#I’m also super proud of the shading on the spikes :)

[abby-wolf]

Learnt about a friend’s new obsession with another wings of Fire character, so I decided to draw him! I was originally just gonna do a quick doodle but then I kept going and I really like how it turned out!

Typhoon has such a cool design on the wiki, although I did change a couple things :)

[lady-of-ocs]

hey babe guess who finished season two

I DID! I DID!

I’m HYPED AS FUCK TO SEE THE SHIRATORIZAWA MATCH. And disappointed to discover there’s only ten episodes this season. I’m already half done with the series help-

I mentioned that I’ve been on my winter break and haven’t been posting my reactions, but I’ve been watching! And oh, OH OH OH, I HAVE THOUGHTS.

Let’s get my favorite scene from today’s episode out of the way:

Please observe the cuties. I love them, each and every one. Someone fucking sedate me. lmao look at Kags fighting demons back there.

So I scrolled back through my notes and read through to get my big points or exclamations. In order of the episodes since the one after Daichi’s death:

THE SCENE WHERE UKAI FUCKING THREW TAKEDA OFF THE BENCH TO SAVE HINATA FROM CRASHING WAS A DELIGHT TO WATCH. Look at that man fly! How much do these benches weigh because I know at my high school they weren’t super heavy but I’m pretty sure you usually grabbed them from the middle at least (just to balance the weight). I don’t know. He’s just a good coach and I appreciate him. RIP Takeda say hi to Daichi for me

Daichi lives!!! Obviously I knew that already but it was good to see him back! I wasn’t totally sure how many matches he’d be out for, but I’m glad he was back for the Seijou match. No shade to Ennoshita but I don’t think Karasuno would’ve won without Daichi. Also RIP the rest of Daichi’s body because Suga and Nishinoya fully attacked him when they saw he was okay

The Seijou-Date Tech match was wild to see too. KOGANE!!! I know you only vaguely but I love this giant boy already. He’s trying his hardest, alright! And it’s always good to see Aone! This man is one of my favorite giants in the show. He’s a silent sweetie. But anyway, the match itself was ooooooh. Not Asahi calling Oikawa a “cool cat” in the English dub- I love this man. I need to marry this man. I obviously knew Seijou was gonna win but PIERCING THROUGH THE IRON WALL HOLY SHIT. IWAIZUMI HAJIME THE MAN THAT YOU ARE-

As I’ve mentioned several times, I’m a Tsukkiyama enjoyer. But that Tadashi and Yachi scene was adorable, alright. Bless my babies and the hands that drew them into existence. I love my anxiety children, they just like me fr fr

OH ALSO I FORGOT ABOUT THIS AND IDK WHAT EPISODE IT’S FROM BUT THE LITTLE MOMENT WHERE THEY SCORE A POINT OR SOMETHING AND ASAHI LIFTS HINATA UP LIKE IT’S NOTHING? I need to lie down.

I love how Seijou is this big shot team with seemingly no-nonsense players but they are entirely unserious. That one guy trying to get Yachi’s attention by tossing a ball in her direction and then running after it? Comedy gold. Hajime and the other two third years picking on Oikawa about his serves? Friendship at its finest (I love them). Mad Dog not listening to Oikawa for almost the entire match? Only respect for my rowdy king who I now ship with Seijou’s number six. I read a fic for them last night and enjoyed it very much, thank you. Iwaizumi being the only person (until 6 confronts him) who Mad Dog respects because he’s the only one who can beat him? Love this pack dynamic. They’re so unserious and they seriously grew on me in this match (and the last one, but that was lessened by them beating Karasuno).

Serious expressions >:| Except for Noya because of course not. An agent of chaos. A short king

I spent a lot of time in the Seijou match just screaming and flailing about. There were some wicked cool plays in this game. Asanoya did their own attack (Noya setting to Asahi and him spiking it), Tsukki had some incredible blocks, Daichi was digging up balls all over the place, Kagehina and their fucking quick attacks, just Hinata on his own, SUGA’S BIG PLAY OH MY GOD, Tanaka had a lot of great moments and I was right there screaming with Saeko, aND WE CANNOT FORGET THE BOY HIMSELF: MY DEAREST YAMAGUCHI AND HIS MANY SERVICE ACES. I WAS SO FUCKING PROUD OF HIM LOOK AT HIM FUCKING GO OH MY GOD. He brought us back from the dead and I was HYPED. AND HE AND SUGA WEREN’T THE ONLY ONES WITH GREAT SERVES. ASAHI GOT HIS SERVICE ACE TOO LET’S GOOOOOO!!!

*singsong voice* Oikawa’s serves fucking scare me. And while we’re at it so do Mad Dog’s unholy spikes. Nah but seriously. Oikawa would go up to serve and I’d be sitting here like “I hear boss music. Why the fuck do I hear literal boss music.”

There were some really great Tsukki-encouraging-Yamaguchi-but-in-the-way-that-only-Tsukki-can moments in the last few episodes. Like, my Tsukkiyama heart aside, he really pays attention to Tadashi. He knew how hard he’d been working. He actively encouraged him multiple times. And Yamaguchi really gets him and they are so BEAUTIFUL. SLAMMING MY HANDS DOWN ON THE NONEXISTENT TABLE

A quote from my document: “They really cut my son off like that- Hajime I love you but HEADS GONNA ROLL” But Yamaguchi’s serve was legitimately ART. If Iwaizumi were even a fractionally worse player, Yams would have nailed that point and it would’ve been over. But unfortunately, Iwa’s an excellent ace

I was literally just vibrating through those last two plays. Shaking me to my core, my heart was racing, the whole thing. This match was bad for my health. That being said, OH MY GOD KAGEYAMA’S SETTER DUMP AND THEN HINATA GETTING THE FINAL POINT AND MANAGING TO GET IT PAST OIKAWA BECAUSE OF SEIJOU’S OWN BLOCKERS- AHHHHHHHH

nah but Seijou being so broken up over the loss actually hurt me a little. Where do I find the scene where they’re in a gym and Oikawa walks up and thanks them for the three years before everyone starts crying? Is that next season somewhere? I know it’s not in season 4 because the animation matches seasons 1-3. Also Iwa being upset at himself and his friends just smacking him on the back in silent encouragement and comfort (literally just hug each other like normal people. Fucking MEN am I right /j) just- Hajime is my favorite on Seijou. I think Oikawa is the fan favorite for them, but I like Iwazumi Hajime. That’s my guy right there.

THE GROUP KARASUNO HUG TURNED INTO A BIG PILE GOD BLESS. They have to end up in a pile once a season I guess. I also loved how much everyone was supporting them. Saeko’s enthusiasm was delightful to watch (speaking of, lucky Yachi if you know what I mean- ). And then all of those students and teachers sticking around to celebrate their win!! My boys are getting the recognition they deserve! Except from the news but that’s not surprising.

I have ten episodes to become endeared to Ushijima and Shiratorizawa (aside from Tendou who I already love). We will see how I feel. But when that confrontation between Ushijima and Oikawa happened I was just like YOU FUCKING TELL HIM TŌRU. GET HIS ASS. NOW STRUT OFF LIKE THE BAD BITCH YOU ARE- YEAHHHHHHH

I love the fact that Hinata and Kageyama stayed to practice more. That’s just so very them. Thems my idiot sons. And Yachi is just a victim to their magnetic enthusiasm. And the little fist bump at the end!!! They’re so cute. Besties. Boyfriends, even. BOYS THAT CONFRONT USHIWAKA TOGETHER STAY TOGETHER WOOOOO

Idk if I’ll make another of these immediately but I’ll definitely make one when I finish season 3! Good seeing you all! Be back soon!

[leaves-and-inks]

ROARING RUST

A familiar face! I drew this little dragon for a test post on my Instagram last last month, but I’ve refreshed it a bit! originally the left side was cropped, and there was some writing to the right, but I added the left side past the old crop, deleted the type, and changed the background around! It was a little tricky making sure the lines and shading lined up with the old parts, but I think it worked out! Throughout my life of learning art and drawing, digital art had never been my strong suit, but I’m really proud of the growth I’ve had in this medium ^^ (I posted this super late, my bad y’all)

[ID: Digital Illustration of a dragon bust on a green and off white background. The dragon faces 3/4 right, its mouth open and six off white lines radiating out from its mouth and snout, alluding to sound. The dragon is a rust red with a darker snout, cow-like ears, and a grey mane. It also has spiky scales on its cheek, mammal-like molars, and two small horns going straight back with small spikes coming up from the beginning and top of them. The scales by the base of the horns are also dark like the snout. The dragon glances up with yellow eyes, only one of them visible. It also has yellow highlights over its body. The dragon sits on a textured off-white background with that fades into a textured green background, left to right. The green background is lined at the edges with the off-white. Around the shape of the dragon is a white outline that is fuzzy at the edges. In the bottom left corner, a watermark logo reads “LEAVES AND INKS”, in stacked text.

Image 2: Crop showcasing the dragon’s face and details in the skin. The crop reaches to the edges of the snout, and only the beginnings of the bottom three lines extending in front of it are in frame. It crops at the beginnings of the horns on both the top and left side. On the bottom, only the base of the neck is in frame. The only visible background on the right hand side is green.

Image 3: Crop showing the ear and right, frontmost horn. The left horn is out of frame, and the tips of the mane at the top and left sides are out of frame. The furthest most point of the eye is visible and the tips of the spiky scales on the cheek are slightly out of frame. The only visible background is on the left hand side, and is off white.

Image 4: Crop showcasing the edge of the mane and fur details. On the right, the highlights are just beginning, while on the left, deep shadows are in the crevices of the fur. The bottom left edge is in frame, and the fade between the off-white and green background is at the bottom of the frame./end ID]

[ridiculously-over-obsessed]

Another super short but hopefully sweet one for today fgfkjfg honestly I get ridiculously proud when they come in under 1000 words 😅

Also on AO3!!!

FEBRUARY DRABBLES, DAY SEVEN - CHOCOLATES

Beca really hated Valentine’s Day. She always had, there was literally nothing worse than a holiday built around the fleeting concept of love and all that gushy Hallmark crap. Which was fine when Beca was single, it was just another day. But now she had a girlfriend, and not just any girlfriend. No, Beca’s girlfriend was Chloe Beale, the living embodiment of cheesy Hallmark holidays and over the top displays of affection. Beca was so screwed, especially because despite her best attempts to be the rough and edgy badass that she portrayed herself to be, Chloe had this way of turning her into a soft and mushy mess that actually wanted to do something for her girlfriend on Valentine’s Day.

“You are a walking contradiction Beca.”

Aubrey watched as Beca came through the door of the apartment that she shared with Chloe, bemused to see Beca’s arms full of red and pink items that clashed with her ear spikes and her grunge aesthetic in a way that Aubrey found hysterical.

“Oh piss off.” Beca grumbled, setting the stuff down on the kitchen counter, “I’m only doing this for Chloe, I wouldn’t be caught dead with this kinda crap otherwise.”

“Of course not.” Aubrey’s eyebrow quirked in a way that showed that she didn’t believe Beca for a second, “So what exactly is all of this?”

Aubrey waved her hand at the bags that Beca had brought with her, amused no end by the shade of fuschia Beca had gone when pressed for details.

“I was… y’know gonna decorate the living room with Valentine’s stuff and then make dinner with like candles and stuff…” Beca shrugged, attention on the tiled floor beneath her feet and not on the grinning blonde acapella captain.

