#the REAL answer is I really need to commit to my art

[ikilledjoedick]

having the stupidest revelation ever (got into a fb fight with my friends transphobic husband death to all jakeys etc and i wrote a three page response with a ton of citations and it made me realize that im wasting my time and potential and passion at my job and i maybe need to reconsider fields or something)

[lonelysheepling]

Recently read @queenofthequillandink ’s DPxDC crossover fic Unearthed, Reborn

I got inspired to draw character sheets for Danny, Sam, Jason, and Jazz’s vigilante personas. Here’s a link to the author’s drawings of their outfits (these were a vital reference for me when doing this so thank you so much for sharing them Quill) More commentary (like 7+ paragraphs plus 2 images) about this project and the designs below the “keep reading” line.

None of these thoughts I have for each character are in order, but I have a lot of commentary for these since this project was a lot more conceptual than my normal work. I also just like talking about my art/design process. If you ever find yourself wondering at some point why an element from the original design wasn’t included, the answer is that the removal was completely intentional and part of my grandmaster vision for this work and wasn’t because I just forgot about it entirely during the design process.

————————————————————————

Aconite (Sam)

This was the first one I sketched out, I wasn’t even sure at the time if I was going to fully commit to drawing all of them. I thought that Sam was gonna be the hardest since her description was way longer than the others, but then bird boy beat her out. I took a lot of creative liberties with her design, the bag was added bc I couldn’t figure out how to add pockets to the skirt. I was trying to avoid a joker color scheme so I had a lot of ref images that I got by searching like “purple green aesthetic” on Pinterest. The dark purple and dark forest/blueish green won out in the end. I desaturated a lot of my colors for her just to get as far away from the neon Gotham rogue aesthetic. I also added the bdsm harness over the armor to add more punk elements to her design, I know that in real life that would be very uncomfortable to wear over scalemail armor but sometimes we take creative liberties when they look sick as fuck. Also, I didn’t realize until I went to look for a reference for aconite flowers that aconite is wolfsbane! That was neat to learn! Also, the font I used for Aconite is called “zai Art School Calendar 1931”, I’ve used this a few times for other projects, it’s one of my favorite fonts. The ‘zai’ fonts the creator has are all very good.

Shade (Danny)

There wasn't much to add to this page. His outfit is pretty simple (besides the patterning). I wasn’t sure how to pull of an optical illusion pattern but I was reminded how I sometimes get an eyestrain induced headache when looking at someone wearing a patterned shirt with really thin stripes so I just leaned into the idea of a small/detailed hard lined pattern. I originally made 5 separate patterns for him and then turned them into stamp brushes in procreate. I only ended up using three of them, the one on the chest, the one on the legs, and the one on his hand. But, I imagine the patterns fade and shift when he moves, sort of like a lenticular print. I gave him constellation freckles and stylized the hair’s fade into white. The hair was inspired by how time-woods draws Martin Blackwood’s hair (linked: time-woods’s fanart of Martin Blackwood). Also put way too much effort into the teeth on the mask. I just like the chunky teeth design. Oh yeah and the font I used for him is called “Typewriter_Condensed_Demi”

Erinys (Jason)

Repeatedly ran into the issue of not having enough canvas space bc of my fervent need to thoroughly document and plan out how the wings worked. I also reversed the colors for the bodysuit & armor so the under layer was black while the armor plates were red. I only realized afterwards that I may have been inspired by the red centipedes in Rain World (linked: gif of the red centipede, don’t click the link if you’re unsettled/afraid of bugs/insects), artists subconsciously draw inspiration from other artists all the time though so I’m not like upset about it. I stand by it because it looks sick as hell. Also leaned into the magpie theming for the wings. I think the vigilante form was supposed to be reverse magpie coloring? I can’t remember, but I stuck with normal magpie coloring. The anatomy of how the wings connected to the collarbone was inspired by JayEaton’s Magpie Bridge Project. Reference image link. Link to the article the image is from. I didn’t draw the wing armor because I couldn’t figure out how to would work with the wing anatomy and I ran out of canvas space. Finally, the font used for him is “DIN Condensed” this is a default font, I would’ve used something more punk but I needed the text to be legible.

Insight (Jazz)

I did Jazz after I’d already finished the initial trio, so I had to switch to a new canvas for her bc I’d hit the layer limit multiple times on the previous one. I really do love doing that spiked under-eyelash thing with characters. Don’t know when that started. Anyway, I added the shoulder pads to her outfit to help break up the empty space. The golden eyes were a nice accent color since her design is very overwhelmingly green. Honestly the braid hairstyle and gold eyes really do obscure her identity, multiple times when drawing her I was worried that she didn’t really resemble Jazz enough. There wasn’t a drawing from the author for her so I only had the text description to go off of. I just realized that she sort of reminds me of a forest ranger and I don’t know what to do with that realization. I copy/pasted my drawing of her eyes when gold and recolored them to match her normal eye color. There were two layers for that, a hue shift and a hard light layer to emphasize the shadows.

Here’s what it looks like without the hue shift: 

It looks really cool and I’m 100% that color combo in another drawing down the line. Oh yeah and the font used for this sheet was “Euphemia UCAS”. It comes with Apple’s operating system, I use it as a neutral default text most of the time bc it’s nicer than helvetica but not overly fancy like Times New Roman—and why am I talking about fonts. ——————————————————————— Anyway, this project was very fun to work on. The alt text for this was its own endeavor, hope the folks using screen-readers don’t mind 4-5 paragraphs of description text. Also, I cannot remember for the life of me if Dani got a costume description, but if she does I’ll make sure to update this image set with a sheet for her. And to the author, QueenOfTheQuill, if you’re reading this message that I’ve left at the very bottom of this post below a read more line, thank you for the fic. It’s very good and I’m glad I caught it during my slow decent into DPxDC brainrot. I love the interactions between Jason and Tim, it’s nice seeing a revived Jason that’s not bogged down by pit rage. They definitely seem like they could’ve been good friends if not for the unfortunate circumstances that led them to meet in canon. Also, I’m sure Jazz will love interacting with Batman and Nightwing. So much psychological & childhood trauma to unpack with them. Feel free to use/share these images if you so desire and thanks again for your work.

[badomensgoodomens]

BAD DECISIONS

CHAPTER ONE.

Noah Sebastian X reader

CW: sex and a ridiculously cringy argument. (p-in-v, shower sex, rough dirty talk)

credits to @emluvsuxo who proofread this chapter and did not tell me how absolutely cringy and shitty it is (xoxo) i promise the other two chapters I've written following this one are better academically, and storyline wise.

tag list at bottom of post.

READERS POV 

Noah currently had me sprawled out on his bed, his fingers pumping in and out. My head was thrown back with pleasure, but ultimately, I was in a different place. He pauses his movement, “you good?” he asks, gazing down at me. I nod, mumbling about how I had a rough day. 

We hooked up often, a stress reliever for both me and him. He wasn’t like other boys i’d fucked, he was slow, meaningful and very set on both ends receiving pleasure. However, I always wake up alone. I wasn’t beginning to care about that factor until now. 

When I woke up the next morning, half naked, I just laid there for a while. Why do I all of a sudden need this man for more than just sex. I mean he wasn’t ALL that.. With his uhm….. Fuck. 

I crave that man from the inside out.

—-----------------------------------------------

After a couple of hours of wallowing in delusion with my hands between my legs, I dragged myself out to the studio. I needed to work on a few pieces and get them shipped out. Art was a big passion of mine, it was a great stress reliever (alongside sex with the god himself; noah.) I was successfully channelling every emotion without taking it out on someone else, and turning it into art. Soft music played in the background as I spent hours focusing on every individual brush stroke, trying to perfect this specific piece. 

I ignored everything for a while, texts from my sister, from my mom, even from noah. I was antsy, and a little dizzy. I was losing daylight, this piece wasn’t even remotely done. I’d have to return to it tomorrow.

I close and lock the door to my studio, heading down the steep flight of stairs to the carpark. I knew Noah went to the gym around here, and prayed silently I wouldn't come across him. I was still incredibly contradicted. Did I really want more from him? 

The sun had set and I wasn't even half way home yet, clairo played softly over the radio. I was overwhelmed, not sure how to feel about noah. Fuck. Why is bags playing? 

Fuck  

Fuck 

Fuck 

Maybe I am in love with him? 

_________________________________________________

NOAH'S POV 

I chuck my phone down onto my bed, rubbing my hands over my face. She hasn’t responded yet. Maybe she's given up on me. 

