#remember when i used to make and post art here lol

[technicolorfamiliar]

Der Student von Prag (The Student of Prague) Dir. Henrik Galeen 1926

So I'm going back and rewatching a handful of the titles from the initial 50+ film journey into Conrad Veidt's filmography. Some I'm revisiting because they made such an indelible impression on me the first time, others because I want to give them a second chance. The Student of Prague was among the first films on what wound up being a year-long deep dive into Connie's work and history. I loved it then, but even more so now.

I want to live inside this movie. Galeen and his crew made a hell of a picture, made all the more special by Conrad Veidt doing the literal most.

There is a bewitching quality to The Student of Prague, from Conrad Veidt's dual performances as both Balduin and his Double to the atmospheric cinematography and special effects. It's a dreamy film that really sets itself apart as a dark and lovely supernatural period piece.

Despite some very minor issues, over all it's genuinely pretty perfect. It's one of those films that, even with its faults, sweeps me effortlessly into the gothically Romantic world of the story.

Maybe the film could have benefited from tighter editing, cutting some of the longer sequences and unnecessary shots. But an argument could also be made that these longer scenes aid the spell the film is casting over its audience, the way Sciapinelli weaves his spell on the hilltop to draw Balduin and Margrit together.

The cinematography by Günther Krampf and Erich Nitzschmann is really something special. Shadow was a big motif and standard tool filmmakers used back then, especially those working in the Expressionist style, but for 'Student, maybe because of the early 19th century setting and the proximity of the natural world (both real and fabricated), the use of shadow here makes the film feel more like a fairy tale illustrated by Arthur Rackham than the Uncanny Art Deco of classic German Expressionism. The digital restoration really highlights how successfully they worked with value and contrast to create such a visually rich film.

And it fucken WIMDY. The use of wind throughout the film is really effective -- Sciapinelli's coat billowing out behind him on the hilltop, the rustling foliage behind Balduin after the duel, dead leaves blown into the Countess's bedroom, and the gales that follow Balduin through the city in the film's final act. Whether used on a studio set or in location shots, wind here feels not only atmospheric but also supernatural; it's Sciapinelli's invisible presence when he's not even in the shot.

Even the relatively minimalist score works. It's mostly piano supplemented occasionally by one or two other instruments, a flute or an accordion, and there are only a handful of repeated themes. Apparently the music that's in the most recent restoration was composed only a few years ago by Stephen Horne, so it's really anyone's guess what the original soundtrack by Willy Schmidt-Gentner was like. Regardless, the new music definitely feels appropriate not only to the period the film was made but also the overall Vibes.

On my first watch about a year ago, I was struck by the special effects used in this film. For the time it was made, the effects had to be incredibly impressive. The transitions where the Double appears and disappears in a ghostly fashion are fun, but there's an especially cool shot where he appears to walk through an iron gate, and a really great close up dolly shot towards the end of the film where the Double appears to float toward the back of the room. And I don't know if this was something they touched up in post-production or if the lighting on set was chef's kiss perfect, but Connie's eyes literally glow. There are shots where his eyes, especially as the Double, are like two beacons set in the shadows.

The other performances… they're fine. I mean, everyone who wasn't playing Balduin has to have known it wasn't their movie. Except for Werner Krauss as Sciapinelli who looks like if Alfred Molina was sent back to the 1920s and did as much cocaine as he could find. He's so creature coded that I genuinely don't know what to make of his performance. Everyone else, including Connie, is kind of doing a riff on realism to varying degrees of exaggeration but still relatively tame for the era (compare the acting in 'Student to The Hands of Orlac just two years earlier). But I guess Werner Krauss didn't get the memo, or because Sciapinelli is a supernatural character it's ok for him to be a little out there. He does some really delightfully creepy and borderline upsetting stuff especially in the scene when he makes the deal with Balduin. It's all very weirdly sexual and I hate it. Otherwise, there's unfortunately very little of note in the other performances. Elizza La Porta as the flower girl does the pathetic-cute thing well, but Agnes Esterhazy's Margrit is sadly pretty forgettable.

But the Balduin of it all. This is truly a groundbreaking role for Conrad Veidt at this time in his career. I feel like this film alone slingshot him into his meatier and more interesting roles in the late 1920s. Sure, Connie was doing some interesting and versatile stuff around this time (Ingmarsarvet and Carlos & Elisabeth come to mind), but this just hits different. Everything kind of lines up perfectly for him as this character, and the story is that unique Poe-inspired blend of the uncanny and capital R Romance that really suits him. Because of the nature of the story itself, Connie's free to play big when it works for the character, but also works in these incredibly vulnerable and subtle moments as well. I don't know if this is thanks to the director being hands-on with Connie or just letting him do his thing. Whatever the case, it works.

It's maybe worth mentioning Connie was 33 when they shot this. I don’t know how old Balduin's supposed to be, but he's probably at least ten years younger than Connie was at the time. And I buy it, I buy that Balduin is a young man, foolish and naïve in the way only someone that young could be. His youthfulness isn't just suggested in the character's decisions but also in his physicality. When we first meet Balduin, Connie's doing this sulky, pouty, petulant thing that I love for him. In the first act, he's clearly beloved by his fellow-students and by the flower girl, and he easily slips out of his misery about his money problems into a more lighthearted mood. He's moody one moment and playful the next, joining in a low-stakes fencing match for fun when just moments before he was brooding alone full Morrissey style in the garden. This initial lightness about the character sets him up for his eventual inevitable hard fall into shame and helplessness.

I'm afraid to admit it took me a whole 24 hours after watching this a second time to realize that Balduin is kind of a dick. But Connie's performance is so good and so empathetic that I didn't notice right away. He himself is stunningly, Byronically beautiful in this film. He's like a painting of a tragic, Romantic hero come to life, I can’t even handle it. And, my god, the yearning! It's palpable. In the wrong hands, I would probably hate this character. I haven't seen Wegener's or Walbrook's versions, but I can't imagine they're as charismatic as Connie is in the role.

But what I love even more than Connie as Balduin is him as the Double. I am FASCINATED by this performance and this character. I have SO MANY QUESTIONS. The way he consolidates his movements so that he practically glides through the frame, the way he keeps this performance distinct by slowing everything down and keeping a lot of the Double's anguish internal… it's so good.

I think we only see the Double four times before the last act of the film: first when he steps out of the mirror; much later outside the Countess's party; in the graveyard; and after he kills the Baron in the woods. Initially, when the reflection steps out of the mirror after Balduin signs Sciapinelli's contract, the Double seems pretty soulless. His dead-eyed, mask-like expression as he stalks out of the room makes it seem like he's just going to be a mindless puppet Sciapinelli can use to torment Balduin. And certainly in their first two encounters, Balduin's mirror image slinks out of the shadows as a reminder of his Faustian bargain but also as something of a stand in for his conscience. The first two times we see the Double out in the world are when Balduin is at his happiest, in his most romantic moments with Margrit, who is not only completely out of Balduin's league but also promised to someone else (even if that some one else is her cousin...). Nothing about the Double's presence in these scenes suggests that he's anything more than a phantom, a specter to haunt the protagonist from a distance.

But then, something changes. The Double isn't just a ghost that only Balduin can see; he's just as real as his counterpart, and his actions have consequences. Balduin promises Margrit's father, the Count, to spare her cousin-fiancée in a duel the Baron knows he cannot win -- Balduin is, after all, the best swordsman in Prague. They even say the fight is supposed to be with heavy sabers, which sound like they could really mess you up. But when dueling day arrives, Balduin is delayed by the wheels inexplicably coming off his carriage. He races through the countryside on foot in order to make his appointment, but it's too late. He stops dead in his tracks, frozen in fear, as the Double appears, approaching him slowly from the tree line. When the Double reaches him, Balduin sees the bloody sword and immediately recoils, fearing the worst. But what's most interesting about this scene is that, when the Double finally looks up, his expression is not that of a mindless zombie. When he looks up, the Double looks horrified. Realization slowly rises in his face, and he turns to Balduin with this look of abject horror and helplessness while Balduin cowers in fright. And as the Double turns to walk out of the clearing, he hangs is head in pained resignation and I AM OBSESSED. There are no intertitles in this sequence, but the anguished look he gives Balduin says, "Do you see now? This, and worse than this, is going to keep happening." Connie's performance in this scene suggests the Double may not be able to control his actions but he certainly has feelings about them. So does this mean the Double is in fact Balduin's soul? His goodness? His innocence? I NEED TO KNOW MORE.

The Double is also consistently dressed in the student costume Balduin wears at the beginning of the film. After Sciapinelli gives Balduin the money, Balduin buys a whole new wardrobe (honestly, who wouldn't?). But the mirror version of Balduin doesn't change to reflect Balduin as he is in the present; the Double wears the clothes of a student -- the cap, the velveteen jacket -- because he represents who Balduin was. He's the boy, the youth uncorrupted by excessive wealth and privilege, now made to do horrible things because Balduin so easily handed him over to Sciapinelli when they made their deal. UGH.

The final time Balduin sees his Double, his mirror self hounds him with measured steps, pushing him away from the fragile security of wealth and opulence back to his abandoned student flat. And the expression on the Double's face now is grimly accusatory, it's deeply solemn disappointment, it's a final judgment before an inevitable end. There's sorrow and resentment in the Double's eyes, but kept restrained and subtle, gradually building in wordless intensity until Balduin must finally face himself, literally, in order to end his torment, finding a pistol and shooting his mirror image and therefore killing himself.

Maybe a lot of the descriptors I use for Connie are hyperbole, but his work in this film is remarkable. Anyone interested in getting to know him as an actor, hell, anyone interested in film history period, absolutely should watch The Student of Prague at least once.

