#i struggled a lot with the middle one's color palette for some reason help

[beybuniki]

family

#i wanted to compile all of my family sketches but there are too many lets start with this smaller batch first i dont want to scare the hoes #i just know rei can carry all of her kids at once also lets ignore the wrong age gap idgaf #i struggled a lot with the middle one's color palette for some reason help #bnha #todoroki toya #todoroki shoto #todoroki rei #dabi

[romeulusroy]

Empathetic (Bucky Barnes Oneshot)

Character/s: Bucky

Word Count: 1,288

Tag List: Not including

A/N: This is my 1,000th way of saying I want to be taken care of and I want him to do it. Basically. Home is hard right now, it hurts a lot, and I just needed to write a bit for therapy. Things will get better soon. Idk maybe it's weird, but if it can help anyone struggling with basic things, then that's all that matters :) 💕  Feedback is always appreciated 💜💖💜

FIC MASTERLISTS / TAG LIST 

The bathroom smells of mold. Spores sleeping just beneath the surface. That distinct, pungent odor. Not entirely overpowering, rather growing, pulsing alongside the steam of the water. It’s there. You’re overtly aware of its presence, as if it were growing out of your back, from your stomach and arms. Sprouting from your spine. All of it is wet. Humid. Uncomfortable. It threatens to suffocate you. Then again, what doesn’t? What doesn’t feel like too much? You search for it, some sign, proof, but there is none. No dark spots, no birthmarks, nothing on the edge that screams rot, that announces itself the way so many things do. A feeling mostly, and that ache. In the middle of your chest, in the middle of your sternum. Deep and painful, the whole bone cracking, crumbling. It leaves you sobbing. It leaves you pleading. It leaves you feeling dirty, hence the shallow waters of a dirty bathtub. You should clean it more. Scrub it ‘till it shines. You should do a lot of things more frequently. Carve a routine from the mundanity of your days. Breathing is work enough. Exhausting enough. Oh well. The bloated walls moaning, groaning, all of it too thick. A sponge for the hours, days, lifetimes you’ve spent soaking under the water. The damp towels hanging over the edge, dipping shyly in the water long cooled. There is a vague soapy undertone to the room. Hints, attempts, but nothing with a name. Nothing distinct. You like to think of yourself vaguely soap-adjacent. Neither of you put up much of a fight. A single drop across the floor, a bump, a nudge, and you’re forever dented. Scarred. Unsettled. Like it, or like you, you find yourself swaying which way. Something for people to use until they no longer need you, until you’ve grown small and fragile. Breakable. The bar lays in her dish. No one wants you at your most vulnerable, turning to the bin for answers. She is exhausted. If she had bones, joints, blood vessels, if she could bruise you were sure she’d be covered. Deep purples, golden yellows, the kind of palette an artist would use when they fumed, burned with a passion for pain. She too would sob quietly at the end of her days for no particular reason than this life she’s been gifted, that she often feels as if she’s taking for granted, leaves more scars than she anticipated. 

You are grateful she is just soap. Unfeeling and numerous. 

Behind the mirror, sitting on their individual sleeves, are bottles. Containers that hold your whole life. White labels. Congealed liquids. Gels. Pills. Lotions. Creams. Oils. The things you use to hold yourself together, things you thought might fix the problem. Problem. Singular, it can be such a horrific idea. A lie you wish to wash over yourself. They are wgite and yellow and blue and green and red, their shades all in pastel. Pastel is cheery. It is childlike. There is safety in chewy, sweet colors. The pills. Your pills. Some work. Others don’t. It doesn’t really matter anymore. They are decorations at their worst. If only that was your worst. In front of the mirror you can’t stand to look so you don’t. There are imperfections. There are tea stained cheeks and deep bags beneath tired eyes. There are things, miniscule things, to fixate on, to tear apart. It’s the only form of self love you’ve ever been shown: criticism. A disgust, a feeling shy of hatred. When the water runs, it burns, and you are thankful for the steam that settles across your image. Blurring spots and shapes and colors. The sink is sweet. Slim, tender, she waits while you wash your hands, while you spit and sob and scream. Of all her sisters, she is your favorite. The faucet streams without doubt, shielding the world out there from in here. Vice versa. You could stand there for days, statue-esque, with nothing but the faucet turned on. A dribble, a drip, unapologetically controlled yet released by her emotions. This act buys you both time. A minute, perhaps even two, before you must gather all your pieces and pretend what you’re doing isn’t self-sabotage. 

Like this isn’t suicide. 

He doesn’t need to knock, but he will. Quietly. Softly. As if he were afraid to wake the dead. You don’t say anything. You can’t. He comes in anyways. He holds a towel. Fluffy, warm, fresh from the dryer. You would have chosen anything but. Flimsy, holy, full of holes. Something quick. You would have done anything not to show yourself, your body, a speck of kindness. He drags out soaps. Not your bar, not your little lady who cries and cries. Bottles, mostly full, of all scents. Strong. Abrasive. A sponge, too. He doesn’t say what he thinks, what he wishes to say, though he never had to. You could always read it in his features. Between the lines of his face. The tighten of his jaw. The crease of his forehead. He is upset. Not with you, never with you, merely the circumstances. A yearning for the water to be warmer, more welcoming. For things to be easier. For the world to be kinder. You don’t shrink from his touch, from his sight. Trapped in a nakedness you feel is far more vulnerable than sobbing in front of him and bearing your open soul, there is little left to do than accept. His presence was never an inconvenience, a nuisance, nor predatory. Rather this is his routine, his way of communicating. Loving. Without him, the impossible task would never get done. You would never find your way out. You would never wash off the outermost layer of dread and depression. Carefully, gently, he’ll place your hand in his, bubbles smooth across your fingers, your palm and wrist. Skin of lead, it is difficult to lift both arms, a chin, tilt a head side to side, all on your own. Knees to chest. Fetal position. He talks lightly of his day, the idea of you going without revolting. Disrespectful. You want to nod along, to laugh and ask questions. For now that is too much. For now catatonic, but not forever. He jokes, he knows just what to say, how to say it, as he cups the water, leans you back. 

There is not a second of patronization. 

With his fingertips, he circles the apples of your cheeks, the bridge of your nose, along your hairline. This is the last. It is almost over. You watch through teary eyes. This was not the plan. This was never the plan. And yet, it is. It was. Always. To care is to do so wholeheartedly. Without judgment. Without hesitation. He stands you slowly, the towel wrapped around you as if it were holding you together. His shirt is wet. Stained. Your hand print on his shoulder. It lingers. The plug of the drain is pulled. Gurgling like a newborn, it rids the room of any evidence. You rest your head against him, a wordless thank you. It is all you can manage. That and the brush of a tear. Bucky is all smiles, his arms wrapped around you as if he’d never let go. He didn’t want to. The kind that are easy, effortless. The kind you understand is of joy, pride, not at himself, but you. Only for you, for what you’ve accomplished. It doesn’t feel like much. It rarely ever does. But he is proud. He knows it is one step closer. It will be okay again. You will be able to do it on your own, without him, without help. One day, but not today. And that’s okay. It always will be.

#writing #bucky barnes #bucky barnes drabble #bucky barnes oneshot #the falcon and the winter soldier #the falcon and the winter soldier oneshot #the falcon and the winter soldier drabble #fatws #fatws drabble #fatws oneshot #marvel #marvel drabble #marvel oneshot

[inosukeslefttoe]

SO i just finished wonder egg priority and i think that with confidence i can say it has been one of my favorite animes like... ever ?? and not even from hyperfixation or obsession over it just... its so fucking real yet so simple in a way that i havent rlly seen shown in any other shows you feel ??

but first i wanna talk about how sexy the art and animation is real quick... HOMIE ITS SO GOOD LIKE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT JUST... serotonin... the characters are all so unique and iconic and fun but not over the top in their designs yknow ??? they seem like regular every day girls but they stand out and theyre all sO CUTE !!!! also i love how the style is like this soft bubbly slice of life lookin stuff with bright happy colors and the most beautiful scenes you could find but they also have the SICKEST fight scenes complete with whimsical animal helpers and terrifying villains and crazy weapons unique to each character. and the animation. god DAMN shawty i am obsessed with everything in this show. i might make a post solely about the art later lol bc i wanna get into the other stuff.

so the themes in the show right ?? it starts just as this cute lil magical girl kinda deal but within the first episode we see that like.. oh damn... thats kinda heavy... tbh i was a little shocked and thought about stopping bc yknow bad mental health BUT i was so intrigued that i had to keep going and i am SO GLAD that i did. because this show just so beautifully discusses all these heavy topics in such an eloquent and artistically expressive way. and also like, , the juxtaposition of the charming childlike vibe with bright colors and 14 yr old girl protagonists against the dark themes of suicide and so much else,, i think is just perfect. bc a lot of heavy animes are more of the seinen genre and have some middle aged dude as a protag or make the entire color palette dim or offer little relief to the pain of these heavy themes right ?? but NO not wonder egg bitches B) because these problems arent just things that ppl face later in life or just problems that need to be talked about among adults or the edgy seinen watching squad,, these are REAL problems that face people of every age, gender etc and i think its awesome that wonder egg addresses that. some may cringe at the thought of their high schooler watching animes that discuss sexual harassment, suicide, abuse, self harm, eating disorders etc,, but in reality it is the most comforting thing i have ever come across and is basically jsut free anime therapy. because not only does wonder egg present these themes to the viewers as something real that happens to all kinds of people (making said people feel heard in a way that maybe they hadnt before), but it also makes sure to vanquish all of these forms of trauma. and the way the trauma is vanquished isnt always beautiful and it isnt always just magically gone with a poof. the struggles of overcoming or living with that sort of thing are shown in such a real and relatable way that addresses every hardship trauma survivors have to go through. and i just. god i cry bro. 

oh m y GOD and the lgbtq+ rep in this show ?? like shawty... as soon as i saw episode one i was picking up on some gay/lesbian themes but then again im sapphic and project that a lot so i tend to see that sort of stuff like... everywhere... but NE WAYS... episode ten made me FUKCING CRY BRO LIke i cant believe there was a whole trans character with a whole trans pride hoodie like LKGHKDGH my heart is just so.. so fucking full thinking about him. bc like yeah i know there are trans characters in anime but i feel like theyre always very ambiguous about actually being trans or not or erased or portrayed as a harmful stereotype or theyre constantly misgendered and still refered to as their assigned gender at birth and i hate it. HOWEVEr... Kaoru.. *chefs kiss* it was so amazing to see a character straight up say “yeah im trans” in such a casual yet powerful way bc i personally have never seen that before. and i love love loved how he went into his backstory and talked to momoe about gender bc i think thats what she rlly needed and that it helped her find herself and it makes me so happy oh my god,, and the way they talked about it never seemed forced or like it was the focal point of his existence yknow ?? like yeah he existed to help momoe overcome some of her trauma but he also just existed to be HIM yknow ?? also... personally, i headcanon momoe as a trans girl even though i dont remember it being explicitly stated plus the school scenes of her and stuff would seem like they suggest otherwise ??but,,, SHAWTY THE AMOUNT OF SUBTEXT and her complicated relationship w gender is... something i feel like a cis girl would not go through so harshly yknow ?? with all of the questioning and feeling detached from femininity or feeling like ppl dont see her as an actual girl and only like her as a guy or for her masculine traits,,, but dont take my word on this bc i myself am a cis girl but that was just my take on it as someone in the lgbtq+ community trying to educate myself on the transgender community :) either way,, wonder eggs portrayal of momoe and kaoru and the way that momoe becomes so passionate about expressing herself the way she wants to as a girl is just... good lord im gonna cry its so perfect,,,.so ... i just love this show way too much. i also am honestly super lost about the relationship btwn acca and ura-acca ?? bc i was gonna mention ura-acca as a canonically gay guy bc when i was watching i interpreted ep 11 as him being in love with acca and being jealous of Azusa (bc i mean,, they lived together (i swear to god there was only one bed in that apartment) and had a daughter together and def loved each other and also when Frill said they were husbands and then when ura-acca said he wasnt attracted to azusa but he was def jealous of their relationship ??) but then i saw somewhere that theyre brothers ?? which would make sense ig since they look kinda similar and accas daughter called ura-acca “uncle”.. but at the same time its ANIME SO THEY ALL LOOK SIMILAR and referring to gay couples as siblings is an EXTREMELY common euphemism soooo... IM JUST LOST HERE... but yeah i tried doing research and found different things so i cant say anything for sure >:( however,,, if they are canonically a lil fruity for each other... when frill refered to acca as ura-accas husband i imploded dude you never hear that sort of wording in anime.. but if theyre related i am so sorry. 

god this is so much longer than i planned it to be oops but i also love the theme about like.. relying on friends to help carry your weight but at the same time not becoming completely dependent on those friends and using their support to learn how to love yourself and rely on yourself yknow ?? bc that is exactly what healthy friendships look like. bc i think ai sort of had a codependency thing goin on with koito maybe ?? but now she has a whole squad of funky friends that are so so different but all struggle with different kinds of trauma and although they fight over it, they always get through it with each other together. and they push each other no matter what to be the best versions of themselves and they teach other that getting hurt is okay because theyre always gonna be there to pick up the pieces no matter what happens. they can give each other space when they need and adapt to meet each others needs but theyre always able to balance it out with their own needs and thats such a beautiful thing in friendships especially at their age like damn i wish i had that maturity when i was 14 but no all i had was depression. another thing is that through these friendships you get to see all the different sides of each girl; you get to see them being strong or a shining light to their friends when theyre hurting but you also get to see them being hurt and weak and allowing themselves to be on the receiving end of the comfort. their friendships allows them to have weaknesses but it also allows them to highlight their strengths and thrive off of each others. I LOVE FRIENDSHIP DUDE

next i wanna briefly mention some of the themes connected to suicide that ive noticed. a big one is the survivors guilt that ai feels once koito is dead. several times she screams that she wishes she couldve gone with koito and she dreams of a “perfect world” where they committed a double suicide. one of the main reasons for her troubles is that she blames herself for koitos death and feels like it should be her thats dead... but at the same time she feels like too much of a coward to do anything now that koito is gone. she just has all these complex and contradicting feelings that wear away at her in ways that ppl that havent gone through the suicide of a loved one could never imagine. a lot of the times when things like this are portrayed in media i feel like its more in a way thats meant to guilt trip those that have taken their own lives and paint suicide as this selfish sin thats unforgivable but... not only does wonder egg reject that idea and instead portray it as a heartbreaking tragedy with,,, so so many terrible reasons, but it focuses on the feelings of ai separate from koito without blaming her in any way. not once did i feel like the show antagonized koito or that ai blamed koito for doing any of this, but they simply mourned her loss and touched on ais reaction towards the event but separate from koito herself if that makes sense. and i think that discussing survivors guilt without painting koito as the bad guy is something so beautifully done in wonder egg that can really resonate with those that have lost a loved one to suicide and have struggled with these same things.

okay i think this is the last thing ill mention,,, but HOMIE THE PARALLEL UNIVERSE BIT AT THE END. I AM. OBSESSED. i am such a whore for anything about the multiverse okay n e ways...,, not only did this make a super epic trippy ending of season one and add a little bit more magical girl whimsy to the show,, but it had such a powerful message. from the perspective of og ai,, finding out that you killed yourself in another world is... i mean its definitely not a surprise but at the same time it rlly makes you think how close og ai herself couldve been to that point and what decisions led her out of that dark place in her life. if i were in her shoes i would be terrified and id cry bc the thought of going back to such a dark place and actually going through with something like that is my worst fear and probably something that ai fears too. but at the same time,,, think from the perspective of ai two !!! like yeah its true that theres this awful terrible version of ai that dies but theres also a whole version of ai that is a superhero magical girl fighting off monsters to save countless ppls lives !! and she has a badass lizard and a gang of awesome friends !!! at first i was worried that ai two would be jealous of og ai and compare herself to her and feel inferior but like.. THEYRE LITERALLY THE SAME PERSON AND CAPABLE OF THE SAME THINGS !!! and ai two realized that !! just within the span of one episode, she went from the version of ai who took her life,, to the version of ai jumping in front of a friend to take a bullet for them and save their life. and that just inspired THE SHIT OUT OF ME. i think that ai was sent another version of herself to sort of beat her own worst enemy yknow ?? those doubts and fears that shes no good or that shes that same bystander from episode one and that she hasnt changed at all. but getting to interact with her parallel self and see her grow was just what she needed to realize that while yeah sometimes the worst thing can happen and things can be terrible but on the other hand sometimes the most wonderful thing imaginable can happen because she has the power to do either. 

so im gonna go ahead and stop rambling bc i got all my thoughts out that i wanted to for this post :D but yeah lol i might make another if i feel like it sometime. long story short: this show is perfect and it is going on my favorite of all times.

