#gosh i love your colour and light and texture work

[mumriksworld]

Oh my gosh! I love your Moomin house model! I’m looking to build one myself and wanted to ask a few questions about your model!

What material did you use for the roof tiles? How did you do the detailing on the windows and banisters? (Is it clay or cardboard or some other modeling material?) What are the window panes made of? What is your cylinder base made of? How did you construct the roof shape?

Ok! I think I’m done, sorry there are so many questions but I just love this model! It’s so unique, it looks like it came straight out of Tove Jansson’s illustrations. Especially the chimney and the paper bush! Also like, the idea to put it in a lantern case is so perfect! That must look so cool when it’s hung up!

Anyways, thank you for your time!

Gosh, I got a little taken aback by the apprentice! Thank you kindly♡ Well, I mostly used cardboard.

The cylinder base is made out of those thick rolls masking tape is attached to. Have saved a couple of those for projects and stuff:) Used two of them, one at the bottom and one slightly above the middle, to keep it more stable. Then, I simply just rolled up the cardboard on the rolls and glued them in place.

The windows are also made out of cardboard and toothpicks.

The roof is actually made out of a party hat 🥳 it was the perfect size and shape! So I just decided where Moomin's window would be, made a hole, and then built the window out of cardboard. The roof is removable so one can access the light switch, which is concealed inside the house.

The tiles are also cardboard, but instead of using them as they are, I peeled them apart, flattened them, and cut up the tiles. Then, I glued them on the roof, starting at the bottom and working my way up.

The chimney: cardboard and masking tape (for texture).

The doors, porches, and stairs are also made out of cardboard and toothpicks.

The rope ladder is made out of toothpicks and a thicker thread that was braided to give it more texture.

Before painting, I used a box cutter to scratch the surface on everything to give it more details and structure.

Then I painted it all black, inside and outside, before adding the other colours. Having a black base helps bring out the details and gives more depth to the other colours. Then, it was just layer upon layer of paint. When savvy with the blues, reds, and whites, I dry-brushed the whole thing with white paint. The windows got dry-brushed with brownish/grey paint. Then again, a little dry-brushing with black or brown paint to dampen the white dry-brush.

And that was that, I guess :) It took approximately 12 hrs in total to create, spread over a couple of days.

To sum it up: I used acrylics for the paint, hobby glue, and hot glue and like 4 different brushes (small ones to wide ones) A small box cutter, a pair of scissors, pliers (to cut the toothpicks), toothpicks, and masking tape The cardboard was an old box found in the local recycling bin.

Well, I hope this was somewhat helpful, and my apologies if the description is messy. I'm not used to describing what I'm doing, I just go by feeling :) So feel free to do what appeals to you and go for it ^^ Kind regards// ♡

[bright-and-burning]

got tagged by @albonoooo !! thank u <3

what colour are your eyes?: i have (very mild) heterochromia!! they’re mostly green but my left eye has a little brown stripe :) i guess u could call them hazel (or at least the left one) my mom certainly did for ages idk picture below u decide

(cont under the cut)

tell me about your pets/your dream pet: i (well. my family) have an orange cat and a porgi (pitbull corgi mix [he’s really just a mutt but we’re like 95% sure he’s got corgi in him somehow]). they are the lights of my life and also the goofiest lookin mfs. i’ve posted pics of my cat before but my dog is like. really distinct looking (see: porgi) but i love him so much … ask me for photos of him n u shall receive…

my apartment is pet free unfortunately. but also taking care of another whole ass being is A Lot so. i’m very chill w not having my own rn

share some interesting fact about yourself: i went to a spanish speaking daycare when i was really young (like toddler aged) and then when i was like 7 i invented my own language (as one does) and half the words were just. spanish. my parents spent ages trying to convince me that i did not just come up w the word espagnol . i swear to god. and i was a stubborn know it all kid and i wasn’t gonna believe them on anything without irrefutable proof (and how do u prove that??) so their efforts were largely fruitless LOL

what was the first fandom you were a part of?: for SURE harry potter. 9 year old me had unsupervised internet access and went craaazy

do you have any phobias?: hm. i Really Really Really don’t like things going near my eyes. it was wayyy worse before i started wearing contacts. like someone waving their hands around within three feet of me would freak me out. i do still get like. inescapable visions of pencils being waved around and accidentally put in my eye when i think abt it/when ppl wave pencils around that i have to physically shake out of

are you a picky eater? if so, what food can't you stand?: YES! texture issues my beloathed… i DESPISE melted cheese. blergh. bad bad vibes. and other funky textured cheeses… i literally just physically shuddered.

do you eat the burger and fries at the same time or one after another?: i consciously choose to eat burger first to get protein in. and THEN fries. if burger too hot then i get to eat two (must be even number) fries at a time until it cools enough to eat

winter or summer: summer <3 i love the beach i love the sun i love 6am runs where it’s already 75° i love swimming i love fun festivals. but also summer is a mindset . if it’s 65° in march im walking around in shorts and a tank top and sitting in the sun the entire day

favourite fanfiction tropes: oh gosh… best friends to lovers… idk i read it all baby. also gonna be honest the f1 interpretations of a/b/o are FASCINATING!!! and have really increased the draw by Far for me

are you studying or working? what do you study/is your job?: working! i am a silly little analyst

what is the last country you visited: canada in june to get drunk by the lake for a week <3

what country would you want to move to after retiring?: france… maybe not. but also maybe yeah. idk i don’t have any other strong connections to places, u kno? and i’d like to travel (fingers crossed i Can retire at an age where i can still travel easily lol)

who was your first crush?: gene kelly in singin in the rain and on the town… formative movies for 3y/o me

how did you get into f1 fandom?: web weavings on tumblr + like three random instagram reels (the mclaren wavelength video being the only one i remember lol) + the empty hole unemployment left me with inside = instant obsession

no pressure tag…. @oscarpiastriwdc @ocontraire @crimsonicarus @lafaerie @mecachrome

[danikatze]

hello!! I absolutely LOVE your colored pencil pieces! do you have any advice/tips for those who are beginners to colored pencil? thank you so much ^^

Hii! Ohh gosh, thank you!!

I guess technically I'm a beginner too since I only started using coloured pencils in May hahah. Up until then I assumed I sucked at it, because I hated using them as a kid, but somehow it felt so natural as soon as I tried again 7 months ago. So I don't know about advice, but I could tell you what I use and what my preferences are!

One of my big issues with coloured pencils as a kid was the constant sharpening.. I hated it. So when I saw coloured mechanical pencil leads in an art supply store, I got very curious. I didn't buy them then, but browsed online and found Uni Nano Dia Color.

I'm sure they are not the best quality, but they are wonderful for me because 1) they are always sharp, 2) the pencil doesn't get shorter, 3) they're erasable. Downside: they weirdly don't have yellow. I did find a different brand, but it's really too light. And it was much more expensive too.. Maybe it's difficult making yellow for mechanical pencils? I just got a regular yellow pencil. (I haven't sharpened it once in 7 months, because I don't use a lot of it, but it /is/ crucial.)

For me personally only having the primary colours + orange and green is perfect. (Edit: my current preferred colour set is blue, yellow, green, magenta and orange - I don't like using red for some reason) I've seen high quality pencils that blend, but mine don't do that. I just layer them. I realise most what I'm telling you is up to personal preference, but (imo) this is the only proper advice. Start with these colours and from there see what colours you're missing, if you're missing any at all.

Besides that I'm very happy with my grey 4B leads for mechanical pencils. It allows me to draw sketches that are dark enough to see clearly, but soft enough to erase if the colour doesn't cover it up. The colour usually covers it up though. And while colouring I use it to make shading a tad darker if necessary.

As for the paper.. I use Eco sea white A5 sketchbook. I have no idea if it's good quality lol, but it works for me! It's important that I keep my drawings together, that it's small and that it has just enough texture. I've used them for years and years!

So yeah, I hope this helps! Thanks for asking 😊

I put a progress gif of one of my faves under the cut :3

[sirtadcooper]

🎨 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

Astrid, Astrid, Astrid, what am I going to do? Sort through your consistently perfect gifs? Pick favourites? You have truly set me a great challenge.

Usually I will go through a person’s whole edits tag but I have sorted these into Narcos and The Mandalorian because I was just looking to see how much you had made and accidentally saw a major spoiler for The Mentalist which I am only on season 2 of. I’m looking forward to [redacted] happening, though, because I was starting to ship them a few episodes in! Anyway, onwards with my impossible task.

Narcos

So before I start on this list I want to say that your colouring? It’s perfect every single time. Seriously. Fair warning: I’m going to be saying “perfect” a lot.

Javier Peña + that thing he does with his right hand - A great compilation! I never noticed this little detail so this gifset was a real (pleasant) surprise. I was checking the notes just to see what the general consensus was and I like the he-wants-a-cigarette theory. Just excellent acting from Pedro what a very keen eye you have! Or maybe you just spend a lot of time fixating on Javi’s hands...

Javi being snarky - Gosh, I love this one! Javi’s sense of humour got me though Narcos, although I think only one or possibly two of these gifs is from season 3? The way the life drains out of him over the course of the series just breaks my effing heart, baby. By the end of the three seasons I was pretty cross with the guys in episode one for calling him an asshole, but maybe I can see their point now, haha! But I still love him. I will protec.

1.05 There Will Be a Future | 3.01 The Kingpin Strategy - It was a great choice to jump from one scene to the other like this. Really adds to the heartbreak. It makes the contrast between his life now (sharing stories in the cool dark) and what it could have been (warmth and light and checked shirts) all the more vivid. The way he looks back at her in the last gif? Ouch.

Narcos, “The Palace in Flames” (2015) | We Can Be Heroes (2020) - A parallel I love and respect, thanks for making such good gifs of it. Shout-out to @keanurevees for being the single funniest person on this planet.

“Jungle Rescue Javi” in Convivir - Listen Jungle Rescue Javi can come and rescue me anytime. You’ve done a great job of colouring so many scenes with different lighting conditions and still have that green shirt look like a green shirt. Like it’s the same hue in each one. How did you do that? That’s pretty neat.

We’ve all gone off the rails down here, Javi. - This scene! I’m not okay! I love the colouring work you have done here. It’s just so perfect, so nice to look at. The whole set has this earthy colour palette and I mean, even Javi isn’t wearing a colourful shirt for once. This is serious.

Javi wearing a leather jacket - These gifs are so HQ I could practically reach out and touch his jacket, you can just feel the textures... with-with your eyes...? You’ve picked shots that all work together as a set, nothing stands out for the wrong reasons. No wide shots, no super close-ups, nothing to throw us off of our jacket appreciation rhythm.

Javi and his yellow aviator sunglasses - My biggest “YEAH BOY!!!” ever for this one. The amount of work that must have gone into this. 24 individual gifs coloured to your usual levels of absolute perfection and then laid out in this very pleasing and completely accurate, not-a-pixel-out-of-line way. Amazing.

Javi chasing Franklin Jurado through Curaçao in Best Laid Plans - Gosh this scene was so tense! You’ve done a great job colouring this despite the changing lighting conditions and the blazing sunshine. Well done! And I never noticed until I saw this gifset for the first time that he’s wearing a pink shirt and jumps from a pink building, haha!

Javier Peña leaning over tables - You see stuff like this? This is why I consider you to be the ultimate expert on Narcos. You make compilations like this and make it look effortless. I wouldn’t know where to start looking for scenes like these without having to rewatch the whole series and take notes. But, hey, maybe that’s what you did. But the fact that you did and made this set is still amazing.

NARCOS | 1.06 EXPLOSIVOS - Great job with such a dark and unforgiving scene! You have the Talent. He looks really pretty here.

Javier Peña + favorite look - Gosh, yes. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Pedro Pascal is a very talented actor. He takes clunky vintage tactical equipment and makes it look flipping incredible, like something he was born to wear. Also thank you for that delectable bonus gif. Arms.

The Mandalorian

Okay I have rambled for, like, 800 words already so I’ll try to say a bit less about these. I’ll try.

Din’s beskar spear heel kick in The Rescue - First of all, I saw this and now I’m pregnant. This is on the list because not only is it Din’s hottest moment for me, but because colouring-wise it is impressive. It’s bright, there’s no colour cast at all, and yet the blacks are really deep and rich. Gideon’s I’m-evil-I-must-wear-nothing-but-black cape looks especially good.

