#also that gradient text took me way too long to figure out

[rk1k-moved]

okay! this took a bit to type out, but here we are!

disclaimer: my way might not work for you and that’s okay! there’s no right or wrong to make gifs, so long as you enjoy the way you make them then that’s all that counts. this is only a detailed look into my own personal process and things i’ve learned along the way. i'm also an idiot who sometimes doesn't know what he's talking about, so if something doesn't make sense let me know so i can fix it!

but these are some of the things i'll be going into a little more detail than before:

tools

importing & converting to smart object

smart filters

coloring (lighting, basic, and gradient)

exporting

tools

there are a few things i use in the process, some new and some old. whether you want to use them is entirely optional, given that it can be a lot to take in at once.

photoshop 2024

if you use an older version of photoshop, then i think the layout is similar to newer versions. though iirc some older versions don’t have the timeline function so you might have to look that up yourself since i’m not familiar with any ps version without it.

handbrake

i only use handbrake if the recorded video is super long. usually i try to record each scenery shot (4-8 seconds at a time) or an entire cutscene so i don’t have to use handbrake to trim the video. if i do, then i have the settings set to export as super hq with 60 fps, deselecting align a/v start and passthru common metadata. the rest i leave alone.

vapoursynth

this is really useful and makes coloring easier imo. you can download it from the official site, but i found a portable version (i have the 200722 one) for windows here. i’m not sure how to set it up for mac users, and, truthfully, to this day i still don’t know how to use it entirely. i just followed a tutorial i i found on youtube and only changed the amount for the denoise filter and turned off the sharpen filter since i do that in photoshop itself. so it’s trial and error, and i’m erroring a lot sometimes ajdkjasvjdas. it’s also where i crop the video to my preferred dimensions, unless you choose to crop in ps.

jsfiddle code playground

if you want to have the text in the tumblr post be a gradient, then type whatever you want in the first box on the bottom right, change the color from red to your starting color of choice, then the same of the green for the ending color. hit run, copy the code, and paste it inside the text post while in html mode. ngl, i stared at the site for like ten minutes before i figured out how to use it asjdjasdasd

nvidia shadowplay

i use shadowplay since it comes with my laptop’s gpu, set to record in 1080p60. i’ve seen other giffers use obs for recording, but i don’t have any experience with it. there are scenepacks and gameplay walkthroughs on many sites, which you can use as long as you have the uploaders permission and credit them as they ask! please don't steal their videos!

reshade

i’ve started using reshade recently to tone out the blue tint of the game and sharpen it up a bit more. it makes a big difference and helps with coloring if you start out with near neutral colors. the effects i use are: • deband • clarity • sharpcontrast • emphasize • amd fidelityfx contrast adaptive sharpening • fxaa • prod_80_04_colorisolation • adaptivetonemapper i'm pretty sure some of these are redundant, but i’m too lazy to go back and see which ones i don’t need lol. but it’s all personally preference with how you want the game to look, and there are many effects to choose from.

importing & converting to smart object:

my preferred method is the video frames to layers, which is: file > import > video frames to layers, and then select the video. if you use vapoursynth, then there might be duplicates frames (or at least there are for me) so when the popup window appears i check the box to limit the frames to how ever many duplicates there are of each frame. usually in my case, it’s three.

after the video has been imported, i select all frames in the timeline and change the frame delay to either 0.03-0.04 depending on how fast or slow i want the gif to be. for converting to smart object, i recorded my own action set to save time by clicking on a couple of buttons, but the process is: select all layers currently > convert frame animation > convert to smart object.

let me know if you want the action set! it saves a lot of time in the process

smart filters

i don't think sharpening before or after coloring matters, but definitely do not sharpen before cropping if you haven't done already.

vapoursynth combined with the in game reshade sharpening effects doesn’t require as much sharpening as i normally use. just note that it varies from scene to scene, and whatever you're giffing. these are just the settings i used for the pirates’ cove set.:

smart sharpen #1: 500% with a radius of 0.2 px

smart sharpen #2: 10% and 10 px radius

gaussian blur: 0.7 px at 30% opacity

add noise: 1% uniform at 30% opacity

on to the coloring, which i'm breaking this up into three sections: lighting, basic coloring, and gradient coloring, with a brief description and the result after each section.

something to note is that all coloring is personal preference, and how you want your gifs to look. if you're just starting your giffing journey, here's a site i bookmarked that explains pretty well the adjustment layers and what they do if you have questions for how they work. but i'd be more than happy to answer any that you guys have!

lighting:

brightness/contrast:

with this, i’ve found that changing the blending mode to screen brightens it up well enough without having to move any on the sliders. if it’s too bright, then lowering the opacity should do the trick.

curves:

before, i used the white and black point with the eyedropper tool, but now i’ve started using the auto function that can be found in the four horizontal bars in the top right of the adjustment properties. i choose the find dark & light colors options and check the enhance brightness and contrast box. if it’s too bright or tinted too much one color, then i fiddle with the rgb curves individually to get it as neutral as i can.

levels:

with levels there’s not much to adjust other than moving the sliders for the shadows and midtones to give it a little more contrast.

basic coloring:

selective color #1:

for the first selective color set to absolute, i use it for the white/black colors to make them as white and black as possible. increasing the black can make it too dark, so i limit the increase by two or three. sometimes i change neutral if it needs it, after all the coloring is done if it still looks too much of one color that the other adjustment layers can’t fix. i don’t know exactly what the difference is between absolute and relative is, i just remember it being part of a tutorial i read and have been doing it ever since.

color balance:

i only change this as minimally as possible, usually one for cyan, one for magenta, and one for blue for all tones. sometimes i increase it more, but it all depends on how you want it.

selective color #2:

the last selective color i use it for all the other colors, set to relative, usually for reds, yellows, and blues. if there are people in the gif, then i focus mostly on skin tones, bringing out reds and yellows to make it look as natural as possible. a hue/saturation layer can be useful to even out darker skin tones by lowering the saturation for red or yellow. with scenery, i boost whatever dominate color pops up while lowering the other colors by adding in a lot of white if the lighting is bright, or adding black for dim scenes. again, if it needs it, adding in an optional hue/saturation layer, but this time to lower the saturation for less prominent colors.

gradient coloring:

if you’re satisfied with the coloring of your gif, then this step can be skipped!

i’ve recently fallen in love with using gradient fills. there are several preset gradients available, but if you search around online there are other gradients available to download and use. or you can make your own gradient of your colors of choice.

for me, i often use blue/pink or blue/purple gradient fills. the blue/pink preset is the one i used in this case.

gradient fill:

after adding the gradient fill and choosing the colors, i change the blending to soft light and lower the opacity anywhere from 30%-50%. with darker skin tones it might be tricky as it would involve more tweaking of the settings until it looks nice.

gradient map:

i follow it up with a gradient map to help with the sharpness (i think? i’ve forgotten exactly) set to soft light again with varying opacity given how dark the scene is.

vibrancy

this is completely optional here, but i like the colors cranked to the max, boosted to 80% or slightly lower. some minor adjustments might have to be made after this, usually with it being too red or possibly yellow.

exposure

the final adjustment layer to top it all off is exposure. i like my gifs to have a matte-ish look, so i change the offset anywhere from +0.0010 to +0.0030. if the gif is still a little on the dark side, increasing the exposure helps.

the gradient coloring takes the longest to get the colors to look good, but i love my colors so much and the end result is so worth it.

logo:

this is optional of course, but since there's quite a few people out there who love to steal gifs, it's probably a good idea to put your logo on the gif to help deter them. mine's simple and uses either the font code bold or moon. i have it saved as a png so that i can go to file > place embedded and resize it to my liking before moving it to the bottom right corner.

but for me those are too many steps to do for each gif, especially if i’ve been working on them for hours. so i open up an old psd with the same dimensions and duplicate the logo layer for each gif to save time.

exporting:

under file > save for web (legacy) the window for it should pop up. i don't usually mess around too much with the settings here, keeping it at selective diffusion and changing the matte to none.

sometimes the size will be too large for tumblr's limit since i like bright colors, and depending on how many frames are in each gif, most of them end up on the large side. i have to fight photoshop sometimes to make it work by either trimming a few frames or messing slighting with the lighting. occasionally i end up having to go back and reimport the videos to divide the frames equally if i don't want to trim any off. it’s a pain, and it’s something i should honestly try to plan out before that point lmao.

but if you're satisfied with how it looks, save, and you're good to post!

[ruewrites]

Hii! so i really love Dialuci and i wanted to request a fic about them. I like the 5 things + 1 thing trope but i saw that u already have a fic like that, so if you dont wanna use i understand, i just want a cute Dialuci fic bc they are adorable 💖

5 Times Diavolo Felt a Little Less Alone

AO3

Ship: Diavolo/Lucifer

Word Count: 2005

Warnings: None

A/N: Hi Anon! I’m always down for 5+1 requests! I hope you like this! I’m still getting used to writing for this ship, but I had fun!

1

Diavolo’s fingers danced along the castle walls as he gazed at the fallen Morning Star. He was more than the prince could ever wish for, to ever hope for, and he was standing right there. Well, sitting. He’d met Lucifer before, but he’d never seen him this worn. It was understandable, but still.

Gripping his nerves, Diavolo decided to approach him once more. Lucifer’s eyes swept up towards the movement and the Prince suddenly was all too aware of his heart pounding away in his chest. 

“May I take this seat?” he asked.

Lucifer was silent for a moment, then he nodded, “I suppose you can.”

He was a bit more eager than he’d like to admit at the ‘okay’. He wanted to turn the Devildom into a home for Lucifer and his brothers, to make them all feel comfortable. He wanted them to want to stay. 

Lucifer regarded him oddly, almost as if he couldn’t make out Diavolo’s intentions. Which was fair by all means. Perhaps he wasn’t setting the most appropriate of moods, but he found himself giddy at the mere thought of sitting close to the Morning Star. Even if the circumstances that brought them together once more were grim, he was still happy that he got to see him again. 

“Can I get you some tea?”

He wasn’t sure if he wanted something to calm Lucifer or his own nerves. He’d have Barbatos bring every type out that he could find. He wanted to give Lucifer the widest variety of options that he could. He wanted to give Lucifer anything that he could.

“I suppose that would be nice,” Lucifer seemed hesitant. It was understandable of course, but Diavolo was already summoning Barbatos. He was going to make the Devildom home for Lucifer. 

***

2

Diavolo loved parties. They filled the castle up with people and laughter and music. Things Diavolo wished there had been more of as he was growing up. Even so, sometimes the parties still felt lonely. Others wouldn’t address him the same way they addressed each other. It made sense, he was the Devildom’s prince. They had to treat him with respect. 

He could act like one of them.

But he couldn’t be one of them.

His fingers tightened around his glass. 

“Lord Diavolo, are you quite alright?” Lucifer was staring at him. Lucifer’s attention was on him. 

He forced a laugh and put his hand on his shoulder, “Of course! Why would I be anything other than okay?

Lucifer’s brow furrowed and his lip twitched. He didn’t believe a word that had just come out of Diavolo’s mouth. Lucifer was the eldest of his brothers and the one that kept them in line, he knew when he was being lied to.

But before he could get a word out, Diavolo was already spewing more words at him. “I mean, just look at everyone out there having a grand time! There’s nothing to be disappointed about when there’s so many smiling faces,” he said, “In fact, shouldn’t you be out there enjoying yourself too?”

Getting Diavolo to try to go back to their previous discussion would be like taking Cerberus to the vet. So Lucifer played along, for now.

“I don’t believe I will, I have a perfect vantage point of my brothers from here.”

“Vantage-?”

Diavolo glanced out to where Lucifer was nodding. The rest of the six were all in perfect view with a slight turn of the head. He shouldn’t be surprised, Lucifer always had to make sure his brothers were on his best behavior. Well, Diavolo didn’t necessarily think that Lucifer had to per say, it was something he just did. 

“So if it’s quite alright with you, I think I’m content on staying right here.”

For the first time that night, Diavolo felt himself relax and offer a genuine smile, “Of course.”

***

3

He knew it was late, but come on. Diavolo tapped the back of his D.D.D. restlessly as he listened to the line ring. Sure he could send a text, but he just wanted to hear someone else’s voice for a moment. Just a moment. Then he would be content.

He was about to hang up and redial again when a tired voice came  up on the other end of the line. 

“Diavolo? Do you have any idea what time it is?” 

Part of him felt bad when he heard Lucifer yawn on the other end of the line, but his heart also leapt at the sound of his voice. Lucifer had a strange affect on him, and Diavolo was addicted to the sensation. It filled a void that rested deep within him, and he didn’t want that space to ever be vacant again. 

“Ah, I apologize Lucifer. I just had something I wanted to tell you,” he stopped. Well, that phrase wasn’t completely a lie. He was sorry, but he didn’t have anything to say. “But it all seems to be slipping my mind right now.”

Silence flooded the other end of the line. A sigh entered his ear. “Diavolo- Send me a text when you remember then. You can always tell me to-”

“Wait.”

He could feel Lucifer hesitate. He could practically see the way his eyebrow raised, how his arms would fold if he wasn’t holding his D.D.D.  He could feel the way he analyzed him, looking for the smallest bit of truth, the tiniest give away in his being. His words died at his lips, his normal forms of begging and pleading refused to come out. 

He didn’t want to be alone.

Not right now.

Not ever.

“Please don’t go.”

His voice came out so small. It didn’t fit him. Normally his presence was powerful and captivating, but not he felt like the smallest breeze could blow him away. The ticking of his clock started to flood his mind, drawing out any other possible thought he could have had. 

Time stretched out in odd ways Diavolo couldn’t comprehend, and there was only one thing that brought him back.

“Alright, alright. I’ll stay on the line, just don’t mind if you hear snoring. Now, what do you want to tell me?”

***

4

“Oh Lucifer! Look at this!”

Humans had such odd little things, but they were also incredibly dear. Who would have thought about making tiny clothes for animals? Adorable! 

Diavolo held up a small yellow raincoat and pushed it  into Lucifer’s face, “You should see if you can get a big one for Cerberus.

“Cerberus will be fine without,” yet his eyes lingered on the small outfit for a moment too long. A smile cracked at his lips, “I do believe I know a certain chihuahua it might fit though.”

Lucifer chuckled to himself as Diavolo continued to gaze at the little treasures that decorated the walls. “Oh they even have little rain boots! It’s a shame they don’t have anything bigger. Human dogs are just so tiny.  And they don’t have nearly enough heads. They’re still just as lovable though.”

His hands moved to the bones and a frown spread across his face, “These are hardly fit for a dog.”

“On that front I agree with you. Not bloody enough.”

“Not big enough.”

“And they hardly look study.”

“It would barely function as a toothpick!”

“And no meat either.”

“It’s sad really.”

“Trully.”

The human world was different from the Devildom, very different. Diavolo could honestly say he’d never experienced something quite like it before. Everytime he thought he had it figured out something new popped out from around the corner. What made the entire thing even more wonderful was having someone to share it with.

He peered at Lucifer from the corner of his eye. Before he knew what was happening, the warmth of Lucifer's lower back was pressed against his hand. Lucifer stiffened ever so slightly. Then his muscles relieved themselves of their tension.

The Demon Prince had someone to share his experiences with.

***

5

This was an ethereal experience. It wasn’t something he could take lightly. This was a sign of trust. This was so much bigger than him, and Diavolo wasn’t about to take it lightly. Lucifer’s naked back was to him, his blackened wings stretched out before him. Diavolo felt as if he could see every breath the Morning Star took, every heartbeat drowned out the ticking of the clock. 

“Are you sure?” Diavolo wanted to give him one last chance to back out. This was something sacred and intimate, something that he knew must have Lucifer on edge. 

Lucifer’s head nodded ever so slightly, “Just remember what I told you.”

Diavolo swore he could feel his hands shaking, anxiety curled around his stomach like a serpent the closer he came to the majestic sight before him. Then the soft silky texture brushed against his finger tips. He couldn’t help but admire them as he ran his fingers along their gradient. 

Lucifer trusted him with this.

Lucifer wanted him to do this.

He could have teared up in that moment, He promised himself that he would forever hold this specific moment close to his heart.

Of course Lucifer’s wings wouldn’t preen themselves. “Tell me if I do anything wrong.”

Perhaps he’d gotten too close to Lucifer’s ear, maybe his breath had been a little too hot, maybe he shouldn’t have gazed at Lucifer’s reddening cheeks as long as he did. But he wouldn’t change it for the world. His right hand man trusted him. A man as wonderful and beautiful and radiant and intelligent as Lucifer trusted him. Diavolo was allowed into his life.

The room was dark, quiet, and safe. 

Diavolo never wanted to share anything this intimate with anyone else.

***

+1

The first thing Diavolo registered was how warm everything around him was and the fire softly crackling against the wall. Slowly his eyes peeled open and he sat up. After taking in his surroundings, he came to realize that  he’d fallen asleep at his desk. Something quite unusual for him. He grabbed at the blanket around his shoulders as questions filled his brain.

“This is quite the role reversal isn’t it?”

