#i loved that purple pen effect thing lol

[sysig]

Tastes staticy (Patreon)

[sylenth-l]

Hi hello, I love your art so much LIKE MY BROTHER. IT'S SO YUMMY, THE SHADOWS THE EXPRESSIONS, I love how you draw Timur , Felwinter and Osiris together 🙏 little bird with his two funky adoptive parents. I stare at your art like , I'm always ready and hyped to give traditional art another try ✨

If I was to go back, any tips for which watercolours to pick? I so far got only aniline colours.

Aah, thank you so much!! 😳💙

Hmmm, the thing is, I use fountain pen inks almost always for painting. I don't use watercolour much, so I can't really suggest anything in particular… I have a selection of colours from different brands, of course, I know quite a lot about pigments, and I like using watercolour from time to time to add some special effects to my works. For sketching outdoors it's also the easiest to use among all other paints, probably. But painting a whole artwork with it……… I try doing it sometimes, but every single time I end up thinking "God, I wish I used inks instead, I hate this so much, why is it so BLEURGH". I guess watercolour just isn't my medium 😂 

I can share my thinking process when building up a palette though, I use it with all mixable mediums I use, be it inks, watercolour, gouache, etc. I found it to be the most effective (and money-saving, lol) approach for me.

So what I want for my main mixing palette is to have 3 sets of primary trios. All colours also must be as smooth as possible, with no surprises or unwanted colour separation. For watercolour - not granulating ones.

(my camera tends to make all colours brighter and also fails to see the subtle difference between some shades, but you can still get the idea)

The first trio is extremely vivid, consisting of bright cool colours - lemon yellow, cyan, magenta-leaning pink. It gives you access to all the bright, open colours.

Second is the classic they teach in all art schools (probably, from what I've heard, I never went into one alkjdshfk) - sunshine yellow, bright warm red and ultramarine blue. This gives you a huge selection of warmer, natural colours, like all shades of golds, eggplant purples, olive greens, etc. It also allows some nice selection of wood browns.

Third is my personal favorite, the muted trio. You kinda can get similar colours from the previous trio, but I prefer having these separately, because of how often I use them all. It consists of golden ochre-leaning yellow, dark bloody red and dark indanthrone blue. It gives you the most beautiful browns, beiges, blacks and other rich, deep colours.

On top of that I also like to have at least one decent black (in my case it's Quink Black ink, I cannot live without it).  And these 10 would be my essentials. Other colours I add to my mixing palette are basically shortcuts to the shades I find myself mixing the most - like a few browns and violets. There are also a few inks that I need for some very specific purposes - like, I have a very vivid cold magenta ink to mix a certain bright cold shade of the Void, and also a fluorescent orange for adding shiny Exo LED lights. And etc.

(Actually I'm currently in the process of re-organizing my main palette and also considering making a few small sets for painting some characters specifically)

I also have a separate selection of chromatographic inks, which can probably be compared to granulating watercolours… But not quite. A few examples:

Here I don't have any special notes or advices, just get the ink you like and enjoy it. Some of these I use so often that I always keep them in my main palette, and others I only get out for some special occasion. These are also mixable btw - I constantly add other ink in Quink Black to get different shades of it.

However, I must say that not all of the ~special effects~ inks are polite and well-behaved, some will agree to work only on some specific paper after a significant amount of coaxing, and others will straight out say "fuck you" at the most crucial moment, even if they worked perfectly just a moment ago.

Btw, when working with inks, I really recommend to put it into smaller bottles with a dropper, so you don't have to open the big bottle each time. It's both easier to use for you and much safer for inks! 

ANYWAY, I hope this post was of some use for you 🌈

[vacantgodling]

thank you @sergeantnarwhalwrites for tagging me to do this i looooove talking about myself PFF. i’ll leave this as an open tag for anyone else who wants to do it! tag me if u do i wanna hear ur responses 👀

about me

When did you first start writing?

i’ve been writing pretty much my entire life—making stories since i was like 3 with my grandmother and then transitioned to writing them down pretty soon after. i can’t think of a time in my life where i wasn’t story crafting tbh. but i think if you want a “traditional” start time, wherein i started writing anything that could resemble a Proper wip, then that was when i was 12 in 8th grade lol.

Are the genres/themes you enjoy reading different from the ones you write?

nah, they pretty much go hand in hand. i love reading gothic lit nowadays and a lot of my recent wips have sort of dove in that direction. in general, you can tell what was really intriguing me or what i was reading based on the wips i made at the time. vdtrt was super inspired when i was in my percy jackson era, purple haze (started) when i was into more comic/slapstick kid humor (like captain underpants or diary of a wimpy kid or that one journal book with the girl with the purple pen… i can’t remember what it’s called tho), but then transitioned into what it is now when i started getting more into romantic dramas. etc etc.

Is there an author (or just a fellow writer!) you want to emulate, or one to whom you're often compared?

not one that i’m often compared to, but the great gatsby did a number on me beginning to take prose and description seriously. that book is gorgeous to me (prose wise) and i really think between that and the goth/1700-1900s books that i’ve read really influenced me to put more emphasis on prose than on dialogue, tbh. i used to be a more snazzy, ya style writer—and while there’s nothing wrong with that per se it never sparked as much joy as me nailing an overly complex description does nowadays.

in terms of comparing myself or wanting to emulate someone specifically i don’t really. i think my friends are all amazing writers but i’m pretty self centered when it comes to my writing (both positive and negative connotations besides) so i tend to try and focus being the best version of myself and what i’m trying to write. this isn’t to say i don’t get jealous of how some of my friends write occasionally lol. i just don’t particularly want to be like them when the inner demons aren’t being shit, if that makes sense.

Can you tell me a little about your writing space(s)? (Room, coffee shop, desk, etc.)

tbh, a lot of times i write at work. i tend to finish my tasks early and no one tends to bother me so i kind of write to keep myself from falling asleep. i need silence and no distractions to write lol so its easier for me when im there. so its at my work desk and on my work laptop a lot of the time LMAO. when it’s not there i tend to write on my phone when im out and about or on the bus or whatever—same principles of wanting to be by myself and have no one bug me so i can think lol.

What's your most effective way to muster up some muse?

ngl, and this is gonna sound kinda bad, i kinda force myself to. lmao. like when i write at work esp i kinda just decide “what am i gonna work on today” and i sort of do it. it doesn’t always work mind you, like if i’m not in the mood or im tired or distracted or whatever then i’ll just end up doing something else.

when it comes to making new ideas i don’t force those, they just kinda come. i’m always thinking about stories and ideas tbh so it’s a matter of if i get obsessed with an idea enough to make it into an actual thing.

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and places you write about?

nah with 2 caveats. purple haze specifically is a more fictional retelling (split between 2 mcs) of when i was 18-20 years old. lots of details changed but some of the main bits are shit that happened to me then that really fucked me up at the time that i wanted someplace to work through. as i’ve gotten older and healed from things, or taken to poetry to talk about stuff, emphasis on that wip has taken less precedent bc it doesn’t hurt me as much as it used to. secondly, the town braebrooke, where jenna lives in jenna the reaper is actually named after a street name that drivers always get lost going down near where i grew up. but i don’t tend to like to live in reality and real life. it sucks and it’s boring. stories have always been an escape for me so i don’t like to base things on real life if i can avoid it.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing, and if so, do they surprise you at all?

honestly i would say yes, i have recurring themes in my writing but no they don't really surprise me. i tend to write about things that are important to me and because i'm quite introspective i'm acutely aware of the things that i tend to gravitate towards. fucked up/complicated family dynamics where people care about each other (toxically in many ways) but express it horribly, queerness (as a whole, especially when it comes to the masculine), focus on the individual instead of the whole (in most cases) etc... it's all things i think about quite often. stories are just the vehicles to explore it.

my characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character?

because i have so many wips it should be "hard" to sit down and say that this (or these) are my favorite characters. but from every single wip i definitely have a brain rot character, and so from my "main wips" the brain rot characters are:

PARAMOUR (tfog) -> hyacinthus shrapnel, obviously. if i had to pick a favorite character of all my ocs its definitely him. he just DOES SOMETHING for me he is literally every obsession i have rolled up into one beautiful, piece of shit.

TCOL -> this one is more difficult because i have a few contendors bc the cast is ENORMOUS and still growing, but clear brightendale will always be my number one frfr. love of my life. my SON. i birthed him, and i'm obsessed with him. he would be followed closely and tied with lath, guardian of valor as well as MIZDARR in terms of other faves tbh.

VDTRT -> darren de leon, also somewhat obviously. he's my favorite guy. what a lad.

BTAF -> sjaak de witte. the first time i truly understood the appeal of a pathetic wet meow meow character archetype because he is all of that and i'm obsessed with him.

Which of your characters do you think you'd be friends with in real life?

conceptualizing being friends with my ocs is weird to me because i hate percieving myself, and i'm kinda weird about friendships. i think i would be actually genuine friends with either the friend group in vdtrt (consisting of: darren, olice, vlad, moonglend, gabe, demi, marco, and awilda) or the friend group in sixteen candles (consisting of: ranger, nanette, vani, roger, and tucker). but overall, i actually don't tend to make ocs with super similar interests to me a lot of the time and bc of the 'ism i have a hard time making friends?? so like take this with a grain of salt. i'd rather observe my ocs and play with them like dolls frfr.

Which of your characters would you dislike the most if you met them?

there are SEVERAL but if i go against the grain and i don't pick overt villainous characters (like tagetes, madja, silvano, etc)... probably the entire cast of btaf in some way or another tbh, like they just make decisions that while i (the creator) understand and think are fun in a "look at this shit" kind of way they would piss me off in a common sense kind of way. they are all dumb.

Tell me about the process of coming up with of one, all, or any of your characters.

characters kind of take a few basic routes for me. either: i like a preexisting character (or am fascinated by them cuz lbr i don't like twilight lmao) and i want to make 'my own version' in which i have control of them or i can amp up/explore other aspects of their personality with free reign bc they're mine now (ie: darren/percy jackson, sjaak/jacob from twilight, kirsi/magda from helix waltz, etc) OR i come up with a plot and i need a character to fill that plot so they start as a utility, then become their own character as i develop them more. (ie: jenna has a crush on someone in school, so i made chloe mathilders and now she has her own personality. the entirety of donut wip existed bc i wanted to make a horror wip and so they kind of came with the stereotypical horror archetypes; juls as the final girl etc).

it's actually not quite often that i have characters appear directly out of the aether for me to just have to deal with. jenna is honestly a rare exception to this because she is the ONE character i can think of who straight up manifested herself. i think that's why her power is manifestation bc she broke the grain of how i usually come up with ocs so. good on you girly lmao.

Do you notice any recurring themes/traits among your characters?

yeah, i definitely have character types i gravitate towards, especially when it comes to characters who are my faves-though i do try my best to make it so all of my characters feel like distinct people, even though i do have 'archetypes' that i fall into with them. off the top of my head i can think of:

beautiful asshole (always masculine) -> hya, toph, dove, ranger, aenlin

masc femmes/adjacent that should break my neck -> nyseah, beki, piper, erecia, azelie, almine

"healing" characters, aka has never done anything wrong in their life ever -> aloe, karenza, vani, iole

resourceful underdog -> kirsi, julissa, darren, dagmar, nevaeh, chidori, noh, n

god just help them -> sjaak, di, clear, quill, prosper, hue, graves

i could go on but yeah like most of my characters can fall into some kind of archetype of some kind

How do you picture them? (As real people you imagined, as models/actors who exist in real life, as imaginary artwork, as artwork you made or commissioned, anime style, etc)

honestly i don't have much of a visual imagination. the ocs that i can picture, i tend to draw out on my own characters so i picture them mostly in a more... stylized and what i wish i could draw version of my own art. otherwise i don't really picture them visually altogether. but this is mostly bc i can't visualize lmao.

my writing

What's your reason for writing?

i love stories, and i love story telling. there isn't really much beyond it. i've been doing it for so long, its literally just the fabric of who i am as a person. my literal first word was book lmao. like i just can't imagine existing without writing or storytelling in some form.

Is there a specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating coming from your readers?

honestly i'm greedy. i want to hear specific reactions and i love when people go into deep depth to react to what i've written and really take in every single detail and then kind of give me a play by play of how they felt and things they liked. it makes me want to write more to get that reaction <3

How do you want to be thought of by those who read your work? (For example: as a literary genius, or as a writer who "gets" the human condition; as a talented worldbuilder, as a role model, etc.)

um. idk if i want to be thought of in a particular way, but i guess i just want my stories to resonate with people. as long as they resonate and i can see how they do/the reaction people have to what i'm written then i'm happy. i think my stories should preceed me, if that makes sense. i don't necessarily need to be remembered for who i am but only for the stories i create. i guess?

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

prose and description

What have you been frequently told your greatest writing strength is by others?

pretty much the same thing. a lot of people tend to like my more poetic and winding prose which makes me happy lol. i've also been told i'm really good at depicting complex emotions.

