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katzone · 6 months

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Answering asks #4

I have been... procrastinating over answering asks in my inbox... just a bit 🥺

I'm really grateful for everyone's patience so I'm finally sitting down to answer all the asks I got! Again tysm ;w;

• Finny art request + Timelapse and brief overview of my art process

My deepest apologies anon! Not only did you send this ask back in July, but I additionally promised you a reply back in August- and it's October now! 😭 I am so sorry for my lateness and am so grateful for your patience!

In any case, you asked for a Finny drawing so I offer a Finny drawing! As well as a timelapse of my art process and brief overview of how I do things since you were interested!!!

I wasn't sure what style you wanted me to draw him in (I have so many styles RIP) so I picked the most difficult one I (sometimes) use! Aka my painterly style!

As for how I draw like this uhh, it's a lot of messing around trying to find the right colors basically!

Also focusing on quick brush strokes that communicate the shape of whatever surface I'm rendering!

I also love casting most of the upper part of the face in shadows. Does it make sense? No. Does it look good? Yes!!

As for my lineart, again- rly depends on the style I'm going for- but I tend to use a more sketchy style of lineart these days.

Like a superrr clean sketch. I think it looks nicer with my rendering style, bc the lines have that sketchy rough quality so it's easier to hide the imperfections bc I can hide under the "well it's supposed to look rough duhh" excuse LOL. Work smart not hard! I always say that.

I hope I'm making sense with my rambles. I've never been the best at explaining my art process bc I myself don't rly get what I'm doing usually. It just kinda comes as a reflex almost?? I've been drawing for so long I just kinda go with the flow at this point.

Anyhow hope it was worth the wait XD enjoy your Finny!!!

• Kuroshitsuji Musical idea suggestions

To refresh everyone's memory (bc I'm so late at answering asks), awhile back @shadowalkingschemer asked if I ever planned to make a Kuroshitsuji musical parody type songs/animations like I did for Umineko, to which I said "probs no bc an actual official Kuroshitsuji musical exists, but it sounds like a rly fun idea tho". ANYHOW- this was the followup ask I got from the same person! So let me finally answer!!!

Oki so I looked up this Beethoven's Last Night thing you mentioned and???? OMG??? It goes hard from the first few minutes I listened to. It's a rock opera I assume? And it's such a bop?? And yes this would be perfect for Kuroshitsuji, it matches that classical sophisticated vibe SO WELL with the general edge of the story (bc duh. it's a recreation of Beethoven's compositions but with epic rock music). God this is so good, thank you for the recommendation I will have to listen to the full album soon bc WOW.

• Nice person in my inbox :D

Thank you so much @eynnwwyjth !! That's such a sweet compliment too ;W; to call my art enchanting AAA ty!!! :>

• Animation advice

Thank you for checking out my YouTube @aeowolfestheater !! It's my primary social media, and I'm glad you fell down the rabbit hole of my many many uploads I posted over the years XD

To answer your question, I don't rly have the best personal advice when it comes to starting out as an animator rly! I kinda... fell into it? XD I started animating (well trying to animate in MS Paint), before I even turned 10, so I didn't really have that traditional learning curve? It was mostly a lot of trial and error, trying to figure out what works and what doesn't.

(If anyone wants to see how my old animations looked and how they improved over the years, I posted many "Animation Improvement" type videos that showcase my work over the years, so you get the idea of what I'm talking abt!)

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Best advice I can give to any animator right now is probably the boring advice I personally never took (hence why it took so long for me to get where I am now). Learm the fundementals (the principles of animation, the ins and outs of the animation program you're using, general art skills are also a bonus depending of what you wanna animate). I think it's also important when you are first starting out to focus less on making your animations smooth and clean and more on learning how to capture movement itself (that's the point of animation after all!). Learn how things move depending on material, speed, physics etc. and how to communicate that in animation. I think just observing life helps a lot. References are your friend (video references are probs the best). Ofc clean and smooth animation is great as well, but that comes after you learn the basics I think. Stay on model the best you can while animating any shot (ofc unless you are doing squash and stretch or experimental animation). It makes it look less janky. Uhh I can't think of much else right now (bc again I never rly learned animation the normal way haha), so I will link my two animation tutorials here! They are abt Clip Studio Paint EX though, idk how helpful they are if you don't have that program :'0!

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• Tumblr mutual reunion!

Omg hi @rissynicole and so sorry for the late reply!! As this post has shown so far I am extremely slow at replying to the asks I recieve in my inbox! Anyhow it is me! Katrinci! I got back on Tumblr in 2022 (has it already been over a year??)! Sadly someone else took my old username (an innactive empty blog too... I'm so mad), so I got a new username heyooo. I hope you've been well!! I'm doing better then I have in gosh, years I feel like XD. Mostly bc I'm finally out of school and finally focusing on stuff I wanna be doing (art career stuff and irl stuff!) But yeah I hope you've been well too!!! Feel free to reply or shoot me another ask if you feel like, I'll do my best to reply on time this time! (I'm so so sorry for being so late!!) Anyhow YIPPIE!

• Where to watch my silly Umineko Musical parody

It's here! I privated it on my main channel bc I thought it was too goofy/self-indulgent even for me (also it wasn't doing well and y'know how YouTube is with channels that underperform T_T), so I moved it to my secondary channel! It has both the song you are referencing and the other song I did! Enjoy :>

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• What Croatian stereotype is Katzone?

Well every region in Croatia has its own stereotype, I'm from Dalmatia, and we are stereotyped as loud. So I def fit that one! And also I fit the "cura iz umjetničke" (girl from art school) stereotype quite well. I went to an art highschool and I'm gay, autistic, slightly mentally ill and look vaguely alt (literally I don't btw, but ppl see a buzzcut and it blows their minds, like "woah that's so alternative and quirky", not knowing I only have a buzzcut so I can't pull my hair smh (trichotillomania, look it up for more info)). Though I don't smoke weed so mby I am a bit subversive and not like other art girls.

• Kat sexuality confirmed??

Oki so what @xxparanoidvampirexx is referencing here is when I posted a poll asking my followers to guess my sexuality.

These were the results!

I have been democratically declared a lesbian by popular vote. This is probably true. Listen I'm like 95% certain I'm a lesbian but you never know. My autism makes it hard for me to figure out any sense of my identity bc I often mirror ppl around me (and most of my friends are lesbians or sapphic women in sapphic relationships), you get me? We can never know. My sexuality is currently a Schrodinger's cat situation I'm afraid.

ANYHOW, to answer LMAO- I mean fair assumption. I do mostly post about women on my blog (Saldy... I got back into Adventure Time recently and my blorbo there... is a *shivers* man. I saw someone on Twitter today as that fictional middle aged men are to lesbians what Taylor Swift is is to gay men. And like. Yeah.)

• Nice person in my inbox #2 + "What's your favorite Ciel outfit?"

First of thank you so much anon for the kind words!!! I'm rly happy to hear my art makes you gayer (the only correct compliment ever). Jokes aside, but fr this is super sweet :'D thank you!!!

To answer your question, I had to go skim through this video by @/nullbutler to refresh my memory on what outfits Ciel wears throughout the anime/manga/official art.

Here's the video if you wanna watch it!

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Anyhow, my personal fave fits of his are extremely basic. While I do love Ouji fashion, I dislike seeing him in most of the oufits Yana puts him in. Like yes they look lovely, slay extremely hard and fit the visual aesthetic of Black Butler perfectly- but every time I see him in these frilly oufits I'm like "this is not reflective of his personality in any way, he would not wear this on his own, it's pure camp". Don't get me wrong- I love camp, and this anime/manga is as camp as you get. So while I love the more campy frilly oufits he wears aesthetically (and those are way prettier), I perfer when he's in stuff like this:

Like yes, these outfits are objectively less interesting and pretty- but I see stuff like this and I'm like yeah that's him. If Sebastian dropped dead and couldn't pick out his clothes anymore, this is what he would wear on his own accord methinks.

