#light vs paint vs ink

[blackswallowtailbutterfly]

Red: The longest wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, often identified first in the rainbow. Humans have cones in our eyes for reading it. Used as a primary colour in painting. Is a secondary colour in printing and can be achieved by mixing the primary colours magenta and yellow in equal amounts. Considered a “warm” colour. Often associated with fire or heat in general. A colour that stands out in nature as sign of edible fruit, a warning of poison, approaching autumn, sunrise and sunset, a wound, or inflammation owing to a burn or infection. Often the first colour named in a given society.

Vermillion: A long wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, rarely if ever identified in the rainbow. It is shorter than true red but longer than orange. Considered a tertiary colour in painting as “red-orange” by mixing 75% red with 25% yellow as primary colours*. It is a quaternary colour in printing made with colour values in ratio of 75% magenta to 100% yellow. Often referred to as a “brilliant red”. Rarely distinguished linguistically from red or orange except in fields of work dealing directly with colour. May otherwise be called a “reddish” orange or an “orangey” red.

Orange: A long wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, commonly identified in the rainbow. It is shorter than vermillion but longer than amber. Some humans have cones in their eyes for reading it, but this is very rare. Most human brains read it by making an approximation between red and what we see as yellow. Considered a secondary colour in painting by mixing the primary colours red and yellow in equal amounts. It is a tertiary colour in printing made with colour values in ratio of 50% magenta to 100% yellow. A relatively recently linguistically distinguished colour, previously simply subsumed under red or yellow. Most associated with the citrus fruit from which it gets its name.

Amber: A long wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, rarely if ever identified in the rainbow. It is shorter than orange but longer than yellow. Considered a tertiary colour in painting as “yellow-orange” by mixing 25% red with 75% yellow as primary colours. It is a quaternary colour in printing made with colour values in ratio of 25% magenta to 100% yellow. Sometimes considered a “golden yellow”. Most often associated with the fossilized tree sap from which it get its name, though this material can also be varying shades of white, red, or brown. It is also associated with honey.

Yellow: A long wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, commonly identified in the rainbow. It is shorter than amber but longer than lime. Used as a primary colour both in painting and in printing, but humans do not have cones for reading it, instead making an approximation between red and green. Considered a “warm” colour and the brightest, being indistinguishable from white when colour images are converted to a gray scale. Often associated with the sun. Considered “cheery”. One of the first colours to be distinguished after red, perhaps owing to its brightness, as another sign of autumn, infection, wilt, ripe fruit, or sunrise and sunset.

Lime: A wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, rarely if ever identified in the rainbow. It is shorter than yellow but longer than chartreuse. Considered a quaternary colour in painting as “yellow yellow-green” by mixing 87.5% yellow with 12.5% blue. It is also a quaternary colour in printing made with colour values in ratio of 25% cyan to 100% yellow. Though it takes its name from green citrus fruits its colour is more often seen in very young leaves or shoots in springtime. Rarely distinguished linguistically from yellow except perhaps to be identified as “greenish”.

Chartreuse: A wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, rarely if ever identified in the rainbow. It is shorter than lime but longer than harlequin. Considered a tertiary colour in painting as “yellow-green” by mixing 75% yellow with 25% blue. It is a tertiary colour in printing as well with colours values in ratio of 50% cyan to 100% yellow. It takes its name from a French liqueur whose shades vary between yellow and green. In nature the colour is observed in young plant growth in the springtime. Often simply subsumed under green.

Harlequin: A wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, rarely if ever identified in the rainbow. It is shorter than chartreuse but longer than true green. Considered a quaternary colour in painting as “green yellow-green” by mixing 62.5% yellow with 37.5% blue, and in printing with colour values in ratio of 75% cyan to 100% yellow. Rarely distinguished linguistically from true green except perhaps as “yellowish” or “bright”. A common colour in nature.

Green: A wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, commonly identified in the rainbow. It is shorter than harlequin but longer than erin. Humans have cones in our eyes for reading it and can distinguish more shades of it than our digital devices can. Despite this it is not the first colour named, likely because of its consistency as a background colour. Considered a secondary colour in painting by mixing yellow and blue in equal amounts, and in printing by mixing cyan and yellow in equal amounts. Most often associated with plants or with nature in general. It mostly has positive connotations, but can also be a sign of rotting food, infection, or a severe storm.

Erin: A wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, rarely if ever identified in the rainbow. It is shorter than green but longer than spring. Considered a quinary colour in painting by mixing 43.75% yellow with 56.25% blue. It is a quaternary colour in printing made with colour values in ratio of 100% cyan to 75% yellow. It takes its name from the country of Ireland, which is associated with lush green as a result of frequent rain. It is rarely distinguished linguistically from green except as “bluish”, “cool”, or “turquoise-ish”. Considered an attractive shade of green for gardens.

Spring: A wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, rarely if ever identified in the rainbow. It is shorter than erin but longer than aquamarine. Considered a quaternary colour in painting by mixing 37.5% yellow with 62.5% blue as “green blue-green”. It is a tertiary colour in printing with colour values in ratio of 100% cyan to 50% yellow. It likely gets its name from the colour of some healthy plants after the spring rains, such as tulip and hosta leaves, but can still be a confusing name due to shades of yellow-green being commonly associated with spring. May also be referred to as “seafoam”, “aqua-green” or even “turquoise”. Considered an attractive shade of green for clothing or jewelry.

Aquamarine: A wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, rarely if ever identified in the rainbow. It is shorter than spring but longer than cyan. Considered a quinary colour in painting by mixing 31.25% yellow with 68.75% blue. It is a quaternary colour in printing with colour values in ratio of 100% cyan to 25% yellow. It takes its name from a colour variety of the beryl gemstone that is most often a light cyan to azure, but sometimes the shade described here. Used much in the same way spring and cyan are in clothing and jewelry. A very uncommon colour in nature outside tropical regions where it is viewed in shallow seas.

Cyan: A wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, sometimes but not always identified in the rainbow. It is shorter than aquamarine but longer than capri. Considered a tertiary colour in painting by mixing 25% yellow with 75% blue as “blue-green” or “teal”. True cyan cannot be made with the RYB colour model+. It is therefore a primary colour in printing, but humans do not have cones for reading it, instead making an approximation between green and blue. The physical colour is considered “brilliant” or “neon”. As a secondary colour of light, its brightness is only succeeded by yellow. Often referred to as “aqua”, “turquoise”, or simply subsumed under blue. A very uncommon colour in nature outside tropical or polar seas.

Capri: A wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, rarely if ever identified in the rainbow. It is shorter than cyan but longer than azure. Considered a quinary colour in painting by mixing 18.75% yellow with 81.25% blue. It is a quaternary colour in printing with colour values in ratio of 100% cyan to 25% magenta. Often subsumed under blue or cyan. Rarely referred to as “aqua”, sometimes referred to as “sky-blue”.

Azure: A short wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, rarely if ever identified in the rainbow, but commonly seen in the sky. It is shorter than capri but longer than cerulean. Considered a quaternary colour in painting by mixing 12.5% yellow with 87.5% blue as “blue blue-green”. It is a tertiary colour in printing with colour values in ratio of 100% cyan to 50% magenta. Often subsumed under blue, most often as “sky-blue”. Considered a calm colour, as indicated by the sky on a clear day.

Cerulean: A short wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, rarely if ever identified in the rainbow. It is shorter than azure but longer than blue. Considered a quinary colour in painting by mixing 6.25% yellow with 93.75% blue. It is a quaternary colour in printing with colour values in ratio of 100% cyan to 75% magenta. Often subsumed under blue. May occasionally be referred to as “sky-blue”. Most often associated with large bodies of water.

Blue: A short wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, commonly identified in the rainbow. It is shorter than cerulean but longer than indigo. Humans have cones in our eyes for reading it and can distinguish countless shades of it. Used as a primary colour in painting. It is a secondary colour in printing, consisting of equal cyan and magenta colour values. It is a considered a “cool” colour, especially when contrasted with red. True print blue is sometimes seen as more on the “purple” side when compared to azure. Blue is often the last colour range to be named, likely due to the consistency of the sky and that it doesn’t signify warning, seasonal change, and only very rarely ripe fruit. It also doesn’t stand out on a landscape of green. However, it is a common favourite colour perhaps because of the positive connotations of water and a clear sky. In gardens it does stand out among red and yellow flowers and is a popular colour choice for clothing and jewelry.

Indigo: A short wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, commonly identified in the rainbow. It is shorter than blue, but longer than violet. Considered a tertiary colour in painting as “blue-violet” by mixing 25% red with 75% blue. It is a quaternary colour in printing with colour values in ratio of 75% cyan to 100% magenta. While often subsumed under blue or violet, it is still more frequently identified than other tertiary-quinary colours, perhaps owing to the availability of dyes that can produce the colour. It is associated with twilight and often confused with or synonymised with “navy blue”, “midnight blue”, or “aubergine”, owing to the relative darkness of its most saturated shade compared with that of other colours.

Violet: The shortest wavelength on the spectrum of visible light, commonly identified in the rainbow. Humans do not have cones for reading it but our brains make an approximation of blue and red, more on the blue side. Considered a secondary colour in painting by mixing equal amounts of red and blue. It is a tertiary colour in printing with colour values in ratio of 50% cyan to 100% magenta. Relatively recently distinguished due to at-the-time rare dyes giving it an association with royalty, it was often and sometimes still is subsumed under blue or rarely red. It is a well-liked colour associated with grapes and plums, twilight, or flowers, some of which it share its name with.

