Cute Artist

Rules for requests:

Homestuck setting

Cannot involve snuff, excessive gore, or any sexuality extending a pg-13 rating. They can kiss, but no further.

Try to keep it to 2 characters, no massive scenes with the entire cast.

Ships are allowed, but i have veto power if it doesnt vibe with me.

links of note- description

lillikoifish art - things ive drawn, fandom original or whatever, in various states of completion

daily blurb - daily writing exercises, of various genres, characters, and vibes

angst tag - angst focused blurbs and writing exercises. featuring the striders, primarily dave strider, bro strider, and dirk strider

Jane paused, her hand still holding a delicately sliced strawberry-- she'd been arranging them into roses-- and looked up at her friend with mild confusion.

"It's a charcuterie board." She tucked the red fruit into the correct position and voila, a perfect and whimsical addition to the board.

"A shark coochie board, Janey you dog." Roxy winked a few dozen times, until she had to stop and fix a fake eyelash. Jane rolled her eyes and mixed some chopped cucumbers with vinegar and dill. "So, like. What is it?"

"It's like a bunch of yummy snack things on a sharable plate. Cured meats, cheeses, fruits and nuts, things that complement each other. Intense flavors supported by mild, spicy and sweet, all kinds of things." With a drag of her knife, she laid a smear of mustard near the soppressata. "You just graze, like a gazelle! Hoo hoo."

"Sounds yum!" A beat of quiet. "...what is half of this stuff?"

"Ah, well I have some nice deli meats, I got a sample spread of tinned fish so I thought we could try them, there's caviar on bone spoons already, I figured now would be a great time to try the farm fresh cheeses I got the other day..." Jane looked up at her friend, remembering.

Well, Roxy wouldn't've ever known about the majority of the things Jane had put on the board. A post apocalyptic child who had to live on what, rations and whatever she could scavenge? And pumpkins, apparently? Jane felt something melancholy drip down her throat and close around her heart.

"You're free to try everything, I don't think it'll all be to your taste, but I encourage you to experiment! You might discover you love something you never expected!" She winked, then picked up a sliced plum. "I'm especially fond of this with brie, the soft cheese here."

Demonstrating how to arrange a cracker-- cheese first, then fruit-- Jane popped it in her mouth and let the flavors melt on her tongue. Chewing happily, the burst of fresh sweetness of the plum mingling with the soft mellow tang of the brie, Jane shimmied her shoulders.

"Cool." Roxy grinned, then grabbed a gherkin and popped it between her lips. Her eyes went alight as she ate, bouncing in place once she swallowed. "Sour!"

"Of course you liked that," Jane pointed teasingly. "Gorgeous gorgeous girls love pickles!"

"That's me~!" Her best friend twirled in place, then posed. "And that's you~!"

"Golly, Roxy stop." But Jane's smile was impossible to hide. "Try the caviar next, I think you'll like that too."

"Fancy, fancy, Janey, you really go all out!"

"Why wouldn't I? For my bestest best friend?"

"Is that a Rose impression or are you actually tryna front like you got the irony chops to pull that shit off?"

"Motherfucker I got more chops than the butcher at Costco ten minutes before the Fourth of July." He dropped on the futon, shoving Dirk's legs onto the floor in the process. "Check this, thine taste is terrible-eth."

"Damn." Dirk's voice was so dry, a person dying of frostbite could use it for an emergency fire starter. "You really showed me."

"If showing you up was an olympic sport I'd have more golds than every superpower on this shit ass planet."

The vinyl spun, big band brass sounding out joyfully, the tone warm and deep. Classic tunes, to be sure, and the brothers fell into an easy silence. Dirk stretched out his legs until his bony ankles were in Dave's lap, and Dave folded his arms behind his head. He put himself into a Just Got Home From School sprawl that was so picture perfect, the dictionary was desperately searching for alternate sources-- it already had so many terms defined by Striders, it probably should start considering a name change, maybe to Stridictionary.

"They should rename textbooks after us." Dave said to the ceiling.

"Uh huh." Dirk wasn't listening. Whatever.

"I'm tellin' you, if they taught this shit in school--"

"We'd have to change our shit, just to be ahead of the game, bro."

"Fuck yeah dude, don't get me hype, I just got home."

"Word."

Dave turned his head just enough so his ear was pressed to the cushion, and he could see his bro rubbing his eyes under his shades. "You good dude? Anything I should know about that got you puttin' Franky Sinatra on deck?"

"College shit." He sounded motherfucking bone weary. Dave hadn't heard Dirk that tired since he started high school, pulling all nighters because he just had to show up every single person in his class. And the teacher. Dude was just allergic to doing anything half way.

"You got in, don't tell me you sent all those apps and no one wanted the Di Stri."

A great big sigh. "No, it's just. I don't know where to go. I got full rides to a bunch of places and--"

"Oh my god dude, just pick the one that sounds coolest and I'll see you at christmas." Dave was over the conversation and it'd barely even started. "Me and Bro got this shit dude, you're fine. Get out there, the fuck you worried about?"

Dirk's eyes slid to Dave, a whole lot tired and a whole lot sad, which was just bullshit. If anyone was allowed to be sad it was Dave, he was the one who had to say goodbye to his best bro, Dirk got to go and chase his dreams while Dave languished in a shitty apartment for another year.

"I'd miss you, man." His mouth pulled into a sad smile. "You know?"

