#but my art style still plays a role as well as the way I want it to become. There are many different styles to have

[notemaker]

A friend sent me a winter story about frozen spiderwebs, and thought it would be a really cool design to add to jack. With his gangly limbs, he's kind of a Winter Spider himself.

[itsguysnightitsironic]

Curse of the Nitghborne.

Guys, I haven't had time to play a lot, but I think the god of this land MAY BE the bad guy, but don't listen to me much.

Get up, folk! Flor did another Curse of Strahdanya crossover after Derek mentioned Lethica fused with Strahdanya as one throw joke in a stream!

The style is indeed inspired by the great art in Hades (the videogame), and the background is by Hades II.

The drawings without text:

Also, this was written at four in the morning, and I refuse to correct my insomniac ramblings this is the beta experience:

Lethica Nightborne as Strahdanya

----LORE------- In Barovia, a land of the dead, of suffering and grief, a new god has appeared out of nowhere covering the land in an eternal night... Of happiness? Lethica Nightborne, known as the Divine, has presented herself as the saviour that the land needed it, for what seems like decades. Her light, her kindness, her power, has changed the region and the hearts of the people to their core, as the land has been reborn... As there's new blood... But of course, you can't blame the nature of evil, so there's still death, suffering and pain in Barovia, but of course, our saviour, our dear wife, cleans it as she chooses. And if she asks for a sacrifice, of course, we will bring it to her, if she asks for the firstborn of every family, we will name the second after her, and if she asks that we take care of her dinner guests, we shall take care of them. -----DESIGN------- All I knew of Lethica was that I wanted her to wear a veil, and she couldn't only be a countess but a whole god, the saviour of Barovia. The churches don't talk about sun gods, only of her, their lady of dark, their god. Her dress comes from mixing Stradhanya's and hers, ending in a very 19th figure, with a bit of Mesopotamian fashion (the metal belts and sleeves with the double skirt) to show her as a figure of the past, as somehow older than she appears. Of course, she had to have some kind of knife so a knife fan, and a cup to show wealth and power (her cup is always full, full of what? Well, if you look at the very pale man under with not a lot of blood left-)

Marius Renathyr as Victoria Issacs

-----LORE------- Marius as a man of Ilmater seems to be QUITE interested in Barovia, a land of suffering and grief, to the extreme that seems too personal to just be a missionary mission to conquer pain. The university doesn't trust him completely, but somehow, even as a new member of the university and resident of Druskenwald, Marius had found a way to get the vote of everyone involved and the funds for the crusade. But what would be the real reasons for such travel? Or... WHO is the real reason? ------DESIGN ------ Inspired by the old missionary ropes of the 1800s and the typical vampire hunter, Marius stands as a very weird-looking holy man. From Victoria's design, we get the rosary turned into this over-complicated necklace and the ropes around his hips that reference the bloody ropes of Ilmater. (Victoria's, and now Marius, god.) And his sword has turned into a cane. (a cane with a blade.)

Yorgrim as Silas "Shepherd" Morgan

-----LORE-------- From the depths of Yona, a mercenary is invited to participate in an expedition to a land of death and suffering. He accepts stating that he has other business in Barovia and he could be glad to accompany the group under the condition he would work in peace when need it. Of course, he refuses to say the kind of work, you know, "professional privacy policy" and all. But by his reputation... It can't be good... -----DESIGN------- I was going to go with a funeral worker, but the scarf with teeth appeared and it changed the vision. The design takes more inspiration from Shepherd than Yorgrim, with the hunter theme, with the shotgun filled with blue magic and a list of hunts on red clay (that would be broken when the hit is eliminated.)

Briggsy "The Kutlass" Kratch as Professor Clayton Azran

LORE------- Briggsy may take the role of the professor, but he's not the expedition's leader. He's contracted by the University of Druskenwald to keep an eye on Marius (since the university is suspicious of the holy man). He accepts, without even wondering or caring what Barovia is, only happy to finally obtain a title under his piracy by the lords of Druskenwald. (He's getting paid to be a pirate, oh the dream!) DESIGN------ With his design, he was the last one and I was VERY tired, so... It's something weird? You know, a pirate trying to look like a "noble man". (but he's very much failing, he looks like a maniac I think)

Jericho Sticks/Virgil as Sarnax of the Edelwood

----LORE----- The cult of Gherix initially refused the university and the idea of letting them explore the runes in their forest. Until they accept but a month away from the expedition which is extremely suspicious. When the group found themselves in the forest, there he is, Jericho, a sacrificial figure of sticks and straw offered by the cult as a guide. (Of course, the poor, only brought to life months ago, strawman is a sacrifice in the name of Gherix that, by burning in Barovia, will give the god control over the whole region. / Indeed, Virgil is now Gherix we get an asshole god, give it up!) -----DESIGN----- Inspired by Wicker Man (giant figures of sticks and straw with animal sacrifices that are burned during Celtic rituals such as the Beltane.) Jericho is turned into a sacrificial figure who will burn when it's necessary by the light that keeps him alive.

Farryn of the Hartsblight as Kana Soyokaze.

-------LORE------- It isn't clear when or how, but Farryn ends up getting involved with the expedition. As a storm in sea, one day, the swordswoman appears out of the blue stating that she's also trying to find her way into Barovia. The deer refuses to explain her business with the "Divine" of all people, only holding her katana with anger and sadness, but she's clearly not looking to make friends. (She ends up being friends with the whole party.) -------DESIGN----- Based on the Sika deer (a Japanese deer), the design lingers more around the fusion character while keeping Farryn's figure, with the open skirt covered by her leg armour that goes up to her hips and the war paint, fur, and bone that stays in view.

[succubusonthedoorstep]

ᖭི༏ᖫྀ ArtTeacher! Geto x Fem Reader! ᖭི༏ᖫྀ (1.1 Word Count.)

Warnings? Gojo's sweet tooth, shy reader, vibrator use, butt plugs, edging, implied cunnilingus? jealousy, peeking down shirts, sir kink. painting is Geto's love language. +18 Only! No Minors Allowed! (Part Two.)

Author's Notes? still writing my jean and eren x reader fic, but here's something I've been sitting on for a moment!! <3 (Like, reblog, and comment please!)

ArtTeacher!Geto who enjoys instructing the acrylic painting weekend course. He’s been at it for about a year, lending his Sundays to locals and students. Most looking to sharpen their skills but some seeking a new pastime. Gojo did him a favor, pulling strings at the university to give Geto a classroom (with air conditioning!) rather than the offered room in the student center. However, it was pretty isolated, a feature he learned to love after meeting you.

ArtTeacher!Geto unlocks his door an hour before his class is due to start. Students seldom came early but he left the option open anyway. Sometimes Gojo visited, usually to hand him some small, sweet cake he couldn’t help but rave about. While cleaning the paint palettes and setting up for class, the door slams shut from behind him. 

ArtTeacher!Geto whips around, eyes landing on you. He couldn’t help but immediately notice how cute you were, holding art supplies in your arms. The faucet dripped lightly behind him, brushes now forgotten. His thin white button-down shirt was rolled up to his elbows, a feature your eyes lingered on as you started explaining.  “Sorry for the scare, I know your class doesn’t start for another half an hour…” 

ArtTeacher!Geto alleviates your worries, insisting he’d never turn away an eager student. He stops what he was doing to help you set up on the easel closest to his desk, asking why he’d never seen you in his class before. 

ArtTeacher!Geto can’t listen more intently to you speak. Your voice was melodic to him, echoing slightly from the walls when you laugh at his joke about leaving home. You just moved into the city for a job opportunity and wanted to socialize in a familiar place, the art studio. He noticed some of your paints were used and you held the brush the same way he did. You were no amateur, that was for sure.

ArtTeacher!Geto’s mood goes sour once class starts. He generally enjoyed his classes, but he only wanted to be around you today. Of course, he'll still play his role well- complimenting brush strokes, giving feedback, and staring contemplatively at completed works. The whole time he’s thinking of you on the other side of the room. The image of you, in his well-lit traditionally styled studio, made his heart jump. You’d be wearing the thinnest, finest silk as you lounge for him across a chaise sofa. 

He could torture you for hours there- a plug up your ass and a vibrator for your pussy whenever he’d get bored with his work. Geto would paint you for hours, finding joy in matching his paints to your skin tone, lips, and nipples. (Even if the silk limited his view.) 

‘Enjoying the view, Geto?’ You ask, holding your arm over the end of the sofa like he asked. ‘I’ve never seen you take so long for a sketch.’

“Patience, patience,” he cooed, taking another slick glance at your most intimate parts while you yawn. “So many details to take note of, it won’t be a worthy painting of you if I miss a single one.” His easel was positioned for you as well. You had the perfect view of him working and could lean over the other end of the couch to check his progress.

Both of you knew that was out of the question, however. The little pink toy between your legs prevented any unauthorized movement. Geto was a cruel lover- dragging you just to the edge of orgasm only to press the toy to your hole and call you greedy for needing more.

Without warning the toy came to life, buzzing lowly and drawing soft breaths from your mouth. Geto, no longer interested in painting, watched your reactions with the matching remote in one hand as he palmed his cock with the other. 

“You won’t cum,” he challenged, turning the vibrator up to a higher setting. He watched as you squirmed in ecstasy, his teasing from earlier coming back for you. Leaning back onto the arm of the couch, you spread your legs for Geto’s view and let him hear the sweet moans he loved so much.

“Missing all those d-details,” you expressed, hips lifting from the sofa in pleasure. Geto couldn’t take his eyes off of you. “Is this part of your creative process?” You asked, sliding the silk robe up your legs and exposing your glistening cunt.

The stool he sat on fell over at the force he used to stand up and make his way over to the couch. Geto’s knees met the floor harshly, hands finding your thighs to push them apart and make room for his face. 

“Just need a closer look, is all…”

ArtTeacher!Geto’s fantasy is ruined at the trilling of his alarm bell. Class was over. His students were already packed and filing out of class, their goodbye’s drowned out by him searching for you.

ArtTeacher!Geto smiles when he catches your eye and waves you over. His smile falters as he watches you wave goodbye to a third-year at the university, some kid with pink hair. Geto pushes his jealousy off; he’s never in competition.

ArtTeacher!Geto has to hide a smirk when you approach his desk, clearly in high spirits.

“Thank you for class, sir. I met a lot of good people,” You gush, and Geto has to push in his chair more at the name. “I’d love to come back, when’s the next-”

“Next Sunday,” He recites it like the gospel now. The tightness in his pants only gets worse as he watches you take a sticky note from his desk and scribble your name and number on it. Geto casts a brief look down your shirt when you bend over to write, silently thankful for a memory he can use later.

ArtTeacher!Geto takes the sticky note from you with an appreciative grin, brushing his fingers with yours and melting when a flustered look crossed your face, breaking eye contact.

“See you next week, sir.”

send me prompts so i can post between fics mwah (like, comment and reblog!)

© succubusonthedoorstep2023. all rights reserved. please do not copy, repost, steal, or translate my work.

[hiranospiercing]

shounen ai mangas that should be a part of your reading list if you enjoy reading healthy and plot driven romances- part 1.

I've been reading bl for years now, the reason why i indulged myself into reading this particular genre was simply because shoujo as a genre is too repetitive, most tropes are overused and it's honestly really hard to find good stories once you've finished the easily accessible popular franchises.

boys love is divided into two sub genres, yaoi and shounen ai, I personally do not enjoy reading smut, it's a different story if intimacy plays an important point for the character development of the characters in the story, but i'am not a huge fan of the porn being used as the plot device for the entire manga and hence i won't be including yaoi mangas in this list.

1. Sayonara, Heron.

Sayonara, Heron is one of those mangas that remain ambiguous and non-linear for the majority of the time but gradually intensify itselves once the ending is near without losing it's delicacy, i won't be talking about the plot since i want you to experience this 7 chapter long manga the way i did, without knowing anything about it, but it's simply about family and relationships, the art style is so pretty, the rooftop, the cigarettes, the kisses, everything. I do not see enough people talking about it and maybe you should help me change that.

2. We're still in the spring of life.

Academics, Aerospace and Adorability, everything about this manga is so heart warming, the hesitation in the beginning of a friendship which ends with a comfortable yet passionate relationship, the naps, the math equations and the confessions, this manga is simply about two boys growing together by simultaneously relying on each other. Also the rocket metaphors have my heart, read it to find them out.

3. Our dining table.

I've always been a huge fan of child care as a separate genre on it's own, but this manga is one of the only romance mangas where the child care part of it actually plays a huge role for the development of the characters, it honestly isn't forced like some omegaverse stories rather it's comforting and actually heart warming to read, the food being used as a love language, the friendships and the bonding amidst the family and the main character is beautiful, give it a go if you want to experience legit therapy lol.

