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#I like the design and probably work on it more
goldenstrwbrry · 2 days
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Got one last art before I succumb to the depths of school work…..
Finally…..
SENTIENT KINITO REF!!!!
Idk why it took me so long to make it but I had sudden inspiration, tho after this I probably won’t post much considering I have to focus on school a lot and applying to uni SOOOO I hope y’all like this!!!!
Also huge thanks to @pacifyai and @divineruins00 for helping me with the design when I was first making him (and for being the best sisters in the world) and thanks so much to my wonderful girlfriend @omuricebreakfast ,,, love her and she keeps inspiring me to make more and more art
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meanbossart · 2 days
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After all we've seen of DU Drow, I'm wondering who their guardian is? Have you drawn them before?
HUH, I'm kind of surprised I hadn't gotten this question yet but, to be fair, I hadn't thought much about it myself so that makes sense.
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It's this lady. I have no idea who she is. I went into the campaign without any plans whatsoever for DU drow and blind as a bat, so when the game asked me to make a guardian I just went "???? uuhmmm well. Okay, he's a drow who doesn't like other drows, and drow mothers probably suck, so - Strong human woman that's supposed to be a sanctified maternal stand-in it is."
At this point I don't know what her significance in his story is, the original idea KINDA holds up if you squint but it's more of a passing opinion than a pillar of his character. I've since pivoted to believing that the Emperor just kind of gave up after a while of work-shopping who to disguise as, because this guy showed no indications of liking or trusting anyone prior to getting wormed, so he just went "fuck it, Joan of Arc look-alike and pray."
Not to say "she" isn't important. She clearly resonated with DU drow since he trusted her word so completely and felt DEEPLY betrayed by the later reveal, I just couldn't tell you exactly why. Also I have no desire to change her design to "fit" in better with his story - I couldn't imagine anyone else in her place, to be honest.
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sir-adamus · 2 days
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i've got the blu ray for volume 1 playing and i'm watching the behind the scenes video and Monty explicitly spells out how important collaboration with other creatives was in building RWBY, saying how he wanted to work with Kerry and Miles on it in creating the world and how he mostly gave them broad strokes. and it's mentioned how they all put the show bible together - i'm gonna put the whole transcript for the video under the cut (which i'm having to do myself because no one has uploaded this video anywhere as far as i can tell and there's no fucking subtitles)
Monty Oum [Creator and Director]: It’s the stories I’ve always wanted to tell versus the idea I came up with about, a little over a year ago. And we were talking about doing another show, and I just kind of half-asleep came up with the idea of a color rule for a bunch of characters. The red, white, black and yellow color scheme was something that was very prominent even in my previous work, so I started matching names up, matching ideas up. Also thinking about like, some of the ideas I’d stored up over the years. At some point or another the word ‘RWBY’ came to me.
Monty: Starting the show out originally, I designed the original character, Ruby, as well as going into the other characters. So once I had the first trailer done, and thinking about the rest of the characters for the show, I started bringing in other artists who I had watched for years. People I’d always said “someday I’ll work with them, someday I’ll have them design for me.” And when I was certain about having certain characters, I first contacted an artist I admired and found over DeviantArt. Her name was Ein Lee, she’s actually from Taiwan, and I found her art probably well over five years ago, and just loved her art style, and therefore wanted to incorporate it into my characters. So, I would do rough designs for team RWBY as well as designs for team JNPR, and she would flesh that out to be even further. To the point where eventually I didn’t need to design characters anymore, she started designing a bunch of the rest of the characters down the line.
Monty: The second person I brought on to RWBY was Kerry, because we had just been having conversations about the kind of show we could make. I’d been working with Miles on Season 10. He was writing scenes while I was making scenes, and so the three of us would have a lot of meetings and collaborate on the show to the point where I just started coming up with the broad strokes eventually and they had pretty much written the bulk of the show. Collaboration’s a big deal here, and I tried to include as many people as I can.
Kerry Shawcross [Co-writer]: Right after RvB ended, we wanted to just go straight into RWBY, but that was like right when we were going into commercial season. So we would work our normal hours here. Like 10 to 7-ish, then we would go back to one of our apartments and just start writing.
Miles Luna [Co-writer]: Monty really was enthusiastic about having these characters that may appear really one-dimensional for like the first few scenes that you see them, but the longer you get to know them, you realise “Oh, Yang isn’t just a dumb blonde party girl. She’s a very caring and nurturing girl, that has had to essentially be there for Ruby when she was young.”
Kathleen Zuelch [Producer]: When Monty and Miles and Kerry came to me, and really took me through the story. I started becoming a huge believer, because I’m a big fan of old school, traditional fairy tales, I love the Brothers Grimm, I love all the Snow White, and I love Little Red Riding Hood. I grew up with all of those stories, and the way that they were very clever in creating this whole world that’s kind of making homage to all of these amazing stories really inspired me to get more on board with what they wanted to do with this whole anime show.
Taylor McNee (née Pelto) [Art Director]: The world of RWBY, it looks very familiar. We wanted a blend of very classic looking architecture and clothing and cars, but we’re also mixing in this really kind of futuristic feel, like these little touches of some really futuristic stuff like holograms and things that you wouldn’t find in a classic [inaudible]. And that’s how we’re making this world unique. Our assets have to go through this pipeline of concept, modelling, texturing, and then finally being able to be put into the 3D program. So we start out with the concept and we usually bring that image into Maya, which is the main 3D software that we use. We have to make a 3D model that looks exactly like the concept that we were given, and it’s quite a process. Basically, we’re pushing polys and extruding stuff until we make the perfect shape, then afterwards we have to UV unwrap it, and then lay everything out on a texture sheet and then paint it, and that will put the image on the model. After that we’re basically done with the model and texture, and then we have to give it to the animators. So then we will set it up in Poser so the animators can grab it and use it for their characters.
Gray Haddock [Lead Editor]: There’s a lot of people working on this show, and there’s a lot of different elements in the pipeline. Editorial kinda serves as a hub between all the different departments, so we help all the communication and coordination between all the different pieces of the show, depending on what part of development that they’re in. Editorial’s getting involved way early in the process, we work alongside the director and the writers and the storyboard artists, and we use the scripts to help develop the storyboards and the camera angles for all those boards. So editorial is responsible for building up the moments of any given scene in terms of the timing and what you wanna look at, at any given moment. So we take the script and we help develop the camera angles and how long you wanna linger in a particular camera angle, look at one character or another or the scene as a whole, and the rhythm of the scene in terms of how long is it gonna take to spend on a particular line or when you want the music to come in, things like that. So we build up a set of animatics with the storyboards, and the first pass of all the audio. This is what then is handed off to the animators, so they can know exactly what is in what shot and how long do they have to animate it in a given shot. And once they’re done animating and their shot’s been approved, then their shot goes to the render farm, we get the rendered shot back and we drop it into the timeline for our episode and finesse the cut a little bit if we have to. But for the most part, we’ve done our job right and everything should pretty much be locked in for the most part by the time we’re getting animation.
Kerry: What’s kinda interesting as we’re creating the characters is, we kinda knew what kind of character they’d be. We knew Ruby would act a certain way, we knew Weiss would act a certain way, but we didn’t really know much about them. So we would get to the point where we’d be figuring out plotlines or figuring out dialogue and we’d be like “What would Weiss say here? What would Nora say here?” And then it turned into “Oh well now we know.”
Miles: Obviously we put a lot of thought into Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang before we started writing the dialogue. I remember sitting upstairs and we made a show bible, and we’re starting- we talked about likes, dislikes, personality traits. One of the first things I remember making was “Weiss drinks coffee. Blake drinks tea.”
Kerry: It’s important. It sounds not important at all, but it’s very important. It says so much about them
Miles: But it’s so important. So much about them, also it says nothing about them. It was just like- that’s just what it is.
