#also also I drew this from a reference that I found when I googled | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rebelfell · 6 months

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Needed a hit of modern!wealthy!Steve that’s kind of an amalgam of all my favorites (wcil, dcmb, pbv, I’m looking at you 👀). Only alludes to smut, reference to rimming, and a whisper of dom!Steve. Otherwise just bunch of fluff.

I’m just in a mood where I want to be spoiled within an inch of my life is that so wrong?? 18+ MDNI 2k

Throbbing. Aching. Pounding.

Your head was on fire when you awoke—basted in sweat, somehow also shivering as you dragged yourself out from under the blankets you had twisted yourself up in during the night.

Steve’s bedroom was dark and cool as a cave, thermostat turned way down and the ceiling fan set to its highest setting, though it barely made a sound. Sitting on the bedside table was a chilled Voss water bottle and a small ceramic dish with some Advil in it that was beckoning.

It had been years since you were this hungover. Close to a decade, almost. You remembered the feeling well, though you were far less equipped to shake it off in your “advancing” age.

Eagerly, you took the much needed pills and gulped down the water. A shudder ran through you as you recalled how, in your twenties, you would cure a morning like this with bottomless mimosas. Just the thought made your stomach churn. It was a miracle you hadn’t thrown up.

You didn’t do this anymore. You went out, sure. You got a little tipsy and sometimes maybe that turned into a lot tipsy. You were supposed to be smarter now, though. Older. Wiser.

But when your old college friends called and said they were going to be in town for just one night—and you just so happened to be getting off work early, and you had the next day off…

What exactly were you supposed to do?

Evidently, the answer was mainline tequila and dance to 90s music until your muscles went limp—not that you even felt it with the liquor coursing through your body. All to end the night stumbling across the threshold of your boyfriend’s swanky penthouse at nearly two in the morning.

You only half-remembered getting to Steve’s, incapable of resisting the allure of him and his Savoir bed in your drunken state. You had sunk into the plump mattress and practically floated, weightless as you drifted off to sleep. Steve still refused to tell you how much it cost, fearful you would never agree to sleep in it again after you found out. But you’d googled it and holy fucking shit was he right to be worried. It was so nice, though—stuffed (apparently) with sheep’s wool, pure cashmere and Mongolian yak hair. Of all his rich guy stuff that both perplexed and allured you simultaneously, that one was your favorite.

The sound of Steve moving around in the kitchen as well as the clinking of his stainless steel cook-ware drew you out of hiding. You shuffled out of his room sluggishly, hugging your glass water bottle to your chest like a teddy bear.

“Hey, killer.”

Steve’s smile was so dazzlingly bright it actually made you wince. How did you not noticeyou were dating a damn Crest commercial? Grumbling your good morning, you squinted at the massive floor-to-ceiling windows of his apartment and had to resist the urge to hiss.

“Whoops—sorry, baby, hang on.”

He quickly tugged his phone out of his pocket and swiped his thumb across the screen, tapping it on some controls. There’s a soft electrical whir you know well, and the apartment goes from painfully bright to comfortably dim as his remote controlled curtains begin to descend. Rather than the blackout shades drawn in the bedroom, he’s opted for the regular ones so a bit of natural light can still filter through as he makes his breakfast.

Or, at least what you thought was his breakfast.

“I didn’t think you’d be up this soon,” he said with a chuckle, sliding a freshly poured cup of coffee across the counter to you.

“I’m not,” you muttered. “I’m pretty sure I’m dead and astral projecting what’s left of my soul.”

A steaming plate of eggs piled with cubed ham, green pepper and cheese promptly appeared in front of you as you took a seat at his vast kitchen island. It sits in a scrambled heap, not the pretty omelet you were guessing Steve had planned to present you with. But it looks divine regardless.

“Another failed attempt?” you chuckled, taking the fork he was holding out.

“I’m gonna get it one of these days,” he replies with an easy smile.

With an elaborate flourish you know is for your benefit, he slapped the dish towel in his hand over his shoulder and leaned on the counter as he waited to watch you take your first bite.

“Ugh,” you moaned as you brought the fork to your lips. “So fucking good.”

Your stomach quivered with relief at finally having something in it that wasn’t liquor, but you willed it to behave and hoped it would settle the more you had. Steve smirked.

“So, how much do you remember?”

The cocky smile on the boy’s lips tells you you should be glad your memory is hazy. The night was coming back to you in flashes, but they were blurred and jumbled.

You weren’t blacked out or anything, your friends would have never let you leave alone if you were, but you were definitely past the point of thinking even remotely rationally. Hence, why you’d shown up here when you found out Steve was still awake after having to get on a conference call with one of his company’s international contingents.

You remembered tumbling into a cab and the driver rolling his eyes when you slurred at him to take you to Steve’s house before prompting you for, you know, an actual address.

And Steve had helped you dress for bed, gently batting away your hands when you tried to paw at the waistband of his sweatpants. It only made you more determined, snaking fingers into his tousled brown hair or raking your nails down his muscled chest—stopping when you noticed one of them had broken and the polish was starting to chip.

You didn’t care, though. You were too hungry for him. Too fucking ravenous.

“You better behave,” he’d warned, eyes flashing with that look you loved. The one that made your insides squirm and your thighs press.

“Or what?” you’d teased, still toying with the drawstring of his thin sweats.

“Or you’ll be sorry.”

He tried to keep up his firm demeanor, but the little twitch in the corner of his mouth betrayed him. The words and his smooth, authoritative voice still made your heart race, though.

You loved it when he made you sorry.

Steve wouldn’t do anything, though. Aside from a few kisses he refused to deepen and a graze (or two) of your hand he let you get away with, Steve kept things very PG-13. He helped you out of your dress and brushed a soft cloth across your face to remove your make-up.

He got you into comfy clothes and swaddled the two of you in bed after you’d finished the Voss he added a Liquid IV to. They were supposed to be for the trail runs he liked to do on the weekends, but they were good to have on hand for nights like this. In seconds you went limp and pliant in his arms and fell asleep with him stroking your hair, his warm breath tickling the shell of your ear.

“I remember you taking care of me,” you said, giving him a sweet smile before you squished your eyes closed in shame. “And I know I was kinda worked up.”

Steve chuckled at that, taking a sip of his own coffee. “I noticed.”

A loud groan came out of you, though this one wasn’t from the pain in your head.

You’d conveniently left your phone in the bedroom, too embarrassed to even look at your text thread with him from last night. Because you did vaguely recall a slew of blue bubbles filled with increasingly lewd comments and promises of what you were going to do to him that you had no business promising in your current state.

You imagined they read like a horny haiku.

I’m coming for you, baby

Hahah that’s what she said.

Or…what I said?

Whatever

I need you so bad

Wanna kiss every mole on your body

I think your little hole misses me, wants my tongue again

Want you to fuck me until we break that 30,000 dollar bed

You wondered if there was a way to remotely delete texts? From your phone…from your brain.

Drunken you’s tendency to write sexts your pussy couldn’t cash was one of your least appealing qualities, in your opinion. You got yourself all riled up just to pass out within ten minutes. But it entertained Steve to no end seeing that side of you, so unlike the coy and demure front you usually tried to put up.

“I was kind of a mess, wasn’t I? I can’t believe I did that.”

“Hey, don’t start,” Steve cooed, coming around the island and coiling you up in his arms. “You work hard, you deserve to have some fun. And it’s your day off, who cares if you’re hungover?”

The smell of his aftershave filled your nose as he hugged you and his hands came up to cradle your face as he planted a kiss on your forehead, barely phased by how clammy it was.

“You know, we can cancel date night if you don’t feel up to it. Just order in? Watch a movie?”

“No, no need,” you said. “I’ll be okay. I’m already feeling better.”

A lie. But you at least felt like you might feel better soon, so that was something. And Steve had been looking forward to trying this restaurant since he got the reservation.

“Okay, great.” Steve smiled. “So we’ll have dinner at 6, then the show…I’m thinking maybe we’ll skip cocktails and do dessert at that little place you like instead?” he asked.

You hummed at the thought of a warm, gooey blondie topped with vanilla ice cream and maple syrup from your favorite dessert bar. Steve smiled and nodded knowingly as he started to gather his laptop and a few other things into his work bag.

“You want me to send the car here or to your place to pick you up?”

“Mine,” you sighed. “I gotta pick something else to wear now.”

A sour frown covered your face as you thought of the dress you had intended to wear tonight, but had wound up being drafted for your clubbing extravaganza. It was just too tempting, ready and waiting for you hanging on the back of your door when you rushed home to get ready for your impromptu plans.

It had ended up in a heap somewhere last night as Steve helped you out of it, his nose wrinkling when he noticed how it reeked of the Guiness some jerk spilled on you at the last bar you went to before calling it a night. And it wasn’t lost on you that it was missing now, probably having been sent out for drycleaning with some of Steve’s suits and dress shirts.

Steve just smiled, his voice playful as his eyes twinkled.

“How about you buy something new instead?” he asked. “Go see my girl. Maybe she’s got a spare dress or something laying around.”

You rolled your eyes. His personal seamstress never had spare bespoke dresses just laying around. The twinkle in his eye made you guess, correctly, that he had already commissioned something for you weeks ago or had her tailor a piece for you he’d found himself.

“You did look good in the other one, though.” he mused. “I’m glad I got to see it.”

You sighed and shoveled down another bite of your breakfast. “I’m sorry I just showed up like that. I, ahh…wasn’t thinking super clearly.”

“Don’t be silly,” Steve said. “I’m always happy to see you. Plus it’s…it’s kinda nice when you get that way. All needy for me.”

His warm lips pressed against your throat, vibrating with a soft moan as he left a trail of delicate kisses up the column of your neck to the sensitive spot behind your ear.

“Just stay here,” he pleaded softly. “You know you like my bed better.”

A sigh released from deep in your chest and you melted into his touch as one of his broad palms coasted across your thigh, making your skin buzz under his hand. Hanging out here was sounding better by the second. You already had some clothes in the drawer he’d cleared out for you in his closet and you could get in and out of his place fine with the keycard he’d given you.

The amenities were awfully tempting. You thought of his sleek, modern bathroom that looked more like it belonged in a spa rather than someone’s home, complete with a seemingly endless array of aromatherapy products. You could continue your ongoing affair with his steam shower and the massage cycle in his bathtub. And his building had a rooftop gym that was basically private when all the other executives who lived here were off at work.

“Okay,” you sighed, playing up the dramatics with a flutter of your lashes. “If I have to.”

Steve chuckled at your sarcasm and gave your thigh a tight squeeze.

“Think you’ll get your nails done today?” he asked, remembering your adorably forlorn look when you noticed the break last night.

“Actually, I could,” you said, thinking. Your nail lady’s shop was only a few blocks from here.

Before you’d even answered, his leather wallet had come out of his jacket pocket and he was tugging crisp notes from the billfold.

“Steve, you don’t have to—”

“Baby, please?” he pouted, jutting out his plush bottom lip at you. “It’s for me.”

“How are my nails for you?” you snorted and tried to bite back a smile. It didn’t work.

“You need fresh claws if you’re gonna scratch my back up right,” he teased lowly, slipping bills into your hand. Way too much, way more than you needed to leave Mariana a great tip.

