Tumgik
#alcohol ink art course
praj29 · 2 years
Text
0 notes
whorrorbellee · 3 months
Text
STEVE HARRINGTON MUST DIE
Tumblr media
Its been a year since someone spread a rumour to you school that you've sucked off half the football team in one night. one year of catcalls, one year of graffitied lockers and bullying, so when you find out his majesty king Steve is behind the rumour its time to take drastic action against him. King!Steve x reader
chapter one:
SLUT is written haphazardly across your locker, the sharpie is smeared unevenly and you spit into a tissue hopping it takes even a little bit of the black ink off, your going to kill who ever keeps doing this, your promise you will, well maybe not kill, maybe throw a milkshake over them or paint on their car. 
It's the fourth time this month and you grimace as the janitor moves you out the way  taking a jar of rubbing alcohol to remove the lovely compliment across your locker, at least it wasn't the sherbet candy like last time, poured in through the crack of the door with spray with perfume, all over your fucking shoes, they stuck the the ground for a week. 
Eddie leans across the locker next to you and smiles. “ they spelt it right this time” you smile remembering the backwards ‘s’ and extra ‘e’ 
“Idk i kinda like slute , felt french, come on freak were going to be late for art” 
“Okay wench” 
That's what you liked about Eddie, his light heartedness towards the shit you got from the cool preppy kids, it didn't matter if they insulted him or you for that matter, words were just words at the end of the day. But anything more and you'd both throw a punch for each other. 
You sit next to each other at the back of class and paint. Eddies drawing some kind of monster with a head and jaws unhinged a Demogorgan? You don't bother to learn the name, apart from the fact he is totally obsessed with Dungeons and Dragons. You usually gossip or talk about music, mainly the music for your band. “Satanic panic” formed after the christian hate of all things nerdy. 
Watched the exorcist movie? Liked a Metallica song? Took out a Stephen King novel from the library? Or do you carry a crystal around in your bag? Well bad news kids you're a satanist you've been possessed by the devil ! Come join the local gay hating church where we rid you of sins and put you in pressed yellow shirts and blue slacks, your sins will all be but forgotten!
“Are you coming to steves tonight?” Eddie grins, he shades in the mouth area as you collage words from the newspaper on to the cast of Baywatch. 
“Yeah of course! I love watching the popular kids get drunk and embarrass themselves” you look over to Tommy and Carol sitting at the table next to you, there with other kids you don't remember the names of carbon copies of whatever stars have been making the rounds on MTV. 
‘Ricks got the shit stuff in again but I'm gonna say it's skunk, you know ?” 
"Good idea, saving the good shit for us huh?” 
He laughs at you, and you gaze at the popular table, carols missing and then something splashes over the table and your hair is all wet , it drips off your face and stains your work and the table a dark red, you look up at her and she winces. 
“Oh I'm so sorry” she pouts and then laughter fills the room. Eddie looks at you with concern, gripping at your arm to stop you from throwing a punch, you wipe your hair and grasp at her shoulder  “it's okay i get it its a mistake” you smile and take your hand away leaving a red stain on her white cashmere jumper. 
‘Oh im so sorry” you fake wince as if you didn't mean too and then you stand. You tower over her by two inches in your boots smiling as you walk away. 
You roll your eyes in the corridor, going to your locker to grab an extra shirt. 
You blindly pull yourself into the bathroom and witness the mess your left with, dark paint water stains your face like blood, your hair is a sopping mess and the shirt you have on its covered in lumps of paint, you shed the shirt leaving it on the floor before rinsing your hair and face under the sink, then your grab some tissue and rub at your forehead where the acrylic has started to dry. The door swings open and foot steps approach you. 
“You're in the boys bathroom” 
You turn your head under the sink to look at whoever has approached, it's the almighty, King Steve . Your eyes widen and you glance over the urinals in the mirror. 
“Fuck” you squeeze the water out of your hair and rinse your hands quickly. Grabbing your shirt off the floor, you turn to exit. Steve grabs your arm and stops you. 
“You're not wearing a shirt,” he grins and you look down at your chest, lacy black bralette covering you. 
You look into his eyes as you shove the clean shirt on. He takes a piece of tissue and wipes the red from around your eyes. 
“your pretty when you're not being mean”
You snatch the tissue out of his hand and throw it in the bin as you swing the door open.
“Asswipe”
“Slut!” he shouts at you, as you flick the middle finger towards him.
“He's kinda an asshole” Eddie sips his beer, hand wet with condensation, the paper label is already peeling. 
“Who, Billy?” you gaze at the glorified Calvin Klein model of a high-schooler, his button up is undone and the crowd of girls are screaming as he does another body shot off sweaty tanned skin. He winks as he catches your gaze, licking his lips and gesturing  you over your face shrivels up in disgust , shaking your head a very clear no.
“No, Steve” he mutters.
And then you glance at  Steve. He leans over another senior high-schooler, glancing down into her eyes and you can tell that her legs are just about to wobble in anticipation. Her hair falls into her face and he pushes it behind her ear, calculated. She swoons and blushes hiding her face in her hands and then he pulls them away and says something. Whatever that is, it's enough because she's grasping at his striped shirt. Steve notices that he's being stared at and he meets your eyes, his hand waves and you scoff into your beer, eyes squinting. 
You tuck your now clean hair behind your ear, “He's a slut yeah, he's not as bad as the others.” Your head cocks to the side as you ponder. You're standing in Steve's house, against the white wall, eddies made about 200 hundred dollars in the past hour from selling coke and weed to the local crowd, he doesn't tell you this but he always sneaks a twenty into your pocket before you leave.
“He broke Jonathan's camera like last year.” 
“Okay but in his defence! I heard from Julie who heard from Carol that he was taking photos of that sophomore Nancy getting undressed, hiding in a bush”  
“He's a bully, he plays around with girls hearts and he only invites us because i sell drugs” 
“Okay so he's an asshole, but he's only ever called me a few names” you shrug sipping you beer as you look over to Eddie, his mohawk has nearly grown out from his punk stage and now he rocks a greasy mullet, his curls tucked behind his ears, you're happy you convinced him to not dye his hair pink, telling him he would get half as many girls as he already did, putting him into the negatives. 
Eddie’s head looks down, his hand bushing back the tiny curls around his forehead.“Oh fuck-okay! Please don't kill me” he put his hands up in defence.
“Spit it out Munson”
“He's the one that started to the rumour that you sucked off half the football team last year”
You clench your teeth, squinting at Eddie before hitting the upside of his head. 
“What the fuck Eddie you didnt think to tell me ? I was blaming Heather the whole time, I'm gonna go over there” your back parts the wall quickly in a fit of rage before Eddie's hand grabs your arm back and you meet the wall again.
“Don't fight him,Jesus!”
You clench your fists.
“Eddie, people still call me a slut, you know what happened today and I was told if I get one more mark on my locker I have to pay to get it painted over.” 
Eddie sighs, staring at you as his eyebrows raise. "starting a fight with Steves not even gonna work, he wouldn't hit you, you're a girl”
“But you could” you smile “He's put me through hell for a year, all because of a stupid rumour.”
“If i hit the guy i lose business, look don't do anything drastic, please”
You smile at Eddie, it's mischievous, the smile takes up your whole face, your eyes are alert and you laugh to yourself. 
“For fucks sake, Go on” he asks intrigued, eyes rolling.
“Okay, you make a bet with Steve"
“What bet?” 
“Something like, i won't date him or say i love you, and then he gains a guilty conscious and tells me it's all a bet because he really likes me, and i tell him oh i knew the whole time, and hes like devastated bcs i was in on it and i don't like him”
“All because he told the school you're a cocksucker, what if he tells you I made a bet?” 
You look at him in the eye and nod “for all the girls he's ever treated like shit Eddie, like really teach him a lesson, make that asshole think he can't do whatever he wants, you said it yourself, he's an asshole, besides he's not gonna tell me if there's something he can get out of it, Men like games” 
“That's horrid and insane.” he smiles.
“What can I say, I'm a feminist”
Eddie sighs, and then laughs, “okay” 
“Really? Oh my god, okay, I'm gonna go out for a joint, act really drunk tell him i hate him and then make the bet , and hit on the girl so she leaves or whatever”
Eddie slaps his face, shaking his hair and then chugs down the beer, he smiles and you watch him head over, you give Steve a dirty look, turn and head outside passing Billy's half naked body pouring shots. 
There's a slight chill in the air, it's not warm enough for people to get in the pool this time of year so you watch couples hunching together on lawn chairs with blankets wrapped around each other. You glance over your shoulder, seeing Eddie point at you through the glass doors and then you catch Steve's eye, you play it coy. Lighting your joint and looking him up and down. You face the pool again. Wrapping your bomber jacket around yourself as the wind hits your face. 
“Brought you a blanket.” you feel something get wrapped around your shoulders and you hide your smile. Looking up at Steve, he's just about six feet. 
“Thanks” you say nodding. Inhaling your joint and blowing the smoke out directly on his face. 
His eyes gaze up and down at yours and he leans against the wooden railing of the decking. 
“Parties huh.” he sighs looking off into the distance one hand smoothing his hair back.
There's a pause “Oh! You don't like them?” you ponder, eyebrows raising. You hear the beat of the Bangles behind you, and a smashing of glass.
“Not really, but you know, gotta make appearances.” he shrugs.
“This is your house, Steve, you invited everyone” you laugh.
He looks at you, head cocking to the side and then he grabs your hand, his thumb rubbing softly against your palm. “yeah” he bites his bottom lip. And you blink through your lashes at him. 
He takes your joint from your hand, breathing it in and then he just walks away. And you're utterly confused, you look at Eddie through the glass door who puts his hands up questioning and you shake your head confused eyebrows furrowed and robbed of half a joint, blanket hanging off your shoulder.
What the fuck.
“So I told him, you like to hate his guts” Eddie grunts, hand against the wheel of his beat up van, he inhales his cigarette and throws it out the window with ease “and he laughed like actually laughed and then said, No one hates me, this will be easy and I was like oh yeah wanna make a bet? and then he was like her?! Easiest three five of my life!" and then he left.” 
“Wow, Dick oh I can't wait to ruin his little life. Rich cunt” you smile as Eddie pulls into the trailer park, parking at his trailer. He looks at you, sprawled across the car seat, your legs pulled up on the chair to avoid getting beer and fast food all over your white shoes.
“Well, what did he say?”he asks.
‘Oh shit! yeah, urm he said he has to make appearances at parties” you bunny ear at the sentence, laughing “and then i was like Steve this is your house, and he grabbed my hand and looked me in the eyes for like a minute, stole my joint and just walked off ? I’m so confused” You push your hair back out your face, snatching your bag up from the seat. “can i stay over tonight i way too high to drive home” you ask. 
‘You know you don't have to ask, just be quiet, Wayne's sleeping.” he pats your thigh.
continue on
comment to be on taglist
374 notes · View notes
lixiesfreckless · 2 months
Text
Tumblr media
No Translation Needed | h. h.
➸ synopsis: when the language barrier between you and a stranger becomes too wide, your shared interests bridge the gap for you.
➸ starring: hwang hyunjin x female reader
➸ word count: 2.7k
➸ general content: artist!hyunjin, there is somewhat of a language barrier, both people are complete art nerds and it's way too endearing, takes place in south korea, flufffff(I'm so fond of this man)
➸ warnings: microscopic mention of alcohol
➸ rating: teen+
➸ author’s note: an older fic but I'm still so attached to it. two kinds of people: the type who hear hyunjin speak english and move on, and then me
♫ this fic has a soundtrack! you don’t need to listen to it while reading, but rêverie by the man, the myth, the legend, claude debussy goes SO HARD ON THIS FIC LIKE-
Tumblr media
You were never the type to dabble in realism.
A pair of headphones, a wide brush, a blank canvas, and a bucket of red paint; that was your activity of choice on friday nights. Nothing that came from that ever resembled anything in particular, but it was never supposed to. Just looking at it, one could tell what emotions fueled the creative process those nights.
The feelings behind them were real enough, you'd hear people say.
But of course, there's always some people that detest abstract art. They say it takes no talent, no thought, that you're just slathering paint on a canvas and expecting to get recognition for it. Sometimes you think they're right.
Other times you buy a plane ticket out of the country, you know, for fun. If you were a starving artist, maybe you'd think about letting their words get to you.
And while some would argue that booking a spontaneous vacation to Seoul could classify as a form of escapism, the painting in front of you has you wondering whether you could mark this trip in your tax forms as a business expense.
All of your years in art school and not once had you ever learned so much from one piece of canvas.
Art museums are designed to look boring. They are supposed to draw your eye from one acrylic-covered canvas to another, making you forget about your surroundings and immerse you into the various artworks. This one was no different, hues of beige and black and white littering the geometric space.
That being said, you are certain that this painting would have caught your eye even if it was posted in Times Square.
You had made your way across the room, ears picking up on the few Korean phrases you knew as strangers shifted around you. A graphite cityscape. A gouache vase of flowers. A portrait made of ink prints on wood. The exhibit you randomly picked over tonkatsu and soju last night in your hotel room was definitely a good one, no doubt.
And to think you almost walked past this piece.
Bold strokes of blue, tiny specks of white, all on a frame that was wider than your wingspan. 
The girl was depicted just off center, in some billowy white dress.
Floating? Drowning? 
You settle on suspended as your footsteps slow down, turning to approach the watery scene.
Staring at it feels like staring at a glass of water. You can't definitively say whether it’s half-empty or half-full, whether she’s reaching for the surface or letting herself sink. Her face is covered by wispy brown hair, obstructing her true emotions from view. Somehow you know this was a conscious decision the artist made, to let the viewer come to their own conclusion on the piece.
Even though you know about the negative effects that human oils have on artworks, you still find yourself fighting the urge to reach out and touch it. To feel the ripples of the oil paint and somehow find your own hand soaked, as if you reached through the canvas barrier and felt the cold loneliness yourself.
Impressionist paintings did always have this charm about them, at least to you. They felt abstract upon inspection, just a mess of strange brushstrokes and controversial colors. And yet when viewed from a distance, it feels like a completely different experience. Up close, a dizzying mix of the shades of the sky. A step back, and it's an unspoken thesis on the solitude of limbo, or whatever you've decided to name this piece.
You glance at the info card at the bottom right corner.
Buoyancy- Hwang Hyunjin
You make a mental note to research him later before your eyes get pulled to the subject once again.
‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆. ✧˚₊‧⋆‧
You have been staring at his painting for eight minutes.
He had walked around, chatted with other featured artists, talked with a few strangers, but when he came back, you had acted as though you were one of the items on display; still locked in the same position as before. Eyebrows furrowed, one hand resting on your canvas tote bag, the other in the pocket of your trousers. 