Purple: Beyond the spectrum of visible light, rarely if ever identified in the rainbow unless as a synonym of violet. It is an approximation made by our brains to go between what we see as violet and what we see as magenta. Considered a quaternary colour in painting as “violet red-violet” by mixing 62.5% red with 37.5% blue. It is also a quaternary colour in printing with colour values in ratio of 25% cyan to 100% magenta. Often considered synonymous with violet, though side by side the two are quite distinct, with violet being more “cool” and purple being more “warm” or “pinkish”. May at times be subsumed under magenta. In the past it was subsumed under red or rarely blue.

Magenta: Beyond the spectrum of visible light, yet often identified in the rainbow as the last colour or even sometimes the first before red. It is an approximation our brains make between red and blue that is opposite to green, since green light is absorbed by “magenta” objects. Considered a tertiary colour in painting as “red-violet” by mixing 75% red with 25% blue. True magenta cannot be made with the RYB colour model. It is therefore a primary colour in printing. Also called “fuchsia” or “shocking pink”. Though often associated with pink, pink is more accurately a pale red. It is considered an extremely feminine colour in modern times owing to branding targeting women and girls. Has been subsumed under red in the past. In sweets it is often associated with strawberries, cherries, or raspberries. But the fruits with a “true” magenta colour are some dragonfruits, some gooseberries, some currants, and others not commonly found as flavours in sweets.

Cerise: Beyond the spectrum of visible light, rarely if ever identified in the rainbow. It is an approximation our brains make between what we see as magenta and what we see as rose. Considered a quinary colour in painting by mixing 81.25% red with 18.75% blue. It is a quaternary colour in printing with colour values in ratio of 100% magenta to 25% yellow. It is almost always subsumed under magenta with the same associations with candy flavours. Also called “fuchsia” or “pigeon’s blood”.

Rose: Beyond the spectrum of visible light, rarely if ever identified in the rainbow. It is an approximation our brains make between red and what we see as magenta. Considered a quaternary colour in painting as “red red-violet” by mixing 87.5% red with 12.5% blue. It is a tertiary colour in printing with colour values in ratio of 100% magenta to 50% yellow. It is often subsumed under red or sometimes magenta. The flower from which it gets its name is most often associated with a red-pink-magenta-white colour range, though they can also be yellow, green, or even violet. It is sometimes called “fuchsia”, “pigeon’s blood”, “watermelon”, “ruby” or “pinkish red”. It is considered an attractive colour for clothing or gardens.

Crimson: Beyond the spectrum of visible light, rarely if ever identified in the rainbow. It is an approximation our brains make between red and what we see as rose. Considered a quinary colour in painting by mixing 93.75% red with 6.25% blue. It is a quaternary colour in printing with colour values in ratio of 100% magenta to 75% yellow. It is often subsumed under red or sometimes rose and rarely distinguished from either except as “pinkish red” or “rose red”. It is sometimes called “blue-red” or “ruby”, and confusingly its name “crimson” is often also given to dark red or “blood red”.

This is far from every hue of colour we can visibly distinguish and did not include dark versions or pale versions. And I could have left it at red, orange, yellow, chartreuse, green, spring, cyan, azure, blue, violet, magenta, and rose. But it didn’t feel right to leave out yellow-orange, red-orange, indigo, and purple, and if I had those I had to include the rest.

*This is a baseline, but painting in art rarely involves exact amounts, and in printing digital colour values often don’t reflect the amounts of inks being used.

+Though the RYB model is used in art for basic mixing, artists are not limited only to the shades that model can create. There are many pigments an artist can use directly, and even the CMYK model of printing has its limits in brightness, which is why six-colour printers exist and why press printers may apply PANTONE inks directly.

[rookfeatherrambles]

So many ideas. Dumping them here for a pinned comment to keep track. When these have AO3 links, I'll list them here The Angel that Cries Ink (Jmart, Jonelias) Jon has been locked under the Magnus Institute for 200 years, waiting for one person. Martin Blackwood. IN PROGRESS)

Bound by Spider's Thread (Jmart, time travel, somewhat fix it, No sex, Annabelle asks Martin to kill a bitch for her in exchange for saving Jon's life somewhere else) WIP)

The Beast in your Heart (La bete dans coeur) Jonelias, Eventual jmart, Hunt!Jon, Kai!jon. Jon finds out about the watcher's crown ritual and chooses the nuclear option. To throw himself at another fear. He is subsequently transformed, and elias is not nice to jon when he finds out what he's done. Dead dove, very dark, very smutty WIP)

Chiaroscuro (Jmart, timsasha, Artist/Muse au. Jon is a infamous artist who paints the most captivating art but has remained out of the spotlight. A medical diagnosis makes him decide to retire, but he's going to do one final piece. Enter Martin, and Jon's inevitable falling in love with his final muse, no sex, ace jon (WIP

Under skies and sea (Vast Jon. No sjhip. Jon is becoming a sea bird. this is problematic for many reasons) WIP)

Sable Island AU (Jmart, Foggyskies, Jon is a low profile environmental researcher that takes a job on a remote island studying seabirds. He starts to become one, and chronicals his journey. Then Martin, the sun of Peter Lukas, one of two men that are wagering over Jon's life, crashes the supply boat onto the island. They reflect on life, and death (WIP

The Storm Singer : (Jmart, Jonpeter, Foggyskies) Jon is the last siren in the bay and he's sworn to destroy the man who ruined his life. Peter is the fisherman turned monster hunter that massacred Jon's people. He wants Jon dead because he killed his wife. Martin and Simon are also there and they are in love! (not with eachother) Sirens and Sailors! Smutty (WIP

The Lonely Bride: Jonpeter forced marriage. Martin refused to run away with jon in s4 and Peter offered him an alternative way out. Dark, exactly what it says on the tin. smutty (WIP

The Hunter's Stag (Jonpeter, fantasy au. Faerie au.) Jon is a magic white stag that was cursed by a faerie king, to run until he's caught and killed. Peter is the hunter that doesn't want to do that. They become friends. And then more. (WIP

Wintergreen AU: (noship. Jon is 8, has a boat, and is going to america. he gets caught in bad weather and picked up by the Tundra. Now there's a child on board his ship and Peter Lukas doesn't know what to do with him. Silly, lighthearted fun i guess. WIP)

I'm not your Protagonist (I'm not even my own): Jmart, Jonelias) Jon wakes up somewhere else and realizes he's not happy. He does his best to figure out why. (EVERYONE HAS TRAUMA AND GETS THERAPY FIC) WIP)

YEOMYTIM (Your eyes on mine, your Teeth in me _Jondaisy, WIP)

The Hearthwitch's Cat (Jmart, Fantasy) Jon is a powerful arch mage that learns a terrible secret and for his safety, becomes a cat. Martin is the hearthwitch he chooses to adopt as his owner. Fluffy, romance, silly fantasy shenanigans (WIP

The red strings of fate (Can go fuck themselves) Jonelias, eugenics au) Jon is someone who never ever wanted to have a partner, but the system matches him to some bastard name Elias Bouchard. Jon's only way out of having children (legally) is to be a holy terror of a wife. Shenanigans ensue. Smutty, fluffy, light hearted i guess. Elias is not evil and Jon is ace spec WIP)

Non TMA stuff:

Dawn of Shadows (Wip, fantasy)

Everyone loves Fucked Up Houses :) (wip, horror)

That weird creepypasta thing, (wip, horror romance)

A real War (wip, Everymanhybrid)

Mabel vs the Grim Reaper (wip, Gravity Falls)

Grimoire Falls (horror fantasy, gravity falls au)

If I think of more of these, I will add them!

ALSO IF YOU ARE CURIOUS, SEND ME AN ASK ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT! Seriously yell at me about my ideas please im desperate :))

EDITED 3/29/24

[bigmammallama5]

One detail I’m losing on my drawtobers is that I’m using an iridescent silver acrylic ink and iridescent gold paint (and some very light muted washes of the pretty green ink I treated myself to last year). When I finish the set and take better pictures I’m hoping they’ll show better through a DSLR camera vs my phone lol.

[fly-sky-high-09]

HII I’m not sure if this is the right blog but I’m so curious about how you color artwork, like what brushes you use, I really love your style and have thought about taking some inspiration from it

Hi! :D This is fine, I'll reblog it to my art blog so it can be easier to find, no worries.

I'm not the type that uses too many different brushes! I ended up comfortable with just a single brush for most of my work unless the style calls for something else (like soft look of Rain World, which I did a little step by step for here~)

The main brush I use for just about everything is Design Brush. I use it for sketching, I use it for lineart and I use it to add shadows and highlights! I also like to mess with the backgrounds with it

I got hooked to Real G-pen recently for fun lines and texture! Opaque watercolor is what I use for soft rendering like slugcats~ Gouche is very fun to paint with also because of the texture! I haven't used in awhile tho. Light running ink is what I use for smokey effects, clouds, stuff like that! I love the brush! And uh... the last brush is called *checks the source* Nouchika Square Brush. It's free! It's square! It's new to me! very fun to use!

Details about the steps with Design pencil:

After sketching, I basically just lineart with the same brush in a different layer (or multiple of them, if needed!). Once done, I also duplicate the lineart layer to make the previous a little sharper, since depending on the pressure the brush can be faint or very strong, which will come in handy with colors later!

Single layer VS doubled:

Next, for easy color in, I select the areas outside of lineart, invert selection and even shrink it by 1 pixel. Then, I color the new layer bellow lineart flat with one base (in this case, Koromon's pinkish color)

Above it, I hand fill other colors and yes, there are probably easier ways to do that but I am way to used to the hard way XD Note that I rely on this: Hold CTRL and click on base color layer to select everything in that layer, then make a layer and color within that, so I don't cross the border/lines.

I usually lock layers for the next part but you can also just make a new layer above.

Use gradient tool (with which ever options) and select colors that are slightly shifted in hue and saturation from the base color picked one and toss in a bit of gradient shadow and highlight in each locked color!