• STOP MAKING ME FEEL OLD 😭

Here's my live reaction of reading your ask @porfiriea :

What do you mean?? You were 6?? I doubt you watched my 2014 MS Paint animation era, I assume you found my channel during 2016-2017 at earliest (my Undertale and Yan Sim animation era). I refuse to believe you were born in the 2010s. Nuh-uh. No. Not happening. Fake news.

Jokes aside, but it's always cool to see ppl be like "oh I watched your stuff b4, I didn't know this Tumblr user was you!" It's a strange feeling!! Makes me feel like I did leave a mark on the animation side of YouTube. Feels nice! :'D but also old. And I'm only 20!! How will I feel when I'm 30 or 40?? Will I just turn to dust on the spot??

• Grelle's gender masterpost update

I'm so sorry anon, but I completely lost interest in this topic T_T! Plus even if I ended up making a masterpost, it wouldn't be fully accurate (or at least- I wouldn't be able to verify its authenticity completely), as I don't speak Japanese. So I would have to go off of Google translate and translations by English speaking fans who understand Japanese. And I don't wanna talk too much abt Japanese queer culture either. Even though I did a ton of research, I'm not Japanese and I never went to Japan! So I'd rather not risk spreading any potential misinfo. Sorry to let you down ;;!

• Another YouTube viewer spotted me in the wild!

Omg you spotted me!! In the wild!! That animation was crazyy, bc I made it rly fast and rly didn't expect it to do well. But I remember it did super well during the first day (got 100k views on the first day it was wild), and while I love that old video, I'm like. Rly? That one blew up?? Out of all my other ones?? I mean the idea was creative! But I feel I half assed it a little, I barely animated anything for it outside the headbop tweening and blinking animation XD. Mby I'm being too harsh on 14 year old Kat here. Nahh I'm not, I felt the same when I posted it innitially as well. But hey I still love that vid. Love the style I drew in at the time, I was still using a mouse for everything back then. Love the colors too! Mby I should remake it one of these days. Mby!!!

If anyone wants to watch the animation @gentle-starlight is refering to:

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• Umineko time

@anawkwardlady This is the universal Umineko fandom experience I'm afraid. Being sad over Beato and wishing she was vibing (after you learn abt... the horrors...) XD

• ???

I'm so very concerned and do not know what this means or what this is refering to. I'm afraid O_O @hononyan what does this mean...

• What happened to my old Tumblr blog

It's completely ok to ask anon! In truth, I have this rly bad habit where I delete social media accounts when I'm having a bad mental health moment. It's always an impulsive decision I end up regretting. I deleted my old Tumblr in early 2021 I'm pretty sure, and I'm still so sad about it. I wish I didn't delete it. I had that blog since 2015 and now it's gone like poof. I can't get it back and I'm always emo abt it.

I might make like, an archive or something of my old art one day. I mean I still have most of it saved on my computer, but it would be nice to have all of it in one place publically again (it's always good to have stuff backed up somewhere)! Adding that to my to-do list XD

Oh and the worst part? I can't use my old username on Tumblr (Katrinci). Someone else took it. A BLANK EMPTY BLOG. I'm so mad. I'm soooooo mad give it back to meeee.

• THE END!

And with that I have answered all the asks I had in my inbox! Well, all the questions and stuff, I still have other stuff in my inbox like art requests but I'll get to that some other time if I feel like doing any of those! In any case, tysm for being patient everyone! Ik it took me very long to reply but I hope my responses were worth it! I wish all of you a nice day! My hand hurts from typing owie.

#📬 askbox #i talk abt sm stuff in this post holy cow.#it even has some art/animation advice bc some ppl asked for that so do read this post if it interests u!#oki DONE.#Youtube

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stiffyck · 3 months

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you inspire me a lot as an artist <3 when you were still figuring out your style and learning basic stuff, how did you keep yourself motivated? im at that point where im still learning basic anatomy and it frustrates me enough to make me lose all motivation

Honestly I have no clue. I was mostly drawing for myself and never actually intended to like. Become an artist? I tried to apply for an art school (high school, not college btw. No clue how other school systems work but yeah) and I somehow got in? And we had figure drawing and stuff so I HAD to do this sorta stuff for school basically.

Tbh art school taught me that I most likely do not want art to be my job I just want to draw stuff for myself.

So uhhh this is very bad advice because I don't really have any advice djfjrkfj I just had to do my school work which was art and figure drawing and perspective (I HATED perspective. My god the amount of times we've had to draw a cube.... )

So I guess try to like... figure out what you like drawing and try to get better at that? You can tell yourself that when you get better you will be able to draw stuff you can't do right now or idk.

I'm rambling I don't know how else to put any of this FJVKRKGKKE

Just have fun, look at references and try to figure out how stuff works and why it looks the way it does.

One thing I did like doing in art school that we had as homework most of the time were the quick few second sketches.

Take a pen or a marker or something, some nice color if you want, go sit in a park or somewhere and try to sketch people in the park. Literally just quick sketches, no erasing or correcting, just do a few quick lines.

That's supposed to make you get a grasp a little bit of grasp at anatomy and capture movement. If you combine this with something like figure drawing where you just focus on doing studies of anatomy, best done with a live model, you'll get better and better.

I should keep doing these things too probably but tbh I don't really care if my art gets better atp I just like doing this for fun.

Hope you like my non-advice because I got real rambly. It's 1 am I have an excuse.

#stiff talk #asks

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tiny-breadcrumbs · 6 months

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A Notes on that "Battle Husbands" drawing process

First of all, Here is the quick sketch I do In between. Mostly when I feel like crying because I can't mix the right shade for li lianhua's robes or shoes. But then it frustrated me even more because zhan yunfei didn't looks like himself! so it served to motivatived me to go back to the main project.

Below are several of the thumbnail and initial sketch when I trying to figure out the composition,

I eventually choose the low angle perspective over the bird view for a more intimidating presence to our main. So it can give a clear distinction of which side has the upper hand on this fight.

And for the character, Yangzhouman is a calmer, steady energy (in comparison to di feisheng's baifeng baiyang) and it made for speed. So I do need li lianhua to be "light" on his feet. But still look fierce, alert, and ready to strike at any moment. Some of the pose I try for him have this softer energy for his stance, and I try to balance it with a sharp movement in his upper body. He also got some baifeng baiyang at this point, eh, so I refined his pose sharper and sharper. Initially, I want him to hold his sword in his regular habit of holding it upward (because it kinda majestic) but turns out I don't have enough brain power to draw it between the tangle of his sleeve and all that hair. So I throw out that idea really fast.

I also try one or two more pose in a different paper that sadly got drenched in the rain, along with all the planning for di feisheng! So this is all that left.

There is a change in the composition from vertical to horizontal. Because in vertical composition, they stand too close to fit in the frame and li lianhua looks like he is one wrong move away from stabbing di feisheng. (Can't let him injure his newlyweed husband after all)

I laugh for a whole ten minute while stubbornly trying to make it work. And it still didn't work. So eventually, the final sketch is in the horizontal format.

I forgot to take more photo of the process after this one. Probably too distracted with all the mixing of blue and purple to make everything coherent because I desperately avoiding any green. There is only the very bright kind of green on my color stash. The cursed one. And I'm not friend with green. Unfortunately, Li lianhua wear this ambiguous muted greyish green robes. And they are in a open space of a forest. A lot of green. And di feisheng wear a very dark color. It will not looks good for their contrast if one character blended with the surrounding and the other not, when they both supposed to be the main focus.

So the overall process took around 12 hours within the span of three days. I'm so slow 😂 But yes, all nice and fun, already on my way to draft a new fanart.

Stay tuned

#mysterious lotus casebook #mysterious lotus casebook art #art process #my art #chaotic ramblings

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crypticjackal13 · 2 years

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Mk x shy GF Reader, with the Mk clones? set during the episode Duplicatnation where Mk is dealing with the fact he accidently got carry away with making clones, but not only that, he has to now deal with them fawning all over his girlfriend in their own ways and getting her EXTREMELY flustered and embarrassed, And are our poor boy is getting REALLY jealous.

