#trying to make poses and camera angles a bit more dynamic

[lucien-aventine]

Light Party

Ep 12 | Dangers of the Road

The road be dangerous.

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

Episode Index || 12 || Next

· · ─ ·𖥸· ─ · ·

Carrd | Patreon | Ko-fi | Webtoon | Tapas

[homelanderbutbig]

I Will Always Keep You Safe (G/T Homelander x Reader)

2068 words. Hurt/comfort, and a bit of fluff. Homelander is 8 feet tall. Reader is non-descriptive. Established relationship.

Your relationship going public is a lot harder to deal with than you thought.

It's official, your relationship with Homelander has been exposed. After months of hiding behind Vought's watchful eyes to keep it a secret, they finally caught on to your schemes with one accidental slip-up. And with the cat out of the bag, that meant announcing you to the world. Homelander hasn't had many romances in the past, but all of them were treated more as a social media exhibition rather than something intimate. You understand it's not something your boyfriend has any control over; Vought makes all the decisions when it comes to marketing the leader of The Seven, and they know how to drum up clicks and views.

At Homelander's insistence, the Vought board agreed for your debut to the masses to be more downplayed than when he dated Maeve and there were practically parades in the streets. A small group of photographers would be waiting for the two of you to leave the Tower to take some candid shots, a few quick poses before you fly off back to the penthouse to decompress.

However, when the fateful night arrives and you two walk out of the main entrance holding hands, the gathering is quite a lot larger than what was agreed on. The photographers Vought hired must have let slip their tantalizing information, and the word spread like wildfire. There are hundreds of strangers surrounding you, blocking any chance of a quick exit as they flash their cameras directly in your face. The paparazzi are pushing to the front with their microphones, invading your personal space and clamouring to absorb all they can for their soon-to-be-published articles.

How you met the world's strongest supe, how you handle the dynamics being a human dating a supe, how you cope living with such a large man when you're half his size… they're even demanding all the spicy details of your sex life.

While Homelander revels in the attention he's basking in, grinning and waving nonchalantly at the crowd, you're another story. The lights, the cameras, the sounds, the absence of privacy… it's all too overwhelming. You could comprehend this was going to be an adjustment when you ultimately went public with your relationship, but you've never had to deal with being the centre of attention at a level such at this. There are too many eyes on you, too many voices screaming at you to answer their questions. You have no way of getting out of this.

And now you're ten seconds away from a panic attack.

At first he doesn't seem to notice how you're reacting to being in the limelight, but he eventually angles his head down when he feels you grip his hand tighter and tighter. The joy is siphoned straight out of him in an instant, swirling down the drain as he witnesses your own internal collapse. He's never seen you so distressed, all while trying to put on a brave face for him. And yet throughout the cacophonous noise he still he smells your cortisol levels spiking in your blood, he hears your heart beating rapidly and your breaths becoming more and more erratic as you hyperventilate. He sees the tears forming in your eyes as you desperately try to blink them away, not to let the cameras catch your vulnerability. He discerns the cracks in your face as your unbearable anxiety starts to fracture through your forced smile.

He can see how much you remind him of himself.

"Well, thank you all for coming out to welcome my date, but I'm afraid we have to get going now. Goodnight everybody!" he announces, cutting this introduction short as he salutes his audience. You glance up at his sudden announcement, noticing he's no longer as cheery as he was previously. His demeanour, while still smiling, has hardened into something different. Something protective.

Before you can even comprehend the shift in his body language, Homelander swiftly bends down to pick you up with one hand. Once you're secured in his grasp, one of his big hands on your back and the other shielding your head, he pushes himself off the ground for a slow ascent into the sky.

Luckily in less than a minute you feel him touch down on the roof of some building. He doesn't let you go, instead keeping you bundled firmly in his embrace. He's lifted the hand on your head away, allowing you to look up at him as he gently caresses your hair.

You can see the way he's gazing at you, how his brows are furrowed and lips are pressed tightly together. His expression is concerned, but hesitant. He's waiting for you to say something first. Although you know Homelander is the type to make the initial action, whenever it's you that's in his focus he never wants to jump in and make the wrong move. He doesn't want to upset you further by making a mistake.

"I-I'm sorry… I-It was… t-too much…" you stutter after some time, pushing your face further into his padded chest as it absorbs your tears. You're gradually calming your nervous system now that you're away from the insanity, but that fight-or-flight is still coursing through your veins as you come to terms with what happened.

"You don't have to apologize," he remarks as he attempts to console you, although his voice cracks slightly.

"I ruined it… I-I ruined it for you," you mumble hoarsely, your tiny hands gripping onto his suit while you try to repel your tears with a sniffle. Your guilt is a beast that is difficult to tame; you are the reason this introduction was cut short, and because of that the Vought board is going to be pissed. At you, and at Homelander. And he doesn't deserve to be blamed for your cowardice.

Hearing you say such things penetrates him straight through to his core. He had always been afraid of your relationship being in the open, but it was because he believed you would be targeted and hurt. Instead, the real danger was those bloodsuckers with the cameras. Unlike you, he was raised to be a circus act, always under the spotlight.

It's hard to miss how worried he becomes seeing you cry. You're always the one to be the rock in your relationship, but when the tables are turned, Homelander is… useless.  His heart is full of compassion and yet it is aimless; he was never taught how to behave around other people, the way you comfort him like it's second nature. It's all foreign to a man who spent his life isolated from society, despite never wanting that predetermined fate bestowed onto him, onto that defenseless child in the lab. More than anything he wants to learn, he wants you to depend on him too.

And after a minute of stillness, deep in his thoughts, he understands how he can help.

"You know… I, uh, I know how you feel. About the crowds," he begins, his words a little shaky as he pauses for a moment to ensure you're listening. When you raise your head up, fixating on him, he takes a deep breath and continues.

"Before I debuted, they had me go in front of a crowd. To test me, how I would react around different people other than the ones I saw everyday,"  he explains, his jaw tensing as he relives this memory. "I never really left the lab before, and seeing these… mudpeople… gawking at my height, reaching out and touching me, shouting at me to use my powers for them… I just… I felt like I was drowning."

Once he stops, the silence is thick in the air. You see him swallow back his rising discomfort, his eyes frantically looking around before he finally turns his attention back to you, waiting reluctantly to see your response.

"What happened?" you ask, your face mirroring his anxiety.

"I flew away, out into the forest," he divulges, the painful memories flickering in his eyes as his voice turns more gravelly with each word. "By the time they found me it was getting dark, but I was too scared to go back on my own, after I fled. I knew… I knew they were going to punish me. They always did when I disobeyed. I was hoping they would… just… forget about me. But they always know where I am. I had to learn that the hard way."

When Homelander finishes his story, he senses your body becoming rigid, flooding with sympathy for what he's been forced to live though. Knowing that he's alarming you is enough for him to close his eyes, letting go of his breath and shaking his head haphazardly as if to reset his train of thought. It's incredible to you how he can just switch his emotions on the fly sometimes, but you suppose it's the only way he can cope.

"But… uh… enough about me," he laughs breathlessly, albeit a tad self-consciously. "If that was too much for you, we'll just do some television interviews first. Make the rounds on the talk show circuit, you know, keeping you behind the scenes. We can let those vultures wait to see us out on the town."

You smile faintly, torn in-between his thoughtful gesture and him pouring his heart out to you. He never, never tells you about his childhood, and yet in this moment he's just given you a small snippet in an attempt to show he understands how you feel.

"Can I take you back to the penthouse?" he queries, cutting off your inner monologue. He still appears a little concerned at how you're doing mentally, as if he hadn't just opened the vault to you and made you worry about him when he was a scared little boy all on his own in the forest. However, you figure that's a can of worms for another day, and simply nod at his question. The both of you have had enough of an adventure this evening.

At a deliberately relaxed speed, Homelander launches into the sky and flies higher to the top of Vought Tower. You have your eyes clenched shut for dear life; flying has never really been something you could get used to easily. Regardless of knowing he'd never drop you, that feeling of your stomach freefalling to your toes remains. However, you realize midflight that he'd stopped far below the balcony to his penthouse, and is currently just hovering in the air.

"I want to show you something, open your eyes," he requests, attempting to coax you into some new plot he's cooked up. Even without looking at him you're painfully aware of the cheeky grin plastered across his face. "Trust me."

With a sharp inhale you hesitantly pry your eyes open to see whatever it could possibly be he's excited about. And of course he never fails to deliver. From your vantage point you have access to the view of the entire city, every single building and skyscraper illuminating the skyline with their dazzling light display. It's nothing short of breathtaking, a sight you could never achieve on your own. A sight Homelander probably sees every night on his routine flights, but it was one that he wanted to share only with you.

You turn your attention back to him, straight into those baby blue eyes and his warm smile. He looks even more beautiful than normal, his face glowing from the city lights surrounding you.

"You're amazing," you declare, feeling his body soften at your praise as you lean in to kiss him. Your hands are cupping his massive face, stroking his jaw before you moving up to scratch his undercut. You swear you can feel yourself floating ever so slightly higher as he purrs into your mouth, enraptured by your love.

By the time you pull back from your kiss, the two of you have at last completely let go of the evening's earlier stress. Your hands are still buried in his hair, rubbing small circles along his scalp as his expression becomes more and more serene with each passing second. And the way he's petting your head with his big fingers has you melting into him just as much.

"I'd do anything for you," he whispers reassuredly, nuzzling delicately into your nose before he begins rising the rest of the way to the penthouse.

 "I will always keep you safe… no matter what."

[arthursfuckinghat]

As promised, here's a little tutorial on how I use photo mode to take my pictures!

It's a long one, but hopefully it helps <3

Alright, so first thing's first, you hop into photomode and see this feller and a bunch of options on the side. It's a bit overwhelming, so let me break it down.

