#that tutorials wording is questionable lol

[caramelcleopatraa]

CAUGHT IN 4K

word count: 3.3k

x: finals are coming up, so i'm gonna be very busy, but i'm still writing y'all (this is the most consistent i've been lol) (excuse any errors of course) Hope you guys enjoyyy! leave comments... please. I love your comments.

content: Imani has a crush on Roman. Their friend group goes on live and her secret comes to the light. She thought that she was going to be rejected and move on, but things never go the way people expect. Roman Reigns x Imani, 18+ MDNI, oral (m recieving), cowg!rl, creamp!e

Imani loved weekend kickbacks. Time to chillax with her favorite people, and get her mind off of things. It was moments like these she waited for. Drinks and joints in rotation, and endless fun for hours to come. Jimmy, Jey, Roman, Trinity Talia, and Imani. She wishes that she was only thinking about the good vibes that circulated in the atmosphere, but she was focused on something else. It wasn’t like she was necessarily trying to focus on Roman, but it was inevitable when she could see him so clearly from the kitchen. She knew that having a crush on him could possibly mess up the bond that the group has, but he was so gravitating, He was perfect in her eyes. She basically textbook described him when Trinity and Talia asked her to describe her dream man: Tall, muscular, sweet, absurdly attractive, charismatic, humorous, dedicated. God, she could go on to name every single one of his attributes that she loved. She tried to brush it off as a mistake at first, but there was no part about this that was a mistake. He had a tight grip on her, and he wasn't even aware. She wonders what would happen if he felt the same way. If those pretty brown eyes she daydreamed about would reciprocate the love she was anxiously waiting to give him. She could only imagine all of the things she could do for him, to him, and provide him. If she had him all to herself, how they would spend their nights alone. How it would feel to be wrapped in his embrace. How it would feel to get lost in him between the sheets for hours, and repeat it again the next day. If she had him all to herself.

“WE GETTIN TURNT!” Talia raised her glass in the air and yelled out to her viewers, watching her through the small rectangular frame. Jimmy came around the corner with uno cards in his hands as the six of us gathered around the table. Roman, Trinity, or Jey would pop into the frame to answer a couple of questions while Jimmy shuffles the cards and Imani gathers multiple bottles to bring to the table. “Mani! They have some questions for you!” Imani joins her party, sitting the bottles on the table and scanning through the comments.

‘Do you get to go backstage with the bloodline?’

“Yes! It's amazing, I'm not gonna lie.”

‘Please do a makeup tutorial!’

“Maybe, I don't have a youtube channel.”

‘Seen any guys that have caught your eye?’

“A couple, but they ain’t nothin’ important.”

“Oh word?” Talia and Trinity both look at her with curious faces, but Imani just giggles and goes back to answering questions. 

“Ooh this is a good one. Kiss, marry, fuck: Jason Momoa, Michael B. Jordan, and Roman Reigns,” Talia reads out loud. That question got everyone’s attention. Jimmy stopped fidgeting with the cards and Roman and Jey both put their phones down impatient for her answer. “Well?” Talia was definitely setting her up, and she could feel it. Thank god for her brown skin that covered her fastly spreading blush. “Do I have to answer this?” “Yes, you do. I'm intrigued now,” Trinity says, as Imani quickly takes a double take at the entire table to see them all staring at her. She sighs before surrendering and thinking hard about the question.

“I’ll… kiss… Michael B. Jordan, fuck Jason Momoa, and marry Roman Reigns.” She instantly regretted answering the question before Trinity pried at Imani to get out more information that everyone was itching to know. “Hmm, why marry Roman?” She quickly swiped her drink off of the table and took a long sip, hiding her face. In all honesty, she wanted to say that it was the easiest choice, but that would only make her sound suspicious. And that was not a conversation that she wanted to have in front of quite literally everyone. “I'm not interested in the other guys like that.” “So you’re interested in Roman?” ‘Wait- wait! Noo that's not what I meant!’

“No, I just wouldn't marry the other two men. It’s not that deep Trin,” Imani says, a failed attempt at dismissing the conversation. “You’ve never gotten this defensive before… don’t tell me that you in your feelings.” She could see Talia smirking at the corner of her eyes. She knew she had to stop this fast. “You’re reaching Talia,” Imani says, laughing to herself. “Oooooh Imani wants the Tribal Chief, huh?” Never in her life had she ever been more embarrassed. “Jimmy, for the love of god, please start dealing the cards,” Imani says, covering her face, her words muffled by her hands. Everyone laughs, finding amusement in her nervousness. She anxiously waited for Jimmy to start dealing the cards so this moment could pass.

11:27 pm

Several rounds of uno and spades passed, and the guests were slowly starting to make their way out. She noticed Talia, Trinity, Jey, and Jimmy momentarily texting throughout the night, which would probably explain why the four of them were explaining the consequence of Imani losing a couple of rounds. “Sooooo we thought of something. Don’t be mad! It’s just a punishment for losing so much,” Talia says, sticking out her tongue. “Your punishment is that you have to ask Roman to fuck you.” ‘ASK ROMAN TO WHATT!?!?’

Her surprised face told them everything they needed to know. “You'll be fine. Uce will probably be down to fuck either way,” Jey says. Imani gave Talia a death glare, making Talia laugh. “You’re trippin’ girl. Just approach him with the right energy and make him want to stay with you. I guess this answers the question of if you have a crush on him or not.” Before she could defend herself, Roman walks in from the restroom and the four of them are gone in the blink of an eye. ‘These trifling’ heifers’

“Guess they all left. I should be on my way out then. Thank you for the food and dr-” She steps in front of him, stopping him from exiting out the front door. He looks at her with confusion. “You okay?” Her heart was beating fast. She didn't fully think out what she was going to do after she stepped in front of him, but it was now or never. 

“Fuck me.”

“...what?”

“F-fuck me.” She couldn't look him in the eye the second time. The pressure weighing on her shoulders was too much. But the thing that was racking her brain the most was how close they were. She felt like this was a disaster taking place in real time. She hears a soft chuckle, looking up to see him lightly smiling at her. “Was this your punishment for losing?” She nods, and his smile stays fixed on his face. “Do you want me to?” 

‘...did he say what I think he just said?’

Her mind is searching for an answer, a reason to say no. But she can't find any. As embarrassing and confusing this was, she had daydreamed about this moment. Maybe he was just being nice and would give her a quick fuck to fulfill the punishment. That idea became her leading thought. “You don’t have to if you’re uncomf-” “Do you want me to fuck you Imani?”

‘Shit he’s not joking.’

She slowly nods, which prompts him to lock the front door behind you. Her head was spinning, trying her hardest to maintain her composure. “Ask me again.”

“Fuck me, please,” She says nervously, eyes returning her shiny tile floors. “I don’t believe you sweetheart. Ask me again.” His hand gently grabs at her chin, making Imani look at him. Once they made eye contact, she knew that she was done for. She was already feeling weak from just looking at him. She took a deep breath before finally saying, “Please fuck me Roman.”

He wasted no time pulling her into a heated kiss. Not that she minded. This felt like a wonderful dream that she didn't want to wake up from. Only this wasn't a dream, it was real life. She finally got to feel the body that she had been drooling over. Right now, he was hers, and she was going to make the most of it. 

Her curious hands creeped along his captivating body while they explored each other’s mouths, dragging her hands up his torso from underneath his shirt. He pulled away from her soft lips to trail wet kisses from her cheek to her neck. “Not shy anymore huh?” She couldn't be shy. Her desire for him had completely taken over. “I really need you right now Roman,” She pants out. 

“Bedroom?” She nods and takes his hand in hers, leading the way to her bedroom. The sway of her hips only made Roman more aroused, as he silently admired her body from behind.

They enter her bedroom and she doesn't get a chance to close the door before being pulled into his arms again, temporarily hoisting her in the air to lay her on the spacious bed. He pulls her into another messy kiss, setting his focus on getting rid of their bothersome clothes. He quickly tore his shirt from his body and she did the same with hers. Their lips connected again, moving in harmony. He started to make his way down her body, but she squeezed his shoulders, signaling him to stop. “I wanna make you feel good first.” Roman was surprised to say the least. He kissed her tummy and replied, “Are you sure?” She gives him a confident nod, with those big doe eyes and her beautiful smile. “Alright, what do you want me to do?” “Let’s switch places.”

She scooted to the side, giving him room to lay down on the bed. She crawled down to his waist, tugging both his sweatpants and boxers down. His dick springs out of his pants, finally free from cloth restraints. Her eyes locked with his before lowering down to lick the underside of him; from his balls to his mushroom tip. A wad of spit drips from her mouth and lands on his length, using her hand to lather him up. His soft hums let her know that he was feeling good, and she was determined to make him feel a whole lot better. 

Her juicy lips start at his tip, giving small kitten licks before taking the tip in her mouth. Her warm mouth felt so good on his dick. He didn't know that Imani was this nasty. She gives him kisses up and down his shaft before taking him in her mouth again. 

She didn’t waste any time trying to tease him. He was big, and filled mer mouth well, but it’s nothing she's never handled before. Before she continued, the warmth of her mouth left him once again. “Can you record this?” Just when he thought she couldn't get more nasty. 

“Record?” She nodded her head. “Only if you’re comfortable.” “I’m more than comfortable,” Roman says, while reaching into his sweatpants pocket. He grabs his phone and opens the camera app, pressing record. “It’s recording, baby.” 

She smiles at the camera, curling her fingers around the base of his dick and tapping him against her tongue. She takes him in her mouth again for the final time, keeping her hand put at the base. She bobs her head slowly, swiveling her head from left to right. 

She keeps moving slowly, making sure to fit all she can in her mouth. Her hand that stayed curled around his base, moved in juxtaposition, stroking the rest of him that her mouth couldn't get to. “Goddamn baby, that mouth feels so good. I need that mouth around my dick all the time.” She moans in response, giving him vibrations that made him feel oh so good. She had him moaning and groaning. She didn't mind that at all. She got a big ego boost that he was so vocal from her mouth working its magic. She took note of every moan, every twitch, and any reaction he made. Right now, she was focused on his pleasure. 

His grip on his phone tightened, trying his best to keep his composure. She moved her head faster, still bobbing up and down, and using her hand to stroke his remaining inches. “Ahh s-shit mama, you keep sucking my dick like that and imma cum in your mouth.” She looks at him, already staring at her every move while she’s giving him euphoria like pleasure. She moans around his dick again, feeling her panties dampen. Her other hand massaged his balls lightly. Her slurping sounds made him close to coming. 

He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Those innocent eyes staring into him as he recorded her doing such lewd things. He tried his best not to tangle his hands in her hair and fuck her mouth full of him. But her mouth felt so good, and he wanted nothing more than to cum in her mouth. He couldn’t help himself when his hands disappeared into her hair, planting his feet on the bed and fucking up into her mouth. She put her hands behind her back, letting him use her as he pleased. His thrusts were quick, but soft, his balls slapping against her chin. “Oh fuck! I’m coming mama, ooh I'm comin’.” He kept her head steady while coming deep in her throat, and she accepted with jubilation. 

She bobbed her head a few more times, trying her best to overstimulate him the most she can, until his hand grabs her chin, lifting her up. “Slow down princess,” He says, ending the recording. She crawls up to meet him, giving him a quick passionate kiss. “See how good you taste?” Roman chuckles at her boldness. “Your turn. Lie down,” He says, trying to sit up, but fails due to her pushing him back down on the bed. “I need that dick right now daddy.”

