#this is the second self portrait i've ever made

[microwave-core]

Every time I sit down to write... he haunts me...

Anyways, today's Leon headcanon is that I think he's scottish rather than british

[wecanbe-heroes]

Astarion x reader, gn!tav

Requested by a member of the bg3 discord I am in. Tav uses disguise self to show Astarion his reflection. 1.1k words. Short and teasingly sweet.

“Damn this blasted thing!” You hear glass shatter and lean up out of your bedroll, glancing in the direction of the sound. A pale figure stands outside his tent, a broken mirror at his feet. The other people in your camp side eye him before going back to their business, but you rise to your feet.

“What’s going on over here?” You ask gently as you approach, careful to avoid any glass on the ground.

Astarion whirls around to face you, a brief look of anger then shock. “Hello, darling.” His face is a mask of cool now, his lips poised in his signature smirk. “Silly me just dropped my mirror.” He bent to pick it up and a couple extra pieces of glass clatter to the dirt.

“I thought vampires couldn’t see their reflection?” You already know the answer, but ask anyway. This earns a sigh and Astarion looks at the mirror.

“Yes, this is true. A part of me keeps checking though.” He twirls it in his hands for a moment before placing it back on the stool by his tent. “If this wretched tadpole can make me walk in the sun again, I thought it might let me see myself again.” There is a yearning in his voice and you realize it has been over 200 years since the elf has seen his reflection.

“So you’ve never had a portrait made or anything?” You tilt your head slightly to the left.

“Ha! As if Cazador would allow that.” He scoffs and waves a hand. “No, I have no memory before being turned. All I know is what people have told me. White hair, vampire red eyes. Beauty to rival a god.” His smirk widens and he winks at you. You can’t help the faint flush that rises to your cheeks at his flirtations. While perhaps exaggerated, he is quite beautiful.

“I wish I could paint a portrait of you, Astarion. You deserve to see yourself truly.” You sigh. Artistic talent never found its way to you, your hands not built for the finer arts.

“That is quite alright my sweet.” His eyes soften for a moment. Unknownst to you, he is taken aback by your offer. No one has ever cared enough about his vanity, his desire to know how he appears to others, to offer to paint him. He jerks back as you suddenly gasp and clap your hands together.

“I can do something better than a portrait!” How could you forget? You run back to your bags, rummaging through them. You picked up a scroll a few days ago that might be just what you need. Finally, you find the scroll you are looking for. 

"What have you got there?" Astarion's voice holds a hint of wary, trust still hard for him. You give him a smirk and unfurl the scroll.

"It's been awhile since I've cast this spell so I'm studying it." You crack your knuckles and neck, studying the spell. It's not something you keep prepared and you're glad you picked this up in the abandoned house you went through earlier. Astarion steps back and you wave him forward. "Don't worry, it's not a spell for you. It's for me." You reassure him and stand to your full height. You study his features for awhile, long enough he begins to look uncomfortable under your scrutiny. You want to get this right, show him an as exact replica as you can.

"Alright here we go." You give yourself a shake and then begin casting. Magic sparks from your fingers as you wave them around your body. Tingles and light shocks spread across your skin as it changes. The spell is quick and basically painless, more of an itch as it adds an illusion over your body. Your camp clothes disappear, replaced by Astarion's leather pants and ruffled shirt. It's a bit weird, seeing the illusion take over but still feeling your normal look. Within a couple seconds, you are now standing eye to eye with the vampire. His eyes are wide, mouth slightly agape. You have never seen him flustered like this. "Well, what do you think?" You hold your arms out, pale skin gleaming the same as his. You don't feel the elongated canines in your mouth, but you know they are there when his eyes flicker to your mouth when you speak, giving him a smirk mirroring his own.

"My my, I am as handsome as I thought." His jokes armor against his own sensitivity. In truth, his hands are shaking and eyes keep jumping to different parts of you. You give him a slow turn to get the full view. Then you step forward, close enough your boots are nearly touching his. "Those eyes, my eyes. So red." He sneers at the sight. You wonder what color they were before he was turned. A shade of hazel or brown would be staggering, though he likely had a shade of blue as most high elves have. The red is piercing is he studies your face, his face. Drinking you in to burn forever in his memory. You reach up to his face, fingers ghosting the skin. Not touching him, but longing to. 

"I'm not sure if I got the laugh lines right." You say breathlessly, trying to ease the sudden tension. Astarion scoffs and rolls his eyes, you ignore the slight glisten in them to save his pride.

"I am an immortal being, I do not have laugh lines!" He moves away from you, smoothing the creases around his mouth. As you give a soft chuckle, the spell begins to fade. That itching tingle spreads across your body once more and then you are back to normal you.

"I'm sorry I couldn't give you more. Maybe we can commision a portrait once we get to the city?" You suggest, though you're not sure if your team will make it to Baldur's Gate let alone have time for such a thing. 

"No apologies, darling. You have given me enough." He gets far off look on his face before he takes your hand in his, a rare display of affection. "Thank you." He presses a kiss to the back of your hand before he retreats back into his tent. You stand there for a moment in awe before picking up the broken mirror and the glass pieces. A quick mending cantrip and it looks brand new. You place it on the stool outside his tent before going back to your bedroll. The spot on your hand that he kissed phantomly burns as you fall to sleep, dreaming of soft red eyes. 

[an-au-blog]

Artist Usopp who has the most vivid dreams of Sanji ever since he can remember, this mysterious blond growing alongside him in the unconscious world. So he grows up, goes to art school, gets his degree, and starts the path of a starving artist. Not a lot of people buy his art, but he keeps making it. He never liked showing the overwhelmingly large collection of sketches, paintings, 3D prints, carvings, clay figurines, literally anything he could make of Sanji. It felt too personal to show anyone, but people would inevitably see them, as he can't stop doodling the man. They keep saying that's what he should be promoting as his work and how people would pay big money for those, but he always doubted it.

A time came where he could feel the "starving artist" title a bit too literally. With regret, he took his friend's advice and sold a painting to some random guy. The man came back with a friend - lover of the arts and before Usopp knew it, he was selling the blond of his dreams to collectors and museums. He started making marble sculptures, now that he could afford it, like the blond was a greek god, an angel sent to feed him in his most desperate times. Usopp knew such a man didn't exist, but it was nice to have him in his dreams at least.

