#also i used to work with various brushes for lines and colour and shading but eventually i found i just liked working with that one brush

[drawsmaddy]

I'm sure you've probably been asked this before but tumblrs search feature is wonk and I can't seem to find it

So I'd like to ask what program and brushes you usually use for your art

I've been using photoshop the past few years since I got free access to it through uni (gonna be switching to clip studio soon since I'm currently finishing up my degree!) and I use the same brush for near enough everything, it's the "kyle's drawing box - happy hb" brush that I'm pretty sure comes with photoshop and I use it for sketching, lines, colours, and shading! The only other brush I regularly use is "kyle's spatter brushes - pressure control 02" and I use that one for doing freckles

#if anyone has any tips for getting started with clip studio paint please let me know!! #it's been a long time since i switched up my digital art program so i'm gonna be messing about trying to get used to it for a little while #also i used to work with various brushes for lines and colour and shading but eventually i found i just liked working with that one brush

[i-love-you-all]

For the valorant hc game could you do sova please?

Of course! Sova, my love <333

Also realizing how long these posts get so I've put the keep reading line in.

5 things they usually see:

A practice target (often those poor bots). His greatest fear is failure - a missed shot. It could determine the fate of his teammates or the world, so it cannot happen (again). As a result, he spends ungodly amounts of time training and working out. No mistake will be repeated on his watch.

Wildlife! It's already established that he enjoys photographing nature, so I imagine that he see trees, flowers and animals quite often.

Chess boards and pieces. He's a pretty avid chess players (same with Cypher so I imagine those two compete as often as Sova can stand the information broker).

Guns and other weapons. I HC him as being military/special ops then onto whatever the Brotherhood is. And before then I HC his family to be a military family so he's grown up seeing guns, learning how to use them... and using them himself.

Various shades of blue. I think it's a top 3 favourite colour of his (looking at the clothes he wears outside his armour). But I like to think that he got his walls painted blue at the protocol. And that he got some say in what he would wear out on his missions and whatnot. (because if we're being honest, if he does work up north in snow and stuff as shown in his card, he should be wearing arctic camo).

4 things they usually feel:

The cold. He grew up in a cold place and like his voiceline on icebox, he enjoys the cold as well. For the most part, he doesn't mind it, but when he's out for a long time, he does enjoy the warmth of a fire, or just a heated room.

The calluses on his hands and the weight of his bow. He's been trained since young with the bow and arrow, so his skin is not soft, and it's not perfect. However, it is who he is, so when he makes a fist or absentmindedly rubs his hands together, he feels them quite often. It's a permanent reminder of who he is.

His wet hair as he leaves the shower + all the cleaning and brushing he does for it. I think that he takes special care of his hair because it's like the one part of him that "stayed the same" throughout his life, or that it's the only thing that can't be scarred. He must have so many scars around his body (though I sometimes write him to have none bc he's that OP :p) and then he lost his eye, so the fact that his hair can still stay nice and soft must be something to treasure :))

The sore feeling you get after a workout. Whether he was injured on a mission or just after a hard day, he can feel that stiffness. Maybe there are days he wishes he was a radiant. Maybe then, all the physical strains he takes on wouldn't hurt as much. He knows the soreness will only get worse, no matter how great he is at keeping in shape. And that's when his admiration for Brimstone gets stronger because that man has been working through this for decades longer than he has.

3 things they usually hear:

His electro music. I'd like to think that maybe, the reason why he likes that genre more (from what you can hear on the playlist for him) is because the drums are softer/rounder. A loud hit on a snare might make him tense up a little too much because it can sound like a gunshot.

His breathing, and his efforts to control it. Snipers have to work to control how they breathe, so as he settles down into a sniper's position, he needs to be extra aware of his breath. Also, in worse times, he needs to calm himself down when he has a nightmare intense enough to make him jolt upright in the middle of the night. Thoughts of losing his eye again, or a mission that was failed because of his action - or lack of action, sometimes plague him, and he hates how he loses control for those few moments.

A cold wind/nature. I've already talked about him being out in the world and enjoying cold weather, but he likes to be closely attuned with all the possible and plausible sounds of nature. Not only is it a good way to calm himself down, but it's also great training. When he's alone out on a mission, he needs to know what are normal sounds and what could be an enemy trying to sneak up on him.

2 things they usually smell:

Nice, warm, tea in the morning. He would never admit it, and Cypher has no proof, but it is him that sometimes takes Cypher's teas. Especially when he doesn't have any of his own available at that moment.

Metal/nothing. Not metallic as in blood, but as in the general iron smell of a gun or his bow. It's clean and isn't really reflective of the scents in his everyday surroundings, which is what I mean by nothing. He can smell food, gas, or whiffs of perfume as he travels around cities. He can smell flowers, trees, and nature when he's outdoors. He can't smell anything in that armoury as he prepares to leave on a mission.

1 thing they usually taste:

Blood. I know it's kind of a cop out for any agent, but I think Sova more than most (maybe not deadlock or brimstone) just due to his history in this line of work. He has lived through war, assassinations, and straight fist and knife fights. He has hit others, and inadvertently tasted a bit of blood splatter, or he has been hard enough to taste some of his own blood in his mouth. I think he might be a medium steak kinda guy if he does go out because he doesn't want to be reminded of anything while enjoying a meal. Though, there are times where he's in that sort of mood and will order something medium rare and let himself taste just that little bit of blood.

#yay my fave :)) #valorant #sova #valorant sova #hc game #requested #answered asks

[snarkspawn]

Thank you for posting the timelapse! It shows your drawing process and it gave me an idea of how to make my own process easier!

Just... how do you stop yourself from shading at the beginning? I always start shading stuff in the middle of sketching and when I realize what I've done I already have enough done that it's a pain to delete it 😑

Also, can I say that I very much like how you draw rain? Mine looks like simple white lines and I haven't found yet how to make it look better. I think that you colour it depending on the light sources? I will try it next time 😄

Thanks again!

Ahhh I'm glad!! ♥

Hmm I don't think I've ever really had that problem because when I'm sketching I usually don't think about the shading yet? Like unless I do a quick thumbnail first to quickly lay out where I want to go with it I only start worrying about light sources and stuff once I've figured out everything else lmao I mean I do often add a few lines where I already know I'll add a shadow later, like underneath the jaw or where clothes overlap etc, or to define the features a bit more, but that's usually as far as it goes at that stage

But, having said that ... if it's such a pain for you to erase the shading and fight against doing something that seems to come naturally to you, have you considered embracing it as a part of your process and trying to work with it instead? There is no One True Way(TM) to do art and this could just be something that works for you, to shade as you go along? Maybe?

Oh haha thank you :D I think I used this brush and then just drew in various shades of lighter to darker grey on an overlay layer, to try and give it more depth

#lunatih #replies #art asks #idk idk don't listen to me I am also just making shit up as I go lmao

[im-not-batman]

Second installment of my mission to write a Ronance oneshot based off each song from MOSS by Maya Hawke my beloved.

When she knocked on their door, it took a second for there to be a response. Nancy understood why when Robin came to the door dressed in coveralls that were more paint than fabric.

"Hey Robin-a-Roo, busy day?" She chuckled, a little sarcastically.

"You don't even know the half of it, Nance," Robin sighed with false weariness as she turned to walk back into the apartment with a broad grin. She left the door open for Nancy to follow her.

Nancy smiled with amused shock when she reached Robin's room.

Every surface was covered in sheets of tarp, save for one wall which was smattered with splats vibrant colour.

There were open cans of paint in every colour you could imagine lined up on the floor (also protected with plastic), and there were various paint brushes and tools strewn about. When she looked at Robin again though, she saw that clearly she had leaned in favour of using her bare hands for this endeavour.

"Voilà!" Robin announced, waving her arms dramatically at the wall. Her face was adorned with a broad and bright grin that reached her eyes. Nancy's chest flowered with warmth.

"Cool," she said with a smile of her own, "there's almost as much paint on the wall as there is on you."

"Oh, excuse me for getting excited at the prospect of flinging colours around," Robin rolled her eyes good-naturedly and turned to admire her messy work.

Nancy laughed again and looked at the set up Robin had going.

She grinned, "looks like fun."

Robin beamed and turned to face Nancy again, "it's a great stress reliever. Wanna join?" She wiggled her eyebrows in challenge.

"Oh I wouldn't want to ruin it," she replied, suddenly feeling sheepish and vulnerable.

Robin's voice dropped a little, and she smirked, teasing, "ruin my completely random, zero skill required, messy, impulsive, paint splashing?"

Nancy frowned, "Impulsive? Didn't you get the landlord's permission?" She asked.

"There wasn't time! I had to go to the hardware store to get the tarps and paint and then I was deciding which wall to do it on and covering everything else with plastic and tape!" She spoke while waving her arms around dramatically, clearly just trying to make Nancy laugh. It worked.

"Don't worry I'll paint over it when I move out," she promised and wiggled her fingers ominously as she asked, "so are you getting your hands dirty or what?"

This time it was Nancy who rolled her eyes, "Fine, but I don't really have any clothes I'd be okay with getting paint on."

"Just borrow mine," Robin offered without hesitation, already dipping a hand into a truly alarming shade of bright green and admiring the way it dripped from her long fingers.

She grinned at Robin's ease at offering up her clothes for her to essentially ruin. The trust that Nancy would know the right clothes to pick, the inherent intimacy of sharing clothes, shocked her a little.

An indescribable warmth spread through her chest as she rifled through the drawers. She grabbed a grubby old work shirt that she knew Robin only kept for messy projects like this, since it was embroidered with a company logo. And she recognised a pair of dungarees she'd seen Robin wear before – she had a habit of drawing on the knees and wiping dirt and dyes and all sorts all over them, so she assumed a little paint would be fine – and took them to the bathroom to change.

When she came back into Robin's room, Nancy lingered at the door. Robin had put on some music (apparently not minding her tape deck getting a little colourful) and was jumping around dancing to David Bowie. With her eyes closed, she didn't see Nancy return and so was unencumbered by embarrassment or shyness.

Robin smiled bright, she occasionally flicked out her arms towards the paint wall, leaving a splatter of neon green from the arc of her hands as she danced. It was pure joy. Nancy couldn't keep herself from joining.

As the chorus hit, she jumped into Robin's room, dancing like no one was watching and she started singing along. Well, shouting would be more accurate.

At first her friend looked caught. Like she didn't mean for anyone to see her goofing around dancing to one of her favourite songs, so Nancy made sure to act even goofier. Even out the playing field.

Robin's face then transformed into something akin to awe. Like she couldn't believe that Nancy was there. Finally, her expression turned into one of sheer happiness as she started dancing again and joining Nancy in her shout-singing of the chorus.

As the song faded out they found themselves theatrically falling to the ground out of breath, the plastic rustled beneath them. Any of Nancy's lingering annoyance for the people at her old job had been drowned out by the utter joy that coursed through her now.

She sighed as she finally regained her wind, "I needed that," she smiled as she sat up to look at the wall again, "so what do you want me to do?"

#stranger things #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #ronance #ronance fic #fanfic #ao3 #ao3 fanfic #robin x nancy #nancy x robin #lesbian robin buckley #wlw nancy wheeler #can't decide what she would id as so we're going broad with wlw #pushing my justice for karen wheeler agenda

[hullabaloomd]

Artwork: Self-Grooming/Dysmorphophobia

The artwork, ‘Self-Grooming’ features a close-up of a disheveled face, unhealthily picking at itself with widened eyes and accentuated blemishes and imperfections.

This piece represents the habits of facial dysmorphia and the raw reality of the struggle.

In the painting, I wanted to be able to provide the most realistic and detailed style of painting technique in order to be able to capture the true sense of vulnerability as well as underlining the obsessive tendencies.

I knew that I wanted this painting to be large scale, emphasising on how the individual places picking at their appearance to be of such a high level of importance and how they prioritise their unhealthy habits in their routine. Also, by making the piece large scale, it allows me to be able to incorporate specific details such as the texture of the subject’s skin, blemishes or lines on their face.

I began by sketching out a self-portrait, using a photograph of myself as reference. In the original photograph, I appear to be pulling at my facial features, exposing my teeth and the inside of my mouth, as well as the disturbing details of my eye which I am dragging down. The actions in the photograph are evidently aggressive and forceful, already allowing for a negative viewing experience.

I then began placing brushstrokes of colour onto specific areas of the face which depict shadow and highlights. I achieved this through using purples and dark blues for the shadows and yellows, light blues and pinks for the highlights. I understand that the main tone of the painting would be of a skin tone, but since I am pale, I made use of various blue and purple shades to accomplish that sickening and ill effect.

Once I had set all the main colours down, I went forward with detail. I found this to be a challenge, as previously, I had never added much texture or detail into my portraits due to lack of technique, but also lack of confidence. Through constant practise and experimentation, however, I managed to achieve the style that I wanted.

Without creating too much of an abstract look, I managed to use colour in a way that truly represents the features of this portrait. As it’s a self-portrait and understanding my features well, I was able to incorporate the correct colours as well as allow my personality and emotions to shine through.

I played close attention to certain blemishes such as my purple under eyes, my piercings, the wrinkles and denting in which my fingers would create from their actions and also the blushing of my cheeks. I didn’t want to add too many warm tones to the piece as I knew that that would create a positive outlook on the portrait, therefore using blues and purples as my main colour schemes.

I used a painting brush for the entire process, as I knew this was my most familiar way of delivering the acrylic onto the canvas. Also, by using the brush, I was able to assemble various strokes and lines.

From observing the final product, I have a certainty that I have produced a successful painting, assisted by my intricate and complex level of skills. I was able to create the effect that I wanted, being able to emphasise on the unhealthy level of obsession and also forcefully capture the emotional turmoil that the subject is facing in the moment. When showing peers my painting simply through photographs of the work, it has already been described as ‘disturbing’ and ‘striking’ which is the effect I aimed for. This painting also has provided me with a new painting style that I am comfortable with, as well as set of confidence, especially with working on larger-scale.

