#and it still looked so cohesive and well put together | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kcrossvine-art · 3 months

Text

Hi fellow adventurers!! A few weeks ago i caught wind of "Delicious in Dungeon". I'm not really an anime person, but I am a TTRPG, CRPG, and cooking person- . And holy shit. It is so good i convinced my partner to binge read the whole thing. I'm caught up on dungeon meshi, the anime, and just yesterday i also finished dungeon meshi, the manga.

Its rare to come across a serialized story that is so thematically cohesive and knows its characters so well. All of the bonus content like the artbooks and monster tidbits are just the icing on top.

So, inspired by Ryōko Kui's writing and illustration I'm going to attempt to create a recipe for every single Delicious in Dungeon recipe!-

Today that means Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom hotpot is on the menu!

(As always you can find the cooking instructions and full ingredient list under the break-)

MY NAMES CROSS NOW LETS COOK LIKE ANIMALS

SO, “what goes in to a Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom hotpot?” YOU MIGHT ASKThis is one of the pricier dishes until we get to the kelpies and dragons of the menu-

Rock lobster tail

Porcini mushrooms

Shiitake mushrooms

Snow fungus

Small potatos

Fensi (glass noodles)

Water

OPTIONAL: your choice of dipping sauces

There was a crossover/promotional event in Shibuya which featured various realworld dishes from the series. They had one for Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom, but they used prawns. while those cook better in a hotpot, they also didn't look enough like the scorpion for me, they also used udon noodles for the slime and a seaweed/kale(?) mixture for the algae. If you're looking for substitutes due to price or availability i would start with those ingredients.

AND, “what does a Huge Scorpion and Walking Mushroom hotpot taste like?” YOU MIGHT ASKI hope Senshi would forgive me for technically cooking the lobster outside the pot, once he tastes it.

Okay im always partial to veggies but wowowowowowowoowowowow the snow fungus and the mushrooms tasted soooooooooooo good in the lobster stock

A nice delicate layering of different flavors

Try to get a bite with the lobster meat and shiitake together, dip in butter then chili- trust me

Its up to you what texture you prefer if you want to put the noodles in at the end or put them in halfway through the meal. Either way dont go for eating those first as theyre very filling

I think this would pair well with a citrus drink, something light and clarifying

This would also pair well with being extremely high and hungry (if you feel safe cooking while inebriated lol) very calorically dense

For the trial run I did one lobster tail in the pot with everything else, and one lobster tail off to the side to be picked apart. The former is more in spirit with a hotpot, but it got rubbery as the meal went on and lost its nice taste. The latter may be a bit more work but all you have to do still is boil it and set it aside. I found it held up much better. It was also easier to get inside the shell.

. If you have hardshell maine lobster available, i think it would be superior to rock lobster (keep in mind crustaceans will get rubbery if cooked too long in the pot) . Green onions and/or lotus root would make excellent additions

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From getting the ingredients out to sitting down and eating, id say it took maybe 30 minutes max? It'd vary on how fast you can prep vegetables and get the various implements heated.

Hotpots are not something i do very often as i'm usually just feeding myself. I think thats why a hotpot makes perfect sense to start the series off. If you want to set the tone of "take care of yourself, eat food with others, and use what you have" (generally speaking) there is nothing more simplistic, flexible, and defeats-the-purpose-if-you-eat-it-alone than a hotpot. Gather around and let your friends bring ingredients to the pot if you want to fill your heart up extra full <3

I'm doing something different here because unlike previous recipes where i used a bunch of different sources and made my own recipe out of hodge-podging it, or just used another persons recipe entirely if they did it really well, i made this more whole-cloth based off of what i had available, what I could discover through research, and my existing knowledge. Instead of the recipe being 50/50 original, this one is more 20/80. So. I'll pass the final verdict off to you guys :D

What would you rate this recipe out of 10? (with 1 being food that makes one physically sick and 10 being food that gives one a lust for life again.) Did you love it, did you hate it? What're your thoughts on what I could do different, and what would you have done instead?

🐁 ORIGINAL RESIPPY TEXT BELOW 🐁

Ingredients:

2 Rock lobster tails

3 Porcini mushrooms

2 Shiitake mushrooms

Snow fungus (a good handful, should rehydrate in the hotpot)

2 Small waxy potatos

Fensi (glass noodles)

Water/lobster stock

Method:

Lightly rinse all of your vegetables beforehand and let them dry.

Vertically slice the porcini mushrooms. Cut off and dice the stems of the shiitake mushrooms. You can slice the tops if youd like.

Peel and cube the potatoes, roughly an inch each.

For the lobster tails; Boil a pot of salted water. Keep the shell on. Weigh the largest tail and add 1 minute of cooking time for every ounce of weight.

When done, strain the lobster from the water. Pour the water into your hotpot as the base. Serve the lobster on the side so people can pick the meat out to dip into the hotpot.

Bring the hotpot to a simmer. Add the potato cubes, snow fungus, mushrooms, and noodles.

OPTIONAL: this wasnt in the show, but its fun having sauces on the side :) i had oyster sauce, dry seasoned chili dip, melted butter, and soy sauce available

#dungeon meshi #delicious in dungeon #cooking #digital art

1K notes · View notes

tacticaldiary · 11 months

Note

Can you do a fic where reader and simon are kidnapped and simon has to watch reader be tortured and creeped on by their kidnapper for information.Happy endibg with them being rescued.Ignore if it makes you uncomfortable :)

Captured In Tandem

Pairing: Simon 'Ghost' Riley x Reader

Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Content Warning: Torture, Men being creepy, mentions of sexual assault

"I'll give you a choice." He says, cocking the gun. "Shall I put a bullet through you, or her?"

He's been trained to keep his mouth shut, taught himself from enough pain to span a lifetime, but never did he fathom she'd be dragged into it with him. It's unforgivable.

Masterlist, Part 2

A/N: This is literally one of my favourite tropes-

The first thing he registers is the pounding in his head. Squeezing his eyes shut, Ghost claws his way back to consciousness, sluggish mind attempting to click the pieces swimming in his head together into a cohesive narrative.

He was asleep...no, he was unconscious. Why? Ghost doesn't open his eyes for a moment, gathering his bearings. His senses snap to him quickly. The metallic smell of blood, the scent of gunpowder. The hard wood under him...a wooden chair? He exhales sharply, charting the sharp stinging in his side.

Injured.

He can't move his hands, ropes digging into the skin above his gloves. Once he's grasped back his control, steadied his breathing into something calm and acceptable, he takes a second to listen. There's nothing but the steady dripping of what he assumes is water on the floor. A pipe?

He's cold. His hands are freezing and so is his face-

His face?

Ghost's eyes snap open at the realisation.

His mask was gone, ripped off and on the floor by his feet. He's tied to a chair. He doubts he'd have gotten such a warm welcome if he was back at base right now, so where...?

An RPG, he suddenly remembers, a sour taste in the back of his throat. They had been on an OP with Price, the team had been split into two, sent to clear out a building on the outskirts of the city, tasked to meet in the middle.

An unaccounted armed squad had aimed at them with an RPG. Ghost remembers barking out an order to his partner, shoving her roughly out of the way behind a beat up car. The rocket hit the car, igniting the engine causing it to explode, the both of them thrown back against the brick wall behind them and-

Her.

His blood runs cold at the sound of a small groan from in front of him.

Shit.

Slowly, he raises his head and his stomach drops at the sight of her opposite to him in the same state.

Shit. No, this was all wrong. The RPG must have knocked them both out. They'd been captured.

"Fuck, my head." She groans, blinking herself awake. Like him, he can tell she's charting up the extent of her injuries, piecing together the events leading up to their capture.

Price would find them soon. They can't have hauled them too far away under the threat of them waking up mid transportation.

"Sleep well?" He rasps, watching her still, head snapping up to look at him.

"Best I've ever had." She responds dryly, looking him up and down. Her eyes linger on the dried blood staining his shoulder. It's a miracle the both of them ended up as unscathed as they did. Only bruises and scrapes, miraculously. She yanks on her bindings, scowling when they don't budge. Ghost can see the angry red marks around her wrists, the same as his. "We're in for a treat, huh?" She laughs humourlessly, leaning back in her chair. "Don't suppose you keep any knives hidden in your sleeves, L.T?" Half joking. She wouldn't be surprised if he did.

"Can't feel 'em." He grunts. "Must have searched us."

Of course they did.

She shifts in her seat, hating the idea of hands touching and probing at her when she's not awake to bat them away. Ghost would be just as, if not more uncomfortable with the thought, if the angry furrow in his brow is anything to interpret.

Voices. Footsteps. Both of them go rigid in their chairs, eyes snapping to the other. No words are exchanged, but a slight raise of the chin from her. They would not break.

She knows exactly what's to come for them for the next however long it took for their team to retrieve them. She's been through this before, been trained for it, seen it happen, hell she's even participated on being the one not in the chair.

They wouldn't break. The knowledge they have could compromise more than just their current operations. Ghost acknowledges the shaky exhale she lets out, casts her an unreadable look before the door swings open behind him, his eyes turning cold once more.

If she notes the tension in his shoulders, she doesn't mention it.

Three men walk into the room, mumbling under their breath. Russian. A quick glance to confirm the other caught it.

The thing with the both of them is that they worked better together than anybody else in the team. Working in tandem, information exchanged with just a glance, seemingly in tune with every thought and movement of the other. It's why they were almost always paired together.

"Some of the best your the military has to offer, you are.." He smiles, flicking through the file. "It seems I have struck a goldmine." The file snaps shut, is handed off the someone else.

She hopes the motherfucker gets a nasty papercut.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

They come twice a day. Once for him, once for her.

Ghost keeps his mouth shut, isn't surprised when she does as well. The both of them have been trained for situations like this, have both gone through a lot of shit that renders them capable of handling it.

It's her that he hasn't been trained to account for.

Ghost had only jeered at the men that interrogated him. Drenched after being waterboarded, bloody from being cut and beat, he had not given them a single thing to work with, taking what they threw at him with a calm, strong, cool exterior.

It was when they turned to her that he felt that crack.

Every knife turned against her, every crack of her bones, each small sound of pain that left her had an anger he'd never felt before bubble up inside him. Glaring death into the people who lay their hands on her as they questioned her, he stayed silent, unmoving as they put her through the same routine as him.

"Not long before they find us now." She'd said hoarsely after the second day. They'd just left them after being unsuccessful in loosening their tongues. Again. He takes in how her arm bends at a strange angle (He'd never forget the scream that teared out of her throat when they snapped it in half), the cuts dripping blood onto the floor and on her tattered clothes (Each one he'd pay back tenfold, he swears), and the exhaustion lining her face the same way he's sure he looks.

Being unmasked...it makes him more on edge than usual.

It's nothing she'd never seen before. She'd touched his bare face countless times, mumbled promises and declarations they had no business making against his lips at night. It had always been in private, shielded from the eyes of others. Now, out in the open, he was more aware of his reactions than ever before, refusing to let out any reaction except for the occasional grunt of pain.

"They're sure taking their damn time." He spits out.

"Gonna give them an earful when I get back." She cough, watery. Ghost's eyes widen when blood splatters to the floor. "Shit." She breathes, inhaling shakily.

Internal bleeding. A telltale sign.

He yanks against his bindings for the hundredth time. Nothing changes aside from more blood trickling down his torn open skin.

"Don't think about it." He orders. "Look here." When she doesn't listen, just blinking at the blood she coughed up as if in a trance, he repeats himself roughly, drawing her attention.

"Right here. Keep your eyes on me." He commands, and it's all she can do to let instinct take over and listen to his low voice. "That's it, love. Good."

She opens her mouth. Shuts it. Swallows dryly and tries again. "If I-"

"Shut up."

"Ghost." She says weakly, "It's a possibility, and if-"

"I told you to shut up." He hisses, fixing her with a glare.

