#kind of very into the colors here i like exaggerating their colors and saturations. their sun and moon codedness compels me

[jessaerys]

sun visits the moon at spk headquarters and gets so so so sleepy

#death note #my art #meronia #mihael keehl #nate river #mello dn #near dn #mellonear #trying out this new thing where i post quick art that is entirely for my own self-indulgent amusement here #this was an exercise in letting go of a piece as soon as possible and you can tell i failed because i couldn't stop retouching it #here and there. OLD HABITS DIE HARD but [with passion and confidence] expect a drop in quality/finishedness #kind of very into the colors here i like exaggerating their colors and saturations. their sun and moon codedness compels me #i also think people aren't as much into this ship because they assume they have very rigid [pardon my language] seme/uke roles and i'm like #[standing on soapbox] [crazy ex gf voice] the situation is actually a lot more nuanced than that #but these tags are long and i can't get into the push and pull power dynamics of it all. mello can heel is all i'm saying #ok that's all i have work to get back to drawing for work ( <- girl who just took a two hour break from drawing to draw) #brothercrush.txt

[vetyr]

hi, i ireally love your work and i don't know if you've answered this before but, what kinds of studies do you do or how did you learn color theory? i wanna get better at rendering and anatomy but im having trouble TT TT

Hi! Long answer alert. Once a chatterbox, always a chatterbox.

When I started actively learning how to draw about 10 1/2 years ago, I exclusively did graphite studies in sketchbooks. Here's a few examples—I mostly stuck to doing line drawings to drill basic shapes/contours and proportions into my brain. The more rendered sketches helped me practice edge control & basic values, and they were REALLY good for learning the actual 3D structure behind what I was drawing.

I'd use reference images that I grabbed from fitness forums, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and some NSFW places, but you could find adequate ref material from figure drawing sites like Line of Action. LoA has refs for people (you can filter by clothed/unclothed, age, & gender), animals, expressions, hands/feet, and a few other useful things as well. Love them.

Learning how to render digitally was a similar story; it helped a lot that I had a pretty strong foundation for value/anatomy going in. I basically didn't touch color at all for ~2 years (except for a few attempts at bad digital or acrylic paint studies), which may not have been the best idea. I learned color from a lot of trial and error, honestly, and I'm pretty sure this process involved a lot of imitation—there were a number of digital/traditional painters whose styles I really wanted to emulate (notably their edge control, color choices, value distributions, and shape design), so I kiiind of did a mixture of that + my own experimentation.

For example, I really found Benjamin Björklund's style appealing, especially his softened/lost edges & vibrant pops of saturated color, so here's a study I did from some photograph that I'm *pretty* sure was painted with him in mind.

Learning how to detail was definitely a slow process, and like all the aforementioned things (anatomy/color/edge control/values/etc.) I'm still figuring it out. Focusing on edge control first (that is, deciding on where to place hard/soft edges for emphasizing/de-emphasizing certain areas of the image) is super useful, because you can honestly fool a viewer into thinking there's more detail in a piece than there actually is if you're very economical about where you place your hard edges.

The most important part, to me, is probably just doing this stuff over and over again. You're likely not going to see improvement in a few weeks or even a few months, so don't fret about not getting the exact results you want and just keep studying + making art. I like to think about learning art as a process where you *need* to fail and make crappy art/studies—there's literally no way around it—so you might as well fail right now. See, by making bad art you're actually moving forward—isn't that a fun prospect!!

It's useful to have a folder with art you admire, especially if you can dissect the pieces and understand why you like them so much. You can study those aspects (like, you can redraw or repaint that person's work) and break down whether this is art that you just like to look at, or if it's the kind of art that you want to *make.* There's a LOT of art out there that I love looking at, probably tens of thousands of styles/mediums, but there's a very narrow range that I want to make myself.

I've mentioned it in some ask reply in the past, but I really do think looking at other artist's work is such a cheat code for improving your own skills—the other artist does the work to filter reality/ideas for you, and this sort of allows you to contact the subject matter more directly. I can think of so many examples where an artist I admired exaggerated, like, the way sunlight rested on a face and created that orange fringe around its edge, or the greys/dull blues in a wheat field, or the bright indigo in a cast shadow, or the red along the outside of a person's eye, and it just clicked for me that this was a very available & observable aspect of reality, which had up until that point gone completely unnoticed! If you're really perceptive about the art you look at, it's shocking how much it can teach you about how to see the world (in this particular case I mean this literally, in that the art I looked at fully changed the way I visually processed the world, but of course it has had a strong effect on my worldviews/relationships/beliefs).

Thanks so much for sending in a question (& for reading, if you got this far)! I read every single ask I receive, including the kind words & compliments, which I genuinely always appreciate. Best of luck with learning, my friend :)

#answers to asks #illustration #art advice #art help #drawing #digital art

[colorful-horses]

💐 ?

💐 - who’s your favourite mlp blog?

I don't know if I have a Single favorite blogger, so heres a list of some of my absolute favorite pony bloggers:

🎨 MLP Art Blogs

@cassettepony - Such a unique art style. Cannot stress enough how unique her art style is! It's very stylistic and the colors are POPPIN- they're so saturated and pretty! Her art reminds me of jolly ranchers,, I also absolutely love the exaggerated expressions and how she draws EYES (when the corner of the mouth slightly clips over the bottom of the eye.........immaculate) + She does something really special that I never see any other pony artists doing, which is giving the ponies little chin hairs or 5 o'clock shadows (I. i don't know what it's called please forgive me). It is so special and cool to see, and it's so recognizable! I ADORE Cassettes art and I've always been too shy to say hi so uhhh. Hi! 👋

@msponies - ponies drawn in mspaint. HIGH QUALITY posts here. I am so inspired by their use of colors- the RANGE in some of these posts is crazy. Some of these drawings have such extremely unique color combos that you wouldn't think would work so well together, but msponies is just a master at using a color palette to its full potential its actually crazy! Their Trixie drawings are some of the best, and I cant help but admire how bold their backgrounds are (yea I know that kinda goes hand in hand with the whole color palette thing but i just really like their art); the bold colors and the dark outlines are so scrumptious

@celebrationcastle - They don't update extremely often, but when they do, you kno its gonna be a top tier post. They have a very flexible artstyle, and they post fanart for every generation. They were the ones who made that Valentines Pinkie Pie design that popped off a while ago, and for good reason; they are extremely good at drawing and designing. Like, they've completely mastered the artstyle of g3 and g4 (and probably every other gen. its nuts), and their g5 fanarts art probably my favorite I've ever seen (sunny starscout, my beloved). Everything they post is a banger. Their blog is just such a big inspiration to me :,)

📖 General MLP Blogs

@yodawgiheardyoulikeponies - absolute FAVORITE pony collecting blog. OP is SO sweet and her collection is AMAZING! I absolutely adore her photos and her posts, and her enthusiasm about collecting is so infectious. The positive energy on her blog is absolutely pure sugar, and I just really cannot stress enough how much effort she puts into her posts. She makes little pony photo shoots! And makes little stories out of them!!! It's so fun to just sit and read through. I always check her blog after new merch is released just because it's it's interesting to read about a Pony Veteran giving their input on modern toys. 1000/10 I love this blog

@ahorseofeverycolor - I only have notifications on for like. 5 or 6 blogs? And this is definitely one of them. They regularly post about ponies and horses (okay, they mostly focus on Breyers, but thats not a negative to me at all- I got my first Breyer the other day BECAUSE of this blog, lol), and their blog is just so clean and organized! They post about so many different kinds of ponies, whether it be comparing flat-footed release to concave foot releases, or custom ponies they made themselves, or just really cool pony finds that aren't necessarily obtainable (prototypes, special custom ponies commissioned by hasbro by professional artists, etc) but are really cool to look at!!! I really like this blog!!!

@mustcollecthorses - This is a blog that I have a super bad habit of opening and then scrolling through for like. 2 hours straight, lol. It's a mix of reblogs and original posts, so it's really my Ideal pony blog; usually when I hear about pony news, it's because he reblogged it! It's a very focused blog, so it's definitely a good one to follow if you need some more horses on your dash! He recently made an edit of Hitch from the new 5 pack to give him brushable hair, which I absolutely love (why did they gotta give him sculpted hair umu) I also like that OP leaves tags on the posts he reblogs! I don't know if it's just me, but I always like a blog more if they add tags with input about the toys and news and things like that. It adds some personality and a Vibe to the blog and I just really like it!!!

ok thats all! i of course follow a bunch of other pony themed blogs, but those are some of my top favorites, and ill limit it to 3 per category for the sake of simplicity. please consider following them! They're all so cool and talented!!!

--

send me pony themed asks

#if i tagged anyone on this and they want to be taken off i can totally do that for you! #these are just some of my favorite pony blogs #its definitely not all of them #I just didnt want the post to be a million miles long. lol #ask game #not art #if i got anyones pronouns wrong im super sorry #ill fix them if aby of them are wrong #i used they for some of these because sometimes i wasnt sure or maybe i forgot? sorry about that

[murfeelee]

Hi there, just a question for you if you have the time ♡ I know that you allow people to convert your Cyberpunk items from TS3 to TS4 freely (you are amazing, you know that?). However since I have the game, do you have or know of a tutorial for exporting from my files? The one I found was very general, very not 'beginner friendly'. Else I will just bring some of your stuff over if it's not been done yet, miss having them in my game (and base game TS4 only is limited). Love you ♡

Hi! Yeah, feel free to convert whatever; I think CC TOU/policies are ridiculous, and perversely counterproductive to uploading content publicly on the internet anyway.

Just be warned that a lot of my CC's not that great, cuz C2077 uniquely does not use or include typical diffuse textures, so I had to make many of the textures myself (and that's never a good idea, LOL). Not to mention, I had to shave off 1/2 - 3/4 of the polys on most of the meshes, cuz they're just excessively high. Even after decimating the polys they're still too dang high. It's been a pain in the neck to do anything with this effing game, even when not actually playing it! (－‸ლ)

☽✶•.¸(✶•.¸★¸.•✶´)¸.•✶´☾ ☆«´¨`•°°•´¨`»☆    ☽.¸.•✶(¸.•✶´★`✶•.¸)`✶•.☾

Welcome to Murf’s School of Crap and Crap-Making!

School Motto: Prepare to be tortured! For Science!

Lesson #6B: MORE ON GAME EXTRACTING (PT2)

☽✶•.¸(✶•.¸★¸.•✶´)¸.•✶´☾ ☆«´¨`•°°•´¨`»☆    ☽.¸.•✶(¸.•✶´★`✶•.¸)`✶•.☾

Trust me: extracting from C2077 in general is not very beginner friendly--this is the hardest game I've ever converted from, next to all the Koei Warriors games. Because not only did I have to use EFFING COMMAND LINES again, but the way CDPR arranged the game files (particularly the textures--or lack thereof)--were just saturated in demonic energy.

Mind you, I extracted C2077 back in the EARLY days, within the first weeks of the game's release, way before the Toolkit updated and got a GUI and CDPR released its dev toolkits for modders, so it’s possible I’m giving you outdated information, as the process nowadays might be pretty different from how it was back when I did it.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I used the CP2077 Toolkit here, and followed the steps here.

To be fair, the steps themselves are actually very straightforward. I'm just a lazy, spoiled little ingrate who likes nice clean and simple GUI tools so i can click a button and see all the meshes & textures and go about my frikkin day. But no, instead i have to sit here with EFFING COMMAND LINES and try to figure out WTF these lines of code & text frikkin mean, with zero mesh preview tool to speak of. So I literally have no frikkin idea what anything looks like until I import it into Milkshape/Blender/3DS Max. GRAND. 🤬

(My horoscope told me I needed to get more sleep, and boy they weren't kidding, cuz I'm ornery AF today. 😩 )

But yeah, basically all you have to do is open the CP2077 toolkit .exe, and use the format the steps provide you with whatever the directory is where you installed the game.

As I've explained before in Pt1, all games bundle their files differently, so the trick with extracting is just to figure out what kind of bundle it is, what's in it, how to open it, and how to convert the mesh files into .obj format and the textures into .dds format.

For C2077, most of the files are in typical .bin files, with the meshes (.mesh files) & textures (.xbm files) in content\basegame_4_gamedata.archive | content\basegame_3_nightcity.archive |

So all you have to do is follow the steps and the formats they give you: copy/paste their extraction format code, and the "path to archive" is your installation directory: (e.g.: "archive -e -p "F:\Games\Cyberpunk2077\archive\pc\content\basegame_4_gamedata.archive" -w *.bin" to extract the .mesh files; or "archive -u --uext dds -p F:\Games\Cyberpunk2077\archive\pc\content\basegame_4_gamedata.archive -w *.bin" to extract the .dds files from the Gamedata bin archive).

Then just wait several HOURS (no exaggeration) for each archive to extract. I let mine run overnight for a a day or two--it took bloody frikkin forever.

Once you have all the meshes extracted, the good news is that converting them to .obj files The Sims can read is very easy, cuz all you have to do is use good ole NOESIS, THANK GOD~! ^0^ (Noesis can also open the .xbm texture files, BTW--it’s that clutch; I keep telling y’all.)

The issue with the textures is that C2077 just legit doesn't have many. 💀 It's a feature, not a bug--instead of using diffuse textures (like The Sims' overlay/multiplier diffuse), games like C2077 and Call of Duty instead use materials--kind of like the sample fabric swatches in a textiles shop or tailor, with dozens upon dozens of simple materials & microblends & patterns (a leather print, a metallic sheen, a paisley pattern, etc) shared between all meshes. It’s awful.

So you the extractor/porter/converter are now left with the sad task of patching all these materials together to make a lick of sense on a mesh that might very well use 100 different material files (no joke!) rather than 1 or 2 diffuse textures. And WOE BE UPON YOU if you’re trying to convert it for The Sims 3, where meshes can only use textures on ONE UV Map. The saving grace of TS3′s UV Mapping is that we have CASt, so often we can get away with having plain multipliers, so long as the RGBY Mask allows us to have recolorable channels that do a lot of that heavy lifting for us with patterns & color wheels. For TS2/TS4, however, I imagine more work would need to be done providing swatches, as nothing’s recolorable in those games.

So REJOICE at the pithy handful of actual diffuse textures (mostly decals & posters, etc) that CDPR bothered to grace us with in C2077--they're acts of mercy, I promise you. 🙏

And speaking of UV Maps--C2077′s are upside down. Which is absolutely frikkin lovely; who doesn’t love extra work, seriously. 😒

But yeah, that’s it for extracting, really.