[2022-504-izzymcbeth]

REVIEW: Videos

IMAGERY: Rectangular marquee tool – when working with imagery to select a specific part, to then crop Image – Image Size – less pixels = smaller image, more pixels = larger image

LAYERS: Unlock layers wanting to work with Decrease opacity of image layer to 50% for illustration processes = easier Create fill/adjustment layer to add colour and gradients etc to images Individual layer for every illustration part/ animation frame

ILLUSTRATION: Various brush tools and types to choose from in 'Brush Settings panel'

TIMELINE: Window – Timeline 'Create Frame Animation' EITHER: 'Make Frames From Layers' OR 'Duplicate Selected Frame' and add frame by frame, turning on an off visibility

EXPORTATION File – Export – Save for Web (Legacy) 'GIF' format selected Colours – range from 32 to 256 – higher colour value needed for imagery, not necessary for block colour Dither – different shading effects – higher the % of dither the more detailed 'Preview' – allows you to see your GIF in browser 'Save'

COMMANDS: Shift = select multiple layers Cmnd + I = Invert (image selection) Cmnd + , = layer visibility Cmnd, option + G = clipping mask to layer (followed by blending modes) Cmnd + J = duplicate B = brush tool

Screen movement is an optical illusion – it is actually just a multiple frame sequence rapidly changing Phi Phenomenon – The Human Brain can perceive 10-12 individual images per second. Any rate more than that, the Brain blends each image together into motion and movement. 12 FPS = first frame rate 46 FPS = persistence of vision – eliminates black frames in film projection To reduce the amount of film used to do this, double bladed and triple bladed shutters were used to capture a single frame 4 times 16 FPS (less film used) = 48 frames projected (still produce persistence of vision) Hand camera under crank = recording a slower frame rate than final projection Hand camera over crank = recording a faster frame rate than final projection Early silent film = 14-26 FPS

SOUND Sound standardises the frame rate Sound = optical track that runs along the film strip In addition of sound, recording and playing back film had to be kept to a strict, even frame rate (24 FPS) Audio track didn't have enough fidelity on a 16 FPS, stepped up to the next factor - 24 FPS, also while using a double bladed shutter to keep to the desired 48 projected FPS 24 was the lowest easily divisible number that would work for sound

ELECTRONIC FRAME RATES Similar issues as with picture film, television would have the flickering black frame, however, the picture film solution wasn't technologically feasible Bandwidth – trying to conserve in over-the-air television broadcasting Fritz Schroter (1930) + Richard Ballard (1932) To conserve bandwidth and avoid frame flickering, each frame would be interlaced  Interlaced – broken down into two alternating fields – an upper and lower field These fields would then be on screen one after the other in a comb like pattern Each field was created in a 60th of a second = 30 FPS

COLOUR NTSC (American) Colour introduction – VHF (30-300 MHz), UHF (300-3000 MHz) Luminance , Chrominance (colour sub-carrier) 60 fields per second, down to 59.94 fields per second to avoid colour and audio 'intermodular beating' and issues 59.94 fields/second – 29.97 FPS PAL/SECAM (European) Work with 50 hertz AC power Run at 50i for 25 frames per second

24P, 30P, 60P, 60i P = Progressive Frame I = Interlaced Frame The ways in which each frame is captured

PROGRESSIVE Movie shot on film = 24 FPS (24 individual images taken by the camera and played back 24 times within 1 second) 24 FPS = standard playback rate (as of 1920s) 30 or 60 FPS = smoother and easier for brain to process 24 and lower FPS = brain is forced to play closer attention to take in the image

INTERLACED Television shot at 60i (interlaced frames) Records 60 half frames  Each image is made up of a certain number of horizontal lines 60i = odd-numbered lines are one image, the even-numbered lines are another image = creates persistence of motion Persistence of Motion = illusion of more frames for a smoother playback Combing

Shoot progressive if you want to put a video online/or de-interlaced footage on the timeline E.g computer monitors display images progressively YouTube too, does best with 24P and 30P files

24 P footage = 24 P project = 24 P file

#Youtube

[domirine]

@wradicall i hope to alleviate your stomach hurt! re: this study post

i'll make a new study with you and share my process behind making these and spruce in some tips i keep in mind with each steps, hopefully it'll be helpful! this process is generally one i use across all photo studies i make; (obviously this is what works for me, if you have a different method that works for you then good)

1. first step is sketching out the outline, but before i do it i determine things that will help me keep the proportions of the picture. i think of them as anchors - darker folds, negative space, major planes. i find it easier to do those small parts and align them than just make a single large outline.

2. i lightly sketch out the contours and these points of interest; i am showing you two steps of that process, because i never get the proportions right on the first try, and i think it's unrealistic to expect that of yourself. better to take time and check with the reference, make deliberate and precise lines, rather than create a lot of messy thick lines just for the sake of speed. this isn't a race~

3. i will be working on the shirt. i block in the separate shapes on different layers for ease of later rendering, trying to use a similar colour i'm seeing in the photo reference. the colour differences will come later, but i find this to be also a helpful exercise in simplifying shapes and colours in general. next, with a rather simple brush (one i use is just a square with a subtle chalky finish) i refine the secondary, larger shade - since i start with a medium shade, i will work on the lighter planes. no ultra darks and no ultra lights yet, we are still laying out the basic foundations of the shirt.

4. i add the darker and lighter bits, fleshing out the creases and paying attention to the colour differences in the shirt. elbow on our right has a redder shadow, shoulder are is a bit more yellow. you think this is a fabric study, no, it's an everything study. while the main point is to focus on how this shirt is structured, i wanna break down what makes it realistic - which is why colours and proportions earlier were taken into consideration, not just the form of the fabric. then, on a separate layer, i paint the pattern. i grab stock patterns when i can, but things like embroidery or non-tiling patterns often need to be done by hand to make them look cohesive with the rest of the pic. we are now working on layers above the sketch, since it's done its job and we don't need it for details.

5. i finish embroidery details. while i like rendering with softer, textured brushes, i use a sharp edged brush for the embroidery because it's not a pattern that fades away. even though it's not a 1 to 1 representation of the reference, it looks good enough for me. then, since emrboidery is on the separate layer, i can shade it so it's not all one shade of vibrant red and matches the lighting. then i get to the final darkest shadows, highlights, details. the last step i find the most satisfying and substantial, because adding that sharpness and refinement brings the whole thing together.

6. it looks weird now, but i then applied literally the same methods to the rest of the individual pieces and now it looks more coherent and put together. (sorry about your face, lady.)

some of these steps i don't carry out because i have them in my head, for example i don't draw over the reference to remember those anchor points. but this is my process, i hope it was a tiny bit helpful. if you need to take extra steps or you think you are slow, that's alright! make the process work for you. don't get bogged down by details and making things too refined, while also try to be deliberate and not too careless in your brushstrokes.

i don't usually post such detailed processes, because i share all my process gifs/breakdowns of various pieces with my patrons. i hope this was understandable, and if you'd like more (or just wanna support me, 'tis but a dollar), please take a gander at my patreon.

happy painting!

#long post #i am SORRY i have lots to say about art #let me know if something needs further explaining i shall do me best #wradicall #art

[saintzoya]

if you don't mind me asking/saying, I LOVE this edit. / post/ 671492657985519616/longing-regret-hope-and-fear-i-dont-think how did you put yens face on yennefer and geralt like that it's so incredible!!

Firstly, thank you!! I was proud of that edit :)

Secondly, the secret here is that photoshop does a *lot* of the work for you - these kind of blends can look far trickier than they actually are. With this form of blending (I largely use 'lighten' or 'screen') choosing the scenes you want to blend is actually the hardest and most important bit. It's possible to blend scenes that don't work together well, but it'll take far more time.

These particular scenes work together particularly well because one has a very defined dark silhouette and the other has a light and relatively neutral background that will be easy to make disappear.

I learned how to do a lot of this from Becca's (@yenvengerberg) wonderful blending tutorial, she particularly talks about how to choose the right scenes far more clearly than I can!

That being said, there's a walkthrough on how I made this particular example below the cut:

I'm using the latest version of photoshop (v22.4), but this will work for most versions. I'm also using frames rather than timeline because for me it's easier. This will be fairly easy to adapt if you're using timeline though!

Step one: Find and make your base gif.

For this example that’s the gif of Yen and Geralt. This is a particularly good scene to use as a base for this method of blending because they are already a dark silhouette against a light background. Go ahead and sharpen and colour your gif - I’ve sharpened, added a slight curve to increase the contrast and then added a bit of selective colouring to make it have the tone I want.

Step two: Find and make your ‘overlay’ gif - the one we’re going to be blending into the base gif.

For this example, that’s Yen’s face. I’ve sharpened it but otherwise, I’ve left it pretty much exactly as it was, I will most likely add some colouring after I’ve blended.

Step three: blending the gifs!

Okay, so now you have both of your gifs sharpened and coloured and in separate windows. You’re going to go to your overlay gif - yen’s face. Select all frames, copy all of the frames, and then paste it on top of your base gif like so

You’re then going to group the frames of your overlay gif by selecting all of the frames and hitting the little folder icon.

You should now have something like this, with ‘group one’ being your overlay gif

Now you’re going to go to the drop down menu that currently says ‘pass through’ and change it to lighten. As you’ll see - with this particular example photoshop really does do a lot of the work!

Step 4: Tidying up. As you can see we’re most of the way there. Now all there is to do is tidy this up a little

We’re going to add a vector mask and mask the bits we don’t want - the background from our overlay gif. Sometimes I keep some of the background - I’d perhaps use shades of grey in the mask to achieve this, but today I want clean lines so I’m going to go in with a black brush.

At this point it’s still a little rough around the edges, and this is the bit that takes time. I’ll play around with various curves and masks until I’m happy and it looks like this:

It isn’t perfect but it’s pretty close! Then you can add any text/play with the colouring etc. until it's looking the way you want to. From memory I added a bit more selective colouring and a curve over the whole thing before adding on my text layers and it ended up looking like this:

I hope that helps!

#asks #lovely people #blending #tutorial #photoshop #photoshop tutorial #gif making #ztdtutorial #witcheredit

[goosedawn]

original artwork: [x]

how did i put this together? find out... under the cut!

with a lot of difficulty.

joking aside lets get into it! i... gave up on uploading the speedpaint because both tumblr and youtube werent responding to me but if you would REALLY like to see it i can figure something out ;P

The steps may not entirely be in order, but I tried to keep this as simple and as streamlined as possible because otherwise I will just. Keep Going.

-----

Usually when I start drawing I already have a composition in mind, and would just sketch out something like the image on the right side. Regardless, I started out with a few criteria:

- tiny bench trio in the rain

- leaf umbrellas

- tommy getting distracted by the rain and ending up with tubbo getting dripped on

- teal-blue colour scheme

At first I had planned a longer composition with two umbrellas, but I liked the idea of all 3 of them stuck under one leaf!

INITIAL SKETCHES

I used the thumbnail sketch I had done to guide my larger sketch, adding in more details and the background.

Since I tend to draw over multiple sessions and/or get distracted by drawing something else while working, I like to leave little notes for myself! I also just use them to lament over difficult things sometimes though shdjfbsjbf

Personally I like to sketch each character on their own layer with a different colour so its easy to identify who's who, and it makes it easier to seperate certain areas if I'm not sure if I want to redraw them (e.g. Tommy's boots, Ranboo's raincoat)

I also tend to do the same when lining characters and/or different items or background layers, as seen in the next image on the left!

CLEANUP

I ended up filling in the colours for the characters first just because I didn't want to worry about erasing lines behind the characters :'D

Around this point I also added a dark blue background at the very base layer to catch any areas I may miss when colouring!

FLATS

Fill/Bucket tool my beloved. Especially when I use the pixel/digital pen, it is a lifesaver.

When putting down the colours for the background, I kept to using 3 colours/distinct shades so the foliage would have better contrast and be easier to see, while also not varying too far from each other.

I also added small gradients like blushes over faces and hands, and some gradients in the background to add some depth.

I tend to do each colour on a seperate layer, so I can adjust each part until I'm satisfied with it, then I merge them all into one (e.g. Tommy's colours are all on one layer in the end, but his jacket and pants were different initially). The same goes for the plants in the background!

SHADING/LIGHTING

I tend to draw shadows first on a Multiply layer and then go back and do all the lighting in a seperate Add layer.

The lighting, as is everything else was also split into foreground/middle/background. I use one main lighting layer with low opacity, and then go back on another layer with a blurry/soft brush to add some light gradients on both shadow and light layers.

RANBOOS JACKET

When rendering plastic I like to make it Super Shiny. So, I used around 3 layers with cell shading/lighting, all layered on top of each other with various opacities.

For some reason I also decided instead of making the base raincoat transparent, i was just going to draw over the top to emulate transparency...? It worked the way I wanted anyway, so I can't complain ;P

RAINDROPS

Raindrops! Straight up I just searched up "arietty rain" and stared at Ghibli screenshots until I figured out what was going on. I put a lot of thought into where the raindrops would sit (e.g. the leaf at back on the right is bent, and raindrops would gather in that crease) as well as trying not to overwhelm the piece.

OVERLAYS/VFX

I actually set up the overlays a lot earlier, but this is the best way to showcase the difference they make. There are 2 seperate overlays in images 2 and 3 (marked above), one being just for the background, and another over the entire image.

The overlay shown in 3 was added as soon as I started colouring, so I could get an idea of what everything would look like as I went along.

The fog in the second row of images was done with a blurry/soft brush at low opacity on another Add layer! Some parts of the fog are thicker than others.

REFLECTIONS

The box in the bottom right explains it all really. I also replicated Ranboo and Tubbo's legs in the puddles, but they are mostly covered up by other leaves. They are still there though!

For the water I also ended up erasing some of the middle, to make it seem deeper/more realistically like water. Once again this can be attributed to Ghibli rain puddles.

MORE VFX

The left column of images is focused on the raindrops, while the right is just smaller details, adjusting contrasts and adding a slight vignette. In each of the raindrop images I've drawn arrows pointing out particularly clear examples of what I added!

1. The raindrops are ever so slightly opaque, with a highlight opposite to the very shiny white glint.

2. I added shadows (2 Multiply layers) one with sharp cell shading, and that same layer copied and blurred slightly.

3. I went back with a blurry/soft brush and added some shadows INSIDE the drops, just to add some contrast and make them pop a little more. Give them a little more depth.

I... forgot to draw in the highlighted areas. But if you look to the left of Ranboo's head you can see the background is slightly darker in the second/final image! I added areas like that through the background just to give a little extra contrast/depth!

And DONE! :D

-----

After finishing this piece I do think there are some things I want to change/improve on next time (e.g. Tommy's posing/positioning, maybe trying more realistic leaf shape/s, amongst other things) but I'm very happy with how it turned out!! :D

If you read all the way down to here, thank you for taking the time to do so!! Please let me know if you would like to see more of these, and if there is anything in particular you want to see me cover ^^

I've never done this before so if you have any feedback/thoughts they are much appreciated <3

#art process #goosedrawn #idk what to tag this as! #so if you see it congrats i guess!

[vintage-writes]

Lilac Eyes| Poe x Fem!Reader

Request: "Poe x female reader, Soulmate au, Fluff to smut, Sub reader and Dom Poe"

Pairing: Edgar Allan Poe x Fem!Reader

Summary: (Soulmate Au) You are working for the local police form when your superior asks you to investigate a man that may or may not be tied to the most recent events concerning The Guild. However, as soon as Edgar Allan Poe steps through the door, you are no longer concerned about your investigation.

Warnings: NSFW, Fluff to Smut. Semi-Public sex, Dom!Poe x Sub!Fem!Reader. Begging. Unsafe Sex (Do not do this). Self Degradation.

Word Count: 2730

A/N: Poe is so pretty that it was so hard to pick a picture to use. Thank You for the request >-< Also I may have gotten a little carried away with the smut. Enjoy :)

18+ ONLY

_____________________________

________________________________________________

“His name is Edgar Allan Poe”, Chief Tanaka says as he drops a file on your desk.

