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#Always a good rule of thumb haha

bittenboy · 2 years

Text

v1: isaac is 22-25 depending on the year it is around our chars, the motto we protect those who cannot protect themselves has become one that he has lived by since allison died and especially since chris left. he’s no scott mccall, he’s not spending his time in a disaster town trying to stop it from burning down but in france he spent time getting to know both the supernatural and hunters alike. he doesn’t go looking for trouble but similar to how most of his life has gone, trouble does find him. his way if coping with allison’s loss is trying to give her some form of legacy (while at the same time burning himself into the ground. he gets his ass kicked, he almost dies, he barely sleeps, he sleeps around but refuses to form any genuine connection).

eventually, he returns to beacon hills. depending on your character or the timeline, this can be for honestly any reason. he’s itching for a reason to go home. being what he feels like is an omega is fucking hard. and beacon hills will always be his home. alternatively, he could be following a lead literally anywhere. he’s stubbon, and he’s stupid and has a lot of money to splash around due to multiple life insurance pay outs and his father (now him) owning the beacon hills cemetery (which is a thriving business).

v2: he returns alongside chris in season 5. he helps (kind of, mostly by being annoying in the corner and being involved in violence) in the fight against the dread doctors and La Bête.

#i need to rewatch to actually mentally plot out v2 but subjecting myself to that seems stressful #alternatively i love 2 write him in his prime idiocy living in beacon hills n trying not to die xoxo aka: just within canon timeline #tbt.#also always love 2 plot out entirely different things but as a general rule of thumb that's what he's been Up to #isaac: i can help #isaac: *gets his ass kicked for the greater good*#isaac: my work here is done #he's no like.. murder board stiles but shit happens and he ends up in the middle #and tries both not to die and to avoid anyone getting killed #this is potentially incoherent but i am gay and tired #'for any reason' someone could be like haha come over and he's on a flight from france

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cherubfae · 2 months

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Hi! I was wondering if you write Hazbin Hotel x Reader. And the Hazbin Hotel characters would comfort a reader who is dealing with a panic attack

Hiya! I do write for Hazbin, haha. In fact that's all I've been writing for lately! My requests just happen to be mostly Angel Dust. The other characters need love too 😭😭 I love Angel but I don't wanna get burnt out on writing just him either. Thanks for your request! Hope you enjoy!

panic attack || hazbin x reader

With Alastor, Lucifer, Charlie, Vaggie, Angel Dust, Husk, and Vox

tags: fluff, gn pronouns used, implied masc!reader for Angel, implied afab/fem!reader for Vaggie, comfort, mentions of anxiety, established relationships

Alastor

Soft static crackles in his throat, neck tilting at an awkward angle. You sat on the front lobby sofa, turned away from him while covering your ears with your hands. He's never seen you like this before. "Are you alright, my dear?" When he receives no reply, his static increases. Why won't you look at him?

Kneeling in front of you, he's taken aback by your facial expression. A dreaded frown has replaced your beautiful smile, tears streaming down your cheeks, and you're absolutely trembling. What has happened? Has someone hurt you? Tell him who.

Alastor isn't quite sure what to do. He could usually say something nice to Charlie and she'd perk right up, but you aren't her. You're his darling, his sweet rose. And he hates seeing you unhappy. Lifting you into his arms, he dissolves into smoke and shadow to reappear in his tower. He places you down on the bed, wrapping a blanket around your shoulders. Clawed hands gently tug your own from your face, wiping away your tears.

"Tell me what I can do." Alastor whispers, a desperate twinge edged in his words. "I am here." He's gonna try his best to cheer you up. Playing some classical light jazz on his gramophone, humming and tapping his shoes. If you're lucky, he might even dance for you once you've calmed down.

Lucifer

Gentle hands cup your cheeks, thumbs soothing against your skin. He's breathing with you, encouraging you to follow his example. "Remember sweetheart, do the three three three rule." Lucifer whispers softly. "Tell me three objects, three sounds, and move three body parts." Your teary eyes wander his frame, touching his hands, his cheeks, and then finally his lips.

Kissing your fingertips softly, Lucifer never once ceased his gentle touches. A soft reminder that he's always close by.

Charlie

Oh, no! Oh no, no no! Okay! She knows what to do! Her Dad taught her how to do this when things felt too loud. Carefully, she cups your face making you meet her eyes. "What three objects do you see around your room, sweetie? Can you tell me?" Her voice is soft. Her warm body presses close to yours, her hand sliding down your arm to take your hand.

"Good, yes." She breathes. "Light, bed, and stuffed animals. Very good, honey." Charlie encourages gently, nuzzling your cheek with her nose. She pulls up your softest blanket around your shoulders and hugs you to her chest. When you've perked up a little, Vaggie is quick to suggest relaxation. "How about a nap, hmm?"

Vaggie

Carefully, she approached you from behind. Her hands, cold like ice, gently press to the back of your neck and begin to soothe and work any tight knots at the base of your neck and shoulders. She hums a soft tune, an old lullaby that was sung to her when she was little. It brought her comfort and she hoped its comfort would find you too.

"There you are, take it easy, love." Pressing a kiss to your temple, her hands comb through your hair. "I can run a bath, if you'd like? Might feel good." She wipes a stray tear from your eye, smiling as you squeeze her hands softly nodding. "Yeah? Alright, let's go, love."

Angel Dust

He knows that look well, he's seen it on his own face many times. Angel's first instinct is to bring you somewhere quieter and less populated. Crowds and loud noises overwhelm him when he's already feeling too emotionally overstimulated. Angel will sit with you as long as you need, holding your hand until you calm down. He'll gather whatever comforts he's able to grab, heck, he'd even ask Charlie for help if he felt really stuck and unsure of what to do.

"I didn't know what to get and so I asked Charlie, and she, well," he laughs softly. "Gave me one of everything. Chocolate, popcorn, chips, soda, juice, a face mask-- shit she really went full-out! These are luxury bath robes?!"

Husk

If there's something Husk understands it's that being a bartender you see people in all sorts of states in their lives. Happy, sad, depressed, divorced dad listening to rock music; he's seen it all.

So when you're on the verge of an anxiety attack, Husk drops everything and quickly approaches you, kneeling down to your height. His paw slips into your hand, allowing you to squeeze it, his other hand stroking your hair and pulling you to lean into his soft fluff.

"Easy there, tiger. Focus on your breathing, that's it." His deep voice rumbled against your skin. "That's it, kid. Keep on breathing for me, sweetheart." He nuzzles you gently. Husk may start purring too, as a cat's purr has been known to calm someone down.

Vox

To be honest, he's not quite sure what to do. Seeing you start to panic would probably make him panic a bit. He will approach you slowly, arms raised up almost defensively with his palms facing upwards. Is it okay for him to touch you? Yeah? "Okay, darlin', c'mere." Voxy's gotcha. Breathe in and out, in and out.

|| I DON'T GIVE PERMISSION FOR MY WORKS TO BE REPOSTED, RESHARED, OR EDITED. TUMBLR IS MY ONLY ACCOUNT AND THE ONLY PLACE WHERE I POST MY WRITING. ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS, THE STORY BELONGS TO ME. || CHERUBFAE © 2024

Vox will bring you to a quiet, dark room, curtains drawn shut for you to rest and recover. His display screen is the only low light provided. Tucking you in, Vox will sit curl up behind you and carefully stroke your hair. Want him to play one of those black screen meditation videos? Whale sounds? He certainly will for you. "Try to get some rest, baby. That's all that matters right now."

#hazbin hotel imagines #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel x you #hazbin imagines #alastor x reader #hazbin lucifer x reader #lucifer morningstar x reader #charlie morningstar x reader #vaggie x reader #angel dust x reader #husk x reader #vox x reader #cherubfae 2024

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forecast0ctopus · 1 year

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how do you use references when you draw fanart or figure out how to draw irl characters?? it's just that i've been looking through your art and i feel like you ability to capture a character's idk essence, in vibes + appearence, are just unmatched! they're all so dynamic and like them i just <33

aaa thanks so much!! im glad to hear that since i honestly dont watch a ton of live action? i generally have done a lot more fanart for animated things so thats nice to hear haha anyways though!! i have far too many words that may or may not make sense to say so i'll put how i use references and figure out live action characters below

the main rule i like to keep in my head is that i am drawing the character, not the actor, if that makes sense?

this is all taking arthur as an example, to show what kinds of things i look for!! if i were talking about merlin any other live action character like. bobby briggs or something all the details would be super different haha a way i like to familiarize myself with a live action character at first is tracing which i must preface by saying TRACING ISNT BAD!! its a tool and it just needs to be used correctly. tracing is a great way to figure out a method to drawing things, so its really valuable in studying. im not gonna address using tracing in finished artwork rn bc thats where it gets a little dicey and i would talk about it too much.

i dont really need to do this for arthur anymore but it was a fun exercise lmao

sorry the images are so crunchy i always forget i work on small canvases, anyways in capturing a likeness i like to emphasize and exaggerate a little which features make the character most recognizable to me.

he's got a sharp nose which is bumped at the bridge and a little bit upturned at the bottom. when he's smiling his eyes crinkle a lot and his cheek muscle becomes more pronounced and connects into the corner of his mouth

very square jaw. his brows are thicker near the center and don't have much of an arch. his cheeks are hollowed with neutral expression and the muscles on the sides of his mouth (depressor anguli oris, if i remember correctly lol) are obvious when the corners of his mouth are downturned

the corners of his mouth fold in a lot when he bares his teeth if hes angry or agitated, its a different type of fold when hes relaxed or smiling

his masseter is rather pronounced when he's talking or agitated, and i usually connect the line of it to the line that goes down from the inner corner of his eye. i forget what the word for it is rn but its different from eyebags (though i do like to draw eyebags)

but none of these details work if whatever hes doing in the drawing isnt in character, yknow? like he could look like arthur but he wouldnt really feel like arthur if hes not acting like arthur. idk it s hard for me to put to words im sure u get what i mean enough

body shape and language are also super important to think about, these are some things i keep in mind with arthur - hes shredded but not like marvel movie dehydrated shredded (good for him) - hes very broad and his shoulders slope down because of his trapezius muscles - he takes up a lot of space! he hardly ever curls up or sits with his feet up in his chair. even when hes sleeping hes pretty sprawled out - his "closed off" body language is crossing his arms or raising his left hand to twist his index finger ring with his thumb (worried/thinking gesture) - he moves with a lot of purpose usually and isnt often clumsy (unlike merlin lmao) - he moves his shoulders a lot when he walks (see top left image)

honestly think body language is just as important as facial features if not more, for the purpose of creating personality and character

i probably sound like i think way too much about this stuff which i. i kind of do but not in so many words i dont need this many words when its all in my brain. but yeah thats how i figure out how to draw a live action character i guess? anyways this was kind of a mess haha

#ask #anon #i worry a lot about my art not reading correctly as the characters im drawing so its really good to hear that its somewhat working haha #long post #long fucking post!!! god. sorry about that #how i draw

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startouched--blog · 1 year

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Sweetheart, the link to rules works!! Btw I've read and.. I'm ready to request for something (of course feel free to ignore it, if you prefer to :D♥).. but what kind of dates would Ichiro, Ramuda, Doppo and Kuko bring the reader (gn!) to? qwq.. I'm curious- haha♥ Thank you and welcome again! I hope you'll feel good here and get more attention as a writer! Byee *hugs hugs*

NOTE - the request is so sweet no worries about it! hugs to you as well ! <3

SCENARIO - what kind of date would they take you on? PAIRINGS- Ichiro x gn!reader // Ramuda x gn!reader // Doppo x gn!reader // Kuko x gn!reader GENRE - fluff, dates!

