question!

Although the first is, well, pretty obvious who it is, I still wanted to make more than just one, and I thought to base them off the colors you can choose yourself while in-game! (Which is why I'm sticking for a reasoning of why the blue is blue and pink lol)

That being said though, under the cut I will write a few things for each of them ahead of time! Thought to make it a week thing where each day I expand a little more on them but that's too long lol, so instead I decided to write little summaries for each of them! Relationships and such will play into them at a later time when I post each one by one with more expanded upon details!

"Buddy" ~~~~ The Main Journalist (They/Them)

The first oc I made for the game, who I've decided to keep nameless since I can't quite stick to one single name lol. That being said, there is so much I haven't been able to really say about them, despite my brain thinking up SO many ways to tell them to you all! Sadly though, life got in the way so I guess we're sticking with text instead!

First and foremost, Buddy is mute. The reason for this is because they speak through signs and recorders. (Think of it like cartoons, were silent characters speak through signs and what have you.) The reason for this is actually because of a movie I saw in my childhood. Idk if any of y'all know about "Tadeo Jones", but one of their movies was the one I had watched through and the bird in it spoke through signs soooo yeah!

Of course, I made it so they naturally defy the laws of gravity as much as they can, to the dismay of the others- but there's more to it and such, I will post the relationship charts and such when the full pictures get released! For details regarding their backstory, I'll focus on those when we get there, but I will say this: Their family is aware of the Triplicate.

"Cleomie Worncloth" ~~~~ The Barista with a part time job (He/Him)

The second OC is part of a duo (the second half being the 4th Journalist) that I made after I had been here for quite a few. Most of you folks may or may not actually have seen their old designs! But I decided to revamp them a little bit, for the sake of my eyes and my MUCH NEEDED redesign era lmao. That being said though, I guess I should go about their usual thing.

Originally they weren't a Journalist OC, but I decided to go ahead and slap them here since in the end they would have ended up in this predicament. But basically, his schtick is rather simple. He likes to blend Bugsnax and turn them into Syrups and use them to make new drinks. Mostly as an experiment effort, of course. They want to expand their horizons of cuisine for the family cafe owned by their folks, and to get a quicker method of going around the world, he took up Journalism! That being said though, he isn't exactly the most social outside of their work, so when they aren't taking interviews and such, they usually spend time in their little corner, awaiting Bugsnax to be sent to them by their friend."

"Cottontail Tinkerlot" ~~~~ The Engineer with a dream (She/Her)

Now this one, THIS one I never really got to draw proper myself. Mostly duo to lack of motivation and such. BUT now that I finally have the time to do so, I get to properly give her a design! Mostly made for a roleplay between friends, she finally comes out of the shadows and into her own spotlight!

Cottontail as an engineer wants to create robots that can assist and support people across the globe with her energetic attitude and outgoing vigor, enough to either revitalize those that see her, or get a migraine. That being said though, why WOULD she be a journalist? Why, to document the discoveries of the scientific world of course! With her reports being mostly on the fields of robotics and such, Cottontail got inspired to take up the wrench herself, and is now on the island to see if any material can be used to create her dreams into reality!

"Ridamin Northshiver" ~~~~ The Geologist who probably broke something again- (Trans FtM - They/Them)

Alright, THIS one was the second duo to the 2nd Journalist. The reason for their design was rather simple actually. Much like how Floofty is missing a leg, I thought it interesting to go about designing a character with a prosthetic leg. (Hence the difference on the leg on the silhouette). Of course, I wanted him to be unique from Floofty, so I decided to go with a unique route with him:

Much like Cleomie, they weren't originally going to be a Journalist, but my mind decided to say "Screw it!" and go with it anyway! That being said though, Ridamin was going to originally be a Geologist. And while Cleomie still kept their previous title technically, with Ridamin it's a bit difficult to mix them together, right? WRONG! ..Probably-

The way I'm going to go about it is rather simple, Ridamin's family (much like Triffany) was full with people who worked in the historic field, but rather than being an Archeologist, they were Geologists! (I know, REAL smart way to differentiate them) That being said though, given a certain incident that caused them to lose their leg, Ridamin was told to not force themselves given their injury, but that only felt like they were being underestimated by their peers because of a single disability. Ridamin wanted to prove them wrong of course, despite their disability they can still shine much like anyone else! And if nobody is shining the light on them, then they'll get their own light another way. So that's why they took Journalism! Sure it isn't the same job, but in a way it kinda fits either way! To get interviews on how places were born, created, along with the rich history to back it up! It may not be picking dirt and... I don't know, eating it with a spoon to tell how old it is via the crunch or whatever their family does. But soon enough they'll transition to Geology, they just have to plant the base to jump high up to their goal!

[musekicker]

So as said I would put together, some notes on the games masters and some other characters in Games Galaxy.

Eloise : a gold colored woman with a very much Marie Antoinette/Palace of Versailles look to her and very, very tacky (and that's saying a lot in this place) and opulent district. She changes her look a lot, always so over the top. Like a wig with a bird cage with living birds in it.

She's wasteful, judgmental, and snobby. Most other game masters aren't really fans of her but she's one of the richer game masters so they have to play nice with her.

Also the number of points one has to pay to get a simple éclair in this district? Criminal!

Others in her  district

Sweet: A sentient monkey. Her fur is a pale cake fondant like blue with white paws, tail tip, and around the eyes and muzzle. Wears a pink bow around her neck.

She's one of Gold's pets and is actually use fine with the situation. In fact if you endanger her position as favorite in any way she will make your life hell. 

But that changed in a encounter with the monkey members of the team. It wasn't easy at first, but she has been learning more about a life outside of what she had known, and learning that she has interests and skills that Eloise never encouraged (like designing clothes) . Has made good friends with Otto.

Rosie: A being based of a pink fairy armadillo, having the armor going down her back and a bit of armor of her cheeks. She is the head gardener of Eloise's gardens. She does love working with plants (despite her situation) and is happy to spends hours working in the garden. At least she doesn't have to interact with the court itself a lot.

Domino : an alien with a kind of squarish head with a domino like markings on him. Was the one who had Hermes as a "piece" (beings in a game masters "employ", often in some points debt.) . He owns the bigger casino on the planet.