Final thoughts: For real, though, it would suck to not have a reflection. I recently had a whole conversation with my (straight, cis male) family members about this; not a one of them owns or even sees the need for a full length mirror. And maybe the big mirror in Balduin's student room came with the place when he moved in, but you get used to having something like that. I know it would drive me crazy not being able to check my whole outfit to make sure I don't look like a doofus before leaving the house.

[crushedsweets]

CREEPED VISUAL NOVEL Link, tutorial, extra art, Q&A, some chatter

The CREEPED Prologue is completely free and browser-ready. Gameplay is about 10 minutes. Please read the "tutorial" and notes before playing!

Follow Y/N and their dog, Max, through their grandparents' farm and a mysterious forest filled with...less than fortunate people!

PLAY HERE; works best on PC

This visual novel is powered by GOOGLE SLIDES! It has 0 programming and was created by one person in a little over a month, so please bear with any "bugs" and clunkiness!

TUTORIAL

>Click using mouse/trackpad >Go slowly to not break game >Do not use arrow or space keys

EXTRA NOTES:

>Works best on PC/Browser, I haven't tested the full game on mobile yet >In general, clicking the PNGs on the textbox (Apple, Teddy Bear, Hatchet, etc) will lead you to the right page >If you land on a page that tells you to "go back," that's when you should click the back-arrow key. If your cursor disappears, it doesn't register the click correctly >I recommend moving your cursor periodically to avoid it disappearing and sending you to the wrong page

EXTRA ART

some WIPS and the original sprite-style i was gonna choose LOOOOOOOL

Q&A

Q: Is this an x reader? A: This is a reader-insert, but it's not romantic and I try to keep it as neutral and unidentifiable as possible! Q: What's the plot? A: GENERALLY AND WITHOUT SPOILERS, your dog gets you into trouble and you're just looking to help him!

Q: Who is in the prologue? A: Tim, Brian, Toby, and Kate! More will be added in future chapters.

Q: When will future chapters be posted? A: Not sure! This took me about a month to do, and half was spent over winter break. I will try to get chapter 1 posted before summer, but I am a full-time student, employed, have extracurriculars, etc etc

ok thats all i only remember 4 questions feel free to ask more LMAO

CHATTER(because you know i can talk forever)

ok i just wanted to be able to talk about how the process was with this and how i feel about the results and whatnot...

ive been wanting to make a google slides visual novel since i was like 13 LOL it hit the point where i was repeatedly told i should just learn to code but i was like NOOOOO ITS GOTTA BE GOOGLE SLIDESSSS which is totally stupid but hey. i think that gives it some sort of simple charm that reminds me of being 16 and doing little projects in my room LOL i like working with the easiest tools . my bad

anyway. im just very happy LOL. it's not perfect but i feel like i came full circle in a sense?!?! i've been into creepypasta since i was 9 and it comforted me when things were really hard, and when i was 18 i was going through a really hard time and got back into creepypasta as a way to distract myself. i've always had a habit of throwing myself into fiction for escapism when things suuucked.

i'm 20 now but i've met SO many amazing people, had so many fun awesome exciting projects with friends, created tons of stuff im proud of, felt more motivated to create since i was like 13, have been inspired by so many amazing artists/authors on here, etc. just so so so lucky to find community in such a tight-knit cute fandom that thrives off of creativity and playing around! i hope i can keep the momentum and make a couple more chapters this year, but im kinda busy with school and work...LOL . i'm just excited to have this posted so i can have more discussion about it T_T

anyway thank you if you read this far and thank you if you played etc etc yaahhhhhh omg ok BYE THIS IS SO EMBARRASSING im just so grateful to be in this fandom

[coridallasmultipass]

TW for my usual unhinged stance on puppets, if you're following me, you know. If you're not, I'm sorry (not sorry). ((If you're the author or narrator, I'm actually sorry.))

Okay, so because I'm allowed to be freaky on main about puppets on this site, I just wanna tell everyone, because everyone should know that creepypasta narrator Lighthouse Horror just posted a story (by author Alonso Solis) about an evil puppet show a few days ago, and I just listened, and I loved it.

Now onto freaky business:

Headcanoning the main char as a puppetfucker bc c'mon, that bromance, the way he lovingly describes Mr. Smiley's appearance, what he does before leaving the old studio towards the end... Just... Mmmm... *chef's kiss* love this kinda content. I'll sleep soundly dreaming I could have someone like that. Y'know? Big, glassy eyes, big grin, secret evil laugh, mildly self-animate...

[the-ancient-dragons]

LeafWing Study!

Featuring the colours of Roridula, a character from a possible future project. She's named after a carnivorous plant :)

Details, explanation, and more art below. Otherwise, next week are the SeaWings. See you then!!

More Tribe Studies

Here is the first time I'm showing my full-body headcanon LeafWing design. I remember being disappointed that they didn't have four wings, and when I learned that technically the SilkWings/BeetleWings were the only tribe with four wings?? (The HiveWings got them only for being an offshoot of the BeetleWing tribe, but I still couldn't cope, lol).

I am not up to date on WOF lore so while you can correct me, please keep that in mind XD

I simply had fun designing them after lead-mimicking insects and geckos. I wanted to keep as much of the original design as possible while serving more of a leaf mimicry design. So the four wings work in tandem with the enlarged tail sail to make the whole dragon look like the end of a branch. They would do this formation on specific trees, otherwise they keep all 4 flat along their tail to look like one leaf. They have the extra frills on their legs so they can do a standing version of this if they're caught off-guard.

All of this would serve the purpose of visual camouflage. I read on the wiki that the Poison Jungle had extra large fauna and I ran with it. Perhaps in the past the jungle stretched farther, or the megafauna had access to more of the continent. Either way, the LeafWings had to hide, and they learned how to do it quite well.

The last thing I did was double the back sail and move it to the sides, so it doesn't look like a discount SeaWing. Sorry, but I wanted a more unique silhouette. That back spine design was already used for the SeaWings and I thought a smooth back would serve their camouflage better. They use their double frills to make their necks look thicker when they pretend to be a single leaf. I'll post some sketches of LeafWings camouflaging sometime!

[a-casxandra]

Read your caleb and raf's works and i was like "what if caleb's non-mc ended up with an artist who's not afraid to love her out loud and shower her in love not caring who's seeing or not?" and "what if raf's non-mc ended up with an airspace military who's always making sure he gives her the best of his time and affection?" 🤭🤭 Just an idea but also i guess xavier and sylus could show up instead of just exchanging the boys lol anyway, whatever u do in the end i know it will be good!!! Excited for part 3 🤩

❝𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐇❞

𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆 | 𝑹𝒂𝒇𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒍 𝒙 𝒚𝒐𝒖 (𝒏𝒐𝒏-𝒎𝒄)

𝑩𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒓 | 𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒃 𝒙 𝒚𝒐𝒖 (𝒏𝒐𝒏-𝒎𝒄)

𝐒𝐲𝐩𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐬 : In a story of emotional maturity, quiet healing, and soft second chances, four hearts that once loved wrong learn to love right—this time, with the ones who choose them fully.

You weren't expecting to stay long. The gallery was packed, and while you loved art, the kind of elite, curated atmosphere tonight gave you a headache. But a friend’s invitation and an open evening led you there anyway.

You stood in front of a painting that made your stop.

The colors were soft—dusky purples and muted blues—and it felt like standing in the memory of a storm that had finally passed.

“I didn’t think anyone would understand that piece,” came a voice behind her. Familiar, husky. Softer than you remembered.

You turned.

Rafayel.

He looked different. Not physically—still beautiful in that effortless, actor way—but realer. No cameras. No MCs clinging to his side. No fake smiles. Just a man standing in front of a painting he bled into.

“I do,” you said, voice calm. “Because I painted something just like it once.”

You both ended up sitting on the museum steps after the event. “I’m not here to complicate anything,” Rafayel said, gently. “I just… wanted to talk. You seemed peaceful. Like someone who knows where she’s going.”

“I used to love a man who couldn’t choose me,” You replied. “And I used to let that define me.”

He looked away, ashamed. “Me too. I was that man. I chose comfort, familiarity. I chose someone I had history with… instead of the person who was right in front of me, trying to love me properly.”

You studied him. “And now?”

“Now…” he said, looking at you, eyes clearer than you remembered, “I’m done choosing wrong.”

Rafayel started showing up.

Not in dramatic ways—no paparazzi, no grand romantic gestures. Just simple, quiet consistency.

He’d text you after every small showcase you did.

He showed up to your pop-up art fair in a hoodie and cap, bought one of your least popular pieces because “it made him feel something ugly and real.”

One day, he said it outright.

“I don’t want to hide anymore. Not behind fame. Not behind roles. Not behind the excuse of an old flame.”

You tilted your head. “Why tell me that?”

“Because I want you to know,” he said, stepping closer, “that if I ever get to call you mine, I’ll never make you feel like a secret.”

It wasn’t even planned.

Both of you were just at a small coastal town for an art retreat—You were sketching on the shore, Rafayel was helping kids paint seagulls. A passerby snapped a photo.

By the time you were back in the city, the picture was viral.

“Is that Rafayel with his girlfriend?? An artist?? Not MC??”

Everyone expected him to deny it. Or stay silent, like he used to.

Instead, he posted the photo himself.

Captioned:

“Healing doesn’t look like cameras. It looks like this. Her.” —R

Rafayel kissed you before a gallery show—not backstage, but in the middle of the floor. With guests, curators, and media watching.

“I don’t care if they’re watching,” Rafayel murmured. “I spent too long caring what they thought.”