Ah. Lucifer. 

Diavolo hadn’t even noticed him.

A kiss was pressed against his cheek and a cup was set down onto the table. Spices immediately filled all of Diavolo’s senses flooding every corner of his head. 

“Usually you’re the one doing things for me when I’ve been at my desk for too long, and now here we are.”

Diavolo brought the cup to his lips, enjoying the warmth against his skin, “It took so much for you to allow me to spoil you.”

“Not everyone in the world is as genuine as you Diavolo, and affection isn’t something I’ve been particularly used to.” 

Lucifer’s hands soared over the desk as he started to organize various papers and documents. Honestly, at this point Lucifer was probably almost as skilled as Barbatos when it came to organizing Diavolo’s desk. Diavolo liked watching him work, it almost reminded him of a dance. Watching Lucifer was always a wonderful time, it was a treat. Perhaps domestic was the correct word.

“I believe you’ve told  me before that there’s more comfortable places to relax than a desk.”

“Like plush chairs by the fireplace?”

“I do believe you mentioned those, yes,” Lucifer took his hand and helped him up, “Join me?”

Diavolo had gotten a taste of company all those years ago, and now he constantly lived in company. His old self would be envious of what he had now. As long as he had Lucifer he wouldn’t be lonely, he’d have warm nights and bright days. There would always be a reason to make a second cup of tea or to bring two plates to the study. His things would sit next to Lucifer’s, they could have long conversations or comforting silence, and the chair next to him would never be empty. 

Finally Diavolo had someone to share his life with.

Finally life wouldn’t be lonely anymore.

#ruewrites #anon #request #anon request #obey me #obey me diavolo #obey me lucifer #diavolo x lucifer #dialuci #5+1 things #5+1 fic #angst #fluff #angst with a happy ending

[honeyedlashton]

Leave Your Mark With Every Bite

Words: 2,949

Warnings: smut, also general anxiousness and anxiety around this whole thing.

Ship: Lashton (I’m so sorry I’m in a mood to write them half broken up)

A/N: this idea hit me in the shower, and I don’t know why I felt the compulsive need to make these two be trainwrecks, but, fuck am I here for it. I need angsty Lashton cause I’ve written too much fluff. So here you go. Here’s some “we shouldn’t be doing this,” for reasons I’ll leave open to interpretation. (I have a few in mind but, not everyone agrees with my sentiments, so I don’t wanna step on toes.) So take it as you will, here’s this toxic ass version of their relationship.

—————————————————————————— 

“i need to see u”

The white letters on the blue bubble stood out. The first non-grey text in a week. Luke shook reading it over. He shook even worse seeing the three little grey dots pop up on the opposite side of the screen.

It was a long time. Too long watching the graceful bouncing of the oversized ellipses. Their grace did nothing to soothe Luke’s mind. It had to have been a full minute l before those grey dots turned into: “On my way now...”

Luke could only guess the horrible things Ashton had erased. It was implied through the passive punctuation. And not for the first time this hour, he felt guilty.

He sat on his couch and hugged his knees to his chest, he was wrapped in his big white hoodie. He was safe, but not really. He was still shaking and racing a million miles a minute.

He found doing nothing made the seconds feel twice as long. So he fidgeted with his guitar. Not really playing anything, just giving his hands something to do. Anything to keep him from thinking too hard about what he was doing. Or why he was feeling guilty at all. He knew he was in the right, so why did he feel so horrible about it?

Eleven minutes was all it took. Enough time to send Luke into multiple spirals, and enough time for Ashton to arrive.

Luke saw the lights in the driveway, and practically threw his guitar out of his lap getting up to race out the door. He grabbed his keys as he left.

It was one of those peculiar times in the mid-spring where it rained in L.A.

Luke didn’t slow down, running up to the passenger door and got inside, barely looking at the illuminated figure that was warm and dry and staring back at him. Music played softly through the speakers, some melancholy soundtrack that seemed to match his mood perfectly. Luke buckled in before either of them could say anything. “Let’s just...drive,” Luke managed after a second, finally looking over at Ashton.

Finally. The interior lights had switched off, but the dashboard’s white lights on the dials made Ashton’s cheek and jawline stand out as he looked back at Luke. Glasses on, hair soft. He looked like the boy Luke loved so much.

He suddenly wanted to cry.

“Okay,” Ashton nodded, and reversed back out of the driveway. Silent and stoic. Two things Luke knew Ashton rarely was. Tonight was the exception.

The roads were almost empty, but not. Empty for L.A. Empty for 2 am on a fresh Friday. Empty for a pandemic. But not really empty at all. Luke could barely hear the music over the sound of the rain and the engine and the road, but it didn’t bother him. Being surrounded by these familiar things—Ashton’s leather seats, the smell of his air freshener, the smell of him—made Luke feel safe in a way the hoodie just couldn’t.

“Do you hate me?” Luke asked after they’d turned out of his suburbs.

Ashton scoffed in a way that showed real amusement. “Of course I don’t hate you. Whether the feeling is mutual or not’s the real question, though.”

Luke didn’t answer for a second. “I want to. I wish I could.”

Ashton nodded like he’d been expecting that answer, and just drove on at a green light.

“Don’t be worried.” Luke knew he was, “there’s still lots of love keeping me from thinking about it too hard.”

“Where am I driving us?” Ashton asked, even though he had already made a few of the decisions already.

“Beach.”

Ashton’s expression didn’t change, and he just drove on.

“I hate when you do that.”

“Do what?” Ashton asked.

“Not answer me,” Luke huffed, and realized only before Ashton looked at him just how hypocritical he sounded. “I have an excuse...”

Ashton sighed. “I know...”

“I don’t wanna talk about that,” Luke grumbled. “Any of this shit. I texted you for a reason you know.”

“Why did you text me?” He didn’t sound hostile, just tired.

“I miss you.”

Almost like that was what he had been waiting for, Ashton’s hand dropped from the steering wheel and reached for Luke’s in his lap. His fingers were chilly from the air conditioner, but then again so we’re Luke’s. He pressed their palms together like Ashton was a lifeline. He felt his angst deflate in his chest. And he even reached to turn up the radio.

Its about a forty minute drive to the beach, and Luke knew this before asking. But he needed to see something other than his house, and right now, everything looked better than that. But the ocean was the only thing Luke loved to look at. Even at night, even in the rain.

The horizon was vast and open. The gradient of dark grey above faded to light grey as the clouds above hit nearly pitch black water. Ashton parked in front of it. An empty parking lot overlooking the grand beach. Their spot.

As soon as Ashton’s car was in park Luke nearly jumped into his arms, without words, without unbuckling. His lips found Ashton’s in the dim light, and Ashton’s didn’t shy away. All that was on his mind at that moment was savoring the feeling. The taste. The idea of having him this close. His Ashton.

Ashton only broke their kiss after a second to cut off the headlights and unbuckle his seatbelt. “Luuu...” Ashton groaned. “What are we doing?”

“Anything you’ll let me do,” Luke whined against his lips, unhappy that they kept getting interrupted.

“Not what I mean,” Ashton murmured.

Luke knew that, by the way he pulled away as he spoke.

“Luke...” Ashton urged.

“Please...” Luke whined looking at Ashton’s silhouette in the dark. Without any lights in the car, or streetlights around, it was hard to see anything at all. “Please, don’t ruin it. I need you...” tears pricked his eyes as he spoke, and he felt the lump rise in his throat.

And whether Ashton could see Luke’s eyes water in the dark, or he decided to give in, Ashton met Luke’s passion with a vengeance.

Luke felt Ashton’s nimble fingers fidget clumsily with Luke’s seatbelt buckle before he felt himself finally free from it. He wasted no time climbing over Ashton’s lap. It was awkward, it hurt his knees, but, god...he needed this, and he wasn’t talking himself out of it. He wasn’t letting Ashton talk him out out of it. He deserved to be reckless.

Ashton’s lips broke away from his and he immediately wanted to cry again, till he felt soft open lips pressed to that sweet spot on Luke’s neck. Hot and dizzying and stirring his nerves into a frenzy. He sighed with his eyes going out of focus. “Oh, Ash...” he whispered.

The prickle of Ashton’s stubble poked at Luke’s neck, and it jolted him in ways his own facial hair couldn’t. Luke found his hands tangled in the soft black curls. Even though he couldn’t see them, he’d remembered how fluffy it had been. He smelled like his shampoo and conditioner. He melted a little more at the familiarity, and tugged the locks in his fists.

“Fuck,” Ashton hissed. His arms tightened around Luke’s waist, and hands ghosted over his round bum in his shorts.

“Fuck me,” Luke whimpered, but he knew Ashton must have been expecting it. “Right here. I don’t care. I need you. I’m sorry.” Every sentence punctuated an inhale or exhale.

Ashton was seemingly two steps ahead, maneuvering the seat back, and Luke down with him. “I thought you’d never ask...” he leaned up to chase Luke’s lips again, which were happy to find his. Eager even. Just like Luke’s hands were to find the zipper of Ashton’s jeans.

Luke hadn’t fucked in a car very many times in his life, but he’d done it enough to know how to slide his partner’s pants down without moving more than necessary. It was a skill he was proud of. It was a skill he showcased now.

They were ill-prepared for this task. No lube. Just a condom in Ashton’s wallet and hopefully enough combined spit to not split Luke in half.

He wore his hoodie, while his shorts wadded uncomfortably around only one of his knees, as it pressed into the seatbelt buckle on Ashton’s side. But Luke wasn’t picky—at least he refused to be right now.

He felt high. He felt drunk. He felt relieved to kiss Ashton and feel his kiss back. He’d spent nights dreaming of being this close again, but only after the thousands of daydreams of killing him faded with the sunset.

Luke pushed back on Ashton’s three fingers. Eager. Hungry for touch. Hungry for only Ashton’s touch.

And just like he’d hoped, Ashton reminded him of that. “Missed me so much...couldn’t stand to be away from daddy could you?”

Luke shook his head. “Uh-uh,” he blushed across his nose. He was finally getting stimulation and degradation. It was basically the perfect day, minus his anxiousness. “Needed daddy. M-missed him so much...”

Ashton purred softly and kissed behind Luke’s ear. The heat ran directly down Luke’s spine and pooled in his tummy. “Well, daddy’s right here. Gonna fill you up and make you forget all about it,” he scissored his fingers one last time, before pulling out.

Luke whined, feeling empty and cold again, but that was only before Ashton placed the familiar thick tip against him. He practically rolled his eyes back like he hadn’t felt it in months. And officially he hadn’t...but if shit like this counted... well, then that was a different answer.

He rocked his hips back against Ashton, and panted, “please, please,” he whimpered and begged. “I’ll be so good. I promise...”

“‘Please, please’ what, baby? What are you asking for?” Ashton’s voice dripped with condescension, and Luke knew the week of leaving Ashton on read was coming back to haunt him.

“Your c-cock...” Luke hiccuped. “Need it...”

“Well you got it right there, sweetheart. What more could you want?”

“Want it inside me. Want you inside, right now...”

“Yeah? You sure you don’t wanna think about it some more? Don’t wanna make me wait a little longer?”

“Nuh-Uh...” Luke shook his head rapidly. “Just want you inside me, please...”

Ashton wasn’t a torturer, and Luke knew that. He wasn’t one to make Luke beg too much when he was this distraught. So he pushed up into him at that last “please” and Luke had to struggle to catch his breath.

“Oh! Mmm!” He gasped and furrowed his brows. Ashton’s hands splayed large and steady over part of Luke’s bum and the small of his back, as if guiding him to move. As if Luke needed the help.

“Goddamnit...” Ashton gulped and, Luke’s eyes must have adjusted to the complete dark, cause he could see a little shape of Ashton’s jaw, as he tossed his head back. “Why the fuck did I ever agree to let you go?”

“Shhh, daddy...” Luke whispered and kissed at Ashton’s cheek, when he thought he was aiming for his lips again. “Don’t ruin it...”

Ashton only seemed to get worse then. He gripped Luke’s skin under the hoodie, to the point it felt like he’d bruise. “Then remind me whose pussy this is...” Ashton growled, crashing his hips up against Luke’s small circular movements.

Luke felt it brush against his spot, only that once. And then he was left to chase it on his own again. The whine he’d let out was pathetic. And it didn’t answer Ashton’s question at all.

“Huh?” Ashton smacked his bum, and the clap of skin on skin stung in their ears only briefly since the car absorbed so much sound. “Tell me...”

“Yours, daddy...” Luke whined, cheeks hot.

“My what? Use your words”

“Your pussy. It belongs to you...” Luke hiccuped without remorse.

Ashton snapped his hips up again and Luke felt the white heat rush all over his body. Luke chased it, throwing his hips down like he couldn’t take it anymore.

Ashton panted out moans and crashed their lips together. All lips and teeth and tangling tongues in the darkness, but it was heat. And it felt and smelled and sounded like Ashton, so Luke would take everything he could.

He whined into the kiss, his body basically overheating the closer he got. The music on the radio subsumed the random thoughts in Luke’s head, at least the only ones not actively chasing release. His legs ached, his body felt ridged and achy, but he didn’t stop.

And all at once he didn’t remember the bad shit. He didn’t remember the problems or the reason they were forced apart. All there was, was them both holding each other for all of eternity.

“You’re slacking,” Ashton growled though his breaths were short, “pick up the pace, princess.”

Luke whined and dug down to do it despite the protest in his thighs. Because in reality, he loved when Ashton pushed him. He craved the approval too much to protest. “M trying,” he pouted.

“Well do better. You asked for daddy’s cock, so at least act like you want it.”

Luke blushed and slammed his hips down and he could tell by the way Ashton sighed he did perfectly right. “That’s more like it...” he purred. “That’s the little bunny I know...”

Luke hugged Ashton’s shoulders and buried himself further into his neck. Panting the warm heat of Ashton’s cologne and his own breath recycled back at him till it was suffocating. “There! There!” He clung to him with a desperate whine, nosing behind his ear. He wanted complete closeness. If he could press their chests within each other and wrap Ashton’s ribs around his, he would. And Ashton hugged him back just as feverishly.

The tidal wave of orgasm hit him hot and fast. And Ashton seemed to notice before any words could tumble out of his mouth. He was already kissing at Luke’s jaw. “Cum, baby. It’s okay...” he murmured against his skin. Luke melted into that, spilling all over his tummy under his hoodie with a pathetic whine. And then it was Ashton’s turn to groan and cum between pants of pleasure and heat exhaustion.

The rain had picked up at some point in their throes, and now drummed down on the car with loud taps. The radio seemed quiet by comparison. Only their heavied breaths really stood a chance against the backdrop of sound.

“Lu...” Ashton whispered after they had calmed, their bodies still pressed together in a lovers embrace.

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

It hurt to hear. But Luke knew it would have hurt him more not to hear it.

“I love you, too...”

Ashton sighed like he’d deflated and shifted under Luke. It took every ounce of strength the blonde boy had to push himself away from Ashton so he could sit the seat back up.

“We have to stop doing this,” Ashton said softly. Not reprimanding him. He got a napkin from the glove compartment and lifted Luke’s hoodie to clean him up. It was like clockwork. Luke came to expect that phrase now after meeting up in secret.

“I know.”

“I have to stop saying yes. But you’re so easy to give into,” Ashton pouted.

“I know.”

“We have to be—.”

“Please don’t say it,” Luke pleaded, and the tears he’d been pushing down welled up again. “Please. I don’t want you to talk about it, I don’t wanna think about it. I just want you, and I don’t want to think about the consequences of my goddamn actions for once! Please...I already know. So will you just hold me and tell me everything’s going to be okay without taking it back?” The rain of Luke’s tears fell down his cheeks and landed somewhere into the void of darkness.

“Okay...”

“Okay. Because I love you, and I hate you. And I can’t let you go...” he sobbed into Ashton’s neck. He wasn’t too surprised to feel Ashton’s arms wrap around him. They always did when Luke was in pain. Even when they were the two most opposed people on the planet.

Luke found it so annoying.

But he just hugged Ashton closer, crying harder. “I wish you hated me. I wish we could break it off and go our separate ways for good.”

Ashton pet his hair, and it annoyed him more.

“Don’t you think I’ve been a bitch? Aren’t you mad at me?”

“No.”

“Liar.”

“I’m not. I’m worried. I want you. I wish that we didn’t have to—. I wish things were different.”

The problem was, Luke could tell that Ashton was telling the truth. And it hurt even worse. “Well wishing isn’t gonna make it any better.” He stared at the foggy windows. “Let’s stay here tonight. I can’t sleep without you.” He admitted petulantly. Like a kid in time out.

Ashton cut off the car at that, and held Luke close. “Then we’ll stay...”

Luke unsurprisingly only thought about the consequences that would lie in wait for them tomorrow, but for now he was safe. And warm. And familiar. And coming down from so many intense emotions that he just didn’t care. He let them drift off with every flourish of Ashton’s feather light touch on his back.

“Don’t ever let this moment end.” Luke whispered into the gentle thrum of Ashton’s pulse as he faded into sleep. And he knew if Ashton really loved him he’d lie.