She was in a much worse state than him. Far bloodier. They were rougher with her, thinking she'd be the first one to break, to concede under pain and answer their questions.

Safehouses, plans, locations, inner workings. The intel they stole a month ago. They wanted to know answers that neither of them would ever give them.

The door swings open. The man from the first day walks in, in crisp clothes, wrinkling his nose and the sight of them.

The sight makes Ghost pause. He was in charge here, clearly. This kind of work wasn't normally put on people like that, which meant that things were getting serious. Something had sparked urgency in them if they were seeing this guy. Something had changed.

The 141.

As if on cue, there's the distant sound of gunfire, and the building trembles slightly, dust cracking down from the ceiling. It's ignored by the man completely.

"Admirable, you are." He addresses them. "But I'm afraid there's not time for a soldier's pride during war." They stiffen when he pulls out a revolver from his pocket, clicking open the empty chamber. "I require answers. Call it compensation for what was stolen from me. I don't think you understand that I will get my way in the end. By whatever means necessary."

A single bullet. Loaded into the chamber. Ghost follows the movement with his eyes.

"I'll give you a final chance to be cooperative before I give you a choice." The Russian says evenly, looking at them both in turn.

"Go to hell." Ghost drawls. In his bloodied, beaten state, weak from blood loss and in a disarray from being tortured, he seems to look even more intimidating than usual.

The man sighs deeply. He clicks the chamber shut.

He aims at her and fires.

She barely has the chance to tense before a click fills the room. Nothing. It's when he turns the gun to Ghost that her breath catches in her throat, panic clawing it's way up and through her veins.

Ghost does not flinch. Does not wince or react, merely holds her gaze calmly, in that reassuring steady way he always has.

Click. Nothing.

He continues moving back and forth between them until there's only one chamber left. An undeniable bullet inside. The man turns to Ghost, a smile on his face.

"The choice you have, my friend, is which one of you I put this bullet through."

Ghost visibly stiffens in his chair, fixes him with a scathing stare.

"If you refuse to answer, I have no issue shooting you both." He says evenly, weighing the revolver in his hands. "So who will it be? You, or your lady?" He points the gun back and forth, her heart in her throat.

Me. She thinks. Pick me. The thought of him taking that bullet when there's a choice for her to instead makes her sick.

But it's Ghost. And he's selfless in the most annoying of ways.

"Me." He says tightly, the words forced out and full of venom.

The Russian grins, pleased, raising the gun. She's about to yell at him, tell him to shoot her instead-

She doesn't have to.

The gun turns to her, fires, and pain explodes in her right thigh, wrenching out a scream from between her clenched teeth as she doubles over. Her vision goes black for a second and she can't breathe.

Yelling. There's yelling over the ringing in her ears. Ghost shouts profanities at the man, threats and growls as his chair scrapes against the floor at his attempts to get loose.

He breaks.

The Russian simply laughs, tucking his gun away.

Where the fuck were they? Where were the others? The team? They were close, that much was obvious, so why the fuck weren't they here yet, then?

She gasps when her head is wretched back painfully by her hair, pain thrumming through her like sharp needles as she's forced to straighten up. It hurts, fuck, it hurts worse accompanied with every other goddamn thing wrong with her right now.

"You just couldn't seem to stop looking at her. I thought It'd be more of an incentive to loosen your tongue." He chuckles at Ghost's fury.

"They won't find your body." He hisses, low and threatening, eyes wild. "I'll make sure you're in so many pieces you-"

"I understand why, though." He continues on like Ghost isn't threatening great bodily harm on him. "She's quite the beaty isn't she? Even under all that gore...so easy on the eyes."

She had taken beating after beating. Cracked ribs, cuts and bruises, waterboarding and being prodded with a hot poker, but this? The lecherous way he looks her up and down, yanks he head back farther to expose her neck? It makes her blood run cold, her heart stop.

His breath fans across her face, acrid and disgusting. A choked sob tears out of her lips when his hand trails up her body, grabbing and yanking and pulling in places he has no right to touch. Her head spins from the bullet wound and the pain, and it takes a lot to gather her thoughts.

"Motherfucker-" Ghost snarls.

"I know you're bad at sharing but you wouldn't mind if I had a taste, would you?" He croons at Ghost, who jolts in his chair, pulling at his bleeding broken skin to get loose. "Not that you can do much but watch." He laughs.

This, she would not let happen. She would not let him take something that was hers and hers alone to give to whomever she decided. When he leans down farther, she gathers all her remaining strength and rears her head back, smashing it into his nose.

The satisfying crunch of bone and yell of pain makes it all worth it, draws a smile from her, even if his blood splatters the side of her face.

"Bitch." He spits out. A hand cracks across her face so hard black spots float over her vision. She cries out as it jostles her leg, her broken arm, all her cuts and and he ribs. Before she can gather her bearings, a searing pain pierces through her side, the Russian's knife driving straight into her flesh. She can't help the choked scream that leaves her, hears the way Ghost shouts, his struggling intensifying.

He wretches her out of the chair, shoves her to the floor. Tears track down her bloodied cheeks, not out of fear, but out of pure pain and anger. Disgust, pain and rage is what she feels when the Russian straddles her hips, keeping a hand on her broken arm to keep her down. His other one wraps around her neck, squeezing roughly to cut off her air.

"Answer my questions." He seethes at Ghost. "Your safehouses, the intel you fucking stole from us. Where are they!? Tell me or you'll see this pretty thing die." As if to prove his point, he squeezes harder, making her choke.

Ghost spits out threats that would make any normal man quiver. He would rip this man apart. Rip into him slowly with all his knives, prolong it as much as he could. Days, maybe even weeks. He deserved to die by his hands for what he's done to her, for touching someone so wholly and utterly his. Every single cut he'd return tenfold, twice as deep.

Part of her wants to succumb to the darkness edging her vision, but she's afraid if she does she might never wake up. She couldn't die. Not here, not like this. Ghost...Simon would blame himself, she knows it. He'd replay it over and over again, wonder if he could have done anything to prevent it.

"Get the fuck off of her!" He seethes. Seeing her under him, red in the face and bleeding, dying makes panic tear through him, a horrible desperate feeling he can't help but succumb to. She wasn't going to die, he wouldn't allow it.

Not her. Not her. Anyone but her. Take me instead.

The world was fucking cruel.

The past year had been the best of his life. The lightest, the most at peace he'd ever felt. Loving her came easily, naturally. Something he couldn't help even when he tried to push her away.

Her eyes catch Ghost's. His are desperate and frantic in a way she's never seen before. That...that was panic. But that couldn't be right because Ghost? He didn't panic. He planned and adapted, got angry and was calm. Panicking? She'd never seen it before.

Fuck. She wasn't going to die. She...was, wasn't she? Already, her vision was slipping away, her hearing going muffled. No. No, this isn't it. Not here, not like this.

If she died, Simon might, as well, and she loved him to much to leave him in a situation like this.

Clenching her jaw, she blindly reaches her bound hands to her side. When her fingers brush against the hilt of the dagger inside her flesh, she pauses.

It was the only thing keeping her from bleeding out faster than her bullet wound was already doing...

She yanks it out with all the strength she has left, slams it into the throat of the man above her. He's too busy with Ghost to chart her up as a threat. The way his eyes bug out of his head as he releases her throat in favour of clutching his own has a sob ripping through her mangled throat as she gasps in greedy gulps of air.

She shoves the man off her and in movements wild and jerky, climbs on top of him switching their positions. Ripping the knife out of his throat, she yells a broken shout as she brings it down over his chest. Then his shoulder, his neck. His chest. Over and over again, tears blurring her vision, adrenaline making her shaky, she drives the knife into him again and again thinking about nothing but killing him, taking his life so he couldn't take theirs, so she could feel her skin stop itching from the way she was touched.

"-dead, he's dead!" A voice floats to her, far, far away.

A name...her name. Her movements slow down as she recognises Ghost's voice calling out at her. Confused, disorientated, she glances over her shoulder, pausing, chest heaving.

"You're alright, sweetheart." He says, his eyes a fraction wider than usual. "Here, look at me. Right here, love." He waits till she drags her gaze up. "He's dead. It's enough."

Enough.

The word cracks something in her, the knife clattering onto the stone floor and she looks down at the bloody, unrecognisable mess under her. Scrambling off of him, she leans over and vomits up bile; acrid and burning her throat as it comes out. A strangled sob leaves her as she finishes, realising the sheer amount of blood on her. Her hand shakily goes to her side, comes back bloody in a way that makes her head spin.

"Grab the knife." Ghost urges, looking ready to try to snap the chair under him himself to reach her. "Can you do that for me? Pass me that knife." When she doesn't respond the way he wants, Ghost takes in a shaky breath and repeats himself, voice hard.

"Sergeant. The knife." He commands, low and deep and urgent.

Still a soldier despite her trembling, her body reacts to the order automatically, head clearing. Swallowing, she moves slowly, agonisingly to reach the knife.

"You're doing good." Ghost praises when she drops the knife for the second time from her shaky fingers. "Bring it here."

The moment the knife reaches his fingertips, he cuts through his bonds, kneeling in front of her, cutting hers off too. "I've got you." He murmurs, pulling her close, laying her over his lap as gently as he can as he looks over her. He doesn't really need to, it's more instinct to do so. Ghost was watching her the entire time. He knows the location of every single one of her injuries.

Swearing under his breath, he leans over, roughly rips part of the dead man's shirt off, bunching it up and pressing it against each of her two wounds. She whimpers, a strangled sound that makes him clench his jaw in rage and worry.

"I know it hurts." He consoles her while he secures another part of the shirt around the wounds. "You did well, it's over now." Mindless talk. He just needed to keep her awake.

Her hand closes over his, stilling him as he ties the final knot.

"'m sorry." She breaths, shallow and short. "Can't...Just go." She shoves weakly at his shoulder, and the incredulous, angry look Simon gives her would have been funny if everything wasn't on fire inside her.

"I'm not fucking leaving you, you dolt." He snaps, slowly pulling her up so she's sitting. The way she bites her lip hard to keep in the whine of pain doesn't escape him. "Easy." He says, supporting her despite his own screaming ribs. His left leg was mangled up, ankle dislocated so Ghost doubts he'd be walking with her out of here.

It was too risky. They could run into someone armed, and at such a disadvantage...no, it was better to stay here and wait for the others to show up.

Her eyes flutter, panic slams into him.

"None of that." He demands, prodding her forehead to make her focus. "Keep those pretty eyes on me, love."

A small huff from her that might have been a laugh sends her into a harsh coughing fit. "'m trying Simon." She whispers, words slur.

"Try harder." He squeezes her closer to him, keeping an ear out for footsteps.

"So hard to please." Barely a whisper. "You...you're okay?"

"Christ, woman," he huffs, leaning down to press his lips against her bloody forehead. "I'm better off than you."

A slight smile, her eyes fluttering shut. The loose grip she'd had on Ghost's vest slackens. His bloods turns to ice.

"Hey." He tries, calls out her name. "Hey!" He yells it this time, shakes her gently. Then rougher when she doesn't wake up, breath stuck in his throat. No. No, she was still breathing, he chest rising and falling in shallow breaths.

This wouldn't work. Ghost steels himself and stands up, gritting his teeth at the pain that radiates up his leg into his whole body. Ignoring it, he hauls her up in his arms, stumbles slightly.

Staying here wasn't an option anymore, not when she was unconscious, not when the small puffs of breath against his neck could stop at any moment, not when he could lose her.

Gripping onto the small bloody knife, he limps towards the door, pushes it open without hesitation.

He'd walk for a mile like this if it meant he'd get to hear her laugh again. Fuck his own injures, her wellbeing was more important. Ghost moves the knife between his teeth, bone clacking against metal, metallic blood on his tongue. Hiking her up more securely, he starts down the hall, intending to find his team before they found him.