“You don’t want me to eat that pussy?” She runs her hand through her messy hair. “God yes I do, but I need you to fuck me right now.” Her eyes did more pleading than her words. 

“I wanna record this too,” she says, looking down at his chest, tracing the intricate tattoo. He feels around the bed, finally grabbing the phone and reopening the camera app. “Can you prop it up somewhere? I want you to be able to touch me.” “Already on it baby.” He climbed back further on your bed, propping the phone up against the lamp on the nightstand. While he did that, she slid off her shorts and panties, throwing them behind her. He pressed record again, and instructed her to adjust herself so the camera could capture everything. 

His hands landed on her ass as they both observed themself. His hands felt so good kneading her ass, and she saw his eyes drinking in every part of her body. He couldn't keep his hands off of her curvaceous body, and he didn't want to. “You like it?” Her soft hands massaged his shoulders, making him groan softly. “I love it baby, love this ass.” An unexpected slap to her ass made her jump. “You sound so good, daddy.” His hands move her hips along his dick, grinding her body against his. 

“How long have you been thinking about this?” She shies away from his gaze, a sudden flash of embarrassment runs through her body. She had forgotten about all of her feelings of distress and nervousness and realized that she was running on arousal and adrenaline. “A-a couple of months.” He lifts her hips and grabs his length, rubbing the tip along her slit. A few rubs up and down her slickness before impaling her on his dick. They moan simultaneously, relishing in the mind numbing pleasure. “You been thinking about taking this dick baby?” She gives him small head nods, still captured by the feeling of him inside of her. His hands cupped her chin, turning her head to the direction of the phone, steadily recording them. His hands were full of her ass, moving her up and down his shaft slowly. His unsteady breaths and her elongated moans were harmonious. “Go ‘head then. Bounce that ass on my dick.”

Her eyes focused on him as she steadied herself, her hands placed on either side of his head. She throws her ass back, his thighs catching it every time. His eyes were still glued to the phone, watching her beautiful body on top of him. But it wouldn’t be long until he faced her again, her soft titties hanging in front of his face. She had daydreamed about fucking Roman, and she was finally doing it. It gave her confidence knowing that he couldn't keep his hands off of her body. Her facial expression told her exactly how she was feeling. It was almost overwhelming how sexy she was. Beautiful smile, sexy body, paired with addicting moans that made him want to fuck her all night long. 

“Mmm~ look at you taking daddy’s dick. You’re doing so good,” Roman pants, grabbing at her breasts. His gentle praises and gruff voice was enough to make her cum. His dominating presence, his words, his touch. This man had her mind running laps. Even though he wasn’t putting in any effort, he was hitting all the right spots.

Her words were slurred, eyes rolled back, mouth wide open spewing salacious moans. Her hips slowed down, the constant rhythm created by her ass and his thighs meeting no longer lasted while she hid in the crook of his neck. Her body was decorated with a sheet of sweat that didn’t take away from her golden hue. “Look at me.” She rested on her elbows, locking her eyes onto his. Their faces were laced with lust, an unsatisfied want for each other. 

His strong arms caged her in, preventing her from squirming or escaping. She was still catching her breath while Roman planted his feet on the bed again. He places a tender kiss on her cheek before fucking up into her. She grabbed on to any part of his body that could, her eyes fluttering shut. A harsh slap to her ass makes her scream in pleasure. “I said look at me,” Roman says, demanding her full attention.

“Ohhh- my god! You feel so fucking g-good!” Roman loved watching her unravel. How she screamed for glory while he fucked her. God, he could make this his favorite hobby. Making her cum over and over again. “Mhm- fuckk- keep talking to me baby.” Her mind was foggy. She could only focus on one thing right now, how good he was dicking her down. Roman was making her feel so good. She looked at his phone propped up on the nightstand again to see their reflection. Her ass rippled from his hard strokes. That sight alone had her ready to cum. “Shhit! I’m finna cum on that big ass dick!” “Yeah? You finna cum?”

Her nails dug into his broad shoulders, feeling a knot build up in her stomach. “Cum with me Imani, let me feel you cum around my dick.”

Her eyes shut as she came, her orgasm hitting like a dam breaking, sending waves of pleasure throughout her body. His hips slowed down, but still gave her deep strokes, coming deep inside her. High pitched moans and deep grunts filled the room. His hands lazily grab her hips, allowing her to move again. She reached to grab the phone and ended the video, dropping the phone somewhere as she laid limp against his chest. His thumbs worked small circles as they both caught their breath. “I’m gonna take a shower when I get up, wanna join me?” Imani hears him chuckle, still working small circles into her hips. “Nah, we’re not done. I gotta eat that pussy, Imani.”

If these were the punishments she got for losing in spades, maybe losing wasn't so bad after all.

🏷️ tags :) @reignsboy19 @2-muchsauce @theninthwonder @harmshake @alichesmi @thesamoanqueen @alyyaanna @empressdede @badbitchcentralinc @christinabae @fame-ass-ers @southerngirl41 @cyberdejos2

[fixing-bad-posts]

HOW DO YOU MAKE THESE THIS IS GONNA TAKW FOREVER

omg 😂

it doesn’t actually take me too long. tutorial under the cut for anyone who wants to know how to make cut-up style poems like this one:

so i take a screenshot and put it into ms paint, where i make myself a working space by setting the background to some colour other than black or white. in the example below, i use purple.

⬆ as you can see above, the left side is a screenshot, and beside it is a working space made of purple. i use the ms paint "select" tool to drag words where i want them.

after i have the text looking how i want it, i once again use the "select" tool to copy + paste my text into GIMP (which is free to download).

once the image is in GIMP, i make sure that it has an "alpha layer" which basically means that the negative space will be transparent rather than a solid colour.

then i use the "select by colour" tool to erase all the purple, and leave me with floating text strips.

new layer time! i create two: one for the shadow, and one for whatever background graphic i want. sometimes, i rename the text layer.

⬆ arranged like so: text layer on top, shadow layer under that, background graphic in the background.

now, using the "fuzzy select tool" (the one that looks like a magic wand in GIMP), i navigate to "TEXT LAYER" and select everything that is not text. then, i invert the selection using the "select" drop-down menu.

(the hot pink here indicates what i have selected)

now that you have your selection inverted, navigate to "SHADOW LAYER" and use the "bucket fill tool" to colour in this inverted selection (which should be an exact shape-match for your text). usually, i will set my "TEXT LAYER" as invisible while i do this, so i can see what i'm doing.

then i drag the shadow into place, wherever i want it, using the "move tool"

finally, navigate to "BACKGROUND LAYER" and copy + paste any picture or graphic you want as the background. i'm using a picture of merlin, because i love him and he makes me happy.

you may have to fiddle around with image size, and remember to anchor it to the background layer once you're happy with where it sits.

merge all the layers, select all, and paste it into tumblr:

voilà! hope this helped lol—let me know if you have any questions <3

[seiishindraws]

Hey seiishin, I'm a beginner artist and i was hoping you could give a full tutorial on how you color?

hello! this is a bit of a hard question to answer since i dont think giving a tutorial of how i colour without learning any foundational colour concepts first would be very beneficial, so i'll try to give you some basic tips on picking colours instead since this is a very VERY expansive topic and im simply not the kind of person that can pass on that knowledge very well especially since im not the best at it lol

when im picking colours for my drawings, i try my best to "unify" the colour pallet so that it seems more cohesive, this tip from ggdg sums it up pretty well i think

other than that, i usually try to pick colours that generally look good together based on different colour harmony concepts, like these!

i'll try and show you an example with something i'm working on right now. you'll notice i didn't colour pick tinkaton's colours from its art and went for a warmer pink and saturated the blues of the hammer a little.

you'll also notice the canvases i draw on are NEVER pure white. this isnt to say pure white is something that can never be used but white is a colour that usually influenced by surrounding colours, so pure white in most pallets just wont look right. so its not usually a colour i would use as a backdrop if youre trying to pick good colours for your art. but again, there's always exceptions and this isnt a hard rule. here's pure white compared to the colour my canvases usually start with

another thing i should touch on briefly is colour relativity and the importance of value and saturation.

value is SUPER SUPER important for making sure all the colours in your art stand out from each other and read clearly. as you can see here, most of the values here stand apart from each other, and i can see that i probably need to adjust the darkness of the light blue in comparison to the pink hair tips, though the lineart separates them well enough already i think. this is also a good way tocheck you havent made any dark skinned characters too light. values are important guys!

hot tip: put a layer of pure black on top of your art and set that layer to "colour" and BOOM! you can see the values of your art in grayscale.

and i'll also briefly touch on colour relativity. because we percieve colours relative to each other, we usually read a colour as something its not when its surrounded by certain other colours. let's take a look at my background drawings in the cover i did for the shuichi saihara zine:

though i only used a bunch of different purples, when all of them are perceived in relation to each other, a warmer purple can look like blonde hair amongst all the other purples!

as for the brushes i use while colouring, i like textured brushes! i bought these so i cant share them for free but im sure there are many free alternatives out there

anyway, sorry if this isnt exactly what you wanted, but there are TONS of people out there that have worded this better than i ever could, i would suggest looking up some youtube vids on colour theory, but i hope these little tips are useful enough!

[infamous-if]

stole an ask lol but what do the ROs' search histories look like?

Orion: just a bunch of work related stuff, researching different animals because he has wanted a pet but never got around to it beyond 'window shopping', some random questions like "how long will we survive after the yellowstone volcano erupts" because he gets stray thoughts and is like "i have to google this it will kill me if i dont"

Seven: searching up words like a writer would while song writing lmao example: "another word for sad" "word that starts with h that means xxx" "how do you pronounce xxx?" also searching up other bands and music ahaha

Seb: video game release dates, coding tutorials, he used to search up how to do certain hairstyles for maya before she grew up enough to do it herself, cooking tutorials, youtube videos of people reviewing the latest tech/people doing video game playthroughs

August: new music/music videos, august is like orion that they google every stray thought, i like to think they collect vintage clothes//accessories, makeup tutorials/skincare reviews/makeup reviews, a lot of searches to pirate and watch old films if they're not readily available

Victoria: like august, skincare and makeup reviews, victoria is searching up bidding stuff for shoes, self help books and she's searching up goodreads reviews a lot, she searches her own name a lot which is not advised but...

G: g searches themself up too, g has an alt account to troll people and to fight haters with, they search up the latest reviews on misfit alleys music and their endeavors...really their search history is just all about them and the band lmao

[lurrkingly]

Do you have any tips for a young artist?

okay GOOD QUESTION so I'm gonna just start typing about some things I wish I had known as a young artist and keep adding to the draft of this answer as I think of things. LOL.

Advice I'm definitely qualified to give young artists:

1) If you are primarily an artist that draws humans or humanoid characters, I need you to internalize this very important fact: There is NO race, shape, type of body, etc. that you are 'unable' to draw. Y'all it is 2023 and Twitter is a cesspool of idiots running around INSISTING that they simply "can't draw black people", "can't color dark skin", or that "black people don't fit into my style."

But you, young artist anon, YOU know better now! Go tell all your friends! Spread the good news! There is no fundamental inability to include diversity in the subjects of your art--there is only unwillingness to learn.

