#I'm still learning how to use a brush tool
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Hii I saw your bertie and jeeves portraits and I was wondering how you made your colors not look "blocky" or patchy even if you layer/use opaque paint? I guess, how do you know what transition colors to use? Sorry, I'm self taught and still learning! Thanks in advance and I love your art 💕
Ah You're lucky i actually have the progress shots of one of those heads. The only real thing i do is have "Average colour" selected on my colour picker tool so after i lay down all the rough blocks i can just select between them and start to create the faux gradient
you can also see how i still add colours throughout the process like the red to bertie's cheek but after a point it just becomes refinement. i try not to use small brushes to shape the gradients until im close to the end which is where most of the "blending" happens.
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Joel teaching reader how to swim and hella sexual tension I would DIE
I am a sucker for the thought of Joel teaching reader how to do anything
AN | Shut up though, I loved writing this! 🥰
Pairing | Joel Miller x Fem!Reader
Warnings | Language
Word Count | 2.3k
Masterlist | Joel, Main
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Joel had taught you a lot of things since you'd met him almost two years ago.
He'd taught you how to shoot properly, despite the fact that you nearly blew his head off. He had the patience of a saint, but claimed he had the heart of a sinner. Either way - he was the one that taught you.
He'd taught you how to drive, despite the fact that there was no real reason for you to know. Sure, you had been plenty old enough drive before the end of the world but had never wanted to. These days it just seemed like a novelty. Even though you had managed to back into a tree - a feat he still wasn't sure how you managed - he still was patient and gentle with you.
The man had taught you a lot of useful things and skills, and you were always an eager learner. If anything, you enjoyed being in his company.
In turn you'd shown him some of your own skills and tricks. You were sure they paled in comparison but you couldn't deny the fact that it was hilarious to watch him try and bake. He might have been a decent cook but a baker, he was not. And yet you still ate his hard, flavorless cookies with a big smile on your face.
You loved getting to show him how to crochet, despite how frustrated he grew at the delicate materials in his hands. You set him right over and over again but never lost your patience even when he was ready to give up. He'd ended up making you an off kilter scarf; you adored it.
It was a trade off between the two of you; give and take, take and give. Sometimes it was the little things, like him making sure you'd remembered to eat or bringing you a coffee or you making sure he'd rested or didn't forget any of his tools.
You didn't really know where that left the two of you, in this sort of weird limbo where you were neither just friends but also not lovers. It was…odd. Sometimes you were ready to step across the line, to step from the garden into the jungle and finally just kiss him but you never quite worked up the needed bravado. Joel experienced significant moments of weakness, ones where he desired to pull you into his arms and kiss you dizzy, but he never let him spiral. Instead he kept his distance, yearning and yearning and yearning.
But now? Now he was convinced you were trying to kill him.
And it had all started one lazy evening when he couldn't keep his mouth shut. Idiot, he cursed himself.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
"What do you mean you don't know how to swim?" Joel almost choked on his beer as you offered him a sheepish little smile, "that's - its - I…that's a basic life skill!"
"I dunno," you felt your face warming and warming under his intense scrutiny, sure you would explode from the look in his eyes, "I just never learned and never really a need to."
"What if some sort of emergency happened and you needed to swim, huh?" He leaned back in his chair and regarded you with curiosity, a smile dancing across his features, "you just gonna drown?"
"No," you waved him off, "I always thought that I'd be able to just…figure out."
"Right," he was holding back his laughter, you could tell, "of course."
"Joel Miller!" You huffed at him, "do not laugh at me!"
"I'm not!"
"You are too," you looked at him with a pout and he leaned forward to brush a few stray hairs out of your face. The simple shiver felt electric, "don't be mean…please."
"I'm not, sweetheart," he promised, "but I am going to teach you how to swim."
"What?!"
"Yes," he nodded cooly, "and you don't get a choice so don't bother arguing. You need to know how…and even if you never swim again, at least you'll know how to."
"Fine," you pretended to glare at him, your expression falling so far away from that, "fine."
"Fine," he nodded in agreement, "this weekend at the lake."
He had no idea he'd just signed his death warrant.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
It was a warm and sunny afternoon when you made your way over to the lake. You had your bathing suit on under your baggy t-shirt and jean shorts. This felt so…normal. That alone brought a smile to your face.
Joel was already there, a blanket and some towels and a picnic basket on the ground next to him. If you'd been looking at him and not stunned at everything he'd brought, you might have noticed the way his entire face lit up.
"Joel," you finally turned to him and felt your legs already turn to tell at the sight of him, "you've…definitely gone well above what I expected."
"Well, I had to make this a good first time…e-experience," his cheeks flushed a pretty pink as you giggled at him.
"A good first time, huh?" You teased and yeah. You were absolutely going to be the death of him.
"First time swimming," he stared at his feet, mentally kicking himself for how foolish you made him feel, "first experience with swimming."
"Relax Miller," you put your hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, "I'm just teasin'."
"You're being cruel," he insisted as you shrugged innocently, "we're here for a very serious purpose."
"You're right," you nodded firmly, "let's get started…unless you want to eat first?"
"Food after," he insisted as you playfully rolled your eyes and nodded. You kicked off your slides and tugged down your shorts. Your t-shirt had been oversize and baggy enough that nothing was really showing.
This much Joel could handle. This was still in the safe zone. He mirrored your actions and pulled down his pants, leaving his bottom half in swim trunks. You took a moment to admire that much of him.
Then you did it; you almost gave him a heart attack as you lifted up your shirt, making quick work of throwing it off and discarding it into the growing clothes pile. Joel inhaled sharply as he looked you over with wide eyes.
You were wearing a two-piece, one that first you perfectly, highlight every curve, and looked like it was made for you. Joel was almost drooling as he willed himself not stare at your ass or breasts, reminding himself that this was just to teach you to swim. A valuable life skill.
But he was slowly forgetting that with each passing moment, drinking you in and trying his best to remain respectful. You were just so damn beautiful.
You caught him staring and instantly shied away, worried by his silent reaction, "is this too much? Should I try and change into something else-
"No!"
"This was the only one I could scrounge up," you nervously scratched the back of your neck, "nobody seemed to have anything better."
Right. Because no one else in Jackson had something better or more modest. They did, of course they did, but…they were also tired of watching the two of you moon over each other and thought that maybe this would push the two of you in the right direction. Friendly encouragement, Ellie would call it.
"It's fine," it was anything but fine. It was giving him a heart attack and a hard on, "really."
"Okay," you nodded shyly as he cleared his throat, "come on then, I can't be the only one this exposed!"
Joel hesitated for a moment before moving to take off his shirt. It was something he still struggled with at times, but he knew that you'd never judge him. If there was anything he trusted, it was you.
As soon as he was shirtless you had to work to keep from jumping his bones. He was always insanely attractive in that rugged, handsome way and this was no exception. Golden skin marred with the harshness and cruelty of the years and dotted with freckles. You wanted to map them out with your lips, to taste him, and make him yours. It could be so simple, really. All you had to do-
"Hey," Joel snapped you out of your little daydream fantasy and you looked back at him with a soft, dreamy smile, "take a picture, huh?"
"Ha ha," damn. He'd caught you red-handed, "let's get started."
"Get in the water," he insisted as he jerked his head to the side.
"Pardon?"
"Dive right in," he repeated, "I'll go first and make sure you don't drown, sweetheart. Gotta learn to tread water first and foremost."
"I…I'm nervous," you confessed softly, "what if I can't do it?"
"You can," he promised softly, "I have full faith in you. And you know I would never let anything happen to you."
You both knew he was right.
"Okay. I trust you," you whispered, walking to the water's edge.
It was sink or swim, and something told you that was going to be applicable for multiple things today.
"Good," he promised, "come on."
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Turned out that swimming wasn't too bad at all. Or too hard. What was that old expression - like a duck to water? Well that happened to be you. It probably didn't hurt that you didn't want to make a fool out of yourself in front of Joel, so you listened closely and tried your best to do exactly what he was telling you.
Admittedly it was hard to stay focused with him close and so bare and so hands on. Every fiber of your being was humming with anticipation and nerves.
"Not so hard," Joel grinned as you swam to a stop in front of him. You were practically glowing under his praise.
"Not so bad-" but just then you felt something touch your leg, and you shrieked. It was such an odd and unexpected sensation that your body did the first thing it could thing of - grab onto to Joel.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," you were holding onto him tightly, pressing your body into his as you willed whatever had touched you to disappear. Joel, naturally and instinctively, wrapped his arm around you in a protective manner, "what's wrong? What happened?"
“I felt something,” you closed your eyes and buried your face into his neck - his glorious, lovely neck - and tried to calm down, “it was brushed against my leg. It felt so weird and gross.”
“Oh,” and he laughed, the bastard had the audacity to laugh, as you pulled back and looked at him with a pretty pout on your lips. He longed to kiss it away, “we’re in a lake sweetheart, there’s bound to be some fish in here.”
“Fish?” your nose wrinkled in disgust, something which he found endearing as hell, “I…that makes sense. But I don’t like it! It felt horrible.”
“You’re okay,” he promised sweetly, pushing your wet hair behind your ears, “I’ve got you.”
“I know,” there was a palpable shift between the two of you then and there. He didn’t let go of you, and you weren’t in a hurry to pull out of his touch. You opened and closed your mouth a few times, at a loss for words. Instead, you just looked at him, the human embodiment of heart eyes, “Joel.”
“How much longer are we going to keep doing this?” he asked so quietly that for a moment you wondered if he’d even said anything. But then he was so close, and so close for you to finally kiss.
“D-doing what?” you stammered nervously, well aware of what he meant.
“Dancing around each other,” he brushed his knuckles over your cheek and you made a small sound in the back of your throat, “acting like we don’t want this. So close, but never quite there.”