Monty: I want the show to have resonance with people who are growing up. Cos everyone’s story is the story of kind of becoming who they are. Especially these days when the path of becoming who you are tends to be marginalised with reality. Having done what I’ve done, where I’ve essentially dropped out of high school, started learning this stuff on my own, and therefore land in a position where I get to take the things I was dreaming about when I was growing up and make it real. I tend to get a lot of response from people who are also not sure what they’re meant to become, a lot of them also have the same bright imaginations and with the way the world is, the hardships of what it means to grow up tends to marginalise who you are, and I would hate that to happen to anyone because the future is in creativity and that’s not something you can just manufacture. I actually would like this show to grow up with the people, so unlike most shows where they tend to be ageless or age very slowly, I’d like our fifteen-year-old fans watching fifteen-year-old Ruby, when they’re twenty-five, to be watching twenty-five-year-old Ruby, and to actually have some resonance with the character. Probably one of my favourite types of feedback is to say “I know this person” or “this person is just like me,” and that’s probably one of the best things about coming up with these characters.
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mayajadewrites · 1 day
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could've been you: aizawa x reader x hawks
You're the new teacher at UA with a rocky past with one of their beloved teachers, Shouta Aizawa aka Eraserhead. You'd rather never see him again but alas, such is life. You also meet Keigo, aka Hawks, who is the opposite of Aizawa. Smiley, golden retriever energy. Nothing could go wrong... right? relationships: aizawa x fem!reader, hawks x fem!reader warnings: some chapters will be NSFW, they will have a warning on them in bold.
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CHAPTER ONE
The air reeks of teenagers and sweat. As you walk through the long hallway, you glance at the photos on the walls. They're filled with photos of Pro Heros - All Might, Endeavor, and Best Jeanist.
You sigh when you see your own portrait. You look younger, probably just a couple of years after you graduated from UA.
Mirage the nameplate read.
"UA is so happy to have you back, Mirage!" Nezu caught up to your space in the hallway.
"Please, use my real name. You've known me since I was a student myself." You shifted the weight of the boxes in your hands.
"Always so humble. Anyways, your room is this way. Thank you for offering to stay on campus, sometimes these students get into trouble."
"Who would say no to free housing? And it'll be harder for me to be late." You watch as Nezu opens the door to your room. It's more like an apartment - you have your kitchen, living room, bedroom, a 2nd bedroom and a bathroom. It looks like it was newly constructed too.
"You'll be teaching the Strategy class starting next week. I want you to observe a few classes before your first official day as a teacher though." He hopped on your counter to get closer to your eye level. "Though I'm afraid what you'll think when I tell you who the instructor is."
You start to unpack a box as you hear Nezu's words. You let out a light laugh as you pull out some of your trinkets.
"As long as it's not Eraserhead, I'll be okay."
Silence.
"I said, as long as it's not Eraserhead." You turn your body to face Nezu. You furrow your eyebrows as you stare at him. "This where you say, 'Of course it's not him! It's Endeavor!'"
"Endeavor doesn't teach. He has no patience for his own children, let alone students he doesn't know."
"Nezu. You're telling me I'll be observing fucking ERASERHEAD teaching?! Who even let him teach in the first place?"
"I did. He is a fine instructor, the children love him."
You roll your eyes. You and Eraserhead have always had a tough time getting along. Always disagreements, always arguing, never compromising.
"Let me remind you of the last time I saw Eraserhead." You used your quirk, mind manipulation, to show Nezu your last memory of Eraserhead.
Mirage. Quirk: Mind Manipulation.
Your quirk allows you to show a person an image you control using mind manipulation. You can put them anywhere in the world, they will think they're there. You can also pull a memory from their mind and place them back to that time. The drawback is you can only do this on one person at a time, however everyone in the vicinity will see the same thing the designated target does.
You, Eraserhead, and Endeavor were patrolling the city when a group of villains decided to cause destruction and havoc on an elementary school.
It was mid day, a weird time for villains to be out.
"Eraserhead, use your quirk on the one in the middle!" Endeavor said as he blasted flames out of his hands. "He's the leader!"
"No, he's not. It's the one that's in the back - he's been saving his power."
"Endeavor is right, he's been calling all the shots. What leader would just lay back and let their team do all the work?"
"A lot." His eyes turned red as he stopped the man he was targeting from using his quirk.
"Eraserhead, why can't you just fucking listen?" You tried to get into the mind of the leader, but he had something that was keeping you at bay. Was it his quirk? "Please, use your quirk on him! I can't get into his head!"
But Eraserhead didn't listen.
He never did.
And it cost you to be in a coma for a few months.
The villain used some sort of dark magic to surpress your quirk, sending your brain into shock.
Everything went black.
You waved your hand to bring Nezu out of the vision you brought to him. "It was because of HIM that I was out cold for months."
"I'm sorry, but this is what's going to happen. We don't have many teachers here as it is, and Aizawa is at your level. You're both very strong."
"I should take that as a compliment, right?" You scoff. "Send me what room he teaches in and I'll be there at 8AM when classes begin."
"I appreciate you're willingness to cooperate." Nezu nods, jumping off the counter and walking to the door. "And I'm sorry that you experienced that."
You only nod as he shuts the door gently. You let out a sigh as he left, letting the anxiety that filled your body go. You learned this through therapy since you experience anxiety through physical symptoms.
"Breathe." You murmured. Time to start unpacking.
___________________________________
Your mattress and other furniture was delivered so you set everything up. Your bed looked like a cloud with muted earthy tones on your comforter and around your room.
You felt your stomach grumble as you flattened out your blanket. Guess it was time to grab some food. You slip on a pair of leggings, a thin strapped tank top and a cropped zip up sweatshirt that hands off one of your shoulders as you zip it. You slide your feet into your chunky tennis shoes and head out the door.
You're still familiar with the campus at UA, even though some of the buildings have been redone. You made your way to the cafeteria where you see a few Pro Heroes talking at a table. They must've just finished a demonstration or something.
"Mirage?" You hear Endeavors voice boom. You couldn't not hear him.
"That's me." You walk over to the table he was at. He looked... happy to see you.
"I never thought I would see you again. We've needed you, villains are at an all time high."
"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." You look up at him - he's so much taller than you. Usually people are put off by Endeavor and his personality, but you have a soft spot for him. "I'm teaching here starting next week."
"No way!" You hear another recognizable voice. Present Mic.
"Yamada!" You ran up to him and gave him a squeeze. "I haven't seen you in years!"
"You look great! Your body looks so much different than high school, your curves are unbelievable."
Yamada has always been once to compliment women - he's never scared. You're also not stick thin like a lot of female heroes these days. Your body has muscle, but you're soft at the same time. You have full, plush hips and thighs and an ass to match. You're also blessed in the chest area, but you cover that up the best you can.
"Yamada, can you please go a couple of minutes without objectifying women." Endeavor rolled his eyes.
"Lighten up, Enji. He was just giving a compliment." A new voice chimed in. You saw a man with dirty blonde hair look your way, a pair of dark red wings behind him. "My name is Keigo, Hawks is my hero name." He held out his hand. He's cute.
"You must be one of the newer Pro Heroes all of the women in town are talking about." You shake his hand and look into his honey colored eyes. "You have quite a fanbase."
Keigo chuckled, his teeth shining as he smiled. It was a warm, comforting smile that you needed after reliving the last time you saw Eraserhead.
"Would you like to eat with us? We just finished introducing ourselves to the students since it's the start of the year." Keigo patted the seat next to him.
"Sure, let me grab some food first." You turn to the food stations and grab a chicken sandwich and fries. You feel Keigo glancing at you as you walk through the cafeteria, careful not to stare too hard.
Cute.
You, Enji, Yamada and Keigo talk for what feels like hours. Catching up, sharing stories and getting to know one another. Enji told you about how his youngest son, Shoto is enrolled at UA. He said he shows a lot of promise, and that he's trying to rebuild a relationship with him.
Yamanda went on and on about his online dating life, and how he's having trouble finding his 'one true love'.
Keigo is full of smiles and laughs, which was so refreshing.
"Can I walk you back to your room?" Keigo jogged to catch up with you as you walked toward the dorms.
"What, you think a villain is gonna pop on me on my walk back?" You giggle. "Sure you can." You start walking in sync together.
"So, what's your quirk exactly?" He tilts his head down as he walks.
"Mind manipulation. I can make someone see anything I want them too. I also can manipulate objects too, but I don't use that as much."