And right before the tendrils of sleep took him under, he heard the gentle confirmation in two words:

“Never ever.”

#me trying to work myself back into writing #idk if this is good #but it was all I could think of #I couldn’t find a good Lashton photo from 2020 which says a lot about my topic #this is all for fun though as usual #so anyway please be kind cause #I wrote this #lashton blurb #nsft lashton #lashton nsft blurb #lashton one shot #Ashton Irwin #Luke Hemmings #5sos #gay5sos #please don’t read if you don’t enjoy gay content #obviously #lrh #lashton #afi #nobody comes between me and my tequila #this looks like it’s gonna piss me off #otp: i’m fond of you #I promise I’m gonna go back and do the keep reading thing I just wrote this on my phone for right now don’t hate me #I’ll do that with all my fics #scholarly

[neojeno]

I really wouldn't mind you aiding me with some tutorials love

giffing tutorial/resources

hi anon! sorry it took me so long to answer. i figured this might be helpful for others out there who have asked me similar questions, so i’ve compiled a pretty comprehensive list of tutorials/resources. idk about others but when i was new to giffing, it took me a lot of painful effort to go around and look for resources, so i’m putting it all here to make it a little easier!

i download videos using 4k video downloader. it will download very good quality 1080p videos in .mp4 format. if you’re downloading a 4k video, make sure to change the setting option to .mkv so that you get 4k and not 1080p—for obvious reasons since you want the highest quality.

i rely on kpopexciting to get .ts files — which are basically raw, very high quality video files for live performances. they are much less grainy than .mp4 versions of live performances—which are the ones you’ll see uploaded to youtube. i’ve found that 4k videos (in .mkv) are just as good quality as .ts, but obviously you will rarely see live performances in 4k, so get .ts when you can!! you can also try to find .ts files on twitter, but you may have to do a lot of digging. i wish i could recommend you twitter accounts, but the ones i used to go to have been very inactive/taken down all their drives :( but this website is really nice and updated frequently so i would recommend it!

vapoursynth links + download. the reason you would use vapoursynth is to resize your gif, while maintaining the optimal quality of the gif. if you gif without vapoursynth (.ie only using photoshop), it will still be fine, but the image quality may be grainier. also, you will definitely need vapoursynth to gif .ts files —more will be explained in the tutorial i’ve linked below. i would recommend that you have a high processing/lots of ram/newer desktop or laptop to use vapoursynth so that 1, your computer isn’t fried and 2, your vapoursynth process will go a lot faster. i am using a 2017 macbook pro for all my work, and it runs pretty well, but my laptop still gets pretty hot so just make sure you’re not running a million things in the background while using adobe products and vapoursynth lol. i used a pretty old and beat up 2011 model macbook air back then, and i will say that yes vapoursynth worked and ran on it, but it took much longer, and basically fried the laptop’s battery (aka i had to get the battery changed twice and the laptop would die randomly) but issok it was a school borrowed laptop so i didn’t feel too bad lol. im just saying this as a precaution, to preserve the health of your electronic devices!! but don’t be afraid to use vapoursynth! you should still try it at least once.

thank you to @realstraykids for this super detailed, really nice tutorial! it includes how and where to download videos, how to gif using vapoursynth, using photoshop, comparisons, coloring, and pretty much all you need to know. 10/10 would recommend

thank you to @dreamcolouring for this lifesaver!!! the best and easiest way to blur out unwanted captions/objects in your gifs. i recommend doing this step after converting your frames to video timeline and before you do sharpening and coloring. another tip i’ll add is to feather the selection you’ve made right before you click on “add vector mask” —this will make sense once you’ve read through the tutorial. feathering it will make the blurred spot less noticeable and more subtle.

i use this generator to create gradient colored captions! copy and paste your text, then select the colors you want. generate the code, and copy it. change the settings of the text editor on your post to HTML. paste the code, preview, and voila! add elements <blockquote>,<b>,<i>, etc as needed. see more on colored captions in this tutorial by @kylos​ --i believe op mentioned a different and better color generator but for some reason it won’t work for me :( hopefully it works for u! basically same idea as the previous generator i mentioned.

my own mini tutorial/workflow process of making gifs. this includes working with a .ts file, vapoursynth, photoshop, coloring, watermarking, etc. and a few of my own tips below:

if you are working with an .mp4, you do not have to make any changes to the preprocessor/denoise filters/sharpening in the resizing part of vapoursynth—it doesn’t make that big of a difference if you do. but if you are working with a .ts file, definitely do make those changes,, that’s the whole reason you have vapoursynth. with an .mp4, i like to use vapoursynth to just resize, but i don’t add any additional settings. i use smart sharpen in photoshop to sharpen it, which is pretty good on it’s own (at least in photoshop 2020!).

my rule of thumb is to do add .02 seconds when i am setting frame delay. so if when you first import the frames, they are at 0.04 seconds, i usually change them to 0.06. of course, this is my personal taste—you can make all your gifs faster or slower depending on how you want em to look.

if you are on a mac, you can screen record by pressing Command+Shift+5 (it’s a shortcut to quicktime screen recording). I only screen record for things like the beyond live concert or other live streamed events. the image quality of the screen recording, in my experience, is actually pretty good. when you gif the screen recording however, you may notice that it adds extra frames that you don’t need. by that i mean duplicate frames. you could keep the duplicate frames but that just means the size of your gif is going to be much bigger (keep in mind the limit is 8mb). in order to remove those duplicates, my only solution has been to remove them manually (by holding Command while selecting), or when you are importing the video to frames, select the option to “limit to every 2 frames”—but this method will be less precise and still not as good as manually removing frames. if you remove the duplicate frames, this means you will need to set the frame delay even slower, to make up for lost frames. in my experience, fps(frames per second) and frame delay work in conjunction. so for example, if i delete every other frame because they are duplicates,  but the starting frame delay is 0.02, i am now going to change it to something like 0.05 (so i added 0.03 seconds rather than my usual 0.02). if the duration length and the image dimensions of the gif are short/small, feel free to keep the duplicate frames in—i only delete duplicate frames in order to keep my gif under the 8mb limit. then, if you keep the duplicate frames in, continue with your standard frame delay preferences.  now that i’m writing this im realizing this might not make a lot of sense lol.. but don’t worry about it for now and if you run into trouble w screen recorded gifs then you can come back to this for reference. again, this is only my experience recording on a mac—it may be a lot different if you use a screen recording program or are on a pc.

i don’t really use .psd templates because i like to give every gif/gifset it’s own unique coloring—so i remake the coloring every time, but if you get into a rhythm it’s pretty easy. there are a lot of nice coloring tutorials out there, too! my personal coloring adjustments in order: levels, exposure, color balance, selective color (if needed), vibrance, photo filter (if needed), color lookup (i use 2strip most often and i put it on ‘color’ blending mode). don’t forget to adjust the opacities and fills of the ‘color lookup’ adjustment layer in case it’s too strong. go back to correct each adjustment layer as needed. then, when you’re done and satisfied, group all those layers, copy the group (you can do an easy command+c), and paste it onto the next gif you’re working on for easy workflow.

if for some reason you can’t see the frames when you import your layers/video, it’s likely because your ‘timeline’ window isn’t showing up. just go to the window menu on photoshop, go to the bottom and you’ll see ‘timeline.’ make sure it has a check next to it.

i recommend watermarking your gifs because a lot of people like to repost tings these days 😠 - so make sure u got your brand on it! i keep my watermark saved to my ‘libraries’ in photoshop so it’s ready when i need it. i use the blending mode ‘overlay’ and adjust the opacity, but if you don’t want to do that you can also add a stroke/shadow to your watermark/do all sorts.

tag #nctinc for your nct creations and #jenonet for your jeno creations!!

here’s my own mini tutorial (well not much of a tutorial ig more like a work process vid?): took about ten minutes including the time to search and download the video (but i didn’t record that part i trust yall know how to do that), vapoursynth, and exporting. i hope this helps somewhat! feel free to ask more questions whenever :)

keep in mind that giffing takes a lot of patience, energy, and experience—so don’t worry if it takes you a bit to figure things out or if your gifs don’t turn out the way you want them to the first time around. we all start at the same place and all run into problems. i know giffing can sound intimidating and seem like a lot of work, but i promise, once you get into a routine, giffing is going to happen in minutes—and you’ll get beautiful gifs. have fun! 😊

#anon #answered #tut #tuts #giffing tutorial #should i make a tut/resources post on gfx? not rly sure if gfx can be taught.. it's like a lottt about personal style imo lol #hope this helps! #not just for anon but for anyone

[intoxicatingimmediacy]

Partners S1: E5 Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal

Daveed & Rafael are best friends and artists who have collaborated across film, theater, music, and poetry. Their partnership extends beyond the normal boundaries of friendship, and the normal boundaries of a working relationship.

Rafael: There's sort of a before we met and an after we met and no gradient. Daveed: Yeah. Rafael: I don't remember— Daveed: It's like, I don't even know this guy and then this is the person I work with on everything. Rafael: And I'm pretty sure I said to him, I was like, "This is my best friend." Daveed: I'm Daveed Diggs. Rafael: I'm Rafael Casal. Daveed: And we're buddies.

Listen to it here

Full transcript under the cut...

Daveed: I'm not sure when we met or when we were formally introduced, but surely at some sort of poetry event, because we were both sort of coming up in that scene. I was older, I was four years older than him. Rafael: My freshman year, his senior year. That's a lifetime apart in high school. My memory of him in high school is Diggs always had a very nonchalant way about him. I don't know that this paints it accurately, but this is a representation of it, at some point Diggs was like, "I'm just wearing pajama pants to school every day," and I'm sure that wasn't the whole time, I got this little window of it. Daveed: It was the whole time. All of high school, for sure. Rafael: That's amazing. Daveed: It was as a rule. But we would see each other at these poetry events and he was really, really good at writing poems. A way more sort of focused writer than I had ever been in that situation, you know? So I remember that. I remember thinking that here's a person that's actually better than me at this thing and that's pretty cool. Daveed: Then over the years, also after when I was in college, when I'd come back home for the summers, sometimes I'd drop in just to watch poetry things that were happening, sort of check in on the scene. He was the dude, he had become that guy. Rafael: I remember that so differently. I barely finished high school in a very nontraditional way and then went off and did this show on HBO, Def Poetry.

Rafael: I came back and had just enough money saved up with some friends to open a very dungeon-y recording studio and we were looking for other artists. We didn't have anybody else recording at the studio. So a mutual friend of ours, one of his close friends who was the older brother of one of my close friends was like, "You know Daveed raps?" Daveed: Yeah, we really got set up on a rapper play date. So our friend Justin was like, "You guys should work together. You're two of my favorite rappers." I was like, "Yeah, yeah." And he played me his stuff and it was really good. I didn't have anywhere to record, I was recording songs in my Mom's closet, in the little closet in my room. I hadn't been in a lot of studio spaces, so I was like, oh, a studio? Rafael: I don't know that this qualified as an actual studio. Daveed: I didn't know that yet because I hadn't been there yet. Rafael: But I don't think we had any idea what meeting each other and actually getting time was going to be like. Daveed: Finally we started. It was like, this is the song we're going to work. We had listened through some beats and it was like, "Let's work on this one." I just started writing and, yeah, it happened really fast. At some point we looked up and everyone else was gone and it was just the two of us in there and we were still making music. Rafael: We just made music until the sun came up and began the ritual that day of going to the car at 8:00 AM and playing everything that you'd recorded and then dragging your body home to sleep and kind of doing it all over again. Daveed: I'd been making music for many, many years and it had never been that much fun before. Rafael: Suddenly there's this person that writes a verse in five minutes and can nail it in a take. And at the time we were working with some random singers and stuff that couldn't ever sing the line and rappers who took an hour to get a verse down. It was just like, "Wow, this is so easy," and then we'd just have songs done.

Daveed: As a young artist early on when I'm still trying to figure things out and creating is hard for me, being around somebody who just creates all the time, it's addictive. I don't have the technical skill set that Rafa has, so he was so fast in Pro Tools. He was all of these things that I just would have to labor over and then all of that stuff became really impressive too. Once, as we started working together and I became aware that he had taught himself all of these things, nobody ever really showed him how to do anything, it seemed like... and he was editing videos and shooting things, the whole range of what it takes to be a music artist out in the world he had taught himself to do. I didn't really know anybody like that. Rafael: Over the next four or five years we recorded hundreds of songs- Daveed: So many more songs- Rafael:...that no-one's heard. Daveed:...that no-one will ever hear. Rafael: Legit hundreds and wrote a play together and then we lived together and it was like, oh man. When we're around each other this much it's like we have too many ideas. It was the right amount of proximity for the full version of creativity that we had always... we had thought we'd already tapped it and we did so much shit that year. I think artistically we were doing great. Daveed: Yeah, we're definitely making it and we were definitely broke. Rafael: People knew us. Daveed: It was just a combination of the thing, it was like- Rafael: We got on the radio. Daveed: This is also great, listen to how he says we. Because really Rafa was known, right? He had a song that got played on Clear Channel radio and then got named one of the Bay Area Freshmen '10. Rafael: Best new whatever. Daveed: He got named one of those, but Rafa never would take that for himself, it was always us. We are. We played those shows together and would end up making no money on these gigs because he would bring me and a band, four or five other people to play music, use the entire fee to fly us out to wherever, Georgia and play a show where no-one would make any money but we got to play a show. He was doing that from jump for so long. Hrishikesh: Why was that how you would always do it? Rafael: Well because, one, I don't, I'm uncomfortable with I statements. Daveed: Berkeley is shit. Rafael: Berkeley is shit. I'm not good to roll with I statements, they feel self indulgent. I was raised to not feed an ego that feels constantly eager for food. What I love about that period is we were all pushing to little different degrees of success. We're just kind of weirdos almost in a scene that we kind of make sense in. They didn't understand Diggs very much at all, I feel like the more commercial Bay Areas scene and they only sort of understood me. It was very you're in, but don't try to make any changes, you know? And I think that's a big reason that we went to LA. We could see the top of the ladder and it's not getting any friendlier or more receptive. We maybe can make this movie and maybe there's different music opportunities down there, but it's definitely not going to happen here. And then suddenly we packed up from the West Oakland place and moved to LA. Daveed: Also we had already been, we were working on Blindspotting, so we'd been traveling up and down. Our producers, we had been driving to meet with them really frequently. Rafael: We were slumming it so hard when we got to LA, we were so poor. Diggs was delivering tacos. Daveed: Yeah. I was like... I couldn't be an actor in LA, is what I decided. Rafael: We're just swinging and missing, just trying to figure out what does it mean to be in the bigger pond and want to be artists professionally. We did five years in LA before Diggs went to New York to do Hamilton. I think that was one of those things that came about for Diggs really organically. Hamilton was such an interesting... it was a play, it was legit written for him to flex all the things he's good at. They were like, "Who's this rap kid that turns out can also act?" And the rest of us were like, "Turns out? He's been doing that more than a lot of y'all." And the world saw Diggs in the light that best showed everything and they not only accepted, but obsessed over it. And then I went to visit him in New York when the show was picking up steam and the first thing that happened is this girl grabs my arm and looks at Diggs and goes, "Oh my God, is that Daveed Diggs?" to me and I start to realize that this woman is Anne Hathaway and she's fan-girling out. I'm like, "Oh man, a major shift is happening."

Daveed: My life is changing very, very quickly. I was under stress constantly. Rafa is calling and texting and emailing and I'm getting back to the degree that I can. So yes, obviously it would have been so much easier and nicer if my best friend was also living in New York and somebody who has context for me outside of this thing. Rafael: I remember [inaudible 00:10:39] I turned to Diggs and I was like, "I'm thinking about moving to New York so you'll respond more in person." I remember Diggs goes, "I didn't want to ask." Daveed: That's a big ask and I'm doing eight shows a week. It's not like, move to New York and let's go kick it in the Berkshires, you know? It's like, move to New York and I'll see you at midnight sometimes. Rafael: But I was like, well it's just good for him to have a friend there. But also can I run your social media? Because you're not posting enough and people want to see this adventure and there's a sincere way to do it. And I had done a little bit of it with his Twitter and stuff in the Bay and in LA, but this was like, "Give me your passwords." I probably already had them. Daveed: This was an admission that he was going to use them. Rafael: I was letting him know that I was going to do it. Daveed: On a regular basis. And I was like, "Yeah, yeah, do that." Rafael: And especially if you actually hadn't been able to do it, you didn't have to be self-indulgent, I'm doing it. There's a year of his Instagram that's just his friend's version of how awesome he is.