Fuck. I'm painfully hard and I need her soft skin against mine. I hadn’t told the boys about her, I didn't intend to ever date her, I don’t think. We were merely friends with benefits, I'm not ready for commitment. 

It isn’t like I don’t trust her or anything, I'm just scared, and hurt. Natasha fucked me up real bad, hence why we were strictly friends with benefits. No cheating, no trust issues, just meaningless sex. Even though, now when I smell her perfume, it makes me dizzy.   

My head was resting on my grey pillows as my hips stuttered, my right hand jerking up and down my cock. Soft groans spilled out of my mouth as my hips snapped up. I was seconds away from cumming when my phone rang, it was her, her contact photo illuminating my entire phone screen. And holy shit it made me cum. 

I had taken a photo of her, half naked, standing by the big windows in her bedroom. I’d just fucked her brains out, but she was more intrigued by the moon. I scramble to answer the phone, pulling my pants back up. 

“Hi?” her voice came through my phone speaker. 

“Hi, are you busy right now?” I asked, readjusting my pants. 

Her soft sigh fills my ears, and I almost moan. 

“I’m on my way home from the studio, shower sex sounds good enough for you?” 

I climb out of bed, mumbling a soft yes. 

—---------------------------------------

I pull up to her house at roughly 8pm, letting myself in. She's standing in the kitchen in a pair of paint covered track pants and a sports bra. 

“You’re covered in paint” I grin, watching as she eats a microwavable meal. She looks over herself, an embarrassed smile gracing her pretty face. I swear my pants tighten. 

“Right. Upstairs. Now.” I smirk, slipping off my shirt. 

She turns the shower on and hurries to get her clothes off, discarding her silly little lace thong. My hand reaches the back of her neck, pulling her soft lips against mine. It's a clash of teeth, kisses and moans. 

“Bend over” I growl, spitting on my fingers. She does as she's told, making a show of bending over in the spacious shower. My hand comes down harshly on her pretty ass. I gently trace my fingers over her clit, her breathing quickens.    

I lean my head down near her ear, nibbling on it, taking notice of the way her thighs squeeze together at the dirty things I'm whispering in her ear.

My fingers slip inside her tight pussy, pumping in and out. Her soft moans fill the room, blessing my ears. “Gonna make you cum, huh?” I groan, watching her clench down on my fingers. “Gonna make you cum with just my fingers, you dirty girl.” 

__________________________________

I walk out of the shower, stretching my back. I slip my clothes back on, gathering my stuff to leave. She walks me out, wearing just a tshirt. I clear my throat, turning to face her. She looked up at me, her face littered with a post-orgasmic glow, but her eyes said something different. 

READERS POV

He pulls me in for a kiss, a magical one at that. I was enjoying it for a moment until I could taste a hint of hennessy. I pull away, feeling a mix of hurt. “So you just came here to fuck me because you were drunk?!” the words came out before i could even process them. Surprise washes over his face, “w-what?” he mutters, stepping back a little. I rub my hand over my face, why the fuck did i say that? 

This was going to go south real quick. 

“Am I no good?” 

His face is quizzical, his eyebrows raising. “What? Baby-”

“No. don’t call me that. Tell me, am I no good?” the words fell off my lips in a hurry. I felt sick to my stomach, I was head over heels with this man and I needed to know. 

“What the fuck are you talking about-” 

I cut him off. “Do you actually want to fuck me? Or am I just the only one willing?” I ask, crossing my arms over. My heart hurt. 

“I- we talked about this. We are strictly friends with benefits.” Noah responds, shuffling awkwardly back into the house, not wanting to give the neighbours a show. “You’re not even my fucking friend though! You won’t introduce me to your friends, you only come over for sex!" I yell, shutting the front door. Well yeah. That was the whole point of our relationship, but he could’ve at least been nice enough to. 

I watch him rub his hand over my face. His leg was bouncing up and down. 

“You caught feelings, didn’t you?” 

My stomach dropped, I mean I hadn't exactly been secretive, but it was still terrifying. 

“Why is that so wrong!!” I cried out, tugging at the roots of my hair. Was it because he was some rockstar? Was he just like… using me for my body?  Ironic isn’t it?

He sighs, sitting down on my grey couch. 

“This wasn’t supposed to happen-” 

“Can I be yours?” the words spill out before i can stop myself, a desperate plea. The room is silent again. My hopes are not very high. 

“What-?” 

“Can I be yours? Just tell me I'm yours-" I fumble with my words, avoiding eye contact. It felt like I was being burned at the stake.

Panic sets over his face, I panic myself. 

“We talked about this- i- i can’t do that.” he answers, standing up. Shuffling towards the door. 

“You walk out those doors and you’ll never see me again-” the words were much harsher than intended, but I was at my wits end. Our relationship was boring, just sex and nothing else. That wasn’t what I wanted it to be. God, I felt like some trashy whore.

He faltered his movement slightly, but continued walking. 

The last thing he said to me was, 'I’m sorry.' Those words hung in the air, heavy and final, just before I turned away and never saw him again. It wasn’t just the apology that hit me—it was the weight behind it, the finality in his voice, as if it were the last thing he could offer, and it still wasn’t enough. My chest tightened, and a cold wave of nausea rose in my throat. It was as though his words, meant to bring closure, had instead unravelled something inside me, leaving me hollow and raw. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think—just the echo of his voice and the bitter sting of what could never be fixed.

The door slammed shut, making the thin walls of the lifeless house shake. Bile rose in my throat, I ran up the creaky stairs, my voice a mixture of pained cries and gagging. 

_______________________________________

For days, I couldn’t stop hearing those words—his apology. It looped in my mind like a broken record, each repetition digging deeper. But as the days wore on, I started to realise something. Maybe the hardest part wasn't that he’d hurt me. It was that I was still holding on to the hurt, still letting it have power over me. I had to choose to let go.

authors note:

yes, I know I made this story out to be so much juicier and written so much better, just have some patience. I wrote this literally like 2 months ago and have increasingly gotten better.

Taglist: @lilcrazy011 @collisionofyourkissmakesitsohard

let me know if you’d like to be added

credits: whoever made that divider ily. i swear it was @silent-stories do correct me if I'm wrong.

[incorrect-ironwidow]

IRON WIDOW REREAD: WEEK 8 + SPECIAL SURPRISE!

So it's time for our final week, and here I'm to reveal our final challenge as well! For the 8th week we say our goodbyes to Iron Widow by thinking about Heavenly Tyrant. The second book is just around the corner, which means this is your last chance to theorize about how it's going to begin and how it's going to unfold! So create a piece about it! You can write, draw, do whichever fan content you like more to imagine the 'world' of Heavenly Tyrant!

As always, feel free to link all your challenge answers HERE (our AO3 collection now has all the Reread Challenges as prompts, so you can directly pick the one you like more to create about). If you post on tumblr remember to tag #IronWidowReRead and #IWChallenges. You can do this week or the other weeks challenges in any order you prefer!

But that's not all I'm here to announce, is it? 👀

It was so cool seeing everyone's commitment to our weekly discussions and themed games, which take place on our Discord Server, that we realized you'all deserved more! So, it's my honor to announce that, after talking to @xiranjayzhao, we are going to give an extra prize to the ultimate winner in our reread games...

Now, not only this fan will be crowned our loremaster at Discord, but they will also win the preorder's campaign semi-transparent overlays! Yes, future loremaster, you're going to get in your hands this special pack with such amazing arts from Heavenly Tyrant!!

I'm really happy to be able to announce this treat for you'all! It has been really awesome to organize this event and see such commitment and receive so much kind messages about it! This fandom has amazing fans, for real! ❤️

ANYWAY! I desire good luck to everyone who is going to try and win this amazing prize given by Xiran! And all you need to do is simple; read the book with us and be part of the games that will happen after our book discussions this Sunday (4pm -3UTC) and next Saturday (5pm -3UTC)! Every week we add up the points from the week's game into a final ranking. At Dec 28, the final winner will get this amazing prize, so I encourage everyone to participate because you still have a chance to get it!!

As always, feel free to ask me anything you need ❤️🙏🏼

[redflagshipwriter]

Red Hot Ghouls 14 part 1/2

masterpost

“Hey, what’s up? Just checking in. Any luck so far? I finished my books!” Danny read mockingly off the burner phone with only one contact. He felt his eyebrow twitch. “What is this guy’s problem?” He got up in a jerky motion and started pacing around his one room apartment like the world’s most broke-ass tiger. It took three steps to get off the rug and onto the 3 tiles in front of his front door. He wheeled on his heel and did it again, and again, and then he forcibly collapsed back onto his couch in a huff. “What a bitch,” Danny complained. He kicked at the cushion. “Where does he get off talking to me like he doesn’t know…”

His voice trailed off as he accidentally had a thought. The thought happened to him entirely against his will. He really hated the thought.

