#and also allowing myself to not post only finished/clean drawings has done a lot too

[kirazdaha]

HAHAHAHA Every Turk Family has one of those names and unironically mine does too 🫡 Tell your mother thank you she is a very lovely lady

I know all of the artists you listed below because my dad blasts them on the radio everytime we go out... I call it old people music but hey I never said it was bad, they're awesome and I might have memorised some of the artist's songs from how much I listen to them... Barış Manço is a classic without a doubt! Fun fact my parents were able to go to his concert and got a signed picture with him I will always envy how lucky they were 😭 I love how women in the industry made the most iconic songs I hear them often in weddings too! Or clubs, even though I only went to one once I'm not very fond of them...

My questions were do you have any tips or inspiration with how you draw! I love your art and artstyle and it's honestly what I've been trying to achieve for a while, I can't believe I'm learning how to draw men because of a silly lawyer show it's a disease...

(We are just having a conversation at this point) (I feel like those people who speak out loud in public) (I hope you and anyone who's reading this is having a good day :) be kind to yourself and others everyone)

OH MY GOD i envy them too😭😭 also omg that sounds like heaven to me. the other day i went out partying and i felt sooo out of place because i only knew like 3 songs. omg it was so so bad.

hmmm tips and inspiration…. my number 1 tip would definitely be to look at a lot of other artists you like and analyze what exactly you like. and then try to emulate that in your own work. i try to look for inspiration everywhere - artists online, traditional artists, old masters, 3d artists, even theatre and poetry, etc. - doesnt mean that i am equally inspired by them all (because all these things at once sound so scary and big but they really arent!) but rather, i try to be open for anything and that helps me find inspiration :) 

ill try to explain my thoughts more under the cut because this got long:

for me for example, so far i only posted some art i made that was lined (which, i would say makes up maybe half of the art i draw - i mostly sketch and recently have been building up the courage to paint more) and one of my inspirations is meltow. i think if you go over and check out their art youll definitely see it lol. but also i love the clean look some comics have and my friends tell me my art looks like it belongs in a comic which, i guess yeah :) when it comes to colors and composition i LOVE this artists works. i still have a lot to learn and just looking at their works inspires me so much!!!

i will say i have ALWAYS struggled with lineart. its probably the worst thing in the world to me because it never feels right!!! i like lining on paper with harsh inks and stiff ink nibs that allow for like. very little variety in line weight, but i havent done that in over 3 years (i hope i can get back to that). but yes, something about lineart makes me feel so icky when i use any brush that reacts to the pressure you put on your tablet LOL i just hate it. ugh. i havent been able to work it out.

it was only in 2020 i think that i decided to try it out with a thick brush with some texture and no pen pressure. that probably was the first time i got actual lineart that (at the time) i liked done. and then later on, discovering that other artists are able to achieve beautiful drawings with similar brushes AND that lining with a very simple brush can feel so satisfying helped me evolve a lot! until 2022, i actually wasnt able to give my art the kind of finished look that i wanted. so what people consider my style is really just born out of my limits and working with them. that obviously doesnt mean that i dont try to challenge myself as much as i can. i do and i think everyone should! thats what makes art so fun

if theres any good advice i can give to a beginner itd probaaaaably be. okay this is difficult and i feel like im not really qualified for this. as a hobbyist much less so because a lot of the knowledge and skills i acquired was through an intuitive process (i could never stick with habits such as regular studies or warmups or whatever is meant to be good for you) which definitely isnt the most “productive” way but i mean it doesnt have to be. its just a hobby! you dont have to perfect art. but yes, i would definitely say dont stop drawing. youll always be your harshest critic and at the beginning, and especially if you begin at an older age because youve been training your eye your whole life but your drawing skills for only a relatively short time you will notice a lot of mistakes. and youll think you wont achieve the image you have in your head. and maybe you wont (because youll always strive for more and youll never really be satisfied as an artist bla bla) for a while. but you have to keep drawing! try out different strategies, find out how other artists draw, watch speedpaints, try out different papers and pencils, try everything that makes it more fun and keep going! it will all pay off!! 

in my eyes theres also no point in saying “i should wait till im better to draw this idea i have” because if inspiration strikes you you should use that. even though i still sometimes catch myself thinking like that. you can always redraw things later on!! if theres anything that will keep you drawing you should use that! like getting into shows and games that make me want to draw helps a ton LOL people are not joking when they say getting obsessed with one character is the quickest way to improve. i 100% agree!!! if you saw my first nachos you wouldnt even recognize him. not kidding wow this got long. thank you for the questions though!! i hope some of my rambling can help you. feel free to talk to me whenever!

[the-girl-in-the-box]

Not Today XXXVI

A/N: So! Another update a week later! Unfortunately, due to my schedule, this seems to be about what I am capable of at the moment- an update of this somewhere around Saturday night or Sunday morning, and an update on Can You Imagine? somewhere around Tuesday afternoon. As that is the case, please be on the lookout for new chapters following that schedule until things calm down on my end! If things slow down, or if I somehow manage to get ahead, then I will HAPPILY begin to post more often once again! However, if that does not come as soon as I would like, this does seem to be doable, and it does seem to be doable for the near future. With that said, another pretty major canon divergence has begun in this chapter! Hopefully, I’ve hinted at it well enough without outright spoiling it ;) And, either way, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and look forward to updating this again next weekend! Skål!

Summary: When Ivar takes the throne of Kattegat, Lagertha flees to Wessex along with Björn, Ubbe, Torvi, and the Bishop Heahmund. There, they seek the aid of King Alfred. This aid comes in the form of his sister, Aethelind, who agrees to travel to Kattegat and try to reason Ivar, who she spent some time with during their youth, when her grandfather King Ecbert hosted Ragnar Lothbrok in their castle. Now, she is the only hope for Lagertha and her supporters to retake Kattegat from Ivar the Boneless.

Masterlist

--

Oleg wasted no time. Little more than a day passed after they’d managed to get Hvitserk cleaned up, and he, Ivar, and Asta were being called to court before him. Well, before him and Katia, of course. Asta and Ivar were, understandably, a bit nervous about this meeting. Oleg had proven himself unpredictable, and though they both knew they’d not let him touch Hvitserk, they didn’t exactly want Oleg and Katia to know they were plotting against him just yet. So, they would have to be careful, and pray that Hvitserk was as well.

Just before they went into the room, Asta stopped Hvitserk, looking up at him seriously. “You warned me once to be careful of Ivar,” she whispered. “Now I’m warning you, be careful of Oleg.”

“Were you careful, Princess?” Hvitserk asked her with a pointed smirk and a small chuckle, and she rolled her eyes amusedly.

“I was,” she answered. “Until I no longer had need to be. But Oleg isn’t Ivar. I know what happened to Sigurd, but I know Ivar regrets what he did that day. Oleg killed his brother Askold, and I truly do not believe he could care less. He treats his nephew horribly, and Ivar and I have done all we can to stand between them, but there’s only so much we can do.” Hvitserk nodded a little as Asta let out a small sigh. “And that doesn’t even reach Katia,” she said.

“Katia?”

“Katia, Oleg’s wife.”

Hvitserk’s eyes grew large. “She is more dangerous than Oleg?” he asked in disbelief.

“In her own way,” Asta answered vaguely. “She’s cunning, I see that in her eyes. That, and beautiful, seductive, attentive…”

Hvitserk lifted a brow now. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Ivar needed to be warned that you were going to leave him,” he joked, and Asta chuckled.

“I’m not,” she assured Hvitserk. “But as good as those traits sound, that is why they’re the problem. They are good, and she’s almost too good. I can’t help my suspicions.”

“Suspicions that…?” Hvitserk prompted.

“That she’s hiding something.”

They spent little more time talking about those who currently ruled over Kiev, and soon rejoined Ivar to step into the throne room, looking up to where Oleg sat on Igor’s throne, Katia lounging by his feet. What Asta didn’t notice was the way Hvitserk’s eyes widened just a bit upon seeing her. Ivar was the first of them to speak up.

“Prince Oleg,” he greeted. “Princess Katia, your Highnesses. Allow me to present my brother, Hvitserk, just lately risen from the dead.” Asta had to keep herself from giving a roll of her eyes. Ivar was dramatic, even without watching him on the other side of Hvitserk, Asta could see that.

Hvitserk gave a simple, small bow, and greeted the pair, “Your Highness.”

“Another son of Ragnar Lothbrok,” Oleg commented curiously. “You are most welcome.” Hvitserk gave something of a small, half smile as Oleg informed him, “You arrive at interesting times.”

“So I understand,” Hvitserk answered. “My brother has told me that you intend to attack our homeland.”

Ivar glanced between the two men anxiously, and Asta noticed this, having glanced over toward him to see what he thought of Hvitserk revealing this, that they had talked. Clearly, he was wanting to know Oleg’s thoughts on this, far more than he was having any of his own thoughts on it at the moment. And so, her eyes turned instead to Oleg, in time to catch him almost laughing.

He hummed, before answering Hvitserk, “It was once my homeland. I’m only reclaiming the past. I trust you will be happy to join King Ivar and myself in this great undertaking.”

So, he went with the lie. She and Ivar knew the truth, that any papers giving Oleg claim to Kattegat were forgeries. There was an assumption then, Asta realized- Oleg didn’t believe Ivar would have told Hvitserk this, nor did he believe she had done so, herself. Interesting.

Hvitserk chuckled a little. “I have nowhere else to go,” he confessed, and all but Asta laughed slightly- though, she did give something of a small huff, emulating laughter, as not to tip anyone off. Truthfully, she hated that Björn and Ubbe had turned their backs on him. Sure, he had killed Lagertha, who they had both loved, but this was their brother, their little brother. A part of herself whispered that Ivar was too, and she found herself suddenly far less surprised. 

“Hearing this just makes me all the more glad to know Ivar found you,” Asta said, turning and putting a hand on Hvitserk’s arm. “That, and the simple fact that we have been reunited.”

Hvitserk offered her a small smile, and replied, “Yes, I am also very happy to see you again, and to be reunited with you, Asta.” Asta smiled at him sweetly, and squeezed his arm before releasing him as he turned back to Oleg. “And, I am at your service, Prince Oleg. I, too, need to reclaim my past.”

“The Prince and I are so happy to have you at our court, Hvitserk. Ivar has spoken a lot about you.”

Asta hadn’t expected Katia to speak up when she did, and turned to her with a curious expression. She watched her stand, and start to make her way down the stairs, moving in such a way that she demanded all attention be on her. Freydis hadn’t moved like that, Asta remembered. Even as a Queen, she had just moved like any other woman. Katia was good, Asta wanted to believe, but Freydis had been sweet, and warm, and gentle, in ways Katia was not. She swallowed hard as she remembered her, and closed her eyes briefly to stem any tears which wanted to leak from them.

When her eyes reopened, Katia was standing with Ivar now, and continuing, “When you were children, when you jumped ship… He told me that you always believed you were fated to be together, however many times fate itself seemed to pull you apart.”

She smirked up at him knowingly, and Ivar met this with a tight smile, nodding slightly to acknowledge what she was saying was true, and then she was moving on to stand in front of Hvitserk.

“I find, myself, that fate works in… mysterious ways,” she said, and rested a hand against Hvitserk’s chest. Asta lifted a brow as she watched the two lock eyes, a million words seeming to pass between them, and yet not one could she translate for herself. Looking then to Oleg, Asta found it curious how truly, deeply unsettled the man appeared.

Katia had behaved similarly with herself and Ivar for quite some time now, and yet Oleg had never seemed all that bothered. But, he believed them to be married. Perhaps it was, then, that he believed neither of them to be a threat to his own marriage? And with Hvitserk being unwed and also unattached… Who knew what concerns were beginning to work their way into his mind, as Katia finally returned to him. Both his eyes, and Hvitserk’s, followed her, until she returned to her place at Oleg’s side, lounging on the dais just in front of him.

“Our army’s assembling,” Oleg began, clearly wanting to return to a more professional topic. “Tonight, you will watch some of it parade past the Palace.” He paused in his speaking to reach down and run a hand through Katia’s hair, and she seemed to almost pull away from him, though not quite, an uncomfortable expression crossing her face. So, there was trouble brewing between them. “It should be an interesting experience,” he finished, and nodded to dismiss the Vikings who stood before him.

Ivar and Hvitserk exchanged a look which was unreadable to the Prince, but Asta… that woman was harder to read than the two men combined. He could see her looking into the eyes of his wife, seeming to silently communicate with her. How troublesome this so-called Prophet was, and yet, how bold. He slid his hand through Katia’s hair once more, trying to draw her attention away from Asta, and it worked. But there was something distant in her eyes now, and he looked up again to watch as Asta followed her husband and his brother from the room, wondering what thoughts the little witch might have just put into his beloved wife’s mind.

It didn’t take five minutes, once Asta had reached Hvitserk and Ivar, for her to grit out, “I want to choke him.”

“Who, Oleg?” Hvitserk questioned, tilting his head a little.

“Who else?” she almost hissed.

“Well, he’s the obvious choice, but I couldn’t blame you if you meant Ivar-” He was interrupted by a grunt as Ivar elbowed him in the ribs.

“Say what you want, but Asta would never do that to me,” Ivar said confidently. “She loves me too much for that.”

Asta’s cheeks turned a slight shade of pink, and she rolled her eyes. “Just for that, you’re dead by morning, Ragnarsson,” she teased, though her tone held very little levity to it. Ivar laughed, and Hvitserk found himself chuckling as well.

“So, you two for real then, hmm?” he asked curiously. “I mean, I saw it back in Kattegat, but I wouldn’t have thought after everything that happened…”

“Who else did we have?” Ivar pointed out, looking over at Hvitserk. “Who else did I have, hmm? Asta is the only one who did not ever leave me, who never betrayed me. There is no one else I would have trusted enough.”

Asta smiled softly at his words, and slipped a hand into his, wrapping her free arm around it and holding him a little closer as they walked. “Nor I, darling,” she replied, and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. Ivar turned to her with a soft smile.

Hvitserk realized as he watched the pair that he hadn’t seen Ivar look at anyone that way aside from Freydis, nor Asta. Though he hadn’t known her long enough to know if she’d looked at someone that way before, he knew it was quite a special look. It was love, he saw in their eyes as they looked at each other, and he smiled slightly. With all luck, and the favor of the gods, he hoped he might also find someone to share that sort of look with one day.