“Adorable.” Aubrey hummed, Beca’s extended middle finger only making the entire thing more amusing to her, “Can you actually cook?”

“Yeah I can!” Beca protested, arms folding over her chest, “Quite well actually, I used to cook for me and my mom a lot after my dad left.”

“Right.” Aubrey nodded, a hint of guilt in her tone as she realised she’d inadvertently touched upon a sour subject, “Of course, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” A smirk tugged at Beca’s lips, “I know I don’t look like the sort of person that can cook, your assumption is forgiven.”

“Ass.” Aubrey mumbled, shaking her head as she chuckled softly, “Chloe has no idea does she?”

“No…” Beca bit her lip, feeling anxiety start to wash through her, “God, should I have told her? Is this a really bad idea?”

“It will be fine.” Aubrey smiled warmly, “Chloe will love it, you can do no wrong in her eyes Beca… it’s actually very annoying.”

Beca simply smirked at this as Aubrey went to the sink and washed her mug, putting it on the draining rack before grabbing her handbag.

“Well, I suppose I’ll make myself scarce then. Do not make a mess of my apartment.” She pointed her finger at Beca who held her hands defensively.

“Jeez Aubrey, have a little faith in me?” Beca grumbled, but the smile that she gave Aubrey was a grateful one.

------

Chloe adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder as she put her key into the door. She was meeting Beca here in an hour which gave her just enough time for a quick shower and to change, as long as she didn’t procrastinate along the way. Yet, as she opened the door the smell of pasta and pesto wafted towards her and her eyes immediately fell upon the red heart shaped cushions that adorned the couch, the heart patterned bunting, the fairy lights, the candles that seemed to adorn every surface of her apartment. Her jaw dropped as Beca came towards her with a sheepish smile and a glass of wine in either hand.

“Happy Valentine’s Day Chlo.” Beca grinned, passing her one of the wine glasses, “Full disclosure if this wine is terrible you can blame Aubrey, she picked it for me.”

“You- you did all this?” Chloe mumbled, her hands shaking a little.

“Yep.” Beca nodded, trying desperately to read the look on Chloe’s face, “It’s too much isn’t it? God, I knew it… I just wanted to do something that you’d really love, I’m so bad at this kind of thing…”

“No.” Chloe set her wine down and cupped Beca’s face in her hands, “No Becs I love it, I really really do I promise. It’s just…” Chloe let go of Beca and turned to pull a small box of chocolates from her bag, “I feel terrible. Because I only got you these. I know this really isn’t your kind of thing, I didn’t want you to feel like there was any pressure to do all of this today.”

“Chloe…” A grin broke out across Beca’s face as she took the chocolates from her, “These are my favourite… it’s perfect, thank you.”

“But- but you did so much and I only got you chocolates…” Chloe pouted, it now Beca’s turn to cup her face.

“Chloe you pushed aside all your instincts to go Valentine’s crazy for me.” Beca smiled softly, “And that means more to me than you’ll ever know.”

Chloe beamed at her, wrapping her arms around Beca’s waist as she pulled her close, “I can’t believe Beca Mitchell bought all this goofy Valentine’s stuff for me…”

“Yeah I’m pretty sure Aubrey will never let me live this down.” Beca’s brow furrowed as Chloe giggled.

“She’s not the only one.” Chloe grinned, giggling more as Beca pouted at her. Chloe quickly dissuaded Beca’s childish reaction with a kiss, feeling Beca melt into her the way she always did when she kissed her.

Okay. Maybe Valentine’s Day wasn’t quite as bad as Beca thought it was after all.

[cloud-9ine]

Roses are pretty cliché, don't you think? (pt 1)

⤷ pairing - bakugo katsuki x (fem) reader

⤷ fandom - bnha

⤷ warnings - swearing, very slight angst

⤷ summary - bakugo was already out of his element when he went to buy flowers; so he didn’t take kindly to you criticising his preference for roses

⤷ word count - 2.2k+

⤷ notes - i have never written bakugo before and GOD is this hard. i imagine older him would be a lot calmer and a lot less quick to blowing something up but he still feels ooc. tell me what you think!

⤷ pt 1, pt 2

The card Bakugo held was slightly crumpled within his clenched fist. The pretty pastels evidently not enough to calm his fired nerves. It was Mina’s idea, he reasoned, she was the one that knew what girls liked. If anything went wrong, then it was her fault.

Although, if it was up to him, he probably would never apologise. 

Bakugo knew he was an asshole. He knew he fucked up. He also knew he would sooner die than admit it. It was a fatal flaw that he never fully grew out of, much to the chagrin of both himself and his friends. The self-loathing was hard to ignore in the dark veil of the night, nor the quiet light of the morning, when the tension lay as thick as the pillows that separated them.

“Pfft, you look like you’re about to shit yourself.”

He huffed at the words from the man next to him, the snicker that left his lips only serving to spike his emotions further. 

“Shut it, sparky.” Denki only regarded his insult with a small laugh, shaking his head lightly. 

“Come on, you don’t have to look so scared. (Y/N)’s super nice, not to mention cute as a button too!” he grinned, clapping a couple times out of excitement. Bakugo sighed, cramming the business card in his front pocket without care. 

“I don’t think Kyoka would be too happy to hear that.” Denki sniggered, waving a hand around dismissively.

“If I didn’t know my wife any better, I would say the same, but you and me both know that she’d agree with me.” The impish grin on his lips was enough to make Bakugo roll his eyes.

“Where is this place?” Denki didn’t fail to notice the way he changed the subject, but for concern of his own safety, he didn’t draw attention to it.

“It’s literally right there,” vermillion eyes landed on the building in front of him, a quaint shop tucked in between two office buildings. The outside was a remarkable shade of lavender, with a small chalk-board sign outside painted with bluebells woven between opening times. 

“Oh.” A light tinkle of a bell rang out from the door as Denki pushed inside the shop, a quirk that wasn’t commonly seen with more modern establishments. Immediately upon entering the threshold into the store, Bakugo was pummelled with the overwhelmingly cloying scent of pollen. 

Resisting the urge to cough out of a begrudging politeness, he looked around. It was a small place, with bouquets of all different colours and types jumping from the tables in a dazzling a bounty of delight. In the centre of the back wall protruded the front desk, attached to the left of which was a small glass case filled with sweet-looking pastries and cakes. There was a small table in front of it, lined with a chequered table cloth, and two beautifully crafted wooden chairs tucked underneath the table with care.

“Long time no see, Denki,” Bakugo’s attention snapped to the presence behind the counter, where you leaned on your elbows with an easy smile on your face. Muted pink blouse tucked into a high-waist black skirt partnered with a cute little bow wrapped underneath your collar of a similar colour and you were already beginning to remind Bakugo of someone he knew quite well. It looked like a uniform, but it was informal enough to appear flattering.

“(Y/N)! How have you been?” Denki cried, sauntering over to the counter with his arms thrown wide in the expectance of a hug. You laughed, accepting the gesture with little hesitation.

“You here to pick up your little birthday gift for Kyoka?” you questioned once pulling away, eyes darting over to Bakugo and narrowing for a second before quickly returning to the other costumer. He nodded exuberantly, bright beam on his face.

“Of course! I’m excited to see what you thought up,” you grinned with a small nod of acknowledgement. 

“Great, I’ll be right back.” With that, you shuffled to a door behind the counter, swiftly stealing away to the small room at the back of the store. 

“She has more flowers in there?” Bakugo muttered, brows furrowing. Denki hummed, leaning on the counter whilst idly tapping his cheek.

“Yep. Flowers everywhere here.” He only nodded, eyes returning back to his surroundings. In less than a minute you had returned, clasped in your hands a beautiful bouquet with the stalks wrapped in brown paper. All Bakugo could see was a mess of purple and white with an air of coordination that tied it together, but it was enough to make Denki squeal.

“Oh, that’s stunning! What flowers are they?” you smiled, placing down the bouquet on the counter in front of him.

“Well, Kyoka’s a simple lady, so I used purple irises as the centre piece-” 

“That’s her favourite flower!” you snickered, rolling your eyes at the blonde’s words..

“Well, duh? Are you really surprised that I remembered?” you shook your head before continuing, “It’s hard to find colours that go well with purple without it looking too unconventional, so I complimented them with baby breaths and white jasmines, and magnolias in the middle to bring out a contrast in the yellow.” Denki was already pulling out his wallet before you had even finished.

“This is perfect, thank you so much! She’s gonna love them!” your smile turned smug.

“Of course she is, there’s no way I could disappoint a costumer,” Bakugo didn’t fail to notice the teasing coo in your voice, a proud glow on your face that he recognised was often replicated on his own expression, “will that be all?” Denki shook his head, handing you an indiscernible amount of money which you accepted before pushing half back. It seemed not even years on Denki was able to do simple math.

“Not all! I want some cake and my friend Katsuki here needs his own flowers!” Bakugo lurched forward from the rough shove from Denki, sending him a venomous glare with a small growl. Your eyes were amused as they landed on him, a smirk pulling on your lips.

“Hey, nice to meet you, Mr. Bakugo.” Bakugo wasn’t surprised you knew of him (being an incredibly successful pro hero and all) but the lilt to your voice as you drawled his name didn’t sit right, as if you were goading him in to ridicule. 

“Likewise.” You delicately pushed aside Denki’s bouquet to fully face Bakugo, the former having already been distracted by the sweet treats in the case.

“What can I do for you?” He straightened his back, shoulders tensing. He didn’t exactly know what he needed, having only bought flowers once or twice before for his mum. It was an underlying itch of feeling out of place that brought his next words forth, an urge to leave as soon as he could. 

“Roses, I guess. Red.” You snickered, and Bakugo’s eyes narrowed, “What?” You shrugged, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Roses are pretty cliché, don’t you think?” 

What.

Bakugo could feel the snarl that worked it’s way onto his face, a familiar tick of irritation welling up in his chest, only exacerbated by the mocking expression painted on your face.

“She’s right.” Denki called from his position crouched on the floor, gaze not even on him as he eagerly eyed a strawberry shortcake. 

“Didn’t need your input, dumbass!” He snapped, face heating at the bemused look on your face. It wasn’t often he felt embarrassed, and it was even less common that Denki would have a part to play in it.

“I’m just saying it’s better just to let her have free reign, that’s what I do.” Bakugo considered the words of his friend for a moment, before letting out a begrudging sigh, eyebrow twitching as he turned back to you. 

“Fine.” You tilted your head, leaning forward, similar to how his friend had stood earlier.

“So, why are you buying flowers?” Bakugo grunted, rubbing the back of his neck and averting his gaze.

“An apology gift. For my girlfriend.” You whistled, the noise pounding at the front of his skull.

“Damn, okay, how long have you guys been together?” Denki pulled out a chair, allowing Bakugo to sit down in front of the table as you pulled out a small notebook. 

“Since just after high school,” he muttered, resting his chin on his palm as he fiddled with the end of the table cloth, “it was great at the start but now we seem to be arguing more and more.” 

He shut his mouth. He wasn’t quite sure why he started to talk- it wasn’t like him to indulge a stranger in his life story. He bristled, resolve hardening.

“Why does it matter, anyway?” you hummed, looking around thoughtfully.

“Just trust the process. Describe this girl.”

“She would love this place.” Bakugo responded earnestly, a hollow laugh pushing past his lips as you nodded. It didn’t seem like much, but you got to work.