Rafael: Blindspotting got started because, around when I was 21, one of my friends got killed in a way that sort of didn't make a lot of sense to most people in the community. And it was sort of the breaking point because it was a woman, because it was somebody who wasn't really involved in the violence of the world that we were existing in at the time. Some other people had been killed and other people I sort of was close to. There was a series of funerals people had gone to in succession and this was the button on it. It was just a breaking point for me. So I had written this poem about sort of the numbness of that experience of like, "God, is this what life is? People die and we get numb and we care a little less every time? How does this go?" And then we just kind of started coming up with a story that was a movie that's in verse starring the two of us. We kept almost making Blindspotting and not making it. Diggs, he finishes this massive sensation in New York. He had 30 days in June that he could shoot this movie- Daveed: 22. Rafael:... and then a month later we were in Oakland shooting the movie. Daveed: In the hometown. Everybody who's an extra in that movie is a friend of ours that we grew up with. Rafael: Yeah. And it's still not a real movie to us. It's still a thing we can't believe they made. Daveed: In Hollywood, in a world that we always assumed we didn't belong in, that we never really figured out how we would fit into anyway. To have doors start opening in a way where they're sort of asking questions about what you want to do is crazy actually. It's just fun in meetings post Blindspotting now that we're associated together in this way and also people have been able to see that Rafael is a great actor as well as a great writer. It's like, "Well what's he doing? Do you think he'd be interested in this? Can you talk to him for us?" It's pretty... I love that. I love that so much. Rafael: And I still know the 10 things that he can do that nobody's seen yet. And that's still fun for me. Daveed: The closest I have ever gotten to fighting with Rafa I think is when somebody else I'm close to is fighting with Rafa, right? Rafael: I think that's sort of our good cop, bad cop type of... where someone will be venting to him and he's like, "I don't know what to tell you, I've already picked my team." We have this expression that we always say, we did this before every show and we kind of do it anytime we're at a crossroads. We're like energy up, expectations down. Daveed: Energy up, expectations down. Rafael: It's just like this whole ship runs on enthusiasm.

Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal are partners. Go watch their film Blindspotting and check out the album they put out together last year, called Seven Nights in Chicago. You can follow them on Twitter or Instagram @DaveedDiggs and @RafaelCasal. Rafael probably still has the passwords to Daveed's accounts.

#daveed diggs #rafael casal #go to the source and listen to the whole thing it's lovely #their adoration and respect for each other as artists gives me LIFE #i could listen to them gushing about each other for days on end

[writing-of-a-british-bitch]

Brother ( Queen / Brian May x reader)

Fandom: Queen/ Bohemian Rhapsody

Specified gender: Female

Pairing: Queen/Brian May (platonic)X reader

TW: language kind of bullying, slut shaming??

Genre: Fluff with a sliver of angst

Word Count: 2K

A/N: Before you read: THIS IS A MODERN AU SO PLEASE DON’T GET CONFUSED. Just imagine 1976 boys in a modern setting

Requests: OPEN

"But you're leading us to a high school?" Roger pushed, looking at the guitarist through the rearview mirror, eyebrow raised.

"It doesn't matter. Just keep driving, we're going to be late." Brian huffed

"Late for what?" Deacy enquired, adjusting himself in his seat.

"You'll find out."Brian retorted, before leaning forward and barking another direction to Roger.

You sighed, tapping your pen against your cheek, watching the clock intently, despite the fact that it was broken. Your teacher droned on and on about how to find the gradient of a line on a velocity-time graph. It was tedious and your table partner, Adam, was really starting to piss you off. He was constantly harassing you both in and out of lessons. Making fun of your curly hair, the way you dressed out of school, even the way you walked. Adam also teased you relentlessly for being a 'nerd' as he so called it.

An elbow to your side pulled you from your daydream. Your head snapped over to Adam who had a malicious smile on his face.

"Knock it off, Adam. I'm too tired for this, you wanker."` You whispered trying not to distract your teacher.

"I don't care." He shrugged with a smirk. You rolled your eyes, shaking your head, causing your curls to bounce sharply. You turned your gaze back to the work in front of you, noting down your teacher's words. After a few minutes, you quickly grew restless again, discreetly pulling your phone from your pocket. A text lit up on your screen from your mother.

'Going to be late from work, you'll have to walk home. Sorry, sweetheart. XXX' It read. You huffed, glancing at the time on your phone. The bell signalling the end of the day was about to ring and you could already spy kids packing away, so you followed suit. You plugged your headphones in just as the bell went and you shoved them over your ears, throwing your bag onto your back as you walked out of the cramped classroom. You growled as a girl shoved past you, desperate to get outside. That's all this school was, push, shove, fight. You quickly pressed play on your music and the soft guitaring of '39 rolled into your ears. Someone smacked into your arm as you exited the building and you rolled your eyes

Brian was messing with his rings, bouncing on his heels. His bandmates were looking at him strangely as they waited. They were stood outside a school, hoods and sunglasses hiding their features.

"Why are we standing in front of a school?" Roger asked, eyeing his friend strangely as he brought his cigarette back to his lips.

"You're not some sort of pedophile, right darling?" Freddie joked, causing the group to laugh, but Brian just shot them a  glare. Suddenly, a swarm of children came bursting from the building, some walking to the bus, some wandering off down the street and others shoving past the boys. Teachers followed closely behind, watching the students for a while before a few trailed back inside. Deacy, Freddie and Roger were expecting a teacher to come over to Brian. So when a girl with insanely curling hair that bounced with every step she took, came running over to the group, they grew very confused.

"Bri!" You exclaimed as you spotted a figure you hadn't seen for months. You almost ran into another student as you sprinted to your older brother, jumping up to wrap your arms around his neck. Brian returned the hug, instantly wrapping his long arms tightly around your waist.

"I can't believe you're here! I thought you were still on tour?" You asked, excitedly. You'd always been close with your older brother, despite the fairly large age difference. You had been his number one supported for years.

"I came to surprise you, love." Brian grinned down at you before lifting you up and spinning you. You laughed loudly, yelping to be put down.

"Oh, we came to see (Y/N)" Roger stated, a tone of realization in his voice. You'd met Roger a few times when you went to visit Bri in university. You'd met Tim too, but the Smile days were long over. It was a new reign for Queen.

"What other kid do I know, other than (Y/N) and her friends, Rog?" Brian shot back sarcastically, pulling away from the hug, but keeping an arm around your side, keeping you close to his body. You gently smacked Bri's arm before forcing yourself out of your brother's grip to hug the drummer.

"It's good to see you, Rog, it's been too long." You smiled before pulling back, shoving your headphones so they sat around your neck.

"Yeah, four years is a long time. You've grown a lot" Rog chuckled and kissed your temple quickly.

"Well,  I hope I've grown a lot, considering that I was eleven last time you saw me." You laughed quietly. You were slightly taller than Roger, copying your brother with the tall trait.

"Brian, are you planning to introduce us?" Deacy interrupted awkwardly, shuffling towards the three slowly.

"Oh shit, of course. (Y/N), this is John and Freddie. John's our-"He began

"Your bassist and Freddie's your lead singer. I do pay attention when we skype." You cut him off, with a smile.

"Right, sorry. Fred, Deacy, this is (Y/N), my little sister." He finished, wrapping an arm around your shoulder as you extended an arm. Deacy shook it politely, giving you a small smile.

"It's nice to meet you, (Y/N)," Deacy said, before shuffling back, allowing Freddie to waltz over.

"I didn't know Bri had a sister." Freddie declared but shook your hand with a grin. You couldn't help but grin back. He had that kind of aura around him that made you want to copy him.

"He doesn't talk about me all that much. Wants to keep me out of the public eye as much as possible while I'm still young." You explained before Brian could even open his mouth.

"Don't people notice your last name in school?" Roger questioned, curiously, letting out a mouthful of smoke as he spoke.

"Legally, she has to have May as her last name on her registers and such, but the school agreed to call her a different name when we got famous," Brian answered, casually resting an elbow on your shoulder. You weren't too much shorter than your brother, but just short enough to tease you through simple gestures.

"As far as other students are concerned, I'm (Y/N) Robertson." You added with a small laugh. Deacy snorted slightly.

"Surprised people haven't suspected you as Bri's sister what with the hair, height and jawline." Deacy laughed and you joined in, giggling.

"OI boys, look! It's the nerd!" A voice beckoned from behind you. You rolled your eyes, not even dignifying Adam's comment with a response.

"C'mon guys, let's go." You sighed and began walking. Brian could tell you didn't want to start a scene so he followed you, ignoring the anger he felt running through him. The band followed swiftly, continuing to chat with you as you fell into a line across the street, no longer charging ahead

"Hey, bitch! I'm talking to you!" Adam yelled before you felt a harsh pull on your hair, causing you to jerk back sharply. Your neck made a loud crack, which caused an instant discomfort ( though you knew nothing was damaged).

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Roger hissed, instantly grabbing Adam's wrist and forcing him to let go of your hair.

"Don't touch me, you fucking nonce!" Adam snapped.

"Then don't touch her," Freddie growled, moving to stand behind you, next to Brian, who was towering over Adam and his friend completely

"It's none of your business dude, just piss off." Adam's friend, Mike, tried.

"Just leave me alone, guys. You're not funny, and you're not as scary as you think you are. Twats." You added, folding your arms as you muttered the last bit under your breath.

"Hey, Mike, do you think these are some dudes she's fucking?" Adam commented and you narrowed your eyes, feeling all the boys around you tense.

"Probably, she always has been a slut," Mike replied with a harsh laugh. That's when Brian stepped in.

"Listen here, kid. I don't know who the fuck you think you are but you have no goddamn right to speak to her like that. She's a better person than you two will ever be. So just fuck off before we make you." Brian stated, voice dangerously low. The two boys exchanged glances, before deciding they were outnumbered. They were muttering expletives under their breath as they scuttled away. You let out a long breath, finally allowing yourself to relax. Brian was practically shaking in anger.

"What kind of dickhead's go to your school?" Deacy suddenly asked and you smiled, allowing a chuckle to escape your throat.

"A lot of them" You responded, running a hand through your hair, though it got tangled in your curls.

"How about we go for dinner after you get changed, darling?" Freddie suggested, noticing how on edge Brian and Roger were. Honestly, he was furious too, despite only knowing you for about five minutes, but he hid it slightly better. Besides, they'd known you longer and were closer, it was only understandable that they were mad

"Sounds great, Freddie. C'mon Bri, Rog." You answered, taking the two boys hands in yours. They both seemed to relax slightly and allowed you to pull them behind you and Freddie as Deacy led you back to Roger's car.

Laughed echoed through the mostly empty diner, tears nearly falling from your eyes at Freddie's story.

"And then he locked himself in a cupboard to get his song on the album." Freddie finished and Roger shot him a glare, though there was a soft smile on his lips.

"Roger, I knew you were immature but really?" You said and Roger flipped you off playfully. The three boys fell into conversation and you began talking with Brian.

"How did your physics exam go? Did the tutoring help at all? I know it was harder because it was all on skype and video calls." Brian asked between bites of food

"It helped tons Bri. I went from a D to a B+." You grinned and Brian smiled.

"That's amazing! I'm so proud of you. How's YOUR band?" He had put his fork down, reaching for the milkshake you were sharing.

"There's a little friction between our guitarist, Hunter, and our singer Josh but other than that, it's going well. Doing small gigs at under 18 clubs and stuff like that. It's fun." You answered, stealing one of his fries.

"Why is there friction?" He raised an eyebrow. You were very aware of the fact that Brian's bandmates were listening now, but you'd stopped caring.

"Hunter wants to sing more even though he said in the first place that he didn't want to sing. He's saying it's unfair that I and Josh are getting the solos, even though we're both lead singers. And Hunter is being a bit of a dick, saying I can't play my instrument because I'm a girl. I think he's jealous that I can play his instrument better than him and it's not even what I play in the band." You ranted.

"Well, what do you play?" Roger asked.

"Drums in the band, but I sometimes do guitar, and I sing in the band too." You mumbled. Roger smiled, a look of, what you could only describe as, pride filling his features.

"You sing, dear?" Freddie enquired.

"Yeah, I do. It's hard when you're playing drums." You laughed.

"You can say that again," Roger muttered

"So, (Y/N), we were talking in the house earlier and we were wondering if.." Brian began, trailed off just to annoy you. Your raised an eyebrow.

"If what?" You commented

"Your summer break is coming up, and our American tour starts the week after your break begins and ends a few days before school begins again. So, if you wanted to, we were wondering if you'd like the come on tour with us? See America?" Bri finished and you gawked at him and the boys.

"Are you being serious?" You choked out.

"Yep! I already asked mum if it was okay. So it's completely up to you." he smiled.

"Of course!! Why wouldn't I come?" You exclaimed, climbing from your seat to hug each of the boys.

"I've no idea, darling," Freddie answered as you got to him, causing the table to break out into laughter once more.

Tags:  @writingfortoomanyfandoms @queens-n-roses@yourealegendfred @fierce-bab @dusthas-beenbitten@silvver-rose @benhardyjones @bensroger

#phoebe writes #brian may x reader #brian may #queen #queen x reader #roger taylor x reader #roger taylor #freddie mercury #Freddie Mercury X reader #john deacon x reader #gwilym lee #john deacon #gwilym lee x reader #ben hardy #ben hardy x reader #rami malek #rami malek x reader #joe mazzello #joe mazzello x reader

[werewolferr]

game changer (pt 2) | stefan butler

* gif from @billvrusso *

pairing: stefan butler x reader

plot: after months of strain and hard work, Stefan finally takes the completed Bandersnatch to Tuckersoft. when he gets there he finds that he still has a lot of work to do. luckily he has the best partner

word count: 1.9k

warnings: nothing really, i think there’s a few swear words in there

a/n: first off im so sorry for how long it took me to write this second part, like it’s actually ridiculous. i’m so bad at being punctual. also thank you for all the positive feedback on the first part, it’s means sm. hope this is good and you enjoy, thank u x

“Are you sure you don’t need any help with that?” Stefan said as he trailed behind you as the two of you made your way to your messy desk.

“No, I’m fine” You say struggling to keep everything in your arms.

As you place your work down onto your desk, you turn around to Stefan standing very close to you, you bump into his tall body slightly.

“Oh, I’m sorry” You both mumble in sync, Stefan stepping back slighty. You notice his cheeks turning pink slightly, you giggle at him lightly.

“Grab that seat by there” You say pointing to the chair in the corner of your work space “And bring it be here” You say sitting down in your office chair, boncing your feet on the floor.

You watch as Stefan grabs the chair lifting off the floor and dropping next to you. As he sat down he took his bag off placing it on the floor in between you two.

You noted how nervous and awkward he looked, he kept fumbling with his fingers or the hem of his blue sweatshirt.

“So..” You said looking Stefan “I’ve come up with some initial idea from what Thakur told me about the game. Have a look through them see if there’s anything you like” You say scrambling some of your best ideas, none of them finished, and passed them to Stefan.

You watched as he looked through the designs you’d given him. Grazing his fingers lightly over the art.

The silence made you slightly nervous, “If you don’t like any of them just say. I mean they aren’t my best” You smile.

“No, no. These are really cool” Stefan said smiling, while he continued to look through them.

“Thanks” You say with a little blush. “Is there anything in particular you’d like to see in the designs, because it is you game and I want to incorporate your vision into the design as much as I can” You continue, slowly swinging in your chair.

“I don’t know really” He replied, shrugging his shoulders

“I never really thought about how the design would look. I was too concentrated on making sure the game worked” He laughed slightly

“Yeah I understand” You smile “Maybe we can figure it out now?”

Stefan nodded his head.

“Would you like it to look like the book design, or... something new and modern?” You asked, while grabbing a fresh piece of paper and a blue pen. Scribbling ‘Bandersnatch Ideas - Stefan” at the top.

“Umm...” Stefan thought, scratching his neck slightly. “I think I’d like to incorporate some of the book. But with some modern elements so it doesn’t look completely the same”

“Ok, ok” You reply, scribbling it down quickly on the paper.

“And if it’s ok. Could it have some of the design I had in the load screen of the game”

“Of course...” You say, your mind already trailing off. Little ideas popping in your mind, here and there, you pull them together slightly.

You ran your hands through your hair, taping your pen on the table lightly. Tap - tap, tap - tap. From your right peripheral vision you can feel Stefan looking at you. His eyes moving up and down you.

He leant on your desk, fidgeting with his fingers. Stefan opened his mouth as if to say something, closing again almost instantly. Clearly not sure of whether to snap you at your thoughts or not. Causing you to smile at his general awkwardness

“Was there anything on these designs you liked?” You say, snapping your head in Stefan’s direction.

Stefan shifted in his seat again, before picking up one of the designs. “I like this one” Stefan said, passing paper to you and moving in his seat. Closer to you.

You picked up the design he gave you, it was a picture of a blue maze in the middle of the paper and with white text saying Bandersnatch near the top with each letter alternating up and then down. With a blue and pink gradient shadow behind it. You had also scribbled notes about having a black background and possibly a border around the edge. And at the bottom it read - “Can you escape the maze?”

Honestly you didn’t like it that much. I mean, you preferred it to some of the other drafts you’d made but it was nowhere near good

“I really liked the text. The way it moves up and down, and the colourful shadow behind it. I thought it looked really cool” He smiled, while pointing at the text.

“Thanks” You laugh “Is there anything you don’t like or would like to change” You said as you pulled a post-it note and pen towards you, ready to take notes.