#wonder egg priority #wonder egg spoilers #ai ohto #rika kawai #momoe sawaki #wonder egg priority neiru #i forgot neirus name #anime review #wonder egg ai #lgbtq anime

[paperwick]

Dragon Age Tarot Style Guide: Part Two

The second of my at least three part set of tarot tutorials. This sentence will link to the first one on composition if you haven’t seen it. It’s been a four year gap between these, and I apologize for that. To all you who messaged me and reminded me of this project, thank you. You kept me from forgetting and I’m glad. <3

It won’t be another four years until I post the next segment, which will be pattern and texture focused. It’ll hopefully be in the next month or two. 

This is going to be a long post, so I’m putting it under the cut. Apologies to the mobile users! 

As a general disclaimer, this is an unofficial guide, I’ve never worked with Bioware. All of this is based on how I approach tarot design, my inspiration being heavily rooted in Dragon Age Inquisition’s companion card designs. 

Secondly, I know nothing about tarot. I tend to use http://www.ata-tarot.com/resource/cards/ heavily as a resource for my understanding of the cards and their meanings.You don’t need to know anything about tarot to do illustrations, just have as much fun as you can. <3 

So I typically work with a color composition in mind, but for those who are struggling to imagine a color scheme, my best advice for coming up with a palette is to just throw down some colors in this sort of an arrangement.

Your Main is going to be whats forming the base of the card, or it’ll be the most widely used color. Backgrounds usually make up the main, but sometimes it’s a foreground element or the character’s clothing. 

Your Cores are going to be colors that accent the base. You can make these pretty wild to be honest, but complementary colors and triads tend to work best for a balanced color composition. That’s what you’re trying to achieve with these--balance. Think about what’s drawing the most attention. The red in this example I did with the Iron Bull is very strong, and the teal I chose is fighting with it so my last color is something a bit more desaturated that accents the teal instead of picking another aggressive color, like a saturated yellow. 

The Accent or HL color is whatever you’re going to use to add the final focus notes. It will typically be your brightest or your most saturated color, though not always. Sometimes your HL color might be the darkest of the composition because your main and core colors are naturally bright. It should be used sparingly, or if you’re using a lot of it, focused in one area.

You can use more colors than this! For my example card with Bull, you can see I made his pants a sort of subdued yellow and added accents to the background and lit parts of his body in in different colors, But you’ll want to keep your major colors limited to keep it cohesive. If you start losing cohesion, I recommend using a gradient map over your picture set to multiply or soft light (not at 100%) to tone down your most divergent colors, and you can mask out areas where appropriate. 

This Bull card is one I made by picking my colors first then deciding on the content and composition. Color picking can be done first, or second as I’ve done with the rest of my examples. 

Card #1: Rayne Amell   [ @dracoangel​ ]

The Queen of Cups

This card went though several iterations with color, and the end product is less about story and more about atmosphere. The drawn composition reflects more of the story: she conceals her thoughts and feelings, but the world bends around her like water. I wanted to add more purple to this card, considering the character’s preference for it, so I skewed the color scheme in the final to be more purple. The first version probably makes for a more cohesive palette, but it lacks the same depth and drama as the one with purple. I added another core color to the second palette, which is totally okay to do. Sometimes the core palette might be 7 colors, sometimes it’s 2. The idea is to strike a balance. Colors that are super eye catching like the red in the scarf might better serve the composition as a lesser accent, whereas the purple core is a great fill because it’s fairly desaturated and doesn’t demand as much attention.

The HL color takes up a fair amount of this composition, but note that it’s strongest in the top two thirds, and is centered in the top third. The foreground water also cradles it against one of the darkest purples of the card, which helps center focus up top.

Card #2: Valora Lavellan [  @kylorensprettymuchanasshole​ ]

The Devil

This was the most difficult of the palettes, I’m working with two separate light sources in two wildly different locations. On the one side you’re at an ancient elvhen temple, on the other, in a burning chantry. It only made sense to have two different palettes for this composition. Where I really failed here was in not having a color that bridged the two sides. If you can engineer a color to be in between two differing palettes, you’re in a good place. 

With that in mind, I revisited the thumbnail. 

The execution is a little weak, but the idea works. The bridge color could work in either of the palettes and is a midway point between the two most similar values of the core colors. It’s used primarily where the separate palettes meet each other smoothing that transition. In this instance, it also helps to define the figure and double down on where the focus is, since before it was fighting between the top left and bottom right corners. Now the focus works as a diagonal from one corner to the other.

Double palettes are hard, but can make for some truly dynamic color compositions.

Card #3: Iothari Mahariel [ @theuselesspotoo ]

Six of Swords

This card was a struggle for completely different reasons. The palette is pretty homogeneous, primarily purple, with a hint of green. This one could use far more variation, and the challenge is in driving interest with such a limited palette. This is where your values are going to be super important. Your darks vs lights are always hugely apart of composition, but in limited palettes they do the most work in driving interest. Make sure to break up some of your larger and more prominent shapes with value differences, the snow vs the dark stone beneath it.

If that isn’t enough though, there’s a few tricks that can help push focus where you want it without heavily changing the color scheme. 

We have three very distinct planes in this; the sky, the distant mountains and skyhold, and the cliff the figure is standing on. We can push the far mountain plane back by reducing the brightness of it, and we can pull the nearby plane closer by adding stronger highlights to the lit areas. I also brightened up the figure since they were getting lost in the sky a bit. 

In addition, I popped the foreground colors with just a bit more red, to separate that plane from the more bluish purple mountain plane. 

Just those small changes really sharpened up the focus of the composition, and we were able to keep the palette fairly limited. 

Card #4: Tighe Lavellan   [ @queen-scribbles​ ]

Nine of Wands

This palette was a breeze compared to the others. We’re working with complementary colors, reds versus greens, and very little divergence in either direction. The bottom half is primarily reds, the top greens, and they meet in the middle with a soft orange and harsh yellow. Palettes with complementary colors are the easiest to work with, the important part is making sure their balance works with your drawn composition because they like to fight. All of my reds are limited and desaturated because the greens and yellows, by the nature of the composition, are the most demanding elements. 

Card #5:  Lathari Lavellan [ @jisabeau​ ]

The Chariot

I knew what I wanted for this one immediately when I started it. I really wanted the character to be falling into a void, to mirror their emotional crisis when dealing with the deadly white bear of their past. But though this works fairly well as a base palette, it’s really missing the intense horror I wanted when I started. 

So in my edits I pulled them further apart, and pushed the darks even further. The challenge here is having a dual focus, since I don’t really know if either stand out enough from one another at this phase. I have to pick a focus, either the bright whites of the bear or the strong orange/green tones of the character. 

This is probably the strongest focus-wise.

But I enjoy the color notes of this one far more. 

The point here is, sometimes things aren’t perfect, and that’s also okay. Pick your favorite, or at least pick one, and take that to completion. It’ll occur to you while finishing it what I needs. Which brings us to the final point, similar to that of tutorial part one: 

Final Note: Don’t spend overlong on one thumbnail. I’ve spent days in the thumbnailing stage, that’s fine, but don’t spend more than 1 hour on any one color thumbnail drawing; it’s not worth it. If an idea is good but not great, just start a new thumbnail of something similar, and you’ll stumble onto the right composition.

Remember to explore your own color intuition. My way of doing this might be helpful, but if it’s not, don’t feel compelled to follow it. Everyone has a unique vision, and we’ve got to feel out our own paths. 

If you have any questions, send them to paperwick [at] gmail [dot] com under the heading “Color Tutorial: Questions”, OR comment on this post (I might not see them on a reblog) and I’ll pool them into one area and answer as many as I can in a separate post.

Finally, I’d like to give another shout out to everyone who sent their character breakdowns to me for this. I wish I had time to get to all of them, and I really appreciate you taking the time to put them together! Thank you all so much!

Not making promises on when Part Three will come out, but it WILL be coming out. Thanks for reading through all this, I hope it’s been helpful. 

#dragon age #dragon age tarot card #art style guide #tarot card tutorial #color tutorial #tutorial #color #dragon age 2 #dragon age inquisition #the iron bull #palette #color palette #da2 #da #da3 #dai #thumbnails #thumbnail #thumbnailing #jisabeau #dracoangel #kylorensprettymuchanasshole #theuselesspotoo #queen-scribbles #lavellan #amel #mahariel #my tutorials #my art #2019

[laylacooke]

Let’s Get Saucy || Morelia & Layla

timing: the last week of the Mime POTW parties: @morelias & @laylacooke (ft. Layla’s Mime & Celine Dion) summary: a wolf following a fae following a mime leads to an icky situation. warnings: a mime, the sauce, and some hallucinations

There were several things Morelia had still trouble with. The first one was her telephone. The whole concept of having a mobile, what was it called? cellphone? Was extremely weird for her, and despite having the latest iPhone (according to the salesman, they’re easier to use), she still found herself not using it at all. The second one was airplanes. Really, they were just glorified metallic flying coffins. And the third one was, of course, the internet. It’d taken her approximately a whole year to learn what was google, then another one to learn how to use it. But eventually, she had managed to blend in with the modern crowd, finding her safe haven in what many would call trolling. It wasn’t personal, really. She just enjoyed doing it. Bullying Layla had been fun for a while, but quickly became boring when she started getting few to none responses. So, the moment her eyes spotted a not familiar, but definitely recognizable silhouette striding inside the woods when she was doing her evening jog, Morelia just had to follow. Terrorizing her a little in real life had to be as fun as it was online, right? Especially when the other had no idea she was following her.

Now that Layla wasn’t looking over her shoulder everywhere, she turned, she found time to be a rambunctious teen going on and exploring things she probably didn’t need to explore, and the woods just happened to be one of her favorite places. She could get out of town and just think. Take in nature and not have to worry about who she encountered. However, today wasn’t exactly what she had expected it to be. Instead, she had seen a familiar face so hellbent on following someone, that it made her curious. So, instead of making herself known, she worked on quietly slipping through the woods unnoticed while she followed Morelia. She would eventually pop out and scare her, or at the least, just ask her what she was doing, but for now, she quietly trailed along interested in what the woman found to be so fascinating off the beaten path.

Following the girl had proven to be a little more difficult than Morelia had expected. There was no reason to go that deep into the woods, at least not a reasonable one. There was something off about her, all she knew about her were things she’d learned behind a screen, but the way she walked, how it always seemed like she was disappearing behind a tree… it was shady, to say the least. Despite her high heels, the fae gracefully made her way through branches, leaves and dirt, Layla suddenly disappearing from her sight for a moment, confusion washing over her. Where had she gone to? A small clearing popped in her sight, a weird pond in the middle of it. Was that … Ooze? Oil? Her face scrunched in disgust, as she looked around, searching for the redhead as she surely hadn’t gotten far.

Layla continued to follow Morelia, confusion and curiosity permanently etched on her features. When they had finally come to a clearing, the young wolf stopped. Debating if she wanted to reveal herself, she finally decided to, “What are you doing? And why are you wearing heels in the middle of the damn woods?” She came forward to confront Morelia, but the goo in the middle of the clearing had caught her attention, “And what the fuck is that?” She slowly moved closer to it to inspect. Was Morelia in some kind of cult? Had Layla made the wrong decision in revealing herself? And why did the black pit of yuck smell so good? Questions she all wanted answers to.

The voice made Morelia quickly turn on her heels, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Wasn’t she on the other side of the clearing? Her right hand pointed to the opposite direction from where the red-haired woman came from, her mouth forming a perfectly rounded o. “I was following you.” It didn’t make sense for there to be two Laylas, but she was sure it had been her who she was chasing. “Do you happen to have a twin sister I wasn’t aware of? Does she lack sense of humor like you do?” Ignoring the criticism towards her fashion sense, despite the girl desperately needing to take advice from her, Morelia closed the space between them to get closer to the pit, crouching to get a better look. It didn’t look like anything she’d seen in her life. “How the hell should I know?”

A twin? Was this woman on something? And why did she look so surprised? “Am I really much prettier than you thought, because that perfect O you just formed with your mouth two seconds ago seems to say so.” She grinned. Layla was a lot nicer in person. Sass just wasn’t her thing when there was the chance someone could easily kick her ass. “And I’m the last person on this planet to have a twin.” Focus back on the black goo, Layla slowly leaned over further, “It smells like freshly baked bread.” Sticking her finger down in it, she quickly pulled it back up to inspect it closer, before shoving her finger towards Morelia, “Here. Try it and tell me what it tastes like.”

Despite the urge to snap back, Layla had been partially right. It was creepy, borderline stalkery, but Morelia had visited her profile multiple times, mostly to add a face to the username. “Maybe you are.” She quietly admitted, her brows furrowing and eyes closing for a moment as she inhaled deeply, in case she recognized the smell from somewhere, but the only image forming her head being the Strawberry Tarts from Yours, Mime & Ours. “What?! No-- Sto-- ” She couldn’t finish her sentence, as her attempts to move away from Layla’s finger had made her lose her balance. In the panic, the fae didn’t think of anything better but to try to hold onto the girl, only to make them both fall into the pit.

Before Layla could lower her hand and back away, she watched Morelia grab onto her. It was like slow motion as they both toppled over into the pit of goo. Head submerged, she quickly forced herself back up to the surface of the thick sludge gasping for air and spitting out goop. She was covered. Her red hair was now stained a dingy color and she struggled to get to the banked area. But her foe? Where did she go? Layla searched around for her frantically. However, when she tried to call out to her nothing came out of her mouth. Panic setting in, she tried to scream again, but nothing. It was like everything she wanted to yell was stuck in her throat but couldn’t break free.

There were few things that scared Morelia. The sticky, dense ooze surrounding that didn’t let her breath was definitely one of them. Her heartbeat accelerated as her hands desperately tried to find anything to hold onto, panic engulfing her for the few seconds that took her to surface, her head barely out of the pit while the rest of her body was still under. Morelia was panting and coughing out whatever it was they had fallen into, which to her surprise it was extremely delicious, one hand wiping her face to clean the goo. What the fuck, Layla. She mouthed in anger, her eyes suddenly opening wide. What? She tried again, and again, and again, nothing but air leaving her mouth.

Layla was still splashing around trying to find her nemesis. When she noticed Morelia resurface, she found relief, but now she had to find her way out. Doggy paddling to the edge of the ooze’s surface, she threw her arms up and latched onto a clump of grass with each hand. It took all she could muster, but Layla managed to pull herself up and out. Looking back, she realized Morelia was still struggling and offered her a hand to pull her out of the goop the rest of the way.

Reluctantly, Morelia accepted Layla's help to leave the pit of despair. She could swear she had felt a hand brushing her feet, but, again, as far as she knew, ingesting the goop could have hallucinating effects. Maybe she was talking but was too high to notice. After all, how could one just lose their voice from one second to another? Despite the other’s help, Morelia struggled to crawl out of the hole, but once she did, she flopped on her back, ooze everywhere as she breathed heavily, yet silently.

With Morelia free, Layla was able to crawl away from the hellish hole of yuck that they had just survived. Laying on her stomach and her face resting on her forearm, she tried to process everything that was going on, but couldn’t. Instead, all she could hear was the sound of Celine Dion singing “My Heart Will Go On” loudly in her ears and when she tried to speak again, nothing. Layla had only ever gotten high a handful of times in her young life, and it had been in the comfort of her girlfriend’s arms. This was different though. This was more extreme, and as she looked to the world around her, any color that she was able to see after becoming a wolf, was now gone. It was like she was living inside an episode of I Love Lucy, but everything was extremely messed up. And when she turned to look at Morelia, her eyes grew wide at what she was seeing.

A whole different kind of panic started to settle on Morelia. Whatever that thing was -because it clearly wasn’t just a weird, polluted pond-, not only had taken her speech, but also her ability to distinguish color, since a grey palette was now covering everything. She was still coughing, the unwanted goop although delicious had travelled down her throat leaving a stingy sensation. Eventually she sat, cleaning the substance from her clothing as much as she could and failing miserably, only now noticing that she’d lost one of her heels in the pit. Awesome. This was clearly not her week fashion-wise, and now not only she’d had to (potentially) say bye bye to a favorite shirt, but also to a pair of precious shoes. She turned around, pretending to yell at Layla for her stupidity, but once again only air came out, and no matter how much she tried to scream, not even a whimper left her lips. Morelia brought a hand to her throat, and what felt like the first time in her life, she felt like she was about to cry. She moved one hand to her ear, and then pointed at Layla, as in asking can you hear me? 