“Too Many”(1244 w.c.)(Romantic one shot)

MK/Clones x Shy!Fem!Reader

pronouns: she/her

CW: slight possessiveness

One second, y/n was enjoying some quiet time at Pigsy’s because hey, there was a little too much chaos in her life at the moment, and the next, she was apparently texted to meet her lovely boyfriend at Sandy’s boat. This she didn’t mind. Sandy was such a sweet guy, and she’d be lying if she said spending time with the therapy cats wasn’t one of her favorite things to do.

It was what happened when she got there that was a problem.

The boat was not only a new color, but she could see that familiar red bandana and messy brown hair hard at work painting it. She smiled knowingly, hopping up onto the deck to greet him.

“MK, hey!” She went to hug him like she always did, but when he turned around, something was terribly off. His eyes had a crazed fire dancing in them as he wielded a paintbrush. But he still returned her affection.

“Y/n! Good, I was hoping you would be fast! I want to paint you!” He explained. She wasn’t opposed to the idea, but she certainly was thrown off by his mannerisms.

“Like, right now? I’m not sure—“

“All you have to do is sit and be pretty. You’ll look perfect at any angle!”

Even if he was a little unhinged, she was still blushing at his comment. She went and sat on the stool across from a canvas he’d set up, choosing a simple pose that wouldn’t take long—theoretically.

“Beautiful! Yes, you’re the perfect muse!” He beamed, getting to work on an underpainting. Her heart was racing and she felt her face grow hot at his compliments. She held as still as she could, out of worry for what might happen if she shifted even a little. A solid half hour must have passed by now…But her arms were getting tired in the position she was holding them, so she mustered up the courage to say something.

“Hey, can I just take a quick break? Have you got a sketch down?” She asked. The artist stepped away from the canvas, humming while he looked at her.

“I suppose…just hurry back, okay? This will be a masterpiece as long as you’re here.”

She hopped off of her seat and gave him a quick kiss as she exited the boat, choosing to head back into the city and get something to eat, maybe even stopping at the arcade…Mei was there, right? They hadn’t gotten to hang out lately.

Walking into the building, she could tell once again that something was wrong. But she pushed that feeling aside and continued in, getting some tokens and enjoying some of the games at the front by the entrance. But the music was muffled, like it was only coming from the back of the building, so y/n went to the back and saw two tall guards in front of the door. Once they saw her coming, they immediately opened the door for her, and she hurried past them with a quiet “thanks”.

Gods, being in that space was already overwhelming—it smelled like soda pop and smoke machines. The music reverberated through the floors that lit up with each beat. And it was crowded past capacity, most likely. Someone was yelling from the DJ booth, but she couldn’t make out the words.

“Y/n, thank goodness. You need to talk to your boyfriend.” Mei emerged from somewhere in the crowd, taking y/n by her arm and practically yelling to get her point across.

“But I was just with him on the boat!” She yelled back.

“Then who’s the guy wearing leopard print sitting in the booth?!”

The two girls got to the front of the room, and lo and behold, there was MK. Y/n was beyond confused. If he was here, then who was the artist she’d just spent time with? He peered through his slitted neon glasses at her, reaching over the turntable and yanking her into the booth with him. It was only a little easier to hear.

“Aw yeah, the life of my porty is here! It’s good to see you showed up!” He exclaimed, giving y/n a kiss.

“Porty? MK, what are you talking about? What about the painting?”

“Huh? What painting, yo?” He shook his head with a smirk. “Whatever, anyways, c’mon, join in! Let’s make some sweet tunes to get these guys moving!”

“No, hang on, how long have you been in here?” She stopped him, trying to figure out exactly what was happening.

“No idea, babes, all I know is I’m throwing the best porty this arcade has EVER seen!” He put one of the headphones over his ear, before pressing some buttons that changed the music and got things going again. Now that y/n could see the whole crowd, she could also see that they all looked like zombies…some were slumped on the floor, others were trying to keep dancing but stumbled and dragged their feet. Some were even hiding from MK’s sight. Mei was standing by the entrance to the booth, and she didn’t look too hot either.

“MK, you need to chill out a bit, okay? Let’s go play some games, just you and me.” Maybe if y/n played her cards right, she could get him to be distracted long enough that the crowd could disperse.

“Not right now, sweet cheeks. After this set, definitely!” He responded.

“What do we do? He’s lost his mind!” Mei took y/n’s hand again to get her away from the crazed DJ. Y/n shrugged, racking her brain for solutions.

“Let’s get out of here! There has to be an exit!” She said.

“Sorry, sweet heart. No one’s leaving this porty!” The DJ came up behind the pair, yanking them both deeper into the booth.

Hours passed as Mei and y/n were stuck inside a giant claw machine. On the plus side they weren’t stuck on the dance floor, but on the downside they were trapped in a much bigger problem than before.

That is, until the skylight broke. Their saving grace was here, hopefully the REAL one. They couldn’t make out what Real MK and Porty MK were saying to each other, but y/n was just overjoyed that MK was okay. What scared the crap out of her were the countless evil clones that were trying to fight him and how she couldn’t really tell who was where doing what. Golden light was everywhere, and before they both knew it, y/n and Mei were out of the claw machine and out of harm’s way. But they were back in the booth, standing behind Real MK.

“Wait, how can you tell who’s who? He might be the porty clone!” The DJ said.

“It’s ‘party’!” Mei said.

“Aw man, I played myself.”

And then he disappeared. Y/n was still comprehending the fact that all of that just happened, but of course the explanation was three simple words: “mystic monkey business”.

“Y/n, are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” MK approached y/n, pulling her into a hug that she recognized as his hug. She leaned into him, trying to calm down a bit.

“No, I’m not hurt. Just…frazzled, I guess. Promise you wont make any more clones, okay??” She pulled away from him, grabbing his arms and shaking him back and forth. He laughed the whole time.

“I promise, I promise!”

#lego monkie kid #lmk headcanon #lmk x reader #lmk #lmk mk #lmk qi xiaotian #mk x reader #porty clone #porty mk #porty mk x reader #painter mk #painter MK x reader #fem reader #romantic oneshot

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teacupfullofroses27 · 1 month

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You guys get more Wonderland content because I feel bad for being busy

here's an unfinished sketch of just Jax, Pomni's supposed to be in this one but she is. not in it yet. But he is! looking down patronizingly at no one, for the time being. Here's a little segment from the first chapter if you wanna read it

Or don't if you don't wanna spoil yourself, I'll post it on Ao3 when it's all done :>

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Echoing from the tunnel came a man’s voice with a tone filled with annoyance.

“Great, clock’s running slow. Man, I really don’t want to stop by the Hatter. Already late enough as is.”

The woman stopped. ‘Another person! Finally!’ She thought, wasting no time as she ran through the tunnel, and straight into whoever was standing there. Both where sent tumbling to the ground.

“Sorry! I’m so sorry! Plea-“ She starts, fumbling to her feet, until she looks at the man she so rudely collided with. Or rather, the rabbit. He was tall for a rabbit. It couldn’t have possibly been the same one she saw earlier, could it? but he was purple, and donned a pink waistcoat. ‘Well, it is possible,’ she thought. After all, how many rabbits happened to be purple and preferred to wear pink waistcoats? But now the rabbit was so cartoonish, so lanky.

“Wh- what? Who are you?!”

The rabbit smiled wide, revealing his very yellow teeth, which happened to be the same hue of his eyes. Gross. He groaned as he made an effort to stand, towering a good bit over the woman.

“You know, I could ask you the same. Why don’t you answer that first?” His tone was equal parts menacing and mischievous.

She stared at the creature that should’ve been impossible. But, then again, a good number of impossible things had happened that day.

