#my watercolor style + bastard style
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please tell me about the pigments i would love nothing more than to hear you talk about that one shade of red you like and the process it took too recreate it
... oh, op. you have no idea what you've unleashed.
alright. here we go.
OKAY SO THE RED PIGMENT. pr206. my beloved. my dearest friend. it was an absolute bastard to find because there are so many of these. however many you think there are, there are MORE, and that's only if you don't count the many many scenarios where colors are known to be multi-pigment mixes, usually varying in tone/shade/intensity depending on the brand and manufacturing style. some colors are more consistent than others, but there are situations where a color can be named the same and contain the same pigments and STILL look wildly different depending on the ratio, binder, and paper you use. and that's not accounting for the way the pigment is processed. some pigments (like pv19 for example) can come in so many shades it's frankly kind of ridiculous.
anyway, my quest begins when i am, admittedly, in an edgier phase. i want a blood red, but not specifically because of that—no, i want it because it is THE IDEAL COLOR (to me) for a perfect, warm, slightly muted but still intense shade to add to a muted autumn watercolor palette. and... if you look at my whole theme, you probably know how much i love warm colors. i want to paint mushrooms. i want to dim down some of the brighter greens to make them autumnal. i want the perfect red to put as an undertone.
the search starts in earnest.
the immediate issue is this: reds (and purples and pinks) have horrifically bad lightfastness. not all of them, mind, but many are NOTORIOUS for fading under uv light, which means they will also fade if exposed to sunlight even in passing should it happen often enough. and—in especially bad cases where they're essentially working with dye and not pigment—they can even fade inside your notebook. inside of a drawer.
so not only are we working with an unfortunate pigment base (i'm simplifying here, there's way more nuance to this but shh) but we are working with one that skews heavily toward floral pinks or oranges. the red i'm searching for is warm, but not orange. dries dark but not brown. is transparent, not opaque. that last part is agonizing, because i also desperately do not want a color that will fade on me or generally destabilize, and most of the stable dark red pigments are EARTH pigments like red ochre (pr101) or the like. which, while fascinating because of their historical usage in things like pottery and even cave paintings that last to the modern day, are VERY OPAQUE. this is an issue with my preferred style of watercolor painting specifically, because opaque pigments tend to lift easier off the page and limit layering.
the search continues. pigment after pigment breaks my heart for one reason or another, drying too close to the cooler purpleish-red tint of wine at best. i think i find it in perylene maroon, but the drying shift (the difference between how a color looks wet vs after it dries on the paper) is so extreme that it loses the luminosity AND it's more opaque than most. i languish.
for a while my search turns to creation. i try and mix as many of my single pigment colors as i can into something that vaguely resembles what i'm looking for—so i take quinacridones and mix them with napthols, with nickel azos, with dashes of ultramarines and burnt sienna. everything turns out either just a bit too opaque, just a bit too muddy (that happens with multi-pigment mixtures, and is why so many people swear by single pigment colors. it's personal preference, really, great art can be made either way.)
still, nothing works. failure haunts me. i sit before a pile of used up watercolor paper that is literally covered edge to edge in nothing but similar red squares with various gradients and blooms as evidence of when i tried and failed to convince myself my efforts were close enough. i admit defeat.
in the meantime i shift my focus. i try and appreciate different color palettes and profiles, experimenting with things like fully transparent palettes (personal favroite) to fully opaque ones that function more like gouache. but despite finding appreciation for it, i still think about the damn red that i could never recreate. it kills me.
and then one day, a youtube video. a pigment is being discontinued, and the watercolor community is distressed. this happens a lot, because pigments are actually not always popular because of artists—sometimes beloved colors are put out of production because larger markets like car companies no longer find them popular enough to invest in. this time, the casualty is pr206, aka brown madder, aka quinacridone burnt scarlet.
let me tell you a little about quinacridones. they are genuinely remarkable colors. they have their own cult followings because of how bright and abnormally stable they are under uv light. they're transparent. they're luminous. they come in mostly shades of red and pink and purple, though there are a couple oranges and yellows in there. (there are no quinacridone blues, as far as i'm aware, but the phthalo blues have that category covered.) they also rewet beautifully, so you can put them on your palette and let them dry and not worry about it turning into a useless little rock of color that you can't get any pigment from anymore.
quinacridone magenta (pr122) is probably the most popular of these, the most often used besides maybe quinacridone violet (pv19). a few years prior we suffered the loss of quinacridone gold (po49) and since then people have been On Alert when it comes to losing these colors. i am one of them, because i never got the chance to even see po49 in person, and now the tubes are so stupid expensive that even the student grade versions go for Ridiculously High Prices on ebay, and the professional brands are being hoarded like (ironically) gold by anyone lucky enough to have a tube left over.
but back to our main character. not me, the pigment. pr206. i have legitimately never heard of this one, which to be fair is probably because i try to limit the random colors i fixate on since the hobby can easily get VERY expensive if you aren't careful. but it's a quinacridone, and that catches my eye.
i open the video.
now, i'm sure any artist out there will be familiar with the fact that screens don't display color consistently. it depends on your device, but most can agree that something that looks cooler on one may be warmer on the other, it's just what happens. but i see this color being swatched, and my brain implodes.
it's almost a perfect match.
it could work. it could. years of thinking that same thought have left me bereft and mistrustful of this specific quest marker, but the thought refuses to leave me. probably because the 'discontinued' label flashes like a neon sign.
i resist for about six months, and then i cave. at this point i have genuinely been trying and failing to find this color for upwards of five years. i am desperate, and the color might not be available anymore soon anyway, and apparently i am weak to sales pitches. (note: the color IS now unavailable in some brands, but others bought a decent supply and should have it available for at least a little while, alongside po48 which is quinacridone burnt orange, a favorite of mine and probably one of the only oranges i use regularly. both are discontinued officially, but they'll still be on sale till those supplies run dry.)
the color arrives. i grab my favorite brush. i pull out my stash of paper that i save for special occasions.
it's almost perfect.
i mix it with quinacridone burnt orange.
the result is, i swear, a perfect match for what i have been searching for.
it's warm. it dries dark but not dark enough to look brown. it keeps its luminosity (thank you quinacridones). it's fully transparent (thank you quinacridones). i genuinely feel the urge to weep, but i don't because i am clinging at last to the dredges of my sanity and also salt makes watercolor pigments behave differently and i will not risk this glorious moment. finally, after all these years, bill cipher has a gun i found the goddamn COLOR.
i mix it with warm yellows and with my favorite blues. with the pinks, just to laugh. life is beautiful and i am painting its sunsets, and i do not care if they look ridiculously messy. i have won.
the moral of the story is to never give up. or maybe it's to remember you never actually know everything about even the fields you love the most, because this color totally blindsided me despite being much more common than i expected. or maybe it's that i seriously needed to chill out for a while.
but yes. that is the tale of one (1) of the colors that has taken up residence in my soul. i hope you don't regret asking now lmao.
#ney's art tips (art questions)#ney's chatter (ask answers)#so also i said that a good alternative to pr206 is pr175#but i'm actually not totally sure about that because i've never tried it myself#watercolor is an expensive hobby and that's part of why i swapped to digital orz#BUT! from comparisons i've seen they are at least similar enough to scratch the itch#ironically i think i still USE po48 more than i do pr206#but that one is also In Discontinued Limbo where you can buy it but supply is indeterminately limited lmao#still a gorgeous color though.#... wow. this was incredibly niche and probably barely coherent i am so sorry LMAO#but thank you for indulging my color madness. it was the only hobby i had for *ages*.#long post#very very long post#good god is this my longest text post? aside from maybe a hive story?
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I’ve been drawing with dip pens lately so I did a nib study using my ghost trick redesigns.
for anyone that’s interested here’s some notes on the nibs under the cut.
Leonardt 33 - Easily the one of the most flexible pen nibs I have. Technically this is designed for calligraphy, specifically spencerian, so the sideways movement isn’t great and there’s little control when doing hatching. Really dramatic swoops with high pressure that aren’t entirely appropriate for character portraits but I kinda dig what it did to Sissel’s hair. Will probably use it for special effects like fire and smoke and stuff.
Leondardt 33 - This one is actually intended for drawing so naturally it has a fairly consistent line weight with a low flex. The hatching marks are kinda scratchy but not in a bad way. Would probably work really well for continuous contour and styles of lineart that are more sketchy, loose, and dynamic than my normal character art style. Would prob use for larger pieces or figures closer to the camera cause the line weight is generally a bit too thick for the usual size I work with.
Tachikawa G - This is a nib made for drawing manga specifically and it’s really easy to use for drawing. Some of the calligraphy nibs really take some thought and careful motor control to look good but this one was forgiving. I see myself using this a lot for really casual art. It was kinda hard to do hatching or filling with this one tho, which was kinda surprising. Very gentle line variance, makes really clear shapes. You can see in the other characters than too high flexibility can make it hard for the brain to turn lines into form so this really mellows it out. Prob best to use this nib to block out the lineart then hatch/fill/detail with others.
Hunt 102 - this is a speedball job made for mapping and oh my god do I love this nib. It’s just so 👌👌👌 on the details??? the line variance perfectly matches the brushes I use on photoshop and it’s just. mwah. it holds onto literally so much ink despite being so tiny. interestingly hatching is unstable but two or three lines together seem to be just fine. Kinda sad that jowd’s hair is a little hard to focus on cause of the variance but with a little practice I can prob find ways around that cause I already know I’m gonna love using this nib for heads and faces. Filling is a bit patchy but otherwise I think this is gonna be my go-to detail nib. (also no jowd isn’t in overalls that’s supposed to be an art apron but with only like the top portion showing it’s hard to tell.)
Hunt 108 - ok this is Supposed to be a drawing nib as well as a calligraphy nib and it does mimic brush strokes but I’m pretty heavy handed so it’s hard Not to make those super thick lines. Not bad with details and has enough control to make thickening up the outline super easy, but really easy to mess up. This nib did Cabanela dirty by flexing a bit too much when I was doing his mouth so I had to correct it with a white pen. Spreads the ink too thin in areas for solid filling. I can see this working really well with mixed media, like with watercolor, and once I get some more colored ink I’ll use it for coloring.
Hunt 100 - idiot stupid rat bastard of a pen nib. ok the art looks fine right? can’t be that bad, right? it took me so long to make that because the ink just. wouldn’t come out. so this nib is another mapping nib and it’s super delicate so it breaks really easily. I broke my first one bc I’m heavy handed, so I ordered another like ‘ok I’ll be more careful with this one’. it broke again. I don’t even know how. Ideally I’d use it for small spaces or reeeally fine details but I can’t even get it to work long enough to try. speedball can meet me in the pits.
Hunt 512 - A calligraphy nib that’s actually really easygoing to draw with. There’s not much line variance, so the hairlines have a lot of control. Makes for really good hatching. Also does really great long, thin lines. Sideways movement is kinda meh but it does the job. Definitely the cleanest looking of all them, tho the lack of variance makes it a bit boring to look at. Gonna use this one for shading and textures or for drawing on really rough paper.
Hunt 99 - like the first nib this one is really dramatic, and it’s supposed to be a calligraphy nib, but it has a lot more weight control than the hunt 108. Also the fine lines are easier to control. A lot of ink comes out so it might not be great on paper with risk of bleeding, and it takes a while to dry compared to others, but it would be good for filling since it can cover a large opaque space while having good control over the shape and points. Could also use for different warping/texture techniques.
Other notes:
I used smooth illustration Bristol for the paper, since ink looks more vibrant and swooshy on it and also some of these nibs can Only be used on smooth paper.
Also used terracotta India ink, which is kinda on the thick end but still looks good. matches with the colored lineart in Ghost Trick lol
got all of my pen nibs from Paper & Ink Arts cause u can order a nib for like less than a dollar fifty each. You can also get paper, nib holders, and ink for a good price too.
if u wanna start with dip pens PLEASE prepare your nibs before drawing. stick them in a potato for like 10 minutes. please trust me on this you will have a bad time otherwise.
ok thanks for reading through my Very Indulgent experiment.
