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alfheimr · 21 days

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My Favorite Cheap Art Trick: Gradient Maps and Blending Modes

i get questions on occasion regarding my coloring process, so i thought i would do a bit of a write up on my "secret technique." i don't think it really is that much of a secret, but i hope it can be helpful to someone. to that end:

this is one of my favorite tags ive ever gotten on my art. i think of it often. the pieces in question are all monochrome - sort of.

the left version is the final version, the right version is technically the original. in the final version, to me, the blues are pretty stark, while the greens and magentas are less so. there is some color theory thing going on here that i dont have a good cerebral understanding of and i wont pretend otherwise. i think i watched a youtube video on it once but it went in one ear and out the other. i just pick whatever colors look nicest based on whatever vibe im going for.

this one is more subtle, i think. can you tell the difference? there's nothing wrong with 100% greyscale art, but i like the depth that adding just a hint of color can bring.

i'll note that the examples i'll be using in this post all began as purely greyscale, but this is a process i use for just about every piece of art i make, including the full color ones. i'll use the recent mithrun art i made to demonstrate. additionally, i use clip studio paint, but the general concept should be transferable to other art programs.

for fun let's just start with Making The Picture. i've been thinking of making this writeup for a while and had it in mind while drawing this piece. beyond that, i didn't really have much of a plan for this outside of "mithrun looks down and hair goes woosh." i also really like all of the vertical lines in the canary uniform so i wanted to include those too but like. gone a little hog wild. that is the extent of my "concept." i do not remember why i had the thought of integrating a shattered mirror type of theme. i think i wanted to distract a bit from the awkward pose and cover it up some LOL but anyway. this lack of planning or thought will come into play later.

note 1: the textured marker brush i specifically use is the "bordered light marker" from daub. it is one of my favorite brushes in the history of forever and the daub mega brush pack is one of the best purchases ive ever made. highly recommend!!!

note 2: "what do you mean by exclusion and difference?" they are layer blending modes and not important to the overall lesson of this post but for transparency i wanted to say how i got these "effects." anyway!

with the background figured out, this is the point at which i generally merge all of my layers, duplicate said merged layer, and Then i begin experimenting with gradient maps. what are gradient maps?

the basic gist is that gradient maps replace the colors of an image based on their value.

so, with this particular gradient map, black will be replaced with that orangey red tone, white will be replaced with the seafoamy green tone, etc. this particular gradient map i'm using as an example is very bright and saturated, but the colors can be literally anything.

these two sets are the ones i use most. they can be downloaded for free here and here if you have csp. there are many gradient map sets out there. and you can make your own!

you can apply a gradient map directly onto a specific layer in csp by going to edit>tonal correction>gradient map. to apply one indirectly, you can use a correction layer through layer>new correction layer>gradient map. honestly, correction layers are probably the better way to go, because you can adjust your gradient map whenever you want after creating the layer, whereas if you directly apply a gradient map to a layer thats like. it. it's done. if you want to make changes to the applied gradient map, you have to undo it and then reapply it. i don't use correction layers because i am old and stuck in my ways, but it's good to know what your options are.

this is what a correction layer looks like. it sits on top and applies the gradient map to the layers underneath it, so you can also change the layers beneath however and whenever you want. you can adjust the gradient map by double clicking the layer. there are also correction layers for tone curves, brightness/contrast, etc. many such useful things in this program.

let's see how mithrun looks when we apply that first gradient map we looked at.

gadzooks. apologies for eyestrain. we have turned mithrun into a neon hellscape, which might work for some pieces, but not this one. we can fix that by changing the layer blending mode, aka this laundry list of words:

some of them are self explanatory, like darken and lighten, while some of them i genuinely don't understand how they are meant to work and couldn't explain them to you, even if i do use them. i'm sure someone out there has written out an explanation for each and every one of them, but i've learned primarily by clicking on them to see what they do.

for the topic of this post, the blending mode of interest is soft light. so let's take hotline miamithrun and change the layer blending mode to soft light.

here it is at 100% opacity. this is the point at which i'd like to explain why i like using textured brushes so much - it makes it very easy to get subtle color variation when i use this Secret Technique. look at the striation in the upper right background! so tasty. however, to me, these colors are still a bit "much." so let's lower the opacity.

i think thats a lot nicer to look at, personally, but i dont really like these colors together. how about we try some other ones?

i like both of these a lot more. the palettes give the piece different vibes, at which point i have to ask myself: What Are The Vibes, Actually? well, to be honest i didn't really have a great answer because again, i didn't plan this out very much at all. however. i knew in my heart that there was too much color contrast going on and it was detracting from the two other contrasts in here: the light and dark values and the sharp and soft shapes. i wanted mithrun's head to be the main focal point. for a different illustration, colors like this might work great, but this is not that hypothetical illustration, so let's bring the opacity down again.

yippee!! that's getting closer to what my heart wants. for fun, let's see what this looks like if we change the blending mode to color.

i do like how these look but in the end they do not align with my heart. oh well. fun to experiment with though! good to keep in mind for a different piece, maybe! i often change blending modes just to see what happens, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. i very much cannot stress enough that much of my artistic process is clicking buttons i only sort of understand. for fun.

i ended up choosing the gradient map on the right because i liked that it was close to the actual canary uniform colors (sorta). it's at an even lower opacity though because there was Still too much color for my dear heart.

the actual process for this looks like me setting my merged layer to soft light at around 20% opacity and then clicking every single gradient map in my collection and seeing which one Works. sometimes i will do this multiple times and have multiple soft light and/or color layers combined.

typically at this point i merge everything again and do minor contrast adjustments using tone curves, which is another tool i find very fun to play around with. then for this piece in particular i did some finishing touches and decided that the white border was distracting so i cropped it. and then it's done!!! yay!!!!!

this process is a very simple and "fast" way to add more depth and visual interest to a piece without being overbearing. well, it's fast if you aren't indecisive like me, or if you are better at planning.

let's do another comparison. personally i feel that the hint of color on the left version makes mithrun look just a bit more unwell (this is a positive thing) and it makes the contrast on his arm a lot more pleasing to look at. someone who understands color theory better than i do might have more to say on the specifics, but that's honestly all i got.

just dont look at my layers too hard. ok?

#process #art tutorial #unsure what else to tag this as. if this does not post properly i will cry.

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kookslastbutton · 9 months

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in your arms ༓ jjk (m)

✑ Summary: You wake up next to your boyfriend for the first time since moving in with him.

Pairing: boyfriend!jungkook x girlfriend!reader

AU/Genres: pwp, smut, fluff, established relationship, one shot

Rating: M, 18+

Word Count: 1,680

Warnings: cussing, jk teasing oc, soft pouty jk, of is restless sleeper which makes jk lowkey sad, sexual content

sexual warnings: dom!jungkook, sub!reader, morning s*x, kind of rough s*x, unprotected s*x (Don't be like them!) , d*try talk, m*ssionary, b*gging, b**b kink?, sl*t calling once (tame)

Now Playing: A Thousand Years

A/N: needed dometic koo after listening to piano guys play thousand years. I have not seen Twilight but I like the sound track lol. Hope you enjoy! 💞

"You snore." Is the first thing he says to you, eyeing you from the other side of the bed. He's downright adorable with half his face tucked behind the fluffy comforter.

"I do?" You roll on your side. The soft linen brushing against your skin reminds you of your bare state. Last night was the first time you spent the night at Jungook's since moving in. He was a little eager to get you in his bed to say the least.

Jungkook nods in response, eyes still barely peaking out from the covers.

"But...I don't." You smile sheepishly. Many things you're known for doing in bed but snoring was not one of them. You're sure of it. "I definitely don't," you repeat in disbelief. "You're being a little shit again aren't you?"

A grin slowly spreads on your boyfriend's face—his eyes revealing all. What a menace as always. His playful spirit makes you giggle.

"Did you sleep okay?" You yawn and rub your tired eyes.

Jungkook shimmies himself closer to you. His nose is inches away from your the nape of your neck. "No," he says. "You were so far away from me the whole night."

The comforter he was tugging on earlier is now folded under his arm. From this angle, you can trace every muscle on his inked arm, so you do, with the tips of your fingers. "I'm sorry koo, I'm such a restless sleeper. I didn't kick you did I?"

Since a child you've never been able to sleep in one position. You were always starfishing, flopping from side to side, or genuinely just in the twistiest pretzel-like positions possible. Now and then you'd punch or knee at the bed too, depending how vivid the dream you were having was. That's why for the majority of your life you've slept alone.

Jungkook on the otherhand could sleep anywhere in the same position. All he needed was a good grip on his blankets or in this case, you, and he'd fall fast alseep until the morning. But you were not an easy one to snuggle with, causing him to pout until all hours of the night.

"I'm okay, but can we try cuddling or spooning again tonight? Wanna fall asleep with the girl of my dreams in my arms." Your heart does about ten somersaults. Ever since you hit 6 months, Jungkook's been begging you to move in with him and now that you've finally agreed, he's been coordinating your new living conditions down to the last detail.

He's also stopped refering to the apartment as his—it's now our apartment, our haven, our home.

You remove your hand from his arm to fluff through his messy hair. Something about the silky texture makes you unable to stop yourself. Jungkook likes it too. "Of course we can." Your face drops a few shades. "But I'm not sure if it'll be any different from last night. I might hurt you."

In that very moment your boyfriend props himself up on an elbow and leans himself over your body just enough for you to fall on your back. "No you won't," he insists. The same inked arm curls around your waist, pushing your chests together. "I'll hold ya down this time."

Your cheeks warm up from the gesture.

"What's got you blushing doll?"

"Just that you're everything I was hoping for and more." You wrap both arms around his neck, his lips ghosting over yours. "I love you so much." It's hardly a whisper but Jungkook has no trouble hearing.

"You know I was thinking similar," he says, placing a light kiss to the side of your neck. You hum. This will likely be a regular occurrence now that it's Jungkook you'll be waking up to every morning. His affection knows no bounds.

"You're all mine," he continues, tracing circles on your waist with his thumb. Even with the blankets shielding your naked body from his, you feel every imprint of his touch. "I'm all yours, too. And even if you do end up kicking me in your sleep, I'll alway be back for more because I'm in love with you....just try not to kick my dick though, that would kinda be a bummer for both of us." He shoots a quick wink and you snort.

"Sorry," you cover part of your face. "That was so ugly of me." Jungkook's heard you snort a thousand times but you've still a little self conscious about it.