Ichiro Yamada ─── ✧

☇ Ichiro would love to take you out somewhere special for such a special occasion, somewhere with some privacy is what he told you, but them he simply took you to a calm and quiet café.

☇ You would ask why he had lied about the location but he would simply chuckle and say " it's a surprise! "

☇ You'd give a huff but in return a pat on the head as he seated you. The two of you talk quietly in the booth seat while eating only a small meal, odd hmm. .

☇ The two of you finish your café meal, Ichiro taking your hand, he would lead you out somewhere else, holding your hand gently, rubbing yours with the top of his thumb.

☇ He gently placed a hand over your eyes, you were confused, but he just simple led you foreword " come ooon, not too far now s/o, I swear it will be something worth waiting for! "

☇ You'd give an exhausted sigh, but you didn't mean it in a bad way, you loved this dummy of course so you trusted him. He'd let go of your eyesight and put his hands to his hips. In front of you was a lovely set up with a blanket in the grass and some random flowers Ichiro found a little bit before the date.

☇ It seemed so quickly put together but also not as well? there was even a basket sat down on the blanket, and your boyfriend there too, what could be better. With how happy you were, you ran up to him and hugged tightly, so happy at how beautiful it was, happy to how he was there with you " you didn't have to do all of this y'know, we could have had a nice date at the café "

" ah ah! a special person like yourself deserves a special date~! "

Ramuda Amemura ─── ✧

☇ Ramuda never really has a plan on where to go for dates, it's a recurring theme with him, but it was always fun getting to wander around with him and his antics.

☇ He'd hold you hand gently and skip beside you, candy in his mouth as he spoke random things to you " ahoo! did you know . . . s/o~~ come loook!"

☇ He would take you to all kinds of stores and try to spoil you by buying you a bunch of candy or maybe something that would last longer,, you would eventually pick though and he would gladly buy it, probably sneaking a candy in the pocket anyways.

☇ He would drag you around by the hand or even wrist, sometimes clinging to your arm and whispering things to you as you walk, just to be a tease. " waaaah, s/ooooooo pay ateeeention to meee "

☇ Of course to his request, if you were taller you'd kiss the top of his head, and if shorter you'd get up and move his bangs, kissing his forehead.

☇ At the end of the date he would take you home and simply be ever so more clingy than he was earlier, he was happy to be with you and wanted you to NOT leave, so he'd cling.

☇ He would sit beside you and cling to your body, being at whiny as ever, but it was something you admired in a way, it was part of the character he chose to show you, so why not soak it in while you had all the time in the world to do so.

" waaaah, s/o do you have to leave so soooon? "

" Ramuuu you know I'll come see you tomorrow, don't be like that silly"

Doppo Kannonzaka ─── ✧

☇ Doppo would definitely plan days in advance so everything was perfect for you, being that he is so worried about things going wrong and messing up.

☇ Poor guy would be pacing back and forth as he waited for you to arrive, mumbling about all of the things that could go wrong, everything that he could mess up.

☇ When you arrived though at his door, all the worry seemed to be washed away. Looking you up and down gently with his eyes, a smile reaching his often sad looking face. He smiled and offered you inside, allowing you to grab his hand gently "a-ah s/o you. . Look good"

☇ You'd give him all the attention in the world, allowing him to take you to a small and neat table he had set out a little earlier ago, flowers set on the table as well. " They. . I got them for you. . They matched your eyes" he'd quietly mumble that confession.

☇ You'd giggle at him but it was cute, giving him a kiss on the cheek before being seated at the table. It was such a neat looking setup, Doppo bringing over the food that he had make earlier, his hand shook a little as he walked around, trying to make everything perfect.

☇ "Doppo,, there is no need to push yourself " you'd give a pout to him, rubbing your hand over his to calm him down. "b-but. . I want to make it special. . for you".

☇ He just wanted to make everything special for you, everything to be perfect for his perfect s/o, he just wanted for you to feel as good as how he viewed you. You just sighed and kissed his forehead, leaving a blush to his cheeks and ears.

☇ You spent the night eating the dinner that he had made, it was such an amazing meal, leaving you astonished at how good of a cook he was. After the meal he would clean everything up and take you to the couch, sitting you down onto his lap with blankets and pillows, just to watch the tv, a peaceful way to end it no?

" Doppo maybe you should take off work tomorrow, I think it'll help with today's stress . ." " mn. . but you've taken it all away. . s/o "

Kuko Harai ─── ✧

☇ He's like Ramuda in some ways , he doesn't really plan out what he does with you he just wants to spend time with you! No matter what it is or what it is you do with him.

☇ Although, today he decided to take you out in Nagoya, taking you out to a lovely little secluded restaurant but was still well know. " come on s/o, just this way!" he'd laugh all the way, being gentle as he held to your hand to not loose you in the random crowds that might appear on the way there.

☇ Once there, her would definitely pay for anything you'd want to eat, something small or big he'd pay for all of it, it was a special day after all hm?

☇ He'd simply let you talk about how you've been, occasionally butting in to say something or comment, but it was always when he could. He'd always be so interested in what you had to say, to him you were so much more interesting than anything else that could exist!

☇ And with that the meal was over, now all that was left was what he had actually planned for you. He'd nervously take your hand and lead you through a crowd before getting up to higher ground, sitting down on a ledge with you, holding you in his arms gently, chuckling at the blush that came to your face.

☇ Little to your knowledge, Kuko has taken you to a firework show that was in a smaller part of the city! He never told you and just wanted to see the happy change in your face, shifted from confused to excitement as the first firework was lit, bright colors filling the skies in only a matter of seconds.

☇ " beautiful huh s/o? haha! that's how I see ya"

☇ After the firework shows that played on, he'd take you to the temple to stay the night over, he didn't want you going anywhere this late at night of course! So he let you stay in his room with him for the night, what a lovely boyfriend he was~.

" aw come on s/o , we've slept together before, what makes today different ? "

" I-I I dunno! come on silly it's time for bed! "

#hypmic #hypnosis mic #x reader #Ichiro Yamada #ichiro x reader #ramuda amemura #ramuda x reader #doppo kannonzaka #doppo x reader #kuko harai #kuko x reader

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tbgkaru-woh · 6 months

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Might have asked you that before I'm not sure but. Do you have some sort of process for your redesigns?? What kind of stuff do you try and pay attention to when redesigning a character? I also wonder what is important to you visually when designing clothes? like, is there any type of shape hierarchy you try and go for? Also Where does your knowledge of clothes come from?

These ended up being many questions haha. Anyway love your redesigns, every one you do is like a little gift in my day!

those are all wonderful questions and i hope i can answer them (or even understand my creative process enough to give them) There are two design choices I try to stick to, one is thanks to me playing hero shooters and that's recognizable silhouettes: try to give the characters a unique shape or trait that even if you put them in different clothes or hairstyles, you can always tell it's meant to be them by that specific thing. The other is, thanks to fandoms, i know people like making OCs or trade characters around if there's factions, so I like making "faction" clothing that's unique to a group of people, whilst still making each character wear it uniquely even within the group itself lot of the designs are affected by what i SUBJECTIVELY perceive the character to be like and what style of clothing i connect to that kind of behavior, be it from real life experience or what just. flows nicely, i don't know how else to say it :') like there's difference between elegant or street wear, of course they can overlap, of course they have no dictating on what each of those means about each person, but good rule of thumb is that we dress to express ourselves on first glance (those that can afford to do so for whichever reason) so if you're daddy's little lawful good you're gonna dress differently than a bold punk. those are pretty basic thought processes, not much unique :'D so sadly i think lot of it just comes from my subjective perception of who these characters are and what i could highlight about them. as for the clothes themselves, i don't even know really, character design- from clothes to size, shape, color to body language- is just something i always loved to do and wanted to do, be it for games, comics, or re-designed existing characters :') i used to watch fashiuon shows, went to art school where most are poor students that are very creative and pretentious, i changed my style multiple times during each chapter in my life, i try to meet variety of people that affect me and inspire me. i usually have multiple ideas for a look per character but don't want to put a pin on it until it just clicks for me. there are few of those clicks i've missed in my MDZS redesigns but were close enough that i posted it anyway, as i was too excited to share them :') still may want to revisit it though! I'm so happy to know they did well though, it's something i've heard the most praise for from all of my art and i really wish i could follow up on it in more ways than just few more art of those looks. there's nothing that bothers me more than boring or not cohesive looks for a cast of otherwise interesting characters, MDZS donghua and CQL costume design were destroying me :') but it was enough to at least inspire me thank you for this task ♥♥

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hxnguxng-jxn · 1 year

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Hello! Just read the requests rules haha! So is it okay to ask for enemies to lovers with wwx and lwj?? Also Can the reader be a wen? Maybe a war prize (you can ignore this part if it too much!) Oh! Can the reader be like evil at first??