#ghost trick#my art#idk maybe this is a bit unconventional for fanart#but I think a lot of ppl only ever post super polished art and not the experimental stuff#which gives ppl who want to start drawing the idea that every drawing has to be a finished one#and that everything you post has to get likes#sometimes art is about the journey#. . . ok my cat just died so maybe I’m being all maudlin and philosophical to cope but still#this is also here cause I could find jack shit useful reviews for pen nibs#so Hopefully this can help ppl that want to try dip pens but don’t know how#feel free to reblog if you want to reference or share the info on nibs lol#character design#traditional art#nib review
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My recs for Robin!Dick comics
Recommending comics is fun so here's a list of Robin!Dick-comics I personally enjoyed. This will be quite subjective and leave out some obvious picks that fans may have but hey, it's my list:
Robin: Year One (2000-2001)
Recommendable? Yes! Absolutely perfect for newcomers to the character.
What is it?
The name is pretty self-explanatory. It's our boy's first year as Robin. He fights Mad Hatter and (unsurprisingly) has some trouble with Bruce. These two love each other but their relationship is always complex.
What do I like about it?
It highlights many core aspects of Dick's character. His need to be independent, his ingenuity, his complex relationship with Bruce. It gives you a great primer on his character. The definitive Robin-origin for many.
2. Batgirl: Year One (2002-2003)
Recommendable? Yes! Great intro for Barbara and her relationship with Dick. Dick's Robin also has many fun moments.
What is it?
Definitely a Barbara Gordon-story. It's her story to becoming Batgirl. I can recommend it for that alone because Barbara is awesome. It does feature her first meeting with Dick though and anyone who likes these two together will have a good time.
What do I like about it?
The origin for Barbara! I can only reiterate that it's awesome. She does have a lot of chemistry with Dick though as they learn to respect each other. Dick is a little shit in the beginning but he soon supports Barbara and it's adorable.
(Just let me cry in a corner really quickly for the Batgirl-movie that was supposed to be based on this and was axed shortly before release. I'll never forget nor forgive this travesty.)
3. Teen Titans: Year One
Recommendable? Yes. A great modernization for the original Teen Titans aka Dick, Donna, Garth, Wally & Roy.
What is it?
The forming of the Teen Titans and Dick first stepping into a leadership role.
What do I like about it?
The art is adorable. Dick is also written very well. He is still very young and insecure. Here he's at a stage where he tries to be somewhat independent but is still struggling with being under Bruce's wing. Such a theme for his character.
My only gripe is that Donna is written quite badly. My girl was done dirty in this because most she does is cry. Still, this is the first comic I got myself when I seriously got into comics. A big reason of why I'm here today.
4. Robin & Batman (2021-2022)
Recommendable? Yes, if you like stories where Bruce is a terrible dad. Stay away if you like wholesome Batdad. You won't get this here.
What is it?
Dick's beginnings as Robin but with a darker twist. Bruce is a terrible parent here who views Robin more as a soldier and the first two issues are super-angsty. I see it very much as an AU-take on Dick's time as Robin.
What do I like about it?
This pick is quite controversial because many people despise the take on Bruce - which is valid. I found this take very interesting. Probably because I've written multiple fics where Bruce is a terrible dad. If you like those kind of fics, you'll probably like this. If you don't, this won't be for you.
The art is top-tier though. I love the melancholic watercolor aesthetic.
5. New Teen Titans (1980-1984)
Recommendable? YEEEES. My continued mission is to shove this down everyone's throats. Beware of the density and the 80s style though. This may make it harder for newcomers but if you're hyper-fixated enough (like I was), you'll manage.
What is it?
Only the most iconic stories for the Teen Titans, a masterpiece of storytelling and one of the best comics I've ever read. I collected it in volumes. Just start with Vol. 1 and continue from there. I got addicted.
What do I like about it?
The character relationships are masterful. Also their development. It really shows Dick stepping into his own as a leader. He also develops quite the romance with Starfire. These two were serious for a long time (over a decade of love!).
This also introduces Deathstroke's rivalry with the Titans. Slade is a petty bastard who feuds with literal teenagers here.
Especially for the 80s, it also has great development for the female characters. Starfire, Raven & Donna are some of my favorite DC-characters and they are very well fleshed-out and get storylines of their own. Finally, if you like the Teen Titans cartoon, many storylines were adapted from here. Trigon, Deathstroke, the Brotherhood of Evil, Backfire... It introduces so much fundamental Titans-lore.
Important comics that don't quite make my list:
Batman: Dark Victory
Recommendable? Depends. You should read it if you are interested in classic Batman-stories.
What is it?
The sequel to the classic Batman-story "The Long Halloween". In Long Halloween, Batman solves a mystery about a killer who only kills on holidays.
Dark Victory takes place after and introduces Dick as Robin. This is the definitive Robin-origin for many fans. Dick is not the main focus in Dark Victory though, Bruce is. Dick took longer to show up than I expected.
What do I think?
I cannot quite recommend Dark Victory - which is probably blasphemous for many comic-fans. If you want to read this, you should read Long Halloween first.
I found Long Halloween okay. Dick doesn't appear in it and the mystery is stretched out far too long. Basically, I love it less than many comic-fans.
Dick appears in the sequel Dark Victory and has some great moments but he appears less than I would like. I liked Dark Victory more than Long Halloween though (probably because of Dick Lol).
Overall, both these books fell a bit flat for me which is an unpopular opinion. Still, if these sound interesting to you, pick them up and don't let me deter you!
This is it. All my Robin!Dick-recommendations. I wanted to upload all my Dick Grayson-recs at once but it got too long. So, I'll post separate lists for Nightwing and Dick!Batman. Keep an eye out if this interests you!
#dick grayson#comic recommendations#teen titans#dc robin#dc comics#dick grayson robin#new teen titans
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Normally I don’t post my experiments but I’ve been poking around at my old style, kind of drifting away from semi-realism. Watercolor markers with a water brush are. An experience to say the least. Gotta keep practicing!
Anyway here’s Stellar Parallax era Jane ❤️🖤 feral freckle bastard
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Could we possibly learn more about your D&D character(s)? :D
YEAH!!! Thanks for asking :D!! My group used to do one-shots every time someone in the group couldn't make it so I've had like 15 characters haha I'll tell you about the two I'm playing now and my all-time favorite character I've played.
We have a side campaign run by Raven that takes place in Strixhaven and we do this campaign when too many people are missing from our main one. My character for this campaign is a Leonin wizard named Gringdor Kethu (the R's in Gringdor are rolled). He was raised by a gay Dwarf couple and I wrote him to have the most wholesome backstory possible lol. They love him so much and support all of his hobbies and are paying for his way through college. Gringdor wants to study theology at Strixhaven.
Gringdor's personality at the start of the campaign was pretty stuffy and arrogant, but the dice had other plans about that!!!! He rolls bad on EVERYTHING. EVERY SINGLE THING. It's so funny. The first time we got into combat poor Gringdor whiffed like EVERY HIT and then we had a dance class where he tripped and knocked down a bunch of people. He's soooooo pathetic but he's very optimistic and he's trying his best!!!
I did our tokens for this campaign in watercolors and based them on the original UK covers for Harry Potter. Here's Gringdor's:
Our current main campaign is run by Nuns and is a homebrew scifi/fantasy mixture setting with space travel and cyberpunk elements. The party recently got consumed by Rylox, an elder deity, and isekai'd to a medieval fantasy setting. I'm playing Mirasaran Tokhubileh (Mira) in this setting. He's a half-Orc/half-Tiefling (he uses the half-Orc stats but looks mostly like a Tiefling) pact of the old one warlock and his patron, Nyarlathotep (Gnarly), turned out just to be a rather wimpy messenger of Rylox and the other elder deities.
The medieval setting the group is in right now is eternally night and the people there worship the Twin Suns, Sigma Yol and Serrenna, and recognized Mira's magic as being related to Rylox, who is basically the anti-christ to them. One of our party members, Zab, was created by the Twin Suns. Most of the party kind of has this "friends because they have to be" dynamic but Mira and Zab are actually pretty good friends despite their powers coming from totally opposite places haha. They've butted heads on it before, but Mira got his powers unwillingly and doesn't always want to do what Gnarly does (which is usually kill and eat innocent people lol). Mira's sort of getting into the idea of killing people though because he's fed up with being pushed around by other people.
I drew all our tokens for this campaign in a sort of 1980s anime inspired style. Here's Mira's:
and his ref sheet:
My ALL TIME dnd bae is the second character I ever made for dnd. My buddy Shottie and I tried doing a campaign with this guy named Wolf but everyone got busy with work n stuff so the group dissolved. I played a character named Daemedes (half-Orc paladin) for that and Shottie played Nekeesk, Dae's bff, who was a Kobold necromancer. Then we found a new group through Reddit and ran Curse of Strahd. I didn't want to have to manage spell slots n stuff so I made a Tiefling barbarian based on one I was playing in Neverwinter at the time, Steel Flexmeat, but I didn't want to ruin the vibe of the setting bringing his name over like that and I changed it to Stahl Flexicarnosus (a pseudonym).
I wanted Stahl to be an outgoing asshole jock-type character but our DM back then (not Nuns, our current DM) wanted us to do character voices and I was too shy to so Stahl became introverted. He was still kind of a bastard but instead of rubbing it into peoples' faces, he let his actions speak for him instead.
Our Curse of Stahd campaign was kinda rushed by our DM and I wasn't really satisfied with how it went so when we got our current DM, Nuns, I brought Stahl back for our Ravnica campaign. I talked to him about working Stahl's CoS lore in with Ravnica since Rav's got a bunch of planeswalking nonsense going on anyway. Stahl's lore ended up that when the CoS party went to kill Stahd, the magic they activated to permanently kill Strahd and stop him from resurrecting forever went sideways and Stahl got blasted to another dimension: Ravnica.
In Ravnica, Stahl ended up joining the Gruul Clans (Zhur Taa specifically; Gruul was like the Mad Max raider faction) and decided that he was going to summon Ilharg the Raze Boar in the hopes that causing a cataclysmic amount of damage to this plane might warp him either back to the CoS plane or even the plane he came from originally (CoS itself was a separate dimension Stahl had fallen into). Shottie brought Nekeesk back for this campaign too and we had some moments where I got to play Daemedes again. It was cool.
Stahl ended up joining with the party because he was chosen by the Gruul Clans to go to this super boring meeting that all of the guilds of Ravnica had been called to attend because he was like the "new guy" and a bit of an outcast. It turned out that Nicol Bolas was returning and was going to blow the whole place up. Stahl could not care less.
A bunch of crazy stuff went down and basically Stahl became the vessel of Ilharg a few weeks before the party had a showdown with Nicol Bolas. Stahl turned into a giant flaming boar monster and fought Bolas with the rest of the party on top of these floating islands in the sky. It was sikkkkkkkkk. We were SO CLOSE to party wiping. Ilharg's essence made Stahl want to burn and destroy everything around him so whenever it was my turn to attack, I also had to roll to make sure that Stahl stayed in control of himself and didn't start attacking the party. The rolls were insane. I had to beat like a 15 or something and rolled higher than that like 5 times in a row.
After the party killed Nicol Bolas, they all kind of scattered in different directions. Stahl still had Ilharg's essence in him so he went back to the Gruul wasteland so if he accidentally flaming boar god installed again, he'd only melt cacti and stuff until he calmed down again. This was like 3 years before I got into GG btw, which I think is hilarious. I was so close to accidentally reverse engineering Tiefling Sol Badguy hahaha
Anyway, I've drawn Stahl a LOT. Our DM uses this cute token pack so I drew our party's tokens based on it. Here's Stahls:
And his post-Ravnica reference sheet:
I've got entries on my Toyhouse for Mira and Stahl, but not Gringdor or most of the other characters I've played:
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Actually gimme a minute there's a few i wanna show before their reworks! Now, the overwhelming majority of what i draw goes without names (actually most of it is incomplete) so yeah.
