#omgcheckplease is my joy

[stardustandrockets]

What's your favorite kind of pie? Or baked good?

Happiest of happy birthdays to Eric "Bitty" Bittle. This little comic is such a joy! I found it via it's website long before it was published physically. Of course I already had the traditionally published books, but when the year 4 kickstarter rolled around, I *had* to back for one of my favorite series! And I'm so glad I did!

Aside from the zines and extra content Madison comic, I think the thing I was most excited to receive was the Fals championship shirt! I'm a casual hockey fan as it is, but I'm always down to support fictional sports teams. Especially when merch is involved and I can confuse the hardcore fans. 😉

As to my favorite kind of pie? Peach. Same goes for cobbler, with the addition of blackberry, as well.

#CheckPlease #OMGCheckPlease #CheckPleaseComic #NgoziUkazu #EricBittle #JackZimmerman #SamwellUniversity #SamwellMensHockey #BakedGoods #KickstarterRewards #SelfPublished #LGBTQReads #LGBTQIA #QueerReads #QueerBookRecs #ReadWithPride #ReadQueerAllYear #StardustAndRockets

[labelleizzy]

Once In a Lifetime... (Tater/Ransom)

(prompt chosen by @rushingsnowy​) 

read it on the AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/13512438

“I thought it was a good idea at the time, but it now occurs to me that I was horribly wrong.” 

Ransom’s face is in his hands and his words are muffled. Muffled enough that Lardo kicks at his shoe from where she’s standing next to him. “Bro, what the actual fuck.”

Rans raises his head just enough to meet her eyes. “I said, I thought it was a good idea. I can’t believe that I thought it was a good idea.”

“What, coming out dancing with the guy you have a crazy-ass continent sized crush on? Cheah, I could have told you that.” Lardo smirked and leaned up against the wall next to the stairs Justin was sitting on.

“I mean, he’s either the best dancer or the worst dancer I have ever seen.”

Lardo nods, she gets it.

“And he’s just so fucking enthusiastic?”

She tips her head, listening.

“And I can’t stand that I can’t tell if he’s into ME or if he’s just having fun DANCING, and it’s killing me.”

Footsteps echoing from above make Justin look up the stairs to see if he has to move or react or if he can continue freaking out.

Alexei Mashkov’s giant feet come into view in the stairwell above. Justin puts his face back into his hands, and Lardo pats his shoulder sympathetically. “Bro,” she says, as she passes him and Tater gets closer, and Justin knows that within that one word is both her best possible encouragement and also a threat to kick his ass later if Justin doesn’t actually TALK to Tater.

He hears Lardo dropping a few choice words on Tater as she ascends to the landing.

After a moment Tater comes closer. “Justin, I’m come looking for you with drink. Your Adam tells me you come here? Is okay? We should talk, maybe.”

“Man, you’re looming, come on down here where I can see you.” Justin rubs roughly at his face.

Tater gestures to the stair next to Justin, clearly asking if he can sit. Justin nods, too nervous to make eye contact. Tater’s leg is a line of warmth nearly touching Justin’s, his giant frame just nudging at Justin’s shoulder and knee.

Tater waits in silence for what feels like a long time, but it’s a waiting kind of silence, not a judging or harsh kind.

Justin takes a deep breath. “Tater,” he starts, and then the anxiety dries up all the spit in his throat.

Tater rumbles a deep kind of hum, which is clearly Russian for, “I’m listening.”

His breath hitches several times as Justin tries to inhale. He takes a moment to make sure his breath is moving smoothly, and after a moment, works up enough spit in his mouth to say a few more words. He steals a glance sideways. Tater is looking straight ahead at the wall, which is considerate as fuck considering Justin can’t even meet his eyes, but his body language is relaxed and welcoming.

Justin gathers a last deep breath and what remains of his courage, leans over and bumps Tater’s shoulder with his own. “Man, I like you. Like, kind of a LOT.”

His voice doesn’t squeak or go up an octave. Adam will be so proud of him. And Lardo won’t have to kick his ass, which is possibly even better.

“Mmmm? Justin, yes. Is good. I like you too. Not be here if I didn’t like you.” Tater bumps back, gently, like he’s aware of his own strength and always measures it carefully, except when he doesn’t have to.