Layla’s eyes remained focused on Morelia. Why did it look like she had four eyes and two heads wearing berets? What had she consumed? Blinking a few times and shaking her head, she managed to shake off the image to see Morelia looking normal, aside from being in black, white, and gray. What the fuck? All she could hear was “My Heart Will Go On” playing loudly in her ears, and it made her want to howl in pain. Releasing what she thought was a howl, her mouth made an O shape and she held her head up to the sky, but nothing. Nothing guttural at all. Just silence aside from Celine. Looking to Morelia, she leaned in and watched her once more. Barely understanding her, she shook her head ‘no’.

A different kind of feeling started bubbling in Morelia as she stared at Layla. What was she doing? But most importantly, where did all the trees from the forest go and why were they all black hands and fingers? She could feel a stomachache started to form inside of her, the back of her neck suddenly colder than she remembered. Never in her life she had tried drugs - they always felt like an unnecessary way to doom oneself, numbing her senses and, apparently, making everything seem like a weird adult cartoon from the 80’s. She’d make sure to ask Felix about this later on. Morelia’s eyes blinked repeatedly trying to get rid of the shadowy fingers that replaced the branches, but they continued moving, mocking her and building even more frustration, and the fae felt like screaming again.

The young werewolf just wanted this all to end. Not being able to speak or see what limited colors wolves were privileged to or even howl was just downright annoying. And the next time she watched Titanic, she knew she’d be watching one part on mute. What was this town? Never, in her short life, had she come across something so vile, but smelled so good, yet left her in such a state, that she just wanted to go home and curl up under a blanket. Oh gosh...What would Ari or Celeste think? Well, even if they had said something to her, it’s not like she could have heard them, what with NEAR, FAR, WHEREVER YOU ARE! coming to a crescendo in her head, while the song repeated itself. But she did want to be out of these clothes and into a tub filled with clean, hot water. It’s why, when she got up, despite feeling woozy, Layla walked over to Morelia to grab her so they could at least get away from whatever the hell that stuff bubbling from the ground was.

Being yanked off the floor made her stomach ache even worse, the urge to barf settling inside of her and Morelia had to find all her strength to keep everything in, taking in deep breaths through her nose while her eyes were locked on the floor, knowing that watching the dark hands would only sicken her further. The difference of height due to the missing shoe made her stumble as she walked alongside Layla, and the woman found herself grabbing her arm back in an attempt to keep her from balancing, and maybe because touching the girl  gave her a sense of stability in this weird dream-like situation. She wasn’t completely sure where they were going, but she still appreciated the initiative to at least drag them far enough from the smell. After a minute or so of wandering in the woods, Morelia finally looked up from the dirt and leaves, finding that the trees were back, although still colorless. So, it was the smell that had created the weird illusions. A shaky breath escaped her lips before she looked over at the girl, applying some pressure to her grasp to get her attention. Thanks, she mouthed.

Layla had just wanted to get out of the woods. She wanted to be so far away from it all. She knew whatever the repercussions were would probably last a little while. How was she going to explain this to the people she was living with? Especially with no voice. Feeling Morelia put pressure on her arm, Layla looked over just in time to see the word thanks being mouthed. No problem was her return, but it was all silence. In fact, she had noticed Celine Dion had started to fade out, and she was starting to hear the birds and the rest of nature again. That had brought her some peace of mind. Maybe the effects of whatever this stuff would be gone sooner rather than later, and if they were both lucky, maybe by the time they both got home. I’m sorry for being so mean to you online. She didn’t know if More could read her lips, but she truly was sorry for how snippy she had been.

At some point, Morelia’s grasp on Layla’s arm had softened and shifted so she was now holding her hand, and for a second she thought how funny it would be to walk into someone; the sight of the two of them still covered in goop, aimlessly walking through the woods must surely been a scary one. She could feel the tug of her lips to form a smile, but it only lasted a second, a new bitter feeling settling in her stomach. Anyone else would’ve left her to drown in the pit, it’s what happens when you’re a bitch to ninety percent of the world population; so, in a way, she owed her. Not that she quite minded, as returning a favor could be easily done with some word trickery. She tried to read her lips, only understanding the words sorry and online, but that being enough to know what she meant. Awkwardly, Morelia shook her head slightly, mouthing back: Me too. At least they were nearing the road to end this weird encounter, the mystery of the second Layla unsolved.

Layla was slightly surprised when she felt Morelia take her hand. It had meant that whatever beef they had online no longer mattered. They were in a good spot. Of course, falling in a pit of goo and almost drowning would do that to a person. But seeing me too come from More’s lips brought a soft smile to her face. There was relief in knowing they had found mutual ground. And it was something Layla wouldn’t forget anytime soon. She was just relieved knowing that they were safe and well on their way to hot showers and hopefully never speaking of this horror again. Let me rephrase that. Thinking of this horror again, because Layla wanted her voice back, and she’d hoped it would come back sooner rather than later. But she knew one person she would be a little kinder to the next time they crossed paths, whether that be online or in person.

#para: let's get saucy #morelias #wickedswriting

[winxology]

(alright, apparently i’m not done with this. please read to the end of this because it’s important.)

words cannot describe how utterly disappointed i am when fellow fans of color defend whitewashing as either a “stylistic choice” (i.e. the color palette argument), or twist it around to victimize light-skinned people of color.

the “color palette” thing is a load of bull. if your “color palette” can’t accommodate dark-skinned characters then you shouldn’t be drawing. if your “color palette” requires everyone to look a shade lighter for it to work then maybe it’s not as great as you think it is. if your “color palette” can’t accurately represent characters of ALL colors, not just the “vaguely brown” or “slightly tan” ones that fit whatever crap ass “pastel aesthetic” you envisioned then it’s just not inclusive and should be thrown in the dumpster where it belongs. end of. 

as for the other argument: buddy, friend. this isn’t about you. it’s about colorism.  it’s truly shitty of you to make this about another issue entirely and take advantage of it to derail the conversation and take the focus off the issue at hand. are light skinned people of color valid? absolutely. do they face struggles of their own? definitely. but this is not the place to have that conversation. it is not the point. the point here isn’t, “it’s okay that aisha is lighter now because there are light skinned black women too”, or “flora’s lighter skin is fine because there are white-passing latinos and they deserve representation too”, it’s not about that. it’s about “aisha was created as a darker woman, there may be insidious intentions behind the creators lightening her skin for no good reason”. it’s about “flora is so fucking white now that she’s practically unrecognizable in some stock art”. flora and aisha weren’t created as light skinned woc. that they were lightened is in no way an attempt to “give representation to mixed/light skinned woc”, and to believe otherwise is to be willfully ignorant. 

representation isn’t a trade off, and likewise, trying to distract from one issue by getting faux-outraged over another, completely unrelated one is not helping. in the end you’re just trampling over voices that need to be heard.

“whitewashing is replacing characters of color with white characters, or casting white actors as poc, it’s not this, this is such a small thing to get mad at” i assure you, whitewashing is a lot more complex than you think it is, and it’s not always obvious. just like how racism doesn’t always manifest in the form of angry white middle-aged karens screaming in public about how much she hates black people. a lot of the time it’s a lot more subtle and insidious. please do not trivialize our concerns just because “there are bigger fish to fry”. learn to recognize even the smallest signs. don’t make excuses for them. if you’re defending them now, you’re giving them your blessing to be shitty and be praised for it because “hey, it’s not that bad yet. aisha is only lighter. it could’ve been worse. she could’ve been turned into a 100% white woman.” the bar shouldn’t be that fucking low. it’s 2019. don’t be complacent. we shouldn’t have to contend with this because “it could be worse”. give them an inch and they’ll take a mile. 

even worse, if you twist the whitewashing into a positive thing, you’re rewarding rainbow for their racism. they did something shitty and unacceptable, and yet through the collective powers of mental gymnastics, assuming the best (even when evidence to the contrary stares you in the face) and a sprinkle of eternal optimism, fandom has somehow twisted it into a good thing (i.e. light skinned poc/mixed rep) when that was almost certainly not the original intention. i mean, do you see the bigger picture here? rainbow whitewashes and gets brownie points for it. just stop. stop.

#winx #winx club

[clacolu95]

Aether: Love Solutions

Chapter 1: Crimson Resonance

Next Chapter > Chapter 2: Midnight Blue Sky

                     _______________________________________

It is funny how colors impact so many moments of our lives. How their hues, their shine, the saturation of the pigments remain trapped in our memories and help us remember those occasions forever. It’s curious how colors manage to make feelings resurface, how they can impact our emotions: Like the surge of confidence you get while wearing a vibrant crimson dress, or the soothing sensation of staring at the blue starry night sky; the relaxing effect of a vast green field filled with flowers, or the coldness in one’s body once the lights are out and there’s nothing else to see but empty, pitch black.

For us seers, though, colors get a completely different meaning, being able to see other people’s colored auras helps us find connections between them. We are able to, quite graphically, identify love compatibility between two subjects; though, if I need to be honest, I’ve found this ‘gift’ to be more of a curse than an actual blessing.

Seers are perfect matchmakers. Helping everyone find their perfect pair... their so-called “other half”. And even though being able to see everyone’s aura could be considered a great power by most; an ability so capable of finding people’s happiness has quite the opposite effect on seers themselves.  

A sight so great had to come with a catch of course: The lack of an aura of our own. The nonexistence of our own destined person.

The constant happiness, the endless love we help people find with our matchmaking abilities is, quite ironically, the same gift we seers have been denied of.

A Seer’s Insight, Chapter 1

                      _______________________________________

“I mean it’s not like I need a boyfriend” The pink and yellow-haired girl declares, though the way she fiddles with her fingers and plays with her long ponytails as she explains her reasoning manage to send Moon the opposite message. 

“Mhm…” The seer murmurs sympathetically as she scrolls through her gallery of red tones, catching a glimpse of Plumeria every once in a while to corroborate the vibrant red color of her aura. 

“I mean...I’ve got this friend you know…” The punk-looking girl keeps explaining, earning a glance and a polite grin from Moon. “She recently got a boyfriend and she keeps bragging about their 86% match… I mean… It’s kind of a good number isn’t it?”

The short-haired girl suddenly flashes a cocky smile.

“Barely passable by my standards… But sure…” She boasts about her skills quite naturally, though her stare keeps glued to her tablet, scrolling through the red palette as she struggles to decide between the three colors that most resemble Plumeria’s crimson colored-aura. Persian red maybe? Though she could swear she could detect a pink hue of some sort. 

Her client smiles, smashing her fist against the matchmaker’s desk effusively. 

“And that’s why I am here!” She screams eagerly, the loud noise managing to make Moon’s body freeze for a moment. “Everyone keeps saying you’re the best and I’m certainly starting to believe it!”

“Oh please…” The seer dismisses the compliment with a smile and concentrates on deciding between the two colors that she has found most resemble the bright colored haired girl’s in front of her.

“And what is that?” The punk asks, pointing at the slim tablet in front of the matchmaker. 

“Oh, this?” Moon asks eagerly, excited by the simple fact that someone had bothered to ask about her software. The thing that made her different, the one aspect that set her apart from the rest of the seers on the company. “This is my baby…” She holds the tablet and points the screen at her, a wide smile plaguing her face as she proudly presents Plumeria’s profile on the small device’s screen. “I once found a 100% match with this sucker…”

Plumeria whistles in admiration as she watches her entry as the red color palette at the bottom of the form catches her attention. 

“But I mean, how does it work?” She asks curiously, resting her whole body on the backrest of her chair. “Is it some kind of database…?” 

“Well, it is…” The dark-haired girl explains as she points at the color palette at the bottom. “It is linked to a vast color database and I calibrate it by choosing the color and tone that most resembles my client’s aura…” She then points at the top of the screen “It notifies me whenever I find a 95% color match or higher. It helps a lot with fieldwork” She smiles proudly as she finally presses on the variation of red that she finds resembles the most to Plumeria’s aura. 

“Your color is Alizarin Crimson” She explains “And once I find someone close to that shade I’ll let you know” She enters her client’s data, exiting the form and proceeding to the last step “Can I take a photo of you? We can see someone’s auras with just a photo as well” 

The punk nods, as she crosses her arms and posses for the picture. 

“And why is it that you’re the only one here that uses that software?” Plumeria asks, placing her hands behind her head and placing herself comfortably in her chair once again. “It seems efficient”

The seer smiles sheepishly “Well my boss wouldn’t agree with you.” She answers, closing Plumeria’s registry as it successfully uploads to her database. “It’s far from a perfect system, he doesn’t think it would be profitable in the long run”

“But you make it work” The bright-haired girl insists “And if you can find someone who doesn’t run away from me after learning I’m the president of a fighting club I swear you’ll make me a believer” 

Both girls chuckle, though Moon’s smile dies easily and turns into a somber expression.

“Yeah but he’s adamant about it. You see, I still need to calibrate it manually and that alone takes a lot of time to do…”

“Well yeah but…”

“On top of that, the matchmaking system is connected to a pair of glasses I usually carry around, so it only activates when I see an individual that matches one of my client’s aura” She plays with a strand of her short jet-black hair “I spend most of my free time searching for matches on some dating sites on the internet, which is something not all of my fellow seers would enjoy doing” 

She sighs, catching a glimpse at Plumeria’s face slowly getting less eager. 

“And even if it works, there’s no guarantee I’ll find a 95% to 100% match in this country, or of the gender preference my client has, or even of the same age range!” 

She sighs once again, though she forces another polite smile.

“But I’ll find that bad boy for you…” She promises as her eyes meet with her client’s “And you’ll be able to kick your friend’s ass, don't worry”

They laugh in unison, and Moon reminds herself of all the times she’s been told not to bond with her clients, but is useless. How can someone not bond after sharing such intimate details about their romantic preferences? How can a seer not feel empathy at the expectancy of the one they’re helping.

A single knock interrupts her thoughts, as Wicke, the president's assistant politely makes them aware of her presence.

“President Gladion would like to talk to you, miss Moon” She announces with a smile, and Plumeria understands this signal as her cue to leave.

“Well. I guess I’ll see you later!” The fighter expresses, waving goodbye to the now conflicted matchmaker, Though only when the punk girl is out of her sight she finally brings herself to ask. 

“The boss?” She asks as she swallows hard, and even though Wicke gives her a sympathetic smile the gesture doesn’t quite reduce her stress. There’s nothing that can reduce her stress after hearing those words.

She follows the purple-haired assistant as she forces herself to remember what she could have done wrong this time, though she can bet the reason her boss wants to see her is something number related. It’s always something number related to him.

She enters the Presidential office, the elegance of the glass walls in the room and the enormous bookshelves filled with the successful matches files always manage to impress her, though when she looks at the huge and surely expensive desk in front of her she finds her bosses’ usual disappointed stare locking with hers.

“Wicke, leave us” He murmurs, and the assistant abides, closing the door behind her and going back to her labors. “Have a seat” He orders, now directing his deep, emerald eyes at her. 

She walks towards the signaled chair, nervously sitting on it, trying to fight the urge to play with the hem of her uniform’s shirt. 

“You’ve been slacking…” He sentences, sighing in desperation as he remembers all of the previous talks he’s had with her. All of the occasions he has pointed out her scarce results. “I only received three reports from you this month, every other seer in this company has reported at least ten satisfied clients…”

“Yeah. With 89% matches on average…”

“That doesn’t matter Moon” He delivers, her common complaints are something he has already gotten used to “Those people are pleased with our service and that’s all that matters”

“Yeah but for how long?” She questions. It always irritates her to have this kind of conversation with her boss. “I have an average of 97% matches, I help my clients find true love…” She insists. “You haven’t fired me yet because you know I give you quality…”

“Yet” He emphasizes “But I’m giving you one last warning, stop using that software of yours. It’s not functional, it slows your performance and we don’t do fieldwork”

“But it works! And I’m in the middle of a client’s request right now. I can get quicker if only you gave me more time, I…”

“Oh…” He interrupts, his bright green eyes deeply focused on her’s “I’m sorry if I made it sound like it was a request”

She feels the urge to slap him, but she restrains. Tears threaten to fall down her cheeks though she contains them. 

She swears she hates him. But she also needs the job, it is the only way in which she can help others find true love, after all.

“My system works. It’s very functional” She insists, still not letting her eyes water. 

