#I struggled with adding the fur patterns :( | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fallenclan · 1 month

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Related to FallenClan designs! All your designs are super amazing, what’s your simplifying process/how do you decide design for cat pelts? Cause I always struggle with simplifying/deciding how they look especially bengals and cats with white patches… thanks if you respond!

I’m ADHD and struggle with consistency and simplifying lol, though more complex designs are pretty, I lean more towards what you do w/ you’re cats as they are simple but still super pretty + it makes it easier to consistently draw them all for stuff like this! (These comic like moon updates :])

(Also hope none of this came off as offensive, it’s all meant positively! I really really admire you and your designs :])

ty for the compliments!!! very sweet ask and I shall do my best to give a good response o7

generally my method with designing characters/drawing is to just wing it. fuck it we ball basically. but i DO take a lot of inspiration from other people's warriors art, taking the time to analyze what i like about their styles and what different sorts of patterns i can use

(i also regularly consult the Clangen Sprite Guide for better looks at white patches/tortie patterns and such, highly recommend)

the first thing i decide when i'm designing a new cat is what fur texture i want them to have. i have four that I pick from (pictured below, in order), wavy, spiky, curly, and square.

i decide the fur pattern based on the cat's personality (a more stoic cat might have square fur, while someone more bubbly might have curly, or someone more excitable have spiky, so on and so on), and also based on their parents/how many cats i've designed with that fur pattern recently.

after that is snout shape, which is probably my favorite part. i love to draw cats with a very pronounced snout, not unlike an oriental shorthair, but i generally slide around between that and a more typical, stubby snout, occasionally veering off into the very square snout of a maine coon. this is also a great spot to determine how sharp you want their jaw to be, which is something that can really help set a design apart! (a couple of snout examples below)

then i usually move onto colors. i like to pick an undertone for the cat first, so i know what sort of pallate to work with. as you can see in the pictures below, ravenstar has a purple/blue undertone, and toadbelly has orange/red undertones

this helps me make all the colors look nicer together, so i don't end up doing something like making a very warm colored cat with blue-toned white patches (which would make the white patches look super cold/too bright), which can be a really cool stylistic choice, but isnt what i tend to go for

once i've drawn out the cats fur shape and picked my colors, i'll move onto the base coat. over my time of having the fallenclan blog i've discovered that having a very simple pattern underneath the normal pattern can add a lot of visual interest to a cat, and make them look less plain.

here's a good example! one of the first cats i designed, oaktuft. their pattern was super basic--one base color, plus the inside of the ears, and then the color of their patterns.

and here's another cat that i designed a little more recently--Shiverspots! you can see that even just the small change of adding a bit of a lighter color to her underbelly made a world off difference. plus my style got a lot more defined lol

i have a couple of different base patterns that i use. here's a few more examples. i've even started to experiment with more than two colors!

once i've got the base done i move onto patterns. this part can definitely be tricky; trying to make a dozen brown tabbies with short fur be distinct can be . a challenge. i like to follow the steps of what i've already designed--a cat with spiky fur might have very sharp, angular stripes, and a cat with curly fur might have much rounder ones.

i think a good rule of thumb for if your pattern feels a little too basic is just to throw some more colors in there. another shade of orange, a more pale tint to some of them, whatever. and don't be afraid to erase it and start again! sometimes a design just won't work, and thats fine :)

the final thing i do is to add little design quirks. a particularly sharp jawline, downturned eyes, a crooked smile or a gap tooth, whatever! little things can really give your cats character.

i really hope that this helped!!!

#fallenasks #fallenreferences #<new tag i guess???#looking back at this i suppose i lied at the beginning . i do have somewhat of a method

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pebiejeebies · 4 months

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Made her “normal” vs monster/bestial comparison!! + height comparison + color palette comparison

(This is an oc for the Objectfied comic au im making! I will explain her role soon..!)

(Adding this just in case you aren’t interested in reading my infodumping below :P I basically got a bit too excited and wrote down a lot of details abt her lol—)

The full sets of her pronouns jic: Xe/Xem/Xer/Xeirs/Xerself — She/Her/Hers/Herself

Aaand.. maybe I’ll sneak in a neopronoun :3c Cub/Cubs/Cubself

Now let’s get onto some character design study! Let’s start with her limbs!

I was going to make her limbs white, which aesthetically didn’t look nice, so instead of white limbs, I thought maybe I make it the colors OF the stripes, with the white slightly showing, and if your wondering how her limbs turn from normal to tiger.. let me demonstrate..!

That’s basically how her limbs change color, her limbs originally have dark stripes with a slightly lighter rest of the skin, depending on how much she turns into a tiger is how much the colors show!

The paws on the normal limbs are different from the tiger ones, I couldn’t make the paws the exact same color as the limbs so I made it lighter (since I didn’t show it in the reference above, I didn’t put it’s color in the palette)

Her tail completely shifts into nothing just like her fur on her neck, I thought it would be cool if I added small stripes along her neck where the fluff comes but I thought it was a little too much, since the limbs were already showing off the cool stripes, yk?

Plus, if you noticed, the more normal version of her is more awkward and shy, to the point she doesn’t even know what pose she should make! But the more she shows off her bestiality, the more confident and proud she is! Since tigers are very strong and confident, I thought it would be cool to make her lose/gain that confidence based on how normal/bestial she is!

Her claws can unsheathe, which is why I demonstrated it in the reference above btw

To disguise her stripes, she said she was just born with this “odd beauty mark pattern” which wasn’t exactly a lie, some people would fall for it, and some got suspicious but didn’t think too much about it

And uhh about my older sonas, (Fuorzy, Bookmark, and Portal) I’ll see which ones I’m gonna stick with since I think I’m losing my hype for Bookmark

And to end everything, she is one of my (favorite) sonas now, as she really shows off everything I have!

I am a white tiger therian, very VERY skinny, I have glasses (my old ones were circle glasses), freckles, I always feel confident and happy when I shift into Xue, aka my theriotype, and in reality I am a very shy and awkward person!1!

Soo.. WOAAH!! HI OBJECTIFED VERSION OF ME!! :D

I thought it would be such a perfect idea to add my theriotype in my sona because I got SO MUCH therian energy off of Dynamite! Which inspired me to make my own oc and lore and au and… yeah you get my point.. <:D (I actually shifted earlier today and yesterday after months of nothing which felt so refreshing, I thought I lost my connection for a while!)

Woah! That was a bit too much hahahahhahahaaaaaaa— uhh I hope this feeds you well! I think I got possessed by a grammar demon or something but wow I didn’t even misspell that much, I may have worded some things wrong but bear with me, it’s a struggle I deal with every day :,)

Ilysm if you are still reading this/p, I’d love any fanart of my ocs so tag me if you draw xer! <3

(Tagging @ch0cocrave, @facelessthefreak and @hollow8007 since y’all rebloged/commented on the first post <3)

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theconstellationprincess · 3 months

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House and Home

Welcome to the empires age regression long fic! If you’d like to be added to a tag list just let me know!

Chapter 1:

Pix sighed, wiping sweat from his forehead as he finished packing the last of his books he needed to bring with him on this trip.

With the ever present threat of Xornoth, alliances had never been so fragile, and everyone was a bit trigger happy. After the last meeting with all the emperors has ended with Jimmy and Fwhip at each other’s throats, literally, Katherine had decided that something needed to be done. They needed a united front to face Xornoth, and they were anything but.

Pix had been consulted on the creation of the building, all the empires had, though very few acknowledged it. It was a large mansion, with enough rooms to house all of them, and plenty of communal spaces. It was non-optional to attend and spent the next week in the constant company of the others. Pix had no true issues with any of the emperors, he was fairly neutral, but that doesn’t mean he wants to see them all constantly.

But, Katherine had made the consequences of not attending clear, and so Pix was packing and preparing. He had brought plenty of paperwork along, as Pixandria always needed something signed, along with candles, just in case. He knew the others disliked the practice, or at least were weary of it, but not all candle lightings were focused on death.

Pix lit candles in his bedroom because he was afraid disliked the dark.

He stared at his 2 bags. One was entirely filled with books and papers, the other with clothing. He turned, surveying his bedroom for the last time for a week, before his eyes caught on a box.

It was small, a soft blue, and peaking out from under his bed. He frowned at it, nudging back under his bed with a huff. Then sighed at his own antics, bending down to pick it up and place it on his bed. Inside, it held some of his most precious things. He lifted the lid, carefully scooping out the contents. A worn, but still soft stuffed bird and a carefully painted pacifier, patterned with stars.

He gently stroked the fur of the toy, biting his lip. He pulled his hand away and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Realistically, he could go far more than a week without regressing. In fact, it had been a little over 3 weeks since he last regressed, which was… not sustainable. Further, he would probably struggle to not slip when every moment of the day he was surrounded by noise and activity, the moment he was alone he would crash.

He continued to stare at the objects, not knowing that across the land, several others were facing a similar dilemma.

“Lizzie,” Joel and Jimmy both whined as she finished packing a large bag of regression supplies.

“None of that,” the Ocean Queen commanded with a soft smile. “We all know that the moment someone else slips one of you will, then the other, and you’ll both be very displeased with me if I don’t have your favourite pacifiers.

