#i loved this purple-to-blue-to-cyan blend i would do though :>

[keeps-ache]

workin on a thaaang

[ardentlytess]

Hello! I love your gifs, they're so pretty! I've always admired your coloring and was wondering specifically how you colored the Yeonwoo/Seojoon set. I struggle with adding fun colors without obstructing the characters or blending weirdly. Would love to learn from you, no worries if not!

hello hello!!

first of all, thank you so much! this message is insanely sweet, & i really appreciate that you took some time out of your day to message me in the first place!

secondly, of course of course! i don't necessarily have a tried & true method that works for everything just because coloring is so dependent on the exact shot that you're working on a lot of the time, but i'll try to explain my process as best as possible!

the first thing that i usually do after getting my gif brightened with levels/curves/brightness&contrast/exposure is up the vibrancy slightly in order to see the actual colors that are present in the scene itself & then manipulate those using either selective color or color balance.

most of the time, i default to selective color & target colors that i know i can easily change. for example, if there's a lot of red in the background & i know that i want to make the gif primarily magenta, i'll go to red in selective color & up magentas/cyans while reducing yellows until i'm happy with the result. then i'll make another selective color layer to target magentas & up the magenta a ton / change other hues in order to fine-tune it. if there's a lot of green in the background because of foliage or whatnot & i know i'm trying to make the gif cyan, then i'll do the same thing with the green selective color layer (upping cyans, removing yellows, & adjusting magenta in whatever way it looks good LMAO) in order to change the color. then i'll make another selective color layer to target blues/cyans & up the intensity of blue/cyan however i'd like. i personally use a TON of selective color layers in order to get the colors to where i'd like them to be, so don't shy away from layering them in order to get the result you're happy with!

i like selective color the most just because it's the easiest imo to use, especially for any type of scene with a lot of movement. it targets specific colors instead of coloring the entire image, so you don't have to worry so much about it altering skin color / the overall hue of the scene, especially if your gif has a lot of contrasting colors in it already.

for scenes with a lot of white/grey in the background specifically, though, i like to play around with the color balance adjustment layer first (while making sure to mask any skin tones, of course). this works especially well when you're trying to change the background to anything in the blue/purple/magenta range, since shadows/greys are usually already tinted towards blue in the first place. once you have a base layer that's tinted, i just go back in with selective color & up the intensity of those colors until they're to my liking! i'll also often use the white setting in selective color in order to change whites to whatever color i'd like, but be careful with this one because it'll sometimes make your images look flat, so definitely make sure to use a layer mask on their face/eyes to make sure the highlights on their face / the whites of their eyes aren't changing color.

with all of this, my best friend is layer masking, which i use in just about every adjustment layer in order to make sure i'm not drastically changing a skin tone or anything! i also utilize layer masking a lot in order to target specific parts of the image. so if there's a random yellow object on the screen or something that i want to change the color of, i'll make a layer mask that applies only to that part of the screen, & change the color of smaller objects one at a time.

& that's the first part LMAO. technically, all of that is optional, & i know a lot of people skip all of that & go straight to a gradient fill, but i personally find that my colorings look more consistent if i've already adjusted the OG colors to match whatever i want the final color to be, so that the gradient fill isn't clashing with anything in the background. this also helps when you have gifs with slightly more movement in them, as you can get away with removing more of the gradient fill for layer masking purposes without the whole thing looking too strange.

so once i'm happy with how the base gif looks, for more vibrant colorings where i want to change the color of them completely (like i did for the seojoon/yeonwoo set) i'll add a gradient fill with whatever colors i'm looking for. i play around with the blending setting of the gradient fill a lot, & usually settle on soft light/overlay/screen, but it all depends on what i'm looking for! i personally like the look of the gradient fill showing the texture of the scene behind it, so i usually use a blending setting that melts into the scene as opposed to concealing it completely. then i, again, use a layer mask in order to cut out the subject's face / sometimes their clothing, feather the edges of the layer mask a ton, & sometimes change the layer mask density until i'm happy with how seamless the final product looks.

now, this works perfectly fine for gifs with little-to-no movement, but for gifs with more movement in them, a simple layer mask isn't going to work, so you're going to have to utilize keyframes instead. here's an amazing tutorial on using keyframes that probably explains the process better than i ever could LMAO. it's definitely slightly tedious sometimes, but it's the best option for making sure the subject's face stays unobscured in your gif even when you're using something like a gradient fill!

after i'm finished coloring both gifs separately, then i'll add them both into the same document & begin blending.

i actually blend in a slightly unconventional way, in that i very rarely actually change the blending settings of the gifs themselves. in fact, in the set you're talking about, the only gifs that i blended using a different blending mode were the 6th and last gifs, for the face in the middle in the 6th gif & seojoon sleeping in the middle in the last one (i believe they were both set to screen). for almost all other types of blending i do, i leave both of them set to a normal blending mode, move them to wherever i'd like them to be on the canvas, & then use a layer mask with a large pen size (usually between 100-200 px) to remove whatever parts of the top gif that'll reveal what i want to be shown from the gif underneath. then i'll feather the layer mask a ton in order to make the transition between them seem the most seamless! this is what allows me to keep the colors as true to the original coloring as possible, without muddying them by playing around with blending settings. in the 5th gif of that set, i also reduced the density of the layer mask of the cyan gif a little, in order to have part of that gif slightly layered on top of the purple side without having to use the screen/overlay blending mode!

after that, i'll add another overall filter layer to the whole blended gif & mess around with the curves/selective color/vibrancy adjustment layers until i'm fully happy with how they both look together!

one thing that i've personally found is that tumblr (especially tumblr mobile) almost always makes your gifs look significantly more muted than it shows on photoshop, so i would recommend making your gifs look more vibrant than you think they need to be on photoshop, then see how well that translates onto tumblr!

& that's about it! i'm sorry this got a little long & rambly LMAO but i hope it could be even a little bit helpful to you! for sure let me know if there's anything i didn't explain clearly enough or anything else you might have questions on!

& thank you again for reaching out in the first place! it made my day this morning when i opened tumblr & saw your message, so i hope i was able to return a little bit of that joy to you!

best of luck, & happy editing!!

[kihaku-gato]

OCs their symbolic flowers and the Hoepian floral equivalent

Dusting off old brain notes, cause of a time I’d include/place a “symbolic flower“ for every OC just cause.

Terra- Tiger Lily

“ these flowers are representative of pride. ”

“this particular lily is more often associated with the more aggressive feminine characteristics.“ [x]

While the first line actually works for Terra well (she does hold fondness for her own hard work) I’m pretty sure I chose Tiger Lily for her cause of the latter line way back- though one could very strongly argue Terra might not fit the bill of Aggressive Femininity (idk what that’d even be visually) I’m pretty sure I took the line literally at the time as “a woman who’s strong/aggressive“.

Outside of that I probably chose Tiger Lily cause the orange/black pattern of the flowers match with Terra’s red/black clothes.

“The Tiger Lily is said to mean "I dare you to love me"“ [x] Terra is not really one after romance, yet this feels very weirdly Terra-esque.

Hoepian Tiger Lily (Lilium flareonsis)

“Evolved from the Earth Tiger Lily (Lilium tigrinum), the physical differences between the two are surprisingly few. Found in open woodlands, fields and meadows, it absorbs the sun's rays and converts them into flame magic which is stored in it's bulbs. The flame magic makes the bulbs rather spicy, hence they are a very delicious (but common) delicacy. They are also used to start campfires and bonfires. Although harmless alone, they can be potentially dangerous when growing near the magically impressionable Soul Daisy.” [x]

One of the few species of Hoepian flora to not diverge much from its Earth ancestors (two of the others being Ginkgo macrophylla and Ginkgo triloba from Earth’s Ginkgo biloba). They have a huge morphological similarities with Lilium tigirium and Lilium superbum, but the petal patterns are very different; black spots towards the center alike to L. tigirium but also have stripes widthways nearer to the ends of the petals (a characteristic not at all like any Earth lily species). Also like most Hoepian flora, Hoepian Tiger Lilies do not have green foliage, and instead have red foliage.

Kayla- Daisy

"Daisies symbolize innocence and purity.” [x]

Being that Kayla is considered one of the more innocent and purer characters (at least to a degree) this is not a huge surprise this flower ended up being her flower.

Soul Daisy (Magiflora australis, M. borealis)

[My old excepts on this flower is a bit hefty so let’s make it shorter-] Soul Daisy flowers/seeds are harvested for purified magic- so is often grown agriculturally for mana-based industries. Being the magic in question is in its purest form, it changes/meshes to whatever element/magic that’s in its presence (ex- a breeze could become a strong wind gust due to the magic making Wind Magic) making it potentially hazardous if one is late to harvest fields of this plant.

While an agricultural crop it is not entirely domesticated; the outer edges of Soul Daisy fields develop needles to make a protective barrier in the masses from herbivores.

The flowers look very similar to Earth daisies; a pinwheel of long white petals with a faint blue/cyan stripe that makes a ring when all the petals are together on the flower. If altered by magic Soul Daisy flowers change colour to closely resemble the magic they are changed to. All but 4 of the petals are rounded, the said 4 are spit on the ends, making a mild resemblance to a cross.The stems are black on older growth, while younger growth is a vibrant pink. The leaves are violet in colour and look like rounded fern fronds.

