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astaraels · 1 month

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You just gave me a prompt idea. Pride and prejudice but gallavich??????? If you would be so kind as to indulge me with a ficlet I would love you most ardently 🥺

Okay so anon you're in luck that I've been rereading a lot of my queer historical romance so if you'll pardon me the indulgence, I'm gonna have so much fun with this. You're gonna get a ficlet AND a whole lot of world building, so buckle up, m'dear 😘

(tagging @callivich and @holymurdock since they both cheered me on with this one, y'all're the best~)

———

Ian and his brother stood in the corner of the room, each of them with a drink in hand and feeling marvelously out of place. At least, Ian certainly did—he wasn't sure how he ended up being dragged along to a soirée like this, but his little sister had begged and pleaded because "if nothing else I'll need someone to dance with, and you're so much better at it than Phillip." The row that had started lasted them until Fiona bustled them all off for morning chores. Everyone had to pitch in at the estate, except for Liam, of course.

He took another swig of the cloying champagne, hiding his grimace; he'd rather be drinking a decent stout at the village tavern. Everyone minded their own business there; here, it was as if one's presence was all anyone needed to justify striking up a conversation. There were more unfamiliar faces than he'd expected at this party, although it was crowded enough that he felt safe to let his eyes wander a little.

The dance floor was positively flooded with young men and women, smiling pleasantly at each other as they tried to converse through the steps of a lively quadrille. Both of his sisters had been claimed for a dance; Deborah looked positively thrilled, while Fiona seemed as if she'd prefer to be somewhere else. Ian couldn't help but laugh when he saw how enthusiastic Fiona's partner was compared to her own bland smile. At the very least, their family had to keep up appearances, what with their father's reputation.

A young woman in a pale purple dress walked past them, her matching gloves strangely pushed down her arms until they bunched up at her wrists. When Ian looked again, he realized it was the same girl who'd asked him for a dance earlier, but he'd had to turn down—politely, of course—although he was quite impressed by her approaching him. Not many young gentry ladies would be willing to break convention in such a way. A shame Ian felt nothing for the fairer sex; she might have been someone he could have made a match with.

He watched with passive interest as the girl dispersed into the crowd, letting his gaze follow various other party goers as they engaged in conversation or found new partners for the dancing. Just another country party for eligible young people to meet, after all; there wasn't much else in the way of distractions, unfortunately—not even a room where men might play at cards. That had come as a disappointment for Ian. He'd been teaching the younger ones, and Deborah in particular had quite the knack for it. She might have been all of fifteen, but were young ladies allowed into the gambling hells that Ian and Phillip frequented, she'd clear them all out in a night.

Ian was still amusing himself with the image of his young sister taking the coats off of gentlemen's backs to pay off debts of honor, when he heard an angry voice call out from the crowd.

"Oy, you! Gallagher! You damned blackguard! That's right, I've some goddamn words for you, you piece of shite!"

Several of the ladies nearby gasped at the language; Ian, who had learned worse from the Army men stationed in the village, only looked up at the man advancing on him and set his glass to the side. He stuck his chin out stubbornly and crossed his arms, using his height to his advantage.

"There's quite a number of Gallaghers here," he said. "You might need to be more specific."

"I'm talkin' about you, bloody ginger bastard! You tried takin' advantages with my sister!" The man's accent was rougher than his language, which was almost impressive. He cracked his knuckles, and Ian could see the distinctive blue ink of tattoos peeking out from under the man's coat sleeves. "You admit what you did, and maybe I won't have to drag your apology out your mouth along with your back teeth!"

"I did nothing of the sort," Ian said, immediately putting his back up. Next to him, Phillip set his drink down on a table close by, standing shoulder to shoulder with Ian in a show of brotherly solidarity. "A young lady requested a dance from me earlier. I declined, but I said nothing insulting, much less took advantage."

The girl in question stood behind her brother; they were both quite striking, with pale skin and dark features, and the brother's intense blue eyes caught Ian off-guard. He regained his composure quickly, however, determined not to let himself be caught on the back foot by some do-nothing rogue. He's only defending his sister, a voice said in the back of Ian's mind. You'd do the same for yours. Which was true, but he might at least pull the offender to one side instead of starting a confrontation such as this.

"You callin' my sister a liar, are you?" the man said loudly, which only made the sister scowl at Ian. His face burned hot at the offense—he'd turned down a dance, for heaven's sake, not besmirched her virtue. "In that case-" he took two steps forward and punched Ian square in the jaw. "Come near her again and it'll be a bloody pistol next time!"

"Oy!" Ian shouted, blood suddenly boiling. It was one thing to put off insults to his character, but this was a step too far. He moved forward until he was in the brute's face, and damn his eyes because they were indeed far too good-looking than a man like this deserved. It only served to make him angrier. "I will not stand by and let you continue to speak lies!" He knew this was an idiotic idea, but sometimes one had to do very stupid things and apologize for them later.

The shorter man nodded, looking as if he were sizing Ian up. "Right, then," he said, voice rougher than Ian had expected, and damn if it wasn't a sound that hit him in the best—worst—way. "Outside with you. We settle this here and now."

Phillip finally deigned to step in, putting an arm out to push in front of Ian. "This is a party," he said, in that condescending voice of his that set Ian's teeth on edge. "I'm sure our hosts wouldn't appreciate a fight between guests as a way to end the evening, lively as it might be."

The dark-haired man started to speak, but his sister reached out and grabbed his arm. She spoke in a low voice, low enough for only her brother's ears, and then he turned back to Ian. "This is your one and only warning, then, Gallagher," he practically spat. "Next time we meet you won't be so lucky. Or have your brother to take your lumps for you."

Ian moved forward into the other man's space, using his greater height to crowd him in. "There won't be a next time," he said through gritted teeth. "If I never see you again in my life, I'll count myself damn lucky. But if I do, you'd best hope we're in decent company, or we'll see who's a quicker shot."

——————————————————————

(And here's the world building, under a cut because it got really long)

So the Gallaghers are in the business of coal (because that was a Big Deal at the time, finding coal deposits with the Industrial Era making a big wave) because their great grandparents came from Ireland and established themselves in England. Frank is a wily bastard with a nose to ferret out how to steal shit from under people's noses, so he's a master scam artist but has to move around constantly to run different schemes so the Gallaghers rarely see him. Monica is dead, either in childbirth when she had Liam or from taking too much laudanum.

Fiona, being the eldest, has to get them all presentable to Society and keep up maintaining the house and property along with Lip. They'd likely be at least lower gentry, so they've got land and a few servants, but they're not tenant farmers. Lip may be the one who gets to inherit but everyone knows Fiona is in charge of the household. (p&p fans, I'm imagining them in a similar situation as the Bennets—things aren't great but they're doing their best.)

The Milkoviches immigrated from the Russian empire probably either during the reign of Empress Elizabeth or Tsar Peter III (just before Catherine the Great), and they're still considered outsiders due to their heritage, but Mickey has worked hard to get Mandy a Season so she might make a good marriage and thus have a good life. Mickey makes his money off of wealthier men because he's damn good at gambling and wins a great deal of money playing cards.

As in the ficlet, Ian and Mickey ofc meet ugly like in canon, and they'd have a few run-ins until Mandy and Ian come to an understanding, which is when she tells Mickey to apologize to Ian (he's just trying to stand up for his sister's honor, okay, it's not his fault she keeps changing her mind!)