They decided shortly after this that they were hungry, and seeing as they had not been to see Igor yet that day, busy as they’d been with Oleg, Asta and Ivar agreed they would go and fetch him. Hvitserk, having liked the boy well enough the previous time they had met, had no complaint about this.

Once they had him, they went to one of the smaller dining areas, and were served a meal, which they all sat around the table to eat. A light conversation was kept up for most of the meal, until it seemed to die out naturally. That was all well and good, though, as Ivar had something he’d been meaning to bring up. And, he did. He looked up at Hvitserk, who was still eating, and opened with a casual, “So.”

His brother looked up from his meal and prompted him, “So?”

Igor also looked up now, glancing between the two curiously as Ivar questioned, “What do you think?”

“About Oleg?” Hvitserk asked, a bit confused. Hadn’t they discussed him just a few hours prior?

“No, not about Oleg,” Ivar replied as though it should be obvious. “About his wife.”

“I thought she was… attractive?” Hvitserk said. “Rather provocative.” Asta smirked.

But Ivar was clearly not satisfied, and in fact, seemed a little irritated almost at Hvitserk’s response. “Nothing else?” he pressed.

“No,” Hvitserk answered. “What else?”

Ivar was stunned. Asta couldn’t keep herself from chuckling quietly at that expression of his. She recalled once likening it to a startled duck. He hadn’t quite believed her, but she’d still had a good laugh about it with him. She wondered if Hvitserk would find it amusing, as she did.

“You look like a startled duck again, darling,” she told him, and Hvitserk choked.

“You do,” he agreed easily.

Ivar now looked at Asta as if she had betrayed him, and he was deeply hurt by this. “You said you would never tell!” he accused, and she giggled.

“I still haven’t,” she defended. “In fact, I don’t think Hvitserk or Igor would even think there was something to tell, had you not just given it away.”

Ivar tried to stammer some kind of answer about that out, but only met the expectant eyes of both his brother, and Igor. She was right, he definitely brought that one on himself. “Ah, she said I looked like a startled duck one time, and I said we should not let it out that I was so easily stunned by her. There,” he said. “Anyway, Hvitserk.” Asta giggled at how eager he was to move on. “She didn’t… remind you of anyone?”

“Katia?” he clarified, and Ivar nodded.

“Yes,” he said. “You saw her. You know who she looks like.”

“I do?”

“Of course you do, brother,” Ivar replied. “Freydis.”

Hvitserk blinked a few times, and Asta realized the ‘startled duck’ face might just have been hereditary. “Your… wife?” Ivar nodded and made a small sound as if to confirm this. “Freydis is dead, Ivar, I- I saw her body-”

“Yes, yes, yes, I know,” Ivar said nonchalantly. “I killed her. But they are identical. So much so, Asta and I at first believed she had come back somehow.”

Hvitserk nodded slowly as he took this in, seeming to think for a moment, before he finally said decisively, “You’re still crazy, Ivar.”

Ivar deflated a little. Before, whenever Hvitserk had said that, he’d let it roll right off his back like water off a startled duck’s wings. Asta decided to step in.

“It’s true, Hvitserk,” she said. “Take a closer look at her, next time we are all together. I know you didn’t know her overly well, Freydis, but… the resemblance is uncanny, at the least.”

Hvitserk sighed as he heard Asta backing Ivar up on this, not just letting him claim she believed it as well. Without truly believing it, he doubted the Princess would have said anything. “Alright,” he conceded. “I’ll take a better look next time we see her.”

Asta nodded, and offered him a small smile as a way of thanking him. But, the smile turned into a smirk, and she chuckled. “I don’t think you’ll mind doing that anyway, will you?” she teased. “I saw the way the two of you looked at each other.” She lifted her brows a bit, pressing her lips together in a knowing smile as Hvitserk tilted his head confusedly.

“What do you mean?” he asked, and Asta laughed lightly.

“Come on, really?” she questioned. “I could have drawn my sword right then and cut the tension between you, it was so thick.”

“No, you’d just have cut off her hand,” Hvitserk countered, which only made Asta laugh more.

“Indeed I would have!” she agreed. “Which makes one question, why was she touching you in the first place?”

Hvitserk paused, sitting back and blinking a few times as his brows creased together. It was a good question. Why had she touched him? She hadn’t needed to. Asta was right about all of this, wasn’t she? Katia had touched him unnecessarily, and in doing so, had proven her unpredictability. She really was just as dangerous as Asta said. But, did she truly look like Freydis?

When that night came, he was dumbfounded to say the answer was a resounding yes. Katia did bear a very uncanny resemblance to Freydis, and he suddenly found himself wondering just how hard that was on his brother and his not-wife. With all the talk of the other Russian prince, one whose name had been funny to Hvitserk, as it had sounded much like the word animal to him, and Ivar’s alliance with him to overthrow Oleg, it had slipped his mind to be on the lookout for. But, when they were confronted with her, it had slapped him in the face. If someone had told him they were twins, he’d have believed it.

Now, he stood on the complete opposite side of her, with Asta to his right, Ivar to hers, then Oleg, Igor, and finally Katia on his other side. He wanted to take another look, but the army had begun to march out, and he knew it would be suspicious if he was watching Oleg’s wife, instead. So, he turned his attention to the massive army, and tried to pay attention to what Oleg said as they marched by.

“Who can resist such an army?” he was currently questioning. “Nobody. Not King Harald. Not Björn Ironside. They are like children. They, and their gods, will be destroyed. This, my good friends, is the end of paganism. The end of the pagan gods.”

Asta whipped her head around to look at Ivar, concern for him and this endeavour filling her. This was quickly shaping up to seem like a horrible idea, and she could see the same thoughts circulating in his mind behind his watering eyes. This, if Oleg was to be believed, was meant to be the end of his gods, and Hvitserk’s, and all those of the people of Scandinavia.

She turned back to watch the army, a newfound look of horror in her eyes. The Vikings had brought a Heathen army down on her home once, and killed many people simply for being Christian. Now, Oleg would bring a Christian army down on the people of Kattegat, and many would be slaughtered, simply for being Heathen. Once more, she turned back to Ivar, and as soon as she moved his eyes landed back on her. For once, both were perfectly readable, and their expressions revealed quite the same train of thought.

What have we done?

Taglist: @youbloodymadgenius, @katfett, @sylki-simp, @heavenly1927, @pomegranates-and-blood, @kingniazx, @dekusdante

If you want to be added to the taglist, feel free to reach out either by commenting, reblogging, DMing me, or sending an ask, and I’ll be more than happy to add you!

#ivar the boneless #ivar #ivar ragnarsson #alex hogh andersen #ivar's heathen army #ivar x oc #ivar x ofc #ivar x original female character #ivar x christian!oc #vikings #vikings history channel #history channel vikings #not today #chapter thirty-six

[hazelenergy]

How I Digitally Paint like a Scenic Artist/Designer

Aka: how I did this and put my degree to good use. 

LONG POST WARNING

Step 1: Research. 

First off, get to your image search. If you are going to be using Google, you may want to type “-pinterest” in the search to eliminate the countless boards. 

I had to figure out clothing that is vaguely late 1800s. I found a multitude of reference images that were fancier clothes- but I wanted to find images of clothing for kindred across all social classes. Photographs from the era and paintings are your friend. They will more accurately showcase what was worn. 

After Fashion research comes location research. The 1890s in America is known for the rapid industrialization. Factories were getting bigger and work days were getting longer. But, I wanted the moonlight to be cascading into the place, illuminating the scene. This means I needed to find a structure that had skylights or let sunlight in. And the best images I found? Slaughterhouses. Fitting, huh?

The same rule for fashion still stands- if you can find photographs or paintings from the era- they’re better. There are tons of places still standing today from the 1800s. But today, they look WAY different. Ya know, Abandoned! So just be sure to take this into consideration if you search “abandoned slaughterhouses” or go trespassing like I did.

Lastly, pose research. Finding the poses for a fight scene can be tedious. So, I enlisted some help from a few fight choreographers and stunt men. You can record their fights and play them back at quarter or half speed. You can also get a mirror and flop on the floor a bunch. I did both. This lets you see the action/motion lines you are going to replicate in the drawing.  Heres how we initially did fina’s pose:

And sometimes you have to go back and get a clean shot. I ended up using this pose for the axe.

Step 2: Set up and Background!

When you open a new file, set it to the dimensions and resolution you want. I was working at 600. Usually, I’m working at 300-350. You can always reduce resolution. Its hard to prevent fuzzy lines if you increase it later. 

I cannot stress the following enough:

You work background to foreground. Big Shapes and areas to little shapes. Work your way forward. What this means is you need to fill in as much space as possible first. Then build your details. I prefer working as follows: Big Solid tones, Soft shadows, Dark Shadows, Highlights, then final blend. Once you finish this, put an overlay on top. This knocks everything back and helps create the illusion of depth. See this at work with the video below or here

Step 3: Figure Drawings + Composition

Utilize that research and images you collected to pose your characters. I create subfolders for each set of figures. Organization is important here. This will help keep you on the right layer and prevent the eternal digital artist struggle of “Fuck that was on the wrong layer!”

Even after you move on to lineart and shading, Keep the sketch layer as a reference. You may need to see what youre original notes/ figures looked like as you do the lineart and shade. Don’t be afraid to move them around and alter the composition rn. You want to be able to make changes. Make notes! Detail light sources! 

I’m about to through out some art jargon:

You want to think about asymmetric balance. The easiest way to achieve this in an eye-pleasing manner is to use the Fibonacci spiral. Yeah. This boi:

Place your figures and actions in a similar sequence to the spiral and the viewer’s eye tends to naturally follow it. This is sometimes called the Golden Ratio in the art world. 

Doesn’t need to be perfectly on the spiral. You can break it- but its an excellent tool to plan how things move in the piece. 

Step 4: Lineart

Once you got things sketched- its time to do the lineart. I’m using clip studio paint’s standard brushes. Nothing fancy. I often switch between the G-pen and the For Effect Liner. Mapping and Turnip are for thicker lines. 

Usually I set these pens to a specific thickness depending on where I’m drawing.

My background figures are lined at 0.05 thickness, the midground is .1 to .2, Fina is .3 and the foreground is .4. I set my stabilization high to help keep my lines smooth. Stabilization 100 means there’s a significant delay between where the pen is and the cursor. I like the stabilization to be at 20 for freehanding and at 50 ish for outlining. Dont become completely reliant on the stabilization though. Good and smooth lineart is drawn from the arm not the wrist. Your range of motion is severely limited if you only move your wrist. Practice moving from your elbow and you’ll be surprised how much smoother your lines get. 

Once I finish lining the figures, I usually go around it with an outline. This does three things: 

1. Solidifies the figure and cleans lineart for paint bucket tool. More on that in the next step.

2. Its a stylistic choice. Helps give it that comic book feel with a heavy outline. 

3. Pushes figures forward or back in the composition. Thicker outline helps denote that a figure is farther forward than another. My background figures have no outline to push them away 

Step 5: Digitally coloring

For each figure you are going to select outside the lineart. 

Create a new layer under the lineart

Invert the selection. Paint bucket. You should now have a solid shape of the figure under the lineart. Do not deselect.

Create a new layer above the one color. Title it solid colors. Paint in thick, solid tones. I like to use the mapping pen and turnip pen to color in my solid tones: skin, clothing, hair, etc.  

After that, deselect. Create a multiply layer if you can. If your program does not have a multiplier function, Pick a tone you want to use for shadows and lower the opacity (usually 30-40% I like to use lavenders or blue tones). It will not be as vibrant, but you can edit it in post. Select off of the solid colors layer. I like to start with skin tones. Use the airbrush tool to create soft shadows. You don’t want to create harsh lines on this layer.

Then repeat this process with harsh lines.  

Then knock it all back with an overlay. If you dont have the ability to create an overlay, you can again drop a solid color and lower the opacity, but you’ll have to mess with the color balance/ brightness/contrast to let all the hard work come through. 

You’re going to repeat this for every single figure. Here’s a few color theory tips though.

Your overlay colors should be darker (not more vibrant) in the foreground and lighter (avoid using pure white) in the background. This helps with the depth of the piece. Things closer tend to be darker (not always true, depends on lighting)

You can choose to use color theory to aid your shadows. Instead of choosing black or grey for shadows, choose a complimentary color. I used a lot of green for this piece, I used red for really dark shadows. Its not that black drains color- its just loses some depth if not used carefully. 

Keep your colors consistent. Helps unify the piece. You can strategically break the consistency to draw focus. For example, Fina is the only figure with a true blue overlay. This helps her stand out from the other figures who have reds and greens. 

Step 6: Touch Ups and Final Renderings

Now comes the most tedious part. If you’re like me, your computer fans have been whirring for the last few hours trying to render this monster of a file. If you havent already,  SAVE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD

These are the last four layers I have for the entire piece. Here, I am trying to create effective and believable lighting. This kind of work I have only been able to achieve in clip studio or photoshop. You can do it with normal layers, but choose your colors CAREFULLY. Stay away from pure white. Carefully utilize your knowledge of light and shadow to create soft highlights. Harsh lines tend to be a stylistic choice for me. The final layer, subtract, dulls out harsh red tones. I used this as a final overlay to help put everyone and everything in the scene. Without it, things are a little too green and skin tones are a little too blushed for vampires.

The challenge here is I want to tone down the red, but not lose the vibrancy of the blood. So, shift it to a blue. This also helped reinforce the “nighttime” effect. Its only a slight change.

Final thoughts:

Whenever you finish something, its important to reflect.

1. I am so FUCKING PROUD OF MYSELF. This is easily one of the most complicated pieces I’ve done in a while- and I’ve made 16′ tall faux stained glass. Brag. Let yourself feel awesome cuz you just made something awesome. 

2. I timed myself on the piece. I could have easily spent another 7 hours on it. But its important to know when to stop messing with it. Partially for budget reasons but also when you get down to the details you can make yourself go insane. Theres also a ton of detail work I lost cuz of overlays or its just too small to notice. Fina’s face? hard to see cuz its not close enough. 