"Its cute."

"Stop, you dont have to say that."

"It's cute because I like making you laugh and seeing you happy make—"

"Makes you horny." You finish the sentence, cackling at his suddenly doe-eyed expression. "I can feel your erection on my thigh Kook."

"Oh," he looks down at himself. Did he think he was being smooth and all trying to hide it and all? You're boyfriend's cute but a good liar he is not. "Well can I stick it in or not?" He looks at you again, expectanty.

"Kook!" You just had sex last night and to be honest you're a little sore from it as well as flopping around in your sleep all night.

Jungkook however is imposible to refuse with his pouty lips and big, ferocious eyes. He simultaneously wants to cuddle you to death and fuck you silly every second of the day. You ask him which he wants to do, he will always want both....at least twice in one go.

"I'll make it quick, promise. And it'll feel good too."

Once you give the okay Jungkook climbs on top of you from under the sheets. You spread your thighs, allowing him to slip in—which he easily does given the fact that he wasn't the only one all worked up.

"Fuck," he breaths above you, hands gripping the mattress on either side of your head. "Such a perfect pussy you know that? Always so wet for me."

"Yes Kook," you let out a small whine. Jungkook's dick always makes you so full so fast. "Fuck me."

"You want it huh?" He teases even though it's him who started this. "You want my big cock to stretch your tiny pussy? Make you scream? Say you want it baby. Need to hear it from you."

You concede to your boyfriend and tell him how much you want it. "Mhm please, need your cock Kook. Want it so bad, want it to make me come, please."

"Greedy little thing aren't you," he seethes, thrusting into you at a slow pace. "Just got fucked three times last night and still want more. What does that make you hm?"

"A slut." Jungkook growls when the words leave your lips. He ends up fucking into you faster, loving the sight of your breasts bounce up and down at the quickened pace. You move to grip onto both boobs but he growls again, letting you know his obvious disapproval.

"Wrap your legs around my waist," he grunts. "And don't you dare think about covering yourself up. Wanna see every bit of you."

You do as he says and he sinks further in you, cock finding that sweet spot at the same time. "Fuckfuckfuck," he chants. "So needy aren't you? Swallowing my cock like it's nothing for your pussy. Who taught you how to take cock this well huh?"

"Jungkook!" You scream when you feel the knot get stronger in the pit of your stomach. You boyfriend smirks and starts kissing up and down your neck.

"Say it again. Who taught you to take cock this well?"

"You—you Jungkook, you did. Please, gonna come soon." You claw his muscular back, knowing your high is about to come swift and fast. You hope to god he lets you come too. Last night he made you wait and wait. You had to keep begging him until he was fully satisfied. You squirted a lot and it was hot but you can't do that again so soon.

"Come for me baby," he coos. "Show me what I taught you back when all you knew how to do was give head. Gonna soak my cock now aren't you? I'm already so wet from your slick, fuck."

"Jungkook—oh god," you moan one last time before finally releasing. Your boyfriend let's out a deep, breathy groan and continues to thrust into for the sake of his own high. "Kook, please, please tell me you're close. It's almost too much."

"Shit just hold tight for me a little longer baby, I'm so close." He fucks into a few more times then spills himself into your warm cunt. You both bask in post-orgasmic blish until your boyfriend leans his head down to capture your lips. It's a bit of a sloppy kiss but still fiery and passionate.

He slips off you after a minute or two of making out, hair sticking to his forehead. "I'm so glad you said yes to moving in."

"What? You just want me here for the sex?" You pant, playful glimmer in your eye.

Jungkook shakes his head. "Of course not." You move to rest your head on his shoulder. "The sarcasm's nice too."

You roll your eyes. You'll be doing this all over again tonight. Maybe he'll be able to keep you in his arms tonight this time—you truly hope.

A/N: thanks for reading! Lmk your thoughts 💞

Masterlist

no reposting, copying, or translating my work– © kookslastbutton

#jungkook smut #jungkook fluff #jungkook x reader #jungkook fanfics #bts smut #bts fluff #bts x reader #bts fanfic #bts imagines #bts scenarios #fic:inyourarms #kookslastbutton

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demonicbaby666 · 7 months

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mommy!regina x reader w a dumbification kink 🥺👉👈

Mama's Girl

Kinktober 2023 | Once Upon a Time Masterlist | Masterlists

Fandom: Once Upon a Time

Pairing: Regina Mills x fem!Reader

Genre: Smut

Words: 1.4k+

Warnings: 18+, minors DNI, light bondage, strap-on use (r!receiving), dumbification, bit of overstimulation, mommy kink, praise.

A/n: I have never written dumbification before so I hope I did not disappoint... Anyways, enjoy!

"It hurts, Mommy," you whine, tugging at the tight rope around your wrist.

"Shhhh," the brunette coos, "I know what's best for you, baby. You know I'll take care of you."

The silicone tip of her cock pushes deeper inside you, and the ardent need to cover her full breasts in your palms has you clasping and unclasping your hands at empty space. The size of her thick strap feels like it's tearing you open, and though it's painful, the tinge of pleasure that comes with bulging faux-textured veins skirting along your tender walls has you throwing your head back into soft cotton pillows.

Regina's name leaves your parted, quivering lips in a drawled moan, ending with a short burst-out cry when she thrusts the rest of her length inside. She's all you know in this moment, all you feel, and it's pure and utter bliss. Your pussy clenches around her, moulding and accommodating to the new-found fullness you're having the pleasure of experiencing. It burns in the best of ways, and you're in dire need of some sort of movement to settle the blinding urge to fuck yourself on the older woman's length.

"Does my baby need something?" Regina smiles brightly at the timid nod she receives but does nothing to alleviate the coiling in your stomach, "Can you use your big girl words and tell me what you want?"

A brief moment passes, and you take this time to look into chestnut eyes. There is a darkness and wanting to be held within the rings of brown, but also patience and understanding. Courage builds from not only knowing but seeing the mayor wants nothing more than to take care of you, so you finally find it within yourself to answer, "I need mommy to make me cum," you whisper, to your chagrin, with a jutted bottom lip and a wimpish fluttering of your eyelids.

Her teeth are exposed as she grins from cheek to cheek, and you can't help but feel your chest rise and the beginnings of a contented smile tug at the corner of your lips. Nothing quite resembles the gratification that comes from being Regina's good girl.

The weight of her body shifts above you as the brunette bends her elbows and lowers herself down to place feather-light kisses all over your face, "You're such a good girl," she praises sweetly.

It's an intimate moment with her smile fierce, prying small giggles from you with her light pecks. That is until she finds your lips. The coddling comes to a swift end as Regina's tongue traces the interior of your mouth, and her hips pick up a steadfast rhythm.

Hard as it is to reciprocate and meet the adventurous swirling muscle, you try. What starts as a somewhat controlled kiss morphs into something messy and crazed, but neither of you seems to mind.

A hand cradles the back of your neck, fingers twirl and play with tangled knots of baby hairs as a series of kisses place the older woman snug in your neck. Each rushed kiss is matched with a hard thrust, and you can feel the pride radiate in Regina's fervour as your head falls back into soft pillows, and she is free to mark her pretty girl's neck as hers.

There's a sense of urgency that steadily creeps into your stomach and sets your hips exponentially rocking in tandem with the jackhammering of Regina's. Her hardened nipples are brushing against your ribs, and it's painstaking having them so close yet so far away from your grasp. You've been kept from touching the older woman this whole evening, and it has been hell.

'Mommy wants to look after you, baby' is what she'd said, but you want the chance to run your hands all over olive skin and massage the doughy expanse of perky breasts.

Despite knowing nothing will come of it, you wrangle with your restraints and beg them to uncoil. It burns as you twist and pull, and accidentally, you let a pained hiss free. Ever attentive, Regina hears and slows down to a halt.

"Don't stop," you beg, offering your best pout, "Please."

"You'll hurt yourself, dear," Regina tutts and scowls at the reddening marks forming over your wrists, "Do you promise to stop being silly by hurting yourself if I continue?"

You solemnly nod and advert your eyes away in shame.

Sensing your discomfort, the older woman places a finger under your chin and forces you to meet her soft gaze, "Use your words, darling." she calmly instructs, lowering her lips to kiss and nib at your neck.

"I promise to stop being silly if you fuck me with your big cock, Mommy," you moan as she descends to nimbly suck on a pert nipple.

Regina smirks against your breast, sits up, and grips tightly to the backs of your thighs. She pushes them forward until the pads of your knees almost touch the sides of your breasts. There isn't enough time to miss the blanketed feel of her upper body upon yours because instantly, the brunette uses her new position to fuck into you unrelentingly fast.

There's no way to tell whether you're screaming out in relief or from the uproar of pleasure surging and pulsing through every single inch of your body. Your toes curl, your stomach muscles tighten, and your legs tremble. Differentiating where you begin and where Regina starts is hopeless; you're inextricably linked as she repeatedly pounds into you.

Her cock, in this new position, slides perfectly along your g-spot. Bouts of electrical currents run a muck with each thrust, and if the slopping sounds of your wet cunt aren't enough to go by, the high-pitched sobs you're unwillingly letting out inform Regina you're already so close.

Wisps of chestnut flyaways sway back and forth as Regina redoubles her efforts. Her bottom lip wedges itself between her teeth, and you can see just where the prominent vein in her head is bulging from effort.

Your whole body is stubborn in continuing to tremble. The sheer might of senses bursting with life is explosive and leads you to fictitiously and wholeheartedly believe the world around you is only now coming fully into focus.

You can feel drops of sweat trickle between the margins of your breasts and merge with others, forming beads of exertion to canopy the full expanse of your heated skin.

You can smell the air, permeated with salt, faint hints of expensive perfume hidden under the musky aroma of sex.

You can taste tasteless lipstick residue over your tongue - waxy and slippery.

You can see Regina above you, beautiful, ethereal and goddess-like, her hips skilfully rucking back and forth as she rocks the bed with each forceful thrust into you.

You can hear the bed creek and the frame fighting to withstand the sheer mass of the brunette's need to make this the most powerful orgasm you have ever experienced.

"Cum for mommy, princess." Regina breathily grunts, each word broken by a harsh thrust of her cock fucking into you, "Make a mess all over mommy's cock."

Her heavy breathing mingles with your own, and a series of filthy moans, grunts and whimpers are exchanged. Regina lets go of the headboard with one hand and rests her palm flat over your sex. Her thumb moves to cover your throbbing clit, and with both haste and gentleness, she circles the sensitive bud.