Well... that was until one day Luffy sent him a video. One of those memes where people went to galleries and posed with victorian portraits that looked like them. He captioned it with "lol rly thought it was him for a sec". Usopp thought this would be another video forgotten in the waves of spam Luffy liked to send, but as the different people went by, suddenly, Usopp felt cold sweat down his back. It was the blond. He looked exactly like the man in his dreams... no. that was the same man. He was absolutely sure of it. He had been drawing and studying that face, those hands, the colors and curves all his life. That was him!

He desperately tried finding him, but all he had was a private page and that was it. He couldn't get any clue as to who he was from the user name "LetHimCook" or the bio saying he was 21 and a rat and a cheff's hat emoji.

Usopp gave up hope for the time being as he was supposed to finish a project that was the biggest in his career so far.

The day to present it had come and Usopp stood there, nervous, talking about his art while snobbish-looking people hummed as if they understood anything about his life's work. Some of the asked questions that he absentmindedly answered, but then someone from the back, who Usopp couldn't see asked something that caught his attention.

"I have two questions if I may. Firstly, who is the inspiration to this "dream" collection? It seems to be more about a lover than actual dreams. And secondly, have you ever considered doing an auto portrait?"

The two unrelated questions caught him off guard, and he didn't know how to say anything about the first one without sounding insane, or the second - without sounding depressed.

"Uhm, interesting questions." Usopp cleared his throat. "You see, uh..." he tried finding the words but they died on his tongue when the asker came into view. It was him. "It's you." He said accidentally out loud.

"I beg your pardon?"

They look at each other for a long second. Usopp couldn't tear his eyes away from the blue haunting his every day and night. "Sorry, I- I didn't answer your uh-" Usopp stuttered, trying to keep any semblance of dignity he could. "I don't like doing self portraits, I've made a few but the model kind of sucks." The people laughed with him but the blond only gave a small smile.

"I would love to see them some time, as I'm sure I'm not the only one."

How could this man leave him speechless every time.

After the Q&A bit was over, Usopp tried his best to avoid small talk from the guests so he could get to the blond before he left. But by the time he got there, Sanji was talking to someone, it would have been extremely awkward to join in.

"Hey, Usopp!" The man who was talking to Sanji turned, and oh God it was Luffy.

The artist didn't know if he should be happy or a bit scared. Luffy dragged Usopp into the conversation and it started flowing quite easily. It was not long before Luffy left to see another friend of his but his absence didn't make it uncomfortable. Usopp learned the man's name, that he loved to cook and that he had been a fan of his work for a while.

Agreeing that Sanji would get a "private tour" or the rest of Usopps (not displayed works), the "party" ends.

On their way home, Luffy hits him with a "It was so funny seeing that guy flirt with you all night."

Usopp, stopping dead in his tracks: Who?

Luffy: Blond guy who kinda looks like your obsession drawings...

Usopp malfunctioning: .......... oh...... . .. . . ... OH!

When they finally arrange a date for the "private tour", Usopp keeps an open mind, trying to see if he really WAS flirting. But then they get to the half-assed self portraits Usopp made of himself and, honestly - Usopp never wanted to show them. He wasn't all that good-looking, he didn't like how they turned out, he hadn't put in any effort and most of them were more reminiscent of grotesque caricatures than the usual realistic beauty he was used to painting.

"They're not really - I mean I mostly made them out of boredom, I- I don't really like them and- and-" He tried to excuse himself, but when he looked at Sanji, he lost all his words. The blond was looking at the paintings and sketches with such awe and sympathy. He reached out to the painted face, the tips of his fingers barely grazing the surface.

He looked back at Usopp, causing his breath to catch in his throat.

"You're far too mean to yourself." Sanji said, faint, barely audible. His eyes widened slightly as the words escaped his lips as if he didn't mean to let them slip.

On instinct, the deep-rooted self-loading Usopp had harboured all these years bubbled just the slightest. "Haha, or maybe not enough."

But then Sanji turned to him seriously, lips in a thin line, a bit hurt. "In... in an interview you once said you're glad the public liked your art, because you wouldn't bare sharing a piece of your soul and seeing anyone insult the man who's haunted your dreams." A stuttering breath. "So, I'd like to request you don't insult the man from mine..."

Oh...

[servegrilledcheese]

💕 self-love time! talk about which ones of YOUR creations (edits, artworks, fanfics) you like the most then send to other sim-blogs to do the same 💕

my 7k follower sim drop. possibly the best group of sims i've ever made, ever. also sad to say that it's probably all downhill from here.

avani's boutique, which essentially serves as a time capsule for every outfit avani has ever worn during the morganite generation.

my cc-free all-occult sim drop. my second-best sim drop ever imo. idk what altered my brain chemistry in 2022 that made me produce two of the best sim drops in my entire simblr career but i desperately want it back.

romeo monty and juliette cap as leonardo dicaprio and claire danes as romeo montague and juliet capulet. i remember this being a manic caffeine-induced hallucination that manifested into a cas session that manifested into this edit.

this fukcing guy

araújo cousins family portrait. i love how i framed the shot and i love the combination of poses that i used. they blend together so seamlessly that you can't even notice that they're two entirely different pose packs.

avani araújo's pink and white wedding. i replayed this entire goddamned wedding ten times just to make sure everyone acts right and also to get multiple shots. an incredibly draining experience but ultimately made gorgina screenshots.

[antisepticcrayon]

Posting here too! Just so I can give a longer explanation a bit for the few pieces I've been able to scramble for Sean.

Now I'm not the best at drawing people so it's very rare that I get to try to draw fanart for Sean and the community but I'll share the few I've been able to do!

Starting with the spring banner I made for Sean's server! Has to be one of my favorites becos I loved how it turned out and the fact that I somehow won the banner contest. It's always such a funny shock to go onto the server and see my art there. I've never been so proud of an accomplishment like that.

