#this is like softer than how i usually do my digital stuff and long ramble short i vibe with it

[mortemersgf]

cassiopeia and cepheus

ride or die: mona x f!mc (ellie wheeler)

summary: ellie visits mona in prison to find her girlfriend much softer than she remembered.

warnings: none, just fluff

word count: 1.5k

a/n: happy new year. school has been kicking my ass but i hope you’re all well! this is the first fic i’ve completed since like forever so bear with me 😭😭 enjoy <3

The thrumming beat of her heart doesn’t cease as Ellie collapses into one of the chairs. She releases a long breath, biting back laughter at the absurdity of the whole situation. Toby and I really just forged identities and lied to prison guards so that I can see my incarcerated girlfriend, she thinks.

The security camera in the corner emitting a red glow dims to a dull black. Toby’s work. He wanted to give the two privacy and to ensure their ploy stays undiscovered. He’s a wonderful guy, he really is. The man instantly agreed to Ellie’s scheme, grinning with enthusiasm she’s seen only when he tinkers with sleek vehicles.

She drums her fingers against the metal tabletop as she waits for Mona’s arrival. What do I say? Will she get mad at me for breaking our promise? How’s her wound? Is she planning to break out of prison yet? Did she miss me? Dozens of thoughts course through Ellie’s mind, but she is almost certain words will fail her when she sees Mona.

There’s a jiggle at the door.

Ellie stands and fumbles with her satchel, rooting through the bag for her folder. A guard steps in and scans the room dutifully. He pauses seeing her pull out sheets of interview questions and steps aside. “You get one hour,” he informs curtly, shutting the door behind him with a hollow clang.

Ellie drops the act at once, feeling her heart rate decrease. Too eager, her head snaps up to meet the woman in front of her.

Mona looks, well, like Mona. Her raven hair is as silky as ever and the scowl she has on her face… it’s her. There’s a new tattoo peeking out from the short sleeve of her uniform. Strangely, the baby blue prisoner outfit looks good on her. Screw that—Mona looks good in everything and nothing.

“I never consented to being a part of your documentary, so think twice about getting me to talk,” Mona says, moving to sit in the chair across from Ellie. Her face is of practiced disinterest. Classic Mona.

Ellie breaks out into a smile at her usual snarkiness. She’s missed her fiery Mona. She steadies her slightly shaky hands as she strips herself of her disguise. The cap is tossed aside, the wig is pulled off, and her glasses are settled atop the cool tabletop.

“You sure about that?” she asks.

Mona looks like she’d just seen a ghost. The dirty look on her face transforms into one of incredulity as she scans Ellie up and down, to make sure she is indeed seeing what she is seeing. After confirming that the woman standing before her is truly her Ellie, not some junior reporter aching to unravel Mona’s life story, she shoots to her feet and pulls her grinning girlfriend into a deep kiss. Mona tastes just how Ellie remembered: sweet and intoxicating.

Her grip on the back of Ellie’s head is almost vice-like, but the latter doesn’t mind it at all. Mona’s touch simply reminds her of the validity of the situation. Slowly, her hand trails to Ellie’s wet cheek, caressing it gently.

“God, you’re so stupid,” Mona mumbles after pulling away. A small, amused laugh escapes her as she sees Ellie sniffling. “Stop crying.”

“Don’t laugh! I really missed you.” Ellie says, wiping away her fallen tears with the back of her hand.

“So much that you resorted to committing a crime?” Mona asks, nodding at the wig, “You make a cute reporter, though.”

“You got shot for me, so I think we’re even.”

There’s a moment of silence as Mona makes her way to Ellie’s side, dark eyes searching hers. She tucks a chunk of hair behind Ellie’s ear and smiles wryly, “I told you not to wait for me.”

“You and I both know I was bound to break that promise sooner or later.”

“I know. I’m just that irresistible.”

Ellie’s shoulders shake as she laughs. She folds Mona into a hug, breathing in the subtle smell of her shampoo. A sigh of comfort slips past her mouth as their bodies meld together. It’s impossible to describe the feeling that courses through Ellie’s body in that instant. For too many nights, she has pressed a pillow to her chest, pretending it was Mona that was in her arms. She almost forgot how good her hugs were. They were safe, and they were comforting. As long as Ellie was wrapped in Mona’s arms, no harm could ever come to her.

“Hey, you got a new tattoo,” Ellie says, pulling away.

“Oh. I did.” Mona says, as if she forgot the tattoo was there. She almost looks embarrassed as her fingers brush against the tatted dotted lines.

“It’s a constellation, isn’t it?”

“So people keep telling me.”

“I didn’t know you were into stars.”

“I’m not. I got this for you, dummy.”

“Me?”

“This is Cassiopeia and Cepheus,” Mona says, rolling up her sleeve. Two tattoos, shaped like a house and the letter W, are inked into her pale skin. Ellie brushes her thumb across the art. Beautiful.

Mona continues, “I got this because... I liked their love story. It reminded me of us.”

Ellie’s face splits into a teasing grin. Mona, the same badass who can drive a car like no other, who took a bullet for her, got herself inked because of Ellie. She didn’t think she could love this woman any more, but time and time again, that proves to be false.

“God,” Mona says, scowling at the ground, cheeks warming, “this is more embarrassing than when I got shot. Don’t say anything. I don’t even—”

Ellie stops her embarrassed ramble with a soft kiss. She cups Mona’s pink cheeks and murmurs, “I like it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, you big softie.”

Mona gives Ellie a gentle shove, breathing out a scoff.

For the next half hour, they talk. Prison life, school life, and everything in between. Mona says she’s content. She keeps to herself mostly and stays out of trouble like Ellie had asked. As for the crew, Ellie hasn’t heard from any of them aside from Toby. The two of them ran into each other at a local cafe one day and stayed in touch with much discretion.

Mona hums out a response, absentmindedly running her fingers along Ellie’s forearm in a random pattern as she speaks. “It’s better this way. You should lose contact with him after this.”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“No, but you know better than anyone how grueling this life is, don’t you, babe?”

Ellie responds with a good natured eye-roll.

“Tell me Cassiopeia and Cepheus’ story,” she says, capturing Mona’s hand. Ellie slides her fingers between hers, smiling softly at their joined hands. This is so surreal, she thinks to herself, Her hands are so soft…

“It’s not that exciting,” Mona says. She rests her chin in her palm, avoiding Ellie’s eager eyes.

“It was exciting enough for you to get two tattoos, so spill!”

“Fine. Cassiopeia was someone with a truckload of faults, but her lover, Cepheus, adored her despite it all. One day, she was hurled into the sky for angering Hera. She stayed stuck among the stars, and that idiot Cepheus loved her so damn much he wanted to be thrown into the stars to be with her.”