In the nicest way possible, you looked like a tourist.
But tourists don't have long attention spans, and you could have been roleplaying a statue with how long you'd been standing there.
A strange mix of anxiety and excitement rushed through Hyunjin when he found you still standing there. 
No one had ever observed his art for that long before.
At least, not in one sitting. Definitely not like this. Why haven't you moved on? Can you see something that he can't? Are you thinking of buying a print?
He wants to approach you. To leave you alone. To watch you scrutinize his painting. To run screaming to the event coordinator.
Casually, he sticks both hands in his jeans and stands a few feet from your right side, as if he's one of the visitors.
He takes a moment, gaining whatever’s left of his composure before speaking.
“I'm so glad I know how to swim.”
You snap out of your daze, surprised to hear English in the Korean white noise you've been immersed in. You look over and see the gorgeous young man standing near you, looking at the painting you've been so engrossed in.
“Yeah,” you exhale, “I totally get the fear of open water.”
Hyunjin chuckles, strangely drawn in by the sound of your voice.
“Although, she doesn't seem all that scared to me,” you add, shifting your focus back to the canvas.
“You don't think so?”
“I mean, you could argue that she doesn't want to be there, that she's drowning,” you begin, pointing to the girl. “But…the longer I stare at it, the more I feel like she's just hanging there, not reaching for the surface on purpose.” Your finger trails down to the bottom right corner. “I think that's why it was named Buoyancy, at least that's what I got out of it…”
You trail off, realizing that you're rambling to a total stranger about a random piece of artwork. Looking back at him however, you find your face heating up at the amazed expression on his, as if you had just told him his middle name.
“I wish I had thought of that,” he lies. It was almost scary how quickly you had found the meaning he'd tried to convey after months of fighting with the paint.
“Well that's the fun thing about art,” you say, smiling to yourself. “It's all subjective. What were you thinking?”
Hyunjin opens his mouth to speak, then closes it again in mild frustration.
“I'm not…very good with English,” he says, defeated.
He would argue that he's not very good with any language, even his mother tongue.
Art was the only language he felt he could speak easily without hesitation. It was easy to throw himself into that with reckless abandon, because it was the only place where he truly felt understood.
“But I can still understand you,” he quickly amends, glad to see that spark behind your eyes again. He walks past you, stopping at the painting on your left. “What about this one?”
“This one has some really dramatic lighting, which makes me believe…”
‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆. ✧˚₊‧⋆‧
Evening sunlight filters in through the exhibit windows as you and Hyunjin examine an organically-shaped vase, admiring its handiwork.
“I’ve always wanted to try pottery but…I don’t really like the feeling of cold clay on my hands,” you chuckle, looking at the tall man next to you. He grins, scrutinizing his hands as he contemplates his answer. 
“People tell me I have good fingers- for clay,” he adds quickly, even though the meaning wasn't lost on you, and you fight back a smirk to appear unphased. “But I haven't found a good studio? Is that how you call it?”
“I wouldn't know, I've never been,” you say, walking to the next painting. Which happens to be where you both started.
“Wait, have we been through this whole gallery?” You quickly check your watch, confirming that you have been there for much longer than you had intended. Looking back at the stranger you have spent the evening with, you feel heat start to scatter across your face.
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take up so much of your ti-”
“I liked it,” he blurts, and you feel reassured as his face lights up with panic. “Talking. With you, I mean.” He looks just past you to the art on the wall, ears turning the slightest shade of red. “No one has ever said anything so beautiful about my art before.”
He watches as your face circles through several emotions, before settling on embarrassment. 
“You're…you're one of the artists? Which one is yours?” You say, trying to recall what you said about every art piece.
He nods toward the painting that had first caught your attention, the one that practically jumped out at you an hour ago.
“Hyunjin,” he says quietly, extending a hand toward you in a humble introduction, as if that same hand didn't produce the masterpiece in front of you. 
“Y/n,” you whisper, trying not to let your mouth hang open in awe. “And to think I was going to Google you later.”
“You were?” The light in his eyes was unmistakable.
“I always research artists that inspire me,” you admit, bashfully dropping his hand.
“I inspired you?”
You meet his eyes and you know then, the weight that your words carry.
To create is a desire that all artists cannot shake; it is what keeps the painter keep coming back to the blank canvas, the sculptor to the slab of clay. But when the process is finished, all they can hope is that someone will see it, and feel a fraction of what they felt whilst creating it. 
Moving someone to the point of giving them the desire to create, through their artwork, is a dream many artists never get to see come into fruition.
And maybe that's why Hyunjin stares at you now, wondering which lucky star is shining down on him now.
“Can I…” he pauses, hoping he's saying the line like how they do in the movies, “can I buy you a drink?”
‧⋆ ✧˚₊‧⋆. ✧˚₊‧⋆‧
When people say studio apartment, this is what you wish they mean.
Floor-to-ceiling window walls on one side, where several canvases sit propped up against the city skyline, and an apartment on the other, with a cute kitchenette and loft bedroom that doesn't feel cramped. It's perfect for someone who needs enough space to think, without sacrificing their space to live.
You hear Hyunjin click the door shut behind you as you set your bag down on a chair, surveying the studio side of his residence.
Several canvases catch your eye.
You can't even blame him for attempting to paint it because with the view he has, you'd paint it every day. 
Different versions of the Seoul skyline are scattered across the room, each depicting a different time of day. Sunrise is leaning against the window. Midday is sitting on a canvas. Twilight is hanging up on the wall, and something akin to golden hour lays unfinished, perhaps even abandoned on the floor. You crouch in front of it to get a better look.
“That one is…not finished,” Hyunjin says from the kitchen, pouring two glasses of soju. You can feel his nervous gaze on you even with your back turned to him.
“It's beautiful,” you whisper, looking at the palette he used to mix the colors. An array of browns and yellows are smeared on the glass, which were no doubt used to put the buildings into the scene.
He doesn't say thank you; his face does that for him when he crouches next to you, cheekbones pink as he sets the soju glasses on the floor. 
“I can't get the colors right,” he sighs, staring at the painting in discontent. “It looks…dull.”
“Maybe you should try adding red instead of brown,” you suggest, picking up a palette knife. “May I?”
Hyunjin stares at you in bewilderment, before opening a tube of vermillion and squeezing a bit onto the palette. 
“I studied color theory for what felt like forever,” you chuckle, taking the knife and adding red to a few of his previous colors.
“I never went to art school,” he says, as if that makes him a lesser artist. You feel a twinge of jealousy at that statement, knowing that the man next to you was this skilled without coaching, before adding, “You didn't miss much. It killed my creativity.”
Hyunjin goes pale at that as you pass him a clean paintbrush and toss the palette knife aside.
“Did you get it back?” He asks, and when you tilt your head, he adds, “Your creativity?”
“It comes and goes.” Sometimes you wish you didn't stake your livelihood on your ability to create. Inspiration is always a welcome guest but it never stays for long, at least on your side of the ocean.
Watching him add your hues to the painting is like having inspiration fed right into your bloodstream. Immediately the painting comes to life, the reds of the sunset becoming visible at the whim of his paintbrush.
He stops for a minute to admire the changes, and turns to you for feedback, eyes twinkling with joy. Or maybe that's just the soju.
“It was beautiful before,” you say, tracing your finger along the side of the canvas, “but now it looks alive.”
“I love the way you talk,” Hyunjin says quietly after a moment of silence, and the bluntness of the compliment nearly has you choking on your soju. But he just looks at you, no hint of humor in his eyes, sitting entirely too close to your tipsy self, and you feel your body buzz with warmth.
“And I love the way you smile,” you whisper back, unable to look away as he sets down his paintbrush, trying to hide his contagious grin.
He turns back to you, and you wish for several things. You wish you didn't have a plane ticket taking you away from this place in a week. You wish that you had finished your glass of soju. You wish you could poke the mole under his eye, or the dimple in his cheek.
You wish that you were drunk enough to close the gap between you two without a second thought.
But when your foreheads touch, your phone buzzes, so you grin and chuckle to yourself.
“I…I think we've had too much to drink.”
He looks at you through hooded eyes and smiles again.
“Or not enough.” He counters.
You nod in agreement at that and pull back, mentally kicking yourself for losing the only chance at finding out what his smile tastes like. But it's probably better this way. You don't want to be remembered as the girl who sweet talked her way into his bed.
You're halfway to the sink with your glasses when he speaks up suddenly.
“I want to see you again.”
You set the dishes down before turning to face him, and you wish you had brought a change of clothes. And maybe an extra toothbrush.
“I don't want to finish it without you,” he says, nodding to the painting that he had moved to the easel.
“I can come back tomorrow morning,” you promise, trying not to sound too hopeful.
“I can make crepes.”
“I love crepes.”
He picks up your bag from the chair and brings it to you, hating how much it feels like he's rushing you out the door. 
“See you tomorrow, y/n.”
“Goodnight, Hyunjin.”
You leave the apartment and close the door behind you, but your feet don't advance down the hallway. Hyunjin's hand hovers over the locking mechanism, unable to click the deadbolt into place as he considers running after you.
Before you can talk yourself out of it, you spin around to knock on his door, only to find him throwing the door open and grinning in delight at the sight of you.
“It's past midnight, isn't it?”
His smile tastes like mint and chamomile tea.
223 notes · View notes
ageofbajabule · 2 months
Text
Miracle
Tumblr media
Alt!Jake Kiszka x Female Reader
Word Count: 6.8 K
Warnings: Drug use (marijuana, coke), Alcohol consumption, Partying, Oral Sex (F! & M! Receiving) Unprotected Sex, Depression, Abandonment, Lying, Crying, Arguing, Fluff.
Author’s Note: Please note that this is an Alternate Universe! And it is fiction, if any of the warnings are potentially triggering to you then I suggest you move along and avoid this fic. (Also, please note that I would never ever depict any of the guys to be like this. We don’t know who they truly are and again this is simply fanfiction.) This is inspired by Bad Omens song Miracle off of their The Death of Peace of Mind album. Also picture credit to the lovely @holybananafuck she did an absolutely stunning job on bringing Miracle Jake to life🤍
Tumblr media
Going to parties wasn’t typically your vibe. However your dorm roommates bribed you into going as it was the first big party since coming back from summer break. You would much rather be at home listening to your favorite bands, or painting your next masterpiece. You had taken it upon yourself to get a degree in Art and Philosophy. In hopes to become an Art teacher or a tattoo artist.
You didn’t need a degree of course to be a tattoo artist, but learning different techniques in art helped your creative mind. You had started an apprenticeship at your favorite tattoo shop. Abby had taken you under her wing to train you, she absolutely loved your portfolio. You had already been teaching yourself since your senior year of high school.
You had purchased a tattooing machine set, an insane amount of ink, needles, and of course tattooable practice skin. Abby had said within the next year you could have all of the training necessary completed before becoming an official tattoo artist for her shop. Getting the degree was a back up plan in case your tattooing career didn’t end up working out for you.
After getting ready, you had finally opted on wearing a red lace bodysuit, paired with black ripped jeans, and your Doc Martens. You grabbed your black and gray flannel as well, putting it on as the early fall was a little chilly. Being satisfied with how you looked, you and your friends left. The party thankfully wasn’t at a frat house, instead at Xavier’s house that his parents left him for the weekend.
You typically hung out with what others would typically say is “alternative people”. And there was nothing wrong with that, you liked the people you surround yourself with. It was a comfortable friend group you had come to know. However tonight there was a new face at this party, one you hadn’t seen before. Yeah you never went to parties, but you still almost knew everyone from going out bowling.
Walking past the mysterious man, you had pulled your friend Maddy to the side.
“Who is he?” You grabbed a cup making yourself a vodka soda.
She giggled softly, “That is Jake… He’s majoring in music I believe. And he’s been trying to get his band going… But other than that, there isn’t much to tell about him. All I’ve heard is that he’s good in bed.” She smirked, making herself a drink.
You weren’t really looking to have a hook up. But he drew you in, and couldn’t put a finger as to why. You nodded, taking a sip from your drink.
“However, I don’t think he’s one to settle down… Guess he likes the party life.” She shrugged.
Maddy ventured off to find her boyfriend while you stood off the side, watching Jake from a distance. He wasn’t that tall, but he was gorgeous. His hair rested just upon his shoulders, a chestnut brown. Tattoos traveling all over his arms, his shirt was a little torn by his chest revealing a chest piece to you. His hands adorned with rings, and his ears gauged, a small hoop in his nostril and an eyebrow ring.
He was your type, but you tried to steer away because most times it didn’t end well for you. But your feet were telling you otherwise and suddenly you were in front of him.
He turned to face you, smiling softly.
One look at your eyes, and I cave in…
“Sorry, Hi. I’m Y/N…” You said shyly, sticking your hand out.
He chuckled softly, shaking your hand. You could feel the calluses on his hands. A guitar player perhaps. “I’m Jake, it’s nice to meet you.”
“I’ve never seen you around before? Are you friends with Xavier?”
He raised an eyebrow to you, “Yeah, good friends actually. Although it's funny, cause I’ve never seen you around before…”
You felt your cheeks warm, “I’m not typically one to party often.”
“A shame, it's nice to see such a pretty girl…” He mumbled, but you caught on.
You blushed, shaking your head lightly, “I’m not pretty. You’re just saying that.”
“I mean it…” He looked up at you with a twinkle in his eyes. He pulled a rolled joint from his flannel front pocket. “Wanna smoke?”
You nodded, as he led the way to the backyard of the noisy house. He sat down in front of the bonfire that was lit, weirdly enough no one was out back. So it was just the two of you. He placed the joint between his lips, bringing a lighter to light the end of it. Once it was lit, he took a couple puffs before handing it over to you.
You smiled softly, saying a thank you to him as you took a couple hits. Coughing slightly, you passed it back to him. “So tell me a bit about yourself.” He spoke with a bit of raspiness to his voice.
“Well, I’m attending university to get a degree in Art and Philosophy. While also doing an apprenticeship at my favorite tattoo shop. I hope to be a tattoo artist, and my sponsor thinks if I keep doing what I’m doing I’ll land a position for myself in no time.” You smiled softly, running your hand along your thighs nervously.
Jake nodded and smiled taking in what you had told him. “That’s amazing. I’ll have to check your work out sometime.” He smiled, taking a drag from the joint.
“So what about you?” You pulled the joint from his hand. He smirked softly.
“Music major, although I’m trying to get a band going with my brothers.” He grinned, shaking his head.
“A band, that’s really cool. Do you guys play often?” You took a drag, starting to feel the effects now.