Shark : A pale white Shark like alien with tattoos based off of playing cards on him. ( some red and black diamonds on his back fin, a red spade around one eye, black club on the back of his neck and a red heart on his chest.) one of the casino owners in the area. Smaller influence then Domino and slightly resentful of that.

Keeping in with his aquatic look his casino is a big aquarium.

He decides the fate of those in debt to him with a shuffle and picking out a card from his ever present card deck. Get along with Saw because they both have terrible sense of humor.

 Saw : Basically vampire crypt keep. Gaunt and kind of greenish with bat ears and wings on his back. His district is a giant castle with a bunch of death traps and monsters (both natural and scientifically made. ) .

He has major "Tales from the crypt" and this video game called "Illbleed" vibes. Very dark humor and full of puns. Only Shark thinks he's funny really.

Myst: A grey fox like alien with multiple eyes. Has the place just filled with flowers that he can control when they bloom. The fragrance from them can alter perceptions or just out right put people in trances until the fragrance effects wear off.

Tech: No ones ever really seen Tech's true form. When others talk to them, they are generally talking to one of the many screens in Tech's territory, a shadow shown on it. She (or what everyone guesses is she) is behind the technology behind lots of game elements and various other inventions. Her recent discovery of her own form of alchemy (or as she's calling it, magic tech) could be a problem.

The Director: has a tv screen head that often has a big eye on the screen. In charge of media and video entertainment in the games galaxy.

Huntsman:  A sharp toothed being that I'm still trying to nail down a design for. But his thing is a sort of wild hunt type theme. His territory is mostly artificial nature. Except for the giant fancy hunting lodge in the middle of it all. 

There are a couple of other beings, including a games master referred to as Circus (you can guess what his theme is) but they belong to @halloweennut and not my place to make a post about their ocs I feel.

Random other being in the games galaxy.

Finch: a purple, four armed alien with white, slits for eyes. Very newsies theme going on with him. Mostly plays some small luck games to earn points to eat and live.

He's got that heart of gold thing going though and tries to help others with less points be able to eat and avoid going in debt to a game master. Because of this the game masters don't like him very much.

He is referred to a Rex of his species (there are also Empresses (who tend to be a lot taller) and Stardusts. 

[shinxeysartgallery]

how do you draw that much that fast what the shit

Motivation and practice.

It really depends on the complexity of the piece, but on average, it takes me between 1 and 3 hours to complete each piece. A lot of it being that little amount of time is because of how long I've been drawing (over 20 years now). I've gotten used to things like proportions and anatomy, so I don't have to spend as much time fixing/redoing stuff in the drawing, which knocks the time down a lot. Obviously, I'm not perfect and I still do make mistakes in the drawings, but I make a lot less than I used to. But that's only if I do one character with no/a simple background. If I'm drawing an entire scene for a background, then it'll take me a lot longer to do. If I'm doing weird stuff with the shading layers, that will also take longer. It'll also depend on how many characters are involved. If it's 5 or less, I can most likely do that within a day, but more than that will probably take me at least two days to finish. For example, this summer piece I did last month with a handful of my favorite OCs took me about a week to complete. It features 15 characters, fully colored and shaded, though the background is rather simple. This one here of Shana and Judy took me around 5-ish hours to complete because of the background scene. But something like each piece I did for my June art challenge only took me around an hour each to do. The other thing is how used to drawing a character I am. I draw my OCs a LOT, so I'm pretty used to drawing them. lol Since I'm used to drawing Sonic character anatomy from that, it makes drawing other characters that aren't mine (for example, the Sonic OCs featured in my Art Fight attacks) a bit easier to do. And since Sonic character anatomy is very similar to human anatomy, it makes drawing human/humanoid characters pretty easy now, too. The main differences between the two are really just the head and torso shapes for the bases and the proportions of the head and hands to the rest of the body.

And the rest of it just boils down to time, motivation, and how I'm feeling! It doesn't take me too long to do most pieces, but I'm less likely to start on a piece despite that if I have more important things I need to get done (like my college classes). I've got a good rhythm going with doing my assignments and doing other stuff during my free time, but that leaves a few days where nothing art-wise gets done. If I'm not feeling well or my hand is hurting, then I definitely won't be doing anything, even if I really want to. Don't want carpal tunnel, after all! And sometimes I just don't feel like drawing, even if I want to. Sometimes I'd rather do something else like write or play video games, so I don't draw. Thankfully, my motivation has stayed pretty consistent for Art Fight, otherwise I don't think I'd have made it even to 40 attacks, let alone my goal of 50. lol

[killianwillkillyou]

Writing tips-diversity

Here's a tip for writing diverse characters: give them diverse lines. You've most likely heard of the Bechdel test, which is two women having a conversation that isn't about a man. There are some other tests, I'm afraid I don't know if they have names. If characters only have one or two lines and/or you don't want them to be compelling then there is no need to do any of the following.

-GIVE YOU CHARACTERS A PERSONALITY THAT ISN'T JUST A STEREOTYPE. Honestly! Theres a simple test you can do with your characters, even if they aren't minorities. Switch their race/gender/sexuality, not in the story itself, of course! The plot or backstory may not work, that's fine, like it'd be hard for someone to have been an early 19th century plantation owner in the American South if they were black for example. However, if your character loses their personality if they aren't gay, asian, a woman, whatever then they may not be compelling.

-Dialogue. An ethnic minority should have lines not about them being an ethnic minority. A queer person should say something that isn't about them being queer. A woman's personality shouldn't just be "Fuck you, I'm a woman." This works with straight white men too, if all your character talks about is their whiteness/maleness/straightness, even if it's 'politically correct' it shouldn't be all that they say. Of course, these things are perfectly fine to mention especially if they're important.

-Friendships. PLEASE STOP MAKING FRIENDSHIPS BETWEEN MINORITIES AND PRIVILEGED GROUPS COMPLETELY BASED OFF OF THE LATTER APOLOGIZING FOR BEING PART OF THE GROUP THAT THEY ARE IN! If that person said something discriminatory or if the minority has been discriminated against by their family then by all means have an apology, but it shouldn't be the entire dynamic. The more compelling friendships, at least in my opinion, are the ones where the white/straight/cis/male character shows the minority that they view them as a person by actually treating them like a real-life friend would. Also please try to avoid falling into this piece of dialogue:

Racist: *says/does some racist shit*

Black friend: *is super sad/angry*

White friend: I don't get why you're upset about what they said/why did they say that

Black friend, near tears: It's because of the color of my skin! You wouldn't get it!

