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mars-the-red · 5 years

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Title: Circles

fandom: The Time Tunnel

rating: gen, probably, at least for now, idk

Basically that coda at end of “The End of the World” where Tony gets sent back to Project Tic-Toc but it’s 10 years too soon, so nobody knows who he is? That could have gone on for a lot longer, so I opened Google Docs

This is the first part and I’m rusty so forgive me

also I took some liberties

Tony hit the ground and rolled, kicking up a small dust storm of sand off the white-hot canyon floor, and skidded to a stop on his back. He choked on the dirt and he would have thrown up if he had anything in his stomach. He rolled over, screwing his eyes shut against the blazing sun. Yellow sun, breathable air, oppressive heat that was already making him sweat. No sound. No -

Doug.

He pushed himself up and twisted around. “Doug?”

He must be nearby. They wouldn’t separate them. It made no sense to separate them, it put them both in so much more danger.

But he had a clear view for miles; the flat, baked desert ran to three horizons, and he was alone.

The nausea intensified; so did his panic as adrenaline dumped into his bloodstream.

“Doug?” Louder, in case his eyes were lying to him. He scrambled to his feet.

It was high noon, his shadow was a puddle around his feet. Mountains like watercolor in the distance, smudged low against the horizon. White sand, dry wind from the south, scrub brush about knee high. There was a track just etched on the sand, where tires had crumbled the dirt. He knew this place. He knew it.

He felt the hatch open before his eyes picked it out; the rumble in the soles of his shoes warned him a split second before a jeep roared into the daylight from the hidden access tunnel.

The jeep swung and bore down on him, and Tony ran to greet it. If he was home, then there was maybe Doug was here, too. And if he wasn’t, they would get him back.

Security piled out of the jeep, armed with rifles and radios. Tony skidded to a stop.

“Jiggs - it’s me. Dr. Newman.” He panted a breath. “I’m back.” He felt as light as a feather, thanking everything that might be to find a familiar face.

The muzzles turned on him.

“Who are you?” Jiggs demanded.

“Tony - Dr. Newman. I’m back.”

“Get your hands up,” Jiggs ordered.

Tony frowned. “Don’t you recognize me?”

“Hands,” Jiggs reminded him coldly.

Tony drifted his hands to about shoulder height, thoughts still racing a mile a minute. “Did Doug make it? Where is he?”

“Give me your name again,” Jiggs said. He was distinctly unfriendly, positioned out of arm’s reach and flanked by rifles.

“Newman. Anthony. Doctor Anthony Newman.” Tony looked down the line; most of them he knew by sight, not by name.

Jiggs had his pistol in hand now. He stepped closer, eyeing Tony up and down. “There’s no Doctor Newman here.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve been here every day for seven years.” Tony’s hands fell forward, seekingly.

There was a warning thunk as three rounds chambered simultaneously.

Tony’s head was spinning as he pulled his hands back up. “What’s wrong? Haven’t you been briefed? I’m back! I need your help -”

A flash of red. A Corvette crested the desert floor, making good time out of the access tunnel, a dark-haired driver at the wheel. The driver slowed to check out the scene, and came to a stop beside the Army jeep.

Tony’s heart had leapt so far up his throat he could barely get his name out. “Doug!”

Doug drew back slightly as Tony broke from security and dove toward him.

“What’s going on?” Philips asked.

Jiggs was at Tony’s elbow. He couldn’t very well order a hail of bullets with one of the project

heads in the line of fire. “Better keep driving, Dr. Philips, we’ve got a weird one here.”

“Doug, they got you back too,” Tony said breathlessly. “Thank God. Thank God.”

Doug half-smiled at him, then looked back to Jiggs. “You better see that he gets a ride back to town.”

“After all he’s seen, he’s going to need to answer some questions down in security,” Jiggs said.

Doug nodded; fair enough. He shifted gears.

“Doug, tell them who I am,” Tony said.

Doug looked at him blankly.

