#been busy as of late so I haven't been able to do art

[mokeonn]

The Princess Bride is such a funny book to read after ONLY seeing the movie. Like Goldman made up a fake author from a fake country and proceeded to write the book as an abridged version of what the fake author wrote... and then he proceeds to add in notes to the "abridged version" mentioning all the boring world building stuff he skipped because it was boring.

Like shout out to William Goldman, man really did make an entire book that is just "the cool scenes you thought of in your head" and then made up a fake author to abridge so he doesn't have to connect them.

And it slaps

[knifegremliin]

aghhh man. i've been. doing barely any art lately.

[blkgirl-writing]

The massive list of SFW and NSFW Gale Dekarios headcanons

Gale of Waterdeep x Reader (Gn! for the most part)

A/N: the more I write Gale, the more in love with him I am. I started this before patch 5 and haven't been able to play it myself, so whoopsies if I just have to make another one of these. Lots of requests included in this one, to be expanded on later!

Gale is the most caring partner in the whole group. Followed by karlach and Wyll

He would much rather do everything for you than anything for him

This means he often over extends himself for you and you have to convince him to let you help him

Quality time and words of affirmation are his main love languages. All he wants is time alone with you, and he will do so much to make that happen

Gale actually sets up his tent to be as comfortable as possible because you don't have your own tent, and he doesn't mind at all if you sleep in his

eventually you basically just sleep in his tent exclusively, platonically at the moment. Sleeping on other sides or with a blanket between you

It isn't until you wake up from a particularly bad nightmare that your accidental touches aren't followed by apologies. Not quite embracing but not flinching away

He held you that night, wrapping his arms around you, his hands were big, soft, and comforting. He didn't speak until you did, who knows how long that was. All he said was "You're safe. It's ok."

────⊱⁜⊰────

He truly believes he doesn’t deserve you and that weighs kind of heavy on him

That shows in his body movements, confidence, still hesitant to be close to you physically in an extremely subtle way

With more flirting, more talking, more late nights close together, but still apart, still a gap in your embrace

Gale is still in touch with his sexuality and sex, but sex is different than love making. And he knew, when he fully let you in, when he’s finally stable and his mind, body, and soul were ready, he’d make love to you

Your first time together was for the most part, pretty talked through. You set your boundaries and safe word pretty fast

He’d stop at some point, pull back and just admire you

Stop is used lightly because he’s definitely still inside you and just very slowly still pumping in and out of you

“You’re absolutely ravishing.”

And he’d give himself fully to you

Gods he’d be all over you after, so touchy, even if not sexual in nature, any tough felt electric

Gale holds your waist more than your hand, it feels more romantic, showing you off to the world as someone that chose him. It’s really sweet, the first time he does it, he hand trembled a bit, he thought he was smooth enough for you not to tell but you could definitely feel it

Don’t get me wrong, he is confident and cocky at times, everyone knows that. But with you somehow, he feels nervous that you deserve more than he could give

Part of your early relationship is making sure he knows he’s wanted and loved and more than anything you could have wished for

────⊱⁜⊰────

Cuddling is always fun because it usually end up with fucking

If you’re the big spoon? He becomes such an angel and snuggles into your touch

If he’s big spoon he’s immediately turned on by everything, you being so close into him, your ass pressed against him, so many beautiful places for him to touch

Always ends in side fucking, just pulling your underwear down just enough to grind his cock on your bare ass

It’s also just convenient and easy if you’re getting busy while the others are sleeping in camp

But many days your time has you weak and just ready for rest, but you're both more horny than tired

that's when mutual masturbation becomes a daily routine, which never really leaves, even when you aren't as tired and have more privacy

he likes you call you his cherished work of art, seeing you spread for him is like a painting

────⊱⁜⊰────

One night in baldurs gate, you stay up into the morning drinking and talking in a bar, they only kicked you out when they literally were an hour last close, keeping it open because you had bought so much

It was literally anything, just talking about everything and nothing at the same time. Past pets, stupid haircuts growing up, embarrassing failures

That was the night everyone else really realized how deeply in love you two were

Like sure there was romance but real true love, with sparks

They absolutely made fun of you when you finally stumbled to your camp and passed out all day crammed into the small one person beds

I like to believe Astarion drew a stick figure version of y’all’s sleeping position to make fun of you when you woke

────⊱⁜⊰────

Once you’ve moved in with him he gets more and more turned on by you every day

You could be doing nothing and he’d grab your thigh and give you such a dirty look of lust

Not even three months in and ya'll have fucked on every surface possible, knocked over many books, and accidentally broke a vase and a bit in the shower

For the most part, your cozy days consist of him reading, and you beside him, feet resting on his lap

If you're a bard, of course he's going to ask you to practice and play around him and while you relax together, his favorite sounds all come from your sweet melodies

if you drink you definitely share a bottle of wine throughout the day

When Gale get's tipsy he just gets lovey and nerdy

telling you about a favorite bit of history or a spell, interrupting himself to compliment you "Gods you're beautiful, have I told you that today, dear?" and "And that's how the stars fell in love with- that top is stunning my love, mind if I take it off?"

cooking is fun yet very stressful unless he has a drink in hand

it's his kitchen and he's not used to company in it, so he often bumps into you or doesn't know where to say something is, so he just ends up getting it for you

I have a feeling this man is super into coffee and the roasts

like he's an absolute snob over it. A whole glass cupboard is dedicated to bags of coffee from where ever he travels

"Just too dark of a roast, it muddies the hazelnut flavor" (yes I believe he's a whole bean light roast lover)

Maybe you get a normal, non-speaking cat for yourself and just to have a bigger family in your home

I'd imagine a very reckless black or ginger cat who tara takes a VERY long time to love

but it's your and Gales cat. It's a thing you own together and love dearly

There's also a self of cards, board games, etc, for your date nights in

Gale legitimately is just as happy if you win than if he, if not more happy for you

He often takes a while to take his turn because he's distracted by you

super sweet but makes games feel much longer

────⊱⁜⊰────

@shyminnie07 @makers-breath @claryvoyantfray @black-sapphic @fapqueen

(Consider supporting me on Ko-fi)

[lackadaisycats]

Hey Tracy! Have you heard about the new Ai called Sora? Apparently it can now create 2D and 3D animations as well as hyper realistic videos. I’ve been getting into animation and trying to improve my art for years since I was 7, but now seeing that anyone can create animation/works in just a mare seconds by typing in a couple words, it’s such a huge slap in the face to people who actually put the time and effort into their works and it’s so discouraging! And it has me worried about what’s going to happen next for artists and many others, as-well. There’s already generated voices, generated works stolen from actual artists, generated music, and now this! It’s just so scary that it’s coming this far. 

Yeah, I've seen it. And yeah, it feels like the universe has taken on a 'fuck you in particular' attitude toward artists the past few years. A lot of damage has already been done, and there are plenty of reasons for concern, but bear in mind that we don't know how this will play out yet. Be astute, be justifiably angry, but don't let despair take over. --------

One would expect that the promo clips that have been dropping lately represent some of the best of the best-looking stuff they've been able to produce. And it's only good-looking on an extremely superficial level. It's still riddled with problems if you spend even a moment observing. And I rather suspect, prior to a whole lot of frustrated iteration, most prompts are still going to get you camera-sickness inducing, wibbly-wobbly nonsense with a side of body horror.

Will the tech ultimately get 'smarter' than that and address the array of typical AI giveaways? Maybe. Probably, even. Does that mean it'll be viable in quite the way it's being marketed, more or less as a human-replacer? Well…

A lot of this is hype, and hype is meant to drive up the perceived value of the tech. Executives will rush to be early adopters without a lot of due diligence or forethought because grabbing it first like a dazzled chimp and holding up like a prize ape-rock makes them look like bleeding-edge tech geniuses in their particular ecosystem. They do this because, in turn, that perceived value may make their company profile and valuations go up too, which makes shareholders short-term happy (the only kind of happy they know). The problem is how much actual functional value will it have? And how long does it last? Much of it is the same routine we were seeing with blockchain a few years ago: number go up. Number go up always! Unrealistic, unsustainable forever-growth must be guaranteed in this economic clime. If you can lay off all of your people and replace them with AI, number goes up big and never stops, right?

I have some doubts. ----------------------

The chips also haven't landed yet with regards to the legality of all of this. Will these adopters ultimately be able to copyright any of this output trained on datasets comprised of stolen work? Can computer-made art even be copyrighted at all? How much of a human touch will be required to make something copyright-able? I don't know yet. Neither do the hype team or the early adopters.