3. I needed to take frequent breaks for this piece. That was good. Resting and stretching was very important. That is one of the reasons why I was able to work so fast. 

4. I started doing more digital art in April 2020. I have to say, practice makes perfect. I practice drawing and digital painting for at least 3 hours a day. 

That discipline has allowed me to improve so rapidly. So- I don’t wanna hear shit about I can’t possibly get this good! Or I couldn’t even draw a stick figure! BULLSHIT. You can. Get yourself some free software like Krita or Autodesk sketchbook and start playing! 

And thats what I got! Thanks for coming with me on this long post! 

#digital art #my art #okay to reblog #how to #long post

[blankdblank]

Next Caller Pt 37

Across your desk you had set up the stacks of papers to get into your sketching and with a stop watch you had timed out your vocals for the lines for the commercial and using the storyboard outline sheets with the lines on them you got to work. In the mocked up border on each sheet you marked where each item in the background would be that would be used and got to detailing each character inside. Focusing on them for each scene varying the facial motions that when you flipped through the start of the three minute commercial. Roughly you would end up needing 5500 images to fill the three frames per second you were used to using for your old show. Just finishing the characters for the first half a minute alone had you grumbling and wrapping those in twine to keep separate, leaving a dot where you had paused in the storyboard to start lunch.

It would certainly take a long time to finish the first commercial alone and while you stirred up some soup you listened to Roac sharing his latest plan to keep Dot entertained post group nap. Though he didn’t really need your help just someone to vent his excitement to before he went to curl up in his house in Thorin’s room.

Alone again you dipped back to wondering how you could master a sort of pattern to spend time with Thorin when you were back to working at the hotel again. Four days a week you would barely be sleeping or at home and there was no telling what he would have planned for those days. Just leaving early breakfasts and an afternoon run in at his shop through the week. It was barely noticeable how little you were home through the week for the Durins, yet now that he had moved into a home that like with his former housemates he would be alone for most of the time and everyone would know that.

When you had finished off a few grilled cheeses you heard the garage closing signaling you to set two places at the table. With bags in hand Thorin smiled at you saying, “That was timed well.”

“You missed Roac’s plans though.”

“Oh no, I didn’t he shared those last night for me.”

Looking at the bags he was holding in moving the pot to the heat resistant pad on the table. Setting his things on the counter he said, “I am glad the group is all napping so I could show you what I got.”

Out of the bags he pulled a stack of plastic containers holding muffins and brownies making you walk closer asking, “What is that?”

The tone making him turn with blender in hand only seeing you staring at the stack of snacks. “Those, muffins and brownies.” You looked up at him and he said, “They were out of cookies.”

Moving closer to him his brows inched up curiously as you kept your eyes on him opening one of your cupboards you pointed into at the long Tupperware containers with cookies and brownies in them. “If I can’t have tea bags you can’t buy those.”

“I-,”

Tapping the top box of brownies you said, “I know how much these are, and I could make you dozens of each for the same price.”

“You already make soup and bread-,”

“Ok, I can go through a tub of brownies in a week myself. I am also eating the soup and bread. It’s not like you walked in saying ‘I eat a cheesecake a week make it for me’ no, I am eating them too. No tea bags no pre made brownies, cookies or muffins.”

A smirk tugged across his lips and he nodded holding back his chuckle in your poke to his middle, “Agreed. Though if I do draw the line at cakes. If you insist on baked only-,”

“You can buy a cake if you like, and I don’t bake pies. Does not end well with Belly, he gets a bit too curious and ends up poking them to get to the fruit.”

Humming in amusement he asked, “How often do they dig in the kitchen?”

“Most of the time when I was home I was there. They got curious. Here they have more to distract them at least.” Your fingers tapped the counter and he looked you over, “Were you ok at the apartment when they guys were gone for days?”

“We had most of our days together. If this is more about you being busy once you get back to working at the hotel it won’t be a problem.”

“What do you usually do?”

He chuckled saying, “I like scrap booking and reading among other hobbies. If I get too bored I have ample relatives to keep me distracted.”

Sitting down for lunch he listened to what you had accomplished so far then helped you clean up and pulled the cup out of his blender box to add to the washer before hiding the body of the blender in his closet in his room. Though with you behind him he showed you the table that you helped him carry through the hall between your rooms to place it into the study that did fit perfectly into the place he had chosen. While you checked again at your sketches he came back in with his chair then came to see what you had done smirking as he watched the Countess starting her mini promo for the book in the bare bones background.

“I just wanted to get the characters done first, then I can build the room around them, which the background, I’m a bit rough on, so I might have to have Celebrian’s cousins to come out and help like they did on the old show.”

“That sounds good. How much of the commercial is this?”

“Roughly 30 seconds out of a three minute commercial.”

“30 seconds?” he asked glancing at the thick stack surprisingly only a minute portion of it. “Wow,”

“It’s better than claymation, at least in my opinion.”

“No, I bet.”

“But I may have jumped the gun and ordered stuff for the studio, so, at least, I’ll have that. It can all be in its own space.”

“Just let me know when it’s coming and I’ll call my relatives.”

Post meal he looked at what you had planned for the studio and while he got to quietly planting his sprouts in the greenhouse you got back to breaking through another half a minute of the commercial you tied off together in another bundle of twine and joined Thorin in the dinner he had fixed.

Under the covered windows by the storm shutters protecting them from the storm blowing through once you had hurried out to warn the owl couple of the storm that Hector accepted you and Thorin’s help in closing the shutters around the window cutouts and door opening you had worked a handle on the inside a few days prior just for this when they had said they wished to stay to their own home even in storms they settled in for a loud and wet night. Back to your meal you went then cleared up and headed off to bed calling it an early night.

A tap on your hand however had your eyes opening and groggily you blinked Kuu into focus and found your feet to come greet the owl couple now inside the greenhouse with a large stack of branches they had drug inside from the yard sending your roomba scrubber into a frenzy to clean up after. A second nest had been set up, just for emergency weather like this, granting the pair a chance to have nights to roam protected form windy storms like this. Boiled peas were called for, and after your having held the trio of eggs for the pair while they finalized the nest, they were settled safely in the nest and again you were back to your bed. Calm at least the pair had allowed you to wipe the mud off their feet if they wished to explore your home to keep your carpet clean.

 *

 “They made a second nest inside.” Thorin said nibbling on a cookie he had brought from your stash along with the muffins and brownies he had bragged you had promised to bake for the pair of you.

Balin, “That’s, and they are content with being inside?”

Thorin, “It’s quieter. Hector’s mate felt uncomfortable with the shaking doors it seems.”

Dwalin, “Perhaps we could get our cousins out to coat it in storm shutters anchored against the wind.”

Thorin mumbled around another bite of his cookie, “We would have to ask them. Even weather is coming up for a stretch.”

Balin smirked asking, “You found out at breakfast, why the grumbling this morning?”

Thorin muttered, “Rain.”

His eyes however switched to the door and the trio watched Frerin driving past the shop heading for the lot. From there they turned to see Frerin stroll through the back door smirking at the three saying, “So it rained.”

They all answered, “Yes.”

Frerin looked to Thorin, “I know what you’re thinking.”

Thorin rumbled back, “Doubtful.”

Frerin’s smirk deepened, “Your dear Mafioso had to leave for work on a practically dreary dusk.” Only deepening the sink of Thorin’s brows, “Only bringing up the wish of a different type of vehicle for her, the only question being, how to ask the obvious question.”

Dwalin rumbled, “How to let Thorin buy her a car?”

Frerin raised a finger, “Before that, does our Mafioso even know how to drive a car? And how recently has she driven one if she has.”

Balin, “The solution? We know you would be here to fix it of course.”

Frerin smirked at his brother again patting him on the arm, “We’re going out on a date.”

Thorin’s head tilted, “We who?”

“You two, the boys and Mal with me as guard for the lot of you.” Thorin’s brow inched up, “A guard is required cohabitation or not.”

Thorin, “What sort of date?”

Frerin smirked, “A fun one.”

 *

It didn’t take long and post stop at your house you dropped off your scooter curious about Fili and Kili coming to fetch you and Mal. Following you to your home the pair smirked as you climbed into their back seat, both unwilling to share why you were being picked up. Remaining silent you only hoped it wasn’t for a surprise eloping or something like that to just be the cherry on top of this week. Only behind their car you saw Thorin following with Frerin and Mal behind him. All the way to a go kart race course you sat silently and curiously smirked at the odd location. The grin on Frerin’s face however stirred a sense of comfort for the spur of the moment trip, a nudge from his brother had Thorin crossing to your side after stealing a moment inspecting your cleavage flaunting tanks over tattered jeans flashing glimpses of your legs.

An ease of his arm around your back and you were led inside and in the passing over of a helmet by Fenrir you smirked at his asking, “When’s the last time you drove?” Clearly this was the reason he at least was here by his and Thorin’s attentive gazes.

“Last time I visited Greenwood. Bout half a year back.”

Tilting his head to the side he said, “Come on, have some fun.”

The waiting group of men inside around the supply of go karts in the garage got to guiding Mal and the boys against the measuring board to have them sized to the right pedal settings in the karts. Eagerly they hurried to wiggle into the offered body suits and add their helmets while you were being measured. From a simple test course inside while they rolled up the garage doors to let you out into the outdoor tracks that Frerin especially was thrilled to see what an adept racer you were.

A late lunch at the burger joint next door where the older set of brothers kept asking and trying to weed out your interest in car brands as for a style of what you would want only to be thwarted as Mal would jump in and draw the conversation to the muscle cars she and her parents had fixed up when she was younger.

When it looked like the trio were cuddling close to their allowed limit and had stolen one too many kisses Frerin guided them home while you rode home again with Thorin. A call to head to the shop had him dropping you off again to go and see to things. Alone inside you sighed and strolled through the entrance hall only to turn to the peach room that you wondered how the quartet had left it.

In piles they had folded the sheets back with the comforters Thorin had dried and folded leaving them on the stairs. One by one you added the fitted sheets and somehow magically kept the regular sheet wrinkle free then added the comforter you tucked in and added a second blanket in a strip across the bottom and divided up the pillows. The top beds were the most difficult, aiming the pillows at the stairs made it easier for guests to just slide right in feet first. But once done you smirked and pulled your house journal from the bag you’d left by the door and crossed off the bed making step off the list.

Another bout of sketching was done to the sound of a show playing on your laptop on the end of your desk that you watched in sporadic bits to keep from losing yourself to painful cramps in pushing too hard. By dinner that you had fixed up Thorin was back again muttering to himself only to plop down in his seat and vented about how it apparently was his fault that one of their workers had failed their latest exam in school when they had taken a week off to study for it.

“What did he do?” You asked passing him a tiny bottle of juice instantly making him smirk in seeing the reminder of another of your personal quirks and choices in recycling things in your daily life.

“He tried to make one of our other workers cry so we took his apron and clocked him out and Balin wrote him his final paycheck after he asserted he had better offers.”

“Will that leave you in a slump?”

“No, one of Bombur’s girls has been earning the right to get a job and in our place she can be safe with family around.”

“I still don’t get that part,” his brows inched up curiously as you sat down next to him, “You have to earn the right to work? Frerin said the boys have to earn paying rent too.”

Thorin nodded, “It’s all a part of can you uphold the family name, because we all reflect upon it. So through your late teens you are earning the right to be independent, it isn’t as restrictive as it sounds. And there is a whole dinner party in their honor when they earn each right.”

“Kind of sweet I suppose.”

He chuckled asking, “Elves don’t have things like that?”

“Elf businesses don’t hire under a certain age unless you give proof you have no family, and then schools are the same. They have lower wages, unless they are orphaned, if you do get a job with family your wages are cut. Though you can only room with an older roommate, and I mean older as in late adulthood, and there are restrictions on that as well to keep romance out of the cards, it’s more of a sub landlord situation, one master bedroom and smaller suites inside the duplexes. Which are absurdly expensive. Though if you rent from other races you can skip that step and relax in the lower rents.”

Safe topics again skirting around the elephant in the room lingering from Frerin’s taunting calls of lovebirds through the races and muffled repetitions through the meal still un-discussed. Filling the washer fully you added soap and left it running on your way to bed. A warm shower and a long braid and pjs later you were snuggled up in bed while Thorin wove his hair into a braid and sighed laying out in bed wondering what he was going to do.

.

Another early breakfast had you splitting up, though from work in a text to you warning that he wasn’t at the shop you headed home in time to accept the package from Diaa for the both of you. Stacking the bundle of mail you pulled from your mailbox against your chest you headed inside through the open front door between the mattresses being carried through from the truck outside. On the kitchen counter you separated the mail out curious as to how he could have so much mail that you stacked on top of the package leaving just a notice of some sales for the mini market coming up as yours. Through Belly in his greeting for you while you checked on the hummingbird chicks especially you eyed the large empty nest that Kuu confirmed that they had moved back to their home again in the seating area.

In the final lap of the crew in adding the mattresses to the blue/orange room you had brought the sheet kits from your storage room separating the five comforters and throws to add the sheets and pillow cases to the washer. Exhaling sharply Thorin came into your view and smiled as you said, “You got some mail, it’s in the kitchen.”

He nodded and went to inspect it all. Various letters from his family ads and bills for insurance and such were sorted through and he carried the box he had opened into the living room where he found you, “You put the sheets in the wash.”

“You don’t mind?”

He shook his head, “Not at all. They are communal. Amad sent pictures.”

Into his palm the first of the paper packs of pictures settled and through each picture had you leaning more against his side inspecting each with a creeping grin. Though by the time you had reached the more couple like group from the bout of dancing on your final night you were leaning against his side with head and hand resting on his chest giggling at the pictures of you and Mal bleeding into the much larger chunk of you in Thorin’s arms. Wide grins and smiles mingled with bashful glances away recorded in each while his arm circled you keeping you close to him. The final pack holding parting hugs and group pictures of you and the female Durins ending with a final picture of you led to the van under Thorin’s arm. Something about the image stuck in you and tilting your head back to catch his eye you said, “Maybe we could do a picture wall.”

He nodded, “That’s a good idea. Pull out the best for the wall and the rest for a scrapbook.”

You nodded lifting the one of you faced away from the camera under his arm, “I don’t know why but I like this one. And it’s more than just your ass.” Lowly he chuckled in your giggle.