“We could stop…”
“We should stop,” he agreed with a small nod, tilting his head as he cupped the back of your neck with a soft touch, “if you want to.”
"Oh totally, I want to,” you agreed, and before you knew it, his lips were on yours and he was kissing in the sweetest and most gentle touch. You couldn’t help the small moan that escaped you as he pulled you impossibly closer and you melded your body into his. He didn’t stop until you were breathless and definitely in a dizzying love spiral.
“Look at that,” he pressed his forehead against yours, closing his eyes as you sighed softly, “nothing happened and you, sweetheart, know how to swim.”
“I had a pretty good teacher,” and with that you kissed him again, lazy and saccharine, neither of you in a rush to end what had been building for so long, “you know?”
“It’s easy when you have a good student,” he teased affectionately, “you’re going to be the death of me…but you already knew that, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” you sighed into his touch, “but you love it.”
“I do,” he had to stop himself from saying what was really on his mind just yet. He didn’t want to rush; he wanted to take the time to cultivate what he had with you, to watch it blossom and grow over time, “I do.”
#joel miller#joel miller x you#joel miller x reader#joel miller x fem!reader#joel miller imagine#joel miller one shot#pedro pascal#tlou#tlou hbo#the last of us
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FATED TO LOVE YOU✩༶‧˚
GENRE + T/W: sfw, fluff, angst. talks about death and graves.
WORD COUNT: 7.9k words.
TAGS: satoru gojo x fem!oc, high school lovers.
SYNOPSIS: oc gojo girlfriend and satoru go back to her clan’s estate to meet her family. while they're there, they learn about a famous legend between their clans.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: this fic follows 'meet the gojos' click here to read. omg, the two finally say the 'L' word to each other... get ready for more of big brother touya! and you already know who fuckin' stole the inverted spear of heaven in this au... because yes, i'm gonna write my own version of satoru getting his ass beat by toji next. artwork is from furuba anime.
REMINDER: if you want to imagine yourself in oc gojo girlfriend's character descriptions instead, please do!
"are you bringing the gojo kid with you this time?" touya asked in a snide tone.
“first of all, he has a name, touya. it’s satoru.” you barked back at your brother over the phone. the man in question was laying his head in your lap, your fingers running through his soft white hair.
touya huffed, "is he going to use the front door this time?"
you glowered at satoru, who so innocently smiled at you after hearing touya's comment over the speaker. the first time you went back to osaka to visit your clan after moving into the dorms at jujutsu high was the first time you and satoru had been away from each other since you started 'spending more time together', for the lack of better words. satoru had teleported into your room and you didn't tell anyone in your clan that he was there. touya ended up walking in on you sneaking satoru food from the kitchen.
touya chuckled, "—i should've electrocuted his ass for sneaking into the estate. but since he's your only friend, i looked the other way.”
"whatever, touya. i have other friends besides satoru and their names are shoko, suguru, kento, and yu."
"well, we look forward to your visit. gramps is really excited to meet the gojo kid."
you corrected him again, "it's satoru—"
"right, satoru." touya corrected himself, "anyways, i'll talk to you later. sounds like we have a problem going on in the cursed tools storage room."
"wait wh—"
the line disconnected. you scoffed. how could touya just hang up on you like that? you looked down at the white haired sorcerer who's head was still laying in your lap, dozing off peacefully without a care in the world. he probably fell asleep when you started scratching his undercut. a relaxing, soothing gesture you always did for him so he could fall asleep in your arms... and in this case, in your lap.
later that day
"genkei is your grandpa. kanae is your grandma." satoru recited back confidently as he laid next to you on the picnic blanket in the middle of the jujutsu high sparring field.
you turned on your side, elbow propping you up, your palm supporting your head. you corrected him, "kanae is my mom. kanao is my grandma."
satoru face palmed his forehead in defeat, "i thought i was going to get it right this time."
you caressed his cheek with your palm, stroking gently on his cheekbone with your thumb, "it's okay, let's start over. what's my dad's name?"
"fujitaka." satoru answered confidently again.
you smiled at him and ruffled his hair. he was finally starting to remember the names of your family members.
"okay, let me try this again," satoru said as he took a deep breath, "genkei is your grandpa. fujitaka is your dad. kanao is your grandma. kanae is your mom. and touya is your brother."
"you got it!" you exclaimed, flinging your arms around him and kissing his cheek. you felt satoru's arms swing your body on top of his. you hugged him tightly. he started to smile proudly, seeing as you we're so excited about him getting all your family members' names correct.
you looked down at him, brushing your long hair behind your ear, "are you nervous?"
"who wouldn't be nervous? i'm meeting my girlfriend's family." satoru muttered back at you. the always-confident satoru gojo hated to admit his weaknesses, especially in front of you.
you booped his slender nose, "now you now know i felt when i met your family, mr. gojo."
"i don't know what you're talking about miss (l/n)." satoru feigned ignorance. he laughed at the thought of how much his family adored you, "—my family is obsessed with you."
you teased him, poking and pinching at his sides, "are they more obsessed with me than you are?"
"absolutely not!" satoru said in disbelief as he pushed your fingers away and clutched his chest dramatically. you rolled your eyes at the drama queen king named satoru gojo.
he wrapped his arms around you as you laid your head against his chest. you could feel his breath against the top of your head, fanning against your hair, his heart beating quickly.
satoru slyly shot his shot, "can i give you a lil' kiss so i can show you just how obsessed i am with you?"
"nice try." you laughed as you pushed yourself off from his chest and got up from the picnic blanket to start walking back to the dining hall. you had left satoru smiling like a fool behind you.
he got up to lean back on his elbows. he called out to you, "you're just gonna leave me hanging?"
"yup!" you yelled back at him, putting your hand up to wave goodbye. you didn't look back at him so that you could fight against the temptation of his beautiful blue eyes and that charming grin that always captivated you.
"so feisty." he chuckled, watching you walk away from him.
osaka, japan: at the (l/n) estate
your spirit birds few around in the sky above you and satoru. they were happy to be back home in the beautiful city of osaka. you led satoru through a cobblestone walkway where cherry blossom trees and white concrete walls lined the trail to the entrance of your clan’s estate. the entrance to your clan's estate was met with a red, arched hashi bridge.
"this is wayyy different from my place." satoru said in awe as he looked around at the surroundings, "there's a lot of red here at your clan's estate."
ever since you were young, you were told that red symbolized happiness and auspiciousness and that's why your clan's estate had so much red architecture. after crossing the hashi bridge, cobblestone steps led you and satoru to the front of the estate.
"miss (y/n)!" a familiar voice called out to greet you.
"arisa!" you waved back at the welcoming voice. arisa approached you and satoru, pointing at him and giving you the 'who is this?' look.
you made proper introductions, "arisa. this is my boyfriend—satoru gojo. satoru, this is arisa—she was my nanny growing up. she's the head of the housekeepers here at the estate."
satoru bowed politely, "nice to meet you. i'm satoru gojo of the gojo clan."
"it's nice to meet you too, satoru. let me escort you both to the tea room. i'm afraid it's been pure chaos at the estate today." arisa turned to you and frowned, "i'm sorry we weren't able to welcome you and satoru properly, miss (y/n)."
"does it have to do with the cursed tools storage room?" you asked arisa with concern, thinking about the converastion you had with touya yesterday.
she sighed and looked down at her feet, "i'm afraid so. master touya and grandmaster genkei have been investigating with the wind element users."
the wind element users were (l/n) clan members who were in charge of the estate's security and surveillance. you thought to yourself that it only made sense that touya and grandpa were working with them to find out how someone could get into your estate without being noticed. the security here was impeccable, even you had issues sneaking in and out growing up.
"is there anything we can do to help?" satoru asked, trying to be helpful. he noticed the way your eyebrows furrowed, the way your green eyes darkened to a brunswick green, and the way your lips pursed to the side in a half frown, half pout. that was the specific face you had when you were worried, and you had that face on right now.
arisa smiled at the both of you, "i believe master touya would rather have you and miss (y/n) enjoy your stay with no worries. you can leave the rest to us."
satoru nodded. you grabbed his hand, intertwining your fingers with his. you gave him a soft smile and squeezed his hand to show your appreciation, mouthing a quiet ‘thank you’ to him. he'd get brownie points with arisa for that one.
arisa led you and satoru to the tea room. your family used this room as a meeting room to receive guests, but mainly as a living room where everyone could sit down and enjoy tea and snacks. it was the most central room in the estate and it was one of your favorite rooms. during the days, you could open the ceiling up so that sunshine could flood the room. and during the nights, you could see the thousands of stars that filled the night sky.
"madam kanao should be here soon, i have to get back to prepare for dinner and to make sure the guest room is set up for mr. gojo." arisa reported back to you.
"where is grandma anyway?" you asked curiously.
"she's in a meeting with the elders at the moment. i believe master touya and grandmaster genkei should be there as well."
what in the world was happening that both of your grandparents and touya had to get involved? usually it was one or the other, but not both.
"there's fresh green tea in the pot, and i've left your favorite cookies on the tray." arisa said as she bowed. you watched as your old nanny scurried away, leaving you and satoru behind.
satoru tried to lighten the mood, nudging his elbow into your arm, "aren't you going to tell her that i'm sleeping in your room?"
"satoru—" you giggled, "i think this is serious business."