Fwhip blushed as Gem dug through his things, pulling out pacifiers and teethers and pull-ups. “I really doubt I’ll need any of this.” Fwhip mumbled, but Gem ignored him, stuffing a bag full of everything Fwhip had for his regression.

Scott stared at his bag. It had been packed for ages, since he’d first received the letter detailing Katherine’s plan. In the front pocket of the bag there was a singular pacifier. He needed to leave soon, he didn’t want to be late.

Did he really need to bring it? What if someone found it? Scott clenched his hands, digging his nails into his palms. He grabbed the bag as is and hopped out his window, wings opening up as he began the short flight.

As all the emperors, kings and queens and rulers, entered the large premises, they looked at each other warily. The next week was bound to be interesting, if it doesn’t end in disaster.

—

Hope you enjoyed! @little-froglight (I finally started it!

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were--ralph · 2 years

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Hey ralph im new to art and im slowly learning lots of stuff but a thing I really struggle is making hair on things. (or fur) do you have any tricks for that

oh baby this is my home

OR IT WAS BUT I CAN'T FIND MY OLD PSDS but i'll try to explain it anyway without them

Lets do an experiment!

image 1:

and now 2

you can tell it's hair in both images despite it being blurry, right? Well here's why and this is the most helpful tip i can give you.

When you're drawing hair/fur you're not actually painting every strand, you're painting the effect of hair/fur. Your eyes and brain will fill in the gaps, you don't need every strand/clump. Here's what I mean. I'll break it down into the main four parts: Base, Flow, Rendering, and details

Base: its just a color base that's it

Flow: Hair and fur grows in specific patterns and directions. You want to mimic it and like. sure panthers with rippling abs don't normally exist but still you can assume the fur will grow downwards, so mimic what feels natural. Also don't be afraid to draw the lines out on a new layer i still do it sometimes.

Rendering: think of this as lighting and the MOST basic details

you can get a general idea of it feeling like fur without detailing. There are parts where it's almost all one color (near the nipple for example) where you still assume its fur despite it being nearly one color. Think of this as the most basic lighting you can think of. just like. general lighting.

and now details:

once again, you don't want to over detail (i do because I'm an idiot) and let the mind fill in the gaps in areas. Something EXTREMELY important to keep in mind when detailing: not all areas will have the same amount of detail. darker areas generally receive much less detail than lighter areas. refer to the hair pic from earlier. the darkest parts you can't see each strand, but the shiny and light parts you can!

I'll do another one.

keep in mind of the flow and when painting please god do not use a "fur brush". this was all chalk and default round brush. Remember! the brushes don't matter so much as your grasp on the thing you're painting. Get a simple chalk, round, square, etc brush and paint in the direction you want.

refine your lighting and add your detail in the lightest/shiniest areas, the darkest areas are generally fine outside of reflected light. Also important!

when lighting realistically, the edges almost always stand out due to rim lighting and just how light interacts with fur/hair. adding details on the edges will make it feel more realistic

However! there is more! Fur comes in MANY shapes, you can play with the shapes and rendering once you're more comfortable!

Last thing i should have said earlier is fur generally lives in clumps whereas straight hair is just strand by strand

hope this helps!

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dre6ming · 2 years

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When you’re ready

“I stayed there” series ~ part IV

Masterlist

〘Part I〙〘Part II〙〘Part III〙〘Part V 〙

To be added to the tag list click here

Pairing: Austin Butler x fem reader

Warnings: cursing, anxiety, crying, fluff, angst.

Plot: you just can’t seem to be able to catch a break from Austin and when he shows up at your door you have a lot of things to figure out.

Word count: 3300+

It's been a week since I've seen Austin last. I've been trying to go about my life normally, unpacking my apartment, cleaning, going out on walks, but nothing helps. That's why I find myself here, in the animal shelter, looking at cats. I've always begged for a pet, but my parents hate them and I've always been too busy. I don't expect to get less busy now with the residency, but it's time to start doing things for myself. I have to learn to enjoy life and care for my self. Passing kennel after kennel, not really being impressed with any of the cats, I finally stop in front of one. Inside curled in the corner I see a big chunk of black and white fur.

The big green eyes watch me carefully. I look at the tag on the kennel. "Boots" it's the name of the sweet little thing. A female cat estimated at around two years old. "Hey!" I draw the attention of one of the girls working here. "Can I have this one?" I ask pointing at Boots, the little kitty is now sniffing curious around the door of the kennel. "Sure, I'll go grab the papers, it'll be just a few minutes, I have to finish with this one client. Um, you can go shop at the pet store next door, so you don't have to wait." She rips the tag off of Boots's kennel and hands it to me. "She's yours, bring this to the front desk when you get back, to start the paperwork." I nod my head, give the cat one more glance and walk over to the pet store.

I pick up everything google says I might need as a first time cat mom. Litter box, toys, cat beds, a cat tree (how I'm gonna fit it all in my car? I don't know, but I'll cry over it, in a few minutes), cat food, treats, shampoo, claw clippers, brushes, supplements, food bowls, the whole deal. After 30 minutes in the store and minus 300$ in my bank account, I make my way to the front desk of the shelter, I hand the kennel I bought to one of the girls as the other helps me fill the forms. "You can change the name if you, want!" The girl says, but I shake my head, I like the name Boots, it's fit for her, as the pattern of he fur makes it look like she has actual black boots on. "Ok and sign here!" I do as instructed. "Perfect I'll make a copy you can take home, Ally bring Boots out to her new owner" the girl comes back and sets the kennel on the desk, I can see the kitten coiled into a tight ball, poor thing she must be scared.

After all the formalities are done, it's hits me like a brick wall that I now, have to figure a way to fit everything in my car. Struggling for a few minutes, I eventually manage to fit everything in place. I place the kennel on the back seat, buckle it in and get in the drivers seat. Getting home, I turn my apartment into a sanctuary for this cat, girly has the whole place dedicated to her and she been mine for less than an hour. At first Boots seems unsure of her surroundings, so it takes her a minute to warm up to the place. I put some food and water in her bowl. Unable to resist the delicious temptation, she goes to eat. I decide to leave her do some exploring on her own, as I sit on the couch turning the tv on. After a few hours of be binging half of the second season of "Only murders in the building" I get up to make some dinner. Boots is now sleeping on her cat tree, she looks to cute for me not to pull out my phone and take several pictures.

Doing a quick inventory of all that I have in my fridge the best option for dinner looks like an omelette. As I reach to get the eggs out, the buzzing of the doorbell makes me jump, dropping the entire carton of eggs on the ground. "I guess fuck dinner!" I say with a puff, going to answer the door. When the door swings open, I swear I must of died and woken up in hell. "What do you want?" He licks his lips nervously, lifting up my converse shoes, that look squeaky clean, they might as well be a new pair for all that I know. "Brought your shoes back.." I squint my eyes at him, I really can't catch a break with him, can I? "Ok." I sigh and reach out to grab the shoes but he pulls them back before I have a chance. "I give them to you, if you have dinner with me!" I widen my eyes , he can't be serious. That's when he lifts up the bag he's holding in his other hand. "Pasta from that one Italian place you love." The smell slowly reaches my nose and my stomach betrays me growling. He hears it of course, that fucking smirk of his spreading on his face. "No!" I close the door, fuck them shoes, I can buy another pair. Austin's foot stops the door. "Please, let's talk, I-"

"You what?" I'm really curious what more could he want from me, but not curious enough to let him in. "How did you even know where I live?" As the question leaves my lips, he blushes looking down, like a child being scolded for something they did. "Ana, she's still dating my friend, Aaron, so I asked her." I'm going to kill Ana. "She had no business doing that." He looks away, biting his lip. We stay like this, silent and then my stomach goes against me one more time. He smiles at me. "Someone's hungry, can I?" He motions towards the inside of my apartment. He's so casual and chill, while I have the fight of my life in my head as everything telling me to not let him in, loses to those small parts of me that want him here. I say nothing as I move to the side, closing my eyes while Austin makes his way inside.

He's looking around the place, I can't read his face, but if he dares to say something about my apartment, I might just stab him. Nowhere deadly of course, maybe in the left lower abdomen to avoid any major blood vessels or organs with vital importance. "It's nice!" He breaks me out of my planing to kill him, bastard. He takes off his shoes, going to the kitchen. I can't help the smile that creeps it's way on my face when he jumps back. "Ah what the- eggs?" Austin holds his left leg up in the air, showing me his egg soaked sock. I laugh at him and he can't seem to be able to resist joining in. "I was holding them when you rang the doorbell, got scared and dropped 'em" I shrug my shoulders, going to grab the mop from the closet in the hallway, I quickly grab a pair of socks from the load of laundry I've been too lazy to put back. "Here" I say as I smack the socks on his chest and begin cleaning.

"These won't fit me!" He complains, but I pay him no mind. "So you have a cat now? I know you've always wanted one." He changes his socks as he speaks to me, looking over at the cat bed, where Boots is sleeping peacefully. I put the mop away, grab plates and cutlery, then sit down at the small dining table. "I adopted her today." I keep my voice monotone and he seems to notice. Austin sits down and brushed a hand through his hair. "Oh, that's nice, she's cute, what's her name?" Why is he being so casual, what does he want from me? It can't be just the name of my fucking cat. "Boots" he laughs and looks at me waiting to tell him I'm joking. "Wait, you're serious? How- what happened to naming the cat after one of your favorite characters?" Un-fucking-believable.