“Our system works” He repeats, dismissing her comment and defending the matchmaking company’s way of getting people together instead  “It’s efficient”

She crosses her arms at the powerlessness. 

“I need the job…” She mutters, grasping her shirt from the sides with her fists, trying to calm herself. 

“Then do the job” Her boss insists, finally letting out a long sigh. He was rough like a rock, but she could tell it tired him. He had always been hard on her, and even though she wasn’t sure why she could only guess it had to do with the common seer nature: The one that, due to their birth circumstances, didn’t let them believe in love. 

Gladion had been the first in a long line of matchmakers in the Aether family to be born a seer. He had used his vast math and probability knowledge, his hardworking attitude, and his parent's trust to climb the ladder of his family’s foundation. He didn’t understand love, as well as many other seers, and even though his parents had been reluctant at first they had ended up making him the president. The president of a company that sells love and happiness to its customers, but that hardly strives to understand love himself.

“Moon I truly don’t understand why you’re so defiant about the company’s system” He asks more calmly than before, his tone still sounding serious but at least not as annoyed as some minutes ago “By dividing our clients into 8 basic color categories we guarantee matches of at least 87.5%, you honestly believe that isn’t close enough?” He diverts his gaze from her and decides to focus it on the documents in front of him instead. A long silence invades the room as he distracts himself from the conversation by signing the papers his assistant had provided him with that morning. “They choose their partners themselves at the color-themed parties the company hosts. The sense of control we give them is one of the things our clients value the most…” His pen slides elegantly against the pages, his posture always perfect, his reasoning never failing. Except for one single aspect. 

“You don’t understand love…” She mutters, still mad at her boss for deeming her incompetent “Why give them ‘almost’ when you can give them ‘perfect’?” She’s pushing his buttons, she’s aware of that. There’s a chance that she may lose her job, but she doesn’t care anymore. 

“I don’t care what you think about me” He states, his eyes locking with her’s for another millisecond. “I don’t have to believe in love to do my job correctly. I’m a seer, and you’re one too” He continues signing casually, though his voice has gone back to sounding angry at her “You would do right to learn your place in this world. And in this company as well”

He’s an ass. She convinces herself, standing up from her chair in a quick motion, tempted to smash her fist against his wooden desk. 

“Stop this fieldwork nonsense” He orders without a single tint of hesitation in his voice “Or I’ll stop caring about the fact that my mother enjoys that you work for this company”

She storms out of his office, smashing the door behind her and not shattering the glass in it by a pure miracle. She looks at the cubicles around her, as everyone seems to catch her brute gesture. She chuckles as she finally feels her eyes beginning to water. 

“WHAT?” She screams annoyed at her companions, making them all startle and resume their activities in fear of their fellow seer. She forces herself to look calm as she walks towards her cubicle, and when she’s sure no one can see her she finally lets everything out, crying silently in frustration.

                    _______________________________________

Red is a strong color that conveys equally strong emotions: It attracts attention, it inspires confidence. Red is courage and determination, but it is also anger, danger, and impulsiveness. 

Red love is equally as powerful as the color: It is passionate and strong, it creates a bond that’s hardly broken. People with a red aura generally search for a partner as energetic as themselves, they enjoy their partner’s attention and value tenacity as well as devotion.

A study on color-related tendencies, Chapter 7: Red Auras

                    _______________________________________

As soon as the clock hits 6:00 P.M. she’s out of her cubicle, walking as fast as she can towards the exit of the building to reduce the chance of crossing paths with her boss again. She avoids the elevator, choosing instead to walk down the stairs in a hurry. Once she gets to the entrance, though, Hau is already waiting for her. 

“Whoa, no overtime today?” Her friend asks confused, his wide, gray eyes full of curiosity. He smiles towards her as his carefree attitude kicks in again, his giant white grin contrasts with his tanned, dark skin. “I’m glad you decided to get some time for yourself for once!”

His grin is contagious, and even though just hours ago she had deemed that day to be the worst of the whole week - Or even of the whole month - right now she can’t seem to avoid the small smile on her lips or even the low chuckle that manages to emerge out of her. 

“Typical Hau” She mutters, catching the boy’s attention “You never fail to lift the mood”

The young male lifts one of his dark-green eyebrows in confusion, and even once they start walking towards her home she can tell he’s worried about her last comment. 

“Did something happen at work?” He asks with a concerned tone, and even though her last conversation with her boss is not something she wants to talk about right now she knows she cannot avoid the subject forever. Not with Hau at least. After so many years of friendship, he had pretty much mastered the ability to detect when something was bothering her.

She looks at him thoughtfully, wondering how was it possible that with such a small exchange of words his usual optimistic smile and contagious confidence had turned into a worried stare. They’ve known each other since they were kids, his characteristic green hair had gotten longer and at his 25 years his body had already taken the shape of a man’s, but his protective attitude towards her and their insanely long, trust-based friendship had remained unchanged. He had always been her best friend, and she was sure she was his. 

She finally smiles sheepishly, defeated. 

“My boss called me to his office again…” She admits, kicking the ground below her as if that action would help her calm down “He complained about my performance”

“Again!?” Hau asks irritated. It’s not common to see him mad, but it is a sight she has already grown used to whenever someone messes up with her. “I’ll talk to Lillie… Maybe she…”

“No!” She sentences, not wanting to involve any more people in her problems, even more so when Gladion’s younger sister had nothing to do with the argument between her and her boss. “I still don’t think he’s at fault you know…” The seer explains, finally shoving her emotions aside and doing her best to put herself in the place of the young CEO “He’s your age, but he’s already the head of a millionaire matchmaking company... Of course he cares about numbers and efficiency…”

“That still doesn’t give him the right to be rude to you…” Hau’s big eyes look soft with concern, but he still flashes a smile for her, doing his best to lift the Mood “Plus, you’re the best matchmaker at that company, and you treat your clients pretty well…!” 

The short-haired girl giggles at the compliment. Leave it to Hau to always make her feel better after a rough day. 

“You should let me help you out” She states, intensely staring at Hau’s golden-colored aura she has already grown so used to see. “I mean I still got work to do tonight, I’ll browse some dating sites for a female client but I could take a peek at the yellow-colored aura sections for you” 

Her comment somehow takes him by surprise, even though it’s not the first time the girl has made him that same proposal. 

“I’m fine really…” He answers, once again rejecting the offer. He scratches the back of his head as a light blush plagues his cheeks and his eyes suddenly look lost in thought. “Call me a hopeless romantic but I’d like to do that on my own…”

She still doesn’t get it, but she still gives him a sympathetic smile. “Okie”

Why have ‘almost’ when you can have ‘perfect’? 

She reaches for her purse, extracting her glasses from one of the front pockets and cleaning them a little before wearing them.

“Field-work?” Hau asks, watching her concentrate in looking around her. “It’s peak hour and I’m looking for a red-based match, so in the off chance I find that on my way home I may actually have some time off today…” She explains her reasoning as she makes her best to turn around into every direction, letting her special lens scan the biggest amount of auras she could find to increase her odds. 

“That’s a pretty long shot…” He states, her house is barely a 15-minute walk, and after all of the years he has spent walking her home after work he has never actually seen her get a match while strolling together. Still, she never seemed to let the chance slip from her grasp. 

“And who’s this client?” He asks curiously, entertained by the sight of the very focused matchmaker. 

“Her name is Plumeria” She answers distractedly “She’s the president of a fighting club in Alola’s University” 

“A fighter…?” He questions, though his attention is suddenly deflected towards a loud scream coming from around the corner. He concentrates on that spot, trying to decipher where the scream had come from until he finally finds out. A group of three-man, seemingly thugs, kicking and punching someone that had already fallen to the floor. 

“Uh… Moon…” He tries to catch her attention, but it’s useless. He grabs her by the arm, attempting to force her to turn around and take another route towards her home, but once she does turn around, an insanely loud beeping sound starts coming out from her purse pocket. 

“Moon what the hell turn that off…” He panics, watching as the three young - but though looking men - grow aware of the noise behind them. “MOON!” He screams, letting his fear take over, but the girl is speechless.

The sound, he finds soon enough, is coming from her tablet. A light flickers on the top of the slim device as its screen flashes a bright red message.

MATCH FOUND. He reads. He stares in disbelief until he suddenly realizes the gang is now approaching them. 

“Fuck, Moon, Let’s go!” He begs her, but his friend’s feet are glued to the ground. 

“Hau…” She mutters, still not moving. “That’s Plumeria’s match…”

The loud noise coming from the device suddenly stops, but he panics even more at his best friend’s foolishness and persistence “I don’t care! He’s dangerous…” He grabs her by the arm once more and he pulls, but the white-haired leader is already just 5 steps away from them. 

“But… He’s a 100% match…” He watches her in awe, still not believing she was willing to risk herself just for something as banal as that, but there’s no way out now. 

He pushes Moon behind him, protectively extending his arms as he tries his best to look intimidating.

“Now what do we have here…?” The white-haired leader speaks with a threatening tone “A couple of snitches” His comment makes his two companions chuckle. 

Continue reading on AO3

#gladion x moon #lonashipping #pokemon #pokemon sun and moon #pokemon fanfiction #lonashippingweek2020 #lonashippingweek

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #270

“please remain calm; the end has arrived. we cannot save you; enjoy the ride.”

Do you own pastel-colored pants? No. What type of lotion do you use? I don't really use it. Nothing seems to help how dry my skin is. What were your favorite clothing stores in high school? Hot Topic. If you could have a car in any color you wanted, which color? Pastel pink, but realistically (given a pink car would probably have a paint job I'd have to pay for, I assume?), I like burnt orange cars. Not too brown-ish, though. What is your favorite color, do you look good in it, & do you wear it a lot? Pink, probably not, and no. Name someone you know who hates pink. Idk. What is your favorite Avril Lavigne song? "Nobody's Home." Do you kill bugs? Sometimes. Depends. If they're in my house, most likely. Have you ever had a bedroom that had wallpaper on the walls? No. Do you own any rompers? No. What’s one thing you’ve done to celebrate Earth Day? I made a birdhouse out of a milk carton once. Animal Planet taught me lol. Do you use window clings (aka window stickers)? No. What color is your stapler? Black. Do you have a desk that you sit at in your room? Ugh, no, but that's one reason I want to move to somewhere I have a bigger room for a desk so I don't do everything in my damn bed. What do you miss about college? Feeling like I was worth something and on a "proper" path. Was your middle school crush the same as your high school crush? No. What is/was your dream school? I never had a "dream" school. Do you wish you could talk to someone about your past? If so, who? Idk, probably someone. What motivates you? Music and/or videos on whatever subject I could use motivation in, like self-care on my bad days. Have you ever completed a weight loss program? No. Tried, though. When was the last time you did something for the first time? I went through a doctor appointment entirely without Mom just a few days ago; she had to stay in the car due to chemo, so I filled stuff out, checked in/out alone, answered questions on my own, that business. I'm entirely aware it's sad as hell that a 24 y/o did that for the first time, but if you knew just how dependent I am on my mom, you'd get it. Which do you prefer: Valentine’s Day or Easter? Valentine's when I actually have someone to celebrate with, but I love Easter as an aunt with how excited the kids are about candy and all. Easter sorta rubs me the wrong way though since, y'know, Christianity essentially stole and rebuilt it. Do you wait until the last minute to decorate, or do you decorate early? I myself don't even decorate. Mom only does for Christmas, and it's very last minute. What’s your favorite Starbucks drink? I don't drink Starbucks. What were you wearing in the last good selfie you took? *checks phone* uh the one where I'm wearing a red tank top is okay. That's all you can see cuz FUCK taking full-body pics of me. What’s on your wish list right now? Ha, I actually have a list in my phone of things I really want/need to buy when I can. A few include a bigger terrarium to Venus, a treadmill, an Unus Annus shirt before the channel and thus merch expire, glasses for driving... What do you use to sweeten your tea? I don't drink tea. Have you ever owned an expensive eyeshadow palette? No, I don't wear enough colors or makeup in general to warrant buying one. When was the last time you stepped outside of your comfort zone? The aforementioned doctor visit. How would you rate your self-esteem? Low, healthy, or high? Low as like, the deepest oceanic trench probs. Do you own a tripod for your camera? Yeah. Were you a bigger fan of Lindsay Lohan or Hilary Duff? Hilary. Do you make Halloween costumes out of clothes from your closet? Only ever to just be a goth to live out my inner fantasy of regularly flaunting that aesthetic. Do you enjoy putting outfits together? Not particularly. Would you rather it rain or snow? Snow! What does your umbrella look like? Don't have one. What’s one thing you’ve had a toxic reaction to? Do you mean like, emotionally/mentally toxic? I'm guessing probably yes. Even though parts of it were entirely realistic, understandable reactions/behaviors, I most definitely had some toxicity in me regarding the breakup, too. Which do you prefer: cropped tops or tunic tops? Uggghhhh, both are so cute. On me, I'd only ever wear tunic tops, but on others, I tend to find cropped tops cuter. What’s a style or trend that you think is ridiculous? I don't pay enough attention to this to really know... hm. Yeah, idk. Which YouTuber do you want to be more like? I could only dream of being as motivated and smart and determined and "I can do this shit" as Markiplier jfc I Love One Man Only. Do you like stuffed animals? EEEEEEEEK yes!!!! What was your favorite class in high school? Art. Have you ever gotten straight A’s in a class? If so, which classes? Yes; not to brag whatsoever, but too many for me to remember. I remember I got my very first B in 5th grade in I think math, and I was so bummed out. Were there any subjects that you got a perfect SAT score in? If so, what? I don't think so. Are you happy today? If so, what made you happy today? I'm content-ish, not happy, but also not unhappy. Is your bed right by a window? There's one to my upper right and middle left, but my bed's not exactly against either. Do you spend more time in your bedroom or your living room? I barely leave my bedroom. Which holiday is your favorite to decorate for? Halloween, if I actually did decorate. Do you name stuffed animals still? Very rarely. Depends on what it is, the importance, etc. What titles did you win in the senior class polls? I FUCKIN READ THIS AS "TITTIES" AND WAS JUST LIKE... Anyway, none. Were you popular in school? No. If you’re from the US, what states have you lived in? Only NC. Who was your best roommate? Well, Jason, if he even counted as a "roommate." Was your first roommate your best roommate? See above, considering idk if he fits the term; if he does, then yes. What’s the best family vacation you’ve ever been on? Disney World. Have you ever wanted to be a model? No. What years did you attend prom? Sophomore (bf was a senior and he took me) and senior. What do you want to be for Halloween? I was recently listening to a metal version of Oogie Boogie's song from TNBC and it hit me: MISS Oogie Boogie. A fat bitch could pull that shit off, watch me ho. Which member of your family are you closest to? My mom. If you have any regrets, what is the biggest one? If not, why do you have no regrets? Letting a boy become absolutely all that mattered and more to me. Would you ever apply to be on reality TV? Why? Ew, no. I don't need any more people judging me and my life. What is the best thing that has ever happened to you? The partial hospitalization program that saved my life, literally. Do you have a hard time letting things go? It depends on what it is, but generally, yes. I recently realized one of my greatest flaws: I respond very, very poorly to loss, in any way. Looking back on people (especially people), events, other things... a negative, chronic reaction to loss is present throughout. What have you accomplished in life that has made you the most happy? Emotionally healed, a lot. I don't think some things will ever fully scar over, but nevertheless, I don't mentally have fuckin gashes in me. Have you ever struggled with your weight? Ever since the breakup, yes. I thought I was slightly fat before then, but looking at pictures now, I just think "damn hunny u look gud" and realize I was perfectly healthy. But anyway, I was put on a medication called Abilify (full-on name droppin', fuck this med), and it MURDERED my metabolism. I could eat a fuckin carrot and gain five pounds, probably. Emotional eating probably contributed too, but here's the thing: my current doctor took me off of it, knowing the moment I mentioned it that it was not only bad for me and my conditions but also responsible for the extreme weight gain? Pounds dropped like a ton of bricks, and this started before my emotional eating began to die off and regulate. I lost around 80 pounds just from dropping a goddamn pill. Cue college essay-long rant here about how my body image was slaughtered, how much I loathe the fucking doc that kept me on the med and blamed everything on me, and now how I've been stuck weight-wise for two years despite a vast plethora of methods to continue shedding a;sdlkfajkwlelawe GUYS I could rant til my hypothetical great-grandchildren die. When you are out with your friends are you loud and outgoing or shy and reserved? It depends on who the friend is, where we are, etc., but generally, I'm just awkward, trying to be outgoing when in fact I'm questioning every single thing I say and do al;wekjrkawde this survey has taken a TURN. Do you like to stay in your pajamas all day long? I don't leave my pj's unless I have to leave the house and go inside somewhere besides like, a gas station or something that's just "whatever." In high school did you have a lot of friends? Do you still keep in touch? I wouldn't say a *lot*, no, but not a tiny amount, either. The only one I ever still see is Girt, but I keep up with many on Facebook via the like button and shit, ha. Do you really care about such issues as abortion, religion, and global warming? Fuck yes I do. Who is the biggest womanizer you know? Juan sure was, but I haven't been in contact with him for years. Would you ever have a threesome? No. Who is the most attractive person you know? Of those I personally know-know, my answer will probably always be Alon like jc she's beautiful. When did you last feel the most free? ZOINKS we can't ask that question in America rn. Is there anyone who likes (or liked) you and had a really hard time getting over you? I don't know. Did you ever love someone and feel like it was wrong? Love? No. Well, before I realized I was bi, maybe Mini counts, as then I was anti-LGBT and couldn't even imagine myself as anything but straight. What’s your favorite bug? Butterflies. What’s the longest amount of time you liked/loved somebody for? Yeesh... I still can't say with absolute confidence I no longer love Jason at all, whom I started dating in 2012 and went head over heels for. What song makes you cry? There's a few that are capable of it sometimes, but do fucking not play "Stairway To Heaven" if I'm within 10 miles of you. "Another Life" by MiW usually makes me tear up towards the end, but it normally doesn't get that far anymore. Do you like rock or rap music better? Rock, as I'm not a rap fan. If you could watch someone change, would you? Yes let me live my life a;lsdkfjaws Ever known someone with an eating disorder? I don't know. I think maybe? Have you ever had a white Christmas? I think? The best snow we ever got was late Christmas night though, and the next morning was a total whiteout. What’s something you want to do but aren’t sure of yet? Hm. Idk. I'm pretty sure of most things I want to do. Biggest lie you ever told? I'm not entirely sure and I'd rather not search for one. Do you have a religion? I don't fit perfectly into any. I relate most with Neo-Paganism, but even that I deviate from some. Believe that there is a point to churches? I mean sure, people have the right to believe in/worship what they want to, and some people get a lot of joy and reassurance out of going. How do eat Oreos? "I split them in half and lick the cream before eating the cookie." <<<< Converse or Vans? Idc. Eh, maybe Converse, but idk. Dancing or watching others dance? I love watching others dance, it's why I enjoyed dance recitals and competitions. Favorite thing to touch/feel? My cat! <3 Rather be in a tornado or a large earthquake? Both would be horrifying, but I guess earthquake. I've had an outrageous fear of tornadoes since I was very little. Would you rather Santa or the Easter Bunny actually exist? Santa, duh. Would you rather spread gossip or start a fight? Start a fight, I guess. Trying to sully someone's name with false information would haunt me way more than starting an understandable fight. What has been the best New Year's for you so far & why? I don't know. What is the weirdest fear you’ve ever heard of someone having? Do you have any weird fears, and if so, what are they? Uhhh I think maybe butterflies? Idk, even that's not too weird considering it's an insect, and that's common. I'm personally absolutely terrified of pregnancy and also whale sharks scare me quite a bit. ig that's weird. How did you find Tumblr? lol how could you not know at some point as a teen on the Internet. What of the 8 wonders of the world do you find the most fascinating, if any? I had to look them up lmao. I guess the Great Pyramid of Giza. I in general find Egyptian culture and art to be very cool. Do you have a webcam? If you do, do you ever use it and what for? I mean, it's built into the laptop. I never use it. What is something that you think is really underrated? The band Otep, for one. I mean they're not small, but I don't think most people interested in the metal genre know them. OH and then there are A LOT of YouTube artists that MADLY deserve to be signed. I have a large chunk of metal musicians I listen to, and those especially like Jonathan Young blow my fucking mind they haven't technically "made it," even if they have a large subscriber base. Have you ever had a dream where you died? Did anything weird happen to your body after it? Yes, a few. Now hang with me, okay? One of my worst nightmares as a kid involved the wicked witch from TWoO turning me into one of those fucking party things that you blow into it and the paper unfurls and her using it killed me. Yo idk. I was really scared of that witch as a kid. What’s the scariest dream you’ve ever had? How about the most realistic? It involved my dad and that's all that needs to be said. Realistic? Hm. This was SO long ago that I barely remember *just* how real it felt, but I remember it felt real as fuck. I was very little when this happened. I dreamed that I went outside to our porch because there was a weird light and when I stepped outside, a swan and a goose flew down from the light onto the porch to become my late grandpa and my deeply beloved cat Midnight, who died from sickness. I'm sure it was just a dream now, but back then, I was VERY convinced it was like a vision from God or something, telling me they were okay and with us. Do you have a favorite fashion trend? What is it? Is there a fashion trend right now that you think is completely ridiculous, and if so, what? What do you think was the worst fashion trend of all time? I don't care about fashion enough to go in depth about all this. I'll tell you right now though that mullets were the worst mistake known to mankind. Do you tend to like original horror movies or re-makes better? What’s your favorite horror movie? Is it an original or a remake? If you're remaking an old one, I'll probably like it more since they're generally not nearly as cheesy. Modern horror movies, I don't have much of a preference. My fave is The Blair Witch Project, and it's an original. What is one characteristic in a person that you cannot stand? What characteristics do you like best in a person? Do you possess any of these characteristics? Those that act violent when they're angry, for one. Those scare me. Some traits that I really like are compassion, patience, genuineness, empathy, kindness just for the sake of being so, stuff like that. I'd like to think I've got some of those. It's notable that in my nightmares, I'm way more violent than I actually am, though. What kind of jeans do you like best? When I actually wore jeans, they were like solely skinny jeans. What has been the most traumatic experience of your life? Does it still bother you? A very abrupt and poorly-executed breakup after a long-term relationship and falling way, way too hard to be healthy. Does it still bother me? PTSD is stapled on my fucking forehead if you know the slightest about it. I've healed a whole lot, but I'm pretty sure it's a scar that's never going to even fully seal.