Despite the name “Soul Daisy“ there is not much spirituality involved for this flower when it comes to Hoepian culture. It may be named so cause of the cross pattern, or cause of it producing the purest form of organic magic (like the “soul of magic”).

Unlike Earth Daisies, Soul Daisies also have the symbolism of impressionablility due to the pure magic that so easily changes to the elements around it.

Harriet - Sunflower

“Many groups associate sunflowers with prolonged constancy and loyalty,“

“Various faiths have adopted sunflowers to express a symbol of worship and faithfulness, as in the flower’s faithful dedication to the sun.“ [x]

Harriet is very loyal and ride-or-die for her friends so the former goes without saying. Harriet can be very idolistic towards very beautiful women (like Riivar) so worship might be a lil on the nose. I actually chose Sunflowers for Harriet cause of her sunny attention-seeking disposition, akin to the bright attention grabbing sunflower.

Water Sunflower (Haquanthus volitariflora)

While descended from Earth Asteraceae, this plant has adapted to the ocean and looks like a blend of sunflower and kelp. Sparse in rich sunny aquatic groves, but are in larger thickets/forests (of its own species) in colder/sparser waters. They are grown in some coastal settlements as the oil rich seeds are a food source. They are also a favoured snack for amphibious animals.

While the roots are anchored to the rocks, the leaves and even the flowerheads are full of air to keep the rest of the plant afloat. The large flowers are very resembling of Earth’s Mammoth Sunflowers.

The flower/seedheads are large and full enough of air to hold a small person afloat, though it would be a very bad raft alternative.

Riivar- Forget Me Not

“Forget-me-nots represent long lasting connections that can exist between not only lovers, but also friends. This connection can’t be broken or shaken by anything or anyone.“ [x]

Back in her child/teenhood she was head-over-heels in love with Terra, who was Riivar’s first love too. It didn’t work out but she still holds a tenderness for Terra and will not forget that first love.

Memberance Tree (Neomyosotis flexilis)

“A tree descended from the annual Forget-Me-Not plant (Myosotis spp.). They are sexually dimorphic flora; the female plants/flowers stay short and small like their Myosotis ancestors, while the male plants grow into gigantic willow-like trees, which spread their pollen around through the wind. Also like their ancestors they are most commonly found closeby waterways and marshes. On Hoep they have similar symbolism to the Earth Forget-me-not.“ [x]

The stems/wood are a deep purple while the leaves are a dark pink. The flowers are identical to Earth Forget Me Nots.

Riivar has a large tattoo on her back that’s a broken heart surrounded by Memberence tree flowers. It’s multiple layers of symbolic; it represents her first love (Terra) but also represents her remembering her roots she left behind. The broken heart has an additional meaning; her stepping down from her royal heritage.

Demauria- Venus Fly Trap

Sadly could not find an applicable symbolism; I don’t even remember why I chose Venus Fly Trap for Demauria (a more ice/cold thematic flower would’ve perhaps been a better choice). Perhaps I wanted a ferocious plant for a ferocious personality. I may change this if I ever find a better flower to represent her.

Gator Jaws (Lagartofolia dentislux)

“A carnivorous wetlands species that is found in abundance in the country of Swamani, and in lesser frequency outside the country’s borders. They are quite common in unlit rural areas and rarer near urban areas especially if the cities are illuminated at night. It is a plant that has adapted to attract insects for nutrition at night by illuminating it’s “jaws” during dark hours. Light illuminates on the tips of the “teeth” of the modified leaves as well as inside in leaves itself. Like the Venus Fly Trap which it evolved from, it has hairs inside it’s jaws to help detect and trigger the mouth to close and digest its prey while inside. Also like it’s ancestor, it flowers infrequently and younger specimens tend to die after flowering. The foliage colour of Gator Jaws can range from red/purple to green/orange, and it is not uncommon to find an entire range of different coloured specimens in one area.

There isn’t much agricultural or herbal significance for this plant, however it is still commonly used in Swamani to edge along and illuminate major roads and routes so that the paths can be easily seen and used at night. The macrophylla form of the plant is most commonly used for such paths, and is rarely seen anywhere else compared to other Lagartofolia forms.

In some places Lagartofolia is also known as Growlroot, named so for the growling sound that emanates from the roots of the plant when stepped on. The growling is caused by air pockets among the roots which are released out of the ground when the roots are compressed. It is unknown if these air pockets among the roots are an adaption to give the roots oxygen in watery habitats or if they exist to makes the growling sound as an attempt to scare off potential grazers of the plant.”

They greatly resemble Venus Fly Traps, except that the “trap“ is longer and resemble a crocodillian’s mouth, and the “teeth/hairs“ have bioluminescent bulbous tips.

Anne- Protea

“Diversity – The Protea flower is certainly different and it stands out from the crowd. This unusual flower is attracting attention no matter how beautiful the other flowers next to it are. There is simply something beautiful and mysterious about its appearance and it is a perfect gift for someone equally unique.“

“Courage – Gifting someone the Protea flower is also a symbol of courage. This flower symbolizes overcoming obstacles and finding courage inside of you to make a difference in the world. This flower has a very strong message“

Admittedly not unlike Demauria’s flower, Anne’s was also on a mildly mysterious whim. Unlike Demauria’s though, Proteas do have some symbolism attached to them, which also could be applied to Anne. She does indeed stand out from the crowd (though she may not want to), and the courage works as she throughout the story has to get the courage to open up to others as well as to face the Fallen Slayer destiny/responsibility which she is very scared to face.

Molten Protea [new af so no botanical name]

I still haven’t made up much for information/ideas on this Hoepian equivalent. Just that simply it grows exlusively in hot volcanic habitats (lava flows, volcanos, and in rare cases hot geysers). Probably has a visual molten motif similar to lava/magma. Probably blooms or goes to seed after events like volcanic eruptions.

[ephemeral-afterlight]

Day 23: Bleeding Out

(Run from the masquerade.)

Whumptober 2019 Day 23: Bleeding Out

Word Count: 1661

Relationships: DLAMP (romantic)

Warnings: Stab wound, blood, knife, dissociation (? kinda), assassin, identity theft/false identities, morally grey Patton (Patton was conditioned and trained from childhood to be a killer, though not by choice)

A/N: sorry that this is late. i've lost my second source of wifi and am now on an unreliable schedule. please forgive me. anyway, i know someone wanted something patton-centric, so hopefully this is okay! i know it's not super whumpy, but i've been playing around with this idea for a while and thought it was interesting.

Who am I?

Words filter through Patton’s brain, drench themselves in an apathy far removed from expression of ideals. Breaks and cracks and trials and tribulations rip throughout his head, shake him to the core, and it’s like his train of thought has switched to a west-bound track at the very last second. Nothing seems to be tangible here, impalpable in the bleak, bleached whiteness of the room itself. Existing in an echo of itself, pictures hung in thin air as residual temperament of times past.

Where am I?

The blank space pushing a pressure on his mind shifts and morphs into something new, amalgams of amorphous nothings twisting and braiding strands of senses, whispering gold in artificial light. Walls rise up, looming and hollow, and Patton wants to hide inside a diamond box until the last bit of oxygen is expelled from his lungs. A roof closes over top, securely snapping into place as if it’s been there all along.

Am I alive?

Dreary greys arise from bleeding spots of discolouration in the new room, pooling out to coat a shade darker like a storm cloud just before it fades away. The attempt at colour is pathetic, and wholly a failure, and none of the words seem to stay in Patton’s brain anymore. There are magicians to tell him no, dancers leaping and twirling as they snatch up every bit of coherency Patton didn’t know he still had. They spin away, leaving him with nothing.

What happened?

A true question, valid and fair, but it doesn’t stop his mind from unconsciously raising a red alert that trails for miles long. The query is stolen away, bartered by thieves of the night for the tiniest splash of the colour magenta, and touching that dot of flat paint sends a shock through his system. The new colour shoots out from every fingertip, shades of red falling heavily over the room to muster shadows and highlights and shapes that are now clear enough to be recognized. A bookshelf, a couch, a table. Blurs of wine, marred by time, falling behind, undefined, stuck in line…

Am I awake?

Taken into consideration, broken and under construction in wavering hands that fall to his sides.

Am I asleep?

Movement blossoms underneath his skin, sparks and compels to bring his tired fingers to wrap around his stomach.

What is that?

A real shape, a real feeling, cylindrical rubber and plastic. It’s a handle, ridged and beaten-up and misshapen, malformed, and Patton grips it hard. Pulling at it is like agony, feeling despite the whims of the shallowly merciful, diluted promises to echo brightly in his head. Each word digs into him, digs deep enough to release his cyan blood, and along with the red comes blue and purple. Azure skies spill from his stomach, coat his hands and stick to his clothes, and the clouds are missing.

How did I get hurt?