Remember, color picker is your best friend ever to befriend in any art program! it will help you find hues in this gradient you can work with to add to the shape while doing the simple render!

Now, I use the same brush still but I change sizes depending on which area I'm going to go across. Nice part about it is the aforementioned pressure that can apply less or more color depending on how much you press down. I go with the light strokes over first and then stronger ones above! you can get softer shading this way! Same with highlight~ If something feels off somewhere, color pick the nearest hue and stroke the mistake away~ You can do the same if you want to use any present hue in another part of the figure

after that's done, I then tend to put another layer and select Overlay option on it to add at least a little bit more shadow or highlight (I chose highlight in this case). There is no background for this drawing so I figured it would be nice to add a little bit of cold colors to the warm ones Koromon is made of.

You can play with other layer options or even edit and color adjustments like tone curve, color balance and brightness/contrast, with any color layer! I do it a lot actually~

You add some extras if you want and you're done~

There is not much to it, so I use this for a simple style commission!

[primroseprime2019]

Name: PrimrosePrime ❀❀❀❀❀

Nicknames: 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝐺𝑒𝑚，ᒪITTᒪᗴ ᑭᖇIᗰᗴ, 🅟🅡🅘🅜, 𝔏𝔦𝔱𝔱𝔩𝔢 𝔓𝔯𝔦𝔪𝔯𝔬𝔰𝔢

Age: 21 years old

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Bisexual, Lesbian, Polyamory, Demisexual, Xenosexual

Favorite Tv Shows: Transformers (Prime, Animated, Cyberverse, Earthspark and 2015’s Robots in Disguise), Star Wars Rebels, Gravity Falls, My Little Pony, Steven Universe, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, The Owl House, Lucifer, All American, Pokemon, Star Vs. The Forces of Evil, Miraculous Ladybug, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Stranger Things, Dragons: Race of the Edge and Defenders of Berk, Tales of Arcadia, Sonic Boom, My Hero Academia, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Legend of Korra, Lego Monkie Kid, Young Justice, The Sandman, Obey Me, Death Note, A Centaur's Life, Bob's Burgers

Favorite Books: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds, Lore, Divergent, Warriors, Chronicles of Narnia, A Monster Calls, Wings of Fire

Favorite Games: Five Nights at Freddy’s, Sky: Children of the Light, Switchcraft 3, Super Mario 3D World, Apex Legends, Bendy and the Ink Machine, Minecraft, Genshin Impact, Uncoven, Pokemon Go

Favorite Movies: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and Sea of Monsters, Avengers (Age of Ultron, Infinity War and Endgame), Godzilla and King of Monsters, Spider-Man: Into/Across the Spider-Verse, The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Jigsaw/Spiral, Carrie, Shrek, The Last Unicorn, The Maze Runner, The Hunger Games, How To Train Your Dragon 1, 2 and 3, Rise of the Guardians, X-Men, Ghost Rider, Descendants, Jurassic World 1, Fallen Kingdom and Dominion, Nimona, Split, Glass, Candyman (2021), Nope, Us, Kong: Skull Island

Loves: writing, drawing, reading, taking naps, making friends, stargazing, watching movies, painting

I am autistic and I support LGBTQIA+

I am a writer and I’m working on 55 chapter stories called Transcendants.

I ᵃᵐ 𝕒 𝔩𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔴𝔬𝔩𝔣 ᙖY ᑎᗩTᙀᖇᙓ

☆☆☆ 𝒯𝒽ℯ 𝒰𝓃𝒾𝓋ℯ𝓇𝓈ℯ 𝒽𝒶𝓈 𝒫𝓁𝒶𝓃𝓈 𝒻ℴ𝓇 ℐ𝓉’𝓈 𝒫𝓇ℯ𝒸𝒾ℴ𝓊𝓈 𝒮𝓉𝒶𝓇𝓈 ☆☆☆

♱

WIPS: Transcendants: A Light in the Darkness (55/55)

Transcendants: Skyfall (55/55)

Transcendants: The Ghost's Curse (53/55)

Stars Colliding (5/30)

A Rose Among Thorns: (7/35)

Witch of the Moon: (6/60)

The Human Among the Elves: (6/30)

Curse of the Divine (3/?)

A Dragon’s Enemy (4/?)

Through the Spider-Verse (10/?)

[thethirddaughter]

not the time for philosophy

Art by Abigail Larson

HELL BENT SPOILERS --- You’ve been warned

Title: not the time for philosophy

Fandom: Alex Stern/Ninth House/Hell Bent (Leigh Bardugo)

Rating: M/18+

summary: extended and spicy version of the dream before--

the Gauntlet (around p206) I wanted SOME spice and figured this was a spot where with the play with dreams and what was real in Alex’s head vs not would be an interesting place to explore it. I get and respect L. Bardugo opting to have their romance be a slow burn, especially given Alex past. I used this as a chance to play with prose and get some of my obsession with this book out.