Justin’s freak-out fades slightly, and the cold concrete under his ass enters his awareness again. He looks up, and up again, at the giant sitting beside him. “You? You like me?”

“Smart, handsome, funny, loyal. Many things to like, yes?” There’s a soft, almost shy quality around his eyes as he looks over at Justin. Tater leans back against the stair at their back, opens towards Justin by putting his hand up and behind Justin on the stair riser. Cautious, but with a warm, questioning expression on his face.

“You like me, I like you too. In friendly ways, yes, but also, I think with a little bit more liking?”

Justin never expected this.

He’s used to wheeling people, and to liking them, but he hasn’t had a crush like this since ninth grade science class and he hasn’t felt this awkward since that one awful dance in 11th grade.

He clears his throat and says, carefully, “yes, more than a little bit more liking.”

Tater’s smile widens and warms. “Hug, please? If you want to, I would like to hug you.”

Justin’s eyes close in a slow blink. Well, How did I get here? (What, earwormed by the Talking Heads, he thinks wildly.) Biting his lip, he nods and leans over, immediately wrapped up in a warm embrace that smells equally of an ambery, woodsy cologne, and of fresh sweaty dude.

It’s delicious. Justin’s died and gone to queer boy heaven. He wraps his arms around Tater, Alexei? What should he call him now oh never mind I can put my HANDS on his BACK and he has to stop himself from exploring too obviously but good lord is he STACKED and Justin is just so HAPPY. His head is tucked up under Alexei’s chin and he can feel Alexei’s cheek rubbing on his hair just like a cat.

Justin’s just listening to Alexei’s heart for a minute or two, warm and contented (except where his butt is still on the cold concrete stair) when he feels Alexei shift enough to give a little soft kiss to the corner of his forehead. He’s DEFINITELY died and gone to heaven, he’s flooded with so much feeling that he sighs out loud and melts a little more into the hug, hands flexing (very appreciatively) on Alexei’s ribs.

Alexei hugs him a little tighter in response, and then lets go a little bit and leans back, so Justin opens his eyes and brings his head up with a little reluctance, but also that fluttery kind of anticipation that wonders what they will make happen next.

Because this? This didn’t just happen. They made it happen, by being ballsy enough to say they were digging each other. And that’s a good thing.

Alexei’s got a giant grin. “Want to stay and dance? Or want to go somewhere and maybe… talk?” He gives the word “talk” the kind of intonation that makes it sound like the talking will be happening largely on the horizontal axis and will involve a shit ton of kissing and touching and mouths going onto skin and all kinds of other things and Justin gets a straight up BOLT of lust up his spine and his eyes get wide and so does his own smile.

Emboldened though still in awe, he reaches up a hand to cup Alexei’s chin, run his thumb lightly over those lips he’s been pining after. Alexei’s face gets a touch more serious. Still smiling, he kisses Justin’s thumb (omg hot) and then turns his head to nuzzle into Justin’s hand and put a warm, deliberate kiss there (dying!), as his own (massive) hand comes round to cup (dwarf!) Justin’s. There is mischief in his warm brown eyes and his eyebrows come up, reminding Justin that he’s neglected to actually accept the invitation.

He brings his lower lip into his mouth to wet it, deliberately testing. Alexei’s attention zeroes in. Yes. “Mmmmmmm, yeah,” he smirks a little, “Talking,” he says using the same intonation Alexei uses, “talking sounds like it will be a lot of fun…” he grins and flirts an eyebrow and Alexei LAUGHS.

“Fun, yes. Some talking and some… not talking?” Alexei’s taking Justin’s breath away for reasons that have nothing to do with his anxiety. His breath tickles Justin’s palm and he can feel the shape of Alexei’s MOUTH again when he kisses Justin’s palm again, an electric touch of tongue just right there…

“Fuck YES. But if you don’t kiss me in the next five seconds I swear I’ll…” his threat goes unvoiced because with that kind of clear welcome he’s overwhelmed in the best way, scooped up into warm, soft kisses nibbling on his mouth, satisfying him some and stirring up hunger for more: more kisses, more skin, more pressure, more holding, more everything.