#survey #surveys #quiz #questions

[winglessarcher]

"Send '👏' and I’ll describe what a fusion between our muses would look and act like." Lucas and Dark Pit 👀👀 (@tazmily-family)

@tazmily-family

"Send '👏' and I’ll describe what a fusion between our muses would look and act like."

So I don’t have a drawing prepared. Sadly. But I have a decent description of what they could look like or what they could be.

The fusion’s name could be a lot of stuff. It could be a mix of Lucas and Dark Pit’s name or it could something unless. I thought about the name for a bit. Like DarkFlower (mixed with Dark Pit and Sunflower), SniperFlower or FlowerSniper, SunRose (sometimes Dark Pit symbols a rose), and (one of my personal favorites) Neverlasting. For now, I will call this Fusion, Neverlasting.

Appearance-wise, it was a little difficult to create. First off, their hair color would have a gradient look with yellow on top and goes to black on the bottom. Neverlasting’s hair goes down to his shoulders Their eye color can be a little random. Since Lucas’ eyes are.. yeah, I just went with the basics of blue because obviously, your Lucas has it. (I hope.) Anyways, they will have three eyes. The left eye could be blue and the right eye could be red. The third eye, which will be located on the forehead, will be purple with a tint of pink. It will have a slit pupil and will only open if using psychic powers, is attempting to snipe something, or sees distant movement.

Heading down to attire, this is the one I most struggled with. Let’s just knock something easy down. Obviously, they will wear shorts. Black denim shorts. Duh. Anyways, back to the shirts and accessories. The reason why I had a hard time with this section is these uhh.. fashion choices. Seeing that Lucas wearing a striped shirt and Pittoo wearing a tunic/tank top, I needed to take this to extreme creative measures. I have decided to choose something a little.. simple. I have decided to mix Lucas’ striped shirt and Dark Pit’s colors to make a black and gold striped shirt. But get ready Lucas, because if your fusing with Dark Pit your going to have to throw away your dignity! Because not only will Lucas’ striped shirt makes a grand return with Dark Pit’s black and gold palette, it will be off the shoulders. That is right, we are showing off shoulders now! Wooo!

Ahem. Anyways. Don’t worry, because Dark Pit’s tank top will be underneath so you can still have some privacy Lucas. That’s what happens when you fuse with Dark Pit. You lose all your dignity. Going down from shirts to shoes, I have decided that Neverlasting should wear Tennis Shoe Boots. The boots with the strings and laces that look like tennis sh- yeah, you get the point. The colors were a little hard to think about because I want to give Lucas some credit here in this fusion. The boots will have a gradient look, black on top and goes red down on the bottom. The laces will be yellow and the tip and under the boots will be yellow.

Before we move on to accessories, let’s talk about Neverlasting’s wings. Their wings are very.. different. Their black, of course, but the tips of his feathers have a bit of a ‘yellow’ look. Similar to Lucas’ hair. Hidden between their wings are an extra pair! And their purely yellow! However, their too small to be useful in battle and very well hidden. That’s one of the most strangest things about the fusion. Another pair of wings, yet, their incredibly small.

Now that we have finished up their battle clothes and the wings, let's talk accessories! Lucas, from what I am seeing, doesn’t have a lot of accessories. So I will have to be a tiny bit creative. Dark Pit’s laurel crown is still on top of Neverlasting’s head, but it’s now decorated with golden flowers. Such as Daisies, Lilies, Sunflowers, and even yellow roses. However, these flowers can immediately change when committed bloodshed. Every kill they commit, their crown starts bleeding. It doesn’t hurt them, but it’s also strange. This has it’s cons but it does have pros. More will be discussed later. Anyways, Dark Pit’s scarf will placed to a different location. Instead of Neverlasting’s neck, it’s wrapped around his right arm. It will have the black and gold colors like Dark Pit’s regular scarf. In the middle of the scarf if a brooch, Dark Pit’s purple brooch. The brooch will have sunflower petals growing off the gold rim.

Wrapped around Neverlasting’s waist is a black hoodie. This hoodie is suppose to represent Dark Pit’s cloak from around his waist while keeping Lucas’ modern aesthetic. On his arms were his gauntlets but they have been removed and were actually replaced with elbow pads. This goes to same with Neverlasting knees to keep the modern aesthetic. Dark Pit’s gloves won’t change much. So their fine as black. Behind their right ear is black feather with a golden tip, similar to their wings.

Now! Moving on to the fun part! Personality!

To put it straight off the bat, personally, I think Neverlasting would be mute (or at least selectively). My reason behind this is because Lucas’ shy nature and Dark Pit’s lack of social communication. Due to that, sometimes Neverlasting looks uninterested. Their usually a ‘actions speak louder than words’ type of fusion and they usually are quite curious on what you have to say. In battle, their lethal behavior could lead to genocide. But this is where Lucas takes control. Due to Lucas merciful attitude, he could stop Dark Pit’s part of blood thirst and stop a killstreak altogether. With Lucas’ merciful part of the fusion, it will make Neverlasting question if they should choose fight or flight. Neverlasting, sadly, is very sensitive when it comes to emotions. So they usually end up staying by themselves. Lucas usually has most control in Neverlasting’s personality.

Let’s talk weapons! Luckily, Dark Pit and Lucas has a good array of weapons that could bring new life to their strategies. We will have to be changing Lucas’ stick for Neverlasting’s sake. We will be taking a bit of Ness’ moveset just for a second. We will be making Neverlasting’s stick into a silver metal bat with a blade on one side. Don’t think I’m done with the bat yet, thanks to Dark Pit’s electro shock, Neverlasting’s bat will be electrified so they can get a good zap in. Since (my) Dark Pit doesn’t use his bow, like, at all, we will be fixing up his staff for Neverlasting. The staff will look like the Rose Staff from Uprising but instead of Roses it’s sunflowers and the thorns are replaced with vines and ivy.

Neverlasting Psychic abilities will be a darker shade of colors but still act the same as Lucas’. A new special ability that only Neverlasting can do is create turrets from almost anything. Dark Pit’s resourcefulness and Lucas’ psychic abilities help Neverlasting to create turrets from almost anything. From stone, dirt, flowers, and other plant life. Sometimes Neverlasting create dummies to distract enemies. Thanks to Neverlasting crown, they will know that if an enemy is around when a turret kills a foe. Another thing is that, thanks to Dark Pit’s flexibility, Neverlasting can defend themselves if they are forced into melee combat. Neverlasting is also capable of doing all of Lucas’s abilities while they struggle with using Dark Pit’s weapons.

That covers up the battling possibilities! Now for the extra stuff.

Neverlasting is at a strong height of..! ...5’6. Thanks, Lucas.

Neverlasting has a strange ability where if one of their sides are sad, they will grow a respective flower on their wings. If Lucas is sad, Neverlasting’s wings will grow sunflowers. If Dark Pit is sad, Neverlasting’s wings will grow roses. If both are sad, their wings will be covered with sunflowers and roses.

When Neverlasting is on a strong killstreak, their crown will drip so much blood that it will go down their face from their forehead.

For some ODD REASON, Neverlasting has another row of teeth that is not visible. Yeah, Lucas and Dark Pit don’t know why either.

When Neverlasting is really happy, he will grow roses and sunflowers in his hair. Even on his chest where his heart is.

I hope this is okay!

#long post

[mariyanaaa]

Blue shades

Of the Maldives

• • •

Spend your money on things that can't be taken away from you...

Unforgettable moments and memories put a smile to your face. They will stay with you till the very last day of your life, to remind you of places and people you’ve ever loved... and all the crazy things you've done.

It’s February. Back home, in the Netherlands it’s 10°C, cold and grey, a storm is going on for days. Here, 8500 km away, it’s over 30°C and the sun is very strong; it's high season in the Maldives.

Nearly 1 o'clock in the afternoon and I'm sitting on a boat somewhere on the Indian Ocean, watching the boat tearing the water and leaving big white waves behind. All kinds of thoughts are going through my head.


I'm kind of sad and happy at the same time. 
Happy because: OMG, I'm in the Maldives! I was swimming with whale sharks like 15 minutes ago... It was one of my dreams! People who know me better know how fascinated I am by sharks. I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time now, and I finally did it! Here and now!

The Maldives for me will always be a place where a dream came true.

Many think the Maldives are a luxury holiday place, with overwater bungalows and all-inclusive resorts. An expensive destination, mostly for honeymooners... Well, I can tell you that it's so much more than that and has way more to offer.

Located in the Indian Ocean near India and Sri Lanka, the Maldives consists of 1,192 coral islands grouped in a double chain of 26 atolls. Around 200 are inhabited local islands and about 100 have been transformed into five-star resorts.

Our boat is getting closer to an island, a beautiful small piece of land in the middle of the ocean. All we see is white sand and lots of palm trees. The water surrounding the island changes its color from deep blue to turquoise and crystal clear. This is one of the reasons why I love the ocean so much; it contains a palette of countless shades of blue... my favorite color! The color of the sea, the sky and the horizon bringing them together.

Mandhoo...

It's a small local island, a part of the South Ari (Alif Dhaal) Atoll. It is only 1.250 km in length and width of 0.550 km, a home to around 360 residents.

There are two small guesthouses and a diving center on this island. The guys running the Mandhoo Guesthouse & Dive are very friendly and helpful, I can’t say that we’re missing anything while staying here. The rooms are simple, but spacious, clean and well equipped.

Getting from the airport to one of the local islands can be tricky. It scared me off a bit when planning the trip, but I decided it would be an interesting adventure after all. You can opt for a boat ride or a domestic flight. We had the chance to try both and next time I'll go for the second option without a doubt, as it’s way more comfortable, and easier. The boat ride will save you some money but will cost you more time, and time is so precious when you're here in this paradise.

Most of the time we are the only two people on Bikini beach. And although I might have thought otherwise in the past, the idea of a deserted island now seems so appealing to me.

I wish you could see what I’m seeing: water pristine and blue, sand so white it's blinding... I'm sitting here looking at it, listening to the prayers coming from the mosque nearby, accompanied by the sound of the ocean. This experience is surreal! I feel like i can stay here forever!

From time to time little sharks and stingrays swim by as if to greet us. There are a lot of little fish swimming in the water as well, very playful and not afraid of us at all.

‘A fairytale!’ you are probably already thinking and yeah, you are right! This place is so beautiful, I'm struggling finding words that will do it justice.

Some may find this idyllic island a bit too tranquil, maybe even boring. For them there are a lot of activities and excursions to chose from. If swimming with whale sharks is not quite your thing, you can try swimming with manta rays, or snorkeling to explore the beautiful underwater world of the Maldives. There are also day trips to a little deserted island and a sand bank, a fishing adventure and a lot more other options.