Whenever I use photo mode, the first thing I do is make sure I'm in freecam mode and not orbit. You'll be in orbit mode by default, it stops you from being able to move around freely. We don't want that, so always make sure you're in freecam if you want dynamic shots!

Now, I'll come back to the advanced options and the save photo option, but this is the general layout of the photo mode menu.

These funky little numbers in the corner are important too. Now, if you do use the save photo option for your pictures, they will save to your Rockstar account. The reason I don't use this is because you cannot access your pictures saved on your account outside of your game on your console. You can only view the saved pictures when you view them in game, it'll take you to the social club and you'll see your pictures, but you will not be able to save them or access them anywhere else but there.

Anyways, back to this handsome feller.

Once you're in freecam, you'll be able to move around however you like. You control the camera by using the normal movement controls, and the triggers for moving the camera up and down. You'll notice that the numbers in the corner are different now, that's because I zoomed in on Arthur using the lens button. Even though 75 mm is the maximum amount you can zoom in, you're still able to move the camera closer!

Ta da! Look at this fella now! You can see all of the yummy details. I pressed the lens option three times with the top d-pad button on my controller, zooming the camera in fully. Now, let's press the advanced options.

Oh no. More numbers and buttons. Don't worry, it's easier than it looks!

It's important to note that you cannot move the camera or zoom in again once you're in this menu. You'll have to go back and start again if you want to move things around, your perfect pose will be lost and you'll be put back into gameplay, so definitely only use the advanced options when you're fully happy with your picture so far.

For my pictures, I always make sure that the blur strength is zero. I don't usually change the distance focus, but it's really up to you. The number indicates how far off into the distance it focuses on, it's measured in metres. Now, let's hide the HUD and see what we've got!

Nice. See the difference in the backgrounds? That's what the focus distance can do!

Okay, let's try again with a different example.

The angle is a bit awkward here, so let's move it around.

Just like last time, we're pressing the lens button up three times to zoom in fully and position the camera where we want it.

The blur strength is zero, but I put the distance focus to three metres because I liked the trees in the background. So, let's see what we have now.

Very nice. Not the most exciting, but this is just for the example, you'll be able to find more interesting angles the more you practice! I like to zoom in a bit extra just to capture Arthur's expressions.

Ta da! What a nice picture. To save it, make sure you use your console's built in screenshot button.

Once you have the picture saved on your console itself, import it to your phone or computer and feel free to adjust it from there. Look at these nice pictures we have now!

Hopefully this helps, feel free to ask any questions!!

[valeriefauxnom]

Summer Euden's Other Set of Expressions

So, as we know, Summer Euden was long awaited ever since he and the main crew gained their own outfits in the first year, where he looked like this:

Cleo, Ranzal, and Luca all surprisingly were apart of the first summer rounds of units, the latter two as easy-to-get 4 stars. Those are all big names, so it made sense that they were going to be a lot more sparing when it came to the remaining Big Two (Euden and Elly) in the original group. Indeed, next summer neither of them appeared as playable units.

Third summer, however, in what was probably a subtle signal they were going downhill and trying to give The People what they wanted by throwing out all the favorites with a jam-packed summer with favorites like Leonidas, Chelle, Ieyasu, and Mitsuhide, Summer Euden finally entered the game (and as a completely free giveaway that you didn't even have to fill out a friendship meter because Euden is friendly with most everyone!), making minor adjustments to his outfit:

Aside from the most notable change that he obviously now lacks an inner shirt (of which I'm likely going to attribute to him just feeling comfortable enough doing that around friends with the whole royal etiquette standards around dress, etc), he also gained the same pendant thing (presumably Zethia's?) that he's holding in his Gala on his belt, as well as a little hair tie and flower necklace.

Even before he became playable, though, he already had a pretty varied set of expressions (that he didn't change at all for his playable variety). Here are his 'eye parts' (if you've never seen/used the fantastic portrait viewer, essentially, dragalia divided expression into eyes and mouth, so they could mix and match as well as animate the blinking/talking):

As just said, his second summer outfit carried his expression capacity over, cut and paste. Made sense, it's his same 'art' but altered a bit.

...Except summer Euden was notable in a few different ways. First: his animation angle. Previously, I believe all units in Dragalia kept the camera angle they were using when attacking all the time as not to mess up players. Euden, however, experimented with camera angle, starting off his skills in a way that flipped the camera to facing him for a hair. You could disable it, but still.

More curiously, he also gained a new skill cutaway art wherein he just really looks like he's about to beat you up for stealing his friend's Legos or something and is in the course of getting ready to deck you very hard:

This is obviously in the pose of his full unit art, but definitely isn't exactly it. This seems to be what they did for most units, cut out or alter their full art to use for their skill cut ins.

...But they also usually used this cut-down version of the full screen art as their 'resting'/talking art for most characters.

But Euden uses his old summer art's pose and talking art. Okay.

...And yet, his cut down version also has a full range of expressions:

He only uses like, two, three expressions in all, for his skill and damaged art, and yet he has all of these expression possibilities.

This is all a lot to say that despite having a full spread of emotions for what would normally be his talking art, they instead went for the altered version of his original summer art for reasons unknown. If I had to guess, I'd say that his art was too 'dynamic' and screen-consuming compared to most art, and just too far a departure from most talking portaits. This is a mock up of what Summer Euden alone would have looked like on screen:

So, uh, yeah. That's how summer Euden has not just one but two sets of full expressions!

As a sign-off, in case you never saw it since while Euden was a pretty good free unit, he was competing in a vicious shadow economy and thus didn't see much use, here's his victory pose!

[stinkrascal]

hey, do you have some tips for storytelling?😅

hmm well this is a bit vague, is there anything specific you need help with? i will give you some random tips but idk how helpful it will be!

1 when im taking screenshots indoors, if the space is too small to get a good shot i'll delete the walls wherever the camera is positioned so i can get a better angle.

2 using the tool mod to select objects and move or elevate them helps if you have a screenshot that's at the perfect angle but there's an object/sim in the way.

3 mess around with in-game lighting. for instance, if im taking screenshots in a living room, i might turn off all the lights except for a lamp in the corner of the room so the scene looks more dynamic. or if you're taking screenshots in a mall or a grocery store, you might want to turn all the lights on and change the color to a bright cool white to give it that soulless corporate feeling all shopping centers have.

4 consider the movement whenever you're making a scene. even if two characters are just talking, it looks more interesting to watch them move around while they're having a conversation. they don't have to just infodump on the couch... they can go from the couch, to the fireplace, to the kitchen, and then back to the couch. way more interesting to look at that way.

5 i know yall collectively groan whenever i tell you to learn blender... but... like... you should learn blender lmao. you dont have to be a pro by any means, im certainly not! even just the basics like frankenposing and extracting ts4 rigs into blender will help a TON. you can definitely get away with only using poses made by others like it's 100% possible. but having the ability to execute your own ideas makes the process a lot more fun in my opinion. that way you won't find yourself in a situation where you have to rewrite plotpoints bc you can't execute it in-game. and if you become more advanced in blender and learn how to turn deco objects into posing accessories then you open up SOOO many possibilities for your story! seriously i would not be able to tell standstill if i didn't have this skillset lol.

6 i know everyone writes their sim stories differently, but i recommend writing out as much as you can so you have a complete idea of what it is you're trying to say. for me personally i like to keep 3 documents, the "main" document where standstill is written, one where i dump all my brainstorming notes, and one which was created during the rewriting process, where i copy/paste deleted excerpts into, in case i need to reference those scenes later on.

sorry these are pretty vague but i hope this helped even a little 💌

[cranjournals]

#002: AtsuHina Exchange - Baseball

Date of completion: March 16, 2024

Program: Clip Studio Paint (iPad)

My piece for the 2025 AtsuHina Spring Exchange! I was feeling so warm and grateful for the community that I wanted to pour everything I had into this. Check it out on AO3 along with the rest of the amazing collection! Everyone here is so nice and talented, I can only hope this gives back a little bit!

Notes:

So... I know nothing about baseball! I started out trying to plan a whole thing in my head, like what positions they would all play, what scene I could draw that was more atshn than just MSBY/team dynamics but still more baseball than just slapping them in a different uniform (even if that is a little bit what ended up happening), etc., but I could tell I was going to think myself to death if I didn't just pick an idea and stick with it, so I went with a post-game celebration!

And when I say I know nothing, I really mean it qvq Pinterest ended up being my bestie for finding inspiration and references, and then I saw a pic of a gatorade shower and hubris said "I can paint that!!" and the rest is kind of history.

Composed everything using a collage of reference pics first, just going off of vibes until things felt right proportion- and perspective-wise

Loosely planned out background elements and adjusted poses to create implied or real lines that would point to atsuhina's faces as the focal point

A little layer management goes a long way, so almost every layer was named or sorted into a folder

Every character got a base fill, skin, hair, black, white, and gold layer. The brush I use blends color a lot, so I decided not to use separate shadow and light layers in this workflow

The group of uniform colors is marked with red so they'd be easy to see while scrolling through the panel, and lineart layers are marked in blue for the same reason

Once established, palette colors were added to my color mixer for easy access

Usually am more of a sketcher/one sketch straight to lineart person, but this time I put a lot of attention into refining details over multiple sketches

Eliminated a lot of guesswork before going into lineart this way, and realized important details like the exact pose and angle of Meian's hand and atsuhina's lips were lost in the mess

Most anatomy is drawn from reference, but adjusted according to the character's body type or modified for a more appealing silhouette (Shoyo in particular had to be thickened up a lot. And caked up lol.)

Sakusa wasn't drawn from reference and maybe it shows... I also had to change his pose because I realized he was looking a little... homophobic.....