Her eyes darted around from block to colorful block, stalling while she tried to form some sort of answer in her mind. “I… actually don’t know.” She stared down at her clasped hands in embarrassment. The rabbit didn’t say anything, still eyeing her and smiling. The woman never thought a rabbit of all things could be unsettling. But here she was, very much feeling unsettled.

“So you’re new, that’s good to know.” He finally spoke, and promptly turned around. “Well, It’s been real fun, but I’ve got places to be. Ta-ta now!”

“HEY WAIT!” She called after him, giving chase through the winding tunnel. “WHERE AM I? WHO ARE YOU?”

He left her questions unanswered as he bolted with remarkable speed. The woman kept chasing him. She hoped the tunnel wasn’t as long as the hole she fell through. She could barely see him now, he was just too quick. She thought of another question to throw at him.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN, ‘I’M NEW?’”

She saw him look back at her for a moment to send a teasing smile, only to then turn back as he picked up speed. She huffed as she grabbed at her annoyingly puffy skirt and continued to give chase. Light filled the tunnel as the end came into sight. He was too far ahead of her now, he made it out. He raced to the end of the hall, and stood a wall full of doors of all shapes and sizes. He was stopped, she could catch up. She heard something clattering, he was holding something. Keys. a large chain of them. He filed through each of them, until he held one up victoriously.

Something metallic clattered against the floor. She wondered if he noticed.

The woman so was close, practically inches away, but the rabbit had unlocked the door and slipped through, just in the knick of time.

She slammed into the door, and thumped her fist on it out of frustration. She tried at the knob, but no luck.

“HEY! COME BACK!” She pressed her face to the keyhole and yelled. She let out a huff, and stomped a foot on the ground. It landed unevenly. She lifted it to see a small, golden key underneath. She snatched it between her fingers.

“HAH! HEY, YOU LOST A KEY! B-BUT IT’S MINE NOW! CAUSE-“ She called, confidence waining as she realized he probably didn’t hear her, or care.

“Cause, I-! I Found it…”

______________________________________________________________

That's all u get mwehehe you'll have to wait for the rest- also this one will have illustrations like my other fic

#the amazing digital circus #tadc fanart #the amazing digital circus fanart #the amazing digital circus Jax #the amazing digital circus au #tadc au

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the-owl-tree · 5 months

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not to be cringe but do you have any advice for running a character ask blog? Aiming for something kinda lowkey like with Bean (also I love bean. I love to see what she’s up to)

not sure how helpful some of these will be since they're just what i do for my personal projects but for sure!!!

uuuuhhh basic overview stuff

if you're doing an oc blog, chances are it probably won't receive as much attention as a canon character/story blog. just sort of the way things go! if you want to draw some attention, you might want to think about non-ask related stuff you can post (clangen blogs do this with the mini event posts, keeps the world moving!)

even with canon character blogs, giving pieces of character lore, worldbuilding, mini stories can help keep the world more alive. but that's when you got time and if it seems fun, you should just do things if you want to tbh

i keep all my stuff in a doc and add and edit whenever i put new info on the blog to keep things consistent. i just put them in little sections to help me find things (beanie lore, worldbuilding, spirits, etc.) but simple bullet points are easy.

if you're doing an original character and world, i would highly recommend giving your readers some worldbuilding and lore to help them invest themselves. people don't know the boundaries of things and while you can have them ask, a little nudge definitely helps.

for a canon blog, i'd pick a specific time period. it'll save you grief if you know who's alive and who isn't, as well as the grief that comes with trying to figure out what you want to change (if you want to change things that is. i like fucking with canon but it really is up to you and the story you want to tell).

you can improvise it as you go, but i do recommend jotting them down somewhere after the fact so you can keep things consistent. up to you though, i just have a piss poor memory lol

figure out if you want to try and do an overarching story, mini stories, or no stories. you don't have to decide right away and you can even decide after you start the blog and get a vibe of what people are interested in, but sometimes it is good to jot them down if they come to you right away.

you're supposed to have fun if you're not having fun don't do it, take a break from the blog or steer it in the direction you want. no one is paying you (i think) so everything you do you should do because you enjoy doing it.

art for an ask blog (if ur doing art if not skip this)

your main character should be easy to recreate on model and most importantly: fun to draw!!! overly complicated character designs are fun in the beginning but after five or more you're going to start to hate them.

i'd also recommend against doing too many tiny "floating" bits, keeping things attached to a body part or in proximity to a space easy to recreate them will save you grief. i learned this the hard way after i kept forgetting all those damn tiny scars i put on my fallen stars!firestar design. in comparison, beanie's design for the blog has a few scars but the placement makes it so they're easy to recreate and draw.

(how i style my reference sheets. do not be me. do not fall into hubris and add so many damn floaty scars to a character that is the main damn character of your goddamn big ass au blog. fucking icarus move lol)

if you introduce a new character, make an easy quick ref sheet for yourself. it'll save you grief and keep things consistent.

i'd also figure out if you want to do colors or no colors. no coloring means you have more time to put effort into sketches and can just move faster if you're looking for something breezy and easy. but colors look good, they make it easier to tell cats apart and are just much nicer on the eyes. if you also have a bigger cast in mind, you can rely on colors a little more than body shapes to make sure everyone can be told apart

i color my sketch lines different colors for different characters on the beanie blog but there are plenty of other ways to make sure characters are told apart! @/askcinders does distinct shapes and different base colors for different characters and lines distinct markings so you can tell whose who.

backgrounds are...difficult. i'd recommend simplicity over complexity and save big backgrounds for "big moments", but it's up to you if you like them! i would just say go simple since the focus of these blogs are the characters.

theeeeennn speech bubbles or no speech bubbles. i like doing doing speech bubbles within the text because it gives me more control of the order the reader will read the dialogue, how they read it, the emotions i can elicit from it, and more fun with how i can place the dialogue. buuuuuut that does mean spacing them, and spacing dialogue bubbles can be a pain since it takes up room if you forget to sketch their placement in the original sketch (which i do. a lot).

so the other option is art and then dialogue underneath directly in the post. this saves you room, makes art probably a lot easier, and circumvents the issue of difficult to read speech bubbles! i do both but it's up to you, both methods are tried and true.

aaannnndd that's all that comes to mind? really it's just about having fun. as you work at it, chances are you'll probably figure out your own individual work style. best of luck (and i'm very excited to see what you come up with)!!!!!!!

#deer rambles

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bmodiwrites · 11 months

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You Drew Stars Around My Scars

Hi friends! This one is based of a prompt I got sent a couple of days ago. The general gist of it is janitor x workaholic AU. So, here we are! Eddie's a story board editor with nothing to go home to and Steve, well, he's a janitor. This little beauty is filled with cuteness, a few twists, and lots of steddie goodness. Oh, there's some naught stuff, too. Minors, DNI! Check it out here or over on AO3! Let me know what you think in the comments below <3

Dropping the ludicrously expensive color pencil back onto his drawing desk, Eddie reclines back into his chair. He quickly clenches and unclenches his fingers in a desperate attempt to get some blood flow back to them. The sketch before him, a recent episode idea for Epic Kids, is almost perfect – after ten straight hours of work, Eddie is glad to see the thing finally shaping up into what it’s actually supposed to be.

As a story board artist, the demands on Eddie change daily. He doesn’t work for one show or something simple like that. Instead, he works for a company that dabbles in both television and video games. His projects range from children’s shows to multi-million dollar selling video games. No one knew the 90’s would be the time technology blew up – now, so many different game consoles exist, Eddie is never shy on work.

Upon picking up the craft right out of college, Eddie didn’t expect this to be the rest of his life. Sometimes, though, the world works in mysterious ways. The children’s book he always wanted to write comes alive in the shorts he draws and ideas he shares. Though he’s still wanting to put together a D&D epic for younger kids, Eddie is content enough with his lot to continue doodling on someone else’s dime.

