#it's the first time that I use watercolours ~seriously~

[aximili]

for 2024 if you feel like ur in a huge rut and your weeks are just repetitive and depressing i am far from the first to recommend this but: find a new hobby youve always wanted to try, or restart an old hobby you used to love. ideally something outside of ur house if you can, and ideally something at least somewhat social (eg joining a class even if the activity itself is solitary). it may not feel like it's working right away but your brain will slowly wake up like a watered plant.

i used to sing in choirs and I stopped as an adult bc I wasn't good enough to really pursue it seriously, and I think so many of us stop doing things for that reason, but i still love singing. i joined an amateur choir at the start of this year and everyone there was older than me and it took a good 6 months before I stopped feeling socially awkward. and we're not that good and the audience is just people we know but it has been such a joy in my week i can't tell you. and my mum rarely did anything creative for decades because she was never "good" at art, until lockdown boredom hit and she decided to try anyway. now she paints watercolours all the time, for fun and for herself. do it. do it soon. try that thing. do it

[lady-de-mon-coeur]

Aquarelle

Read on AO3

Words: 1,448

Language: English

Summary: Adrien is trying to figure out his feelings for Marinette.

I wanted it to be a short drabble at first. Now I think it might become a multi chapter fic. But I can’t promise anything. We’ll wait and see.

Adrien was sitting on the stairs of his school, scrolling absentmindedly through his phone, waiting for Kagami to arrive. They were having a fencing class today.

He looked up at the sound of the engine and caught his breath in awe. His jaw dropped, and he felt heat spreading across his face and up to his ears.

Kagami just arrived with Marinette, riding Marinette’s mini scooter.

Marinette was just taking her helmet off. Her shiny hair was free from her pigtails and was now flowing down to her shoulders like an inky black waterfall, gleaming and shimmering in the sunlight.

She shook her head slightly to brush her hair off her face. That was such a fascinating and breathtaking sight. All Adrien could do was stare. He didn't know what was suddenly wrong with his vision. It was as if he was seeing her through a pink haze curtain.

She spotted him staring at her, and a cute pink blush covered her cheeks. She smiled shyly, waved goodbye, and set off.

She was already gone, yet Adrien was still standing there at the top of the stairs, smiling sheepishly, waving and waving.

Suddenly what had just happened sank in, and his smile faded away, as if someone had turned it off.

"Why did Marinette leave so soon?" he asked, disappointed.

Seriously, why wouldn't she have stayed? Everything became so dull once she was gone. It was like the sun wasn't shining anymore without Marinette around.

"She doesn’t do fencing with us," Kagami answered shortly.

Yes, that was true. How could he forget?

His head hung down, Adrien walked unwillingly to the locker room.

He was about to change for the fencing class, when an object captured his attention.

There was a folder full of Kagami's drawings left on the bench. What was it that she had in it? She had been reluctant to share her artwork with him since the last time they had been alone in the art classroom. Adrien decided he'd risk taking a look.

The very first drawing in the folder was like a punch in the gut.

It was a watercolour portraying La Place de Vosges. There was a girl sitting in the middle of the picture, peering from within the rectangle of the paper sheet right into his soul.

The girl who has been constantly occupying his waking thoughts for weeks now.

These sky-blue eyes were looking at him so attentively and so softly. These pink lips were curled into a barely noticeable smile, as if she was smiling more at her own thoughts than at something from the outer world. Adrien wondered what was going through her mind at the moment when Kagami was drawing her.

A faint pink blush on her cheeks gave such a vivid impression of real Marinette that it made him want to pass his fingertips over this particular part of the picture, as if he believed she'd feel his gentle touch (he wished she would).

Adrien couldn't take his eyes off the picture. He totally lost track of the time. He forgot that he should get dressed for the fencing class. Marinette and her hypnotising blue eyes were all that remained.

"Do you like it?" Kagami's calm voice sounded right beside his ear.

Adrien flinched and looked at her as a thief, caught in the act.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"My watercolour. Do you like it?"

Of course, he liked it. How could he not like it? Or maybe the word "liked" was not quite accurate? He was hypnotised by it, but he knew he’d make no sense if he said it out loud.

"So beautiful," he whispered.

He trailed off, as if he accidentally revealed his deepest thoughts, the thoughts he wasn’t even aware that he's been having until this moment.

Kagami gave him a strange look, as if she had pierced him with X-rays. Then she suddenly took his phone and shoved it right under his nose.

"Call Marinette," she said firmly.

Adrien blinked in surprise.

"Why?"

"Because you have feelings for Marinette, that’s clear as day."

Adrien flushed.

"No, no, she's just ... a friend."

His voice faded gradually, so that the last word came out barely audible, as if he didn’t believe his own words.

Kagami still stood there, watching him intently with the phone in her hand. Adrien shrugged under her glare. He couldn’t hide anything from this girl.

"You’re looking at her the way I’d like you to look at me. Call her!" Kagami persisted.

"No, you’re wrong,"  Adrien replied uncertainly, feeling his strength leave him. Why would she bother so much? He didn’t know exactly what he was feeling. Then how could Kagami know for sure?

Kagami considered him silently for a moment.

"The worst kind of blind person is the one that refuses to look at themself in a mirror," she finally said, still holding out the phone. "If your feelings were as clear as you say, you wouldn’t hesitate so much."

"What would I tell her, after all?" Adrien said miserably.

"You will ask her on a date."

A what? A date? Like a real date, when both of them are holding hands and eating André's ice cream together, and then maybe... kissing?

This last part of his supposed date with Marinette made him flush anew. As much as he’d be glad to see her again, he wasn’t sure he was ready for an actual date.

He hesitantly took the phone from Kagami’s hand, still looking uncertain.

Keep it together, Adrien. You can do it.

All that followed was like a dream. Adrien had set up a rendezvous (not a date!) with Marinette in front of the Musée Grévin.

He didn’t recall exactly what they said to each other. He was so nervous that his mouth went completely dry. He could only vaguely remember that he had said something about his feelings toward her not being the same anymore.

He was aware that those are not the words you usually say to a girl when you ask her out, but it wasn’t like he had asked her out yet, right? He only hoped that he didn’t say too much and didn’t make Marinette uncomfortable.

He hung up the phone with a tender sigh. He already looked forward to meeting her.

He couldn't understand why Kagami was so frustrated that he chose Musée Grévin of all places. For him, it was an obvious choice if he wanted to figure out what his feelings for Marinette were. It wasn't a particularly romantic place (though Kagami had wanted it to be a romantic date), but it was ideal for sorting out his feelings.

He remembered so clearly the last time they had gone there together. The memories of that day at Musée Grévin started flooding his mind.

 -x-x-x-

Marinette not wanting to be left alone with him. Marinette being extremely nervous around him. Marinette gushing about what she thought was a wax statue of Adrien. And then…

That kiss.

Marinette actually kissed him.

Of course, that was an ever so brief touch of their lips. But it was enough to set his whole being on fire. He didn’t know until that moment that he would feel that way about someone other than Ladybug.

In no way did he see this coming. The simple touch. She had touched him many times before, but this touch was totally different. It was like a jolt of electricity.

Funny how that simple touch made him lose his sleep over it. The memory of the momentary touch of Marinette’s lips kept making him blush furiously in the dead of night.

His heart was pounding so wildly, as if it wanted out of his chest. His mind was so messy that there was no hope of it ever being calm again. There was only one thing he knew for sure: he'd never be able to see Marinette in the same light again.

This whole new facet of Marinette he'd gotten a glimpse of was about to drive him insane. The only time he had felt something similar was that memorable day when he met Ladybug and got swept off his feet.

Did he… start falling in love with Marinette?

No, that was not true. This couldn’t be true. No way. Besides, he simply had no right to be in love with Marinette. She was completely out of touch. Didn’t she make it clear that she liked him only as a friend and a human being? She wouldn’t have lied to him, would she? He had no other choice but to take her at her word.

No matter how much it hurt, he had to suppress those newborn feelings, whatever they were.

#ml fanfiction #my writing #ml determination #ml puppeteer 2 #adrinette

[zahri-melitor]

Batman: Hush

This was a mix of well-written, fun, and intensely irritating.

Let’s start with the good: the art. The dreamy watercolours used for all the flashbacks really sold the story. I spent plenty of time staring at how pretty they were.

It certainly delivered as a run through the Rogues Gallery and a good chunk of the Bat family, plus I am extremely weak for Lois Lane and Bruce Wayne flirting on purpose in public (and Lois-Clark-Bruce-Selina team ups). I really enjoyed the way it just pinged around the whole cast and there was a lot of "who hasn't had a scene yet? Well it's YOUR turn!"

It's also a story that is fun to read as a trade, but must have really shone to follow in serial, because you got a rogue or so a month ticked off the checklist of 'culprit' as you went through it, leading to all sorts of interesting speculation. Like, I NOTICED that we didn't get Bane or Penguin in this story, both of whom also would have been reasonable 'I know your secret' villain solutions to this, as it would have been, in order, 'further payback for the brother thing not being true' or 'your bad business mirror image in Gotham'. Cobblepot knowing Batman is Bruce Wayne would play really well when Penguin is being written as a genuine threat to Gotham and leaning into his underworld fixer skillset (rather than when he's being written as a joke character).

The annoying parts: Look I know this was in Batman, the comic that is explicitly about Batman, but wow was Bruce's reality altering field that forces everyone else to be subservient to his own plot was in effect. This is why I tend not to read straight Batman plots, because Bruce has a habit of overwhelming the autonomy of everyone else on the page.

Helena and Harold in particular got done dirty here. I THINK all of Helena's situation got handwaved away as Scarecrow's fault? And what was the point of having Harold back for a single page to talk for the first time and then be shot dead? Poor Harold, you have never been used as more than a crude plot device.

In terms of "cognitive dissonance with what is going on in other books right now", Tim specifically manipulating Selina at Bruce's request right as simultaneously over in Robin his 16th birthday is occurring is...well you ARE a bastard aren't you Bruce. And you're not going to apologise for it.