“Denki, pass me that bundle of tulips, please,” Denki nodded, obediently standing and pulling the tulips from one of the stands at the side of the room and pushing it towards you. You nodded your thanks, gaze returning back to Bakugo, who was watching you with a gaze eerily akin to suspicion.

“Look, this is gonna be a lot more awkward if you keep staring at me,” you grinned as he tutted, looking away. 

“I want that strawberry shortcake,” Denki exclaimed once you had settled again. Bakugo resisted the urge to roll his eyes while you just smiled. 

“Sure, let me get that for you,” you crouched down behind the glass case, “anything for you, Bakugo?” 

“No.” he responded, eyes narrowing at the cheeky smirk Denki shot at him. You pulled out the cake, rested delicately on a china plate with raspberry patterns coiled around the edge.

“Let me give you a drink, at least,” you offered, moving to the back room without giving him a moment to respond, and quickly reappearing with a teacup and saucer, “I had some lavender tea brewing. It soothes anxiety,” you passed the tea alongside the cake to Denki, who brought it back to their table with a grateful nod. 

Bakugo sighed as Denki placed the saucer down in front of him, a look of disdain on his face.

“Sugar’s on the table,” you called, snickering as you saw the small look of surprise on his face as he tasted the drink. Returning back to your work station, you fiddled with the tulips, taking some out and placing them in a glass vase. You moved out from behind the counter, flitting around the room and mulling over each flower.

Bakugo watched you with subtle interest, eyes narrowing when you shook your head or made a small noise of disdain. It was a fitting distraction from the loud mouthed Denki across from him, who was relentlessly chatting in between bites.

Seemingly having settled on several flowers, you moved back over to the tulips, weaving them together with pink and white bows in a way that Bakugo couldn’t begin to understand. 

The explosive blonde tended to pride himself on his achievements- his ability to become skilled in anything and everything carrying him through his life. But apparently flower arranging was where he fell short, and the annoyance of this fact making his nerves tick.

It wasn’t clear how much time had passed until you were done, hands never relenting even for a second as you worked, but it was evident that your project was finished when you took a step back to admire the bouquet. Your eyes flashed to him for a second, scouring his face for approval. 

Again, Bakugo didn’t really understand the big deal about flowers, but the passion in which you conducted yourself when producing them was something that he could respect. He stood, moving to get a closer look at what you had made.

“What’s in it?” you grinned, seemingly pleased at his fairly lackadaisical reaction. 

“Well, I used pink tulips as the base, and then I complimented them with white carnations and freesia. I didn’t want to add a contrast because if this is an apology, I wanted it to be fairly low-key, but still pretty. Do you like it?” He nodded, listening to the way you huffed in pride.

“Cool! Since it’s your first time, and because I like you, it’s free of charge, but just this once,” you gave him a pointed look, as if you were expecting to see him again.

“Thank you, I’m sure she’ll love them.” You nodded in acknowledgement, wrapping both bouquets in a protective layer before handing them out. Denki appeared beside you, accepting the flowers with a large grin. 

“I’ll see you later, (Y/N)! You’re coming, right?” 

“Yep, I’ll see you then,” you turned to Bakugo, eyes flashing with something he couldn’t discern, “I’ll see you later, too.” He huffed out something similar to an agreement, still unsure of his standing within your views. 

“Sure. Thanks again for the flowers.” Another grin.

“You’re welcome. Hope she likes them.” 

“Me too.” 

[gatorkid509]

I know, I know." Where's Spike's Character Ref, GK?!" " When are you going to post Spike's Character Ref?!" I'm still working on him, I already have his head done, I just need to figure out what pose to give him for his body. So I decided to take a break from that and work on this. Redesigning the Fire Demon Chi Forms of the Ice Crew!!( Yes, I know some people call them Dragon Warriors forms or Dragon Chi Forms, but I just call them Fire Demon Chi Forms since they do come from Drago's chi) So, this actually stems from my opinion on the Ice Crew's Demon Chi designs in a journal on DA www.deviantart.com/gatorkid509… , I like their designs, but they could've been better in my opinion. So that's where this redesign comes in. ( And yes, I did use the actual image of the Ice Crew's Fire Demon Chi Forms from the JCA Wiki for their new looks, I figured their new looks would look better with the style of the of the show then in my own, so I just used image of them, drew over it and added the details I needed for the redesigns, call it lazy if you want, I'd say I was a good call, plus I'm giving credit.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I'll go over each member and discuss my changes to their design. StrikeMaster Ice His redesign isn't actually all that different from his official design, the only major change I made was changing the colors of the flame on the shirt, adding the hip armor(?) that was actually apart of his design when he gains Dai Gui's Earth Demon Chi in the finale and adding gray talons to his feet as I thought it was a bit weird that all 3 didn't have detailed talons like Shendu and Drago has, so I gave them some! MC Cobra Now, Cobra and Fist's designs are the ones with the major changes. For one, he has a different shirt color that is purple( And before you ask me why I made it purple, it's not just because it looks cool, but also because purple fire does exist as it's a pyrotechnic effect) and there's no flame on the shirt because it's actually on his sash( You just can see it since Ice's arm is blocking the sash, and yes, the flame color is purple). His head scales get purple tips because I have said before that, while the head scales are really cool, it does take away Cobra's awesome purple hair. He also get's a glove that's actually a homage to him gaining Xiao Fung's Wind Demon Chi( He actually only gains Xiao's Puffed up chin and nothing else, which is kinda lame compared to Ice and Fist's Earth and Thunder Chi designs) DJ Fist Like Cobra, Fist get's some major changes to his Fire Demon Chi Form. His shirt and the flame get changed to blue and flame is moved up to Fist's headband. His skin is also a darker shade of green because is human form has a darker skin tone then Ice and Cobra, he also gets armbands, shoulder plates and greaves that was part of his design when he gained Tchang Zu's Thunder Demon Chi( His clothes were actually going to be the same color as Tchang Zu's armor, but the armor was actually a really dark unsaturated purple, not dark blue like I thought it was originally). I also made his arm more buff because, like I've said before, it really bugs me how thin his arms look in the show. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And done!! This took me about 2 days to do, and I'm really proud of how good they look, their are some things I did want to add but couldn't, like adding references to the Dragon, Rabbit and Ox Talismans( You can actually see this with Cobra's ear being longer then it is in the show, referencing the Rabbit Talisman) and giving them more dinosaur looking feet( Cobra was actually going to get raptor feet with big toe claws). Anyways, I had fun drawing this I've been wanting to redesign the Ice Crew's Fire Demon Chi forms for a while now, maybe I'll tackle another design if a another JCA character( Maybe Po Kong since I really don't like her design). UPDATE:  My friend @amnshe-wolf said that Cobra and Fist need something on their shirts since I got rid of the flame emblem on them, so I decide to put a rabbit and ox on them, to not only fill the empty space the flame left behind, but to reference the Super Speed Rabbit Talisman and the Super Strength Ox Talisman. 

  And so I think that it, tell me what you think.

[kenmastwin]

Short Fuse and High Maintenance ✰ YakuLev

Genre: fluff, getting together

Words: 4,328

Summary: A few months passed with Lev on the team and at this point, Yaku was convinced that Lev was sent here to continuously make him feel small. Of course, Lev had never meant it in an offending way and somehow, that made it even worse. This way, Yaku didn’t only have to deal with the spite he felt from a fucking giant calling him short, he also had to deal with this weird tingling feeling in his heart that made his ears burn a little bit red.

Everything started on the day Lev first stepped into Nekoma’s gym for his first volleyball practice and caught sight of that one very short player. The third-year libero, Yaku Morisuke. Lev’s first impression of him was very simple: small. At that time, he hadn’t known yet how much that single fact would affect him and make a mess of his thoughts.

Haiba Lev, being a very tall person had, of course, seen small people. Actually, most people he’d encountered could be considered smaller than him. There was nothing to be surprised at in Yaku’s case either, especially since his amazing receiving skills definitely made up for his height on the court. Lev loved everything that was small and cute ever since he was a child. He would often feed the cats and dogs in the neighborhood or play with the children. He was very good with children and children liked him a lot too. They loved sitting on his shoulders to see the world from a higher point of view and just simply having one more playmate.

Becoming a regular member of the volleyball team taught Lev three things: his spiking teacher and setter, Kenma is impatient and reluctant to practice with him; his blocking teacher and captain, Kuroo is annoying and keeps nagging his ear off; his receiving teacher, Yaku is not only short but also has a short fuse. Lev honestly hated receiving practices, it was way too exhausting to keep running from one side of the court to the other and continuously dive for the ball. Yaku’s steadily reverberating scolding and yelling didn’t make it better either. Lev sneaked out not once when his senpai wasn’t paying attention. In the end, Lev concluded that not all small things were lovely and cute.

=^.^=

Yaku Morisuke could feel it deep in his guts the very first time he’d met Lev. It was a very intense boiling feeling that he couldn’t quite place at that time. He’d known it was triggered by his first impression on Lev: annoyingly tall half Russian towering over him to accentuate how small Yaku actually was. Yaku hated feeling small. He did all he could to make people focus on his high-quality receiving skills instead of his height and reveled in the fact that there were smaller players on the court as well. For example, Hinata Shouyou from Karasuno. Hinata was actually a whole centimeter shorter than Yaku and a middle blocker where height was the most important quality. Seeing him, Yaku didn’t seem all that special.

His feeling of disdain had only grown after he started to practice together with Lev. God, he sucked at everything so much... but he still kept running around shouting that he’d become the ace of Nekoma earning an earful from Yamamoto.

“Shut up and drag your ass back to receiving,” Yaku yelled at him, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and dragging him to the other side of the court. He cursed himself internally for not being able to reach his ear to drag him by that. Stupid tall bastard.

A few months passed with Lev on the team and at this point, Yaku was convinced that Lev was sent here to continuously make him feel small.  

“Yaku-san, you’re so good at volleyball even though your small?”

“Is Hinata really smaller than you?”

“Yaku-san, you’re so small and cute.”

Of course, Lev had never meant it in an offending way and somehow, that made it even worse. This way, Yaku didn’t only have to deal with the spite he felt from a fucking giant calling him short, he also had to deal with this weird tingling feeling in his heart that made his ears burn a little bit red. That pair of sparkling eyes always held such sincerity in them that Yaku hardly could think that Lev was making fun of him. A tiny thought bloomed in the back of his mind: maybe, just maybe this guy actually liked his height?  

Yaku crushed this ridiculous thought, kicked Lev on the butt and refused to even look at the pouting man. What’s there to like about height anyways?

=^.^=

Lev’s first impression on Yaku Morisuke took a 360° turn after a few months passed. It changed from small and adorable to little and aggressive then back to small and adorable. He’d come a full circle only because Yaku’s passion for volleyball and his blunt nature scared Lev at first. He needed a few weeks to get used to it and realize that even though Yaku seemed to harbor some kind of grudge against him, his sharp words were never meant to harm Lev, only to help him improve for the sake of the team. The kicks and the punches he received were all things he could thank his own big mouth for. His teammates kept telling him over and over again to quit pointing out Yaku’s height if he wanted to live but he couldn’t help himself. That man, 2 years older than him, so self-conscious about a quality that only made him more charming in Lev’s eyes, was someone Lev could never control himself around.

It was all because Lev’s brain worked in the simplest way. When he saw something that he liked, he couldn’t help but compliment it. And god, did he like Yaku Morisuke a lot...