Next up is the Chase brody youtooz plush concept. Now I did this for kicks and giggles (/hj. Please Sean. We need sad dad plushies.) But it was pretty funny that that reference sheet got way more attention than I thought. And at the time of iris being fairly new was also so funny to me. He looks so sad. I need 17 of them.

King of the daisies portrait! My one piece of fanart that got the most recognition from the community! I spent a grueling 5-6 hours on this piece. It was during a time of art block so I wanted to try drawing realism for a month (didn't go exactly a month but I tried!) And this was my second attempt of the month and it came out so well. I absolutely adore it. And the inspiration came from when Sean announced that white daisies were his favorite flowers. So of course to honor the flow3r king, I did that for him. (Also another reason the banner, he's wearing a daisy crown!)

And finally the anti portrait. This one I made at work actually right before I was contacted for winning a meet and greet ticket to face time Sean through moment house. And to calm my nerves for the next couple days, I worked on this piece. (I referenced an art piece done by turquoise magpie I believe for this one!) But also another part of my month realism challenge!

The 2 realistic portraits hold a special place in my heart. Becos even through the horrendous wifi (and my uncontrollable anxiety) and cutting out during my meet and greet, I had the chance to show him them. I just didn't get to hear or see his reactions properly but the fact I showed him at all for him to see was more than enough.

Annnd then these last art pieces (I'm frankly TERRIFIED of showing. Unsure if it counts as fanart buttt)

These first 2 photos are reference pieces for my "JJ" inspired OC/Fursona. He is considered my comfort character who I tend to draw and doodle whenever I'm feeling down or having a bad day. Jameson (and chase) are my favorite egos and I find comfort in them. Not sure why, but I do. I feel like they just came at times I was struggling the most and brought joy to me though. Just Sean in general has done as such.

And the last photo is a book cover I created for a short story I'm writing with my self insert OC and chase Brody (along with the other egos).

The short story takes part of a community I'm in that surrounds giant/smalls/humans folklore and certain cultures surrounding a time of creatures big and small, Aka G/T! Think of any fairy tales like jack and beanstalk or even japenese animes like the secret world of ariety or movies and books like "The borrowers". (Another comfort for me. I find writing helpful as well for bad days and to also center and express myself again)

Anyways one of my favorite human pieces I've ever completed on my own through lots of practice and failed sketches (my good friend zora rendered and shaded it for me! Actual drawing, linework and coloring done by me!)

Anyways, I hope I'm not overstaying my welcome so I'll cut it off here!

I thank you both for doing this revival! I was never able to participate truely with "septicart" but I'm glad I can right now through this :)

Thanks for reading!

- Dj💜

(I apologize if my wording is wacky! ADHD and dyslexia isn't a fun combination when trying to write and explain things ack)

@turquoisemagpie @rogue-of-broken-time

[saintsenara]

for the fic ask game 11 & 67

thank you for the ask, @practicecourts!

[ask game here]

11. link your three favourite fics right now:

i'm going to cheat and turn this into several subsections...

three favourite fics i've read recently:

the fiction of realness by @evesaintyves - a painful look at remadora and their extremely complicated relationship which pulls beauty from the wasteland and breaks your heart with it.

in virtute et tutela by @incalculablepower - a love-song to crookshanks which made me cry.

blood by @the-paper-monkey - i'm on the record, in an unpopular move, as being a delphini enjoyer, and fics like this are why; papermonkey is also one of the best writers of draco i've ever read, and i love him here, broken and strangely brave but still the whiny little boy of canon.

three favourite fics of all time:

the white road by @perverse-idyll - the fic which single-handedly turned me into someone who reads snarry; an absolutely masterful portrayal of grief, love, bravery, and self-discovery which also gives lily a magnificent central role.

second life by nwhiker and cassandra7 - just a masterpiece, the gold standard of sirius black/severus snape; a careful, spare meditation on the complexity of loving and mourning, on the merit of chance, and on the pain caused by the great divide between the magical and muggle worlds.

the cactus and the toad by mirrormarie - a neville-centric story which explores his experience in the immediate aftermath of the war and how he thinks of healing and history.

three great one-shots:

ganymede by @phantomato - an exquisite character study of one of my own favourite characters, tom riddle sr., with the most astonishing period detail and really gorgeous sense of embodiment; i've read it again and again.

portrait of a sociopath as a loving mother by myrskytuuli- a brilliant, dark interpretation of lily, which plays with canon in an incredibly interesting way.

as an entire ocean in a drop by eldritcher - eldritcher's dumbledore is among the best in the fandom, and i love how they write him and his complicated relationship with desire, belonging, and family here.

three comfort fics:

never gonna give you up by @laeveteinn - a harrymort crack-fic set in the wild historical era of 2020 which never fails to make me scream.

do badgers dream of chocolate hobnobs? by gingertart50 - a lovely little gen-fic on pomona sprout and her relationship with snape, which plays really nicely with the canon portrayal of hufflepuffs as miscellaneous and a bit dim.

crocodile heart by floreatcastellum - because i love me a bit of romione fluff.

67. do you prefer prompts and challenges, or completely independent ideas?

yes.

[cinefarious]

I was tagged by @hotsuqueen to self-rec my favorite five fics that I've written! I don't self-rec nearly enough so let's see if I can do it.

Spectral Thief is probably the work that I poured the most of myself into. Persona 5 fandom in general tends to delight in the aspects of found family and friendship, but when I played I seemed to also zero in on the harsh unfairness at every turn that the protagonist lives through. There was a lot of ugliness in the dialogue, character portraits, and small details (like his cardboard box of things being damaged). I love a good woobie fic, and I feel like I really learned a lot about my personal niche of erotic horror when writing this. I loved every second of crafting this Joker/Akira story even though it took me so long! But I'm so happy with the end product and allowing myself to really just embrace what I like writing.

Heart Stamp is another example of leaning into what I love writing. I am such a sucker for post-canon Iwaipego. I like my Iwaipego domestic as fuck. I love to see Iwai in his home, going about his routines, showing signs of both confidence and nerves. Persona 5 doesn't do well showing more than the skeletons of people and personalities, which is fine given the limited format, but there are so many hints and little details that make up these characters, that it was an absolute joy to show them off in an electrically charged, but desperately mundane scenario. I like my romance to feel like transcendence…but also like it could happen to anyone. I loved writing this vulnerable crush meets the perfect storm of possibility.