Pairing: Alex/Darlington

RATING: M/18+

~~~~~

“is this real?’ she asked.

But Darlington only smiled. “This isn’t time for philosophy.”

“Tell me how to reach you.”

“Come closer, Stern. I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

Was she afraid? Was this the real Darlington, or was he the monster waiting in the garden? Some part of her didn’t care. She stepped forward.

“Was it you that night?” She could see the circle of the protection was fraying, dissolving into sparks. He is dangerous. He is not what you think. “At Book and Snake? Did you use the corpse to spell my name?”

“Galaxy Stern,” Darlington said, his eyes flashing gold. “I have been crying out to you from the start.”

Alex stepped through the flickering and fading sparks of the barrier. If it was her own free will moving her feet forward or that mysterious pull, she couldn’t tell. She didn’t care. His eyes flashed one moment a warning, the next a desire.

She reached her hand out, towards the dying protections, even without the glimmering wall, the moment her arm crossed the failing barrier, her tattoos came to life again, the lion on her forearm growling. As her feet crossed the chalk circle the glow died. For a moment it was like the room was back to its former self, a ballroom of faded glory. The weights along the walls were almost dreadfully normal. Darlington reached out for Alex’s hand. She watched her hand slide into his.

His hand started to glow, his fingertips shifting into talons, the tips lightly scratching her skin.

Darlington’s eyes flashed to blue, his eyes pleading. “Please.”

He pulled her to his chest, holding on tight. She was stunned but couldn’t help herself from closing her eyes and breathing in the smell of him, parchment, ink, musk, and smoke. Her fingers found their way into his hair, finding his curls gown out, the soft tangles tickling the nape of his neck.

Darlington’s mouth brushed against Alex’s neck. Despite the warmth of the room, she shivered.

They were back in Darlington’s bed, Darlington curled up around her. His hand gripped her left breast, his thumb brushing back and forth across her nipple. His erection pressed into the curve of her ass. Her eyes closed. A light in the room grew, oppressively bright against her eyelids.

She opened her eyes and found herself standing in Manuscript, in the banquet room from last Halloween. The room was empty, no revelers or masked alumni. Only Alex and Darlington on his knees before her were in the room, his face pressed into her lower abdomen. She looked up into the great mirror and reflected back she saw herself engulfed in blue flame. She looked down at her fingers and found no flames dancing across her fingers, but back in the mirror, the image sharpened. She wasn’t consumed by the fire, she was the fire. At the center of the blue flames she was dressed as Queen Mab, but instead of a plastic, spray-painted flower crown, a crown of silver flames sat at her brow. Knelt before her, head pressed to her abdomen, was her gentleman demon. His shoulders were broader, his skin glowing golden red. Her hand caressed his dark curls as they made their way to his horns.

Alex looked down and found Darlington was naked once more, his skin glowing gold and red, his horns very much real in her hands. She felt his claws scratch the back of her thighs, hungrily pushing up the hem of her nightshirt.

“I will serve you ‘till the end of days,” he breathed into her. One hand slid up her thigh, his talons catching on the edge of her panties. He growled.

Alex gasped, his lips burning hot against her, rough with hunger. He pushed his tongue into her and she squeezed her eyes shut. Nothing about this felt right, but she longed for more, craved it, needed it. He suckled on her clit and her eyes squeezed tighter, a whimper escaping her.

Darlington pulled his mouth away. Alex opened her eyes and they were back in Black Elm, the ballroom filled with her blue flames. Darlington knelt before her, his erection glowing bright. He pulled her down onto him. Alex shuddered as he entered her, slowly. Once on his lap she ground her hips into him. Darlington’s hips bucked violently. He quickly turns, flipping her onto her back. Darlington’s skin faded to a deep red. The symbols glowed.

“I have appetites, Stern.” His mouth went to her neck, licking, kissing, his teeth pressed into her skin—

Alex’s eyes shot open, the sheets were soaked with sweat, and the wound at her neck was leaking pale pink rivulets of blood.

[bijoumikhawal]

Re your latest post: this is your free invitation to talk about Hebitian art vs Cardassian art! (And if either impacts the clothing we see on the show)

Would also love to hear more about your read of Garak as biracial, and any scenes on DS9 that may change with this context in mind

Hoho, I do have some thoughts

So Hebitians' deal, historically, with clothing, is that it's very drapey. The most popular piece of clothing across Hebitian cultures is a "kilt*", a long piece of fabric wrapped around the waist and gathered in the hand in the front and back for leg + tail movement. Everyone had this, even if it was quite short, or another piece of fabric that also wraps around the waist but comes up between the legs and has a slit in the back.

This is reflected in Hebitian art which I picture has having a midpoint between Amarna art and Mauryan art

Other Hebitian clothes, including more "structured" Hebitian clothes, follow this.

For example, here is Garak in some pre-Union Qåmtsu (his ethnic group within broader Hebitian culture) clothing. His "kilt", as can be seen, isn't a long pieve of fabric gathered in hand each time its worn- its made of several pieces of fabric sewn together (though it is a wraparound). Additionally his blouse here retains the simpler gathered look, and it's held closed with pins.

Qåmtsu clothing is the most similar to Cardassian clothing because they lived in a region where both groups really couldn't avoid each other pre-Union. Its still pretty distinctly Hebitian. A few clothes that I think have some Hebitian origin in Cardassian life are gathered dresses we see Bajoran comfort women wearing- the Cardassian stereotype of Hebitians is that they're sexually loose, so draped clothing thats viewed as similar to theirs is seen in a particular way. (And this is an example of how despite there not necessarily being very much direct interaction between the two, their treatment under the Cardassian Union is irrevocably interlinked).

Both groups had a strong calligraphy and ink painting tradition beforehand, with Hebitians traditionally usually using reed pens and Cardassian using brushes (something of an interesting incongruity considering their overall aesthetics).

By contrast I think Cardassian art really likes glassware, and what I call "relief painting". The glassware is because we actually see quite a bit of stained glass used in Cardassian architecture- I've mentioned this before when talking about what colors get canonically used in Cardassian contexts (the default Cardassian color is brown, btw). The fondness for colored glass really just makes sense to me, it's an easy way of dimming light for your poor little lizard eyes while looking pretty and potentially using an abundant resource. A lot of jewelry and household objects are made of glass- but what's really important are glass tiling and mosaic.

So we all know mosaic, and as you can imagine this is where the very geometric, colorblocked nature of Cardassians is reflected in art. There is of course, a great ability to depict detail in mosaic, but there are things that are easier than others. Cardassians don't really do asymmetry, they don't do wrinkles or visible closures**, and if they do small details they're still noticeable. If they need ease, they use pleats. The color blocking has morphed in recent years, as economic struggles make piecing fabric more common (basically if you're working with poor yardage, you can sew two small pieces of fabric together and cut the pattern piece out of the new bigger piece) to the point where its morphed into color blocking again really, and is a public display of patriotism and frugality.

Making the tiles themselves isn't an exception either, though glass cane can be made with more free patterns- theres still an emphasis on symmetry and regularity.

"Relief painting" isn't really painting at all. Relief paintings are typically done starting with a sheet of inflexible material, which is painted on with a thin clay, cement, or similar material to create texture. This is gradually built up to depict a landscape or scene, looking much like a carved relief in the end. Some artists use different colors of material to create an effect, but many of these are done in monotone to allow the skill of applying texture to stand on its own merit.

(* we're using kilt here because I don't know a better word to use than the very vague "Sarong" or maybe "fouta")

(** unless you're working class or rural poor)

---

And as for scenes in the show... there's a few, such as "...you must be true to yourself..." "with beliefs like that you wouldn't last 5 seconds on Cardassia" "would you?", but the one I've thought about is "I never betrayed you in my heart". But first, let's contextulize that.

“Yes,” I answered. The benign mask was slipping, and I began to see the depth of his anger. “And when he does, your powerful enemy now becomes an implacable one. He won’t rest until he has destroyed every trace of you.” He was spitting his words at me. “What are you going to do?” he demanded. “I don’t know,” I admitted with tightly wound control. “You don’t know!” he repeated with a disgust I hadn’t heard since I was a boy and failed to record all the details of one of our walks. “And I’m supposed to pass my life’s work on to someone who can’t think beyond his lust?” “It’s not lust,” I argued. “Sentimentality,” he hissed. “Even worse. You jeopardize our mission, the security of our people because of pathetic sentiments. And all this while, instead of giving up your life to the work, hardening yourself into a leader who could inspire others and expand the vision, you’re playing out Hebitian fantasies with another man’s wife!” “Yes. Just like Tolan!” I exploded. “Perhaps he was my real father after all.” Tain rose like a man many years younger and grabbed my shoulder in a powerful grip. His anger was now a murderous fury and it was all I could do to hold my stance against the pain of his grip. His cold eyes told me I had betrayed him. Worse, I had failed him. He let go of my shoulder and turned away from me. My entire body trembled. When he turned back he had regained his composure.

I've talked before about how the betrayal here in ASIT is Garak threatening to view Tolan as his real father and go "full Hebitian" as it were- that's the thing in the scene where Tain tells him he's retiring that makes Tain angry enough that Garak thinks for a second he might kill him, and the other thing they're discussing is Garaks affair with Palandine which connects with him being Hebitian in two ways:

1) Palandine is an expression of Garak's "sentiment" which is both connected to him being a massive fucking queen and Hebitian and 2) my little headcanon previously mentioned and how literally every other man around Garak seems to be a cheating manwhore, but when he (lower class, mixed race, bisexual but unacceptably gender nonconforming) does it, then it's enough justification for a man who does the exact same shit if not worse (Barkan was fucking his employee/subordinate, and I wouldnt be suprised if he went for a comfort woman too given he actually was an architectural mind behind Terok Nor and Dukat’s friend, but him doing so is not explicitly mentioned) to kidnap, torture, and possibly try to kill him.

So we get to Improbable Cause, and Garak sees his piece of shit father for the first time in at least 4 years assuming he was exiled a year before that start of the show (I think ASIT implies it couldn't have been more than 2 or 3 years living on Terok Nor, but I've seen people suggest a decade-ish, which is interesting to explore).

TAIN: You blew up your own shop? You, my friend, are a true original. If you hadn't betrayed me, things would have been very different. GARAK: I never betrayed you! At least, not in my heart. Why do you think I'm here? I came because I thought the Romulans were trying to kill you. I came here to save you. TAIN: I never thought I'd hear myself say this, Garak, but I believe you. You can go.