You smiled, brushing paint off his cheek. “You’ve grown.”

“I had to,” he whispered, holding your hand. “To be someone worthy of standing beside you.”

And this time, when he smiled—he wasn’t acting.

The quiet clinking of coffee cups and the mellow hum of jazz music filled the air at the rooftop café. It was mid-autumn, golden light washing over the city below. You hadn’t planned to be there—her friend bailed last minute, and you decided to stay anyway, alone with your tea and a book you barely touched.

You were healing. And that included learning how to sit in your own silence.

Then you heard his voice.

Deep, calm, and apologetic.

“…Sorry—do you mind if I sit here? The other seats are full.”

You looked up, startled. And there he was.

Caleb. In a dark turtleneck, a wool coat draped over his arm. He looked different—less polished, more real. You blinked, heart hesitating, unsure if fate was playing a cruel joke.

“…Go ahead,” you said softly.

You both sat. Two people who knew hurt. Who had once been background characters in someone else’s story.

Both of you didn't speak much at first. A polite nod here, a small comment about the weather there.

Then came the storm—sudden downpour, the sky cracking open. Everyone rushed inside, but Caleb stayed behind, helping you gather your things.

“You forgot this,” he said, handing you the book you left on the table.

You paused. “Thank you.”

“I remember you,” he said then, quietly. “From that night. At Rafayel’s wrap party. You were wearing navy.”

Your breath got caught. “I didn’t think you noticed.”

“I didn’t know how not to notice you,” he admitted, eyes steady. “I just… didn’t know how to look at someone new while I was still clinging to old mistakes.”

Both of you started seeing each other more.

No grand gestures. Just consistent ones.

Caleb invited you to small things—coffee in the morning, walking his dog, reading in the park.

There were no secrets. No avoiding the topic of MC. In fact, he told you about her on the third time you met.

“I used to let her take up all the space in my life,” he said. “Even when I had her (backburner's non-mc) right in front of me. I didn’t know how to choose someone properly, but, I do now.”

You, who had once watched your ex, Rafayel not let go of another woman in front of cameras, felt something settle in her chest. Something soft.

One night, You were about to leave his place after dinner, slipping into your coat when Caleb suddenly stopped you at the door.

“Don’t go,” he said. “I don’t want to be the kind of man who lets people leave anymore.”

You blinked up at him.

“I know what it’s like to love someone who always chooses someone else,” Caleb said, voice hoarse. “You won’t be hidden with me. You won’t be second. You stay—if you want to.”

You didn't reply with words. You just stepped out of your shoes and walked back inside.

This time, love wasn’t loud. It wasn’t desperate or showy.

It simply stayed.

[© : "Labyrinth," a song from Taylor Swift's Midnights album, explores the anxieties and complexities of falling in love again after experiencing heartbreak.]

[remxedmoon]

(you worked yourself to death.)

yeah i wasn’t kidding when i said these would be coming soon. <- haha funny joke marshall. so!! remember when i said that this post would be coming out last weekend? guess whose tablet broke a few days after saying that! so sorry for the delay!! this is long overdue. here’s a link to the drive, as always! everything in this part of the update should be in the miscellaneous folder (outside of the menu icons, which are in the menu folder. wauaua).

unedited versions below the cut, plus some notes. fair warning 90% of this is just ui stuff lol

so! all of this was already done by the time i posted the enemies. the delay isn’t *entirely* because of the tablet issues, i just managed to get distracted by making: even more redraws! i’d say new update soon but after what happened last time i shouldn’t jinx myself. but! almost All of the art for the initial mod release is done!!!! exciting!!!!!!

please be nice to me (silly) this is my first time doing frame by frame animation in… give or take 5 years? i followed the original animations pretty closely, so they don’t look Awful but i am Aware of the jank. i’m not an animator!!! they’re Good Enough for my purposes.

hey did you know that the original teleport map is slightly off center. did you know that. that’s not the case for the redraw for the record but it did make things a little harder. despite that, i think you can tell i was having fun with the dormont part of the map. i would’ve put more detail into the house, but we never really get a more detailed look at it??? and i didn’t want to make assumptions. so that part’s just traced from the original 👍. anyways shoutout to the clocktower being Curved for whatever reason

outside of those, all of the added art is actually just spritework. i didn’t know this at first, but there’s a TON of copies of sprites from the icon set. Basically Everywhere. so those are added now! and should work properly! also added a few sprites that were Missing from my original batch. not going to put them all here, but a few Important ones (which i actually had to make new art for) are the rock paper scissors cheatsheet, the Larger versions of the craft signs (used in the calamité fight and. probably somewhere else idk), and the craft signs for the tutorial kid fight!

aaaand i think that’s it! for stuff from this update. yeah no there’s more coming buddy. my tablet already broke one time this week there’s no way it’s happening twice. i’m not working on portraits Just Yet (though the temptation has been There), but i’ve got the title screens, a few backgrounds, and the ending cgs done! along with a few other assorted cgs sketched out. because im out of my fucking mind. so, uh, see you soon!! enjoy!!

[acid-ixx]

Hehe lol just something self indulgent for "A Loving Family, An Unpalatable Desire" bcuz its my birthday today>:DD (may 18)

Thinking about how reader isnt used to celebrating birthdays bcuz bruce isnt interested, no one of his children cares, atleast alfred greets.

So when its with the supers, shes surprised with loving kisses and warm hugs from jon and clark, and lastly, a cake.

(OUYGHHHH take this super rushed doodle bcuz i am tired from celebrating. Also take care of ur health vro 💔💔💔🔥🔥🔥)

— masterlist !

THIS IS SUCH A LATE POST BUT BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY !! everyone say happiest birthday to one of my favorite ever artist who's been supporting my series since day one !!! i love the details here, your clark's style is very much giving my adventures with superman which is one of my favorite animated series'! ngl if i ever get a hug like that, i would've melted, everything about this art made me actually feel the joy emanating off of it wow.

and yes! you are so right, the mc from the loving family series never really celebrates their birthday, or if they do, it's always spent alone or the day after since most of the times, alfred is busy tending to the family from within the batcave after a mission. and even so, he can only ever bake a smaller cake for you or at least something that can only be shared with one or two individuals or eaten alone, even if you insist that he does bake one for the entire family despite them never really asking for whom or what is the purpose of your cake. they all just eat whatever's in the fridge and never ask why there's a celebratory dessert in the first place — most assume that steph probably bought it out of spite, or just another treat. damian does remember your birthday, and he's spareful enough to not even bother you during that day but that's only it, as much as you wish for someone other than alfred to greet you.

but that doesn't matter as much anymore the moment you're integrated into the kent family, you'll be woken up to jon jumping up and down your bed whilst clark is busy peppering your skin with kisses, wrapping you around his arms while you can feel the skin of his chest on your back and whispering affirmations in your ears. i'll bet you that they've woken up extra early just to cook up all your favorite dishes, so the aroma of it alone is already wafting around your bedroom. even if it's food from different cultures, or even cravings that you have only ever-so vaguely mentioned to clark, he's ensured to tell his own parents about it days prior to your birthday so that they could learn the recipe for it. it's your special day, so the family insists that you don't even lift a finger to help out.

after all, ma and pa kent are so welcoming and are always insisting that they be the ones cooking up all the celebration food and even a bigger cake for you to share with their other neighbors. you best believe that their homemade desserts are 100% better since it's a family effort — jon insists on slathering on the frosting and lettering despite how flimsy and uneven it is, which opens up so much opportunities for you both to play around with the design, whilst clark is off somewhere gathering all the freshest ingredients around the farm because he believes that his beloved spouse only deserves the best for their birthday.

it's not a grand birthday with them, it's quite the contrary, but the intentions are what makes it better than whatever you're used to, than the silent night at the manor or how your birthday is always seen as just another day. clark's gifts would always be something invaluable, something priceless but inexpensive like a new pair of shoes you've mentioned always wanting in just a passing moment, or even an article of clothing that complements his own. ma and pa kent would gift you baby pictures of clark as a means of teasing him, they'll also make you a bouquet of your favorite flowers, or even a basket full of fresh crops from their latest harvest. jon's gifts would always personally made by yours truly: best believe it would be one of the most heartwarming letters paired with some DIY craft that he spent his entire night making with the help of his dad, hence why he insists that you stay out of his room — much to his own disappointment — for just that night; but it'll all be worth it since your own little son loves watching your fond reaction.

and if you don't just want gifts, and would rather just want to spend moments with your family, then you best bet that you, clark and jon would be off flying over the horizon together, or having a picnic by a park, maybe even a day spent in an amusement park where clark would win both you and jon a lot of the prizes just for him to see that smile of yours. that would be more than enough.

(maybe even a free trip to space is something they can organize, just say the words and they'll commit to it as soon as possible. clark would even go as far as naming a star after you or bringing you a piece of an asteroid if you're so much as fond of extraterrestrial gifts too).

anyways, tysm user luffyadolover for this gift and i hope this short drabble would suffice !!! i also don't mind writing for any requests you have as a late birthday gift to you <3

[cup-o-stars]

How to draw like you no borax

Good question!

I'd warn against following my process (at least if you want to learn), but I'll be honest and show you, lol. (Heads up: this is just how I do FAN art. When having fun, I generally care less about the fundamentals.)

1. I slap down super rough sketches, jotting lines/expressions like bullet points of my idea. Pretty much stick figures with just enough detail to remember who's who later. Not shown here, I also move, resize, and add details to express the intended composition if I'm planning something larger. You may notice a lot of curved lines / haphazard circles.