“I really didn’t peg you to be the type of person to like stuff like this.”

“I thought the story was stupid. It is stupid. But staying confined in a cell for hours gets you thinking.”

“And what have you concluded?”

“That they’re messed up, but they still love each other.”

As much as Ellie was thinking about Mona from her dormitory, Mona was thinking about her just as much from a cell. She loves her. She loves her so much. “I love you, Mona,” Ellie says, untangling their hands just so she can press a chaste kiss to her palm.

Mona, in return, takes the opportunity to pinch Ellie’s cheek, not harshly but hard enough for her to squirm. “Do not use this against me, ever, got it?”

She laughs, batting away Mona’s hand. “Alright, alright!”

The digital watch strapped around Ellie’s wrist sounds a soft beep amidst her struggle. Five minute warning. Her face falls so evidently that Mona can’t resist pinching her cheek again.

“Time to go, I take it?” she asks.

Ellie mumbles a reply, nodding. Reluctantly, she stands and slips on her glasses and wig. She adjusts it accordingly, ensuring all stray strands of her own hair are hidden. After a moment’s worth, Mona moves around the table, snaking her arms around Cassie’s torso as she fixes on her cap.

She rests her chin on her girlfriend’s shoulder, mumbling, “I don’t want you to go.”

A pleasant shiver runs down Ellie’s spine with Mona’s breath fanning over her ear. She curses the absence of a bed in this dingy room in her head, huffing out a quiet sigh at what could've been a proper reunion. Nevertheless the slight regret, she spins around to embrace Mona, pecking her right on the forehead.

“If I’m being honest, I think prison has softened you,” Ellie grins, lowering her voice, “I’ll be back before you know it. The next time we meet, I’m taking you with me.”

“Ambitious,” Mona remarks, chuckling softly, “That’s really sweet, but don’t bother. I have something planned with some of the inmates.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Mona says, her nose grazing against Ellie’s. Just before she closes the distance between them once more, she adds, “You’ll see me soon enough, gorgeous. That’s a promise I’ll fight anything to keep.”

[trashcatsnark]

6, 8 - Dahlia 10, 13 - Tsuneko and Mamoru

You didn’t specify SFW or NSFW. So, I do Both

SFW Dahlia and Seeds

6. Going out to eat: Who pays? Who orders the most food? And who has dessert?

answered here

8. Who knows how to swim? Who doesn’t?

I feel like Dahlia and all the Seeds know how to swim. Dahlia grew up in very southern Louisiana, like heel of the boot, so she wasn’t ever far from a beach. She doesn’t remember clearly, unfortunately, but in her little jewelry box of memories and mementos is a photo of her at the beach with her dad and mom when she was a toddler in little floaty wings. 

The brothers learned how to swim early, I feel like Jacob and Joseph were probably taught by Old Man Seed in the throw the kid and the lake and see if they come back up for air kind of way, unfortunately. But they made sure to be the ones to teach John properly. During their time with the farm foster home, Jacob found a creek he’d found and sneak his two brother away to spend the day playing in the water. There was always hell to catch when they came back, but it’s good memories of the few moments they got to be kids. So, each of the brothers still have fond memories of swimming. John when he was with the Duncans also got to enjoy bougie indoor pools, but he’d take a dirty creek swimming with his brothers over that any day. 

Growing up in Hope County, Faith/Rachel also learned how to swim early on. There’s not exactly a lot to do in Hope County as a kid and there’s lots of water, so fishing and swimming were both pretty big and she doesn’t like fishing. As she got older her and Tracey would often go swimming in the lakes late at night to just kind of get away from everything. 

SFW Tsuneko and Mamoru

10. Any pets? Or plants?

Yes! Tsuneko has a pet ferret named Kiyohito, Kiyo to his friends which is everyone. The little guy is always getting into trouble, but he loves cuddling with Mamo when he moves in, Kiyo basically sees Mamoru as a giant bed. They do not have plants though, unless they’re the plastic kind. While Tsuneko is a fantastic pet mom, she cannot take care of plants to save her life. She doesn’t know what it is, but it’s just not worth it. Mamoru is...well Mamoru, he can’t take care of himself let alone a plant. 

13. Who stays up late? Who sleeps the most? Does the other have to force them to sleep/wake up?

Tsuneko stays up way later than Mamoru, she generally before him has a lot of issues sleeping. Though, he has his own issues. Because she doesn’t get much sleep and has nightmares. Mamoru sleeps a lot, but it’s rarely quality sleep, he wakes up and he just still feels tired. This lessens more when they actually live together, because Mamo and Tsun find that they both get better sleep when they’re together. So, he starts dragging her to bed even when she’s trying to stay up to do one of the bazillion things she claims she needs to do. So, eventually their schedules sync up more and more. He forces her to go to sleep and she forces him to wake up, both act annoyed but love it. 

NSFW ASKS UNDER CUT (CAUSE I A RAMBLY BITCH)

NSFW Dahlia & Seeds

6. Dom/top? Sub/bottom? Any switches?

Dahlia is a technical switch with a heavy lean towards sub/bottom. She can get pleasure and satisfaction from either, she likes to do what makes her partner happy. However, her lack of experience, tends to slot her in the sub/bottom role because well, she’d like to do what makes them happy but doesn’t know what would do that. She also...just kinda likes being manhandled a lot. But, she’d be lying if she said being able to dom one of the bros who’re physically bigger and stronger than her isn’t kind of a rush. As a bottom/sub she also tends to be the uh, bratty variety, mouthy, generally has to be a pain in the ass. 

Jacob is dom and top, 99.9% of the time, he just likes feeling in control, feeling powerful. That being said, he doesn’t like an easy win, so to speak. He likes that back and forth sort of power struggle/battle for dominance during sex. He likes to feel like he’s more than earned being the one in control, so, he’s more than okay with Dahlia’s more bratty tendencies. He also like feeling his partner is strong and capable in their own right, even if he’s taking control in the end. When he does let Dahlia do any kind of domming/topping, it’s usually offered almost condescendingly or like a challenge, like oh, i’d like to see you even try, pup

John is described in game as a sadomasochist, meaning he can find pleasure in both giving and receiving pain. So, I’d say that places him in the switch category, he definitely can and does get pleasure from being dommed and topped, with Dahlia it makes him feel wanted and desired. But, I will say i feel he still goes more into top/dom territory, he leans that direction a bit more. Again, due to Dahlia’s inexperience, the Seeds taking control is just kind of natural, but also he’s really clingy and needy, so he tends to initiate and steer the direction of it more. 