In conclusion: it’s impossible not to fall in love with Mandhoo & the Maldives!

The clock is ticking and the days fly by. Knowing that I have to leave makes me sad, I don't know when I’ll be coming back... But i will be coming back some day for sure!

Our very last day is cloudy and rainy, as if the nature is reflection to my sad feelings and thoughts. But as they say: you need storms to create a beautiful sunset…and it didn't take long before we were rewarded with one.

Thank you for the great time and all the inspiring views, until next time!

• • •

#travel #blog #maldives #budgettravel #bucketlist

[theantibridezilla]

Test Drives: Fenty Beauty & Farsáli

I’m back with a new Test Drives article for May and this one has been a long time coming. I’ve been test driving these products for about a month and feel well equipped to give a thorough review. For today’s review I’ll be covering Fenty Beauty’s Pro Filt’r Foundation and Farsáli Unicorn Essence. Both items are products that I bought at Sephora just before bridal market. Anywho, let’s get started.

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Foundation in shade 420

I’m certainly not the first to review Fenty Beauty’s game changer foundation, but I’m probably one of the last of the “beauty influencers” to touch it. To be honest, I took a while to get around to buying it for a number of reasons. First, the product was always out of stock whenever I stopped by Sephora. Two, there was so much (well deserved) hype around the brand, that for a while it was hard to tell what was truth and what was people band-wagoning.

And the second point was probably the bigger reason for why I put off testing out this product. I was pleased that Fenty raised the bar for representation and diversity in beauty. But so many of the reviews I read felt more like fan-girling with endless “yaaassss girls” than legit reviews on how the product held up over time. And that’s part of why I decided to not just try the foundation out on one day and write a review. Instead I wanted to see how this product wore over time, and write something thorough. But for the record, I really like this foundation and have been loyally wearing it for a month.

What I liked:

Medium to full coverage: This is ideal for me since I don’t wear full coverage. To give me the sheer, “my skin but better” effect I like, I can just apply the foundation lightly with a damp brush or sponge.

I don’t look orange! This is a really big deal because often enough a lot of brands load up darker foundations with a ton of red pigment and it ends up making you look really orange. I have a lot of gold tones in my skin, so I don’t need help with that. And more importantly, as the day goes by, it doesn’t oxidize and change shades.

Set it and forget it. Even if I don’t use a setting spray (which is often), this foundation doesn’t shift throughout the day. The pic above is of the makeup freshly applied while the cover story pic is me over the weekend at the end of the day just before I took my makeup off. And that middle pic is of me after racing around town during bridal market waiting for a show to start—and slightly sweaty. This foundation stays in place and truly does hold up to twelve plus hours of wear.

Weightless. I test out a lot of makeup and have tried my fair share of foundations. While plenty of products are lightweight and don’t feel like a heavy mask, a lot of them aren’t weightless. Now I can’t say how this would perform if you wore it as a full coverage foundation, but in its sheerest form, it’s a truly weightless experience. 

What Could Be Better: 

Nothing, I really did like everything. And considering that I don’t use a ton of product with every application, the price to value ratio is fantastic. 

Farsáli Unicorn Essence 

So, if you’ve ever watched an IG or Youtube makeup tutorial and saw someone slather their face in a glittery pink solution before applying makeup, this is that product. Once again, I was a tad skeptical about picking this product up mainly because most of the ways I saw people using it was ridiculously unrealistic. In real life, you’re not going to drip a full dropper’s worth of product on each cheek and your forehead. That’s all being done for video effect. In real life, the full size bottle is $54, so you won’t be wasting it just to be cute for the ‘gram. 

I actually didn’t buy the $54 30ml bottle, I opted for the $22 10ml bottle. And I did that mainly because I have a ton of essence and primer options and I knew I wouldn’t work my way through 30ml in a year. Basically, Farsali’s Unicorn Essence pulls double duty as a makeup primer and a moisturizer. 

What I Like: 

I’m going to be 100% honest, I felt a lot about Farsáli’s Unicorn Essence the same way I did about Tatcha’s Dewy Skin Mist. It was nice, and it had great benefits, but it wasn’t groundbreaking when compared to some of the other essences and primers that I currently own. E.L.F.’s Antioxidant Booster and Kevyn Aucoin’s Neo-Elixir immediately come to mind. 

That being said, I did like that the Unicorn Essence absorbs quickly into your skin and leaves you feeling moisturized and bouncy. And even though it does have a bit of a shimmer in it, it’s not too intense. So, if you wanted to, you could wear it solo and skip the makeup. 

What Could Be Better

Honestly, there’s nothing wrong with this product. I just think it’s one of those things that’s become a hyped favorite on IG but might not be quite the game changer that your faves are claiming it is. So, I’m glad I bought the travel size instead of the full size. 

My Verdict

Even though I went into this Test Drives article being a skeptic, I have to say that I do like both products. Do I think that both Fenty and Farsáli are so popular because of their hype? Yes. But in the case of Fenty Beauty, that foundation deserves the hype as it offers very real benefits for women of color who might have struggled to find the right color from other brands. In terms of Farsáli, I’m not saying it’s not the best, I just wasn’t blown away. 

Check out more Test Drives here.

Full Makeup Details (from cover story image)

Primer: Farsáli Unicorn Essence Foundation: Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Foundation in shade 420 Brows: NYX Cosmetics Love Contours All Palette Dark Eyeshadow Pan Eye Liner: Wet n Wild Pro Line Felt Tip Liner Lashes: Kawaii Girl Cosmetics Ebisu Color Corrector: L.A. Girl Pro HD Concealer in Orange Concealer: IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer in Deep Rich Setting Powder: Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder in Deep Blush: Kevyn Aucoin Neo-Blush in Sunset Highlight/Bronzer: NYX Strobe of Genius Illuminating Palette + Kevyn Aucoin Neo-Limelight in Ibiza Lips: Sara Happ The Pink Slip Gloss

Full disclosure: I’m an influencer for Kevyn Aucoin and IT Cosmetics. I am also the owner/founder of Kawaii Girl Cosmetics. Occasionally I post affiliate links so I may receive compensation on some of my posts.

#beauty #test drives #fenty beauty #foundation #farsali #unicorn essence #skincare #bridal beauty #wedding beauty #beauty review #product review #makeup review

[mkdrawdaily]

I am MK and Welcome to Draw Daily

Hi ~ I’m MK

Hello Fellow Arters!

If you are new and don’t know me, first, hi, how are you? And second, I am MK of Draw Daily.

If you have seen me around the internet, you’re probably from Pencil Kings, but my name is Michaela, and my middle name is Katrina. I decided to use “Michaela Katrina” as my identity on the internet/as an artist and I’ve come to abbreviate my name down to MK, which basically started when I got tired of writing my whole name at the end of an email or PM.

A Little Background Info

I guess I should start with the fact that I have been an artist my whole life. I have documented drawings that go as far back as when I was two years old. I’ve been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember, but my true journey started in 2014. I had been done with college for a few years at this point - and, no, I did not go to school for art. My education was in business management - something I use everyday - and audio engineering; a field that I never ended up in, despite my love for it. Anyway, I was done with school, and I suddenly found that I had time to really dedicate myself to my art for the first time.

This brought me to Pencil Kings, an art education website and I fell in love with it. It was some time in 2015 that I actually started to work for Pencil Kings and it was this choice that started my journey towards being an art educator. I was just a Community Manager where my obligations were basically to just moderate the community and help when people had problems. But over the years, I was able to use my free time to really learn art fundamentals both through the website I worked for, and supplementing my education with various books and other things. Due to this, I was able to slowly start giving feedback to the students, which grew into me creating some educational content for the community, and now I’m teaching.

At the tail end of 2017 I decided that I wanted to start my own website but I only had a few very fragmented ideas as to what I wanted to do with it. But in a nutshell that’s how I got here, to Draw Daily. So I started the process of documenting my knowledge as well as continuing to dig deeper to better understand the subjects I wanted to teach. Although it’s been a few years - I mean it’s been a very slow process of getting all my thoughts together and here is why…

My Disability

In the interest of being completely transparent, my slow progress is largely due to my disability. Mine isn’t one that you will often see, and most people with my condition don’t experience it the same way I do; I have sever insomnia, and this can only be managed through medication. The subject of insomnia hasn’t been greatly researched, so the exact reasons why my body doesn’t function like most people’s is unknown. This is very frustrating because even I can’t explain my own disability, or even begin to understand how it works.

All that I know is that I don’t function at the same level as most because, along with insomnia, I suffer from chronic fatigue - which is something else we don’t know much about. The chronic fatigue is what really gets me. It’s hard to explain, but due to my extreme weariness I am very tired all the time and my brain can’t always function too well. This really translates into… my productiveness from day to day can vary dramatically depending on how well I was able to sleep, and how bad my fatigue is.

Some days I’m able to have a totally typical day. I am able to get my work done, I’m super productive, I can think clearly and articulate my thoughts. But I’m more likely to have days where I’m very foggy. I may have a hard time carrying a conversation, I might not be able to explain or articulate my thoughts, like… at all, and what ends up happening is that most of the day goes by without me even noticing. I get to the end of the day and I can’t explain what I did. Some days I’m the living embodiment of paint drying.

This means that it takes me much longer to perform mentally taxing tasks, which is basically anything I have to think through to complete. A great example of this would be writing. Writing makes up most of what I need to do in order to teach, putting my thoughts together, writing out information, writing blogs, writing up scripts for videos or classes, putting it all together and documenting the whole process. All of this takes me much longer to do than it would for most people - thus my agonizingly slow process.

Draw Daily

I have more than a few reasons as to why I started Draw Daily. I wanted one place where all of my work could be collected, where I would be able to refer back to my own discoveries, thoughts, and other information, but I also wanted a place where I could send my students instead of relying on other websites to provide the educational information I wanted them to have access to.

With that being said, my current goal for Draw Daily is to eventually put together two resources. One is going to focus on teaching how to draw, and the other is a class that teaches Color Theory through the exploration of watercolor.

Tackling How to Draw

Drawing has been a passion of mine, and a skill that I’ve been trying to improve upon for a very long time. To set up what I’m about to explain, it might be useful to know that I’m just old enough to remember what life was like before the the internet. When we finally did have the internet in my house, it was not the treasure trove it is today - so as a young teenager there weren’t many resources that could help me learn to draw. High school and college were complicated and it wasn’t until a few years after I graduated that the world of online education really opened up to me.

This is a big reason as to why I started Draw Daily. I wanted to bridge the gap between all the information the internet has to offer and the beginner artist who is just as confused today as I was when I started this journey as a kid. What took me decades to learn, doesn’t need to be as complicated as it ended up being for me.

Tackling Watercolor

Watercolor was a medium that just made sense to me, but as a kid in the 90’s I wasn’t exposed to much information and there were a few facts that would take me years to learn on my own. As I got older, I started to fight watercolor because I was growing as an artist, but my practical watercolor knowledge was holding me back. Now that I’ve figured some of the basics and because I see a lot of people struggling with the same problems I had, I have been inspired to try and help.

But I’ve found my true calling in the exploration of color, and when I’d sat down with some people who had been using watercolors their whole lives, they admitted that they had never explored their watercolor palettes to their fullest extent. They didn’t know what their paints were capable of doing and so, when they sat down to paint they would spend most of their time trying to correct their color mixes and only a fraction of that time was actually spent painting.

Moving Forward

As you can see, no matter how slow the progress has been, I have been able to start sorting through everything I know, figuring out the bits and pieces, putting them all together, and can now see where it is I want to go. I’m starting to move forward which is why I’m at the point that I can write this in anticipation of starting my journey of providing an art education for others.

Fin

I think this is where I am going to end it for now, as I don’t have much more to say about myself and I’m ready to start diving into some of the subjects I anticipate helping my current and future students with.

Thanks for reading this blog post all the way to the end, if you did. To anyone still reading, please share with me your experiences, either what it you would like to learn, what topics you’ve been struggling with, or anything else you might want to share or elaborate on. I would love to hear from you in the comments below.

That’s it for today, I’m MK, and this is Draw Daily!

#Intro #MK

[unwise-augur]

These things that you’re after, they can't be controlled- Mack

The Labyrinth Chapter 2

Author’s Note: Mack’s turn for a backstory!! I’ll be honest, I’m a lot happier with this one than I am with Althea’s chapter. Also,,, here’s a meme that suddenly occurred to me a few minutes before posting this

Althea: I’m going to the tavern, you want anything?

Mack: I want my father figure and my memories back.

Althea: Yeah… I got like 12 gold.

Ramas and Arizima Fezim, the lord and lady of a small town by the sea, loved their son, Marcel, as much as humanly possible. And they were overjoyed to discover that Arizima was pregnant with a second child. Lovingly, they picked out the name Mack, for Arizima’s grandparent, and then, seven months later, far too early, the child was born.

Marcel had been a remarkably easy birth, but Mack, on the other hand, took almost the entire night, and even then, was too little, too sickly. The doctor told Lord and Lady Fezim that Mack most likely wouldn’t survive the week.

The couple refused to believe such a claim, and Ramas started looking for alternatives. He tore through tome upon tome, from books on healing spells, to ancient religious texts. Until finally, he found it. Something that could work.

The ritual was simple, far too simple, if you asked him. One salt circle, and a bit of blood later, time spluttered to a standstill, and color drained from the library around him. The only things in the room that wasn’t grayscale, were him and the fiend. The one that he had summoned.

They looked a little startled, like maybe he had summoned them while they were in the middle of drinking their morning coffee. Did fiends drink coffee? Ramas turned his thoughts away before he went down that tangent. “My newborn child is sick. Very sick. The doctors don’t expect them to last the week. Please,” he said, taking a deep, shuddering breath. “Save them.”

The fiend nodded after a brief moment of contemplation, and in a deep rumbling voice, they said, “That is simple. But there is a side-effect. A ‘catch’, if you will.”

“Yes?” Ramas responded. He was desperate, he’d probably agree to just about anything.

“The child, Mack, correct? The only way I can save them is if they have fiendish blood running through their veins. That is easy, one of the deals things a fiend learns how to make. But your child will have to grow up a tiefling.”

“Deal,” Ramas said, holding out his hand. “As long as they survive.”

“Of course,” they responded, shaking his hand.

In an instant, the fiend was gone, color had returned to the world, and Ramas felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders.

True to the demon’s words, Mack recovered quickly (Miraculously, the doctor had told the Lord and Lady), and soon after, patches of their skin took on a reddish tint, and they grew a tail and pair of horns. The Fezims hadn’t minded one bit, as long as Mack was alive.

Six years later, Mack was going to school with all the other children. All the other human children, who had stared at Mack open-mouthed when they stepped into class on the first day. No one wanted to talk to them, so Mack didn’t even try. They did their schoolwork, they never caused trouble. They sat at the back of the class, and earned average grades (Their parents expected them to excel, they could tell. But they were trying their best. But their best must not have been good enough.)

Mack took quickly to reading, though. Everyone had seemed to think that Mack was far too active to sit down for long periods of time and read, judging by the way they were constantly fidgeting with pens, tapping their fingers on their desk, curling and uncurling their tail. But when they first started a fiction book, out of boredom during free time in class one day, they just… didn’t stop.

They loved the adventure, the betrayal, the epic fights, and the valiant heroes. They wanted to be like that someday. The one who saved the world, alongside their band of companions gathered throughout the story.

They specifically remembered one night at dinner, when they were about nine, after they had finished a particularly good book, and they said to Mama “When I’m old enough, I’m going to learn how to fight. I’m going to be an adventurer.”

Mama and Papa exchanged glances, before Mama said in that quiet, I-know-what’s-best voice that she used when Marcel thought he was too old to have a bedtime (he wasn’t, Mack thought privately. He was only two years older than them), “Honey, being an adventurer is an extremely dangerous job. I imagine you’d much prefer to stay at home and help take care of the village.”

Mack had considered their words for a brief moment, remembering all the characters that had died in the books they’d read. But then they remembered the ones who saved the trapped princesses, the ones who slayed the dragons, the ones who overthrew the diabolical kings, who toppled the evil empires. “No. I’m going to be an adventurer.”

Marcel had grinned at them, “What would you use to fight?” he asked.

“Sword,” they answered immediately. All the best heroes used swords, whether they be scimitars, greatswords, broadswords. They’d figure out the exact kind later.

“Are you gonna have an adventuring party?” he said excitedly.