An unexpected phone call was the catalyst that deepened and secured just how much Lev actually liked the libero. He could neither expect or foresee it, much less stop it before everything had already escalated to the point of no return.

The caller was Lev’s older sister, Alisa who announced that she would come and live in Japan for a few months. Lev was very excited to see his sister and even more excited to introduce her to his teammates. He was super proud of his sister being a successful and beautiful model, and he wanted to show off his newly learned volleyball skills too. So, Lev invited Alisa to their upcoming game and made her meet his team at the entrance of the stadium.

Everything proceeded smoothly.

“Hello, I’m Haiba Alisa. Thank you for always taking care of Lyovochka,” Alisa greeted the Nekoma members and the members had their jaw on the floor.

“No way, is this your sister?” Yamamato had already hearts in his eyes.

“She is! Doesn’t we look very similar?” Lev asked, standing proudly by Alisa’s side, both of them smiling.

“Hm,” Kuroo nodded. “I guess you have some shared genes.”  

“She's prettier than Lev, though,” Kenma concluded and the whole team agreed as if Kenma’s words were law.

Lev pouted while Alisa laughed, feeling happy that his brother was getting along so well with his teammates. His gaze swept through his cheerful teammates before it finally landed on the small form of the libero he’d lately always kept in a corner of his vision. Yaku was currently staring at the pair of siblings with barely visible pink dusting his cheeks. Suddenly, his eyes met Lev’s and with a slight but sudden widening of them, he turned away completely. Lev’s eyes widened at the same time and a weird fluttering feeling spread in his heart and his stomach like a hundred butterflies taking flight at once.

Lev almost forgot that fleeting moment of locked eyes and flushed cheeks until Alisa came to cheer for them at another game.  

“Alisa-san came again?” Yaku rushed up to Lev, asking with sparkling eyes and the faint pink hue once again present on his cheeks. “She’s really too beautiful.”

Lev furrowed his brows, quickly making the connection between the flustered state of the libero and his sister’s presence. In the end, he only rubbed the back of his neck and laughed, “I know right. Let’s make sure to win today, Yaku-san!"

Yaku nodded, “Just try not to get in the way of the receives when you block.”

“Yaku-san...” Lev whined as the both of them ran up to line for the start.

The flushing and blushing, along with Yaku being uncharacteristically excited certainly didn’t help Lev tone his adoration down. If anything, it only sparked a thousand wishful scenarios inside the tall boy’s head. It seemed as if a whole new world opened for him, and the urge to never stop observing the short libero only increased.

If only he would receive half the attention of what Yaku blessed his sister with…  

=^.^=

Yaku seemed to not really look into Lev’s eyes. That made sense, he probably didn’t want to strain his neck looking up but Lev still imagined what it would feel like to have those sparkling brown eyes bore into his own, focusing on him and nothing else. Yaku-san's cheeks seemed to be round and delicate, they would probably fit nicely into Lev’s palms. Lev imagined pale skin warming up and changing shades under his touch until it became hot and red, a pair of lips awaiting to meet them with his own in a soft kiss-

Lev shook his head furiously to dissolve the mental image that strayed into dangerous territories. Yaku gave him a weird look, “Are you even listening to me?”

Lev’s only response was an awkward laugh, followed by Yaku’s exasperated sigh.

“I guess we should call it a day.”

“Sorry, Yaku-san,” Lev mumbled guiltily, walking after his receiving tutor out of the gym and into the clubroom to change.

“It’s fine. I didn’t expect to stay until this late, either,” Yaku said, doing everything in his power to keep his turned backside to Lev but he still couldn’t conceal a faint blush making its way into the tall boy’s view.

Lev rubbed his eyes, thinking that he must be really exhausted. His sister was nowhere in sight but Yaku-san was still blushing, that couldn’t be anything more than his mind playing games with him. He proceeded to change out of his sweaty practice clothes as fast as possible, thinking about a nice mind-clearing shower and some refreshing sleep at home.

However, something even more unexpected happened.

Yaku stopped in his tracks when they exited the school grounds and turned to look up at Lev, “Hey, wanna stop by the convenience store? I’ll treat you to ice cream.”

Lev’s eyes widened in absolute disbelief, feeling his insides burst from happiness. “Yaku-san!”

“W-what? If you don’t want to, that’s fine too. Just thought you’ve been working hard lately...” Yaku immediately averted his eyes, making wide movements with his arm to punctuate to the best of his abilities that this was not a big deal and there was no reason for Lev to be this happy. But Lev was even more happy because he knew very well that Yaku, although a very dependable senpai, wasn’t the type to just treat others to ice cream or anything else.

Lev caught one of Yaku’s flailing arms, his long fingers circling around the thin wrist. “I’d like that very much.”

“Th-then let’s go,” Yaku said, half mumbling the words, the blush creeping up on his cheeks again and not escaping Lev’s watchful eyes.

“Okay!”

The short walk to the convenience store down the street was spent in the quiet of the night. Lev’s head was so full of the confused happiness that overwhelmed him that somehow, he even forgot to speak, not filling up the silence with his usual chitchats. His eyes fluctuated between the road ahead and the short boy beside him, their gazes meeting every once in a while, before Yaku forcefully ripped away his.

They arrived too fast to Lev’s liking and Yaku sprinted inside, speedily navigating to where the ice creams were kept. It didn’t take long before he exited the store and offered one of the two ice creams to Lev with a bright smile on his face. “Here. Keep up the good work.”

“Thank you!” Lev accepted the treat, savoring the feeling of their fingers brushing together for the entirety of two seconds.  

Eating the ice cream with Yaku next to him giving him warm looks, the tiniest of smiles and well-earned compliments, Lev had two conclusions:

Hard work does indeed pay off and if this is his reward for holding out on Yaku-san's demonic training then it was all worth it, without a doubt.

Yaku-san is the most adorable human being in the world and if he can’t have him, he doesn’t want anyone else.

=^.^=

Yaku deeply regretted treating Lev for ice cream that night. Who would have thought that this would happen? All he wanted was to increase Lev’s motivation and to not have that look full of dread on his face whenever an extra receiving practice began. That’s the only reason why he willed himself to ask Kuroo Tetsurou with his shit-eating grin for advice on how to achieve that.

“Yakkun, have you ever heard of the stick and carrot method?”

“Please, say it so non-nerds can understand too,” Yaku replied even though he had a feeling of what Kuroo was implying already.

“I’m saying that you shouldn’t just scold him when he messes up but also give him rewards when he does well.”

Yaku groaned internally, a frown making itself present outwardly.

“Come on, Yakkun, it’s not that difficult to give the guy a few compliments. It’s not like you gotta confess your undying love,” Kuroo joked but the chuckle got caught in his throat when he saw Yaku’s wide eyes and flushed cheeks before they turned into angry pools of storm.

“Who would confess anything to that idiot...”

“You’re welcome!” Kuroo shouted after him as Yaku stomped out of the clubroom. “Huh, I didn’t expect that he cares about Lev this much.”

Kenma lifted his eyes from his game to look at Kuroo, “I give them one month.”

“Bet.”

To give Kuroo some credit, Lev did become more enthusiastic about practice after the ice cream reward. However, Yaku did not expect him to become this enthusiastic.

Lev arrived on time, didn’t try to slack off or escape and paid great attention to each and every word Yaku had said to him. His bright emerald eyes bore into Yaku with an unfamiliar intensity, making it difficult for Yaku to stay collected and not stumble over his words.  

He had no idea what went through the titan’s head but not only the attention, the physical contact had also increased. Usually, Lev would run off and bother Kenma for tosses to polish his spikes for which he needed to sacrifice his break time in order to convince Kenma (with the help of the coaches and the captain). Lately, Lev reserved a seat next to Yaku, sitting always in close proximity, thighs, shoulders and fingertips often brushing together. It never ceased to ignite a small fire in Yaku’s chest, making the heat spread all the way to his cheeks where it burned in pink. Yaku felt that every time he blushed because of Lev, he’d lost a piece of his honorable senpai image.

Well, not that Lev had ever cared about his senpai image, he’d always talked back to him and continuously called him short. Yaku was pretty sure that Lev had no respect for him whatsoever.

...On second thought, this statement didn’t feel quite correct. Because even though Lev rarely listened to him in the way Yaku had wanted him to, Lev never crossed any lines and always looked at him with nothing but pure admiration.  

Yaku felt his cheeks warm up at the thought again and squeezed his hands in a tight fist, feeling the overwhelming need to punch someone. Preferably the cause of his state. Preferably in the face.  

Of course, he’d spent quite a lot of time thinking about why his initial reaction to everything related to Lev was violence but the result only pissed him off more. Dreadful words of ‘confess’ and ‘undying love’ coming from his latest conversation with Kuroo popped up in his mind, and his rage changed targets, now very much wishing to punch the captain.  

Stupid Kuroo saying stupid things, implying that Yaku was in love with a stupid giant who kept making him feel all kind of stupid feelings. However, Yaku felt the stupidest out of them all for actually considering the idea quite often lately.  

Sometimes, he would catch himself staring at Lev without realizing it and even after realizing, he would keep on looking at the way his expression brightened when he nailed a spike, saved a ball or blocked a shot. It was even more interesting to see him get frustrated when he messed up, screaming but immediately focusing on the next rally. Yaku felt his chest tighten and a smile creeping onto his face at the same time. And the worst, the absolute worst was after practice! When Lev was spread out on the floor as if he was dead after the coach dismissed everyone and Yaku would approach Lev while wiping his face with a towel. He had no idea what had gotten into him but his hand moved against his own will and patted the disheveled silver hair. Lev looked up in shock and the moment their eyes locked, both of them froze. Both of their cheeks were pink but only Lev could see it grace Yaku’s turned face while the libero stood up, removed his hand and lightly poked Lev’s side with his foot.  

“Get up, don’t lie on the floor,” he spat out mechanically and walked away as fast as he could without appearing suspicious. He hated to admit it to even himself so he sure as hell would never admit anything about his maybe existing feelings to the boy himself.  

=^.^=

Now, Lev was not the brightest lightbulb in the bunch but when it came to Yaku, he was prompt to notice a change in attitude. Unfortunately, the conclusion he got from this simple observation was not quite correct.  

Lately, it seemed that Yaku was being more distant around him. There was less scolding and less hits and kicks attacking him but that also meant less physical contact. Lev felt somewhat weird for thinking about how he missed Yaku-san’s small fist punching his sides but this train of thought quickly geared him towards memories that made a lot more sense. Shoulders leaning against each other while resting, fingers brushing together while a reward of ice cream was passed, warm fingers combing through his hair after a long day of practice…  

Lev raised a hand, touching his hair for himself and feeling a strange kind of loneliness. He didn’t know why Yaku patted his head that day but he would sell his soul to only have that hand rest on top of his head again. There was just something about the short boy touching the top of this tall boy that felt more encouraging and comforting than any words could ever make him feel.

“If you don’t focus then stop wasting my time,” Kenma’s annoyed grumble and a volleyball fallen to the floor and rolling away brought Lev out of the maze of his thoughts. The maze of Yaku, we might as well call it by name. He had no idea that the smallest distance would make him miss the previous affection so much. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen Yaku anymore, only that there was no more talking and interaction aside from practice. Missing someone right beside him was definitely not normal.  

Lev sighed, “Sorry, Kenma-san.”

Kenma stared at Lev’s slouched form, observant eyes seeing right through him and he sighed as well, “What’s wrong?”