The knife rests easily in Patton’s hands, forming to the curvature of his digits like a malleable putty slipping between with the viscosity of caramel. Happy accidents reset the logistics of nightmares, pertinent to the matter of when and where and how and why. The who is him, a stolen identity and a fake face, masked with indifference to the things he had to leave behind. Yellow shines through his chest, rays of light splitting him in half, and the full painting bursts into being.

Patton gasps in a choked breath of much-needed air, pupils blown wide in the dim light of the room he’s in. He shoots up from the concrete, the smell of garbage and petrichor wafting up from the alleyway he resides in. Rain splashes down all around him, filling the city’s atmosphere with a staticky, white noise to offset the far-off ambience of horns honking, vague lyrics, and the occasional police siren. The water soaks through his clothes easily, chills him to the bone in the cool night air, but that doesn’t matter because there’s a huge gash in his abdomen, and a bloodied knife discarded on the ground beside him. Hypothermia is the least of his problems right now.

The pain is acute, ripples deep through his flesh as nerves spark like fireworks under his skin. The wound leaves a bitterness in Patton’s heart, calls forth a litany of self-destructive, self-righteous, asinine introspection, things that usually would remain locked deep in the chasm at the back of Patton’s mind. It’s not as if he necessarily wants to die, but maybe it’d be easier to fall asleep here, lay in the flood and accept each pool of regret as they really are.

Maybe not.

After all, his boyfriends are waiting for him at home. The four of them know about Patton’s job and yet stay with him anyway, despite the danger it’s brought upon them all, something Patton regards with a bittersweet outlook. Yes, the show of sentiment is warming, unconditional love acting as a buffer between himself and his karma that he knows he doesn’t deserve, but it also makes them reckless, loyal to a fault. They will all die if they continue to be with him, something Patton has stressed to them multiple times, but the warning never seems to get through their heads.

Roman and Virgil are similar, in a lot of ways, despite how drastically opposing their personalities are. Virgil is unerringly cautious, finds it easy to betray the powerful under the motivation of bettering the masses, and is rebellious despite his paranoia-- it’s what drew Patton to him in the first place. Roman, on the other hand, prioritizes by not prioritizing at all-- every single person is born equally with the ability to do good or evil, and their path is a result of external factors rather than wholly internal. Setting aside his own wants isn’t losing, not really, because no matter what he chooses he will always find gratification, a trait that Patton does not share but respects anyway. Together, they tend to fight and clash, opposing ideals dancing around each other under a common drive and purpose. This overhang is what brings them together, in the end, as two who refuse to stand on the sidelines and let those who cannot fight for themselves be taken advantage of.

Logan is complicated, mainly because of the very nature that forces him down into commonality. He is inconspicuous in every sense of the word, prefers to work in the shadows rather than the limelight, and it’s this trait that allows him to sneak around those he’s manipulating like a puppet master. His intelligence is boundless, never held down by narrow perspective or innate complacency from where he stands as an individual in a society that constantly seeks to strip him of that title. He’s calculating, assesses every possible outcome before he makes a decision, which makes him extremely dangerous. Exactly the kind of person who would be very high up in the hierarchy in Patton’s line of work.

Ethan is the one out of the four of them that acts as an outlier, the one on the other side of the glass. He’s drastically different to the others, sharing very few commonalities, which made getting to know him much more interesting. Ethan is a coward, bravery having melted away long ago, as if it were never there to begin with, and maybe it wasn’t. He’s opinionated, and fierce, and protective, but when push comes to shove, he will hide in the shadows under an umbrella of regret to part the downpour. He means well, but his fear holds him back, leaves him susceptible to panic. However, this doesn’t mean he’s weak; he’s far from it. While Ethan may crack under direct pressure, when he’s allowed to operate in the flanks, fight by proxy, he’s unstoppable. A worldview untainted by inherent decharacterization pushes him far beyond the rest, an allowance of growth never wavering throughout any success he garners.

They’re all unique, special in how they deal with what the world throws at them, and it’s why Patton hasn’t just killed them all yet. The way he grew up, he was always taught to take advantage of anyone who can provide what he needs and then kill them off when he’s finished with them. Being an assassin means no baggage, not a single suitcase taken along, and shedding identities like the skin of a snake is just another part of Patton’s daily life. He can’t allow them to stay. It’s a terrible idea, leaves him with weaknesses if anyone ever found out. And yet he still refuses to give them up, like an idiot. A lovesick fool, just waiting for an enemy to take revenge and the lives of the ones he cares about.

Because that’s the thing, isn’t it? He does care, dreadfully, impossibly so, and it strips him of his advantages. That cold, detached front he’s worked for years to achieve is easily smashed to pieces any time Logan gives him a stress massage, or when Virgil gently holds his hand, or when Ethan curls up with him under a warm blanket, or when Roman gives him soft kisses early in the morning. There’s no way to be the sharp, clinical assassin known as The Heartbreaker while not confronting the fact that he’s also Patton Etienne (for now, at least), a weak, fun-loving secretary from a small town in Florida.

And when his boyfriends finally get sick of him, he will become Jace, an accountant from Manhattan, or the poor artist Kaden, or Mark, the neighbour from down the street. He will blend in like a chameleon for the express purpose of staying on the down-low, put on a new mask every day to get closer to his target, and then he will move onto the next victim and the higher payout. 

But right now, under cover of the night and the rain, Patton clutches his stab wound, struggles to his feet, and limps home.

[mysticsparklewings]

Powder Glass‪

Hu boy it's been busy around here lately, trying to get everything done by this or that deadline :P Even so, some of you may remember the Status Update I posted at the end of January showing off my prize pack from the Sketchiest Sketchbook contest I entered last year. It took a little bit, but I finally got around to playing with the Powder Pack and bio-degradable glitter, and this was pretty fun.   The main focus was, of course, the powders: Pinkest Pink, Loveliest Blue, Greenest Green, and Yellowest Yellow. Which are more or less CultureHustle's claim to fame. Per the (very simple) instructions on the packaging, you can mix the powers with your choice of water, an acrylic base, or linseed oil depending on if you want to use them as watercolors, acrylic paints, or oil paints. (I'm also assuming for watercolors that if you wanted to you could also mix them with some gum arabic, glycerin or honey, and add a white base/pigment if you wanted to try making gouache.) I've actually been wanting to make my own paint in some capacity for a while, but the steps involved in making proper watercolor paints (requiring mixing up bases and milling on a glass surface, among other things) is a little too intimidating and expensive to start for me, so being able to just mix some powder with water sounded like a much more convenient way to get a similar experience. And it was actually as simple as it sounds. I just scooped out a little of each powder onto a palette, added a few drops of water, then mixed the two using a brush. Once I had the four pure colors mixed up, I got a little wild and decided to use a little of the pink and yellow powder to mix up an orange, and a little of the pink and blue to mix up a purple. Then, of course, I swatched each of them out to see what they actually look like on paper. For the most part, they live up to their titles. The main thing of note is that a large part of their titles come from them being bright, neon/fluorescent colors. Likewise, they will never scan or photograph as quite the same colors that you see in person. Technology just hasn't managed to make screens that can display those colors properly yet. But let me assure you that, in-person, the yellow, orange, and pink are so intense they almost hurt to look at.   The green isn't as intense, but there's a chance I got a little more water in it than the others and that's part of why. The blue is nice, but it doesn't have the same wow-factor as the others. And, if I'm being totally honest, it's not really what I picture when I think of the "loveliest blue." I think of more of a deep, saturated sapphire color. This is more of a cyan or electric blue. I do have to say I absolutely love the purple the blue and the pink make together, though. It's a pretty unique shade that you don't really see in watercolors (and to a certain extent, art supplies as a whole) very often. And honestly, I'm kinda surprised that CultureHustle doesn't sell a pre-mixed purple powder for it. Unless I just missed a special edition one at some point. (I know they did a special edition orange one for Halloween, hence why I'm not saying the same thing about the orange.) They also make really, really pretty pastels when you water them down. They have almost a glowing quality to them, especially the yellow. And I did specifically use some neon/fluorescent watercolors I have on hand in my Master's Touch set, just to compare and make sure they were indeed unique and you can't get identical results from just any neon paints. To be fair, the results were similar, but these powder paints do have just a little bit more brightness and intensity to them. They're just more vibrant, somehow. That said, I don't think it's enough of a difference to be massively disappointed if you can't get your hands on the powders. At least as far as watercolors go. I don't have specific plans for more testing just yet, but I would like to play with these some more and see what else they can be used for or might be capable of. But as for this artwork, once I was done with my swatching and a couple blending tests, I went to work on a sketch so I could just play with the colorings and blending. This ended up being, as you can see, an hourglass. It's fairly simple and I thought it would be fairly nice to just kind of let the paints flow to color the sand inside. And it also kind works out since the paints are originally in the form of a powder, similar to sand. (Hence where the lame title came from ) Once that was done, I inked the sketch with my navy Gelly Roll, since they're waterproof and I was hoping for a blue-purple look, similar to a blacklight. I knew I had a Mermaid Marker that was the exact color I wanted, but I couldn't use it for the lines because 1. The ink is basically watercolor and would definitely not stay in place if I got close to my lines and 2. They bristle brush tips. I have a hard time doing clean/consistent lines with a fiber brush nib as it is, forget an actual brush. So I did the initial lines with the gel pen and then after I had the sand painted and dried, I filled in the hourglass rims to my liking, using a paintbrush and water to blend it out to look shaded, and then went back in with a fountain pen I put some of the mermaid marker ink into to thicker the lines in certain places. Then topped it off with some white gel pen for shine. For the powder paints, I did do a couple of test runs on a couple of copies of the lines I made while trying to make sure my inking muscles were warmed up before diving right into the final version. (A habit I'm trying to get myself more in to instead of just diving right in and then getting frustrated when I can't seem to ink anything to save my life.) So when I moved on to the final I had a pretty good idea of where I wanted certain colors to be and I could focus more on just getting them down and letting them flow and blend nicely. I also added in a couple of butterflies for ambiance and treated them the same way I did the hourglass Then I went in with the glitter, which I had somehow forgotten about until I was finishing up the hourglass. Since it is little tiny silver star shapes, I didn't want to treat it like normal glitter or my memories of how we did glitter in elementary school: Put glue down, dump glitter on glue, shake off excess. I carefully would pull out a few pieces of glitter at a time, let them fall somewhere inside the hourglass shape, and then once I had what seemed like enough glitter placed how I wanted it, I very carefully picked up each piece and dabbed the teeniest, tiniest bit of glue on the back of each and then placed them back down roughly where I had picked them up from. It was not a fast process, but it worked. Then, just to top it all off because I couldn't resist, I added a touch of blue pastel around the hourglass. Oh, and it really doesn't show up on the scan at all, but there is some white shine on the hourglass that was done with a white gel pen. It shows up more in-person since the watercolor paper is off-white. It's not the most elaborate or detailed artwork I've ever done, but I genuinely had fun with it and I do think it made for a fun experiment for the paints. And that's all I really wanted anyway. On to the next project! :D ____ Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings ____ Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble |   Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram

[withlovejulien]

Tiny Living is a stuff pack for The Sims 4 available for purchase on January 21, 2020 for PC and Mac and February 4, 2020 for consoles. I was provided with media pre-release access to the pack as part of the EA Game Changers program. Thanks, EA, for making this content possible.

One of the changes I really love that came about in preparation for this pack was actually added to the base game and is available to everyone–now decor items with books have the functionality of bookcases. This isn’t just great for tiny builds, it’s also easy on the budget.

The Build/Buy Items:

Style-wise, the items in the pack are boxy, evoke enamel and/or melamine finishes, and can blend with Swedish style furnishings (IKEA’s plywood and veneer construction) and mid-century modern and seem to complement the styles from the Bowling Night stuff pack, Get Famous expansion pack, and Discover University with a more modern style. The Gurus called it hygge (pronounced like “hoogah”) style–and explained it is a Danish word which can mean cozy and warm.

The shapes of the upholstered chair and love seat are curvaceous with angled, peg legs most evocative of the Bowling Night soft furnishings. The case furnishings are square with a plywood look and can have veneer/wood or enamel/melamine inserts, like Get Famous, Bowling Night, and Discover University. The textures of the items

For build/buy, there are 34 items including two types of Murphy beds (one with a love seat, one without), a single bed, a bathroom sink and toilet, a picture with various images depending on the swatch, a stool, a dining chair, a living room chair, a love seat, three side tables (including the knit ottoman which only acts as a surface, not a chair), a coffee table, a desk, a counter-height glass table, a rug with a diamond pattern, a table lamp, a floor lamp, a ceiling lamp with three different lengths, three wall decor items (kitchen shelves, bathroom shelves, and plants for the wall), a tray with lit candles, a table top decor of books which also functions as a bookshelf, a bookcase which can snap to the sides of the Murphy beds to create a wider object, and two dressers.

Most of the items have a white and black swatch, including the wood color, making it easy to blend with other pack items, add to any color room, or create a white or black space. There are three natural wood tones: a light yellowish natural color like maple, an orange color like a natural cherry, and a dark brown which is an accent color to the light wood (none of the pieces are only dark brown).

If you are into exactly matching wood tones, I will warn you the wood matches very little from the base game. Personally, I like to coordinate tones more than match. Here’s the info for how they might match. The orange wood tone most closely matches the Mega mission-style objects. The dark wood is also close to a swatch available for the Mega mission-style furniture and French country furniture. The light wood tone works with the Anglette desk and coordinating bookshelf and Moon-Gazing chair and Shadow of the Moon table added in an update.

Mega Mission-style Furniture Wood Swatches Compared to Tiny Living Furniture Wood Swatches

French Country Style Furniture Wood Swatches Compared to Tiny Living Furniture Wood Swatches

Base Game Contemporary Furniture Wood Swatches Compared to Tiny Living Furniture Wood Swatches

Anglette Desk Wood Swatches Compared to Tiny Living Furniture Wood Swatches

The orange wood tone matches some of the swatches from the following packs: My First Pet Stuff, Parenthood, Bowling Night, Get Famous, Spa Day, Get Together, and Seasons. The other packs with similar light wood tones include Get Famous, Realm of Magic, Bowling Night, My First Pet Stuff, Spa Day, Vampires, Parenthood, Island Living. None of the wood tones match the modern furniture from Discover University though the light wood tone matches a swatch available on the more traditionally styled furniture.

My First Pet Stuff compared to Tiny Living Wood Swatches

Spa Day compared to Tiny Living Wood Swatches

Vampires compared to Tiny Living Wood Swatches

Realm of Magic compared to Tiny Living Wood Swatches

Seasons compared to Tiny Living Wood Swatches

Island Living compared to Tiny Living Wood Swatches

Cats and Dogs compared to Tiny Living Wood Swatches

City Living compared to Tiny Living Wood Swatches

Get Famous compared to Tiny Living Wood Swatches

Bowling Night compared to Tiny Living Wood Swatches

Discover University compared to Tiny Living Wood Swatches

Get Together compared to Tiny Living Wood Swatches

Parenthood compared to Tiny Living Wood Swatches

Along with wood tones, the items include multiple color swatches. The color combinations include: cyan and yellow, yellow and dark, greenish blue (not the navy blue used in base game or other packs), cyan and orange, orange and purple (a dusty hue of purple which matches the purple used in Seasons), a warm red, think brick, and grey, orange and green. It’s a pleasure to see limited wood tones because it’s easier to use the swatches with each other and all of the items have swatches for the various colors.

The Game Play:

The Tiny Living pack comes with a game play mechanic that provides benefits for living in a tiny home which is triggered when you choose to change you lot type to a tiny home. Once you have selected the Tiny Home lot type, you can select the blocks icon next to the home icon to get more information about the build. There are three tiers of benefits depending on the house size from 100 to 64 to 32 tiles. The tiles are counted by whether they are a floor (basically, if they have, or would have if they were on the ground level, a foundation). Look under the tool bar to see how many tiles have been used (circled in red below).

Benefits:

The most benefit is at Tier 3, only 32 tiles. Bills are less, skills increase twice as fast, relationships increase faster, gardening is accelerated, items are more comfortable, and positive emotions last longer.

Here are some examples of a 32 tile lay out:

32 tile house for Tier 3 home in Tiny Living. A typical layout with all of the living space enclosed in rooms.

A 32 tile modern home with some sneaky space.

The room with the dining table is just a glass roof without a floor–the floor texture is applied directly to the ground (saw Zylria use this idea for a living room area). The patio is also texture directly on the ground.

A 32 tile cabin. Look bigger than 32 tiles? It actually is but the extra space isn’t counted.

This entire second floor does not count because it is technically not a room with a floor. It is individual walls built over the ceiling.

The patio and porch also do not count toward the 32 tile limit.

Space Saving Furniture:

TV/Radio/Bookshelf:

I was in love with the all-in-one wall unit bookcase-radio-TV and how little space it took up even though it cost 2,260 simoleons–until I realized the cost was far more than the items purchased separately and the fun was a one. Watching TV (the cheapest of which, apart from Tiny Living, has a fun of four) became just as inefficient at raising the fun bar as listening to a cheap radio. If you want to use the TV to raise fun, you are better off, and will spend less, buying all of the items separately. You can purchase a radio and a bookshelf that use wall space so the only surface area needed is for the TV and it will have a fun of 5 for the TV and only cost 875 simoleons, saving 1,385. Of course, it won’t look as sleek.

If you can find more surface area, you will save 1,775 simoleons by purchasing the cheapest of each type available in base game for only 485 simoleons and do better for fun while watching TV, a four instead of a one. Remember, book decor items now work as book shelves.

The Murphy Bed:

The Murphy bed is an interesting addition to the game regularly requested by some Simmers. You still need to have just as much floor space available as for a regular bed, including all of the space to walk around it (if you want to access both sides). It costs 2,100 simoleons. The original bed has an energy of one and breaks every time my Sim sleeps in it. With a single bed with an energy of 4 in the same lot, I had to force my Sim to use the Murphy bed since Sims will automatically sleep in the better bed.

