Day: Monday, March 18th / 19th*
Time: 10:43 PM EST
A flash of orange in Neil's peripheral vision is enough at last to distract him from Kevin, and Neil stares as Andrew sets his helmet on the home bench. Andrew had to notice the attention, but he focuses on tightening his gloves. He isn't going to volunteer an explanation, so Neil asks, "You're going to play with him?"
"Someone needs to keep an eye on that idiot," Andrew says.
He yanks the last strap into place, straps his helmet on, and heads for the door. He doesn't bother to knock a warning before throwing open the court door, but Kevin is facing the door and stumbles to a stop at the sight of him. He shoots a quick look Neil's way. His face guard and the distance between them makes it impossible to see his expression, but Neil can guess there is something accusing in it. He shakes his head and gives an exaggerated shrug, trying to convey his innocence. Andrew slams the door behind him and heads for goal.
Kevin shepherds balls back toward the first-fourth line. Andrew makes an expansive gesture at whatever Kevin says to him and slings his racquet carelessly against his shoulder. He refuses to budge even when Kevin signals readiness. Kevin stands with his racquet back for a few seconds longer, then gives up and fires a shot. Andrew doesn't so much as twitch, and the ball shoots right past his helmet. The goal lights up red. Kevin takes another shot, and another, then grows impatient and aims for Andrew himself. It cracks off Andrew's helmet, and Andrew finally shifts into a ready
position.
The next time Kevin fires at goal, Andrew shoots it straight back at him. Kevin catches it but has to retreat to hold onto it. As soon as he has his footing he aims at the goal. Andrew pops that one right at Kevin's knees, and Kevin sidesteps out of the way just in time. They go back and forth for a while before Kevin scores again. Kevin scores twice more in quick succession, but Andrew deflects the shot after that with an impossible twist of his racquet. It escalates from there in speed.
This isn't a practice anymore; it is a fight. Andrew is trying to cut Kevin off at the pass, and Kevin is daring Andrew to keep up somehow. Exy had been a raw point between them since they'd met. It is the critical part of their friendship Andrew refuses to acknowledge and Kevin can't fix, a dream Andrew won't believe in and Kevin can't give up on. This is a shootout years in the making, and Neil can barely breathe as he watches them struggle. Neil can see their tempers starting to flare in the little things, a jerk of Kevin's racquet here and there and the increasing viciousness of Andrew's deflections.
Art used with permission by Aymmidumps. Thank you @aymmidumps!
*Due to the Leap Year, I have opted to highlight the day rather than the date to keep the events in occurrence to the 2007 year. I will continue to mark both days accordingly.
So this is a question to all the artists out there who do commissions. I'm thinking of maybe starting to do commissions but I'm a bit clueless. I've been looking around and it seems that most artists use PayPal? Not sure if this is the best option so I was just wondering if people have recommendations on how to handle the money side of commissions X)
Fi from @linked-maze au! this design makes me so incredibly happy u have no idea, i absolutely adore fi and sksw, and angels/wings are my special interest, so this just makes me 🫠🩵💜
COMMISSIONS POST!
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Artist's Painting of a Hippopotamus
Ca. 1479–1425 B.C.
New Kingdom.
The hippopotamus on this ostracon was painted with the sure hand of a skilled artist who had no need of a grid. Other ostraca in the collection were clearly made as templates to be used when transferring an image to the wall of a tomb or a temple or as practice pieces. The purpose for this sketch and others is less clear.