4. Blue sky complex.

Blue sky complex is one of the few shounen ai mangas which seems authentic and raw because of the awkwardness of the characters, the relationship between the characters is easily connectable in the sense that you get the insight of how their head actually works and makes those decisions, it explores gay relationships in a very interesting way, and honestly is very close to my heart because well it's the GLASSES GUY X GOOF BALL trope yet again.

5. Yuki no shita no qualia.

Now, this manga vaguely reminds me of sayonara, heron but honestly is a lot more strong with what it wants to explore, it's one of those mangas that will accidentally make you cry because of the beauty of it's characters and the development of their relationship.

"i think you make me kinder," is better than any "i love you".

[iphigeniainaulis]

Background paintings in Ikevamp and why they matter

...even if you are not familiar with art.

Warnings: minor spoilers for all routes, though I tried to keep it as vague as possible

Time to talk about background paintings in Ikemen vampire because…why not?

First, let me warn you that the following is nothing but a theory based on some visual resemblance. While it may occur that Ikemen designers wanted to hide a few Easter eggs, it's also fair to mention that sometimes the sky is blue just because it's Sunday morning, and that’s all. 

Nevertheless, one detail may hint at the former statement being true. And this is because there’s a significant difference in how different paintings are shown in the game. 

Some of them are blurry, overdark or too bright. While we can distinguish some unclear silhouettes, the rest is on our imagination.

For example, it seems that the first picture is the natural landscape (probably, sunset in the forest) as well as the second one with the Ionic style columns being placed in the center of a garden. Still, we’re not sure.

But the thing is it doesn’t matter. The amount of details the viewer is given is too small for us to make any art-historical assumptions. Based on these mere images we can figure out neither the artist who painted them nor the narrative. Therefore, these paintings have only a secondary function of background decorations and proof of demonstration of their owner’s wealth. 

On the contrary, there are paintings that we can easily detach because their creators are too famous to be unfamiliar with. But even within this scope of paintings there is a slight differentiation due to the way they are incorporated in the game design. 

Some of them have been revived by the hands of geniuses who once created them. This is the case of Leonardo’s Study of a woman’s head and Study of Hands

 or Vincent’s Sunflower and the Olive trees

While it’s easy to reduce the meaning behind this design decision to simple hype, I think that it also serves as a visual representation of the suitors' character traits. What is the point of redrawing the painting that was already brought to life a long time ago? For Vincent it means years, for Leonardo - centuries. My guess is that for artists like them it's never enough. Life is too beautiful to be captured once and forever. A woman’s face is never a mystery solved. While for many people it’s okay to achieve a goal and forget about it the exact minute they are done, for geniuses like Leonardo and Vincent it’s always different. You must improve. You have to work further. There is always something new an artist’s eye can capture. That’s why they painted it again, again and again. 

Let's move to another group of paintings. Spotting The Starry Night in Theo’s room is not a surprise because we know that, first of all, they’re brothers with Vincent, and, secondly, Theo is an art dealer.

What deserves to be brought into focus is that this work is regarded as the elder Van Gogh’s magnum opus. Sure, you can argue that the real Theo and Vincent thought little of this painting, calling it “a failure”. To which I reply that, again, this is a game for numerous people across the world, including those who are not familiar with art history. For many of us The Starry Night is viewed as one of the most popular art works, a special work, a valuable one. Therefore, by omitting historical accuracy Ikemen writers and designers try to achieve something more contributing to the plot - they try to evoke certain emotions. Putting the art of such great significance in the room of one of the brothers should be a clear indicator of the amount of respect and love the two of them share. Describing the emotional bond between them is mainly the prerogative of writers. But sometimes game design plays no less if not more meaningful role in the process of us as readers getting familiar with characters. The painting here becomes a subtle part of the plot as it highlights certain prerequisites of their relationship and prepares us for what is going to come next.

The latter is especially relevant to Vlad's route. The female portrait in the pureblood’s room is what takes background paintings in Ikevamp on a fundamentally new level - the level of plot-forming core.

Unlike those paintings I mentioned at the beginning, these ones are no longer a substitute for the room decor. Instead, they serve as a device that pushes the plot forward. It accumulates three major points that are relevant to the plot:

It adds the mystery element for triggering our curiosity. The portrait is ‘faceless’, and even though we all see the resemblance in features, there is this ‘if’ element. What if they decided to go with a classical Dracula plot? Eternal vampire loses his lover and waits for her to be reborn? Is this MC? Why can’t he remember her face?

The portrait itself allows us to get for a second into Vlad’s head and understand his feelings towards the mysterious woman. Vlad drawing her portrait is caused by the act of kindness she showed him. His entire motivation is connected to the single painting. She was the one who he wanted to be with. In order to do so, he had to become strong, to accept his tragic loss and move forward. The portrait serves as a silent reminder about what was his goal and why he chose the path he chose. 

It circulates the narrative. At the beginning, MC faces the challenge of being the third one in the relationship with Vlad and his unknown lover. She questions the identity of that unknown counterpart of hers and secretly wants to learn more about her. By revealing the truth of Vlad’s past and their connection, MC figures out who was the woman in the painting which in some way pushes her to find enough strength for making a certain groundbreaking decision. 

Finally, there is the third group of paintings that possess what I call ‘potential meaning’. These paintings maintain the main features of the two previous groups, namely, vague silhouettes combined with a rather clear narrative that somehow increases the possibility of them being more than a decorative object.

Take a look at the two paintings in Vincent’s room. In comparison to all other paintings these ones differ not only in terms of shape but also in terms of color. The lines seem to be more fluid, and the color palette is dominated by ochreous, blue and black which is typical for East Asian classical ink art. By taking a closer look, you can actually see the vague outlines of the sea and shrouded in mist mountains in the background. Personally to me such landscapes together with a specific composition angle remind of Hokusai’s Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji which can be a great allusion to Van Gogh’s obsession with Japanese prints and their role in his artistic career. 

The huge painting in Comte’s living room has been haunting me for years, I shall admit. It portrays a marine landscape with a single boat chasing the wild waters in the dark or right before the sunrise. When talking about marine art, the first person that comes to my mind is Ivan Aivazovsky. Yet, it is evident that Aivazovsky’s style was pure romanticism with heavy realistic elements, whereas this painting looks like it's more about light and colores rather than clear and precise lines. And also this sun, this strange orange sun..that can be spotted only in Claude Monet's Impression. Sunrise. 

The mansion’s copy is a darker mirrow image of the original work. Nobody knows why Comte chose this painting for the mansion, but isn’t it a bit of irony that the painting that praises France, the country that suffered from the war with Prussia and was on its way to revitalisation, is located in the house that is about to face the battle between the lesser vampires and their haunters or rather the figurative war of two different morals (we are yet to know about it, though)?

Another version is that the painting serves as a metaphoric description of the character. In various routes MC mentions how Comte reminds her of the sun that made manifest, and everything supports this claim to be true, from his golden eyes and hair, to the brightness of the room and..paintings that symbolize the master of the mansion.

Finally, I wouldn't forget about the massive backlash Impressionists had to face at the early stage of the movement’s existence. It was only until the 5th Impressionist exhibition in 1880 that the artists finally got praised by critics. Just a bit more than 10 years before the MC’s appearance. However, we know that the creation of the mansion had taken place before this event. So, my point is that probably Monet’s painting was purchased by the greater vampire during the times when Impressionists were still harshly criticized by the Salon. And if so, the display of the painting that represents the les misérables of the art world speaks so much volume about Comte’s character and devotion to fulfill what he perceives as his noblesse oblige - to support those in need, to help them reveal their talent no matter what social class they belong to. 

The game room’s central painting is another amusing detail as it’s completely out of mood. Playing cards, watching chess games or taking any other light leisure activity with a glass of brandy in your hand, you rarely expect to raze your gaze from the table only to stare at the image of ruins. Yet, this is what we get here - a typical capriccio painting like those of Alessandro Salucci and Leonardo Coccorante.

Capriccio artists dared to do something new in the history of art - they put real archeological signs into fantasy surroundings, sometimes from the same time period that the artists lived in. To an extent, they brought the ancient past and allowed it to live in the future, which is not a bad allusion to the original purpose of the mansion’s creation.  

And here is what we can spot in Shakespeare’s room. At first, I didn't think much about this painting in Will’s bedroom but something felt odd. And then I understood. 

You see, there’s this famous Vincent’s work named Cafe Terrace at Night. The painting is created from the north eastern corner that allows us to see the starry night without facing an obstacle in the form of the cafe's roof. 

But this is how the modern cafe looks from a different perspective. Yellow elongated building with two wide niches that serve both as windows and entrance. 

Do you see it, right? RIGHT?

I headcanon that Vincent was so eager to spoil his new friend with a present that he decided to redraw his favorite work and  give it to the bard. But being an empathetic and observant one, Vincent immediately figured out Will’s admiration of everything unique and rare, so he decided to create a completely new version of his own painting instead of just redrawing it from the same angle as he did with sunflowers. 

Aaand this is what we get in the living room. Random at first sight, the composition of various unrelated pictures actually makes sense. The most evident one is, of course, the image of theater curtains. What else should we expect to see in the manor of the great Bard of Avon? The same curtains, by the way, appear in almost every scene where MC and her suitor are invited to Shakespeare’s play.

Just a small detail, but I think this is one of those rare occasions when we can actually name the place Ikemen writers took inspiration from (apart from, of course, Louvre and the University of Paris). What helps us here is the curtains over which we spot golden metal lambrequin with a cartouche that imitates the image of the sun.

Such a prolonged lambrequin with the sun image (in honor of Louis XIV, the Sun King and also the father of the Paris Opera) in the center actually exists only in one Parisian theater - Opera Garnier, where in 1888 Shakespeare’s  Roméo et Juliette was staged.

Just to make sure, look at the curtains in some of the most popular theaters that existed during the historical period in Ikevamp -  Théâtre du Châtelet or the Opéra-Comique. You won't find a similar one.

Two last possible Easter eggs may be related to the two historical objects that existed during Shakespear’s era. The first one is still connected to the curtains for as you see, there were rumors (modern archeological findings prove them to be true) that the first venue of Shakespeare’s plays was called ‘the Curtain Theatre’.

And the second thing I want to point at is two images of the chair. Honestly, I highly doubt that a person like Will who has an almost narcissistic obsession with expensive staff would put a painting of such low value in his private apartment. But I can understand it, if this is not an image of  some random piece of furniture but the well-known Shakespeare’s Courting Chair, wherein, according to William Henry, ‘the bard was used to sit, during his courtship, with his Anne upon his knee’. 

Anyway, I hope it wasn't too much. Thank you for reading!

[asp1diske-art]

Your technical skill with lineart and shading is amazing in itself, but it's your ability to convey emotion and atmosphere in your work that is trademark to me :) its incredible how you can show through gesture and body language just what these masked, expressionless characters are feeling, and how the environment itself conveys that. Your lurien comics, especially the one that ends in something along the lines of "I return to the kingdom you abandoned" are I think the spark that made Lurien go from Some Guy to Deeply Interesting for me, and your use of color pop and shaky line contributed so much to the feeling in those comics. You are one of the artists whose skill at evoking emotions I aspire to <3

Oh wow, I've been reading and re-reading this for the last 20 minutes this is amazing.

So, emotions!

If there is one thing I'm proud to have accomplished during my time in Hollow Knight, it's the skill of expressing tone. Because here's the thing, facial expressions are just one of the many components of tone. (I even wrote about this in another ask some time ago.) Colors, gestures, camera angle, lighting, paneling, lines and narration - all of these come together to convey the mood of the scene.

Check out these wips from the Watcher and the Watched comic, for example.

You can see that color played a huge role in setting the atmosphere in the comic. It shows that this comic is taking place in the Watcher's Spire, but it also gives a dark, subdued feeling that wouldn't come from idk, a yellow background. The backlight emphasizes the ominous tone of the last page. As does Lurien's pose - coupled with the butler looking up and Lurien looking down, it makes it look like Lurien is looming over his butler (and the reader). All this builds up to deliver Lurien's lines with maximum impact.

So yeah, a lot goes into conveying tone in comics, and I'm very happy to hear that it was recieved well!!

The Lurien, Dreamer comic. It's almost 2 years old now but it's still one of the favorite comics I drew about him. Together with the City of Tears comic, it's the epitome of my interpretation of Lurien. My characterization of Lurien's relationship with the Pale King was quite different from the usual fanon at the time (I don't know how it is now, I haven't gone into the tags in years haha) and I wasn't really sure how people would take it. So I'm glad to hear that it got you interested in Lurien!