“We have some gigs lined up to play at bars. Nothing crazy.” He shrugged, taking the joint back, finishing it off.
“You should see us sometime.”
“I’d like that…” You smiled softly.
The rest of the night you and Jake completely hit it off. The two of you had a lot more in common than you thought. And Maddy wasn’t lying when she said he was a party dude. The two of you played pong most of the night and kept winning every game. Eventually the two of you ventured off walking around the streets of the local frat homes as parties were starting to die out.
“Uh, did you want me to walk you back to your dorm?” He asked nervously.
“You don’t have too. I’m sure you want to get back to yours.” You felt your cheeks flush.
“No, I want to make sure you get back safely.” He smiled at you.
“Okay, it's just a couple blocks this way.” You smiled softly as you pointed in the direction.
He made sure to stay on your side, keeping you from stumbling into the street. As the two of you were still a bit drunk from your night out.
After a bit of walking you finally reach your dorm building as he walks with you up to your dorm room. Right outside your door.
“Well this is it.” You smiled at him.
He smiled softly, “Well I’ll leave you to it. It was nice meeting you Y/N.”
“You too Jake. I had fun tonight…”
“Uh, do you want to trade numbers?” His cheeks flushed.
You nodded, handing him your phone, as he switched yours out with his. After putting in your number, he finished putting his in yours.
“I’d like to get together again.” You grinned at him.
“Yeah of course. Have to get you to come see a gig.” He chuckled.
Then he leaned in closely, your breath starting to speed up as your lips touched. His lips are soft, satin and warm. It was a sweet small kiss.
One taste of the life, now I crave it
Then he pulled away, “Fuck. I’m sorry…” He chuckled nervously.
“No! It’s okay…” You blushed. “It would probably be best to leave it at that…”
He nodded, backing away slowly. “I’ll see you around love.” He said in a playful British accent.
After the small goodbye you retreated into your now empty dorm. You figured your roommates would be out for the rest of the evening and return in the late morning. So you decided to text Jake.
You: Thanks for walking me home. I appreciate it. And I’d love to see you play one night.☺️
Jake⚔️: Of course, I wouldn't have let you walk back all by yourself. And definitely! We have one coming up soon.
And that was the last you heard from Jake… You would reach out for the next few weeks hoping to hear back from him. But he completely ignored your messages. Maddy had told you that he probably wanted a hook up and since he didn’t get any he just dropped you.
You heard of him attending parties, and pretty much picking any chick he could find and leaving the party with them not too long after. Maddy had told you, she saw him snorting coke right off some chick's breasts the other night at a party. Making you see red, why were you even remotely upset?
Because you felt the two of you had a connection? But, maybe you had misjudged him.
It was Halloween weekend. All sorts of parties were going on this weekend so you were bound to run into Jake at one of them. You had different costumes to choose from. And the first night out you opted into a slutty nurse. (How original.)
Maddy helped pull your costume together by applying fake blood to it, and making sure your boobs perked out. You had gone for a dark makeup look and grabbed your wristlet. “Tonight, just forget about him! Clearly he’s missing out.” Maddy smiled at you softly.
“Don’t worry, I’m over it.” You lied through your teeth as you spoke. You weren’t over it, you still thought about how soft his lips were. How the two of you connected over music and wrecked ships. He was different to you…
Upon arriving at Xavier's house Maddy had left your side going and found Travis right away as she always did. You rolled your eyes playfully and went to the keg to get yourself a cup. You eyed around seeing if there was any sign of Jake. But alas no luck.
You ventured around, participating in drinking games as well as taking shots as you got further into the party.
Then you heard a familiar laugh, your ears perked up following the sound.
Coming to the outside balcony you see Jake dressed in a pirate costume with his arm wrapped around another girl, as he does a line off the table. You felt your blood boil…
It’s not too late to die for a reason
Jake’s eyes traveled towards you after he hit his line. His eyes widened as they locked with yours. You sucked your teeth nodding at him raising your cup then taking a long sip from it. Walking away from the scene, making way towards the bathroom down the hall.
Hearing footsteps tailing you, you felt your heartbeat grow faster.
“Y/N! Slow down.” Jake yelled for you.
You growled, “Why, Jake! Obviously you have no interest, you haven’t spoken to me in weeks! I’ve reached out and received radio silence.”
Jake groaned, “Things are just complicated.”
“Complicated my ass… You seem pretty fucking occupied with Slutty Nun back there.”
“As opposed to you being a Slutty Nurse?” He chuckled.
“How fucking high are you right now?” You grabbed his jaw looking at him closely.
“Don’t fucking start.” He pushed your hand away from his face.
“What else did you do besides coke? Are you on fucking molly, xanax?” You shook your head.
“What’s it to you?”
“Because Jake, you are trying to make something of yourself and taking this route will just make it worse.” You shook your head in disbelief.
“Listen just because you have your life together doesn’t mean I do, or that I have too.” He rubbed his nose.
“Wow Jake…. I thought you were different from others. But you just proved me absolutely wrong.”
“Honey, if you thought you would get something from me… It would’ve been one night and done.” He was standing dangerously close to you now. Smelling the hint of tobacco and teakwood off of him.
“Maybe I should’ve made it worth your while and did something that night.” You bit back.
“Why can’t you do something now?”
You giggled loudly, “After you’ve clearly been with another chick this whole night?”
Fall down on the sword you were swinging
Jake, wrapped his hand around your waist pulling you close. “Come on…”
I wanted to dress a blade up in red, with both of our necks
You melted into his touch pulling him into the bathroom. The alcohol had made you desperate for him. You were so drunk your anger you felt towards him had vanished making you vulnerable to him.
“Tell me you want this…” He held your face in his hands softly.
“I want this…” You pleaded to him, pulling him in for a heated kiss.
He wrapped his hand around your neck pulling your hair with his hand as his tongue slipped into your mouth. Tasting the whiskey on his breath. You melted into him, moaning softly into him, earning a groan from him as he locked the bathroom door.
You tug him closer to you, resulting in him lifting you up to place you on the counter. He pressed you against the mirror, trailing kisses down your neck leaving sloppy wet kisses.
“Jake…” You whined out, feeling the heat between your legs.
Like he knew what you needed, his hand moved to your clothed pussy. Pulling your thong off in a swift action stuffing them into his pants pocket.
“Fucking crying for me, aren’t you sweetheart…” He kissed your lips sloppily and his two fingers collected your slick, feeling how wet you were for him. “God… you’re gonna be the death of me…”
He licked his two fingers, humming contently before getting down to eye level with your cunt. He wrapped his lips around your bundle of nerves making you yelp, as your hands reached down to grip onto his hair.
He starts kneading his hands around your ass, pulling you closer to his face. Shaking his head back and forth like a starved man, lapping you up.
“Oh fuck…” You whine, as your back arches as you lean your head against the mirror.
Jake then slips two fingers, pumping and curling them at a steady pace. Grazing that spot that is ever so sweet inside of you. You felt yourself getting closer.
He pulls away for a brief moment, still pumping his fingers. “Come on angel, give me it. Drown me in it.”
Something inside of you snapped, as he reattached his mouth. He went into a frenzy, continuing to eat you out bringing you down from your high. He lapped up every inch of you, pulling away from your convulsing body, his lips glistening from you.
You pulled him up by his shirt grabbing his face to kiss him roughly, tasting yourself on him. Humming against his lips. He rutted his hips against you, feeling his hard, hot thick self pressing against you.
You pushed him back slightly, hopping off the counter. Pushing him against the counter, going onto your knees you undo his pants pulling them down to his knees, springing his cock free. Throbbing, the tip red and leaking with arousal. Taking your hand you wrap it around him, pumping him slowly, taking your thumb and rolling it over the tip as he shudders beneath you.
“Don’t be a tease baby.” He looked down at you, his eyes bloodshot and filled with lust.
Giving him your best doe eyes you smile softly, licking the tip slowly and languidly before taking him into your mouth. He groans as his head rolls back, as he relaxes against the counter.
Teasing him slowly, by flicking your tongue around his head, then took him far enough for the tip of his cock to hit the back of your throat, beginning to bob your head. His hand reached to gather your hair from your face. Letting out a moan against him, causing him to buck his hips causing you to slightly gag but you continued on breathing through your nose.
After a little while of bobbing your head and using your hand to pump the rest of his length. He eventually took control by grabbing your hair. “Just let me know if it gets to be a bit much. Tap on my leg.”
You nodded at him, as he then began to fuck your mouth. Feeling tears spill out the side of your eyes as he kept driving into your mouth, succumbing to his destiny. He was in an absolute haze. “God your mouth is fucking perfect…”
Somehow you managed your breathing to keep yourself from gagging, you hollowed your cheeks out as he kept thrusting. Eventually you felt him twitching, hearing him groan and watching his face contorted in pleasure he finally released down your throat. As you take every last drop of him, making sure to remember his distinct taste.
Jake eventually pulls back, cupping your cheek as he looks down at you. “So fucking beautiful.” He picked you up kissing your lips softly, getting a taste of himself.
The door then rattled as someone was trying to get in.
“Bathrooms occupied!” Jake yelled as you gathered yourself.
“Come on man you’ve been in there forever! Stephanie’s getting all fucking weird dude and asking for you.” A guy yelled back to him.
You looked at Jake as you stood up, adjusting your costume. “I guess you better tend to Slutty Nun…” You scoffed.
“Y/N, don’t do this. We can-“
“No Jake, this. This was obviously a mistake…” You felt your head throbbing. You then exited the bathroom quickly vanishing from the party.
But I wasn’t able, and I wasn’t stable, I guess
Jake’s POV
You felt like you were drowning, planning all these gigs. Trying to maintain your grades, and keeping up with whatever you had going on. The only things that kept you afloat were your music and drugs…
“Jake, come on dude! Get your fucking shit together.” Your youngest brother smacked you on the side of your head.
“Yeah, cause that’s gonna solve all my fucking problems man!” You cracked your neck, standing up slowly.
“You have been late to practice every fucking time we schedule it. And the gigs you’ve been slacking off man. You fucking wanted this, and now you’re throwing it away. What is your problem?” Sam got into your face.
“My problem! You want to know what my fucking problem is!? Its fucking everything. Everything I’ve ever worked for I just fuck up Sam, I don’t have brains like you, Josh or Danny. I just make stupid fucking mistakes and deal with the consequences all on my own. And I’m just a fucking mess.” You pushed him back. Causing Josh and Danny to intervene.
“Yo man, walk it off.” Danny called out.
“No, you know what. Fuck this, and fuck you guys.” You packed your guitar up and left the studio. Driving to god knows where, whichever girl was wanting to fuck you was all you could think about. Of course you thought about Y/N but you pushed her into the back of your mind. All that would be is heartbreak and disappointment.
She didn’t deserve that from you. She needed better and you couldn’t offer that to her, not with your fucked up mentality.
But nevertheless I’m fucking depressed
Another party you were off to. Travis was throwing one this time around, you knew it probably wasn’t best to go considering Y/N would probably be there. But so fucking what. You were so far gone it wouldn’t have mattered. Just as long as you had your bump, booze and a girl by your side.
Throughout the night you kept yourself busy, drowning in your sorrows. Getting a bump whenever you could, and flirting with all the girls that came through. Like you were testing the waters of who would come home with you tonight.
You were so far gone, you could barely stand straight. You ended up sitting on the lounge chair on the deck outside. Lighting up a blunt, smoking it by yourself, while some of your buddies eventually joined you. The four of you bullshitted, then out of nowhere you could hear her. You bit your lip nervously, standing up telling the guys you were just getting another drink.
Making your way into the house, you accidentally bump into her. “Jesus christ!” She yells.
You both look at each other. “Jake…”
“Y/N…”
“I um. Wasn’t expecting you here.” She wrapped her arms close to her chest.
“Don’t worry, I won’t waste your time darling. Going to get myself a drink and maybe another bump or a fuck.” The drugs and alcohol were taking over.
“Real classy Jake. Don’t you think it's time you grew up?” She scoffed.
“I’m grown baby, what’s the harm in having fun?” You smirked.
“Getting fucking high on god knows what and drunk every night is not having fun Jake. You bailed on your last gig.”
“Keeping tabs on me now?” You looked at her with wide eyes.
“Not keeping tabs, Josh asked me to come out. We are lab partners, you know.” She rolled her eyes.
“Look I don’t give a shit. You’re not shit…”
You watched her face get red as her eyes welled up with tears. “Jake I honestly wish you the absolute fucking worst. You are so fucked up… What is wrong with you? How can you think this is okay?” She was starting to get loud with you.
“I’ve been fucked up, you didn’t notice from day one. Haven’t you heard the stories? I’m a fucking mess baby… And no one is ever going to change that. I’m not going to give you what you’re looking for… I don’t do relationships. So stop fucking trying to fix me.” You yelled into her face. Causing her to cower back and she began to sob quietly to herself excusing herself from you.
You punched the wall beside you, screaming to yourself. How much more of a fuck up can you be…
So you stormed off and found some passable looking chick that was down to just fuck. You didn’t care you needed to blow off steam. Get your mind off things, off of her. And this was the way you went about it.
I hide it with sex, and drink till it's fatal
It’s so fucking painful
It’s a mess
The next few weeks you just drown your sorrows with booze, drugs and any chick that was down for whatever with you. Eventually Josh was fed up with you fucking your life up. Waking up with the worst hangover ever. Josh came barging into your room.
“Alright man, I’ve been letting shit slide for too fucking long. You need to sober up. This isn’t fucking you man. What has got you all fucked up?”
Your head was pounding as you adjusted to the real world. “She’s got me fucked up… She’s so.”
“She’s got you fucked up? You got her fucked up!” He was angry. “She called me last night fucking crying, I could barely understand a word out of her. Do you like fucking up the good ones Jake?”
“Of course not!” You felt yourself getting angry, not at your twin. At yourself.
“Then what the fuck is your deal?”
“I need help man… I need something…”
So give me something beautiful
So give me something else
“Jake… you have to want to help yourself… I can’t just.” He sighed.
“I can’t lose her.” You choked out.
“I honestly think that was the last straw…”
“Josh. Please, I need to get better. For us, the band. For her.” You were crying now.
“Well, what did you think was going to happen acting like that?” He sighed sitting beside you.
“I think I love her. But I just, I’m scared. Is that how it’s supposed to be? Am I supposed to be scared of this feeling…”
“Brother… I think you are scared from something actually working out for once. She is… She is exactly what you want in someone. And, man- you need to get your act together.” He rubbed your shoulder.