Writers Note(s): I will be honest, I did not expect this to be the first trope in my first request, it actually surprised me! I think I can do almost all of these but a certain angsty trope above is swapped for another (you'll see below), but I will make it angsty!

Ship(s): WangXian × GN!Reader | separated and then together

Info on Reader: GN Reader (they/them, you/your), Reader is a Wen (undisclosed how they are related), and Reader is good at fighting (uses a sword/sabre/great sword here).

Genre(s): Angst | Eventual Fluff | Happy Ending

WARNING(S): Reader is treated more like a character insert (OC blank slate, basically), less of a true Reader insert. The Reader willingly follows Wen Ruohan's orders, with no reason given (for blank slate purposes). Physical abuse in the form of Reader not being given a weapon to train is shown, Reader being treated poorly (like the Wen's were) is shown. The Reader has be given a redemption and will LIVE in the end! Beheading is mentioned (if unable to stomach, skip the bullet with 🔴).

ENDGAME: A happy ending! Reader will have their happy ending!

Fujoshis DNI || Remember to read to your own safety!

Your mind has always been taught that you'll die for your family, and die when you need to. Of course, the closer to the main family of Wen Ruohan you are, the more you'll hear his paranoid and psychopathic ideals rattle off like that... but you'd never heard of his rambles until you were old enough to hold a sword.

The instant anyone could: Wen Ruohan would come sniffing.

Wen Qing and Wen Ning were distant enough to not be under his thumb, especially with how sickly Wen Ning was: but you're far from lucky. No matter how healthy or sickly you are, what your distance was to his main bloodline, or if you're simply married in... he seems to have taken a liking to your branch of family, but mostly in you.

From youth to young adulthood, you have lost track of all of the teachings of the demons of Gusu, the heathens of Yunmeng, the yellowbellies of Lanling, and more. It was just how the Wen's brainwashed you into believing the outside world to be how Ruohan saw it. Weak. Deplorable. Conquerable.

Future you, while laying in bed with your two husbands, laments and categorize your past as you are the last one awake so late into the night...

You had done many things in the backlines of the war started by your family patriarch, and no form of killing was off the table for your blade. You've survived the siege on Gusu, even though you didn't light the Cloud Recesses on fire. Yunmeng had been next, and you know that afterwards you became mostly a foot soldier after Wen Ruohan only trusted his direct sons and one certain soldier.

How foolish of Wen Ruohan to trust anyone, especially that one soldier (you later identify as Meng Yao) he kept at his side and who didn't have to crawl when speaking to him. It only takes one soldier to kill another man. And Wen Ruohan, no matter his psychopathic ramblings, was just a man.

After killing Clan Leader Nie, burning the Cloud Recesses, held the Night-hunt of the Xuanwu of Slaughter, massacring Yunmeng, attempted to wipe out the Martial Arts World of all that weren't Wen's, massacres of towns that didn't adhere to his laws, killing for something as dumb as a curfew... Truly, he did believe in some backwards ways. You lambasted the man's name to this day.

This man, who ruined the lives of all those he shared the surname with... even yourself.

During the First Sunshot Campaign you had been captured by some Lan nobody far from the grand steps where your patriarch was slain, and the sharp whistling of Chenqing dies down. The corpses stopped piling, blood stopped pooling, and sound seemed to have muted in the vacuum it left. Your fate was sealed as you were identified in the later parts of imprisoning your family members to places of servitude. But you were well learned and knew what the penalty for your entire family name was destined to be.

It was inevitable, and there was no use crying or wailing with the children and babies.

Because of your usefulness, you were put to use by training the youth and young adults in the camps as they took back their homes. You weren't given a weapon of any kind―oh no, that'd give you too much power―so you'd have to make do with dodging and hand-to-hand. Of course, eventually, you'll grow tired and then they'll be able to strike you.

You were basically their physical punching bag, their war prize that they know would not leave no matter the abuse. You're always moving with the main squadron and it seems the big names of Jiang, Lan, Nie, and Jin found it comfortable you weren't out of their sight for too long.

The kids were nice. Some kids are nice and wouldn't strike you without reason; good kids, all around. Some imitate their older classmates, who had fathers and mothers lost to war, and it seems like karmic justice somewhere in your mind.

Your only saving grace was the daily "random" wooden sword you'd find in the large water grace bear where they drag you to train the new wave. A certain younger, mournful looking twin Jade always seemed to walk the water path as you were dragged from your hut, so you have a good idea as to who your savior is.

Days and nights, in deep thought as you're forced to eat gruel to help heal your wounds, you can see your savior passing you hidden notes about someone you've heard from the late Wen Chou many times. That Wei Wuxian. What was Lan Zhan trying to tell you? You couldn't even leave. You probably just have to hold off, and so you remember doing so.

Finally, comes the day of Wen Ning's death and resurrection, and it hits your ears like a gong as waves of bloodlust comes from nowhere. After the defect of Wei Wuxian and the disappearance of all Wen's not underneath the direct law of the Four Clans, all Wen's seemed to die overnight in waves...

【🔴】 ... and your beheading reached your ears as well, like you could even miss it with the guards keeping themselves informed loudly by your hut.

Now or never... no guts, no glory!

Escaping while the families were busy infighting and dealing with the loss of Wei Wuxian from their side was the easy part. Turning around at the last second to see the youngest Twin Jade watching you leave―silent and mournful, as every day you see each other―you give a look of determination back...

... you could swear your eyes deceived you, but you could swear you saw his expression soften. Not grow gleeful, or joyous. But relax.

Without looking back, you head to where you're certain the note from Lan Zhan will carry you to your remaining clan members. And you're sure it'll be safe. If it wasn't, you'll aid Wei Wuxian all you can.

By the time you get to the Burial Mounds, your aid is just needed tending to fields or taking over as a babysitter for the young. This was where you could officially meet Wei Wuxian, who was weary of you but apparently someone put in a good word for you before you even took off for the plains.

You'd classify it as: strange. Not bad. Just strange. But after months of personally being Wei Wuxian's backbone, assisting the doctors, hunting with Wen Ning, and being attentive to Wen Yuan... You might say call the soft, complicated stare Wei Wuxian holds you in as strange.

But something might have clicked in your mind about what that look could mean, when a lone Lan Zhan appears in the town and is (adorably) held down by Wen Yuan. Wei Wuxian seems to have found it humourous, and might have leveled a complicated expression during Lan Zhan's whole stay.

Oh...

Oh!

Author's Note(s): I did not expect it to get that dark, but then I remembered how MDZS is normally and... well! I also want to say I used colored text to signify where romance (with each other all taken into account) starts for that character... *wink wink* (⁠｡⁠•̀⁠ᴗ⁠-⁠)⁠✧

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palestporn · 1 year

Note

Continuing the encouragement: I would very much be interested in reading In Cold Blood on ao3!! I’d be interested in reading pretty much anything you write tbh—you could publish Gamkar’s grocery list and it would still be one of the best things I’ve ever read

Haven't posted about this over here much but STILL WORKING ON IT, 107,000 words in at the moment, 6 chapters mostly complete, probably at least 4 or 5 more to finish out?? At least? It's been a second since I wrote humanstuck stuff, haha, it's a fun shakeup.

Gamzee turns his hands, and you let them go; he falters back like he wasn’t expecting that, and then cautiously touches your skin with cold fingertips, tracing along the place under your jaw where your armor doesn’t cover. Pausing at your pulse, like he can feel how it’s pounding hard enough to make you shake.

He says, “...You scared of me?”

You don’t know. You just look up at him, so fucking tired, and tilt your head to press against his touch.

His hands slip around your throat, and you let them. Frame your neck, almost lovingly, thumbs pressed against your jugular veins. A careful hint of pressure that you know could knock you out in seconds if he squeezed.

“Gonna tell me how okay I am again?” he says, and you can’t tell if it’s a dig or a plea. His thumb strokes back and forth over your pulse, presses for a second, twitches away again. “Go on, motherfucker. Tell me how you’ll fix me.”

His grip tenses when you reach up—you move slow, breathing steady, and just rest a hand on his hand. Like he did when you washed his hair for him, just holding him there. Waiting.

“Tell me how you’ll fix me,” he says again, and he’s begging, this time, his grip tightens and loosens and tightens again. “Can’t stop you. I’ll fuckin’ let you, even. Won’t have to hurt me, I won’t make you. Just tell me how I’m good for you, I swear I’ll learn.”

Your eyes are burning. You can’t turn your face away from him, with his hands at your throat—and you’re so tired. You’re so fucking tired of acting like you know what to do. You can feel him hurting in your chest, reaching out for you now, giving in all in a rush, a flood; you don’t know how to take what he wants to give. You don’t want to. You can’t.

You shake your head, and feel a hot tear track down one of your cheeks, stupid and helpless. Gamzee twitches back, eyes widening—reaches out like he’s going to brush the tear away, grits his teeth, jerks his hands away and knots them in his hair instead.

“Sorry,” he says, wretched and small. “I’ll take, I’ll do, whatever penance— I know you’re pissed, ‘m sorry—”

He flinches when you lean forward—when you touch his cheek he goes still, shivering. When you kiss his forehead, he makes a noise like a bitten-off sob.

“What should I,” he starts, half-frantic, and you shake your head and kiss his cheek, his lips, the tip of his nose, combing your fingers at his hair. “Do you want, should I—” his hand touches your thigh, hesitant—you twitch back despite yourself and he goes still, yanking his hand back like your skin burned him. “Sorry, fuck, sorry— Tell me the rules, motherfucker, tell me what you want!”

He sounds half-desperate, and the tone of his voice burns, the way he’s looking at you. Like he looked at his god, reverent and terrified.

“You always knew what I should do, best friend, Karkat, your will be done, your motherfucking commandment—”

#miracrails #gamkar #homestuck #In Cold Blood #i have no idea what tag i used for that universe on this blog and I have to go to work so i have no time to check oh no haha #catch me cradling my blorbos in my hands like ''oh i think they should be a little fucked up''#for spice!!! for flavor lol

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bakuliwrites · 1 year

Note

21 + post-Upright Lucio? 👀 (angst? fluff? up to you, I'm just starving for adventuring era Lucio content)

I would be more than happy to write adventuring era Lucio content!!!!!! I am also always looking for that post-upright Lucio content haha. Thank you so much for requesting! I truly appreciate it! Here's a bit of fluff and a bit of angst! All rules for this event are here, my requests are open!