“So you can have a pedicure too.”

He answered the thought you hadn’t spoken and his mouth covered yours, cutting off any further protests with one last long kiss.

“See you tonight, baby,” he said. His lips skimmed your jaw and his voice lowered to a heated whisper in your ear. “And don’t think I forgot about making you sorry later.”

With that, he snatched up his bag and breezed out the door, leaving you breathless staring after him. And suddenly it wasn’t your hangover that had your stomach doing somersaults.

#steve harrington #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x fem reader #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington one shot #steve harrington blurb #steve harrington fluff #steve stranger things

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goofballproximitysurveyor · 5 months

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I drew this, please stop reposting it without credit!

a sort of indulgent rant :P

[original post as proof]

Since the wider internet is talking about plagiarism I think it's a good time to start talking about art theft/uncredited reposting/etc. as well and I'm particularly going to talk about my experience with it.

Before I say anything else I want to say please don't harass people who may not have a good grasp on internet etiquette! (and please assume that is the case unless someone has intentionally plagiarized/stolen people's work and credited it as their own) That is not what I'm asking you to do and for future reference if someone was excessively rude to you in calling out that you reposted my things I did not endorse that behavior. I do encourage calling out when you see people reposting art and linking back to the original work but I do not encourage harassment. On a similar note, this isn't meant to make anyone feel bad or guilty for not having a good grasp on this particular thing. This is just me explaining how it makes me feel and hopefully get people to understand why it's so hurtful so they don't do it in the future, and maybe they get to me explaining it nicely before other people explain it not-so-nicely LOL.

Some reasons why I personally don't like it when people repost my art even if this particular post is a shitpost and not something I put a whole lot of effort into:

(This list is definitely independent/fanartist-centric, I'm not really claiming this to be anything but that.)

Images get edited and distorted as the meme chain goes on, I have seen this end up with artists feeling like their art that they put a lot of effort into like all that work was a joke. Which, evidently is pretty disrespectful

In a personal anecdote, I have seen people say really rude things about me and the Blazblue community on Tumblr while reposting my things (art and otherwise) on twitter and other social media sites. It's really hurtful that people will disrespect me and my friends while using the bits and pieces they like.

Additionally, not everyone on the internet is familiar with common English-speaking internet terminology and etiquette. What may seem like a compliment or neutral statement for you may be rude to them. Generally speaking, a lot of Japanese artists take great offense to their work being reposted in any way whatsoever. ESPECIALLY if you didn't ask beforehand. People have privated or deleted works or entire accounts over this.

It takes away attention from the artist, and this isn't just people complaining about their art not getting enough likes/reblogs online. I have had my commissions open for months with next to no attention toward it and have periodically given up on promoting, with that in mind I grow more bitter about the fact that my only work that regularly gets attention isn't even representative of my current work but also isn't even attached to my name.

There are a lot more reasons, but it really is just a matter of respecting people who make the content you like and crediting people who make things you like.

If you see art that might be fanart and want to find the original source so you can either share it in a server, ask the artist permission to use it somewhere else, or sort of vigilante credit it for somewhere else, here's some places you can easily reverse search for images or find the artist who drew them (hint: if a work has been deleted it's good practice to still credit the artist)

SauceNAO - especially good for fanart since it's a curation of popular Japanese and western image sharing sites. Works best with full images. Found my art on pixiv and deviantART.

Google Image Search - Unreliable, may work with popular artwork but will probably struggle to find it otherwise, very rarely found my artwork. But probably your better bet for heavily cropped images at least to find the full image and then plug it in sauceNAO

But even then the best practice is if you don't know the source don't repost it until you've found it, and always reblog/retweet/what have you from the original artist before considering reposting it on your own account. Be strict and insistent on asking if people know the source of art they are reposting especially in discord servers and online spaces where it's commonly done.

#feel free to rb this is my first time kind of ranting and dumping my thoughts lol #im not going to screenshot anyone reposting it since i have mainly seen it on private discord servers and on random twitter accounts but #i have multiple account of other people saying they had seen it reposted and didn't even know i drew it! it's really annoying.

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i-have-not-slept · 1 year

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The Last Hours Fashion Pt 2

Chain of Thorns comes out TOMORROW!!!! Just in time, here’s my analysis of the official art by @nicole.deal.art in terms of historical accuracy. I’ve already reviewed the girls’ outfits, so now it’s time for the guys!

There aren’t as many primary sources available for Edwardian menswear, and men’s fashion in general tends to change less from era to era. Men’s business and formalwear has stayed basically the same shape for the past 130 years. Keeping that in mind, let’s look at some of these pictures and see how well they hold up.

James

James looks pretty good! The picture looks like it’s at night, so he’s probably wearing evening dress. The high collar and cravat is a distinctly Edwardian style, as seen in the outfit on the right here:

This guy is also wearing a wrap-around waistcoat in a similar style to James’. To make it really accurate, he’d be wearing a hat and jacket, but this picture is obviously showing a fight scene so I can imagine that he lost both at some point. If we’re being really pedantic, James’ hair should also be a bit shorter, but I appreciate that a haircut is probably not high on his list of priorities right now.

Accuracy: 8/10

Matthew

Matthew is a self-described bohemian, and is also very concerned with fashion, so we can expect his clothes to be a bit more colourful and decorated than was possibly the norm. This is also at night, so eveningwear again. It looks like he’s wearing a tailcoat— if you look closely, the cut is similar to the ones in this picture from 1904:

The slight problem with eveningwear is that every source I’ve found suggests that Edwardian evening dress for men was almost exclusively black-and-white tuxedos. In fact, menswear from this time was pretty boring in terms of colour. However, Matthew is, as mentioned, a bohemian, and textually wears very colourful clothing. Same issues as James re: hat and hair, but I can justify it the same way as with James.

And some pictures of cravats for comparison:

The gloves are also interesting. Evening gloves were almost always white, whereas these are dark grey, but I’m prepared to believe they’re either Shadowhunter fighting gloves or worn for warmth in the street after a party.

Accuracy: 7/10

Thomas and Alastair

They’re wearing Shadowhunter gear, which there are obviously no historical references for, so I can’t really analyse it. I’m interested in how their gear differs— Thomas’ seems to be mostly leather, whereas Alastair appears to be wearing a vaguely Georgian puffy white shirt with metal throat, shoulder and wrist guards. We don’t have very many canon images of Shadowhunter gear, so it’s interesting to look at.

On a side not, Cassie said on her Instagram that this picture is of them in an abandoned Paddington Station. I’ve been to Paddington, and the background looks absolutely spot on. Kudos to the artist!

Accuracy: 10/10 just for the background.

Jesse

I don’t have very much to say about this one. The shirt is pretty generic but the trousers are interesting. The distinctive front flap with the two buttons isn’t a style you see with the Edwardians, who have moved on to someone more resembling the modern fly. And yes, I googled “how did the Edwardians fasten their trousers” to find this information. Jesse’s trousers more resemble Regency breeches, as you can see in this pictures:

This is interesting, considering the links I drew between Grace’s dress and Regency fashion in my last post. Guess we’ll find out tomorrow if my time travel theory was correct!

The jacket looks like a fairly Edwardian standard coat with the sleeves rolled up. Not much to say except that the deep green colour is possibly slightly unrealistic but it’s a tiny thing.

Accuracy: 6/10

Christopher

Christopher’s hard at work in his lab, and accordingly isn’t wearing fancy clothes. Like Jesse, this is a fairly basic trousers and shirt ensemble that fits pretty well with the period.

Things get interesting when we start looking at the apron and goggles. PPE (personal protective equipment) isn’t strictly fashion, so I had to do a bit more digging into this one as it’s not an area I knew much about.

The goggles could be period inaccurate, depending on how you look at it. The first form of eye protection for welding was developed by the inventor Powell Johnson in 1880. Johnson called his invention “eye protectors” and it was simply two strips of opaque cloth that could be seen through while still offering some protection.

Safety glass— glass coated in plastic to prevent shattering— was invented by Edouard Benedictus in 1903, when TLH is set. However, it wasn’t until 1909 that the first safety glasses were invented by Julius King. So Christopher’s eyewear is about six years ahead of its time. On the other hand, it’s entirely possible that Shadowhunters— probably the Iron Sisters in particular— were using protective eyewear before mundanes and Christopher is simply adopting the technology. But if we’re going by a purely historical standpoint, the goggles are a bit off.

The apron nearly drove me insane because I could not find any sources from the Edwardian era that show a similar style. The best I could find out is that bib aprons have been worn for welding since the 1880, so it’s reasonably accurate. Christopher really needs to pull it up a bit higher, though. Your shirt’s getting scorched, mate. PPE is no joke.

Accuracy: 5/10

As a last note of interest, while I was researching I came across this image I just had to share. It’s a cartoon that appeared in the Tacoma Times in 1903 and satirically depicts “men’s clothing designed by women”. Look at these guys. The og malewives. Poor little meow meows.

Sources:

Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute

Fashion History Timeline

Vintage Dancer

OHS

Bakersgas Welding

Aaand there we go! I probably spent way too much time on this, but it was fun. I’ll see you all on the other side after I’ve finished Chain of Thorns. Remember to tag your spoilers!

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voiceofthebroken · 4 months

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impulsively made designs for the voices! they're kind of more like concepts so they're likely to change if I get better ideas for them. I didn't want to make them too complex and give them pinterest outfits lol (I might do that another time though). notes for each voice under the cut!

Hero: I was kind of inspired when a friend said they'd picture that Hero would have similar armor to Artorias from Dark Souls, partially the reason I started drawing the voices

Contrarian: the first thought was to make him a jester, but I thought that's what people would usually imagine him as. so I gave him something more modern to stand apart from the rest of the voices where they're all medieval-ish. also the only voice with a completely round head and the only one without a lower eyelid. he looks silly too so bonus points for that. Contrarian can open his other eye, the diamond on his face is like a tattoo of sorts lol. The X on his chest is a reference to the Razor when he skewers himself (or ourself but same difference)

Stubborn: the first one I actually tried to design. I had the idea of giving a sharper, more prominent chin to the voices who seem more likely to resort to violence. the only idea I had for him was his arms so I had to google and this is the best I could come up with

Hunted: my first roadblock. I was clueless and even considered leaving him as just the base form, but a friend suggested giving him a bandana on his neck, so I did that. a little later I decided to make him fluffy instead of giving him clothes and it took a bit to figure out how to do that

Cold: I found an outfit while I was looking for ideas for Stubborn and I thought it was perfect for Cold. my original idea was just a scarf, but I really liked what I found. don't mind the bad posing by the way lmao, I had an idea for a separate art piece but executed that very poorly so now it's part of the design drawings

Smitten: I got some inspiration from Reverse 1999 for this one actually, but the idea was a little too similar to Hero so I mixed that in with something a bard might wear and gave him a funny feathery hat

Paranoid: I drew him before this post and nothing changed from there. the eye on his hood is one sided and there's nothing else underneath. I don't know how to fit all the details in a pose that would make sense so I'll make another post later lol

Broken: in the Tower route pledging yourself kind of was like becoming a priest for her or something so I gave him the first thing I saw on pinterest when I was looking for priest like clothes. there's a shard of glass connecting the cloak together. he also has stab wounds on his torso from the Tower route