With the included love seat and added game play around the Murphy bed, even though the energy is low, it offers something the other beds at the same price cannot: injury and death! I think this is a fairly reliable way to get your Sim killed in the game–which I expect will be a welcome and entertaining way to off your Sims and add some randomness, meaningful consequences, and finality for some players.

When the bed breaks, it can pound your Sim to the floor when trying to lower it, or swallow them up by folding up with the Sim still in it if the Sim is sleeping. Once that happens, your Sim will be scarred for a while!

New Death:

Trying to lower the Murphy bed while it is broken makes the chance to meet a violent end more likely though even when it is fixed there is a small chance for death.

Ghosts from the Murphy bed death have a new power: possess to drain energy. This is a necessary power for the ghosts since they are so traumatized by their violent death by bed that they develop a phobia to sleeping in beds.

New interaction: Possess to Drain Energy

Yikes!

Evil laugh

Like vampire drinking plasma

  Upgrading Beds:

Once my Sim reached a handiness of eight, which didn’t take too long with the 2x skill bonus and the amount of the times I had to repair the Murphy bed, I was able to perform an upgrade to increase the energy gained while sleeping and it was much quicker. Upgrading beds is now available for all beds in the game except for toddler beds. You can also upgrade the Murphy bed to reduce how frequently it breaks.

Tiny Living Benefits:

The benefits to keeping the home at the Tier 3 level are strong. The increase in skill gain and relationship gain is very noticeable. 32 tiles is larger than the 25 squares allowed for the Tiny Living Challenge. Fitting in items for more than two Sims is difficult. I took most of the these game play images in a 32 tile starter home which sleeps three and I often considered what I could have replaced the single bed with. Skill items can be kept outdoors in a “fake” room made with floor texture directly on the ground and walls drawn in place so they don’t create a full room with  a roof.

*some images have been edited to convey additional information and are not standard screen shots.

Tiny Living Sims 4 Stuff Pack Review–Build/Buy and Game Play Tiny Living is a stuff pack for The Sims 4 available for purchase on January 21, 2020 for PC and Mac and February 4, 2020 for consoles.

[cassiopeiassky]

Stars

Prompt: Hey Cass... So I recently got mugged (the asshole took all I had including some stuff with sentimental value AND had the nerve to assault me) and I was wondering if you could write something about that. I'm sorry if the requests are closed, I really don't wanna bother, but I just feel like shit and completely powerless. Thank you for reading this anyway and I hope you know how much your writing makes me happy 

Nonnie, I am so incredibly sorry this happened to you.  I hope this makes you feel a little better ♥  I’m also sorry about the lame title - I couldn’t come up with anything better and I wanted to get this posted for you today (((hugs)))

Reader x Bucky

Word Count: 5349

Warnings: Language, depiction of a mugging, assault/injuries, as much fluff as I could possibly cram in

Carefully keeping your grandmother’s bracelet from dangling into the paint, you squeeze just a little more cyan acrylic onto your palette – you haven’t quite accomplished the perfect shade of purple that you need for the shadowing on your painting.  Blend...a smidgen more magenta…blend again...there.  Finally satisfied with the result, you absentmindedly chew on the end of your paintbrush as you contemplate your next move.

“Hey Strawberry, can I steal some of your cadmium red?  I’m all out,” asks the handsome blonde seated at the canvas next to you.

“Didn’t you just buy a ginormous tube last week?  And wasn’t that the second tube this month?” You swivel in your chair to face Steve directly.  “Do you eat it?  Does it fuel your patriotism?”

He turns to you with a sheepish smile.  “I, uh, I kinda left my paints out last night…again…and Buck stepped on them. Again.”  Steve pauses as you laugh. “I don’t think we’re getting our damage deposit back.”

“Steve, I think that was established months ago with the compressed charcoal incident,” you quirk your eyebrow at him as you hand him the paint, hoping to hide the flush creeping up your neck at the mere mention of Bucky’s name.

 You’d met Steve a little over a year ago at an evening community ed drawing class much like this one.  You needed an outlet for your emotions, and he needed normalcy after saving the world on a weekly basis.  The two of you hit it off right away, and it didn’t take long for him to start acting like your older brother.  When he found out that you walked to the class, he’d insisted on walking you home at night. All that time spent walking and talking had turned into a deep and abiding friendship.  

A few months later, he moved into your apartment building with Bucky – their apartment was just one floor down and two doors over from yours.  Living in the tower had proven to be too much for his friend, so they opted to get an apartment close enough to the tower to be available when needed but far enough away to give Bucky the space he craved to focus on reestablishing his identity as Bucky Barnes.  It surprised you that they’d want to live in your part of town, but Steve insisted that the low-profile area was exactly what they both needed to keep themselves grounded.  

Steve kept promising to introduce the two of you (he kept repeating that his two best friends should know each other) but it just hadn’t happened.  When this class had started you still hadn’t met the mysterious Bucky, but Steve swore that it would happen soon because he’d convinced Bucky to take an astronomy class that was held at the same time as your painting class.  You’d insisted that you didn’t want to intrude on their time so you’d be taking yourself home from here on out, but Steve firmly informed you that he still had every intention of walking you home.  Besides, you lived in the same building.

You could take the man out of the 40s, but you couldn’t take the 40s out of the man.

You were sketching some ideas in your book when you heard Steve speak; he sounded concerned, so you looked up.  “Over already?”

“No, but they’re going up to the telescope.  Too many people in too small a space,” muttered the most beautiful man you’d ever seen in your entire life.  “I’ll go up later, after everyone else leaves,” he looked down as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

You were staring.  You knew you were staring but you couldn’t help it, especially when those incredibly intense blue eyes looked up and focused on yours.

You heard a snicker before the sharp elbow made contact with your ribs.  “Close your mouth,” Steve hissed in your ear.

“Oh my God,” you babbled to yourself, “I’m – hi – you must be – uh hello –“

In your peripheral you could see Steve facepalm before he made the introductions for you, since you were clearly incapable of putting together an articulate sentence.

“It’s very nice to finally meet you, Bucky.”  Good for you, you finally managed to get out something coherent.  Fuck, even your toes were blushing.

A shy smile made its way across Bucky’s face as he maintained eye contact.  “It’s nice to meet you, too.  I’ve heard a lot about you,” he said softly before he bit his lip.

Considering your blatant awkwardness during the first five minutes of your acquaintance with Bucky, it actually ended up being a pretty fantastic night. He’d stuck around to watch you and Steve finish up your painting class before deciding to make his way up to the roof to take advantage of the telescope while no one else was there.  

“Would you like to come with?  I can show you some of the seasonal constellations, if you’d like.”  Bucky’s voice was unsure and timid, but there was a resolve in his eyes that made you smile.

“You should!” Steve encouraged (as if you needed any encouragement to gaze at the stars with Bucky).  “Then you’ll have both of us to walk you home!”

“I’d love to,” was your red-faced reply.  At least you didn’t stutter that time.

 That was almost five months ago, and it had immediately become part of your weekly routine.  It didn’t take long for Bucky to start joining you and Steve on your other outings, and soon the three of you were inseparable when you weren’t working and the boys weren’t training or somewhere across the world.    

The only problem (if you can call it a problem) is that you like Bucky, and not in the way you like Steve, which is how you find yourself blushing at the very mention of his name.  And if you’re completely honest with yourself, which isn’t very often when it comes to this subject, you actually passed like about a month ago.  

Steve knows, oh God does Steve know, and the not-so-little shit never misses an opportunity to tease you about it; he’s actually taken to calling you ‘Strawberry’ because of how you’re perpetually blushing around Bucky.  Steve used to call you ‘Doll,’ but he started using a different nickname right around the time you’d met Bucky because he started calling you ‘Doll.’  That, and Steve thinks he’s funny.

“You should ask him out!” You sigh inwardly at Steve’s comment – you hear it pretty much every time you see him.

“Shut up, Steve.”

“You should!  I’m telling you, Strawberry, he really, really likes you, he’s just too chicken to make the first move.  It’s been a while since he’s put himself out there like that, but he really does like you.”  He’s enjoying this way too much.

“Well,” you begin tartly, “if Bucky is too scared to make the first move, then maybe he’s not ready to date yet, and that’s perfectly fine!  I’m not going to push him, Steve, which is why the ball is in his court.  The last thing I want to do is make him uncomfortable around me; his friendship means too much.”

He huffs dramatically as he squeezes some paint on his palette before returning the tube to you. He’s such a goddamn drama queen sometimes.

Your phone buzzes, and you curse as you check the display.

“What’s wrong?”

It’s your turn to huff and be dramatic.  “Oh, there’s an issue at work that I need to take care of before I go home tonight. You guys are going to have to enjoy the stars without me.”  You start packing up your belongings; you hate to leave in the middle of class, but the sooner you get there the sooner you can leave.

“Do you want us to come with you?  We can find something to do while we wait,” he asks, ever the gentleman.

“No, I’ll be fine by myself, but thanks for the offer,” you smile as you gather your brushes.

“Hey, why don’t I take care of clean-up for you – it’ll save you a few minutes, and then you can get home earlier.”  You nod your thanks at his offer, but he continues, “Strawberry, are you sure?  It’s no problem at all for us to walk with you.”