Din’s walk - You are the compilation queen! There’s nothing really that I can say here that I haven’t already said about your other compilation gifsets, it’s just perfect as usual, ya know? You make it look so easy. How does Din look so good when [New Yorker voice] he’s just walkin’ here?

Din just being a dad - Yeah. That’s the Good Stuff.

Din’s shoulder/waist ratio whenever he walks into a room - Everyone shut up I am Thinking.

Din engaging in a dogfight while his son has the time of his life on the backseat in The Siege - Like with your set of pink-shirted Javi chasing that guy in Narcos, you have a real talent for giffing action scenes. You’ve coloured this really well. You can still see details in the clouds and the shadows and your colour balance is impeccable.

Din lifting his helmet to sip soup in The Siege - I love the warmth of this little scene and the colouring you’ve done here. And the bonus gif... same, Grogu, same.

And I think I’ll stop there. I have sadly had to leave out some really excellent posts but I had to draw the line somewhere, haha! You, my friend, are just incredible. Time and time again you grace us with perfect gifs in crisp HD 4K 1080p HDR. And for what? Not for money or reward, but for love. Thank you for all that you do, because you may make your gifs look effortless but I know it is anything but. You’re amazing, you’re talented, you’re perfect.

creators send me 🎨 and i’ll tell you my favourite of your last ten creations and why

[willowaudreykeyes]

Logan Being Adorable Crow/Raven/Birb Boi

Basically I’m stuck with this headcanon forever now because I love it too much and I really love crows and ravens and the idea of winged Sides so welcome to my list of what Logan does that’s birb related.

- Logan is the one that reminds the other Sides when Thomas is speaking to someone who has hurt them in the past. He also does this as soon as Thomas sees them, so that the others don’t try to initiate something that would put Virgil and Janus on edge. 

- And technically that’d be more for Virgil and/or Janus to do but Logan kind of just did it and they don’t complain. He does it because crows are known for telling others when and what the nearby mean human looks like and helps them avoid them. He didn’t even realise that it was a thing he did for the longest time.

- He also makes sure that the others stay warm; even more so Janus now that the snek actually hangs around them all now. He knows that its a very parental thing to do but when he sees one of the others shiver he wants to just hug them and warm them up; so he puts a blanket on them instead because that’d be weird for Logic to do.

- He really wants to be the hugger, and not the huggee. He wants his wings around the other Side and to keep them safe in the little pocket he makes. But he denies that he ever has these thoughts and does his best to ignore them.

- Remember that he’s also Curiosity and that birbs are very curious little creatures too.

- SPEAKING OF CURIOSITY! Like the twins, Logan also has a small pocket (much smaller then the ‘kingdoms’ that the twins have) that he can manipulate. He’s hidden said space from the twins but he also hasn’t been there in years...

- Before he became so... non-showing of his emotions, he used to fly around his small space and even played ring toss games and other things. He still loves games, of any kind really, but he limits himself to ‘intellectual’ games so that his self-made reputation stays intact.

- I’m bumming myself out here so HE MAKES NESTS! In his bed. And without twigs and sticks and stuff, he’s found that they like to dig into his skin and put holes in his clothes as he sleeps. He uses blankets, pillows, stuffed toys, in as many different shapes and textures as he can because he loves having so many different textured things. He usually makes them on rough days, where he’s too tired to talk himself out of making such a ‘weird’ thing- but they’re usually huge and he falls asleep INSTANTLY in them.

- Roman used to pat his head. Roman no longer pats his head. It feels nice, especially when he did the thing where you have all your finger tips on the scalp and just move them in and out, but Logan always slapped his hand away before he got too relaxed. He knows he makes tiny birb noises when he’s happy and with the Side that he sees as his best friend? He’d be relaxed too easily. And then everything with Roman would be destroyed because he’d instantly find it ‘weird’ and ‘abnormal’. 

- No one touch his shinies. He has quietly and sneakily snatched a few of the others things (he made sure that they wouldn’t be missed) and sometimes he pulls them out from the back of his closet just to shine different coloured lights on them at different angles and- Oh look, five hours have passed and all he’s done is look at shiny things. He loves it, but also hates how much time he’s ‘wasted’ when he could be working.

- No one touch his pebbles either. Roman and Remus used to give him pebbles back when they first appeared and he has no idea how they knew that he loves these round rocks that each are formed under a one in a million-billion chance. Even now, he’s seen a few pebbles lying around the Mindscape that he’s picked up and he knows that Remus leaves them around for him specifically. He’s rather glad that Remus hasn’t asked why he likes pebbles so much...

- Speaking of Remus, he once had the thought to eat one of his tentacles (birds eat squids its not TOO weird) and he saw Remus almost snap his neck to look at him after the sudden intrusive thought. Logan doesn’t know why Remus lied and said that he just wanted to try and scare Logan; when he had obviously heard his thought. 

- So Logan’s 100% afraid of Remus learning that he is birb and sharing it and its the only thing about Remus that he is scared of. And he hates it because Remus is so much fun to freakin’ talk to!!!!!!!!!!

- Oh and he definitely only falls in love once in his entire life and it’s for the person that he fears will find out his secret. So more repressing his feelings!

- He can’t watch any movies with flying in it. It makes his back ache and his legs jitter because every part of him wants to go do that. Go in the sky and just stretch his wings.

- Oh and he hasn’t let his poor wings out in years. 5 years? 8? He’s lost count. But he has been getting more and more back pains around the others and he knows that its the exact place his wings would attach to his back. He’s thought about locking himself up in his room, never coming out to avoid the increasing back pain, but he knows that it’d drive him crazy to not be around everyone. And to not see Thomas or Remus or Roman or the others again... So he puts up with it.

*hugs Logan* SPREAD YOU’RE WINGS AND FLY LO GOSH I WANT TO SEE MORE CANON-SETTING WINGED LOGAN FICS. Seriously if you know of an existing Logan fic where he’s a birb, please link me. Or if you make one from here PLEASE show me I would be so overwhelmingly astounded to see something made from this (i would prefer a happy ending one but I’d read any tbh)

@ladyedwina @sparrowofsong @5am-the-foxing-hour

[moved-to-void-kissed]

Howdy it's Tex again! I'm so glad I could give you some serotonin, you always give so much to me✨💗🌸!!

Ahhhh gosh that's so cool that's your natural hair it's so fun ✨💗!!! And stars Color picking / matching off of reference photos is SO HARD I get you and if you wanna discuss it I'd love to hear your thoughts!! At this point in my life when I color match for my digital art, I just eyeball it and cry excessively/lh

For skin tones it's even more of a Nightmare but once I got my own and my f/os down it's been easier :')

Anyway! This is me encouraging you to talk about it when you've the energy and I hope your day goes well✨💗🌸!!!

aah thank you for this @tex-treasures!!

Okay, so, I want to preface this by saying I am in no way an art student of any capacity whatsoever, so if there’s an actual proper way of going about this then I do not know of it. There are also a lot of images used here, so I think it’s best if it goes under a readmore.

TL:DR - you summed it up very well by saying that colour-picking and matching off of reference photos is so hard, even when you're working with a 3D model that has the same base texture to go from each time =P

So, here is a screenshot of me picking a skin colour from Aqua’s model from KH3 loaded into PMXe (actually, this might be the one from 0.2 looking at the file dates, but I’m pretty sure her model is the same in both games, since they use the same engine) - this is the model I’ve been using for my most recent MMD renders for my selfship with Aqua. I have also included a screenshot showing the skin texture file of this particular model, as well where I colour-picked from that texture directly.

As you may be able to see - although the order of the two colours is inverted from one screenshot to the other, oops - Aqua's skin appears slightly lighter under the default lighting conditions of PMXe (which I have tested and they're the same as those of MMD itself, it's just that her model has slightly glitchy shadows when there aren't any effects applied to it in MMD so I took the screenshot from PMXe instead), compared to how it actually is on the raw texture file. But, the difference is pretty slight.

Now, to compare, here are some screenshots of Aqua in various scenes in KH3, and I’ve tried to show the approximate overall colour her skin appears in each situation (and have included as much of the screenshots as I can to show what the lighting is like in each one). All of these are being compared to the colour picked from Aqua's MMD model on the menu.

These are all from the same time and area of the game (the Land of Departure), although I think the first one might be from a different source or be of gameplay rather than a cutscene:

Then, here are some more images taken from other scenarios - Destiny Islands (i.e. a beach with a bright sun), the Keyblade Graveyard (which I think is set around sunset), and the official render of Aqua from I think the Ultimania? (which should therefore in theory be pretty default lighting conditions):

As you can see, even when I haven't picked from the absolute lightest areas on Aqua's body, her skin tone is still noticeably a bit lighter in KH3 itself than it is on her MMD model (if not just from eyeballing it, the V value which seems to control brightness is higher for all the official tones than the value for model's texture file). So, I should probably technically correct that on the model's texture files, but then I don't know exactly how to get a fully accurate base skin tone for Aqua from combining all the reference pictures.

The main reason for including all of this is that is raises the question of how do I edit the texture for Aria's skintone (and those of my other self-inserts as well) so that it's accurate to my own?

Since, for example, here are some colours taken from a picture of my arm taken a few months ago in my old house, and then also a couple of pictures that I took tonight (all of them were in the bathroom because that's where the light was brightest, but then I don't know how to correct for that):

You can see I also grabbed some examples of my self-inserts' skin tones from their respective reference models, which I'm now realising may or may not be inaccurate to my own to various extents (although I guess Alectra's being closest might make sense given that her reference model is the one I created most recently?). But then even from here, the question remains of which colour to use to correct them, because I'd like it if they were all the same and were also all the same as my own??

..I've sort of run out of steam a bit here, and also images, but- hopefully all this illustrates why I mentioned this in such an exasperated way. I wish I knew how to go about this properly, but I don't. I'm very glad you were able to figure out those of yourself and your F/Os, though~

Thank you to anyone who had read all this, haha!

[miraculous786]

Miraculous: Chat Blanc (Sequel to Heartstring) > Nine

Masterlist

Hues of orange and rouge swirled together in Paris's sky, showering the ground in a light pink. The Sun was beginning to set, with it peeking just below the fluffy clouds above.

Marinette sighed, gazing back down at the book in her lap. Scribbled on it were notes in French, that were somewhat rushed and careless. The paper was slightly creased and crumpled, with it hanging on by the edge of the binder keeping it in place.

She ripped it off, placing the notebook to the side, before scanning again through the script.

Beside her, a high-pitched voice called out, "Marinette? What if Chat Noir doesn't turn up?"

Said girl answered, "Well, I can't get mad at him. After all, I didn't tell him to visit, or that I needed to interview him for my project."

Tikki only sighed, beginning to munch on her cookie again. She was currently hidden in the shrubbery of a nearby flower pot, that provided enough cover for her if the hero did end up coming.

Feeling a slight vibration emanating from her pocket, Marinette jumped slightly, soon reaching for her phone. There was a message displayed on the screen, from a new number that the girl had added recently.

Chloe: Has that alley cat shown up yet?

She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her mouth, as she began to reply to the text. Just as she was about to send it, an unusual sound caught her attention, a few yards in front of her.

Glancing up, Marinette's observant eyes managed to catch onto a figure leaping across the rooftops, their onyx suit shining from the lampposts situated about. They pulled out a baton from behind their back, using it to extend and jump higher in the air.

Smiling, she watched as her partner landed on a nearby building, with his emerald eyes glistening like a gem in the dark. Marinette shifted on her chair, standing up and strolling over to the railings of her balcony.

All of a sudden, the chartreuse sclera focused on her form, that was slightly hunched over due to the cold. Chat Noir's bell rung quietly as his pinned ears caught the echo of a shuffle to his left, causing him to look there.

Marinette sent a lopsided grin to the male, indicating for him to come over with a tilt of the head. The dimples on her cheeks creased, whilst the freckles dotted over them were significantly more pronounced in the luminescent glow around.

Pressing the green paw-print button on his staff, he held it out, allowing his body to be brought upwards. He aimed onto Marinette's balcony, with him landing effortlessly on his feet behind the girl.

The end of his belt whipped from the movement, hitting the ground when he stood up.

"Kitty," she greeted, a laugh in her voice.

"Princess."

"I didn't expect to see you two nights in a row," Marinette mused, walking over to the hatch leading to the inside of her home. "I mean, I'm not complaining, but its strange."