Because that's the thing--a lot of people who say these kinds of silly things will also say that the don't want to 'get it wrong' (I typed and deleted a whole other tangent here. lol). The important thing about approaching diversity in your art is that you are earnestly trying, respectful, and open to being corrected. Hard to go wrong that way! There are tutorials abound--research is your friend!

2) Related: encourage yourself to explore and celebrate variety as you cultivate your unique style. and DON'T SKIMP ON THE FUNDAMENTALS! DO NOT!

I'm going to talk a little bit about what it was like for me when I started "really" drawing at like. 9 or 10. (cont'd.)

I got really into drawing because some friends of mine liked to draw anime in their free time in class. I centered my early drawing life around emulating a style that was strictly anime. Drawing realism or semi-realism seemed so ugly to me! I had no interest in it.

In addition, I came away with a message that harmed my self-esteem greatly, even if I didn't know it at the time: black people don't look good in an anime style. You just can't do it!

So I never tried to. I had a narrow focus, and I was reluctant to explore outside of it. If I'm being honest with myself, I hamstrung myself pretty hard by not being open to exploring a variety of styles. I also thought that the fundamentals of art (principles of lighting, color, shape, and the human figure, etc.) were a waste of time for me to study up on. I knew what I wanted my art to look like--pretty anime pictures! Lol.

All of the above is why I don't think I actually started to get "good" at art until September of 2019, roughly a trillion years after I started to draw. I know that because of those art summary memes, lol. Here, for reference:

tumblr compressed the image to shit, so you'll have to take my word for it, but yeah! lol.

Anyways, the point is this:

You will go through many stylistic phases in your life as an artist. This is normal, and honestly, I'd celebrate it! Be open to any number of unlikely stylistic influences. They may take your artistic sensibilities in a direction you'd never expect. All in service of developing your unique artistic voice.

If you want to be good at what you do, you will need to create a strong base of knowledge for yourself. This is what intentional study of the fundamentals does. Get that shit in your brain while you're young!!! You will be planting the seedling of your artistic prowess in much nicer soil, and future you will thank you for it.

3) Developing artistic skill is NOT A RACE! You will hear this advice a lot, but I'd like to talk about a specific nuance that I think is important.

There are a number of reasons why it would make sense for you to think that it is, in fact, a race. For instance, there are roughly a kajillion other artists in your age range. A lot of them are on social media, cultivating a following. A lot of them will be "better" than you.

Do not get attached to the idea of being a brilliant young artist. You will not be young forever. If your idea of skill is entwined with your identity as a young person, what happens as you get older? I'll tell you: You start to see more and more people who are way more talented than you, and at least five years younger, and it can really really hurt you because you have not been set up for success with the right mindset. Your pride and joy was not being a creator--it was being a young creator.

Being an artist, especially in the age of social media (jesus, i sound so old) is an emotional investment as well as a practical, skill-based one. If you do not take care of yourself emotionally, if you do not approach creating art and posting it online with the right mindset, you will destroy yourself. Worst case, you end up bitter and hating art altogether.

If you are able to remain reasonably detached from social media response in general--great! That bodes well for you. But that's a skill, like anything else, so it's much more likely that the way your art is received on social media will affect you.

If you are very young, say, in your teens, and your art is exemplary, you will probably receive a lot of comments about this! They might be astonished that you, at so young an age, are so advanced in your skill. It is GREAT to be proud of yourself for accomplishing so much at a young age, don't get me wrong. Feels nice! But just like you will be advised not to let mean comments go to your head, you need to be thoughtful about how you receive comments that praise you for your age specifically. You need to be firm in the understanding that your age is not what makes your art exceptional. Your art is exceptional because YOU made it and because YOU honed your skills!

Beyond that, stuff that you probably already know: comparison to your artistic peers can be very encouraging and motivating; conversely, it can also be stressful and lead to unfortunate emotional spirals. You know yourself best--engage with or steer clear of comparison according to your comfort. You're not on your friend's artistic journey. You're on your own one. This is a very cursory thought on the topic of comparison, but I don't think I could offer you anything you don't already know about it, y'know?

4) This one... I'm gonna try to get across a very specific point. My point is this: Know what success looks like to you, and be honest with yourself.

The definition of 'success' may evolve for you as you develop, but I don't think it's ever too early to have a frank conversation with yourself about what it means for you, specifically, to be a successful artist.

Do you want to develop the skill to draw or create a specific idea in particular? Do you want a kajillion followers on instagram? Do you want to build a portfolio that will get you into a specific creative industry? Do you want to cultivate a steady stream of commissioners? Do you just want to relax and get ideas out of your head? And any other infinite goals.

Obviously I'm saying this without placing a value judgement on anyone's definition of artistic success. This is a highly personal sort of thing.

The reason I encourage this is because it can provide additional direction to a young artist, for whom the world is an oyster. Different enduring goals will require slightly different approaches to art as a field. This goal may inform what you draw, what medium you use, your higher education & career plans, where you choose to post your art (if at all), how much effort you must invest in building a brand for yourself, the role of social media in your life as an artist, the kinds of artists you devote energy to being peers with, etc. Hope that makes sense!

Anyways, I hope this advice is helpful. I'm always happy to answer other questions related to this sort of thing. Go forth, young artiste--I believe in you!

[bronx-bomber87]

Happy Wednesday Fandom :) It's crazy we are over ten eps in s5 already. Just means we're closer to this premiere yay. (it's 34 btw...) I adore this episode. I think it’s highly underrated because it’s the episode before 5x12. There are so many reasons to love this one. Flirty times, Return of Genny and Lucy, We get a taste of them as parents in this one and Lucy is a Grade A BAMF. Let us get started.

5x11 The Naked and The Dead

We start out with Tim being perplexed by the new coffee machine. Asking what was wrong with the old one? Being her grumpy old man about it. Nolan and Lucy start listing off reasons. Like led levels and Lucy mentions a mice infestation. Eww lol The growth in this scene is pretty cute though. It's how he easily steps aside to let her do it for him. No fight in him about it whatsoever. Just lets wifey do her thing.

How far we’ve come. She shows him how to do it and he is impressed with her. What else is new? heh But he's extra impressed cause she is girl now hehe Lucy tells him she learned from a clip talk tutorial on how to do it. John asks what they got up to last night? Tim on the instant defensive. Says ‘Nothing.’ way too quickly.

My god Timothy it’s a good thing it’s Nolan and not Nyla. Captain clueless over here doesn’t suspect a thing thankfully. Lucy of course is far more prepared than her boyfriend is. Because well it’s Lucy. I adore her being so smooth about it. Doesn't miss a beat. Hands her man his coffee as she easily delivers her cover story. Honestly if anyone was going to blow their cover it was Tim LOL

John dips out and thanks Lucy for the bar and the recommendation. Minute he’s gone Lucy gives him such crap for his terrible answer. Saying he had all morning to come up with a cover story and that was it? Tim defending himself saying Nolan bought it. Yeah cause it’s Nolan... Had it been anyone else in their orbit they would’ve been caught. Lucy is judging him so hard for this. I love it so much. Such a wifey moment right here.

Tim challenges her and asks what Nolan has follow up questions? Lucy confidently telling him she read the catalog cover to cover. Of course she did. I expect nothing less tbh. Neither should you Tim ha His reaction is the best. Like if you weren’t my girlfriend be calling you a nerd right now. But we all know he loves his nerd and her brain. Her intelligence/intense drive is one of the reasons he fell for her. God they cute.

Tim mentions she has citizens academy today. Lucy says yes and asks for any tips? Per usual he warns her about screenwriters haha That she shouldn't give out her card or she will be up to her eye balls in scripts. Lucy then segues into their plans for tonight. Flirty af as she does. Asking what he’s doing tonight? So much behind her question. Looking so very excited to ask him it. Radiating happiness as she does.

They could not be more flirty if they tried in this scene and I love it. I remember squeeing because this was the place we we're in now. Tim flirting right back ‘Nothing. I hope.’ *heart clutch* Lucy shooting tons of heart eyes his way. Letting him know that ‘Nothing sounds perfect.' Who would've thought the word 'Nothing.' could sound so romantic? Yet these two did it. The smirk on his face as she walks away from him is everything.

Oh my lord this man is a goner for her. Never seen this man smile more this entire series than he has since he started dating Lucy. They are giving off teenagers sneaking around and in love vibe here. Their secret dating era is just a primo as their longing/pining one. I love this season so much. Could they be anymore adorable flirting in the break room? Talking about cover stories and doing ‘Nothing.’ Gah I love it so much. It's all so new and exciting and it's coming off them in waves. I'm soaking it up like a sponge of shippy happiness.

This next portion is adorable. I love Aaron literally running to Lucy to tell her about Tim coaching little league. He is so excited to share this with her haha I am a fan of trio not gonna lie. Tim rolling his eyes when she says ‘Nolan.’ I mean it is a very John Nolan thing to do let’s be honest… Aaron calling him ‘Sergeant Friendly’ and not being pummeled by Tim just shows what a good place he’s in with Lucy.

Lucy saying ‘Can she watch?’ doing things to me. Sounded way flirtier than I’m sure she meant it to. Or maybe she did mean it that way heh Like girl we know you wanna watch him for quite a few reasons...Also you know she’s proud of him for being the good uncle and stepping up. The heart eyes are infinite at the end from her. She is proud of him for doing this. If it was possible he became even more attractive to her because of this.

Lucy shows up to practice and see’s Tim in coach mode. She is looking so very amused. Especially with how soft he is being. Watching her boyfriend who she knows can be a hard ass be soft af with these kids. Also if they think Genny doesn’t know they’re out of their damn minds. It’s all over her face as they banter with each other. Platonic co-workers don’t show up to their co worker's nephews practice and 'bicker'.

Married vibes x 1000 here and Genny is picking up what they’re throwing down. Tim is so excited to see her when she shows up. No way his sister doesn’t see a shift in his demeanor. Lucy couldn’t have a bigger smile on her face as she teases him. Tim being the exasperated husband per usual. Saying they’re just kids it's supposed to be fun. Her teasing is extra smitten like I have to say. Showing all your cards today you two. Right in front of Genny LOL

The sister in law bonding continues as Tim walks away. Which I absolutely adore btw. Lucy asking 'This is weird right?' Genny regaling her of how their dad taught his team as a kid. Tim having literal scars from it. It’s then it all comes together for Lucy. Tying back to that moment in 4x09. ‘You’re nothing like him.’ Lucy immediately getting why he’s acting this way.

He will do anything not to be like his father. I could not relate to that more if I tried. I see you Tim and I so understand. Lucy instantly softens and says this back to Genny. Knowing exactly what’s bringing on this soft streak of his. We watch as the kids continue to suck lol. Tim doing a thumbs up and I’m dying of laughter. Lucy sees why he’s doing this but says he is also over correcting in this approach.

This scene is a look into them as parents and it's making me very happy. The control freak in Lucy can’t stand back any longer. I love this part so much. She takes control and provides the kids with some knowledge and structure. Also like to call this the scene where Tim falls even more in love with her. He couldn’t be more proud as she takes control. Not only that but is knowledgeable about the game he loves. Win win.