2. I refine the sketch by drawing it with more intention and build structure with slightly blockier shapes. If I'm really struggling with a pose, this is also where I'll find references or look at myself for bits and pieces to fill in the gaps. (When practicing, I would highly recommend using a reference from the start so all your limbs are an appropriate length and you don't need to say things like "that's passable" right before posting. If you're a perfectionist you'll leave that thought with the rough sketch.)

3. I'll decide around here whether or not to leave the sketch as is or commit to lineart (not likely). I guess I'd say I "shape the lines" here by going over some to add thickness/weight, and by adding basic sort-of-shading to break things up a little. Then I'll just fill in space if the page looks empty. (Usually this is where I incorporate the borax, but I hear baking soda works nicely if you're worried.)

4. Onto coloring. I don't feel confident enough to pretend I know what I'm doing here, lol. I just choose my base colors, imagine the general direction of the light source, then add minor gradients to the light and dark layers so they don't look flat. Then I just add some BS highlights and outline them. I've only recently found the motivation to properly practice coloring and just go with the flow tbh.

You may notice that Nami's forearm is too long, her hand looks like a pancake and Chopper has no joints! My kind sibling explained to me once that my anatomy is poor, but cohesive enough that nothing stands out too bad, lol. That's why it is important to use references!! And if you're me, practice all parts of anatomy at the same time with full bodies so that even when you're at a loss, your hands aren't that much better than your feet.

All in all, to draw like me, just have a very hedonistic approach to art, ha. Draw what you want, avoid getting burnt out on any single piece (sometimes that happens when you try to perfect drawings one at a time), and follow my personal motto:

Make fun, not masterpieces.

Idk how helpful this was, but there you have it!

[cdlum]

I just wanted to say I think your art style is awesome! I was wondering if you had any tutorials on how you draw anatomy in your style (hips and legs especially)? Sorry if there's already one posted and I just didn't see it 🥲. Happy New Year :>

thanks for the kind words. i tend to draw people pretty stylized and then some so a good bit of artistic licence gets used. these tips are just what i use so feel free to take them with a grain of salt. with anatomy in particular you can kind of talk in circles because human/animal bodies are that complex so ill just zone in on the points you specified. here's a little image with a bunch of pointers:

the above image condenses a lot of the points I'd make, but basically the key parts are to start with the bare essentials and build up that complexity. using a line of action is a good way to get a quick, rough start. you draw a line out in the general direction of the pose and do your best to adhere to it to give the pose a sense of flow.

you can also draw smaller, thumbnail versions that throw a lot of caution to the wind but capture the basic energy of what you're going for. even having a tiny little stick figure version of your idea can make for a good guideline of where to take it forward.

when it comes to actual limbs, you wanna consider how they integrate and work together, kind of like how chains do. you can see on some of the parts of pear i've drawn out these wireframes to kind of portray how the mass of her legs works in a three dimensional space. for aspects like the waist/hips, i use that X technique i highlight above a lot, particularly for the lower torso. a lot of the times, even when drawing a character totally naked, imagining them wearing things like skintight underwear can help a lot to guide you in the right direction.

its also a good idea to consider things like gravity and weight to a degree. humans are essentially big meat sacks and gravity is always pulling down on that, but theres all kinds of aspects that effect that, such as character build or clothing. pear technically isn't naked in this, but i've tried to imagine her as such and take that into account.

if you are drawing digitally, don't be afraid to take advantage of the convenience you get with that workflow. you can retry and iterate on things a lot faster that pen and paper, and do things that aren't really feasible at all when it comes to editing and modifying your existing work. things like resizing certain bodyparts, instantly flipping the canvas, or using selection tools to completely adjust the positions of parts of your drawing. to give you an example heres a timelapse with all the little edits i made just to this demo drawing:

you don't have to use these techniques linearly, either. sometimes ill have a really solid idea for a piece in my head, and go back to basics with certain elements if they’re not coming out right or i just want to brush them up a bit more. some of the tutorial-y parts i added in i didn't actually use during the drawing but often do use so they're there just for demonstration. not every drawing i do starts as building blocks or a really basic version, often ill just start with a face and build it out from there.

i always encourage liberally using references (this can include yourself) and trying out stuff like life drawing or looking at things like existing photographs of real people/places/things if you can, the more you use learning material the better you'll draw up a mental inventory in your head that you can rely on more and more. some of these tips are things i've learned from other artists over the years (the chin one especially i remember seeing a tutorial about lol), so this is a lot of knowledge i've amassed from other sources over time myself. there are plenty of times ill use all sorts of reference material and its all in service of arriving at the final destination as smoothly as possible. learn by doing, as they say. hope this helps!

[bokettochild]

What type of brainrot or internet culture do you think each of the Links would be into?

Ooh! Good question! Not sure if I'm answering right but anyways! Here goes!

I feel like Warriors would be pretty distant from online activity, all told. He's a busy man and if he does have an internet presence, it's very carefully untracable to himself, no pictures, no personal data. I feel like he enjoys memes and maybe even joins groups across various sites for things he's interested in, but he never puts out anything himself. Maybe a sort of booktok kinda area though?

Hyrule would have like... the most ungodly Quora and Reddit threads ever. The internet is convinced he's going to accidentally kill himself. That said, with the revelation of him having a more dark sense of humor, I can see Rule totally vibing on Tumblr, shit-posting but also enjoying art and nature based pages.

Wild's on TikTok, probably YouTube, definitely has his own channel of him doing various things, from cooking to exploring to crafting the most ungodly creations known to man. Hyrule is a regular feature, but refuses to get TikTok himself, much to Wild's distress.

I think it would be really, really funny if Time is just a Facebook guy. Like, he COULD go elsewhere, but he doesn't care much for internet stuff, so he's good just having the basic one, and probably only got it at first so he could sign into some site for Malon or smth.

I see Wind really getting into gamer circles, though he'd totally have TikTok for random crap as well. He probably has a twitch account and what people and groups he follows are seemingly random, everything from map-making to conspiracy channels about how koroks once were humans or something (he thinks they're funny)

Twilight strikes me as the kind of guy who'd have Quora, some site for readers, and oh so much Ao3 usage! Have you seen his house? Boy loves books, and animals, and he might even have an Instagram that's mostly comprised of farm landscapes and endless cat pictures. He's mostly quiet except on the rare occasion where he gets so stoked up by what people are saying that he can't help himself and has to join in discussions (usually book related, but sometimes political or humanitarian, especially when it comes to animals.

For no particular reason, I feel like Four has the most well organized, carefully sorted out Pinterest boards known to mankind. Maybe TikTok, definitely Etsy. He likes dabbling in crafting circles, but has a pronounced presence among discussions regarding magical creatures like fae and minish. Absolutely knows all the cryptids, and maybe, secretly, enjoys creepy-pastas

I feel like Legend has a little bit of everything but generally forgets to use any of them. He's sporadic, and has his thumbs in a dozen pies that went cold years ago. He approaches internet culture like an adventure to be discovered, investigated, and occasionally fought against. When, that is, life isn't treating him the same way! He runs in circles regarding magic, science, crafts, mythos, and history and/or artifacts. Pops out of the blue with answers or a question and then never checks any threads again. He doesn't remember where he has accounts, just knows the passwords for all of them. Definitely lurks on Tumblr. His Instagram is flawless but also abandoned.Does not have Facebook though; he says he doesn't like posting his personal stuff for strangers to see and it's not like he's forty something.

Sky keeps it mostly minimalistic. He enjoys crafting stuff and maybe even some gaming, but he rarely has the energy to do more than doom scroll on whatever site managed to snag him first. He likes sending links (lol) to the rest though for anything he finds that he thinks they'd enjoy

And that's all of them!

[hummingbird-games]

2024 in Review (Indie Games)

2023 | 2022 | 2021

Helloooo gamer friends!!!

I'm so tired.

Lol.

Anyhoo, y'all don't care about that!!! Y'all are here to see what games I played and what the heck I have to say about them! Reminders: I don't bash games I didn't like, and I try to post more in-depth thoughts and reviews and general yapping to Gem's Game Gems.

DEMOS

When Stars Collide - I am by no means a sci-fi girlie. I need a HEAPING dose of fantasy or fantasy elements to help me out. That said, y'all might remember how I went feral for Gilded Shadows, so I am locked in for this journey with WSC. It's just as mysterious and lore intense as GS, but also just as intriguing and engaging!

Love Me, Love Me Not - I looooove when a game charms me to pieces??? Our MC Addie, the introduced LIs, the story, the art??? Where do I begin?? Anyway, please check this one out y'all! I'm impatient for the full game (shocker, I know).

Threads of You: Beyond the Bay - So my thoughts and reactions for this one are on the side blog, but I really enjoyed the demo and I have eyes for Chris, Vince, and Alex hehehe.

Lost in Limbo - While I'd been keeping tabs on this game for what seems forever because of the character art that originally caught my attention, I almost didn't finish the demo because it was lowkey disturbing (I'm a wimp and not all horror is made equal). But!!! BUT!!!! I push through to the end, had a good time, noted that I need to play the full game in the daylight with the music turned down low. And I absolutely adore Ara and Xal so, so much.

A Simple Twist of Fae - Absolutely no one cares, but I read a lot of manga this year. Like, a lot-a lot. Like, ~180 books and 1/3 of that was manga. Anyhoo, When JMB announced she was cooking up this game, I was impatient to get my grubby hands on it. AND THEN I PLAYED IT AND IT WAS THE SHOJO INSPIRED GAME OF MY DREAMS?!?! Like.....I wish I could both have it on my computer and also on my bookshelf. Final build dropping when??? (Also the UI design is utterly delightful, I cry.)

