#never get it to work with a psd. so i had to-

[bravevolunteer]

go to pinterest , enter your character name + core & post nine associated images // vs. version 2.0 using images from my pinterest board !!

[steftastan]

Carian Stroll

“Tell Blaidd, and Iji…I love them.”

Before this piece, I had been wanting for a long time to create my own piece of Elden Ring fanart featuring Ranni. I had tried several sketches unsuccessfully, just wasn’t particularly feeling the ideas I had sketched up until that point.

One day of usual internet scrolling, I stumbled upon this gorgeous piece of art by Shimomura Kanzan.

I knew immediately I wanted to do something like this for my Elden Ring fanart. In fact, if you look at this piece, there is tons of inspiration that I drew from the original artwork, such as the style of the yellow leaves and the main subject matter being a prominent silhouette of the brightest value, placed at approximately the bottom third of the image.

The main character is cleverly shrouded amidst various layers of trees and foliage, giving us the impression that we're peeking into candid moment of their life. In the case of the fox, we caught it during a mid-day snack. In the case of Ranni and her party, we caught them in a leisurely stroll, while Iji outfits the dreaded Fingercreepers with their iconic rings.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to capture a happy moment, but Ranni goes as far as to ask us to deliver to Iji and Blaidd the message that she loves them dearly as her quest draws near its end. I would imagine they all must have had fun moments together as a family. Hey, maybe even the hands liked to be around them?

The process

I started this on my iPad using the procreate app. Sadly the full process is not captured on video, as I switched to Photoshop for the rendering phase of the illustration. This video is a fun window into my chaotic process and how I iterate on the fly on the same canvas. I probably wouldn't do that in a professional setting where you often need to have color keys and iterations to be reviewed and analyzed. I like to I cut myself some slack when doing personal art to keep things fun.

Trying and failing some more

This illustration was not a straightforward path. I haven’t been very diligent about personal art, and at some point I started deviating too much from my reference by adding too many levels of depth to the background and suffocating the piece. I got into a weird loop where I would randomly open the PSD, play around with the values, pushing Iji to the back, then bringing him back, cranking all the levers on Ranni, etc., decide it would look horrible, then begrudgingly determine I’d never complete this image and go on with my life.

As artists we likely have unfinished work sitting everywhere, be it in our sketchbooks, canvases, or hard drives. But it’s a different kind of sting when you feel like you can’t even nail the fundamentals.

Anyway, so a couple weeks ago, I decided to give it another go, but this time I would get rid of all the unnecessary stuff, even stuff that I had been trying to render for ages. I would not hold on to anything, I would try and recapture what drew me to Kanzan's beautiful painting to begin with.

After it became a matter of pushing and pulling pixels until the image was finished!

That’s about it. I didn’t go crazy in depth but lately I’ve been enjoying reading into artists’ processes and I’d be remiss to not share my own thought process also.

Thank you for viewing!

[arabaka]

ʚɞ ⁺˖ ⸝⸝ HOW THEY HOLD YOUR HANDS DURING SEX

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ FEATURING: TOJI FUSHIGURO, KENTO NANAMI, SATORU GOJO, SUGURU GETO, AGED UP!YUJI ITADORI, & AGED UP!MEGUMI FUSHIGURO !!! CONTENT WARNINGS: 18+ !!! specific CW listed before each piece. TOTAL WORD COUNT: 1.9k PSD CREDIT !!! MINORS/AGELESS BLOGS DNI or I WILL CUT OFF YOUR ELECTRICITY（ ꐦꉺωꉺ)つ

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ TOJI FUSHIGURO

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ(CONTENT WARNINGS: rough sex.)

The sight before him is delectable, so much so it could be considered an addiction. The way your plump ass vibrates with every push, every thrust, as Toji sinks his fat cock to the hilt, is such a beautiful view and you feel his adoration twitch deep inside you, wracking your walls with pleasure that violently floods your nervous system.

"T-Toji," The mattress absorbs your cries, muffling every word that trickles out your parted lips, "Feels so-- so good." You'd be gripping the sheets, hell, pressing your nails into your palm as if that would dull the harsh rhythm Toji's set, the pace he's been going at for what seems like forever. But your hands are tied, though not literally; he has your hands clasped together behind you, your fists at the small of your back while his rough and blistered palms constrict your wrists. He may very well be cutting off your blood circulation but that's the least of his worries. He's chasing his high and if that's of consequence, so be it. You're good for it anyways, right?

"You wanted this." Toji growls on an exhale, a lopsided smirk painting his features as he watches you crumble all around him, soaking in that pretty arch in your back as he splits you in two with the weight of his cock, the speed of his thrusts. Goosebumps litter his skin as he zeroes in on the pap, pap, pap and smack, smack, smack of his balls, heavied and smooth, against your folds. "You should see yourself." Teasing and a little mean, Toji chuckles, "Looking so good, taking me in so well." And just when you finally start to adjust to his girth, his animalistic ruts inside you, he tugs harshly on your wrists, forcing you inches off the bed and deepening the bend in your back. You squeal and whine, blubbering his name with pleadings that go nowhere because Toji had you right where he wants you and to be honest, there's nowhere else you'd rather be.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ KENTO NANAMI

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ(CONTENT WARNINGS: office sex. pet name 'dove' used.)

He was only supposed to drop off your lunch, which you'd forgotten in a hurry on your way to work, so how is it that you've ended up underneath him on your desk, pencil skirt wrinkled up to your hips, and squirming with him inches inside you? You're hardly quiet about it either, lips trembling with his name like they're desperate prayers. That's no good, what if you get caught?

"Shh," Nanami's gentle order comes with a lofty exhale, "You have to be quiet, my dove. You can do that, can't you?" Your pussy throbs around his length, the intensity only magnifying as he pushes himself further in, bottoming out with a grunt and another series of cries from you. Nanami tsks tsks at you, clicking his tongue as he takes your hand in his, forcing it to clamp down on your mouth since you can't seem to follow a simple directive. He can't blame you though, he too is struggling; he's never been particularly loud but you're wrapped around him so tautly that you're practically squeezing groans out of him. "There. You'll be good now, won't you?" The man is sweet like honey when it comes to you, rich with undying affection and love for you and he shows it with every roll of his hips, rubbing the tip of his cock right where you like it and it shows on your face right then and there; your eyes scrunch up, brows knitting tight for a brief moment but when your eyelashes flutter apart, your eyes glitter so beautifully with tears that he feels himself falling in love with you all over again. "Keep doing that– don't stop." Nanami keeps his voice low and hushed, pressing deeper against your mouth, ready to take on the next flurry of mewls and cries from you as he racks deeper and harder, determined to make you cream before your lunch break is over.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ SATORU GOJO

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ(CONTENT WARNINGS: light fingering. light cum eating.)

"Wooow, look at that pretty pussy." Gojo coos and it's the most beautiful sound you've ever heard. He has a way of making you so warm, so loved from the inside out and you look at him from your spot on the bed you share, watching him swipe at your folds as he stands between your legs. "Feel for yourself, won't you do that for me?" He doesn't have to ask twice. Your hand comes to cup your pussy almost immediately, fingers plunging into yourself and coming out absolutely drenched in your erotic essence. Gojo chuckles at the sight and with no warning, he lurches forward, centering his cock in your warmth and pushing in with little resistance. Your hand, now resting at a hover, is captured by Gojo's. His fingers are so slender and long and while you sigh in ecstasy, he pulls your hand to his mouth, wrapping his lips around your digits and sucking every drop of your arousal so eagerly. You feel his grunts reverberate around your fingers as his member, curved and girthy, fills you out and cramming you until you're so full you can only sputter his name like it's the only word you know.

"So sweet for me." Your fingers come out Gojo's mouth with a pop but your hand stays wrapped in his, even more so as he starts to grind his pelvis against you so hungrily and strongly. His cock has a way of stuffing you so full that you feel him in your stomach and while it's overwhelming, it's also intoxicating. Gojo's fingers press hard into your knuckles, taking your other hand in his and sinking deep into the mattress as the smack of his hips, the fury of his thrusts, intensifies. Every cell in your brain buzzes as he pounds himself inside you, forcing your walls to comply with the thick weight of his member and you do. You always do.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ SUGURU GETO

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ(CONTENT WARNINGS: power dynamics (you're a follower). pet name 'pretty little thing' used. mention of breeding.)

"You're a pretty little thing, aren't you?" His words are gospel and he's speaking such things to you, sultry breath cresting the curve of your ear, and you feel all the more special for it. His words stir magic in you, making the feeling of his cock bulging and cramming inside you so ethereal, surreal even. All his charges and he's picked you. How can you not fall apart all around him, comforted by the fact that he'll so dutifully pick you back up again? You sit so snugly on his lap, legs wrapped around him as he thrusts into you with care.