It's the one that took the longest too lol. Usually I draw comics in a single setting, but that one took 3 days. Besides Two Ghosts (which was an 18 chapter+@ comic that was over 50p and took about 2 months), no other comic has broken this record. I put in a lot of care into it, and it still holds a special place in my heart.

Honestly half the reason I use messy, sketchy lines is that I suck at drawing clean lines lmao. But I like to think that I've made the best of it and utilized it as an art style. In that comic especially, because the whole thing takes place in the dream realm and I wanted to give a rough, unreal feel to it.

I'd show breakdowns of this one too but the file is so big it keeps crashing lol. (Pro tip - draw your comic pages in separate files. Don't be like me and draw 300dpi 10p comics with 30 layers in each page in a single canvas. It will crash and you will be sad.) But drawing the White Palace was a interesting challenge because I usually draw in highly saturated colors whereas the Palace is, well, white. So I had to work out a way to color this without making everything looking grey, while also making it recognizable as the palace. iirc I used a lot of overlay & burn & dodge layers along with a few difference & subtract layers to give the white a slight yellow tint to stand out from the dark blue. (I'm pretty sure they're the culprits crashing the file.)

Sorry this got long, I really took this as an invitation to ramble about my art hkfsldjkflj

Thank you for all the compliments! It's an honor to hear that my art could be someone's aspiration, and I'm very happy that all my Lurien art got someone else into Lurien. I hope you have a nice day :D

[ducktoonsfanart]

Donald Duck as Napoleon Bonaparte, Scrooge McDuck as Gaius Julius Caesar and Louie Duck (Quack Pack) as Alexander the Great - Conquerors - Real Ducks in History - History in Duckverse

I've always wanted to do a special project called Duckverse in History and my plan is to draw my favorite characters as redraws from famous works of art as well as famous historical figures. And since history is my favorite science, and my favorite field, I definitely wanted to do something related to it and related to one of my favorite historical characters. Since I don't want to complicate the situation, I will gradually publish a drawing related to that historical figure from time to time. I started this last year for Duckvember only to finish at the end of last month.

The first drawing is a redraw from Jacques Louis David's famous early 19th century artwork depicting Napoleon Bonaparte crossing the Alps in 1800 before the Battle of Marengo. Napoleon Bonaparte was the most famous French military leader, general, consul and emperor who waged war with all of Europe at the time and managed to subjugate it in its entirety except for the Ottoman Empire, Russia and Great Britain. He is from Corsica, but he left a lot for France and proved that France is not worth messing with easily. He also gave many reforms and his Civil Code which spread throughout Europe and brought order in France after the French Revolution. Napoleon's nature is very similar to Donald Duck and I drew Donald as Napoleon since he was created for that role and I drew him riding his horse Marengo in my own style, but in a realistic way and that Donald has five fingers.

The second drawing is a redraw of a statue made by Nicolas Coustou at the end of the 17th century for the decoration of Versailles, which depicts the greatest Roman, Gaius Julius Caesar. Although he was not an emperor, certainly many presented him, but he was a dictator, consul, general, writer, historian, engineer, constructor, and a great military leader who changed the Roman Republic into an almost Roman Empire. His fights against the Gauls, as well as the conflict with Pompey and his love with Cleopatra, are known, but he also changed a lot in Rome and was extremely rich. And he lived during the first century BC. That's why I drew Scrooge McDuck as Gaius Julius Caesar since Scrooge is a great leader and he also strived for fame and fortune and to be remembered in the future and he plays the role of the best Roman. Behind it are the Colosseum (built a century after him), the aqueduct (then irrigation) and the Pantheon (built two centuries after him), as well as a Roman temple that symbolizes Rome at that time, as well as the roads themselves. In addition, Topolino (Italian comics) are showed Scrooge as Caesar two or three times so that's where my inspiration came from.

The third drawing shows Louie Duck (the Quack Pack version, not the Ducktales reboot) shows Alexander the Great, another brilliant conqueror from the fourth century BC and I drew it as a redraw from the mosaic of Alexander the Great from the battle of Issus in which he confronts the Persian king Darius III from Pompeii, probably from the first century BC. Alexander the Great was the son of Philip II and the king of Macedonia who united Greece and fought against Persia and managed to conquer an entire empire in his twenties. He traveled through the Persian Empire and reached India and wanted to continue, but his soldiers did not want to continue, so he returned to Babylon, his new capital. He certainly changed the world at that time and introduced a new culture, called Hellenism, as a combination of ancient Greek culture and the culture of the Ancient East and ancient India. I drew Louie as Alexander because as a young man he is a great adventurer and rides his black horse Bucephalus and is eager for extremes, yet unlike Alexander, Louie shows a bit of his shyness, but is still brave enough to take on new challenges. I also added a helmet as worn by Alexander III in his time. Behind Louie are the pyramids from Egypt, the Ishtar Gate from Babylon and the imperial palace from Persepolis where the Persian rulers lived and it actually shows the lands that Alexander the Great conquered.

I certainly hope you like these drawings and these ideas and that these characters have such historical roles. Of course, Duckverse in history I combine mostly everything related to Duckverse (Donald Duck comics, OG Ducktales, Three Caballeros, Darkwing Duck and Quack Pack) and it's mostly my version and my idea. By all means if you like this and support these ideas, feel free to like and reblog this, but please don't use these same ideas without mentioning me and without my permission. Thank you!

[sparklegemstone]

Loki at Paley Fest 2024

It was incredible! I'm so happy I got the opportunity to attend, and it uplifted my spirits so much. I really hope Paley makes the panel available for everyone to watch at some point because the questions and discussion were pithy, thoughtful, and engaging. Just a stellar panel. If it doesn't become publicly available, I'll try to circle back to post more detail of what was discussed.

Hiddleston was absolutely firing on all cylinders being his eloquent self going on long explorations of themes and the human condition. I think the most memorable was when he was exploring the relationship of Loki's line "Satisfaction is not in my nature" from a previous film to the events of the Loki series and whether that was relevant or not relevant to where the character arrived at in the series.

First of all, kudos to the host of the panel (also writer of a MCU timeline book) that came with receipts and Loki and Hiddleston quotes from over a decade ago that he used to ask really interesting questions that explored Loki's journey and highlighted the beautiful ways Hiddleston has thought about playing the role over years. He just did an excellent, excellent job, and is the one that brough up the "satisfaction is not in my nature" quote to prompt discussion.

And let's be honest, I think a lot of panelists, whose job is to sound engaging and fill up panel time, when asked to explore the relationship of that "not satisfied" quote to the most recent content they filmed, would just turn on their "I'm in English class" brain and run with the prompt and improvise some ideas of how the theme of not being satisfied is shown in the series. But rather than just running with and affirming the prompt, Hiddleston actually thought about it sincerely and turned it around answering in the negative, that he wasn't sure if that still applied in the series. So instead of just running with the prompt, he cared enough about the art to give it the most truthful answer he could. I saw that aspect of how he approaches discussion when I met him in person at a comic con a number of years ago as well, that interest in exploring something sincerely rather than doing the easier thing of just running with whatever is expedient, and I love that about him.

And then Wilson displayed great comedic sense and flow of the discussion by capping off Hiddleston's eloquent discussion by doing a sharp right turn into the absurd, pivoting into how "would my dog have any meaning in his life if he was satisfied and had everything he wanted and wasn't constantly eager for his next meal". That got a huge laugh from everyone.

Some other anecdotes from the event:

For the arc of the series, it was described as season 1 being about Loki learning to love himself and season 2 was about learning to accept connections and let the love of others in.

Hiddleston's wardrobe was lovely -- all black and dark grey, with bright red tread on the bottom of his shoes for which sitting at a panel with your legs crossed is the perfectly opportunity to show off that pop of color.

I was also digging Aaron Moorhead's style with a grey top half and orange pants and shoes with blue socks. Love this trend of men making bold color choices in their wardrobe.

Hiddleston was, unsurprisingly, very engaged with the whole discussion and it was fun to watch his reactions when other people spoke. The host asked the writers/directors if they'd created S2 with it in mind of it being Loki's last appearance or whether we might see more of Loki in the future. Wilson playfully said "he comes the tap dancing" and Hiddleston very deliberately turned towards the writers/directors with his chin on his fist like "I'm so curious to hear the answer, do tell".

Sylvie ended up in a McDonalds in S2 because when Di Martino got asked at the end of season 1 where she saw Sylvie going next, she told them "she's hungry, I bet she'd go for a burger". So Di Martino takes full responsibility for that particular decision, lol.

Because comedy films aren't my thing and Wilson hasn't crossed my personal radar much besides Zoolander, which is a delightful film, I found it very interesting and wasn't necessarily expecting just the thunderous amount of applause and huge reception that Wilson got from the audience. He's very popular.

During the panel, every so often a little piece of paper, like 2x2 inches, the kind you'd use to create the effect of dumping a bunch of confetti, would fall from the rafters above the stage and slowly float down until it landed on the stage itself in front of the panel. The first time was peculiar, but it continued to happen five distinct times throughout the panel and became a bit of a running joke.

Before the Q&A, they screened the finale episode, and they did not have their tech sorted out. The film didn't play at a consistent 24 fps and there were parts that lagged and slowed down the motion on screen. A minor thing really, but for an organization whose sole purpose and mission is media (Paley), in a venue (the Dolby Theater) that hosts the Oscars and should be technologically state of the art, you'd think they'd make sure they could play video at proper speed. I just thought it was a funny issue for a media organization to have.

Tagging @delyth88 since I know you were interested in hearing about it.

[sepulchritude]

I finished redecorating all my villagers’ houses! 🥳

Design thoughts/infodump under the cut!

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So when designing these houses I had several goals in mind. Trinket is a movie production themed island and each villager has a role on set, so I wanted to incorporate parts of that into their houses. When possible I also tried to keep aspects of their original houses, and I tried to decorate them in fun and interesting ways while still keeping the space livable. That meant leaving plenty of space for the villager and a guest or two to walk around. Overall I wanted each house to be a comfortable place for the villager to live in! Last, I tried to give each villager their own little hobby or interest to add flavor. I did this a little bit on my first island with my villagers’ yards, but now that I have the DLC, I could go all out by decorating the interiors!

Individual notes (in order of the images above):

Quinn: I kept a lot of the original design for her, but I added most of the small flavor items. Quinn is the writer for Trinket Studios, but I decided she’s also a hobbyist chef! She experiments with new recipes for herself and her neighbors in her spare time

Jacques: I kept the underground music aspects of his house, but I gave him a couple of guitars too and some brick walls to spray paint. Jacques is the crew member who assembles sets and creates props, so I figure his music and art is where he gets to make things that are just for himself (and whichever neighbors want to come see!)

Phil: the main thing I changed about his house was the color scheme, I wanted to switch the red for cool colors like peacock feathers, to match Phil bc he’s a gaudy, big time actor. He’s one of the leads in the blockbuster museum heist/international spy movie that’s being filmed on Trinket. Small details but I love the pattern on his lamp, and the shell music box is playing KK Adventure, which when it’s played in a music box style ends up being a cute song for our action hero to relax to in his spare time

Ruby: okay I get that Ruby’s original room is space because she’s a moon rabbit and that’s her whole design but consider: cute little space themed cafe on a street corner. You see the vision. I had the song Space Cadette by Back to Yours playing on repeat for days when I made this. Ruby shares the lead actress role with Coco for the summercamp horror movie also being filmed on Trinket, she’s the alive version of the girl who comes back to haunt the camp

Jay: he is our other crew member, he’s in charge of plants and landscaping on set (very important given how many different nature sets there are). He also likes gardening and nature outside of work, and he likes to skateboard because… well because I had just gotten the item and it sounded fun! I wish there were more skateboarding items I could give him tbh, like a little ramp or something

Coco: this is one of the houses I kept the least inspiration from. Her original design is based in archaeology, but I wanted to give her something cute and sweet. Coco plays the vengeful spirit that gets awakened in the summercamp horror movie, but outside of acting she’s a very sweet girl who likes to make music! I think she and Jacques have both also developed some of the musical scores used in various movies

Sasha: I love this one so much!! I kept his house’s vibes and his stuffed animals, and I gave him a little stargazing spot and a firefly (bc if he’s gonna talk about the bugs whispering to him then I gotta give him a little bug friend). He’s the heartthrob lead actor of the summercamp horror movie, he’s very popular with the tween girl audience.

Monique: she’s a fancy, glitz and glam, well-known actress, so her home reflects that. I think I kept literally nothing from her original house. She has some record disks and a nice camera laying around, so she still finds some time for enjoying and making art in between all her fancy actressing. She’s currently the femme fatale in the museum heist/spy film.