Again, the method I used might be outdated by now, since I did all of mine in December 2020/January 2021, and I haven’t needed to stay up to date with the tools or anything since i already got what I needed out of them. :\

#sims 3 tutorial #sims 3 cyberpunk #murf is a derp #reenadelenyel

[threecrowsinatrenchcoat]

Paint My Spirit Gold

Dukeceit Week Day 2: Green/Yellow

Fans of the YouTubers "Deceit" and Remus "The Duke" Sanders start to suspect that maybe, just maybe, the two of them are more than simple internet pals.

AO3 Link: [here]

Word Count: 2187

Warnings: n/a

@dukeceitweek <3

-

[ID: A screenshot of a Twitter post by user @CallMeDukie. It features a watercolor-style painting of a snake. The snake appears to be made of melting chocolate, and there is a large bite taken out of its tail. Cherries and jam are leaking out of the snake at the bite wound. The snake's expression of horror is overly-exaggerated to the point of comedy. The caption reads: "liked your snake boi, @SerpenThyme. thanks for the inspo." /end ID]

- 

A notification ding cut Janus off mid-sentence. 

“Wow, someone left their cell phone on, so professional,” he said, giving the camera a dramatic eye roll. That someone was him, of course, because he was the only one in the apartment- just him and the running livestream- but that was no excuse not to be a drama queen about it. He finished wiping flour off his hands and grabbed his phone to silence it; but the notification made him pause. He flicked his eyes up toward the camera and gave a slight smirk.

“My goodness, I’m famous,” he drawled. “The Duke himself has graced little old me with some fan art.”

Most of the comments in the chat wanted him to show it, so Janus opened up Twitter to see the full post he’d been tagged in. It was a watercolor painting of the coiled-snake chocolate sculpture- lovingly named Jake by his viewers- he’d made for his YouTube video last week; it was wearing an expression of such comedic horror that Janus had to stifle a laugh. He flicked his phone screen toward the close-up camera on his counter so his viewers could see.

“How kind of you, Remus,” he said. “All of you should go scold him for what he’s done to poor Jake here.”

Most of his viewers would know he was joking- after all, they were the ones to nickname him Deceit when he provided neither a real or fake name for his online persona. They knew full well what he was like by now.

The oven timer dinged. Janus silenced his phone and set it aside.

“And our first batch of cookies is done. You know, why don’t we show the Duke some appreciation?”

-

[ID: An Instagram post by user @SerpenThyme. The photo is an artistically-framed shot of a stack of sugar cookies with green, yellow, and pink icing. Propped up against the stack is another cookie, with an intricate icing-drawing of an octopus. The photo appears to have been color corrected to have high contrast, low saturation, and a dark vignette at the edges. The Instagram user @OctoDukie is tagged. No caption. /end ID]

- 

“You know, I have often been accused of actually being a little old lady, what with my fondness for knitted jumpers, rocking chairs, and incredibly fucked up murder mystery books. Today I am doing nothing to dispel this accusation, by making soup.”

The studio was dark and empty aside from Remus' workspace. Everyone else had left long ago, even his own brother, which meant that it was officially ass-o'clock in the morning (or, as most people called it, somewhere between 1 and 2 a.m.) But Remus was stuck in hyperfocus, honed in on putting the last touches on a commission that he'd been putting off for weeks. It's not that it was a tough painting- once he'd gotten started, it was actually a very creatively satisfying piece- but man, executive dysfunction could go suck a dick

“French onion soup, specifically. Because while I do like to pretend I am a classy bitch, I am also, regrettably, a lazy bitch with a distaste for anything that takes longer than one bottle of wine to make.”

Remus hated working in silence. It was stifling, almost suffocating. His brain needed noise like his lungs needed air. So when the studio had grown still and silent, Remus had flipped open his laptop and queued up some YouTube videos. 

“So we have here three pounds of onions that we need to slice up, pole to pole. You’re going to cry no matter what, so if you have any memories you’ve been repressing since middle school, now is an excellent time to dredge those up.” 

And if it happened to be 90% SerpenThyme videos, well. Sue him. 

“Now the first rule of caramelizing onions: fast and sloppy is always better than slow and thorough… at least, that’s what every man I’ve ever slept with tells me.”

Remus choked and glanced over to his laptop screen just in time to catch Deceit's trademark smirk directed at the audience just for a moment. It was the deadpan delivery that always got him. Remus could barely hold onto a joke long enough to get through it without cackling mid-punchline, but this fucker could say the funniest shit like an off-hand comment. 

He wiped his hands off on his jeans (what use were clothes if you couldn't use them as paint rags?) and pulled his laptop across the table.  He typed out a quick comment, citing the timestamp of the joke, and after it was posted, he shut his laptop. 

'Cause ass-o'clock was short for "get-your-ass-home-or-I’ll-kick-it" o'clock. 

-

[ID: A screenshot of a YouTube comments section. The first comment is by user TheDuke, and reads: "10:42 wow, rude." The second comment is a reply by user SerpenThyme, and simply reads ";)" /end ID]

-

Janus plopped down on the couch with a slight groan. He didn’t need to stream today, but he really hated missing days. Besides… he was fine. Really. 

He adjusted the camera until he was happy with the framing, and then checked the settings on his streaming software. Satisfied, he started the stream, and watched as his usual viewers rolled in. 

“What do you mean I’m not in my kitchen?” Janus drawled, addressing the chat. He glanced around with an expression of faux-shock on his face. “My goodness, when did that happen?”

He chuckled, and then gestured to his surroundings. “Yes, we are in my living room today. If you must know, my closest and most trusted friend tried to murder me today- yes, Virgil, it was attempted murder and nothing less- and I survived with nary a scratch… and a broken foot, but that is beside the point. Anyway, I’m not allowed to stand for long periods of time, and I may or may not be somewhat inebriated by pain pills and couldn’t stand even if I wanted to. So we are cooking from my couch today.”

Janus paused for a few moments to read the chat messages as they popped up. A few get well soon’s, a few theories about the “attempted murder,” Virgil- who moderated his chat for him- vehemently denying the “attempted murder” but otherwise refusing to clarify the event, and a large volume of wtf why are you streaming today, take care of yourself comments, which made him smile. But one particular comment caught his eye, almost lost amid the torrent of an active chat: wait this kinda looks like the Duke’s living room?

“Oh, VampSuga,” he said, addressing that commenter in particular with a slight smirk. “I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about. Anyway, since I can’t reach my oven from here, I thought some no-bake cookies were in order. For these you will need-”

-

[ID: A screenshot of a Discord conversation. The text reads:

“VampSuga: Ok ok hear me out. Dukeceit. 

Starstruck96: who?

IneffableSnek: lmao

FeralBeauYasha: lol

VampSuga: Deceit and Remus Sanders! They’re totally dating. I will die on this hill. 

FeralBeauYasha: Isn’t the duke w/ PatPat?

IneffableSnek: no thats his brothers bf

FeralBeauYasha: ohh

VampSuga: Did anyone see Deceit’s stream today? I swear that’s the Duke’s livingroom. 

StarStruck96: idk that seems like a stretch

IneffableSnek: no wait i kno what u mean

IneffableSnek: im watching the duke’s old videos and that one where he shows off all his old weapons he’s in a living room kinda like deceit’s 

FeralBeauYasha: They were acting all cute on twitter too

VampSuga: DUKECEIT”  /end ID]

-

"Hey guys, been a while since you've seen my face and not just whatever my hands are busy with, when it's within YouTube's terms and conditions I mean. They used to be way more lenient…" Remus trailed off for a moment, then shook his head sharply and plastered on a grin. 

"Anyway! In June me and a few other creators did a fundraiser for the Trevor Project, and y'all smashed the goal, so I let you decide what video I'd make this month." He paused, and gestured to the mountain of clothes piled behind him on the bed. "And you had so many juicy ideas to choose from, but you decided to dress me up like a Barbie instead."

Remus paused to scroll through his phone for a few moments. "Ah, ok, here we go. Twitter user YoonIsMyCat- oh, BTS, nice- sent in this first outfit. Uh… future Remus, put up the post here somewhere." He gestured vaguely to his right. "Y'all went with either a fuckton more clothes or a fuckton less clothes, which I respect. Apparently this outfit is called…” He squinted at his phone. “Amish chic? I take it back, no respect at all.”

Remus cycled through the outfits his viewers sent in, which ranged from the aforementioned “Amish chic” to “2008 rave attire” to “ok now you guys are just fucking with me” (which consisted of one of those big puffy snow coats, lime green in color; booty shorts with the shrug text emoji across the ass; fuzzy pink boots; and a yellow cowboy hat to top off the whole thing. It was awful. Remus loved it.) The mountain of clothes on the bed gradually became a mess of clothes spread across the floor instead, until there was just one outfit left. 

“Ok so Twitter user VampSuga sent me this outfit that I’m gonna call ‘sexy librarian.’ I couldn’t find this exact sweater online, but-” he paused for dramatic effect, before brandishing a sweater toward the camera like a bullfighter. “My boyfriend had something that was close enough.”

Remus hopped up from the bed and switched off the camera so he could change.

“They’re going to lose their minds,” a voice drawled from the doorway. Remus threw his shirt at him.

“Shoo, I’m getting naked.”

-

[ID: A Twitter post by user @CallMeDukie. It features a selfie of YouTuber Remus “The Duke” Sanders, a Hispanic man with his hair dyed green and styled into a spiked mohawk. He is wearing a yellow knitted cardigan over a black button-up shirt. He is grinning widely at the camera. The caption reads: “my viewers pick my outfits! now live on youtube. go see what i look like as a sexy librarian!” /end ID]

-

DukeceitStan

first and only dukeceit shipper ig

DukeceitStan

wow there’s so many of you now! Hi!!

DukeceitStan

i want this to be canon so bad omg

DukeceitStan

i mean just look

[image]

how 

[image]

cute

[image]

[ID: A series of three gifs featuring Youtubers SerpenThyme, aka Deceit, and TheDuke, aka Remus Sanders. Deceit is a black man with long, dreadlocked hair, and vitiligo patches along the left side of his face. Remus is a Hispanic man with green-dyed hair styled into a mohawk, many ear and facial piercings, and tattoos covering both arms. Each gif is edited so that the highlights are tinged yellow when Deceit is seen, and tinged green when Remus is seen.

The first gif depicts a close-up shot of Deceit’s hands as he carefully decorates a cookie with green and yellow icing. The cookie art he is working on appears to be a half-finished octopus. The gif then fades into a mid-shot of Remus, with his back to the camera, facing a canvas. The canvas is blank, and Remus appears to be laying out paints on a table to his left. 

The second gif depicts Deceit seated at his couch, facing the camera. He has many ingredients spread across his coffee table (including oats, cocoa powder, and butter) and appears to be in the process of laying out several more. The gif fades to show Remus seated at a similar couch with a similar coffee table in front of him. The camera is angled slightly downward to better show the myriad of knives spread out across the table. Remus is gesturing wildly with a morning star held in his hand. 

The third gif depicts Deceit in his kitchen. He is pulling on a bright, yellow knitted cardigan, and smirking toward the camera. The gif fades to show Remus in his bedroom, seated on his bed. He is holding up a similar-looking cardigan toward the camera and grinning. /end ID]

- 

“Remus, it’s almost two in the morning. Come to bed.”

“I’m coming, sorry. Twitter distracted me.”

“Mm. I can’t believe the bird app is more distracting than I am.”

“You should try harder.”

“Come to bed and maybe I will.”

“Ok, ok, I’m coming. Hang on though, is it cool if I post this?”

“Sure. They figured it out anyway.”

“Sweet. Ok, Jannie, I’m coming.”

-

[ID: A screenshot of a Twitter post by user @CallMeDukie. It reads: “Dukeceit is canon.” /end ID] 

#dukeceit #dukeceitweek #remus sanders #janus sanders #sanders sides fic #kye writes

[satoshi-mochida]

The second interview in the Final Fantasy Portal Site’s three-volume series of Final Fantasy IX interviews in celebration of the game’s 20th anniversary features character designer and game artist Toshiyuki Itahana.

The first interview featured event design and scenario writer Kazuhiko Aoki. The third interview will feature director Hiroyuki Ito.

Get the full interview with Itahana below.

―Final Fantasy IX is often known as a title that’s about “returning to roots” of Final Fantasy series games. Are there any scenes from the game that ring true to that theme in your mind?

Itahana: “The parts of Final Fantasy IX that feel like a return to the roots of Final Fantasy… I think the scene when the airship docks into the castle backed by the evening sky of the opening scene might be a quintessential portrait of Final Fantasy.”

―Each main character of Final Fantasy IX carries their own background story into the battles they face. Do you have a favorite? Please tell us why as well.

Itahana: “I’m quite fond of Vivi, but I have to say that Zidane might be my favorite. Strong yet with a kind compassion for others—he’s a true hero in my mind. The fact that he’s a joker who doesn’t conduct himself like such a hero makes him all that much more wonderful of a character.”

―Of course the main characters are well-established, but there are some truly unforgettable NPCs filling out Final Fantasy IX’s world as well.

Itahana: “There’s lots of characters in Final Fantasy IX whose backgrounds I’m curious about. Like, how Baku managed to bring the Tantalus theater troupe together from such a diverse group of characters, or why Cid was so trusted by everyone. And Vivi, for example—how did he get the play ticket and make his way to Alexandria? That’s just one of the things I’d still like to know. As for NPCs, I really like Marcus from Tantalus. He’s the type of guy who works behind the scenes supporting his comrades, but isn’t afraid to take action when the situation calls for it. I’d love to know how he came to join Tantalus.”

―On top of Baku and Marcus, Tantalus had a lot of unusual members such as Zenero and his siblings too.

Itahana: “The Tantalus theater troupe was primarily designed by the art director, Mr. Minaba. At first, during development there was talk of Ruby being an oyama [traditional Japanese Kabuki theater term, referring to a male actor who plays female roles], although I’m not sure how the official lore on that ended up. The other Tantalus members’ backgrounds were always a mystery, even during the character planning stages. Someday I’d like to hear about their origins in depth.”

―The characters in Final Fantasy IX were a little shorter in stature than those in FF titles released shortly before Final Fantasy IX. Was there a reason for that?

