#i'm so happy i'm drawing consistently again

[artificial-transmutations]

Historically Accurate

"I'm telling you, Hollywood is going down with all the woke crap! You know what they say: Go woke go broke!"

Julian and Wallace were on their way back from the lunch room and the former was listening to the latter complaining. Julian had tried to avoid any topic like this, but, really, it was a mine field with Wallace. Just about *every* topic had the potential to turn out political.

"I don't see what's wrong with a little inclusion in pop culture." Julian said, not wanting to argue but also not wanting to leave that opinion unopposed.

"Everything! It's just plain wrong, and it's brainwash, too. I mean, it's like a mind virus, poisoning everything! There's a western coming out next week. But it's all bullshit woke agenda again. The cowboy is black and gay! Literal brainwash and historical rewrite."

Julian frowned. How could an intelligent person like Wallace be so stupid at the same time?

"Why does that even bother you? I thought you hated westerns."

"Yes, that's not the point. Fact is, it's historically inaccurate and just pushing the woke agenda."

"Actually, I think it's not even historically incorrect." Julian pondered as they entered the lab using Julian's keycard and an iris scan of both scientists.

Wallace was borderline angry now.

"What are you talking about? Everyone knows that cowboys were the whitest and the straightest people there were."

"I'm not quite sure", Julian said. "Weren't there freed slaves and so on? And I would guess if you were underway with another guy for prolonged periods of time, not everything staid straight, too."

"Bullshit! Everyone knows cowboys weren't fags, and they were white."

Wallace seemed agitated now, and his usual stiff demeanor became even more pronounced.

Wallace was in his mid-forties, but the way he was talking, he seemed way older to Julian.

Julian on the other hand was awfully young for the position he had. Being 25, he still didn't look like he had finished college, even though he had his doctorate already.

It was really a bit sad, he thought. Two of the brightest minds and they were bickering over basic, meaningless distinctions like ethnicity or sexual orientation.

"We could just ask the computer." he proposed, but Wallace frowned.

"We are not supposed to use the equipment for private research." he said.

'The computer' was part of the highly secretive project they worked on. When finished, it was supposed to be a time machine, simple as that. The actual time travel device didn't work properly yet, but a part of it, a chronoton boosted quantum computer that was able to access history itself to answer questions about the part, was already functioning quite well.

"But we are supposed to test it from time to time. Are you afraid of the answer it might give?"

"Of course not." Wallace grumbled. "Fine. Computer! Is there any historical evidence of gay black cowboys?"

The voice activated system acknowledged the request with a beep. While waiting for the answer, Julian checked the parameters of the system and found them in near-perfect condition.

Finally, the system answered, with the neutral male voice it was programmed with.

"A significant portion of cowboys consisted of people with African heritage, especially after the freeing of slaves after the civil war. Homosexual acts and attraction were common among cowboys, especially during the trail drives. Demonstrating..."

"Hrmpf." Wallace said, clearly not happy.

Julian, who was still checking the readings, scratched his head.

"Did you remember to disconnect the capsule before making the query? It seems to be drawing power."

"Ah, crap. That's just because of all the bullshit talk. Computer, stop!"

"Unable to comply. Demonstrating... Target: Montana Frontier Area, June 1865..."

The white walls of the chamber started to glow in an ever brighter white that was beginning to hurt the eyes.

"Crap. Julian, cut the power!" Wallace said, now with a clear notion of fear in his voice. The younger scientist didn't answer but tried to do as he was told - but did not succeed in time.

Suddenly, with a flash, their surroundings changed and the two of them found themselves in the middle of a rugged mountain range, on the border of a pine forest. It was late afternoon and the scientists found themselves in a just set-up camp. Two horses were standing nearby, and a small herd of cows was grazing at a meadow.

Wallace sighed and shook his head angrily. "Just great. Look at the mess you just put us in. Now we have to wait until we're rescued. And, apparently, we have to meet some black homo cowboys."

Julian looked around but couldn't see anyone around.

"I would have also guessed so, but there doesn't seem to be anyone there."

His heart sank as he had a terrible suspicion. He had been experimenting lately with a normalization circuit that would embed the time travelers into history instead of superimposing them onto it. That was - according to his theories - a rather elegant way to resolve the repelling effect the historical structure had, but it wasn't finished by any means. It had never been tested and even theoretically, it wouldn't be able to achieve a partial embedding, only a full one at best. And the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that it had still been connected to the system.

As Julian thought about how to break it to Wallace, he noticed something strange about the other scientist. It could be a trick of the light, but he looked way more tanned than before.

"Uhm... It might actually be somewhat worse than that. I think my normalization circuit was still active when you activated the machine."

"What? What does that mean?" Wallace looked at him, furiously now.

"Well, I would guess..." Julian struggled and gave up. "Look at your hands, I think it's pretty self-explanatory."

Wallace looked down at his darkening hands and paled. Even now, he still had a considerably darker skin tone than before, darkening with every passing second.

"Shit." he said. "That's what you get for fucking around with a half-finished experiment."

Julian didn't even dare to mention his suspicion. If his normalization circuit was really active, that would make Wallace an actual, black cowboy, and not just him. Julian was also a time traveler, so he, too, would be affected.

Meanwhile, the changes in Wallace seemed to have proceeded. His facial structure looked like it was in motion before finally settling on a generally broader, manlier shape: The jawline became more pronounced, and his cheekbones raised.

"Is there... anything going on with me as well?" Julian asked.

Wallace looked over at him.

"Yeah, your hair color is changing, and I think your eye color. Blonde and blue-eyed, how cliché. But most importantly, you're not becoming fucking a fucking Black man."

Wallace didn't say Black man.

For some reason, this didn't bother Julian half as much as it should have. He felt rather at ease, and the untamed wilderness around him awakened a sense of adventure inside of him that he didn't know was in him.

Meanwhile Wallace was also feeling a change within. A surge of confidence emerged from within him that was entirely alien to the deeply insecure man at first, but quickly became more and more part of his personality. It was like his core was solidifying into a confident and assertive nature, a boldness and quiet he secretly always wished he had. At the same time, his body structure changed considerably.

Where before, Wallace had been a physically unimpressive mid-forties man, it now seemed like the years melted off of him, and for every year that he lost, he gained three pounds of muscle mass and beef. His shoulders widened, his height increased, and his frame expanded in order to accommodate the new body mass.

"It's not that bad, ain't it?" While Julian's body had not changed much besides the hair and eye color, his voice sounded entirely different now. It had a southern lilt to it, but it was charismatic and charming. It was the kind of voice you could listen to for hours without end, perfect for reading an audiobook - or telling campfire stories.

"Well now, I ain't too sure 'bout that." Wallace's voice had changed even more considerably when he answered. He had gained a thick southern accent, and his voice had dropped to a low and smooth voice that sounded commanding even if he didn't intend to.

"Ha, look at that, your skin's startin' to change now, too!"

And really, Julian's skin had started to adapt as well, but it was quickly becoming apparent that it went a different route than Wallace's. Instead of darkening to the almost black tone that he was sporting, Julian's skin became rougher and got a sun-kissed tan instead. His facial features sharpened, as his cheekbones looked chiseled all of a sudden and a rugged beard texture was adorning his chin. Julian seemed to notice it, too, since he started touching his new face immediately.

"Cool! Always wondered what I'd look like sportin' a beard." he said, apparently not too unhappy with the changes.

There was no denying Julian looked good, which made Wallace feel a touch of jealousy. In his opinion, it wasn't fair that he was the only one having to deal with the black skin. That feeling quickly faded, though, as his changes continued. His hair became very short, curly and dark. At the same time, a short beard formed on his chin and upper lip, giving him an even manlier appeal. At the same time, chest hair sprouted, sparsely of course, as it was normal for a man of his heritage. A strange feeling overcame Wallace. He wasn't necessarily *proud* to be Black now, but he also didn't mind it anymore. He was proud of a lot of secondary assets, though, like his bulging muscles or his handsome face. As his eyes became a dark brown, he had to smirk as he sat down by the fire, readjusting himself in the process. And, of course, his big cock, which might also have been positively influenced by his new ancestry.

Wallace watched as Julian turned around and tended to the horses. His body was now, finally, also changing. It didn't become nearly as bulky as his own, but instead lean and agile, with narrow hips and a well-distributed surprising strength, as Wallace knew. While Julian was busy with the horses, Wallace had a good view of his ass. It filled out the jeans just so well, and Vallace only noticed now that the other man's attire had changed. He was clad in a pair of blue jeans, a vest and, of course a Stetson now, and Vance always thought that this outfit accentuated the best parts of his partner quite well. He preferred black leather, himself, since the material was sturdier and felt better on the skin.

Vince felt his cock hardening in his leather pants and readjusted himself again while also leaning back and spreading his legs to make more room for the erection. He wasn't afraid of anyone seeing his rude behavior. The only other man within a wide range was Jesse, the owner of that juicy ass. And he was allowed to see... well, everything.

Vince waited patiently until Jesse returned to the campfire, with a big smile on his face.

"How them horses holdin' up, partner?" Vince asked.

"They're good. Just a tad worn out from today's ride." Jesse answered.

"Well, there's somethin' else needs tendin' to, if you're free to lend a hand. Or an ass." Vince grinned and made his cock throb in the confines of his tight leather pants.

Jesse grinned at the display of masculinity and massaged his own cock.

"Hell yes!"

As Jesse moved over in his usual graceful movements, Vince leaned back. There really wasn't anything better than being a big, black cowboy. Especially not with a partner like Jesse, who was always happy to make the nights in the wilderness a little less lonely.

Certainly not poor and lonesome! Also check out this awesome writer!

There are a few more versions of Jesse and Vince, over at my tip jar.

#male transformation #straight to gay #muscle transformation #racial transformation #cowboy #historical transformation

[themisterhip]

Genos from Mermaid! AU

Designed by @rayadraws (this is peak design i'm telling you👏👏✨)

#opm #opm genos #art #mermaid au #sea au #this ia trully helping me at drawing faster again #since i need to finish comissions #i'm so happy i'm drawing consistently again #AND I NEED MORE CONTENT- ANYTHING FROM THIS AU #gonna do more designs for other characters in the future ofc #hehehe #killer whale #character design #one punch man #digital art #doodles #thanks and bye #<3

[sergle]

what do you think is the hardest part of being an artist? personally I hate the process of "finishing" any piece. do you ever feel like a piece is truly done?

tbh... Finishing is such a weird one, I NEVER feel like a drawing is finished, only that I'm finished looking at it but I think the hardest part of being an artist (as a Trade) is that most of what you have to do, in order to be an artist, isn't art. So the organizing, the emails, the customer service, self promotion, order fulfillment, keeping a Schedule, things like that. None of that has anything to do with actually making stuff. and I think that's what's always the hardest for me. If I never had to manage my own presence, advertise, or figure out how to handle customer service / emails / organization in general, and my job was just to make things, I think "being an artist" is easy. If I could just draw, I think that would be the ideal. But 78% of being an artist actually has nothing to do with drawing.

#I think keeping an organized and responsive Email Presence is harder than Making Art. #if I could hand that part of the process off to someone then I would. #in a world without money: I wouldn't be doing any of that anyway. I would just make things I want to make. #i mean it's like hey #at least anytime you message me. Me is the one you're getting a reply from. #like hey. that's great for you (maybe). but bad for me. and bad for Business. bc I'm not consistent #but if I could just draw and never have to open an inbox ever again. I'd be so happy. #or I probably wouldn't. But it'd be a step towards happiness. #sergle answers #sorry that's a different answer than what you were asking about LMAOOOO

[fivewholeminutes]

Guess who FINALLY has started @a-s-levynn's Series Of Small Offerings!!!