“Thanks. It is a lovely picture. Could be the center one if you like. The dancing ones together, you and Mal in one frame collage, the rest grouped in others.”

“Though I don’t think we need to put up the ones with swimsuits.”

“That would be best, yes. The dance, the hike, the film night and some meal pictures,”

“Hopefully the ones without food all over my face.” Making him chuckle again then shift at the doorbell sounding again. Setting the pictures aside he walked with you to help guide the dressers to the white/orange and the sea foam room. The first at a lack of a closet and the latter due to the preference of how your mother and Cirdan like to keep their clothes. The peach room for your sisters had drawers built under the beds and cubbies and shelves in the closet they had for ample storage.

While you took another look through the pictures he delved into his family letters unable to keep from stealing glances at you grinning at random images deepening his own grin before his eventual fetching of his portable printer he used to print out your painting pictures and more you had stolen of one another. Those from the Helm’s Deep trip were added as well and grouped together before when a stomach growl had him off to make dinner you had realized just how long you had seemed like a couple. Even a stolen set of pictures from Dwalin on your first talk over tea and your hug in the shop that was agreed to be hung as well with the one of you under his arm in a building group of random pictures of the pair of you. The zoo pictures were mostly for another book with a few planned for a small frame for display, including the one with you both smiling beside the Dik-Dik.

Before dinner you folded the bed sheets and pillow cases you carried to their new beds that you left to join Thorin in eating. A basic shape of layout idea had been discussed over the meal that broke in a call from Frerin about a question on some storage ideas for his new home lasting well past when you went off to bed.

…

The conversation for Thorin broke with a promise that he would come over and help the following day you were free post radio shift to do some shopping of your own. Thorin had moved in but you still hadn’t felt like you had done anything special to welcome him yourself as the birds had. Supplies for muffins filled your basket and a stop for a new muffin tin had you smirking in adding a cute ram coated mug to the basket with a bow for it. Between comforters being washed and dried you baked up a batch of muffins you added to their own Tupperware cupcake holders you stacked beside the hand washed mug you added the bow to the handle. Again however you got lost to your sketching only to end with you sprawled across your bed for a nap.

*

Hours of browsing through furniture lots with his brother had Thorin dragging him off to the scrapbook shop to make things even. The shared idea that you were to hang pictures of the both of you and Frerin jumped right in to help. Loading up a cart of frames, nails to hang and a load of scrapbooks to fill and decorate later with the pictures left over. Curiously home to the sound of the humming dryer he entered and went to the living room to start on the grouping of pictures. Beaming brightly at the stack of frames and pictures left he went to go and start on dinner. Truly you would be working hard and most likely would be the busier of the two of you but that did nothing to stop his efforts into settling as a courting pair to make this relationship work. And to be the one keeping home and ensuring you had hot meals and drinks to keep you going had no hindrance on things either. In fact only deepened his adoration of this pairing as it allowed him shower daily affections on his One.

Nearly to the verge of exploding with animated hearts his smile broke wide open in a surprised chuckle lifting the mug you had left him. Right away he took a picture and got to work right away on dinner. A gentle nudge was used to wake you from your nap to ensure you were fully fed before he ushered you back to bed for some more sleep. Cleaning up afterwards he made some peas for Kuu and smirked in eyeing the muffins he planned on taking a few to work to show off to Dwalin and Balin surely to make them a bit jealous along with the pictures of the mugs and frames he made.

.

Dropped jaws were his responses after your rapid hug in parting as thanks for the mug he adored and showed off to his cousins to go with your muffins they shared and hummed through nibbling on.

“Off shopping with Mal.” Lowly Thorin muttered the message you had sent and sighed only glad that it gave him more time to focus on readying the pictures.

Dwalin rumbled back, “At least you can focus on surprising her back with hanging the pictures.”

Thorin nodded, “Yes.”

Dwalin, “I’ll help. You’ll need an eye to level them out.”

Across a strip of the wall the ones you had chosen, collages were hung staggered around the emptier frame with your favorite random pictures around the one of your backs forming a slight heart in the midst of the themed groups. The intentions had the pair’s hearts swelling at the clear show of a future to build on and to the couch Thorin got to working on the first of the scrap books with the remaining photos. The filled books he set on top of the wall long stretch of cabinet storage under the photo wall.

 *

“What are we looking for again?” You asked easing another dress to the side on the rack.

Back in the corner of a chic second hand shop Mal loved to bring home little gold mine pieces to add to her collection she walked around the other side of the rack eyeing the choice you lifted she shook her head at. “Something cute but classy. Not too bold, but saying ‘look at me’, It has to be comfy but not too casual. Not mentioning the fact the guys shouldn’t be able to keep their eyes off me.”

Your brow twitched up and you turned back to the racks making her head tilt as you shifted another hanger. “What’s on your mind?”

You shook your head saying, “Just browsing.”

Bumping her arm into yours when she stood next to you avoiding a Dam passing behind you she asked, “What happened with Thorin?”

“Just trading off cooking. We got pictures from his Amad.”

“Ooh, I got a bundle myself, bet they were cute.” She looked you over and you nodded again, “You liked them?”

“Ya, we added pictures we printed from our phones from Rohan and painting last week and Dwalin even had a picture of us both when we first met. Planning a picture wall.”

“Ooh, how cute. I bet they’re adorable.”

You looked at her saying, “We’ve seemed couply,”

“Forever, yes you have.”

You sighed again looking to the racks, “And we cuddled,”

She giggled and gave you a hug, “Oh honey bunny, you lucked into an amazing Dwarf to be betrothed to. He’ll make a move soon, won’t be able to stop himself, you just do something adorably sentimental and he will just melt.”

“I made him muffins and I bought him a mug.” Making her giggle again, “Do you at least have a color for your unicorn of a dress?”

She rolled her eyes and said, “Maybe a green or silver?”

“Ooh, then what about this?” Turning to the rack behind you she followed you with her eyes and her lips pursed curiously as you pulled it off.

“Ooh.”

“I think it would be nice. Comfy and all that jazz, with a hint of look at me.”

Smirking as she took hold of the hanger she led the way to the changing rooms, “I will give it a shot. Might need a shrug.”

“Ooh, saw one of those,” you mumbled walking off to find it again making her giggle as she slipped inside her chosen changing room. The spaghetti strapped deep v top of the mint dress was accented with a sheer layer covering the top and flared skirt coated in silver leaves giving it a nice shimmer. The color alone would make her eyes and hair color pop while complimenting her complexion and with a cute little shrug you passed to her when she opened the door to show off the cute dress only cuter with the comfy shrug. The perfect shoes and bags were already in her closet and a stop to another shop for some makeup to top off the look. A grumble from BamBam had you both heading home so she could feed him and let him roll around a while.

A huff from you announced you to Thorin mid scrapbooking session only to glance up right when you had plopped onto the couch beside him using his thigh as a pillow. “Did you have fun? Because I just picked out a date dress with about ten contradicting requirements.”

Lowly he chuckled saying, “Scrapbooking.”

“Ooh,” he chuckled again resting his arm on your side to show you the book he was finishing off. Showing off each detail he had added then when you sat up he showed you the frames you had hung, the display ending with you both lounging and you against his side again watching a show he put on for a joint decompressing break with him more slumped against your side tangling you in the corner. A growl of his stomach had your focus switching from the show to the melted man cuddling closer to you since your fingers had absently began combing through and playing with his hair.

With a calming grin he helped you up and you got to starting on dinner, the full act packed with reaches across one another and stolen glances wondering at your increase of snuggling and act of hair play possibly meaning. However yawns came out leaving the topic still untouched for now while you were off to bed, both slightly exhausted by what you weren’t saying and the incoming change for time off together.

@avaria-revallier​

Pt 38

#Thorin x Reader OC #Hobbit #lotr #Fili/Kili x OC Mal #dwalin #Frerin

[purplesurveys]

656

Where is the last place you had a kiss? My girlfriend’s couch. I normally wouldn’t kiss her inside her house but we were alone, so it just happened. What did you eat for breakfast yesterday? I skipped breakfast yesterday and went straight to having a macchiato, which was a horrible idea considering I had a badddd hangover. My body made me pay for it soon enough when my stomach started unusually heating up, so I bought a sandwich by around lunch to help it feel better. When was the last time you were at an amusement park? 2013. I don’t like amusement parks so when my friends make plans I don’t go along with them. Two weeks ago I was at a school fair which kinda has the same amenities as an amusement park, but I guess it’s not the real thing so it doesn’t count. When was the last time you cried out of physical pain? Last Wednesday. My friend Leigh was trying to demonstrate for me the concept of just-noticeable difference by pinching the skin on my hand. I don’t like feeling pain anywhere on my body, so when she started amping up her pinching I had to yell out. Have you ever done anything to Support the Troops? No. Can’t relate.

Do you donate blood? Nooooo no nope. I just said I didn’t like feeling discomfort on any part of my body hahaha and getting pricked is the worst sensation for me. I wouldn’t be able to donate blood even if I wanted to either – as far as I know you have to be of a certain weight to be qualified, and I’ve never met that requirement. Are you wearing two shirts? No. It’s never too cold to be wearing two shirts here. The only time I had to really do this in a local sense was in Sagada. That weather was b r u t a l. It was the first time my dad turned on the heater in our car and I didn’t even know Filipino cars came with heaters lmaaaaaaao. This was a very long way of saying no. Have you ever owned the socks with toes on them? Never have. What were you the last time you went trick or treating? I went as my best friend at the time, Sofie. I didn’t have time (and wasn’t as extroverted as I am now) to come up with a detailed costume, so I went as her – black dress, eyebags, winged eyeliner, and thick hair that was never combed. It had the least effort of all my friends’ costumes, but I got the most compliments on social media lol. What's your favorite morning activity? I am so not a morning person, and I just like sleeping/lying in whenever I can. Can you cook? I am hopeless in that department. Is there a lot of laundry in your hamper? No. My mom’s laundry day is Friday, so it’s basically empty the whole weekend. When do you think you'll have children? In a little less than a decade, honestly. I’m pretty firm in my decision to have kids; it’s my biggest dream if anything. I mean I’m also willing to wait until I’m in my 30s because god knows how expensive everything is rapidly getting these days, but I just know I’ll end up having kids one way or another. Can you point out constellations in the night sky? No. The only thing I can safely point out for you is Orion’s Belt, and that’s because it’s essentially a giveaway lmao. What was your favorite part about studying ancient Greeks and Romans? Nothing. It’s one of my least favorite topics. The only thing that got me to enjoy them for a brief period was the Percy Jackson series, but when I finished the books my interest in that world waned fast. Have you ever eaten a gyro? Nah, but close enough – I’ve had shawarma. What's your favorite flavor of Tootsie pops? Mmmm not really a fan of Tootsie Pops, or like candy in general. What's the last thing you bought at a mall? If I remember correctly, I got a toasted siopao in Coffee Bean. Where did your mom go to high school? She went to Colegio de Santa Rosa in Makati. What's a subject you would never major in? Philosophy. My college curriculum required me to take one Philosophy elective, and not only was it the worst experience ever, but I got my second-lowest mark in college from that class. Is there someone who you can turn to for money and not be ashamed? No. I hate asking for money, even from my parents. When's the last time you took a bubble bath? A little over a year ago, probs. I love bubble baths when I manage to get settled in one, but because I’m usually in a hurry when I take showers, the concept of staying and relaxing in a bathtub is a little weird to me so I never do it haha. Have you ever swam in a river? I have photos of me when I was 1, my mom, her sisters-in-law, and their kids (my cousins) swimming in some river.  Are there any dirty clothes underneathe your bed? No. I know I could be messy, but that’s just disgusting. What food do you love the smell of while it's cooking? Curry. What food do you hate the smell of uncooked? I just hate the smell of wasabi in general. Your #2--what's their occupation? Your #3--what color are their eyes? Your #1--what cartoon character would they be? Your #4--are they allergic to anything? All Myspace questions that I’m skipping, lmao. Has a bee ever stung you? No. That’s like one of my top 3 fears so I never allow myself to be near bees or wasps. If there’s any nearby I run the fuckkkkk away. Where did you last go camping? I have never been camping for real. In what month do you start Christmas shopping? Last year I had some stuff ordered by early November – but those were gifts for just my girlfriend. I bought everyone else’s gifts like a week before Christmas. Have you ever slept in a bed with someone with bad BO? I’m sure I have; I just don’t let it bother me because no one’s breath is supposed to smell great in the morning lmao. Do you have a favorite flavor at Baskin Robbins? I have never had Baskin Robbins and I dunno if I will, because it’s just so expensive. Philippine suppliers looove bringing foreign brands like Shake Shack and Baskin Robbins over here and slapping insanely high prices on them just so they’re seen as high-end lmao, it’s sad. Are there fast food wrappers/cups in your car? No not at the moment. If anything there are old receipts. Do you read the newspaper? Very seldom, but given that I’m a journalism student, I encounter newspapers a lot because they’re everywhere in the college. What search engine do you use? Google. Have you ever posted a question on Yahoo questions? Nope. But the website is useful and I just look for people asking the same question I have at the moment. Have you ever been on a dating website? I made a Tinder account a few years ago just to observe it and just for fun. I never needed it but I was curious, so I joined it but I used a fake name and a photo of a cat I saw in school as my profile picture so that no one knew who it was. Have you ever had a crush on a celebrity of the same sex? Save for CM Punk, I’ve only ever had crushes on female celebrities. What kind of flowers would you plant in your garden? I dunno, I’ve never felt interested in growing flowers...or a garden, in general. Would you rather have a flat tire or overheated car? Flat tire. As far as I know that can be fixed a little more easily than a completely overheated car. What's the safest form of transportation? Private car, lmao. That’s really your safest bet in this country. Do you believe that kids should be taught abstinence? They can be taught about it so they’re aware of what it means and asks of them, but kids should also be reminded that at the end of the day it’s an option that they can choose to take or not. When's the next time you'll go to the grocery store? I only ever go when my dad is home because he likes having us along, so maybe in a month or two. When's the last time you went to Chuck E. Cheese? Never. What's your favorite cheese or cheese flavored food? Mozzarella sticks. Do you like black licorice? It’s decent, at best. I won’t spit it out, but it’s not my first candy of choice either. Can you count to 100 in another language? Two, Filipino and Spanish. We use Spanish when referring to currency, so that’s why it’s easy to memorize. Like I’d say I have labing-limang (fifteen in Filipino) notebooks, but when I have to say fifteen pesos, we say it as kinse (fifteen in Spanish). Idk, it’s a weird quirk with Filipinos but yeah. What's the nearest thing to you that can bounce? I don’t think there is anything bouncy in the living room at the moment. Do you hate cleaning? If I have to do it I get lazy. But when I actually want to clean, it can be relaxing. Do you clear dishes in the garbage disposal or in the garbage can? My mom takes out the garbage. Do you watch anything on the E! network? I don’t think our cable comes with E! so the only times I get to encounter it is when we’re staying over at hotels. I like having Keeping Up With the Kardashians on when we do have that channel. Have you ever tried out or thought of trying out for American Idol? I loved the show during its peak days, but I never had the desire to join it. Where's your car keys? Upstairs, on my bedside drawer. Did you keep any momentos of high school dances? From my high school ball, yes. I still have my old gown, photos with Mike, the instrument he used to ask me to ball (a Starbucks cup with the proposal written on it by the barista), and my old corsage. I like keeping stuff like that around so that I don’t forget, not because I still like him lmao. My prom could fuck off, and I have nothing from that night. Do you still have clothes from your high school dances? I have no idea. My high school prom dress disappeared after a while, but I still have my ball gown. The last person you laid in bed with said... I don’t know what you’re referring to but our last conversation was her telling me to drive home safe. Can you touch your nose with your tongue? I can’t. Which celebrities would you want to hang out with at a bbq? The Friends cast. Do you think you could do better drawings than Napolean Dynamite? I have never seen the movie. What are you doing on Superbowl Sunday? Isn’t it over already? I saw my aunts and uncles post about it on Facebook so I’m pretty sure it’s over. Anyway, I don’t care for football. Ever been to the original 13 colonies? No. Have you ever been to a concert that got out of control? Not really. The most ‘rebellious’ thing that ever happened was at my One Direction concert. The organizers made the stupid decision of holding the show on FLAT concert grounds and not a stadium, for a concert that probably held 10,000-20,000 people. Can you imagine holding that on just the GROUND??? Anyway, my sister and I had the third best tickets which was supposed to bring us to the semi-front, but it turned out to be so far from the stage. Everyone from my section all the way to the back resorted to standing up on the monobloc chairs which really isn’t allowed, but duh it’s One Direction and we wanted to see them. Harry had to call us out and ask us to get down from the chairs and just stand on the ground for our safety, but we kept protesting until they just gave up and continued the show. What's the last thing you watched on tv? Titanic, but we watched it on Netflix. I haven’t seen cable TV in a whiiiiiiile.