He'd die before he ever let her bleed out on his watch.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Her hearing comes to her first. Muffled, but still present. Under the dark haze of sleep, she hears muffled noises. The steady beeping of a machine, the rustling of bedsheets nearby. A voice talking int he distance, something she's unable to make out.

It takes too much out of her. Her mind is sluggish, thinking is hard, so sinking back into the arms of whatever is pulling her down is easier. Painless.

The second time her sense of touch returns.

Someone's holding her hand. Rough, calloused fingers, running up and down her palm, soothing gestures than accompany the beeping that she realises is a heart monitor. The familiar pressure, the roughness of those hands, the soothing movements...it lulls her back to sleep almost immediately.

The third time is quick.

Her sight returns last, One moment she's seeing darkness, the next she's blinking up at white florescent lights, the clean scent of hospital waking her up. What...?

Pushing herself up, a gasp tears out of her throat when she finds herself unable to move. Blinking and looking down, she swallows as she sees herself.

Covered in bandages, a cast around her arm. Heavy wrapping around her thigh and chest. All of her is stiff and achy. It all comes back to her in a rush.

The chair. The ropes. The bullets and beatings.

The blood.

Her stomach lurches at the memories. Simon? Where was Simon? He made it out, right? What if-

Her mind immediately settles down when she spots him. Ghost lays on the hospital bed next to hers, eyes shut, chest steadily rising up and down. Relief slams into her so hard tears prick her eyes. They made it out. Both of them. For a moment she thought...

The need to be near him, to touch him, to make sure he's real wins over her desire to stay put and ward of any discomfort. Her second attempt at moving is successful, only because of the strong pain meds dulling the edge of pain she's feeling.

Slowly, she pulls herself to the edge of the hospital bed, gingerly lowering herself onto the ground. She gasps when her leg protests, the one she was shot in. Testing her weight, she glances desperately at Simon, still sleeping. She needed him, needed to touch him, to feel him under her hands, solid and real.

She uses the walls to support her, shuffling over until she's in front of his bed. After taking a moment to gather herself and breathe, she reaches out with a shaky hand, places it on his cheek. Her throat closes at the feeling of his warm skin.

Ghost being Ghost wakes up instantly at the touch. Eyes snapping open, instantly alert even when just waking up.

Relief fills his face, something so powerful it makes a small sound push past her lips, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. "You're okay." She whispers, hoarse from not talking.

"You shouldn't be up." He responds, propping himself up with a wince she doesn't miss. He frowns at the way she trembles, looking her up and down slowly.

"I just..." She brings a hand up to wipe off her tears. "Sorry if I woke you." A watery chuckle. "Just needed to make sure, you know?"

"I do." He admits. Ghost's hand slips up her uninjured arm, guiding her onto the bed with him until she's laying down. A long, shaky exhale pushes itself out of her as she lays her head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat, quicker than usual but still steady soothes her instantly. He was familiar, the dips in his body, the hard muscle and those arms. It was so achingly familiar she wanted to cry.

Having her here, having her in her arms and holding her...it was almost too much to bear. Ghost had never felt relief like this.

11 days.

11 days she hadn't woken up, each one made him more irritable, restless, snappy. He was ordered to stay in bed, but he got out of it every night to sit next to her, holding her hand, just silently watching over her. 11 days was plenty of time for him to think, to run through everything he did to figure out a way he could have prevented this.

It was plenty of time to realise that he'd never take her for granted, even if there was a gun to his head.

He'd carried her all the way out of the building until he'd spotted Gaz. The poor bloke had done a double take at them, shouted something frantically in his comms and ran at them.

Ghost had forced himself to stay awake as the others arrived, forced himself to make sure she got the care she needed, sat awake with the the entire time on the heli, until they got to the hospital. Only then had he let himself get checked over and crashed hard, exhausted in a way that ran deep into his bones.

"I'm glad you're okay." He says quietly into her hair, strong arms pulling her close, their bodies intertwined.

"Are you sure this is okay?" She asks, though the way she sinks into him says she wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. "Don't want to accidently hurt you or reopen anything."

"You're worse off than me, I think I should be the one worrying about that." He responds, rubbing small circles on her waist. Soothing. Calming.

"I'll always worry." She mumbles against his chest, already feeling sleep pulling her in.

"Your downfall." He huffs, pressing his lips to her forehead for a long moment. "Thought I lost you." The admission is something vulnerable, real. Painful.

"Rather me than you." She responds, eyes slipping shut.

"Say that again and see where it lands you." He grumbles, arms tightening around her. Being as helpless as he was in that situation wasn't something he'd ever forget. Having to sit there, watch those bastards touch her, hurt her, forcing himself to look impassive and cold. Unreacting.

It had been a worse torture than any of their knives.

The second he was cleared to leave the medbay, he was going on a nice little trip back. He'd retrace his steps, get Price to get him the name of every. Single. Motherfucker that had been in the building that day.

Every single one would meet a fate worse than death itself could present them with.

They'd pray for the reaper before Ghost was done with them. He'd make them beg, draw out every single scrape they left on her until they begged to be spared. Only then would Ghost let them bleed out, nice and slow. Maybe he'd even do it one at a time, make the others watch.

They're dark thoughts, but the fury that had been boiling inside him for the past two weeks needed to an outlet, and what better place than the very bastards that had dared to lay their hands on her? The thought pacifies him for now.

He's assured his revenge, but she's more important than anything like that could ever be to him.

"I'm sorry I scared you. You can't get rid of me that easy, though. Thought you knew that by now." Completely unfazed by his threat.

"I wouldn't want to." He assures her, rolling his eyes. "It'd be a bloody shame to lose someone like you, love."

It makes her smile against him, tucking her head into the crook of his neck. Safe. She was safe here.

It doesn't take long before she's drifted off again, securely in his arms.

Requests Are Open! Reblog, Like and Comment!

Part 2

(09/07/2023)

4K notes · View notes

yeosbbm · 9 months

Text

Push It.

Smut | MDNI

starring: athletic! fem reader x gym rat! yeosang

genre: competitive rivals to lovers/ non-idol athletic au

summary/plot: $50,000 . that’s the prize money for the province weight and powerlifting competition. you’re not a weight lifter per say; but you’ve always been an athlete and you love winning as much as you love money. you’ve rarely ever had competition from anyone. that’s until you meet kang yeosang. finally, someone who’s as arrogant and talented you are. him being your rival and competition you guys have to push it to the limits. whether it’s publicly in the gym or privately at his place.

warnings/prevs: forced proximity, shower sex manhandling, power play, impact play, degradation , oral (fem receiving) , unprotected piv, breeding/cream pie, use of the word bitch (like once), yeosang is vv rude

A/N: Hey guys this fic came out later than it was meant to 😭. My neighborhood had a power shortage and I had to redo a lot of the story as well as me still feeling as though my writing isn’t cohesive. Which is why this may not match what was in the prev. I also came to a decision to make this a 2-3 part series depending on what you all would like, being unhappy with your own work is so hard but I still appreciate you all. Enjoy !

Tags:

@theyungihven @stolasisyourparent @parkseonghwatongueee @mulit05ho3st4n

Part 1:

Today was the province’s Weightlifting competition intramural, where they decide who gets to compete for the $50,000 cash prize granted to the winner who lifts the most and the best.

You’re not a common weightlifter but you’re athletically poised enough to try. Plus, your close roommates who already lift, San and Jongho have been helping you train for the longest. You know deep down that you have a chance at this money and could have so many opportunities. Get a better place for you, Sannie and Jongho, never having to work, buying whatever you want and more. Even if you don’t win the experience itself pumps you up. The only negative component is Yeosang. Kang Yeosang. He’s infamous for his skills, he isn’t the hugest lifter but his work has been impressive regardless. He started training the same time you had and has been your enemy ever since.

He just irks you. If he uses a machine before you he’ll never adjust the weight back to its original setting before you use it. He never shares his hand chalk, lotion or protein powder. The most annoying is that he’s always attempting to one up you. You two have been beefing practically as long as you two have laid eyes on each other. Insults hurled to one another no matter the circumstance. But today was the day you could humble him and put him in his place.

You and Yeosang are in the same qualifying group, meaning you two will be in competition for a spot in the actual competition. Every other possible competitor surrounds the platform. The judge sat there at a table adjacent to it, folded their hands and brought them above the table and stared upon the many competitors in front of them.

“Today, we are deciding on who will be participating in our competition for $50,000, only the best weight lifters can compete for such a generous prize. Here are our 4 nominees for this section.” The judge said this all robotically as if it were clock work, because it essentially was.

You walk onto your spot with the weight assigned in front of you. Looking across you see Yeosang, he was already eyeing you and ofc had that irritating smile on his face.

You two and two other men are lined up. Yeosang was to go and lift first, you last . Yeo rubbed his hands together in the weight chalk before reaching down and gripping the weight. As if it weighed nothing he deadlifted it up to his waist. Ooos and Ahhhs filled the crowd from his easy attempt at this weight. The hard part, was him bringing it above him. He struggles fighting the weights gravity with his strength. After moments of him steadying his breathing and shutting his eyes tight he brings the weight above. Cheers fill the room and the judge lifts their brow obviously impressed.

The two other men went now. While yes they did bring the weight up there was no grace, technique as well as they struggled and lost form.

Now it’s your turn. You take a breath and prepare your hands. You look down and stretch your back. You reach down and take one last breath before you grip the weight and snap up to bring it to your waist. The burn in your limbs was severe but you couldn’t let them see you struggle. You’re gritting your teeth now. You need this, you must have this. You see Yeosang watching. His lift was impressive but you know that you can up him, even if it’s only by 1%. You look at your competitor knowing that if you just upped your technique you can lift this with better form and efficiency. Jongho and San are rooting for you as well as others. You finally push it above your head.

Yeosang has a look on his face. It isn’t a look of disappointment or bitterness as usual. He seems…proud ?

Finally you, yeosang and the two other competitors are lined up ready to hear the results. The judge gazes at all four of you and reaches down to his score sheet. He sits up preparing to give out the names of who’s going forward.

“With consideration of all aspects such as physique, form, technique, elegance, strength and performance…”

You’re sweating bullets. The suspense is making you bounce your leg.

“Our winners are…Kang Yeosang at spot number #27.” People of his crew cheer and he had a look of being triumphant. Now this is it. The decision that will truly decide if you’ll have a chance of competing for this 50,000.

“And l/n y/n at spot number #26.” We thank you all for participating in our intramural..next qualifying group please.”

Not only did you pass, but you’re above Yeosang right where you wanted to be. Once you get off the platform your roommates hug you and of course rant and rave on how proud they are. Jongho and San say they have something do but will be right back to train as well as agreed to drinks when you’re through with solo training.

While alone you sit at a utility bench stretching as much as you could before your workout and then..

“Congratulations. I look forward to potentially beating you later.”

You get startled and jump from Yeosangs presence which makes him smile from joy. He’s stood in front of you with his phone in one hand and a protein shake in the other.

“Your drink smells…get it away im about to vomit.” You dramatically hold your nose and shake your head.

He brings the shake to your face causing you to swat and kick at him to shoo him away.

“You qualified now but wait till later, bet I’ll have you out of here by the first quarter.” After he says this he begins to sip from his shake.

“You’re saying this as if it’s guaranteed you’ll still be here after the first round.” You say tilting your head matching his energy.

He pauses from drinking and stares causing his eyes to be like daggers, “I’m running through this thing till the end.”

Interesting.

“Compared to me you’re nobody, my name holds weight here while nobody knows yours.”

You refuse to let him get the last word.

“When this is through, nobody will even remember who you are. You’re already forgettable enough.”

Yeosang scoffs and turns back on his way to his crew. You make sure to continue staring at him with disdain until he dissolves into a crowd and is out of your sight.