“Urm, well. I liked the idea of having a maze in the design, but I'm not sure if i want it in the centre of the work.” He said.

“Ok, ok” You answer as you write it down. “Anything else?” You smile giving Stefan a small smile. Which he returned.

The two of you continued to work on the cover of the game for the rest of the day. Making notes, coming up with more drafts, trying new things. Mixed in with coffee and Stefan’s nervousness while talking to you, stumbling and blushing.

The two of you ended up being the last people to leave the office other than Mr Thakur. He practically threw the two of you out.

“Come on guys, I need you to leave so I can lock up and get home” Mr Thakur complained.

“Ok, ok. We’ll head off now” You say looking at Stefan for a spilt second, flashing him a smile while you start to pack up your things into your backpack.

“Yeah well you’ve been saying that for the past 2 hours, so you better actually leave this time” Mr Thakur fires back at you.

“My bags packed and my coats on. So is Stefan” You continue walking towards Mr Thakur “We. Are. Leaving” You say patting him on the shoulder, with Stefan trailing behind you.

“See you soon” You throw back to him as you and Stefan head towards the door.

“See you Y/N, and Stefan”

You push the down button on the lift door and wait as the creaking sound of old, unsteady lift made it’s way up through the many floors.

“Sorry we didn’t get to properly decide on any game covers, or particularly anything. But I’m glad we did get a few ideas down, I mean I didn’t really know much about the game from the brief Thakur gave me” You say still looking dead ahead at the lift.

You turn to see Stefan looking at you, quickly he averts to floor

“Don’t worry about it Y/N. I think I prefer it this way, so he can work on it together and thanks for agreeing to work on the design with me” He says finally looking up at you again.

“I mean there was no way I was going to say no. This is the first multi-choice game, where you don’t have to type in instructions” You say, almost shouting. And honestly you were excited about this game, not only for designing the art and marketing, which working on could massively boost your career. But as a game fan you were beyond excited to play it, it was just revolutionary. And you were about to be apart of it, even if it was a small portion.

The lift doors opened with a bing, followed but the sound rusting metal sliding against each other, Stefan moved aside to let you move in first and he followed behind as you pressed the button the ground floor.

“It’s going to be amazing Stefan. People are going to love it” You whisper shout.

You watch as a smile creeps up on his face, closely followed but a blush appearing on his cheeks.

“Thank you” He says in a whisper.

Another bonus of working on Bandersnatch was Stefan. He seemed so nice and well, he was cute. His long slightly curly black hair and his small smile, his slight awkwardness and fidgeting was endearing. But you were determined for Stefan to feel more comfortable and relaxed with you by the end of this project, to say you were puzzled by his nervousness was an understatement.

“What time are you here tomorrow?” Stefan asked you as he began to pull out his headphones and Walkman “I can come in and... m-maybe we can work on it together”

He says, his soft brown eyes looking down at you

“I’m not here tomorrow sorry. I don’t actually work at Tuckersoft full time cause I’m still in 6th form and I have classes tomorrow” You reply, slightly disappointed you won’t be able to work with Stefan tomorrow.

“Oh- that’s ok don’t worry about it” Stefan said, the same disappointment mirrored in his voice and eyes

You bit on your lip feeling slightly guilty, “Maybe, after I’ve finished my classes we can work on it at my house” You found yourself saying, as you weren’t usually this forward “Or... yours” You add.

“Where by is your 6th form?”

“In the middle of town near the leisure centre and Dartmouth lane”

“St Andrews College?” Stefan asked

“Yeah that’s the one” You smile, the lift bouncing slightly as it reached the ground floor, followed by a bing.

“That’s not to far away from my house. You could come to mine since it’s not to far away” Stefan began as the two of you walked out the lift.

“You sure you don’t mind?” You say back to Stefan as you began to fish you keys out your backpack.

“It’s no problem honestly. And that way we don’t have to wait for the days you’re working” Stefan continued

“Ok” You smile at Stefan as the two of you walk out the stained glass doors of Tuckersoft “I should be done by three thirty and I’ll make my way to yours”

“Yeah that sounds good”

You fish out a pen from your jacket pocket, “Here..” You say as you take Stefan’s hand and begin to write on it “Is my phone number. If there’s a change of plan and you can’t do it, ring me before nine twenty” You feel Stefan looking down at the top if your head as you write down the number of his sweaty hands.

“Any later than that, I won’t be able to answer ‘cause I’ll be in college” You finish writing your number down but still Stefan left his hand on top of yours, his finger tips grazing your palms. As the two of you hand on the damp curb.

You pass your pen “Can I have yours?” You say to Stefan looking up at him.

“M-My... what?” He says confused.

“Your address” You laugh “Y’know so I can go there tomorrow” You smile.

“Yeah, yeah of course. Sorry” He smiles as he takes the pen from your hand and writes it down on your other hand.

You watch him as he writes on your hand, his eyes concentrating and each movement of the pen. You smiled at him as you notice his tongue poking slightly out of the right corner if his mouth.

“Here” He says as he passed you back your pen.

“Thank you” You say placing back in your pocket “I’ll see you tomorrow at quarter to four” You say, beginning to walk in the direction of your car.

“Bye” Stefan says, waving at you and walking in the opposite direction.

As you walked away you smiled to yourself. You were looking forward to working with Stefan on this project, he was really sweet and caring. And not a axe wielding murderer like the author of Bandersnatch.

#stefan butler #stefan butler x reader #stefan butler imagine #fionn whitehead #bandersnatch #black mirror #black mirror bandersnatch #will poulter

[ephemeral-writings]

Everything I Need // 03

oh sehun x reader

genre: angst, fluff

word count: 3.3k

Everything I Need // oh sehun teaches you a thing or two about life. but falling for the boy who lived across from you was not what you had anticipated.  

Part 01 / Part 02 / Part 03 / Part 04 / Part 05

//////

Thankfully, there wasn’t another letter from your father found in your mailbox. Weeks passed before the anxiety in you finally let up, and you were back to your old self, a sleep deprived student with a sack of stress, but nevertheless, relieved that the non-existent communication with your father ceased. It was like the letter never existed.

However, the idea that he could possibly find you once--if-- he gets out on parole chips little pieces of sanity you still have within you.

“Let’s meet when I get out, okay? Appa will try his best to get out early so we can start over again.”

But you didn’t want to start over. You had to restart your life the minute you walked out of that house, and you will continue as so. Alone. You had managed three years without him, and if he had any thoughts on leaning on you for help, he was better off staying in prison.

It was Saturday night, and though you’d usually avoid all social events that forces you to interact with people, you had agreed to go to Jongdae’s birthday party since he did personally stopped you after class on Wednesday just to invite you. The least you could do was show up and wish him a happy birthday. Also, the better part of you decided that for your sanity, you needed to be somewhere that wasn’t your apartment.

You warned Jongdae beforehand that you’d be late since you were working, but he waved it aside, assuring you that the party wasn’t going to end at 11pm, the time you told him you’d finish work. So you rushed home after your shift, managed to squeeze in a quick four minute shower and apply the bare minimum of makeup just to look somewhat like you’ve made an effort. Your hair styled itself once you released it from the bun you had on for work, natural waves falling just below your elbows.

Jongdae had texted you the address earlier that week, but you didn’t think about checking it out first. Looking at the outside of the club now, you physically felt inclined to hop back in the cab you took and go home. The music was loud even from outside, you couldn’t imagine how wrecked your ears would be by the end of the night.

Here goes nothing.

There was a short line to get in, and you didn’t even wait five minutes before it was your turn to flash your ID and the bouncer finds your name on the clipboard he’s holding, and allows you through. Inside, it was loud, to say the least, but bearable. There are minimal tables floating around the circumference of the dance floor where small groups stood around, conversing with their drinks on the small round tables. Booths were elevated on a platform that wrapped around the whole club, some filled to the brim, others deserted as patrons found entertainment on the dance floor. The only thing that separate the dance floor from the tables were gold metal bars with red velvet detailings to match the floors. Somehow, even through the music, you heard your name being called out by someone. That someone being the birthday boy himself. He extricated himself from the large group of people, some of them peering at who Jongdae was running over to.

“You made it!” Jongdae gave you a one-arm hug, his other hand homing a cup with clear liquid.

“Yeah, I did,” you chuckle lightly and wish him a happy birthday to which he smiles gratefully.

“You look amazing. Was your hair always this long? How was work? Can I get you something to drink?” You could see that he was already tipsy from how warm his body was, and his hyperactive nature seemed tenfold as he fired questions at you before you could even open your mouth to answer.

“It’s alright, Jongdae. Why don’t you rejoin your friends? They’re looking for you, hmm?” You spoke to him as if you were speaking to a child. He gives you another hug before doing so, reminding you to have a good time. You weren’t too sure how to do that, but nodded in response.

You made your way to the bar which was on the opposite side of the club. A whole right wall made up the bar with a long mahogany island that separated the club go-ers and the bartenders. You found an empty seat easily, settling on it and trying to make yourself more comfortable in the unfamiliar setting. One look around and you noticed that everyone was around your age, some you even recognize from class. You guessed that Jongdae might’ve booked the whole club for his big day, and invited everyone he knew. You weren’t necessarily close to Jongdae, but he was the nicest person you’ve ever met and somehow made you feel like you were old friends. It was just too bad you don’t know anyone else at the party.

“Can I get you something, miss?”

The voice came directly from over your shoulder where your back was facing the island. You spun around to see a familiar face.

“Sehun?”

“Y/N?” Your neighbor looked surprise but not as much as you. A club was the last place you’d think you’d meet Sehun at, especially with the man standing behind the bar, asking to get you a drink. Speaking of which, you took a moment to appreciate his get-up. A striped button down with a small logo of the club embroidered on the right tip of the collar hugged his frame a little too perfectly. Around his neck was a velvet red necktie that matched the club’s red interior. Over his shirt was a neat, plaid vest also stitched with the club logo on the left breast. He cleaned up considerably well.

“Y/N,” Sehun called, snapping you back to reality. The tiny smirk on his face tells you he had caught you staring, and you flushed. “So, something to drink? It’s all on the house.”

“Um, I- I don’t know.” You really didn’t since it was your first time. All you knew about alcohol was beer and soju, the standard. “Surprise me, I guess.”

Sehun took a few seconds to think. As he leans on the granite top from behind the counter, you tried hard not to be distracted by the way his forearms taut and literally put out on display for you to drool over. His fingers tapped on the counter while he thinks, enticing you to follow the rhythm of it. Finally, after what felt like hours being under his spell, he moved to start making you a drink.

You watched, slightly amazed at the fluidity of his movements as he maneuvers behind the counter, walking to and fro and grabbing ingredients without even checking twice. He measures each component at a speed that wasn’t rushed nor lagged, just at a pace that showed off his expertise. It showed how comfortable he was, how confident he is in his work. He didn’t say a word as he worked, and it made you slightly self-conscious that maybe he wasn’t keen on talking to the girl who lived across the hall, nevermind serving her. Sehun finished off with some garnish, a thinly sliced orange and sprig of mint, and slid you the highball glass filled with a pink-orange gradient mixture.

You’re left staring at the piece of work in amazement before Sehun motion you to try it. You hesitate to mix the liquid, not knowing if you were suppose to drink it as is or blend the two colors. Sehun, noting the look of uncertainty on you, instructed, “Mix it, so that the flavors combine.”

You did as told, and took your first sip. It was a burst of flavors in your mouth, mostly citrus, and you barely tasted the alcohol you had seen him put in.

“It’s delicious,” you complimented, taking a few more sips before asking, “What is this?”

Sehun, though still ever expressionless, eyed you with mirth swimming in his eyes as he answered, “Sex on the Beach.”

You choked mid-swallow. “Excuse me?”

Sehun looked down, feigning wiping down his near-spotless station, as he attempted to conceal his grin. “That’s the name of the drink, Y/N.”

You flushed even deeper now that you’ve had something in your system. Mildly blaming the alcohol, you shut your mouth and continue nursing the drink. Sehun excused himself while he tended to two girls who appeared at the other side of the island. It was dim, you couldn’t make out the faces of the girls, but their body language said everything. If you could tell they were hitting on Sehun, you knew for sure he had an inkling as well. You could only see his back from where you sat, and you saw his shoulders bobbing up and down from something the girl in an all-black ensemble said. Maybe a pick-up line. And from the girl’s giggle, you figured she got the reaction she wanted.

The wonders of intoxication, you thought as the tension in your body begins to expel. You’re finding it easy to forget your worries and stray towards thoughts concerning your neighbor. Granted you’ve never seen a girl around his place, you couldn’t rule out the fact that he may have a girlfriend.

You’re far from drunk, tipsy maybe, at midpoint, so when Sehun came back after accepting something the girl slid on the counter, you request another drink. “Can I just get a shot, please, if I may?” Your words were beginning to blend, so you prayed Sehun understood you over the music and everything.

“So, you’re friends with Jongdae?” Sehun asked as he bends down to grab a bottle of Hennessy. He pulled a shot glass towards him as well, but he doesn’t pour the liquor in. Sehun wordlessly motioned you to finish your drink which you had a few sips worth left.

You play with the orange slice in your cup, stabbing it with the straw to release it’s natural juice compared to the cartoned juice you saw Sehun poured in earlier. “We’re classmates, yes, but I wouldn’t necessarily call us friends.” Your lips fell into a natural pout as you think about how nonexistent your social life was. “Jongdae is just really, really nice. He’s friends with everyone, so I guess that’s a yes to answer your question. Do you know him?” You asked, cocking your head sideways as you looked at your neighbor slash bartender.  

“Sorta,” he grunted, assessing how talkative you were in your intoxicated state. “He’s my boss’s cousin. Comes by too often, if you ask me.” You made a sound of acknowledgement followed by a loud slurp that indicated the end of your cocktail. Sehun quirked a smile when you shyly peeked over the rim of your now empty glass, silently asking him for another fill.

“You here alone?” Sehun questioned as he pour you a shot of the brown liquor. He traded you it for the empty glass when he was done. You made a face that Sehun couldn’t read, and downed the shot, morphing your expression from one of dejection to disgust.

“I didn’t choose to, y’know?” Your abrupt statement only made him more confused, but he continued listening, silently, intently.

“Jongdae, like I said, is really nice. He’s friends with practically everyone on campus. He talks to me in class even though I sit all the way in the back, and he sits in the front with his friends. But does that mean I’m not? Am I secretly a bitch?” You whispered the last bit, burning holes in the mahogany wood. You’ve lost Sehun, you think, but to your surprise the shot glass in front of you disappeared and you redirect your gaze back to your neighbor. Sehun poured you another shot, though significantly less than the first.

He placed it back on your coaster, making sure you’re looking at him and listening when he tells you, “You’re far from one, Y/N. You might be...a little difficult to approach but you don’t bite.” He shrugged, “At least not the first time we met.”

“Oh, yeah,” you agreed animatedly, assuming he was talking about the day you had locked yourself out. “I was really tired and stressed that day.”

“As you are every day, it seems,” Sehun mumbled with his arms crossed. “But that’s not the day I was talking about.”

You plopped your arms on the counter, too quickly for your reflexes that weren’t top-notch functional at the moment, and you end up hitting your funny bone. You pouted while cradling your elbow. “Then what day are you talking about? We’ve never talked before then.”

Sehun prepared to explain when another tender, one of equal build and dressed identical to him, appeared behind him, tapping him on the shoulder to gain his attention.

“Thanks for covering my station, man. You wanna go on your break now?” The guy offered to take over Sehun’s station as well. You noticed the hesitation in Sehun when he glances at you, so you quickly spoke up.

“Go! Don’t mind me! I have to look for Jongdae, anyways,” you urged. You slid down your stool without falling on your face, downing your third shot as you go, before shooting Sehun a thumbs up in thanks for the service. You didn’t hear when the other bartender asked Sehun who you were, and Sehun replied with, “My interesting neighbor.”  

You were more than buzzed, you weren’t dumb enough to not know that much. Though you were the one who told Sehun to leave you, you were regretting it already. You had to admit that talking to him came easy, or maybe it was liquid courage that made you spout all those sentences the way you weren’t used to. Not long after departing the bar, a man, evidently drunk, attempted a move on you. You don’t recognize him, even when you sobered up for a second when his hand went for your waist. The guy was eventually pulled away by his group of friends when he came a little too close to your face, invading your personal bubble. They apologized on his behalf, but you ignored them, walking the opposite direction to avoid further contact with them.

You spent fifteen minutes looking for Jongdae but to no avail and gave up. It was nearing 2:30am. You texted Jongdae, letting him know that you tried searching for him to say goodbye and thanking him for inviting you. You doubted he’d respond but at least he would know you’d left on the off chance that he goes searching for you later.

You were surprised that the party was still going strong. The dance crowd had simmered down, and instead of the loud head-banging kind of music that you had walked in on, the DJ had turned it to a more chill, house-party kind of vibe. Meanwhile, your feet ached from all the walking around you had done at work and just wished to be home, sleeping. In your haze, you stumbled out the wrong door. Instead of the main entrance, you had opened the door next to it. It led to an alleyway, one that separated the club’s building from the next one over. There was a metal fence cage that blocked loiterers on the streets from coming up on the property, but the other side of the fence was where you needed to be.

