#doodles is more closer than art but anyway!

[merry-andrews]

Jinx and her dad again because I can't get enough of them.

[egophiliac]

I was wanting to try doing an art piece in the style of the signature spell poster art pieces you create. But I’m not really the best at coming up with a composition for such a thing.

Do you have a process for how you come up with the compositions for them?

oh, awesome! it is an INCREDIBLY enjoyable style to work in; I hope you have fun with it! :D

I'm not great at putting my thought/art process into words, so my apologies if this doesn't make a lot of sense, but I'll try! my first step is always to do a LOT of thumbnails to figure out both the idea and how I want to show it; not trying to do a real sketch or anything, just little doodles to figure out what exactly I'm trying to portray. (I also call these "garbage passes" because they're not meant to be any good, they're just there to throw things out. aha. ha. ...anyway.) I think it's important during that first stage to really focus on the idea and the layout and not to get too bogged down in the actual drawing yet!

I tend to save my final thumbnails, so I'll use 'em as examples (I posted the ones up through episode 5 here if you're interested!) (and, uhhh, spoilers through episode 5 also in this post, hopefully that won't be an issue!)

the main thing I try to think about in composition is balance -- not necessarily in terms of symmetry, but in where each element is placed and how much space it's taking up. remember, empty space is still space! it's also really important to think about the parts that don't have anything in them, as much as the parts that do!

personally, I like to divide things up roughly by both halves and by thirds -- there's a lot more in-depth info out there on why the "rule of thirds" in particular works well visually, but in short, our brains tend to focus on things that are placed closer to imaginary division lines, instead of in the exact center of an image. so even when I'm doing something that is very centered and symmetrical, I try to keep that in mind and generally aim around those for landmarks like faces/eyes (or...where they would be, anyway) and other focal points.

it's not a formula of "the character's face should be in this division of this grid" or anything, more like "our minds like to focus on these areas, let's think about how to use that", if that makes sense! and of course rules are made to be broken, art is lawless anarchy, and so on. but it can be a good starting place for deciding where you want to put things!

(blue - thirds, red - half)

and against the finished versions, because they do usually end up changing a lot (including the empty space of the border):

(...these actually lined up a lot better than I thought they would. :') it makes me look like I do things way more intentionally than I do.)

other stuff I just try to keep in mind is that our eyes like following arcs and paths, which can be a good way to guide the eye:

and frame and control the focus:

honestly, composition is one of those things I feel like I struggle with a lot, so I'm not sure how much of this is helpful or actually makes sense outside of my head. but hopefully it helps a little! it's all just stuff to think about while drawing and not anything hard-and-fast, so don't, like, stress out about making sure things are lining up exactly on the thirds or anything. again, it's more "our brains think these are the dopest parts of the rectangle" than anything else! take advantage of the cool parts of the rectangle!

NOW GO HAVE FUN DRAWING seriously though, it is always super cool that other people like this idea and style enough to want to do it themselves and for other/their own characters! thank you! ❤️❤️❤️

[obsessedwrhys]

Aesthete

(adj.) Someone with a deep sensitivity to the beauty of art or nature

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ where Abby let's you draw a portrait of her

c/w: fluff, reader is female because I refuse to believe she's straight 😡, abby being insecure (?), gun talk, some cursing, just two lesbos bickering like a married couple, kissing, did not proof read this!!

ᯓ★

Inside your shared room, you somehow found yourself painting on another canvas after just telling yourself you'd be done with your last one. Since you were a kid, you've always been drawn towards anything that had to do with brushes and colours. It was better spending your time painting rather than talking to people, they were always rude or just straight off insensitive. All except for someone...

Abby...

She always adored your skills. Everytime you were assigned to go on patrols together, she would just peek her head from behind your shoulder to see what you were doodling in your journal. Out of everyone you knew, she was the one constantly bragging about your drawings to her friends. And you guys aren't even dating!!

Yet... which you always liked to tell yourself.

With your brush applying another soft stroke on the canvas, you started to grow bored of it, another idea already crawling up from the back of your mind. Maybe you could try doing a portrait, you have the experience but you just don't have the subject. Almost out of instinct, you knew who to find. Pretty much the only person you'd figure would be fine with this.

Abandoning your brush and pallette on the round chair, you decided to leave and try to find Abby. It wasn't hard to find her since she would spend almost all of her time in the gym. Swinging open the glass door, you headed in and walked past several other WLFs who were also training, your eyes glued to one person.

There she was, doing bench presses as usual.

You decided to stop a few feet away from where she was, almost like you were in a trance from watching her biceps flex each time she lifted the heavy weight. Not wanting to be seen as a creep, which you already have, you walked closer to make your presence known. "Hey Abby" You said with a smile. Your voice startling her a bit.

"Oh, hey" She said before setting the weight back to its rightful place. She sits up on the bench as she looks at you with a friendly smile. "You need anything?" She said, always kind and polite towards you that it somehow made you feel all giddy inside.

"I was wondering if you'd liked to be the subject of a portrait I'm doing" You said and your words struck her a bit. She looked like she just received news of something big. "Uhh... if you're worried about the portrait turning out ugly, I promise I'll be extra focused on the details" You said, figuring if that was the reason behind her reaction.

"Huh? Ah no, I wasn't worried about that. I'm just surprised you'd pick me" She chuckles awkwardly as she stands up, her height scaring you a bit. "Did you expect me to pick someone else?" You asked, the two of you walking side by side.

"Well... maybe I figured you'd choose someone more... elegant" She said, holding the door open for you to go first. "Elegant?" You scoff out of amusement.

"Didn't you show me one of your books? Where all of the people drawn were wearing those tight dresses and having their hair up so high" Abby said, recalling the memory.

"Pssh, that's different, trust me, I know what I'm doing" You opened the door to your room, inviting her inside.

"Whatever you say" She responded with a playful smile. Once you closed the door, her eyes were already examining around the room that's messy from all of your art stuff.

"Seems like you didn't take my advice" She said, looking at the stack of books you had thrown along with the pile of discontinued drawings.

"I'll do that later" You said dismissively since you realised everytime you cleaned your supplies, you were always gonna use it and make a mess anyways, best to save it for a day where you have the energy to clean.

"Soo uhh... what do I...?" Abby walks over to where you're busy setting a brand new canvas.

"You can just sit at the sofa so you can be right in front of me" You said, putting everything in place and she just does what you instructed. She finds herself seated in front of you and it somehow made her shy. Does she pose or...? This is all new to her.

"You can move your body around a bit, just try not to move your head a lot, so uh... relax" You said, already picking up your brush. "Got it" She said as she leans back onto the cushion.

With your focus on the portrait, you failed to notice the way she was watching you, her gaze was full of warmth and admiration. She was eyeing your every move as if she was watching a film.

"I never got to ask, how did you learn to paint?" Abby said and it made you stop in your act to think it over. "Can't remember exactly when, I just knew it was fun to do so I kept doing it" You simply responded and she smiles softly at your answer. "Fun huh? Is that why you're doing a portrait of me?" She said and her playful tone made you almost freeze in place.

"I guess you could say that" You said, your hand carefully doing the shades of her face. The room remained quiet for a moment, just faint sounds of your brush mixing together different colours on your pallete. "Can you lift your head up a bit?" You asked and she does just that. "Perfect" You said and quickly press your brush back on the canvas.

Your eagerness had her struggle to contain a smile. "If only you were this passionate about your gun training" She said since this was a topic that you could care less about.

"I don’t really like guns, it's too violent for me"

"True... but its also the reason why you're still alive. C'mon, at least fix your aim" She said which had you turn to look at her.

"Whats wrong with my aim?"

"Errr..." She trails off, struggling to find the right words but you were well aware of what she was trying to say. "Just try not to have your bullets flying everywhere" She said, her response having you raise an eyebrow at her.

"... don't make me draw a hairy moustache on you" You threatened which had her laugh.

"Am I supposed to find that scary?" She asked to which you pointed the end of your paintbrush at her to warn her to be careful of her next words. This action just encouraging her even more but for her sake of not wanting a horrendous looking moustache on her portrait, she'll stop.

After a while, she let's out a soft sigh. "Getting tired?" You asked, your face hidden by the canvas so she couldn't see you.

"A bit" She admitted with an embarrassed chuckle. Your head peaks from the side of canvas, trying to mimic the sweat that was still present on her forehead due to her earlier workout.

Without even realising, you were basically staring at her face a little too hard. It was funnier from Abby's perspective cause all she could see was your pair of eyes staring at her so intensely. "Am I too far away? You're looking pretty hard" She joked, pointing out how your brows were slightly narrowed.