As a refresher, Garak gets legitimately emotional and upset while saying that line (which makes it a great bookend to his outburst years ago). You can say acting but- one of the things that Garak "betrayed" Tain with was his sentiment. Garak knows this. It wouldn't benefit him to pretend to be emotional.

To me, when Tain says he believes Garak, what he means is "You're still a sentimental waste and I have no use for you", and is part of why he has Garak torture someone who, while he hasn't seen Garak give an indication he cares about, tips his hand and gives an indication he cares about Garak on some level while urging him to deny Tain's offer and leave. All three of them know, that Tain isn't really expecting information, that's not the point of this (torture doesn't get you information! Certainly not accurate information! It's about power). It's Garak proving he can be a real Cardassian. Because of sentiment it's both about the toxic machismo found in fascist societies and torture cells specifically, and Garak proving his ethnic worthiness.

As an aside, I recently read an excerpt about the actions of soldiers during the Dersim genocide that had a similar interaction to the under current here, when we recontextualize Garak as mixed race- a soldier told his superior that he couldn't do as ordered and kill children, and his superior said "you Kurd, you sympathize with them because of your race, right?" and killed him on the spot.

When Garak says "not in my heart" he's saying he still views Tain as his father, but Tain can never just be Garak's father. Tain is/was one of the most important officials in the Cardassian government. Tain is not just Tain- he is Cardassia (or part of it, anyway). Garak threatening to view Tolan as his father wasn't just about their relationship, and Garak threatening to fight Tain's power over him. Its a threat from Garak to refuse Cardassia's power over him. Its a threat to stop being part of that power, violence, and oppression, and to stop serving it. Some of this is due to broader social trends, and some if it is because Tain created a specific environment to raise Garak in. At the end of that scene in ASIT, we get this

As I watched him leave, I felt completely empty and wondered how I could feel such emptiness. This sudden, wrenching reversal of fortune... everything changed beyond recognition. ...And yet ... there was no anger, no self-pity ... no fear. Only release. Release from the secrets. Release from the limbo where, ever since I was a boy, I had been trapped between imposed obligations and feelings of mysterious longing mixed with shame. I felt empty ... and free.

I think I've also talked before about the line I italicized again, being about Hebitian identity. Of course, this freedom from secrecy, obligations, and shameful longing doesn't and could never last- even if Garak quit the order, he'd have to live in secrecy because of persecution, and if he continued going deeper into Hebitian religion he'd have to reckon with the fact that after the first time he attended a meeting he considered reporting everyone there to the authorities and has been part of the system that enslaved and genocided Hebitians, and at this point was still doing that to Bajorans.

And by telling Tain he recognizes him as his father- it's a plea that doesn't work because it's very existence betrays what he is, always has been, and always will be. If Garak had walked out, maybe he'd have lived, maybe he'd have died. But Tain would still view him as a traitor. Though, hilariously- if Garak was less sentimental, he'd have been less beholden to Tain in the first place. He certainly wouldnt have come in In Purgatory's Shadow. Maybe he'd have even killed him at some point for being a piece of shit father. And Tain himself was sentimental with Garak and Mila, and he knows it. He's allowed to be. They aren't.

[daisyvramien]

I'm adding more poems for this poetry collection and it made me giggle, the duality of my writing XDDD If there's one thing about me it's I WILL be the petty one writing about what you did to me and turn it into either a story or poem 💀💀💀💀💀

I have some sweet cheerful tunes, happy and summer-themed ones but the diss track section is BRUTAL... 🤣🤣🤣🤣💀 "Love may be a battlefield but writing is my warzone and you should have come armed."

Like, for real, example n°1:

"Sitting by the shoreline, with the waves crashing loud, You and I, lost in the summer crowd. Cigarette smoke and neon lights, Chasing ghosts in the city nights. We were young and wild, in the heat of July, But what we had was just a summer lie. Blue ink on paper, paint stains on your jeans, Memories of a love lost in between. We danced under streetlights, with the stars in our eyes, Thought we'd last forever, but it was all just lies. Faded Polaroids and cheap champagne, In the end, it all felt the same"

VS this one:

"Love's a battlefield, but you entered my warzone, Trapped in the trenches, never feeling alone. Grenade ready to explode, ticking in my chest, But you walked right in, disregarding the rest.

From the moment I saw your treacherous green eyes, I knew you'd be my downfall, my ultimate demise. With a distasteful viper smile, you slithered in, Unaware that the battle was about to begin.

I've been ready for war since the day we met, Arms loaded, heart guarded, no room for regret. There's a red spot on your forehead, a target in my sight, An arrowhead right in your chest, ready to ignite.

I'll play commander in chief, leading the charge, With a sniper's stare for your loveless glare. My kind words turned into landmines, Each step you took, breaking bones one by one, time after time.

I was the best of your alibis, A pawn in your game of deceitful lies. For you, I was a casualty, But now, you're the enemy."

[abhainnwhump]

IMYM Chapter 7: Should've Could've Would've: Dream

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Moonlight washed over Dream, Cross, and Blue as they talked, laughed, and walked through the Omega Timeline. Epic and Fresh left one way and Dream, Cross, and Blue went the other. The void lacked a natural sky, so the moon and darkness existed because of magic. Weather also existed only by region, not as a whole. Currently, it was a cold breeze, whistling and whispering past them. The skeletons decided on one of the town paths lined with road on one side and buildings on the other.

“Oh! A chickadee!” Dream held his arm out for the black and white bird to perch on. The little animal bounced across his yellow sleeve, pecking between the stitches. Dream smiled. The bird’s talons and beak were too small to hurt. Rather, it tickled. Their body was warm from hot chocolate and their heart was warm with pride and love. Dream’s eye lights drew to the badge on Cross’s jacket, a shield with the letter O reflecting light. It was the entire reason he invited them tonight.

Cross watched them and shook his head. “I still don’t understand your bird-whispering powers. You can handle a hawk on your head and owls are where you cross the line.”

Dream mock glared at his boyfriend. Though to be fair, he didn't understand his gift either. It's been there ever since he was a child and he discovered it by pure accident. It was only birds too. “Have you ever seen their eyes? All they do is stare at you, for hours! And they turn their heads all the way around. Tell me that’s natural! It isn’t!”

“No, owls are tame. Geese are the evil ones.” Blue chimed in. “They're bigger, they're more aggressive, and their beaks and wings hurt! If you put them in a fight, the geese would win immediately."

"Hm, I don't know." Dream pet the chickadee. "They're not so aggressive when you're nice to them. I've never fought one, or pet one, but they're nice. And owls are smart, so they could outsmart the goose . . ."

"So it's brain vs brawl . . . the goose would still win. Cross, help me out, who would win?"

Cross seemed to be trying to distance himself from the conversation until now. He sighed. "I- fine. Dude, if you want to know so bad, here." Cross took a piece of gold out of his pocket, leftover change from the hot chocolate. He flipped it in the air and slapped it on his arm. He lifted his hand. "Owl wins, argument over."

They turned a corner and the Star Sanses base came into view. They may have called it their base, but it appeared more like a clubhouse with rainbow paint on the walls. None of the lights of the two-story building were on. Something was haunting yet beautiful about the way the moon lit up the left side of it. The chickadee ended her song and flew away from him. A tingle went through Dream’s body, though he wasn’t sure why. It was only some light. Perhaps he was still suspicious of Ink leaving them on short notice. He seemed to be in a rush, but Dream didn't believe the lie he wasn't feeling well. It wouldn't be the first time Ink left like that, so he was sure he had nothing to worry about.

It was almost like Blue read his mind. “Shouldn’t Ink be here by now?”

Cross squeezed Dream's hand and hummed, looking up at the building. “He said he was going to be. But knowing him, he probably took a detour to terrorize some AU. Or he fell asleep and shut the light off. I wouldn’t worry about him.”

“I guess you’re right.” Dream stepped up on the light gray steps and knocked on the door. No response. He rang the doorbell. No response. He tugged at the doorknob. Locked. At least it answered one of his questions. Ink almost always forgets to lock the door, so he wasn’t home.

Cross watched Dream pull a key out of his pocket and unlock the door. He looked back at the house. “Do you want me to stay a while, flower? I don't have anything else going on and I have a bad feeling about this."

Dream laughed, used to Cross's paranoia. He increased his positive aura to calm him down. “Weren’t you the one who said not to worry? No, but thank you. The important thing is you making it home safe.” Dream stood on his tiptoes to peck Cross’s foreskull. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you, my royal guard." He smiled at the last bit, looking down at Cross's badge, the mark of an official Omega Guard.

Cross looked reluctant, but he squeezed Dream’s hand and let go. “I will. See you tomorrow.”

After Cross teleported away, Blue pulled a key out of his jacket pocket and unlocked the door. The wood creaked into the dark interior. Dream flipped the light on. Everything was the same as they left it. He hung his jacket in a closet, eyeing the staircase. It was still dark. Maybe sleep would help his anxieties. It was a long day.

“Blue? I’m going to bed early, see you in the morning," Dream said.

Blue took off his hat and gloves and looked up at the guardian, who was halfway up the steps already. "Alright. Night, Dream!"

Smiling, Dream walked up to the second floor. He made it to the top and flipped the light on, illuminating the hallway. They stretched and yawned, ready to shut out for the night. He grabbed his door knob, but Ink's door caught his attention. It was half-open. Dream still sensed that strange negative aura he felt this morning.

Dream peered into the paint-splattered bedroom and searched harder for that negativity. Ink could've been struggling with something, and he wanted to help if he was. Unlike the morning, the strongest negativity source was not the corner. It was Ink's bed. He held out his hand to find an exact source, but his powers seemed to fail him. They sighed and were about to leave, but a faint teal light caught their eye.

With curiosity, he crouched down beside Ink’s bed. Something was under it; the negativity energy burned brighter than ever. Dream wrapped his fingers around the thorned stem of a glowing rose and the blue paper attached to it. Two of the bloody points stabbed through the paper, cutting off a few words.

Dream turned the lamp on and unfolded the note, keeping it as close to the light as he could. They recognized the quill-inked handwriting in seconds. He scanned the rest of the letter and gasped, his bones went cold. His hands tingled, paralyzed. They looked back at the rose and called out, “Blue . . . BLUE! BLUE, COME QUICK!”

Dream listened to the frantic footsteps as Blue ran to him. He had to brace himself against the door frame. His left hand carried a kitchen knife. “What is it? What happened?”

“Read this.” Dream handed him the letter. His breathing was shaking as much as his hands now. “It’s Ink, Nightmare kidnapped Ink.”

Blue took it with a confused look. His eye sockets widened as he scanned the paper. “Oh, that . . . that explains things.”

Dream clenched his humerus and paced in a small circle. “I knew something was wrong with him! He’s been acting strange all day, but I thought I was being paranoid! If I hadn’t been such a sugarskull this morning and forced him to talk, Ink would still be-”