He's about to pick the red pencil back up when the creak of his already open door startles him. It’s well past the time at night where anyone else is usually in the building. Eddie likes to close his door until everyone leaves so he’s got the space to himself. Now, he’s drawing in ambient light with nothing to disturb him – except, he guesses, for a gorgeous man dragging along a cleaning cart.

For a lingering moment, Eddie knows the man hasn’t seen him yet. He’s got headphones covering his ears and his head bobs to the beat. Strong hands are already reaching for the tools he’ll need to clean the floor before clearing out Eddie’s trash. This guy is new because no one ever took the time to sweep up the pencil shavings under Eddie’s desk. Lately, he’s been coming back to the office to a clean space. Now, he knows who the culprit is.

Since the guy still isn’t reacting to Eddie’s presence, brown eyes greedily take in their fill. Though the headphones push it down, the janitor has gorgeous hair. It’s thick and dirty blonde. Eddie thinks about the potential for amazing hairstyles and almost swoons. As his eyes roam a little further, Eddie notices wide wire-framed glasses pushed up an angular nose. They enhance hazel eyes that are now looking at him with a mix of panic and surprise.

“Oh damn, I’m so sorry. No one is ever here, I didn’t even think to knock. I’ll uh – I’ll come back later.” The words are out of the new janitors mouth so fast that Eddie’s head spins. Though, he’s quick to put it on right in hopes of keeping this mouthwatering stranger in the room.

“Hey, it’s alright. I should be thanking you. You’re the first cleaner to ever pick up my pencil shavings. It’s awesome, man. I appreciate it.” Eddie finishes his thanks with a soft smile. It should be enough, saying something sweet before moving on. Yet, it’s not. Eddie feels compelled to keep talking. “Are you new?”

The guy looks incredibly uncomfortable for a second before nodding. It’s brief and coarse but it’s a reaction – one that Eddie wasn’t all that sure he was going to get. Happy with that small crumb, Eddie’s smile widens.

“Cool, you’ll like it here. I’ve been working behind this desk since college. Loved every second of it.”

His comment is met with silence that lingers so long Eddie thinks his new friend is done with the conversation. He’s about to grab at his pencil again when that deep voice sounds off.

“Maybe you’re right. It’s really quiet. I like that.” The man pauses for a second, takes Eddie in. His hazel eyes roam over Eddie’s face and down until he sees the drawing on the desk. For an instant, those eyes widen, but the moment is gone long before Eddie can process it.

“I’ll let you get back to your work, Mr. Munson. Sorry again about the interruption.”

Shrinking back at the name, Eddie calls out immediately – “It’s Eddie. Please, call me Eddie.”

Though the man doesn’t verbally respond or outwardly acknowledge Eddie’s request, there’s a short little nod before the squeaking of the cart sounds again and the enigma of a man is gone as quickly as he came.

Over the next couple of weeks, Eddie changes his routine in hope of bumping into their new custodian again. He walks the halls every couple of hours during the day to see if the man works while the rest of his crew does, but never finds him. He then stays a little later, lingering in his office until the call of food or a television show or plain boredom has him collecting his bags to head off for the night.

Eventually, Eddie’s enigma makes another appearance. This time, though, Eddie is not prepared for him. He’s been curled up into the sanctuary of his arm, napping soundly, since his last meeting. They ripped apart his drawing and asked for something completely different than what Eddie had been picturing. The game isn’t even out yet and Eddie is over it. The headache that sets in kicks his ass, making the call of the flat of his desk so very enticing. He doesn’t know he’s fallen asleep until the door kicks open and he’s blinking awake.

“Shit, I did it again. I’ve been saving your office for last every day, trying not to disturb you on your late nights. Sorry, Mr. – Eddie. I don’t mean to disturb you.”

Sitting up a little straighter in his chair, Eddie stops him before he can go. “Wait! You don’t have to do that. I don’t mind the interruption. It’s probably needed. I’m spending way too much time here, anyway.”

With an invitation to stay, the guy doesn’t take off like the rocket he had just been trying to become. Instead, he lingers in the doorway, eyes roaming over Eddie again. Since they’re staring at one another, Eddie doesn’t disguise his desire to look back.

This time, Eddie notices a thin little mustache that covers red and probably delectable lips. They’re plump and forming words that Eddie is obviously missing out on. He clues back in just in time to catch the tail end.

“ – my friend’s son loves Epic Kids. I get so many more cool points now because I know one of the artists.”

Eddie is glad he managed to tune back into reality – catching that compliment makes the rest of his shitty day seem insignificant. Epic Kids is his pet project, one he’s much more interested in than the stupid game pitch still haunting him from his desk. Though, Eddie is unsure how the man before him knows about his involvement. He hasn’t had a new project for the show cross his desk since they first met.

“How did you know I worked on that show?”

The man smiles then, his lips (they are absolutely kissable, Eddie just knows it) quirk into a knowing grin. For the first time since Eddie encountered him, there’s a sign of life outside of trash cans and a grumpy demeanor.

“That first night I barged in, you were working on a doodle that ended up in yesterday’s show. After Lucas finished up the episode, I watched through the credits. Eddie Munson, Storyboard Editor, is pretty hard to miss.”

“It’s kind of unfair you know my name and I don’t know yours,” Eddie petulantly says before he can stop himself. Though, it’s not a bad thing because the man laughs, genuinely chuckles, and points to the embroidered name on the left side of his tacky blue jumpsuit.

“I’m Steve. Steve Harrington.”

Eddie’s cheeks heat up for some reason, as if access to a name gives him so much more. While it’s just a title to call the hot man that roams the halls at night, Eddie sees the vulnerability as something more. An obvious door has been opened and he’s timidly excited to step through it.

Steve becomes a regular fixture after that. It’s easy for him to wheel his cart into Eddie’s office at the end of the night and make conversation while he goes about his duties. Eddie draws or sits in his chair listening intently to everything Steve’s got to say. He learns about the man’s found family and his platonic soulmate who also doubles as a roommate whenever she’s in town. The connection they have is something that should be cherished, despite only being nurtured for a handful of minutes the nights Eddie can force himself to stay late enough.

There is, of course, an easy fix. Eddie isn’t one to actively pursue another person, especially when he’s not quite sure about their interest. Steve, it seems, is the exception to every rule that Eddie’s ever put into place, however. Their time together is too nice not to extend it past the walls of his workplace. Never mind the fact that Eddie is more than excited by the prospect of Steve in anything but the ugly blue uniform he’s forced to wear. The man is beautiful, Eddie sees that through and through. Something tells him, though, that Steve has lots of potential outside of navy blue.

He bids his time until the perfect opportunity presents itself. It’s a Thursday night and Steve is already talking about the weekend. He has yet to mention Friday night, however, so Eddie takes that as his chance.

“What about Friday? Are you free? There’s this joint in town I’ve been dying to try out, thought you might like to come.”

Eddie waits with bated breath as Steve blinks a few times behind his thick lenses. He goes about putting the trashcan back in its spot, even replaces the bag before looking in Eddie’s direction.

“Uh, yeah. That – that sounds good. I haven’t been out with adults I didn’t grow up with in ages. I think I’d really like that.”

It takes a massive amount of effort for Eddie not to happily jump up from his chair. His fist is tingling with the need to thrust itself into the air in triumph, but Eddie keeps control. After finally securing some extra time with Steve, the last thing Eddie wants to do is muck it up by being over eager or worse – immature with his excitement.

It seems, however, that Steve is just as excited. Pink overtakes his cheeks and a smile that Eddie’s never seen before stretches those gorgeous lips wide. And while he’s not making eye contact with Eddie at all, Steve sneakily glances in his direction time and time again as he finishes up.

Eddie feels like he’s back in high school again, fumbling over his first crush. It’s a glorious thing, experiencing freedom like that after the fickle mundaneness of adulthood.

----

As expected, Steve is an absolute dream out of uniform. The yellow polo Steve’s wearing makes the hazel in his eyes stand out beyond belief. His blue jeans are tight in all the right areas, enhancing thighs and ass like navy blue fabric never could. Eddie has to physically close his mouth upon first glance, lest he starts drooling before the date actually gets started.