“So help me…”
I need another miracle
I really need some help, I need a miracle
Her POV
Spring semester had started, you were focused on your apprenticeship. Excelling in it, just as you suspected. You had grown close with Josh, becoming quite close even with the hurt Jake had put you through. Josh had apologized for his brother's actions even though it had nothing to do with it. As Jake was his own person and could own up to his own actions.
“Just come to our show Saturday.” Josh smiled softly, paying for your guys’ coffee.
“Josh… I don’t know.” You sighed quietly.
“I swear on my life. It will be worth it. And Jake… He. He’s better.” He beamed.
You looked at him with a serious look, but there was hope in his eyes. Hope that you would go, in not just support of him but the rest of them.
“Fine. But if Jake does some fucked shit, I’m a goner.” You had a serious tone, grabbing your coffee as it was called.
“I promise, he’ll be on his best behavior.” He smiled softly. “And besides, I want you to meet this guy I’ve been seeing… His name is Ethan. And I want to know what you think of him.” He blushed talking about this new guy to you.
“Okay, well now you just have to fill me in on everything!” You giggled softly as the two of you went on your daily walk.
Who’s left when we’re all for the taking?
Saturday came, you had opted to wear jeans and a t-shirt for the gig they were playing at the local bar. You didn’t want to wear anything flashy as you were going in support of your friends' band.
When arriving at the bar, you decided to start a tab getting yourself a Tequila Soda. You opted to sit at the bar with the perfect view of the stage. Seeing Danny and Sam finishing up on setting the stage up. While noticing Josh out of the corner of your eye, you waved to him with him waving back.
In a couple of minutes the guys hit the stage, as you watched them step onto the stage. You felt your heart start to beat quickly when you noticed Jake had actually made it. You drank the rest of your drink asking the bartender for another, as the guys started out their show.
Throughout their set, you paid close attention to Jake and how he played. You haven’t been able to see them just yet so you were mesmerized by his skills. You knew Josh had a beautiful voice from the times you’ve hung out. But you didn’t know Jake was amazingly talented.
Although in the back of your head all you could picture was how he had treated you. And how fucked up he was the last time you saw him, it had you wondering if he had gotten his act together. Or if he was still the same old prick you were facing the last two times.
No lives left to bet on obeying
Once their hour long set was finished, Josh had rushed over to you embracing you into a hug. “I’m so glad you came! What did you think?” He pulled back, raising an eyebrow.
“You guys are amazing! You didn’t tell me the talent you all had!” You playfully punched his arm.
“Jake has. Something’s changed, and honestly I think it makes us sound better.” He smiled softly.
You gave a hurt smile, that you knew he wouldn’t pick up on. And order the two of you a drink. “So where is this lovely Ethan?”
“He should be coming back soon, he went to the bathroom before I came over here.” He smiled while taking his drink you got him.
“Over here!” Josh flagged him down to join you two.
“Sorry, it was crowded as fuck over there.” Ethan giggled softly, embracing you into a hug. “I’m Ethan, you must be Y/N! Josh always talks about you.”
“The one and only. Best lab partner ever! But also the bestest friend.” You smiled softly. You were happy to see Josh glow with him, yet you felt a pang as you were missing out on something like that.
For the next hour you learned a lot about Ethan and came to find that he was going to school for film. Which was one of the many reasons Josh was so interested in him. Ethan had even offered to be one of your clients for when you can start tattooing on actual clientele which would be relatively soon.
Suddenly you felt a tap on your shoulder, looking over to see it’s Jake. You took a deep breath smiling softly.
“Hey… Is it okay if we, uh. Talk?” He scratched the back of his neck.
“Sure…” You stood up from the bar stool telling Josh and Ethan you would be back.
What are we calling it?
You felt your nerves practically shaking. You were scared, excited, and had all these emotions going at the same time. The two of you decided to step by the one area that wasn’t as crowded in the building.
“So um.” He started nervously.
“Before we continue I just want to make sure… You’re sober right?” You felt bad for asking, but wanted to make sure this wasn’t going to be another bad evening.
“I’ve cut out the hard drugs… I’m just smoking and drinking now. But I’ve barely had anything tonight.” He looked at you with honesty in his eyes.
“Okay… go on.”
“Look, I know I haven’t been the best person out there… And I know I’ve completely avoided you, abandoned you and was overall and outright dick to you. And that wasn’t fair to you…” He took a deep breath.
What does it cost?
“I was just… In over my head, when you found me. I didn’t know how to handle myself, or what to feel or how to feel. I’ve been broken for a very long time. And I just…. I love you to death-” He looked at you before you cut him off.
“But I’m drowning…” You sighed softly, looking into his sad eyes.
He tilted his head with tears threatening his eyes, stepping closer to you. He grabbed your hands, lifting them into his.
What are we calling it?
What does it cost?
“Jake you… You have put me through so much… And-“
Suddenly his lips crashed into yours pulling you closely to him. As you kissed him back passionately cupping his cheeks with your hands, as his wrap around your waist.
So give me something beautiful
The two of you separated from one another slowly, taking a breath. As you steady yourselves, looking at one another.
“You have to mean it Jake… You can’t just throw love around-“
“I do mean it! I- I’ve been cleaning my act up since. Josh practically knocked sense into me… I just. I’m stubborn and a fucking handful.” He gave a sly smile as he chuckled. “I just… ever since. Fuck I don’t even want to speak of her really. I just never believed I could love again… yet here you are.”
“Like I’m some sort of miracle…” You giggled softly looking at him.
He shook his head, smiling softly. “Yeah… like a miracle. Come on… Let’s get out of here.” He grabbed your hand.
“Wait! I have to tell Josh.” You looked at him with pleading eyes.
“Fine, I don’t want him thinking I scared you off again.”
The two of you walked back to the bar together standing beside Josh. “Hey, we’re gonna leave. Everything’s alright.” You whispered to him, smiling softly. “Now you have a fun evening with Ethan, and it was so lovely meeting you!” You hugged the both of them before closing your tab out and leaving the bar with Jake.
“You and Josh must’ve gotten really close, huh?” He smiled softly, walking you to his car.
“Yeah, we have. He’s honestly one of my best friends now…” You smiled softly as Jake opened the door for you to get into his car. Getting into his car you put your seatbelt as he gets around to the other side.
The drive back to the apartment he and his brother shared wasn’t too far from the bar. And surprisingly wasn’t too far from your dorm room either. The campus had everything relatively close to one another, which was a nice advantage.
After Jake parked his car, he got out helping you out of his car. The two of you walked up two flights of stairs before coming to the door of his apartment.
“I apologize if it's a mess… Partially my fault. But we’re managing.” He chuckled, taking his shoes off, as you did the same.
“It’s fine really. At least you have your own place. I stay in a shitty dorm.” You giggled softly.
“So…”
“Well, you have me here. All alone…” Speaking in a sultry tone.
“That I do…” He smiled pulling you close to him and he pecked your lips softly. Before pulling you in for a deeper, heated kiss.
You reciprocated back, wrapping your arms around his neck as he hoisted you up carrying you to his room. Giggling against his lips softly, he placed kisses against your jawline. As he got into his room he shut the door laying you on the bed softly.
He trailed kisses down your neck, as your hands played with his hair. You felt a flood of arousal to your panties, his hands went underneath your shirt, toying with your bra as he unhooked it, removing it while pulling your shirt off as you assisted him.
“You’re so beautiful…” He smiled, capturing your lips again, while using his one hand to massage your breast while the other toyed with your nipple. Eliciting a whine from you. That same nipple he latched his mouth, licking and nibbling at your hardened nipple.
“Fuck, Jake…” You left out a quiet moan.
“Don’t be shy baby, it’s just us…” He smiled softly, encouraging you.
Tugging his shirt off, you can see his bulge through his tight black jeans. Just wanting to be set free, you started to undo his buckle to help make the process quicker. After a little bit of back and forth shared kisses the two of you were finally completely bare in front of one another. You blushed as you covered yourself up slightly with his comforter.
“Baby…” He tilted his hand crawling over to you. “S’just me… You want to treat that pretty pussy nice?” He smiled softly, lowering himself as he peppered kisses along your stomach.
You nodded as a whimper escaped your lips. “Treat it real nice…”
He smiled softly, kissing the inside of your thighs leaving marks behind. Once he nestled himself, he licked a slow stripe causing you to shudder. After his first taste back he hummed, “I’ll never get over this…” Attaching his lips to your bundle of nerves, he continues to lick and flick his tongue. Earning nothing but profanities and cries of his name.
He then moved down a little to nestle his nose right against your clit as his tongue was prodding your entrance. He continued to fuck you with his tongue as he shook his head back and forth causing you to get closer to your orgasm. You felt your legs start to wrap his head, but he used his hands to hold them as he kept lapping at you.
“Oh, god. I’m…” You tilted your head back as your orgasm rippled through you. Your legs began to shake, as Jake licked every drop he could get. Before coming up and kissing your lips softly.
“I could get used to that…” You giggled softly, caressing his cheek.
“I’ll do it whenever you want, however you want, angel…” His cheeks were pink as he smiled at you. He went to the night stand to grab a condom.
“Wait.”
He looked at you, raising an eyebrow, “What’s the matter?”
“I’m on the pill, and I’d much rather… Feel all of you.” You blushed.
He smiled, retreating back, and looking at you. “You’re positive you want to do it without it?”
“Unless you’re not telling me something?”
“I’m as clean as I can be.” He chuckled softly, “I’m always prepared.” He lined himself up with you, tapping his cock against your sensitive clit before pushing into you.
You placed your hands on his arms as he slowly dragged his cock into you. Letting you adjust to him, feeling the slight burn from the stretch. After a little his thrusts became a steady pace to help ease you. You could feel him throbbing and pulsing inside of you, earning a moan from you.
“You feel like heaven…” He groaned as he brought his head down to kiss your lips softly. You groaned against his lips as his pace picked up. You wrapped your legs around his waist pulling him in closer as his hips snapped with purpose.
“Fuck” You moaned out again, as his mouth moved to suck on your tit licking and bitting at the nipple. His thrusts became more harsh as he fucked you harder, hearing you skin meeting one another as it bounced off the walls.
Jake eventually pulled back, to watch where you two connected, watching as he fits perfectly with you. He slowed down to do long languid thrusts watching you fall apart on him. He spits directly onto your pussy, taking his thumb rubbing circles causing you to go into your second orgasm of the night.
After letting you come down, he then pulls out earning a whine from you, as he smiles softly. “Come on baby… I want to watch you.” He sat against his headboard, while you straddled his lap taking him to line yourself up before sinking down onto him.
The two of you make an audible groan from the feeling, his hands placed firmly on your hips, kneading into your skin as you start to ride him making figure eights with your hips. Placing your hands on his tattooed covered chest. You could see the finer details of the work he’s had done.
Jake sneaked his one hand up to your breast, pinching and rolling your nipple between his fingers. Eliciting a whine from you, causing you to bounce on his cock.
“That’s it angel… Just like that.”
He lifted his legs slightly to start thrusting up into you. So as you would come back down, he would hit that right spot inside of you.
“Can you give me one more?” He kept thrusting into you, as he groaned nearing his.
“I- I don’t know…” You felt your legs growing weaker.
“Yeah you can. Come on…” He encouraged you, holding you flush against his chest as he started fucking into you. Wrapping your arms around his neck as he rocked into you. Your clit was brushing against his pubic hair just right, bringing you to the brink of your last orgasm he was able to rip through you.
“That’s my girl…”
His girl, you pulsed around his cock as you rode your orgasm out. He wasn’t too far behind as you could feel him twitching.
“Where, baby?” His breathing was labored.
“Inside…” You looked into his eyes, both of you completely fucked out.
His eyes rolled back as one final snap of his hips, he stilled inside of you filling you up making you more full then you were. He rested his head against your chest, kissing it softly.
Lifting his face with your hands you kissed his lips softly. And he responded back with an even deeper kiss.
“I love you…” You mumbled against his lips.
“I love you.” He murmured, smiling against your lips. He pulled away slowly looking into your eyes. “Thank you… for being patient with me. And giving me a proper chance.”
“Thank you, for being honest… It means more than you’ll ever know.”
“I’ll be honest for the rest of my life. I’ll never hurt you ever again.” He rested his head against yours.
“My little miracle…”
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Taglist-
@ignite-my-fire @sinsofstardust @char289 @gretasfallingsky @thecoldwind @holybananafuck @thunderstomp-and-tequila @myleftsock @hi-hi-hello11 @brujamagik @fkfearandliveyourlegend @itsafullmoon @wagnerbrainrot @gretavangroupie @gretavanmoon
145 notes · View notes
hammity-hammer · 10 months
Text
steve harrington realizing that he’s got no purpose if he’s not protecting the people he loves from outer-dimensional beings, and has a minor (read: major) spiral about it post-vecna & the party fixing everything. he’s just a regular ole 20 something with no purpose— his friends are all in school, except eddie, who managed to pick up an apprenticeship as an electrician; putting all of that wire knowledge to use (just not in cars, he hasn’t hotwired one since 1986 and he’d like to keep it that way si vous plais) and making the rich houses have even cooler guts than they deserve.
the kids end up graduating (their first tries) and heading as one little pack to the same school (don’t ask me which, i’m a college drop out) and steve, eddie, and rob end up staying just outside of indy. rob finished school early, because of course she did, and she found that she may have a knack for hanging around high schoolers, so why not teach them how to become polyglots like she is?
steve still doesn’t know what the fuck he’s doing— he bartends at a little club in the gayborhood, because they went there so often that the bartenders just kind of pushed him into it, and don’t get him wrong— mixing drinks and flirting all night is super fun, but it also… is kind of depressing? even if he gets to be around people like him and see them happy— he knows that a lot of alcohol and drugs causes that happiness and he wants so badly for his people to be out and proud and not murdered for it. but he can’t do that,, so he does the next best thing.
he talks with one of the regulars, andy, who owns a little tattoo shop on the corner, and andy invites him to come check it out. so he does the next day he’s free, and holy fucking christ. tattoos aren’t his thing— at least not on himself, but on other people they’re gorgeous. and they’re painful, but you’re turning the pain into art and you get to live with it in your skin and look at it and think about the fact that you’re here and you made it and you fucking survived. and people purposefully put scars into their bodies? and not in the i-battled-literal-other-dimensional-beings-and-won kind of way, or the i-battled-my-personal-demons-and-won kind of way, which both are things he’s dealt with so fucking intimately— but in the i-will-decorate-this-flesh-prison-and-make-it-a-castle kind of way, and that’s fucking beautiful. queer people taking their bodies and making them into art with ink and hot metal and needles and the love that they have for each other and the passion and the fucking spite at the world that keeps them going and making their presences KNOWN.
and maybe he gets some piercings while he’s there— it’s fascinating and feels so weird and freeing when the needle punctures his flesh and the jewelry goes in— and now he’s got a shiny little ring hanging through his earlobe; his nostril; his lip.
he learns that piercings take time and effort and care and that he has to treat himself with love to be able to heal— and that he is deserving of that love and care and dedication, especially from himself.
he keeps going back, maybe not always to get stabbed, but to watch others have it done. to see how different people’s anatomy takes different piercings, how he can’t have a piercing through his cheeks because he bites them too much when he’s anxious, but the girl that just left got both of hers done and they looked good. they fit her face, like little shiny dimples.
eventually, the piercer, killie, asks steve when he’s going to help them with their needles and their piercings— and he doesn’t know how to react because he hadn’t even thought about it and yet… maybe he could help other people fall in love with themselves and their bodies and help turn them into art one day
maybe he could be a pretty boy with his scars and his metal and his missing chunks and his polos and his jeans and his sneakers.