“Steve, it’s only a ten minute walk from here, and then another ten minute walk home.”  You wave away his concern as you shoulder your bag; it’s not as though you haven’t make the trip by yourself before.  “Besides, Bucky loves gazing at those stars, so I don’t want to be the reason he misses this week.”

“The stars aren’t really the reason why he goes up there nowadays; there’s something else he likes to gaze at,” he wiggles his eyebrows dramatically as he finishes his sentence.

Goddamn it, here you go again.  Your ears are burning this time.

Steve starts laughing and holds up his paintbrush, currently coated in the vibrant red he’s now using.  “Hey look, it’s your face!”

You snatch the brush from his fingers and quickly smear a thick stripe across his forehead and down his nose.  “Oh look,” you chirp sweetly as you give a very shocked Steve his brush back, “It’s your face now, too!”

You’ve left Steve Rogers speechless – gold star for you!  “Tell Buck I said hi, will you?”

Steve nods from behind the rag he’s using to clean his face.  “Text me when you get home and we’ll order food.  We gotta continue our Deadliest Catch marathon tonight if we want to get caught up before the next season starts.”

“Aye aye, Cap,” you salute, and you head out.

***

You sigh as you shut down your workstation for the second time today.  Crisis averted…for now.  You’ll deal with the rest tomorrow.  Stealing a glance at the clock, you see that it’s much later than you’d thought; you’ve been here for three hours.  Oh shit.  Glancing over at your work phone tells you that you have 7 calls that were automatically routed to voicemail since it’s after hours.  Uh oh. Pulling out your phone, you see that you have four missed calls and seven texts from Steve, and just as many from Bucky.  You focus on the last two, sent just a minute or two ago and only seconds apart:

           |Bucky: If I don’t hear back from you in 5, I’m coming to look for you

           |Steve: WHERE ARE YOU

You quickly text them both, apologizing profusely for not answering; you’d forgotten your phone was on silent.  Then:

          |I’m on my way, I’ll be home in 10!  It’s Chinese tonight, right?  Order me some fried wontons, and then you can yell at me all you want.  I’m so sorry, guys!!

Throwing on your coat, you grab your bag and shove your phone into your pocket before heading out into the night.

You’re about halfway home when you feel it; someone’s watching you.  You look around, but don’t see anything out of the ordinary in the yellow glow provided by the streetlights.  There are a few other people on the streets, but no one strikes you as particularly threatening.  

Still…

Should you have had Steve and Bucky come for you?  No, that’s silly.  You’re a grown-ass woman, pull yourself together.

Inexplicably unnerved and incredibly uneasy, you find yourself pulling out your phone to call one of them when it happens.

Hostile hands pull you into the dark space in between two closed stores and slam you violently against the brick wall.  “Ouch…what…what the fuck?” you manage to get out before you take a hit to the face, causing your head to smack the brick behind you once again.  Your vision explodes into thousands of white lights, and you have to concentrate to understand what your attacker is saying.

“Shut up and give me your bag!”

You blink desperately, trying to make the man in front of you come into focus, but you just can’t.

“Give me your goddamn bag!” he starts pushing your around, trying to physically remove the bag himself. You don’t realize that you’re still holding your phone until it rings, causing you both to jump, and you swipe to answer before he can take it from you.  

“Bucky?” you find yourself crying out before the assailant hits you again and knocks the phone to the ground.

“Don’t you fucking dare go for that phone,” the man growls, and he pulls a gun.  A fucking gun.

You freeze as your breath catches in your chest – you don’t think you’ve ever been so terrified in your entire life.  

“Bag.  NOW!”  You jump at the harsh sound of his voice, and hastily hand over your bag.  “And now the coat…that’s a good girl…” You start shivering immediately in the chilly evening air, but he doesn’t care.  “And your jewelry – the thing on your wrist.”

“What?”  Please, no.  Not your grandmother’s bracelet…it’s the only thing you have left of her.

He raises the gun again. “Do I really need to repeat myself?”

You quickly shake your head, fumbling at the clasp to remove it before he hits you again.  He rips it out of your hand, swoops down to snatch your phone, and then he’s gone.

Breathing unevenly, you lean back against the brick before looking around the dark area.  Is it safe to leave?  Is the man just around the corner, waiting to hurt you again?  Is it really over?  You gingerly put your fingers to your face…fucking ow…and then to the back of your head.  Dammit, you’re going to need medical attention. You know you need to move – you need to do something – but you’re rooted in place by fear and pain.

Then you hear it; the sound of running footsteps and your name being yelled frantically by the two people you’ve come to trust most in this world.  

You can move now – they’re your safety.

You take a deep breath before pushing yourself off the wall, walking back out to the street and under the artificial lights of the lamps.  Bucky nearly collides with you before he sees you.

“Oh God, Doll, what happened?”  He pulls you close, and you can’t stop the tears from coming.  “Hey, we’re here now, you’re safe, you’re safe,” he soothes as he gently rubs your back.  They obviously got your call and got there as quickly as possible – Bucky didn’t even pause to grab a coat.

There’s a set of gentle hands at the back of your head – Steve.  “Buck, we need to get her to the hospital.”  A brief pause, and then, “Tony, we found her, she was attacked and mugged…yeah, we need a car…okay, let me know what you find.”

“Steve, hand me your sweatshirt,” Bucky murmurs over your head, and a few moments later something warm is draped over your shoulders.

“I knew I shouldn’t have let you walk alone.”  You don’t have to look to know he’s running his fingers through his short blond hair.

“Steve, it’s not your fault,” you mutter into the crook of Bucky’s neck.  

He just puts his hand on your shoulder as the three of you wait for a ride.

***

As far as hospital visits go, it could have been worse.  Apparently arriving with two of the Avengers gets you star treatment, especially if Tony Stark calls ahead.  You haven’t met the guy, but he seems nice enough.

One concussion, a black eye, a split lip, and 15 stitches to the back of your head later, you can finally head home.  Neither Steve nor Bucky left your side through the whole ordeal, which is probably the only reason why you don’t combust into a teary, hysterical mess when the police arrived to take your statement.  You actually do fairly well, until you get to the part where the bastard took your grandmother’s bracelet.  A new bag and coat can be purchased, more money can be earned, and credit cards can be frozen, but that bracelet is irreplaceable.

You’re not so sure you’ll ever get your confident independence back, either.  Helplessness isn’t a feeling you enjoy, but it’s currently swallowing you whole.

At least the doctors don’t admit you – you really just want to go home.

“Alright, Doll,” Bucky begins as he leads you through the front door of your apartment building, “we can stay with you or you can stay with us; your choice.”

“I’ll be fine, Buck.” You hate the sound of your voice, so small and weak, and God, you hate accepting help from others.

“Nope, the doc said you need someone with you for the next 24 hours,” Steve reminds you, “so you’re stuck with us, Strawberry.  So…your apartment or ours?”

It’s a losing battle, and you know this.  Besides, you really don’t have the ambition to argue.  “Yours, I guess, that way you guys can sleep in your own beds and I’ll just take the couch.”  You purposely ignore the set of matching snorts – apparently one of them will be giving you a bed and taking the couch.  “Let’s just stop at mine first so I can shower and get ready for bed.”

Thank God you’d given them a spare key to your apartment, or your day would have just gotten considerably worse.  

“Alright Doll, Steve’s going to run to the supermarket for some frozen pizzas since the restaurants are all closed. I’ll feed your cat while you’re in the shower, and then I’ll text your boss to let her know what’s going on, that you won’t be in tomorrow, and that you don’t have your cell.  Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“No, I should be good. Thanks Buck.”  You offer a weak smile that’s more of a grimace as you go into your bedroom to gather some comfortable clothes.

Showering helps, to a point.  The back of your head is too tender to wash your hair, so that sucks, but at least the rest of you is clean.  Standing in front of the mirror after dressing, you see for the first time how bad you really look.  Without any makeup to hide the blooming discoloration, you can clearly see where you’ve been hit.  That fucker really did a number on you.

You don’t exactly know when the tears started to fall, but your cheeks are wet and it’s becoming harder to breathe so you lean your back against the wall.  Your next breath comes out as a sob before you slowly sink to the floor.

The insistent knocking you hear makes its way through your consciousness only a moment or two before the door opens.

“I’m sorry for barging in, Doll, but are you -” Bucky stops short when he sees you curled into a ball on the floor.  “Hey, come here,” he whispers as he sits next to you and pulls you into his lap and wraps his arms around you.  “Shhh…it’s gonna be okay…you’re okay, you’re safe, it’s gonna be okay,” he soothes as he slowly rocks you back and forth.

“Will it, though?  He didn’t just take material possessions from me,” you sniff.  

“I know, but Stevie and I will help you get it back, okay?”  Of course Bucky knows exactly what you’re talking about – you don’t need to spell it out for him.  He gently pulls back from you, tilting your head towards his.  “I know what’s like to feel helpless and hurt, to feel like you have no control.”

You nod – you know he does.

“But I also know that you can heal, and that you can rebuild.  It’ll take a while, but you’ll get there.”