PART ONE Thread the Needle

Just look at where we're lying / An invisible space

It turns out i look at the proposed lyrics and suddenly get a Thought™ and follow it, so prepare for the offerings to be weird. In this case i thought of the invisible space being between Vessel and his mask, at the very beginning, before Vessel, before Him.

You can interpret it any way you want, i don't know what that means either, I just like dark drawings with a single source of light. Prepare to a lot of offerings like this too.

And apologies for the quality, I hate this paper, but I like the size of this notebook, do you see my problem

#click for a better quality or sth it looks like shit anyway but i cannot be arsed with editing today #anyways i'm so happy i have finally stared this!!!!!!!!!!! #LEVYNN THANK YOU FOR THIS CHALLENGE #i was trying to start it ages ago i've had that idea in my brain for months #i have a few other pieces ready but i will try to post them daily #just trying to draw as much as i can while i'm still off from work bc i know that when work starts again #i won't have energy for anything creative anymore #i will try to be consistent though #sleep token #sleep token fanart #a series of small offerings #alex vs the mortifying ordeal of having her art perceived

[ofyellowandgreen]

mick jagger in a metered jungle, 1971

#mick jagger #rolling stones #1970s #fanart #my art #this is p much a redraw of a photo #so credit to msr Jean-Marie Périer #a most excellent composition #good to get back into drawing again #the vegetation was surprisingly nice #i'm happy w the colors #consistency who #but in my defense i lost my tablet pen for 3 mo so this is bookending that time jump

[saltyfilmmajor]

Ethan is close to panic, as the man puts his pistol back into his coat and loosens his grip on Ethan’s jacket collar. He couldn’t lose his only link to The Syndicate again. Ethan grabs the lapels of his overcoat pulling the taller man in close. The other man’s eyebrows furrow together in confusion.

“What are you-” the other man sputters out until Ethan plants a rather forceful kiss on him. He forces his eyes shut. It has to look real, or at least real enough.

Sometimes you gotta make fanart of your own fics, and that’s ok.

#Glass Box Boyfriends #Lunt #Lane x Ethan #Solomon Lane #Ethan Hunt #I've had a rough evening so excuse the self indulgence #real talk i'm so so so happy to be drawing again and genuinely enjoying it #my art #I've been thinking about drawing this scene for a while actually i'm glad i did it #Enemies to Fuck buddies really is what this is not even lovers #Anyway I'm getting more comfortable with my art which is a weird thing to say when you have a literal degree in visual art/fine art #I don't know why I guess it's the variety for me drawing these two rather consistently #when i usually draw one or two ocs in the same pose #this is all to say i'm starting to rediscover my first love: drawing #:')

[mintjeru]

The symptoms you’re describing sounds a whole lot like burn out, which happens to the best of us when we push ourselves too long and hard past our limits. It definitely would seem easier to rely on external statistics (likes and reblogs/retweets) to determine the value of your work when you can’t see it yourself, but this is definitely something that can make you feel worse when the numbers don’t hit your expected target. Regardless of the size of your audience, it’s not unreasonable to want or desire for interaction and positive feedback for work you’ve put time and effort into producing, especially when you’ve done so with more limited resources (time/energy etc) than you had access to before. While it’s not a sure-fire way to cure burnout, taking a break and getting enough rest as well as allowing yourself some breathing space can help. Take care of yourself! Love your work—but don’t burn yourself down to the ground! There’s only one like and one reblog that I can give 😢 even if I want to give more…

hey anon! first, thank you for taking the time to write and send this in 🥺 second, it's a bit of a late reply bc i started crying while reading this for the first time and had to come back to it later ajdsdjfsjdf ;;;

you're probably right, i think it is burnout. i've been telling myself otherwise for months now bc i've been worried that the frequency of my posts has set myself up for others to expect something of me + not making art to share would be letting my followers down. but that's also locked me in a cycle of feeling guilty for either not drawing or making something that has no love behind it. logically, i know that taking a break would help, but i'm apparently not the best at allowing myself to take it easy 😅 still, i'll take your words to heart.

ty again for this, and i promise your one like and reblog is enough! i'm thankful that you leave notes on my posts and immensely grateful that you would even consider giving more <3

#no bc why did i think it was a good idea to scroll through posts about b.ts enlistment after my first read through #all that did was make me cry harder sdfsjds though i guess that goes to show how long i've been unconsciously worried about this #regarding the thing about posting and getting attention #that's definitely correct and it feels weird to admit bc it's extrinsic motivation #i obviously draw for my own happiness and it's been that way my entire life #but ever since i started sharing my art on social media i've been exposed to external validation from strangers #the main reason i started this blog was to challenge myself and see if people aside from irl friends/family actually think my art is good #and i secretly hoped i could make some friends along the way bc. it was a very lonely point in my life #so ig you're right it isn't Bad to want others to acknowledge your hard work #it's definitely just a different experience that i'm constantly in the process of accepting #but ty again anon i'm giving you a hug rn #or if you don't like hugs then i am shaking your hand or smth #if you're one of the ppl that consistently leaves notes on my posts then i'm sure i recognize your username when it pops up in my notifs #and even if you aren't one of them i still appreciate the notes and ofc this ask #anyway i hope you're having a nice day! #letter

[safetypinxtales]

400 years | Azriel

summary: drinking with your best friend takes a turn when you happen upon some of Feyre's art supplies.

words: 3.2k

warnings: steamy 18+ mdni, nudity, sex is insinuated but not described, kissing, alcohol consumption (drink responsibly), reader and azriel are drunk, making out, big dick azriel, fluff, no use of y/n, neutrally described reader/no reader description

notes: happy valentines day, here's some azriel for youuu🤍 I got the inspiration for this whilst reading this fic by @solbaby7 bc who wouldn't want to draw az like one of your French girls?? Frankly there is nothing I would like to do more. Their fic is amazing and you guys should totally check it out if you haven't already! Anyways, I'm sorry for the "shut the door" type ending, but I cannot write smut to save my life so this will have to do. Hope you enjoy!🤍

masterlist

Thud.

The sound of Azriel accidentally smacking his head on the wall as he plopped down on the sofa across from you echoed within the walls of the cabin, and you couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled out of you. Azriel’s own shaking shoulders and scrunched up nose let you know that he couldn’t help it either. 

But that was to be expected wasn’t it? The past hour had been filled with nothing but bubbling laughter from the both of you, giggles from Az, and some very graceful snorts… also definitely from Azriel. 

The reason why he had brought you to Rhys’ cabin in the mountains was long forgotten after the two nearly empty bottles of alcohol on the table in front of you. The heartache of getting stood up on your date earlier that evening buried under a considerable amount of drinks. 

“As long as the glass is never empty in between refills, they don’t count.”

Azriel’s words from earlier came back to you, only fuelling your cramp inducing giggles. 

That had always been your motto in times like these. A consistency that had lasted centuries. 

“I can’t breathe,” you wheezed out in between fits of hysteria, your arms coming up to wrap around yourself. But your laughter didn’t die down, and neither did Azriel’s. Your uttered words only seemed to fire him on as he tipped over on his side, hand landing a slap on the armrest.

Seeing him like this, so free and relaxed, was rare. You could probably count each separate occasion on your hands. He only really let go like this when you needed it. When the urge to drink your walls down and flush the pain away seemed like the only remedy to whatever situation you were dealing with.

It was a very rare occurrence indeed. But one of your favourites. 

Azriel’s carefree giggles, that luminous light in his eyes; you swore it could make budding flowers bloom.

You sat up straight, and the situation stopped feeling so funny as you laid eyes on Azriel’s still laughing frame. The uncontrolled giggles, and the way his wings shook in time with his chest. It was enchanting, the sight of your best friend being so relaxed, so happy. 

The shadows that were usually crowding his frame were nowhere to be seen – with the exception of the lone swirl of darkness slowly snaking its way around your wrist, coming down to entwine with your fingers every now and again.

It took a couple more minutes until Azriel’s laughter had finally seized. You both sat on separate sofas, smiles stretched wide and eyes glazed over from the alcohol you had ingested, and as your breathing started to return to normal a thought struck.

“What?” Azirel asked as he leaned forward on his elbows, a curious glint in his eyes. 

“What?” You prodded back, more confused than curious, blinking a few times to try and rid the alcohol-induced veil that surrounded you. What was he on about? 

“Well,” he waved one floppy hand in your direction, “you just perked up, it was like you grew ten inches,” he exclaimed, before continuing in a slightly lowered, bemused voice, ”and that means you just had one of your ideas.”

The corners of your mouth quirked upwards as you slowly nodded your head. He was right – you had come up with an idea.

“Well, I was just thinking about how Feyre mentioned after the last time she was here,” you stood up from your seat, swaying slightly but quickly finding your balance, doing your very best to not bump into the table separating you. “Something about forgotten art supplies.”

Like a predator sighting a prey, Azriel’s interest piqued in a moment. His razor sharp focus was on your every step as you walked towards the supply closet at the other side of the room. 

The closet was unusually dusty, a strange thing for being Rhysand’s property. He was usually very meticulous when it came to things always being spotless and presentable. But you supposed that a small, rarely used supply closet in the family cabin wasn’t a priority of his. Keeping it clean was not a good enough use of his magic. 

Luckily for you, that just made your quest easier. You just had to look for whatever was covered in the least amount of dust bunnies.

“Aha!” You whipped around to face your friend, triumphantly displaying the sketch pad and charcoals in your hands. 

Azriel’s eyebrows shot up at your revelation, grin still present on his beautiful face.

“That’s your big idea? Drawing?”

“You should know I used to be quite the whiz with the charcoals when I was younger,” you rebutted and Azriel’s eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. 

“I have seen your penmanship, so I will believe this talent of yours when I see it,” he muttered and you couldn’t help but gasp at the sheer audacity in his words. Your penmanship was not that bad.

Taking a few steps back in his direction with a huff, you flipped through the sketch pad in search of an unused sheet of parchment. You were gonna show him, alright…

You couldn’t help but admire Feyre’s old sketches as you went through the pages. Some you recognised as early-version sketches of paintings you had seen around the river house, and some were–

“Oh!” Your fingers froze as your eyes landed on what seemed to be an anatomical study. A very detailed, very beautiful, anatomical study of – oh my Gods. You felt your cheeks heat up. 

“Is that Rhysand?!”

At the screech in your voice and the mention of his brother’s name, Azriel shot up off the sofa to get a peek at whatever had managed to pull such a reaction from you. 

The warmth of his body radiated into your side as he peered over your shoulder at the drawing of the very naked high lord. 

You noticed him stiffening out of the corner of your eyes and then, like a tether snapping, laughter started to boom inside the walls of the cabin. With a steadying hand on your shoulder he doubled over in giggles so contagious it didn’t take long before you joined in with his hysterics. 

“No way,” he wheezed, “oh Gods – I can’t wait to tell Cassian!” 

The mere thought of how Cassian would react to such a revelation, the look on his face, had you clutching your stomach. Poor Rhys would never hear the end of it.

And by the cauldron, if you don’t wake up with rippling abs tomorrow from the amount of laughter this night had brought….

“You can’t blame her though,” you mused once you managed to get your giggles under control, “I mean, nice job Feyre.” A low whistle left you as you peered down at your clearly blessed high lord.

The laughter quieted down beside you and you raised your gaze to look at Azriel, only to be met with an incredulous look. 

“What, I’m just calling it as I see it!” You exclaimed and raised your hands in defence, charcoals and disrobed Rhysand still in your grasp.

His eyes flicked down to the sketch pad, before slowly coming back up to meet yours, that look never leaving his face.

“Oh, please.” 

The words fell from his lips with such cool confidence your smile faltered momentarily, eyebrows knotting together.