387 notes · View notes
reggiejworkshop · 3 months
Text
Tumblr media
"Animaniacs Crew as Lupin's Crew"
Yakko The Third: "Hello, Inspector Scratchy! Never thought you'd find us here at Fort Knox so fast. What's your secret?"
Inspector Scratchensniff: "I bought Ralph new running shoes"
Four thieves have just pulled of a major bank heist, and two inspectors have pulled off said thieves' disguise.
Anyone's who's seen the last ballpoint pen sketch post I did will recognize this scene.
I had already drawn quite a few characters from Animaniacs cosplaying as various characters from Lupin the Third.
 Buster Bunny as Goemon, Dot as Fujiko, Wakko as Jigen, and of course Yakko as the notorious wolf thief!
But I hadn't drawn Zenigata yet, and I was really torn on who it could be. Scratchensniff has the smarts, strictness, and determination while Ralph has the stamina, willpower, and of course speed.
So I figured in this scenario, why not both?. Make em' a team!
It had been a while since Id done any serious inking with my art pens. I didn't plan on using a lot of colored pencils for this one, but one of the sets of markers I used, despite being labeled as alcohol based, behaved like water-based ones. They were streaky and bled into some of the finer line work I did.
The only other slight issue I have with this was that the scanner I used to upload this flattened out some of the colors and diluted some of the contrast. Even with some post edits to this, it's not perfect to how it actually looked.
Oh well, I still love it! 
57 notes · View notes
corvuscorona · 12 days
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
The best thing about birthdays, all the time but ESPECIALLY in adulthood, is the opportunity they give you to really commit to a Themed Celebration of some kind.
I'm in adulthood + it was my birthday recently, and also, about 6 months before that birthday, @2000sanimeop & I were driven permanently insane by Stranger of Paradise, so obviously the only reasonable course of action was to invent an Astos-themed cocktail, learn to make edible crystals (for cake decorations), make burgers with squid-ink brioche buns, accidentally find a real recipe for a joke "what if tater tots were cube-shaped" idea we had at like 11:00 at night one time, and completely, fully go to town, all weekend, on manifesting The Jackstos Meal physically in our home.
Tumblr media
(Art by @2000sanimeop)
Please allow me to sell you on the KING OF THE DARK ELVES.
First & most importantly, it tastes fucking amazing. Having chosen ingredients based mostly on wishes + vibes, I wasn't sure what to expect, exactly, but between the berry flavor of the cassis, the orange in the curaçao, & whatever arcane bullshit is going on with the indigo gin, the final product tastes impressively like bubbly sangria.
Secondly: one (1) of these things is enough, which feels appropriate, somehow. An Astos cocktail should be powerous, I think, & this POTION of a drink fits the bill.
Tumblr media
It's elegant. It's over-the-top. There is so much alcohol in it. I cannot recommend the KING OF THE DARK ELVES enough.
If you can't find Astos-themed cocktail picks, homemade is fine.
[ Gold North Star Charm ] ☆ [ gold jump rings, any ] ☆ [ Circle Top Cocktail Picks ]
Tumblr media
Now, about the crystals.
They're strawberry-flavored! We used this recipe for kohakutō, which uses just sugar, water, agar agar [1], food coloring, and flavor extract (plus citric acid, if you feel like it).
[1] Ignore what it says about having to use the one specific brand of agar agar. What they mean is that this recipe is written for agar agar with no included sugar; if there's sugar in the brand that's most available to you, just do math about it! (Sorry. It will work, though.)
It took a couple of hours to cut the crystal shapes, but it was enjoyable, meditative work, and the candy itself doesn't take long to make at all. We got strawberry flavoring specifically for candy-making, which came in very very cute small tiny bottles, at Michael's.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
(The Birthday Soul Burst Cheesecake was orange-flavored, and also purple. This gave it an effect not unlike those skittles where the colors don't "match" the flavors, or a mystery flavor airhead, or some other Trick Food. It was awesome. Look at this thing!!)
Tumblr media
But, hey, now that we know everything about the crystals...
Tumblr media
Are those cubes?
(Yes.) There is a real, existing recipe, on our real internet, for cubes made out of grated russet potatoes. I made them. It was pretty easy, but if I had to do it again, I'd start earlier in the day (the "freeze the slab of cooked potato shreds before cutting it into cube shapes" step, while not strictly necessary, would have made it easier to get clean lines), and I'd probably try replacing the potato starch with a slurry of potato starch and water. I've used the slurry method for sweet potato fries in the past, and it gives them a really nice, crispy coating.
( I would, however, stick to my guns as far as "refusing to deep-fry them" goes. Nobody should have to deep-fry anything on their birthday. Also, I was correct to add some dried thyme and parsley while I was initially cooking the shreds. )
Tumblr media
(Art by @2000sanimeop)
Overall, the Cubes were a good first attempt, and made an appropriate side to eat with the Burger of Darkness [2]. The little glass cauldron of terrifying red slop, to the left of the plate in the photo above, is of course Jack's Chaos Sauce [3].
[2] A normal burger, except that the bun was made with squid ink. My household is split 50/50 on whether this made it taste weird or not, but it LOOKED fantastic. Incidentally, if you're like me 1 calendar year ago & think burgers might be kind of a pain in the ass to cook indoors, check out this method from smittenkitchen. (The Burger of Darkness is topped with Colby-Jack (lol) cheese, dijon mustard, and the pickled red onions on this page, also smittenkitchen.) [3] I know what you're thinking. "What could that possibly fucking mean?" Well, it means that I combined mayonnaise, white vinegar, and S&B crunchy garlic topping, which are all 3 of the ingredients for a dipping sauce I have made in the past for also sweet potato fries, and then I added red food coloring until it looked scary and bad. It tasted perfectly acceptable, but dealt psychic damage to everyone present. I recommend trying this. For fun.
The skull-shaped cocktail picks, I bought on a whim well before I knew what I was ever going to do with them. I like to think that this was fate, speaking to me via deeply mysterious channels, as usual.
Tumblr media
They now live with the Astos picks, in my cupboard, where I can easily reach them anytime I feel like it, which I hope will be often & for every possible reason.
🥳 💀 ✨
29 notes · View notes
spicywhenspeaking · 5 months
Text
If I'm There: Chapter Fifteen
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
read from part one here!
summary: Noah and Natalie meet in high school and developed a relationship through their love of music and art. Falling in love, innocent and young, they think nothing can keep them apart. However, sometimes in the pursuit of your dreams the things we love the most get left behind.
warnings: underage drinking, unprotected sex (ope), mentions of depression and alcoholic parents.
taglist : @lma1986 @cookiesupplier @notingridslurkaccount @blackveilomens @thisbicc @thebadchic @laurpartyprogram
Tumblr media
When I read New Moon for the first time I thought Bella was being dramatic, sitting in front of her bedroom window just staring as time passed and seasons changed. How could your boyfriend breaking up with you leave someone such a shell?
I understand now.
Time isn’t just passing by me, it’s passing through me. School and work blur together, I’m still doing relatively well in my classes but I’m not giving it much effort and my teachers have noticed. Maggie tried to pull me out of my funk and invited me out to hang out, but I constantly came up with excuses to get out of it.
Mom comes home in November and I don’t register her arrival. Maybe if she had been a normal mom I could have been the kind of teenager that could keep up with her cool rockstar boyfriend. I wouldn’t have had to be nerdy Natalie, too focused on school to step away and have fun.
Thanksgiving is as eventful as you could imagine. Mom and Dad are trying to make us seem like a big happy family again like nothing happened. Of course a week later we find Mom’s stash of vodka in her sock drawer and she sobs while dad packs her bag to haul her back off to rehab.
I don’t react. I don’t care.
Nick texts me every once in a while but I usually ignore him. I know that’s mean but I don’t want to hear about the tour or Noah. Who doesn’t reach out at all. Jerk. I take all the pictures I had of us printed out together and shove them in an old shoebox. I throw in the shirts he gave me too, along with the cd and that stupid wolf drawing I kept and bury it in the back of my closet.
“Natty, come on. Let's just get out of the house, we can go to a movie?” Kyle has been trying to make me feel better, he feels responsible for what happened with Noah. I don’t think so, he didn’t force Noah to break up with me. No. Noah did that all on his own. We end up going to see some stupid action movie, I don’t pay attention to it.
Suddenly it’s December and finals are done. The semester is over, only a few more months and highschool is done.
It’s Christmas and Kyle got me a new set of ink markers and a sketchbook. “You haven’t been drawing much, thought a new sketchbook would inspire you.” Kyle says.
I try to smile, turning through the crisp clean pages. “Thank you Ky. I’m sorry, I didn’t get you anything…” my voice disappears. “I just lost track of time.”
He nods in understanding, “no worries sis, you can draw me something” he nudges me and laughs.
“Yeah, of course.” I curl up onto the couch with the empty page in front of me. I end up drawing a skeleton hand sticking up its middle finger. I rip it out of the book and hand it to him. He laughs “thanks Natty, very festive” he jokes and a small laugh escapes me.
A week later it’s New Year’s Eve and Kyle is trying to get me to go to a party with him.
“Come on Natty, you’ll have fun!” He tries to convince me but it’s not working. “Really, I’ll be fine. I’m just going to head to bed early. You should go have fun Ky.”
He reluctantly leaves me and I’m digging in my fridge smelling leftovers when I hear the doorbell.
Walking over I open the door and Maggie barges past me dressed in a beautiful silver body-con dress, her curly hair is bouncy and her make up is sparkly and bright. Perfect for New Year’s Eve. “Um..hello to you too Mags, what are you doing here?” She gives me a once over and huffs an annoyed breath. “Well after you go take the shower you desperately need. We’re getting you dressed up and going to the party Hunter is hosting a few streets away.” Hunter is the guy that works at the coffee shop that’s a year older than us. We work together some weeknights and he’s nice enough.
“Uhhh I don’t know Maggie, I’m not really in the party mood.” I tell her as I pick aimlessly at my oversized hoodie.
“I don’t care. You’ve been sad about that idiot long enough. It’s time to start living again and show everyone what a mistake it was letting you go. The first of the year is the perfect time to start!” She encourages me and ushers me up the stairs towards my room.
Thirty minutes later I’m shaved, moisturized and sitting in front of my vanity while Maggie applies my makeup. She brought a dress for me to wear, it’s a deep cut golden glittering dress that hits me in the middle of my thighs. She brought a matching pair of gold heels and I put on my small gold hoops. She’s finishing up with a light mist of setting spray and moving on to my hair. Maggie thinks I will look good with loose curls with one side pinned back. I decide to let her take full control and when she’s done I look like a different person. Well, not exactly. I look like me, just not like I’m used to. My boobs are pushed up because of the bra Maggie brought for me so they look incredible and my skin is glowing because of the luminous powder Maggie dusted me with. I feel good. For the first time since Noah dumped me, I actually feel good.
I turn to hug Maggie, “thank you.” Her arms wrap around me returning my hug. “You’re welcome Nat, now let’s go party!” Giggling, we run down the stairs together.
Hunter's house is about a ten minute walk from my house. It’s a cold night but when I reached for a jacket on my way out of the door, Maggie told me not too. That “the party would heat me up,” whatever that meant. As we round the block and head down the street towards the party my skin prickles with goose bumps and I rub my hands up and down them to warm up. Maggie sees the house and points it out. It's a big white two story colonial with warm white Christmas lights lighting it up.
The front door is open but thankfully Maggie was right and it's warm inside the crowded house. “Okay, now lets go grab a drink!” Maggie calls out over the music. A DJ that I noticed in the corner of the cleared out living room is playing “We Found Love” by Calvin Harris and I have to laugh at the irony. I follow Maggie to the kitchen where there is more alcohol surrounding the kitchen island than I’ve ever seen. She mixes two cups and hands one of them to me. I hesitate to grab it at first but eventually I take it “what the hell,” I say and take a big gulp. The alcohol burns my throat going down but leaves a warming sensation in my stomach. “Woo! Lets party Natty!!”
Maggie cheers as she raises her cup in toast and takes a sip. The crowd, the loud music and the hungry eyes that have been checking me out since we got here have me slightly nervous. I want to have fun, I want to get out of my funk and have a good time. I take the drink and chug it all down. “Another one please,” I hold out the cup to Maggie and she looks at me surprised. “Alright Natty, careful now. I don’t want you to get sick.” she warns gently. “Trust me, I'll be fine, I come from a long line of alcoholics.” I mean it to come out as a joke but Maggie just looks slightly concerned. “It's just a joke Mags, I’ll be fine.” She nods and mixes me another drink and hands it over.
I take it and we wander out towards the dance floor. It’s only 10:30 so we have plenty of time until midnight. I think the DJ is doing a countdown of songs of the year because now he’s playing “I Love It” by Icona Pop. Maggie and I are dancing and I can feel myself loosening up, swaying my hips and jumping to the beat. I feel more alive than I have in weeks. I am so thankful to have a friend like Maggie.
The next hour is a mix of dancing and drinking, I am playing a round of flip cup in the backyard. My team wins and two other senior boys that I think are on the football team I was playing with lift me up onto their shoulders in celebration. I’m laughing and definitely drunk at this point and when I look up towards the back porch and feel like my eyes deceive me and I have to do a double take.
It’s Nick and Noah. He’s here. Why is he here? He’s looking at me with wide eyes and then looking down at the very large football players that are currently holding me up and his eyes squint into a glare. I tap the boys shoulders and they place me gently back on the floor. “Thanks for the lift boys.” I joke and we share a laugh.
My eyes shift back towards the porch and Nick and Noah are gone…was I just seeing things? I am pretty drunk so It’s likely.
I walk over to Maggie and she’s looking down at her phone texting, when she looks up and see’s me she quickly puts her phone behind her back.
I eye her suspiciously. “What are you up too?” I ask.