Thankfully, Steve spots him across the weird little bar and makes a beeline in Eddie’s direction. The space they’re in is an eclectic little place that serves beer while it’s patrons play mini golf on the two courses out back. It’s one of the coolest things Eddie has seen – he desperately hopes this little place won’t be the last of such an interesting idea.

Everyone around them looks to be enjoying themselves, either way.

Glad for that knowledge and reassurane, Eddie makes quick work of getting them both a drink and the things they need to play the first course. Steve is slightly stiff as they start but loosens up by the third hole.

Now that they’re not in the noisy bar and the party before them is a couple holes ahead, Steve relaxes. He starts to shoot better and actually takes a couple pulls of his drink. It’s a relief because Eddie already thought he blew it.

As it turns out, Steve is just a man with a little social anxiety. When it’s just the two of them, Eddie gets so much from Steve. He talks about his family the most, the little brother (who’s not actually a ‘real’ sibling, though Steve counts him as one) that’s been a pain in his ass most of Steve’s life, the niece and nephew he spoils incessantly. It’s a beautiful thing to experience a person so dedicated to the people around them.

Eddie tries to reciprocate by telling him about art school and the program he did throughout. He talks about the children’s book he wants to write, despite never spilling the beans of that to anyone else in the entire world. Uncle Wayne doesn’t even know the plot of Eddie’s dream work. For some reason, Eddie can’t stop himself from speaking so earnestly to Steve. It doesn’t hurt, however, that Steve is pretty candid with his words, too.

The only thing that Steve doesn’t talk about is himself. After the first date and then the second, Eddie chalks it up to nerves and taking things slow. He’s in deep already, so the change in pace is a welcome thing.

Except, it keeps happening the longer they’re together. Two dates turns to two months of dating, two months of Steve avoiding questions, two months of them never once setting foot in Steve’s apartment. Admittedly, the lack of personal details is a little off putting. Though, Eddie is eager enough to see where things might go with Steve that he pushes all of that aside. One day, one day really soon, Steve will open up.

It eventually happens, just not in the way Eddie ever thought it would.

For the first time in their entire relationship, Steve’s walking him towards his door. Well, he’s backing Eddie up against it because they can’t keep their hands off each other. Between their intense connection and the chemistry that runs rampant, Eddie’s been edging himself, waiting for this very moment. It’s a little much now that it’s happening but Eddie’s here for it, eager and willing, too. So much so that he doesn’t question Steve leaving off lights as they stumble inside.

Despite the time it took them to get here, Steve is anything but patient and inexperienced. He doesn’t fumble or miss buttons in the darkness of the room. His accurate attack gets Eddie out of his clothes in record time.

Instead of taking off his own, however, Steve immediately drops to his knees, eager hands finding Eddie’s cock without struggle. Long fingers wrap around the base while Steve’s other hand drops to Eddie’s balls. He rolls them at the same time the wetness of his mouth sucks in the head of Eddie’s cock. It’s so glorious, Eddie can do nothing but thread his fingers through Steve’s hair and pull him closer.

The suction is so good that Eddie has to dig the nails of his free hand into the fleshy skin of his palm. Drawing blood is the only thing stopping Eddie from shooting down Steve’s throat but it’s all too good to make him stop. At least, Eddie thinks that until the end is actually imminent. Then, he tugs on Steve’s hair, pulling him off as gently as possible.

“You’re way too good at that. Care for a little something more?” Eddie asks as Steve stands up from his spot on the ground. There’s a smile on his face, though Eddie barely recognizes it in the dark. He thinks to ask about the light but bypasses the urge – if Steve wanted them on, he would’ve flipped the switch as he passed.

Knowing that, Eddie is a little surprised that Steve takes off his clothes at all. Usually when a person liked to keep the lights off, they liked to keep their clothes on, too. Steve, it seems, is filled with contradictory worries and triggers. He sheds his clothes in the same manner he disrobed Eddie. It’s efficient and quick and soon, they’re both standing in front of each other naked as can be.

Steve doesn’t give Eddie much time to take him in. That self-conscious air is back, despite Steve covering it up by sliding his body on top of Eddie’s on the mattress. They fit together so well it’s difficult to keep up with anything at all aside slick slide of Steve’s hips as he grinds down against Eddie. Their cocks are both wet with pre-cum that makes each brush of their pelvises an electric thing. Eddie is already done in – he’s not sure how much more he can take.

There must be precognition in Steve’s life because he moves away from Eddie right as he thinks that. It’s both a torture and relief, one that’s only made better by Steve shifting his body so he can dig into the bedside table for a condom and some lube. The triumphant little noise he makes is kind of nice, too. It reorients Eddie back to the real reason they’re taking each other apart. He loves Steve. Steve loves him. Coming together like this is the ultimate culmination of their feelings for each other.

That thought echoes in Eddie’s head while Steve lubes up a finger, then leaves a dollop of the cool liquid on Eddie’s hip for later. When that finger breaches him, Eddie lets Steve project his love into him, feeling complete for the first time since things started between them. It’s satisfying and dizzyingly delicious.

Steve is very good at the things he’s doing to Eddie. His fingers take no time at all to find Eddie’s prostate. They nail the bundle of nerves tirelessly before not touching it again for many minutes on end, despite more digits coming to the party.

Eventually, three fingers barely skim against it by the time Steve’s getting antsy for more. Eddie too is right there with him.

“I’m good, Steve. I’m good. I need you, baby.”

A soft chuckle slips from Steve’s lips that are pressed against Eddie’s neck. While hands fumble between them, Steve kisses and nips little marks into soft skin, distracting them both from the lurid slip of a condom down Steve’s cock. Eventually a hard tip presses against Eddie’s entrance and the softest of whispers echoes in his head.

“I’ve got you, Eds. I’ve got you,” Steve mumbles, his words laced with lust and want and anticipation that reaches a peak as Steve finally presses inside.

It’s so difficult to keep his composure, Eddie doesn’t even try. He yells out a loud “fuck” that sits in the room with them. While Steve draws back and thrusts forward, Eddie clings to him. He runs his hands over Steve’s back and sides, tracing lines of something like scarring from one side of his torso to the other. If he was thinking straight, Eddie would’ve taken that all into account. Instead, he wraps his arms around Steve’s neck and lets the man drop even more weight upon him, distracting Eddie further.

When the end comes creeping near, Steve’s head is tucked into Eddie’s neck, his harsh breath like a tsunami’s wind. Eddie is hanging on the precipice, already able to cum for minutes now. He’s clutching to that edge just to make sure he tumbles off at the same time Steve does. It only takes a handful of thrusts and a cleverly placed bite of Steve’s teeth right above Eddie’s collarbone for both boys to free fall into the unknown abyss of immaculate pleasure.

Eddie must black out because the next time he blinks back to consciousness, there’s light streaming through Steve’s windows. There are curtains but each one is pulled back, letting in the light.

It’s then that Eddie sees them, the reasons behind Steve’s need to keep the lights off in front of Eddie. There are scars everywhere that Eddie can see. Some are long and thin while others look like something tried to take a bite out of Steve’s skin. The flesh is red and raised, though healed completely all the same. Eddie wants to reach out and touch but he refrains. Intimacy is a gift he doesn’t want to give away. Misplacing Steve’s trust in him is not at all what Eddie wants to do.

Already, it’s too late, though. Steve turns slightly, revealing more of the scars on his chest and neck. There’s a long line around his throat that Eddie is surprised he’s never noticed. It obviously hides well under all the clothes Steve wears. This time, he doesn’t tamp down the urge. His fingers brush up against Steve’s neck on their own accord.

“What happened, Steve?” Eddie’s eyes are welling up with tears. He can’t decide if he’s mad at whatever did this or overwhelmed with the need to care for the man before him. That must be clear – Steve doesn’t draw away or try to hide. He rolls over completely and pulls Eddie into his arms.