Does that mean the tech will be used but will have to be retrained on the adopter's proprietary data? Yeah, maybe. That'd be a somewhat better outcome, at least. It still means human artists make specific things for the machine to learn from. (Watch out for businesses that use 'ethical' as a buzzword to gloss over how many people they've let go from their jobs, though.)

Will it become industry standard practice to do things this way? Maybe. Will it still require an artist's sensbilities and oversignt to plan and curate and fix the results so that it doesn't come across like pure AI trash? Yeah, I think that's pretty likely.

If it becomes standard practice, will it become samey, and self-referential and ultimately an emblem of doing things the cookie-cutter way instead of enlisting real, human artists? Quite possibly.

If it becomes standard industry practice, will there still be an audience or a demand or a desire for art made by human artists? Yes, almost certainly. With every leap of technology, that has remained the case. ------------------ TL;DR Version:

I'm not saying with any certainty that this AI blitz is a passing fad. I think we're likely to experience a torrential amount of generative art, video, voice, music, programming, and text in the coming years, in fact, and it will probably irrevocably change the layout of the career terrain. But I wouldn't be surprised if it was being overhyped as a business strategy right now. And I don't think the immensity of its volume will ever overcome its inherent emptiness.

What I am certain of is that it will not eliminate the innate human impulse to create. Nor the desire to experience art made by a fellow soul. Keep doing your thing, Anon. It's precious. It's authentic. It will be all the more special because it will have come from you, a human.

[azsazz]

Midnight Muse (Part 23)

Azriel x Reader [Art School AU]

Summary: You and your best friend Feyre have just moved into a new apartment for your sophomore year of college at art school. What you didn't know when you signed the lease is that you'd be living next to three rowdy boys.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3,470

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7] [Part 8] [Part 9] [Part 10] [Part 11] [Part 12] [Part 13] [Part 14] [Part 15] [Part 16] [Part 17] [Part 18] [Part 19] [Part 20] [Part 21] [Part 22] [Masterlist]

_________________________________________

“So…” Feyre trails off and your gaze slides to hers in the mirror from where you’re brushing on blush. Your first date with Azriel is tonight and you haven't been able to focus on anything all day. “You and Azriel?”

“Yeah,” you respond softly, trying to fight the smile that’s tugging at your lips. She already knows the news since she’d come back home this morning with Rhys in tow, trying to get you to come out for breakfast with them. When they saw Azriel padding out of your room shirtless, her jaw almost hit the floor. She was sputtering like a child and her boyfriend helped her get her bearings, violet eyes glittering as he grinned at Azriel. You had shrugged at each other as Rhysand guided Feyre back out the door with a cheerful goodbye. “Azriel and I.” Her brown brows are still furrowed and you don’t like that look, swiveling around in the mirror to face her. “Is it that crazy of a concept? I feel like this kind of thing happens all of the time.”

“In movies,” Cassian pipes up, exclaiming. He’s sitting on your bed next to your best friend, having invited himself over an hour ago.

You eye him. “What are you doing here again, Cass? Shouldn’t you be hyping Az up or something?”

“Nah, he has Rhys for that,” he winks over at Feyre who only raises her eyebrows in response. “I’m here because I’m seeing you off tonight.”

“You’re not my dad,” you scoff, fishing in your makeup bag for your mascara.

“But I’d let you call me that anytime, (Y/N),” he jokes and you shake your head fondly at him. 

“I’m sure Azriel is going to love to hear that you’ve been flirting again.” 

Cassian hugs one of your pillows to his chest, flipping through a book that you left on the table beside your bed. You wonder if he’ll find the page Azriel bookmarked for you when he’d been flipping through it, saying he’d slipped in a cheeky note for you to find along with the naughty  passage. “He knows what I’m about. And if he feels threatened, that’s on him. I can just remind him of all of the times he used to—” The ringing of his phone cuts off his sentence and he slides it from his pocket, checking the caller before answering, murmuring a quiet hello down the line.

He frowns and you cock your head, watching intently. It’s not a face you think you’ve ever seen Cassian do seriously, and the way that his body tenses, you wonder who could be on the other line. 

“Yeah, I’m on my way,” he says finally, hanging up the phone and springing up from your bed. He tosses the pillow back to the head of the bed and strides towards the door, a concerning pull to his eyebrows that has Feyre calling out to him as he makes for the door.

“Everything okay, Cassian?” 

“I, uh—yeah, everything’s fine. I have to go,” he says but his mind is already in another place. “See you later.”

You and Feyre share a look in the mirror.

“So much for seeing me off.” 

She grins at you, sliding off of your bed to join you in front of the mirror. “Don’t worry, I’ll be here to do that.”

“Thanks,” you laugh, capping the mascara and putting it away. Leaning back a little, you admire your makeup in the mirror. “So, how are you and Rhys doing?” 

You feel like you haven’t spent much time with Feyre lately, with her busy with her boyfriend and you busy with yours. Your boyfriend, the words have you giddy. You and Azriel are officially a couple now and everything feels right. There are no more late nights spent trying to get him to shut his music off or glaring at him when his eyes wander your way. Now, your nights are spent talking and kissing and touching. Lots and lots of touching.

Your heart stutters happily in your chest. 

Feyre sighs dreamily. “He’s so great. I’m really glad we decided to move here this year, (Y/N).” 

“Me too,” you grin stupidly at her and the both of you break out in giggles. “Fey, will you help me pick out some jewelry?”

Azriel told you to dress casually, something with jeans because somehow he convinced you to get back on that death-trap he holds so dear to his heart. It’s a sunny afternoon out, no clouds in sight, and it eases you slightly that you won’t have to ride it in the rain again, no matter how much you enjoyed being pressed up against him.

Now that you’re Azriel’s girlfriend, you’re free to press up against him whenever you want. 

Naked, too.

“Here,” she says, hooking a necklace around your neck. She clasps it for you and you can’t help but stare at the blue gem that sits at the base of your neck, glittering in the light. It looks good, you think. 

“Is it weird to be nervous?” you ask, playing with the pendent. “We’ve already had sex but I’m still feel all jittery.”

“Being nervous is completely normal,” Feyre answers, patting you on the shoulder. “You have to promise to tell me all about it when you get home.”

“I will,” you shoo her playfully, “I promise.” 

You and Feyre chat lightly as you wait and it helps ease your nerves a little. She tells you about how excited she is about Halloween and asks if you think the both of you could convince the three boys next door to do a group costume with you. Cassian’s already been bragging about the insane pre-game party he throws every year before a night out at the bars, and you know you can easily get him on board. 

A knock at the door sends your nerves skyrocketing again. You smooth down your shirt as Feyre rounds the corner to open the door, crossing her arms over her chest like a stern mother meeting her daughter's boyfriend for the first time.

She squeals when the door swings open to Rhysand on the other side. He laughs, sweeping her into his arms and guiding her backwards in his hug. 

Your breath leaves your body at the sight of Azriel. He looks effortlessly handsome, his hair fingered through with a little gel even though he knows it’s going to be messed up from his helmet. His golden eyes gleam, crinkling at the corners with a smile when he catches your gaze.

He’s dressed in a simple black t-shirt but wears his leather jacket over it, the same one he had wrapped around your shoulders that night you spent in the rain. It’s pulled tight across his shoulders but he doesn’t seem to mind because the worn leather is comfortable.

Of course, he has his dark jeans on, and you catch his riding gloves peeking out of his pocket. 

You move to him like a moth to a flame, eagerly accepting the kiss he bends down to give you.

“You look amazing,” he breathes against your lips, never able to part from you. Never wanting to part from you.

“Thank you, you look very handsome,” you compliment, holding him close by the flaps of his jacket. 

“Ready to go?” he asks, and you nod eagerly, turning to say goodbye to Feyre and Rhys, who has his arms wrapped around her as they watch the two of you, grinning like fools.

“Where’s Cassian?” Rhysand asks, looking around the room. “I figured he’d be all up in Azriel’s business right now, playing the part.”

Feyre shrugs, answering. “We don’t know. He got a phone call and left right after.” Azriel and Rhys share a look that you can’t make out before Feyre’s continuing, sternly, “Don’t keep her out too late.” She points a finger at Azriel. He looks like he’s trying his best to stop himself from rolling his eyes and you stifle your laugh in the crook of your arm.

“Yes, ma’am,” he salutes, “See ya, Rhysie. Don’t have sex too loud tonight. Or on the couch.” 