You glance at the yellow file over your mug of steaming coffee before extending a hand to lazily flip through it. The file contains very little. Most of the usual stuff, but nothing out of the ordinary. Although, despite having combed through his background, not many photos are listed. In fact it seems as though the most recent photo is six years old. How strange.

“He’s a detective from America, not exactly from a sinister background. The only thing odd would be the rest of his file. Where’s the last six years?”

“That is everything we know”

You quirk an eyebrow at your superior, not being able to hide your surprise. Surely not.

“It appears he went into seclusion six years ago, from there I believe he joined the guild.”

“The group that tried to destroy Yokohama? How come that isn’t represented here?”

The guild. An all American group that had travelled to Japan and almost destroyed Yokohama by dropping a giant airship on it. You’re not quite sure what their end goal was, only that they disbanded shortly after and most remaining members are on the run.

“The Armed Detective Agency has denied his involvement with The Guild. This is simply a hunch of mine that I’d like to investigate privately. I’d like you to track him and verify this. He often frequents a traditional restaurant in Oribu square. The owner contacted me this morning to let me know that he has a reservation at seven this evening.”

The agency has always been incredibly reliable. They’ve always solved cases with ease. Although, many of their members do seem rather strange. In any case, if the Agency says he’s unaffiliated with the guild then chances are, he’s unaffiliated with the guild. It would be a waste of resources to track him now. To continue the case would be to insinuate that the Agency is withholding information. You open your mouth to voice your thoughts but are met with a look of warning. This isn’t a matter up for discussion. Instead you cough awkwardly before shoving the papers back into the file.

“Of Course, Sir. I’ll leave in a moment. The matter will be resolved with haste.”

______________________

Two hours later you’re sitting in your car combing through the file again. At the end of the day, the most suspicious thing about him is his sudden disappearance for six years and his sudden move to Japan. And while the timing does line up a little too perfectly, it’s not quite enough to incriminate him. Where Chief Tanaka even found him is a mystery in itself.

Your eyes roam over the photo. It’s old. It’s also probably not very useful. His features are difficult to make out and his eyes are covered by his hair. Perhaps his face is handsome but the image makes it hard to tell. On top of that, it’s not as though he has lovely light purple hair. That would just make him stick out like a sore thumb to you. The only colour you can see is that of your soulmate’s eye colour but who on this planet would have light purple eyes. Perhaps the universe is playing a cruel joke on you. The colour is very pretty but too strange. How can it possibly belong to a person?

You shake the thought from your mind. Now is not the time.

You throw the file under the seat and slip out of your car. It’s about time you meet this mysterious man for yourself.

_________

The restaurant is very fancy. Traditional Japanese styled and decorated with what appears to be priceless artworks. You dress up nicely to fit in, donning a short strapless dress that hugs your figure well. You only hope that the colours work together. You walk in and meet with the owner who informs you that Poe has yet to arrive. He leads you to the private room that was set aside, you enter but leave the door open. For a brief moment, you wonder if he really is affiliated at all or if you’re just chasing after a defenseless man. You glance at the private room. A defenceless man with a lot of money.

Out of the corner of your eye you see a flash of purple. The light lilac colour slashes across an interesting looking painting. Various shades of grey streak over the painting. You wonder what it really looks like. You make a mental note that one day you will visit this place to see this painting. It’s one more thing you can’t wait to see in colour.

Suddenly, footsteps sound behind you and you whirl around to meet the person who’s managed to come this close without making a sound.

“Oh, sorry, I must have the wrong room.”

Before you, is a tall man dressed in peculiar clothing. He has long thick hair that drapes over his eyes making him hard to see and it is this that confirms who he is. Edgar Allan Poe.

You plaster a bashful smile onto your face as you attempt to appear embarrassed. “Oh no, that’s okay, in fact it’s me that’s in the wrong place. I came in to admire this beautiful painting,” you say as you turn to gesture at the artwork, when suddenly all your words die in your throat.

Instead of the dashing streak of purple standing out amongst 50 shades of grey that you are expecting, you see bright vibrant colours covering the entire canvas. You’re not even entirely sure which colour is which but you’ve heard before that blues are cool and cold while reds are hot and passionate. You stare at the painting now and try to pick out which is which. Could that long curve of colour be the yellow you’ve always heard of.

“Wow”, the man whispers from behind you. You turn, expecting him to be immersed in the painting along with you but instead his attention is entirely focused on you. He looks up at you now, and beneath his bangs you can see soft grey eyes peeking up at you.

“I did not think I would ever find you. You’re stunning.”

You’re in a room surrounded by colours you’ve never seen before and yet this man has your full attention with one simple sentence. You take more notice of him now. He’s tall and slender, his clothes are strange but fit him nicely somehow. He quietly steps into the room and shuts the door behind him.

“My name is Edgar Poe”, he says. His voice wavers slightly and you can tell he’s nervous but his eyes are once again covered by cascading black hair making it difficult to read him.

“Edgar”, you say, the foreign name rolls off your tongue comfortably, “I’m, Y/N L/N.”

He steps forward and reaches for your hand. He raises it to his lips and places a soft kiss against your knuckles. His thumb gently brushes over your fingers. You shiver and a blush rises to your cheeks. He’s surprisingly charming.

You reach your other hand out and gently brush aside his bangs to reveal bright grey eyes. They shimmer like a cat’s. He cocks his head and appears flushed as he attempts to hide his eyes once again. Despite his charming demeanour, he is quite shy. He’s cute.

You chuckle and say, “Your eyes are beautiful.”

“I can say the same”, he responds, “I did not think I would meet you in this life. Yet you are as lovely as a moonflower. To think that I would meet you all the way here, in Japan.”

“The universe simply works in mysterious ways.”

He stares down at you and once again you can see his eyes. They feel hot as he gazes at you. You suddenly feel conscious of your outfit. The short dress has too little fabric between you two and you watch as his eyes roam downwards as he takes you in fully. You can’t help but feel heated beneath his scorching gaze.

“The universe has truly blessed me this time”, he says, “I’m going to kiss you now.”

His hands come up to cup your cheeks and he leans in close. You feel his light breath against your lips but he pauses. It takes a second for you to realize that this is his way of asking permission. You lean upwards and press your lips against his. Your arms wrap around him and you tug him closer. He’s warm. His lips are tentative and shy but he kisses you passionately. Despite how unpracticed he is, this kiss feels better than all the other ones. He simply makes you dizzy.

His hands that were previously gently cradling your face snakes downward and grabs your legs. With little warning he picks you up and deposits you onto the table. You squeak in surprise. He lets out a laugh before nuzzling your neck.

“That was such a cute sound”

You flush. “Next time give me a warning.”

He looks up at you and pouts, “But then I won’t get to hear it again.”

Any form of retort dies in your throat as you are greeted with a full view of his face. His bangs fall to the side of his face allowing you to fully take in his enchanting eyes. Upon closer inspection his eyes are in fact tinted with purple as they flash brilliantly at you. His face is made up of hard defined lines that accentuate his overall features. He’s so handsome he simply steals your breath away.

“My God, you’re beautiful”, you both say at the same time. Both of you flush red.

He chuckles awkwardly before leaning down and connecting your lips once again. He’s even bolder now as his hand slips beneath your dress and proceeds to run his long slender fingers up your inner thigh. You shiver.

“You’re getting quite bold now”, you say as you come up for air.

He says nothing as he begins to place kisses on your jaw. His teeth graze over your skin as his hand snakes even higher. Your skirt is practically at your waist when his hand brushes up against your most sensitive part. You blush as you realize how wet you are. He smirks against your neck.

“You seem to like how bold I’ve become.”

He applies more pressure as he finds your clit and begins to rub it in small circles. You gasp. With his other hand, he grabs your hip roughly and tugs you forward so that they rest at the edge of the table. Then, he leans over you even more and forces you to lie on your back. You remember that you’re in a restaurant but before you can say anything, his finger slips under your panties and he inserts one of his long fingers into you. Your words are quick to die in your throat as he curls his finger. After inserting it, he begins to move it around as he prepares you.

“Edgar”, you gasp.

He hastily connects your lips for a quick kiss before drawing back and smiling at you. His smile is almost sinister as he says, “Not so loud. Be a good girl and be quiet for me.”

You nod as he continues his movements before adding a second finger. His other hand reaches up and he instructs you to lift your back off the table. In a singular swift movement he pulls your zipper down. Without straps holding anything up he is given easy access to your chest. He licks his lips slowly as his eyes meet yours. They’ve darkened considerably and he leans down and begins to suckle your breasts without breaking eye contact. You moan and bury your hands into his hair. His long dark hair feels like silk in your hands as he continues to treat you like gold.

He pauses and sends you a warning look, his eyes are filled with mischief.

“I can’t help it, it’s too mu-”, your words are cut off but another moan. As he fingers you, his thumb has moved back to rubbing circles on your clit. You shiver as your back arches off the table. Fuck. You can feel yourself approaching your release. You can’t remember the last time you’ve felt so good. He chuckles before pausing all of his movements. He leans in and whispers, “You are so sensitive for me.”

God you didn't need the reminder but his hot breath against your ear only proves to further turn you on. You buck your hips against his fingers, aching for attention but he pulls them out. Bastard. He removes yo

“Don’t stop, you gasp out”, you whine.

The sound of his zipper sends another shiver down your spine. But he pauses and says, “I don’t have protection.”

“It’s fine, just put it in.”

“Are you sure?”, he says before placing a kiss on your forehead, “We don’t have to go all the way.”

Like fuck we don’t. You’re burning beneath him. “Edgar please, please put it in. Just fuck me already.”

He stills above you before his head drops onto your chest. “Fuck, you’re so hot when you beg.” He lifts his eyes to meet yours, “Beg me some more.”

“God you’re frustrating- Ah!” He sinks his teeth into your skin. He looks at you playfully before whispering out, “Beg”

“Edgar, please fuck me. Please sink your cock into me. Please, your cock was made for me. I want to feel you ploughing into me on this fucking table.”

Surprise flashes on his face briefly as he blushes. You feel his leaking cock at your entrance.

“Keep going”

You whimper pathetically, “Edgar, I’ll do anything. I’ll be your good little girl. Fuck, I’ll be your good little slut. Just, just sink your cock into me, just fuck me alrea- ah!”

He thrusts his hips forward and tip slides in. You’re so wet that he’s met with barely any resistance. He just slides in little by little, constantly thrusting before he’s fully sheathed inside you. You whimper beneath. You gasp and moan. Your fingers reach up and dig into his back. He’s so big. He feels so good.

“Cum inside me”, you gasp out.

He doesn’t pause but his hips snap forward even harder. He hits a spot inside you that has you completely fall apart in his arms. Your back arches completely off the table as he slams into.

“I’m cumming”, you shout. He pulls out as you both climax together. He finishes all over your thighs while you shiver and shake on the table. Squirting like a whore.

He leans forward and proceeds to collapse on top of you. Gently he kisses your cheek. You thread your fingers into his hair.

“I think we got a bit carried away”, he whispers as he nuzzles your neck.

“You don’t say”, you reply before your heart falls through the floor, “God! This is a restaurant.”

He chuckles before responding, “Don’t worry, these private rooms are soundproof since they’re often used for confidential meetings. No one was going to bother us today.”

You relax at that and gently whisper, “We should probably clean up and leave.”

“Of Course my Angel, I can’t wait for you to tell me every little thing about you.”

_____________________________

BONUS:

“So you’re a cop?”, Poe says later on as you’re both seated in your car.

You send him a look of surprise. How did he figure that out??

He smiles sheepishly and says, “I’m a detective, although I suppose you already know that.”

You smile apologetically, “I’m sorry, I was investigating you. My boss thinks that you used work with The Guild.”

He pauses and considers you carefully then he shrugs and says nonchalantly, “Indeed, I’m their former master architect.”

“I- uh- excuse me?”

“Yes, I travelled to Japan with them to confront an old foe.”

“You’re actually with the Guild? But the Agency said you were clean?”

“Is that so?”, he responds before smiling, “Then I guess Ranpo must’ve left that information out. I was the one who supplied them with The Guild’s weaknesses after all. I guess I still have time to challenge him again.”

“Poe, can you do me a favour?”

“Yes, my Angel, what would you like?”

You smile sheepishly.

“Let’s not mention that to anyone, ever.”

_______________________________

Tags: @ravenina14

Art: https://www.zerochan.net/2556711

#bsd smut #bsd fluff #edgar allan poe #edgar x reader #poe dameron x reader #bsd x reader #bsd fics #bungo stray dogs #bungo stray dogs fic #smut #fluff #poe smut #poe fluff #soulmate au #bungo stray dogs soulmate au #Poe is so pretty #Poe fluff #bsd poe #bungo stray dogs poe #bsd edgar #edgar allan poe headcanon #Poe smut #Edgar allan poe smut #Bsd smut #bungo stray dogs smut #18+ #Minors DNI

[thespectralvision]

People have asked me a few times about my process since I started sharing my art, so when my friend asked me to help with an illustartion I decided to go ahead and record my progress.  A lot of these steps are honestly something that just come with time and experience (I’ve been doing digital art for the better part of 20 years now, including my degree) but I hope something here helps! 

Tutorial after the cut:

Step 1: Find reference. This can be easy or hard, depending on what you want to do. For a piece like this one I didn’t need much – just a photo of Paul (since we’re of course painting White Vision). This one had is extra easy because he has no hair I have to ignore for the shape of Vision’s head. Once reference has been selected set up your canvas and import it to a layer. I usually name the layer ‘Reference’ because I’m extra creative – if I have multiple reference images I’ll name them by what they are, ect in this case ‘Paul_Reference’

If you are doing something that requires lots of different reference you can do whatever photo manipulation may be needed to get everything in place. Sometimes I’ll use hands, bodies, heads, and background pieces from various materials. It doesn’t hurt to pull up some images of your subject from other angles to look at either.

*-*-*-*-*

Step 2. Create a new layer for lines – I call it “Lines” or “Vision_Lines” if doing multiple characters. Select your sketching brush/tool and trace out the important shapes. Is it cheating? Probably. Does it work? Yup. I have a pencil brush that I really like that I use for my line art but anything can do. I try to make sure any major outlines are there.

Vision is an extra-tricky subject because he has lots of lines – unfortunately only advice I have here is look at lots of reference eventually they start to make sense and you can see how they follow the natural lines and shapes of Paul’s face. This goes for any character, just learning the little details takes time.

I will also use reference like this to double check placement pulled open on my screen somewhere:

*-*-*-*-*

Step 3. Once you have lines (I always go back and clean them up as a go) I set up yet another layer. If I’m extra tired I’ll lock the “Lines” layer too to make sure I don’t accidentally paint over it. New layer can be called “Flat” or whatever you want – it’s going to have base, mid tone flat colours to help visualize the piece, like comic art. Using a solid brush fill in the shape – I don’t bother keeping it super neat within the lines because I’ll be cleaning it all up at the end.