Whose show should be cancelled? 13 Reasons Why. Do you like Lindsay Lohan as a blonde? It doesn’t bother me. When's the last time you ate fruit? Last Friday I tried some of Laurice’s green mango with bagoong. Can you jump rope double dutch? Nope. I know jump rope but I never went that far.

#survey #surveys

[sylveradrake]

Pay What You Want commissions are open! Active Slots: 1. [ Open ] 2. [ Open ] 3. [ Open ] 4. [ Open ] 5. [ Open ] Reserved Slots: 1. [ Open ] 2. [ Open ] 3. [ Open ] 4. [ Open ] 5. [ Open ] Frequently Asked Questions (Please Read!):

     [ ? ] What does pay what you want mean?      [ A ] Pay what you want (pwyw) means that, beyond a minimum, you can pay whatever you want for the commission! The minimums are listed on the sheet, and anything above that isn't necessary, but greatly appreciated! If an item says 1+ kofi, you must pay at least one kofi, but you can add more if you're feeling generous!      [ ? ] What is a kofi?      [ A ] Ko-fi is a website that allows you to support your favorite creators, a bit like a way to tip them by "buying them a coffee"! A 'kofi', as I call them, is each unit of support you give an artist ($3US). There is of course a small chunk taken from each kofi, so the artist doesn't get the full $3 (just something to bear in mind). You can give as many kofis at once as you'd like, hence these commissions being pwyw so you can give whatever you feel like giving!      [ ? ] Are these all the options you have for commissions?      [ A ] These are primarily just examples of things I've done consistently in the past! If you have a more 'custom' idea, we can certainly discuss it! I've been doing pixel art for about 3.5 years, so I have some decent experience, but like every artist I have limits to my current abilities. You can see both my Tumblr and DeviantArt galleries for more examples, including the options for the line styles, animations, and shading!      [ ? ] What ARE all those options under the examples?      [ A ] Hard lines means the piece will have "hard", solid black lines between each "section" of the piece: the outline, and between all the different colors, etc. Lineless means that rather than having that solid black line, I use a slightly darker shade of each color to outline them, like the fullbody dragon! This gives it a softer, 'lineless' look.      Cell shading means that there's just one color used to shade, rather than a blend. The Kakashi doll on the far left has cell shading: just one color in a hard shape. Smooth shading means what it sounds like: a few colors are blended from dark to light to make the shadows smoother!      I do a few very basic animations for certain dolls or icons when requested. Typically this refers to a one-pixel "bob", and a blink cycle. I can also have a doll open its mouth and bring up a small speech bubble if you'd like them to say something! Please bear in mind that animation takes additional time and effort, and though not required, additional support is appreciated for animated pieces!      [ ? ] Why are there things you refuse to draw?      [ A ] For the most part, it's simply a matter of preference. For others, it's a matter of ability. Some things are just a bit too complex for me to feel I can pull it off in a fashion consistent with the rest of my work, and therefore being worth your money! Hence a limit on complex poses and the number of characters per shot, or complex designs, like mecha. Other things like the ship limitations are just personal preferences that make me uncomfortable. The NSFW ban is mostly due to most hosting sites not liking to host mature artwork...and also a matter of both my ability, and personal preference.      [ ? ] What constitutes NSFW?      [ A ] For me, this includes any nudity that shows genitals - nipples and / or breasts are fine. This also includes anything sexual, including any and all fetishes, even if genitals are not shown. I also do not do heavy gore. I may expand this umbrella term if anything not already covered comes up!      [ ? ] I can't afford a commission, but I'd like to help! What can I do?      [ A ] You can share this comm sheet and / or my art with your friends! Getting the word out might mean finding someone able and willing to order a comm, which of course is a big help!      [ ? ] Do you do requests?      [ A ] Unfortunately, not at the moment. If you'd like me to draw something for you and the comms are open, you're more than welcome to order something! While I do do personal art for myself and for friends, I can't make free art for everyone. In the future I may do something akin to raffles, but for now, we're starting with the commissions!      [ ? ] Can I donate without ordering a commission?      [ A ] You most certainly can, and it's very much appreciated, and would be a huge help! Of course it is NOT an expectation: no one has to donate if they can't or don't want to. But if you just want to throw some general support in to help me keep creating, you're more than welcome, and I'd appreciate it tremendously :heart:      [ ? ] Do you accept DeviantArt points?      [ A ] I do not. To put it bluntly, DA points can't pay my bills. I have nothing I need that DA points can buy, so I only work with money. Sorry!      [ ? ] Do you do anything like art trades?      [ A ] For the moment, no - but I might in the future! I'm open to the possibility, but for now (and for this post's purpose), I'm working on commissions! If I ever open up art trades, I'll be sure to make another about it!      [ ? ] How is best to contact you?      [ A ] Any of the above listed social media! On DA, please send a note with a subject line about pwyw commissions. On Tumblr, you can send an ask (off anon) which I will reply to privately. You can also send an IM! Email also works: just include the pwyw commissions in the subject line. I do my best to check all of these sites a few times a day, but there may be times where I'm limited. I'll try to post ahead of time so you know why I'm not responding promptly! Otherwise, it could take me about a day to get back to you. Please be patient! I have other responsibilities. I may also take hiatuses if I feel the need. If I go more than a few days without responding and haven't given any warning, there's probably something keeping me from my messages, and I'll do my best to get back to you as soon as I'm able!      [ ? ] What's your policy on refunds?      [ A ] So long as I haven't finished flat coloring your piece, you can get a full refund, of course! But once the piece is lined AND colored, I've put in a good bit of work, so I'm afraid I won't be able to refund you. As stated on the sheet, you can ask for an update on the piece any time! And I will send you the cleaned sketch once it's finished to see if there's anything you'd like changed. Though please bear in mind some things can differ between sketching and lining, especially when shrinking down to pixel. A sketch is a general outline, not the full product!      [ ? ] Are there any other circumstances where you might refuse a commission?      [ A ] Honestly it depends. I hope not to encounter any other reasons beyond my general rules, but I DO retain the right to say no to any commission for any reason, which I don't have to disclose. If I do say no, please respect that decision. It's never anything personal.      [ ? ] Where does the art go once it's finished?      [ A ] Any commissioned art, by default, will be posted to my DeviantArt, my Tumblr, and on Ko-fi! I'll also send you a copy / link through whatever means you contacted me with. If you'd like your art to be private, you need only ask. I will then only send YOU the art, and it will NOT be posted anywhere else. I can also post the art anonymously if you’d like it posted, but your name not attached to it.      [ ? ] How can I use my commission(s)?      [ A ] Any way you like UNLESS it's commercial - in other words, if you make any money using the artwork. Please also do not trade or sell the artwork. Otherwise, feel free to use it for any personal use you'd like! You can also repost the art so long as you provide a link to my original post. If your comm wasn't publicly posted, a link back to any of my social media will suffice! Just always be sure to use proper credit so people know where the art came from! That way they can find my pages, and maybe get a commission of their own!      [ ? ] Do you do fanart?      [ A ] I do! My commissions are all one-off, unique jobs, and I'm hardly about to impact any IP markets. So long as it's a large fandom (no Disney, though - that's one I won't touch), and my art wouldn't greatly impact the profits and livelihood of other creators, I can do fanart. But I DO prefer to do original art! It's great to work with new designs, and help give original characters more art for them! Gimme OCs to draw!      [ ? ] Can you design a character for me, like a custom adoptable?      [ A ] I can! Just bear in mind that I'll need as many details as possible to make something that fits your vision! I'll also need to work with you more than typical to be sure we get it as accurate as possible, so be prepared for a lot of communication until we get it looking as you want!      [ ? ] Can you do gifts - in other words, can I order art for another person?      [ A ] I do, and you certainly can! Just be sure to let me know who the gift is for, so I can tag them! If they don't have any of the social media I use, you can just give me a name or screen name to post with it. A gift will just cost you the same as any art you'd order for yourself! Also please do be sure you have permission to commission art of characters owned by another person!      [ ? ] What do you mean by 'item'?      [ A ] Each individual pixel piece! One lone pixel doll of 150 pixels would be a minimum of two kofis! But if you want two dolls interacting, it's two kofis minimum EACH. So at least four kofis. That's because I still have to sketch, ink, color, shade, and possibly animate EACH doll! Twice the effort means twice the price.

#commission #commissions #pwyw #pwyw commissions #pay what you want #pay what you want commissions #pixel art #pixel cursor #pixel icon #pixel doll #long post

[angelynrostrand]

Chapter 3

Summary:  To the outside world, nothing should connect shy girl Angel Monroe and popular boy Xavier Hazelwood. But that isn't entirely true. They both hold secrets. Behind both of them lie 2 separate wolf packs. Xavier is well on his way to Alpha status and running the pack. Angel is not a wolf but instead the last healer in the world. When the realization comes forward that they are connected by destiny, will they decide to fulfill it? Is their connection predetermined by fate or will they choose their hearts? Lives and packs cross and mingle while romance and conflict brews. The story of 2 opposite souls on a collision path. Will destiny win out? Even the most innocent face, has the darkest secrets.

Word Count: 2,295

Warnings: None for now

http://thesundaychapter.com/2016/03/15-secret-places-in-london/

I wake up the next morning and do my regular routine. I get out of my bed and walk to my bathroom like a zombie. I am not a morning person. Especially after last night took a turn. After getting in my summer dress and welcoming the new spring weather, I walk down to the kitchen to make food for my family. I usually save food in the oven to keep it warm. They eat breakfast while I ride to school. During my ride, I realize I might have to face Xavier. I don't know what to say to him. He is expecting me to be his mate and the luna for his pack. I can't be a leader of a pack. Alpha and Luna are like royalty. They protect and fight for the pack members. While locking my bike, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see Xavier.  I haven't prepared anything to say to him yet.

"Good morning Angel." He looks like he woke up and learned he just won the lottery. His bright smile is something you can't help but smile back at.

"Good morning."

"How's your brother and your father?" He asks while I am walking to my first class. I don't know where he is going, but I guess he is just following me to my class.

"Good! I let them sleep in this morning. Hopefully, they feel better with the soup I made for them this morning."

"You really take care of them don't you?”

"Of course. They are my family. Without my mom, I need to make sure they are always healthy and happy."

"I also want to say I am sorry for ruining your brother's ceremony." He stops walking and sounds very apologetic. I look up to him and notice our height difference.

I sigh and say, "It wasn't the ideal way to end the night, but I want to thank you." He looks confused. "I had a fun night. I was able to talk to someone who isn't my brother or my father. It felt like I had a good friend." I kinda friendzone him, but what I am saying is true. We make it to my class.

"Well I am still sorry, but now I am happy. I was able to make you smile. I'll do anything to see you smile like that again." His comment makes me shy again. I try to hide my smile by looking down. I am starting to feel comfortable around him but comments like that make me all... I am pulled back into reality when I hear "BABY!" I look to see it is Rebecca.

"Hey, baby are you here to see me?" I step away from her, considering she jumped in the middle of us. " What are you doing here? Can't you see we are having a personal conversation." She says toward me with her arms hugging him.

"I am sorry. I'll just get to class." I walk away and sit down. I am still able to see them with the open door. I guess with all the sweet talks and gestures, I forgot he has a girlfriend. I look back at them.  They seem to be having a heated conversation, with him pushing her back. I kinda like how he was walking away, but I also feel bad. She seemed really upset and walked into class with a fake smile. A fake smile to greet her popular friends in front of me. She sits in front of me and before she can say anything to me the bell rings and class starts. All through class, she looks angry and her back looks tense. I just try to focus on English, but between Rebecca and the unsatisfying lecture, I decide to just draw on the corner of my notebook. The moment the bell releases us, I speed walk to my next class. I do not want to get caught in boy drama with Rebecca Cruz. I cannot think about Xavier. He is better off with her and plus they look good together.