Rhysand only smirks in response. “Why? Is it your turn?” 

Feyre smacks his chest and you drag Azriel out of the apartment before she can go at her boyfriend for that joke. You’ve all heard worse before from Cassian, so the quip rolls off of your shoulders easily…aaaand now you’re thinking about fucking Azriel on the couch.

“If we fuck on any couch, it’s going to be yours,” you comment as you step onto the elevator with him. Their couch is both bigger and comfier. You wouldn’t let Azriel suffer on your cheap, navy couch that you and Feyre got for a bargain.

“Fantasizing about fucking me on my couch, princess?” Azriel hums, his breath hot against the shell of your ear. The elevator feels almost stifling with the heat between you two, his eyes glittering with interest. “We can definitely make that fantasy come true. Do you have any others I should know about?” 

“No,” you answer all too quickly, and you try not to think too hard about the intrigue that flares in his gold eyes. “How about you?” you aim the question back at Azriel as the elevator comes to a stop on the first floor, doors creaking open slowly.

You can feel his gaze on your face as he studies you, and he doesn’t answer until you’ve left the building, Azriel holding the door open for you. “No,” he answers, but you know it’s a lie. 

It sparks interest in you, and when you cut him a glance from the corner of your eye, he’s smirking. 

Two can play at this game, apparently. 

Azriel shrugs out of his jacket and you’re taken back to the night when he’d given you a ride home in the storm as he helps you into it, admiring you in the loved leather before he tugs you closer. The smell of him is intoxicating to your senses and you don’t even care that the soon to be setting sun is warmer than usual because being encompassed in his jacket makes your heart flutter. 

You’re pressed all up against his front and Azriel can’t help himself but to grin along with you, dipping his head down for one more kiss. He chuckles as your lips chase his, pressing up into him on your tiptoes to follow. Azriel plucks one of the helmets strapped to the back of his motorcycle and helps you into it with the promises of more kisses to follow throughout the night.

You have to squeeze your thighs together when he shoves his own helmet over that dark hair of his. He looks hot as fuck standing there with his tattoos on display, peeking out from under the sleeves of his shirt and creeping up his neck. Said t-shirt clings tightly to his chest as if he’s worn it because he knows what it does to you, and you follow the lines down his long body to his tight waist.

“Earth to princess,” Azriel calls, rapping on your helmet with his knuckles. You startle from your ogling, glaring up at him. The crinkles around his eyes and the shaking of his shoulders are clear signs of his amusement, and you can’t resist that blush that stains your cheeks. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah,” you answer, but it’s a bit muffled from the helmet. Azriel helps you on his bike and when you’re settled behind him, he takes your hands and pulls them tight around his waist. 

“Hold on tight,” Azriel reminds you and your heart picks up its pace at both the proximity of your boyfriend and the fact that you’ve somehow allowed him to talk you into getting on the damned thing again. You tighten your thighs around his waist, wiggling even closer to him to make sure you’ve got a firm hold, and he groans like a man shot. “You keep grinding up against me like that, princess, and we’re going to go right back upstairs to that couch.” 

That doesn’t sound so bad, you think. You don’t have to endure a nerve-wracking ride on the motorcycle where all you’ll be able to think about is how much your body might slide if you fall and you’d get to see Azriel’s pretty dick.

As if sensing the direction of your thoughts, Azriel takes off without another warning. You squeak softly, squeezing your eyes shut tight as he pulls away from the building. 

You’re pretty sure he can feel the pounding of your heart against his back because at the first stop sign his hands come down to trace the length of your thighs, reassuring you with his touch. It helps settle you some, enough to peek your eyes open and watch the houses pass you by.

At some point in the ride, you actually find yourself enjoying it, muscles relaxing but your body still pressed in tightly to Azriel. You’re enjoying the feeling of the wind on your skin, pulling at your clothes and the feeling of Azriel’s warmth seeping through your front. You can understand how he feels so at ease like this, like a bat swooping through the night sky.

You arrive a few towns over where Azriel parks against a curb. It’s an artsy looking town, murals covering the sides of brick buildings, colorful storefronts calling to you left and right. The streets are bright from the streetlights and filled with laughter and a positive aura that stirs excitement in you, even more so when Azriel takes your hand.

“You okay?” He asks, a touch of concern flushing through those golden eyes. “The ride wasn’t too rough, was it?” 

You shake your head, smirking up at him. “I’ve had rougher.” 

He snorts, tugging you into him for a hug because your body pressed all hot up against his wasn’t enough. Azriel walks you down a block and down a pair of stairs. The walls are filled with graffiti and you look around in wonder while Azriel checks in with the young looking boy behind the counter. 

He finds you, head tilted and eyebrows furrowed as you try and discern the oddly shaped letters painted on the wall before you. You have no idea what the word is supposed to say, it’s bright red coloring stark against the deep teal wall it’s painted on.

“Here you go.” Azriel hands you coveralls and you scrunch your face in confusion. He has his own pair, a deep navy, and in his free hand he holds two respirators. 

“What’s all this for?” you ask, examining the beige jumpsuit he’s handed you. It’s clean and fresh, so you won’t complain.

“We’re spray painting,” Azriel answers almost sheepishly. At his tentative tone you look up, and you nearly grin. His cheeks are filled with warmth and you think this is the closest you’ve ever seen him to bashful. 

“We are?” you ask, eager all of a sudden. You know it’s something Azriel said that he, Rhysand, and Cassian have fooled around with, and you’ve always enjoyed seeing the many tags and artwork created on buildings and trains. You even researched Bansky for one of your high school papers, finding his reasoning behind his works vastly intriguing, but you’ve never tried the medium yourself. “This is going to be fun!”

Azriel’s shoulders droop in relief. He hadn’t been one hundred percent confident in this choice for a date, but he thought dinner at a restaurant wouldn’t be enough to impress you and that going to see a movie was much too cliche.

He smiles softly, reveling in the excitement in your eyes. “I think so too.” 

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

“Where do you get your inspiration from?” you ask Azriel, voice sounding muffled through the mask as you watch him paint a long, black line down the wall. The fan’s in the room are loud so you have to shout. You’d seemed nervous when you stepped into the room, cans of spray paint littered around the floor, the walls filled with intimidating artwork that you hardly had the heart to paint over, but now you’re most definitely enjoying yourself.

Azriel had been a reassurance from the get-go, explaining that everyone who booked time here comes in knowing that whatever they paint is going to be gone when the next guests arrive, so there’s no pressure to put on yourself, only to have fun.

And it is fun, getting a feeling for the can in your hand, how hard to press, how far to hold the can from the wall. Azriel showed you some techniques, guiding your hands in different motions to create perfect circles, to get the paint drips you were eyeing from someone else’s work. The only complaint you have about this date is that the masks make it difficult to kiss Azriel, who you’ve wanted to jump since he’d pressed his body flush against yours when showing you how to paint funky letters, his other hand a solid weight on your hip. 

You’ve been in awe of him all night, sneaking looks over your shoulder at what he was painting; a skeleton stallion with a skeleton riding it, sword raised as if leading an army of the dead into war. He’s skilled in many mediums and your heart aches as you wonder how it’s possible that he hasn’t been able to receive an apprenticeship yet.

Something stings in your chest. The way that Azriel draws, paints, tattoos…there’s a confidence there that you’re envious of. Every spray he makes seems so sure, so well laid it’s like he can see the end result as he’s working. You yearn to feel like that.

“What do you mean?” he asks, eyes flicking to yours for a moment before returning to his work, letting you know that you have his full attention. You’re in the midst of painting the skeleton horse's eyes a bright neon green, whispers of black shadows swimming from its nostrils.

You sigh, abandoning your can of paint and wiping the remnants of the pigment on your coveralls. “All this time I’ve known that I want to be in art, that I want to do something with it, but everytime I make something, it never feels good enough. Like I’m not as proud of it as I should be. I don’t have a style like you or Feyre do, and, if I do, I haven’t noticed it yet.”

Azriel fully stops what he’s doing and turns to you. His hand comes up to caress your jaw, tilt your head up to look at him. His eyes are soft with concern and there’s a wrinkle between his brow that makes you want to reach up and smooth it out, suddenly embarrassed that you’ve brought this up during your perfectly good date.

“Is that how you feel?” he asks, and you shrug shyly. Maybe you shouldn’t have said anything at all, but it’s been something that eats at you, day by day. “It sounds like you’re missing a muse, princess.” 