How do you feel about your own writing? (Answer in whatever way you interpret this question.)

i love it, i think i'm talented asf. shame that the timeline and the state of the publishing industry won't let it be shown to more people but y'know. i would be lying if i said i didn't think that the only real talent i think i have is writing lol

If you were the last person on earth and knew your writing would never be read by another human, would you still write?

YUUUUUP. writing is for me first and everyone else second. i like sharing bc i like validation, but i would be so hype to just be able to create stories on my own with zero interruption. tbh in that scenario i would probably make up so many stories that i would just die eventually bc i forgot to care for myself.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely what you enjoy? If it's a mix of the two, which holds the most influence?

if i wrote what others enjoyed, i would be publishable. i only write for my own interest.

[invinciblerodent]

Writing Interview Tag Game

Tagged by @ra-scheln – thank you dear! ❤️

When did you start writing?

I feel like there is almost never a set date for anyone- I never really considered myself a writer, I still don't fully embrace it as a label any more than I do many others, but it's very much in that "technically true" vein of things- I don't think of myself as a writer, but I do write, and have been writing most of my life.

The first story I ever consciously remember writing was a lengthy (and objectively terrible) story I wrote around the time I was maybe 11 or thereabouts, though- kind of a fairytale paranormal romance before I would have ever found out what that meant, involving wisecracking frogs, and the three little pigs, and some sort of an ancient curse, and it stretched quite luxuriously across roughly 120 single-spaced pages that -true to form for me- were never posted anywhere.

It was utterly gratuitous, masturbatory, filled with the most horrible purple prose in existence, and I will never stop feeling regretful over losing it to a simple hardware upgrade.

I really wish I could re-read it now, at 30, and maybe get back a little bit of that unapologetic confidence and drive to just write what the fuck ever I feel like writing, without feeling the eyes of an imaginary critic burning holes into the back of my head.

Are there different themes or genres that you enjoy reading than what you write?

While I'm most interested in writing navel-gaze-y, introspective character-pieces and romance/fantasy (romantasy? is that what the kids are calling it now?), I do like to consider myself an omnivore, when it comes to reading.

I generally read a lot of literary- and historical fiction, SF, fantasy, a couple thrillers here and there- though there are topics I don't gravitate towards, I don't exactly discriminate against any genre, and I try to keep a varied diet of pulp- and high-brow literature alike, lol.

Some books I've really loved over these past few years are (hold on, scanning my shelf here) Min Jin Lee's "Pachinko", Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Left Hand of Darkness", Raphael Bob-Waksberg's "Someone Who Will Love You In All Your Damaged Glory", and Iona Grey's "Letters to the Lost". That's an award-winning saga novel, a genre classic, a contemporary collection of short stories, and a very good romance novel, lol.

Although I do admit, reading tends to fall by the wayside in my most active writing periods, which is whenever I get super absorbed in a particular video game, lol.

Can you tell me about your writing space?

I don't actually have a dedicated writing space. Over the past while, I've realized that I most like writing by hand, in coffee shops mainly- which may make me look a touch obnoxious, but it's just the way my brain and hand work the best together. (I handwrite slower than I type, so it's easier to get into that ~~flow~~ state because I have time to think without pausing, and with the background noise being just at the right level, I can babysit an americano for hours at a time.) If I'm writing on the computer, it generally falls more into the realm of editing.

I don't exactly have a preference when it comes to the space itself, but the stationery is crucial. I'm very particular about the pen I use (it has to be a Zebra Superfine H-5000- I've been using them exclusively for like ten years now, and unfortunately you can't really get refills for them, but they're like a dollar each, and they last bloody forever), and slightly less particular about notebooks, but I still have strong preferences there too (lined paper, hard cover, not terribly ugly- which is harder to find than one would think).

What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse?

I don't typically try on a conscious level, but sometimes, just that dedicated action of putting my notebook away, and walking to the coffee shop gets the words rolling. Often I find myself starting to tell myself the story on the way, and then I'm kind of playing catch-up with myself, once I actually get there.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing?

Disappointment, mostly. "Wasted" potential, reclamation of personal choice, and the deeply personal act of mourning the self that died so that another may live. What-ifs, maybes, could-have-beens. The things we want to want.

.................. also dicks. Dicks are a big part of it.

What is your reason for writing?

There's no real reason, I think. I thought about this one for a long time, but I can't phrase it any better than prev: the words just have to go somewhere.

Besides, if I'm not writing, I'm crafting. If I'm not crafting, I'm drawing. If I'm not drawing, I'm designing, baking, making something. I'm always making something.

Is there any kind of specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

I haven't published much of my writing over the past few years, but from what I've gotten, "It feels like you really know this character" is the comment I keep coming back to in my mind.

I got that one on a silly, smutty fic from like 2016, and it really gave me pause. It really got stuck in my mind.

It's been many years since, and I still catch myself smiling whenever I write a line of dialogue that feels quintessential to a particular character. I found that really encouraging.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

I... I'm still kind of unpacking whether I want to be thought about at all. Whether I want to be perceived. You know, the terrifying ordeal of being known, and all that.

I think the way I want to be known is how a pet fish knows its owner, you know? Like I arrive occasionally, at a reliable, if nebulous time, and they kind of have a vague idea of what I am, but mostly I just bring them food, dump it in the water, and disappear while they voraciously consume whatever it was that was dumped in there.

If goldfish were terminally horny and could leave comments but expected no response, they'd be the ideal audience for me.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

I want to say maybe... evocative imagery, and dialogue. I like to get somewhat poetic with my descriptions and I feel like I'm rather good at grasping somewhat powerful images through minute details, that's something I know I have a lot of fun writing. I also enjoy the process of trying to find words that feel like they sit right in a certain character's mouth.

If someone were to actually say "he would not fucking say that" to me, I think I would mentally walk into the nearest ocean.

How do you feel about your own writing?

.... Insecure. Apologetic. Fearful, in a way I'm well aware I shouldn't be.

I have tried to blame the fact that English is my second language, and there is a kernel of truth in there, but I know that's... kind of bullshit. I know my linguistic prowess is not exactly the issue here (if I may, bigger idiots than me have done it, I've a darling friend who can absolutely testify), it's literally just the confidence that I lack.

I'm also apologetic in tagging, or promoting my work whenever I do end up posting something, because I know it's not going to have mass appeal, or I know it's not going to be interesting to a lot of people even of the ones following me, and that completely undue, asinine embarrassment is definitely holding me back within my writing as well.

This is why I enjoy handwriting most I think, because that, I know is for me.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

It's purely for myself, and this ties into the previous answer- I know I write my best when it's utterly self-indulgent. But that's also the shit that makes me feel the most naked emotionally, so it's hard to bring myself to want to subject myself to any kind of scrutiny.

This really is the fucking duality of man, to crave validation but hiss and sneer at anything that might invite it, lol.

Anyway, I think if you guys are up for it, I'd like to tag @sketchyelvenasss and @lindira, and of course anyone who feels like it. ❤️

(Please do excuse me for the copious amounts of whining in this post lol, I have realized in myself that once I come closer to filling a new notebook I always get a bit emotional about my stuff, and I've like 10 pages left on my current one. Prime angsting-time.)

[beardedhandstoadshark]

What is your fav color and why?

Thinking about colors this morning and wondering how other people feel about their favorite colors.

Is it because something about seeing the color or surrounding yourself with that color makes you feel good? Is it because the color reminds you of something you love? Is it because most things with that color are things with positive connotations to you?

Ohhh that sounds pretty cool!

Um, Let’s see. This is gonna sound very weird and incredibly specific (because it is): Magenta that is slightly tilting to red but still very bright, and the specific shade of blue you get from the ink of those ink pens used in school when it’s not dried yet. Like this really deep and rich blue that’s almost glowing when you hold the paper it’s on against the sun and rays of light shine through it. THAT blue.

(Fun fact: blue is the most common favorite color actually! Years ago read or heard it might be because the sky is blue so people have a innate tolerance/fondness to not get sick of seeing it all the time.)

Genuinely couldn’t tell you why, though. Well for the blue it’s probably being fascinated by that effect with the paper. Used to do that a lot in school lol. But no clue bout the Magenta, other than that I used to like pink before that, but just…like looking at this one more?

In both cases, I can also just. "Get lost“ staring at the color better, for some reason. Aside from that they make for a really pretty combo imo.

Can tell you I‘ve got a complicated relationship with the color purple though! Due to connections to other very complicated connotations, as well. (…I‘m aware of my blog theme and pfp XD but that’s a different shade so it’s fine!)

[jinki-ia]

A Purple Christmas

"I swear fuck tequila....smooth my ass it all taste the same, never try to outdrink an Irish android! He doesn't even get effected by alcohol!" The Shigofumi grumbled to himself stumbling into the bar far too early for anyone to be up. Or so he thought, His workers were already setting up for the upcoming night which only made the old man groan again. To do it all over again.

He slept the day away now walking into his establishment in his bathrobe and slippers holding a mug of steaming hot tea. The picture of a hangover. "Hey boss this came for you" His worker slid a box over to him. He glanced at it confused "A gift for me?" Setting down his mug he ripped open the box getting excited.

The dark purple puffy jacket was the first thing he saw, he smiled brightly pulling it out of the box "Oh this is beautiful!" The color was an almost perfect match to his wings. Pulling the tie of his robe he pulled it off quickly slipping on the jacket. A perfect fit. "How does it look?" He asks the bartender doing a little twirl in nothing but his boxers and jacket.

Going back to the box he took out the wax and pen, both extremely thoughtful gifts. Grabbing the box and leaving his tea behind he went back upstairs to his home to text the Demon.

[TEXT:LITTLE LOCKIE] You're too sweet, thank you for the gifts Hemlock! I love it all!

[TEXT: LITTLE LOCKIE] You should help me with the feather wax lol I can't reach back there

@hemlock-ia

[teberial]

chapter two

. ‘I can’t believe she’s been fighting all of this on her own.. I say fighting, it’s more like being beaten senseless... We’re a lot more alike than I thought. I really shouldn’t be looking through this but… I can’t help myself. I can’t have her go through this alone when I have a chance to help her.’ he thought

“It would be too forward of me to approach her directly, I guess I can just help in little ways.” the guy said to himself as he decided to do whatever was necessary to help her.

He pulled out his trusty purple pen and wrote a little note:

I don’t know your name but you’re doing amazing. You just need to take little steps forward, I believe in you.

“I hope she finds thi— wait, what am I doing? I can just put this in her diary!” he said with a mischievous grin.

Meanwhile, Ash was frantically searching for said diary. She noticed it was gone during her break, and had been looking for it ever since. All she could do was hope it was accidentally left at her apartment, or elsewhere. Some of her friends from work had noticed too. 

“Looking for something?” inquired Grey, Ash’s supervisor. The taller female stood behind her, inquisitive glance and all. Ash replied with an audibly surprised gasp, rapidly turning around to face her… although she had to lift her head to the sky.  

“Not really...” she started, her hands awkwardly at her side. “I think I dropped something on my way here. That’s all, not a big deal.” It was clear that she was putting up a front. That only caused Grey to become more curious, stepping in front of the employee, hands on her hips. 

“Are you sure it’s simply ‘nothing’?” Ash was silent again; she averted her gaze from Grey’s. “By the looks of it, it’s something. Just tell me, maybe I can help find it.” Grey finished, awaiting Ash’s response. The barista was reluctant to speak but there was no escaping the supervisor’s soul piercing glare. It was like an abyss, which didn’t really reflect her bubbly nature. Ash knew that if she could trust anything with her personal issues, it was Grey.

“It’s just a diary.. I dropped it earlier.” Ash mumbled. Grey had a humourless look on her face, which really wasn’t common. 

“Hmmm, that’s quite the problem you got there, I’ll see what I can do.” said the supervisor reassuringly. “I can probably get some employees together to help you look for it.”

“Seriously? … thanks..” As much as Ash’s expression was blank, she was really grateful. Ah, Grey always coming to save the day. No wonder she was the supervisor. Grey simply nodded, her hand reassuringly placed on the smaller female’s shoulder before walking away to inform the other employees.

Thankfully this was a small business, so there were only 5 workers - the low amount of staff meant that they were all quite close to each other, and thus, close to Ash.

You’ve already met Grey; the tall, kind supervisor with thick, black, poofy hair that swayed just above her slender shoulders. Everyone counted on her to brighten the day. Feeling bad? Walk up to Grey, mention something about bread, and you'll be on the floor wheezing in no time. Quite the tactic. 

Then there was Orange, basically a devil in a very short person’s body. It made sense since they’re closer to Hell. They had the humble duty of being the janitor; cleaning -accidental and purposeful- messes, and other things a janitor would do. Hair as red as the King of Hell themselves, with a little ahoge sticking up boldly. The hellish janitor had a petite stature despite having such a big personality. 