I finally make it to my tutoring class and I am finally able to stop thinking about him. Now I can just think about "my kids." Even though they are freshmen, I always enjoy helping them and teaching them. They are working on their final paper. So that means a lot of editing. I can only take a couple at a time to review and edit.

"Hey, guys I have Jaymie, Eddie, Joe, and Shannon's papers done." They all walk up to collect their papers. "I want the next 5 papers." Each person lays their paper on my personal desk. The teacher keeps her lesson going while I grade and edit. Soon the bell rings. "I'll just finish the paper's at home and bring them back to you guys." They all nod.

While I am walking to my next class, I struggle to hold my backpack, my water, and my binder full of the student papers. Then he shows up.

"Hey, let me." Xavier grabs my binder without my consent. I am finally able to adjust myself and hold my hands out to take the binder back. "No, it's ok I'll just hold it for you."

"Okay." We walk side-to-side due to the crowded hallways.

"What are all these papers?" I explain to him what I spend my free hour doing. He gets really excited and says, "Can you tutor me in English ?"

"I only tutor Freshmen English. You should get someone who is an expert in Senior English"

"Nah. That's no fun. If you help me, then I can't spend more time with you and also get a better grade."

I roll my eyes."Why don't you ask your girlfriend? She is in my class and she also gets good grades." 

He laughs at my comment. "She's not my girlfriend, but I guess she still doesn't understand that. Please tutor me. I am barely surviving in that class and with the final paper coming up, I can't afford to fail.  I need to graduate this year and not be a senior twice."  He sounds desperate. Also, I know that being part of an Alpha's family member means we must keep up with our grades.

"Xavier, can I please have my binder? I need to go to class." I can see my teacher is about to close the door. "We are going to be late for class."

"Not until you agree to be my tutor.” He is holding my binder hostage. Why is he being so difficult?

"Fine," I give up. He finally gives me my binder. I turn around and am about to walk away, but before I could Xavier pulled me back by my wrist.

"When do you want to meet up?"

"I don't know. Will the weekend work for you?" With his agreement, I write my number on a piece of paper and he gives me his.

"Wow, you really move fast."

I ignore his comment. "Xavier I need to go, but I'll text you when it is a good time. Okay?" He lets go of my wrist.

During art class, I ask to use the bathroom and my instructor allows me to go. I walk down the hallway with the hall pass dangling from my wrist like a bracelet. When I enter the bathroom, I can see a group of girls messing around. I try to go around them to get into the stalls but then I realize they are the same girls from my English class. It is Xavier's girlfriend, Rebecca, and her friends.

"Well, well, well look who we have here?" One of the girls snickers. Everybody looks at me. They start to gather around and block me from moving away.

"Hello. Can I help you?" Now I'm starting to get a little scared. They are all looking at me like they are ready to kill.

"Ya, you can stay away from Xavier. Right now, we are having a difficult time and we don't need anyone making it worse. Why is he so interested in you?"

"Our parents know each other. We were just talking about our families."

"Well, I don't care if you guys are best friends." She keeps on stepping closer and closer towards me. "He doesn't need you! He needs ME! Not YOU!” 

With her final yell, she angrily pushes me into a billboard behind me. The same billboard that has club flyers, announcements, and anti-bullying cards posted all over. I can hear a gasp from her friends, but when they leave, Rebecca is patted on the back with an echo of laughter in the hallway. I slide down and close my eyes. I try to keep an even breathing pattern. I cannot let go. If I let go, people can be in danger. If I let go, I will destroy things and create natural disasters. If I get too depressed or angry, I can create unwelcoming rain or storms from my water element. Or earthquakes, tornadoes, even catch a car on fire. I have done it and I didn't mean to.  I was blessed with amazing healing powers but with it, I also have control over the four elements: water, earth, air, fire. They can work with me or against me. Right now I am fighting not to let go. Not to show the strength of my power.

I stand up and take one last breath. The bell has already rung. I walk back into class to see everybody has left and my stuff is still lying around.

"Monroe, where were you?" My teacher asks. I walk over to pick up and clean my station.

"The bathroom in the building was broken and I had to use another bathroom from a different building. I didn't mean to take so long. I'm sorry."

"Alright, but please tell me if you are leaving to a different building." I nod and before I leave her class, I return the hall pass to her.

I walk outside to collect my bike. I am about to ride when I see the one and only Xavier and his friends entering his car.

He rolls down his window. "Do you want  a ride?" 

"No, it's ok. Thanks though. I'll just ride my bike. But I'll text you to schedule for your tutoring session." I ride off before he can say anything. Plus, I want to go home. My back is a little sore from Rebecca's push.

When I get home, I can see all the minor changes in the house. The security guards stop me. "Miss Monroe, Alpha Erica Monroe would like to speak to you as soon as possible." 

I smile and nod. They let me in. Once I arrive at his office, I notice the label on the door was changed to my brother's name instead of my father's name. I knock and don’t hear anything. I walk in and see my brother's beta right inside.

"He will be here soon. Sit down. He also called me here. I guess we are in trouble?" Beta Cameron says. I laugh and hug him hello. Cameron spoils me so much. He always wanted a little sister and I always wanted a sister to play with, so he plays along and suffers my dress up games and painted makeup. When Eric was too busy with his Alpha's duties, Cameron would be at my side. Eric and Cam have been friends since the beginning of college. 

"I just got here, so what did you do?" I play along.

"I swear, I didn't do anything this time." My brother enters and sits at the desk with Cam and I sat on the other side, like a principal punishing their students.

"Good evening. Angel, how was your day? Did anything happen today?"

"So we are here because you did something? What did you do?" Cam loves to make fun of me.

I just roll my eyes and look back at my brother. "It was fine. Why?"

"Because lighting struck a tree and caught it on fire. And last time that happened was when you fell off your bike and cried. So I’ll ask again. What happened?"

"I’ve... been upset. These couple days have been stressful with finals, family, and now Xavier."

"Has he been bothering you?" Cam asks. He is immediately on the defensive.

"No, he is fine. It is just all new. Plus that other incident happened when I was 8. I didn't have control over my power back then. I do now. I have full control now. I've just been under some stress. Okay." I look back and forth between Cam and Eric. 

"Angel, you know you can come to us. Even if it’s just to take a load off. Just because we have new responsibilities, doesn't mean we aren't here for you."

"I understand. And I am sorry. Can I go now? I have a lot of homework to do." They believe me and let me go. Who am I? When did I start lying to my family? This isn't me. I still can't believe I caused another fire. I just want to be normal. But what they said was true. I never want to be a burden to them. The elders, the past Alphas and Betas like my father. The present Alpha and Beta are the only ones who truly know about me. They are the only ones I can talk to. But they don't want to listen to my teen problems. They have their hands full. I just need to practice and work harder than before. I head to my cottage and start on my homework. Before I do though, I need to text him.

#in an ordinary world #healer #soulmates #writing #werewolf #wolf pack

[soysaucevictim]

Final week of current stuff~

-

June 20

I woke up before 9AM... somehow. (Itching + heat probs didn’t help.)

I rambled a bit on Twitter about grapefruit, felt a bit risky/curious about eating just a quarter of one this morning. (Was a bit concerned about drug interactions.)

Did some sketches, chatted, did some dishes, and made today’s Hello Fresh meal. Zucchini pomodoro penne bake an enjoyable meal, even moreso thanks to it’s relative ease to make.

I spent a few hours after that- chatting, playing KH, and steaming some leftover zucchini grandma brought us.

(Okay it was late, but I really jumbled up my exercise itinerary today...)

First, Day 25 of the CSP. Level 3, max rest. Counts were fast and form wasn’t stellar... but I’ll accept it. That was nevertheless intense. Also, had a few moments of “but wait, what side am I holding for again?“

Second , Day 25 of the MC. 15′ meditation + OM Mantra. I decided to sit against my bed and let my arms rest in lap. It went alright... got interrupted  twice and had a few moments where I think I was dozing off a bit. I’ll call it done.

Third , today’s DD. 1′ tree pose with EC. Out of order, since I barely remembered to get this one done before calling it a day. Breezy and fun work.

Last , Day 25 of the VP. Level 3, no rest. Pretty fun and breezy. Hip flexors felt it a little, too.

I regretted my decision to break out my 2DS... got to bed way too late again.

-

June 21

I woke up a bit before 2PM.

I believe the first thing I did waking up was accompanying brother to get some Subway. After some YouTube, I got started with today’s exercise.

First, today’s DD. 30 side-to-side lunges with EC. Just about manageable.

Second, Day 26 of the VP. Level 3, 30″. Arms needed some recovery time to work with, but got it done.

(After watching Lord of War, Dinner for Shmucks, and chatting with a friend...)

Third, Day 26 of the CSP. Level 3, max rest. I debated heavily on rain checking it, since it was past midnight. But I did it anyways. Also doable, but I felt I had to try to be a bit more quiet.

Last, Day 26 of the MC. 1′ equal breathing + 15′ meditation. Got a little impatient at the very end. But I did have a few moments of enjoying some ujjayi-style breathing sounds.

I then repeated yesterday’s mistake of playing more 2DS games, despite sense telling me not too... oh well.

-

June 22

I woke up around 2PM.

Ate dinner, just some Chinese fast food. I spent a few hours watching some YouTube and reading some cool SaSi analysis posts before getting started on exercises.

First, today’s DD. 1′ hollow hold with EC. Still not particular fond of this one, but can still manage.

Second, Day 27 of the VP. Level 3, no rest. A bit of stretching stuff, overall quite breezy~

(After chatting and passing some more time to allow food to go down...)

Third, Day 27 of the CSP. Level 3, max rest. That was pretty intense, but it was a good call to stall a bit for more food digestion beforehand. Honestly, quads got a good deal of action with the core/abs. But, consider it done.

Last, Day 27 of the MC. Backup & Restore + 15′ meditation. One thing I always like about B&R is the rush of cool you get after getting out of the second child’s pose. Did doze off a lil during tonight’s session and it took a bit for my right quads to stop trembling from fatigue to stay relatively still. Eventually stopped but did crush my left foot a tiny bit awkwardly (was sitting cross-legged).

After YouTube and some gaming, I decided I would try to actually get to sleep in the green zone. Despite the impulse to play more games crossing my mind. Yay!

-

June 23

... I woke up just shy of 5AM. Had a restless night’s sleep. Got to be PROFOUNDLY itchy. I think ti was because of the heat. =_=

After some deliberation on twitter, I ordered some OTC antihistamines, did some dishes, confirmed an appointment, and followed up on our census response. I then took a nap.

Woke up again at around 3PM.

Tanked my ENTIRE day playing Gemcraft and regretted it.

Got to bed obscenely late again, too.

-

June 24

I woke up before 1PM.

After a bit of YouTube and a phone call from my case manager, I started to play catch-up with my exercise stuff.

First, yesterday’s DD. 2′ jumping Ts with EC. Took a false-start trying to find a sustainable pace. But I eventually I nailed an exact 1/sec pace, 120 reps. "Forbidden Fruit" turned out to be a good tempo to work alongside. (As well as in terms of run-time.) :,D

Second, today’s DD. 20 up/down planks with EC. I went at this as fast as I could so I could get through it. Did wear some long sleeves for it. Elbows still had to look forward to doing more tho. :P

Second, Day 28 of the VP. Level 3, no rest. The heat plus those 2 DDs made this harder than it otherwise would be. Notably, especially at the start - doing balanced leg raises was hard and had a few drop-downs (still a self-imposed challenge there.).

(After a bit of time recovering from that with a bit of rest and pickle juice for electrolytes...)

Third, Day 28 of the CSP. Level 3, max rest. Elbows were not the most happy about more up/downs... but I was able to manage. If barely in the last couple sets.

Second, Day 29 of the VP. Level 3, 30″ rest. Arms were a bit tired after that, and this was an arms day. So I started off with that rest period, did think to close it after a couple sets... but eh. Might as well go a bit easier on myself after everything...

(After a bit of debate on whether to do more doubling up...)

Third, Day 29 of the CSP. Level 2, max rest. Accrued fatigue made me feel like Level 3 wasn’t happening today. Neck strain was probs the worst part to contend with here...

(After some dishes...)

Last, Day 28 of the MC.15′ meditation. I did some slow breaths, counting upward for each inhale/exhale. Had a few brief moments losing count, but doing such does help to maintain a bit more deliberate focus.

After a bit of a headache setting things up, I streamed that chibi!Remus drawing. I wound up pulling an allnighter, by the time I finished it.

-

June 25

After posting that art and doing a bit of gaming, one of the first things I did was take a hot shower. Sleep dep made me feel my tired muscles more... taking a hot shower just now helped that for a bit.

I wound up staying up so I could get to the laundromat as planned and deal with clothes. Afterwards, spent time unpacking some deliveries, taking out the trash/recyclables, making dinner, feeding/watering dog, and putting away my laundry... honestly was too tired to be saddled with all that. But I did what I needed to do.

Very late, but one of the last things I spent energy on today was exercise.

First, today’s DD. 1′ climbers with EC. 130 reps were counted by the end. Given my food choices, I’m glad this was the only exercise on docket that could aggravate the stomach. And even then, it went without much issue.

Second, Day 30 of the Vitality Program. Level 3, no rest. Honestly, the only hard part here was probably the calf raises - given how sore my calves were getting (after those Jumping Ts and no sleep to recover from them). But this was just manageable.

Third, Day 30 of the Core Strength Program. Level 3, 30″ rest This was pretty breezy by this program’s standards. Was arguably too exhausted to mind how high I was targeting for the leg raises, but I won’t dock any points for it.

Last, Day 29 of the MC.15′ meditation + OM Mantra. Because tired, leaned against bed again. Did have a few moments of drifting focus from the mantra. But I did the best I could and appreciate the activity.

I went to bed in the green zone. Because my wall was hit.

-

June 26

I woke up proper around 1PM.

One of the first things I did today was make today’s HF dinner. Hoison-sesame roasted veggie bowls. I was thrilled that dad liked this one, given that he has stated not liking sweet potatoes / yams before. This def speaks to how much of a big deal is in HOW you cook stuff (than only just what's in it).