He ruts into you slowly and you only get wetter with every undulation, trembling on his cock, feeling him so stuffed inside you that you can’t take a gasp of air without feeling him. A gentle palm on the dip in your back draws you close while the other traces your arm until it’s ensnared your hand, fingers locking and giving a light squeeze. He’s transfixed by you, has been from the moment he’s laid eyes on you and now you’re here, taking him in like your pussy was made for him. “So perfect.” He groans, using his grip on your back to hold you steady as he pivots his hips so flush against your pelvis that he can feel your clit rub against him. You make the most erotic sound that he can’t help but kiss you so strongly, he’s lapping up your sounds while grinding into you with such worship, it makes you wonder who’s the deity here.

“Geto,” You practically sing for him, “T-Thank you.” You sure treat him like you're grateful, cunt tightening around Geto’s girth with every pump. Your teeth bump together but he refuses to let go, not until he’s done swallowing every moan, every word that dares to fall from your lips. When you do part, a thin string of saliva separates your lips and the next thing out of Geto’s mouth is, “You can thank me by bearing my children. You’ll do that, won’t you?”

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ AGED UP!YUJI ITADORI

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ(CONTENT WARNINGS: pet name 'babe' used.)

"Yuji," You'd said so sweetly, like a pretty little songbird, "I wanna be on top this time."

If he knew how good it felt, he would have tried it with you a long time ago. What wasn't to like about this position? He could see you bare it all for him, drink in the delicious sight of your breasts, bobbing up and down with every bounce on his cock, and watch your face grow flush with euphoria. Euphoria he's giving you and that just makes his cock swell even more as he nestles deep inside you.

"Look so good, feel so good– fuck, babe." Yuji can barely get the words out, choking on saliva as he watches with blown out pupils your cunt swallows him whole, coating him with your slick on every rise. His hands are firmly planted at your waist, fingers digging into your flesh and while you love his hands on you, absolutely adore the way he worships you with his touch, you need something different as you rock yourself on his length. Your hands come to rest on his, peeling them away to interlace your fingers together. You balance yourself so perfectly on him, gripping tight on his hands as you dig all the way down on his member until your clit is stimulated on his abdomen. You cry out and Yuji takes this as a hint, a prod to go harder. He meets your whines with the upward jut of his hips until he can feel himself at your cervix and boy, does that drive him absolutely insane. Now he's holding onto your hands as tight as your walls are around him. "I love you, Yuji. L-Love you." You whimper so honestly, biting your lip and Yuji squeezes your hands again, melting all around you, below you, as he groans out a chorus of I love yous to match your fervor.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ AGED UP!MEGUMI FUSHIGURO

━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ(CONTENT WARNINGS: cunnilingus.)

No matter how many times you undress for him, Megumi still looks at you completely mesmerized, committing your body to memory lest he forget. There's never a flaw in sight, despite your protests, and he relishes the privilege he has, seeing your pussy so wet with slick for him and only him.

"Megumi," His name sounds heavenly coming from you, "right there. Please." You can barely keep your eyes on him, the tip of his tongue drawing sharp circles around the hood of your clit, the bundle of nerves alight with pleasure. You buck your hips into his mouth and he takes you all in, puckering his lips around your swollen nub and giving a light series of suckles but you still react so intensely, it's hard to think straight. Your hand shoots out, landing squarely on his head and gripping his fringe tight but that only goads him further, his tongue drifting from your clit and lapping at your seeping arousal like it's water. His tongue, hot and flat, meets your quivering hole and dares to poke in and the pressure he provides weakens the hold you have on him; feebly, your hand starts to fall, settling on the side of his face and you sigh dreamily when his hand meets yours, giving you a squeeze while looking directly at you. His thumb smooths circles on your skin, so gentle and sweet, while his tongue drives into your cunt roughly, curling up and running along your walls, which convulse around him with such relish.

"You taste so good." Megumi's grunts, muffled by your folds, reach your ears nonetheless and send shivers down your spine. He lavishes you with relentless licks into and around your essence, eating you out like it's his last meal. "So good, all for me." It's not a question. It never has been.

[kinnbig]

hello!! I hope this ask finds you well! I am a huge fan of your beautiful gif sets and want to get into gif making myself. I was wondering if there were any tutorials you recommend to get started? Thank you so much!

hi!! thank you so much, that's lovely of you to say! 🥰

I used a combination of these two tutorials to start with - I generally prefer the first one, but the instructions are for Mac users (and I use Windows) so for a couple of steps I needed to refer to the second one.

I'd personally never used Photoshop before I started making gifs, so with both of these tutorials I skipped the colouring sections at first (they seemed very overwhelming), and just began by practising making a handful of base gifs until I felt like I had the process down and had started to get a good idea of what worked/looked good to me (what cropping/aspect ratios I like, approximately how many frames I like in a gif, where to start/end the gif so that the loop looks good etc).

and then once I felt like I knew my way around a bit more, the way I learned colouring was mostly through the age old technique of fucking around and finding out - but I recently helped @prismatic-witch learn to make gifs and I wrote up a kind of basic colouring tutorial for them - so if you or anyone else is interested I could always type that up nicely and post it here - just let me know 😊

UPDATE: I posted my colouring guide here!

some other tutorials/resources that I've found helpful:

usergif resource directory (loads of tutorials and resources)

this gifmaking tutorial includes instructions on how to blur out burned-on subtitles or annoying video graphics

saving your colouring/psds

guide to channel mixer (colouring)

fixing dark scenes (colouring)

good luck and have fun!!!

[almostyours]

how much would i have to pay to see the xiaoting!yvan edits 😔

u would have to pay $0 because i don’t mind sharing them with u if that’s what u want!  🙈  it’s not a lot  (but it’s still honest work)  because these are edits i made for my friend and i to see only.  since i was never planning to ever release them,   they are not really that breathtaking or anything,  they are kinda half-assed,  not going to lie!  the days when it was just me,  the sharpening tool,  and a random orange psd i made in 2018 against the world…

template  credit.  cringed seeing this one but this was my first ever xiaoting!yvan edit awwww,  and it's funny to look at it because i genuinely didn’t care enough to put a psd on it  😭 

their birthdate...   yvan not being a gemini does not sit right with me

no template credit here because i fear i don’t know who made it…  i’ve had it saved since 2016 and i can’t find anything about it  😭  this reminds me that i really need to start working on their instagram profiles because they are sooooooo fun and it always helps me get a better vision of them instead of depending on pinterest.  

their instagram handle used to be something simple or silly like y.van or yvanbus because van and bus…  yknow…?   lmaooooooo but there was a time that they couldn’t post or say anything without having angels and solo stans asking / demanding for their solo and at some point they were like what the fuckkkkkk i already told them there’s no solo so one day they just changed their handle to that to mock them.  their fans keep asking for the solo,  though  😔

template made by me.   this was the header i made to be at the top of the group’s big ass google docs so yeah,  it’s really not that special and i don’t having anything to say about this except that jisoo looks amazing in that picture  😹  i always wanted to add little doodles all over this but mehhh i kinda hated it because i thought it was dull but i never changed it because of laziness

template made by me.   giving you a little spoiler friendsies…  hiraeth has their own plush toy line called æris  (the line is actually aeris house that’s why there’s a little house there)  and yes i’m stealing ive’s plushies and making them hiraeth’s because who is going to check me!!!!!!  (if anyone works for ive pls don’t snitch on me i beg they have their liddol differences…)  

i wanted to do something cute and endearing,  something like a my littlest pet shop magazine ad or something but i failed so bad i ended up ditching the edit  /  the whole idea altogether because i wasn’t doing what i wanted 😢 this is when i started thinking of switching yvan’s fc because i couldn’t find good xiaoting pics for this  😭  i will most likely try to polish this now that i’m thinking about it…  incoming post soon… 

also yvan’s plushie is Yovi the Puppy  ^____^

[astrojulia]

Navigation:   Masterlist✦Ask Rules✦PSD✦INSPO

       Askbox✦Template✦Paid Readings

Born to lead: Aries assume leadership roles not out of ego, but due to their natural gift. They guide people on a common path and easily take the leadership role when they see that no one is playing that role.

Calm in danger: To witness a calm Aries, put them in a situation of stress and danger. In those times, they put their attention and intelligence to work and don't just stay in action. Ruled by Mars, war is their true field and not the same thing as everyday life.