When they pull apart, Alexei is flushed and pink, Justin is warm all over, and Alexei says, “FUCK yes.”

Justin’s smile blazes and he says, “That’s the idea, eh?” Suddenly he is so eager for them to get out of this stupid concrete stairwell, he stands up and rubs his butt where it’s gone numb, and grins down at Alexei, offering a hand to help him up.

Once in a lifetime you get a chance like this. As they climb back up the stairs together to get back to the club and its coat-check, Justin can feel Alexei lightly appreciating the results of the squats done in service to friendship long ago, and he couldn’t be happier.

Other prompts here: http://marswithghosts.tumblr.com/post/143943313830/fic-prompts

[wocrunomgcp]

Okay y'all, I saw this at the target and immediately thought - Shitty definitely got this for Jack. " cause bro, you're my mitzvah moose". And Jack pretends to huff about it , but it's still displayed in his home. When Bob sees it he is absolutely giddy.

[sincerelyreidburke]

Chapter 21: him

Finally!!!!! The new chapter of love finds you is up on ao3 now. This is late because it’s very long, but it’s also one of my favorite chapters in the entire story. I hope you enjoy!!!!! Thank you for being patient with me, your disaster human writer.

“Derek, uh,” Will says suddenly, “I was thinking.”

“You were thinking,” Derek echoes.

“Yes.” He pauses. “I… I wanted to ask you, uh. I wanted to ask you something.”

“Ask and ye shall receive.”

Derek hears him chuckle, then he takes a deep breath. “Would you, uh… would you like to come over for dinner?” There’s a beat, then he adds, “To my house, that is.”

[omgpourquoi]

nothing subtle here (4/6)

~“supposed to fall in like before you fall in love” ~

Red tinged the edge of his vision as Dex threw their hotel room door open. It slammed against the adjacent wall with a satisfying thud. Nursey shoved past him into the room and violently threw his bag down beside the furthest bed. Before he had time to even turn around, Dex was on him.

 “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT SHOT IN SECOND PERIOD, NURSE?”

They had lost, 5-0. And Dex felt like he was on fire. His whole body was vibrating with emotion. The game had been brutal and the refs had been blind. Typical hockey. Dex had contained himself until this moment, when he could let his anger free.

“THE SECOND? I GAVE YOU A BEAUT OF PASS IN THE FOURTH! WHERE WERE YOU, POINDEXTER?!”

 Nursey had been ready. Dex felt like he was about the burst into flames.

 “GETTING THROWN INTO THE FUCKING BOARDS!”

 “AND NOT GETTING A CALL!”

It was a typical interaction. Nursey and Dex: mad at each other, but furious with everyone else. 

“AND THAT GUY, WHAT WAS IT #32? HE JUST –”

“–FUCKING THREW HIMSELF INTO CHOWDER’S NET!! LIKE–”

“–WHAT THE HELL, INTERFERENCE!?!”

“HIT ME.”

“AND – wait, what?” Dex thought he had heard wrong.

“You heard me.”

Dex could still feel the adrenaline pulsing through his veins. He may be upset, but it had been a long time since he had really wanted to hit Nursey.

“What the fuck? I’m not going to hit you.” 

And then Nursey shoved him.

 “Hit me, Poindexter. Don’t be a wuss.”

“What the hell? Nurs-” Nursey shoved him again, this time with more force. Dex’s body moved for him, reacting (like it always did), before his head could catch up.

He pushed back, grabbing onto anything he could get his hands on. The force pushed them both to the floor, all shoves and grunts. Dex’s hand dug into Nursey’s shoulder. Nursey’s elbow slammed into his ribs. Nursey wrapped his arms around Dex’s chest and they rolled, hitting the edge of a bed.

“What. The. Fuck.” Dex managed as he pulled himself out of Nursey’s hold and shoved Nursey towards the ground. He was careful not to push as hard as he could, considering the fact that if Nursey had wanted, he could have held the hold on Dex. This wasn’t a fight; it was an outlet.

Nursey pushed him off and the two of them laid there for a minute, breathing heavily. 

“Do you feel better, asshole? Because I’m gonna have bruises,” Nursey asked, his tone airy.