I then spent time doing dishes, before doing a little bit of exercise.

First, today’s DD. 40 raised leg circles. Just about manageable.

Last, Day 30 of the Meditation Challenge. 20′ meditation. Tried to focus on breathing, but I did have some trouble staying focused on it (was fidgety in thought and with my hands/arms)Observed left leg went to sleep and took a good minute or 2 to normalize sensation. Didn’t stop me from getting up and walking around, KNOWING after the first window where the sensation feels okay you get slammed with weakness/parasthesia. :,D

I then spent some time to clean the kitchen countertops and toilet. Did some logging and video editing before turning in. Pretty late, later than yesterday.

-

Summary of Experience:

I finished both my programs on time, in June 25.

The Vitality Program. was a good warm-up and mostly a breeze to get through! Easily managed Level 3 for the whole program. What I did note was how long I needed to rest between sets.

No rest for 25 days

30″ rest for 5 days (arm-centric days)

The Core Strength Program had a lot of days that kicked my ass a bit. But I’m happy with how far I could take it most of the time. I only needed to knock 2 days down to Level 2 (16 & 29) and did Level 3 for the rest. I also recorded the spread for how long I needed to rest between sets.

No rest for 3 days

30″ rest for 2 days

1′ rest for 5 days

1′30″ rest for 5 days  

Max rest for 20 days

I finished the in Meditation Challenge June 26. This was a good thing to rerun, for many reasons. I did it all to silence. I occasionally experimented with different sitting positions (largely determined by how tired I was). Focused on breath most of the time, counting them a couple times.

#adventures with fitness #adventures with hello fresh #sharon play kingdom hearts

[zubaidahblog]

Evaluation

Fabrication another possible outcome:

In the revisit of the fabrication project, I explored other disasters which impact the way people live and their accommodation. I began to explore war zones through Google, Pinterest and mainstream media. Most of the time whole cities are wiped out due to bombing, they take very long to clean out and rebuild this causes a high level of homelessness. I wanted to come up with a design of a building that can be achieved without having to clean and rebuild all of the city’s streets and existing buildings. Councils can have this installed in one area with less destruction while cleaning the rest of the city. 

Throughout my research, I came across Brutalist architecture which was popular in the1950’s. It is recognised for the use of rough, unfinished materials for the exterior of buildings and consisted of straight lines, unusual shapes, and small windows. Socialist principles influenced the utilitarian, low-cost social housing. After the Second World War Le Corbusier accomplished his Tower Block which he’d been designing since the ’20s. The first two were built in Paris and Marseille and housed around 1600 people. 

I learned a lot about how I work best when I am motivated is when it is easier for me to work and enjoy it. Due to lockdown, there was confusion as to which pieces of our work will be marked and how grades will be established. This made me less keen to work as I felt like when I was working hard at one project, I would receive an email stating that it will not be marked or count towards my grade. I found it very hard to enjoy the work I was doing due to the atmosphere. I was didn’t feel creative, I stopped thinking about design and my love for it for a long time which made me question my choices and career. There was a period where I couldn’t do any of the work because I just wasn’t sure if this (architecture) is what I want to do for the rest of my life. This was very frustrating as my career has always been the only thing I’m sure of. As an easily distracted procrastinator, working at home was very challenging. There wasn’t much to inspire me in terms of giving me new ideas or ways of looking at the projects, nor inspire me to continue doing the work. At college, in a classroom, everyone is being creative and bouncing off of each other’s energy. I could ask one question and start a discussion which results in lots of new concepts for me. Whereas at home I don’t have that so my energy slowly faded away. It was also very hard to find a quiet time and place, with a big family and kids playing all the time. This with my lack of motivation made me very uninterested in doing the work. It was very unhealthy for my mental health because my career was always my main drive and I lost that. I felt very confused and anxious for a long time. 

I decided that no matter what I want to do with my career I needed to do my best in the course now and whatever comes after that is my choice. I began to only work when my family were asleep. Sometimes that meant waking up at 4 am or sleeping in and staying up all night. Thankfully, this worked out well in terms of getting the work finished. I think I could’ve done much better if I had used my time more wisely and was more motivated. 

The most attractive task was drawing the exterior of the building in perspective. It took about 3-4 attempts but once I began to work on the final one it was very enjoyable. It felt like a break from work even though it was time-consuming. I think it is very satisfying because the drawing looks messy and there are lines everywhere until you add pen lines and colour then it all becomes clear within minutes. The most unattractive work I did was making the playdough for primary inspiration. I used flour, cooking oil and food colour. I didn’t like the texture of it when mixing the ingredients. The result was very good though, I couldn’t go to buy play dough at the time but I needed it that day to make sure I don’t forget to do it. 

The research went well, there were many examples of social housing in styles and expenses. Most existing structures saved as inspiration but were too luxurious to be a reality for a post-war city.

The thing that went very badly was my attempt to find software that would allow me to produce a realistic-looking design to deliver my idea in a better way. They were all made for advanced architects, although the tutorials show other results which looked like what I wanted, I didn’t know how to achieve them. 

My research gave me a lot in understanding the concept of what I was trying to achieve myself. There are many different examples of social housing. Also, it shows me that my idea may be original in what it is trying to achieve. I would like to make it a habit to use books as magazines as research tools, not just the internet. 

The limitations in this project made it very unique, I couldn’t experiment with any materials or make models to help me see my design in a new light which would allow me to alter things and point out design flaws. 

Self-review

My research was sufficient to help me come up with different designs and concepts. It was varied enough for me to take a piece from each example and implement it into my design. The large amount of it though meant that I couldn’t critically analyse it. This was also mainly due to poor time management, I didn’t want to make lists and times plans as I had in previous projects because there were a lot of changes in what our concentration should be on. I felt like if I made a checklist and didn’t get the chance to complete it I was more discouraged to do the work. The main problem solving I had to do was on my attitude towards finishing the project. I think work is now mediocre because of this, which I don’t particularly like. 

The only practical skills used for this project were attempting to draw using different mediums. It was challenging trying to render the design using software that was very new to me but I made many attempts. Unfortunately, none are presentable in my opinion. 

I made many attempts to put the drawing in situ but I couldn’t find any suitable images. There were a few places I had in mind where I could’ve taken photographs of my own but I couldn’t go as it seemed unnecessary. When drawing the outline I made the lines as clean and think as possible to make the process easier. 

I believe this building fits into the brutalist style of architecture with the bright element. The concrete floors and harsh corners that face the outside contrasted by the round pillars give the building more elements. It doesn’t completely fall into the movement but has elements of it. 

Bibliography 

https://medium.com/projexity-blog/architecture-meets-social-engagement-in-5-awesome-projects-af283bba616b

https://www.archdaily.com/933053/best-unbuilt-architecture-7-submitted-proposals-exploring-diverse-programs

https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/architects-lounge/a455-15-buildings-that-reflect-contemporary-nature-of-social-architecture/

https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/design/blog/9-types-of-design-jobs-for-creative-people/

https://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/career-planning/273051-the-top-10-skills-thatll-get-you-a-job-when-you-graduate

https://www.indeed.co.uk/?from=gnav-jobsearch--jasx

https://www.whatuni.com

https://www.ucas.com

https://www.archdaily.com

https://www.dezeen.com/2014/09/15/le-corbusier-unite-d-habitation-cite-radieuse-marseille-brutalist-architecture/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brutalist_architecture

[westphotolukedas]

Evaluation

010520

Project Title

In one version of the film, the caption ‘Interview’ appears as filler until I could decide on a final title for the piece. I settled on ‘Natalie Boakye - Actor’ because it does not give anything away about the supposition of her portraying a version of herself. If a more meaningful title comes to my attention at a later date then I would consider changing it.

Subject

The subject of an interview went full circle as production developed. Shooting a straight interview had its challenges, and to ensure that I finished on time, my camera technique and post-production editing were kept simple. While watching back test clips of Natalie slipping from the script and regaining her composure, it was identified that these elements were almost more compelling than the content of the utterances themselves. The formulaic version of the film was abandoned and directorial scratch audio, interaction between Natalie and I and camera errors were kept in. The result is a more engaging conceptual piece that breaks the fourth wall of filmmaking.

Visual Research

Cinematography is an influential source of inspiration for my stills photography. I am often excited by films that I see at the cinema or when I discover a classic film that I may have overlooked. Jonze’s Being John Malkovich (1999) was recommended to me by my lecturer Teemu Hupli. If I was going to successfully break the fourth wall then I would have to reference a piece that does it with assertion. The levels of intricacy to the plot are reinforced by unyielding filmmaking and I found it rather thought provoking. Stylistic elements for composition and direction were taken from Yamada’s A Silent Voice (2016) and Wang’s The Farewell (2019) respectively. I learned to take my time with each scene and to allow them to unfold with minimal scripting.

Aims / Objectives / Concept

As the subject for my project changed, so did my key objectives. An actor playing an actor was the grounding principle that guided my creative decisions. The script had to be reworked and there were three production shoots in total. Her voice over monologue had a fluency to it because she was improvising while reading. Cue cards gave her some degree of familiarity with the interview sections; however, there was lots of stopping and starting. This provided plenty of moments where fourth wall breeches might be evident to the audience. There was no microphone on me at the time, so cleaned up scratch audio was used in the final cut when direction can be heard. I actually felt this enhanced the desired effect, almost like a record needle sliding and then resuming course.

Production

Using a camcorder and sound recorder were brand new skills for me to learn. I had plenty of guidance and I found that repetition was the only way to improve. There are no camera movements in the film. The fluid tripod that I had on loan did not have a satisfactory motion, so I felt it was a better decision to compose each scene as if it was a moving photograph. This allowed me to draw on a process that was already familiar to me. With additional camera and sound units, I can see how there could be a significant improvement to my production methods. During editing, I gave the impression that there was more than one camera at work. This was done by reshooting the same scene from different angles and searching for extracts that might overlap. In the future, I am eager to develop as a filmmaker.

Presentation

A general audience for one of the dominant online platforms was identified in my initial proposal. Reflecting on the film, there are very few signifiers that may be too small to be seen on a tablet device. Each frame is composed to be clear of distraction. The run time is also short enough for attention spans of viewers that may be in transit - on a commuter train or sat in a car passenger seat. Reproduction of the audio is of paramount importance because it reveals many of the details of the plot. Users often wear headphones during these situations and I hope that none of my sound design considerations would be missed. In summary, feedback from my peers has been positive and the nuances of my film appear in tact.

Evaluation

I set myself the challenge to be technically competent with the filmmaking process at the start of the project. I feel that this has been achieved and I catch myself watching films much more intently now. Many of the basic principles are no longer theoretical to me. It has definitely made me more appreciative of the art form. My nature is very precise and controlling and this is a better fit for stills photography. If applied to filmmaking then footage can appear lacklustre and offbeat. Musical ability is an advantage for cutting and general feedback that I received was that I was often late to catch the natural ending of a clip. Regarding the footage itself, the film would have benefitted from shooting more locations and variations of existing scenes. Much of the voice over was not used because suitable visuals did not exist to be tied to them.

#wallpagescreen #westphoto

[obviouslyelementary]

BATIM - chapter 1

This fanfic comes from my theories plus my ships so yeah. Sorry if its weird. No ships will probably happen though but they will be... implied.

Enjoy!

---------

“Listen here, Joey, I can’t okay?! I just... I can’t deal with this routine anymore”

 “What?! We have been doing this for six months! Henry, listen, I know you are working a lot now, but as soon as everything goes live and we receive our income, we will hire more and more artists and you will only tell them what to do!”

 “Like you do to me now, Joey? No, I don’t want this. When we agreed to start this studio, we said we would work in teams. All you do is drink and daydream about stupid things. I made Bendy up, I created his crew, I drew them all for you! Alice, Boris, The Butcher Gang, all the rest of the special characters! But all you do is demand more and more and I don’t have time to myself! I barely see Linda anymore because you keep stealing my time with her and she is pregnant! I have to have income and all you worry about is doing more and more! We have been this six months giving and giving money and not receiving anything back!”

 “Henry, our cartoons are just airing! The toys are already selling! We have a whole team working on that!”

 “A team?! You mean Shawn messing up with the fucking toys and Norman taking more time in the breaking rooms than fixing the tapes! Besides, you hired yet another voice actress to Alice and yet her toys haven’t started selling! Your marketing is horrible and Grant can’t stop complaining about how little money we have left!”

 “Y-you can’t give up now Henry! We are starting to take off! We must persist! We must b-”

 “I swear... that if you say ‘believe’ I will rip your face off”

 The two partners stayed quiet, staring at each other. Joey’s exasperated face slowly darkened.

 “Fine. Leave then. We don’t need you” he said, firmly, and Henry took a second before he nodded.

 “Wonderful. Goodbye, Joey. Good luck” he mumbled and grabbed his already organized box. He walked out of his room, slowly, not looking back, stopping at the door as he opened it, all of his coworkers and employees standing in front of it.

 “A-are you really leaving us, Henry?” Susie mumbled, shakily, and Henry looked at them all slowly, sighing and nodding.

 “Yeah” he said and smiled sadly. “I will miss you guys. We all had a blast together. But I have to find a real job and have a nice family with Linda, yeah?” he talked and walked through the crowd before he stopped and turned to them. “And... if anyone of you even care at this point... take care of Joey please. Don’t let him ruin himself, or you”

 The whole crew nodded.

 Henry smiled and walked to the door, sighing and looking at the posters around the walls. At the last one, he touched Bendy’s face and smiled.

 “I will never forget you buddy” he whispered, and then walked out of the door, out of the studio.

 The light of day shone on him like a great relief.

 Back inside the studio, Joey walked out of Henry’s room, his smile as wide as always, but clearly forced.

 “So, what now boss?” Sammy asked, raising his eyebrow and crossing his arms. “Our last hope for this shitty studio to grow just left”

 “Yes, and our debut Halloween special is just next week” Norman added, showing off the tape on his hand.

 Joey laughed to them and winked.