Marlo: he’s an old old man who likes the simple things in life; building model toys and being an aircraft enthusiast. What’s the point of having a long successful acting career if not to spend it on lovingly crafting model trains and gundams. Once he (read: I) gets his hands on the model DAL plane, it’s over for you hoes. On set, he’s the Alfred to Phil’s Bruce Wayne.

Tiffany: this was the last home I decorated! Her home already had a kind of bar games theme, so I amped it up into a full club and bar! She’s the supporting actress for Monique, they’re a dastardly, hyper competent, internationally wanted, honestly pretty gay pair of art thieves. But in her spare time she mostly just wants to host huge parties for all her friends ❤️

And that’s all of them! They all also have their own yards that reflect more of their personalities and interests, and the rest of Trinket is covered in movie sets and cameras for both the two movies currently being filmed and several others from the studio’s past. It’s a very fun project that I’ve been working on for the past year or so 💞💞💞

[suffarustuffaru]

Looking at your past art has me really loving your drag king Natsumi, do you have any more thoughts on them? I'd love to hear them. Also just your genderbend ideas in general. They are very interesting!

for future reference, here is where i drew some drag king natsumi + sapphic ottosuba :) i definitely plan on making more genderbend au content in the future thats for sure! :o i have another older art post on this here also (i am. too lazy to find it rn but its there somewhere!!) but i have some in depth thoughts about fembaru for sure yes :3 ty for finding my genderbend ideas interesting!! :D !! id be happy to talk about them more :o

im gonna start with outward design stuff / gender presentation first!! :D bc in my head, afab subaru probably looks almost exactly the same. in general, canon subaru’s most likely at least a little androgynous (and i think he probably is judging off of how much he passes as the opposite sex!!), and we know hes got his dad’s spiky black hair and his mom’s mean eyes and general facial shape, has a long torso, that sort of thing, so i think afab subaru would look similar :o

plus i like to treat fembaru as basically just the mirror/foil/inverse of canon amab subaru anyway, so yep natsumi schwartz is gonna be her male persona!! canon amab subaru was mistaken as a girl when he was a child, and he also went to high school (iirc it was high school but at the very least he was about the same age he is during arc 1) for three days as natsumi yes and passed for three days. iirc he would put on the girl’s uniform and wig and stuff on the way to school and out of his parents’ view and then put on the male uniform and take off the wig before he got home!! plus you know he’d generally practice makeup most likely and wig styling and all sorts of things in private.

so definitely afab subaru is doing similar stuff but in the opposite direction now—looking more masc and presenting as a boy. while amab subaru can put on and take off a wig, in my head, afab subaru would probably have to have shorter hair. so one day she just got a haircut thats short enough to where she could style it masculinely but longer enough to where it could still be kinda considered feminine enough!!

im not 100% sure how to draw her hair yet but in my earlier post and a few of my sketches it kinda looks like either a long mullet/wolfcut or a messy bob :3 i think you could probably say that her hair looks more like a wacky bob when shes more feminine and a wolfcut when shes styling it more masculinely?

(^^ my take on fem wrathbaru is here also LMAO)

i also base my fembaru design off of canon natsumi!! with the side bang (though i sometimes draw it on the wrong side akdnd)!! meanwhile fembaru’s male natsumi would have canon amab subaru’s hair :) (which you can see in my earlier post as well!!)

(i like this illustration actually <3)

i also like to hc that on top of subaru wanting to look and act more like his dad in canon, he did also kinda want to resemble his mom when hes presenting more femininely :o also for genderbend aus it depends on whether you ONLY want to genderbend subaru or if you wanna genderbend everyone along with subaru too, that sort of thing. i like to play with both possibilities :o

but in general, i like the idea of subaru either way trying to honor both her mom and dad. maybe to subaru her mom is what an ideal woman should be perhaps, and her dad is the ideal man, bc subarus parents are her biggest role models, so she tries to emulate both at different points in her life. she tries to be the perfect soft sweet girl like her mom and it doesnt work. she leans into being a bit of a delinquent and it doesnt work. then she cuts her hair and learns to present more masculinely and tries to copy her dad only to fail again. :((( then she gets isekaied……

i feel like afab subaru might get a bit more shit for getting into trouble too :(( or for being too loud. shes not very traditionally ladylike, i think!! boys will be boys and of course your daughter takes after you, kenichi, but dont you think shes a little too rough around the edges now?

anyway otherwise in general, i also like the idea that over the course of each arc in the fantasy world, subaru grows her hair out!! and once its long enough she can put it into a ponytail like her mom again :,)))

(male rem is here too <3)

also i like to give fembaru the maid dress instead of the butler outfit!!! probably not with the garter and stuff but 😭😭 its a pretty dress and fembaru should get to express herself both masculinely and femininely :3 in my head, i think subaru would be shy bc AGHH THIS DRESS IS SO REVEALING THERES NO WAY ID LOOK GOOD IN THIS IM NOT PRETTY AT ALL and rem and ram (genderbent or not) are probably like nonsense just try the dress. its your uniform to work here. and subaru does and huhhhh. maybe i dont look half bad ? :,) (bc of course subaru’s insecurities either present themselves the same or slightly different when genderbended). and of course when rem and ram warm up to subaru eventually ram can be like “you dont look as bad as i thought youd look” or something and rem can be like “subaru-kun youre very beautiful anyways!!!! <3”

and also i do think subaru would cut her hair a bit again or style it different for natsumi adventures later in arc 7 <3 just to have that symmetry again. the situation probably might go a little different but yep this is how id handle it 👍

and of course you can give subaru the canon natsumi hair bow sometimes when shes feeling fancy :3

OKAY and now im gonna talk about more character stuff!! lets talk about subarus whole thing with isekai and genre savviness and all that.

one of canon subaru’s many many Many parts making him up as a character and making up his story in general is a deconstruction of the isekai genre!! power fantasy and characters being cardboard cutouts for the male mc to triumph without a struggle—that sort of thing. but afab subaru is a female lead now, and female isekai is different.

id have to do way more research into this and watch more female isekai and shoujo and stuff (ive been Really wanting to watch im in love with the villainess…… someday i will…..). buuut from what ive noticed so far it seems like for male lead isekai the fantasy here is the Power and Prestige, but female lead isekai’s fantasy seems to be the Romance!! not that you cant have OP abilities in female lead isekais and not that every isekai is 100% the same of course. but that seems to be the common tropes from what ive seen so far? male isekai protags have girls throwing themselves at him as trophies, female lead isekais have their male romantic interests and the evil evil villainesses are defeated somehow and perfectly out of the way <3 the fantasy is that youll be loved by The One—the perfect boy(s) <3

and i think amab subaru is less likely to check out much female lead isekai but i think itd be fun if afab subaru would probably focus on female lead isekai but also a bit on male lead isekai as well!! she wants that absolute path to glory AND love. (and ahahhahahaha please ignore the gazillion ikemen anime figurines in her room hahahahahhahhahahahah AND DEFINITELY IGNORE THE SILVER HAIRED ONES. ESPECIALLY THE ONLY GIRL FIGURINE SHE HAS THATS BEEN GATHERING DUST UNDER HER BED—)

but also bc i think amab subarus more likely to go nah i wont look at girly media while maybe afab subarus like godddddddd i want instant OP abilitiessssssssssss and godddddddd i want hot girls around m—WHAT. WHAT. WHO SAID THAT WHO SAID THAT—

anyway so subaru gets isekaied and shes like SWEEETTT A NEW BEGINNING AWAY FROM NOT BEING ABLE TO MEET EXPECTATIONS HAHAHAHAHA IM THE ISEKAI PROTAG!!! THIS IS AWESOME!!! (is about to get her shit rocked). and shes like ooooh do i have any abilities (nope) and oooohhhhhh shit do i have a villainess. AM I THE VILLAINESS???? no way right. anyway lol wheres the ikemen who’ll ill marry one day. the ikemen that falls in love….. with a commoner……… like myself teehee… and they get married…… and the villainess is CONQUERED….

anyway so what im saying is. ………….fembaru is a femcel. AND a pick me. AND a disaster bisexual. you could practically imagine a vine boom after each of those.

i think the biggest most important to me with genderbend aus is keeping the humanity of the characters the same the best i can!! and fembaru is STILL subaru, of course shes fucking cringe!! of course shes got a heart of gold but its under layers of cringe!!! of course shes a nerd who doesnt have any friends at first and trips and stumbles through all the shit being thrown her way!!

also if male subaru is bi then so is fem subaru okay. we’re equal opportunity here. and also amab subaru has issues with his masculinity and uhhhh slight things with women (see: his boob comments in season 1…….. subaru i love you but cmon man). so. afab subaru i think has got a terrible case of internalized misogyny / homophobia / PROBABLY SOME COMPHET TOO LMFAO 😭😭

i think general plot beats (whether its only genderbending subaru or genderbending everyone) goes mostly the same but again, slight differences. im gonna go with only subaru being genderbent atm bc thatd have more differences i think :o

yes ok so subaru’s gonna see reinhard and go GASPPP oh my god. pretty ikemen. ohhhhhh oughhhhh hes so pretty. hes clearly main lead material… ohhhh what do i do ive never talked to people in so long and hes so PRETTY FUUUCKKKKK BUT I DONT WANNA BOTHER HIM EITHER AND PUT HIM IN DANGER. um um um um mmumimimm HE CLOSED THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US TOO???? what the hell what the fuck what the fuck shit shit um think THINK SUBARU THINK YOU HAVE CHARM RIGHT?? YOU CAN DO THIS. YOU CAN CHARM A HOT GUY. ARGGHHH— *explodes*

but also subaru sees emilia and gets that “do i wanna be her or be with her” feeling 😭😭 bc emilias so….. cute…. pretty… and NICE TOO?? WITH A FUN PERSONALITY??? SHIT SHES GOT EVERYTHING!! she went out of her way to save me 🥺🥺 and im just dragging her down 😔😔 BUT FUCKKKK I HATEEEE HOW GOOD SHE IS. and then :,)))) theyre both dying in the warehouse… and the first time subaru feels the touch of another girl in a more intimate light is her and emilia holding hands as they die…………….

SO YEAH THEN SUBARU RBDS :,,)))) so like. do you get what im saying. emisuba and remsuba and satella are subaru’s first sapphic heartbreaks and heartaches. muahahaha!!!! insert more evil laughter here!!!! bc since subarus a girl her relationships with emisuba and remsuba are definitely gonna be perceived (both by other people and rem emilia subaru) more so as friendships first and foremost.

so….. subarus getting the codependent homoerotic teenage friendship bright and early HAH. but i cannot blame her!! i too would go insane if i was put in a new unfamiliar world and i met this cute girl i was both jealous of and a little into and then we both died and the last thing i felt was searing pain and her soft fingertips!!! i too would go insane if i thought this maid was my friend but then she tortured me and—and—

but yeah you know how amab subaru has his whole weird complex bromances with reinhard and julius and otto?? now itll be like that but with emilia (the julius and reinhard…) and rem (the otto….). emilias the girl subaru’s having “do i wanna be her or be with her” weird rivalry shit with (subaru’s internalized misogyny probably also adding to this bc Obviously theyre rivals) and rem’s the girl who brutally betrays subaru personally (worlds worst homoerotic teenage friendship breakup of all time 😭😭) but then she later becomes subaru’s loyal best friend???? crazy shit.

and like emilia and rem are totaaally villainesses in subaru’s way (except emilias sweet af and misjudged by the entire world and subaru doesnt have the heart to fight rem and also shes chugging copium and trying not to think about failed loops. or about her gay feelings). toxic yuri is toxic yuri-ing. subaru doesnt wanna be explicit about it….. emilia isnt sure of her feelings other than stuff like caring a lot abt subaru… and rem is. Rem. so theyre all in gay situationship limbo HAH.

also as an afab person too rip subaru for also having periods while the whole world is ending on repeat 😭😭 LMFAOO. im sure theres medieval fantasy remedies though (and rem is 1000% spoiling subaru on her period)

also no one can tell me that echidna and rem WOULDNT still be into subaru as much as they are in canon. subaru regardless of gender fascinates echidna and her greed. subaru regardless of gender is someone rem will grow very very attached to. and if anything, rem would get way more bold with afab subaru.

bc the thing with female relationships is that i feel like theres a higher level of intimacy that you gotta go to for it to be considered more romantic or homoerotic. with guys it could be like holding hands and other people might be like WOAH THATS GAY, but if girls do the same thing its like aww youre such good friends. i think rem would take advantage of her and subaru being the same sex and she’d probably keep trying like “hey um um wanna cuddle together?? in the same bed?? and bathe together teehee?? i can help do your hair and dress you up? and make lots of cute dresses for you ? :) <3 🥰 and i can even massage your bo—I MEAN YOUR BACK. YOUR BACK!!” or it’ll be like. rem gets a little too happy that her and subaru’s periods get synced up or something 😭😭 shes Not Normal (and unfortunately subarus probably a little too into that)

also unfortunately the other time a girl touched subaru intimately was satella squeezing her heart :(((( and hahahah between that and rem and emilia and later echidna…. ohhhh poor subaru and her terrible toxic yuri 😭😭 her sapphic experiences and experiences with women have not been 1000% great.