Last but not least, Choro. Being the same height as Grey, her tied up messy hair complimented her appearance adorably. Being the waitress, she was required to wear a neat white button up tucked under a black pencil skirt. You can’t forget about her little apron, either. Choro was the customer favourite, which wasn’t a surprise. They even titled her as the ‘Ultimate Cute’ at the end of a popularity poll. 

After everyone was informed, they wished the frantic employee luck, and promised to look for it at every moment they could. 

[i]A: hm… maybe it dropped outside. 

Ash let Grey know that she’d be stepping out, quickly running to the door as the bell jingled, signaling she was gone. Rain was pouring, -as it usually does in the Land of Tea- but Ash paid it no attention and rushed to retrace her steps, attempting to remember the spot where she had collided into the taller male. After a few minutes of frantic searching, Ash found the spot, but no diary. She felt her chest sink. Uh oh. 

“Fuck... fuck fuck fUck fUCk shiT fuCk BITCH shit shit FUUUUCK, THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING TO ME RIGHT NOW” The fragmented soul despaired. If anybody read even a single line of what was in that diary-- … Ash was shivering; from the cold or the fear? She didn’t know.

´Wait, there was a lost and found somewhere around here, wasn’t there?´ She thought

The girl made her way to the lost and found as fast as she could. She got hit by a really intense wave of deja vu, and soon realised why. The human wall she crashed into was waiting in the very same spot as before, holding a small book that had a striking resemblance to… Ash’s.. diary.

However, the deja vu and relief was followed by an equally intense wave of vertigo.

Her knees buckled. A huge weight was lifted off of her chest. She couldn’t help but smile. 

People were staring. Judging. She could already hear them, “Isn’t that Frag like, an adult? Pfft, pathetic.”

It hurt, it really did, but she couldn’t get rid of the dizziness.

The ground was saturated with rainwater, but that thought didn’t come to mind as she was stomping towards the male. One misstep, and her legs slipped below her, quickly losing her balance. Just as she was about to drop, Ash saw something dash towards her from amidst the chaos. She fell. Straight into the strangely comforting arms of a strang- no. 

It was him.

[ramen-rambles]

Bottom Bitch

Kinktober Day 1: Sex Toys

Pairing: Oikawa Tooru x Reader

Warnings: 18+, tw: drugs, weed/marijuana, sex toys (double edged dildo, vibrator), scissoring, anal, rimming, spit play

Word Count: 3.2K

Summary: Quarantine fucking sucks. And unfortunately, your boyfriend’s birthday just so happened to be in right in the middle of this pandemic. With the end of the world seemingly drawing near, you suggest to do something you two have never done before. Who knew that Oikawa would turn into such a needy bitch when he was high? 

A/N: Ahahahaha I’m sorry I haven’t written anything since February LOL. And also, I’m sorry for randomly disappearing for literal months. Uh, please accept this as an apology… I feel like I’ve been a little rusty but I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Happy Kinktober! 

♡ ⌒*ﾟ.❉・゜・。. ♡ ⌒*ﾟ.❉・゜・。. ♡ ⌒*ﾟ.❉・゜・。.

Today was July 20th! Which means that it was Oikawa’s birthday. 

Every year, you and your boyfriend usually did what every couple did to celebrate. A cute date, a nice dinner, a rough fucking — you know, the works. But this year you two ran into a bit of a problem. Unfortunately, due to the mandated self quarantine orders, you couldn’t really do that. But you still wanted to make the most of the situation. 

Just before all the non-essential shops temporarily closed, you were able to make a stop at your local dispensary. You figured that since it seemed like the end of the world was drawing ever near, why not indulge yourselves in some of mother nature’s best gifts? 

The hardest part of this whole thing wasn’t even the fact that you were stuck inside for Oikawa’s special day, no, the hard part was going to be convincing him to get high with you. He knew that you smoked. For fuck’s sake, all of his friends did too. During your high school days, the Seijoh third years were notorious for blazing it up (Matsukawa and Hanamaki, especially). Even as adults, there were times when you would all find some free time just to have a relaxing smoke sesh and catch up on each other’s lives. As they say, old habits die hard. 

So, you wanting to get stoned was no surprise to him. He, on the other hand, was not an avid participant. 

Currently, the two of you were laying down in bed, watching whatever was on television, not that you two were really paying attention. Your mind was more occupied on how exactly you were supposed to bring up this little idea of yours. Getting Oikawa to agree to anything was hard enough as it is, let alone something that seemed so out of his comfort zone. 

“Hey, happy birthday again, Shittykawa. I love you so much, you know that?” You said, looking at him lovingly and nudging him on his side, placing a sweet kiss on his lips. 

“Who are you, Iwa-chan?” He scoffed. “But I love you too, baby. And you know you’ve greeted me almost a million times today, right?”, eagerly returning your gesture.

“I can’t help it! I’m sorry that our usual birthday plans got ruined because of this stupid quarantine. I wish I could make it up to you.” You pouted, looking up at him with pleading eyes. 

“I have a couple of ideas that would more than make up for it,” he teased, grabbing your ass before giving it a loud smack, “but have you got anything in mind, princess?” 

“I actually have something in mind that I really wanted to do with you…” 

“Oh? And what could that be? You going to let me eat that cake of yours?” He said, sitting up on his elbow, with a shit-eating smirk plastered all over that pretty face of his. 

“Well… I was actually hoping that we could get high today… You know, since it seems like the world is ending and all.” You said, nervously scratching the back of your head. “I thought it would be fun to celebrate your birthday in a way we’ve never done before!” 

You sounded doubtful. You had a feeling that he was going to refuse, but his answer came as a surprise. 

“Okay, deal.” 

Did you hear that right? Did he just agree with you? Did your stubborn boyfriend say yes, with absolutely no hesitation?

“R-really!? Wow, I didn’t expect you to be so on board with it! I thought I was going to have to convince you way more.” You cheered, hands wrapping him in a tight embrace. 

“Whatever, it’s not like we can go anywhere anyways. Might as well go wild!” He said with a smug smirk on his face. 

You excitedly hopped off the bed and ran towards your closet, grabbing the goodies you bought. You had bought quite a few products — some edibles, a couple prerolls, and a brand new wax pen. 

“Jesus christ, how much shit did you buy? You must have spent a fortune.”

“Money is no object when it comes to you, Tooru. Also, you don’t really do this kind of thing, so I just wanted us to have some options. In all honesty, I didn’t even think you’d say yes to doing this.” 

“Well, let’s get this party started, princess.” 

You smiled eagerly and laid out all the products in front of him, “So, what do you want to try first? Birthday boy gets to choose.” 

He immediately went for the wax pen, taking a long drag and inhaling the smoke, making sure to keep it in his lungs for a bit before grabbing the back of your head, and forcing your lips to part open before he exhales the smoke into your mouth, as if he was an expert at it. For someone who didn’t do this often, he sure as hell didn’t look like it. 

“Someone seems a bit excited, huh?” You teased, before crashing your lips together in a heated spit swapping session. 

You made your way on top of him, mouth never leaving his, running out of breath as he starts sucking on your tongue, drool spilling out the side of your mouth as it dribbles down onto his face. 

“Fuck. You nasty bitch, you just spit all over my fucking face.” 

“Oh, shut up,” you breathed, “you act like you practically weren’t drinking out of my mouth just a second ago.” 

The both of you consistently took turns taking hits off the pen. Inhaling and exhaling the delicious smoke as if your lives depended on it.  

The two of you started feeling the effects of the drugs get to your head. Lightheaded. Spinning. Intoxicating. But it wasn’t enough. You wanted to feel more. No, you needed to feel more.

You went for the edible and shoved the cookie into your mouth, leaving half of it hanging out. You fed Oikawa the rest of it. He took it willingly, watching a shiver go down his spine as he shuddered from the bitter taste go down his throat when he swallowed. “That tastes like shit. How the fuck do you eat this crap so often?” You let out a small giggle, admiring how cute his inexperience was. “Oh calm down, it shouldn’t take long for you to start feeling it kick in.” 

“So, c’mon birthday boy, let me take care of you.” 

You started kissing over his jawline, licking and letting your teeth bite down on the soft skin of his neck. You nuzzled your face closer, leaving marks and bruises painted all over him.

You continued straddling his waist, your clothed cunt rubbing ever so slowly against his growing erection. Teasing, dragging out the sensation of his cock throbbing over your slit, feeling yourself get more and more drenched with desire. “Are you doing okay, Tooru?” 

“I feel so fucking good. You make me feel so fucking good.” Hearing him sound so desperate and needy caused your cunt to clench. “F-fuck, can you suck my cock, princess? Can you do that for me, please?” You had never really seen this side of him before, but the tables were turning and you were more than willing to give him what he wanted. 

You pulled his shirt up, making your way down his torso, licking and kissing all over his toned abs, sucking on his sensitive little nipples. You slipped your hands under the waistband of his underwear, stroking his hardened cock. You quickly rid him of all his remaining clothes. You followed suit. Now, with the both of you completely naked, the fun was just about to start. 

Gently, you licked a stripe along his head paying close attention to the prominent veins that adorned his massive length. His cock was already dripping, the head beading with his precum. Spitting on your palm, you languidly stroked him, watching his toes curl and a small moan slip out of his mouth. You looked up at him and his eyes were screwed shut, he used his free hand to find purchase on the back of your head. Fisiting your hair, he moved it to the side to make sure he got a good look at how well you sucked his cock. He pushed you further down his length, causing you to gag as he hit the back of your throat. 

You could tell he was close, but just before he could finish, you pulled away. “Shit. Fuck. W-why’d you stop?” 

Aw. He sounded so disheartened. 

“Get on your hands and knees, baby. I want to try something new.” You said with a devilish grin on your face. He looked hesitant at first but his head was spinning so much that he just did it with no resistance. 

You roughly pulled his ass up in the air, your small hands spreading his cheeks apart, exposing his tight, puckered asshole. You let your spit pool in your mouth, teasingly letting it string in between your lips before allowing it to drip over his ass. You circled the pad of your tongue around his rim, prodding it slowly in and out of his tightness. Continuing your assault, you sneaked your hand in between his thighs, stroking his cock every time you pressed inside of him. Oikawa’s hands were fisted into the sheets and his face looked hot to the touch, a red tint glazing all over his body. 

You bit down on your bottom lip, and rubbed your thighs together at the ideas that were brewing in your mind. You reached underneath your bed and grabbed your box full of sex toys, pulling out lube, two vibrators and a thick, purple, double edged dildo. The look of Oikawa getting off to having his ass ate made your cunt pulsate with lust, and so the mere thought of him having him stuffed with a toy had your head fucking spinning. You wanted nothing more than to make a wreck out of his pretty little ass. 

Oikawa was still face down on the bed. His mouth was hanging open, panting heavily as he tried to control his breathing. He was so blissed out, his head seemed to be somewhere in the clouds. 

“Tooru, hey, are you okay? Lie down for me.” You squished his face in between your fingers to get his attention. When he finally turned to you, you could tell he was high beyond belief. “Mhm. Just feeling weird. It feels like the room is both spinning and still at the same time.” He huffed, moving onto his back, resting against the soft satin sheets. You giggled at how he turned into such a needy little boy, practically begging to be fucked into absolute senselessness. 

“Look at me, baby.” You brought one end of the dildo up to your mouth, slowly sucking it off as if it was Oikawa’s cock fucking your mouth instead. He could feel his dick twitch at the sight in front of him, his asshole involuntary clenching thinking about how it might feel to have it inside him. Inching closer to him, you held the dildo in between the two of you and guided the other end of the toy up to his lips. Parting them slowly, he began copying the same movements that you were doing on the other side. Pulling away momentarily, “Shit. You look so fucking hot when you suck cock, baby” you say, letting your free hand roam down to his hardened nipples, pinching and tweaking them, illiciting small moans to escape his lips while he choked on the toy in his mouth. 

“As much as I love seeing you suck on that pretty toy, I know a place to put it that’ll make you feel real fucking good.” Taking the dildo out of his mouth, you slide yourself down towards his lower half, spreading his thighs apart to see his hole that glistened with your spit, and his cock that oozed precum. You pressed wet kisses along his length, tongue stroking his balls, allowing yourself to slither over his perineum, causing him to writhe underneath your touch. You brought your fingers up to his mouth, collecting saliva around your digits before gently pressing them against his tight hole, slowly inching them deeper and deeper inside of him. 

He winced at the intrusion, making his face contort in pain. But surely, that burning sensation of you prodding your slim fingers inside his tight hole began morphing into a euphoric pleasure. He let out a small moan, bringing his fingers up to his lips and biting down on them to suppress the noises that were coming out of his mouth. You paused what you were doing to him to look up and whispered “Aw, c’mon baby, don’t be like that. I want to hear all those pretty noises you’re making while you act like such a little whore.” 

“So be louder for me, sweetheart” you snickered sinisterly as you continued your ministrations on his overly sensitive hole. 

If you weren’t high earlier, then you definitely were now. The effects of the marijuana elevating your sense of reality as the two of you drift into a state of pure fucking bliss. 