Therobeat was referenced off of mtmte Rodimus, but not by much. He's got a nose, and if you may notice, most of mine don't. His alt is a carnotaurus as by that head shoulder you can see right there (not sure if i should do an AoE situation with each half being on opposite sides, or go full bw Megatron and just say the head is on that one)
No name. For this guy all i have written down on the page is "Oh look at him a bastard."
Now our friend over here has a very tfp saturated style, no drawn in colors but a helpful little guide i gave myself over there. Ignore my hand, I have the fan on in this room. "I'll work on it in post?" Spoiler alert xe did not work on it in post.
Fun fact, this bastard was only partially made with watercolor pencils, with the especially shiny bits being puff paint!
So this friend has no colors and a simplistic sketch, but? OwO? Is this possible lore??? I had a small phase when i was trying to really get a hold on drawing mecha who went through the Empurata, and found their own ways around it. The name is... eh. You may notice a similarity to tfp Soundwave, but a little more draconic in nature. The appendages you notice are kinda symbiotes, kinda not.
THIS. THIS BASTARD. he might be fully colored in in this, but if you're clever enough and have better eyes than me, you can see some faint sketch marks that have been mostly erased. Originally, I was going to give him a serpentine tail like Vertebreak, but chickened out. I am unhappy enough with the pedes that i am willing to return to that plan.
#oc art tag#transformers#i used to really struggle with making the pedes and I've mostly solved this issue now#i used to use a lot of plain triangles and squares in my art
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i’ve had happy halloween by junky playing all day and i’m going to SCREAM this is the duALITY OF MAN DAMNIT
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Headcanons - Tattoos
This is the big comprehensive post to go over my muses and the tattoos they have! I have linked photos that are similar in style or content to the corresponding character’s tattoos but not an exact match!
Lázaro Vega - X X X
Lázaro has a large back tattoo and tattoos on his upper arms. He is hoping to get the rest of his arms done so that he has to full sleeves! His overall theme is botanical, of course, Lázaro having a literal garden on his skin.
Angelo Dominic Marchioni - X X
Angelo mostly has hand tattoos, words on his knuckles and everything. He had it done when he was younger and keen to look cool. They’re a little faded these days and it’s clear they were done by someone less than professional, but he still likes them. His knuckles read, in a crude font, “FAREWELL”.
Angus Mannix Kierney - X X X X
As a tattoo artist, Angus prides himself in his collection. Nearly every inch of Angus is tattooed minus his face, palms, bottoms of his feet, and, uh, places where the sun don’t shine. He has no set theme, most of the tattoos on his left arm and legs used as practice for his craft. It’s clear to see his early attempts at tattooing— he isn’t ashamed of them, seeing as he feels he’s become much better and one can’t forget where they’ve been. He works mostly in an older fashion sort of style, heavy shading and using limited, high saturated colors when he actually decides to use color. He also definitely has a “MOM” tattoo...because even bastards sometimes love their mamas.
Anton Poplawski - X X
Anton never likes to bring attention to his arm tattoo, seeing as it’s an identifying mark that someone may witness and use to link him to his crimes. He often will wrap the area up before performing a kill on the off chance his arms become exposed. It is of a dagger, rather similar to the one he usually uses for murder, with two roses intertwined with it. It’s in memory of his parents, not so much in remembrance of them but of their deaths. One being the first death he ever witnessed. One being the first death he caused.
Doyle Ulysses Donnelly “Dude” - X X X X X
Dude has a few tattoos he got during his longer sentences in jail. They’re not representative of his crimes but simply something to do while bored in your cell. He mostly has them on his inner left arm and has a hula girl done by a fellow inmate on his upper right bicep.
Flo Loyola - X X
Flo has a tattoo in honor of her grandmother on her left bicep. She definitely wants to get more, but right about the time she psyched herself for getting one, she lost her grandma, whom she was very close to. It just made sense for this one to be the first.
Lawrence Valdis - X
With every set of eyes he successfully collects, Lawrence gets a tattoo on his back (it’s an eye, of course). It’s both used a proper count of his collection and also to further signify his status as a self proclaimed Argus. Each eye is a simple design and rather small so that he can fit a large number on his back, but the irises are all colored in with the corresponding pair’s color.
Quincy Haywood Fairchild III - X X X X X X
He has a few poke-and-stick’s he’s gotten during times of impairment. He has definitely woken up with new ones from time to time, confused as to why he requested them but...hey, they’re there.
Sloan Unger - X X X X X X X X
Again, Sloan’s tattoos are homemade and definitely not very thought out. He’ll put anything he finds funny on his body. Literally. Also quite a few alien themed ones because he loves aliens!
Wei Xu “Wendi” - X X X X X X
Wendi has tattoos purely for aesthetical reasons and none of them relate to her business. They’re also all done in an abstracted watercolor style, Wendi adoring the style. She has a few sayings in both English and Chinese as well as we
Yasmin Kipper - X
Yasmin isn’t actually too fond of getting the tattoos (it pinches a lot! she’s sensitive!), but she’s got a single one over her left breast— a small, anatomical heart. And it is red! If you ask her about it, she usually just says she thought it was cute...and a little reminder that love always looks a little different in real life than expected.
Yorick - X
Every one in his former organization had identifying tattoos to signify their status and loyalty. Yorick’s, as former boss, was large and resided on his back— in prison, after being betrayed and losing everything, he thought about having it altered but decided against it. It is still a symbol of his strength and status.
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SKYRIM MOD LIST, enb included
have fun!
note: some mods, though very few and for the most part insignificant, were found on the steam workshop. so if it doesn’t appear on the nexus, you’ll find it there.
some general advice for new modders/just reminders -
- always check compatibility. some mods have patches to use in combination with other mods. always read the description too.
- if you’re able, cleaning plugins is always good. i was never able to get a hang of it but that doesn’t mean you won’t have better luck.
- never, ever test mods with an actual playthrough. the chances of corruption are small, but there. start a new game; if you can’t bother with the helgen intro, use Quick Start to skip past it and begin at the cave exit instead.
- load order. can’t go wrong with LOOT or Wrye Bash. imo LOOT is easier to install and use but it’s all up to preference.
OVERHAULS -
Noble Skyrim (a HUGE overhaul of basically all exterior textures. but, if you don’t like the look this gives, i’d suggest 2k Textures for a more vanilla feel but in higher res, or Tamriel Reloaded - Textures and Parallax.)
Realistic Water Two (get the enb textures, with the watercolor effect too. they have a non-enb version as well, if you don’t use enb.)
aMidianborn retextures (i use almost everything. weapons, armor, creatures, dragonborn dlc, except the terrain overhaul. i also use the differently ebony and glass variants plugins, which basically mean that there’s multiple variants of the armor with the different retextures. they’re so cool, it’s a must.)
RUSTIC ( i also use almost everything from this too. alchemy/enchanting tables, daedra, death hounds, dinnerware, east empire company signs (i really don’t know why), elder scroll, monuments/tombstones, nordic murals, pottery, silverware, standing stones, windows, and word walls.)
Immersive College of Winterhold
Book Covers Skyrim (best book cover retex ever.)
More Interesting Loot (adds in so many artifacts/ingredients/loot from previous games it’s unreal. love it.)
Realistic Room Rental Enhanced (a SERIOUS overhaul of inns and stuff. lets you rent rooms for followers, discounts for extended stays, and makes them look nicer! oh, washtubs too.)
Immersive Roads (amazing. beautiful. incredible.)
RSChildren (children remodel)
Moonlight Tales
Breezehome Fully Upgradeable (okay this too. makes breezehome huge. like, now you can have a markarth style tub upstairs, and a decent room for lydia too. plus a secret library, and another way to enter/exit your home outside of whiterun. and a lot of other stuff i’m too lazy to list right now.)
SMIM (DEFINITELY use some sort of installer for this. killed me when i tried to manually install it. totally optional, though.)
Ruins Clutter Improved
Thane Weapons Reborn
GRAPHICS -
Unique Grasses and Groundcovers (Verdant does a great job too.)
Hybrid HD Plants and Herbs Retexture (Tamriel Reloaded flora are gorgeous as well, so are the ones from Skyrim Flora Overhaul.)
AOF Detailed Mountains (my pref, but honestly, almost all of the mountain retex mods are amazing. go wild.)
Designs of the Nords Banners (the sickest retex of banners. ever.)
Skyrim Landscape Overhaul - Stone Walls (the BEST thing you will ever see. note, if used with Immersive College of Winterhold you don’t need the corresponding patch. at least, if this is the only SLO mod you’ll use.)
SLOD Wine Cellar (y'ever have an in-game crippling alcohol addiction?)
SLOD Potions/Poisons
Gemling Queen Jewelry
Barenziah’s Glory (crown and jewel retexs)
Unique Uniques (the reworks are absolutely gorgeous. i can’t even describe them. at this point, unique is an understatement.)
Bellyache’s Dragon Retextures (they’re the hell spawn of akatosh, gotta make ‘em look cool somehow)
Apophysis Dragon Priest Masks (holy mother of god, these dragon priest retextures are beautiful. if you’re more into a horror theme, Unique Dragon Priest Masks will definitely satisfy you)
Natural Eyes
Coverkhajiits Male/Female
Dawnguard Rewritten - Arvak (so many arvak retextures here, pick and choose what you want)
Makers Mark Ingots (an ingot retexture, with minting seals/stamps on them. beautiful.)
Better Shrouded Armor (okay, this. this. if you look at the vanilla armor and say, i hate this, then you’ll love this. the armor becomes more of an armored robe with black/brown touches, and the signature hand print on the front. it’s just cool.)
Stormcloak Revival (awesome retex of the armor)
Nightingale Prime and Nightingale Pride (a retexture for armor and blade/bow, respectively)
Windhelm - Legendary Kings
Alternate Summoning Visuals
Tenets Restored (so you can actually read the damn things)
Auriel’s Bow Retexture
HD Linens
QUESTS/NEW LANDS -
Falskaar
Shadow of Morrowind
Summerset Isle
Beyond Skyrim - Bruma
Beyond Reach
Voyage to the Dreamborne Isles
VIGILANT (there’s an english voiceover and a guide as well in the files section of the voiceover)
Project AHO (you need this. you do. the quest, the npcs, the oh god, everything, is so amazing. download it.)
Carved Brink (from the makers of Project AHO, equally amazing.)
Wheels of Lull (this was the best existential crisis i’ve ever had. funny, immersive, challenging, and very, very real, i’ll be at your door in a fortnight if you don’t install this mod.)
Aethernautics (with Wheels of Lull integration patch)
Gray Cowl of Nocturnal (want some oblivion nostalgia? here you are.)
Spectraverse - Magic of the Magna Ge
Dwemertech - Magic of the Dwarves
Ravengate (underground pit fighting, hell yeah!!)
The Tools of Kagrenac (morrowind fans wya. i have never played morrowind.)
Moon and Star
The Forgotten City (gonna be getting its own game on Steam by the same name!)
Fight Against the Thalmor (all 4 parts linked)
Sinister Seven
Konahrik’s Accountments
Blackreach Railroad (trains. that is all.)
Legends of Nchuak
The McMiller Chronicles
The Notice Board (ah, witcher fans might like this.)
The Paarthurnax Dilemma (for obvs reasons)
Localized Guild Jobs (finally, choose the city you want to do a thiefy job in.)
Missing Apprentices (a college quests never implemented in-game. there’s also another mod for another cut quest called Research Thief, but i don’t use that one.)
Barenziah Quest Markers (am NOT using the wiki again to find those floaty bastards. there’s a mod that puts the stones in quest-locked areas in accessible ones instead, so if you plan on collecting them all and being done with it i suggest Non Quest Locations for Stones of Barenziah.)
Jiub’s Opus Quest Markers (not chasing these down either)
Arvak’s Skull Quest Marker (only available through steam workshop)
an addition, Wyrmstooth, though it’s no longer on the nexus and is known to corrupt save files and cause general issues (i found a version of it, though i’m not very keen on trying it after what i’ve heard. still, if you really want it, it’s not that hard to find.)