Also there are ~lingering looks~ and ~fingertips brushing~ against each other when they finally shake hands and call it a truce after getting into a few dust ups. After they do so, Ian thinks hmm and starts to like, seek out Mickey when they're at the tavern in the village or society gatherings for the gentry, and he's pretty certain that they share the same "proclivities" and it all comes to a head when they get into a heated discussion and Ian ends up shoving him against a wall and notices how Mickey reacts and then they fuck nasty in an empty room, but Mickey says not to kiss him, because that's something ladies expect and he's anything but.

Ian ofc is disappointed but at least he feels smug about being right, even if Mickey still calls him a damn Irish bastard and Ian shoots back that he's some Muscovite imbecile (Muscovite being what they used to call people from Russia ofc because I'm pretty sure Ukraine wasn't even on a map at this time in history), but yet they still seek each other out for ~assignations~ while constantly sniping at each other to the point where their rivalry becomes well known in Society. Rivals to lovers is delightful, I can't help it!

They play at hating each other in public but behind closed doors they're fucking nasty and Ian absolutely gets swept off his feet. Mickey does too, obviously, but he has to hide his feelings so Ian doesn't get too attached and ruin a good thing. (Spoiler alert: this fails miserably.) Terry Milkovich, by the by, is currently rotting in debtors' prison awaiting transportation to Australia and good fucking riddance to him (sorry aussies!).

I also love the idea of Debbie wanting to mix in Society and Fiona trying to run the Gallagher estate (which may not be a large one but it's their home) and Carl having dreams of joining the army—Ian wanted to as well but he probably had to stay home and take care of the younger ones, and it's not like he's going to make a Society marriage, anyway. Also Debbie thinks she wants a season to get a husband but ends up being like 👀 at all the fine young ladies—I also just love the idea that she's great at cards from playing with her brothers and learning how to fuzz the cards 🤣

Ian still has bipolar disorder in this au—it's a family secret. Whenever he starts to have an episode—by this point they all recognize the signs—he stays at home and the siblings just say he has a "weak constitution" and ofc he knows the staff gossip about him but better than being sent off to a sanitorium and away from his family. And he hates not being able to control his own mind but his siblings love him and they all promise to take care of him no matter what (it's why he never got to join the army like he'd hoped for, but he still helps Carl learn how to use a rifle, and practice drilling, and all that such like).

This kind of got away from me and I don't have a solid concept beyond all of...this. I know you asked for p&p, anon, so I tried to at least keep to the spirit of the thing, and I hope you like it regardless?? <3 I'd love to hear what other people think about this one, so please share your thoughts!

Eventually there would be, y'know, plot—probably something to do with land inheritance, Frank scamming people and it coming back to bite the Gallaghers in the ass, and both Lip and Debbie end up finding out about Ian and Mickey; Ian would have a bipolar episode and instead of running away, Mickey gets worried about him and is like, oh no I'm having feelings this is Not Good, but at this point he knows he's in too deep. Also he and Ian will have to work together for some reason or another and put their public rivalry to bed (lol).

#gallavich #leinth answers #leinth writes fic #p&p au #mickey milkovich #ian gallagher #shameless fic #shameless #yes I gave mickey tattoos I figure he hung out with a bunch of sailors at some point and wanted his own ink

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eldritch-spouse · 10 months

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In order from frequently to rarely, which icons visit the surface the most? Where are they usually found? What are they up to?

Rinx > Vesper > Kalymir > Livius > Cero > Vorticia > Zizz

Rinx is often on the surface because, just like any greedy bastard can agree, what you have is never enough. And, in Hell, plenty of the surfaces' products are considered rare, premium, expensive. Rinx can be seen often raiding extremely affluent areas of the world, although he's also lured to certain parties where deals are being struck, where big money is being handled, etc... Even when he's uninvited, people tend to pipe down and allow him to roam/interact/take unchecked.

Vesper picks his appearances very well. Almost always at night, in genuinely seedy and dangerous places, rank, stinking of rampant sexual activity. He has crashed all manner of parties and orgies. Sometimes when there's a large gathering that's not even that sexual in nature, he'll derail things into an orgy. Vesper also has a shitty habit of sending demons on bets to mess with church goers. You should also not be too surprised to find him in a convention, where all sorts of frustrated virgins gather.

Kalymir would like to venture to the surface more often, but his ring is always moving. Generally, his visits are the most devastating ones, as he exhibits a tendency to not discriminate in his wild carnage. Kalymir often plays a part in massive wars, where conflict and chaos reigns, or when there's a lot of tension ready to burst. Although, he almost never picks sides, preferring instead to deal as much misery and pain as possible to everyone involved.

Livius skulks around often enough. He tends to frequent areas where celebrities are gathered, putting on different personalities and feeding off the tension said people hide, the noxious competitiveness, the jabs, the drama- Demon that he is, Livius wants to see it all burn down, plucking here and there to put people of high regard into messy situations and then joining the crowd in their shock. It's very fun, but he often gets carried away, thus people advise him to keep his visits brief.

Cero has connections in the surface, as well as legal deals that keep him on the move at times. He generally thinks little of the surface, waxing about how Pride is so much better, he feels dirty just stepping onto the surface. But, responsibilities are responsibilities... You'll rarely see him in the streets, but if you do, expect Cero to sneer at you, as if you're not even good enough to glance at him.

Vorticia just has too much shit going on to visit the surface, honestly. Between her responsibilities as Queen and the many children she has all needing her input on various things, the Queen hardly gets to think about going to the surface. But when she does venture out, she's usually doing so for leisure purposes. Find her at massive festivals or at well-known buffets, maybe even raiding some world-recognized restaurants.

Zizz thinks about going to the surface. But then he remembers how fucking loud it is, how there's lights everywhere and no one stops for a moment- And he just gets a headache. Ugh. Nevertheless, when he's drawn to the surface, the King of Sloth is usually sleeping like a dragon on a mattress warehouse, or finding extremely stressed out people and making them conk the fuck out for sleepy time. He's utterly useless and disoriented on the surface.

#Vesper oc #Vorticia oc #Kalymir oc #Cero oc #Livius oc #Rinx oc #Zizz oc #gabi-gabriella-gaberson

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buunicosplaytips · 4 months

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How to survive your first convention

Conventions are the biggest part of the cosplay community, without conventions, there would be no cosplaying to begin with, if this is your first time going to a convention this all might seem overwhelming, but dont fret my friend because I'm going to tell you how to survive your first convention and hopefully you'll have a good con experience.

Drink a lot of water and eat food

Sometimes we get so caught up in the fun environment we're in that we forget to drink water or eat, but you have to listen to me when I say DRINK WATER AND EAT, overheating and dehydration are so common in the scene, and veteran cosplayers and con-goers will tell you the same thing when you're in an inclosed area with hundreds or maybe thousands of people in a hotel lobby or a panel and you've been walking all day your body will lose a lot of energy and in some worst case scenarios something like heatstrokes can happen, to stop this from occurring you should listen to your body and drink water or eat something.

2. Listen to your body

With crowded spaces, walking everywhere, so many things happening at once, etc, you can become overwhelmed, I've been going to cons since I was 10 and I still get overwhelmed at 20, the best way to enjoy the con is to listen to your body when it's becoming overwhelmed, whether that be anxiousness, tiredness, or even as simple as your feet hurting a little bit, you should listen to your body when it's telling you to rest up or to eat or drink if you don't you won't be able to enjoy the con without feeling tired or anxious, with most conventions there will be rest stations or just a quiet hallway for you to recuperate yourself.

3. Dont be too trusting

Conventions are a great way to make new friends, however some people have ill intentions and you need to be careful, usually my advice is to stay in the convention area, hang out with people around your age range, and if they ask you to go to their hotel room please dont go unless your fully sure their trustworthy and even then I wouldn't go, another thing is to go to cons with someone you trust so your not completely alone or at the very least tell someone where you're going just in case.