Skeptic: so the last three I struggled to think of designs for so much. he has a scar on his neck from just before the Drowned Grey route where giving him the knife would get him to slit the player's throat. the outfit was inspired by something I found on pinterest and thought the chain going across could somewhat be like the chain going around the player's neck

Cheated: this took the longest to figure out and I gave up on thinking of something. I just gave him whatever outfit I could find on pinterest I thought that would fit him lmao. the only thing I managed to think of was putting bandages around his wrist. he has a scar under the bandages from the Razor

Opportunist: I don't know what I was thinking when I designed him or his clothes. I think he just kind of gave me merchant vibes so I tried going for that and gave him a silly hat. he's definitely not hiding a blade behind his back. the coin was just an extra thing I thought of adding. I ran out of paper space on the page and didn't want to put Opportunist on a different page all by himself so he's the only one without a full body drawing, but it wouldn't make much of a difference if it was a full body

#slay the princess #voice of the hero #voice of the contrarian #voice of the stubborn #voice of the hunted #voice of the smitten #voice of the cold #voice of the paranoid #voice of the broken #voice of the skeptic #voice of the cheated #voice of the opportunist #this took way too long #it's 5am I need to sleep now lmao #scopophobia for paranoid maybe #ignore the lighting #and the fact I drew hero with longer arms than intended

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sothasil · 1 year

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Hi! You're one of my favorite artists ever, and I would love to do some studies of your art! What are some of your favorite pieces that you've done, and how do you pick your colors? There's a lot more questions that I could ask, but figured you wouldn't appreciate an entire list of questions XD

Hello and thank you, I am honored! Feel free to send me all and any questions! I'll answer these two, starting by:

How do you pick your colors?

As I change art style with pretty much every illustration project of significance, this varies a lot. Here are, from most to least common, ways I pick my colors.

Eyeballing it. Unfortunately my most common... What I will do a lot digitally is lay down a color background, and flats of a few colors, then manually adjust each until they look good together by selecting by color and using adjustements. I then paint over it all.

Using a limited palette, eyeballed. Same as before, but this time I force myself to only use a few colors. It helps me, as constraints do.

Using a reference, eyeballed. This happens a lot when I mimick an art style. My medieval drawings for example, are often done by looking at images of actual medieval art to get an idea of what colors to use to look medieval.

Using an existing image, pipetted. Rarely, often as a challenge or if I'm super stuck, I'll just take a pic with colors I like and pipet from it. This website automates this if you want a good easy starting point!

These can be combined around. I'll post examples now, explaining how they use each.

This is a sketch for a drawing I ended up doing way different. This is the first method - I used a flat layer for the characteres and three colors for the sky to test out atmosphere. This is how I plan out most full paintings, just trying to nail down a mood I have in my head. I fiddle around until I like it or, like in this case, fully give up and iterate further. Here, the composition was to be redone too as I did not like the body language. I was going for "bright hot sunny day under a weather that feels wrong".

For this comic, I combined a very limited palette and a photo ref to pipet from. I was looking for the stark cold/warm contrast of a mid-season bright night by a fireside. I took a google image photo of a campfire at night that was already edited. The photo itself looks unnatural but conveyed what I wanted. It's still on the file itself! From it, I pipetted a few colors I found "summed up" the palette and did all with them.

While my own habits make me prefer painting as you would in traditional methods, with directly picking the right colors, I will often digitally alter with overlays and layer blending modes some colors and gradients, etc, to alter a drawing to fix it's color palette. The following is a quite egregious example, because I first drew the character in flats before putting him in a full scene. Here is a before/after summed up.

The shadow is a layer, the bright yellow light zones also, and the orange "transitions" of light zones on the skin a third. There's also an overlay over the full character to blend him in. I do this by...making a full flat color of a layer, fucking around until a blending mode does what I want, and adjusting hue/brightness/saturation and opacity until it looks good.

Another WIP where I was struggling with the overall palette. I was going for late 60s psychedelic. You can see in the top right the original color. I thought it looked too...new, so I added a yellow layer on top, and fiddled with it. Final choice was the following setting. I then put it with my sketch and color blockout in a folder and painted over it.

For this sort of adjustement, the "Color Balance" modifier in CSP, Photoshop, and others is also a godsend - but one I often use for fine tuning a finished piece.

This being said, there's some rough rules to coloring which are...born from studying color theory and doing studies. I am guilty of doing very little studies...so I'll just sum up the basics of the color theory rules I use.

For "default" shading, I use a color that is darker, more saturated and with a slight hue diff. This is my "don't shade with black".

Using a shadow that's cooler will make the light look warm.

Vice versa.

There's a bunch of stuff to remember in how colors relate to each other and pipetting images who's atmosphere you think is interesting really is the best way to learn... It's learning how to black-blue/gold-yellow dress in your own art for the lack of a better word...But the basics will be:

Don't trust numerical values, but look at your colors in context. A same hue, brightness, saturation can look so much different. This is how Rakkan's beard looks whiteish here despite being a light very grey brown.

All this but...colour is such a wide topic, I can't really say a lot but can also type for hours... if you have precise questions about a piece in particular I can explain :') I hope this wasn't too vague and was instructive!

Speaking of particular pieces, answering your question last under the cut:

What are some of your favorite pieces that you've done?

In no particular order, illustration only.

Including this in another poast bc staff's new post editor limits the amounts of pics I can put in response to asks. Insert colorful language here...

Frankly twas hard to pick I am rarely fond of what I draw

#ask

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joycew-art · 2 years

Note

Hey there! I absolutely love your art!

Do you have any tips for new artists on where to start?

I can do some simple line art as long as I have references, but it’s very stiff and the colors are flat. I can only hope to be as amazing as you someday! 💙

Thank you so much, that is so kind of you! That's a very broad question, but I'll try to explain my process in this to the best of my ability.

First, just find the subject you really want to draw. Wither it's characters, environments, objects, it doesn't matter, grab your interest and go crazy with it! Doesn't matter if you draw it 10 times, a 100 times or a 1000 times. The most important thing is to have fun, cause if you have fun it's always much easier to want to try new things!

So, for example, if you really love drawing a certain character, draw them a lot to get familiar with them. Look up a lot of references. Not just from their original media, I tend to look up fanart as well, to get inspiration of how to stylize the character you're drawing. Maybe there's a certain way you love how they color, or how they draw the eyes, or do the lineart, etc. Trying to copy or trace them can be a very good study, but of course you shouldn't claim those pieces as your own.

It's important to just learn one thing at the time tho! If you jump from one subject to the other it's harder to remember the things you've learned. Of course if you get stuck, it's also fine to move on for a bit. Sometimes a thing won't click until later. There are many tutorials out there and many ways to learn the same thing, but not all of them work for me either. It's up to preference.

The way I learn new things is by doing this;

I analyze my own drawing and compare it to the references I got.

I find the problem, for example the hands. (sometimes it can be multiple things, so then you pick the one you want to fix the most).

I then google 'how to draw hands'. I also try other websites like Youtube or Pinterest, you don't always get the same results.

I also look up references of hands, like photographs or images from media I like (recently I screenshotted hands from the manga Bleach, cause I love how the author draws them).

I then follow the tutorials that I found, sometimes mimicking exactly what they do, sometimes I only copy the parts I am most struggling with.

I use that new knowledge trying to copy the hands from the references I've saved.

If you feel like you've got enough of a hand (pun unintended) on the subject, then I try to apply it to my own art.

Most often I actually learn new things while making big, complicated art pieces. Like, when I drew my Toxic Rick piece last year I had to google how to draw slime textures, since I've never done that before. And it's not really a subject matter I normally stumble into. Sometimes I go through the whole process I described above, but sometimes I can apply it immediately. It kinda differs from situation to situation.

And just start learning the thing that interests you the most right now! I always put off backgrounds in the past and forcing to learn them while I didn't want to never gave great results for me. It wasn't until recent years that I finally got interested in drawing them and then learning to draw them went much easier.

___________________

There's one tip that might help with stiff lineart; gesture drawing! For a long time I've had the problem where my poses felt very stiff as well and gesture drawings really helped for me. Actually this video has almost the same workflow as I have; gesture first, then the structure, then the lines.

youtube

Of course, look up many tutorials of gesture drawing, there might be one out there for you that will work even better!

___________________

For the flat colors, it might help to focus on values instead. What I mean with that is to look at your drawings in black and white.

I always check my values by adding a gray layer above my whole drawing and put it to 'color' mode. I just switch that one on and off whenever I need to check my values.

Here's an example video where they explain what values are. They talk quite fast, but the video has subtitles.

youtube

Of course if this video doesn't help, you can always try to google for more. There are many videos like this out there!

Perhaps you can try the process above to find the answers you need?

Good luck on your art journey! I'm very flattered that my art is something you want to strive to. Be patient and kind to yourself, you'll get there! :)

#asks #anon #art tips #I hope it's clear what im trying to explain here #text post #tutorial

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queerfandomtrifecta · 2 months

Text

I collect vintage, antique, and antiquarian books. But I don’t mean that I’ve spent hundreds to obtain a pristine collection of near-mint condition author signed first editions that’ve been protected carefully instead of read and re read.

I mean 50% of my collection comes from me going to I thrift shops and finding the few the old books they have. Sometimes I get them just because they’re pretty. More often, it’s because I love the history from old books that I’ll only ever get glimpses of; little notes in the margins, bookmarks that are newspaper clippings from the thirties, the one where a kid drew all over the pages of his parents’ poetry book from 1910. I bought one because I opened it and on the inside of the cover someone had written “terrible book and even worse ending. Don’t bother!” I’ve got one that had book club bills to the previous owner dated from the ‘60s tucked between the pages. I have a “Guide to Etiquette for the Proper Young Lady” from the ‘50s with a note from the recipient’s parents written inside the cover saying they hope she will learn from this book and that they’ve got the church praying for her; that book is in pristine condition and clearly never read and I love that for her, whoever she was living her rebel life.

The other 40% are things my local thrift store can’t really sell, like “A Guide to Modern Women’s Medicine” from 1961 or other super outdated reference books that they’ll call me to see if I want because while making small talk about my weird book purchases with the cashier i mentioned I’m a writer doing a historically accurate time travel series and that stuff is actually WAY better of a resource for some things than digging through Google. I get a call every few months to see if I want any of it and I’m so appreciative of them.

I do have a few valuable things, like the first edition of a Nancy Drew book from the ‘30s I found at Habitat for Humanity for $1. I also have the full set of all 54 first edition Great Works of Western Literature from Encyclopedia Brittanica, which I got for free from someone who’s had it in his family for three generations but can’t take it when he moves, and wanted to give it to someone who’d appreciate it. They’ve all clearly been read many times. And I’m so stoked to start reading some of the authors that’ve been on my list for ages.

I love my little hodgepodge collection of old books that’ve seen more time than I have and hold little pieces of whoever read them before me. I want all the weird, imperfect antique books I can get. ♥️

#reading #books #antique #book collector #book collection

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laithraihan · 13 days

Note

I'm the anon who sent you the long message that apparently came off "pompous & infantilizing" and more to your followers.