The Summit Library (FULL DEMO) - The last time I reviewed this game, we got chapter 1 as a taste, and I was. Locked! In!! The full demo gives us the first 2 chapters as well as the previews for all the romance routes and while giving everyone a whirl I'm *still* undecided on who to go for in the future, I must mention this: TSL is so aspec friendly???? I do love a game with smut, don't get me wrong looks at College Craze but sometimes I have my moments of being overwhelmed/sliiiiiiightly repulsed and the variety of options you have to choose how you react and interact with the various LIs in this game is amazing. (I have more thoughts on this, so I'll try to remember to post to the sideblog, but please understand that this game is totally worth your attention and time imo!!!)

Fully Released & Played (at least 1 playthrough)

Rabbit Trail - This. Game. Is. SO. Cute. *punches the air* 😭🥹(Copy + paste of my review on the itch.io page -> This was so charming, so fluffy, so cozy, just delightful all around??? I've only reached one ending so far, but René is just the cutest protag to play as, and his interactions as he delivers his mail made me cheese so dang hard! (Also, I wanted to fight his parents for not properly appreciating their kid LOL))

Stuck by Design - I checked this game out because I was looking into games that fellow programmers had worked on, and this cozy game stumbled onto my lap. The music was perfect, the UI is beautiful and clean, and I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of the VA for the LI, Yuki.

Wake Me Up If You Need Me - I called this game older!HSDJY MC x Ryan coded and I'm still right. The voice actor MAKES this game, and the interactions the player has with Reed is so flippin' delightful?? All my love and adoration to the game developer. May they make more beautiful games.

CTRL FREAK - The developer team brought us The Faithfulness of the Universe which is a banger in its own right, and CTRL FREAK is the team's commercial, finished project that I also found delightful. The soundtrack and the animations are chef's kiss 💛

Breathless Winds - Ooo, baby, ooo. So. If there is only one game you play from this list and you have some spare cash to spend (at the time of writing, the game is on sale!!!) please, please, check this one out. It left me absolutely spellbound, both the orginal demo, and then the full game. While I didn't get to blog fully about this one, and I only tackled 2 of the 4 routes, this game is absolutely everything. This is my indie game of the year. Poppy and her journey resonated with me, and between the music and the art, everything just came together so perfectly.

Wake Up Magical Girl - Listen TF up, if miseri creates it, I'm gonna play it, idc, idc. That being said...this game had a kick to it that when I finished my first playthrough, I had to stare off into space and gather myself. It takes the concept of magical girls and heroism and gave me a teeny tiny existential crisis, but other than that, I'm fine, it's fine, play this game, thank you.

Sleeping Under Spells - God, I love me a game where I get to argue with a LI. I love it. Bonus points if it's lowkey stupid stuff we're bickering over LOL!!

Our Wonderland - Yeah, uh huh, you thought you'd escape me talking about this game this year, didn't yah???? Too bad. The fifth and final arc dropped this year and I played it and I cried and felt for the briefest moments that life was okay. To say something different than my review of last year, I love that this seems to be the game that helps fellow ace devs find and flock to each other, I'm not kidding 🤣 so thank you Carrot for helping us fellow aspec peeps feel seen and validated and understood!

I Watched a Full Game Playthrough and Highly Recommend

Replay Boys - Okay so technically at the time of posting, there's still one more video I'm waiting to watch (Naja of BlerdyOtome uploaded her stream to YouTube) but my Godddddd. I've had my eye on this game for FOREVER but I was lowkey waiting for it to move to itch.io (I'm still a lowkey Steam hater 🥹) anyhoo, watching this absolutely wild game made me go ahead and buy a copy for myself to replay at a later time, but it's just great. The summary only scratches this surface of what the game entails 🤣

Gemi’s Gushies

(a list within a list of games that have devs trucking along in the background and I want to spotlight for y’all)

Save the Villainess - Life got away with me and unfortunately I never finished my play of the demo BUT what I have played was fun and I hope to return to this in the new year!

Woman of Xal 2 - Plot Twist Studios is on that Sequel Train with the next installment of WoX!!! Which I'm VERY excited for!!! I've unfortunately only completed one playthrough of this game, but the first game is definitely a masterclass in replayability, and I hope next year I'll be able to do a second playthough as I wait for game 2's Kickstarter!

...

And that's 2024! Any shared favorites?

- Gemini 🫶🏾

[saintsylestine]

Abaddon's [Favorite?] Inquisitor

afab!reader x Abaddon the Despoiler

A/n: I came up with so many scenes to get to this one...safe to say, more to come (///ω///)♪ I wanna ruin this man. But warning - I'm a tease for posting this.

Cw: NSFW, dubcon, free use, bondage/restraints, whipping (not crazily but yeah) powerplay, humiliation, throat fucked with fingers (is there a nicer way to say that lol)

Inspiration by art from the great @magicalduck21

(´－ω－)人

Ok disclaimer I wrote him with his helm on but you can imagine this guy's face as you get on his nerves *blush*

---

You’re drooling again.

It slides down your chin in threads, pooling in the hollow of your throat before spilling across the upper swell of your chest. One strand has glued itself to your breast, now tugging painfully with every sway of the rig. It itches. Everything itches. The barbed binding cinched under your arms, the rope bite of daemonflesh cords crossing your ribs, the harsh seam of your cunt forced open by that infernal split-legged yoke. Sweat stings old lash marks. You can’t twitch without the chains creaking and reminding him you’re alive.

But it’s not the pain that gets you. It’s the waiting.

Your jaw aches from the gag. Big, brutal thing. Not ball-shaped—too simple. This is a bite bar, thick and metallic, hinged to keep your mouth pried wide like a beast’s muzzle. You can just barely move your tongue. Just enough to speak if you don’t mind sounding like you’ve had your jaw broken and sewn back together by a drunk servitor.

“Uhh... uhh wuhh... ‘bout oo fall uh-leep,” you slur, glaring around the room like he’s listening. He always is. That or the walls do it for him.

Nothing. No footfall. No hiss of doors. The silence makes your blood run hotter.

You snort and roll your eyes as best you can. “Ughhh... uff’s sake...”

Your leg’s gone numb again. The high one, raised and bent at the knee, ankle chained upward toward a ceiling hook. The opposite leg is stretched straight and low, foot hovering just off the ground. The asymmetry's surgical—crafted to wreck your hips slowly, to force your cunt open with no dignity or balance. You’re tilted, twisted, hanging like a dissected animal with tits thrust forward and your spine bowed. The only thing holding your posture is suffering.

And of course, your cunt is dripping.

Because that’s the joke.

That’s the game.

You’ve hung like this before. You remember the aches. The first time it was humiliation. The second was anger.

Now it’s a routine.

A sick little habit.

You're about to scream something through the gag—something deeply unwise but satisfyingly profane—when the air changes.

No sound.

Just pressure. That shift. Like an entire cathedral exhaling behind your skull.

He’s here.

You roll your head slowly, spit swinging from your chin like a pendulum, and you see the shape you know too well—black warplate, burning eyes, ruin-wrapped shoulders. He’s already watching.

Of course he is.

You inhale sharply through your nose and let out a long, muffled sound that’s just close enough to a sigh to qualify as mockery.

“Fihh-nuh-wee,” you groan around the gag. “Took oo long uh-fur... fuhhck.”

He steps forward. One step. Solid. Measured.

That’s all.

He always lets the weight of him speak first.

You laugh, though it scrapes your throat. “Whuh... whuh’suh matta?” you coo, words mangled but intent sharp. “Guhh nuhh... nuhh new toy-s, huh?” you slur, thick around the bar. “Oooh ‘fraid I’ll... ou’lass ‘em again?”

He halts.

You grin, or something like it—lips stretched obscenely wide, teeth slick with drool.

“Issh tha’ why oo... keep comin’ back?” you lilt, breath hitching with the ache in your ribs. “Cuhh... can’ break me... sho’ oo jushh... watch.”

That hits. Just slightly. You know his silences by now, and this one shifts—grows heavier. The air tightens. His helm turns. Not enough to admit you’ve scored a hit—but enough to make your gut flip.

You lean into it.

“Uhh ‘member lasss time,” you murmur, rasping through spit. “Uhh ‘member... when oo shuv’d me on tha’ shpine hook... riigh’ when I wuzz ‘bout tuh cuum.”

Your thighs twitch involuntarily. The bindings flex. Tighten.

Pain flares along your hip and shoulder. Your teeth scrape against the bar.

You moan—low, filthy, intentional.

Not submission. Not surrender.

Invitation.

He says nothing.

But he’s listening.

Still looming.

Still deciding.

Good.

Let the Despoiler think it’s his move.

You’ll make him earn it.

...

He moves.

One step.

Two.

The sound is obscene—metal plates grinding, floor trembling under the ruin-weight of him. You can feel your own body brace, just from proximity. He doesn’t rush. Doesn’t need to. Warlords don’t hurry for entertainment.

You lift your head slightly, just enough to spit another drool-slick smile around the gag.

“Wuhh... ‘bout time, big boy.”

He doesn’t answer. You didn’t expect him to.

You track him with your eyes as he circles, inspecting you like something inert. Meat. Structure. Not a lover, not even a prisoner—just a thing. A device with too much voice. His fingers twitch, gauntleted and massive, dragging idly across the lowest hanging chain—the one between your thighs.

Your cunt clenches the moment he touches it.

Fuck.

The chain’s connected to the yoke forcing your legs apart—anchored to your hips and fed through a wicked little pulley up above. One tug shifts your entire weight downward and outward, dragging your pelvis deeper into exposure. You barely get a gasp out before he does exactly that.