Like. What if, just as a guess. What if he supposed that Jason the hapless performance-art biker tough guy rough guy had not found his secret identity? What if he had just like, gone out to a dark coffeeshop to read a new book? And from his perspective, some weird guy had yelled at him and made a funny face like a pissy toddler?

Shit. Shit, fuck, and damn. Danny groaned. Was Jason just a local??? Had he walked into that place by chance- oh. Holy fucking shit.

“I am the dumbest engineer I know,” Danny marveled. He looked up at the ceiling and sort of wished it would fall in and kill him instantly. “Jeremy is in Arkham. That implies he committed this crime in Gotham. That would imply his victim was from Gotham.”

Honestly… He had kinda just thought that Jeremy was in Arkham because it was convenient for him. But of course not. No one knew he was in Gotham. If Jeremy knew that Danny Phantom was on Gotham he would have been taking out creepy billboards to beg for his attention and damnation or something.

‘So Jason just thinks I am a total weirdo.’

Pain. Pain. Psychic damage. Danny threw his arm over his face and muffled a scream into his forearm, fucking mortified. Why was he so embarrassing? 

‘I don’t actually know that this happened in Gotham; Jeremy could have gone outside of city limits for his little ritual. Jason didn’t ask me to take him to Gotham from the GZ,’ Danny clung to in faint hope. ‘Maybe he really did hunt me down. Or maybe he looked up ectobiologists, learned about my family, and just sought out the geographically closest Fenton.’ 

…Get real. Come on. Jason wasn’t a detective. The straightest line between two points was the most likely path of events.

He unlocked his phone with numb fingers and started searching for any proof that this guy was a Gothamite. 

Jason Gotham

A bunch of Linked in profiles, a bunch of articles about rich people, and a flood of bookface profiles. It was a common name.

“That figures,” Danny huffed, feeling a little stupid for thinking that would work. He blew out a long breath. “It’s not like there’s ever just one guy in the world. There’s a billion Dannys out there for chrissake. There’s a Danny in my Econ class.”

Jason Gotham big strong guy

There was a wrestler from Gotham whose agent was named Jason. Danny clicked through the article to look at the photos just in case. No dice. His Jason was built prettier than the agent or the wrestler, Danny thought absently. Oh. He did have something that a wrestler didn’t, though.

Jason Gotham guns

Weirdly, the Linked-in profiles came back up. Danny was baffled and curious enough to read through a couple. “Gotham is such a goddamn place,” he marveled, eyebrows traveling up. “I thought you weren’t supposed to talk about things like…” Then the penny dropped. “Henchmen get hired off Linked-in?” He sat up explicitly so that he could shake his head in disbelief at the state of this city. “Wild.”

Well. The mission was not a success. Danny buried his face in his hands and accidentally smacked himself with the phone still in his hand. He ignored the stinging of his cheekbone to wallow in self-pity. It would heal up fast anyway.

“I think I need to answer his message,” Danny said. He felt real low. He felt like such a silly bastard. “I have to be smart and feel out if he knows I’m Danny.” He paused. “Danny Fenton, not Danny Phantom. Because I introduced myself as Danny Phantom.” Danny groaned. That seemed like an unnecessary clue, now that he really thought about it.

‘I need to avoid Jazz,’ Danny thought grimly. ‘If she sees me, she is going to sense weakness and find out what I did.’

He mulled over his options for a bit, trying to plot a response that would reveal all of Jason’s secrets and also make sense in conversation.

He failed. “I’m not a smart man,” Danny said conversationally, and sent,

You finished all those books already?? You unemployed, dude???

Jason must have been waiting on him. His response was pretty fast. 

Self-employed, actually. 

[the-artist-grimm]

Hi, so, um... just discovered this AU, and it's very cute! I love hurt/comfort/healing relationships (especially if said relationships eventually bloom into love), so I'm deeply invested now and can't wait to see more from you (already binge read the entire AU - lore, asks, art and all... I might have a problem). **cough, cough** Aaaannnyyway, that was just a really long winded way to say, I love this, I love your characterizations, and I love your work in general. If I could ask a question, what ended up happening to Anthea's gift/the courtship fleece after the betrayal arc? Did she ever end up giving it to Narinder (and if so, what was his reaction), or did she hide/burn it as it brought up too many old wounds? Apologies if this has been answered somewhere else before, but I didn't see it as I was binging earlier.

It got locked into the hope chest at the end of their bed! Anthea already had it stowed there with the intention of sneaking it into their bag before taking Narinder on a walk the day after he was freed, but when things didn't go to plan they just didn't have the heart to get rid of it. They hated looking at it, but also hated the idea of destroying it, since that'd kinda be like destroying what it had represented; their love, their commitment to him, their dreams of a future together. So it just stayed hidden for the first few months.

Yet as time passed and they slowly become friends again Anthea gradually began taking it out more and more, and suddenly doubting themself about it. It was a courtship sash, that's practically a proposal-what if it had been too presumptuous? What if it had been a mistake, seeing as them working on it was what caused Narinder to fear a betrayal? Such a little thing destroyed so much, yet they still couldn't bring themself to get rid of it.

But once the whole situation with the Bishops is said and done, Anthea decides that it's time to just get it over with. They and Narinder both approach each other with the intention of asking to speak about what happened, and they agree to meet at the fountain by the doors by nightfall. To which Anthea brings the sash, because they might as well show him just what that gift they'd been making was.

Then they just...talk. Narinder talks of his fear of another betrayal, his remorse for not saying anything when he doubted them, his regret in being so quick to judge alongside an apology for how things had happened that day, yet also his confusion of just what gift was so important that Anthea stopped talking to him as much and lied about the reasons why. Anthea talks about how they didn't consider how their actions appeared and apologizes for not explaining, says that they regretted not speaking to him after that final fight and letting things fester till the twins were revived, yet they also stop and admit that there's a reason why they were so caught up in their gift. Why they were so hurt.

They hesitate for a moment, then pull out the sash.

"I was making you a courtship sash. After you said you wished to leave the Gateway together...I had to make it. I've always just done what was best for everyone else...and yet...you were willing to stay trapped even in what I'd thought was the theoretical so long as I left with you. No one had ever been so...so selfless for my sake. And...I realized just how much I wanted that. I kept...having all these thoughts and ideas and fantasies of what a life with you could be, and before I knew it I was planning the sash. I'd never wanted anything like this before...and I needed something physical to reassure both you and myself that it was real."

Which for Narinder, at first it's this sudden swell of shock then elation-like he knows what that sash represents in sheep culture. Commitment and love, woven from the gifter's wool and crafted by hand in a process that takes weeks. To be gifted one is the most serious declarations of intent, and despite everything Narinder had never stopped being hopelessly in love with Anthea.

So he has this brief thought of 'They love me, they wanted to be with me, they love me-', then that heart-plummeting realization what that meant his betrayal had done. It re-contextualizes everything. Anthea's shock, their anger, their avoidance and their hesitation after the fact. Though he hadn't know, Anthea had been prepared to hold out their heart to him, and he'd crushed it. They'd for the first time stepped out of this mindset of hiding their feelings, their wants, their needs and tried to reach for something, and he'd burned them for that.

Narinder basically speedruns the seven stages of grief in the span of like 2 seconds, before deciding that well there went his shot and so be it. Though they're friends again and raising the kits together, whatever love Anthea had must be long gone after him basically giving them the equivalent of a rejection. Like yeah both sides know it was a misunderstanding now, but feelings surely could never survive or return after that. He goes 'Ah I see-' in this not sad way, but in this resigned acceptance, and anticipates that to be it.

But then Anthea starts getting nervous at his almost muted reaction and starts to slip a little. They were being very honest and basically implied their feelings without directly stating them, but they're now worried so they try to play off the sash as this silly, frivolous thing made in the heat of excitement because they think they've made him uncomfortable. That they overthought what he'd said, (see the Bishops Arc section of Anthea's Overview) and shouldn't have taken his words as seriously as they'd had.

"It was mostly intended as a thank you, really! I just let the fantasy of things get the best of me...a-and however you would've had me...that would have been more than enough...I...I know you wouldn't have wanted...that what I felt was... I know it wasn't the same."