She smiles wide and tries to tilt her head to act innocent. “Well…maybe Nick texted that him and Noah were in town…and maybe I told him where the party was.”
My eyes bugg out and I lightly push her shoulder. “Maggie! Why would you do that!! Since when are you two texting?!” She grabs my drink and hands it to me and with the added surprise I throw it back instantly. “He texts me occasionally to see how everything is going? How you’re doing, since you don’t respond to his texts….” I roll my eyes. “I’m not going to talk to them. I don't care that he’s here. I’m having fun and I’m going to dance some more.” I turn and head back towards the house. “Are you coming?” I ask back towards Maggie and she follows after.
Grabbing Maggies hand I get back onto the dancefloor with new found enthusiasm. My hips are swaying and my hands are above my head, my hair is swinging side to side. Maggie is dancing in front of me and I suddenly feel hands on my waist. Looking back I see it’s Hunter. “Nice party Hunter.” I tell him. He smiles, “Nice dress Natalie, you looks hot.” I blush at his compliment. “Thanks.” I don’t know what comes over me but I know my dancing with Hunter is becoming riskier. My back is pressed completely against his front and his strong hands are gripping my waist.
Suddenly I’m being ripped off the dance floor and away from Hunter and Maggie. “What the fuck!” I squeal, turning to see how grabbed me. I see none other than Noah.
“Put me down Noah! Right now!” I yell at him over the music. I wiggle and kick to get out of his grip but he’s too strong and I’m too drunk to figure out how to escape with any of my karate skills. What’s the point of having a black belt if I can’t remember how to break out of a hold after a few drinks. More than a few drinks I guess as the world spins and I’m set back down on my feet in the cold night air.
“Natalie, what the Hell are you doing?!” Noah says in an explosive tone.
It takes me a moment to react. To fight past the feelings of relief in seeing him. To dig deep into myself for the anger. “Excuse me?” I say and my voice is dripping with venom. “Who the FUCK do you think you are?! Wisking in to pull me away while I’m finally having fun!” I yell not caring who hears and his eyes dark around. I fight the compulsion to get closer to him, the need to reach out and touch him to see if he’s real.
He just ignores my yelling and asks again “what’s going on Natty, you’re drunk dancing on some guy? That's not like you.”
I laugh out loud “ha! What happened?! Seriously? Well..let me see.” I say in a mocking tone and tap my finger against my chin. “My boyfriend dumped me and then left without a word, then, my Mom immediately relapsed when she got home from rehab and I fell into a pit of depression that my best friend dug me out of. She brought me out to party tonight and that’s exactly what I was doing. I’m at a party. I’m partying.” My voice despite slurring slightly is resolved. He eyes me up and down, his hand reaching out, hesitating and then dropping back to his side. “You’re barely clothed. You never dress like this” he snides, “and you're drunk. I thought you didn’t drink?” He asks.
“Yeah well, I thought you said you’d love me forever but I guess things change. And you’re drunk too! How are you judging me for that right now and as for the outfit? Everyone else thinks I look hot. I know Hunter did. Should we go ask?” I know I’m pushing him but I don’t care. I move to get past him and he holds out his arm, stopping me. “No need. I know exactly what he was thinking. I saw his face, how he was looking at you like a piece of meat.” Noah’s voice sounds tormented, like watching me dance with Hunter was painful. “Well Noah! He can look at me however he wants! And I can dance with whoever I want and I can kiss whoever I want! And if I want to, I can FUCK whoever I want! You dumped me, remember? You don’t get to come back and act like my big protector anymore.” Forgetting my previous restraint I end up growling out all of this about an inch from Noah’s face. He backs me back up against the wall and keeps the distance the same. We’re nose to nose and I hear a rumble in his chest. “You deserve better than him, better than me.” My eyes roll, “oh fuck off with that. I am perfectly capable of making that kind of decision myself”
We can hear the countdown begin inside the house.
TEN…
NINE…
“I’m just trying to help you Nat, that guys bad news”
EIGHT…
SEVEN…
“Hilarious, that’s exactly what people told me about you.”
FIVE….
FOUR…
“Maybe you should have listened.” His eyes fall to my lips and I can feel deep down that I’m done for.
THREE…
TWO….
“Is that what you wished had happened. That you had stayed away from me?”
ONE... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
I shake my head and without thinking, maybe due to the drinks or because Noah is finally back in front of me and I still desperately miss him despite the heartbreak. I pull him even closer and kiss him.
At first he’s stiff, hands and body stilled until my fingers toy with the hair at the nape of his neck and he comes alive. Grabbing me back and kissing me fiercely, like a man starved and I’m the only water he’s seen in weeks, months, years.
Fireworks explode in the background and we burst apart when the rest of the party runs outside to watch the sky glitter with a chorus of colors.
Staring at each other, mouths red and swollen from our harsh kiss, he looks me up and down again and says “fuck it, do you want to get out of here?”
I nod silently and Noah takes my hand and leads me away from the party and down the street heading towards my house. Praying to the universe that Kyle isn’t home and pushing away the thoughts that are asking “is this a good idea?” “What’s going on here?” I don’t care. We kissed and everything fell away.
I am so weak.
Apparently so is he, his whole “you deserve better” thing flew out the window the second our lips touched again.
The cold air sobers us up a bit by the time we’re sitting on the floor against my bed awkwardly.
“Um, I found a stash of my moms vodka my dad didn’t catch if you want another drink?” I ask and fidget with the bottom of my dress. His eyes track my fingers on my thighs and he mumbles out a quiet “sure.”
I run out of the room back downstairs to grab two cups, filling them with ice and cranberry juice. Next, I go into the pantry and look behind the five pound sack of flour and still sitting there, a tad dusty, is half a handle of whipped cream vodka. I pour some in each drink and take the cups along with the bottle back upstairs.
Noah has moved to now sit on my bed, his head against my headboard. “I missed your room, it smells like you” he says softly as I hand him the drink.
“Yeah, well hopefully by that you don’t mean you miss my BO. I’d have to call you out for that one” I try to joke and diffuse the awkwardness. He chuckles and takes a sip of the drink. “This is good. Um, butno I don’t mean you’re BO. It just smells good. Like you”
I smile and take a sip of my own drink. “Thanks then, I guess”
We drink in comfortable silence finishing our drinks and refill the cups with another shot of the vodka. There’s not as much cranberry hiding the flavor but the sweetness of the whipped cream in the vodka is pretty easy to get down. The closeness, the renewed alcohol in our systems brings me back into my warm drunken state.
“How have you been Natty?” His eyes are downcast, not risking seeing the pain that flashes in my eyes at his question.
“I’ve been better, but Maggie has been helping me. Nick texts me sometimes, I should be better about responding. How have you been?” I ask, but I keep my eyes fixed on him.
He lifts his head and meets my gaze, “pretty shit without you to be honest, I shouldn’t have ended it like that.” His words are soft and lure me in.
“But you still would have done it?” I ask and take another sip, easing the nerves creeping up.
“I should say yes. I think you deserve so much more Nat. You deserve everything, attention and support and no drama.” His fingers trail from resting beside him to tracing the hem of my dress and I chug down the rest of the cup and set it aside. “What is life without drama?” I ask and fight against the urge to lean forward towards his warmth.
“A life free of sadness and anger?” his voice is melancholy and I feel my heart cracking again.
“Those come with life regardless. They are unavoidable for everyone.” Like an invisible force field shatters, I place my hand delicately on his shoulder, “you brought much more into my life than sadness and anger” I whisper to him, afraid of putting so much of myself out into the open but, the effects of drinking seem to have broken down my boundaries.
“You brought everything into my life” Noah replies and moves swiftly capturing my lips in a firm kiss and I instantly melt into him. Scrambling I slot my things on either side of him and tangle my hands into his hair. His hands grip my waist and move to squeeze my ass and bring me even closer. “Noah, Noah, I need you” I whimper in between kisses and he slides his hands under my dress and squeezes my flesh.
“Fuck, Natalie. I missed you so much” he says into my neck as he kisses up and down. He reaches around and unzips the back of my dress and lets it fall down my arms and around my waist.
He unhooks my bra and I rip his shirt over his head. Instantly he’s on me again, lips kissing and sucking at my skin causing me to squirm and grind down onto him feeling the hard length of him.
He flips us over and pulls the rest of my dress down and staring down at me with burning desire. My head is spinning but I refocus on the feeling of Noah pulling down my panties and trailing a path of open wet kisses towards my soaking wet core. At the first touch I buck off of the bed and a sinful whine escapes my lips.”I missed the way you taste” he moans out. And even with his mind clouded with alcohol he is a master with his tongue and I squirm in pleasure. When he adds a finger my body writhes in pleasure as I fall apart in a cry of ecstasy.
“More Noah, please. I need more” I beg and he stumbles to unbutton his pants, not even all the way off his legs before he’s sinking into my warmth. “Oh Natalie, you feel perfect. You’re everything, so good. Fuck” he moans as he begins to move his hips back and forth causing sparks of white to appear behind my eyes and the glorious feeling of being filled completely.
We’re a tad uncoordinated and unbalanced due to the alcohol but we eventually set a pace that’s causing us both to catch our breaths and moan in tandem. Noah’s hand reaches down to press against my clit and I set off into a second orgasm. My inner walls clenching around him and causing him to lose himself and spills deep into me.
“Fuck.” He gasps out and rests his head against my stomach as we both take a moment to catch our breath.
“Yeah, you can say that again” I respond half asleep.
Noah rolls off and onto the stop next to me, crashing onto the pillow and we pass out wrapped tightly together.
Hours later with the morning sun leaking into my room I groan, wiping the sleep from my eyes and while moving to sit up feeling the arms around me I am reminded of the actions of last night.
I reach over to my phone that is almost dead on my nightstand and I see I have missed texts.
Maggie: ims o drink!!! I’ll call u tmorw LUCV YOU 1:36am
Kyle: staying to make sure my boys get home safe, I’ll be back home tomorrow afternoon. Happy new year nat! 12:45am
“Shit” Noah grumbles as he slowly rises and sees the state of the two of us. “Um..how are you feeling?” He asks cautiously. I shrug “I feel tired, nauseous but also hungry? And my head is killing me” I say to him, “you?” He has his face in his hands before looking up at me. “I’m okay. I'm just- I’m sorry about last night. That was stupid” his voice is pinched and he’s throwing his legs over the side of the bed pulling his pants quickly back on and running a stressed hand through his hair. “What? What are you talking about Noah?” I demand, pulling the blanket higher to cover myself. He pulls his shirt on next and let’s put a harsh sigh. “Sleeping together, that was a mistake.”
That stings. “A mistake?” I whisper, “so you don’t even want to try and make this work?” I ask with agony clear in my voice. “You’re just going to leave? Again?”
“I shouldn’t have come over here last night, it’s not fair to you Nat. I can’t be what you deserve right now and I can’t ask you to wait around for me. I'll just complicate your life” He finally looks at me and there’s nothing I can do about the tears falling from my eyes.
“If that’s how you feel I’m not going to beg you to love me. Just go Noah. Leaving is apparently something you’ve mastered” I don’t care about the spiteful nature of my words. I just roll back over facing away from him as he finishes gathering his things and heads out of my room and out of my life again. I go back to sleep for a few more hours. I don’t cry until I’m showering off the makeup and sweat from the night before.
Kyle gets home and doesn’t ask when he sees my red rimmed eyes just gives me a side hug and tell me it will get easier.
Maggie texts me again later in the afternoon.
Maggie: YOU LEFT THE PARTY WITH NOAH?! Girl! SPILL NOW! 2:35pm
Natalie: Come over? We can have a girls night and I’ll tell you about it. Just understand that I don’t want to ever hear the name Noah Sebastian again. 2:37pm
Tumblr media
muawh muawh ! kisses kisses ! I know it hurts but just trust the process....
next chapter
42 notes · View notes
arcadekitten · 9 months
Note
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Hello Arcadekitten!!! I read the Stellamb wedding post(s) and it got me wondering about how Stella’s wedding dress would look like… I absolutely love Sweet No Death, so I knew I had to make some artwork of it!! And, because I absolutely suck at explaining things through text, here is my interpretation of Stella’s wedding outfit in traditional art! ✨💫🌟
Materials Used: Mixed Media Paper, Ink Fineliner Pens, Alcohol Markers Gel Pens, Paint Pens, Highlighter and Mechanical Pencil
Time Took: 1 week
I don’t know if you’re okay with people sending fanarts and stuff to you, but I absolutely love your work and well, I’m quite proud of this piece (even if I probably shouldn’t be lol) as I worked extremely hard on this and wanted to share it with you! I hope that’s okay ❤️
A little artist “#Deep Dive tm” because I put WAY too much effort into the tiniest details and I am NOT gonna let them get overlooked 😤 /jk
-Stella’s dress is made with her signature colors rather than white, because I felt that with her being a Star Witch and all, a species that mostly has extravagantly colorful clothes (in my humble opinion) she felt that just going with plain white on what is possibly the most important day of her life would feel… well, a bit redundant, so she opted for a more ‘colored’ ballgown, with lacy gloves and a pearled veil and all. The local tailor and dressmaker is a bit confused, but Lambchop is definitely not complaining! ;) 💕💓
-(Well, that, and I also felt that the color blended WAY too much with her skin tone and changed it, but that’s my little secret hehe 👀😉)
-In my mind, Stella can make her hair look like it has a small galaxy within it! With actual moving stars and little twinkling lights. ✨💫✨⭐️🌟I think that she usually saves it for special, grandiose occasions, buuut since she’s not the kind of person who would THROW a grand, special occasion, she never unveiled it before her wedding day! (Poor Lambchop’s heart nearly gave out on the spot right then and there! 😭❤️)
-I didn’t add her usual Star hair clip because she already has like… 10 stars in her design already lmao /lh ⭐️
-As you can see, her bouquet’s… cloth? Fabric? I’m not sure what to call it… thing? The stuff that her flowers are wrapped in are Lambchop’s colors! Thought that it would be a neat visual detail… also, I can totally imagine Stella requesting that specific color scheme from the local florist! 💐🌷🌸
-Speaking of flowers… I decided to color in one of the moon daisies a little bit… differently hehe ;) It’s a small reference to the beginning of the game, where we see Stella change the color of the one rebellious moon daisy, from orange to lavender, except this time… she keeps it and uses it in her bouquet! 💖💗
-I like to think that it symbolizes Lambchop versus the rest of the townspeople… and Stella’s way of acknowledging him as a “real person”, at least compared to the others… one who is different, one who is unique… the one that she’s going to marry 💍🩷
-(it’s so absolutely sappy when she tells him so that he just couldn’t resist kissing her right then and there)
-And finally… (this is the last one I promise) I cut out the entire drawing to make it look like a potion bottle, partially because Stella is a witch, and partially because I had this cute lil idea that she stores all of her happiest memories into a magical bottle and takes it out whenever she feels sad, so that she can ‘experience’ it again and feel happier. Of course, with Lambchop by her side, she never really has to use it!💞🩷💗
-And yes, I also made the bottle have Lambchop colors as well 🐏 Just a nice little thing tying em together more visually… ❤️
…And I am SO SORRY for ranting!!! I worked incredibly hard on this piece (traditional art is NOT my strong suit, lol) but I wanted to make something special for one of my favorite games and one of my favorite game devs! So here it is, and I hope that you like it! 🤞❤️😁
(P.S: Any ideas for Lambchop’s wedding design?)