You frown. “A what?” 

“A muse,” Azriel repeats simply. “Something that inspires you.” 

Something that inspires you. You toss the words around in your head, thinking. Surely, you find things inspiring. You wrack your brain trying to come up with something, something that keeps you captivated, gives you the urge to put your pencils to your paper and create something beautiful…but there’s nothing. 

“So, you’re saying you inspire yourself?” you tease, thinking back to his exhibition. You tease, because if you don’t laugh, you might cry. You can see the glint of amusement in his eyes, and you continue your soft jab. “How very narcissistic of you, Az.” 

Azriel rolls his eyes and before you can joke further, he’s lifting his can of spray paint and marking you with a big heart across the entire front of your coveralls. Your mouth drops open in shock but his smirk makes the feeling roll right between your thighs. 

“I believe that muses have the ability to change,” he answers your earlier question. He’s staring down at you intently, and maybe he’s waiting for you to pick up a can and retaliate. Or maybe he’s thinking exactly what you’re thinking: trying to find someplace to tear each other's clothes off. 

“Oh, yeah?” you ask defiantly. You want to cross your arms over your chest but you don’t want to ruin his work. It feels like you’ve been branded by him, claimed by his artistic talent, and something flares within you at the very idea. “What’s your muse now?” 

Azriel doesn’t answer but he doesn’t need to. The way he seems to be devouring you with his eyes tells you all you need to know about who his current muse is.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

MM Taglist Part 1: @justvibbinghere @nickishadow139 @going-through-shit @honeycriess @natashachelsea @thisisew @kennedy-brooke @cat-or-kitten @sourapplex @magical-mischief-makers @reiincarnatiion @ccucumebrs @secret-ly-here @throneofsmut @cami26cami @torchbearerkyle @a-frog-with-a-laptop @sevikas-whore @endless-worldss @vellichor01 @bangtans-jagiya @kalulakunundrum @pinksmellslikelove @sakura-frost3-blog @imxnotxhere @bookishbroadwaybish @justdreamstars @i-am-infinite @whichwitchisthebitch @i-am-a-lost-girl16 @sia-r @ssmay123 @blackthorngirl @haivenhoule @18crazybutcutealsopsycho @bloodicka @wilmalovegood @jw83 @acourtofbatboydreams @hannzoaks @judig92 @aaronwarnerobsessedmylove @ilikefictionalmen @harrystylesfan2686 @dr4g0ngirl @helensophie

[suuuupernovaaa]

Taxi Cab

Hobie Brown x f!Reader

She would never hurt anyone. He would hurt anyone for her.

Before Hobie, nothing very eventful ever happened in my life. I grew up in a happy home, went to a good school, and decided to become an art teacher. I got good grades, I made life long friendships with people similar to me, and I kept my head down and minded my business.

Though it's been nearly half a year since he came rocketing into my life, I still can't put my finger what exactly drew Hobie to me. We don't have a lot in common. Where I am passive, Hobie is active and fierce. Where I am lenient, Hobie is harsh. Until Hobie, I had never listened to punk music, considered anarchy, or pierced a single thing on my body.

Well, I still haven't done the last one. Besides my ears. Needles are too much for me. Sometimes I get nervous that the spikes on Hobie's wardrobe are going to stick me.

Hobie is a force. He's dangerous, he's passionate, he's larger than life. Being near Hobie is addictive. He has a gravity around him that draws people in, but it tends to spit them out at much the same rate.

For some reason, I've been able to hang on. Sometimes it feels like clinging for dear life, until he reminds me how much he cares.

Even though he can do that in odd ways.

Like tonight.

Ever since I met Hobie, trouble seems to follow me around. I've been mugged twice, had my tires slashed, and even had to move because someone broke into my apartment and trashed the place.

My parents are becoming increasingly alarmed, only satisfied in the fact that Spider-Punk always seems to be nearby. They don't necessarily approve of Spider-Punk (I mean, most don't), but they do at least appreciate that he seems to be looking out for me.

Which is so weird! Hobie can't figure it out either, but he says Spider-Punk is a narcissistic asshole who only saves people to get attention for himself.

He might just be mad that I said I thought Spider-Punk seemed like he'd be cute, under the mask.

I was hoping my luck had turned around and I wouldn't need to run into Spider-Punk again for a while, but I guess that was just silly optimism. On my way to Hobie's with two large bags of groceries in hand, I'm stopped suddenly in the middle of the sidewalk when a taxi cab crashes directly into a fire hydrant.

The fire hydrant lets loose a typhoon of water in my direction, and I scramble to the right to get out of the water, but it's too late. I'm soaked.

"Oi!" I hear the unmistakable sound of Hobie yelling. He was heading my direction after I told him the bags were getting heavy, and arrived just in time to witness the crash. He wrenches open the door of the car and pulls out the taxi driver. He seems unharmed, a little shaken up, with heavy bags under his eyes and a wobble in his step.

Drunk or high.

"You could've killed someone!" Hobie is shouting, looking over at me and then back at the driver. "I ought to kick your fucking arse." He pushes the man against the side of his cab as the water continues to spray. I drop the groceries, mostly ruined now, and approach Hobie.

The man is muttering something under his breath, and as I reach them, I can smell the liquor coming through his pores.

I grab Hobie's arm. "I'm okay. Come on."

"No, I saw it, he nearly killed you, Y/N. Just a few feet over, you'd be gone. Then I'd have to fuckin' kill him!" Hobie slams him against his car one more time, and I pull on his arm harder.

"But he didn't. The cops are on their way. Let's go. I need help carrying the groceries, and it's too cold for me to be all wet."

Hobie looks at me finally, really looks at me, and then with one more burning glance at the inebriated taxi driver, gruffly releases his collar and turns to me.

Effortlessly, he scoops me up into his arms, bridal-style, and I gasp. He strides with ease over to our drowned groceries, and bends down, picking them up in his hands.

"Jesus, have you been working out?" I ask.

His face is too tense for a smile, but the corners of his mouth twitch. Despite my protests, he carries me into his building and up three flights of stairs, only setting me down once we are safe inside the walls of his apartment.

Without me asking, he goes into his room and brings out a pair of leggings I've left here before, and one of his t-shirts. I change in the bathroom, drying my hair as best I can with a towel, before going back to the kitchen to see what can be salvaged of the groceries.

"I think I can still do something with this! The bread is gone but, homemade bread crumbs aren't like, necessary. They're just fancy." I turn to see Hobie leaning against the kitchen counter, arms crossed, still scowling. "Uh, or I can go to the store, if the homemade bread crumbs were like, important."

I let out a yelp of surprise when Hobie pushes himself off the counter and strides towards me, grabbing me by the shoulders and bringing me to him for a rough, passionate kiss.

In moments, I meld into him, wrapping my arms around his waist as his fingers find their way into my hair, and his tongue enters my mouth.

This kiss feels different. Urgent, feverish, desperate. He holds me tightly, pressing me so close to him it feels like he wants us to be one person, like he would climb right into my skin.

I pull away for just a moment, gasping for breath. "Are you okay?" I say on an exhale.

Hobie stares down at me intensely, his hands still in my hair, his eyes wild and the corners of his mouth turned downward.

"I would do anything to keep you safe," he says flatly. "There's no limit to what I'd do."

I bring my hands up to his face, cupping his cheeks, nodding. "I know, Hobie."

"I would have killed that man if you hadn't stopped me."

I know he's exaggerating to make a point, but a chill runs up my spine a the way he says it so calmly, with no hint of irony. I remember his chest heaving, the wild look in his eyes as he held that drunk man up against his own car.

He looked out for blood.

"I'm okay, Hobie. So are you."

"Move in with me. You hate that new place. Stay here."

We've only known each other six months. We're barely adults. I make no money as a new teacher and I honestly haven't figured out how Hobie seems to make so much money off the gigs he plays. It's too soon to move in together. It's not smart.

But I love him. And he loves me. We haven't said it yet, but I don't know that we need to. I can see it in his eyes, feel it while he holds me, taste it on his lips.

He loves me.

"Okay."

"Today. Like, we can get your stuff later, but don't sleep there anymore. Stay with me."

I nod and lean forward, pressing my forehead to his chest. His hands finally leave my hair, and wrap tightly around my shoulders. I listen to his heartbeat - rapid at first, but as we stand there, silently clinging to each other, it begins to slow down.

He's pressing soft kisses to the top of my head, humming quietly, and I've never felt more in love.