"I'm going to cum, mommy, I'm going to cum, mommy!" You chant over and over again until the floodgates burst open with Regina's hips slapping against your ass and the distant sound of you screaming out her name.

With a force so strong it feels as though you may break your spine, your chest springs upwards as scorching flames burst free from the pits of your stomach all the way to the tip of your head. You're being catapulted into the night sky as visions of stars dance around the room.

Regina continues her ministrations till you topple head first into a second preemptive orgasm, and tears are welling in your eyes from the overflowing pleasure surmounting.

Not until your vision clears and you return to your body do you realise you've soaked the sheets underneath you, both in sweat and arousal.

"I'm sorry I made a mess, mommy," you timidly say, shying away from the brunette's gaze.

"It's okay," Regina smirks and kisses down the juncture of your breasts before locking onto you again, a mischievous glint in her eyes, "Looks like I'll have to clean my baby up."

Tags: @babygirlscout @7thavenger @five-bi-five-mind @supercorpstan97 @kenyakimble34 @12fluffybunny12 @maxinehufflepuffprincess @whosprentiss @asolitaryrose3 @imlike-so-gaydude @awritersometime @bossofcriminalminds @tmlwattpad19 @jareguiromanoff @fayhar @lovelyy-moonlight @patronagrona @storiesofsvu @mrs-prentiss | click here to be added to my taglist

#regina mills x reader #regina mills x you #regina mills smut #regina mills #Regina mills x fem!reader #once upon a time fan fiction #once upon a time #kinktober 2023

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genericpuff · 5 months

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Happy Chrysler! The brushes and fonts are here!

After months of promising I've finally put together the ULTIMATE LO DEBAUCHERY brush and font pack! This was something I've been wanting to put together and release for a while but between technical difficulties, moving PC's, and wanting to ensure the brush pack was as refined as possible, it led to some delays. That said, it's finally finished!

VERSION 3 HERE! Helpful anon struck back not once, but twice! This will be the FINAL RELEASE of this brush pack (unless anything else is discovered but at this point it's feeling pretty complete! Any new additions will be collected and released in a new version at a later date <3)

WHAT'S INCLUDED:

All the brushes I consistently use in my panel edits of LO and Rekindled panels, among a metric FUCKTON of others provided by the community since releasing the first build! All the brush files are .abr meaning they can be used cross-platform between Clip Studio, Photoshop, Procreate, and other compatible drawing software!

A small selection of fonts from the Jason Brubaker 26 Fonts set.

A raw .clip and .psd file of Persephone from Episode 38 containing all the layer information for you to pull apart and play with! Also comes with an instruction layer to explain what brushes were used and where. Please use responsibly ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡

An .mp4 time lapse of an Eros panel recreation from S1 using the newest set of brushes!

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED:

Clip Studio brushes that I also use due to exporting limitations. This includes the standard Gouache brush (which I've replaced with some Photoshop-compatible brushes that are close enough) and the Design Pencil brush, both of which come pre-packaged as default brushes with Clip Studio Paint. So if you use CSP, you should be able to find these missing brushes in your default brush kits!

The remaining 23 fonts from the Jason Brubaker set as they're not typically used in LO and I don't want to go releasing an entire font pack. Note that you should NOT use the provided fonts commercially unless you've legally paid for them. If you want all of his comic fonts to use royalty-free then you can buy them on Gumroad!

The canvas texture overlay that I apply to all my pages, the one I use can be found in Clip Studio's default texture overlays but you can undoubtedly also find overlays for free online or simply use the "Add Canvas" brush that's included in the brush pack! (the overlay is just faster and more uniform haha)

Commercial ownership - these brushes are all being provided to use for free, but you are NOT allowed to use these commercially, says the law. If you try to use these in a professional commercial product and get caught, it's your own funeral! Use at your own risk!

A lot of research and trial and error went into putting this together, so I'm thrilled to finally bring it to y'all for your panel editing, text editing, and style-studying needs ~ Consider this my grand gesture of appreciation and gratitude for accepting me into this community with open arms and showing so much support for what I've added to the table <3 Enjoy! ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡

And if anyone asks you where or how you got these, no you didn't-

#merry crismus #happy chrysler #many of these brushes are adapted from other brush kits that have been made inaccessible by corporations like adobe #so be cool about it mkay #resource sharing is caring #that said i'm turning off reblogs so pls stick to message / link sharing okie poke #lore olympus critical #anti lore olympus #lo critical

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charon-cries · 2 months

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Hiya! Hope this message finds u well :3 I absolutely love your art; found you from insta! Quick question also; I’m not sure if you’ve answered this before, but which brushes do you use for ur digital art? I love the textures they’re so crunchy (endearing)!! Have a lovely day!! :D

hello!! here's a little brush tour ft. this half rendered martin.

also, a great app for ipad artists who really want to dig into texture is art set 4. i swear by it and i've been using it for about two years. none of my more recent art uses it, but that's just because i'm experimenting with my process rn

so here's a list of my most used brushes lately, and there will be links to all of them at the bottom of this post.

the two labeled "custom pencil" are both my own personal modified pencils (both sourced from the 6b pencil) but the narinder pencil and the vanilla 6b pencil are both very similar to them. i use these two for sketching and flat color specifically, and if you do specifically want these two brushes then i'd be happy to upload them somewhere for you to download, but they're not really necessary for texture

i also use G&B halftone brushes sometimes! but i greatly prefer the RSCO sample pack, and i cannot find the link to the G&B brushes no matter how hard i google, and pretty much any halftone brush set will do the same job

and here's what they look like in practice!

(i like to set these halftones to color burn. color burn is my most used blending mode, even for shading)

and then i hit "copy all," paste, and duplicate it. so you should have two layers of just your entire canvas. then import a paper texture

i'm partial to the set i'll link down below, my favorite is #5. you should absolutely check out the rest of the free texture packs on their website if you're wanting to diversify your texture process btw, all of their stuff is fantastic.

to use that texture, your layers should look like this!

on the layer set to the linear burn, i also like to go into the adjustments menu and bump up the brightness until all of the colors are at similar values to what they were before. and the normal layer on top is just to control the intensity/opacity of the paper texture!

after all of that, sometimes i'll go in with brushes like MM rake follow, or more from COFE's weird pencils, on top of all of those layers for finishing touches.

definitely play around with it, try new free brushes all of the time (i heavily recommended subscribing to Manero. they have a lot of free stuff and it's all fantastic) and see what works for you <3

here are the links to the brushes in this post, as well as some extras! some of them are paid and some of them are completely free. + it wasn't mentioned here, but i use the tatyworks linen fabric brush for blending! for any of the paid brushes, i'll try to link some free alternatives

paid brushes:

alternatives to paid brushes:

free brushes:

extra goodies:

#procreate art #procreate brushes #art tutorial #artists on tumblr #digital art #digital artist #art recommendations #art resources

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hoejosatoru · 11 months

Text

Stress Reliever

Pairing: Fem!Reader x Chishiya (Alice in Borderland)

Summary: When y/n first meets Chishiya, she does not like him. However, when they are forced to become roommates at the beach, her opinion slowly starts to change. When Chishiya has a suggestion on how to manage stress, y/n can’t help but be intrigued. Ignore the boring ass title I could not think of anything better

Word Count: 2.9k

Warnings: Readers skin and hair color/texture not specified, not proof read, teasing, eye contact, fingering, p in v sex, cream pie. Tried to keep Chishiya in character (bc I think he would be such a tease and lil shit but in a sexy way) but if he’s ooc oopsies MDNI

“What are you doing here?” You huffed, standing in the doorway of your new room. Or what was supposed to be your room. So why the hell was Chishiya of all people already there.

“I knew you’d find your way here eventually,” he replied, ignoring your question. The ‘here’ was the beach compound. You’d heard whispers of the place since you started playing and finally found it. It was exactly what you expected - though you weren’t sure what you expected in the first place - but you agreed to join. Not that you really had much of a choice once the caught you lurking around the place.

“You didn’t answer my question,” you pressed.

Chishiya rolled his eyes. “Seemed too obvious a question to answer. I live here.”

You scowled. “But I was assigned to this room.” You doubled checked the room number you were given and the one on the door. You were in the right place.

“Guess that makes us roommates then,” Chishiya replied, stretching lazily. His indifference grated your nerves.

“But you’re a guy.”

Chishiya snorted with laughter. “We’re in a lawless land playing life or death games and you think people care about rooms being coed?” You didn’t want to admit that it was pretty stupid to care about that, so you just grumbled a ‘whatever’ and shut the door behind you.

You truly could not believe the odds that you would end up with him as a roommate. You met Chishiya in one of your first games, which happened to be a game of wits. Unfortunately, most of your competitors were lacking in that department, which led to their demise. You, however, figured it out quickly, which Chishiya took note of.

He made some comment about being surprised someone was able to get it, which you took as a condescending crack. You’d been watching him since the start of the game, noting how calm he was. Almost to the point of smugness. The comment, you felt, confirmed your initial impression.

Little did you know that Chishiya was also watching you, (though he does watch everybody) taking an interest in you. You were much more calm than anyone else in the calm, save for him. He was also impressed with your cleverness, seeing through the trick of the game almost as quickly as he did. Almost.

You’d played only one other game with him after that, which you left you feeling the same way: he was a smug know it all. He had tried to engage in casual conversation with you, but you brushed him off. You weren’t looking to get close to people in these games. You’d seem first hand how they would pit people together and tear them apart. You didn’t need anymore emotional turmoil. Besides, you could definitely see the two of you clashing, what with his attitude.

Chishiya, however, was draw to your attitude. He appreciated your intelligence of course, since far too many people seemed to lack it around here. But he liked that you challenged him, he even liked when you rolled your eyes or scowled at him. The more you tried to push him away, the more he felt the desire to get close to you. To break down those walls and get to know more about you.

“You better not be a shitty roommate,” you stated, sitting down on the bed adjacent to his. It was the comfiest thing you sat on in weeks.

“Oh don't worry,” he smiled, “I’m an angel.”

You wouldn’t go as far as to call him an angel, but you couldn’t deny that Chishiya was a good roommate. He didn’t go out partying and drinking like everyone else here, nor did he ever leave a mess. You still found him to be a bit smug at times, but your stance on him softened a bit as yo got to know him. Though your pride was preventing you from showing it that much.