Meian also got changed because, for some reason, he just didn't feel like Meian?? I think I also didn't want him to look too surprised at the kiss, more like an "Oh! Finally!" reaction

Focused on lineart to strengthn one of my weaker skills. I have a difficult relationship with lineart because I love sketching and most of the time don't color what I make, but I also don't have a good workflow without it... Plus for something polished like this, I didn't want to leave my lines rough like I had been

Atsuhina are drawn with the default Real G-Pen brush so they're a bit more crisp while still having texture. Everyone else is drawn with the HB Pencil brush I use for refining sketches, so they look softer

I've heard that thicker lines = closer to camera, and thinning lines where two objects contact each other show that they are touching better, so tried to apply this in my lines

I have a naturally light hand, so tried playing to my strengths with very thin detailing

A lot of inspiration from this player and uniform when designing the Jackals baseball uniform!

It's impractical because black would get too hot to wear in the sun, but I wanted to keep the Jackal primary shirt color black, white pants, and gold accents

Only knew I wanted the end of their sleeves with gold trim, otherwise gold accents were added wherever it felt like I needed to break up the black. Putting gold into their socks was a little random, but I really liked it!

Inunaki's hat is colored differently because I originally thought the back should be gold with black in front... Then decided it looked better flipped, but Inunaki should stay black in front so it wouldn't be too distracting to have a lot of light colors there

Graphic design is not my passion :( But I try, for atsuhina

Entire Jackals lettering was based off of the two letters we see with the official logo

Tried to analyze where straight vs curved lines were used, the asymmetrical shapes, and the sharp points

Designed the logo on its own much bigger than I needed so that I could shrink and mesh it around without losing quality

Mesh transformation to get it to approximately the right shape, then finished using liquefy

Adjusted lineart where it curves around the body to make it look 3D like a sewn on patch

Decided on background details using reference pictures, designed the ads based on vibes/whatever I wanted at the moment! Even the "refined" sketch was loose and more for placing elements than anything

Fun facts: the sign under the screen originally had katakana for "rope bunny" because I didn't know what to put... then I got embarrassed realizing people can in fact read that and that it would be the only fully visible ad, so it got modified to "cope bunny" lol. If I had thought it out more, the "strongest dog"/"gleaming cat" signs would've been a fox and crow... Bouncing Ball and Pocari felt like they had to be included, but the easter egg I like most (and that ended up completely covered) was "Unmei Thread", just romaji for "destiny" + thread. That's Their Thing!!!

Starting furthest back in space to the front (in order: the sky and blocking in overall color transitions, the screen and ads in the back of the stadium, seating areas and crowd, grass, fence and ads, tufts of grass detail over the fence)

Struggle with freehanding architecture, so using the poly lasso tool until I have more practice. It gives it a unique sort of look, right? I think it's good for keeping things simple and "low poly"

Focus on shapes and selecting areas then adding color variation with the airbrush, or other brush as needed. Everything is done on basically one layer, so it's good to have brush variants like a Multiply/Highlight airbrush to make more interesting colors

This background technique is something I've been working on since I experimented with landscapes for a printmaking class. I was surprised to find people were actually drawn to the geometric style?? Been getting surprises lately that people are drawn to things in my art that I don't think are noteworthy at all

Tried out a different workflow! Where I usually focus on one character at a time, this time I tried painting everyone's skin first, then hair, then uniforms. I catch myself wondering how I got a certain look before when I work on a piece over a long time, so with so much going on it just made sense. I think I'll stick with this going forward!

After everyone was colored, used adjustment layers and a very light warm overlay to harmonize them more

Color saturation and luminosity: Areas of high saturation and contrast naturally draw the eye more, so I reserved these for atsuhina's faces and kept lighting/shading relatively subtle elsewhere

Sakusa and Inunaki in particularly were desaturated and painted over with blue from the background more to push them further back in space

In my sketches I favor hatching/contour lines a lot, and the delicate nature seemed appealing, so I tried bringing that in for rendering

Areas where its harder to blend colors smoothly or where things needed to be sharper, I used a very small size of my rendering brush to add hatching for texture. It's also good for darkening shadows or brightening highlights without being overbearing

If anyone wants to be an art nerd about it, that technique is probably classified as "optical mixing" where the viewer's eyes blend colors instead of blending them explicitly

Looked alright in the sketch then when it came time to render it turned out to be very hard...

Eventually approached with the idea of following "flowing lines" and staying mostly loose with it, just defining a couple spots where water would be splashing up

Followed this idea of "momentum" to block in shapes and large droplets with the Oil Brush

For the impression of a spray of tiny droplets behind Atsumu's head, I used the Dry Gouache brush, lightly brushed in the area with a large size, then erased out chunks or went back in with a smaller size of the brush to define the shape further

Oil Brush for more little details, especially highlights, until it looked alright

Airbrush set to "soft light" mode to give the effect of water "catching" in the droplets, then Droplet airbrush for larger drops into the Spray airbrush for very small but sharply defined particles

For the few rendered drops and happy tears, they were blocked in with white using the Oil Brush, erased in the middle, soft airbrush for the shadow of the highlight, highlight drawn in, then the "soft light" airbrush again in white lightly over the highlight

Raw image on the left, final on the right (Not blurry Sakusa exists!)

Spent much more time and effort than usual in compositing for this piece

Bounce lighting airbrushed over the characters from the grass, skin, orange keg, and pants. Light/bright colors will reflect more light while darker colors absorb more light. The airbrush can be large and loose too since bounce light scatters a lot.

Atmospheric perspective added to the background to push it further back

Nondestructive process: Creating flattened/merged copies of the background and characters to blur/use for other effects, and using masks to decide where effects would be applied without permanently erasing anything

Blurring areas aside from the focal point makes the focus very clear, and very light motion blur was added on Meian and Bokuto's legs

Blurred copies of the characters set to "soft light" mode at a low opacity gives a dreamy/soft look

Additionally, I had done a confidence building piece a little before I started this, just to remind myself that I'm most capable when I just go for things without fear, and to test drive some techniques before employing them for the first time on a work I considered much more important. I practiced some rendering techniques, giving the impression of lights, the dreamy glow effect, and reminded myself of things I often forget while making backgrounds, like working back to front and how messy my freehand gets haha.

Honestly, the process here looks long but it was a lot of fun! A lot of my weaknesses came from me just not having stamina to keep focused for a long time and lacking experience in certain things. if it takes a long time, it's because I haven't practiced enough. I want to study anatomy again and practice painting muscles more since my knowledge on the subject is fading and I'm scared of settling into what's comfortable instead of what's good.

In the end I'm not sure how to feel about this piece? I think it's good, definitely one of my better works, but after sitting with it for a while I can't help but think about what I wanted to do better. I think it shows some of my general weaknesses as an artist where I get absorbed in details and forget the bigger picture. I failed to plan properly and didn't take time researching different compositions, so I think in that respect it looks flat. I have resources for studying composition but feel intimidated by it, but it's one of the largest foundations of art so I have to try...!

I don't criticize my work to trash on it, but I do need to acknowledge where I could do better to set goals for the future!

[eve-be-sleep-deprived]

How do you get such nice shots in captura? I wanna get better at it could you share some tips? Been trying to figure it out but I admit I'm not the most knowledgeable in photography etc.

Well.... It's a bit of a complicated process and it relies very very much on personal preference. Much like with any type of art there are different styles that each individual artist will gravitate toward. I can only show you how I do things, so I'd recommend asking other Captura folks on here about their own styles to see where our processes and preferences differ.

I'll also include some extremely helpful videos at the bottom, they go extremely in depth as to best practices and technical exploits.

Alright, lets get started with the background stuff... the tools! ReShade: Shader injection, a MUST if you want to take dynamic and customized captura without using a program like Photoshop to do everything in post.

SRWE: Simple Runtime Window Editor.... the god among programs... It's an upscaler, allowing you to increase the resolution of the game beyond the bounds of your monitor. It's how I was able to get 15K panoramas at one point in time.

Any image editing software. Since I rely mainly on compositing to get the lighting I do, I need something to overlay and mesh the images with. I use GIMP cuz it's free, but even Microsoft Paint will work as soon as it add the ability to layer images.

Those are the tools... what about the tactics?

Well, I generally prefer moodier shots with the Warframe being the central focus (though, that's also the side effect of me cropping the image). Just a note! Moody doesn't mean dark, moody is the enigmatic space between dark and light where there is more dark than light... but there's still a good amount of light to be had. Occasionally you can have overexposure in a moody shot even.

Important to note, the overall exposure level of the environment, even is the scene lighting is low, will effect how brightly your Warframe can be lit. Both the Scene Light and Exposure sliders need to be fine-tuned otherwise you won't be able to light your Warframe at all.

Now, for shot composition I prefer low angles with either a cluttered but familiar/recognizable background, or a simple but abstract background. The Subject, be it a Warframe, an enemy, or an NPC, reside in the center with their feet out of shot.

Like so:

Each of these shots also demonstrate well the way I like to pose my subjects: Symmetry and.... not... not symmetry. The official term for this is Contrapposto, which is Italian for Counterpoise. Basically, even though the Wisp is sedentary, her body is still giving off the impression of movement based on how her waist is curving and hips are tilted, forming a loose 'S' shape. There's a handful of animation sets, Khora (Urushu) Noble, Mesa Noble, and Wisp Noble are excellent for this.

Some examples:

But... what about the lighting? This is where things get technical. So, the standard Captura's three-point lighting system is generally inadequate at properly lighting the entire Warframe. This is where compositing enters the picture, in a very literal sense. Each of these shots, shown above, are composites of between two and four separate images, each with different lighting angles. I actually have an example I made for an earlier explanation made already (thank goodness)

Getting the different lighting angles is really simple, just rotate the 3-way lighting without moving the camera. Then you overlay them in some photo editing software and just start going layer by layer, erasing bits of the topmost layer to reveal your desired highlights or shadows from the shot underneath.