I had to laugh that as far as I can tell, someone in the future just went 'everything we wrote here about Jason sounds good, let's make it canonically true when we resurrect Jason'. Like seriously. In hindsight the sliding of all of this between 'unreality to fuck with Bruce' to 'nope, that's really Jason' did his character a disservice. (Also that weird line about 'Jason' being the same age as Nightwing may have caused the accidental Jason age up issue? JASON IS STILL SEVENTEEN HERE IF HE'S REAL, editorial)

Also, being reminded that THIS is the famous ‘Jason cut Tim’s throat’ moment. Hah. “I’ll need stitches but Catwoman got the bleeding stopped”. This is not a hugely traumatic moment for Tim, folks. It’s a cut that’s already been bandaged. (Also Hush cuts Bruce’s neck almost identically in the very next issue, where’s the matching angst over that?)

#dc #z canon read throughs #It's a really fun Batman story! It's just a Batman story not a Batfam one #every other character appears solely to leverage their relationship dynamics with Bruce #also #I am aware that fanon is a giant game of telephone at times but wow do some people need to read the Jason-Tim scene in context #you can tell they're relying on a single picture rather than understanding the story surrounding it #(and that's if they even realise it's in Hush not TT29) #batman hush

[themonotonysyndrome]

WIP Wednesday!

Tagged by the wonderful @bicyclepainting. You're seriously the best! This WIP is part of the previous one that I posted. I just need to flesh out one more character's POV before editing, but procrastination is a bitch.

-

When food slide into the conversation, Babe suggests pasta and steak while Asher is gunning for Wendy's. They settle it with rock-paper-scissors in front of a toy shop. Curious children stare at the couple as Asher fist-pump the air, and Babe dramatically falls to their knees. 

"Damn it! I didn't think when I chose paper!" Babe curses. Nevertheless, they allow Asher to grab their hand and enjoy a greasy lunch. Their next agenda is shopping for Arden's present. Now, the mall isn't known for its' arts-and-craft stores, but the few that the couple browses through hold promises. 

Asher picks three white canvas and one thick sketchbook, while Babe finds a pretty pricey yet good watercolour set. They then requested for the items to be wrapped in ribbons. 

"You think Arden would forgive me with these?" Asher couldn't help but ask, holding up the paper bags he insisted on carrying. 

"She'd be so happy that she'll forget about the lack of presents last year, don't worry," Babe assures him. When the sun dips under the horizon, Babe realises they still have plenty of time to return home and quickly freshen up before heading to David's place for dinner.

Asher beams and leans down for a kiss. Babe happily obliges him.  

The happy couple passes by a clothing store just in time to hear a familiar voice. 

"... that sound? That's the sound of inevitability, now get in there! I need you to try on a few more clothes before you can go back and terrorise the public." 

At that moment, Babe finds themselves dragging a curious Asher backwards. Both peek through the display window. It's difficult to see through the mannequins and decor, so the two shamelessly snuck in and hid behind a large spinning clothes rack.

They watch as Christian saunters out of a dressing room. He nods at the nearby salesgirl, who hands him an armful of blouses. Christian then requests pants with Arden's size brought to the first dressing room when a woman's voice shrieks. 

"You owe me for this, Mutt! With interest!"

The salesgirl startles at the sheer volume that bounces off the store, but Christian quickly retaliates with, "No, you owe me for breaking into my house! Why didn't you use the key I gave you, hah? What, were you not housetrained? So shut the fuck up and put these on!" He then dismisses the poor salesgirls and marches into the dressing room with a scowl. An argument broke out soon after. The rest of the shoppers and staff did their best to ignore the commotions.

"Huh. You think Christian is also doing some last-minute shopping for Arden?" Babe idly wonders; eyes are blown wide when a plastic chair is thrown out of the thick curtains, followed by even louder bickerings. 

"Yeah, maybe, but I want to know who he's with!" Asher eagerly replies, already smelling the next hottest gossip in the Pack. "Because that voice doesn't belong to Amanda." Cue a scandalous gasp. "Chrissy has a girlfriend!"

Babe is quick to elbow him at the side for that. "You don't know that. She could be a friend! Besides, I thought you and Christian were getting along after the Winter Solstice party?" 

"We are!" Asher readily counters, eyes imploring for his Mate to believe him. "I mean, he's not going out of his way to be an asshole anymore. Come to think of it, Christian just ignores people now if he's annoyed. Which is basically his default setting." He helplessly shrugs. 

Babe was about to say something when an unamused manager scare them from behind. "Excuse me, can I help you two?" 

The next fifteen minutes were spent trying to bullshit their way to the manager before the couple were promptly shooed out for being suspicious. Asher wanted to snoop around so they could snap a picture of the woman cursing Christian out in French. He needed evidence to share on their group chat, after all. 

Because Christian doesn't make friends. Not when he has Arden and Kelsey. And Amanda to scratch an itch. 

But Babe reminds him of the dinner they need to get to at David's. With one last glance at the store, Asher reminds himself to ask Arden or Kelsey if Christian is seeing someone new. 

And if Amanda knows about the... other woman. 

#monotony's rambling #redacted asmr #fic snippet #babe (listener) #asher #christian #when will i ever post this? #i have no idea T.T

[laces-and-pearls]

What is being a lady to me?

First of all, it’s about looking feminine on the outside. My ballet teacher used to say ‘Whatever is on your head and body, is in your head and body’, meaning that one cannot be a put-together, diligent, serious person without looking the part. So, it means that I wear dresses and skirts (I must confess that I prefer the former because it eliminates the stress of finding a suitable combination of skirts and blouses). It means that I do my hair in curls or I straighten them, or I put them in a twist or a bun if I have no time for a full-time styling. It means that I do my make-up, and find suitable accessories, and that I try to smell pleasantly at all times by following strict hygiene rules and by using sweet and floral perfumes.

Second, I have some life views and principles that I try not to steer away from. Having such principles means that I might not get to meet a man of my dreams and not to get married at all because not every man will agree to such terms. I wish to postpone the intimate activities until after my beloved and I are married, and I realise that it’s a big thing to ask for in the 21st century. I am yet to meet a man who’d agree to that. I have to live with such a choice, and, although I’m sorry to think that I may stay alone until the end of my days, I am not sorry for making this choice.

Third, I occupy myself with hobbies that are naturally feminine. I read etiquette books and guides. I do ribbon and bead embroidery, I paint with watercolours, and I read books that are either romance books, books about certain historical eras, or psychological books. I keep a diary, I send pretty postcards and letters to my pen pals, I work on my English and on my teaching skills. I’ve taken to blogging on things that interest me. I write short romantic stories and sometimes share them with the world. It all makes me feel like I’m not wasting my time, like I’m doing something with what was given to me from birth/taught to me by many teachers and tutors.

Fourth, although I’m as far from being a true lady as the Moon is away from the Earth, I still attempt to act like one, be it in my looks or in my actions. I try my best not to cause scenes, not to raise my voice, and not to be vulgar. I respect people and their opinions, and I expect them to respect my opinion and myself back. I try to be polite at all times, and I make myself useful to people who look like they need my help (as well as to those who ask for it). I practice listening to people most of all, and I find it that most times people don’t really need advice – they just need to be heard.

Fifth, I respect men who act decently. I don’t hate all men, I don’t think all men to be ‘brutes’ and ‘animals’, which is popular nowadays in some circles and spaces, and I expect men not to think all women to be ‘lower beings’ and ‘too stupid to be taken seriously’. I realise that there is plenty of good men and women in this world, but that there is also plenty of ill-mannered and unpleasant women and man out there. I also believe that slapping and hitting that happens so much in the movies is an awful gesture because I choose a strict no-violence policy. Not towards women, not towards men. Moreover, I understand that I am a human being with my own thoughts, opinions, wishes, dreams and life destinations, and I expect a man to respect that as much as I would respect his own aspirations and thoughts. I am searching for a partner in life, I’m not searching to become a slave or a mindless addition to some man – I will continue being my own person, and I need the man of my choice to accept that as I will accept him. A marriage should be a win-win situation for both parties, and I’ll try to make my spouse happy, and I will expect him to do the same for me.

Sixth, I’ve chosen a profession that, although thought to be lowly in the 19th century, is very feminine. I’m a private tutor, and I get to work with children, and I also take them home from school when their parents cannot do so because of work, and sometimes I have to be not just a tutor, but an older sister, too. Through my lessons I try to teach not only the subject but good manners as well, and I often have to console overtired children and overstressed teenagers. I try to nurture the students as well as to teach them.

Seventh, I try to make myself softer by not arguing with people, by agreeing to things that will interest everyone, or I step down if I realise that something is not suitable for me but preferable to others. It’s quite easy to sit out on something than to force myself, and everyone is happy that way. I’m quite relaxed and I let people lead, be it about where to eat, what to do, or how to do something. It feels natural to me. I’m not a fighter, and I don’t feel well when I have to make big decisions.

Eighth, I practice politeness and good manners to all, and I expect nothing less in return.

This is all that comes to my mind right now...maybe one day I’ll return and add something, or maybe I’ll write about my dream marriage. Or maybe I’ll come back to write about my own marriage, should it happen. How exciting to think of that!

Please notice that it’s just a personal list of things and values, and that it doesn’t apply to anyone but me, and I never mean to cause conflict or disrespect with my words. I merely wanted to share my thoughts.

Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash  

#lady #femininity #feminine #traditional femininity

[sunfishsiestalah]

How long have you been drawing, and how did you become so good at it?

Been doodling since 1st grade, my main drawing medium at that time were mechanical & color pencils, with the occasional watercolour and rarely, oil pastels & crayons.

My first (sorta) serious foray into digital art was in 2017, when I finally could afford to buy a 4x3 inch graphic tablet and downloaded Medibang, but I quickly became frustrated with it due to various factors (small tablet space, busy with college, lack of patience etc.) and then I was back to doodling aimlessly in sketchbooks (+ lecture notes & exam papers lmao) with hardly any improvements.