—clink—

Your leg lifts another few degrees. The yoke bites into the crease of your thighs, the metal unforgiving. Your whole body shifts in the rig—your back arches further, your cunt gapes, and your clit brushes cold air, hypersensitive and angry.

“Nnghh—fuhhhckk,” you groan, helpless and furious.

Your nerves light up. It’s not even direct stimulation—it’s geometry. Your posture’s now one breath away from cramp, your spine so bowed your ribs scream. Every twitch pulls your own cunt taut like a wound.

You try to laugh again. Try.

Comes out more like a whimper.

And he hears that.

His hand lifts.

You feel the shadow first—then the weight of it, right between your legs. One thick, gloved finger presses flat against your slit. Not gentle. Not cruel. Just... flat. Steady. As if he’s bracing himself on a bulkhead.

You moan through your nose.

He moves the finger. Up. Down. Slowly. Just enough to coat the metal in your slick. He doesn't probe. Doesn’t circle your clit. Just gathers evidence.

You jerk your hips in protest—or try. The restraints punish the attempt instantly. The yoke pulls tighter. One of the ropes bites your sternum so hard you gasp.

He knows what he’s doing.

He brings the finger up to eye level.

Examines it.

You choke out a snort. “Wuzz zat for?” you slur, straining to twist your head and look at him. “Geddin’ yer fuckin’ sammple?”

And then he does something that makes your mouth go silent.

He turns his hand over.

And lets your slick drip off his gauntlet.

Onto the floor.

You watch it fall.

Wasted.

A beat.

“Fuhhhck... you,” you hiss, gag mangling it to something desperate and ugly.

He doesn’t respond.

But he steps behind you.

And that’s when your stomach flips.

Because there’s a long, vertical panel of your body he hasn’t touched yet—spine, ass, back of thighs. All raw and twitching from being exposed so long.

You hear a sound.

—kssshht—

A retractable blade? No. Something worse.

Straps.

You twist your neck and barely glimpse it: a thin, whip-like implement, barbed at intervals. Painfully intimate. Not meant to cut.

Meant to sting.

He presses the tip of it to your tailbone.

And waits.

You freeze.

You don’t beg.

But your breath starts to shake.

And you know he’s smiling under that fucking helm.

...

You hold your breath without meaning to.

The whip—if it even deserves that name—is light. Flexible. Too thin to do real damage. That’s what makes it cruel. You know this one. You remember it. It doesn’t open the skin. It makes the nerves feel peeled. The barbs on the cord are dull. Just enough to raise welts. Just enough to force your body into a language of twitching.

He lifts it.

You brace.

The first strike lands low, across the back of your lower thigh.

CRACK.

You scream.

It’s not a choice. It tears through your throat like lightning. Your whole body jolts—your toes curl, your shoulders seize against their bindings, your cunt clenches around nothing. You can’t even process the pain fully before the second one follows.

CRACK.

This one higher—just below your ass. Direct. Cruel. Perfectly placed.

The sound you make is a gurgle, a sob mashed through the bite-bar and soaked in spit. You shake your head. Drool splashes the floor.

He waits.

You feel the stillness again. That calculated pause. He’s watching your breath now. Measuring your ragged little gasps. The rise and fall of your chest, taut and gleaming with sweat, nipples hard from shock and exposure.

You try to say something.

“Fffuhhhk... ooouh—”

But it’s mangled, half-spit, half-sob.

Good.

Let him hear it.

The third strike doesn’t come right away. You feel the whip brush up your spine—mocking. A phantom whisper against the bruises already forming. You know what he’s doing. You just don’t know where the next one will fall.

So you speak.

Because silence would mean he’s winning.

“Guhhh... guh’ a lil ten-shun tuhday, don’choo?” you growl through clenched teeth and leaking drool. “C’mere tuh... tuh beat yer meat on mine?”

You regret it before it finishes leaving your mouth.

CRACK.

Across your ribs. Side-on. The angle hits wrong—intentionally—snapping across bruised muscle and burned skin. It hurts in a way that makes your lungs seize. The sound that comes out of you is wet.

“Ghhha—fuckhh—!”

And still he’s not panting. Not vocal. Not even moving fast.

He lands five more.

Each one paced. Measured. Cruel.

One across your right shoulder blade.

One across your lower back—perfectly parallel to your spine.

Two across the meat of your ass, left and right.

And the final one...

...across your cunt.

It doesn’t slice. It buzzes. The barbs drag through the slickness there like someone dragging teeth through open nerve. Your thighs slam together on reflex—but the yoke holds them apart. You feel yourself spasm.

And then—

then—you moan.

Loud.

Long.

You hate yourself for it.

He steps away.

You hang there, trembling, ribs strobing with pain, slick running down your thighs, drool smearing your chest, your voice a shredded thing you no longer own.

He leaves you in silence again.

To feel it.

...

You’re hanging.

Breathing hard.

Wet.

Marked.

The rig creaks with each tremor of your thighs. The whip’s last kiss still sings through your cunt and ribs. You can taste blood now—somewhere deep in your mouth from biting the gag too hard. Or maybe that’s from trying to speak through it. You don’t know.

You only know he hasn’t left.

He’s watching.

You feel it—his weight in the air behind you. Still. Waiting. Deciding whether you’re worth more or less now.

Then—

He steps forward.

Boots slow. Heavy. Deliberate.

You try to lift your head, but the posture won’t let you. All you can see is his chestplate now—dark, massive, gleaming with tiny smears of you. You’re strung up like an offering. And he stands like a god who never needed prayer.

He doesn’t touch you.

Not yet.

He just speaks.

Low. Brutal.

“Louder than you’re worth.”

You flinch. Not from fear. From heat.

He circles to the side. Another pause. You hear the wet tap of his gauntlet against the chain stretched between your thighs. The rig tightens just slightly.

You groan. Legs spasm. More slick drips to the floor.

He leans in, helm level with your ear.

“Still leaking.”

A pause.

Then one gauntlet against your cheek—slick with your own arousal, dried and flaking.

He smears it there. Slow. Deliberate.

“Pathetic.”

Then nothing.

He steps back again, arms still at his sides, gaze crawling over you like a lash.

“You’re not finished.”

The silence after that is worse than any strike.

Because it means he’s thinking.

Planning.

And you're still open. Still dripping.

Still waiting.

..

You feel him move before you hear him.

That slow, towering shift of shadow in your peripheral vision. One gauntlet lifts. Big. Heavy. You brace for another strike—something to set your ribs screaming again.

Instead, you feel cold metal pinch at the corners of your mouth.

The gag.

The release is mechanical—hinged buckles, unfastened with a slow, surgical detachment. He doesn’t rush. Doesn’t speak. Just unlocks you.

The bar slips from your teeth, thick with spit. Your jaw screams the moment it relaxes. Muscles twitch. Your tongue feels swollen, stupid. You barely register the drool pouring freely from your mouth now, sliding down your chin and between your breasts.

He doesn’t wipe it away.

Of course not.

He lets you hang there—open-mouthed, gasping, humiliated.

“Thhh—fuck...,” you rasp. Your voice is shredded, barely a thread of breath.

But you speak anyway.

You have to.

“Th-that’s it?” you spit, voice cracking as it crawls up your throat. “Needed to shut me up just long enough to—nghh—edge your ego, and now you wanna listen?”

Your throat seizes halfway through the insult. But you don’t stop.

“You done staring, or do I need to drip a little louder for you to get the hint?”

A beat.

Silence.

Then—

“Speak clearly.”

His voice.

Short. Low.

So quiet it hurts.

He steps closer. You feel the heat of him again. You don’t dare close your mouth now. Not after that command.

He tilts your head back with two gloved fingers under your jaw—forcing you to look up. Your neck aches. Your whole body shudders from the strain of that angle.

“Last chance.”

You swallow hard. Try not to. Try not to show the fear prickling behind your tongue. But it’s there.

And still, you smile.

Blood and spit painting your teeth.

“Bite me.”

A pause.

Then—so soft you almost miss it:

“I will.”

...

Your jaw aches from the gag’s absence—nerves flaring back to life as your muscles twitch, slack and wet and sore. You can’t fully close your mouth yet. Not that it matters.

He’s in front of you again. Close.

Too close.

Your breath catches when you realize how tall he feels this near. How much bigger he becomes when you're suspended and ruined. You’ve faced warlords across interrogation chambers before. Faced daemons in sanctified blacksteel cages. But you’ve never felt small like this.

Not until now.

His gauntlet comes up again—no flourish, no threat. Just inevitability. He drags two fingers down the line of your jaw. Spit clings to them. He doesn’t care.

“You wanted to be heard.”

He presses those same fingers—thick, metal, wet—against your lips.

“Then speak with this.”

And he pushes them into your mouth.

Not gently.

Not like a lover.

Like a tool checking a gear for fit.

The taste hits first.

Iron. Gunmetal. Skin-temperature steel.

Warp-stained machine oil.

And something fainter beneath it all: your own slick. Dried into the creases of his gauntlet.

He presses two fingers past your lips like he owns them. Like your mouth is waiting. Like this isn’t a punishment, but a test to see if you’re still useful. The gag’s gone—but you’re still not free.

Your lips part with no resistance. He doesn’t ask permission. He fills your mouth, thick-knuckled gauntlet scraping your molars, the cold ridge of each joint dragging across your tongue like you’re being filed down from the inside out.

You groan.

Not because you mean to. Because your tongue panics, trying to move—trying to escape. There’s no space. No room to reposition. His fingers are too big, too deliberate.

And then they deepen.

Not a thrust. Not yet.

Just pressure.

Down.

His middle finger presses hard on your tongue, flattening it toward your jaw. Your throat starts to tickle—a tight itch right where your body knows something’s wrong, where breath shouldn’t be interrupted. You try to suppress the reflex, but he feels it—he wants it.