“Hey!” Blue set his hands on his shoulders. “Don’t blame yourself! We were all with him today and none of us noticed either. Besides, he was being blackmailed and I believe in him. If he did get kidnapped, he’s cracking bad jokes and making Nightmare’s gang regret ever messing with him.”

Dream imagined Blue's words and let out the breath they held. “I- yes, you’re right. He’s going to be fine, he's fine!” Dream hoped if he said it enough times, he could convince himself it was true. It had to be. He looked over the letter again, smiling with new determination. “It says they went to Outertale. I’ll prepare to go and ask around in case anyone has seen them

The knight’s eye lights turned into stars, “Mweh, heh! That’s the spirit! But I’m going to help too. I’ll go with you and we’ll save him together. In the morning though, we won’t be very helpful in the middle of the night."

================================================

He’s going to be fine. Ink is going to be fine. He’s strong. Stop worrying, everything is fine.

Dream tossed and turned that night. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t fall asleep. Visions formed every time he closed his eye sockets. He imagined Ink alone in Nightmare’s murky dungeon, shivering alone in a corner. Then he envisioned him gagged and tied up as Killer, Horror, and Dust used him as target practice. Nightmare laughed in the background, mocking. Cross told him stories of what happened to Nightmare’s prisoners. The torture, the violence, the personalized torment. None of them made it out alive. The guardian shuddered and channeled his thoughts to kittens and flowers. It helped a little. The torture was only an image, not a prophecy. Guardians could have prophecy dreams, but so far, he was lucky. He still couldn’t sleep.

He didn’t want to jinx it.

It wasn’t even the kidnapping alone that frightened him, it was the fact that Nightmare had done it. Nightmare was stronger than Ink, but luckily not by much if he played his cards right.

Dream sighed and sat up, turning their lamp on and picking their book off the nightstand. He flipped to his bookmark and read, hoping to get his mind on something better. He set his teddy bear in his lap. He knew it was childish for a guardian to sleep with a stuffed animal, but he found it comforting. He pet the plush’s white, almond-scented fur while he read. He used to love that smell when he was young and lived under the Tree of Feelings with his brother. His real brother.

While in the middle of his story, Dream's mind wandered to the one thing he was trying to avoid. How could he sleep like this when Ink is in danger? How could they rest while the entire Doodlesphere was at risk without its protector? Ink had never been kidnapped before, he was smart enough to escape. Or was he overreacting as it has only been a few hours? He was, he knew. But the last time Dream was too late to save someone from the dark’s call . . .

Please don’t forget who I used to be.

No, he wouldn’t let anyone go through that pain again. He promised.

Dream closed the book, set his bear in a sitting position, and slipped out of bed. He picked up his bow and quiver, choosing regular and a few poisoned arrows instead of his magic ones. The magic would draw too much attention, and Dream wanted to try the new herbal concoction he made. They made sure to step carefully so the wood planks stayed silent. Blue kept his door shut, he didn't even snore. They made it to the bottom of the steps and took their coat out of the closet. They had everything they needed now. So with a portal-

Dream gasped at a tug at his soul. His body was encased in a ball of blue light as someone turned him around. Blue held his hands on his hips. His eye sockets were bleary, half-open and sleepy.

“Dream! What did we talk about,” Blue yawned, “a few hours ago?”

Dream looked at his tired friend, ashamed. “I know, I’m sorry. I just have a feeling something terrible is going to happen if we don’t find him as soon as possible. I can do it on my own, please don't worry."

Blue thought for a moment. “Here, how about you sleep in my room tonight? Even if you don't, I’m watching you like a hawk and locking the doors. The last thing anyone needs right now is another one of us getting kidnapped.”

Sighing, the guardian knew he was right. "Okay."

Blue released his magic. Wrapping one arm around his shoulder, Blue led him away from the door and back up the stairs. Dream’s cheekbones glowed as yellow as buttercups.

Blue opened the door to his room. He had a blue rocketship bed in the corner of the room. Action figures covered a set of white shelves on dark blue walls. He also had a bookshelf and closet on the back wall. Painted across the ceiling were stars and constellations. It something they all worked together on.

Sleeping in each other’s rooms was not an unusual concept for the Stars. When the trio had slumber parties, they watched a movie with popcorn and sweets in their pajamas. Then they would all cuddle and fall asleep on the couch together. Dream also invited his friends to his room if they had nightmares or troubles in their minds. His aura and kind words could calm anyone down. He always let others vent to him. It was funny to him it was the other way around.

Blue wrapped an arm around Dream and flicked the lamp off. Having someone to sleep beside him relaxed Dream's thoughts. Ink would be fine.

================================================

As soon as the sun rose into the sky, Dream and Blue set out for Outertale.

The AU was always an endless ocean of night. Colorful stars of white, yellow, and blue, twinkled in the sky. The residents were the only ones who could tell the hour. But that wasn’t a bad thing. Somewhat, Dream could get lost in the stars and forget his problems for a while.

Blue carried the note while Dream held a clipboard. The clipboard had a list with the most likely AUs Nightmare could have hidden Ink. Creating it was the first thing they did this morning, so they missed some AUs. Dream also found pictures of the two. Despite the hope, the most likely answer was Nightmare took the artist to his castle. The castle was a pocket AU no one but he could enter.

His yellow boots were soon covered in moon dust. He followed the most potent source of negative energy he could detect. It was in the direction of the restaurant, so maybe Nightmare left some negative residue. Then Dream could try and use the energy to track him.

They made it to the front two doors of the restaurant, tucked between two other stores. The building was pretty: Ivory white with smooth walls, classy. The place seemed empty.

Dream and Blue walked toward the door. Blue tugged at the handle but it didn’t budge. He tried again. “We’re too early. It doesn’t open until . . . .” He looked closer at the door's sign. “Four pm. How about we ask around? Someone would have to have seen them, Ink isn’t exactly low-key. Neither is your brother.”

Dream hummed and nodded, chuckling at the comment about Nightmare. They thought searching around was the next best thing to do. He wondered what Ink was doing at this moment, pushing the morbid thoughts aside. “Of course. Where should we ask first? Someone could be working around, or Nightmare took him somewhere else after dinner?” He looked into the distance. Outertale was known for its tourism, so it made sense Nightmare would take him somewhere else.

Blue looked around. "I'll take the left side and you take the right! We'll meet back here in an hour. Got it?"

"Got it." Dream waved and set off to the right. Dream sensed the auras of the surrounding citizens. He searched for someone with a specific set of emotions. Perhaps paranoia, guilt, or at least uncertainty. It must be a lingering past feeling. Unfortunately, no one seemed to match that description.

The one that did hit him sent a small shock through his body, just because he wasn’t expecting it. Dream looked to the left and spotted a cat-like monster hiding their face under a hood. The guardian cleared his throat and walked over to them. He had a good feeling in his soul.

“Hi!” Dream waved over. The cat monster turned their attention to him. Dream smiled to look less threatening, more friendly.

"Can I help you?" The monster looked everywhere except at Dream.

"Yes!" Dream cleared his throat. “I'm looking for my friend who was kidnapped around here. It would’ve been around . . . I think seven o'clock? His name is Ink Comyet, he’s a skeleton, a little taller than me, carries around a four-foot-tall paintbrush. He wore a brown jacket last night. His eye lights change color when he blinks and he has a splotch of paint on his right cheekbone. “His kidnapper is named Nightmare Joku. He’s also a skeleton but with four tendrils spiking from his back. He’s also covered in black liquid and has only one teal eye. Usually, he wears a black waistcoat and a chained black cape, though I don’t know what he was wearing. Have you seen them?"

The monster thought about it. They nodded, aura anxious and uncomfortable. “I think I know who you’re talking about. I work at that place over there and . . . they were one of my customers. He didn’t cause any issues. They left and Joku took him through a portal. Ink looked happy enough, he was smiling and bouncing."

Dream messed with his thumb. "Did you see what was inside? Did it look like a castle? Or a dungeon?"

"I didn't see it, it was too dark." The monster looked uncomfortable and turned away from him. "Sorry I couldn't help you, I hope you two find your friend." As they walked off, Dream was left with more questions than answers.

Taking a moment to pause, Dream had to readjust the image in his head. He assumed Nightmare cast a spell on Ink and knocked him out in an alleyway with his magic. But Ink was happy? Someone would have to have noticed Nightmare cast the spell. Does that mean . . . no, he knows Ink, he’s one of his best friends. Ink would never betray him on purpose. Nothing Nightmare could offer could change his mind.

Nothing, they were best friends until the end.

================================================

A week passed; they still couldn’t find a solid trail to Ink. Each time they were close, Nightmare’s aura would fade. Dream proceeded to get more and more frustrated. The nightmares grew more graphic. The image of Ink lying on the floor, hoping for rescue was engraved into the back of his eyelids. He lost hours of sleep imagining it and refused to take any long breaks. They searched for at least three hours a day and did their job the rest.

Another week passed, and no luck.

Dream decided to try a plan that had been brewing in the back of their mind for days now. His negative memories kept him from doing more than considering it a possibility. But now, they were growing desperate. And it was so perfect, so obvious.

He cleared his throat as he approached Blue, who was sketching out a battle strategy in a notebook. Dream held his hands together. “Blue, I’m going to be gone for a few hours.”

Blue looked up from his notepad. “Okay. Just be careful and don’t be gone too long!”

“I won’t be, I’ll be back by sundown.” Dream waved his scepter and stepped into a portal he swore never to return to.

They stepped into a wasteland. Overgrown dull grass grew up to his knees. It looked more like a savannah than a green land. He still could picture the field of bright colorful flowers that grew where he stood. The nearby town was gray and long abandoned. There was nothing but bones and tattered clothes to symbolize people lived there at all. Dream sighed, the memories being too painful to bear. He set his sights on a large hill at the end of the village. Shifting their cape, they walked toward it.

Dream walked up the hill to his childhood home, a place he hadn’t been since breaking free of stone. The stump of his mother lay the same after five hundred years. The oak was worn from time, but still larger than any tree in the multiverse. The trunk was two feet tall and ten times as wide. It used to be twenty feet tall with large foliage, filled with tender gold and black apples. None reminded. Nightmare ate them all when he was corrupted. How did he eat nine hundred ninety-nine apples in such a short time? Dream didn’t know.

He swung one leg over the top of the trunk and pulled himself on top of it. A sense of nostalgia hit him. When he was about eight, he used to run as fast as he could to get back to the tree, challenging himself to jump up the branches. It was hard on some days because he was so tired from working. The villagers always wanted him to help, and Dream was willing to help. Too willing.