And Narinder looks at them and suddenly sees a mirror of himself. Longing, uncertainty, anxiety, and...love. So much love that it hurts. They're playing it off, but a courtship sash isn't nothing. No one puts in all that time in just a 'thank you' gift, if it had been that there are plenty of other things Anthea could've made.

And he realizes there's something still there. Fragile and scared...but it's there, and he's not going to ignore it twice.

"What if it was?''

And Anthea stops spiraling. They look over, really look over, and notice how uncertain he is but also...there's a warmth there-a hope. A tenderness as on the ledge of the fountain he takes their hands and cradles them so, so carefully within his with a brief glance to the cloth folded in their lap.

"If...if you still had the chance...would you gift the sash now? And if not in this moment...c-could you one day?"

They'd seen him tear up once or twice back then, back when they were vessel and god-since then Anthea hadn't seen Narinder cry once, not even when the boys were revived. Not even when his siblings returned one by one. And yet here as he looks at them with a hesitant smile and tears in his eyes, they realize what he's left unspoken.

'Could you love me again?'

It's a confession. Unspoken and silent as theirs had been, but it's a confession.

And it's not the way they had dreamt it-they had planned to take him to their father's stargazing spot and do it there in a field of white flowers and starlight. But that doesn't matter as they all but throw themselves into his chest and hug him tight and bury their sobbing face into his neck.

It's relief and regret and more murmurs of apologies between them both, and it could be minutes or hours that they sit there together in the evening moonlight, but that last weight upon their chests is gone and everything is suddenly so much more clear. When the tears have stopped Anthea sits cuddled in Narinder's lap as they quietly hand him the sash and watch as he traces the different patterns and threads, and it should feel new or different but it just feels like this is what they've always done.

Then he asks them to help him tie the sash about his waist because he can't quite figure out how it goes with the stiffer cloth, and they can't help themselves and just kiss him.

---

(This question is from December dear GODS. Sorry for the wait!!!!)

[entiqua]

I love your artstyle!! Do you have any tips for drawing?

thank you so much! i'm really happy you like it!!💗 as for tips, what i would say would change drastically depending on what kind you're looking for, but some very general ones:

draw what you love and want to see most, regardless of whether anyone else wants to see it. if you don't enjoy what you're drawing it'll never come out as good or genuine as something your whole heart and soul is in. i mean you'd think this would be a no-brainer but sometimes i've had to sit back and ask myself 'if no one was ever going to see this except me, would i actually spend time drawing this?' and i was surprised by the answer

that said, it is also completely valid if your motivation for drawing is to draw for other people! there have been plenty of times where i was too artblocked to draw my own ideas but was still able to draw commissions or gifts and enjoyed it simply because making other people happy with my art makes me happy.

don't get too caught up in having a consistent art style. in my experience this 1000% hinders you

having your sense of anatomy degrade over time without you noticing because you keep drawing the same types of characters is a very real thing! if this is a concern to you be sure to draw a variety

follow a billion artists that you like the art of and you will have endless inspiration injected directly into your brain every time you open social media

my favourite practical tip for those who draw at a desk: keep a small mirror next to you at all times. absolute game changer for quickly referencing hands

if you're drawing digitally, make the canvas huge! in my experience this lets you draw messier/faster and you can't tell at all when you zoom out. if you tend to get stuck spending unnecessary amounts of time micromanaging pixels (me💀) keep it zoomed out while drawing

related to the above point, messy drawings can have far more expressiveness in them than neat and polished drawings. nowadays i never do lineart and go straight from 'barebones stickman pose' to 'varying-levels-of-coherent sketch' and use that as my lineart. sweet freedom from the sketch-looks-better-than-the-lineart phenomenon

if your goal is to improve, then you really do have to scrutinize your art, figure out what you're not satisfied with, and commit the time to focusing on it. 'practice makes perfect' kinda rubs me the wrong way because of how much i've seen it interpreted as 'just draw everyday and you'll magically improve' but genuinely it won't get you very far if you don't actively think hard about what you're trying to improve and take the steps to do it. is this a hot take idk. also hand in hand with this, not every artist is trying to improve and you shouldn't feel bad for this! maybe you just wanna make a little headshot doodle of your fave blorbo and that's your only drawing goal ever. awesome. maybe you know your art has flaws but it's passable enough to convey what you want and you're perfectly satisfied with that. (this is the stage i'm usually at). also awesome!

don't hesitate to draw something because you think it's out of your skill level. the worst that can happen if you draw it is that it comes out terribly but you learned something and can always redraw it better in the future. the worst that WILL happen if you don't draw it is that you'll never draw it. and then it will sit in the back of your brain haunting you for years. it's not like i'm speaking from experience or anything aha

look up 'hand stretches for artists' and do them if you draw a lot unless you wish to summon the wrath of the carpal tunnel demons

of course, these may not necessarily work for you, and most importantly(!) these are coming from the perspective of someone who is primarily a hobbyist. some of this won't be practical for people who need to build an audience, maintain a consistent style for work, etc. these are just things that have personally helped me over many years of drawing :)

[jesncin]

Hi,

I'm not a Pacific Islander so I can't talk about the accuracy, but so far I've been enjoying your most recent comics a lot.

I have a question. As far as I know no one really knows Tana Moon, or if they do, they don't talk about her. And while the issues with King Shark aren't always subtle, it has been forgotten about.

So, I guess my question is, how do you recognize these stories as ones needing expanding on? Even if they aren't specifically part of the culture you grew up in?

To clarify I'm not saying that it is impossible to connect to a culture other than your own, as there are parallels there in life experience. But it is definitely harder to recognize when those life experiences aren't exactly the same. For example, I relate to Superman because of his cultural disconnect, but I didn't relate to him for a long time because I never really thought about it in those terms before, even though I knew he'd been separated from his home planet as a baby and didn't remember it.

Anyway, yeah, that's basically my question.

Hi! This is a very interesting question (and thank you so much for enjoying my comics)! Any character is honestly up for grabs when it comes to re-imagination. My comic prof always said "there's no such thing as a bad story, just a good story that's not finished yet", and that's my mindset whenever I'm tackling characters that make people go "but why that one though?". I love niche characters because of the freedom I get in expanding a character with limited iterations, and wondering what is it I can bring out of them that DC hasn't yet.

My answer is essentially somewhere in your "to clarify" part of your ask: where yes it's definitely not impossible to connect to characters who have different cultural experiences than your own, but also the second part about "I didn't relate to Superman for a long time because I didn't see him as someone culturally disconnected even when that's a part of his lore" (pardon my paraphrasing).

For the first half, it's pretty obvious on my blog that I have strong biases for twin characters, diaspora narratives (immigrant experience is my catnip), and queer stories. While I'm not Native Hawaiian, I relate by proxy to experiences surrounding cultural genocide, assimilation, and colonization + gentrification through tourism as an Indonesian. Along with a love for qpoc culture both modern and pre-colonial, it's not that hard for me personally to connect to characters like Nanaue and Tana Moon/Taonui Mun.

But human experiences are vast and there's bound to be things I can't relate to or understand fully. That's where the second half comes in. I too never saw Superman as an immigrant or diaspora. It wasn't until Gene Yang -with his own life experiences and opinions- made Smashes the Klan that I saw Superman differently and couldn't see him any other way again. My aim is to bring about that feeling for others in my AU.

It helps to supplement your own knowledge with other people's perspectives. I'm sure you've heard the whole research spiel before! But I don't think enough people talk about how much empathy you develop from it. I finally committed to consistently learn ASL for Ma'al (building upon what I've already learned from Deaf people and their history), and that in turn informed my criticism of Noah Ikumelo's portrayal in Hellblazer. While working on Don't Call Me Superboy, I'm reading "From A Native Daughter" by Haunani-Kay Trask to inform my take on Tana/Taonui. "Cultural people have to become political… Our culture can’t just be ornamental and recreational." are words from her that are never going to leave me now haha.

I consider it a necessity in media criticism to not just bring in your own unique perspective to inform your reading, but to supplement it with the knowledge of others to expand your worldview. The best thing about art is its ability to broaden your empathy for people from real and non-existing backgrounds. But empathy is a skill that requires work and challenging your own preconceived notions.

That's how I "recognize these stories as ones needing expanding on". It's another reason why I love niche characters, people don't give them a chance or see little point in them but there's always a story to tell. Creativity's only limit is what you believe is the limit.

[bugeyedfreaks]

Your personal ranking for all the villains’ lairs/houses/homes in the Powerpuff Girls series?