"I did, named her, after William Turner's dad, Bootstrap Turner, you know I've always had a thing for Orlando Bloom." I tuck my hair behind my ears and watch his reaction, hoping he won't know I'm lying. "Right, of course!" Either he believed me or he just decides it's not worth to argue. "You have a dog!" I say as I start unpacking the food and putting it on the plates. "Yeah, Sheldon." I lift one brow at him, he teased me for my cats name and he names his dog after the kid from "The Big Bang theory". I start eating, but he doesn't, he just watches me. "Did you poison this before you came here, or-" Austin straighten his back as if I pulled him out of a trance. "No, god, no." He eats some of the food as well. It's pathetic, we make small talk? Like we weren't just on the beach a week ago, with me screaming at him. "Talk!" My voice is unfortunately a little louder than I want. He looks confused at me, it really baffles me how he can't understand he's not a happy sight for me. "Um, I wanted to say I'm sorry and before you say it, I mean it, I really do!" Tears gloss over my eyes and the lump in my throat makes it hard to swallow. "No you're not!" I whisper as I look away, fixing my eyes on the window. The sun is starting to set. I blink and feel the tear fall down, i quickly wipe it off, but he notices it anyway. "I really am!" I hear him sniff and I look at him. Austin looks like his holding back tears of his own, but this can't be right. Right?! "Why?" My voice breaks.

He takes a deep breath, bringing both hands to his hair, pulling it exasperated. "Because I fucked up, big time." Tears now fall on his cheek, you've seen him cry before, but it never broke your heart like it does now. "You were right, so right, I-" he pauses the breathe. "I was just to far up my ass to see it. It's thanks to you that I even got the part in the first place." Shock covers my face, how can I be the one to thank? I shake my head and get up from the table, I need water or air, or a slap across the face. "No, no!" I repeat over and over again as I pace the kitchen. He sits up too, but keeps his distance from me. "The night before I sent in my last audition tape, I had the worst nightmare ever and, and when I woke up I just sat down at the piano and sang 'unchained melody', the director loved it and I got the part." I'm now full on sobbing, I know how real his nightmares are. "After I found out the news I wanted to tell you, but I didn't have your number anymore, I was angry that day when we broke up, I deleted. I drove up to your house, but your mom said to leave you alone, so I did." I can't no, he needs to stop, he can't. I lean back on the wall and fall to the ground, hugging my legs.

Austin falls to his knees with a cry of despair and an exasperated look of pain on his face. "I- I tried, I looked for you in every girl. Fuck I kissed them and pretend they were you. Sometimes I would manage to trick myself, but then I'd open my eyes, and all I saw was not you." He dries some of his tears with his hands, shaking his head. "It wasn't worth it, it wasn't - I might win an Oscar or whatever, but nothing will ever bring me back." So it was his number after all, he just didn't have my number anymore. I sniff and try to calm down. I have to be honest, I expected anything, but this. "You still talk like him." I didn't plan to say that out loud, but I did nonetheless. Something breaks inside of him, I can see it. My skin tingles, so I hug my knees harder and I close my eyes tight. "I can't find myself anymore, I- I don't think there's even an Austin in he-" he doesn't finish speaking, as he breaks into a fit of violent sobbing. I can't fight it anymore and I crawl over to him. I position myself on his lap, my legs on either side of his hips. He looks up at me, eyes puffy and read.

I can't look him in the eyes so I hug him tightly. Austin's hands embrace me, while he's crying in my shoulder, his tears soaking through my shirt. I want to say this feels horrible, I want to scream at him, slap him, scratch his face, rip his hair out, but I can't. I can't because I haven't felt this relaxed, warm and at home in three years. I stroke his back up and down, holding him until his body doesn't shake and no more sobbing can be heard from either of us. "Help me fix this? Cause you're all I've ever wanted" I close my eyes and sigh. I want so badly to say yes, but I don't know what to do. His arms let go of me and he pulls back to look at my face, but I avoid his eyes.

"Don't hide your eyes from me, please!" He begs me, he's begging. My heart speeds up and when he grabs my face in his hands, it nearly runs out of my chest. I lick my lips, trying to steady my breathing. Austin closes his eyes when my warm breath fans over his wet face. "Please!" He says again, licking his lips. "Austin, I need time, you don't get it." I get up from his lap and go to sit in the couch, dinner long forgotten. Boots comes up to me and sits on my lap. I pet her and she starts purring.

"I'll give you anything, just- please try with me!" He's sitting in the armchair opposite from me, his eyes burn holes through me, begging for a 'yes'. I look down at my cat, she's so oblivious towards the fact that I'm having a stroke while deciding if I should take my ex back. "You did your talking, now I do mine, I'll be clear, because I don't always speak in half said sentences" he immediately catches on the bite I take at his insult form the other time. He's ready to say something but you shut him up. "You were my first and only boyfriend, it took me a long time to be comfortable to talking to you. I told you everything, I never lied to you, I always supported you, hell when I read the news I almost called you to congratulate you and I cried happy tears for you. I was concerned about you and it seems I was right to be. You took digs at me, where you knew it hurt most." He nods he head and waits to see if I have anything more to say, but when I don't speak, he closes his eyes. "I understand, you hate me." He starts to get up from the armchair, but before he's fully up I speak again. "I don't hate you, that was the only lie I've ever said to you, that's what the problem is."

Shocked he comes to sit next to me and the couch, eyes searching my face for the truth. A little smile shows on his face, when he confirms I was telling the truth. Austin's gaze goes to my lips, so I bite my bottom lips, nervous at his proximity. A strangled sigh leaves his lips. "I think I want to try and fix this, but not tonight." Hie features soften, somehow his calming down. "Sure, yeah, when you're ready." I look away.

"It'll take me time and you have a girl-" he interrupts me "I broke up with her, I didn't love her" I nod, he didn't love her, ok, but did he love me? He couldn't have, you don't break what you love. "I love you, I loved you then and I love you now, I always have" my eyes are so wide I think the might fall out of my sockets. "You don't have to say it back, (y/n)!" He quickly adds and I simply nod.

He’s lying, he has to be, no way he just said that. I loved him, back then, but now? I still feel something, it's clear, but, is it love? My thoughts are cut short by my growling stomach, stupid stomach. "You're hungry, come on!" He takes my hand and we sit back at the table. We proceed to eat in silence and when we're done, I wash the dishes and he dries them, it's all so domestic and simple. I have to pinch myself so I keep in mind where we are and what brought us here. "I should leave you to rest, thank you for talking." I put the plates in the cabinet and nod listening to him carefully. "You have my number, right?" He asks

"Yeah, I do." Austin bites his bottom lip and I'm unable to move my eyes, hope he doesn't catch on, or at least doesn't joke about it. "Ok, text me when you're ready, I'm gonna be in LA for 2 more months." As I listen to him talk I take note of something, of his voice, it's back, it's the voice of my Austin, my sweet Austin. I step forward and hug him tight. "I will, I promise!" I look up at him and before I can think about it his lips are in mine. We kiss for a short moment, a small sweet kiss, it's reserved, fearful, but healing. "I'll go now."

I watch as he goes to put his shoes on, I'm at a loss of words. He opens the door and I come next to him one more time. We kiss again, this time more passionate, he grabs my waist and I tangle my hands in his beautiful hair. When we break apart we breathe hard trying to recover from being without air for a while. Our foreheads are still touching so I can smell him, warm, musky with a little citrus, I recognize the smell to be the perfume I gave to him for his birthday all this time ago. He must of kept on buying it, otherwise there's no way he still has it, my heart fills with a new feeling, something I haven't felt in a long time, love. "Goodnight!" He kisses the top of my nose, let's go of me and leaves.

I close the door and go straight to my bed, I'm exhausted so I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. I have a dreamless sleep, unusual for me, but welcomed as the next morning I wake up and for the first time in three years I don't feel empty or numb anymore. I feel hopeful, let's pray it doesn't come to bite me in the ass.

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mcrmadness · 3 months

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4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 20, 29 and 30 for the artist ask 👀

Thanks!!! That is so many (and I am delighted!) /gen

Also get some snacks or something because this is going to be a long, LONG post :D You know how much I love talking about arts!

4. Fav character/subject that’s a bitch to draw HORSES. They make no sense, the anatomy is fucked up, and they are impossible to draw well!!! I drew them sometimes as a kid, then I started actually practicing drawing them after the age of 11 thanks to the DreamWorks film Spirit: the Stallion of the Cimarron. (Or whatever the fuck it is how the name is written, I never remember the articles correctly!)

It took me years to draw them using references and I think I did reach a point where I could draw the legs semi-well without references, but honestly, I still don't understand the legs. AND I AM A HORSE GROOM. I have been STUDYING horse anatomy for school, I had to study and learn and be able to name the bones and tendons in horses' legs, and I have stared at images and photos of both horse skeletons as well as alive horses, and also photos of horses with a skeleton painted on their fur, and I have been looking at and handling real horses' legs from up close many many times - and I still cannot grasp how on earth the bones between the knee and hoof go when drawing. I don't know what is it, the second I see the skin and fur and hoof there (since there is no muscles from the horse's knee down, only skin and bones and tendons), my brain starts adding there bones and joints that are not there.