He is looking at her like yep that’s the future mother of my kids. I love her walking up and the kids just follow. Her leadership is on fire right now. Tim asks her what she’s doing? Lucy saying yeah they can have fun but they also need structure. She’s not wrong… Totally going to be them as parents. Lucy being the stricter one with structure. Where Tim will be the softie wanting their kids just to have fun.

So cute how bemused Tim looks when she calls herself his ‘friend.’ Knowing they are far more than that now. Gah love Eric and his expressions. I’m a sucker for them. Lucy breaks down what they’re going to be doing. Not only that but the confidence she exudes while doing that has Tim beaming at her. Like look at his girl taking control and being knowledgeable about baseball. Seriously it's like he is falling even deeper in love with her based on this alone. How could he not?

Don’t tell me that man wasn’t turned on by this whole display either. Heart eyes galore but a little hot under the collar as well. You know he loves when she’s assertive. It’s a huge turn on for him. He’s basically scoping her out in front of those kids haha It’s this mixture of pride and being so immensely attracted to her. The man is in awe of this woman standing next to him.

The way he looks at her I’m just a damn puddle. If that man looked at me that way I would melt. Instantly. Lucy does melt a little when she catches his eye in the first gif above. You can see her crack a smile when their eyes connect. It's so cute. Once again I ask have we ever seen this man this damn happy before? No. Not till Lucy. I love him telling them when she’s done. ‘You heard her.’ Like you heard my wife get going. haha

The teasing is the cutest. It’s like we’re getting on screen fanfic levels of fluff in this episode. I'm so here for it. Just beaming heart eyes at each before he teases her with the ball. Her ‘Oh.’ When he takes the ball out of her reach. I cannot. I’m dying with the how adorable this whole thing is. My god they’re basically screaming their relationship to Genny in this moment.

I must also note my god Tim looks good. Doing what he does best. Takes a simple outfit like shirt and ball cap makes it sinfully delicious. Sweet lord he looks SOOOO good in outfit. Mmmm break me off a piece. My fav color too so that definitely adds to it for me. *fans self*

We catch up with them post practice. Genny comments they should co-coach together. They both make little jokes about it basically flirting in front of her. Do they see themselves and their looks? No? Ok... Genny redirecting their attention to how well they work together. Tim stumbling over his words instantly. Thinking they're being caught.

Lucy swoops in to save his ass like she did with Nolan ha Now her reply is shaky as well but better than Tim’s LOL They’re so bad at hiding this it’s hilarious. Tim following up with a ‘Mmhmm….’ As transparent as glass you two. A blind man could see how in love you are. Sweet lord.

Just being idiots in love in front of his sister ain’t no thing….Fairly certain Genny knows but is just testing the waters with her comments. No way she doesn’t see a difference in her own brother. Sure she sensed something in 4x08/4x09. This entire interaction only heightened it. Tim being the least subtle person on the planet in this moment. I love him so much. He sure is trying. lol

Lucy gets a call from the shelter so she steps away. Her domestic she got in is causing problems. She goes back to Tim and lets him know something going on with it. He is the worried boyfriend and asks if she wants him to come with? Which I adore. He know she can handle herself but wants to offer it anyways.

Just wanting to be near her at all times right now which is adorable. Also that instinct inside him to want accompany her incase she needs him. Being the supportive lovely boyfriend he is. Lucy declines and he respects her wanting to handle it on her own. Because he knows she can. Gah I love them. It’s the little things.

We rejoin them at the baseball game and I’m dying how cute they are. Lucy is losing her mind over the game and it's hysterical to watch unfold. Tim tells her to be encouraging haha How far we’ve come from Grey telling Tim to do as such back in 4x02. Love seeing that translate into this. Lucy tries to correct herself but doesn't convince Tim very well on it. His reply of 'We're gonna work on that...' I'm rollin. This is so adorable.

Lucy’s competitive side coming out and he has to have her take down just a notch. LOL The biggest trip is Tim being the kind encouraging one where Lucy is being the more competitive intense one ha. The dynamic shift here is unreal. I just love how involved she gets into this. This is something he loves and she is right there with him on it. I just love that he now has someone to do this stuff with. Happily too.

Not only that but Lucy is very into it at this point. I adore him leaning in to hear her. Tim has to calm her down though. haha I love her telling him she’s excited and he says ‘I know.’ Just letting Lucy be herself 100 percent. He loves her for who she is and vice versa and I'm a puddle. I am also excited Lucy has someone she can be herself fully around. Each found their person and it shows.

Lucy is losing her mind over this game and he gets it. Gah I love them so much everyone. This was such a cute mini moment. He is loving her competitive energy but is trying to tamp it down a little as well LOL Just a husband trying to calm down his overly competitive wife. It’s so cute I’m dying.

The cuteness continues on as they try and hype up one of the kids. I love them cheering Blake on together. Serious married baseball parents vibes. Just being proud parents clapping together. Wearing matching outfits having the same cute energy. This is them as parent's I am convinced. We are looking into the future people.

I also don't hate seeing Tim's biceps in action in these shots Mmm. Yum. I saw someone make a comment that they felt Dad Eric vibes in this scene. I can see it. The way he posts like a proud papa about his kids this is totally in line with that. It's pretty adorable to watch.

The high five turning into a hand hold is adorable and subtle af guys. I did see a BTS post awhile back on here about this. Eric said he and Melissa had a bet. Something about who would have that piece of paper in their end by end of the ep. Something like that. So that’s all I see now when I see the high five and hand hold. LOL Such goobers and I love them for it.