Tearful Kisses with Post-Upright Lucio (The Arcana)

Lucio flinches as you press a clean strip of cloth to his injured abdomen. His wound is deep, but not mortally so. He's lucky the blade hadn't plunged any deeper, or the two of you probably wouldn't be huddled around a campfire, tending to one another's injuries.

"You need to be more careful," you scold, voice riddled with worry. You try to inject some irritation into your tone, but you're too shaken. Mercedes rests her head on her papa's lap, while Melchior snoozes near the crackling fire. You managed to escape with just a couple of scrapes and bruises, unlike your reckless companion.

"I'm fine," Lucio grouses, before he gives you a cheeky wink, "Those bandits were no match against the great Lucio and his magnificent magician."

He flashes a bright smile at you, which turns into a grimace when you pull his bandages tighter.

"A little snug there, dontchya think?" he retorts, but you ignore his commentary, frustration welling up inside you. You've been on the road with Lucio for several months now. Things have been going relatively smoothly, save the occasional shady character that tries to harass the two of you. Most of the time, you're able to diffuse the situation, but every once in a while, like today, things escalate. And then there's the added stress of Lucio always throwing himself in front of you without thinking.

"You can't just keep jumping into the fray like that," you go on, tossing unused bandages back into your pack and shoving everything else back into place, "You're going to end up getting yourself seriously injured. Or worse."

Lucio scoffs, pulling his shirt back over his head, fumbling a bit with the sleeves.

"I'm fine!" he reassures, still not understanding just how shaken you are, "Besides there's no need to worry! Not even death can stop good ol' Lucio!"

He puffs his chest out proudly and you're suddenly reminded of the days you spent with Lucio when he was a ghost. Still trapped in this idea that he's invincible, immune to the natural order of things. Lucio has made a lot of improvements since his days as a Count, but there's still a lot of work to be done.

"You can't keep thinking like that, Lucio," you retort, unwilling tears stinging the corners of your eyes, "You and I- we've each both escaped death once. That's more times than anyone else has. I don't think-"

You sigh, shoulders slumping as Lucio gives you a bewildered look, "We're not going to be given the chance again. And-"

"I don't wanna lose you," you almost whisper, tears rolling down your cheeks. Lucio's silver eyes gaze at you, glimmering brightly in the light of the fire.

"I- I didn't mean to make light of it," he returns, staring down at the ground, brows crinkled with worry, "I just- I guess I just don't wanna think about the danger. How maybe, if I make a bad move- One misstep, I might- I might not make it. You might not make it."

"I don't know what I'd do if I let anything happen to you," he murmurs, glancing back at you. His lip quivers, eyes glazed with tears.

You yank him into a crushing embrace, feeling his arms wrap around you with equal fervor. It's been a long, tense day, and it all comes out in sobs and quiet weeping into one another's shoulders. Lucio pulls back occasionally to lay teary, desperate kisses against your lips. Your fingers tangle in his hair as he pulls you in closer. He cups your face, the pads of his thumbs passing across your cheeks, wiping away your tears.

"Sorry I was so upset," you apologize between breaths.

"I promise I'll be more careful," he whispers, sincerity in his voice. The two of you cling to one another. Lucio's gentle heartbeat, the warmth of his embrace, the tenderness of each kiss he lays against your lips: all of it is a reassurance that you're safe, that you're alive. And you want to cherish every sacred moment you have with him.

#the arcana #lucio morgasson #post-upright lucio #lucio x mc #lucio x reader #lucio x you #dani writes #kissing event #the arcana fanfiction #drabble #fluff #angst #thank you for the request!

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ashiemochi · 4 months

Text

(don't) go easy on me - ii

✠ (don't) go easy on me ↳ not bad for our first time, huh?

➶ pairing: OC x Piers Nivans ➶ genre: mostly fluff, slight angst, gore (like a broken bone), first time! smut, cliche mean clique (like two girls) ➶ word count: 5.8k

prev -> next

✠✠

Everyone give it up for our spectator; Cindy Lloyd!

With Captain Magath still away, she and her squad were still ordered to train with Captain Redfield. It was all going okay with Cindy choosing to spar with her best friend Vivian Marie to pass the time or at least seem busy to the eyes of their sub-captain.

"You heard about the new rookie?" Cindy asked, sending a blow, "His name is Finn something and, apparently, he's assigned to be in Redfield's team."

Vivian looked surprised, dodging the attack and threw one back, "That quick? I thought it was difficult to be a part of his team."

"I know right?" Cindy huffed, blocking the hit before swinging her leg, "Think he got a free pass like you-know-who?"

Both of them looked over at the Han girl by the wall, seeing her sitting down with her phone in her hands. Cindy let out a sound of disgust, shifting her attention back to her friend.

"Un-fucking-believable, she gets to sit on her ass while we have to train our ass off every day?"

Vivian winced at the hit landing on her shoulder, giving her a knowing look, "We're not training with her every single day. We don't know what her schedule even looks like."

"Don't defend her, it's probably what she wants." Cindy retorted, "She goes through one incident and suddenly she's BSAA's little princess. We've been through missions exactly like the H-Outbreak – you don't see us lumping around uselessly!"

Her attacks got harsher, actually hurting Vivian who kept up her tough parrying skills for her sake.

"We fight! And we keep fighting because when you're strong, there's always someone stronger than you." Cindy snapped, roundhouse kicking Vivian and she actually stumbled back with a hitch of a breath.

"You always take this a little too seriously," Vivian glared at her, rubbing her arm, "Keep that up and you won't have anyone left to train with."

Cindy swallowed her tongue, jaw clenching silently.

She excelled in her team, being basically a second in command to Magath. She took her training sessions to the heart, practising and sparring day and night to keep up with the regime. She could take down any of her squad, hence why they were ordered to train with Captain Redfield's team as they were the closest one to such a high rank in the BSAA.

Her eyes darted to Chris walking with Piers to the spacious ground where most soldiers spar. Piers was seemingly not in a good mood, ranting to his captain who only offered a smile and patted his back. There were several more trainers and captains here and there. Then-

"Alright Team Beta, listen up!" Chris' authoritative voice boomed, "As you all may know, your captain Sett Magath returns tomorrow from his mission overseas. He's expecting full improvement in your performance. Today you will pick someone on my team and spar with them to test your abilities. Our trainers and coaches will observe the session to ensure all ground rules are followed.”

"Do a good job and maybe I'll put in a good word for you to the captain. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Opposite team, huh…" Cindy trailed away, watching how the training around was starting to get busier with her team going to his, probably trying to find someone to spar with.

A man from her squad, Ryder, approached Piers and asked if they could spar. Piers didn't seem all that interested, giving him an annoyed stare with crossed arms when he recognized him as the guy who hit on So Ah. Then he nodded, shaking his hand, and Ryder visibly flinched at the grip, but he pretended to be okay with it, giving Piers a thumbs-up.

"You got a good grip on ya', haha!"

"Guess Ryder got himself into trouble again," Vivian spoke blankly.

"Viv, who are you picking?"

"Hmm," She trailed her eyes around, landing on Finn chatting with So Ah, "The rookie. I could teach him the basics and see what he knows. What about you?"

Vivian watched Cindy turn around and face So Ah, and she couldn't help but sigh.

"Please don't tell me you're thinking of fighting her."

"Someone has to show her that not everything can be served on a silver platter," Cindy spoke lowly, nudging her head at them, "C'mon. Let's pick our partners."

Vivian followed her begrudgingly, a little embarrassed to be dragged into this battle of hers.

"Hey, Han." Cindy said dryly, catching her attention, "Let's fight after Piers is done. We can have Captain Redfield spectate us."

"Ah," So Ah blinked in shock at the assertion in her tone, giving Finn a look who only returned it, "Yeah, sure. I was actually suggesting Finn to spar with you since you're pretty much known around here to be good at this."

"I don't want him. He'll make it very easy for me." Her eyebrow twitched as she folded her arms over her chest, "Vivian will be sparring with the rookie."

Again, Finn gave So Ah a look of uncertainty and she only nodded, giving him a small smile.

"Go, it'll be good practice! I'll wait for you at the cafeteria when we're done." She encouraged him.

He seemed hesitant before nodding and he stood up, "Okay."

Vivian looked at Cindy, silently warning her not to go too far and then she and Finn moved to find a free coach.

So Ah stood up, dusting the back of her pants, voice polite, "I don't think we've properly met before. I'm H–"

"I know who you are and I frankly don't care." Cindy interrupted, not hiding her resentment as she turned around to observe Piers and Ryder fighting, "I want to prove to Captain Redfield that you have to work hard to earn this position."

She glared at the Han girl from the corner of her eyes, "Not like some people."

So Ah blinked, lips parting in surprise. Before she could speak, Ryder let out a grunt, having been brought down to the ground. Piers was standing tall, albeit breathing heavily but it didn't seem like he broke a sweat. Chris kept his broad stance, giving Ryder advice about his fighting technique and Piers only stood beside him, not even offering to help Ryder up.

Ryder was too exhausted to bother a quip or two, so he pushed himself up onto his feet, thanking the captain before walking away, most likely to join his team – or those who finished training.

Cindy silently moved towards the two men and So Ah hastily followed. Piers' eyes darted to Cindy, automatically locking onto the Han girl instead and the corner of his lips twitched upwards.

"Captain, I'd like for you to watch us," Cindy said like a soldier.

Chris glanced over at So Ah, who only shrugged, and looked over at his watch, "I suppose I can squeeze in one more before my lunch break. Also, So Ah."

"Yeah?"

He opened his palm towards her, giving her a firm knowing look, "No phones on training grounds."

Red rushed to her cheeks and she grumbled, avoiding his eyes as she gave him her phone, "Sorry, Captain."

"Don't let it happen again." He waved the phone at her with a subtle smile, not quite mad, "Now go, we don't have all day."

Cindy couldn't believe it. This was the most strict captain?

If Captain Magath catches anyone with their phone when they're supposed to be training, they can kiss their phone goodbye.

"Good luck, Toadette," Piers flashed So Ah a wink and she rolled her eyes, walking past him.

"Eat it, Yoshi."