Your visas often expired at similar times, leading you two to playing a lot more games together. You couldn’t deny that you felt safe with Chishiya being there. Well at least as safe as one could be in these games. The two of you silently formed an alliance and looked out for each other. You never let yourself get complacent, but having Chishiya around always made you feel that, no matter the odds, you would clear the game.

Something that you couldn’t understand, though, was just how calm was. You prided yourself on being able to keep yourself calm during the games, but you still very much felt the stress. Chishiya, however, was on another level. He seemed bored, as if you were just playing for fun and not your lives. It was almost unnerving.

After a particularly difficult game, you couldn't resist asking him about when you got back to your room. “How do you do it?”

“Hmm? Do what?” Chishiya asked from his bed.

“Stay so calm. It’s... spooky,” you replied. You laid on your bed, staring at the ceiling.

Chishiya let out a huff of laughter. “You look pretty calm yourself.”

“Yeah I look calm, but it takes a lot of work to stay that way. It doesn’t seem to bother you at all,” you replied.

Chishiya smirked. “I didn’t know you were watching me so closely.” Actually he did, but he’d keep that to himself for now.

“You’re doing that thing again.”

“What thing?”

“That thing where you deflect instead of just answering.”

Chishiya made a noise of amusement. “Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t really have an answer. I can’t change my circumstances, I don't see the point of freaking out about it.”

You sighed. As if it was that simple. “If I wasn’t your roommate, I’d be convinced you were an alien or a robot or something. I’m not fully convinced you don’t have to plug yourself in to charge up while I’m sleeping.”

Chishiya laughed, but said in earnest. “I am human, I can promise you that.” A silence fell between the two of you after that. You were often quiet together; it was one of the things you did appreciate about him. This silence, however, felt charged in a way you couldn’t quite put your finger on.

After some time, Chishiya spoke again. “You knew, there is a pretty effective way to destress.”

“What’s that?”

“Sex.”

Your head whipped around to him. You couldn’t have heard that right. “Sex?”

Chishiya smirked at your astonishment. “Yeah, sex. You know what that is right? Don’t tell me you’re a virgin,” he teased.

Your cheeks burned. “I am not a virgin,” you replied and immediately regretted it. It was true, but that absolutely sounded like something a virgin would say. It only made Chishiya laugh harder. “Oh shut up,” you grumbled, tossing a pillow at him.

“Someone’s testy.”

“So what? That’s your secret?” you questioned, “You just go around fucking people?” You couldn’t imagine how he had time for that. He never brought anyone to your room, thank god, and was never out for long.

“No,” Chishiya snorted, “I haven’t slept with anyone since coming here. I was just pointing out a fact. Sex helps with stress.”

Talking about sex with Chishiya was naturally making your brain think about having sex with Chishiya and that made your body react in a way you weren't expecting. You were flushed, feeling a prickle of desire. God were you really so stressed that you were lusting after him?

Sensing your hesitation, Chishiya continued. “I didn’t think I would have to spell it out for you, but it was almost an invitation.” You looked bewildered, which amused him. “Come here.”

Despite your hesitations, you followed his instruction. Chishiya sat at the edge of his bed and you stood between his legs. He looked up and down your body with a lopsided grin. You had grown accustomed to having to wear a bikini at all times at the beach; it was nothing new for him to see you like this. Yet, you felt so exposed under his gaze. You almost moved to cover yourself, but you didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

Chishiya’s hands found the back of your thighs, ghosting across your skin. “You’ve thought about it, haven’t you?” His voice was just above a whisper. One hand started to toy with your bikini bottom string. You held your breath as his eyes flicked up to yours. “Thought about me fucking you? You want it, don’t you?”

Your heard was quickened the longer his hands were on you. It felt so good to be touched by someone else in such a gentle way. That combined with his words was making you almost dizzy. “Seems like you’ve thought about,” you replied.

Chishiya yanked you forward by the back of your legs, making you fall into his lap. You legs landed on either side of his hips, leaving you straddling him. His face was closer yours now, the eye contact making your insides curl. “You’re that thing,” he teased, calling back to the comment you made. His hand was on the back of your neck now and you found yourself drifting impossibly closer to him. “But I’m not afraid to admit when I want someone thing.” His thumb brushed over your lower lip, making you let out a shaky breath. “So tell me, y/n, do you want me, too?”

You let go of the breath you were holding. “Yes.” Chishiya smirked triumphantly. He started to lean and you followed. Your lips were just a millimeter apart when he pulled back just to laugh at the frustrated look on your face.

You scowled. “Assho-”

His lips connected to yours before you could finish. God he was a good kisser. His lips moved against yours perfectly, his tongue slipping into your mouth with ease. Your body reacted so quickly to him, aching with desire. The need for more.

Chishiya sensed it, smirking into the kiss. His hands trailed up your back, finding the string of your bikini top. He undid the knot, tossing it to the side. He squeezed your tits as your kissed, pinching your nipples to make you gasp. You pushed his sweatshirt off his body, before yanking his shirt off.

“Mmm, someone’s eager, huh?” He commented.

“Shut up.”

In a flash you were flipped over and caged in by Chishiya’s body. “You’re not in the position to be telling me to shut up.” You narrowed your eyes at him, which made the corner of his lip curl up. You had to admit, him on top of you was a nice view.

You threaded your fingers through his blond locks, pulling him back in. His chest was pressed completely against yours. The weight of him and the warmth of his skin on yours soothed a nagging deep inside you. You wanted him closer. You wrapped your legs around his hips, pulling him in. You rolled your hips up to meet his, grinding against him. A soft moan slipped from his slips, giving you a sense of satisfaction.

Chishiya’s hand came down, pressing your hips back into the mattress. You were about to huff in protest, but stopped when he started toying with the strings on the side of your bikini. He kept his lips on yours as he worked. Your pussy throbbed with anticipation while slowly, so slowly, pulled the knot undone. Instead of taking it off right away, he traced the line of where your bikini met your lower stomach to your other hip. His feather light touch gave you goosebumps.

He repeated his actions on the other side. You were buzzing with anticipation for him to pull the bottoms off you. Of course, he didn't right away. He just continued to kiss you, his fingers ghosting of your lower stomach, inner thighs.

“Stop being a fuck tease,” you grumbled.

“Oh? And what would you like me to do, y/n?” Chishiya mused. His eyes were locked on yours as he continued to let his fingers dance over your skin. You lost a bit of your nerve under his stare.

“You know what I want.”

Chishiya smirked. “I’m not a mind reader.”

You groaned. “Touch me! Finger me- fuck do something!”

He chuckled, hooking his finger into the fabric, but not pulling it down. “A please would be nice.”

You were too desperate to fight. He was so close, yet so far from touching you. You couldn’t stand it. “Please.”

“Good girl.” He pulled the bikini off of you completely. His eyes scanned your naked body, making you feel shy under his critical stare. Still, you refused to show it and let him have his look. “Pretty.” His finger slid through your wetness, making you gasp. “And soaked. Didn’t know you wanted me that bad.”

“Are you gonna do something or just talk all day?” you snapped. Chishiya didn’t challenged your remark, instead he slid a finger inside you. You let out a content sigh as he curled it, easily finding that spot inside you that made you weak. He licked and sucked at your breasts as he worked his fingers over you. He was more skilled than you cared to admit, easily making the curl of pleasure in your lower stomach.

Chishiya played with your clit, rolling and pinching it, noting how each different move made you react. He slid a second finger inside you, stretching you and pumping faster. He loved how squirmed, how your chest heaved with ragged, pleasured breaths. He kept a neutrally smug look on his face, but internally his composure wavered. He wanted to know how your pussy would feel squeezing his cock instead of his fingers.

“Fuck, Chishiya, don’t stop,” you moaned. It had been so long since you felt this good. Chishiya rolled your clit just as you liked, sending you over the edge. He sat up so he could watch as you cum. He loved how your head fell back with pleasure, the sweet sounds that escaped you, the way your body fully submitted to his touch.

“You look good like that,” he teased as you caught your breath. He got himself out of his shorts, your cheeks flushing at the sight of his naked body. He was bigger than you thought he would be, thicker too. “You realize you’re staring, right?”

You went red and mumbled, “Sorry.”

Chishiya laughed at you. “That's alright, I like when you watch me.” He grabbed the back of your thighs and yanked you closer to him. “I see you doing it all the time, you know.” He let his tip slide through your slick pussy lips. If you were so distracted by that, you may have been more embarrassed by his words. “I like it a lot. So I want you to watch while I fuck you.” He pressed his tip into your throbbing hole, but didn’t go any further. He leaned over, getting his face closer to yours. His voice dropped to a whisper.“You’re gonna look me in the eye when I make you cum, got it?”

You were barely audible when your replied, “Yes.” You liked him like this. Suddenly his smugness wasn’t annoying, rather it was an aphrodisiac. His demeanor, his voice, his stare, all of it just made you want him more.

Chishiya kept his eyes on yours as he slowly pushed into you, allowing you both to enjoy every inch. You sighed at the sweet stretch he have you, loving the feeling of being so full. Chishiya gripped your hips as he thrust into you. He was right, you felt even better wrapped around him like this. “Feels fucking amazing.”

He fucked into you with ease, each long, deep thrust making your head spin. You couldn’t believe how good he was, it almost wasn't fair. His cock hit that sweet spot inside you, making you gasp. “Please Chishiya,” you begged, not even sure what you were asking for.

“Feels good, huh?” he questioned, his thumb finding your clit. He rubbed circles over the sensitive bud. Your eyes screwed shut as the pleasure almost went over to overstimulation. “Look at me, y/n. Let me see you cum.” You forced your eyes open upon his demand. Making eye contact with him made everything feel more intense. Within moments that knot of pleasure inside you snapped, spreading a warm surge of pleasure all over your body.

“Fuc-nngh ‘Shiya!”

Chishiya couldn’t hold on with your pussy squeezing him like a vice while you moaned his name like that. His hips stuttered as he let out a low groan of your name mixed with curses. He fucked you slow and deep, letting you both savor it.

When you both finally finished, he laid himself down next you. You felt compelled to curl into him, not wanting to be without his warmth. For a second you were afraid you made a mistake, but then his arm wrapped around you and pulled you on to his chest. It was the first time you felt soothed since entering the games.

“I hate to admit it, but you were right. I feel less stressed,” you said.

“I love when you admit I’m right,” Chishiya mused, running his fingers along your spine. “While you’re in a good mood, I have a confession to make.”