IMMERSION -
Timing is Everything (adds in delays between quests. just a little breather in between saving the world, if that even exists.)
Northern Encounters (if you love encounters and spent a lot of time in the snow for whatever reason, this is for you.)
Extra Encounters Reborn + DLC (when you love exploring skyrim, this’ll make your adventures super interesting.)
Citizens of Tamriel (on god this mod is so funny and immersive. if you download this, stop by the abandoned shack. you won’t regret it.)
Honed Metal (lets you hire a smith to temper/craft and enchant armor and weapons for you, so you don’t have to invest in the smithing tree.)
The Hunting Game (y’ever notice how pelts are like, worthless? yeah. this changes that.)
Organized Bandits of Skyrim
Better Combat AI (there’s probably a better mod for combat out there, but this is what i use. also from steam workshop)
Increased Merchant Gold Count (plenty of dif mods for this, all of them should work just fine. also on steam workshop)
Black Horse Courier Reborn (hey, remember the uhh, couriers in oblivion? well, they’re back, babey! the more quests you complete, different editions will be released to talk about the amazing last dragonborn, and there’s a (expensive as hell) book that you can buy from a courier that had all the editions from oblivion in one tidy leather-bound book.)
Take Notes (a journal mod!)
Celtic Music in Skyrim (a music replacer. it’s so calming and atmospheric, but if you want individual tracks replaced with ones of your own choosing, you can download Skyrim Audio Converter.)
Book Covers of Skyrim - Lost Library (adds in books from other tes games too, along with the fancy covers.)
Books of Skyrim (a book store in solitude.)
Touring Carriages
The Thieves Guild: More Thieves (only on steam workshop)
Thieves Guild Former Glory Enhancement
Regifting Lycanthropy: Infinite (on steam workshop)
KJ Tattoos and Lore Tattoos (needs RaceMenu to work.)
Loading Screens with Extra Sarcasm (beautiful mod. doesn’t ruin your immersion at all, actually.)
We Are Legion (nice legion overhaul. workshop exclusive.)
Immersive Patrols
All Merchants Buy Stolen Items
Realistic Crime Radius
Beyond Skyrim: Wares of Tamriel
Morrowind Imports (makes it so dunmer vendors will sell stuff like ash yams and sujamma, just a bit more immersive.)
Morrowind Border Trading Shack (workshop exclusive)
Staves of Skyrim
College Students
Better College Application
Night Eye Overhaul (good regardless if you rp as a khajiit or not)
Enhanced Cities: Docks of Solitude (workshop exclusive)
Towns and Villages Enhanced: Riverwood
Project Populate Skyrim: Winterhold (workshop exclusive)
Raven Rock Expanded
MISCELLANEOUS -
SkyComplete (lets you keep track of basically everything, including quests, artifacts, undiscovered locations and read books. update, it looks like the original file has been taken down. i do have a copy of the file should anyone want it.)
The Choice is Yours (fewer forced quests! woohoo!)
Jaxonz Named Save and Positioner (lets you have named saves, and reposition objects. the best mod for home decorating.)
Unlimited Bookshelves (put anything you want on those bad boys now! coupled with Jaxonz Positioner, the sky’s the limit to home decorating now.)
Follower Map Markers Complete (so you don’t lose them. again. also works for mod added followers.)
Bandolier - Bags and Pouches (you look really cool, and get a bit of extra carry weight too!)
Insanitys Celtic Katana
Better Training (no more level req bs here)
No Required Perks (workshop exclusive)
Lightweight Potions and Poisons
Lightweight Scrolls (because half a point for a scroll?! it’s paper, not rocks, dammit)
Weightless Soul Gems
Telescope
Thieves' Guild Bounty Clearer
Scoped Bows
Font Replacement (i use fertigo pro but you know, preference)
City Forests (just adds a few trees in a few cities, this, combined with Noble Skyrim and the enb i use makes all of my screenshots.)
Save the Dark Brotherhood (saves your tears, too.)
Hold Border Banners
Lost Books of Voryn Dreleth (adds in a few books, scattered throughout skyrim. i don’t know, they’re nice to read i guess. totally optional.)
Halls of Dovahndor (an amazing house mod set in…sovngarde! that’s new!)
The Library of Paarthurnax (always thought this was mad cool)
Sacrificial Hunter (for the boethiah quest. also known as, when you’re too attached to your followers to kill them)
No Killmoves/Killcams/Killbites (totally optional, i just don’t like the animations.)
Big Leather Backpack (it looks cool. plus extra carry weight. bags are cool.)
Colovian Leather (just a lil extra set of armor)
Elder Scroll on Back
More Salt
Open Face Guard Helmets
Faction Crossbows
INTERFACE -
SkyUI (the menu layout give me a headache though, you can use SkyUI Away to restore normal menus)
Immersive HUD
A Matter of Time (compatible with iHUD)
Warburg’s 3D Paper World Map (forget the old poorly rendered map. a new paper one, a lot more simplistic and minimalist. but, if you do want the normal skyrim map, A Quality World Map is the way to go.)
Main Menu Background Replacer (oh, there’s a lot of these. so choose your favorite. but i like this best.)
No Bethesda Intro Logo or a replacer, the one i use was taken down but went by Ironclad Bethesda.
RaceMenu
Amazing Follower Tweaks
Follower Trap Safety (miiight be included in AFT, but not sure.)
FIXES/PATCHES -
USLEEP
Fuz Ro Doh (needed for some quest mods, something abt silent dialogue.)
No More Blinding Fog (if you have that issue)
Mindflux Particle Patch (if included)
Darker Dungeons for ENB (if included)
Revamped Exterior Fog
FOR ENB:
okay, here’s the thing. i’ve been modding skyrim nonstop for three years now. i’ve gone through, a lot of enbs. the big ones, the small ones. rudy, tetrachromatic, project enb, you name it. and here’s the one that i finally found that works great, lots of customizability, awesome fps, and looks fucking fantastic.
it’s called seasons of skyrim. easy install, easy uninstall if you don’t like it. nothing else. includes further darker dungeons as well as revamped exterior fog.
my configuration’s here.
but let’s assume you don’t want to use an enb. that’s fine! there’s a lot of other ways to get dynamic lightning too. i used to use Climates of Tamriel, or ELFX, or Realistic Lighting Overhaul. note that i’m almost certain that RLO hand places light sources, so i don’t know how altered cells would go. you might be able to avoid conflict by loading the changing mod after RLO? but i don’t know for sure.
if you want help with installing anything/with enbs or are new to it, i’m always down to help.
other stuff i use -
SKSE is an obvs one.
LOOT
Save Cleaner
7zip (it’s basically a free version of winzip. cause i’m not about to pay for anything, and i manually install everything.)
wow, you made it to the end? congrats! i spent longer on this than i did sleeping last night.
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Just Everyday Things.
@zorotrash
“Sugar?” Robin asked, holding out the small porcelain container, the little white cubes all aligned neatly. Brook held up his hand and politely declined. As she knew he would. Morning tea, before the rush of breakfast started, was becoming a nice routine with Brook. “It’s quite chilly this morning.” Robin held the cup in both her hands, letting it warm her fingers. This particular set, with it’s purple and blue floral design, thin green stems in a watercolor style paintings, was her favorite. “We must be passing near a winter climate.”
“Indeed.” Brook agreed taking ahold of the cup, bringing up the small plate with it in his other bone hand. He hummed after his first sip and set the set down again. “Ah, fine tea on a cool morning really warms the body.” Robin smiled softly knowing the joke that was to follow. “Or it would if I had a body to warm! Yohohohoh!” It wasn’t the first time Brook made this joke. Robin just sipped from her own cup, closing her eyes and basking the warmth that flooded her chest.
“Isn’t it too early for your cackling.” They both nodded towards Sanji as he stepping within the room. “Good morning Robin, love. Did you sleep well?”
“I slept so soundly I didn’t even wake to anyone farting in their sleep.” Brook laughed again and Robin couldn’t help but chuckle along.
“Not you, you uncouth, undead, musty bastard!” Sanji turned to lock the door he just entered, muttering about Brook’s answer before making his way to the kitchen. “I’d offer to make you some tea but I see you’ve already beaten me too it. Is there anything you’d like to request for breakfast?”
“Ah, I would like ice cream with hot fudge, please.”
“Dammit Brook I wasn’t asking you. And like hell I’m gonna be surviving that for breakfast when it’s cold as hell.”
“It’s a shame it’s not a hot morning then.”
“I’m not serving ice cream for breakfast at a-” Sanji was cut off by a loud noises thumbling along outside, footsteps storming their way towards them.
“Seems our captain is awake.” Robin commented needlessly which was followed by a loud smack of the door. Luffy whining on the other side. She could picture the pout perfectly at Luffy’s realization the door is locked.
“Sanji-”
“Breakfast will be done in a bit, go aw-”
“What about before breakfast, breakfast?”
“You’ll eat when everyone else eats Luffy. Go wash up.”
“But-”
“No buts!
“Sanji-”
Brook and Robin shared a look, smiling and quietly laughing at the argument across the room and beyond the door. It was nice to have routines.
Zoro always found the perfect places to nap. On hot days it was always in the shadiest part of the ship but also where the breeze was still flowing through. On cool days, like today, he was the against the stairs, protecting him from the winds but also basking in the sunlight. No matter where though, Zoro had a particular position to sleep in. Chopper could never understand why, it never looked like a particularly comfortable way of sleeping.
However it did have one advantage. While it may seem like an uncomfortable position for Zoro, his lap was always open. And no matter how much Zoro would grumble, he never pushed Chopper away. The others had remarked about how cool it was today but to Chopper it was perfect, if not little warm. Perfect napping weather he thought. Of course to Zoro all weather is perfecting for napping. So Chopper made his way towards their swordsman.
But just as Chopper crossed the grassy flooring Luffy swung in from upper deck. Zoro grunted and cursed as Luffy fell right into his lap, laughing carelessly as he did so. But like Chopper, Zoro never pushed Luffy away either. So Chopper just watched as Luffy snuggled in Zoro’s lap, head on his shoulder and Zoro relaxing as he did so.
“Did our captain steal your seat?” Chopper looked over his shoulder at Robin. She had her nose in her book as she sat at the small table, an amused smile on her face. Chopper tried not to pout. “I’m sure there is room for one more don’t you think?” And before Chopper could even answer her, hands sprung up beside him.
He squealed as he was tossed from one pair of hands to another and another, and lands right in Luffy’s lap. His cheeks were warm, feeling a little embarrassed being tossed around like that. Aside from a small giggle, Luffy or Zoro opened their eyes. But, on his back with his head laid against Luffy’s chest, Zoro gently placed his hand over on Chopper. And with the warm, comforting weight of Zoro’s hand and Luffy breathing evenly, he couldn’t find it in him to even think about complaining.
“Hey Nami?” Usopp found her among the small cluster of trees. The green orbs hanging off of them, barely noticeable among the leaves. She just hummed, acknowledging she heard him as she continued to water the tangerine trees. “I’m gonna plant some of these along the edges if that’s alright with you.” Nami looked over to him and frowned at the basket he was carrying.
“They look like vines.” She remarked flatly.
“They crawl but I’ll post them and keep them trimmed back.” Nami arched her brow curiously, setting down the hose as she walked over to him.
“They’re not going to bloom into some cannibalistic, fanged monster plant that’ll bite at me every time I walk by, right?” Usopp just snorted and shook his head. While he did grow several plants that had various battle uses. It wasn’t the only thing he grew. While away, Usopp had grown quite fond of gardening and loved tending to many different plants. Plus, he made sure to keep the bed of “dangerous” plants away in fear of Nami’s wrath.
“They help ward off some insects. I think it’ll help keep them from coming for your tangerines as they ripen.” Nami aw’d, her hands gently brushing along the leaves while examining the plant.
“Alright” she agreed, stepping back and picking up the hose to continue her watering.