"So are you making me see one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen or is this my reality?"
How is he so smooth?
"I'm not using my quirk right now, scouts honor." You put two fingers up and giggled. "That's me." You point to your door as you approach it.
Then you spot a tall, dark haired man standing near your door, leaning on the wall.
Fucking Eraserhead.
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tricogarfield · 2 days
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I‘ve been having a Ninjago brainrot lately and wanted to work a bit on my Ninja designs!!!! I’m still trying these out, so they may change in the future
Also, these are probably the ones I use for them starting around S8 and up XD I‘ll draw Nindroid Zane soon too, dw! (I swear, I wanted to design Lloyd as well but I was just NOT happy with it TAT) Anyway, close ups under the cut!
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I like Jay‘s curly hair, but I kinda miss his pre-S8 design ngl. Anyway, I thought giving him spiky hair would be interesting to kinda give off an electrocuted look!
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I had an absolute blast drawing Kai’s hair, ngl. There’s not much to say other than that I’m really happy with how I drew him XD
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Still experimenting more with Cole‘s design tho. Not sure how I want his scar to look like so far and I’m also still not really sure about the hair. Pretty happy with his face tho :D
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The colors on Zane look a bit weird still to me, so I’ll deffo be working on his design as well XD
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And lastly for now, Nya! I like how wavy her hair is now, but I do prefer her short hair! So I just did a mix of both :D also, I love the idea of her dying her hair to make it look similar to water,,, anyway
Those were all!:D I‘d love criticism and opinions on the designs!
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pricegouge · 2 days
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Don't mind me, just thought too long about keeping Price on a leash while he fucks you from behind 🫠
John Price x gn SAS captain reader oneshot | explicit
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cw: Light pain play. Unsafe gagging practices. Praise kink. John isn't so much a masochist in this one, as just very enthused with reader's anger.
It's never easy working so closely with another captain, but John Price was perhaps the worst. Cocky, arrogant, brimming with the kind of self-assurance only a man who looked like him in a field like this could have.
A league all his own, really; a fact which he never let you forget, of course.
"Should give a horse its head when it knows where it's going, love," he'd murmur after you'd send your lieutenant away with detailed instructions on a task he could surely handle without your input. Ironic, that, seeing as John never seemed to tire of micromanaging you.
You hate him; tell him as much every time weeks of frustration in the field and no options other than lower ranking officers who'll get you discharged combine to find the two of you tangled up against the nearest sturdy surface. 
He only ever laughs at you. "Show me, then," he goads, and you'll scoff in disgust and slap him, or dig your nails into his flesh so hard you can feel the heat welling beneath your grip. "Just like that, love," he'll hiss, "harder, fuck," and you're never certain if he means riding or hurthing, so you do both.
Most times, he likes when you keep his hands pinned over his head as you sink onto him. He could probably break out of it easily enough (this is John Price, after all), but he never does; just lets you lean across his unreasonably long torso and plant too much of your weight on the delicate bones of his wrists. It makes for an awkward angle, but you don't mind so much when it gives you great access to his neck. This might be his favorite, and while part of you is loathe to give him anything he wants, the other part is deeply satisfied with the knowledge that you could embarrass him in front of his men just by ripping off his keffiyeh at the next strat meeting if he pisses you off too much.
Too bad you don't actually want anyone else seeing him like this, all marked up. It's not that you care about him, but there's an undeniable rush that comes with getting John Price all laid out under you, asking for your hands, your fists, anything. That's the part you're not eager to share any facet of.
He makes it hard to keep quiet, though, grunting and groaning like a pig as he does.
"Could you be any more obvious?" you hiss down at him, and his mustache twitches ominously.
"I can use my mouth some other way," he offers. You hum, considering, but when he opens his mouth again, it is not in pliant offering of his tongue.
"Saw your spar with Ghost earlier. He let you grapple him, that last time. Get him in the ribs first, next time, and -."
"I'm gonna fucking gag you." His laugh, loud and obvious, lets you know exactly what he thinks of that idea, and far be it from you to deny any opportunity to shut him up.
With your knickers in his mouth, your belt holding them in place, it should probably occur to you that this is a bit too much for casual sex. You should probably notice how eagerly John pulls you onto his lap. You definitely should have noticed the pattern of events which always lead you back here by now. You never do though, just as eager to get him hilted inside you as he is to be there. 
He groans when you sink onto him, neck cording with the effort to be heard.
"Should keep you like this all the time," you suggest, digging a thumbnail into his nipple. He arches a bit, lays back flat when you swat his pec.
"Christ, Price," you mutter as you wiggle on his long cock. It's a shame something so intuitively designed was wasted on such a right shit, you think, notching him impossibly deeper. Price swallows thickly when you squeeze around him, work him within yourself for a moment. He's content to watch you until he's not, heavy hands climbing up your thighs to encourage you to move properly. 
You swat them away. "Greedy," you admonish, but you're ready to move anyway so you do, fucking yourself onto him with long rolls of your hips. You forget most times, when gear's back on, and perfectly professional (unsettlingly self-assured) masks are back in place, what exactly keeps you stumbling back into his tent time after time. But like this, when he waits until the grip you have on his thighs gets dire and the pinch of your brow combines with your slack jaw to betray your pleasure to get his hands properly on you; like this, you remember.
John's hands are heavy and warm, coaxing and guiding. He's like this always, some squirmy little bug that's made a home of your ear likes to remind you, but it's only here - where the judgemental eyes of your officers can't follow - that you allow yourself to be guided; let him pet at you, reward you. Here, it's all justified. Honors owed. Tomorrow, surrounded by the best soldiers in the world and expected to stand on a pedestal as his equal, the doubt will set in and his praise will draw your teeth.
"Shit, John," you huff when his big palm stretches flat against your tummy and the way he pushes into you, you know he can feel himself there. He grunts, rocks up and tries to squeeze himself through the wall of your abs. You help, constricting around him, and the thick material of your belt folds under the pressure of how hard he grits his teeth, the needy thing. 
"Want you to fuck me," you tell him, and smirk when his eyes drag up to your face from where they'd been trained on your chest. He grunts, a little dazed, and follows automatically when you climb off him. You don't let go of the tail of your belt, keeping it trained over your shoulder as you settle on hand and knees. He follows, of course, unable to do much else, and hums excitedly as he climbs in behind you. 
"Hands to yourself," you warn, but he just hums again and slides his palms up your thighs like you knew he would. You yank on the belt, sending him sprawling over top of you. You only realize it was a mistake when he catches himself easily with a fist planted above your head and he chuckles darkly against your ear. You forget how big he is sometimes, how he's only here because he wants to be. He waits until you turn towards him and only pushes back into you when your eyes are locked on his.
You'd be ashamed of the way your mouth falls open if you had the capacity for it, but the way John fills you leaves room for little else. 
He knows, damn him. Fucks you so good you forget you're supposed to be in charge. He leans heavily onto you, gets your elbows to fold under you and follows you down, keeps his forearm planted on the mattress above your head. He took the belt tail out of your hand at some point, set himself free so he could murmur praises in your ear with ticklish lips. You swat at him half-heartedly but he just chuckles, holds your hands in his free one once he gets his arm tucked up under your chest. When you cum, he's still right there, panting the same air as you, mumbling about 'Go on, show me how much you fuckin' hate me.'
 You get yourself sorted enough to thread your fingers through his short hair and tug and that's all it takes. He groans deep and guttural, nips at your ear lobe so delicately it's as if he's afraid to hurt you, even after everything.
He sighs eventually, sits back on his haunches to look down at you. "So pretty, love," he murmurs and you sigh, doubt creeping in already.
"John -."
He swats your ass to shut you up and you glare back at him, any post-coital affection you might sometimes feel for him long gone. "Said you look fucking pretty like this." The words are honeyed, the tone is threatening. "Gotta fuckin' gag me cause you don't wanna hear it, huh? Well too bad, love. Not done with you yet."
You can't even complain when he buries his face in the seam of you.