I've never felt more cared for, more loved in return, more safe.

Six months or sixty years. I don't think it matters.

[theoisdaydreaming]

hi!! i loved your overlord angel dust/husk art and i commented about potentially turning it into a fic and adding your art, which you consented to. i was wondering if you had any additional ideas to make it more than a oneshot, maybe they open a casino together with mafia roots, collect souls together, etc…once again, your art was amazing!!

Thank you so much, I would love a fic about my AU (⁠人⁠*⁠´⁠∀⁠｀⁠)⁠｡⁠*ﾟ⁠+

Here are other ideas about the story:

In this AU Angel didn't worked with Valentino, he and Arackniss reconciled before Angel could sign a contract with him

That is not to say Angel wasn't doing sex work, he would take all kinds of offers, from stripping to singing gigs, just for the money

Regarding the backstory of the spider brothers I haven't really fleshed it out but here are some points of it:

They had kind of a strained relationship even though they cared for each other, because Arackniss (or Andrew as I like to think) used to put down Anthony's dreams of becoming a performer like the drag queens he liked to see (in secret) in the gay bars the Mafia used to own back in the 30s (real history btw)

He did this in hopes he would give up, leave it all behind and live a 'normal' life, out of fear their dad would disown him, or worse, kill him

It wouldn't matter anyway because both of them would die together while doing a shady work for the mob (who started the shots? They couldn't really remember)

At the beginning of their afterlife Arackniss avoided Angel with the guilt that (according to him) it was his fault his little brother got shot in the eye. (He was too far, too late, he couldn't protect his brother and now he's dead because of him)

Cause of this angel thinks his brother hates him, but they eventually encounter during a turf war that went wrong

Arackniss sees Angel surrounded and not wanting to repeat his brothers death again, he saves him this time.

They sort things out, and become closer than ever

When Arackniss figures out what angel has been doing for money they decide to start doing mob work again, they're good and people start giving their loyalty and doing contracts with them because the brothers actually care about the souls they own, deciding to learn from their father's mistakes, they respect all of their workers

furthermore, Angel gains more influence because he gave the people he met while being a sex worker, safe and living conditions; every stripper, actor, performer wanted to work with him, and with all the contracts he made, became an overlord

On the other hand, arackniss does all the shady work, sticking to the shadows, not wanting any attention. He is very prod of angel, and becomes his right hand man

Other ideas and dynamics:

Angel calls arackniss An, Andy or niss

Arackniss calls angel Angie, Anni, or Anth. (He never really liked tony, that's what his father called him)

They love each other very much but they're still siblings, they bicker and fight all the time (all their goons are used to it at this point, unimpressed by the brothers shenanigans)

Valentino develops some sort of obsession with Angel after meeting him (this brings problems)

Angel fell first, husk fell harder

They kind of had an enemies to lovers (but not really, more like a rivalry bc angel likes to annoy the cat overlord for fun)

Molly is still in heaven in this AU, arackniss was able to shield her from the family business (he couldn't with angel though, That's part of his guilt)

She died of heart disease before the brothers death

Angel is the spoilt younger sibling

I haven't really thought about how him and husk get together but they will definitely become a power couple

I like the idea Angel performs at the casino

He sings, does drag, etc. (Maybe some pornos too, just for fun)

What caught husk's attention is that Angel cared a lot for the souls he owned, he treated them like the humans they are

That's all I have for now, I will make more art about this AU later, you can use it if you like, whether as reference or inspiration for the fic (⁠*⁠˘⁠︶⁠˘⁠*⁠)⁠.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡

Ik this is more about Angel and Arackniss but I really like to focus on their story. So regarding the huskerdust you can have fun with that as I don't have a lot of ideas

[sir-yeehaw-paws]

The forced sanitization of the internet has become so annoying. You haven't been able to share news articles on Facebook in Canada since late 2023 (and yes, its FACEBOOK I get it, but a lot of families do still use it as a primary means of communication, and small businesses use it). Some people get around this by taking screenshots of news, and posting the caps, but this whole mindset of everything in sight needing to appeal to advertizers is depressing as fuck.

I don't have a TikTok account, but the whole thing where you have to physically get aroudn 'bad topics' with ridiculous censorship, or sites bending and caving to implementing a stern 'no NSFW' policy that, I'll point out DOESN'T WORK (so what was the point?) so that it can be more viable to running ads, (half of which are bots with explicit porn: becasue it doesn't matter what is actually being advertized, as long as the persons paid for that ad space) proves that these factors aren't about "protecting the innocence" of anyone, but for money.

Which sure duh obviously but it's a little pathetic that people can't do proper research or get information about topics, without having to use god knows how many work arounds, because "this word is considered unsafe, this word is too controversial, this that." And now when you DO try to use Google, your first set of results are going to be sponsored ads, or search terms, and the amount of hits you'll get decreases.

I was taught how to do effective research in University. Methods that are now oudated, because ads rule the internet. Forget artistic freedom, forget human desires, forget anything that used to make the internet even semi-manageable; as long as it caters to ads, it's allowed.

There's some arguments too that people throw "to many hissy fits" about not being allowed NSFW. That it's not needed, that you can "go ten mintues without porn" blah blah blah.

Sure, you can do that. But the fact that there's no real place for minors to go and have their own place online, and that previously "17+ ONLY" sites (which tumblr was, btw) all caved to the pressure of "protect them so we can make money!" is just sad.

And it's not just porn that gets censored, by the by. It's anything deemed "inapporiate" which is also how lots of NEWS gets butchered and censored. Because you see goddamned news articles with "so and so unalived themselves" or whatever the hell it is. And YouTubers have to report on current events with "Mr. Person of this Article *bleeped* himself on the 2nd of March." etc. Because they will get demonitized otherswise. Censorship takes out context and shoves eveything under an umbrella.

So now you're watching a news report, with censored 'bad words' before a three minute ad roll interrupts that video, at some ridiculous mid-sentence moment, to show you an image of some mobile game with naked women shooting ppl in the head. All things that aren't supposed to be allowed but are accepted because it's ads.

But heaven's forbid you post an art piece with visible naked breasts, what would the children think!?

[wizardly-shrimp]

I've been real busy with classes as of late so i haven't really been able to do a bunch of personal work, but on my down time I've been slowly chipping away at some sticker/print designs that i want to sell at my school's upcoming art fair, so you might see more stuff like this on here soon

[confused-red-head]

These Curses We Bear

Chapter 1 - If these Walls Could Talk

Pro-Hero!Shouto Todoroki x Psychic Medium Detective!Reader

Masterlist

Previous - Current - Next

WARNING: dark themes, death, minor character death, descriptions of dead bodies(no excessive gore), paranormal activities, blood, violence, cursing, angst, angst WITH COMFORT(moreso in later chapters), mentions of trauma, mentions of illness, fem!reader, READER TALKS TO GHOSTS, ghost child in chapter 1, children in general, Reader being a dork, home break-in, slowish burn, pro hero au, aged up characters, strangers to friends to lovers, etc.

"Sorry, but I'm not an exorcist."

If you had one yen for every time you've said this exact phrase, you certainly wouldn't have found yourself with a weeping man begging on his knees in the middle of an ice cream shop.

But beggars can't be choosers.

"Please! So many people have gotten sick and we have no idea why! We've had the place inspected from top to bottom and they haven't found anything! We had to throw out all of our previous batches of ice cream! This is costing us so much and at this rate we will have to shut down! I didn't know what else to do!", the shop owner pleads, his hands clasped together with a tear-streaked face.

With a sigh, you pinched the bridge of your nose. It was already late by the time you received the call from the shop owner, Mr. Masuda. The conversation over the phone was frantic and garbled, enough so that you had rushed out of my apartment in your pajamas and gray peacoat. Rookie mistake. Seeing how you had nothing to lose, you may as well try.

"Fine. Alright. I'll try, but there's no promise that if there is a spirit or that it will want to talk. On top of that, I can't promise I'll be able to get them to cease activity. If that's the case, I do have the contacts of some people who may be able to help you."

"Oh thank you! Thank you! You are a lifesaver!"

Mr. Masuda bowed even lower as you sidestepped around him. You took in the shop's atmosphere. The place was brightly colored, various walls painted pastel blue, pink, and yellow. The tables and seats were covered in similarly-colored patterns; while the walls were decked out with signs, photos, art, and flourishing plastic plants. You thought it would have been a nice place to wind down after a day of running errands. Unfortunately for you, today was not that day.

"Now, where did you say the activity occurred most?"