“Great! I’ll set them along where I want to plant them and see if you have any prob-”
“However-” Usopp looked over and shivered as she glared at him, familiar threatening smile gracing her lips “if you fail to keep them in place and they strangle my trees, no one on this ship will be able to save you.”
“R-right. Gotcha. I’ll make sure they’re on the very edge of your tangerine bed.” Usopp chuckled nervously. Nami just smiled, pleased he understood before moving her attention back on the trees. If there was one thing Nami was protective of, aside the belis she got her hands on, it was her trees.
“Hey Soul King.” Franky called out to Brook, holding up his guitar as he got his attention.
“A duet? How exciting.” Book stood to face him and brought his violin into position. “Do you have a song in mind?”
“It’s your pick, musician.” Franky winked and sat down. He had modified his guitar after they reunited. Made his bigger so he didn’t have to use the smaller, interior hands. It was tricky getting the cords right but he was able to get it tuned the same way a normal guitar was, the sounds was a little different but not so much it bothered Franky. Of course seeing the giant guitar, at least in comparison, Luffy, Chopped and Usopp had marveling and chatted excitedly over it.
With a nod, Brook began without saying anything. Franky picked up as soon as he recognized the tune. And as expected, as they played, the crew started to gather around. Luffy swooped in with a holler, tonight's dessert smudged on his chin. He probably batted those big brown puppy eyes at Robin. Not that he needed to, she was always willing to share all her food with him if he asked.
Usopp and Chopper were quick to join Luffy as he danced around Brook. They musician laughing merrily as they fumbled about. Brook was always happiest in these moments. He lacked everything that was required to show it facially but there was never a question about it. The very air around him spoke of how content he was.
Franky smiled at Robin as she sat next to him, her book in hand as usual. Nami cried in protest when Luffy’s rubber hand snaked up and dragged her into their dance but she didn’t pull away. Chopper laughed away when Sanji lifted him in the air after he was dragged in as well. Zoro, of course, rested back with his eyes closed and arms cushioning behind his head. But he was smiling that soft amuse smile of his.
To Franky, it was by far his most favorite way to end the day.
#StrawHat Pirates#Monkey D. Luffy#Nico Robin#Roronoa Zoro#Tony Tony Chopper#Franky#Nami#Usopp#Sanji#Dead Bones Brook#I hope this is what you're looking for#and it brightens up your day#I'm sorry for you troubles and hope things smooth out for you soon
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11/11/11 meme
I was tagged by @lacylu42 , thanks sweetie! The rules are: 11 questions answered, 11 questions given, and 11 people tagged!
1. Have you had to “kill any darlings” from your current WIP, ie: quotes, characters, scenes, etc. that you LOVE but don’t fit and have to be cut? Please share.
Not from my current WIP, but from My Fair Baron, yes. Originally, in the fic, I had Rose choose between Ten and Jack and then Jack stayed on to help when she chose Ten. I was told there were too many characters so I had to cut Jack, I gave most of his lines to Donna and the more scintillating lines I gave to Ten. However! In my current WIP, I brought the Jack character back in a minor way that has the potential to be more later on. Nothing is truly wasted!
2. What is your favorite genre to write in and why? Is it different from the genres you like to consume?
I love writing historical romance because I adore the research. I love learning when things were invented, what people were eating and how it was prepared, and what people were wearing. But I write and read a lot more than that! Honestly, the genre is secondary to the story in what I choose to read.
3. Do you consciously study existing works by other authors to improve your own writing? If so, what types of things do you look at?
I do! I read as much as I can. When I feel stuck, I read something to inspire me, but it’s almost always fanfic. I like to read stories with strong women personalities, so Rumbelle and Doctor/Rose stories are great for that.
4. Have you noticed any patterns in your own writing, ie: you always have a certain type of character, like to explore a certain type of story, etc.?
I’m not sure. I mean, I always write romance and very seldom have an unhappy ending, but I’m not sure I have any other hallmarks that say “THIS IS A LICIE STORY.” (Unless it’s a BDSM story. In which case, you can tell it’s mine if it feels like a fantasy but still very much based in reality, something you could conceivably see happening in real life.)
5. Do you do most of your world building before you write, while writing the first draft, or during revisions?
All three! A story evolves as it’s being written so I will have some initial ideas during story planning, I will get more as I do the first draft, and then I refine things during editing.
6. If when your WIP hits the bestseller list, where would you like to go or what would you like to do on a book tour? Is there somebody you’d like to be interviewed by?
I want to go everywhere and do everything, it would be especially cool if I could meet the friends I’ve made here on Tumblr and AO3 during a book tour. As for someone I’d like to be interviewed by... Is asking for David Tennant too much? I guess I’d settle for one of my favorite talkshow hosts like Graham Norton or Steven Colbert, though I doubt they’d want to interview a romance writer! LOL
7. How do you approach setting the scene in your work? Are you into lush descriptions or giving the bare minimum and allowing the reader to fill in the blanks?
I like being descriptive and that’s where having an editor comes in handy. I had like, 5 or 6 paragraphs describing a masquerade ball and she advised me to condense it to 3. People can fill in a lot of blanks on their own, there isn’t a need to describe every little detail, just enough to paint a watercolor picture and the reader can fill in the rest.
8. Do you follow a set structure (ie: hero’s journey, 3-act structure) when plotting out your works, or fly by the seat of your pants?
I generally try to outline a story first because I have WIPs that I didn’t do that for and they are just... SITTING there driving me crazy because I don’t have an ending. But other than that, a story can change on its own, characters can sometimes lead you places you didn’t think you’d go, so unexpected things happen. Other than that, I have a basic “inciting incident/meet-cute, main action, complication, overcoming adversity together, rinse/repeat, big moment, then big conflict, leading to the resolution” structure. With sex sprinkled in there like pumpkin spice. ^_^
9. What does your revision process look like?
I hand my draft to my editor and she gives it back to me with notes. The most important part of revision is this - if the editor has a question, the reader may very well have the same question, and it is my job to make that part make more sense. And if she says I should cut something or rewrite something, it’s important to know that it doesn’t mean the writing isn’t good, it means it doesn’t fit the story and should be changed.
10. Please share a bit of dialogue from your WIP that shows us something important about the character’s personality.
“That bloody bastard, that, that… pigeon-livered ratbag! Oh, there isn’t a word bad enough for him!”
“Isadora, please calm down—”
“I will not!” she snapped. “Do you know, the single most toxic thing men are taught to believe as they grow up is that being a good and proper adult with responsibilities and everything means doing all of it completely alone, completely without help. And it’s bollocks! What they should be learning is where and when to ask for the help they need in order to function at their ideal level. Everyone’s level of need is different!”
11. Please share any jokes or funny bits from your WIP of which you are ridiculously proud. ;)
Euphemisms for peen utterly amuse me, so I wrote this -
Sidling over to him, she traced her fingers up his arm to his shoulder to drape her arms about his neck. “Master Longfellow and I are intimately acquainted, or did you forget?”
His cheeks blazed. He had definitely not forgotten.
11 New Questions! To be answered by (if they feel like it): @kelkat9 @suchadearie @leftennant @toppbanana @ktrosesworld @worryinglyinnocent @abovethesmokestacks @lostinfic @theoneandonlylittlebird @pipertennant @charlotteashmore13
How do you attempt to avoid day-to-day distractions?
What’s the difference between procrastination and pre-writing?
I often have a fantastic idea for a new book when I’m halfway through writing the current one – how do you keep yourself motivated to continue when that happens?
How long should a writing session be? Is longer better or does productivity go down the more you keep at it?
I use the Stephen King method of writing - try to get to 6 solid pages of work every day. Do you have a method or structure you use?
Can writing groups and/or courses become their own form of procrastination?
Have you ever collaborated on a story? Was it difficult to mesh your style with someone else’s?
Any tips on managing the admin of writing a book, for example, the marketing or research needed alongside the writing?
How do I overcome a writing block? Do I keep the same routine to change it?
What is your weirdest idea for a book that you have yet to write?
Right now, I’m writing about someone overcoming depression and it mirrors my own journey in mental health. How do you connect your emotions to your story?
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Watercolor Stars (Bucky Barnes x Jeni, Tattoo Artist!AU) (NSFW) part 1
Summary: When Bucky comes into the tattoo shop, she hope to god he wants a watercolor tattoo. Cause just admit it, you’d wanna color that perfect body for hours too.
Warnings: Smutty and a bit of my art history side comes out. Also apparently Jeni cusses in this universe.
Words: 1,207
“Oh, hey Bucky. Isn’t it your day off?” Nat looked up at him.
Clint laughed. “Steve probably called him in anyway. Am I right?”
“Actually, I kinda wanted to see Jeni.”
“You’re in luck.” Nat smiled, before shouting to the back. “Hey! You almost done with that guy?”
A familiar voice answered. “That was two hours ago. I’m eating lunch now Nat! You know that.”
“You can go back and meet her. She should be in the break room.”
“Cool.”
The first thing he noticed about the petite artist was the fact she wasn’t wearing a bra. It was kind of obvious from the back, since she was wearing one of those crazy open Pilates shirts that showed off the bare back quite nicely. The second thing that was obvious was her amazing arm tattoo, what looked like the outline of a woman, but filled to the brim with stars and planets, which fit perfectly with her purple and pink combo hair. Although, to Bucky, the cutest part was her brunette roots, although the other tattoos he could see were good contenders.
He smiled at one of Steve’s tattoos on her inner thigh as she turned around, a vintage Cap Coleman styled woman with a black domino mask and short cropped brunette hair, a gold hawk emblazoned on the figure’s red dress. He also noticed one of Nat’s intricate line work tattoos peaking out from the opposite thigh: a rainbow infinity sign.
“So what’s up?” Her voice snapped him out of his trance.
“Um....I’m thinking of getting a watercolor of that.” Bucky pointed at the logo of the shop, a shield with blue and red circles, a white star in the center. “Kinda wanted to get one like the one you did for Steve.”
“You saw the one I did for Steve?” He could see her face light up. “Honestly, it’s one of my better pieces.”
“Well, I’d like something for my chest.” Bucky took his jacket off, eliciting a wolf whistle from Nat. He glared in her direction.
“I think we need a little more privacy. The office probably.” Jeni led him into the tiny office, getting up on the desk, on her knees. The sight made Nat and Clint hold in their breath from their hiding place.
“You think that’s strong enough to hold you?”
“Please, it holds Steve. Take off your shirt.”
“Okay.” He took off the red henley, allowing Jeni to see his muscles. But what made her catch her breath was the tattoo on his arm.
“I never asked you before but, who did this?” Jeni’s reluctance was stopped by the need to examine an unknown artist’s work on his shoulder. It was a simple star, black outlined, with a robotic arm look that covered his whole arm. The line work was impressive. It was colored gray with a splash of vibrant red on the star.
“An old cell mate.” He looked sullen. “Natasha did the colors.”
“Well, it’s great work,” The look he gave her said so much. “I don’t think I would be able to top it. But...what would you think of this?” Jeni grabbed her markers from her pocket. Before Nat and Clint could stop her, she started to draw on his chest. The slight, careful movements made the pair mesmerized. “It’s not as good as Steve’s work but...”
The steel look of the rough made Bucky smile. “I love it.”
“Thanks.” She tried to hide her face with her hair. Bucky liked how it brought out the numerous freckles on her tan skin.
“No coitus in the office.” They all jerked up to see Steve in the doorway, his hand over his eyes.
“What?” Bucky’s face flushed as he saw Steve’s face. “I wouldn’t do that!”
“So, Jeni is wearing a bra?”
She threw a book of flash tattoos at Steve, although sadly it didn’t sail very far. “You idiots!”
She found herself in the office. It was obviously past closing. Did she fall asleep?
“You still here?” A smokey voice got her attention. It was Bucky.
“What are you doing here?”
“Forgot my bag.”
Bucky cooed as he traced the rainbow curves on her thigh. The chilliness of his hand made her jolt. He pulled her closer to him, kissing her collarbone. It was a venomous kiss, making her hips roll over his.