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lm-tomatito · 18 hours
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Omg... magical girl rats 🐀 ✨️
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This counts, right? :')
I was planning to draw a magical hedgies au but I really wanted to work on the designs first lol so I went with this instead. Amy was probably fangirling about one of her favorite shows and he just thought the protagonist was really cool (maybe relating to her a lot?) I might do more magical girl rats in the future, I'm not sure but I really like that sort of stuff✨
Also, the idea of my ship as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask is still running wild in my head, I want to draw that so bad 😭
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marlynnofmany · 1 day
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Double Dog Dare
“Are you warm enough?” I asked Paint as we walked. My fingers were chilly against the box I carried, but it was small enough that I could reach to rub them together.
“Yes,” Paint said firmly. She pulled her heat shawl close, nuzzling her scaly orange face into its yellow warmth. “This is fully charged, and much better than my old one.”
“Well, no falling in the water for you today.”
“No falling in the water for me ever!” she said. “Unless the water is warm. Then it would be nice.”
I looked around at the industrial ruins that we walked through, all damp concrete and convoluted passageways. Even the sunlight on this planet felt thin. “I don’t think anything around here is warm.”
“Not yet,” Paint said with a lift of her snout. “I’m sure they’ll get things back in working order soon. That box probably holds a key heating circuit or something, and the area will become more hospitable in no time.”
I smiled at her priorities. As a coldblooded Heatseeker, she could hardly be blamed for expecting warmth to be high on the to-do list. I would have focused more on landing pad repair personally, so visiting couriers didn’t have to walk through this maze of alien architecture to reach the inhabited area, but that’s just me.
At any rate, our delivery timeline was short but so was the best route, at least according to the map on my phone. If we kept up a brisk pace, we’d get there well before the client started to grumble. And in this chill there was no reason to dawdle.
Sudden voices echoed off the walls: laughter from a few people at once. Distinctly human laughter. The locals were Frillians, so who were these?
Paint craned her neck to pinpoint the source of the voices, looking just as curious as I was. Then we walked around a corner and met a cluster of humans in blue jackets with a logo that I recognized immediately.
“Hey, it’s the crew of the good ship Hold My Beer!” I said in greeting. “How’s the droid jousting business?”
“Hello again!” said Captain Parker, flashing that bright smile set off by his dark skin. “We’re here for an outdoor tournament. Just on the way to check in now. You guys making another delivery?” The handful of other humans nodded at us.
Paint said, “Yes! It’s probably important! But we don’t know for sure. They wanted it in a hurry.”
Captain Parker pulled out a holo map of his own, and pointed down a concrete corridor. “This is definitely the fastest route that we can see. Pretty bonkers city design.” He started walking with a glance at the gray sky.
I hitched the box up and fell in step with the group. “I don’t think it was a city originally. No idea what, but these don’t look like stores or houses.”
Paint took short-legged strides beside me, offering suggestions for what these reclaimed ruins could have been, and the walk passed quickly. We’d moved on to discuss the jousting crew’s latest wins and new uniforms — those Stabby the Roomba emblems were very stylish — when we passed through an open doorway and discovered a problem.
The passage ahead of us was a deep chasm between concrete walls, open to the sky and devoid of branching passages, with a doorway at the bottom of several concrete steps. The door was closed. And the steps were filled with water.
I stopped. “Hm.”
“Aw man,” Captain Parker exclaimed, getting out his map again.
“What do we do?” asked Paint, clicking her scaly knuckles together. “This was the fast route! Our client is on a timeline!”
I thumped my chin against the box. “I knew we should have used the hoverbike.”
“You would have crashed into a wall! These walkways are far too narrow.”
“No I wouldn’t.”
A sturdy woman from the jousting crew shone a pocket flashlight into the murky water. It was all in shadow, thanks to an awning up top that seemed ironically meant to protect from the rain. Like everything else around here, it was janky and broken, but made of metal that hadn’t rusted through yet. Canvas would have been long gone.
I eyed the many cracks in the walls, with pipes and alien rebar sticking out. “I don’t suppose anyone feels like climbing over?”
“The box doesn’t have a carry strap,” Paint pointed out. “And I am not one of you climbing experts.”
A heavyset man with gray hair chuckled at that. “You’re not the only one.”
This turned into a side conversation about how Paint was under the impression that all humans were talented climbers by her standards, until Captain Parker interrupted.
“While this would be the most direct route, I see three other possibilities that shouldn’t take us in too many circles. It really is a shame, though. This one’s a nice straight shot if we could get the door open. Can you see the catch, Ruby?”
“Barely,” the woman reported. “This light is garbage. But it looks just like those other doors. Too bad we don’t have a long pole or something to work the catch with.”
I looked up. “That awning looks like it has a couple poles! I wonder if they come off.”
Paint yelped, “The water is rising!” She pointed, clutching her shawl. “It was below that step before!”
“Dang, you’re right.” Ruby stepped back. The other crewmates gestured to cracks that reached above water, which could easily be causing leaks below.
“We should go,” decided Captain Parker. “Get a head start on one of the long routes.”
“But our client!” Paint exclaimed. “They need the package in a hurry, and will tell everyone we’re unreliable!”
While everyone voiced an opinion, ranging from “Route B” to “Route C” to “rock-paper-scissors for who gets dunked in the hypothermia water,” I shoved the box at Paint. “Hold this,” I said. Then I got a running start and leapt up for a good grip on a crack in the wall.
There were plenty of footholds. Some of the metal bits sticking out were loose, but not enough to fall out. I focused on making sure each step was secure as quickly as possible, and reached the top in no time.
Thankfully it was wide enough to balance on without too much worry. That water wasn’t deep enough to land in safely, never mind the temperature.
Speaking of water, I thought with dawning horror, This is about to be bad.
Several rows away in this maze was a broken pipe the size of my torso, spewing water into a reservoir that was near to overflowing. Some of the water was leaking out through cracks in the sides already, leading to a puddle that was dripping through to make the one on our side.
The route back is in the danger zone too! Maybe if we’re fast enough, we can get to that open area over there. Or get everybody else up here. But I don’t trust this wall to stay intact if that dam fails all at once.
My phone buzzed, making me jump. It was Paint. I realized she’d probably been yelling for my attention, and I didn’t hear. There were sounds of pouring water up here, not to mention the blood rushing in my ears. I answered the phone.
“What are you staring at?” she demanded. “Get the pole!”
“Right,” I said, hurrying along the wall. “We may not have enough time, even if I can get it free. There’s more water that could flood the area at any moment. I think somebody has to swim for the catch.”
“What! How much water?”
“Lots. Hang on.” I stuck the phone in my pocket to free both hands for the awning. Up close, it looked much rustier and ancient than below. The pole at the side was welded on. I braced my feet and gave it a good yank. That produced a metal screech and a rain of rust particles, but not much else. Pushing and pulling to work it loose let me fold the awning back so watery sunshine illuminated the door catch far below. The jousting crew shouted about it indistinctly.
I leaned against the awning, holding it back while I got my phone out. “It’s not coming loose,” I told Paint. “Tell him there’s a dam about to break, and one of his people needs to open the door.”
There was lots of indistinct shouting at that. I couldn’t make out all of the words, especially since the water sounds were increasing, thanks to a new crack the water levels had just reached. Captain Parker was shaking his head at Paint, who’d set down the box so she could hold the phone and gesture wildly. He waved at me to come down, and pointed back at the way we’d come. I shook my head and pointed at the reservoir, but he was already looking away.
“Paint!” I called into the phone. “Tell him he’s got to!”
“He wants to turn back!” Paint cried.
“Wait!” This was a dumb idea, but I’d had worse. “Paint, tell him you double dog dare him to do it.”
“What?”
“Human thing. If he doesn’t, he’s a coward. Use those exact words: you double dog dare him.”
Paint didn’t answer me, lowering the phone and jabbing a finger at Captain Parker. I could just make out her words over the water.
“I double dog dare you to do it! If you don’t, you’re a coward!”
He gaped at her for a moment while his crew burst into laughter. Ruby clapped him on the shoulder. A smaller man waggled his fingers like he was offering to hold the captain’s jacket. Captain Parker looked up at me, arms spread in a clear WTF.
I held the awning back and pointed emphatically downward.
Water rushed faster out of that new crack. People were laughing below. Paint repeated the phrase like an incantation.