Another Iwaipego! Watch Out Boy, He'll Chew You Up is by far the weirdest thing I've written, but it was also a joy to create. It's based off a game called Homegrown Pet by TrisGhost where you essentially feed a small monster different things like human flesh, candy, vegetables, etc and what it grows into and what endings you receive are based on that diet. It was so out there, but I knew Hotsuqueen had been into the idea of it as well. When prompted to write something for them…I couldn't resist! What followed was the weirdest AU I've ever written. It was extraordinarily fun translating Akira into a blob only capable of mannerisms and cat/puppy like behaviors. It was fun to figure out how their relationship would progress when so limited. And it was fun to think about xeno anatomy and fun little things that were both gross and hilarious. It was a blast.

I was terrified to ever write for Dragon Age. It's so incredibly dense as far as lore goes. I was absolutely sure that I would get a detail wrong or forget something crucial that made the plot nonsensical (if you could call it a plot). In the end, I bit the bullet and just wrote. Getting Dorian's voice was a challenge and a pleasure, and getting to show my deep love for the environments and details in DA:I was so nice. I enjoyed lovingly detailing Felix's illness and recovery and describing the food. I just had a grand time with it, short and sweet as it was. And it really helped me have more faith in myself.

Night Blooming is my last pick for this list. It's definitely not a fic that I get a lot of views or other interaction with, but I feel like it will always be on a list like this. Hotsuqueen is a genius for thinking up Iwai (P5)/Sayoko (P4), and I take great pride and giddiness for having written it. The pairing is astronomically full of chemistry. I took great pleasure in these two older characters being written when they were young and even more impulsive than they are in their present-day canon. I loved worming in bits and pieces of their personalities and story into what is a short little moment of passion. I liked that it prompted some laughs and generally felt like a wonderful moment of two very sexy ships passing in the night. I want to write this pairing again in the future!

That's all five! This is meant to be shared to five other writers to keep the chain going, but not only do I not even have five followers, but I also don't want to stress anyone out! So if you run across this and enjoyed it, then I highly recommend you share your wonderful works too! <3

[mercystine]

I posted 5,934 times in 2022

108 posts created (2%)

5,826 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@malakai-mitchell

@moonlitegay

@aromanticgoldfish-deactivated237

@thomas-the-goat-of-satan

@acesophiewalten

I tagged 1,919 of my posts in 2022

#if we were villains - 116 posts

#iwwv - 110 posts

#a little life - 98 posts

#grishaverse - 88 posts

#the poppy war - 74 posts

#six of crows - 42 posts

#tfota - 40 posts

#datvd - 40 posts

#help - 39 posts

#trc - 35 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#also i fully expect that to change by the end of the year because there are still at least 3 books i want to read in december that im convi

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

alistair my ear hurts help

ALSO I'M OFFICIALLY REREADING HOO AND IM SO HAPPY I STARTED TLT A WHILE BACK AND I CHECKED OUT SON OF NEPTUNE AND BLOOD OF OLYMPUS AT THE LIBRARY TODAY IM SO HYPED

noooooo rip

ALSO OMG KAVYA 👀 are you going to be very upset if i tell you that i've only read the first book in the heroes of olympus series 👉👈

9 notes - Posted September 27, 2022

#4

mid year book freak out tag

thank you for tagging me @gorgxoxus! 💗

best book you've read so far in 2022: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. It is also probably the best book I've EVER read so. yeah :')

best sequel you're read so far in 2022: The Dragon Republic by R.F.Kuang

new release you haven't read yet but want to: I Kissed Shara Wheeler! and also Portrait of a Thief

most anticipated release of the second half of the year: Babel by R.F. Kuang. I will not breathe until I read this book. The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake is also a really anticipated one

biggest disappointment: lmao sooo many, but the biggest one is probably On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

biggest surprise: probably The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon?? I didn't expect to like this book much but oh my god it was so good, it's become one of my favourite SFF books of all time

favorite new author: R.F. Kuang. if she writes it, I will read it

newest fictional crush: Libby Rhodes from The Atlas Six

newest favourite character: Jude St. Francis

book that made you cry: yeah A Little Life which I still cry over 4 months after reading it. but History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera made me tear up a bit! and so did The Burning God by R.F.Kuang. and as someone who doesn't usually cry at books I'm counting it 🤡

book that made you happy: I- genuinely don't remember because I don't really read happy books 😭

the most beautiful book you've read this year: Crier's War by Nina Varela

books you need to read by the end of the year: I don't really stick to any tbr but some books I'd like to read by the end of the year are The Vanishing Half, The Great Believers, The Danish Girl, The Mask Falling, To Paradise, Mexican Gothic

no pressure tags: @sscrambledmeggss @annamaeharkness @homosandhomies @machine-without-feelings

12 notes - Posted June 17, 2022

#3

romanticprometheus -> rinezha

17 notes - Posted May 30, 2022

#2

happy pride month if we were villains <3

32 notes - Posted June 3, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

babe are you going to get over your self-esteem issues or do I have to help you commit murder to show you that I love you

427 notes - Posted January 31, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[loverscrossmp3]

hi hello!! ⭐️ for the ask game - maybe something from and still the fire burns? what was the hardest part to write, what was your favorite!!! i want to know!

hiii brynn!! anything for you <3

this got SO long and i’m so sorry about it. under the cut xoxo

hardest scene:

so, with and still the fire burns, by far the duel scenes were the hardest things i've ever written. the second one more than the first, i think. no one tells you how to balance the action and description and feelings!!! and there i went writing nearly 2k words of just that!!

anyway, yeah the second dueling scene was especially difficult cause this was the part of the story where all of lily's fears, her self-doubt, everything that's kept her up at night, come together.