Mack considered the question for a moment. They weren’t very personable, and no one really liked talking to them (it had something to do with their horns, apparently? Just like that one tiefling in a book they’d read that one of the other main characters hadn’t trusted, because they had red skin and a tail). “One or two,” they said slowly.

Papa sighed. “Kids, that’s enough. We aren’t talking about this right now. You’re too young to be deciding your futures.”

But it was too late, Mack had already decided. They never discussed their plans, it made Mama and Papa uneasy, but they were figuring their future out, piece by piece. They’d need a mentor, someone to teach them how to fight (preferably one that didn’t mysteriously disappear, get kidnapped, or killed for plot purposes, but they’d take what they could get). Then they’d need a suitable reason to leave the village searching for adventure, other than pure wanderlust. And after that, they’d need an adventuring companion or two.

Things started falling into place when they were around fourteen. Marcel had walked into the library an hour or two before sunset, and perched himself across from them on the bay window seat, as usual.

“How’s your book?” Marcel asked, like he always did.

“Good,” Mack responded. “How was your day?”

“Good,” he smiled at them. The siblings settled into a companionable silence for a few moments, before Marcel said. “You know how someone moved into that house near the forest, at the very edge of the village?”

Mack nodded. Marcel had been talking about that almost nonstop a week ago, talking about how he had never gotten a glimpse at the new villager. He had said that he was curious to see whether or not they were Mulan, like most of the people in town. Like the Fezims.

“Turns out he’s not Mulan. Or even human for that matter! He’s a tiefling, like you.”

Mack almost dropped their book. They had never met another tiefling, and there were so few books with tiefling as characters, let alone as the protagonists. “Seriously? Did you introduce yourself? Can you introduce me?”

Marcel gave them that grin, the one that gave off the distinct vibe that he has happy because other people were happy. “His name is Creed, and he knows how to swordfight. I know because we saw him practicing in the garden, and then I asked him.”

Mack felt like this was the very beginning of their story. The sheltered merchant’s daughter running away from home for a big, unfamiliar city like she’d always dreamed. The elf boy finally getting the chance to join the war like his father before him. The dragonborn cleric being sent on their first holy quest by their god. The poor boy who had always wanted to be an author hearing that the town’s most well-respected scribe was looking for an apprentice.

“Take me there tomorrow. Don’t tell Mama and Papa. I’m not sure they’d approve of me learning to fight,” they said with a slightly uncomfortable laugh.

Marcel mimed zipping his lips, locking them tight, and throwing away the key. “Tomorrow, you learn how to become an adventurer.”

The next morning, the Fezim siblings wandered near the edge of town, where the pleasantly warm sand gave way to soft earth. Nestled at the very front of the forest, was a small, one-room house, with pale wooden walls, and a mahogany door, that Marcel knocked on boldly.

After a moment, a tiefling man with horns like an addax opened the door. “Oh, nice to see you again, Marcel,” he said, giving him a small smile. Then he saw Mack, who hated to admit that they were practically hiding behind their brother. They didn’t function well around strangers, even if those strangers were the ones who could help them achieve their wildest dreams. “Who’s this?” he asked, and Mack could tell he was struggling to keep the surprise he was feeling off his face and out of his voice. “And here I was thinking I was the first tiefling in town.”

“I’m Mack,” they said, taking a deep breath. “My brother says you can swordfight? Can you teach me?”

“Of course,” he said without hesitation. He gestured for the two of them to come inside, and they took a seat at the table in his kitchen. Everything in his house radiated coziness, from the small table with a seemingly hand-embroidered tablecloth, to the earthy color palette of the room. “Is Marcel your brother?” Creed asked Mack

“Yes,” them and their brother chorused. The two of them exchanged glances, pleasantly surprised. They thought they looked plenty alike, they both had Mama’s hazel eyes, and Papa’s curly, dark brown hair, but for some reason, (“That certainly has nothing to do with someone having a tail and a pair of horns,” Mack would remark sarcastically whenever their parents or brother brought up the topic), no one ever made the connection.

“Your parents both human?” he asked, and Mack wasn’t sure if that was pity in his eyes or not. They weren’t sure if they wanted it to be, either.

“Yes.”

“You must not know Infernal then, either, do you?”

Mack shook their head. “I could never find a book on it.”

“Then I’ll teach you. It’s important for us tieflings to pass on our knowledge from one generation to the next, when there are so few of us out there,” Creed said sadly.

“But you’re still teaching me swordfighting?” they prompted. As much as learning Infernal, or whatever number of tiefling secrets Creed had to teach, excited them, they hadn’t forgotten why they were here.

Creed nodded. “We start tomorrow. Will I need to speak with your parents about any of this?”

Mack shook their head quickly. “They, uh… aren’t too fond of me learning how to fight, or being an adventurer, for that matter.”

He laughed. “I doubt they could stop you.”

Marcel gave the other two a big grin, “I couldn’t agree more. One day, Mack is gonna save the world. Maybe they’ll find out why people are Disappearing!”

Mack trained under Creed for the next five years, learning how to fight, speak, read, and write Infernal, and a million other things about being a tiefling Mack had never learned before. He also taught them more mundane things, like how to cook, or how to sew, stuff that their parents supposedly never had time to teach them. Really, Creed had almost become a second father to Mack, and they wouldn’t have traded it for the world.

Of course, that was when things fell apart. The two of them had wandered a little ways into the woods, into their normal training area, that day. Mack was leaning heavily against a tree, trying to catch their breath after a sparring session, when something caught their eye.

It was the mouth of a tunnel, one that they could’ve sworn hadn’t been there before. “Where does this go?” they called out to him.

Creed came to stand beside the younger tiefling. “I don’t recognize it. So, no clue.”

Mack gripped their sword, and began marching forwards. “Well, there’s only one way to find out!”

He smiled, and jogged to catch up with them.

And then that’s where Mack’s memory fizzled out. All they remembered were bits and flashes. Fighting for their life. A cheesy joke they couldn’t remember the setup for. Someone shouting. A jagged scar across the back of their hand they didn’t recollect having before.

The next thing they knew, they were on their hands and knees outside the tunnel, gasping for breath, with their sword on the ground in front of them. They were bleeding from multiple places, their back, their calf, and their cheek, and they were covered in bruises and scrapes. They thought their rib might’ve been bruised.

But none of it added up to the weight that settled across Mack’s shoulders like a cape. They… they failed someone. Someone important.

And then they realized that they were alone. They had entered the tunnel with Creed, hadn’t they? Where was he? How long had they been gone?

“Creed?” they called out. Their voice sounded hoarse, like they had been screaming. There was no reply. “Anyone?” they tried again.

The only answer was leaves rustling in the breeze, so Mack struggled to their feet. The walk was usually only five minutes back to Creed’s house, then about two more minutes back to the village, but each step felt like a mile to Mack.

When finally, finally, they trudged back into the village, the reaction was immediate. Villagers who had previously been going about their day like normal gasped, and stared at them. “Go get Lord and Lady Fezim,” one woman said to another. “They’ll want to see this.”

After the shock had worn off, people began to crowd around Mack, saying things like “We were so worried!” and “We thought you had died!”

Mack took an uneasy step back. “I… I don’t know what’s happening, or how long I’ve been gone. Please, I’d just like to get back to my house.”

The villagers parted quickly, leaving Mack to stumble home, past the little shoreside houses and shops, until they finally reached the Fezim manor, standing tall and proud next to the village library.

Mack reached the door just as the woman from town was scurrying away. Arizima and Ramas were crying, and Marcel had his arms wrapped around both of his parents’ shoulders.

The second he caught sight of them, Marcel tackled Mack with a hug that almost knocked them over, and Arizima and Ramas weren’t far behind.

“How… how long have I been gone?” Mack asked uneasily as their family finally let them go. They didn’t remember much of anything, but they felt it in their gut that they had been gone longer than a day.

“A year and two months,” Marcel responded immediately, dabbing at his eyes with his sleeve.

Mack almost collapsed then and there. “Gods.”

“Let’s get you cleaned up, dear,” Arizima said after a moment, taking Mack’s arm and leading them into the living room, while Ramas went to grab some bandages and other supplies. No one seemed to care that Mack was bleeding all over everything.

Once Ramas returned with the proper medical supplies, Mack was bombarded with questions, none of which Mack could answer until finally, Arizima asked, “Where did you get that jacket?”

“Wha-?” Mack finally noticed the tattered, brown jacket they were wearing. On the front were a bunch of tiny patches, all with different designs. On the back, was a design that had almost completely been worn away and torn off, and some near illegible writing beneath it. “I don't… I don’t know. But it feels… important,” Mack explained. It didn’t feel important in a “it has a secret pocket with a key that can open any lock inside it” way but more like it had been given to them by someone important. (Maybe it had to do with that heavy feeling of guilt weighing on their conscience.)

Later that night, they found their old sewing supplies, and repaired the jacket the best they could, sewing up the holes and tears, and washing out the bloodstains. It had taken almost as much as a beating as Mack had when they were wherever they had been for the past year.

Mack also took a moment to give the design on the back a closer inspection. They thought maybe it was a lyre, but it was hard to be sure, especially because there had been a large gash in the jacket running from their shoulders to the small of their back, that had taken out most of the design. (They had a scar to match.) Beneath the symbol, Mack thought they were able to decipher at least one of the words. “Team”.

When they read that, they felt something, like their brain was reaching out for a memory that just didn’t exist anymore. They hated that. Mack desperately wanted to know what had happened to them. To Creed. To that person they had failed, whoever they were. The need to know burned in their chest like a white-hot flame. And then and there, that’s when they decided.

They were going to leave and search for answers. They were going to find out why they had Disappeared. They were going to find Creed, and the one they had failed, their “Team”, and everyone else who had Disappeared. This was the elvish girl’s father getting kidnapped, the gnomish paladin getting chosen by their god, the hafling boy getting drafted for the war, the dwarven fighter finding out about the prophecy about her. This was Mack’s call to action.

And then two months later, they left in the dead of night, leaving a note explaining where they had gone. They didn’t want to say good-bye in person, their parents would try to stop them, or Marcel would try to go with them, and they had to do this. Alone. They were the one who had gotten Creed stuck in this mess. They were going to get him out, without getting anyone else roped into their desperate search for answers.

It took almost another year for them to find where they wanted to go. Lotus Ridge, over in the Open Expanse. It was a huge, bustling city, with one distinct similarity in almost all of its residents. They were searching for answers. Some even referred to Lotus Ridge as “The Town of the Lost and the Left Behind”. The second Mack heard about it, they knew that that city was where they were headed next.

They found the city within the month, and bought a small apartment in the city, and raised money doing odd jobs, until they had enough to start doing what really mattered, finding answers. They took up jobs as a private investigator of sorts, compiling all the information they could find on those who had Disappeared.

And then a few months after that, after cementing themself as one of the best detectives in town, one of the ones most likely to solve the mystery and bring back everyone that had Disappeared, Mack met their partner in crime.

The two of them met through one of their mutual clients, a human woman searching for her twin daughters. The client had insisted on introducing them to each other, claiming that they could find answers even faster if they worked together, seeing as they were already so close. Mack didn’t really see any downsides, and arranged the meeting to be at the office they had managed to buy below their apartment. Half an hour later than scheduled, a drow woman with long, silvery hair, and a crescent scar on her cheek, stepped through Mack’s door.

“I’m Althea, nice to meet you,” she said, dropping down into the chair across from them. “You’re Mack, right?”

Mack nodded, and shook her hand. They didn’t mention her lateness. “How did you get involved with the Disappearances?”

“My best friend Disappeared,” she answered easily, albeit a tad bit strained, and it sounded a bit like she’d rehearsed saying that. “How about you?”

“A close friend of mine and I Disappeared a while ago. I came back, obviously. He didn’t,” Mack answered, and the words only came out so smoothly because they had said them a million times by now.

Althea nodded sympathetically. “Well, uh, as for the investigation proper, I’ve been gathering all the evidence I could find,” she said, abruptly changing the subject. With a flourish, she pulled a small stack of paper out of her satchel (her flute almost fell out, but she caught it just in time), and spread them out on the table. They were mostly missing persons posters, along with handwritten notes, no doubt she had taken them while talking to clients. “No one ever remembers where they’ve been, correct? And the people just Disappear off the face of the planet so completely. It's… crazy.”

Mack nodded. “I did some research, and it’s only been happening for the past two hundred years or so, which is insane, because everyone knows someone who’s Disappeared.”

“I tried investigating exactly who Disappears, their gender, their race, their profession, even their sexual orientations, for the gods’ sake-” she laughed bitterly- “but there’s no pattern. I tried finding out what time of year people usually Disappear during. I haven’t found anything of worthwhile there, either.”

And so the duo continued, bouncing ideas, memories, and evidence they’d found, off of each other for the better part of an hour. And along the way, they began developing an unlikely friendship, and within the week, they had permanently teamed up for their investigations, and Althea had moved in with Mack.

One way or another, the two of them were going to find out why people Disappeared, and put a stop to it, once and for all.

#my writing #writing #original story #DnD #Dungeons and Dragons #The Labyrinth Campaign

[bangtan-writing-716]

Let the Wrist Decide {Yoongi -Soulmate AU-} CHAPTER 3

I can’t believe I pumped out a chapter today oml

Take it, I’ll try and get another one out tomorrow… maybe…

Also, I’m thinking 3-4 more chapters more? I have the other 6 members to do lol

-Kiwi

CHAPTER 3-Slipped Lies

Ok, so maybe FORCING him to shake hands with you wasn’t the smartest idea in the world.

But hey, you were just trying to find a way to get more comfortable with him and be able to make this work.

Peering behind you, you can see Ji Eun and Minho look at you with conflicting emotions-Ji Eun with sympathy and a little reassuring smile, and Minho with just surprise and shock laced along his features.

Quickly popping up from your chair, you tell them you were going to go get him and come back. Bolting from the room, you run through the corridors and onto the streets. Unconsciously, you grip and rub your arm, wiping the makeup from your tattoo and silently acknowledging the burning of your hand.

Running past your studio, you see something that makes you stop where you were.

It was open to anyone, really, but you had basically become the owner when you realized no one else used it.

…Before today.

You saw Yoongi sat at the piano in the studio, a melody flowing through the ear and mesmerizing you.

Opening the door to the studio, you halt him in the middle of the song and just stare at him.

Looking at you, he scoffs and goes to grab his bag. Approaching you, he stares at you, waiting for you to move out of the way so that he could go through the doors.

Seeing him up close, you noticed a lot of little details you wouldn’t have seen with just a glance. Like how he was only really half an inch taller than you, so you really didn’t have to look up at him, and the fact that he scratches his neck when he’s nervous, and he bites his lip when he’s agitated-

“Look, I know you came to look for me to go back to the studio, so can you move out of the way so that I can leave? It would really help.”

When you didn’t move, he tried to push you out of the way. Of course, you stood your ground and didn’t move. Slowly backing up to the door, you felt around for the lock. It was old, and well… didn’t work that well. You were really the only one who knew how much force you had to apply to open the door.

After making sure it was locked, you moved away from the door, and with an exaggerated bow, you motioned him free to leave. Seeing him struggle with the door, you smirk and decide to resume one of your most recent paintings.

Texting Ji Eun, you told her to continue working on the lyrics, and that you would work tomorrow with Yoongi on the composition and production of the song.

Getting a response of a thumbs up, you put your phone down and pick up your palette. Dabbing the paint on it, you continue to add the appropriate colors and tones, dramatizing the melancholy that is being depicted.

When you paint, you aren’t able to control what you put on the canvas. So when Yoongi walks up behind you and points out the skyline as the one of his hometown, you freeze up.

Suddenly, you realize your surroundings and the fact that you rubbed off the makeup on your wrist. The tattoo that binds you to the one you were expected to live the rest of your life with was completely exposed to the school’s most popular musical artist, and how it mirrors the painting you were currently working on.

Taking a chance and glancing back, you see his eyes trained in on your wrist, a strong intensity and curiosity embedded in the center of his gaze. Quickly gripping your wrist, you get up and walk towards the door.

Unlocking it, and nodding towards him, you motion for him to leave, but now he willingly stays.

“Why do you want to hide your tattoo so much? What if that person knew you but could never find you?”

Expressionless, you turn and walk until you stand eye level to him. Gently grabbing his wrist again, you put them next to each other.

They looked oddly similar, for the disarray between the two held their mirror images- the black scribbles on one and the smudged concealer on another, the mirror images that was forever printed on both your wrists.