And Captain Parker took off his jacket, handing it to the other man.
“Yes!” I breathed in relief, leaning harder against the metal. It really wanted to fold back down. But the captain would need light to see.
In moments he’d left his jacket, shoes, and pocket valuables with the crew, and was striding forward, shaking his head. Ruby aimed her flashlight at the door, though it was pretty visible now. I pocketed my phone and crossed my fingers. With a worried glance, I sent strengthening thoughts toward the dam.
Captain Parker stuck a foot in, swore loudly, then cannonballed directly into the deep end to the approving whoops of his crew. He surfaced, gasping at the cold, then took a few good breaths and submerged, going straight for the door.
The catch didn’t turn easily. Of course it didn’t. Why would any of this be easy? I watched him struggle with it, flicking my eyes back toward the straining reservoir. Water was starting to spill over the side. The big crack was spreading.
Then something clunked below me, and the door grated aside, gushing water and a very cold human into the corridor beyond.
I yelled my own wahoo along with the crew, and left the awning to jolt back into place with another rain of rust while I hurried back down. One of the pipes almost jerked out of the wall while I was holding it. I jumped the rest of the way.
“Take the box!” Paint told me. Humans were rushing down the wet stairs. I took it just as a thunderous crack filled the air, and the ground shuddered.
“Run!” I said. We dashed down the stairs to the sound of rushing water. The wall I’d just been standing on sprouted dozens of leaks, creaking ominously.
There was still a bit of a puddle at the bottom, but Paint bravely dashed through it with her heat shawl held tight. I was right behind her with the box. The other humans were already climbing dry stairs on the other side.
We made it through the door just as the wall collapsed, sending water and debris slamming into the place we’d been standing moments before.
I don’t think I’ve ever climbed stairs faster. Two of the nearest humans hoisted Paint up, her small legs kicking in the air. Water splashed behind us, wetting one of my pant legs in a terrifying moment that made me think we’d all be washed away after all, but then we were out of range and still standing.
Everybody stood in an open courtyard, breathing hard and staring. The water rushed in every direction below us, filling more passageways than I’d thought it could. We’d reached an area of high ground with the reconstruction offices in view, all freshly painted and gold in the sunlight.
But only just.
“We’ll need another way back to the ship,” said Ruby.
“Good thing we left all our stuff behind.”
“Hey Captain, you can use my shirt to dry off with.”
“Mine too.”
Captain Parker looked a little paler than his skin tone was really meant for as he rubbed his hands together for warmth. “Thanks,” he managed, sounding like he was keeping his teeth from chattering by force of will.
Paint approached him and made an elaborate bow, which I’m pretty sure she got from some media about old Earth customs since that’s not the kind of thing her people do. “Well done, Captain Parker,” she declared. “Your honor is unquestionable; you are not a dog this day.”
He smiled while the crew laughed again. “Thank you. Your challenge was well-timed.” He stripped off his wet shirt and toweled dry with someone else’s, then rolled up his pant legs instead of taking them off.
“Do you need to borrow my heat shawl?” Paint asked tentatively.
Captain Parker frowned, shivering violently. “You’re coldblooded. Don’t you need it?”
“I’ll be okay,” Paint assured him. “You need it more right now. The air isn’t as bad as that water.”
“You’re not wrong.” He accepted it when she handed it to him, settling it over his shoulders with a deep sigh of relief.
When Paint met my eyes, I gave her a smile of approval, and she beamed. Crew members were busy making calls: to their ship, to their local contact, and who knew where else. It occurred to me that we should do the same.
Paint told me, “Everyone’s going to want to hear about this. And you’ll have to explain the details of the double dog thing; I’d never heard of that before.”
I shrugged one shoulder, still holding the box. “It’s not a big deal. More of a kid thing, honestly. I’m sure there are lots of cultures with similar stuff.”
“Not mine,” she said thoughtfully. “Blip and Blop would probably appreciate it. And Trrili would probably appreciate it too much.”
“Oh man, Trrili would be an unholy menace.” I thought of our most frightening crewmate’s love of scaring people. “Let’s not tell her about double dares.”
When the captain had his shoes back on and his jacket thrown over the heat shawl, we all moved on toward the reconstruction office, leaving a trail of water droplets and honor in our wake.
~~~
Captain Parker and co made their other appearance in this story.
These are the ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book.
They're shared early on Patreon! There’s even a free tier to get them on the same day as the rest of the world.
The sequel novel is in progress (and will include some characters from these stories. I hadn’t thought all of them up when I wrote the first book, but they’re too much fun to leave out of the second).
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finnprof · 2 days
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blu scout....she means everything to me....
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some headcanons under the cut
• not sure about the name yet, but i was thinking Britney or something starting with b. now allow me to get real soppy for a moment - she and the male blu scout are besties or at least very close friends, so he calls her B for short ;-;
• she can be mean, at times she gets straight up nasty. it takes a looong while for her to warm up to other people, and she often just comes off more hostile than she means to
• she's got wicked long hair - almost never been cut, the ends are all split and thinning. she subconsciously links long hair to femininity, and as a trans girl who hadn't been accepted for a long time, she's literally holding her locks in a death grip. she doesn't necessarily take great care of the hair, but just having it there brings her a lot of comfort
• has a ton of freckles, they're very intense and scatter in dense patches all over her body. she often gets insecure and annoyed with them, so i made a white turtleneck (hi demoman design) a part of her uniform - just like with hair, it's a little impractical and limits her movement during work, but she powers through it cause what're you gonna do~
• speaking of work, she's probably the slowest of the four scouts, though what she lacks in speed, she makes up for in agility and street smarts. i think she'd make little contraptions out of scrap metal like booby traps or trip wires and such, so her and engie get along well~
• i was also thinking she'd wear dark green baggy cargos with lots of pockets - maybe a belt bag around her hips
• err the last point uhh yeah she just seems like the type to munch on ice cubes - probably means she's got good teeth~
is she an oc at this point? idk probably??
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dollmaidcrystal · 3 days
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Saturdays are for reblogging House of Gord. This is a conversation that actually happened when I was discussing House of Gord with a new doll (as one does.)
New Doll: I like the entire idea of being used as furniture, but the Gord office chair doesn't do it for me. It's just not practical enough
Me: Howso? If you have issues, I'm sure I can find a new design that works.
New Doll: The Gord chair looks nice, but it doesn't seem practical. Like, I don't think I could hold that position long enough to be practical furniture. And breathing with someone's weight on you like that seems impossible.
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Me: (Taking notes) "Works with body mechanics better."
New Doll: Plus, the "padding" looks nice, but my butt's probably too boney for anyone to enjoy sitting on. My chair should have nice thick cushions!
Me: "Needs cushions." So, you want a chair that's more like this?
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New Doll: Thanks. I hate it.
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sequinsnstars · 10 hours
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˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ filling in the blanks as we go ݁˖ ⊹ ‧₊˚
JASON GRACE .ᐟ
ingredients; mason grace, walks in the woods, and little kids
fyi; gn reader who is roman but has no specified godly parent, timeline is messy but wtv, cursing, i reference media i like bc i’m self indulgent, little additions to the hoo plot, children forced into being soldiers 😕 greek part of the seven is visiting cj, also PLATONIC PIPER AND NICO CRUMBS bc wdym they only became close during the sun and the star??? reader is especially close w them
notes; part 2 of fresh page, on the desk. enjoy! dedicated to the lovely hannah @starlitszn mwah
wc; 2.1k omg
food mood; key lime pie. topped with the essential sweet whipped cream.
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You liked to think of your life as pretty normal.
Training sessions, mythology studies, war games, the usual. In your free time, you would hang out with your friends, visit New Rome, read books, listen to music, and occasionally sneak out to the mortal world.
But the praetor pretending to be your boyfriend? That was new.
Walking out of Cyclops Books, you thought about what to do next. You’d just finished baking the cupcakes with Tyson, and he’d let you take the extras home. You were planning to share them with Piper and relay the recent events, since who was better to tell than the daughter of love?
Just then, you saw your SPQR tattoo emanate a dark purple glow – the sign to return to barracks immediately.