“Does that feel good?” He let his words dance over her ear. She wriggled as he started to neck her. “What about this?”
“Buc-“
”Really? Being so informal.”
“What should I call you then?”
“My full name would be nice.”
“Sergeant. James.” She moaned between each syllable. “Buchanan. Barnes.”
“Good.” He moved his attention to her breasts, which was one of the few places not covered in ink. “So inviting, I just want to...”
Jeni jolted awake to the sound of her alarm.
“Fuck.”
“You had a sex dream? About that guy?” Wanda laughed.
“Almost sex dream. My stupid alarm clock woke me up before he even took off his shirt,” Jeni whined, her head slamming against the breakfast table. “I hate waking up horny.”
“Too bad I wasn’t there.” Pietro smiled, leaning over Jeni. “I could’ve taken care of your morning cravings.”
“As good as that sounds, I like my sexual partners to last longer than two minutes.”
“And they usually wear leather, Little bro.” Wanda laughed. “Speaking of which, how is your angel doing?”
“Last I heard, the Revengers were on tour in Europe.” Jeni purred. “Opening for some band called the Guardians of the Galaxy.”
“Really? Their drummer Drax is amazing.” Pietro fanboyed, almost knocking the dishes off the table. “You think Val can get a signed poster for me?”
“You’d be better off asking Loki to kiss Bruce.” She chuckled. “Shoot, I need to get to work.”
Pietro and Wanda exchanged glances as she ran out the door.
“Wanna bet how long until she realizes he likes her back?” Wanda held up a bagel.
“It might be better to bet who confesses first.”
“I’m sorry I’m...” Jeni stared at what she saw in the studio. There was Bucky, in a destroyed Nighthawk T-shirt. It really showed off his tattoos, especially the line work she’d finished yesterday. Jeni’s mind fill immediately with images of him from last night. She could feel her cheeks warm but she tried to hide it by acting normal. “Hey.”
“Good morning.” That’s when she realized. He was behind the desk, looking through the accounts. “Ready for work?”
“Yeah. I got an appointment with a old client in an hour.”
“Guess we could have some fun before then.”
“Yeah...” Jeni pinched herself. Was she still dreaming?
“Alright, cause Steve wants us to put up a display.” The statement made Jeni sigh with relief.
“Oh, sure.” She looked down at her feet. “Um, about what Steve said yesterday.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. I don’t know why he would think that.” He shuffled some papers. Jeni almost thought she saw his cheeks flush.
“That’s okay. Would you like to go out together for lunch?”
“Yeah. I’d like that.” He looked up at her. “But I’m buying.”
“Alright, I get it. Trying to be a gentleman.” Jeni chuckled, her embarrassment gone. “But I get to pay the next time.”
“Deal.”
@sweetievalencia @fandom-hoe101 @spiderzenslaya @agentmalfoy24601 @kxrtswagnertrash @step-into-my-office @libsybum @panicnowandrun @honey-im-no-angel @madelyne-pryor @saintpyro @arfrona-and-marvel @totheendofthelinepal @marvelfanfichq @full-time-fangirling @that-sokovian-bastard @ourpeachskies @fanfic-haven @thatbandchick39
#Bucky Barnes#bucky barnes fanfiction#marvel oc#marvel universe imagine#winter soldier smut#Winter Solider#Winter Soldier#winter soldier imagine#tattoo shop au
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music rant
hey poopsikins its me again, last time i said i would so some post about my likes and personal thingies, so the first rant is for artists i like then albums the songs. so first i will talk about some og my favorite artists. my favorite artist above all is tyler the creator, i listen to all of is albums (except bastard, its not bc its bad or anything but its not on spotify so) his music, style and personality is amazing, he is one of the few artists, if not the only one, i can confidently say i stan.
albums in order of fav to least fav (i dont dislike any album just like a little less or not as many songs that i listen to)
1. wolf
2. call me if you get lost
3. igor
4. flower boy
5. cherry bomb
6. goblin
wolf is by far my top album, i have the cd and listen to it regularly (either on cd or on spotify) its a very listenable album i dont know how to explain but yeah, now i will rank my top 5 songs
1. slater
2. awkward
3. lone
4. IFHY
5. treehome95
ok so now imma mention some of my fav songs rn from tyler; wilshire (call me if you get lost), smuckers (cherry bomb), wusayaname (call me if you get lost), see you again (flower boy), november + glitter (flower boy), fucking young / perfect (cherry bomb), yonkers (goblin)
now after a long rant about tyler lets talk about other artists i like; lana del rey, tv girl, eminem, icp, kimya dawson, mitski, ect.. imma say my fav couple songs from each artist..
lana del rey- playing dangerous, art deco, watercolor eyes, summertime sadness, cola, blue banisters
tv girl- heaven is a bedroom, loving machine, cigarettes out the window, my girlfriend, blue hair
eminem- marshall mathers, my name is, elevator, kill you, without you, stan, shake that, the way i am
insane clown posse- to catch a predator, chop chop slide, juggalo juice, in my room, 24, let a killa, still stabbin'
kimya dawson- tire swing, my mom, loose lips, better weather, the competition, so nice so smart
mistki- goodbye my danish sweetheart, i want you, class of 2013, crack baby, liquid smooth, real men
so yeah thats my music taste ig, obv left alot out but these posts are just like background info on me so when i post just me talking and bring up something you'll understand
lots of love,
finne ass alex from target
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Pompeii 40
“Concussion?”
Sakura stretched across the bed, tackling Ino as she moved to stand. She knew it was a bad idea to tell Ino, but a few daiquiris in and the story tumbled all too quickly from her lips. “Ino, it isn’t that big a deal, it’s fine.”
“Fine? It isn’t fine!” Ino’s voice took on a new cadence, deep and shrieking, overlaid. Sakura felt feathers bunch and shift beneath her grasp as Ino tried to stand from the bed. “Menma goddamn concussed you!” She stopped moving for a moment, looking at Sakura with large, sorrowful eyes. “I was there and I didn’t do anything. I knew you were hurt and I didn’t check in with you. Were you…did anyone help you with the concussion?”
“Sai and Yamato stayed with me,” Sakura reassured her, rubbing down Ino’s arms. Her arms were nearly full wings now, trailing off the bed. Her feathers were a beautiful eggshell white. “Ino, it’s fine. I understand you’ve been…busy. You’ve been out hunting right?”
Ino snorted, shaking out her hair. She was nearly vibrating with tension, but her touch was gentle as she brought her winged arms around Sakura. “If you call cleaning out a few empty cells and hidey-holes hunting. We’re doing what we can, but Orochimaru is a wily bastard who’s been at this for centuries longer than I’ve been alive.” She scowled, drawing fingertips through Sakura’s hair and brushing errant strands behind the shell of her ear. “That isn’t the real reason I’ve been away.”
Sakura’s stomach swooped low and heavy. So they’d reached the crux of the matter then? “I know.”
“Dad’s been freaking out. The Uzumaki and Senju have been telling him…well, all sorts of nonsense. I know, I know it isn’t true,” Ino said, looking frustrated. “He called a family council and I’ve spent the last week slogging through patronizing speeches from relatives who haven’t even met you. I…well, they’re going to leave it alone for the time being.”
Sakura’s heart lifted as she read between the lines. Ino spent the past week defending her to her family and, from the rings beneath her eyes, Sakura could tell she was exhausted. Sakura grabbed Ino’s clawed fingers gingerly, grinning up at her. “Thanks Ino.”
Beneath her hold, Sakura felt the feathers shift and plume, flaring up her arms in a shiver until they crested Ino’s neck in a fan. Her hands shifted, dropping Sakura’s as she leaned in and surrounded Sakura in feathers.
They were impossibly soft, shifting and ruffling across Sakura’s skin as Ino enclosed her in a tight hug. She dropped her head to Sakura’s shoulder, exhaling away a week’s worth of tension and anxiety. “I will always, always have your back, Sakura. Never doubt that.”
Something within Sakura lurched, melting away bits of the tense knot within the pit of her stomach. She was still uncertain of her place here in Pompeii, but Sakura knew now that she’d always have a place with Ino.
Sakura flipped through the pages of art, humming to herself. Konan’s art was immaculate, illustrative fantasy brought to life with ink upon skin in vibrant colors and confident lines. Though, Sakura realized with a wry twist of her lips as she eyed the depiction of a kitsune, perhaps illustrative fantasy wasn’t the right term.
Illustrative reality more like.
“Konan possesses adequate skill in tattooing,” Sai said beside Sakura’s shoulder. Despite his words, Sakura could see the way his eyes sparkled as they traced along a tattoo of a dragon. “She uses color well.”
Sakura nudged Sai, grinning. “I’m sure she’d be willing to teach you.”
“She certainly will,” a soft voice said. “Konan has always had a gift for teaching.”
The duo turned, greeted with the sallow grin upon Nagato’s face. He sat heavily in one of the chairs, hand pressed to his side. Ink Inc. was a joint effort between Nagato and Konan, a couple that Sakura was quickly realizing owned a few businesses in town, including the Waffle Shack. Nagato’s style of tattooing was strict traditional, both American and Japanese while Konan embraced illustrative and watercolor styles.
Sai, as a black and white artist, was a perfect fit to join their team as the resident black and grey tattoo artist.
And, thankfully, his sometimes abrasive and abrupt attitude was accepted with ease among the tattooing community.
“How are you, Nagato?” Sakura asked, brow knitting with concern.
“As well as ever,” Nagato said, standing with a groan as he clutched at his ribcage. “Don’t worry about me. I’m heading over to the Shack, you want anything?”
Sakura and Sai shook their heads, waving Nagato off as he went to check in with Konan.
“Do you want a tattoo?” Sai asked, watching Sakura peruse the books.
Sakura shrugged, keeping her eyes on the tattoo of an eagle grappling a snake. “Maybe. I’ve fiddled with the idea over the years. I just didn’t think it best to get one during medical school, what with all the crushing debt and the like.”
“And now?” Sai asked.
“Maybe,” Sakura said. “I’ve always wanted an anatomical heart.”
“I’ll draw something,” Sai said immediately, sitting down to sketch.
Sakura’s lips quirked up at the corners, watching him at work. His expression was soft and nearly open, more so than he ever was when he was in conversation with others. This was his element, his safe place, and Sakura appreciated that he let her even be part of this with him. She took a seat, eyes falling to half mast as she drifted, soothed by the near constant buzz of the needles in the side rooms.
Sakura blinked back to wakefulness as the bell above the door tinkled, announcing a new customer. She turned, smiling as Sasuke stepped into the tattoo parlor, shaking water free from his hair and wings.
The smile quickly faded in the face of his thunderous scowl and the way he stormed toward her, feathers ruffled high in agitation. She stood, jumping when Sasuke opened his mouth and a high-pitched screech resounded through the room, making Sakura’s ears ring.
“Sasuke?” Sakura said, folding in on herself.
“What the hell did you do?” Sasuke demanded, arms flying out in a clear bid for intimidation.
It was working.
“Do?” Sakura asked weakly.
Sasuke’s jaw clenched so tightly she could hear his teeth creaking. “Itachi,” he hissed out.
“What’s happened to Itachi?” Sakura asked, stepping forward toward Sasuke despite his aggression. “Is he alright?”
“He’s not alright and you know it!” Sasuke said. “He’s fallen ill with the same sickness that’s taken hold of Naruto and the rest.” He grabbed her wrist, clawed fingertips digging into the flesh. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything,” Sakura protested, ignoring the pain that flared from her wrist. “I’m doing what I can to cure this but I’ve had little success so far.” The shame of her inadequacy burned deep in her chest, flushing her cheeks with its heat. “Please, bring Itachi to the clinic; I can examine his symptoms…or I can come to him, up to your house-”
“You are not welcomed there,” Sasuke said, eyes red and turning with his anger. “You will not infect the others, you parasite.”