That incomprehension, the polite but unmistakable distance in Doug’s eyes, broke something that Tony’s brain was barely holding together. “Doug, tell them!” He grabbed for Doug again, got one hand tangled in his jacket. “Doug -”

Jiggs reacted too. He got an arm around Tony and slammed him into the side of the car, and then yanked him back. Tony flailed, still yelling for Doug, and got a blow to the head for his trouble, and a mouthful of sand as Jiggs threw him down. The wind got knocked out of him by a knee to the spine, and then he felt his shoulders wrench almost clean out of their sockets as Jiggs brought them behind his back.

“Hey - is that really necessary?” It was Doug, who had switched off his engine.

“Dr. Philips, get out of here,” Jiggs ordered. He dragged Tony up with him as he stood, and Tony heard the handcuffs slide off his belt clip.

Tony’s whole body was trembling under the sweat and caked dirt. He looked at Doug, blinking madly. “Doug - please.”

Doug opened his car door. “Jiggs, I really think -”

“Dr. Philips, I’m head of security. That means when I tell you to get a move on, you get a move on.”

Doug stood looking from one to the other. He locked eyes with Jiggs. “He’s clearly not well. There’s no need for this.”

“Dr. Philips, so help me, stop interfering or I’ll have you arrested.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Doug said.

His words were like an anvil strike that rang into complete silence. Jiggs still had Tony in his grip, and Doug’s eyes were suddenly blazing.

He and Jiggs sized one another up. It wasn’t the first time they had been at odds about the security profile at Tic Toc Base, and it wouldn’t be the last.

Tony couldn’t see from the sand in his eyes and the tears that were welling and burning. Every inch of him hurt, and he was so scared he thought his legs might buckle. “Doug -” his voice shook - “please help me.”

Doug turned his attention back to Tony, and peered at him closely.

“Who are you?” Doug asked.

Tony stared up at him pleadingly. “Newman… project lead. I was the first live test… it worked, but I came back too soon.”

“He’s just a looney toon, Dr. Philips.”

Tony had tuned Jiggs out; his whole world had narrowed to Doug, to making Doug understand. “I know you,” he insisted again.

“Prove it,” Doug said.

Tony was still disoriented from the jump and the fall, Jiggs knocking his skull against Doug’s side panel, the shouting, the guns, the blazing sun and the whole strange situation. He couldn’t think. His brain was drowning in its own cortisol. “I don’t know how.”

“Who am I?”

Tony’s mouth felt gritty. “Doug Philips. Doctorate in theoretical physics, University of Chicago, 1953.”

“Anyone could know that,” Doug said.

Jiggs made a bullish sound of agreement.

Tony nodded, agreeing that it was stupid, really, what a stupid thing to say - he should have thought harder - he tried again. “You broke your wrist ice skating as a kid, you and Margaret Thalinger. You don’t like the red…” he looked past Doug to the car. “That was something the dealer talked you into. You’re going to change it out for a blue one.”

“That’s a little more like it,” Doug said. He sounded genial enough, but nothing had rattled him or stunned him as clairvoyance. “Anything else?”

“You were seventeen,” Tony said. “Summer, down-state.”

Doug’s eyebrows twitched. The corner of his mouth twisted, privately amused. “Jiggs, ease up.”

Jiggs’s grip on Tony loosened a little. Tony’s composure slowly began to trickle back; he could see again, his breathing had steadied. He straightened his shoulders. “Listen - I’m - there’s an Anthony Newman at MIT right now. Just submitted a paper to his department chair, and he’s about to be fast-tracked to doctoral studies. He went over his adviser's head because he can’t understand the math in section four.”

Tony paused.

“The chair won’t understand the math either… but you will.” Tony met Doug’s eyes. “You changed my life.”

Doug smiled again, but uncertainly. He felt the warm charge in Tony’s words and, unsure what to do with it, he set it gently aside. “When do I get to read this revolutionary paper?” he asked lightly.