“You can’t be serious?” He asked, and when you stayed quiet he continued, “that’s nothing.”

Nothing?

From where you were standing, respectfully, it looked like everything.

“What? Like you can do better?” 

Your challenge seemed to light a spark in his eyes and time slowed as he took a step backwards, fingers coming down to grip the hem of his t-shirt.

One swift movement and his shirt was off, muscles rippling under his bronzed skin as he tossed the dark fabric on the floor, his eyes not once straying from yours. 

He kept backing up, step after torturous step, until his legs hit the sofa. The corners of his mouth tugged up in a smirk as he plopped down, arms behind his head, far leg propped up, large wings casually draped over the armrest.

“Draw me then, whiz,” he challenged, using your word from earlier, “let me be your muse.” 

The heat crawling up your neck, scorching the tips of your ears, were not solely from the liquor as you padded over to the opposite sofa. 

No, it was from something very different. Something strikingly sobering, yet oh-so intoxicating. 

You sat down and carefully placed the pad in your lap, flipping through it until you reached a blank page. You moved some hair out of your eyes and tucked it behind your ear, picked up a charcoal and brought it to the parchment – when you felt yourself hesitate. You took your lip between your teeth as you contemplated your next move. The risk. The absurdity. The excitement. 

He was your friend. Your best friend, and yet…

You lifted your gaze to find Azriel’s eyes locked to yours with such focus, such challenge. Like he was sizing up an opponent on the battlefield. 

His eyes flicked down to your hand, if only for a split second, as you gently put down the charcoal. He cocked an eyebrow when his gaze once again found yours. 

“I just,” you took a deep breath, “I just don’t think it’s really fair on Rhys, you know?” The shadow around your wrist flickered, as if sensing what you were about to do. The lines you were about to cross.

You watched as Azriel’s eyebrows drew together, and you fought the twitching of your lips as you continued, “I mean, you are still half clothed.”

With a slight shrug of your shoulders, you watched as your words sank in. How his eyes seemed to darken, the corner of his mouth raised in the smallest of smirks. 

“Is that so?” He mused, and you tried your best to level his stare. To not back down. Not shy away. 

With an incline of your head, you nodded. And watched his hand inch closer to his pants. Down past that dark trail of hair, to the laces tied together at the waistband. Watched as he grabbed a hold of the string… and pulled. 

You couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t focus on anything other than his hand. How his fingers untied the font of his pants so slowly, so delicately it felt like torture. You were transfixed by his fingers. Loosening the laces, his thumb slipping beneath the waistband…

You snapped your gaze up to his face, to find him still looking at you – studying you. 

Your breath hitched in your throat at the sound of his pants hitting the floor. With your eyes still locked to his, your heartbeat pounding in your ears, you wondered what you had gotten yourself into. Here you were, in front of your fully naked best friend – about to draw him. 

Let me be your muse.

His words from earlier echoed in your mind as you tore your gaze from his face and dragged it lower, and lower, until…

Your head emptied. Your tongue felt about as dry as the beaches you had visited in Summer last year. Because the sight that beheld you was breath-taking. 

The length between his legs, standing aroused and proud, really did make Rhysand’s portrait look like nothing. 

A part of you had almost hoped that Azriel’s confidence had just been for show. That it was just his competitiveness shining through, a feat to best his brother. 

The reality?

Monstruos would have been a fitting word had the sight not compelled you so. Had it not caused you to burn for him. Crave him. 

Delicious seemed to be a better word to describe your friend. Beautiful. Mouth-watering. A thing of art.

Which is why you picked up your discarded charcoal and put it to the parchment. 

You studied the planes of his body, the hard lines, the soft skin. The muscles that could have been carved by the Mother herself. You avoided looking at his face though, instead focusing on the various scars that marred his skin, telling stories of battles and fights. Of brawls with his brothers. 

You felt him looking at you, however. He hadn’t stopped looking at you. Not since the sketch pad came into play.

It made it annoyingly hard to focus. 

The scratching sound of charcoal on paper stopped. 

“How long have we known each other?” Your voice wavered, mouth dry. You cleared your throat and raised your gaze to finally meet his. 

Azriel tipped his head to the side, contemplating, “about 400 years.”

400 years. And never before had you seen him naked. Not like this. Not splayed out like a feast, waiting to be devoured. Not with his gaze so burning you were afraid it was going to singe your clothes to ashes. 

“Right,” you mumbled, eyes flicking back down to your hands. They were smudged with soot, your thumb and index finger blackened, that lone shadow still curiously snaking around your wrist. 

That is a very long time.

Azriel seemed to notice how the little confidence you had faltered, for he straightened somewhat from his leisurely sprawl. 

“You okay?” There was only soft concern enveloping his words, a drastic change from the tension flooding the space between you just seconds before. 

It was a very long time, indeed. So why didn’t this feel wrong? 

You let out a deep breath, “yes, I think so.” 

Your answer apparently didn’t settle his worries though, because he raised from the sofa and rounded the table between you. 

You couldn’t bring yourself to look at him as he stopped in front of where you sat. 

Only when he lowered his hand – fingers coming to rest under your chin, tipping you face up – did you meet his eye. 

The heartbreaking concern written all over his face seized your heart. The soft furrow of his brow. The slight dip at the corners of his pouty lips. The brutal softness swimming in those hazel eyes. 

It took your breath away.

“Are you sure?” He questioned, voice barely above a whisper.

You didn’t trust your voice, not with the vulnerable proximity between you. All you managed was a meager nod. A small up and down bob of your head. 

His fingers tugged on your chin, and as if in a trance, you followed the wordless command and rose to your feet. 

“I need you to use your words here, sweetheart,” his voice was soft, but the underlying command was undeniable, “please.”

Your heart was pounding in your chest as you swallowed and managed to breathe out “I’m okay.” 

That seemed enough to ease Azriel’s concern, a breath of relief fanning across your face. 

“Good,” he murmured, almost as if more to himself.

His eyes left yours, and flicked down. To your mouth, you realised, as his thumb moved from your chin up to graze your bottom lip.

That intensity was back in his gaze, that predatory focus – all directed at you. His thumb pulled at your lip before letting go, and the shudder that overtook your body could have made the earth shake.

There couldn’t be more than a foot of space between you. 

So dangerously close.

He was your friend. 

Right? 

“400 years,” you whispered, eyes flicking down to follow the bob of his throat as he swallowed. “400 years of friendship.” 

You felt light headed. 400 years, and all could be thrown away as easy as breathing. All you had to do was take half a step.

“Three,” Azriel’s voice grumbled above you as your eyes trailed down to inspect the shallow rise and fall of his chest.

“Hmm?” Your mumble was absent minded, your thoughts being too preoccupied by the male in front of you. What he would feel like. Taste like. The sounds he would make if you dipped your head and licked up the drops of sweat beading at the center of his chest.

“That’s how long I’ve loved you. Three hundred years.”

You froze. 

The thickness coating Azriel’s voice was not something you were familiar with. Nor were the words he uttered.

Your gaze snapped up to his, scanning his features for any sign that he was, for some reason, making the cruellest joke in all of Pythian’s history. But all you found was open, unguarded truth. 

Azriel loved you?

Azriel loved you. 

The rapid beating of your heart was a stark contrast to just how very safe you felt. How right it seemed to take that half step forward. To cradle his face in your hand, the other coming to rest on that glorious chest – right over his own heart. And as you felt that wild drumming beneath his ribs echo your own, nothing seemed as easy as rising up on the tips of your toes and slotting your mouth against his. 

The kiss was tentative, like the two of you were just dipping your toes in – testing the waters. You moved your lips against his, gently, savouring the feel of his pillowy lips. The feel of his body so close to yours. How the scent of him seemed to envelop you. You savoured how easily he took all of your senses hostage. 

He was everywhere.

The sound of Azriel’s wings rustling behind him, the rapid beating of his heart in his chest, the taste of liquor on his lips – it intoxicated you in a way you didn’t know was possible. 

You stayed like that, gently exploring each other's lips, savouring each other's closeness, until you had no other choice but to break away for air. 

You pulled away only a few inches, rapid breaths fanning your faces. The pounding of your heart didn’t seize, and neither did his. You could feel every rapid beat under the hand still planted on his warm chest. 

“Your heart is beating very fast,” you whispered, voice shaky from your breathlessness. 

He swallowed, “It is.”

“So is mine,” you revealed. 

“Yes, I can hear it.”

Oh. 

“Will you kiss me again?” Your voice was so low, you wouldn’t have known he heard you if not for the strangled sound he let out. 

Or for how he grabbed you by your waist and captured your lips with his. 

This time the kiss was less gentle. This time he pressed your body against his as he devoured you. It was all tongues, and teeth, and needy gasps.

His teeth pulled on your bottom lip and you thanked the Mother he was holding you so tightly, for your knees almost gave out. A throaty groan escaped you as his hand cupped the back of your neck, angling your head upwards and deepening the kiss further.

Your own hands found his hair – and pulled. The deep rumbling in his chest and the way he moaned your name into the kiss was your undoing.

This kiss wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t tentative.

It was claiming.

And so you let him claim you. 

Your clothes were quickly discarded as you laid down on the sofa, Azriel’s body on top of yours. And as you crashed together, entangled limbs and sworn promises, you let those 400 years of friendship, of tension, of longing dictate the start of this new chapter.

A chapter of what would hopefully be 400 years of something more.

Want to be added to my taglist?

tags: @missus-shadowsinger

#acotar #azriel #azriel x reader #azriel acotar #azriel shadowsinger #azriel x you #a court of thorns and roses #azriel fluff #azriel fanfic #azriel imagine

[moralesmilesanhour]

teamwork (makes the dream work...?)

genre: enemies to lovers I guess? I'm bad at these 😭

summary: one week, your usual work partner is absent, so instead you are seated next to a genius with attitude problems. it happens.

wc: ~500

A/N: if i can manage to be consistent for once, this will probably be a series because I haven't done one in a while. pls feel free to leave your reactions in the tags or comments! happy reading 🫶🏾

next see all parts in my masterlist!

Sunlight filtered through the large classroom window. Usually, you'd be seated right by it, letting the rays warm your face in the air-conditioned room.

Not today. Your usual partner was out sick, so you were moved to the back of the classroom. Blocking out the sunshine was the silhouette of a boy you had only seen in the hallways once or twice.

He had deep brown skin, with two neat cornrows cascading down either side of his neck and brushing his shoulders. You also made out an undercut, faded cleanly beneath the braids. There was a case meant for holding glasses sitting at the front of his desk, but no spectacles sitting on his prominent nose. 

The boy was bent over his worksheet already, arm covering the page.

"Hey," you said with a pleasant upturn in your voice. A full thirty seconds passed. He didn't answer, so you try again.

"Um, excuse me-"

"I heard you." 

The boy kept his eyes on his desk, brows knitted together with focus. He was making broad, sharp strokes with his pencil. His elbow moved for a moment, revealing not a sheet of math problems, but a piece of printer paper filled with intricate geometric designs. Precise lines come together to create the form of a caped figure. It has large, mechanical claws and a mask with sharp, wide eyes.

"That's a cool drawing," you commented. The boy's shoulders jumped to his ears as if he'd been caught before dropping back down. He finally looked up from the page and paused. Wide, brown eyes flickered across your face, trying to determine what to make of you.

"Thanks," was all that the boy said before returning to his sketching. It wasn't long before you interrupted him again.

"You not gonna finish your work?"

"I'm already done, that's why Ms. Jones put me back here and let me rock."

Your eyebrows shot up in surprise. 

"Well, excuse the fuck outta me," you muttered to yourself. 