Don't feel obligated to do this compositing process though! Sometimes the 3-way lighting works perfectly well for a shot or environment, don't feel obligated to complicate this process.

And this segues in nicely to the final part of the shot-making process, post-processing and fog layers.

Now, fog layers are important to the overall appearance and vibe of my Captura. They add texture the image that the game doesn't impart naturally, removing large swathes of solid color from the background and foreground. An added bonus is that the added texture makes the image look somewhat better (imo) when compressed, or when viewed at lower resolutions.

The same image with and without Fog

This shot contains two individual fog layers, one in the foreground, washing out the foliage, giving the general uniformity of it texture and implied depth, it also serves to cover up the manual blurring I did (poorly) around his legs. Then there's the background Fog, which is the deeper blue you see in the sky. It adds a more dynamic air to the generally dour set of greys. And, again, the fog is just something I personally like to add, even if it doesn't serve a practical purpose in a shot. No shade if someone feels the fog ruins the shot, I almost always keep a fog-free version about.

After the fog is added, blended, and blurred slightly, I will apply a few gentle blurring filters to remove any jarring or jagged pixelation from the shot, giving the Frame a somewhat smoother appearance and reducing the file-size dramatically.

That's just how I do it though, it's not a particularly popular style, but it's how I do it and how I love to do it! :3 Remember to ask around, I'm sure there's lotsa Captura Artists out there willing to explain their methods and processes.

Helpful vids! How to Captura by Vash Cowaii Hotsampling in Warframe for High Res Shots by PurpleFlurp

good luck, and happy snapping!

[danganronpa96]

How Do You Draw Bodies And How Do You Draw Them At A Prespective?

I'm going to split my advice into 3 points. Hopefully that makes things easy to understand as I'm not the best at explaining how I draw things ^^;

(everythin under ze cut)

Body sketches

Look at these fem and masc bodies I drew. I hate those "oh this is how you do male and female bodies!!1!" stuff it always irks me as anyone can look like anything lol. I am using a typical formula here but these ideas can apply to any body type for any gender.

For more dynamic posing, make the body more asymmetric, especially shoulders, arms and legs. I'm not an anatomy god, but I try to keep things consistent depending on the style I use (normal, chibi, simplistic etc.).

2. Use posing tools for poses and perspectives

Sometimes when I want to do a pose I'm not sure how to start on, I use a site called JustSketchMe. It gives you a few model types for free to pose however you like. Starting off, it might be a bit overwhelming and your poses may look weird, but after some practice you will get used to quickly creating rough poses you can stylise later.

These three references are the same pose I made, but I just changed the cameras position to create new perspectives to see how shapes change, what's now hidden, bigger, smaller, etc.

3. Learn the position of features at perspectives by using references

I cannot stress this enough, but references are your best friend and they love you so so much mwah. You can look up images on Google, Pinterest, or whatever else. Use stock photos, specially curated reference poses, drawings made by other artists, etc. Use tutorials. Look at what changes when a body is seen from above and below, and how extreme it is.

Here's a mixture of sketches from art I've done for this blog and OC stuff. See how different the body looks depending on where it's been viewed from. How the neck is hardly seen looking down. How the facial features are higher on the face looking up. Once you pick up on the little things, it really helps when you're doing more difficult angles.

Sorry if this wasn't the best, but I really appreciate the ask for the advice anyway! Allowing yourself to experiment lets your art become more dynamic and opens up more possible ideas. So just use a lot of practice!

[21st-century-minutiae]

Blender is a free, open-source 3D model renderer that is quite popular in the early twenty-first century (on account of it being free and comprehensive). Like GIMP (a free, open source 2D image creator/manipulator), many people find the breadth and depth of capabilities to be daunting, but a very large number of free, online tutorials exist that one could use to teach themselves the free software. It is also computationally expensive and is one of the larger bits of software a person might have that isn't a video game.

Blender generally supports key 3d image rendering components: model rigging to generate 3d skeletons in still or animated poses; texture mapping to provide virtual material properties (and consequently define how they look under lighting conditions) to the models, virtual lighting simulation (which, again, can be static or dynamic), and virtual camera positioning (static or moving). With all these components in place, Blender will render a single image or animation of the structure made of the chosen materials under those lighting conditions from the chosen angle. There is more functionality, but this is the core. This is quite different from the standard process of 2d image generation where one manually draws a figure, and shades in shadows or such. But it is high skill labor in a different manner.

Blender has the capacity to make extremely realistic images, or cartoonish outputs. It is easy to find free models and textures online to start with, as a large community of users constantly shares resources with everyone else. Blender outputs can be used in video games, virtual reality, or as still art.

Your characters probably won't use Blender unless they are hobbyists or work in/study graphics. Tech savvy individuals will have heard about Blender, but it is entirely reasonable for your characters to have never heard about it or have any idea how 3d images are generated, since it is a niche topic. It would be entirely appropriate for one of your characters to see a cool image online, download Blender to try to make something for themselves, get frustrated at the complexity and level of work involved to make something truly great, and quit. Or it might become a new, time-consuming hobby for them.

made a little frog in blender using this tutorial :3

[vwk7121]

ADRN631 Saskia Norman Week 3

These are the only materials that I had access to or could find for the DIY studio photos I tried taking at home, so it wasn't very affective, especially since they weren't really big enough to have far away from my head. With the plastic sleeve I could only get any reflectiveness to show up when having it right up against my skin, which meant it would show in the photo. The tin foil also didn't work out so well as a reflector without being very close up to me.

This image was the only good result I could easily get without having the tin foil cutting into frame, and the only real difference from what the lighting was like without it is just that my neck is a bit less shadowed.

In this photo I was trying to use baking paper as a defuser, which also didn't really work, but it was the closest thing I could find even if it just blocked out the lighting a bit. I was trying to take away the brightness of the ring light I was using but it didn't much of a difference since I didn't have the proper material.

This is the contact sheet for my SDL and I chose to take photos of my brother. With my ring light I was able to try all the different light angles and moods, but he wasn't comfortable with having his body in the photos so I could only do close ups for the composition.

Marti Friedlander

This is a self portrait photo the reminded me of the SDL task in the first week. This photo is taken in a mirror, which was most likely the only way of taking a self portrait while being able to see yourself back in 1973. Since this is a black and white photo the dynamic range and contrast of lights and darks is important depending on the mood, and the dark clothing, hair, and shadows created by the camera over part of her face add to the mood that this is not just Friedlander messing around with the camera for fun.

The composition is half-body framing, showing a lot more of the body/torso as a close up photo, and this shows a very clear view of how the photo was taken through the mirror. Even though the camera is centered she is slightly to the right, most likely to move out of the way of the camera so at least some of her face is visible. The mood created from this image is somewhat serious, with the focused look on her face, but also not really once it's understood that this is a mirror self portrait.

Isabella Bubola

Although it's taken in landscape, this portrait photo caught my eye with the use of sky reflection in the glass as the main source of bright lighting. It's bright enough that it's hard to see her eyes clearly, and combined with the blurry glass texture it makes her face feel very far away from the rest of her body. The dark of the ground/plants being reflected in the glass create the perfect black background for this photo, really bringing out the highlights of her hand when attention is already being drawn to her face.

The composition is a close up frame, but because it's in landscape the top of her head does get cut off to prioritise the landscape that's being reflected. The whole photo gives off a very soft and tired mood, almost feeling dreamy with the way her face looks with that reflection layered on top, and the faint raindrops on the glass add the the calm, sleepy mood as well.

Annie Lebovitz

This photo is another side profile that interested me because of how few I was seeing. The lighting in the photo has a lot of dynamic range specifically with the shadows, which is useful for the mood created. There is especially a lot of dark area created from the shadow of the hand against the wall, and the sleeve as well. The dark parts of the photo grab the most attention and create a strong, intense, and mysterious mood already, but the other focus is the composition of the pose.

The composition is another landscape close up, but this time the hand is included as part of the symmetry in the positioning and balance within the photo. Having the hand held up and the subject looking at it makes you wonder why she's looking at her hand, or if there's something more to this photo, adding to the mysterious part of the mood being made.

'Whose Migrant Mother was this?' Video Response:

I think that my opinion on the ethics of this photo and the circumstances around how it was taken is very neutral for the most part. The only part that really stood out to me when first watching the video was the fact that Florence Thompson and her family were not part of the pea pickers that Dorothea Lange was originally there to photograph, which I thought was a bit unintentionally bad due to the potential for misrepresentation. Because of this I also think that Florence was valid in her feelings about herself being a misrepresentation of what the real pea pickers were going through in that camp and at the time.

But then, on the other hand, I also think this photo didn't have that much of a misrepresentation issue because everyone was in a similar state and life at the time. There were a lot of other people who were probably in very similar living conditions that weren't also pea pickers, and it is used to teach about the struggles and hardships of people during the Great Depression, so it's hard for me to say that the use of the image and the meaning put behind it is a hundred per cent unethical.

[fotographiya]

How to pose for your wedding photographs- Tips for couples to look natural! | Fotographiya

Posing for photographs can sometimes feel awkward and forced, but with a few tips and tricks, you can ensure that you look natural and comfortable in front of the camera. Here are some posing tips for couples in Indian weddings

Indian weddings are known for their grandeur and vibrant celebrations. As a couple, you want to capture these precious moments in a way that reflects your love and happiness. Posing for photographs can sometimes feel awkward and forced, but with a few tips and tricks, you can ensure that you look natural and comfortable in front of the camera. Here are some posing tips for couples in Indian weddings:

1. Relax and Be Yourself

The most important tip is to relax and be yourself. Remember that the photographer is there to capture your genuine emotions and love for each other. Take a deep breath, hold hands, and let your natural chemistry shine through.