Seeing Lev straighten up and his cheeks darkening confirmed Kenma’s suspicion. “Yaku-san?”

“I-I mean,” Lev stammered, trying not to give his feelings away which was highly difficult when Kenma’s scrutinizing gaze felt like he was completely naked. “He seems like he’s avoiding me. But he’s practicing with me as usual so it might just be me...”

“Oh,” Kenma said, glancing at Yaku practicing with Kuroo and Yamamoto before he made a decision.  

“W-what?” Lev felt very uneasy.  

“Do you like Yaku-san?”

“Wha- I… H-how did you know?”

“I didn’t know. You just told me,” Kenma pointed out then added when he saw Lev’s horrified expression. “But I kinda guessed already. You’re super obvious.”

“Do you think Yaku-san noticed something and this is why he’s avoiding me?”

“I’m sure he noticed something but I doubt it’s how you feel…” Kenma rolled his eyes. It almost pained him how these two were so focused on their own feelings that they failed to notice the other struggling with the exact same feelings. Maybe he could give them a little push, he thought, he had a bet to win, after all. 

Lev tilted his head in confusion, “What do you mean?”

“Have you ever thought that he might like you too?”

=^.^=

Lev ran through the streets excitedly, a sense of urgency in his steps. He hoped that he would still be able to catch up to Yaku. He didn’t even dare to think about reciprocated feelings before but Kenma’s words sparked hope in his heart. Kenma would never comfort anyone with empty words so with encouragement from Kenma, he felt like he had the support of the entire universe behind him.  

“Yaku-san!” he called out when he spotted the small figure passing in front of the convenience store near the school. He locked eyes with the surprised libero. Lev strode over, crossing the distance with a few long strides and towered over Yaku. Yaku despised when anyone, especially Lev of all people, towered over him and he didn’t hesitate to insert his palm into the stupidly tall person’s side.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked with a frown.

Lev clutched his painful side, the sparkles in his eyes not at all subsiding as they bore into Yaku. “Yaku-san, do you like me?”

Yaku was taken aback by the bluntness of the question, completely speechless for a moment before finding his voice again. “Did you hit your head? Why would I like you? You can’t even make a proper block.” He didn’t mention his spikes. Yaku had to admit, he got a lot better at those, scoring important points for the team.

“No, that’s not what I mean. Do you like like me?”

“...” Yaku had a bad feeling about the persistent questioning. “Why are you even asking me that?”

“Yaku-san, please, answer me.”

He knows. Yaku had half a mind to punch him with all of his might and run away if that’s the only way he could get out of this mess. How could this be possible? Lev was way too oblivious to realize the affections masked behind yelling. Yaku swore to murder whoever ratted him out. Kuroo, he was sure of it. That bastard always enjoyed messing with him.

“What if I do?” he glared at Lev, trying not to let the embarrassment show on his face and daring the tall man to make fun of him.

It was as if a thousand fireworks went off in Lev’s mind, he radiated excited happiness as he got closer to Yaku. “Because I like you too! I really really like you, Yaku-san!”  

Yaku looked at him like he was crazy. Why would this guy like him? That made no sense to him. He did nothing but yell at him, scold him, kick his butt, punch his side, slap his head... Yaku didn’t know if he should feel relieved that he was liked despite his horrendous treatment or just stupefied because was this guy a masochist or what?

“Are you stupid?” Was the only thing that ended up coming out of Yaku.

Lev didn’t even hear it. “I’m so happy you feel the same way. Sometimes, I thought you really hated me but then you would stare at me like that so I was kind of confused. Ah, I’m soooo happy now.”

Yaku blinked. How did he exactly stare at Lev? Shit, had he been caught? That’s too embarrassing, he wished he could poke out his own eyes. Lev continued rambling but Yaku’s mind went completely blank as he tried and failed to assess this situation.

“Yaku-san, can I kiss you?”

“Huh?!” Lev’s face was suddenly way too close and Yaku’s heartbeat sped up while a blush spread onto his cheeks. He unconsciously covered his face with an arm. “Aren’t you getting way too ahead of yourself here? Shouldn’t you ask if I want to be your boyfriend first?”

Lev’s eyes softened. He gently pried Yaku’s arm away from his face and smiled at the pretty pink blush on his face. Cute. Yaku was really too cute. It was impossible to resist.

“But we like each other. And I really want to kiss you right now. Don’t you?”

The question sounded innocent coming from him but for Yaku’s ears it held a teasing tone and mixed feelings dueled in his mind. He did want to kiss Lev. God knows how many times he imagined how his lips would feel against his but he would rather die than to say it and since he’s too short for a surprise kiss, he decided to die without ever getting the experience.

However, his head ended up nodding. He actually nodded! This simple gesture shocked both Lev and himself. Fortunately, he didn’t have the time to be embarrassed about it because Lev’s lips landed on his almost instantly. It was a short kiss, innocent and sweet and lighting up both of their faces with bliss and blush.  

“Yaku-san,” Lev smiled when he pulled away. “Would you be my boyfriend?”

Yaku’s blush deepened until his face was the same color as his Nekoma jacket. “Y-yeah, I guess we’re dating now…”

“Yay, I’ll make you happy, I promise!” Lev was beside himself with excitement and instantly wrapped up Yaku in his arms, finally feeling the satisfaction of holding his own little happiness and he swore to himself that he would never let him go.  

[mcsmseason3]

MCSM Origins Book I: Enter Lapilisia Lazul - Part 2

Summary:

Lapis and Emerl arrive in the Nether to find Magnus and Ellegaard, two members of the Order of the Stone, fighting some ghasts. After aiding in their defeat, Lapis receives an offer that chnages everything.

Previous Chapter: Here

Next Chapter: Here 

Lapis held tightly to the edges of the minecart as she prepared herself mentally for whatever chaos was awaiting her and Emerl. Lapis was sure that if she had a heart, it’d be beating out of her chest. As the carts got closer, Lapis and Emerl heard the cries of the ghasts, explosions and yelling.

“Magnus, watch where you’re exploding those things!”

“Hey, it’s not my fault you keep getting in the way!”

Lapis heard Emerl sigh as she muttered, “Those two, I swear…” Emerl then turned back to face Lapis, “Get ready! It’s showtime!”

The carts turned a corner and grinded to a stop as Emerl noticed a large crater where the tracks should be. Floating above were three ghasts – one with two arrows in it. Another arrow just barely grazed the ghast as Lapis turned to see where it had come from. Bow and arrow in hand, Lapis saw a woman with brown hair and pale skin, wearing brown, black and gold armour with redstone embedded in the chest armour, along with brown pants and dark red boots.

“Fire in the hole!!!”

Lapis jumped in surprise as a TNT block went flying into one of the ghasts, destroying it. Standing behind what looked like a hastily-put-together TNT cannon was a bald man with a black bandanna tied around his head with holes for his eyes. He wore green armour with a leather belt and four yellow buttons on his chest, along with brown and gold gloves and boots.

“Ha! What were you saying, Ellie?” Magnus yelled with a cocky smirk. Emerl saw one of the ghasts launch a fireball at Magnus. “Magnus, heads up!” Emerl yelled out as she dived between Magnus and the fireball, blocking it with her shield. “Nice timing, Emerl.” Ellegaard nodded to the emerald Gem as she aimed her bow at the ghasts, “These ghasts ambushed us while we were building the rails.”

“Where’s Ivor, Soren and Gabriel?” Emerl yelled out as she reflected another fireball with her shield. “Up ahead finishin’ the rails!” Magnus replied as he loaded another stack of TNT into the cannon, “They told us to distract while they finish it off.” Magnus noticed Lapis as she climbed – albeit clumsily – out of the minecarts, “Who’s the noob?”

“That’s Lapis. I found her while patrolling the forest.” Emerl replied before turning to Lapis, “Alright, Lapis. Show me what you got!”

“R-right!” Lapis stuttered as she summoned her weapon. It was a long whip with small blue crystals encrusted in the whip. The handle was also blue with golden markings. Lapis held onto the handle with both hands as she wound back and flung the whip forward like a fishing rod. It wrapped itself around one of the ghast’s tentacles. Lapis ran over to where Emerl, Magnus and Ellegaard was and began pulling the whip towards her, reeling in the ghast, “I got it! Go ham on it before it destroys us!”

“Not bad, kid!” Magnus smirked as he launched another TNT at the trapped ghast, destroying it. “One more left!” Emerl called out. “Look out!” Ellegaard yelled as the last ghast fired a fireball at the group. “I got it! Stand back!” Lapis flung her whip at the fireball, causing it to wrap around it. She spun it around like in hammer-toss, until she finally released it – falling onto the ground in the process – and the fireball went hurtling back towards the ghast, killing it. Lapis breathed heavily as she got to her feet, staring at where the ghast once was. “Ok…that was pretty freakin’ awesome!” Magnus laughed as he gave Lapis a hearty slap on the back, causing her to stumble a bit, “What was your name again, kid?”

“Lapilisia Lazul.” Lapis replied with a smile, “But you can call me Lapis.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Lapis.” Ellegaard gave a small smile as she walked up to her, “My name is Ellegaard, and the reckless nutcase here is Magnus.”

“Well, at least I’m not an egghead know-it-all!” Magnus argued.

“Oh, is that the best argument you could think of? Maybe if you emptied all that gunpowder out of your head, you could actually make a logical thought.”

“Well your head is so full of redstone, I sometimes wonder if you’re actually human and not some redstone creation!”

Lapis glanced back and forth between Magnus and Ellegaard as they argued before turning to Emerl, “Are they-”

“Always like this? Yep.” Emerl finished with a sigh before interrupting the two bickering humans, “If you two aren’t busy acting like children, the rails got damaged during the fight and need to be fixed before the others get back.”

“Oh, of course.” Ellegaard nodded as she walked away from Magnus who just glared at her, “This ain’t over, Ellie!”

“It never is…” Emerl muttered under her breath as she went to help Ellegaard with the rails. “So you’re like Emmie, eh?” Magnus asked, motioning to her gemstone, “My guess is a Lapis?”

“Nope. Azurite.” Lapis grinned. “Oh. I thought since your name is Lapis, it’d be a…” Magnus seemed genuinely surprised but was cut off by Lapis giggling, “I’m just kidding. I’m a Lapis Lazuli.”

“Yeah, I knew that! I was just…playing along! Yeah!” Magnus grinned smugly, “Anyways, I’m Magnus – greatest griefer in the world and king of Boomtown. Ellie over there is our redstone nerd and ruler of Nerdtopia.”

“Redstonia!” Ellegaard called over her shoulder. Magnus just stuck his tongue out at her, earning a chuckle from Lapis. “I can hear your insufferable bickering from down the rails!” A voice called out as three minecarts clattered down the rails just as Ellegaard and Emerl finished the repairs. The first to climb out, who Lapis assumed was the one who called out, was a man with long, slick black hair, an unkept beard, and pale skin that looked like it hadn’t seen the sun in years. He wore a long olive coat with black shoes and a leather belt with a lapis stone on it.

“At least you managed to get rid of the ghasts. I would’ve been able to take them on, but we needed to finish the rails first.” A man with dark skin, dark brown eyes and a dark moustache said as he climbed out of the cart. He wore dark blue armour with diamonds embedded in it.

Another man with ginger hair with a moustache and beard with tanned leather armour, grey gloves and pants climbed out behind him, “Well, we got the rails to the ice spikes portal finished, that’s the important part.”