[Time skip]

After you stay behind for a couple more workouts that you could handle (as well as regret.) the gym is closing up and it’s time to head home, and you’re anxious to get home at this point. All your clothes whether they’re for at the gym, after or backups were dirtied from your protein powder spilling, and the clothes you have on now are all sweated in. Your arms and legs are worn out, and you haven’t ate real food since the whole intramural. You grab your gym bag and look around but within the sea of possible competitors there isn’t a sign of San or Jongho. Luckily as if they could read your mind from afar Jongho facetimed you.

“Do not tell me . You guys forgot to get me.”

Jongho shook his head and passed the phone to San who looks as guilty as possible. “Well there was a good reason y/n I swear !!”

“San whyy what happened.” You’re not mad per say but the lack of a heads up has you floored. If you knew they’d leave without you, you would’ve had the money on your card for a good safe Uber home. Plus it’s scary ride sharing at night.

“Wooyoung had an emergency with Joong so we had to rush over there and we saw you with Yeosang after the round so we thought you’d get lucky and he’d take you home.” He says it as quick as possible like a kid explaining their side of a fight with their sibling.

“We’re on the other side of town because Woos new place is by the pier .” Jongho said, clearly ready to go home while mindlessly steering the car.

“ Thanks Jongho. But San. Why…….. would I go anywhere with that man.”

San looked side to side before saying something that would grind your gears. “I mean you say you hate him but I think you secretly want him bad and it’s ok if you do-”

“San. Goodbye I’ll find a way home I’m sharing my location I’ll let you know when I get there.”

“Y/N IM SORRY WE LOVE YOU.” San yells through the phone trying to save himself while Jongho only waves goodbye and ends the call.

While trying to regain composure of the sudden change in plans. Low and behold, speak of the devil Kang Yeosang was stood there with the same blank expression he typically hits you with.

You’re startled by him and of course had to let him know. “God you can’t keep walking up on people like that dude.”

Yeosang is unphased by your complaint and places his bag on his shoulder. “Look are you getting a ride home from me or not .”

“Woah eavesdropper much…but, if you don’t mind sure..there’s a problem though you have to wait for me to shower and we have to stop by the cleaners because my clothes are a mess.”

Yeosang runs a hand through his hair and put his headphones back on “No need you can do both at my place, let’s go.”

You hesitantly follow him out the gym into his car. Nervous because he’s acting as if you both weren’t competing for a spot earlier. Maybe this little rivalry wasn’t as serious as you thought.

“By the way, it was luck that you pushed into the spot above me, don’t forget.” He said it with a smile knowing that the comment would heat your temper. Nevermind. This rivalry is most definitely real and mutual. You guys begin the ride to his place.

[ A drive later]

Yeosang let’s you out the car and you finally can see the place this rude show off lives at, but instead of a lame apartment complex with no personality it’s a family home. You tilt your head confused on how someone as obnoxious and pretentious as him can live in such a warm looking place. He’s already at the door since he probably passed you while you were lost in your speculations and confusions.

“Are you coming in or what.” He sighs as he’s placing the key to open the door, once it opens his house already has an aroma of his eucalyptus cologne and laundry detergent. You both walk in.

“You barely have a job how could you even afford a family home for you alone.” You’re gawking at how neat and nice the house was, seeming like those homes you see in magazines that you wish you could buy.

He shrugged while sitting his gym backpack on the ground, “I saved money up when I could..plus the utilities downstairs are worn out and bad condition, hot water goes out fast so I got it for cheap.”

What he told you was essentially in one ear out of the other while you scan the house and the impressive color coordinated furniture and decor, mixtures of greys blacks and shades of blue in this current room.

Yeosang stood there humoring the fact you were amazed by his living conditions. “Anyway, make sure you get in the shower on time and the washing machines are to your left and I’ll be showering upstairs”

“Yea heard you, thanks Yeosang.” You just wanted to hurry out before you have to spend another minute around him.

You went into the bathroom and started the water, He said the utilities down here were bad sooo it probably takes a while for the water to heat up you thought. You leave the bathroom and head to the washroom to start your clothes and wait for them first. You place all your clothes in the washer and put it on a 30 minute cycle to ensure the stains will come out and that they’ll be extra fresh.

30 minutes pass and you return to the washroom after lounging in his living room. The washer went out halfway through. The stains are barely out and you’re losing it. You start the wash over and head to the shower but once you hop in the water is icy cold that makes you wince and hop out and shut it off immediately.

“KANG YEOSANG.” You screamed from downstairs hoping he’d hear and come down. Yet you see that to no avail he hasn’t came out his room and can hear the faint sound of his shower running meaning he won’t be coming from upstairs anytime soon.

You wrap yourself into a towel and rush upstairs and burst into his room and make your way to his bathroom making sure to open his door slowly and announce yourself so you won’t see him in the nude. Once you see his shower curtain is fully closed you now fully walk in.

“I heard you coming up what’s the problem y/n since you always seem to find one.” He peeks his head out to see you with an apathetic expression.

“You’re setting me up for failure. The washer went out and the shower is ice cold how am I supposed to freshen up and get home in these conditions.” Your arms are crossed and brows are furrowed.

“Ugh I literally told you the hot water goes out fast, you just weren’t listening.”

You now realize you trying to get out of his place as fast as possible has cost you to not have a simple in and out pit stop situation at this man’s house.

You let out a frustrated sigh and slide yourself down the wall you were leaned against feeling doomed.

“Here just come in here with me, I know you want to hurry and get back to your friends.”

You know deep down that this will probably lead to something dangerous, I mean it’s showering with your competition and the man you hate the mosts at the gym. But you’re desperate to get home and get to the gym in clean clothes.

“Fine you creep.”

You hop in the shower with him trying your absolute best and with all mental strength to not look at him a single bit, in comparison Yeosang is looking directly at your body while having an obvious smirk. Despite his initial perversion he turns away from you to give you as much privacy as possible after handing you a rag and the aloe soap he was using.

As you both were washing yourselves, while scrubbing your upper body you caught a glimpse of Yeosangs body. His physique was so brawny but gentle at the same time. The main thing catching your eye being his back and arms. That’s when the sexual thoughts start and you can’t help but think about and imagine how he can manhandle you into any position and get to work.

“Stop eye fucking me y/n.” He casually says without turning, as if he had eyes on the back of his head or can simply sense your eyes scanning his soapy muscles.

You know you were practically eyeing him like a piece of meat but when it comes to Yeo…denial is your bestfriend. You sucked your teeth, “I wouldn’t even actually fuck you let alone eye fuck you.”

Yeosang casually continues to wash himself down while a small laugh leaves his lips. “I beg to differ.”

Your mouth is agape and in disbelief from his snide remark..but you strangely want to push this scenario..“I doubt you could even make me cum in the first place in all honestly.”

“Bet I could make you in 5 minutes.” Oh he’s game.

“If you could even make me cum period, I’d let you get to the squat bar before me when the comp starts tomorrow.” You continue to wash your back, anticipating his answer to the offer.

He finally turns to you, having such an evil grin. He gets closer, you twos chest touching from how close he’s gotten. “Alright y/n, you’ve got a bet.”

Literally a couple minutes later

Yeosang has you backed up into and pressed against one of the shower walls, fingering you at a pace that has you biting your lip and having to control how much you move your hips to get more friction. Giving you kisses that are hungry and full of lust. Even though you feel like you’re on cloud 9, you can’t let him know how good he’s making you feel.

“Wow. I thought I’d cum in 5, I doubt I’ll cum at all at this rate.” You’re hoping he can’t clock your ragged breaths from the stimulation.

He stops and scoffs as if that’s the worse thing you’ve told him ever. He pulls his fingers out quicker than you could now and give you a stare that you could only describe as primal.

“Let me show you who’s really stronger between the two of us..”

Yeo lifts up your legs and gets on his knees. He rests your legs on his shoulders and uses all his upper body and arm strength to keep you held up. Then he immediately goes for your cunt, he automatically starts licking and prodding your entrance with his tongue.

“Put me down we might fall.” You gasp knowing you’re holding in a moan that’s itching to tumble out of your mouth.

Yeosang pulls his face away for a moment and laughs as though you said a joke. He tensed and flexed his muscles in his typical show off fashion. “Trust me, you’re not falling anytime soon.” He goes back to attacking your cunt.

He switches between flicking your clit with his tongue at an overly stimulating pace that makes you squirm and then brings his tongue in and out your hole causing you to breathe rapidly.

“You’re such a mess from my mouth alone, ‘s cute”. He mutters before continuing to move you a bit so you’re indirectly riding his face.

“I hate you, so much Yeo..” You whimper as you try to grip the slick tile shower walls for solace.

You can feel yourself reaching the edge but he stops and gently drops you back down onto your feet without you slipping a bit. He effortlessly bends you over and smacks your ass twice, causing you to yelp. He snickers at your sudden reaction and attempts to slide his cock in. It slides in and you make a sigh of relief as his moderate thrust begin making your legs quiver. But since he can’t get a good stance from the wet floor he accidentally slips out.

His cock slips out another time and he grunts in frustration. He cuts the water off and picks you up bridal style with ease and no hesitation. He walks you both out the bathroom and practically tosses you in the bed and immediately parts your legs. He holds your legs up for you since he knows you’re already weak. Both of your bodies are still dripping with shower water and now sweat from the intensity of everything.

“Now I can fuck you like you deserve.”

No warning he drives his thick cock in. You’re folded in such a way that it’s almost like it’s straight out of a rough porno. Your glistening bodies and his messy hair makes this so much more erotic. His thrust are so harsh and strong it’s moving your body upwards per each thrust.

“Hate me so bad but you’re taking my dick, pathetic. Trying to be all big and bad when you’re a bitch in heat.”

“Shut up.” You gasp from how his cock hits you at the exact right spot almost each and every time. “Me letting you fuck doesn’t mean….” You can’t even finish your sentence because moans keep spilling out.

“You can’t even talk. Is it that good ? I know it is but I wanna hear you say it.”

You cover your face with your forearm because the humiliation has you clenching around him and a shadow of shyness takes over you now. Yeosang immediately ends it though, using only one hand to hold your ankles up he moves your arm away with his free hand so he can see you squirm under him. He fucks into you harder, you can hear his hips collide into yours. His hips are relentless while fucking his cock into you.

“Should’ve known that bad attitude was because you wanted my cock. Irritated because you needed to be fucked into a mattress.”

“Yeosang I’m sorry for being so rude, speed up so I can cum please.” You can’t believe those words came out your mouth for the man you despise the most .

He stops and you whine from the sudden emptiness you feel from him taking his cock out. He lifts you up onto your knees and holds your head/jaw in his hand. He brushes his thumb on your lips.

While he stares and smirks he hits you with a command. “Open for me.” He lightly prods his thumb between your lips as if he alr knew you’d open your mouth up just for him, and you did. Your mouth wide he presses his thumb down on your tongue and licks his lips. He puts his face over yours and spits in your mouth.

He gives a nonchalant smile afterwards, and gives you a messy kiss and harshly grabs your ass.

“I knew you’d do it for me, such a good girl…let me help you since you’ve been so good.” He says while bending you over into doggy. You start in the regular position but he pushes your upper body farther into the bed and has your ass high up in display for him. Then he brings his cock back into you. Yeosang immediately starts giving rapid thrust, dragging his dick in and out like he never wanted you to forget this.

You immediately clench around him and can feel your cunt becoming wetter and wetter by the second. You keep repeating Yeos name like a mantra for good luck and moaning like you don’t have an ounce of shame in your body.

Yeosang starts groaning from how tight your cunt was and how hot you looked. He was pulling your hair and it’s a mess, lips looking plump and lightly swole from the bruising kisses and your eyes were glassy. Your body was still glistening and looked like artwork in front of him. He couldn’t help himself and began to smack your ass. You brace your body and felt like you could cum right then and there and whined loudly which was music to his ears.

“Yeosang I’m so close it’s too much.” Your pupils are blown and you feel the white hot knot inside you slowly unravel.