You messed with the sleeve of your royal blue uniform blazer in silence, weighing your options. Ms. Jones wasn't going to let you turn in another incomplete assignment, and this kid couldn't even be assed to say 'hello'. A deep sigh escapes your lips.

"Can I get your name, at least?"

The boy set his pen down with a slam, and looked up at you as if he'd just been asked what color the sky was.

"Morales," he deadpanned, with a slight roll on the 'r'. 

"Which Morales?"

"Miles."

You hummed in slight recognition, having heard the name somewhere before, murmured next to you in passing.

"You Dominican?"

"Puerto Rican."

"Oh, cool."

"M-hm." 

He picked up his pen again and began to twirl it between his pointer and middle finger, but held your gaze. You looked like you were finally about to get to the actual question.

"Well, Morales," you began with a smile.

Here it comes.

"Since you're done, can you help me with-"

"No."

You scoffed, "What's the point of being partners, then?"

Miles had already returned to his original position, scribbling away. He didn't look at you, this time.

"We not partners, ma."

...And so began the longest school week of your life.

#miles morales #spiderman across the spiderverse #across the spider verse spoilers #earth 42 miles morales #earth 42 miles morales x reader #moralesanhour

[u3pxx]

How do you choose the colors in your art? Your color palettes always look so cohesive and so pleasing to look at!

ah, this is gonna be pretty long so i'll talk about it under keep reading :^]

now i am no expert!!! i am just a guy!!!! i'll just be talking about how i do it! ok!

PART 1: COLORS??? HELP.

i really like going with warm stuff on my art so it's kind of a given that most colors i use end up wounding up on this side of the color wheel

so, let's say i'm coloring trucy, a character who wears blue, i end up choosing warmer looking blues, sometimes i end up choosing purple or gray if the other colors i chose makes it look like blue, yannow, color theory and stuff. like this for example!

now the first one is noticeably blue, but the second one is like a lavender and third one is like, really not blue! it's like a desaturated rose color or something, however, paired with the right colors...

they're all "blue", aren't they?

PART 2: CHOOSE WEIRD COLORS

by weird colors, i mean colors that aren't like what the thing looks like irl. like, a leaf is green right? but, it doesn't have to be when you color it!

like when i color things gold sometimes, i use a light and desaturated red-orange for it or how like with the color blue, i don't even use blue at all!

now just because i use warmer tones a lot doesn't mean i don't use the colors from the other side of the color wheel, it depends really, if the color scheme i'm going for is monochromatic or if i really wanted to make something pop

but of course, you can't just color willy-nilly, you gotta take into account

PART 3: CONTEXT AND MOOD

where and when is your drawing set? what's the mood? are we having fun here or are there Horrors?

see how it changes the mood? the things we're supposed to be feeling when we look at the drawing? yeahg. ill use warmer colors when i want the drawing to look happy dreamy etc but ill break out the blues and greens when we're in sinister town pftt

also, just wanted to share again how other colors can change what another color looks like:

PART 4: GRADIENT MAPS AND OVERLAY LAYERS

now as for making colors more cohesive... seriously, just slap that thing on top of your piece and it helps the colors get together even more! like of course i choose my own colors but gradient maps + overlay layers are kind of like adding that one final thing.

i'll use this one as an example, left one is no gradients maps/overlays and the right one is with them. i just really prefer some good ol' ourple tones in my art so there are a couple of things i add on top to really bring out the warmth in here, like so:

PART 5: ANYTHING ELSE?

uhhh don't be afraid to use tools in your program to correct the colors you don't like ala color balance tone curve contrast brightness etc etc.

hell, you can even color pick from like irl pictures and adjust accordingly to what colors you want.

i also do have like colors that i consistently use when shading things after countless trial and error; like how i'll use purple to shade red, blue to shade with green etc etc

ig that's all, hope this helps!

#sunnysidetutorials #ajdgdjkd there's another in my ask box asking me about how i shade so stay tuned for that ig #im sorry gusy but if yall wanna get into my head with how i color ya gotta tackle color theory first #like . its pretty easy to understand i think #however it did took me a while to like *actually* be able to apply it in my art #so i understand that it can be pretty difficult

[beatcroc]

a year!!! as of today i have now been drawing these funny little pizza freaks, to the exclusion of almost everything else, for!!! an entire year!!! i wanted to do a nice group shot/lineup of everybody to compare to when i first started trying to draw them because oh boy were they bad. i never even posted most of them anywhere because they were so bad. but im posting them here, now, to see how everything's changed/evolved.

this is probably the hardest time i've ever had trying to figure out how to work with a style, but we got there eventually; i'm pretty happy with the handle i've got on everybody now...dont let ur memes be dreams. lots of unimportant journaling and idle thoughts abt it below.

older pics

the first one is the VERY first time i drew them, before i thought i was going to actually have any interest in drawing them [lmao]; it was just the one isolated image, for my friendserver, to illustrate the funney message, so there was no attempt to make it Good or actually understand anything going on w/ the designs or style.

second is the original run of practices sketches to start trying to figure them out for real; done after i started having ideas for the comics and such and realized oh god maybe i am actually gonna draw fanart for this. [again, lol, and lmao.]

third one is the first pt art thing i posted on here. there were a couple weeks of sprite studies between this one and the previous image. the one on the top right wasn't part of that post i just threw it on as space filler; i'd intended to shift to doing Sprite Redraws But Stylized to explore tings more, but that was the only one i did. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

individual characters

peppino: by far the hardest dear god. bro what ARE your shapes how DOES your face work. jesus christ. everything i have trouble with this style for, peppino has it in excess. i draw in polygons! i need consistency! and that is the last thing this kind of style is concerned with. they are made of squarshy clay and i do not understand how to mold them. i was really hoping trying to learn this game's style would GIVE me that kind of flexibility for fun exaggerated facial expression but i don't think much came of it in the end 😔. anyway on the bright side all this means once i got peppino figured out a little bit everybody else clicked way easier.

fake peppino: honestly i never did anything with him on purpose except for how his eyes work + the perma-smile thing. i figured ok hes supposed to look weird and off model so whatever happens with him happens. and it did. and it kept happening. it is still, in fact, happening.

noise/ette: somehow, for every bit that peppino was the least natural thing i've ever tried, these two worked pretty much right off the bat. i still don't understand it, seeing as pretty much all the things at play for peppino are also at work for them. i think the new sketches are actually a little worse than older ones but not enough that i care.

gustavo: really funny bc i drew him on model twice and just went 'okay, cool nice, easy, um. he doesn't have any fucking legs?' fortunately he was the only one i had a strong idea for how to stylize him [square] and it worked exactly as i was hoping so wahoo.

brick: is an animal and therefore 5000x easier and more natural for me to draw/stylize than anything else in the cast. that is Just a rat bro. i can draw a rat.

gerome: i think the funniest one here. the most drastic and least necessary change imo. i was gonna have him be really small at first, like smaller than the noises, but then i just... didn't. he's just peppino-sized now. also i gave him like. actual human facial structure, which is funny bc in most cases i'd do anything to avoid, but it works well for his being A Rock to give him some angles and definition like that+ to differentiate his vibe from the rest of the cast who are all very squishy. also since he is essentially Just A Head it's good to emphasize that too ig.

john: i only drew john a couple times but he gets to be here because i like him. and because most of the stuff i applied to gerome was readily applicable to john, though i did try to keep him a little more uncanny because he is a Huge And Lanky Freak. i hate that he is barefoot btw but idk how to make his color balance look right with shoes.

pizzahead: i did not want to put him on here honestly but i Have drawn him a handful of times and more importantly i didn't know what i was gonna do with john's pose if i didn't have him there to be glared at. the only thing that's different with him is giving him wider-bottomed pants, which i got from when i tried to draw these guys in clone high style [i never posted that one either][i will eventually]

snick: he gets to be here because 1. he's like 6 lines 2. i like him and 3. ive scribbled him a few times offhand and it went pretty well

misc

there are some guys missing because those are guys i didn't draw enough [or at all] to have gotten comfortable with them. sorry

i would have Liked to shade these but for the time being i have accepted that my grasp of light/shadow has decayed to the point im not going to be happy with anything i try there, so For Now i am working on my presentation with flats i guess. gerome has a shadow only because he's shaded like that ingame and looks naked without it

anyway if you are still reading [hi?] i get to shamelessly plug now. i'm over the hill of my pizza run now, and while i still have plenty of things i want to make here, most of the bigger more in-depth ones have passed. pizza tower was the first thing in THREE YEARS to get me out of my oc groove to doing fanart, and once i am done with my ideas here i will be going right back to it. if you like my art or how i write characters/interactions you should check out my oc/webcomic blog @jamverse . i can't promise people who like pizza stuff will be terribly into my designs, but i can guarantee i treat my guys with the exact same sort of tone i handle the pt guys with. and hell, i've mentioned it a few times before, but like 70% of my characterization for fake pep is just copied off one of my characters, so if u are going to miss him... he will still be there in spirit >;p

and if you dont care about any of that and are still reading thank you anyway. actually making these comics + seeing how shockingly well-received they've been has done a lot for my confidence, and for seeing that my kind of stuff IS something people enjoy :')

#pizza tower #peppino spaghetti #fake peppino #gustavo and brick #the noise #noisette #pizzahead #arting #pizzaposting

[sweetkpopmusings]

first kiss with seventeen <3

a/n: i wanted to try out a new format with this request!! i think the idea of this is so sweet and lovely, and i hope you enjoy reading this <3 also oops it's so long heh i just couldn't resist so i hope that makes up for the wait :,-) pics not mine~

content: fluff, very sentimental and romantic | wc: 6.7k | warnings: none really! just some kissing obviously :,-) also a spoiler for eternal sunshine of the spotless mind in wonwoo's and mentions of eating in jihoon's | pairing: seventeen x gn!reader | requests: open

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

seungcheol♡‧₊˚

you laughed, your head thrown back far enough to have you leaning on your elbow to keep you from falling. seungcheol stared at you in shock and annoyance. you and seungcheol were on the living room floor, playing uno. this round had gone on for an eternity, the deck disappearing and reappearing time and time again. through the luck of the draw, you pulled enough draw-four wildcards that you brought seungcheol from the brink of winning to a hand that consisted of over a dozen cards. he couldn't believe it. he lost. miserably. and all after the glorious win was close enough he could taste it. 

yet, there he was, an obscene number of cards in his hands while you laughed in delight. his competitive nature had him fuming. he wanted to yell about how it wasn't fair, how you must've cheated, how a small rule wasn't followed, how a rematch was needed, and how there was no possible way this was how the game night would end. heat rose to his face, his body tingled, and he felt as though his chest was about to explode. you still laughed, wiping your tears in enough time to catch seungcheol tossing his cards on the floor, shifting his weight so he was right in front of you, and planting his lips on yours. your eyes went wide with surprise, but your body quickly relaxed at the warmth his presence wrapped you up in. the high energy of the moment before melted into a playful peace.

as soon as he leaned backward, a blush rushed to his cheeks, "sorry, i..i should've asked. i didn't mean to surprise you like that. i hope it was okay, i'm sorry, i just--"

you giggled and gently held his face with your right hand. he blushed even more, and he broke out into a shy smile.

"it's okay. i liked it."

you blushed, and he giggled. you leaned forward, sharing another sweet kiss. he wanted to keep kissing, so he repositioned himself to a more comfortable spot beside you. your hands found each other, fingers interlacing. before he leaned in for another kiss, you asked, "why'd you kiss me?"

he looked confused, so you added, "i mean, why now. i've definitely wanted to kiss you, so i'm just wondering what made this moment feel right."

seungcheol shrugged, cheeks and ears flushing again, "i liked seeing how happy you were when you won."

you both laughed, and then you kissed some more. of course, you had to take breaks when the giggling fits took over. hearing his precious laugh fill the room stirred up the butterflies in your stomach almost as intensely as his kisses. as he sat there, so close to you, he realized that, for once, seungcheol was happy he lost a game.

jeonghan♡‧₊˚

"jeonghannnnnnn," you whined.