You ended up shushing her which she found amusing. "I'm thinking, don't disrupt my thoughts" You said.

"Yes ma'am"

After a couple of minutes, you managed to finish the portrait, just a few details here and there then you were finally satisfied with yourself. "You can get up now" You said as you carefully added some tiny dots or lines. Abby pushed herself off the sofa and stood beside you.

"Damn" She said, blown away by the portrait you had done of her. It was like a reflection in a mirror. "What are you gonna do with it?" Abby asked as you stepped back to finally admire your work. "I don't know... maybe I'll hang it up somewhere in my room" You said. This caught her interest almost immediately. "You want a portrait of me in your room?" She asked, seeming embarrassed.

"Well do you want it in your room?" You asked which made her go silent.

"It's fine, I really don't mind, you'd be surprised by how many scary things I've painted and displayed on my walls" You said, carefully picking up the canvas and moving it to the other side of the room. Abby simply follows you with her arms folded.

"Comparing my face to scary things doesn't make it sound any better" She said and you could sense a tiny hint of frustration in her tone which had you chuckle to yourself. "Stop being a baby and help me hang this up" You said after finding a open spot on the wall to put it.

"You.are.unbelievable" She shakes her head slightly with a defeated smile as she takes the canvas from your hand before standing on the chair to hang it on to the nail.

Once she was done, she stepped down from the chair to stand beside you. The two of you now staring at the portrait.

"I have to admit, you're really gifted" Abby said and it made you turn your head to look at her. "Thanks" You smiled at her compliment. The second she turns to look at you, you felt yourself melt at her stare as if her blue eyes were hypnotising you. You swore for a second you could see hearts popping up around her.

Why is she looking at you like that?

Like you're the single most beautiful thing she has ever seen

"If you uh don't mind... could I stay for a while?" She asked, her voice so soft it was intoxicating.

"Sure" You blurted out without even thinking twice.

Noticing how flustered you looked, Abby tilts her head with a grin. "You okay?" She asked but her tone was anything but concern, it was like she was teasing you, knowing the effect she had on you.

"Yeahh, I'm good" You turned around and began walking back to your supplies, feeling as though you needed to escape her presence quickly to be able to think straight.

"Are you sure? Cause you looked like you wanted to kiss me just now" She said and it stopped you from reaching out to your brushes. Your mind was short circuiting.

Fuck this woman...

"And what if I said I wanted to?" You managed to say since it was easier that you weren't looking at her.

Suddenly you could hear her footsteps approaching you from behind, almost like each step she took added a weight in your chest. The tension on you shoulders relaxed the moment you felt her hands placed on them, gently, she turned you around to have you face her.

"Then kiss me" She said, no, pleaded. Her face showing how much she also wanted this.

You leaned in closer to her, the two of you haven't even kissed yet but just from the feeling of your chests pressed together made you both breathless. Eventually you pressed your lips on hers, taking it slow as you wanted to savour this moment, but it didn't last long as the desperation started to grew.

Within seconds, you were kissing Abby hard and she did the same, her hand wrapped around the back of your neck while the other is placed on your hip. The kiss was messy. Your hands grabbing at whatever you could on her body as you were completely lost in the taste of her.

Your touch was driving her crazy as well, thinking back to the countless nights of how she much she wanted this. To have you this close, to have you melt just from her lips. Out of breath and feeling tired, you pulled away but Abby didn't let you and quickly pulled you back in for another kiss. Her action causing you to yelp and for a sec she felt her stomach flip. She chuckles.

"So pretty" She muttered before pressing her lips back on yours again and again, not wanting the moment to end.

"Abby..." You laid your hands on her arms and she pulled back to admire you. The mess she had made of you.

"Yes...?" She said, gently caressing your face.

"You keep kissing me and I'm gonna pass out" You said and your words had her chuckle softly.

"Sorry, can't help it when your lips are so sweet" She said, her thumb rubbing on your cheek affectionately.

"Did you think this would happen when you asked me to come over?" She asks.

"Ummm... maybe?" You said. You had a feeling something might happen but you never thought it'd turn out like this.

"I've just liked you for a very long time but I wasn't sure you felt the same" You confessed and her smile grew wider.

"Seriously? What, was me bragging about you to everyone not obvious enough? Should I have been starting a fan club for you so you'd find out better?" She teased and you smacked her on the shoulder playfully.

"Maybe you should, then I'd know that you actually liked me" She sighs, pretending to act like she's regretting this missed opportunity.

"You're right. Maybe if I did start a massive fan club dedicated to you, we would of had this kiss sooner" She said, leaning in closer to have her forehead rested on yours.

"Well we're here now aren't we?" You looked up at her, a smirk on your face.

"True" She then started to move and you couldn't help but let your eyes flutter close, waiting for her to kiss you again but somehow the feeling of her lips on yours never came.

You opened your eyes and found her actually moving her lips inches away from your ears instead. "How about we clean your room now, hm?" She said which had you in disbelief. She was now reminding you of how dirty your room is after just kissing you.

"If tidying up my things is so much fun then sure" You moved away from her but she was quick to follow you.

"If I get to spend more time with you, I don't see anything boring about it" Abby said, already on to arrange your stack of unorganised books. You watch her with a look of gratitude, knowing this mess is gonna take a very long time to clean.

"Thanks Abs"

"You can thank me with a kiss after we're done" She shoot you a cheeky smile which had you roll your eyes with the corner of your lips curving upwards.

"Fine" You stood beside her to help with putting your books in order. Seeing how focused you were, Abby couldn't help but have her hip nudging yours on purpose to get your attention. You chuckle, knowing this cleaning session is gonna take a while.

(Now I'm gonna do super duper angst Ellie, this plot has been stuck on my mind 😄)

[helianss]

Clown's betrayal [LIFESTEAL AVATAR AU]

(design notes and other stuff about the au in cut)

Clowns outfit in this is his first ever outfit (he replaces it and makes a new one himself later on)

most of his outfit is old recovered fire nation armour

this happens early in the timeline but since i havent actually posted any art besides that one procreate doodle with branzy this is at LEAST a year after the last actual art piece of this au

AND ONTO THE OTHER STUFF!!!!!

So in this AU, Lifesteal is this sort of organization of assassins/guns for hire, but they are split into their own respective groups. Those groups are somewhat flexible, some of them are literally just friends who are just closer to eachother than the rest and often get assignments together, or actual teams you can hire. They are called the Lifesteal Syndicate (KIND OF STUPID NAME I KNOW SHUT UP.)

ALSO i have put some thought into Minute more!! (ILL WORK ON LEO SOON BUT I HAVE NO IDEAS)

Minute was at first a cop in republic city, but he was recruited into Lifesteal and quitting his job.(WHO THE HELL WOULD RECRUIT A POLICE OFFICER TO BE AN ASSASSIN? WHOEVER ASKED MINUTE APPARENTLY.) He never liked his job anyway, he often felt wrong about certain things. Once he joined he immediately caught the eye of Clown and Leo, two of the strongest people in this Syndicate. He's heard word about these assassins, but the detectives could never get any leads on them. These guys were good. He was asked if he wanted to join the little team they were making, The PMC. Him? The new recruit? The guy who used to be a cop??? Well shit, sure, damn.

And thats all i have for now! I DONT WRITE SO UHHM ENJOY THAT SILLY SHORT BIT LMAO

As always, feel free to send me an ask about things in the au or if you just wanna give me ideas! :D

[theblueseassoul]

“ tattoo’s “

The deepspace boys reacting to you getting a tattoo that they drew / wrote out for you.

Zayne:

At first, he was confused why you asked him to draw a little doodle for you out of no where

However he complied, drawing the first thing that came to mind - a jasmine flower.

It was beautiful, it was quick but you could tell he tried to make it look pretty for you. Even added a little shading, look at him.

After you got the tattoo placed on your shoulder, you pulled Zayne to the side saying “I have a surprise for you.”

Zayne watches you, suspiciously as he waits, arms crossed over his chest. “Is this another one of your tricks?”

You rolled your eyes and just pulled down the sleeve off of your shoulder, revealing the jasmine flower blooming. It looked like the drawing he gave you, snow flake etched within the petals and a cursive Z next to it in his handwriting. “Do you like it?” You asked, anxiety creeping through your chest as he simply stares, face blank. Not entirely blank, you realize, a smile at the corners of his lips, a small twinkle in his eye.