4. Have basic hygiene

Now in the con scene, it's a little-known thing that some people don't have good hygiene and kinda stink up the place, now sometimes it can be medical conditions or something else. Still, mostly it's just people who don't know basic hygiene or don't care if you don't want to be this person, you need basic hygiene, for example, deodorant and showering after the day is great along with brushing your teeth, you don't need to be too fancy, as long as you don't smell your good.

5. Be courteous

With a big or small scene, you should be courteous, respect the venue, respect the people who work there, and respect other con-goers, you should also respect the people with vendors in the vendor hall and artist alley like putting products back, read the little notes that say not to touch, and not be dramatic about the prices, a small act of kindness goes a long way, so please be kind to everyone at the convention.

6. Always plan everything

Now this is me throwing in my two cents from experience, but I believe you should plan everything, or at least some things, planning on what panels to go to and planning on where and when to eat out is a good idea if you don't want to scramble during the last second, usually conventions have a little pamphlet or guide online of all the panels and events happening during the weekend so you can plan the day or weekend.

And with that, you have a small guide to surviving your first convention, now sometimes things can be unexpected and can dampen or ruin your con experience, sadly I don't have advice on unexpected outcomes but the best way to deal with it is to keep your head high and focus on the good if you can.

I hope this has been helpful, if you have any questions don't be afraid and ask me, my ask box is always open

#cosplay #cosplay help #convention #Convention help #cosplay 101 #convention 101

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cosplayinamerica · 1 year

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Hestu from Legend of Zelda / Cosplayer: @any_reason_to_empower_cosplay / Photo: @jamesyealyvisuals

My mother helped me make different Halloween costumes always different then before. Looking into homemade Halloween costumes kinda lead down the rabbit hole into cosplay. In school I had other friends who’s been to conventions and talked about cosplay, it helped fuel me into looking in the community more. Since jumping into cosplay, it’s something I’m not looking into quitting anytime soon.

Our instagram came to life because we are two best friends with a love of a good theme and having any reason to dress up. The idea of anyone feeling empowered to try something new because they saw something we did would just be amazing. But even if we don’t reach others, we are constantly inspiring each other, and that in itself makes this all so much fun.

The con goers loved Hestu and he even got an honorable mention during the hall costume contest. People who were familiar with the character would say dialogue from the game to him and many others requested photos. It was amazing to hear a passing voice yell “Hestu!” “Yahaha” or “SHAKALA” when walking around the con.

Our Hestu at Katsucon was my second version of him. The first version was rough (but still brought much joy) and I wanted to redo him so he could easily be reworn whenever we wanted. He is a larger than life character that makes everyone smile, especially when shaking his maracas. I like to make cosplays that evoke nostalgia or joy especially if I get to learn a new skill set.came from both.

For his construction, the original pattern was hand drawn on large paper by looking at pictures of the character from the video game Breath of the Wild. I used nylon rip stop fabric so that he could be inflated. There are two fans that insert into the back. He was hand painted with acrylic paint mixed with fabric medium to lessen the cracking of the paint. His eyebrows, nose, and canopy are made of the same fabric as the body but are filled with polyfill. They attach to the body using Velcro. His leaf mask is a thin piece of foam painted with acrylic and coated with a sealant.

The person wearing Hestu is actually wearing a steel shoulder strap harness (what snare drummers use for marching band) that was modified to screw pvc pipes into it to help support the structure of Hestu’s tree limbs and canopy. The maracas were made from a balloon and a pvc pipe. Paper mache, plaster caste strips, and foam clay helped make the final form before painting with acrylic paints. Just like in the game, korok seeds we made from resin were used to make the maraca sounds. Our Korok named Jeff also loved handing out golden korok seed pins to con goers who found our group throughout the day.

#legend of zelda #breath of the wild #cosplay #katsucon #Katsucon 2023 #cosplay interview #cosplay feature

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ghostwanderer · 1 day

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The Three Sages for my fanfic

These guys don’t show up till later, but I guess some pre-visualization would help later on

Vueroeruko - Forgotten Soul, Disgraced scientist, She was involved in a terrible plot that threatened the nation of the Soviet Union. When word got to the politburo, they sended their KGB forces to arrest and detain them all, all of them serving a punishment of sorts. Vueko got the worst one. Her body was modified with electric tentacle coils, Machinery that hooks her up to an engine that delivers an electric shock. For a while, the shocks hurted her very much, but as days and even years pass by, she has become numb to the pain, it often feels like the shocks are what are keeping her alive. Throughout the time, she feels regret even getting involved in a project she didn’t knew much about, she feels that Irumyuui wouldn’t wish her to be involved in anything she didn’t knew about

Belaf Burav - A special performance Burav commissioned to be an attraction for a defunct theme park called soviet lunar park. Out of the many games and robots that make up the park, it’s the Belaf Burav that is the second greatest attraction (only coming behind the iconic Robogirl). Though rumors spread that at night, the Burav would exit its tent and look out and stare at the starry sky. Whether these rumors are true or not is not of the upmost concern. As it’s ridiculous that a robot can have some form of conscious.

Wazukyan - an odd looking tour bot that breaks the convention of the Tereshkova guide. Initial tests paired the robot with Tereshkovas, and the result favored this odd one instead. Test subjects note that compared to the Tereshkovas, the Wazukyan robot engages with park goers with more glee and humanity than the blanked stared maid robots. He also sounds more human compared to the mannequin like servants synthetic voice. So much so that soviet scientists had gotten a little concern when the machine engages in conversations that don’t necessarily involve promoting the park or preaching soviet advancements, often talking about how lame the cartoons have gotten, and how everyone’s business day has been. None the less, the robot proves itself useful in providing an entertainment value in park tourism.

#my art #fan art #made in abyss #atomic heart #crossover #lore dump #fanfic #vueko #vueroeruko #belaf #wazukyan

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bts-hyperfixation · 6 months

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MTL

Be as obsessed with something funny/ nerdy/ pop culture as ARMY is with them

M2L to have an obsession

Yoongi: Basketball fanboy. He has admitted to writing fanfiction. The queer brain always seems to gravitate towards obsessive culture, at least everyone I know in that space does. And like I’m not saying yoongi is forsure queer... He has the vibes though that put him firmly in at least that sort of friend group and you do not get through those friend groups without unhealthy attachments to some form of Celeb.

Jungkook: I’m not sure if he still does because they haven’t appeared in his lives lately, at least not the snippets I’ve seen. But didn’t he used to have loads of action figures in display cases. Like so many models, but the rest of his apartment was pretty bare? Literally looks my apartment... He is also pretty nerdy about marvel and stuff so he is the most likely to obsession collect. Also this man is just as obsessed with us as we are with him right now...

Namjoon: So it isn’t what we tend to think of as an obsessive media because it’s normalized, but that’s awful big attachment he has got to art. I think meeting the right artists would blow his mind and have him fangirl stumbling. Honestly for the right artist he is going to be trying to get that NDA the same way we do when we shave out legs for concerts....

Seokjin: The amount of gaming he does leads me to think he has obsession potential but I couldn’t say whether he’d get army levels of attached. If he was a regular human I could see him being a convention goer and trying to score tickets to Nintendo direct etc.

Jimin: I think if he could find the right interest it could have him trying to be a fanartist type but it would be an obscure fandom niche that doesn’t really have a rabid base, more casual and friendly observation among a small group.

Taehyung: I think Tae has too wide an array of interest to get hyperfixated on any long enough to get invested on fandom culture. Although I think he is a casual observer of all his past interests.

Hoseok: Gets way too many bitches to be on our level of fandom. Has too much of an internat free existence to be plagued by such things. Might get into a plushy line like the line friends if he had a partner that collected them.

#bts #bts imagine #bts m2l #bts most likely #namjoon #yoongi #seokjin #jungkook #jimin #taehyung #hoseok #bts fic #kpop fic #ask

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laf-outloud · 1 year

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https://www.tumblr.com/laf-outloud/714821330982305792/i-just-want-to-thank-the-anon-who-pointed-out-how

I’ll admit Jensen's comment about The Whale didn’t bother me that much when I first heard it, but, yeah, it really does send a negative message. A good number of SPN con goers are bigger, and should they be wondering if Jensen is judging them, or if he thinks it’s fine fir others to be overweight, just not him. Though I do understand not wanting to put one’s body through weight fluctuations, but the joke was more the issue.

Anyway, what really jumped out at me and put me off on my viewing of the panel was the tattoo story. It starts at about 32:00 (if you are inclined to listen - https://youtu.be/jcQcgjl3tJ8 ). There is nothing I hate as much as entitlement, and the tattoo story reeks of it. And that was mostly JDM, Jensen seemed along for the ride, learning from JDM's "wisdom." He’s loving the story, though, so he’s just as guilty of the entitlement as JDM. The panel was a lot more frat boy than J2 usually are these days.

If I’m honest, I think Jared used to give off a bit more of that Frat boy vide, too. You know, when he was around the age of one. This is just the vibe I get from older con and behind the scenes vids, though. But, he’s really learned a lot of humility, and, on top of him just growing up, I think the Jared who has come back after COVID is a more tempered, mature Jared (probably partly from being an EP). He can still be silly and ridiculous, but I don’t think it’s his default as much anymore. And he’s only gotten more gentle with fans and careful with what he says. While Jensen, on the other hand, seems to have started off more humble than he is now (or maybe he was just more reserved, so we didn’t know the shit he was thinking), and has let the constant ego stroking get to his head. He comes off as more careless and entitled than he used to.

I think Jared has outgrown the the majority of the SPN cast, especially the drunken antics and BS of most of the convention crew. I think Jensen only gets a partial pass with him because of their shared history. (Or he’s a really decent person when he’s not "on." Maybe …)

From what I've seen, most fans do not like arrogant, entitled actors. Jensen and JDM are lucky that what's said in convention panels typically doesn't make it outside the online fandom because that story would turn off anyone who prefers their actors be good.

I wasn't in the fandom years ago, but I have seen some of those older panels and yeah, Jared is very different now than what he used to be like. He's really grown into the father/producer/businessman who takes his responsibilities and interactions seriously (but also knows when to have fun). It's why he's respected in the industry and loved by so many who work with him. As for Jensen, well, he's currently reaping the rewards of his current attitude.

#ask box #anti jensen #anti jeffrey dean morgan #operating a scooter while drunk?#seriously?#ce nj con 2023 #jared observations #jared padalecki appreciation

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the-fab-fox · 1 year

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Okay so ARTIST group (fandom?) Of Tumblr. I've got a question for you.

I was at Sakura-con in Seattle this last weekend (the one that just happened) and as anyone who goes to conventions as just a con goer knows, Artist Alleys and Exhibitor Halls are the huge things besides the autographs and panels.

Anyway to my question. If you go to cons as an artist, how do you like to interact with the guests?

I try to comment on the art I see in each and every booth I come to. Obviously I can't buy from every single one. Believe me. I want to. I really do. But my funds are extremely limited (and still very limited on a good year).

So I do what I can.

I'm not an artist though in the physical sense. I'm a writer and a gamer. My writing is my art. But that doesn't always translate to physical art. But I can easily look at art and think... Oh I really really love the way this artist plays with shadows here. Or I love the way this one does eyes. Or ... So on

So I have gotten to the point where I will tell the artists. Many of them seemed very happy with me just talking about their art with them and what I love about it.

Can this be enough for some artists at conventions? Should I keep doing this or do you all not like it when someone does this?

I just want to be able to give more than just a quick once over and move on, you know? Let them know that their art and their time is appreciated even if I can't buy something.

Oh and I always take business cards too if I really really liked something because more often than not, they sell their art outside of conventions too. So that's another way I can maybe later get something from them when I actually CAN afford it.

So artists of Tumblr, is what I'm doing at cons something you guys would appreciate or would you rather I do what most everyone else does and just scan and go?

This is entirely a real inquiry. I want to make sure I'm respectful but still be able to let you all know, hey I see your art. I'm loving it. Please keep making the art.

(do reblog this if you like so I can get a good response from all fandom artists, not just the fandoms I'm intimate with)

#artists on tumblr #artists on etsy #artistsupport #support small artists #digital media #digital art #physical art #fanart #fe3h fanart #bnha fanart #mha fanart #bsd fanart #rwby fanart

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bearybutch · 11 months

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okay onto GREAT things about oz comic-con:

Noah getting networking opportunities 🥳 all our neighbours in the guest area were so supportive and kind!

Seeing so many amazing cosplays, especially Critical Role ones (why do Keyleths always go the extra mile?? some of the cloaks were showstopping)

Selling out of some prints - I have no idea why but the Phantom of the Opera poster is the piece people really like, so I may make a couple other designs for it at some point

Learning what is and isn’t popular at cons - I think maybe only 3-4 stalls had critical role merch which was a bit disappointing? And I think I may have been the only person with a Lore Olympus print 🏃🏻 No one at oz comic-con reads webcomics according to the convention-goers I mentioned it to!

Very cute little kids approaching our table, and Noah and I having to make sure they didn’t flip to the spicy parts of our books 😭 their parents were always so gracious about it and said thanks when we were upfront there could be inappropriate stuff for them to look at

Meeting butches and femmes and other lesbians who connected with what I made. Also very happy when people notice details like plus-size Belle or the trans pin in my Barbie art.

I got to collect so much art from so many lovely stalls. Particularly loved the Barbie art on display and the stores that had some Critical Role stuff. The dnd merch was great but I had to budget rip. Very grateful I got to do two art trades as well.

Anddd made my first con profit! If I didn’t have the Supanova loss from April to cover, it would’ve been a much better margin too. It was interesting to hear from some of our neighbours that going back to Supanova may not be worthwhile. Whilst that’s true for me it was still a very good turnover for Noah, so we shall see.

We will be back for Oz Comic Con: Christmas Edition in December!!

#text #personal #for anyone interested in hearing about the weekend!#I am still learning so much #but had the best time…never would’ve dreamed I’d be able to table at oz comic con #so I’m super grateful to Noah for sharing the table with me :’)

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tamapalace · 2 years

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Bandai Namco US’ Tamagotchi Booth at San Diego Comic-Con 2022

image source: coffretchi on Twitter

This is the most impressive convention booth we’ve ever seen for Tamagotchi, and it’s AWESOME! Bandai Namco US clearly went all out for the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con and we are loving every second of it. 2022 San Diego Comic Con started on Thursday July 21st 2022, and will run until July 24th 2022.

image source: coffretchi on Twitter

image source: sassypineapple8 on Twitter

The booth itself is very impressive, and it’s large! The first thing you’ll see is a large San Diego Comic-Con exclusive Tamagotchi P1 shell with a large screen inside playing Tamagotchi promotional videos on loop. The booth features clean white walls with vintage Tamagotchi pixel artwork from the Tamagotchi Original series on colorful plaques, very reminiscent of the 25th anniversary pop-up store in Japan back in November 2021.

image source: BandaiCollect on Twitter

source image: TinPwumbee on Twitter

You could browse the latest Tamagotchi offerings which were featured with wall displays that show the Tamagotchi with a screen playing a video of the gameplay on the respective device. This includes TinyTAN, Jujutsu Kaisen, R2-D2, Toy Story, Jurassic World, and more. It is also important to note that the Jurassic World Tamagotchi is featured, but has yet to be announced by Bandai Namco US at this time.

image source: sassypineapple8 on Twitter

It also appears that we are getting the latest, which is the third, installment of Demon Slayer Tamagotchi shells! There was quite a nice spread at the booth so we’re sure there will soon be an announcement.

image source: Tamagotchi Tama Blog

A pop-up store was also in the booth with allowed convention goers to purchase many products including the convention exclusive 2022 San-Diego Comic-Con P1 and P2 shells, the Jurassic World Tamagotchi in two shells, Jujutsu Kaisen Tamagotchi Nano in four shells, Jujutsu Kaisen Hugmy Tamagotchi in three bundles, Kamen Rider Tamagotchi in two shells, Demon Slayer Tamagotchi in nine shells, and two convention exclusive lanyards, and four convention exclusive charms of Kuchipatchi, Mametchi, Momotchi, and Lovelitchi.

image source: TamagotchiWiki on Twitter

A free 25th anniversary bag was provided with any purchase of $20 USD or more.

image source: coffretchi on Twitter

What really caught our eye was the Tamagotchi history wall! Very similar to what we’ve seen at the 25th anniversary pop-up store in Japan back in November 2021, but modified to support releases of Japanese and North American Tamagotchi’s from 1996 to 2022.

image source: coffretchi on Twitter

Convention exclusive P1 and P2 Tamagotchi Original shells are absolutely gorgeous and very comic-like. The packaging is beyond beautiful, and merely a work of art. The front of the package features comic-like graphics and Mametchi or Mimitchi in comic form with comic speech bubbles. The back features a Tamagotchi comic which we are totally obsessed with!

Anyone else seriously regretting not getting tickets to 2022 San Diego Comic-Con so that they could see this impressive booth in person? We’re still drooling over it! Amazing job, and a very strong return to San Diego Comic-Con, Bandai Namco US!

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secretobsessionstuff · 2 years

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8. “Can you take me home?” and 74. "My stomach is aching so bad right now. This is torture." for Dev please? thank you ❤️

Thank you so much for requesting a Dev fic, Anon! And for being patient since it took me ages to post it. ❤️

The prompts come from THIS lovely post.

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The Neon Devil had its booth set up and was ready for curious convention-goers by the time that Dev’s stomach began to gurgle. It didn’t growl out of hunger because they had managed to squeeze in a quick breakfast before their team had packed up everything they needed for this summer’s tattoo festival. This only meant that their stomach was grumbling out of discomfort.

The festival was in one of Toronto’s biggest convention centres. Many revellers walked around the area, letting their tattoos cover their skin rather than wear clothes. There were many people in thongs and nipple tape. Every inch of every body was covered in ink, leaving Dev to wonder who would be getting in the chairs.

Somehow, the Neon Devil’s two spots were currently occupied by customers. Monty was working on a sugar skull tattoo, while another artist named Phoebe was tattooing a beehive for a very chatty girl.

Dev was glad that there were only two chairs for clients set up at their booth; they didn’t think their hands were steady enough to work just then. The hum of the vibrating machines filled their head with static. The heat in the crowded building was making them uncomfortable as they shifted on the plastic chair set up behind the table.

Jory sat next to Dev, talking with people who passed by their booth. He seemed hyper. It was his first convention and the excitement showed on his face. He was making connections and securing potential clients. He had every right to be happy.

Dev only wished they felt half as good.

As much as Dev wanted someone to ask about their work, they did not feel like working. Their hurried breakfast of cold leftover pizza from the night before had congealed in their belly. They put their hand over their abdomen, thankful that the table blocked this movement. Dev cursed in their mind. This was the worse time to get sick, but the nausea was unignorable.

“I’m gonna find the washrooms,” Dev, said, rising unsteadily from their spot. It looked like Monty was finishing up and Dev didn’t want to be around when that chair was empty.

“Hurry back,” Jory said. “A lot of people have been drooling over your portfolio.”

“Sure thing,” Dev replied with no intentions of hurrying back.

They wandered around, looking for the washrooms, occasionally getting hit with a blast of air conditioning. Dev couldn’t decide if they preferred that sudden chill to the dizzying heat from before. They walked in a daze without paying much attention to the other booths. If their stomach hadn’t been in a knot, Dev probably would have stopped at every other table and would have returned with a new piece to fill the patch of bare skin on their calf muscle.

Eventually they found the washrooms. A wave of dread washed over them upon seeing the lines to both the men’s and women’s washrooms.

Their stomach let out a whine, making Dev bend over with their arms wrapped around their torso. They were trying to force themselves to accept the miserable fact they might end up puking in a crowded washroom, when they realized that they could leave the convention centre. Just walk outside.

Rather than stand in the line any longer, Dev left the building, looking for a grassy aera with few people. The crowds were definitely thinner on the outside since there were no live tattooing stations out here. It wasn’t hard to find a secluded area under a tree.

Dev braced themselves with one hand on the tree and the other on their roiling stomach. A sour belch erupted from their mouth, making them grimace and spit out a glob of saliva. The burp had been deep and wet. Dev groaned. There was no chance they’d make it through this day without vomiting.

Another burp rumbled up their chest, filling their mouth with a rancid taste. Dev lurched forward with a gag. Thick saliva filled their mouth just before a wave of partially digested morning pizza rushed up from their belly.

They retched a second time, bringing up more of their stomach’s contents. It splattered on the grass in a stream of pale brown.

Dev exhaled deeply. They wiped their wrist across their forehead, feeling the sweat cling to their skin. They coughed and cleared their throat. The sick tickled the back of their mouth which made their nose run. They sniffled and coughed again, trying to regain their composure.

“Fuck,” Dev sighed, spitting onto the pile of sick that they made.

Vomiting had provided some relief, but they could feel their body gearing up for another round. This was ridiculous. They weren’t going to be any help to their coworkers like this. Every step they took to get back to the booth felt like the challenge of their life.

Finally, Dev got back to their station. Its bright red sign was hard to miss. When Dev stumbled back, Monty was talking off his gloves and shaking hands with another client. This wasn’t the person who got the sugar skull, meaning Dev had been gone long enough for him to do another session. Phoebe was sitting at the table alone; Jory was nowhere to be found.

“Where’s Jory?” Dev asked, wincing at the hoarseness to their voice. They cleared their throat again, still able to taste the vomit. They almost dove for the cooler that held the water bottles.

“He went looking for you,” Monty said. His expression changed as he made eye contact with Dev. His eyebrows rose in surprise. “Dude, you look like shit.”

Dev sniffled. “I feel like shit. I just puked.”

“Oh fuck,” Monty said. Phoebe turned around as well and mumbled something similar.

While their coworkers gawked, Dev took a swig of water. “Ugh, I need to leave. Will you guys be okay to run the booth?”

“Yeah, totally,” Phoebe said, momentarily ignoring the people who passed by the table “...Except you drove here, remember? Your truck is the only car big enough for all the supplies.”

Dev groaned. They forgot about that. There was a lot of shit to bring back to the studio at the end of the day. Dev crumpled into a chair and ran their hands through their hair. Nothing was going right, and it made them want to scream. But they didn’t scream because vomiting had hurt their throat. God, everything hurt. Their throat, their head, their goddamn stomach that had been gurgling for this entire conversation.

Dev slumped forward in the chair, burying their face in their hands. “My stomach is aching so bad right now. This is torture.” A deep hiccupped made their shoulders jerk. Their hair fell like a veil in front of their face.

Monty was looking at Dev with pity. “Listen, you give me your car keys and have Jory drive you back. Phoebe and I will stay.”

Dev sniffled and lifted their head up. That was a good idea. Jory had driven here in his own car. “Will you be okay just you two?”

“We’ll make do,” Phoebe insisted. “Besides, you can’t stay here. You look like hell.”

“Maybe it’ll be good branding.”

Monty chuckled. “Yeah, and the client that you puke on will leave a great review.”

The two of them insisted that they’d be fine for the rest of the day, practically pushing Dev away.

“Jory was getting worried that you were gone so long. He’ll definitely be okay with taking you home,” Monty said.

Phoebe smiled. “It was kinda cute how concerned he was.”

Dev shook their head, trying to hide a small grin. “Yeah, it’s maddening how nice he can be.”

It took a while, what with the crowds, but eventually Dev spotted Jory wandering the aisles. He was walking towards their booth as if he had given up looking for them. When their eyes met, Jory let out a visible sigh.

“Wow that was the hardest game of ‘where’s waldo’ ever,” he said as they came up next to each other. “You were gone so long I thought another business had stolen you. I was getting worried.” As Jory spoke, his goofy smile sunk into a frown. Dev was sure that they still looked like shit.

“You didn’t have to worry,” they said, even though Jory was right to have worried.

He touched Dev’s arm. “Apparently, I did. You don’t look so hot.”

“I’ve been getting that a lot.”

“What’s going on…” Jory trailed off. This was the moment when he would have said ‘babes’ to literally anyone else but it felt weird to say it to Dev.

“I threw up.” At seeing Jory’s shocked expression, they continued with, “I must have caught a bug or something. My stomach is a fucking mess.”

“Aw, Dev. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah…Can you take me home?”

“Uh of course,” Jory said, already searching for his car keys in his pockets. “But what about your truck?”

“Monty and Phoebe said they’d handle it all, and honestly, I don’t care at this point.”

The two of them got back to their booth, made it clear that they were leaving, and started to walk towards the parking lot. Jory wasn’t used to walking next to a sick Dev. It was slower than their usual pace. He fell back, keeping the rhythm that Dev set.

He could see that every step made them wince. “Want me to carry your bag?”

Dev grunted and hoisted their bag higher on their shoulder. “I’m good. Where’d you park?”

“It’s still a ways away. Finding a spot was a real bellyache…I guess pun intended.”

Dev groaned but pushed on. They could feel sweat dripping into their eyes. Time was running out until the next round started. The same gurgling from before came back stronger. All Dev wanted was to sit down and cut off their legs so they never had to walk again. Each step jostled their stomach.

Dev still couldn’t see Jory’s car. They moaned and stopped walking suddenly when their belly did a nauseating flip.

“Hold up,” they mumbled before leaning forward with their hands on their knees. They breathed deeply, feeling a burp roll its way up their throat. The belch burst from their mouth with a long, wet sound. The next burp brought with it a wave of acid that splashed the back of their mouth.

“That doesn’t sound great,” Jory said, walking back to where Dev had stopped.

“Thanks for the feedback,” Dev said with saliva filling their mouth. The rising nausea in their stomach kept them frozen in this position.

The two of them stood in the middle of the parking lot. Jory kept an eye out for any approaching cars, but so far all was good. “Take your time. We’re not in anyone’s way.” As he said this, he realized that was more of a ‘Jory’ thing to be worried about.

Dev coughed and spat until a retch clawed its way up from their stomach. It was empty at first, but the second retch was productive. With a sick gurgle in their throat, vomit splattered onto the pavement at their feet. They could feel their backpack slipping off their shoulder as their body wanted to lean further.

“Give me this,” Jory said, already taking the bag from Dev. He bit his lip, wishing he could do more to make this easier for them. Although Dev didn’t seem to be having any problems with vomiting. The sick just kept coming. Jory had to remind them to breathe. “Easy, Dev, take a breath when you can.”

Dev let out a wobbly exhale. “I’m not done.”

“I’m not stopping you,” he said. “Better here than in the car.”

With another chesty burp, Dev brought up the rest of their insides. There was a formidable puddle at their feet. Their stomach was beginning to ache with the workout it had been put through. There was only bile left to send up. That bitter yellow sludge joined the puddle.

At the end of it, Dev was sweaty, shaky, and weak. They stumbled away from the puddle of vomit and sat on the curb. They didn’t say anything, but they groaned loudly while hugging their aching belly.

“Dev, why don’t you stay here,” Jory said. “I’ll bring the car to you.”

“Great idea,” they mumbled, “wish we thought of that sooner.”

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gamebird · 1 year

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I had a really engaging dream last night. There was a convention going on and a woman (who was Asian-looking, but this had nothing to do with anything) had stationed herself near the entrance. She was very pretty. A convention-goer man had stopped to talk with her, and she was earnestly pretending she had never heard of Star Wars. The guy began happily explaining the movies to her.

A group of us, other con-goers, were dubious of her claims of ignorance. I said, "That's bait. I know bait when I see it."

But by now the dude was very taken with her and they decided to go on a long walk on the cliffs above the ocean. I and a few others decided the woman was up to no good, so we tracked them, following their footprints through the sand and dust along the trail. The woman's prints disappeared and the guy changed to running.

Up ahead, we saw that the woman had transformed into an enormous wasp. She'd stung him with a paralytic and laid seven eggs on him, which were on stalks above his body. They were hatching and the larvae were going to spiral down the stalks and into his body if we couldn't get to him in time. The wasp was trying to stuff him into a burrow.

When I rushed forward to stop this (because the others with me nope'd out at this point), the wasp-woman took to the air and tried to sting me, too. There was a lot of exciting conflict as I tried to avoid getting stung while I grabbed the larvae and squished them. But I had to get all seven. I got ... some ... before I was stung on the ankle.

I grabbed the wasp, which was maybe 50-75 lbs? and smashed its head on a rock. At that point I half woke out of the dream to have an argument with myself about degree of blood flow around the ankle and how much venom she had, along with onset time, the thickness of chiton on a wasp-woman's head, and whether smashing it against a rock was enough to keep her from laying eggs on me once I was paralyzed (*if* I was paralyzed - there was a subquestion about whether I could massage out the venom, and if I had been stung on the inside or outside of the ankle, because I am flexible enough to get the inside of my ankle to my mouth and suck out the poison). Also, how many eggs were left on the dude I'd been trying to save? Could I reach them before one burrowed into him and killed him?

Sadly, it was too many questions. I couldn't resume the dream.

But it was really gripping.

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eldritch-spouse · 2 years

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Omg, anime/comic conventions would be a buffet for concubuses. Their probably be security just for them. Does that stop them from sneaking in nope. I imagine Santi would get himself caught because he brain is going haywire in there. concubuses that actually wanna go into have fun and not have sex have are probably required to wear something the inhibits their magic a little temporary. So people aren't drooling over them while their just trying to have fun. I imagine Santi would get himself caught because he brain is going haywire in there. Like his flirting with some poor horny human and he get to into it ruining his disguise. Promptly escorted out by two buff demons, which in turn he will try to fuck to let him stay.

Oh, absolutely.

Concubi of any sort tend to gravitate towards agglomerates of sexless or otherwise lonely people. An anime convention is like a fucking banquet, it's a charity for starving concubi.

Santi is particularly adamant on fucking around with convention goers, no matter how many security monsters come chasing after. He's there to find the geekiest, most timid, absolutely brimming with need people he can and get them on a bed. Or a bathroom stall, he's not above doing risky shit.

He's like the "fake fan", doesn't know anything about the show/game, constantly asking questions and pretending to be amused- I mean, sometimes he really is, anime has a tendency to get pervy and funny at times, so he'd definitely get into some odd stuff. But he only gleams superficial knowledge that'll impress a standard fan enough to sleep with them.

He visits artist booths and commissions them to draw him and other demons he knows doing gross shit. Most of them reject it naturally, though a couple accept a generous tip and draw it anyway.

It's a party for him, the incubus comes out full to the brim, carrying two body pillows, a dumb costume he picked up along the way and more trinkets like keychains and pins. Great stuff, he didn't even pay to get in and he only got thrown out three times!

#Santi oc #tiredidot

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buunicosplaytips · 4 months

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5 Essentials you need to bring to your first convention

So you're planning on going to your first convention, how fun! but you're worried about what to bring along with you when you're on the convention floor, well I'm here to help you out by listing the top 5 essentials you need to bring to your first convention!

Food/water

believe it or not but most cosplayers and con-goers forget to bring food and water or flat out just don't eat or drink anything during the days of the convention, this can be very dangerous, especially in crowded and hot rooms of the convention floor, so please bring a bottle or two of water and a snack, depending on the convention there will be water stations or even food stations, however you might have to pay and they can be very expensive so I would recommend bringing your own from home.

2. A sewing or mending kit

No matter what someone will always end up ripping or breaking something, but don't worry! depending on what's broken you can fix it with a mending or sewing kit, now this is very easy to make, all you need are sewing essentials (needle, thread, pin cushion, pins) or you can make a mending kit (glue, tape, paint) and you can be prepared if something breaks or rips, again depending on the convention you're going to they might have a cosplay medic or a whole room dedicated to fixing cosplay and props, so if you want to save space or you're not confident in your mending skills you can definitely skip this and just go to your local cosplay medic if your convention has one.

3. Makeup

now this is kind of a no brainer, if you're wearing heavy makeup you need to bring some makeup with you for touch-ups, but you don't need to bring all of it, I would bring concealer, eyeshadow, powder, and setting spray, this also applies to body paint as well.

4. A fan

You might be wondering if you really need a fan, you're probably saying "It's inside" or "The con isn't during the summer" but I'm here to tell you, you absolutely need a fan, I can't even count how many times I was overheated just from being inside with air conditioning if you are in a cosplay that's very involved and has a lot of layers and with a wig, you need a fan you will thank me later, most fans are very cheap to come by, just search hand fan on amazon or wherever you shop and you will find one that's probably $5 or less.

5. medicine

Con sickness is a very real thing, and ever since the pandemic you can never be too cautious, so I would recommend bringing medicine that works for you, I would also recommend bringing a type of migraine medicine because you will most likely get a headache within the first two hours especially if you have a wig on.

And thats the 5 things you will need for your first convention, let me know if I missed anything

if you would like me to cover a topic you need help with my ask box is always open!

#cosplay #cosplay help #convention #Convention help #cosplay101 #cosplaying #cosplay tips

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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 1 year

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The unsolicited proposal from Elon Musk’s tunnel-building venture arrived in January 2020. To the local transportation authority, it felt like finding Willy Wonka’s golden ticket.

Officials had started planning for a street-level rail connection between booming Ontario International Airport and a commuter train station 4 miles away, with an estimated cost north of $1 billion. For just $45 million, Mr. Musk’s Boring Co. offered to instead build an underground tunnel through which travelers could zip back and forth in autonomous electric vehicles.

Dazzled by Boring’s boasts that it had revolutionized tunneling, and the cachet of working with the billionaire head of EV maker Tesla Inc., red down pointing triangle the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority dumped plans for a traditional light rail and embraced the futuristic tunnel.

When it came time to formalize the partnership and get to work, Boring itself went underground—just as it has done in Maryland, Chicago and Los Angeles. Boring didn’t submit a bid for Ontario by the January 2022 deadline.

The six-year-old company has repeatedly teased cities with a pledge to “solve soul-destroying traffic,” only to pull out when confronted with the realities of building public infrastructure, according to former executives and local, state and federal government officials who have worked with Mr. Musk’s Boring. The company has struggled with common bureaucratic hurdles like securing permits and conducting environmental reviews, the people said.

“Every time I see him on TV with a new project, or whatever, I’m like: Oh, I remember that bullet train to Chicago O’Hare,” said Chicago Alderman Scott Waguespack. Boring had backed away from its proposal for a high-speed tunnel link to the airport there.

Mr. Musk and Steve Davis, president of Boring, didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Boring’s only tunnel open to the public is a 1.6-mile “loop experience” under the Las Vegas Convention Center. There, Teslas with hired drivers ferry convention-goers through neon-lit white tunnels at speeds of about 30 miles an hour.

Boring has yet to make good on its most ambitious pitch: that it can design tunnel-boring machines that are so fast to operate that they will drive down costs and shake up the industry. Tunneling industry veterans question some of Mr. Musk’s claims.

The company has believers. This spring, tech-focused venture-capital firms Sequoia Capital and Vy Capital led a $675 million fundraising round that valued Boring at $5.7 billion. Major real-estate firms including Brookfield, Lennar and Tishman Speyer are among the investors.

“Their technology is now past the state-of-the-art, and improving at an exponential rate,” Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire wrote in a post on the firm’s website, announcing the round.

Mr. Maguire declined to comment and the other investors didn’t respond to detailed requests for comment.

Mr. Musk has frequently criticized government regulation, calling it an impediment to building new infrastructure. At a WSJ CEO Council event in 2020, he said he had moved from California to Texas, where Tesla was building a new factory, in part because of government regulations. Government should “just get out of the way,” he said.

The Boring Co., based in Pflugerville, Texas, occupies an odd place in Mr. Musk’s business empire, which includes Tesla, Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, and most recently Twitter Inc. He launched the tunneling venture with a tweet in December 2016 that many took as a joke. “Traffic is driving me nuts. Am going to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging…” Mr. Musk wrote.

“I am actually going to do this,” he added in a second tweet.

At Boring’s helm is Mr. Davis, a longtime lieutenant to Mr. Musk who came from SpaceX. Some of the space contractor’s investors have complained about Boring soaking up SpaceX’s resources, including employees and equipment purchased with SpaceX funds.

Mr. Musk’s leadership style—he recently told his Twitter employees they must be “extremely hardcore” or resign—pervades Boring, too, several former senior executives said. Boring employees work long hours and weekends, and the company has struggled to retain employees, particularly in technical positions such as engineering, they said.

For years, the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority had sought a solution to an enviable problem: Freight-focused Ontario International was steadily gaining passengers. Airport officials decided a link to a nearby commuter rail station would help it grow even more.

The authority issued a request for proposals for a light rail line, estimated to cost between $1 billion and $1.5 billion, when Boring’s pitch showed up.

The authority struck a preliminary deal with Boring in February 2021 for a narrow-diameter tunnel filled with autonomous EVs for $45 million.

“When I went to the public and shared this, the enthusiasm was overwhelming, just for something new and different,” said Janice Rutherford, a county supervisor and transportation authority board member. “And it’s the Boring Company, so Elon Musk brings that kind of sexiness to it, if you will.”

Over time, the company and the transportation authority dropped references to autonomous vehicles. By late 2021, cost projections rose to almost $500 million, agency documents show.

The authority asked for a third-party environmental review, required by state law, of the Boring proposal’s impact, records show. That’s when the process came to a halt.

“We tried to reach agreement with them,” said Carrie Schindler, the authority’s deputy executive director. “We went through the standard request for proposal process. And ultimately at the end of that process, they decided not to propose.”

Boring had powerful boosters from the time Mr. Musk declared his war on traffic in late 2016. Trump administration officials counseled the billionaire on how to pursue his stated goal of building an underground Hyperloop from New York to Washington. The Hyperloop, a concept Mr. Musk revived based on a proposal from the 1970s, calls for moving passengers through vacuum tubes at around 700 miles an hour. Despite an influx of investor interest, no commercial system has ever been constructed.

Mr. Musk tweeted in July 2017 that he had “verbal govt approval” for Boring to begin building the Hyperloop. Besieged by calls from the media and government officials, White House staff helped come up with a follow-up tweet, according to former government officials. “Still a lot of work needed to receive formal approval, but am optimistic that will occur rapidly,” Mr. Musk later tweeted.

That fall, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan was standing at a fenced-off site affixed with Boring signs near Fort Meade and telling a videographer to “get ready” for a high-speed train from Baltimore to Washington. Mr. Hogan declined to comment.

An aide to Mr. Hogan toured a parking-lot test site at the company’s then-headquarters near Los Angeles International Airport, getting a look at a tunnel-boring machine the company purchased secondhand. Boring named it Godot, the title character in Samuel Beckett’s play about a man who never shows up.

The Republican Hogan administration sped up the bureaucratic process for Boring, granting a conditional permit in October 2017 and an environmental permit a few months later.

All Boring had to do was bring its machine and start digging, former Maryland officials said. But months, and then years, passed. Maryland was waiting for Godot.

Boring deleted the Maryland project from its website last year.

The company also captured the attention of Chicago’s then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who wanted a high-speed rail link between O’Hare International Airport and the downtown business district.

In 2017, Mr. Musk proposed a Hyperloop-like solution, in which 16-passenger pods would be propelled through an underground tunnel on electric “skates” moving up to 125 miles an hour. Mr. Musk said he could do it for less than $1 billion, and that Boring would finance the job and keep the fare revenue for itself.

Mr. Emanuel’s Democratic administration selected Boring to develop the system. At a press conference with Mr. Musk, the mayor dismissed “doubters,” who he said also would have questioned other landmark projects, like the 1900 reversal of the flow of the Chicago River.

Mr. Waguespack, the alderman, and other elected officials challenged the cost estimates as absurdly low, warning that taxpayers would be on the hook if Boring couldn’t build as cheaply as it proposed. “It was a lot of flash and dash and not any kind of public discussion about whether it was even necessary or not,” Mr. Waguespack said.

Mr. Emanuel said in an interview that the company had promised to assume financial risk for building the proposed tunnel. The proposal didn’t go any further after Mr. Emanuel decided not to seek a third term.

Other Boring projects announced with fanfare, including a 3.6-mile underground high-speed transportation link from the Hollywood subway line to Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, also have failed to materialize.

Some sites where Boring once courted public attention are now abandoned. The entrance to its first demonstration tunnel sits behind a chain-link fence in a lot near SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif. In the California desert town of Adelanto, where city leaders once hailed the arrival of a Boring research operation, stacks of concrete lining segments sit alongside a short U-shaped section of tunnel partially blocked off with plywood amid rattlesnake warning signs.

For the past year, Boring has been directing potential clients to its work in Las Vegas as a showcase for what systems in their cities could look like.

“We’re fans of the Boring Company,” said Steve Hill, chief executive of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “We’re fans of clean transportation systems that are great. So we want to help.”

The convention authority paid Boring about $50 million to build two 0.8-mile single-direction tunnels connecting different wings of the sprawling convention center. It opened in the spring of 2021. This year, Boring completed a short offshoot between the facility and Resorts World casino and hotel.

The Clark County and Las Vegas city government councils have approved a 34-mile loop of tunnels that Boring will finance. Private casino and resort owners are being asked to pay for stations. The company plans to break ground soon on segments, Mr. Hill said.

Boring signed a 50-year contract to operate the Vegas loop and will collect revenue from ticket sales, sharing a small percentage with the city and county after crossing a quarterly revenue threshold.

To get a permit to begin operating the convention loop, Boring had to run a demonstration showing that it could move 4,400 passengers an hour.

Boring passed the test and received its permit, in a category called ATS, for Amusement and Transportation Systems—the same one that local officials award to roller coasters.

Crowds strain the network of individually driven cars far more than mass transit like light rail, according to some of the former executives. In social media postings, visitors have documented the loop’s Teslas sitting, underground, in traffic. The fleet of required accredited drivers adds to labor and administrative costs.

At the convention’s jam-packed auto products show this month, visitors queued in 10 lines in a subterranean station, waiting to hop into Teslas that drivers steered through a pair of tunnels just inches wider than the sedans themselves.

Boring employees directed attendees into cars. Mr. Davis, in a safety-orange sweatshirt, paced among them and talked to convention officials who later said he often manages operations on site. When approached by a reporter, he declined to comment.

Mr. Musk has lately tweeted videos of a Boring-designed machine, nicknamed Prufrock after the title character of the T.S. Eliot poem, digging test holes in the Texas dirt. Boring says Prufrock is designed to dig at one mile a week, and that a succeeding version will be able to dig 7 miles a day.

Boring says it can improve tunneling speeds with fully electrified machines and by digging continuously, rather than stopping to assemble sections of the tunnel wall. The company also says angling machines in from ground level will help avoid the cost of first digging a shaft to launch the machine.

Veterans of the tunneling industry note that tunnel-boring machines have been electrified for decades, and that neither continuous construction of the tunnel lining nor digging in from aboveground is new.

Boring’s speed claims are “totally unrealistic,” said Lok Home, president of the Robbins Co., a leading maker of tunnel-boring machines. “There’ll be improvements here, for sure, but there’s not going to be a revolution.”

Industry veterans said that in terms of cost, factors like property acquisition, permitting and engineering work, and the sheer complexity of digging through rock or soil matter far more than tunneling speed.

As for most of the tunneling Boring has done, in the desert soils of Las Vegas, Mr. Home said, “That’s about as easy as it gets.”

Public officials across the country remain eager to land Boring projects, and some are eyeing the roughly $1 trillion federal infrastructure law as a source of potential funding.

In Fort Lauderdale, Democratic Mayor Dean Trantalis is pointing to the availability of the funding as he tries to sell the public on a $100 million pair of Boring-built tunnels that would ferry beachgoers back and forth from downtown. Mr. Trantalis said that he was awe-struck by Boring’s Las Vegas project, which he toured last year.

North Miami Beach officials want to use federal infrastructure money to pay Boring for a tunnel project to reduce traffic.

On a lark, Vice Mayor Michael Joseph tweeted at Boring and Mr. Musk in February 2021. Company officials quickly expressed interest. “They just called me out of nowhere and said, ‘Hey, this is Boring,’” Mr. Joseph said. “I was very surprised they responded to my tweet.”

In Ontario, the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority hasn’t abandoned its tunnel dream. The authority is seeking bids from other construction companies to build tunnels, and from operators to run electric vehicles inside.

Ms. Schindler credited Boring with introducing local officials to the possibility of subterranean transportation that might cost less than more conventional aboveground systems.

“While I’m disappointed we’re not in design at this point and headed towards construction, I’m grateful for the disruption that I think got us going in a really viable direction,” she said.

The authority said it would still welcome a bid from the Boring Co.

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