but also of course subaru is so very not normal. you have the canon typical “lol every memory is a good one <3 even rem torturing me teehee <33” and also i just think itd be funny if you as an audience is lead to believe subarus jealous of emilia and rem’s boob sizes and no. no shes just gay. shes GAY.

and stuff like everything going on with julius and otto gets recharacterized too. bc subarus a girl and the guys are guys its probably gonna get perceived more both in and out of universe in a more. Quite Literally Straightforward light. esp bc subaru’s still gonna be into reinhard and julius lbr HAH.

i want arc 3 to still be an absolute fucking disaster with fembaru. let fembaru be flawed and ugly!!!! so in my au thoughts here itd be like. subaru feels jealous and threatened by lots of people. emilia, though its subsided a bit after becoming friends and after learning a bit more abt emilia as a person. but also i think subaru could feel so so jealous of the royal candidates!! esp crusch priscilla anastasia even though subaru will 1000% think theyre bitches at first during arc 3. bc theyre such strong determined women who seem way more confident than subaru herself is…. and also im sure there’ll be complex thoughts from her on felix too bc crossdressing… gender presentation… is a complex thing for subaru.

and subaru with julius is like. “get away from emilia!!!! shes mine!!! shes MY best friend that im homoerotically codependent on and obsessive of!!!! and also youre just trying to steal reinhard’s ikemen male lead spot huh!!!!! bastard!!!! (i hate that youre so pretty too)” and everything of course blows up in subaru’s face. im sure at some point in the story subaru might get slutshamed for having all these connections to people and romantic threads (especially since shes afab) but also its like. wow shes such a stupid girl lol causing a racket.

and uh being a man beating up a girl looks a little worse due to gender roles and stuff but lot of the knights are still gonna want to go after subaru and julius is still gonna want to save subaru. :,,)))) arc 3 emisuba breakup….. worlds worst sapphic breakup of all time…. and later rem will be the one that got away also :(((((

but yeah i think in general this subaru’s connections would be a little more. subtexty with the girls bc she’d be more hesitant to be explicit. but a bit more explicit with the guys bc itll be easily perceived as romantic in and out of universe. and of course subaru i think will be flustered in different ways between the girls vs guys—with the girls its OHH GOD I CANT BE GAY I CANT BE GAY NOOOOO I HAVE A RIVALRY!!! IM SO JEALOUS OF THEM!! BUT. BUT I LIKE THEM!! OHH GOD. with the guys its OH NO. GOOD LOOKING GUYS???? FML. FML!!!!! WHERES MY MAIN CHARACTER CHARM??? HOW DO I TALK TO GUYS???? JULIUS STOP MAKING FUNNOF ME!!! >:(((

also brief note on otto bc things are probably gonna go different here qkdnd. like i definitely am of course of the opinion that otto fell in love with subaru. in every damn arc in every damn main route otto side content hes getting unhinged over subaru in a way that i think makes a little less sense if you dont view it as otto just Not Being Normal About Subaru in a perhaps vaguely homoerotic way.

but subarus afab now!! and ottos still a guy!!! and reinhard and julius are friendly with subaru right, but at around arc 4 things they dont show explicit romantic interest. (i think arc 5-6+ julisuba and juliemisuba would be 👀👀👀 though.) but otto?? in a universe where subaru is a girl??? well now its more acceptable for him to be grow openly head over heels for subaru. but also its probably also more pathetic bc now its probably gonna be more obviously taken as otto having a crush on subaru.

and subarus had her arc 3 development right. but here its like. you wanted a male character who’d fall in love with you and be loyal to you and do Anything for you???? here you go!!! but also given otto is Like That and gets worse by arc 7-8 i think hes gonna seem a bit more sinister. not that canon otto with canon subaru isnt sinister but theres different connotations to male otto paired with female subaru. bc it sort of follows straight dark romance rules, right, with the cunning possessive male love interest and the female protagonist…

i doubt anything explicit would go on between otto and subaru in an au like this bc 1. otto and his avoidant attachment LMFAO and 2. subaru and her issues also and 3. subaru in main route is Not as into otto to the same extent or degree otto is HAH.

and fembarus probably like. i think itd be funny if she was a little disappointed otto wasnt a girl 😭😭😭 but then later hes weird about crossdressing and shes like why dont you wanna do it huh 👁👁👁👁 why are you weird about it 👁👁👁👁 im staring at your glass closet right now—

and also its like. “WHY ARE YOU THE FIRST BOY TO ACTUALLY BE IN LOVE WITH ME WHAT???” which i think is hilarious but i also think it could be fascinating in terms of playing with gender!! bc otto may want to be in control of things, but hes also so subservient to subaru anyway. otto and subaru are both androgynous; otto can pass as a girl and subaru can pass as a boy. if you wanna simplify things further you could also explain this as—otto is a man who looks like a woman who’s pledged his servitude to a woman who looks like a man. very intriguing imo!!

but of course ottosuba power dynamics are Always shifting over and over like a game of tug of war, but the most common thing is that otto will bow his head to subaru but under the surface ottos trying to be in charge. that sort of thing!! and the idea of male otto servicing female subaru is an idea rezero ao3 seems to like also but :,) lets just say its not fully to my taste haha :,,))

and otto is definitely not gonna beat up subaru’s ass so easily this time around bc itd look so bad and he’d know that lmfao 😭😭

but i think theres a lot of potential to play around with gender roles and such with all of these dynamics!! im very passionate about making my genderbend au ideas as wild and layered as possible :o !!

this is all my main ideas atm (and id love to draw stuff like more drag king natsumi or fem reinsuba :) ) but yes i hope this all makes sense :D !! thanks for reading this far and thanks for the ask!!

[bluegekk0]

Okay back for some more art related questions.

How did you make fpk so pink without actually making him pink? I feel like every time I try to draw a pale character with an undertone of color, it looks like that color even though on the color wheel I added like 3% of the color.

How long does it take you to do your art? For an example how long did the fpk reference sheet take you compared to The Cycle art piece with Grimm?

How do you eyeball man? Your art is literally the reference pictures I use to try and draw dark eyes but every time I try to draw them, it looks like Kawaii eyes. Like the eyes in this emoji:🥺. How do you do it?

it all comes down to a very simple thing - it's about highlights that trick your mind into seeing a different color. i'll mainly talk about pink here cause that applies to fpk and i have examples, but i'm sure you could apply this to other colors

here he is with the pink highlights, without them, and what he would look like if he was actually pink. see the difference? he's still predominantly light gray, but the pink details make you see it as more pink-tinted than he actually is

it's not a 1:1 match since he's leucistic as opposed to fully albino, but i was heavily inspired by pictures like these:

if you notice, they're not pink, all of them are white, but the pink areas around the mouths or in the shadows make them appear pink-ish

his pre-hibernation look is a lot closer to these pictures, since his soul glow made him more white than light gray (he also has very subtle iridescence)

the lineart also plays a big role in making a white/gray character appear to have a certain color

here's fpk as you see him on the ref with gray lines + pink highlights, with the highlights removed, and with pink lines (the shadow behind the horns was adjusted as well to match the lines)

both 1 and 3 appear to look light pink. the third one especially affects how the body looks, so depending how subtle you want the effect you may choose between the two options. or mix them, whatever you like. and as you can see, the colors on the last two are identical, but the one on the right looks more pink

(and if i'm being honest, i may actually snatch those pink lines for future drawings, cause i really like how that looks hahah)

---

2. it's very difficult to say, i get distract easily so i never keep a proper count. but the unshaded drawings don't take very long, unless there's a pose or any other details that gives me trouble, and i focus all my attention on it, i'd finish the lineart and color phases in probably around 30 minutes? the sketch always influences the length of the process the most, so there's no single way to determine it

and in the case of references, it naturally adds up. the last updates aren't exactly the most reliable way to deduce that since a lot of them were just updates to existing drawings. but if i were to start from scratch, had clear poses in mind and didn't get distracted, i could probably get it done in like two hours

as for the more detailed drawings, they take a lot longer. again, i can't really say how long, the cycle drawing took me a few sittings, but if i had to guess it was probably a few hours in total? maybe around 5? just guessing

---

3. depends which style i go for. in the unshaded style i keep the eyes simple. one flat color and two lighter colors for the reflections. the more subtle ones play a big part, they make the eye look more 3d and wet. and that also carries over to the painted, shaded style, which includes additional lighting and some details. i particularly like the little star shaped reflections, i think they're adorable but they're subtle enough where they're not distracting

another big part of how i paint his big black pupils is their reflective nature. in a brown room, they'll look more brown than black and so on. it's very exaggerated, normally such eyes wouldn't change color to such a drastic extent, but i think it makes the drawings look more interesting

i can't really offer any specific tips other than that, since i kinda make it up as i go. but using photo references is always helpful, especially for different eye colors

[planet-poptropica]

⋆ So....I was scrolling through Instagram the other day and I saw one those fav character charts, and I thought it would be fun to make my own! ⋆

⋆ Poptropica mutuals, tell me about your favs, not just your main favs, your side favs! I will include the transparent version below, and my explanation to my choices down below if you are interested! I'm interested to see your choices. ⋆

⋆ Tada! Have fun! ⋆

⋆ Now, an explanation to my choices: ⋆

⋆ Your Favorite: Director D ⋆

I think it's no surprise to ANYONE that knows me that Director D has always been my favorite, since day 1. There was a moment where he was almost replaced by Binary Bard, but he is a close second. Director D is my favorite because he is associated to my nostalgia of a time when I was obsessed with being a spy or ninja when I was a kid. (Spy kids may have played a BIG role in that.) Playing as an agent in that island was so exciting for me, but I do remember having trouble with certain parts like the decoder. (In hindsight I probably would be horrible spy XD.) Now that I'm older, his island is still one of my favs for that reason, but it's not my number one. I wish we could have gotten a bit more backstory for him, but, what can you do. (But create a backstory for him and I have.)

⋆ You Relate To: Black Widow ⋆

Black widow is a character I don't really talk about or draw like....ever, which is crazy because she's probably the character I relate to the most, just like many other artist do too I'm sure. I relate to her in the way of being jealous of other people's art success, and the constantly comparing yourself to others. They say you are your worst critic after all. I don't so much anymore. I'm actually proud of where I am in my art journey, but I used to do that a lot when I was younger, especially when I just started doing digital art.

You won't catch me stealing or ruining other people's art though... girl what-

⋆ Your Favorite Design: Ringmaster Raven ⋆

Look at him, 'nuff said. His design is amazing. I love the color palette, the mask used to cover his true look, the raven theme with the wings and mask, the hat with eyes, everything. His design is the best because it matches with the overall theme of the island, it being a MONSTER CARNIVAL, and he is the Ringmaster. I remember how hipped I was when his island trailer released. One of the best islands for sure.

⋆ Is Underrated: Count Bram⋆

Yeah, remember when I was constantly drawing him for a short period of time? It's for a reason. I love my vampire peepaw who's confused about everything. I'm curious, do people consider him a villain? I kind of don't for the reason that he kidnapped Katya because he thought she was Anabelle, and once he was cured and was bought back to reality, he apologized for it because he didn't know. You want to talk about villain? Christopher is the real villain, you can't change my mind. Anyway, I was looking at the old art I drew of him, and he looked familiar to me. Then it all came together. You know who he reminds of? Exactly? Simon Petrikov, you know, Ice King from Adventure Time? Not only do they have the same hair style and would have the same personality, but they were both humans at some point with a partner, and once they became what they became, all they thought about was their partner, aka Anabelle and Betty.

Poof, mind blown. Vampire peepaw deserves more love.

⋆ You'd get along with IRL: Amelia ⋆

Amelia is another character I don't really talk about or draw, mainly because I associate her with the new era of Poptropica. But, I don't think that's fair. Amelia is actually a very sweet character that I think little me would have appreciated if she came to the game sooner. I would probably get along with her really well, considering how silly, and nice she is. Not to mention, her love for cute stuff. Imagine her unicorn bedroom but replaced with bunnies. That's my room right now. I think that even traveling with her would be really fun. She would have gotten under the "you relate to" category too but I didn't want Amelia on here twice. XD

⋆ And finally...Your Favorite Side Character: Dr. Spyglass ⋆

I... do not know how to explain this one. Dr. Spyglass only gets a few words of dialog, and we know nothing about him in canon, besides him working for HQ, and being an eye doctor. I won't lie, I actually had a crush on this guy years ago, hence why I shipped him with Muddy. (I cringe at that ship now. XD) Probably because...he looks like Director D...with a lab coat. >_> Look at both of them and TELL ME they are not related, I dare you. My version of them are. I love the idea of this silly scientist being hired by his brother after failing the entry agent exam, not because he pitted him, but because he understood how incredibly smart he was and is. Constantly being compared to his brother and what he could have been. So, you can say I like MY version of him... a lot.