“Glad to hear that the rail is the important part and not the fact that we nearly got roasted by ghasts.” Magnus rolled his eyes as he folded his arms. “You know Soren didn’t mean it like that, Magnus.” Emerl sighed. Ivor glanced at Lapis, “And who’s this?”

“Uh, hi! I’m Lapis! And I guess you’re Ivor?” Lapis smiled. “How’d you guess that?” Ivor asked narrowing his eyes at the Gem. “Emerl said Ivor was a person who looked super grumpy but was actually really nice.”

“W-WHAT?!” Ivor seemed taken aback, his face turning red, as Emerl turned away quickly to hide her face from Ivor. Magnus burst into laughter as Gabriel, Soren and Ellegaard chuckled a little. “Oh…oh geez! That face…haha!!” Magnus wheezed while pointing at Ivor, “Lapis, that was awesome!”

“I mean…she’s not wrong, Ivor.” Soren shrugged. Ivor just shot him a glare before sighing, “Let’s just head back before more of those ghast show up.”

Lapis went to follow the rest of the Order back to the carts when her gem and eyes suddenly began to glow. Lapis saw herself push Magnus out of the way as a fireball hit her in the shoulder, causing her to poof. Lapis snapped out of her vision and sighed, “Poofed twice in one day? It’s better than that time I was poofed five times in that tournament back home…” Lapis climbed into one of the minecarts as she and the Order zoomed back to where the main portal was.

 ————————————————————

 “So you survived the creeper explosion, but was poofed by hitting the ground?”

“Yep. Pretty silly, huh?”

Emerl and Lapis were explaining how they met as they approached the portal. “Don’t beat yourself up.” Ellegaard replied, “Emerl once got poofed by a baby pigman on our first trip to the Nether after beating a large army of them.”

“The lil’ brat snuck up on me! How was I supposed to see him?!” Emerl called from the back of the carts, earning a laugh from the rest of the group. “I have to say, however,” Ellegaard continued, “Your skills were pretty impressive back there.”

“Aw, ‘twas nothin’” Lapis blushed a light shade of blue – which made her gold freckles stand out – as she scratched the back of her neck sheepishly. “Whoa! Cool markings, kid.” Magnus pointed out, looking at Lapis over his shoulder. “Oh, you mean my freckles?” Lapis asked, motioning to the small golden dots on her cheek, “Some lapis Gems have gold markings or specks on their gems that carry over to their physical form. And I’m one of them. It’s pretty rare back home, so I’m pretty proud of my babies!”

Magnus laughed as Lapis poked both of her cheeks and stuck out her tongue. “So where are you off to next?” Gabriel asked. “Dunno.” Lapis shrugged, “I’ve been kinda wandering aimlessly ever since I got here.”

“Well, if you like,” Soren began, “From what Emerl, Magnus and Ellegaard are saying, you seem like a capable fighter, and I’m sure Emerl wouldn’t mind the extra pair of hands. You could stay with the Order if you want.”

“Really?” Lapis exclaimed, “Th-that’s alright with-?”

Lapis was cut off by a familiar cry from behind as the carts arrived at the steps to the portal. “Uh oh. We have company!” Emerl called out, seeing a ghast giving chase to them. “Quick! To the portal!” Gabriel yelled as everyone clambered out of the carts and dashed up the steps. As the Order began to jump through the portal, Lapis remembered her vision and quickly ran at Magnus, “Magnus, watch out!” She pushed Magnus out of the way as the fireball slammed into her shoulder and poofed her, sending her gem clattering onto the ground. “Lapis!” Magnus exclaimed as he quickly grabbed her gem and dashed into the portal after the rest of the Order.

 Upon reaching the other side, Emerl glanced around to make sure everyone got through, “Wait. Where’s Lapis?”

“I have her.” Magnus replied, holding up Lapis’s gem, “She got poofed saving me from that ghast. It was kinda weird though. It was like she knew it was gonna happen.”

“That’s because Lapis is a Shard like me. Except her power is the ability to see future events before they happen.” Emerl explained. As she said this, Lapis’s gem began to glow brightly. “Um, Magnus? You might wanna put the gem-” Emerl was cut off as Lapis reformed and landed right on top of Magnus.

“ACK!”

“OOF!”

“…down.” Emerl finished with a sigh. Lapis rubbed her forehead before noticing she was on top of Magnus and quickly got off him with a small blush on her face before helping him up, “Er, sorry! Are you okay?”

“Yep, I’m good!” Magnus replied, dusting himself off, “I’ve had worse.”

“He’s not joking about that, by the way.” Ellegaard added, “He nearly dies every Tuesday.”

“I think that’s kinda exaggerating a bit.” Magnus rolled his eyes. “It’s not.” The rest of the Order replied in near unison.

“Anyway, since we were rudely interrupted by that ghast before,” Soren began, “What’s your decision, Lapis.”

“I think the proof’s in the pumpkin pie.” Emerl chuckled as she motioned to Lapis’s robes. They were the same as before, but now bore the same symbol Emerl had on her cloak, except hers was blue and gold. Lapis smiled proudly and nodded. “Alright!” Magnus laughed as he wrapped an arm around the gem and gave her a noogie, “Welcome to the Order, kid!” Lapis laughed before being eventually released from Magnus’s noogie hold. She could feel excitement bubble up within her. This was the beginning of a brand-new adventure…

 …but not in the way she was expecting.

 To Be Continued...

[edgarbright]

Kyle’s Route part 8

Initial ramblings!

Minor spoilers from Edgar’s route

And with this part I'm all caught up from Saturday's Lucky Time!

To continue off the last part, Kyle is so cute when he comments that if he goes to sleep too, sharing a room with Alice without a curtain won’t be weird. ;;

But this sweetness is hiding some... painful connotations. It's plain now that Kyle just can't sleep well without drinking and that is HIGHLY concerning. I know he's a grade A alcoholic and it’s entertaining and he looks cute with his blushy face, but it hurt my heart to see him drink this one particular bottle, especially after Alice's attempts to fill him up with food. It literally came across to me that for him to sleep well means he needs to black out.

What kind of dreams is Kyle avoiding?

On a happier note, I'm HOLLERING over Kyle waking Alice up in the morning in his bed. And would you look at that! He's not really if at all hungover! He might have drunk a bottle but he had enough food in him thathe’s OK! So Alice's plan wasn't a complete failure. (Although she counts it as a failure that he drank at all, but one step at a time, woman!)

"Did you, like, give me a piggyback ride, or--" Alice is apparently the drunk one this morning istg

Kyle's "Why are you making all those funny faces" though LOL She's so easy to read as always. Where is Edgar he'd love this!

"(Even Kyle, who can be so oblivious, is considerate when it really counts.)" Alice's obliviousness is making me suffer. I can't believe, after everything he's done to help her, that she thought he'd sleep in the same bed with her like that. Like he’s been nothing if not respectful of her this whole time.

Another one of Kyle's hangover remedies: chewing peppermint leaves. I like that he keeps a plant in his room.

"(Does everything in his life revolve around getting over hangovers? Sounds like a sad life to me.)" Yes, yes it does...

Red Army breakfasts sound AMAZING. Although it's weird they wouldn't have something non-sweet for Kyle considering he is a leading officer. Kyle giving Alice his portion is nice but it's sad he has to go to the kitchen to ask for something that suits him. Maybe it’s because of his hangovers that he doesn’t normally eat breakfast so they don’t bother making him something in particular.

With Kyle gone, we catch Jonah being depressed a little further down the table. Lancelot didn't eat again that morning.

Jonah: "I used only the finest ingredients to suit the king's exquisite palate. But it seems it still wasn't good enough for him."

Meanwhile Lancelot is surely nibbling on some gummies he got from Edgar lol. In Edgar's route, Lancelot stated something or other about wanting to know what regular people were interested in, which is why he eats Edgar's sweets despite not having much interest in sweets in general. It makes me think that Jonah put's "exquisite" in front of all of Lancelot's habits and traits. Exquisite palate... exquisite dancing... exquisite bowel movement LOL

Also the book Alice read is called Medical Science Reveals How to Live 100 Years by Eating Right! which is hilarious to me for a 19th century text. Like it just screams selling snake oil lol But the details in it sound right~

I love Alice and Jonah bonding over their attempts to help Kyle and Lancelot!

"The way [Jonah] did his best to care for his commander, even if he wasn't always good at it, was actually really sweet. I couldn't help but want to root for his success."

Very cute and true! (Bracing for the Jonalot posting spike when those fans hit this part lol.) Alice revitalized Jonah’s spirit and may have helped Lancelot, her greatest foe~! And she begins to notice that Jonah's more human than she first though. In part 6, Edgar tells Kyle that he tried to convince Jonah to play nice with Alice and he refused. I’m sure we’ll see a turn-around if Alice’s advice helps~

Later Alice is helping Kyle pick herbs in the garden -- AND SHE CONFESSES HER ESCAPE PLAN OUT LOUD LMAO. This Alice is a special brand of dumb but this variety is cute. And Kyle's reaction is quite literally the greatest. Just a carefree smile~

ZERO AND HIS NEW RECRUITS ARRIVE FOR TRAINING HECK YEAH!

Ahhh, Red Army training is the best ♡ Just the way they're described, that uniformity, sounds beautiful. Like a dance.

But then cue Alice throwing some uncalled-for shade at Kyle like, Alice, wtf. Even Kyle is like ?? ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ This doesn't feel like resentment that he's guarding her, which I could excuse. It's just like, 'you're so incompetent, Kyle, you could really learn a thing or two from [insert other person here] hah hah.' It just comes across as rude...

It's good then when Kyle points out that Zero is teaching from a training manual. "All new recruits go through the same training course." Meaning the lessons are the same but the method of instruction changes. Which also means... what Zero is teaching them here is the same thing Edgar was teaching his own group? LOL RIP Edgar's group

Speak of the devil-- EDGAR IS BACK! ♡♡♡ He just pops in from out of nowhere. Eating gummies alone in a bush, perhaps?

I LOVE Kyle, Alice, and Edgar just standing by to watch Zero train the soldiers. So reminiscent of Edgar's route~! Everyone loves Zero!

AND FINALLY THE RED ARMY GETTING THE RESPECT IT DESERVES!

Edgar: "[The soldiers'] only job right now is to get stronger. Of course, even officers like us aren't exempt from that duty. Grow strong and become a proud member of the Red Army, who protects the citizens of Cradle."

This might be the first time the Red Army is explicitly stated to be a positive force. Too often, way too often, are they presented in this game as just the violent antagonist to the Black Army with no other redeeming qualities. The BA's job is presented as force meant to push back on the RA encroaching their right to ~freedom.

But the Red Army helps and protects the people of Cradle. And Kyle's job is making sure this army is healthy and fit enough to do that job. He doesn't need to be able to fight. His job is already super important. Hopefully Alice realizes that sooner rather than later.

KUDOS TO EDGAR FOR CALLING KYLE FOR BEING THE GOOD, THOUGHTFUL MAN THAT HE IS.

Alice: "Kyle's been sleeping on the sofa so he can guard me."

Edgar, surprised: "He's guarding you, is he?"

Edgar, smiling: "I see. I suppose that is how you would see it."

Thank God for Edgar Bright who knows and understands all~ He just comes right out and explains EVERYTHING. Even counters Kyle's weak excuses with ACTUALLY Lancelot would let you skimp out on this job if you didn’t want to do but better luck hiding it next time!!