Refined sense of humor: Aries raise the energy of the place and do so through jokes as well. Their sense of humor can also be different, accepting jokes about their appearance and manner when made by people closest to them.

They have a unique style: Aries like to show themselves through their appearance, so they also look for something in which they can stand out. Whether it's using a more hardcore haircut or wearing a piece of clothing in a dark green tone, it doesn't matter - it needs to be recognized as their own brand.

Rebels by nature: Don't try to tell Aries what to do, as they will find an argument to do it their own way. If you're not Aries and you're reading this, learn to "eat around the edges" - speak indirectly and softly so they'll change their minds. Because if you're going to face them head-on, you're lost.

Honest to the extreme: Aries hate lies, and that's why they always seek to confront the issue head-on. They speak the truth promptly instead of prolonging unnecessary deception - it's one of their mottos.

Loyal: You've probably heard that fire and air signs aren't loyal at all, but that's a lie. Aries want to have strong bonds with their loved ones and try to be always present in their lives. When something goes wrong, they try to fix it, but when it's over, it's over.

Opinionated: Aries strive to be heard in situations they witness, refusing to be passive when action is necessary.

Sweet dreams or a beautiful nightmare: Aries tend to be very sweet and polite, yes, they know how to socialize and are not rage animals, but their moods can change quickly when they feel hurt.

Competitive: It's not surprising that Aries are competitive, but it's important to remember. Aries can change their environment, even if it's something comfortable, if it doesn't ignite their competitive spirit.

Sensitive heart: Aries are very emotional when it comes to matters of the heart. They become sensitive in their relationships, giving their all to form intimate bonds with people. That's why, after a breakup, they take time before getting involved again.

Dislike of waiting: Okay, was that a secret for anyone? Now, jokes aside. Aries don't like to wait, especially when there's no explanation for the delay. More than 15 minutes, and they're gone.

Engaged in various activities: If the whole world had complementary activities in schools, then I could say that all Aries do them. But since that's not the case, Aries seek out different activities in their routine. Similar to Geminis, Aries enjoy having more than one thing to do and find it dreadful to just go home and go to work.

Dislike of routine: Aries don't like routine at all, neither in life nor in love. They need something new and something to do. Every now and then, let your Aries friend create a spontaneous itinerary.

Authenticity in expressing feelings: Just as they dislike lies, Aries never lie about anything, including their feelings. If they don't like something or someone, they make it clear. They may try to disguise their emotions, but if you get close, they'll drop the façade.

Quick learners: Being passionate doesn't mean being unintelligent. Aries rule their heads and have active minds, just like other air signs. However, Aries use their mental capacity to assimilate information quickly. They often excel in specific types of intelligence that align with their interests, such as mathematical or kinesthetic intelligence.

Distorted self-perception: Aries tend to have a skewed view of themselves, particularly regarding their bodies and appearance. Sometimes they exaggerate their flaws, while other times they underestimate their true qualities.

Guardians of secrets: When someone confides in an Aries, they keep that person's secrets confidential. Their commitment to truth and trust prevents them from gossiping or sharing private information. They believe that "some things are best left unknown."

Difficulty opening up: Especially in matters of love and intimacy, Aries find it challenging to open up unless they feel a deep sense of trust. This goes against the popular belief that Aries are more relaxed in these areas.

(CC) AstroJulia Some Rights Reserved

[arcanegifs]

tagged by @adawongs thanks for the tag ♡

before/after gif challenge: rules: from your creations, choose as many gifs as you’d like and do a before and after to show off your colouring and sharping skills.

My thoughts with coloring my Arcane Gifs under the cut:

So.... Arcane... soooo painful to make gifs sometimes lmao. Anyways, for around 95% of what I make, I have a base Arcane PSD which you can see in the first 3 gifs of Vi, Jinx, and Cait. Then, I adjust the curves, color tones, and color balance when necessary. Most of the time, it turns out okay, and I really like it for brighter scenes.

But oh god does it STRUGGLE in dark gifs like the one for Cait lmaoooo. A LOT of colors need to be adjusted, and even the Caitlyn one doesnt come out perfect. Since it's super dark, I can almost never use it for large gifs. It's why I just cherry pick which scenes to make into larger 540 x 540 scenes. The darker ones I typically either leave alone or make smaller crops so that you don't get to see much noise. I really need more practice on coloring them.

There are very rare times wherein the base PSD doesn't work, like the last Vi set, which had to be colored entirely different. I just don't like seeing a lot of yellows on my gifs (as a personal preference), so I decided to have a different coloring for it. I might experiment with more coloring next time, since I almost never feel satisfied with my colorings. But I still find my base PSD to be good enough for majority of the scenes. I’m still deciding if I should stick to an even more basic coloring style to preserve the original animation.

My sharpening settings are the same across the board, I don't really do anything else other than my smart sharpen and gaussian blur settings.

Overall, Arcane for me is pretty difficult to color lol, but it's mostly because I always struggle making dark gifs. I love the series, so I still try my best to make as much gifs as I can. I'm not much of a graphic maker though lol, because I'm not that creative. I usually just stick to making basic gifs instead. I’m always so awed at how other editors color and edit their Arcane sets because they’re all so good!

I'm really glad that I finally managed to have a base PSD so that it makes coloring a lot easier! Hopefully, I can continue to make more when S2 comes out.

[ahkaraii]

i might have already asked but are you planning to update five or a lot can change in a year anytime soon?

As always, very happy people are still interested in this story because I've poured a lot of myself into it <3 My answer is, still, I do plan on finishing it! But I've left it on the backburner because I am no longer in the correct headspace, and also, I no longer have the same time availability I did before.

blah blah the usual excuses under cut

I think I hit a crossroads when I lost my old laptop some years back, with it went the psd files for about 12 parts of the story and I was never able to recover them. That, plus the fact that I started Five before I went through clinical rotations, and the karaii before that and the karaii after that are very different people. Not to be too melodramatic about it, but public hospitals in third world countries with intense local gang warfare is pretty ptsd-inducing, and fictional stories about child soldiers quickly start feeling a bit sour when you see in front of you real live people shaped by those forces in a very not-fictional sort of way. You see one person dying and then you see several couple more and you fuck up giving CPR once and all these things kinda pile on, y'know? My comic about Kakashi started feeling like something I couldn't get into anymore. For a while there, all my art felt like it had been drawn by a very different person that I could no longer recognize. Infantile, childish, narrow-visioned-- deep sunk in a place of fiction when real life in front of me demanded my attention.

I've been a medical doctor for a couple years now though, so I've grown into my big boy boots and am doing quite well for myself, as it were. I'm currently a postgraduate resident for psychiatry so art and fandom have returned to being a place for me to destress and chill :) My Five comic is a legacy I am very proud of and really truly do want to finish, but I need to get back into that headspace to do it proper-like. There are so many unfinished stories percolating there that I'd be long-term sad if I fumbled them all in an effort to speedrun an ending. It would be a disservice to my younger self, who was so ambitious and had such a clear vision, y'know?

As it is, these things take time, and patience, and if you've run out of them then I hope you enjoyed the ride, and find greener pastures <3 Life's really truly too short to sweat the small stuff. Enjoy your health while it lasts, and don't forget to make your own meaningful human connections 'cause those can keep you going for a long time :D And thanks for being interested enough to send me a message! I am genuinely very happy people still enjoy my old works enough to come asking me about them. Stay awesome, and don't forget to smell the flowers!

[worldformula]

complicated relationship with Aymeric you say 👀 I would love to hear about it

also do you have a blank version or link to the blank version of that “characters who are just like my WOL fr” chart it intrigues ms greatly. I love that it’s specific about what exactly the inspiration from the characters is.

Here’s a link to the .psd because the framing layers makes it a bit hard to use as a regular png. Go nuts!

As for Aymeric…

Long story short, they never fostered an actual real relationship before just getting in the nitty gritty of intimacy because it is my religious belief that Aymeric is deeply repressed like a Catholic maiden and Utushama kept just leaving for MSQ immediately the day after they’d fool around. Utushama assumed they were on the same page (this wouldn’t work because they have conflicting responsibilities) (this is also kind of an excuse, he’s starting to develop a pattern of starting something, ditching ASAP, and then using MSQ as a noble excuse) but they weren’t really. I love to pretend Lucia is mad at him for this because it made Endwalker kind of funny. Usual spoiler warning for everything ahead!