Sakura yanked her arm from Sasuke’s grasp, ignoring the way her sleeve darkened as blood pooled to the wounds. “Sasuke, I just want to help,” she said, averting her eyes as the guilt hit her again. There was so little she could do. Hadn’t she been working at this for weeks? And what did she have to show for it? A litter of unanswered questions and unfulfilled promises. She wasn’t a good doctor. “Please.”
“Help?” He glanced at their surroundings and let loose a bitter chuckle. “You seem hard at work helping here.” Sasuke turned his attention to her again and scoffed. “ You can’t even meet my eyes.”
Sakura swallowed, preparing to respond as Sai moved between them, tucking Sakura against his side.
“Leave Uchiha,” he said, slate eyes alight with barely bedded fury. “You are not welcome here, nor are you wanted.”
“I see your mongrel is still healthy,” Sasuke sneered, pinwheel eyes focused unerringly on Sakura. “You should put him down now. Mutts always bite the hand that feeds them.”
Sakura caught the tensing of Sai’s shoulders before she pressed past him, getting up into Sasuke’s face. “That is incredibly cruel, Sasuke! How dare you speak to him like that?” she said, temper and voice rising in tandem. “What would Itachi say if he heard you speaking like this?”
The feathers at Sasuke’s neck ruffled as he went stark white and, for a moment, Sakura thought he would strike her. Then, he turned, stomping out into the rain before taking to the skies.
Sakura sighed, all the fight draining from her as she turned back to Sai. His eyes were a bit wide as he scrutinized her. He caught sight of the blood running down her wrist and snapped to attention, grabbing bandages (which Ink Inc. had in abundance) and a basin of water. Sakura glanced around as he did this, trying to figure out why something felt off.
As he fussed over her and bullied her into a chair, Sakura closed her eyes, realizing what was amiss.
All of the tattoo machines were turned off during the confrontation.
When the steady thrum of the machines filled the air once more, Sakura resigned herself to the scrutiny that was bound to arise from this altercation. As she was learning more and more, gossip spread like wildfire in Pompeii.
She could only hope that she wouldn’t be consumed in the ensuing flames.
The days following Sasuke’s confrontation were tense as Sakura prepared herself to be subjected to all sorts of public humiliations. However, as the days stretched by monotonously, Sakura realized that there was a new game afoot.
A treatment of silence.
As she walked through town, Sakura felt many eyes upon her and could nearly feel the hushed whispers crawling across her skin, but none dared to approach. Instead, they watched her, eyes flaying her open and exposing all of her flaws and vulnerabilities. Sakura did what she could to ignore it, knowing that attempting to address the issue would only exacerbate things further.
People would believe as they wished and there was little she could do to change their minds.
Today she was heading to the library, to visit with Hiruzen and search out answers to this unexplained illness. Ino, Sai, and Yamato had each volunteered to join her but she turned them down firmly, understanding well that they couldn’t put their lives on hold for her sake. She wouldn’t want them to.
Besides, she could handle silence well. It was once a familiar friend. And so it seemed, based on the way people scurried away from her, it soon would be so again.
The abrupt appearance of scrawl reading Sarutobi Library was a welcome distraction as the library formed in front of her. Sakura climbed up the steps two at a time, grinning wryly at the strange building. She rather thought she’d learned its favorite haunts, as it had appeared in the cross streets of Sage and Walnut for her past three visits.
“Hiruzen?” Sakura called out, crossing through the open doors into the library. “Hello?”
“Hello again Sakura,” Hiruzen said, stepping out of his office and wiping his hands in a cloth. Sakura could see streaks of some dark substance upon his face as he grinned at her. “It is always a pleasure to see you.”
“You as well,” Sakura returned, heart warmed by his kind display.
“I’ve a few books that might be of interest to you,” Hiruzen said. “The library’s been leaving them on the tables at night in a rather passive-aggressive manner.” His tone was affectionate as he cast his gaze up to the ceiling of the room. “You seem on quite good terms with the library.”
“Perhaps it enjoys my persistence,” Sakura said, following Hiruzen further into the library, cooling her heels as he rounded his desk and gathered a stack of books.
“Ay, I’d say it certainly does. In my years, I’ve yet to find a magic that didn’t do well alongside stubbornness. It takes tenacity to thrive in the harsh conditions that magic creates.” His voice was casual, overly so, and Sakura’s face warmed. “It takes grit.”
“So you’ve heard,” Sakura said quietly.
“Ay, I have,” Hiruzen said. “I hear it well enough from Hashirama. His brother’s taken ill.”
“Tobirama has fallen too?” Sakura asked, feelings mixed. They’d parted on poor terms, but she still cared for his wellbeing. He hurt her, hurt Yamato, but still…at one point she’d considered him a friend. And then she remembered where Hiruzen received this information. “And what think you of me?”
Hiruzen hummed, stroking his beard. “I know little of the goings on within town. I do what I can to stay away. I have been involved before and I have lived long enough to see the cyclical patterns of the citizens’ attitudes. For near immortals, they are quite predictable.” At Sakura’s blank stare, he shook his head and chuckled. “Apologies. What I mean to say is that, thus far, everything is hearsay and gossip; there is little traction for these rumors. Besides, the land of Pompeii is a strange entity unto itself and I have seen that it is the best judge of character. I have seen people banished from the land by the land. Pompeii likes you; do you think this library appears for just anyone?”
“The library is a part of Pompeii’s magic?” Sakura asked, surprised.
“While my name is upon the building, I cannot claim ownership. Pompeii has graciously offered me stewardship after this manifestation of itself. I have worked here for centuries. The library dotes upon you, it enjoys your presence.” Hiruzen smiled and there was a wicked tilt to it. “I trust the library’s judgment much more than that of my…esteemed colleagues.”
Sakura returned his smile, accepting the books that he passed to her. As she moved to leave, Hiruzen grasped her hand, squeezing it warmly.
“I know that it currently feels as if the town has turned against you,” he said, eyes impossibly kind. “Keep in mind that the town itself, the very bones of Pompeii, is in your corner. That is no small thing.”
He released her and Sakura wished him goodbye before striding back toward the clinic. This time, as the stares and whispers reached her, Sakura was able to ignore them easily. Hiruzen’s quiet conviction buoyed her, centering her and reminding her of the big picture. This too would pass.
She just had to remain strong and resilient, like a weed.
Sakura paused as she reached the clinic, grasping the books tight to her chest. She bit her lip, taking in the sight before her.
The door to the clinic was thrown open and windows broken in. Sakura moved inside, surveying the damage. The cushioned seats of the waiting room were ripped opened, surgical instruments sticking out of them. Some sort of dark, faintly glowing substance coated the floor and walls, smeared across her desk and computer. Shizune’s desk was absolutely pristine. The filing cabinets were on the side and it appeared that someone tried to jimmy the locks, but thankfully the magical sigils had deterred them.
Sakura drifted, almost in a daze through the different examination rooms, taking note of the damage in a cold and distant way. One of the scales was destroyed, as were two stethoscopes. Claw marks raked the walls and furniture, leaving little salvageable. She calculated that the repairs that were required were easily in the thousands.
Slowly, Sakura climbed the stairs to her apartment. The walls were streaked in that strange black liquid and red paint, as well as various claw marks. She paused on the second to last step, looking at her doorstep. Strangely, the door itself was pristine, untouched by any of the damage. But the assailants made the most of her doorstep, gouging letters deep into the floorboards.
UNWELCOME!
The carved letters were traced over with red paint. Beneath the message lay the bell that hung above the clinic’s door, warped and twisted. She picked it up, keyed into her apartment, and closed the door behind her.
“Why have you called this meeting?” Yamato asked, looking up at Hashirama from the seat he lounged in.
Anxiety roiled in his chest, brought on by his surroundings. He hated the Senju compound and all the memories associated with it. Sakura was away visiting the library and somehow Yamato wasn’t all that surprised that Hashirama cornered him and asked him here. Ever the opportunist, that Hashirama.
“Must you even ask? What don’t you understand about the situation? We need your help,” Hashirama bit out, staring Yamato down. “Tobirama has fallen. You seem immune to the…wiles of the good doctor.”
“That’s rich,” Yamato said, arms crossed. “I am no longer affiliated with your clan. You and I may be bound by marrow and DNA, but I owe you absolutely nothing.”
For a moment, Yamato could read the surprise and sudden surge of anger on Hashirama’s face. Good. He had to be put in his place. Then it smoothed, clearing in that way that always spelled trouble for those around him. Damn Fay charisma. “And you care nothing for this town? Pompeii has sheltered you, offering you a home when you had none. There is no love lost between us, but what about Pompeii?”
Yamato laughed and it was cruel and vindictive to his own ears. He was beyond care though, adrenaline thrumming as he finally, finally told Hashirama off. “Sheltered me? No one here has ever cared about me, least of all you and your damn clan. I am the unwanted, the unmentionable. I am the reminder of your abhorrent failure. If you hadn’t failed, I wouldn’t exist.” He laughed and laughed, because if he didn’t, he would cry. Yamato didn’t think there were enough tears in the world. “And you know, for the majority of my existence I’ve wished you succeeded.”
Hashirama drew in a sharp breath but Yamato was nowhere near done.
“All of that changed when she came.” Yamato’s voice was soft, reverent. “She looked at me and saw me, not your failures, not the stain that Orochimaru left on this town. Even when she found out, she never made me feel like I was less than a person. I have now found innumerable reasons to live and that is thanks to her. Her kindness has given me the opportunity to make a life worth living.”
“But she’s behind all of this! People are dropping like flies and those damn trees keep growing and it’s her fault!” Hashirama shouted, composure broken in the face of Yamato’s brutal honesty.
“So?”
“So? Is that all you have to say?” Hashirama demanded.
Yamato slammed a hand down on the table, watching expressionlessly as the wood pinned Hashirama to the wall. They both knew it would be child’s play for Hashirama to get free. Still, the shock on his face said it all. In his arrogance, he still didn’t believe Yamato would dare to raise a hand against him. Yamato stepped closer, waiting until he had Hashirama’s full attention.
“I don’t care,” Yamato said. “Sakura may be the culprit and she may not be. I do not care either way. Pompeii can burn for all I care. If she wishes it, then yes, Pompeii will burn. Why is this so hard for you to understand?”
“She will kill hundreds,” Hashirama said.
Yamato shrugged.
“She will damn us all.”
Yamato moved even closer, pressing a hand to Hashirama’s chin and tilting his head up to make sure that Hashirama listened to him. “You damned me. Sakura is the single light within my world. If she wishes to see Pompeii destroyed, I will assist her in damning you all. I will not stand by and watch you extinguish my saving grace.”
So saying Yamato walked over to the door, flicking a wrist to force it off the hinges. He turned back to Hashirama as Hashirama rubbed his chafed wrists.
“Tread carefully,” Yamato said. “I am no longer your tool to use as you wish.”
“But you’re hers,” Hashirama spit.
“She doesn’t treat me as such,” Yamato replied. “You had my skill set; she has my loyalty.” So saying, Yamato flicked his fingers, blowing the door wide off its hinges. He moved through the threshold, pausing and looking back to Hashirama. “Do not attempt to overstep your bounds again. Next time, there will be no quarter.”
#pompeii#sakura haruno#my fic#our fic#weird wednesdays#saisaku#yamasaku#sai#inosaku#ino yamanaka#yamato#yamato goes from 0 to 10000 pretty damn quick#he's sakura's ride or die bitch#tho she doesn't know it
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Prompt: Regina and Snow have a fight. David and Robin plot ways to help them make up.
What was supposed to bea pleasant family dinner was rapidly escalating into World War 3, and allover a crappy reproduction of a forest painting. Not that he’d admit that itwas crappy, because apparently that opinion had already been read loud andclear, but…it wasn’t good. It was charming, and bright and colorful in its ownway, but…it wasn’t good.
Still, it reminded Snowof Regina, and she bought it for no other reason than to give a gift to herstepmother, and maybe Regina could have been just a little bit more gracious.