Here's my so far newest horse drawings, after over 20 years of practice:

And they are drawn without any references and I'm pretty proud of the legs even tho they're not exactly correct. But I guess I still have it even when I don't draw them that often anymore!

7. A medium of art you don’t work in but appreciate Oil paint and acrylic paint, or painting in general. I have never ever been a painter, but more of liked to work with pencils and markers and just anything that is capable of precise tiny details. As a kid all my drawings used to be so so detailed and tiny that it took me one water colour lesson in middle school to understand that hey, I possibly cannot finish this painting ever if the paper is A3 and I draw there objects that are less than 1cmx1cm in size, and I especially cannot colour them properly with water colour because it's not made for small details at all. I have always struggled with bigger sized artworks, my comics etc. are always quite small, but photorealism is usually on papers sized A4 cos there I then again suck at drawing e.g. faces that are smalled than a hand.

But yeah. Painting, it looks awesome and the paint (especially oil and acrylic, but also guache and in some cases water colour) blend in ways that pencils and markers are not capable of. They are great for landscapes for example, cos abstract brush patterns work great as leaves etc. for trees, but that is something that is difficult to achieve with my tools of choice that work with detailed images better. I did lots of acrylic painting in school and art school, and I never ever liked it because it's so messy and I was probably too young to understand how to work with them properly. I probably should give them a try again one day, because I have slowly been trying out water colours again after learning to hate them at school due to wrong supplies (too thin paper, or a rubbish brush for example), and it's not as bad as I remembered it. Maybe I could view acrylic paint differently too as an adult, and while having the power to choose my topics.

10. Favorite piece of clothing to draw Hmmmm. I'm not a fan of drawing clothes, all the loose fabric is very hard to imagine, but I also don't want to draw characters naked so I'm just gonna draw them clothes XD Back in the day I would have said: shoes. But my current drawings have very boring shoes - except for that one time when I drew Rod with his New Rock flame boots which were so much fun to draw as a New Rock shoes fan! :D It was this one:

But I think my actual favourite to draw is the blue 80s jackets Bela and Farin often wore, they are SO MUCH FUN to draw with markers! And this is why:

Okay in general anything coloured with this blue marker works - but I just LOVE IT how it reacts to the blender marker (lifts off colour very efficiently!) and how you get this texture that actually makes the colour look like the jacket was 3D! (This one is taken from my Richy Guitar comic from 2022.) I don't know why it doesn't work this well with other colours tho.

13. A creator who you admire but whose work isn’t your thing There is this one Japanese... manga? artist whose works I sometimes see on my dash or in videos about art. They are often in black&white, made with ink or something. I really like the technique in those and in a way it resembles it how I sometimes make my b&w marker drawings. All the art I have seen from him looks really neat and the topics are interesting, but it's just that manga/anime style that is not my cup of tea and what causes it that I haven't gotten into his works. I can't even remember his name but it's possible that someone might recognize whom I am talking about if someone else is reading this, that's how popular he is also among the western world.

16. Something you are good at but don’t really have fun doing I am gonna say: photorealistic portraits of people. I have many of them because every time there's been a while since the previous, I start to think about how I wanna draw another one but I have always forgotten about how the drawing process is actually not that enjoyable. It's so restricted. I have to draw a grid or my brain and eye will fuck up the proportions. My brain has temper tantrums even when following the grid because it claims I'm doing it wrong, but in the end the grid was always correct and I just can't SEE the proportions right. I can't improvise pretty much at all because then I will fuck up the proportions again. I need the faces to look like who they are supposed to be, or I will hate myself and feel like I disrespected the person I'm trying to draw. So it's stressful. It's lots of redrawing and erasing until the paper it so worn out the colour is no longer lifting off and there's nothing I can do about it.

The succesful end result always looks neat, but oh so boring. I can recreate a photo with a pencil, so what? It can't get any more boring than that. It's just boasting with "hey look I can copy an image with my hand!" but there's nothing else to it. There is no soul to the drawing. There was no learning going on, unless it was something for the tools or techniques, but no learning about how to draw something specific. It's just redrawing until it looks close enough and lots of blood and tears. People online really like photorealistic drawings because many non-artist people don't understand how it's done, but for me photorealistic drawings and paintings have become really boring to look at, and progress videos are boring because I know how that is done and I know how it's gonna end up looking like. There is no surprise to me, because I understand the key elements of drawing: shadows, midtones and highlights.

I really want to have a semi-realistic style that would look neater and less confusing with my shippy drawings, but I just suck at drawing proportions and faces so I'm unable to draw them so that they would look like my targets. That's why photorealism is not fun, because it just reminds me of how I can't draw human faces even without a grid.

20. Something everyone else finds hard to draw but you enjoy People often hate drawings hands and avoid doing that because they find it difficult to do, but I actually enjoy it. They're still difficult, but that's why I often use my own hands as a reference. And if I can't see my hands in a posture I want from my own POV, then I will just take a photo with my phone and use that. The easiest way of getting references ever, no need to google for the exact specific posture when I can just grab my phone and there I have it. This has also allowed me to memorize stuff in the muscle memory and especially with my comics I need the references less and less, which is nice. I think my style in drawing hands is evolving and I'm enjoying the results more and more. (Fun fact: people in my comics always have 5 fingers instead of 4!)

This is from one of my newest drawings:

I like so much how this turned out! Tho the cost was that the 3 other hands did not turn out that well - but at least this one did and I really like it :D (And also how it reminds me of my own favourite comics from when I was growing up - aka the French and Belgian comics such as Asterix or Lucky Luke!)

It's from this drawing which I have posted on Tumblr as its own post before:

29. Media you love, but doesn’t inspire you artistically Oh there are so many medias I enjoy but don't do any kind of fanart of, if this is what it's asking. My fandom behaviour is so weird cos usually I channel my artistic tendencies on just one media or hyperfixation at a time, and the others don't make me want to draw a single thing about them.

And then what comes to medias created through visual arts... such as cartoons, animations or comics. Well usually I am drawn to the visual side of them too. That is one big reason why I don't watch anime and don't real manga, because the art style is not my cup of tea at all, so I would find it hard to focus on the stories either. The same goes for most modern-day cartoons, I just hate the art style majority of them uses, and I'm so visual person myself that I just can't even think about trying them out cos I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to get used to them even if the story would be somewhat funny or interesting.

You can see lots of influence in my art from the comics and cartoons I grew up reading and watching, occasionally I feel like you can even see the Dream Works (or Pixar) animations in my art because I, also, grew up watching some of those films. That is what I do, when a media is artistically appealing to me, as a tribute I will take inspiration and pieces of it to my own art but make sure to not base it fully on anything. My art really is a collection of all the art styles I like, and I feel like if lookng at them closely, you can see "cameos" of art styles from everything from Asterix comics to, say, Tim Burton characters.

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated Everything? :DDDDDDD No but, every single piece that makes me go "OMG THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST THING I'VE EVER DRAWN" and which always gets the most quiet response ever. Those I feel are the most underrated pieces. Often the ones that get the most feedback or notes/likes are the ones that make me ask "but why this? what's so special about this? " and I never get any answers.

Anyway, as of today, I still think this is the most underrated piece what I have drawn. I'm still so proud of this, the puns(?), and how much there is going on, and how no one can tell what my original idea was. Even I can't tell, because I'm not sure. It can be interpreted in so many ways, and I like each of them.

THANK YOU SO MUCH it was so much fun to answer to these!!! /gen I hope you also have fun reading these :D

#fichtfoxfuchs #ask games #mcrmadness draws

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ninjastar107 · 7 months

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OC-tober Day six - 'Symbol'

(Ft. Murasama and unnamed servant(Thatch) )

Once more she found herself staring at the symbol of her family crest. It looked so much like the horn pattern of her father, and it laid embedded in the most important doors.

"Father?" She knocked, "Are you awake?"

A deep snore let out through the thick wood. Mura sighed and flipped through her options. She could talk to Cronia, maybe they could undo it? "No, that would be a misuse," she spoke aloud, wandering.

Suppose she could ask one of the staff, but she didn't want to bother them at such an hour- they worked so hard and deserved their rest.

However, the longer she waited, the worse it became. This did seem like an emergency of some sort, perhaps this time it is justified.

Squeezing through the entryway, her sharp toenails clicked delicately across the marble floor. "Hey," she whispered, "I need some assistance."

The man stirred, swatting at her prodding finger before latching on and gently squeezing all the way up her forearm. He inhaled sharply and mumbled inquisitively.

"I think I may have spilt ink everywhere." She poked. "How do I clean it?"

A long winding tone emitted through his cheeks as he dragged himself out of the cot and fluttered his hands, coaxing her backwards out of the room.

"What were you doing with ink this early in the morning?" The man who refused to give his name asked.

She followed him up the stairs, "I was detailing a necklace in bed when the vial tipped over. Luckily I caught it but I think it's everywhere."

He paused for a moment, bewildered. "Why in bed?"

"Um, I was lazy."

"Mh." He accepted and carried on.