Dex sat up and looked down at his disheveled d-partner. Nursey’s hair, already a mess from the game, was frizzy. His chest moving up and down rapidly, his shirt rucked up, exposing his stomach. His green eyes bright and slightly unfocused. Dex had done that to Nursey. Well, a hockey game and Dex. 

Fuck me, Dex thought, in both a self-loathing and a sexual sense.

 But then he realized that he had basically attacked his best friend.

“Oh, fuck, bro. I’m–” Nursey held up a hand as he sat up next to Dex.

“No, it’s chill. I came at you. You’ve been fuming since the end of the third and none of those guys were giving you any way to show them how pissed you were. If I had left it, you might have punched a hole in the wall.”

“I don’t have that bad of a temper, Nursey.”

“Maybe not, but it was an excuse to get you rolling around on the floor with me.”

For the second time in 10 minutes, Dex said, “Wait, what?”

Nursey rolled his eyes.

“Jokes, Dex? Ever heard of them?”  Dex knew Nursey was just fucking around, but that didn’t stop the clenching in Dex’s chest in response to the comment. His heart probably should have stopped racing, but looking at Nursey was having the opposite effect. So he stopped looking. 

You can’t want that, Poindexter. 

Dex leaned back against the bed frame and tried not to think about the way Nursey was pressed up against his right side. He timed his breathing with Nursey’s. Besides his fluttering pulse (that had nothing to do with exertion), Dex could feel the anger draining out of him, quickly being replaced with exhaustion. Dex would never tell him, but Nursey had probably just rescued him from a night of tossing and turning. As if he were reading Dex’s thoughts, Nursey bumped Dex’s shoulder.

“I know. Guess, I’ve been living with you long enough to know what keeps you up at night.”

Dex’s heart ached. God, Nursey, if you only knew.

Nursey knew he had said too much.

Stupid. Not Chill. Really fucking stupid.

How long had it taken to get to this point with Dex? Years. And Nursey was saying shit that definitely crossed the line in the sand.

And Dex breathing heavily, pressed close to his body? Call the fucking police, because Nursey was dying. For Nursey, being a writer meant that sometimes, at least for a second, reality and fiction blurred. He could see it so easily.

Reaching over to put his hand on Dex’s knee. Turning his head. The feel of Dex’s hands around his neck. In his hair. The heat of them rolling around, like before, but completely different. Dex having a way to vent after losses that involved less bruising, more tongue.

“I’m only gonna say this once…” Dex started and then trailed off. Nursey blinked, pulling himself back to the present.

Dex cleared his throat. “You’re a pretty good person, Derek Nurse. Thanks.”

Nursey was melting. His entire being felt light and heavy, all at once.

“Pretty good, huh?” he managed. Dex rolled his eyes and then shoved his knee against Nursey’s.

“I mean, you’re a halfway decent best friend, I guess.”

“Fuck you, Poindexter, I am an amazing best friend.” 

Bestfriend.Bestfriend.Bestfriend.Bestfriend.Bestfriend.

They had never said it out loud before and to Nursey it sounded like music. It sounded like it meant something. It sounded like a promise.

Dex shrugged –- probably the best reply Nursey was gonna get – and stood. He reached a hand down to Nursey.

“We should get some sleep. We have a game against Yale when we get back.” 

Nursey doubted he could sleep after what had just happened, but he accepted Dex’s hand up anyway.

This chapter has a lil baby subtitle: “supposed to fall in like before you fall in love”. This is from this kinda shitty (but I love it so) song called True Colors by DVG. It’s on my NurseyDex playlist that I listened to while writing. “Nothing subtle here” is a line from the Selena Gomez song, Bad Liar.

s/o to my sis @amonggsavages​​ for beta reading all this! Follow her, she’s actually the best??? She got me into this fandom, so you have her to blame.

Chapter 4/6.  Read the rest: part one here. // part two here. // part three here. // part four here. // part five here.

Will post on A03 soon! ((waiting to get accepted)). Thanks for reading and much love x

[gay-hockey-hell]

For those that don’t know, the Bitty Blast Bakeathon this week was in honor of #BittyBlast : a bittersweet celebration of the ending of a webcomic called Check, Please!