And boy, did you wished you could revert back in time and chosen the right door.

“I’m so sorry, excuse me,” you stammered, and you hated that you did.

The same girl that Sehun conversed with earlier sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes at the intruder, ruby red acrylics detaching from the man’s pecs when she steps back from Sehun’s frame.You were so sure she could claw your eyes out with her manicure. You ducked your head, refusing to look at Sehun or the girl directly in the eye to save yourself from embarrassment.

“Yah, Y/N?”

You stood paralyzed in dread when you heard the voice. Unwillingly, you looked at the girl standing in front of Sehun. You remembered her eyes being cold, black coals, but when your eyes met, you saw a piercing blue that made your blood run cold.

“It really is you,” she scoffed in disbelief. Jung Liah was your ex-roommate, the girl who made your first year of university a living hell. She’s changed her look. Before, her style didn’t matched her attitude, you suppose it took time to figure out her true colors. Her black on black matched perfectly well with her black coal of a heart.

You remembered dreading going back to the dorm because you knew all it held was her wrath, unwarranted and unrelenting, and the malicious remarks she made would torture you day and night. You never figured out why she hated you so much, but you had your assumptions.

“I see you haven’t changed one bit,” she sneered. “Always the nosy little mouse, you are.”

You knew exactly what she was referring to. One day, without any ill-intentions, you had decided to tidy up the room. It was a shared space, but Liah never thought twice about leaving her stuff strewn about, taking up your space as well. You had just bent down to gather the scattered pieces of paper when she came in after one of her lectures. Peeking through her belongings, she claimed, invading her privacy, she preached. You had muttered barely two words to defend yourself before she had kicked you out for the night.

After she blew up on you, it was never the same. She began to nick and prod at every “flaw” she found in you. If you didn’t shut your alarm after the first ring, she called you deaf. If you didn’t answer to her belittling, you were a mute and a coward. If you didn’t have weekend plans to party, she labeled you a loser.

Presently, you rolled your eyes. You noted a clear shock in her expression because no matter how many times she had put you down, you had never fought back. For her information, you had changed.

“Good seeing you, too, Liah,” you replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. You turned to Sehun, barely, and nod your head once, before turning back to where you came from.

“Fuck. Shit,” you cursed under your breath. Your hands clenched at your sides, willing the tingles of alcohol to wash away in your blood.

A brief thought crossed your mind, hoping you hadn’t ruin the moment for Sehun, he was so nice to you, he doesn’t deserve to not get laid tonight because of you. But you suddenly remember the hell that Liah put you through, and you’re glad to have interrupted. More profanities left your lips. Your mind went haywire with thoughts that shouldn’t be in your head but are, like how Sehun looked so disarmingly handsome, and how unfair that girl who was so nasty to you is to be able to have someone of Sehun’s caliber.

You were so busy with your internal turmoil you hadn’t notice the grip on your shoulder until you were turned around, faced with the man plaguing your mind with unwanted thoughts.

“Are you leaving?” He asked, face expressionless with the slightest wash of anger.

You took two steps away from him. “Yes. Look, I’m really sorry, about interrupting. It was a mistake, honest.” You look side to side, up and down, everywhere to avoid staring at him smack dab in front of you. “I’ll see you around, Sehun. Thanks, for the drinks.” It took way more effort than necessary to look at him and smile like you meant it. Before he could stop you a second time, you bolted. You ignored the burning gaze behind you, ignored the buzzing alcohol in your system, and skittering of your breath.

So much for suppressing your worries. You might’ve unlocked a new case full of troubles.

#exo #sehun #exo sehun #exo scenarios #sehun scenarios #exo series #sehun series #sehun angst #sehun fluff #exo fluff #exo angst #kpop scenarios #kpop series #oh sehun #angst #fluff #series #sehun fanfic #exo fanfic

[wildefiction]

Of Course...Mr. Collins

THIRTEEN

Thursday came and went with little excitement, Misha leaving you to your own devices as he was briefed on that weekend’s convention schedule. You spent the day sun-bathing, napping and texting your sister about your first day in Hawaii.

Friday morning, you woke to the incessant buzzing of your phone. Cracking one eyelid, your vision slid into focus as you noted the annoying black device vibrating towards you along the table. Groaning, you winced as the backlight blinded you. It was six in the morning. 

“So much for this trip being a vacation, hah.” 

The six text messages surprised you and you began to scroll through them, expecting them to all be from Misha. Only that man would wake up six hours before the convention was due to start.

To your surprise, only five of them were from your boss. The sixth, was from Norman.

“Hey [Y/F/N], how ‘bout that ride today? ; )

Your heart fluttered for a moment, chills running down your arms. Sure, he’d said he’d text you - but you hadn’t actually expected him to. Your hands shook slightly as you typed out a quick response.

“That would be awesome! Let me get back to you after I check in with Mish. Woke up to five messages from him!”

Switching back to the group of messages from Misha, you sighed in relief when you realized they weren’t urgent. There was a picture of the sunrise and the beach where he’d gone running. The third was him letting you know the cast was getting together for drinks that night, asking if you wanted to go. Then one mentioning he was on his way back to the hotel, and finally one asking if you wanted coffee or tea since he was stopping anyhow.

The last message had been sent five minutes ago. Hurrying to respond, you asked for an earl grey latte before throwing the phone down on the bed and moving to find clothes for the day.

Fifteen minutes later, a dull thudding sound coming from across the room had you pulling the door open to see Misha, two paper cups in hand and a brown bag clenched in his teeth. Laughing, you grabbed the bag from his mouth and moved back, allowing him to join you in the room. 

“I grabbed some of those bantam bagels and a breakfast sandwich for you to go with your tea.” We’ve got a few hours of work ahead of us, but I figure if we get done by lunch, you can have the afternoon off. Did you want to go tonight?” 

Realizing you hadn’t answered that text, you quickly agreed. 

“Of course! I’m super excited to meet everyone!” Clutching the warm drink in your hand and raising it to your lips, you drank deeply of the caffeine before eyeballing the paper bag you’d set down on the table.

Misha wandered into his room to grab the laptop from his bag. 

“Here [Y/F/N], I’d like you to book us tickets to San Francisco for the first week of December and make the travel arrangements. I’m due at the convention Saturday morning, so we should probably get in Friday afternoon. The convention takes care of our hotel, but you should send the co-ordinator an email if you want your own room, they usually need a bit of notice for that kind of thing.”

With a bagel stuffed in one side of your mouth, you nodded in understanding as you pulled your tablet out and began writing a list of the things you needed to do.

“When you’re finished with that, do you think you might be able to find me something to wear to the luau tomorrow night? A fun shirt or something? I’m thinking my usual just isn’t going to cut it. Pick something nice up for yourself too while you’re out.” 

As you opened your mouth to protest, Misha held up a hand, effectively silencing you. 

“Before you say anything, just consider it a signing bonus.” “Think you can be ready by, say, nine?” 

Nodding as you scribbled the notes on your list, you moved out onto the balcony, deciding to work on booking flights in the sunshine. 

“Sounds good Misha, want to meet for lunch later?” 

“I’ll actually be out most of the day, if you need me feel free to send me a text.” Reaching into his back pocket, Misha pulled his wallet out before rifling through it for a moment and then selecting a card and handing it towards you. Taking it from him, you were surprised at the heaviness of it. The black and cobalt gradient running over the front wrapped around the metal rectangle. Flipping it over, the card number and identifying information were printed neatly in the bottom corner. 

“Kindly send me a screenshot of the flights you find before purchasing them please.” 

“How much do you want me to spend on your shirt, sir?” You were still writing notes and didn’t look up to see Misha’s body language quiet as he watched you at your task. 

“Whatever you like. I’m sure you can figure out what is and isn’t appropriate.” Snapping your head up, you rose from the chair as Misha turned from the room. 

“Uh, no. You just gave me a credit card and I’d have a hard time spending thirty dollars on a shirt, so, I mean, can I at least have a range?! And, I don’t even know your style, what are you looking for?” 

Misha turned as your cool fingers touched his skin and he smiled at the apprehension on your face. Grabbing both of your hands in his, he looked straight at you, demanding eye contact as a smile spread on his face. You stilled as you looked back at him - damn if those eyes weren’t easy to fall into…

“I have complete faith in you [Y/F/N], pick something that you’d like, doesn’t have to be fancy. And keep it under two-hundred?” “You’ll do fine.” With a final squeeze to your hands, he turned again and disappeared back into his room, leaving you with your assignments.

Settling into the table, being warmed by the morning sun you dove into searching for flights immediately, comparing the differing airlines and seat arrangements. As simple as it seems, you enjoyed this kind of work. It kept you busy while placating the organization skills that you couldn’t function without. Within the hour you’d found suitable flights for a pretty decent price and took a screenshot to send to Misha. Your phone notification sounded almost immediately; “Well that was fast,” you mused - sliding the menu screen open.

“Busy, busy eh? How about that ride?”

At first, you were confused, thinking it was Misha that had responded so quickly. Realizing it was Norman, you cursed to yourself. You’d completely forgotten to text him back. Glancing down at the clock, you noted it was only almost eight.

“Wanna meet for lunch around eleven?”

Another text. This one from Misha. 

“Try again [Y/F/N] - how can I utilize your assistance properly if you’ve put yourself in coach?” “Dates and times look good though, just update your seat and send me the confirmation.” 

He’d included his email address in the message. You sighed, but made the changes he requested anyhow before clicking on the checkout button. Buzzing twice in a row, you picked up your phone and saw that Misha had received the confirmation, and Norman had responded:

“It’s a date” ; )

Crossing the flights off of your list, you moved on to making travel arrangements. Several driving companies surrounded the airport you planned to fly into and you quickly made reservations with the best reviewed. After shooting a quick email to the convention organizers requesting two hotel rooms, you closed your laptop and gathered everything before heading back into the dim, air conditioned room.

After taking a quick shower and blow drying your hair, you stepped back into your room to get dressed. Settling on a pair of cut-offs and a Zeppelin t-shirt, you pulled a pair of boots from the closet you’d finally managed to unpack now that it was halfway through the week and laced them up over your socks. While the warm weather made wearing heavy boots less comfortable, one thing you’d remembered from growing up on the back of a bike was that you had to wear good shoes. Technically, you should’ve also worn pants, but you needed to be at least a little comfortable.

As the last hour ticked by, your nerves began worrying at you, and try as you might to calm them, you’d be lying if you said you didn’t startle when a heavy knock sounded on your door. Wiping your hands against the denim covering your thighs, you rose to answer the door.

“Hey, hey sweetheart, ya ready ta go?” Norman stood before you, dark Ray-bans wrapped over his eyes; a black hat pulled down over his shaggy auburn hair. 

Grinning widely you turned to grab your phone and wallet before closing the door behind you. 

“So, where ya wan’na go? Throwing an arm across your shoulders, he led you down the hallway.

Walking out to the parking lot, you waited as Norman swung one of his long legs over the seat of his bike, slowly backing the machine away from it’s parking spot. Looking up at you, he smirked as he waited for you to join him. Stepping up to the edge of the curb, you straddled the now rumbling monster, balancing yourself with one hand on Norman’s shoulder before seating yourself behind him. With a twist of the throttle, the bike lurched forward, and you pressed yourself against his broad back, gripping his waist with only your thighs as he accelerated out onto the main road.

Pulling into a Hawaiian barbeque place fifteen minutes later, you steadied yourself on his shoulders as you stood up from the bike. 

“Ya like bar-ba-que lady?” The deep voice reminded you of the bike you’d just stepped off of and it sent a chill through your body as the smell of smoked meat drew you to the front doors. 

“Uh, does a bear shit in the woods?” Norman laughed as he held the door open to let you pass through. 

Sitting down at the outdoor patio, you attacked the brisket and pulled pork you’d ordered from the run-down little establishment. 

“So, where’d ya learn ta ride?” Norman sat across from you, momentarily taken aback with the obscene sounds that drifted from your body as you savored the food before you, eyes screwed shut in concentration. Opening them at the question, your face reddened as the man across from you removed his sunglasses and fixed you with his light blue eyes. 

“Blue, just like Misha’s, but lighter.” You mused to yourself before answering. 

“My dad. I spent a lot of time on his bike growing up. He was a Harley guy too.” Norman grunted in appreciation as he continued eating. Eyeing your t-shirt, he rose an eyebrow, “ya like Zeppelin eh?” 

Grinning, you nodded enthusiastically, launching into an animated discussion of your favorite songs and how you liked a lot of classic and modern rock.

Over the next hour, you talked about everything from the weather to relationships - good and bad and your hobbies. You learned that, while they filmed in Georgia, Norman actually lived in New York and spent a lot of time sculpting and painting when he was home, which wasn’t very often. 

“I always wan’na be doin’ sum’thin.” “Get kin-a res’less if I’m in one place too long, ya know?” 

“Sounds like a helluvan adventure actually.” 

Rising from the table, the two of you made your way back to the front of the establishment before climbing back on the bike. 

“Ya can hol’ on ya know. I ain’t gonna bite cha…” 

“Oh, but biting’s excellent - it’s like kissing, only… there’s a winner!” You laughed, but wrapped your arms low around his waist, sliding your hands under his vest to splay your fingers over his muscled abdomen. 

“Well then, darlin’ I’ll hafta keep that in mind.”

The next several hours flew by in a blur, you and Norman spent the time driving along the coast, stopping occasionally to sit in the sand and watch the waves crash over the beach. At one point, you stopped to pluck a plumeria blossom from one of the fragrant trees that dotted the park you were walking through, carefully tucking it behind your right ear. The yellow and white flower striking against your [Y/H/C] hair. 

Reaching into your back pocket, you took your phone out and flipped on the camera, taking a picture to send to your sister back home. This island was so amazing, you almost didn’t want to go back. 

“Hey, Norman, can we take a picture? My sister will never believe me if I try to tell her what I’ve done with my day.” 

Chuckling, he ambled over, throwing an arm around your neck and pulling you harshly against his side. Taking your phone, he held it up in the air before releasing the shutter a couple of times. 

“Alrigh’, one more.” Turning the camera sideways, he squeezed you closer into his side and as you looked up into the screen, he turned and pressed his lips to your cheek right as he hit the button. Blushing to yourself, you took the phone back from him and mumbled a thank you as you busied yourself with sending her the pictures.

Upon returning to the hotel, you checked your phone again as you said goodbye to Norman, with the promise to text him later. You were surprised to see there were no messages from Misha, he must be busy you thought to yourself before heading for the outdoor shopping area.

Drifting in and out of several shops trying to decide what to pick up for Misha was pretty challenging, but you ended up settling on a blue Hawaiian print shirt that was nearly the same color as his eyes. Gods that man had beautiful eyes. You’d never seen anything like them. Perhaps you were a bit biased, but you’d always been attracted to guys with dark hair and light eyes, and that rough stubble peppered over his jaw certainly didn’t hurt.

Checking the time, you noted it was nearly seven thirty and you still had to find yourself something to wear. After trying on several things you finally asked for help from one of the sales associates in a store filled with dresses. 

“Hi, I’m looking for something to wear to a beach party tomorrow night, something nice but not too formal? Your [Y/E/C] eyes searched hers and she smiled back before bustling out from behind the counter to dig through the racks.

When your phone began ringing, you quickly answered Misha’s call, holding the device up to your ear. 

“Hey, [Y/F/N], you  gonna be ready soon?” Pulling the phone away to glance at the time, you cursed under your breath when you noticed it was quickly approaching eight. You’d never been more happy that you had showered that morning. 

“Uh, yeah, give me twenty? Oh! Wait, that stuff you wanted me to buy is for tomorrow right? Not tonight?!” He laughed through the phone and assured you that was correct. 

“Come in whatever you’re wearing now, we’re just going out to a few bars after all.” 

Promising to meet him at the room, you spent another ten minutes choosing between a couple of dresses the woman had suggested and paid for your purchase before flying back through the shopping center and up to your room.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

TAGS: @jamielea81 @wings-of-a-raven

#WildeFiction #Misha x Reader #Supernatural Fanfiction #SPN x RPF

[freya-amelia-smith-fmp]

HOW I CREATED MY OTHER SIDE TO MY LEAFLET !

This is how I created the second part of my page for my leaflet which included the front cover of the leaflet the back of my leaflet which contains the safety precautions that you need to take well in London which includes how to wear a face masks and three stage roll and lastly the page in the middle of the leaflet contains the post to challenge game which also promotes the app that I am creating for this leaflet.

I experimented with different ways with this leaflet including different colours of font layout and sizing below is screenshots of how I created this leaflet and what problems I encountered and how I solved them.

Firstly I opened another A4 document on photo shop and created the crates exactly like the map side of my leaflet are use the same process where I went on to view new grade to layout and selected the right numbers and then I had the grid that sections my leaflet into three bits. I then proceeded to going to my first page for my leaflet and copying and pasting the background and transferring it on to the blank document that I’ve created for the second side of my leaflet.