“It’s – really hard to explain,” Steve starts, his hand idly running up and down Eddie’s sides as they cuddle. “The town I grew up in, Hawkins – it made the news a bunch of times a few years ago.”

Sensing some familiarity, Eddie wracks his brain, trying to remember but New York is a long way away from Indiana. He still nods his head, willing Steve to go on.

“Some crazy stuff went down that you probably won’t believe. In the end, I took a beating to make sure my family got to see another day. I got… taken and the things that were trying to tear Hawkins apart, they did this to me. A couple times over.”

Steve’s a little breathless when he finishes. Despite not sharing all that many details, Eddie knows whatever he just purged from Steve is a lot. It’s something that’s stricken him down in unimaginable ways.

For all it’s worth, Eddie leans further into Steve, dragging him in a little closer. He doesn’t know what to say but that seems to be okay. Steve wraps him up tighter and lets the easy silence settle between them. Without noticing, both drift off again.

Between a nap and another round of amazing sex a while later, Eddie is famished when they eventually resurface to go about the rest of the day.

Steve volunteered to cook so Eddie wanders around the apartment. He takes in the comic books and CDs. There are toys in a box in a corner and a big tv box tucked into a nice looking stand. It’s simple and nice and totally not what Eddie expected at all.

Neither is the master’s degree Eddie sees hanging from the wall.

“Steve, you went to college? For longer than the mandatory four years?” Eddie’s voice is high, the shock clearly coming through.

Steve comes bounding around the corner, a spatula still in his hand. “What are you screaming about in here?”

Eddie takes a long breath and then another. He looks at the diploma on the wall and then back at Steve. “You never said you were a college boy.”

Laughing lightly, Steve shrugs his shoulders. “You never asked.”

“But – “ Eddie starts, his face flushing. The mere thought is too much. How can he ever say the words?

Steve, of course, beats him to it. “But what? But I’m a janitor? You know, Eddie – that’s pretty narrow minded of you.” The words hold no malice, despite the tone of Steve’s voice.

“I don’t like people or crowds. I have PTSD from all the trauma in my teens. Offices and university campuses are the Mecca of loud noises and large masses of other humans. Instead of putting myself into danger, I work a slow job that fits my complexities. It’s exactly what I need, Eddie. Kind of like you.”

The last sentence is enough to make Eddie’s head spin. He for sure thought he was getting a lecture where in fact he gets the opposite.

Steve strides towards his bookcase a determined look in his eye. He searches and skims his fingers over book spines until the right one is in his hands. “Read this. You might understand things a little better. I always told anyone who asked that the events weren’t real but they are. Everything I wrote down in that book is what me and my friends went through. All of it.”

Steve taps the top, looking directly at Eddie. “Read it, don’t read it. If you’re curious about me, you’ll find a lot of what you want to know between those pages.”

All the sudden, Eddie remembers where he heard the name Hawkins before, where he’d even been privy to Steve’s name prior to them meeting. Looking down at the book in his hands, Eddie distinctly remembers demogorgons and bats with tails that stung and ripped and tore. Quickly, Eddie riffled through the pages in order to get to the back cover.

There, in all his gorgeous glory, was Steve Harrington, not at all smiling at the camera. Reading into the bio, Eddie ticked off all the educational credentials that Steve has. Two master’s and a prestigious scholarship from the university he used to teach at. Despite himself, Eddie is surprised, yet not all at the same time.

Instead of continuing to read through the book in hopes of finding out more details, Eddie closes it and puts it back on the shelf where Steve found it. Sucking in a long breath, Eddie nods, then goes to join Steve in the kitchen. Now that the cats out of the bag, Eddie thinks he might enjoy learning more about his boyfriend strictly from the source himself.

As Eddie settles himself against Steve’s back, he allows himself to relax. Steve’s mystery is one Eddie can’t wait to pick apart. Until the clues lay themselves out for him, however, Eddie’s content to hold onto Steve tight and see where the road leads them. It’s too easy to be enraptured by a man that holds his hand while flipping pancakes with the other.

“Thanks,” Eddie whispers as the breakfast making commotion calms down.

Steve doesn’t ask him what he’s thankful for or demand an explanation. He simply pulls Eddie close and silently finishes breakfast.

Slow and steady.

Absolutely perfect in every way.

tag list (message if you'd like to be added): @infinite-orangepeel, @thefreakandthehair, @corrodedcoughin, @prettyboisteveharrington, @writer-in-theory

#steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #steve x eddie #steve harrington/eddie munson #steve harrington x eddie munson #janitor steve #artist eddie #bobbie writes #you drew scars around my scars

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elizaditton · 1 year

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Too Small To Be Afraid (Chapter 4)

Links:

Cover / Master Post / Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

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I drag my pencil along my paper, trying my best to sketch out Captain Tristen's form. It feels good to be drawing again after all the work it took to move into the new apartment. There's nothing I'd rather be doing right now than drawing Stranded fan art.

A knock on my door catches my attention. I look up from my work to see Dad entering my room with a box tucked under his arm.

"What's that?" I ask, gesturing to the box.

"Just something you'll need for tomorrow," Dad says. "What's that?"

I race to cover my drawing of Captain Tristen with my hands, my face turning red. "Something that's not done yet," I say.

Dad chuckles, setting the box on my bed. 'Kaylin Finch' is scrawled across the side in permanent marker.

"But really," I protest. "What is that?"

"You'll just have to open it and find out," Dad says, giving the box a good pat. "I'll be in the other room if you need me." He heads for the door and exits before I get the chance to ask him anything else.

I put my sketchbook and my pencil aside to examine the box on my bed. Why would a box have my full name written on it? Could this be left over from the move? What could possibly be tomorrow that I'd need whatever is in this box for? And why was Dad so quick to leave me alone with this thing?

Peeking at the top of the box, I realize it isn't taped shut, and there are no mail markings. Where did Dad get this? I flip the top open and peer inside. A pair of loafers and a pair of tennis shoes sit atop two gray pieces of fabric. A smile creeps across my face and I let out a sigh of relief. Finally, I've got my uniform for the new school. I'd completely forgotten about orientation day happening tomorrow since we were so busy unpacking. I'm surprised Dad didn't forget, too.

I lift the shoes from their place in the box and examine one of the pieces of fabric underneath. Lifting it up and unfolding it, I find it's a pair of shorts. Must be for gym class. I set them aside and reach for the other piece of fabric in the box. I'm about to unfold what I'm certain is a skirt when the item underneath catches my eye.

Green?

I set the skirt aside. Ascend Human Academy's colors are blue and yellow. What could I possibly need that's green? Confused, I reach for the green fabric and lift it up. Unfolding it, I find it's a blazer.

A blazer?!

How could Dad have gotten the wrong color? Where'd this stuff come from, anyway?!

A golden patch to the right catches my eye. It's embroidered with a shiny, metallic thread. In the center of the patch is a blue circle, containing a set of three red triangles pointed downwards while a yellow circle floats atop each one. The symbol sort of resembles a flower. Or maybe people?

Below this icon is a single line of text embroidered over a faux folded ribbon.

'Pacific Deskmate High School.'

The blazer falls out of my shaking hands. A deskmate school?! There must be some kind of mistake!

I grab the blazer, jump off my bed, and race down the hall. I find Dad in the living room, sitting on the couch working with his laptop. He pushes up his glasses and looks up at me, smiling.

"So, did you open the box?" he asks.

"Dad," I say, holding up the blazer and pointing to the golden patch. "Why do I have a blazer for a deskmate school? I'm supposed to be going to Ascend, right?"

Dad frowns and turns away. He rests a hand on his chin and heaves a sigh.

"You see, Kaylin... there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

My insides do a somersault. This can't be happening!

Dad sets his laptop on the table and pats the spot on the couch next to him.

"Come on," he says. "Let's have a talk."