Short story long, after the Dragonsong War’s end, they kept things entirely professional including their dinner and dealing w the aftermath of it all but were slowly (and I mean SLOWLY) building a tension between them like it was a Victorian period drama. Like, a show of ankle would give Aymeric a heart attack at this point. So they had two days of building up to this that no one in the world could’ve possibly guessed was any kind of build up to anything followed by one night of Halone-dishonoring acts (initiated by Utushama because why not. Why not hit and run the beautiful President of Dragon Catholics City after you saved them all. Especially after increasingly escalating moments of barely repressed interest). And immediately after, without explanation or any warning, Utushama left for MSQ, with the assumption that they were both in agreement that they couldn’t have an actual relationship because one of them loves their country more than anything else in the world and the other is a traveling adventurer. He didn’t say this because it was so obvious to him but Aymeric was obviously left a little confused and feeling slightly abandoned but bigger things at stake, y’know.

And then they meet again when Ala Mhigo is liberated because all the Eorzean Alliance leaders are there and Utushama is feeling very disoriented and bad because Zenos just killed himself in front of him, denying him of any closure to the distress he’s been feeling for all of Stormblood. And they are once again very professional as if they hadn’t explored each other’s bodies that one time. Aymeric invites him to dinner again and when the subject of trying to define their relationship is brought up, Utushama deflects by hitting him point-blank with the “ok, do you want to do that again” and Aymeric is flustered enough by this that despite being a very savvy politician, the Catholic maiden part of him overrides the many slightly orange flags. Once again, Utushama slips away without warning immediately after.

They don’t speak again until right after the Ghimlyt Dark, wherein canon provided me a lovely moment of quiet between the two of them. Utushama, being injured, is then unable to escape from this conversation that Aymeric begins, wherein Aymeric himself first confesses to hoping to be something more serious, to which Utushama answers in a manner that is between bafflement and regret that they weren’t ever going to be a thing (because again, he thought they were on the same page about this). Aymeric is sad but can see the logic in this and admits that Utushama deserves someone who cares more about him than their political responsibilities, who could and would follow him to the ends of the earth. (There is no reason for him to be so self-deprecating on the matter because it’s not as if he were the one at fault for this, but Utushama just has a way of making people feel bad for wanting reasonable things from him. It’s kind of cruel of him but he also is entirely unaware that he’s doing this.) This is a fun bit of foreshadowing for me personally because this could mean anyone but should the monkey’s paw curl, that sure does describe a certain horrible prince he despises. But after accidentally doing all that to Aymeric, maybe he does deserve to be tormented. Just a little. I’ve been following a sort of narrative path wherein anyone who likes Utushama for being a hero figure can’t actually get with him for good because they’re enabling his bad habits and it’s going to end badly.

Anyway, all this made the Endwalker casting quests very fun because they just kind of josh around lightly and even reference their old fling without it being a whole thing and it feels like the weight of whatever they were doing is off Aymeric now so he’s able to be confident and normal again. If they ever fool around again post-Endwalker, it’s noticeably different because Aymeric has moved past the whole blushing maiden for the hero role. Utushama is admittedly kind of. Strangely sad to see him move past him but by then knows that it was probably for the best. It’s just hard for him to even metaphorically feel like he’s the one being left behind. And Lucia is no longer mad at him but it’s really funny to let him keep thinking she is!

So yeah, his relationship with Aymeric is kind of tangled and convoluted and despite indulging once or twice, he doesn’t actually seem to like talking about it beyond whatever’s professional because he’s just very private. I’ve no idea what the general consensus is on Aymeric and Estinien’s relationship but I imagine it was much more straightforward than this. Utushama inadvertently projects and assumes it was just as complicated based on the way Estinien talks about Aymeric in MSQ tidbits but I think it’s funnier if it was actually relatively tame and Estinien is just being dramatic.

[oneirataxia-girl]

oc halloween challenge 2023 ⇝ day three

Born In The Wrong Century ft. Solita Solomons

When Solita recieves a letter praising her rhapsody published under a pseudonym, she couldn't wait to share the news with her family. Sadly, Solita's father remained firm in his stance, even going so far as to declare his intentions to stop his daughter from sharing more of her work. Furious and upset, a red-eyed Solita can't help but wonder what would happen if she was born in a time when none would bat an eye at a woman writing music. So when a mysterious carriage appears out of nowhere moments later she made her wish, Solita feels like there is only one way to find out the answer to her question for sure. In 2023, Solita is faced with the upturned noses of studios as she goes from company to company, offering samples of her pieces -- not songs, why doesn't anyone understand that? -- and getting the same answer every time: this isn't the olden times, it won't sell. It seemed as if there would never be a place for her in the music world, but Solita Solomons is nothing but resourceful...

gonna be honest, i had the coloring file in my computer and i can't find where i got it from anymore, but the coloring psd is called dust and light, if anyone wants to know

the enabler's call: @arrthurpendragon @hiya-itsamber @carmens-garden @shrinkthisviolet @darth-caillic @daughter-of-melpomene-- want to be added? shoot me an ask!!

[enchaentd]

misc. character info sheet.  ˎˊ˗

name:  valentine “allie” hope fleur.

name meaning:  "strong, vigorous, healthy" latin, “hope” english, “flower” french (a made up last name allie created for herself when she started school). 

alias/es:  she will always be :) just allie :). 

ethnicity:  white/caucasian. dad is so far out of the picture that’s he’s not relevant to me (aka i haven’t thought about any faceclaim/ethnicity for him besides that he’s white) and as far as where her mother is “from”, it’s the fae realm. i’ve had thoughts before about them being vaguely french but never really committed. the fae heritage is much stronger.

one picture you like best of your character: (two bc the second is her wire icon, sorry it looked bad with the psd on it)

three headcanons you've never told anyone: (ish)

allie’s vegetarian both out of choice (she really doesn’t really want to eat her plant friends either, but, you know) and because meat is actually like poison to her upon consumption. if she eats it, she’ll cough up blood and get very, very ill.

i really think she’s got some fucked up, supernatural stuff going on with her dreams. prophetic isn’t quite the right word, or the right accuracy. but she really be having some freaky, surreal dreams featuring some real life things and probably a whole lot of symbolism. it’s a fae thing <3 she’s just so connected with natural magic.

this one’s kinda crazy but allie is very much the unemployed friend, and only works occasionally at various flower shops or waitressing gigs, and that’s usually when she’s in her leaving spots or whenever i need her to, for plot reasons. i think a large amount of why she’s able to live comfortably and do relatively whatever she wants, financially is because of her general pretty privilege and a tendency to accidentally acquire… glucose guardians who pay for what she needs, even if the relationship is not sexual. 

three things your character likes doing in their free time:  gardening, exploring/adventuring/partying, various house stuff like cleaning and cooking and baking and sewing. 

eight people your character likes / loves:  i don’t think i could ever make this list because i’d always be leaving people out. i’ve made similar lists before for important dynamics but even that is a little outdated and i just… hey, look at me, she loves you. she loves everyone. 

two things your character regrets:

she’ll say she regrets being a horrible daughter, even though she absolutely wasn’t, and was also a child who only wanted her mother to love her, and constantly suppressed her needs only to please her, or was suppressed by force.

she regrets leaving so often. she does not realize the emotional impact it leaves when she goes, and that people miss her, or care about her, because she doesn’t think she deserves that care. 

two fears your character has:  being abandoned (again, big or small, by anyone), drowning.

tagging;   you, steal this and say i tagged you!

[freetheshit-outofyou]

You mention often that you are a "Former LEO", why did you quit?