As So Ah and Cindy got into position, Chris handed Piers the phone who took it and shoved it into his pocket.

"She couldn't have picked anyone else?" Chris asked himself.

Piers looked at him, "What do you mean?"

"What you are to me is exactly what Cindy Lloyd is to Captain Magath," Chris explained, "She's the toughest one in his squad. Maybe So Ah wants to push her limits today."

Piers went quiet, trailing his eyes back to the two girls. Then Chris quipped.

"So, when were you going to tell me that she beat your ass in Mario Kart?"

Piers' eyebrows shot up, pink coating his ears, "She told you?!"

"It's what she told everyone on your team."

As that was happening, So Ah gave Cindy a strange look. The Lloyd girl was stretching her arms and her neck, a masked annoyed look on her face.

"Why'd you pick me?" So Ah voiced her curiosity when Cindy got into position.

"I told you," Cindy eyed her sharply, "To prove to the captain that you have to deserve to be here."

So Ah frowned deeply but didn't say anything, following suit and she threw a glance at Piers who gave her an encouraging look with a thumbs up. That made her chest bloom and she nodded to herself, his presence and support making her more confident.

Alright, she can't be that bad.

Getting into position, she barely blinked before Cindy initiated a fight.

OH SHIT, SHE'S QUICK.

So Ah blocked and dodged most of the attacks, making sure to keep her distance every time Cindy gets too close. That was her technique; defence then switch to offence once the assailant tired out. As she relied mostly on her legs, she needed the space to perform some attacks.

"It's goddamn unfair how they let you in," Cindy breathed heavily, roughly jabbing her side and earning a hitched sound from her, "Some rich pompous girl who doesn't know jack shit."

So Ah kept her mouth shut, glaring at her attacker. She had dealt with enough hate from the public to build some sort of resistance to it. It still hurts like a bitch, knowing that a handful of people continue to blame the Han family for what happened in California a little over a year ago.

And deep inside, she agreed with Cindy. She doesn't deserve to be at the BSAA – not after all the soldiers they had lost trying to capture her at the facility.

Cindy picked up on her always staying far away and growled, charging at her, "Stop running and fight back!"

And she did.

So Ah lowered herself to avoid her swinging arm and shifted her feet. She grabbed onto her arm and flipped her over her back and to the ground with a loud thud.

Cindy grunted, pain shooting through her back and So Ah was quick to step back, trying to keep her breathing stable. Cindy pushed herself up, stumbling a bit as she wiped her jaw from the dirt and sweat.

"You're right, I don't deserve to be here," So Ah said, huffing and narrowing her eyes down, "But I'm here for my family, and I'm not going to let someone like you take that away from me."

Cindy heaved, scoffing, "Someone like me?"

She cracked her knuckles and her demeanour changed into that of controlled rage. So Ah blinked at that, moving one of her feet back to prepare herself for what was to come.

"I'll show you what someone like me can do." Cindy promised with piercing eyes, "And then you'll know who truly belongs here."

The sparring continued, but So Ah noticed she could barely keep up. It was as if she was against Piers – and she never really brought him down. He'd teach her certain moves to stay ahead, but he'd know how to counter them, easily knocking her off her feet.

Piers never really went that easy on her. That was her request; fight her like he fights the other soldiers. Besides, he'd usually treat her with food or a massage to untie any uncomfortable knot in her body.

So Ah hopped back to avoid yet another attack but this time, Cindy picked up on her technique. She swung her leg at her ankles, sending the Han girl down with a gasp.

She tumbled to the ground on her side and tried to get up but she was shoved against the floor. Tears sprang to her eyes instinctively when her nose got hit and then–

"You rich people are the fucking worse," Cindy snapped, setting her bent-up knee on So Ah's midsection, applying pressure which caused the girl to grunt, "Always buying your way into anything."

So Ah knew at that moment that Cindy was taking this spar a bit too seriously. It wasn't to train and enhance her skills. It was personal.

That was not part of the ground rules.

"While we had to work our asses off for a position like yours," Cindy snarled, yanking her right arm to press it bent up against her back in an armlock and pushing her shoulder down to stop her from squirming, "You get to play princess and just waltz in like you own the fucking place."

So Ah wheezed out air at the pressure intensifying on her back and her wrist. She couldn't even look up at Chris or Piers, forcing herself to glare sharply up at Cindy as she kept attempting to struggle back.

Piers threw a glance at the gathering soldiers and he deadpanned at the little snickers and inappropriate comments. God forbid those men get some action in their bedroom.

"Look at that," Piers nudged Chris.

Chris tore his eyes away from the two girls and looked at the audience, unimpressed, "Those men are hopeless."

"I have as much right to be here as you do." So Ah retorted, shifting her other arm so it went bent up in front of her, "I didn't ask for any of this."

"Right, because if it's not for that freaky virus of yours, then maybe they wouldn't have even looked twice at you." Cindy sneered and So Ah's eyes widened.

Another quiet yelp came from her when her arm was tugged and she went to tap the ground to surrender. The ache was getting too much to handle and she really didn't want to deal with any broken bones at the moment.

"No, you fucking don't." Cindy shoved the back of her head down so her mouth was pressed up against her arm, effectively shutting her up and stopping her from tapping out, "You don't get to run from any of this anymore."

That was when Piers looked back, picking up on the uncharacteristic panicking of his girl with her feet scraping the ground to try and gain some leverage against the death grip Cindy had on her.

"Maybe that'll teach you a lesson," Cindy tightened her grip on her wrist, slowly pulling on her arm almost involuntarily, "You're useless here."

The crack was dull but she heard it. Both of them did. So Ah's shriek came out muffled, hitched in her throat and she squeezed her eyes shut at the immense pain shooting from her shoulder and all the way down to her wrist.

The sound seemed to have snapped Cindy out momentarily but it was all So Ah needed to twist her body around to push her off of her. Cindy fell to the side with a huff but grunted when So Ah slammed her foot hard against her chest to kick her away. That forced a series of coughs from the Lloyd girl, holding onto her chest.

So Ah panted heavily, teary eyes wide as she held her arm to her chest. Her chest was heaving as she was gulping air like water, trembling as she tried to hide her pain when multiple footsteps were quickly approaching.

"Hey, hey," Piers was the first to get to her, helping her up with concern written all over his face, "Are you okay?"

So Ah stayed quiet, worried if she'd speak then only pained sounds would emit. She hugged her wrist to her body when Piers gently held her arms, brows furrowed deeply at her silence as he tried to read her.

Multiple coaches were also nearby with Captain Magath's team going up to Cindy, helping her up onto her feet. Chris' team rushed to the Han girl but did not surround her, keeping their distance as they had a vague idea that she didn't really like that much attention.

"So Ah, are you hurt?" Piers pressed on and she shook her head.

Vivian shot Cindy a knowing glare, clearly disappointed at her best friend going too far.

Realization hit her a little too late, Cindy fucked up. She was going to be sent home, losing everything she worked so hard for all because she lost her temper.

"I'm fine," So Ah finally spoke, giving her team a small meek smile, "She just scared me when she had me all pinned."

Chris stepped forward, noting the look of uneasiness on Cindy's face before shifting his attention to the Han girl, voice firm when he spoke.

He was asking for the truth.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Chris asked, snapping his eyes down to her wrist and then back up.

So Ah hesitated for a bit and glanced over at Cindy for a second, nodding. She released her wrist to wave slightly, keeping the movement to the minimum but enough to convince her team that she was good.

"Mhm! All okay! Nothing broken, just another little trick to get away," She giggled nervously, "Sorry I made you guys worry, it won't happen again."

Mutters and murmurs came from the soldiers, gradually dispersing to continue whatever they were doing. Piers stayed close, keeping his perceptive eyes dead set on her arm as Finn gave her a worried frown.

"Are you sure? Your arm seems a bit…"

"I'm okay, Finn. Really. I did the same thing with Piers yesterday," So Ah reassured him and then looked up at Piers, "Right?"

Piers folded his arms, clearly unconvinced. His sharp hazels stayed like a hawk, staring her down.

"Right." He only said.

So Ah tried to seem unphased but knew she could hide nothing from him. Instead, she turned to Finn with that soft smile of hers.

"I'll wash up and we'll meet you at the cafeteria, okay?"

"Okay…" Finn returned the smile timidly, "I'll save us a table. Do you want me to get you any–"

"Go away, Finn." Piers interrupted, not bothering to hide that he wanted a moment with his girlfriend.

So Ah avoided his eyes as the rookie scrambled away, a habit of hers that he didn't really like very much.

If she was flustered and couldn't look him in the eye, then that he adored – but lying?

"Are you planning on keeping this shit up or what?" Piers questioned sharply, referencing her arm.

She rubbed her wrist, muttering lowly, "What's it to you?"

He blinked at her, his brows shooting down to knit in the middle. That pout was back on her lips and he unfolded his arms.

"Ow!" She let out when he flicked the back of her head and her hands shot up to rub the spot but he grabbed her good arm, silently dragging her away.

Anyone could see he was seething.

"Alright, that's enough for today. Hit the showers," Chris called out, his eyes settling on Cindy at the last bit, "And go home."

Fuck, fuck, fuck–

"Are you proud of yourself?" Vivian stepped up to Cindy with a glare.

Cindy could only watch the couple enter the building, the training ground slowly emptying.

She lied.

So Ah lied.

"But she… I actually…" Cindy whispered, "Why would she do that?"

Why didn't she tell them I broke her hand?

"You really don't get any of this," Vivian shook her head with a scoff, crossing her arms as she moved past her.

"Just be happy Captain Magath isn't here to witness this childish side of you."

✠✠

It had been a slow couple of hours of having lunch, spending time at the gym for more training, showering, and finally, she could leave. At the cafeteria, Piers kept trying to convince her to report Cindy while she continued trying to convince him that her hand was fine. It was obvious she was lying, but she wasn’t going to admit it.

Piers had gone silent when she refused and that was when he left the table, leaving his tray of food behind – which was worrying in of itself considering his appetite.

So Ah was standing outside by the gates, eyeing her dominant hand. Twisting it right and left, everything in it was healed as if nothing had ever happened. With a faint whine, she dropped her arm, feeling like utter crap about the sparring session.

Cindy was right – anyone else more worthy could’ve had her position in Chris’ team.