He reaches out, pulling you closer so he can admire the flower better. The smile grew slightly, as his fingers ran over the carefully drawn lines on your soft skin. He pressed a kiss to your forehead, placing his hand over the tattoo and rubbing his thumb against it. “It’s beautiful. It suits you well.” He murmured to you, and you smiled brightly, wrapping him in your tight embrace.

Now he knows it’s there, he always has a hand close to it. He keeps his hand on your shoulder, rubbing his thumb where the tattoo is. He presses kisses to it sometimes during tender moments in the morning, or during your little cuddle sessions before bed. He loves it, truly. He plans on getting one as well.

Rafayel:

He was delighted to give you a drawing, no matter how small it was. A doodle you wanted, so a doodle you got.

He drew an bright orange fish, and then another of your favorite color. They were intertwined, little cherry blossoms blooming at their sides. It was pretty, and he was more than proud of himself when he gave it to you.

You got it done a few days later after finding a trusted tattoo artist, and you were more than delighted when it was healed and more vibrant than ever. It was on your inner wrist.

When you walked in while Rafayel was painting and told him you had a surprise, he quirked a brow and grinned cheekily.

Rafayel tilted his head as you approached him, rolling up your long sleeve. He’d noticed you wearing more warm clothes however he just thought you were cold - not that you were hiding something. “What is it?” He asked, his voice soft and smooth as always. When you two weren’t playfully arguing anyways.

You thrusted your wrist towards him, and he furrowed his brows, glancing at it. His eyes widened and looked longer the next time, grasping your arm and looking at the colorful fish swimming together on your wrist. “Like it? It was a pain trying to hide it while it healed but..” you smiled happily, proud of yourself for keeping it hidden this long.

He nodded slowly. The cheeky look on his face had melted away, and he was simply in awe as he looked at it. His own art on your skin, forever. He ran his finger over the fish, and the small fancy ‘R’ along the side of the orange one. “You could’ve just asked me to draw you a tattoo. Didn’t have to keep it a secret you know.” He joked, smiling at you, and then returning his gaze to the bright colored ink. He pressed a kiss against your wrist, soft and delicate, and then another on your lips.

You smiled against his lips and shrugged, “that would ruin the fun.” Resulting in him rolling his eyes, but giving another kiss against your wrist.

He already did so, but he kissed your wrist much more than before. He took any chance to pull up your tattoo, showing it off, explaining it was his art - and you were his beloved partner. Both things he absolutely loved more than anything. You, more than art. You were always his first priority, even if he tried to act all secretive about that fact. He was very bad at it.

Xavier:

He didn’t think much of it. You liked to keep little trinkets and this drawing he assumed would be one of them.

He drew a blue rabbit, holding a yellow star in its paws. It was adorable.

You had it done on your chest above your heart, adding a few more little stars and a moon around it.

You were at home and wearing a tank top, reminding yourself to show it to him. You approached Xavier in the kitchen and smiled brightly.

He looked up as you walked in, smiling softly back at your bright grin. He caught sight of it immediately. “What’s that?” He asked, meeting you half way and leaning in to look at the colorful ink, hand ghosting it just slightly.

You looked at him with the sweetest look, it melted his heart. “A little surprise. Do you like it?” You asked, hoping he did. It was written all over his face that he was positively delighted.

He nodded, pulling you close to look at it better. “It suits you.” He smiled and kissed the tip of your nose, “I should get one to match.”

When you two cuddle, he lays his head against it now. Or he presses a kiss to the bunny, and traces along the lines to fall asleep. He loves that you found the drawing nice enough to have on your skin permanently. Whenever it was shown in certain clothes he was almost smiling non stop, grasping your hand tightly.

[worldofkuro]

i’ve returned 🙈 (i’ll be 🐒 anon bc i think the emoji is kinda neat haha)

anyways, i’ve thought of some other headcanons

-Alastor wld prolly take reader to the woods to look at some deer. I mean, who wldnt want to look at these majestic creatures, also, he most likely showed reader to impress them haha (showoffff)

-French is a pretty hard language to learn (i think) so i’d jst put in the assumption that it’s difficult for reader. But Alastor is kinda fluent (also considering his mom speaks french from time to time), so the problem turns into an excuse to hang out with one another (study sessionss yayyy i hate studying but if its with another person itd be fun)

-Both of them doodling some silly pictures of some things they saw, OR THEM TRYNA DRAW EACHOTHER AUUUUUHHHH, thatd be so cute,, both of them are pretty/kinda artsy so arts and crafts are always a fun thing to do in their spare time :>>

anyways that’s all from my rotting brain, i’m glad u liked my last headcanon and i hope you’ll like these ones hhhh 🏃💨 *runs awayys*

Well, welcome back my cute 🐒 !

Alastor would take you to the woods, first, because indeed he wants you to meet a deer. He wants to be the one to bring a smile to your face, it’s one of his biggest pride. But also, on a sadder note, he would take you to the woods so you could know your way inside it. He wants you to know that if you were in any danger, mostly because of his father, you could run toward the woods and be safe inside it. He didn’t want you to feel like a prey but like a hunter. Like this, you could also feel closer to him.

His mother is creole, so she does know her way with french. Alastor likes the fact that his Father couldn’t understand it, it shows how this man is just a stranger in his own house. But of course, that means that you need to at least understand some french! And if you happened to learn quickly, oh dear, you both would be gossiping in french in front of the very person you were dissing. You would be an unstoppable team!

Both of you are very artistic indeed but Alastor is more talented when drawing forms, but never coloured it unlike you who, he thinks, has a way with color. Maybe because your life is brighter than his? So most of the time, Alastor would draw and you would add the color just after! 

I always like to know what is going on inside your mind ! Sometimes it’s nice to know how you perceive the characters, for now, you are all spot on! See you soon 🐒 !

[kingdomofred]

Burn & Burn Again (Male Yandere!Writer x GN!Reader)

feat. Sun Vasileiou Nevrakis

♡ pt.3, approx. 1.9k words | prev. | next.

♡ post-specific warnings: very mild and slightly suggestive content, mentions of abandonment, mentions of suicide | series warnings: yandere themes, reader is a horrendous flirt

♡ a/n: leaving this as SFW since nothing happens, and it's just suggestive, but please be wary of that fact anyway if it's something that you don't want to read. this is purely a work of fiction. yandere behaviour in real life is a cause of concern. unedited, not proofread.

♡♡♡

One thing you'd learnt about Sun over the course of the past few weeks, was that he had three very distinct moods. The first was shy and easily flustered, the second — uncharacteristically confident, but caring, and the third… downright irritable. Thankfully, you saw that last one fairly infrequently. Only when he was writing. He'd explained it as something, something, he didn't like being disturbed, something, messing with his thoughts, something, writer's block, something, grasping at threads.

Frankly, you didn't like when he completely ignored your existence, or when he snapped at you for snapping at him for doing so. Despite that, things were going great between the two of you. That day in the circus really brought you closer, and then you had your actual date on the weekend. You didn't nearly die on that one, you chose the venue and it was just a cute café. A cat café. Another thing you'd learnt was that Sun was allergic to cats.

Anyway.

Today, he'd invited you to his house.

In your humble opinion, this was a big step-up for someone who was reluctant to let you take any photos of him because he was worried you'd leak them. Then he thought you hated him because he'd refused and gotten depressed. You had to reassure him you understood his reasons why, and that, even if you didn't, you'd still respect them. He was so adamant that you'd get bored of not being able to tell anyone about him and decide to give up on pursuing him.

The way he fretted was so cute. You had to grab him by the face, look him in the eye, and promise that wouldn't happen because he was literally the most beautiful thing ever. He retaliated by saying that you were only interested in his looks and that you'd leave him as he aged.

You grabbed a pen and paper from the abyss, drew him a portrait of himself and shoved it in his hands. There wasn't a time in your life you were more serious than when you leaned in and whispered to him, that the beauty inked there would never age.

Sun cracked up and laughed so hard he spilled his drink all over himself, and still couldn't stop as you frantically patted him dry. When you asked him what was so funny, he just looked at you and laughed harder.

In the end, he took your little drawing of a fat circle with eyes and dots at the cheek with him, saying he wanted to frame it. You were glad he liked your art that much. You think it'd been the best thing you'd ever doodled, and clearly he did too. You were proud of yourself.

So now, you had a date at his house. He was still a bit wary, so he asked if he could take you there instead of giving you the location outright. You agreed without a second thought. Anything to soothe his nerves.