"sleeping accommodations is serious business too." he grinned back at you.
you and satoru sat down on the soft black couch. red throw pillows decorated the u-shaped sectional. satoru leaned forward and grabbed the porcelain teapot that was sitting on the stone coffee table. he poured you a cup of tea while he bit into a cookie. you sipped at your tea, feeling the warmth glide down your throat and into your tummy.
you watched satoru shove more cookies into his mouth, the sun's rays hitting the top of his head. his hair reflected so beautifully in the sun, it was almost a silver in this lighting. he always looked so radiant to you. you kissed the back of your teeth at how annoying it was that satoru looked good in any lighting and at any time of day. you gave yourself a self-satisfied smirk at the sight of the handsome sorcerer sitting next to you... and he was all yours.
moments later, you heard the sliding door to the tea room open. a woman with short grey hair, walked into the room. her eyes a blazing golden yellow. satoru watched as you stood up to bow to her. he followed your lead and got up from his seat to bow as well.
"hi grandma." you greeted the woman warmly. she reached for your arms, patting your shoulders and bringing you into her arms for a hug. she then looked over at satoru.
"is this who i think it is?" she asked. "is this the satoru gojo?"
"it is." you said with a proud smile. "grandma, meet my boyfriend."
"it's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." satoru greeted your grandmother, bowing in her presence.
"ai! no bowing!" she smacked his shoulder playfully. satoru jumped back in surprise. she reminded him of his own grandmother in that instant. "please call me grandma kanao. the gojo clan and our clan are very good friends. your grandmother has told me a lot about you, satoru.”
"only good things i hope, grandma kanao." satoru chuckled as he emphasized addressing your grandmother. he scratched the back of his head nervously.
"oh, she told me over the phone yesterday all about how you stole my granddaughter's heart." grandma kanao teased the white-haired sorcerer. "are you two comfortable? is the tea still warm? did arisa give you enough cookies?"
you sighed at your grandma's overbearingness and sat back down on the couch. "everything is fine, grandma. what’s going on? where’s grandpa and touya?"
you watched as your grandmother's eyebrows furrowed. she looked concerned. "(y/n). the inverted spear of heaven has been stolen."
the inverted spear of what? you didn't think that you knew of that cursed object... but why did it sound so familiar?
"what does that cursed object do, grandma?"
"the inverted spear of heaven has the power to completely nullify a cursed technique. it can stop any technique that it comes in contact with."
your jaw dropped in surprise. you didn’t know that your clan had a cursed tool so powerful. that meant that this cursed tool could cut through your protective water barrier technique... that also meant that it could completely stop satoru's limitless technique and bypass infinity.
"why do we have a cursed tool like that?" you asked, "shouldn't that be locked away someplace safe?"
"that's the thing, my child. it was locked away someplace safe. the gojo clan entrusted that tool to us 400 years ago."
you had so many questions. why would the gojo clan give such a powerful cursed tool to your clan? especially one that could kill someone from their clan.
"satoru's sobo wanted me to tell you the legend of the six eyes and water technique user." grandma kanao said softly, “the legend also has to do with the inverted spear of heaven.”
satoru was ready to hear the story. he leaned back in his seat and crossed his legs, "finally! everyone keeps talking about this legend!"
"it's not known as public knowledge to the jujutsu society," grandma kanao chuckled, "—but between the gojo clan and the (l/n) clan, it's very important."
you put your hand on top of satoru's. he looked over at you and shot you a grin. "okay, grandma kanao! let’s hear it."
grandma kanao took a deep breath and began the story.
"400 years ago, the gojo clan's six eyes user at the time, fell in love with our clan's last water user. believe it or not, the six eyes user was a woman and the water user was a man, the opposite of you and satoru." she giggled at the realization. “isn’t it such a coincidence?”
"wait. you said they were in love?" you asked, eyes wide with surprise. you had never heard this story before, even when you found out that you were the water user. satoru cocked his head to the side, now he was very intrigued by this story.
"yes. they were. they were set to be married." grandma kanao continued, "they were the reason that the gojo clan and our clan have such a strong alliance. the reason that we have the inverted spear of heaven is because the six eyes gave our water user the spear for safekeeping. she knew that this spear could nullify the gojo clan's limitless and infinity, so consider it an act of trust between the two lovers."
"so my clan gave your clan the spear knowing that your clan would keep it safe from any enemies of the gojo clan..." satoru said out loud, putting 2+2 together.
you looked at him, "that must mean that they meant a lot to each other... to trust each other with a cursed tool like that."
the act of giving your lover the cursed tool that could ultimately lead to your death? you wondered if satoru would ask you to do the same for him if he was in the previous six eyes' shoes.
"since the spear is now missing... we've notified the gojo clan." grandma kanao sighed, "it's dangerous for you and satoru if we do not know the whereabouts of the cursed tool."
"that's probably why my clan elders wanted me to have my infinity on 24/7 now. they wanted me to work on reversed cursed techniques too..." satoru realized. if a cursed tool like that was stolen, that meant that he would always need to be on guard. he would really have to get his shit together now.
"until we find the spear, the both of you will just have to stay alert." grandma kanao warned the both of you.
"do we know who stole it?" you asked.
grandma kanao frowned and shook her head, "all we know is that it's a man with dark hair, possibly from the zen’nin clan."
your grandma knew better than to point fingers without proof. she ended the conversation about who they thought the culprit was. the three of you sat there in silence sipping tea and eating cookies.
"grandma, what else do you know about this couple?" you asked curiously, trying to cut through the awkwardness.
you wanted to know more about this love story. what were the chances that you, the water user of the (l/n) clan, would fall in love with satoru, the six eyes user of the gojo clan, in this lifetime?
grandma kanao pondered, trying to recall any stories of the legendary couple, "i believe your grandfather said that our last water user died trying to protect the six eyes."
you felt gutted hearing that. you wished that they got a happily ever after... but that meant that you wouldn't have met satoru if they did. was death going to be the same fate for you and satoru too? you felt his hands squeeze yours, trying to comfort you and shoo away any negative thoughts in your mind.
"i think i know what that fight was." satoru added to the conversation, "my grandparents told me that the six eyes user and a ten shadows technique user fought to their deaths for the aristocracy. the kamo clan and the zen'nin clan must have worked together on it if a (l/n) clan member died."
satoru remembered the story you told him the night he took you to shibuya for your birthday. the kamo clan was your clan's enemy due to the fact that your last water user could control blood. (read 'love at first fight' here)
"that's exactly right, satoru." grandma kanao said. she sighed, "it's almost too good to be true, seeing you and my granddaughter together. your sensei, masamichi yaga, mentioned that you two could be reincarnations of them. if you believe in reincarnation that is.”
reincarnation. the rebirth of a soul inside a new body. could all of this be true? so many thoughts were racing inside your head about it. you felt sick to your stomach.
"well, that should be enough story telling for now." grandma kanao said as she stood up from her spot on the couch. "i'm sure touya and your grandfather want to see you and satoru."
you and satoru watched as your grandmother turned to walk out of the tea room. you both stood up and looked at each other. would this change the way you and satoru viewed each other and your relationship? satoru didn’t look like he was affected by the information, but you, you looked like you were starting to question your own existence.
as you and satoru stepped into the hallway, two sets of eyes peer over at you. one golden-yellow, and one ruby-red.
"grandpa!" you called out, smiling. you ran into your grandpa's arms, hugging him. you dragged him back to meet satoru, "grandpa, this is my boyfriend, satoru gojo."
you turned to satoru, "satoru, this is my grandpa and legendary fire user, genkei (l/n)."
"it's an honor to meet you!" satoru said out loud, quickly bowing to your grandfather. he turned to touya, "it's nice to see you again as well, touya-san."
you had never heard satoru add honorifics to anyone's name in the couple of months you’ve known the man. he was really trying to put in an effort to impress your family. you coughed, trying to hide your laugh.
"the gojo clan's treasure." grandpa genkei laughed, "let me take a look at you, son!" he put his hands on satoru's shoulders, patting them firmly.
“call me grandpa or grandpa genkei. i’m sure my wife has already told you to call her grandma as well.” your grandfather added. “—how are you ojii and sobo? and your parents?”
“uhhh—”
"awww, gramps, leave the kid alone." touya interrupted your grandfather bombarding satoru with questions, "how about you and (y/n) catch up while i have a chat with the gojo kid."
you shot a stone cold glare at your bother, "his name is satoru."
"right, right. satoru." touya rolled his eyes at you, "hey, satoru! how about we head to the sparring dojo?"
you could see signs of nervousness in satoru's body language. whenever he was nervous, his blue eyes leered and his shoulders tensed. you walked up to him and whispered in his ear, "you’ll be fine, babe."
satoru gulped as you pat his chest, you looked over at your brother, "don't scare my boyfriend off, please."
"wouldn't dream of it." touya shot back with a grin, "i wanna see what the kid can do."
you and your grandparents watched as touya led satoru to the sparring dojo. satoru looked back at you with worried eyes. you blew him a kiss and waved goodbye as they turned down the hallway.
the sparring dojo
behind him, touya shut the door to the dojo. he wiped the dust off his hands and stretched his arms and legs. satoru gulped, he was so nervous right now. the last time he was this nervous was when he took you to shibuya for the first time (he liked to consider that night your first date).
when touya turned to face him, satoru straightened his posture and turned on his infinity, ready to get zapped by touya’s cursed technique at any second.
touya (l/n). the king of close combat. that was his nickname when he was a student at jujutsu high. because touya wielded an electric cursed technique, his close combat was lethal. he could paralyze people and curses when fighting with his cursed technique.
satoru thought that he himself was pretty damn skilled at close combat, but was he on par to be able to spar with your brother?
satoru started to apologize for his last visit, “first off—i’d like to say sor—”
“no need to apologize about sneaking into the estate from your last visit. (y/n) brought you back here for a reason. it's obvious my little sister likes you.” touya brushed satoru off, he was going to ask the million dollar question instead, “satoru gojo! answer this. what do you even like about my sister?”
satoru stood in the middle of the dojo, dumbfounded that touya wasn’t going to fight him to test his strength or his jujutsu. instead, he was going to attack him with questions about his relationship with you. touya had already found out satoru gojo's weakness. it was anything pertaining to you.