"Not happy to see me again Princess?" he asked, clawed hand resting against his chest as he followed her in.

She chuckled. "Of course I'm happy, Chat. And, funnily enough, you couldn't have come at a better time. I actually needed to interview you for a project, if that's okay with you. Chloe and me-"

Marinette cut herself off with a breathless chuckle, "-well, I convinced her to settle on doing a presentation on you, out of all the Miraculous heroes."

"Me?" Chat Noir mocked, "This mere alley cat is the topic of your project? I'm flattered, my Princess."

Giggling, she added in, "Well, of course! Why wouldn't you be? Don't tell Chloe but-"

Lowering her voice, Marinette whispered, "I find you better than Queen Bee."

"Well...I'm not surprised. Its only fair that this Knight's Princess finds him the fairest of them all!"

That caused Marinette to break into a fit of laughter, not noticing a kwami exasperatedly sigh as they zipped behind the folders at her computer desk.

Chat Noir sauntered to the spotted chaise at the side of the room, planting himself on the plush material. The fabric was a soft texture that tickled his skin, sending a cold yet homely shiver down his spine.

Marinette smirked, pulling the chair at her table towards the male. She sat down, facing him as she focused her gaze on the paper in her grasp.

"So," she started. "When did you first begin your role as a superhero?"

Unconsciously, his eyes flickered away, hand placed on his chin. Tapping at his face with a pointed finger, he finally answered, "Well, when Hawk Moth first akumatized someone, Stoneheart, me and Ladybug had to save him. That was when me and her both became heroes, I guess."

Chat shrugged his shoulders, a guilty grin playing on his lips. "Sorry that I don't really remember. I might not be the best Miraculous hero to do your project on."

"Hey, don't say that," Marinette disagreed, placing a small hand on his shoulder. "I think you're the best hero do it on. Everyone always thinks about Ladybug, not you, Chat."

Straining a smile, he offered weakly, "Shouldn't that mean you do it on her, too?"

All of a sudden, her arms had wound their way around his waist, as she leaned her head against his chest. She murmured, "Oh, stop undermining yourself, Kitty. You know you're amazing, right?"

Looking up, Marinette caught his gaze, that was transfixed on her bluebell eyes - though unknown to her.

"Gosh, this got depressing real fast, didn't it," she muttered, absentmindedly tracing circles on his leather-clad bicep.

"You know what-" she decided, suddenly stepping back and off the chaise. "-movie night, just you and me. How about that?"

He floundered, responding, "W-What? But, what about your work?"

"Who caaarres?" Marinette drawled. "You are way more important than that measly thing. Now, c'mon. I've been saving a movie for us to watch for a while now."

Tugging on his arm, she pulled him into a lying position onto the chaise, before grabbing her laptop a few metres away. Stepping back again, she settled herself in the crook of his arm, prompting Adrien to unconsciously wrap it around her.

Marinette flipped open the device's top, switching it on and searching for the correct video.

"You comfortable?" she questioned, sitting up slightly to alleviate her weight from his flushed form.

"U-Uh, well, hold on a moment."

He crawled backwards on the furniture, resting his spine on the raised edge as he held one arm out. Marinette fell into it without hesitation, sighing contentedly whilst finally bringing up the movie.

A blush began to colour his cheeks, with the arm around her shoulders remaining impossibly still as she lay her head on his chest.

"You seem tense," she noted lazily, eyes the slightest bit droopy. "You okay with watching the film? We've already done this a dozen times already."

Chat Noir gulped, silently inhaling. "No, no. I'm just...tired, I guess. Don't worry, Princess. I'd love to see what you've picked out."

The beam that graced her features at his speech made him almost reconsider his answer, if the lingering heat on his face said anything.

@unholykrow @northernbluetongue @aestheticnpoetic @inno-chan @uwuteamleader  @vinebino @stina-2245 @thyladyanput  @2sunchild2 @multifandomscribette @worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry  @theatreandcomicfreak @the17thtearoom @alissasmith21 @a-fan-fighting-for-equality @daminett4life  @corabeth11 @queenmj10 @smolplantmum @hopetookmysoul @akalovelymaybe  @the-navistar-carol  @miraculouslycool @bobothyross  @geminikessa​  

[antigenius]

Aaaaah your skincare hc 💜 i'm dealing with some really bad acne rn and reading that was amazing. Can you write skincare hcs for 1a girls too? (And also the best girl hatsume mei if it's not too much) 💖

OMIGOD FIRST REQUEST BSDJJRJTJ YOU GOT IT BBY LETS GO-

Toru:

I got her hcs while I was in the shower coincidentally enough.

Okay surprisingly for someone who you can't see, she really REALLY cares about her looks. It's really sad but she's actually super insecure despite being invisible

Loves any sort of face mask that has animals or cute things on it!! Cute, cute, cute!! She especially loves those little fruit shaped masks that you slap on different parts of your face like hgsvgbd please-

Actually has really oily skin, which is purely the cause of her insecurities. Someone please compliment this girl on her skin for gosh sakes-

Uses foam and oil cleansers to gently try and control her acne. Then uses a really light daycream with included sun protection when it's both day and night. She uses it at night because she gets scared that her night cream will be too much for her face. Better to go lighter.

OH MY GOD SHE LOVES HOT SPRINGS. P L E A S E. She enjoyed the camp so much because it made her pores open up and made it easier to clean!!

Uses those peel off pore masks on her nose, chin and upper lip. Hurts her sometimes, you can usually see her cry a bit when she takes them off.

Uses tweezers to clean up her eyebrows and upper lip. Hurts a lot, but she manages. Puts aloe vera after.

Detoxing is important! Sometimes she goes on a vegan diet for a week so that her acne gets a bit better. Only drinks water during that time too!

UGH GET THIS GIRL SOME PINK GRAPEFRUIT BODY SCRUB AND SHE'LL LITERALLY LOVE YOU FOREVER JUST OMG G R A P E F R U I T

In general she enjoys smelling like things you can eat! Mainly fruits, so Toru generally smells like berries or citrus.

Uses a stick deodorant that's organic. Hates the feeling of clinical deodorants.

Ajdjsjjjf acne needles? Yes. She uses them. Doesn't wanna get acne scars and this is more hygienic than actually popping pimples with your fingers. She really takes great care when it comes to her skin.

Ochaco:

Ochaco is literally me when I spent all my money on food :')

Cheap as hell. Obviously. This means CHEAP BEAUTY HACKS!

Ochaco has normal skin thankfully enough, but she does get some bad days with acne. Happens.

Cheap means you make your own stuff. Instead of buying exfoliating scrubs, Ochaco makes her own by buying oatmeal, apples, raw honey, cinnamon, and lemon juice. She puts this all in a food processor, letting it become a thick paste. Before she puts it on her face, she puts in a bit of sugar and tada!!! Smooth, soft, baby skin!

Another thing she makes is cucumber and banana ice-cubes for her dark eyebags. She grabs some cucumber, mushes it half a banana and then puts them into an ice-tray. Then whenever she has dark eyebags, she busts out these bad boys and voìla!

Is a hoe for 5 minute-crafts stuff. They're usually cheap and work for her really well, so now she heccing worships it like a g O d.

Doesn't really understand makeup? She might only use some eyeshadow and eyeliner. Possibly chapstick if she has some.

Makes her own lipscrubs though! Sugar and honey make a beautiful scrub for her lips, she rubs and licks it off happily to reveal velvet, plush lips ready for kissing! ;)

Really good at making cute diy beauty stuff!! She once made this clear lip balm that had a dry flower inside. She actually sold some! She was so proud of herself.

Oh gosh if you give Ochaco expensive Burberry Her perfume that smells sweet and sugary she will cry because she is so grateful for that. It's her FAVOURITE smell. Otherwise, she smells like faint roses.

Uses spray deodorant on hot days and stick deodorant on cold days. Spray deodorant is such a perk up when she's been sweating from training.

If there's a sale on skincare products, you'd best believe Ochaco sits there in the morning in front of the shop to get all the best stuff first. She will actually kill someone if that try and take the last item on the shelf which is on sale, especially if it's like 50% off. She'd tear some limbs. O_o

Prefers liquid soap over soap bars, but buys soap bars more often because they're cheaper and easier to stock. Just please get her some moderately priced things god this girl NEEDS PAMPERING OKAY???

Momo:

Bro you know how gay I am for this girl like dude I LOVE HER OKAY???

Completely and utterly clueless when it comes to skincare.

Never gets acne??? Like ever??? I'm so jealous it's SO UNFAIR. Does get dry skin though.

Uses those 24 carat gold face masks because they look pretty and make her face freakin GLOW LIKE A GODDESS.

Uses peel off masks, but more for dead skin. Hurts much less and she just heccing emits rays of sunlight.

Uses sunscreen a lot though. She's really prone to getting sunburnt, and she can't get a tan, which makes her kinda sad. Cancer is too scary to get a tan over.

Likes body and hand creams too much for her own good. Has a whole collection of them which all have a variety of smells and textures so her body and hands and just her skin is normally soft and silky and just hafdjskrjkt-

Has to use coffee scrubs and body oil since she has stretch marks from developing super fast. She's really insecure about it and hates that part of herself a lot tbh. Please praise her I beg you.

Loves to sit in a hot bath with rose petals. Spa treatment is all he knows about skincare really.

Has like four perfumes she normally uses. One is a sweet smelling perfume that has soft sugary notes that make you drool. The second smells like delicate roses with dewdrops from the morning mist. The second smells like berries and forests, as if you're about to pick some yourself. The last one smells like the pandan leaves with mangoes. Basically, Momo smells like paradise.

Actually loves buying cheap lip-glosses and lipsticks!! Her favourite is this shimmery golden lipgloss which changes colour depending on the light that she's in. Only uses it on very special occasions though. Otherwise, her best one is usually a moderately red lipstick or a cute red tinted lipgloss which just slightly colours her lips. Makes her lips so adorably kissable. (I'm gay for her okay shut up-)

Okay, we all know for a fact Momo be thicc. But she doesn't really like it honestly. Her thicc comes from cellulite and it's so gross to her. Uses a stiff, dry brush to move the fat around a by so she's more evened out in thiccness.

Mina:

Pink alien queen!

Acid comes out of her skin daily, this means really dry skin. Dry like sometimes peel off dry. It's really bad.

Just like Toru, really cares about skincare. Although a little less than Toru but still.

Toners are her best friends because her pores sometimes open up due to her quirk. Acid can damage them sometimes too, so mild, hydrating toners are great for skin like her's.

HAND CREAM AAAAAAAAAAA

Whilst she isn't rich enough to have a bunch of handcream like Momo, she has this specific handcream that smells like candy and marshmallows. It's. So. Good. Also makes her hands soft and silky like gahdhhd-

Cream is also a good friend of hers. Uses both night and day cream to make sure her skin stays plump and hydrated!

Uses potato slices instead of cucumbers so that her dark eyebags aren't too bad. She normally doesn't get em so this rarely happens.

Also uses lots of vanilla and almond body cream. Soft and silky skin that can make anyone want to hug her. (IM SO GAY SHUT UP)

Uses lip masks! Loves those Korean or Japanese candy ones! They really leave her lips luscious for any kisses!

Speaking about Korean and Japanese stuff, SHE ADORES THEM.

Korean stuff the most! They always provide her with great results, so they're her go to when she has a really dry day. Loves using their hydration masks!

Uses lip tattoos because she hates the feeling of lipgloss or lipstick. Plus, it doesn't leave a mark.

Mina also thicc, but she's more of a muscular thicc than fat thicc. This means she needs to use body oil to make sure her thighs and skin are tight and smooth.

She uses lasers to get rid of her hairs. Somehow her hairs are immune to her acid. She uses laser treatment to make sure she doesn't have to deal with it often. You wouldn't even know she has hair tbh because of the treatment.

Mina smells like coconuts and sea-salt with a hint of lime or mint depending on her mood. She smells like what'd you smell in a 5 star island resort as you walk on the white sandy beaches and sit in the bar watching the sunset go down on the horizon just hhh-

Feet are baby smooth?? Dunno why. They're just naturally soft and beautiful and shfhd when she rubs her feet against your legs it's so soft it's like she rubbed petals on your legs-

Speaking about petals! She loves having baths with either bubbles or petals with some candles to calm down. Definitely after a hard day of training!! Don't disturb!

Tsu:

I CAN'T DO MUCH FOR TSU IM SORRY

Tsu literally doesn't use skin items at all.