Okay, so, I was actually going to make this a whole huge post with tons of screenshots and everything… but I never had the time and I haven’t answered it in months. These are also sort of my rapid fire, super quick opinions that aren’t ultra in-depth deep dives (if anyone wanted me to do one of my deep dives on one of the villain’s lairs… send me an ask and I might, as long as I could just focus on one at a time)… so they’re a little bit joke-y. But I want to post this once and for all, so here you go!

Fuzzy Lumpkins

Total cottagecore vibes. I mean, a cute, cozy little shack in the woods? So quaint! So calming! It's okay, ignore all the gunshot noises. 6/10!

Him

I like his weird pink void better than his Dali-esque one from the later seasons. It feels a lot more mysterious and foreboding to me, I can't exactly explain why. 8/10 for the pink void, 5/10 for the Dali-esque place.

Boogie Man

I WANT TO PARTY IN HIS SEXY UNDERGROUND DISCO 10/10!!!!!

Femme Fatale

Just a sensible apartment. The art could be less, uh, on point? 3/10, kind of bland.

Mojo Jojo

He absolutely needs more furniture, but the way he decorates is impeccable. I love that clean, modern feel... very sleek and sophisticated. The actual observatory is probably labyrinthian with all sorts of weird rooms and stuff and the fact that it has all that space while also being on top of a volcano is kind of cool. 9/10!

Gangreen Gang

It's a dump but they keep it pretty clean! I would not want to live that close to garbage, though. The actual clubhouse gets a 8/10 (it's comfy in there, plus they have a kickass stereo system and can jam whenever they want!) but for the location, I give it a 3/10.

Princess Morbucks

Genuinely wanted her bedroom as a kid (I just like the idea of having a big comfy royal bed with that curtain above it, it's so fancyyyy), and I think it's so cool that she apparently has, like, all this other cool junk in her house. She's so snobby and would give me a 0/10 but I have to give her place at least a 9/10.

The Smiths

I'd hate my life too if I had Harold's house. 2/10, just a typical suburban home.

Lenny Baxter

You know this place smells musty and crusty and is covered with a thin coating of Cheeto dust. 0/10, burn it to the ground and keep his collection inside when you do.

Roach Coach

I'm saving the worst ones for last, apparently. 🤣 I'll give his apartment a 1/10 because I just think it's so bizarre that he even had an apartment to begin with. I get that we're supposed to think he's a human, but I wonder if it's like a Men In Black thing where he's a roach that just lives inside a robot body and needed the place for appearances. ...anyway, I give the actual apartment building a 5/10 because it actually didn't look bad. It’s actually pretty nice and clean. Why must Roach Coach keep his place in such squalor?!

Also, is he paying the rent for all of his roach friends, too? Wow. What a king.

Sedusa never really had a place to live and I refuse to count the dump because that's really the GGG's turf, so I'm giving Craig McCracken a 0/10 score for this. Shame!

Actually, since I'm such a sweet and kind and generous person, I will give him a 10/10 for just letting the Amoeba Boys kind of wander around without a real home either. They're too stupid to own real estate. Great commitment to character detail. 👍

If I forgot anyone else's lair let me know and I’ll add it!

[noctilin]

Hi jez!! ive been a long time follower of yours and your art has been a huge help when i was struggling in school. Hope you dont mind me asking this out of the blue but Im graduating soon and i still dunno if the careerpath i'll be taking is one i wanna take for life. I really like art, but im not really good at it, and i dont rlly have the means to "follow my passion". Im curious, do you do art for a living full time, or are you doing art while also having a quote unquote "real job"?

it doesnt really help that my parents arent very supportive of my art hobbies as of now, especially since im not making any money out of it. Money speaks as they say... LOL

hello!! i answered a question similar to this before you might be interested in. but tldr, i draw for a living! mainly freelance illustration.

commitment to art as a career is such a... complicated topic, i won't lie. even more difficult when you don't really have a sturdy support system like you say :( unfortunately, most people don't realize this is or isn't what they want until they take that leap.

personally, at first, it felt good, affirming to earn a living out of my art, it still does, but after years of it, i realized i would rather not monetize my work. it caused me to develop a complicated relationship with my creative process over the years. it often makes me question if i feel fulfilled with what i do, or if i'm only making this a means to survive. it burns me out constantly. even in the present, i have to continuously recondition my own perception of my process. but i'm currently not in a good position to just switch out my career.

i have been incredibly lucky that my art garners interest the way it does, and i make sure not to take it for granted. but i cannot hide how mentally draining it is to draw because i need to make ends meet instead of drawing because of the joy of it.

i like my art, i just wish i could enjoy it without worrying about a hungry stomach at the same time. 😅

i guess the point i'm making from all this is that money as a motivator in a creative field can be a mind killer. some people can do it, but i've rarely met such personalities... so what i'll say is this: if you want to learn and be around creatives, i would encourage going to art school, if you can. but going to art school isn't the end of it all either if you find it difficult to enroll yourself in one. art is accessible to all nowadays! just take a few google or youtube searches and maybe a little trip to the library, regardless if you want to keep it as a hobby or pursue it professionally. i've met a lot of artists who've landed full time jobs in studios without finishing an art degree. it's just a matter of letting your portfolio talk for you, a little bit of luck, and surrounding yourself with people who spark and uplift your creative spirit.

i know this is all still uncertain, but if there's anything i'm sure about, it's the fact that you don't have to give up art to live. art is living. it can still be your hobby if it doesn't end up as your job. and even if it doesn't become your career now, it's not impossible to have it in the future. i hope you find your way and, for what it's worth, congratulations on your upcoming graduation :)!

[nekropsii]

hello oh great provider of art and analysis, do you have any tips on how to correctly analyse a character?

Funnily, I don't think there's a correct way to analyze media, but there are incorrect ways to do it. But my advice for sound analysis is as follows...

Look at Canon. Reference it as heavily as physically possible. Take into consideration who the author is, and what their intentions would be. Extradiegetic Analysis is extremely important. Commit to it. Do not pussyfoot around Extradiegetic Analysis. Take into consideration the story, its tone, who it's made for, who it is marketed towards, what messages it's trying to convey, how, and why. Use Occam's Razor heavily. Ground yourself, turn off "Fandom Brain", and your own personal headcanons. Remember that Characters are Plot Devices, not People- they are put in the story for a reason, and they serve a particular function within the narrative. Ask yourself what that reason is, and what that function is. It's important to get a firm grasp of the story and the characters in it before extrapolating. Ponder their relationships with themself, others, the world around them, their task at hand. Try to take into account framing, themes, motifs, and symbolism.

Grab anything that really stands out to you, see what you can do with it. Analyze why it stands out to you. Does it match your own personal experience in some way? Does it remind you of something else? Does it seem to be setting something up within the context of a story? Are the curtains blue for a reason? If not, should they be? What if they did? What function would that serve?

Analysis is largely asking questions and trying to answer them. Sometimes those questions are posed by the thing you're analyzing itself. Sometimes the question comes from your heart. Sometimes it emerges from something you've latched onto that isn't quite there - a blind spot in the narrative, missed potential, et cetera.

Again, Occam's Razor is your friend. Get very familiar with it. And... Do not consult Freud on anything. If you feel the impulse to consult Freudian analytical concepts without prompting from the narrative itself, that's the devil talking to you. Beat it to death immediately. We do not need Freudian analysis of children's cartoons. We literally do not need that. It will be wrong.

This is one I'm seeing more and more disregard for lately, especially with regards to minority headcanons... Consider the real-world implications of your analysis. I do not think it is very "woke" to headcanon unrepentant sexually abusive assholes as trans women, or characters who are known for their loudness, aggression, and abusive natures as Black. Consider optics for maybe, like, five seconds. Analysis is just as much an act of introspection as it is an act of dissecting a piece of fiction. You need to be able to ask yourself why you're seeing characters the way that you're seeing them. Sometimes that answer is latent bigotry. Unpack that. Work on it. Sometimes the answer is that the author is a bigot and trying to tell you something about the group of people a character is supposedly representative of. Acknowledge it. Unpack that. Work with it. And I mean that seriously- you cannot just skirt around bigotry without perpetuating the bigotry yourself. Analysis will, by way of the vulnerability of the practice, get uncomfortable at times. Be ready for that.

Think critically and think for yourself. A lot of people shoot themselves in the foot by being reactionary, and/or letting other people do the thinking for them. Again, analysis will get uncomfortable at times. It is vulnerable, introspective, and an act of challenging yourself and your worst habits. Commit to that.