There is a very long answer to your short question, but I will try to give you the short'ish answer. The "Us vs Them" mentality had started to set in after about 10 years on the road. I had stopped gearing up wondering who I was going to help in the next shift and started gearing up for a fight every shift. Day by day, I stated seeing those I was entrusted to help as a threat, all the time. Mainly becasue my day was 75% dealing with the bottom of the gene pool barrel, 10% feeling like I was really making a positive difference in my community, and 15% beating my head against paperwork. (The paperwork was still ALL by hand, often in triplicate with carbon paper.) At 15 years in I was able to change jobs and always thought I go back to being an LEO full time. But, deep down inside I knew I was never going back. I suffered a TBI in 2006 and that was the final nail in any thoughts of going back on the road, that choice was now out of my hands. I retired with 19 years 7 months as an LEO (20 years 4 days in total.) and I don't miss a single day on the road. You can only see so many murders, rapes, bank robbery's, auto fatalities, suicides, child abuse cases, spousal abuse cases, and a million other shitty things you can't scrub off your brain. And that is just the Garrison mission, we still have an entirely different combat mission. Clerical note: I did all my time as an LEO as a Military Policemen (Army). You will often, and I still do, hear civilian LEO's say "MP's are not real LEO's.", to those folks I say do the job. My arrest (Apprehension) authority was federally derived, just like any other federal LEO. There is literally no crime that happens in the country that will not happen on a military installation. We deal with not only our military communities that are often larger than the communities right outside the gate but all the civilians that enter our gates and the shit they drag in with them. I worked as a regular patrolmen, Shift Super, DST (Drug Suppression Team) member, SRT (Special Reaction Team) member, and the PSD (Personal Security Detachment) teams when they Army still had a school for it, now it seems to be mostly unit derived. As I stated above, murders, rapes, bank robbery's, auto fatalities, suicides, child abuse cases, spousal abuse cases all they way down to the shoplifting of candy. Let's not forget all the weekly predictable cases like bar fights starting on Thursdays and ending on Sundays, The domestics starting on Friday night and going into Monday morning. The bullshit Monday morning walk-in cases for minor-thefts or property damage that happened on the weekend but soldiers use them as an excuse to get out of PT. I could go on and on. Ok, Anon, this is the short answer to your question, the long full answer would fill volumes. I hate this movie quote but, it's not entirely wrong. The bulk of the people we deal with have been trained to be both technically and tactically proficient, trained in the use of multiple types of firearms and unarmed self-defenses, and in many cases trained to a degree that they possess skills that most LEO's outside the gate do not have interactions with. (God, the SF and Ranger and one loan Delta dude stories I could tell.) Also, a tip of the hat to all those MPI (Military Police Investigations) and CID (Criminal Investigations Division) folks, fuck, I'm glad I did not have to do your paperwork.

[captivemuses]

(How do you make your icons? Do you have any tips for beginners? What program do you use?)

@honkai-star-fun

First off hello! For once I can put my icon knowledge to use lol. But my icon process on how I do them is probably a bit more time consuming than it needs to be just from the sheer amount of steps there are but I'm too set in my ways to change.

First I'll take crops from the actual caps of whatever I want to make icons of, then I use a free program called Photoscape to resize the icons down to the standard 100x100 size that all my icons are (I know that I'm able to do that step in Photoshop but I never learned how and again too stubborn to change my work process lol). Then I go over to Photoshop to clean up all the icons (things like sharpening the image, cleaning up any backgrounds, tweaking lighting to the icon is more visible, things like that. Then the final step for me is actually putting my PSD over the icon I'm making (if it's not an icon for someone else that may or may not be edited with a border or overlay on top).

I premake all my borders ahead of time so when it comes time for the editing process I just slap them right on top of the icon and adjust the image as necessary so it's centered and make sure everything looks good. You can find pirated versions of Photoshop out there if you look enough I'm sure, but I personally just pay for an Adobe subscription every month so the software gets updates and I just do any icon work I can to justify the cost, whether it's just making a bunch for myself or making icons for friends who ask me to. But there's also free online alternatives to Photoshop that I've had to use in a pinch in the past. For me they're not the greatest for doing icons in bulk simply because I don't think you can mass upload files like you could on a legit version of Photoshop, but if you're really desperate it can get the job done. You'd just have to Google search like 'free online photoshop' or something along those lines to find a webpage for one.

As for the caps themselves that I use, a friend of mine does all my capping for me in exchange for me making icons for her own use because I've never been able to get the hang of using capping software, but if you search around on Tumblr and Google for caps blogs you can find a lot of free to use caps to make icons and graphics from or find people that do commissions for caps. It's also possible to find free to use premade icons if you search around Google enough (search things like 'Honkai rp icons' and you'll often find Tumblr posts that have free to use icons for the general public, or you'll find people that have some available for purchase through a commission like I do.

My biggest tip for a beginner is there's no shame in using free for public use icons if you just don't have the time to make your own from scratch. Do what you have time to do. I personally have been making my own rp icons from scratch for over 10 years now, but that's purely a personal preference of wanting complete control over how they're cropped and how they look and I'm willing to put in the time to make them look exactly how I want. Icon making can be really time consuming if you're making a lot of them or are icon'ing a character that shows up in a lot of their source material, so it's totally fine to do what you can to try and get through the process faster. And if you think just commissioning someone for icons to save yourself stress is a better way to go, it's totally fine to just spend a bit of money if you have the disposable income.

Anyway hope all that helped and if you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask!

[arabaka]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ reigen arataka x fem!reader. CONTENT WARNINGS: 18+ !!! appearance of inappropriate power dynamics (explained). office sex. f!receiving oral. unprotected sex. reader wears a dress. exhibitionism. spanking. pet names "baby" and "love" used. WORD COUNT: 5.1K // PSD CREDIT // ENJOY THE SHOW !!! MINORS/AGELESS BLOGS DNI, YOU WILL BE BLOCKED !!!

“Well, I have to tell you — I’ve never seen answers like yours on this and I’ve done a lot of these questionnaires.” Should you take that as a compliment? Or a sign of worse things to come? You should have listened to that tiny voice in the recess of your mind, screaming at you to GO HOME! and THIS IS STUPID! when you were still outside the front door. But not because you were doubtful, no. Quite the contrary. You were, and still are, too hopeful.

Hopeful for a sign, a sign that what’s wrong isn’t with you but the pool you’ve been swimming in. The dating pool. 

And a 99% guarantee at revealing your soulmate for the low, low price of your pride plus a nominal service fee looks like a lifesaver from where you’re drowning. The romantic in you jumped first and thought later because you didn’t count for being nervous. 

“Is that a bad thing?” Your voice comes out so much smaller than intended. You need this Reigen Arataka to speak up and speak fast because your brain is already jumping– no, pole vaulting to conclusions and all of them are pointing to you being the common denominator to your dilemma.

Were you too honest? He’d told you to answer the survey truthfully, that he can’t get a proper read on your aura otherwise, but now you’re wondering if he’s psychoanalyzing you and silently deeming you too far gone. There were quite a few questions that had your brain regressing to vices you’ve tried to subdue. Your bottom lip between your teeth, you rub your thighs together anxiously. A detail that doesn’t go unnoticed by the observant psychic.

Well, look at you. You’re shaking like a leaf, hoping he doesn’t notice but he has an eye for this sort of thing. Knows how to read people and you? So easy to figure out, he’s already got you, cover-to-cover. 

“No, no.” Reigen promises to use his knowledge for good but there’s one answer of yours that he just can’t seem to get past. His gaze flitters over to you; are you trying to pull the wool over his eyes? Jotting down something so brazen… You have to be up to something.

The look on your face is that of growing uncertainty; he’ll lose you if he isn’t careful. Knuckles bop the paper, wrist rapping off your responses but it’s when his mouth follows suit that you feel your heart drop at your feet. 

He’s going to read your answers. Out loud.

And he’s starting with one you answered with honesty you didn’t even know you had.

“What’s one thing you’ve never done that you would like to do?”

Air stills in your lungs. Oh god. You sit, so mortified and small in your chair.

“Most would say skydiving, if you can believe it. Or something like, travel abroad. But you wrote…”

The man has a flair for the dramatic, that much you can deduce when he takes a moment to pause. Your controversial answer is on the tip of his tongue and when he finally rolls it out, you feel the heat in your face turn over to a boil.

“Have sex in a public place.”

Why did you answer that truthfully?! You could have put down anything so why land on something so excruciatingly embarrassing? Your vision splits and suddenly you’re seeing two of Reigen, which is two more than you want to see right now. 

“Hey, hey,” In the most delicate way possible, Reigen attempts to drag you out of the 6-foot trench you’re mentally digging for yourself, “I’m not judging.” That’s a lie. Because he is judging you, just not poorly. 

He’s looking at you, gaze stuck on you like honey, and watching you fidget in your seat, your lips quivering as you try to come up with something, anything to say. It’s captivating. It’s intriguing. 

It’s really fucking hot.

“Sorry, I just…” Oh finally, your vocal chords work for something that aren’t just self-sabotaging squeaks. “Didn’t think you were going to read it out loud.” You still can’t look him in the eyes. That’s good. That means you can’t see the cogs in his brain grinding. “You told me to answer truthfully so I… Put the first thing that came to mind.” 

What is it about you that is driving him up the walls insane? Making HIM shift in his seat, hoping you don’t notice the tension straining in his slacks.

But… At the rate he’s going, he’s going to get in a lot of trouble anyways… If you let him.

He swallows hard. What he’s about to do, the plan he is about to put into motion is so dastardly, it’ll probably become a sin he’ll spend the rest of his life making up for. And it all starts with one question: “Are you sexually frustrated?”

You blink, his voice a jarring echo in your brain. You try to replay it, maybe hoping the second or third time you repeat it in your head you’ll hear something different. But no, he only confirms his question with a follow-up explanation, to put your nerves at ease.