2. Embrace Natural Poses

Avoid stiff and unnatural poses. Instead, focus on embracing natural poses that reflect your personalities and relationships. For example, you can walk hand in hand, share a laugh, or whisper something sweet to each other.

3. Utilize the Surroundings

Take advantage of the beautiful venues and surroundings in Indian weddings. Whether it's a stunning mandap, a picturesque garden, or a regal palace, use these backdrops to enhance your poses. Experiment with different angles and perspectives to create visually appealing photographs.

4. Show Affection and Connection

Indian weddings are a celebration of love, so don't shy away from showing affection and connection in your poses. Hug, kiss, or hold each other close to convey your love and bond. These intimate moments will result in heartwarming photographs that you will cherish for a lifetime.

5. Engage in Conversation:

Keep the conversation flowing. Whisper sweet nothings, share a joke, or reminisce about a favorite memory. Genuine interactions capture real emotions and make for beautiful, candid shots.

6. Practice Posing Beforehand

If you feel unsure about posing, practice beforehand. Stand in front of a mirror and experiment with different poses and expressions. This will help you become more comfortable and confident in front of the camera.

7. Find Your Comfort Zone

The key to a great photo is authenticity. Take a deep breath, relax, and be yourself. Let your genuine personality and connection with each other be the focal point.

8. Engage in a Playful Interaction

Inject a bit of playfulness into your poses to help the [hotographer capture your dynamic energy. Engage yourself in a light-hearted activity like a playful twirl, a gentle nuzzle, or even a fun game. These interactive moments not only look great but also help you forget about the camera.

9. Go with the Flow

Instead of trying to create a fake pose, try to move naturally during the shoot. Walking, dancing, or even spinning – these movements add a dynamic touch to your photos and make them feel less posed.

10. Focus on Each Other

During the shoot, focus on each other rather than the camera. Engage in a genuine conversation, share a loving glance, or steal a kiss. The more you focus on your connection, the more authentic and heartfelt the photos will be.

11. Incorporate Traditional Elements

Indian weddings are rich in cultural traditions and rituals. Incorporate these elements into your poses to add depth and meaning to your photographs. For instance, you can hold a traditional prop, like a garland or a diya, or strike a pose that reflects a particular ritual.

12. Hire a Professional Photographer

Lastly, consider hiring a professional photographer who specializes in capturing Indian weddings. They will have the expertise and experience to guide you through the posing process and capture your special moments beautifully.

Remember, the key to great wedding photographs is to be yourself and enjoy the moment. These tips will help you look natural and comfortable in front of the camera, resulting in stunning photographs that you will treasure for a lifetime.

[worldofavania]

Drawn: 2018 (Updated 2020)

Analysis: Similar to the last page, this one also covers quite a bit of dialogue so the paneling is optimized for efficiency... I think the shot variety is pretty good, though again I could try to make them more dynamic. I don't like to go nuts with the camera placement for quieter scenes, but I do think Eiserne's reaction in panel 5 could have been given more visual weight to go with his bolded dialogue. Again this page had a lot to fit in, but this is one spot that some added impact could have been achieved.

If I drew it again:  I like pretty much all the shots and poses, but I suppose I'd try giving panel 5 that added weight by zooming in on Eiserne more so Valen is only partially in frame. Also for the last panel, I like Valen's pose, but his arms always seemed a little stiff to me, when they really should give the appearance a fluid bounce, accentuating his theatrical flair! 

Favorite Panel: Probably panel 7, for the atypical camera angle, and their poses... Runner up: Panel 1; Valen's hair could be better here, but Eiserne's expression and pose I love because it absolutely nailed the distinctive (and often hilarious) look of his real-life inspiration.

[herbgerblin]

That poll you reblogged got me thinking. What would you, an artist who does commissions, consider a good character ref sheet? What do you need/consider when drawing someone's oc/dnd characters/character you don't know?

Shoutout to @ceilingfan5 for that poll because I was also very interested in the responses.

I answered a question about what info to include in the description of your character (s) here. But I can definitely expand a bit more! Disclaimer: Not every artist works the same way.

Example prompt to use for requests is under the cut!

If you have drawn your own ocs, but are afraid of using them as references, don't be! I never judge anyone's examples, and I've seen references from a wide range of skill sets. I'm not an art critic, I'm just here to interpret your work and translate it to my own style. You know your ocs best, so I try to pick up on the details that you clearly want to see.

If you can't find the exact right reference, say so before I start drawing. I keep a lot of stock images on hand and I scour the internet for references all the time. I can probably get closer to what you have in mind. Or I will just model the image myself (I have used myself as a model several times.)

Write objective descriptions. Descriptions written in flowery, poetic language can be hard to parse, especially when I need to read them multiple times to make sure I didn't miss anything. I recommend using bullet points if you require a lot of specific details.

If you have a preferred name and Paypal deadnames you, I will 100% only use your preferred name and I will ignore it on PayPal if it comes up. I don't know if there's a way to filter out customer names on PayPal. I only need the email address to send invoices. If you want to go the extra step of making an email just for commissions, that's fine with me.

I don't do a lot of dynamic scenes but if you ask, include what camera angle and POV you want the scene to be viewed from. Providing reference images of a different scene from that angle is also a huge help!

I repeat: If you have no previous examples of your ocs, I recommend using a Pinterest board or google drive folder with references. But keep them to like a 3-10 minimum (unless there are multiple characters, in which case include more than that.)

Example prompt below ->

Hi [artist]

I am requesting a [insert type of commission] for my character(s) [name(s).] I have attached reference pictures of their hairstyles, outfits, poses, and an example of the scene. I have included a description of the commission down below:

Character A is sitting at a small cafe table. They are wearing a button-up dress. A mug of steaming coffee is resting on the table near their hand. Character B is pulling out a chair opposite Character A. They are wearing a hoodie, jeans, and a silver necklace. They look a little damp and disheveled like they've just come in from the rain, and maybe blushing from embarrassment. A wet umbrella is leaning against the side of their chair. Character A is laughing good-naturedly. The background doesn't have to be detailed, but if you could make it feel like the lighting is warm and slightly dim, that would be great!

Please let me know if you would like any further details.

Thanks,

[Preferred Name]

[system-of-a-feather]

can i eat your anatomy skills? yes my style is much more cartoony but you managed to make really good muscles on your characters and i need to learn how to do that.

saldfjlkadf thank you thank you

I honestly just really like drawing muscles and admittedly looking at them and building them look collectively as a system we are muscle heads don't @ me too loudly its 100% part of that whole meme of someone who draws feet TOO well but me @ muscles

Currently I'm kinda in what is probably best summarized as a "study period" of drawing in the sense that I'm mostly focusing on doing things with heavy references and reviewing / polishing how I like to go about doing things and trying some more experimental things rather than explicitly necessarily going in with the intent to draw something in specific.

Usually my art during study periods are either moderate flops or some of my best things I draw until i cycle back to another study period.

(For the record, I don't plan study vs practice periods, they just follow with my mood as I get tired and loose interest of both if Im on one long enough; I don't recommend anyone study if they feel its something they "have" to do)

But like the one - if you mean the Xiao one where dudes fucking shirtless cause I had too much fun with the anatomy - that one I was partially doing specifically to review muscles and to also try to use them in a bit more of a like... odd / dynamic perspective / camera angle

I usually spend a good time looking through pinterest and google and stuff for things I'd like to study, reference, and do an artwork based on during study periods and then I pick one of the like 80+ OCs that I think would work well with the thing I felt like studying

In that case I found this (image below the keep reading, cw shirtless man with male presenting nipples) on pinterest and I REALLY liked the pose and how the chest and waist were connected in a much more fluid manner than the standard poses + the not-standard camera angle and really wanted to play with it

Best thing for learning muscles though is to reference nude / partially nude photos of people, unironically looking at muscle group diagrams and seeing the general shape of muscle groups in the body, and HONESTLY looking at other artists and how they approach drawing muscles and meat on the body

I'm honestly not the best with more cartoony (and even anime since I consider mine like anime-esque semi realism) so I don't think I can give any direct advice on how to do it in a less-realistic manner cause I struggle with the concept of less-realistic styles but if I were to guess it'd be to learn the general muscle areas and their shapes and see how you can incorperate those shapes into your art ^^

Also this is generally a description of how muscles work which can help kinda figure out what might be off with a drawing of muscles - but honestly this is just a kinda more niche formal knowledge thing

-Riku

[mirrorshards]

What are your tips for making poses look less stiff? Your poses for the characters you draw are always so good :,)

thank you so much!

hmmm, this is a bit tricky to answer without going full drawing mentor mode and I can't say I am one... 🤔 but let me try!