It messed him up, leading him to believe his only worth was as a living positive battery. That was why he was so grateful for Cross. While Dream taught him how to feel again and stop living in the past, Cross taught him he was so much more than this magic. Stars he loved him.

He never told Nightmare because he didn’t want to worry him. He was already so nervous and paranoid . . . and Dream was too late when he found out why.

Dream brushed the tree trunk, trying to refuel the connection with it. There should be a warm tingling feeling in his chest, but there wasn’t.

They sighed. “Mom, can you help me? It’s been a long time, I know, but one of my best friends is in danger. Nightmare took him away and I’m afraid he’s going to hurt him or try to turn him evil. I don’t want history to repeat itself. Can you give me a sign everything is going to be okay?”

Dream waited a few moments, staring into the swirling trunk. Nothing happened. The guardian sighed. What was he expecting? An arrow made of flowers pointing in the right direction? A bird to float out of the sky and give him a message? Nim to appear as a spirit and offer him guidance? She’s never answered him before, even when was still 'alive'. Dream didn't believe Nim was dead, she was essentially a goddess. Gods and guardians couldn't die, right? He couldn't die, Ink couldn't die, Error and Nightmare couldn't either.

Nightmare used to joke about how Nim only created them to save herself. She had no love for her sons, and Dream was starting to wonder if he was right. What mother would let this happen to her kids?

Dream curled into his knees and stared out to the broken village. “Ink, what did you get yourself into this time?”

[ari-grace-the-space-case]

I keep meaning to use my art tumblr more as a progression journal and documentation of thoughts and process. I had fun with a mix media study on trying to figure out how latex shines. I used Colored pencil,paint marker, Water colors, Felt tip water based marker.

It was fun layering and adjusting to get the overlap I liked, Blue Base, Dark Teal overlayed then while the teal was still wet, (about 1 min after painting) in the darker value areas I did dense amount of a magenta marker and then with a fresh, wet brush tip, pulled from there.

The idea using the marker at the densest points vs water color was More control with a deeper hue that allowed it's self to work nicely with wet brush blending.

This is most likely one of the better guns I've drawn too. getting better at figuring out how to break things down in to easier shapes.

Not happy with the hands. I need to do more focused studies on just hands, I need more variation in the kind of hands I draw especially.

Background could have been more interesting as well, it's bland, even if it's just a sketch.

Also not my strongest ink work, Too shakey, I wasn't feeling confident in my strokes as I did this as I was too worried about mucking up the paint.

My line width isn't consistent and could use more contrasting weights to match the light source.

Overall I am very happy with this study, and it was nice to sit down and mull over parts of my thinking process into words as well as improvement notes to keep in mind going forward.

[possessedpasm]

hi! sorry if this has been asked before, but: how do u get the palettes for your retro pieces? do you color normally and use a filter, or what is your process??

Hi! I've not actually been asked that before! I'd be happy to answer :3

It's a mix of both, actually! When doing commissions, i colorpick from the source material and then adjust the tone, saturation, and hue by hand to make it look aged/give it a more natural paint look since vintage media is all done analogous, and then sometimes processed through tapes, ect. A good way to get an eye for that is by studying aged media and even colorpicking from that! Bobjinx on Twitter made a good point to compare what modern media color pallettes look like vs older ones (typically more dull compared to what our neon and technicolor digital colors can achieve).

I also use tonal filters on CSP (typically set to 10% or lower) to adjust the lighting and to help balance tone and bring the piece together in a more harmonious way!

The main thing, if you want your digital art to look authentic vintage is to keep it from looking Too Sharp. Digital art is meant to be worked on in High Definition, whereas tradional can get blurry, sloppy, messy, paint and inks bleed, and you can't zoom in ×100 on a paper canvas- so keep that analog method in mind when you're doing digital art! It's definitely helped me get better at achieving that look :3

[berylcups]

La Squadra Splatoon AU/Crossover Pt 1 of 2

Hey Beryl here! And this is the beginning of my JJBA junk. 🤡 I didn’t proofread it so don’t expect perfection. I thought a good 1st writing prompt would be what would these blood thirsty hitman be like in a children’s shooter game full of squid kids-rules are all weapons specials subs etc… are allowed from splatoon 1-3. None of these kits are balanced, these are just based off what I thought their stands would translate into game wise. Let me know if you’re interested in hearing about the rest of the gang and or having bucci gang done too. I wanna see if this is something people are interested in before I delve deeper into. Please enjoy ~

Risotto:

Ink/Octoling: Inkling

Species type: Hawaiian bobtail squid- the parasites that live in this squids body makes for great camouflage.

Ink color: gunmetal grey

Weapon: Blaster - quick, gets the job done, this leader has his priorities straight.

Sub weapon: ink mines - don’t think you can sneak up on him, he’s 2 -3 steps ahead of his opponents. A mine sets off behind him and he knows to 180 and start blasting.

Special: wave breaker - it’s great for him to find his other stealthy opponents and it’s a great distraction as he blasts whoever is trying to tear down his wave breaker.

Play style: He camps and waits for his enemies to show up, and then BAM! The damage has already been done, and you’re waiting to respawn. He doesn’t worry about painting, that’s what his teammates are for. He’s in it for the kill count. And you bet he has ninja squid as 1 of his abilities. As the leader, he won’t hesitate to help out a teammate in peril. Those are his men and he will fight to the death for them…of course he can just respawn. It’s not like real life getting blown to bits by a meddling drone *gives Nara the stink eye 😒 *

Formaggio:

Ink/Octoling: Octoling

Species type: Atlantic Pygmy Octopus - tiny but full of poison

Ink color: Rust

Weapon: Clash Blaster - a user friendly weapon and can be the user can be underestimated by it. But the cheesyman uses this to his advantage…also to add some salt to the wound that you got splatted with a “noob” weapon

Sub weapon: suction bomb

Special: ultra stamp- what isn’t there to love? He gets to crush his enemies with a massive ass hammer! He loves making his opponents feel small.

Play style: this stinker likes to pretend to be a complete noob. He’ll lure you in with a false sense of security and then start blasting. Or he’ll throw a faux squid party with a teammate or two and then straight up ambush you when you thought you were just there for some light hearted shenanigans. He’s a “nice” guy, so he won’t squid bag you, but he’ll definitely join in when he sees others doing it! It’s just a game don’t take it so seriously! 🤡

Illuso:

Ink/Octoling: Octoling

Species type: Mimic octopus - mimics other species… it’s like looking into a mirror!

Ink color: plum

Weapon: Carbon roller - great at inking , great at ambushing. It has everything he could ever want. Smack you from behind with the roller twice or throw a bomb in there and you’re done for!

Sub weapon: burst bomb

Special: big bubbler - it’s not as secure as the mirror realm but it’s good protection to keep enemy ink out. Unless someone has the balls to go in there and splat him at close range… he may have not of thought this completely through…

Play style: sneak attacker and a well known camper. he has the audacity to camp near your spawn point and kill you over and over again. Also will 100% squid/octobag after every kill because he’s a big jerk. 😒 also has ninja squid equipped. Go utilize the haunt ability to track his octo-ass down and give him a taste of his own medicine!

Prosciutto:

Ink/Octoling: inkling

Species type: vampire squid - despite the name, not really a vampire. But they live the longest amongst the others- roughly 10 years vs 1-2 years.

Ink color: goldenrod

Weapon: squeezer- perfect for splatting and inking for this no nonsense man! He’s going to utilize every bit of his kit.

Sub weapon: toxic mist

Special: ink storm or splatter color screen - you can’t age your opponent’s but you can sure weaken them as much. Damaging them gradually with a storm or disorienting them with losing their sense of color it makes them easier to pick off!

Play style: weaken the enemy at all costs and don’t back down! The weaker the better but he won’t hesitate to fight someone at his level or even higher - his reputation depends on it.

[not-xpr-art]

BTS Rapline Triptych '23 - surrealist painting

i wanna be a human 'fore i do some art - yun by rm (feat. erykah badu)

(05/2023)

it's been nearly 5 years since my last rapline triptych, and 3 years since my last bts fanart, but after listening to agust d's latest album (in conjunction with rm and jhope's releases last year) i got a sudden wave of inspiration to do a surrealist inspired work!

this is based on the lyrics and general vibes of a few of my favourite songs from the albums (such as polar night, yun and equal sign!) as well as an interpretation of my own journey through the last 3 years or so...

see the individual panels below with a lil explanation to my thought process~

i had actually originally planned to have suga be surrounded by flames (very similar to my 2018 triptych), but decided that the flames suited jhope's panel more (because of the connection to the song arson), so settled for a bathtub filled with... a red liquid (is it blood? is it wine? you decide lol)

part of my thought process was focused on the way his album in particular comments on how we change, and also how that can be a painful thing to reckon with. the last few years have felt very much like we've all been forced to choose either to sink or to swim, and while we decide we remain in some sort of limbo... the closed door and empty room are a part of this feeling (and also something i was inspired to do after watching his music video for amygdala).

the 'shadows' connected to rm (which also cross over into the first panel) are supposed to represent the concept of past selves. rm's album 'indigo' emphasises the idea of the self, and how to feel much more at ease with who you are now whilst not completely letting go who you were then.

the central black splotch (technical term) is based on work by the artist yun hyongkeun who was the inspiration for the song 'yun' (which is also where the written lyrics above are from). i liked the way his works looked like voids, with rough unfinished edges, drawing you in like a cave. i wanted this part to be the only real dark part of this central panel. i was a little worried this panel would look out of place because of that, but i kinda realised that that's the point!

this panel is very much a reflection of what it is to be an artist, and a human. and in the sea of soulless ai and the commercialised art market, it was kinda refreshing to create something that i didnt try and harmonise. the colours dont feel like they necessarily go together and the glitched flames from the final panel create a confusing mess in the centre of the piece, as a central focal point of the whole piece it honestly looks kinda bad to me, but i dont care! mess is an integral part of being human, and being human is an integral part of being an artist.

i originally planned for there to be lightning to coming out of the cloud because of the storm-y vibe of jhope's album, but i thought it'd clash with the fire so went with some rain instead lol. the album carries a lot of themes of the pressure of success, living up to other people's (and your own) expectations, and struggling with what you want out of life vs what you need! and i tried to reflect this in the cloud 'hat' on his head.

i wanted to add some open doors to contrast with suga's closed door, but whereas suga's door has a thin gleam of light coming through the seam, jhope's doors all lead to darkness. the fear of what lies beyond those doors isn't lessoned when the door is open, if anything it's heightened! the doors could also be empty, given that a lot of my motivation for art has felt lacking in the last 3 years lol...