“what?” jeonghan asked, completely unbothered in tone and facial expression, except for a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

“you’re being so mean!” you pouted, not really upset but rendered nearly speechless by his unending teasing.

“what’re you talking about?” he tilted his head in faux confusion, “i’m just enjoying the story of you ordering at the coffee shop.”

you dropped your head into your hands, “ugh! you’re enjoying it a bit too much. it’s not my fault i was so sleepy that i forgot what name to give them for second, a second.”

he laughed, “it’s your name! how could you forget your own name?”

“clearly i needed the coffee i was ordering,” you glared at him, “are you trying to tell me that you’ve never embarrassed yourself like that?”

jeonghan expressed deep contemplation, though you knew he was not looking through his memories for awkward moments he survived, “nope. i’ve never done anything like that.”

“i hate you,” you frowned.

he cocked his head to the side, “hmm, do you really hate me?”

you nodded emphatically, “yes.”

jeonghan sighed, “well, i guess i have to get my revenge on you by telling the guys about your identity crisis at the cafe.”

“jeonghannnnnn!” you pouted.

“aigoo,” jeonghan cooed as he held you face in both his hands.

you avoided eye contact, not wanting to break your frustrated demeanor. it didn’t matter to jeonghan, though. he simply watched you fondly for a second before pressing a kiss to your pouted lips. you quickly looked up at him with wide eyes, causing him to smirk at your flustered face. he hummed contentedly, kissing you again briefly, and then returned to his previous lounging position.

“i’ll take your silence as a truce,” jeonghan remarked, enjoying the sight of your dropped jaw from the corner of his eye.

“no, no way! that’s not…” you shook your head to get your brain working again, even if you only managed to find a little bit of a brain cell, “that’s not fair. you cheated.”

giggling erupted from his lips, “i cheated? at what?”

you stared at him incredulously, “at your revenge! how am i supposed to plot my perfect revenge plan when you kiss me out of nowhere? it’s distracting.”

jeonghan turned his face to you, eyeing you with mischievous eyes once again, “in that case, i think you���ll just have to kiss me to get even. it’s only fair, if we’re playing by your rules.”

you rolled your eyes, but barely a second passed before you took jeonghan’s face in your hands and kissed him. from up close, you could see the blush on his skin and the upward twitch of his lips into a bashful smile. he wasn’t so invincible, after all. at least, not when it came to you.

joshua♡‧₊˚

it was a perfect walk home after a perfect dinner date. joshua took you somewhere you had been wanting to try for a while, and the atmosphere was quiet and cozy, which put both of you in a wonderful mood. when you stepped outside, there was a chill in the air, and, before you could even shiver, shua had slipped out of his jacket and wrapped it around your shoulders. his hand remained on your shoulder, gently leading you onto the road as he smiled beside you. once you were on your way, he interlocked his fingers with yours. you smiled at the warmth spreading from your palm throughout your body, smiling even wider as joshua lightly swung your hands back and forth while you walked down the street. if it weren't for the sound of vehicles passing by, you could've sworn shua was humming your favorite song.

"i had a really great time tonight," you turned your head toward him.

he raised an eyebrow, "'had'?"

you rolled your eyes, "fine. i'm having a really good time tonight."

he nodded his head approvingly, "that's better."

shua continued walking, but you stopped in your tracks. he wasn't the only one who could tease around here.

his body stumbled when your frozen position yanked him backward. his doe eyes went wide, shock and confusion blending with endeared amusement.

"are you going to tell me what kind of time you're having tonight?"

you cocked an eyebrow. joshua held back a laugh as he stepped towards you, not wanting to be an arm's length away. he stopped when he was standing right in front of you. he looked at you, eyes bright, and he took your other hand in his. you kept your faux inquisitive gaze on him, waiting for his response.

"i'm having..." he whispered, leaning in close.

his lips softly brushed against yours. you felt him squeeze your hands gently, encouraging you to melt into the kiss. you didn't need much convincing, letting your eyes flutter shut so you could relish in the sweetness of his lips on yours.

he breathed out softly as he rested his forehead on yours, "a really good time tonight."

you giggled, lips buzzing from the exciting contact you wanted to have with joshua over and over again. he smiled proudly, tilting his head in the direction of your home to signal you should keep walking. knowing him, he'd plant more kisses on your lips when he said "goodnight" at your door, so you didn't resist as he led you home. you actually leaned in close to him, hearing clearly the hums that absentmindedly escaped him.

a few minutes later, there's a slight crackling in the sky, quickly followed by raindrops.

"ah man," joshua huffed, "i should've been more patient. this would've been the perfect moment for our first kiss!"

you rolled your eyes, "it was perfect, shua. now let's get going before we're completely drenched."

he pouted, "okay, okay.  just promise me you'll let me kiss you goodnight outside your front door? we need to have our movie moment there since we missed the kissing in the rain one!"

junhui♡‧₊˚

“okay, let’s try this again,” you sighed, “you put your fingers like this and pull.”

you demonstrated slowly, holding up the formation of your cat’s cradle for jun to see. his brow was furrowed in intense concentration with a splash of confusion, but he nodded when you asked if he was ready to try again. when he did, he got his fingers stuck in the string halfway through the process for the twentieth time. jun groaned in frustration.

“i’m never going to get this!” he pouted while you untangled his fingers.

“you can do it, jun. it just takes some patience,” you reminded him.

he rolled his eyes, and you set the strings back up properly. you walked him through it, step by step, taking care to explain in detail the bit he was messing up. despite your and his best efforts, the string knotted up, rather than fitting evenly across his fingers. 

“it’s useless! you should just play this with soonyoung or something,” jun frowned, “i’m sure he’d get this stupid game.”

“hey!” you nudged his shoulder, “the game’s not stupid, and i don’t want to play it with soonyoung. i want to play it with you, even if you can’t figure it out right away.”

“how is dealing with me mess up the game more fun than actually playing it?” jun asked, genuinely curious.

though his question was harmless, you couldn’t help the annoyance that crossed your features. the answer was obvious, to everyone but jun apparently. you huffed in reply, opting to set up the cat’s cradle with your fingers rather than explain yourself. jun couldn’t handle the look on your face, especially since he knew it was his whining that made your face pucker up like that. he wanted, needed, to cheer you up, so, without thinking, he leaned forward from his spot on the couch and kissed you. the rush of adrenaline you felt lifted your hands to either side of his face, as you happily kissed him back, string completely forgotten in your lap. it was as though you had kissed a million times before, which made you certain you wanted to share at least a million more kisses with him, even if it meant he would never figure out how to play a silly childhood game. 

jun pulled away and booped the tip of your nose with his, “at least i understand how to do that.”

you bit your lip to hide the excited smile growing on your face, but jun made no such effort. he beamed at you, giggling at this turn of events. he wanted to kiss you again, but he got nervous, so he picked the string up from your lap.

“should we try it again?” jun paused when you raised your eyebrows, smirking as he said, “if i figure it out, i get to kiss you as much as i want. deal?”

“what do i get if you can’t figure it out?” you raised your eyebrow playfully.

“you get to kiss me as much as you want. or i could buy you a meal sometime.” 

you giggled, “i’ll take the first option, thank you. now give me your hands.”

soonyoung♡‧₊˚

soonyoung cheered as you walked into the practice room, running over to you and engulfing you in a sweet and sweaty bear hug.

“i didn’t even bring snacks and you’re this excited to see me?”

his body visibly buzzed as he nodded enthusiastically, “nothing makes me happier than seeing you!”

a little shocked and extremely endeared, you smiled widely. soonyoung, realizing his confession, blushed profusely. as a distraction, he wrapped his hand around yours and led you to the perfect spot against the mirror from where you could watch him practice. of course, he wasn’t going to get back into the dancing right away, as he couldn’t and wouldn’t resist your company. 

he played one of your favorite chill mixes, sat down on the floor right across from you, and asked you all about your day. his smile and eyes were bright as he listened, holding onto every last detail as though it were a precious gift. his interest in what you had for lunch was so genuine your heart could burst. he only spoke once he was satisfied that he had heard every detail about how you had spent your day before coming to visit him.

“can i tell you something?”

soonyoung looked bashful, so you made sure caught his gaze when you answered, “yes, of course!”

a small chuckle fell out from his mouth, “well, actually, i would like to ask you something, if that’s okay?”

you giggled, leaning forward so he knew you were serious, “ask away, soonyoung.”

he beamed at the sound of you saying his name. fingers fidgeting with his pants, he leaned forward to reduce the distance between you two. his proximity made your cheeks flush, and you were certain they were on fire when soonyoung asked you the question that had been on his mind all day.

“can i kiss you?”

a small smile rested on his lips and his eyes watched you attentively while he waited for your answer. after your brain buffered a little bit, you nodded happily and muttered out some form of “yes.” soonyoung blushed in front of you, gently grabbing your hands in his. once he held onto you enough to know he wasn’t dreaming, he closed his eyes and leaned forward until his lips met yours. it was heavenly, sweet like candy, and it would’ve lasted for an eternity if soonyoung’s giggle hadn’t bubbled from his lips into the kiss. you couldn’t help but giggle too, feeling like a child on the playground sneaking a kiss during recess. soonyoung really made everything feel lighthearted.

you two sat there giggling, until soonyoung’s excitement spread throughout his body and brought him back on his feet. you cheered him on as he danced, laughing each time he took a random break to kiss you, again and again and again.

wonwoo♡‧₊˚

there was something so dreamy about watching movies with wonwoo. the blankets were always perfectly soft, the snacks were always exactly what you were craving, and your bodies always cuddled together in the most natural way. you had movie nights together before you started going out, which meant that you already shared a comfortable tradition by the time you confessed your feelings to each other. that’s how you ended up snuggled up on the couch, watching eternal sunshine of the spotless mind. another perfect, sweet night spent with your perfect, sweet partner. 

you watched as the female lead, clementine, sat down by the male lead, joel, on the beach. when she commented on how he seemed normal because he also didn’t know how to talk to people at parties, you chuckled and nudged wonwoo’s shoulder with yours. he chuckled too, knowing what you meant without you having to say it. both of you were quiet and wistfully watching as the world around the lovers disintegrated. neither of you could help the tears that threatened to slip when the characters kiss goodbye before the important memory fades completely. wonwoo sighed deeply, clearly sad for the couple on the screen.

“i could never forget you,” you whispered.

wonwoo tilted his head so he faced you, pausing before he spoke, either finding the right words or the courage to say them, “i could never live with myself if i gave you a reason to forget me.”

the movie buzzed in the room, but a special silence hung between you two. his irises spun, mixing adoration, fondness, earnestness together as he stared at you. the look in his eyes didn’t change as he leaned forward. even when he closed his eyes, you knew those feelings reflected in his gaze hadn’t faded. you felt them as he lips interlocked with yours. you felt those feelings rush through your veins as the warmth of his kiss rushed over your skin. your bodies pressed even closer together, holding each other with genuine care, the kind that lived in the bodies of people who were falling deeply in love. when your mouths separated to catch your breath, your eyes never left the other.

the ending credits of the film played. you both turned your heads, and wonwoo laughed a little as he said, “looks like we missed the ending.”

you chuckled, snuggling up against him, “i think it was worth it.”

“even if you missed them getting their happy ending?”