About 4 years ago, a bunch of fan art for some fictional shipping started appearing on my dash. I didn’t know what fandom they were from, but a lot of the art was impressive and the characters seemed like a cute couple, so every once and a while I’d reblog them anyway. Then one day someone filled me in

Now, given that at the time some of my favorite fandoms were Sherlock and Supernatural, I never expected the queer ship I kept see to be canon. So you can imagine my surprise

(Bonus: not sure which dog it was. They both make this look

)

This was a big deal to me.

It’s hard to put to words all that this comic has meant to me over the years. I first started reading it just after finishing high school. The story follows a baker from Georgia who is just starting college, is trying to figure out who he is and how he wants to fit in in this world, and is working up the courage to come out of the closet. The author designed the story to carry the nostalgia for her own time in college, and “bottle up those moments where we grow and change and fall down and pick ourselves back up.” So naturally, the story carries a lot of emotion with it, and has a tendency to touch hearts.

It was more than just this that affected me though. At a time when I was just starting to learn how to stand up for myself, and figure out how to communicate, I discovered this story of a kid learning to do the same. I got emotional and upset at his own troubles in the same way a sitcom character offers someone else advice that they themselves should be following. Watching Bitty grow and fight for himself helped me to do the same, and gave me a strength to do it I’m not sure I would have otherwise found.

Watching Bitty get comfortable with himself also helped me in other ways. When I first discovered Check, Please! it was right after I had figured out I was bisexual. It was the first piece of queer media I encountered after discovering I myself was queer and as such it played a key role in helping me grow comfortable with that aspect of myself. Watching Bitty through the years come out to friends and family, go through the fear and stress of it all, and ultimately come out more loved and accepted than ever before? Has done more for me than I could ever put to words.

So, I want to say Thank You to @ngoziu , the author, who has done so much to help me and so many others feel happy and comfortable with who we are. Thank you to @tdkeh for introducing me to this great comic. Thank you to the fandom, which has been the most positive and welcoming of any I’ve been a part of, especially the fanfic writers, headcanoners, and artists, who kept me going between updates, and who I’m sure will keep me going now. Thank you to the other fans of the comic, who shared in the joys and heartbreaks of every update with me. I am so very glad to have had this comic in my life, and though I know this is where it ought to end, I am so sad to see it go.

And so for my final baked good of the week, in honor of the very story that got me into baking in the first place, a Bitty Classic:

Mini Maple Crusted Apple Pies.

To those who haven’t yet, make sure to check it out on @omgcheckplease or checkpleasecomic.com

[wtfzimbits]

I just wanted to take a little time and make a post about how much Check, Please! has meant to me before we get the final update tomorrow. I discovered this comic in my first year of university, 5 years ago. I remember getting all these posts on my dash, it was right after the update of the graduation kiss. And so I got curious, next thing I knew it was 4am and I had just read through the whole comic start to finish in one sitting. I immediately fell in love with all the characters. I shipped Jack and Bitty so hard and let me tell you when I read the graduation kiss update for the first time I lost it. 

It’s been 5 years since that night. I remember the crazy update storms that would happen, as well as the hiatuses where it would be months without updates. Through the fandom, I’ve met so many friends, I’ve had so many laughs, and I can’t believe its finally coming to an end. Check, Please! has always been that thing I could come back to, escape in, get lost in the lives of the characters. It gave me a glimpse of a college experience filled with friends and happiness and joy that I never had. It gave me a story with a diverse cast of characters that I fell in love with. Bitty’s story was there for me through some of the hardest years of my life, and made me feel like one day I’d be as accepted and loved as Bitty and his found family.

I can’t even put into words what I’m feeling now that this comic is coming to an end. This comic has meant more to me than any show or book or movie. It’s so much more than just a comic. Tomorrow is the last update, and that makes me equal parts upset and happy that we’ve come this far. This may sound overly dramatic, but I feel like a few of you might feel the same as I do. I’m so thankful for Ngozi, who made this comic everything it has become, and to the fandom, for making it so much more. Love you all. @ngoziu @omgcheckplease

[natural-singularity]

born out of my love for shitty and pretty backgrounds! @edgarallanrose encouraged me to share with the world, so here yall go ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ please reblog/like if you download, i hope this brings you shitty joy!! (of course credit to @omgcheckplease - if you haven’t read this incredible comic, what’re you doing?? get on it buddy! it’s dope!!)