So Ah checked her watch; Piers was late. She knew he was upset, but she didn’t know what was taking him so long. When he left the cafeteria, he was livid. His hands were clenched tightly till his knuckles were white, veins growing more pronounced. She could’ve gone after him but knew he wanted his space.

Chatter reached her ears and she turned her head to look at Finn and Marco. They were making their way towards the gates when they noticed her.

“Hey, Han,” Marco greeted.

“Hey, you two heading home?” So Ah asked with a small smile.

Marco replied, “Nah, there’s a new arcade that opened down the road so we thought we might check it out and then hit the bar later, you wanna come?”

“Oh, no, thank you. I’m waiting on Piers…” She shook her head, glancing over at the building, “Did you guys see him around?”

“I haven’t.” Marco shrugged.

“Last I saw him, he was talking with Chris,” Finn answered and she stiffened.

“Okay, thanks.” So Ah smiled, bowing, “Hope you two have fun tonight.”

“See you around,” Marco chuckled, turning to make his way down the pavement as Finn followed him.

He waved at her with a wide smile, “Have a great weekend!”

She waved back, giggling a bit and then her arm flopped next to her side. Growing anxious by the second, she wrung the straps of her bag as she looked over at the doors. He couldn’t be reporting Cindy himself. He wouldn’t do that.

Would he?

“Where is he…” So Ah muttered to herself, now contemplating going back in.

✠✠

“I still can’t believe you.”

“Seriously, you’re still mad at me?”

Vivian glared at Cindy when she mimicked her tone, “You want me to be over the moon that you broke her goddamn hand? Cindy, if she hadn’t lied for you, you’d be packing your shit by now.”

Cindy went quiet, walking by her to her car. The rest of her day was spent on her nerves, completely expecting Chris to walk into the gym and call her out in front of everyone. Hell, every time she walked by him, she’d be on edge – but he’d only spare her a curt nod and go about his day.

“Ugh, I don’t get why she’d lie but,” Vivian sighed roughly, irritated by the situation and she looked at her friend, “I’d thank her if I were you.”

Cindy scoffed, stopping in her place, “As if.”

“You’re unbelievably dense, it’s insane.” Vivian rolled her eyes as she rounded her car to the driver’s seat, “Whatever, let’s go. I need a drink.”

She opened the door and set her foot inside just as Cindy went to the passenger seat but a voice called out her name.

Instant butterflies fluttered in her stomach and her cheeks reddened when she turned to look at Piers. She had watched enough romcoms that usually this would be the part where a heartfelt confession is made with the sunset giving everything the soft golden glow.

The way Piers stood with that dry look on his face though; she knew it was about his girlfriend.

He asked, “Do you have a minute?”

Cindy faced Vivian, nodding at her, “I’ll meet you at the bar.”

“Okay…” Vivian gave her a knowing but unsure look then barely waved at the male soldier, “Bye, Piers.”

Piers only nodded and the car roared to life before driving off. Cindy turned to him as if timid. They barely had any one-on-one talks, more focused on their job than chitchatting. She’d gaze at him from afar, knowing to keep her distance as he was persistent in his training to be the greatest soldier.

Yet, it didn’t seem to have been the same case when she joined the BSAA, all shy and anxious. Chris had given So Ah an encouraging pat on the back with an equally encouraging smile, lightly shoving her towards Piers who stood there with folded arms.

His eyes, at first, were harsh but they have grown gentler by the second they spend time together. He was her trainer as Chris had trusted Piers quite enough. With the Hans still on thin ice, So Ah was expected to be around people she was sure wouldn’t hurt her.

But why her?

Cindy kept her distance because she thought Piers was doing the same – but the guy wouldn’t even spare her a second look whenever they’d cross by each other in the hallways.

“What do you want to talk about?” She asked, initiating the conversation to try and cut the suffocating silence.

“That stunt you pulled back there.” He merely said, his hazel eyes focused on hers when she didn’t say anything, “You’re really lucky she doesn’t want Chris or your captain to know about it.”

“Yet she told you,” Cindy retorted, “Captain Redfield’s second in command.”

“She didn’t say anything. I can tell when she’s lying.” Pier scoffed, crossing his arms, “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t report you.”

Cindy bit her bottom lip, brows twitching and her heart wrenched into itself, “What do you see in her?”

It was his turn to be surprised.

“Huh?”

“What do you see in her?” She only repeated.

His brows furrowed deeply, confused, “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Everything.” Cindy answered, gesturing around her vaguely, “I read the papers you’ve written about the H-Outbreak. I know about all the soldiers we have lost because of her.”

She breathed in, narrowing her eyes at him, “Even till the end of that night, you too almost died saving her. What the hell is she good for when all she does is run?”

Piers stepped close with his voice dropping an octave, unfolding his arms, “Watch it, you don’t get to talk like that about her–”

“Then who can?!” Cindy shot back, “It’s like she’d got the entirety of the BSAA in a trance or something because any normal person would see who she really is!”

She groaned, rubbing her face, mumbling, “I expected way more from the legendary Chris Redfield and Piers Nivans,” She snapped her eyes to him, moving close, “You and I know how much of a waste she is. We both rank high in our teams, so what is it about her? Pity?”

Piers stared at her darkly, approaching her, “So that’s what it is? Jealousy?”

“What?” She reeled back, defending herself, “I’m not jealous of her. Why would I be–”

“That’s bullshit.” He scoffed, “I’ve seen how you act whenever I’m around, I’m not stupid. My whole shtick is subtlety.”

“What’s more stupid is the fact you think I’d ever be with you with how you are with your teammates.” He basically scolded, “We at the BSAA treat everyone like one big family, not our personal punching bags.”

Her face had gone redder at the fact he knew about her feelings towards him. Utterly aghast, Cindy was speechless and flustered, still processing his words. He rejected her before she could even think about confessing.

Piers straightened up, exhaling through his nose with a slitted look, “So I’d suggest you apologize to her.”

“Funny, because my friend said I should thank her for…” Cindy spoke quietly, trailing her stinging eyes down, “For not telling Chris about what I did.”

Piers huffed, rudely retorting, “Glad to see someone in your team has some common sense.”

“And If I don’t?”

He tilted his head to the side, brows knitting in the middle, “Excuse me?”

“What are you going to do? Snitch on me?” Cindy stood her ground, glaring back at him through a sheer wall of tears, “That… Han bitch deserved it and you know damn well it’s so unfair that she gets to be a part of your team. She had that freaky viral outbreak from her own facility that made everything so much easier for her! Killing millions just to be accepted into the BSAA's top team?!”

Heaving in air shakily, she ended with resentment heavy in her tone, “If I could go back in time to that moment, I’d do it all over again.”

Any hint of peace in his honey eyes disappeared, sharpening down to a piercing glare at that last bit. He snapped at this, towering over her with an intimidating concealed anger in his eyes. She didn’t step back but her whole body froze at the close proximity.

“You better watch your mouth,” He snapped lowly, “So Ah is the kindest person you can ever meet and you could always count on her when in a rut. Despite you having a stick up your ass all the damn time, she still thinks you don’t deserve any punishment.”

Piers then sneered, “What does that sound to you?”

Cindy stared up at him, lips parting; no way was he…

“Sounds to me like you love her…” She replied, picking up on the way he froze at her words, “Which makes you biased.”

Piers shook his head incredulously, moving away from her, “Believe whatever you want, Lloyd. Worry about getting your shit together because you won’t be so lucky next time.”

Something was swirling in his eyes endlessly. Was he in denial?

“What is that supposed to mean?!” She asked aloud as he was leaving her.

Piers stopped to partially look at her over his shoulder, glaring at her as his voice was dangerously calm, “It means if you lay a finger on her again, you can kiss your position goodbye.”

✠✠

Intersect at O, Washington DC.

A foot reached out from beneath the water and shut the tap water to stop the tub from overflowing. So Ah tilted her head back onto the folded towel with a heavy sigh, closing her eyes in the process.

A nice hot bath after a harsh training day at work was always heavenly. It eased all of her nerves, making her feel like jello. The scent of vanilla and Shea butter filled the bathroom, causing her to relax even more with a hum.

Letting her mind wander, So Ah couldn't help but think about her sparring session with Cindy. The hatred in her eyes reminded her so much of the ones at the pharmacy where a grieving man had a gun on her. Except for the ones of the man was agony – Cindy had pure resentment.

She didn't know why the first thing she did was lie. Even Cecile told her that she should've told Chris or any captain but So Ah couldn't. The girl was younger than her and around Piers' age. It didn't help that Cindy also seemed to like Piers a bit too much to be considered 'just co-workers'.

Cindy most likely thought her joining the BSAA on the whim was unfair – which So Ah would agree with. She doesn't get hefty missions as she has press conferences to attend. All she'd do was train and get her usual check-ups on the virus in her – and the tracker embedded into her spine.

Yet, despite all of that, So Ah was a soldier at the BSAA for one thing and one thing only.

To clear her family's name.

Fluttering her eyes slightly open, So Ah stared silently at the ceiling.

Piers didn't show up when she waited outside for him. Seojun had arrived and she couldn't stay longer. She ended up texting him that she had to go home and all she got in return was; okay, stay safe.

Which was weird.

She called him when she got home like she usually did and he didn't pick up.

Which was weirder.

Ever since Cindy broke her wrist, Piers was intimidatingly silent. He'd press on, insisting that she tells Chris or even Magath when he returns from his mission. She fully believed Cindy was just not mature enough to really understand her case.

And she fully deserved that injury.

She had it easy her whole life, she didn't want anyone to be easy on her or treat her like a secret bodyguard for the Hans would jump them if they even looked at her wrong.

Piers was understandably upset when she refused to report her. That was when he left the cafeteria. He couldn't stand watching her getting pushed around anymore; much even watching her taking everything.

So Ah sighed, blowing bubbles underwater with a pout. Maybe she could call him again and–

Ringing coming from her phone interrupted her train of thought and she never scrambled so quickly to dry her hands and reach for her phone. Her heart skipped a beat at the contact and answered the phone.

“Piers! Hi!” She winced at the excitement in her tone, hearing him chuckle lightly.

“Hey, baby, what’s up?”

“Nothing much, just taking a bath. I might paint later. What about…” So Ah shifted to lay comfortably, eyes on the ceiling, “What about you?”