“Me too…where do you want me to cum, where do you want me to make a mess.” Yeosang utters breathlessly.

“In me, please just fill me up.” You know if you were in your right mind you wouldn’t dare let his man finish in you, but the fog of pleasure you’re in clouds your judgement.

“Cmon y/n cum on my cock.” He demands right before smacking your ass a final time surely leaving a mark behind. The band in your belly snaps and you squirt all over him and simultaneously you can feel him practically breeding your cunt. You’re both breathless and fall out onto the bed. Drained of energy, you lay on your stomach trying to gain back control of your breathing. You feel Yeosang leave the bed.

Is this how it ends ? You fucked dumb on this assholes bed while he washes up to come back and either kick you out or leave you alone here to go elsewhere. You sigh and start mentally preparing yourself to get out his bed, put your probably damp gym clothes back on and take a walk of shame into a cheap uber. Yeosang returns but instead of him walking in ready to tell you to leave he comes in with grey pajama pants on and a black tanktop. In his hands he has a wooden tray meant for eating in bed. There was a small white plate with 2 toasts and a glass of juice and a chilled water bottle. He gets back into the bed sitting in front of you

You quirked an eyebrow and looked to Yeo, “What’s this for, you think I need a quick pity meal before you kick me out of here” You roll your eyes while ripping the toast apart and eat it with slight annoyance.

“….Kick you out ?” He looks just as confused as you were when he presented the food tray to you. “I’m not kicking you out Its about 11pm and none of your clothes have been dried yet you can’t even go anywhere.”

An “oh” was all that came out of you. It was all you could come up with in response since you’re surprised he isn’t trying to run you out of here like you assumed and actually cares a bit.

“Plus all you ate at the gym was a fucking granola bar.”

You finish up the toasts and take the folded napkin in the tray to wipe off some messy crumbs. You brush your hands of any other crumbs that could be lingering over the tray. “I guess I’ll just text San and Jongho now to pick me up once my clothes dry.”

He lays by you on the bed, reaches to his drawer and grabs a spare pair of boxers and a large black tee. “Here, wear these and just spend the night….let them know you’ll see them at the first part of the competition tomorrow.”

You can’t believe this. He’s actually trying to act as though you’d sleep in the same bed with him knowing for sure that you literally despise him. Loathe him. Can’t standdd him.

You take the clothes and turn over to your gym bag to grab your phone. You immediately text San and Jongho that you won’t be coming home tonight and you’ll see them tomorrow.

Part two coming soon.

405 notes · View notes

thedustyleaves · 6 months

Note

Sorry if you’ve answered this before, but I really love how your illustrations have such a cohesive color palette, how do you pick your colors to have a certain theme without looking monochromatic?

(In your breakdown on the saloon/western BP illustration, you mentioned that the overall color was reddish brown so you added blue to the main group to set them apart. But like how did you decide on which reddish brown colors to use for the flats?)

Thank you!! Your art is really expressive and the colors always work so well in the illustration. I’m always in awe of your pics

That’s an excellent question! My drawings actually start out pretty monochromatic because I tend to put most of my effort into the lighting and shading part to help differentiate where I want people to look.

For all of my pieces, I want my characters to be in focus. So no matter what, I always have to keep their main colors in mind and make sure their outfits and the background don’t clash with them (Kain’s red hair tends to be a problem, pft).

For my flats, I generally work with two main colors that tend to contrast each other and then I mix a lot of neutrals around them. (Sometimes the main colors are in the light and shading itself, but I’ll just focus on the flats!).

Sometimes, I will change the hue of their colors. So while Kain has bright orange hair, I will dull it down if it overwhelms the piece or doesn’t fit with the tone - like I did for the cowboy drawing - but never so much that it no longer looks like him.

With the cowboy drawing as an example, if I strip it down to my flats, it instantly becomes very dull and monochromatic. I really enjoy working with these colors because they’re easy on the eyes (or my eyes specifically) and I can see the difference in subtle hues a lot better than if they were very high in contrast. I like working with subtleties when I want background characters to become a single unit but still be separated as individual people.

When I picked the colors for the background, I wanted to separate the characters from the walls. Therefore, I kept the walls red and gold, and the characters brown - they’re still within the same warm-colored family, but they’re far enough away from each other that they don’t become one with each other. I also like to not have clothes from different characters blend together, so overlapping colours can't be the same. I made one coat lighter than the other, the glove warmer than the dark jacket, and so on.

(their coats are also in the same realm as the green/gold colour of the details for the curtains and the frames on the walls)

For the paintings I actually chose to put a bit of blue and green in to help create some interest for the main characters and keep your eyes around that area, as it matches the blue they’re wearing, just a whole lot darker. It also makes them pop just enough so they look interesting against the wall, but not enough to overshadow the main characters

I know, because of the way I work with layers, that when I add my overlays, I automatically brighten and saturate the colors a lot. It’s a lot easier for me to saturate something “dull” and move it into all kinds of hues than saturating something already high in contrast and then trying to force it into a new color theme.

But because of this, I usually have to go back and change the colors I work with constantly while the overlays are on. Since the overlays don’t know what sort of materials they’re laying on top of, everything gets lighter and washed out, so dark skin tones, hair, and clothes have to be corrected one by one afterward. If I were to remove the overlays after I corrected it to make it feel like a dark blue outfit on Raki, it’s basically just a black void now; but with the overlay, it’s a dark blue outfit. Before that, he simple blended in with the background too much and he didn’t feel like he was a part of the group either.

I always try to put down colors how I imagine they’re going to look like, unaffected by light, but I’m also naturally drawn toward more earthy and warm tones, so all of my color choices will tend to lean that way.

Here’s another example of main colours vs. neutrals; the main colours are red and green/turquoise, with dark browns and greys to encapsulate them, and gold for accents or to make certain things pop (the chair, Dakon’s dark coat, etc.).

I never want them all to wear the exact same color, but I want them to feel connected and be in the same 'colour family,' so Dakon and Kain have nearly the same dark red/brown, and Christie and Raki have nearly the same 'bright'/red.

The blacks and browns, I’ve kept warm as well, so they stay within that realm of red. I also make sure that none of them are too close to Kain’s hair since he’s in the middle of the piece, and I want your eyes to be drawn toward the middle, and his orange hair helps with that.

The paintings I basically do not care too much about, as long as each individual painting has a single dominating colour. I mute them down with a darker overlay and ensure they don’t have strong shadows and light, so they get pushed to the background, so despite being a bunch of different colours, each painting feels like a solid color and they’re still cast in the same light as the rest of the piece, so they feel like they belong in the same room.

I try to help move the eye around the piece as well, so I keep the big painting sort of in the same realm of red and brown as the main characters, because it’s so big it shouldn’t dominate with a new color and force interest toward it. The blue/purple ones melt in with the background as they’re close to the turquoise background, but without disappearing, the yellow ones work sort of like the gold accents and blend in with the frames, and the green paintings at the top give the illusion of a monochrome fade, so everything gets more eerie and green as the image goes up - there’s also a subtle green fade that affects the gold accents from the top down, to enhance that effect.

This is just a few examples, if there are any pieces in particular you were thinking of, and it’s neither of these, just let me know, and I can break those down as well!

Thank you for the question; I hope I answered it somewhat, and thank you for the kind words! <3

#asks #tutorial

377 notes · View notes

thewriteadviceforwriters · 3 months

Note

Hiii, I just dicovered your acc and i'm loving it 🥰 I have this lil problem where I have in mind and write scenes but without a plot. And I'm very fond to the characters so I can't put them into a plot because I don't want them to suffer or a think if they do suffer it'll we forced and too much. Any tips for that?

How to Plot A Novel If You Only Have Characters & Scenes

So, you have a great cast of characters and some exciting scenes in mind, but you're struggling to put them together into a cohesive plot. Don't worry, you're not alone. Many writers struggle with plotting their novels, especially when they have a strong focus on characters and scenes. I have also been facing difficulties with this recently. But fear not, in this article, I’ll help you explore how you can plot a novel even if you only have characters and scenes to work with.

Why Is Plotting Important?

Before we dive into the how, let's first understand why plotting is important. A well-crafted plot is the backbone of any successful novel. It keeps readers engaged, creates tension and conflict, and ultimately leads to a satisfying resolution. Without a strong plot, your novel may fall flat and fail to capture the attention of readers.

Types of Plots

There are many different types of plots, but they can generally be categorized into three main types: character-driven, plot-driven, and hybrid.

Character-driven plots focus on the internal struggles and growth of the main character. The plot is driven by the character's desires, flaws, and decisions.

Plot-driven plots focus on external events and conflicts that drive the story forward. The characters may still have their own arcs, but the main focus is on the events and how they affect the characters.

Hybrid plots combine elements of both character-driven and plot-driven plots. They have a balance of internal and external conflicts that drive the story forward.

Understanding the type of plot you want to create can help guide your plotting process.

How to Plot A Novel with Only Characters & Scenes

Now that we understand the importance of plotting and the different types of plots, let's explore how you can plot a novel with only characters and scenes.

Start with Your Characters

Since you already have a strong cast of characters, it makes sense to start with them. Take some time to fully develop your characters, including their personalities, motivations, and flaws. This will help you understand how they will react in different situations and what conflicts they may face.

Identify Your Main Conflict

Every novel needs a main conflict that drives the story forward. This could be a physical conflict, such as a battle or a chase, or an emotional conflict, such as a character's internal struggle. Identify what the main conflict in your novel will be and how it will affect your characters.

Create a Story Structure

A story structure is a framework that helps guide the flow of your novel. It typically includes the beginning, middle, and end, and can be broken down further into acts or chapters. Creating a story structure can help you see the bigger picture of your novel and how your characters and scenes fit into it.

Map Out Your Scenes (High Priority) 🚩

Now it's time to map out your scenes. Start by listing all the scenes you have in mind, even if they are not in chronological order. Then, arrange them in a logical order that makes sense for your story. This may require some rearranging and tweaking to ensure a smooth flow of events.

Connect Your Scenes with Conflict (High Priority) 🚩

Once you have your scenes in order, it's time to connect them with conflict. Every scene should have some form of conflict, whether it's internal or external. This will keep readers engaged and drive the story forward. Look at each scene and identify the conflict present, and how it connects to the main conflict of the novel.

Create a Character Arc for Each Character

As your characters go through different conflicts and events, they should also experience growth and change. This is where character arcs come in. A character arc is the journey a character goes through, from their initial state to their final state. Create a character arc for each of your main characters, and make sure their actions and decisions align with their arc.

Add Subplots

Subplots are smaller storylines that run parallel to the main plot. They add depth and complexity to your novel and can help develop your characters further. Look at your characters and see if there are any side stories or relationships that could be explored in a subplot. Just make sure they tie back to the main plot in some way.

Use Plotting Tools

If you're struggling to put all the pieces together, consider using some plotting tools to help you. There are many resources available, such as plot diagrams, beat sheets, and storyboards, that can help you visualize your plot and ensure all the elements are in place. If you need help with scene structure use my new scene workbook here.

Real-World Examples of Plotting with Characters & Scenes

One example of a novel that successfully uses characters and scenes to drive the plot is "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. The main conflict is the trial of Tom Robinson, but it is the characters, particularly Scout and Atticus, and their reactions to the events that drive the story forward.

Another example is "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. The main conflict is the Hunger Games themselves, but it is Katniss' internal struggle and her relationships with other characters that keep readers engaged and invested in the story.

Final Thoughts

Plotting a novel with only characters and scenes may seem daunting, but with the right approach, it can be done successfully. Start by fully developing your characters, identifying the main conflict, and creating a story structure. Then, map out your scenes, connect them with conflict, and create character arcs. Don't be afraid to use plotting tools to help you along the way. With these tips, you'll be on your way to crafting a compelling plot that will keep readers hooked until the very end.