Fast forward to early 2021, my old, trusty laptop died on me just at the perfect time where I really felt like taking a crack at digital art again and had a strong urge to post a legit fanart for the first time, so I decided to buy a mid-range Samsung tablet as a temporary replacement, media consumption and most importantly, for drawing.

Suffice to say, the rest is history :)

TLDR been doodling for more than a decade but started drawing seriously and learning basic art fundamentals on my own since last year (2021)

I honestly don't think I'm at the level where I am good at drawing yet, but thank you so much for the kind words anyway, anon 🥰. But what I can safely summarize of how I managed to improve my drawing in a relatively short period of time is that:-

Become obsessed with a character (in my case it was my own OC) or a pairing so much that you wanted to see them visualized on the screen rather than in one's own spaghetti pile of a memory (like me🙃).

Use references

Be mindful of how you use your references, and what you can learn from them so that they can be used again for another drawing with deeper understanding and much more ease (e.g. anatomy, color, proportion, etc.)

Enjoy, have fun and stop being too serious with your art (still struggling with these :'))

Hope this helps, in some way.

As a parting gift, lemme torture your eyeballs with my first ever digital art with a graphic tablet in 2017 (Medibang), my first drawing with an Android tablet in 2021 (Infinite Painter), and my most recent drawing (Clip Studio Paint).

Happy drawing! <3

#god i sincerely hope this post doesn't come across as presumptuous #that was not my intention. AT ALL. #just wanted to inspire other ppl like other talented artists have done to me #and now some of those artists are now my mutuals <3🥰 #asks #anonymous #anon i hope to see your art journey someday #a simple ask that resulted into a wall of overexplaining. that's adhd for ya. #the tools and the softwares don't matter #it's your passion #i learned it the hard way 😭😭😭

[millieify5]

(Images are ordered top to bottom for each post)

Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 3. Figure 4. Figure 5. Figure 6. Figure 7. Figure 8. Figure 9. Figure 10.

Minna Sundberg is a Swedish-speaking Finnish illustrator who was born in Sweden, but moved back to Finland with her family when she was 7. She began creating comics when she was 12 as many of her online friends were making their own, even though she wasn’t particularly interested in them, however she came to find that she enjoyed it. It became a hobby for her from then on, but it wasn’t until her time studying Graphic Design at the School of Industrial Arts in Helsinki that she began thinking about getting into comics seriously. She began this by working on the 556 page comic A Redtail’s Dream in her spare time throughout her course. After graduating she began work on her largest comic so far: Stand Still Stay Silent, which started in 2013 and ended in 2022 - which became her full time job while she was making it, even selling merchandise and physical hardback copies of the comic.

Much of Sundberg’s work is inspired by Nordic culture and mythology. Stand Still Stay Silent is also heavily inspired by her love of post-apocalyptic stories - especially ones involving pandemics and mutated monsters.

Her art is painted digitally using mainly Clip Studio Paint, moving into Photoshop at times when colouring for the use of specific brushes. She would begin adding colour very loosely with a blocky semi-transparent brush, before moving on to adding detail with a opaque round brush, all on a singular layer below the line art.

Sundberg’s art has been a big inspiration for me for years since I first discovered Stand Still Stay Silent online. I was immediately drawn to the hauntingly beautiful monsters and scenes of decay she depicts throughout the comic, as I have always been especially interested in themes of fantasy, supernatural & horror throughout any form of storytelling. I also find myself drawn to ‘pretty’ art styles with probably more stylised, cartoony characters/defining features, and I found that Sundberg’s illustrations hit that perfect spot for me between cute/pretty, sophisticated beauty, and horror. Her use of overarching colour schemes in her illustrations and comic pages is another aspect that draws me to her artwork. The way the colour emphasises the mood/tone of the scene and brings it together into a very cohesive feeling product (especially when it comes to comic pages that keep a consistent colour scheme throughout) is something I have always felt inspired to try and emulate in my own work, even if I have never really ended up doing it so fully so far. The detail and delicate line art, along with the way she almost makes her digital art feel like watercolour, also drew me to her work.

[jinlong-holding]

Do you know famous abstractionist school painter globally?

Do you know famous abstractionist school painter globally? Wassily Kandinsky, as a Russian-born French painter, art theorist and a pioneer of abstract art, cannot be ignored as for abstractionist school. This article would focus on this master and get you familiar with abstractionist school. And, as usual, a decorative picture easel stand for wedding would be introduced at the end of the article. Welcome to contact us if you want to order picture easel tabletop wholesale.

Wassily Kandinsky - Pioneer of Abstractionist School

He is a serious law professor, but his heart is surging, he can hear the color in the music, he can freeze the symphony on the canvas, and from World War I to World War II, he fights between the Bolsheviks and the Nazis. Self-expression space.

He is the most expensive painter in Russian history and also bears the name of Lenin Guard, the most important artist of modern art and the father of abstract painting. Some people attribute Kandinsky's avant-garde exploration of abstraction to his synesthesia (synesthesia, as the name suggests, a genetic mutation that allows you to listen to music to see colors or smell), but this is too frivolous. In the painter's series of art theoretical works "On the Spirit in Art", "Point, Line, Surface", etc., all kinds of possibilities of abstraction are seriously discussed.

The original meaning of the word "abstract" refers to the abandonment of the non-essential elements of things and the extraction of the essential elements. Some of the original artworks and most of the arts and crafts works, as well as art styles such as calligraphy and architecture, should be abstract art in terms of the deviation of their images from natural objects. But as a conscious artistic trend of thought, abstract art emerged in Europe and the United States in the 20th century. Many modernist art schools such as Abstract Expressionism, Cubism, Tahiism, etc. are all influenced by this.

Abstract art is the name opposite to figurative art, and can also be called non-figurative art. It is characterized by the lack of depiction and the use of emotional methods to express concepts and paintings, and this method basically belongs to expressive realism, first seen in Kandinsky's works. It is a fusion of various anti-traditional artistic influences, especially Fauvism and Cubism.

"Abstract" art does not exist in Picasso's view. He believes that some people emphasize style and some people emphasize life. For Michel Sèvre, abstract art is: "I call all art without any reminder, without any recollection of reality, whether or not this reality is the painter's starting point. Art.

In fact, Fauvism and Cubism promoted the independent development of shape and color. It was Kandinsky who further discovered its mystery when he painted the first decidedly abstract watercolour in 1910, a vibrant overlapping dots of colour without figurative aspirations. Kandinsky's creative invention was aesthetic inspiration from music, and then the Czech Kupka directly drew inspiration from music to create abstract art. He is called the originator of musicalist painters, and they later formed the abstract school together.

This is the end of this article, next time we would know more about another representative personage of abstractionist school and their artistic characteristics.

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[kyoupann]

“Gently – almost tenderly – he propped it up against the Goddess statue. It seemed like a perfect fit, with how small she was; the right side of her body was covered nearly completely by it. It made her look almost fierce despite her kind expression; like she was warding off an incoming attack. After a moment of deliberation, Link picked his grandfather’s sword back up and leaned it against the statuette’s left arm, withdrawing his hands carefully and slowly.”

Today is @timeturner-jay​‘s birthday so I made a little illustration of one of my favourite scenes from her fic “New Hands on Ancient Hilts”. If you like LU Four or just LoZ lore in general, this is a must read for you.

As for the art, it’s a mix of watercolour and oil pastels. At first, my goal was to achieve a kid’s book look, but I got caught up in the details for that :’D but it’s okay, I’m happy with the end result and more than glad with the reaction I got.

Happy birthday, Jay! I love you so much!💛🥺

You can read New Hands on Ancient Hilts on Ao3

#linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu four #timeturner-jay #jay #there are still some hours left of the 1st #so you can go and wish her a happy birthday #You can read I say when I mean you should #dkfds #this is a NHOAH stan account #you've been warned #it's the first time that I use watercolours ~seriously~ #but #I enjoyed painting this a lot I might try to do some other scenes uwu #van gogh is my bestie

[theunconcernedembalmer]

To the owner of this blog can I just say- you’re legitimately one of my favorite artists like. Ever. I follow a lot of artists but your art style just vibes really hard and I don’t know why but it’s very very good and you are Improving Good and ah. Yes. The good shit. Like other then da vinky and shit you’re one of the best. Rant over aaa

Sobs thank you so so much,,,,, I’ll seriously never get used to hearing that I’m someone’s favourite artist cos there’s so many others out there who have. better artist stats in my humble opinion ldahfljhdgjlasdhg

I’m really glad to hear that I’m improving!! I’m getting busier (and more tired aha) so I don’t exactly have a lot of energy to spare in terms of experimentations and studies, so I kinda thought that my style might stagnate which I know I will eventually hate. But I guess I’ve found ways to make small but significant adjustments to my style within my energy boundaries so that won’t be a problem in the near future XD

Thank you once again, I’m truly very grateful for this message and your support!!! I hope you guys can continue enjoying the blog as much as I do!! <3

#its me the mun #mun rambles #i seriously. will never get used to that lahflhdsflkjashgk #there are some times when i feel like my art style is very meh. theres nothing special about it. n ppl talk about same face syndrome #which i probably have. n lack of body types. which i also probably lack #like. i have a lot of artists that inspire me n each of them have something very specific to their style which makes it Good #sometimes its just the way they stylize stuff in such a distinct and elegant way. other times its the way they use colours #since i hate using colours. i am actually struggling in my watercolour class cos of this reason HAHAHAHA #some artists have very good sense of composition and flow #personally i think my composition sucks cos its too static. but i also know its cos my first draft is always the final one #so unless i spend more energy to add dynamic to it it aint happening HAHAHAHA #considering my energy levels im content with this actually. especially since im leaning more towards comics. which require a lot of energy #i dont ever think i can do illustrations very well with my thiccccc lines n very bad colour sense aha #i never really found anything special in my art so its always a surprise when ppl tell me they really like it. honestly aha #i think a bit of it also comes to ppl hating on conventionally aesthetic styles. which i guess mine falls under #having said all that. all these critiques fly out the window when im actually having fun drawing HAHAHAHA #its usually when i do comics or really self indulgent doodles #so bottom line is that i am aware of all the places i might want to work on. but i shouldnt stress so much on it #cos im having fun with my art right now. its just really heartening to know that others are enjoying my stuff as much as i am #i know i havent done comics in a while. but ive been trying to plan one for the longest time so hopefully i can get to it soon HAHAHA

[deardragonbook]

What’s in my writing journal?