A few months ago, the Council had proposed that all probatio and those of higher ranking have some way to be alerted if there was an emergency. In response, the praetors had worked with the children of Vulcan to design a little chip that would be placed underneath one’s forearm skin. It was connected to a special device that could activate a color change to the Camp Jupiter purple when needed. Probatio didn’t have tattoos yet, so they got the smallest (and least painful) chips, while other rankings received slightly larger ones so all their SPQR markings lit up. It was nasty to get them inserted, but if anyone complained, Reyna would list off a variety of unpleasant situations where they might be killed if they didn’t have the system. If anyone chose to ignore the alert, they were guaranteed to drop a rank.
You hurried back to the New Rome entrance and exit area. Upon seeing your glowing tattoo, Terminus (surprisingly) made no judgemental comments and ushered you out of the city. At least, you thought he did. It was hard to tell, since he had no arms.
As you headed inside the official campgrounds, you spotted a circle of worried-looking demigods waiting near the barracks. The two praetors as well as Hazel, Frank, Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and another boy you didn’t know were at the front, urgently discussing something in hushed tones. You suddenly realized that this probably had to do with the reason Jason had abruptly left Cyclops Books – something about needing to help out a soldier?
Piper, Leo, and Nico were all gathered near their friends, but the two groups weren’t speaking. Piper had her arms crossed and was talking to Leo as he nodded along.
You rushed to them, out of breath. “Hey. Do you guys know what’s going on?”
Leo shook his head. “No. We tried asking them about it, but they said they’d tell us soon enough. We didn’t push it any further, since they seemed really stressed. Honestly, considering the last time this alert was triggered, it’s probably nothing too serious. Gods, that was embarrassing. People can’t even enjoy Sabrina anymore, man.”
(Last time, Frank had caught Leo at a party dancing shirtless on top of a table while Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter played. The big guy panicked and sent out a signal to the entire camp. After that incident, Reyna banned him from using the device any more.)
Piper looked at you and grinned mischievously. “Speaking of Jason, he’s been glancing at you a lot since you arrived. Anything you want to tell me?” You almost choked on air.
Nico sighs. “Just because a person looks at another person doesn’t mean there’s something between them, Piper. We’re not all like you and Shel who give each other heart eyes when you’re not sitting together at the campfire.”
“Can’t a girl admire her beautiful and perfect girlfriend? Anyway, stop pretending you and Solace weren’t staring at each other like forbidden lovers last night just because you were on different Monopoly teams–”
“That’s different!”
“Oh, are you being sexist right now? You clearly haven’t unlearned the ways of the 1930s–”
“Attention!” Reyna’s firm voice silenced everyone in the area. “We have assembled here today due to a missing young soldier from the Fifth Cohort. We have good reason to believe she is in the woods just beyond the Field of Mars. With the help of Jake Mason, a son of Hephaestus from Camp Half-Blood–” She gestured to the boy that had been talking to their group earlier. “–we plan to send two soldiers as scouts.”
Whispers broke out among the demigods when Reyna said the last bit. They didn’t last long, however; Aurum and Argentum barked furiously, which was enough to make people listen.
The praetor continued. “Recently, we’ve discovered that more than one individual may have an empathy link as long as a satyr is involved, so we plan to set up one between the two soldiers and Grover Underwood here in case any danger is encountered on the way. Jake has found an old device that scans brain similarities: thought process, frequent emotions, cognitive functions, and so on. We will select the individuals with the most alike minds so the empathy link takes up the least energy. Please gather in a line for this assessment.”
You and your fellow campers (plus Reyna’s group) quickly did as she said, and Jake came around. The machine was pretty simple – it looked a little like those no-touch forehead thermometers a doctor in the mortal world would use. The purpose was entirely different, though, as with any demigod contraption. Everyone was a little restless until the son of Hephaestus tested himself and announced the results.
He cleared his throat before saying, “The two soldiers are–” He pointed at you. “Uh, what’s your name? Sorry.”
Stunned, you told him.
He nodded. “Ok. You and Praetor Grace will go to the woods together.”
You didn’t dare look at Piper.
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.
“Are you sure you’ve got everything?” asked Nico, his voice full of concern.
You gave him a small smile. “Yes. You really didn’t have to pack for me, you know. I could have done it myself.” The empathy links had been set up and you were just about to leave.
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m aware. You’re very independent. Just let me do this one thing. For all we know, this trip is a death wish.”
“Very motivating, Nico,” Piper said dryly. “No but seriously, stay safe out there. And don’t have too much fun with Jason. You are on a professional mission, after all.” She winked.
Now you rolled your eyes. “Pipes, you need to let that go.”
You caught a whiff of something that smelled like… clean laundry? Turning around, you found yourself looking at a certain blonde boy, except this time he was wearing a dark blue New Rome University hoodie and a silver dog tag necklace on top, paired with baggy gray cargo pants.
He really had to stop sneaking up on you like that.
“Um, hi. You ready to go?” Jason’s voice was a little rough, like he’d been talking for a while and was now tired.
You nodded and waved to your friends. “Bye, guys.”
For the first ten minutes or so, it was painfully awkward. As you two walked to the woods, the only sound was chatting from the barracks and the crunchy gravel underneath your feet. When you reached your destination, nothing much changed apart from instead hearing the crickets sing and the leaves rustle. You were also half-expecting a monster to pop out of nowhere – there was a reason people avoided this grove.
Venus was probably having the time of her life watching.
“I feel like I owe you an explanation.”
You looked at Jason, startled.
“It was kind of a dick move to just throw that whole boyfriend thing on you. I wasn’t thinking, and now we’ve got to commit to this act, and now you’ve got to lie to your friend, and go on a whole fake date with me, and it’s really all my fault, sorry. If you’re mad, that’s totally fine–”
“You know, you really talk too much.” You were surprised that your voice came out so calmly, considering that you were kind of freaking out. “Yes, you did not make the smartest move there. But that’s okay. Just because you’re a praetor doesn’t mean you can’t fuck up sometimes. Besides, we don’t really have a way out of this.”
For a few seconds, there was no response.
Until Jason chuckled, deep and gravelly. “Wow. That was probably the most honest yet most comforting thing I’ve ever been told.”
“You’re welcome. So how are you thinking we execute this whole… situation? The date shouldn’t be too bad, but I’m mostly worried about how we’ll have to make it public to the camp. Tyson and Percy are half-brothers, and you know how Percy is–”
“He loves gossip. I’m guessing both camps will find out within a day if he knows.” Jason smiled. “I propose we reveal it in a subtle way, so people take a while to piece together that we’re, you know, quote unquote dating.”
You looked at him.
“What?” he asked.
“Are you cold?”
“No?” Jason frowned. He smirked and added, “Quite the opposite, actually.”
Raising an eyebrow, you replied, “Okay, Mason.” (He flushed.) “Give me your hoodie. I’ll probably get a load of it from Piper when we get back, but I think it’ll help our plan work.”
The boy did as you said and handed the hoodie over. You put it on, not expecting it to be so comfy. Jason was wearing a shirt underneath that read “I ♡ SABRINA SLUTS” which very much did not hug his biceps a little too tightly. You guessed the clothing choice was courtesy of Leo.
You were about to compliment it when you heard a faint sobbing echo through the woods.
The praetor looked at you. “Think that’s our soldier?”
You both jogged towards where the sound came from. Sitting against the trunk of a willow tree, you saw a dark-haired girl that looked about 10 years old. Her denim shorts had dark splotches from where her tears had fallen. Upon hearing you approach, she quickly wiped her face.
Jason knelt down next to her and gently took her hand. “Hi.”
You copied his actions, taking her other hand. Softly, you asked, “What’s your name?”
“Gracie.”
Jason smiled. “That’s a very pretty name. You wanna tell us what’s going on?”
The girl put her head in her hands and took a deep breath. “I don’t know. I was just thinking about how much I miss my mortal home and how scared I am now. It feels like there’s danger everywhere and I can never feel safe. I wish I was back at school like a normal kid, but instead I’m preparing for battles and having wolf ladies train me. I started feeling really bad so I came here, hoping it would help. I’m sorry, it’s really stupid and probably caused a fuss if you both had to come find me–”
“Hey, hey, hey. Don’t say that. It’s okay to feel that way. There are so, so many demigods who have thought the same things as you. Even I did, and I’m the praetor.” Gracie laughed a little at the last bit that Jason said.