(edit: it came out super long!! there's one example but idk how good it is haha)

there is a very long answer to give and it involves a lot of studying your surroundings and looking at people through analysing lenses, some knowledge in knowing how things move (physically or animation basics) and some art history involved.

you see our brain kinda interprets things super literally so when you approach to draw it without knowledge you just draw it by default like your first association would be like. like house looks a certain way, or a tree, or an eye.. they all have images you think of instinctively and might first draw out. but when you study those things analytically and draw enough to learn more about them you learn that houses all look very different and there's architecture, location, "personality" etc to consider, or eyes have different shapes to them to make them differ between people. so poses are the same! when you want to just draw a person standing, there's so many ways they can be standing. mood can be taken into it, personality, sometimes even clothing affects posture. a character could be standing gloomily all slouched or impatiently, leaned on one leg and tapping the other. so that's one thing to consider.

another one is angles. diagonal lines and shapes and arches are all super super helpful in making something feel more dynamic or natural looking. people don't normally just stand straight without doing anything else, so it's just knowing where to use either arches or sharp lines! and in this honestly, you can just practice drawing a lot of gestures from either sites like posemaniacs or even at work or on the train/bus. like just looking at a person's pose and getting it down so you build a sort of mental bank for natural poses people actually do so when you get to drawing it later it's a bit easier cuz you've seen someone sit like that in some cafe or in a movie. another thing that comes in in 'angles' is your "camera angle". sometimes drawing the same pose from a different angle is all you needed to make it feel more dynamic! like maybe you drew a character fullbody from profile but your focus was their expression.. so actually you didn't need their feet at all, and maybe if you drew them more frontal, in a a bust or headshot size then you would get your point across more. and then in this new framing sometimes you don't even need unique posing because the expression does all the moving the drawing needs.

also idk where to put this but volumes are also important to take into account while drawing. like, i draw a lot of interactions and they can be tricky, but it's important to remember and practice that limbs take space, and touching another person means two masses meshing against each other so it affects their shapes. that's kind of a dry way to put it but uhh

you have A and B and you wanna draw A slinging a hand over B's shoulder

the wrapping hand has to go behind the back, then over the shoulder, while "hugging" the neck and the hand itself has volume. as well as their own bodies that are now collide a bit with each other because of the proximity

top view?? (sorta)

and neck closeup ?! idk if it's needed actually but it makes sense for me to show how the neck is being hugged by the arm

basically: something that's super helpful to understand volumes is realize how the pose is supposed to go physically. where one limb goes, where's the other? is anything interacting or reacting to it? etc

and finally..

there is no escape from drawing a lot. sometimes you just have to warm up to get into the mood of drawing freely so it doesn't feel stiff, other times you just draw and it looks like shit and you just have to start over. I've redone lineart at least 3 times before! it's hard. you still gotta do it.. sometimes drawing flow comes with the more you draw literally that day and sometimes it's just something your body learns after drawing a pose so many times.. just draw a lot!!

[sugar-petals]

♡ måneskin scenario: getting to know ethan 

↳ NOTE. by popular demand and because i’m entirely enthralled by the phenomenon that is ethan torchio myself, here we go givin’ the gorgeous drummer some love.

word count. 5.5k

TAGS. no warnings all fluff, fem!oc, slice of life, photographer!reader, first date-ish, shy flirting, ot4 is part of the plot, ethan being sexy in heels

Jacob had enough of that twilight bullshit and joined a glam rock band. At least that’s what you thought seeing Ethan around for the first time. Setting up the kit, carrying his whiny band members around, fixing his ruffle shirt, chugging some water: Big gig tonight, extra long setlist. Five minutes later, complaining about his brocade shoes being hard to kick the bass drum with. Even later, silently nodding along to an impassioned Damiano speech crafted to boost the morale, and posing for your camera in his silver jumpsuit. Friendly to approach all the way, but without initiating stable eye contact even once.

One thing’s for sure. As your favorite professor said back at university: Someone may be photogenic and unearthly as hell in terms of looks, and even be intimidating — but also so damn shy, you won’t see their eyes a single time. „Gotta work with it and not against. Then it gets interesting“. In essence, the takeaway from that course. Which does come in handy now. Ethan seems like the kind of guy you really have to get into for a more intimate-feeling picture.

Sure, many people in front of your camera have all kinds of introverted personalities anyway, wearing sunglasses in particular. So much about eye contact in the first place. And the aesthetic is priority, not studying character. Although you really are a fan of that, it’s a huge part of photography if anything. Alas, you’re here to „capture nothing more but the spirit of italo-rock, the attitude, the hedonism!“ (the exact words of your boss) for a music magazine after all. Really, nothing more? You paid attention to how he worded it. Fair enough. Rock spirit, that’s all, the exciting parts.

Ethan surely has it. Drumming on everything he can find during rehearsal breaks („music is everywhere“) with his sticks, even Thomas’ amplifier. He’s actually dorkier than you thought, less composed when he’s in his element. First impressions do deceive. The hair’s hard to miss, too. It’s the central motif that attracts you. You may or may not have taken over 50 shots of it just because. Ethan is a bad bitch and he better know. You climb around the venue to get any salient angle of Måneskin you can think of. Even from all the way back, last row. You don’t want to annoy them being all up in their face constantly. You’re hired to get all the good shots, they’ve been a band for seven years already, professionals in the making. Doesn’t mean you have to stand below the edge of the stage and never change position.

Even from back there, the silver reflects beautifully at the back of the stage. The fashion’s all designer and it shows, but Ethan couldn’t look bad in any of the shots even if he tried or wore the plainest black suit (hell, that would be just as beautiful in fact). Just how long is that hair anyway. All the way down to the solar plexus, must be 24 inches or more. 25, even. Many rockers would wear it that way, but Ethan seems particularly interesting with how he touches it, how he behaves with it. There we go again with the character study, you can’t help wondering.

But really. It’s any photographer’s dream when someone moves their hair around so damn naturally. Gives a great variety to how it frames and shades the face. You like to play with light all the time. And hey, why ask for eye contact when he does even better posing in other ways. The body, too, Ethan’s posture is great. Victoria and Thomas often bend to really get into their power chords, Damiano frequently hunches forward for a belt. But Ethan’s throned at his kit like some royals taught him to be a good boy. Back straighter than a pole, how the hell.

No glance in your direction still, even if you return from your last row spot to move around on stage with the camera. Which gives the band a motivation boost and chances to try out gestures up close, too, so even better. Hey, maybe it doesn’t annoy them. You can actually get used to it, this way of photographing them is all dynamic. Nearing the end of the first rehearsal, you’re all busy maneuvering between Thomas and Damiano to get a nice semi-profile from Ethan’s left side. Gotta work with it not against, you chant to yourself as a mantra, and it seems easier to stick to than you thought.

How glossy all that hair is commands all the attention of your shutter release in and of itself. That he takes good care of it and has been growing it since forever shows a dedicated guy. It’s actually quite wavy. The band arrived in the pouring rain and Ethan’s curly strands at the crown and nape of the head were definitely showing — super cute. An army of stylists took on the resulting humidity frizz. They whipped out the straightening iron and protective spray, and even now before the big performance, Ethan brushes his hair out in front of you, and sweeps it around with his fingers anyway. You take pictures of the bits you find most candid, and decide to rather perfect single shots instead of making several in a row. The more you photograph him, the more you want to discover his essence in one picture. His sheer presence almost begs for it, it’s ridiculous.

Victoria on the other hand has no problems with rapid-fire releases and comes close to your lens to pull funny faces. She’s got some of the coolest poses you’ve ever seen with her bass, and hops around the stage like a bunny to the beat. Thomas is a virtuoso and pro who keeps on doing what he does when you make him pose, and Damiano can flirt with any camera ever. He even lowers his red leather jacket off his collar bones for you to have a great shot. He’s promising and most definitely a born divo, your boss will be happy with those pictures most definitely.

Then again. Behind that supposed hedonism is so much hard work and thought. Damiano even gives you ideas for angles during the second rehearsal. „Hm, maybe stand on the amplifier?“ Eagle perspective, not a bad idea at all. After trying out said suggestions with the help of triggered stage security making sure you don’t fall off the construction („eh, Damiano always suggests the most reckless things to staff, don’t mind him“), you find yourself concentrating on what goes on at the back of the stage all over again.

Ethan is busy practicing a new solo which has you curious about whether it’s for an upcoming album. Though again — the shoes cause trouble. Ethan complains again, the music stops. That could very well be the reason why he seems so preoccupied today, or is it? The manager tells the stylist, and the stylist hurries, voilà, Ethan has a new pair of shoes brought in. Ones with a thicker sole, bit of a chunky heel, and laced up rather than being slippers, a drummer’s worst nightmare as you have learned today.

You wait until he changed. Then snap some more pictures how he continues practicing calmly, and the sound did improve since he can kick the bass drum better now. Now you position yourself across the stage all over, in the empty audience ranks. Ethan is the most radiant and confident when you just take a step back. But well, he still sweeps his hair around a whole lot and looks even more tense-looking than Damiano who’s doing vocal warmups and jumping jacks, „Come on guys, come on, we’re starting in 30 minutes!“.

You can tell he does it more often when he’s nervous. And that means he does it very often. People would probably assume it’s vanity, or the fact that the hair gets in the way. You can see that for him it’s a place of distraction, maybe safety. A gesture like an anchor. He’s used to it being long just like his eye shadow being dark and smoky all day. He knows the drums by heart, if it falls in his face no need to shake it away. And besides. The strands reach below his shoulder blades, it stays down his back if he doesn’t move around too much. He could easily tie it up as well. All those things go through your mind without you even knowing why.

To switch things up a little, you photograph Thomas fooling around with Victoria at the snack bar, stuffing fries up their noses, and already see the lighting technicians do their final check. Some of them you know briefly, you made shots at this venue before, last year for a Shakespeare theatre play. You did some freelance work in the scene, but now you’re put to the test for more involved jobs. Hard to complain though, Måneskin are amazing in front of the camera. If Damiano is not the ideal Hamlet, you don’t know anymore.

Something new happens all the time, the expressions are priceless. Ethan’s in particular, when he does his wide-eyed surprise faces learning that there’s actually healthy food at the snack bar. „Vitamins, how nice.“ — Thomas, pokerfaced, reacts with eating a mayonnaise-dripping sandwich. Ethan, unfazed. Headed straight to the fruits. You’ve never seen a tall silver glitter tower like him walking around biting a bright red apple. Well, you can take Jacob out of twilight, but not the twilight out of Jacob. Snap, another picture. Clash of words, that’s a nice theme.