Itahana: “I wasn’t part of the development team when it was decided that Final Fantasy IX’s characters would be shorter than before, so I don’t know the reason. However, I think the way the characters are almost overly expressive with big exaggerated body language looks great because of their shorter statures, and I feel that matches very well with the motifs of “theater” and “stage” that permeate Final Fantasy IX.”

―The CG screenshots overlaid with character lines that play when the game loads are another memorable way that Final Fantasy IX showed its characters.

Itahana: “The character poses in that art ended up primarily used for promotional and UI purposes. Art director Mr. Minaba and I made the art by giving the CG team pose ideas and then painting over the CG they got back to us.”

―We think that Mr. Uematsu’s music played a large part in expressing Final Fantasy IX’s unique characters and world. Are there any songs from the soundtrack that are particularly memorable to you?

Itahana: “There are a lot of well-known songs from Final Fantasy IX so I’d like to talk about one that doesn’t get much attention. I love “Quina’s Theme.” The banging rhythm of the drums when the song starts—that strong, steady sound gives me a lot of courage. When I’m super overloaded or really feeling the pressure of an approaching deadline, in the middle of the night I’ll often listen to ‘Quina’s Theme’ while working.”

―We heard that you did some Final Fantasy IX illustration commissions for Coca-Cola [commercial and figures exclusive to Japan]. Is there anything you were especially careful about because it was a collaboration?

Itahana: “The request for the Coca-Cola collaboration characters came when the design work for Final Fantasy IX’s development was almost finished, so I had very little trouble designing them. If Tantalus were the official royal family band, I imagined that they would be a wandering troupe that comes to Alexandria once a year – that’s the image I used when designing for the collaboration.”

―Final Fantasy IX has a lot of mini games, many of which are quite difficult. Are there any that you remember in particular?

Itahana: “The one I played the most was Tetra Master, which I took part in the design of. But the mini game that stands out most in my mind is probably Ragtime Mouse’s quiz. He asked a lot of tough questions! My favorite mini game music is from the sword fight mini game—‘Vamo’Alla Flamenco’!”

―Speaking of the quiz mini game, Final Fantasy IX has a lot of monsters with unusual gimmicks. Do you have a favorite monster?

Itahana: “I’ve already mentioned Ragtime Mouse, so aside from that… I suppose Armstrong. You can see the little legs sticking out the bottom and it’s always wobbling back and forth. It’s just too cute.”

―Were there any other interesting happenings or things you struggled with that you particularly remember from development?

Itahana: “In the credits I’m categorized as a character designer, but during the later stages of development I did overpainting of large prerendered background images. That included adjusting colors in areas of the background that we wanted users to look at to stand out more, or lowering the color saturation in areas that didn’t need to be looked at so much. You’ll notice if you check the map of Alexandria’s pub, but the color saturation is adjusted in such a way that places where the player can move or where characters will be placed are well lit, and places other than that have their color saturation adjusted so dark that they’re almost gray. The stairs are also broken so as to keep the player from trying to go upstairs – that’s hand-drawn as well. It was tedious work that took a lot of patience, but I learned a lot about drawing from it.”

―For our last question, we’d love for you to share some of your feelings about working on Final Fantasy IX, and a message for the many fans who still love it.

Itahana: “Now that its 20th anniversary is here, I’ve been hearing a lot about how Final Fantasy IX is always highly praised in polls about FF games both in Japan and the west. I feel that it is a game with a timeless story, a strongly established theme and lovable, truly unique characters. On the 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy IX it would make me very happy if people who have yet to experience this game gave it a shot, or those who played it 20 years ago tried it again. I hope each player finds a character that resonates with them.”

―Thank you for your time today!

#Final Fantasy IX #Final Fantasy 9 #Final Fantasy #Toshiyuki Itahana #Square Enix #Gematsu

[wifihunters]

Do you have any advice on learning to paint in the fashion that you do? Like tutorials or preferred methods of working?

Ahhh I honestly think my most recent tutorial was this dopey one i posted to deviantart. It has a bit on my sketching process and how i block out faces. 

50% of my process is ‘feeling a motion’ where i put in one piece of the art (usually the figure) and then sit there scribbling lines of motion to base the background or abstract swirls on. Its how to get the dynamic POW some people like without straying more into stylized foreshortening (which i suck at) 

I wanted the boy here to be kind of ‘touching down, stumbled to a stop after a grand motion but still poised and ready’ 

so he’s balanced on one toe, his hair is showing the abrupt stop, and the balanced sword shows the exact motion line. 

the other 50% is usually just rendering and tossing in colors. I kind of like some mix of painterly chaos and like, ‘Leyendecker’ angles. I do NOT recommend greyscale to color process for that effect. I use that only if i’m forced to kicking and screaming for a complicated bg. 

you can tell at this point that one leg is back, one is forward, base color shading

now i just outlined some shadows and added some contrast to the edges--you can leave something very unfinished as long as it has a contrasted edge (thats why lineart works!) 

just keep blocking smaller and smaller, then choose where to ‘texture’ to make the surface look accurate.

and now i go back to the highlights and outline them in a slightly more saturated color. It’s a light refraction thing that i have fun exaggerating on skin right before the shadow too. 

toss some premade patterning on that because we respect ourselves and dont redraw it every damn time

and a final pass of highlights to merge the patterns and texture into it. 

also no airbrushes or blenders we die like men !!

#Anonymous #art ref #long post for ts

[takingcourage]

A Helping Hand

Pairing: Jaime x MC

Word Count: 1,800

Summary: Arden decides that her fiancé needs some assistance in his efforts to repair their home. 

Note: This story follows The Girl Next Door and will probably make more sense if you’ve read that story first. 

It had all started with her potted plants.

"Jinx just won't leave them alone," Arden had told him seriously. "They'll do better here anyway. You've got more sunlight than I do at the apartment."

He'd complied, giving her permission to put the pair of planters anywhere she liked.

Next, her clothes had started cropping up everywhere -- socks in his laundry basket, a set of pajamas in the nightstand drawer, and a pencil skirt and blouse that had staked their claim at the extreme end of his closet.

Jaime smiled every time he saw them -- these tangible reminders that she’d said yes -- that soon, this would be not just his house, but theirs. Besides, the slow infiltration just meant that there would be less work for them to do on moving day. 

When he arrived home from work on Friday evening, it came as little surprise to find her car parked in his driveway. The sedan had caught his eye as soon as he turned onto Sycamore Drive, messy as usual and looking for all the world like it belonged there. 

That's because it does, he thought as he parked his truck beside her in the doublewide drive. Or it will soon. He engaged the emergency brake and left the vehicle, already feeling the weight of the day begin to lessen. 

Leaving his keys in his pocket, he rapped a couple of times before he pushed open the front door. “I’m home!” he announced, voice a quiet singsong in his uncertainty where to direct the greeting. 

Any remaining tiredness evaporated the moment his eyes fell on Arden. 

She popped out from the hallway, an easy grin splitting her face. "I know I said I was working late tonight, but we finished everything and decided to start the weekend early." Bounding into the entry, she hopped up on her toes to receive the kiss that she knew was waiting for her. "I thought I'd come by and do some work on the house."

Jaime's eyes widened at the suggestion, and he finally looked beyond her happy face. Far from the professional attire she’d probably driven over in, she now wore a pair of threadbare basketball shorts and a T-shirt that still had the remnants of some long-forgotten art project staining both sides. Her short hair was tied up with a blue bandana that was knotted just above her left eyebrow. 

He knew at once the look that she’d been going for, but couldn’t help snickering at the full effect. 

Brown eyes flashed, and one finger raised to a point. The finger -- along with the rest of the hand, he noted -- was unnaturally red. “Stop thinking about me being cute. I’m here to do work,” Arden protested, wagging the finger she held out toward his chest. 

Jaime’s lips straightened at the appraisal, but his thoughts changed very little. She was always irresistible, but this style was completely new. “What work are you getting done?” he asked once suspicion had gotten the better of him. 

“Follow me,” she told him coyly, turning on her heel to travel back down the hall. 

When they reached the dining room, he couldn’t help taking stock of everything before he followed her movements. He knew Arden’s intentions were good, but what she’d tried to pass off as home repairs in the past typically included mass amounts of Gorilla Glue and duct tape. He breathed more easily on seeing that all was as he had left it, save for a bucket of soapy water that stood in the corner. 

"I've been cleaning the walls," she informed him proudly, retrieving a dripping sponge and squeezing the excess water with exaggerated finesse. “I was reading up on how to prep walls for painting and I came across this recipe for making a solution that removes leftover wallpaper adhesive and...”

Arden’s words trailed, brows furrowing as her eyes swung back to him. “Why should I have let you do it?”

Jaime hiked a hand through his hair. The thought hadn’t been conscious until he’d heard it from her lips, and now there was no way of taking it back. It didn’t even seem sensible from any objective metric, but he couldn’t help his instinct. 

“I...” he struggled, bringing the hand down to scratch the ridge behind his ear. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Arden. I promise it’s not that. It’s just... I kind of wanted to do all of this for you. Maybe that’s old fashioned of me.” 

The protest felt silly, but it was true. The changes he’d already made had been some of the most satisfying work he’d ever done. He’d imagined her bare feet padding along each panel of flooring, smiled over the thought of her towels joining his on the bathroom wall, and dreamed of their future with every single swipe of sandpaper and drop of paint. Letting someone else do part of that work felt like cheating. 

She tossed the sponge back into the bucket and wiped her wet hands on the legs of her shorts. There was no anger when her eyes met his, but the confusion he read there clenched his heart. 

“I thought you’d be happy that I was taking initiative. You’re always joking about how lazy I am when it comes to this kind of stuff.”

Jaime took a step toward the wall, contemplating the work she’d done while he’d been away. Arden was right, her help up to this point had rarely been anything more involved than holding the end of a tape measure. With a shake of his head, he called to mind the many times he’d tried to include her in his work without success. I should probably be grateful that she wants to help.  

Arden’s pensive tone put an end to his preoccupation. “I mean, I’m here for selfish reasons too.”

As she moved toward him, he extended a hand to cup her face, fingertips resting on the band of fabric that spanned her head. She surveyed him solemnly, her chipper excitement having fizzled out in the wake of their misunderstanding.

“I’m just so ready to live with you.” Her lips formed the words slowly, and Jaime had to work not to lose focus on what was being said. “I thought I would do anything I could to help speed along the process. And I love this house, Jaime. I’ve been imagining living in it for -- well, years, actually.” 

He traced the thick layer of cloth, his thumb resting on her temple thoughtfully. “I have too. And I can’t tell you how much I look forward to having you here all the time. But I want everything to be ready when it’s time for you to actually move in. I don’t want you to have to live somewhere with half-finished floors or tacky paint.” Please understand, Arden. 

The corner of her mouth tipped upward. “I think I do. But won’t it be ready faster if I help?”

Her simple question should have had a simple answer, but Jaime struggled to accept it. I just want it to be perfect for you.

Arden considered the words curiously before her eyes crinkled further. “It already feels perfect to me.” 

Jaime sighed faintly. “You know what I mean.” 

“I guess so. But doesn’t that mean we have work to do?” she surmised with a pointed glance at the walls.   

“Okay,” he told her, removing his jacket. Once done, he rolled the sleeves of his work shirt several inches. “Here’s my new plan. The jobs we can do together, we do together. If there’s something that takes a lot of training or experience, I’ll do it by myself. How’s that sound to you?”

Arden’s smile returned in full force. “It’s a deal.” She held out a slender hand and he shook it, noting her pruny fingers. 

“But we’re going to start by finding you a pair of gloves, okay?”

Her cheeks flushed a delightful shade of pink. 

“Come with me to the garage,” he beckoned. 

On reaching their destination, he quickly located the box of gloves on top of his workbench. He withdrew a pair and held them out for his fiancée’s approval, but her back was turned and her interest focused elsewhere. 

“I love this color even more in person,” she told him, brushing a finger over the small sample drop on top of the paint cans she’d found. “It’s going to look amazing in there, especially with the new stain on the floors.” 

Jaime’s chest flip flopped at the enthusiasm in her tone, and he resisted the urge to pinch himself awake. “Let’s finish one step at a time,” he encouraged, stretching the gloves toward her in a second attempt. 

She retrieved them and tried them on, distracted. “What I’m really looking forward to is the primer. It’s like painting, but you can get a little crazy with it,” she told him intensely. “Doesn’t really matter what it looks like in the end.” 

He bit back a groan at the suggestion. The idea of Arden with anything resembling a paintbrush was vaguely disconcerting. 

“I’m kidding,” she assured. “At least partially.”

“I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that,” he offered, sliding open a drawer to find his stash of clean rags. “I think I’ve got what we need. Let’s head back in.” 

He followed her into the house, chuckling again as he caught a fresh glimpse of her ragged appearance. Any frustration or uncertainty he’d felt before was quickly melting away to leave little but fondness behind. I may not always understand you, but I sure am lucky to have you. 

She glanced back at him with a sly wink. 

“And I still can’t believe you finished a full week of work and wanted to come scrub walls instead of going home to binge Netflix. You’ve changed, Arden.” 

“They say love will do that to a person.” 

He rolled his eyes at her cheesy rejoinder and pretended to struggle to stretch the gloves over his palms. 

“And besides,” she admitted, “that wasn’t the only reason I came. I had some things I wanted to bring over too.” 

"Sneaking in more of your clothes?” 

Arden's nose wrinkled at the accusation. “You’ll just have to wait and see.” 

“I can’t wait to find them -- whatever they are.” He pushed a second sponge into the bucket, compressing it until it had been thoroughly saturated in the cleaner. 

“And I can’t wait to move in.” 

“That makes two of us.” He kissed her forehead and held out his sponge, motioning for her to do the same. “Let’s get to work.” 

#playchoices #playchoices fanfiction #wishful thinking #jaime lewis #jaime x mc

[genderfreezone]

Do you like the Evil Within 2?

Yeah! Certainly not as much as the first one (i was not immune to being sad they left out fan favorites Jojo and Ruvik's Cube)

The rest of this post is me rambling about things i didnt like about the game, and then things i did like (most of my issues are how they treat the female characters tbh)

Its missing kind of the action-noir-gone-horrifically-wrong feel of the first game. The scare factor also suffers bc our player character has been through this before, hes a veteran at dealing with this crazy shit, it doesnt phase him anymore and by extension it doesnt phase the player. They really like tripled down on the Evil Corporation thing and both the intrigue and horror suffer for it.