“Exactly,” you agreed. “You are being so brave right now. Just telling two people you haven’t ever talked to before about how you’re feeling takes courage.”
“You really think so?” Her voice was small.
“We know so.” Jason squeezed her hand. “Now, do you want to sit down here for a little longer, and we’ll tell camp you’re okay? We can stay with you.”
Gracie shook her head and declared, “I’m ready to go back now.”
“Okay.” He grinned. “Wait. I know what to do.”
Jason picked her up, bridal-style, and the girl squealed. Looking at him, with his slightly messy hair and huge smile, you felt closer somehow. Perhaps it was the empathy link, but it was like you were seeing a side of him that not many people knew. You were seeing Jason Grace, the boy who loses his glasses and thinks he’s being a burden (even though he isn’t) rather than Jason Grace, the praetor who fought the Titan Krios.
You liked this look better on him.
“Hello? Are you there?” Jason was staring at you intently, which made your cheeks grow warm. You hadn’t realized the two expected a response.
“Sorry, what?” You started walking back to camp, and they followed.
“Gracie here was just telling me that key lime pie is her comfort food, so I asked you if you’d like to bake it with us.”
“Oh, I love key lime pie! Sure.”
He beamed at you. Gracie continued her conversation, and you listened to her talk about the time she almost burned down her house a few years ago trying to make it. It was a peaceful walk, and you felt like you were with old friends.
Maybe, you thought, you could get used to Jason Grace.
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hope you enjoyed the meal!
thank you for your order and your waitress siara hopes you come again soon 💌
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adobe-outdesign · 3 days
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Neoreviews for the Skeith?
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Out of the four (4) dragon Neopets we have, I gotta say, the Skeith might just be my favorite. It's not my favorite aesthetically as it's fairly underwhelming compared to something like the Draik—no real markings makes the body very plain–but what it lacks in design it makes up for in personality. Skeiths instantly stick out as one of the heaviest Neopets, and have a gluttonous, lazy personality to match (they can even eat non-food items on the site itself). They're like the personifications of the greedy, princess-eating parts of dragons, and I love it.
In terms of design Skeiths are fairly straightforward. Outside being fat, the main thing that stands out are their noses; while the majority of their features are standard dragon ones, they unexpectedly have an almost dog-like nose, making them feel like the pug equivalent of dragons. It's honestly great, and I just wish the rest of the design had more interesting twists like that. That said, there's nothing wrong with what what we got, either.
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Customization-wise, I honestly can't decide if they came out on top or not. The design itself remained virtually unchanged aside from larger tail spikes, but the pose changed drastically, going from quadrupedal to bipedal. I don't mind them being bipedal necessarily, but at the same time them being quadrupedal really made them stand out among the other three bipedal dragons. I also think the super plain design works better when they're quadrupedal, as there's more focus on the yellow accents and less focus on the unmarked stomach area. Also, one fist is bad enough, but two is right out.
Favorite Colours:
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Royal: I talked about these guys once before, but these are just great designs. The Queen of Hearts design for the royal girl is just so fun, and it looks great visually with the white base and yellow/red accents. I also appreciate that both designs are good and feel equal, unlike some royal pets where one design is clearly better than the other.
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Biscuit: Biscuit tends to be one of the more boring Neopet colours, so it's really surprising that the biscuit Skeith is so good. Not only does it have beautiful shading and great texturing, with gooey chocolate chip spikes and a nice crumbly cookie base, but they went the extra mile by making it so it took a bite out of its own arm in boredom/hunger. It's just perfect for the species and it even comes complete with crumbs on the chin. I don't know why they went so unnecessarily hard on a biscuit pet of all things, but pop off I guess.
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Halloween: Another one that just fits the species perfectly. The Frankenstein's monster look is great and reads really clearly, with a nice alternating tan and green palette that break up the Skeith's normally solid-colored body. The only thing is that I'm not sure if I like the clothes (a shirt and shoes but no pants just feels weird), but those are optional wearables anyway so it doesn't really matter. Also the underside of the wing probably should've been tan, but that isn't a big deal either.
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BONUS (8-bit): hehe clown :)
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usafphantom2 · 1 day
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How the SR 71 program died. This picture is of the retirement ceremony at March Air Force Base 1990.
You cannot see the faces of the Warriors in this photograph that are possibly holding back their tears when the SR 71 program was canceled prematurely. The men The Pilots and RSO’s (reconnaissance systems officer) that flew in an airplane without any armament at 85-90,000 feet above the Earth. Theirs was the fight for justice and freedom from 1964 to 1990 of a War that never ended. We are still fighting a Cold War against communists. They put their life on the line for the freedom of the United States. These SR-71 Warriors were going to battle as they dressed slowly and precisely in their pressure suits. These brave men preparing for battle they knew they may never come home again to their family. Their families shared in the glory, and in the tension that surrounded them, I noticed that some of my fellow Habubrats have anxiety disorders. That is understandable.
SR-71 was not designed for airshows or any glory it was designed by the Skunk Works to stealthily find out what our enemies were planning.
THE SR-71 PREVENTED WAR.
Satellites could never replace the SR-71. Satellites don’t orbit east to west. Satellites can’t collect 100,000 miles of data per hour and it is easy to predict the path of a satellite. There was new money for projects in the Air Force if they went with satellites so they did. The Air Force Chief put Lockheed out of the SR 71 business. The Chief said that Lockheed trying to keep the SR 71 alive was going to hurt their chances of winning the F-22 contract! Contractors like Lockheed only have one customer the Department of Defense.
Open POM in 1985 Generals found out the cost for the first time of the SR 71. Open POM was to take classified programs such as the B2, the F1 17, and the SR 71 and reveal their cost to the air staff board so they could see what the Air Force was funding. It sounded like a good idea and probably was. The Air Force at that time had some of the new programs classified and hidden from view, but it was the kiss of death for the SR 71.
The SR 71 funding was in trouble because first off the Air Force did not use the data collected by the SR. The users were the Navy, Army, DIA, and a little bit (ELINT) for NSA.
NSA never liked the SR-71 Why? Communications intelligence SR went too fast for COMINT they thought communications intelligence was the only kind of intelligence that was useful. When the Air Force Generals saw how much the SR was costing them they revolted they said more than $200 million for operating only 10 airplanes which is ridiculous.
U-2 funding was in the General Defense Intelligence Program DIP controlled by the DIA. The Air Staff could not get at that money or they would have.
The SR money was in Program One called Strategic Forces. The reason it was in that budget was that when it came over to the Air Force from the NRO and the SRG the budget for the SR was too big for the GPIP and would have revealed how much was being spent. To cover up the cost they put it in with Strategic Bombers and Missiles, which had a very big budget
About the time of open POM in 1984. The Air Force became a Haven for fighter pilots with the death of General O’Malley the four stars were all from Tactical Air Command (TAC) they even put a TAC General in charge of SAC! SAC got the highest fastest flying aircraft and the TAC was always trying to catch up. One might ask how did this affect the SR -71? The reason once this very large amount of money was being spent on satellites they no longer wanted to fund the SR-71 The SR went from a national collection platform to Tactical intelligence asset.
The SR 71 would be flying today like the U-2 if the Air Force had not received the funding data. ( The U2 is supposed to be retiring again. I’ll believe it when I never see a U2 in the air again.)
Linda Sheffield
“The Very First” written by Colonel Richard “Butch” Sheffield
@Habubrats71 via X
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The importance of details
𖤐Hello everyone Kuronians𖤐
To day I would like to tell you about a very interesting frame that can be seen in the fourth season of Kuroshitsuji. This frame made me realise the importance of details and how much Yanuzza takes care of his work.
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As we can see, Ciel is in bed with the blanket covering him a little below his shoulder. He looks relaxed and we can tell this state because of his relaxed hand.The problem, however, is that Ciel would never sleep like that. A child who has been through something as traumatic as Ciel's would certainly not feel relaxed and comfortable in a strange place and with strange people. Rather, he would unconsciously seek some sort of 'protection', something that would shield him from reality, because as stupid as it sounds, falling asleep is not easy. Closing your eyes and resting means that you are relaxing and that you feel safe in the place where you are.