You started feeling more impatient, more needy. You needed to get off and you need it now. And Oikawa felt just the same. The look on his face was confirmation of that. Panting heavily, drool escaping the side of his mouth, and wet tears decorating his red cheeks — he looked like he was about to cum without even trying. 

With no delay, you grabbed the dildo and the lube from the side of the bed and began to slather the cold fluid over both ends of the toy. You positioned yourself in front of him, placing one end up to his tight rim while you lined the other side against your dripping wet pussy. You hadn’t even realized how wet you had become because you were so focused on Oikawa — you didn’t notice that your cunt was practically leaking all over you. 

“Haaah. Look at you, baby. Your pussy is begging to be stuffed. So wet for me. So fucking b-beautiful.” Oikawa shuddered, his speech slurred as he was still utterly fucked out because of your incessant teasing from earlier. His words caused your cunt to clench, your eyes closed as you shakingly breathed out, “Please, T-tooru…” 

You started to ease the toy inside of Oikawa — slowly but steadily sliding the thick purple dildo into his stretched out hole. He flinched as you finally got half of the toy into his ass, letting out a sinful moan as the head involuntarily hit against his prostate. “Ah, f-fuck! That felt so fucking good. Baby, please…” 

His eagerness sparked a flame within you, and so you hurried to shove the rest of the toy inside of your own hole. You let out a sigh of relief as your pussy was finally getting some much needed attention, after being neglected for so long as you focused on pleasing your boyfriend. 

You started to move slowly, rocking back and forth against each other as the two of you got used to the sheer size of the toy that connected the both of you. To help ease the pain, you grabbed one of the vibrators, held it up to Oikawa and said, “Here you go, baby. Put it against your cock and show me how you make yourself feel good.” 

He took the vibrator from your hand and followed your instructions like a good boy, letting out a loud whimper as the strong vibrations on his cock made his head spin. As he let his sense of control run loose, he started rutting faster against you as you placed your own vibrator on your sensitive clit. This caused the toy to simultaneously hit your g-spot and Oikawa’s prostate, and so the two of you both let out a loud moan together. 

“F-FUCK! Tooru — shit. That feels so fucking good! Go faster, I need it so bad. C’mon baby, please, I need you to make me cum!” You panted, circling the vibrator faster against your clit, bringing you closer and closer to the orgasm that you craved so much. 

“Oh fuuuuck, princess.” Oikawa moaned, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as he ditched the vibrator and tightly wrapped his hand around himself so he could fist-fuck his weeping cock. 

A collective string of “shit” and “oh fuck” escaping your mouths as the two of you rutted against each other faster and faster, the dildo pounding in and out of your tight holes — each thrust causing the tip of the toy to slam against both of your sweet spots at the same time.

“Fuuuuuuck. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!” Oikawa groaned as he stroked his cock one final time before he came hard all over himself, his chest painted white as his cum came out in hot spurts.

Seeing your boyfriend’s blissed out face was the final push you needed to set yourself over the edge. Your cunt clenched down on the toy as you came with a loud whine, your juices squirting out of your glistening pussy — making a slick mess all over your thighs and on Oikawa’s lower half. 

You were so spent that the whole world felt still, the both of you trying to catch your breath and recover from one of the most intense orgasms you two had ever had. 

As you came down from your highs, you slowly pulled the dildo out of your abused cunt and Oikawa’s gaped asshole, lazily leaving the toys on a mess of sheets. 

With what little ounce of strength you had left, you got on your knees and crawled up next to your boyfriend. After grabbing a tissue and gently cleaning up the mess you two had made together, you placed gentle kisses along his shoulders and collarbone, wrapping yourself up in his embrace. 

Now, whether it was the drugs or the intensity of his orgasm, Oikawa looked like he was about to pass out. And honestly, you felt like you were about to knock out too. Not that you could really blame him. 

“Hey, wake up, sleepyhead.” You whispered quietly, gently poking Oikawa on the cheek to nudge him awake. You might have been used to handling your high, but Oikawa was still inexperienced when it came to these kinds of things.

“Did you have a good birthday this year?” You asked him, as if you didn’t already know what he was going to say.

“Hi, baby~ Of course I did! I feel so goooood right now! Best birthday everrrr!” He said sheepishly, a tiny grin spreading across his face as he let out a breathy chuckle. 

You decided not to question him anymore, knowing he was too far gone to answer anything coherently. 

“I love you so much, Tooru. Happy birthday.” You whispered to him before the two of you began dozing off into dreamland. 

♡ ⌒*ﾟ.❉・゜・。. ♡ ⌒*ﾟ.❉・゜・。. ♡ ⌒*ﾟ.❉・゜・。.

[collisiondiscourse]

my art process: a simple(ish) guide to how i (kinda) do things

okay!! so, i said i was gonna post my art process after i finished doing the danny phantom piece so... here it is! the drawing i used for a step by step process explanation is actually... simpler? less clunky than how i usually do things. i must preface this entire post by saying that i am fully self-taught for anything to do with art so if there are some things here that are exceeding no-nos... very sorry OOPS

The drawing took an estimated 4 hours total and for software I used FireAlpaca. My tablet is One by Wacom (aka the tiny ass red one). Without further ado... here’s my narrated guide on how i kind of do art!

1. Sketch Layers

sketches, are ofc, one of the fundamental steps in art. Some artists do them differently, whether they do color blocking/splotches first or silhouettes or your standard messy-lineart-before-the-actual-lineart

i personally do 2-3 different lineart/sketch layers, each layer specializing in different aspects. i took this technique from julia lepetit, a host from the drawfee show--a channel that i really recommend watching if youre an artist, like art, or just generally like having fun background noise while you work on something because... untreated adhd lol

this is the first sketch layer! i color coded them for reference and i use the yellow sketch layer to figure out poses. i use this gesture sketch layer to figure out where i want limbs to go and how i want the body to twist.

after i figure out the posing, i move on to my second sketch layer. the green layer is my refined sketch layer where i figure out the form and anatomy of the sketch. this is also where i start planning how expressions, special costume bits, and hands work!!

the red layer is my last and final sketch layer. technically, the red layer sometimes also doubles as my final lineart! the reason why i do this final step instead of doing the final lineart simply is so i can work on details of the costume. i end up refining certain portions, or even stretching/free transforming the whole body. 

The red helps with the refinement of the drawing bc the ink being a color that isnt black kinda,,,, tricks my brain into not believing that its all permanent. its easier for me to go back and erase/change some parts when my brain doesnt think that everythings final. when im finished, i simply go back and change the color of the lineart to black with the protect alpha function.

this is how the final lineart looks! be sure to close the lineart (aka make sure that everythings connected) so that the bucket tool can work and make your life 2000% easier. 

2. Coloring

my coloring process is kind of... a mess LMAO its super dependent on how i feel like coloring on that day, but this is the usual method i use when im not thinking too much about it.

first are the flats! i use the magic wand tool to select all the areas around the lineart and reverse the selection so that all the areas inside your lineart is selected. color it with a base color, turn on protect alpha, and begin chunking in all the colors.

all of the flats excluding the pupils, background, ectoplasm rings, and danny phantom logo are on one layer. once that is done, we move on to shading!

for shading, i use a combination of the normal pen tool and the airbrush tool to smooth out the edges of the cell shading. since all the flats are on one layer, i simply set this one to clipping mask so that i dont have to worry about coloring within the lines. I only use one color really for shading (here, i used purple) and then protect alpha and add splotches of other colors (pink, orange) in relevant areas.

once i finish doing that, i set the layer to multiply and adjust the opacity so that it looks softer and more attuned to the colors of the actual piece

its at this point that i fiddle with the hue/saturation/brightness settings on the flat color layers to my taste, seeing what works and what doesnt.

i then lightly go over the piece with a bright color (very very very light cyan) and put focus on the areas i think should glow like his freckles, eyes, and ectoplasm rings from where he’s coming out of a wall.

i rlly rlly love layer effects, so i set that one to add and again adjust the opacity to how i want it to look. 

3. Finishing Touches

...yeah i know it looks like a hot mess but hear me out.

on a new layer, make a CRAP TON OF GEOMETRIC SHAPES. ALL OF THEM IN NEON OR PASTEL. i get comments about my coloring methods sometimes and honestly im pretty sure its all due to this step. i make all these goddamn weird shapes, colored according to levels of lighting (yellow in lighter areas, turquoise in areas affected by the glow, purple in shaded areas etc. etc.) and also clip this layer. 

i then set the layer effect to either hue, overlay, or add and set its opacity really low to make it unobvious and cleaner to look at. this is a method that i learned from tumblr user zephyrine-gale who is... exceedingly talented and pulls this off way better than i can WKSDJSKKS

after that... ur basically done!! i add a few more layers like the noise layer for extra texture and sometimes some very light gradients (usually yellow to purple bc of something something color theory)--but after that, the piece is basically finished!

thanks for sticking around and reading this monstrous thing!! i might do more posts like this in the future, so who knows?

if you enjoyed this tutorial, want to support me and my art, or just wish for a way to pay for me to shut up... you can tip me 3 dollars or commission me here at ko-fi

(also reblogs are much appreciated. thanks <3)

[purplesurveys]

1185

survey by xflirtykaosx

Alphabetti Spaghetti (3/3)

Please believe. - P

How many pages did the last book you read have? I don’t even remember the last time I opened it; but if I have to guess, it’s probably anywhere between 600–800 pages.

What do you like on your pancakes? Soaked in butter, with peanut butter and maple syrup on the side. My dad will also sometimes mix bacon into the batter, and it always turns out delicious.

Do you like small parties or large parties more? I love going to any kind of party, but I like large ones just a little bit more just because it’s easier to blend in and go unnoticed for the most part. I usually feel pressured at smaller parties.

What was the last exam you passed in? I have no idea. Maybe a history exam? I remember taking a Rizal exam right before the pandemic started and I never got the results for that since classes were canceled shortly after. I’ll never know if I actually passed that test haha.

Do you think paw prints are cute? Yesssssss.

How much would you pay a neighbour to do your lawn? We have someone in the village who does that, and my mom usually gives him a tip of I would guess around ₱100.

Ordinary pens, scented pens, gel pens or felt tip pens? Ordinary. The other ones write horribly.

Are you a people person? I’ve grown to be one over the years. I do like my alone time, but I have the most fun with a person or two or ten around me.

Do you put pepper on your scrambled eggs? No. I never use pepper myself, actually.

Who, except yourself, has the nicest pet? Angela’s, at least one of her dogs are. Hailey is super nice and she doesn’t really care what you do with her hahahaha.

What's your favourite piece of clothing? Right now, probably my IVP sneakers since they’re my newest purchase. Other than that, my mom jeans are always super reliable.

What place have you gone to that you never would again? Police stations that I had to visit to cover stories for my journalism classes. Maybe it’s other people’s passion – and I thought it was mine at one point, too – but once I found myself in places like that I slowly realized that I didn’t have the fire for journalism I once thought I had.

What do others seem to have plenty of and you have little or none? Nice photos of themselves. I’m very camera shy.

Is pink a nice colour, an okay colour or icky? I personally love pink, so.

Give me a description of a great film plotline? ...I don’t feel like it :(( I also haven’t watched/rewatched any films in a while, so my memory is a bit rusty.

What do you have in your pockets? Nothing I’m wearing right now has pockets.

Do you listen to podcasts? Not really. I’m part of the minority that finds podcasts a little boring.

Have you ever played Poker? I’d guess I’ve tried playing it one or two times, but I’ve never understood the rules and I probably just did some random moves when I did try it.

Do you have a pond in your garden? No.

How about a swimming pool? We don’t.

Do you like Poptarts? I loooooove Pop Tarts and I wish we had more flavors here :( and that they weren’t so expensive.

Do you write notes on post-it notes? Sometimes; but lately I’ve mostly just been making to-do lists on my laptop. Writing takes too much time considering how hectic my job is.

Quiet darling, shh. - Q

Do you ever use the word quaint? Very rarely. I never really get into situations where that word would be most fitting to use.

Do you know what quantum physics is? I know of the term from watching The Big Bang Theory, but I don’t know what it refers to.

Are you a quiet or loud person? Depends on the people I’m with, my general mood, and my level of comfort.

Do you usually ask a lot of questions? I never do. I feel like that’s a weakness of mine, too. My mind never wanders too far, and I’m only able to recognize good questions when someone else raises them.

What's your favourite quote from a film? “Rome. By all means, Rome.”

Favourite quote from a song? “Now I’m told this is life, and pain is just a simple compromise so we can get what we want out of it.”

Are you quick witted? In what aspect? Not always; but yeah, I guess it comes out sometimes. I’m pretty good at witty or funny comebacks, especially with people I’m comfortable with.

Do you find the word queer offensive? Er, no?

Roses are Red and Romance is dead. - R

Do you listen to the radio often? I used to, since I once drove to school everyday and I liked having the radio on - especially in the morning, since there was a morning program I was hooked to. But now that I’m at home 24/7, I don’t really tune in anymore; I don’t even have the slightest clue what songs are trending rn.