The problem with living is you often forget. You often forget the horrors climbing the walls, hiding in portraits, seeping past like wisps of smoke.

this scene is bookended by two very light-hearted, happy scenes. the whiplash was intentional (sorry). the whole purpose of this story is for lily to persist, to keep on living despite all the things coming her way telling her maybe she... shouldn't. unfortunately, as the first line implies: when things are good, you forget the bad. (lily is human. she's a teenage girl. she's found fantastic friends, is maybe falling in love, is finally deservedly content... and then this.) it comes at you full force. but even so, there's still so so much good. and despite this absolutely awful experience lily endured, she still finds a way to persevere. cause she's awesome like that.

a bit of a tangent, but: i also intentionally had lily miscalculate the situation, counting three voices when there were actually four. i think there's a sort of instinct sometimes when writing these kinds of scenes (saying this as if i know anything) to have your character be essentially.. perfect? and that'd be great. but the fact of the matter is this is only lily's second duel outside of the classroom. she's caught off guard and tired of constantly being on guard in the first place and completely utterly terrified. this was calculated, the odds aren't in her favor completely. she won't be perfect.

i also knew exactly what the set-up looked like in this scene but for whatever reason, i couldn't find the right words to actually describe it for the reader, making it even harder. and then, y'know, pretending like i know how magic works too.

finally, this scene ends with:

Tears sting at the edges of Lily’s vision. “You forget,” she sneers. “We hold magic too.”

She stuns him still.

lily is fucking furious that it's even come to this. and if she's got to drill this point into the purists' heads, that she is just as powerful as they are, "different" blood or not, then so fucking be it. this ending is what made the struggle of this scene worth it, i think. she is that bitch!

favorite scene:

my favorite scene was probably the one before they were let out for the Christmas holidays, sat in the common room. the picture of it was already fully formed in my brain—the seating arrangement, the tree glinting in the corner—so when it came to, it was actually really easy to write.

it's also a really delicate scene, i think? it felt very soft and quiet — there's a certain peace to it. i really liked how, although it was a flashback in a sense, you could still sense the pivotal shift. and the scene immediately afterward is lily and james' first meeting on the quidditch pitch, which was a big pivotal moment too.

in a way, i think the common room scene is more of a mental pivotal moment (lily having this sort of sudden, quiet realization that 'oh. he's different this time around.') while the quidditch scene afterward is this realization coming to fruition in an actual act (lily allowing her thoughts on him to be more than just thoughts. if that makes sense.)

a little fun thing i added, i'm not totally sure if anyone picked up on:

In the meantime, the room slowly filtered out of students, the evening catching on as the moon peeked its way through the window: oh, hello.

and

The morning promises transformation. It smells like renewal. 

“Oh. Hello.”

it's not meant to be super obvious or anything, but i liked the sort of tether it strings across these two scenes. that the flashback had purpose and wasn't completely random.

surprise! the string is long. it connects here a little too:

A gust of breath and straightening of shoulders, Lily didn’t give herself enough time to doubt before walking over to the armchair nearest to the warmth of the blazing fire. “Hello,” she said as she sat.

James looked up at her voice. His brows furrowed slightly, bewilderment followed by hesitation written across his face. Then, “Hi.”

in this scene (common room), james is caught off guard. in the one following, lily is. i was gonna say something more eloquent about lily being the one to approach james here and then vice versa but i've lost my train of thought but... parallels people!!!!

sorry this got so long. pls love me still.

director’s cut!

[the-tzarina-alexandra-paracosm]

Some of my favourite art - a timeline

Part 14: 2024

The first half or so, at least

January. The fake album covers series. This is only a concept sketch but I really like how it looks even so, and I like the logo too.

February. This is actually a panel from my comics. This is one of the more detailed drawings in my black white and red rough sketch style. I like the pose, especially since it was so difficult for me to draw something like this in the past.

April. This is hands down my favourite panel from all the FIF comics I've done so far. The concept and the composition are very good.

May. Self portrait. Technically traced over a photo, but, as I've come to realise, even tracing in an aesthetically pleasing and artistic way is its own skill. (And the colouring and shading as well as the composition is done without tracing anyway). The first full colour picture of the year.

June. Quick sketch for my hacker story.

June. I like how I drew the babies here. Drawing the poses was a struggle, but I'm glad I didn't give up on it. I also liked drawing that transparent ball.

Early July. My first artfight this year (@ user is_noah). This is definitely the best drawing I've made this year, and the highest effort one. I spent about 3-4 full days drawing this, so a cumulative total of 20 hours or more. I like pretty much everything about this drawing, the shading, lighting, colour, mood, perspective, anatomy, poses, composition, clothing, character expressions etc etc. I feel like it looks just as I envisioned it in my mind if not better. And most importantly the emotion, the angst grief etc is there. What I struggled with the most was definitely the composition.

Late July. My second and last artfight this year, and a very high effort drawing for my friend @sea-angle. I like the lighting, colours and poses here. The composition was definitely the biggest struggle, but it was very much worth it. Although I spent a full week on this, I think the net time was about half of the other drawing.

______

The way I would characterise this year so far is that I'm still in an experimental phase especially in terms of subject matter, and am constantly going out of my comfort zone. At the same time, this is the period of time in which my artstyle is the most "my own" it's ever been, and the skills I've acquired over the years stacked up, thus enabling me to draw things that would've been extremely challenging even just last year. And to be fair, they were very challenging this year too, but I was determined to see them through to the end. My biggest improvements have been in terms of anatomy (+ poses), lighting and especially composition, which I've also put a much higher level of intentionality in.

But all of this did not occur overnight. If this 15+ year retrospective showed me anything it's that even those years that I felt like I was stagnating or regressing in my art, were actually crucial steps in building skills that would define my art in the future. I am extremely grateful for the journey I've had so far. I hope that any artist who reads through this series feels encouraged, because every new drawing means progress, even when, or especially when we feel it the least

[purplesurveys]

1910

How much did your senior prom dress cost you? Not much, I think it was just around 5k? My school even imposed a maximum amount we should only spend on the dress, and had each of us show the receipts for it to prove we didn't go over. Quite controlling, but honestly also made sense considering not everyone was well off so I don't mind it in retrospect.

What dreams have stuck with you since childhood? I've always wanted to see a WWE show from ringside. And to travel to Chicago.

Have you ever been in a serious romantic relationship? Sure.