This game did not drink its respect women juice (the first one didnt really either, case in point: Everything About Kidman) Sebastian is surrounded by 5+ female characters and only 2 of them survive (and one of them is his 7 year old daughter hes spent the whole game trying to rescue... and yet they never bothered to give her any kind of characterization or agency. A highly empathetic and supernaturally powerful little girl in a monster-infested hellscape?? HELLO???? Lily really had the potential to be the most interesting, sympathetic, and complex character--especially as she slowly lost her innocence--in the WHOLE GAME, but she was just sort of relegated to Plot Device McGuffin) The rest of the female supporting cast are killed off for Sebastian's Man Pain. In fact, THIS ENTIRE GAME IS CENTERED AROUND SEBASTIAN'S MAN PAIN. Torrez is a walking stereotype, shes literally just Vasquez from Aliens. Hoffman was the most likeable and believeable, except when it Turns Out She Was In Love With Liam Or Whatever (psst, guess what, i dont care. Also O'neal was kind of a dick anyway? I dont care x2)

And you know who i SUPER dont care about? Bland-White-Bread-And-Mayo-Sandwich Myra. Where's the no-nonsense firecracker of a police lieutenant Sebastian married? Not here, thats for sure. Her entire personality is "mother" and "worries about stressed-out husband". We got more characterization of Myra in seb's jornals from the first game, where she never even made a physical appearance! Horror media does this SO MUCH, women are either A. Sexy Lamp B. Hurts Men (Sexily) C. Mother or D. Innocent Virgin. It sucks. Do better.

The story lacked the "digging up old buried memories" and "theres more to this than meets the eye" of the first game. It felt too...... Straightforward. Everyone told Sebastian the truth. EVERYTHING WAS EXACTLY WHAT IT SEEMED. It all felt too simple, too easy, like there SHOULDVE been something else beneath the surface. And yet there wasnt. (I watched markipliers playthrough and i loved his theory that Kidman was actually Lily. It had such potential. Kidman's entire resume for the police station was fabricated, who's to say the rest of her past wasnt fabricated as well? It would retcon a lot of stuff and like 80% of her backstory from the DLC, but you know games like this arent above retconning important shit, and at least it wouldve been sacrificed for something with actual intrigue. Maybe it wouldnt even retcon anything! Consider: tiny Lily is taken by Evil Corporation and dropped off in a non-nurturing environment that would lead her to become the kind of person who would willingly join & work for an organization like Mobius. At least wouldve been a nice excuse for why Kidman and Lilys face models looked so similar... other than... yknow.... "WomEN ARe hArD tO DRaWwwwwee")

Okay okay ive been ranting for long enough. It probably makes it sound like i kinda hate this game, but i dont! It certainly doesnt hold the same place in my heart as the first one (which i still have very glaring issues with lmao Kidman deserved WAAAAAAY better), but i do like it! It brings back salty, grizzled, tsundere Sebastian Castinellos. It brings back spooky monsters that kill you dead. It brings back having a fun theatrical over-the-top villain who takes himself a litte too seriously.

I love Stefano. Probably not in the way some other fans do, but i love him as a ridiculous theatrical over-the-top villain. He sucks! And i love that he sucks! I love him BECAUSE he sucks! Hes terrible and exaggerated and completely up his own ass and ITS GREAT. He isnt as ACTUALLY THREATENING as Ruvik was (even in his bad assassin's creed cosplay. I could go on and on and on about why Ruvik is simultaneously a ridiculous AND frightening antagonist and how much i love it but uh..... maybe later) but hes such a FUN villain! Hes the kind of pretentious art snob shitheel i cannot STAND irl, but in this game i LOVE to HATE him. Hes just SO over-the-top you kinda wonder if he actually subscribes to the pretentiousness he spouts, or if hes just being Exceptionally Extra.

The other villains? Theodore was.... forgettable. His monsters were forgettable. (Its like how i completely forgot that Frank Manera was a character in Whistleblower for like... 5 years lmao i guess this game also kinda followed that "having multiple named/characterized antagonists in one game" thing that Outlast did) Myra, i just didnt care. Her final design was kinda cool, i liked the red clusters of insect eyes. Her monsters werent really gross enough to be memorable. The only reson theyre gross at all is bc they kinda look like theyre made of semen. (I checked the wiki and apparently Myra's white goo is "psychoplasm" and her monsters lost 99% of their gross factor. I just dont care.) The Administrator literally just looked like a 3D human model of Maxwell from dont starve, and i have to laugh every time i see him. Hes not terribly threatening, all he does is threaten characters to work faster and doesnt actually follow through on those threats. He doesnt even make fun threats like HABIT or anything. He thinks hes so powerful and ominous that his mere presence will frighten the player but hes just kinda all bark and no bite. Hes The Big Bad Company Man so you know hes gonna get whats coming to him, and you know Kidmans gonna be the one to do it to him, so hes not even that much of a threat. Hes whatever.

Stefano definitely got all of the coolest monsters. Many Arms Buzzsaw Lady was terrifying and i love her. And OBSCURA was just *Chef's Kiss* Anima was cool, she kinda looked like a mix of Laura and Samara. The Harbingers were neat, but really only bc ive got a thing for gas masks. The rest of the monsters werent really unique or weighty/threatening enough to be memorable. Now the first game is a fucking TREASURE TROVE of unique monsters *muah* you got Sadist, Sentinel, Keeper, Amalgam, Heresy, Laura, Shigyo, the Twins, Alter Egos, and im probably forgetting some!! But holy FUCK!!!!! And if we're includong the DLC?? MOTHER FUCKING SHADE. SPOTLIGHT LADY. LIGHT WOMAN.  SEXY LEGS.  Whatever you call her, i fucking love her. Her design is so simple. Helmet. Sheet. Legs. Her voice? Unnerving as hell. Love it. (Also i just personally love the diving helmet. Also like you know how a lot of games have a spotlight mechanic where you have to avoid the light and if it lands on you, you're fucked? LET'S MAKE AN ENTIRE MONSTER OUT OF THAT. She's PERFECT.) Oh and also those weird crawling exploding dudes. They made gross sounds and it was great. (Tbh Keepers still probably my favorite, if only for horny reasons)

TATIANA HOW HAVE I NOT FUCKING TALKED ABOUT TATIANA. Shes like the ONE female character that i fucking LOVE in the sequel. I love how they finally gave her a personality, and that personality is literally just "fuck you, Sebastian" Oh GOD its great shes SO FUNNY. I just.... god i love Tatiana lmao. I love how she makes you kinda uncomfortable too, like she knows something, but she wont tell you bc youre stupid. I didn't like the kind of "all-knowing guide" thing they did to try and make her creepy (like she's a "guide" but then also turns around and is like "no i wont tell you what you need to know bc you """have to discover it on your own""" or whatever") it serves no purpose since she never gave you any actual information, and it didn't succeed in making her creepier, all it did was frustrate me. She was at her creepiest when she IMPLIED she was doing something behind the scenes or knew something you didn't know and then didn't elaborate (not REFUSING to elaborate, just... stopping talking and leaving the statement to hang in the air, like the "getting her nails done" and "its been a long time, detective" and the "now what makes you say that" from the first game) and she was at her funniest when she was interacting with Sebastian from the sidelines, her snide little comments and sarcastic clapping cracked me the fuck up. Tatiana not treating Sebastian seriously was a fantastic touch for a game that otherwise would probably take itself so seriously it would double back around to being silly. Without Tatiana, it would've been just another male-centric gun-toting "survival horror" game, and for the most part, it was just that. She was definitely a much-needed source of slightly derisive comedy and a definite high-point for me, even if they didn't so a great job of making her creepy or fulfilling her "purpose."

Oh I also really love the COLORS in TEW2. The first game fell into the trap of having the colors be totally washed out that a lot of horror stuff does, but it also kind of worked for it. Especially with the color pallette of our main villain and how the whole thing was His World. The saturation of the colors in the second game is a breath of fresh air and gorgeous to look at, and you can even see the color motifs of the game change with each new villain: the game starts out with Stephano has lots of blues and purples and dark reds, when Theodore takes over we get bright orange and yellow contrasted with black and brown, and in the climax with Myra the game goes back to having washed out colors and white (and with her villain design? Let's face it: they were kinda just trying to do Ruvik again) We did get portions that were still kind of wahed out whites and greens and greys, but it wasnt the ENTIRE game, even the big blood-and-brains splatterhouse sections of the first game kinda had their colors weirdly muted for that "Horror Aethetic."

In conclusion, i do like the evil within 2, but i also had a lot of problems with it. And i complain about these problems because i like the game and know it couldve done better, tried harder, and been a LOT more than it was (the wasted character potential is my real overarching pet peeve, probably becuase i loved the characters in the first game, and character development is kind of my whole jam) . But all in all, it was still a fun monster-zombie romp with at least one entertaining villain and fun-to-look-at designs and environments. It wasn't character or horror or even REALLY story driven in the way I know it COULDVE been, but i still had a fun time and enjoyed myself.

#long post #875asks #anonymous #the evil within 2 #i couldnt put a readmore on a mobile post so you all have to suffer with me #my paragraph about stefano got cut out so i put it back in lol

[kusunogatari]

[ ObiRyū October | Day Seven: Origins ] [ @abyssaldespair ] [ Uchiha Obito, Suigin Ryū, Suigin ] [ Verse: White Hands of Healing ] [ Previous || Next ]

“...what’s on your mind?”

Tearing his eyes from the kamidana over the main hall, Obito instead looks to Ryū. She’s sat upon one of the settees, dressed in a warm yukata. The sight of her is still a bit of a shock. Though healed over, her scars are pronounced, and the blemishes of bruises still color her skin various shades of purple, blue, and sickly green. And though it was only a handful of days - a week at most - she was trapped in Root’s clutches, she looks so...gaunt. Always has she been pale, but now to a sickly degree.

It makes him angry...but also brings a feeling of shame.

“Just...admiring this place. It’s so…” He searches for a word. “...classical.”

That earns a soft snort. “It’s very old, yes...work started on it almost as soon as the first villagers arrived here with Eiko and Kazue.”

“...who?”

“Oh...have I never…?” Ryū pauses. “...those are my ancestors. The first of the Suigin line! There’s...some argument about who was really the first, given some...semantics.”

Obito can’t help but perk up. He knows so little of Ryū’s background. Crossing the room, he takes a careful seat beside her. “Would you...tell me more?”

“Are you sure you want a history lesson?” she softly teases. “I’m not sure if it would be very...interesting.”

“I’d like to hear more about your origins.”

“Will you tell me some of yours in return?”

That...gets him to hesitate.

Ryū gives a quick smile. “I know, I know...you can’t.” Sighing, she takes a moment to think. “...so, as the story goes...a very long time ago, my teacher, Suigin, was living in these very mountains. Humans hadn’t had chakra for very long, and a village in the foothills was ransacked by roving bandits. One woman named Eiko, pregnant and clinging to life, supposedly yelled so loudly for the gods to save them that Suigin heard her up here, in the mountains. So, she went to investigate, and found the aftermath.”

It’s then Ryū stands up, and Obito momentarily panics, doing the same to hover. She leads him to one end of the great hall, and then he realizes...the fusuma paintings are meant to reflect the story.

She gestures to a scene among the foothills, where a silvery serpent dragon hovers before a woman who reaches in desperation. “...Suigin asked her what had happened. She claimed that her husband’s warmongering had brought their enemies down upon their village while their men were away...and they were slaughtered. Eiko begged the dragon to save her, if only for the sake of her unborn child.

“Suigin decided to make the woman a deal. She would heal her wounds, and save her life...and bestow upon her some of her chakra. But in return, she would have to carry the sage’s message and task of healing. Then, she would return with like-minded humans, and rebuild. Eiko agreed...and left the ruins of the village.

“For four years, she traveled to various small villages, and bore the sage’s message alongside her daughter. Some became inspired, and traveled with her. By the time she returned to her village, several dozen people accompanied her, from all walks and trades. Suigin returned...and guided the people through the tangles of the forests...and into a beautiful valley, rich and warm.”

The next fusuma panels show the valley between the peaks, and Obito immediately recognizes it. A river runs along the vale’s spine...and as it goes, a village begins to appear.

“The people worked hard, clearing land for crops and livestock...and using the timber to build homes for themselves. Even a shrine was built near the peak crowned with the largest camphor tree...and it was for that tree that the valley - and its village - were named: Kusunokizan. Camphor tree mountain. And though it was never officiated, Eiko was looked to for guidance and leadership. And she took the sage’s name for her own...and became Suigin Eiko.

“...but…”

The valley suddenly darkens, and foreboding nestles in Obito’s gut.

“...Kazue, Eiko’s daughter, looked nothing like either her mother, or father. Imbued and saturated with the sage’s white chakra, her very appearance had been shaped. Pale, with white hair, and cloud-grey eyes, she was the first true heir of Suigin’s chakra. In her...the true power was awakened. But when she was six years old, Kazue fell deathly ill. The villagers, fearful for the bloodline, watched anxiously as Eiko struggled to save her daughter’s life. In the end...she succeeded. Kazue was cured. But...her mother had used the last of her strength. And with a whisper...she died.

“Kazue, left alone, was raised by the villagers as a whole...and trained by Suigin to master her powers and attain a sage state. By the time she was sixteen, Kazue had conquered her chakra, and was a full-fledged sage. And, like her mother, she traveled the world to spread a message of peace, and healing. She only returned once she was with child, having a daughter of her own. And when her daughter was ten years old...Kazue gave her life defending her from an avalanche while up among the peaks.

“And so began an eerie cycle. Every mother would have a daughter...and every generation, each mother would give their life for their child. And yet somehow, through the ages...no Suigin ever died before having a child to pass on the lineage. So, Suigin surmised that the family had fallen victim to a curse.”

“...curse…?” The word rings a bell, prompting a memory of the so-called curse of hatred within Obito’s own clan...were such things really true?

“When Eiko had accepted Suigin’s chakra, two feelings were strong within her, at war in her heart. One was the desire - above all others - to keep her child alive, and safe. The other...was a deep and furious hatred for her husband, whose greed and lust for power had wrought destruction to her and her people. Suigin theorized that these feelings - when given power through her chakra - took root within it...and infected their line through the unborn child. So, every mother - without fail - would make the same sacrifice again and again to protect their offspring. And in tandem, any love they found in another would soon devolve into hate, poisoned by seemingly outside forces. She also, over the generations, theorized that Eiko and Kazue’s souls were trapped in a cycle of reincarnation...as many of our line claim to have memories not their own.”