"what could the six eyes from the gojo clan like about my stubborn, feisty little sister?" touya curiously asked.
“well,” satoru gulped nervously, “i like her personality.”
satoru shot himself in the foot for the most basic answer he just gave your brother. that was definitely not going to win him over.
“boringggg.” touya sang, “come on, kid. you’re not convincing me that you actually like her. i know for a fact her personality is not that great. i’m her brother, i can say that.”
satoru felt like his chest was going to explode. he couldn’t breathe normally or focus because he was so nervous. he stammered when he tried to answer again, “i—i like how caring she is towards others. i even like how feisty she gets when she’s mad. i like her eyes, how they change to different shades of green depending on her mood. i like her laugh because it’s… cute.”
touya nodded his head and folded his arms. he liked what he heard so far, “—is that all?”
“no, not at all!” satoru shouted as he stepped foward to face your older brother with the little confidence he had left, “—i like that she doesn’t care about how i’m supposed to be the strongest or that i'm the first in 400 years to have the six eyes. she's the only person that has ever looked past all my flaws… and there are a lot of them. she's special to me. and i want to be with her for as long as she'll let me."
"satoru," touya started to say, "you know... me and my sister lost our parents at a young age. i grew up taking care of her. there's nothing in this world that i wouldn't do for my sister. and as her older brother, i'm supposed to protect her—"
satoru interrupted touya, "—i told her i was going to protect her and i swore to my clan elders that i would too. you don't have to worry about that."
satoru thought about his promise he made, how he would protect you from the kamo clan or whatever danger may come your way. he hoped that you knew he would do anything in his power to keep you safe from any harm. he would risk his life for you... and that's what touya wanted to know.
“do you really like her that much?” touya asked satoru. now this was definitely a trick question. touya was waiting for the right answer. there was one more thing he wanted to hear.
satoru scoffed and looked touya straight in his golden-yellow snake-like eyes, “i don’t just like her. i love her.”
“love is a strong word for an 18 year old.” touya grinned, “—if you love her as much as you say you do, you better promise me and my grandparents that you’ll take care of her too.”
“i’d even lay down a binding vow.” satoru said with no fear. he knew that binding vows made with others have a higher penalty than self-made binding vows.
“—and get shot down by the binding vow’s penalty as soon as you make her cry?” touya laughed out loud. “i like you, satoru gojo. i hope you stick around. i’d like to consider you as my brother someday.”
satoru blinked twice, confused on what just happened here, “wait—does this mean—”
“you have my approval.” touya said, “i actually never disapproved of you, kid. i’m just playing ‘big brother’ here. i knew from the moment i saw you and my sister interact for the first time at the jujutsu high that you were gonna be someone special in her life… whether it be her lover or her friend.”
“thank you…” satoru sighed in relief. “i swear i love (y/n). i’d do anything for her.”
“i believe you, kid.” touya said as he attempted to pat satoru’s back, unable to actually pat his back. "—you have your infinity on."
"well… yeah. there's no way in hell i was going to get electrocuted by you." satoru laughed.
“let me rough you up a bit, or my sister is going to say something.” touya laughed. his loud laugh always boomed throughout the estate. your brother gave off hardcore golden retriever energy.
satoru continued to laugh alongside him, bro-hugging touya, “anything but the face. she’ll be devastated if you get the face.”
later that night
satoru noticed at dinner that you were unusually quiet around your family. he watched as you pushed around the food on your plate with your chopsticks, not making eye contact with your family members, and not engaging in any conversation. you barely even looked at him.
he whispered in your ear. "hey. are you okay?"
"i'm fine." you lied, "i'm just tired."
satoru gojo swore he had a phd in (y/n)ology. he could read you like a book. he knew what ticked you off and what made you squeal with delight. but tonight, he wasn't so sure what was bothering you.
you listened as touya and your grandparents got to know satoru on a deeper level. they asked him about his family and what it was like growing up in the gojo clan, what he liked and didn't like. it was like satoru was already a part of the family.
you were happy that satoru finally got the chance to meet your grandparents and touya, but deep down, something felt off. after dinner, you asked touya to entertain satoru so that you could take a shower. and after your shower, you snuck off to your favorite place in the estate, the red pagoda in the lily pad pond.
as a child, you would come to this very pagoda to escape the hellish and tiring training you went through as the clan's water user. you always felt at peace here, that you could gather your thoughts without any interruption. the pagoda had an amazing view of the estate's pond that was filled with lily pads. it wasn't as big as the gojo clan's koi pond, but it was grand enough for you and your clan. (read 'meet the gojos' here)
you started to question if the feelings that you felt for satoru were actually real or if it was because of all this reincarnation bullshit. was it just a coincidence that you and satoru ended up finding each other in this lifetime? were you actually meant to be with him?
you swore that what you felt for him was genuine. you didn’t think you could care about someone so much that it hurt you so deeply inside. that the mere thought of losing them would be so crippling.
the voice that always made your ears perk and your heart race called out to you. "—so this is where you go to run away from your problems."
satoru sat down next to you, locking his arms around his knees. he leaned his head over to watch you. you stared out into the pond, soft yellow lights reflected off the surface of the water from the estate's open windows. crickets chirped in the background, a crisp breeze filled the air around you.
"how did you find me?"
"your brother told me that you like to come here whenever you have a lot on your mind. how about a penny for your thoughts?"
you changed the subject, “are you going to tell me what you and touya talked about in the sparring dojo?”
satoru looked out at the distance in front of him and smirked, “nope. it’s a secret between just us men.”
“does it have to do with me?”
“—i can’t say a word.”
“does it have to do with how much you like me?”
“—not saying anything, sweetheart.”
it was time for a cheap shot, “well… i guess that means no more kisses for satoru ‘i-keep-secrets-from-my-girlfriend’ gojo.”
satoru sat there and stared at you in disbelief, “—that is so unfair.” 'what kind of girlfriend uses no kisses as a threat?' he thought to himself.
you got up from your seat. your hair flowing behind you as a conniving grin spread across your face. he was such a sucker for you.
3... 2... 1...
“wait!” satoru called out to you, grabbing your hand. “i guess i can tell you this much… it wasn’t about how much i like you.”
you turned around to look back at satoru, his face was as red as a tomato.
“—it was about how much i love you.” satoru admitted, “i love you, (y/n).”
this was the first time satoru had ever told you that he loved you.
“i love you too, satoru...”
you felt satoru's arms pull you into his strong embrace. tears filling your eyes. you bit at your bottom lip, swallowing the discomfort in your throat. he let go of you and positioned you in front of him, staring down at you with worried blue eyes. he cupped your cheeks with his hands.
"why are you cry—"
"satoru," you interrupted him, "do you think that we're only together because we're reincarnations of our ancestors from 400 years ago? do you think they did some weird-binding-vow-lifelong-love-spell before they died?"
"is it so wrong if they did?" satoru asked as he brushed your tears away with his thumb, "—it's kinda romantic if you ask me."
"i just want to be 100% sure that my feelings for you are really mine."
"just know that no one gets to tell me what to do or who to love." satoru said, "—so no weird-binding-vow-lifelong-love-spell is going to change my mind on how i feel about you."
you sniffled, thinking of all the negative outcomes and possibilities, "what if it's actually a hidden curse or something...?"
he stared at you for a moment before he started to speak, "grams tells me that there's no curse more twisted than love... and if it's a curse, then i'm pretty sure i'm fated to love you."
and quite frankly, satoru didn’t give a damn if loving you in this lifetime was a curse. he’d live as the cursed one if that was the case.
satoru leaned down to capture your lips with a kiss. you wrapped your arms around his neck, feeling his soft, strawberry flavored lips on yours.
he asked confidently and just a bit smugly as if he already knew the answer to the question he was about to ask, "so what do you want to do now that you know all of this information? you gonna leave me, princess? we gonna break up?"
“satoru—” you muffled his name as he kept kissing you, “there’s one thing i know for sure, and it’s that i want to be with you. even if it’s some weird binding vow.”
satoru stopped kissing you to look back down at you. he chuckled while repeating your words, “even if it's some weird binding vow, huh?”
you looked up at him, running your fingers up his undercut. he melted at the action, sighing in your grasp.
“how much do you think those two loved each other?” you asked satoru. “you think they loved each other more than we do?”
“hmmm, maybe. but there’s no way the previous six eyes had more game than me.” satoru joked.
“you have got to get better jokes, babe.” you giggled as satoru squeezed your hips, pulling you closer to him. he returned to peppering kisses on your cheek, slowly moving to the corner of your lips.
“you think—” he muffled your words by kissing you, on purpose this time, “you think the previous six eyes was the one who made the move?”
“babe.” satoru pleaded, “please stop talking and just kiss me back.”
the next morning
after the conversation you had with satoru last night at the pagoda, you had never felt more sure that your feelings for this white haired, blue eyed, special-grade idiot was real. as you laid next to satoru, you fit perfectly in his arms, just like two puzzle pieces.
"god, i love this custom futon." satoru groaned as he stretched his arms and legs, attempting to wake his body up on this fine morning.
"i thought you slept in my dorm room because you wanted to cuddle with me, not sleep on my custom futon." you teased, pulling the blanket to your side of the bed.
satoru chuckled, rubbing the sleepiness away from his eyes. he fired back at you, "cuddling you is just a plus. the king size futon is totally why i'm there."
one thing that you loved about satoru was that the best parts of him complimented the best parts of you. you made each other better in every way. you were excited for the future together now that you've cleared the air about your true and honest feelings for satoru. your next focus was to help your clan and the gojo clan find the inverted spear of heaven.
you turned back to face him, nuzzling your face in his bare chest. he smelled just like his eucalyptus body wash.