So, I felt like I needed to do a post but did not feel like thinking too much. So I’m going to do a quick walk-though of the paper journal I’m using for my current WIP. 

My current WIP is a standalone Young Adult Fantasy that popped into my head one night, I thought, “I’ll add it to the list and probably never come back”... it had other plans and now I’m kind of in love again. 

So, I thought I’d start a little journal to help me let out some of that love and creativity without it evading my other WIP’s space too much. 

FIRST PAGE: The working title, obviously and an otherwise blank page. There’s a reason for this and it’s not the typical skip the first page many artists face. It’s where I throw random post-its with ground-breaking ideas. “So and so is totally the bad guy’s daughter in disguise” “they’re adopted!” “insert emotional scene here” and so on so on. 

It’s a blank canvas, just like my new book. 

SECOND PAGE: The list page. Right now it’s a list of character names and location names. Because if I can’t remember my own name there’s no way I’m remembering all of theirs. 

THIRD PAGE: The badly drawn map with literally only four towns on it. The four relevant towns. I’ve done a post on maps, I believe in the act of adding as it happens, blank canvas. So many blank canvas’ (glances guiltily towards the literal pile of canvas’ I purchased but never felt secure enough in my abilities to use)... moving on. 

FOURTH AND FIFTH PAGE: A quick explanation of the two important kingdoms with bullet points relative to the narrative and some adorable watercolours titles. 

UP UNTIL PAGE THIRTEEN: Character sheets. One page per each important character. I have their full name, some bullet points and a watercolour first sketch I plan to compare to a later designs when I actually get a feel for each character. 

PAGE FOURTEEN AND FIFTEEN: “Things I google while writing (minus grammar or synonyms).” Because I find this absolutely hilarious to look back on later. Like seriously, it won’t make your writing any better but as a writer tip, do this. You’ll thank me in a year’s time when you’ve forgotten the silly stuff that goes into a book. 

LAST PAGE FOR NOW: A quick scene written in pen in an old notebooks ripped out and glued in, inspired by a random writing prompt on TikTok because writing short stories or AUs can be really good for learning more about your characters. 

So that’s my current writing journal. Does it make my writing better? Honestly, not much. Most of my important bits and bobs I keep digital because I can lose my own hand if I really put my mind to it. But the creativity is fun. Writing a book is more about the journey than the outcome so why not make that journey as fun as possible? 

My writing journal is about combining my passion for writing with my others passions such as scrap-booking and watercolour. It’s about stepping away from the screen for a second because although I love the digital era and all it’s done for me, sometimes my eyes just need a break. 

So this is me telling you to start a writing journal not for others, not even for your writing, just for you. 

I hope you’re having lots of fun writing whatever your current project is! 

As usual,  check out my book, stories I’ve written plus other social medias: here.

What have you done that involved your writing without being your writing exactly? Any other fun ideas to make writing a part of your other hobbies? 

#writing #writer #write #how I write #how to write #how to have fun writing #writing journal #journal #journaling #writing resource #writing resources #writing tip #writing trick #writing tips #writing tricks #fantasy #fantasy map #fantasy maps #just a simple post for a change

[midorisudachi]

I had meant to upload this to Tumblr last week! Oops! I have been seriously lost in brain-fog lately (due to my Fibro, and also the allergies are killer here in the sw part of NM!)

Well now: For the past few months, I had been watching The Clone Wars all over again. It brought back so many feelings/emotions for me (especially knowing the fate of so many characters who deserved better). Besides the main characters, I love the variety of other characters that show up throughout the series. How is it that this series makes one care for the characters? (The Clones deserved better! Poor lads!) I have too many favourite characters to name. I also love the character designs, and Senator Riyo Chuchi is one of them...I have been wanting to draw her for a while because she's such a pretty character. However, sometimes I like to give characters new outfits. Padme gets to wear all sorts of outfits, so I wanted Riyo to wear something more elegant. I hope you like this! 🙏🏻💖 The background is supposed to be a scenery from her home of the moon Pantora, which orbits the planet Orto Plutonia (which is supposed to be the largest object in the sky). I'm horrible at backgrounds...I'm not sure if I like it or not, but I am still pleased with how this artwork came out. I wanted the background to look out-of-focus, so the attention is put on Riyo. This is also the first time I have done a coloured pencil artwork since...well...I can't even remember. Before 2009? I used Prismacolor pencils, but I have always found coloured pencils incredibly challenging to use, which is why I started using Copic markers around late 2008. I used to use nothing but watercolours before 2008. Here's another fact you may not know: I stopped drawing in 2009 (for many reasons), but did not start artwork again until last year! It feels so good to have been drawing again the past year! (Oh yeah, the line art for this piece was done with Sakura Pigma Micron pens.) Star Wars/The Clone Wars/Senator Riyo Chuchi © Disney & Lucasfilm Ltd.

#riyo chuchi #senator riyo chuchi #pantora #pantoran #star wars #star wars clone wars #the clone wars #clone wars fan art #riyo chuchi fan art #star wars fan art #sw art #star wars art #traditional art #traditional media #prismacolors #prismacolour pencils #スター・ウォーズ #스타워즈 #i love the clone wars #my art #my fan art

[liladiurne]

So, for years now I’ve wanted to try bookbinding but was always hesitant to really get into it, simply because I have no artistic talent whatsoever. Seriously. Apart from writing, I have no skills. But I wanted to make an original gift for a friend, and that’s finally what got me started. This is my second attempt at bookbinding a fic, this time it’s one of mine, and I thought it would only be appropriate to use my favourite fic, the one dearest to my heart, and immortalise it this way. 

I wasn’t sure I wanted to post this here because honestly, it’s nothing amazing. It’s quite plain and a little clumsy.  As I said, I have no skills.  But the overall result is not so bad, considering this is only my second project of the sort. I decided to post it for anyone who could be thinking of trying bookbinding, because if I can do it, pretty much anyone can. 

This was a massive project, with over 500 pages and 33 signatures! My first project only had 12 or so signatures. Let’s say that sewing all these keeps you busy for the evening. I’ve learned a lot so far. What to do and what not to do. How to improve my technique, etc. It’s been trial and error, and lots of tutorial videos and instruction books. I still lack some of the necessary tools, which I’ll try to acquire as I go for future projects. The most exhausting and costly part is the printing. A nice, professional layout is impossible to achieve with my printer at home, so the margins are uneven, but once the book is put together, it doesn’t look as bad.

I used linen embroidery fabric for the cover. I will try to get a darker colour next time, because this one dirties very easily. The next time I buy chipboard for making the covers, I’ll try to get it white, because I had to add a sheet of paper in between the chipboard and the cloth so that the brown chipboard wasn’t visible through the fabric. Lots of annoying little technicalities to resolve. I also need to get bigger clamps to hold the pages together for the next time I want to do a book this thick! I’m particularly proud of the little metal corners on the cover. They add a little artistic touch. And so cheap to buy online. I am also completely in love with the pages on the inner cover, which I added to compensate for the general plainness of the book. I made them using a stencil with paint pens on watercolour paper.

Sorry for the crooked and weird pics... I suck at this too lol

#snarry #snarryfanfic #snarryart #myprojects #bookbinding

[jeonqquk]

racket | jjk

↳pairing: jungkook x reader ↳genre/tags: badmintonplayer!jungkook and badmintonplayer!reader, barely any badminton related stuff, rushed asf, accidental confession-?, they dont even kiss wtf ↳rating: everyone <3 ↳wc: 6k

Jeon Jungkook was capable of being the eighth wonder of the world. He may not have come into existence in the 1700s but his ability to do almost everything perfectly was bewildering. Whether it be eating an entire cake in the span of a half-hour or defeating even the coaches at badminton. 

Everybody loved Jungkook, his sweet and caring nature paired with those godly features attracted everyone to him- in many ways. Unfortunately, you weren’t part of the everybody lot. 

You hated Jungkook. Absolutely despised his abhorrent ass. So much so that if he were the last person alive, you’d even kill yourself just to stay away from him. But that was highly unlikely, so you weren’t going to kill yourself. 

The hatred had just always been there, his competitive side seeming fucking atrocious to you. The feeling was mutual, though, so you didn’t feel as guilty as you would’ve if you just detested him while he behaved politely with you.

Jungkook was petty, even you knew that by now. His competitiveness always getting the better of him and turning him into someone with a completely different persona. Losing was not something he was used to. Maybe that’s why he had only a handful of friends, he would do anything to win. It could be a silly bet or even a tournament- Jungkook just had to win.

All the people he was friends with though, their relationship was beautiful. There were only 4 or 5 boys he actually got along with and their adoration for each other could be seen by anybody. 

This wouldn’t have been a problem if you weren’t also as competitive as him. You’re technically in no position to say that Jungkook’s hatred towards losing was unhealthy because you hated it too. You thought it made you seem weak, incapable- and you supposed that it was the same reason as to why the youngest Jeon son hated losing as well but you never tried understanding him. Let alone let him speak for a minute if he was in a 10-foot-radius of you. 

It was better this way, you thought. It was better to hate him than actually trying to befriend him and catching those unwanted feelings. Hating Jungkook was simpler, easier. Or so you thought for the 10 years of the two of you attending the same badminton academy. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the two of you were in the same class at college as well. So you had to deal with his annoying self for the larger part of the day. 