“Forgive me for being so blunt, but I see this very often in these types of consultations. People come to me looking for a soulmate but the issue isn’t with you… It’s with a type of curse that’s becoming more common these days than ever before. These things– They latch onto poor people like you and they ward off potential suitors. Believe me, I see it all the time.” 

The problem is you can’t believe what you’re hearing, yet you trust him all the same. Hearing the words “the issue isn’t with you” inspires hope, the feeling inspiring a bright twinkle in your widened eyes. “R-Really?” You gasp. If it’s a curse, he can help with that, right ? “So then… Can you exorcise the spirit?” 

He almost wishes you wouldn’t look at him like that– so full of newfound wonder and fascination. Almost.

“Yes!” He gives you a thumbs up. “And don’t worry– no extra charge.”

You’ve never been to a psychic before. Neither have any of your friends. But maybe this is something they all do. Maybe they all have a special service that’s off the books. Surely a psychic of his caliber couldn’t possibly be expected to quantify all of his amazing, otherworldly abilities.

“Some curses manifest in your body through physical ailments. Fortunately, with my psychic abilities, I can expel any evil spirit in your body through physical contact. Massage it right out of ‘ya.” He explains while guiding you to a door that’s in the furthest corner of his office.

The difference between this room and the lobby is like night and day; whereas the foyer is padded with your run-of-the-mill fluorescent lighting, this room is mostly shrouded in shadows. That, of course, is by design. 

“Relax.” He tells you and your body actually listens. Maybe it’s the humidifier wafting the soft aroma of lavender or the dim flicker from an array of pillar candles, either way you’re easing into the intimate atmosphere. Your eyes are taken by the main fixture in the area: the massage table. You know that’s where you’ll end up but you wait for his command, which he fulfills. “Go ahead and get on the table. The way you are is fine.” 

You lie down, unable to stop the fidgeting that’s annoyingly taken a hold of all your limbs. You start an apology but Reigen stops you before you can really begin. “It’s okay. Let me take care of that.” 

Is it the apprehension leaving your body that’s making you wiggle your body so much? Or is it from excitement, the prospect of finally being free of whatever’s been holding you back too much for you to take? But once Reigen gets his hands on you, every cell, every nerve in your system bows to him. 

His hands are so firm, even over your clothing you can feel his mastery in the art of massaging. He coaxes the most stubborn of knots out of your shoulders, using the fat of his thumb to make deep but mindful strokes over the plane of your body. You can feel a revitalization of sorts taking place as he works your tired and overworked muscles, your brain humming with a pleasure you’ve never experienced before. He starts a pinch and rolling technique, effectively melting you where you lie on his massage table. He’s hitting all the right spots; how does he know this? Can he see with his psychic powers where you’re most pent up? Wow, you think inbetween flashes of vision, he’s good.

The entire time, you’re withholding from him and worst of all, he knows it. You don’t realize it, but your attempts at hiding your moans are a lot more obvious than the sounds you’re working so hard to keep from him. The exhales flaring your nostrils come in noticeable spurts, particularly when he starts to roll the heel of his palm over the span of your back. He can’t exactly see it, but he can just tell you’re biting your lip, praying that any one of those ill-sounding noises never makes it past your hold.  

You feel looser by the time Reigen is done with you, more flexible in your joints and god do you feel as though a weight was lifted off your shoulders. Literally. You’ve never felt better. You’re sitting upright now on the massage table, singing his praises but your voice slowly dies out when you see the expression on Reigen’s face. 

He looks perplexed, stumped even. “Hm…” He muses aloud, his hand wrapped around his chin in thought. 

You waste no time, asking right away, “What? What’s wrong?” Your hands grip one another tightly– did the treatment not take? Your brain can’t help but leap several steps backward, back to where you started; maybe you are the problem.

“The curse still has a hold on you. I was able to eliminate 99% of it but…” You’re usually not one to rush things, much less people but you wish he would just get on with it! This is your life he’s talking about here! “That 1%... Could be a problem. Now I know that number seems low but that basically means the curse hasn’t left you and can still do a lot of damage.”

Really? That low of a percentage can still ruin your life? So… That’s it? Hot tears start to sting your eyes at the prospect of being stuck like this forever. Reigen looks surprised at your sudden show of despair, but quick to act he catches your tears with cupped hands at your face, thumbs stopping the streams in their tracks. Your heart is beating so loud, raging against your ribcage, that you don’t have any doubt that he can feel it pulse in his fingertips. You're frozen, unsure of what to do, how to act but you feel a stir in the pit of your belly as your gaze never leaves Reigen's.

He's contemplating– or so he'd like you to think. Because the truth is, he's been working up to their suggestion the moment he read that answer of yours. "There is… One way." His palms still holding your face, your hopes even, he smooths a circle along the peaks of your cheekbones. "It's… Unconventional." 

The word reverberates in your ears, tickling the outer shell with a heat that swiftly spreads to your face. Unconventional? You look into his eyes and you see something more beast than man and suddenly, it all clicks. The subtext of his words heavy on your tongue, you swallow them down, down, down until you’re clamping your thighs together tight.

Whether he’s been working his way up to this proposition the entire time or he’s a bonafide spirit medium willing to go to great, great lengths for his clientele, you find that… You can’t be bothered to care either way. And that little voice of your head, that last ditch effort for a rational decision? Suddenly quiet. 

“Okay…” You nod into his hands, “Whatever it takes. Just help me, Reigen Arataka.”

“Stand by the window. Be there in a minute.” 

His voice low, carried by an undercurrent of blown out lust and worn down patience, he leaves you where you are. Your eyes follow him as he walks to the front door, so casually turning the sign from OPEN to CLOSED. Your legs quiver with anticipation as Reigen makes his way back to you, his fingers busying themselves by loosening the knot in his tie before casting it away. You feel your heart flutter then, lose your breath even when his hands reach out to grip your waist, fingers curling as he starts to walk you back. 

You let him lead until you feel the soft brush of the wall on your backside, gasping when you feel the tip of his loafer nudge your feet apart. He chuckles first then takes a step forward, occupying the space he’s made for himself. He moves in, letting his lips brush delicately against your ear lobe, practically purring in your ear when he murmurs, “Been wanting to do this since you walked in.”

Your body flush against his now, his twitching cock already grinding against your thigh, you sigh. “Y-Yeah?” You bite back a moan when you feel his fingers start to hook into your sides, creating a little friction between the two of you, your bodies wriggling against one another so obscenely. “Just looking for an excuse then..?” When your voice trails off, Reigen picks it up with a snicker into your neck as he leaves a kiss on every exposed bit of skin. 

“No…” He presses the word to your body, enjoying the way you squirm under him. “I’m treating you, remember?” Your chest falls with a lofty exhale, Reigen coaxing a few more of those lovely little noises of yours when his fingers start to trickle down from your waist, to your hips, to finally… The bottom of your dress. He’s so impatient. “I promise this is going to make you feel better.”

Your eyes meet there, lingering for a moment in anticipation of what’s to come. When you bring your head back up, you’re surprised to see his gaze already stuck to you. “I’m… Already feeling a little better. Is it working?” Your words slowed and your tone hushed, you feel a haze start to settle over your brain when Reigen’s fingers start to sneak under your dress and up your inner thigh. His touch is hot on your skin, leaving embers in its wake, and he doesn’t hesitate even for a moment to crook a finger on the panty line stretching over your cunt. 

“Y-Yeah.” He starts to falter, facade dropping when his finger is immediately meant with such wetness, your slick easily coating his digit and he hasn’t even stuck it inside you yet. He clears his throat but a breathy groan still escapes his lips when he rubs the pad of his finger along your folds, dipping past the lips and gathering more of your arousal. God, he’s addicted to this feeling: the way your body just melts into his hands is making his head fuzzy and his cock unbearably hard. “You’re so wet… Have you been keeping this from me the whole time?”

You start dipping your hips, rubbing against him to quell your desire and this seems to work just fine for him too, given that he’s panting into the recess of your neck and dry humping your leg to soothe his own needs. You moan out a wispy mmhmm for him and that has his lips hovering just over yours in a flash. He needs to know what you taste like here first before all else. 

Your heart is rattling in your chest, the precious bundle of nerves hidden by your panties throbbing for relief. You take the incentive, closing the distance between the two of you with a kiss that’s so hungry, Reigen can savor it on you. The kiss you share is passionate, more than what should be allotted for a businessman and his client. 