She has a normal skin type and also never gets acne somehow???? Like bro hecc tell me your ways.

She's not clueless about it like Momo, but she just has no use for it since her skin's just kinda perfect like hello what-

She is a frog though, so she really need that moisture!! Jacuzzi baths are like her favourite thing.

Ooh, also really likes those clay masks! That's the only skincare item she actually uses to be real with y'all.

Okay okay hear me out though, Tsu is a hoe for those kiddie slime baths. Like I'm not even kidding she loves it so hecking much but she would never admit it in any lifetime.

Also really loves it if you get her a whole big bag of those resin pellets that turn into those little jelly balls and she just goes into a bath of those??? Gosh yes paradise hecc

Smells like a dewy forest with hints of citrus and earthy tones. She's got that scent that's really unique and like you can walk by with a blindfold and point her out by smell alone.

Oops by the way she really enjoys having cucumbers on her eyes. She has natural eyebags, so she normally counters it with both cucumber and potato slices.

There's a secret tradition that runs in her family to get rid of wrinkles. They steam a small, knobbly hand towel with warm water and then rub it in circular motions on their face slowly going upwards. Works really heccing well.

Honestly, Tsu doesn't really care about her looks. Skincare or makeup for her is just an additional bother that she has to deal with.

Her skin is never pruney. Makes sense why though.

Mei:

Eyy because you asked so nicely! Tbh to me Camie from Shiketsu is best girl but like okay Mei is qt-

She's always covered in grime and dirt, so she actually gets acne daily. She just has really great skin routines!

Has a combination skin type, her forehead is the oiliest compared with the rest of her far though. Yuck.

When she stops tinkering (haha when does she do that-), she immediately goes and washes her face with an oil face wash. It helps properly cleanse her pores from all the grime and dirt that was on her face.

Sometimes, she has a really grimy day, so she uses a harsh clay wash just to make sure EVERYTHING IS OUT. Then uses a hydrating toner and a very light daycream!

Exfoliates every two weeks to make sure her skin isn't gross. Skin cells need to turn over every two weeks, so she makes sure she does that or she'll literally have pimples scattered on her forehead.

Is a popper. She hates seeing pimples and immediately pops them on site with some gloves. Then puts a miniscule dab of antiseptic cream so that it don't come back and spread.

Mei smells like petrol. Literally. When she stays out of the lab for a week though, she actually smells like caramel and cotton candy.

Has calluses on her from tinkering so much. She doesn't like it. Please trace and caress them gently and she'll love you.

She uses body oil because it feels more normal than body cream. Can lead her to being clumsy because she sometimes sloshes it on her body and then she has to wait a while before she can actually do things.

Salt block. Hates deodorant. Masks the smell of grime in the lab and she LIVES for that smell.

Uses charcoal face masks to relax and detox. Helps her think of her next baby to create as well, so bonus!

Likes going to those floating pods. They're really relaxing and make her feel at ease in the world.

Bubble baths are a no no. She had a really bad experience with them once when she tried to make a bubble telescope and put it to her eye. Let's just say she used to be able to see farther…

She enjoys using lipgloss though! Her lips smell like cake or cookie dough even though they're normally coloured in a neutral pink or a soft red. Even tastes like strawberries and cream.

Takes hecking great care of her hands. Her hands are meticulously the most gorgeous part of her. They're soft, velvety, and while they are callused, it only adds to its perfections and they're just so stunningly manicured and she does it all by herself like oh my god her hands are just bdbdkfgjfk-

Since anon has some bad acne, I actually have some advice since I myself care a heck ton about my skin.

Oil based face wash goes incredibly well with a foam cleanser. Using both gets rid of all the dirt, oil, makeup and residue in your pores. Best stuff and keeps me clear.

EXFOLIATE PLEASE!! Get one of those cute exfoliating scrubs or literally make the one Ochaco uses. They're really important to do because your dead skin cells can cause more acne and bumps.

When you have bad acne, I suggest using only light daycreams after you wash your face because night creams can be too much. Also use a nice organic toner so that your pores are tight and can't get much dirt or gross things during the day/night.

Charcoal is the best face mask for detoxing and decreasing oil levels. But don't use it when you have pimples. It can actually cause more pimples to come because you're stripping your ace of the natural oils it needs.

That said, make sure to wash your face at least twice a day! Thrice is okay too, but four is too much. Make sure to moisturise immediately after too!

Sunscreen is so important. Get yourself a face cream that has at least an SPF of 30. Please. Cancer is real and the sun's rays can make you seem to age faster.

Woof, that was a loooot. Next time, please be specific with characters anon! I didn't mind, but I normally only do about 3 characters. I'm not doing much yet so this is cool but yeah. Thank you so much for requesting though and ACKEJKRKN YOU'RE A CUTIE ILY THANK YOU FOR LOVING MY WORK!!

I also realised I missed out Jiro T_T I might edit her in later but really I found her and Tsu the hardest to talk about skincare with because they're my really girls who care about how they look. They're just cuties.

[hetaliaindie]

Going down memory lane

Just a little photo post.

June 9th 2017

I come back after more than a year, ready to try this out again.

I love how I'm always straight with ya guys in the tags yeesh.

July 4th 2017

The start of my first proper event, the Gandharva Event! (Though I've revised his design greatly ever since- there's no trace of Shiv in this anymore!!)

July 24th 2017

My first interaction with @grandparomeaskblog !!! When will I stop drawing your son in compromising situations-

August 28 2018

The very very first glimpse of Mr. G!

Also August 28

The day I started lowkey introducing the world to Shiv's 2500 year old crush.

September 1 2017

Young Shiv art!

September 9 2017

The most cursed artwork in this entire blog, thanks to aforementioned Grandpa Rome and Mr. Camel ( @de-beste-persian-empire) 

September 16 2017

I think, this is the first sridevi we got on this blog. No introduction, nothing.

Same day and we have Sridevi being as demanding of sweets as she always is, and our lovely Aarya! @ask-ladylotus​. The world deserves more india wamen.

September 21 2017

One of my favourite answers to date: Jugaad

September 24 2017

Gosh I don't like the art here at all, but here's the start of the lotus/god angst.

Same Day

The cutest darn Shiv ever. I hope I've kept this side of him alive.

Same Day

I think this is interesting because it seems that I was really fond of a more metaphorical approach to some questions and I'm still like that today: Jealousy

Same Day: Start of the God (dream) Event

September 30 2017

Yeah that's really what they looked like then.

October 5 2017

This may have happened nearly 2000 years ago but I do keep referencing it so here, boys and their issues.

October 24 2017

Same story, more details

October 26 2017

This is truly one of the most beautiful works I've made, and this is when I start getting very fond of this kind of storylike narrative, bright colours and literal metaphors.

November 3 2017

Jerks.

November 5 2017

Mr and Mrs. did have their casual pretend intimacy. Now she's alone but Mr. Gold has Zar. I hope we see her grow now that her fake love partner's dead and reborn.

December 19 2017

This is about when I fell in love with both of them tbh. Btw the baby was carefully delivered to an orphanage and quickly adopted by one of Mr. G's workers.

December 28 2017

The start of a legend. The Highschool AU. Would you believe me if I told you that Gypty and I still work on it casually or see various futures spawned from it? 

January 15 2018 (Welcome to 2018 my good folks, we made it)

This isn't important content but artwise, It's when I really started pushing for dynamic stylistic choices for my art.

January 16 2018

You really really see it here, and also I start indulging more in patterns to brighten up the simplicity of everyday life. I'd also say this is where the general body differences are most exaggerated between them all (even with sridevi as a child).

January 22 2018

A comment on Arthur Kirkland.

January 23 2018

A memory of the Sack of Delhi. It may strain your eyes (unfortunately I can't say that was on purpose), but it's a tribute to a nation who's heart has been stamped on by circumstances that no one can predict, yet its spark still lights. From an art standpoint, I was very proud of the expression I felt I conveyed well in this panel.

January 28 2018

Listen the amount of research I put into giving you a culturally intriguing gag response- 

February 2 2019

Mrs. Gold, I definitely improved a lot with colour usage here.

February 1 2018

This is where I have truly tried too hard on colours but I'm really warming up to it. (Oh nu is my icon that old- i'll get a new one soon I promise)

Please just take a moment, if you're someone who is an artist and is on a journey, to compare this piece with some of the earlier ones in this post. This improvement wasn't completely random. It started with looking for stylistic changes in the way I drew- in my case, really exaggerating the flowiness of my strokes and sharp points (messing around with a grittier brush, helped me a lot too, if you're someone who sticks with soft brushes or mechanical pencils, I couldn't recommend trying to use a textured brush or irl charcoal to get a grasp on the type of mood you want to evoke). At some stage it became a love story with color too, but colour takes time and lots of adjustment, which is why you won't see much of it in my blog.

March 5 2018

This is where I really start pushing the exaggeration on Mr. G, but only to get a feel for him. He evolved from a chunky nosed, physically imposing figure with a laughable quantity of gold, to something more desperate and dependant on money, something lean and mean with a nose that could poke an eye out. And here, most prominent is the shape of his lips, which had grown more prominent than before and very good for emphasizing his frown (and hell to work with when trying for his dimpled smile).

March 11 2018

I drew this for an rp starter since words couldn't describe what was in my head. I think it's a fine example of my adoration for patterns- but not just patterns, the idea of luxury beyond compare. It's prominent in my blog but only because I have the brain of a magpie and am constantly like ‘ooo shiny’. But really, I drew what I liked, so I improved. Find something you like drawing if you haven't yet. It can be skulls, it can be leaves, feathers, find your motifs and everything will honestly follow along.

May 17 2018

Post exam-hiatus, I am back with the gang, my art style is a bit rusty but boy have I got intimately involved with colours.

May 22 2018

I can't get colours out of my head, I'm thinking about them day and night, I need to create, I need to and so I do. (In all honesty I am certain that something greatly inspired me to do this but I cannot recall what).

June 12 2018

The Kill Cindy 2k18 movement is born. I can finally show you the Mr. G I have been hiding from you all.

July 1 2018

Something I can point out now is that while I think my colours work (honestly i was making use of patterns to distract you all at this stage- before I returned from my hiatus, I'd been rejected in an interview for an animation course and the key point my interviewer made was that my sense of colour was jarring, so I really was sensitive over it but seeking out improvement), what I would change is that adding a clear light source and allowing an atmosphere (by adjusting the main figures’ hues slightly to match the background) to emerge in my art would make it a lot better. And I start to grasp at this knowledge.

August 19 2018

The start of the bodyswap event, I swear I'll get back to it. I just want to use it as a stepping stone to get some meaningful character development out of it, thus it's ongoing.

See here, this is where I just stop caring about skin and character colour as something that should more or less be constant. Now it's vibrant and blinding for no other reason than I want to make you feel (granted, I did that too much here and it makes things hard to understand much less appreciate).

September 8 2018

Here I'm really just feeling the colours, Shiv's home is easy- everything is luxurious but at once welcoming (or at the very least, pampering), Sridevi's home on the other hand was shown to be neater and almost less personal, there isn't much immersion allowed in her place but in Shiv's..oh man.

November 2018

As you can see, activity has been dwindling what with rigorous college days and having moved to a new city. It should pick up eventually, but let me close this off with some new art.

Do I have something to say about this piece? Yes, I do! The point of view is Shiv's, thus the warm colours and the way he blends into the background. The main figure here is not himself or his 2nd player, but the vibrant peacocks, that exist in a shade of blue too vibrant to be real. In between the two sentient figures, is our young Mr. Gold, clearly he has the favour of these birds but he doesn't seem very affected by them- unlike the jealous Shiv. He's the dullest colour present and he wears the blandest clothing, the matters of peacocks (be they blue or orange) do not apply to him and he is at once alienated. 

Today, November 14th 2018

So after everything, here we are. Is this what all my art was moving towards? No it isn't, it's really just me playing around with photoshop brushes, but the mood of this image is something I feel that I've conveyed with integrity. That's what I want to keep striving for. Thank you all for staying with this blog as long as you have, thank you to all my newer followers, I've linked most of these points to their original posts, I hope that Tumblr does not break them. Love you all!

[hyannah]

Anon Archives Vol. 3

I think I already answered a similar question in a previous anon archives, but just in case - most of the time I make my own textures and I may release them publicly one day! In the meantime though, WebTreatsETC has a wonderful library of subtle grunge patterns. The trick to textures is “less is more” so the more concentrated the imperfections are, the better.