Oh my goodness this is BEAUTIFUL!! The artwork itself is just stunning!! You took so much time on it and it really shows, especially with all your attention to detail in it(and I LOVE hearing your explanations for some of the choices you made!! They're just so darling!) Everything about this is stellar and I'm in love with it, thank you so much!! ♡ ♡ ♡
Also I TOTALLY AGREE Stella would not wear white for her wedding!! Color all the way!! ♡
As for Lambchop's outfit...I think I've got it envisioned in my head but I haven't quite drawn anything for it yet! Top hat, definitely. I think his suit isn't black. Probably brown! Bowtie on the neck. His pants are more like shorts and are cut juuuuust above the knee! Still wearing long socks with garters. He looks incredibly dapper--as he should!! It's his wedding!
Hopefully he at least looks good for the photos before he decides to get any mysterious red stains on his outfit. (It's fine. Stella could clean them with the snap of her fingers, but still!)
72 notes · View notes
tavina-writes · 1 year
Text
NMJ, JGY, and Vices/Hobbies Meta
So, I’ve been thinking a lot about this particular quote from MDZS chapter 49, which is often cited as “NMJ has no hobbies canonically besides killing Wen and practicing saber” and I have to say that after reading the Chinese version I don’t? Necessarily agree? I don’t think this is what that scene was about at all. 
This is going to be long, so meta under the cut. 
The Fantranslation of the passage in question:
Jin GuangYao nodded lightly and sat as he had been told, “Brother, if you’re concerned for HuaiSang, softer words would do no harm. Why this?”
Nie MingJue, “Even when a blade’s at his neck he’s still like this. Looks like he’ll always be a good-for-nothing.”
Jin GuangYao, “It isn’t that HuaiSang is a good-for-nothing, but that his heart lies somewhere else.”
Nie MingJue, “Well you’ve really discerned where his heart lies, haven’t you?”
Jin GuangYao smiled, “Of course. Isn’t that what I’m the best at? The only person whom I can’t discern is you, Brother.”
He knew of people’s likes and dislikes so that he could find suitable solutions; he loved running errands and could do twice the work with half the effort. Thus, Jin GuangYao could be said to be quite a talent at analyzing others’ interests. Nie MingJue was the only person whom Jin GuangYao couldn’t probe out any useful information about. Wei WuXian saw this already, back then when Meng Yao was working under Nie MingJue. Women, liquor, riches—he touched none; art, calligraphy, antiques—a pile of ink and mud; the finest green tea leaves and dregs from a roadside booth—there was no difference. Meng Yao tried everything he could think of yet still couldn’t find if he was interested in anything beside training his saberwork and killing Wen-dogs. He really was a wall made of iron, impenetrable by even the sharpest blades.
And here's the official translation of the passage in question:
Knowing a person's likes and dislikes, and then catering to them accordingly, made getting things done easier. You could accomplish your goals with half as much effort. As such, the ability to discern people's desires was truly Jin Guangyao's forte. The only person he could never seem to pry any useful information out of was Nie Mingjue. Wei Wuxian had seen this firsthand, back when Meng Yao had worked under Nie Mingjue's command. The man never laid his hands on women, alcohol, or material wealth; paintings, calligraphy and antiques were all piles of ink and mud in his eyes. Top-grade premium tea tasted the same to him as dregs from a roadside stall. Meng Yao had racked his brain and still failed to identify anything Nie Mingjue might have a taste for, other than training with his saber every day and killing Wen dogs. He was truly an iron bastion, with no weaknesses to exploit. Volume 2, Page 319
I’ll go through with the chinese, my own translation based on what the Chinese says, [explanations of a few word choices along the way] and the analysis of what this actually means.
金光瑶微微颔首,依言落座,道:“大哥既是关心怀桑,稍平和些劝诫也是好的,何必如此?”
聂明玦道:“拿刀架在他脖子上逼都这样,看来是打死也不成器了。”
金光瑶道:“怀桑非是不成器,志不在此而已。”
聂明玦道:“你倒是把他志在何处摸得一清二楚。”
金光瑶笑笑,道:“那是自然,我岂非最擅长于此?唯一摸不出来的,也只有大哥了。”
Jin Guangyao nodded slightly, sank into a seat, and said "Since Da-ge is worried about Huaisang, wouldn't it be better to persuade him calmly?"
Nie Mingjue said, "Even when I've got a knife on his neck [aka even though NHS is being forced to do whatever] he's still like this, it seems like even if one beat him to death it wouldn't make him become good at it." <-- this seems to be a response to JGY's "why don't you try to persuade him to practice saber gently and calmly? to which Da-ge is like "if I can't get him to do it while yelling at him, lmao you think gently critiquing him will help? lol"
Jin Guangyao said, "It's not that Huaisang is useless, it's just that his strengths don't lie here [with the saber]" <-- I'm assuming that since NMJ and NHS were yelling about saber stuff before JGY got there that JGY and NMJ are still talking about NHS and the saber business
Nie Mingjue said, "It seems like you've got him entirely figured out."
Jin Guangyao laughed and said, "isn't that natural? I'm predisposed to this [figuring out people/finding out what they like] the only person who's still murky is Da-ge."
This particular conversation is not particularly antagonistic! JGY is trying to persuade NMJ that he could persuade NHS to practice the saber with honey and NMJ is like “I don’t think that’s probable.” and then JGY says “oh, saber isn’t really NHS’s skillset!” and NMJ says “looks like you have him all figured out!” and then JGY laughs and goes “I’m a natural at figuring people out, but Da-ge you’re really mysterious to me. (also the only person mysterious to me, people who are called Jin Guangyao)” Like, idk, this doesn’t sound particularly terrifyingly argumentative or upsetting to me.
知人喜恶,对症下药,最好办事,事半功倍。因此金光瑶在揣摩人嗜好上可谓是一把好手。唯有聂明玦,金光瑶试探不出来任何有用的信息。
Knowing people's likes and dislikes and [here the prescribing medicine is an idiomatic saying for "and then appealing to the root of their nature"] is the best way to get things done, to get the most reward for one's effort. Jin Guangyao, therefore, could be said to be a good hand at figuring out people's hobbies. Only in the case of Nie Mingjue, could Jin Guangyao not find any useful information.
The word for “hobbies” herein is 嗜好 which is another word for addiction. Now, there ARE other more common words for “hobbies” in Chinese and they are more commonly used when not referring to addictions, they are: yule and aihao. Yulei being “amusement, entertainment, recreation,” and aihao being “hobby, interest, thing one enjoys and takes pleasure in.”
Pleco screenshots here for emphasis on word meanings:
Tumblr media Tumblr media
So the more accurate translation here is "Jin Guangyao, therefore, could be said to be a good hand at figuring out people's addictions."
当年孟瑶在聂明玦手底下做事时魏无羡就见识过了,女·色酒财一样不沾,书画古董在他眼里就是一堆墨水泥巴,绝酿佳茗和路边摊茶渣在他喝来没有任何区别,
孟瑶挖空了心思也没试探出来他除了每天练刀和杀温狗以外有什么特别喜好,简直铜墙铁壁刀枪不入。
听他语带自嘲,聂明玦反而没那么反感了,道:“你少助长他这幅德性。”
In the past, when Meng Yao was still working under Nie Mingjue, Wei Wuxian had already experienced this: feminine charms, wine, and wealth were equal in that [nmj] did not touch them. Painting and calligraphy, antiques were just a pile of ink and mud. There was no difference between him drinking excellent tea and the dregs from a roadside stall.
Meng Yao hollowed out his brains [spent a lot of effort thinking about this basically] and didn't figure out besides practicing the saber every day and killing Wen-dogs if he had anything else of particular habits. <-- THE XIHAO HERE IS NOT HOBBY. THE XIHAO HERE IS HABIT, ESP ONE THAT YOU'VE WORN A GROOVE IN.
He [NMJ] was just like an iron wall, neither swords nor spears could penetrate it.
Hearing [JGY's] self deprecation, Nie Mingjue, on the countrary, became not as upset, and said, "stop encouraging that part of his character" <-- talking about NHS's love of painting and fans again.
Now, the important thing to remember about this analysis of both 1) the dynamic between JGY and NMJ and 2) what JGY thinks NMJ’s hobbies, preferences, vices, addictions are is this: neither JGY nor NMJ are implied to have been talking or thinking about NMJ’s wartime preferences during this conversation or even during the war.
What JGY and NMJ actually say in this scene are peppered through with WWX’s own thoughts on observing this scene between them, and neither JGY nor NMJ actually say “JGY believes that NMJ’s only hobbies [during the time JGY served under NMJ at Langya front] are practicing the saber and killing Wen-dogs.] In fact, JGY and NMJ don’t mention 1) the Wen at all in this scene and 2) the only time they talk about saber training is the fact that NHS is doing 0 of it.
What they DO however, say to each other is this:
JGY: you could probably persuade Huaisang to train by persuading him gently!
NMJ: lmao if threats don’t work, bribes won’t either.
JGY: Huaisang isn’t useless, he’s just talented in other ways.
NMJ: you’ve got him all figured out haven’t you?
JGY: haha, you know me Da-ge, I’m a natural at figuring people out. Except you, Da-ge, you’re very mysterious.
NMJ: don’t encourage his [NHS’s] bad expensive habits.
In the middle of this conversation, Wei Wuxian from his own (not unfiltered or unbiased) perspective observes this about NMJ during wartime: "yeah that JGY, he's great at finding out people's addictions, he sure is! but Chifeng-zun doesn't really have any of those lmao. at least from back when I knew Chifeng-zun during the war. He doesn't like girls, doesn't like wine, doesn't like wealth, doesn't like calligraphy or paintings or antiques. Wow! Meng Yao must've worked really hard and found nothing!"
JGY and NMJ in fact, don’t talk about 1) the war 2) the wen or 3) NMJ’s interests, hobbies, vices, or addictions here at all. Nor does JGY claim that he spent a lot of time searching for NMJ’s hobbies and found only saber practice and Wen-dog killing. Nor does JGY claim to be good at finding out people’s addictions, he just made a joke about how NHS’s interests are really obvious and “but you Da-ge are a mystery to me.”
And thus concludes my dissertation about how this really says nothing about NMJ’s hobbies, interests or vices, he could be collecting incense burners and a lover of bubble baths for all we know.
196 notes · View notes
liminalwings · 5 months
Text
Greenery of the Draconic Persuasion
When you think of dragons and plants associated with them, what’s the first thing you think of? Most likely Dragon’s Blood, but what other plants out there are also associated with dragons? This is more of an overview rather than a suggestion of “use these plants”, because some of them really just… aren’t all pleasant to work with, but still have a fascinating history. 
Dragon’s Blood
Still good to go over the big one we all know. Dracaena is a genus of trees that is noted for having certain members, such as Dracaena draco and Dracaena cinnabari, that bleed a red resin when cut; this resin is referred to as ‘Dragon’s Blood’. The name of this genus comes from the Greek ‘drakaina’, which is the name for a female dragon. It has also been tied to the myth of Heracles, particularly the 11th task and the dragon Ladon, by some interpretations Ladon is the dragon guarding the tree or is the tree; by others, the Dracaena springs from Ladon’s blood when slain. 
Do note, however, that the majority of Dragon’s Blood resin on the market these days comes from a different genus of tree entirely, Calamus dracunculus (formerly Daemonorops draco and Calamus draco), while other genera of trees also exude a red resin that may also be referred to as Dragon’s Blood, all technically having different properties. The tree that was believed to be originally used and written about, Dracaena cinnabari of Socotra, is rated ‘vulnerable’ on its conservation status, while Dracaena draco is listed as ‘endangered’. Calamus draco meanwhile does not seem to be threatened. 
This collective of red resins do have a long history of use in medicine, art, and ritual in various cultures. The most frequent magical uses of the resin are as an incense for protection or cleansing, and dissolved in alcohol as a magical ink. With how many different trees act as a source of ‘dragon’s blood’, it is good to keep in mind that different species may vary in terms of magical/energetic traits, and that the attraction to Dragon’s Blood as a magical component could be considered these days to be more based on symbolism and human-given attributes. 
Tarragon
Artemisia dracunculus, or “Little Dragon of Artemis”, often referred to as just “dragon” in Swedish and Dutch and, in the past, German; a name that was given for the appearance of its coiled roots, or likening the shape of the leaves to dragon tongues. It is in the same genus as Mugwort, Wormwood, and Sagebrush, and French Tarragon is most frequently used for culinary purposes with a somewhat licorice-like flavor. It was believed, per Pliny the Elder, that Tarragon would ward away dragons and venomous serpents (unproven of course) and could cure snakebite (also unproven). There aren’t many historic magical uses otherwise, though some modern witchcraft practices have given it associations with protection, banishment, and healing. Scientifically, it has been proven effective at repelling insects and as a mosquito larvicidal, effectively combating the spread of malaria through less environmentally-hazardous means. 
Snapdragon
Antirrhinum majus, also referred to as ‘toadflax’, ‘dog flower’, ‘dragon flower’. It is so named because of the flower’s appearance, which is likened to a dragon’s snout that opens and closes when squeezed laterally. They come in a wonderful range of colors and, like other dragon-associated plants, are considered to be protective: in Medieval Europe, they were believed to protect from witches and ill magic, and were planted near castle gates or hung above cribs to ward off evil spirits. They were also used as a charm against falsehood, and in flower language symbolized ‘truth-telling’. The skull-like seed pods have commonly been worn to protect from curses and other bewitchments. 
Dragon Arum
Dracunculus vulgaris, also referred to as dragon lily, vampire lily, devil’s tongue, and, in its native Greece, drakondia. Like its larger cousin, the Titan arum, it is not a flower most people would be including in a nice bouquet, with respect to its fragrance being like that of rotting meat to attract flies as pollinators. Like Tarragon, not only does it share the same Latin “little dragon” name, it was also believed to ward away serpents(also also unproven), though some sources also claim that it generates serpents (flies attract other critters that snakes eat, so yeah I could see that as a conclusion). It is also one of many in the Arum family that can produce heat (thermogenesis), reaching about 65°F/18°C, which is used to lure flies to the flower for pollination. These unique physical properties can lend themselves to equally interesting potential magical associations. 