Oh, and have fun. Yes, I just spent several paragraphs talking about how analysis is challenging and uncomfortable, but don't make yourself have a genuinely bad time on purpose. You truly do not need to give yourself an attack or episode for the sake of an internet post or something. Horror movie rules - know your limits and respect them.

That's all for now, I think. There's infinite nuance to this subject, but I believe this is a decent 101 post.

[jjinx1998]

xxtc-96xx Callout post

To start I want you to know I didn't want things to have to come to this but after recent developments and discussions from others I cannot ignore what's been going on for years now. This is a problem revolving around the user @xxtc-96xx , the comic Endertale, and the Undertale fandom. I will try to explain what I know and offer proof when I can, but there might be some sloppiness as this is my first real post on Tumblr. If there is any technical issues about this post, please let me know so I can fix it.

Let me start from the beginning. I have been a long time fan of xxtc-96xx since about 2016 (I will refer to them as TC to make it easier). I have enjoyed looking at the art they create for many years, mainly the ones revolving around Endertale.

Endertale is a fan comic that TC made of the game Undertale. It's a very decent story with a pleasant art style. I would recommend it but I cannot and I will get to why. You see TC has suffered from something that just about any creator can relate to, burnout. The most recent comic page being posted in 2021 though there was already a hiatus established before that.

While they made it long clear that they needed to go on break for personal reasons, people wanted to ask for when they will continue it. Some of them calm and reasonable and other's were very much not nice. TC answered them honestly at first.

Then it started to devolve into troll responses or just not answering.

Not just on Tumblr but people kept asking on Deviantart as well. In fact people are still asking today in 2024. It has gotten so frequent that TC felt it necessary to change their profile header to this:

And it has stayed that way for so long I lost track of when it started. To be fair, even I found the frequent questions to be overwhelming and they just like every artist who makes stuff for free is entitled to take a break from their work. However this post isn't a complaint about how long it takes to finish a comic, it's about something that started because of the wait.

See, their original reason to take a break was because they were too busy with personal matters for them to commit to an actual comic. But as their history up to today has shown that's no longer a valid excuse. As time went on they started to show an interest in the Pokemon fandom. specifically the pokemon known as Mewtwo. To make a long story short, what started as small doodles grew into a whole bunch of fancomics and animations. To compare, they have drawn nearly four times as many Pokemon drawings compared to Undertale. Now, it is perfectly fair and acceptable to find an interest in a different fandom. And while I personally prefer Undertale over Pokemon I completely supported their decision to focus on other fandoms and enjoyed what they made. I also understood their issues with the fandom at the time, some people were rather aggressive, rude, or demanding the comic to be completed, a comic that's completely free that they make no profit out of. I even recall one point they tried to unsuccessfully drag a different content creator into this issue as if it would somehow work.

However I started to notice they had a warped perception on the fandom. Rather than blame the few people that harassed them online with constant asks, they believed that the entire fandom as a whole is to blame as declared it all toxic. Something they insist on repeating to all their fans and making them believe their opinion as fact.

Now for the record I am very aware of how toxic this fandom was and can be at times. I was around since the beginning and have seen just about every drama that has come. From the fans harassing you for not doing the pacifist route in the first time playing, people arguing if either Frisk or Chara is a really bad person, arguing over Frisk's and Chara's gender, is genocide the right choice, is Toriel the bad guy or Asgore, and a controversy revolving around a certain creator of the au Glitchtale (the last one TC coincidentally emulates their "Delay work for one week for every ask" and finds it amusing). I know this fandom is not the best but I love it all the same, it's as much a part of my life as it is for TC. I know I am not perfect at showing my interest for Undertale, as this image of a private ask shows.

Or this time I made a obviously joke ask and apparently I didn't realize a lot of people don't understand sarcasm.

Or when I tried to ask this sincere and nonaggressive question, one of the few times TC isn't putting up some kind of attitude.

Or this other ask from me.

At the end of the day this is just a comic. No one has any right to demand them to continue it or make death threats, this is completely unacceptable. However, at the same time this doesn't mean the creator should dehumanize the entire fandom or punish the few that are being respectful. They wait and what do they get, people mocking them and bullying them. That's what I realized in the past week when I engaged in the comments of a few posts. TC allow their fans to bully the fandom.

I tried to be as calm and reasonable as I can and yet I get called out as a toxic fan. And in the end did TC scold everyone else, no, they basically told me to shut up. I overestimated the fans intelligence and if they could handle basic logic, read the comments for yourself to see my point. As someone with Asperger and anger issues, it's a god given miracle I am still trying to maintain my composure within this insanity that has been going on for years. I have spoken with several content creators who asked to remain anonymous about this entire fiasco and we have similar conclusions about TC.

TC has been through a lot of painful and hurtful comments over the years that they did not deserve in the slightest. They are entitled to do whatever they want with their comic and works. Saying a fandom is or isn't toxic is unhelpful as you fundamentally miss the mark on how fandom culture works. As a creator, it is not right to hang this hiatus over people's heads and string them along. TC does not respect their Undertale fans in the slightest and mocks those who is still waiting. They indirectly encourage their other fans to bully and dehumanize the rest.

I held back on making a comment about all this for two reasons. One, TC's fandom terrifies me. They are complete smug hypocrites who spend way too much time on the internet that they don't realize that if they use their words in real life they will get punched in the face for it. Two, despite everything I still believe that TC can change. I like to believe the best in everyone and that there is hope that maybe this time TC will realize they have become the very thing they hate. That hope has faded to cinders. I'm done with TC, my only concern is the people remaining to wait for the comic.

To everyone who is waiting for Endertale and/or following TC because you like their Undertale stuff, leave them and never come back. They do not respect you, they look down on you, they laugh watching you wait, you deserve better than them. Even if they do finish the comic eventually it will not be made out of love or passion.

DO NOT harass and bully them because of my words. I will not tolerate any attempt to do so.

My final words are for TC if they even decide to read this:

TC, I know we are not friends, you made that clear long ago but I was hoping we could've been. You were a huge inspiration for me in the past and was what pushed me to attempt learning about art. I looked up to you and tried to support you when you were feeling down. You are no longer that person.

You do not have the right to condemn an entire fandom as toxic and declare it as a fact of life. It's people like you that keep the fandoms so divided to this day. It's because of people like you I am scared for my life if I ever mention Undertale in public. Your fixation on the sins of the past prevents us from moving forward. I do not excuse what happened but the past is in the past, get over it and grow up, you are an adult so act like it.

You say you don't owe us any comic or works, well at the same time if you want to mistreat the fandom I care about then I or anybody don't owe you any respect yet I did for nearly five years.

Why? Because I cared about how this all made you feel. What do you see when you look at me, another obsessed toxic fan who should keep their mouth shut or a PERSON with their own thoughts feelings and beliefs?

One of your problems is that you think nothing ever seems to be your fault, just the fans who keep asking. Well maybe they wouldn't have asked if you didn't leave them hanging for almost five years. To me, it no longer matters if you finish Endertale or not.

Maybe you still think it isn't your fault, then that makes me the idiot for hoping you can be better. You hurt me, really hurt me. I don't think I can ever trust someone like you again.

Do you know what I really want?

Your apology. I want you to make a genuine apology to me and the fandom at your actions over the years. I won't block you because being the idiot I am I hope my words mean something to you and you'll want to chat.

But until you wise up ask yourself this familiar question,

Do you really think you are above consequences?

[priestly-prince]

HIIIII thank you for tha follow back ::D

Youre really cool and i hope you have a nice day!

Can i hear a little more about vader and batter's love/devotion/loyalty dynamic in your OFF au? SO HEAVILY INTERESTED IN IT

and and also Could i PLEASE hear about your favoritecharacter or character dynamic rrom faith? I love your faith art!

Hey hello! Good to see you, thanks for following and I'm glad you like my stuff!

So I'll answer the FAITH first as it'll be shorter. My favourite character is John, I relate to him a lot. For dynamics, idk, because there's a lot of isolation and little actual interaction, but I'd love to see more of John and Lisa and their story.

OK SO for the OFF stuff. It's a little esoteric and difficult to describe but here goes.

So the Batter was created sometime later than the rest of the world, as a response to the appearance of spectres. So kinda like in OFF itself, but by the Queen this time. Overall, his primary purpose is to protect the Queen, and ensure her wellbeing and such. Because he was created rather quickly compared to the other inhabitants of the world, he wasn't really created with the same care and nuance to make him well rounded and complete. So like, he comes out as a blank slate, no real personality, no sense of morals and such. And while he does experience /some/ emotion, he doesn't fee, express or process them in a recognisably human way.