You were waiting outside for him when a sports car that easily cost more than all your organs combined, rolled up in front of you. You glanced from side-to-side when it didn't move, searching for what it could've possibly stopped for when one of the tinted windows lowered down.

“Y/N.” Sun was sitting behind the wheel and he called your name so sweetly. His head tilted away from you — an inviting gesture, both in his actual silent request for you to get in, and the expanse of neck and bare skin he was letting you see.

“Do I drool over you, or the car first?” you teased, shutting the door behind you as lightly as possible. You didn't wanna damage the goods.

“Me, of course,” Sun replied playfully, driving out onto the road, “it's always me, I should be your priority.”

You hadn't really expected him to respond to your comment at all, so you just sat there and gaped like a fish. Right now, he was in his confident mood, then.

“What?” he glanced at you for a second, mirth dancing in his eyes.

“Nothing.” You cleared your throat quickly, shuffling in your seat and fiddling with the strap of your seatbelt. “Just, uh, never sat on a heated seat before. ‘S cool.”

“Yeah?” Sun didn't really sound convinced, one of his hands left the wheel to grab yours. He intertwined your fingers with his and held your hands between the two of you. His thumb brushed over your knuckles. Your heart rate picked up. “Ask me out again tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that,” he whispered, “until we both get sick of seeing each other. You'll get used to it by then.”

It took you a moment to understand that he was referring to your previous statement about the seats. You felt your face heat up, looking out the window before mumbling, “‘course I will. And I won't get sick of you.” You added that last bit, knowing that's what he needed to hear. You didn't know why yet, but he was always deeply troubled about being left behind. Still, you meant what you said. You really did like him.

Sun smiled and tugged your joined hands onto his knee. His palm smoothed over your skin, thighs falling open at such a sinful angle. You bit your lip. It was like he was just tempting you to go apeshit, but no, you had self-restraint. You would control yourself.

“Writing sure pays well, huh?” You change the topic, running the finger of your free hand over the console.

“Not for everyone,” Sun's attention is back on the road, but his grip on you is still comfortably firm. “Most authors barely make enough to live off of, get ripped off if they go the route of traditional publishing, and then have to keep churning out books to get a somewhat steady flow of income. Rarely do you find a case of a one-hit-wonder that lets you retire early. Most writers have a day job.”

“Oh.” You say. “I didn't know that.” You stare at where you're touching his knee, contemplating, then squeeze gently. “You must've had it hard to get to this level then.”

“Not particularly.” He shook his head. “I just got lucky. Unlike other authors trying to make a name for themselves, all my work stopped at the writing. Publishing, marketing, building a readership — everything else kinda just did itself.”

“But you've done it more than once. It wasn't just your first, or second, or third book. All of them have gotten so big. You can't chalk all of that up to luck,” you argued.

Sun shrugged. “I write for myself, just because I enjoy it. I don't know how it got shared with the world, but it did. I don't really care either way.” The car stopped and he parked. You had been so distracted by your conversation with him and just, him, in general, that you didn't realise how much time had passed. You'd arrived.

Sun got out and walked over to your side, opening the door and helping you out. The large gates behind you that had opened for him to drive in were closing and you had to take a moment to just breathe. All the flora and foliage really did wonders in making the air lush. Not to mention the expanse of land stretched out before you. You'd never seen an area so spacious on a single property, did this count as a driveway or a front garden? Whatever it was, it led towards the most breathtaking mansion you'd ever seen. To be fair, you'd never seen any other mansions in real life, just in pictures on ads that told you to get your shit together and start investing in ludicrous rubbish. Nonetheless, this was definitely more aesthetic than all the others.

“I'd drive to the front, but I wanna walk with you. It'll take about twenty minutes, care to indulge me?” Sun gave you his palm to take, and you did, but just the thought of the journey from the gate to the front door being twenty minutes had your head reeling. That was how long it took you to get to your local pharmacy from your house. Having money was cool.

“Okay, but if it can buy you a place this big, you can't deny that you've got to have some talent,” you said, absently.

“Hmm?” Sun bumped your shoulder. “Oh, I didn't buy this place using money from my job. To be honest, I don't think I've ever used any money I've earned. It just sits there, and piles up.”

“Huh?!”

“Ever had a rich wine aunt?”

“No,” you gasped, “all this?”

“Mhmm,” he grinned at you, then stared into the distance, “I barely talk to her, she just deposits large sums of money into my bank account every month. Same with my brother.”

“You have a brother?” You ask and then backtrack to the more important question in your head right now, “wait, why?”

“Why do I have a brother?”

“No!” You smacked his arm and he had to hold back his laugh. “I mean, why would she do that?”

Sun hummed, and pulled you closer. “Probably because she feels responsible for us somehow.” His arms snaked around your waist. “When I was younger, my mother had an affair with another woman. They eloped and she abandoned the entire family,” his voice took a bitter tone, “she didn't even leave behind a note. My father killed himself the very next day. His sister, my aunt, pitied my brother and I enough to take us in, but it wasn't as though she was ever around anyway. So we lived like shadows, cast by a broken home, without even a home to speak of.”

“...Sun,” you called his name, unsure of what else to say.

He smiled at you, pinched your nose. “Hey, my brother and I got into all sorts of mischief, y'know? It wasn't all thunder and rain clouds. Actually, there was a time where we sent some of the older kids to the hospital for picking on us. After that, our aunt sent us to therapy,” he mused, “I actually started writing as a result.”

“You did?”

“Yeah,” he stretched, standing back to his full height instead of leaning on you, “my therapist suggested it. Said I had too much pent up anger and emotions. He's a good man, like a father to me, I still visit him regularly.”

“I'll have to meet him one of these days.” You'd began talking before you could stop. “Gotta greet the in-laws, right?”

Sun paused, causing you to stop too. The beginnings of an awkward laugh were dancing on your tongue, but then you noticed that he was red from the tips of his ears to the apples of his cheeks. Cute.

He cleared his throat. “Yeah,” he strode ahead of you quickly, covering his face, “I'll introduce you soon.”

“Promise?” you tease as you run to catch up with him.

“Y/N!” he whined, but then added on quietly, “promise.”

[melancholicheart]

All This Time- Chapter 6

cw: trans male pregnancy (past, mentioned), angst, miscommunication, fluff and happy ending

Two weeks have passed and they have been- hectic, for want of a better word.

Simon got in touch with Price, using a mobile of all things, and Johnny fumed at the fact they’re using mobiles now after all he went through trying to contact base.

Regardless, Price- and subsequently Gaz- were informed of everything. From Elizabeth, to the General, to Johnny himself and how he’s doing and it’s safe to say, Price was incredibly pissed too. So pissed, in fact, that he and Gaz have put work aside momentarily to launch an internal investigation with the help of Laswell.

They said they would keep in touch but these two weeks have passed without a peep from the 141 so Simon and Johnny are making assumptions that they’re busy working on it, scrounging up as much info as possible.

As morning rolls around, Johnny finds himself coming around at a distinctly later time that usual, which is all thanks to Simon. Johnny was used to the 5:30AM starts, working on breakfast and cleaning before Elizabeth would wake but now, it’s 8AM and Johnny’s never felt as well-rested.

He wakes to an empty bed, suddenly an unusual feat, as he feels around for Simon.

That’s another change. Somehow Simon has ended up sharing a bed with Johnny again and neither of them are complaining about it. There were brief words of ‘the couch isn’t that comfy, y’know, and the bed’s big enough’ and that’s all it took.

So lying in an empty bed feels strange despite the last five years being spent in an oversized empty bed. He’s quick to his feet, running quickly through his morning routine, before going to find his daughter and Simon.

He knows the second he steps out of his room to use the bathroom that they’re in Elizabeth’s room. The door is slightly ajar, light on and voices bouncing off the walls as they speak in relatively hushed whispers. Johnny is quick to join them.

Johnny pokes his head around the door, not disturbing the two but watching as they play. They have their backs to the door and Elizabeth is sat on Simon’s knee. His arm is draped over her legs as she doodles all over his arm.

There’s little creatures, ants and butterflies namely, scattered over his wrist. Up towards his elbow there’s little dinosaur looking things and just below the crease of his elbow, there’s a pretty good drawing of a flower (for an almost 5 year old, anyway).

“You’re just like your Papa,” Simon mumbles. His other arm is round her back, holding her still on his leg so she doesn’t topple backwards, “Always doodling. Your Dad used to colour in my tattoos when he was bored.”

“Papa always lets me doodle! I like it.”

“You’re very good at it sweetheart. The flower is excellent.” Simon says.

“It’s a daisy!”

