I'm Saving This For When I Decided To Move To The Next Step And Try To Mimic Lore Rekindle/Lore Olympus

Lily of the Valley and Cigarette Butts

Summary: LORE Rekindled Oneshot, canon complacent, takes place after ep 70, in which a confused Minthe opens the door to none other than Persephone.

Word Count: 2.9K

Warnings: swearing, references to violence, lots of smoking A/N: So, I’ve never posted fanfiction before, but I’m a huge fan of @genericpuff’s LORE Rekindled series and while showering, this oneshot popped into my head. And it hasn’t left. So after a lot of editing and rereads, here it is. I have never smoked a cigarette in my life so everything in this is an educated guess. I hope I did these awesome characters justice. @1theneighborhoodcoffeeaddict1

Minthe angerly paced the length of the swimming pool, wet red hair swinging behind her. He was late. Hades’s little family reunion, which usually took three or four hours, had him gone for ten. She slowly inhaled a searing breath of nicotine before putting out the stub against an expensive flower pot. 

What the fuck could he be doing? Was Zeus keeping him out there? Sometimes he brought the king of the gods home, smelling like wine and ozone, too ashamed to crawl back to his palace. She’d have to avoid her favorite living room if that’s who Hades returned with, lest she be accosted by Zeus. At least Hades didn’t bring his sister-in-law around anymore. When he’d invited her over that rainy night, she’d finally told him how much it hurt that he constantly invited that bitch into their home. And Hades had listened. Baby steps. 

Minthe’s fingers shook lifting the lighter to her mouth. Her reflection in the pool water was nothing but a smudge of frantic red, framed by cream pink flowers. 

Without thinking, Minthe spun around and lifted the lighter to the potted plants. Of course her fucking boyfriend put pink flowers where he relieved all his stress. Her fucking boyfriend, not Kore, Persephone, whatever. Hades was her boyfriend. 

She couldn’t have him.

The flowers smoldered, red flames tall in the air. For one glorious moment, the toxicity and violence of the action lifted her up to an ambrosial high-and she didn’t even do that shit. Then like a meteor, she landed back in reality and the gravity of her consequences tugged the skin tight around her bones. 

Hades was going to yell at her. Minthe clenched a cigarette tight in her finger. She would yell back. Her teeth practically bit into the end of it. He would ask her why. The heat burned her mouth. She would ask him why he’d been late. Her lungs choked on the toxic smoke. He’d tell her to answer his question.Minthe sputtered on the exhale. She’d tell him to go to hell. Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes. He’d say he always already there. 

It would be the stupid argument to end all stupid arguments, even worst than the time he’d dumped her over a tube of lipstick. And just like that, Minthe could see the ashes of her relationship slipping through her fingers like burning flower petals. 

This is your fault. The voice sounded like Hera’s, predicting the words the goddess would hiss next time they met. You could’ve waited. He wouldn’t have yelled if you had just waited. 

She didn’t need the queen of the gods rubbing in her mistakes like she was a steak on Tartarus’ Tavern. Minthe took another long drag of her cigarette, and briefly, everything seemed quiet. But another voice joined, smooth and sweet-

I would’ve waited.

The cigarette landed on the tile with a wet splat. Minthe dragged her ash covered fingers through her hair, the wisps of a scream escaping through clenched teeth. These moments made her feel like a bomb. Each new voice criticizing her-from the rulers of this very realm to judgey Fatesbook users-was like another spark to the fuse. Eventually, one would catch. 

Minthe would look like a complete bitch. Everyone would leave her. She’d be left behind to slowly pick up the pieces of herself and an apology for shit she didn’t do would be expected in three to five business days. 

When did her life get so predictable?

When the knock came, Minthe ignored it. Hades always came through the garage. It was probably just some sleazy minor deity, come to shake a business deal out of the god of wealth. She’d leave them to their own impatience. 

It wasn’t until Cerberus bolted past her for the door that Minthe got up to let him in. Worry twisted her empty stomach. If he wasn’t letting himself in, something bad must’ve happened. The triple heads of anxiety, regret, and defensiveness reared within her. 

Cerberus whined, pushing his noses against the base of the entrance. Minthe gave him a soothing pat before opening the door. She expected to see Hades, bruised and bloody. 