*ensue awkward moment which may or may not contain an apology*

Honestly, if they were really the good friends that they are supposed to be, and the white person were the smart, well-adjusted individual they are often presented as, then it would probable be something more like this:

Racist: *says/does some racist shit*

White friend: Alright it is time to die

Of course, there is a good time to use tropes, and the above scenario can also lead into the "white savior" trope. But I digress. Also, there doesn't alway have to be romance! Just a nice diverse friend group would be good to see sometimes.

Another issue is two minorities who are friends not having anything else in common. This makes awkward friendships that don't have strong bonds. Some ideas for more things to have in common are:

∙ Common interests like music, tv shows, movies, hobbies, books, etc.

∙ Common experiences, which may or may not come from their race/sexuality/gender identity.

∙ Being opposites. This is especially good because it shows diversity within minority groups.

∙ Having the same or similar senses of humor

Also, two queer people can be friends without dating. Honestly please.

-For first person or third person limited, make sure that their perception of the world isn't completely reliant on one aspect of them. Just like a straight man may find woman attractive but wouldn't be thinking about sex 24/7/365, a gay man wouldn't be thinking about abs and peckers all of the time. Someone of a certain race may think/see that someone is judging them for being the race that they are, but wouldn't always have internal monologues like, "All of these (race) people in this (race) world being (race) and talking to other (race) people about those who are not (race)." Their thoughts should show their personality and quirks, and are a good way to show how those affect how your character sees the world.

-Also, diversity doesn't just have to be race, sexuality, and gender! It can also be eye/hair color, style, interests, abilities, skills, mental illnesses, backgrounds, age, and any number of other things. Remember to keep it realistic for the time and place, and remember the little quirks that people have and the seemingly minor flaws. Good things for some of your characters to have are glasses/contacts, under-eye bags, ripped/torn/rumpled/wrinkly/stained clothes, chewed nails/cuticles, legs or arms at slightly different lengths, scars, unruly hair, heterochromia, chipped or crooked teeth, braces, split ends, stretch marks, an overbite or underbite, flat feet, or any other number of things that I can make a separate post about if y'all would like. It could be a good romantic/intimate moment for someone to pay attention and notice a small quirk/flaw. Bonus points if you use it for UST.

There are a lot of other ways to promote diversity in your stories, but I hope the above helped!

[adobe-outdesign]

you’ve already done chesnaught, but have you reviewed chespin and quilladin?

(Chesnaught is over here for anyone wondering.)

Chespin is super cute. It's got a neat abstract design--it's ostensibly supposed to be a hedgehog according to interviews released at the time, but there's nothing hedgehog-esq about its body shape other than the head quills.

Regardless of what it is or isn't supposed to be, the chestnut theme is a unique one and works well to make it stand out. The design is simple enough as well.

However, something about it always looked odd to be. I think it's because the chestnut looks more like a hoodie than it does a thick piece of protective shell. I think it might've helped if there was an actual light-colored inside ridge to it along the edge, to show that it has depth and isn't just a flat marking or something.

Aside from that, I don't think you needed the random triangles on the side of the face (the one at the top can stay as you need something to break up the circles a bit). I also would've liked to see the arms be more of a light brown so they're not so disconnected from the body, maybe with triangular dark points at the ends to tie that color and shape from the face back in.

The reddish-orange tail tip is also very random, as it doesn't really share color with any other part of the design (maybe the nose, though the nose could easily be black instead), doesn't really lead into anything as it evolves, and doesn't really go all that well with the brown and orange color scheme.

Also, this might just be personal preference, but I also wouldn't have minded a few small quills on the back, to make it look more like a chestnut.

Quilladin at least manages to not be a dreaded transitional stage of Chespin and Chesnaught, but it unfortunately it also feels like it's spiraling off in a completely unrelated direction from the rest of the line.

First, the good stuff. Namely, I like the expression; it's rare to get kind of a "zany" Pokemon like this, and it gives it a lot of personality.

However, aside from that, the design doesn't really do it for me personally. The perfectly round body shape/armor looks like it would make it hard to move and feels unnatural, while those weird reddish-orange tips have come back for a vengeance. The shape of the fur on the head being mimicked by the brown on the body is a nice touch, but it's also doesn't really work when it's just part of a random stripe.

Also, for something based on hedgehogs and chestnuts there sure aren't a lot of spikes on this thing.

Personally, I think it would've been nice to see a bit of Chesnaught's white color scheme starting to work its way in here, namely the white. The way it's completely enclosed in a chestnut at this stage is more than enough to distinctify it, even if the colors ended up being somewhat similar to each other. Add a few short spikes and lengthen the limbs a bit and I think that would help it connect back to Chesnaught more.

So as a whole, Chespin is very cute, but the colors could be a little more refined and the chestnut a bit more pronounced. Quilladin does a good job at remaining a unique design, but also feels like it's going in completely different direction from the rest of the line. It's still good enough as-is, but it's lacking the last little bit of refinement I think this line needed.

[ohpsshaw]

Having Finally duct taping the fleeting scraps of courage I have to actually engage with you, I was just wondering if you had any tips on shading or lighting. being the cave man that I am I find it hard to find any tutorials that aren't extremely painterly or when you blink they've suddenly painted an entire Post modernist scene of the entire french country side, dog and drunk man included.

HEY!! HI! No prob, I can at least tell you my thoughts on it.

My problem is that without structure I never know when to stop, so I try to keep my coloring method as simple as possible. Base color, one shadow, and a little highlight on whatever materials call for it. If it still needs something after that, MAYBE I can add more depth or some gradients. Super, super simple.

So it’s not about having any fancy brushes or tools, it’s about how you use it. Shadow isn’t just Something That Has To Be There. It’s how you make things POP. Every time I open up my linework in Photoshop I think “damn, this is really flat” and go searching for the bulgy bits that I can put big juicy shadows on.