Mr. Masuda rose from his bow and clambered to stand on his own two feet.

"The ice cream display! We've had customers feel nauseous or even faint due to a sudden difficulty in breathing."

You hummed in response and wandered over to the casing, your eyes flickered to and fro; searching for even a single speck of dust out of place. You quickly slip on a rubber glove from your bag, swipe a finger over the surface of the casing, and rub two fingers together, searching for any unusual substances. 

Nothing. No grainy or oily texture from a foreign substance. Still, that doesn't rule out foul play from a neighboring business, competitor, or even just a particularly upset customer.

Some people are real fucking crazy…

"You clean and wipe down every surface at the end of the day, right?"

You strip off the glove, shoving it into your pajama pants pocket to dispose of later.

"Of course! I wouldn't dare leave the place filthy!", Mr. Masuda was obviously offended by your speculation.

"Alright! Okay! I'm just making sure. You'd be surprised with what some businesses cut corners on…", you crouched down to inspect the ground around and underneath the display case as you continued to ask questions.

"Do you know anyone who could possibly hold a grudge against you or profit from the shop closing?"

"Wh-what?! No! At least not that I know of. It's not like we are in a prime location and I haven't had any encounters that I can think of that would cause such a response.", Mr. Masuda wrung out hands at the thought of someone wanting to hurt him and his business. "Do you think someone may have cursed me?!"

You hummed in thought.

"Hmm perhaps… if it really is a spirit that is.", you rose from your place on the floor and turned to face the frantic shop owner, "You said an employee saw a ghostly form when she was locking up earlier tonight?"

"Yes! Miss Kimura! She's a very hard working girl and very kind too! She does well with the children who come in! It broke my heart hearing how terrified she was over the phone after she saw it."

"Did she describe it to you? Have you perhaps seen a similar figure yourself?" 

"I haven't seen anything like she described, but she said she saw a pale white figure, small like a child. She said it looked like it was looking into the display case, standing where the incidents keep happening."

You dug your hand into your messenger bag, one you bring to on-site investigations, and pulled out a UV flashlight. 

"Mind hitting the lights for me?"

"O-oh! Of course!", Mr. Masuda rushed over to the light switches near the shop entrance. As soon as the lights flickered out, you clicked on the flashlight and passed the shining purple light over the display case surface. Quickly, you find something interesting. Two small handprints make themselves known in the ultraviolet light. 

"And you said you wash the display case every night?"

"Yes! We clean the place thoroughly after closing! Kimura said she only saw the figure when she was locking up.", he perked up a bit, prideful of his shop's cleanliness.

"Well… either she missed a spot or these prints are fresh…", you flashed the light over the handprints again to show Mr. Musuda, who quickly looked shaken over the find.

"I… I'm sorry…"

A voice called out, sounding meek and guilty.

"Mama always said I shouldn't touch the glass, but the ice cream looks so good…"

You turned slightly towards the voice that came from right beside you. Your eyes landed on a ghostly figure of a young girl, looking no older than six years old and wearing a hospital gown. Her head hung in shame, clearly guilty of her actions. You slowly descended into a squat, careful not to scare the spirit girl. 

"Hey…", you spoke softly as if she were a lost child looking for their parents ,"It's okay. We can clean up again. May I ask for your name?"

The girl looked spooked at the fact I acknowledged her at all. Her eyes went wide with surprise.

"M-mama said I shouldn't talk to strangers… but I don't think anyone else can hear or see me…" 

"You're a smart girl to listen to your mama. She's right afterall. I understand if you're nervous, but I just want to ask you a few questions. Only if you're okay with that, of course, but I'd really like to try and help you."

The girl tugged at her gown nervously, looking down like she was contemplating whether you could be trusted or not.

"...Okay…", She whispered, "I'll answer your questions. My name is Chihoko Konuma."

"You have a very lovely name, Miss Konuma. My name is Y/N L/N, I'm a private detective," You turned to Mr. Masuda and gestured toward him,"and this nice man is Mr. Masuda. He's the owner of this shop."

"I know Mr. Masuda!", she perks up at the name

"Oh? How do you know him?"

"Me and Mama would come here every sunday! He's very nice! And Miss Kimura too!", and as quickly as it came her happy attitude disappeared. 

"I… I scared Miss Kimura,didn't I? Can you tell her I'm sorry? I really didn't mean to."

"I'm sure she will be fine. It's okay. She just… didn't understand." You trailed off.

You inhaled and clasped your hands together, tucking them under your chin.

"Do you remember what happened before you found yourself here?"

"I… I was in the hospital. Mama said my lungs didn't work right, that the doctors were going to help me… It hurt. It hurt a lot. And Mama was crying. I was so tired. All I wanted was to see Mama happy again. I just wanted to go out like before. Then we could get ice cream like we always did."

You could feel your throat tighten at the sight of tears welling up in the girl's eyes, hands in her gown tighten even further. 

"... Miss Detective… I'm not going to wake up, am I?"

Your heart dropped and you couldn't bring yourself to look her in the eye. This was the part you hated most. There were plenty of spirits who didn't understand what had happened to them. Many went on believing that they were still among the living, going about their day confined to a certain space or attached to a certain object. But, being the one to break the news never sat right with you.

"... No. I'm sorry, Chihoko." Your voice stayed steady and firm, yet gentle.

There was a heavy silence that settled. One that felt like it could drag you to the deepest depths of the ocean and never let up. From the corner of your eye you could tell even Mr. Masuda was affected by the intense wave of sadness in the room as he cupped his mouth to keep himself from choking up despite only catching half the conversation.

"...You said you wanted your Mama to be happy, right?" You started, forcing yourself to look at her again, "Well… I'm sure the thing that would make your Mama happiest… would be knowing that you were happy… that you don't hurt anymore…"

Chihoko looked up at you, ghostly tears fell from her eyes, but disappeared before they ever reached the ground. Her hands loosened their grip on her gown.

"... Chihoko, would you like some ice cream?"

She stayed silent, but nodded. You finally rose from your squat and held your hand out to Chihoko. 

"C'mon, you can choose where we sit."

She nodded again and took your hand. You felt a cold and wispy feeling envelope your hand as she began to lead you to the table in front of the windows.

"Mr. Masuda, you can go ahead and turn the lights back on. We're going to have ice cream if you don't mind." You smiled at the man who looked absolutely baffled by the situation.

"O-oh… yes! Of course!" He flicked the lights on and rushed back behind the counter.

"Is… is this part of the process?" He paused for a moment, looking for some clarity from you. 

"Uhhh yeah! Yes! Absolutely! The spirit demands an offering! And the offering must be ice cream!" You gave off a silly dramatic flare to your little speech and you heard a little giggle from the now seated ghost girl. 

"Psst, what do you want?" You leaned over slightly.

"Hmm… birthday cake ice cream with two scoops…"

"The mighty spirit demands two scoops…"

"No! Wait! Three! Three scoops!"

"Wait! Three scoops of birthday cake ice cream!"

"I also want rainbow sprinkles! Oh! And a cherry on top!"

"And make that with rainbow sprinkles and a cherry on top! So does the mighty spirit Chihoko demand it! All hail the mighty spirit!" You flare out your peacoat dramatically in emphasis, "... and uhh throw one in for me too, please."

You heard giggles erupt from the girl as Mr. Masuda quickly began putting together the orders, looking even more puzzled than before. Once finished he rushes over with two cups. You took one of the cups from his hands and raised it high above your head. 

"Dear mighty spirit! Please accept our offering!" 

You sat the cup in front of Chihoko, leaning slightly, you said softer, "May you find peace and happiness."

Chihoko smiled brightly and kicked her feet in her seat, "Thank you, Miss Detective."

"Anytime, Kiddo."

As you sat in the seat across from her and propped your head with your hand, you noticed a daydreaming look in her eyes. As if she were somewhere else completely. Where the sun was shining, the flowers were in bloom, and the beautiful birdsong rang through the air. Soon enough the ghostly girl's visage had dispersed, the seat she once occupied was once agin empty.

That knot in your throat appeared again. You bit the inside of your cheek and took slow breaths. With a hefty sigh, you rose from your chair and turned to Mr. Masuda. 

"So… so that's it? Is it coming back?" Mr. Masuda stuttered out, still very much confused.

"No. She most likely won't be coming back. If the events occur again, just call me up again and I'll take a look at it."