You nod again, and take his word for it.  Bucky knows exactly what it takes to get better – he works on it every day – so if he says you can get better, then you can.  Simple as that.  God, you don’t know what you did to deserve these guys, but you’re incredibly thankful for their friendship.

“Thanks, Bucky.”  You wipe your tears away, press a kiss to his cheek, and smile a genuine smile for the first time since you left your painting class.  “You’re amazing.”

Is…is he blushing?

“We, uh, we should get downstairs before Steve burns the place down.  He damn near succeeded the last time we had frozen pizzas.”

You reluctantly pull yourself away from his hold.  “You replaced the kitchen fire extinguisher, right?”

Bucky rolls his eyes as he stands in a single fluid motion and then helps you up.  “Yeah, for the third time.  There’s no way we’re getting our damage deposit back.”

You laugh, and it feels good.  “I think that’s already been firmly established, Buck.”

You run into your bedroom to grab your pillow, and join him at the door to go downstairs to his apartment.

It’s a good thing you left when you did.  You notice immediately when you enter their apartment that something smells slightly off.

Bucky makes a beeline for the oven. “Shit!  He did it again!” he calls out, and you quickly grab a pan for Bucky to slide the pizza out on.

Steve walks into the kitchen at that moment, and looks between you and Bucky with a confused look on his face.  “What?”

“Steve!  How the hell do you manage to save the world on a regular basis when you need Bucky to save you from yourself every damn day?!” Seriously, you want to know.

“What do you mean?” he asks – you cannot figure out how, but he’s genuinely confused.  Blond roots run deep in this man.

“Goddamn it Steve, don’t act like you don’t know!  How many times do I have to tell you that you have to remove the cardboard from the pizzas?”  Bucky is livid.

At least Steve now has the grace to look sheepish.  “Sorry Buck. At least you caught it on time.”  

The last part of his comment earns another glare from Bucky, which sends you into a fit of giggles. They don’t seem to mind, though. In fact, they both seem pretty happy to see you laughing.

***

You don’t remember falling asleep, but you obviously did because you’re being gently woken by Bucky.

“Hey Doll, just checking on you.  Are you feeling okay?” he whispers into the darkness.

Oh, right – the doctor said you needed to have someone wake you every two to three hours for the next day because of your concussion.

“Yeah, Buck, think ’m okay.”  Your voice is thick with sleep, and he chuckles.

“Alright, go back to sleep.”  He snugs the covers tighter around your shoulders, and then you dream of him kissing the top of your head before he leaves the room.

You wake only marginally more the next time he comes in; enough to register that you’re in his room and in his bed.  When did that happen?  You’re too sleepy to think too much about it, though, so you drift off to the smell of him in the sheets.

The last and final time you wake it’s from the sunlight coming in through the cracks in the shades. You roll onto your back and stretch, wincing as the back of your head rubs into the pillow.  Damn, that still hurts.  Opening your eyes isn’t a treat either because the bright sunlight stabs into your brain.  Ugh.

It’s tempting to stay in bed a little longer but you don’t want to displace Bucky any more than you already have, so you force yourself to get up and go into the living room.  You’ll just wake Bucky and tell him to go to bed, and then you’ll take the couch for the rest of the morning.  You stop short at the sight of Bucky sleeping with his face buried in your pillow because it makes your heart clench; God, you care about him so damn much but are too afraid to lose him to actually do anything about your feelings.  You’d enter a romantic relationship with him in a heartbeat, but it needs to be within his timing, not yours.  You will not push.

Too awake at this point to go back to sleep and unwilling to wake him since he seems so peaceful (your mind’s running at full speed now, and your thoughts of Bucky do NOT need to be compounded by going back to his bed), you decide to make breakfast.  It’s the least you can do for them after everything they did for you yesterday, and you know very well how they both feel about waffles.  You have to run to your apartment for a few of the ingredients, but return before anyone wakes up.

You’ve got coffee started, sausage sizzling on the stove, and most of the waffles done when Bucky comes stumbling into the kitchen.  “Just when I thought I couldn’t love you any more, you go and make waffles.”

You were in the middle of spooning more batter onto the waffle iron (the one they’d purchased when they learned that you knew how to make homemade waffles) when he speaks, and you freeze at his words.  Were you supposed to hear that?  Although you’ve known Bucky to be a pretty physically affectionate friend (Steve warned you that if Bucky ever got comfortable with you, that he might get kinda touchy-feely from being what his shrink referred to as ‘touch starved.”  It took a while, but he totally did), he wasn’t one to say overly affectionate statements with the single exception of your nickname. “I…you…wait, what?” you turn around, completely taken aback.

He blushes a furious shade of red, but doesn’t stutter or avoid eye contact when he quietly answers, “I think you heard me, Doll.”

Of course Steve chooses that particular moment to waltz into the kitchen.  “Okay, not that I’m complaining, because I love your waffles, but why is the concussed one making breakfast?”

“Well I couldn’t just stay in Bucky’s bed all day, could I?” you squeak as you turn back to the waffle batter and iron.  You could have, oh, you totally could have, especially if he joined you but that’s not the point and someone please say something because this silence is so awkward and you really just want to ask Bucky what he meant and if he really meant it and what does it mean and oh GOD your mental commentary really needs to STOP.  Gee, you’re not flustered at all, are you?

It suddenly occurs to you that it’s too quiet.  You narrow your eyes as your hands pause over the waffle iron - you can just tell that they’re doing their silent communication thing behind your back.  

“Well, I think I’m going to shower before breakfast.”  Steve’s announcement is unnecessarily loud and his exit is painfully conspicuous.  

Swallowing hard, you move to the stove to turn the sausages – you’re not Steve, you don’t burn things on a regular basis no matter how distracted you are.  Once that’s done, you have nothing else to do until the currently cooking waffle is done.  There’s at least two minutes left.  Two…long…minutes…

You jump a bit at the feel of gentle hands on your head; the soft chuckle by your ear tells you exactly how close Bucky is to you.

“Sorry Doll, I just want to take a quick look at your stitches.”

You stand patiently while he examines the back of your head…wait…did he just drop a kiss into your hair?  When you feel his hands on your shoulders, you turn immediately in response to his unspoken request.

Once you’re facing him, Bucky gently brushes your hair from your face and tilts you toward the light so he can look at your eye and lip.  The way his thumbs are running along your lower lip and your cheek are incredibly distracting; this man will be the death of you and he doesn’t even know it.  Does he?

“You’re gonna be black and blue for a while, and I think the swelling will probably peak sometime today, but you should heal up just fine.”

You smile at his tender touch; you know this side of Bucky Barnes quite well, so much so that sometimes you forget that most of the world only sees a deadly former assassin.  

“I have something for you!” He rushes off.

That was…random.

You turn back to the food, removing the sausages from the heat and taking out the latest waffle before refilling the iron.  

His hurried footsteps let you know he’s coming back – he must be really excited about something, because he hardly ever makes noise when he moves.

“Okay, I know this doesn’t replace what was stolen from you, and that wasn’t my intent, I actually bought this about a month ago.  But maybe…I don’t know…just…here.”  He all but shoves a small box into your hands.  Bucky isn’t always a man of many words, but he isn’t generally awkward; that’s usually your specialty.

You stare at him for a moment, trying to figure out what the hell is going on.  It’s not your birthday, it isn’t Christmas or any other holiday…

“JUST OPEN THE BOX ALREADY AND PUT HIM OUT OF HIS MISERY!”

“SHUT UP, STEVE!” you and Bucky yell at the same time.

A long moment passes as you and Bucky stare at each other before he finally gestures at the box.  “Please open it.”

“Sorry!”  You open the box, and your eyes grow wide at the sight of the lovely silver bracelet resting inside.  It’s got three charms – not the kind that dangle but rather the kind that fits around the chain.  All three silver charms are star shaped with a star shaped crystal embedded in one side; two of them are a rich, vibrant purple, and the stone in the center charm is clear.  “Bucky,” you breathe, “it’s beautiful.” And perfect.  The darker stones are your favorite shade of purple, and you generally only wear silver jewelry. Buy why is he doing this?

You look up at him to find him staring at you apprehensively.  “Flip over the two purple stars,” he chokes out; the words are barely more than a whisper.

You turn the first one, and bring it closer so you can read the tiny words etched on the back.

I wished

Taking a shaky breath after glancing at Bucky, you turn the second.

You appeared

“I, uh, I’ve been trying to give you this for a while, but I just couldn’t work up the nerve.  Last night was a kick in the ass,” Bucky pauses to swallow and run his fingers through his hair before he takes one of your hands in both of his.  “I could have lost you, Doll.  Things could have been much worse, and I would have wasted all this time.  So what I’m trying to say is, will you be my girl?”

A painfully wide smile plasters itself across your face.  Well, what do you know, Steve was right.

Words have escaped you, so you just look up at him and nod.

“Yeah?”  He sounds so hopefully incredulous that you can’t help but giggle.

“Yeah.”  There might have been more for you to say, but you don’t get the chance because he softly presses his lips to yours, careful to not press against the cut in your lip.

“It’s about damn time,” Steve mutters as he walks into the kitchen.  He removes the burning waffle from the iron, grabs some sausage and the syrup, and takes his breakfast out to the living room.