“Just out,” He said and she could make out the distant busy road on the other end, “Sorry I couldn’t see you after work today.”

“No, no, it’s okay.” She reassured him, recalling what Finn told her, “You were busy.”

It was quiet for a second before he spoke, his tone changing to that that brought her butterflies, “What are you doing tonight?”

She tilted her head to the side, “Uh… Nothing actually, why?”

“Okay, now you’ve got plans.” Piers asserted, “I’m coming over.”

“Oh!” So Ah straightened up in surprise, the water splashing over the tub at her movement, “Okay! What do you wanna do?”

“Doesn’t matter, we could sit and watch paint dry for all I care,” Piers shrugged with a snicker, “I just wanna see you.”

Holy GOD.

“O–okay…” So Ah whispered, clearly growing flustered at how blunt he was.

She could hear the smirk on his lips when he spoke, “I need around thirty minutes, is that good?”

“Mhm, it’s good.”

“Okay, see you later.”

“Bye…” So Ah lowered the phone, cheeks still blazing red and she muffled her giddy squeals into the rolled-up towel. She should get up and fix herself up before he'd arrive. Remembering what Cecile told her, So Ah bit the inside of her cheek.

Tonight might be the night if she plays her cards right – and doesn't purposefully try to lose instead to save herself the anxiety of him seeing her completely naked for the first time.

She shook her head as she unplugged the bathtub and slowly stood up to finish showering.

Ah, please let tonight go well.

✠✠

#piers nivans x oc #piers nivans fanfic #piers nivans headcanon #resident evil #piers nivans x reader smut #resident evil fandom #piers nivans imagine #resident evil fanfiction #leon kennedy imagines #resident evil memes #canon x oc #oc x canon #piers nivans x reader #piers nivans smut #piers nivans #resident evil 6 #piers nivans x you #Spotify

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anakinskywalkerog · 2 years

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Idk if this is asking too much, but could you please write an intricate description of Anakin and post it? You write him so so well and I’m trying to write my own fic, but I can’t really get a complete grasp of him as a complete character.

idk about an intricate description, but i can definitely give you some tips/things to remember when writing Anakin!

rule 1: Anakin is always going to be overcome by his emotions--boy has BIG FEELINGS that are always going to cloud his logical, intellectual judgment. another thing to remember here is that Anakin, when faced with a negative emotion, almost always first processes that negative emotion as anger. i think it's the *trauma* and that anger is easier for him to express because it's less vulnerable. in the prequels, we only see Anakin being vulnerable expressing fear/sadness to Obi-Wan and Padme, and no one else. so it's less common for him to be vulnerable, except with anger.

rule 2: Anakin, bc of his big feelings, is almost always going to be conflicted about SOMETHING. whether he's fighting his emotions back, or he's conflicted about something external, a good rule of thumb when writing a character like Anakin is to make sure he has to hold two conflicting ideas or emotions in his mind at once (also, this just makes writing any character more interesting)

rule 3: Anakin wants to win and be the best all the time, and he thinks he's the best Jedi. so, that sometimes brings conflict, bc there's a rational part of him that's like, oh, maybe i do have something to learn from [insert master here] or whatever, but a part of him thinks he knows best and his judgement is flawless lol

rule 4: on the deep down inside Anakin very much wants to be swaddled like a cat (insert that one meme I posted) and he's always seeking reassurance from both Obi-Wan and Padme in the movies, so i interpret that softness as him seeking reassurance from reader often

rule 5: he doesn't usually want to or try to hide his emotions, particularly his affection/love for Padme. in the movies, he's very forthcoming to her--"you're more beautiful" "i can't breathe" etc. he tells it like it is in a way that's even a bit socially awkward? so in my fic, he's obviously fallen for the reader first, and he hasn't tried to hide his feelings much (and he will get even more obvious with them with time haha)

i can add to this later if you want! but that should get you started. send me the fic when you post it!

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whaliiwatching · 1 year

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Just a second, I don't know if you're still taking requests atm, but are there any rules or conditions that we should be aware of? Do they have to involve certain fandoms and such? And are crossovers also allowed?

thanks for asking!! i’m always accepting requests—i’m just also lazy and busy so they might sit in my inbox for a while lol

half the reason i accept them is because i consider them prompts for me to practice, so my rules are pretty lax. if i get a request i can’t fulfill—if it’s a spam request or i’m personally uncomfortable or whatever—i’ll just. not do it lol. but to save potential askers the time of asking, here’s a list of guidelines/boundaries/yknow

any fandom allowed, albeit at my discretion. i don’t do original characters or fandom-ocs. find a commission artist and pay em!! of course the drawback is that my art is at risk of being ooc or the design incorrect bc i’m not familiar with whatever fandom, but i usually do cursory research to make sure it’s not way outta left field

no nsfw, period. gore/violence at my discretion

crossovers are cool by me

if someone asks me to fuse characters or make furry versions of characters or something, yeah i’ll do it. but if you want art of an existing design, yours or someone else’s, then find a commission artist!

i’ll take ship art requests, but be warned that the art is highly liable to be or appear platonic if i’m not familiar with the fandom or if i haven’t drawn that ship before just bc personal blah blah

on that note, i always tag ship art. if i fulfill a request for a ship you don’t like for whatever reason, block the tag. if it’s for whatever reason not tagged—if any of my art is missing appropriate tags!!—come to me privately with reasonable and non-inflammatory concerns. i am always open to requests to tag my art and want people to avoid content that upsets them.

just to be sure everyone’s got the message, btw, since i’ve had problems with this before: i’m not a personal art vending machine. i don’t know how to regulate this kind of thing—limit the amount of requests one person can make? the requests i take for a specific fandom or character? if more experienced artists have tips for not churning out piece after piece of a rarepair just because someone’s dying for content but not willing to make it themself, i welcome them. rule of thumb: don’t spam me lol

so yeah i think that’s it! thanks for the question, i really appreciate it. and i’m glad people like the stuff i make. half the reason is practice, but the other half—the reason i have any social media account at all—is that i like that my art makes people happy. two birds with one stone, babeyyy

(i also love questions/comments, as long as they’re kind and in good faith and all. i very rarely interact with people online but i’m open to doing so haha)

#housekeeping #is that the tag people use for blog stuff?#art request #rules for requests #uhhhhhwhat else is there #text post #lol i have no clue i’ll just link it in my bio thing

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paperstorm · 1 year

Text

Tagged by @beautifulhigh thanks love <3

Rules: Post the first lines of your last 10 fics posted to ao3. if you have less than 10 fics posted, post the first lines of all your fics.

80% of these are Missing Moments because that's all I've been writing lately haha but I am working on something else.

No feeling in the firelight

The plume of smoke lessens, as they stand on wet pavement with blankets draped over their shoulders and watch the 129 douse the smoldering wreckage of what was their home. Walls crumble, the ceiling collapses, everything turns black and wet and the acrid scent of it becomes so overwhelming that TK almost can’t smell it anymore.

Ritual

TK holds up the bottle of Windex as he moves toward the kitchen, when Carlos’s eyebrows raise expectantly at him. He puts the bottle under the sink, slightly making a show of it even though that particular bottle actually belongs upstairs in the bathroom, because he wants Carlos to be assured he was cleaning like he was instructed while Carlos was down here panicking that he’d put a single grain of salt too many into the sauce that he’s already remade a second time.

Lost and found

“You can’t all stay,” the empathetic but tired-sounding nurse tells them. “I can send down for one cot. One.” She’s holding a folded sheet in her hand. Her hair is auburn. It’s pulled back into a ponytail but there are wayward pieces of it framing her face, as if they’d migrated away during a long shift. TK gets stuck for a moment on the details, the voices in the room fading into the background like he’s listening to them from underwater.

Music made in love

“Wanna fuck me?” Carlos jumps. He hadn’t heard TK coming, and the sudden appearance of his voice has Carlos’s heart leaping into his throat.

A decade in a moment

TK’s first day back at work after medical leave is on a Thursday. Carlos has the day off, so he gets up early to make TK breakfast and drive him to the 126. TK lingers in the car, his head tipped back against the headrest, eyeing the door through the windshield with a disappointed look on his expressive face. Carlos frowns, reaching over to squeeze TK’s shoulder in question.

A light in the dark

Carlos sits for a long time in his car in the parking lot. He stares at the concrete wall in front of him, the flat grey of it blurring in his vision and the perfect blank canvas upon which to project everything that’s swimming frantically in his mind. He blinks, and a tear slides down his cheek. It’s only one, and it maybe is the result of him accidentally keeping his eyes open for longer than he should have as he stewed in misery, but Carlos despises it anyway.

Knots to pull apart

Carlos stands and begins to clear their plates. He’d made a stir fry with chicken and water chestnuts, one of TK’s favorites of his many made-up recipes, but TK had been uncharacteristically quiet over dinner. Carlos is sure he knows why, so he’s been avoiding bringing it up, because TK will come to him when he’s ready. He always does.

Under the surface

Nancy has her arms crossed and looks highly annoyed, as they watch Tommy jog into the Dojang, and TK can’t understand why. He did something good for their captain, something nice. She was upset about having to miss her daughter’s ceremony and TK fixed that. Nancy’s irritation doesn’t make any sense and it’s making all sorts of alarm bells go off in his head.

Back to the remedy

“Can you please say something?” TK blinks slowly. The room around him seems to dissolve, the edges of his vision blurring until he can’t see the things that are in front of him clearly – the couch, the lamp, his manically grinning parents. Smiling at him eagerly, expectantly, like they think he should leap up and start cheering like he might have if this conversation had happened 20 years ago.