Did you ever take your dog to school? Just once. I brought Kimi in since it was graduation photo taking day and I wanted him part of my portraits.

If you had had a baby in high school, what would you have named him or her? 100% I would have named them April if I had a girl. For a boy, Owen was always a top pick of mine after Owen Hart, even in high school.

If you had a baby now, what would you name him or her? I'd go for a first and second name that would make their nickname Mia.

Have you ever seen someone throw up on a plane? Nope.

Do you get motion sickness? Yeah, they're frequent and bad.

Has God ever healed you of anything? If so, what? Um, no.

What is the most boring church you have ever attended? All of them?

What is the most lively church you have ever attended? None of them.

Do you find church fun or boring? Boring and personally unnecessary. Also thinks very highly of themselves.

What do you hate the most about summer? The heat, the humidity.

Which part of your body is the most muscular? I never work out lol but if anything, probably my arms? I'm used to doing chores at home and carrying a lot of heavy boxes and other things at work.

Did you ever take Latin in school? No. They tried teaching us French at one point but it didn't catch on.

Which major holiday is closest to your birthday? It is almost always usually days away from Easter Sunday.

What is your favorite Japanese name? Mitsuha, Michiko, Akiko.

Have you ever ran a cash register? I have not.

Did you collect Bratz dolls when you were younger? Not dolls, but I liked Bratz nonetheless and had other stuff with their branding on it. I had Bratz boots, tops, skirts, lunchboxes, and bags.

Do you think your mom is attractive? Yes, she's pretty and also looks very young for her age. People are usually surprised when they find out she's over 50.

What was the last thing that disappointed you? Uhh very minor but I was looking forward to learning from this mini documentary I found on YouTube only for it to have commentary/a clear bias right off the bat.

Do you like the feeling in your stomach on a big drop on a roller coaster? It's the worst. I experienced it once when I gave the Singapore Universal Studios kiddie rollercoaster a chance – never rode one again, lol.

Skeletons or scarecrows? Idk, skeletons I guess?

Do you own pumpkin earrings? Nope.

What computer game did you used to play all the time? That bartender game where you had to mix drinks, only for the dude to hate like 99.9% of the mixes.

When was the last time you read a book? Around a month ago when Drew had me read this leadership self-help book.

Would you allow your children to date prior to 16? (assuming you want any) That's fine. What I'd prioritize above all is communication, so it would be great if they can open up to me about this sort of thing so that I could at least help where I'm needed.

What was the last restaurant you made a reservation at? a mano.

Which app on your phone do you tend to get the most notifications from? Mail or Viber.

What is something you gave up on after many failed attempts? Writing stories.

Do you watch political shows? I've only seen The Crown. Generally, I find the genre interesting but just never have the time to watch any of them.

Do you play any fantasy/roleplaying games? What? Nope.

Do you like salami? Not really.

When was the last time you ate meat? This evening, alongside spicy Chapaguri noodles. So spicy my tummy has been feeling like its own ring of fire the whole evening :( I have milk now which is helping, but the burning sensation is yet to go away completely.

What was the last hot drink you drank? I can't remember. I usually skip on hot drinks because I do not find the 'hot' in hot drinks enjoyable.

Have your parents met your boyfriend/exes? Yes.

How about your boyfriend’s parents? Met them? Yes, we were legal with her parents too.

Do you know how to say I love you in at least 4 languages? I love you, te amo, saranghaeyo, mahal kita.

Do you find the sound of a cat’s purr relaxing? Yes!!! I will admit I never really knew or bothered to learn the ~science behind purring, then we got Max who purrs like 80% of the time and it's one of my favorite things to listen to.

Do you know your mum’s first pet’s name? Nope.

Would you ever want to be famous? If so, for what? The most I'd ask for is to be associated with someone famous, like being their best friend or whatever lol. I wouldn't want to be the famous person myself.

Would you ever get a heart tattoo or your back? No.

What fruit can’t you stand? All of them, but most especially bananas. Or mangoes.

Do you know anyone autistic? Yes.

How about someone bipolar? Yeah.

What do you consider private to you? My peace and healing.

Name somebody you know who deserves a better life than they have: My eldest cousin, mom's side. He and his brother.

Name something that you’re good at but don’t like: Folding laundry.

Name something that you’re bad at but DO like: Singing (when I'm alone).

Name somebody who has tried to help you and ended up hurting you: My mom.

Name a date that has a lot of significance to you: April 7th.

Name something in your life that was a blessing in disguise: My breakup.

Name something that you’ve done that would be considered rebellious: Attending political rallies.

Name something you wish you had enough money to do: Fully pay for a condo.

[petalsmooth]

And look I've calmed down to a significant degree over part 2 but that doesn't mean people, who primarily seem to be Pen/Nicola centric fans, get to use that against me and others and come in and re-write it wasn't actually as bad as we made it out to be the first week. Luke/Colin got screwed in screentime and development. It is not up for debate. It is fact. Had he NOT gotten screwed, probably would have been a lot less complaints with part 2. Which is what that group really wishes would have happened. And were they less self centered and cared more about advocating for BOTH characters all along rather than the one liked the most out of the two, they would have gotten their wish. See what happens when you try to silence people who tell you for 3-4 years they are concerned if the show will properly treat his character? Because you think you can browbeat people into being happy if ONLY Pen gets serviced well? Well, you can't and this is the result. Because I remember some of you trying to smooth the way if Colin didn't even get to be writer as not a big deal before filming began. It WAS a big deal and you should have been on our side on that not taking tact can't get everything you want.

Also, Polin got shafted in screentime too. Go back and look at Daphne and Simon's reconciliation. Yeah, yeah....you all keep screaming about the lack of consent which I agree was a low point for the show but from the moment she cleaned his wounds and read his letters things started to soften with them. And they got a revealing talk in the rain and full reconciliation scene in the bedroom and a full love scene after that. All the anger had faded at that point. Pen and Colin may have had a talk at Fran's wedding but there was still tension and it didn't feel like things were on their way to a resolution. Then they are nowhere near each other until after the speech. Daphne and Simon joke about a portrait and had a dance focused only on them. We get a couple minutes where finally tell the audience oh yeah..this is what Colin was dealing with but we were too uncaring to put into the script earlier....and then let's dance with everyone else dancing in front of them and them a few seconds if a love scene that clearly wasn't as important as every other plot interrupted it with.