Ignoring the heat emanating from your palm, you show him the wrists, making him look at you with confusion.

“The same reason you were uncomfortable with me grabbing your wrist, Yoongi. It looks like we’re both lost at this point. Look, I came out here to look for you but I don’t think anything can be done. I’ll meet you tomorrow to make up for the work we couldn’t finish.”

Turning towards the door, you left and walked towards the cafe you had visited with Seo Jin the other day. After ordering, you collapsed on the couch in the far corner and let out a strangled sigh.

Feeling the sofa dip beside you, you look over and see Yoongi. Again.

Turning back around, you sighed and went to wait for your drink somewhere else. Apparently, though, that wasn’t enough to stop him. Finally getting fed up, you turn around and face him, knowing the annoyance was laced into your features.

“Look, I know what I said back there was harsh and true about the both of us, but don’t come here trying to console me and say that we’re similar. I don’t really care what your situation is like, ok? I just want to not be a burden to Minho and Ji Eun.”

“I know, I just-”

Cutting him off, you keep going, the anger in you rising.

“Ok, I get it, you know! So if you know so well, why don’t you also understand that I don’t need to talk to you about this? Yoongi, don’t you get it? We don’t have any relations besides you helping me with this project. I don’t need you to be there for me for anything else! Please, just help me with the project and find your love some other way. You already know that you’ve met her, so just- try and find her on your own.”

Turning, you see Hoseok looking at you, eyebrows raised. He motions to the door with your drink and his in hand, and you just rub your hand along your head and through your hair as you leave Yoongi alone.

Upon exiting, you feel another tap on your shoulder and turn around, knowing exactly who it is and raise your hand in an attempt to brush your hair out of your face.

However, he thought you were going in to slap him. Grabbing your wrist and pinning you to the wall and letting go, he backs up and says something to himself.

“Well? What are you going to say to me? If you got the guts to pin me against the wall, you have to follow through and say what you gotta say.”

“I’ll meet you tomorrow at the recording room. And I have something I’m going to tell you tomorrow.”

Turning on his heel he hurries off, and you just snort. Walking back to where Hoseok was waiting, you grab his hand and drag him down the street. Of course, he doesn’t argue with you- what does he have to lose?

———-

Staring at him in surprise, you slap him on the shoulder and get up to walk away.

“Don’t deny it, Yang Y/N. You know that you two are each other’s soulmates. It’s not hard to figure out.”

“And how would you know that, Hoseok? This was the first interaction you had seen between us, one of the three we had together. How would you know anything?”

“Well, tell me. Do you feel anything you try to ignore when you touched him?”

Staring right at him, hands on your hips, you bend down to his level and open your mouth to say something.

Only to get cut off.

“You know you do, you-”

Covering his mouth, you say “Look, I don’t know what you think and why you have these thoughts, but this is not how this works, ok? I don’t feel anything with him, and he’s already seen my tattoo. Why would he not tell me if we have the same tattoo? Of course I don’t feel heat when I touch his hand! You’re crazy and stupid, Hoseok.”

Walking away from the bench he was sat at, you bite your lip and hope that the lie that slipped would keep him quiet.

Smirking at you, Hoseok shouts out and takes you by surprise.

“When did I ever say that you felt heat when you touched his hand, Yang Y/N? You’ve slipped up, Y/N. I almost took your lie for truth.”

#bts #yoongi #soulmate au #let the wrist decide #chapter 3 #Kiwi Writes #bts scenario #bts ff

[doodlewash]

World Watercolor Month is my favorite arty event of the year! And, this year is extra exciting as I get to join in as a Watercolor Ambassador!  One of the great things about World Watercolor Month is it supports The Dreaming Zebra Foundation, who do amazing work ensuring that children around the world have access to art materials and the means to express their creativity.

These days I am a full time artist and sailor, but my other life is as a primary school teacher and art coordinator. I’ve taught watercolor to children from Grade 3-8, and Charlie has kindly said I can pass on some of my favorite activities for you to try with budding artists in your life (of any age)!

I’ve tried to choose ideas which are easy to adapt and which teach skills that can be applied to a whole host of paintings. Watercolor Mixing is the first project, and I’ll be back with a couple more next week! You can follow along with my steps, but it’s even better when you change the colors or try to paint something different. That’s when you’re really getting creative!

Watercolor Materials

However old or young you are, quality materials can make a difference to the results and satisfaction that you obtain from painting. Watercolor sets aimed at children are non-toxic and washable- essentials for the youngest artists! Slightly older artists are less likely to eat or wear the paint and will get more success and enjoyment out of quality student paints such as Winsor & Newton Cotman or, best of all, an artist-quality range such as Daniel Smith. Good quality paints are more likely to use pure pigments, unlike cheaper brands which are often blends; these can be chalky or lead to muddy mixes.

They also last a long time- and even three tubes of primary colors are enough to get started. Have a look at Charlie’s Da Vinci Trio for a great example! Either tube or pan form are fine to start with, and you can make your own pans by letting tubes dry in a palette or paint box. Liquid watercolors such as Dr Ph Martin’s are bright, intense color. A little goes a long way so adult supervision is a good idea, but young artists will love the intense results.

If you’re using pans of paints, a small atomizer spray of water is great for pre-wetting the blocks and getting rich color. It also means the young artist doesn’t need to grind their brush into the paint! Low, sturdy bottomed water containers are ideal for younger children, and two of my young painter friends really love borrowing my waterbrushes. They are a low-mess option and the children clean them carefully on a rag whenever they change color.

Watercolors deserve real watercolor paper, whatever the age of the artist. Cheap cartridge papers absorb watercolors so they lose their intensity, and often bobble and warp under a wash. Try 300 gsm watercolor paper with a cold-pressed surface. I’ve used Bockingford pads for the activities here. For children, the biggest challenge of using watercolors is waiting for paint to dry, so cut larger sheets down into small pieces so they can work on multiple pieces at once, or use a hairdryer to give an impatient young artist a helping hand.

Reasonable synthetic brushes are available for just a few dollars. It only takes two to start with- a larger mop for washes to cover a large area and a smaller brush for detail. Steer clear of stiff bristle brushes (unless you’re trying to create textures), and beware of the brushes that come with cheap sets as they often struggle to hold a point.

For mixing, a cheap plastic palette does the job nicely. At a pinch you can also use the lid off a yogurt pot or ice cream tub- though it’s best if these are white so the artist can see the color they are mixing!

Scrap paper is really handy for testing out color mixes and strength. I keep off cuts if I trim paper down, and if a painting goes wrong I’ll flip it over or cut it into strips for testing colors or techniques.

Easy Watercolor Mixing Project

Mixing watercolor is fun and can be surprising! This activity combines practicing paint mixing with creating a work of art.

On your watercolor paper, use your pencil to draw some light fishy outlines.

Choose one color to use for the head of your fish, and another for the tail.

Then use your palette to mix both colors and paint the middle with the new color.

If you let the head and tail dry before you paint the middle then you will get stripes. If the paint is still wet then it will run together- this can look great too. I tried both ways!

I started on the left-hand side of my paper because I’m right-handed. If you paint with your left hand then start on the right side so you don’t smudge your painting.

Keep choosing different pairs of colors until all of your fish are colored.

When the paint is dry, use a pen to add details.

Taking It Further

You don’t have to draw fish! Try painting birds, butterflies, cats, plants, planes… anything you think will be fun in rainbow colors!

Cut out your favorite pictures to glue on cards or create a collage with other scraps of painted paper.

Try mixing the same colors again and again but use more or less water to change the value. What does the palest color remind you of? What could you paint using the darkest value?

Use lots of one color, and a little bit of the other to make different shades. How many shades can you make with just two paints?

Which colors make browns or grays when you mix them? What do you notice about these colors on the color wheel? Try to remember which ones look sludgy and which look good… you might want to mix them again one day!

Through July, 10% of every sale from my Etsy shop will go to the Dreaming Zebra Foundation, enabling children around the world to create. Click Here to Visit My Shop!

Watercolor Mixing Project For Kids & Kids At Heart! by Andrea England - #WorldWatercolorMonth #doodlewash #watercolor #kids #watercolour #beginner World Watercolor Month is my favorite arty event of the year! And, this year is extra exciting as I get to join in as a Watercolor Ambassador! 

#WorldWatercolorMonth #art tutorials #doodlewash #kids #painting tutorial #watercolor #watercolour

[kat650]

Using colour in my art is a relatively new experience for me. Most of what I drew before this course was in black and white with an emphasis on realistic drawings. I often wondered why I was more confident using monochrome and feared using colour especially as I have always admired artists who used bold, bright colours in their art!

Other than just being aesthetically pleasing to the eye, colours are highly linked with energy and emotion. From ‘feeling blue’ to ‘seeing red’ and  ‘being green with envy’, some of the everyday idioms we use to express our emotions, colours have a daily impact on us. We feel happy and positive on a bright sunny day and low or drained when it’s dark and gloomy. We live in a colourful world, both in a literal and metaphorical sense and many of our everyday choices involve colour to a certain extent, from the clothes that we wear to the food that we eat.

Throughout history artists have been mixing and making their own colours, sometimes deriving pigments from unusual or even hazardous sources. Certain colour palettes have been favoured by each of the art movements; the Fauves were keen on outrageous, bold colours and believed that colours had a spiritual quality and because they were directly linked to emotions they wanted to use them at their highest possible pitch.

Artists have all along been choosing colours that they feel connected to, using them to express their emotions and hoping that their choices resonate with an audience.

Vincent Van Gogh 

When Van Gogh met the Impressionists he abandoned his use of dark tones in favour of pure primary and secondary colours and over time, his superb colour sense along with his decisive brushstrokes became his signature style that has stood the test of time.

His painting of Noon (after Millet) is one of my favourite ones; although he used a limited palette, I really love his bold, almost explosive use of the warm yellows and oranges against the deep blues. This painting makes me feel happy and serene at that same time.

There is a harmony and balance between the warm and cold colours and in my opinion, there is a serenity and mellowness that emanates from this painting. Firstly, because of the scenery and the fact that the two people are resting. Secondly, because of the colour hues that Van Gogh chose to create this tranquil feeling which would not have been achieved were he to use the exact same colours in their pure form. His clever use of mark making is suggestive of movement amongst the stillness and the passing of time while the two people are taking a nap.

Noon (after Millet) 1890

In  one of his letters to his brother Theo, while he writes to him about his painting of the Night Café, he describes his choice of colours with obsessive detail, referring to their intensity, hue and saturation as well as symbolism.

“I’ve tried to express the terrible passions of humanity with red and green. The room is blood red and dull yellow, with a green billiard table in the middle; there are four lemon yellow lamps casting an orange and green glow. Everywhere there’s a struggle and a clash between the very different greens and reds-in the small figures of the sleeping good-for-nothings, in the sad and empty room in violet and blue….”

It is evident that colour meant a lot to Van Gogh because he perceived it as a form of a visual language.

When his mental state became fragile towards the end of his life Van Gogh carried on painting his self-portraits in colour, many of them engulfed by blue as opposed to black or any other dark and ‘heavy’ colours. Blue is one of the so called ‘cold’ colours and

The intensity of his palette, however, had changed and reflected a change in his emotional state.

From a symbolic point of view, it is thought that the colour blue has religious significance and symbolises the divine and spiritual; so the blue in his portraits, whether used consciously or subconsciously, has psychological connotations and could be seen as his quest for God.

I have often looked at Van Gogh’s works while looking for inspiration. I find his work visually exciting and stimulating and will continue to do so in the future.

Gustav Klimt

I love Klimt’s work and the way he explores colour, shapes and patterns. The small geometrical shapes dotted around the painting form pools of patterns and remind me mosaics. The body appears to be supported and enveloped in a multi-coloured quilt. It’s as if Klimt couldn’t bear to leave any of the colours out of his paintings!

The gold within his portraits acts as a mirror and reflects light giving his portraits an opulent feel and makes me think as though I am looking at one of the most expensive paintings in the world! The golden hues also remind me of Greek Orthodox Iconography which I grew up with.

I love the richness of the warm golds, browns and reds and how he gathers and contains those small coloured shapes within bigger, flowing, almost moving shapes that seem to overlap with one another. Every here and there one can notice a few ‘cold’  colour accents’ of greens and blues that help create a dynamic equilibrium!

Adele Bloch-Bauer, 1907

Elizabeth Peyton

I wanted to revisit and re-examine the work of Elizabeth Peyton as her portraits are focused mainly on the face and see how she uses colour. I also like her free and expressive brushwork/pencilwork along with her choice of colour to portray her subjects; when I look at her work I get the feeling of  a spontaneous and intuitive way of working.

Portraits of Chloe, by Elizabeth Peyton.

Another reason I like Peyton’s work is because she does not seem pre-occupied with detailing the background and uses colour as pattern to create a sense of space. Similarly, I like to focus my energy and attention on the people’s facial features and expressions, leaving the background white or abstracting it.

On some of her portraits she seems to focus her efforts on injecting most of the colour on the model’s clothes and surrounding environment, leaving their face almost blank as an indication of them either lacking emotion or being bathed in light from within! This method provides harmony and balance within an artwork as there are not too many things to overstimulate the brain!

Some of her sitter’s features like the eyes or lips maybe accentuated with colour; she most probably wants to bring to our attention that the eyes are the windows of the soul and the lips, (often painted bright red on both male and female),  not only are they used for talking but are also a symbol of sexuality.

She uses colour both in a what I call ‘concentrated’, almost pure form that has been deposited quickly onto her support with only small hint of tonal variations. In sharp contrast to the large areas of colour she uses raw, emotive lines that are minimally blended and create the feeling of dynamism and movement as well as texture. Some of her portraits are bathed in rich, opulent colours, bursting with warmth whereas others have a cold and distant feel to them. Two examples are the portraits of Chloe which I find very warm and appealing and the portrait of Daniel that feels cold and eerie.

Daniel, by Elizabeth Peyton.

The emotions of her sitters are hard to translate because although their expressions are quite sombre and make me feel as though they maybe sad or contemplative, her use of bright colours would suggest the opposite. Although in her painting of Daniel the watercolour drips resemble tears and her muted palette is suggestive of his dampened spirits and sadness. It may be the case that Peyton wants to juxtapose her sitters’ perceived fame and glamour with the quietness and sadness of their inner worlds that are in fact the opposite, (none of her sitters are smiling).

    All Too Human Exhibition , visit at the Tate Britain Gallery, 14.05.1

During my late visit to Tate Britain I had the opportunity to see some of Francis Bacon’s artwork.

His paintings really stood out from the crowd for their unusual, abstract representation of the human form, minimalistic compositions and dull colours. At first glance his portraits seemed frightening, inspired by violence and nightmares.

Although black dominated some of his work, he did use subtle colours to suggest human flesh and the surrounding environment. His figures and portraits resemble apparitions,  raising questions as to whether Bacon was preoccupied with death or dealt with mental issues.

Sometimes a bright colour such as the yellow in the image on the left, creates a focal point and draws our attention towards the middle of the painting.

When I first looked at the yellow ring in this painting I thought of a halo or maybe a portal to another world. Although in most cultures the colour yellow symbolises brightness and happiness, in others it is synonymous with death. So it is possible that the three figures are encountering a transfiguration of some sort!

The juxtaposition of the yellow and grey in this painting create a simultaneous contrast and exploit our psychological capacity of colour to arouse intense emotions.

There is no doubt that Bacon’s dark, earthy, moody tones in combination with his aggressive mark making conveyed messages of anger, angst and emotional trauma to the viewer.

We all have a personal relationship with colours and there is unequivocal evidence that colours have emotional and psychological effects on all of us.

I would like to finish with one of Kandinsky’s quotes that sums it all up: “Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul”.

  References:

Drawing now, eight propositions, Hoptman, Laura J. 2009. New York: Museum of Modern Art.

https://colormatters.com/color-and-design/basic-color-theory accessed 17.05.18

http://artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/fauvism.html accessed17.05.18

http://www.theartstory.org/movement-fauvism.html accessed 17.05.18

http://www.psyartjournal.com/article/show/bekker-color_and_emotion_a_psychophysical_analy accessed 17.05.18

http://www.webexhibits.org/vangogh/letter/18/533.html accessed 17.05.18

http://www.webexhibits.org/pigments/intro/history.html accessed 17.05.18

http://www.webexhibits.org/colorart/contrast.html accessed 17.05.18

Assignment 5- Research: Colour and emotion. Using colour in my art is a relatively new experience for me. Most of what I drew before this course was in black and white with an emphasis on realistic drawings.