“mhm,” you hummed and took wonwoo’s hand in yours, “i’d rather focus on our happy ending.”

he chuckled, at a loss for words, which happened more often than he’d like to admit when it came to you. even in the dim light on the room, you could see the pink of wonwoo’s ears. unable to resist, you kissed his cheek, leaning in for more when he turned to face you with a lovestruck smile.

jihoon♡‧₊˚

you tapped your knuckles softly against the door, not wanting to disturb jihoon. of course, he would know your knock before the second rap of your fist against the frame sounded, so he opened the door with a warm, albeit tired, smile.

"i brought gifts, as promised," you cheerily held up a bag of takeout and a collection of snacks and drinks from the convenience store next to the studio.

jihoon chuckled at your actions, gesturing toward the table against the wall for you to place the "gifts." you hummed as you unpacked all the items you purchased, and, unbeknownst to you, jihoon watched you with the fondest look in his eyes. he tried to play it cool when you turned to him, but nothing melted him like the way you glowed when you smiled.

“how’s the song coming along?” you asked, opening the bottle of his favorite drink and passing it to him.

he sighed, “it’s fine. i’m stuck on the bridge. i know i want to rearrange a part of it, but i can’t really figure out exactly how i want to. it’s like the perfect version is on the tip of my tongue.”

you hummed, knowing exactly what he meant, given this was one of many nights you visited him as he stayed late in the studio, “would it help if i listened to it? maybe if you show me a couple different versions, you can figure out the right reaction you want the listener to have.”

“that could help,” his shoulders relaxed a little bit, and he took a sip of his drink, “after we eat, though. how was your day?”

“it wasn’t too bad,” you popped some of your favorite snack into your mouth, “i wanted to be more productive today, but i got really tired after doing only two things on my to-do list.”

“you need to rest. you work plenty hard every day, so it’s important to let yourself do nothing sometimes.”

you snickered at his nagging, “you should take your own advice.”

he rolled his eyes, “i do nothing sometimes.”

“mhm, sure you do,” you pointed at the unopened bag in his hand, “eat. i’m sure you skipped having a proper dinner because you’ve been so focused on the song.”

the corner of his mouth revealed that he was fighting a smile, “yeah, yeah.”

you stared at him, clearly not moving on until he took a bite of food. he stared back, acting like he wouldn’t back down either. he probably would’ve held out, if it weren’t for the gratitude he felt toward you. once again, you came to his side when he was stressed and overworking, not to scold him but to keep him company and make sure he was taking care of himself. these thoughts were on the forefront of his mind, so he didn’t notice when his feet led him toward you. if it weren’t for the quickening of his heartbeat, he wouldn’t have noticed that he was millimeters away from your lips. before he could psyche himself out of it, he closed his eyes and kissed you. you nearly dropped the food in your hands, but jihoon wrapped his around yours, to hold you and to prevent you from making a mess. a blush covered his face when he broke the kiss, but he managed to give you another quick peck before he stepped away from you. 

“thank you for coming over,” he smiled sheepishly. 

“yeah, uh…no…no problem. i’m…i’m happy to be here.”

he chuckled at your stuttering, “mmm. want to listen to that song now?”

you nodded, trying to regulate your heartbeat as you settled into your usual seat behind jihoon’s and he gingerly placed headphones over your ears.

seokmin♡‧₊˚

you laughed as seokmin gestured wildly and dramatically belted out the key note in the OST track you two were currently obsessed with. of course, even with his antics, he sung angelically. laughing while being in awe of his talent was one of the many benefits of dating seokmin. another benefit was that he would always sing to you, which was about the best experience in the world. even just humming while he looked at you made you feel as though you were the center of the universe. for the same reason, he loved when you sang to him, and he loved even more when you sang with him. it didn’t matter whether your voice was perfect; seokmin adored the closeness you shared when you sang together. in the car, in the living room, in the park, wherever you were when the moment struck, seokmin was head over heels for how it felt to hear your voices intertwined.

this moment was no different. as soon as seokmin heard “SoulMate” start, he rushed to you, grabbing your hand in his and smiling oh so sweetly. that sunshine smile could convince you to do anything, and you happily sang your usual parts while seokmin looked at you with very visible heart eyes. he swung your intertwined hands back and forth as he serenaded you, even using this point of contact to lead you around the room as you two danced to the beat together. in his joy, he made a silly combination of dance moves, which you followed, much to his delight.

it wasn’t serious, but it was sincere, which made it all the more fun. 

your giggles were bouncing off the walls during the instrumental bits, bleeding into your voices as you sang the final lines of the song. seokmin twirled you around as the finale to your impromptu choreography, grinning at you when you stood right in front of him. neither of you noticed the next song start. all you could do was stare at each other, so endeared and enchanted by the moment. 

seokmin kept smiling as he brought himself closer to you, his nose softly brushing against yours when your lips touched. when your lips connected, everything else faded away. it was just you, seokmin, and whatever background music swelled through the room during this moment. it was sweet; it was magical; it was perfect for the two of you.

seokmin smiled even brighter as he watched you up close, “i think we should duet more often.”

you nodded, leaning in for another kiss, “i agree.”

seokmin happily exchanged kisses with you, ignoring the music until one of his favorite songs came on. he kissed you on the cheek, grinning as he stepped away to break into a very dramatic and enthusiastic dance. while you missed the feeling of his lips on yours, you laughed at his showmanship, clapping your hands to cheer him on.

mingyu♡‧₊˚

mingyu’s fingers tapped frantically against his leg. his brow furrowed, and his gaze was nowhere near the pot that simmered in front of him. his ears clearly weren’t tuned into reality either because, even as the sound of erratic bubbles boiling filled the room, mingyu didn’t move a muscle. thankfully, you were there.

“mingyu!” you exclaimed, grabbing the pot from the stove just in time to prevent a flood onto the burner.

he blinked a few times, registering what had happened. after the fourth blink, his eyes went wide, “ah! are you okay? did you get burned? are you hurt?”

the corner of your mouth turned upward, a grateful smile the most natural reaction to mingyu’s caretaking nature. you turned down the heat and placed the pot back in its original place, so the meal wasn’t derailed any longer. mingyu’s eyes searched around your body for visible wounds, continuing his search by grabbing your arm and inspecting your forearm with gentle fingertips in search of anything amiss. 

“i’m fine, gyu.”

he let out a relieved breath. his puppy smile returned to his face, clearly happy to be back down to the earth that had you on it.

“are you okay? you were a million miles away,” your face was covered in concern, causing mingyu’s gaze to drop and his shoulders to slump. 

“i’m fine,” he nearly whispered, “things are just…a little…stressful right now. that’s all.”

you sighed. you took a step closer to him, brushing hair out of his face as you guided him to look back up at you. instinctively, his head leaned into your palm, his body relaxing at your familiar touch. 

“you can tell me if something’s wrong, you know? i want you to tell me when you’re stressed out, hurt, upset, or anything like that. i want to be there for you, and i always am, but i’d feel better knowing what’s going on in that head of yours. if i know what’s going on, i can help you better.”

mingyu’s eyes sparkled with adoration and tears. his hand held your face lightly, thumb stroking your cheek. your eyelids fluttered shut, savoring his warm touch in a quiet kitchen on an afternoon spent between just the two of you. nothing felt better than this.

or so you thought. you thought that right up until you felt mingyu’s breath fan against your lips, up until his mouth connected with yours, a gesture so tender and delicate you would’ve thought it were a dream if not for the way mingyu’s other hand came up to cup your face. the warmth of his palms and the heat of his lips enveloped you, and you sighed into the kiss, letting your whole self fall into the fleeting moment of divinity.

you opened your eyes when mingyu rested his forehead against yours. his eyes, still sparkling, examined your features for signs of discomfort or trepidation. they crinkled with a smile when he found nothing but a blissful daze coating your features.

“thank you,” he whispered.

“i should be thanking you,” you smiled, “you’re the one who kissed me.”

he let out a chuckle, “you’re welcome. but that’s not why i was thanking you.”

“oh?”

he kissed the tip of your nose, smiling brightly, “thank you for caring about me.”

minghao♡‧₊˚

“do you promise i didn’t wake you?”

you laughed into the phone, “yes, minghao, i promise you didn’t wake me.”

“good, good.”

the pause lasted longer than you expected, so you shifted in bed to sit up, “what’s going on, hao?”

he sighs, “i just…well, i know after traveling all day i should be fast asleep, but i would really like to see you. would you mind if i came over?”

your heart burst at his sweet voice and request, “of course you can come over. would you like me to make you some tea?”

he could hear the blankets rustle as you stood up from your bed, and he smiled, “that would be lovely. thank you.”

“mhm,” you stretched lightly, making your way to the kitchen, “i’ll see you soon.”

you weren’t lying when you told minghao that he hadn’t woken you up when he called. sure, you had been on the verge of falling asleep, but you missed minghao so much while he was away that you were constantly keeping an eye out for a message or call from him. that’s why you answered after the first ring, sleep falling away to make room for desire to see minghao.

you were peacefully staring off into space, waiting for the kettle to finish boiling the water. just as you were pouring hot water into minghao’s mug, you heard a knock at the door. a sleepy minghao greeted you as you opened the door, shuffling into your place before he wrapped you in his arms. he lingered in the hug, breathing in your scent and sighing contentedly. you held onto his hand as you led him to the kitchen where two mugs of tea awaited you. 

he watched you lovingly as you took your first sip, hiding his smile by taking a sip from his mug. you two stood in a comfortable silence, happily taking in the sight of the other after a time apart, only being able to see each other through screens.

“how was your flight?”

he hummed in contemplation, “uneventful.”

you giggled at the excited tone behind his description, “that must’ve been nice.”

he giggled at your giggle, “it’s much nicer to be here.”

“ah, i forgot how cheesy you are when you’re tired.”

“i can’t help it,” he smiled, “it’s hard to resist when i missed you so much and when you blush at everything i say.”

“i do not blush at everything you say!” you protested.

more of his cute giggle rang in the room. he set his mug down, took a couple of steps so he was right in front of you, and wrapped his arms around your waist. he smiled sweetly as he watched you. you fought the blush threatening to break through your skin, but you let the gleeful smile reserved only for him grace your face.

minghao whispered, so as not to disrupt the delicate late-night calm that surrounded you two, “you look so pretty right now. can i please kiss you?”

your mouth dropped open in surprise, though it quickly turned to a grin in response to his straightforwardness. out of fear of sounding too eager, you nodded, gripping onto your warm mug of tea to remind yourself that this was real life. minghao giggled again as he brought his face right in front of yours. he paused, beautiful brown eyes savoring the sight of you up close.

“are you sure?” 

behind his teasing tone, you sensed his nervousness. instead of saying “yes,” you pressed your lips against his. his fingertips squeezed slightly where he held your waist, perhaps also needing a reminder himself that this was real life. when you pulled away, he couldn’t stop his giggles. he was simply so delighted to have finally kissed you. when he watched you giggle happily, he knew he didn’t care whether he woke you up, if it meant he could spend the rest of the night kissing you again and again until you both drifted off to sleep.

seungkwan♡‧₊˚

“no, no, no,” seungkwan shook his head, “you have to turn like this.”

he slowly, and exaggeratedly, mimicked the exact part of the choreography you were struggling with. he motioned for you to try it, and he huffed in frustration when you still were finishing the turn a beat early. after a few more attempts at mirroring seungkwan, he shook his hand in the air to signal that you were done for the time being.