Of the Seeds, I feel like Joseph leans the most towards bottom/sub as any other of them. Though, I would still classify him as kind of a service top, I guess. His main focus is on making Dahlia feel good, he wants his partner to feel loved and cared for. He’s the one in control, but it’s all focused on servicing her and making her feel good. He also is very interested in bottoming in traditional ways, Joseph wants to be pegged, you can’t change my mind because it makes him feel loved and wanted as well, he wants to give his absolute all to her, in any, way, shape, or form she’ll take him

Faith is dom/top, most dominant of the Seeds after Jacob. She’s dealt with a lot of feelings of powerlessness over her life, struggling with being underestimated due to her appearance. So, sex is a really nice place for her to be dominant and feel that control. She likes being able to lead things and see the effect she has on Dahlia, whether that’s more soft version of it, massages that lead to pinning Dahlia’s hips down while she plays with her, or more rough, sitting on Dahlia’s face type stuff. 

8. Favourite erogenous zones?

As I’ve said a lot, Dahlia doesn’t have much (any) experience before the Seeds in any universe so, I would say, i thinks she’s genuinely surprised by how much she likes having her ass groped. Like I said, she very much finds out that she likes being groped and manhandled. Like, just one of them reaching over and grabbing a handful of her ass sends her reeling. On a softer note, she also really is into having her hair played with, not pulled, but stroked, ruffled, petted. It just makes her melt and become putty in their arms. 

As weird as it may sound, I think Jacob really likes when Dahlia strokes over his scars and kisses them. She doesn’t ever really point out or talk about his scarring, for a long time it’s always genuinely felt like she just didn’t notice or care. The only time she ever really has said anything is once asking if they still hurt and it was clear she was just concerned for him. He doesn’t consider himself insecure, but he knows the effect his scars have on how some people see him. So when she kisses and strokes them like she would any other part of him, it makes him happy. Other than that, Dahlia likes to tease him about his ears, calling them dumbo ears and wiggling them while telling him to fly away. He glares and calls her a nuisance, but it’s cute and maybe he kisses her a little harder than necessary right after. 

John’s found he really likes having his throat/neck kissed and bitten. Dahlia has kinda prominent canines, so when she gets into sucking and biting at his neck, she leaves a lot of marks. And he loves it. He could just lounge back, with his head tilted back and baring his throat to her for hours as she sat in his lap and covered him in marks. Otherwise, he really likes having his fingers in her mouth too, something about it just gets him riled up when she licks and sucks around the digits. Not only the suggestion of something dirtier, but having her love and desire him enough to worship even small parts of him. 

Joseph, kinda like Dahlia, has his hair as an erogenous zone for him in a way. But, not only does he like the gentler aspect, of having his hair stroked and played with. But unlike Dahlia he is completely okay with her pulling his hair. He likes her taking her pleasure from him, as he puts it. He likes her wanting him and being needed, that harsh pull of his hair just shows how much she needs him. Also gonna make you go bald quicker Joseph, but whatever His other erogenous zone that he loves, that he feels dirty admitting is when she kisses around his hips/belt line, just beneath his LUST scar. There’s just something about her looking up at him, as she kisses him there, with that sin plastered just above her lips. 

Faith has very sensitive breasts, she loves when Dahlia laves attention there, kissing and sucking, leaving marks across them. Even little things like when Dahlia just wants to nuzzle her face against Faith’s chest, deciding she prefer the plush of Faith’s breast to the brother’s more muscled chests. She just help but excited and wanna hold Dahlia there forever. Another slightly more innocent erogenous zone she has is her back. She likes giving and receiving massages a lot. The first time Dahlia gave her a back massage, it was meh, inexperience making a difference. But Dahlia is a quick and eager learner, the more she learns about Faith’s body, where to rub and press, the more those massages take a dirty turn. 

NSFW Tsuneko and Mamoru

10. First to orgasm? Last to orgasm? Who comes the most? Does someone ever end up unfinished?

Assuming it’s sex in which they’re both being stimulated, Tsuneko will cum first. Counting foreplay, technically Mamo cums first usually from her blowing him, stroking him off, etc. Because she knows she’s on the more uh sensitive side, so she likes to make sure he cums before so they’re at least a little more close to even. Last to cum usually depends on if he cums inside of her, if he cums inside of her that’s usually enough to force her into another orgasm. If he’s using a condom or pulls out, he’s the last to cum. Not really, they both wouldn’t be happy leaving the other unsatisfied. The closest to that they ever get is if Mamoru did something to piss her off and then tries to initiate sex before apologizing, than he gets the no, you sit there with your blue balls and think about what you did, treatment. 

13. Who’s loud? Who’s quiet? Does one try to make the other louder/quieter? How?

Tsuneko is a whimpery, whining, squealing mess. Mamoru is more of a dirty talk and grunter, getting a bit more loud and cursing as he gets closer to his end. Mamoru is an asshole who loves hearing the noises she makes so when they’re in a nice private place, his apartment, hers, or eventually their shared home. He’s excited to make her extra noisy. This can be just by doing things he knows she loves as he learns more and more of what makes her tick. This could also be him maneuvering her in ways where she can’t cover her mouth or bite down on his shoulder to suppress her noises, something she usually tries to do. But, if he’s trying to get a little handsy in a riskier spot, he’s instead trying to keep her quiet, cause while he likes a bit of risk. He does not want anyone hearing those noises but him. 

[lavender-rebellion]

TRoE Chapter 2 Cover Me

AO3

Masterpost

When Virgil awoke his brain stuttered and halted, a persistent feeling at the back of his mind that he had forgotten something very important. It wasn’t a new feeling, his own anxiety gave him that feeling often, but it was never so heavy and pressing before. There was a heat across his back and around his middle, and sunbeams hit his face with warmth and unwelcome light. This wasn’t his room, that much was clear.

He blinked open his eyes and stared at the unfamiliar wallpaper, and the tan curtains, brow furrowing with confusion. It wasn’t until he spotted a sock-clad foot on the ground that he understood. Yesterday came back with such a force it gave him a headache, the panic that had choked him last night threatening to swallow him once more. He went through his breathing exercises absentmindedly and searched for a clock, finding a digital one on the nightstand next to his face. The green numbers read 7:08 am, the early hour surprising him. He rarely got up before 9, when Patton insisted he woke for family breakfast.

Said man was the cause of the heat he felt, his limbs splayed over Virgil, spooning him like an aggressive sea-creature. A huff of laughter escaped him, fondness momentarily overtaking anxiety and allowing him to get the strength to de-tangle himself from both the blankets and his best friend. He sat up, blowing his purple bangs from his face and taking a minute to stretch. He felt well-rested, apparently, he was drained enough last night that it beat out his insomnia. He stood, his hoodie falling over the plaid boxers he was borrowing, and padded barefoot across the floor. He stepped over Roman, laying starfished on his makeshift bed, drool wetting the pillow cushioning his head, and around Logan, who slept neatly on his back. He spared a moment to snicker at the way Logan’s borrowed pajamas fell above his knee before leaving the room, closing the door softly behind him.