It was around a month before the annual badminton tournament of your state and obviously, you and Jungkook were taking part in it, more intent on defeating each other rather than the opposing teams. This wouldn’t work though, your coach had called the two of you after practice one day and had said “Listen, Jungkook, Y/n. I know that you’re both really good players and also hate each other.” he sighs, “I’m not asking you to befriend each other, no. I just want the two of you to get along for the tournament. For the sake of our school.” The coach makes a pleading face and you just nod, looking over at Jungkook to see his reaction. He hums and looks down. 

After the coach has walked away, you look at Jungkook again, getting ready to tell him that this wasn’t really going to affect the way you behaved with him but he beats you to it, his voice reaching your ears as your lips stay parted midway.

“So, I guess...no more arguing?” Jungkook finally looks at you with a slightly questioning face and you’re left momentarily blank, his proposition seeming so out of character that you’re at a loss for words. This wasn’t expected out of Jungkook. What was expected was that he would just scoff before glaring at you for no reason and stalking away. Him asking you if you wanted to stop the childish arguments the two of you had was not expected. 

It takes you a minute to comprehend that Jeon Jungkook was actually trying to put an end to those mini-wars of yours. Your reply is dumb “Uh- okay.” You’re still in a daze from what he said and it’s only when he snaps his fingers in front of your face that you immediately want to spit out a sassy remark but bite your tongue on it, not wanting to disregard Jungkook’s suggestion just after seconds of it having come out of those pink lips of his.

Not knowing what to do, you nod and turn around to get into the locker rooms before heading home. You’re oblivious to the fact that Jungkook almost called your name, wanting to talk to you more, he didn’t know why, but decided against it. You wouldn’t accept the offer anyway.

The walk back to your house is quiet, you’re humming a random tune and there aren’t many vehicles on the road, except for school buses dropping kids home. Unlocking the door, you step into your house and close it behind you before keeping your bag in your room and changing out of your clothes. After all that is done, you check the time and see that it’s 3:18 pm, you have around 2 hours before badminton coaching and suddenly feeling motivated, you heat up some leftover pizza and walk into your room to paint something. 

You may not be good at art, you admitted that without any shame because there were a lot of other things you could perform flawlessly. Playing badminton, whining and being able to smell any fried food from miles away to name a few. But you didn’t want to do art because you’d get good at it or something, it was something you genuinely enjoyed and the comments from other people didn’t matter as long as you were satisfied with yourself. And that meant your circles not looking  like amoeba.

You take out a drawing book that had been laying in the third drawer of your desk for months and dig up some paintbrushes and watercolour tubes you had left before sitting at your desk to finally start your work. You let your fingers guide you, not thinking much about what you were doing and what the outcome would be. Occasionally dusting your hands from the pizza crumbs, you were quite focused on your work.

30 minutes later, you’re leaning back in your chair and surveying your painting. Woah, it looks pretty-

Wait is that fucking Jungkook you see? “Huh?” your forehead is creased in perplexity, did you just paint a goddamn Jungkook? It looks like Jungkook, though...the bambi eyes and that tiny pout on his lips. How did you-

You were so confused right now. What were you thinking? Well, you obviously weren’t thinking.

Wow. Apparently, you had drawn Jungkook, your sworn enemy, without knowing. Not knowing what to do with the average portrait that didn’t do any justice to his actual features, you quickly clean up your stuff and keep it all back in its respective drawers. 

It’s now 4 and you get out your books to get some homework done before leaving for coaching. Ugh. You’d have to see Jungkook there too. You wonder how he’ll behave with you, hopefully, he won’t come anywhere near you. 

Sighing as you finish the assignments before stretching back in your chair, you get up to change into your sports clothes before grabbing your bag and water bottle, looking at yourself once in the mirror before walking out towards the pleasantly close by badminton academy you had grown way too accustomed to. 

Upon reaching the building, you walk through the reception and smile at the elderly lady who sits there every day. You push the door that leads to the courts and walk on the side, greeting your friends that were warming up. You don’t see Jungkook anywhere right now so that’s a good sign and you bow slightly at your coach in respect although the many years of being taught by the man have obviously gotten the two of you very close. Your bag is kept near a bench in its usual place and you put on the shoes you could wear only on the badminton courts before picking a corner on the side of the court and begin stretching. 

You’re walking to get your racquet when you see Jungkook jogging up to your coach, saying something to him with an apologetic look before getting a  playful shove from sir as he nods towards the benches where Jungkook would most probably keep his stuff and do some quick exercises before joining the rest of you. 

Said boy’s gaze meets yours and he smiles. You don’t reciprocate the gesture, scoffing and moving over to Jihye who’s already looking at you with a cheeky smile adorning her face. “What?” you question, not understanding why she was acting so weird “Don’t pretend you don’t know.” she gives you a playful shove to which you reply by tch-ing and rolling your eyes, done with her childish behaviour. “Seriously Jihye what th-”

“I saw Jungkook smile at you.” 

The look on your face is an accurate representation of what you were thinking right now. So what? That smile was nothing, he was just acting upon what he had said earlier. “Yeah, so?” you reply boredly, watching as Jihye’s mouth open wide- wide enough for her to fit her entire fist inside.

“Yeah, so? Are you shitting me Y/n? Jeon Jungkook just smiled at you and you didn’t even do anything in response?” you’re still watching her blankly. Although you admit that it’s not her fault entirely, even you were shocked, very shocked when he first told you about the no-more-fighting pact. 

“He just said that we shouldn’t argue now, because the coach at school said that it was going to be bad for our team. You know, in the tournament.” you simply shrug, trying not to make a big deal out of the fact and Jihye is about to reply before the coach is calling all of you for a shadow drill. 

Shit.

You are given one side of a court and by some way or the other, Jungkook is opposite to you, his black pants sticking to those fleshy thighs so deliciously and hi-

What?

What is wrong with you? You’ve been thinking about Jungkook unconsciously- first drawing him and now this. Get a grip Y/n.

The whistle of your coach sounds throughout the entire room and your chain of thoughts is broken as your run towards the left side of the net from your position in the centre of the court before picking up one of the shuttles and running back to the centre, moving to the right side of the net now and doing the same as you continue the drill. Jungkook is swift, his feet are balanced and he still manages to look so graceful as he runs around his side of the court. 

You’re finally done with all the corners of the court twice as you move to sit in the space between the two different courts as you pant. The two people who were waiting now go to your and Jungkook’s positions as they begin the shadows drill now. You’re surprised to see that Jungkook has opted to sit next to you, you with your bright pink skirt sticking to your skin in all its glory.  

“Hi.” he smiles and turns towards you with his hand outstretched in front of your form. With a questioning look on your face, you shake his hand. How far was he planning on going when he said that the two of you wouldn’t be having those silly arguments anymore? To you, it meant that the pair of you would just stick to your own places and not interact with each other or do anything that would result in the bickering to resume. 

“Hey..?” Jungkook retracts his hand, leaving yours in mid-air. “So you uh wanna like hang out..um..like somewhere?” This boy had been taking you by surprise too much lately, why would he randomly ask you to hang out?

Sure he had said that he didn’t want the two of you having those little fights anymore but this? This was unexpected- really fucking unexpected.

“Uh...so suddenly?” he slightly frowns “Why?  Are you uncomfortable with it? That’s totally fine though!”

Jungkook was being too friendly, a little too friendly, you were confused and shocked at his tactics but tried not to show it on your face. “I mean, yeah, okay.” The words came tumbling out of your mouth before you could even realise it and his face was now bright. His smile so sweet, you feel a cavity forming and he nods. “Cool! After practice then..? He trails off, suddenly hesitant and you’re still dumbfounded by how quickly things had taken a turn, for the better you supposed. 

Not even a day ago, the two of you were ready to claw the other’s eyes out and now, you were agreeing to go out with him. This is not a date though. Jungkook and you are just going out to bond as friends. Nothing more, nothing less. Nodding, you smile lightly, trying to reduce some of the awkwardness from your face as you suggest a cafe to meet up at. 

Practice is over and you are walking out of the academy with Jihye chattering beside you. “Oh! I almost forgot, so about that  Jungkook thing. I saw the two of you talking also.” she wiggles her eyebrows suggestively, or that’s what she thinks it looks like. Turning to face her, you sigh at her usual habit of sticking her nose into others’ business and tell her simply that he had just asked you to meet up at the cafe so you could just chill. 

“Holy shit, it’s a date!” Jihye seems more excited about the meet-up, not date, her hands coming up to join in front of her chest as she looks at you in bewilderment. “Why are you so passive?” your friend is way too excited for something so normal but then again, this was you and Jungkook. The two of you could never go a day without insulting the other before. Now you were meeting up with the same guy at a cafe in another hour or so. When you tell Jihye this, she stops walking, putting her hand on the left side of her chest- where her heart was. Her dramatic behaviour was now normal now and you knew the reason for her overreaction. 

Your love life was drier than the Sahara Desert in a fucking draught. You had been on just a handful of dates in your entire existence, only 5 or 6 of them ending up with you fucking the guy. The others had just been awkward, mainly because of your edgy self. 

It wasn’t that big of a problem though, you were too occupied by your college work and badminton tournament preparations that anything else just seemed like a waste of time. For instance, instead of going out with some guy, you could stay home and binge-watch Stranger Things. There were a lot more practical things that could be done without the company of males. 

The only reason you agreed to go out with Jungkook was that you wanted to see how it would end up. There was a very slim chance that your meeting would go very well but if Jungkook kept behaving as sweet as he was now, you wouldn’t even have a solid reason to be rude to the poor fellow. Nevertheless, you were not going to completely relax because one never knows. 

“I’m coming over to pick out your outfit!” Jihye is excited, jumpy because this is new- you going out with someone of the opposite gender. And although it was completely normal for someone else, you just looked at your friend judgmentally, feigning annoyance and earning a light shove from her that has you stumbling on the sidewalk. 