For White Vision I’ve drawn him enough I created a custom colour palette with highlights and low lights that I always use. If I’m doing a portrait of a person that isn’t an albino synthezoid I’ll take colour samples from the image. In my screenshot you can see swatches made with my “Vision” palette and below that is my “Wanda” palette – all the skin tones have been taken from photos of Elizabeth Olsen in natural lighting, including her eyes, and Wanda’s auburn hair tones. This just makes the next few steps easier. I usually create a layer and call it “Palette” with these little swatches painted on to easily Alt-Click them when I get in the zone (and lock it since it’s just for reference).

Before I start blocking the colours in I’ll usually set up a basic “Background” layer too – either in a solid colour or a gradient to imply light source (matching angle of light in my reference image unless I want an extra challenge – do not recommend)

*-*-*-*-*

Step 4. Ok here is where the ‘hard’ part starts. This is going to come with practice, but the way I get started is one again taking advantage of digital art and the use of references. I’ll create another new later, between the “Lines” layer and the “Flats” layer. Name it something like “Shading”.

Turn “Flats” layer off for the moment so we can see the reference again.  Lower the opacity to like 20%, and I use a soft brush and select one of the shadow tones (usually the 2nd to last) and paint where the shadows are on my subjects face. Then I choose a highlight colour and do the same thing. This gives me a basic starting place to them see where the shading will go when I turn my “Flats” layer back on.

*-*-*-*-*

Step 5. Now I just start building up from the shapes provided, working to blend the colours on the “Shading” layer. I don’t have a lot of specific advices this is just a process learned by doing it over and over and getting a better understanding of painting. Sometimes if I’ve got a tricky spot I’ll create a temporary new layer on top to work on, that way I don’t mess up what I’ve done and eventually combine all of the shading layers at the end of the painting. As I work I’ll use large soft brushes and gradually shrink it down until I’m adding single line small highlights or shadows. This is the hardest part and the longest part of painting. Use your palette and reference and take your time.

*-*-*-*-*

Step 6. The rest of these steps are pretty specific to how I paint Vision but the idea of working in layers and adding details is the same. When working on Vision he’s got different textures – to highlight the metallic pieces on his face/neck/body I create a new layer to play with. I give it a creative name like “Metallics”. I’ll turn off my “Shading” layer to just see the flat colour beneath and block in the ‘metallic’ places in my silver colour swatch.

*-*-*-*-*

Step 7. This is another Vision specific step and is dependant on what program you are using. I am using Corel Painter 2020, and I’ll turn my shading layer back on and then use a composite method/layer style effect, usually “Overlay” to give it a slightly different look where the metallic parts are. I always play with layer and blending styles as I go to get different effects, it’s fun and can really help enhance a digital art piece.

This is when I’ll also start adding lighting/glowing effects (that I always use for Vision). I’ll create a layer just called “Glow” and use an airbrush style brush to make sprays where the lights go – short streaks for the lines and circles for the light and his eyes. Once they look right I’ll play with composition methods again, usually I use “Screen” or “Overlay” for White Vision art.

*-*-*-*-*

Step 8.  Almost done (with this part). Last thing to do is go in and clean up the edges. I’ll turn off my “Shading” layer, clean up around my flat colours, then do the same around “Shading.” I use an eraser tool with a semi-hard brush to do this and carefully follow my lines (it’s like the reverse of using a colour book)

At this point my layers for Vision alone look like this:

*-*-*-*-*

8. Now I go in and do the same thing with the rest of the image. I don’t work this straight forward usually – I jump from piece to piece as I go, but it’s smarter to do one piece at a time.

And eventually you’ll end up with a finished piece!

#my art #art process #digital art tutorial #corel painter #white vision #art tutorial

[justimajin]

Rise of the Nation’s King ♔ Part ½

⊶ Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

⊶ Genre: Angst, Fluff, Eventual Smut (pt. 2)

↳ Historical AU, King AU

⊶ Words: 5.1k

⊶ Summary: Being born with nothing and yet wanting everything, Min Yoongi understands that the world will only favor those born with sliver spoons in their mouths. However, when an unseen incident breaks out at the royal palace one day, he’s forced between choosing all that he treasures for something much more. But Yoongi doesn’t know if losing you will ever keep him sane. 

⊶ Warnings: 18+ rating, graphic depictions of violence and death

The marketplace is livelier around this time of the year. 

Merchants and venders alike have surrounded themselves with goods that are chased after. From dangling strings of freshly cut red meat to heads of boars displayed in the front of their wooden stalls, the assortment brings those scrambling with coins and eyes flaked with desperation to scavenge as much as possible. 

A man dressed in a dark turquoise hanbok idles down the road with a dazed smile on his lips, too caught up in his own world to discover that the long fishing pole he reels has smacked into the back of another merchant’s head. His new stock is left flapping on the ground, covered in a layer of fine dust that has collected from the feet of others. 

His face is instantly coloured in a shade of red, “YAH! Can’t you watch where you’re going?!” 

The other man that’s received a generous layer of fish oil against his straightened hair whips his head around, donning a similar expression to him. He wears a dull green hanbok in contrast, a pale blue headband wrapped around his forehead and concealing the youthful features he radiates. 

He faintly touches the back of his head, left with an eerie smell that only reminds him of another grim-covered man he had passed by the other day.

“Shouldn’t you watch where you’re going old man?!” He scoffs, watching his opponent’s eyes increase by tenfold. 

“Old man?!” Despite the clearly visible facial hair on his chin and wrinkled lines maring his forehead, the younger fellow has struck him where it hurts most, “Why, I outta-” 

He fists his green hanbok and the man does the same to his blue one. Within moments, they’re engaged in a heated fight that relies more on swings and kicks that are clumsy and barely do any damage, provoking them to resort to the fine art of name-calling instead. Their ruckus elicits mixed reactions from neighboring stalls, all throwing them strange and annoyed looks. 

A man in the corner darkly chuckles, clad in a ragged beige jacket and a large straw hat perched on top of his black strands. There’s a rope filled with tools hanging from the seam of his hips, ranging from a hammer, a chisel and the most used, a pickaxe.

He leans against the old wall, his dusted arms crossed and drained eyes hardened as he watches the duo taunting each other. It’s fascinating to simply watch, because those who have more always seem to be heavily prone to quarreling about such non-sensible things. 

A deep sigh passes the seam of his lips, pushing his legs off the wall and taking a mere glance around before strutting through the marketplace. He walks slow, observing the man that carefully guides the horse carrying his load of loot with a rope, protecting the merchandise with all that he’s got. He also observes the woman throwing hopeful glimpses around, the fish she’s spent hours collected rapidly turning stale within the span of a mere couple of hours. 

He suddenly flinches, a wince descending through his right leg. Memories of the dark and humid caverns flash through his mind, tiring hours of gripping his pickaxe and swinging it in between layers of soot to retrieve battered pieces of stone only for greedy hands to immediately whisk it away. He’s left with a body that aches for him to stop, a bag of a few mesly coins tossed in his face and the chuckles of officials that hone down his work. 

His face contorts, fists clenching and shoulders tightened when he’s forced to step off the road with his tender leg. He leans against the wall again, breathing in harsh gasps as sweat quickly manifests underneath his straw hat. His eyes are shadowed before he flutters them close, a haze of muted fury silently spurring. 

“Yoongi!” A faint voice from afar calls, expeditiously growing louder, “Yoongi!” 

His eyes snap open, “Yoon-OOF!” 

He immediately whips around, sight landing upon your collapsed form. A cluster of coughs plague you from the mixed humid air and wafting dust in the crowded area, many merchants swiftly passing by you without another look. One in particular eyes you in irritation, your small mishap occurring right in front of his potential customer and nearly spoiling the boar head the man had been keen on selling. 

“Foolish girl! Go make a mess somewhere else!” He angrily shouts, your form instantly shrinking away. 

“S-Sorry.” You offer, a yelp escaping you when a strong hold suddenly lifts you up. You avertedly cling to Yoongi’s side as the man continues to spew out how much your recklessness could have damaged his material and ruined his clential, but the man holding you next to him isn’t having any of it. 

“She’s already apologized.” Yoongi states. 

“Instead of apologizing, maybe she should pay for the damages!” He barks, gesturing to his table, “Do you know how long it took me to find boars this fine?!”

You move forward to offer another humble apology, but Yoongi tugs you back. He grabs a small pouch from his waist, throwing the bag into the man’s face as the few coins contained inside spill out onto the ground. 

“There. Happy now?” Yoongi ignores the hungry ravenous look the man has, simply turning to leave and dragging you by hand with him. He leads you into the main road of the marketplace, taking an intrigued glance at all the things being offered inside the various stalls. 

“Yoongi.” Your grip on his hand tightens and he turns around questioningly, “Those were the coins you earned today….” 

“It doesn’t matter.” He mutters, eyes downcasted. He ignores the pinch those words bring him. “I still have enough saved up.” 

You become quiet, guilt still written all over your features. Yoongi sighs, glancing over to a stall selling bundles of meat. 

“You wanted to eat beef the other day, right?” He gestures towards it, “Go grab some.” 

Your eyes flicker, “I-I can’t let you do that Yoongi, we still have a hole in our roof to fix.” You recall both of you promising to hold back on expenditures when a certain harsh downpour had happened, the entirety of your belongings left thoroughly soaked with residue. 

“We can still buy one piece.” He smirks, a spark of playfulness in his eyes, “But you’ll have to share with me.”

You smile, heading over to the merchant once he’s finished with his last customer. Although you’re happy with being able to purchase some form of expensive meat after so long, you end picking the smallest piece to spare both you and Yoongi the troubles of paying. But it’s hard to erase the elation you have carrying it over to him, a somber question remaining on the tip of your tongue. 

“Why are you so nice to me?” You whisper out loud, the inquiry leaving a sad smile on Yoongi’s lips once you return. It’s a smile that speaks volumes, throbbing the dreadful gash that runs from his forehead to his cheek, his vision still not completely recovered as his peripheral view comes out distorted. 

Yoongi silently stares at you, an unsaid answer breezing by the light whistles of the air and the chattering among the people. 

Because you’re all that I have left now. 

***

Hugging the precious piece of meat to your chest, you walk aimlessly behind Yoongi throughout the entire marketplace. Yoongi in particular doesn’t seem so interested in purchasing anything, rather he observes the rest of the items displayed. You eventually become occupied with a woman who urges you to steal a glance at her range of slippers, the spiked up costs bearing a pout to form on your lips. 

The sound of a loud thud breaks you out of your thoughts, swiveling around to see all the townspeople flocking together. Yoongi instantly appears in the midst of them, grabbing onto your hand that’s not holding the meat and tugging you with him. 

“What is it?” You quietly ask, alarmed by the sudden increase of officials dressed in dark blue robes surrounding you. 

“The sinmungo.” Yoongi points to the large drum positioned at the edge of the road, a swirl of cool blue and warm orange decorated in the middle of it. You recall having seen it a handful of times, namely whenever there had been an issue between the authority of the law and the people of your class which needed resolving. Initially you had presumed that it worked in the form of being as a collective voice for all of you, but you had soon to discover the royal will it holds. 

“Who dares defy the King?” One official speaks up, a menacing glare in his eyes. In his grip is an unsheathed sword, pointed towards the man currently cowering on the ground beneath him. 

“I’m sorry! I-I meant no disrespect to His Majesty.” The man stutters, grasping onto any piece of mercy, “M-My wife has been sick and I-I had to sell everything for her treatment.” 

The official steps up and withdraws his sword, his gaze landing on the small palanquin hidden behind them. Your eyes are drawn to the intricate green and gold details glittered along the surface, the picture of a bright golden dragon painted in the centre.

Another official steps up, adorned in dark green robes. “This man has refused to pay the tax from running a business on His Majesty’s land. What is the verdict for such a crime?” 

A hand brushes pushes past the curtains of the laid palanquin on the ground, your eyes eager to see the unknown ruler of your land in the flesh. To your dismay, he makes a simple gesture and withdraws instantly. 

The man begins to shriek madly in horror, tears streaming down his eyes when the green official drags him by his collar and throws him in front of the one wielding a sword. He yanks it out, ignoring the man’s pleads of hysteria, before the sword descends down on his neck with a swift jerk. 

Your eyes are immediately covered, the gruesome sound of flesh tearing and blood splattering onto the ground ringing through your ears. The people surrounding you let out gasps of terror, a silence laced with fear prevailing heavy in the air. 

Yoongi twists you around from the sight, removing his hand from your face and replacing it within your hold instead. He drags you away, images of violent screams and begging sobs plaguing his mind as the sinmungo is hit once again. 

The King has made his new decree. 

You wipe away the tears streaming from your eyes with a trembling hand, something you know Yoongi can feel when his grip only tightens. Breezing by the many people cluttered together to view the sudden authority, their whispers serve to only increase the fear in you by tenfold. 

“That’s the third one in two days!” One shouts, stuck in disbelief. 

“This is absurd! An execution for not being able to pay tax??” Another one scoffs, “Is the King trying to kill off all his people?!” 

You freeze, blood running cold. A yank on Yoongi’s beige jacket makes him falter, spinning around to face your dread stricken features. 

“T-There’s been more than one. If we don’t pay on time-” A shudder runs through your body, the thought of you and Yoongi being next brings nothing short of utter despair. It’s no news that you and Yoongi are both a part of the sangmin class - the ones that are thrown with the king’s leftovers and then trampled on once your will to survive has completely fizzled and diminished. 

Yoongi lets go of you, stepping forward to cup your cheeks within his palms. 

“I won’t let anything happen to you.” He whispers, but the way his pupils shake with the impending doom speak of a different story. He releases you, grabbing onto your hand once more. 

You want to believe his words, you want to bask yourself in the strength he always manages to muster up when things head south. However, the perception of unruly bloodshed and injustice have lodged themselves too deep in the confines of your mind, the remaining hidden pieces of hope slowly breaking off bit by bit. 

You’re still shaken up by the events of the day by the time you reach home. 

Yoongi doesn’t attempt to pry into your silence, simply retrieving a handful of wood planks and tossing them into the middle of a brewing fire. He leaves once more to grab an old chair and a sheet of loose fabric, climbing up to the space where a chilling breeze has begun to enter through your roof. You’re reduced to somberly watching him from the corner of your bed, the mere satisfaction of temporarily enclosing it barely meeting his eyes. 

He claps his hands together, shaking off any remains of dust before approaching you with curious eyes. 

“How has your business been?” He settles down next to you, his gaze remaining on the occasional sparks the fire lets out. You’re at least grateful for the surge of warmth it gives off, eyes downcasting. 

“Slow.” You mumble, “I-I’m not earning much these days….” 

Your view drifts over to the tangles of thread woven through bundles of cloth, resting on the table where you presume dust is now starting to collect. The thought haunts you with more vivid images of a future line of fate you’re so close to taking a step upon, water harshly welling up in your eyes. 

“Y/N…” Yoongi shifts closer to you, interlacing his fingers with yours. “We’ll be okay.” 