Either way they are disgustingly cute to end this episode. Lucy being the overly competitive mom. Tim has to keep her from scaring the kids is gold. This episode was tons of cuteness and flirty times. Was the perfect episode to follow 5x10 and pre-cursor to 5x12. They got to just be them and have time outside the station together. Just to be a couple and hang out. I loved it sfm.

~~~

Side notes-non Chenford

I will forever adore how Lucy handled that whole Domestic solo. I made a post after this ep premiered about how proud I was of her. How deeply she has grown as a cop and a person. How she doesn't let that abusive asshat rattle her cage in the least. The way she flashes her badge at him and says they're not done talking yet when he is trying to pull her from Lucy. Hot damn. My girl crush is back LMAO

Not only that but take his ass down later. Solo. Has the matter in hand by the time the cavalry arrives. How far she’s come from that moment in the sewers with Nyla back in S2. How proud Harper would be of her. She already is with her UC work but she commands this entire situation. From Start to finish. Takes down a guy twice her size by herself. Just so proud of her growth. The confident BAMF she’s come gah I love it sfm.

Don't usually do gifs in side notes but there were some good side note gifs. LOL Eric at it again with expressions and I'm laughing so hard. If you wanted to see what Tim thinks of Nolan in a moment it's that expression above. Lucy calling John a bad ass and Tim isn't so sure he agrees with her LMFAO. I'm with you babe idk I do either...

The sole purpose of this gif is just to drool and gawk at how damn good Tim looks in the field in this scene. I could care less about the SL LOL It's the tight red shirt, the jeans with his cuffs in the back, the vest with his badge showing, those delicious fit biceps of his, that shot of his forearm as he opens the door and the way he climbs into that trailer flexing said sexy biceps phew lord. Field Tim does so many things to me. How Lucy waited as long as she did to have that man Idk LOL Imma go get some ice water....

Thank you as always to those who read, like, comment on these reviews you make my whole day every time I see one pop up. I shall see you all in 5x12 :)

[snnnailmail]

hiiiiiiiii, i was wondering if your requests were open, and if so, could you do a hair braiding fic with Wally Darling x gn!reader? like. wally has No Idea how to braid hair because his hair is always, Like That and the reader teaches him how and then he does their hair and they're both blushing and,

accidentally went off the rails and wrote 2k+ words and i forgot the prompt halfway but here it is :”D i literally have no idea how to braid hair or fix hair. tried to learn before i chopped it off and literally cried sooo there’s no tutorial in here djdvshdvsh super fun to write!! sorry if it wasn’t what you expected aha

cw: touch-centric, maybeee non-consensual kissing?? reader is cool with it but no questions were asked, mild implications of mind-reading, mentions of blood and needles

Desc: Wally X Human Reader,,, julie and wally style your hair before the former needs to leave due to a butterfly-related emergency. it’s just you and him.

No horror this time lol

Everyone in Home was just so fascinated with your hair! Especially Julie. She was pretty handy with her own locks of yarn, so when you strolled in with those thread-thin layers (no, thinner than thread!) she was lightning-fast to sink her hands into it and start suggesting styles! Poor girl nearly exploded when you told her she could go crazy with it, you didn’t mind! You were at ease just letting her run a comically large comb through it, but you were yanked from your serenity when she pulled out the needles.

Turns out, the citizens of Home have a unique way of grooming, involving pins and sharp bits, string, a bit of dexterity…

Her scream was as instantaneous as your yelp. You grabbed the back of your head and felt a hot dewdrop stick to your palm.

Honest mistake, really. You told Julie she was fine! You should have thought of it sooner, haha. There was a teary-eyed apology and a hug. You’re never going to get used to their empathy, you think.

Later, she was recalling the strange story to her friends, noting that their new buddy is slap-full of paint! It hurts for that paint to spill out, apparently! Wally was listening.

Little guy creeped you out, honestly. It wasn’t like you didn’t like spending time with him, you just always felt like there was something brewing behind that permanent smile. No one else seemed to notice or care.

And he was on to you, too. Your mind felt… strange when he was around. You don’t know how to voice these concerns, so you didn’t.

You were fast friends either way. There was a mutual understanding of… something. You knew you two were kindred spirits right when you laid eyes on him.

Anyways.

You loved that big ole’ ball of yarn he had. “Hair” was a strong word, it was all stitched in, but it was even better to bat around or give a little squeeze! And he sure didn’t mind at all! Sometimes he’d even ask you to run your fingers through it or stitch something back into place. He trusted you a lot with his pomp. You think it has to do with your agile fingers, or your nails. (Your nails were a big hit in Home! You gave the best scritches, according to Barnaby.)

You eventually rescheduled that hair-styling date with Julie, more than a few times. The neighbors were never far behind, but Wally tagged along the most. His passion for fashion was no secret so he and Julie collaborated often to dress you up like a doll. You’d get the chance to style them, too. They thought your preferences were unique for a number of reasons and marveled at their transformations.

Today was one of those days. You had your head hanging over the sink, squeezing out shampoo. You had brought your own products because fabric softener didn’t agree with your… anything, really. You were washing out the absolute excess of spray, gel, glue, and whatever the heck Julie had plastered to your skull for your latest look. Your scalp was screaming for emptiness, but sweet Jul still had some fire left in her and was intent to braid your whole head while it was damp, as she was basically dreaming to see you with a head full of curls! You’d do anything for her, so whatever.

Wally was sitting on the counter, gazing at himself in a small hand-held mirror with the larger bathroom mirror blatantly behind him. His lips were moving silently in accordance to a song playing idly from the record player in another room.

Julie was beside you, also bouncing along to the distant melody, doing her makeup. She was in an orange mood today, she said.

“Alright, Jul, I’m ready.” You stood straight up and attempted to straighten out your aching back.

“Oh! But my…! Give me a second, just wring it out; I’m almost there.”

You took a towel and gave your hair a good squeeze, having a brief vision of folding it on the floor like a pillow and going to sleep. You prayed she’d have you sit down.

“Okie-dokie!” She slapped her pallette down on the counter. Wally looked up. “I’m ready.”

You yawned and you felt your eyes unfocus in the mirror. Standing on a stool to reach you, she ran her hands through your wet locks until it reached some sort of satisfactory position, and started from the top. You could feel her precision in your skull.

Wally’s attention drifted away from himself and he leaned in; his lazy gaze looking very similar to your own at the moment. “Now how’re you doing that, Julie?”

“It’s super easy! You just section it out, like so…”

Her explanation was lost on you. You were fantasizing about a nap.

“You try it!”

You floated back into reality when gentle hands sifted into your hair. With Julie, debatably a professional, styling and cutting for you all the time, you could easily sense the inexperience. The process began again, albeit slower, clumsier, and Julie started to tap her foot.

“You take that side, and I’ll take this side! We’ll be done in no time.”

Braid upon braid was piled onto your head. You focused more on the progress on your left, where you actually saw Wally squint in the mirror. Julie worked so fast that you couldn’t even feel it sometimes. Wally had his soft fingers against your scalp, tugging gently at the strands tight to your head for closer coverage. Julie stopped to help him every once in a while. You closed your eyes.

A commotion from the living room. Doors being thrown open.

“Julie, by stars, we NEED you!” Frank had rushed into the bathroom with the frenzy of someone being chased by an ax murderer. “A-27 is emerging and has requested you be there! For her, Julie!”

Julie gasped and dropped the hair she had so delicately braided. “Chryssabellum? She isn’t due for another week! Oh, um Wally!” She ran backwards out the door and flicked her hand. “You finish that!”

The door was swung halfway closed and the two were gone in a flash. You just stared.

“Hi, Frank. Okay, Julie.” Wally said after a long moment of them being gone. He hadn’t even looked up from braiding.

“Wow.” You breathed. Okay. “Can we sit down?”

“Sure. You look very very tired. I would be too, I think.”

You let out the most satisfying sigh ever and sank to the floor. The cold linoleum was heavenly in contrast to the balmy air. With only being twelve apples tall, Wally could still easily reach the top of your head. You planted your hands on the floor and leaned your head back, resting it on your shoulders.

His progress didn’t shift at all. He kept at it, slow, careful, learning, folding your hair over and over again.

Now that you think about it, Wally’s never fooled with your hair before. He was more of a wardrobe guy. “How’s it going back there?”

“It is going much!”

You let out another dramatic sigh. “She worked me today, Wally. She really did.”

“I can tell. You looked nice though. And funny.” He went for that spot between your neck and your skull, making little scratching motions to bring the hair closer to him before starting to braid. You let your eyes slip shut. He got on his knees for a better angle.

Yet another sigh. You got off your hands completely, preferring to lean back into his lap. Unbothered, yet hindered, he took his hands away, gazing down.

“You got sweet little hands, man.” You iterated by taking one in your own. It was damp from your hair. His whole outfit, including him, was now dampened by your hair.

“Thank you. They’re mine.”

“They are.” You repeated, smiling. It was sadly taken away.

“Sorry. Julie told me to finish.”

You huffed lightheartedly. “Can you manage upside-down?”

“I can try.” He straightened his legs, placing each at your side.

So you rolled over, crossing your arms over his thighs (or the equivalent) and laying on them. Your forehead was comfy against his abdomen. Finally satisfied, your eyelids dropped.

He started working on your hair again, adapting to the new position quickly. You were lost in the motions once again before the record player, for the first time that night, caught your attention.

It was playing something slow, emotional. Not quite sultry, you think. Goodness no. Just… passionate. Wally was humming along. You could feel the tiny rumble coming from somewhere inside him as he did so. Every once in a while, he’d whisper a breathy strand of lyrics that had you… thinking.

Everyone in Home was about as shy as a golden retriever. Embraces like this were not uncommon. In the time you’ve existed here, you’ve been hugged, kissed, cuddled, coddled, and just plain handled more than you ever have in your entire life.

So why were you all of a sudden funny about it? It’s not like your position was scandalous. Could be misinterpreted among humans, but it was very very very difficult for puppets to be scandalous. You appreciated that. You’ll forget about these fuzzy feelings later, you reckon. Hopefully.

He must have finished, or was close to it, because the lovely little motions stopped and he had one braid between his fingers.

“It’s like a paintbrush.” He positioned the end to mimic the act of painting his hand. “You’re full of them.”

You smiled against his legs. Now that he didn’t have an objective, you lazily looped your arms around him, further crushing yourself into his middle. He folded his hands in your hair.

Wally didn’t feel the need to make conversation or small talk, or anything like that. You were fine, there was no pressure on you to do so either. He was content to stare holes in the back of your head. You imagined that he was painting you in his mind, picking out a shade for each thread of your hair, envisioning just the right stroke at just the right speed so he could fully capture the wonders of you. Maybe he’d even paint with your hair. That’d be a fun exercise.

You got bored of imagining and flipped over. He never let go of you, which translated to his hands lightly traveling to your cheeks. You were met with deep black vaults, barely outlined by white, connecting with your own. Startling to a stranger, slightly less startling to you.

With his hands on either side of your face, you couldn’t help but feel something other than fear. You reached up and poked where his nose would be. He returned the gesture by brushing his thumbs down the slopes of your nose. The record player continued softly.

“Sorry for getting you all wet.” His damp hands felt nice though. Like getting a facial. You wouldn’t be surprised if your skin was a tad shinier after this.

“It’s fine. You’re still warm.”

Your face sure felt warm.

It slowly dawned on you that this interaction was getting less and less friendly. In the best of ways. Would he even know what you were talking about if you brought it up? Probably not. You’d sound like an idiot if you were too direct.

“What’re we doing here, Walls?”

His smile barely widened, in a half-laugh kind of way. His thumbs moved to smooth your cheekbones. They ached from your smile.

“The funny things you’re thinking about… that’s what we’re doing.”

You were just about to ask what he meant.

“Muah.” He said, against your teeth, catching your open mouth just in time. You felt fuzz on your tongue. His departure somehow caught your bottom lip. It tapped back to your teeth unceremoniously. Over before you knew it.

Very not friendly, you realized.

“Wally!” You flicked him on the shoulder, playfully offended. “Some gentlemen you are.”

He giggled, mirth wrinkling his eyes and your own.

“Did I do good?”

You licked your lips unconsciously. “Yeah, yeah. That was fine.”

His hand found your chin, barely tugging at your lip. It didn’t even expose your teeth, just serving to drive you absolutely insane.

“Are you sure I did it right…?” He asked.

“You usually open your mouth.” You finally said, quietly. Your hands and fingers and nails found the back of his head, burrowing under the yarn of that stitched in hair-do.

“Oh. That’s it, then.” His volume matched your own. You were lowering him towards you. Of course he’d have his eyes open, wide and starry. You got ready to close yours. You had just the faintest idea of what you were about to do.

A commotion from the front door.

You meant to yank your hand out of his hair and act as natural as possible when your finger snagged and you ended up snatching his head to the side.

“Oh! N— Wally I am so sorry.” Poor guy looked completely bewildered.