“‘Kay'” she squeals when you agree and invites herself to your house, saying that you should take a shower while she picks out your outfit. You trusted her though, Jihye’s fashion sense was really good and you knew for a fact that whatever she would pick out would be trendy. 

Unlocking your house with the bronze key, you walk in and keep your bag in its place before walking to get a glass of water for Jihye and yourself. She accepts and plops down on your couch before you pull her up by the arm, a disgusted look on your face. “Go wash up first.” she pouts but heads into the bathroom near the hallway nonetheless to wash up. You shout to her from your room that you’re heading to shower and she shouts back an “Alright.” from downstairs as you open the door, heading in for a steamy shower. 

40 minutes later, you’re getting out of your bathroom, content, to Jihye’s shrieking. Something along the lines of missing the date and you roll your eyes when you hear the last word. It was not a date for God’s sake!

You nonchalantly nod at no one in particular and apply your cream before heading out in a bathrobe. She’s sitting on your bed with some outfits placed on your bed. At first glance, they all look colour-coordinated with some accessories here and there but upon closer inspection, you see that every piece of clothing on your mattress was one of the shortest you had in every category. 

“Do you want me to look like a slut?” you ask with your arms folding in front of your chest, and Jihye looks at you with wide eyes, offended that you even had the nerve to comment on her outfit-picking skills. 

“No! These are all fine for a meet-up.” She uses finger quotes for the last word and you smile to yourself, “Uh, let me just stop you there. I don’t really know what people mean when they use this.” you make the finger quotes and she gasps “Did you just-” your shoulders raise and as the laughter dies down, you walk closer to the bed, mentally evaluating each outfit she had oh so carefully picked. They’re all really stylish, you gotta admit that but you’d never say it to her face. The one closest to the headboard consists of a full-sleeved plain white turtleneck that had a greyish-brown dress that reached your mid-thigh laid on top of it. It was something you could wear, maybe with some electric pink leggings. You see that Jihye, who is now rummaging in your collection of shoes, has also laid some black boots in front of the bed that matched the first dress. 

Your gaze travels to the one on the middle one and you immediately furrow your eyebrows, already ruling the strapless crop top and ripped shorts out. Too much skin. 

The one to the far left is also decided to not be inappropriate for the occasion as you didn’t think Jungkook would want to see you in a burgundy top with spaghetti straps. The jeans that had too many huge holes in them didn’t even look cool at this point. What were you thinking when you bought this.

Jihye comes out with some heels for one of the outfits “Why are you even putting so much effort into this? I can just wear a shirt and sweats.” She huffs out, unamused, as you giggle at her annoyed face. “Kidding. So, I really like this one.” you point at the dress and she smiles slyly “Showing off your long legs I see.” Punching her shoulder, you make some place to sit on the bed, glad that you shaved today. “Now, get out of my room. I need to change and apply make-up.” She nods and you watch her close the door behind her, getting up to lock it for extra safety measures. 

Not like she was gonna barge in and catch you in your star printed underwear anyways. Changing into the turtle neck and then the dress, you look at yourself in the mirror and if it wasn’t your frizzy hair, you would even think you looked cute. You brush your hair and settle for a high ponytail. Putting on your shoes, you apply a little bit of make-up, not wanting to seem overly eager but the excessive amount of perfume may or may not give you away. 

As you open the door and walk down to where Jihye has changed into some sweats she had kept in your house for times like these, she gasps upon seeing you, chip almost falling out her mouth and chews it before widening her eyes comically “Babe! You look so good.” you smile at her compliment, giving her a twirl as she gets up to probably to hug you before deciding against it, shaking her head. 

“So, is my make-up looking fine?” she nods furiously and you pick up your purse that was on the dining chair before looking at the clock to see that you only have ten minutes before Jungkook arrives. You bid Jihye goodbye, not worried in the slightest bit about her being alone at your house. 

As you’re walking, the cafe comes into view and you spot a familiar figure walking into the shop as well and you increase your speed to enter at the same time as Jungkook to make it seem as if you weren’t even slightly late. He doesn’t notice you even when you’re right behind him and walks to a table to sit down as you sit opposite him immediately, realising that he had walked to a two-people table in the corner of the shop. 

His eyes widen and he stutters out in shock, “O-Oh, you’re here,” Nodding, you hide a smile and greet him back, trying not to get into an argument with him. It’s silent for a while, you think of anything to say to break the awkward atmosphere but just as you’re looking up from the ground to speak to Jungkook, his voice is filling your ears. “Do you want to order?” He waits and you simply nod, “Okay, I’ll come to get my coffee.” 

Just as you’re getting up, Jungkook keeps his hand on you without warning, head shaking frantically. “No! I mean, I can get it for you.” Looking up in surprise, you’re unable to speak for a moment. Did Jeon Jungkook just say that he would buy you coffee?

You shake your head and snap out of your trance. Or at least you try to. “No, it’s alright. I can get it myself.” Jungkook rushes to quieten you again and looks like he won’t let you win, so you sigh and back down. “Fine.” He giggles and walks off to the counter while you take your phone out to kill time. Getting bored when you see that there are not any notifications, you switch the device off and look out of the window, watching as people get out of their cars for a pitstop at the cafe before driving away again. 

“Here are the coffees.” You turn your head and see Jungkook setting two cups of coffee on the table before sitting himself. Looking at what he got you, you thank him for bringing the correct order and he just sends a light smile in your direction, rubs his hands together and picks up the cup with both hands. You almost coo, but hold yourself together. This was your enemy. 

That reminds you, “So, why are you suddenly being so kind to me? It’s really weird to experience you treating me nicely.” You hadn’t meant for your tone to come off as accusing, but it does, and you have to watch Jungkook’s eyes flash with hurt for a second before shaking his head lightly. He places his cup back in the small saucer and his hands on either side of it. 

“I knew you would ask me this.” egging him on with a raise of your eyebrows, you take a sip of your coffee “Remember how Coach said that we should stop arguing?” At your nod, he licks his lips and continues on with his explanation, “Well, I thought about it-” “You told me to stop arguing right after he left.” “I thought about it and I decided that we really shouldn’t be having these fights. Like, what’s the point? I’m not getting anything out of it. You’re not getting anything out of it.” He ignores your words and when you hear his, ask yourself why you hadn’t tried to put a stop to the childish arguments you had with Jungkook. 

You don’t know why you ever fought back. Well, you did hate losing and Jungkook did everything to rile you up- so he was at fault too- but there was no specific reason as to why you hated Jungkook so much. “I don’t know, you were the one who started them. I don’t have a problem with becoming friends.” 

Jungkook looks at you, looking as if he’s trying to figure something out, pouty lips looking kissable but you quickly brush those thoughts off. “So..” his hands come closer to yours and you’re shocked to feel your heart starting to beat faster, its pace picking up as Jungkook’s hand comes closer to yours. “..friends?” his pinky intertwines with yours and you feel your face turn red, the action igniting something in you. 

Looking down at your fingers intertwined seems to be a big mistake as you gasp, the sight just overwhelming you. His hand fit in yours perfectly, and even if he meant it just as friends, you couldn’t help but imagine how it would be to be loved by Jungkook.

No! You two just started behaving normally around each other and you’re already thinking about loving him?

A voice in your head sounds as Jungkook retrieves his hand to pick up the call that had distracted you. You take your hand back and keep it in your lap, tingling sensations till lingering. 

Jungkook looks at you apologetically for a second, and you reassure him that he could take the call but he tells whoever was on the other side of the line that he was busy, cutting the call after he told the person that he would call them back later. 

“Sorry about that.” you barely catch his mumble and shake your head, “Don’t worry.” As you finish your coffee and make small talk with Jungkook about random things, you start growing more comfortable around him, cracking jokes and laughing at his lame ones. You’re discussing some things about the upcoming tournament when Jungkook suddenly leans in closer. 

You move back out of shock and he stills, eyes suddenly going wide as his breathing halts. Your own starts getting heavy, his sudden action having caught you terribly off guard. After partially having gained your composure back, you see that Jungkook is still in the same position, “J-Jungkook?” He takes a moment to snap out of whatever trance he was put in and blinks once, twice before gasping loudly and jerking backwards. His back hits the chair and his mouth is still open in shock at what he did. 

“S-Sorry..” he trails off, chewing his lip and your eyes follow the motion carefully before darting them back to his face quickly. He furrows his brows and starters ahead of you before shaking his head, murmuring something to himself. “You ok there?” you try to keep your voice soft, soothing as Jungkook shifts his gaze to you, wide eyes looking absolutely adorable. 

You question him again, worried, “What wa-” “I like you.” 

Silence. 

You sputter, his words having caught you off guard and if Jungkook’s eyes could go any wider, they do, his hand instantly coming to slap over his face and he curses, “I-fuck.” You’re still shocked by his confession and your brain takes time to process what he said, the three simple words not registering in your mind until suddenly,  Jungkook’s voice brings you back to the present. 

“Y-Y/n?” He sounds hesitant, and your face must be an accurate representation of what you’re feeling right now because Jungkook begins speaking again, his eyes filled with worry as he tries to fix his mistake. “No. I mean, yes, I like you-” Your face portrays horror at his words again and he rushes to correct himself, hitting himself on the head once. 

“You what?” Your voice is hushed for unknown reasons and Jungkook looks around, trying to calm himself down by breathing in and out and you use the time to do the same, the initial shock having worn off as you exhale loudly and take a bite out of the cookie from the small plate he had gotten. 

“I like you, Y/n.” Jungkook’s tone is more serious this time, and you try maintaining  a straight face, his words finally sinking and you choke on your saliva. “Like like me?” you question dumbly and he nods desperately, licking his lips and drumming his fingers on the table, a nervous habit of his. 

“Oh,” Jeongguk tilts his head at your response and you muster the courage to ask him a question that had been lingering on your mind ever since he confessed. “Since..?”