She did not expect to see Persephone on the door step, clad in a beautiful white dress with delicate butterflies perched in her hair.  

Minthe immediately moved to close the door, sure this was a nightmare. To her horror, Cerberus pushed the door open with one head and greeted Persephone with his other two. 

Persephone softly cooed to the dog, scratching behind his ears, while Minthe stood there in shock. Anger was forming like lightning in her blood. Professional relationship her ass, Persephone was on Hades’s doorstep, dressed to the nines, while petting his dog like she’d known Cerberus his entire life. This was clearly not the first time she’d stopped by, judging from the way Cerberus eagerly leaned into her touch. 

Panic overtook every emotion in her body. The cold, cruel realization that she was being replaced froze her in place. After everything she’d done, all that she had put in and worked on, and she was losing to a saccharine pink, organic sugar, goddess of gardens.  

No. No, she wouldn’t be replaced. She had done too much for that son of a bitch to be pushed aside for Persephone.

“Hades isn’t home.” Minthe said slowly, lacing each word with venom. “You missed him.”

“I know.” Her voice was annoyingly perfect, just like everything about her. Somewhere between godly loud and mortal high. A stupid combination of good attributes. “I came to pick something up.”

Yeah fucking right. Minthe had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep the words from escaping. “What are you looking for?”

“My mother’s brooch.”

“Why would Hades have your mother’s brooch?” Minthe tried not to seethe but honestly. They’d known each other for a few months and he was holding on to her family heirlooms? Hades could be intense but she’d never seen him be so invested. It pissed her off. 

“I was wearing it the day of my interview.” Persephone replied, eyes finally lifting to meet her own. “I lost it during my foray into Tower Four.”

Oh. That’s why she was here. Despite the truce they’d made, Persephone obviously had her doubts with Minthe, just like she had for her. Only she didn’t have a good lie for showing up to her house with an excuse to snoop. 

Minthe stood back, opening the door for Persephone to step through. “I suppose you don’t want my directions.” She bit out. 

“No, I don’t.” Persephone admitted, briefly cocking her head to study Hades’s grand atrium. It was certainly a sight to behold with its carved marble and pristine tiles but surely nothing that a goddess like her hadn’t seen before. “He said he brought it into the lounge.”

Minthe followed Persephone with no amount of subtly. She paid her no mind, only looking in her direction when Cerberus brushed against her legs. Her eyes widened at the sight of a burning pot of plants but Minthe hissed, “Don’t even think about it,” before she could remark. Wisely, Persephone didn’t. 

Minthe scrutinized her, trying to understand what the hell Hades saw in her. A goddess with large tits and an acceptable face, there were hundreds of those. There had to be something past looks that drew him in-right? Persephone’s pink hair was longer than usual, almost to her feet and tinged with a green that was clearly magic, not box dye. “You might want to get a hair cut before work tomorrow.”

“It doesn’t matter. Tomorrow’s my last day.”

The words came with such finality that Minthe had to wait to make sure they were real. Hard working, humble, studious Persephone was quitting her first non-nepotism job? She had to tamp down a few overly excited questions as Persephone explained. Though Minthe didn’t miss the way her dirt covered fingers curled into fists.

“Hera invited me to her home to do some gardening today,” Of course Persephone was chummy with Hera. Why the hell shouldn’t she be? “But some uninvited, very intoxicated guests showed up.” 

“Hades and his brothers.” 

Persephone snorted. They were walking side by side through the dark halls but Minthe could see the frustration and rage lining the goddess’s features. She didn’t want to admit that she hadn’t been this afraid since they striked their truce, blood red eyes glaring down at her. 

“Poseidon and Zeus had to carry him between themselves. Dio knocked him unconscious.”

Dionysus as well. Was there anyone in the Olympian family not eating out of this woman’s very palm? Hermes had lied to her, her best friend and boyfriend were the twins, and even Hecate defended her. Persephone was just that damn perfect. 

Minthe bit back her own jabs to ask, “Why the hell did Dionysus knock my boyfriend unconscious?” She wasn’t going to drink wine for the next ten years out of spite. 