[cleardishwashers]

Multiples of 5 for the fic asks!

thx for the ask!!

5 - most popular fic this year: my omgcheckplease fic make my heart a double bed!

10 - shortest wip of the year: shortest published work is my ocean’s 11 fic orion (not a wip but i dont post unfinished works ksfjklds we love anxiety) and shortest overall is an untitled doc with one (1) 31 word sentence: When you rob your parents, there is a very short amount of time between when you cut the power and when their high-tech ex-con alarm system realizes the generator’s fucked up.

15 - something you learned this year: hmm probs that it’s ok to abandon things! not everything needs to be finished, esp if there are other fics that’ll bring more joy :)

20 - number of comments you haven’t read: lmao i cleared out my inbox right before answering this so none, but i think it was like 7 or 8

25 - a fic you read this year you would recommend everyone read: ok i have four. (1) didn’t read it for the first time this year but the house wins by @montparnassee SLAPS and it is my favorite fic of all time!! even if u haven’t watched ocean’s eleven i’d highly recommend reading it it’s just so GOOD (2) pairs, always pairs by @noellesthings (3) all or nothing at all by andre_windrag (4) a beginner’s guide to communing with the dead by @huntingthehaggis (4.5) (does this count if i’m just reccing an author? whatever) anything by @sanduschism (suibian_distance on ao3)

30 - favorite fandom to read fic from this year: ocean’s eleven or leverage! love me some crime

[fullbattleregalia]

I just wanted to say thank you, @omgcheckplease! I’m so excited to read Sticks and Scones! My copy arrived in the mail today. ❤️ I’m rereading book one first and still laughing out loud at these boys - they’re bringing me so much joy when I really need it.

#SticksAndScones

[labelleizzy]

Me: I just read my own fic because I like it

Also me: dude. It's like 1 in the morning, sleep

Me: no I can't I'm busy having feels about Kent Parson

Also me: *looking into the camera like I'm on The Office*

[striveattemptfail]

“Check, Please?” ✅🥧🏒💛

.

I don’t have my copy of #SticksAndScones yet, but I copped the ebook as this week closed up!

Despite the awful state of the world rn, I have never been more grateful for a “gay anime webcomic” in my life. There’s so much to say for a series that I’ve been following since Summer ‘16 (thanks Pat-friend for that LOL), and it’s been sooo long since something I’ve been obsessed with finally ended.

My first #BittyBomb was LVA @ PVD + Hi, Honey in Sept 2016, and HOOOO BUDDY WHAT A BOMB THAT WAS FOR A NEW FAN HAH 🥴🤪 Since then, for over 4 years, I dedicated a large part of my life to this; I even published an academic paper discussing how the comic serves as a graphic form of queer resistance 🤓

This doesn’t include the hours of fics, meta, spec, headcanons, fanart, and general flailing I’ve both consumed and created myself, nor does it include the many lovely people I've met and befriended over the years as we bonded over Bitty's story. 

I lost count how many times I reread the entire comic (blog, extras, and all) back in 2016. God knows how many times I’ve read this as of April 2020 lol.

All this to say, thank you @ngoziu for giving us so much joy, tears, and chirps over the past 6 (almost 7!!) years. Thank you for giving us this final week of celebration and happiness, in the midst of the world’s chaos and heartbreak. Thank you for sharing Bitty’s story, the Haus, Samwell, and every single character involved. Thank you for giving Bitty and Jack the happy ending every single queer person deserves, letting them thrive in a world where everyone says we can’t. Thank you for all the time and effort, heart and soul you’ve poured into creating this beautiful universe.

Thank you for Lardo, an anti-thesis of so many asian tropes and stereotypes, who’s made this tiny asian art student feel represented and valued. I, too, would burp in Holster’s face for 8 seconds given the chance LOL.