He coughs loudly into his mouth, trying to hide the blush that creeps up his cheeks and looks at you with a suddenly brave gaze, “I’ve liked you for a long time, Y/n. The reason I started annoying was because I wanted you to notice me, not because I disliked you...And better confess now instead of regretting not doing anything before right?” Your mouth is left hanging at his confession now, the real reason for his pestering finally coming out into the light. 

“Why would you annoy me, though? You could've just come up and talked to me, it would've been way easier for us.” At this, Jeongguk blushes, trying to cover his burning cheeks from you and cups his face in  his hands. “I don’t know..you were really annoying, to be honest.”

“I was annoying- you asshole!” You lean over and hit his arm, much to his chagrin and he frowns before swatting your arm away. Silence falls over the two of you, but it's not the awkward kind, you just sit quietly, drowning yourself in thoughts about Jungkook. 

“So…” Beside you, Jungkook shifts shyly and lowers his head when you look at him, the sight igniting something warm inside you. “Can I ask to ask you out?” His hair sits prettily atop his forehead, hands on his lap and his lips are scrunched into the cutest pout. 

“Why don’t you ask me and find out?” You aim for a teasing tone, but miss by a mille, instead sounding breathless and at this, Jungkook smiles before leaning in closer. “Will you go on a date with me?”

Even though you knew he was going to ask you, the words still send tingles throughout your entire body, heart racing and you nod before you can even think.  

It has you suddenly thinking about the drastic turn of events. The guy who was once (not even a few hours ago) your biggest enemy had just confessed to you and was asking you out. You’re thinking if it was a bad decision, but with Jungkook looking so innocent and just, like a child, it’s hard to think straight. Your heart beats erratically as Jungkook gives you one last soft smile before getting up and walking to pay, and you try chasing him and stopping him from paying for both your and his drinks but as much as you want to, you’re still stuck in place, everything that happened recently replaying in your head. He comes back in a few minutes and holds out his hand for you to take, and as you’re getting up with his help, your heart can’t help but flutter, the feeling of his warm hand encompassing yours turning you mushy like dough. 

“Seriously?” You can’t help but scoff, and beside you Jungkook lets go of your hand to feign an offended face. “What! You said you liked Call of Duty!” Jungkook defends himself and you stare blankly at the venue of your first official date with Jeon Jungkook. 

The baby pink blankets that adore his couch look inviting, so do the various snacks on the coffee table but still, this was your first date. You had really expected him to go all out and take you to dinner at a classy restaurant. And then maybe have ended with a drumline playing on a bridge. Ok, maybe that was too much. 

This doesn’t mean that you’re disappointed, though. Nope. This- a date on Jungkook’s couch with Call of Duty and snacks- was perfectly fine. Great, even. You finally crack a smile, nudging his shoulder and muttering a ‘Just kidding.’ under your breath when his face turns sad. 

You grab his arm and sit on the couch, patting the space beside you for him to occupy as you shuffle through the unhealthy packs of chips and nachos to find your favorite one. Jungkook grabs a drink and you shuffle under the soft blanket, curling up and look at Jungkook, trying to act cute as you prepare to embarrass yourself. 

“Cuddle with me?” Jungkook almost spits his drink out, surging forward as his head turns towards your direction you’re positive he gets whiplash. “W-What-Did you..” Nodding, you try pouting but know for a fact that it looks more awkward than cute and huff out, “Just-” Jungkook nods suddenly, “Ok.” and gets under the covers. Your face heats up when you finally realise that you just asked The Jeon Jungkook™ to cuddle with you, and as he ever so slowly crawls towards you, your body turns stiff. 

“I-Is this okay?” Jungkook hovers his hand over your waist and as you look at him with wide eyes, you nod lightly, indicating the green signal, his body heat not helping at all. Jungkook’s soft voice filters through your ears, and you swear you could listen to him forever. Even if he was making fun of your obsession with hard peaches. Yes. 

“We can watch a movie if you want..and then play COD?” he suggests and you mumble out a “Sure” and watch as he picks up the remote to scroll through the various apps whose subscriptions he had. 

He pauses at Netflix. “Can we watch Full House?” his voice is timid, and you turn to furrow your eyebrows at him, wondering why he would seem hesitant while asking that. Everyone loved Michelle. 

“Why not?” At your words, Jungkook’s eyes light up and he smiles widely, turning towards the TV to play the show. 

You rip open a packet of Cheetos and Jungkook tries (keyword: tries) to slyly wrap his arm around you from behind but doesn’t go unnoticed, and you move forward for him to easily slide his arm around you, not even bothering to look at his red face because there’s a really high chance that you’ll combust. 

2 episodes into the new season, you turn to Jungkook and he notices, eyebrows raised as you gulp, 

“I think I like you too.” 

“That would’ve been really romantic if your Cheetos breath wasn’t hitting my face.”

epilogue 

“Yesss, get it Kook!” Jungkook comes running up to you and you slap his arm in enthusiasm. He hugs you, tight, and your arms wrap around his body as well, congratulating him in his victory. His last hit had been a smash, one his opponent hadn’t  been able to defend and the match had indeed with your school winning, the trophy yours for the third time in a row.  

“We won.” The words coming out of Jungkook’s mouth urge you to hug him tighter, and you do, nodding although he probably can't see you. “We did.” Your boyfriend lets go of you to embrace his teammates and you laugh with all of them, and when your eyes meet Jungkook’s, realise that he may not be as bad as you first thought him to be.

tysm for reading whatever the fuck this is <3 send in feedback, if you want!

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[writings-of-a-hufflepuff]

A Piece of My Soul

Fandom: The Mentalist or rather the Marcus Pike fandom

Collection/Series: N/A

Pairing: Marcus Pike x GN! Artist Reader

Writer: @writings-of-a-hufflepuff aka @hufflepuffing-all-day-long

Rating: G

Warnings: Hurt/Comfort, Lots of fluff, but there’s that undercurrent of angst as the reader has been hurt before and made to feel less than important so if that’s too much right now that’s okay!

Summary: Marcus has always known that you protect your art, that it is a reflection of your soul and something you guard after being hurt one too many times. He never expects you to share your sketchbooks with him, assumes he will never have the honour and he’s okay with that because he’s happy to just have you. Until, one day, you show him just how much you trust him.

Notes: For me, I always feel like when I share my art with people they’re very meh about it or they are backhanded or even mean. I’ve not had the best experiences when sharing my sketchbooks or my work with people in my life and the idea of someone being so wholly awestruck just by the trust and openness of sharing something like that gets me. So here we go back on the Marcus Pike train because if I could ever explain what I want in a husband, he’s the man.

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Marcus had known of your love of drawing from the first date. You had been a little shy when he’d asked about your hobbies and interests, when you’d quietly and cautiously told him you liked to draw. When he asked for more detail, the mediums you used, the style you preferred, it had opened you up just a little more, his interest making you preen a little. Although still cautious, gauging his reaction to your answers. It had been like seeing a part of your soul that you kept hidden from people, it had made him simultaneously proud and angry. 

Proud because you trusted him, from that first moment, to take you seriously, to listen to your interests and passions and not dismiss them. Angry because at some point, at some time, it was clear someone had dismissed you, made you feel like you weren’t worth listening to, weren’t worth investing time in. It was maddening to think that anyone could make you feel like that, like anyone couldn’t see your worth. 

It was baffling because he found you captivating in all your passions and quirks. The way you ranted and rambled on for minutes, sometimes even hours, about something you were passionate about, never failed to draw him to you like a moth to the proverbial flame. The way you managed to trip over anything and everything, clumsy to a fault, was as endearing as it was concerning and he found himself eager to compensate, to pre-empt you going flying because of a step or a crack in the floor. He found the small things, not just the large things enthralling and enamouring, the concept that anyone might think different was just unfathomable. 

So he worked to cultivate that trust, to show you that he was interested in you and all the things that made you up. He listened when you talked, never told you he was bored or showed a shred of disinterest. He remembered things you mentioned or were interested in, brought you books on the subject or sent you a link to an article he’d seen. 

Watching the way that trust bloomed, the way you opened your heart and soul up to him in little pieces was nothing short of amazing. Still, he knew your art was precious to you, a piece of your soul. Your interests, desires, thoughts, opinions, and preferences are all laid out in pages and pages of thick white paper and red pencil marks. He never pushed it, never asked to see what you were working on or to show him your art, not because he wasn’t interested but because he respected the intimacy of it. You were not some famous painter who put their work on display for the world to see and scrutinise. You were just you, just someone who used art as a form of stress relief and self-expression, someone who guarded their work like they guarded their heart. 

So the little trickles of your soul that you shared with him were enough, it didn’t matter if you showed him it all or only select pieces, anything was enough to tell him you cared, that you trusted him, that you wanted his approval. Not because you needed him to give it, not because he was that fundamental or important, but because recognition from him made you smile, made you feel important. You were important whether he liked your work or not. 

He still remembers the excitement you exuded, happiness blinding and bright and so brilliant, when you’d finished a new painting and bounded to show him. You’d bundled it up safe and made the drive to his house, rushing up the steps so quick, he’d heard you trip before he heard you knock.

You’d been bouncing on the balls of your feet, painting kept within a folder, nondescript, the sort you kept your certificates in. The wide grin on your face, the shine of your teeth, and crinkles at your eyes had him smiling the moment he opened the door to you, leaning a shoulder against the door frame to watch you adoringly. 

“I finished it! It only took me 20 hours but I finally finished it!” You’d rushed inside, pulling him by the arm so fast he had to laugh as he nearly tripped over his own rug. You’d been so excited and so proud as you’d sat him on his couch and carefully pulled the A4 piece of watercolour paper from the folder, plain back to him. 

He’d been patient, watching you with the softest of smiles as your eyes flicked back and forth between him, sat with hands clasped between his thighs, elbows on his knees, and your painting. As you grappled with the gravity of showing him a piece of your soul and not knowing how he’d respond, how he’d behave. Patience was the least he could think to give you, and it had brought the best sort of ache to his chest when you’d shyly turned the painting around to show him. 