“Dr. Marcus will forward the paper to you by July.”

“It’s the 4th today,” Doug said.

Tony nodded. He was here, but he was also in Boston, scribbling on a chalkboard, ignoring Becky’s demand for a day at the beach.

“You’ll have it soon.” Tony drew in a breath. “Doug, I’m saying it worked. You’re the only one who might be able to understand. It worked.”

Doug turned away before Tony could catch the look on his face. He moved toward his car.

“Jiggs, I think we should go inside. It’s hotter than hell out here.”

#the only plot is going to be feelings jsyk #the time tunnel

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herecomesthewitch · 7 years

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So You Don’t Think You Can Grimoire?

This is a post for all of those witches who don’t think they’re handwriting or drawing abilities are good enough to make a “cool” looking grimoire. There are a ton of ways to make your grimoire look badass, even if you can’t draw or your handwriting looks like chicken scratch!

Everyone dreams of having pretty grimoires with flowing words and beautiful pictures, but more often than not what we create doesn’t exactly live up to our expectations. We always find our handwriting doesn’t look pretty enough, or our pictures aren’t as good as what we see online. However, even if you don’t have any sort of drawing talent, or legible handwriting, there are plenty of ways to pretty up your grimoire with just a little bit of practice on a scrap piece of paper and a pen or pencil.

But my handwriting is awful!

That’s ok! In today’s world most of us communicate through keyboards, so if you aren’t in the habit of writing by hand, then you’re bound to get rusty. If you’re really hell bent on hand-writing your grimoire, then I recommend you start journaling! It gives you a reason to practice your writing, and as we know, practice makes perfect. But, if you still don’t have any faith, there are plenty of other tricks to use.

⛤ Faux Calligraphy

There are tons of tutorials online that show you different ways to draw fancy and cute letters with ease. One of my favorite techniques is called Faux Calligraphy (you can find a tutorial for it here). It’s a simple technique that is great for titles or headers.

I like to find tutorials on Pinterest, but a quick Google search will probably give you plenty ideas too.

If you’re feeling especially fancy, you can buy calligraphy markers or pens and experiment with writing with those!

⛤ Computer Programs

Even if you don’t have neat handwriting, you are probably a little computer savvy. There are plenty of programs that you can make grimoire pages on, such as Word or sites like Pic Monkey. Changing the font style and size can make any grimoire totally unique. This also helps with organizing your pages.

⛤ Newspapers or Magazines

Feel free to cut out sections from magazines and newspapers (or maybe even books!) that relate to your practice. You can cut out things from almanacs (such as astrological event charts, gardening tips or herbal recipes). You can also cut out recipes, cleaning tips for when we cleanse, or local places that you’d like to visit.

Ok, but I can’t draw!

⛤ Stickers, Stamps and Stencils

An easy way to put pictures in your grimoire is to use stickers, either bought from the dollar store or a craft store, or you can buy sticker paper and print images right off the computer to use.

You can also buy (or make!) stencils of images, like suns, moons and stars, so you can easily trace images. Another good alternative is stamps! Stamps can be bought in almost any shape you can think of, and they can be made by hand with rubber erasers too!

⛤ Magazine or Book Pictures

Another nice and easy way is to cut pictures out of magazines, newspapers, or even your old Witchcraft 101 books (if you can bare the thought!). There are a ton of spiritual-aimed magazines to get images from, and fashion magazines or National Geographics can give you other great images.

⛤ Borders and Doodles

I’ve found that just words on a page can seem quite boring, and adding in little borders, page breakers and doodles around the page can liven things up. Even the more complicated doodles or designs need only a little bit of practice in the corner of a notebook.

⛤ Flowers, Feathers and Other Finds in Nature

When all else fails, you can paste or glue things into your book that you find outside. There are a variety of different flowers, leaves and herbs can can be arranged in aesthetically pleasing designs in your book. You can also use feathers and small shells or rocks, or maybe a butterfly wing if you find one. You can dry flowers and such and press them directly into the book, or create a pocket with plastic or vellum and put that into your book. You can also transfer the pattern into your pages as well.