“I don’t know. He was pretty disoriented when he woke up and we didn’t get to talk much during dinner because Hera and Zeus were-”

“Arguing?”

“Zeus said one thing about the food and Hera took it personally.”

Minthe rolled her eyes. “Not a fan.”

“He’s my creator.” Minthe felt herself go into cardiac arrest. But Persephone winked in what she could only guess was an attempt to be reassuring. “But I wasn’t impressed either. For a king, he’s terrible at first impressions.”

“He’s also bad at talking to anyone he doesn’t want to fuck.” Minthe muttered. Persephone looked like she was wanted to smile through her disgust. 

“I went to the garden to escape them and Hades followed.” Persephone paused in the entrance of the lounge. She seemed to be staring at the stuffed chimera head on the wall. “I asked him why he’s been giving me the cold shoulder at work.”

Minthe had been wondering that too though she’d chalked it up to Hades getting his shit together, taking the hint on how much it bothered her, or both. “What did he say?”

“That he wanted to be professional.” 

Thank Gaea, he was listening. Persephone settled into one of the arm chairs, the crystalline flower brooch clutched in her fingers. Minthe hovered over her shoulder, impatience tainting her voice. “And?”

“I broke down by telling him that I’ve been stressed out by work and not having the brooch all week. Hades told me he was sorry.” Of course, both things Minthe had done to try and get Persephone out of Underworld Co had brought them closer together. “But then I told him about my friend Alex blocking and ghosting me and he got this . . . I’ve never seen that look on him before.” 

Minthe’s curiosity was morbidly piqued. A deep instinct told her what the god of the dead had done, as he loved to do, but another wanted to know exactly what her boyfriend had done to scare her off. “What did he say?”

Persephone was quiet for a long time before she spoke. It was only because Minthe was intimately familiar with the sound that she recognized the goddess was holding back tears. “Hades ripped out Alex’s left eye.” 

This time the words flew out of her mouth without forethought. “What the fuck?”

A quiet sob broke out of Persephone. Through  pink, shimmering tears, she told Minthe the story from the morning after the Panatheana to Persephone’s reaction just hours ago. Which was to bury Hades with a newly grown tree and storm out without another word. 

“I wasn’t leaving without my brooch.” Persephone finished, shoulders slumped. “I’m taking this, turning in my badges tomorrow, and I’ll never be in your life again.” 

It sounded like an apology which pissed Minthe off. She didn’t need sympathy. “Don’t sound so sentimental, Pinkie.” 

Persephone crossed her arms, sniffing softly. “I thought he was my friend.” 

No, no, they were not doing this. They were not going to braid each other’s hair and bitch over boyfriends when Minthe still had one. Hades and her were miserable together. There was no one else for them. If Persephone couldn’t handle a little darkness, she could leave. Nobody was keeping her here. 

“And now?” Minthe needed to hear, for her own reassurance. 

“A part of me still cares for him.” 

Well of course she did. This was lollipop sweet Persephone.  “And the other part?” 

“Wants to punch him in the face again.” 

“Again?” 

Persephone nodded down the hall. “I reacted a little strongly to his presence when I first woke up here.” 

Minthe smiled bitterly. “I won’t stop you.” 

Persephone smiled back, fingers reaching out to squeeze her shoulder. Minthe jerked back and Persephone smiled apologetically. “Thank you, Minthe. This month has probably been really hard for you. You’re such a patient person.” 

She blinked. She didn’t get thanked often and she shook off the warm feeling of appreciation that surged through her at the praise. Minthe had to be the one person who was immune to her charms. “You’re welcome, Persephone.” 

The goddess stared blankly at her. “Kore.” 

“What?” 

“You can call me Kore.” 

One non-hostile conversation had apparently leveled Minthe up to being able to call her the maiden instead of the bringer of death. “Do you want me to call you a psychopomp?” 

“No, I’ll fly home.” Right. Gods didn’t need transportation, they were transportation. As Kore got up, Cerberus happily trailing behind her, she turned around. “I understand if it’s personal, but I am the daughter of Demeter and she taught me to never come in empty handed . . . But I did. Is there anything I can give you in return for welcoming me into your home?” 

Minthe had never been a stickler for tradition but she couldn’t really object to a goddess. “Well, what were you thinking of?” 