“W-We can’t be sure of that.” Tears stream down your cheeks, a sharp quiver in your words. Your eyes stray over to the long incision running through his left eye, fingers reaching out to faintly trace it. Yoongi stills as you do, pain flashing through his eyes despite the wound having long been healed. 

“Even after so long…” Yoongi whispers, a sad chuckle leaving his body. “I can still hear their screams.”

Your hand falters, eyes lowering. “The King has been all losing his patience as of lately.” Yoongi hums, “We already have nothing and now he wants to take that away too.” 

No matter which direction you look at it, the sentence is absurd. You know better than to question the ways of the law, but the only word settling down for such treatment is simply cruel. 

“The King is a bloody tyrant.” Yoongi spits out, your eyes growing wide, “He sits in his golden throne all day long and executes all the people that he’s left his scraps to.” 

“Yoongi!” You harshly whisper, avertedly glancing around you. There’s a hardened look in his eyes from the gesture, voice growing louder.

“What? You know I’m right.” You tightly seal your lips, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

“You are.” You take another quick glance around, “But his ruling is something that is out of our control.” 

Yoongi grows silent, annoyance still written over him. “For now, we need to find a way to earn more before-” 

You falter, the words ‘before we’re next’ not being able to leave you. 

Yoongi sighs, his tense form becoming relaxed. “You’re right. I’ll go to the officials tomorrow and see if I can join the military.” 

Astonishment sparks within you from the resolution, lucidly recalling Yoongi’s firm declaration that he wouldn’t want anything to do with the King and his empire in the future. His motive of earning on his own ended up becoming more and more solid as the days spun by, his hands and face constantly covered in an increasing amount of soot. 

“Y-You want to join the military?” It pays better, you know that. But it's something you never wanted to push onto him. 

He nods, “We need the money now more than ever.” There’s a faint smile lingering on his lips, “And besides, weren’t you saying something about needing to save up for a wedding the other day?” 

Crimson immediately flushes through your skin, swiveling around to grab a piece of fabric, “W-We don’t need to worry about that right now.” 

Yoongi glances in your direction, softly smiling when you lay down the rough sheet onto the surface of the bed and smooth it down carefully with your hands. You then move to place one on the opposite bed, settling down with a content hum and shuffling closer to the fire he’s made. 

He eventually joins you and lays his head against the rugged sheet, maneuvering himself to view your delicate features from across him. He observes the way your eyes have fluttered shut, content with the small space you have and the thinness of the blanket covering you, a single wish spurring out from the depths of his heart in that moment that quickly forms into a promise. 

He would do anything in his capacity to protect you. 

***

Despite the horrid display of power yesterday, the townspeople have fallen back into the routine of their daily duties. Yet it is still unnerving how many of them avert their gazes from the once flourishing stall, faint reminiscences of a sweating man unloading all of his chickens in anticipation that he comes home to a wife that longs to end her own suffering.

Now all that remains are broken shards of wood, marked with the edges of a familiar sword. 

Yoongi filters through all the anxious and distressed faces, hidden underneath the large conical hat he dons. He sharply eyes the official that strolls through the road without a care in the world, plucking a handful of seeds from a stall that has a woman uneasily smiling in return. The display nearly makes him scoff, but he holds it back and struts closer to the official. 

He’s dressed in light green robes and carries a stoic expression, different compared to the one that wields a sword and beckons to the King’s every word. The seeds slip from his palm at Yoongi’s sudden appearance, measly tossing them all away as the woman before him gingerly performs constructive bows. 

His voice is low, “What do you want?” 

“I wish to join the military.” Yoongi states, the words already tasting like acid. “To serve and yield to the beloved King.” 

The man smirks, an action that has Yoongi’s eyes narrowing, “Are you aware of how the military works? We only look for those that are physically fit to exclusively serve His Majesty.” 

“I work as a miner.” He clarifies, taking out his pickaxe, “I am more than capable of serving in the King’s army.” 

The man lets out a hearty chuckle, still stuck in disbelief. “It takes a lot more than that, miner. Maybe try around next year when you’re more adequate to fight for His Majesty’s sake.” 

Yoongi clenches his teeth, fists rounding. He’s made a promise to protect you and he didn’t come here to simply take no for an answer. 

“I need to join the military now.” He grabs onto the official's delicate robes in a fit of rage, only for the man to push him away. 

“Such insolence!” He spits, dusting off the parts of his hanbok that Yoongi’s managed to crease. He’s ready to unleash a storm of anger on the commoner man, but the straw hat on his head has withered onto the ground. 

The official freezes. 

The brewing anger vanishes within a flash, and he takes a handful of careful steps. 

Yoongi glares at him, tugging himself up with a scowl lined on his lips. He takes a glance at his arms, luckily not having been injured due to the man’s reckless actions. 

When Yoongi looks up and stares at him, the official staggers back. 

“I-It can’t be….” He whispers, appearing to have seen the equivalent of a ghost. Yoongi raises a brow, deciding to grab his fallen pickaxe instead and hook it onto his belt. 

The official latches onto his arm. 

It happens within the blink of an eye. One moment he’s crossed with annoyance, utter fury fueling the way the official treats him like he’s a piece of dirt and rejecting all his efforts at earning more for the two of you. Another moment, the official has slapped a hand over his mouth, dragging him to a secluded corner where Yoongi sees more of them crowded together. 

He’s thrown onto the ground harshly, a collection of gasps spiking around him. A blindfold is suddenly wrapped around his eyes, concealing his sight completely. He struggles at the layers of rope tied around his torso, desperately trying to free himself from the durable material. 

“Let me go, you bastards!” He growls, but a pricking pain is sent to the back of his head, rendering him unconscious as he crumbles down to the ground. 

***

Your brows are furrowed, the pin in your fingers delicately held. A small incision is made through the fabric, woven back to make another loop before you stretch out the thread and tighten it. You pluck the needle again, repeating your actions to create the long design. 

“Excuse me?” A voice halts your actions, a young girl standing before you with a smile, “How much is this?” 

She points to the piece you had created a couple of days ago, now sitting deflated on top of the wooden display. The incomplete fabric in your hands is instantly tossed away and you scramble to get closer to the potential customer. 

“Five won.” You immediately reply. The girl nods and reaches into the small pouch located on the string tied to her skirt, rummaging for the amount. The coins are placed delicately within the palms of your hands and she thanks you with a smile. 

Once she departs, you can only stare at the recycled pieces of metal that shine in your hands. A flood of joy overwhelms your senses, tightly fisting the coins. You can’t bring yourself not to glance around in anticipation, a smile blossoming on the corner of your lips and hastily closing your shop. 

You know it isn’t enough to buy a piece of meat, or that it would barely cut through the costs of repairing an ancient crumbling roof, but your feet assume otherwise when you rush through the crowd of civilians strolling down the marketplace. Your smile only widens once you catch sight of Yoongi’s signature hat, currently in the midst of conversing with one of the officials. 

Your curiosity grows the more you drift closer and peer in behind a shop, Yoongi’s convincing tone entering your ears. 

“I am more than capable of serving in the King’s army.” 

You tenderly smile, but a sharp laugh breaks into the air. “It takes a lot more than that, miner. Maybe try around next year when you’re more adequate to fight for His Majesty’s sake.” 

Hurt flashes across your features, your eyes immediately moving to see Yoongi’s form stiffen. The ground crunches as you falter to intervene, taken aback when Yoongi suddenly advances and takes a hold of the man’s robes. 

You flinch when Yoongi stumbles onto the ground, his hat falling off his black locks. The official sends him a look of disgust, his cheeks flushed. 

“Such insolence!” 

The official suddenly halts in his steps, eyes dazed as if he was stuck in a trance. “I-It can’t be….” 

Yoongi appears as confused as you are, the man grabbing onto his arm in an instant. The confusion completely disappears once he pulls Yoongi towards him, silencing him immediately much to your own horror. He begins to drag him away and you rush forward, swooping up his fallen hat. 

The streets are bustling with people as you chase after them, bumping into you with zero consideration. You end up stumbling, the dull beige hanbok you wear getting easily stained with grim. You pay no attention, simply scrambling back onto your feet and heading into the direction you last saw Yoongi. It turns out to be an empty ditch in between two abandoned stalls, a pang of panic running through you when you see Yoongi on the ground blindfolded and in the process of being tied up. 

“Let go of me, you bastards!” You hear Yoongi roughly shout, a man with a large wooden block coming up behind him and smacking the back of his head. Yoongi slumps down onto the ground, not long before an ear piercing scream leaves your lips. 

“YOONGI!” Tears stream down your eyes as you rush to desperately push the man dragging his limp body away. He retaliates by whirling around and hitting the side of your face with a harsh smack, your form falling onto the ground with a loud thud. You quickly glance up to see them tossing Yoongi into a cart, one with faded markings of green and gold. 

The men hurriedly head into the cart alongside him, ushering the horse attached to begin moving. You immediately get back onto your feet, your hand barely grasping onto the fabric of the cart before it’s sent soaring forward. 

“YOONGI!!” You run as fast as you can this time, tears clouding your sight. You fall down onto your knees when the cart is too far in sight, your form trembling as it vanishes into disappearance. 

“Y-Yoongi…” You sob into your hands, a simple dirtied straw hat left beside you.

When he comes to, darkness is all Yoongi can see. 

There are two people on either end of him, dragging his body against the ground. The faint chatter of voices sweep through the room, mere echoes entering his ringing ears. His breathing stills, the light air feeling different to the humid one he’s accustomed to. 

The sound of rumbling perks his ears, right before he’s sent flying across the room. The restriction of vision is pulled away from his eyes and for the first time in a while, he can actually see what is around him. 

It’s dark for being able to finally see, a shadow casted across from the silk curtains blocking out any forms of light coming from the two windows. There are four large pillars at each corner, spirals of deep green and bright gold decorated into the lavish and broad room. In front of him stands the very official he had gone to in search of work, but now he keeps his head down and gaze scattered. 

He asks the question he’s been dying for an answer to, “Where am I?” 

Among the six individuals in the room, no one speaks a word. 

“What do you want from me?!” He roars, chest heaving. He doesn’t know how much time has passed, he doesn’t know if there’s daylight or moonlight outside, he doesn’t know if you’re okay, if you’ve already reached home by now only to discover that his abrupt absence. 

The official he knows steps up, appearing scrutinized under his stare. He opens his mouth, only to close it a couple of times before spewing any words. 

“What is your name?” He calmly questions, earning a twitch from Yoongi’s eye. The man appears startled from the gesture, backing away immediately. 

Yoongi deeply exhales, “Min Yoongi.” 

The men in the room exchange strange looks, something that just leaves Yoongi puzzled. 

“And you said you are a miner?” 

“Yes.” Yoongi grits, “If you brought me here just for an interrogation, I’m assuming you’ve mistaken me for someone else.” 

Everyone in the room hesitates at that. They gather in a circle far from here, seemingly discussing something amongst themselves. 

“What do we do now?” One dressed in black robes whispers, frightened. 

“We can’t keep him in here forever.” 

“But we have to! It’s the only way.” 

Yoongi frowns, constantly tugging on the back of his hands roughly. The material of the rope is extremely steady, that’s for sure. 

They all collectively turn around, Yoongi pausing his escape momentarily from all the stares. 

The one adorned in black steps up, “We need to show you something.” 

***

He’s led into a cavern, a spiral of stairs descending down. It had taken a considerable amount of convincing on his kidnappers part for him to follow them around aimlessly whilst still tied up, but Yoongi can’t merely shake off the strange feeling he’s been getting since he’s arrived. 

The halls he’s passed by are extraordinarily decorated with rich coats of paint, gold ornaments hanging down from the ceilings and the floor polished as if it was made of fine marble. It’s not the same rustic grounds he’s walked countless times upon, something being utterly unusual of this place he’s been brought onto. 

Once the various rounds of stairs are done and a large green door is presented before him, Yoongi catches the faint glimmer in everyone’s eyes. They appear hesitant, as if they were just on their way to committing a grave sin. After the tense moment, one of them slots a golden key into the lock and the door comes creaking open. 

The very first thing Yoongi notices, is the sudden ominous atmosphere the room has taken. It’s almost borderline suffocating when one of the men tugs him in, a shining bronze crate laying in the centre of the room. He frowns at its appearance, noticing all of the men moving to stand around it in a circle. 

“What is it?” He throws out, glancing at them avertedly. One of them raises his head, distraught heavily on his features. 

“It is a tomb.” He mutters in a monotone voice, “For the late King.” 

Yoongi’s eyes dramatically widen and two of them move forward to lift the top layer covering the bronze casket. His heartbeat begins to thud against his ribcage, sweat forming at the temples of his forehead. 

“There has been an incident.” He continues, “An incident we have not let the public know of yet.” 

The casket opens with a thud and Yoongi harshly sucks in a breath. There’s a young man lying lifelessly in the coffin, dressed in royal green robes with gold embellishment. His long blonde hair has been set free, falling down delicately onto his shoulders and to the centre of his forehead. He holds an agitated expression, as if being in the afterlife had yet to bring him some peace. 

“H-He’s…” Yoongi sputters, breathing erratically. 

The official hums, glancing at the King with somber eyes. 

“Our beloved King Agust is no more….” He turns to Yoongi with a spark of hope, “but you, Sir Min Yoongi, are still alive.”

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[hd-wireless]

🎶 H/D WIRELESS FEST - REVEALS 🎶

At last, the day you’ve been waiting for! It’s the REVEALS! 

Come check out the talented people who created your favourite Wireless fics and artworks!

Massive thanks once again to all the 54 creators of our 64 works (yes some people created multiple works! Special mention to cloudlesslysky who wrote FIVE fics!). And thanks also to all the readers, betas and supporters of H/D Wireless! It’s been a bumper year!

Without further ado...

🎶 H/D Wireless Art 🎶

📻 Stuck on the Bridge Between Us (G)  by pygmy_puffy @pygmy-puffy

🎵 Song prompt: Talk Me Down by Troye Sivan

🎵 Summary: finding the courage within themselves to be vulnerable, so they can stop hurting the other and start loving each other as they so deeply want and need to

📻  So Let's Dance, Take a Chance, Understand Me (T) by Dazed_and_Inked @dazedandinked

🎵 Song prompt: T.Rex, Get It On

🎵 Summary: The War is over and everything has changed.

After a few of years of travelling around the world, Harry decided to move to Muggle London, looking for peace and a place where the scar on his forehead doesn’t have a meaning. His new flat is in a perfectly normal neighbourhood close to the centre, quiet during the day but full of students at night.

He really likes the small bar down the road, a place that serves cheap, awful drinks and plays good old classics. It’s always crammed with people talking, laughing or dancing along with the riff of electric guitars.

From the first time he crossed the threshold, Harry thought it was perfect, the right mix of noise and warmth to be alone without feeling alone. Just what he needed.

He couldn’t imagine that someone else was there for the very same reason, looking for a place where the Dark Mark was only a tattoo.

Blame it on the alcohol, on the music or whatever you want, but when Harry’s eyes landed on Draco’s slim figure, swaying on the dancefloor, something warm and inexplicable possessed him. 