20 hours of work and you looked away, eyes focusing on a plant he had in the corner of his living room rather than on his expression or what he might think. You’d been so nervous to show him and he’d taken the time to truly look at your painting. The colours, the composition, the subject, it didn’t ultimately matter to him whether he truly liked it or not, although he did, because he’d love it anyway. He’d love it anyway because you’d chosen to share it with him, when you were oh so private and careful with your art. 

“Sweetheart…” You’d been prepared for rejection, to face the fact that your boyfriend didn’t like your painting, your art, that it was something you just shouldn’t share with him in the future. “It’s amazing! 20 hours? Can I?” He’d gestured to take it, to hold it and get a better look and you’d let him, a little stunned, but overjoyed that he liked it, that he wanted to look at it.

That had been the starting point for you sharing more little bits of your soul with him. You’d bring him finished paintings to look at, occasionally the odd doodle here or there that you completed at work. Not everything, and never your sketchbooks. Those were off limits, something he’d respected because he knew they were more than just a tiny piece of who you were, but quite a large one. Pages and pages of you sat for perusal and to have that rejected would hurt more than anything. So Marcus had been grateful for what little pieces of your art you did choose to share with him. 

He’d always made it a point to show how much he liked your art, to shower you in praise and to make you feel listened to, seen, important. Your art was amazing to him. He was an art history major, he loved art, hence his job, but he wasn’t an artist. He’d never had the patience to sit and develop the skill set and so he focused on the work of others, yours was quickly becoming his favourite. You had your own unique style, something he found hard to describe or explain, but that he’d know if he saw your work. He’s almost certain he’d know if someone tried to pass a fake off as your own and if anyone asked who his favourite artist was he’d probably change his answer to you. 

Still, he had hoped that one day you’d share that last bit of yourself with him. He hadn’t expected to actually happen, just a hope, a little dream, something he thought about at night before falling asleep. 

Certainly not something he expects on date night. 

He’s cooking dinner for the two of you, your favourite main and dessert, because he hasn’t had the chance to see you in a good week due to a hectic case, when he hears the tell tell sound of keys in the front door. He’d long since given you your own, letting you come and go as you please, with the excuse that when he was away on a case it meant you could keep an eye on the place and make sure he didn’t get robbed. In truth he liked having you around, liked that you came over just because you wanted to, that you felt welcome and at home and if he wasn’t so dead set on not scaring you off, he might have already asked you to move in. But, he wanted to take his time, not rush it. 

“Marcus?”

“In the kitchen, honey!” He’s wiping down the side quickly, hiding the fact he’s a messy cook, when you walk in a heavy looking tote bag over one shoulder. It peaks his interest and from the little laugh you let out you can see it on his face. 

“Are you busy?”

“No, it needs a good half hour before I have to check it again, why?” You watch him wipe his hands with a towel and brush at a small stain on his white t-shirt, the one that clings to his arms just right. 

You're nervous, you know he can tell from the way your hands grip the bag straps tight over one shoulder to how you bite your bottom lip. He’s always been able to tell. One of the beautiful things about Marcus was the attention he gave to people, not just people he cared about, but people in general. He learnt everything he could about them, stored it away in his mind, and used it to show them how much he cared, how much he knew them, really knew them. 

“I...I want to show you something.” 

You grab him by the hand, the same way you always do whenever you want to share something, and begin pulling him towards his living room. It’s cosy in here at this time of night, warm light from a couple of lamps, soft blankets thrown over his couch, the ones he’d brought after realising how much you loved a good blanket. It’s a calming thing, to be in here, with him, somewhere you associate with home. 

It often seems so silly to you, just how nervous you get about sharing something with Marcus, but you know it’s not. Know it’s not his fault either. Marcus has never given you any reason to doubt him, but other people have, so you push past the nerves because you do really want to show him and watch his face light up like it always does. 

You sit him down in his seat, and curl up next to him, kicking your shoes off and placing the bag on the ground. He’s so warm and for a moment you just lean into his side, enjoying the warmth of his body and the way he nuzzles a kiss into your temple, nose tracing little lines gently for a moment. He brings you peace and it is that, that gives you resolve and has you reaching down for the items in the bag. 

It doesn’t go unnoticed by you that Marcus places his hands at your waist, worried you might take a tumble off the couch, something you’re prone to. It warms you inside, that he cares so much, that he’s so casual with his affection and so concerned with you and your safety. Even something as simple as making sure he can catch you if you start to fall. 

You come back up with a couple of books in hand, plastered with stickers over the front and a little dogeared at the corners. Marcus doesn’t remove his hands from your waist, just pulls you firmly back against his side and watches as you anxiously smooth your hands over the cover of one of them. 

“I..I wanted to show you my sketchbooks, or well...the two most recent ones anyway. I...I don’t really show people them...but I want you to see them.” Your eyes are so wide and earnest when you look up at him, that he can’t help but cup your cheek in his hand and rub his thumb across the apple of it. God, he never thought...he never thought you would. Always thought you’d keep this little part of yourself private, separate, guarding it like a dragon guards a horde of gold. But, here you are, so earnest, so nervous, so open, telling him that you want to share this piece of your soul with him and he can’t stop himself from pressing his forehead against yours. Can’t stop himself from the gentle nudge of his nose with yours or the slow press of his lips against your own. 

It’s a surprising reaction from Marcus, the way his nose presses into your cheek as he presses a firm but still tender kiss to your lips, the way his hand slides down to cup underneath your jaw, thumb pressing into the hollow there. It’s so surprising that it distracts you for more than a moment, to the point your eyelids take a little bit of time to flutter open after he breaks away, you leaning further into him. 

“What...what was that for?” 

“For trusting me.” He’s so warm and earnest, but still, he’s patient. He doesn’t grab for the books or open them himself, instead he waits for you to pull back and pick one up, settling it between the two of you. 

He waits as you find the courage to open the cover and turn to the first page and every breath leaves him at what he finds there. It is a sketchbook and so it is messy, that’s the nature of it, it is practice and experimentation and you enjoying yourself, and it’s so clear, as each page turns, that this is you in book form. 

Each page is either a confirmation of a fact he already knew about you or a new discovery. It tells him little things like how you prefer to draw certain subjects and the colours you lean towards when you reach for markers or coloured pencils. He’s reverent in the way his fingertips brush the paper and trace over the lines, in awe of the way your hands have worked in tune with your mind to put these things to paper and he can’t actually help the tears that start to well up in his eyes. Because you trust him so much, you’re opening the last part of your soul up to him with only a hope that he will not crush it or throw it back at you, that he will not abuse it. 

“Baby, why are you crying?” You’re so concerned for him, hands pawing at his cheeks, brushing the rivulets away and cupping his jaw to make him look at you. Brown eyes watery but so happy, so in love and he hopes that you can see that, see how desperately he loves you. “Are you okay? Did...did I do something wrong?”

It hurts him so much to know you assume that you’re at fault. That his tears are bad or that they are a product of you doing something wrong, when they’re a result of just how much he loves you and just how happy he is at the trust and faith you have in him, the love you have for him, that you’ll bare your soul. It’s those moments that make him angry at the people before him. Family, friends, lovers, people who took your trust and crushed it, bent it out of shape and tossed it back malformed and damaged. 

“Nooo, no, no, honey. Sweetheart, I'm crying cause I'm happy,” He covers your hands with his own, pulls you impossibly closer, “I’m happy because you trust me enough to show me this and I...I never thought I'd earn that.” 

“Oh...well, I love you.”

“I love you too.” It’s said with a laugh, but not at you, the sort of laugh that’s just a bit of a huff of happiness, that comes from being overwhelmingly happy. It’s enough for him that you come to his house, that you share little bits of yourself with him and that you love him enough to do that at all. 

While dinner cooks, you keep an eye on the time more than Marcus, he continues to flick through the pages. He comments, sweet little things. How something looks cool or how he likes the colours on a page. Each comment thrills you, fills you to the brim with pride and joy, to the point your cheeks ache from smiling. Perhaps to some people it seems understated, boring, the sort of date night that some would hate, but to the two of you it’s more than just date night. It’s a bonding experience, a sharing one. He feels impossibly lucky to look at your work, to have you there leaning on his shoulder, pressing kisses to his neck, impossibly lucky to have a piece of your soul right there in front of him. 

It’s that moment that he knows; you’re it for him. He’s certain. You’re the person he’s going to grow old with, with your sketchbooks in a dedicated bookshelf and he’ll die saying his favourite artist is you. 

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[rosefrancaise6]

Oppressed by a blast of hay fever I didn’t see coming, we took our time exploring just a small part of Alice Springs today. We eventually left the air conditioned comfort of our hotel room for the Araluen Cultural Precinct, hoping to see all that it had to offer. We started at the Art Centre and that is as far as we got. We were very fortunate to see the Desert Mob 30 year retrospective and an exhibition of the watercolours of Albert Namatjira and other painters from the Hermannsburg School. Desert Mob is a signature annual event at the Arts Centre that celebrates the art and culture of First Nations artists in Central Australia. The Desert Mob paintings we saw had been purchased by the gallery for its permanent collection and they were really something. I’m always drawn to the stories that accompany paintings in a gallery. Often they seem to me to be about the artist and what they had hoped to convey through use of a particular medium. These stories were different. They were straightforwardly about imparting knowledge. They were telling us the way things were. Statements of fact. Albert Namatjira’s paintings were equally touching in their delicate perspectives of vast open spaces.

If the cafe had been open we might have kept exploring the Precinct but hunger got the better of us and we decided to walk to the shopping centre about 20 mins away. We didn’t pass a single soul on our walk - and there was a very good reason for that. It was seriously hot! Relieved to reach the Todd Mall, we had a nice lunch then walked from one end of the Mall to the other. Aboriginal art galleries sat amidst a range of government and community support services and heritage buildings. Under other circumstances we might have walked up Anzac Hill but today we were grateful for a taxi that would take us back to the hotel for an afternoon nap and then dinner.