"Yeah, yeah. If you could find the time, I'm sure you would." Dave shoved his legs off the futon and got up, stretching and yawning. "You want a fanta?"

Another great big sigh. "Yep, you know me, bro."

"Course I do, that's why it's shaken not stirred. Just the way you like it."

Dirk untwisted the cap slow as molasses, diffusing the fizz before it could explode in his face, all the while staring Dave down like it was the battle of the ages. He took a faux casual sip, then nodded his head.

"Still got a long way to go before you pull one over on me, dude."

"Psh, give me time, I'll get you before you graduate. I haven't even started yet."

"Hm?"

Dave could kick himself, but he settled for closing his eyes and giving his head a shake. He'd broken a silence that had been comfortable, warm blanket fresh out of the dryer comfortable, with a seeming non sequitur. His bro was probably long since used to him talking nonsense, especially randomly, lord knew Bro was.

They were doing their favorite thing to do since becoming roommates. Okay, that was probably overselling it. It had to be top three though, top five at the very least.

Stargazing on the roof. Yeah, it didn't sound crazy exciting, two Stri Guys could and did get up to all kinds of sicknasty adventure shit on the reg, but Dave liked it. He thought Dirk did too, even if he never asked.

There was something about the calm quiet of the night; the way the moon and stars glimmered, gentle lights by the trillion. Dave felt safe. He would lay back on a throw blanket, shove his sunglasses to his hair, and just... look.

It was great when Dirk joined him, and they'd share the vibe. Talk about whatever, it was a judgement free zone under the sacred light of Beetlejuice, and sometimes even fall asleep up there. Dave usually had a crick in his neck when he woke up, but he never learned, he'd be on the roof again like a week later and do the same damn thing.

Speaking of learning. "Your favorite. Horse. Do you have one?"

"Like, famous horse? Or breed?"

"Theres breeds? Thought dogs were the only ones who had breeds."

"Nah bro, humans been breeding horses same as dogs for appealing traits for thousands of years." Dirk shifted slightly. "You know I like Rainbow Dash."

"And she's your all time favorite horsey?" Dave grinned up at the moon.

"Yep, she makes me smile." Dirk paused. "I like Friesian horses the most."

"Yeah? Why?"

"They're really beautiful, big draught horses-- crazy strong animals Dave, I can't even tell you-- with sleek black coats and luxurious manes. I've always wanted to see one in person, I can only imagine how gorgeous they are in real life." His voice was wistful, and it made the gears turn in Dave's head.

He'd found a petting zoo with ponies and chickens and sheep, maybe the could find some freesian horsies. Worth a shot, for his big bro.

"Bet they're cool, I mean. Mini rainbow pegasus pony is kinda tough to beat."

"True."

It was entirely too fucking hot, burning sunlight shining merrily down in bright yellow streams. Shadows cast by the trees were almost black, the umbra an equal equivalence of the light-- Dave could literally internally monologue about the physics of illumination for hours, but he had to focus up.

He also forgot his camera back at the apartment and was keenly regretting it. Say la vee, or whatever.

Dirk was a perfectly still mannequin, he wasn't even breathing, which was making Dave cover his mouth with a hand to hide his smile. Honestly, the fact that Bro's Striderian Chill could be thoroughly ruined by a petting zoo? Dave wished he could tell his ten year old self, it'd probably solve at least like, 20% of his trauma. Maybe 25%.

There were kids all around, little trolls and carapacians, their parents standing behind the low wooden fencing and observing the proceedings with soft smiles and coos. Inside the ring were some farm animals, real Old McDonald type shit. Chickens clucking away and li'l chicks peeping in sublime yellow fuzziness, sheep so obscenely fluffy Dave genuinely wondered how they were handling the heat, and the piece de resistance: ponies.

Yeah, Dave brought his big bro to see some lil horsies, and the guy was handling it Extremely Well. It took everything he had to not fall over himself laughing.

"Do you wanna get in there?" He nudged Dirk's shoulder with his own, speaking lowly as if he were a horse he was trying not to spook. The comparison made Dave want to snicker, but he smothered it.

Dirk blinked, as if in a daze, and watched the miniature horses that barely reached their knees slowly amble around and nibble at the grass. A little girl troll stroked a white pony's nose and it nickered; Dirk made a high little sound in his throat.

"I bet if you get a sugar cube one would eat it out of your hand."

Bro was off like a shot, scrambling over himself in an attempt to flashstep to the pony handler to ask for a sugar cube please, ma'am. Southern boy through and through, even when there wasn't even land, it was impressive.

Dave pulled out his phone and surreptitiously snapped some shots, fine, he was man enough to admit it. Seeing his teenaged Bro, with eyes so huge they couldn't be hidden by his shades, carefully crouching down so he could extend his hands to a pony, a little sugar cube in gloved palms? He was only human, well, a god, but also he was only human.

The pony had pegasus wings strapped to it, and a rainbow dyed mane. Her eyes were tranquil as she leaned forward and gently licked the sweet from Dirk's hands, snuffling and nuzzling her nose as if looking for more, or encouraging him to pet her. Dirk's bottom lip was trembling as he stroked up and down the pony's muzzle with a single finger. He seemed to gain some courage after a bit though, lifting his other hand to scratch behind her ear.

Too soon, some kids wanted to pet the pretty pony, and Bro flashstepped away and back to Dave's side without a word.

"This is the greatest day of my life." His voice too serious for a man who just pet a frickin' mini rainbow pegasus. "Thank you, Dave."