“Feels good?” He breathes, letting his tongue slip into your mouth just as he plunges a finger inside your tantalizingly tight warmth, lapping up your moans so naturally. Your thighs attempt to lock around his hand when the tip of his digit finds that spot of yours, so easily and so wondrously, but that doesn’t dissuade him. His free hand now at your chin, lustful eyes watching your lashes flutter under the pressure he’s giving you even as he kisses you deeply. You don’t want him to stop, you’re not done enjoying the way his tongue laps over yours, the way he’s giving you plenty of moans to swallow like it’s your first taste of water in a long time.

His lips come off yours with a smack, a thin bridge of saliva breaking from your mouths and it’s like he’s stolen the air right from your lungs. But he’s in a similar state, you see it from the way he’s slowly drawing an inhale and the way his hair sticks to his temples from the sweat already forming from the heat you’re sharing. He’s… So, so beautiful.

He doesn’t say a word as he sinks to the ground, much to your surprise as your pupils dilate and your legs tremble. He only has to swat your knee once to get you to open up for him and when you do, your panties come off and your dress gets pushed up in an instant. He’s hungry and at this point, you don’t know if this is for you or for him. But this is a win-win situation and you’re not complaining.

The way he dives right into your pussy is exhilarating, like a shock to your heart that sends goosebumps up and down your arms. “H-Hhm, a-ah…” You struggle with words, delirium settling in the back of your eyes as you relax into him. His nose just above your clit, his mouth positioned right over your anticipating hole, he seems to know just what he’s doing with his tongue as it pokes and drags over your wet pussy. You watch his lids slowly close, his face pressed against your folds as he lewdly slurps up your juices until the taste of you is tingling on his taste buds. And my god, he’s still in his suit.

He’s groaning loudly into your lips, slipping in another digit inside you until he’s pumping in and out of you with three fingers dripping with the essence of you. You tighten up around him, walls flexing when he caresses the most tender part inside of you with sinful dexterity. He closes his lips around the hood of your clit, relishing the way you start to jut your hips into his mouth for more, more, more. He can’t get enough, not when you taste this good, feel this good.

“A-Arataka,” You slip up, but the two of you are already so embedded in the pleasure it doesn’t even matter, “Y-You’re… Mmmhn… R-Right there, right there!” Your wanton cries don’t go unanswered as he starts to pull on your bud, suckling the sensitive muscle while quickening the pace at which his fingers enter you. Your back pressed hard into the wall, he’s determined to bring you down and into his mouth too. It’s only right, you’re in his charge after all.

“Y-Yeah?” You know just how to pluck at his heartstrings, saying his name like that… Like you need him. “Gonna let go? Let go, please.” A carnal lick to his words, you obey but not without gripping the hair at his crown and pulling him deeper into you. Your toes curl into the floor, feet struggling to even stay grounded as Reigen practically jackhammers his fingers into your plush, hot walls and you swear you see heaven when his tongue starts to slather drool over your already sopping wet pussy. 

“‘M gonna. G-gonna…” You can’t think, not when Reigen’s handling you this way. All you can do is bend to his will, let go just like he told you to and when you do, god do you feel so good. 

So good, you forget how this started.

Reigen doesn’t stop, doesn’t slow down as he licks into your pussy, swallowing everything you have to give him and more until his chin is dripping with your release, until your climax is the only flavor he has flooding his mouth. He pulls away, panting but not tired. No, in fact… He’s feeling reinvigorated. After all, he’s not done with you, not yet.

“Turn around.” He murmurs into your ear after coming to stand once more. Pressing into your thigh, you feel a wet patch on the crosspoint of his slacks and you know exactly where he’s going with this.

You listen, balance staggering when you turn on your heels but Reigen, oh he’s a gentleman the way he has both hands on your hips, keeping you steady so you don’t have to.

And just as he guides you to face the window, he says, “Now, you mentioned…” He breaks for a nibble on your earlobe, hands making good work of his belt and throwing it aside. You shiver when you hear the metal of his buckle clatter against the floor. Your hole squeezes around nothing, desperate for him to fill you up. “Sex in a public place, right?” His lips now at the slope of your neck, he gives you a nice, long suck until your skin blooms a pretty color, and all for him. “Then this should do the trick…” 

There it is, the heat of his cock pushing between your thighs and rubbing up and down your plump folds. He almost loses his way here, rolling his hips into you over and over. He can’t help it, your ass just jerks back into him in the most decadent way every time the tip of his member so much as grazes your clit. And you can’t help it, you’ve just cum and he’s teasing you at this point. 

“L-Little mean to hold back for your client…” You gingerly remind him that you’re waiting, that you’re his customer to take care of. He only offers a laugh for an apology but you’re getting what you want, what you’ve been wanting so you won’t chastise him too much…

He swallows hard, shaft pulsating in his hand as he guides his cockhead to your entrance. “You– Shit…” He hisses as he starts to lean into you, his tip squishing against you just before he slips in with a very audible, very carnal groan. “Just like that…” His voice barely above a grumble and stuttering over an exhale after hearing you cry out, Reigen inches deeper inside you while haphazardly bunching up your dress until your bare ass is on display for his viewing pleasure. Your back arches in response to his desperation, your fingers trembling when you come to grip the window sill. He hasn’t even finished filling you when your eyes start to roll behind heavied eyelids.

Your brain is firing on all cylinders, flesh bouncing when Reigen starts his motions inside you. “F-F-F– Ahh, mmm…” You whimper as he picks up the pace and suddenly you’re feeling him curled over you, breath fanning over your ear when he winds back and smacks into you a little harsher than the last. Your lashes flutter apart and what do your eyes land on but the street outside, people walking around and going about their day, not knowing the filth occurring just a story above them.

“This might be public enough… But if you’d like, we can continue this outside.” How he can continue to tease you when his long shaft is running up and down your walls, granting you a pleasure you’ve always dreamed of, is beyond you but you’re not protesting. You whimper in response and he rushes to kiss your cheek, sloppy and rushed so there’s a layer of spit left after he returns to your ear with a question, “Feeling good?”

Reigen himself feels like he’s losing control the longer he’s penetrating you; your walls hug him so tight and every tremble leaves a quake of erotic bliss he feels deep in his core. And on top of that, he’s mesmerized with how the sunlight pouring in from the window practically shines a spotlight on your ass. There’s a sick uptick in the corners of his lips when he starts to smack your bottom with his spread hand and it’s such a delicious sight, he can’t help but do it again. And again. And again.

To say he’s glad you walked in that door is an understatement. You’re so good for him, running back into his cock to feel the full force of his member overtake you on every thrust. God, it’s really doing a number on his sanity, watching your ass jiggle and your cunt swallow him. He swears to never do this again, never… With anybody but you. 

He watches your head start to droop but not to worry; he grasps your face, thumb on one cheek and the rest of his fingers on the other to squish your lips into a beautiful pout, and uses that newfound grip to urge you forward, give you a better look at the world on the outside.

“Look at that… This is what you wanted right?” Reigen murmurs, lips hovering by your temple. “Sex– fuck, hhn — in a public place… Anybody can just look up and see you. Come in, even. I didn’t lock the door.” He hisses the last part right into your ear, a lopsided smile coming over his features when he feels your hips buckle and your lips part for a series of mewls. “But you like that, don’t you?”

The sounds of him rutting into you, cock completely sheathed in your warmth, are so loud, you wonder if anybody on the outside can hear it. There’s also the noises you’re making, so needy and strung out as Reigen fucks you so good, you already feel cured. Not to mention the squelching sounds of him pushing your slick back into you, forcing it to mix with his dribbling pre-cum… It’s so much, too much—

“A-Arataka,” There you go, mixing up names again, “Rei– I’m c-close. P-please, please– fuck.” You’re drooling, that’s how fucked out you’re becoming with every shove of Reigen’s engorged member inside you. You swear you feel his girth doubling inside you, the veins outstretched over his foreskin mingling with the ridges in your flexing walls so magically… He’s the real deal, alright. 

And Reigen? He’s loving every second of this, intoxicated by the way you’re crying out for him, like he’s the only one who can save you… Maybe because he is. He’s getting off either way and it shows by the way he’s now pummeling your weeping pussy, smacking fluids everywhere and you whine so beautifully how can he not keep it up? “S-Shit, you’re so tight… Fuck, give into me, baby.”

He’s not supposed to call you that, but damn does it feel good rolling off his tongue like that. “Like that? Like being fucked this way?” He’s breathing into your ear, repeating it like a mantra while you nod so terribly fast it’s making you dizzy. “T-Taking me in so well, god… Can’t help it, sorry… Gotta fuck you this way…” He doesn’t need to explain to you his speed, his force into you as you seem to understand him fully by the way your cunt starts to squeeze so, so taut around the ring of his shaft.