Do you prefer rain or snow? We only get rain, so.

Have you ever ran into someone and injured you or them due to it? Fortunately no, for both circumstances.

Do you listen to rap music? K-Pop groups always have their own rap sub-unit, so yeah I’ve definitely been more exposed to rap these days.

Do you find pet rats gross or nice? Why? I guess it’s cute when they’re pets, since I’m sure they’re harmless. Not so much when they’re big black filthy rats that are house pests and probably carrying a lot of diseases.

Have you ever been to a rave? No. I’d love to experience it once.

Are you somewhat of a rebel? Nah.

How about reckless? Now this hits the spot more, especially when it comes to money lol

Do you prefer red, black or purple dresses? Black, then red, then purple. I don’t wear a lot of the latter to begin with.

Do you know how to reload a gun? I don’t; I’ve never even held a real gun before.

Do you remember your first best friends Mum's name? I don’t think I ever met her mom. Our friendship was super short-lived and didn’t go beyond preschool.

Do you have a good or a bad reputation? Idk, you’d have to ask other people for this I think.

What song do you request most often on the radio? I’ve never requested a song to radio stations.

Do you prefer rice or tofu? I need rice for literally every meal, otherwise it won’t feel filling. I like tofu too, but I only have it occasionally when it comes with some dishes.

Have you ever held a rifle? Nope.

Do you know a Robert? What's he like? I have an uncle-in-law named Robert. He’s very nice, and super intelligent; he’s from New Zealand but currently lives with my aunt and their family in Vietnam. Since he’s from a different country, he has lots of fun stories and different perspectives to share at family reunions, which makes me always want to sit at whichever table he’s at so that I can be part of interesting conversations.

Do you like rollercoasters? No.

Been to Rome, Italy? Nope.

Are Roses your favourite flower? They’re one of them.

So sweetheart, lets fan. - S

Do you feel safe in your neighbourhood? Yeah, I mean that’s kind of the whole point in living in a gated village. I’d be pretty alarmed if I ever hear of a crime happening here.

Whose the Patron Saint of your Country? St. Lorenzo Ruiz. I actually didn’t know that for a fact, so thanks for the Google search and impromptu lesson!

Do you put salt on your fries? Yessssssss, I need my fries to be very salty. Unless it was already seasoned with something else, I’d find it boring if it wasn’t salty enough.

Do you think we are all born the same? In some ways, yes; in some ways, no. I know everyone is born as humans worthy of love and respect, but when it comes to factors like privilege then that’s when circumstances start to get all different.

When did you stop believing in Santa? I never bought it. I used to always get frustrated that I was never allowed to meet Santa (none of my relatives ever played as him), and that he apparently just likes to leave gifts at midnight. Not seeing a Santa made me doubt and eventually I just kinda stopped buying it by the time I was like 5.

Do you think the name Sarah is pretty? Erm, it’s fine but I find it a little common.

Is Saturday your favourite day of the week? Fridays are, but Saturdays are a very close second.

Have you ever watched Saved By The Bell? Opinions? Nope.

What about the Saw films? Opinion? I haven’t, but I know they’re my eldest cousin’s favorite so it must be a good series.

Are you easily scared? In certain ways. I hate jumpscares for one, and I easily get offended by them.

What's your secondary language, if any? English.

Name all the things you can see from where you're sitting? The entirety of my bedroom.

What's the last sentence you spoke out loud? “JAY KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY”

Have you changed your default settings on your computer? Some of them just to change some aspects of the appearance, but I didn’t do a complete overhaul.

What year did you turn seven in? 2005.

How important is sex in a relationship how important is sex from 1-10? For me, probably like a 3 or 4.

What is your favourite shade of blue? Sky or royal.

Shade of Purple? BTS purple, I guess? Hahaha.

Favourite shape? I don’t have one.

Do you know a girl called Sharon? Nope.

How about Shari? Nope.

Do you shave your arms, legs, pubic hair and/or somewhere else? I shave, but not all of these areas.

When was the last time you were sick? May 2020 was the last time I felt like death.

What's the worst side effects you've had due to a medication? I’ve never gone through side effects from a medication.

What does your signature look like? A very lazy scribble of the first and last letters of my whole name.

Do you like silk? What do you own that is silk? It’s okay, but I never actively search for it. I have one set of silk pajamas but that’s it.

Do you sip or drink hot drinks fast? As much as possible I don’t like getting in contact with hot beverages. I wait for them to cool down considerably before I take my first sip.

How about with alcohol? Sure, I like to take them fast so that I don’t feel the nasty burn on my tongue.

Do you have sisters? How many, what ages and what're they called? Nina is turning 21 this year.

Is your grandmother older than sixty five? Both of them are, yeah.

Do you slam doors often? Nope.

Have you ever slapped someone in the face? For what reason? Yes. Because he had slapped me first. I was in so much shock that my first and only instinct was to hit back.

Do you snack a lot or just eat big meals? I like letting myself go hungry then reward myself with a very generous serving to eat in one go.

Do you smile more often, or frown? Smile.

Are you wearing socks? No, I haven’t worn any in a while.

Do you say sorry too often? Yes.

What's a sound that always soothes you? This. I always play it before turning in, or when I need to calm down.

Do you carry a lot of spare change? How much is on you now? Not so much anymore, since I’ve been increasingly going cashless.

Do you own a swimsuit of the Speedo brand? I don’t think so.

Do you like sunflowers? They have a personal meaning to me, so yes. It’s not my ultra favorite, though.

[kayr0ss]

Appointments Chapter 5: Headaches and Some Music

[LWA, Diakko, Small Town AU, Fluff and Slow Romance, Pining™ lol]  

Chapter 1 & Table of Contents AO3 Link

Diana pursed her lips, locked in a heated stare-down against the newest occupant of her apartment.

“Please behave yourself until I return.”

The cat ‘mew’ed’ in reply as though he understood and resumed licking the back of his paw. All things considered, he seemed to be a surprisingly well-behaved cat. Who looked polite. This small comfort was enough to make up for the ridiculousness of having to talk to a cat, and Diana realized that she had never been more excited to return to her clinic as she was now.

The normalcy of work, she thought to herself, is beginning to feel like a comfort versus the absurdity of my home’s current state of affairs.

She stepped through her doorway into a lovely Blytonbury morning. The habitual glance towards her watch read 09:51, urging her to walk at a quicker pace than usual. She regrettably strode right by Jasminka’s café—there was no time to pass by tea, and she hadn’t woken up early enough to make some for herself that morning.

Of course, because of the cat.

The day prior, she’d had to return home later than usual to fetch her feline tenant the basic supplies: a small can of cat-food, a litterbox, and two bowls for food and milk. The real challenge was in the ‘teaching him not to leave any form of excrement where he shouldn’t.’ Pleasant behavior aside, it seemed Toby was actually quite intelligent—although by the time it was two o’clock in the morning, her NewTube suggestions were a peculiar mix of medical lectures and ‘How to Potty Train Your Cat’ videos.

She made her way through the crosswalk—ensuring that no brunettes were running about—and mentally prepared herself for the day she was about to have. There were no scheduled patients before lunch, giving her enough time to review case files for a busy afternoon.

When she stepped through the glass door to her clinic, Barbara was already lounging behind her desk and flipping—as usual—through a novel.

“Good morning,” she peaked out from behind ‘NightFall 12: The Oblivion of Love’. “You’re on the dot today.”

“I always am,” Diana replied lightly. “Good morning to you as well.”

“You’re always at least fifteen minutes early,” Barbara corrected, smiling kindly. Then the nurse leaned forward, scrutinizing Diana with an observant gaze. “You’re…”

The blonde lifted her eyebrow in silent response.

“Something.” Barbara said slowly, as if trying to figure a puzzle out. She waved a hand to dismiss the thought. “Must have been my imagination, just thought there was something off. Anyway, I’ve laid down the patient files for the afternoon. We’ve got ourselves a slow morning.”

“Thank you,” Diana nodded politely, slipping into her whitecoat and thankful that she didn’t have to explain the kind of morning (and evening) she’d had. She settled into her chair, entertaining the thought of going through the documents Barbara had prepared before deciding she wasn’t in the right headspace for that. A headache. Massing her temples, she ascribed her irritability at a lack of sleep and constant worrying over her furniture’s wellbeing. She inwardly cursed her lack of morning tea—and really hoped her furniture were okay.

Learning back with a sigh, her eyes drifted towards a pamphlet at the edge of her table. It was the St. Beatrix MMC residency brochure on Cardiology. She’d probably read its contents nearly ten times over by now. In truth, the hospital had already reached out to her: she was “everything they were looking for”, or so the chief resident had said—a young doctor with an impeccable educational background. Diana had been truly grateful, but she was committed to taking the time she’d need to be absolutely sure. Which she wasn’t. At least, not yet.

There was a knock on her door, and Barbara was peeking through the doorframe. “Water. And an aspirin. Because for some reason you look—uh.”

“Off?” Diana tilted her head.

“Like shit.” Barbara nodded, and Diana would have had something to say about her choice of language if it weren’t for the fact that she was probably right. “Did anything happen?”

“Just a few issues to iron over at home,” she replied cryptically.

Barbara looked like she wanted to ask more, but decided not to prod. “That won’t do. We’re having lunch over at the Russian lady’s and getting those croissants you love so much, but in the meantime drink that Advil because someone’s gotta look after the doctor looking after everyone else.”

Diana smiled and felt a wave of gratitude pour through her over Barbara’s thoughtfulness.

“Which reminds me,” the other woman set the items down to Diana’s desk, “the cat’s gone.”

The blonde immediately looked down at the suddenly-very-interesting-patient-files. “I—Indeed.”

“You know, I think I’ll actually miss him. He was kind of cute.”

Diana was ready to remind her of the importance of workplace cleanliness when the front bell chimed louder than usual. The glass pane of the door practically swung open with force.

“Heya, doc! And miss nurse!”

Oh.

Barbara was the first to recover. “Where did you fall in this time? Was it a ditch? Or did you fly off your bike again?”

Atsuko Kagari-with-blood-ty—Oh, enough of that! She’s just Akko!—had come barging in with a large paper bag, effectively elevating Diana’s headache through several numbers up the VNRS pain scale.

“I—” Akko shot the nurse a smug look “—have yet to experience an accident this week!”

“That’s a first,” Barbara crossed her arms.

“But I’m here for you!”

Those stunning red eyes locked themselves onto Diana, and suddenly she couldn’t speak. Me? The brunette strode into her office. She dropped the paper bag onto her desk.

“I’m not quite sure I follow. What is this?”

“Child support!”

Diana flinched. Barbara blinked. Akko simply nodded to herself in smug satisfaction.

“For Toby. Since we’re co-parents now.” Akko clarified, looking completely serious. “There’s a bunch of cat food that should last a while, a cute mouse squeaky toy, and animal milk.”

The blonde felt her ears redden at the incredulous look Barbara was giving her, and seriously—was this seriously happening right now? “C—Co-parents?”

“Yes.” Akko nodded with a determined glint in her eyes. “And I’m no deadbeat mom!”

“I—I see.”

“Anyway,” Akko took one of the pens from Diana’s stand without asking (“Don’t do that.”), and leaned over to write on the blank prescription pad on the blonde’s desk. “Here’s my number so you can text me about anything he needs and so we can arrange my visitation rights!”

Visitation rights?

“Oh.” Akko paused, lifting her thumb to her chin. “We probably need to schedule a trip to the vet and get him a collar, too.”

We?

Not knowing what else to say and still completely blindsided by Akko’s—well, everything—Diana simply complied. “I… know a veterinarian. He’s a childhood friend.”

“Perfect!” Akko beamed.

Once again, it was disarming. She really had to stop doing that to Diana.

“I’ve got to study for a test so I gotta bounce but I’m so excited to see him again!” Akko leaned across the table, moving around at a pace faster than Diana’s sleep-deprived-due-to-Toby’s mind could follow. The brunette wrapped her hand around her forearm and gave her another smile. It was warm. “But really—thank you Diana! I’ll see you around!”

She turned on her heel like the bundle of energy she was and bolted right out the door with a wave to Barbara.

Barbara—who looked right about ready to explode into laughter in the wake of Akko’s departure.

“You kept him.”

“Please don’t.” Diana pleaded.

The nurse finally caved, leaning against the doorframe to her office for support while she snickered. “That’s why you look completely out of it! You’ve got to tell me everything.”

But then the thudding sound of footsteps interrupted their conversation yet again and the door swung open. Poor thing. Might need to have its hinges checked at this point.

“I almost forgot!” Akko came bursting into the room like a cannon ball. “I got this on my way here for you!”

She slammed a paper take-out cup from Jasminka’s café onto Diana’s desk.

“I have no idea what it is to be honest.” Akko yelled, already rushing back out in a hurry. “I just asked Jas for a cup of whatever your usual is! Okay-bye-for-real!”

She was gone in a flash. Diana could smell tea.