So really, at the point of creation, all he really has is that commitment to Vader. And while he can't feel love in the way that we traditionally recognise it, the closest he feels is a sort of fondness and familiarity, which he experiences over the course of his work as her personal bodyguard and confidant. His work and his dedication to duty can actually feel like the typical "love languages". Acts of service is an obvious one, but he's also a near-constant companion, and he might not be great with conversation, but he's a good listener who can offer comfort or advice when required. It's all stuff that can feel a lot like love to the one receiving it. And so, Vader falls in love with him, and the person he grows to become.

They work it out, but they both do have their existential doubts about things. The Batter is very much aware that he's "incomplete" and not a "real"person, and so he does have concerns that he can't give Vader the kind of things she may want/need from a relationship. But she reassures him that she loves him for who he is and how he makes her feel, rather than what he can do for her. On the other hand, Vader sometimes worries that she might be exploiting Batter, and that he only stays with her because he lacks the agency to say no, and that she's taking advantage of him due to his devotion. He reassures her that his duty to service is different to his contentment with service, and he experiences both distinctly and seperately.

They're a little dysfunctional, and they frequently have to reassure each other, and treat each other very gently because of it. (Perhaps sometimes too gently.) But they make it work in the long run.

[jungkoode]

I don’t mean to ask personal question & of course you do NOT have to answer this at all, but I’ve just been curious about it. You said that you were taken, so I was wondering if your partner is fine with you writing explicit stories about other people. Obviously it’s just fiction, but my experience with my past relationships has always been a disaster, as all of them were never pleased with the idea of me being a fan of boy groups or other men in general & if I ever were to write stories about other men, the situation would just escalate, that’s why I enjoy being single at the moment bc I have kind of lost hope of someone accepting the things I like..

Hi love—thank you so much for the way you worded this. I could genuinely feel how much care and respect you put into the question, and I want to honor that by replying with the same energy.

So, full transparency: I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to answer this publicly. Not because I minded sharing about myself, but because I could feel how personal this was for you, and I don’t want to contribute to anyone feeling exposed or raw. But I decided to respond because I think this is such an important conversation—especially for younger adults navigating identity, creativity, and relationships—and I wish someone had told me this sooner.

To get to the core of your question: yes, I’m in a long-term relationship (7 years going strong!). Yes, my partner knows what I write. And yes, they are absolutely fine with it.

Now, here’s the part I really want to highlight—because this isn’t just about relationships. It’s about maturity. And I don’t mean that in the condescending “you’ll get it when you’re older” way (I’ve met 19-year-olds with more emotional maturity than people in their 40s). I mean emotional security. Self-worth. The ability to differentiate between real intimacy and symbolic admiration.

Because the thing about being a fan, about writing stories, even explicit ones, about someone like Jungkook, isn’t actually about Jungkook. Like I said in a previous ask—this kind of parasocial interest has layers. Yes, we’re drawn to them because they’re beautiful. But when you actually follow an idol, especially long-term, what we respond to isn’t just physical. It’s the archetype they represent to us. The values. The emotional imprint.

I’m not in love with Jungkook. And I say that not as a dig, but as a psychological fact. The definition of romantic love, as outlined in decades of research (e.g., Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love), requires intimacy, commitment, and passion—the first of which is only possible through knowing someone deeply and mutually. Parasocial connections, by design, are one-sided. So as intense as the feelings might get, they don’t meet the clinical or emotional definition of “being in love.” They’re reflective, symbolic, and often deeply personal.

My partner understands that. They know that I admire Jungkook not just for his looks, but because I see parts of myself in him. I relate to his work ethic. His perfectionism. His discomfort with vulnerability despite being deeply sensitive. His need to overachieve to feel safe. His quiet loyalty. His contradictions. I don’t want to date him—I want to understand him, because understanding him helps me understand me.

And that’s the crux of it: my partner isn’t competing with an idol. Because my partner is real. I know their flaws. I’ve seen them tired and sick and angry and overwhelmed. I love them in ways I couldn’t love a projection, because love requires humanization. My writing is fiction. It’s creative expression. And it doesn’t threaten our relationship because they know the difference between fantasy and reality, admiration and intimacy, art and infidelity.

Now, that said—I fully get where you’re coming from. If past partners have made you feel like your interests were “too much” or “unacceptable,” especially in the realm of fandom, that’s not just frustrating—it’s a form of invalidation. It reflects their insecurity, not your lack of worth. And it breaks my heart a little, because so many of us (especially women and queer people) grow up being told that our joy is irrational, unserious, or something to hide. That our passions aren’t “real” unless they’re attached to men they can recognize or relate to.

But listen—being single right now is not a failure. It’s actually such a powerful choice when you know your peace is worth protecting. There are people out there who will not only accept your interests, but respect them. Who will recognize the difference between sexual admiration and objectification. Because yes, that distinction matters. I’ve wrestled a lot with why it doesn’t bother me to follow idols, while I do get bothered when men follow women purely for their appearance. And I’ve come to the conclusion that for me, it comes down to intent. Am I admiring someone’s whole self—their craft, story, contradictions—or am I reducing them to a sexual object? That line is the difference between admiration and consumption.

So if someone can’t see that—if they treat your interests as competition or something to be ashamed of—they are not emotionally mature enough to partner you. Period. That doesn’t mean you’re “too much.” It means you’ve outgrown the wrong spaces.

Take your time. You don’t need to explain yourself to people who can’t meet you where you are. You’re not wrong for loving what you love.

And when someone does show up with the capacity to understand that—whether they’re a fan too or not—it’s not going to be an argument. It’s going to be a conversation. A collaboration. The way it should be.

You deserve that. And I promise it exists. ♥︎

[lilac-cat-draws]

Is the bsd flower/tattoo shop AU going to become a series? Because I'm sure me and many others would be absolutely delighted if it was!

Pretty please. Pretty pretty please with cherries on top can it become a series?

I had thought about it for a bit a long time ago back in 2022 and it was left up in the air for a long time due to not having the time and commitment needed because of my real life keeping me busy

BUT that doesn't mean that I remade this au without a story in mind, the closest this is in terms of a series (albeit using the word "series" loosely) is that I'll make comics and writings that open more into each of the characters, from their pasts and relationships in this universe

As of answering this, I have already planned and made a couple of short comics and art about this au (and finding the right time to post them here) that shows bits and pieces of this world through the character's interactions, little scenarios, and headcanons, kinda like a slice of life story

mind you that they might be a bit out of order in terms of the timeline but I'll try to maintain consistency on all of the posts about this au

and one more thing, as for my old posts about it back in 2022, just know that some of those posts will have outdated info that will either be no longer canon to this rework or will be rewritten to fit the new version

I'm really glad you and many others are enjoying this au, it really means a lot because this was really fun to work on again and I was a bit worried that people wouldn't be into this after leaving it on such a long hiatus

[scribble-dribble-writes]

Endless light

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Pairing: Miguel o'hara x Black cat reader

Word count: 2200

Warnings: none

Content: Since you did a Zorro one, in the second movie (I think) there is a sword fight scene where they argue and then kiss in the end

Requested by: @alathan13

Excuse the delay, the past week has been crazy. So had to find so time to write. I'm also working on the requests that have come through but just need some time. I hope you like it!

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The hallway was dark, that was until you pulled out your pocket mirror, which was another one of your handy gadgets and you looked through it just to confirm your weren’t going to walk through a bunch of lazer beams.

“So you really are going to marry him.”, was a statement you heard from a man you knew well, maybe too well. You pressed your lips as you pretended to look into the mirror, to make it all look like you just needed a moment to fix your lipstick.

“This is my engagement party.”, you put away your device.

“If you haven’t noticed.”, you lifted your eyebrow as you turned to him, to take in his outfit and along with it the burning gaze with which he was looking at you.

“And yet you’re here, away from it all.” he pursed his lips as if he was hot on your trail.

He walked closer to you and you stepped back, till there was no more room, till your back rested against the wall. He placed his arms to either of your side, caging you within as his eyes found yours after they had dripped low to your lips.

“Let the poor guy know you’re just here to steal the diamond.”, he gave you a smile, a dangerous one as he read your mind.

“Seems like you just want to stop the wedding.”, you held your weight against his pressing focus. Nothing intimidated you and maybe that was why he couldn’t let you go.

“Maybe.”, he shrugged his shoulders with a down turned lip looking away unenthused as if that was the real reason for his attendance.

“Oh no Miguel, have you fallen in love with me?”, you pushed away from the wall to trace a finger down the side of his cheek to tilt his face back towards you, to tease him for his moody demeanor.