I lllove drawing bulgy knuckles and knees specifically so I can shade them later. This also works for brows, noses, boobs, anything you can make stand out.

One mistake I see beginners make is always slotting shadows as far to the edge of a figure as possible, like they’re scared it’ll ruin their linework. On the contrary!!! Shadows can function like SECRET EXTRA LINEWORK! Here’s a bad example using my Zim sketches.

The tunic on the left is from someone who understands what light and shadow are in concept. The tunic on the right is like, “mark my words, THIS SHADOW IS GOING TO HELP ILLUSTRATE THE FORM.” It’s going to be big in order to suggest that Zim is leaning forward, therefore casting a shadow over his waist. It’s going to be a little funky, to point toward his butt and accent his bending motion. It’s even gonna have a little ripple at the bottom, to show that this is fabric being stretched across his thighs. Suddenly this piece has more texture, motion and maybe even narrative, all because of one dumb shadow!

Note that you don’t even have to make a complicated shadow! I almost shaded the ribbing on the tunic too, but that was already defined by the linework so that wasn’t necessary. Personally I think bigger, less-complicated shapes are better and easier to read. I try to eliminate or join together overcomplicated shadows so they can accentuate the lines instead of distracting from their message.

If you’re doing light correctly, you’re going to run into parts of a piece where you don’t need a highlight, midtone, and shadow, but rather just one of those! This is useful for pushing unimportant limbs away into darkness and whatnot.

And very rarely will shadow or highlight hit directly on the edge of a figure. (These instances create cast shadow or rim light, generally, and they look really cool when done right. Here’s an example of a time I used rim light kinda not-right, but to make sure you could make out where Fiend’s hands were on this dark background:

The white rim light is pretty dramatic, and I could have gone way further with this by making the other colors even darker! You can shade 95% of a goddamn face if you want to. Actually, do that sometime. It’s very scary but enlightening.)

OHO, AND REFLECTED LIGHT! When you shade using big shapes, you give yourself a lot of room to stick reflective light in there! I don’t use it a lot myself, but I know furry porn artists love it as a quick and easy way to make their speedpaint commissions look impressive. Sometimes a secondary light source can bring extra color and atmosphere to your shadows! (This is especially useful for showing your character hanging out around water, imo.) [source]

Aaaand overall just… don’t feel chained to making your shadows just darker versions of the base color. Try adding a blue or orange or purple tinge, try shading with straight-up red once or twice just to make something scary, NEVER USE PURE GREY EVER, JUST TRUST ME, and remember your light source yadda yadda but you knew that.

That’s all I got off the top of my head, I hope it’s a start?

[bismillahnah-blog]

North

Summary: You meet your soulmate at Augusth 19th, 1967.

Author's Note: Thanks to @msjessicaraines for the ask! It is based on North by Sleeping At Last. It has almost 3k of words and i'm very proud! Hope you guys like.

we will call this place our home

the dirt in which our roots may grow.

though the storms will push and pull

we will call this place our home.

August 19th, 1967

You never thought you would meet your soulmate in such a young age. It was his sixteen birthday, and you were invited — even if you don't even know him, he was such a shy boy-. Your best friend was angry at you, saying you were leaving her for some weird boy, but again, you don't know why you were invited if you never talked to him. What was his name again? You wanted to remember before his birthday, so it wouldn't be awkward. God, what was his name? “(Y/N), come down. We are all ready to go to the party. Hurry!” You heard your father screaming downstairs, it was already time

“Has anyone seen my other shoe? I can't find anywhere!” You screamed back, running downstairs to find your dad waiting at the door, and your mother finishing the dessert she would take to put on the table with the other dishes. She was great friend of the boy's mother, and his mother asked for help, and your mom did a delicious pineapple upside down cake, but even if your mother was one of the best friends of his mother, you still couldn't remember his name. You tried to get a piece of this cake earlier, and didn't end well, so you have learned to go really far from that cake until it was time to eat with everyone else.

“It's the blue with white one?” Your father asked, fixing his fedora hat.

“The one that matches my clothes” You were wearing a blue plaid suit that your mother would probably kill you if ever got dirty.

“I think it was the one Aidan was eating” Your mother said, walking carefully with the cake in her hands. Aidan was your little dog, it was still just a puppy, so you couldn't blame him, though you wanted to scream. It was one of your favorite shoes!

“Mom, what do I do now? I can't go whit only one shoe and-”

“Change it, then”

“But it is the only one that match with this kind of clothes" You whined, sitting in the couch and crossing your arms stubbornly

“I'm not going if isn't with this shoe.”

“Little girl, you are going to the Deacon party, and I don't care if your shoes aren't the one you use for literally anything” Your mother answered, and you know that if you said anything back, that cake would fly to you in any moment.

“Fine” You said, getting up and running back to your room. Not without whispering some "I prefer staying at home, anyway”. You quickly open your room door and got your new white shoe, putting in your feet. Making your way back downstairs, you saw your mother eyes getting bigger and bigger, and your dad trying to hide a smile behind her.

“Why are you like this?” Your mom complained, and you feel a smiling wanting to creep out, but if you did let it go, it would be a big problem.

“I'm ready to go!”

There's no need to say that you and your mom arrived the party teasing each other. She wouldn't stop saying your shoes would be the latest fashion of this year, and you teased her saying her cake would be in every bakery after this year.

“Hello, Lilian. You are beautiful in this dress!” Your mom complimented the hostess. She was with a yellow dress and a white coat that goes till her knees, but the most beautiful thing was her smile. She was very happy for her son turning sixteen.

“Thank you. But I think the most beautiful thing in this party is (Y/N). It was an exquisite choice to wear shoes with different colors, but at least they match your dress, honey” She answered, while taking the cake from your mom's hands. She went to the kitchen, and so did your mom, your dad goes to talk to some mans, leaving you there by yourself.

“H-hello, are you (Y/N)?” You heard a voice from behind calling you. You turn around and see the shy boy, the weird boy, the bass boy. Everything they called him goes through your mind. And then you remember.

“Your name is John, right?”

we'll tell our stories on these walls.

every year, measure how tall.

and just like a work of art we'll tell our stories on these walls.