That perks his interest. “...do you?”

“...a few. They’re very...fragmented. But I know they aren’t mine. I don’t know if they’re just pieces of a dream, or if I really do have visions from my ancestors. According to Suigin, I’m one of Kazue’s sides of the coin. It’s gone back and forth since then. Over and over again, we’ve gone through this cycle, until it got to me. Like the rest, I did lose my mother...but the whole of the village with her, as well.”

“...what happened?”

“...it was the tail end of the third shinobi war. Most of Iwa had given up, but...a few rebel cells continued to try to find back doors into Hi no Kuni and regather momentum. A few were using doton techniques to try and find paths through the mountains. And with them...they found the valley, as it spans nearly from side to side. They thought...it would make for a simple path through. What they didn’t know was that the village was here. And when they found it, they...destroyed it, as we were technically a Hi no Kuni settlement. My mother tried to stop them, but Suigin was away hunting that night. We were...so unprepared. An entire platoon of shinobi...against a small village of civilians, and one healing sage. She did all she could, but...when she realized there was no hope, she used the last of her chakra to hide me away...before being killed.”

Hearing her tone fade, Obito gives her a glance. “...you saw it...didn’t you?”

A nod. “...I was so young...it’s one of the few things I can remember of her, now. Konoha shinobi saw the smoke rising from the mountain, and came to investigate. Once they found me, they took me back to Konoha, and...it was there was raised as a ward of the village for my unique bloodline. And now...well, here I am.”

“...quite the tale.”

“Mm...parts, I’m sure, have been a bit...twisted and lost since then, given it was so long ago. But Suigin was there for nearly all of it, so it’s hard to tell what’s true, and what’s just been exaggerated.” Glancing up, Ryū gives Obito a hint of a smile. “...so? Feel like you know me any better?”

“I guess so.”

“Hm...I could tell you of the owls of Kōri no Mori.”

“You mean Fubuki?”

“She’s one of them, yes. There’s more panels over here!” Taking Obito’s hand, she leads him to another section of wall. These feature the higher, snowy peaks around the valley. “So, when Kazue was training under Suigin, she wanted to test her endurance and survival...and so made her way up into the peaks where the snow never melts: a place we call Kōri no Mori, the forest of ice. During her trek, she came upon an injured owl, pure white. Sympathetic, she healed the creature, and then let him go on his way.

“But before she could finish her journey and return to the valley...she suddenly found herself surrounded by owls! Dozens and dozens, and some even taller than herself. They were an old clan that had lived in the mountains for hundreds, if not thousands of years, and they were grateful for her help. Though they did not know how to speak, they managed to convey their feelings, and the owl she’d healed - Seiten - decided to travel by her side and attempt to repay her kindness.

“Kazue took the owl back to the valley, and with Suigin’s help, forged a summoning contract. Even so, Seiten went with her on her pilgrimage, and when Kazue was attacked by a bandit while she slept, he snatched the rogue’s eyes and saved her life.

“Though his debt was repaid, Seiten agreed to honor their contract, and be summoned whenever she needed him. That began the tradition of each Suigin trainee - upon completing their sage training - going up into the mountains to find an owl companion to make a contract with. When I finished mine - just a few months before we met - I found Fubuki...and she’s remained with me ever since.”

“...huh. I’ve heard of clans carrying contracts through their bloodline, but never quite like that,” Obito muses.

“The bond between our clans is as old as the clan itself...an owl chosen to be a Suigin’s companion is considered highly honored. They take their role as our protectors very seriously. Which,” Ryū offers, tone turning a bit sheepish, “is likely why Fubuki is so...hard on you. She knows that there are risks with you coming to see me.”

For a moment, Obito thinks over the owl’s warning. “...yeah…”

“But I think your saving me from Root has helped change her view of you. At least a little.”

Obito, not so sure, doesn’t answer.

Looking around the hall, Ryū thinks for a moment. “...well, there are other random tales from notable women in my line, but...I’m not sure they’re as interesting as the rest.”

Hearing a hint of fatigue in her voice, Obito suggests, “Maybe time to take a break, instead.”

“I’m not that tired…”

“Maybe I just want to sit with you for a while.”

Sighing, Ryū gives in, letting him lead her back to their seats. Obito then brings her close, tucking his chin atop her head. To think...a line with such poor luck, and yet...always managing to make it through one more generation. How lucky they are for her to even live or exist, let alone to have met.

...but one thing irks at the back of his mind: the two-sided ‘curse’ she mentioned. The hate Eiko supposedly passed down. In all honesty, he can’t really see Ryū hating anyone. With all he knows of her, it seems impossible for her to ever get that angry.

...and yet…

If she ever learns the truth - ever comes to know all he’s done, all he will do - would she hate him? Her line is one of medics that stretches back nearly to the beginning of chakra within humans. Life and healing are their utmost priority...and how many has he taken? Or ordered taken through his underlings?

...what would she say if she knew?

Feeling her go lax with sleep against him, he looks to her thoughtfully. It’s clear she knows, at least, that he isn’t exactly a good person. Likely she suspects him to be some kind of missing nin. And yet...she persists anyway. Loves him anyway. Maybe…

Heaving a heavy sigh, he pulls her a bit closer, indulging in the feeling of her softness. She is all he cannot be...soft, and kind, and trusting...gentle, and hopeful. He has to wonder if she’ll ever realize what she really means to him.

...but maybe now is not the time.

Ever so carefully, he scoops her up in his arms, taking her up to the manor’s second level and laying her into bed. Eyes flicker over Root’s marks, and it sparks a few coals of anger in his belly.

...they’ll pay. But not yet. All in due time.

Instead, for now, he leans in and presses lips to her brow, hearing her hum happily. The anger quickly quells, replaced instead with a pleasant warmth only she can bring. Daring to smile, he retreats from the building, readying to teleport.

But as he leaves, he finds he’s no longer alone.

He’s only seen the sage once before now, and she’s still just as imposing. Rightfully so, he can’t help but feel...nervous in her presence. “...Suigin-sama,” he addresses politely.

Sprawled over the front garden, the dragon eyes him openly. “So, she has told you the tale of her origins, has she not? A curious story, indeed…”

“And it’s all true?”

The sage’s tongue flickers like a serpent’s, Obito unable to glean any emotion from her scaly, antlered face. “History has a way of changing with each retelling. I have done my best to remember and record the stories of those who bear my chakra. There may yet be...inaccuracies. But so too are there tales of rabbit goddesses of the moon...of a man who tamed chakra and forged nine beasts from the great Shinju tree. Many see these as more myth than truth...but who is to truly say but those who were there?”

“...do sages ever speak clearly, or does everything have to be a riddle?”

Amusement glints in her eyes. “...you humans are so amusing. So varied, and yet...in some ways, all the same. I speak as my thoughts form...don’t you do the same?”

Obito just deadpans. “...I should be going.”

A nod. “...Ryū will remain here to heal. Should you seek her again, it would be wise to come here first. I must clear a path for her back to Konoha after Root’s actions.” She looks to him, unblinking. “...remember what I told you, human.”

“...I couldn’t forget if I wanted to,” is his low reply. And with that...he disappears back into his Sharingan’s dimension.

Lost in thought for a long moment, Suigin then looks up to the manor: the windows of the master quarters. How far they have come...how much farther can they go? Time alone will tell...

     Oof, I'm a day late with this one Dx Still very busy, and I just...ran out of time. Gonna try to hop right to the next one and get it done before it gets too late.      So I wasn't exactly sure what to do for this one, and asking Meg got me the answer she'd been thinking about Ryū's background when she made this prompt, so...that's what I went with! Along with some somber fluff, and a little cameo from Suigin herself, lol      Anywho, I've still got lots to write, so that's all for now! Thanks for reading~

#obiryū october #abyssaldespair #uchiha obito #suigin ryū #suigin #white hands of healing [ canon verse ]

[cookietower]

Bite

I’m procrastinating again. Here's a quick oneshot for Mo Dao Zu Shi based on this previous post under the cut hehehe help me I don’t want to study anymore of this CFA curriculum huhuhu.

Sweet.

That was the scent that has been plaguing Lan WangJi for weeks. It was not quite like the smell of desserts or fruits. It was gentle. It was mild--delicate, yet lingered in the air persistently. Closer to the scent of flowers. He cannot help but want to breathe it in desperately before it dissipates.

For those of his kind, especially those in his family, it was best to stay away from scents that teased his inner demons. They were a civilized bunch. Taking in blood should be just for sustenance. Just enough to live another day. To succumb to this temptation was not allowed.

But, did he have a choice if that scent always followed him? He could only do so much to avoid it. Perhaps the best options to be rid of it was to lock himself in their estate, or to leave the country. At this time, neither was feasible. He could only endure.

How long could he keep this up?

“WangJi, you’re so stubborn. Just admit it already.”

Lan WangJi exhaled, “Admit what?”

“There you go, you’re going to deny it again, aren’t you?”

Just how long could he endure this if the source himself would not leave him alone?

Partly because of his outgoing and approachable nature, but mostly because of his interests, Wei WuXian was well-known on campus. His interests were not typical in modern society, at least not on the surface.

Wei WuXian was invested in the supernatural, in the occult. He craved and hunted information on it so fervently, it did not seem normal. A general interest would have been more acceptable, but his went deeper than fiction writing and screenplays. This type of enthusiasm was problematic for Lan WangJi and his kind.

This man’s interests was exactly what put Lan WangJi in this predicament. He was persistent. He always had ways to find Lan WangJi. He hovered around him like a satellite. When he thought he had finally lost him for once, as if he were summoned, he would find the man back at his side like it was the most natural place to be.

It drove him mad.

“There is nothing to admit.” Lan WangJi snapped, turning sharply as he did. Even his uncle’s private office on the campus did not deter Wei WuXian at all. He wished he could just slam the door shut to keep him away, but the man had already made himself comfortable in the office.

He gritted his teeth. His nose itched terribly, but he maintained his calm façade, slid his bag down on the floor, and sat down in front of a desk.

“WangJi, how many times do you think have I heard this?” Wei WuXian sighed, he moved closer to him as he spoke. He leaned down with his face stopping right next to Lan WangJi’s ear. “I have evidence, you know?”

Too close.

Lan WangJi wanted to throw him out of the room. It would have been fine if this man was as ordinary as any other human. It would have been fine if he was like any other colleague he had encountered, but Wei WuXian was different. His scent was different. He etched his existence at every turn that it constantly reminded Lan WangJi of his true nature, his forgotten desires.

And, this distance? It was too much.

“Ridiculous.” Lan WangJi attempted to brush him off. He felt as if the man stayed too close to him today. His throat felt drier than usual. He was thirsty. This was bad. He needed to make the man leave him as soon as possible.

“You have nothing to do here,” Lan WangJi pointed out. “You should leave.”

Wei WuXian pouted, “Don’t be like that. I told you, I wanted to be friends with you.” He sat himself on top of the desk, determined to stay.

“That is unnecessary.”

The man exaggerated a gasp and held a palm to his chest. “How rude!” He leaned back down to face Lan WangJi, just a few inches away from knocking foreheads together. “Okay, I’ll try again next time, but can’t I stay?”

Too close! Lan WangJi snapped and pushed the other man away, “No!”

Stunned, Wei WuXian stumbled back and crashed to the floor. He cursed as he attempted to massage the pain from his rear. The man was about to shout back at Lan WangJi, but he stopped.

He glanced down at the area he landed and rubbed his hand on the surface. It felt wet. He brought his hand up to his eyes. It was stained dark, dark red.

“Shit!” Wei WuXian jumped up and patted around his lower body. After a few more pats, he sighed satisfactorily. He did not break any bones or skin from the fall, but it seemed he broke something else.

“Sorry, WangJi. Did you keep any ink bottles in your bag? I think I broke it.” Wei WuXian apologized and looked back down at the floor. He had landed on Lan WangJi’s bag. When he looked back up, the other man had already stood up and was a few steps away from him.

Lan WangJi’s face looked awfully ferocious.

“Lan WangJi, are you mad?” Wei WuXian asked cautiously. Did he perhaps break something expensive? Was it some special calligraphy ink after all? He stepped closer, “Ah damn, I’m sorry, okay? I’ll pay you back.”

The originally spacious office felt suffocating. The air was saturated with a scent that, to Lan WangJi, was sickly sweet. His throat throbbed with an unimaginable thirst. He grit his teeth as hard as he could and backed away as the other approached.

This was bad.

The room reeked of blood.

“Get out of here!” Lan WangJi spat and glared hard at Wei WuXian. He had to make the man leave. He had to get away from him now!

Wei WuXian frowned and went closer, and closer until he was a mere step away from Lan WangJi. “You--no need to be so angry. Promise, I’ll pay you back? You know I’m broke so it will take a while, but I definitely will.”

His senses were considerably heightened. He could hear every little thing, feel every small movement, smell every faint scent despite the scent of blood cloying the room. Lan WangJi could feel his restraints fraying quickly.

But more than anything, he was overly aware of Wei WuXian’s every breath, every move, every heartbeat. He could almost hear the precious liquid flowing in the man’s veins, and within this distance, he could breathe in its mild, delicate scent. He wanted to inch closer and soak himself in that scent.

He wanted to possess it entirely, and devour this man whole.

Wei WuXian felt his spine tingle. Lan WangJi was too worked up about this that his eyes had gone red.

...His eyes had gone red?

“WangJi,” Wei WuXian asked, his chest thrumming in excitement. Red eyes just like this, he would not mistake it. He never saw it in person, but humans do not just change eye colors so easily. This was his chance! “That, that was your food. Wasn’t it?”

Lan WangJi did not answer, but to Wei WuXian, his eyes spoke loudly enough.

Wei WuXian gave a shout of triumph and brazenly closed the distance between them. “I knew it! I knew you Lans were more than just celebrities!” He grinned and leaned just a hair’s breadth away from the other man. “Look at you. You look like a real vampire now.”

As if something inside him finally broke, Lan WangJi growled and tackled Wei WuXian to the ground.

This man’s scent was killing him, but he wanted it so much. He pressed his nose close to the other’s neck and inhaled deeply. He could feel the warmth thriving underneath the tender skin. He wanted it so, so much.