I decided to start on the middle of the leaflet which is the back of my leaflet first are used the shape tool I had selected the rectangle shape and created a long rectangle with no Fill and a border in black. After this I proceeded to going onto the Internet and finding the NHS rule of three icons that are used everywhere now due to Covid And then copied and pasted it onto my document

After copy and paste it onto the document are use the marquee tall and selected a rectangle around the icons and use the controls CMD C and then what should I have copied that section I’ve pasted it back onto the document and deleted the previous image. At first I didn’t really like the blue colour so I decided to threshold the image to do this I went to image adjustments and then scroll down to threshold.

This is how it looked after it was thresholded but I still thought it was too harsh so I decided to leave it and move onto the next part of the back which was labels of safety precautions we need to take while travelling and around London. I found an image on the Internet that has icons on it that explain each step well so I proceeded to using the marquee tool and selecting individual colours of the image and separating them to place on the back. I didn’t want to just use the icons to describe the role so I proceeded to using the text tool and writing titles for each image.

Eventually the three sections that I wanted was separated and had titles above them in black so they stand out on the white background that I had filled the rectangle in with I made sure the title above the three images where it says “while you are in London please” as that is something that we want the audience to see first.

I decided to get rid of the thresholded image as it was too harsh against the pastel colours and the background so I decided to add my logo for my campaign to the back as a professional touch and also so people can see the slogan which is underneath it. To do this I dragon dropped the image from my photo album onto the A4 document and then selected the image and went to the right hand side of my screen near where the layers are and changed it from normal to multiply this made the background of the white disappear and only leave the black of the logo which is what I wanted. I’ve been scaled it to the size that fits the back and this is what he turned out like.

I added a small section of writing to the back as well as instructions and it looks like it’s a note from the company that has created the leaflet who is me and it feels that negative space and fits well with the aesthetic of the back I tried different sizes with this bit of text but decided to have a small simple text font and size as it is some think that only needs to be read but not looked at all the time compare to the icons above.

I also added to the bottom where there was some more negative space an image of how to wear your mask properly as it is such an important thing that needs to be done while in London and people need to know how to do it properly as they could be infecting people and not realising it and I liked this image due to it having a blue border it links to the first image on the back so it doesn’t look all mishmash.

Now it was time to do the front cover of the leaflet I knew I wanted to keep it simple but affective and I think that I have done this with the process that I used. The first thing that I done was create a title using a font the same as the title on the map side of the leaflet which is called roaring jungle. With the font that are used on the front cover I use the colour of a darker cream to work with the aesthetic of the background I didn’t want it to be so harsh so that is why I didn’t use a black but using a dark green look softer which I was happy with.

Once the title was in place and sized in the way I wanted it to be I added my logo again on the front but bigger as it is the front of the cover and I want the logo to stand out as that is a pinpoint of my campaign and explains the campaign just by looking at it. I placed it at the bottom of the leaflet as the shape of the logo works well with the edge of the leaflet and fits nicely and flush.

My FMP project is called between the train lines the reason for this is because I am encouraging tourism and travelling in London after Covid in a safe and fun way and I am promoting places that are new train stations that can be visited that have been affected during this pandemic and one theme that I have throughout my project is the colours of the Railway lines in London and I knew I wanted to add this element to my leaflet so I decided to add it to the front as it would give it a pop of colour and have a big meaning to it.

Are used the rectangle tool and created an elongated shape and copied and pasted it multiple times and filled each individual shape with different colours that represent the different railway lines. After I have completed this task I went onto experimenting different layout shapes and sizes for this section of the front cover.  This took me a lot longer compare to the other bits that I’ve done as I wanted it to look right first I moved it to the side so it wasn’t as long but again I thought it was too harsh then I proceeded to adding a circle to it to represent the underground line sign but it didn’t fit for me, one of the final steps of me figuring out how I was going to lay this sectional was creating the underground line using shapes and creating a gradient that includes all the colours of the railway lines that again it looks wrong and didn’t fit with your static of block colours are used different shapes with this technique three times but again still didn’t like the way it looked and for it didn’t blend well with the background and look too soft against the edges that I created on the back of the leaflet and the title.

Finally I came to decision decision to keep the edge of the lines peering out of the side and created a border around it which I think looked nice it wasn’t too harsh but it’s there and represents what I wanted it to represent.

The first thing that I done for this page was create the title and instructions underneath the title and placed it at the top of the page this is just so people know what this page is about I understand the game.

I knew I wanted to promote my app on this leaflet as the app represents the leaflet in a digital way so I added a QR code to my document and sized it up to the size I wanted it and placed it at the bottom of the leaflet this was going to act is something that you would scan to download the app.

After sizing the QR code up I went onto creating the list of posters that I have created and lining them up with the dots on the side the dots act is space to write the number of the place that is next to it which is on the posters that I’ve created. With the list of places I fiddled around with different fonts and decided to use the same font as the title as it is fun and quite cartoonlike which will grab children’s attention as primarily these will be the people who will be completing this task/game.

To create the app drawing are used procreate on my iPad Pro the first thing that I done was create a rounded square and filled it with the colour green and then used the brush tool in a small size and created lines over the square that represent the railway lines on the London underground map. After doing this I then transferred an image of the cloud from the background over to my iPad and pasted it onto my procreate document and used again that affect luminosity and created a background like the background of my leaflet after this I airdropped the document to my Mac and pasted it onto photo shop and added the logo of my campaign in the middle of the app icon. Once all of that have been done I’ve pasted it onto my leaflet document and sized it up and placed it in the left-hand corner of that page and the last touch that I done is this page was add a small bit of text next to the app explaining where you can download this and what devices it can be downloaded onto.

After I completed my leaflet I discovered that the welcome back text on the front of the logo is too small and that is a key point in my campaign about welcoming people back to London after lockdown so I decided to resize that bit of text and place it at the bottom of the front cover below my logo planned play around with colour finally I come to the decision of using a purple on the welcome back as it stands out over the green and is the same purple as the title for the map side of the leaflet.

And here is the final look

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[presuninoc-blog]

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[dotfalla]

Evaluation

I started pretty slow, I had decided to surround my topic on a particular article called ‘The Dark side of Oz, The Exploitation of Judy Garland’ by Neil Norman for the Express. I found out that the young actress was humiliated while working under MGM’s constraint. She was drugged, groped and isolated by the other actors. I just could not believe this happened to an actress who played a character that was a huge part of my life when I was younger. Not only do I share my name with Dorothy form The Wizard of Oz, but it was also one of my favourite movies when I was little. I think it really upset me, but I’m glad I found out, I feel like I can now, in just a tiny way, help Judy Garland by acknowledging her distress.

I understand that I got this information from an article, with no real sources or back up. I obviously didn’t want to base my entire final work on an article that was basically fake news. That is why I went and looked up the facts and figures and found, in not so many words, that this was the case. I even found that one of her ex-husbands, Randy L. Schmidt had written a whole book called ‘Judy and I’, and it was about how her life at MGM had completely formed her life as an adult and how he dealt with these issues in their marriage.

My concept was, in short, to create a hard-hitting, shocking and quite upsetting read into something more light. That is why I chose to create a coffee table book, these have huge amounts of text, in the format that is easy to read and easy to understand. (My book came out a bit smaller than a standard coffee table size but the reasons behind it are still valid). This is so, that, if wanted, a reader could pick it up, flip through it and get a good understanding of what the book is about. I feel that this is something that the final book entices; because of the texture and it’s bright colours, the reader will want to pick it up. When it is opened, the textured inserts contrast against the plain white text and therefore, aesthetically, look intriguing for the reader.

To begin, I was unsure how to pursue my final results so it was suggested to me to start experimenting, to look at metaphors for Judy Garland’s treatment, and to then relay that on paper. I was asked to think about duality, and how to visualise two entirely different worlds coming together to become Judy’s life. I tried marbling, weaving, glitching and defacing, all to get an greater understanding to how I could visualise the humiliation and ugly truth for the reader. At one point I really believed I was on for a winner when I began cutting images into little strips to weave together to create powerful imagery portraying multiple perspectives. This woven technique was inspired by an artist called David Stern who uses this method on far larger images with much smaller strips to create a really unusual and eery piece of work. Unfortunately, even though the final woven bits that I managed to create were refreshing and successful, when I tried to include them in my work, they didn't seem to have a place, this was because I still hadn't managed to decide on a final concept.

When I had my one on one tutorial with Neil, we looked through all the different types of experiments I had done and focused in on an initial first draft with small, colourful inserts. The example was just a collection of white pieces of A4 paper which had been folded into an A5 booklet. Small coloured offcuts had been placed in between the pages to create little interruptions in the clean white booklet. This was something that Neil and I really gravitated towards. We talked about how the book in questions had began to challenge the reader, and how all these interruptions were sprouting out uncontrollably. We discussed textures, and how, with these inserts, the ‘normal’ texture of a book was denied, and how, using contrast of bright, vivid intrusions, and white, pure paper the book also explored duality. It was decided to pursue an idea the the book would include the entire story of the Wizard of Oz, the happy, joyful fairytale with a happy ending, but with truthful inserts relating to the mistreatment of Judy Garland.

I began creating prototypes for this idea, I used imagery I had created from the experimental process to fill these inserts with darkness and contrast against the story book white. However, no matter how hard I tried to re-jig and change the composition up, every result was noisy. There was just too much going on with a bunch of text on both sides, and imagery smacked in the middle. That’s when I decided to take a step back and look at the idea of using the inserts as plain colour pieces and use the shocking text from the article to carry out the concept. While doing this, it wasn’t long until I realised that, if I plan to use these small inserts, I will have to booklet print, and then saddle stitch the signatures together, therefore meaning, I would need to paginate roughly 110 pages of text. To hopefully avoid this, I decided to perfect bind, however, if this were to be the case, those inserts would not be able to be placed perfectly as there would be no way of knowing exactly where they would end up in the vice, and furthermore, they would get very limited amounts of glue and might very well fall out entirely. Because of this discovery, I’ll be honest, I was completely deterred from the idea of small offcuts as inserts so I began looking at entire pages for the inserts. These would stick in a perfect bound book so much easier and the amount of interruption to the story has become even more using this method. While getting excited about these new, full page inserts, a problem solution was presented to me regarding the smaller inserts. I was told to keep the inserts with a long line up the spine, this is what would keep the insert in with out falling out because the sheet would get as much glue as possible, and you would be able to decide exactly where to put it. However, while I was very grateful for this suggestion, I had already got my eyes set for a large insert, possibly even with laser cut holes to see onto the next page.

I was really excited about this new idea, I was keeping the concept of ‘challenging the texture of a book’ but instead of small interruptions, I would make much larger ones. However, even after getting excited about a couple experiments using bright vivid colours to represent the modern connection to Judy’s story and Weinstein and #metoo movements in the current day, I wasn’t considering any of my previous experiments that I did over the Easter holiday. Therefore, I went back to looking over my trials and came across the scrunched up portraits I did, inspired by Alma Haser who uses printed photography, scrunched, over another photo. Her portraits inspire conversations about mental heath and loneliness. By using the scrunched up versions of photographs, the image becomes distorted and fuzzy. I really admired this message and used it to inspire my very own message; when scrunching up the paper, I then began to careful try to unfold it because I had forgotten to take a ‘before and after’ shot. This was when, of course, I discovered that once a picture has been screwed up, it’s impossible to flatten out and recover it. I thought this idea had many connections to Garland, how her time at MGM had been the catalyst for her downward spiral that ended with her death at 47, just 30 years after the film was made. This was when I decided to keep the colourful inserts, inspired by contemporary trends, keep them full size for easy binding and full exposure to their message but instead of place one of my visuals that I attempted, but to, instead scrunch it up like the photos by Haser. These inserts are part of the ‘reality side’, they tell of the horrid experience Garland endured, therefore they represent her and her life, it makes sense for them to be screwed up and ruined. The folds become to look like scars and small tears appear to show her submission and her weakness.

I had decided to include these bright colours, because of their contemporary link, but also because they are youthful and fun. We must remember that Judy Garland was only 16 when she began working on the film and therefore was still just a child. Instead of plucking colours out of my head, I first drew inspiration from existing Oz art from posters and book covers, I found artwork such as Mark Mahle’s and then colour swatched to get a feel of inspired choices. It was mainly greens and yellows, representing the Emerald City and the yellow brick road. These two colour visuals are very fitting to my idea, however I thought I should add another, one that I recognise, which was the blue checked dress that Dorothy wears. Using these colours, I created a gradient to decide what shades would be best suited to the story, this was when I found the idea of using a gradient told the story in itself. Starting with the blue dress, then going down the yellow road, to finally get to the Emerald City. This transpired multiple times to become a recurring gradient of blue and yellow wth green being dropped due to it’s shades resembling nastier symbolism. While making mock ups and  printing tests, it became clear that for maximum contrast against the text and the colour, the shades would need to get darker. Therefore no more light blue, because white text got lost amongst it. I ddi try a darker colour for text, but then, when placed opposite a white page with story text all over it, there was no reflection or complimenting links. I decided to go for a dark blue to coral orange to mustard yellow, and due to the looping gradient, it is mostly the yellow (representing the yellow brick road) that you see. Yellow also represents fun, happiness and joy - which relate to The Wizard of Oz tale, but contrast nicely with what the text on the inserts say, like ‘Mayer (her boss) took to groping her in his office’.

Now that I had the concept down, and knew there would be inserts every other page or so, all at different colours to represent this story-telling gradient, I made more realistic mockups to show in my final critique presentation. I asked the group if these visuals were repetitive, if the final piece would be boring and whether I should have tired something else. The group told me, in a book, these colours would break up the repetitive-ness and if I decide to use the actual scrunched up paper, rather than the scans, each insert will be different and invite the reader to feel the ridges and the texture. They assured me that the book itself would be enticing, that people would pick it up and look at it, but only if I decided to use more texture. For example, I suggested I might use an A3 version of the woven piece inspired by David Stern to create the book cover, this was received well. However, when I came to see Rich and Laura for a last catchup and tutorial the day after, I asked the same questions, and received very different answers. It was decided that the woven book cover, while it does look and feel interesting, would be a waste of time seeing as the method of attaching it to the book is still undecided, and because it really didn’t match any of the visuals or colours inside the book. As for repetition, they believed it was quite repetitive, and that perhaps I should attempt to make text bigger, change directions and be a little more different. Once I did this, suddenly the book became more punchy. The messages on the inserts became more prominent and could be read much easier. Laura suggested I make my first two introduction pages reflect each other, so that, from the very beginning, it is obvious that there is a kind of duality to this book which will later reveal itself. I thought this worked really well, it was also suggested to me to try making some of the inserts cut up, or only being able to see half of them, this would encourage the reader to turn the page and carry on reading. At first, we discussed printing half the txt on one side, the rest on the other, but then we spoke about making it fold out, giving the reader more texture and interaction with the book. This was a great idea, and while It made it slightly harder to bind, I considered this advise invaluable to my project and got it to become so much more than what I had had before the tutorial.

The novel part, the ‘fantasy’ part is something I have taken a slight risk on. I wanted it to represent the old fashioned book, just like the ones selling in 1900s when L Frank Baum wrote the book. this meant the text was small, in a serif font such as Athelas and strictly justified. While normally, I wouldn't have decided to have an entire book in justified, it was a conscious decision because, that way, the fairytale story looked so bland and dull compared to the contemporary, Futura fonts on the inserts. However, once decided, I really enjoyed the outcome with the contrasting sides.

Once my book had all the right pages in the right places, with a full guide in my notebook to follow, I was able to start thinking about how I could make the cover. It was decided that the woven piece, while it is lovely to look at, would not be appropriate for my book cover, so I began to consider different approaches. It took quite a long time to make my mind up, I was adamant I did not want a white book cover, knowing how messy they got due to fingerprints and what not, however, I could not ignore the element of innocence white brought. I wanted to have a book, that when not even open, showed the poor, innocent girl, with all these colours inside of her. Because, even though the subject matter is quite bleak, the book does not need to be made out of black paper, with dark metaphors and misery. It should be fun, bright and hopeful, it should shed light on the matter, to engage an audience and captivate interest. I used a scrunched up version of Dorothy, an image where she is looking so young, and quite scared. I printed this off, scrunched it up and scanned it directly into the photocopier machine, it then, printed out an exact copy onto my sheet of card which could then go around the book. Once bound and covered, I was able to fully evaluate my end result. It came out so well and I am very pleased with it. After all my worries about the binding process, Joseph in the binding studio helped me out and gave me lots of suggestions on how I could make the book as successful as possible. The sickness of the book, and it’s weight are really effective and this is due to the different paper thicknesses I used. I had 120gsm for most of the novel pages, with all of the inserts being 160gsm card. This made for the two sides to have even more difference and the result is really striking. When looking at the closed book, it is obvious that the cover is not at all centred, this is concourse due to the photocopier, but if I could have done this again, I would have liked to have spent a little more time on this seeing as it would not have been too difficult to print out another version with better placement. I decided not to have too many words explaining the concept, I really wanted it to come through by looking at the book and taking time to understand the reasons, however, I am now wishing I had put in another insert, a prologue before the introductions that just briefly explained the dual narrative and the contemporary influences. I decided, pretty last minute to include ‘screen-print’ style numbers over the chapter heads to relate to the merging sides, while the aesthetic looks good, I would have liked to have spent more time trying to achieve a similar result, but perhaps without merging the two ‘worlds’ and have kept them separate. I am really happy with my outcome and I think I have a clear and precise development from beginning to end with design choices that have been considered and theories and trends analysed to create a full body of work that shows off the final piece to the best of it’s possibility.