“So, what are the story behind those shoes?” John asked you. You and him were talking for almost an hour now. He seemed so shy, but when you started talking to him, something changed; he had a lot of interesting topics to discus, and you were happy to talk to him. You two were in the back of his garden, trying to get away from every adult or teenager that comes to say Happy Birthday for him.

“Well, my mom was in a rush to come to your house, and my other blue shoe was being eaten by my dog, so the only left option was changing my shoes. But it was simple. I don't like simple things” You answered, trying not to look into his eyes. He had eyes as open and honest as any child, a warmth and safety. At that moment, you found your home, your place to find company when the cold winds blew.

“Isn't weird?” John asked, picking up a little dandelion from the grass. “Feels like I know you for ages”

“It is, indeed. But why did you invite me?” You said, coming closer to him. You pretend not to see his pink cheeks.

“B-because I have seen you going around the neighborhood, and I talked to my mom, and she knows your mom and-” He stopped. You gently took the dandelion from his hand and put in your hair, placing behind your ear.

“Do you think the halls of your house can hear our secrets?” let the years we're here be kind, be kind. let our hearts, like doors, open wide, open wide. settle our bones like wood over time, over time. give us bread, give us salt, give us wine.

“John, sweetie, it's time for the cake.” John's mom called, looking at both of you with suspicious eyes. He got up first, and reached his hand for yours, to help you get up. You did this. And the contact that happened quickly was enough to make you melt into him like ice-cream on a warm porcelain bowl, like you belonged next to him, like he belonged next to you. You walked behind him, going inside the house to see everybody around a table, waiting for the birthday boy.

“It's time to cut the cake” Someone said

“Don't forget your wish, boy” You heard your father's voice saying.

“I think I'm a little old for this, Mr.” John answered with a smile, looking for who said this. John walked closer to the table and you walked to your family. Your mom was to distracted looking at the boy to even start asking questions, so do your dad. You just looked to John. And you wished you were his wish. You could feel your heart beat, every single pound in your chest. Not through your ears, that was occupied by the voices that were singing happy birthday; drowning it out in the ears. You should sing, but you couldn't. This great pounding, this great pressure; every beat. You couldn't hear it, but you could feel it. You could feel the doors of your heart open widely for this boy.

“Now, it's time for the adults to taste the wine” John dad said, and everyone laughed. Everyone but you. The only sound you could hear and feel was your heartbeat.

a little broken, a little new.

we are the impact and the glue.

capable more than we know to call this fixer upper home.

“Happy birthday, Deacon boy” You whispered in John's ears when you found him, talking to a group of people that were giving him congratulations for his birthday. He turned back quickly, locking his eyes in yours, moving his lips so only you could read it

“Follow me”. You distanced yourself, waiting for him to excuse himself so you both could leave it without someone noticing. When he finally did, you saw him going upstairs. To his room. And you followed. Looking back to see if anyone noticed, you are pleased to see that no one noticed a thing

“So, why your room?” You asked, entering his room. You could see some gray tones in his walls, a bass, his organized shelf and his bass. He was sitting in his bed, and tapped slightly at his side, a silent ask to you come closer, and you did it. John, instead of moving away, only moved closer to you. You were patiently waiting for his answer, but he started talking. He talked about the nothing and about everything. He would ‘accidentally’ brush up against you, leaning closer, so you could hear him better — though you could swear the noise downstairs weren't so loud in his room -.

“The flower stills in your hair” He said, and he made his most advanced movement; he leaned closer, so he could smell the scent of your hair, the scent of your neck, the scent of your love. You would be lying if you said you didn't feel your skin heat up against his touch, against his lips brushing slightly against your hand. You squeezed your legs, in pure instinct.

“You are very beautiful, (Y/N). Just like a work of art. I think I love you” John said, you turned your head to the side to avert his gaze, but the sudden rosiness of your cheeks gave you away. You felt the same. You didn't remember when, but now you're laid down in his bed, with John giving kisses along your neck, your legs, your face, but avoiding your lips.

“Beautiful, a work of art, a beautiful work of art” He say while finally meeting your gaze, asking a silent request. You just nodded. John kissed you and the world fell away. It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be. His hand rested below your ear, his thumb caressing your cheek as their breaths mingled. You ran your fingers down his spine, pulling him closer until there was no space left between.

“I love you” You managed to say between kisses that were becoming more and more passionate.

“I really hope those walls can't hear our secrets” John said, and you giggled, remembering what you said what once seemed now like thousand of years before.

with each year, our color fades.

slowly, our paint chips away.

but we will find the strength and the nerve it takes to repaint and repaint and repaint every day.

August 19th, 1977

“Happy birthday, my Deacon boy” You said, laying down on John chest. It has been ten years. Ten lovely years. You started to plant kiss in every part of his face, remembering how ten years ago it was when you shared your first kiss with him.

John started waking up, mumbling something under his breath that you could only imagine was a satisfied groan.

“God, I want to wake up like this every day, love” He was now fully waked up, only enjoying the kisses that were now following down his neck.

“You are such a work of art. One that the paint never chips away” John complimented you, making you stop your kisses, and you looked up to his eyes, meeting his gaze. It was full of love.

“And if ever did, I'm sure you will paint me again. I love you so much." You managed to say, trying not to starting stutter over your own words.

“I will always make sure to repaint my work of art when is needed” You could only smile in return

“Now, going back to where we stopped” And now you're in your back, giggling with every movement John made into you.

let the years we're here be kind, be kind.

let our hearts, like doors, open wide, open wide.

settle our bones like wood over time, over time.

give us bread, give us salt, give us wine.

let the years we're here be kind, be kind.

let our hearts, like doors, open wide, open wide.

settle our bones like wood over time, over time.

give us bread, give us salt, give us wine. give us bread,

give us salt, give us wine.

smaller than dust on this map lies the greatest thing we have: the dirt in which our roots may grow and the right to call it home.

August 19th, 1997

There were friends of your younger kids running everywhere, friends of both you and John, parents of the kids. The house was full You felt a hug from behind, and you didn't need to look to know who it was. “This is the right place to call it home, don't you think, love?” John said, resting his head in the crook of your neck

“I'm happy to call this our home.”