Wei WuXian realized he was in danger. This was not the appropriate time to gloat about his discovery. He had provoked this person quite badly. Will he have to substitute for the spilled food? Can he trust that this man won’t suck him dry? In any case, no matter which angle he viewed this from, there was no way he could fight a real, hungry blood-sucking predator of this ability.

He gathered his wits, although his skin prickled as Lan WangJi breathed heavily on his neck. There was no other way. Wei WuXian shakily brought his arms around the man’s shoulders, pulling him closer.

The action seemed to have brought Lan WangJi back to his senses. Lan WangJi tried to pull back but the hold on him prevented him from going too far. He bared his fangs at Wei WuXian, an attempt to scare him off, but the arms remained around him.

“What are you doing?!”

“It’s my fault, so I’ll take full responsibility. Go ahead, bite me.”

“I could kill you!”

Wei WuXian chuckled nervously, “Well, that’s true. But your head’s a bit clear now, right? You’ll know when to stop, right?

Lan WangJi wanted to ram his head into a wall. He could not believe he was hearing this. However, if there was anyone in existence that could negotiate with a predator so casually, it would be Wei WuXian.

As he went on with his inner turmoil, Wei WuXian pulled him back closer to his person. Lan WangJi struggled against the man’s arms which he could easily break away from, but he also fought with himself. His instincts told him to keep closing in, to taste the skin touching his lips. It told him to give in, to just sink his teeth into this tender flesh. This man was willing. This man had given him full consent, how could he refuse?

Suddenly, his senses were back in overdrive, and he was reduced to nothing but a deep desire to devour the man underneath him. His fangs protruded more against Wei WuXian’s skin, and grazed it as if to find the most suitable place to penetrate, to feed.

“Look at you, you desperately need it. We can’t expect you to make do with the blood on the floor, right?” Wei WuXian whispered, unease slipping into his voice as he endured the sharp fangs against his skin. He slid his hand up behind Lan WangJi’s head and pressed him closer against his neck. “Come on, come on. Drink my blood.”

In a desperate attempt to distract himself, Wei WuXian continued to quitely coax the other man to get on with it. He was afraid, very much so, but he had to bet his life on this.

And as he murmured on, Lan WangJi slowly licked his way down his neck, his fangs poised to sink in at any moment. Just as Wei WuXian felt like he was going to lose his mind, Lan WangJi bit down.

Wei WuXian whimpered in pain. He felt every inch of it clamped on his flesh. Time seemed to slow down, and when he had thought hours had passed, he felt Lan WangJi starting to suck and gulp down his blood. His mind went blank at the sensation.

Lan WangJi’s thoughts were equally shut off. His body moved unconsciously to make his feeding more comfortable. He took his time to savor the distinct flavor of the man beneath him. Just like the scent he gave off, his blood had that mildness, that delicateness he desperately wanted more of.

His idle hand wandered around Wei WuXian’s body, tracing each line and each dip as he continued to feed. When he reached the other man's lips, his hand paused briefly, then slowly ran his thumb against the lower lip.

Next time. Next time, he will be sure to pay attention to this place before anything else.

As though the thought had triggered an alarm in his head, Lan WangJi stopped. Reluctantly, he withdrew from the tender flesh under his lips. His eyes bore at the mark he left and carefully bent back down to lick away at the trickling blood until the wound closed up. His tongue played at the remaining taste before he slowly pulled away from Wei WuXian’s skin.

“This--this is enough.” Lan WangJi murmured as he wiped at his mouth. He tried his best start forgetting the taste of the man in his arms. There should not be another opportunity like this.

There should not be a next time.

Determined, he moved to make direct eye contact with Wei WuXian.“I apologize for this.”

However, Lan WangJi only met the other’s blank, hazy eyes.

He panicked. Perhaps he had drank too much of his blood? His pulse still felt normal. He did not look pale. Was he in shock?

“Wei WuXian, can you hear me? Can you stand?”

Wei WuXian remained in Lan WangJi’s arms, motionless and stared back at him in a daze. A few beats later, he brought his hand to Lan WangJi’s lips, going past them to let his finger touch one of the man’s fangs. Lan WangJi froze in surprise, but allowed him to continue.

The fangs had good length, although it looked to have retracted some of its original length after the ordeal. The initial bite was painful, that was undeniable. Even now, he felt like two holes still gaped on his neck. 

Lan WangJi’s fangs glinted with a deadly sharpness, but it felt oddly warm under his fingertips. He stroked a fang with his thumb slowly, memorizing the small details as best as he could with his muddled head.

“I’m fine, I just...”  Wei WuXian spoke slowly. He found it quite inappropriate, but he thought it would be a shame to hide these fangs. He would love to see it again.

He would not mind doing this again.

“I just thought, being bitten by a vampire isn’t so bad.”

“...”

----

hehehehe It ends here. Hope this writing wasn’t that bad??? uhm.

Also since this is kinda based in current modern times, I actually didn’t know how they would use their names. I was thinking modern Chinese names wouldn’t be that many... I think. Do they still use a lot of names? I would imagine just having one, so you see WWX calling LWJ as only WangJi or Lan WangJi here.

Please correct me if I’m wrong! (Though a correction in the above writing is highly unlikely because I am a lazy little shit.)

(I mean come on, I should be doing other things. But here I am writing shit.)

#魔道祖师 #mo dao zu shi #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #founder of diabolism #lan wangji #wei wuxian #wangxian #kasulatan #gdc #mdzs #pretty sure my grammar is in shambles hahahaha #I literally only know how to write smooth e-mails at this point in my life #if you want a compassionate and emphatic e-mail #let me know hahahaha #tangina wait lang tatago na ako #kailangan ko na talaga magseryoso lol

[denisehq]

HOW THE FUCK DID THIS HAPPEN?

WHO: Tobias Berry / Noah Puckerman ( @puckmanhq​ ) / Aliyah Puckerman ( @alipucks​ ) LOCATION:  Toby and Aliyah’s place DATE & TIME: June 28, 2019, 1 AM  - June 28, 2019, 8:30 AM SUMMARY: Puck visits Aliyah at her apartment to clear his head and get away from IHQ, but ends up spending the night with Toby instead.  WARNINGS: Excessive drinking and non-descriptive nudity

1 AM

Well, shit. Puck thought as his sister walked off to her room, her middle fingers the last thing he saw before she completely disappeared. “Fucking charming.” Ha, I got the last word. Less than a second later the sound of an opening door before, “Fucking dumbass.” One final door close and now it was painfully quiet. Puck started bouncing his knee, looking around like he’d never seen the inside of an apartment before. See, now he was just chillin’ in the room with Tobias and honestly, he’d never really hung out with him, even though he was technically family, as Joey’s uncle. Guess they just didn’t have that much in common. Probably should have got the fuck up and taken his tipsy ass home but he really couldn’t be bothered. So instead he looked over at Toby. “Beer or tequila?” He asked as he poured himself a shot, ready to pour another.

“Fuckin’ traitor,” Tobias mumbled. How could Aliyah leave him right now? They weren’t even halfway through their movie. It’s not like it was-- Tobias checked his phone. “Shit,” he exhaled gently. “It’s later than I thought it was.” Which, if that was the case, why the hell did Aliyah let Puck inside in the first place? Tobias rubbed his eyes, still red from the makeshift hotbox in the bathroom earlier, and dismissed his own question with a shrug. Nope. Practical thought just didn’t exist when it was past midnight and you were still high as fuck. Tobias slowly turned his head towards Puck, interest finally piqued by his presence and the classical conditioning of the promise of alcohol. “Well, shit. If you’re pouring, then whatever cost the most.”

"Tequila it fucking is then." Pouring a second shot he handed it to his unlikely drunking buddy and riased his own glass. "To whatever the fuck this night's gonna be." Clinking his glass against Toby's, Puck did the classic frat boy table touch before throwing it back. Feeling the familiar burn, he chased it with a swig of beer before pouring himself another one. Already feeling the temperature rising which caused him to pull at the collar of his tank before leaning forward to place his beer on the coffee table. Looking at the screen he couldn't even remember what they were watching. "Dude, you look high enough to hear colors right now." He said as he took off his hat, because really was it 78 degrees in here? "And what the fuck is this movie?" He asked handing the younger man another shot.

With an exaggerated wince, teeth bared and all, Tobias placed the glass down. His technique was amateur, greedy even. But thankfully he didn’t have to smell and savor the damn thing. He just had to throw it back and accept that clear liquor was a foul ass invention. He drew a line with his eyes from the bottle to his empty drink, and gave Puck his best DJ Khaled impression. “Another one.” Condensation was already pooling around the base of their shot glasses, and the coasters they should have been using were sitting in a neat pile off to the side. Tobias exhaled warmly, shrugging off his signature denim jacket, before running a hand through his hair. Toby and Aliyah’s AC had been fucked for about a week now. The superintendent was taking his sweet ass time (as usual) in fixing it. Tobias hit at his sternum with a weak fist to break up the burn. “Oh, that?” He pointed at the screen. “It’s that one movie where that dude’s chest gets caved in and bites this other guy’s hands off?” Tobias started giggling. “It’s real great when you’re high,” he sang. “A classic.” Tobias’ cat, Mercutio weaved around Puck’s legs, purring happily. “He likes dudes,” Tobias spoke earnestly, before snatching up the bottle of tequila from the coffee table. “I’m pretty sure he’s gay.” He took a gulp. Or two. Or three. “It’s so fucking hot. Are you hot?” Toby handed the bottle back over to Puck. “I’m hot as hell.” He wiped at his forehead with his arm. “You can stay and roast but--” he pulled his shirt over his head “--I’m not trying to die in my own apartment.”

Raising an eyebrow at the description of the movie they'd been watching, Puck shouldn't have been surprised. Aliyah was definitely into some weird shit and somehow she was pulling that off in a cool way and honestly Puck had never been more proud of a sibling. Looking at Toby, he assessed him, trying to decide if he was cool or not. On the one hand he quoted DJ Khaled and couldn't take a shot of tequila with looking like someone was feeding him fire. On the other hand, he quoted DJ Khaled and took a shot like he was eating fire. So, unclear where he was on the Noah Puckerman dope-o-meter. "You and my sister really found each other." Standing up for no apparent reason just to immediately sit back down, it was definitely approaching 'fuck it' levels of intoxicated, which is where any potential impulse control peace-ed the absolute fuck out. Looking down at the cat, Puck smirked, "Don't blame 'im, I'm fucking hot. Good taste, bro." And then he tried to bro fist the cat and Puck could swear he could hear the thank god you're pretty coming from the little dude. Hearing that it wasn't just him burning the fuck up made him want to facetime his brothers just to flip them off, because fuck you guys clothes are dumb when you're drunk. Standing up, and this time with purpose, Puck pulled out his phone because obviously his magic mike ass needed music for this moment. Turning up his phone after picking Hot In Here by Nelly, he removed his tank in a very aesthetically pleasing and manly way. Alright, so what really happened was, his drunk ass picked Metro Station's Shake It and as he went to take off his tank with one hand it got stuck and ripped and he just kind of through it to the ground and then he winked like a jackass. "Gotta give 'em a show." But who the fuck was he talking to? Oh, right, the gay cat, naturally.

Tobias’ laughter slipped past his teeth and fingers. “Dude, I can totally see why you get so much play. You’re amazing,” he slurred. Tobias’ giggles died down, but the ache in his cheeks remained as the room tilted. “I can almost see why Lucky slept with you.” Toby squinted. “Where are my glasses?” He patted over his face. Sheer force of will would definitely make his vision clearer. “Do you ever think that, like, your eyes are so blue because you’re sad?” Toby cradled his head in his hands,hoping his over-saturated sponge of a brain wouldn’t leak out of his ears. Every blink was heavy, every movement slowed-down to an unbearable rate. “Fuuuuuuuuck. That weed was too strong.” Sweat slid down his back. “I have no idea how--” Tobias undid his belt ”--Aliyah is sleeping through this. I’m about to off myself.”

"Almost?” Puck said momentarily alert. “I’m the most fuckable.” As if to prove himself, he removed his pants, swearing feet weren’t usually this fucking difficult to get through a damn pant hole. Now, he was just standing there in his stripey boxer briefs vaguely gesturing at himself to accentuate his point. Honestly, at this point sounds were muffled and everything sounded kind of far away, maybe that’s why he was hyper focused on the younger man’s mouth. Not that he was secretly a master at lip reading, but when you’re drunk you’re pretty convinced you’re the master of everything. Picking up his phone again he pulled up his camera and started recording before standing stupidly close to Toby and making the camera lens face them, because there was no fucking way he was capable of remembering the invention of the fucking front facing function. Throwing his free arm around the taller man’s shoulders, he pulled him in close before tuning his face toward him. “You ever seen what happens when Ali gets serenaded?” He asked pausing for a moment letting a drunken smile creep on his face and he handed Toby his phone. “I think we oughta find out.” Honestly everything that happened next was..... something that never needs to see the light of day.

What the fuck is going on? Something that sounded a bit like Post Malone’s Sunflower was sounding through her room . As Aliyah hazily rose from her almost slumber, her feet dragged along her floor as she moved, feeling around, refusing to give in and turn on a light. As she was becoming more aware she noticed the song was becoming louder, yet not clearer as she moved closer to her door. Noticing the light shining underneath, she got ready to tell the neighbors to shut up as she opened her door. Unfortunately, the sight she was met with almost alerted her into a fucking heart attack.

Stood before her was her dumbass clearly drunk brother in the worst striped underwear she’d ever seen. When he saw her he began singing Wind Beneath My Wings. Peaking her head out more she wondered, how the fuck is Toby sleeping through this? Why the fuck is my loudest brother still here? and last but certainly not least, since when could he legit sing?

“Sing another word and I’ll make sure you’re left with a face only good enough for radio.” Suddenly she noticed more movement. “Fucking move.” She said and to his credit he did move, even if he hadn’t stopped singing.

Immediately upon seeing her actual favorite person, in a state of undress she fucking knew, he was drunk too. “Oh Toto, no, not you too. Fucking betrayed, dude, not cool.” Honestly, how was she supposed to control Puck in this state he was literally bouncing around like a 90′s rubber ball and apparently had been a hype man for Toby who was shamelessly smiling at him like this shit was normal and they weren’t drunk.

“Just havin’ a blasty blast, Al, and the AC doesn’t exsit and–” Then he just started moving. Was he holding a phone? Was it recording.