“ah, i swear,” he put his hands on his hips, “if you weren’t serious about learning Twice’s choreography, you shouldn’t have asked me to teach you.”

he was being serious himself, his competitive side coming out despite it being just the two of you, so you held back your laugh, “i am serious about learning Twice’s choreography from you.”

seungkwan looked at you incredulously, “so you’re not in it for the dancing?”

you couldn’t help the laugh that escaped you, “i’m mostly in it to hang out with you, dumby. learning the choreo is a bonus.”

to hide the smile forming on his face, he rolled his eyes and dramatically turned away from you, “well, if you want to keep hanging out with me, you need to get this right. let’s try it again from the pre-chorus. if you don’t get the combination right, i’m never hanging out with you again!”

seungkwan shot you a glare to let you know he meant what he said, so you hid your giggle behind your hand. once the music was playing through the speaker, he counted you in. you did your absolute best, following seungkwan’s moves and finding your groove in the song. the cursed combination was only a few counts away, so you focused with all your might on executing it correctly. perhaps through a miracle, or, more likely, the intensity of seungkwan’s gaze on you from the mirror, you finally turned the way you had been begging your body to for an hour. you moved to finish the chorus, but you were interrupted by seungkwan screaming.

“you did it! you’re amazing! i knew you had it in you! i’m so proud! that’s main dancer energy!”

seungkwan grinned as he ran toward you and celebrated your success. he didn’t skip a beat between singing his praises and excitedly kissing you. your mouth dropped open out of surprise, and his eyes went as wide as saucers. 

“we should get back to the routine,” seungkwan moved backwards, stumbling over his feet and blushing furiously, “just because you got the combination once doesn’t mean you can let your guard down. repetition is–”

“seungkwan!”

he tripped over his feet before you could reach forward to catch him. he burst into embarrassed laughter and covered his face with his hands. you laughed too, kneeling beside him to make sure he wasn’t seriously injured.

“don’t look at me,” he mumbled into his hands.

you giggled, “hmm, how am i supposed to learn more of the dance if i can’t look at you?”

seungkwan peeked at you through his fingers, “so you are serious about learning Twice’s choreography?”

you nodded, giggling as you helped him up. before you took your place behind him in the practice room, you snuck a kiss to his cheek, which made him malfunction even more. trying to keep his cool, he moved right into reviewing the next set of moves, but you could see very clearly the bright pink tips of his ears.

hansol♡‧₊˚

your eyes were closed, as you rested comfortably on a pillow and blanket on the living room floor. hansol lied down next to you, sharing half of the pair of headphones you wore. he had asked you to come over, so you could listen to some music he thought you would like. you happily obliged, eager for some quality time with him and his impeccable music taste.

the floor whispered beside you and, softly and sweetly, hansol's hand brushed against yours. an unspoken agreement, your hand opened, only to close when your palms were nestled against each other. you heard a light rustling, so you turned your head toward hansol. his fluffy hair laid in a subtle mess against his face and the pillow beneath him. his dark brown eyes sparkled so intensely, that, if you did not know so deeply the brightness inside him, you would've thought you were hallucinating. your mouth opened, but your mind couldn't come up with anything to say. the music was too moving, the man beside you much too breathtaking to leave room for conversation. hansol, observant as ever, let out a light chuckle, lips upturned as innocently as the amused crinkle in his eyes.

the song trailed off, slowly fading into a new one, and he nudged his way closer to you, "hey."

you smiled, cheeked pressed against your own pillow and your heart pounding at the proximity, "hey."

he watched you, gently and up close, and the softness of it all threatened to set you on fire. his tenderness would burn you alive with delight. you were sure of it.

hansol was sure of something else, too, "i really like being here with you. listening to music, like this."

heat rushed to your cheeks, and you smiled even brighter. hansol squeezed your hand lightly as he brought himself next to you, shoulder to shoulder, noses touching. those darling eyes looked at you again, flickering down to your lips and back up to meet your gaze, inquisitive and kind. you nodded, a movement so slight he would not have noticed it if he were any farther from you. thankfully, he was right where he needed to be, and he brought his mouth to yours.

you let out a dreamy sigh, absorbing the caress of hansol's lips against yours and the wafting melody of the song he had picked out just for you. too soon, the kiss ended, and, when you opened your eyes, you saw his were still closed. unable to resist, you kissed the tip of his nose, giggling as his brown eyes shot open, bewilderment and fondness filling his gaze.

"i really like being here with you," you whispered, earning a blush and gummy smile from hansol.

chan♡‧₊˚

a chorus of cheers and whoops broke out behind you as you and chan walked out of the club. it turned out that with the right combination of alcohol, dancing, and camaraderie, an intense and life-threatening craving for ice cream and snacks will take over your group of friends on a night out. it also turned out that, because your friends and his friends knew there was a little something more between you and chan, you two were nominated as the official snack saviors.

the noise of the club and your friends melted away, punctuating the sound of your laughter mixing with chan's on the somewhat quiet street. not wanting to miss the moment, your gaze lingered on chan's side profile, his smile bursting with joy at the ridiculousness of the people he holds close.

"we were chosen for this...why, again?"

chan cocked his head sideways, his signature playful glint in his eyes setting off the butterflies in your stomach. trying to conceal your panic, you rolled your eyes, chuckling a bit yourself.

"because we're the lucky ones."

"hmmmm," chan nodded, furrowed brow proving he was genuinely considering your statement.

"well," he grinned, reaching into his pocket, "seungkwan-hyung is the lucky one who gets to buy snacks for everyone."

you burst out laughing as he showed off seungkwan's wallet like a product in a late-night infomercial. your laughter showered him with serotonin, his grin soon giving way to a fit of laughter. you two managed to continue down the sidewalk toward the convenience store without falling over, despite the tears in your eyes and the silly looks shared between you. once the fluorescent light poured onto the ground at your feet, you paused to catch your breath. right when you took a deep breath to calm your heartbeat, a gasp fell out of your mouth as chan's hand playfully grabbed your wrist. the movement and your curiosity made you face chan, whose mischievous eyes had returned full force.

"chan? what're you...?"

he stepped forward, pulling your arm enough to close the remaining gap of space between you. chan's smile never faltered, even growing when he saw your eyes widen as he leaned in. even when his lips pressed against yours, you could tell his smile hadn't completely disappeared. if you were being honest, you could practically taste his glee, mixed right in with the alcohol from the club. you smiled into the kiss, unable to resist the heavenly happiness chan brought to you. his other hand found its way to your face when he broke the kiss. his thumb traced your cheekbone, relishing in the proximity you shared.

"we really are the lucky ones, huh?"

you rolled your eyes, covering his hand with your own and meeting his lips for another sweet kiss. your friends could wait. you two had a more important mission to complete first.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

#seventeen x reader #svt x reader #seventeen fluff #svt fluff #seventeen imagines #svt imagines #seventeen scenarios #svt scenarios #s.coups x reader #seungcheol x reader #jeonghan x reader #joshua x reader #jun x reader #junhui x reader #hoshi x reader #soonyoung x reader #wonwoo x reader #woozi x reader #jihoon x reader #dk x reader #dokyeom x reader #seokmin x reader #mingyu x reader #the8 x reader #minghao x reader #seungkwan x reader #vernon x reader #hansol x reader #dino x reader #chan x reader

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Unexploded Ordinance (John Price x Reader)

You and John navigate the process of moving in together. John is pleased you are home.

1.4k words

CW: swearing, explicit sex MDNI

If the end of this chapter feels a bit abrupt it's because I split it in two to keep it from being a ridiculous length. You can expect the next chapter to pick up where this one left off.

Still not completely happy with this chapter but in the interest of not circling the drain forever and moving forward I'm posting anyways lol yolo

feedback welcome!

When John hasn’t returned from his call before you are done eating your breakfast - and polishing off the last of the raspberries - you take yourself to the bathroom to shower. He’s waiting for you in the living room when you finally emerge, feeling a bit more like yourself. He’s clearly lost in thought, your hand on his shoulder finally knocking him back to the present.

John is easy to talk into moving more things today, on your impromptu day off. When you arrive back at the apartment, he checks the door before he lets you enter, satisfied it’s been undisturbed. You immediately bicker with him about your furniture and what pieces will stay or go. You can tell he’s pleased when he wins the debate between the couches, you being partial to your vintage re-upholstered and wildly heavy chesterfield sofa. It’s too short for John to lay down on, forcing him to bend his knees and isn’t very comfortable, truth be told. It’s a gorgeous deep green velvet that draws the eye but otherwise isn’t overly practical. You pout about having to give it up until he gives over on your books entirely. He’s consistently bitched about moving your personal library, filled with heavy anthologies from your university days. They’ve been dragged from pillar to post over the years and you’ve refused every less than subtle suggestion to sell them. He doesn’t even try to make you choose which ones to keep, sighing deeply in resignation and asking how many boxes you think it will take to pack them all. This earns him the hardest hug you can muster and a rain of kisses he has to crouch for, chuckling lowly.

You make a trip back to his place with your clothing, the colourful array of fabrics making John’s limited selections seem all the starker by comparison. It brings you up short, seeing your things beside his in the wardrobe. You get caught up wondering what the hell you are doing, agreeing to this. You don’t get very far in your spiral before John finds you, kneeling surrounded by folded t-shirts. You’re jealous of his ability to seemingly pick a course of action and execute it without the self-doubt that swamps you occasionally. If you hadn’t known him as long as you have you would say it’s something he learned in the military, but you’re pretty sure that’s all John.

His presence steadies you again and you end up making another trip to collect your hairdryer and various other products needed to make yourself presentable for work tomorrow. Most of your everyday use items and valuables are safely rehoused in John’s flat by the time you are ready to throw the towel in for the day. You agree to go to the pub around the corner for dinner, neither of you feeling like cooking. On the walk down, John’s big hand stays on your lower back, keeping you close as you wander down the street together. It’s quiet at the pub, early in the week meaning the clientele are mostly regulars. You get your choice of seats and John steers you to a booth against the back wall, tugging you to sit on the same side as him.

He questions your half-baked plan to quit your job while distracting you from giving an answer, his hand creeping over your thigh and shoulders, bracketing you against him. You finally cross your legs, pinning his warm hand between your thighs so you can formulate a coherent response. He presses a smirk against your temple and listens as you complain of your treatment this morning, and then just in general. You've had a volatile few days and vent your spleen accordingly.

He removes his hands from your body when the food arrives, creating a tiny sliver of space between you on the bench seat. John hums sympathetically at your complaints but finally convinces you to get through the rest of the week before you submit anything in writing, pointing out you should probably update your resume first at minimum. You grumble but reluctantly agree, his even-keeled approach to the situation a better tactic than your instinct for dramatics.

John’s level head only seems to extend to your choices because by the time you’re out the door and on the way home he’s truly unable to keep his hands to himself. Twice on the short walk back he’s pressed you up against the wall of a nearby building, his hands cupping your face as his eager mouth finds yours. You make out like teenagers until you can feel the cold creeping into the tips of your ears, a gentle push against his chest enough to back him off temporarily. You’re getting better at reading John in this state, how his eyes glaze with want and his focus narrows. You finally resort to threading your fingers with his to keep his hand from constantly drifting over your ass, wrapping yourself around his arm to make him behave. 

You open the door using your key, John too preoccupied with working his hands under your jacket and shirt. His big body corrals you against him, kicking the door shut after wrestling you through it, almost not giving you time to get your key out of the lock.

“Fucking hell John.”

You breathe out as he spins you around, your arms going around his neck automatically. He kisses you hungrily, his palm cupping the back of your head. You feel the thump of the wall at your back, his hand leaving the back of your head to shove your coat off your shoulders. You wiggle out of it and push at the thick lambskin jacket he’s wearing, slipping your hands under it to grip his shoulders. He shrugs out of it, his lips finding yours again almost immediately. You can feel desire vibrating through his frame, his thigh working its way between yours. Before he can overwhelm you completely, you push back against his chest.