Dragon Root/Green Dragon
Arisaema dracontium is a plant native to North America. All parts of the plant are highly toxic to humans when eaten raw due to the presence of Calcium oxalate. I am including it here only to show the range of dragon-associated plants and do not necessarily advocate its use. Though historically, it has in fact been used as medicine, especially as an abortifacient and to stimulate menstrual flow. 
__
This is by no means an exhaustive list of plants with dragon-inspired names, as can be seen here. But for those wanting to include draconic plants in their practice but can’t afford or can’t find a place to obtain dragon’s blood, or otherwise want to avoid using it, there are comparatively more easily-obtained alternatives at your local stores, such as Tarragon, Dragonfruit, and Snapdragons, or perhaps another native species local to you. Just make sure to do your research and know if cautions must be taken, what the physical attributes are, and if a plant is endangered or not. 
Resources
https://blogs.reading.ac.uk/tropical-biodiversity/2013/03/dracaenaceae-dragons-blood-and-the-language-of-the-birds/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon%27s_blood
https://herbsocietyblog.wordpress.com/2023/07/03/herb-of-the-month-french-tarragon-the-little-dragon-herb/
https://dsps.lib.uiowa.edu/roots/french-tarragon/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8076785/
https://www.gardenguides.com/126335-history-snapdragons.html
https://www.flower.style/stylewatch/discover-the-curious-origins-of-snapdragons-not-to-worry-they-dont-actually-bite
https://www.petalrepublic.com/snapdragon-flower-meaning/
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/44638/pg44638-images.html#page-153
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracunculus_vulgaris
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arisaema_dracontium
https://ebrary.net/28107/environment/snapdragon
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/arisaema-dracontium/
https://www.yellowwood.net/post/skunk-jacks-dragons-the-curious-arum-family
20 notes · View notes
sylenth-l · 8 months
Note
OK I'm afraid I'm going to sound too forward asking this but it's out of genuine admiration so please bear with me. Would you ever be willing to consider selling any of your originals if you still have them? Specifically I'm just over the moon with your work of Osiris hugging Felwinter with the metallic foil, and if I can meet your asking price I'd pay it today. Of course if it were me and someone asked, I'd probably say no so I totally understand if that's the answer, but it's been rattling around in my head to the point where it's bothering me, so I'm asking. Anyway, regardless of how you answer, your art has brought me tremendous joy and I appreciate you, so thank you! :)
Hey and thank you very much! 💙 I can't sell it sadly, mostly because for now I'd like to keep everything in my sketchbooks (and maybe have at least 1 decent one akjsdhfk), but also - most importantly - because I'm not sure for how long it'll keep its original look. I use fountain pen inks a lot for drawing, as well as alcohol-based markers, and it's not as lightfast as professional quality watercolor, for example. Usually it's not a problem, because I scan everything right away and keep in a tightly closed sketchbook/folder afterwards, but even then I have no idea when the colors will start changing. It won't vanish from the paper completely, of course, and fountain pen inks are more or less durable, since it's meant for writing, some of them are archival quality even. But I know that dyes are less stable than pigments anyway. It feels a bit scummy to me to sell a picture that will probably change a lot after spending a couple of years under the daylight 😅 I should be able to tell what and when will happen to it at the very least, I think, or guarantee that it has X years of unchanged beauty if kept in a closed dark folder, lol.
Anyway, thank you again!
20 notes · View notes
sillyspero · 15 days
Text
Opening Commissions?
tumblr… i am considering opening art commissions because my architecture materials are taking a big bite out of my college savings but i’m worried that there won’t be enough demand for my art to even take the time to make a price sheet. i was thinking $5 for the cheapest, maybe $15 for the most expensive but this could change
should i just go for it? would any of my mutuals be interested? i have a more cartoony style as well as my more realistic rendering style (art examples of varying detail below poll)
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
work is done in combinations of pencil, ink, red colored pencil, and alcohol markers. all of the above work is my own and done in my personal sketchbook :)
i also do digital art but that is not included here as i cannot do that while at university. however, this summer i could open up my commissions to also include my digital work.
6 notes · View notes
meow-and-ink-demon · 2 months
Text
Pinned Post
Welcome to My AU blog
Tumblr media
My AU is a Bendy AU made by me few years ago. After long time I am finally deciding to put this AU on this blog, because I want to finały reveal all the lore into the world.
Rules on the blog (please read all if you don't want to be confused):
My name (creator) is Sophie and I write like this. No color change or anything. Post with this writing have nothing to do with AU. THIS is a writing my main OC Meow will have and these posts will have something to do with the AU. Both posts will be tagged as #meow talks again
Asks will be answered with art, UNLESS it's ask for me (the ✨creator✨ or Sophie or Soph, as you like)
You can except asks to be answered with: digital art, paper art, no art (if it's ask for my OCs I will explain why there is no art. I might be busy or have problems with computer/no paper or anything else, please be understanding). You can't write in asks that 'Can you answer with digital art', because I'm choosing how I want to draw. I won't block you - just please don't do that
I do take requests! But please wait patiently
Of course no wierd asks, no NSFW, no flirting blah blah blah
You CAN ship my characters, but please note that this 97% won't get canon and some of the characters are already in relationship
Feel free to dm me by the way!!
Please remember - some arts might NOT be from AU. If you see that there is no tag #My AU - THIS ONE WAS MADE FOR FUN!!!
❗❗ WARNINGS!! ❗❗
This blog may have:
swearing
blood/gore
alcohol/drug use
physical and mental violence
gambling
creators mental breakdowns- I mean what-
Preferred age for this blog: 12+
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
ALL of my OCs and canon characters are free to ask!
Please meet them (art will come soon):
(💛 - my OC 💚 - lives in 'Outside world'
💜 - canon 💙 - lives in studio)
Meow (main OC)💛💚
Ink💜💙
Bendy💜💙
Sammy💜💙
Ink's and Sammy's kids (Lora, Sally, Dan, Raila, Marshmallow, Bingo)💛💙
Time💛💙
Bubbletea💛💙
Coral💛💙
Voice💛💙
Flower💛💙
Space💛💙
Snuggler/Howl💛💙
Ice💛💚
Ink Demon💜💙
Sugar💛💙
Sam💛💙
Alice💜💙
Boris💜💙
Allison💜💚
Tom💜💚
Henry💜💚
Linda💜💚
Audrey💜💚
Relationships 👭👬👫
Ink x Sammy (tagged as samdy or Bendy x Sammy) - they are married
Henry x Linda - married
Time x Voice - boyfriend and girlfriend (but Time plans something (⁠ ͡⁠°⁠ ͜⁠ʖ⁠ ͡⁠°⁠))
Meow x Ice - boyfriend and girlfriend
Yeah... I think that's all. If not then I'll remake it
Okay, enjoy the blog!!
(also visit my other blogs
@meow-writer-cat @batcm @bendyandinkblog (this one is un-used) @inkdemondraws @nightmare-bendy23
My X: Meow-pls-kys70
My AO3: Meow70
Pinterest: $MEOW70$
Deviantart (don't really use): XxMeow70xX
Roblox (feel free to ask to play with me): Love_Bendy123
Wattpad: Inky_Sky69)
17 notes · View notes
facelessxchurch · 6 months
Note
Baronpine for the ask meme?
Short version: They are perfect counterparts. They are the same where it matters, but opposites in a way where they can complete each other and mellow out each other's worst traits. They also bicker like an old married couple and I love it-
The most interesting thing is their journey from rivals to soulmates tbh <3
Tumblr media
[Yeah I changed the Baron design a bit to fit those lovely HeroForge pics of Baron better that an anon sent me. Nef is wearing a red cravat to show off that he belongs Baron now, it's the little things how he shows affection- Also grabbed myself a new CSP brush ([AA] Ink BrushContent ID:1736762) and it's hella nice for more chunky line art .]
Tumblr media
Long Version: Them calling each other their "insufferable counterpart" is still from old roleplays I did ages ago (I was roleplaying as Nef) and it still makes my shipper heart weak. It's so perfect for them as it doesn't only show off their constant affectionate bickering but also pretty much spells out the appeal of the ship: they are counterparts that perfectly complete each other from personality to fighting style.
They are the same where it matters: fighting for the same goal, serving the same gods, both highly intelligent and capable, equals in rank and competence.
But opposites where they can complete each other and mellow out each other's worst traits. Baron is usually a stick in the mud, but Nef makes him loosen up and be more sociable. He's able to relax and laugh with him. Meanwhile, Baron makes Nef chill out on the being-an-evil-little-shit aspect of his personality. He isn't as needlessly cruel and does show mercy (usually in form of a quick kill) when Baron is around. While he revels in the cruelty of war he knows the things they have to do burden Baron more than he lets on. So he'd rather take over the dirty work and let Barontake the role of the honourable, brave general he was always meant to be. He does love that about Baron after all, his honour. It's such a rare thing in the upper echelons of the church filled with socialites that neither Nefarian nor Mevolent truly trust. But Baron? You can trust him, you can rely on him and Nefarian appreciates such a rare quality that of course must be fully indulge in, that lovely man is his now-
Baron is a little too trusting of his fellow zealots *coughdiableriecough*, but Nef makes up for it by being twice as distrusting. No one dares backstab Baron while Nef is there, and if they try anyway, Nef will teach them a lesson before they get anywhere close to Baron. Meanwhile, Nef is getting emotional support from Baron he can't get anywhere else. He's probably the only one around who cares about him and his well-being. Enough so to try and softly guide him away from his bad habits: alcohol, sex, cigarettes and overworking. Baron is Nef's rock in the storm and the healthiest relationship he can have even if it's not the healthiest Baron can have. He knows Baron deserves better than him, but Nef has always been a selfish man...
On the battlefield, Baron is one of the strongest fighter, a skilled and incredible fast swordsman. Since Nef is a glass canon and relies heavily on magic, I headcanon he prefers ranged attacks. Fighting them together must be an impossible task (think Ornstein and Smough from Dark Souls).
But since I love the drama™ how they went from rivals to soulmates it the most interesting part to me.
Nef took an interest in Baron first. He knew him through his friendship with China, Baron's boss, and thought him to be quite physically attractive, but grew intrigued about him when China told him about his personality and found out that he and Eliza had been dating. Nef gathers intel about everyone who rises to the upper ranks but it's rare for him to be fascinated by a specimen.
Meanwhile, Baron absolutely despised Nef. He didn't like that a convert was Mev's right-hand man, especially one that didn't seem particularly pious. Someone of old blood, someone of Baron's own heritage would be a much better fit for that position. Add to that that he's in the beginning still in denial about being gay yet out of all people he ends up being attracted to Nefarian. As if it wasn't bad enough that Nef is quite an attractive man, he also thought it was absolutely hilarious to flirt and tease Baron every chance he got. And that was driving Baron mad in more ways than one.
Essentially the dynamic from the tweet below 👇 Nef loves being a lil shit and Baron is making it too easy lmao
Tumblr media
Here is my fic about their first kiss .3.
Essentially their relationship went from rivals to Nef teasing Baron until it ends in hatefucking, Baron slowly realising that Nef actually has feelings for him and isn't just using him to get off and finally (when Baron becomes the second general) learning to appreciate each other when Baron realizes Nef is just as devoted as him and him 'slacking off' is the result of Mev completely over working Nef.
13 notes · View notes
xavisavgel · 1 year
Text
Cant get him out of my head so here’s this
warnings ig? : mentions reader wearing a bra
convincing xavier to give you your first stick and poke tattoo, he finally gives in on the condition that he gets to pick the tattoo and the placement. you trust xavier not to tattoo anything too crazy on you so you agree and when the time comes he asks you to meet him in his art shed after school.
when you get there you see that he’s cleared off enough table space you to lie down on it, complete with a towel covering it and another one rolled up acting as a pillow. you hop up on the table and look over and see he has a couple needles and mini cups of ink.
“where’d you get needles on such short notice?” you ask curious, “Wednesday. she had extra unused ones left over from her parents birthday gift” he responds “of course she did” you laughed slightly as a comfortable silence, minus the music he has playing in the background, takes over while he finishes getting everything organized. eventually he tells you to lay on your side and lift your shirt slightly. you’re like ??? because first of all the ribs is a moderately painful place to get a first tattoo and secondly that’s a very intimate place to get a tattoo, especially from xavier.
you look at him, eyes widening a bit and he just tells you to trust the process. “what if the pain is to much?” “you’re more than welcome to hold my hand if you need to” he’s such a flirt.
you do as he says and lay on the table, facing away from him obviously because you knew your warm face and neck would’ve been a dead give away to how much his proximity was affecting you. you jump slightly as he places a cool alcohol pad on your side and wipes the area he’s gonna be working on. he sits down on a stool and asks you if you’re ready and you breathe in deeply and nod bracing yourself for the pain.
you gasp as his none dominant hand slides across your stomach making goosebumps rise and he chuckles a bit holding you steady while the hand holding the needle sits in it’s starting place pinky out and rubbing against the underside of your bra to keep his hand from being shaky, so he says. you’re hyper aware of every move he makes and are tempted to break the tension by joking about how he’s not wearing gloves. you’d run the risk of him actually getting up to find gloves though and you quite like the rough feeling of his fingertips sliding over your skin as you breathe in and out. so you settle for closing you eyes and trying not to tremble as he starts poking your skin repeatedly, etching a piece of his art onto you forever.
it’s hard to hold a conversation with xavier when he’s deep into his artistic mode so you just enjoy the chase atlantic playlist he has playing while becoming numb to the feeling of a needle being stabbed into you continuously. he checks in with you often to make sure you’re still okay before he eventually finishes and leans away to grab a mirror so you can see the tattoo fully.
it’s the bud of a flower that has not yet bloomed. you look at him in confusion hundred of questions running through your mind about why he choose this as a tattoo. before you can get a single question out though he raises his hand and the flower bud blooms into a beautiful red spider lily, your favorite. you stare at him on shock as you didn’t know his artwork cold move on anything other that paper. you have the sneaky suspicion he didn’t either seeing as his expression basically mirrors yours.
“Xavier, what would’ve happened if that little trick of yours didn’t work?”
“… i would’ve owed you a very big apology.”
now every time he greets you or says goodbye, he runs his hand up your side to make the flower bloom. it’s a cute little secret you guys share :))
95 notes · View notes