He shifts again. The ring finger joins.

Three now.

You moan, loud and sharp. Your jaw pops. Your neck strains. Your lips tear at the corners as your teeth scrape across the metal’s seams.

He curls them slightly.

Just the smallest flex.

And your tongue is pinned—helpless beneath him.

“Better than your voice.”

You barely hear it through the haze. But your cunt clenches like it does.

The fingers rock forward. Gently.

Then harder.

Not fast. Not cruel. Insistent.

Your body jerks in the rig as he begins to fuck your mouth with his hand—short, precise strokes. He lets you feel everything. The ridged knuckles scraping your palate. The cold press behind your uvula. The saliva bubbling past your lips and down your chin as your gag reflex fires, again and again.

You choke.

You gag.

You don’t look away.

His helm tilts slightly—watching your throat bulge around the intrusion. Watching you lose shape. Watching you become a vessel.

Your nose runs. Drool pours freely. You sob around the seal of his gauntlet and the thick scrape of his knuckles sawing in and out of your mouth.

He goes deeper.

Your shoulders seize. Your eyes blur.

The sound is obscene—wet, raw, gulping, muffled.

He pulls back just slightly—enough for you to gasp in a rush of breath, your tongue clinging to his fingers like a drowning thing.

But he doesn’t leave.

His hand stays.

His fingers rest on your tongue now—heavy, unmoving. Just resting, like a reminder of your failure to shut up when you had the chance.

“Keep them there,” he says.

And steps back.

His fingers still in your mouth.

His gaze raking you.

Daring you to flinch.

You moan low in your throat, trembling from head to toe, and obey.

Because you don’t want him to stop.

Not yet.

...

You can’t swallow.

Not properly. Not with his fingers on your tongue like a commandment carved in metal. You keep twitching—your throat spasming, your mouth filling again and again with warm spit that you can’t do anything with. It slides past your lips. Down your chin. Along your breasts.

You’re soaked in it.

And still he hasn’t moved.

He’s standing in front of you, gauntlet still lodged in your mouth, watching—measuring. Every flick of your tongue against his knuckles. Every time your lips try to seal tighter, then fail from exhaustion.

You try not to groan.

It leaks out anyway.

He hears it.

And now he moves.

Not with the fingers in your mouth—no. He lifts his other hand, thick and gloved, and presses it between your thighs. Flat palm. Full contact. No penetration. Just weight and heat and the power of attention.

You jerk in the rig, reflexive and raw, legs straining against the yoke that holds them spread. Your cunt’s been wet for so long it’s a shameful flood. His palm glides through it effortlessly. And he doesn’t even seem interested. Just... confirming.

“Still soft,” he mutters.

Then, without warning, his fingers in your mouth thrust forward again.

No buildup.

Just deep.

You gag instantly. A wet, humiliating choke that makes your whole body jolt. Your thighs clench. Your eyes snap open, watering. It hurts.

He holds you there.

Not long.

Just enough.

Just long enough for the fear to rise in your chest.

Just long enough for your spit to start pouring faster, your lungs to beg.

Then he pulls back—slowly.

Lets you breathe.

And you do—gasps sharp and hoarse, his fingers still there, stretching your lips open.

“I said hold.”

And you do. Even as your throat trembles. Even as more saliva spills out past your teeth and runs down your breastbone.

Then he speaks again.

“Good.”

You want to feel victorious. You don’t.

Because he follows it with—

“Now take more.”

And this time, he pushes in a fourth finger.

Your mouth flares in protest. Your jaw splits wider than it ever has—too wide. Your lips tear. Your teeth scrape metal. You scream around it—guttural, ugly, a noise from the back of your throat that barely qualifies as human. It’s too much.

Your gag reflex explodes.

You twitch violently in the rig. Spit floods out in torrents. Your nose runs. Your eyes stream. Your neck burns from the angle, from the intrusion. Every nerve in your face howls.

He thrusts.

Not fast.

But with weight.

Four thick, armored fingers working in and out of your mouth in shallow, deliberate strokes. He doesn’t need to bury them. He’s not looking for depth. Just control. Just the sound of your suffering. Just the proof that your mouth isn’t a weapon—it’s a hole.

He watches every twitch of your tongue trying—and failing—to move. Every spasm of your throat as it tries to clench. Every wet gag as your body tries to reject him.

But your mind doesn’t.

Your mind is on fire.

And your cunt is still dripping.

He holds you there again—gagging, sputtering, wide open—and finally pulls back.

This time, when the fingers leave your mouth, your lips stay parted.

You gasp.

A broken, ragged gasp.

No pride left.

Just need.

Just pain.

And then—

It slips out.

Barely audible.

But real.

"...thank you."

You didn’t plan it.

But you meant it.

And he knows it.

He stands over you in silence.

And says nothing.

Because he doesn’t need to.

You’ve already answered the question he never asked.

---------to be continued... or prefaced...-----------

Hehe. Thank you for reading. I could write foreplay forever.

Tagged: @incrediblethirst @druidwolf21 @kit-williams (maybeee you'll like?)

(*ノ▽ノ)

[dreemurr-skelememer]

Hello :D

I have been following you for the last year or so (a few days after I got my Tumblr lmao) and I absolutely love your art!

I have been wanting to study your art style for a while but don't really know where to start,,,

Could you please show me a small portion of your art process, if it isn't too much trouble of course. Thank you and have a nice day!

hello. oh my god. this took forever to find.

im sorry it took 2 WHOLE FUCKING MONTHS for me to respond to this but i wanted to put it off until i felt happy with my art process again, so here it is

my fall 2024 rendering tutorial!

(this will be very very long)

FLATS AND WHATEVER YOU WANNA DO WITH LINES GIRL. then make sure to recolor the lineart to better match your base. trust me it helps, bold dark lines are Not your best friend when rendering. wait for that post-rendering

i start off with a doodle or a sketch, and then filling it in with flats and other details such as blush

FIGURE OUT YOUR LIGHT SOURCE. FIGURE IT OUT GIRL YOU CAN DO IT you can make it as simple as possible, make it as big as possible, dont even THINK about the details.........just make it really fucking big so you at least know where the shadows and the light goes THEN add smaller shading details LISTEN TO ME. LISTEN TO ME OKAY!!!!!!!!

my key point with this is for you to learn lighting fundamentals.

it's SOOO ANNOYING but alas......they are all correct. it helps a lot.

one thing i also really want to point out is that i like creating a big shadow shape first before fixing up the little details (such as folds and whatever) because it helps me focus on the way the lighting actually works instead of tunnel vision-ing into making the shading make sense on the clothing.

contact shadows (i dont remember if thats what theyre called okay) theyre fucking ugly because im not actually thinking sorry 💔

okay so basically:

contact shadows (if that's what they're called) are the spots in shading and lighting where light will NEVER hit.

shadows are still influenced by the colors and lights around it (it's why a blue shadow and a yellow shadow feel completely different, despite both being shadows) so it's not always COMPLETELY dark.

BUT! there are small points in shadows where light never hits, and they're almost always super dark or pitch black.

it's hard to explain shadow and light so briefly for a tutorial, but you'll notice it when watching fundamental studies and when trying it out for yourself

YES i unclipped the multiply layer YES its ugly and terrifying but it makes coloring the multiply layer easier okay the colors merged w multiply so now it looks cool and has depth overlaying colors that actually make sense

so basically what i did was color the multiply layer that i used to shade the overall drawing

adding a band of red/orange/yellow around where the light hits, and blue where the shadows get big and wide, gives it a fake ambient occlusion effect in the way that a person would get if they stood under the sun with a clear blue sky

the colors don't have to make sense, especially because i never draw backgrounds, but coloring the shadows really help it give a sense of depth and extra subtle detail and effect that just helps make the painting look nicer

around the end, i also put in colors (in an overlay layer with a low opacity brush) that actually make sense in context of the drawing, which is the lit cigarette and the yellow eyelights

mostly because none of the colors were making sense and i needed to actually make use of the lighting that DOES exist in the drawing lol

adding a muddy golden yellow pin light layer (opacity turned down to like 40-50%) to make the light colors less ugly lol

i SWEAR by the fucking pin light layer style. it's so useful and so so underrated.

i used an almost brown-ish gold color on stop of all the layers, and with the pin light layer, it helped make the bright (almost blue-ish) white colors more warm and more yellow. it just helps make things more warm (something i prefer)

i could probably show what it looks like without adjusting the layer opacity to truly show off what i mean (like in the coming section) but i sadly forgot to do that lol

make a layer on top of your drawing with this color in these ranges YES the drawing is fully merged NO don't be afraid, the base was fucking ugly anyway 💔 make this layer into an exclude/exclusion layer style TRUST turn down your exclusion layer opacity from a range of 10% to 40% literally until you're happy with the contrast and the way the color over the drawing. use your eyeballs. i know you can do it im so proud of you

this is pretty self-explanatory instruction-wise, so i'll go into why i do this instead

i really like art that seems like it has low contrast, with almost mid-gray shading and lines. i don't personally use dark and bold lines and shading, unless i find it necessary for the tone of the piece, so using this method helps lower the contrast of the art and make it look "pleasantly muddy" in the way that it's easier and softer on the eyes.

the inverted blue color also helps makes things warmer!

the exclusion layer style is still a bit of a mystery to me but i really like the effect it gives, even if i don't completely get how it works lol

if you want an alternative method to this, and if you have access to it (because i primarily use sai and sai only),

i absolutely encourage you to play around and experiment with gradient maps.