...*resolution ;; This isn’t the case with everything. Depending on the subject of your drawing you may want different consistencies. Objects and  materials like metals or concrete might require harsher textures as a guide when painting, but for character illustration I’d highly recommend the subtle approach.

Mhmm, well, I’m so bad at explaining... Let me try. I’ll make a proper breakdown one day! (awkwardly written tips under the cut)

Babies and small children have very soft features. They have round, undefined jaws, large eyes with small mouths & noses. As a child grows older, their eyes adjust and grow into their fully developed skulls but, in their early years they can look disproportionately large. You can use this to your advantage in character illustration!

Women typically have curved, rounded features but that’s not always the case. Genetics determines a whole lot when it comes to appearance, so females can inherit masculine traits and vice versa. If you’re going with a typical feminine approach, then rounded eyes, thin eyebrows and delicate chins/jawlines will help. I urge you to experiment, but start simple like this!

Men typically have more chiselled , angled bones with deeper-set features, but as I said before that’s not always the case. Low-set eyebrows and smaller eyes are, in my opinion, the part of the face that most determines “masculinity”, but sharp jawlines with high or wide cheekbones are equally important.

That being said though, it all depends on the character you’re designing. Your character’s age, weight and genetics determines a lot. Many of men have soft features and women can develop sharp jawlines, noses, small eyes, etc. Have fun!

Hey there! That’s an interesting question, because lately I’ve been fluctuating. If I’m well rested and focused, a full piece can take anywhere from 6-8 hours, but depending on the complexity of the piece and other factors like concentration levels, motivation and my mental state - a single piece can take a day or several.

Thank you very much! I wish I could have faith in my character design “process” enough to teach you in confidence, but the truth is a lot of my choices are down to intuition and my own personal aesthetics. Uhm, I can try giving you some pointers though!

It helps to have a rough idea of your characters personality, disposition or backstory first. An individual's appearance can often reflect who they are underneath. It can determine if they are well dressed, if they look after their appearance or what kind of style they carry themselves with. A sad or depressed person may look worn or unkempt. Alternatively, they may be the exact opposite - and have an immaculate complexion in an attempt to hide it from others. It’s all about their personality!

Having a “theme” can do wonders. Much like using fixed colour pallets in art, having a word, object or animal as a reference can help draw parallels between the symbolism and their design. for example:

Wolfe is made to resemble a wolf, so his hair has little tufts and his eyes are yellow. He has claws, sharp canines, and an aloof disposition

Rose, as her name suggests, resembles a rose. She has a prominently red colour pallet, a petal-like birthmark on her eye and subtle blue accents to make her details pop.

Hunter’s appearance purposefully contrasts with his profession as a priest. He’s gruff, strong, foreboding and a man of few words.

Definitely cartoon! I just got so smitten with comics as a kid, I went from still life painting to cartoons pretty quick. So quick that I never really had a true “realism” phase. But I can certainly still appreciate it.

I’m pretty sure everyone’s style is an amalgamation of the things they loved about other artists growing up. By all means, if you wish to take inspiration from my art then go ahead - it’s an honour! I only ask that you don’t copy or replicate my art. Be open to all kinds of style. Experiment and adjust. It’s more fun that way!

(Excuse the awful photo, I missed the short window of natural light Scotland gets in the winter)  I have been using the UGEE 2150 monitor tablet for maybe...a year and a half now. It was by far the biggest investment I’ve ever made on a graphics tablet but it was worth it, and is still cheaper than a Cintiq by a country mile (retailing at about £340) He’s a big boy, but he’s reliable, responsive, and feels great to work with. I had a lot of issues with SAI when I set up my dual-monitor workspace and it seems to be a frequent issue with UGEE products, but I did eventually find a workaround and the tinkering was well worth the money I saved. The screen is 21.5 inches and it weighs in at around 8kg total, so he’s not ideal if you travel a lot. However, if you have a fixed workspace environment he’s a keeper!

A Malignant without a host is pretty much powerless. They have no ability to manipulate physical matter, so words are their most powerful weapons. When a Malignant has a host and is possessing their body, they can do all the things a human can. If a hosted Malignant is apparated but isn’t possessing anything, then they can still manipulate their host’s body but nothing else. For example, if Ghasper is apparated but is not possessing Wolfe at the time, then he can still touch Wolfe, but not Hunter or Rose.

I can’t, sorry! That’s for the comic!

Uhm, well Malignants still know enough about their time spent alive to tell you all about that stuff. Their names, voices, etc helps. My ghosts don’t have genitals.

“TBoA” is the acronym for the comic and the full title will be released along with the trailer :)

Oh my gosh, please don’t ever worry about something like that! Anything people make for me is treasured deeply and put on my wall or kept by my desk. I truly care about all the support I receive and I don’t want you to ever feel like I won’t!

This honestly made my day when I read it! What a wholesome story, I’m so glad! Tell your brother he has good taste! And let your mother know she’s right!

What a delight! The more Hunters there are in the world, the better. At least for me. ;)

I dunno why this made me laugh as much as it did, but thank you for making me smile! Wolfe is...not in a good place right now :’(

I looked up the song and the band as soon I received your message and I love them both! Thank you very much for the song recommendation. I absolutely love to listen to new music.

Oh my goodness, thank you so much! I don’t deserve the praise but I really appreciate it. I’d make the worst art wife though.

Yup! I haven’t had the chance to play Warriors or Echos though ... I’m broke and I struggle to make leisure time these days.

ACE!!! You little rascal, I forgot all about this - but thank you so much! My handwriting is chicken scratch, honestly ... I do try to reign it in for my art but I have no doubt you’d soon grow tired of my lopsided, wriggly handwriting.

[shanfouriecoza]

Hi lovelies! It has been a good long while since my last “Flavour of the month” post! I am so sorry about that! I am super excited to share this lot with you though! Hope you enjoy, let me know if you try any of them and what you think…

Starting with the most important: Skin care. Because it doesn’t matter what you put on your face to pretty it up, if the base coat (your skin) is not clear and glowing, well then nothing will look all that good, will it?! I have really been struggling with bad skin lately, and it seriously got me down last month. I just didn’t know what to do anymore, my self confidence took a huge knock, and nothing I was doing was helping. I had heard a lot about the new Eucerin range and I figured I should give it a try. I have been so pleasantly surprised by this range, I honestly feel so happy that I found it. 1. Eucerin: The Skin Renewal Treatment: This is my go-to night-time treatment for skin that is flaring up. I have had particularly bad break outs around my jaw-line and at the top of my neck. Big nasty ones with no head they just sit under the skin. Awful. I have found that applying this treatment at night has considerably reduced the flare ups, and I can actually feel it tingling a little, which makes me believe it’s zapping them 😉 It is a thick cream-type treatment, yellow-ish in colour, but not noticeable once applied to the skin. I only apply to problem areas at night, or early evening if I feel my skin is flaring up or irritable. It settles and calms my skin almost immediately. 2. Eucerin: Active Concentrate:  This is a concentrate which claims to improve the skin’s complexion, clarifies the skin, as well as helps to prevent further blemishes. I love using this in the morning after my moisturiser and before my primer/foundation. I have noticed a noticeable improvement in my skin’s scarring / dark spots that were so prevalent before using this. I can’t confirm whether that is mainly attributed to this product or the next one listed. But I like the fact that I can apply something in the morning as protection against any further breakouts, so this is a win for me! It is light in texture, and after being gently massaged into the skin, is barely noticeable as is quickly absorbed. 3. Eucerin: Even Brighter Concentrate:  These little ampules are tiny pockets of heaven on my skin. I apply morning and night and I truly have seen such improvement in my dark spots and scarring which were previously really awful on my skin. Below: Before and after to show you how much improvement I have seen: (excuse the no make up selfies!! So embarrassing but have to show you the change in my skin!! INCREDIBLE). Available from Dischem.

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER

  Guys – can you also notice an improvement in the overall appearance of my skin from Before to After pics? That is all in 30 days!! And takes me on to my next product: The theory behind this revolutionary anti–aging night cream is that unlike other night creams which your skin gets used to over time, this cream becomes more effective as the results are heightened with continued use. There is research showing that the Avon Anew Reversalist Night Cream has shown results are continually effective, even after a year of use.

I was given this Avon Anew Reversalist night cream and asked to review it. Whilst using it I enjoyed the novelty of switching between the two creams, and I loved the texture (particularly of cream 2), on my skin. I have noticed a vast improvement in my skin’s dark spots, blemishes and outbreak. I have also been so impressed by the change in texture of my skin. 30 days ago my skin felt like it wasn’t my own. I hated touching it, as it depressed me. I didn’t recognise myself, by look or feel. 30 days later I have noticed my skin is supple, more radiant, and the oil balance has been restored. I am so happy! With regards to improvement in fine lines and wrinkles; I don’t believe I have seen any radical transformation, but I think it would be crazy to expect that after just 30 days. Also, I had just come out of my most stressful time of moving house. losing our nanny and crazy work loads before this, so I was (am) looking aged. Having said all that, though… looking at the before and after pics above… I do see a massive improvement in overall appearance, namely the radiance. What I have loved most about using this night cream, is that when waking the next morning my skin still feels amazing. It feels supple, soft, never dry. It is like it has been protected and nourished all night long. Really love that. To read a little more about this product read this post; I have given a slightly more detailed review here. Available from your Avon Rep.

I was given the L’oreal Pure Clay ‘Bright Mask’ by a friend last month, and I loved it so much that I ran out to get 3 more variants in this range. To say I am impressed is an understatement. This ‘Bright Mask’ contains 3 clays as well as lemon extract, which is known to even-out skin tone . The yellow clay mask has a creamy texture, with small particles acting as tiny exfoliators. The mask cleanses deep into the pores to absorb oil and remove dead skin cells without drying skin out. I am left with skin that feels fresh and clean. Love it.

The L’oreal Pure Clay Glow Mask is one of my faves so far. It is enriched with Red Algae extract, which is known for its brightening properties. The texture is also slightly granular as it contains milled apricot seeds which gently exfoliate dull, uneven skin to reveal your natural glow. It is a lovely exfoliator which brightens my skin and definitely leaves it glowing. Available at Dischem.

One of my all-time favourite products, and one I am likely to use until the day I die, is Elizabeth Arden’s 8 Hour Cream. Before our last move my hubby borrowed my 8Hour cream and misplaced it… I think I begged him every night leading up to Mother’s Day to please get me another, and he did – for Mother’s Day 🙂 I absolutely love this product. I put it on my lips as a night treatment, and put it gently around my eye area and in places I am in need of a little extra TLC, and I just can’t get enough of it’s thick, nurturing texture. I also love it’s smell 🙂

My two fave make up items at the moment are these babies. 1. Urban Decay’s All Nighter Foundation: Okay, so you saw how spotty and awful my skin was looking. I needed help to hide it! I ordered this foundation which I had seen a couple bloggers talking about, (with a 30% discount code from beautiful Bailey Schneider yay!), and oh my goodness I am soooooo happy with it. I ordered a shade too dark for winter so I am mixing it with my foundation I had in a shade too light, and voila! The perfect coverage and shade. I LOVE how long this foundation lasts – still going strong by the end of the day. Such a win for crazy busy days… and those bad skin days too! 2. Stila’s One Step Illuminating Primer: Woolies was out of stock of this for the longes time and I was soooo happy when I went past two weeks ago and they had it back again. I love the very slight shimmer it has, allowing real illumination of your skin, and also helps make up stay.

The lovely ladies at Optiphi sent me a few products to try after I burnt my face with hot oil from a pan a few months back, and this Hydra-derm HA Masque has become a firm favorite in my beauty regime. I have tried to minimise use of it for the past 30 days to give an accurate review of the Avon Anew Reversalist, and boy have I missed it. It is nourishing on another level. The perfect treat for dry, ageing skin, and I am so happy I have it going into the dry Winter days. I love using it as an overnight mask.