If the ink was red, he'd swear it was a murder scene. Spattered everywhere in jagged rings, the ink drew swirls in the frame and fabric. There was a struggle too, it seemed, smeared everywhere as if someone had dragged themself to catch it unsuccessfully. He turned now to Mura, in whom sheepishly smiled, where in the lamp light he could see it smeared over fur and arms.

"Luckily it didn't splash on the talismans," she quickly added.

He let out a long sigh, hand dragging on his face. This would be hell to take out without some form of magic, the sheets especially, and stars forbid if the king finds out. "I'll get the bath heated up. Take off the sheets and things, we'll get new ones."

She got to work right away, "and where do I put them?"

"To the bathhouse also. It'll be good kindling."

#Murasama #oc-tober #bweirdOCtober

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residents-of-the-darkforest · 1 year

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@ambitiousauthor yeah so began writing discussing the situation before realizing it was the actual separation that was to be written.... part 2 is open for anyone to write, that can be the actual...heist? =========================== “What’s this about?” Jackdawfoot asked, struggling to hold back a yawn. Fungichomp had sent word for them, Myrtlewing, Alderstar, Bristleblaze, Aloemist, Gorsebriar, and Peanutfur to gather together as soon as they could.

“I’m worried,” Fungichomp told them, facing the half-circle they formed around him. His fur itched with impatience. “Cherrystar is going to have kits.” The she-cat had spoken to him the other day, briefly letting him know that he should expect another addition to his daycare.

“Good for her?” Bristleblaze narrowed his eyes at Fungichomp as though he were stupid.

“Cherrystar is a kit-killer. Those victims included her own.”

“Her own?” Gorsebriar echoed in disbelief.

“How horrible!” Aloemist exclaimed, fur bristling to match with the prickles in her skin.

“Why?” Jackdawfoot asked roughly. Fungichomp expected him, more than anyone, to be the one to ask that question.

“Some sort of sacrifice, I think,” Fungichomp responded. Between living his own life and watching the kits, he hadn’t had much time to watch over what the living cats had been doing, but he saw enough to know that Cherrystar couldn’t be left alone with a kit.

“If it’s a thing she did for Starclan, she probably won’t do it again, not here,” Aloemist put in thoughtfully.

“I wouldn’t take the risk,” Gorsebriar told her. “What if she thinks killing a Dark Kit will get her into Starclan?”

“Right,” Peanutfur agreed. “Or she could take the anger of her failures out on it.”

Fungichomp cleared his throat. “Okay, so, we’re in agreement that that situation isn’t safe. How are we going to get Applekit out?”

“I don’t see why we have to,” Myrtlewing put in, nonchalantly picking at his claws.

“She’s a kit-killer,” Fungichomp repeated more emphatically.

Myrtlewing nodded, but if he hadn’t heard what was discussed before, he didn’t seem any more alert now. “And the problem is…?”

“That she could kill the kits,” Bristleblaze said with a deep exhale.

“Right,” Myrtlewing nodded again. “And the problem is…?”

“Myrtlewing, you twink!” Fungichomp just barely snapped. “Alderstar, silence your shimmer, please.”

Alderstar’s eyes narrowed defensively, and Fungichomp began to wonder if he should prepare for attack. Then Alderstar laughed instead and knocked his shoulder against Myrtlewing, who seemed more bothered by Alderstar’s silent teasing than Fungichomp’s comment–another relief.

“What’s the pattern?” Myrtlewing asked.

“What?”

“Killers have patterns,” Myrtlewing said as though it were obvious. Here, it probably should be. “What age does she target? If she never killed anyone below two moons old, just take her when she drops the things off at your area. She should be safe until then. Or,” he added, “find out how to make it so that her kits don’t fit her profile.”

Fungichomp listened with pricked ears, and remembered why Myrtlewing was brought to these meetings in spite of his…less than favourable thoughts on kit death, or death in general. “I’ll have to look into that,” Fungichomp thought aloud. “But it would have to be quickly, before they’re born.”

“Great.” Myrtlewing stood and stretched, his legs shaking. “Fun to be part of team kitnappers.”

“We’re not kitnapping anyone!” Bristleblaze hissed.

“Right,” Alderstar scratched his ear. “Just taking a kit away from their parent.”

“For their safety,” Fungichomp growled. “And nothing needs to be done yet. We just need to keep an eye on her.”

===========================

--btw Ferndoe is with the kits, which is why Jackdawfoot is here instead of her.

#cherrystar #applekit #jackdawfoot #myrtlewing #alderstar #aloemist #peanutfur #gorsebriar #bristleblaze

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firespunalchemy · 9 months

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San and Ashitaka Build

This pile (well, there's other stuff mixed in there) is in fact the San and Ashitaka costumes I built earlier this year. I tried to do a vaguely historical approach to shapes and materials since the film is also vaguely historical, but I used modern sewing because I barely know how to sew in general. This is also why I started with the bow.

To make a fake bow, for some reason I didn't like the usual PVC option, so I decided to make a long noodle out of EVA foam, carve it into shape with a craft knife, then add exaggerated wood texture with a wood burning tool. That then got covered in Worbla and painted with several layers of acrylic + a leather strap glued for a hand grip. The bow's 'string' is just thick elastic cord.

Arrows are dowel rods cut to length with EVA foam points at one end and foam fletching at the other. I accidentally made all his arrows the samurai's arrows (oops) and have no idea why I felt the need to not use real feathers. The quiver is just a muslin bag, pretty boring lol.

His sword is balsa wood and a napkin ring all glued together then covered in Worbla (featured here by another costume's progress). The blade and ring got spray painted metallic, the handle got a leather wrap like the bow. The sheath is just a foam box wrapped in fake suede, not really worth an action shot.

Ashitaka's (happi? haori? not really sure) took two attempts and still doesn't quite fit, oops. I dyed the fabric to a shade I liked, then used a YT tutorial on making the coat. His pants were bought online, and I made a lil pouch for his mysterious dried rations.

I fully just kind of made the sleeve happen; sketched a shape, cut it out, then continued adding scraps until I got something that fit okay.

Delicious bowl cut...his wig was a struggle, since I needed it to be rough and basic but not Lord Faarquad. It came out okay, but it truly is giving home haircut from the 80s.

Let's switch to San! Most of her clothes were bought, and I made the accessories. So this giant pile of fur will turn into a separated cape and hood. You may notice two tones of color there: I chose a longer Mongolian fur for the outside and a shorter Sherpa for the inside, because no one likes to see the raw inside of fake fur. There are curtain weights sewn into the paw shapes and front drapes of cape and hood to help them not fall back.

For most of San, I used Kinpatsu Cosplay's patterns as the base, and adjusted them to be slightly more masculine (and a lot longer) to fit my San. The apron was made of linen and hemmed so the outer edges can fray over time. We'll get to weathering in a minute (I did not take many WIP pics during making all of this).

I made the mask really round and the eyes slightly farther apart to up the uncanniness of it. The mask and ears got base coated in black matte acrylic, then color slowly added using sea sponge.

The dagger was made of a mix of foam and balsa wood that got glued together, then covered in Worbla. I spent way too long staring at the movie to decide the arrow shapes on the blade were raised rather than recessed. The blade got spray painted metallic, the arrows hand painted red, the pommel spray painted black. The handle got a leather strap wrap.

Her necklace was a mix of wood and stone beads, and three toofs made of some very crusty foam clay I had sitting around. They got formed and dried around paintbrushes to make the stringing hole, sanded, then painted with acrylic to get that old tooth look. San's wig was basically used out of the bag, and her accessories were just foam wrapped in fabric with shell beads glued on.

Weathering, the second most fun part of this build! I used a mix of dry brushing on acrylic paint in various brown and tan tones, spraying/splattering with a strong black tea, and using an airbrush to add dirt and wear to everything. A lot of edges and corners also got sanded to soften them and look less crisp and new.

And then we got fancy professional photos! If you're in Texas, check if Wild Momo Photography is heading to your con. She's fantastic, truly. Hope you enjoyed reading through this journey, and it's potentially helpful if you're building your own cursed prince and wolf girl.

#san and ashitaka #princess mononoke #mononoke hime #princess mononoke cosplay #studio ghibli #if your gender is weird why not make weird gender versions of characters?#is my ashitaka masc or femme? who knows??

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eeveearoace-creative · 1 year

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i wrote this all in. one, two days? honestly, i'm not entirely sure, but either way i wrote this CRAZY fast (for me, anyway)

another installment of my warriors fic! ^-^

cat fic time! pspspsps!: @peachpaws0

[if you want to be added/removed from the amphibia and/or warriors tag list(s), just let me know!!]

cw: blood, violence, pain

Moon’s paw pads prickled with anxiety as they followed Dawn through the forest.

The setting sun’s warmth did little to fend off the coming leaf-bare’s cold. Icy, bitter wind buffeted Moon’s thin calico fur, and they shivered, miserably puffing out their pelt to retain any leftover warmth. Their ears twitched with every new, unfamiliar sound, while their nose worked overdrive to identify every unknown scent. Dawn, however, seemed unaffected, marching forward proudly with her head held high.

“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Moon mewed.

“We should go back,” Dusk agreed, joining his littermates from where he had hung behind. He pressed his flank against Moon’s – sighing, Moon sank into it, relishing in their brother’s body heat.

Dawn shook her head.

“Mom won’t be back for a while,” she pointed out. “If we want to explore, we have to do it now.”