I find it interesting that that message sparked such a flood of defenders, when I did not send it in bad faith at all. From your answer it seems I'm lacking context so sorry if I took some of your statements the wrong way, but nonetheless I just found the parental love addition strange and reacted to that, that was all there was to it. I clearly stated (three times) I'm not taking any issue with your headcanons.

By saying they are far removed from canon I did not mean to say they are "too unrealistic" or something is wrong with that, I literally said the opposite. I meant just that, that factually, this will not be a common interpretation for someone who is familiar with the source material but not your blog. This is not a statement that I made with any judgemental value and I thought I made that very clear but apparently not.

So I'm sorry for the additional ask.

Have a nice day.

Thank you for the response.

I was fully aware you said there was no issue with what I drew, but the way you wrote everything else sort of negated that statement. At least that's how me and many other people saw it.

If someone finds what I drew strange or confusing then they could always just... block me or ask me about it (and btw I expected people to be confused, otherwise I wouldnt have labeled it "non-coupling" as soon I posted it lol)

Someone did ask me about it, and you seem to have already seen that response, yet you still felt the need to send another message basically implying that an explanation wasn't enough (turns out it actually wasnt enough because people said I was lying and in denial) and that my explanation was weird too? Which is whatever I already ended up clarifying that, English is not my first language and I type things with the help of a translator (I wish people could actually keep this in mind. I only type in English because it'll reach a wider audience and it's the language most of my followers know. Often I have to google words people tell me online, or I ask my friends fluent in English to explain things for me)

You can say "that's not what I intended" but that's how it came across... you wrote a lot of nice words while also saying it was understandable that people were ganging up on me over a drawing, it seemed patronizing.

That's why me and others took offense to it, but I think it's difficult to tell tone through text so I don't want to keep nitpicking this any further. If you say you had no ill intent then I believe you.

The following will just be me adding more context and not necessarily aimed at you: Again I understand the lack of context of my account can make people confused about my art, Ive made that clear many times.

The art I made where I said "if your parents didnt love you then it's obvious" was a direct response to people who were mocking me specifically for tagging the art as "non-coupling" because they didnt believe me. They got the context and decided I was trying to hide a fetish because a kiss on the cheek was "obviously shippy". They proceeded to compare this to drawing NSFW of Mob and Reigen by labelling it "non-ship" as if it was comparable to tucking a child into bed, that's what upset me. I did absolutely nothing to these people, I dont know them, if they said this privately I wouldnt care but it was public, and they also targeted another friend of mine for no reason.

All Im gonna say is that my drawing shouldnt have caused this much controversy in the first place. I labeled it "non-coupling" as soon as I posted it, which should've been enough honestly. It's not like I posted porn or anything like that, I got the idea from something Ive experienced in my family as a teenager and I could easily google stock images of the exact same scenario to use as reference, like I really didnt think it was that bad.

Anyways I think I've explained myself many times already. Im not gonna be hostile and say to people "roh t9awed dont ever send me anything else related to this" but just.. check if Ive already answered your question so that it doesnt end up being repetitive. If you have a question about this that I havent answered yet, then feel free to ask.

#asks

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fountainpenguin · 8 months

Note

Can you share some of what your planning process for long fics is like? What kind of outlines do you do or what prep do you do to get in the zone?

Thanks for the ask! [Tagging #ridspoilers for minor plot outline, birthday, and alien planet calendar spoilers for Origin of the Pixies, Frayed Knots, and Factor It In]

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I write on Google Docs; it might not be for everyone but it's what I've found to work well for me after a lifetime of writing (Ex: When I was a kid, I used WordPerfect and Dropbox and it would take hours to sync my documents before a long road trip... I travel between two locations a lot, so these days I just pop open the Google Docs app on my phone or use the Edit Offline extension on my laptop and it's always up to date, which works great for me!)

I also like Google Docs because I can link between documents and have lots of open tabs [along the top of the browser] in "one tab" [along the bottom bar], which isn't something I was able to do as a kid or with Microsoft Word, and it just helps me feel clean.

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Masterlist Doc [1 per fandom]

I keep all my Fairly OddParents 'fics in a doc titled FOP 'Fic Masterlist. I have my most important resources at the top and they're all broken down with clear labels and doc links.

This way, even if I haven't accessed a doc in a while [meaning it doesn't come up when I type its name in the URL search bar], I always know where I can find it. Also, thanks to my edit offline extension, all I need is this one link and I know I'll be able to open any doc I need.

I have a lot of 'fics, so this doc is several pages. If you've ever read my FFN or AO3 bios and saw that note about how I keep a queued Tumblr post containing links to my unfinished 'fics in case I unexpectedly die, that queued post links to this doc!

You'll also notice that I have distinct scrap docs for Origin, Knots, and the 130 Prompts. I change or cut a lot of stuff and it's nice to keep the old WIPs in case I ever want to look back on them (each of those docs is 25k words just of scraps). Sometimes those scenes get recycled, but usually they just sit there. It's a lot easier to cut things from a story when you have a place to put them and you're not deleting them forever.

[Cnt'd under the cut]

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Table of Contents Doc [1 per long 'fic]

All my long 'fics have a table of contents doc, which I highly recommend for anyone doing a large multi-chapter project. I always slap the cover image, a height chart, or a character reference on top to make it pretty, then the doc will contain some notes I might need. For example, Origin's doc has two height charts:

and this-

Makes it easy to know where to find things. Also, you don't have to draw your own height charts, but I recommend keeping a list of heights on hand. Even if you don't tell the reader someone's exact measurements, it's always nice to get a feel for how characters compare to others and whether they should be looking up or down.

Come What May's doc has this screenshot comparison on it, which I put together by measuring different characters who appear next to each other as carefully as I could, and it works too:

Obviously Kevin and Molly never appear in the same episode, but since they're about to become step-siblings in Come What May, it was important to me that I knew how tall they were, so I measured Molly against Timmy and then Timmy against Kevin. Same for Mrs. Crocker, who I measured against Timmy to get a feel for how tall Kevin is compared to his grandma.

I know it's a fanfic so it doesn't really matter, but you have to do self-indulgent things sometimes :)

Frayed Knots also has Sunnie's character reference [i.e. Anti-Cosmo's patron nature spirit, the water dude], which I just want to show off because this is still really good art for something I drew in 2017:

Other things I keep in my table of contents docs are lists of episodes where certain characters appear, random notes that I need to keep track of (like any canonized character addresses or allergies), and chapter title ideas. I also keep track of the starlight levels [i.e. which season it's bright outside vs. dark], school year reminders, and Anti-Fairy migration season.

I keep my Vatajasa name chart in Knots too:

Factor It In's table doc contains a list of villains who appear in the 'fic (Red for ones who don't appear, green for those who do). It also links to the Wiki page for the Evil Villains Association so I can remember which villains are and aren't in it. It also has my timeline details:

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Timeline Notes

Factor It In is set in 1998, and my table doc has all the notes I used to narrow down to that date (ex: I originally planned to set it in 1987 because I felt that the late 80s fit the technology level we see in the show before I re-watched the episode "There's No V In Team," which specifically refers to the year 1987 as having happened in the past).

One of the reasons I liked using 1987 originally was because Factor It In is a story about Kid Math training under WordGirl, and it takes place shortly after the Kid Math episode, which aired in 2014. Factor It In opens in early January, so I like the Easter egg that the 2015 calendar would be the same even if we took its airdate literally. 1998 was the only year in the 90s that also matched the calendar, so that's what I ended up with.

I like keeping my timeline notes around so if I take a hiatus, I can always come back and remind myself why I picked stuff. Also it's way easier to expand your worldbuilding if you kept your notes... it's awful if you threw your math away and have to start over (I once redid an entire timeline because someone said I'd messed up the dates on my chart, and I believed them and redid it all, only to realize several months later when I ran into a timeline problem that my math had actually been right all along :') Don't be like me. Record your work and leave notes explaining why.)

[I always use THIS calendar website when I'm planning timelines. It tracks moon phases, which was important when @zachbrightside and I were working on the FOP timeline and heavily relying on moon phases as a guide, and you can easily type any year and month into the URL bar so it's super easy to navigate.]

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Birthday Notes

I also kept all my notes on determining birthdays (very important for long 'fics with lots of characters that take place over several months! One of my FOP resource docs is specifically for birthdays and annual events, ranging from parades to anniversaries to carnivals).

My headcanon for Becky Botsford's birthday is July 28th. We know she starts the series at age 9 and has a birthday in Season 1 episode 4, meaning she's 10 for much of the series. There are at least two episodes where she cites her ages as "10 and a half," and we saw that in her next birthday episode ("A World Without WordGirl"), her cake had 11 candles on it.

Show canon implies that time IS passing and that the show doesn't exist in a timeless void (see also, Timmy Turner wishing to freeze time for 50 years), so it was important to me that I nail down her birthday. I knew I wanted it to take place after Rhyme and Reason if possible since there are no more birthday episodes, though I would also be fine with having "Rhyme and Reason" shortly after her birthday [to ensure she stays 10 and 11 for the majority of show canon].

Here are some of my notes on her birthday for anyone interested (Hopefully they're not too squished):

^ Like I said, I switched 1987 to 1998, but yeah. Rex's birthday comes out to June 13th, 1989 and Becky's is July 28th, 1986.

Clickable links for Rex and Becky on the age calculator if you're curious... Important for me since one of Rex's math powers is to always know how old someone is to the day.

Fun Fact - I deliberately gave Rex June 13th as a birthday so he would share a birthday with Foop, who is also a Season 7 Episode 1 debut kid over in Fairly OddParents :)

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Having birthdays planned is also nice for when I want to write multiple 'fics in the same world, even if they're not the same 'fic. In my story "Flypaper," which takes place in early June, Rex is eagerly awaiting his 17th birthday and Becky muses on how she'll be turning 20 at the end of the summer... Just a nice detail not only to set the scene, but also to help the story feel grounded and realistic since one of the themes of "Flypaper" was that Becky felt time was slipping away from her.

It's also important to note that Rex and Becky are always among the youngest in their school years since they have summer birthdays. Tobey is 12 for most of the time Becky is 11... Little details that don't take a long time to plan for, but can really help a story feel like the author put effort into the world.

Again, I highly recommend leaving clear notes to yourself about why you're doing certain timeline things. I much prefer having the breakdown of the episodes I looked at over simply leaving a note to myself that Becky's birthday is July 28th!

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Character Arc Notes

Before planning the events of the story, it helps to get an idea for what themes and character traits you want to focus on. Frayed Knots is about love and betrayal- it's about Anti-Cosmo pushing for what he wants even though it hurts his loved ones (appropriate theme for a villain backstory 'fic).