He crept quietly down the stairs, pausing in his spot for a second and squeezing his eyes shut at the tightness in his throat, and into the kitchen. Virgil tugged his sleeves up from where they covered his hands, opened up a couple of cupboards before finding the coffee grounds, and set to making himself a pot. The bubbling of the machine was soothing in the stillness of the house, and he reached up and rubbed at the center of his chest. He felt hollowed out, the space that usually housed the warm connections tying him to Thomas and the others now empty. A deep sadness wells up inside him, but he’s too worn out to panic or cry. He had done enough of that yesterday. Instead, he poured himself a cup of coffee and hopped up onto the counter, pulling his legs up and crossing them criss-cross, bare feet tucked under him. He smelled the coffee and let it steady him, and for the next long while allowed himself to think of absolutely nothing while he drank.

By the time Thomas stumbled in, bleary-eyed and rumpled, his cup was halfway empty. He wanted to make fun of the mess of bedhead Thomas was sporting, but knew his own dyed waves were likely a fright. So he just took another sip and watched quietly as Thomas poured himself a cup as well. Thomas, who had startled minutely at the sight of him walking in, looked tired and drained and unsure what to do with himself. Virgil recognized the look well, and it’s what made him speak up.

“Why don’t you come sit with me?” He offered, inching to the left a bit to make room. Thomas looked up at him, baffled.

“On the counter?”

“I think, out of all days, this is one to not worry about what is and isn’t a chair.” Thomas’ lips quirked at the memory, and he set his cup down to climb up as well (much less smoothly, but Virgil didn’t laugh, consider it his nice act of the day).

There was a second where neither say anything, just waking up and adjusting to the weirdness of doing so around each other, but eventually, Virgil couldn’t help himself from asking the question on the tip of his tongue.

“What did you do last night? After you left us?”

Thomas shot him a confused look. “Nothing really, why?”

He bit back the frustrated noise he wanted to make, sweeping his bangs out of his eyes. “No, I mean…” He trailed off to collect his thoughts. Thomas didn’t rush him.

“Up until less than 24 hours ago, I knew everything you did. I was with you every waking moment, and what I did miss I could find in your memories. Not knowing what you did, not having the means to find out, it’s uncomfortable and foreign. For 30 years we were one, and it’s going to take time for me to adjust to being separated.” He met Thomas’ eyes, gripping his mug tighter. “So please, humor me.”

Thomas nodded, something akin to understanding in his eyes but they both know he didn’t really get it. The sides had been separated people, in his mind, whereas for them it was hard to discern where they ended and Thomas began. They were him and themselves, overlapping and interwoven and mirrored.

But he began to talk, and that’s what mattered in the end. “I went downstairs and spoke to Joan, thanking them for coming over because we couldn’t have calmed down and figured anything out without them. Then I asked them to spend the night and we went to bed. When I woke up half an hour ago they were still asleep.” A pause. “I had a moment of panic, waking up and seeing them, knowing it wasn’t a dream. But I knew that if I allowed myself to wallow in the negative I wouldn’t be able to figure anything out today.” He admitted, and there was more quiet. Virgil hopped down and poured himself another cup, letting the warmth soak into his hands.

“Why do you look like that?” Thomas blurted out, before backtracking. “I don’t mean anything bad by it, and I know it’s probably rude to ask, it’s just that you’re small and slim, and it seems like an odd choice for you..was it a choice? Do you get to choose how you look? I know you can shapeshift but-”

“It’s kinda a choice, but it’s also kinda not.” Virgil interrupted his rambling. “It’s not like I’m a midget or anything, I’m 5’6 thank-you-very-much, but a lot of being small is convenient. Like being able to fit in small spaces to hide, or being able to maneuver a crowd fairly easily. Part of it is also because, as a person, you prefer flight to fight. Being compact means I’m more aerodynamic, and I’m pretty fast.” He shrugged, adding, “Plus, I just like being shorter. It can be difficult at times, and I have to put more effort into being intimidating, but I’ve always preferred being my height to being yours.”

Thomas nodded along to the explanation, another look of understanding on his face. Virgil wasn’t upset at the question, though it was funny to watch Thomas trip over himself in asking it. (It was also nice of him to worry about phrasing it right, but Virgil ignored the sappy thought.) It was clear Thomas had more to ask, so Virgil drank and waited for him to ask.

“But beyond your height, you don’t look like me. In fact, you actually look a little like Talyn.”

Virgil chuckled, a slight flush coming to his cheeks. He raised a hand and brushed his fingers over his rounder jaw and pointier chin, his more delicate features, and under his rounder, larger eyes. His lashes tickled the pads of his finger. He opened his mouth to explain. “That’s because when you met them, I saw a lot of myself in them. We’re both short, and edgy, and awkward. But Talyn was also independent, and confident, and intimidating. I thought that was cool as hell , and I looked up to them. Over time my features gradually shifted to reflect that, and reflect them. Just like Roman always has looked up to Disney princes and his features shifted, and Patton looked up to dads. You’re dad, specifically, but some TV ones too.”

“But Logan still looks the same, mostly.”

Virgil grinned, amused, and darted his eyes around to make sure they were alone. He leaned into Thomas. “Don’t tell him I told you this, but Logan actually looks up to you . Yeah, he thinks you’re a little ridiculous and childish, but you’re also loose, and fun, and you take risks to achieve your own happiness. Logan respects that, admires it.”

Thomas looked surprised and awed, his eyes soft and his smile softer. Virgil mirrored it. Conversation over, they lapsed back into silence again until Thomas grinned mischievously. Virgil, stiffened, wary.

“So, I’m assuming Patton has freckles because of Dad, right?”

“Yes..?”

Thomas looked at him from the corner of his eye, a shit-eating grin on his face. “So you have freckles because….”

“Hey remember that time in third grade when that new kid moved to your school, and you called out to him to ask him to sit by you during lunch and it turned out it was his twin and everyone looked at you like you were stupid?” Virgil interrupted, fakely cheerful. He ignored the pink rising in his faintly-freckled cheers, and avoided Thomas’s eyes. Thomas groaned and buried his face in his hands. Retribution, bitch.

“Now now, it’s a little early to be bringing up those kinds of memories, kiddo.” Patton bounded in, bright-eyed and chipper. His flannel pants reminded Virgil of the set Patton wore at home, and something panged in his chest. He drank more coffee and ignored it. He quietly mumbled that Thomas had started it, but Patton was already buried in the cupboards.