I stay in place for a moment before reluctantly moving towards the couch and plopping myself down in the spot next to Dad.

"I want you to know I've thought long and hard about this," Dad says, "and I ended up coming to the conclusion that stepping outside of your comfort zone and socializing with pertheans at school will be better for you than staying in an all-human school. The only reason I didn't want to pull you from your school before was because I knew that's where all your friends were going."

I cross my arms. All the friends I had at school either moved away from Maedri or transferred to other schools before stage four. I'm not gonna lie, making friends at a school like West Maedri Human Academy was pretty hard. At best, I made a few acquaintances, but most of the people there were snobs. Either way, up until this move, saying I have friends at school has been my one excuse to not be transferred to a public school where they start teaching humans and pertheans in the same classrooms in stage two. But a deskmate school? This is a thousand times worse!

Dad continues, "I regret not letting you have the opportunity to socialize with pertheans as often as you could have if you had just kept going to public school like you did in stage two. I believe I've actually done you a disservice, and for that, I'm sorry."

"A disservice?"

"Yes," Dad says, scooting a little closer. "Look at what not being around pertheans has done to you. You won't look at them, talk to them, or even stand anywhere near them."

"That's because—!"

"I know it's because you're afraid," Dad interrupts, "but your coping strategies are not helping, nor are they working for you. Don't you wish you could just get along with pertheans?"

I look to the floor. I suppose life would be easier if I could 'get along with pertheans,' but it would also be easier if everyone was the same size so we wouldn't have to worry about these things. Then everyone could live above ground together safely.

"I guess," I sigh. "But how is forcing myself to live in fear every day supposed to help me to get over it?"

"I know you're not going to 'get over it' that easily," Dad says. "But I do believe that with exposure and with time, things can get better. Don't you remember anything Mrs. Cherie taught you?"

"Mrs. Cherie?" I ask. Now that's a name I haven't heard in years.

"Mrs. Cherie! Your therapist after—"

"I remember Mrs. Cherie," I interrupt. "But I was too little to remember anything useful from those sessions. All I remember is playing board games."

"Well, then maybe you're due for another round of therapy." Dad puts an arm around my shoulder. "Kaylin, I wouldn't send you to this school if I didn't think it would be good for you. I'm sorry I lied to you about going to Ascend and transferring for work, but I really believe this is what's best for you and that it's going to help you."

I turn to Dad, eyes wide. "What do you mean you lied about transferring for work?"

Dad laughs nervously. "About that..."

"I thought your boss wanted you to transfer here because Chancelor is your hometown," I search his eyes for answers as the pieces start to come together in my mind.

Dad gazes out an artificial window we finally managed to get working this morning. He takes a deep breath, looks to the floor, and then looks back at me.

"I've wanted for you to go to a deskmate school for a long time now, but there weren't any nearby. So, as soon as the company started operating around Chancelor, I put in a request for a transfer."

"So that I could go to a deskmate school?" I ask, my brows twitching.

"Yeah," Dad says. "Although it's not just any deskmate school. This is the one I went to when I was your age," he smiles. "And my deskmate ended up becoming one of the co-principals."

Oh, great! Just what I need, an old friend of my dad's who might know about my fear as one of my new co-principals. What if word gets around that I have a fear? What will I do then?

"Kaylin," Dad says, "just trust me. You'll see this will be good for you. You're in good hands at Pacific."

"I don't want to be in anyone's hands," I protest.

"You know what I mean," Dad says, patting my shoulder.

My fists clench tightly. I stand up, clutching my new blazer, and walk back to my room, leaving Dad alone on the couch.

#tstba #too small to be afraid #perthea #g/t #giant/tiny

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zeenbean · 2 months

Text

im bored so heres my oc description

so this was just a quick sketch. i dont reall like the style but whatever. also this storry is written to be in comic so it has a lot of character developtments and main aspects of a story

1)lola

idk why she looks so weird but anyway. she's best friend of Amy(mentioned below) she's just living, now when holiday is starting she got summer job in some coffee shop. the same coffee shop where Amy got the job. they became friends. yay. i don't have much more than that i was thinking about Gia killing her(DONT ASK ME WHY I DUNNO) but she kinda new.

2)amy

she's the main character. she has a lot of lore for some reason and her pre-version was something COMPLETELY different. but ill talk about that later. one time she goes home after school and any of her parents neither her sister aren't home. its weird, she waits, after two hours its weird. she calls the 911(not really were livin' in Czechia) and bla bla she gots teleported to another reality where she is dead. than she gots teleported back. fast forward to present day, she's in another reality, she cot control about the porting and she has some other powers like idk reality manipulation but she like can only change color of some pencils or something. than she meets kiri, bla bla, than she mets gia, version of her from another universe, bla bla, than she almost gets killed by ms B(yes its not full name i was just too bored to actually give her some name and personality of any other than being a bitch, which is kinda funny saying her "name" is ms B. in older stages she actually had a name, beliangage, but that was too long, sounded weird and also sounded for some reason like beldam from Coraline. back to Amy, I'm ending with her being in her universe after fixing what Gia did in the drawing "don't trust short-haired version of me" and someone calling on her phone. it was her "missing" mom. actually, the missing parents was one of the oldest ideas bcs i didn't wanted the orphan cliché. her parent went "missing" because Gia at that time wanted to delete her parent from reality and accidentally deleting them from EVERY universe. bye this was long.

3)gia

what am i supposed to say. she stopped talking to her family bcs she found out about her powers and the amazing ms b, like girl- anyways, she's weird. she likes the idea of the whole universe being deleted except one, even though ms b wanted more amy to help her and that is the reason why gia is jealous of amy, she wanted to be the best one. bla bla, she gets mad ot her for something, she pretends to be her in the news, the drawing "dont trust short-haird version of me" happens and she realizes what se had done. but no redemption. were not doing that here. shes supposed to be here bcs even tho she could be "bad" and amy "good", theyre there to compliment eachother nd show that amy. is. not. good. pls. im not doing this anymore.

4)kiri

starting with my favorite, namelogy(does that even exist?) a lot of people thought that the name is from avatar, but i had the idea of her even before. ind the name comes from...cheese. i need help. in our country theres like this cheese spread thats called "cheese kiri" and i thought it would be so funny if her name was kiri too. potentionally a punchline for a joke that would be too cringe to even be written in the script. so about kiri, she just like spawned to amys life, she was like one of the customers and she forgot to do something with her eyes and amy was like wtf so she asked her, she didnt respond, but than she gave her a little note with like can you come please outside at 17:00 i need to tell you something, than telling her something and than disappearing💀. anyways, i thought about that lot but i was thinking if her and amy maybe getting together. i didnt want romance in that story bs i dont really enjoy romance media myself(except good omens, everything except good omens, GO is consuming my brain for the last year and i dunno what to do) so idk.

anyway, little bit of namelogy for the other ppl. the most generic one is gia, i just searched some names. originally amy was supposed to be gia and gia also gia but that would be too much confusing for everyone, even i now mess up somethings their names. amy how i said was supposed to be gia but than i heard the sonf from Britney Spears "if u seek amy" for thr bazzilionth time and thought it would be really good idea to net have two characters that almost look the same,ARE THE SAME PERSON and have the same name so i just picked amy. i actually have a classmate and exbestfriend amy and ppl around me thought she was the inspiration for the name but no, and if ur reading this amy, no sorry, ur not special. and the origin of lola? when i thought about naming her, it was around that time when the song "her name was lola, she was a show girl" was trending so i just went for lola. no funny story, no cheese.

okey this was a lot of work. english is not my first language so im sorry if there was some mistakes. if this wasn't about my ocs, id give it to my english teacher to give me some extra grade bcs she cant speak English and she gives me bad grades just bcs she marks some shit wrong even if its right.

thats it, bye.

#artwork #art #digital art #digital illustration #help #oc #oc art #my ocs #original character #oc rp #oc lore #oc stuff #ocs #my characters #artists on tumblr #drawing

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