“What?”

“I arranged for us to share a room here.”

If he had told you that a week ago, you may have been annoyed. But now? “I have a confession, too. I’m glad you did.”

#chishiya x reader #chishiya x you #chishiya x fem!reader #chishiya smut #aib fanfic #aib smut

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pollenallergie · 1 year

Text

Perks of Being a Dad

AN: Eddie Munson is a sensitive guy, an amazing dad, and also a scheming lil genius. In other words, Eddie cons his goobers into giving him some extra special affections one Sunday morning. Thank you so, so much to @sw34terw34ther for helping me name Eddie's youngest and for beta-reading this for me! <3

Word Count: 1.9k

CW: Brief mentions of the reader being pregnant in the past (though their gender identity is never stated). Also, the reader is mentioned but isn't actually present in the fic. It's not really implied/stated that Eddie is a rockstar in this fic, but it is part of my dad!rockstar! Eddie AU.

Eddie’s a sensitive person, and not just in the emotional sense. When he was younger, he was hypersensitive to just about everything; sensory overload was frequent for Eddie as a kid. However, he mostly grew out of that, no longer being quite as picky about tastes, scents, sounds, or visuals, though he is still slightly more particular than the average person. Nevertheless, one acuity he’s never truly outgrown is his tactile sensitivity. For as long as he can remember, Eddie’s always been picky about certain textures and when and how people touch him. Of course, now that he’s older, he’s a bit less finicky about those things. Even so, Eddie still loathes the feeling of crushed velvet and has to stifle a gag every time he removes the little cotton ball from a brand-new bottle of medicine. Likewise, Eddie has also maintained his sensitivity to other people’s touch.

In 1987, when you two first met at one of his gigs, you had cradled his forearm in your hands so that you could write the digits of your phone number on his alabaster, freckled skin. Though your touch was so light that it was barely there, it’d caused every little nerve under his skin to shoot off like fireworks, making a warm, fuzzy feeling spread all over his body. As romantic as that sounds, that sort of sensation wasn’t necessarily exclusive to your touch.

One time, Mr. Rothering, his former algebra teacher and the bane of his existence during his sophomore year, accidentally brushed up against a fifteen-year-old Eddie Munson as he waded through the aisles of desks to hand back their most recent tests and, even though Eddie was in no way attracted to that sneering son of a bitch, his nerves had gone into a frenzy in much the same way they had when you’d first made contact with him several years later. Although, in that case, the feeling was much less intense than it had been with you; Eddie reasons that Mr. Rothering’s vile aura most likely dulled it.

As a father, Eddie is still subjected to this sensation, even when the touch that triggers it comes from the hands of his sweet babies, Marley, Jude, and Rowan. Granted, his familiarity with them has conditioned him to the resulting sensation, but it still occurs all the same. However, in the case of his little tadpoles (something he’s called his kids ever since the twins were mere embryos growing in your womb), his pure adoration for them gives that odd, fuzzy feeling a warm, wholesome, serene edge to it, so much so that it calms his mind and his body. Eddie luxuriates in the affections — or, as they’re often referred to in the Munson household, ‘sugars’ — that his little goobers give him. Eddie loves it all, from their clumsy hugs to their warm snuggles, even their slobbery kisses and ornery play-wrestling.

Nevertheless, Eddie’s love for his precious little loves and their magical sugars isn’t enough to fill the void of your touch and the divine sensations it brings, something he’s been without for a grueling twenty-four hours since you left yesterday morning for a work trip. Eddie’s been yearning for your affection from the moment he dropped you off at the airport. Today, he’s specifically craving one of your life-altering, all-powerful back rubs, which Eddie swears can cure even the sourest of moods in mere minutes. He misses the gentle caress of your fingertips and the incomparably blissful sensations they leave in their wake. This constant yearning for a relaxing back rub, combined with the knowledge that the twins have recently been learning to draw shapes at daycare, gives Eddie a brilliant idea on this wonderfully lazy Sunday morning.

Eddie lounges on the couch watching cartoons, shirtless and sporting the Star Wars-themed pajama pants Wayne gifted him last Christmas. The twins are snuggled up on either side of him while little Ro is reclining in his lap, all three still in their jammies, sporting coordinating, but not perfectly matching, sets of nautical-themed jammies you’d gotten from Gymboree. Suddenly, Eddie heaves a dramatic yawn, snuggles his kids closer, and gently traces his calloused fingertips up and down one of each of the twins’ short, chubby arms, buttering them up with some sugars of his own. Jude, his snugglebug, almost immediately responds to these sugars with a pleasant little coo, conveying his happiness. However, Marley and Rowan are too far gone; the elder sister is too enthralled in Tom and Jerry’s reruns to notice her dad doting on her while the younger sister is happily snoozing away in Eddie’s lap. Armed with the knowledge that he has at least one of his kids’ attention, Eddie decides to strike while the iron is hot.

“Daddy’s tired,” Eddie remarks lazily. It’s the same warning he always offers his little ones just before dozing off for a nap.

Upon noticing Jude’s subtle pout, he nearly loses his composure and abandons his covert mission entirely. Eddie powers through, though, not wanting to give up on the brilliant plan he’s concocted. He decides to focus on Jude, knowing that if he succeeds in roping his baby boy into his not-so-devious scheme, his little ladies will surely follow.

“Tell you what, Joodlebug, how about I lay down on my tummy and you, my sweet boy,” Eddie pauses to boop his son’s little nose quickly, simply because he can’t resist, before continuing, “practice drawing your shapes on my back? Huh? How’s that sound?”

Jude’s brow furrows adorably before he looks up at his dad with bright doe eyes. “Markers?” The tiny tot inquires, getting tripped up on the r’s as he does so.

“No, bear,” Eddie gently grabs one of Jude’s little hands and taps the tip of his tiny index finger with his own, “use these. Just pretend like you’re actually drawing on me, ’kay? Sorta like those finger paintings you do at daycare, but without the paint,” he explains, chuckling softly when Jude responds with a rough nod. His son’s a very passionate little boy; Judah Bear Munson gives his all to every single thing he does, even if it’s just a simple nod of his head.

“We got a deal, Bubba?” Eddie asks.

Jude offers his confirmation in the form of another adorably curt nod paired with his beautiful, toothy grin.

“Atta boy,” Eddie praises his son before gently removing the littlest of his tadpoles from his lap, carefully placing his tiny Rowboat on the couch next to her brother so as not to rouse her from sleep. He then theatrically slides off the couch and onto the floor, causing his little prince to erupt into a fit of giggles.

Jude’s high-pitched giggles catch his baby sister’s attention, rousing the little 18-month-old girl from sleep. Rowan then calls out in a concerned, whiny tone, “Dada?”

So much for not rousing Ro, Eddie thinks.

“Just laying down, Ro-Bird,” he reassures his baby girl, “wanna be the bestest helper ever and toss me a pillow?”

Rowan wordlessly responds by grabbing a throw pillow from next to her on the couch and harshly, though not maliciously, chucking it at her dad; she’s still at that funny little age where she doesn’t quite realize her own strength. Eddie miraculously catches it just before it hits him in the face and gruffs out a sarcastic, “Thanks, babe.”

Seeing a pillow suddenly flying by her in her peripherals is enough to finally draw Marley’s focus away from the cartoon cat and mouse on the TV screen. The little three-year-old watches as her dad gets situated on the floor, rolling over to lay on his belly as he rests his head atop his crossed arms on the small pillow. Eddie then turns and looks up at his baby boy, the spitting image of himself, offering him a beaming grin.

“Ready, Jude?” Eddie asks, prompting the little boy to nod before gracelessly flopping down onto the shag carpet beside his dad. A relaxed sigh leaves Eddie as his son begins to delicately trace shapes on his back. It’s soon accompanied by a victorious, smug grin when Marley finally pipes up and asks, “Ca’i help, daddy?” What’s meant to be ‘can I’ comes out sounding more like ‘kai,’ and that makes Eddie’s heart melt into a puddle of sticky, saccharine syrup.

“Yeah, Mars, show me watcha got,” Eddie responds. Soon two tiny pointer fingers are drawing on his back, one from each twin. While Marley sticks to abstractly filling the expanse of his back with invisible shapes, Jude, his little artist, takes to connecting the various moles and freckles on Eddie’s back with invisible lines, forming secret constellations on his alabaster skin.

“You guys are doing really good,” Eddie murmurs encouragingly as his eyes drowsily flutter shut.

“Dada?” His littlest love calls out to him from the couch.

Eddie struggles to open his eyes but somehow manages before turning his head to look up at his youngest daughter, who looks identical to you, making her your little mini-me. “Yeah, birdie?” He asks softly.

“Snuggles?” She asks, her tone sleepy and needy. Rowan may look exactly like you, but she’s a daddy’s girl through and through.

“Of course, babe. C’mere,” Eddie beckons her to his side with a wave of his arm, “Come snuggle with daddy, Rowboat.”

Rowan giggles adorably at her dad’s silly nickname for her as she climbs off the couch all by herself — a big feat for someone with such short little legs — and waddles over to her dad. Eddie lifts one arm for her, and she plops down beside him, lying down and nuzzling up against his side. He wraps that same arm around his little nestling, cradling Rowan’s warm little body close to his own as she lays on her side with her back pressed against the side of his torso so that she can watch the TV as she cuddles with her dad.

Right now, Eddie’s on Cloud 9, loving being so close to his little tadpoles, with Tad 1 and Tad 2 (his nicknames for the twins while they were in the womb) giving him a makeshift version of a back rub with their tiny little, chubby fingers, while Tad 3 snuggles up close to him. Fuck what his past teachers always said because, in this moment, Eddie thinks he’s a goddamn genius. Eddie lets out a quiet, blissful sigh as the serene, comforting sensation floods his body, settling underneath his skin and warming him from head to toe. Perks of being a dad, he thinks.

For the rest of the morning, or at least for as long as he can hold his little tads’ attention, Eddie luxuriates in his toddler massage and all the sensation it brings. At the same time, he snuggles with his littlest baby, his little Rosie Ro, who has swiftly fallen asleep in his arms. All the while, he listens to his two little chatterboxes discuss anything and everything that comes to their brilliant little minds; the sounds of Rowan’s snores and the cartoons on the TV act as soothing background noise to the twins’ vivid conversation. To Eddie, moments like these are heaven on earth. Eddie wouldn’t trade these wholesome moments for anything, not even an opportunity for Corroded Coffin to headline their own show at Madison Square Garden. Even his biggest rockstar dreams can’t compete with the love that fatherhood has brought him. Yeah, Eddie thinks, nothing compares to this.