TAGLIST: @someone-get-a-medic @msjessicaraines

[simpinforyoongi]

Good Bad Day ~

Collegestudent! Namjoon x Collegestudent!reader ~

(i know the pic doesn't suit this oneshot but i just can't omksks)

Pairing: Collegestudent!Namjoon x collegestudent!reader

Genre: Angst, attempted humour,

Warnings: swearing

Summary: When your bully-not-bully Namjoon takes it a bit too far on a day that already had been bad, you snap. But maybe this bad day wouldn't turn out to be so bad after all.

-

Sucked.

If you had to describe today in one word, it would, without doubt, be this. Today had simply sucked.

It sucked harder than that one exam you had to give about which you liTerAlLY came to know on the exam day itself. It sucked harder than that time when you missed your FRIgGIN school trip which you had been waiting for for MONTHS! And it sucked harder than the day you met Kim Namjoon. Yea. And oh boy is that a big statement.

Now,

Allow me to explain part 1:

[Dum dum dum flashback time brought to you byyyyyy 🍑 & 🍦, sweeter than sweet]

In simple words, Kim Namjoon was your bully. But also not exactly??? a bully?? because he didn't really "bully" you. Because if you actually take a minute to think about it, he never physically hurt you. Not gravely at least. But he also was your bully in the sense that he made every-freakin-day a struggle (more so than it already was). His usual acts where making snide remarks when you passed by and sometimes if he was feeling extra cheery, an intentional bump here and there, most of which you dodged skillfully. But that's about it. You didn't really bother replying because who's got that kind of time OR energy?? Not your lazy freaking ass for sure. You simply ignored him all day long, everyday.

How did he become your "bully" , you ask?? Well i suggest you read away!

Now let's get onto the second part,

Allow me to explain part 2:

[Dum dum dum flashback time brought to you byyyyy 🍫 cheeks & 🍫 🦋]

Today's morning was one of the prettiest of the week. Subtle sunlight seeped through your cremé curtains and fell on your face, giving you a sunkissed look and bringing out the color of your irises. You had woken up with a dreamy smile on your lips, obviously from the delicious dream that you had had, about how you were gonna spend your up and coming vacation, traveling and touring the world, seeking out all the gems that these places had to hide. Well, maybe not all the touring and stuff but books and the bed all day are just as thrilling, aren't they? AnYWaYS, so you had pulled your torso up and stretched out your limbs to free them off the stiffness that occurs from staying in bed just a tad too long, and glanced at the alarm clock.

That's where it started to go wrong.

You jUMped out of bed almost tripping yourself on the sheets (almost because you were always good at not falling. The Tripping God's have always been on your side) when you realised that in half an hour, your classes would start.

Then, you had two options:

1)To shower and be late but at least be fully awake. (not smelling like chicken wings and cheese was just a bonus) and

2) To not shower but be on time, but alSo be drowsy and risk running into a tree and going into a lifelong coma (that actually doesn't sound that bad).

You opted for the later because the almighty Gods have gifted you with some almiGhTy weapons for the existence and survival of human kind,

Coffee and Deodorant😎

Hah! Take that life! you had thought.

But life wasn't in the mood to humor you or your fantabulous sense of humour today.

Not showering always had its quirks you know. One of them being you had to brush out your bedhead without the help of any almighty weapons from the almighty Gods. So after actually managing to get ready without killing yourself after what seemed like an eternity of hair-brushing, you finally were ready to go.

But of course, it couldn't be so easy, could it?

One quick glance at your phone told you you had about 11 minutes to get to your class. 11 minutes to cover a path that took at least 18 minutes to cover when you were walking at your usual pace, earphones tucked in cozily.

10 minutes.

You hurriedly put your phone in your bag, put on your sneakers with shaky hands and broke into a run after locking the door.

You had been running for around 10 minutes and you had actually managed to almost reach your college gates. You could see the gates from where you stood, huffing and puffing while your lungs and ribs burned in hellfire. I'd suggest working out a little you know, if you have time.

So there it was, looking like the gates to heaven and calling your name. You again started walking and eventually running, without taking any notice of your shoe laces that had come undone and — thump

Remember how I told you that Tripping God's had always been on your side?? Yea well I think I spoke a little too soon.

You lied on the hard concrete , left cheek in contact with the floor,hands and legs were spread in a random manner.

You lifted yourself up with a frown, with the help of the base of your palms but immediately retracted your hands when your felt a sudden burning sensation.

Great. Simply great.

Both your hands had bruises on them, the left side of your jaw hurt, and there was a minute throbbing in your left side that was surely not from all the running.

But you didn't have time, so you got up, tied the laces and kept running.

But of course, it wasn't enough.

You reached your class ten minutes late. The lecture had already started and the professor was showing a PowerPoint presentation. You timidly knocked, attracting everyone's attention. Again, something that you gravely hated.

Luckily, you had somewhat of a reputation with the teachers. Being somewhat of a good girl had it perks you know. So you got off without any scolding from the professor, after she had asked you why you were late and you supplied the only thing that came to mind.

Woke up late, ma'am.

You took a seat and attempted noting down, but the bruises that you got on your hand were doing their job.

After somehow making it through the first lecture, you had a small gap before your second lecture. So you decided to get a coffee from the café on campus.

After getting said coffee, you were walking down one of the halls to your next class.

All your attention was on your coffee, your warm, coffee colored coffee that was waiting to be finished, which was why you didn't notice when a human pillar bumped into you, spilling all your coffee on yourself in the process.

You jumped when the warmth seeped through the fabric of your (luckily) black T-shirt, and looked up to see who was blind enough to bump into you when there was pLENTY of space to walk.

Uh-huh.

Wrong move.

There stood the devil himself, smirking down at your soaked self.

"I knew you were dumb. Didn't know you were blind too. Klutz" and with a smirk he just left you there without giving you the time to as much as glare at him for completely ruining your T-shirt AND spilling your coffee.

Your stood there in your coffee soaked clothes and teary eyes. But you blinked them away. You won't cry. It's just a bad day. It's just a bad day.

The atrocities didn't stop there. Throughout the day, many joyous things happened.

While going to your third lecture, you missed a step and landed right on your knees, on the sharp edge of another step. And that freaking hurt, believe me.