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Yanuzza in the manga did not draw Ciel casually. First of all, the blanket covers him up to his shoulders, or rather, up to his neck, as if to shield him, to protect him from the outside, thus giving him the right reassurance. The hand is clenched into a fist, as if to indicate a certain rigidity due to the new situation he finds himself in.
When we sleep, we do not have control over our bodies, and precisely because of this, the positions in which we sleep can tell us a lot about ourselves because our bodies can reveal needs, fears and more.
The fact that Ciel sleeps in the fetal position is no coincidence, because people who sleep in this position often have a sort of unconscious desire to regress to childhood. Could this be the case for Ciel? Yes probably, considering that he was once happy. The point is not so much this but the fact that those who sleep in this position unconsciously seek protection. I find this last point very interesting indeed because it is precisely what Ciel lacked at the time....
Besides that, in the first volumes (Luxury Line arc) when we see Sebasian's memories, we can see the first night of the human cub at the mansion. He was completely wrapped up under the blankets (including his head) and if I remember correctly, this position is called the 'sarcophagus position' or a similar name that has to do with death anyway. It is not only a comforting position, but it really becomes a den, a safe place.
In the new season they have changed the position by unintentionally giving a new character to Ciel.Surely there will be people who think like me while others will say 'but it's just a frame'.
What do I think as a graphic designer studying at the Rainbow academy? (yes, the Winx) in the other animated series (excluding Atlantic) although the character design was immature (so much so that in certain scenes the characters from a distance had coloured dots as eyes) the details seem to me to have remained the same, but if it had been the other way round I would have turned a blind eye, after all the whole reflected the dark world of Kuroshitsuji. I certainly can't say the same about the new season since they changed both the colour palette and the character design.
For the umpteenth time since this new season came out, here I am again saying 'I am sorry that Yanuzza's work has been belittled' . I think that in order to understand certain things, one has to be 'in it', for example: to make my monogram and give it a story, I spent a good three months on it! Yes, three months for a monogram. As always, I'll be honest, I don't like the fact that she works her ass off for all these details (details that undoubtedly distinguish a story from one with dicks) details that are then not mentioned in the anime (not to mention the colours and other things because otherwise we'd be here a week)
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For example, see how the real Ciel. It is the exact opposite of the position of "Ciel. If the brother is insecure enough to seek protection with blankets, Ciel doesn't give a damn about blankets. That is a position of one who is not afraid of anyone, a position that suggests a certain self-confidence, something that was missing in 'Ciel's' position.
I hope you enjoyed this post that makes us reflect on the details of the manga, a work that deserves much more because of the themes it deals with and the luxurious pain it is imbued with.
If you are curious to see more of my posts, you can find me on IG as Kuroshiutsuji_itaru 😈
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bruhstation · 2 days
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You seem like a Train Professional so where would one begin in order to get into the funny little talking train show?
these are all my own opinions so take it like a grain of salt -- the common go-to would be the thomas and friends tv show. start off from season 1 then work all your way up to the top (not actually really. you can skip some later seasons like s17 if you want to). the model seasons are considered to be some of the greatest because 1) they set the foundation of the cast (besides the railway series books) 2) they contain some of the most iconic scenes from the show like gordon's ronan kirk crash, the flying kipper accident, james and the shoelaces, etc and 3) they're the originals so you know what their personalities and relationships to their peers were like and how their characterization was supposed to be like before the cgi era flip flopped them up
also check out the railway series books in the meantime! the funny talking train show was based on the book series created by reverend awdry for his sick son! the first book feature edward, henry, and gordon. thomas appears in the second book. fast forward decades later and britt alcroft created a tv show called thomas the tank engine. there are many eras of the show, from models, to model/cgi hybrid, to computer animations where the show gets passed around like a volleyball from studio to studio
here's a google spreadsheet that contains all the thomas and friends episodes in various languages. feel free to watch the show for yourself and decide which seasons you like the most
some more of my thoughts under the cut
I recommend you steer clear of the big world big adventures seasons and specials because it's probably the most controversial seasons in the fandom. replacing two of the core cast members, "pandering" to certain audiences, putting in lackluster representation for the sake of selling toys, SAID representation turns out to be racist depictions, all of it reflected the current state of mattel when handling thomas and friends. they also didn't contribute anything to the overall show, like by the time the bwba seasons were out, people dgaf and just focused on the older seasons. you can ignore bwba and you won't miss anything important about ttte. not that I'm stopping you! you have your own free will.
the thing about ttte that made many adults get into it (if not for train autism) is how ttte was a show grounded in reality. idk if that makes sense but basically despite being a show about mean talking trains for little kids, reverend awdry and britt alcroft handled the characters with care. they gave the engines so much charm by making them bicker with each other like the cranky old engines they are BUT they're not reduced to singular personality traits too. thomas is cheeky and kind of a meanie but he wants to prove himself useful. edward is old and acts as a mentor to thomas but he also wants to show that he still got it despite his old age. gordon went from being a pompous grand young express engine to a humble old engine being a mentor to the newer ones and so on! they also put a lot of historical references related to the engines' basis too and tie their backstories in (henry's a stolen faulty design hence his cynical, miserable personality at the early seasons of the show). there's even irl engines mentioned in both the books and show (flying scotsman and city of truro) and it's just neat!!! because awdry cares about history so much!!!! that he even made an "encyclopedia" about sodor, its railways, and its history
the books and the earlier seasons of ttte didn't shy away from themes of death and usefulness and all that (the story of godred, henry being a faulty engine and getting cask of amontillado'd for being uncooperative, all of gordon's siblings scrapped sans flying scotsman) because the thing about them being engines are important to them. it's their reison d'etre. they get scrapped if they cannot be of use anymore, because that's how things have always been. they get into accidents often because their ego got to them. dieselization is starting on the island of sodor and the diesels are asserting their dominance over the oldschool steam engines. the engines just exist there. they just happen to have faces and talk. idk. I think it's interesting how they view life a bit differently than humans. thank you for listening to my ramble
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tartsinarat · 2 days
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Scary extremely old man jumpscare /j
I completely forgot to redesign Belos for the au and only just realised midway when I drew him for a scene redraw and I was like oh shit- as he doesn’t have a right arm in the au (in this post there a small explanation to why) and I completely forgot so I then had to design a badass prosthetic for him.
Designing the prosthetic was one of my favourite things to do because I designed it around how his cursed form has his muscles/ bones exposed which I tried to mimic and used a real prosthetic arm from the 16th century as a reference but made it more fantasy and extra.
The coolest thing about Belos’s prosthetic in this design is that it also meant to resemble an artificial magic staff because it is one! It works the same way and allows him to do magic without relying on the glyphs.
Ignoring the obvious mechanical prosthetic arm I really only did some small tweaks like colour or outfit for example but I did give him a chapstick to remove those dry ass lips because I just personally didn’t vibe with it lmao
Also i had the weirdest mandela effect as I for some reason remember Belos’s eyebrows being really thick but then I used a reference of him as a base for the redesign and they were so thin??? which is really funny because I made Pip have really thick eyebrows for some reason when originally designing him so I think after drawing Pip loads and not having properly watched toh in a hot minute I probably assumed Belos had them too… Ive finally corrected my mistake as Pip is meant to be an almost perfect replica of Belos and so now Belos has thick eyebrows too so they can be proper twinsies lmao
I wanted him to straight up look like a corpse so his eyes look really uncanny due to how saturated they are in comparison, the specific vibe I wanted for Belos was this specific image of Prince Philip who looks like he is just barely hanging on to the world of the living and seems like he’s having a “weekend at Bernie’s” type of moment
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For reference, also sorry for the jump-scare I tried to make it less scary by getting a meme image version of prince Philip/hj
But yeah I’ll probably do a Philip redesign soon because he’s got a cool design already but you can tell that it was really simplified for animation :p and I’m probably going to do an au comic based on elsewhere and elsewhen soon because it’s one of my favourite episodes
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