"Ah! That's good! Thank you so much, Detective! And uhhh about the payment-"

"Don't worry about it right now. It's late. I'll call you tomorrow and we can work something out. For now just worry about getting your business back in order." You take your ice cream cup in hand, "But I wouldn't mind taking this and a few more pints of ice cream home, if you don't mind…"

The plastic bag rustled as it swung into your leg with each stride. Mr. Masuda gladly agreed to give you some ice cream and sent you on your way with a promise of payment in the future. 

The ice cream shop may not have been far from your apartment, but each step felt heavier than the last. The streets weren't empty, but it was certainly quiet enough for your thoughts to ring louder than the idle chatter of the people on the street.

 You hated this feeling. The emotional exhaustion that came with interacting with spirits was sometimes too much to bear. All you wanted to do was have your tea and fall asleep while cuddling your cat. Maybe cry a little. Or cry a lot. Who knows? 

The thought of home was enough to will the energy to make the trek back. You felt your feet quicken the moment you saw your tiny apartment building come into view. 

Your hand blindly dug into your bag for your keys as you made your way up the strangely steep and uneven steps you have learned to navigate. The moment you pushed in the code and the door opened you heard whispers in your ears. 

Yes. Your apartment building was also haunted. 

Lucky you.

It was the reason you could afford a decent apartment for so cheap. You made a deal with the landlord to keep the spirits in check for a more affordable price on rent. Especially since the spirits were quite lively.

 They weren't aggressive exactly, but more curious and sociable. They especially liked to give you all the apartment building gossip. You can't lie, it was pretty entertaining. Like your own personal reality tv show.

And this time they came to you with news of someone breaking into your apartment.

Oh goodie. 

Your mood soured and you began to march up the stairs of the building. Of all nights some random asshole had to choose tonight. If someone was going to die tonight it certainly wasn't going to be you. You would be personally adding a new spirit to the apartment building's collection. 

It wasn't until you had reached your door had you caught the feeling of a familiar aura. Your sour mood lifted into a mix of relief and confusion.

You unlocked the door and let it swing open.

"I know we are friends and all, Shinsou, but at least give me a heads up before you go breaking into my apartment."

You reached the end of the hall and flicked on the lights to reveal the pro hero, his indigo hair tucked away under a black, slicked back wig, dark brown eye contacts over his natural purple, and heavy make-up distorting his natural features. He sat on your couch with your cat curled up in his lap, who clearly didn't seem deterred by his drastically different appearance.

That little traitor.

"Long time no see, Miss Nancy Drew. As always you are no fun to surprise."

Despite the lax nature of his words, there was a seriousness in his voice and a hard look in his eye. An uneasiness settled in your stomach. You closed your door and slipped off your shoes

"Something happened."

It was less of a question and more of a statement. He nodded. It was then you sensed a second presence. One unfamiliar to you.

"So… who's your friend hiding in my bathroom?"

You didn't like this. You had never seen Shinsou look so hesitant. Guilty almost. 

"Look. I need you to do me a favor…"

"First, I need you to tell me who the hell is in my fucking bathroom, Shinsou." Your voice had cut him off. Quick and angry you whispered. You were not in the mood to play these games. 

Shinsou let out a frustrated and defeated sigh. Your cat jumped off his lap as he leaned forward to press his intertwined hands to his mouth. 

"Shouto."

Huh?

"Number three pro hero, Shouto."

…

"WHAT?!"

Taglist: @andypantsx3

[airborneice]

i'm late to this year’s art review thingy bc I had a reeeally busy december and then left my laptop behind when I came home so couldn’t finish any drawings or get my files 🥲 anyway I’ve been reunited with it now so!!!

it’s been a weird but mostly good year!! i started my first proper job in the anim industry and moved house twice. there’s tons of stuff i wanted to make this year but couldn’t find time for bc of the amount of. everything. going on all the time. it was actually a bit hard finding art to fill the spaces this year, which is why i had to stretch my little amount of sketchbook week stuff over two months. it’s been a little bit frustrating - i feel like i’ve learned so much from my job but i haven’t had much time to do anything to show it, but i guess that’s the trade-off. it’s cool being a small part of someone else’s idea but that means i get less time & energy for my own. i want to try and strike a better balance between the two this year and i really hope that soon i’ll be able to share the thing i’m working on i’m literally gonna die of excitement 😭

it’s been really cool getting to make more content of my ocs and see ppl enjoy it, you guys and the nice comments you leave are everything to me. i hope this new year is kind to everyone and thanks for sticking around <3

some of these i haven't posted so to give due credit -

*feb was a gift for @ewwgene-fitzherbert of our blorbos <3

*september is fanart of @the-hilda-librarians-wife’s amazing OC meiri. there will be more

[yuurivoice]

how are you doing lately yuuri? (everyones been asking about content so i just wanted to ask something that wasnt related to it. obviously no ill will towards them ❤❤)

I'm pretty great actually!

My 2024 didn't really kick off until the middle of March tbh, but now that I'm really rolling I'm feeling good about things.

Creatively I'm charged up and full of ideas. Every time I go to the well, my cup is full. That's the best case scenario for any artist, so I'm very happy. The bigger projects will take time but I am actively chipping away at them rather than letting them stew in my brain.

Am still head over heels for Aerith after playing FFVII Rebirth, and put some solid hours into Dragon's Dogma 2, so I've been a real gamer boy so far in 2024 lol

Cats good. House good. Life good.

Nothing really new going on. Had an appointment to get my passport, that was cool and my picture turned out pretty decent so I'm not mad at that.

I'll be seeing Nothing More and Hozier in concert this month, and Motionless in White next month. Excited about that for sure.

Life is definitely very content-centric right now but it doesn't feel like work and things are going well in terms of numbers. It's an ebb and flow usually but when both of those align it feels particularly rewarding!

I've streamlined and refined some of my processes when it comes to scripts, planning, etc. and that feels good after years of just sorta vomiting on the page and hoping everyone involved can figure it out lol

Had some really wonderful portfolio submissions when I called for them on Patreon! I have many people I need to reach out to and I feel really optimistic about some of the writers that reached out. Having some wonderful scripts to use when I need to get ahead of schedule and focus my own writing on the narrative projects is really going to take some pressure off of me. Script submissions have been helpful sometimes, but now that I have a bit more brain capacity I can take extra steps to really get hands on and work with select writers 1:1. Script submissions will still be a thing, and if you haven't submitted your portfolio and think you've got the sauce...go hit my business email!

In terms of art I just need to expand options when it comes to merch, one off thumbnails, etc. to help with the flow of things. With multiple major series coming, I'd like to be able to keep Jackie on those and not have to interrupt the flow by throwing a new thing at her every other week and end up messing with the schedule because I can't stop having ideas lol

So! A lot of great stuff going on. I'm feeling great and am looking forward to smashing the rest of this year!

[literallyjusttoa]

Firstly I’d like to say that your art is SO GOOD!!! I love how you draw Lester (who is a comfort character to me) I’ve been a Percy Jackson fan for YEARS and I’ve always thought that the Trials of Apollo series was SEVERELY underrated. I have the audiobooks and all the novels (some in more shambles than others due to how long I’ve had them) but I love how there is a small fan base for the series still going strong even after the series is over.

I’d like to ask you a question: Do you think we will ever get a Trials of Apollo TV series? And I’d also like to ask if you have any fancasts for Apollo?

I am so late on this BUT the Pjo TV show just came out so this feels rly relevant.

First of all thank you! I'm glad you like my art as a fellow Lester enjoyer! When it comes to a ToA TV series, I'm not really sure? I think if the Pjo show gets popular enough (which like, from the reaction to the first two episodes I'm gonna say it will) Talks about adapting the rest of the books would be inevitable. But TV is a notoriously unpredictable business, and it's especially shaky right now. A series being able to survive long enough to get to what would end up being the 10th-15th seasons is incredibly rare. So like, I'm really not banking on it, but if it does happen I'll be pleasantly surprised!

As for fancasts, I haven't put too much thought into it, but I think I would want the person cast for Apollo to have some sort of experience in musical theatre, bc like, Apollo is a theatre kid lol. Obviously they need to be able to sing, and I'd want them to be very physically dramatic? Like, not goofy, but I want them to be big on screen, if that makes sense. I really don't have any preferences when it comes to looks, bc with these sort of things I'd much rather an actor that can accurately portray the character than one that just "looks" like Apollo (plus Apollo can look like anything lol). All of this rambling is to distract you from the fact that I'm not naming any actors bc I genuinely suck at remembering actors and the things they've been in haha whoops.