It’s been a ‘swawesome time y’all<3

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#checkpleaselastslice #bittyblast #omgcp #omgcheckplease #checkplease #gotyourback #lardo #larissaduan #firstsecond #comics #webcomic #webcomics #graphicnovel https://www.instagram.com/p/B-5TJ0hAspU/?igshid=12lifh3y4r91e

[ecologistsarealwaysfine]

i’m in to hockey now apparently

so guys i have a problem......

i’ve discovered the hockey fandom and I am one thousand percent IN TO IT. admittedly it started because i’m dating this guy for whom hockey is his all time favorite sport, so as i have with guys previously, i peripherally kept up with the score of games if he mentioned his team was playing. literally all that meant was googling the team name and then the score would come up. so, not a lot of work.

but then. i went to a game with The Boy and it was Fun. As. Hell. he asked if i wanted to go and i was like ‘sure you’re cute i’ll do pretty much anything you want within reason’ but oh my god i had the best time. lots of screaming lots of cheering lots of dancing and singing holy god it was SO FUN! plus! hockey is so easy to keep track of! it’s not like soccer or football where there’s a thousand extra rules i can’t fucking remember! it’s just puck in net or not!!! plus! lots of body slamming and body piles!!! and fans who yell snarky funny things a lot!! boy howdy what a fun time! 

so then i followed @coloradoavalanche on twitter. and instagram. and now on tumblr. and then i discovered the glorious internet presence that is Hockey Twitter and Hockey Tumblr. never has there been such an uncomplicated source of joy in my life. 

so throw me in the dumpster and call me hockey trash because i’m in for my avs, baybee. i’m FUCKING IN! 

also uh @earlgreytea68 please advise on Hockey Tumblr you’re the main blog i follow that posts about hockey.....now i’ll have to read @omgcheckplease ???????????????????

[gildara-art]

art process: zimbits

Like everyone who lets even a little bit of the comic @omgcheckplease into their life, it has completely swallowed mine. Over the course of a few afternoons I made this color pencil drawing. For anyone into this kind of thing I took some photos of the process and I'll do a little walk through below the cut.

I didn't go to art school (or college at all) and I don't remember much terminology from the few art classes I've taken since high school so just pretend I'm using all these fancy words and references to old masters etc. [also, my omgcp sideblog is @jack-manpain-zimmermann]

At left is the Leyendecker piece that I used as reference for the gesture and mood of Jack and Bitty respectively. It's a stolen moment of joy for Bitty, and a baffling one for hockey robot Jack. Bitty's smile is soft and tentative and Jack's appears mostly in his eyes widening slightly at the burst of effusiveness.

Ignore Bitty being foreshortened due to the camera angle. I started blocking out the shadows in each: Bitty in a vibrant apple red and Jack’s sallow Canadian paleness.

---Jack.

White skin in full lighting gets a lot less pigment on the paper but has no fewer colors than more melanin. Jack spends the majority of his life indoors and has never lived further south than Massachusetts. Most of his blue lying deep under the skin shows through with some close capillary red over cartilage and bone. 

The red around his eyes is also intentional. A lost year following a medication overdose and rehab combined with a naturally intense disposition has made this guy permanently on edge. The little guy wrapped around his waist helps with that eventually.

Jack's nose could probably do with being a bit bigger based on Ngozi's comic version of him but his most defining features are all here. The geometry of hooded brow, cheekbones and sculpted jaw. Those bright blue eyes defined by kohl eyelashes. Oh Jack, so very pretty.

Sadly I forgot to photograph the pencils used in Jack's hair. It's a combination of ice blue, violet, browns and black. Based on his coloring I've reckoned that Jack has dark hair on the inkier rather than browner side. I wouldn't reckon it would lighten in the sun even if he spent more time outside.

---Bitty.

This is a bit of a jumble but the top two are processes and the colors used for Bitty’s skin while the bottom is his finished hair and skin combined with the pencils used for his hair.

Ngozi blows my mind with the way she sketches and shades her characters with such deliberate intent over this protracted format. Bitty is our POV and the main character so by the time we've known him six months (in comic time) he is fully fleshed out and visible. While Ngozi doesn't have him agonizing or self-hating for his cherubic looks she does highlight the frustration Bitty often feels about his baby face. He clearly likes being cute and is at home in his smaller non-musclebound body, which is refreshing to see in a gay male character. He isn't internalizing any toxic feelings from his community about needing to be buff or being ashamed of behaviors and preferences that are very wrongly labeled as exclusively feminine. He just wants to look his age, lift a bit more in weight training and have a bigger butt. He's even fine with not being able to grow facial hair to any significant degree.