“So it is.” Simon chuckles, staring at his arm that looks more like an abstract art piece than a limb at that point.

Johnny makes himself known then, stepping into the room and perching on the edge of Elizabeth’s bed. He takes a closer look at the drawings and smiles, “My, my! Who drew all these masterpieces?”

Elizabeth beams, “I did it, Papa!”

“I would pay millions for them, put them up in a gallery if I could!” Johnny exaggerates, making Lizzie giggle.

“You can’t put my arm in a gallery,” Simon argues, “I need it!”

Johnny almost makes a crude joke before remembering little ears are around, “Yeah, I’m sure you do. Should we go and get some breakfast?”

Johnny picks Elizabeth up and sits her on his hip, giving her a cuddle like he does every morning. Simon makes his way to the kitchen and starts poking around for food, “Not got so much in,” Simon says. He opens the fridge and gets the milk out. He sniffs it and grimaces before slamming the lid back on, “Can’t even have a brew.”

“I suppose we’ll have to go food shopping then,” Johnny sighs. A groan tumbles from his lips, “Again!”

Simon shakes his head, “Don’t worry, I’ll sort it. You and Lizzie stay here, I know you said you’ve got some things to talk about with her.”

Johnny ponders for a moment. He’s been wondering what to do about the entire ‘Simon’ thing and he spoke to him about what he wants to do. Simon said he’s more than willing to leave the army, move nearby and be a parent but Johnny wants to hear with Elizabeth has to say. He doesn’t expect much, not from a 4 year old, but he wants to give her a chance to ask questions either way.

“Alright. I’ll make you a list. We need more soap but you have to get the sensitive one because she gets rashes really easily.” Johnny says, picking Elizabeth up and sitting her on the counter in front of him.

Simon already knows the one, he uses it on his own skin since he is prone to outbreaks of his eczema. He lets Johnny make the list regardless. He lets him leave with a promise of sending him the money but Simon shrugs him off and says, “I think it’s about time I helped out.”

Once he is gone, Johnny manages to scrounge a small breakfast together, just apples and yoghurt for him and Elizabeth but he hardly touches it whilst he talks to her.

“Lizzie, darling, can me and you have a big grown up talk?” He asks.

She nods, dipping her apples into the yoghurt and kicking her feet about whilst she eats them.

“Now Daddy is here, I want to know how you’re feeling?” Johnny asks.

“Wha’ you mean?” She mumbles around a mouthful of food.

“I mean are you happy? I know you missed him before but I want to make sure you’re happy he’s here, and that you like him.”

Now her nods are more vigorous, “Yeah Papa! I like him, he’s nice! He tells silly jokes, like you.”

Johnny chuckles a little, “That’s what happens when you become a Dad, they give you a book on the silliest jokes to tell your babies.”

“You’re lyin’!”

“Okay, maybe a little, but it is a thing! The best jokes come to you when you’re a Dad.” Johnny says.

“So, is Daddy gonna go back fightin’ again?” She asks. Johnny takes a moment to eat some of his own breakfast as he thinks of a response.

“I don’t know yet, there’s a lot of grown up stuff to sort out but I know Daddy wants to be here with you, he told me himself.” Johnny explains.

“I wan’ him to stay. I loves having him here!” She exclaims and Johnny smiles.

“I do too sweetheart.”

Simon takes a long time getting back. Johnny wonders if something’s happened, if he got lost or he skipped town. He would be so pissed that he would storm onto his old base and beat the shit out of him if he skipped out on his daughter.

He manages to work himself into such a worry that he becomes angry and starts furiously cleaning the house whilst Eliza plays with her dolls and her dinosaurs. By the time Simon comes back, Johnny breathes such a sigh of relief that a few tears slip from his eyes and he wipes them away swiftly.

“Hey,” Simon says, placing the few bags on the counter, “Everything okay?”

Johnny nods, drying his hands on a tea towel after doing the dishes. He takes a deep breath, smiles and turns around to Simon, “Yeah.”

Simon looks straight through Johnny’s facade, just like he always did, and goes to question him when Elizabeth comes over and clings to Simon's leg, “Daddy you were gone ages!”

“I wasn’t gone too long sweetie, I needed to get a few extra things.”

“Like what?” Johnny suddenly snaps and he turns away before either of them can see the tears in his eyes again. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap- I just- yeah.”

“Johnny, what’s going on?” Simon asks, stepping closer to him and pressing a hand to the small of his back. Johnny takes a deep breath and sighs.

He looks down at his daughter who sees he looks upset and rushes to him, clinging to his leg instead and he reaches a hand down to play with her hair. He looks up at Simon and his heart clenches, “I- you were gone so long and I got worried. I thought- I thought you left.” He whispers, quiet enough so Elizabeth doesn’t hear.

“Left? Oh shit, Johnny I’m so sorry, I should’ve told you where I was going-”

Johnny shakes his head, “No I should’ve just trusted you, you’re a grown man, you don’t have to tell me where you are 24/7.”

“Well, you’re right I guess but I should’ve told you either way. We’re a team, right? Can’t be a team if I’m off sneaking around, can we?” He asks and Johnny shakes his head.

“Can we know where you were?” He asks and Simon nods, suddenly looking less guilty and more enthusiastic.

“Of course! I actually had a little surprise planned but I needed to go to multiple places to execute it,” Simon explains. He reaches to one of the bags, not a supermarket one and pulls out two beautiful bouquets. One is smaller than the other, a mix of beautifully colourful flowers with little decorations accompanying the flowers, dinosaurs of all things.

The other bouquet is full of purple, blue and white flowers, very deep but very pretty nonetheless and the decorations in there are full of bees and butterflies, Johnny’s favourites. He hands them both a bouquet each, corresponding to the decor within them.

“I suppose this is a sorry, a thankyou and a everything all together bouquet,” Simon explains to Johnny, before turning to Elizabeth, “And I couldn’t get Papa flowers without giving some to my beautiful girl, could I?”

Elizabeth smiles and begs to be picked up. She cuddles into Simon and plays with the little dinosaur decor in the flowers, “Daddy, I love it!”

“I’m so glad baby,” He mumbles, looking to Johnny who is staring at the bouquet with a bright smile, “I have another little surprise too.”

“Another?” Johnny asks as Simon sits Elizabeth on the counter, rolling his sleeve up.

On his arm, below his elbow crease, is a tattoo of the flower Elizabeth drew that morning. Perfectly imperfect, just like the original drawing, and just below it, there’s Elizabeth’s birthdate.

“Papa! Daddy got the drawing!” Elizabeth squeals. She kicks her legs in delight and Johnny places his bouquet down to look at the tattoo on Simon’s arm.

Johnny looks up at Simon, words escaping him and he just hugs him. Simon seems shocked before he melts into it and hugs Johnny back.

“Thankyou,” Johnny mumbles, “Thankyou Si.”

“I’m sorry.” Simon mumbles and Johnny knows what he means and that he means it.

“I know. It’s okay.” Johnny holds him close and Elizabeth begs to be invited into the hug, the two of them squishing her between them to cuddle her as she yells in laughter at them both.

[stinkysam]

Deke Shaw - But if you had told me, I would've told you.

Warning : none

Genre : fluff

Synopsis : "Imagine if you will a scenario where a character finds out the reader is an artist (or has knowledge of it) and mentions it in passing or brags about it to everyone else. Then, per everyone's curiosity the reader is forced to pull the sketchbook out from his bag and is like "okay but I'll only show you the pages *I* like" before someone immediately wrestles it out from his grasp (and trust me I played tug-o-war for a good five seconds). Nothing too embarrassing was in it thank goodness but mayhaps there's a fluffy twist where it turns out the reader has numerous doodles or candid sketches of the person he likes in there? Cue a confession sequence lolol" - @intrepid-captain

Reader : male (he/you)

You were sitting in your corner peacefully, Deke, May and Daisy sitting at the table near you while you drew silly doodles for warm-ups in your sketchbook. You were so focused you didn't hear May and Daisy talk to you.

"[Name] !" Finally, May's voice caught your attention.

You looked up, slightly startled, wide eyes looking at them.

"Daisy was talking to you."

"Oh no, it's fine." Daisy said.

"She wanted to see you drawings."

Daisy smiled politely. In all honesty, she was indeed curious but she also knew not every artist liked to share their art. Deke perked up, gaining interest in the discussion.

You quickly debated with yourself, not daring to say no, you accepted. This simple doodle wasn't much anyway so there was nothing to fear. So you turned your sketchbook to them so they could see. It was two people fighting, one about to high-kick the other in the head.