You automatically glanced at the door to see Julie’s befuddled gaze that clearly asked ‘Am I interrupting something?’ She said nothing, but cracked a grin as you hastily untangled from his pomp and addressed her from his lap way too casually.

“So, how did it go!”

“Um, good! Good. A little rough at first. Chrysabellum has a pattern on her wings that we haven’t seen before…”

She was definitely asking you about this later. And you definitely weren’t going to know what to say.

[campingwiththecharmings]

Good Neighbors

AN: This is the first in a series of smutlets I'm planning on writing set after the events of Night Moves. I have eight in total in my head but we'll see how many of them actually get written lol. Hope y'all enjoy 😘

(Un-beta'd)

"Please, what are neighbors for?"

Rated: M+ (this is smut so, i mean, you’ve been warned?)

Words: 1,049

Pairing: Santiago "Pope" Garcia x F!Reader

Warnings: pwp, cursing, kissing, p in v, shower sex, neighbors with benefits (is that a thing?? idek)

AO3

——————

When you’d knocked on Santi’s door earlier, you’d done it only with the intention of asking him to help you (and you definitely hadn’t been thinking about the last time you’d invited him into your apartment). Your shower head had crapped out and the building maintenance guy was out on vacation until next week. You could not (would not) wait that long to shower again, so you’d decided to try your hand at changing it yourself. All of the YouTube tutorials had said it’d be easy—just unscrew the old shower head and screw the new one on. Simple as that, right?

Wrong.

As someone who lived alone, you’d felt it was important to have a basic collection of tools on hand, for cases such as this one. So, you’d taken out your pliers, like all the videos had said, and made your attempts to unscrew the old head.

It had barely even budged.

You’d tried for almost half an hour, your skin damp with sweat as you’d slumped against the tiled wall with a defeated sigh. As you considered your options, your thoughts immediately drifted to your neighbor; he was handy, right? (and if you maybe also got to watch him work in a tank top, that was just an added bonus).

Turned out he was, in fact, handy, installing your new shower head in less than fifteen minutes.

“Ugh, thank you, Santi. I don’t know how long this would’ve taken me without your help,” you sigh, running a hand through your sweat-soaked hair.

He smiles, waving you off. “Please, what are neighbors for?”

You smile back, leaning against the wall, the tile cooling your heated skin. “I really appreciate it. I owe you one.”

He hums, dark eyes taking in your disheveled appearance. “Wanna test it out?”

The question seems innocent enough, but the heat in his gaze tells you it’s anything but. 

Shit, is this how it’s always gonna be with him?

You swallow thickly, skin heating again for a completely different reason. “Probably should, right?”

His smile widens, now looking more like a smirk, as he takes a step toward you, invading your personal space. He gives you every chance to tell him no, to push him away, hovering just within reach as his gaze holds yours. Your impatience wins out in the end, though, your fingers fisting in the fabric of his shirt, as you pull him to you, his mouth crashing against yours. 

You make quick work of each other’s clothes, stealing kisses and touches between each piece thrown onto the bathroom floor. When he presses you against the wall, the coolness of the tile against your skin makes you gasp into his mouth. He swallows it, pushing his tongue between your lips, hands smoothing down your sides toward your backside. When he makes it there, he squeezes, earning a moan from you as you tilt your hips forward, seeking his hardness. He chuckles, bending a little to slip his hands to the backs of your thighs before lifting you up. He grunts as you wrap your legs around his waist, grimacing a little as he presses you back against the wall. 

“You okay, old man?” you tease, remembering then that his knees are shit.

He laughs, pressing his forehead against your chin as he shifts his hold of you slightly. “We can stop any time you want, hermosa.”

“Who said I wanted to stop?” you respond, leaning down to claim his lips again.

He smiles against your mouth, groaning when your nails scratch through his hair. “Wanna get the water then? My hands are a little full.”

You snort, reaching over to fumble with the knob. Cool water momentarily sprays out of the shower head before turning warm and you sigh in relief, grateful to have a working shower once again.

“Nice work, Garcia,” you say, fingers clenching in the curls at the base of his neck. “Your boss should give you a raise.”

He chuckles, rutting lazily against your slick center as steam fills the small room. “I’ll be sure to let him know.”

You hum when the tip of his cock drags against your clit, the friction heavenly as you tilt your hips, hoping he’ll just slip right inside. He teases you a few more times and you whine, all but begging him to fuck you. When he finally pushes in, you gasp, your head thudding against the tiled wall now slick with moisture.

He groans when he bottoms out, adjusting you a little in his hold as he presses his face into the crook of your neck. He fucks into you quickly, dragging his teeth across your collarbone. You moan, his touch stoking the fire inside you, burning beneath your skin. Your back slips a little against the damp wall as he continues to push you closer to the edge, his cock brushing that special spot as you cling to him. 

When his legs start to shake, he adjusts your position again, pressing you more against the wall so his chest is flush with yours. He grinds his hips up into yours in short, hard thrusts, his public bone catching your clit with every move, dragging the most delicious moans from between your lips. You pull his face back up to yours as the tension builds in your core, panting into his mouth as he presses his forehead against yours.

You come with a gasp, fluttering around his cock as he continues to rut into you, chasing his own release. He finds it a moment later, coming with a choked groan, his jaw slack as the pleasure rushes through him. As you both come down, you run your fingers through his hair soothingly, the water from the spray still pelting against your sides.

“Can I wash your hair?” you ask softly, inhaling sharply when he slips out of you. 

He chuckles, grunting a little as he sets your feet back onto the floor. “Why?”

You shrug, biting back a smile as you steer him beneath the warm spray. “We’re in a shower. Why not?”

He shuts his eyes as the water spills over him, a soft smile on his lips. “Only if I can return the favor.”

You hum, grabbing the bottle of shampoo on the rack behind him. “Deal.”

If you enjoyed this, please let me know! I appreciate every single reblog and/or comment. Thank you. 💖

Series Masterlist 🌟 Main Masterlist

i am no longer doing a taglist. please follow @charmingupdates for updates and turn on notifications.

Tagging a couple additional people I thought may be interested since they liked the first fic and this is in the same universe. Please don't feel obligated to read if you don't want to though lol it's okay: @luciannadraven33 @stargazingcarol

PART 2

[poopingonthefloor]

hai uh question

im bad at body anatomy BUT YOU SEEM SO GOOD WITH IT can you show us how you do anatomy and stuf,f,.,, it doesnt even have to be detailed i jst want a little chart.l.

KYAAA I APPRICIATE YOUR FASCINATION WITH MY ABILITY. To be honest even I still struggle with anatomy at times (mostly when I get artblocked lol..) and a lot of the time I just tend to wing it, but here are a few key things I try to remind myself any time I DO lose track of things or struggle on where things should be (also just general rules I taught myself while trying to develop a less jelly-style)

Note: I am not a professional this is just based on personal experience. I hate instagram art tutorials so erm...just consider this like some "offered tips" I gave you in a back alley and definitely not "this is the right way to draw". This is only offered for people to help with getting to a VERY generalized/over simple grasp on how to keep track of anatomy or people who want to try out an artstyle generally similar (less cartoonishly-exaggerated poportions but still cartoony) to mine.

Also I apologize if this is worded weirdly my neurodiverse traits are the inability to communicate/explain properly (usually because I go in too much overspecific detail)

Though the biggest thing I suggest is dont be afraid to look at refrences!!!!!!!! it helps a lot to analyze how the parts of the body sit when in certain positions.

For me initially, I always had to remind myself "the body parts are bigger/longer than i think they are" because just a few years ago my artstyle was more cartoony with gianter-heads and more contorted poportions (which isn't a bad thing, I'm just specifying in case there's anyone that specifically WANTS to come out of a similar place) so I had to teach myself out of my instinctive minimalisticness (because I personally wanted to get out of that)

However final disclaimer:

art is subjective, enjoy what you like, draw noodle arms or blocky bodies and flat poportions all you want. Cartoonish stylizations are not any better or worse than more realistic stylizations and this is just based off my personal experience with art and if youre interested in going a similar route about art. ^_^

[unorthodoxx-page]

Hello! I’m still working on the translation of your ATLA + ROTTMNT crossover and I have some questions I’d wanted to clarify, if you don’t mind :)

First: Chapter 1, [The spirit’s back held three repeating and somewhat glowing symbols.] Mikey only has two on his shell? The one frame in the show I saw him with three symbols was when they unlocked their ninpo. It’s okay if you wanna keep three, maybe that’s your headcanon, I was just confused. And second: Chapter 10, [Ty Lee does a small ariel out of the room to loosen the last bit of muscle and heads for the small dining room]. I can’t find neither meaning for the word 'ariel' nor the motion on youtube. Maybe there’s a typo? If not, could you please describe what she does or find a video where it's shown?

Thank you in advance! :) Have a good day! :)

It's funny because both of these are mistakes lol. I'm just going to keep the pattern as three for Mikey. I think I unconsciously match his patterns with Leo's since they're so similar.

The second is actually a typo. It's supposed to be aerial. An aerial is basically a cartwheel without using your hands. Here's a link to an aerial tutorial as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUF8tQR_Plo

Let me know if that helps!

[termonitu]

How do you usually go about coloring and rendering? You have a really nice atmosphere to every piece you do and I wanted to know if you had any tips!!! Love ur work!!! <3

Hey thanks man <3

Now I’m not gonna lie, I stalked your profile a little bit and you have some amazing art!

It looks like you already have a really good grip on color theory and have a really cool style to match!

If your asking about my process I usually start with the silhouette/sketch of the character I’m drawing and then a quick identification of where the lighting is coming from,

I try to have my subject contrast the background through both color and brightness

So if my background is a light warm color I might have my subject as a darker cold color or vise versa!

For rendering references, references, references, especially if it’s something you haven’t drawn before,

I try and think about lighting the most when rendering, where’s the lighting, what color is it, what does it bounce off of, what color shadow it would cast, how can I outline the character with it?

I had to look up references and tutorials on how to draw fire lol

Here’s a small speed-paint as a example:

I really hope this answered your question to some extant, I’m not a very good teacher and I can find it hard to find the right words to explain things, especially when it comes to art

But thank you for asking me and I’m sorry it took so long to reply, keep drawing man your style is so flipping taisty🍴❤️

[thegongoozlerreacts]

Dead Plate (Part 1)

hello!! its been a while since ive posted but here i am!!! so this game is Dead Plate created by STUDIO INVESTIGRAVE

i had played one of their games before, Elevator Hitch, and i really really enjoyed it! so im very excited for this new game that theyve released

though, this game is probably really different from Elevator Hitch, because that game was a visual novel type of game while this one has restaurant tycoon gameplay

still, im very excited

i hope i can get all the endings today (but probably not) as always, spoilers under the cut!

i know its literally just the title screen BUT it looks very classy

also the music? its a bop like yo BellKalengar is the composer and sound designer and like yo!! amazing job its literally just the title screen and im amazed already LMFAO

alright then lets begin

lolol i like the way they named the buttons for doing the tutorial, skipping the tutorial or just leaving the game on auto progress time to show up at 5 am then

the art is really cute these characters are really cute too esp the protag

i know its just the tutorial but i am very nervous LOL doing service jobs make me nervous (even tho this is only a fictional one)

bro protag why did u skim the interview thing 😭 is that why u've had 28 jobs in 7 years 💀

ooh interesting the cooks have an order in which they cook meals i need to remember that

wow so theres a lot to do huh theres seating the customers, taking their orders, bringing those orders to the kitchen, serving the food, going to the cash register to take their payments, cleaning up the tables AND throwing out the trash its a lot more than i was expecting,,,, lol good luck to me i guess

so like fun fact im actually not that good at playing games LOL esp this kind of game where theres like people and they have like a happy meter kind of thing going on i wonder if any of the endings will be tied to how well we do during the work day ?? probably

also can i just say that the music is really good i like the kinda jazzy (is that the right word??) vibes going on

it makes me less nervous about serving customers since its very chill LOL

WHY IS THIS CUSTOMER HITTING ME WITH A HARD QUESTION

I HAVE NO IDEA IF WE HAVE TO-GO BOXES OR WHATEVR WHAT HUH ?????

there is a right answer and i have no idea what it is im gonna lose my mind please. ok well lets pick an answer

im gonna go 'no' since the restaurant has a strict menu that changes daily right? so maybe they wouldnt do to-go boxes or ordering ahead and stuff (RIGHT???)

oh phew ok i picked the right one

LOL the banter between the protag and the tutorial guy (i dont know his name)

??? what the hell this customer just left right as i got the food bro 😭😭 have some patience damn this aint a fast food place

now i have to throw away this perfectly good meal (sorry cooks)

oh no now the real game is starting uhh aight alright then lets go

ok so that was like only three customers, i did pretty well but the day's not over yet shdajhsdsakhj i feel like a disaster n it was only three customers LMAO