“Those flowers?” Kore adjusted the brooch on the collar of her dress. “It’ll only take a second, I swear.” 

Minthe found herself agreeing, telling herself it was only because it was better to erase the problem, even if it was Kore doing’s. But she’d underestimated how much of a mess she left. Shame licked a hot streak up her neck and arms as Kore took in the cigarette butts and lighters. Of course, she didn’t say anything. She was Kore. Minthe reminded herself that that was a bad thing. 

The flowers were still smoldering and with a wiggle of her fingers, the rest of the flowers wilted. 

“Some flower goddess.” 

“For something to grow healthily again, you have to get rid of it’s toxic roots.” Kore smiled, her rosy skin glowing with power. “If I simply made it grow again, it’d wilt again after a few weeks.” 

The petals and stems melted into the dirt, leaving a glowing sheen over the soil. Kore gave a soft hum and new flowers emerged, bright pink and shimmering with life. Kore was smiling to herself proudly and Minthe had to admit, her powers were kind of cool. She was hardworking and intelligent, and if tomorrow was her last day . . . Well, maybe she could enable her computer program again. 

Minthe watched Kore fade into the sky, trails of magic fluttering behind her. Cerberus whined pathetically after her. Minthe scratched between his ears, rolling her eyes. So easily attached. 

Hades still wasn’t home so Minthe busied herself. He wasn’t going to be back for a while if the god of madness and Persephone had gotten to him. She sweeped away the ash and butts and made herself dinner, Cerberus circling her the entire time at the smell. When she sat down to eat, she didn’t pull out her phone and mindlessly scroll Fatesbook. Minthe tried to follow the advice those hippies shilled out of ‘living in the moment’-appreciating the fruits of her labor and the sweet taste of victory. Kore was finally leaving her life at the cost of some photographer’s eye. 

Minthe cringed at the thought. Despite the farce she put on for Kore, violence unsettled her. It was too close to home, the brutal power of the gods that could end her life in a snap. Hera’s face came too mind much too quickly. But Hades could never scare her. She knew him like the back of her hand and a temper was one of the flaws that she’d come to love him for. It was something they had in common. But where Hades had the power to take it out on others physically, she had to settle for subtle digs and schemes. 

Miserable together she thought, wiping her lips with the napkin. That’s the way we want it to be. 

Sitting at the edge of the pool, a glass of water in her hand and some book she hadn’t opened in forever, Minthe felt … Happy. A rarity for her. And when she saw the clusters of new pink flowers behind her, she surprised herself by picking one. Just a small one and her long red tresses hid it well. 

But it was there nonetheless. A little bit of Kore to accompany her as she got ready for the night. Her compliment still buzzed pleasantly beneath her skin, and she was torn between letting it stay or beating it away with a stick. The goddess was leaving, she couldn’t hurt her anymore. And she’d been … Nice, even considering everything Minthe had done. Even she could appreciate such saint like grace. 

A dark voice spoke in her head, a defensive mechanism after so many years alone. She’s just pretending. There are no perfect people. 

Minthe quelled the voice by telling it to fuck off and let her sleep. And she did. Better than she had in a while. 

The flower was still lush with life when she woke up. New soil would keep it like that for a long time. 

Shine Bright like a diamond

Almost lost to burnout this year. Next year I’m going in swinging

Sketch help

fat bodies tutorial!

ALRIGHT SO my pal @kalreyno wanted help with drawing fat characters and as a fat artist i felt like i could give a bit of helpful insight on that. there’s also been a lot of complaining about “boo hoo fat characters are hard to draw so i can’t include them in my work Ever” goin on lately so if that’s your case then this is for you too!! and also just for anyone who would like help with fat bodies in general, ofc. anyway, let’s get this show on the road!!

let’s start with some common misconceptions. these are the two main attempts at chubby bodies i run into, so i’ll focus on them. 

the Anime Chubby i see everywhere, and it’s just……so wrong in many ways. first of all, there is almost no additional body fat compared to your average thin character - except for where it’s added in “attractive” places (breasts, hips, thighs). the breasts are way too perky, and don’t have the realistic shape fat would give them (though how to draw accurate breasts is another tutorial all on its own lmao). there is still a thigh gap, which usually only happens in very thin people, and bones are still visible on the surface of the skin, which also rarely happens in fat people.