⛤ Photos

Take photos of things that would go well in your book and either print them on paper or photo paper at Walmart, or at home. This way, you can put exactly what you want in your book, whether it be a nature picture, the picture of a certain flower, herb or crystal, a picture of your altar, or a picture of your family.

Any other ideas?

⛤ Watercolor - Whether you use it to paint words, backgrounds or little pictures, watercolor often creates a beautiful texture with no effort whatsoever.

⛤ Tea or Coffee Stains - By just dabbing your page with a wet you can make your pages look old as well as giving them a nice crinkly feel and sound.

⛤ Scrapbook paper - You can buy single sheets for less than a dollar, or you can buy a whole pack that has a theme. This is an easy way to give a section a matching background theme, or you can make paper crafts or cards to glue or tape into your book.

#grimoire tips #grimoire #book of shadows #ideas #witch community #beginner #witchcraft #baby witch

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h0nex · 5 years

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Any suggestions for aspiring artists?

(i included some examples of my own art, a lot of it is older art from around 2015-2017, i am a little better now I'd like to think lol)

ok my first tip is draw every day, i say this as someone who literally drew every day for almost 17 years of my life and stopped after graduating and im rusty as hell and trying to get back into the groove of things rn. even if its a quick couple of doodles on snapchat, or on your arm, or in mspaint, draw something. It does keep your skills sharp and just doing that will help you improve.

my next thing is only relevant if you draw people, so if you only make art of scenery, animals, cars, or something else nonhuman, skip this one. okay for artists who draw people: diversity IS important. No matter how good your art is in terms of presentation, one skinny white model does not a good artist make. Any artist who can draw the same person over and over again is not a good artist. If you can't draw people of color, people with differing body types (skinny, fat, muscular, any mix of the three) people with physical disabilities, women that arent just big doe eyed and pixie nosed, etc. etc. then you need to challenge yourself and learn to draw varied people, which brings me to my next point

step out of your comfort zone AND use references! there is absolutely nothing wrong with using references, especially when drawing something new to you. Tracing/copying a reference photo will help you get the feel for whatever youre drawing and will make it easier the next time bc of muscle memory. Then you can redraw it and adapt that first drawing into your own style once you understand the basics and flow of whatever it is

(these two i had to use references on, the left one moreso)

Also use social media! use tags! get your art out there! post frequently even if its just something small just stay active (i know this part is hypocritical of me but its true)

uhhh lemme see

something a lot of artists are scared of is accidentally copying other artists, but everyone gains influences from somewhere its literally unavoidable, as long as you're not blatantly copying or tracing someones whole thing and claiming it as your own, youre usually fine. taking little bits and pieces from the cartoons i watched as a kid is how i developed a style early on, but your brain will take influences without you even noticing sometimes, it happens and you arent a fraud or anything I promise. Also fanart is still valid art and can help gain a following so nothing wrong with posting it either!

i would also recommend experimenting with mediums and styles a lot if youre able to! its good to know a variety of skills even if you only plan on doing one thing, still just take a chance you might like a technique or process from a different medium that you wouldnt have had access to before. just in this post my art has been in pen, marker, watercolor, pencil, acrylic, and digital, and now i know which ones are my favorite and which one will work the best for how i want a given piece to look!

And its okay to not just have one art style! its also okay to have one main style you excell at! its whatever works for you, as long as it makes you happy to create your art. Being a good artist is about finding a balance between challenging yourself and still creating what makes you happy! Also sorry since this is mostly about drawing, idk if youre a painter or sculptor or anything, but im speaking from personal experience rn, it still applies to any form of physical art tho!

Anyways sorry it took me so long to answer and its so long winded, im a gemini with adhd so im physically incapable of making it short! But thanks for even asking me artist anon! I wish you nothing but the best in your artistic endeavors! ❤💕💓💖

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