If you require assistance with developing your scene structure, you can access my Scene Workbook for Writers at no cost.

I am sorry to the individual who sent me this question. I have a lot of questions in my Tumblr inbox and have only recently come across this nice question. I apologize for the 4-month delay.

128 notes · View notes

herotome · 21 days

Text

Devlog #141

Hi-ho, Wudge here.

I've gotten ahold of this tool from Feniks that helps you preview and put together sprite expressions, and it's been really nice...! My head hurts a bit rn and it's a bit hard to describe how it works, but I can say with relative certainty that it's already helped to make my life easier. It's rly good for making sure that each set looks cohesive and doesn't have any weird overlappy visual bugs (eg, if an eyebrow's shadow is somehow ON TOP of the eyeball, or if I used the wrong color for a specific upper lip png), and I've been able to start coding in expressions faster than ever before -- though I'll still have to playtest to see how it looks.

The tool has an addon that's really helped me get a bird's eye view of how many assets each character has - aka, what I have left to draw. Looks like I'll want a few for mouth shapes for Warden and Mia, and I have some exporting to do for Griffin. All three of their sprites have come a really long way from the demo release in december though.

Also, you may remember that I was struggling with bedroom eyes last week. I've since looked into it and it seems the problem was actually THE BROWS.

On the left: tired, not rly feelin up to it rn srry guys

On the right: less sleepy, maybe even intrigued

I'm not sure I have it exactly where I want, but it's an improvement. I drew in some new lips as well of course - and a few other parts of his face - I'll try to show off more of that tomorrow.

So yeah, I've pretty much been crawling through expression hell. Not much else to report, so I'll end the devlog here for now.

Stay safe and keep warm,

Wudge.

#herotome update #interactive fiction #oelvn #visual novel #otome game #english otome #otome #indie game

56 notes · View notes

deoidesign · 11 months

Note

do you have any tips on color harmony and the colors of the rainbow? I'm trying to draw a 10 color rainbow but I'm struggling to make the colors match and any color system like RYB, RGB, CMYK or Munsell doesn't work (Usually green doesn't go well with the transition to blue or purple and yellow get stronger shades than other nearby colors)

Color harmony is a really complicated subject, so definitely remember to be patient with yourself.

Colors are significantly affected by how they interact with each other. A red next to orange will look different than a red next to green, which will look different next to blue... etc.

This is really important when it comes to making a color palette, because the colors you use WILL play with eachother, so you have to be sure they're playing nice.

This piece, for example, is entirely red. It's all the exact same hue, but the value and saturation makes the colors still distinct from eachother.

When making a rainbow, especially with 10 distinct steps, you have a lot of potential with your colors.

Personally I use HSB/HSV sliders when I'm illustrating. Hue, Saturation, and Black/Value. This lets me be as precise as possible when I'm selecting my colors.

I'll be explaining everything with these terms! (Hue, Saturation, and Value)

1: These colors vary only on hue 2: These colors vary on hue and saturation 3: These colors vary on the hue and value

You can see how much each of these will affect the colors and how they look next to eachother. Manipulating these factors can give you a lot of control over your palette.

Now, I'm varying which color is the "focus" of the palette. I'm also modifying every aspect of HSB to make them play nice.

4: This palette has a lot more yellows and oranges than the rest, and barely any/no blues 5: This palette is an even spread, 5 colors are warm and 5 are cool. 6: This palette focuses mostly on green 7: this palette focuses more on the purple and blue side of the spectrum.

If you're finding you're struggling well with green transitioning to blue and purple, then you can just have some more greens to make it feel smoother.

When manipulating all three sliders, you can make rainbows that are entirely tinted to a certain hue. This can get you really cohesive palettes.

8: tinted yellow 9: tinted blue/green 10: tinted pink/purple

When your palette is like this, you'll find that putting in a contrasting color will pop significantly more.

(These contrasting colors are pulled from the original fully saturated rainbow that I put together, #1. Notice how different the colors look here than they did in their original palette!)

You can use this effect as you please or avoid it as much as you like!

As always with art more information is key to making your decisions.

Exercises I suggest to understand color theory better:

Making pieces without using specific colors (try to make something look "Green" without using green)

Make a cool toned rainbow and a warm toned rainbow (every color has a cool and a warm variant) and draw something with each of them (one drawing cool, the same drawing warm)

Use red for shadows and green for light, and then draw the same thing with green for shadows and red for light (or any 2 opposite colors

Copy art and photography that has colors you like, but DON'T color pick until you're done to see how close you were (don't post pieces where you copied someone else's work without explicitly saying you did so, it's for study)

Paint from life

Take some colored pieces of paper and shine lights on them and watch how the light reflects off of the paper onto different objects

Here's some studies I did for one of my classes in school. They're old, I can't paint traditionally anymore without pain. But what I learned was still important whether or not the art is old!

I also suggest keeping these timed, All of these were under 1 hour (traditional) or under a half hour (digital). The more practice you get, the better!

And, if you can practice in different media (I understand it can be expensive, take up a lot of space, or even be painful), I personally find that each media has different pros and cons and forcing yourself to work within the limitations of a particular medium will teach you a lot!

(digital still lifes)

(gouache studies)

(Acrylic studies)

(digital copies)

I hope something in here helps!

Good luck!

#art tips #color theory #asks #tellih

308 notes · View notes

what-is-love-babey-dont-hurt-me · 4 months

Text

He’s a work in progress still but I wanted to share the first pass of his completed look so badly X)

I’ve had Sir Meteor in progress since August 2023, if you want to see the progress it will be under the read more!

Sir Meteor’s story starts with my fist kirby OC I made, Terra Knight! I won’t talk about him too much except that I knew from early on he had a older brother. TK originally has a skull mask in his very early concepts, but then I learned Axe Knight existed, and they looked too similar. I shelved the concept for a while until I had more ideas.

In August 2023, I started to sketch out allosaurus skulls because I had wanted to revisit the concept and thought maybe I would redesign Terra Knight to have a dinosaur skull mask. It did not happen, but that planted the seed.

In November, I had been struck with inspiration and started doodling. The name is very important to the lore of my OCs and is very deliberate, so once I figured out the name for Sir Meteor, a lot of elements fell into place instantly!!

This is the first time I gave Meteor colors, and I also put him next to his siblings so they would look cohesive. Me mentioning how he doesn’t even have shoes yet is foreshadowing.

In the following day, I sketched him more to get a feeling for his design!!

The most notable thing about this is probably 1.) here I cemented the twin-tail cape because it looks like the tail of a comet and 2.) since it looked like a comet, I wanted the pauldron to include a star somehow

Also fun fact!!! The shape of his horns is directly inspired by Triceratops horns!!

Which led to the designing of his pauldrons later in November!

I ended up combining elements of the first and third design because together they would look like shooting stars!

This is also when I decided on giving him the four pointed star blushing! Around this time I posted a sketch of Meta Knight with star blushes and I wanted to include more fun blush shapes. Also the four pointed star is a subtle Galacta Knight reference! Sir Meteor is genuinely old, prehistoric even, and he comes from that time period, and I wanted the star shapes to reflect that

After this I was stuck. I was extremely stuck and could not figure out how to design his shoes. Since everything else was so themed, it had to mean the shoes had to match as well. I wanted to keep the prehistoric/star themes, going strong. I tried a few times to give him plain armor but it did not look correct at all!

I took a few months to think about it. Another important thing is that whatever shoe I drew had to look good and cohesive with AND without his skull mask. It was hard to balance but yesterday (21 February) I began to cook.

On the sketch page, you can see how the thought process evolved from the top of the page downwards. You can see the “haha drawing smiles with sharp teeth- oh wait a minute hold on” happen in real time.

On the page on the right, is when I finally designed his shoes!!! THE EVIL IS DEFEATED!!!!

This character is so heavily themed and I thought about it so much. So. Much. If anyone actually read this breakdown you deserve a gold star thank you for listening to my insane, several month long thought process. I’m so proud of him for a reason. Now I need to finalize the colors and stuff but for now enjoy!

EDIT: while making Meteor’s reference, i also went through a LOT of altered color pallets.

#my art #snappy’s art tag #snappy’s WIP tag #kirby #kirby oc #kirby oc: sir meteor #THIS ISNT EVEN HIS BACKSTORY #AND YET THERE IS SO MUCH DETAIL

77 notes · View notes

kerizaret · 2 months

Text

Hello everyone and welcome once again to my brain! Today I want to ramble a bit about

✨️ Tsukasa and Rakunosuke (Emu's grandpa) parallels ✨️

Because I feel like we don't talk about them much. Or at all actually

Now, I'm not pulling this out of nowhere. It's quite literally stated at least once, outright, in the game, that Tsukasa is really similar to Emu's grandpa (or even twice – but the other time I'm unsure 100% whether its about Tsukasa specifically, which I'll get to later). That's not to mention the other little things throughout the stories that I think similar between the two

So here's just some thoughts I've had on the topic after rewatching some events, more or less cohesive

1) Tsukasa's PXL auditon & WMS speech

Starting at the very beginning, we've known ever since the wxs main story that there's something in Tsukasa that has drawn Emu in to him already the first time she's ever saw him, at his audition for PXL, which made her hire him herself. She says "found you" at that moment, as if she's been searching for someone exactly like him. Out of all the possible candidates who applied who she might've seen, why Tsukasa specifically?

It could be just about him boasting about making fantastic shows, which of course is a part of it. But I feel like this isn't all, that there was something else that she noticed, that maybe she didn't fully realise at that moment

Then later, in Wonder Magical Showtime, after Tsukasa's motivational speech, Emu specifically thinks back to that audition and how she felt something special there. And, most importantly, she thinks it as if she's talking to her grandpa – like he's somehow tied to it, to her realisation that Tsukasa is the one

Putting aside the fact they were fighting for Rakunosuke's park, which obviously makes Emu think back to him, there's something more. Emu doesn't think anything of the sort about Rui, even though he was the one who came up with the night show, or about Nene. Nor did she mention any kind of this strong feeling/conviction about having them on the Wonder Stage in the main story

She's focused on Tsukasa, because he's the one that brought all these people together and gave them the last push they needed to fight for PXL. He's the one they listen to, he who understands what this park was all about and why they need to save it. He's standing on the stage her grandpa built, looking at all those people working here, and he's leading them, telling them this dream CAN be made a reality and it's more important than anything else

And I feel like she could have looked at that and been reminded of her grandpa a bit, with how much he loved the park he built and brought people together with the same ideals and love and made dreams come true

2) Miles

Speaking of WMS, I'm sure we all remember Miles, the sorcerer Tsukasa played in the night show in WMS, and how he was a character very clearly based on Rakunosuke. It's not very surprising it's Tsks who got this role, but it's still interesting to me. It feels like no-one else would've been able to get this character right and neither would Emu as Shao with someone else playing Miles

I won't get into what "Miles" Tsukasa says in the play, because that's just the script and not a representation of Tsukasa himself, but I do want to draw attention to the specific scene where Emu's father is watching the night show and looks at Tsukasa, then says this:

This is the first time that – i suspect – Tsukasa is outright "stated" to be like Rakunosuke. Here I say "suspected" since I'm not 100% sure of it for two reasons. One of them being that as we know, the ensekai translation is sometimes often bad. For that I looked up the original text as well as an old translation of the event on YT to check for differences

The line ends up being similar in meaning, more or less, but a bit more vague. That also ties to my second doubt though, which is that Emu's father might be referring not to Tsukasa himself, per se, but rather to the character of Miles he's playing

I feel like both can make sense, in their own way (and the event is a Tsukasa focus for a reason, too), but for here I'm throwing it more as a hint than any kind of outright proof. Food for thought

3) Tsukasa and Rakunosuke's deams

Then, as we reach Popping in my Heart! and learn more of Rakunosuke from Riley's pov, there's another interesting thing that pops up. That is, the fact that Tsukasa and Rakunosuke share the same dream

And then, that's when Emu confirms what I've talked about before – that this whole time, she's felt something about Tsukasa being so reminding of her Grandpa

So Tsukasa has all this time "carried the same spirit" as Rakunosuke – which is possibly the reason why Emu has been feeling strangely drawn to him from the beginning

4) The Wonderland SEKAI

Hey. Hey. Remember this line?