But he held your gaze, his eyes softening as he said, “Maybe”.

The smile you had faltered as you pulled away your hand from his face as though you had touched a live wire.

“Go back to the party, enjoy the food and go home.”, you ducked under his arms and ventured further into the hallway.

“And let you commit a crime?”, he fell into step as he caught up with you.

“Always the hero.”, you clicked your tongue as you halted to fix your gaze on him.

“Have you ever wondered why we didn’t work out?”, you raised a question and he parted his lips to answer but you weren’t willing to listen. With every second you spent quarreling with him, you were losing time on stealing what you wanted.

“He’s working with King Pin.”, he held your wrist and pulled you back to him.

“So?”, you furrowed your brows but his touch was sparking the feelings you had for him, again.

“He’s dangerous.”, he whispered with worry in his eyes, he looked like a lost boy waiting and yearning for you to reciprocate what he felt.

You wriggled your hand but he wouldn’t let go. You wanted to argue but before you could,

“and losing his diamond to the National Arts Museum will serve him well.”, he explained further and then it all fell into place.

“You want me to steal it?”, you questioned, now confused as to what his motive was.

“No, I want us to steal it.”, he said with glimmering eyes and you were sure there was a catch to this.

“So I can then donate it?”, you furrowed your brows, the feeling of his fingers wrapped around your wrist made you want to place your hand on his lips, to stop him from speaking so you could trace it’s shape with your fingers.

“Yes.”, he admitted and it broke your daydream.

“No way.”, you responded as you slipped your hand from his hold.

“I’ll compensate you for your loss.”, he still held your gaze and you didn’t want to move away from it.

“Oh how do you plan on doing that?”, you questioned folding your arms to fix him with an unenthused look.

“I have my ways.”, he said as fiddled with the edge of the bow that held your dress together.

“So this is part of your great plan to get me back.”, you swallowed as your throat ran dry, learning that this scheme of his wasn’t for some heroic purpose but for his own.

“I’ve always wanted you back.”, he took a step closer as though he wanted to cup your cheek.

“You’re the one who’s fighting this.”, he said it with a passion that was infuriating.

“Ha right.”, you rolled your eyes, because if not he could see the evident loneliness in them.

You tried to walk away from him again, which was beginning to become difficult. There was an unsaid pull towards him, to stay in his hold, to let his fingers pull away your armour that seemed to fall easily around him.

But as you took a step away, you felt the tug on your hip, to then feel the fabric of your dress slip loose. It fluttered as it felt to the ground revealing your suit underneath.

“There she is.”, Miguel smiled admiring your contoured silhouette.

“And how did you plan on playing that off if I didn’t have my suit underneath?”, you turned to him as he picked up your purse from your hand.

“Wouldn’t have complained.”, he snorted a laugh as he fiddled through your belongings to pick up your mask.

“Would have preferred it that way.”, he found your eyes as he fixed your mask around it and you were glad the dim light hid the colour of your cheeks.

“Your charms don’t work anymore.”, you met his gaze with resilience, he hummed as though he was impressed as his finger wandered down your cheek to your neck.

“Then why is it that your pulse is heightened?”, he smirked and you grumbled pulling away from his touch to pick up your dress from the floor.

“You’re insufferable, that’s why.”, you huffed and caught a glimpse of his tuxedo transforming into his spider suit.

You trudged further till you reached a vault and all you could focus on was his presence trailing behind you. He took shared your cat like abilities to lurk around darkness.

“Don’t follow me.”, you warned him as you flipped open the key pad to enter the code.

“I have an equal stake in this heist. I promised the mayor the diamond will be returned to the museum.”, he had his hands on his hips as your threw him a glance over your shoulder.

“Great.”, you said sarcastically as the keypad turned green, granting you access into the next step.

“How did you get him to share the forbidden code?”, he peeked over your shoulder. The hairs on the back of your neck standing up as you felt his breath on your back.

“Men confess anything in their sleep.”, you mumbled shrugging your shoulders hinting to the ease at securing your entry.

But turning to see him once you had secured your gloves, his stance was failing to mask his jealousy.

“What?”, you asked to battle his stare.

“Is that why you spent the night with me? To collect secrets?”, he towered over you.

“No.”, you said instantly. You couldn’t believe it, that he would even dare to question your motive as to why you had gone to him that night.

“Besides, that was ages ago.”, you turned away hurt at his assumption.

“And you mumbled you loved me in the dead of night.”, you spoke with your back facing him.

“Is that why you left?”, his voice was laced with longing.

“Maybe.”, you told him as you began to open the vault door. The heavy door swung open, enough for the two of you to enter.

He had fallen silent again and it was killing you, to see the effect you had on him.

The final step before reaching your prized possession was a series of tiles that had to be stepped on properly in a sequence.

“Did he treat you right?”, he asked and you sighed.

“Let this go, Miguel.”, you stated as your foot hovered over a tile.

“No, I can’t.”, he pulled you away from the glowing tiles.

“I need to know.”, his mask peeled away to expose his face.

“Did he hold you close like I did?”, he tilted his head. And you were growing annoyed, that if he asked another question, you were going to bombard him with the truth.

“Did his touch remind you of me?”, his eyes were heavy lidded, his face slowly leaning forward.

“Miguel, he was drunk and he fessed it up.”, you spoke out in anger, at his questioning, at the resurfacing memories.

“And yes, I can’t find someone else because every stupid little thing reminds me of you. And the worst is it has only made me miss you more.”, you gestured with your hands, trying to convey your annoyance but his eyes were wide with surprise.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”, he asked softly.

“Because we’re opposites, Miguel. The nature of our work will always get in the way.”, you argued.

“Aren’t we working together now?”, he looped his arm around your waist to bring you closer to him.

“And all we’ve been doing is arguing.”, your eyes bored into his.

“Why can’t you just admit that you’re wrong about this?”, he grew tense as you pulled away his hand from your waist to escape his hold again.

He took a few steps to walk ahead of you to be in your line of sight again but it was a single click that made you both freeze. His foot was on a glowing tile that buzzed red, out of instinct and fear you tackled him to the ground as poison darts shot out the walls above you. You waited till the silence filtered back in to see what you had done. You were sitting on top of his torso shielding him as best you could. When you tilted your face, the tip of his nose was touching yours, his eyes were dark and lovesick.

The alarms began to blare and you resorted to your backup plan. You used your grappling hook to latch onto the structural element above the floor to swing to the other side to then disable the active tiles.

The diamond sat in a glass box, using your claws you drew out an opening to break into it. Safely taking it out of the box, you secured it and in it’s place dropped your engagement ring.

“We need to get out of here.”, Miguel warned as the front door began to seal itself.

“The only exit is through the vents.”, you ordered him to crawl up first.

“But you hate confined spaces.”, he debated.

“For once in your life Miguel just do as I say.”, you yelled as the sirens grew louder. He got in and you followed.

The vents were wide enough to fit two people but his larger body took up most of the space as you crawled up next to him. It was silent for the most part and you were almost to the end when the tight walls had begun to cause your vision to blur. You stopped and so did he.

“Respirar.”, he coaxed you, his hand resting on your back as he comforted you.

So you inhaled and exhaled slowly, your eyes drifting to his again.

“We’re almost there.”, he said softly, and it amazed you. That even after your efforts to drive him away, he never left.

“I’ve never had someone love me the way you do.”, you confessed to him, whispering it between your breaths.

“Like you need me the way you need air to breathe.”, his eyes never left yours as he waited for you to spell out whatever it was that you wanted to say.

“And it’s difficult to accept that when I have spent my whole life, convinced I’m not worthy of receiving it.”, you finished to see him nod softly.

“Is that why you disappeared in the morning? After we…”, he looked away before his gaze found yours again.

“I had fallen in love with you and that scared me.”, you nudged closer as if you were bestowing your most coveted secret to him.

He leaned closer, the walls somehow disappearing around you, now making it feel cozy as his finger traced your jawline before he tilted your chin up. His eyes fell to your lips and before you could give in to kiss him, he did.

It felt like a part of you that had died, had come back to life. Your breath hot against his skin as he kissed you softly, mindful of where you both were but in the hum of the vents, you heard his as he smiled against your lips, as if this was what he had joined this heist for.

He pulled away so that you could get out of the place you were trapped in, you emerged out to the roof and made your escape.

To drop the diamond of at the museum under an alias because what he had promised seemed so much more better than some stone. He took you to the highest point of the city, to continue where he had left of, to let the city lights and stars shower you in endless glimmering light, the same way he gave his love freely.