📻  The Pass (T) by julchen_in_red @julcheninred

🎵 Song prompt: The Pass, by Rush

🎵 Summary: Draco, lost in darkness, seeks a guiding light.

📻  If you knew… (T) by gnarf @gnarf

🎵 Song prompt: Young Folks from Peter Bjorn and John

🎵 Summary: The war had left scars on all of them.  Some were obvious. Some only if they looked closely. But the worst ones were those they couldn't see. Those that were hidden inside.

📻  an ode to the boy i love (G) by nettleforest @nettleforest

🎵 Song prompt: Animal - Troye Sivan

🎵 Summary: an evocation of vulnerability, trust and tenderness

📻  Home Sweet Home (G) by gnarf @gnarf

🎵Song prompt: Radioactive - Imagine Dragons

🎵 Summary: In the middle of a Zombie apocalypse Harry made it his main goal to find a safe home for Draco and himself.

📻  Turn back time (T)  bt erlasart @erlasart

🎵 Song prompt: If I Could Turn Back Time - Cher

🎵 Summary: Draco's had a rough few years, if that's what you call falling in with a bad lot, attempted murder and a close brush with death. Now facing the weight of his misdeeds, Draco tries to pinpoint when it all went wrong.

📻  Time to Get Out (T)  by SoldSeperately @secretartlair

🎵 Song prompt: My House - PVRIS

🎵 Summary: A few years post-war, Pansy convinces Draco to go on a night out at a muggle club. They run into some familiar faces.

🎶 H/D Wireless Art and Fic 🎶

📻  A Different Kind of Meaning (E, 17k) by p103 @p103 (art by Zigster)

🎵 Song prompt: Outnumbered - Dermot Kennedy

🎵 Summary: The ceiling doesn't hold any answers, but there are cobwebs scattered across the corners with shadows tangled in their threads. The rug against his back is rough and scratchy, threadbare and devoid of colours other than various shades of brown. Harry takes it all in, absorbs the dingy and depressed state of his home. There's a pointed moment of decision, a note about to be played, a silence about to end, and then he rolls to his feet and sets to cleaning.

It's the first constructive thing he's done in years. 

📻  Keep Holding On (M, 33k) by gnarf @gnarf (fic) and MaesterChill @maesterchill (art)

🎵 Song prompt: Welshly Arms - Sanctuary

🎵 Summary: After the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry and Draco both fall into their own battles with their mental states. Draco is sent to Azkaban, and Harry turns to drinking, hoping to forget.

Months later, Harry visits St Mungo’s new ward on request of a friend, only to find Draco in a deep vegetative state.

Not willing to give him up, Harry stays by his side, while simultaneously dealing with the Ministry's newest grand idea to make everything worse.

Making new alleys, and losing old ones on the way, would hopefully be worth it in the end.

📻 Fic : Modern Love (E, 61k) by tackytiger @tackytigerfic

📻 Art : Our Love Song (G) by chachisoo @creeeee

🎵 Song prompt: Modern Love by David Bowie

🎵 Fic summary: Harry Potter, of all people, knows that life isn’t always fair. And no one gets to be happy all of the time. But surely there’s something more—something better—than a rubbish Ministry job, and a lonely old house, and that feeling that everyone out there is doing a better job of living than Harry is.

And it really doesn’t seem fair that Draco Malfoy is back in Harry’s life, all of a sudden, and even though he’s wandless, and living with Muggles, and making his mother cry with his lifestyle choices, he’s happy. So what's he doing right, that Harry isn’t?

Because things don’t really change, do they? And if Harry can’t be happy, he’ll settle for a good night’s sleep, some posh antiques, and the opportunity to find out what Malfoy has been up to for all these years.

And that’s what starts it all.  

🎵 Art summary: Harry and Draco enjoying a Sunday morning bus ride in London.

📻  For the Thousandth Time (T, 14k) by bluefay @thesleepiesthufflepuff (fic) and mehroomiyat (art)

🎵 Song Prompt: Lucky by Aurora

🎵 Summary: When Draco's wand refuses to work after the war, he turns to Harry for help. 

📻 Fic : Returning Tides (E, 24.5k) by Zigster @zigster-ao3

📻 Art : Love Will Tear Us Apart (G) by Zigster @zigster-ao3

🎵 Song prompt: Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division 

🎵 Fic summary: 

Is my timing that flawed? Our respect run so dry? Yet there's still this appeal That we've kept through our lives

🎵 Art summary: Art piece to accompany the fic ‘Returning Tides’, based on the song claim, 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' by Joy Division ***** Harry's brooding while straddling a motorbike. Need I say more?

📻  That Sweet Sweet Craving (E, 33.2k) by TheUltimateUndesirable @ultimateundesirable

🎵 Song prompt: Bleeding Out by Imagine Dragons 

🎵 Summary: Harry is miserable living a lie because he thinks being a gay role model is wrong. Fake dates raising money for a charity that ends up putting him in a situation he had never expected. Draco Malfoy appears back in his life by some odd chance trying to flip his world upside down and he isn't sure it's a good thing. Malfoy always worked that way to him. Mental health issues, sex, escaping, and that sweet sweet craving of happiness.

🎶 H/D Wireless Fic 🎶

📻  Follow the Water (T, 38.2k) by xanthippe74 @xanthippe74

🎵 Song prompt: “Follow the Water” by Calexico/Iron & Wine

🎵 Summary: Harry Potter’s life is fine. Maybe a little dull and predictable, but he shouldn’t complain about that, right? When he unexpectedly finds himself at Luna’s house one afternoon, Harry gets invited to join the secret wonderland that she’s creating with a surprising group of friends. Maybe a summer outdoors is just what a former hero needs to bring some zest back into his life.

📻  Life goes not backward (T, 8.8k) by shealwaysreads @shealwaysreads 

🎵 Song prompt: Daughter by Loudon Wainwright

🎵 Summary: Harry still isn’t used to gifts, but this one is different.

A story of coming home, finding safe ground, and the wild courage of putting down roots.

Leaving one life behind isn’t always a sacrifice, and sometimes the greatest good comes from embracing the people you love. 

📻  The Way We Used To Love (E, 5.3k) by Zzzara @big-draco-energy

🎵 Song prompt: 'Used to Love' by Martin Garrix & Dean Lewis

🎵 Summary: Is there hope when what is not enough for the one happens to be too much for the other? 

📻  but if you close your eyes (T, 3.3k) by cloudlesslysky @cloudlesslysky 

🎵 Song prompt: Pompeii by Bastille

🎵 Summary: The New Magic Order is trying to take over Wizarding Britain. They're not the Death Eaters, but they're not any better either.

The lines of alliance have shifted, but Harry is still on the front lines working tirelessly to stop them.

📻  Haunt the corner of my eye (T, 23k) by harryromper @harryromper

🎵 Song prompt: Echoes of You - Marianas Trench

🎵 Summary: Harry’s life is very much on track. After a successful career as an Auror, he’s set to become the youngest ever Minister for Magic. But strange things are starting to happen at Grimmauld Place. Items he doesn’t recognise are appearing left and right, and somehow he never feels quite alone. There’s only one thing Harry knows for sure: it has something to do with Draco Malfoy.

📻  Now that the spring is in the air (T, 5.7k) by cloudlesslysky @cloudlesslysky 

🎵 Song prompt: Seasons in the Sun by Westlife

🎵 Summary: A surprise attack in Diagon Alley leaves Draco struggling to make peace with the fact that he won't live long enough to experience his own wedding.

📻  Seven Days to Monday (M, 11.7k) by static_abyss @static_abyss

🎵 Song prompt: Say Something - A Great Big World

🎵 Summary: There are seven days before Harry has to meet Draco for the final signing of their divorce papers. It's been months and the surprise at finding nothing but more cold sheets and an empty pillow next to him still catches Harry unaware. He doesn't know where they go from here. Whether it's possible to go anywhere after everything that's happened between them.

📻  Blond Brew (E, 30.4k) by MicheleBlack @micheleblack

🎵 Song prompt: “Blondes” by Waterparks

🎵 Summary: A blond roast with soy milk makes Draco's morning, but a pair of green eyes makes his week.

📻  A Series of Nonsensical Events (T, 12.8k) by CoffeeCurse @coffee-curse

🎵 Song prompt: My Gospel by Charlie Puth

🎵 Summary: Malfoy is up to something. When Harry and the other Aurors are called into a Gringotts break-in and find him the culprit, Harry’s at a total loss.

But things only get weirder from then on.

📻  Ignore the Truth (E, 2.6k) by static_abyss @static_abyss

🎵 Song prompt: Dangerously - Charlie Puth

🎵 Summary: "Longtime on-again-off-again lovers Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were caught in a compromising position in one the Ministry's lifts yesterday evening. While fans of the couple are optimistic, there's still doubt as to whether or not this particular reconciliation will last. When asked directly about the nature of his relationship with Draco Malfoy, the Boy Who Lived had simply this to say, 'Fuck right off, we're busy.'"

- The Daily Prophet, "Love Is In The Air," 28th Oct. 2005.   

📻  Your Daddy Knows (You're A Flame) (E, 27.8k) by Ladderofyears @ladderofyears

🎵 Song prompt: Babyfather by Sade (2010)

🎵 Summary: It's just over a week until Draco's twenty-fifth birthday party and Harry Potter is a busy wizard. Amongst all the excitements of fatherhood, work and friends, Harry realises something special about his husband Draco. He is pregnant with their second, much wanted baby.

There's only one problem: Draco is entirely oblivious to the fact and seems determined to remain so. 

📻  Don't search me in here (E, 6.7k) by Sassy3 @sassy-sassy3

🎵 Song prompt: Gone - Charlie XCX & Christine and the Queens

🎵 Summary: Draco spotted him in a corner, crowded by Ministry employees. He looked like an animal, trapped in a cage. He had a strained smile on his , and his eyes were looking everywhere else than on the people in front of him.

Draco can’t quite help himself, watching Potter from afar. Just out of curiosity, of course. He’s happy with his life, nothing is missing, and if he’s lonely it’s entirely by choice. 

📻  I Can Be Your Lighthouse (T, 4k) by orpheus87 

🎵 Song prompt: The Lighthouse by The Used

🎵 Summary: When Harry gets called to investigate reports of Dark magic, the last thing he expects to find is an almost unconscious Draco Malfoy. After multiple instances, he resolves to find out what's going on.

📻  Drop Everything Now (T, 21k) by parkkate @parkkate

🎵 Song prompt: Sparks Fly by Taylor Swift

🎵 Summary: After accidentally bonding himself to Malfoy, Harry finds himself in an utterly precarious situation… 

📻  No one fucks with us (T, 3.3k) by Laura_Sinele @laurasinele

🎵 Song prompt: NFWMB by Hozier

🎵 Summary: Draco Malfoy wonders for how long has Harry Potter been a terrifying force of nature. Harry Potter thinks Draco Malfoy has been a badass MF all along. If the world has to end so they can have some peace and quiet, be it. They'll set it on fire.

📻  Will You Stay with Me? (M, 10.2k) by EvAEleanor @eva-eleanore

🎵 Song prompt: ‘Run’ - Daughter

🎵 Summary: Ten months ago, Draco had found none other than Harry Potter blindly drunk and bleeding outside a Muggle pub. He'd brought him home and hasn't left his side ever since. He looked after him, took care of him when yet another nightmare plagued him. 

Harry is sure that Draco will leave him at some point, and he can’t let it happen. He can’t have another person leaving his life unexpectedly. So, Harry forces him to leave — after they spend one last night together.

📻  until the sun has changed the colour of my hair (T, 4.9k) by cloudlesslysky @cloudlesslysky 

🎵 Song prompt: Jag saknar dig mindre och mindre - Melissa Horn

🎵 Summary:  Draco's life has been one big mess ever since Potter broke up with him. He doesn't want to see his friends, he's too ashamed to see his parents, and his apartment is one giant mess. He's constantly prepared for disaster, and spends his time either alone in Muggle parks or in his apartment. But one day... One beautiful day... He will forget Harry, surely.

📻  Love Found (E, 7.5k) by peachpety @peachpety

🎵 Song Prompt: I Found, by Amber Run

🎵 Summary: During Harry’s sixth year, Draco Malfoy joins the Order as a double-agent and continues with his task to get the Death Eaters into the castle as assigned by Voldemort. Draco succeeds with his mission the evening Harry returns from the caves with Dumbledore. The boys reunite on the Astronomy Tower and, with the Death Eater’s arrival, are forced to engage in a fight, driving Harry to come to terms with his feelings about true friendship and romantic love.

📻  On the Third Day He Took Me to the River (M, 14.4k) by pixiedustatsundown @pixiedustatsundown 

🎵 Song prompt: 'Where the Wild Roses Grow - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds ft. Kylie Minogue'

🎵 Summary: This is a story of two lonely young men falling in love.

This is a story about dreams and duty, about witches that give purpose to the one and doom the other.

You think you know how the story goes, but this is a different story, and it doesn't end well. 

📻  (When They Only Hear You Whisper) I'll Be Loud For You (T, 2.8k) by VeelaWings @veelawings

🎵 Song prompt: There for You - Martin Garrix/Troye Sivan

🎵 Summary: Potter must have been having nightmares again. He was restless in his bed across the room. Moonlight shone through his open bed curtains and highlighted the contours of his body, the grimace on his face blatant. His thick blanket was kicked down, one leg still covered by his twisted sheet, the musk of his sweat pungent in their small dorm. Low grunts accounted for the majority of the noise he made, but it was peppered by the occasional groan or unclear shout of words. However, ‘No,’ was always clear.

Draco hated it. 

📻  The Interview (T, 17.3k) by Cibee (Cibeeeee) @cibeewastaken

🎵 Song prompt: Just Say Yes - Snow Patrol

🎵 Summary: One interview had Draco realizing how naïve he was for thinking he deserved Harry. 

📻  Lookalike (M, 1.4k) by Zzzara @big-draco-energy

🎵 Song prompt: 'Lookalike' by Conan Gray 

🎵 Summary: When you look in his eyes, Do you think of mine? And when you look at that smile, Do I cross your mind? I know in your head You see me instead 'Cause he looks a lot like I did back then Baby, don't lie, He's just a lookalike... ©

📻  As Fascinating As a Slap Bracelet (T, 13.2k) by acupforslytherin @acupforslytherin 

🎵 Song prompt: Have It All - Jason Mraz

🎵 Summary: Who would have thought that a wacky little Muggle toy would lead to an unlikely friendship between Harry and Draco? Not Harry, certainly.

Who would have thought that this friendship would bloom into something more? Well, Ron, for one. 

📻  If Sex Is the Drug, Then What Is the Cost (E, 3.8k) by EvAEleanor @eva-eleanore

🎵 Song prompt: I Almost Told You That I Loved You - Papa Roach

🎵 Summary: For quite some time, Harry has been seeing Malfoy. Well... Actually, he's hired Malfoy, to keep him company, in his bedroom. It's only sex — honestly — and since Malfoy is the best, he's the only person Harry wants. That's all it is, right? 