I am SUCH a perfume person. If I leave home without perfume I literally feel naked. Since Stuttafords closed down I have been unable to find my most favourite scent of all time: Florabotanica by Balenciaga. It was the one fragrance that I have fallen head over heels in love with, and felt like it was literally crafted for me. Since then I have tried various other perfumes, and I like so many, but none as much as my beautiful one-of-a-kind Florabotanica whom I miss so dearly! I stumbled across this oldie but a goooooodie not too long ago, and gosh I am loving it again. DKNY’s original fragrance. Apparently inspired by the energy of New York, “this signature urban scent combines a bold blood orange with refreshing chilled vodka and is infused with notes of tomato leaf, for a cut grass Central Park effect.” It is bold, and it is fresh, and I love it! Available at Woolworths.

I was struggling with the condition of my hair and my stylist said I should give this conditioner a try and I am glad I did. Mycro Keratin Moisture Repair was only R295, which is pretty good when it comes to salon-sold product, and I really enjoyed it. It is on its last legs now and time for another purchase and pretty sure I will repurchase the same. It leaves my hair feeling thick and healthy, restored and protected. The only thing I would caution against is that it can take some volume out of your hair because it is a little heavier than others, which isn’t bad for me because I have so much hair, but if you crave volume I wouldn’t recommend it. Available at Gerald Wells.

Last but not least:

My go-to lip colour and treatment by day is this little Summer Melon LipIce. I am never without something on my lips (again, I get that naked feeling), but I can’t constantly reapply lipgloss all day in-between kissing kiddies a hundred times and all my cups of coffee :). This LipIce has been my saviour for at least the past 6 months, and I have gone through too many to count. I currently have 3 in my handbag, one in my make up drawer, one in the downstairs key/sunglasses drawer by the front door and one in my car. The slightly pink/peach/coral colour is the perfect tint for day wear, and I find it lasts so well, and moisturises perfectly. My fave. Available at Dischem.

What did you think of this list of my fave products at the moment? Let me know! ||

Love Shan XOXO Disclosure: This post is written by me and is my honest opinion. I was sponsored the Avon Anew Reversalist Night treatment in return for my honest review. I was also given the Optiphi HA Masque. All other products I bought.

Flavour of the month | Beauty. Skin. Hair Hi lovelies! It has been a good long while since my last "Flavour of the month" post!

[ariasune]

kintatsujo

 “Artist trademarks: more rounded, weighty shapes, sort of a...”

Lol oh my gosh I totally agree (although I partly say things like that because I know how it is to have someone say 'distinctive xyz' and think 'does that mean I draw it the same way on everyone oh no') Also yes "watercolor CG" is basically the best name I could give to this sort of softer cel shading and the colors having more careful variance (like red or pale on the joints, for example)

your personal palette also is more reminiscent to me of a set of watercolor paints on paper, so to speak, although I can't quite sort out how to explain why

Don’t worry, thank you for being so considerate. Faces are definitely a sensitive area just because people always latch onto same-face, so I really appreciated how kind you were in your analysis!

I love doing the flush joints, especially on high value skintone characters like Ryou or Bakura where it shows up brightly <3 I know with cell shading it’s best to avoid lots of shadow and light detailing on skin because texture, but the translucent quality of skin is very fun to play with to draw focus and show detail even on a smooth surface.

Hm, when I first started cellshading, my friend taught me to lock my cellshading and use my base colour with a soft brush to gradient into it. With my newfound love of clipping masks, I’m more interested in warm-cool (orange-purple is my fave, but salmon-cyan is fun) variation, opacity variation, and then soft eraser to soften the edges, before going for broke on the softest yellow and purple/blue lighting ever. I don’t know if that makes for any sense?

I’m rambling again, but thank you very much. I’ve always found your colour work so- I guess intimidating might be the word! Even with my flats I shy away from strong saturation, and seeing you use it so deftly and confidently always fascinates me. 

May I ask, I remember when when you did trad lining, and I remember how interesting your lineweight work was, and seeing it in digital form, I was wondering how translating that to digital was from your perspective?

[littlebigdreamer]

Day 1.

Dear Friend,

How are you? Hope you’re well. Today I start a new semester at UWA, quite exciting really! How? Well I don’t want to sound like a nerd--though that’s not a bad thing either, I’m eager to start fresh that’s how. Since I’ve attended university, I’ve not felt this...focused?...prepared? Last semester I wasn’t sure whether I’d pass, considering my grades. But surprisingly I did! And just last week I volunteered at O-week! To be very honest I didn’t really expect much during my volunteering, but honestly, I’ve never felt more alive. Volunteering brought out the real me--the me that hasn’t been seen since high school days... when I was carefree and confident and... well, ignorant to all that I know now so, since I know all that I know now it’s more real, you know? Hope that wasn’t too confusing.

Anyway, volunteering definitely brought my lively spirit back. And I’m glad I did it. It’s nice to have this version of me back, and I suppose the effects of that is why I’m so excited and eager to go back to university this semester! It might wear off... who knows, but I’d sure like to enjoy every bit of it while it’s in me. 

Achievement of the day? I have this unit that requires soooo much reading--as a lot of humanities units do, but this time, I’m gonna aim to be on top of it! So today I managed to read 14 pages out of the total 26 pages of our first reading, and then tomorrow I’ll finish the rest of the 12 pages-- if I read 14 today, I can totally do 12 tomorrow, right? Sure can!

Oh! I almost forgot! The major win for the day (on top of the reading) was that I brought my ‘keepcup’! Well, it’s from Typo so not the original brand BUT! it’s the cutest thing--and I’m finally contributing to saving the environment with all my coffee intake! It’s a pink, double-walled(?) cup with the words: “I am procaffeinating” in bold and then underneath it: “in other words, not doing anything, until I have had coffee.” soooo cute! And I bought it only for $5. Bargain! Which saved me some money for my first coffee in it too--$3.69 for the usual regular flat white with almond milk. You know that stuff is usually charged at around $5? Not if you’re a student with a keepcup ;)

So anyway, wow this day had just been a lot of wins for me so far (yay!), this morning I put on my newly bought tinted face cream--oh my goodness, do you know how hard it was to find a BB cream without hearing the words “discontinued” twice? And to top it off, Priceline had so many brands for tinted sunscreen (next best thing for me) that it made me late for work yesterday! I ended up purchasing Cancer Council’s ‘Face Day Wear Moisturiser Matte’ in medium tint. I hoped it was the right colour for my face, and turns out it wasn’t too off which is great! It was lighter than the Swisse BB cream I’d been using previously, but the texture was light and spf 50+ so even better! Anyway, not a product placement (I did not get paid to write this), I’m just excited to use something I bought for just $14-$17(?), when I almost paid for another brand that would’ve costed me $35! Not only am I now saving the environment (keepcup), I also contributed towards cancer research and services--winning! 

Being a girl is hard, you know. I used to be very much into fashion, make-up and hair, until some deep reflecting happened many years ago, and now I appreciate cutting down to just three things: BB cream (or tinted sunscreen), brows, and lip balm. Of course sometimes I’d put on some lipstick too--ya girl needs some pink on her lips or she’d look sick for sure. But you know, I respect the girls who put so much time and effort to decorate themselves in more colours and glam--it’s painstakingly annoying having to remove it all on a lazy evening, but they keep marching on! And all the trendy fashion... I just... no longer want to put myself in that situation when really, I’m happy with just a t-shirt and jeans--the basics! I’m not going to blast at people who do follow the trends and fashion though, if they can afford it, and they’re true to themselves; to who they really are on the inside, then so be it. I mean clothes definitely are cute!

Anyway, on top of the new tinted sunscreen I bought, I also purchased a new mascara--which I haven’t worn in years! But I came across this one because it looked interesting and it called out to me... I heard it... just kidding it was in the middle pile on the floor. It’s the L’oreal ‘Paradise Extatic’ which is supposedly meant to grow your lashes(?) or make it longer(?)--something like that, and so far I’m loving the new addition to my daily routine! I also no longer have to rely on my dark brown eye shadow and worn-out slanted brush to fix my brows---I also bought Nyx’s micro brow pencil, which will take more practice for me I admit, brows are still one of the most time consuming things I do every.damn.time.

So there you have it. Today I felt great, looked great (in my humblest opinion), and ticked off things on my to-do list. I hope you’ve also had a great day, the little wins in life are definitely a mood-booster. Until next time!

Love,

Little Big Dreamer.

PS. I almost forgot it was a Monday--more wins because: new episode of Running Man! Gosh this day just keeps getting better. :D

[kurinoot]

sept jours d’amour - jerza week day 4

prompt: caress

summary: because even a single caress can trigger a lot of emotions; set after alvarez empire arc

rating: T (just to be safe)

also available on: DA and FFN

disclaimer: I don't really own Fairy Tail. All credits to Hiro Mashima

a/n: a few fangirling moments + m rated jerza fics = this story lol, although I made it t-rated just to be safe :) enjoy. Plus, reviews are appreciated.

ca·ress (kə-rĕs′)

n.

A gentle touch/gesture of fondness, tenderness, or love.

Her scarlet tresses is one of the assets that she is really proud of. Aside from its bold and striking colour, it makes her stand out from the rest. In addition with her surname Scarlet, the first thing they would associate to the shade of red is her, but the first thing that comes into her mind is him.

Just after their lovemaking session, the first thing Jellal would do is gently comb his fingers through her hair. Erza would just give in to his caresses and hum in satisfaction and while he's hand combing her hair, she would give him a kiss wherever her lips will take her, but it mostly lands on his lips, which he really likes the most.

She warmly caresses his lips before she kisses it with her own. Closing his eyes in contentment and giving in to her kiss, he stops combing her hair and instead he gently massages it and appreciate its smooth texture. Even if his hands are satisfied in caressing her hair, he knows that he still gets lost in her lips. They're sweet and soft and he knows he'll never get enough of it. Basically, it's a drug that only he can taste.

While his hands are lost in the wilderness that is her hair, he uses it to pull her closer and deepen the kiss she implanted on him. After a few seconds of just appreciating the emotional contact of each others' lips, they take a break and both heave a euphoric sigh of relief and contentment. Even though they got lost in each others' heat in euphoria a while ago, they know to each other that nothing beats their kisses, and of course, his gentle caresses on her hair.

Jellal then caresses her hair and gives her a loving glance saying, "I love you so much, Erza Fernandes.".

Erza smiles and returns the loving gaze, "I love you too, Jellal Fernandes.".

As soon as they exchanged their 'I love you's, one of his hands reaches to her right hand and lovingly caresses the golden band that sits on her ring finger. He kisses it affectionately and she instantly blushed at his ministrations.

"God, what did I do to deserve this? To deserve you?", Jellal sighs as he takes all in in what's happening.

Erza pulls a frown, "Jellal-".

"I just went all the way to your body-".

"Jellal!", Erza interjects. He pauses for a bit before he realizes that he had made her upset.

"Erza, look I'm sorry. I'm just-"

Before he got to finish his sentence, she wraps her arms around him and pulls him into a deep kiss. Jellal widens his eyes in surprise for a second before he savors the kiss and returns it. He closes his eyes and just appreciate the way Erza was actually kissing him with so much love. Running out of air, they both pull back and let themselves gasp for a little air.

Erza then decides to break the silence, "Jellal, we're already married now, a-and-", she pauses for a bit then blushes. She turns away yet her husband pulls her into a warm hug.

"Sorry Erza.", he whispers into her ear as he gave it a light kiss that sends shivers down her spine.

The redhead breathes a sigh, "Hey, don't call it going all the way. You're my husband now, a-and we just made love.".

The bluenette's eyes widen by her choice of words and his heart rate shots up instantly. Blood rushes to his cheeks as she mentions those words.

All of a sudden, she places her hands on his ultramarine locks, to his utter surprise and gently massages his scalp and the lush hair that's all around it. He purrs in contentment as his hands once again make its return to her scarlet tresses and caresses it all the way up to its tips. Erza closes her eyes to feel his gentle hands on her hair and Jellal smiles at just how his wife reacts to it.

"Do you really love caressing my hair that much?", Erza fondly teases as he slightly blushes in embarrassment but continues to stroke her hair as much as he loves to.

Jellal then smirks then slowly drags his hands from her hair to cup her face. He rubs both of her cheeks and leans forward to give her a peck on the lips.

"Of course I love your hair. My hands easily gets lost on them, because of it I gave you a surname…", he blabbers continuously as he states all of his reasons for loving her hair that much. Erza giggles at his blabbers with fondness.

'Oh god, I love this man so much.', she mindlessly thought as she gives in to his massages.

"-and they look utterly beautiful. The most gorgeous I've ever seen and touched in my life.", Jellal proudly states as Erza finally released a laugh that she was trying to keep. Panting from all of the things he said about her hair, Jellal gave a sheepish smile before he gave her another peck on her lips. Gosh, how he loves those lips so much.