English Breakfast, prepared exactly the way she liked it. The aroma was enough to chase away the tension along her brow, and when she glanced towards Barbara, who looked just as lost as she felt—

—they shared soft laughter.

The whole thing was absolutely ridiculous. Including the fact that her cup was labeled: ‘Dr. Grumpy >:(’

 ---

 It was 5:30PM and Akko was in despair.

“Chikusho! That was a disaster.” Akko banged her head against the lecture room desk. She was reeling from the mental assault that was ‘Applied Physics Examination 1.’ Judging by the scowl on Sucy’s usually nonchalant face, it hit her pretty hard too. “How’d you do?”

“Tanginang test ‘yan.” She glowered in her native language.

“I’m going to assume that was a string of curse words.”

“For once in your idiot life, you are correct.”

“Mou!” Akko huffed.

“I’m out.” Sucy declared, and likewise, every fiber in Akko’s being wanted to get the hell out of this classroom as soon as possible. The purple-haired girl lazily slung her bag over shoulder and looked down at Akko (who was still very much slumped over the desk) through one eye. “So are you coming or should I leave you behind?”

Akko groaned. And then sighed. And then groaned another time while pointing towards the podium because—“First I have to walk over there and ask if she wants to join the running club.”

“The professor?” Sucy blinked.

“Ya, dude.”

Then Sucy was grinning daggers. “I think I’m gonna stick by and see if she’ll actually murder you this time.”

“Not funny!” Akko pouted while finally standing up and cursing the fact that she can no longer exist as a worry-free blob on a desk.

“It is. A little. Now go.” Sucy prodded on, repeatedly poking at her arm.

“Going, going!”

While the students slowly filed out of the room—in despair, mind you—Akko approached Dr. Meridies with Sucy lingering a safe distance behind her.

The lilac-haired professor looked up from a test sheet she was inspecting, looking, as one would say, way too tired for this shit. “No amount of begging is going to convince me to pass you.”

“I wasn’t going to!” Akko crossed her arms defiantly.

“Then why are we having this conversation?”

Well. There wasn’t any other way for this to go down than directly, so it was best to just blurt it out. “Do you want to join the running club?”

Dr. Meridies reeled, squinting. “The running club?”

“Yes.” Akko nodded. “The running club.”

“So many people are asking me to join this running club that I think I’m gonna start declining just out of spite.”

“Ugh!” Akko groaned. “I tried—can’t force you! Maybe Professor du Nord can, Kami-sama, why did I even both—”

“Wait wait wait—” Dr. Meridies raised a hand to shut Akko while scowling. “du Nord?”

“Yeah,” Akko said looked to the side with slumped shoulders, “the club moderator. And I’m here cause Diana asked so now that I’ve done that I’m just gonna boun—”

Oddly enough, the exasperated professor seemed to have tuned out. “Chariot du Nord, from Humanities?”

“Uh, yeah.” The brunette blinked. “Do you know her?”

“O—Of course.” The older woman began stare so hard at the table she could have burned a hole through. “Faculty and all.”

Akko caught on like a wolf, grinning mischievously. “You know her!”

“Like I said we both teach—”

“You know know her.”

“Out!” Dr. Meridies barked, “of my classroom!”

With a devious glint, which Akko swore she could see in Sucy’s eyes too, she waved in exaggerated politeness and made her way to the door.

“Okay, professor!” Oh, she loved this sort of drama! “Just saying—it’s on Monday evenings!”

--

“You should have seen her face!” Akko squealed with almost manic glee. “Oh, Lotte you’re gonna love it—I know you’re a sucker for this kind of stuff.”

“But I can’t imagine it! How does Professor du Nord—” Lotte gestured towards her life with both hands for emphasis “—who seems super sweet and kind of introverted but is generally made of sunshine, find herself with a history of romantic involvement with someone like Dr. Meridies—” she made a quick jerking motion towards the right. “Who I haven’t actually seen in person, and if I were to base my judgments off your descriptions she sounds like some mad-scientist antagonist in an anime who’d wear a cape.”

Akko blinked. “That’s a good one.”

Sucy actually nodded.

“It makes no sense!” Lotte shook her head. And then… she swooned. “But love never does, does it?”

“Makes about as much as sense as this idiot getting that doctor to adopt the cat.”

“’The cat’ is named Toby!” Akko chided, “and you’d be hard-pressed to deny him if you’ve seen that cute little face of his.”

The three women were lazing about Lotte and Sucy’s living-and-dining area, with Akko sprawled across the couch that she’d be sleeping on since the pair—or just Lotte—invited her to stay over. There was take-out and beer (which Sucy and Akko had picked up on their way home), and the mini-get-together served two purposes: to recover from that horrid examination, and to keep Akko company because “tomorrow’s my first day of work and I am way too nervous to fall asleep without beer or Lotte nagging me to!”

There was something deeply comfortable about the small apartment. The furnishing didn’t match up and yet every piece felt like they belonged. Pots and pans hung above the stove, used yet well-maintained. They always had an extra set of everything—as though guests were welcome and often come and go. She loved it. And loved how welcome she felt in it. And though she’d never impose unless invited, Akko felt… cozy. Books, and mushrooms, and odd test-tubes, and literary manuscripts and all.

Lotte was in the middle of sharing the gist of her latest writing exercise when Akko felt her phone buzz.

“Hold on,” she excused herself, “I swear if this is a Canvas notification I’m gonna cut a bi—oh!”

“What is it?” Lotte asked.

-

18:53 Good evening. This Dr. Cavendish’s number – I’ve been able to secure an appointment with Dr. Hanbridge, the veterinarian I had mentioned. I apologize for the short notice but his soonest availability is tomorrow at around 1:30PM. Check-up aside, an agent in his clinic should likewise be able to assist with any documentation that needs sorting out given our arrangement. Your prompt response will be appreciated.

18:54 Heeeya Doc! 😊 u sound like an e-mail. :P

18:54 But sure lol I get off work @ Arcturus school around lunch time

18:55 Is it gonna be far?

18:55 But srsly lighten up abit it’s just me we can me at the bus stop or whrvr

18:56 I’ll be hailing a taxi service from my home and will collect you from your workplace at 12:30PM. Please be on time.

18:56 PLS add me on WhatsUpp through this number PLS omg I want pics of my little bby!!!! DO U FEED HIM and I can send you memes to show him so he’ll laugh LOL

18:56 LOL wtf ‘collect’

-

“It was Diana.”

Sucy cocked an eyebrow, “’Diana’?”

“I have a vet trip with Toby tomorrow!” Akko buzzed. “Oh bother, now I’m never going to get any sleep.”

“Is she for real?” Sucy indifferently pointed towards Akko while speaking to Lotte. “She’s like some ‘instant-friendship’ anomaly. Even I feel personally victimized.”

Lotte only smiled. “You have to sleep lest you subject poor children to a zombie for a teacher tomorrow.”

“That’s mean!”

Akko shared a laugh with Lotte, urging her to carry on with her story. They were getting to the good part—Edmund was about to confess!

One successful synopsis reading and a few topic changes later, Akko’s phone had buzzed once more.

It was a picture.

She squealed so hard her cheeks hurt.

“Akko, down! Yes—I see him—stop screaming or else I’m going to poison your drink.”

 -

 The driver pulled up at Arcturus School’s main driveway at exactly half-past noon.

“Please wait a moment.” Diana politely requested, mildly aware of the fact that she was beginning to miss the luxury of having her own car and service.

“Sure, just don’t leave me alone with that little fella, don’t matter how cute he might be.”

With a sigh—which was one of many at this point—she gently peered over to Toby whose head was poking out of the most comfortable canvas tote bag she could scavenge. It was that or nothing at all, and no, she wasn’t going to carry him in her arms.

‘Mew.’ He stared back up towards her. At least he seemed comfortable—and she tried to fight it but then she gave in and chuckled.

“Oh, come on then.”

Diana stepped out of the vehicle with Toby in tow. She pulled out her phone, putting a call through for the latest addition in her phonebook.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Typical. She wasn’t picking up.

Fortunately she had anticipated this, there was a half-hour allowance in her schedule. Instead of bombarding the brunette with several missed calls, she opted to walk towards what looked like the waiting area where children were fetched. She took a moment to look around, noticing that the school grounds had an abundance of trees—much like the rest of Blytonbury and the campus of LNU. The morning classes were dismissed and children ran about. A few of them began to notice her special baggage, and one little girl ran up to her and nearly hugged her legs.

She had hazel eyes, and big, goofy grin. “You’re so pretty!”

Diana blinked. “Thank you.”

“Is that a cat?”

“Yes.” She lowered the bag a little, appreciating the wonder in the little girl’s voice. “But I can’t let you pet him yet, I’m afraid. He still bites.”

“But I—”

The little girl was cut-off by the sounded children cheering. Diana followed her line of sight and saw…

Akko.

She was playing music. And laughing. But more than that—everyone around her was smiling just as bright. Children sang while they danced in a circle around her, clapping their hands to the beat of what sounded like a ridiculously complicated rendition of the ABCs on the violin. The pace was quick while she played a progression of eight and sixteenth notes. The feel of the song was less classical and more like an upbeat Celtic dance.

And dance they did. Laughing, and clapping, and bouncing around in mirth without a care in the world.

Akko played with such joy and passion that Diana could feel the warmth from several meters away. She kept still—already forgetting her earlier dismay on being behind schedule—and simply watched.

“Do you know her?” The little girl with hazel eyes asked in a small voice.

Diana nodded, smiling to herself while trying to wrap her head around the conundrum that was Atsuko Kagari—who had red eyes, who tripped over nothing and scraped her knee, who could barely make it to her classes on time and yet could bewitch a crowd with a smile and a bit of music.

“She’s…”  

Even Toby looked he was watching.

“…my friend.”

 -

end chapter

-

A/N: Hello everyone! Hope you're doing well, stayin' safe and staying home. So anyway here's another chapter and admittedly I only have a very rough outline of where I want this story to be and well... I like writing one shots because I'm REALLY bad at plotting out longer stuff like seriously, when I started this, I thought it would be 5 chapters long at most and yet here's chapter 5.

So I've decided to just go with it and take the time to explore and narrate the relationships/interactions I've got in my head AND I don't know anything about taking care of cats I AM SORRY IT PROBABLY SHOWS

Hope you're enjoying it so far! (AND I still owe Diana a happy birthday fic that may or may not involve feet due to some shenaginas I've seen on tumblr which I don't know if are jokes or not)

[lannister-slings-and-arrows]

ENG 114: The Classic Novel (1/?)

So this is the college/Professor AU that literally no one but me asked for lol. I don’t think I’ve written fic since my Spock/Kirk days so I apologize in advance for this. I might make this a series? Maybe? Enjoy

pairing: Pedro Pascal x  Reader word count: 1,912 warnings: THIGH RIDING. a little, because thanks guys, I am apparently unable to escape that any more lol

Summary:  “I have to say, there are some pretty glaring errors with your citations. I’m a little disappointed.” Your eyebrows draw together in a frown.

“I don’t make citation errors.” He shrugs, grin never faltering.

 “Come over here and see if you don’t believe me,”

“Do I need to buy you a watch?” His eyes unerringly find yours as you run into his office, backpack narrowly missing the precariously stacked pile of papers on the small, rickety table by the door. His lips are quirked into that tiny smirk you think he has to know by now that you can’t resist. You chance a grin back.

“I’d rather you give me something else, if you’re offering sir.” You hear a short huff of breath escape him and see that flash of something in his deep brown eyes. That something a little dark and a little dangerous that never fails to send shivers down your spine and a burning hand clenching at your insides. He allows his eyes to dwell on all the places he knows you want them to before returning to the papers on his desk in front of him. Still smiling, he pushes his glasses onto the top of his head, messing up his already dishevelled hair.

“I need those sorted and stapled for the survey course we’re supposed to be at in twenty minutes,” he informs you, effectively drenching you and your blatant flirting in a very cold metaphorical shower. You frown down at the stack of papers you had nearly sent flying. 

“That’s like, at least an hour long job!” He briefly glances back up at you, smirking at your annoyance. 

“That’s the amount of time you would have had if you’d shown up when you were supposed to, isn’t it?” 

Growling low in your throat, you toss your bag onto the floor and throw yourself into the chair in front of his desk, dragging the table with its paper punishment closer.

“Something bothering you?” he asks innocently, smiling, still reading that paper, purple pen occasionally scribbling a critique or a word or two of praise. 

“Nope! Totally cool, nothing could possibly be more exciting than this,” you force out through gritted teeth, dividing the different pages into three stacks for easy sorting. 

“Oh good. I’d hate for any part of this relationship to be disappointing to you. Or for you to be feeling less than satisfied in any way.” You feel your eyes widen in surprise as they flick across the desk to him. He still isn’t looking at you. 