the additional faces came about by accident but i really like how they came about lol. in a way i was trying to give the portraits a traditional ink drawing style, as well as continuous line drawing to fit with the surrealism theme. they represent the 'self' in all its forms, who we are inside, who we are to others, who we want to be etc. all three of the albums explore themes of self, and in their cases specifically who they are in a world where their success is almost unparalleled. i dont relate to this (ofc) but i do relate to the dilemma of how to stay true to that self whilst grappling with our commercialised and over materialistic world.

finding that faith in yourself as well as faith in art to bring you back to yourself has been hard for everyone and i found it really humbling to see that same pain i feel reflected back in the form of music.

ultimately this piece is about finding reasons to live and to keep going, and desperately doing that all through my art. something i've always done, but has been especially difficult in recent years. and like the albums themselves, this isn't the end of a journey, but instead a midway point, a crossroads, where we can look back and look forward in equal measure trying to make sense of everything...

[thgfanfictionlibrary]

Authors On THG Writing Hiatus Masterlist (8)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 /

***Active (on this blog) is defined as a blog/writer who has updated within the past year. Inactive (on this blog) is defined as a blog/writer that has not been updated at all in the past year+. On THG Writing Hiatus (on this blog) is a blog/writer who has updated within the past year but has not posted a fanfic in the fandom in the past year BUT they may return to writing in the future. Lists will be updated as needed based on activity. ***

Created: November 17th, 2023

Last Checked:----

Konzelwoman-ao3, ff.net, tumblr

Popular Fic: Stop and Smell the Roses He's a tattoo artist, the kind all the celebrities go to. She's the florist next door, the kind that hides behind the flowers she arranges. Plagued by bad dreams, and loosing a bet get Katniss Everdeen in the chair of Peeta Mellark, uncertain what ink to get. All she knows is he's devilishly handsome, she is nervous as hell, and he has some damn good advice. She never was much for tattoos, but now she sees things a little differently. After walking 25 feet to the shop next door, Katniss may have found something worth stopping for besides just to smell the roses.

ktface3-ao3, ff.net, tumblr

Popular Fic: The Mating Games "And so it was decreed that each year, the twelve districts of Panem shall offer up in tribute the men and women aged 18 years who have not pair bonded with a mate, to compete to be deemed worthy enough to procreate." AU, Peeta's POV, note the M rating.

LittleEvilIsa-ao3, ff.net, tumblr

Popular Fic: Dr. Hot Buns, M.D. Modern day AU. At Panem Memorial Hospital, overachieving Katniss Everdeen and charming Peeta Mellark compete to be the best cardiothoracic surgeon of the country. For Prompts in Panem round 6 "Peeta's Paint Box", day 5 "blue"

Loueze-ao3, ff.net, tumblr

Popular Fic: Degrees of Separation Modern Day AU. Katniss and Peeta have been happily married for ten years, and have two young children. Peeta runs the family bakery, Katniss is a stay-at-home-Mom. What happens when everyday life throws them a few bumps along the way? Will it pull them apart forever or make them closer? Rated M for later material and adult subjects. (Banner by Ro Nordmann)

loveoverpride-ao3, ff.net, tumblr

Popular Fic: Obstinate Vs. Persistent No summary provided

maddmaddworld-ao3, tumblr

Popular Fic: Lovely Creature Peeta has a crush, and Finnick Odair is about to ruin everything.

MaryLG-ff.net, tumblr

Popular Fic: Back in Your Arms When Peeta arrives non-hijacked in District 13, Katniss has to face, for the first time, the strong feelings she has for him.

maxwellandlovelace-ao3, ff.net, tumblr

Popular Fic: Behind Blue Eyes Katniss Everdeen is a hard working Ph.D. Student with her mind set on getting her degree. But on the inside she is trying to cope with the loss of her family. Then she meets Peeta, who makes her see things in a different light and after years of struggles she feels hopeful again. But Peeta seems to suffer from a painful past as well.

MeganRachel09-ao3, ff.net , tumblr

Popular Fic: As it should be When Katniss agrees to go to a party with her friends, she isn't expecting for some drunk to spill his drink on her. Nor is she expecting to run into her ex-boyfriend Gale and share a heart-to-heart with him. She especially isn't expecting to run into Peeta, who she had a huge crush on in high school. But really, what's a good night out without a few unexpected twists and turns?

mockingjelly/tryalittlejoytomorrow-ao3, ff.net, tumblr

Popular Fic: Great in the Eyes of Someone Staying alive. That's about his area of expertise. Never did Haymitch think he would have to mentor them for the rest of their life. Post-Mockingjay.

[chasmbreach]

massive underverse 0.7 thoughts / theories coming in hot in your direction, obviously spoilers if you haven't watched it.

i rewatched literally all of the videos and the xtale timeline stuff too because i was just hyperfixating so much

I keep forgetting Chara is the one narrating this part in front of Frisk. (I was reminded of them when i rewatched 0.5 haha) The 3 of them (sans frisk chara) made a promise, and Chara was always there.

They know Frisk is conflicted. Chara is narrating what Frisk sees, but they also show concern when Frisk runs off away from Toriel. Yeah all I wanted to do was to highlight Chara's concern. (Which also parallel's xChara's rebellion now also included stopping xGaster from hurting Frisk! [referencing the running parallel])

(after the fact edit: i remember why i was focusing on Chara)

Now the 2nd thing, is regarding the unlimited vial that Fresh shoved into Ink.

Everyone PAY ATTENTION TO HIS EYES. Although Ink said that it "works just like [his]" this isn't the case. 1, it's the overwrite eyes, and 2, when he wakes up from the pain his eye lights aren't vibrant. He didn't absorb any paint like he thought. (Compare how vibrant his eyes became after he drank all of his vials during the Ink vs Fresh fight)

Now here's where my theory comes in, and I'm likely wrong but hey, just throwing it out there. Given how Ink feels not in control of his actions and his hands are seen to be fading slightly, I want to say that during this specific instance XGaster possibly had access and control over Ink for a brief moment. When XGaster controls the rest of the Timeline Monsters, their eyes turn into purple. When he controlled Muffet, Mettaton, and Cross during the 0.6 fight, their eyes turned purple. They're all very unwilling to be his puppets, and feel relentless pressure to do what they don't want to do because they're not in control, thus the faded text underneath what they're saying. (but my theory is swayed by the fact that Ink asked himself if this feeling was the same as being his creation, so I don't know how to break away from that train of thought logic...)

Although from an artistic consistency perspective, I'm not sure if Ink is susceptible to being controlled or if he briefly held the Overwrite power. (sometimes their eyes were purple but solid, but sometimes purple with the xgaster design, which is what we see during that scene)

The left is from XTALE VIII - Mettaton you can see when Frisk/Chara subconsciously controlled him that the eyes became the xgaster design. The right is from 0.6, and you can see Cross's eyes are a solid purple. But in the context of the Mettaton video was made 3 years ago, the inconsistency creates a conflict on what is actually happening to Ink. (Also a few other videos have this conflict as well so I don't know what take as canon)

So uhhhh throwing my theories out there babyyyyyy prove me wrong please I need someone to tell me right or wrong. or throw me another theory i'm just brainrotting and hyperfixating on underverse/xtale.

[feathered-serpents]

How do you get your prints to look so smooth?? I've always seen 3D printed minis with the distracting print lines but yours look great!

Hi! Thank you! You sent this ask MONTHS ago and I started to answer it and then forgot, and have found it in my drafts and now that I have a bit of free time I’m gonna finish it now. So, if you’re still interested in the answer months after you sent the question, here it is:

It’s a mix of things really

1. I use a resin printer (or what I’ve learned is actually called an SLA printer) NOT an FDM printer. I think I say this every time someone asks me about my printer and that’s because when I first started researching printing my own minis I was picturing doing it with an FDM printer as was everyone I’ve ever talked to. So, what’s the difference?

FDM printers print with liquified plastic and look like this

With prints that look like this (I did not make these)

While resin (SLA) printers print with liquified resin and look like this

With prints that look like this

I made these :).

(They’re everywhere actually please help) (also sorry my nails are in view I chew on them)

When you search 3D prints like 90% of the prints you’ll find are FDM and have those big layer lines, resin prints do not but are not as common and there IS a reason for that and that’s because 

A) FDM printers are a lot more versatile 

B) FDM prints are a lot stronger. 

Those cute little octopuses with the dangly tentacles could not be made with a resin printer because they would break in like 30 seconds if they could be printed at all. FDM prints also have practical value like as gears or tubes or straight up prosthetic limbs, resin printers basically JUST print models, and again, there is a reason for that. Resin printers are really good at fine detail

Like

REALLY good at fine detail 

But that detail is FRAGILE! I’ve had resin prints break just from being picked up, you CAN print in stronger resin, but that often sacrifices detail, so it’s all a matter of if you want detail or sturdiness. 

The settings on your printer also have to do with how smooth they come out. Resin printers make the models by curing the resin with UV light. It’s kind of hard to explain without getting CRAZY technical, but basically, what it does is you pour in the resin as a liquid into a vat at the bottom of the machine, this vat has a clear bottom, separated from a screen that sits directly below it. As it prints, that screen shines UV light in a pattern, and does that layer by layer until eventually it builds into a full model. Here’s an example of what one layer looks like to the machine 

(it looks like an ink splotch) 

The amount of time spent exposed to this light has a lot to do with the detail. 1.5 seconds is the default for my printer and the setting I’ll use for smaller models, as the less time spent exposed the better for detail. However, for larger models I’ll sometimes do 3 seconds exposure, as that’s more sturdy, and when the details are larger the difference between 3 seconds 1 second is almost completely unnoticeable. While on the smaller models I’ve noticed 3 seconds leaves them looking. Gooey 

And resin prints DO still have noticeable layers, they’re just much thinner and easily obscured by paint 

Again, this is something you can adjust and is a detail vs strength thing. My printer’s default layer height/thickness is 0.050 millimeters and I have NEVER touched it. That’s plenty small for me 

And lastly: You gotta clean them 

When you print a resin miniature, it’s still been swimming in a vat of liquid resin for hours on end and is gonna have some excess goo on it. You get that off by dunking it in a bath of IPA alcohol aka a bath of 99.9% alcohol. I keep them in that bath for 6 minutes and use a machine made by the same company that makes the printer specifically for the cleaning process, though some people just put the alcohol in a bucket and dunk the mini and out a few times and that works fine too. I am just lazy 

OKAY that was a lot, so TLDR, how do I get my 3D prints so smooth? 

1. I use a resin/SLA printer specifically designed for printing models 

2. I adjust the settings of this printer based on the size/detail of the model

3. I clean the models thoroughly after printing 

That’s it! The printer itself is the most important part here, and I’ve seen some BEAUTIFUL stuff come off of FDA printers! I’ve been thinking about investing in one myself one day, but for now, resin is best for what I need.