(tl by tsukasa's #3 fan on YT)

Yeah, this one. The same reason why wxs even has "Wonderlands" in their troupe name

You know what else has Wonderland in its name?

That's right! Tsukasa's SEKAI!

Tsukasa's SEKAI. A different world that's created from his feelings, that's a place born from his desire to make everyone smile with his shows. A world that just recently expanded to include plushies representing all those different shows – different worlds – wxs created as a troupe. It's a world that Tsukasa, in a way, made by himself (albeit unconsciously)

Oh did I mention the Wonderland SEKAI is also, primarily, pre-wl, a theme park? With a big ass ferris wheel and several stages and a castle and a train and a merry-go-round, a rollercoaster and more? You know, kind of just like Phoenix Wonderland? Which was built by Emu's grandpa?

Do you ever think about that? That both Tsukasa and Rakunosuke "made" their own "Wonderlands"? That the SEKAI is so similar to PXL? Because I do

Anyway. Those were the main similarities or references I noticed, but I still have some few other miscellaneous thoughts i had aside from that that I'll sum up a bit quicker

Tsukasa and Emu's grandpa both care more about the shows (& pxl) themselves and the effect they have on people to make them smile than any kind of fame or recognition

A reminder, too, that despite the movie's popularity, nobody really knew that Rakunosuke worked on "Smiley" (or that it was even a Riley Entertainment movie at all)

There's also the fact that both tsks and rknsk get stuck more on the excitement they want their audiences to feel rather than on the technical sides or worries about how it would be possible – as seen with Rakunosuke convincing Riley to include all his dreams and ideas in "Smiley" without focusing as much on the budget and all to install that wonder in the viewers, and Tsukasa doing anything to perfect his acting, and also agreeing to most of Rui's stunts and experiments and production ideas as long as it gets the audience to become more immersed

I noticed as well that they're both people who wear their hearts on their sleeves, who easily get emotional and enthusiastic, who empathise a lot with the others' emotions and struggles, becoming happy when something good happens to them

^ he cried here. And later at the fan festa seeing nene sing confidently and happily he teared up again

And also just *gestures vaguely at pandemonium event and Rui's "tsukasa's friends' happiness is his own happiness" line*. Yeah

Most importantly, Tsks and Rknsk both care so, so much about shows ending with smiles and not tears

And overall about everyone smiling and being happy. Like Tsukasa telling Emu in the main story, on the ferris wheel, that when her grandpa meant making EVERYONE smile, it included Emu, too, and he wanted to make sure she's happy as well

There's also everything with Emu, too. The way she's very clingy with Tsukasa, always throwing herself at him (not that she isn't with everyone, but she does seem to jump at him the most often)

She's also implied to open up a bit more around him – in Smile of a Dreamer, when wxs expressed their worries about emu hiding her problems, KAITO implies that its unusual she "hasn't told EVEN Tsukasa"

And it's Tsukasa who first understood that, despite how it may seem that "she always is so optimistic and says whatever's on her mind", in the end "the bigger the problem, the less likely she is to talk" (paraphrased quotes from smile of a dreamer). And also underdstood what's the most important to her and how to give her a push to voice her worries to them

It's Tsukasa who Emu first got so scared of leaving their troupe and her behind

I simply feel like Emu is aware of the similarities her grandpa and Tsukasa share and, subconsciously, trusts him a lot and gets attached to him easily

Anyway. This is just a bunch of thoughts that came to mind that I wanted to share and hear your thoughts on maybe too. I love emukasa so much they have such a great dynamic, and I feel the implied similarities between Rakunosuke and Tsukasa add a lot to that too. I'm really curious if it'll be something they'll explore more in future events. Because I feel these parallels are there for some reason

#this might make sense or not #i just want to throw it out there #keri rambles #prsk #project sekai #wxs #tenma tsukasa #ootori emu #wonderlands x showtime #someone take these characters away from me or else

64 notes · View notes

eightfish · 11 months

Note

Hello! I’m very curious of your use of colors and how you go about choosing them for a piece? They all have such a nice vibe and are a treat to the eyes!! I’m also surprised you’re a med student!! How do you juggle making art with your studies?? (from the few things (very very few) I know about medical studies it just seems like a LOT of studying goes on, so I’m very curious!)

Sometimes artists make things look so easy! I want to talk about my artistic process honestly, so I’m going to show you some pieces I struggled on, with my reasoning and references, and also my mistakes and where I asked for help. I’m glad you like my colors, they’re sometimes what I end up spending the most time on.

So hello and welcome to a somewhat long write up.

First I want to show this piece, “A friendship between an escort and an eel man,” that I love the finished colors of but was a pain while I was making it:

I start off with two ideas I wanted to combine for the color scheme:

The two halves, the human half and the eel tank half, should be distinct. I thought human side red, eel tank blue.

2. For additional contrast, I wanted human half dark and eel tank bright.

Wasn't entirely clicking, but I decided to just start slapping down colors and adjust later.

A note on shadows and lighting- shift not just the values (light/dark of the color) but the hue as well (the.. color of the color) to give a piece a richer tone. Here I’m making the shadows more red and the lighting more yellow (though in the end the lighting is blue instead).

(Of course, changing value only is a choice used in many color schemes as well. Maybe if you want a piece to look dingy, or monochromatic. You can do anything if you do it intentionally.)

Here I liked the warm human half, but I didn’t like the blue tank so much.

Tried some warm colors. Still wasn’t working. Though bringing the yellow into the tank made the piece more cohesive, having the whole thing be similar colors was not my initial goal. It looked boring, and the eel tank was not separate enough. The yellows and browns on the aquarium side did not look like water, even when I tried suggesting the top of the tank.

I asked a friend (@veritasgloriamart) for help and she sent me this reference:

I adjusted the tank colors to the reference, and added a blue glow instead of yellow to help connect the two sides. It was still not looking cohesive enough to me.

A blue overlay layer added to the human side to make the colors even more aligned with the tank side worked! Overlay layers are magic. They can really help make colors come together. Here the purple on the human side still works to separate it from the tank, but the blue shadows bring them together. It was looking really good now!

Contrast is important, so eel man became darker. Him and the escort are the subjects, so they get to be dark against a light background. Contrast and focal points are important.

After some cleaning up, here is the final piece again! I put some pink in the tank to bring some of human side into the tank side too.

Here is a second piece I struggled with:

Again I start off with some ideas: the scene should look warm and comfortable. I thought I should use a lot of colors, to make the meal look like a colorful feast. But I wasn’t paying enough attention to lighting and contrast, so it was looking flat and disorganized.

I decided I wanted the colors to look more intentional. Let's do purple and yellow, warm and complementary colors. Green and red because food needs those colors. But the contrast was still not good enough. The piece still lacked clarity and focus.

One thing to do when struggling with contrast and clarity: switch to thinking with values. Working in black and white, I made the figure of the fairy on the left darker against a lighter background to make her stand out, and I made the unimportant edges of the piece darker, but it didn’t feel like enough.

My friend (thanks @deoidesign) gave me critique to make the lighting bolder on the hair and table, making the silhouette of the fairy much more clear. After following the advice, it was really working for me now!

I used the gradient map tool to rough out a similar yellow and purple color scheme as my initial idea:

After adding the gradient map it’s pretty much done. Gradient maps are magic.

I lost the idea I started with, making the food colorful, but the food worked better being all yellow instead. Making the food all one color made the lighting more clear, deemphasized it, and let the characters stand out. Things don't always have to be colored the color they actually are.

Minor details added, final piece.

"Eating faerie food gives them power over you, but if fae eat human food, it works the other way around too. These three don’t mind either way."

Final example, a piece that wasn’t a struggle: A necromancer and kitty’s latest conquest.

Sometimes, coloring is just vibes.

The starting idea for this one: muted blue and purple/red.

I took some inspiration from this piece by an artist whos work I love love love (the green one under 2021):

That piece inspired me to add the beige, green, and pink from the color scheme. I also nudged the reds more into purple to make them softer.

The plants got to be green, as did the walls. Blue and purple, the cooler colors, for the shadows and darker plants. Pink as a bright color, used sparingly to add warmth. Beige used wherever it fits, to calm everything down. The colors for this piece came naturally so I don’t have a lot of progress shots.

Some things I was considering here: I was blending the colors into each other and reusing them throughout the piece. Nearby colors bleed into each other, unifying them. Things are not held to the colors they would be in the real world, but rather what looks good.

Only very minor changes were made after the color sketch. Final piece:

When I’m not feeling like experimenting so much, sometimes I just fall back on color schemes I’m used to. I know red, green, and yellow look cozy and warm together so a lot of my pieces use that.

On learning colors:

For me, learning means paying attention to the colors in the world around me and to the colors in other people’s art. I note the general idea of color palettes (example: yellow highlights, blue shadows is one I see a lot) and the impressions they give off. I’m slowly building up a library in my head of palettes.

Tips summary:

Having some idea of the mood of the piece or a general palette can be a good starting point

Ask for help

Take inspiration and use references

Value is more important for clarity than colors are. If the colors are not working, it could be because the values are not working

You don’t need to color things the color they actually are. Color them how they look or what looks best for the piece. White things are not necessarily white, skin is not necessarily a shade of brown. The lighting of an environment changes the colors you see.

Iterate on ideas. Critique yourself.

Thinking of a piece as a whole helps the colors look cohesive. Think of palates while considering the whole piece. Intentionally reuse colors throughout.

Consider bleeding nearby colors into each other. In real life, bounce light can give this effect. In art, it’s not necessarily always realistic but can add texture and cohesiveness.

Practice practice practice

The end. I hope it’s useful!

#art tutorial #art tips #coloring tutorial #art resources #my art #drawing resources #art help

219 notes · View notes

jotun-design-party · 6 months

Text

that's it for jötun design party! i had so much fun seeing everyone's designs. the most difficult part was picking the winners, but i got there in the end! here are the winners, why i picked them, and the prizes they won!

as i will not be using this account anymore, i'll leave this as the pinned post and link to This Post as well as the #orientalism search for anyone who may stumble upon this blog in the future ❄️

Jötun Design Party Winners

First Place

Prize: full-body drawing of a character (original or otherwise) of their choice. I have your discord, and will contact you when I have the time to start and complete your drawing!

@therese-lokidottir

elegant and cohesive, it's clear that a lot of thought was put into the world and culture of jötunheim. every design is distinct and filled with personality while still maintaining a singular aesthetic. looking at these designs together, it's easy to imagine how the characters might interact with each other and their vibrant world.

Second Place

Prize: half-body drawing of a character (original or otherwise) of their choice. Please message this tumblr with your preferred method of communication (Discord, Instagram, or Tumblr itself) and I will contact you when I have the time to start and complete your drawing!

@ak800

looking at this design, it's easy to tell how much love, time, and effort was put into it. with elements that mirror loki's canon moteifs altered in ways that feel cozy, it's undeniable that there was a lot of thought put into the jötnar as a people. they mirror asgard in a way that directly contrasts the claims we see the aesir make of them, while still feeling like a separate and distinct culture with their personalized magic, unique horns, and clear social dynamics

Third Place

Prize: bust-shot drawing of a character (original or otherwise) of their choice. Please message this tumblr with your preferred method of communication (Discord, Instagram, or Tumblr itself) and I will contact you when I have the time to start and complete your drawing!