Edgar might only be doing this because he's bored or because he LIKES seeing happy endings he can't have, but his heart is in the right place!

And OH!! The "menial" task that Kyle gave Alice the other day? NOT MENIAL AT ALL! The labels to the medicine bottles were for Alice’s sake so she could help him as his assistant. Kyle is so good, everyone. He might be a little clumsy and goofy about it but he's just fantastic.

Edgar: "Kyle is such a nice guy. Yes, a real softy."

Kyle: "Aw, shuddup."

I LOVE THEM!!!!!!!! And Kyle refusing to look Alice in the eye because he's embarrassed. Just holy shi-- I love all of this. Thank you Edgar for making this happen.

Alice saying thank you to Kyle and Kyle... KYLE'S AWKWARD REPLY AND ADVERTED-LOOK BLUSHING. Cute! And Kyle pointing out that this is the first genuine smile he's seen from Alice. Super cute!

You know this resulting cuteness is why Edgar intervened! Edgar has SUCH a sweet tooth in more ways than one!

--But then Kyle goofs up the moment by remembering that Alice has shown a genuine smile while she's eating LOL. Have I said I love him? Because I love him.

Although Edgar being jealous of Kyle and Alice...

"Edgar narrowed his jade green eyes, as if looking at something dazzling."

Edgar: "I'd never be able to join in something like that."

MY HEART!! ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )‧º·˚ You can, Edgar, you will! I hope they let him have some freedom and happiness in this route, too!

And my heart takes another critical blow when Kyle, looking a little sad, admits that yeah, he'll be lonely without Alice if she sleeps in her own room...!

[eldradii]

June tournament preparation

Hey guys! Normally I just write about the Tournament games, but this preparation process was pretty cool so I thought I might share some of it with you. 

For list choosing and other gameplay stuff, please check out my other post (in this blog, or the other link off facebook!)

I usually procastinate a lot and this tournament was no different. I didn’t even have the whole army assembled a week before the event. I played a couple of games with some very inventive proxies. 

Here are my Ranger conversions - they are composed of a combination from Eternal Guard/Wildwood Ranger parts, a Drukhari knife on their back where the quiver would have gone, Glade Guard and Wych/Helion/Kabalite/Venom crew helmets. I was lucky to pick up all the wood elf parts I needed on cheap, and then the legs are kabalite ones you can buy from bits stores like Hoard O Bits for barely anything! In this way I had parts for over 20 rangers. I like running them with just splinter rifles, since once they’re painted there’s no mistaking them for kabalites, and this way I can run them as Kabalites or allied Rangers if needed!

Here they are in my new lightbox!

Quick guide:

1. Clip off the non-cloak parts of the cloak, so the back half of the torso where it would join to the front, then use a hobby drill/sand tool to quickly bore out the neck area of the little mount.

2. Glue to a Wych/Pilot torso - kabalite torsos can work but I prefer the less armored look of the Wyches. Then put on some kabalite legs, a head. Maybe use some greenstuff to feed into the neck. I didn’t use the back half of the Kabalite legs, instead covering it with either green stuff or some grenades/pouches from Harlequin kits. 

3. Finish with a trimmed of spikes splinter rifle or rifle and knife. 

Here are my storm Guardian conversions, very simple, scourge/wych legs, then wych blades. I figured wych blades already grant one extra attack so as a counts as chainsword they fit well. For pistols I had some random Storm Guardian metal parts that I used for some, or used a grenade, second knife, or splinter pistol arm with a shuriken pistol glued on. 

Here they are based. I use a combination of slate, milliput slabs broken up to give a fine detail slate, and milliput to sculpt raised areas, finally a mixture of sand and rocks for the dirt texture. I’m super proud of the guy on the right, looks very menacing!

Basing in this way also adds weight and fully secures the feet into what is essentially rock, so I don’t have to worry as much about these models falling off the base, saves me a bit of time pinning. In general if a model has a tab for slotta base, I cut it down and then sink it into a scenic base, and if it doesn’t I either pin it or glue a small piece of sprue just to give it something to properly bond to.

Here is my OOP autarch obtained from http://blackmarketminiatures.su , incredibly quality, and the staff were really great. It didn’t come with a reaper launcher but I had a spare, so just cut off the support for a shuriken catapult arm (the tube and stuff) and kept the top trigger mount, then glued it on the bottom. It is of course magnetised too!

So at this point I have my assembled army. I always love to have all my models out to just admire them and reflect on my work. My girlfriend makes a bit of fun of me for it. I sometimes feel a bit like Smeagol from lord of the rings. Admiring my precious! This will be a nice comparison shot to the finished army!

2 Days Before

I have to start painting up! So I started with the rangers, doing a quick drybrush over the black cloak with mechanicus gray, then washed it with whichever color I coded to the squad. 

So for the green, Coellia Greenshade, purple, Druchii Violet, and for blue I used Drakenhoff Nightshade. Then I redrybrush with Dawnstone, celestra, then a final drybrush, very targetted, with Ulthaan grey. Then I used a glaze to recolor it. For Blue Guilliman Blue, Green, Waywatcher Green, for purple I don’t have a purple glaze so I just used Druchii Violet. The picture above is the final picture.

Then I worked on the new Wine Red armored recruits. I knew I wanted very distinct guardian squads, as they would often be mixing up in formation to make sure I always had screen for my characters. So I have made them Ynnari colored. 

Unfortunately I was not too good at painting this time, just couldn’t focus on the little details well. I couldn’t really do as much detail as I would have liked but it was at least tabletop ready and looked nice from a distance. I followed the White Dwarf recommended Ynnari style. Started with a airbrush on the armor of Vallejo Scarlet Red which I then washed with Nuln oil, then went over quickly with Khorne red to brighten it back up a bit. I was having problems with the airbrush so couldn’t get it to apply smoothly with the Air Khorne Red. Anyway, then I highlighted with Mephiston Red, then a finer highlight of Evil Sun’s Scarlet, then a sparing highlight of Fire Dragon Bright. Finally, I added a touch of Yriel yellow on the very extreme corners for a bit of extra color. 

Finally I did my blue sashes and what have you to tie them with my existing force a bit more. They were done with Kantor Blue > Vallejo Magic Blue > Vallejo Electric Blue. Gold detail, then Mechanicus grey on the weapons. Leadbelcher on weapons. Mournfang brown on pouches. For skin tone, I basecoat with Doombull brown. It’s a very nice earthy tone. Then layer with cadian fleshtone, flayed one flesh, wash the pouches and faces with agrax earthshade. I wish I could show pictures of this but some of it’s not very impressive to look at up close and it’s a bit embarassing for me. 

Anyway at this point I have to do a couple characters, my Farseer, two Autarchs, the rest of the reapers, the Hemlock. I’m pretty tired anyway so I mostly spend the time with my lovely girlfriend playing some video games and watching netflix together. It’s important to take these kinds of breaks when you’re rushing like this. Sure you might not get everything done as much as you like before a tournament, but it won’t do you any good to be continuously worn down from not resting properly the days before.

Last day!

I really would have liked to do better work on the Farseer but it worked out alright. I actually still batch paint characters, often along with the rest of an army. I used my standard Blue recipe for the cloak to match my other characters. Starting off with Kantor Blue, layer with Magic Blue and highlight up to Electric Blue. This one turned out a little bit flatter, but that’s a bit because the cloak itself lacks the heavy folds of something like Eldrad’s cloak. 

Here’s a better example of how it looks with more folds to work with. I like this one a lot more. 

I painted the purple sashes on all my characters at the same time. It ties them together quite nicely and provides a bit more color. Basecoat Naggaroth Night, Highlight up to Xerseus, then Genestealer. Often I go back and forth deepening recesses as well when I’m painting like this. It’s pretty quick to do. My style is to be a bit neat but mostly just plan out which areas will be easiest to clean up. 

The navy robes are basically that technique of starting with the Fang, then highlighting with Russ Grey, shading with Dark Reaper just painted into recesses, just play with it till it gets nice. 

Bone white is Rakarth (two thin coats), Pallid. Brown is Rhinox > Mournfang. Gems are just Black basecoat > Mephiston Layer > Smaller Evil Suns Layer > Wild Rider Red layer even smaller then a tiny bit of Fire Dragon Bright. I wanted to do the Farseers middle gem like the Eye of the Time Stone (as it looks like the same!) but I honestly forgot. Maybe I’ll do it now :D

White is Mechanicus>Celestra>Ulthanaan. Prep all gems and details by painting them gold. Gold is great on a time budget because it naturally has shading and highlights already. If you’re going to use metallic gold to paint beyond tabletop, avoid washing the entire gold section with wash, as it dulls it down. 

At this point i’ve done all my details above on my various characters. Gold, white. I was yet to decide on colors for the autarchs besides the red for the Alaitoc autarch to match the new guardians and what have you. I still had a fair bit to do and all the bases. Starting to panic a bit, I took a break. 

Next step is the blue blades I like to do. You start with a blueish basecoat (can either be Sotek or Caledor Sky) then layer on with multiple thin layers to establish Temple Guard blue, then mix and layer up to Baharroth Blue then Baharroth blue + White. I wish I had more time to push these, but I rarely paint except when I’m prepping for a tournament, so these would match the ones I did before. 

Running out of time, I quickly did my reapers, just doing Russ Grey, a wash, the weapons and plumes are Nagaroth > Xerseus > Genestealer; White is Mech/Celestra/Ulthanan. Wish I could have done these better but a bit of a wash and they fit in with the slightly better painted ones from before.

For the rangers, they really needed some detail so I decided to just give them a quick dryrbrush on armor of Dark Reaper, into a lighter shade of “ I can’t remember “. Then the silver details and they were tabletop ready. 

I was still at a loss for my Autarch at this point and resolved to just send him in as mostly black (as he had his blade, robes, gems and gold done). After drybrushing his helmet plumes, my girlfriend suggested doing his eyes to add a bit more detail so he’d look better. I was way too tired to do such a fine detail task so I asked her to do it for me. She took a while and it turned out she’d gone way beyond my request of “ just paint them green “ and done some really nice highlights!

They look awesome! Really excited to do more work on this guy now I’m not under the gun. Anyway. I put all this down and finished up some detail on other units. Finally I had to work on the Hemlock. Unfortunately my airbrush was not cooperating so I couldn’t do my usual punchy blue that I like. I didn’t mind. Just did a thick highlight of Eshin Grey then a smaller of Mechanicus. Painted a couple small things gold then added a turqoise glow to the engine vents and the D-scythes. 

Not very proud of this one but I was very pressed for time. That’s why you don’t get to see it up close. Basically it’s just a drybrush starting with Sotek Green > Temple Guard Blue > Baharroth Blue > 50% Baharroth and White, with a smaller and smaller drybrush area each time. 

Finally, I needed to do all my helmets. Ended up not feeling steady enough so mostly left them white. However when I was airbrush priming all the white I realized I could do some work on my currently mostly black Autarch and just do a zenithal highlight to catch his wings with a quick burst of the airbrush (I prime “ white “ with vallejo light ghost grey). It worked out pretty well! Nice and quick too and I felt comfortable with the work on him!