There is a reason people are unhappy with eps 7 and 8 and especially 8 and always will have a right to be.

It's the only season we'll ever get so I accept that but I won't ever reverse my opinion on some of these things. But because it is the only season we'll get, I and worked my way into being able to enjoy most of it more and honestly...it's still better than season 2. It's just it could have been the show's best couple season if they had put the same effort into Polin/Colin/Luke as did Pen/Whistledown. I don't think it could have been the best season overall unless also improved quality of subplots with other characters though.

[dianna-meza101]

Final Curated Portfolio & Artists Statements

Materials used 1-5: graphite pencil and charcoal

Gestures were the beginning stages of the class

2. Blind contour poses-

3. Contour poses-

4. Now getting into a more refined drawing of the figure

5. Peer portrait drawing

6. Models' face portrait

7. Practicing different views of my face as well as the style of drawing

8. Midterm - Self-portrait

Artist statement: This is my self-portrait, I wanted to show how simple I am as a person, my home has been my safe haven ever since COVID-19, I've become more introverted and not going out so often so the background is my home, my special place.

-This is the last stage of the class

Material used: Acrylics

8. 3 figures- painting

9. Final Paintings (two)

First painting statement: During COVID-19, I practiced a moment of isolation, having my cat there was also a special experience. during this isolation, I would have myself train for new hobbies so I wouldn't think that time would pass by me, and have me regret. the open gap that showcases the sky symbolizes how much I desperately desired to go out. I tried darkening the room inside showing how trapped I felt during that time.

Second painting statement: Without having any personal ideas about what to paint next, I felt best to paint a fictional story. This takes us to medieval times, where there was once a princess having her own troubles, "it was time" her mother said. The princess was only 14 but was being taught already to become the next queen. 2 years before there was an awful war, leaving the kingdom without a king. Now it was up to the princess to lead. Her only responsibility is to find a husband to rule to kingdom with. the mother's desperation made her set up an arranged marriage without her daughter's permission. in this painting, it shows the coronation of the new queen. she is filled with many emotions and isolates herself from her people not feeling ready for the upcoming duties that will come forward.

Artist Statement Portfolio:

This portfolio overall was made over 6 months and the whole experience was wonderful and at the same time frustrating. I am an architecture student and I will admit, that I lost touch with free drawing. I got used to only doing perfect joined lines because it was what the architecture professors preferred but I see now that if I want to challenge myself I need to show something completely different. Having this class really helped me find more of the creative journey I was seeking and expand on the skills that I need to work on.

[a-cow]

Virtual Sketchbook 1

Writing and Research

Fiori Di Como

Dale Chihuly 1998 Fiori Di Como. 70' x 30' x 12' Glass. Lobby of the Bellagio, Las Vegas, NV

When I first saw the Fiori Di Como some of my first thoughts were how the glass work and colors were really pretty, and how it resembles a field of flowers.

2. Five facts about the Fiori Di Como by Dale Chihuly

"Fiori Di Como" means "flowers of Como", and is inspired by the flowers of lake Como in Italy.

It is the largest glass sculpture in the world, comprised of 2,000 individual blown-glass flowers.

Chihuly lead a team of over 100 people, including glassblowers, architects, and more, to create and install this piece of work.

The entire sculpture weighs over 40,000 pounds.

Chihuly is a prolific glass sculpture artist with his work appearing in over 200 art museums around the world.

3. My opinion and thoughts on this art piece now is still the same as before. I still find the work of art incredibly pleasing to the eye with the variety of colors, patterns, and shapes present. Chihuly really captured and was able to convey the essence of flowers in his work. Only now after learning more about it I can also say I am impressed with the scale and amount of work that must have went into it to make it possible. I can only comprehend the magnitude of it through a picture.

Art and Writing

This is a poster that was digitally designed by scanning hand drawn flowers into Photoshop and finished in the application. It was made by yazzy.co on Instagram, then printed on poster paper, for a band called Flipturn.

The use it serves is as a memento of the first concert that I've ever went to this summer. I personally think it is very appealing to the eye and love the aesthetic of it. I like the choice of colors and how they contrast and complement each other without being too jarring. The use of black as negative space while also creating dimension with it is also very nice. Not to mention the composition, with the motif of flowers being used as the main focal point of the poster while the band name is to the side, which sort of guides your eyes from one half to the other.

A Written Self Portrait

I am 19 as of May, 2023. I identify as female. I was born and raised in Florida. My ethnicity is Asian, more specifically Vietnamese and I am a second generation American.

For fun I like to read, this includes manga, manhwa, novels, and fan-fiction. I also like to game solo and with friends, my currently played games include Valorant, Baldur's Gate 3, and Honkai Star Rail. I am not a member of any organized group. I have been working part-time at Wawa for a year now.

What makes me uniquely me, is me. More specifically, I am the culmination and amalgamation of all my experiences, choices and their consequences. A product of nurture and nature. My thoughts, feelings, how I perceive and sense the world have made me who I uniquely am. Though at times I just feel like a girl going through the motions of life.

Art Project - Self Portrait

This is my mixed media self-portrait. Personally, I'm not a fan of cameras and even less so of taking selfies or perceiving myself. The background is a collage of various pages from books I've read and cherished.

[sarahandsashainparis]

Day 4 - last day in Paris

Sarah

In my ongoing attempt to rehabilitate my reputation as a drill sergeant, I was happy to allow Sasha to lay in bed this morning while Desmond and I went to the Centre Pompidou. Apparently, the last time we were in Paris, he wasn't able to go in, and that was somehow my fault and yet another example of me being overly controlling over schedules. So, this was the make-up visit. But I then ruined it all by not realizing that it didn't open until 11, giving us only a short time to walk around before having to leave for our lunch reservation.