#eddie munson #dad!eddie munson #dad!eddie #rockstar!eddie munson #rockstar!eddie #dad!rockstar!eddie munson #dad!rockstar!eddie #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson thoughts #rockstar!eddie munson x reader #stranger things #stranger things 4 #eddie stranger things #stranger things vol 4 #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson blurb #rockstar au #dad au #pol’s greatest hits

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novelcain · 1 year

Note

Hi i want to ask this on my birthday(march 17) but asks were closed so ill ask it now. how would the pilgrims react to finding out that it the readers b-day? 🐇🍀(idk which one to pick so you decide)

Happy late birthday my dear!🥳🥳🥳🥳 Sorry that asks weren't open on the day of but I hope you had a great day darling! 🤗💜💜💜

Now for reactions!

Wukong would be excited! He loves parties and this is absolutely party worthy! He'd probably either fly you all to Flower Fruit Mountain so that him and his monkeys can give you the BEST day of your life. And you better eat as much sugar as you can cause 'round here the party don't stop!

Tripitaka gives you well wishes and several blessings throughout the day. He grew up not knowing the day of his birth and so he wants you to have a safe and wonderful day.

Sandy would pick you up and give you huge hug and wish you many happy birthdays! He'll be picking you up a lot today so get comfy sitting on his shoulder today.

Ao Lie would congratulate and immediately start looking for a gift. Only the absolute best for one of his friends plus he was taught to have a gift ready on the day of so he feels like he has to start looking the millisecond he finds out.

Pigsy would probably try to get you a hug like Sandy but a loud "NO!" from everyone shut that down rather quickly. (Since this is your first birthday with all of them then Bajie is still... Bajie.) So instead he just wishes you a happy birthday.

And as a gift to you dear 🍀 anon:

🎁Gifts from the gang~🎁

Wukong being a king and loving things that are extravagant and he's totally not trying to show you that he can give you all the riches in the world that would be ridiculous would go for something extremely expensive and rare yet still meaningful. For example he might get you a hair stick of your favorite flower or animal that is made from precious gems and metals. It'd also likely have some sort of magical property as well. Tho because of how valuable this gift would be it'd likely kept safely on FFM with the promise that Wukong would take you to retrieve it once the journey is over. (this also may or may not have just been a ploy to get you to FFM after the journey sneaky monkey)

Tripitaka being Buddhist wouldn't get you anything extravagant or expensive, instead preferring to give you something useful to you and your journey. Maybe something you've been asking for lately like a journal and a brush. He'd also likely try to give you something the has Buddhist scriptures on it as a means to try to when you over to Buddhism once more.

Wujing would give you something he thinks you would enjoy and use often. He'd likely give you a handmade fidget toy made from wood and stone with lots of different textures and shapes. (You've talked to him enough about fidget toys to have a general idea what they're like)

Ao Lie being raised a prince would most likely also get you something very lavish and it'd very likely be something useless to you right now like an art piece or vase (he means well but these were the kinds of gifts given to him his whole life so it's the only reference he has) (this would also have to be kept on FFM)

Bajie would probably get you something that not only helps you and it something you'd like but helps him as well. For example if he likes your cooking then he'd get you new cooking equipment or if he likes when you play music he'd get you an instrument

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therealraeweber · 1 month

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Crawling my way out of my hole over to tumblr.com this fine 2 am to share my little Procreate experiment for the night.

School has been really demanding this semester (hence why I've posted barely anything at all this year), so I treated myself to a little doodle session, drawing my boy. I had a lot of fun playing with textures, brushes, and opacity, and also sketching in white on a black background was new and exciting for me. I know it's a mess, but I'm kind of obsessed, and had a good time making art (which I thought I had forgotten how to do).

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel fanart #alastor #alastor fanart #procreate #doodles #my art

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theboywithburninghands · 1 month

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Hello yes hi I’m not dead. Sorry, I got tangled up in playing Kingdom Hearts III and my birthday along with the usual mental struggles… But I got a new story. It’s longer than the others, and it also dabbles in another ship that I’m quite fond of along with Funnybunny. I enjoy Buttonblossom as well, I’ve always been of the opinion Pomni is bisexual. Not me projecting… anyway, this one is a little bit more dramatic. But I like it, even if it’s got a ton of ellipses, but it’s also got a big snake in it. Big snakes are cool. Enjoy, hopefully.

Jealousy, Thy Name is Rabbit

Today was a game of capture the flag set in a virtual jungle, girls against boys (boys and Zooble, just so it was 3 on 3). On the girl’s side, Ragatha was elected flag guard on account of being the tallest and widest, not that she had much in the way of competition from either of her teammates. Pomni and Gangle were the scouts sent to find the boys’ (And Zooble’s) flag. Pomni had spent the last half hour on all fours, clambering through some cartoony underbrush. The various brambles may have been gaudy shades of orange and purple, but their thorns still hurt to climb through. Caine really needed to focus less on hazards and more on… well, fun.

Pomni: OW! F@&$! *Pomni covers her right eye as a stick jabs into it* Urgh… Gangle? Where are you?

Pomni poked her head cautiously out of the canopy of plants. Her teammate was nowhere to be found. Had they already gotten separated?

Pomni: Peachy…

Pomni ducked back down into the underbrush and continued to crawl forward as best she could. Her coxcomb hat kept getting tangled in the briars, and leaves and bits of twig stuck to her hair. Caine had even gone to the effort of including irritating little bugs the size of pinpricks that crawled on her face and buzzed in her ear, which she routinely had to stop and swat. Thank god she had no nose or one of them definitely would have crawled up it by now. She peeked out from the underbrush again, spotting a small clearing up ahead. It looked like it could be the entrance to the enemy base. If she crawled, she could get there in about 10 minutes. Then it was a matter of getting past whoever they had guarding it, then getting back to her base and ending the game so they could go home. Apparently there was some sort of reward for whatever team won the round… Knowing Caine it would probably suck hard.

Pomni took a deep breath and dove back into the brush. If Jax was the flag guard, maybe she could convince him to give up the flag peacefully in exchange for some extra “alone time” that night. It was surreal to think that she had gone from hating the rabbit’s guts to him being one of her closest friends… just friends. Just friends that kissed and hugged and cuddled. Friends could do that. It had been Jax’s idea to not use any words like “relationship” or “romance” or “love” to describe what… whatever they had going on, in case of disaster. And they were both free to have “alone time” with other performers… at least that’s what she assumed. Not like Jax was close with anyone else.

Pomni came to a large, fallen tree, black and flecked with neon colors. There was no way around it without adding several minutes to her already onerous trek, so she rolled her eyes, stretched, and began to clamber over the tree. The trunk was oddly squishy, it must have gotten soft from the moisture of the jungle floor. That was a pretty impressive detail for Caine to add… As she slid over to the opposite side, her bare legs touched the trunk. The texture was odd as well, smooth and oddly bumpy… no… scaly?

hhhhhhhhssssssssssccchhhhh…

Pomni: Oh sweet f$&@.

The “tree” slid forward on its own, a good twenty feet of shiny, technicolor-on-obsidian mass emerging from the underbrush, a stone’s throw from where Pomni was just crawling. The snake turned its refrigerator-sized head to look at Pomni. Its fishbowl eyes were different colors, each appearing to slowly change hues, its left eye yellow shifting green and its right eye purple shifting brown. It flicked out its tongue, pink with electric blue stripes and thick as Bubble Tape.

Pomni: Nonononononono-

Pomni took off running towards the clearing, but found herself hopelessly slowed down by the overgrown floor of the jungle, brambles snagging her legs and tripping her to her knees every few steps. The giant snake slithered up beside her before lazily, yet gracefully gliding in front of her and cutting her off, forming a loop around her with its body.

Pomni: -nonononononoNONONO! NO! NO! NONONONO!

Pomni tried to climb over the snake as it began to pull right around her, but only succeeded in sticking one arm out before the rest of her puny body was squeezed into immobility by the black rainbow serpent. She was so small that the snake barely needed to wrap around her once before she was trapped.

Pomni: NOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOOOO!!!

Pomni screamed blue murder. The panic of being cornered by a large predator and her phobia of being touched formed a cocktail of primal terror she hadn’t experienced since first arriving at the circus. She shrieked and pounded on the snake’s body with her one free hand, even trying to bite into its flesh, anything to get it to stop squeezing and let go. The snake’s scales were far too hard to bite through, even chipping one of her teeth, and the reptile continued to squeeze tighter and tighter and tighter. Pomni felt her body begin to flare with pain as it was constricted to its limit… if she still had bones they probably would have been crushed into splinters by now. She didn’t even have enough room left to scream, only managing a choked rasp…

And then there was a reverberating crack.

Voice: Let her go! I said let her go!

Another smack against the snake, and it hissed irritatedly this time. Pomni saw a faint purple and red outline out of the corner of her watery eyes, coming into clearer view as it strafed around the serpent.

Ragatha: Y-You want to lose an eye, Jafar?! Let her go, I said!

Ragatha had a sturdy tree branch in her hands, twigs sticking out of her hair and her dress stained with dirt. She took on the stance of a major league player and swung her makeshift bat with all her strength, cracking the snake on the chin. The reptile hissed, revealing fangs of all colors, and struck at Ragatha, who managed to stumble out of the way with a hair’s breadth between her arms and the snake’s teeth. Ragatha put one hand at the top of her branch and the other in the middle and wound back.

Ragatha: I’m sorry-!

Ragatha drove the branch into the snake’s right eye, and it snarled, thrashing about in pain. Its coils loosened enough for Pomni to squirm free, landing on the jungle floor with a dry plop and scrambling backwards. The snake threw its head about a few more times before hastily slithering away into the jungle, frustrated but trounced.

Ragatha: Yeah! Get out of here! I’m sorry, but get out of here! *much quieter* I’m sorry… *she stiffens* Pomni! *She looks about before finding Pomni seated on the ground, and she hurries over to her* Pomni, hun- are you okay?!

Ragatha crouched down to Pomni’s level and looked her over. The jester was breathing rapid, shallow breaths, her usual red and blue roulette eyes replaced with black squiggles.

Ragatha: Pomni…! *she puts her hand on Pomni’s shoulder, but the jester reacts like she’s been shocked and slaps her hand away*

Pomni: NO!