“But I don’t want to explore!” Dusk complained. “I want to be in the den, warm and safe!”

“Then go back,” Dawn shrugged, dismissing her littermate with a wave of her tail.

“Without you?” Moon’s eyes widened. “No way!”

“We stick together,” Dusk agreed.

Dawn rolled her eyes.

“We really should go back, though.” Moon glanced upwards, studying the pattern of the tree branches above them. None of them seemed familiar, and their head spun from how high the trees stretched. “Before we get any more lost.”

“I know where we are,” Dawn insisted. “Now, would you two scaredy-mice be quiet? I’m trying to explore!”

Moon and Dusk exchanged nervous glances. They both knew neither of them would be able to convince their sister to go back to the den.

The sun sank deeper along the horizon, carelessly dipping behind a group of trees. The forest was bathed in deep twilight, darkness creeping from underneath every bush and fern, faint light struggling to filter through the thick treetops above. The edges of the forest seemed to melt away, swallowed up like dying light, vanishing into nothingness.

“Dawn,” Moon tried again, alarmed by how small their voice sounded, “I really think we should go back.”

Dawn spun around, her tail lashing with annoyance. Anger glittered in her amber eyes, yet Moon wasn’t as afraid of her as they were of the rest of the forest.

“Mom never lets us leave the den! Do you really want to spend your whole life cooped up in there?” Dawn demanded.

“No, but-”

Dawn puffed out her pelt. “We can handle ourselves,” she announced proudly, looking small among the undergrowth.

“But it’s scary out here,” Dusk complained.

“Well, I’m not scared-”

Dawn cut off as a large, speckled gray shape crashed into her. Dawn squealed in terror as the creature let out a screech, digging its talons into her back. Blood trickled down her pelt.

Flapping its giant wings, the creature – a bird, Moon’s mind supplied all too late – lifted off into the air with Dawn still held in its talons. The she-kit thrashed, trying to break free, but the bird was stronger, effortlessly lifting her from the ground.

“Help me!” Dawn wailed.

Moon couldn’t move. Frozen in horror, they could only watch as the bird took their sister away.

Dusk, however, sprang into action, leaping towards Dawn and the bird.

Landing awkwardly right between the bird’s talons, Dusk scrambled not to fall off Dawn’s back. The bird squawked in annoyance as Dusk bit its talon, trying to make it release his sister.

To their surprise, Moon watched as the bird let go.

And their siblings dropped.

Dawn yowled in pain as she crashed to the ground. Dusk groaned as he rolled off Dawn’s back, not moving from his spot.

“Dawn! Dusk!” Moon cried, rushing forward to meet their littermates.

Dawn whimpered as she looked up, meeting Moon’s gaze with her own. Her eyes were dark with pain as Moon reached forward to give her a reassuring lick with her tongue – then, eyes shooting open with renewed terror, Dawn screeched.

“Moon, look out!”

Moon didn’t get a chance to register what Dawn was saying before something slammed into their back, sharp nails piercing their skin. Yelping in terror and pain as they were lifted up, up, up, Moon fitfully struggled to get free.

Heart pounding as blood rushed in their ears, Moon looked down to see their littermates staring up at them. Dawn rose to her paws before falling back down a moment later, dread shining in her amber eyes. Dusk stood, shaking out his fur before he charged at the bird again, leaping into the air.

He missed.

The bird squawked in victory as Dusk hit a tree instead of it, his paws sprawling out before sliding to the forest floor. Its talons sank deeper into Moon’s flesh, and they could feel their would gurgling with blood before dripping down their fur.

Reality sank in as the bird took Moon farther and farther away from the ground, farther and farther away from their littermates, their family, their life. They were going to die right here, right now. They’d never be anything more than a kit – they’d never be able to grow up, or see their littermates grow up, or see their mother again. This was it.

The air was split with a yowl of pure fury as the bird suddenly dropped a few tail-lengths. It screeched in anger as it tried to shake something off its back, but whatever it was stubbornly held on, refusing to let go.

The bird dove towards the ground so fast it made Moon’s head spin. They tried to struggle free of the birds’ talons, but found their energy draining away like the blood trickling down their fur, seeping out slowly but steadily. Darkness began to swirl at the edges of their vision as their head drooped involuntarily, no fight left in them as they went limp.

Whatever had been hanging on the bird was still there, though, and Moon could see red spraying down around them. The bird shrieked in pain before letting Moon go, and suddenly they were plummeting towards the ground, tumbling helplessly through the air.

Moon was too dazed to be surprised when something grabbed their scruff mid-air, pulling them towards it. It was soft and warm, and even though they were plummeting through the sky, likely to their death, Moon couldn’t help but sink into the touch, comforted by it.

Moon’s stomach lurched as they came to an unsteady stop, bobbing unevenly up and down. Blinking some of the dizziness from their vision, Moon realized the ground was still far below their paws – looking around, they realized they were in a tree, and the thing holding them was standing on a branch.

The creature, still holding Moon, effortlessly leapt to another branch lower down. Parting their jaws and breathing in, Moon tasted the air for a scent. Among the jumble of unfamiliar scents, one stood out – it was a scent Moon recognized, and their pelt prickled with shame as they wondered how they didn’t pick up on it sooner.

“Mom?”

Cherry gently put her kit down as they reached the ground. Dawn and Dusk stumbled towards them, clearly exhausted.

“Are you alright?” Cherry fretted, checking her kits over. Moon’s wounds stung as Cherry fervently cleaned them with her tongue, working quickly before moving on to Dawn, and then Dusk, finishing quickly when she realized the tom-kit was uninjured.

“I’m so glad you’re all okay,” Cherry wept, drawing her kits to her with a sweep of her tail. Then, bristling with rage, “What were you thinking?”

“We, w-we... we just wanted to explore,” Dusk stammered.

“And what did I tell you about wandering off without me?”

Dusk lowered his head in shame.

“It was my idea,” Dawn admitted. “Don’t be mad at Dusk or Moon. They wanted to turn back, but they wouldn’t without me.”

“You shouldn’t have been out there in the first place,” Cherry snapped. She surveyed her kits, her expression a mixture of rage, relief – and was that pride? “But,” she sighed, “I’m glad that you all stuck together. You could’ve gotten a lot more hurt if you didn’t.”

“I know,” Moon mumbled. “We’re sorry.”

“We’re sorry,” Dusk and Dawn echoed.

“Never do this again,” Cherry hissed. She softened, resting her nose on each one of her kits in turn. “I’m just so glad you’re all okay.”

Exhausted out of their minds, the kittens allowed their mom to lead them home.

#blood #violence #pain #warriors #wc #warriors fanfic #wc fanfic #kaivee's warriors fic #fanfic #my fanfic #writing #my writing #cherry seeds

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exocynraku · 2 years

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heyyyy!!! i was wondering, do you have any advice on making heavy stylisation look good? I really like your art style and I want to stylise my art in a similar vway (obv not actually copying) but it looks weird. how do you make it good? ( i'm sorry if you don't do asks like this pls feel free to ignore my stupidity )

hmmmm i think i kiiiinda get what ur tryna say but im also not very smart so if i answer this wrong then i am sorry 👍 also this is rlly long sorry again LOL

when it comes to heavy stylization you can be pretty free as long as you make sure the thing u drawing is still recognizable as what u want it to be, so maybe if u struggling with people not being able to tell what ur drawing, ask them/ur friends how to make it look like what ur tryna draw. if that makes sense.

u also gotta keep the MAIN things that represent what ur drawing. like. whats the first thing u think of when u think of it, for example: when i think of cats, i think of long tails, unique faces, and funky poses. so when i draw a cat those are the things i KNOW i NEED to add or else it wont make sense. when i think of a dog, i think of expressive eyes, big mouths & snouts and strong legs. when i think of birds i think of very different beaks and lots of types of feather patterns & colours. that makes sense? i think? if u arent sure what the thing ur drawings main things are, LOOOK AT REFERENCES!!!!!! LOOK AT REFERENCES EVEN IF U KNOW WHAT UR DRAWINGS MAING THINGS ARE ACTUALLY!!!! TRUST ME, IT HELPS!!!!!