📻  I Grow Fonder Every Day (M, 21.6k) by Drarrelie @drarrelie

🎵 Song prompt: One and Only by Adele

🎵 Summary: Draco still doesn’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse, sharing a flat in Muggle London with Harry Potter.

It’s all Draco’s ever wanted — more than he’d ever wished for. And if it entails suppressing his inconvenient feelings for the man, so what? He’s perfectly happy with his life as it is, perfectly content with just having Potter close and enjoying his company.

That is, until one Friday evening at the beginning of April when the end starts. 

📻  How Can I Live Without you? (G, 2.2k) by ununquadius @ununquadius 

🎵 Song prompt: "So Far Away", by Avenged Sevenfold

🎵 Summary: After Draco's death, Harry wonders how can he live without the one he loves when he's so far away.

📻  Following the Arrow to Your Heart (E, 10.9k) by goddessofthehearth 

🎵 Song prompt: Give Me Love by Ed Sheeran

🎵 Summary: After the war, Draco is recruited into the Department of Love (aka Cupid's Arrow). His job is to bring together witches and wizards whose magical signatures are only compatible with each others' (essentially soulmates). As they all learned during training, Cupids are chosen because they do not have soulmates.

Six years later, Draco's convinced himself that he's perfectly fine with not having a soulmate. But his latest client turns out to be Harry Potter, and he's forced to reconsider in light of his old feelings.

📻  cos I only need your name to call the reasons why I fought (T, 6.6k) by cloudlesslysky @cloudlesslysky

🎵 Song prompt: War, by Poets of the Fall

🎵 Summary: Ron and Hermione leave the Horcrux hunt, leaving a hurt Harry behind.

But at least Draco is still there with him.

📻  Madness (M, 10k) by tigersilver 

🎵 Song prompt: House of Fun by Madness

🎵 Summary: A desperate search for contraception all around Diagon Alley.

📻  Between Myth and Man (E, 16.2k) by slytherco @slytherco 

🎵 Song prompt: Why'd you only call me when you're high? - Arctic Monkeys

🎵 Summary: Draco, lost and a little broken, navigates post-war reality convinced that people like him should not be allowed to make their own choices. To solve the problem of his self-sabotaging tendencies, he starts taking a few drops of Veritaserum every morning.

A story about the complexity of choices, repressed desires that come to the surface when we least expect them, and the utter hopelessness of truths built on a foundation of lies.

📻  stay awhile (stay here with me) (T, 3.1k) by panicparade @panicissharp​

🎵 Song prompt: I like me better - Lauv

🎵 Summary: "Then when?" Harry tries again. He's not sure if he really wants to see the photo or if he just wants to keep talking to Malfoy. This Malfoy, who is so different from what he was expecting. In his Muggle jeans and smartly pressed sweater, with an air of vulnerability around him that Harry isn't used to seeing, Malfoy looks approachable in a way he never has before.

Harry stops his fidgeting as Malfoy looks up to meet his eyes. Through the hum of the crowded pub, he has to strain a little to hear him. "Maybe," Malfoy starts, hesitating a little but never breaking eye contact, "one day?"

📻  All it needs is messing it up and stars (G, 5.9k) by a_reader_and_writer @harrypotterfanfictionwriter

🎵 Song prompt: Tongue Tied by Faber Drive

🎵 Summary: After the war all the Malfoy's came off with light sentences. Now during 8th year Draco is finally free to be himself and date his crush; Harry Potter. Or at least so he thought..

A letter from his father rips that happiness away.

But maybe in the end it will take just a bit of messing up and some stars to get that happiness back.

📻  I'm gonna let it happen (E, 12.3k) by tomoewantsdolls @tomoewantsdolls 

🎵 Song prompt: Florence + The Machine - Shake it out

🎵 Summary: And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope It's a shot in the dark and right at my throat 'Cause looking for heaven, found the devil in me Looking for heaven, for the devil in me Well what the hell I'm gonna let it happen to me

📻  I feel it in my bones (M, 6.3k) by cloudlesslysky @cloudlesslysky

🎵 Song prompt: Radioactive - Imagine Dragons

🎵 Summary: Harry’s heartbeat is loud in his ears as his heart pounds in his chest. His lungs burn as he pants for air. His legs are screaming in protests as he continues to push them to their limit, forcing himself to run ever faster.

📻  Born in the U.S.A. (M, 9k) by KittyCargo @kittycargo

🎵 Song prompt: I'm on Fire by Bruce Springsteen

🎵 Summary: “You need to come home, Draco.”

“What? Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, I just have an opportunity for you, and you need to come home to take it.”

When Draco's mother insists he comes home, he drags his feet and convinces his friends to take a road trip.

📻  just tell me when it's alright (E, 23k) by M0stlyVoid @bonesliketambourines

🎵 Song prompt: Teeth, Lady Gaga

🎵 Summary: Harry’s been fighting tooth and nail for any bit of normalcy he can get his hands on. He’s sick of feeling like something’s wrong with him, tired of feeling different. He thinks he’s finally gotten to the root of it, and has settled into a routine that makes him happy. Naturally, that’s when Draco Malfoy walks back into his life and upends it once again. Has Harry bitten off more than he can chew with his former rival?

📻  The Courting by the Pureblood Who Only Has Five Milligrams of Romantic Intelligence and Thinks He’s Real Smooth (T, 19.4k) by Cibee (Cibeeeee) @cibeewastaken

🎵 Song prompt: Cupid - Amy Winehouse 

🎵 Summary: Draco could grab Potter and shove him into a stall before proceeding to suck his soul out of his dick, but secretly, deep down, in the part of Draco that he will never admit to anyone, he is (everyone pauses to shudder) a romantic. Potter is not someone Draco wants a one-off with. Potter is — Draco’s beloved!

So Draco decides to boldly go where no one has gone before: to put himself through scrutiny; their friends’ teasing and pranks; unsound romantic advice from a house-elf; wearing pretty clothes; all to try and win Potter’s heart through courtship.

(An unnamed ginger bastard can be heard yelling from afar: “This is actually a detailed guide on how not to court someone!”)

But who cares about the opinions of redheads? Literally no one.

📻  What Will We Do With a Drunken Harry? (E, 4.9k) by Thunder_of_Dragons @thunder-of-dragons

🎵 Song prompt: "Drunken Sailor" by The Irish Rovers

🎵 Summary: A victorious Quidditch match, a claimed Quidditch Cup, and a wild House party can mean only one thing. Will the aftermath lead to one excruciating hangover in the morning, or will it perhaps lead to something more?

📻  Though Your World Is Changing, I Will Be The Same (E, 15.9k) by hephaestiions 

🎵 Song prompt: Slave To Love by Bryan Ferry 

🎵 Summary: “I shower after work,” Harry had told him once when Draco had asked what cologne had such longevity as to be effective after a full day of gruelling Auror work. 

“For me?” Draco had asked. Teased, just a little. There had been a smile lingering on the edges of his consciousness, threatening to traipse onto his mouth. 

“For Ginny,” Harry had said, voice flat. “She hates it when I come back sweaty and crackling with other people’s hexes. Did you know magic has a smell? I didn’t until she told me.”

–

It's all fun and games, till somebody falls in love. Given his luck, it's obviously Draco who has to go and do it.

📻  I Can't Help Falling in Love with You (NR, 4.8k) by readdreamwrite26 @readdreamwrite26

🎵 Song prompt: I can't help falling in love with you - Elvis Presley

🎵 Summary: Harry stood up and set his hand out to Draco. “Dance?” “I didn’t know you danced, Potter.” “Hm, I’ve danced a lot in my time," Harry replied smugly. “How do I know you won’t step on my feet?” “You don’t, but I think the risk will be worth it.”

📻  Searching For a Place to Hide (T, 12.5k) by Erin_Riwen @erin-riwen

🎵 Song prompt: Love Will Keep Us Alive - The Eagles

🎵 Summary: After the war, there were threats against the Malfoys. Needing them kept safe until the trials are over, the Ministry puts them in protective custody but a murder attempt proves there’s a Ministry leak. Desperate, the Ministry decides a safe house is best, but who to trust to keep it secret and keep them safe? Narcissa calls in a life debt, the Minster calls in a favour and Harry Potter wonders why his life continues to hate him. 

Along the way, the Malfoys learn how to be a family again, Harry learns that some things are not how he thought and maybe never were, and the touch-starved boys discover that they may be each other's forever answer.

📻  Isolated Thunderstorms and Scattered Showers (T, 21.3k) by triggerlil @triggerlil 

🎵 Song prompt: Iris - the GooGoo Dolls

🎵 Summary: Post-war, Harry needs space. Everything is too much all at once, and time and time again, he finds himself pulling the invisibility cloak over his head, just for a bit of peace.

Returning for eighth year is hard, especially when you're considered a war hero, and your name is Harry James Potter. It's just that things go a little wonky when Harry starts following Malfoy, and finds that he can't (or doesn't want to) stop.

📻  Kiss It Better (E, 1.5k) by articcat621 @articcat621

🎵 Song prompt: Kiss It Better by Rihanna

🎵 Summary: When Harry's injured, Draco knows there's no place he'd rather be than by his side.

📻  (shut up and) dance with me (T, 7.9k) by punk_rock_yuppie @punk-rock-yuppie

🎵 Song prompt: Shut Up and Dance - Walk the Moon

🎵 Summary: Four dances Harry and Draco share.

📻  In Love with the Ferret (E, 21.9k) by Pineau_noir @pineau-noir 

🎵 Song prompt: I'm Yours by Jason Mraz

🎵 Summary: Harry has never been the most observant bloke. Sometimes to the point of him not realising his feelings for a particular pointy, pale git. And it's not his fault if literally everyone else knows about said feelings except for Harry and the git in question. So it's really not his fault, when faced with the scope of his feelings, he suddenly has a hard time talking to one Draco Malfoy. Or looking him in the eye. Or not being a total weirdo around him.

There's nothing to do but take the advice of his friends and try to woo Draco over dinners with friends, Ministry cases, and an unfortunately named Italian restaurant.

Harry just can't stop the flutter in his chest when he sees Draco smile.

📻  Dance with me? (M, 8.2k) by Aylaar @accioxanxiety

🎵 Song prompt: I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Whitney Houston

🎵 Summary: Draco had given up on love, until one day sitting outside the usual gaudy cafe he frequented 'people watching' he spotted Harry Potter lurking, a suspicious Draco investigates and a series of events ensue.

📻  The Cupid Incident (E, 12.6k) by meandminniemcg @meandminniemcg 

🎵 Song prompt: Can' Get You out of My Head - Kylie Minogue

🎵 Summary: Draco gets into the way of a potions attack and can't get Potter out of his head.

📻  Carouse (E, 19.9k) by Drarryismymuse (Hatchersn) @drarryismymuse 

🎵 Song prompt: Dead by Madison Beer

🎵 Summary: Carouse (verb): To drink plentiful amounts of alcohol and enjoy oneself with others in a noisy, lively way.

Harry finds himself using alcohol in increasingly dangerous ways to cope with the stresses of life. When he is put on leave from work to sort out his issue, he instead falls head first into a lively club scene where he can drink and fuck his worries away. That is, until a certain blond from his past reappears and throws off his entire routine.

Massive well done to all these talented creators - you’ve made this fest utterly spectacular! Take a bow!!

🎙️ Don’t forget to check out the Playlists:

Youtube

Spotify (Provided by @eva-eleanore​ Thank  ypu so much!)

#HD Wireless #hd wireless 2020 #hd wireless reveals

[ceilingcow]

How do you colour your stuff? (If you don't mind telling👉👈) because your art looks so nice, it looks traditional but also digital at the same time.

Hey, thanks so much for the question! I love traditional art, but for various reasons digital is a lot more accessible to me now, so I try to bring my traditional process to digital as much as possible. I tend to really build up layers in traditional mediums, and digital can very conveniently mimic that.

I'll deconstruct my layers because this is more or less the sequence I go in.

One of the most important things to me was finding digital tools (brushes) that felt like the traditional tools I liked most. When you find one that just clicks, it's a tangible feeling. I'll list my favorite brushes at the bottom of the post. Putting a cut here because it's a long post, but I like sharing information when I can because hey maybe it'll be helpful to somebody!

I always start with a blank canvas that already has a paper-texture overlay applied to it. I tend to sketch in a couple different colors to keep things straight. A holdover from traditionally inked pieces where I'd sketch in non-photo blue pencils. I keep it rough, especially in faces. I do my final layer of pencils or inks over that.

Once I have my lineart, I establish the tone of the piece with a background color or gradient. I do a bit of underpainting where I know I want to build on top of colors other than the background.

I tend to start focusing more on the face here. Throughout working on the piece I'll come back to the underpainting layer and add colors as I see fit.

I fill in the base colors next, keeping things messy by using a brush with some texture and flow that varies with pressure. I really like having the background peek through in places and the background color is key to how I mix colors. I never bucket fill areas of color on a piece like this. For Benny's jacket I use two separate layers to keep the checks easier to work with, and layer masks to erase away sections to create a hatched effect. This is one of those places where I love digital art because I can do things more efficiently than what I would've done traditionally.

I do these next steps kind of concurrently, because they both solidify the overall colors of the piece.

I go back and add colors to the background as I work. Above the more opaque paint I've already done on the figure, I start doing "glazing" layers using layer modes in Photoshop. The most important one for me is Hard Light. I use the background colors to add pops of color on this layer and do some shading. I find that doing shadows in Hard Light first makes them a bit more interesting. I used pinks, reds and greens on the Hard Light layer.

I intensify the shadows in places using a Multiply layer and add a bit more color variety in places on a Color Burn layer using magenta, purple, coral and red.

While I'm using layer modes a lot in this process, I started doing this because it mirrored how I used to work with markers traditionally and build up colors in layers, sometimes using unexpected combinations.

I add a few details over top all the layers and it's done!

Brush talk time!

My absolute favorite sketching pencil is the "Grease Pencil 8B" from Alex Dukal's "Pencil Garden" set. It has a soft-yet-dark, smooth feeling that reminds me of the "Caran d'Ache Sketcher Non-Photo Blue Pencil", which is really just the tops when it comes to traditional sketchers. Seriously I love those pencils. I did the final line art for this with the "German - 45px" brush from the same pencil set, but duplicated the line art layer to make it darker. I do this on many "painterly" pieces because I like how pencil lines and messier paint look together.

Everything else is a Kyle T. Webster brush, which can be found here and downloaded if you've got a subscription with Photoshop. I have a little folder with my favorite of these brushes because there are a lot of brushes. Some I've modified to my likings. The "Oil Background Crusher" is an absolute MVP when it comes to filling in large sections because the color varies based on pen pressure. The "Impressionist" brush is also a huge favorite, and I've done entire pieces before pretty much just with that brush, though I didn't use it for this piece. (Old example, but seriously I've loved this brush for years.)

I've been using a lot of KTW's Gouache brushes lately and most of the painting on the above piece was done with those since they have a messier feel than some of the oil-specific brushes. The recent Victor piece was 100% the KTW Gouache brushes except for the sketch.