Ragatha: Woah heyheyhey! Pomni, it’s me, it’s Ragatha! It’s gone, the snake is gone! You’re safe..!

Pomni: Do-Do-Dooo-Don’t touch me, don’t… don’t touch me…

Ragatha: Okay sweetie, I won’t touch you, but are you hurt? Did it bite you?

Pomni: N…..No….

Pomni’s eyes, though now back to their usual colors, soon swam with tears and she buried her face in her gloves, beginning to sob. Ragatha, resisting the urge to hug the poor girl, took a moment to check on herself.

Ragatha: *examining her arm* Ohhh, I must’ve popped half my stitches… I hope I don’t lose any stuffing… *she turns back to Pomni* I can’t imagine how scary that must have been for you… are you afraid of snakes?

Pomni: *in between sobs N-N-No… I… I uh… I… I don’t… I-I-I-I-I-

Ragatha: Hey… hey… match my breathing. Are you ready? In. *Ragatha takes a long, deep breath in* Out, like you’re blowing on a dandelion. *she lets her breath out.* Not too hard, right? Try it with me.

Pomni managed to slow down her sobs long enough to match Ragatha’s breathing exercise. It didn’t make her feel any better, but it at least helped her get her words out

Pomni: Thank you… *sniffle* You-You… I’m sorry I didn’t… save you…

Ragatha: Save me?

Pomni: On my first day… w-when Kaufmo…

Ragatha: *smiles* Oh, hun. It’s okay. It was your first day. I would have done the exact same thing in your shoes.

Pomni’s eyes welled up with new tears.

Pomni: I-I’m sorry… I was so… I didn’t… I didn’t deserve to get… saved…

Ragatha: Nooo, no, Pomni, don’t say that! We’re all we’ve got… I wouldn’t let you or anyone else get eaten, okay..?

Ragatha placed a hand on Pomni’s shoulder unconsciously, and the jester girl flinched.

Ragatha: Oh shoot, I’m sorry! *she takes her hand away* I forgot-!

Pomni: …N-No… if it’s just… I-I calmed down… I can… handle it… I-I just I wasn’t… I wasn’t expecting it, I… I… I’m sorry…

Ragatha: …Can you handle a hug? It’s okay if you can’t, but- OOF!l

Pomni threw herself into Ragatha, wrapping her arms around the ragdoll woman and hiding her face in her chest. Ragatha smiled and hugged the newcomer back, rubbing the back of her head.

Ragatha: Don’t worry now…

They remained like that for a while. Pomni had never actually touched Ragatha before, and it was… odd, but pleasant. She felt much the same as a cloth doll, dense and tightly-knit fabric wrapped around a soft filling like cotton or polyester. But she was unmistakably warm, the same way Jax was. Although Pomni still felt sick with fear, the sensation of a friend holding her helped ease the churning in her belly.

Pomni: …Thank you, Ragatha.

Ragatha: What are friends for, right…?

The two performers locked eyes. Both of them became acutely aware of a not-unpleasant heat glowing on their cheeks. Ragatha broke the pregnant silence by chuckling nervously.

Ragatha: Hahaha… soooo…

Caine: CON-GRATULATIONS TO TEAM ZOOBLE!

Out of nowhere, Caine exploded onto the scene, a neon-marquee sign emerging above him that wanted to spell out “congratulations” but appeared to malfunction and sputter, spelling out “crodulates” instead.

Ragatha: Oh no, the flag… I completely forgot!

Pomni: *automatically* Who gives a s#%@…

Caine: THAT’S RIGHT, RAGATHA! WHILE YOU WERE OUT HERE, JAX ESCAPED WITH THE FLAG YOU WEREN’T GUARDING! AND POMNI! *he points his cane at her, causing the jester to flinch* CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU FOR FINDING ALGER, THE RAINBOA CONSTRICTOR! I was wondering where he went…

Pomni: It has a name…?!

Ragatha: Uh yeah, Caine, about that snake-

Caine snapped his fingers, and all of a sudden, the six performers were back in the tent. Zooble, Jax and Kinger looked about the same despite some odd leaves and sticks stuck to their clothes. Gangle landed with a wet slap beside Pomni and Ragatha, groaning and dripping wet.

Ragatha: Gangle, there you are… where’ve you been?

Gangle: I-I fell in the river and got washed downstream…

Caine: SO, FOR WINNING THE GAME, TEAM ZOOBLE WINS…!

There was a drumroll that went on for far too long. Pomni made eye contact with Jax, but neither of them smiled. She was still getting over the encounter with the Rainboa Constrictor… but what was wrong with him?

Caine: ……………AN ALL DAY PASS TO THE DIGITAL AMUSEMENT PARK!

Zooble: Yippee-skippee. Not like we haven’t gotten that prize at least three times before. Can I go now?

Ragatha: Yeah, Caine, I ripped some stitches, can I go back to my room…?

Pomni: *to Ragatha* Are you okay?

Jax: Oh yeah, I’m sure she’s fine. You got a pretty close look back in the jungle, didn’t you?

Jax’s usual brand of sarcasm came out as oddly venomous, not even sporting his typical snarky grin.

Pomni: What are you talking about..?

Jax: I don’t know. You tell me. Anyway, f@&$ you all. I’m going back to my room.

Jax walked away from the group, stunning even Caine into silence. Jax almost never swore.

Caine: Boy, you give a guy a pass to an amusement park and he thanks you like that.

Bubble emerged from Caine’s hat with a toilet brush

Bubble: We should wash his mouth out, Caine!

Zooble: Whatever, dinner without Jax sounds good to me.

Gangle: Uh… h-has anyone seen Pomni..?

—————————

Pomni marched down the hallway to Jax’s room, pounding on his door.

Pomni: Jax! Open up!

Silence.

Pomni: …Oh for… *deep breath, gentler tone of voice* Jax, it’s Pomni. Can we talk?

Silence.

Pomni: …You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you? Fine. “Oh great Jax, may I please enter your…” *cringes* “…your humble abode.” Eugh… *she glances around to make sure nobody heard that*

Still more silence.

Pomni: Okay, he must be somewhere else if he’s not responding to that…

A voice came from behind the door

Jax: It’s unlocked.

Pomni: Oh. Then why the h@&$ am I knocking? *she opens the door* Jax! What was… that…

Pomni’s anger trailed off as she saw Jax laying in bed, covers pulled all the way up to his chin. He faced away from Pomni, looking at nothing in particular.

Jax: Come on in.

Pomni: …What… Why did you blow up like that back there?

Jax: You really don’t know?

Pomni: No..?

Jax: …That’s fine. I guess I’m being the irrational one.

Pomni: Yeah, you are. I was attacked by a snake… A huge f@&$-off snake that almost squeezed me to death!

Jax: What?

Pomni: Oh, did you miss that part?! Lemme say it again. *shouting* A! BIG! SNAKE! NEARLY!-

Jax: *shouting right back* ALRIGHT! I DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THAT, BUT- I saw you with Ragatha.

Pomni: *genuine confusion* What?!

Jax: In the jungle, stupid! I saw you and Ragatha!

Pomni: …She saved me from the snake. You heard Caine talking about it… she saved me!

Jax: …You were blushing.

Pomni: Who cares?! I- wait you were watching us for that long?

Jax: You were right outside our base.

Pomni: …Oh my god. You’re jealous.

Jax: What..?

Pomni: You’re jealous! You thought me and Ragatha were- OH MY GOD.

Pomni laughed incredulously, which made Jax shoot up in bed like a snapped wire.

Jax: Don’t you laugh at me!!!

Pomni: I’m not-! I never thought you’d take it seriously!

Jax: What, my first relationship?! Yeah, I can see how that would be HARD to take seriously?!

Pomni: What are you- wait. I’m your first?

Jax: …

There was a long period of silence before Pomni swallowed.

Pomni: Well… look, you said you didn’t want a relationship, so… I mean… I didn’t mean to make you mad, but I was attacked. So I’m not going to apologize for hugging Ragatha… she helped me.

Jax: Okay.

Pomni: …Um. But… it’s… it’s okay. To be mad… I guess? I don’t know. I guess you thought I was cheating…? Right?

Jax: I guess.

Pomni: Well, I wasn’t.

Jax: You were blushing, though.

Pomni: Yeah, so what? She’s… *swallows and turns slightly pink despite herself* She’s pretty. For a ragdoll. It doesn’t mean you’re any less… nice to be around. Or look at. For a rabbit.

Jax: …What are you, gay?

Pomni’s words caught in her throat as she looked at Jax, who had finally managed his usual toothy smirk.

Pomni: *small snort* God, shut up…

Jax: …I’m sorry though. I didn’t know about the snake.

Pomni: You didn’t hear me scream?

Jax: You scream a lot.

Pomni: …Yeah. I guess so. So… this is more than just a… “friends who kiss” thing, now? It’s a…

Jax: Nah. We’re still just “friends that kiss.” But if you want to go be “friends that kiss” with Ragatha… at least tell me before you do, okay?

Pomni: I will. I’m sorry.

Jax: Relax. You didn’t do anything. Apart from almost being snake food. …Do… you want a hug? Or something?

Pomni: …Uh… honestly, not really? I-I’m kinda iffy on being touched anyway and the snake squeezing me like that… it really screwed with me. But uh…

Pomni closed the distance between them and planted a kiss on Jax’s lips, having to lean on his knees and stand on her tiptoes to reach the lankier rabbit’s face.

Pomni: *blushing* It’s really sweet to know you take this seriously. I’ll see you later, okay..?

Pomni headed back to her room, shutting Jax’s door behind her. The rabbit licked his lips. He then laid back down on the bed, staring at the door.

Jax: You hugged Ragatha.