I should dedicate a post to him some day, eh?

[kedikatzen]

Do you have advice on how to draw characters with different body types and faces like you do? Me and my sister have been amazed with you art style since your first comic and its a big insperation to us

Tons, and I honestly need to just make a video on it x'D But I'll do my best to make something cohesive here, while keeping it quick. I'm also definitely not the expert, I'm just somebody trying to learn as I go and trying to constantly improve.

I bring this up first because this is something of a bad habit I've noticed a lot of people slip into - I've slipped into it myself, and had to make a conscious effort to get out of it. When it comes to bad habits in art, I try to point them out and cut them out, because it'll be harder to steer away from doing it once you've made it a go-to.

You really want to strive to create bodies that are similar "weights" or "builds" while also still looking different. Some people are top heavy and some are bottom heavy. Some people are skinny and other people are lean, they're different. A good way to practice in a way that builds better habits would be to draw a bunch of bodies in a certain weight or form category that still look different.

When it comes to those little things that set your characters apart, you want to strive to keep those unique to them as well, and while this is nice:

it might be relying too heavily on the little details to set characters apart. All your characters wearing different coloured t-shirts doesn't change that, at the end of the day, they're all wearing t-shirts. Try to break things down to the bare bones, and make sure they're still distinguishable and unique to them.

That said, don't become so fixated on making each and every person so perfectly unique that it stunts you. Some characters will have the same bodies, some characters will have similar faces, etc. Aesthetic still plays a role in overall bigger pictures, characters should be cohesive with each other if they're all in the same world, etc.

The single best thing I think you can do as an artist is go out and draw real people. Draw shapes, draw quick sketches, draw structures, draw what you see. There's so much variety and beauty out in the world, it's the best place to find inspiration and practice for your work. I used to sit in cafes or at parks or even bus stops and just draw shapes I saw, very basic shapes and gestures but it got me out of my comfort zone and helped me see more variety.

[bliss-wily]

More hcs from my silly little head - seems to be the direction this is going in and I’m going to run with it. Using this as my space to let me thoughts run wild as I deal with lovely headaches~

This time? Frieza and maybe his family! Read below to find out~

Note: In my mind Cooler and Kuriza are canon. I know they aren’t but this is my version so meh.

•Smooth yet scaly skin.

•Don’t talk to him until he’s had his grape juice.

•And yes, grape juice.

•No wine for the space lizard - his father wants all the wine for himself.

•King Cold is a wine mom. And maybe a soccer mom, Freezy Pop is his little boy.

•”MY FATHER WILL HEAR ABOUT THIS”

•”JUST WAIT UNTIL MY FATHER HEARS ABOUT THIS”

•Also, definitely still calls King Cold ‘daddy’.

•A daddy’s boy.

•Frieza had Kuriza simply to have an heir.

•Ends up loving the little brat but won’t admit it.

•Zarbon is designated babysitter.

•King Cold definitely had Zarb babysitting his two boys as well.

•And yes, every elite is older than Frieza~

•My proof? Broly! I took plenty of screenshots of one part of that movie because…Frieza Force! Can’t find the rest of my screenshots but just some cans several of the elites are present.

(Also for some reason Jeice’s arm is not covered in his spandex? Oh well, think it’s an error as he is covered in other parts of his cameo. Also Zarb has white shoes instead of brown. Ah excuse my rambling!)

•Anywayyy…Berryblue was basically the nanny for the two boys (Frieza and Cooler).

•Also, Freezy Pop is very insecure of his height - hence why his aides are shorter than him.

•Zarbon and Dodoria are his right hand men, they are allowed to be taller.

•Despite being expendable, I think Zarbon was Frieza’s closest confidant.

•And by god - no one insults his two right hand men. Sorbet got an earful for comparing Tagoma to them after all, only he gets to speak bad about them!

•If you’re good to him, he will be good to you. Unless you become a threat and stand in his way of course! Can’t have that!

•Heavily relies on Zarbon and Berryblue respectively. I think Zarbon is tasked with anything and everything, whether that’s changing the emperor’s bed or helping him with his sense of style.

•The two are friendly BUT IT IS VERY CONDITIONAL.

•Keeps Zarbon close as I feel the two would agree on certain things: skincare, presentation, aesthetics…plus both nepo babies in my opinion. They’d have plenty to talk about.

•Dodoria can be Karen, it’s like space Mean Girls.

•Future Warrior from Xenoverse can be Cady.

Now I’m getting off track…I’m sorry these are always rambly, I’m very unprofessional.

•Frieza still acts like a child and the universe to him is his toy box.

•His favourite toys are closest to him though.

•Blinded by his obsession to beat Goku.

•And due to this blindness I think Cooler has the potential to be stronger.

•Cooler I imagine is the more mature and less sadistic of the two.

•Cooler is more well rounded; better to his men, and despite the fact he would and could kill Frieza - anyone else touches his little brother? Oh there’s hell to pay! Only he’s allowed.

•Highly unbothered that Frieza is the favourite - if anything, to Cooler, that just means more freedom to an extent.

•Actually takes his role seriously.

•Salza is his Zarbon in this scenario - he doesn’t need a Berryblue though as Cooler is mature enough to lack a babysitter.

•I think Cooler would be a good uncle to Kuriza, I don’t think he would hold a grudge towards the little one.

•Speaking of Kuriza…this boy I imagine to be a ray of sunshine!

•Just to totally go against Frieza’s personality - Kuriza loves sports, art, games, playing with toys, etc.

•Just a sweet kid but has combat prowess.

•And his cuteness means the members of the Force let the little Lord get his way.

•Zarbon especially, he wouldn’t let anything happen to that boy.

•Nor would Ginyu, I think he would be the honorary sixth member.

•Although I think Zarbon, Frieza, and Bonyu would discourage the posing aspect.

•Kuriza will be the only ‘sane’ member of the family.

•Loves his daddy, uncle and gramps - and his other uncles and aunties in the form of the elite force members.

•Well mannered and behaved.

•I will assume much like the Namekians, Frieza’s race/Icejins/Frost Demons reproduce asexually. Sure Cold and his two sons are highly attractive but I doubt they have the time.

•Now for Cold! Wine mom as I said. Loves wine, loves retirement.

•Calls Cooler by his name, Frieza gets all the nicknames from ‘Princess’, ‘Freezy Pop’, ‘Prince’, ‘Free’, ‘Freezy Baby’, etc. super embarrassing dad vibes.

•At all royal/political/whatever events the PTO are involved in just know this man is coming with all the most embarrassing pictures of his two boys. Frieza especially.

•A very proud daddy, doubt he ever let Frieza out of his sight when the tyrant was young.

•Also, raising Kuriza most of the time. I don’t think he wants to see his grandson getting hurt.

•Rarely sober, always at least a little tipsy.

•Very refined, expensive taste, probably had Zarbie as his favourite minion as well.

•His private residence is family photos, definitely had to bribe Frieza into behaving.

•Also…loaded but in an old money sense.

•Could be stronger than his two boys, but who’s got time for that? Or need? Nah…wine, luxuries; and his boys. That’s what matters most.

•Wine snob - whole family are. Well apart from Frieza and Kuriza - expensive grape juice!

•Sees Cooler as an adult, sees Frieza as his precious little baby.

It’s like nearly 3am here; these are all over the place and I should probably sleep, but that’s my contribution for this early morning~

[b-skarsgard]

–How involved were you with casting, and what led to Bill Skarsgård getting the lead?

FITZJOHN: We were completely hands-on on all things, including casting. The usual suspects were thrown around by the sales agent saying, “We need to look at…” I won’t mention any names, but we did talk to some of the big A-league boys. I think it was Roy Lee who suggested, “What about Bill Skarsgård?” and when we first heard that, to be honest, that didn’t really strike us. You know, he’s not exactly a boy, he’s 6-foot-4–a pretty significant man. And then the irony of that was it got us talking about, “This kind of reminds me of that story about the baby elephant that’s tied to the stake and pulls and pulls and pulls and can’t get away. And then by the time it’s a big bull elephant, it doesn’t even try to pull the stake, which it could probably do in no time.” And that’s essentially Boy’s story, the way he’s been so programmed by Shaman. He should be the champion, but he cedes the king role to Shaman, who’s about half his size by the time he’s grown up. So it just felt right.

SWART: When we spoke to Bill, he was so excited about playing a true action role. He’s a massive martial arts fan, and so capable. He was like, “Yeah, I want to do the training, and as many of my own stunts as you guys will let me.” We said, “Well, that’s great, Bill, but remember, your character has no lines, you have no dialogue.” And he said, “Yeah, that’s what really gets me about this role.” He studied the old Charlie Chaplin silent movies; he not only prepared his body and learned the martial arts part, but if you look at the range of emotion on his face, there are some little homages to classic Chaplin as well.

The rest of the ensemble was very much the same, finding the right people to bring these wacky characters to life. When we interviewed the actors, as well as our heads of department, we told them, “Wave your crazy flag! However you bring these characters to life, just lean into your creative inspiration.”

FITZJOHN: Getting back to Bill, if you see what he does under all the prosthetics in IT, you still know what he’s thinking and feeling. He’s one of a kind, and if Hollywood hasn’t recognized that he’s a big star yet, I believe they’re going to after this movie.

What went into getting Skarsgård in shape and choreographing his fight scenes?

FITZJOHN: That was a pretty significant task. Our stunt coordinator, Dawid Szatarski, is incredible in terms of how he thinks. He thinks in movement. Dawid basically invented a fighting style for Bill, given his lankiness; he wanted him to move with big sweeping motions, and they spent quite a bit of time in Berlin doing the training. We also hired a really good fitness/strength coach, a nutritionist, who basically lived with Bill for about nine months getting him ready. I didn’t stay too far from Bill during production, and I would watch him do a 12-hour shoot and then go and do a two-hour calisthenics workout on the roof. I mean, the guy would work out during lunch breaks. He never stopped; I’d never seen anything like that commitment. He became Boy.

SWART: Dawid was also our 2nd unit director. I think he has three or four credits on the movie; he actually has a great cameo as VDK Dawe, the one soldier who just won’t go down. Bill’s relationship with Dawid was very special, and there were times when Dawid would go to Bill saying, “So, do you think you can do this stunt?” and Bill would go, “Of course I can do this stunt,” and we were like, “No, you can’t do this stunt!” There were many moments when I would have to tell Bill, “No, no, you’ve got to use a double for this, because if you twist your ankle or something at this stage of the shoot…” But Bill was up for anything; he was like, “Well, then don’t challenge me,” you know? “Don’t dare me.” And we were like, “We’re not daring you!”

FITZJOHN: If we’re honest, Bill did the bulk of it; it’s not a battle we won in the end. Outside of the stupid, crazy stuff, like when we were throwing Boy down from a double-story balcony, he pretty much did everything.

I’ve heard that Skarsgård originally did Boy’s voiceovers himself, before H. Jon Benjamin came in and took over. Can you talk about the reasons and that process?

FITZJOHN: It was always going to be H. Jon Benjamin. I mean, Moritz called it at the same time, when we were casting. The short had this Marlboro Man voiceover that just doesn’t match with Boy. And even with Bill’s versatility, we needed to explore something like that. He did an amazing job, but the audiences wanted the almost bipolar nature of it.

SWART: It’s the absurdity of his inner voice, right? So in the short it’s the Marlboro Man, and Boy gets his voice from an old cigarette commercial. For the feature, we recorded Bill, which did give us a great connection to his character, but we found that we lost the absurdity of where his inner voice comes from. It took something away from the physical performance and the storytelling.

FITZJOHN: And also, given the nature of the story, the humor of H. Jon Benjamin gives us a reprieve, in a good way, from a pretty dark, dramatic and violent story.

[rhoorl]

Working Title - Chapter 2

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x OFC Belle

Rating: Mature, 18+.

Word Count: 5.6K

Series Masterlist | Masterlist

Series Summary: We learn a bit more about Belle and Indy's past. The girls head to the audition and we get a meet cute in a waiting room.

Warnings: This chapter has some swearing, allusions to cheating and toxic relationships.

Note: Hi, I’m back with chapter two! Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read Chapter 1. All the comments, likes, and reblogs meant so much to me. It really lifted my spirits, so thank you! This is also posted on AO3.