"But not as beautiful as you.", he finally says, emphasizing the 'you' part with whatever he feels for this woman. She embodies all the positive in life that eradicates his darkness away. He is imperfect but so is she, but he loves the way how they are in sync with each other, how they perfectly fit into each others' arms, and basically how they made each other feel, even if it only was a single caress.

Erza blushed so hard and contagious that Jellal basically blushed as hard as her. Her heart swells because she knows that what he feels for her is authentic, and he is expressing it.

She sheepishly laughs, "Oh y-you're such a dork!".

"And I love you too.", he replies as his hands crawl their way onto her skin through her bare breasts. It sent shivers down her spine and she moans in delight as his fingers made its way to her thighs, slowly wrapping them around his waist. She looks at his eyes and she notices the glint of both love and lust in them. He smirks before he passionately kisses her with all his heart. She releases a guttural groan as she replies to his kiss with the same burning passion as his.

She then wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him closer so as to deepen the kiss. In return, he clutches his hands back to her hair, holding them and tugging it as if it's his life source.

As they ran out of air, they both gasped heavily for air, the air that was already getting more hot, rich and steamy. As soon as they caught up with each other, they gazed lovingly at each other.

"I love you, Jellal.", Erza breathly says, but with passion.

That was all what he needed.

"I love you too, Erza.", he hoarsely says as he gives her an authentic smile.

And that was all what she needed.

And then another round of love has begun. (I would leave that to your imagination tho)

oh gosh I don't know what I wrote but I crying omygawd

euphoria will be probably posted tomorrow, but I'm working on it now :)

please do drop some reviews :)

[amatchgirl]

Homemade Ikea Meatballs!

Homemade Ikea Meatballs!

(chopping board scraping) – Ah, Jesus. (triumphant instrumental) (words popping) – Top of the morning to you folks. Nothing says good morning, I don't know where that went. More at 9 a.m. than making some meatballs. But not just any meatballs, oh no, look at this tweet, look at this tweet right here. (angelic chorus) Ikea, the internationally renowned Swedish furniture store, which we do actually shop in quite a bit. This table, this table right there is from Ikea. This chair that you remember, it's being sort of passed around the house at the moment, in our temporary living room, it's from Ikea. Innit kids? – Hello. – [Chloe] Hello. – All right? – Yep. – [Chloe] Yep. – That's an extension update, by the way. Phoebe's wardrobe. So yeah, we genuinely do have some Ikea products around the house. I was gonna do a brand deal with them about six months ago, but it just didn't feel, what they wanted, felt kind of right, but maybe one day in the future. They've got this weird character bloke chap on there. Can you see that? He's like a happy little man going, "Hello." But he is on all of their packaging and their instructions to make things, if you've ever built anything with Ikea, you will see that guy, and he will haunt your dreams. (ominous music) At first you'll be like, "I can't do it, I just need a hammer, that's all I've got." And then you do it, and then all of a sudden this guy becomes your best friend, and you end up with loads of boxes and these everywhere. Shall we make meatballs? So we're going to make the meatballs first. These are the ingredients we're going to go for, the beef and pork mince, very common in meatballs, but I'm gonna actually add that in last so I've got my hands non raw meat kind of vibe. Now, the only thing I don't like about the instructions is it hasn't given you a list of tools that you need, like a chisel and they've always got these weird wooden noggins inside. Got so many of them in my garage. (electronic fairground music) So it says an onion, finely chopped. What I tend to do is find the little bum, the corey bit, and then aim towards that. Now horizontal cut, and another horizontal cut, and I can get another cheeky one in just on the top, and then just straight down like that. See, you get it all nice and diced. Dice your onion. Oh, and get rid of the bum bit, no one wants the bum in their meatballs. (fast chopping) And also try not to cry. These are emotional onions today, wow. (fast chopping) Ah, I'm crying, I'm watching Titanic, oh my gosh. I am actually crying right now. That doesn't normally happen. That's a nice strong onion, nice. There is onion goggles, one of the first gadgets I ever reviewed for that. Mm-hmm. I also could have used my veggie chopper, but I haven't actually got a full one myself in the house yet, cause I sold them all. But I have got a garlic rocker, look, a Barry Lewis garlic rocker in the veggie kit, which is coming back soon on Amazon. Like that. Garlic, onions. Bread crumbs. I can't find many things in this house. I keep looking in the wrong cupboards. – [Rebecca] Other cupboard. – I get really emotional. – Gosh that onion is strong. – Are you crying as well? We're all crying. Breadcrumbs, right? This is a true story. Someone asked me on Twitter, the other day. I don't tend to like putting breadcrumbs in a burger but it does to sort of bond, bind and hold it. – [Rebecca] All done. – Nice. Someone said to me, is there any alternative? And apparently if you whiz up Rice Krispies breakfast cereal into really fine powder, because it's just something to kind of plug the gaps, (shakes can) that's an alternative. So, I don't know if she did that, and if she did I don't know if she ended up with a Rice Krispie burger, but you don't tend to taste these anyway. This is a bit worrying. The last time I used these scales, they are already nearly 200 grammes out. That's probably why we had a really floury cake the other day (laughs). So, a hundred, nope, it's not, I only reset it to a hundred. You donkey, that's alright. I'll set it to two hundred. Hundred grammes of breadcrumbs, apparently. I love how I've randomly got my hammer still on the table from the opening scenes (laughing). All right, so we might as well start adding some of this into somewhere otherwise the table is just going to get completely covered in random bits and bobs. Story of my life. Oh, crumbs. A egg, salt and pepper. No salt bay today, feels very 2018 doesn't it? Okay, so other than the meat, the only other thing we need is milk. I have never put milk or any other wet mixture into… I need tablespoons, they've done it in tablespoons not mls. So one, two, three, four, five. I have never, ever put milk or water, or any other extra fluid, other than an egg, into a meatball or burger mix. That's the thing, actually, if you wanted you could make one giant Ikea meatball or just burgers. It doesn't have to be meatballs, does it? Just put the meat in. Instant regret, the fact that I should've picked up a bigger bowl earlier on. Doesn't matter. Taking my ring off, if I can. Oh my gosh. (ring clattering) I'm so married it hurts, look. Okay, in we go. Now, I'm going to try and keep one hand clean. Ugh, I've got some meat on my table. So, we're bringing together, look, I'm squishing the yolk up. Bringing that together, the onion, the garlic. Oh, the smell in there is amazing. Oh my gosh. This is the set up I've got. I've got to bend down so low that it's going everywhere. Thank you to everyone that's mentioned the kitchen that we're temporarily using that I was, like, "Oh, I really didn't want to show you this." It looks a lot like the very first kitchen that I filmed in. It does! It looks identical in places. Anyhow that's looking quite good now. We're getting a fairly consistent mixture. We want to kind of hide those breadcrumbs in there. Oh my gosh! Yes, imagine just making that as one big meatball. Nice. Now, I really wish I had my wish.com meatball maker thing from a previous gadget we did, because now we just shape them into the meatball shapes. Yeah, it has kind of defeated the point of my hands-free making because I've got to use both to make extra-large table tennis ball shapes. I feel like I'm making some sort of meatball documentary. Hello, welcome to Making Meatballs Part 5. I'm gonna skip to this. Let's get them all done. (oven timer ringing) Oh, Jesus. I've gotta make some more now, they fell on the floor! (Laughing) Just for that shot, as well. (Sighing) Okay, I've got another batch. I'm only making nine. I've made them quite small and you can actually get loads out of that mix. This is how much I've got left. So we're gonna save that for tea tonight. We don't really wanna have… Did I just say "tea"? I dunno if I've ever said that. High Tea. It's very English. Tea, dinner, whatever. I call tea and dinner the same thing. Let's discuss that in the comments if you want? Fight it out amongst yourselves, I don't mind. So we're just gonna go for the nine. Now when you make a burger or meatball it is good to refrigerate it and the steps do say to refrigerate them for two hours. I ain't got time for that and you probably ain't got time for that. We'll cover it, yes, Wrapmaster 3000. (Angelic chorus) And I'm gonna stick these in the special fridge, the freezer, for about ten minutes. All right, I just Wrapmastered the rest and you can put it in the fridge, too, once you cover it. Or you can put it in the freezer for another day and you could make meatballs on Christmas Day. All right so we're using our hob. So the recipe states, ladies and gents, to fry these at first and then bake them in the oven. So we're gonna stay true to the recipe. I would not normally do that. I would normally get my pan, fry it and brown it as it tells you to and then create an oven by sticking a lid on and then keeping it moving around and around and around. But no, we'll stay true to Mr Swedish Stickman and make it work as they want it to. This goes really weird as well. When you ignite it you get a really hot flame and then you turn it down. I don't think that's good for safety is it, look. (ignition clicks) Ugh, that's the wrong one. That's the grill! (Laughing) What I mean is, look, it's a high flame first to get it going and it has to turn this way. So, look, we're gonna get a big flame. (Ignition clicking) See that? That's huge! Surely, like my other hobs in the past have all been you start with a low flame first. I dunno, crazy. I guess most people aren't normally filming when they cook Swedish meatballs. So a good little drop of oil, there. Oh yeah, we're gonna get this nice and warmed up. It's gonna be sizzly. So our temporary oven thing, it says 180C conventional fan. 180C is here, we'll just get it going. (beeps) It's gonna warm up. Lovely jubbly. Light is on. Also our smart metre today is indicating I've already spent 80p on electricity. (sizzling) All right. Slowly adding in the meatballs, rolling them down. Wey-hey! (laughing) We are just browning them, we are just going to keep them moving. So this is to get the outsides that almost golden colour. Cause that gives it that crunch, that lovely texture on it. Like charring things in general, like toast, I love mine darker because you just get that more char, that flavour. It's not burned always. Sometimes it is, that's your get-out card, all right? When you go to a barbecue and you get a burned sausage? They charred it, all right? Naw. All right. So our oven is pre-heated whilst that was cooking away. Lining it with a sil pad or baking parchment or whatever you've got. Ugh, stick it down. (funky music) Incidentally, if you like the idea of spatulas and tongs and stuff, that's my next kit after the Veggie Prep Kit. We're working on it right now. There'll be news on that soon. Now, you need to cover this. (foil crunching) And by doing that it's going to basically reinact the lid thing that I was talking about earlier in the pan. It's good. I miss doing that because I like rolling them around. But this is going in the oven for about half an hour. And that, although we've cooked the outside and charred it, by baking it it's gonna cook it through the middle. Nice. So do keep an eye out for those other kits that we're launching. And I did have a company last week got in touch about the Wrapmaster, saying "Hey Barry you use your Wrapmaster so much, "would you like us to help you develop your own Bazmaster?" And I'm like, Bazmaster! That's amazing. I had all these ideas. And I was like, I dunno, I kind of stay loyal to my Wrapmaster, you know? Got the frying pan here to one side. Still a teeny bit warm hence me putting the trivet down. I've cleaned it out fully because I want to stay true to this recipe but if I was gonna do it normally I'd leave a little bit of that juice from the meatballs cooking in it and the oils to go into this sauce. Oh, I really wish I did that now. You do that, do it, it'll be good. So step 5 is the sauce, we're kind of mingling around here and it's full of flavour. We have got some vegetable stock. I made this earlier. So good. And this is beef stock as well, so you've got vegetable stock and beef stock going in. It is the most confused sauce in the world. You've got some soy sauce. We've got some double cream, obviously it is a creamy sauce so that's it. Double cream is also known as heavy cream. And of course le Dijon mustard. Something that I don't use that often although it is nice with a toasted ham sandwich. Very nice indeed. Wow! (coughs) I'm really excited about that. The meatballs are smelling sensational right now. What we're gonna do, first up, to help thicken this sauce, this is some flour. I should melt the butter really but I like to live dangerously. (high pitched stuttering) And we're gonna go to crazy flame again. Ooh, look at that. Turn that right down, I want a bit more control. (mediaeval horns) A lot of people say to me, "Barry why do you like a flame so much?" Well, you see that? You know how you can sort of see what the flame is doing? I guess it's kind of like going back to caveman cooking with a flame, I just like that. I know there's induction hobs that are a bit safer and electrical ones and all that sort of stuff but I've never quite understood what is four, what is seven on an electric hob? Is that hot? Is that this? Is that that? It's just I've never really got on with them. I don't mind, but that's why I'll always try and have a gas hob if I can. There we go, enough hob chat for one day. (mediaeval horns) There we go, it's all mingled together now. So we're just cooking this off for about a minute and as we add the fluid this will all dissolve through. It might be good to switch to a whisk, but we'll add our fluids now. Okay, so in goes that vegetable stock. Wow. (furious sizzling) The beef stock. What does it say, what does it say? Uh, two teaspoons of soy sauce. So a good shake and a good shake. A teaspoon of the mustard, that's gonna give it some kick. And last but not least, ugh, hello cream! 150 mls of that going in. This is going to be amazing. We really just want to mix it over the heat to get all of those flowery, buttery lumps out and integrated with the sauce. And apparently that will be it done. We've got five seconds, that's going to auto shut off. The smell is stonking coming from there. They're gonna be so tender. (oven alarm beeping) And there's the beep. But look, if you leave this for too long, like I've just literally stepped away from a nice medium heat it does form a skin and it can burn the bottom of the pan. So do, I have been stirring it, it has thickened up so it's great, but like I say that's how quick if you take your eye off it how you can actually probably ruin the sauce and burn it. So make sure you keep it on a low heat, keep it stirring, I'm gonna take this off the heat and keep stirring a little bit more and that will be it done. Waaah. Ho ho ho! Yes! They're still hot, they're cooking in the pan. I'm gonna let them cool down and we'll serve it up. From my previous Swedish adventures here on the channel I know that Swedish people love potatoes alongside their dishes and in fact it does say to serve it with creamy mash. I made some mash potato last night but also there's something called Lingonberry sauce which you can get from Ikea. We don't have any of that but we do have cranberry. So I'm just going to serve it all up with that. Doesn't really look aesthetically pleasing does it, mashed potato, no matter what you do to it? All right, the meat balls. The sauce that I warmed up. Oh my gosh. Just let that drizzle. I'm gonna get a bit on the potato as well. Let that drizzle on there. Oh my goodness me! Look at that. Man that smells good. And I think… I don't want to offend the Swedish people too much but I hope I haven't. That's basically Swedish meatballs. I get a lot of requests for these recipes and Ikea has forced you guys to want me to do this more. Let's not just take my word for it, we have got the UK's number one under ten meatball taster, right? – Yeah. – And her coach. Let's see how authentic they are. You want to have a go? – I'm trying this meatball. – [Barry] Look at you getting right in there. – [Rebecca] Oh my goodness, Chloe. – Is that good? – Yeah. They taste like the real ones. – [Barry] They taste like the real ones? Well they should! – This is – I'm literally on my knees, finding the weird camera angles to find you guys. All good? – Very good. – I think this is our lunch now innit? – This is my second meat ball. – Is it? You enjoy it mate. (laughing) I'll leave it to the meat ball reviewer because I don't really know much Swedish things other than ABBA, Tomas Brolin and a few other Swedish footballers and Ikea really. But I love your food Swedish people, this is– – [Rebecca] Mmm. – Because I know meat balls is quite a popular dish over there and this sort of style sauce and potatoes and things but I would definitely try that out. – Mmm. – So good. If you see any other recipes like this that get released by companies you want to see me try or any sort of clones, I love doing this sort of thing. Give it a try, and I'll see you again. Bye. – Bye. – Bye. ♪ Check your level, player. ♪ ♪ No matter what your style. ♪ ♪ The kitchen's for me. ♪ ♪ Sideburns, moustache, goatee, maybe all three. ♪ (tinny rap music) – [Barry] Um, I missed it, but I dropped a meatball on the floor and these dogs are very happy all of a sudden. Did you share it? Great.