—————————————

#funnybunny #jax x pomni #tadc #tadc jax #tadc pomni #the amazing digital circus #oh no cringe #tadc ragatha #pomni x ragatha #buttonblossom #bisexual #tadc gangle #tadc zooble #tadc caine #tadc bubble

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goron-king-darunia · 7 months

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Eggtober 21st, 2023

"Strange Flower" or "Controversy" Overcooked Hard-boiled Egg with Mayonnaise

(Clip Studio Paint, Gouache Brush, Airbrush for Paprika and Pepper. 12 colors, about 30 minutes.) Woke up with this idea. Mayo is a controversial condiment and I 100% understand. I hate custard filling in things like donuts. It's goopy, a little salty, and it has that texture to it that screams to your brain that "this is uncooked and probably bad to eat." And I think mayo is like that for lots of people, but worse. Because it's salty and a little sour and that same "uncooked" texture all sends the same signal but more like "this is rotten and falling apart. It's not good to eat." But I like mayo. Maybe I just got introduced to it in a more postitive way than custard or creme pat. Maybe because most creme pat comes to me in a donut at room temp and mayo usually comes from a refrigerated jar. Maybe it's because both are a little salty and eggy and so mayo reads as "a good sensible condiment for burgers and sandwiches and slaw salads" while creme pat reads as an "aberration that could only be put in a donut by accident." But then I think humans just kind of don't like seeing fatty substances all in one big glob. Same way lard is a common cooking ingredient in many non-USA countries but people in the "northern" non-farming USA see lard and only think "byproduct" like bacon grease and feel a visceral disgust the way I feel about burger grease. I think a lot of things are like that in life. Some of it's genetic, like the way cilantro tastes like soap to some and like a tasty floral herb to others. Some of it is experience, like a taste aversion to plums after a bad summer. And some of it is social. How we're taught to be disgusted by "byproducts" because that's not the thing we're intending to make, or it only happens when the thing you're making turns out "wrong." Some of it is political. I'm sure you all have ideas. And I think, on the one hand, disgust is useful. We get sick if we eat expired foods. We can die if we eat the wrong berry or mushroom. Being wary of the new is safe. An on the other hand, unbridled disgust is the enemy of curiosity and growth and discovery. When we turn away from things that make us uncomfortable, we lose a chance to learn.

So on the one hand I think this piece is about my experiences becoming a more adventurous eater in my adulthood. I still don't like creme patissiere. But I'm not going to waste a donut because of it anymore. I don't like red bean paste. But at least I know what it tastes like now, and it's not just a blind discomfort around something new. I'll never get over how the texture of glutinous rice cakes remind me of chewing gum, a thing I've been taught to spit out. But I can understand why people like mochi.

And I think on another hand (many hands today) this piece is also about how @quezify plays with disgust and horror and beauty. And how that curiosity disgusts some people and enamors others. How it ties you in knots. How wound dressing and debridement are all at once an act of love and an act of mutilation. How there's beauty there in something so instinctively disgusting.

Dunno exactly. That's what the art's there for, I guess. To express what I can't quite put in words. I hope it's disgusting, and I hope it's beautiful.

I wonder if @lady-quen's breadbugs will have fun with this one?

Speed paint~

I don't know if my style can really render any gravitas to it, with how soft everything is, but I hope it speaks to someone.

#Eggtober 21 2023 #Eggtober 2023 #my art #art by GKD #speedpaint #Hard Boiled Eggs #Mayonnaise #mayo

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bettsfic · 9 months

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Hi Beth!!! How do you deal with the pain of someone giving you bad or negative criticism on your work? Sometimes it's hard for me to decipher between good criticisms that are painful to hear vs just bad criticisms of my work. It's something I have a hard time with

the answer, unfortunately, is time.

it may take weeks or months or even years to look back on painful feedback and either go, "yeah i could see where they were coming from, but they didn't have to be an asshole about it," or "oh wow, they were just flat-out wrong."

until then, you have to let yourself feel your feelings, and maybe set the work down, and maybe lose a little faith in it, and try not to internalize the voice of that person. (i have a story about this at the end of the post.)

the trick to not internalizing that critical voice is to assess the level of respect that person has for you and your work. if they respect the work and what they say is hurtful, the feedback is worth considering, even if you end up tossing it out. if they dismiss or invalidate the work, you just have to go, "wow, you're an idiot and an asshole," and move on, hoping that they'll never read your work again. if they don't respect you now, they never will. their disrespect and the misunderstanding that arises from it comes from a place of fear and self-doubt, and no matter how good their work is, they are still a long way behind you in their writing journey. getting better at writing means getting better at reading and vice versa. if they aren't a good reader then they will never meet their potential as a writer.

the lesson i keep coming back to, that i try to encourage writers to remember, that often feedback that is hurtful may be flat-out wrong, but if you're upset by it, if you can't brush it off, that means it poked at something you've not yet seen, something that may have nothing to do with their feedback at all. maybe they tell you there's too much passive voice in your prose, too many "was"s, and that hurts, but what they're really saying--what they maybe can't meaningfully articulate--is that they want more texture, more style. they just see a problem they've been trained to believe is a problem but don't understand why they think it's a problem, and they try to prescribe a solution. it's like going to a doctor when you have the flu and she gives you a box of tissues. like, sure, the tissues will help your stuffy nose, but you need antibiotics.

the solution to getting over the flu is not to repeatedly blow your nose, just as the solution to "too much passive voice" is not making your verbs active. go through and highlight the sentences you personally find weak and play around with them a bit, recast them, not necessarily with active voice in mind but with elevation.

in short, it's not the feedback you should be paying attention to, but your feelings toward it.

this, as usual, got super long, but below the cut i share some stories about receiving feedback and how i felt about it/what i did with it, along with a lot of analogies.

once, i had a professor who was so mean. i mean he ripped my work to shreds. his crit letters were pages long; he often prescribed solutions and he also spoke with brutal honesty. but i loved it. i knew he really believed in me. he spent hours on my pieces, read them multiple times over, and put so much thought and care into his feedback, even if it was sometimes harsh. i personally believe in tactful honesty, but i'm fine with brutal honesty if it comes from a place of real caring.

there was one story i wrote where i completely disagreed with a suggestion he made. i told myself i would toss that comment aside and take the feedback that felt better and more in line with what i wanted the story to be. but i really valued this professor's opinion, and i trusted him, so i copied the story to a new document (to preserve the draft i believed would be better), and implemented his suggestions in the way i would follow a recipe i've never tried before--believing the measurements and times to be correct and following them, even if they don't sound quite right. i'm just trying it out, and i can adjust it next time.

but it was a good recipe, and he was right. implementing his feedback made the story so much better.

there have been times i've received outright cruel feedback from people, straight-up insults, and they've made me laugh because i knew that it came from a place of admiration, in the same way you watch terrible movies because your favorite actor is in them, or get upset with an athlete because they made a mistake that cost your team the game. you're still going to queue up the next terrible movie in the actor's filmography. you're still going to go to the next game. but someone who disrespects your work would join you in the baseball stadium, complaining that it's not hockey.

the first time i ever workshopped something, i took the feedback i received and implemented all of it. i had this underlying assumption that everyone knew more than me about my own work. it destroyed the work in question. i had over-revised it to the point of unreadability. i truly believe it's possible to revise something too much, or revise in the wrong direction, and you don't know what that looks like until you implement bad feedback and suddenly have clarity about the decisions you've made.

when you articulate your creative choices to build polemics against bad feedback, you become more confident in those choices. the truth that no one tells you is that if you're in a group of 10 people and they all give you feedback, probably only 1 person's feedback will be useful to you, 2 if you are very lucky. the opinion of the other 8-9 exist only to make you say, "you're wrong and here's why." this requires no change to the work itself, but it does change your attitude toward it, and next time you encounter a choice that someone questioned or criticized, you'll be able to implement it more intentionally.

there is, of course, a difference between justification and defense. defense comes from that same place of fear and self-doubt i mentioned before. justification comes from a place of understanding and confidence. it may be frustrating to receive feedback that's wrong, but it doesn't usually hurt. you should be able to brush it off with a kind of "you really just didn't read very carefully" or "you just don't get what i'm trying to do, and you didn't take the time to try to understand." this is, at worst, annoying. being misunderstood is a natural side effect of creating something, and over time it gets easier.

but if it hurts, being inquisitive about that pain, seeking out why you're feeling it, will teach you something.

i've got one more story for you.

a few days ago i was working on my Barbie fic, as you do, and i needed the title of a fake novel. i tossed in a title for a novel i never wrote and probably never would. in my memory, i had written the idea down in a notebook in 2018 and thought, "that might make a cool story one day," and never looked at it again.

when i went to look for that idea i'd written, i found i had in fact written it. i had written 35,000 words of it. i started reading it and i couldn't remember it at all. i wondered if someone hacked into my drive. like always when i read my older work, i see my pitfalls more clearly, things i still do to some degree that i still instinctively grab onto in drafting but have gotten better at revising out, or in some cases making it work. and like always, i see merit in the work. i read certain lines and i go, "wow, i wrote that?"

in this case i saw evidence of a dedication to setting and description i no longer have, and remembered why it used to be important to me. i mentioned in a post last month that i had re-read a YA novel, 3 NBs of Julian Drew, that seemed to have defined a big portion of my aesthetic when i was 12. part of that aesthetic is what i now call magical objects: tiny things that hold big meanings that otherwise wouldn't be acknowledged in the narrative. and in the case of this 35k thing i'd been working on, it was about a hoarder with a terminal illness who asks a boy to help her go through her things so her estranged daughter won't have to deal with it when the mother is gone. it's from the perspective of the boy, who has an interesting relationship with material things, because a fire destroyed everything he owned. and the process is hard for both of them.

and i remembered why i stopped writing it: a good friend of mine, one of my trusted early readers, called it boring, with the implication that he found all my work boring over the past two years we'd been reading for each other.

it's one thing to receive bad feedback on a finished piece. it can stand on its own. but this story was still just an infant, and i trusted this friend with it. i trusted him to respect me and encourage me, but it turned out that the entire time, he hadn't thought very highly of my work at all.

i stopped speaking to him, not just for that but for many other reasons as well, and his feedback hurt me so badly that not only did i set this project down, i forced myself to forget it and never again return to the things he found boring about it, the careful attention to detail and the slow-moving plot.

he was right in that it was not yet doing the work i wanted it to do, and in fact at the time i didn't really understand what i was aiming for. i was only compelled by these characters and this story, and tried to follow their lives as closely as i could. i was writing far above my skill level, which feels a bit like using a screwdriver instead of a power drill. you can get the job done, but it'll take a lot longer and a lot more effort, and there are some tasks you can't really do at all.

that was 5 years ago. a couple days ago, i set down the Barbie fic for a minute and started playing with that 35k, knowing what i know now, and with the skill and patience to maybe do something with it that has clearer ambitions it might be capable of reaching. only 2k of it or so is useful; the rest can be thrown out. but that's enough. it's a foundation for a story that i think is worth existing, and which many, many people would find boring. but there will be a few people who see in it the same things i do, and i'm writing for them.

#writing advice #feedback #feelings

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