And maybe, the nextWednesday when Snow and David brought Neal over for dinner, Regina might not havehad the painting – edited with magicand stripped of color, barely recognizable from the week before – hanging inthe dining room.
Maybe if she’d justburied it in a closet, the night wouldn’t have ended with a pie thrown againstthe wall. Later, when David and Robin were perched on barstools at the RabbitHole, neither of them could agree on who exactly threw the pie.
“You know, I’ve had lotsof bad nights with Regina. Even when she tried to break up our wedding, atleast we still managed to have a good party afterward,” David mumbled into hisbeer.
Robin had had a few badnights with Regina too, but since none of them involved death threats, he justhummed in response and sipped his own pint. He wanted to be part of Regina’sfamily, but common sense told him to stay out of this particular drama.
“It’s just…” Davidtrailed off, his attention caught by an order of soft pretzels being pusheddown the bar. He was a good lad, David, but he was a pretty simple guy. Robinhad no doubt that the secret to his blissful marriage was a woman who liked tocook, and, if Emma’s horrified tales of living in the loft were to be believed,liked to…make tacos. Food and sex, and he was happy.
Since Robin was fairlysure nobody in the bar tonight was going to make tacos with David, least of allhim, he crooked a finger to the bartender and pointed at the plate of pretzels.Might as well get the man some food, since Robin had neither cash nor creditcard to pay their tab. So far, he’d managed to drink for free based on the goodwill of his mates,and David was well on his way to being a melancholy drunk who wouldn’t remembercharging a night out tomorrow.
(Upside of living inStorybrooke – after 28 years, nearly everyone had an ongoing tab at the localpub. Downside of living in a town with a magical barrier to exit – even if hewanted to escape opening his own bar tab, he couldn’t go far.)
“It’s just what?” heasked, after David had been sufficiently stuffed with pretzels and Robin hadordered another round.
“I thought everythingwould be great, once Snow and Regina started acting like a family.”
Robin snorted. “Clearly,you’ve never met my family. My father and I hate each other, and my olderbrother tried to smother me in my sleep for a good three years when we werekids.”
“Yeah, but you grew outof that, right? I mean, Snow and Regina are adults,” debatable, Robin thought, given present evidence to the contrary, “andthey still make each other crazy.”
“It’s just a painting,”Robin said. “It’s hardly the lost treasures of the kingdom.”
“It’s not the painting,not really. Snow thinks Regina thinks she’s got no style, and it makes herinsecure.”
Robin looked down at hisown wardrobe. Jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoodie that had seen better days. “I’mpretty sure Regina thinks I’ve got no style either, mate, but it doesn’t worryme.”
“You don’t have anystyle,” David agreed. “But Regina does, and Snow wants to be just like her.Same as she did when she was a kid.”
Regina would laughherself into a coma if Robin told her that Snow wanted to be just like her, buthe knew a little bit about that kind of hero worship. He felt the same abouthis older brother, right down to trying to smother his younger repeatedly whenhe arrived.
“I’ll talk to her,”Robin reassured David over the last pretzel.
“After another round,”David said. “If you go home now, you’re going to have to clean up that pie.”
Robin clapped his friend on the back. “Hate to break it to you, I’mgoing to have to clean up that pie no matter when I get home.”
***
Regina was still fumingwhen he came downstairs the next morning, taking out her wrath by scrubbing thealready spotless countertops in the kitchen.
“Not feeling better, Isee.”
She slapped down thesponge and glared at him. No, not feeling better at all. “Do you want to talkabout it?” he asked.
“What’s there to talkabout? Snow is a spoiled child who makes lousy apple pie,” she huffed.
“That’s hardly reasonenough to throw it against the wall,” he pointed out, but not before checkingthat she had nothing at arm’s reach to throw at him.
The wet sponge hit theside of his head with a soggy thwack.He wiped the suds off his face, trying like hell to fight off a grin. “You mayhave a lousy temper, Regina, but you do have excellent aim.”
She crossed her armsover her chest, a flush spreading over her cheeks as she worked herself up intoa full temper. “I did nothing wrong. Good manners dictate that in giving agift, you relinquish all rights to the gift’s use. It’s not my fault her stupidpainting was ugly.”
“No, but it is yourfault that saying things like that means that you think less of her.”
“I didn’t say that!” Heraised an eyebrow, and she looked down at her hands and began picking at hernails. “Not in those words.”
“I hate to point out theobvious, love, but even when you don’t speak, you manage to get your pointacross rather well.”
She huffed. “What am Isupposed to do? Apologize?”
He clutched at the neckof his t-shirt. Regina, apologize? “God, no! Not that!”
Fortunately, shechuckled at his dramatic response. Her shoulders slumped a bit, and her armsshifted so that she was wrapping them around her waist. “I suppose I couldapologize.”
He wasn’t overlyconfident that her apology would make things better. Regina had many talents,but admitting she was wrong wasn’t exactly one of them. “Maybe you could returnthe favor?”
“You mean, give her backthe painting?” Her expression brightened. “I can certainly do that.”
He sighed. “No, I meangive her a gift. Only, this time, give her something that she would like. Notsomething that you would like.”
“But I have bettertaste.”
Lord, no wonder Snow wasinsecure. “It’s not about taste, Regina. You buy Henry gifts all the time – you’drather he read the classics, but he has a stack of comic books in his room thatyou bought him because you know he likes them. Hell, you even bought me six differentt-shirts in the same color because you know I like it. Why not do the same forher? Why not stop trying to mother her into the person you want her to be, and giveher something that shows you like her for who she is?”
Regina blinked insurprise. “I do like her for who she is. Most of the time.”
“Then show her. It’s that simple.”
***
A week later, theyknocked on the door of the loft, Henry in tow and Regina’s arms full with apaper-wrapped package. Even though the two women hadn’t spoken since the pie-throwingincident, Wednesday nights were for family dinners.
The smell of tacoswafted through the hallway. David must be hedging his bets, Robin thought witha smile.
Snow opened the door,stony-faced but clearly trying to be gracious. “Here,” Regina said as sheunceremoniously thrust the package into Snow’s hands. “It’s a gift. For you.”
“Thanks?” Snow laid thepackage on the dining room table. She slid her finger along the tape holdingthe wrapping together and gently pulled back the paper, uncovering a brightwatercolor of the Troll Bridge.
“I know you like thatspot,” Regina said. “And…I thought you’d like this. It’s colorful. Pretty,even.”
“It is pretty,” Snowbreathed. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
Regina shrugged. “You’rewelcome.”
“I’d like to hang thisup in my room at school, if you don’t mind?”
“You want to hang apainting of where you went to bang your married boyfriend in your classroom?!”
Robin poked Regina,maybe a little harder than necessary, with his elbow. “Remember, you don’t getto decide what she does with the gift!” he hissed.
“If it would make youhappy,” Regina said through gritted teeth, “I’d be flattered if you hung it inyour classroom.”
“It would make me very happy.”Snow threw her arms around Regina and hugged her so tightly that Robin was alittle afraid she’d cause a collapsed lung. “So very happy.”
“Women,” Davidwhispered. He held out a bottle of beer to Robin, which he gratefully accepted.“You’ll be glad to know that dessert tonight is cookies.”
Much easier to clean up,in case things went upside down again. David was always a lucky bastard. Heclinked the neck of his bottle against David’s. “To family dinners,” he said.
“To family,” Davidagreed.
Family, indeed.
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Enchanted Book Box Review – May 2017 http://ift.tt/2rRLQEx
Your Enchanted Book box awaits!
A monthly themed YA box that delivers bookish items right to your door! A perfect box for any YA book lover!
Plans:
$38.00/month + shipping*
*Shipping is calculated – international shipping is available, but contact for rates
May's theme was “Game of Thrones”!
As a huge fan of Game of Thrones, I couldn't wait to receive this box! Game of Thrones is life.
Enchanted Book Box comes in an adorable white box with the logo on the top! I love how ethereal the box design is. It goes well with the concept of the box!
Upon opening the box, the first thing that you see is a Game of Thrones style letter with a wax seal! The wax seal has the Stark House Sigil imprinted into it. I love this little detail!
Here is a closer look at the gorgeous wax seal!
The letter itself lists everything included in the box. This is such a unique way to design the content card for this box! I love how the owner of the box kept with the Game of Thrones theme through even the smallest details. The quote at the beginning of the letter is one of my favorites and something I live by.
The quote says:
“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.”
The first item on the list is the chosen book of the month! This month's book choice is Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts.
Here is the synopsis:
Being a bastard blows. Tilla would know. Her father, Lord Kent of the Western Province, loved her as a child, but cast her aside as soon as he had trueborn children.
At sixteen, Tilla spends her days exploring long-forgotten tunnels beneath the castle with her stablehand half brother, Jax, and her nights drinking with the servants, passing out on Jax's floor while her castle bedroom collects dust. Tilla secretly longs to sit by her father's side, enjoying feasts with the rest of the family. Instead, she sits with the other bastards, like Miles of House Hampstedt, an awkward scholar who's been in love with Tilla since they were children.
Then, at a feast honoring the visiting princess Lyriana, the royal shocks everyone by choosing to sit at the Bastards' Table. Before she knows it, Tilla is leading the sheltered princess on a late-night escapade. Along with Jax, Miles, and fellow bastard Zell, a Zitochi warrior from the north, they stumble upon a crime they were never meant to witness.
Rebellion is brewing in the west, and a brutal coup leaves Lyriana's uncle, the Royal Archmagus, dead–with Lyriana next on the list. The group flees for their lives, relentlessly pursued by murderous mercenaries; their own parents have put a price on their heads to prevent the king and his powerful Royal Mages from discovering their treachery.
The bastards band together, realizing they alone have the power to prevent a civil war that will tear their kingdom apart-if they can warn the king in time. And if they can survive the journey . . .
Based on the synopsis, I think that this is a great book to pair with the Game of Thrones box! I am very excited to read it.
The next item is a Mother of Dragons bookmark from Jessicascissorhands on Etsy! This bookmark is beautiful and I love the watercolor design of it. It is based on my favorite Game of Thrones character, Daenerys, and I will be putting it to great use!
The next item is this Game of Thrones tea from LoSkeeverAmmiccante! I am obsessed with tea, so I was so excited to receive this tea in the box. It smells delicious!
The next item is this Sansa's Lemon Cakes Lip Balm by NerdieNifties! This lip balm is extremely moisturizing, and I love how it smells like lemon meringue pie. It also has such a neat connection to Game of Thrones!
The next item is this King's Landing candle by Flickering Tales Candles! The candle smells spicy with a hint of the ocean, and I love it. It sets the perfect scene for Game of Thrones!
The next item is my favorite item in the box! It is an authentic Quellon Greyjoy Half-Penny from Shire Post Mint. This coin looks like it came right out of Game of Thrones, and I love the description that goes with it. It really makes the story come to life!
The next item is a Collector Card from Mystic Moon Media! I received Daenerys, my favorite character, so I was very excited. The artwork is beautiful, and I have already put it on my bookshelf!
The next item is a Game of Thrones Coloring Book by Sweetgeek on Etsy! This coloring book is compact, and I love how it highlights different characters from the series.
Here is an example of Jon Snow from the coloring book! I love the quote that is on his page.
The next item is this pin from Geektastic Creations! The pin reads “that's what I do. I drink and I know things”. This quote is reminiscent of Tyrion Lannister, one of my other favorite characters, so I was so happy to see that he was included!
The last item is this “Dracarys” bookmark from Paperback Paramour! The term “Dracarys” is what Daenerys uses to encourage her dragons to breathe fire.
Here is the back of the bookmark! I think that the artwork is beautiful.
Final Thought: Enchanted Book Box is fantastic! Even though it is more expensive than other book boxes, it comes with so much more. They really put a lot of effort into making this Game of Thrones box magical, and I adore everything that was included. This is one of the best YA boxes that I have tried, and I highly recommend it! The passion that goes into the box really shows. Go ahead and give Enchanted Book Box a try! You won't be disappointed.
*NOTE: The Box Reviewers received this box to review.
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