Sasha

I was very grateful that my mom allowed me to stay back while they went to the Pompidou. I had a lot of early mornings, and I believe that you should be able to sleep in on vacation, but I understand that my mom doesn't feel that way, especially since she wakes up at insane hours just for fun. Before they leave, Desmond tells me to lock one of the two doors (already behind a locked gate and another code-locked door), but just as I've figured out how to lock the door, he asks me to unlock it for some reason that I can't remember, but this door is impossible, so it took me way too long, and I think Desmond may have contemplated climbing in through the window. After this fiasco, I decide to lock the second door since it's easier, and they leave. Just as I was getting comfortable having the apartment to myself, Desmond told me he was on his way back, so I needed to unlock the door. Oy. Apparently, the museum wasn't open yet, and no one thought to check before they left, so my mom went and got us some pastries and coffee, thank you!

Sarah

Lunch was delicious. Le Comptoir de La Gastronomie, a recommendation from a friend. Truly one of the best meals in a long time, and definitely the best in Paris. Sasha's verdict on her ravioli stuffed with foie gras in a cream and truffle sauce, "one of the best things I've ever put in my mouth." And yes, she had escargot again.

Sasha

I've been very conflicted on this trip when it comes to foie gras because it tastes delicious, but it's so inhumane. I had to put my morals aside for this meal, and I'm so glad I did because it really was the best thing I have ever eaten (yes, I know I'm awful). After too much food and just enough wine, we made our way to the Musee D'Orsay in an attempt to walk off some calories.

Sarah

We finished off the day with a visit to the Musee D'Orsay. The french metro workers are on strike today, so there was even more walking everywhere than usual. But given the huge, rich food we ate, that wasn't a terrible thing. When Anya and Sasha were little, and we used to travel as a family, we'd get these great books at the various European museums that we'd visit. They had treasure hunts and games like that to keep children interested in whichever museum it was. Sasha remembered the one from the D'Orsay and even remembered some of the art pieces in the book. I'm sad to say goodbye to Paris, but honestly, I'm not sure I can eat another thing, so it may be time to go. Au revoir Paris.

Sasha

Our first stop in the museum was the bathroom because when traveling with my mother, of course it was. I've never been much of an art person, but I absolutely loved this museum, and I loved finding the pieces of art that I remember from books my parents got me and Anya when we were younger. I got to see two different self-portraits by Van Gogh and my favorite (which I didn't remember was my favorite until today), Blue Dancers by Edgar Degas. I got some nice postcards, and Desmond bought me a puzzle as a Christmas present from my mom (she was not aware that she was getting me this gift). We made the long trek back to the apartment, where the trip basically ended. Overall, it's been the best trip of my life that I can remember, and that's not just because my mom paid for everything. I tried new food and loved everything I ate. I saw some amazing art and views and walked more steps than I have in a while. Of course, I owe this entire trip to my mom, who, despite my complaining, did an amazing job planning. Paris did not disappoint, and I'll be back soon!

[netherworldpost]

atticus i’ve been following you since i was a socially overcompensating 13-ish year old on twitter, now over 7 years ago, and the vivacity with which you approach life and the way you embrace who you are so gleefully was genuinely such a good influence on me as i was maturing on the internet. you (and ms jillian venters of gothiccharmschool as well!) were a reminder to me that growing older isn’t something to be scared of, that you never have to stop expressing who you are and enjoying yourself with that self-expression. i’ve known i was nonbinary for a while now and discovering that you’re also cisn’t was wonderful. i’m so glad that people never stop growing and understanding things about themselves. i’m glad you exist and that you are who you are and i’m glad that i found your work when i did. thank you for reading <3

I need to do office hours and answer notes on a timely basis, apologies for jumping this to the queue everyone, I've just finished the final large freelance project (ever) on the docket so I need to handle traffic.

Anyway thank you and time to answer above note

@gothiccharmschool is an amazing human being and has helped me figure out things with overt conversations and behind the scenes when I read her blog so I'm going to second your notes about her wonderfulness. Jillian I love you so much oh gosh.

When I was in my mid teens to early 20s I was a Florida goth. Which is a goth with lightweight clothes because it was roasting hot. I didn't do much makeup, just bits, because I didn't know. Super conservative area and family.

From early 20s through just before 30 I was "blahh" because I was working.

30s were a slow but steady mix of "oh I want to be goth" and "no I want to be colorful" and then late 30s "oh sweet moonbeams am I queer?" and then "oh... OH"

You just keep going

You add more paint to your statue or clean it up because you feel like going more stylized and simple and then you go back to "i want LOUD I miss LOUD" and it's great

Take selfies. Seriously. Take just so many selfies. If they look weird or are blurry or whatever (sotto voce, do you know about portrait mode? I discovered portrait mode 12 hours ago) and keep a log book

Hair grows back and if it doesn't buy fake hair

Badly designed (but safely applied) tattoos are hilarious as you age

So. A handful of years ago, I'm on a date in Jamaica with one of the most gorgeous people I've ever seen in a bathing suit. Just. Absolute knock out. And a fantastic dancer. This person is just a midnight storm made flesh.

And we are at a resort and there is dancing because of course. And it's in the middle of the night and we have a big beach bonfire going at the resort, and the resort folk who are charged with getting bodies to dance are dancing, and my date is dancing, and I am losing my mind.

I can't dance! I have no rhythm! I have, less than rhythm, and legs that work at 90% capacity, which is great for walking but terrible at dancing.

I get pulled into the ring and everyone is laughing and I am flailing terribly and completely fall into the sand and laugh so hard I fall over, repeatedly.

It was AMAZING. No ones cares. It's not my job, I'm not dancing to appease the gods to convince them to save humanity.

I am not immune to societal propaganda. If I was I would now have the wardrobe I will this time next year.

Even this frustration though brings euphoria because, and I cannot stress this enough, if you are alive it is not too late to figure out who you are.

You'll make a fool of yourself.

The people who love you will laugh with you as you laughed with them when they made a fool of themselves.

We're all clowns performing with and for each other and the stage lights are far too bright to see anything but each other.

Dance.

Take a billion selfies.

Dye your hair.

Take a billion more selfies.

Have a beautiful and brilliant and full and amazing life and do everything you want to do, do it today, or tomorrow, or in a year. Life is a lifelong affair and it is so amazingly great.