What you didn't expect was for May to grab it. She stared when you didn't let go before ripping it away from your hands. Clearly not understanding the silent message.

She showed it to Daisy who tried not to smile. She got the message.

Then May turned the page and you stood up.

"No. No. No. No !" Your voice grows louder with each 'no' as you try to approach them as fast as possible to grab your sketchbook back but May pulls it away once again.

"Look, there's us." Daisy says, pointing proudly at the portraits. "So cool, right ?" She says, leaning to the side to let Deke see.

You stand there, sweating bullets, hoping they won't turn the pages anymore.

"Oh, that's me !" Deke says, surprised to be in here as well. He grabs the book from May's hands and turns pages.

Oh no.

"Oh wow that's me again !" He laughs, excited, slightly walking away from Daisy and May.

"Don't-" You try to intervene but they ignore you, too engrossed in your art.

"Always my best angles !" He turns more pages. "There's- there's a lot of me, actually." He says, this time more serious. What the fuck ? They're all so prettily drawn. He smiles, slightly nervous.

May hums, not that interested anymore, staring at you instead as if to say "Him ? Really ?".

"Really ? Let me see." Daisy's hands are already on the sketchbook, turning it toward herself.

"No !" You yell again, finally grabbing the book from their hands. "That's enough !" Your face is hot in embarrassment, you can feel your cheeks burning. "Those are not the pages I wanted you to see."

"Why did you draw Deke so much ?" As Daisy asks that, Deke places his hands on his hips.

"Why wouldn't he ?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't he." May repeats with a small smirk.

"No reasons at all." You say to May and Daisy before turning to Deke. "Don't think too much about it."

"Oh." Daisy says, almost disappointed by your answer. Boring.

Wait. Ohohoh… She smiles knowingly, having connected the dots.

"There were far more portraits of Deke than us…" she 'thought' aloud. "Like, daily drawings of him. This is an obsession at this point…"

Oh my god.

"No. Not at all."

"Really ?" Deke smiles, stepping closer as if to take another look at what's inside your closed sketchbook. Daily drawings of him ? "I mean, that's understandable-" He starts.

"I don't know what you're talking about." You cut him off, taking a step back. You won't let him take another peek at your drawings. "He was just around when I wanted to draw. That's all. This is just a coincidence."

"There's lots and lots of them though." Daisy said, squinting her eyes.

"Not that much."

"Almost like if he made you want to draw." May added.

You grimaced, trying to hide your nervous smile. Why were they all siding against you now, what did you do to them ?

"I don't know what you're talking about." You laugh awkwardly.

"Really ? I make you want to draw ?" His arms are now crossed, still leaning closer.

"No." You deadpanned as you started to walk away wanting to get out of this situation.

Daisy and May chuckled, watching you leave as Deke quickly followed you.

"Can I look at them again ?" He asks, excited. It's the first time someone drew him like this. He looks so cool. So good. Is that how you see him ?

"No ?" You say, avoiding eye contact. Focusing on walking away. Where, you didn't know, but away.

"Then why are you drawing me this much ? Daisy said-"

"Oh my god, don't listen to what she says !" You stop in your tracks.

"Come on, can I look at them again ?"

"No."

"Why not !?"

"Because this is embarrassing !"

"What is ?"

Oh my god. How could he be so smart and so fucking dumb at the same time ?

"You really haven't guessed ? Why there's daily drawings of you ? In my sketchbook ?" You say, tapping your foot on the floor, looking at him. Daring him to fucking think.

"I mean. I know that I'm… awesome, good looking, smart." He jokingly began to list before- "Oh my god you like me !"

"Maybe…" You said quietly.

"You could've just said it." He laughs, a bit too pleased.

"Sorry, you didn't really let me know if your crush on Daisy was over."

"I would've told you if you had told me you had one on me !"

"Well, I wouldn't have told you because- This is endless !"

He grinned, clearly overjoyed.

"You really like me ?" He asks, and you grimace. Sometimes he really made you want to lie. But you decided against it.

"Yes." You said, feeling your heart beat in your ears.

He grinned.

"Good thing I-"

"Wait, you're not into Daisy anymore ?"

"Uh… no."

"Since when ?" You ask, confused.

"Since you kind of, uh stole my heart." He chuckled awkwardly, trying to sound confident, a light blush spearing to his cheeks.

You stared at him and he shifted, feeling now uncomfortable.

"You like me, right ?" He asks, biting his lower lip, feeling unsure of what he heard you say earlier. You said you liked him, he didn't make that up, right ?

"Of course, you do ?"

He nodded quickly.

"But can you stop looking at me like you're so suspicious of something ? Please ?"

"Sorry, I just… I didn't expect you to get over your feelings for her, so…"

"Well, she thought the lemons were lame so I had to."

"What ?" You frowned. Lemons ?

"No, it's just- nothing." He looked down, before looking at you then away. He nervously scratched his ear before taking your free hand.

"I really like you, [Name]. I'm not joking. You're-" He smiles. "Kind, talented, funny, handsome, you're really nice to be around, you're patient, you… you listen to me, you're-"

"Okay ! I get it !" You throw your head back with a nervous smile. "I can't take compliments, that's enough !"

"But it's true !"

"Ahh ! Stop it !" You felt your face heat up again in embarrassment.

"I like you, [Name]."

You closed your eyes, calming yourself and mainly your heart that was beating a bit too uncontrollably.

"I like you too." You said, squeezing his hand in return, smiling.

[hydrxnessa]

woooo christmas oc art done !!!

(i respect artfight artists who are able to do mass attacks with like more than 20 characters. goodness gracious. how do they do it.)

anyways !!! the year of 2023 draws to an end. and honestly i'm quite happy with this year! broke through 1k followers on both instagram and tumblr, 600 on twt (i still hate that site), so thank you so much !!

anyways incoming cheesy message

i didn't really expect much from this year starting from january. i was in the tmnt fandom but i wasn't really interacting w it much because .. god that place is a toxic cesspool. i never really interact with fandoms much anyway, just draw one piece of fanart and enjoy the franchises from a Very safe distance away. but you can't really gain friends from just lurking in fandom spaces, so usually i felt pretty lonely. but thats how its been for me for a while.

that is, until february rolled around. i already knew of the game Doors since it got released - i played it through multiple times with friends and that was kinda it. just another roblox horror game quickie. then, i believe it was melly's animations that somehow dragged me into the fandom? that and also there was an uprise in doors content because of the hotel+ update. and there i saw the rooms creatures, in which i was like Oh My Godf i NEED to draw A-120, they are soso silly. they are so squiggle. (ambush was also my bbgirl<3). i NEED to make my own designs for them

aaaand uuh yeah that basically kickstarted my doors phase. i began to start my own AU of doors senVerse, and people loved it. people on here were so kind and welcoming, saying that they loved my designs and were also inspired by me? like woah, usually i'm the one getting inspired from others. people were getting inspiration from me?? heck, even looked up to me? that's crazy, i would've NEVER thought i'd get here ngl. explain this year to last year me and she would've NEVER believed you. and that gave me motivation to continue my doors doodles.

i gained a lot of moots n friends from this fandom. and i MEAN a lot. heck i even made the decision to make a discord server and ohmygodf i do NOT regret that decision. i met and made cool friends and got closer to peeps on there, thanks for sticking around i love u guys<33

whether or not you followed me for doors content, stray, tmnt, heck even oc content, thank you so much for being here. thank you for liking, reblogging, commenting, or even sending me asks on my blog! i can't express my gratitude and appreciation enough in words. you've all helped me get through this year, so thankthankthank you, i love u all/p !!!!

i hope you're all having a wonderful holiday season as we come close to this year's end; merry christmas and have an amazing new year soon !!!

here's to a new year !! mwah !!!

-ness :3

[blackstarchanx3new]

How do you draw up your comics so quickly? I've been wanting to get into making comics myself, but it seems so daunting lol

Was hoping to get some tips on how you draw them so well and so quickly /pos /nf

Omf that's a tough one. My honest first response is "All I do is draw all day" so please don't hold yourself to my standards I don't have anything better to be doing.

Basically it's a mix of stuff:

My art style is simple/character designs are simple. Backgrounds are simple, overall.

STUFF BE SIMPLE.

"Gets the point across" tends to be the idea.

Anatomy isn't perfect, gradients are used a lot, shading isn't always present, I try to limit my color pallets to be pretty small.

I have a bunch saved onto the side bar in Clip Studio. And I have presets like the borders of the panels as a pre-set so I don't gotta make a new one over and over again.