“Oh, I hope you have stuff for pancakes, Thomas, because after that pizza last night I am really looking forward to finding out how good they taste!”

“You couldn’t taste things before?”

Virgil took a long sip from his cooling cup, content to sit this one out. Hey, he did the last explanation. Patton’s face scrunched up in thought, pausing in his ingredient preparation. Thomas, apparently, did not have stuff for pancakes, judging by the eggs and bacon slices on the counter.

“Well, we could taste. But everything was dulled, all of our senses were. It’s like..” Bacon hit the pan and started sizzling like crazy, “Everything we experienced was based on things you had. They were memories. So when we ate, we tasted the memory of food you had eaten before.”

“Eat a memory?”

“Yeah! If you think right now, you can remember how bacon tastes right?” Patton waved the spatula at the pan for emphasis. “But when you remember it you only get the impression. Or if you think about how something felt and your fingers tingle with the ghost of the touch. It isn’t solid. The only thing we really got fully was sound, and even then it lacked the richness of real life, background noises or how things echoed didn’t register in your memory so we didn’t get them.”

“Real life is very overwhelming.” Virgil agreed, thinking of all the noises he could hear right now like the house settling, his blood moving, even the sound of quiet. But tasting the tartness of coffee he could admit it had its perks.

“But it’s full and vibrant as well!” Patton said cheerfully.

Thomas snapped his fingers suddenly, startling Virgil. Not that he’d ever admit that in a thousand years. “Like Spiderman! When he gets his spidey-senses and everything is dialed up to 11!”

“Exactly!” Patton enthused, before looking over their shoulders and beaming. “Good morning, Logan!”

Virgil turned to watch a tired Logan slip in and make a beeline for the coffee pot, feeling his heart lurch at the sight of his slightly messy bedhead. Maybe he should get that checked out.

“Morning, stretch,” Virgil whispered as Logan passed by him. Logan rolled his eyes and he hid his grin in his coffee.

“So, Logan,” Thomas began, and Logan gave a tired hum as he poured himself a cup. “I noticed that you’re a couple inches taller than me. Why is that?”

Roman appeared behind them, looking like he’d already brushed his hair, and came up behind Patton. He reached around the taller man and snatched a piece of bacon from the plate they were cooling on, grinning around his stollen treat while Patton scolded him. Logan moved and sat at the table, adjusting his glasses.

“You see, as your knowledge grew, so did I. And as the rate of new information slowed, so did my height, until it stagnated around the time of college. Thankfully, as I do not desire to be any taller than I already am.”

“Logan was always the tallest growing up since I had the same growth spurts as you and Virgil has always been a bit fun-sized.” Alright Patton, thanks for bringing up his height again. He really didn’t need to deal with Roman’s wise-cracks this early.

“I haven’t grown since high school!” Roman complained, tossing himself down in the chair across from Logan. “It makes no sense! You’ve certainly grown creatively since then!”

Patton set the plate full of eggs and bacon down in the center of the table, ruffling Roman’s hair playfully. “Maybe it’s your ‘allergy’ to greens. I always warned you..”

Roman swatted at his hand, scowling, but Patton’s laughter caused his lip to twitch upwards. Gross, Virgil thought, raising an eyebrow. Patton called his name and he turned to look.

“Set the table, would you, bud?” Virgil nodded, setting down his cup of cooling coffee, hopping off the counter, and setting to his task. He maneuvered around Joan, who had finally slunk into the kitchen mid-yawn.

“Morning.” He said quietly. Joan just blinked at him, apparently not awake yet. They all sit down at the kitchen table, serving themselves quietly. Patton noticed Joan not taking any food, and looked concerned.

“Do you not like eggs or bacon?”

Joan looked awkward, “I’m actually a vegan.” Patton’s eyes widened, and he gently smacked himself in the forehead.

“Of course, how silly of me! I’m sorry, kiddo, let me find you something. I think I saw some fruit…” He trailed off.

“You don’t have to do that, I can get it myself.” They protested, but Patton shook them off.

“What are dad’s for?”

Joan looked a little bewildered as Patton bustled around. Virgil didn’t blame him, Joan rarely talked to the sides, even during shooting, and Patton’s brand of.. everything, took some getting used to. This must be just as strange for them as it was for the sides. A bowl of scrounged up fruit was placed in the center of the table, a little sad since Thomas lacked groceries. The guy never did take to cooking, beyond those Hello Fresh meals.

Virgil dug into his breakfast, listening to the sounds of forks against plates as there was quiet once more. His heart panged, this was usually the time that Patton chattered about everyone’s plans for the day, and Logan would fill them in on Thomas’s scheduled from his little planner. But instead, there was silence, because the future was unknown and terrifying. Without conversation, they all finished fairly quickly, and Patton immediately threw himself in gathering plates and starting the dishes. Roman hopped up to help, as none of them liked to let Patton do the chores by himself. He already did so much. Right now though, Virgil was willing to bet it was a comfort to Patton. Even with the newness of their senses, dishes were a constant.

“I guess its time to talk, then.” Thomas started, reluctant. Virgil was too, picking at the sleeves of his hoodie anxiously. “Going off of the idea that this is all permanent, there are several issues that are going to become a problem. Funds, for example, space, the fact that you don’t have papers, explanations, videos…” he trailed off, taking a deep breath. He looked rough around the edges.“If this does prove permanent you’ll eventually have to get jobs.”

Logan interrupted. “That wouldn’t be wise, not for a couple of weeks. In case this is temporary.”

Okay, sure, but they are ignoring a very important fact. “We can’t get jobs, we don’t have any legal papers. And we don’t have any, because until yesterday night we were manifestations, the voices in Thomas’s head.” He stresses, gripping his sleeve tight and leaning forward.

“I know a guy.” Joan piped up, and everyone looked at them. “I mean, I know of a guy. Who can make nearly perfect records.”

Patton went white as he sat back down, cheerfulness dying into a sober seriousness. “That’s incredibly illegal.” And well, morality has a point. Roman doesn’t seem to think so, however.

“What other choice do we have? As of right now, we are very illegal.” He argued.

“We still don’t have the money that’s going to require,” Virgil mentioned.

“It is going to take quite the amount of papers to fake 28 years of four people.” Logan pondered, staring at the table. Virgil tensed, because oh my god that was a good point.

“I’ll find a way to get the money, okay? Don’t worry about it.” Thomas interrupted sharply, tense and frustrated. He turned to Joan, “Can you please get in contact with the guy for me, and if this situation hasn’t changed by next week I’ll place the order.”