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[petitfrodo]

「ɴɪɢʜᴛ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴜsᴇᴜᴍ.」

❝I’m all for embracing your rebel side but this is just ridiculous,❞ claimed Yoon, his brows arching upward as he was undoubtedly attempting to prove a point but to the well-known rebel, there was no walking back but aiming onward still. He shifted back and forth hastily, breaths not so steady and rather rigid.  

❝You two owe me big time,❞ and with that he scampered off into the far end of the museum, never looking back (never daring to, that is) as he was being chased by what it seemed to be two guards. Ouch. 

This is where he butts in. The name’s Jinwoo, in case it wasn’t clear. Though he preferred the name: mastermind, as this plan was an obvious construction of his five-year old mind. Moving on, you might be curious to how it all led to this. Well, I’ll have to take you a few hours back. Rewind please. 

The 18th anniversary rolled in, his schedules lessened and he was ready to at last conduct his master plan. Though he’d need a bait, right? Now you might be wondering for what he’d need a bait. Well, the idea was that he took Mino to a nearby museum around midnight when the working hours had long passed and there was not a living soul down at the old place. Besides the two guards patrolling the area in case a thief hopped in and went in for a steal. The bait was SeungYoon, WINNER’s not the oldest but definitely the loudest member. The swag rapper wasn’t informed for the sake of the surprise and everything was kept hush, hush the second he’d enter one of their many meetings. It would raise a brow or two but he’d shrug it off and go about his day. Though curiosity’s reached its peak at some point, he began getting down and sneaky as he would eavesdrop every now and then. The day came, after dozens of them before reserved for coming up with the plan, the plan of plans, the mother of all ideas. The time came for the idea to turn into a living action, with a dash of mystery and engulfed in romance reality. As darkness seeped in, replacing the shades and hues of the evening sky with a midnight blue, the three lads headed out for what it seemed to be a simple walk. Not a word left their lips until Mino broke the silence by exclaiming, the tone raised only ever so slightly at the end to appear as a question: where are we going?!

❝You’ll see, just remain as patient as you always were. Please,❞ the petit lad had his arm around him in a sturdy grip, the corners of his lips twitching up to reveal a toothy grin. ❝This isn’t a prank, I’ve prepared something for you down at the old museum. Then again, you probably heard all about it,❞ he cocked his head sideways, his toothy grin now shifting into a smirk. ❝Sneaky, sneaky.❞ 

Yoon on the other hand kept fidgeting, hands hidden deep within the pockets of his coat. His kept his eyes on the two lovebirds, plump lips stiffened into a fine line. ❝Are we there yet?❞ A query emerged, followed by a prompt reply from the rebellious lad. 

❝We are.❞

The museum was enormous, possessing both front and back entrances. However, for the stealth effect to enhance to his maximum the three lads went out to the back as Jinwoo struggled to bust the door open. Mino was hesitant, his breathing a tad heavier and brows furrowed to form a frown. Leaning forth, he rested his hands upon the petit lad’s shoulders and looked over. ❝Are you sure this is the right way to do it? Why can’t we just come back during morning time, when it’s actually working?❞ No reply. Only static, slow breaths and sharp inhales. Yoon gave him a nudge, now swaying back and forth. In a barely audible voice, he whispered to the swag boy: Don’t worry, it will be alright. Click. They at last stepped in, shutting the door behind them. It seemed to be a storage room, where all the forgotten pieces of art gathered in hopes of being picked up again. Though now they no longer caught the attention of visitors, their glimmering stature long gone and broken but only the mere glances of janitors scraping the dust off. Stumble after stumble, trip after trip, the three ninjas struggled to find any light source. Who needs flashlights when all the fun hides amongst the shadows, right? Another click. Let there be light. The sudden flash of utter brightness had them raising their arms up to their eyes in some sort of a defense mechanism. A hiss fled their lips here and there as they jogged to yet another door, flicking the lights off only to find themselves being wrapped in gush of gloominess once more. 

❝What now genius?❞ The loud one inquired, adding a slight mocking tone to the last bit of his question. 

Just as when the petit one was parting his lips to respond back with the equal amount of savageness, yet another light shone in their direction. Damn, the guards. ❝Look who I found. You three got picked up on the storage room camera.❞ Another damn, Jinwoo dismissed the camera system entirely. Run. The three didn’t dare to split up, this wasn’t some mystery going to be solved by Scooby Doo and the gang. As the guards were frantically shaking their flashlights in almost every direction possible, the three musketeers found themselves trapped. Cornered, their breathing was now rapid and shallow as they knelt down to gain the last bit of composure they had left. To their surprise there stood a ten feet tall statue, its built rather broad and almost square shaped. Experts called it art, they called it a conveniently placed thing sent to shield them from unexpected flashes, glimmers and eyes darting to track them down. Masked by the thing, the chase stopped. For the time being. Nudge, nudge. Jinwoo dug his elbow to Yoon’s side and gestured with a simple shake of his head onward for him to get a move on. He was the bait after all. This is where the strangely placed beginning of this story comes in play. Yoon was never seen from again for the rest of the night there, the two rebels left only hoped he got home safe and sound. 

Neither dared to move a muscle, both standing as still as the statue before them. The coast was clear for what seemed to be a solid fifteen minutes as the two turned up from behind the artsy looking statue. 

❝That was close. Too close. Now, let’s go on a tour.❞ The swag boy quirked a brow as the latter took his hand in his own, marching onward through the halls and corridors. Their arms swaying and feet lazily dragging across the floor beneath them, eyes took in the details of each piece. Brush strokes left behind a rich bustle of hues and shades, its textures calling to be touched as if they would come to life at a single dab of fingertips. The figurines, shapes of all sizes danced the night away in the dim light, each speaking of tales no mere tour guide could fathom or even begin to comprehend. There was a stop before each piece, silence grew between the two steadily as only their eyes spoke the language a pair of lips wouldn’t dare to utter. Jinwoo stopped abruptly as they entered a rather spacious and large room, with only a grand painting to grace its emptiness. 

❝Let’s stop here for a while, okay?❞ Lips quivered and grips only toughened, the two lovebirds took a seat on a bench situated before the painting mentioned a tad earlier. He inhaled some, gave a small shook of his head and spoke up at last after a long pause.

❝In a room full of art, I’d still stare you.❞ He stopped for a mere second, eyes glancing away only to come back to his lover again. 

❝You’re so wonderful, constructed of these tints God himself kept safe just for you until you came to be on this stern world. These high blue and low yellows, wild reds and calm greens. Gosh, even while passing these painted arts I couldn’t help but stare at you. I’m surprised you didn’t notice me being an obvious stalker from up-close. I came here and took you with me just so you can hear me not compare you to these arts? No, to rise you above them. Their beauty’s restricted by time itself, yours lives on. Yours lives among many individuals who feel like they’re on top of the world just by having you in their presence and I am one of them. I, Kim Jinwoo, am the luckiest man alive for being able to say I’m living among a breathing piece of art. You. A piece of art so full of life, it radiates to the murkiest of corners and frightens the shadows away. I know I’m just being a blabbering mess right now but I mean each and every word my mouth just spoke of. I love you, I love you so much. And yes, I love you more than you love me. Stubbornness: forbidden!❞ He laughed, the perky sound echoing the vacant halls.

❝Happy 18th anniversary, may we have dozens of more to come. Dozens. Thousands even.❞ Yet another laughter interrupted a severe speech. Swag boy broke out into a small laughter himself as the petite one leaned forth, leaving a smooch behind. 

❝Now, I have something else to show you! Come.❞ They made a move on, getting back up on their feet and dragging them along the wooden floor once again. Jinwoo fished out a piece of paper out of his pocket as it rustled under the touch. ❝Close your eyes, will you?❞ The latter obliged, shutting them tight. ❝No peaking,❞ and with that, the petit one unfolded the little piece of paper that had stuck around in his pocket for far too long. ❝Ta-dah!❞ A drawing. How artsy of him, not to mention how convenient as they happened to be roaming through an empty museum. He gave it his best shot, even adding a simple colouring to their clothes and hair to make it seem more realistic. Or at least alike to the two love birds. ❝Do you like it? I know it’s not astonishing or breathtaking but I thought we would hang it right here, in the museum!❞ 

And that was exactly what they did. Jinwoo managed to bring along a small frame, stuffing the drawing within it rather hastily and somewhat sloppily. There was a couple of empty spots reserved for an upcoming set of paintings and Jinwoo being the rebel he was, hung his work of art on one. Leaving it there to catch the attention of the newcomers and visitors early in the morning, the two trailed off to explore the rest of the museum until the guards came by or until the first rays of sunshine crept in through the large windows. 

What a story, am I right? Days passed after the adventure had ended and the work of art they left behind was surprisingly still hanging around, only now with the caption: two lovebirds, one heart.