Short cuts are NOICE.

Art wise:

I start with a thumbnail. Just getting the idea/facial expressions of the character down.

Sketching is 2nd step but I have no examples because I delete those pretty quickly.

More similar to this so line art is WAY easier.

I change the sketch's opacity to like 20 ish and a light blue to see it better.

Then I do line art and add a neutral color under it to make coloring easy. I change this to black after ward to fill any gaps.

Add color and ba-bam

I use "Color burn" "linear burn" and Multiply in the layer settings for shading. Just depends on the circumstance.

I guess smth else I do is go by "Chapter" or scenes.

Smth that's helpful for some is writing a script and then drawing your stuff based on that.

Often what I end up doing is writing a script but using it as a guide rather than a beat by beat thing.

Referencing manga for inspiration is smth I do a lot.

Smth I'd recommend doing is making a one shot or a comic you purposely make to be short.

Longer comics are daunting but the best way to deal with that is to complete parts of em. XD It's like going through a video game. Beating each mini boss gets you closer to the final. Like instead of one big project, see it as a bunch of smaller ones.

Smth I do to let off steam from bigger projects is making stupid shit like this:

Like there's no point to it other than to be dumb and funny.

Keeping the story entertaining or fun even while doing a part you don't want too.

Sometimes you will just have to chug through a portion you dislike but is necessary. But staying strong really helps.

Pop on a freakin' YT video and zone the hell out is what I do.

Your art doesn't have to be perfect every single time, my comics at least, are free so anyone who complains is a little bitch.

Just do what makes you happy.

Huge thing to consider: Your art doesn't have to be held to any specific standard.

You don't even have to COLOR that shit if you don't want too lmao. There's no rules. You can color a sketch and post it. It literally doesn't matter.

A specific standard of what every webcomic should be held to is a lie. It doesn't exist. Go feral.

Draw backgrounds. Even if you suck at em. It helps give the world dimension hah.

That's what I've been trying to do.

Use your comics as a way to experiment.

Ghost Soulmate I wanted to try out this weird painter style for the shading/lighting.

In FSR it was trying out a more anime style

Falling Cards is weird character designs + A FAR too ambitious story hah.

Bunny and Kitty was to see if I could do a shorter form story.

Biggest advice would be: Just try smth. You got no obligation to finish smth either. Just try it and see how it goes.

I'd recommend having an idea where your story is going before you start, but just starting ANYWHERE helps.

I tend to doodle my characters before I jump into their comic. Doodle them doing fun stuff before I go into the meat and potatoes of what I want them to do. I often have an ending in mind too before I start. You can fill in the gaps later.

Anyways that's all I got Idk if this was useful or helpful. X'D

[milkbreadtoast]

more oc doodles... tested a braid for him!! also made the butterfly motif more obvious w the butterfly clips... i rly wanted him to have them but rarely drew him from the back so...

this post is kinda short so gonna post some old art w commentary under the cut bc i dont think i posted them here before🤧 thought i did but....

(oct 2020) happy to see visible improvement from then heh... this is where i first got him closer to his current design/palette + decided on the purple/yellow palette and the inverting eye color idea... normally pretty and shiny but w a creepy spotted butterfly eye look when using his powers (simplified the dots to just 3 in his current design)...

more recent doodles (apr 2022)... these r cute tbh i like the 2nd pic, he looks so fluffy + u can see the butterfly hairtie... but i still wasnt satisfied w his design...

in my most recent attempt at designing him(aug 2023) i changed several things... made his bangs longer for a more elegant look(which is actually closer to how it was before)... figured out how to draw his eyes + eyebrows better + more consistent(had been going back n forth btwn double/mono eyelids and thick/thin eyebrows... finally settled on sleepy double eyelids + thick brows) + i also changed the placement of his moles... (used to be right under his eye; changed to middle of cheek + another near the nose.. aka the txt soobin mole KFJKS I like how this new placement gives him a softer and gentle elegant look?? it's subtle but I like it a lot better... Oh also I made his sideburn locks shorter instead of long and curly and I like this change a lot too... idk it looks cuter to me KJFKS I gave him the long curly ones before bc i thought it'd look more unique but... i decided it's more important that I personally like it rather than just give traits to set him apart... he already looks plenty flashy w his eyes and colors anyway🤧

bonus: another pass from p recently (may 2023) where, unsatisfied and wondering how to fix his design, attempted straying further from prev attempts by testing a middle part (and also a mole near his mouth)... but I was actually getting colder and not warmer.... I don't like these but at least I tested it to know that I don't like it!! u can also see a test doodle of the spiky green guy (hyojun) here lol

And finally, here's 1 of his very first design attempts from way back in aug 2019!!! (u can see early hyojun too...)

This was back when I was just starting to figure the current ver of his chara/personality/role in the story... not fleshed out at all but i at least had a vague idea and this was when I decided he would be purple (instead of other palette ideas i had considered earlier like brown hair, orange coding...) But at this early stage I hadnt come up with the butterfly motif, or the purple/yellow palette (he was purple/magenta here) or darker skin... Tbh I consider this a "beta design" bc theres sm thing that were diff/not decided yet but it's technically the same chara ckdbf

I can't fit any more images ㅠㅠ but u can see more concept sketches in this twitter thread... and yea I was testing an inverted eye concept even back then... I really liked this idea so I didn't want to abandon it, and im happy I made it even better since w the butterfly concept *_*

[your-local-uwu-artist]

mysterion design >:D

notes under the cut

-i'm imagining for this au everyone's middle school aged, so still like, kids, just a bit older

-ignore the fact that i fucked up the colors on all the text i SHOULD have had the colors shift between lines it helps legibility but i didn't fsr??? i'll figure that out in later art dw

-GOD THESE COLORS TOOK FOREVER the og colors are SUPER desaturated and also more on the pink side of purple but I prefer to use saturated colors and wanted to go more towards the blue side of purple (than the colors are closer to complimentary colors between mysterion and kenny)

-ended up going with a very soft look (rounded edges and ovals and softer lines) i was thinkng off of the batman inspo actually and thinking about that scene in the lego batman movie where the brick notes batmans design isn't very hero looking, i mean it is by western standards but like when i think of a good hero and symbol of justice and hope i think of twintaild magical girls with ultra frilly skirts and cute mascots and sparkles and stars everywhere but like.. i'm biased.... anyway I chose the softer lines to make him feel softer and instead relied any edgy vibes on the colors and body language rather than the shapes (i mean i still used triangles but yeah)

-I ended up not going with brown boots cause i didn't want to have to tie in another color, and i had the epic idea of the little question mark symbols on the soles of the shoes and the m logo on the ... toungue i think it's called?

-so I originally wasn't gonna show his hair but I thought it would help to balance the colors more as the white shorts felt too bright

-i didn't plan to post this or else i would've tried to better phrase all the writing lmao

-i went with rounded feet to make him feel like, floaty?

-one smaller challenge was keeping a short stature for kenny while still making him look like, menancing and powerful, another reason why i went with the graceful floaty feet, I also had the shorts flair out with that triangle shape like they do to emphasize and blend together the general shape of the body

-miiight have accidentally made him more androgynous~ my ass spent years studying and learning how to make characters appear masculine than said 'yeah no thankyou everyone is going to be at least a LITTLE bit pretty <3'

-ah look how nice and not over crowded the doodles are... yeah say goodbye to empty space cause Cartman/theCoon's completely lacks it. I like drawing fluffy animal ears and found the need to label all the drawings "furry" or "menance" so yeah

-i'm that one bitch that says fuck canon even canon doesn't give a shit bout canon so why should i? and never draws kenny with blue eyes, always either light brown or preferrable purple. mostly cause i feel blue + blonde is too basic and I find that the purple makes for a nicer contrast and overall pallete. Cause brown kinda just blends in, cause then his entire color scheme is all within the same hue range, but purple sticks out better + leaning into the magenta side of it looks great with orange

-petition for the southpark fan wiki to acknowledge how fuckign similar Mysterion and the mysterious mare do well are

-funfacts!! considered having the buckles be silver instead of gold (changed to balance with the blonde hair and tie back in the orange/yellow hues) considered having the inside of the cape be a lighter shade of purple either pulling in more pink or blue tinted shades, changed cause it made the overall color scheme to bright

-in case you were wondering 90% of my art has the same stupid level of thought put into it as posts i do add notes onto, I just figured most people don't want a ramble about shape launguage and colors on their silly blorbo fanart posts lmao. but if you find any of this interesting or heck if you ever have a ramble about your own art my inbox is always open~ i love getting to discuss drawing :D