So Bitty's skin is definitely soft and has a healthy well-fed glow. There's so much of Georgia within and without him that I ended up making him a peach. Unlike Jack, he has no sharp edges or sense of weight to him. Fan fic writers across fandom describe Bitty as a warm, glowing presence who warms every space he inhabits. In this moment he's warming cold and remote lunar Jack.

(Technically Bitty is a blonde. I make no apology for deciding that Bitty's hair turns a strawberry blond in Massachusetts weather and spending his days on the rink or indoors.)

This is their skin after balancing them out against each other a bit.

---Clothing.

Jacks’ crisp linen white shirts. Made famous throughout the series due to his lack of an undershirt, suggestion of chest hair and wearing them with a casual sartorial grace. I straight up copied the colors for the white shirts in Leyendeckers’ painting at the start of this post.

Jack’s giant top-shelf ass. I mean errr uhhh yeah the dress trousers are going to be picked out for him and expensive. No flat poly-blend colors here.

I studied Ngozi’s Samwell Red closely and I hope I got close. It's very New England with the forest green hint in the shadow but brilliant crimson in the light.

I didn’t get a picture of Bitty’s shorts but they were very simple. Lilac, lemon, a coating of taupe and slate to define the folds and lines.

To finish, here’s a closer detail of their faced and hair. See?? Bitty’s still a blond kinda! Jack’s eyes are a less scary blue when put in color context!

This was a joy to make and if you haven’t read Check, Please yet then trust me it’s going to light up your life. I hope I’ve done a fraction of justice to the charm and depth of these two characters.

[twowivestwoknives]

windflower, bell flower! 💐

Ooh! Thank you Ica! These are both really pretty I love it

Windflower - List 5 of your favourite blogs and why you like them?

@marsincharge - They’re a great nonbinary black activist and advocate, I learn so much from them and I have so much respect for them. They’re also bloody hilarious. Like holy lord they’re so funny, and really kind, and deserve the world. (They also co-started the Blackout so if yall arent following them ya should be)

@steverogersisbi - He’s my QP and is one of the only fandom based blogs I still follow, he reblogs gorgeous art and story posts that keep me creative and he also keeps me updated on omgcheckplease because I’m horrible at keeping up with online shit haha

@simpletonne - They’re my partner and their blog is just very them, lots of movies, gorgeous gifsets and blunt humour that’s so funny. Also very hashtag aesthetic.

@jaxxgarcia - She’s so fucking funny and seems to come from a really genuine place, which I appreciate. She’s also unabashidly bi which my bi ass loves to see, also apparently we’re twins so I have to tag her. 

and finally @serotnin - Yeah lmao thats u. I love your blog you’ve got some killer sarcasm some beautiful content and tbh I really appreciate having other brainweird poc on my dash because there’s not enough of us with a public stand on this site (or anywhere).

Bell Flower - What’s the title of a song that makes you want to jump around out of joy?

Oh man I have so many. Anything upbeat by one direction, I think particularly Stand Up by them because damn that’s fun. Also Vampire Money by My Chemical Romance, Shout out to my Ex by Little Mix, and an oldie from when I was 11 that I still love to dance to is Jung Und Nicht Mehr Jugendfrei by Tokio Hotel because I was that kind of trash

[studyplants]

answer seven + tag seven 🌿

last movie I watched: the princess bride 

last song i listened to: riptide by vance joy

last book i read: nicholas and alexandra by robert k. massie

last thing i ate: some soup

if you could be anywhere right now, where would you be? PARis or in israel with my grandparents

where would you want to time travel to? renaissance italy! or belle epoque france tbh

fictional character you would hang out with for a day: this is definitely going to change on a daily basis but rn eric bittle from @omgcheckplease (pls read if u haven’t already omg)

tagging: @dotgrids @airstudy @studyisa @educatier @gooseapartment @learnism @inteqrals