“How fast can you get to LA?”

You sniffle and wipe your eyes and then your nose with your shirt sleeve. “What? Umm-”

“Wait, what’s wrong? Shit. Did something happen? What did Ryan do?”

You let out a long exhale, not even knowing where to start. “He … um … he left me a note and packed his shit.”

“Are you fucking serious?!” You can practically hear her teeth clenching. But then, letting her rage subside and knowing she needed to comfort you she let out a sigh. “Shit, I’m sorry babe.”

“Eh. I wish I could sit here and be like, ‘No it’s totally fine he was a jerk' but I just can’t do that.”

“I know you loved him, Belle.”

Belle. A nickname that’s stuck since childhood. You were obsessed with Beauty and the Beast growing up, Belle being your favorite Disney princess. You both had brown hair and liked reading, so it seemed like an easy one to latch on to. And over time, you realized that you identified with Belle’s gentle nature of wanting to see the best in people and help, even as life dealt you more obstacles which made that optimism hard to keep.

“Yea, well he clearly didn’t love me, no matter how much I tried.”

She doesn’t say anything, just letting a silence fall between you both.

“So, what’s this about needing to get to LA?”

“Right, well I’ve been auditioning for that role I told you about – the one where I’d play an agent or something. Well, they want me to come in and do a screen test with a few other actors who are up for the other roles and I need my good luck charm with me!”

It was sweet that she thought you were her good luck charm. You’d been doing Indy’s hair and makeup since you were kids. She will always claim that she was the first person you ever put makeup on, putting it on her before you even tried putting it on yourself. It was a fun way for you both to bond. Some kids play with crayons or chalk, but you grabbed some clearance makeup and dolled up your best friend in the latest techniques you saw in magazines or on TV. Over time, you really developed a talent for it. You also started dabbling in hair too – never cutting or dying it, just blow drying and styling. 

Indy was a natural on stage and loved performing.  And whenever possible she would have you do her hair and makeup. Seeing you and talking to you before going on stage was a way to distract herself from the nerves. You’d talk about boys or boy bands or the latest gossip around the school. 

Your senior year, of high school you were both trying to decide what to do next. Indy got accepted into NYU for performing arts; New York City had been her dream for so long. You wanted to go to a cosmetology school in the city. Being at the center of all things Broadway, TV, film, and fashion seemed like the perfect place to cut your teeth as a makeup artist. Plus, with Indy in the same city, you could navigate the next stages of your lives together. 

Eventually, Indy started getting booked for auditions and she would always have you do her hair and makeup. It made you laugh because you really didn’t have to do much. She was so naturally beautiful and you knew the casting directors didn’t want her going in there all dolled up to the point they couldn’t read her emotions. But still, having that time together to talk centered Indy and helped her prepare better than any meditation class or breathing exercise ever could. 

Once you both graduated from your respective schools, you stayed in New York City for several years. You both hit a bit of a slump during the pandemic. With everything shut down, there was not much work out there for an aspiring actress or a makeup artist. So, you both packed up and moved home to Florida. You moved in together and picked up odd jobs here and there. 

Luckily, living in Orlando, you were both able to get back on your feet once things opened up again. Indy was able to book several performing roles at the different theme parks in the city and you were able to work in the makeup departments. Although work wasn’t always consistent, you were still able to be together. Eventually, Indy moved herself up through the ranks and was invited to go out to Disneyland to play a role in a new parade. The move took you both by surprise, you knew it was a possibility that she would eventually get a call to go out there – she was such an amazing performer. But, you didn’t expect it to happen so soon. 

Your lease was coming up for renewal, so rather than commit for another year, you decided to take the leap and move in with Ryan. It was one of the last things you wanted to do. By this point he had cheated on you twice, so moving in with him seemed like you were just rewarding his awful behavior. But, you were kind of backed into a wall and had no other choice; there was no way you could afford rent on your own and besides, Ryan had a decent job at an aerospace company. 

When she went out to southern California, Indy decided to sign with an agency to help her book more auditions. Her agent, Rhys, set her up with auditions here and there but nothing ever panned out. That was until one of your trips out to see her coincided with a big audition. So, you did what you had always done – get her ready. She booked the part. A small, but recurring role in the second season of a popular streaming show. She wanted to bring you on set with her to do her hair and makeup, but since this was really her first “big” role,  she didn’t have the pull to do that.

You repeated this pattern off and on for the next couple of years, separated by the vast expanse of the United States but coming together every so often when an audition got to the final stages.

“When is the audition?”

“Well, that’s the thing. They want me to come in on Monday.”

“Monday? Indy, it’s Saturday. So, I basically have to find a flight and leave within the next 12 hours?”

“So, I kind of already bought your ticket.”

“You did what? No Indy, you shouldn’t have done that.”

Your friend was always so generous. She wasn’t rich by Hollywood standards, but she was comfortable. She always made it a point to pay above your day rate whenever you did her hair and makeup and she, usually, paid for your transportation out to LA – unless you beat her to the punch. 

“I know, I know. But honestly, I know how you get and you’d start freaking out about booking a last-minute flight, so I figured I’d save you the trouble. Besides, I found out about this earlier today while you were with your client, so I knew you weren’t going to answer the phone. I couldn’t wait until now to book the flight.”

“Well, I mean, good thing I have no life and no other plans,” you chuckled, half joking and half a little bit sad that you really had nothing else going in your life that would prevent you from up and leaving on a whim. You used to love that feeling, of not having to be tied down by anything. But, even if you wouldn’t outright admit it to yourself, you longed for something to tether you to a place rather than live a transient lifestyle.

“Oh come on Belle. Enough with the pity party. Besides, even if Ryan were there you would have still jumped at the chance to leave for a few days. When you are here we can go get massages or something, my treat.”

“Ha ok, Ind.”

“Yay! Ah, I’m so excited!”

“I am too, Ind. It’s going to be so nice to see you.” You switched the phone to speaker phone and headed to your room to start packing. “So, did you book a return flight for me? How much do I need to pack for?”

“Rhys says that they should have an answer for me by Wednesday, although it depends on whether or not they can get one of the actors they want to actually commit.”

“Oh, do you know who?”

“No, not really. I’ve heard rumors but nothing concrete.” 

Something in her tone made it sound like she knew more than she was putting on.

“So who are the rumors about, then?”

“Oh, you know how the gossip rags are, Belle. They’ll name anyone and everyone. Plus, add in people speculating on social and it adds a whole ‘nother layer.”

“Uh huh,” you said. Still not buying it.

“Ok, well, I have heard of one name that’s floating around. It wouldn’t be for the lead male role, but it would be a big name that would get people to watch.”

“And that person is…” 

She clears her throat and waits for a beat before saying, “Dieter Bravo.”

“What?!” saying it a little more forcefully than you intended.

“Yea, but like I said, it’s a rumor. Last Rhys heard, his agent sent him the script. He has been kind of all over the place with roles recently, so nobody really knows what he’s going to do. Besides, Rhys also said he’s in the running for other stuff too, so who knows? He may decide to do something else over this.”

“Hm, ok. Right. It’s all rumor at this point.” You tried to sound nonchalant and thank your stars that Indy decided to do a phone call rather than Facetime because there would be no way you could hide your giddiness and excitement over this latest revelation.

Dieter Bravo had been your favorite actor for years. You had followed his career from the early days, going to see all of his off-Broadway shows. You even waited outside of the theater a couple of times to try and get a selfie or an autograph. You were able to get your playbill signed once, but there was a sea of people and he was honestly just signing whatever was in front of him. But still, you were within feet of your crush.

You continued to keep up with his career, going to see his latest films or streaming whatever show he was on, even if it was just a cameo or small part. You felt for him when his struggles became public. Obviously, you didn’t know the man, but you felt a weird sense of protectiveness over him. He always seemed like a good guy who got a little lost and caught up in the fame. You distinctly remember watching when he won his Oscar, getting a little teary-eyed at his speech when thanked his late parents for always supporting his creativity. And you were so proud to see him turn his life around. 

“Ok say, it,” Indy prodded you. Again, she knew you better than anyone and didn’t need the visual to know that your face was turning red at the possibility of seeing Dieter in person.

“How confident are you that you’ll get this part?”

“Rhys seems to think I am a lock. He said there’s only one other woman they’re bringing in for the screen test and the only reason she’s made it this far is because she’s fucking one of the producers.”

“Ah, I see.”

“So basically, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re coming to LA. You’re getting me ready for this audition, which I’m going to nail. I’m going to get the part and you and I are going to spend the next few months in Hawaii on set with Dieter Bravo.”

“Hawaii? Jesus, Ind, you could have led with that!”

“I know … that was just the cherry on top,” you could hear her smirk.

“Ok.” You let out a breath, got up from your bed, and headed to your closet. “I guess I need to pack. Can you send me the flight info?”

“Already did babe. I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you!”

“Love you too, Ind.”

The phone’s shrill ringtone snaps Dieter out of his slumber. Groggily, he turns over in his bed towards the nightstand reaching for his glasses first before grabbing his phone. Normally he would just ignore the call, but seeing as it was Liz he begrudgingly answered the phone.

“Ugh shit Liz, it’s early” he grumbled. His voice was still gravely from sleep.

“Dee, it’s fucking 10 in the morning. What time did you go to sleep?”

“Ugh, I don’t know like 3?”

“3?! Dieter must I remind you that you’re in your 40’s and need your beauty sleep.”

“Nah, Lizzie. With looks like this, I’m golden.”

“Psh ok, whatever. Well, what kept you up late, did you read the script?”

“Oh, ye of little faith. As a matter of fact, I stayed up late reading your damn script and working on the character. I’m thinking he needs an accent or something.”

“No. Please no. Just do it in your regular voice.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? People like it when I do accents.”

“Dee. In Cliff Beasts 6 you said fyeathers instead of feathers for crying out loud. You sounded ridiculous.”

“Well, it was a creative choice.”

“Fine. Create something different.”

“Well, you’re in a chipper mood this morning.”

“I’ve just had these damn execs up my ass all morning wondering if you’re going to show up tomorrow or not.”

“Well, we wouldn’t want anything up your ass,” he laughed.

“A real fucking comedian.”

“I’ll be there Lizzie.”

He could practically hear her unclench her jaw. 

“Oh. ok. Well, frankly I thought you’d need more convincing, but I won’t argue with you. I’ll need you to show up to the studio tomorrow at 9. Can you do that or is it too early for Sleeping Beauty?”

“I’ll be there. Who am I meeting with.”

“Well, you’ll meet with the director and producers, maybe a writer or two. There’s a couple of screen tests going on tomorrow for some of the top contenders for the male and female lead.”

“Anyone I know?”

“Samuel Garrett is up for the lead role, between you and me he’s the one getting it. They have some other guy coming in but I think it’s a head fake so Sam doesn’t get too full of himself.”

“I hear ya. That guy is talented but damn he can be a real douche.”

“Well, he’s young Dee.”

“And for the female role?”

“It’s really only down to one at this point too. The other is the girlfriend of one of the producers or something, I don’t know. The girl blew the guy and he’s going to get her on the show some way or somehow. But the other girl is … hmm … let me look at my notes. It’s an Indy Liara. Ever heard of her?”

“Nah, never heard of her.”

“She’s apparently great, really magnetic. Rhys says she’s got the it factor.”

“Rhys? Like your protege Rhys?”

“Yea. I pushed my little bird out of the nest and he’s flying. He’s been representing her for a while now.”

“Cool. He was always a nice guy.”

“Do you want me to come to the studio tomorrow? Just say the word and I’ll be there.”

“I mean, do you think you should be there,” Dieter said with a bit of uncertainty behind his voice.

“It’s up to you champ. If you want me there I’ll be there, but you’re a big boy and you don’t need me to hold your hand during a meeting.”

That made Deiter laugh. Liz always had a way of busting his balls but in the most loving way. Although he didn’t need her to be there, it was comforting to have her there.

“Well, you are my good luck charm, Lizzie. If you can make it, I’d love for you to be there.”

“I’ll be there champ.” Liz waited for a beat before saying, “Hey Dee.”

“Yea?”

“You’re gonna knock ‘em dead.”

“Ha, thanks, Liz.”

“When we go to Hawaii I expect you to treat me to a mai tai and a full day booked at the spa.”

“Whatever you want Lizzie. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Don’t go to sleep so late tonight,” she managed to get in before hanging up.

“Ok, so tell me what kind of look you are going for,” you asked Indy as you lay out your makeup and brushes on her kitchen island; the natural light is always the best here in the mornings.

“Ugh, I don’t know. Something natural for the makeup for sure,” Indy said as she pulled her hair out of her claw clip, running her fingers through it. “For the hair, I’m feeling some like loose waves or something. You know how you did it for the last set of headshots.”