I want to show some notes I have for Factor It In because I think they're interesting. Factor It In is my first attempt at doing a story that deliberately focuses around two protagonists and their separate but equally important character arcs, and I'm excited :)

Everything that's in my doc is the "tell" part of "show don't tell." The story tries to show what I have in my notes:

Rex arc - Lack of Stability / Lack of Control - Failing, getting tricked, being unwanted, not good enough, not understanding things. Being in foster care is scary. Unfamiliar planet is scary Show Kid Math always being super inquisitive. He always wants to learn. He knows the most, he is the best, he gets upset when he's fooled or when he fails. He was 2nd best in school. He feels lost when he doesn't know what's happening in his future. Gets upset when WordGirl doubts his decisions. In the opening scene of Factor, he's mind controlled by Mr. Big. Literally has no control Kid Math clings to his superhero certification / Hexagonian education. He was raised by his aunts and has basically no relationship with his parents (though he tries to hide the fact that this hurts him). He feels like a burden; he feels like his mom considered him "too much work" and that his father considers him "not worth bothering to visit." Rex constantly struggles under this fear that he's a burden. He wants to prove himself a good superhero so that his education (and life) aren't "a waste." Conflict: Kid Math has already spent his entire life feeling like he's no one's first choice; that he's only "second best" (because he was second to top of his class in school). He understands that he and WordGirl are sharing the city, but it's important to him that he's considered an equal. He wants people to like him. It hurts when WordGirl comes on too strong and makes it obvious she lacks faith in him, because he feels like a burden: his worst nightmare. Throughout the story, Rex internalizes his successes and failures. He cannot separate his superhero identity from his civilian identity. He always sees himself as "Rex, who trained to become a superhero." He calls himself Rex and has no distinction in his mind. His secrets slip, he uses his powers when he's Rex, and he expects people to attribute KM's failures to Rex (Ex: school kids laugh at how he falls for tricks as Kid Math and it upsets him as Rex). Rex values control, and will do all he can to avoid losing control. His deadly sin is Wrath, but he has a lot of emotional control and will try to remove himself from the situation. As long as he has his safe space and his comfort things, he's okay. We get several scenes of him wanting to break stuff when he's upset but he holds back... with the underlying tension of wondering how long he'll last before he snaps (pitting his nightmare of losing control against Becky's nightmare of losing his friendship).

I want to highlight the part about how Rex cannot separate his two identities. This is something I showed even back in "AlgoRhythm" - Rex always calls himself "Rex" inside his head, even when he's dressed as Kid Math. However, when I write from Becky's POV, the third-person writing swaps between calling her "Becky" or "WordGirl" depending on how she's dressed.

I also have notes about how Rex's character arc relates to the story's finale, but that's spoilers. Since Rex's character arc is about how he hates not having control, then the worst thing that could happen to him is not having a say in things: hence why the plot about bouncing between foster families is such a hard thing for him to go through. Eventually, he'll also be put in a position where he needs to think about who he is as Rex vs. who he is as Kid Math, and we'll see that in the story climax.

Becky has a fun arc too:

Becky arc - Loss / Change - People being hurt, losing her friends, hurting or losing her family. Fear of change. Show WordGirl being upset when relationships fracture, even with people who aren't super close to her. She struggles with the idea of Kid Math befriending her villains or losing her position as a hero and getting replaced by Kid Math. Put simply, WordGirl is a control freak who refuses to admit this to herself. WordGirl struggles to relinquish control to Kid Math (which is where they come in conflict since he ALSO feels stressed when he doesn't have control). WordGirl is a bit of a helicopter mentor; she hovers around Rex, interferes with his work, and just generally gets in his way (which is pretty funny imo since Rex never got in her way during "Kid Math"- he's capable, he just causes problems with social interaction and not with the actual fighting... WordGirl gets the social interaction part but definitely gets in the way). Conflict: WordGirl doesn't enjoy having Rex around, but she can't tell him that because it might hurt his feelings and that would cause her "loss and change" pain. She would feel guilty and sad. Rex being Exposition Guy's foster kid is a big source of conflict between them, as Rex believes he should "get dibs" on info EG shares. WordGirl stresses when Rex doesn't do things "her way" and Rex gets frustrated that she doesn't trust him. Tensions keep rising because WordGirl starts seeing "the bad" in Rex; she keeps seeing Miss Power traits in him and she worries that Miss Power might have been his teacher back on Hexagon. Her nosiness strains Rex's trust in her and he starts pulling away emotionally... sending her into a spiral about change and loss (especially as more and more villains and civilians grow familiar with Kid Math and start to think he's cool). Lots of resentment towards Kid Math for "replacing her" even though she NEVER admits that to herself; she still has trace amounts of jealousy towards him in later stories like "Flypaper..." WordGirl doesn't mean to be jealous or greedy, but it's always been one of her flaws (i.e. someone else getting a key to the city, or when she snapped during Miss Power special about Chuck getting a collectible unicorn, wanting to show off a bit during "Invisible Hand"). She's a very nice person but Envy is absolutely her deadly sin.

So yeah! Fun times ahead; I'm excited.

We've already started seeing cracks form between her and Chuck... In Chapter 4, Chuck confronts her, asking if WordGirl is retiring and if he'll still get to see her. Chuck has his own little character arc in the background, which is that he broke his foot a few days before the story starts- he has to sit on the sidelines watching the other villains get "WordGirl time" while he has to watch Kid Math go through hero training.

A lot of other characters have small arcs too, though Chuck's and Victor Best's are probably the most notable-- Chuck and Victor are both characters who struggle with being "the second best" compared to a more successful sibling, so they resonate heavily with Rex's character arc.

WordGirl's arc is about control, so Mr. Big and Tobey (mind control and robots) are pretty obvious choices for her, along with Dr. Two-Brains... but actually, Granny May and Eileen are two villains I really wanted to look at in Factor It In. Granny May's life hinges around being a "people person" (to the point that she had an episode about how she could be way more successful with a different schtick; she just likes talking to people too much to trade that for success).

Granny May is super calculating and manipulative and she also struggles with little losses of control in her daily life (getting on in years, mobility issues, and the episode "Granny's Book Club" where the Evil Villains Association tried to force her to retire). I like Granny May because she looks like this sweet old lady but she also, like. can fly and has a robot suit, which is SO funny.

With her cold, calculating patience and her manipulative ways, Granny May represents the worst of Rex AND Becky at the same time, which is great. I'm excited to get to her chapters. Eileen is also a fun villain to juxtapose Becky because she's the embodiment of envy, which Becky struggles with, so I'm looking forward to that too.

A lot of characters are also working on school projects, so they always have "something to do" or "something that is causing them stress." Mapping out the background character arcs and conflicts can help the story feel more alive, and I think that's a useful part of outlining :)

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Once you know your character arcs ["What is my character's biggest fear, what is something my character will do wrong, what event forces them to face their fear, and how do they resolve this situation in a way that shows them growing as a person?"] then the story sort of writes itself :)

Make sure you have a goal or a problem and make sure there's a reason they can't achieve the goal or solve their problem in the first chapter. Here are some examples from 3 of my long 'fics:

Origin of the Pixies - Fergus (i.e. H.P.) fears being responsible for others... His father wants him to study psychology and take over the family therapy business (Wish Fixers) even though carrying the weight of others' emotional problems sounds like the worst fate imaginable... so Fergus cuts ties with Dad, drops out of the Fairy Academy and runs away from home. Now he only looks out for himself, can start his own business if he wants to, and he can drink and party all the time. What could be better than that?

Fergus's nightmare of being responsible becomes unavoidable when he (a pixie) starts reproducing asexually... during a time when no one really knows what pixies are and Fairy World has a baby ban in place. Fergus pursues a life of business and money-making, fighting to provide for Sanderson and the rest of his clone offspring (some of whom are predisposed by their genetics to kill him when they come of age, which is fun). Things get even worse when Fairy World and Anti-Fairy World go to war... Being responsible for kids during a time of peace was hard enough, but war? Forget it.

After successfully navigating the chaos of war, Fergus is ready to settle back into a peaceful life, but tumultuous politics keep him on his toes. His best friend - the leader of Anti-Fairy World - gets overthrown by hotshot Anti-Cosmo, and Fergus is forced to re-evaluate his friendships, priorities, political alignments, and personal needs if he wants to maintain political piece between the Pixies and Anti-Fairies.

While raising his pixie clones, Fergus has always kept them at arm's length and called them "interns" or "employees" or even "nephews" to avoid calling them his sons. The older he gets, the less he's able to do the things he liked to do in his younger years - goof off, wrestle, attend parties - and the more he needs to think about putting his pixies first. As death looms nearer and nearer, Fergus grows increasingly desperate to ensure his pixies will still thrive without him... and he'll do anything, regardless of who it hurts or how badly he endangers the magical world, to ensure they do.

Frayed Knots - Anti-Cosmo fears being unloved; his father isn't in the picture, his older brother is aloof, and his mother isn't kind to him. He's desperate to not grow old without a soulmate by his side. When he fails to match with a partner during a betrothal ceremony, he lies his way through it and tricks his peers into believing Anti-Saffron is his fated match.

As the centuries pass, it becomes more difficult to maintain the lie and Anti-Cosmo begins questioning whether maintaining his relationship with Anti-Saffron is even worth it. Breaking things off in a society that believes in luck and fate, however, is incredibly risky and could get him labeled as an outcast for the rest of his life.

Anti-Cosmo struggles to balance his dying feelings for Anti-Saffron with his growing feelings for Anti-Wanda, and things get trickier and trickier as his friends realize he's been lying all his life and start pushing him away. Finally, Anti-Cosmo has to choose between his comfy lies and his betrothed or else throw away everything so he can chase after Anti-Wanda... who might abandon him too, just like his friends did, and leave him alone and unloved.

Anti-Cosmo maintains his lies as long as he can, hurting his loved ones in the process, and struggles to pick up the pieces left behind. Even if no one else forgives him, he can't keep living in the past; he has to learn to forgive himself if he hopes to be approachable and trustworthy again. Being an evil villain, though, I guess whether or not he grows as a person is up for some debate...

Factor It In (Rex) - Rex values his personal achievements; he finds joy in superhero work and regularly brags about himself, his schooling, and his home planet Hexagon in general (right down to the fact that his planet has "the tastiest raisins in the universe.") Unfortunately, he's stuck in a cycle of giving his all but never feeling satisfied with his achievements because he's "never the best." One of his greatest fears is being confronted with evidence that he really is a burden and a failure, which would absolutely crush his spirit.

Rex doesn't love the way that Becky pushes him around; she's not mean, she just tries to guide him towards foster care even though he doesn't want to go. He doesn't speak up about it because he wants to put his faith in her and believe that he can learn from her and become a better person (since "being a good person" is the one thing he values above personal pride). He still feels inexperienced and overwhelmed in the early chapters, so he's hesitant to speak up and explain why he doesn't like what Becky's doing... up until she starts crossing his boundaries and then he has to draw the line.

Rex's desire for independence leads him to trust very easily. He puts his faith in Victor, Tobey, Chuck, and Granny May, who steer him down a wobbly path of moral grays. Becky keeps pushing him further away, so Rex continues bonding with the villains because he feels safe with them. Obviously this doesn't end well and he has to face the consequences of choosing the villains over his friendship with WordGirl.

In his determination to mend things with WordGirl, Rex accidentally lands both of them in a terrible situation and puts them (and therefore the rest of the city) in danger. In order to fix this, he has to push through his personal pride (Ow), accept his mistake (Double ow), and go against his training (which became useless while Bad Situation is in effect) so he can find a new way to save the day.