Your frown turns into a sly grin as you stand up and reach across his desk for the stapler that’s sitting next to his hand. Your fingers brush across his, finally gaining his attention, and you’re about to drag the stapler slowly back towards yourself when he catches hold of it and pulls it back. You look up from the desk to see him watching you, a playful grin tugging at his lips, lifting his mustache and crinkling the corners of his eyes. You tug again and he tugs back harder. As you open your mouth to protest his other hand shoots out and grabs your wrist, silencing whatever you had been about to say. His touch successfully distracts you long enough for him to pull the stapler out of your hand and drop it at the far corner of his desk. You watch the tiny tattoo between his left thumb and forefinger as he turns your arm over, exposing the soft, delicate skin of your wrist. He traces the fine blue veins that weave their way up the inside of your arm with warm and slightly calloused fingers, watching as goosebumps follow his path and your fingers twitch in response, brushing against his sleeve. 

He lets go of your hand and sits back in his chair. You meet his eyes again as he reaches up and takes his glasses off, slowly folding them before setting the clear frames more gently alongside the purple pen and papers he had abandoned, rubbing his finger along the rough edge his dog had chewed into them. 

“This is your last paper, you know,” he remarks casually, gesturing to his desk. Your eyes follow his fingers as they massage and squeeze each other while he speaks, distracted by the thought of what else those digits could be doing right now.

“Oh yeah?” you manage to squeak out. He nods, still watching, still smirking. 

“I have to say, there are some pretty glaring errors with your citations. I’m a little disappointed.” Your eyebrows draw together in a frown. 

“I don’t make citation errors.” He shrugs, grin never faltering. 

“Come over here and see if you don’t believe me,” he offers, scooting his chair back slightly, making room for you between him and his desk. You walk around to his side and he waves at the papers in front of him, relaxing back, legs sprawled as if he were sitting on a throne. When you squeeze by him your fingers drag along his arm lightly as it rests on the chair arm, and you pluck the papers off the desk. Sitting on the edge directly in front of him, you flick your eyes up to his and find them heavy, dark, and burning, full of all sorts of promises.

You thumb through the papers in your hand till you reach your notes at the end. You scoff as you skim through them, stopping at the one that he had circled and corrected saying, 

“I didn’t do this wrong.” Still smiling, he sits up a little straighter and leans forward.

“You did.” He takes the paper out of your hand and tosses it on the desk behind you, putting his hands on your knees. “But I know this wasn’t your first citation style, it’s understandable that you get confused every now and again.” You look down at his playful grin and are unable to keep the smile off your face. Putting your hands on his shoulders and rubbing gently, you muse, eyebrows raised,

“Weren’t you the one who taught me this hellish citation style back in undergrad? So really,” your fingers move to scratch lightly at his scalp and tangle in the messy brown curls at the back of his neck. “If I have made a mistake, which I did not,” He huffs out a laugh, hands squeezing the knees that he still holds captive in his palms. “It’s your fault anyways.” 

“Oh it is, is it?” You nod, leaning more heavily on his shoulders. 

“Totally your fault. I am, of course, blameless in all things.” His fingers move to tickle the backs of your knees and your legs twitch as you try to escape his grasp.

“Maybe you just weren’t paying attention?” he asks, relenting after a few seconds, before he’s hit with a jerking knee or foot. Which has happened before. More than once. A little breathless from trying to contain the giggles he had been attempting to provoke, you gently tug on his hair and reply,

“Gee, I wonder who’s fault that could have been?” He shrugs innocently, eyes crinkling in amusement. “Well, maybe I just need some extra help. Outside normal office hours.” You lick your lips as you watch his smile turn a little sharper. 

“We can’t have you making these kind of silly mistakes when you write your thesis,” he points out, eyes still holding yours as he releases your knees and rubs the tops of his thighs. You feel your mouth go dry as you try to formulate a response, more than a little distracted at the way his pants stretch taught, remembering all the times that you’ve thought about straddling and riding them to kingdom come. “Can we?”

He stands slowly, moving into your space, trapping you against the desk, one hand resting next to your leg, warm fingers of his other hand tipping your chin up towards him, the smell of his cologne and his laundry detergent permeating the air, distracting and delicious. Your arms slip from his shoulders, down his body, falling to his waist, and you clutch the fabric of his shirt tightly as he cups your face in his large hand, watching your throat when you swallow, dark eyes full of mischief.

 “But if you’re so convinced that there isn’t a problem, why would you need my help? You know I only work with the most,” he pauses. “Serious students under me.” You shake your head slowly.

“Now, now, use your big girl words.” You shiver, that voice shooting straight through you, your eyes fluttering shut. 

“No, I think it’s better to be safe than sorry,” you breathe quietly.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” You smirk, eyes trapped by his as soon as you manage to pry them open.

“Please sir,” Your breath hitches, the games the two of you play haven’t ever gone this far. “What ever could I possibly do to correct this most grievous of errors?” He smiles, hands gently separating your legs to move further between them, his body warm and insistent.

“You really want my help?” You nod. He grabs your chin again and gives your head a little shake, his other hand stroking your leg slowly.

“Yes sir,” you correct yourself with a small laugh and a roll of your eyes. “I don’t know that I will ever be able to correct these mistakes without your wise counsel, Jedi Master, expert at the MLA style citation.” 

“Now don’t get cocky.”

“No, that’s your job.” You see the points of his teeth as his lip curls up to one side in a feral grin.

“My, my, young padawan, for someone making such freshman mistakes you’re sure willing-”

“To get pretty fresh with you?” you interrupt, pleased with yourself and your pun. His head drops to your shoulder as he laughs, mustache tickling your neck. You bite back a moan at the sensation, unable to keep your eyes from closing again. Fuck you love that thing.

He stands up straight again, shifting so he could press a thigh into the crotch of your jeans. One hand still on your face, the other gripping your hip, he flexes and pulls you closer, encouraging you to grind yourself onto his leg. You gasp quietly, sparks shooting up your spine at every rub of him against the center of you.

“So you’d be willing to try anything?” he confirms, eyes hot and crinkling at the edges with the smile that still stretches over his whole face as he continues to hold himself tight against you. 

“Anything you say, sir.” you reply, still amused, very excited by this new turn of events. 

His fingers stroke your cheek gently as he leans over you and you can feel his breath on your face, his lips inches from yours. You hold your breath, unable to believe that fucking finally you’re getting somewhere-

When he boops your nose and whispers, silky smooth,

“Staple those papers and bring them to class. You’ve got fifteen minutes.” He takes a step back and grabs the glasses off of his desk with a cheeky wink. You slip forward, trying to follow his hand, his shirt sliding from your grasp, your hands falling back to your lap.

“I’m grabbing coffee, I’ll see you in a bit!” He calls cheerily over his shoulder as he walks around his desk and out of his office and you can hear the grin in his voice. 

You stare out of the window in front of you for at least a minute. 

“Well shit,” you say to the empty room, cheeks still on fire, brain scrambling to process just how close he had been to- “Son of a fucking bitch.”

[lalka-laski]

How many pages did the last book you read have? 417

What do you like on your pancakes? Butter & syrup (one the side- NOT on top!)

Do you like small parties or large parties more? It depends on a lot of factors. What type of party is it? Where is it? Who else is there?

What was the last exam you passed in? I had to take a food safety course for my job because we serve coffee to patients. What a pain that was.

Do you think paw prints are cute? Uh no, not particularly. And I find paw print tattoos atrocious.

How much would you pay a neighbour to do your lawn? Uh, not sure.

Ordinary pens, scented pens, gel pens or felt tip pens? Ordinary or gel

Are you a people person? I am in the sense that I get along great with others. But I'm very introverted and would prefer to be alone or with a small, select group of people.

Do you put pepper on your scrambled eggs? Sometimes.

Who, except yourself, has the nicest pet? My sister has two cute bunnies (my niblings!)

What’s your favourite piece of clothing? Anything comfy & cozy and probably not appropriate to wear outside the home.

What place have you gone to that you never would again? Any Rochester nightclub

What do others seem to have plenty of and you have little or none? Common sense, motivation & drive

Is pink a nice colour, an okay colour or icky? If you know me even slightly, you know my answer to this!

What do you have in your pockets? Not a thing

Do you listen to podcasts? Nah, I really can't get into them

Have you ever played Poker? I don't think so

Do you have a pond in your garden? Nope. Well I don't have a garden to begin with so let's start there.

How about a swimming pool? Also nope

Do you like Poptarts? Hell yeah

Do you write notes on post-it notes? At work, yeah Do you ever use the word quaint? Mhm

Do you know what quantum physics is? Not even a little bit.

Are you a quiet or loud person? Certainly more on the quiet side but sometimes I'm unaware of my own volume

Do you usually ask a lot of questions? I guess so

Are you quick witted? In what aspect? No. I think I'm witty, but I'm not *quick* about it. Do you listen to the radio often? I haven't in ages. The last time was Christmas Eve when I made Glenn but Christmas music on while we drove around town looking at lights.

Do you prefer rain or snow? That depends greatly on the time of year

Have you ever ran into someone and injured you or them due to it? Oh yeah all the time

Do you listen to rap music? It's not my fave

Do you find pet rats gross or nice? Why? Absolutely DISGUSTING

Have you ever been to a rave? Nope

Are you somewhat of a rebel? I wouldn't say that, no. How about reckless? Very

Do you prefer red, black or purple dresses? I'd go with black

Do you know how to reload a gun? Nope

Do you remember your first best friends Mum’s name? Of course. She was a second mom to me

Do you have a good or a bad reputation? It depends who you ask

What song do you request most often on the radio? I don't think I ever did that, even as a teen.

Do you prefer rice or tofu? Rice. But I do love some tofu

Have you ever held a rifle? I've held some hunting guns when I used to visit my dad's camp. I think they were rifles? I don't know shit about guns so it beats me.

Do you know a Robert? What’s he like? He's my cousin & he's the most genuine person in our entire family.

Do you like rollercoasters? I used to but my tolerance has waned severely as I've grown older.

Been to Rome, Italy? No but I'd love to.

Are Roses your favourite flower? Nope. Chrysanthemums. Do you feel safe in your neighbourhood? Yeah. Despite the fact that my apartment complex makes our town's police blotter EVERY week haha.

Whose the Patron Saint of your Country? No clue if the US even has one?

Do you put salt on your fries? Mhm

When did you stop believing in Santa? 9ish

Do you think the name Sarah is pretty? It's one of my FAVORITES but it's out of the running for potential daughter names because it's the name of Glenn's first girlfriend/first love.

Is Saturday your favourite day of the week? I guess so

Have you ever watched Saved By The Bell? Opinions? I loved that shit! Zach Morris was my first ever crush (even though he's trash!)

What about the Saw films? Opinion? Those are way too sick for me.

Are you easily scared? VERY very.

What’s your secondary language, if any? I speak decent, conversational Polish but nowhere near enough to consider it a second language. Someday though...

Name all the things you can see from where you’re sitting? All your typical desk/office related things

What’s the last sentence you spoke out loud? "Have a good day" I think

What year did you turn seven in? Making me do math over here? Umm... 1999?

How important is sex in a relationship how important is sex from 1-10? It's a crucial element for me and I couldn't maintain a romantic relationship with someone I didn't connect with physically and intimately. But I understand some folks rank it much lower on a scale of importance and that's cool too! Personal preference.

What is your favourite shade of blue? Robin's egg

Shade of Purple? Lavender

Favourite shape? Heart

Do you know a girl called Sharon? I think so. Haven't seen her in years, though. (And I'm not 100% sure her name is even Sharon, so LOL)

How about Shari? Nope

Do you shave your arms, legs, pubic hair and/or somewhere else? Legs & pubic area (although I prefer to Nair)

When was the last time you were sick? Months ago

What’s the worst side effects you’ve had due to a medication? Anxiety attacks & partial hallucinations. COOL!

What does your signature look like? Not as good as I'd like it to. And I've been practicing with my married name and that looks even worse!

Do you like silk? What do you own that is silk? I have some silk pajamas that are divine.

Do you sip or drink hot drinks fast? Oh I gulp eveeeeeeeerything I drink. It's a problem.

How about with alcohol? See above

Do you have sisters? How many, what ages and what’re they called? Two sisters. Candice, 35 and Kathleen, 25. Is your grandmother older than sixty five? They're both passed but yes, they would be older than 65.

Do you slam doors often? Nah. Not intentionally at least.

Have you ever slapped someone in the face? For what reason? Yeah. If you remember, I grew up with two sisters!

Do you snack a lot or just eat big meals? Lately I've been CRAZY snacky!

Do you smile more often, or frown? Smile

Are you wearing socks? Begrudgingly Do you say sorry too often? Far more often than I should

What’s a sound that always soothes you? The laughter and voices of my babies :)

Do you carry a lot of spare change? How much is on you now? None ever

Do you own a swimsuit of the Speedo brand? Nope

Do you like sunflowers? I do!