Side A, Side B

TK’s thumb hovers over the little arrow that would send the text he’s typed. It’s all still relatively new, this thing. The thing with Carlos in general, but also this. Cautiously approached and carefully negotiated because Carlos didn’t like it the first time they’d tried, and TK hated that look on his face like he thought he’d done something wrong.

tagging @theghostofashton @chaotictarlos @carlos-in-glasses @welcometololaland

#paperstorm writes #tag game #lola's probably already done this but just in case

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essektheylyss · 2 years

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what would you recommend for a college student who was never allowed to drink coffee but wants to start now in a properly god-fearing boo-capitalism sort of way? said hypothetical student enjoys dark chocolate, yes, even the baker's chocolate, but is still worried about coffee being really bitter (invitation to talk about coffee if you so desire)

haha thank you for the invitation, I have many recommendations! putting this under a cut because it got really long which should surprise no one:

primarily I'd recommend one of two things, depending on whether you have access to a stovetop or not (basically, whether you're in a dorm or an apartment).

if you have a stovetop, start with espresso made in a moka pot; I find it does have a flavor closer to dark chocolate if done that way, especially when you add sugar, and you can get a small moka pot for $10-20 (and it'll make a single serving for you). this has the added benefit of being the method with the lowest amount of caffeine, which is helpful if you haven't drank coffee before, as it's a pretty big jump in caffeine content from any other beverages. (a single espresso shot has about a quarter the caffeine of a cup of brewed coffee.)

and if you wanna get fancy with that, you can also get a cheap hand frother for milk (they're also about $20 or under), and make lattes, but not required—though it will help cut the bitterness, depending on what type of milk you're using. and if you wanna go really hard, you can find different simple syrup recipes to play with. I make a lot of weird ones (florals, herbs, citrus), but there are plenty of options out there. or you can just add chocolate syrup!

if you don't have a stovetop, I would recommend getting a french press (probably a 16 oz one, if you're just making it for yourself), with the caveat that it probably will start out tasting bitter, so definitely add sugar and cream to your liking. look for medium and dark roasts, as they tend to have the lowest acidity content. this will have more caffeine than the individual espresso shots, though.

this is getting in the weeds, but there are three primary places where coffee is grown: latin america, central africa, and tropical asia, and each region has some primary tasting notes. if you're a chocolate person, I'd say to look for latin american origin coffees to start! african coffees average at floral and citrusy, and asian coffees are pretty earthy. obviously there are variations in there, and how the beans are processed makes a difference, but that's a good rule of thumb when you're looking at even just the options for coffees at the grocery store. (and you can always experiment more later!)

all of this does require a bit of equipment, but it's cheap enough that if you end up drinking coffee regularly, you're going to save a lot of money in the long run compared to trying to buy coffee out everyday.

and if you do want to go try stuff in shops, definitely search for coffee shops run locally, and shops that roast their own beans in particular (those places tend to be pretty proud of that, so it's not too hard to tell).

and try weird stuff if you do go out! when you're making coffee for yourself, you usually have to commit to buying a whole bag of beans, so you probably want to go for something that's closest to what you already like, but if you're just getting one drink, it's less of a major commitment. (I also love asking baristas what they recommend, especially stuff that's seasonal or new, or not on the menu! most folks I've known have had some weird drinks they like that they made themselves, and if you want to be adventurous, they're often thrilled to make them for you.)

and lastly, coffee is for sure an acquired taste, so definitely do some experimenting, but... really, really do not feel bad if you end up some ways down the road going, "damn, I still really don't like any of this." I know plenty of people who simply never pick up a taste for it, and that's completely fine.

#thank you for this opportunity I do not get to info dump over coffee enough haha #I hope you enjoy trying things!!!#also please know I'm cackling at 'properly god-fearing boo-capitalism sort of way' this is my new favorite phrase

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tothedarkdarkseas · 1 year

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sooo we know what kind of stu look/vibe you prefer, is there a murdoc equivalent to that? i'm curious because you've recently gotten me on the lad stu bandwagon haha. there's definitely a "version" of murdoc i picture in your writing, but it's a bit difficult to articulate. so i was wondering if you had an intended effect in mind and if i'm anywhere near the mark!

Thank you, and welcome aboard the Lad Stu bandwagon! You may not find yourself drowning in content but you'll have a good time! It certainly hasn't eased up on me yet, and despite some fully self-inflicted misery at times I still think there's plenty of reward to be found, haha. He's just neat!

Murdoc is tricky, as I see him as a bit more of a shapeshifter than Stu is, simultaneously more aware of himself and less loyal to who or what that is. My rule of thumb is that Murdoc is adaptable and Stu is malleable, and these are two very distinct ways to affect and be affected by the world around you, even if both ultimately result in the birth of unhealthy self-gratifying habits. Murdoc has the survival experience to know what a situation requires, and how to play it toward his benefit-- and he's comfortable with (or settled more deeply into) the knowledge that sometimes it's bending, and sometimes it's biting. Sometimes you get what you want by removing the capacity to be punished. An inability to be pinned down is a fundamental part of that, I think. By no means do I think that means Murdoc is always sincere in these perspectives, nor do I think he's always if ever been completely honest with a microphone on, but I think he'd see the sort of nihilistic reason to it and lack of reason in splitting those hairs over concepts. Behind his manic showmanship Murdoc has a strange pragmatism to him, but you could turn him inside out without seeing it. He's also just, you know, unwell in less digestible ways. Honestly, you'd have to read every post on this blog back to 2018 to relay back to me what I've said about Murdoc and I probably still couldn't parse it, haha.

As far as looks, that is a bit easier to tackle! I don't mind artwork that depicts Murdoc with his greener skintone and it doesn't register as "wrong" to my version of him, but in writing I'm generally picturing he and Stuart both a bit more human than they're typically drawn with a stronger leaning toward their respective pop cultural muses, and so Murdoc probably resembles P1-P2 models more. Jaundiced and sickly in undertone, but not cartoon-coloured. The broader silhouette of his face and hair borrowed from Keith Richards or Richard Ashcroft. I see him as sinewy and slight, but not proportionately railish and lanky as Stu is; he has some give in the thighs, to put it one way, haha, but in general he strikes me as "the runt of the litter." Small in the way that doesn't entirely carry in photographs. I do like some of the softer-figured Murdoc artwork and definitely enjoy it over a bizarrely muscular depiction (looking at you in that one specific P4 piece, Jamie) but I think my characterization of him has always been scrawny, booze-bellied, making his size something that fuels gratification and in fact prompts comparison/insult rather than downplays it, because that co-opting of his own degradation returns the satisfaction of it to his hands and not Stu's. (Though rarely would he rather anything be out of Stu's hands, given the choice.)

Vibe-wise, I hope the above paragraphs paint a picture, as I'm not sure I'll be able to-- at least not without making it even more confusing, haha. I see Murdoc as more punkish stylistically, not so entirely devoted to the sartorial extremes as he was in his early 20's playing in 7 different Stoke-based bands but rooted within it. I tend to say "punkish" and not just punk to make some distinction, hopefully, that he is informed by a lot of alt British youth culture, Northern culture, poverty from birth through the total establishment of his adult life, and at last in well-fucking-won gluttonous defiance of that, the excesses of rockstardom. He settles easily into topless lounging, or crusty old band t-shirts with coats from the charity shop, or a leather jacket a size too small to keep him from swimming in the sleeves, separate enough from his beltline for Stu to notice. (Again, looking at a different P4 Jamie piece; he giveth and he taketh away.)

#i hope that answers your questions but let me know if i misunderstood you!

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kiisaes · 1 year

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What’s your thoughts on tracing as a way to learn to draw? I’m a total beginner artist/digital artist. Lvl 0. I started a few months ago with procreate on an iPad and I’ve gotten good pointers on procreate and what’s a good DPI and whatnot. i can see a little progress when it comes to the layers and and blending with other brushes besides the smudge tool haha

But I’m still unsure of how to get better at proportions and expressions and pretty much everything when it comes to the line work. I know practice is the ultimate tool to get better, and I’ve tried to use the typical reference to look at but I struggle hard with proportions and keeping the face semi symmetrical and it comes out all wonky. I’ve always been under the impression tracing is like taboo (outside of hands, I think most agree that hands suck) but is it okay to do as practice?

not sure if this is a hot take or a cold take bc artists can't seem to agree on if tracing is ok or not, but i think it's fine to do as practice!

lots of either young or insecure artists think that tracing is bad, and i kind of get it - it's not art we made on our own and we relied a lot on someone else's existing lines. to many, it feels like cheating. i thought that way too! but the older i got and the more i heard from experienced artists, the more i realized that tracing can be really beneficial!!! sure you're not making your own lines from your own imagination/studying references, but you're still drawing the lines. it helps you get used to shapes and figures, and it familiarizes your hand so drawing things like faces or muscles — pretty difficult things to draw without help — don't feel as unfamiliar anymore.

believe it or not, your hand will remember movements the more you do them. it's more or less muscle memory. if you trace a pose or a hand or something, your hand will become more accustomed to drawing those things. obviously i recommend you use studies more so your eyes can also train themselves to work with your hands, but i understand that drawing off of references is way harder than tracing from references. if you're a total beginner, there's nothing wrong with tracing photos of models or w/e just to get a basic feel

i do draw the line at tracing other artist's work and passing it off as your own, though. nothing wrong with studying an artist's style, that's really useful towards developing your own style. but if your lines perfectly overlap another artist's piece, then you didn't do any of that hard work yourself. not only is it disrespectful as hell towards the original artist, who poured their sweat and tears into that drawing you just doodled over, but you also didn't really grow from it.

i have seen professional artists trace and replicate other artists' works, but it's either paying purposeful homage to the original, or was done to study the style and methods used to create that final product. normally you can tell when an artist traces for their own artistic improvement and understanding, and when they're tracing just to be lazy, rude, and profit undeservingly. generally a rule of thumb is if you trace from a different artist, you don't post it online or sell it anywhere. and ofc you always want to respect the og artist's wishes, so if they don't want anyone to trace their work, you probably shouldn't, even if it's just for practice. there's lots of other resources you can use on the internet!

TL;DR: tracing is a-ok from a practicing standpoint!!! but don't trace other artists' works, take full credit for it, and post them online!!!

#long post #i guess .. god. can i ever respond to anything normally.#also this was a very interesting q bc there was this one artist in the bkdk community who traced really notorious artists #and i remembered thinking damn. u couldn't just draw ur own thing and post it online? u had to trace from others and pass it off as ur own?#there were a lot of inconsistencies with their art too. like after they were called out for tracing it became SO obvious #like it's fine to be a beginner artist and not get a good grasp of art yet! there's nothing wrong with that! trace to practice!#but dawg why would u trace from OTHER BKDK ARTISTS ToT and they were big artists too. not less popular ones #so .. just don't do that! u lose a lot of credibility and respect if u get caught #asks for becki #becki rambles about stuff

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