“Ok cool, that’s easy.” You’re still setting up your things but notice Indy rubbing her palms on her knees, an uncharacteristic, but not uncommon tick she has when she’s nervous. “Ind, what’s up?”

Over the years, your little hair and makeup sessions have become a bit like a therapy session for both of you. You’ve had some of your best talks during these times. Just the two of you together. Indy finding time to center herself and breathe, and you getting a chance to focus on something. 

“I guess I’m nervous,” Indy admits. 

“You? Nervous?” you chuckle. Indy has always been confident and not easily rattled. Auditioning is not for the faint of heart; rejection is common and insecurity can easily rear its ugly head. But for her, she was hardly rattled. She spent so many years struggling. You both did. Fighting to be given a chance. To be noticed. 

In recent years she was starting to get booked more consistently, which was exciting but also made her nervous. She was finally some buzz, something she had been seeking for nearly a decade. Now that she was on the precipice of getting what would be a breakout role, she was nervous.

“Yea, a little. Ugh, I don’t know Belle. I can tell I’m getting in my head about this. I usually don’t know how far I am in the process. Like, in reality, for this I’m their first choice. This screen test is the make or break and I just don’t want to mess it up.”

“Hey,” you grab both of her hands. “You are the most talented person I know and you have worked so hard for this. This is your moment and I know you are going to kill it. So, get your head out of your stupidly perfect ass and just do what you do best.”

She cocks her head, squinting her eyes and giving you a smirk. “Um, excuse me. Who are you and what did you do to my best friend.”

You both laugh.

“Seriously, I like this version of you!”

“Ha ha. Hey, you give me pep talks all the time, so I’m only returning the favor,” you say with a wink. “Ok close your eyes,” you say as you start her skin prep.

“I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too.”

“I almost don’t want to ask, but have you heard from Ryan?”

“He sent me a text yesterday, asking when he could come by. I haven’t responded to him yet. I mean, he has a key so in theory he could just go whenever he wanted and grab his shit.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Honestly, I thought I would be a lot more broken up about it. Maybe it’s because I’m not wallowing in my apartment, so thanks for that,” you chuckle. “This was almost exactly what I needed. Seeing you, getting to lose myself in work, and getting you ready. Plus, and no pressure, but focusing on you and the potential for something exciting in your future is a nice distraction.”

“I’m going to ask for you to come with me if I get it,” Indy tells you, pulling back and opening her eyes.

“Wait, what?”

“Hell yea! You think I’m going to go do my first big role and not have you there? Besides, you’ve said how much the bridal stuff is getting old. I was talking with Rhys and he said that you could maybe work with the other talent too.”

“Oh my goodness, Ind!” you smack her on the shoulder, in a loving way. “You didn’t tell me that! That is so fucking cool!”

“Yea, it’s another reason why I feel pressure for today. I really want this for the both of us. I’ll be able to land the role I’ve been going after for years and you’ll finally get the exposure you deserve. You are a kick-ass makeup artist and hair stylist and it’s about time others see that.”

You stop mixing her foundation and look at her, a little teary-eyed at her confession. She’s always had your back and you’ve both always looked out for each other. You didn’t realize what she has been negotiating and working towards during her audition process on your behalf.

“Well, don’t feel pressure on my account. Whatever happens, happens. I am so proud of you. Now, please stop with the sentimental stuff because we’re going to both end up crying and you’re going to ruin my masterpiece!”

You both laugh and hug.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Ind.”

You get the rest of her makeup done and throw a few loose waves in her shoulder-length hair. Once you got her sorted, you head to the bathroom to throw what you call your “quick face” on. A little bit of blush, some under-eye concealer, and mascara. You throw your hair up in a ponytail, pulling a few pieces out by your face. Grabbing your purse and travel kit, you are both headed out the door.

Rhys meets you both outside of the studio’s offices. He’s been with Indy for so long that he’s become like a big brother to not only her but you as well. 

“My two favorite girls,” he grins, extending his arms to hug you both at the same time. “So glad you were able to make it Belle.”

“Good to see you Rhys,” you said, kissing him on the cheek. 

“Alright, Ind, you ready?” he said, resting his hands on Indy’s shoulders, squeezing them. “You got this.”

Indy takes a deep breath in and out. “Yea, as ready as I’ll ever be,” she said flashing her mega-watt smile.

The three of you head inside. Rhys confidently heads to the reception desk, letting the woman at the desk know Indy was there for her appointment. 

You both take the time to look around, seeing promotional posters along the walls from the studio’s hit movies and series. 

Rhys strides back over to you both. “Ok, they should be with us soon. Belle, are you ok to sit out here and wait? It honestly shouldn’t take too long.”

“Oh yea, I’m good,” you said, fishing out a book from your bag. “I came prepared!”

“You always do, always thinking of everything,” he says with a smile.

“Ms. Liara?” the small woman dressed all in black with glasses says as she rounds the corner of the reception desk. “They’re ready for you.”

“Good luck,” you whisper, giving Indy a quick hug. “Show them they’d be stupid to pass up on you,” you winked.

“Thanks, I’ll see you soon,” she said in an excited whisper.

You watch as she and Rhys head back through the set of doors behind the desk.

The receptionist looks at you, “you’re more than welcome to sit over there,” she motions to a plush couch in the corner. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Oh, no I’m ok. Thank you, though,” you said as you headed toward where she pointed.

“Ok, well if you change your mind, holler. Don’t be shy.”

“Thanks,” you smiled at her. Sitting down, taking your phone out to check the time, before grabbing your book and finding your bookmark to pick up where you left off.

Liz paced outside of the studio’s offices. You know the phrase, “Early is on time, and on time is late?” Well, to LIz early is pushing it. She always got places a good 15 minutes before a reasonable person would. She always reasoned that getting someplace that much earlier gave her time to assess things and get herself settled. 

In the past, it would give her time to formulate a series of backup plans based on Dieter – whether or not he’d show up, or what he would be like if he did show up. Old habits die hard, and she was hardwired to always show up places early.

Dieter knew how she was and in recent years he worked on getting places earlier. He had spent so many years stressing her out, he felt like he owed it to her to minimize the amount of stress he caused her.

Liz saw Dieter’s Audi come into the parking lot, checking her watch. “Wow, 10 minutes early Dee,” she said to herself.

Dieter parks his car, grabs his phone and a bottle of water, and gets out of his car. He was dressed in a flattering pair of dark wash jeans, a gray v-neck t-shirt, and sneakers. It was a far cry from his former wardrobe of baggy sweatpants, oversized tees, and Crocs; although he still wore those at home.

Since getting sober, he had worked on his fitness, going on runs or hikes (cutting out smoking helped), and working out with a trainer. Although he didn’t like to focus on how he looked, he had to admit that he looked better than he had in years.

He strides confidently over to Liz, who stopped pacing.

“You’re on time.”

“Oh come, on! I’m early Lizzie and you know it,” he smirked.

Rolling her eyes she turns towards the entrance, Dieter falling in step next to her.

“You ready?”

“Yup,” he says as he opens the door for Liz and they both step into the lobby.

“Mr. Bravo!” the receptionist said enthusiastically. “So nice to see you again! Let me check to see if they’re ready for you in the back, just make yourself at home.”

“Awesome, thanks darling,” he says with his movie-star smile.

The receptionist blushed as she quickly dialed a number and talked in hushed tones on the phone.

“Mr. Bravo! So nice to see you! Let me check to see if they’re ready for you in the back, just make yourself at home.”

Bravo? Like Dieter Bravo?! Why is he here? Wait, was Indy right, is he up for a role too? What if Indy gets this and you get to spend months in Hawaii with Dieter Bravo? 

You could feel yourself spiraling, so many things are happening at the same time. You have butterflies but also feel instantly nauseous. You’re trying to figure out what to do because at this point you were still looking down at your book. The couch was facing the entrance, the reception desk to your right. You lean back into the couch, crossing your right leg over your left, stealing a glance up.

Holy shit. That is Dieter fucking Bravo. He’s leaned up against the reception desk looking at his phone. With him distracted, you do more than steal a glance. You eye him up and down taking it all in. He’s just as handsome as you remembered from all those years ago. In fact, he looks even better now, aging like a fine wine. You take him in from the top of his head with his messy curls down to his patchy beard that’s cut a little closer than usual. His T-shirt fit him well. How long have his arms looked like that? Oh my goodness, those jeans.

You look to your left and see a woman standing near him, also on her phone. You imagine that has to be his Rhys, noticing the body language you’ve come to recognize between an actor and their agent.

“Mr. Bravo, I apologize, but they’re on a call that is just now wrapping up. It shouldn’t be too much longer, but if you’d feel more comfortable sitting down, please go ahead,” she said, motioning to the seating area.

“Oh ok, sure. Thanks. And you can call me Dieter,” he chuckles as he grabs his water bottle and heads toward the seating area.

Holy shit. Holy shit. This is happening. What do I do? Do I look at him? Pretend he’s not here? No, I can’t do that. That’s almost more awkward. There’s literally no one else in here except the four of us, so it would be weird to not acknowledge him right? You have this internal dialogue battle with yourself, eyes still transfixed on your book like you were reading a goddamn masterpiece. 

You can feel him getting closer, traversing the lobby in a few strides. You are sitting on the far right side of a three-seat couch, with chairs on either side. You look up just as he’s making his way around the coffee table. To sit on the other side of the couch?!

“Hello,” he says softly, noticing you looking at him.

“H-Hi,” you managed to squeak out.

“D-do you mind if I sit here?” Wait, is he nervous? He’s nervous because I’m being awkward right? Shit.

“Uh. Um, yea, be my guest.”

“Thanks,” he smiles and sits on the far left side. You notice his agent, or at least who you think is his agent, walking over and taking the seat to the left of the couch, engrossed in her phone.

You smile at him and then snap your focus back to your book, although you don’t see any of the words on the page. You’re too busy trying to regulate your breathing. You can feel his presence next to you. Is he looking at me? I can’t look. I feel like he’s looking at me. You don’t know how long you stayed like that, it felt like an hour but also 30 seconds.

“Mr. Bravo? They’re ready for you now.”

“Alright, Dee, let’s do this,” the older woman tells him, patting him on the knee. Definitely the agent.

He lets out a breath and stands up. You look up at him through your eyelashes and he’s giving you a sideways look. And a smile?! The fact that I’m not melting, sweating, crying, or throwing up is a goddamn miracle.

“Have a nice day,” he says, getting up and giving you what seems like a shy smile.

“Uh, th-thanks. Break luck. I mean, good leg. I mean, break a leg,” you spit out while snapping your gaze back to your book. You can feel the heat in your face, knowing you are just turning all shades of red. Ugh, what the fuck?! I get the chance to talk to Dieter Bravo and I can barely speak. Jeez. Where is Indy when I need her? 

“Thanks, I’ll break luck” he winks, you can barely look up at him, giving a weak smile. And just like that, he’s ushered back towards the same doors that Indy and Rhys went through not long ago. Where are they? How long have they been?

As soon as he, his agent, and the receptionist were through the doors, you pushed yourself down, the back of your head resting at the top of the couch, letting out an exhale that made it sound like you had been holding your breath for minutes. 

The receptionist walked back into the lobby just as you were getting yourself sorted out. You checked your phone and it had been about an hour or so since Indy and Rhys went back. 

“Are you sure you don’t need anything hon?”

“Um, yea I’ll take you up on your offer,” you smile. “What do you have?”

“Coffee, tea, water, this kombucha thing…” she lists off beverages as she looks at her selection.

“I’ll take a tea, please. Do you have any herbal tea?” I do not need the caffeine. 

“Perfect, coming right up,”

She walks over to you, cup in hand. “He’s more handsome in person, isn’t he?” she says with a wink.

“Who?” you look at her confused. She moves her head towards where Dieter had been sitting just moments ago. “Oh, yea, he really was.”

“And shorter than I figured he’d be,” she chuckled.

“Ha.”

She made it back to her chair, settling back into whatever she has been typing before when you heard the door abruptly open.

“Belle!”

Indy is bounding over to you, with the biggest smile on her face. You can tell she had been crying, but based on her demeanor you can only ascertain that these were happy tears.

“I got it!” she shrieked, grabbing you in a giant bear hug.

“Oh my gosh, Ind! I am so freaking proud of you!” You return her hug.

“Ladies, should we go celebrate?” You hear Rhys ask over Indy’s shoulder.

“Hell yea! We also need to figure out all of our travel logistics, too. You’re coming with me, Belle?”

“Absolutely!” 

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A/N: Thank you for reading! It really means so much. I don't know if other fandoms are like this, but Pedro fans are just the best. :)

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