Joan agreed, quiet, sensing that Thomas was stressed to his limit. Everyone else stayed silent, and they moved on.

“You guys are going to have to share the spare room, because I really can’t afford to move on top of everything, and it’s too dangerous to have you stay anywhere else.” He ran a hand through his hair. “As for other necessities, food is probably going to get tight for a while but we’ll have to make do. And clothes..”

“I can look through my stuff for anything I don’t need, it probably would only fit Roman and maybe Virgil, though. I’ll ask Talyn to do the same.” Joan offered, and Thomas sent them a grateful smile.

“Thank you, Joan. The clothes we had on will likely be fine for a while, but eventually, they will wear out, and we obviously can’t afford to do laundry every day.” Logan uncrossed his arms and took a drink from his mug, the coffee likely cold by now. Joan blinked and a look of realization passed over their face.

“Wait, what else did you have on you?” They asked, and all four of the sides straighten.

“I had my sword. It crossed over as well, it’s laying on the floor upstairs.”

“I know I had my phone and my headphones. As well as a dumb sketch of Princey falling off a cliff, but that’s hardly important.” Virgil added, grinning at the offended noise Roman made. “It was from that fight we had two weeks ago, I just never took it out of my hoodie.” He added, shrugging unapologetically.

“I also have my phone!” Patton added, and Logan squinted at him.

“You have a phone?”

“Yeah, for cat videos!” Patton said cheerfully, before saying as an afterthought, “And a ton of pictures of us, since what kind of dad doesn’t have pictures of their family?”

“Yes, well,” Logan said slowly, before his brain seemed to reboot. “I have my planner and pen, likely the most useful since it holds Thomas’ schedule in it.”

“Do the phones work?” Thomas asked, while Joan stood and ducked into the living room. Virgil shrugged, he hadn’t even thought to turn his on after the calamity last night.

Patton didn’t know either. “Let me go get them and we’ll check.”

Joan came back just as Patton left, holding the stupid necklace that got them into the whole mess. Virgil reeled back, flinching, and he wasn’t alone. Both Roman and Logan did as well, wary. Joan gave them an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, I just don’t think it’s a good idea to throw it out. It could be important to what’s happening.”

“I suggest we smash it! Perhaps that will break the curse that has trapped us here!” Roman declared, but Logan shook his head.

“Or it could trap us here permanently. Joan is correct, the wisest course of action is to keep it safe until we understand more.”

Thomas nodded, taking the necklace gently as if it was going to bite him, and leaving for his room. Patton popped back in then, tossing Virgil his phone. Virgil swore, fumbling for it and letting out a huff of relief when he managed to catch it. He couldn’t imagine what he’d do if it broke. Patton winced, sorry, and they both turned their phones on. The start-up screen booted up, a logo colorfully splashed in bright lights before dimming down into his familiar lock screen. A weight slipped off his shoulders and he slumped back into his chair. From the look of relief on Patton’s face, his worked as well.

Virgil tapped around in his apps, checking to see if everything still worked. They did, however, he found to his dismay that his Tumblr account no longer existed. Damn it. He was in the process of creating a new one when a call lit up his screen, his eyebrow raising when he saw it was Patton. He didn’t know how his number got into his phone, he doesn’t remember putting it in. Virgil answered the call and they found that sound correctly traveled through, so it was likely that the phones were fully functioning. As they hung up Thomas reappeared, pleased to see the phones still worked.

“You should put Joan and I’s phone number in, for emergencies. As for you two,” He pointed at Roman and Logan, “I won’t be able to get either of you a phone for a while, but you’re free to use my laptop if you need it.”

There was no warning about going through it, which was fair. It wasn’t like Thomas had any secrets they didn’t know about. Or anything at all, up until last night.

“I hate to interrupt, but I have work soon so I think we should talk about cover stories. People are going to have questions, and we’ll need them for the documents anyway.”

The good mood deflated, and they all sat back down around the table. A few ideas were thrown around but they were just as quickly shot down, and Virgil opted to stay quiet. Eventually, Thomas seemed to think of something.

“It would be easiest to pass Logan off as my brother.” He shook his head though, seconds later, looking disheartened. “But my real family would have questions.”

“Don’t your parents know about your ability?” Joan asked.

“They do, but while they would go along with it my extended family would still want answers. Not to mention everyone who knew me growing up would know that I was an only child.”

“Would it be possible to say I went to live with other family, or perhaps been put up for adoption?” Logan inquired, and Thomas looked deep in thought.

“My parents would never put a kid up, and everyone knows it.” He paused, “But I did go stay with my Uncle Roy when I was a teenager, right around when I was just figuring out my abilities! He’s aware of vaguely what I can do.”

“He’s doesn’t speak to your extended family, either. Just your parents.” Virgil tossed in, sitting up a little.

“Exactly! It totally could have been possible that he raised a kid with no one's knowledge!”

“There was that K-12 science school near his place, perhaps I expressed an interest at a young age and I went to stay with him to avoid the family moving,” Logan added, and Thomas beamed. There were still some holes in the story, but nothing incredibly suspicious. It seemed like it would work.

“I’ll call up my parents and Uncle Roy later, see if they’ll go along with it.”

“They might not, Thomas. This is still incredibly illegal.” Virgil reminded him, but Joan spoke up.

“Then we’ll think of something else.”

“Perhaps I could have been Logan’s best friend? That way I’ll have a link to you. Now, I can’t claim to go to the nerd school but maybe I was a neighbor?” Roman asked excitedly.

Joan looked skeptical, shooting a look between them. “Would that be believable?”

Roman waved him off, rolling his eyes. “Calculator watch and I are friends, even if our friendship seems a bit odd on the outside.”

It was agreed upon, and then there was more quiet. Virgil worried his lip when it became clear they couldn’t come up with the last two stories. There were a couple of attempts, to no avail. It would be way too suspicious if they all had stories connected to Logan.

Eventually, Joan had to leave, and Thomas got up to make those phone calls. Virgil could hear snippets of awkward explanations and decided he’d rather not listen to that. Instead, he stood up, addressing the others.

“I’m going to get ready for the day, my legs are cold.” It was silently decided that the others felt the same, and all four trudged up the stairs, taking turns in getting dressed and tidying up in the bathroom. Virgil managed to get paired up with Logan for teeth brushing, and he steadfastly ignored the rising blush on his cheeks every time their shoulders bumped into each other. He booked it out of the cramped bathroom as soon as he was done, opting to brush his hair later.

Then, they all huddled up on the couch together, Roman flipping on the tv and selecting a random channel with cartoons. Thomas was still talking to his mom in the hallway.

“I can’t tell you how much it means to me. Yeah. Yeah, I’ll tell them. Thank you so much, I love you. Buh-bye.”