"you know what's nice? no one barging into your room randomly. i swear my grams was soooo not discrete when you visited." satoru said as he rolled his eyes.
"touya already checked on us four times. you were sleeping."
"four?!" satoru choked out, "you weren't laying on top of me or anything were you?"
the last thing he wanted touya to think was that he was getting frisky with his little sister in her childhood bedroom under his roof.
"satoru!" you laughed, "and so what if we were cuddling?"
"i'm trying to make it out of your clan's estate without getting zapped by your brother... don't you know he's called the king of close combat? he can paralyze people!"
you drew circles on his chest with your fingertips, "i guess you better work on that infinity being on 24/7 then."
"sure, babe… anyways what's the agenda today?" satoru asked, putting his arms behind his head. he watched you roll out of the bed to change into your clothes for the day. you took his bag of toiletries out of his suitcase to throw at him.
you smiled softly at him, "get ready to have breakfast cause after that, you’re going to meet my parents."
at the (l/n) clan's family grave
ever since you were little, you and touya made it a routine to visit your parents' graves regularly. touya would tell you stories about your parents so you would never forget them. they had passed away when you were so young, so he wanted to make sure that their memories lived on with you.
since satoru would never be able to meet them physically, you thought this would be the best way to ‘introduce’ him to your parents.
in the japanese tradition, a visit to one’s grave starts by cleaning the grave of your loved one, presenting your offerings, and then praying and lighting incense. you and satoru washed your hands to ‘purify’ them and filled a water pail to head to the area where your parents were laid to rest.
"mom, dad." you started to say as you approached the two headstones, "this is my boyfriend, satoru."
satoru grinned at you and then looked towards your parents' headstones, "mr. (l/n), mrs. (l/n). i'm satoru gojo... and i wanted to tell you both that i love your daughter."
your turned to stare at satoru. you didn't know he was going to say that, nor did you ask him to say that. you were surprised to say the least.
he continued on, "i made a promise to your daughter and myself, and to my clan... and now i'm promising your clan that i will protect her. so this is my promise to you both as well."
you felt tears forming in your eyes. what kind of boyfriend would come to your parents' grave with you to have a conversation with your parents like this? how were you so lucky to have a thoughtful boyfriend like satoru?
you quickly brushed your tears away. "satoru. you didn't have to do that. you're so cheesy."
"that's so rude to say in front of your parents, (y/n)." satoru gasped, teasing you. "why not tell your parents the promise i made to everyone...?"
"i mean… sure... but you didn't have to say you loved me as an introduction for yourself." you giggled. “you can just say, ‘hi, i’m satoru gojo from the gojo clan.’”
satoru smiled at you, "i want everyone to know that i love you though."
he took the pail from your hand, gently pouring water over the two headstones. after cleaning the headstones, you and satoru placed a plate of oranges and apples in front of them. you lit a stick of incense for the both of you, silently bowing and praying. once finished, you stuck the incense stick into the holder.
it was as if time stood still while you and satoru sat around your parents grave to just talk. none of the conversations were about anything important, it was just simple talk about sweet nothings. you were just grateful he wasn’t weirded out by spending time here the way you and touya did when you were younger.
satoru even talked to your parents as if they were still alive and well. he asked your mother, ‘did you know your daughter has the world’s worst attitude in the mornings? god forbid she doesn’t get a full 8 hours of sleep.’ after that, he even said to your father, ‘sir, i wish you were still here so i could show you my techniques. i heard yours were pretty cool too.’
while you watched satoru talk to your parents’ headstones, you wished so badly that your parents could’ve met him so they can see why you loved him so much. your mother would’ve have loved him, probably more than she loved you. and your father? he would’ve loved to have such a strong sorcerer be his daughter’s boyfriend… he’d probably consider satoru as a second son.
satoru could see and feel how your heart ached at any mention of your parents, and he wanted you to know that your family was important to him too. he was going to try his best to win the approval of your entire family. he didn’t have to try hard though, your family wasn’t that hard to please. they just wanted you to be happy.
"ready to go?" you asked satoru after noticing the sun setting. "i'm sure touya is looking for us. it’s almost dinner time."
"sure." satoru smiled back at you, grabbing your hand.
“bye mom and dad.” you waved.
“bye mom and dad!” satoru said with a grin.
you looked up at him, “mom and dad, huh? you guys are already that close?”
“yeah, actually. your mom says she sees me like a son now. and your dad said that he approves of me as a son in law.” satoru said as-a-matter-of-factly, knowing damn well he made that up.
you giggled at his ridiculous statement and clung to his arm. you walked back to the estate more in love with satoru than you were when you first arrived here.
********************************************
once you and satoru were out of sight, two feet stepped out from behind the shadows of your parents' headstones and smiled.
"doesn't she look happy with the gojo kid, mom and dad? he’ll take care of her, don’t you two worry." touya whispered to your parents' as he watched you and satoru walk back to the estate together. he zapped a stick of incense with his cursed technique and quietly bowed and prayed before heading back to the estate as well.
after dinner
"remember how you showed me your family portraits when i went with you to meet your grandparents?" you asked satoru. "want to see ours?"
"yeah. let's see who you resemble the most." satoru wondered as you led him down the hallway where the family portraits were hung.
"is that you?" satoru asked incredulously. he pointed at a little girl with long black hair in pigtails, precious sparkling green eyes smiling back at him. "you looked like a little brat, babe."
"you found me." you laughed and reluctantly admitted, "—and i was a brat growing up."
you hoped that if you ever had kids in the future, they would not inherit the attitude you had as a child. your grandma always said that the way you acted as a child would come back to spite you in the form of your own offspring.
satoru continued to look around in the picture. he could spot your grandparents and touya towards the center. he assumed the woman who was holding you was your mom, kanae.
"my mom had long dark blue hair and the most beautiful green eyes." you started to say, "everyone else usually gets the yellow eyes or red eyes in the family since grandma and grandpa have them, but i was lucky to get her green eyes."
the man standing next to your mother was obviously your father, fujitaka. your father had black hair, and the same leering yellow eyes as touya. touya resembled your father so much growing up that he always heard that he was his father's mini-me.
"well..." satoru sighed as you took his hand to lead him back to the tea room, "i guess i have to go back to your parents and thank them for creating the most perfect human being for me."
you laughed and gently hit his chest with the back of your palm, "you're too much, babe."
satoru continued to spout his nonsense sarcastically. "it was like you were put on this earth for me. it's fate. god's will. the divine decree. destiny some may say."
you rolled your eyes at him. sometimes, satoru could be so cheesy and would say the most ridiculous things. you wondered where your smart-alecky boyfriend was. however, you didn't hate when satoru tried to be romantic, so you figured you'd just listen to his ridiculous comments for now. you held his hand, bringing it towards your lips to plant soft kisses on his palm.
“even if it was fate or destiny.... whatever you want to call it. i’d choose you again in every lifetime, satoru. you’re like... my soulmate.”
“soulmate, huh? look who's being 'too much' now.” satoru smiled cheekily, “—you’re not guaranteed to meet your soulmate in every lifetime though.”
“consider me a lucky girl then.”
“nah, i think i’m the lucky one...” satoru mumbled as he leaned in for a kiss.
EXTRA:
as soon as you got back to the jujutsu high dorms, you asked satoru the same question he asked you when you met his family.
"so..." you started to inquire, "what did you think about my family?"
"your grandma reminds me of my grams. and your grandpa's cursed technique was pretty cool." satoru added. "i met your instructors and trainers. no wonder you hated learning jujutsu. they were intense."
satoru only met your grandparents, touya, and a handful of family members and housekeepers during this visit. a majority of your family members were on vacation or not at the estate during the time of your visit. you were relieved it was a lax visit because you knew your cousins would have been all over satoru. the next holiday back to the estate would be unavoidable though.
satoru said with a sigh, "your brother still scares the shit outta me."
"but he approves of you!" you clung to his uniform sleeve. "are you going to tell me what you and touya talked about in the sparring dojo?"
"i already told you. it was that i loved you." satoru mumbled, wanting to change the subject immediately. he looked like the world’s biggest simp for you in the sparring dojo that day and there was no way he could tell you all the things he said without turning as red as a stop sign.
you huffed and pouted, "babe, you were in there for a good 45 minutes though. how about a kiss for some intel?”
“i don’t kiss and tell.” satoru said with a grin.
you realized that satoru really wasn't going to tell you what touya and him talked about, so you let it slide for now.
and over a decade later, you still won't know what satoru and touya talked about in the sparring dojo.
© 2023 ASDFGHJKLMALS — ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PLEASE DO NOT COPY, TRANSLATE, OR REPOST MY WORK.
DIVIDERS PROVIDED BY @/ANLIAN-AISHANG
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Pulp Covers And How To Paint Them
With the rise of cheap printing in the early twentieth century, mass-marked paperbacks swept the world, each offering lurid thrills for obscenely low prices. Sex, sadism, and incredible violence for as little as ten cents. An easy purchase to slot in between fifty cigarettes a day and enough bourbon slugs to kill a small garden.
Pulp fiction is where some of the greats of American literature cut their teeth, including the big three, Raymond Chandler, Ross MacDonald and Dashiell Hammett. The contents of these stories, both the dizzyingly good and astoundingly terrible, have been absorbed and digested and remixed and regurgitated in nearly every permutation imaginable, fuelling pop culture some one hundred years on. This isn't an essay on that. Nobody likes to open a tutorial and be greeted with a wall of text. The history is for another time.
But it is about how to paint it.
Don't let the pre-amble intimidate you, it's not as hard as it sounds. You will need:
Painting software with some image editing capabilities. You don't need all the bells and whistles of Photoshop, but I wouldn't recommend something like MSPaint, at least not to start with. I'm using Clip Studio Paint.