@corvusartchronicles

while deceptively simple, this design is thoughtful and paints a very different picture of jötunheim than we are used to seeing in canon. this design implies a combination of mythologies, which we are very used to in marvel, while giving love and thought to a vivid world of religion which is not often given the same respect as norse or greek mythology. protected from the weather in a way that would not make a temperature-sensitive frost giant overheat, loki's design is full of love for both fantasy, and the very real people who often inspire it 💞

it means the world to me that as many people participated as they did and i really hope that this contest helped make this fandom a more inclusive space in some way

picking the winners for this was SO DIFFICULT. so under the cut, i have also enthused about some of the submitted designs because i wanted to be able to share my thoughts on more of them. i'm so sorry that i wasn't able to get to everyone!!

treacheroustrickster

all of those shades of green? i am in love

red tichel!!! was this a callback to loki's red hair in mythology? I AM IN LOVE EITHER WAY!!!

i know it's based on a canon design and russian ashkenazi fashion but the hair jewelry just looks so in-place here. if it was cold enough outside that i needed to layer my clothes then i too would prefer to wear my metals in my hair where it wouldn't feel cold against my skin

newsted

this one specifically is just so ROYAL to me. far more than most of the entries! it has my heart

the riding pants >>>

the fingerless gloves >>>>

this design, with the minimal layers of clothing mixed with the warm cloak, makes me feel like it's designed to keep loki protected from the cold winds that comes with riding horses at high speeds in the winter

vvviktor

NY FRIEND I LOVE THE DETAILS

the embroidery on the sleeves

and the idea of loki in bronze instead of gold is one that i adore. i associate gold so heavily with asgard AND with loki that whenever i try to design jötun lokis, it's incredibly difficult to pick whether to use gold or not. bronze is the PERFECT solution to this

also shut up the feet literally are not bad

du-ed

HOOVES!!!!!!

okay cuteness aggression aside i think this is such a smart idea for the jötnar.

it helps with that balance of showing them in minimal clothing to get across their lack of sensitivity to the cold while also actually protecting them from the snow they are likely at least knee-deep in half the time

like yes. just yes

of COURSE they would look like this it just makes sense to me

imreaallyasorry

look at this. JUST LOOK AT IT. what more do i need to say

its perfect. i will be following you on my new account

this is the cutest thing i've seen in my entire life

also the staff/scepter is so cool, it's gorgeous, that's MY moon queen and magic theatre

unityrain24

this one is SO COOL, it's my absolute favorite out of the designs you submitted.

it looks so warm and sleek, and the idea that travel wear is so different from everyday wear makes me wonder just how harsh the conditions on the planet are.

i'm an absolute sucker for designs that are distinctly alien like this and it has my heart i love it so so much

#jotun loki #jötun loki #jotun design party #marvel #frost giant loki #jotun loki fanart #loki fanart #loki art #loki of jotunheim #jotun form #jotunn loki #marvel loki #loki fandom #marvel fanart

79 notes · View notes

campfam4lyfe · 6 days

Note

Got any campfam aus or ideas in the works?

hey anon! I wouldn’t say I have any ideas in the works, because I have what I like to call commitment issues when it comes to writing fic.

This means that while I have an abundance of ideas, outlines, and wips in my Google docs for the fandoms I’ve been in. I’ve never actually finished a fic and posted it.

In fact, the only single time I have, (diff fandom!) I am not counting properly, because it was a collab with a close mutual, and a lot of the legwork was them. I had the initial plot bunny and was going to leave it as a one off tumblr post, but my mutual rlly liked the idea and we bounced drabbles and such back and forth. We wrote a bunch of snippets and put them together in a doc, until we had cohesive chapters, as we filled the empty spaces with more and more work, ending up to a total of 18 chapters. It took us a year and a half to post it, and that was mostly my fault, as where my mutual had finished most of their allotted sections, different hyperfixations kept pulling me to other unfinished works. This is why I won’t promise anything—I don’t want to disappoint anyone.

But, that being said. I do have ideas, hcs, and aus! One that is currently consuming me, was actually inspired by this one other post I saw recently. (When I find the post ima link it dw!) OP of the post was saying that there should be a Carmen Sandiego au for CC and I jumped on that SO fucking fast anon. I LOVE Carmen Sandiego, and have since it first aired when I was in HS.

So. Here’s some of the Carmen Sandiego au thoughts copy/pasted from my Google docs. (Yes I do always write out my outlines as if I’m taking to someone but that’s bc i sometimes end up sharing the doc link with some friends)

JWCC Carmen Sandiego AU:

Y’all know Kenlynn is my JAM and so is RedCrackle. So obvi I thought of mixing the two right? But here’s the thing. While I love Carmen/Gray, I am also in love with Carmen/Ivy and Carmen/Julia.

So with that in mind. Kenlynn is going to take a backseat for a second (meaning tho they'll become a thing and obvi they will bc they are a constant to me, theyre not the center of this), and my fave girls YASAMMY will be at the forefront of this au.

I’m thinking. Carmen Sammy. But I’m not entirely sure about whether or not that’s what I want? It could be argued that Sammy’s love for her family is a core driving force in her character, and Carmen doesn’t KNOW her family. But also—a huge plot point is that she’s looking for her mom. So. Tentative Carmen Sammy.

MANTAH CORP AS VILE MANTAH CORP AS V.I.L.E MANTAH CORP AS V.I.L.E

So I figure not everything is going to be one-to-one. This means I am placing Kenji in the role of Gray/Crackle. His story is going to be different tho, bc whereas Gray was a recruit, with MANTAH CORP AS V.I.L.E that means Daniel is already on the board. So kenji trying to make his dad proud? More likely than you think.

(I just wanted my Sammy&Kenji besties. Bestie betrayal can be just as good as romantic betrayal)

I’m sure you know where I’m going with this if we’re not going the redcrackle route. Thats right. YASMINA JULIA.

I considered at first, YASMINA CARMEN and SAMMY IVY, but in the end the need for Sammy Carmen was too great.

So I also considered Dave and Roxxie as Chase and Julia but, I decided to scrap that idea for now. You know me, at some point I might revamp most of the au anyways lol, now is not a time for fine tuning it’s just a tentative starting point.

Torn between DARIUS as Player or Brooklynn as Player. I considered Ben of course, but I think we need to put him on an island at some point—he needs a Bumpy, no matter the universe.

WAIT. REVISITING BEN AS PLAYER. BECAUSE DARIUS AND BRAND AS ZACK AND IVY. This means no Carmen/Ivy vibes but since we ditched the Gray/Carmen as well in this au I think it’s fine.

Ben still has to end up with Bumpy somehow tho? Original Ben plan, when Darius was a Player candidate, was Ben is also a V.I.L.E recruit.

V.I.L.E having a faction that deals with genetics and cloning (in addition to like. Kash and his robots) and ending up with a dinosaur—Bumpy! And that being Ben’s flip to the other side/Team Sammy. He defects and steals Bumpy on his way out.

Okay I’m a little too attached to that, so yeah. V.I.L.E recruit Ben, so Brooklynn as player??

Oh! She doesn’t have!!! IRL friends!! Brooklynn being an Internet famous vlogger as in canon. So we get that running gag of Sammy and Brooklynn always being in contact and Brooklynn being a big part of the heists through investigative work and such, yet she’s constantly on the other side of the globe? Sammy needs to be in Sydney but Brooklynn is in New Orleans. That kinda stuff.

Works with Brooklynn having traveled all over the world, she can also do those factoids player does—she’s got the deets.

Oh!???? THATS HOW WE GET MY FAVE DUO OF DINOSTAR BESTIES!!! They both love their facts. They’re nerds.

Mae as shadowsan? Tentatively?

Okay. Player Brooklynn. Except instead of being home most of the time, she’s usually on the go. She’s talked to kenji a few times during Sammy and Kenji’s V.I.L.E recruit era.

Kenji as the Gray of this au. he’s a V.I.L.E legacy. he became friends with sammy his recruitment year, and he'd talked to brooklynn a few times, due to sammy introducing them because kenji was curious about whether or not sammy has friends in the outside world, and sammy noticing brooklynn feeling a little left out/jealous that sammy had friends she was hanging with in person rather than over a phone call.

kenlynn kenlynn kenlynn

does he recognize her voice from her vlogs? does he even watch them? i dont think hed be a brooklander, guys got a lot on his plate and thats impressing his dad

ben is a V.I.L.E. recruit. maybe a bit of mime bomb, in that he was. not as close? with the other recruits. i do think having ben come in as a recruit the year sammy defects would be cool tho. so he doesn't know her as "black sheep" or whatever code name V.I.L.E refers to her as. he'll first meet her as Sammy.

yaz as JULIA!!!!! a junior agent? a former athlete. trying to make it make sense, but i think it fits.

omg. yaz. is alex rider basically holy shit

was thinking of dave as chase, and decided that i was going to keep it.

roxxie as the Chief.

mae as shadowsan.

yes. it IS because i want a roxxie/mae/dave love triangle and that need's final form was ot3

DARIUS AND BRAND AS ZACK AND IVY. i dont want their mom to be dead. but i dont know WHAT happened to her and why theyre involved in this life of crime? i love the og carmen&ivy&zack meeting. and i love that they were involved with racing. trying to find a way to incorporate it and make it make sense

important question.....is darius and his dad's great shared love still dinosaurs?

OR IS IT CARS? RACING?????? BRAND BEING INVOLVED IN THE RACES BC IT WAS IMPORTANT TO DARIUS AND THEIR DAD AND DARIUS CANT DRIVE YET

AND. SAMMY. AS CARMEN!!!!!!

okay so carmen's dad was a former V.I.L.E. agent who left it all behind for the woman he fell in love with right? well. obvi this au isnt a one to one. like there clearly have been changes in characters and dynamics. but i think involving elements from this could work. lemme map it out to make sense

okay so in cc sammy spies for mantah corp despite her parents not wanting her to. meanwhie carmen's dad defects from V.I.L.E., i think shadowsan was there and so was the chief and he dies.

okay so--sammy's dad was a V.I.L.E. agent, fell in love, defected. V.I.L.E. catches up with him, and does A.C.M.E. and in the fallout, the house collapses. A fire? an explosion? they think sammy died. (im not killing off sammy's dad bc damnit she needs a happy ending)

yaz losing faith in the system and having her hot girl summer being romanced by the pretty thief she's supposed to be catching

ben ditches VILE/Mantah Corp with Bumpy and meets Darius at some point--oh!!!

mae/shadowsan joins Team Sammy at the end of s1 i think? okay, so, when she joins, she brings ben, a fresh defector with her.

obvi ben left after he stole bumpy from them

at some point during their occasional talks, kenlynn became friendly with each other. then The Train scene happens. and kenji is promptly deemed a disappointment and dealt with the way gray is.

brooklynn ends up coming across a memory-wiped kenji during one of her vlogs. he doesnt know he knows her, just that something about her voice seems familiar.

brooklynn brings it up and the other are Concerned but also have a lot on their plate rn/dont truly trust him again or are unclear on whether or not they should. darius/brand bc their experiences havent been good so far, and sammy doesnt want to risk them. but he was still one of her first friends. shes torn

brooklynn making contact with him. smth smth she ends up needing a camera man for one of her vlogs and kenji volunteers. they grow closer during her sporadic visits. he asks her out.

DANIEL KON HAS ENTERED THE CHAT. SAMMY NEEDS BROOKLYNN TO DO HER THING. SHE MISSES THE DATE.

Meanwhile, that entire interactive ep??? of carmen sandiego with the julia/carmen??? THAT. THAT HAPPENS. YASAMMY DANCE AND WE GET THAT SCENE YOU KNOW THE ONE

#answered ask #anon ask #jurassic world chaos theory #jurassic world camp cretaceous #jwcc #jwct #kenji kon #kenlynn #daniel kon #sammy gutierrez #yasmina fadoula #yasammy #ben pincus #benrius #carmen sandiego au #darius bowman #brand bowman #bumpy jwcc

33 notes · View notes