Oh good, it sounded like they were going to help. At least something was going their way. A loud series of bangs on the door made him reconsider. Shit, it was probably the government. A neighbor saw or heard, or maybe Virgil’s suspicion that the phones were bugged was right and they heard all about them and now they were going to be experimented on in Area 51 and-

Thomas opened the door and Talyn barged in, looking angry. It was a scary sight, but it cut through Virgil’s panic like a knife and he became aware of a hand in his own, being squeezed tightly. He flushed, glancing at Logan out of the corner of his eye and gently taking his hand back. Logan gave him an understanding smile and that did not help his breathing thankyouverymuch.

“I can’t believe something this major happened and I don’t even get a text! How could you keep me out of the loop on this, Sanders?” Talyn complained, glaring at Thomas, who put his hands up in surrender, before storming over and standing in front of them, arms crossed. And just staring.

Patton beamed up at them, looking delighted, while Roman gave a small wave and Logan fidgeted with his glasses. Virgil just lazily blinked when they looked him in the eye, knowing not to show fear.

“You look like me.” They accused, and he smirked.

“Maybe you look like me.” They just cocked an eyebrow.

“One of us can shapeshift and it isn’t me, so it’s definitely the first one.” They argued, he just shrugged, conceding easily but not offering up anything further.

“Hiya, there! It’s good to see you again!” Patton cut in, offering his hand. Talyn shook it, looking a little dazed at the touch, but came back to their senses quickly and turned back to Thomas.

“Is it permanent?” They asked. Thomas shrugged.

“We don’t know, but we’re assuming it is.”

“What are the cover stories?”

“I am Thomas’ brother, who went to live with our Uncle at a very young age to attend a special science academy,” Logan explained, and Roman tossed an arm over his shoulders, much to his displeasure.

“And I am his childhood best friend.” He declared proudly. Talyn raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything, and Logan shoved Roman off of him.

“Anything for Dad or Grumpy?”

“No. We can’t think of anything.” Thomas admitted, and they seemed to think for a moment, before nodding.

“We can say Virgil is related to me,” Talyn said firmly, surprising them all.

“Will your parents and family really go along with that?” Roman asked.

“It’s just me and my mom, and my mom is a big advocate for human rights. We’ll just say you escaped something bad, like….human trafficking. She’ll agree, no questions asked.”

“That’s great!” Thomas enthused, but Talyn held up a hand, stopping him.

“But she’s going to want to meet you immediately.” They insisted, and they all tensed up.

“Right this second?” Patton asked, startled. Talyn nodded, and they all shared glances between them. Virgil wasn’t really comfortable leaving the house or the others, and it seemed like they all shared that sentiment. But what could they do? He needed this cover story. So he gave a jerky nod and stood up, shoving his hands deep in his pockets.

“Lead the way.” He faked nonchalance and hovered in the background as Talyn scolded Thomas once more before heading to the door. He gave a half-hearted wave to the others before closing the door behind him.

Outdoors was...a lot. The sun was really bright, to begin with, and it was hot. Despite the lack of people on the street, it was loud, and he could hear distant laughter and car horns. He paused right outside of the door and breathed it all in, noticing with surprise that he could smell the air. He didn’t know how to describe it, however, so his brain moved on, noticing the vibrancy of the colors.

“Odd?” Talyn asked, paused a few steps ahead with their car keys in hand. Virgil snorted.

“Let's just say I’m definitely not in Kansas anymore, Toto.” He said dryly, following them as they started moving toward the car again. Virgil had never been in a car before, not as him instead of Thomas.

“Have you never been outside before, Dorthy?” Talyn joked but was startled when Virgil shook his head.

“No. The Mind Space took the shape of wherever Thomas lived, but if you opened the door you just ended up in the Subconscious.” He explained, opening the door and sliding in. It was surprisingly comfortable. Talyn started up the car, looking fascinated.

“The Subconscious? What was that like?”

“White. It was endless nothingness, filled with things that we weren’t able to be, well, conscious of. But the longer we’re in there, the more things we can see, you’d really have to watch your thoughts then because the Subconscious took things literally. And the more we could see, the less you could see us. If you stayed there too long, you’d cease to exist as a person, trapped in the subconscious as an automatic trait, stripped down to your base functions.”

“Wow.” They said, looking a little queasy. Virgil felt a little panicked just thinking about it.

“Yeah. We didn’t go in there.”

The car was strange, he could feel the movement in his body as they rumbled down the street. It felt unnatural, for someone who had always walked or appeared. But he supposed sinking down would feel unnatural to Thomas, so he wisely kept his mouth shut. Anyway, the rhythm was almost soothing.

“So, how are you coping?” Talyn eventually asked, catching Virgil’s attention from where he was watching the scenery blur by. He blinked at the ridiculous question.

“I’m so stressed I’ve passed freaking out and now I can’t feel much of anything.” He answered honestly, and they winced. “I just wish everything was back to normal. My old life sucked, but I don’t have the slightest clue on what to do now.”

“Your best,” Talyn said firmly, before giving him a smile. He felt off-kilter, at his honesty and their response. “You can only do your best.”

They leaned forward and turned up their music, spending the rest of the ride in silence. They pull up outside of their house and Virgil dragged his feet as he followed them up the sidewalk and inside. Almost immediately a woman popped up, wiping her hands on her apron and scolding Talyn about not texting her to let her know they’d be late. She was a sweet-looking lady, a walking-talking mother stereotype with her blonde hair tied up in a messy bun, an apron slung over her blue dress. She was also fairly tall, her heels putting her inches half a head above both Talyn and  Virgil. Her stern blue eyes, lined in crows feet, turned to squint at Virgil in confusion. He gave her an awkward smile, shaky around the edges.

“Who’s this?” She asked, and Talyn placed a hand on his shoulder, shooting for comforting but just making him tense more.

“Let's go to the living room, this is a serious conversation.”

The living room kinda looked like it was from the 50’s suburbs, but traces of warmth and love and Talyn were scattered around. It was somewhat cool, but that didn’t mean the couch was any more comfortable. Tayln’s mom sat across from them on a loveseat, looking concerned.

“Mom, this is Virgil.” Virgil nodded his head at the woman, tucking his hands further in his hoodie.

“Nice to meet you.” He said quietly. Talyn began to spin a story about him being caught in human trafficking at a young age, their hands moving wildly around as they explain how he may have escaped but-

“There are still people out there looking for him. Big, bad people, Mom. He’s staying with Thomas right now, along with another escapee, but in order to work, he needs papers. And in order to get papers, he needs an identity.” Talyn explained, worked up. Virgil was a little touched, but mostly uncomfortable at the lie they were spinning. A cover story was one thing, but a cover story to get a cover story? That just felt dishonest. Especially the serious tragedy. But he kept his mouth closed, knowing it was a necessary evil.