A really beat-up paper texture. The grungier, the better.
A lightly-textured brush. Here are the specific brushes I use, 99% of which is the well-named rough brush. Try and avoid anything with any impasto elements.
Go to your colour-picking tool and use the 'select from layer' option. Doing all the painting on a single layer is going to make your life easier.
A complete willingness to make mistakes and, instead of erasing, painting over them. It generates much more colour variation and interest! Keep your finger off the E key.
Good reference! That painting is a master copy of Mitchel Hooks' art for Day of the Ram. Find a style you really love and want to learn? Have no clue where to begin? Do direct studies!
Let's not worry about whatever is happening in the background. It's probably fine. Let's get started! Pulp magazine art is a lot more varied than you might first think, so don't agonize over having a style that 'fits' or not. I'm also specifically aiming for something you'd see on the cover after printing, not the initial painting they would use for printing. The stuff I'll show here is a pretty narrow band of it, but here are some general commonalities. This is a painting by Tom Lovell.
Let's dig into this.
The colours are very bright and saturated, but the actual values, the relative lightness and darkness of them, are actually grouped very simply! You can check this by filling a layer full of black, putting it on top and setting its mode to colour. If the value of a painting looks good, you actually get a lot of leeway with colour. But here's what I think is the most important thing to keep in mind.
The darks aren't that dark, and the lights aren't all that light! Covers are paintings reproduced on cheap paper. Anything you wouldn't want to happen in the printing process, you lean into. Value wash-outs, lower contrast, colours getting a weird wash to them, really gritty texturing. So let's get painting! Here's my typical setup.
That bottom folder is the painting itself. The screen layer is the grungy paper texture. To get the effect you want, put it down, invert its colour, then set it to screen. That washes out your painting far, far too much, so to compensate, I put a contrast layer up on top. Fiddle around with the settings, but this is where mine ended up sitting.
Note I'm saying this before even starting the painting: you want to do this as early as possible. This is where the 'select from layer' colour picker comes in handy. You can paint without worrying about the screen or contrast layer. Something not looking right? Enable your value check layer and keep painting. When you turn it off, it'll still be in colour. Here's a timelapse so you can see what that looks like.
And when you check the values...
They're pretty simple! This isn't a be all and end all, but I hope it serves as a decent primer. I want thirty dames on my desk by Monday!
#rochedotpng#art tutorial#art resources#couldn't find a thing online about this style so here's how i do it#pulp#it's how i did the death shroud one more or less
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Been absolutely obsessed with your vintage inspired designs, i have been staring at them for the past hour just trying to wrap my brain around how you are able to create something SO CONVINCING that im incapable of distinguishing your designs from legitimate works from 70’s indie zines(great work btw) so i have to ask, how do you do it, how long do you spend on an average piece? How the HECK do you make your color halftones identical to news print? I have so many questions!!!
Gee Willikers! Why, Thank you!!
I think the time I invest into submerging myself into the art of that time really helps! I accumulated a library of old print media that I study up and down-- I love it, I love seeing the process in the works, themselves 🥺
So, I tend to take what I learn from that and apply it to the processes that I use to make my art :D I layer the colors separate on different blend modes (which makes it look like printed ink!), shade the canvas like a piece of paper, bleed lines, desaturate and fade colors according to age and wear... And work with the idea that I'm not making digital art per se, but rather working with a digital medium while using traditional techniques!
And I spend about 3-5hrs give or take on single piece! But I've been doing this for abt 2 years now... dang.
This is how I started! ^
And one of my more recent pieces :3 there's a lot more going on, but you can still see similarities
It's super fun when you get into it! Next time you're at an antique store, pick up an old magazine or book. Look through the art and see if you can figure out how they made it (which colors they layered, if they printed it using riso, what tools were used: ink pen, brush, pencil...) I GO NUTS FOR IT IF IT'S NOT PLAIN TO SEE BY NOW LOL
And thanks for askin! :3
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"Why are artists so butthurt about AI art? Horse carriage drivers didn't complain when they invented the car, they were just grateful that the technology evolved and made it easier to get around."
Art is not a carriage, it's not a vehicle. Its purpose is not to be efficient, to do a practical job with as little effort as possible. Art is not something that can be automated, because its artistry lies in the humanity of its creator. Art is wonderful, from a baby's first drawing, inexperienced and unskilled, to the paintings adorning the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
If you consider yourself an AI artist, I ask you: are you proud of yourself when the computer has completed another image that you will claim as yours? Do you look at it and feel the joy of having created something?
Does the generative process teach you how to see the world better? With every image created, do you evolve? Do you understand the planes of the face better now than 1000 images ago? Do you know what rim light is, and where to put it? Do you understand light sources? Tones? Could you take a piece of paper and shade a portrait by yourself?
"AI software is just like Photoshop or Blender, the next step in artistic technology".
It's not though, is it? A digital artist uses a pen to put colors on screen, chooses where to put each brush stroke, when to smudge or use the liquify tool. A 3D sculptor manipulates basic shapes into characters just like a traditional artist molds clay. An AI "artist" doesn't make any of the thousands of choices that lead to the creation of a real piece of art.
"But art is hard, and I'm not good enough."
Neither am I! Man, I'm not the worst artist in the world, but I'm not great, still not at the level I would like to be. Sometimes I draw something and I look at it and realize that it sucks ass! Sometimes I post a drawing online and realize that I drew a character out of proportion, that the light source is not consistent, that I've shaded outside the lines! And you know what's great? That I get to have an understanding of what I did wrong! I get to evolve! I redraw something from 5 years ago and realize that my composition is much better, my shading more believable. And I know that in 5 more years, I might redraw it again and pride myself in how much I've evolved.
I've been drawing since I was a baby, and I still have a long way to go. And that is also fine, because art is a lifelong pursuit, growing, changing, just as I am.
It's okay to not be good. Hell, it's okay if you don't even try to get better. By drawing, you WILL. It's inevitable that, by practicing, you'll learn.
You know what will not make you a better artist? Software that will generate your "art" for you. The result might look more complex than what your skill level allows you to create right now. But it doesn't look better. You could draw a crooked circle on xerox paper and it will look better than all the AI art in the world. Because you made it. Have some faith in yourself. Your vision has more artistic value than what that computer generated.
"If you're afraid that AI will steal your job, learn to draw better!"
I'm trying. Are you?
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Many artists are wary of AI. I've been using Chat Gpt and come to the realization that with my kids, school and other life obligations I need to use AI in my writing process. No, I'm NOT using the AI's writing or passing it on as mine. It's for plotting, character arcs and to help me get over writers block. I'm conflicted. I just don't have the time to write that I wish I did. :( if I use AI am I not a real writer?
Using AI as a Writer
I want to preface this by saying that we are quite literally in the Wild West when it comes to AI and how it fits into the creative world. The technology is still evolving. The legalities of use are still evolving. Public sentiment and codes of ethics are still evolving... the only definitive answer I can give on the topic of using AI in writing is that you should never use it to write all or part of your story.
Using AI as a tool to help you think through plot problems, flesh out character arcs, and move past story road blocks in and of itself is something many writers and writer organizations have embraced. You're still doing the actual writing, plotting, character arc design, etc. yourself.
However, if you're using AI to generate your entire plot, characters, character arc, etc., it gets into a bit of a gray area for me. Yes, you're still doing the actual writing, but are you a landscape painter if you only do paint by number? I'm not sure. Yes, you're technically moving the brush and making the strokes, but your brain didn't imagine the imagery and your skills didn't know what colors to use or where to put the shadows. So I'm not sure where that leaves writing. And my bigger concern is that you're not putting in the work to improve your craft, so you may get stories or books out there, but you don't have the writing skills to back them up.
What I can tell you is this: people still write when they have kids, and jobs, and school, and various other responsibilities and dependents. They may only write for twenty minutes a day, or once a week for an hour, but they find the time. And some don't... some put off writing until the kids are older or the other obligations let up... either route is fine. I guess what I'm saying is I don't think not having time or energy is a good excuse for using AI or over-relying on it. But, I also don't think you should feel bad if you're simply using it as a tool to help flesh out your own thoughts and ideas. ♥
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Eggtober 30th 2023
"Mimicking the Master": Fried Egg on Magenta.
(Clip Studio Paint, Custom 6B Pencil brush. ? Colors. ? Time. A labor of love.)
Made a point of giving @quezify's style a serious try. Eggtober 1st, 2023 was a quick attempt to learn and practice for the most part. This was a combination of directly studying and experimenting. Eggtober 1st was more about "glance at the inspo, notice the vibes, make it your own." This was much more about "pay attention to what these techniques accomplish, try to copy the specific things you like, and then see if you can iterate."
I do still need more practice since I'm not used to this process but for a first, real, non-traced and non-direct study, (as in I wasn't trying to replicate a specific piece one-to-one) this went really well. Not 100% sure what I was going for with some of my choices, but the over-all impact has a lot of what I love about @quezify's style.
3rd Egg I did for the day. Queued for the 30th so I have time to plan the 31st. Not sure what it will be but I'm looking forward to it.
I hope @lady-quen's breadbugs love this stylized eggy!
And even though he's been tagged twice, one more ding for @quezify, inimitable, even while I study that style. The master of eggs. I've loved watching your work all month and I loved taking a crack (pun intended) at actually pegging down what you're doing. You're fucking amazing, Ruben. One last egg for the month! We can do it, bud!
But first, speedpaint.
You can tell I'm really not used to using brushes that are so opaque. I gotta practice doing gradients with opaque brushes like this. Or maybe I need to turn down the opacity on the pencil brush. Or maybe I need to blend my style and Ruben's a bit more?