The room is now privy to the volume of his balls smacking into your clit and that’s when your legs wobble, threatening to close in on him as you feel your climax edging close and closer. If only you could kiss him, share spit just like you’re sharing slick… Suppose that can be for next time, you manage to muse just as he starts to dig his nails into the front of your thighs, driving you back until your ass is bouncing off his pelvis.

He sees white when you start to babble his name like a broken prayer, spilling into you all his sticky, hot seed. It’s so much, you feel a new level of stuffed and when the tears start to prick your waterline at the overwhelming sensation, you know you’re going to cum with him.

He groans your name, nips it to your neck even as his thrusts become lazy, hips running slack against your ass until he’s completely spent, having packed your pussy to the brim with his load. It’s starting to spill out actually, dripping onto the floor while your chest rises and falls with dense breath. You can only think of him, only want him, only–

“That was… Amazing…” You find yourself saying, voice giving way to giggles when Reigen’s lips start to pepper kisses from your cheek to your temple. “B-Better than I thought it would be, love.” You crane your neck back to see the pet name fluster the man, the same man who was just fucking you like a wild animal. 

He docks his forehead against the side of your head, “Y-Yeah… You’re a little too good at this roleplaying thing, you know that?” When he laughs, it’s so weak from being so out of breath you can’t help but glow with pride. “Don’t tell me you took inspiration from the day we met.” 

You hide your face away, feigning shame but he knows you’re not embarrassed. This was your idea after all.

The idea that popped in your head one night when the two of you lay in bed, on your sides and facing each other. A finger running lines on his chest, you had suggested, “You know what I’ve been thinking…” And he knew, knew that you’re minxy side had come out to play by that mischievous glint in your eyes. So he listened, got so red in the face it affected his speech— you still remember how much he stammered and wriggled at the revelation that you’d had the hots for him since the moment you walked in his office door. 

“Any chance you can go another round?” You look back, tongue poking out between your lips, glossed with saliva, “I think there’s something else now… You’ll take care of me, won’t you Mr. Reigen?”

[boymeetswerewolf]

I love your art! It’s so high quality. What program(s) do you use to achieve that effect? And what tips do you have for aspiring artists wanting to reach such levels themselves?

Hi Anon!

Thanks a lot for the lovely compliment.

I mostly create my art using a technique called overpainting where I paint over reference images. I have an art background (took art at school and at college), but it was focused on abstract art so my experience with realistic proportions is exceedingly terrible and I've just never had the patience or put in the time to learn proportions from scratch. I've always admired artists who put in the time and effort to learn how to do that!

As for what programs I use, I tend to stick with Photoshop since that's what I was trained on and am most familiar with. I use a combination of brushes, filters and textures to give my art the look that it has. I tend to work at a resolution of about 3000px for height or width (whichever is the largest for the layout I'm going with) and a fixed brush size so that I can add a lot of detail and that it looks consistent throughout the piece. I also use tons of layers so that the lining, shading, colouring and any extra adjustments are all separate from each other and easily changeable. My PSD file usually averages between 300mb to 400mb in size because of all the layers.

The tool I probably use most outside of Photoshop is Color Cop. I'm partially colourblind, so when I want to use specific colours I need the hex codes or RGB codes otherwise it takes me ages to get the colours to blend right.

Below are some progress examples (from the "Sacrifice" theme for Sterek Week '23) of how I usually start out when I'm creating something. I go hunting for images and make a collage/edit of what I'd more or less like the finished piece to look like. Usually during this part I also play a lot with different ideas to see what works best. (Sometimes the final result ends up looking how I wanted, sometimes it takes on a life of its own and goes in a completely different direction!) The "Sacrifice" piece is made up of a promo shot of Stiles from Season 6 and a screenshot of Derek from Season 3 (I think). The background is made up of official images from Stranger Things that I blended together and added colour filters to.

Once that's done I start painting with pencil brushes to get the lines, then follow up with texturing and shading. I like to use a soft neutral colour like a beige as a base canvas so that I can paint with black as well as white. Lastly I'll paint in the colours and then finish off the piece by cleaning up the linework and by adding filters to adjust contrast/balance or colouring. Occasionally I've worked "backwards" by roughing painting the shading and some of the colours out first before adding linework.

As for specific tips, I think mindset and believing in yourself is important. It's very easy to get overwhelmed in the beginning, so don't compare yourself to others. If your art makes you feel something, then you're on the right track. Regardless of whether or not you work professionally as an artist, if you express yourself creatively in a visual medium - whether it's an oil painting or making lewd doodles in a sketchbook - then, in my opinion, you are an artist.

Once you're over that hurdle, the next part is just to keep at it. I hate using the word "practice", so I'm rather going to say keep making art consistently, and - most importantly - have fun while you're doing it. If it's fun, you're more likely to stick with it and improve. If you're trying to go in a specific direction with your art, I think there are two important areas to focus on: expanding your creativity and your familiarity with the tools you use. The latter especially will make your life a lot easier.

For me, being familiar with Photoshop is what allows me to make digital art the way I do. I've used it for a long time so I know a lot of tricks and shortcuts to help me achieve what I'm going for. This goes for any program you choose to use, though. And you don't have to limit yourself to one. Play around with different tools and programs and see what works the best for you. The internet is also a fantastic (and often free) resource, and YouTube especially has a lot of tutorials that can help you get started or help you build on your existing skills.

To expand your creativity with regards to your art, I recommend studying other artists - and not just one specific kind of artist either. Look at the old masters, look at modern art, look at fan artists, look at photographers and cinematographers. (And, of course, Mother Nature - the greatest artist of all.) Look at how they use composition, how they use colour, how they use lighting and shading. Try and incorporate some of those aspects into your own work and see what works for you.

TL;DR - Experiment and play… and most importantly, have fun!

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

~ Bren

[mithrandirl]

Your Lord of the rings gif is AMAZING! Can you please give any tips/hintd on how you achieved the colouring, mostly on the first gif. I am just doing my first ever blended gif set, thankfully its almost done, so I know how really hard these gifs are to make, yours are sooooo beautiful!

Its this set.

https://www.tumblr.com/armchairaloof/740180861385900032?source=share

hi! thank you!!

the first one of that set really turned out the best for me (as in it became what i set out to create), but it was mostly due to getting the right scenes for the gif. i've found that for blending that's the most important aspect. in general, for me it helps to approach blending with a "less is more" mindset. since you're combining so much, it's easy to overwhelm your canvas with everything you want to show so you have to be a little heartless in cutting the colors/frames/whatever that don't work without getting lost in the regret of what could have been. that's my approach to it, anyway!

luckily i hadn't deleted the psd yet so i can give you some more specific examples below!

as for coloring, i went into that set knowing i wanted black to be a main feature (servants of darkness and all), and i played around with the secondary colors before landing on pink/red and that cyan/teal/blue/green color, which is actually just what you get when you set it to difference/exclusion when the base color is the pink.

the base gif (the rider silhouette on the hill) was already mostly black with a white-ish highlight, so my coloring on that was changing that to pink/magenta. base without coloring ⬇️

then i used a gradient map of a magenta gradient i liked, set to overlay to tone it down a bit on everything but the highlights, and then i added a hue/sat layer just for the magentas to make that pop.

base with coloring ⬇️

you can see that there's some wonky lines now in the pink from messing with the little light the scene had in the first place, but for this case i don't really care because it's going to be covered up with the overlay anyway. what i needed from the base was sharp contrast and pink, and that's what this is giving me.

then below are the layers i used for the overlay (which is the close up of the nazgul). the folder itself is set to exclusion instead of overlay or screen (i could have done screen, but i found that exclusion gave a better depth of color in this instance). and the adjustment layers are just upping the contrast and minimizing the leftover colors - basically just playing around with it all until i got something i liked 😅

there's a layer mask to help paint over anything else in the clip so there weren't as many distractions. and then as i said earlier, i set the folder to exclusion and again tried to minimize other colors with a selective color layer. i always use a levels layer on my gifs as the first step, then brighten/contrast if it needs anything else. you can fix a lot with just levels though! this is the levels setting i ended up with ⬇️

which got me to this! ⬇️

and with the lettering (which i had to add in my own tiny upside down v for the û because the font didn't have that 🙄) set to difference to get that green/cyan color again, this is what i ended up with ⬇️

i hope that helps! feel free to ask anything else! i've never walked through my blending process before so sorry if it was confusing lol. here's a tutorial that also deals with this kind of blending (focusing on black space/silhouette) that's similar.

the best advice is to just have fun with it :) and when in doubt, add more layers :) :)