when it comes to MY artstyle, specifically when i draw cats, i always like to make the head the most interesting part. the head is the beginning, where i start. the head can either be a circle or a square, with a little chin added to the bottom. then on the cheeks i add the fur. the fur, imo, is one of the things that can either make or break a good design. if you make a soft, kind, motherly, cute character spiky and over detailed, people wont recognize it and it wont make sense to then, so u gotta make the character soft and round. the ears are… the ears. they are simple in shape, but strong in the emotions they convey. to me, ears down means sad, ears back means angry, ears pointed up mean interested/shocked and then a relaxed looking ear means. they are relaxed. i try to over exaggerate this alot because it helps the character show their emotion better

the face of the character is the hardest & most important to me. the size of everything on the face is very important; younger/ “cuter” characters have bigger eyes, and a less detailed muzzle while stronger/menacing characters have small eyes, a bigger muzzle & more detailed facial features. i LOVE to use eyebrows to exaggerate the emotions the character is feeling. thats also why i believe the eyebrows are one of the MOST important parts in ur art, because just changing them slightly can alter the entire way a character looks. the nose is. idk the nose is the nose i dont add anything special to it other than in i want to make a character look bratty/mad i add a little…. uhhhh… line above the nose that looks like snarling ??? i hope that makes sense. the mouth is also pretty important. i like to make the mouth extra big and think about the way a HUMAN mouth expresses emotions, instead of a cats. try not to add too much detail to the inside of the mouth aswell, UNLESS your trying to get that to be the main thing people look at

for the body, you can be pretty free with the body, ESPECIALLY when its a cat. remember this; cats are VERY flexible, so u can have alot of fun with the pose. ive seen alot of artists sketch out their poses with boxes and circles, but imo, it makes the character look stiff (unless its a person). try to sketch your cat with lots of curves, less sharp angles (unless thats what ur going for), DONT draw the fur in your sketch; it wont help and will probs just confuse u. body SHAPE is also rlly importan. similar to what i said earlier, if u draw a cat whos meant to be muscular and menacing and big, drawing them with soft, little legs and a small, round body will confuse the person looking at ur art. cat bodies irl are kinda all the same but thats BORING so u gotta mess with it. make legs and necks tall and skinny, make neck fur way too big and make ur cat look like its a body builder, make it look like a munchkin cat. HAVE FUN WITH THE BODY!! thats all im tryna tell u here. if u limit urself to realism, you’ll never develop your own special artstyle. youve gotta put a bit of creativity into ur art, yknow? make u cats look like theyre from a cartoon! make it look like a kid did it! who cares!!!!!

other important things u gotta watch out for; you MUST. size the body up enough that it looks like it could hold the head. what im saying is try not to make ur cat look like a funko pop (unless thats what ur going for then thats fine). you can still make the head big, but dont make it look like a toy (like i said, unless thats what ur going for). and when it comes to patterns & fur colours, i like to try to make the patterns look semi-realistic but i go CRAZY with the colours. ive found no matter what colours u give ur cat its probably still gonna look like a cat, so have fun!!!!!

i hope this sort of makes seense ?????? if it doesnt then im sorry

#ray talk #wc

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lionheartslowstart · 7 months

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Busy Bee

Feeling stagnant drives me crazy and stresses me out beyond belief. It makes my skin crawl. I hate feeling like I’m not accomplishing anything, like I’m not moving forward. Unfortunately, there tend to be pockets in my life when this exact thing happens. Whether it’s due to specific circumstances outside my control, or even just due to being disabled, there are periods of time where I’m just not able to accomplish anything. And it would appear I am currently sitting in one of those pockets.

Don’t get me wrong, in this case, it’s for wonderful, happy reasons. In a few weeks, my parents are taking me to Paris. I’ve never been and always wanted to go. Recently, my parents explained to me that it’s actually a graduation gift, which confused me because I graduated seven years ago…but this trip was eventually planned for May of 2020 (which obviously didn’t happen), only two years after I graduated, so I suppose it makes sense. I’m so excited to go. A week with my parents in one of the most beautiful cities in the world!

And then, as soon as we get back, “Thomas” and I are going to start the process for adopting kittens! We decided to get two because kittens tend to do better together, especially when they’re already bonded. Yes, we’re a little concerned about my allergies, especially with no balcony, but I’ve been doing really well with the shots (two years now), and we can always open all the windows if I need some fresh air. Plus, we plan on harness and backpack training the cats as soon as possible, so they won’t be indoors 24/7, AND we have a Roomba (her name is Millie) that we can run once a week to keep up with all the fur and dander. So we’re really really hoping my allergies don’t make pet ownership a struggle. (And even if it is, I’ll just have to tough it out for 15 years because there is no way we would just give the cats back! That would be cruel.)

Cats tend to have a difficult time adjusting to new spaces. So even though we’ll have bonded kittens who will have each other for comfort, I’m sure they’ll be scared and it will take them time to adjust. And not just to the space either. They’ll also need time to adjust to us as owners. Since Thomas is at work all week, that means I’ll have to be the one to stay home and look after them. It would be wrong to throw these kittens into a new territory and then leave them completely alone. So I intend on taking two to three weeks (the recommended time) to let them get to know me and help our little kitties build a schedule with food and play. I have accepted that those few weeks will be a full time commitment on my part. (And of course, Thomas will help out on the weekends when he’s home, though it unfortunately may mean the cats will take longer to feel safe with him.)

With the France trip coming up, and then the immediate commitment to homing new kittens, this is clearly not the time for me to be making big life movements. That mainly includes submitting auditions for film and television, as well as finding a part time job. I’ve been wanting to work part time for a while, even though it’s really scary and I’m afraid I won’t be able to maintain that kind of stamina long-term. But I have to try. I miss having a schedule, and historically, working a small job has increased my energy in other areas of my life. (This according to my therapist of eight years.)

Still, not having anything to do career-wise has me on shpilkes. So at the very least, I’m trying to keep myself busy and fill my time with activities that feed my soul in the meantime.

I have recently resumed my foreign language courses, which currently include Spanish, French, and Yiddish. Plus, thanks to my mother getting me into K-Dramas, I plan on adding Korean! (Though that probably won't happen until after I return from France, since obviously French is the current priority.) I've always loved learning languages, and they always seemed to come pretty easy to me, most likely due to strong pattern recognition thanks to autism. However, my understanding is that Korean has a completely different syntax from the other languages I've learned, so I'm excited to really challenge myself.

In addition to spoken languages, I’ll be starting ASL lessons soon, too! I'm SO excited. I've always wanted to learn ASL, and I'll be learning from a close friend of my mother's, who is just the kindest woman ever.

Furthermore, after three years of dealing with shame and fear, I've finally started taking motorcycle lessons again! I'm doing really, really well, if I do say so myself.

And of course, I’ve signed up for more classes at my pole studio now that I’ve moved back to the area. (Hallelujah.) Unfortunately, I did have to take a mini-hiatus from both pole and motorcycle lessons since during my last lesson I dumped the bike and it fell on my foot…and then I was sick…but I'm back, baby! I've already booked my next dance class, and I'll hopefully be booking my next motorcycle class soon too (my foot has not totally recovered and truthfully I probably should wait longer to go back to pole BUT I miss it way too much).

On top of all of that, I've resumed making spell jars, and have begun to expand into other practices as well.

All in all, it's been a busy few weeks!

I’m realizing I tend to get bogged down by what I’m NOT accomplishing, instead of what I AM accomplishing. Especially when what I’m NOT accomplishing has to do with career goals. I have an obsession with working, or perhaps more accurately, being able to work, as if that’s the most important thing in a person’s life. I know it’s not, that there are so many more important things, but there’s a lot pressure in our society to hold a job, as well as the pervasive idea that your ability to engage in labor is somehow tied to your worth. It’s an incredibly ableist (not to mention capitalist) ideal, and I’m working hard to unlearn it. Like I said, I’m doing my best to fill my time with the hobbies I enjoy, and what’s more, allow myself to enjoy them without feeling guilty. I have to keep reminding myself that just because I’m not working, doesn’t mean I’m not busy!

#personal #growth #disabled #disability #internalized ableism #ableism

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astingoliviahammond · 8 months

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Project Idea Generation

When I started trying to come up with ideas I was struggling to come up with my own ideas and ended up initially just sketching busts of the characters from two of the stories we looked at (Dorian Gray and Frankenstein's monster). I then thought of taking the Frankenstein idea but making it an animal/dog instead of a person, I know that this is not an original idea as this kind of thing was done in the film Frankenweenie however I want to combine limbs from different dog breeds and to make the dog look more gross and realistic than the designs in that film.

Once I had the idea, I started sketching out parts of the design starting with the dog itself. I then got the idea of the dog having a mechanical eye on one side and possibly other mechanical parts. I sketched out a heart (that looks a bit weird as I tried to draw it from memory as I couldn't look up a reference) that had cogs strapped to it, as I wanted to play around with what other elements could be mechanical.

I made the dog look more gross by adding some blood and oil (hinting at the mechanical parts) and made it clearer that the different limbs/body parts are from different breeds by having longer fur in places and different patterns.

I then added some colour to my sketches to make them look a bit more interesting and to show the metal parts a bit better. I also sketched a voice box idea that has a pump-like system and attaches to the throat with screws (which I'm not sure if it would actually work how I drew it, but that doesn't really matter much).

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thomine · 8 months

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the unseen | heizou

RELATIONSHIP } heizou x reader

TAGS } general audiences, injured animal, modern au (cars exist), slight spoilers for heizou's teapot lines, not proofread

SUMMARY } a stray cat that heizou sees goes missing, but he finds an unlikely encounter when he meets with the stray cat again.

WORD COUNT } 800

INFO } au august 2023, day 17 (pet) | more

There was a stray cat that lingers near Heizou’s apartment. It was silent yet friendly, approaching anyone who kneeled and clicked their tongue in its direction. He’s watched it laze at various spots, gave it a few pets, but he did not have the time to sieve out good wet food from the choices at the grocery store, or pick the best cardboard box for it to rest in.

Being a detective meant long working hours, and—on day he could barely take those simple steps towards his bedroom—Heizou wonders what’s the point of investing in a good bed when he finds himself crashing on the couch. Therefore, he doesn’t have a lot of experiences with choosing nice things either, often opting for whatever is the most convenient.