#dorothy

[itsjordanfreeman-blog]

Evaluation of Unit 8.

Research.

While I already knew a bunch about Homestuck; my main concern was focused on the Chinese Zodiac and puzzles. I did have to improve my knowledge on Homestuck concerning the god tiers while I let the information about Troll Society in terms of blood colours/lifespans, the Hemospectrum as a whole and of course; the trolls themselves. The Chinese Zodiac's not that hard to remember in the Homestuck community and astrologers although one thing did slip my mind that parts of the audience I aimed my game towards can be an astrologer, an avid puzzle gamer & a reader of Homestuck.

Having to know quite a lot of people interested in the type of audiences my game is for, it felt too easy to do it however thinking it into more depth of what and why would they be interested about as well as what they would do to get the game got more detailed and a lot more hard to figure it out. Homestuckers (the community of Homestuck) are mostly interested with the trolls as of their uniqueness and completely different yet similar society as humans. Astrologers would be in the game for the origins of the Chinese Zodiac and this game being a follow-up/a what if scenario if the cat got back to the world and wanted to find the rat. Puzzle gamers would be there for well obviously the puzzles. I have planned to make it as interesting for all three parts of my audience and I'm sure it's good enough for the gamers.

I chose to use my prior knowledge of the audience's likings as well as getting research material from my friends who are the owners of the characters along with gaining more information from others mainly because that other than my own awareness and knowledge of the subjects, I wouldn't be going anywhere fast; plus I also had these ideas with the owners and they agree with my ideas and made it happen for me.

What went well about researching was definitely getting a hold of my Primary & Secondary research; while I was getting them for the game, I was learning more about the subjects that I'm personally a fond of as well as the subjects for the audience & game.

What would I do to improve was to make a detailed questionnaire for the game even if it's a test as that could've helped me to improve the bugs and glitches within the game. I could've also done more Primary research about an astrologer's view on a video game with astrology as a part of it, this also would've worked for puzzle gamers too.

I would definitely get my questionnaire and primary research done first as well as getting the characters done beforehand. Secondary research and character bios come afterwards.

Pre-Production.

I did a lot of Tumblr blog posts done concerning the characters & the game along with the Proposal, Pitch, GDD, Beat Chart, Gantt Chart, One Sheet, Target Audience Bio and a small document of idea snippets.

One of the key decisions was going onto choosing who my game would appeal to other than Homestuck fans. It took not much to think of astrologers & puzzle-solvers while thinking of what the game's cost is, platforms it'd be on & the target age for the audience. The last one took a lot of debate that I even had to ask my friends for their thoughts on what the age target should be.

What went well was same as above and that was choosing my audience, the game's cost, platform & age rating. I also had fun with the GDD, One Sheet & Beat Chart as well as making the Tumblr posts of the characters and the themes. Getting to do this was a treat even if it proved rather difficult to think things over.

What I would've done to improve the pre-production is to also gone over the primary & secondary research in more detail as well as making the questionnaire. The pre-production could've gotten more detail with the One Sheet, Beat Chart & Pitch. I also should've made the Gantt Chart for easy for me to follow and more organised rather than scattered in an un-orderly state. What I will do is making the Gantt Chart more easy and organised to follow as well as descriptive. The Pitch will be another thing I should put more detail into as the one I made only consisted of four slides.

Production.

I initially did the rooms and plans for the levels however I lacked the time needed for them. I then started with the sprites for the four characters using the Openbound sprite sheet which took me a lot longer than I thought being very late. I eventually finished the four and got underway concerning the rooms.

The sprites were mandatory and needed. I was really falling behind and was even deciding to stop the fourth character's sprites as it was a minor one however I got time to finish her and I implemented them in their correct positions. The backgrounds of Prospit, the catacombs to Zariel's quest bed, Aurora's hive, outdoors Alternia & Blinde's hive came afterwards and immediately put the detail into the rooms. I can thank Rachel for giving me the idea of using the gradient tool for the rooms' blocks which I used to match the theme of the designated levels such as Prospit which is gold & yellow.

Concerning the sprites, it was the hair that made it tricky to make it correct as if the rest of the sprite's body isn't hard enough. I did show the sprites work to the owners and they were completely fine with how they are so I gave me the confidence to finish them perfectly regardless of how messy my skills at sprites are. The backgrounds were quite fun to do; I initially wanted to do structures as seen in the Homestuck interactive animations but I decided not to as it'd be too complex and I wouldn't have enough time to complete it.

The sprites, backgrounds and most of the game was quite well done but the coding/game in general could've been better. Thankfully I want to continue working on the game so that it'd be the masterpiece I described in the Proposal, One Sheet & GDD. Unlike the last unit 7's game; I was able to do more than one character as well as more than two rooms along with a bunch of unique objects to help, guide or trick the player which is a bonus.

While I haven't implemented any form of interaction with the characters, I have done well enough to make the game descriptive, functional and good for the audience. The project didn't stray too far from the idea surprisingly; I was able to get the characters done as well as most of the rooms, I'm happy I was able to get most of the game's initial idea into this unit. I was just two rooms away from completion however I know I can do more for the game. All I need to do with the rest is the two remaining rooms, text/interacting with the characters, animated walk cycles, music & of course I'll create a credits screen for the game.

I do hope the game does work well for the audience upon it's proper completion, I'm anxious to receive their responses as well as the satisfaction on creating & completing a fully functional game that I wanted to do based on an idea for a long time.

Conclusion.

Sprites are a lot more harder than they look, that's a no-brainer. I also have been given advice from the gradient tool in GameMaker which is quite fun tool to use. I also learnt a bunch of new ways to add more depth for my skills in coding and creating the game. I also know to do my sprites, backgrounds and plans the first chance I get for the games.

My favourite part of the project was also one of the most challenging of the game; the sprites was quite hard to create but it was really fun plus I got quite positive feedback from the owners when they saw the sprites which gave me the spark to continue in spite how delicate and detailed making them was. I definitely enjoyed creating my friends' and my own creations for a game. The coding was also quite tricky but also was fun to do as it was literally the challenge I wanted plus I learnt new commands and functions such as the notification command for any future plans in a game.

Even if the game went off on a rocky start; I quite frankly enjoyed the fun and hardships I went through to get the game where it is right now. One of the students was even playing mine and they were having a blast playfully mocking the text feature I did and for the rest of the game; even I had to admit it was funny what I put in my game. Of course I will edit and alter mine so that it can be proper and more better for the gamers that will be playing it.

What I will do in future in terms of creating games will be for mini projects and if I'm tempted can make it into an indie game for other players to try it and await what responses. I know in the meantime that I will be having fun making mini games and if others play said mini games, I will definitely be happy that I can make a functional game and I will like it better if I was given constructive criticism/ways to improve my skills for the game.

[fangirlmomentsandmytwocents]

Harmless (Pier 70 #4) by Nicole Edwards Tour

Title: Harmless Series: Pier 70 #4 Author: Nicole Edwards Genre: Adult, MM Romance Published: March 28, 2017

He’s got a secret... Roan Gregory, one of the four owners of Pier 70 Marina, has managed to paint himself as a loner in recent months. There’s a reason for that. And he’s got every intention of keeping that reason a secret. That is, until he no longer has the option. He’s got a secret, too... Colton Seguine, defenseman for the Austin Arrows, has gotten good at keeping the world from finding out that he’s gay. He knows exactly what he can and cannot do. And with whom. That is, until he sees Roan for the first time and all bets are off. Some secrets are too big to keep. Temperatures soar when this brooding bad boy gets his first taste of this smoking hot hockey player. Can Roan and Seg push past each other’s defenses? Or -- thanks to the way the cards have been dealt -- will the time they spent together prove to be just a harmless one night stand?

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HARMLESS (Pier 70, 4) Chapter One © Nicole Edwards 2017 Fourteen months ago August “CAN I BUY you another drink?” Roan Gregory hoped he wasn’t sporting his who me look when he cast a quick glance up and to the left, startled by the offer from… Well. Okay. Not what he’d expected. Standing before him was the sexy guy who’d been checking Roan out since he walked in the door. Discreetly, sure. But Roan’s attention had been unfocused at best. He���d noticed. And yes, this was the same guy Roan had fought hard not to sneak a peek at for the past hour. The guy was totally his type back when he’d had a type. At least in the physical sense. Blond hair, blue eyes, long and lean, with the perfect balance of muscles tossed in. But that was the key. Roan didn’t have a type anymore. He was more interested in ignoring men for the duration. Sexy Guy nodded toward the empty beer bottle in front of Roan. “Another?” As though the guy wasn’t possibly talking to him, Roan continued to stare. Only this time, he was captivated by the seductive smirk on Sexy Guy’s smooth lips. Nice lips. Full, perfect … lips. Obliterating the thought from his sex-starved brain, Roan dropped his gaze down to his beer. Yep, definitely empty. He must’ve drained it when he’d been lost in his own damn thoughts. Unfortunately—no matter what his little head was telling him—he wasn’t interested in company, sexy or otherwise, so he wanted Sexy Guy to go sit back down at the table by the wall where he’d come from. “I’m good.” Shaking his head, Roan avoided the man’s eyes, hoping he would take the hint. “I figured if you’re gonna drown your sorrows, probably should do it right.” If Sexy Guy only knew. Lifting his gaze once more, Roan met the determined steel-blue eyes still studying him. He bit back a retort. Didn’t the guy understand that he wanted to be alone? Seriously, what did he need to do? Hold up a sign that said, Personal Pity Party, No Company Wanted? What the…? Clearly Roan needed to improve his turn-down skills. Sexy Guy surely mistook his I’m good for sure, sit down and join me because, of course, Sexy Guy was now sitting at his table. And he hadn’t bothered to ask. “I promise, I’m harmless.” To reiterate his point, Sexy Guy held up his hands in surrender. Big hands. Nice hands. Perfect hands. Son of a bitch. Now that Roan thought about it, the guy didn’t look harmless. He looked like … well, hell, he looked like temptation. Good thing he’d cut temptation from his diet long ago. Leaning back, Roan tried to appear casual, not wanting to show that he was taken aback by the guy’s forwardness. He also didn’t want the incredibly handsome blond to see that Roan was discreetly attempting to check him out. Mainly, the way that snug charcoal-gray T-shirt stretched across his impressive chest and the way the corded muscles in his neck shifted inconspicuously when he lifted his arm. How discreet he was actually being was anyone’s guess since there was only about three feet between them. Not only was he at least an eleven, Sexy Guy also looked familiar. Eerily so. Only Roan couldn’t place him. Roan shrugged off the thought and continued to stare the guy down. For the past half hour, Roan had been nursing a beer while pretending to watch the baseball game playing on the television closest to him. He wasn’t really paying attention at all because his brain was inundated with how shitty he’d allowed his life to become. In fact, he’d been paying so little attention he had noticed that the handsome man now sitting across from him had been staring his way every so often. After the guy signaled the waitress for two more beers, he turned back to Roan. Bold move considering Roan had already told him he wasn’t interested. Or that had been his meaning anyway. “Colton Seguine,” Sexy Guy said smoothly as he held out his hand. Roan detected an accent, but he couldn’t quite place it. Canadian, maybe? “Not interested,” Roan grumbled, ignoring the introduction, hoping the guy would get it through his thick skull that Roan wasn’t… Wait. Did he say…? The name registered and Roan’s gaze slammed directly into the big guy. Wavy blond hair, a thin scar running through one of his thick eyebrows, pale blue eyes with the perfect balance of gray running through them, a slightly crooked nose, and a jaw that looked as though it had been carved from stone, not to mention sharp cheekbones and those lips… Holy shit. The harmless temptation sitting across from him was none other than a fucking hockey player. Harmless. Right. “You’re Colton Seguine,” Roan muttered, feeling stupid. The guy’s lopsided smirk transformed his face from sexy to … hot as fuck. “That’s what they tell me, but everyone calls me Seg. Unfortunately, I don’t recognize you, so…” Roan held out his hand seeing that Seg’s was resting on the table as though waiting for this moment. “Roan Gregory.” “Nice to meet you, Roan Gregory.” Yes, it was. Seg’s hand was strong, his grip firm. And holy fuck. This was Colton Seguine. Seg. Roan briefly forgot all of his problems as he stared at the defenseman for the Austin Arrows hockey team. He knew the man was big—he’d read his stats a few dozen times—but up close and personal, he was ginormous. Six foot four, two-twenty, if Roan remembered correctly. The waitress interrupted their staring contest when she delivered their beers, and for a few seconds, Roan was caught up in those smoky blue eyes, unable to look away. It no longer mattered that he’d been wallowing in self-pity, trying to get over the fact that nearly four months ago he’d professed his love for his best friend. He no longer felt the chest-constricting pain that had engulfed him as soon as he realized Cam had fallen in love with someone and they were incredibly happy. The pain hadn’t come from the fact that Cam and Gannon were happy. As far as he was concerned, that was a good thing. It came from the fact that Roan had been insecure enough to think he would lose his friendship with the most important person in his life. Only right now, the fact that he’d blurted out that he loved his best friend seemed unimportant—not to mention, completely untrue. Nope. None of it mattered because his brain was misfiring; the only thing he could think about was sex. Sex with this incredibly sexy hockey player. Dirty, rough, highly-erotic sex. And wasn’t that a kick in the nuts? Roan wasn’t the sort to succumb to insta-lust. It usually took him some time to warm up to a guy. A hell of a lot longer than a brief introduction anyway. Roan took a long pull on his beer, breaking the eye contact. This was insane. Why the hell would this guy even be over here? It wasn’t like he was… Nah. No way was this guy gay. Plus, if he was—which he wasn’t—there was no way Seg would know Roan was gay. Seriously. How would he know? They weren’t in a gay bar. And it wasn’t like Roan was wearing his I’m out and proud T-shirt today. The thought had Roan staring at Seg thoughtfully. Did he know Roan was gay? Was it something he broadcasted without realizing it? After glancing around the room cautiously, Seg leaned in and lowered his voice. “What do you say after this beer, I take you back to my place and we have a drink there?” Okay, so maybe along with some finely tuned gaydar, Seg was gay. Not openly, obviously, since Roan distinctly remembered a recent article about Seg and some model chick he’d been dating as of late. Yes, in case there was any confusion, Roan was a fan of the Austin Arrows. Huge fan. Maybe Seg was bisexual? Roan let that thought roll around for a few seconds. He didn’t do bisexual. He had absolutely no intention of being with some guy who would wake up the next morning, crying and whining because he was so fucking confused about his life. Pussy or dick, it wasn’t that hard to figure out which you preferred. Not to mention, Roan didn’t need that shit on top of everything else he was dealing with. Leaning closer, mirroring Seg’s posture, Roan shook his head. “I’m pretty sure”—he tilted his head toward the waitress—“she’s more your type.” Seg leaned even closer. “I’m pretty sure … you’re dead wrong.” Roan sat up straight, taking another pull on his beer as he studied this man. Here was a guy Roan had watched play for years. A guy who was as masculine as they came. A guy who was now sitting here, in this sports bar, coming on to him. He was coming on to him, right? Roan had been out of the game a long time; maybe he was imagining it. He instantly thought about Cam. About how Roan had damn near fucked up their friendship because of his momentary lapse in judgement. His stupid freak out had nearly cost him the most important person in his life. Then he thought about his sister and her fucking drug problem. And his father, who was beside himself on how to help her. His stepmother, who had threatened to leave his father if they didn’t find a way to get Cassie some help. A fucking mess was what his life had been reduced to. No way should Roan add fucking a hockey player to that long list of screwed-up bullshit. Clearly Seg sensed Roan was considering the idea. “One night. No strings.” Nope, no mistaking that come-on. Roan considered it. No-strings sex. Was there even such a thing? Roan adjusted his position, trying not to give the idea the merit it deserved, but unable to help himself. A one-night stand with a hot hockey player. Who could really say no to that? More importantly, who would? His world was crumbling down around him, and this guy was offering him an opportunity to forget about it for a little while. An opportunity he’d be stupid to pass up. “One night?” Roan confirmed. Seg nodded. “Tomorrow we pretend this never happened?” Another nod. Downing what was left of his beer, Roan reached for his wallet, pulled out a couple of twenties, and slapped them on the table before getting to his feet. “I’ll follow you,” he told Seg. The grin on Seg’s face made Roan’s dick jump to life. ​Oh, yeah. This was definitely a good decision.

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