there are so many out there you can make yourself or even get from others that just give the painting an extra amount of depth and color variation. they're SO fun.

personally, if sai2 gets a gradient map update, it's over for y'all it will literally be so over no one will be able to stop me

then i merged everything and actually adjusted the contrast back up because it was looking too muddy for me 💔 but the color adjustments are still there so all hope is not lost here's a comparison of the adjusted contrast in black and white (adjusted on the left) (newly merged layer without adjusting the contrast on the right)

as you can see, i actually turned the contrast back up (despite talking all about how i liked things with less contrast lol)

i wanted to demonstrate that doing adjustments should be done in moderation, and is why i adjust layer opacity often when making color effects

you are free to play around with colors to help your style, but don't lose your initial idea and colors along the way.

you still need to trust your own colors and intuition!

along with that, i just want to say that it's completely okay to change your mind mid-painting, and it's okay to make somewhat drastic changes.

don't be afraid to change things you don't like or change your mind about certain aspects way later on

that's basically the whole thing of this!!! don't be scared!!!

now im gonna hold your hand when i say this..........but you need to learn how to render by yourself. it seems like i can teach you but i literally can't, because rendering is different on every piece and depending on how clean your base is. i have to render A LOT because of how fucking ugly my sketches are LMAO to simplify it, think of it as obsessively cleaning up every detail you can see, but with a color picker and a clean, hard edged brush. if you have shit lineart, you don't have to redraw it cleanly over and over, just paint over it. that's basically what rendering is

THIS especially is where you need to be brave and stop being scared.

like i said, i can't teach you how to render, and it's something you have to discover yourself because rendering is something that will always be personal to every single piece you make. the way you render on every piece is different.

on one piece, you will barely need to render, and on another, rendering is more than half of your ENTIRE process.

don't be afraid to paint over your old art.

rendering is a process that's both very perfectionist yet also very careless.

find your balance and just go for it.

and then that's it……..u did it………..now yuo know how to paint and render. it's literally just layering shading and lighting knowledge until you think it makes sense and looks okay lol additional note: since i render in only one layer (you don't HAVE to do this, but it'll be harder for you…), i also made slight adjustments with the transform (and liquify, if you have it) tool to make things more proportionate. (i drew the head too big lol)

if you compare the finished piece to the final unrendered base, you can see that a LOT changed, including a bit of subtle proportion adjustment.

particularly, the sleeves changed A LOT (because i really didn't like them)

but it's also over all cleaner and more coherent, instead of having haphazard colors and shading just thrown about.

rendering is when you finally use all 100% of your brain to finalize and figure out where the shading should go, where to clean up your lines, where to ERASE or ADD BACK in lines, and make sure all your colors look coherent.

it's not as intimidating as it seems, i only use a hard edged brush with a little bit of color mixing and my color picker.

it's like dragging and dropping colors to cover up mistakes, it's really quite fun when you get used to it

i wish i could explain it clearer but it's hard to describe without visuals!

i hope this helped, and i hope all my yapping isn't annoying (art as a special interest beloved)

have fun studying and trying to render in my art style!

[scam-alerts]

🚨Scammer Alert🚨 + 🔎Scam Exam(ination)🔍

Seen as: 'I'm feeling so inspired by your picture/art!' Scam Type: Muse Scam

1 - Description of this scam:

The muse scam is a variant of the fake check scam in which the scammer will contact the victim over social media and claim to want to use their image for an art project. The scammer will often use a stolen social media account to increase their credibility. They will offer a generous sum of money and offer to pay via check, and the victim is instructed to send money to the scammer for “materials” via an irreversible method. The victim is under the illusion that the funds cleared when the bank makes the money available thanks to current regulations. Usually the fake check deposit will be reversed in a few weeks, but it can also take several months. If you do not have the funds to cover the amount, your balance will go negative. Your bank will usually charge a fee for depositing a bad check, and your account may be closed depending on the severity of the scam. source (reddit)

Additional info about the muse scam. (from malwarebytes)

-----

Example account shown here: @muralmagicsworld (banned)

Accounts also running this scam: @craftpatch, @shadyduckgladiator emilyartlana emilyfanartist thoughtfulgraze rogerwil01

(Note: There are probably a lot of scammers running this scam. This post is mainly talking about the blog that I managed to find or were made aware of.)

2 - What this scam looks like.

Part 1: The request. (on a post made by a bot no less... lol)

A secondary (more recent) example of this request can be seen here:

The source of this is from this post by @blankwisher64 who gave me permission to use it. Thank you!

A third example can be seen here - Given by anonymous:

-----

Part 2: The blog an their posts.

The blog's earliest post was made on November 11th 2024

Using google lense (the photo icon you can use to look up an image on the internet) I was able to find these images linked to a youtube channel and an instagram account made by an artist known as Andreas Liss.

The woman in the first instagram post's name is credited, by the original artist, to be the lovely Anastasia Dmitrieva.

Where as the scammer... well.. They decided to call her... Jennifer.

-----

Final words: The muse scam is quite common and it's recently migrated from instagram to tumblr. If you are someone who posts pictures of yourself or your animals, always remember this: If someone tells you they're feeling 'inspired' and they'll draw you or your pet but you have to 'pay for art supplies' and they're willing to send you a $1000+ 'check/money order' and 'you can keep the rest' because they're feeling 'oh so generous'?

It is and always will be a scam.

Other helpful guides on spotting scams. (by @kyra45)

-----

Disclaimer: This post is only meant to serve as documentation and reference material so that others know: why this person is a scammer, and to provide more information about the scam they are running. I do not, in any way, endorse harassment or mass reporting these users. Only report posts related to asks, comments, or messages if you GET them or ones like them. Thank you.

[theveryworstthing]

I'm Alive

I posted this on patreon so I might as well post it again here. Hopefully current and past patrons see this as well as people who have just been generally curious about where I've been.

I'm very sorry for not being around and I'm very grateful to those who stuck around. To those who didn't, I get it and I truly appreciate you passing through. 

Last year and the beginning of this year have been pretty bad. Some of you might have heard about my grandma's death and sadly, she was just the first of the family losses in the time I've been gone. There was also a friend's death discovery, my parents' health tanking, my friends Going Through It, and my own physical/mental problems. I didn't want to talk to the internet about these things because they were/are very overwhelming and private and tbh I used all my energy to help with the household and make sure work got turned in on time. When I had spare time after dealing with the near constant disasters, I didn't really feel like interacting with the internet at all beyond using it as a way to talk to far away friends (mostly to give them the thumbs up that i was alive) or watch/read things when my brain was less scrambled. Social media was an absolute no go and I didn't have any non-work art to post so I just kind of mentally crawled under the porch to die lol. 

I only drew work related things for months due to extreme burnout and it took me almost a month off after my last job to remember how to create again. I couldn't draw or write, it was kinda like art block except it was more like nothing was there at all? It's hard to explain. 

Things are still happening but I need to get back in the saddle eventually so here I am. 

I'm going to post the little art I did in June and all the sketches I did in January when I re-learned how to draw for myself. Again, I'm so sorry for being away without saying anything and I'm grateful to whoever threw me a buck, or even just casually enjoyed my art. Leaving like I did was really irresponsible and there's no excuse for not at least making a post about all of this sooner.  Every month I got a patreon payment was another wave of guilt because I literally couldn't give y'all anything but at the same time that money was letting me book flights to funerals and keeping my mom comfortable while she recovered from surgery right after I spent a lot of my savings in 2022 trying to fight my late cat's cancer. And then not posting about what was going on made me more anxious as time went on because there was more guilt every month so I felt like I needed to come back with a bunch of art and energy and good reasons and it was just. A Mess. 

But anyway.

I'm alive, I'm back. The Horrors persist, but so do I.

Thank you for your patience.

[dragon-ascent]

I love how you characterise Zhongli! I didn't realise earlier that ppl treat him to be like a western dragon when hes more of an eastern one. When you explained the differences in one post, it clicked for me on how Zhongli acts, which is fantastic cus Ive always been meh abt his character for quite some time.

Though a question: the game has depicted zhongli to be somewhat broke? I mean, cus he generously spends mora but its usually other ppls since he forgets he is no longer an archon. Heck i cant rmb which event but at one point when Zhongli actually treats the traveller and Paimon, Paimon comments abt "wow Zhongli is the one paying for once?". Im wondering abt your opinion on this.

Aaaaa I'm so glad my little essay on that matter got you to understand his character better! <3333 I hope you appreciate him even more now~

Going off canon material, it's not that he's broke, per se, but rather that he just forgets to bring his wallet with him on outings. Plus, he's part of the bourgeois tier of society (middle class, wealthy, but not royalty-level filthy rich; but still elite and way above the working class). This was mentioned in a line in the Liyue AQ.

Canon text has never actually stated (or even implied) that he's broke or doesn't have money, that's just a popular fanon meme.

If one wants to argue that his 2022 birthday art implies he's broke, I'd still disagree. His dialogue there just says that having a wallet makes him more mindful of when to spend and how much, not that he doesn't have Mora in the first place.

And yeah, when Paimon comments on him finally paying, that's just because he remembered to bring his wallet :) every other occasion, as I stated before, is just that he didn't bring his wallet, relying freely on others to do the paying.

Besides, he made the Mora. I think he has every right to consider even other people's money as his own, lol- but I digress.

If I may slot in a personal headcanon here: I reckon that, as the God of Wealth, he just naturally attracts money to use for himself in any circumstance, be it through his own money, Hu Tao, Childe, the Traveler, etc. He will never be left wanting for Mora as he will always be able to pay for the things he likes, or straight up finesse his way into getting stuff without needing to pay (like the part with the painted Rex Lapis fans).