Whatever it is. I'm somewhere short of where I want to be in terms of a style mimic. Not that I want to steal @quezify's style per se, though it is rad as fuck. More that knowing how it works and what this method of drawing produces is a useful tool to have. After all, half of art is inventing stuff and the other half is aping stuff you like, whether that's real world references or copying from masters. So I might need a little more practice, but the blob-tacular shading and the hatching and the use of shapes as texture are all definitely tools that are going in the tool bag one of these days. XD
Been an honor drawing for everyone. I look forward to next year!
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hey, how'd you learn how to do your makeup? i'm kind of a novice over here
Hey!! So I learned via a lot of methods - tips from friends, videos, googling. It's hard for me to remember a lot of my sources over the years. That being said, I'm going to try to link the ones I know help the most.
The Pretty Fix - this channel hasn't updated in a while but has a lot of tutorials designed to be trans-inclusive and beginner friendly. It's a great resource for just starting out and for understanding a lot of basic techniques and things to keep in mind without it being overwhelming or throwing too many product types at you.
How to Apply Eyeshadow PERFECTLY (beginner friendly hacks) by AlexandrasGirlyTalk - This video is short and simple and yet probably the most effective one I've seen when it comes to breaking down eyeshadow. I still haven't fully 100% mastered doing eyeshadow, but I feel a lot more confident with it after watching this a few times.
Dude, eyeliner changes your whole face by Alexandra Anele - Another good technique and theory video that helps a lot when trying to figure out eyeliner, which IMO is the hardest part of trying to do eye make up and something I'm only starting to feel good with as of this year
NEW Updated 2021 E-Girl Makeup Tutorial! by hannah owo - This one might seem silly at first glance because, y'know, E-girl, but honestly this is one of the most helpful makeup tutorials I've found and has drastically affected how I've done my makeup. What makes this one so good and helpful IMO is that unlike a lot of other makeup tutorials you can find, this one uses a lot of drugstore and bargain brands (at one point it recommends using a Crayola marker to create freckles) and shows the ways one can make a super elaborate look using a surprisingly small amount of products.
FACE BASICS: Hide Facial Hair (using Makeup!) Part 2: Makeup by David K Davey - I don't really do a lot of this anymore (I used to go way overboard on covering that area early in transition lol) but for those worried about beard shadow or discoloration in that area, this helps teach how to be cover that up and the colour theory behind it. Mastering this can be a godsend.
Those are the main links I can think of right now! For someone still getting in, my best advice is to get the basic tools you'll need - primer, concealer, foundation, eyeliner, mascara, blush - as well as a sponge or brush kit and play around with them, using tutorials and googling every time you think you come into an issue. Then you can start looking at more advanced things like contours and eye shadows, and the good thing about eye shadows is that most palettes have a bunch of videos online of people doing various looks and tutorials with them, meaning if you find yourself stuck, you're almost always guaranteed to find something you can use as a reference.
Makeup is hard and I still don't feel like I have a perfect understanding of it, but it can be quite fun once you find a set up you like and start getting comfortable enough to experiment with new looks and products! I hope this could help at all and I wish you the best of luck going forward!
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any tips for a beginner digital artist who is having a really hard time transitioning from traditional? (and YES I have been practicing but it still just Doesn’t Look Right). I’m currently working on Procreate. Thanks so much ash!
ohh man this is a difficult one haha I personally found it very easy to adapt to digital art (currently having. the opposite problem as you actually lmao) but right off the bat I'd say to uhh- dont be to hard on yourself & give yourself the time to adapt the creative process to a new tool? Experiment with brushes until you find one that you really vibe with, start with low-effort and low-expectation sketches so that your muscle memory adapts to the new format and once you found your footing with that move to a little more complex artworks (I remember smth that frustrated me a lot in the beginning was coloring and like. it's still a process but I'm coloring things on the reg now!!) and watch digital art tutorials or process vids to see how other digital artists use that same tool & which cool tricks u can learn from them! I hope this was helpful & that you keep having fun <33
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Heya! As a baby artist I was just wondering how long it typically takes you to draw a character? And if you have any tips for getting the lines to look so clean :-) I love your art sm it always makes me smile
Hi! Ah, I'm so glad my art makes you smile! :')
I have...several possible answers for you, lol. First of all, the time it takes for me to draw a character varies. Something I’m working on to speed up my process is learning anatomy. Most of my time is spent trying to get the anatomy of a drawing down, and the more you know it, the quicker it can go.
But as for lineart, the number 1 way I've found for having clean lines is having a detailed sketch.
While the sketch was messy, around the face especially, all the lines were "in place." I wasn't having to resize things or change the shape. This makes lineart completely mindless for me, and that means I don't have to do as many corrections while drawing, keeping my lines clean.
However, when I first started out, it was hard to get here. If you're starting out, your art may look like this, with a bunch of short strokes:
There are two ways I've found to combat this (and it's honestly something I'm still working on...) Short strokes like this tend to happen when you're unsure of what you're drawing, which happens a lot when you're starting out. Planning out a drawing in your head and knowing where you're going to end each line when you start is helpful. (I.E. "I know the side of the face needs to go down enough to reach where a chin should be, so I'm going to try to do it in one stroke instead of seven). Proko has a good video about this here.
You can also practice drawing longer strokes just on their own. Lots of drawing books will tell you to start by practicing ellipses and lines from different directions to help you get used to longer motions. Becoming more confident in drawing full lines will help!
But, as you're learning, tools can help. I draw with a tapered pressure sensitive pen, which allows me to have some shorter strokes while hiding the results of it. (Although it's still good to practice avoiding this, because it'll help your drawing even with a brush that hides it a bit better.)
i hope this was helpful!
#asks#my tutorials#i still have a problem with this tbh which is why i love my brush but i'm trying to grow out of it lmao.#lineart#sometimes drawing a character takes fifteen minutes and bam it's done and sometimes i wrestle with a simple pose for days. it is how it is.#i think i have some better sketch to lineart examples. because sometimes my sketch is so detailed that it's sometimes a waste of time for m#to do lineart because it's almost redundant#by lineart's my favorite thing so i always do it anyway#except for the second turtle duck comic lol. some of those i didn't line and i just cleaned up the sketch so i probably should have used th#that as an example but i think this illustrates my point
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What type of brushes do you use for colouring in and inking ect, and do you have any tips for how to colour?
a lot of the brushes i use are default procreate brushes!
they depend on any given situation and how i want to style my art.
studio pen is modified to a version that mimics ROTTMNT's pen. and i like using the round pen for my default sketching/casual lineart drawings because it's such an easy pen to use. i have different versions of it where i have different sizes saved up.
if i want a more sketchy line art, i use either eaglehawk or gloaming with the opacity slightly down to give the lines a more pencil-y look. i like it when my art looks imperfect and sketch :D
meanwhile these are the brushes i use for backgrounds/coloring/lineless art. i lean more into a painterly style, reminiscent of a children's book but with my own spin.
and finally, this is the principle i use for coloring. i also mess around with filters a lot but these can still apply even then. i posted this to patreon months ago but since i'm closing it down (until i get a greencard), here it is for everyone to see~
please do note that even if you use my brushes, techniques, or program, my style will never be the same as yours and i mean that in the most gentle way possible. don't mimic my artstyle. you can draw inspiration from mine or other artists, learn techniques and study their art. but it should always be for the goal of finding your own voice and feel.
these tools and techniques are a mixture of things i learned and things i adjusted for myself over the years. a lot of times, you will find another artist's techniques to be such an inconvenience for you and that's okay. it's because you're not using your own voice. use your style/color palette/technique and use it your own way~
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How do you go about coloring, if ya don't mind my asking? :3
I'm particularly interested in anything after the flat colors stage of the process
Aaah thank you for the question!!! My process is very messy, but as an example I gave a little simplified walkthrough for how I painted this piece for example - hope it helps!
It's easy for me to tackle my process if I have everything important in different masked layers so it's easy to edit anything
Here's also a timelapse for this piece, start to finish!
my tools and brushes:
SU Cream Pencil my go-to everything brush!
juls oil brushes the brush set I use for painting backgrounds!
×ェ× texture brush set brush set I also use for adding texture to backgrounds
Miyukiko's "Sharpening and bringing details" Auto-action
Visual library my go-to library full of environment, character and anything references!
Also I am by no means an expert and I'm still learning!! This isn't a guide to what's right or wrong, it's just my process
#nikoarts#niko talks#tutorial i guess!!#ask#artists on tumblr#furry art#furry artist#furry#timelapse#brushes#art tips
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A text post for a change! tldr: There's some technical details re: Dayspa Squad which spills into discussion of the software & hardware used, and a few other thoughts.
Group pics are difficult with the limitations of the AI I'm using (SD 1.5, sdxl is better but my budget gaming laptop can't run it the way I use 1.5 without overheating), and people have noted that they often look like a row of clones. So this time (and last) I've found a suitable txt2img generation (top left) then re-run it through img2img and added variations in the prompt to produce different, still very similar looking groups, with many typical AI pic problems e.g. too many/not enough fingers & hands:
but from that I'll use Krita + the clone tool aligned to each pic and take parts of each that seem apt; hopefully between all the iterations there's enough non-freaky hands and other parts to go around!
You can see I haven't done a perfect job - especially with the 2nd woman from the left's dressing gown and hand, and the breasts still look cloned. Such flaws and others are much less noticeable on IG with it's limited image resolution and most users having a small screen experience. My excuse is that the milestone came up sooner than expected and I rushed it (I only started after noticing I'd hit 8,995 followers and it took about 20 minutes all up, a few minutes before I hit 9k). But a little more time and scrutiny and even running a couple more iterations could have gone a long way.