Walking over to her best friend she plucked it out of his hand and was kind of pleased it was, A) Puck’s phone and B) recording. Quickly she stopped the video so she could send it to herself before hitting record and handing it back to Toby. “Good Boy.”

Suddenly there was a woosh of fabric flying by her face, landing on Toby’s foot which he just laughed at and Aliyah without taking a proper look at what had been thrown turned around and was met with a fully nude Puck singling Sweet Child Of Mine while living his best nude air guitar life. With the quickest turn around ever, she ran to Toby and used him to balance herself as she pulled one of her socks off and throwing it at Puck. “I’m gonna kill you both and I’m keeping this.” She said snatching Puck’s phone out of Toby’s hand.

“You’re a fucking buzzkill anyone ever tell you that?” Puck said way too damn loud, at least he wasn’t singing anymore. Turning to look at Toby as she heard him snort she saw he was pointing at Puck, smiling, “He’s got a sock on his thingy.” Thank fuck it’s covered, was all Aliyah could think. Somehow they ended up on the same side of the room as she was poking around on Puck’s phone and before she knew it she looked over and it looked like they’d tripped over each other and just… fallen asleep. Taking a picture of their already drooling selves with her own phone, she sent it to Toby with the message; this is why I rebuke heathens from our lives. Then to Puck with a slightly more serious message; stop drinking, you’re someone’s father.

After sending out a few way too forward texts and taking over his twitter and insta, she threw the phone at him and watched as it hit his leg. Exhaling she went over to the fridge and took out their half gone bottle of Orange Juice and drank the rest, because she knew that shit was like the base of Puck’s cure to a hangover. Leaving a charming note saying, ‘FUCK YOU.’ on it. Looking at the time she was ten kinds of pissed and ended up leaving the room the same way she had two hours ago. Middle fingers up as she disappeared back into her bedroom. “Assholes”

8:30 AM

Pulling a mess of curls back into a messy bun, Aliyah had been staring at the rather amusing sight of a blanket covered, naked, hardcore cuddling Puck and Toby. "Oh that's totally on what the fuck, bingo." She said to herself as she got her phone out to take about 15 different pictures. Seriously contemplating posting a couple on insta. Making a mental note to create the WTF?! bingo card for real, Aliyah watched as her best friend stirred to life. 

Tobias whined, refusing to open his eyes. “Why are there such things as hangovers,” he spoke groggily. His cheek was stuck to warm skin, a slow heartbeat making a tender home inside his ear. He was too comfortable to move, but Mercutio’s timid cries were annoying as fuck. “And why does my mouth taste like literal ass?” Finally lifting up, Puck’s heavy arm slid from around his form. Toby’s eyes widened. “Oh no.” Suddenly launching himself into space seemed like the best out, but then he spotted Aliyah, standing smugly in front of the couch. “I… this isn’t what it looks like.” His voice was thick with sleep (and hopefully nothing else). “Pretty sure there’s a valid explanation for...” Tobias examined the crime scene. His and Puck’s clothes were strewn about the floor and the entire bottle of Tequila from last night was empty. He wiped the drool he left on Puck’s chest, nausea bubbling in the pit of his stomach. No matter what Toby said, he didn’t know what happened, and that meant there was a lingering possibility that Puck’s dick had been in or around his mouth. Or worse. “Please don’t tell anyone, Al.” 

As he looked at her, Aliyah raised an eyebrow, listening to his pleas and getting way too much of a power trip out of it. “You know I don’t talk to people.” Grabbing her thermos of espresso she bent down to flick Puck’s nose until he opened his eyes. “I’m going to work.” Then she was gone. 

Smacking the hand away from his face, Puck slowly opened his eyes, and all he could really see was a combat boots moving further away. Shit, the IHQ pride games or whatever is today. He thought to himself, not even noticing the second body lying with him, he sat up ready to get up before he finally realized there was a whole ass person on him and out of instinct he caught them around the waist. Just like that he could feel them breathing, his sight was clearing up and soon the dark head of hair and skinny frame were starting to form a face in his mind. “Fuck.” Moving Toby off of him, he stood up, some discomfort in the Puckzilla region. Looking down he noticed all the clothes strewn everywhere and the cause of his dickcomfort (if you will). “Why’s there a sock on my dick?” Adjusting it he looked for his underwear. “Why the fuck is it so scratchy?”

#i just kinda squished everything together in as chronological order as i could #discord. #alipucks #puckmanhq #toby discord. #toby / puck. #toby / aliyah.

[puckmanhq]

HOW THE FUCK DID THIS HAPPEN?: part one of two

WHO: Noah Puckerman & @berrytobias ( feat. @alipucks )

WHAT: surprise hangout

WHERE:  Toby and Aliyah's place

WHEN: June 28, 2019 @ 1:00 am-ish - June 28, 2019 @ 8:30 am

WHY: Puck needed to not be at home or on ihq property so he opts to surprise visit his sister at her place.

WARNINGS: excessive drinking and non descriptive nudity

ABOUT 1:00 AM ON JUNE 28, 2019

Well, shit. Puck thought as his sister walked off to her room, her middle fingers the last thing he saw before she completely disappeared. "Fucking charming." Ha, I got the last word. Less than a second later the sound of an opening door before, "Fucking dumbass." One final door close and now it was painfully quiet. Puck started bouncing his knee, looking around like he'd never seen the inside of an apartment before. See, now he was just chillin' in the room with Tobias and honestly, he'd never really hung out with him, even though he was technically family, as Joey's uncle. Guess they just didn't have the much in common. Probably should have got the fuck up and taken his tipsy ass home but he really couldn't be bothered. So instead he looked over at Toby, "Beer or tequila?" He asked as he poured himself a shot, ready to pour another.

“Fuckin’ traitor,” Tobias mumbled. How could Aliyah leave him right now? They weren’t even halfway through their movie. It’s not like it was-- Tobias checked his phone. “Shit,” he exhaled gently. “It’s later than I thought it was.” Which, if that was the case, why the hell did Aliyah let Puck inside in the first place? Tobias rubbed his eyes, still red from the makeshift hotbox in the bathroom earlier, and dismissed his own question with a shrug. Nope. Practical thought just didn’t exist when it was past midnight and you were still high as fuck. Tobias slowly turned his head towards Puck, interest finally piqued by his presence and the classical conditioning of the promise of alcohol. “Well, shit. If you’re pouring, then whatever cost the most.”

"Tequila it fucking is then." Pouring a second shot he handed it to his unlikely drunking buddy and riased his own glass. "To whatever the fuck this night's gonna be." Clinking his glass against Toby's, Puck did the classic frat boy table touch before throwing it back. Feeling the familiar burn, he chased it with a swig of beer before pouring himself another one. Already feeling the temperature rising which caused him to pull at the collar of his tank before leaning forward to place his beer on the coffee table. Looking at the screen he couldn't even remeber what they were watching. "Dude, you look high enough to hear colors right now." He said as he took off his hat, because really was it 78 degress in here? "And what the fuck is this movie?" He asked handing the younger man another shot.

With an exaggerated wince, teeth bared and all, Tobias placed the glass down. His technique was amateur, greedy even. But thankfully he didn’t have to smell and savor the damn thing. He just had to throw it back and accept that clear liquor was a foul ass invention. He drew a line with his eyes from the bottle to his empty drink, and gave Puck his best DJ Khaled impression. “Another one.” Condensation was already pooling around the base of their shot glasses, and the coasters they should have been using were sitting in a neat pile off to the side. Tobias exhaled warmly, shrugging off his signature denim jacket, before running a hand through his hair. Toby and Aliyah’s AC had been fucked for about a week now. The superintendent was taking his sweet ass time (as usual) in fixing it. Tobias hit at his sternum with a weak fist to break up the burn. “Oh, that?” He pointed at the screen. “It’s that one movie where that dude’s chest gets caved in and bites this other guy’s hands off?” Tobias started giggling. “It’s real great when you’re high,” he sang. “A classic.” Tobias’ cat, Mercutio weaved around Puck’s legs, purring happily. “He likes dudes,” Tobias spoke earnestly, before snatching up the bottle of tequila from the coffee table. “I’m pretty sure he’s gay.” He took a gulp. Or two. Or three. “It’s so fucking hot. Are you hot?” Toby handed the bottle back over to Puck. “I’m hot as hell.” He wiped at his forehead with his arm. “You can stay and roast but--” he pulled his shirt over his head “--I’m not trying to die in my own apartment.”

Raising an eyebrow at the description of the movie they'd been watching, Puck shouldn't have been surprised. Aliyah was definitely into some weird shit and somehow she was pulling that off in a cool way and honestly Puck had never been more proud of a sibling. Looking at Toby, he assessed him, trying to decide if he was cool or not. On the one hand he quoted DJ Khaled and couldn't take a shot of tequila with looking like someone was feeding him fire. On the other hand, he quoted DJ Khaled and took a shot like he was eating fire. So, unclear where he was on the Noah Puckerman dopeometer. "You and my sister really found each other." Standing up for no apparent reason just to immediately sit back down, it was definitely approaching 'fuck it' levels of intoxicated, which is where any potential impulse control peace-ed the absolute fuck out. Looking down at the cat, Puck smirked, "Don't blame 'im, I'm fucking hot. Good taste, bro." And then he tried to bro fist the cat and Puck could swear he could hear the thank god you're pretty coming from the little dude. Hearing that it wasn't just him burning the fuck up made him want to facetime his brothers just to flip them off, because fuck you guys clothes are dumb when you're drunk. Standing up, and this time with purpose, Puck pulled out his phone because obviously his magic mike ass needed music for this moment. Turning up his phone after picking Hot In Here by Nelly, he removed his tank in a very aesthetically pleasing and manly way. Alright, so what really happened was, his drunk ass picked Metro Station's Shake It and as he went to take off his tank with one hand it got stuck and ripped and he just kind of through it to the ground and then he winked like a jackass. "Gotta give 'em a show." But who the fuck was he talking to? Oh, right, the gay cat, naturally.

Tobias’ laughter slipped past his teeth and fingers. “Dude, I can totally see why you get so much play. You’re amazing,” he slurred. Tobias’ giggles died down, but the ache in his cheeks remained as the room tilted. “I can almost see why Lucky slept with you.” Toby squinted. “Where are my glasses?” He patted over his face. Sheer force of will would definitely make his vision clearer. “Do you ever think that, like, your eyes are so blue because you’re sad?” Toby cradled his head in his hands,hoping his over-saturated sponge of a brain wouldn’t leak out of his ears. Every blink was heavy, every movement slowed-down to an unbearable rate. “Fuuuuuuuuck. That weed was too strong.” Sweat slid down his back. “I have no idea how--” Tobias undid his belt ”--Aliyah is sleeping through this. I’m about to off myself.”

"Almost?” Puck said momentarily alert. “I’m the most fuckable.” As if to prove himself, he removed his pants, swearing feet weren’t usually this fucking difficult to get through a damn pant hole.Now, he was just standing there in his stripey boxer briefs vaguely gesturing at himself to accentuate his point. Honestly, at this point sounds were muffled and everything sounded kind of far away, maybe that’s why he was hyper focused on the younger man’s mouth. Not that he was secretly a master at lip reading, but when you’res drunk you’re pretty convinced you’re the master of everything. Picking up his phone again he pulled up his camera and started recording before standing stupidly close to Toby and making the camera lens face them, because there was no fucking way he was capable of remembering the invention of the fucking front facing function. Throwing his free arm around the taller man’s shoulders, he pulled him in close before tuning his face toward him. “You ever seen what happens when Ali gets serenaded?” He asked pausing for a moment letting a drunken smile creep on his face and he handed Toby his phone. “I think we oughta find out.” Honestly everything that happened next was..... something that never needs to see the light of day.

8:30 AM ON JUNE 28, 2019

Tobias whined, refusing to open his eyes. “Why are there such things as hangovers,” he spoke groggily. His cheek was stuck to warm skin, a slow heartbeat making a tender home inside his ear. He was too comfortable to move, but Mercutio’s timid cries were annoying as fuck. “And why does my mouth taste like literal ass?” Finally lifting up, Puck’s heavy arm slid from around his form. Toby’s eyes widened. “Oh no.” Suddenly launching himself into space seemed like the best out, but then he spotted Aliyah, standing smugly in front of the couch. “I… this isn’t what it looks like.” His voice was thick with sleep (and hopefully nothing else). “Pretty sure there’s a valid explanation for...” Tobias examined the crime scene. His and Puck’s clothes were strewn about the floor and the entire bottle of Tequila from last night was empty. He wiped the drool he left on Puck’s chest, nausea bubbling in the pit of his stomach. No matter what Toby said, he didn’t know what happened, and that meant there was a lingering possibility that Puck’s dick had been in or around his mouth. Or worse. “Please don’t tell anyone, Al.”

ALIYAH: Pulling a mess of curls back into a messy bun, Aliyah had been staring at the rather amusing sight of a blanket covered, naked, hardcore cuddling Puck and Toby. "Oh that's totally on what the fuck, bingo." She said to herself as she got her phone out to take about 15 different pictures. Seriously contemplating posting a couple on insta. Making a mental note to create the WTF?! bingo card for real, Aliyah watched as her best friend stirred to life. As he looked at her, she raised an eyebrow, listening to his pleas and getting way too much of a power trip out of it. "You know I don't talk to people." Grabbing her thermos of espresso she bent down to flick Puck's nose until he opened his eyes. "I'm going to work." Then she was gone. 

PUCK: Smacking the hand away from his face, he slowly opened his eyes, and all he could really see was a combat boots moving further away. Shit, the IHQ pride games or whatever is today. He thought to himself, not even noticing the second body lying with him, he sat up ready to get up before he finally realized there was a whole ass person on him and out of instinct he caught them around the waist. Just like that he could feel them breathing, his sight was clearing up and soon the dark head of hair and skinny frame were starting to form a face in his mind. "Fuck." Moving Toby off of him, he stood up, some discomfort in the Puckzilla region. Looking down he noticed all the clothes strewn everywhere and the cause of his dickcomfort (if you will). "Why's there a sock on my dick?" Adjusting it he looked for his underwear. "Why the fuck is it so scratchy?"

#ihq:discord #a. discord #discord. tobias berry #p. tobias berry

[temporaryexpert-nyu]

Narrative and Design

So I had two ideas for a narrative that would frame the field guide, in a way that would make it more interesting than a traditional field guide.