oh it was only 3 customers for day 1 nice (i got jumpscared by the sound effect for the day ending LFMAO)

ooh green onion rolls,,, it looks good damn now i want to eat LOL

BITCH YOU LIVE LIKE THIS?????? damn,,,,

the music for this area is pretty chill tho

THE BATHROOM IS FLOODING??? AGAIN ?!??! BRO ??? THATS DISGUSTING

the window has a horrible view its just another building

oho? she? who???

bro dont leave the dishes for later thats sooo gross

??? HOW DID YOU BURN CEREAL???? WHAT DID YOU EVEN DO ??

i am appalled at the protag's lifestyle i cant even

so he has not finished writing lyrics and love letters for this girl he mentioned earlier the game is not revealing her name and im wondering why hmm its very sus

sorry im laughing so hard??? its mostly empty except for some cans and the fucking green onion rolls im cackling?? they look so out of place in this fridge LMFAO

bro how are you so bad at cooking that you burnt food in the microwave??? what are you doing???

wait. is his bed the couch???? bro i feel so bad for this guy

he biked through the rain,,,,, and he thought doing it fast would dry him,,, in the rain,,,,, im starting to understand why he somehow managed to burn cereal

he doesnt own an umbrella

aww this is cute thanks boss

he LIVES here??? wow damn his apartment is upstairs thats very cool

LOL protag keep ur mouth shut

day 2 here we go

SHIT HELP I TOOK TOO LONG ONE OF THE CUSTOMERS LEFT NOOO im restarting jkdsljlds its a good thing i saved

ahh i did way better this time but the day ended right as i was about to take out the trash LOL

oooh those look tasty too

oops ok so like i started day 3 right

well i was like 'i'll take out the trash before serving any customers' so that i can just easily clean up the tables right

uhh but then suddenly this happened ??? so like protag dropped the bag and cut their finger and the boss is having an odd reaction to the sight of blood methinks

HTHE BOSS JUST SLAPPED HIM ??? WTF

bro he just slapped him then was like 'oh dw someone else will clean it up' hello???? you just slapped ???? me ???

ok then moving on to the rest of the day i guess??

kinda weird looking but it still looks appetizing (the magic of art LOL)

oh shit theres a magazine ?? oops im gonna go back and read through previous ones oh nevermind its just the same one lmao

ohhh so this is where i buy items ok aight

and this catalogue is how our protag knew about the job for a waiter it also has an interview with our boss (Chef Vincent Charbonneau, i finally know his name) about the low number of employees i was wondering why we were the only waiter in the restaurant and i guess thats why

ok i bought the rollerskates cuz i need to be faster for the customers

oh and u can interact w the telephone to call 'her' but she doesnt pick up oof

sorry what is happening right now

what is that weird squelching sound?!?!?

BRO?? WTF WAS THAT ??? so like his body felt itchy, pressed Z to scratch and then suddenly lines were all over his body and then knives came out and i am so very confused

i think that was just a dream but what a weird nightmare

i guess onto day 4 then ?? at least i have my sick new rollerskates now

ooh that looks tasty

man i think im too slow cuz the timer always runs out while one more customer is still around lmfao, oh well

oh shit another nightmare

ohh so i can only equip one item at a time hmmm well since i bought the watch anyways i guess i'll use it

PFFT A CUSTOMER LEFT SORRY LADY,, she was waiting to be seated but i was preoccupied with serving food oopsies

restarting the day then

the nightmare hmm is the protag's name Rody since thats what it says on the label

DAMNIT I TOOK TOO LONG AGAIN

ok im just gonna use the rollerskates this time

AGGHH I KEEP TAKING TOO LONG ON THIS ONE CUSTOMER

restarting again,,,,

should i just let it go? probably but im not going to

IM GONNA LOSE MY MIND IVE RESTARTED SO MANY TIMES

ok well youve not seen it but i have restarted day 5 soo many times and i am hungry so,,, here's where i'll leave it for today

even though i am struggling and getting frustrated, im really enjoying the game so far! i wish i wasnt so terrible at playing it so i could see more of the story LOL

like what is up with the boss? who is this girl that the protag likes so much? what is up with his weird nightmares??? and will i ever be able to finish day 5 ?????

tune in next time LOL byebyeee

[exocynraku]

Hullo! Do you have any tips on just coming up with designs and markings and how to colour those designs/lines without making stuff clash? You're always able to make such creative and nicely made designs and I'm curious if you have anything you get inspiration off of and how you're able to colour your marking lines so smoothly?

i would make a nice image tutorial like i did yesterday but i do Not have the time to Sadly so you get words instead colouring lineart: colouring the lineart is easy peasy lemon squeezy. you gotta wait until youve FINISHED the colouring to do this part. okay, so, for the characters ACTUAL LINEART, when i draw their legs & tail & face & whatnot, i colourpick the DARKEST colour on the character, whether it be in their markings, eyes, accessories, or whatever. and then i take that colour and make it just... a LOT darker! and maybe shift the hue around aswell (ex: if the character was mostly yellow/cream i'd give them orange or red lines)! and then for the MARKING LINES i take the darkest MARKING. ignore the accessories and characters eyes they dont matter JUST pick the darkest coloured marking. and then make THAT darker, but not as much as you did the actual lineart!! you can also change the hue on this :3 how i come up with designs + inspirations: hmm well i'm going to be honest with you i don't exactly know how i come up with my designs? a lot of it just comes from how i picture the character in my head! especially if its a warrior cat design! i don't tend to stray away from those thoughts unless i picture them as like stupidly boring LOL ! inspirations is a biiit tricky, but i guess i kind of just look at a LOAD of other warrior cats animations & art, and uh! anime! lol! looking at how other people draw cats has gotten me better at drawing anatomy & whatnot, and watching various animes is why i started giving my cats hair lol! it's kind of hard for me to explain like, my EXACT process on why & how i design certain characters im sorryyyy x'''P i would if i could but literally 90& of is me drawing whatever and then thinking 'does this look good' and then saying yes or no LOL how i colour my designs: similarly to how i DO my designs, it's a lot of my just asking myself if it Looks Good or not, but there are a few things i do! a lot of designs i do i jump around the colour wheel a LOT! hue wise, i mean. i think i've managed to find different ways to use every single colour on the colour wheel lol! blues and greens and purples are good for greys & blacks, blues & yellows & oranges are good for white/ light markings, red & orange & yellow & purple are good for brown cats, etc etc etc! the other main thing is layer effects! sooo like if i draw a character but i'm not super happy with their colours, i find it hard & annoying to fiddle around and change each colour individually, so instead i make layer above the colouring, set it to one flat colour, and go through all/most of the layer options (like multiply, linear burn, lighten, glow dodge, difference, subtract, the list goes on) and find something i like! and then i usually do that a BUNCH of times with ALL sorts of different colours until the character ends up looking good!

also hi mossy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i hope this helps maybe? if you wanna get specific with another question, or maybe send some images (u can here on tumblr or message me where ever) then id love 2 help more!!!! this goes for anyone, i'll always accept art-help/tips/how i do things questions lol!

[manonamora-if]

Supporting your IF Authors: A tutorial (?)

I had made a small tutorial back on @interact-if a few months ago. Here is the very extended version. Also this is a very long post.

Obviously, you are not forced to do every single one of those actions below (it would be hypocritical of me to say so), but it helps show the authors their readerbase care about their works. Most action only takes a few seconds to a couple of minutes.

Let me know if I forgot something or made a mistake!

Note: while this is specific to IF authors, it can also be applied to other creators.

TLDR: Engage with stuff you like. Lurking might be nice and easy for you but can be detrimental to your fav author. Sharing is caring, y'all! Also, please don't keep the base avatar, it makes us think you are a bot. Don't behave like a bot.

On this Hellsite.

Many ways to interact with the authors you follow. Some are very simple but not really effective. Others require a bit more effort but really goes a long way.

Likes

The easiest to do. Just one click on the heart.

Pros: - tells your fav author you like their stuff. - easiest thing to do. Cons: - It's pretty much just a bookmark function on this site. - The "algorithm" doesn't really care for it.

ALSO: don't feel weird about going through the archive and like old posts. You'll prob find some gems there. LIKING OLD CONTENT IS NOT CRINGY!!!

Reblog

Requires maybe 3 more clicks and some typing if you add comments/tags. Still relatively easy. Best way to share what you like to others. The only way a post appears on a dashboard.

Pros: - tells your fav author you like their stuff in a more ✨🌟personalised 🌟✨way. - helps their post travel this hellscape and reach other people who could like this content (see addendum at the end). - the "algorithm" likes it. - you can queue them for a later date/so you don't spam your followers. Cons: None (lol).

Notes: - do not reblog posts with a #don't reblog tag. - consider adding trigger warnings to your reblogs if the original one has some too. - TEMPLATE/ASSETS/RESSOURCE: always reblog those to help your neighbour. Who knows? One of your followers or your follower's followers might be looking for that. Also: good karma. - post doesn't fit your ✨aesthetic ✨? have a side-blog and put it there.

Asks

Needs a bit more effort. You need to think of words to write or picture to send. Also, can feel a bit nerve-wracking interacting with someone you look up to (they're like you, don't worry). But one of the most rewarding note for authors.

Pro: - you have a direct line of communication with the author, making it easy to ask questions, give feedback/comments. - you can positively impact their days with a few words. Yup. Seriously. - most authors really like asks, it's probably the most engaging response you can get from your readers. - you can asks stuff anonymously (unless the author has turned it off), we've all done it. Cons: - you need to think of words to say and muster the courage to press ask. - it might not available because other people abused it/were dicks in the author's dm.

Ask Etiquette/Advice

Be nice and respectful! Just because you have a direct/anonymous like to that author doesn't mean manners can be thrown out the window. They are like everyone: humans with feelings. Internet may make it difficult to see other people as... well people, but they are. Don't be a dick. A Hello or How are you? really goes a long way.

Ask questions about the project/process Interested in a particular part of the project or the authors' process? Ask about it! We love to talk about our projects and characters.

Feedback doesn't have to be complex/long. If you don't know how to put your feelings about their works into words, take a small aspect of the project and explain why it stuck with you. I really liked how you portrayed X's relationship with Y. That scene with Z made me feel V. Or you can be a bit more generic (still add a bit of yourself): Your writing is great! The UI is very pretty. The game is amazing.

Don't demand things. Duh. That's rude.

Don't spam. Even if they don't reply to your question right away. They may have a reason not to do it. Or they want to keep your post for just themselves. May be ok for positive ones (ask first).

Replies

This is fairly new on Tumblr (2021?). They're pretty much comments without rebloging. Great for giving feedback/sending love to a specific post.

Pro: - Yay engagement. - Another way to send your fav author love! Cons: - That's it. It's not visible unless you open the notes of a post. Unsure if it makes any difference in the algorithm. - it is not anonymous.

Other ways

A non-exhaustive list:

Create fan art : Always appreciated, we love to see your interpretation of our work and your OCs. Caveat: only if the author allows it. Ask the author if you are unsure.

Participate in Beta-Testing : Big part of IF it testing before release. Many authors will have a call for beta a few weeks/months. Consider rebloging that too.

Answer Poll/Feedback forms : Aside from Beta-testing, authors may post a poll or ask for feedback for a functionality/path. This is a great way for us to get direct responses. Consider rebloging that too.

Published Platform

There are many places where an author can publish their games. Below are the most used/known ones. You will require an account for most of those (it's worth it, I promise).

ITCH.IO

Itch has a lot of games.

A LOT of Games. To help your favourite game gain traction, you need to... engage with it! All ways are super easy and takes very little time too!

Play the Game

Duh. (Also I lied about the time it takes, that will depend on the game) Account not required.

Collection

You can add games/assets/whatever page on a collection (folder) to keep it as a to play later or share as a game you enjoyed. You can make those collections public and share it to the world!

To do that, click on Add to Collection (top left corner on laptop, bottom bar on mobile) and choose the collection you want.

Rate the Game

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3. Nope, not joking. 3 clicks and that's it. Ready?

Click on Rate this... on the top-left corner of the page.

Click on the amount of stars you want to give.

And click Submit.

Aaaaand that's it. Easy-peasy.

For Mobiles: the UI is a bit wonky and doesn't give you the option to rate a game. As such, you have 2 options:

put your phone in landscape mode: the feature will be at the top of the page (see below, I took a random game from the front page).

put the page in desktop mode (Chrome, Firefox) and follow the same description as above.

NOTE: This functions is not available if the game has been submitted to a Jam/Comp and said Jam is in its voting period! It will be available again when the ranking/votes have been released. If possible, consider voting for that game in the Jam/Comp as well.

Review the Game

Want to give your rating a bit more depth? Or you have a comment you want to give the author? Then add a review to your rating before clicking on Submit! Note: The review is only visible to the author.

Leave a Comment

You can leave a comment at the bottom of the game's page. Can be a few words, can be an essay, whatever floats your boat.

Don't know what to say? Take a small aspect of the game and explain why it stuck with you. EX: I really liked how you portrayed X's relationship with Y. That scene with Z made me feel V. The UI/Design is W.