The concert of this evening seems particularly energetic and leaves your camera roll with some brilliant, tweet-worthy material. Damiano covered in confetti, eyeliner running. Victoria on the shoulders of Ethan while he’s playing her bass.  Thomas, stagediving. Fans waving banners and chanting along to Seven Nation Army. Your ears are ringing when the light technicians close down the stage two hours later. Thomas really played his soul out with the solos, and your feet seem to vibrate. That’s your body thinking Victoria’s bass is still playing, but the magazine is very happy with how the pictures turned out after you send the whole batch to them as soon as you can.

Little to no retouching, zooming, or cropping necessary. Ethan is just perfect as he is, you feel like you captured him well. After swiping through the gallery on your tablet, you think Victoria has some great ant’s eye perspective shots as well. Those go right on your own blog, she’s just amazing. The magazine has an enthusiastic article typed out already. Damiano’s mid-air split on beat for the final song makes the cover story on Monday, and Måneskin’s manager comes back to you a week later. „What would you think about doing some behind the scenes stuff for us? We’re planning a music video!“

And that’s how you end up in a Sicilian restaurant with Måneskin and crew a week later, stuffed with Calzone and mind filled with Damiano’s inspiring words (and the occasional catchy freestyle rap). The MV is as good as finished. Thomas had shown you around the mansion they were shooting at, and you could convince a taciturn  Ethan to walk between the marble statues and boxwood trees in the garden. With his black cape on, a rhinestone choker, and the low-cut lacey blouse that the MV director was obsessed with as well, asking you to focus on it. Your best shot even ends up in the thumbnail of the Youtube video without you even expecting it would.

All the garden pictures turned out mindblowing. If not iconic, the best project you had so far. Gets to show you the best things are often improvised. Ethan, stoic as always, sat at the base of armor-clad Emperor Augustus twisting into the blue sky in a large gesture. The marble was a perfect contrast. Ethan ate a ripe pear from a tree, even that was aesthetically pleasing, then leaned against a hunting Apollo, and you also framed him from the back next to Aphrodite and Cesar. He put on his sunglasses underneath Achilles, and knelt at the feet of a Pietà replica. Marvelous panorama shots, with him the shining center. Well, we know since Queen that the drummer is the unrealistically pretty one.

The whole picture series is blowing up on your blog for the whole afternoon. „Count Dracula on a stroll in Versailles — eugh, begone sunlight!“ is what a comment neatly sums it up as. People seem to especially like the shot where Ethan playfully put his cape over Pallas Athena’s spear with a blurry Thomas having a laughing fit in the background. Well, even Count Drac gets photobombed sometimes. Your phone buzzes with notifications every other minute, you do notice it against your thigh. But the insalata of the restaurant is good and the night is young. Victoria and the manager tell old stories of Thomas snapping a guitar string while he was trying to serenade a highschool crush. Ethan scolds them for making fun of it.

Damiano gets drunk and dances on the table, the MV director discusses new ideas, some walk-in fans take pictures. The temperature is still unbearable. You order a dessert to share with Victoria and Ethan. A large tiramisu that the waiter cuts in three pieces, and it’s truly delectable. The chocolate, so crunchy, melty. The cream, fluffy and cool, making for a funny white beard that makes Ethan look like an arctic scientist returning from an expedition.

Of course, you take pictures, all the food is documented. As are late night restaurant shots with Damiano’s heels peaking into the frame when you photograph the band’s friendship bracelets, hand-made by Victoria on a tour bus last year. Damiano’s back down on the table soon, singing, while Ethan creates a beat with two forks. Thomas also agrees to take your camera for a while so you’d be in the frame for a change, too.

You pose for a group picture, or rather a group hug, and being in the middle …Ethan’s arm wraps around your shoulder loosely, hair dangling into his face, but also brushing yours. He focuses on the camera, facing away from you. The schooled eye could catch you breaking a sweat in the resulting photo. Ironically, the tiramisu doesn’t cool you down the way you thought. Thomas is too busy trying to figure out your camera dials and yelling „hey eyebrow king, smile!“ at Ethan.

A round of even more gelato goes down in spoons and spoons. The band members eat like they ran a marathon. Ethan clinches a third round because he can, unhealthy be damned, he needs some sugar and refreshment. And it’s true the MV shooting was strenuous in the heat, and had lots of intense performing parts. Even an invisible rope suspension were Thomas would descend from a ceiling during the chorus with little cherub wings attached to his back because why not. If the manager agreed to recreate this on tour some day, the pictures would be amazing.

You can’t help but think what kind of special effect would suit Ethan the most, and you come to the conclusion that a bridge lift would be the coolest thing ever. A rising part of the stage letting him emerge like an elevator from the underground.  Maybe using smoke machines, too. The idea twirls around in your mind so intensely, Damiano asks if you’re wasted. You’re always getting carried away with all kinds of fantasies like that for over a week now. A dreamy photographer? Not unusual, but it’s seriously distracting you from the present moment.

The crew slowly heads home, and the band decides (translation: Victoria’s mood is) to head to the movies. Just when the waiter arrives with the bill, Damiano spills panna cotta all over Ethan by accident. So bad he’s all sticky from the shoulders down, making Ethan opt for the hotel instead. Besides, he’s been drumming his soul out, sleep is so needed now. Since the group is already gone and there’s still a forgotten cymbal left to carry back to the equipment bus by the hotel, you help Ethan maneuver it around. The heat is making either of you sweat, even with the full dark of the night coming up.

The gaffer lady you’re sharing a hotel room with is already fast asleep. Damn it. You want to cut a video and make screenshots with the laptop being decently bright. And with some volume if possible, you don’t find headphones in the darkness of the room. Ethan clears the desk in his own room for you after removing his make-up. He looks so young and beautiful and tired.

You type and drag and double click yourself through the video and do some last blog updates to deal with all the notifications. Ethan lends you some headphones, but you only keep them on one ear. The humming is too nice to ignore. Nor do you know what to even expect. The bathroom door is open, Ethan is topless washing the lace blouse by hand. Only wearing bellbottom pants and his lace choker — nothing else. He’s fully immersed in his task. He even adds some other shirts and silk scarves into the soap water along the way while he’s at it.

You’ve never seen someone do their own laundry so systematically. Ethan looks like Prince Caspian at the sink, wielding the almond soap bar like his weapon of choice against the enemies of Narnia (the devious panna cotta that’s still sticking to everything). He might be all mysterious, but he’s well able to curse all kinds of things. You tease Ethan for dropping his gentlemanly behavior for a stain of dessert. Ethan insists you sound like Thomas trying to test him with his slick comebacks, which makes you laugh. The blog has calmed down a little and your eyes hurt from editing, so you call it a day and send one last e-mail.

Ethan is drowning in bubbles at this point. The whole room smells like fabric softener. He thanks you for helping him carry around the equipment earlier. In return, you say grazie for him being your perfect muse in the garden today. Philosopher he is, Ethan remarks how Måneskin is usually the one searching for muses, now he ended up one himself — „Maybe not a bad thing, eh. Become the thing you want or something.“ That’s way too deep for a summer night in Sicily, and both of you need a huge portion of sleep. Tomorrow, lots of schedule. You do find yourself wanting to help lick that dessert off his chest. No way you’d tell him.

Ethan waddles off to shower after a crooked, reserved smile for a good night departure. When you close the door to your room and start brushing your teeth, the other members’ voices emerge in the hotel corridor — they’ve returned from the movies. Damiano is even more wasted than before and audibly sings. „You’ve looked at the photographer lady in a certain way earlier, huh. I saw, I saw!“ Victoria does a loud ‚shh‘ noise, and the stoic reply is a simple „Sleep, Damiano, you’ve had too much.“ Thomas giggles, and four doors click shut. Damiano’s singing is now muffled for two minutes until it’s silent. How the fuck can you even sleep after hearing that.

You assumed that Ethan would treat you differently the next morning, in whatever shape or form. But he doesn’t. The greeting is short as it would always be, and he informs you that he did manage to wash out the sugary clay from his clothes as he puts it. Damiano says nothing, adjusts his rings. Thomas randomly pulls zippers at his packed-up equipment. Victoria headed to the car already. Downtown to a studio it goes. The group gets styled to perfection, twenty minutes later they make a reaction video to the newly released MV teaser. Ethan talks about enjoying the sculptures in the garden.

Three hours down the line, you shoot some promotional pictures of them at a pool. Thomas has the time of his life perfecting his diving board skills, and Damiano creates the musical background, singing and prancing. The aerials would make literal perfect editorial-in-VOGUE material. In the meantime, Victoria dozes in the sun. Ethan dives. Sometimes just sitting at the bottom of the pool, othertimes swimming back and forth. The art director suggests you to go into the water, too. He’s right, the perspective works out well this way.

You’re basically standing in there with your flowy pantalon pants and camisole, using a waterproof camera. Your bikini is back at the hotel. It doesn’t matter, everything will dry quickly, the others went in the pool with clothes as well. And you’re all too wrapped up in your passion in the first place. You marvel at how fun the whole scenery looks through your lens. Their outfits are cropped and luminous, today’s color is bright red. You order the lighting assistant back and forth, get some more great Thomas frames where he tosses around a volleyball that the manager brought along. Less rock than usual, but it works. Måneskin at a pool in Sicily.

Damiano splashes water around like crazy. Victoria joins the fun as well, splashing right back. It’s infernal. Well, those are going to be dynamic pictures, you think, and the cameraman never dies, so. Ethan resurfaces every other minute, wiping the chlorine from his eyes. He slicks his hair back with both hands, looking down his body learning how his shirt has become completely transparent. He covers his chest with his hair, quickly, then submerges again. It’s strange. Being topless is usually no big deal in Måneskin.