His heart weighed with guilt whenever the friendly cat meowed and trotted to him, granting him a chance to destress by stroking its soft fur. He would get something for this cat, a promise he couldn’t fulfil because the cat disappeared.

It just had to be the week when things were toppling. A case with little to work with, less-than-passionate colleagues that evaded responsibility, and a boss hounding him to meet unrealistic KPIs. The missing cat added stress, and to calm his nerves, he assumed the most obvious: time has matured and nature took its course. He just hoped the cat passed peacefully.

The guilt in his heart does not vanish, however. Something about the situation did not sit right with him.

As he loiters around the neighbourhood, he decides he needs fresh scenery to help him clear his mind—not just about his empty promise but to pause from work too. His intuition tells him it’s probably the only thing he can do to cheer him up.

As he turns at a bend that he’s seen while on his way home yet have not explored where it went, he notices someone kneeling and reaching out towards some bushes. It’s you, his colleague, still in your uniform. He thought he was the only one who worked overtime today.

“Kitty,” you say in the sweetest voice you can. In response, there’s a meek meow coming from within the greenery.

He’s not a cat expert, but that sounds familiar. His heart skips a beat as theories gather in his mind.

He kneels next to you, aware of your tiny jump of surprise but his focus is on the creature hiding behind the bushes. He sees a shade of orange, white, and black in a pattern he recognises, and snaps his finger in delight.

Without haste, he fishes out treats his intuition told him to bring. He hands some to you as well, and both of you continue your mission to coo the cat out. When it does, Heizou’s heart sinks.

It limps forward, revealing a scar on its scalp.

You look at him, flabbergasted for a few seconds before something in you click. As the cat approaches Heizou’s treat, you sneak closer to it and envelope it in a hug. It struggles. You do not fight it yet hold it tightly so that it does not hurt you. He watches, slightly amused. This is not your first time you’ve captured a stray cat.

When the cat has calmed down thanks to Heizou’s constant supply of treats, you lift it off the ground and whisper soft encouragements. It merely meows in reply, unbothered and twisting its body to get more treats.

“I have a cardboard we can put it in,” Heizou offers.

“There’s no need if you know how to drive.” The cat nibbles on the last of Heizou’s treats and whines. You bop it up and down like a baby. “Hey…” you say when you look at him. “Don’t judge okay. I’ve had my far share of trouble taking care of young kids who love to bully cats. This—this is just the best way I learned to calm them down.”

The cat meows, getting a little too comfortable such that its tail wags around your arms. You stifle a laugh, trying your hardest not to shift drastically at it ticklish tease.

Heizou raises his hands in surrender. He had a small smile hence why you thought he was judging. Caught, he lets it grow to a wide grin.

“It’s cute,” he notes. “Should I re-introduce myself? You seem like a new person from the colleague I know at my workplace. Today I learned you're pretty skilled at handling cats.”

You roll your eyes, but your smile is light. “Do you know how to drive or not? The cat’s getting a little hard to hold.” Even though its snuggling right in your arms, it does wiggle, restless. “The wound might not be infected, but I wouldn’t want to stand here all night.”

Heizou gestures for you to follow. Something about this encounter causes his heart to stir—you have that glow he adores when people go out of their way to do something they believe in.

#heizou x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact x y/n #genshin impact x you #genshin reader insert #genshin impact x reader #genshin x y/n #genshin x you #heizou x you #heizou x y/n #sorry this was just a word fart actually. there is no meaning behind it <3 #but i would love to explore what he revealed abt himself in the teapot line #kiv for future stories #auaugust #slo.w

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divineprank · 10 months

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Somedays, running around in animal form without a care in the world is fun. Right now, he regrets it immensely. He never meant to trespass into the Demon King's space, but as luck would have it, the white and black wolf almost ran head-first into him. He barely manages to dodge, though he trips and tumbles to the ground. The creature manages to get up before a soft blue light flickers off his fur, consuming him in a flash. Instead of the canine, a Hylian stands covered in a red shirt, black pants, and darker red boots with a half-heart necklace.

Petrified, he takes a breath in (there is a slight struggle with the intake; seeming like there is something tightly tucked around his chest) before apologizing, "I'm so sorry for intruding! I don't mean anything by it; I just got lost." {From @thunderoustransmuter}

With a calculated stride, Ganondorf leads his loyal troupe of Gerudo guards through the countryside that they have been newly welcomed into, their presence like an unyielding force of nature traversing the vast expanse of the land. The sound of hooves resonates in harmony, a symphony of power and determination, as the few horses carry some of the women forward with grace and precision.

The desert warriors, adorned in their distinctive desert attire -- some complete with shaved or wildly spiked hair -- radiate an aura of confidence and unwavering loyalty. Each step they take is deliberate, their movements synchronized, a testament to their rigorous training and unwavering discipline. Their confident forms stand tall and proud, their eyes sharp and vigilant, ever watchful of their surroundings.

At the forefront of the procession, Ganondorf strides with an air of unparalleled authority and command. His towering stature creates a dark presence, casting a long, imposing shadow that seems to stretch across the land. Every step he takes resonates with power, leaving an indelible mark on the ground beneath his feet.

Adorned in fine jewelry that glimmers in the sunlight, the Gerudo King exudes an aura of regality and opulence. Every golden link, carefully selected and intricately crafted, serve as symbols of his status and influence within his homeland. They accentuate his commanding presence, catching the light and adding a touch of ethereal splendor to his appearance. His black, royal voe robe drapes gracefully over his broad frame, flowing with an effortless elegance as he walks through the pristine landscapes of Hyrule. The deep, solemn obsidian of his attire resonate with a sense of regality. Ganondorf eschews the confines of footwear as he traverses the natural terrain of Hyrule; feet covered by a binding wrapped only around each arch. The bareness of his feet serves as a testament to his unyielding spirit. Each step he takes, whether on lush meadows, rugged mountainsides, or scalding oceans of sand, echoes with a primal energy of power and tradition.

As the Gerudo venture through the depths of a lush forest, a symphony of nature's melodies surrounds them. Sunlight filters through the dense canopy above, casting dappled patterns on the forest floor where verdant moss and soft undergrowth cushion their every step. Amidst this idyllic setting, the sounds of their progress mingle harmoniously with the forest's natural chorus. The rhythmic footfalls of the Gerudo guards and the clopping of horse hooves create a steady cadence, blending with the gentle rustling of leaves and the occasional trill of birdsong.

Suddenly, amidst the serene ambiance, a distant galloping sound reaches the keen ears of the Gerudo and their king. The rhythmic beating against the earth and rustling of grass growing louder and more urgent with each passing moment. Ganondorf recognizes the impending danger and acts swiftly. His heightened instincts and trained perception guide him as he reacts with a commanding gesture, throwing his arm out in front of his loyal troupe: a signal that simultaneously shields them from harm and commands their immediate halt. The horses among them respond obediently, their powerful strides yielding to their leader. As the Gerudo male extends his arm in a protective stance, the white-and-black wolf hurtles toward the Gerudo troupe with alarming speed. The forest holds its breath, anticipating the imminent collision. But fate has a different plan as the wolf twists and contorts mid-air, narrowly avoiding impact with the King of the Gerudo.

Despite their astonishment and curiosity, the Gerudo accompanying their leader, trained to react swiftly to potential threats, spring into action. With the reflexes of seasoned warriors, they surge forward, their weapons drawn and poised to defend their king. The clashing of metal and the sound of determined footsteps fill the air as they close the distance between themselves and the transformed Hylian.

The Gerudo King remains unshaken, even as the unexpected transformation unfolds before the group. With a depth of knowledge rooted in his heritage, he remains unsurprised by the spectacle that has unfolded. Born of two witches, his mothers Koume and Kotake, Ganondorf has been immersed in the secrets of transformative magic from a young age. The concept of shape-shifting and metamorphosis is not foreign to him, unlike many of his accompanying guards.

As the Hylian rises from the forest floor, clad in vibrant attire and adorned with a half-heart necklace, Ganondorf's gaze holds steady, reflecting an acceptance that stems from his intimate knowledge of the mystical arts. The astonishment displayed by others finds no place within the depths of his soul. Instead, he embodies a sense of familiarity, a deep understanding of the arcane forces at play. In this moment, Ganondorf's unyielding presence radiates an aura of acceptance, his measured demeanor mirroring the depths of his knowledge. While his sisters may grapple with surprise and curiosity, the King of the Gerudo remains anchored in a realm where transformative magic is not a mere spectacle but an intrinsic part of his reality.

There is a slight pause as Ganondorf's gaze moves through the sea of his guards, narrowing on the Hylian after they scramble to explain themselves, keen on the stranger's curled-in stance. Then, with a calculated air of acknowledgement, he finally speaks.

"Deem this a lesson learned," Ganondorf's voice threaded with sternness. "Take heed of the paths you tread and the boundaries you cross." Robed arm gestures outwards, "these untamed wilds may hold mysteries and wonders, but they demand respect and caution in equal measure."

"I will consider accepting your apology. But first, you must explain the nature of the transformation that my uninitiated sisters have just witnessed."

#thunderoustransmuter #verse pending #I'm so sorry for the absolute fucking novel #I just really wanted to set the scene x'D #hope it's okay i used some elements of TotK #since you referred to him as the Demon King

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