the Michelin Man is better in some ways, but still not that great. it’s a slightly better attempt, but basically all that’s done there is taking a thin character and blowing them up, while giving no thought to fat distribution. the thigh gap is usually still present, and they look a lot more hard than soft - and fat is very soft and pliable.

here’s a chart on how fat usually distributes (if you can’t read my messy writing, “1. next to no fat, 2. moderate amount, 3. most of the fat distribution”). basically, the more muscle an area has, the more prone it is to develop fat, such as the abdomen, thighs, and upper arms. it’s important to note that fat sits on top of muscle, and that it does distribute in different levels, and not evenly across the body as shown in the Michelin Man. 

now, here’s an accurate fat body with all of that kept in mind!! notice how the fat isn’t only kept to aesthetically pleasing areas, and how it sits realistically on the character’s body. their breasts sag a lot more, which happens even in thin people with larger breasts, and the nipples are pointing more downwards than straight out. there is no thigh gap in sight, there are no bones in sight, and most importantly, they have fat rolls, which are very important in drawing a convincing fat character!! as far as i know i’ve never met a single person with no rolls at all, and everyone has them, whether thin or fat - they’re just more prominent and more consistently present in fat people. pay close attention to where they are and how they’re shaped.

here are a couple of drawings showing how fat is affected when sitting vs stretching. as seen in the first, the fat specifically on the stomach is distributed a lot more evenly and stretched out, so it becomes “flatter”. the love handles are still pretty visible, though, as well as the fat on the thighs and arms. the breasts are raised with the shoulders, and the fat on the shoulders and near the neck forms rolls as it’s being pushed together. 

in the second, there is a lot less room for distribution, so the fat is all pushed together. the breasts sag and the stomach forms rolls and spills into the lap. a good analogy for the way fat works is to liken it to a water balloon, and thinking of how its shape would change when resting flat on a surface, hanging off of a ledge, held upright, etc.

here are a few extra tips i find a lot of people miss!

first on the top is the hip/pubic region. the first circle is showing the way the bellybutton is folded in fat people, as opposed to stretched out in thinner people. the second is the stomach fat spilling over onto the pubic region and creating a separation in the two areas, which is something that’s missing in a lot of art. in addition, the pubic mound also gains fat, making it round as seen in the profile drawing i did up there (i’ve heard people refer to it as fupa?). the last in the hip region is the lack of a thigh gap. i can’t stress this enough!!!! if you’re trying to draw a convincing fat character, make sure their thighs are pretty much always touching!! for reference, mine literally don’t separate until my feet are about 2ft from each other.

the bottom right is showing the double chin, which a lot of people are afraid to draw!! fat does distribute itself here too, and there’s nothing wrong with it, so don’t feel like you shouldn’t give fat characters a double chin in your work for fear of it looking like a caricature.

in the bottom middle, it’s showing how fat affects different types of breasts with the presence of more or less breast tissue. 

lastly, at the very right are stretch marks with their usual locations and directions, which i also can’t stress enough!!!!! i sometimes forget to add them honestly, but they’re so important in accurately portraying fat characters, as they literally come from the skin being stretched from fat being gained (and they’re also just rlly neat lookin like why wouldn’t you lmao). some people have less and some people have more, feel free to experiment with them!

the last thing is body types!! there isn’t one single way for a person to be fat, so feel free to experiment with shapes once you’ve learned the basics!! 

so there you have it, a tutorial on how to draw chubs!! now go forth and make some accurate fanart or some rad fat characters, because the world could always use more of both. hmu if you have any questions or concerns, and thanks for reading!!

EDIT: someone pointed out the bad wording in the tutorial. thank you for bringing it to my attention and sorry for offending anybody. i’ve updated the tut, so please reblog this one!