Also, you get notified if the creator answers your comment!

Share the game

There is not specific button on itch to share a game. BUT: you can copy the page's link and paste it wherever you want to share the game! Easy-peasy!

Other ways

Follow the Author: to get updated on the game's process, bugs fixes or updates.

Like/Comment on/Share Devlogs: those logs have a Tab similar to the main page where the most popular ones are more visible. You can like the logs on that log's page or in your feed if you follow that author; share directly on twitter/facebook (or copy paste the link to whatever platform); or comment on the page (if available).

Interact in the Community tab: a.k.a. Itch's forum. Discuss, review or recommend games there!

CoG Forums

Specifically for CScript games posted on Dashingdon or posted through CoG/HostedGames. Used for feedback, coding questions, writing questions... for CScript games.

Authors can create threads where the game can be discussed by other users. The thread locks itself automatically after 60 days since the last comment or if the author requests it.

As far as I know (not my preferred platform tbh), there are no rating systems on CoG. Games with payable content can be rated on other platforms (can be seen at the bottom of the page).

IFDB/IF Community Forum

IFDB - Interactive Fiction DataBase

As the name implies, the website works as a sort of archive/database for IF works. There are over 11k games (ongoing/completed) listed. Reviewing and Commenting is fairly easy. You can also put a game on your wishlist or indicate whether you've played it.

Rating is a one click job: on the amount of stars you want to give. And that's it!

Reviewing looks a bit more complicated at first, but I promise it's not too hard! The review link will send you to another page, where you will be asked to enter your comments about the game, add a title and optionally tag it. When you are done, click on the preview button at the bottom of the page. You get to review how your comment will look before publishing it (see below)

You can also create polls or participate in one, join a club, browse other reviews and game listings, etc...

IF Community Forum

Very similar to the CoG forum, but is open to other programs (Twine, Inform, Renpy...) and all sorts of IF (text base, VN, parser...). You can find help for coding or writing, talk about games you like....

There are special categories to review IF games or recommend some to other users.

As with every Forum communities, please be mindful of the rules of said forum before posting!

Steam

Thank you @pomegranate-cuties for the reminder.

If a game is to be published on Steam, adding it to your wishlist will increase its visibility before and on release.

You have the possibility to:

leave reviews and comments (SUPER IMPORTANT)

post screenshot or fanart

create guides and walkthroughs for other users.

interact in the community tab

Other platforms

If the project is hosted on other platforms, simply check if their page allows for rating/review, and get cracking!

Other Non-Monetary Support

Share game with friends/other websites

Words-of-mouth is a great way to help a game get more attention. And if one person talks to another person who talks to another person... that's already 3 more players right there :D

Talk about your favourite IF with your friends, or family. Mention it to acquaintances or people who you think might enjoy it.

If you'd rather avoid sharing your love to people you know IRL, you can always post about it on other platforms than the ones above. Talk about the game on websites like Reddit (there are IF communities there, albeit not very large), Twitter (if it survives, lol), Discord Servers, Forums, etc...

Obviously, don't spam people. That might reflect badly on the author.

Do Streaming Parties!

This comes with the caveat of: with the permission of the author.

Doing Let's Plays of games or discussing IF works on streams might be another good way to introduce more people to games you enjoy. This can give a different life to the work, especially if you actually read the text aloud and do voices. This way it can let the work even speak for itself.

Platforms like YouTube or Twitch are relatively helpful to set streaming up. Though you may require some specific hardware to run it.

If you plan on streaming a game, do ask the author beforehand.

Monetary support

If you can afford it or if your budget allows it, you can consider supporting your favourite author(s) with real money! You may get extra content or special features (ex: alpha release) for doing so.

Below are a few ways I've seen being used, but the best way is to follow the author's links/preferrence.

Tumblr: Tips/Subscriptions

This is a new functionality (2022), where you can now subscribe or tip a creator for their posts.

Note: Tumblr takes 5% commission on subscription but 0% on tips.

Patreon/Tipee

I think everyone knows about Pateron by now. Tipee if the European version of Patreon. They work the same way.

Note: Patreon charged your account when you sign up and on the 1st of every month + takes 9-12% commission on monthly income. Tipee is 8%.

Kofi

Another tipping platform (with less fees for the creator). Also used often for commissions.

Note: Kofi takes 0% to 5% commission + 3-4% from the payment processor.

Paypal/CashApp/Venmo/etc...

Another way to tip your author or pay for commission. Commission depends per platform.

Pay as you want/Donation Button Itch

Some authors have left the option to pay as much as you want or have a donation button on their game's page. You can donate/pay for the game this was as well!

Note: Itch takes a 10% commission on each sale EXCEPT on Creator's day (2/3 times a year).

ADDENDUM

Reblog posts to make them travel.

The images above are the Reblog Graph (Tumblr Lab Function), that shows part of the 100-ish reblog the intro post for my game @crimsonroseandwhitelily got since last year (original is the small red dot) and the one for the 80-ish reblogs of this post as of this edit (22 Aug 2022).

In the first one: there are a few branches that made that post travel and reach users who do not follow me but may have read the post and played the game. In the second, even if it has less reblogs, it has longer branches, showing how much it has travelled on this website. Note: a shame they don't have a function with likes too... That'd be useful.

[studentbyday]

day 66 // 100dop

had my last tutorial for the course!!!! and i think it went well 🙂

finished 1.5 sections of the chem chapter

answered a few more practice questions and part of the assignment

watched ep 2 of essence of calculus - i hope to finish (and most importantly understand!) the series b4 september 😬

i started the study timer in the afternoon and i worked for 50-55 mins, then took a 15 min break, and then...when i went back to work i had lost any focus i slowly gained during the 50-55 mins of work and it was a struggle to gain it back 😅 aahhh ig i should know when to trust my gut and keep going XD usually ik i'm losing focus and should take a short break when my eyes have a harder time focusing on the words, my brow furrows or my eyes squint, or i find myself scrolling down to see how far i have left to go lol (usually there's more left to go than i'd like)...and this time none of that happened 🤷‍♀️

tomorrow will be better 😤

[zv5x]

“Forbidden Psychology” Edward would so go on stream and brag about the “amazing results” he had with Y/n😳 I could see him holding Y/n in his arms as he softly pets her hair

Forbidden Psychology - Part 3 (Yandere!Riddler • GN!Reader)

find part two here! 🍮 find part one here! tw // brainwashing , psychological torture , use of the yandere trope , manipulation and abuse , forced brain numbing with successful effects , restraining and sensory depravation , hostage situations , Edwards fans are basically the CEO of being after-the-fact accessories , implications of further psychological torment

For Edward, the inside of his outfit was hotter than it usually was. The most likely cause of this? You, of course. You were sitting so cutely in his lap, brain still mush from the effects of the conditioning. From the moment he heard you brainlessly mumble his name upon seeing him he knew his fans just had to get a good look at this. After all, they were always there to root for him! They never let him get discouraged when he told them of the times you called the police or sobbed in fear upon waking up to see him straddling your lap in costume while you slept.

They were always there to cheer for him, and now they all get to celebrate the fruits of his labor together.

"I had to put the tape over their mouth, but they're not in trouble! They've just been saying pretty much nothing but my first name for the past like...what?" He sat for a minute and pondered. "Week now? Yeah. Week." He laughed a bit, absentmindedly petting the top of your head as you shook happily under his touch. "Everything went well. Perfectly, even!" He said, a sudden jolt of energy showing through his tone, though his voice was slightly muffled by the mask he was wearing. You hated that. The voice was too deep and distorted to really remind you of Edward's usual voice, and you needed a constantly supply of that to bring you comfort. Your head was too burried to look over and get a good look at the chat, but you could see the reflection of the hearts and messages, as well as some donations against his glasses. He looked down at you, and when he noticed you were staring, he smiled. His eyes squinted upwards, signifying this. With your heart bubbling with a warm and loving feeling, you cooed.

You couldn't feel the warmth of his hand as much as you usually would have considering the glove he was wearing, but it was enough for now. You knew very well that live streaming important milestones in his career as the Riddler made him happy, and you wanted to repay him for going through all the effort he had for you by taking the presence of his depersonalized persona over him for as long as you could. "God, if only you could have seen them a few hours into it." He shivered, moving his hand down to massage your shoulder with a single, trembling hand.

"They didn't really cry until they saw me, though, and they were definitely happy. So no." He said in a quieter tone, presumably responding to a question sent in the chat. "They've gotten slightly better with verbal communications, but I guess I really did a number on them." Laughing in a more calm and calculated tone, he suddenly made the move to sit them up. No longer laying, you melted as far as you could into his chest as his arms wrapped around you. He rested his head on your shoulder, continuing to ramble and go over everything it took to finally get to realize your love for him. Though you wanted nothing more than to fixate on the words of your beloved, your curiosity did manage to prick your side enough for you to try and squint to see the chat.

/ f to their brain lol

/ why are they so fucking cute

/ Man you have to release a tutorial on this shit. It seems really effective for what it's meant to do

The chat was fast paced, and you could only read a few more that weren't the first three you focused on, but they all seemed to be satisfied with what was going on. It seemed like such a nice community, besides a few usual bad ones that were expressing doubts and worries. Edward didn't give them much thought, until a single donation popped up on the screen.

Anonymous donated $5.00

Edward was in the process of thanking them for the donation, until a female text to speech voice echoed against the laptop speakers.

/ i hate to give you money but you need to hear this you're a sick man and you need to realize this is all in your head they will never love you the way you act like you love them

The message from what you could see had no punctuation or even capital letters. It was as if the sender wanted to get their message out as soon as possible. Speaking of their message, you couldn't understand their reasonings. Of course you loved him! It's not like you wanted all that effort Edward out into protecting you from orphanage to present to go to waste! You were a greatful partner. The perfect partner, even. They didn't understand. They'll never understand. Edward seemed to feel the same way, and he suddenly gripped your shoulders with a force that caused you to whimper against your tape in slight twinges of pain.

"Shut up!" He screamed against his mask, voice cracking against whatever voice masker he was using from the sheer strength of his rage. It took a few seconds for him to regain himself, breathing heavily and squeezing you for comfort.

"I'm going to take the tape off, and you're going to hear (Y/N) say they love me. Then, you'll finally realize there's nothing you can say anymore to brainwash them." He explained, his fingers dancing over to your lips to rip off the duck tape as quickly as he could as to not prolong the pain it would cause.

Taking a few deep, gasping breaths, you started your declarations of love before Edward even demanded it from you.

"I love him!" You said, using every inch of strength in your body to stop yourself from saying his real name. "I love him more than anyone else, and he loves me!" You called out, the chat booming with small hearts and various messages. You could only imagine how defeated the sender of the donation was feeling right now. Just imagining it cause a smile of triumph to spread across your lips. Edward giggled, squeezing you gently and rocking you from side to side.

"Well guys, they said it themselves. They love me." He purred, rubbing your cheek with his thumb. You signed in pure euphoria, enjoying the feeling of the overabundance of physical contact Edward was giving you. Loving the displays of your newfound realization of your true feelings for him, the chat was most definitely exploding. The spams of "aww"'s and heart emotes quickly made up for the one single opposer.

"All (Y/N) needed was to be reminded of all the memories we shared together, that's all. They loved me from the start, I just needed a way to pull it out of them after the scum of the streets buried it." He explained calmly, continuously petting the top of your head as you mumbled incoherent nothing's under your breath. "It was foolproof, really. 12 hours of nonstop memories of a person being spoken into your ears will definitely cause at least a little bit of love to emerge. If you guys want me to, I could always demonstrate. I'm sure my darling wouldn't mind, right?" He looked down at you, tilting his head innocently. Of course, willing to do anything to please him at this point, you rapidly shook your head.

"N-no, I wouldn't mi-nd at all..." Still gaining your grasp back on the English language, you tried your very best to give him the permission he deserved. The chat liked the idea of that as well, and Edward smiled as he removed you from his lap, placing you on the floor.

Of course, you cried out in fear, hating being away from him to the point where you'd quite frankly rather die. He giggled a bit, waving at the camera in a friendly manner, and speaking a date clearly and slowly.

With a happy "Goodbye!", the stream was over, and finally, you were alone with your soulmate once more.