1. As the images in the moodboard posted previously indicate,  I’m really inspired by the Spiderwick Field Guide that was published 16 years ago, which was essentially a children’s book and imaginary ‘field guide’ to fantastical creatures. The field guide was passed down to the grandchildren of the original author. I’m really drawn to the style of it, with the aged pages, elaborate illustrations and elegant handwriting. It has this lived in look, with a mix of ‘scientific’ description and journal entries that look to be added later on. I am kind of interesting in something similar to this, but: 

Using the plants on the highline as my focus and illustration. 

Keeping very much with the magical, fantastic element, perhaps in my description of these plants or in the way I frame it. (how much am I allowed to lie in this) 

I was thinking of switching out the character of the grandfather as the original author to like, a witch who has graduated and passing along her field guide filled with notes about practicing her craft on campus. I like the idea of the character of the author coming through in the way she writes or how she says it. Would she be sarcastic? Malicious (ie. Hate someone on campus? Here are three plants that’ll give them a skin rash)? How much of this has to be strictly informative and can some of it be fun/exaggerated (Pomegranate seeds + the basil near b1 = love spell for that cute person in ur FOS class). 

I could research specific wiccan rituals that are practiced and find a way to incorporate that. is that allowed lol

2. The second one I think is a lot less “traditional” and more out there, but we spoke about it in class. From what I understood, the concept was to give each of these plants a character and purpose, including the abiotic as well? I’m not sure how this would work, and how I would spin it so that they all relate to each other and connect. I’m very confused about this. Is this a storybook style? How do I organize the entries? 

So I did an example entry digitally using the pomegranate outside a5a and I do not like it at ALL. I painted the colors of the plant too brightly, need to tone down the saturation and add texture to the pages. I don’t even like the way I lined it and have to look a LOT more closely at the examples I posted before. I think right now its kind of boring and needs more interest. I’m very glad I did it tho, I understand better now the specifics of what I want to do: 

#project1

[zevzevarainai]

same anon from before,, ;u; how did you like,,, give them filters?? they're very pretty, not to mention my gifs are always over the limit for some reason, even when they're extremely small

i’m flattered that you have chosen to come to me!! under the cut i will be covering the most basic of basics in my gif making processes. i use photoshop CS5 but these are likely transferable to other versions of photoshop dont take my word on it ok buckle up kids

Sizing

To get started you obviously want to find what you want to gif. Generally, I’ve found that the less realistic the footage is, the easier it will be to make it a small file. For example, making an adventure time gif will be much easier to get under tumblr’s limit than a live action movie or show. Remember that tumblr’s gif size limit is 3MB. There’s many factors you can control to get the picture size down, but the main two are the amount of frames in a gif and the pixel size of the image. 

I try to keep my frames between 80 and about 130. The fewer frames will help decrease file size, but you have to watch the animation for sometimes too few frames can make the gif hard on the eyes or tacky (for lack of a better word).

For image size, I first crop the image to the part I want to gif and then reduce it to a width of around 500px. This is for the standard 2x4 post I usually do (example). It might look small in photoshop, but remember tumblr shrinks it to fit in the post. 

Coloring

The best way to color gifs (or add filters) is to experiment. There’s really no correct way. I’ll show you where you can find the tools to start experimenting.

First, I like to put all my layers into a group folder. Then, you’ll want to click on this black and white circle which will open a drop-down menu. It’s fun to mess around with all of them, but I’ll talk about the ones I use the most: Brightness/Contrast, Levels, Vibrance, Hue/Saturation, Color Balance, and Selective Color.

Brightness/ContrastThis one is pretty self-explanatory. This feature makes your picture lighter or darker and can add more contrast between the colors in the image.

Let’s start with the base image. I’ve taken a random clip of pearl and agate for the purpose of this tutorial. This is what it looks like in its unaltered form. The brightness and contrast window is right next to it.

Unaltered, the image is already very bright by itself. You’d play with this setting if you wanted to make a darker gif with that scene or maybe bring out the colors with less contrast. It might help with a pastel gifset, which I will talk about in Levels.

LevelsI’ll be honest, I didn’t know what this meant until I wanted to try pastel sets and searched for tutorials. 

Levels is going to give you a weird ass lookin’ graph like this. It will vary depending on the original image, so don’t panic if it looks different than my example. Bringing the middle arrow to the right of the scale makes the image darker and more vibrant, like so:

On the opposite end, bringing the arrow to the left will give a more pastel effect.

It’s best to just play around with this one; results really depend on the original image. You might want to go only a little to the left, or much higher -- you’ve got to use your eye and what you think looks best. 

ViberanceViberance is a good choice for when I want to bring out the colors of my gifs or even tone them down.

If you look back earlier at the original image, this picture altered with the viberance adjustment has a bit more color. It’s more... vibrant. Saturation is used to make the colors pop (going right) or make the colors more dull (going left). I upped the saturation in the image above; let’s see what happens when you go down:

It takes out the color, but not so much so that it is made black and white.

Hue/SaturationThis setting is similar to the saturation in viberance, but you can get more detailed in this one. Let’s say I want to tone down agate and bring the focus on pearl. We’re gonna go back to the unaltered clip. In the window, there’s a drop-down with different colors. These are the main color categories photoshop works with, so to speak.

Let’s go to blue, as that is agate’s main color. Our options to mess around with are the hue, saturation, and lightness. I’m going to take down (move the arrow to the left) agate’s saturation and lightness. 

Now she’s practically black and white while pearl, who doesn’t have any blue on her (it’s cyan), stays the same.

Wondering what the top bar is for? You can use that to change the color. Let’s say for some reason, I wanted to make this blue agate one of pink diamond’s agates instead.

Move that bar around +90, you’ve got a pink agate. It was a little grainy, so I messed with the lightness too. You can experiment with all kinds of colors!

Color BalanceI rely on this one a lot. Here we are with the unaltered image again. In this window, you can see three tones -- shadows, midtones, and highlights -- as well as three color bars. The highlight setting colors the pictures highlights, the shadows color the shadows, and the same for midtones. This is a good setting for a “filters.”

I would be lying if I didn’t say my main strategy here is to just mess around with it until I get something that looks decent. I’m going to give this a pink/magenta-y color balance setting as 1) I like it on Pearl and 2) I just like it in general. This image is a bit over-exaggerated for the sake of a tutorial.

As you can see, moving the arrows toward magenta and blue have given it a pink “filter.” It is up to your best judgement to decide how far those arrows go down the bar, and don’t be afraid to combine changes in the other tones, too!

Selective ColorThe main reason I use this adjustment is to avoid whitewashing. It’s easy to do it by mistake when making pastel gifs. Let’s take Marina from Splatoon 2 and say I want to make a pastel splatoon set. Here’s the original image. I already used Color Balance to get the color I want.

Now I’m gonna add the pastel with Levels -- AHH! What happened to her skin?? NO THANK YOU. BAD. 

Let’s fix that immediately. Here comes Selective Color! It will give you the option of colors to alter. We want to choose Red, as where that’s where most of the brown comes from. She also had a bit of yellow in her face, so I altered that too. Go to the bar labelled ‘black’ and push it to the right.

Better! She keeps her dark skin while still keeping the pastel feel. 

What a cutie!!

You can use this adjustment setting when you don’t want a certain color to be as altered as the others.

Saving SettingsSaving your gif is probably the most frustrating part of the entire process. I sit waiting for it to load, asking it to please be under 3.0 MB. If you don’t already know, File>Save for Web & Devices will look like this.

Sometimes, Photoshop will make your gifs look like garbage. This is frustrating. To work around it, you are welcome to copy my settings. Be sure to change the colors to 256 for the best quality. 

Luckily, my gif came out to below 3.0MB. If yours doesn’t, don’t panic. Make the image smaller or take out some frames.

Hope this helped! Happy giffing!!

#tutorial #gif tutorial #photoshop tutorial #coloring tutorial #ask #let me know if you have any questions #Anonymous

[bodyalive]

vivipiuomeno: Laurence Demaison ph. - Self portrait body water

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From "Bookslut" Interview With Jeff Warren What's the origin of The Head Trip? From internal evidence, it seems to have been in the works for some time... The genesis of The Head Trip was an accident I had at 21, when I fell out of a tree and busted my neck on a street in Montreal. The hardest part of the recovery was psychological; when I returned to my studies I found I couldn’t write essays the way I once could. My style of processing had changed. My thinking went from being very linear and progressive to more lateral and associative. I don’t know how much of this interpretation is a flabby split-brain gloss on a problem I had long ago, but I can say that at the time I knew nothing about neurobiology, I only knew I couldn’t direct my attention the way I once could; the mental objects I did retrieve were often two preoccupations over from my main concern. It was like fishing for trout and hooking clams. My roommate tells me I used to bawl at my desk and moan about leaving “my brains on the road.” Eventually I developed a technique of color-coding my notes by tangent, so that when I veered off into 10 different tangents a day at the end of the week I could still string all the, say, purple tangents together into something like a coherent theme. After this transformation I became more attuned to inner experience. This was augmented by several years of tedious seasonal tree-planting work, where there was literally nothing to do for weeks on end but plant saplings, swat black flies and endure the shifting rhythms of my own shallow stream of consciousness. I became obsessed with how writers described the texture of everyday awareness, whether it was Edgar Allen Poe describing his sleep onset visions, David Foster Wallace on the fugue state of athletic absorption, or Annie Dillard talking about the unselfconscious moment. I began to collect these descriptions, with the vague idea that one day I would put together a taxonomy of elemental states of mind. A separate interest in the biological function of sleep led me into the fantastically variegated world of sleep and dreaming consciousness. In 2004 I started writing The Head Trip. ** Is it fair to say that a chief point of the book is to displace the mind/body (or, psychology/chemistry) distinction? On the one hand, almost all the science you describe is pretty nascent; on the other hand, it also seems as if they tend to point quite clearly to a reciprocal relationship between thoughts and chemicals. The chief point of the book is to re-empower the mind. The mind -- in the form of expectations, beliefs and, most optimistically, intention -- is a more-than-epiphenomenal driver of actual physical change in the body and brain. You can learn to create your own special effects. You have agency. As I write in the book, “this is both supremely hopeful and utterly depressing, since it means in nurturing, enlightened environments we may be able to cultivate whole new standards of mental health, but in violent, regressive environments we risk spawning awful new permutations of mental affliction. Technology -- that great onrushing field within which our minds are shaped -- compounds all of this, for better and for worse.” As far as the actual relationship between mind and body, that, thankfully, is still a mystery, despite the exaggerated claims of the neuro-reductos, whom I love, and the exaggerated claims of the quantum mysticos, whom I love. I guess the two other chief points of the book are: 1. to wake people up to the deliriously varied terrain of their nighttime lives, and 2. to help people look beyond black and white waking rationality, which turns out to be just one capacity on a very bright and colorful palette. Different states of consciousness seem to privilege different styles of knowledge. ** It turns out sleep is more interesting than we usually expect -- and that it even has a history! What are some key misconceptions about sleep? I would like to spiel about dreaming for a moment if you don’t mind. The writer Rodger Kamenetz tipped me off to a great Borges quote. Borges once wrote: “Lately I've been rereading psychology books, and I have felt singularly defrauded. All of them discuss the mechanisms of dreams or the subjects of dreams, but they do not mention, as I had hoped, that which is so astonishing, so strange -- the fact of dreaming.” The fact of dreaming. When you wake up in a dream and actually take a look around -- it’s bananas. It’s the absolute craziest goddamn thing in all of human life. Every night we beam down into an elaborate virtual world where we can pound the walls with our oven-mitt fists and sniff giant daisies and have elliptical conversations with archetypal bus drivers. From inside a dream there is nothing vague or washed out about the experience -- dreams are totally real, as real as getting off the plane in Lagos and ordering a beer from some guy at the side of the road. You are at this place -- you’re IN it! At the time it’s every bit as solid and real as waking. Except… and this is what’s so cool… except when you’re self-consciously aware inside the dream you can then squeeze up real close to the walls with your little magnifying glass and look for suture marks. You can conduct experiments. You come to realize that there is a set of laws operating in the dream world that is every bit as real as the laws of physics in the waking world. What are these laws? And why aren’t there as many scientists down here with their slide rules and theories as there are out there? We spend our lives in two worlds and yet we only pay attention to one of them -- the other is seen as an embarrassing curiosity, a forum for banality-rehearsal and botched sex. People protest: “but it’s not real, stop living in fantasy.” All experience is real. On the personal side, dreams reveal all kinds of junk about the self. On the scientific side, our dreams represent an unparalleled opportunity to examine the dynamics of consciousness. I mean think about it: without sensory input to dilute everything, you get consciousness in a pure culture. And it so happens that this pure culture -- The Dream -- runs like an underground creek beneath the waking world, muddying the ground in all kinds of interesting ways. And that’s just the conventional science. Who knows what else we may discover digging around in the dream world. For those interested in the wooly world of mind-matter speculation, the epistemological rabbit hole goes very deep indeed. This is going to sound hyperbolic but I really believe we’re at are at the dawn of a new age of scientific exploration. The external world is mapped; now the explorers are turning inward. The galleons have left port. They’re approaching a huge mysterious continent. They won’t be the first to arrive. There are paths already cut in the forest, where shamans and monks and others have set up outposts and launched their own expeditions into the interior. It’s a thrilling story, a lurid epic in the making, and yet almost no one has any idea it’s happening. As far as our misconceptions about sleep, I would say the biggest one is this idea that we lose consciousness when the lights go out. This couldn’t be further from the truth. At night consciousness just turns inside out. Instead of moving through a world constructed from sensory input, we move through a world constructed from memory and imagination. We do lose certain self-reflective properties, and -- critically -- our short-term memories are compromised so we don’t remember many of our experiences. But when you wake people up in the night most of them report some kind of mental activity -- either the strange snap-shot narratives of sleep onset, the fully immersive dreams of REM, or the low-level “mentation” of deep sleep. Even in the emptiest bliss-saturated realms of slow wave sleep the experiencing self remains. Consciousness is 24-hours. *** One of your key images is the "wheel of consciousness" (at least, that's what it's called in the illustrations and the title; early on you write that "the brain is a wheel, and consciousness is a pliant membrane pressed into the rim.")

[Thanks “Alive On All Channels” Archive]

#Alive On All Channels #bodymind #brain #consciousness