 “It will all be fine. Now we need to finish and wrap up everything for this special. All the drawings are done so let us continue everything and finish it by tomorrow! Susie, you come with me and Sammy to your next recordings. Norman, up to your booth. Grant, go check our bank for our top secret project. Wally... just keep cleaning I guess. Shawn, back to the toys. I want skeletons as soon as possible. Thomas, take care of those pipes” he said and nodded. “Everyone to your posts! We have no time to lose!”

 “Yeah. We already lost anyway” Sammy mumbled and rolled his eyes, making Norman snort and turn around, walking away as the others scattered around the studio.

 Joey watched all of them quietly, and then looked back at Henry’s room. He frowned and closed the door behind himself. One day, one day, Henry would regret leaving.

 One day.

  “Hey. Norman”

 The projectionist looked over from his projector, raising his eyebrow at Sammy, who walked in slowly, slapping his suspenders against his chest.

 “Yes, Sammy?” he asked slowly, leaning against the wall as the spooky cartoon was projected over the band booth. Sammy hummed and sat on Norman’s chair, watching him for a bit before tilting his head.

 “Henry left a month ago”

 Norman kept his face.

 “Yes. So?”

 “And the only cartoon we see showing around these halls is this spooky cartoon, even though Joey said we could easily continue our work with the drawings Henry had already done”

 “Yes... what is your point?”

 “My point” Sammy started, standing up and walking closer to Norman, cornering the taller man against the wall “is that Joey is extremely worried about this project of his, this top secret project, and he hasn’t started to take care of what is really important, our money”

 Norman hummed.

 “I see... go on”

 “He is building another floor. One very, very deep. Rumors say it will have an elevator to reach it. It will be just under Shawn’s toy department” he said slowly, and Norman leaned closer, suddenly interested. “He is spending more and more money with this... upgrade... and we are buying it Norman! We have been locked in this place for what? Weeks? And he keeps saying that more will come, that this project will change everything... and yet we can’t know about it?”

 “And there is also that new girl... Allison?” Norman continued, and Sammy nodded. “Weirds...”

 “We keep hiring more and more people and we aren’t getting anything back. The man is insane. And yet... we stay. Why?” he asked, and Norman raised his eyebrow again. “I think he might have put a spell on us, Norm”

 “Spell?” Norman chuckled. “Now you sounds insane”

 “No. No I don’t. I can show you buddy, come on” he said, waving his hand and walking out of the booth. Norman frowned but soon followed, confused and slightly, just slightly scared.

 They walked together through the several hallways of the music department, looking around and following a long way. After walking for a while, they reached a hallway blocked away with planks. From one small hole though, Sammy pointed to the room behind it.

 Norman looked at him, and then leaned down, checking what laid behind the planks.

 His eyes widened immediately and he pulled away, looking at Sammy, hands trembling.

 “T-this... is not goods...” he mumbled and Sammy nodded, frowning.

 “No. We need to investigate”

 “Quickly”

  “Awn fucking damn it!” Thomas growled as he tried to fix another pipe, the result being his face and overalls drenched in ink. “Why the heck has Mister Drew built these pipes?!”

 “I wonder that all the time” Wally mumbled as he walked behind Thomas, scrubbing the floor and sighing deeply. “I have never worked so much for so little salary”

 “No kidding” Thomas mumbled and grabbed another screw, trying to screw the pipes together to make the ink stop flowing. Soon, there was a pool of ink under him but the pipe was finally screwed together. “Finally!”

 “I need more cloths...” Wally mumbled, sighing and holding up the drenched cloth he used to clean the floor. “I hate working here”

 “Me too buddy” the repairman mumbled and then looked at Wally, smiling and slapping his shoulder gently. “But hey, think positive! Soon this crap place will be completely abandoned and we can move on! Now come on! We can grab some coffee upstairs!”

 “Yeah” Wally said, a little more optimistic, walking after Thomas and leaving the pool of ink there on the floor. Both friends walked upstairs to the crew room, sitting down and grabbing some coffee. In one of the tables, Shawn seemed focused drawing on a Bendy plushie.

 “Hey there Shawn” Wally said, smiling, and the painter looked up at him, giving him a grin.

 “Heyya! How you boys doin’?” he asked, happily, and the two shrugged, making him laugh. “Yeh, tirin’ day, I agree” he said and looked back down at his plushie. “But good, in the end!”

 “Yes, unless you are drenched in ink” Thomas mumbled and sighed, sipping on his coffee calmly. Shawn looked at him and shrugged while Wally chuckled.

  “Sus-”

 “Shut up”

 Allison flinched at that, staring down at her feet while she thought of something to say.

 “I’m so-”

 “Shut up”

 She sighed, looking at Susie. She was staring right into the wall, face mean and angry.

 Allison had never meant to get Susie’s part. Joey hadn’t even told her they already had someone else who had tried out.

 Besides, this whole ordeal was starting to scare her and she wanted out. She wouldn’t care less if Susie got the part for Alice.

 Allison looked away towards the toys in the corner. She smiled, reaching for a Bendy toy and squeezing it, watching as it squeaked. At least she had some comfort in the toy department. It looked like the less scary part of that dark studio.

 Probably because Shawn was a very nice guy and always made sure to make her smile with his jokes.

 She giggled softly as she thought of him, and then blushed, looking down again and biting her lip.

 Next to her, Susie seemed apathetic.

 She sighed.

  This was worst than hell.

  “Ten thousand, Joey?!” Grant screamed at the owner of the studio, eyes wide. “Are you crazy?! Completely mental?! We didn’t receive even the double of that money for our last cartoon, we have nothing guaranteed for the next month, and you want to spend all of that in a crazy project?!”

 “Yes, of course” Joey said, smiling widely. “Henry prepared everything! All we need to do is build it up and we will be unstoppable!”

 “Unstoppable because we will already be stopped!” Grant growled. “I am not allowing this, Joey! Henry was right, you are insane!”

 “I am not” Joey growled back, suddenly becoming was darker and meaner than ever. Grant’s eyes widened and he stepped back. “If you don’t authorize this, I will close you in this place and you will never get out, I swear!”

 “Joey... you are crazy...” he mumbled and Joey smirked, almost maniacally.

 “No... I am finally sane. And I see all, all possibilities and all paths. My mind is finally clear since that useless boy left. Now, I can achieve my full potential” he smirked and held Grant’s coat. “And you will help me!”

 Grant swallowed thickly.

 There was no way of saying no.

 He was too crazy.

 They were screwed.

#batim #bendy and the ink machine #batim fanfic #sammy lawrence #thomas connor #joey drew #henry #allison pendel #susie campbell #wally franks #norman polk #shawn flynn #bendy #alice angel #boris #fanfic #my fanfic

[fitprocafe-blog]

Ignite Labs Male Enhancement "Pills Price To Buy"

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What Men Health shall you decide upon? There is that major problem with it and this is when all is said and done with this buzzword. For More Info: https://www.fitprocafe.com/ignite-labs/

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[mrsavis-blog]

Whompdie whomp whom

I’m just going to jump straight into it...  I’m not 100% I’m going to get that job, and To be Honest... I’m cool w/ that. I mean, I would love to get paid very well for a Server. But I was not AT ALL looking forward to that commute, and nor am I sprinting towards work-life. I’m your typical creative soul... I need a lot of freedom and space & ability to move at my own pace. *Medium sigh*

But just to not jinx it either, they did tell me I have about 24hrs. I doubt they meant it literally but more figurately ... like in general, if I don’t hear from them at all today then it’s a “No thanks”... Hmmm did companies low key invent ghosting??? Because it’s totally the worse to apply to places, get an interview, and then be left hanging... It’s like thanks for financial blue balls... 

I don’t know about other people, but I take ALL relationships serious, especially ones that involve my finances. I do my homework before I even apply, full money background search on the J.O.B. I know how much I will be paid after taxes before I can even introduce myself to the manager. I already know exactly where my 1st FIVE checks are going, I know what day to look forward to on paying off my debt. Ect. ect. ect.  ... I’m not counting the chics before they hatch I’m just drawing up blueprints for their coop, and trying to set up deals for where I’m going to sell their eggs..

I don’t go overboard or anything... 

BUT D@MN I hate sitting around for anything & anyone. I’ve learned how to cope with an extremely short patience at a young age... Distractions + productiveness is the key.. Got to constantly be prepared with ways to fill up those life-sucking, nerve-wracking, black hole voids of “waiting on something/someone”. This is one of those times

I started last night... I just got up out of bed and started cleaning the kitchen... Cleaning is the best, absolutely one of my favorite ways to relieve stress & anxiety. This is why:

1. You get instant gratification; EVERYONE loves being in a clean environment. It’s like the aura of the room brightens and hums a silent soothing uplifting song that your spirit vibes to. 

2. I’m good at it: I get the details of a room done, and efficiently so. If you’re going to do something do it all out. I literally clean from the ceiling to the floor, and not only that but I sanitize & cleanse. Cleaning is just removing debris and making an area look less cluttered & disorganized or neglected. Sanitizing is when you actually kill the bacteria & viruses that threaten us (and I am a big Germaphobe so this really matters!). Cleansing is when you clear out bad vibes, I prefer to let in a lot of natural light, smudge, pray, and air out my place. 

3. It’s easy to do and can do it anywhere at any time. 

4. It makes life smoother. I LOVE just being able to go about things with minimum resistance.  For example, I don’t like having to look for things and or clean something when I need it at that moment. 

I feel like I’m beating a dead horse, you get the idea...

I started cleaning my kitchen and taking care of my loved ones... Going out my way to give them a great hot meal, and relaxed/ clean space to come home to after working a double. Their bed was ready, the food was hot & how they liked it, their favorite show was waiting for them to press play, their drink was poured, and no one was bothering them. 

Then after they were set, I began getting things ready for the morning... Putting out clothes to take my lil one to daycare; having their favorite morning snacks, their backpack, and outfit set up. 

The morning came & went, and I still continued to try to keep my mind off of staring at my cellie with busy work. I Cleaned someone else’s bathroom and I HATE DOING THAT. I’m talking about I scrub the DOG SH!T out of the toilet so well it looks got d@mn fucking new... You can see your reflection, and I even polished the faucet and bathroom appliances... 

EVERYTHING that can be washed is, sh!t I even rewashed sh!t that’s not even 3 days out of the last load.. I’m still thinking of other sh!t to clean...

It’s almost 3pm and that is just about 24 hrs ago from when I last spoke to the restaurant and I’m getting very anxious. 

I know there are other places I can apply & get a job. But I lowkey want this one because of YES! the money. But also because I feel like it would push me to WAKE THE F#CK UP! Get my life back on track to what I felt & remember how it was before my Dragon came.

There are a ton of things I know I out to be doing, and this would help force me to work on my self-discipline. Because there would be rewards (mostly in the form of a check) and consequences towards steering off the path towards my goals. 

OH THE F#CK WELL!! It’ll be what it’ll be lol... I just feel like if I think too much about not getting it then I’m somehow influencing the universe into not giving it to me, but also the opposite. That if I know I have it, that I’m lowkey manifesting it into existence, and I’m a little hesitant, to be honest. I’m not fully ready to get into all of that extra mess that comes with it. Even though I know it’s past time and will be no perfect job anytime soon. I’m kinda convinced that if I just chill and don’t feed either thought, then what is meant to be will be, and I will know for sure then what needs to be done. Lol regardless I’m getting a job, either way, just not fully convinced this should be the one.

WHAT I AM F#CKING TIRED OF THOUGH... IS ALL THESE D@MN TELEMARKETERS CALLING MY GOT D@MN CELLPHONE!! 

I’m over here about to flip out EVERY time my cellie rings, and I answer to some dumb sh!t. I have no idea what the phone number will be if they call me, so I basically have to answer all the calls. I keep blocking them, and they just call back with different numbers. 

Moving onwards to other topics, I am in a perplexing situation like constantly actually lol. But seriously I don’t feel like I have total anonymity and can’t be totally free with things my spirit truly moves me to say... So I’m thinking of starting a new Blog that’s a Satire of my own; I will mix in a lot of fiction with bits of truth... It’ll be obscene and vulgar without any censorship so you have been warned. I don’t know if it’ll be any good, but it will give me more practice on my writing skills. Unlike this. I don’t know exactly when I’ll actually work on it, but I usually get what I want to do done...soo eh.

On top enjoying allowing myself to blossom on here, I do very much have to find someone to sell my time to, doing tasks in exchange for tips. I need to go through my emails and the handfull of job sites I’ve joined over the past couple of weeks. It’s all rather a little bit depressing in its own, so I find myself avoiding the f#ck out of it all. Especially since our financial situation has gotten better enough for us to breath again instead of drown. But the sensation of suffocating is still wavering over me and clinging to my spirits, that I can’t help but constantly think about what I NEED to be doing.

I’m not procrastinating entirely I am checking my emails, and staring the ones to go back and open. I did check out another Fine dinging restaurant up the street from us and plan on filling out their application later this evening. I even did 3 interviews and take a competency test... Again I say I’m not sprinting... I’m kinda just moving barely into sparting gear (It’s not walking and it’s not a full out jog, it’s when you extend the length of your gait enough to be moving fast but not exerting yourself). 

I am working on self-discipline but forcing myself to not focus entirely on just one thing, and burning myself out. As well as see things through and finish things I’m having a hard time getting back into gear with.

It’s been a journey to say the least...

... One way I am planning on going about helping myself get organized to get the most out my time and get all I want to do crammed into a day... Is to go about these sessions/ entries at a more organized way. It’s fun just free-falling through words and jargon in my head, but the process is slow and time-stealing... I will start taking notes of the things I think about posting about throughout my day. They will either make the cut and be somehow smoothly discussed on here. Or they will be a bit too extreme or too vulnerable for me to freely discuss and placed in my Satire peace... There will be more of an intro kinda deal & an outro, and of course, there will still be MORALS... I will be basically just bullet pointing them, and then going in at will... So there’s still some form of free-falling, but no time lost one what to type up next, or getting lost in thoughts, or looking for the right GIF.

With that being said I do have to close out... So the MORAL OF THE SESS IS: “Don’t let rejection or the fear of rejection stop your life. Know your way of coping and find healthy outlets for your anxieties & stress. Don’t ever stop improving or believing in yourself, with that being said give yourself a break here & there.” .

Peace.

#i'm getting better at this #yeah for progress #here here for moving forward #these hashtags are long #i hate the word hashtag