[legendary-cookies]

Happy New Year everybody!

January 1st is also funnily enough this blog's anniversary!

Legendary-Cookies is now 3 years old which means of course your obligatory cheesy post lmao

I'm putting it under a cut because the post ended up longer than I meant

Sorry gzjrhrzjziyt

I feel like I've only been posting less and less lately, but I really appreciate every one of you for following this blog anyway!

Thank you all so much!

I still very much like Cookie Run but I've been much more busy with less motivation, so I haven't been posting nearly as much as I want to

I can't promise anything unfortunately, but this year I hope to be able to get through my art ideas list for this blog and work on some other projects I have planned

For one, I do plan on adding Black Pearl to the profile picture and banner

I haven't forgotten

I just haven't gotten around to it lmfao

I also want to work more with animation this year, so things like animation memes or test animations or stuff like that might happen in the future

I'll still post in-game content about the Legends as well of course

I've made two other anniversary posts but I feel like I've never talked about how this blog started

Honestly though, I'm not sure how I started this blog lmao

I remember I wanted to make an ask blog with Cookie Run characters, but I couldn't tell you why I chose the Legends specifically

It could've been that I liked their concept because I've always been a sucker for elemental characters

I feel like it also could've been that of all the groups in Cookie Run, the Legends appealed to me the most

For those who didn't know by the way, this blog used to be just the Elemental Four

I added the rest of the Legends later, but Sea Fairy, Moonlight, Fire Spirit, and Wind Archer were the very first

Funnily enough, the first Cookie Run character I ever remember seeing was Sea Fairy

It all came full circle lmfao

I love all of the Legendary Cookies, but those four specifically will always be close to my heart

It's about to get extra cheesy, but ever since I started this blog, those four specifically have become so special to me and are definitely comfort characters

Maybe one day if I'm brave enough, I'll go through my old posts and redraw some stuff

But I digress

To finish this long post off (sorry about that hgszhdjihfz), I want to thank you all again so much for following me and my content!

I guess we'll see what 2023 has in store for us

And hopefully it's better

- Mod Velvet

[peachypede]

Hi all.

I haven't been happy lately. I've been thinking a lot about why. Had a little meditation on it this morning. I think my brain is too busy. I've decided to take a break from Tumblr for a week. Possibly more if I feel like it.

I'm deleting Tumblr off my phone for now. Mutuals can still message on Discord. I'm a sahm, I'll go crazy with zero human interaction other than children lol. (If you're a mutual who doesnt have my Discord and you want it, feel free to DM to ask for it. I got notifs on for Dms on Tumblr on my tablet only)

...

There's this constant pressure, almost need? To churn out as much "content" as possible or be buried in the past. Idk if it's just me not being able to do art normally? I used to draw for myself. I used to be self-indulgent. I used to be fine with only my closest online friends seeing my art. I don't know what changed. It makes me feel ill that ive begun seeing my art as "content" that others "consume". I wanna make my art for me again.

I stayed up till 11 pm last night despite having to wake up at any time to feed the baby. Idk why I did it? Maybe I need a med change? Meh.

I've also just been discouraged. I've seen a lot of posts filled with hate lately and I feel like it's infecting me with hatred too. I'm angrier lately and I hate it. (Is there a way to turn off the "for you" page?? Cause all it gives me is bad takes lol.)

I think I need time to be me? To draw art without feeling like I should post it right away. Also it'd be nice to make art without thinking: "what will get the most notes?" I've wanted to do a project with my ocs for months now but I kinda have been putting it off in order to make stuff I think people would like more...like Submas stuff. Don't get me wrong, I love our submas boys and I'm still gonna draw stuff with them but they're not the thing I'm most passionate about now.

So I'm gonna go explore that stuff now with zero social media influence :)

See ya later. ❤️

[funbirdnest]

Atlantis - Below the surface chapter 1

(The first year of ES's establishment. Early February. The morning after Himemiya Tori had a nightmare—At the ES building; inside Starpro's office.)

Yuzuru: —Sanctuary is closing?

Well, it is what it is... I guess it can't be helped. Mankind wasn't quite ready for that strange amusement park.

Eichi: It's unlike you to rush to conclusions so quickly, Yuzuru.

No, I suppose you were simply speaking your mind. Still, it's unusual to hear you say something like this.

I really like Sanctuary, but it turned out to be quite unpopular in the industry... especially among active idols.

I'm well aware that a considerable amount of people out there would prefer to pretend it doesn't exist in the first place. It seems that you're one of them, Yuzuru.

Nevertheless, I still believe that it's a worthwhile enterprise that will increase the number of idol-related job opportunities and encourage newcomers to enter the industry.

Yuzuru: As I said earlier, Eichi-sama's ideas are too innovative; most people cannot grasp even their core concept.

And, of course, that includes the smug servant standing before you.

Saying this to you, Eichi-sama, may be akin to lecturing the Buddha himself, but people generally avoid the unknown and that which they cannot understand.

Eichi: I wonder whether that will actually be an issue. I'm used to responses like that—Besides, most people will probably keep their mouths shut if Sanctuary actually begins making money.

Profits—immeasurable amounts of money—have the power to dissolve all human reason.

That's why, even though many wise people preached in opposition to it, no one was able to prevent the Great Depression.

It's the same reason why gambling has never fallen out of fashion. Fufu, well, now it sounds like we're talking about Crazy:B instead of fine.

Anyway, there are no plans to close Sanctuary. It hasn't even officially opened yet, after all.

There's no sense in closing it before it has made a return on investment. And it's not as though I've experienced any major issues with it.

Yuzuru: If only you had said that from the beginning. You have been adding unnecessary embellishments to each of your responses.

Eichi: With Wataru absent today on theater business, I've been starved for a conversation partner.

Yuzuru: Did you really call us here simply because you wanted someone to talk to?

Eichi: No, by no means, I'm not that lonely. I have an actual reason.

Thanks to this bad habit of mine, I keep dancing in circles around the subject... But, to begin with, Sanctuary is—

Tori: —Yaaawn... Mm.

Eichi: Tori. You're not acting like yourself today. For you to yawn like that... Is something the matter?

It's quite improper. You've always been so well-behaved around me.

You've been silent this whole time and you seem quite sleepy... Perhaps you didn't sleep well last night?

Tori: Eh!? Aaah, I'm sorry, Eichi-sama! That was super embarrassing!

Eichi: It's alright, because Wataru Number 2—I mean, Yuzuru—was listening to what I had to say.

Yuzuru: I will pretend that I did not hear that unpleasant error.

Eichi: What an exemplary butler.

Tori: I-I'm sorry, Eichi-sama. I haven't gotten much sleep lately because I've been having nightmares.

Yuzuru: Yes. Bocchama awoke me quite late last night... And then he clung to my chest and cried like a little baby.

Tori: Hey, can you stop telling stupid lies? You know I'd never do something that embarrassing, right, Eichi-sama!?

Yuzuru: Forgive my impertinence. I was relaying the contents of my own dream.

Tori: Don't have dreams like that! Groooss! Super gross!

Yuzuru: Fufu. Even I am unable to control the contents of my own dreams.

Eichi: This all sounds very interesting. Are you familiar with the art of dream interpretation?

Tori: D-Don't fall for it, Eichi-sama! I feel like if you dig any deeper into Yuzuru's dream, something scary is gonna happen!

Eichi: It's not my intention to ignore your request by elaborating on the subject, but it's been said that a person's heart is laid bare in their dreams. Well, there's probably no real basis to those beliefs, though.

By projecting a favorable interpretation onto someone's dream, you can lighten their spirit, even if only slightly. That's one of the selling points of fortune telling.

Getting to feel better without medication—that's a good deal, isn't it? So, as long as it's alright with you, why not tell me about the dream you had?

Tori: I mean—no matter what, dreams are just dreams. You usually forget them as soon as you wake up.

Well... In my dream, I felt like I was sinking endlessly to the bottom of the sea.

It was just a dream, but it was so painful and cold—and way too dark to see anything. It was really scary.

Eichi: The sea? Hm, this is quite the strange coincidence.

Yuzuru: What do you mean?

Eichi: To be honest, it's probably hasty of me to tell you this now, but—There are plans in the works to build something akin to a second Sanctuary.

That's why I called the two of you here today—I wanted to talk to you about it.

Yuzuru: A second Sanctuary? Eichi-sama, is it your intention to create another bizarre amusement park?

Eichi: Yes. And I plan to build this amusement park under the sea.