[rebsrebsrebsrebs]

Q&A Answers

Thanks everyone for participating! I’m so glad y’all are here. Thanks for sending in questions for the Q&A and letting me talk gratuitously about myself lol. Questions and answers below!

show me a meme that describes Emil! - nerieda

Congratulations on all your followers! I'm curious because you mentioned it, have you had lots of different hair colors? - makeapactwithme

Yeah! I’ve been dying my hair for 10 years. I’ve done full white, platinum blonde, electric pink, fuchsia, at least 5 shades of purple, teal, pastel blue, bright green,  teal-green ombre, bright red, dark red, naturalish red, half teal half pink, half blonde half pink, and currently I’ve got a deep sea green. 

What's your opinion on the Lucifer x Diavolo ship? Yay or nay? - impastaz309

I like DiaLuci but I’m picky about it. I think there’s a lot there to explore in the interplay between each of their personal feelings, Lucifer’s oath of allegiance to Diavolo, how the incident with Belphie affected them… There’s so much playground for angst with a happy ending. Yes the happy ending is obligatory, I want my husbands to love each other and also me, thanks. 

what if any other otome/ dating games have you played? - winter-rose-wolf

have you ever played Mystic Messenger, if so, what was your fav route? (rip to the Vanderwood stans, still waiting for his route 😔😔😔) - peachykindalovesyou

Mystic Messenger, The Arcana, Ikemen Sengoku (briefly), Dramatical Murder, Cinders, Doki Doki Literature Club, Katawa Shoujo, Syrup and the Ultimate Sweet, Corruption of Champions (yes I’m counting it). In the ‘not strictly dating games/VNs but games where you can kiss people’ category, I’ve played all the Mass Effect and Dragon Age games.

I have played MysMe, but I stopped a few years ago. I played I think uh, one or two routes from Yoosung and Zen, and then the Jaehee friendship route. Cheritz let me kiss Jaehee you fucking COWARDS. Zen was one of my faves, but I have a thing for white-haired anime boys. Zen, Clear, Mammon, Solomon, and my own MC Emil.... Hhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Speaking of,

YOU LIKE DRAGON AGE, TOO?! Eep, so many questions so little space. Okay, favorite DA game out of the three we have currently? Also, who's your favorite romance option (If you have one) and why? Favorite race, class? My favorite is probably Origins, my favorite romance is Cullen (because I'm a simp). Although Alistair and Fenris are WONDERFUL as well. I also like Dorian, but I haven't made a male inquisitor to romance him with yet. I'm scared to romance Solas. I'm a sucker for Elven mages. - valkyrie-1369

OH YES HOMIES I LOVE DRAGON AGE. Inquisition is my fave game. I like Iron Bull, Cullen, Josephine, and Dorian’s romances the most. Save yourself the trouble of romancing Solas, you’ll get either really sad or really angry or both. My most played race/class combos are Elf Mage, Human Rogue, and Qunari Rogue. Fun bonus fact, five of my eight MCs were originally Dragon Age OCs because I am a dirty, dirty recycler.

Hey! Congrats on the milestone! Can you tell me about your favorite fanfic? Fandom doesn't matter, just something you liked a lot! - tatsukohime

I have two favorites that come to mind. The Obey Me! one that comes to mind is feels like I'm losing my mind (feels like a dream of me all the time) by Take_Me_To_My_Fragile_Dreams. Do you like getting punched in the gut metaphorically? Do you like vivid descriptions of smells and emotions? Do you like demon fucking? This fic is for you. The plot rocks. The characterization rocks. The original characters (more than one!!!) rock. All around a wonderful investment of your time. Author is also a friend and a sweetie.

For a not-Obey Me! rec, The Tricky Business of Disclosing the Greed of a Martyr by ActuallyAndroid. Breath of the Wild slow burn featuring lots of cooking and mutual pining. 

Any suggestions for digital art? - cakenpiewhyohmy

This is really vague and IDK what to tell you, so I’m just gonna spout some stream of consciousness advice I guess. If you’re interested, give it a shot. It’s kinda like any other art in that you gotta practice and try different things. The computer doesn’t make it easier, it’s just a different set of tools. That said, I like that I only had to invest in the tablet and it doesn’t take up a lot of physical space, since I don’t have much space. Be sure to do your stretches. Always put your tablet pen in the same place. Keep your desk clear if at all possible, I say, looking at my three cups that I need to clear away. 

Thanks everyone again! I’ll probably do another one of these at 300 or so, so I’ll see u then <3

[obsidiancreates]

Makeup haul, I Guess?

Okay, the lighting in my bathroom is super yellow. I am sorry about that. Under the cut because as usual Tumblr made the pictures GIANT and I don’t know how to fix it.

Okay, first off: the brush set! These came in a cool glittery red box, but none of the glitter came off of the box at all. Like, I ran my hand over it, and not a speck of glitter was left on my fingers. It was amazing.

So there’s an angled eye brush, which apparently is meant for like brows and liner and stuff, but I used it to just put a shimmery eyeshadow on my lid and it worked fine.

A fluffy eyeshadow brush! Very soft. These are all very soft. Soft brushes...

Fan brush! :D Now I just need to buy a highlighter... 

A foundation brush!

A powder brush! For like... blushes and setting powders and stuff!

Primer water and foundation! :D

That foundation shade is... literally perfect. It’s the first foundation I’ve ever bought or worn, I picked it out online, and it is like, an exact match.

I went to Ulta and they didn’t have this type, but they had other foundations by the same brand so I just tested those and then looked at the tone and shade descriptions on the website, and picked the closest description match. And it worked perfectly! :D

THE EYESHADOW PALETTE! Look at that pretty rainbow on it! I used the flash on my camera to give you a more accurate picture of the colors, it looks really close to real life!

The shade “Heavenly”, the camera didn’t capture it but it’s got blue shimmer to it. It’s a reddish brown, with blue shimmer. I love it.

 I did a look earlier when it all came and I just put “Sky Dive” all over my eye and then put “Happy Ending” on my lid, and then “Pegasus” like, under my lash line, and it looked really pretty.

I also used... the eyeliners! :D

First pic is without flash, second pic is with flash, just as a comparison of how yellow the lighting in my bathroom is.

And... with flash. 

See how yellow? Yeah. It’s bad.

Anyway here’s the tips of the multi-liner! Had to crop them really tiny because my reflection kept showing up in the shiny blue pen casing, so they’re pretty blurry, sorry.

PURPLE!

BLUE!

SILVER!

GREEN! I used this one with the eyeshadow look I did, I put this in my waterline. It’s shimmery! :D

And here’s the lip glosses! They’re kinda sticky but I- I actually kind of like that. Make it fun to press my lips together. All about that sensory effect, baby.

No but seriously these are really pretty and super colorful. Like, my lips were red, man. 

They did leave behind... a lot of glitter on my lips. Freaking... Twilight looking lips. My dad joked that I should go hang out with Tom from Parks and Rec, lol.

I used flash again here!

The shade names are Metropolitan, Take A Stand, and Bitten!

And I re-organized my makeup drawer too! Moved all the expired makeup to the bottom drawer (I can’t bring myself to get rid of it, I’ve always had slight issues with getting rid of things), and made it look all nice!

Pretty now, right? :D

Also. Mom was really happy and impressed with how fast the stuff came, since we got free shipping with the over $50 order. And it came in like, a good amount of protection and stuff, and yeah it was just one of the more pleasant online ordering experiences we’ve had.

And. It came. With a promotion code. For a free 32 shade eyeshadow palette if we order again before January 31st. A palette that my mom. Really likes. AND! She also saw in the sale section, a brush set she really liked.

So basically I’m going to spend another $50 on makeup soon. Which, I did get some Christmas money from my grandparents so that covers that, but holy shit I need a job because I-I want to get my savings box back up to $200 again. 

Seriously, bless the sale section of the Makeup Revolution site. $5 eyeshadow palettes with twenty really pretty shades... $4 highlighters... $10 brush sets... amazing...

And not on sale! Lipsticks for $5! That’s so reasonable! I’ve seen lipsticks for like, $20! AND THEY HAVE A SHADE CALLED “VAMPIRE” WHICH I OBVIOUSLY ADDED TO MY CART IMMEDIATELY BECAUSE VAMPIRE SHIT YES YES PLEASE.

Anyway. Enough gushing. No, a little more gushing: Makeup Revolution now has my loyalty as a customer because all the stuff I bought arrived really quick in nice, protected packaging, was super affordable, and was super good quality, and when I get a job all my paychecks are probably going to them and their really fun eyeshadow palettes (well, until I need to use the money to like... live and eat and stuff. But that’s four years away so I can spend it on stupid shit for now).

But yeah! I’m happy! :D

[fate221]

Hey! Do you have any advice for people new to digital art!! I started recently but I'm having a really hard time especially with lineart and colors ;-;

Well digital art is such a huge and scary beast and it’s more than normal that you have difficulties with it. Tbh I still struggle with it a lot because I’m always afraid that i could do it better or that I should have been to choose absolutely another style for myself. Now my main struggle is a choice between more simple coloring with more sharp shadows and some kind of volume and more realistic lighting. I doubt very much now about all of this and wonder if my arts would be better and audience loved them more if I’d draw with sharp lineart and simple coloring. 

Idk if I’m the only one who thinks that lol. I think that’s mostly because you have a really large amount of possibilities in digital art. Thousands of brushes, effects, instruments - all of this use to scare and make you confused. You don’t know where to start from or what you want from your style and how it should look like. And it’s normal, especially if you only started getting used to it. And you should be ready for that it’s gonna take a while before you finally feel comfortable with your style and digital art at all. However it all depends from the person.

So I would like to write some basic tips based on my own experience and thoughts and maybe it could help someone.

Find yourself a nice software you’d feel comfortable with. I wanted to make another post about my software but it’s for another time. I would recommend SAI or Sketchbook Pro for those who start. I still love them more than Krita and photoshop tbh because of simple interface and configurations.

Find tutorials for anatomy, expressions, all that stuff. Learn color theory, because that shit is really important in good illustration. Same goes to the laws of composition, lighting etc. Youtube has a lot of this things, also you can search on Pinterest.

Probably the most important tip: Don’t try to start from some difficult kind of drawing. And go to some kind of realism. Instead try to make a lot of pics with simple lineart and coloring, it will help you to get used to the pen and brushes and feel more confident. Many artists who only start try immediately to draw some very cool difficult idea with cool lighting and volume and details (trust me I was lterally that person) but I think it’s better to make just a lot of simple colored pics probably even with lineart + solid colors + blush for example instead of one big and “detailed’. I failed with that so much.

Make studies. Make a lot of studies. Of everything - poses, faces, environment. Just try to copy screencaps from shows or cool pics on Pinterest with trying to analyze how lighting and stuff works or which instruments are better for you. Plus studies often help to understand how color theory and composition work especially when you make them from someone’s  already made pieces such as photos and movies. that’s just like in real life when you sketch smth or smb from real life, or make gestures drawings. It’s easier in digital because you can train yourself in coloring too without a need of thousands of coloring art stuff.

Make a lot of observation. Open an acc of your favourite artist. What features of their style do you like the most? Maybe they have a certain way of drawing eyes or noses, or maybe they usually add to line bright colors or make those good looking outlines with lighten color? Try to note these features and use in your drawings so you’d feel more satisfied with final result. Go watch their speedpaints so it would be easier to understand how stuff works. Don’t try to copy, just note some things you love the most about them.

Use references. It really can help with understanding what atmosphere you want from your piece, lighting, environment => it would be easier to imagine it in your head and I think that it’s already a half-finished work if you have a really clear imagine of the final piece in your head with poses, lighting and stuff. I always spend a while for imagining what I want from drawing, often while being on my way to university in a subway, listening to some themed music. Also I used references for my latest Halloween and autumn pieces. It’s not that you copy stuff - more like try to analyze how to make your drawing more realistic and detailed. 

Use different modes of the layers. That’s honestly the best what the God of Digital Art could gift us. My leaders are definitely Glowing and Overlay. Also I would recommend to use rather Multiply mode for shadows than trying to draw them with just same color but darker. You can draw shadows with just purple or brown and than just use Multiply so the they would look more natural. The same goes to everything else - from backgrounds to lighting. These modes can become your true saviour in tough times.

Flip your canvas horizontally all the time to see the mistakes in anatomy, faces and stuff. 

Don’t use too much texture brushes. Seriously they are good but sometimes you only need the most simple ones to create a decent piece.

And of course the very-very main advice. Without it everything I told above loses its sense completely. PRACTICE! Just practice-practice-practice, draw thousands of pics, sketches, try different styles, experiment. It’s the best way to get used to digital art and understand what is comfortable for you and what is not. Experience is really important in this field. Don’t expect that it would turn out immediately perfect and remember that with every piece you become better and more confident. Every finished drawing makes you closer to success and satisfaction from what you do. The most important thing is to not give up. Look for inspiration in songs, people, everything around you, try to make drawings of it, sketches, whatever. Just make a lot of that. Really a lot. Of course with analyze and permanent observation. That’s the only valid way to success. 

These are very rough and maybe I forgot some important parts but tbh I wish someone told me these while I just started to draw digitally. Honestly a really good observation and practice make perfect and I understood it pretty good for these months.