Oil paint brushes have a much denser feel and I go for those when I want a more precise feeling. This one was done mostly with the "Impressionist" brush to bring the ghoul skin texture alive, the "Ultimate Oil thicker", "Big Wide Softy" and the "Creamy" brush.

As for color inspiration, I either generate my own palette on Adobe Color or draw inspiration from Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, or Vienna Secession movement paintings, since they tend to have a color palette with the traditional painting feel I'm going for. Right now Toulouse-Lautrec is my painting inspiration.

I hope something in here might've been helpful, though I know it's a bit long. I'm always down to answer questions or talk shop or even chat about art history. =]

#my art #asks #long post #art #digital art #I really like painting... honestly I like it a lot more than drawing #and I've enjoyed that I've gotten to do some messier painting work with Yeehawgust

[cleo5295910]

Part 3. Digital Rendering

Digital rendering is a very useful tool for it allows various textures to be done with great efficiency and can be redone as many times as one likes if anything went wrong. In this week’s task, I was planning on having 1 concept sketch and a perspective drawing applied with details, but I soon decided not to do a perspective one because I liked the three designs, I didn’t want to just choose one of them to have more details in perspective, that’s what I did last week, this week I want to have more options.

Therefore, the final result is three equally detailed concept designs. For the process, I first drew on the tablet acquired, with brush tool, overlaying sketches from last week for convenience, then colours and shades, then textures, finally bottom shadows and graphic devices and voila! It’s done. Though it sounds like an easy process, it actually took me quite some time, layers over layers, sections after sections, the drawing tablet also takes time getting used to. But overall  it was relatively enjoyable, coming up with new ideas of the designs.

As for the drawings looked up online, I didn’t focus on particular designers, but anything that has visuals that interest me, as well as free and resolved line works, colours, etc. It might a good idea to imitate the feel of some of these for practice and later develop one’s own visual character.

Of all the tasks that were done, this one’s my favourite so far, though the water texture of the second bottle isn’t perfect, but I’m fine with it, it’s the best I can achieve at this stage.

Designers: 

https://www.instagram.com/hakangursudr/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/blaster701/

https://www.instagram.com/filipchaeder/

#IDES1262 W6

[angstyaches]

Alone (Hitori de)

So I feel like I’ve been teasing this OC’s introduction for... a long time?! So finally, here’s your invitation to Ryan Aldridge’s 200th birthday party! 

CW: nausea, emeto, loneliness, jetlag, character overwhelmed by language

He was swaying a little – hopefully not noticeably – as he passed countless faces. Countless strangers who, no matter their differences, were all dressed in black and white attire; monochromatic dresses and stiff-looking suits were the order of the evening. All blending in, all the same.

However, most other people at the party weren’t hiding sweat patches under their suit jackets, or struggling to stand upright because of stomach cramps and dizzy spells.

Conversations blew past, the onslaught of the known, yet vaguely unfamiliar, language making everything worse. His hands were shaking, and the loneliness felt like an alien thing attached to his stomach lining, niggling away with the possibility that he wouldn’t find who he was looking for.

He lingered by the refreshments table, resigning to just grabbing a cup of water. There was a selection of food – as well as goblets of blood and various entrails for the strictly carnivorous guests – on display in giant, elaborate glass bowls, anyone’s for the taking. He averted his eyes from all of this; the thought of putting anything in his stomach right then made him want to retch, despite the fact that his last meal had been on a plane ten hours ago.

It could have been the three plane rides that were making him feel so horrible, or maybe it was the fact that his eating and sleeping schedule had been shaken around relentlessly over the past three days. Or was it two days? He couldn’t even get it straight in his head.

The cold water settled in his belly for all of a couple of seconds before he felt it gush back towards his throat. He hiccupped deeply, pressing a hand to his mouth just in case anything had made it all the way up. He glanced around, noting that none of the nearby guests had turned to look at him.

Feet swirled in and out of his vision as he stared at the floor and shuffled away from the table. Arms brushed against his and made his clammy skin crawl. His agoraphobia didn’t usually affect him as badly as his claustrophobia, but right now it felt like the two were ganging up on him.

He needed to get out of there.

He weaved through to the other end of the hall, mumbling “sumimasen, excuse me, I’m sorryyyy” all the while. He began to feel off-balance, like he’d accidentally put his tight dress shoes on the wrong feet. He somehow made it out of the function room and through the foyer, stumbling out into the night.

At the top of the glossy marble staircase that overlooked the mansion’s car park, he loosened his tie and undid his top button. His shirt felt soaked with sweat under his jacket, his hair curled and sticking to the back of his neck. Now that he was away from the party, he could hear his own stomach groaning in discomfort.

He sat down at the side of the top stair, leaning his head against a cool marble column. He was tempted to close his eyes for a bit, but he was afraid his jetlagged brain would put him straight to sleep if he did. He couldn’t imagine any of the Elder and elitists would be too pleased to find an unconscious Japanese boy slumped at the top of the stairs of this very fancy mansion. He could just imagine the scolding phone call he would get from Yumi if she caught wind of it all.

The cold air relaxed him for a few minutes, before he heard footsteps coming up from the car park of the mansion, as well as low voices speaking to each other. He lowered his head a little further, curling an arm around the side of his face to hide from whoever was coming, waiting with the other hand pressed into his gut for his moment of solitude to be restored.

Not that he wanted to be alone, exactly.

“- hear what she said?”

“I heard her, boo, but I still don’t think she meant it the way you’re taking it.”

“Yeah, well, I think you give them too much slack, honestly.”

He lifted his head to see the two figures who had just walked past him towards the entrance to the mansion. One of them was a tall, dark guy whose suit jacket was slung over his shoulder, revealing suspenders worn over a grey-and-white pinstripe shirt.

The other was a lot shorter, paler, and had vibrant blue-green hair. His suit jacket was nowhere to be seen, and his shirt was silky and patterned like a chessboard.

His heart grew lighter in his chest and tears sprang to his eyes. A brand-new wave of energy struck his bloodstream and his nervous system, and if he’d been in fox form at that moment, he’d have wagged his fluffy white tail.

His legs carried him back inside without much input from his thoughts, and he couldn’t stop smiling to himself. Even the pain in his belly faded to the back of his mind; even the unsteadiness left him alone. The crowd didn’t freak him out as much as he joined it this time; because in the sea of black and white attire, he could see that mint-coloured hair.

It had been a silvery shade of lilac when he had last seen it, and it was about thirty feet away, buried in the crowd.

He couldn’t wait any longer.

“Fee-kun!”

Heads shot up from drinks and conversations, but none of them were the right heads. Kazu began to giggle as more and more attention was drawn towards him, and it only made him more and more excited, more and more eager to –

“FEE-KUN!”

He looked this time, blinking in disbelief.

“Kaz?” Felix asked, eyes widening as started to push his way back through the crowd.

Kazu allowed himself a shaky smile.

“Kaz?” Felix squeaked, starting to run a bit now.

Kazu managed to brace himself in time for Felix to throw his weight towards him. He scooped the smaller boy into a hug; there was so much adrenaline in his blood that he mustered the strength to lift Felix up off the ground and spin him slightly before setting him back down.

Just like he used to.

“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it’s really you,” Felix gushed, clinging to Kazu for dear life. Kazu was a little wary of the pressure this was putting on his stomach, but he still laughed and continued to squeeze his friend back.

He also noticed the disgruntled looks that some of the older guests were throwing their way, but if Felix didn’t care, then Kazu certainly didn’t.

“Hisashiburi, ne?”

“Hisashiburi.” Felix’s voice cracked a bit as he nodded violently, his chin knocking against Kazu’s collarbone. It certainly had been a long time. Six years, to be exact. Felix still looked like the same twenty-three year old Kazu had known back then, whereas Kazu had gone from nineteen to twenty-five in that time.

“Genki?” Felix demanded to know, his voice warm beside Kazu’s ear. Are you well? His Japanese was nowhere near the level of Kazu’s English, but Kazu appreciated the effort. The rushed little greetings were making him feel a little less overwhelmed.

“Genki,” Kazu muttered, though now that he thought about it, he felt far, far from genki, and he didn’t feel good about lying to his friend. “Ah – I – I’m tired.”

“You look it, buddy,” Felix said as he pulled back, frowning as he scanned his friend’s face. “When was your flight in? Today?”

“Ah, uh, yes,” Kazu said shakily. “For me, yesterday.”

“Right, right.” Felix turned his head, beckoning for his taller, darker companion to join them. So far, he had been hovering a few steps below, but he silently came back up, letting Felix take his hand. The rest of the party had gone about their business by now, Kazu noted.

“Elli, you remember me telling you about Kazuhito, right?”

The guy nodded quietly.

“Kaz, this is Elliott,” Felix smiled.

Kazu glanced down, gulping back a mouthful of sour spit as he saw how the two of them were holding hands. He’d never felt anything romantic towards Felix, but he’d also never had to share him with anyone; when he’d come to Japan, Felix had been alone and completely helpless until Kazuhito had offered him somewhere to stay.

Now Kazu was the one in a foreign land. Now he was the one who was alone.

He was working himself up to repeating the name Felix had given, briefly panicking that he was going to mess up the L-sound. He wondered if he should just lean into a funny mispronunciation, to try to break the ice.

“Ni-nice to mee–”

Kazu swallowed mid-speech and clamped a hand to his mouth. The crashing waves in his stomach were even more unsettled after the jumping and hugging and spinning. The excitement and relief he’d felt upon seeing Felix was already ebbing away, leaving just nausea and exhaustion. He really didn’t feel like talking, not with how horrible his body felt, and not while there were so many people around. What he wanted was a bed, preferably his futon back home, but he’d have settled for anything.

“Hey, are you okay?” Felix asked, his eyes widening again.

“Ore – kibun –  I…” Kazu mumbled into his hand, too dizzy to try to explain in English. He gently placed his other hand on his stomach for emphasis. “Onaka ga itai.”

“What, really? Your stomach hurts?” Felix glanced around, stepping closer again so he could put a hand to Kazu’s elbow.

Kazu moaned. He felt like the world was tilting on its side. He wanted to warn Felix of just how bad he felt, of the very real danger of –

Before he could make up his mind what to do or say, his body made a decision of its own, and his head shot forward with incredible force. His hand flew away and his jaw fell open, and he emptied out the scarce remains of his in-flight meal and all of the water he’d drank.

A beat of silence rang through his head after the splash.

His mouth was still hanging open wide as saliva and vomit dripped from his lips to the polished white floor. He slowly looked up to see that he’d puked all over Felix and his boyfriend, coating their shoes and the fronts of their clothes with thick white chunks and yellow liquid. The nearby guests had leaped back, shuffling about and looking at their feet and exclaiming things that Kazu couldn’t focus enough to hear.

With his stomach feeling somewhat relieved, Kazu felt his shoulders begin to tremble with a weak roll of laughter.

“Fucking hell, Felix,” the boyfriend growled, as though Kazu’s vomit was somehow Felix’s responsibility. His hands were hovering out from his body as he looked down at his destroyed shirt, his spattered suspenders.

Felix just gave a shaky smile and put his hand on Kazu’s shoulder.

“Fee-kun, gomen,” Kazu giggled, sorry, covering his mouth in response to both the laughter and the nausea that was rolling around for a second appearance. He gulped loudly, making Felix jump. “Go-gomen, ne…”

“Don’t – don’t be sorry, okay? Let’s just get you out of here. Excuse us, sorry, can we just –?”

Kazu let himself be directed back out through the doors and towards the top of those outdoor marble stairs again. His vision was fuzzy, but Kazu broke away and threw himself against a wall, doubling forward and ejected another stream of sick, this time into an elaborate flowerbed about ten feet below.

“Oh, gosh, the hydrangeas.”

Kazu tensed as he felt Felix come up beside him.

“Sorry, it’s – don’t worry, just get everything up. You poor thing,” Felix sighed, rubbing his back firmly despite the fact his dress shirt and jacket were now soaked through with sweat. With his free hand, Felix reached around and laid a cool palm against Kazu’s forehead. “I think you might have picked up a bug, maybe on one of your flights. You’re a tad hot. Atsui.”

“Atsui,” Kazu agreed, spitting away some of the sour fluid still pooling around his tongue and teeth. He lifted his head back from over the wall. He scoffed with nervous laughter as he looked at that first wave of sick again, soaking into the laces of Felix’s shoes. “Yabai. Sorry, Felix.”

“Daichi Kazuhito?”

A woman’s deep voice made Kazu turn his head. His guts felt even wobblier under her pale yellow gaze. She had frosty-white hair, almost as white as the streak that ran through Kazu’s, breaking up the silky black. He didn’t have to wonder who she was.

“Ka-Kazuhito desu,” he muttered. “Ryan-sama, hajimemashite. Tanjoubi omedetou…”

Felix cleared his throat. “He – he said it’s nice to meet you, and happy birthday –”

“Yes, thank you, Felix,” Ryan said evenly. Without any change in her expression, she began to address Kazu, in Japanese, explaining that she was good friends with Yumi, which he’d already been aware of. He had to really focus on what she was saying, not just because of her accent, but also because his belly was still churning, despite its contents now being spread out across Felix, Elliott, and the mansion’s hydrangeas. His ears pricked up at certain words, especially when he realised she was asking him a question. “Hitori de?”

Kazu nodded miserably as his fever- and jetlag-induced fear was pounded into his chest. He began to press a hand against his belly again, as the nausea began to melt into a dull, twisting ache.

“Hi-hitori de,” he said in a quiet voice. He had come here alone. One person. Just Kazuhito. He mumbled softly that Yumi sent her apologies, but work had been too hectic for her to take time off to travel.

As he spoke, he felt Felix reach up to brush his hair back from his sticky forehead. Kazu felt goosebumps breaking out all down his back and his arms.

“He can stay with us, can’t he, Ryan?” Felix asked softly. “Seeing as he’s sick. He helped me out a lot, back when – well, when I was in a much worse state than this.”

Ryan pursed her lips. “Elliott’s already headed for the car.”

A warm glow spread through Kazu’s chest as Felix linked an arm through his elbow and pulled him close. “Thank you, Ryan. So, we’ll see you at home tomorrow?”

“You will, indeed.” Ryan looked Felix up and down swiftly, eyeing the vomit stains on his pants and shirt. “Wash those trousers immediately. You can burn the shirt. It’s an insult to good taste.”

Felix laughed to himself as she stalked off, and Kazu finally eased the last of his weight up from his elbows, up from the edge of the wall. He felt his stomach gurgle, the sound traveling right up in his throat. He burped uneasily into his fist and smiled awkwardly at Felix.

“Come on,” the bright-haired boy coaxed. “Let’s get you out of here, before you puke all over these lovely steps.”

#my ocs #oc sickfic #emeto #emetophilia #oc emeto #emeto sickfic #sick boys #new OC #Kazu #Felix #Elliott #yes Elliott got puked on and didn't kill anyone #stomach bug #jetlag #travel bug