[maridiayachtclub]

i went to a con this past weekend. didn't go to any panels or anything, just wanted to browse the vendors and artist alley. which i did, with two primary goals:

the first was to find some comics and books by little indie outfits i have never heard of. and there were several of those, and i picked up a couple of books from local (or quasi-local. two states over counts as "nearby" when it's Montana) authors, but i guess i was hoping to see more? there weren't as many comics as i was expecting at The Comic Con. like, it's been a good number of years since i've been to one of these, but much more than the last time i went, it felt like the crowd consisted of (and the vendors catered to) people whose engagement with geek culture is mostly Star Wars and D&D by way of Stranger Things. like a very big presence hinged on big corporate-owned media, compared to indie and creator-controlled stuff. merchwise, there were far fewer handmade tchotchkes than there were kinda samey looking things made with 3D printers and CNC routers. i'm not trying to be snooty about it, but there was something alienating about the whole thing that i'm trying to figure out.

the artist alley was at least closer to what i was expecting, though i didn't find much that i actually wanted to spend money on. this was the other thing i was looking out for: FFXIV-related art. and there were like, two artists (of like 50 or so booths, plus however many more scattered throughout the vendor hall) that had anything FFXIV-themed at all, as far as i could tell. one artist had a bunch of prints of rather lovely watercolor-esque portraits of major characters (plus a landscape of the Crystal Tower, which I bought a print of), and someone else had acrylic charms of the standard set of fan-favorite characters in a cuter anime style that had different appearances on either side. but overall, the FFXIViness levels were disappointing, both in quantity and in selection.

overall the experience was very... whelming. i was kinda underwhelmed, but not so much i am officially disappointed. i would summarize my trip as "an unusual way to spend a saturday afternoon." it was a thing that happened.

the local anime con is happening in a month or two and i was kinda thinking of going to that. being in a nerd crowd, at least, was nice, and i kinda want more of that. but if i'm out of touch with nerd culture, i'm double plus out of touch with Anime culture. i'd probably be saving some trouble if i didn't go. like if i wanna see a buncha Genshin Impact art that i don't care about i can already go to twitter, right now, and do exactly that. don't even need to buy a ticket or anything

admittedly the whole experience was colored by attending the con with someone who was in a shitty mood, didn't like the crowd and was constantly trying to avoid it. maybe i woulda had more fun if i wasn't spending 40% of my mental energy worrying about that, or feeling like i had to keep offering excuses and apologies every time i wanted to stop and look at something, or trying not to get caught showing an untoward amount of interest in something that's too cute or feminine or pink. performative gender clown act BS. nah yeah now that i think about it, that was really biting into how much fun i was having

anyway, regardless, it still sucks that in today's economy you can reliably get pictures of one of ffxiv's numerous government-issued boyfriends but not a single wee doodle of Ysayle....

[my-time-at-brainrot]

im very normal for these characters, so normal i have 4 planned saves cause breaking digital hearts makes me the big sad

below cut is immense oc rambling lol

ok first thing i have. actual screenies of the lads in game to base drawings off of but man. man oh man. the game’s style is simply much more chibi than my own so i treat the ingame models like they’re more collectible dolls than refs

sonia, builder

juno, civil corps + local nuisance

lily, another builder

aaaand armarose. angst machine. there they are

but for real:

actually drawing out Sonia’s cat eyes makes her a lot scarier than originally intended but tbh? me like me like lmao, something something cat and bird idk i’ll write it later 

also. fang hard to draw. don’t know why, because out of all the Actual characters here i have most experience with him so lmao??

logan is. very hard to draw. i struggled pretty hard but at least i could cheat most of the face cause Mask but. man the character designers kinda snapped with the bandit boy 

is the thing under juno’s eyes blood? paint? tattooed? who knows. i sure don’t. i know it makes him look whacky tho. also the color similarities between logan and juno are a lot less pronounced than i thought they would be so... win??

I finally settled on a design for Lily! Unfortunately the character customization has a lot to be desired for any hair that is not straight texture, so I’m kinda cheating with the poofy buns for now but lowkey hoping there will be a style in the full release that’s closer to her style than... what’s there rn 

mi-an goggles are really rough to draw when you don’t feel like drawing actual shapes 

i have a really thirsty doodle of owen in a dress somewhere that i did the last time brainrot kicked in, if i find it i’ll post it. anyway owen’s facial design is really “trust the process” territory because it never looks quite right in sketch (also the in game model and 2d art feel like COMPLETELY different ages but that’s besides the point)

what can i say about armarose. they’re the type of character i usually end up with oc wise in every fandom i participate in (ex. self indulgent angst)

clip studio crashed once making this and lmao me too king

[nhasablogg]

Tickletober Day 2 - Drawn On

Fandom: Stranger Things

Characters: Mike, Will

Summary: Will likes to doodle. Mike offers his hand when Will runs out of paper.

Words: 752

[Tickletober prompts]

Will was doodling again. He’d stopped for so long that Mike thought he was over his art phase, but when he caught him with a pen in hand again he found himself relieved. Drawing was good for Will. It made him calmer even when the art came from a place of hurt or anger.

Mike didn’t have enough hubris to pretend he knew anything about art, but he could tell Will’s emotions from the way he painted, or what he’d felt when he’d started a project. Doodling was different. Doodling could come from boredom or stress or anxiety, or any emotion too big for Will’s body to be able to handle it internally in the moment. Doodling was a momentary relief, with results he rarely returned to anyway, and Mike had felt stress grip him once he’d realized that Will had stopped doing it after he returned back home to them from the upside down the first time.

It took a year for him to draw again, at least in Mike’s presence. He tried not to make a big deal out of it when he saw the way Will was swirling his pen around his notebook instead of actually taking notes, but he knew he was staring and he knew that Will noticed.

“What?” he finally asked, glancing back at him as the teacher kept speaking.

Mike shrugged, his attempt at nonchalance probably futile. “Nothing.”

Will raised his eyebrows but returned to his book, switching out the doodles with the teacher’s words.

Mike caught him more often after that, usually doodling, but once or twice fully painting when Mike went to pick him up on Saturday mornings.

“What are you making?” he would ask, but Will would blush, which was interesting, and never show him. Mike never pushed.

He could tell Will was restless that day, but he’d forgotten his notebook at home and had to make do with a spare piece of paper that Mike had given him. There wasn’t much space to be wasted for doodling, and so Mike wordlessly slipped his hand beneath Will’s swaying pencil and let his skin work as the canvas.

Will hesitated, of course he did, but warily grabbed Mike’s wrist to pull it closer to him, letting the ink glide over the skin ever so lightly. Mike grinned in silent reassurance and turned back to listen, using his right hand to keep taking the few notes he could be bothered to write down. He admitted it was a bit distracting having Will draw on him, but he wasn’t the best listener anyway.

Ten minutes passed peacefully as Will filled his skin with swirls, but once he flipped his hand over to draw over the palm was when the real trouble began. See, Mike might’ve been just a tad bit ticklish on the palms of his hands. Not enough to laugh, but enough that this wasn’t comfortable.

His fingers twitched involuntarily and he chanced a glance at Will who was in his own world. With twenty minutes left of class he wondered if he would be able to handle it. Will would run out of skin eventually, right? Except maybe he would move up to his wrist, which was even more sensitive…

“Be still,” Will mumbled, meeting Mike’s gaze. “You’re messing up my drawing.”

“What even is that?” Mike asked as a way to distract himself, tilting his head at the shapes that made no sense.

Will’s lips curled upward. “It’s abstract.”

“I can see that- ah.”

“What?”

“N-nothing.”

Will returned to his doodling, and had Mike not been so preoccupied in keeping his hand from twitching away as Will’s pen kept hitting the spot just at the base of his fingers he might’ve seen his friend’s slight smile.

“You need matching ones on your other hand,” Will said later that day, the two of them in Mike’s basement with Lucas and Dustin nowhere to be found. “It looks strange otherwise.”

“You don’t think it would be too much?” Mike asked, slipping him his other hand anyway.

“Balance,” was all Will said before he started in on his palm immediately, somehow more gentle than he’d been before. Mike had to grin this time, leaning his face into Will’s shoulder to keep from pulling away. Will laughed with him the first time a giggle slipped out and Mike knew he’d been caught.

“I think you need some art on your wrists, Michael.”

“Oh, you’re so dead after this, William.”

And still he kept his hand still.