“Why doesn’t he go to the police or the government?” Their mom asked, but it didn’t sound judgmental.

“You know our government, why do you think?” Talyn replied, tone scathing. Some kind of understanding dawned in the woman’s eyes, and she sat up straighter, nodding. She gave Virgil a long, searching look, examining him. He fidgeted in his seat, biting his lip nervously before she once again nodded, satisfied, and sighed.

“I’ll help. But we can’t pass you off as my kid, so we’ll have to claim you were my sister’s.”

Talyn blinked, surprised. “But Aunt Natalie died when I was a kid.”

A wobbly smile, something longing and lonely hidden behind false firmness. “Well, she’s the only relative I have, and as callous as it sounds it’s hardly like she can deny the story.” Then quieter, looking down at her hands briefly, “Natalie always wanted a child, anyway.”

There’s a moment of heavy silence, and Virgil is almost too nervous to speak. This is private, not meant for his eyes or his ears.

“Alright, but Virgil would have been 10 when she passed,” Talyn said. Their mother straightened, face once again determined and brave.

“You’ll have to claim you went into the foster care system, then, Virgil. Since so many kids get lost in the system, it shouldn’t be suspicious they don’t have records of you.”

“Thank you so much for your troubles, that should work perfectly, ma’am.” Virgil murmured, relief coloring his voice. She smiled and reached over, taking one of his cheeks between her fingers and pinching it.

“Call me Diane.” She insisted, before standing and brushing off her apron. “Besides, I could hardly leave you in danger. Now I’m almost done with lunch, be a dear and help your cousin set the table?” She winked, making her way to the kitchen. He and Talyn stood, looking a bit dazed at how easy that had been, and trailed after her.

“You don’t have to, I can always eat at home.” He stuttered out. She glanced over her shoulder and looked at him like he was crazy.

“Nonsense, I want to get to know my new nephew!” She insisted, “Now plates are in that cupboard right there, sweetie.”

He shot off a text to Thomas with his new cover story before setting to work, answering the lighthearted questions shot his way by Diane as she cooked. The conversation was smooth and simple, to his relief, and all in all he felt he did a good job considering this was the first non-Thomas person he’d met other than Talyn and Joan.

As he sat down to eat he received a text from Thomas, and he hurriedly opened it only to gape.

Thomas: That’s great! We’ve talked it over and decided that you were adopted by Patton’s family after your ‘mother’s’ passing

Thomas: Patton is very excited XD

“Oh jeez.” He said quietly with feeling. He didn’t know whether to be amused or horrified. Did Thomas really ‘XD’ him?

(A/N: All family members are going to be OC’s for plot convenience and because I know nothing about their real ones. Hope all of this makes sense, and that you only need a grain of salt with the cover story instead of a whole bucket.)

TAGLIST:

@strickenwithclairvoyance @insert--self--hatred

[cherrifaerie]

i was wondering if you have any tips for digital painting? i rlly love how your lineless looks and i wanted to try a cute style like that

waaa first of all thank you for your patience bc i know ive taken forever to answer this as i always do with tutorials…oops…..and also thank you im glad you think my style is cute!!!! im gonna do my best to help you out with lineless so here we go! LONG POST UNDER THE CUT!

to start i mainly use these two brushes (yes…just two…) from kyle webster’s gouache pack which is only available to adobe cloud subscribers now, but im sure a quick google search for gouache brushes for (insert program you use) can find some that will work just fine. these two look pretty similar but the difference is the one on the right is a bit softer and more easily opaque so i use it for light shadows, blush, etc. i think textured brushes like gouache paint and dry media ones make lineless look extra cool but thats just me!

OK ON TO THE TUTORIAL i know you just asked for tips but i was doodling a girl for a warm up and i thought id just take you through how i colored her. started w a sketch + set that layer to 23% opacity and laid down flat colors below it

after i set my base colors i turn off the sketch and start workin on shading! im startin with the hair here bc i think it can be harder to paint and work with in general for lots of ppl

i used three colors here for the hair:

- the lightest color is the base. pretty simple 

- using the middle color, took gouache blair brush and made light strokes downward following the flow of the hair from the root to the tip. make sure you think about where the hair begins on the head and follow the direction it goes from there when shading/making lines/making highlights!! 

i kept it simple for tutorial’s sake, but play around with how dark you want the shades to be and how much shading you want! (also these aren’t shades per se since they arent shadows being cast, just a darker color to give the hair a little variation in texture and color and to create a kind of shine effect but idk what else to call em! i guess theyre highlights! i just know it looks nice!)  

- took a slightly darker color and added some lines here and there to break things up and further show the direction the hair is moving in

for a little more visual on the direction thing see this handy graphic i made:

i didn’t write DONT and DO bc my way is not like…the ultimate Chosen way…if you wanna go for a style with the shading i did on the left then totally do it but personally i think it reads better this way so ya!! theres no right or wrong way to make your own art but there are ways that can make things a bit more interesting and clear if you choose to use them!

and yeah i basically use the same methods to paint skin and fabric and even backgrounds. it’s really just as simple as keeping things flowing in a natural direction and picking colors that u think look nice to paint with!

FINISHED PIC:

i dont wanna make this tut super long and ramble forever so here’s the last things i did to finish up!

- turned the sketch back on momentarily to draw in the eye, mouth, & eyebrow (no painting or shading involved there usually)

- used gouache a go go brush (or a softer/less opaque brush of your choice) to add a bit of blush to the cheek. i usually add blush with a light circular motion bc it gives them a nice rounded look. i use light pressure because a) more pressure means darker color and i want the blush to be subtle and b) more pressure also means less texture and more solid color, and i prefer having the scratchy look with the base skin color showing thru.

- used more pressure and a darker, more orange color to create a sharp shadow on the skin + define the neck & inner ear shape with lines

- added desaturated aqua blue over the top of the hair to create a shadow effect and add another color to the palette

- added the same blue color very lightly on the neck & blended it with the orangey shade (in other words, lightly brushed over it with the orange) to make the shadow more interesting. layering in multiple colors can always help make lineless things look more detailed even if its just a tiny bit!

i hope this doesnt seem like a ton of steps added on at the end bc it took me like way longer to write this (because i ramble) than it did for me to draw it! i love working with lineless because of how easy it can be to slap on some varying colors and defining lines to make something look a lot cooler and more detailed. as long as you keep your shades and stuff on separate layers its easy to try out things and see what you like best so i encourage you to do so! best of luck!