Factor It In (Becky) - Becky values her identity as a superhero and how much work she puts into protecting the city. She fears that Kid Math will be a worse hero than her (endangering people) but also fears Kid Math will be a better hero than her (blow to her self-confidence).

She can't resolve this problem in Chapter 1 because she's scared of hurting his feelings and would rather try other options to avoid direct confrontation; instead, she deals with her concerns by trying to "fix" Kid Math. She trains him and pushes him towards foster care. As long as she feels like she's helping him, she's assuaging both fears: she's proving she's "better" and she's helping him not be worse. Ergo, she "no longer has a problem."

Becky's already on a path that puts her in conflict with Rex, who desires control over his own life and has to deal with her pushing him around until he can't take it any more. Conflict arises when Becky oversteps boundaries and breaks Rex's trust in her. Things get worse when she makes a mistake that sours the city's attitude towards her. Her worst nightmare is coming true: she's "not as good as Kid Math" and people might get hurt without her.

As things keep getting worse for the city and Rex is struggling, it's obvious that she and Kid Math need to team up again. That means repairing their friendship... which she can only do if she proves that she really does trust Rex to do things by himself. Therein lies the pickle...

---

Anyway, I really rambled on there, but... Point being, a lot of fun stuff goes in my table docs, and this is the type of outlining I like to do for characters and story plots.

I highly recommend having a table of contents doc for long 'fics. You don't need to bog it down with all your worldbuilding notes (Hopefully you have a separate place you can put those, like a Tumblr blog or other docs), but for things that you know you'll definitely need and are worried you might not be able to find again, I highly recommend keeping them in the table doc.

You shouldn't normally be editing your table doc after you've done your outlining, which means you're less likely to accidentally delete important notes (compared to keeping them in a story doc) and you won't bog your story doc down with stuff you need to scroll past.

---

Chapter Docs [1 per chapter]

I have links to all my individual chapter docs (important to me since my chapters are normally 10k+ words... Can't fit everything in one doc or it would be a pain to navigate and take an age to load).

Here are some snippets of my outlines. As you can see, the descriptions I have in my table docs are loose and vague:

This is from Come What May:

Come What May is special because it takes place over just a few days (while my long 'fics span months or even thousands of years). It's based around Kevin's appearances in Fairly OddParents Season 10.

I wanted to share this because even though my notes for "Cold Shadow" are basically nothing, it still gives the info that's actually important for me to know when returning to this project after a hiatus: "Here's exactly what day it is in the timeline. This episodes shows kids turning in a homework assignment on the founding fathers, which means we need to see Kevin doing this homework assignment (or at least acknowledging it) in prior chapters.

Regardless of the weird supernatural stuff Kevin is dealing with in this 'fic, it's still intended to be canon compliant, and I know that's a detail Future Me could easily forget but would want to know. It's like what I said earlier about birthdays and timelines: leave yourself clear notes. You'll never regret having too many notes, especially if you intend to return to a project after a long hiatus.

Origin - I unfortunately scrapped my descriptions for all previous chapters of Origin and Knots so forgive the "spoilers," ha ha

Origin was originally drafted in a single document, which I later split into separate chapter docs. That's why I have notes like "Hawkins hand scene." I know exactly what that's referring to and my table of contents doc helps me remember which chapter it got moved to.

Knots - I wanted to show these to emphasize how vague some of these are:

Even though they're vague, you can get a good sense of the direction the story is going. Outlining doesn't have to be a painful, in-depth process. You can knock out the basics in a single afternoon if you just sit down and do it.

I picked one chapter and opened it at random ("Fox's Folly") and it has 8k words in its draft right now. "Tipping Scales" has 15k. At the time of making this post, Frayed Knots only has 34 chapters posted in public, so we're at least 1 or 2 years away from getting to this point, yet there's already a lot of draft info I can go back to. I've added a lot of bits and pieces to these chapters over the years and sometimes I just open them when I'm in the mood for reading something fun.

Having the documents already set up in advance brings you one step closer to opening them and throwing stuff in them and I highly recommend that.

Factor - These chapter outlines are more detailed (minus the early ones... the first 3 chapters were drafted as 1 chapter originally). If you've actually read Factor thus far, however, you'll notice that the scenes in my outline don't match perfectly with the finally chapters. And that's okay! The outlines are just guidelines and the final chapter can be different:

Lots of screenshots but I feel like my Factor doc is the most authentic look at my outline process (since it's recent while Origin and Knots were outlined like 7 years ago). I use black on my initial draft and red for things I change on a later sweep.

There are little notes to myself and sometimes I switch the order of things around. Also, "Torus" was written from scratch (no outline) since I came up with ideas for it later, and the nice thing is that I felt comfortable doing that without feeling like I'll write myself into a corner or wreck the pacing.

Having a story outline and all these separate docs means I already know where the story is going and I can jump in and write from anywhere in the timeline when the mood strikes. I think having a lot of options on what to write is the best way to fight writer's block, so this system works well for me.

Origin was drafted in 2016 and Knots in 2017. I create new scenes all the time (and scrap others), but a lot of the early story beats are still the same.

That about covers what I do in my outline process :) Thanks for asking and hopefully this was a fun and interesting read!

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centaurianthropology · 2 years

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How Old is Nandor Really?

Hopping back into the meta game after bingeing my way through ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (TV show), and while I’m sure there’s tons of interesting character analysis and lore analysis to dive into, the first thing that really drew me in was history. Specifically, I found myself wondering if I could use throwaway lines and art history to figure out exactly how old the vampires in WWDITS actually are. Nandor seemed the most possible to pinpoint dates for, as we have more information on his life and turning than any of the others, but it’s also muddled with inconsistencies and historical inaccuracies.

And those inaccuracies are what got me thinking. Nandor gives dates, but he also says that he ruled a country called Al Quolanudar, located in southern Iran, while also being a soldier in the Ottoman Empire. The problem here is that the Ottoman Empire never conquered Persia, and definitely never made it to southern Iran. Nandor is mixing up his own history (something all of the vampires seem to have a tendency to do). He thinks he remembers when he was alive, but timekeeping and dates vary from culture to culture, years get confused, and he is confusing Persia with Turkey, so … yeah, our boy is a very unreliable narrator when it comes to his own history. And that’s why I wanted to see if I couldn’t utilize more concrete information provided by the show, combine it with real-world history, and reconstruct a more accurate timeline for Al Quolanudar than that provided in the show.

Let’s start with dates that seem more certain than Nandor’s faulty memory. According to in-universe Google, we know that Al Quolanudar dissolved in 1401. We also know that Nandor did not know this. Now, it’s possible that he forgot this, just as much as he forgot that Persia and Anatolia are two very different places. But his shock seemed real enough that I’m inclined to believe he got turned and then subsequently exiled from his home country long enough before its dissolution that he never heard about it. My thought is that, after he was exiled, he fled to Anatolia and there became integrated enough into Ottoman vampire life that he conflated his human life and his vampire life. His army while he was human traveled far enough to destroy a village in Greece (Byzantium at the time), so he did probably have some contact with the Ottomans in his lifetime, and after a few centuries he mixed up his life in Persia and his unlife in Anatolia (combined with memories of invading the area with his army during his lifetime) and landed on his mixed-up history.

But how long before 1401 was Nandor exiled? For that, I think we need to turn to IRL Persian history. In the early 1200s Genghis Khan and the Mongols swept into Iran. Prior to their arrival Iran was one of the great cultural hearts of the Islamic world, featuring institutions of learning, architectural innovations, and large libraries. Many of these were destroyed with the Mongol invasion, and the Mongols seized control of the entire Persian region from 1256-1335, during a period referred to as the Ilkhanate. By the end of this period Persian culture was beginning to rebuild, utilizing its position as a crossroads of trade and incorporating art and architecture from Europe, India, Mesopotamia, and China. However, as the Ilkhanate stayed in power the Mongol empire fell apart. An important date for us is 1335, when the last of the Mongol rulers, Abu Said, died and the Ilkhanate dissolved into infighting, civil war, and petty dynasties.

I think this is where Nandor comes in. During a period in which numerous powers, previously kept in check by the Ilkhanate, sprung up to carve up Persia and take their own chunk of it back, it would make sense that a promising young warlord from Al Quolanudar might have been able to carve out a place for himself and to re-establish Al Quolanudar as an independent state. The Mongols and the local Arabian and Persian populations were in ongoing short and prolonged wars with one another from 1335-1381, and then the Turkish Mongol Timur invaded Iran and brutally conquered the area. He finally consolidated all of Persia back under singular reign by 1402.

And there’s a date that’s very close to one we already know. If Al Quolanudar dissolved in 1401 it was likely as part of the final consolidation of the Timur Empire finally reaching the southernmost reaches of Iran.

Given all this information, I think our best bet is that Nandor either established or helped establish an independent Al Quolanudar around 1335 CE (the population likely considered themselves a distinct state before this, but were governed by an imposed Mongol ruler). This would be good reason for him to rule the country he helped liberate right up until he was turned into a vampire. We don’t know how long his reign was, but it was long enough to lead his army pillaging and invading all the way up into Greece, which means they punched their way all the way through the Ottomans and into Byzantium. Even presuming they were tough enough to have managed that (and Nadja is proof that they were), that would have taken a healthy chunk of time. So let’s say he took over the country around the age of 20 and got turned around the age of 40 (running with Kayvan Novak’s age at the start of the series for that reference point). That puts his reign right around 20 years, which seems reasonable given his apparent accomplishments. That also means that he was turned into a vampire around 1350, which gives him half a century to make it to Anatolia, get lost in Ottoman culture, and miss the memo regarding Al Quolanudar being crushed in 1401 when the Timur Empire consolidated power in Persia.

This shaves his age down to more like 700, rather than 750+, but I think it makes the most sense, given the time periods involved, his references to the Ottoman Empire, and IRL Persian history. The dates provided from the 1200s just don’t mesh with the amount of Mongol control over Iran in the 1200s. There might be an argument made that Al Quolanudar was far enough south that Mongol control was shaky and couldn’t maintain control over a small kingdom there, so Al Quolanudar managed to remain independent, but that seems way less likely than it being formerly independent, then under Mongol control, then re-establishing itself as an independent power during the civil wars following the fall of the Ilkhanate.

I have no idea if anyone will enjoy this deep-dive into trying to square actual history with the absolutely mangled history of WWDITS, but for me it was a fun exercise, and I think I managed to make a fairly good go at figuring out a better timeline for Al Quolanudar than the one provided in the show. I have to admit, however, that I’m not an expert on Persian history. If you are I would love to hear any corrections or thoughts you might have on this theory. I would also love to hear your own theories on how Al Quolanuar might fit into IRL Persian history.

(Edited the next morning for non-midnight punctuation and a little more clarity of wording)

#What We Do in the Shadows #WWDITS meta #WWDITS #Nandor the Relentless #of course my first proper post in this fandom is a history essay I wrote at midnight #that's very on brand for me #I have no idea what the overlap between WWDITS and history nerds is #but I aim to find out

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deadhumourist · 2 years

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Under Marula Trees - Chapter 4

Pairing: Jack "Whiskey" Daniels x F!Reader

A/N: I'm sorry this took so long! Thank you to everyone who's been reblogging and commenting, I treasure all of that feedback because this is my baby. It's literally spurred me on to write more. Thank you to the LOVELY @just-here-for-the-moment for beta-ing (a few times) and allowing me to yell at her about shitty drafts..