Photoshop could just regenerate individual elements if you want it to but I'm not a pro user and can't justify the expense (such functionality wouldn't be available to unlicenced users). I'm more familiar with GIMP but I prefer Krita for simple clone tool operations because it loads quicker and the default brush is perfect for how I use it + the smart patch tool is also handy. I could also use the SD plugin within Krita/GIMP for similar functionality but I found the interface too clunky so I prefer to work manually for this sort of thing.
This method is the sort of thing I'd use earlier on to fix weirdness like mutant hands, multiple weird bellybuttons and other AI body horror. Or to get a striking individual image juuuust right, like this one or this one. Nowadays the raw outputs are often realistic enough that simple touchups can take care of aberrations. We're not far off having an app that laypeople can use that will make pics like this without a need for editing - but for now I'm happy in this niche.
Assets Used (All software free for personal use, mostly free for commercial use):
Software:
Stability Matrix with the Automatic1111 WebUI
Krita (has a learning curve but so does PS, amazing functionality that I've barely made use of because I'm not an actual artist)
Irfanview (free for personal use but I've licensed it so I can use it for work if needed, totally worth it)
AI Checkpoints/Loras/Embeddings:
Photosomnia Omega (my SD1.5 photorealism model blend)
Pregmix 2 Lora (will update eventually but it's not available yet, for now try Pregmix 1 or other pregnancy Loras on civitAI)
FreeU/FreeU webUI plugin
Negative photorealism embeddings used to help a lot but I don't need them so much now due to how far the model and Lora has come. They still deserve a mention as they have been very useful and will continue to be so with a variety of models:
fcneg
kkw-ph1-neg
Bad_NegAnatomy
Hardware:
2nd hand laptop with an i7, 16gb ram, 1G SSD, and 8gb rtx graphics.
4gb nvidia GTX graphics is considered the bare minimum but an RTX with 8gb is gonna be the minimum practical for working with HD resolutions & SDXL. Cheaper laptops will struggle with heat management, PCs will hit your power bills.
Radeon graphics can technically work, they're good for people who love fucking around with linux because things aren't working and want to apply that approach to AI artgen software. If you don't enjoy that sort of frustration don't bother.
Apple isn't supported for Stability Matrix yet but apparently many implementations of SD will work on a Macbook Pro with the M1/M2 chip and preferably at least 16gb of ram. Draw Things will run on an newish iphone/ipad but I found it too clunky to use for serious pics and it's not practical for high resolution work.
While reflecting on the artistic mediocrity of this otherwise pleasing pic, a paraphrase of T.K. crossed my mind, namely that the AI revolution has been an utter disaster for human art. It does have a place alongside real art but as an example I hate seeing AI garbage in advertisements knowing that it's not only deceptive garbage that pretends to be something it's not AND it's also more lost payments for working artists/photographers/models. But I also think that fake erotica photos people make for themselves or share freely are outside of that problem, as long as they don't depict actual identifiable persons. I will not do fakes without consent, maybe everyone has their price but mine hasn't even come close to being reached, which I'll admit isn't possible without some level of privilege.
I'd like to not be judgmental of people who do make AI fakes for $ but otoh AI users must have some level of privilege to be able to access and use the technology. What I have seen with technology and other things is that irresponsible use is likely to be met with irresponsible regulation and I do wonder (not worry) how much longer blogs like this will be legal. Anyway for now just enjoy the pics! There will be more to enjoy soon. If you've bothered to scroll through thanks for reading and thanks for being a fan!
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Okay, my actual unpopular opinion. Cw for abuse/amnesia/head injury. I'm feeling in a venty mood today.
I think Larian did a piss poor job with Durge. There are some incredibly heavy and dark themes in the Durge Storyline but they're used for fucking comedic relief or not really touched upon whatsoever. Their interpretation of it is 'oh lol edgy go piss yourself or smth' while completely disregarding most of the time how fucked up that story is.
In general, I severely dislike the way they handle Amnesia or head injury. The characters just accept that they know jack shit, and there's 0 way it influences them like the fuck? The fear of forgetting is a real one, and a lot of people dread that. Even more people who have lost some memories for whatever reason would like to have them back or feel grief and loss over it, but here it's literally just a cute lil character quirk despite multiple people having that? Also, a fucking Lobotomy that's touched upon maybe twice despite Durge having severe fucking brain damage, apparently still suffers dizzy spells and forgets near everything they learn again? Seriously?
Also, the whole Orin and Gortash bit. It's pretty plain obvious these people were severely abused as children and the game makes no effort to hide it, but it also lets you express 0 pity or empathy and, at best, enables you to encourage their fucking abusers? Are you shitting me? The sole fact that you gain an advantage over Orin if you straight-up torture her emotionally is so fucked up and not in a good way. You literally only have the option of disregarding her, taunting her or telling her 'yo gg you were never loved and only viewed as a tool by everyone around you'. I get they're villains, but making fun of abuse is in no way cool, to say the least, and the game in previous acts had a very clear stance that not everything is black and white, so why is it suddenly fine to portray people in that exact way? "Everyone deserves a chance except for these guys in particular."
I love all these characters and the game in general, in fact I pretty exclusively play Durge (just not how they intended), but I have very passionate feelings about how they and their stories are being (mis-)treated so blatantly. Yeah, sure, not everyone can have the same amount of content or care as Astarion, but giving you the option to learn about how fucked up their life was and then only say, 'oh lol u deserved far worse actually' is incredibly fucking poor taste. And forgetting massive parts of your life is not just a cute little quirk or plot device but a very real response to physical and psychological trauma. Which they imply it is in these cases too but we're just gonna brush that off.
#oh buddy i stripped this of a lot but you get the gist#cw abuse#cw child abuse#bg3 critical#larian critical#bg3 spoilers#enver gortash#bg3 durge#durge#dark urge#orin the red#remember this is a game but the people youre talking to are real#thanks.
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some more ticci toby headcanons
once again consider this a headcanon salad i'm still figuring out how to format these
- in my canon he's from minnesota. he just feels like a minnesotan
- also in my canon he lives in a shoddy little abandoned cabin in the woods (header image is along the lines of what i think it would look like). the mansion still exists he just chooses not to reside there cus he'd much rather have his own space that he can control
- never has the big lights on in his house cus it makes him crazy. instead there's just headless lamps/lanterns/candles strewn all over
- best believe the place is messy as shit. imagine if a 16 year old boy was allowed to be a homeowner. yea pretty fucking vile right
- his place just smells like raw wood and weed you walk in it just slaps you in the face
- all of his clothes have that vague cigarette smell on them
- he smells like pinecones and wet soil (on a good day)
- thinks axe masks the fact that he hardly showers unfortunately
- also thinks just using mouthwash is the same as brushing your teeth unfortunately
- honestly he's just super shit at taking care of himself, especially since his body lacks the tools to queue him in on some stuff
- like how cipa causes him not to feel hunger. he can't recognize when he's hungry so he often goes way too long between meals
- he has a little notebook where he keeps track of when he eats. it's meant to help him know when he should eat something but he consistently forgets to keep up with it
- he just isn't equipped with any of the tools necessary to take care of himself, both physically and mentally. he's in pretty bad shape, some extra help would probably do him good
- realistically with how much he disregards self-preservation he'd be fucking dead by now so he isn't entirely helpless. he knows he's accident-prone so he keeps first aid shit with him at all times, he knows blood means bad and that he should probably stop what he's doing that is making the blood happen, he knows to scan over himself every once in a while to check for unnoticed injuries and such, etc etc.
- cus of the gaping gash in his cheek he has to eat foods that are compatible with his disfigurement. he also always has to drink through a straw
- he does not like waffles. he does like pancakes however
- interestingly those with cipa have a lower sensitivity to capsaicin so he eats spicy stuff like a fuckin CHAMP. someone gave him one of those samyang noodles to try yk the one that's hot as BALLS and he was just like "i mean yea it's good"
- he's kind of just always covered head to toe with bandages. i think he'd have an excoriation (skin picking) disorder so he HAS to keep his arms and hands wrapped up, otherwise he'll just obsessively pick/bite/gnaw at his skin
- the rest of his body is perpetually scattered with bandaids and such on account of how scraped up he gets just being himself
- on the night of The Incident he got caught up in the fire. flaring up his chest and a section of the left side of his body are burn scars. there are a conglomerate of reasons as to why toby doesn't like to have his shirt off in front of ANYBODY and that's just one of them
- his motor tics tend to be on the more violent side (throwing things, hitting himself, hitting others, etc). however, he's learned how to sort of guide his tics from being one thing to another if that makes sense? idk i'm speaking from my own experience here and tics are a really difficult thing to put into words but like. if he can tell he's about to throw the thing that's in his hand he'll take that feeling and try to turn it into something smaller, so instead of throwing the thing a less destructive tic will occur instead. if any of that made sense
- more often than not he's got an earbud in or his headphones on listening to music. he finds that it makes it much easier for him to make his way through the world. that and when he's listening to music he's noticed that he hardly ever tics (usually) so yk that's also a bonus
- spends a lot of his time climbing trees and hanging out in them. also spends a lot of his time trying to make friends with the animals of the forest. he's gotten a lot better at knowing how to approach raccoons and possums and stuff. he likes to leave food out for birds and squirrels and such
- it's funny because he tries to be this hard-ass dude but as soon as he spots a deer he becomes the most gentle thing on earth in that moment. he'd probably grab your shoulders whispering all like "oh dude deer- shhh shh" and force you to crouch with him and stuff lmao
- he's dubbed the one rabbit in those woods that isn't afraid of him "dandy warhol". yea he's real good with names
- he leaves food trails for dandy that lead to his house because he thinks that's how people get pets. he does not realize he's also leading every other animal in that forest to his home
- he may be stupid .
#i should be replying to 2 discussion posts right now#ticci toby#toby rogers#ticci toby headcanons#creepypasta#tobyhcs
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