Animation tips 2

Got any tips for someone who wants to get into storyboarding or animation, or just any career involving drawing? 😂

I can really only speak for (television) storyboarding since that’s what I’m doing. Like I said in my last post, have a social media presence! I was hired because the showrunners liked my art style/the things I was posting on twitter(?)/tumblr(?). Because they liked my drawings, they reached out to me and asked if I was interested in testing for their show. My sense of humor managed to match theirs and my storyboards were easy to read and clear so I got the job.  Again, I got lucky with that and I’m super happy they found me. My last post has a link to a helpful YouTube video~

Some general tips for people wanting to go into TV storyboarding below the cut. 

Keep reading

Interesting really...

I don't want to even imagine the face Kore would make when she finds out that in the creation of the universe the Aztec gods caused not one, not two, but FOUR genocides 🤣😭 some intentional, some not

First of all, thank you for the ask!

There’s going to be a lot of whiplash between how certain deities behave.

I won’t ramble too much but one thing I want to make clear is that I definitely won’t shy away from making the gods assholes, and in some aspects what most people would consider “evil”.

The mexica gods are pretty much always noted as being very…dual. Duality has always been a focus in the mexica religion, a god can be the god of fertility and the god of death, because life is ultimately a cycle of birth and death. They’re not good people because they aren’t humans, why would they want to conform to morality when they’re the personification of nature, of disaster, of life, of destruction, etc etc? Nature and life aren’t fair, why would deities be any different?

This can also be applied to many other deities not just the mexica ones specifically. But I do want to highlight that they’re pretty much all petty asses in one way or another. It’s one of my major complaints for LO how Persephone and Hades can’t ever be flawed, if Persephone kills 10 trillion people it’s not her fault and if Hades mutilates a guy then he had it coming, etc etc. let gods be gods and be immoral, half(or more tbh) of all myths wouldn’t exist if gods were tied down to the morality of what now most societies consider good.

Im not sure if I explained myself correctly, I usually have more ease explaining these sort of things in Spanish(but only by a bit), but hopefully it was coherent enough. Anyways I’m not going to sugarcoat anything, which other than adding more accuracy and more depth for these characters, adds more possibility for comedy lol. Persephone is in for a ride😭

More of Belle Concept art

"Belle"- featured section from the magazine "ImagineFX" Issue 215

This is Very Cute!

Same energy as Connecticut Clark and Malfina (≧ヮ≦)

This is my favorite type of yandere, soft himbos

Another of my Yan boys!! This is Teddy, your absolutely adorable pizza delivery boy! (the last picture is his most recent example c: and a commission I’m fond of <3) He knew Y/N back in HS however was known as the silent “muscle” of a delinquent group resulting in a eventual break down and expulsion from school. Afterwards he was aimless till getting a job from his grandfather at a family friends pizza place where he soon became #1 Pizza Boy set to inherit the place when the owner passes (they have no children of their own and Teddy as grown to love the place) Teddy is a orphan (one parent died, the other abandoned) and growing up he has grown what appears at first to be a split personality named Ted. However this is actually a parasite of otherwordly beings that got stuck in his head and now gives him bad bad thoughts.  While Ted is the loud obnoxious type, Teddy is rather silent especially when around Y/N which flusters him to mute levels. But he would do anything you ask of him, being a big Himbo of sorts and refuses to let anyone else deliver pizza to you. Fun Facts: * 6′7″ and BIG BULK MUSCLE (he was chubbier younger but still rather big).  * Around 27-30yrs Old * H I M B O* Parasite Personality is called TED and a indicator hes the one in control is Teddys eyes opening * Trying to be a better person for Y/N due to the shame of what happen in HS* Went to Juvie for a year due to the HS Incident * Loves affection and will absolutely melt and maybe cry to a sincere hug* Somehow never tires of eating Pizza * Absolute Disney Fanatic and loves the classic movies, knows all the songs by heart (and can sing rather well but hes very shy) * While he seems rather sweet and gentle around Y/N hes not so much with others when Y/N isn’t looking, and will take no shit from people scamming him at work or rude customers. 

I'm was reminded of little nightmares when I saw this

Where have you buried all the children?

I really like this Au, as a ballet lover sometimes

*Throws out a few crumbs of Nutcracker AU art* (づ๑•ᴗ•๑)づ♡

I figured that since it’s now the festive season, I’d do a bit of Nutcracker AU art haha! Also I decided to change up a few of the designs for the characters in this AU cause I wasn’t too happy with them 😅