Almost 12 o’clock. Thomas and Damiano wander off to work on some lyrics, probably the title that the drum solo is part of. All top secret. Victoria returns to her sun lounger, checking her phone. The crew heads for lunch, but you stay in the water, gladly you put sunscreen on earlier. You ask Ethan to try some seated or floating poses at the bottom of the pool that you saw him practice earlier. „No worries, keep your eyes closed.“

What unfolds before you is the most beautiful thing. Ethan’s shirt fans out like a red jellyfish underwater, playing around his body. His figure is just enviable. He gets the hang of it and knows quite how to move. Or rather, to remain stable when the pose is perfect. Hands above his head, horizontal, or seated, only one foot  lightly sweeping over the pool floor, or on one knee, as if he proposed.

Raising his arms helps him sink down and settle, as if he immersed himself in deep meditation. Although the purpose of meditating is to be present, isn’t it. And that’s what he feels like. Ethan would normally switch on autopilot for most of his public interactions, now he’s alive and fully in the concentrated movements of the photoshoot. So much about improvising all over again. The hair creates the most incredible shapes like a black, wide brushstroke, clearly outlined. Thank god you have the waterproof camera. These are moments you’ll never forget.

Your blog notifications keep on bleeping throughout the afternoon. The promotional pictures are a hit. Måneskin’s manager is basically waving five new contracts in front of your face at dinner, but you’re kind of spaced out again. The cozy, rose-ranked atmosphere of the street café you went to is inspiring, and the members dressed up in the most fancy suitwear. Men in Black? Måneskin in Black. It’s almost as if fate read your mind. Ethan is looking at you very intently from across the table when the minestrone is served.

Pasta shells, parsley, vegetables and basil leaves. The scent surrounds the entire table. Damiano, in serious mode tonight, is too busy finding new rhymes and an alternative chorus with Thomas who wildly brainstorms. Victoria drinks, loudly chats with the gaffer lady that you share a room with, and they use a leaf of a palm tree pot plant to tickle Damiano. Thomas plays the acoustic guitar. Ethan and you end up smiling briefly at another. „Bon apetit,“ you say. It’s almost 34° celsius. That’s going to be an entire pile of cheesecake gelato tonight.

Five signed contracts later and halfway through a hefty caprese cake, the title song is finished. An ode to Marlena, fierce like the Mediterranean sea. The piece certainly sounds exactly like this place. Strangers listen to Damiano performing bits and pieces, but you decide to disperse when too many cellphones come out. Damiano wants to go to a bar, Thomas and Victoria carry home their guitars, or to the hotel to be exact, and bags of newly shopped vintage clothes. You ask Ethan if there are any cinemas around the area. „We missed out last time, remember.“

The Palazzo Theater is a small and hidden insider tip far from the main street with its busy beach tourists. Under bulbous metal balconies and peach-colored facades, a small entrance with lanterns on each side guides you inward. Ethan almost hits his head, it’s so low. He’s wearing glossy red bottoms under his suit pants, you’re out and about with a 6’2 giant after all — a statue by himself. A small man with a pipe sells you cheap tickets for a Mads Mikkelsen movie and lemonade, Ethan picks up an XXXL caramel popcorn bucket. You think he’s flexing, but you get a sudden heureka by looking at it twice.

Unlike the S, M, and L bags, it’s thick cardboard and drum-shaped. Oh my god, obviously. Which fine percussionist could ever resist such temptation striped in red and white, the sound deep and dull? It makes you smile how Ethan pursues his instrument even when he seemingly doesn’t, it really has to be a hobby at heart. That’s how a job becomes a profession, and a profession a vocation, your uni professor’s other favorite words all over again. The latter’s words have gotten you far so you again trust the insight that came to you through that quote.

Seeing Ethan standing there, you can almost see the childlike joy at imagining it being empty and ready to get turned around. A tuxedo Italian with Louboutin heels and a ginormous popcorn drum, half past eleven somewhere in Palermo: Ingenious combination, you snap a picture. Ethan makes a cute face, posing like a pinup of the 50s. Who knows how many vintage store posters he’s seen during tours, he must have picked it up there. And— Is he blushing? Must be the dim lights in here.

Off you go to the auditorium. Ethan, who balance the popcorn with all care in the world like it’s his baby, walks the aisle slower than you. The slim steps don’t have any floor lighting. Not very heel-friendly, but since it’s not a huge budget theater and few people dare spike heels on those cobblestones outside anyway, the stairs shall be forgiven. You take out your phone and offer your arm. For every gentleman it takes a gentlewoman, duh. Like rock’n’roll and the camera staff, chivalry (or shevalry as Damiano calls it when Vic holds the door open) never dies. He mumbles a thanks, you climb upward to the fourth-last row, Ethan holds on tight.

No ankles twisted and not one popcorn spilled, you get seated on red velvet. The chairs are dated, but nevertheless ultra comfortable. Nobody else is here. The adverts roll, Ethan cracks open the lemonade bottle caps with his chunky golden lighter because he can. You toast to Mads Mikkelsen’s bone structure and good minestrone, Måneskin’s finished title track, the promo pics, and the discovery of Ethan’s favorite new drum. A whopping five things to toast about? The night’s going to be great.

Damiano catwalking across the screen, wearing a Versace skirt in the middle of otherwise-boring commercials does shake you up. He was picked as a testimonial recently. Though, your pulse is high enough. Ethan’s hair is brushing against your shoulders, not to mention his goddamn massive arms. He can’t get out a single word either for the entirety of the ads, avoiding eye contact all over again. Just how much suspense can starting to eat the first popcorn have. Well, you pick two  from the very top and start munching.

Mads does a great job opening the movie as one would expect, but you just can’t concentrate. Instead, you stress-eat popcorn. Which makes Ethan do the same thing, at least he’s somewhat fixated on the screen. After the first ten minutes, he shakes his head. „That makes no sense at all,“ he clears his throat. „Yeah, yeah it  clearly doesn’t,“ you agree, basically on Torchio-autopilot yourself for the lack of a better reply. You were too busy figuring out the components of his aftershave rather than the thin plot. Shifting in your seat, chugging lemonade…

The air conditioning is scarce, but at least the screen is quite large and proper. You try to focus on the cinematography and do small talk about it. If there’s something you can comment on without having followed the string of action, it’s at least this.  You might be nervous, but you’re still a photographer. „Um, isn’t this chainmail nice in the closeup?“ — „Hm, I guess it works. We should ask Damiano to request something like this from Versace.“ — „Medieval Måneskin Rockers?“ — „Something like that.“ — „Hilarious.“

By the twenty-minute mark, the popcorn drum is almost empty. Gladly, that stuff just shrinks to bits in the stomach. The lemonade just has to galvanize it. You might be able to distract yourself with the camera shots and the last caramel chunks, but that doesn’t change Ethan’s long legs and Acqua di Parma perfume next to you. Yep, you finally figured out what it was, it wasn’t the aftershave. And well. Ethan smells like hotel soap from Milano to Napoli and back.

That scent basically dominates all the others besides a hint of cigar and basil and citrus-y deodorant mixed with runny sweat. God fuck, you can barely stand it. And the almond scent. You take a chance to at least jokingly point it out to him. The random movie flashback sequence is boring — and just as nonsensical as before, no offense to Mads though, he’s just walking around in chain mail — enough to deviate from whatever choppy convo you had going on before.

„I actually washed it twice,“ Ethan pulls off the silky scarf that functions as his current tie, and you recognize it. „The strawberry sauce was hard, but the cranberries… God no, I’ll never go near pana cotta again. Nothing against cream desserts.“ You take the scarf, smell it. Did he literally just hand it to you? Figures, he’s sweating bullets, too. And oh shit, he hasn’t talked that much all evening.

You slowly shift from bodies turned to the screen to facing each other. So up close, so up front, only God can help you know. His eyes are dark and reflective of the film’s flickering lights and changing scenes. You wish you could photograph them on sight. It would be as glimmering as your view from the hotel room, overwatching the unobstructed stars of the Mediterranean bay down the boulevard.

But it’s like you’re stuck in your position this way, feverishly thinking about a reply. What to pick up on, what to pick up on. You think about today, the evening where you edited things in his room. „Uh well, drop your laundry in the pool next time,“ you laugh, more than tentative, with your fingers randomly curling around the scarf. „The chlorine stuff will do the job for you. It’s so aggressive, it bleached by pants one shade lighter.“

Saved. Smooth transaction. Phew. „Oh, the pool was horrible. Not the photos, I mean… I don’t know how you can poison water that way.“ — „I know right? It’s still in my nose. But yeah, was a good idea with the underwater thing. The photos turned out really well.“ — „I really haven’t done something like that before but I guess it turned out hm, nice?“ — „Come on! Nice is understated. Are you fishing for compliments?“ — „No no, by all means!“ — „The one kneeling. It’s my favorite. I don’t even know what to do with all these pictures.“

„I don’t know. Maybe keep them?“ — „Keep… for what?“ — „It’s a separate series, right. The art director didn’t request it. Maybe they can be used for something later on during promotions.“ — „Yeah. We’re always a little extracurricular,“ you laugh again, tense in your voice, and empty your lemonade completely. „This, too,“ Ethan points at the theatre in general. „You’re good to talk to. The better version of alone time.“ — „Thank you. You’re great to go out with. I… really like it.“ Beautiful nature scenes show on screen, but they’re nothing but a blur. You take Ethan’s hands in the dark and smile. „Maybe we should do it more often.“

masterlist | bookmark/read it on ao3

© submissive-bangtan 2017-2021. all rights reserved. do not repost or translate. all depictions fictional.