There is a section in here about canned hunting - those not familiar with it, it's an unethical, awful practice. There's no detail in the story apart from mentioning the practice so I've marked it with an asterisk if you'd rather skip that paragraph.

Warnings: References to shooting and hunting (not detailed or explicit), alcohol, getting drunk, flirting, Whiskey on the prowl is its own warning.

Series Masterlist | Taglist sign-up

------

Breakfast was served near the pool in the large communal area, and it was bustling. On bright, sunny days like this it wasn’t unusual to find guests in the sparkling saltwater pool by 9am. Splashes and peals of laughter echoed across the large space and disappeared into the folds of the surrounding mountains.

The large tiled deck area was framed by teak pool loungers, filled out with luxurious sage-green pillows which were perfect for relaxing after a brisk dip in the sparkling pool. Large tan parasols were dotted among the chairs, offering a respite from the bright sunshine if you wanted to read a book or stretch out for a nap.

The lively space offered such a sharp contrast to the surrounding savanna, the expanse of burnt sienna and gold glinting as the sun climbed to its peak.

Peace like this was almost intoxicating and you didn't envy people returning to the humdrum of their daily life when their vacation was over. This kind of landscape settled into your bones and coaxed a wistful melancholy from you when you left.

You clutched your bottle of water, the condensation running onto your hand in the heat.

Pretty soon, you would need to find your charges for the day. Even though it was only the second day, they had a packed schedule and for you, that meant a long day of babysitting. You were still feeling a bit grumpy but you had a good night’s sleep and normally busy days passed quickly.

As you walked across the large space, you clocked your group at a table in the corner. Champ spotted you first, waving you over. He reminded you of a kindly but eccentric uncle. One that had undoubtedly been a catch in his younger days. His easy manner and dry sense of humour drew you in quickly and you found yourself wondering whether he had been a serious, cut-throat agent in his youth.

Now he had a cigar almost permanently perched between his lips, and by some miracle he managed to talk, laugh, and tell the most outrageous stories without this thing simply falling out. He was also sporting a bright, floral shirt that you could practically see from space.

It hung apathetically from his shoulders, barely concealing a tuft of white chest hair that refused to play nice with physics. He was clearly very determined to be on vacation. Like wearing a beacon saying “Could I be more relaxed right now?” It made him look a little self-conscious and you liked him even more for it.

Some covert Googling revealed that he ran an impressive distillery back in the US, but today he was just Randy with the beach bum shirt next to the pool.

You swerved between the tables and chairs with a practised ease that came with the territory. Narrowly missing a waiter carrying a giant pitcher of water, you closed in on them. They were sat at the furthest end of the area, far enough away from other holidaymakers to allow them some privacy.

As you came closer, snippets of an animated debate floated up above the general din of the guests. You only managed to catch the tail end of it.

“And I wouldn’t know, now would I?” Jack spat out, his tone suggesting that he was keen to move away from the topic of discussion.

He was in the pool, his arms folded and anchoring him to the edge. Dark hair slicked back, water droplets running down his neck as he spoke. For the first time he wasn’t wearing his whole cowboy get-up and your eyes were glued to his back muscles and strong arms. You were vaguely aware that you were staring but you had little hope of tearing your eyes away.

Soft swells of saltwater sloshed against his back as he pushed away and dipped underwater again. Ginger rolled her eyes in exasperation, looking at Champ.

“I don’t know what he’s so defensive about, he was quick in Singapore with the...y’know…” her sentence drifted off as she locked eyes with you.

The look went on just a second too long.

Remembering what you were meant to be doing, you gently patted Champ’s shoulder. “Well, you all look good and rested, did you sleep well?”

Ginger had recovered her composure admirably but the screws were still turning in the back of your mind on how you could draw her out. You were dying to know what they were talking about. As she prattled on you only appeared to be listening, wondering if her poison was alcohol or something stronger. Or nothing? She looked like the type who would run her mouth on a sugar high if you pushed gently enough.

Feeling your attention on her, she scrambled for a deflection.

“This place is really beautiful, you must enjoy it here. Do you live nearby or at the resort?”

“I’m based here, I have a little cottage just down the footpath from where the tented areas are. It’s small but private, but it’s really all I need. I’m comfortable.”

Ginger nodded and smiled at you. You felt like you were inadvertently squaring off, each side tipping their hat in mock deference. For the first time you felt like you had taken an inadvertent peek behind the curtain. What shocked you was that there was a curtain in the first place. They were on holiday. Taking a break. You must be mistaken.

Jack, having dipped back in the water as soon as you arrived, seemed to be swimming lazy laps, earning a few admiring looks from people lounging nearby. He didn’t seem to be aware of it. It really was unfair that someone so obnoxious was so good-looking. How rude of the universe to do that, you thought.

Your attention turned back to the group.

"Alright, enjoy breakfast, I’ll see you this afternoon for your cub visit. Tomorrow night we have a special surprise for you, so you’ll have to rest up.".

“We’re gonna ride a lion?”

Champ looked at Tequila and deadpanned. “Son, you don’t ride predators. You ride giraffes, the view is better.” He shot you a naughty wink.

You had to count to 10 to keep your laugh bottled but you were losing the battle. Champ had picked up on your acerbic answers to wildlife related questions and was now dishing it out himself, and you loved it.

A smile bursting with the first tendrils of laughter graced your lips before you spun on your heels and walked away. You weren't laughing at them per se, but at the dynamic that leaned heavily towards a bickering family. Close, good-natured and all too familiar with each other.

At the very back of your mind the niggling unease of the exchange at the pool shouted for attention, but you pushed it back down. They were clearly all relaxed and just unwinding, some conflict as people let go of worries and latent stress was probably expected.

The rest of the morning was taken up by doing the rounds with housekeeping. At this level of VVIP hosts were required to personally oversee the comfort of their guests and your case was no different.

After going through the rooms and the lunch menu, you spoke to Aaron about the following evening’s midnight excursion. “Please make sure there’s enough hot chocolate as well as fleece blankets, you know how cold it can get at the back of the Jeep.

“You should just offer to keep them warm yourself. Especially the one making big cow eyes at you.”

You laughed. “No one is making cow eyes at anyone. Least of all that one.”

He shook his head and chuckled “Okay you realise you just outed yourself by knowing EXACTLY who I was talking about right? And he does. He moons over you like a big ol’ Jersey cow looking for skitches.”

You fixed him with glare but struggled to suppress a smile. “He doesn’t. Let it go Aaron.”

Aaron gave you a side eye but kept silent.

You playfully punched him in the shoulder and started out the door.

“I’ll see you later, I need to go pick them up for the cub camp. My babies are getting so big!”

Jumping in the jeep, you made your way to the Statesman suites. Once outside, you climbed out and dusted off your jumpsuit. Although practical and dared you say it, kinda cute, driving in the outdoors with this thing on meant you got permanently dusty. Some days you felt more like Pigpen from Peanuts than a high-end hostess to the rich and famous.

Champ opened on the second knock at his door with a. “Hey! Time already? Gimme a minute, I just need my shoes. Go on, get the others in the meantime, I’ll meet ya out there.” You knocked on the second door and almost simultaneously the other doors opened and the group drifted out and piled into the vehicle.

As you took off on the dusty road which snaked onto a mountainside, you turned your head slightly so they could hear you over the noise of the engine.

“We’re meeting up with Alexander Umbra, who runs our conservation programme. He’s been with the resort for little over two years, heading up various projects that keep the animals safe and cared for. Since he’s been here we’ve had a record number of rhino births!”

The group seemed to be listening and but not really reacting, save for a vague nod from Tequila. It was a short drive, as a conscious decision had been made to keep the babies closer to camp. As you pulled into the clearing, you continued.

***

“What you’ll be seeing today is some of our rescue lion cubs. They were extracted from canned hunting farms, and if we hadn’t gotten to them, they would have been shot.” You knew they were safe here but recounting the fate they could have ended up with always made your stomach turn. It disgusted you and it made you grateful for people like Alex who put their heart and souls into fighting this practice.

***

As you hopped off the Jeep, a tall, sandy-haired man made his way to you. He was dressed in khaki shorts and a short-sleeved button-down with the resort logo emblazoned on it. Trying to combat the heat, the first two buttons were undone and you couldn’t help but admire how damn good he made this dull, compulsory outfit look.

The nature of his job meant he was almost always outside and had cultivated a sun-kissed tan which really emphasised the muscles he developed dealing with beasts that far outweighed him in strength.

He greeted the group warmly and pressed a kiss to your cheek like an old friend.

Turning to them, he started talking.

“Now, we’re about to go into the cub camp. I’ve no doubt you would have already been filled in on the details by my colleague here, so I’ll just go over some basic safety rules.

One. The cubs are cute, but they have fangs and serious claws. Please be careful around them. Two, if you have brought any snacks, please don’t feed it to them. We have some choice cuts of meat on the bone that we’ve brought along as treats.

Three, and this really is the most important rule. They may be babies but they are still lions. Do not turn your back on them or let them round you, because they will pounce and attempt to take you down. This is playing but essential prep for hunting during adulthood. They are small but very strong and you are prey to them. Always ensure they’re in front of you. Got that?”

The group nodded. In what was becoming a habit over the last few days, your eyes strayed to Jack. You felt your stomach drop.

He was staring at Alex like he was the last drink of water in the desert. His dark eyes roaming over the other man's form like a storm rolling in, brooding and intense.

You frowned and looked back at Alex, who seemed to be completely unaware of the other man’s attention. Tearing your eyes away at what seemed like a private moment for Jack, you reached back into the Jeep for the cooler with the meat.

Lugging it down in front of the camp entrance, you turned to Alex, who was just completing the safety briefing.

“Alright, let’s go. If you need anything, please speak up.”

He opened the gate and everyone filed into the camp. It was a large camp with rocks, a small natural pool and plenty of umbrella Acacia trees, which had horizontal branches perfect for climbing and playing.

The group approached the little cubs carefully, and split up as they wandered around. Jack had wandered right to the back of the camp, inspecting a little cub who was fast asleep and draped over a branch.

You fought the urge to go talk to him, staying back and keeping an eye on Champ and Ginger instead. Out of the corner of your eye you saw Alex walk over to him, making conversation and chuckling.

Jack was so attentive to Alex that he hadn’t noticed a sneaky cub prowling behind him. The cat lowered his head and body in an instinctual hunting pose.

Alex immediately saw his plan and leapt past Jack, catching the little guy before he could pounce. He was smaller than the rest and after getting a good grip on him and turning him around, Alex gently handed him to Jack to hold.

The other man curled his arm around the cub protectively and leaned in closer to Alex to ask him something. They were so close that it definitely bordered on ‘personal space invasion’ and you had to take measured breaths to keep your heart rate steady.

Alex was gorgeous. You would be lying if you said you hadn’t stolen a few looks anytime he was busy with the cubs. Anyone would.

But it also meant that Aaron was completely wrong about Jack. You felt a little pang of disappointment that struck deep in your chest. You didn’t want to think about why it was there. Instead you took a final deep breath in through your nose, breathing out through your mouth, hoping to dispel the pain particles from your lungs out into the world.