Then, you managed to trip again, on a freaking pebble, and landed on your palms again, on the freaking gravel. Needless to say, your bruises were increasing with every step you took. The Tripping God's really weren't in a good mood today.

Because of that, you were also late to your fourth lecture, one of the classes that you actually really loved.

One of the classes that had Kim Namjoon in them.

You couldn't concentrate on what the professor was saying because of the constant bickering of Namjoon who sat on the next row. Not being able to tolerate his shit today, you decided to just lay your head down and hopefully get some shut-eye. The professor surely won't notice you in a room full of people, right?

Wrong.

Absofuckinlutely wrong.

You woke up not five minutes later to the tapping of a pen against your desk.

You jumped when you saw the oh so familiar face of your English Lit professor peering down at you.

"Something wrong? Ms. Y/l/n?" He said, pretty seriously, contradicting the usual light hearted mood that the 50 year old was in. Maybe he had a bad day too.

"No sir. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"Glad to know." and with that, he walked away. As he did, you noticed a snickering Namjoon, and the possibility of him telling the professor about you occurred to you. But you really just didn't have the energy to speak up about it.

Your fifth and last lecture for the day had finally ended, resulting in you being in a slightly better mood than before.

You were packing your things up. The day had sucked. Everything that happened today was bad. And the fact that you would be getting your results the following week was making you even more stressed. You didn't do your best on the last set of exams, and you were low-key freaking out, but still out of energy to react too much.

With the throbbing ever present in your left side, and the bruises still on your knees and palms still burning, you made your way to the exit of the room.

But life really just couldn't stop itself from kicking you in the guts one last time.

"Hey there, klutz." Standing near the door was your arch nemesis, to put it dramatically, Kim Namjoon, with his group of six friends. Now the weird thing about them was, that they seemed to be cool people. And your first impression of Kim Namjoon was that he was a good, studious and kind boy. You even admired him for his hard work and philosophical essays that your English professor always read out to the class when he scored full marks. But what you didn't expect him to be was a bitchy, annoying and stuck up piece of shit who bullied others(or tried to) without any reason.

"Not today, Kim." You were in no mood today, the day had already been bad enough and you didn't need another one of his snide remarks today.

"Why y/n?? Too tired from sleeping in class??" He commented, as your tried to walk past him, but he followed.

"Hey! Don't ignore me, I'm hurt!!" He said in a mocking tone.

You kept walking, not paying mind to his ramblings, but it was getting harder by the minute.

"I really wonder why our English prof let you off without any punishment when you were sleeping you know. He doesn't usually go that easy on sleeping students. Makes me wonder what you were doing last night."

You stopped dead in your tracks and slowly turned around with a menacing glare. There were still students around and they had heard him, and they stopped all their antics to watch the scene unfold.

Your mind was already heavy from an the shit that happened today, and you were already on the verge of breaking down because of all the pressure that you were under, and this last comment really just hit. You eyes started becoming blurry from the accusation that was just thrown at you, and all these things led to where you are now,in front of Kim Namjoon with blurry eyes, unable to comprehend everything that was happening.

Before you could actually change your mind and walk away, you took a step ahead and spoke with more remorse than anything else.

"WHAT did you just say??" Your voice was laced with venom and this caused him to take a step back. Everyone was watching, but you couldn't care less. This has to stop.

"What did you just say??" You repeated your question. "WHAT did I ever do to you Kim Namjoon?? WHY do you hate me so much?? WHY are you so dead set on making my already difficult life even more difficult?? WHY do you do this?? I already have dealt with enough shit from you! What the fu-k do you think you're doing? Who the fu-k do you think you are and why the fu-k are you always bothering me??" Your eyes were still blurry, but as a single tear flowed down your cheek, the venom in your voice dissipated and all that was left was hurt.

"What did I ever do to you?? Why do you hate me?? Just because I got one fucking mark more than you in one fucking subject?? Because Mr.Song decided that it wouldn't hurt to appreciate my English essays?? Because your ego was hurt that someone other than you was also appreciated by a teacher?? WHAT WAS my fault?? You have made my life goddamned hard and I didn't even do anything to you!" By now both your cheeks were wet from tears streaking down your face and your eyes were red and puffy,the same eyes that shone brightly whenever your answers were correct, or whenever someone says something funny(not that Namjoon noticed or anything). As you kept taking, his eyes travelled to your left cheek, then jaw and he noticed the bruises that were on display. He also remembered how you were not writing anything in class today. Everyone, including Namjoon was utterly dumbfounded by your sudden outburst.

Is she hurt?

"..didn't even get enough time to get my shit together before your started ruining everything for me! I genuinely thought that you were a good, hard working student and i admired you for that!! But THANK YOU for shattering this illusion! THANK YOU for letting be know what a shitty stuck up brat you are! I told you to leave me alone but NO! First you spilled my coffee on me, and now you're accusing me of filthy actions. Do I look like A JOKE TO YOU?? Do I LOOK LIKE SOMEONE YOU CAN JUST PUSH OVER? I try my best to shrug off everything you say but everyone has a limit Namjoon. I know I'm not smart like you, I'm don't ace every test, I'm not the teachers favorite student, I can't do everything right, I always try my best but sometimes it's not enough, and I don't always look my best, i KNOW i look like shit sometimes and I fucking. Know. that I'm not perfect but you don't have to remind me everytime! " Your lips quivered as you spoke your heart. You took a deep breath, your eyes seemed to be overflowing today and you couldn't stop your feelings from flowing out too, while he stood there, eyes wide.

"I hate you Kim Namjoon. I fucking hate you! And I don't want to see your disgusting face ever again!" You hissed, and then speed walked away, leaving a very shocked group of people and a very regretful Namjoon.

--

The following week, you were happy to almost get rid of his presence. Almost

Because the lingering stares that he threw your way were not going unnoticed.

You thought the students were going to start acting weird after your little outburst the other day but luckily, everyone seemed to have forgotten about it. Or they just didn't care enough which is absolutely fine!!

But the constant feeling of being stared at was there.

Throughout the week, you had completely avoided Namjoon. Like sitting as far as possible in the classes you shared, leaving as soon as you caught his sight, and once even crossing the road to get away from him. And somehow you had made it to the end of the week. It was Friday again. And once you got through with the day, you wouldn't have to see his face for another 2 months.