He's breathing hard, confusion mixing across his face as you flatten your palms against his chest and push, reversing your positions by backing him up against the opposite wall. You have to go up on your tip toes, gripping the back of his neck to tug him down to kiss you again. He’s got his hands full of your ass, too preoccupied to catch on to your intent until you're slipping out of his grasp, sliding to your knees in front of him. Your nimble fingers have his belt undone and his jeans open before he can process and stop you, hissing out your name as your fingers wrap around his twitching cock.

You smirk to yourself and wrench a deep groan from his chest as your lips close around the flushed head of his cock, your eyes locking on his face. His cheeks and throat are flushed with the same shade of red as his cock, his blue eyes now nearly black, his pupils dilated with desire. He looks so intense it sends a thrill through your belly that you’re capable of affecting him like this. You swirl your tongue over the head, tasting the salty pre-cum and slide your palm up the wiry hair of his firm abdomen, pushing his shirt up.

John growls lowly, his fingers burying into your hair, gripping close to the roots. He doesn’t try to direct your movements, content to let you work him over however you see fit but the gentle pull on your hair sends flashes of sensation down your spine. The muscles of his stomach jump at the drag of your fingers on his cock as you squeeze the base, sucking on the tip deeply, making John’s fingers clench in your hair. You lift off him and press his erection against his belly, running the flat of your tongue over the underside before teasing his balls with the tip of your tongue.

That has John rocking up onto his toes, hissing your name again followed by a curse. You can’t stop the pleased smirk that slides across your face and wrap your lips around the tip again, focusing your tongue on the sensitive spot on the underside. You can feel his cock twitching, the tension in his body ratcheting tighter with a moan. You let his shirt drop and cup his balls, lapping at the tip intently.

That seems to finally push John beyond his limit and he firmly tugs your hair to pull you off him. Your scalp tingles and you hum in disappointment but John’s already got a hold of your arm, lifting you to your feet again.

“C'mere love, I want to be inside you when I cum.”  

He growls lowly, making you shiver, backing you down the hallway to the bedroom with predatory intent. The look on his face makes your stomach quiver in anticipation, your insides going molten.

Next Chapter

Tag list:

@deadbranch @cadotoast @beebeechaos @syoddeye @writeforfandoms @itr-00

#fanfic #call of duty #captain john price #john price x reader #john price cod #john price #friends to lovers #john price x f!reader #john price x you #moving in together #falling in love #fluff and smut #this work has smut

[doe-prince]

I love Golden Shrike! I've had my own comic idea for about a decade now, but I'm wondering, for you, how long did it take you to be confident enough with your art to start your comics? had you attempted panels and backgrounds earlier and didn't put them out because you weren't happy with them yet? I'm almost done with my characters and writing but I'm worried I'm not good enough to actually start doing panels

(these are just my views and experiences! there's as many approaches as there's artists)

I was BAD when I started comics, but then I again I was a kid who didn't care if my bunny-cat-digimon comics weren't good enough, it was just fun to do. Which is what it should still be, fun and a fulfillment to you. I think the happiest an artisit can be is when they can draw like they have no audience.

My comics stopped in my teenhood when I actually wanted to make something good. I made so much groundwork but VERY rarely got to the actual page production because I thought everything should be perfect, but we all know there's no such thing. When I noticed all my attempts were doomed, I stopped making them for like ten years until I was zapped with Fuck It We Ball-mentality. And it's the best thing that has happened to me. Childhood whimsy. Make your own toys.

Did I make test pages for Golden Shrike before starting production? Well, the first page of the comic is a test page. And the second page. And the whole first chapter. I just never stopped. Not smart but it's what works for me. Starting these 'test pages' has kickstarted two bigger comics for me, Golden Shrike and Jet and Harley.

Sure I made couple of style tests for GS even though I had a clear visual vision from the start, but Jet and Harley I just started to draw without any real practice pieces, just based on couple of CSP brushes I wanted to use. This isn't very smart as you'll likely find out later that MAN, this style takes too much effort, but if you're unlike me and don't care so much for consistency, you can always simplify it on the fly. And even I've had to change it: I stopped shading after chapter 5, briefly used 3D assets in upcoming pages, now I'm gonna shrink the font a little. They're teeny tiny things for readers, but huge for me.

There's many comic authors who like to plan every little detail before getting to work, but it doesn't work for me so I can't say much about it. I have a skeleton to follow, but I fully flesh out each chapter one by one when I reach them with pages, because I like to revisit my old visions with fresh brains. When you actually get to work, you might realize some scenes aren't needed, or they'd be better changed. Don't be scared to crack some ribs off your story skeleton. Being too loyal to your old vision can often hinder you.

Starting production is the biggest monster in comic making, but after the first step you'll mow over it leaving it in your dust and create a baby you can be so proud of. I wish you, and everyone else on the cusp of their projects GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, LOVE YOUR WORK.

#ask #friendwings

[genericpuff]

Hello :) Same brush anon as before. I actually forgot a few brushes! Silly me. I wrote that up at midnight and forgot to double-check. Let me amend that.

Watercolors used primarily for backgrounds/transitions (all found in Kyle's Watercolor pack)

Puddle Brush

Soft Irregular Wash Variant

Soft Wash Edgy

Splatter Versa (used in early LO episodes because they look like flower petals)

Pastel, Gouache, and other textured brushes (used either for FX or backgrounds):

Creamy and Creamy Variation (Kyle's Megapack) (These two were used for Eros' abstract wings in early LO)

Gouache Wet (Kyle's Megapack) (This would also be used for Eros' wings)

Gooey and Gooey C (Kyle's Megapack) (used sparingly to create abstract foliage in the background or to add background texture)

Gouache Supreme, Gouache Supreme Opaque, Natural Feel, and Natural Feel Super (all Kyle's Megapack) (used for background texture, the texture on Persephone's fur coat, and occasionally "painting" the clothing onto the characters)

Additional notes:

Any of the seasonal drops (the Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer collections) include various one-off brushes she's used such as abstract shapes and a few additional foliage brushes. These are unnecessary for consistency but are fun to have if you want to experiment and/or to use for yourself!

Both Kyle's Impressionist pack and the Paintbox section of the Megapack have some interesting oil/impressionist brushes that were used once or twice as background textures in early LO. Again, they are not needed for consistency but can be useful to have on hand.

The Halftone pack is only used sparingly in LO as texture for clothing/fabric. Again, they are unneeded for consistency but can be useful to experiment/use for your own needs.

Happy drawing!

i'm literally so overwhelmed by this, all that time hunting down these brushes and speculating on what we were missing and you just. you have the LO brush manifesto. the holy grail of this community. hiding in plain sight.

i'm so grateful to you anon, please take all of my thanks for sharing all these in all your apparently infinite wisdom, this means so much to me and everyone in this community.

at the risk of asking god for too much, with all the brushes you've shared here paired with the brushes that we know of from what Rachel has shared herself ...

... does this mean it's done? we've found them all? the search is over?

because if that's what you're saying then all that leaves for us now is to just. create. and learn. and create more. and even if these aren't all of them, they're more than we've ever had access to before and you made that possible in ways you can't imagine. i know i'm sounding really fucking sentimental here over what's literally just a bunch of photoshop brushes but every find so far has been like digging up breadcrumbs one by one and you just. you just dropped the whole gingerbread house in our laps, right in time for the new year.

i don't know who you are and i don't know if i ever will, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you. thank you so fucking much.

#the anon who saved christmas #ama #ask me anything #anon ama #anon ask me anything #lore olympus critical #lo critical #anti lore olympus

[comicaurora]

Hello! I wanted to send my appreciation to you as a longtime fan of OSP and Auroura! I am an English Major with ADHD and your content always makes me inspired and my English Lit. Brain very happy with how good your storytelling is.

My question is what stories inspire you to write or make you want to sit down and tell a story? Your content makes me want to work on my projects, but my Adhd only last as long as I am not disturbed (i.e. need to eat or get up and move). You have always been upfront about your Adhd so my second question is how do you keep focused on your story and not burn out? (Talking as someone who is writing a novel as their thesis)

You have been a great inspiration over the years and someone I look up to as a storyteller! I wish you focus and luck! => 💝

Woo! Interesting questions!

When it comes to inspiration, I haven't really found a pattern for what works and what doesn't. The majority of the time, only new experiences/stories I haven't seen or read before work for me - rewatches and re-reads, while much more comfortable for my brain, don't tend to translate into creative inspiration for me - but it's not like a specific genre, or even a specific kind of relaxation, consistently work for me.

The way my brain works is a bit "no take only throw", as it were. I want to just sit down and make solid, steady progress in a predictable environment with a routine, but what I need is to try new things, go outside, take risks - because all those things give me new material to work with and refill the creative gas tank. When I'm stuck, I can't just hit the gas and punch through the block - I need to back up and try a new angle.

The good part of all this is that whatever engine that's running my subconscious is actually pretty good at signaling what it needs. The ADHD brain will be repelled by activities that aren't working for it and drawn to the things it needs at the time, whether that's creative energy or exercise or cleaning or doodling or listening to music or suddenly binge-watching a show that's not even all that great, and once it's got what it needs out of it - whatever that is - it'll be repelled again, either spitting out a sudden burst of creative energy or retreating to its den to chew on whatever it got out of the experience for a more slow-building reward. Little bursts of motivation and creativity pop up all throughout the day, and if you can pivot to the activity in question - or at least note down the idea you just had - you'll be able to harness that pretty nicely.

This "system" really only works for me because I have an extremely unstructured schedule and nobody relying on me to be consistent moment-to-moment. If I'm following the creative needs of my inscrutable Better Writer In The Back Of My Head, I can't be worrying about things like a consistent lunchtime or classes or a 9-to-5. All of my observations are caveat'd by the fact that I am ridiculously lucky to have the kind of freedom of movement and schedule that I can focus entirely on getting to know my brain better.

When it comes to staying focused on any one project, I've reluctantly concluded that the only way to win is not to play. Creativity needs time and diversity to recharge, and when you stall out in any given work session, it's usually because you're out of gas. This is why I maintain several projects in varying stages of "for my eyes only"-ness - a sketchbook, private writing projects, patreon doodles, music practice; even in the large-scale projects like the channel and the comic I have multiple angles of attack at any given time, where I can as needed switch between scripting, research, drawing frames, storyboarding more plot onto the end of the comic's current draft and lining/coloring/background-ing the finalized pages of the comic chapters earlier. This lets me maintain semi-steady progress on average, even if any one facet of the process is left by the wayside for potentially even weeks at a time.

If you're working on one writing project, one novel, I'd recommend giving yourself some time to do small-scale side-hobbies. It won't feel like they're helping, but they are.

I've started to think of inspiration rather similarly to the way I think about nutrition and digestion. It's a somewhat arcane process that, despite being a part of me, I don't exactly understand what's going on under the hood. If you eat only one thing, no matter what that one thing is, you're going to end up sick because you're lacking all sorts of niche micronutrients. If you parcel out a specific space of the only things you're allowed to eat, you might not get sick (as quickly) but you're likely going to become increasingly miserable as you think of the things you're not allowing yourself to try, or slowly build up highly specific forms of malnourishment by avoiding certain things entirely. But if you start listening to your body and try eating what it says it needs at any given time - oh, I could go for a rice bowl right now, oh I don't think I'm feeling something sugary today, man I could really go for some grapes - you're likely to hit a broadly good balance of health because you're hitting a broad range of things your body needs, even if you don't know all of their names or calorie counts, and your body is putting those resources to good use without your conscious input. Between my brain and my stomach, I only trust one of those to actually understand what a stomach needs to do its thing - and between me and my creative brain, most of the time it feels like I just work here.

I hope there was something helpful in all this!

#asks #not aurora #writing stuff