Your eyes fell on the two men again, just in time to see Jack rest his hand on Alex’s bicep in what looked to you like an intimate gesture.

You felt something snap. This was stupid. So fucking incredibly stupid of you. He was just a guest.

You turned away, scoffing under your breath, and opened the cooler. The moment the scent of raw meat hit the air the cubs trotted to you excitedly, amber-gold eyes trained on the meat. The cub in Jack’s arms scrambled to get out of his hold, scratching him in the process. Alex reached over to inspect the cut. You wished it had cut a little deeper. Just to hurt a little.

As the cubs feasted, the group eventually drifted back over to you. Jack crossed his arms, coming to stand next to you.

A little bit of blood from the cut on his arm had dried, leaving a thin red line and an angry raised welt on his skin.

Your eyes flicked down to it and you drily remarked to Jack “Pretty bad cut that cub gave you. Maybe you shouldn’t be so distracted around dangerous animals.”

He looked at you for a long moment, his eyes inexplicably soft, but with a smirk resting on his full lips.

“The cub hasn’t cut deeper than your words have, Sugar.”

"If you really caught the sharp edge of my tongue, you would be more significantly injured." you snarked.

"But it would hurt so good.”

You stared ahead of you grumpily. He was really playing fast and loose here, flirting with you right after putting the moves on Alex. You bent down to scratch the scruff of the closest cub, fingers digging into its thick fur to drive the irritation away. Some animals were wilder than others, you mused.

When you came back up, he continued. “He’s really passionate about endangered species.” He continued to look at Alex appreciatively.

“Uhm…I guess. Apparently he was hired on the spot. James, our CEO, loved his idea of some of our rarer animals receiving tracking chips so we can always see where they are. There are other…measures…which have been taken to keep them safe.”

“What measures?”

“I can’t really talk about that. Any detail about the rhinos are off limits. Why do you ask?”

The question came out sharper than you intended, but this was sensitive territory and he had already ruffled your feathers today.

He focused on the middle distance, narrowing his eyes.

“Just curious, is all.”

You decided to leave it at that.

After the feed, the group clambered back into the vehicle. By that time the sun had started to drift down over the savanna. It looked like it was melting into a large watering hole just outside of the resort.

You left your group at their doorstep, with the promise to pick them up for a late supper.

----

Walking into your house for the first time as dusk settled, you could feel the day wearing on you like a heavy blanket. You were desperate to just take a shower and get to bed but you still had the entire night on duty. It irritated you anew that you even had to be here instead of South America on your well-deserved holiday.

You showered and freshened up, the cool water running down your back and breathing new life into you. Drying off and patting on some moisturiser, you felt ready to tackle the second part of your shift. Zipping up your dress and slipping on your ankle boots, you checked the time. You had to be out of here in 5 minutes. Taking one last look at your appearance, you dashed out the door.

Entering the private dining room just off the main dining area, you found a few of the Statesman group already there, with Champ and Jack standing on the veranda seemingly deep in conversation.

You smiled broadly at Ginger, who you now knew went by Erin. Your curiosity was still piqued from that morning, and you were intent on finding out what they had been talking about that elicited such a reaction from Jack. You were struggling to piece together all the pieces.

Part of you felt guilty. You were good-natured but you weren’t above some mischievous plotting. Besides, you reasoned, she was in a safe space and the worst that could happen was that she would let you in on a little gossip…maybe a little secret. Maybe that secret would even have something to do with Jack.

Cradling her shoulder, you steered her to the bar. “You know, we have this amazing cocktail named after you? It’s called a ‘Sparkling Ginger’ and is just, wow, it’s delicious. Just so sweet and refreshing, you know?” You motioned to the bartender, who had heard your conversation, and was already busy mixing the drink in question. She carefully watched him reach for ginger syrup, bourbon, lemon juice and syrup.

She turned to you, flustered. “Oh, I don’t know, I don’t really drink. Is it…strong?”

You mentally debated the relativity of strong and settled on a lie of omission. Somehow it seemed slightly less harmful than an outright lie. Both were as bad as the other and you mentally crossed your heart and promised to atone for this later.

“It’s sooo good, you gotta try it.” you said in your sweetest tone, and with that you swiped the drink off the bar and pressed it into her hand. The bubbles fizzed and popped in the martini-style glass. She took a hesitant sip and instantly brightened up.

“You’re right, this is delicious!”

She took another sip and hummed appreciatively. Heart leaping, you gave her shoulder a squeeze and went to check on the food. This magic would take a little while to work. You couldn’t rush it.

You were seated opposite Jack at supper, who kept sneaking glances at you. Pretending not to see them, you secretly burned to face him full on and do something about it. You knew you could never - that would mean risking your job and reputation, as well as that of the resort.

Unbidden the image of him clasping Alex's tanned, gorgeous bicep also drifted to the surface of your mind and you felt that pinch of hurt again.

You poked at your salad, thoughts a thousand miles away while the group chattered. You needed a distraction otherwise you were going to brood all night.

Ginger, seated to your left, now seemed to be what you liked to term ‘socially lubricated’. Her eyes were a little glassier than usual and an easy smile framed her perfect teeth.

You trod lightly into the murky waters of small talk.

“So do you come here often?" You teased.

Ginger snort-laughed at your silly question and breathlessly replied "Uhmm…to eat? Often, but first time in Africa."

"I can tell, I love how excited you are about everything. Jake is a treat, he treats every animal sighting like it's the first time he's ever seen anything."

You tilted your head.

"You guys seem close, do you travel together a lot? What about your families?"

Ginger looked up at Champ for a brief moment before answering. "We are close, when you work together this much you don't really have a choice. Family, I dunno. Tequila and I don't have anyone at home, and Champ's been married for 40 years. Sheila is lovely, so patient with him."

"Jack…" her voice drifted off, like she was recalling a very distant memory. Her speech had started to slur a little, a tell-tale sign that the fizzy alcohol was humming through her veins.

You felt curiosity tickle at the base of your spine and gently pressed her for more.

"And Jack?"

She seemed to suddenly snap back to the present and looked at you with an unreadable expression.

"He's lonely….alone. I mean alone…now. Not…" she waved her hand as if shooing the troublesome word that had slipped out without permission.

"Oh". You didn't know what to do with this and let the statement hang between you, getting thinner with each moment that passed.

Ginger excused herself to get some fresh air.

As the last plates were cleared away, Champ ordered a round of nightcaps for everyone.

You started to protest but he shushed you with a wave of his hand and a wink. He really got away with everything by deciding that he would, and the universe just went along with it.

“You take good care of us, ‘least you can do is enjoy a drink before we turn in for the night. Let’s move over to the lounge, my ass ain’t what it used to be for sittin’ all day.”

The group moved to the large leather couches around the fire, when Tequila reappeared.

“Look what I found! Scored it off the barman.” he smiled, very pleased with himself.

“The booze is free, Jake. You can literally walk in and take whatever.” you giggled. The cognac nightcap was velvety smooth but still felt like a lit fire inside your tummy. You sipped slowly, cognisant of the fact that you were still on the clock.

Tequila motioned to a few wait staff to join them, and as it was the end of their shift, they carefully took off their name tags and got comfortable as Tequila poured them all a measure.

Then he firmly closed the bottle and placed it on its side in the middle of the coffee table.

Champ groaned.

“Son we’re all just enjoying a relaxing nightcap, you gonna start with your shenanigans again?”

The other man laughed. “Night’s still young Champ, and we have some very lovely company” he motioned to the waitresses sitting on both sides of him. They were very pretty, and clearly interested in him. The seats had filled up when you popped out to the restroom, and now the only space open was next to Jack.

Ginger, having returned from the veranda some time ago, had been quiet for a long time. You looked over at her, and cringed a little. You should have known someone unaccustomed to alcohol would sip that cocktail like it was a coke. Three cocktail glasses stood as evidence near her place at the table.

Her eyes were drooping slightly but she seemed very relaxed, a big, silly smile plastered on her face.

Tequila looked around and yelped “Ready? Lessgo!”

He spun the bottle, which landed on Marie, one of the waitresses. She looked at Jeannie on his right, and they giggled to one another.

Tequila, realising what was going on, held his face out and closed his eyes. They both pecked a sweet kiss on the cheek closest to them and a big smile lit up his face.

Jeannie spun the bottle, which landed on Champ. She threw him a coy look.

Champ scoffed. “My missus will be terribly unhappy darlin'. I’ma sit this game out.”

Ginger leaned forward and spun the bottle.

It spun a few times and slowly came to a stop on Jack.

She looked at the bottle for a long time, then grinned. "I'm not gonna kiss Whiskey, I have a better idea. He has to kiss our hostess."

"I know he wants to.” she mumbled almost inaudibly, before a loud hiccup escaped her.

Your breath hitched as you looked up at him in a panic, the liquor in your system suddenly seeming to evaporate as your heart throbbed uncomfortably against your sternum.

The ache from earlier flared up when you told yourself he would probably laugh at this.

Make a spectacle, playing it up like the yeehonk asshole he was.

Jack’s searching eyes took in your discomfort.

He turned to Ginger, mouth opened and poised to say something, but decided against it and turned back to you. By now the atmosphere was palpable, an artificial silence that made the crickets outside sound abnormally loud. Everyone was watching Ginger's taunt unfold.

Jack shifted sideways until he was facing you, your knees touching at the edge of the plush leather couch. His eyes narrowed and a small smile tugged at his mouth corners. Something like amusement played across his features.

Jack's hand came up to your face and settled with his thumb on your cheekbone, his fingers resting at the base of your skull. It felt warm and protective and you fought the urge to lean into it like a cat stretching out in warm sunlight.

Selfishly, you allowed yourself to enjoy the sensation for a moment, as your eyelids dropped closed. The firm but gentle grip was an intoxicating feeling you could get used to.

You felt the warmth of him close to your face, his breath spilling over your lips like a wisp of invisible smoke. Anticipation snaked its way between your ribs, tugging at your chest and making your heart rabbit all over again.

"You don't have to do this."

It was barely a whisper, spoken close to your lips. The words dropped to the floor between you, and your eyes flew open.

He was giving you an out. He didn't want to do this, not with you, and he was asking you to make this easier without embarrassing you.

Merciful and cruel in equal measure.

You harshly pulled out of his grip, getting up like an unsteady foal. Humiliation and anger made tears well up in your eyes and you blinked quickly to dissipate your body's betrayal. You turned, grabbed your bag and made for the door.

"I gotta go, Jim will pick you up in 20 minutes, goodnight!"

You called over your shoulder, the last vestige of your normal voice leaving your throat before it pinched closed in a silent sob. Your legs went on autopilot to take you home as your mind reeled.

God you were stupid. That was hopeful and stupid and so close.

You slammed your front door behind you. You were still angry at yourself when you went to bed, and as you fitfully fell asleep, you couldn't shake the feeling that you'd shown too much of your hand tonight.

Thanks for reading! Comments and reblogs are appreciated <3

#jack daniels x f!reader #agent jack daniels x reader #jack whiskey daniels #agent whiskey/f!reader #agent whiskey x reader #kingsman: the golden circle

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