You couldn't wait.

But again, like Deja Vu, as you collected all your belongings and walked towards the exit of the room, you saw him and his gang standing looking right at you.

He had tried to approach you earlier today. About 3 times actually, but you had deftly avoided any type of conversation. You just didn't want anything to do with him.

You searched for ways to escape but the only exit was the door where they were standing.

You took a deep breath and kept walking.

"Y/n please just talk to me once. I'm really sorry about everything please just give me a chance y/n I'll just take five minutes of your time, please. I request you."

You kept walking, even more swiftly than you were before.

"Please just give me a chance, y/n please." He followed you and just as you were about to exit, one of his friends blocked the door, and your only way of escaping. You had seen him around. Not just because he hung around Namjoon, but because he was a junior and quite famous too. You could see why girls swooned over his group of friends. Each and every guy, including the bunny looking boy blocking the door, was gorgeous af.

"Please y/n noona, just let him speak to you. He hasn't been eating or sleeping well these days." The bunny boy exclaimed, and for a moment your heart softened for like a teeny weeny second, but you didn't acknowledge his request.

"Please move." You said in a stern voice. But he didn't of course.

"Look, we know what happened last time he talked to you. But he really had been moping around all fu-king week over this and honestly it's starting to become bothersome. Of what I've seen and heard of you, you seem to be a logical person. Don't you think it'd be easier and faster if you just heard whatever he has to say and then went about your way?" The one who had a constant poker face, not to sure but you had heard people call him Yoongi, said. You contemplated for a moment, and deciding that it's better to get this over with, you turned around to face Namjoon. After all, you were a pretty logical person (😎)

"What?"

As you asked the question, Namjoon was ready to spill everything, every thought he had over the past week, every feeling, every apology. But for some reason, nothing came out of his mouth. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, unable to form sentences.

You tried raising an eyebrow, but couldn't since you couldn't master the art of raising single eyebrows, then looked back at his friends who seemed just as confused as you.

"Are your going to say anything or should I just leave?"

At that he started talking.

"I'm really sorry for everything that i did.." his eyes were cast downwards, "I've been a jerk and I honestly don't know why I did that..i had no reason to and I'm really sorry from the depths of my heart I...I just.." he couldn't comprehend what to say to explain how bad he felt.

"Ok. Fine. Its fine. Apology accepted." And with that, you moved across bunny boy and walked away. This time, nobody stopped you but Namjoon wasn't satisfied as he stared at your retreating form.

-

"But why would she forgive me that easily?? Urghhh" Namjoon was about to pull all his hair out in frustration. You were weird, he knew, but like...what the chocolate brownie fudge?? Nobody just walks off like that after being bothered for so long.

"Yah why are you beating yourself up over this?? Maybe she didn't want to waste any more time over you. Stop overthinking it." Jin exclaimed, already fed up of Namjoons continuous stomping.

"But hyung why wo-"

"Or maybe she likes you. Maybe that's why she forgave you so easily. Maybe she had been crushing on you and that's why she was hurt. mAYBE she's in love with you.Is that what you want to hear, Namjoon??" Yoongi said nonchalantly and Namjoon's face flared up as everyone looked at him.

"W-WHAT ARE YOU SAYING HYUNG.. s-she doesn't like me and i don't like her... Its just.."

"YAH JUST OFFER HER A COFFEE YOU IDIOT" Jin yelled, rather exasperatedly, because man was Namjoon being a pill right then!

He pondered over the suggestion for a moment. He did spill your coffee on you. And you seem to like coffee quite a bit. Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea for an apology. Well, second apology.

So there he was, standing in front of the bookstore that you worked at, still debating whether he should just go in or go home. His friends were standing a bit behind him, still more than annoyed that he dragged all of them over here. As he was wrecking his mind on the pros and cons, the doors opened and you came out with your earphones in your ears and a small smile on your lips.

As soon as you locked eyes, your smile disappeared. But you didn't say anything. Rather, you walked right by him. This was like the last time all over.

"Y/n w-wait.. could we talk for a minute??" You weren't planning on stopping but his voice sounded so small and fragile that you couldn't force your feet to move. His face seemed thinner and drained of energy.

It surely wouldn't hurt to hear him out last time. Yes. Last time

You stopped and he continued.

"I-I um... Do you.. do you want to out for coffee with me?? I i.. I mean like..umm..as an apology.. Can i offer you a coffee as an apology?? If you don't mind?? I just.. I've been feeling really guilty these days and the fact that you forgave me even though i treated you so badly had been eating away and i just can't seem to-"

"No" was all you said. Is this man serious?? First he treats you like you're a piece of trash and then he's apologising and asking you out?? I mean.. the he-k?? Is he kidding?

"But y/n please let me treat your to a coffee I'm really really sorry....."

As you started to walk away, again, he couldn't help but sigh and look down again. Of course you said no. Who would even accept a coffee as an apology?? He should've just not showed his face ever ag-

"Y/n noona there's this fair that is in town. We're gonna go there tomorrow. Do you wanna come??" Jimin said suddenly before you could completely disappear out of sight. He just couldn't bear seeing Namjoon looking like a kicked puppy any longer.

"Wh-"

"BEFORE you say no," he continued, "Don't you think it's better to go to the fair with all of us" he pointed at himself and his five other friends with a twinkle in his eyes, "than going to a voting coffee shop with Namjoonie hyung and listening to his boring philosophical lectures?? Huh? Huh?? That way, hyung would be guilt free too and you can have some fun too! Besides we never did anything to you noona! Let's be friends?? Please??"

Ok boy you gotta admit these guys have some serious convincing skills. Besides, the boy had a point. Even though they never said anything to Namjoon when he made comments on you, but they might have says something when you weren't around..? And even though limited, the interactions that you had with the boys were sweet.

You weren't quite sure why, maybe it was Jimin's sugary sweet smile that was compelling you to say yes, or maybe it was something else. Something you couldn't quite figure out.

But after thinking for sometime and seeing Namjoon's hopeful expression, you said yes.

Maybe it wouldn't hurt to make some new friends. Maybe this bad day won't turn out so bad after all.