Bucky breaks the kiss so he can clasp the bracelet around your wrist.  

“Thank you,” you whisper.

“For what?  Was the kiss that good?” he smirks; confident Bucky is back in full force.

“Well, that too, but also for the bracelet, and for being here for me.  I don’t think I could have gotten through last night without you.” Your voice catches on the last part, and he pulls you into a gentle hug.

“Well, you’ll never have to know.  I’ll always be here for you, Doll.  We’re gonna get you through this.”

Yeah.  It might take a while, but you’re going to be just fine.

Tagging:    @rogersxbarnesx  @hellomissmabel  @beccaanne814-blog  @howdoesoneadult  @laurenwhitehouse-blog  @musichowler  @nykitass  @danimuhle  @iwillbeinmynest  @sebbytrash @4theluvofall  @shifutheshihtzu  @iamtal  @passiononfire  @jade-cheshire  @flowercrownsandmetallicarms  @lostinspace33  @gingerrootknits  @callmebucky-doll  @learisa  @sammedrano  @hardcorehippos  @knittingknerdy  @vaisabu  @widowvinter  @amrita31199  @bellenuit45  @agentraven007  @sarahjeaniejean  @canumoveyourseatup-no  @unpredictable-firecracker  @omalleysgirl22  @crazyliraz  @shamvictoria11  @kaaatniss  @lillian-paige  @ladylizzieofdarbyshire  @sexyseabass1231  @the-hidden-seeker  @denialanderror  @nea90sweetie  @candyrogers  @ijustwanttobepartofyourworld  @k-nighttt  @almightyunnie @srgtjamesbarnes107 @kimistry27  @maryvmassakre  @mghtiestheroes  @givemethatgold  @manders2487  @fvckingbuckyandsteve  @themistsofmyavalon  @movingonto-betterthings  

[mysticsparklewings]

MakeUp By Artists: Mystic Space Palette

At long last, I have gotten off my lazy bum and participated in my own tag/challenge/whatever   If you'd like to try this #MakeUpByArtists thing to make your own makeup collection, you can download the Premium template that I used with shading and textures and all that here, OR you can download the completely Blank template here. So this is, essentially, what it would look like if I was approached by a brand or suddenly given the funds and means to make my own makeup collection based solely on myself.   I'll be honest, I spent waaaayyyyy too long deciding on some of the color names, but for the most part, the colors themselves were relatively easy to come up with. The lipsticks I just based off of my favorite colors to wear in real life, and the eyeshadows were a mixture of colors I use a lot, colors I wish I had in eyeshadow, and just my favorite colors in general. Even the name of the collection was a little tricky for me since I didn't want it to just be point-blank my name. (But that's definitely an option, I just wasn't feeling it myself.) I started with "Stars and Sparklers," but then as I was trying to name the colors in the collection I felt minorly obligated to make them line up with that as a theme. But that's not what I wanted; I wanted a "theme" that was just me if someone threw my personality in a machine and turned it into a makeup collection. (I can always play with different themes and stuff in other palettes later; this one was just supposed to be about myself.) So I went back and ended up going with "Mystic Space" because it sounds kinda snappy like a typical makeup palette/collection name, but it's also accurate: use these makeup products and you're stepping into my (Mystic) Space. The overall look, likewise, I went with some galaxy stuff for the logo/item theming. I had decided pretty quickly that given the choice, I'd have all the metal portions as that opalescent/holographic-white color that shifts to a kind of pale green or lavender in the light. So I did my best to capture that and going also with that the brush bristles would also be white, both to match and because that way I could more easily see how much color I've actually picked up on it. The lace edging on everything was actually a later addition. My general disposition in terms of style volleys between Pastel and Punk (and often combines the two), and so after some thought I came upon the idea of having white lace accents (IRL, I imagine this would be actual lace somehow tied or otherwise attached to all the different things) against all the stark black. It's pretty nice visual contrast and reflects me pretty well. (I'll also picturing a white bow over the spot where the palette would open/close, and maybe in the store, there were be white bows wrapped around the boxes?) And now I'm going to very quickly run down where each of the color names come from and what they would look like as makeup products, starting with the eyeshadows (order is left-right, top-bottom). I came up with all the colors first, then went back and did names as they came to me: • Sugar Water - A bright white, shimmery shade. Originally the name was going to have something to do with dandelions or Baby's Breath, since I really love those flowers, but more integral to me as a person is definitely that pretty much all I ever drink is soda, and I will often actually put sweetener in plain water when we go out to restaurants. 

• Enchanting - A buildable matte, light seafoam shade. It is a little more cyan than I originally intended, but this still works. Mint/seafoam/robin's egg kind of colors really draw my eye, and I imagine as an eyeshadow with few layers and lots of blending this would work as a lighter mint shade, or the more intense cyan with more layers and less blending, so it hits both of those. The name I derived from "Enchantix," my favorite Winx Club transformation, as this color reminds me a lot of Bloom, the main character from the show, and her Enchantix outfit.

• Mew Know It - A very shimmery/glittery baby pink/rose gold. I use this kind of color a lot when actually doing my makeup, and it happens to remind me of a cat's nose or paw pads, and thus a pun for the name encompassing my love of cats was born. 

• Mummy's Tome - High-Impact, metallic-glitter gold. Also a color I use a lot of IRL. The name here is a 2-in-1. Mummy because I have an inexplicable fascination with Ancient Egypt, and Tome because not only does that make a nice pun on "Mummy's Tomb, but it also references my avid readership. (I was really happy went I came up with this name; I thought it was so clever! ) Cheshire - Another pink, this one more on the matte side and much more intense. I don't use this color a lot, but it is one of my favorites to use in art making (which may or may not be obvious if you know me) and I wish I could use a color like this on my eyes more. Named after the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, naturally.  Specifically from the 1951 version, as it is my favorite Disney movie. 

• Apple of my Iris - A mostly (very subtle shimmer) matte neon purple. I'd use this color if I had it, but I don't! Also one I like to play with in art, though. Originally I was going to call this one "Joker Country" after one arc of my favorite manga, Alice in the Country of, but the next one was also going to have an AiW kind of name originally, and I really didn't want to have three with the same name theme right in a row. I also thought I could do with more puns, so I thought this one up and went with it.

• Faulted Star - An opalescent/holographic electric sapphire blue. My personal favorite out of the palette! I'd find every excuse I could to use this if it was a real thing! Based off of my absolute favorite color in the entire world. The name derives from The Fault in Our Stars, my second favorite John Green book. (It was my #1 before Turtles All the Way Down came out.) And it is also an accurate statement of myself.

• Parade - A highly shimmery/glittery black shade. I do use black eyeshadow a lot, but mostly for intense eyeliner and in small doses to bring out other colors. But I've yet to obtain a really nice, super sparkly black to use. This one probably has my favorite name though; Originally I was trying to force a Winx Club Wizards of the Black Circle reference in, but I just couldn't do it. And then the thought appeared to me: It's Black. And what is the most popular song by my favorite band (My Chemical Romance)? Welcome to the Black Parade. From there, the reference/pun was entirely too good to pass up. And I still love it. Comparatively, the lipsticks didn't have quite as much thought put into their names: • Freak du Chic - An opalescent hot pink, satin finish. I actually have a lipstick this color, but I don't wear it much because A. It's a lot, and B. over the years the actual lipstick has gotten kind of beat-up, so I have to be extra careful when I do use it that it goes where I want it to. Originally I had just named it "Blue Rose," but that was so plain and I had entirely too many things with B names. So I went with a Monster High reference instead, since I strongly associate hot pink with the brand. 

• What in Carnation - A highly shimmery baby pink. This is probably the kind of lipstick I wear the most often since it looks pretty inoffensive on my face but still looks like I am indeed wearing lipstick. The name was also the very first pun I came up with for the names and once I thought of it I couldn't bear to let go of it.  I also really love the look of carnation flowers, so that works out.

• Bloody Berry - Deep, almost pinkish matte red. Surprisingly, I will usually go for red lipstick if I'm not wearing the previously mentioned shimmery pink. I'm not really sure what it is, but I like a nice matte, red shade. (My mother doesn't care for the matte look, but they're my lips, right? ) The name is sort of my poking fun at traditional "berry" names and also sort of a distant reference to the interest I've had in vampires that I've had since I was like ten. Also, I like most berries. 

• Beachy Keen - Satin finish, peachy/apricot/pinky-fleshy/nude shade. I'd wear this more often if I could find exactly the right color, but most are usually not quite what I'm looking for in one way or another. Still, I do like the subtle look sometimes. The name is really purely a pun, but it also works since I like the beach but I don't really like eating peaches. ... I think that's everything! Clearly, I had a lot of fun with and put a lot of thought into this, but that was the point from the very beginning, waaaaaayyyy back when I first started toying with the #MakeUpByArtists idea. So I think I've properly come full circle with it. I just really hope I'm not the only one that ever does this, or this is going to look kind of silly.  Oh well, I had fun and did what I originally set out to do, so no harm was done, I suppose. ____ Artwork & Template (c) me, MysticSparkleWings   ____ Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble |   Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram