#*fairly decent. not like proper

[stickers-on-a-laptop]

my headcanons on ken sato growing up in "la" are like. i refuse 👍 that man grew up in the fucking suburbs and you can take that headcanon from my dead cold hands

[funkypeanutbear]

Honestly discovered the best way to learn to fact check: came up to my biology professor today with a tumblr post about octopuses and their nervous system geeking out about some stuff that was written in there and he straight up went "lol girl that's not correct" but you know in that polite high learning establishment way and oh my gooood

[kipkoh]

I know it’s fairly popularized that Hunter liked being the Golden Guard but there was a line in Hunting Palisman that he says to Luz that has always captivated me: “At least you can figure out your own (future).”

This (not very subtle) statement of wishing to make his own decisions coupled with the fact that Hunter was studying wild magic even while he was still in the Coven is heavily indicative of the fact that he was dissatisfied with his role in life. I’m sure he was proud of being Golden Guard and really did want to help Belos in whatever way possible, but a big part of him did wish things could have been different for him. Those desires he announced in Thanks to Them were probably not spur of the moment ideas he wished he could have experienced before what he thought was going to be his death, but rather long term wants he’d been imagining himself taking part in even before he defected.

I’m bringing this idea up mostly because I keep thinking about Hunter’s life in the castle and the rare moments when he got to witness what normal kids lives were like. If the school tours of the castle were a common occurrence, I imagine he'd be curious enough to watch them when he could. At first he'd secretly trail them and observe how the kids interacted with each other, how they joked around with their friends, and overall how carefree they appeared. He'd watch the way they'd awe at the castle in a feeling of excitement he'd never gotten to share having grown up within those walls - the castle being all he’d ever known. Sometimes he'd imagine himself in one of their places - just a normal kid whose biggest worry was getting his homework finished before it was due instead of how he might be tossed aside and replaced by the one he called his family the second he was no longer of any use to him. At some point, maybe he would start avoiding the tours whenever they happened, not wanting to feel that painful yearning for a life that was never even within his grasp and instead choosing to try and forget about it completely in order to convince himself he was content being the person Belos wanted him to be.

Sometimes on his weekend missions he would encounter parents with their children just going about their everyday lives, smiling and happy and completely juxtaposed to his own experience with familial adults. He'd watch the ease of how a child's hand would slip into their parent's as if it was such a natural and common action, without even a hint of fear of negative consequence for the touch. Hunter would look down at his own hands mummified in leather and wonder why he'd never felt the gentle press of someone's loving palm against his own.

He'd watch two young children play fight with loose branches. He'd envy how their battle was pretend and the fact that neither of them were in any real danger. He'd silently scrutinize their battle form before offering to teach them proper tactics, only to be harshly turned away and reminded of the fact that normal kids didn't care, nor have a need, to know how to fight. He'd scoff at their lackluster ambitions and comment about how they would never join a decent Coven with attitudes like that, blatantly ignoring the fact that not everyone was forced to worry about proving their worth to everyone around them.

I don’t think Hunter going to Hexside to find new recruits in Any Sport In a Storm was just a random choice on his part. While there is some evidence that kids can choose to join the Covens early, it doesn’t seem like it’s something they’re forced to do before they at least finish school. Maybe they can be forced, which is what is implied when Hunter kidnapped the Emerald Entrails, but wouldn’t it be easier to seek out new recruits who would actually be willing to join of their own accord? Otherwise there would be no guarantee they would care enough to do their job well.

Hunter did try to recruit them naturally at first but when no one seemed interested, instead of moving on to a different group of people, he just chose to kidnap a group of kids and force them. He has this intense longing for a normal life but no way to reasonably go out and get it for himself, so instead he tries to bring that life to him instead. Maybe if there were other people his age around, it could be possible for him to experience even a taste of the camaraderie he’s seen the students on tours have towards one another. Of course a bunch of kidnapped kids might not want anything to do with him, but Hunter is probably desperate enough to where he didn’t really think it through that much. Either way, even if he can’t have that life for himself, maybe he’d feel less alone if he knew there were other kids experiencing the same struggles he was. Maybe he wouldn’t feel out of place if he wasn’t the only kid being forced to train for regular battles and missions. Maybe he wouldn’t feel as bad about not having the kind of parent-child relationships he sees in the streets if there were other kids around who never got to see their parents anyway. He wouldn’t be the only kid lost in a sea of adults at the castle who refused to respect him partly due to his age.

Of course we know it wouldn’t end up being the catharsis he’s seeking, but he’s willing to try. He’s spent over a decade in a life he wasn’t sure he wanted, constantly yearning for something more with other people always (though unwittingly) waving around their happy, normal lives in front of his face. He’s sad, he’s alone, he probably feels super guilty about it because he still wants to be what Belos wants and can’t… He’s probably spent his whole life in a constant internal struggle trying to either ignore his own desires or attempt to find a balance between his personal wants and his job that never truly existed.

[ghostaholics]

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄𝐒 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐂

➸ PAIRING: Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley x gn!Reader ➸ TAGS/WARNING(S): none ➸ BANNER CREDIT: cafekitsune & benkeibear

Detail-oriented, exceptional manual dexterity when it comes to sewing him up. Your movements are careful and controlled – meticulous with regards to everything that you do but especially focused on how the edges line up so that they don’t overlap. Other medics – they'll rush. Botch it. A shoddy job like tectonic plates of skin forced to converge on each other, because in his line of work, stitches are an afterthought when there's another bloke with a sucking chest wound whose deep in the throes of respiratory distress and the only immediate threat about Ghost's own injury is the small amount of blood he'll lose. Whatever will get it closed. Nobody else cares much about the cosmetic factor. But you do. Painstakingly so. It's a thankless job to spend three times longer than it should to get it right, but he makes sure to express his appreciation for the consideration you put into every single graze/cut/gash (even more diligent if the injury's to any part of his arm that could mess up his tattoo sleeve). They always heal nicely.

He looks for you, after-hours – well late into the night because you were occupied patching up other soldiers. It'd been a grueling mission, lots of WIAs needing your attention. He doesn't even have a good excuse for this. It's a trivial thing, maybe, to bother you. Like asking Atlas for a favour, with the weight of the world on your shoulders and the soul-crushing responsibility of holding lives in the palms of your hands as though you're the last line of defense against death. This is stupid. This is beyond fucking stupid of him. Almost turns around and walks away from the medical tent, because that's how ridiculous it is. But he convinces himself to head in, asking if you can fix the stitching on his mask because the only person he trusts more than himself to do it is you. Though his request is benign, the significance behind it is profound in ways that he won't admit to himself. There are very few people he can count on. And of course, you say yes with a tired smile and a brightness in your eyes that never seems to dull in front of him no matter how exhausted you might be. It's one of the rare instance he lets his guard down, shows his face. He keeps you company the entire time, telling you about why he wears that mask while you restore it back to original condition.

The irony of having an injured medic: Simon's saddled with the pitiful task of having to step into your role because there's a gash on your forearm that needs to be taken care of. He knows how to do a basic stitch – is fairly confident that he can thread the sutures just like you’d showed him a million times by now whenever he’d been looking for a reason to see you ( ❝ Show me how to do it right. The proper way, yeah? ❞ ). And he's admonishing you to hold still, except it's sort of difficult when you're being treated like a bloody pincushion. He'd never let anybody else get away with making fun of him for that but this is you so he lets it slide. After talking him through it (which you find quite odd, considering that he never would've struck you as someone who’d need extra time and help), you inspect his handiwork, mildly impressed.

❝ Oh, you actually... well, you did quite a decent job. ❞ ❝ Of course. ❞ Because he wouldn't settle for anything less than perfecti— ❝ But then again, it is a little off over here, ❞ you point out, just to deflate his pride. There's still smugness to his tone. ❝ Would you like me to start over, then? ❞ ❝ Not on your life, Riley. ❞

He doesn’t mention how phenomenal he is at suturing, doesn’t mention that he sat in on a class for combat specialists early on in his career even though he didn't need to be there and was commended for his technique by the leading instructor. He definitely doesn't bring up the fact that he's been taking long on purpose just because he likes your company.

[rivendell-poet]

May I request a SFW Alphabet for Legolas? Regardless, thank you for feeding us well <3

Of course you may! Thanks so much for the compliment, hopefully this helps feed the hunger as well <3 (And thank you so much for the request!)

*･༓˚✧❝𝐒𝐅𝐖 𝐀𝐥𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭 - 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐬❞‧͙⁺˚༓˚✧ « SFW Alphabet »

Wordcount : 2.7k (not including questions wordcount)

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?) Legolas is fairly affectionate, he loves you and very much wants you to be aware of that, but he doesn't show it in obvious ways. His main way is spending time with you, simply being next to you and listening - staring at you with a quiet focus mixed with adoration. He also does a lot of little gestures, like getting up ahead of time to order breakfast for the both of you because he knew you wanted something hot. Or not getting out of bed at all, and staying put for hours because he knows you've been having a rough few days and you seem to get less nightmares when in his arms.

Does also do traditional shows of affection like giving you gifts (either very extravagant or literally a flower he found that was pretty).

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?) Legolas doesn't have too many friends, so when he has you you're very dear to him. Very much becomes a ride or die for you - and is willing to do a lot of things for you. Slightly concerning at times. You'll mention something almost impossible as a joke and he'll get his plotting face on, and you have to reassure him that the plot to usurp Elrond is just a joke.

Very much wants you and Aragorn and Gimli to like each other (if you don't) but doesn't understand that he's supposed to socialise with the three of you once he's introduced you guys. Just stands in the corner and stares at you anxiously because he's scared you won't like each other. You and Aragorn coax him back into socialising.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?) Somewhat foreign concept to him, elves aren't big on physical touch, so he doesn't initiate at first - simply because he doesn't know what they are. Once he's learnt what they are he'll occasionally initiate cuddling, but generally just comes near you and you have to pull him over.

More enjoys just lying in you, honestly. Is very happy to simply lie next to you and snuggle closer, although the two of you debate if this is a 'proper' cuddle.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?) Settle down in the way that you'll always be together and know you both love each other until the end of the world? Because he wants to do that. In terms of having a home and living there forever? Legolas does want a home, but he sees 'home' as less of a specific house and more a general location - Mirkwood is home to him, and he doesn't feel the need to be more specific. He enjoys the aspect of wandering and doesn't want to be tied down (also knows you'll both go to Valinor eventually - so what's the point in building something here?) If you really want to settle down he will, and he's content as long as you let him go off on a small adventure every now and then.

Legolas is not incredible at the act of cleaning itself, but is nothing if not determined. He will clean up that stain using nothing but water and his own shirt, even if it takes too long. Cleans up if he wakes before you. Also, his very presence seems to repel dirt - so you've got that covered. He's decent at cooking, not incredible but works well with a lot of ingredients and it tastes good. Excelles in recepies that require patience, can stand there and stir whatever needs stiring for ages. (If he's bored he has been know to watch food cook, claims it's more interesting than you think.)

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?) Elves only fall in love once, so he truly doesn't want to do this. He will stick with you through thick and thin, would walk through fire for you. The only way I can see him ending it is if the relationship became abusive, because he would try to solve and problems the two of you have.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?) Again, his love for you is the one love he'll have in his life - he is very committed. Will be with you, and probably be committed to an unhealthy amount. To him, marriage isn't necessary but a show of commitment. He's always wanted to get married to you, but he wants to save proposal for that special moment. Also understands it's a much slower affair in human culture. (Bonus : His wedding outfit is a slightly more extravagant version of the outfit he wore at Aragorn's coronation.)

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?) Legolas is very gentle physically, he's generally quite gentle but takes extra care with you. Is very relaxed around you, so a lot of the time when he hugs you or holds your hand it's with almost no force at all. Is very light, so enjoys being able to lay on you without crushing you. Emotionally he leans to gentle, but it's not a conscious choice as he's naturally very caring so doesn't want to upset you. Also sees no reason to not be himself around you, so doesn't try to tone himself down.

Knows he's not great with human emotions, so cares very deeply about learning them. Will sit down with you every now and then to check how you're doing, and if you're happy. Tries to learn your different faces and tells as well as what emotion goes with them. He does pretty well, as he is a very observant person. (Is secretly proud of himself for correctly identifying a lot of your moods.)

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?) Legolas is fine with hugs, but prefers a little warning. Doesn't like it if you hug him really tightly and pin his arms in your hug - it makes him feel trapped and vulnerable. Plus he can't hug you back. Is good with tight hugs if you let his arms free, although he can never master giving them quite tightly enough. Can never quite master hugs in general, to be honest. You can feel when he hugs you because it's always a very timid start. You have to teach him it's ok to hug you tighter as well, and he does get it eventually. Likes putting his head in the crook of your neck, regardless of your height dynamics.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?) Accidentally confesses it by calling you 'melleth nîn' while he's complimenting you. You pick it up and question him about it, and he's just like 'yes?'. Of course you're the love of my life, I'm courting you. So of course I love you. Doesn't understand the big deal until you explain it to him. Is apologetic, but confirms he means it. (This is also how he realises that proposal is actually a big deal, and he should make sure to have it be romantic and at an appropriate time.) Will still use it very liberally however.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?) More jealous if someone is having a lot of physical contact with you than if their flirting with you, simply because he views it as more intimate. Still, he isn't a very jealous person by nature as he's confident you love him - you're his one and only, so he's your one and only. If he does get jealous he simply inserts himself into the conversation and slowly becomes more and more obvious by dropping hints. (Will plead he doesn't understand human culture the first times he does it.) If it's in a setting where it allows, he sometimes does over-the-top tricks to show-off for you.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?) Enjoys gentle but long kisses, so that's the kind he tends to initiate. These are on the lips, and you can always tell he wants one because his eyes will slowly focus more and more on your lips before looking to your eyes, as if asking permission. Sometimes if he's feeling mischevious he'll sneak up on you and announce his presence with a soft, very light kiss to the neck. Always in the same slightly unusual but specific place so you know it's him. He enjoys the kisses he likes to give, although a good way to make him slow down and snap him out of him overthinking is a kiss on the cheek. He'll stop and gently put his fingers to it before smiling at you.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?) Is very good at impressing them with fancy tricks, is less good at actually interacting with them. He just hasn't seen many kids so they're a very new phenomenon to him that takes some time to figure out. You have had to stop him giving knives to small children so they can try and replicate his tricks. You know he won't actually let them come to harm, but you don't want him to give their parents a heart attack. Ocassionally, if a child has done something especially odd he stops and blinks at them, processing whatever they've done. This face never fails to make your laugh.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?) As an elf, he needs to sleep a lot less than a human so gets up earlier than you almost all the time. If you're a heavy enough sleeper he'll often get out of bed a little before you wake up to freshen up the house, make you coffee/tea if you like that in the morning. If you've expressed preference for a particular food he might cook that. However, he almost always comes back to you before you wake up so you can wake up together. If you're a light sleeper he is more than happy to wake up and simply spend hours in your arms, very occassionally falls asleep in them so when you wake up you have a half-asleep elf cuddling you.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?) Often a bit more energetic than you, but enjoys simply sitting down and relaxing without the need to do anything. Will drag you out to look at the stars if they're pretty enough, although gets pretty good at guaging whether or not you'd want to that specific time. If you're a heavy sleeper he gladly goes to bed with you, if you're a light sleeper he joins you most nights but every now and then stays up a little later. Is very concious to be quiet so you aren't awoken.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?) Doesn't really occur to him to tell you a lot about himself. Will gladly talk if it comes up, and every now and then you have a few hours where you ask questions about him and he answers them. Even with things he struggles with he is very open, although more reserved and probably wouldn't say until a few months into dating. The times he talks about himself without prompting are usually stories he thinks you'd enjoy hearing - likes to do this while it's quiet and there isn't anything going on.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?) He's waited thousands of years to fall in love, he's very patient with you. Happy to talk you through steps a third or even a sixth time without complaint, the instructions just as clear as the last time. The only things that really anger him are when you act recklessly, although that's born out of a fear of losing you rather than anything malicious. Will go over and talk to you instead of bottling up his anger, and is transparent about it.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?) It depends on what the topic is. Some topics, like that specific boque you liked with these flowers that had a certain scent and the third rose wasn't in full bloom, he remembers very well. Also good with your armour and personal details. However details that are more 'human' or not very important to him he sometimes struggles to remember. Is still enthusiastic and engages when you share these things with him, however. He just doesn't always remember them as well. If he feels their slipping from memory he sometimes randomly asks you.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?) He remembers your first day in Mirkwood, and how amazed you'd been by everything. His favourite part of the day was when he realised how bright the stars would look to you after you'd been in Mirkwood's night. The two of you had gone to the top of the trees together and stargazed in each other's arms as you tried to identify the constellations in such a different place. He loves it because it was the blending of the most important things in his life, and your willingness to love him even when he does stuff like this.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?) He's grown up for a lot of his life surrounded by guards, so he understands the annoyance of having several people around you everyday. Which is why it's just him! But seriously, he sees the duty of being a guard as an honour - so does enjoy being near you and being prepared to protect you. However, he's good at going into combat so isn't as much 'on guard' as he is simply spending time with you, only a thought in the back of his mind of him doing this to keep you safe. He's most vulnerable when sleeping or trying to go to sleep, so very much appriciates you being there - even more so if you hold him.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?) Is very good simply because he has the time to do so, and the patience. He's going to be awake for a few hours without you, so why not use those hours doing something for you? Pretty original with this gifts and dates, as he has the means to get variety and the best of the best. Isn't a super craft-y person but you can tell he's really thought about you when he presents you with a gift he's brought. Legolas isn't the best at everyday tasks, although that's more because he had them done for him most of his life. He does try.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?) He was a prince, so there are some aspects in which he's slightly spoiled. Although he could do a lot of basic tasks, and tasks that are needed in the wilderness, he does sometimes struggle with more basic things. He's also confident that he'll figure it out, so often doesn't tell you and just keeps struggling. Very occassionally forgets he needs to do things himself if he wants them done, so will leave something out and then be confused why it hasn't been fixed before remembering.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?) Quite concerned with his looks - he's an elf. A small part of him thinks elves are mainly known for their beauty, and if he doesn't keep it up you'll lose a lot of love for him/he won't be the elf you married. Cleaning and braiding his hair is often how he tries to regulate his emotions. If he's particularly stressed he'll spend a lot of time brushing and re-braiding his hair, sometimes to an obsessive amount.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?) Would not feel whole without you. When he fell in love with you, he gave you a piece of his heart forever - and that piece will always be with you, even if you break up. There's a piece of him missing when you finally pass away, and he'd much rather have Luthien's gift than be without you for all eternity.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.) After Gimli introduces him to them, Legolas becomes enamoured by crystals. Collects lots of them, knows how they form and what they symbolise. Has a 'crystal of the week' which he puts on a special black velvet stand and admires it. His reasons for crystal of the week are very cryptic, and he doesn't seem to have particular likes. Will point out random crystals that 'remind him of you'.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?) Needs someone who appriciates greenery. You don't have to go on hikes with him, or be gardening, but when he shows you something incredible he wants to see that look of wonder in your eyes. Especially when his whole life he's been trying to turn Mirkwood back into the beauty it is after Sauron's defeat, it's an important part of himself that represents healing to him.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?) Not a heavy or a light sleeper, although he seems aware of his surroundings - even in his sleep. Sometimes goes to bed later than you if you're a light sleeper as he doesn't sleep as long, and he doesn't want to wake you when he gets up. Will happily stay with you just before you wake up for early morning cuddles, however.

A/N : Thanks so much for requesting again! And again, hope you enjoyed! Also, special thanks to you Xiao - both one of my first requesters, but also one of the first people who interacted with my works <3

thank you for reading *･༓˚✧wish to be tagged?

[sirfrogsworth]

Photo Restoration Project - Part 1

A long time ago, Katrina sent me some old photos of her family I could restore. Her parents have been helping me from afar for years and I really wanted to do something nice for them. Unfortunately my dad got much worse and I pretty much forgot about this project for quite some time.

But then I decided to visit Katrina in Orlando and we discussed having dinner with her parents and I remembered these photos. So I thought I would fix them up so I could present them as a gift in person.

The first and most important photo was from her parents wedding.

Old photo prints can fade over time due to UV light exposure. From what I understand, different colors fade at different rates and red/orange tones tend to be the least susceptible to this fading. Thankfully all of the color information is still there, it's just that the darks are not as dark and the lights are not as light. The dynamic range got squeezed like an accordion. However, if you do a levels adjustment on the red, blue, and green channels individually, you can unsqueeze the accordion and balance everything back to the way it was.

But you can't always save everything and there may be other damage that needs fixing. If something becomes pure white, there is no way to restore that detail. Thankfully I was able to use the new generative fill feature to bring back detail in the dress, the flowers, and the tuxedo shirt.

And because I hate front facing flash and how it makes colors look ugly and sterile, I may have also added a marble floor and pillars.

Next up was a photo of Anastasia, Katrina's mom, protesting Henry Kissinger on behalf of her home country of Greece. This suffered from the same color fading issues.

What made this one a little more tricky was an uneven fading. The left side had to be adjusted independently and the top was even more faded. I had to isolate the trees to bring back their color. And the protest signs were difficult to read, so I enhanced those as well.

Next we have this lovely photo of Anastasia tending to some house plants.

This photo was actually in decent shape. It lost a little contrast, had a little bit of fading, and her top retained almost no detail I could recover. Recovering accurate skin tones is probably one of the most important skills I learned when restoring these photos. I wanted to keep that filmic look of the era while avoiding making people look jaundiced or pale. Lightroom's new masking feature that let's you isolate every aspect of the people it detects in a photo. This made fixing skin tones much easier. I could isolate just her face or her lips or her hair or her eyes and make precise individual adjustments. This process could have taken a great deal longer without this feature. But, I brought back proper contrast and color, added a little bit of detail to her top with gen fill, and hopefully got fairly accurate skin tones as well.

Next up, forward facing flash strikes again in a photo of Mike and Anastasia during Christmas.

Film did not do well in low light. If it was indoors and nighttime, you pretty much had no choice but to use flash. But a flash is a very small, bright light source and this causes a very unflattering result on humans. Today we have much more powerful flashes with rotating heads. We can bounce the light into the ceiling or off a wall and increase the size of the light source to get a more flattering result.

In this photo I wasn't able to do much, so I just balanced the skin tones and brought out some hidden detail and called it a day. It's still a lovely memory and thankfully film has such character that it negates a lot of the unflattering aspects of direct flash.

Next up is some cuteness...

A big priority when editing photos is to make sure the subjects are the star of the photo. And in this one their faces were a bit obscured in shadow. There was also a lot of haze in the background hiding the beautiful vista. Not to mention when I cleared that haze, there was this super faint hint of something in the sky. I can't tell if it was a rainbow, but I decided to believe it was a rainbow. The only thing that I am still struggling with, and this seems to be common with a lot of old photos, is green. Getting a good, saturated, natural green to look right has been very difficult. Everything I try ends up looking toxic or fake. The only thing that ends up looking right with the rest of the photo is more of a yellow-y brown. It's something I'll have to work on as I learn, but as long as the overall photo looks balanced and natural, I'm okay with not perfectly nailing the greens.

Up next we have a lovely scene on a Greek dock...

As far as editing goes, this was pretty basic. I just undid the fading, adjusted the skin tones, replaced the blown-out sky, and made the colors pop. But I think this is actually one of my favorite before and after shots. I just love how such a simple fix brought this scene to life.

A new car is a big deal and Anastasia looks so proud here...

This image has another common issue in addition to the typical fading of colors. It has a yellowish orange color cast. This could have been an issue with the film used or the development process or a chemical reaction on the print. A color cast is a lot like looking through colored glasses. It's like a translucent color material was put on top of the image. This can be a little trickier to deal with, but if you know your color theory, you might already know the solution. Blue is the opposite of yellow/orange on the color wheel, so if you introduce blue to the image it should balance out. Also, add a sky if it was missing.

Next up we have a landscaping project...

This one wasn't too tricky, but there was one interesting issue I had to address. All light has a color temperature. Daylight has a temperature of around 5500K. But the inside of the garage was being lit by reflected light and so that light took on the color temperature of the things it was bouncing off of. So I had to mask out the people and the car and address the color temperature inside the garage to make everything look balanced. Also, the green fought me hard on this one. And with the theme of this picture being plants, I felt I really needed to find a tone that worked. I think I finally got there, but I spent way too much time in the color picker doing trial and error of green tones. Also, new sky.

With this next one I actually did a pretty thorough explanation of how I edited it. But this was probably my favorite puzzle to solve from this collection of photos.

I'll do the abridged explanation...

The physical photograph was printed on a paper with a very heavy texture. And when it was scanned, the light from the scanner bounced off that texture and created a pattern of unwanted highlights.

I was worried this was impossible to fix and I almost gave up on this photo. But after one final Google search I discovered something called "Fast Fourier Transform." It's a mathematical formula that can be used to detect patterns. And the image editing software Affinity Photo, just so happens to have a filter called FFT denoise that helps you remove unwanted patterns from scanned photos.

And thanks to that filter, I was able to remove a substantial amount of that pattern...

Then I did my standard clean up techniques...

Oh, and I decided to try learning how to colorize.

Photoshop has a new set of experimental filters and a colorization tool is one of them. It is not great yet, but it is a great starting place. Instead of having to hand paint every single thing in the photo, Photoshop gave me a base to work with and I could take it from there with traditional techniques.

That's all I have the energy for today, but there are a bunch of cool restorations to talk about. Hopefully you all find this interesting. It was such a great gift to give to Katrina's parents. And spending that time with them and making them happy felt like I was with my own parents again. So we all got a gift in that wonderful evening.

Part 2 coming as soon as I have the energy!

[mypimpademia]

— College

College student! Bakugo x College student! Black! Fem! Reader

Synopsis: Headcanons of how Bakugo would be as a college student + what it’d be like to date him.

TW: Swearing, mentions of injuries, suggestive on some parts

Note: Made with the help of @katsumiiii <3. Also this is a sort of implied quirkless au bc it’s a college au but it doesn’t matter too much.

⇶ When Katsuki gets to college, he mellows out a whole lot

⇶ Of course he’s more mature than he was in high school. But now, he has a very obvious security in himself and is like a whole new person

⇶ He’s much quieter, and keeps to himself for the most part

⇶ Somehow, he’s even more focused on his goals than ever, and because of that he just doesn’t have energy to waste on cussing people out and yelling all the time

⇶ He has so much going for himself and he knows it, his priorities are set in stone and nothing can keep him from reaching his goals

⇶ Katsuki would likely major in something related to business whether it’s actually business, finance, analytics, etc, that’s all he can see himself in, and he’d fit the part well

⇶ Even though Katsuki has worked through a lot of his issues by this point, he still has a lot of frustration and stress he needs to channel

⇶ And being competitive by nature, he joins the football team and boxes on the side

⇶ Despite most of his teammates being fairly popular, Katsuki is extremely lowkey

⇶ He is still very popular, in a sense. People know him and know of him, but he minds his business and hardly speaks to most people

⇶ But of course the one person he spends as much time with as possible is his pretty girlfriend

⇶ What drew Katsuki to you initially was your determination and work ethic

⇶ You were smart, and heavily involved with the school and your peers, and he found this oddly attractive

⇶ Before getting together, you were decently known through your in involvement around campus. But after, you were both school celebrities

⇶ Everyone knew, or knew of, the two of you. And they all knew you belonged to each other

⇶ Though, you were both so busy that you’re hardly together during the week

⇶ But you always make your way towards each other by the end of the day, and compensate for lost time over the weekends

⇶ During your freshman year, you’d sneak into each others dorms for the weekend to spend time with one another

⇶ Of course, staying in a drab dorm room all day could be boring, even with company

⇶ So the two of you would always end up taking little adventures together whether it was a walk around campus, driving around town, shopping, or going out to eat, you always made sure your time was well spent

⇶ By your sophomore year, Katsuki would get his own apartment near by the campus

⇶ And although you still had a dorm, you essentially lived with him

⇶ A good chunk of your clothes and shoes were there, he bought all your body care for you so you weren’t taking it back and forth, more bonnets than you’d ever need, and of course, him.

⇶ But it was an advantage to the both of you, and your relationship. Because as busy as the two of you could get sometimes, even if you didn’t see each other the whole day, laying in the same bed at night was enough for you

⇶ During the week, even if your schedules had no alignment whatsoever, Katsuki would always make time to see you

⇶ He has a special knack for always knowing where you were at all times, and knew just when to show up, even if your location was off and you hadn’t communicated where you were to him in the slightest

⇶ This especially comes into play in the context of getting all three meals in on a daily basis

⇶ Katsuki still loves to cook, and he’s never played about having a proper diet and he won’t start with you

⇶ Even if he’s gone from his apartment by the time you wake up, there’s a nice warm breakfast sitting on his counter for you

⇶ And no matter where you are come lunch, he’ll make sure that you eat

Katsu💖: You eat yet princess?

You: Nah, I don’t have time to eat rn anyways

You: I think ima just skip lunch ngl

Katsu💖: The fuck do you mean you’re gonna skip lunch

You: I mean I’m gonna skip lunch!

Katsu💖: No tf you’re not

Katsu💖: I’m otw I’m bringing you food

You: bro

You: my location not even on rn fym you’re otw🧍‍♀️

Katsu💖: ? I don’t need your location to be on to know where you are

Katsu💖: What kind of bf would I be if I didn’t know where my gf was

Katsu💖: Especially if I just let her voluntarily starve like a dumbass

You: Alr.

Katsu💖: What do you take me for??? A fucking loser???

You: Now what if I said yes Katsuki.

Katsu💖: Then you’re not getting food

You: Yeahhhh okay😂😂😂😂

Katsu💖: I’m outside

Katsu💖: Hurry up before I change my mind🤦‍♂️

You: Ty bbg😋

Katsu💖: Do not call me that

⇶ Katsuki pulls his random “I’m outside” texts often

⇶ Usually, it’s to bring you some food, and sometimes he just misses his girl

⇶ As crazy as they may be at times, seeing that notification pop up never fails to make you smile

⇶ Nobody misses it when you smile like that either, you’re so well known as a pair that it’s expected that you’re going to see him when you basically skip out of the room

⇶ Unfortunately, being a well known pair doesn’t stop audacious people from hitting on either of you

⇶ On Katsuki’s end, he think people are insane when they approach him in such a way knowing that he’s dating you

⇶ It’s such a slap in the face whenever it happens, that he can do nothing but stare at the person like they’re stupid until they go away

⇶ On your end, Katsuki’s temper jumps out whenever people get the nerve to approach you in any sort of flirtatious way

⇶ If he’s in the area whenever it happens, he always pops up to remove the person from your space

⇶ If he’s not, you always tell him exactly what happened and the only response you ever get is, “I’ll handle it.”

⇶ Regardless of whether or not he’s present, he always handles it by having a less than friendly exchange with your pursuer that usually puts an end to things

⇶ If the person decides to persist for some reason, you become more reluctant to tell Katsuki about it

⇶ You know he cares about you, but you don’t want him stressing or putting to much energy into something that’s not worth it

⇶ But Katsuki can read you like a book, and to him, no energy that goes towards you is ever too much

⇶ Though Katsuki’s is reputation is fairly polished, it’s only blemishes come from people he ended up fighting over you

⇶ Days where neither of you are busy are both of your favorite days

⇶ They’re usually spent at his apartment, or running errands together

⇶ And of course, he squeezes in time for dates

⇶ On occasion, he’ll randomly tell you to get dressed up nice before taking you out for a fancy dinner and spoiling you with delicious food and thoughtful gifts

⇶ While you always stress about him spending so much money on you when he doesn’t let you do the same, he doesn’t mind at all

⇶ To others, Katsuki always seems to have a suspicious amount of money for a college student

⇶ It sparks some rumors, but nobody cares enough to make a big deal about it

⇶ The truth is, he makes money by modeling for his mom on the side, and makes a little off boxing as well

⇶ And if he’s being honest, most of his money goes to you

⇶ He pays for your hair products, hair, nails, clothes, random things you want, and sometimes even your groceries

⇶ Most of the time, you do small dates like picnics and study dates

⇶ He’ll set a cozy mood in his apartment with a led lights, a playlist going, candles lit, and both of you in matching pajamas

⇶ Katsuki makes snacks during breaks and gives you kisses whenever you get a question right

⇶ And what kind of boyfriend would he be if he wasn’t your personal tutor? He helps you on all and any work that you have, and if he doesn’t know jack shit about the class he’ll learn just for you

⇶ On days where just one of you is busy, you’re still attached at the hip, tagging along wherever the other goes just to be in each others presence

⇶ Game days are “secretly” Katsuki’s favorite

⇶ There’s a certain feeling that he only gets when he sees you wearing his jersey and hears you shouting his name from the stands

⇶ Runs over to talk to you whenever he gets a chance, even if he’s not supposed to be over there

⇶ Takes his good luck kisses VERY seriously, and honestly gets frustrated if he doesn’t get one both before the game and during half time

⇶ Even though he’s supposed to be with the team after games, he somehow always manages to slip away and simply go straight home with you

⇶ Half the time, he should be going to his trainers to get any cuts and bruises treated, but he’ll break a bone before he goes to a trainer instead of you

⇶ Puts it on everything that he heals extra fast when you do it, and even faster if you kiss him while you patch him up

⇶ While cleaning him up should really only take 30 minutes, it always ends up taking 2 hours because Katsuki can’t keep his hands to himself

⇶ Always going to kiss you on your lips, cheeks, and neck, always trying to hold your hands, grab at your thighs, pull you closer by your waist

⇶ You can hardly manage to ice a bruise when he gets like this

⇶ But when you finally get done cleaning him up, he thanks you and smothers you with more kisses

⇶ Cooks up a nice dinner to curl up on the couch with, and puts on a movie that you more than likely fall asleep to

⇶ But like the good boyfriend he is, Katsuki carries you to bed where he puts your bonnet on for you and crawls into bed with you

⇶ Coming home to you is by far Katsuki’s favorite part of his day, and even with the path in front of him, he thinks he’d be lost without you

—

Taglist: @megurulvr @ivanine @planetlunaa @rynfiles @szaplsdropthealbum @dreampurpledreams @goldenglow149 @gender-queery @roaringlion @cosmiles @tatiquichi @kxtsxkii @lillizxzz @starsoir @nikorubakugou @ruubric

Send in an ask or DM me to be added to all taglists, or fill out my form to be added to select ones.

—

Thank you for reading, follow for more! Comments and reblogs are appreciated! <3

[mayakern]

why are the petticoats so expensive? everything comparable on Amazon is like 15-20 bucks. ive got one myself and the fabric is already quite decent. now obviously the one i bought won't work for everybody but i can't for the life of me figure out why yours are $60 more. what's the draw

it's all down to the quality of material + the cost of ethical labor

our petticoats are made in a factory with certifications for both ethical labor and responsible textile production, which means workers are paid fairly and have good working conditions and the factory doesn't use harmful chemicals like formaldehyde or materials like lead to process the fabric, which is very common in cheap clothing.

our petticoats also use real tulle instead of organdy and a real satin blend instead of polyester. because of this and the quality sewing, these petticoats are built to last you for a considerable amount of time, given the proper care.

our petticoats aren't going to be a viable option for everyone and i recognize that, which is why i'm not deleting my cheaper petticoat recommendations from my FAQ. but for those who can afford it, that is why they are more expensive.

[thearchercore]

Im going to ask a really dumb question but I’m a brand new fan to F1. Why is Max so hated?? Because he wins a lot?? I keep seeing snippets of drivers talking about how lovely a person he is, just rather blunt, so I’m genuinely confused why there’s such an intense dislike of him.

well, he was raised differently to other drivers. with his dad being a former f1 driver (with borderline or outright abusive strict parenting and training techniques), he had faster transition to f1 than the others. he was basically the face of child labour. at the time, because of that, he wasn't really treated as a "rookie" because older drivers didn't respect him and the rest made fun of him for being too young to even be in f1 when most kids did f2 first.

he got promoted to a top team fairly quickly and that started his long run with red bull. that being said, starting in f1 so young came with maturing WITHIN the sport, while so many cameras were on him, so he was bound to make mistakes as he was figuring things out and like, growing up to be a proper adult.

he also is known to race hard and push his car to the limits, which gave him nicknames like max "crashtappen". i'm not gonna excuse anything he did that people still criticize him for to this day but i think growing up in this environment and being in front of brutal press since he was 17 must have taken a toll on him.

add to that drive to survive debuting during his years (and the show chose daniel as unsaid protagonist which meant they painted max as a villain). so even locals disliked him automatically because he got a bad edit on a show that was globally accessible to every netflix subscriber.

then, his title fight in 2021 was a rough one, mercedes wasn't exactly playing nice and there was a whole controversy about the final race which didn't make things better.

then there's the question of dominance that max grew over 2022-2023. he broke numerous records by being the fastest driver in the fastest car. if you're successul, people will dislike you. that's always happening.

so, yes, this is a long story short essentially but i think i covered most angles why some may dislike him.

at the end of the day, i think when you take all these factors into consideration, his abusive father, all the bad people that influenced him in his formative years, press choosing him to be the enemy from day one, and then netflix doubling down on that and making things worse, i think the max we have today is a mature individual who, despite everything life threw at him, grew up to be a very decent and nice person

[cakerybakery]

When Adam woke up with a yawn, a stretch of his blackened wings, and needing a moment for his eyes to adjust, Lucifer paused with his shovelling dirt into Adam’s grave.

“What in the unholy hell?!” Lucifer was taken aback. Adam was dead. Like, double dead, dead. No takeses backses. Dust to dust. Soul cast into the ether. Dead.

But he was sitting in the grave Lucifer dug to give someone he once knew, however briefly, a proper funeral.

Adam fully woke up and realized he was in a hole in the ground, covered in dirt, and Lucifer was standing over the edge of the hole with a shovel.

“What the fuck?!? What the hell are you doing, you fucking freak?!”

Lucifer looked at his shovel, the hole, and the pile of dirt behind him. “Uhhhh, burying you?”

Adam launched himself out of the grave and tackled Lucifer, who just hit him with the shovel.

Crumbling from the hit, Adam lay at Lucifer’s feet. He looked from the shovel to Adam, then to the hole, and considered for a moment just, pushing Adam back in and finishing the job.

But if angelic steel only turned Adam into a sinner, the completely normal shovel didn’t stand a chance of killing the man. At least not forever.

Unsure what to do, he called for Charlie.

It would take months of Adam antagonizing everyone he could before he and Lucifer would have a right proper row.

Adam was sporting the beginnings of a black eye. Lucifer lip was busted open. Adam’s ribs were sore and he was sure they were bruised if not broken. Lucifer would have a limp for the next week as it slowly healed the broken femur.

But as they lay on the ground of Lucifer’s room, huffing and trying to catch their breath, they both had to agree that was the best sex either of them had had in a long time.

They kept finding excuses to fight and fuck. Adam wouldn’t listen to Charlie’s lesson. Lucifer would trip Adam in the hall. Adam would insult Lucifer. Lucifer would insult Adam.

Then it just turned petty. A fight because Lucifer passed him the salt instead of the pepper. A fight because Adam was too close to his personal space.

After sometime it became nonchalant. A bump of the hands and they’d met in a closet. A look and Adam was on his back crying out Lucifer’s name in his bed.

Bitter insults became make out sessions instead. Sometime around Adam learning to give fairly decent head and Lucifer giving him gifts simply because he thought of Adam when he saw something, Adam started to feel, funny.

Something was wrong. He wasn’t much of a cuddler, but he found himself enjoying Lucifer curled up against him. He stopped leaving Lucifer’s room as well. He wouldn’t eat anything unless Lucifer brought it. He started to rearrange the room.

Suddenly, in the middle of the night his stomach cramped. He sudden cries of pain woke Lucifer.

Adam needed to go to the bathroom. He needed to go now. But they couldn’t get that far, he was on his knees being supported by Lucifer when he bore down. He screamed in pain and held onto Lucifer as he pushed. Adam tried to apologize for the mess he was making, for being gross, but he couldn’t do much more than moan and shake.

Lucifer looked though. “Adam, you’re going to have to push at the next urge, okay? Trust me.”

So he did. He did what his instincts told him to. And after he just felt relief.

Adam felt like a train wreck. Sweaty, tears running down his cheeks, oh so sore. He didn’t want to look at the mess he just made. Adam wanted to pretend it never happened and swore of spicy chicken wings forever.

Lucifer helped him lay down. Then he took a sheet and wrapped up what Adam left on the bed.

He was surprised when Lucifer brought it up to Adam.

He was even more surprised to see an egg.

“Guess this is why your stomach has been a lot harder than normal.”

Adam was tired. Too fucking tired to deal with this. Lucifer laid the egg in Adam’s arms and set to work cleaning up.

He wasn’t going to tell Adam how gross the bed was. Using his powers he cleaned everything up and first chance he got he'd burn the bed and replace it without telling Adam. But for now they'd sleep.

[sea-lanterns]

I fully believe Lynette was proud of her marks on you until she saw her father shocked to silence. So much so that in the morning she took the time to go over all of the marks she left and deepen them if they looked like they were going to fade. In fact, she requested you wear a fairly light sundress with a deep back so people could see who you belong to. It’s only when father is so shocked that she looks like a scolded kitten, which isn’t made better by the fact you decided that was a good time to call her “father-in-law”

(The visible marks, even though you’re showing a decent amount of skin already, are less than half of the ones she left)

Lynette being so proud to show off her work to the public, only to stop dead in her tracks once Arlecchino sees her parading you around with marks all over you 😭

You’ve never seen Lynette deflate like a balloon so fast. Face pouting and ears flattening as she slouches over and takes your hand to clean you up. That glare from Arlecchino means she’s not messing around, so Lynette quickly takes you back home to do the proper aftercare and cleanup Arlecchino requested.

Poor kitty needs to learn how to take care of her toys properly without breaking them 💔

[msbigredmachine]

New To This - Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you all for the wonderful response to the first chapter, I really appreciate it!

Enjoy Chapter 2!

--------------------

Home for Delilah was a small, aging modular house tucked away in an urban suburb in eastern Pensacola. It previously belonged to Andre’s father, and it served as a fairly decent abode for the young couple ever since they got engaged nearly two years ago. Andre had been living there for a decade, moving in to work at his uncle’s auto shop immediately after graduating from high school. It wasn't the most luxurious of dwellings, but it beat the miniscule space she’d been crammed in with her father, mother and older sister for years, so Delilah really couldn't complain.

Rolling her eyes at her mother’s wedding-laden text message, she pulled her keys from her pocket, guided it into the lock and pushed open the door. Closing it firmly behind her, she leaned back against it, shutting out the rest of the world for the rest of the day. Hanging her hooded jacket on the hook by the door, she kicked off her sneakers and dumped them in the corner along with her gym bag, knowing she put them in their proper place, but was too tired and hungry to worry about that right then.

She wandered into the kitchen, ignoring the small stack of unopened bills on the countertop, and opened the refrigerator. The three pieces of leftover chicken and half-full bottle of red wine wasn’t going to cut it. Sadly, ordering takeout was a bit of a luxury right now, so she had to make do with whatever she could find in the refrigerator and the pantry. Luckily, her mother had ensured that both of her daughters became creative enough cooks to see through any food shortage, which, these days, occurred more often than Delilah liked to admit. So, retrieving as many ingredients as she could find, she set about making dinner for herself and Andre, a peace offering of sorts after their turbulent morning.

It had been a stressful last few months, combining her wrestling classes with numerous double shifts at both her jobs to make ends meet. Adding the equally demanding task of planning her wedding was not helping. More frustrating, at least, according to Andre, was the fact that their nuptial plans were being delayed by her so-called ambitions, chipping away at what little income they both earned. Delilah truly wished he could see the big picture, or at the very least, show a little more support. He, of all people, should have her back. That the rest of the townspeople thought she was out of her mind didn’t mean that he had to agree with them.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the front door open. Knowing who it was, her insides clenched a little with apprehension, wondering, perhaps hopeful even, that her fiancé would be in a reconciliatory mood. The footsteps coming from the living area got louder as they got nearer. Delilah diverted her focus from the saucepan to watch Andre stroll into the kitchen. and despite the tension that had been brewing between them all day, her heart couldn’t help but welcome the affection that rushed over her for him.

Andre Gibson had been every girl’s fantasy once upon a time. Still was, if Delilah was being honest. He was yet to lose any of the physical traits that made him so desirable back in high school. Just hitting six feet, his body was lean and toned from years of doing most of the heavy lifting at his father’s landscaping business. They were inseparable when they were younger; the best thing about school for her was sneaking out to hang out with him, making out with him in the bleachers after basketball games. It was like Heaven for Delilah, elated to be in a spot so many girls were dying to be in. The romance continued after high school, to Delilah’s pleasant surprise, culminating in his proposal two years ago on her twenty-second birthday. And now here they were, living together as soon-to-be man and wife.

“Hey,” he mumbled, rubbing a dirt-streaked hand over his tired face. His worn shirt was unbuttoned with his toned abs on display, and he dumped his backpack on the ground against the wall by the back door.

“Hey,” Delilah returned his greeting. “You’re home early. How did your day go?”

His tired sigh preceded his reply. “Same old, same old. We had one breakthrough though. Pops and I finally completed Mrs. Whelan’s garden.”

“Oh yeah, I remember you talking about that,” she said, stirring the contents in the skillet. “That’s great. I’m glad to know you finally pulled it off.”

“Same here, babe.” He came up behind her, peering over her shoulder. “What’cha got cookin’?”

“Improvising a little with the leftover chicken,” she started, pausing when his hands cupped her hips and his lips met her shoulder. And right away, she knew what this was. This was his way of apologizing about this morning; showing her affection without saying a word. That was the thing about her relationship with Andre. There was something special about the way that they didn't have to speak to know what the other was thinking. They fought, then acted like nothing had ever happened when they got back together. She felt he was in the wrong for this argument, but she wasn’t expecting an apology…no apologies were ever really exchanged afterwards…Everything just went back to normal, seemingly papering over the cracks, in Delilah’s humble opinion. But it kept the peace, so it was better if she kept that little discrepancy to herself.

“Now that we know how your day went, you wanna hear about mine?” she asked.

Chuckling to himself, Andre pushed gently away from her. “Sure, babe,” he said, “How was training today?”

“Tough as fuck,” Delilah grumbled, as Andre grabbed a glass and held it underneath the kitchen faucet. “Tank’s not letting up, even with two days to go till my match. But you’ll never believe who showed up at the warehouse today.”

“You really want me to guess?”

“Maybe not,” she conceded with a giggle, her eyes brightening with excitement as she recalled their brief meeting. “Jey Uso! Jey Uso of all people, Dre!”

Andre raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Am I supposed to know who that is?”

“He’s a big shot in the WWE. One of the top guys in the entire company,” she explained, even though it would most likely fall on deaf ears. “And the coolest part is he’s from right here. Raised in Pensacola just like we were.”

“That’s nice,” Andre responded with a nonchalant, almost bored tone as he settled down at the kitchen table. Delilah was well aware that Andre didn’t watch wrestling. He always called it fake and childish, but that opinion changed slightly when Delilah returned home from her very first class with bruises all over her body. She’d hoped he’d take interest in it, if only for her sake, but that didn’t look like it was happening anytime soon.

She finished making dinner and set a plate in front of him, shredded caramelized chicken with white rice and fresh tomato salad. It wasn’t gourmet, but Delilah had done what she could with what little they had. “Mm, smells good,” Andre complimented, grabbing his cutlery to dig in. Delilah sat beside him, casting pensive glances at him as she ate, pondering the right time to ask him a burning question. It was a few bites into her meal when she decided now was the right time.

“You know, you still ain’t told me if you’re coming to see my match or not,” she spoke up.

Andre’s cutlery ceased their skittering across his plate, and he averted his gaze. Delilah detected his answer right away, and her shoulders dropped. “You’re not,” she sighed, shaking her head.

“I didn’t say that,” he said quickly, “But you do understand why I won’t be able to make it, babe. You know what work is like for me these days.”

“I’ve been talking about this for weeks, Dre! You know how important this is to me! It’s my very first match! It’s in two days. Or did you forget that too?” Angrily, she stabbed her fork into a piece of chicken, trying not to imagine it was her fiancé’s eyeball. “You know what? Forget it. You don’t gotta come if you don’t want to.”

Andre started to counter her, but stopped, thinking twice about it. The last thing he wanted was yet another fight, because this was exactly how it always started. They’d been arguing a lot lately, and honestly? He was already over it. “Look…I’ll do my best to make it to your match,” he said.

“Yeah right,” Delilah rolled her eyes, ignoring the glimmer of hope that bloomed within her. “I ain’t holdin’ my breath, that’s for sure.”

“Come on, babe, I’m for real. I’ll clear out my schedule. I’ll set a reminder on my phone and stuff. I promise. Just gimme the details and I’m on it.” He stared at her with pleading eyes, determined to keep the peace between them. It had been a long, tense day, and in-house tension was the last thing he needed.

Delilah smiled, finally. “Fine. I can work with that,” she agreed. “Now finish up. Your mom sent me a few ideas on places we can have the reception. And after that…If you’re a good boy, maybe later, I’ll show you a new move I learned today.” She leaned closer to him, whispering in his ear, “In bed.”

The hand she’d placed on his thigh suggested volumes, and the tantalizing prospect made Andre smile, “Sounds like a plan, babe.” And with that, things were back to normal.

Or so they both wanted to believe.

-----------------

The next morning…

Good thing she didn’t hold her breath in the end.

As Delilah dumped the heavy weights on the ground, she let out a loud growl, trying to release the tension surging through her body. She paced back and forth frantically as she glanced around the small gym, looking for what else to take out her anger on. Every muscle in her body was begging for mercy, but she couldn't stop. She had to take her frustrations out on something, otherwise she would take it out on someone, preferably Andre. Luckily, the gym was relatively empty, sparing some poor soul from her unwarranted wrath.

Fucking coward. He couldn’t even tell her to her face that he’d changed his mind about coming to her show. If that was even his intention in the first place. He’d scribbled some lame ass excuse on a piece of paper while she slept, and left it on his side of the bed before scurrying off to work. He was long gone by the time she woke up, presenting her with fewer reasons to trust her future husband.

The music blaring in her ears made it impossible for Delilah to hear or see anyone around her. And the anger she was feeling made her essentially ignore her surroundings. So it took her completely aback when she turned towards the direction of the punching bags only to run smack into a brick wall. "What the fuck!"

Josh smirked slightly as he took a step back, watching her yank the buds out of her ears. "Ay, my bad, on me," he apologized, chuckling at the discombobulated look on her face. "Thought you saw me comin’."

"Clearly not. You ain’t that hard to miss," Delilah snapped, tearing the fingerless gloves off her hands. "What are you even doing here?" she shot, noting vaguely that he didn’t look dressed for a workout. The man who had, just the day before, seemed imposing and breath-taking, was now just another testosterone-filled asshole standing in her way, like her fiancé.

Josh crossed his tattooed arms and stared at her. "Relax," he smiled. "Thought I would stop by and see how you were feelin' about tomorrow night, but I guess that's pretty obvious," he said, eyeing her up and down. He’d been on the mark about her body…bangin’ was an understatement. He forced himself to maintain eye contact to avoid staring at her nipples protruding through her sports bra.

Delilah grabbed the bottle of water sat on the nearby bench, unscrewing the cap and taking a few gulps. There was more than one reason she was feeling the way she was, and none of them put the butterflies in her stomach at ease. "I don’t even know why I’m trippin’," she shrugged. "I'm only jobbin' out anyway. Why would I want him to see me lose?"

“Want who to see you lose?” Josh inquired.

Delilah pursed her lips, contemplating whether she should answer or not. “My fiancé.”

He regretted asking. “Oh. Right. Tank said something like that,” he mumbled.

Delilah stared up at the huge man with narrowed eyes. “You and Tank talked about me?”

“Not the way you think,” Josh quickly clarified at her suspicious expression. “He has a lot of faith in you, which is why you ain’t gotta worry so much about tomorrow. You’ll be fine.”

"You make it sound so easy-breezy,” Delilah groaned, shoving her sweaty hair away from her equally sweaty face. “Maybe if one of us got hurt, the fans will have something to remember the match by."

Now it was Josh's turn to roll his eyes. Damn rookies. "Yeah, then you’ll be the fragile weakling nobody wanna work with. I know Tank taught you better than that," he countered. "Look, it ain’t all about winning and losing, not right now anyway. It’s about making an impression on your audience. The fans need a reason to keep watching you, and the suits need a reason they should hire you to wrestle. So everything you do in that ring matters. As long as your match is entertaining as fuck and you don’t kill anyone, that’s all they’ll care about."

Raising an eyebrow, Delilah chuckled. "Right. I’ll keep that in mind for tomorrow," she said. Biting her lip in contemplation, she met his eyes again and fought the urge to swoon.

"Ay, it’s okay to be nervous. You gotta phase that out, though,” he added. “And whatever you got going on at home, put that shit aside until after the match." 

It was a little unnerving how well he’d read her. “Easier said than done,” she scoffed.

For a second, Josh thought about prying, but decided against it. "Wanna know what I was like the morning of my very first match?" He watched her countenance perk up, giving him a curious half-smile that he thought was insanely attractive. "I got so nervous, thinkin’ and worryin’ about the match and shit, that I forgot my bag with my wrestling gear in it. Boots and all. I didn’t realize it until I got to the arena," he explained. “I had to rush back home, and the traffic was so crazy, I didn’t get back to the arena until about ten minutes before my match. That shit sucked ass, man.”

Nibbling on her bottom lip again, Delilah eyed Josh with awe as he spoke, his understanding words and softer eyes putting her more at ease than before. To think that the great Jey Uso had felt this jittery before his first match made her feel like they had a little more in common now.

"I really want this, ya know?" she said, relaxing some more as she confided in him. "I've always wanted this. I had a later start than most, I’ll admit, and I’m playing catch-up. That’s why I'm busting my ass so hard," she admitted. "There’s no room for error, Jey. I gotta be perfect."

Licking his lips subconsciously, Josh watched her take another sip of her water, some of it escaping her lips and trickling down the valley between her breasts, and felt a tightness deep in his gut. "Perfection don’t exist, baby girl, not in pro wrestling," he pointed out, his eyes reactively sweeping down the curves of her body before he spoke again. "Look, if Tank thinks you ready for this, then you ready," he said.

Delilah sighed heavily. She could only hope Tank was right. As she picked up her towel and bag off of the floor, she stopped short, and then turned to face him again. “Wait…Did you just call me baby girl?” she asked him.

A smirk twitched at the corner of his lips. “Sorry. Bad habit. I meant no disrespect. If I offended you, I'm sorry.” He stepped closer to her. “Forgive me?”

Delilah swallowed, taking a few steps of her own backwards. She noticed his lips twitch again in amusement. “Uh…yeah. Sure.” 

Josh smiled. “Preciate that, Delilah.” He backed away. “I’ll see you tomorrow night. Think about what I said, a’ight?”

She watched him walk away from her and out of the gym, so many questions on the tip of her tongue. Her hand tightened over her water bottle, and she suddenly felt the need to take a cold shower, or two.

--------------------

Thoughts?

Banner made by me. Credit to the owners of the pics and gifs.

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[kc5rings]

since you said talk to you about gear And youre the muzzle monday person. do you have any recommendations or thoughts on adapting one of those metal wire cage types to fit comfortably on a person? i feel like when i poke around for muzzles Intended for human use, theyre usually of the flat leather variety :( or if you have recs on somewhere to purchase a cage one for humans.

Ok I’ve got good news and bad news

Bad news is that if you want a proper cage muzzle it’s pretty much gonna have to be a diy/getting a leatherworker to modify one for you situation, I’ve never found an “out of the box” cage muzzle for sale that was any decent quality

Good news is, I’ve done this exact thing before and can provide examples!

I bought this “charmingly” branded muzzle ages ago, it’s no longer available here but it’s a mass produced model you can likely find other places and this listing has great image refs

As is it works Ok at best, the straps are hard and fairly unpleasant texture wise in addition to you know, being sized for a dogs head. Workable as is but not ideal

This is the same muzzle modified with real leather straps that are properly sized, with an added strap under the chin to keep it secure. The padding inside the muzzle was actually fine as is and I opted for locking buckles because even without locks they tend to slip less in my experience

I’m lucky enough to live near a leather shop that I was able to take the muzzle to for modifying, but if you’re diy inclined it’s doable with some trial and error

To sum up, search for a metal basket muzzle for a large breed dog, mastiff specifically will usually bring up good results. Then replace the straps it comes with yourself or have it modified for you, a trainer style head harness pattern is a good start if you wanna look for directions to follow yourself

[suriel-tea]

Friendly reminder that Elain only grew flowers when they were poor when Feyre said in that chapter that they could afford to do so and when Elain, in return, bought Feyre paints, so she small bit of seeds was probably a tiny luxury that year (which was requited with a gift no one questions).

Also, Feyre mentions that even one of the wealthiest farmers’ sons even looked thin the year of book 1, so the soil is probably not the best in terms of fertility, so her growing a homestead-size vegetable garden (especially when there’s probably a decent amount of rodents that would be drawn in without the proper fencing or pesticides that they couldn’t afford) is fairly unrealistic.

But the paints for Feyre were so genuine an understanding of knowing what would mean the most to Feyre. Getting Elain seeds for vegetables as a gift would be like if Elain had gotten Feyre a sauce to pain onto their meat in return. It’s not really a gift.

But mostly the fact that Feyre says she got her seeds when she could spare it, so it seems like it was a gift Feyre chose for Elain and not something Elain chose for spending.

[horrorenjoyer159]

jack delroy headcanons

i decided since jack delroy doesn't have much of a proper back story, i'd make one up for him! kinda... these are just a few headcanons i came up with for him.

this is my first time writing headcanons or pretty much anything fandom related so please bear with me. also constructive criticism is appreciated. (also please be nice to me lol)

jack loves doo-wop. one of his favorite songs is ‘i only have eyes for you’ by the flamingos

he has a fairly decent relationship with his parents but he’s probably slightly closer to his mom (though, he isn’t exactly a mama’s boy)

has two sisters; one younger, one older. they’re really close and consider each other best friends, always have

had a phase where he didn’t talk he was younger, wrote in notebooks instead

(had a phase where he) hated getting his hair cut by strangers so his mom and older sister learned to cut it for him

got sick a lot as a child, spent a lot of that time reading comics and drawing

was always the entertainer of the family, they knew he’d make something of himself one day

has always loved the nighttime, prefers it over the day. he was always fascinated by the moon and stars. bonded with his mom and his aunt over it. his love and interest over the moon and stars only increased as he grew older. likes to spend as much time as he can awake at night just to stare outside

his favorite subjects in school were english, science, and history. he and his dad bonded over english. his dad would give him different books of different genres to read. he ends up enjoying darker authors like edgar allan poe

gets closer to his dad as he gets older (as close as he is with mom, maybe even slightly more than that)

[omorimodreverie]

Reverie Devlog - 2024 August

Intro

It’s been 2 months now since the last dev log and ending of summer break, which means it’s time for another!

This one will be kept concise as a list of things, as there isn’t much special thing that happened in the timeframe that need additional explaining

Progress

Progress has been made generally in all sectors this time, to list:

Enemy sprites are all finished! (Some extras were added later)

Basic gameplay battle started to be done

Writing started on flavor text

Some extra music is done (As previously mentioned, due to plan changes)

Early progression is somewhat playable

Miscellaneous small things like equipments sprites

More map works

There is also more indirect work like organization like usual, especially in breaks where some are busy.

What’s Next

The list here might seem short, but some tasks are quite a large task, like cutscenes.

Writing finalization

Cutscene work in RPGMaker 

Polishing maps

Slight changes to previous chapters

Playtesting

Balancing

Out of the list the main bottleneck here is now RPGMaker side of things, specifically cutscenes. Unlike Chapter 3, pixel art and mapping are done fairly early on, as that chapter just had so much work on the pixel art side that the momentum makes it pretty fast when it comes to this chapter with far less work.

So far with current planning, proper side quests and puzzles are very minimal. There is still plenty of side content in terms of battle and an optional area, but other than that, those events tend to be time consuming to make and maintain in RPGMaker.

Final Notes

Overall, it’s a very usual progress, nothing out of the ordinary. Decent amount of progress, but still a decent amount to go as well, especially with RPGMaker side.

Thanks for reading this far, here's battle music for Metro B2 for checking out!

Full Link: https://youtu.be/g5XUpkyO6f4