Anyway everything is mostly done at this point (”Good enough”) so I was working on my display board. It didn’t really work out as I had left it too late, so the first layer of PVA bonding the texture to the surface hadn’t dried. We tried everything to speed up the process but it just was not working. It was time to work on all the bases. I had to basecoat a lot of them to get the dirt and rock basecoated. I didn’t have time to do any in progress pictures, but you can see it in the pictures of the storm guardians above, reposted below for ease:

So basically I have one of two ways I do a base. If I’d had to airbrush, I needed to use the base colors to really cover those areas, then redefine them with a wash of Agrax and/or Nuln oil. If they’re black, I can just drybrush immediately. For dirt, the base is Baneblade Brown. Then I heavy drybrush the rock Mech grey. Then, highlight the dirt with Ushabti Bone, not being too afraid to get it on the rock because it helps you tie it together. Then, on the rock, Dawnstone over all of it with a less heavy drybrush but you still mainly want the color to be dawnstone. Then, another drybrush mostly on edges with Celestra gray, then onto a fine drybrush of Ulthaan. 

Once that’s all done, my amazing girlfriend rebasecoated the edges of the bases with chaos black, while I placed my tufts on the bases and put snow on them. This was getting very late at night. My tufts are “ gamer grass “ of the beige 6mm, green 6mm variety, and on bigger bases I use 12mm tufts. Then I applied generous but sparing Vahallan Blizzard. It’s quite useful to cover any areas you messed up in the basing process, like missed texture, or areas where the red from airbrush hit somewhere. Other than that I like to create little stories of where grass grows. For a bit of realism with snow remember it mostly would stay on the edges and then the snow melts onto the area below a ridge. But mostly I do it how I think looks good. Little bits of grass growing from crevasses is my favorite, it reminds me of that line from Jurassic Park where he says “ Life finds a way “. 

A cool trick is to really drag out the texture spreader to create thin snow. I’m not sure how to describe the technique but it ends up looking quite nice I think! 

Anyway I ended up finishing all of it around 2 AM! Quite bad to have to play the next day getting up at 8 latest! I couldn’t resist a group shot before I packed it all away. Here it is!

And here is the before picture!

I was very happy with how the Dark Reapers turned out with the basing, as they have three points of white for the eye to look at. I’m not sure how to say that but it just really pleases me to look at so I hope it looks good for others too. Anyway I hope this has been a bit entertaining and maybe helps you prepare for your next event. Obviously take more time! You need to be rested and take care of yourself! My final tip is to just start with biggest areas you can. Finally you can really cheat and push some details, like on my guardians, the big highlights on the armor with that final push of yellow, really can draw the eyes and make them look a lot better than they actually are. They’re very messy, and the helmets aren’t done, but I still got a lot of comments for the army looking nice. 

Till next time! :)

[pcttrailsidereader]

A True Story of Life and Death on the Trail

About 50 miles of the 165-mile long Tahoe Rim Trail utilize the PCT high above the west side of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Mountain bikes are permitted on about half of the trail (NOT the PCT portion).  The trail ranges in elevation from 6,240 feet at the outlet of Lake Tahoe to 10,338 feet at Relay Peak in Nevada. Renee’s story, now just two weeks old, took place near the southern intersection of the Tahoe Rim Trail and the PCT.

Renee is the Executive Director of the Siskiyou Land Trust in Mt. Shasta City. She comes from a Shasta Valley ranching family and is a life-long Siskiyou County resident. 

By Renee Casterline

In early September I headed out on my longest solo backpacking trip to date: the 170-mile Tahoe Rim Trail. I spent two months reading, researching, planning, packing, watching weather forecasts, reading water availability reports and being super excited. Come September 5th, I was ready.

When I set off that first day, I was filled with wonder: What would happen on this journey? What would I experience and learn? How would it change me? And, when it was over, what would I want to do next?

It took several days to get into a groove. I had to adjust to the elevation, hiking 14-20 miles a day, setting up my small camp, often in the haze of dusk. By day 5 I was starting to settle in – I’d picked up my resupply box, hiked through most of the dry sections, started to develop a rhythm in setting up and breaking down camp.

Day 6 was long and late into camp, I’d left town mid-morning and took a break on the climb out of Kingsbury to chat with a couple who had just started their thru-hike. The whole day the terrain was stunning, from the narrow granite-lined section after climbing out of Heavenly, pretty views of Nevada farm country, the cheerful sound of a stream flowing, and the enormous tree at mile 82. Monument Pass offered a view of the mountains to come to the south and west, and a gentle traverse. It was uphill into the bowl of Star Lake, its shoreline shaded in the afternoon and chilly in the breeze. The trail up to the pass was the littered with gleaming quartz – pure, white faces, warm roses and dusty orange – that slowed my hike as I scanned the ground around my feet. Coming down out of the saddle between Freel and Trimmer Peaks, I was looking forward to heading toward Desolation Wilderness the next day. Finding water and a campsite were all that was on my mind as the afternoon faded.

When day 7 started, I had decided to slow down for my final five days and make them more relaxed, less driven by miles and hours. I’d look around more, take more breaks, get into camp earlier. I’d be patient and present. At this point in the trip, the challenges were more mental than physical. I wanted a hike I could be proud of, not just for the thru-hiking achievement, but also for my state of mind.

During my lunch break, while drying my socks in the sun and enjoying the ketchup from my resupply that fancied up my tortilla, cheese and salami, I chatted with a friend. It was downhill the rest of the way to the crossing at Luther Pass, then a bit of a climb to Round Lake for the night. Yes, I still had a bunch of miles to go, but I was going to take it easy, let the hiking go by smooth and pleasurable.

Coming downhill off a small knob after Freel Meadows, I saw something strange in the trail. My eyes and brain sought to make meaning of it. What was that? As I got closer, I realized it was legs and my first thought was that a hiker was napping in the trail (I’ve seen it before). Not wanting to startle the man, I clicked my hiking poles together to warn him of my approach. When he didn’t respond I started talking – “hiker coming up behind you.” Still no movement. A small black dog appeared at my knee from along side the trail, then ran to the man.

I slowed my approach, my gut starting to roil. He was laying on his side in a pool of sunlight, his back to me. When I shook his shoulder his skin was warm, but he didn’t respond. He was arched back a bit, the curve of his neck exposed. I lay my fingers there, but there was nothing to feel. When I walked around to see his face everything broke down: This man was clearly dead.

It hit me like physical blow and I staggered back up the trail, bent over and struggling to breath. I dropped my pack and called my husband.

“There’s a dead man in the trail. There’s a dead man in the trail. There’s a dead man in the trail.”

Coming to grips with what I was saying, Vinnie tried to calm me. But my rational mind was gone and some reptilian part was in charge. There’s a dead man in the trail! For one minute on the phone with my husband, I fell apart. Then I hung up and dialed 911. After a few questions and pulling my location from my cell phone signal, the 911 operator transferred me over an El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department deputy.

“Renee, tell me where you are.”

The deputy’s voice was steady, no spike of adrenaline to my ears, even though I was freaking out. I gave him my location and the details of where I’d started my hike that day, how far I’d come, which trail crossings I’d passed. My Guthook app had failed me, showing my location in South Lake, so I couldn’t give him an exact trail mileage. Satisfied with that, he moved on.

“How do you know he’s dead?”

How? Because he’s not breathing or moving. Because he won’t respond to me. Because there is no movement in his abdomen. Because his face is splotchy blue and white with flecks of spittle dried on his lips. Because ants are crawling over him. This man is dead. The words raced through my mind, but I tried for a composed response. I don’t remember what I actually said to him.

“Have you tried for a pulse?”

I laid my fingers on his exposed neck again. I told the deputy that my heart was pounding so hard and loud I wouldn’t have felt a pulse if he’d had one.

He kept on in his calm manner, telling me they’d be coming in a helicopter, that it would be 45 minutes before they arrived. He asked me to look for an open place where they might land, even though the wind was picking up.

“I want you to stay put and wait for me.”

For at least a half hour I was alone with the dead man and his dog. I didn’t know how long they’d been there, so I gave the dog water and some of my lunch. My heart was racing and my breathing was shallow, but cell service was good. I called my husband again to give him an update. He’d been in touch with a friend of ours who is a retired police officer, the same friend I’d talked to during my lunch break, so I called her back. She delivered the first piece of advice that helped get me though: walk away from the body. Stop looking at him.

It was surprisingly hard to do: I had to repack a few things and it seemed an overly large task. Finally I loaded up and moved away.

“Good. And you’re not looking at him?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Look away.”

I had to walk a bit farther up the trail so that I didn’t have a line of sight. Somehow, I had become tied to this man that I had never seen before. At some point while I waited, a passing hiker told me that I didn’t have to stay, that I had done enough by calling 911, that I could keep hiking. Leaving wasn’t an option I could contemplate. My mind was still spiraling between panic and numbness. I told the deputy I would wait. He’d asked me to take part in getting the helicopter close for the recovery. I couldn’t leave this man, with his tanned legs spanning the trail, dirt pushed up by his boots when he fell. I certainly couldn’t leave his dog.

I called another friend, this one part of our local Search and Rescue team.

“What are you doing calling me? Aren’t you on the trail?”

I gave her the quick run down of what happened. “I need you to answer two questions and I need you to do it quick, I don’t have much time before the helicopter arrives. I need to know how to get my breathing under control and how to get them to put me on that helicopter.”

“Ok, this is like yoga,” she said. “You want your out breath to be longer than your in breath.”

“Thanks, I can work with that,” I told, my breathing still sharp and shallow.

It was nearly two hours between the time I called 911 to the time that the deputy and Search and Rescue team members arrived. During that time, 8 people came by on the trail. The first few times the exchange was the same:

“This man’s dead!”

“Yes, he is. I’ve called 911, a recovery team is on the way.”

Then word passed up and down the trail, so that the next group of folks who came through had already heard. Some were helpful, others passed through quickly, unwilling to make this part of their day. I was focusing on my breathing, I told a couple of mountain bikers. They assured me that I was doing a good thing, then gave me their gatorade and shot blocks. Their brief presence was amazingly soothing.

I was up on the knob when two Search and Rescue members arrived from a fast hike in. One of them stayed with me while the other went out beyond the body in the other direction to reroute anyone coming up the trail. Not long after, the deputy and another SAR member, who had been dropped off by the helicopter somewhere nearby, arrived on the scene. The first thing he did was give me a hug, then he told me I’d done a good thing.

He went to work at the scene, while I stayed well away, willing myself not to look, not to ask what he was doing. A short time later, they loaded the man into a thick, blue vinyl bag with wide handles down its length and began the task of carrying him out. As we started down the trail, his dog ran back to the spot he had fallen. After that, we put her on a leash and I hiked with her. After only a 100 yards on the trail, the team of 4 decided that the best route to the waiting helicopter was off-trail and they headed overland.

I’m not sure how long I followed them over rocks and logs, through tangles of limbs. Their team work and grit were admirable. Here were four people doing the hard work it took to bring this man home to his family. At one point, when they had sat the bag down for a break, a phone rang.

“That’s you.”

“No, it’s you.”

“No,” we all looked down, “it’s him.” Someone was calling this man.

They carried him for a bit less than a mile to an open hillside where a CHP helicopter waited. The man was loaded into the helicopter, along with the pilots and deputy. The Search and Rescue team, me and the dog, headed downhill over ground that crumbled underfoot for all the mole holes. After 15 minutes or so, we wove through a stand of trees and emerged on the trail. Another mile and a half and we were out at the Highway 89 trailhead, cars whipping by in the evening gloom with a speed and noise I hadn’t heard for days.

It’s been over a week now since I left the Tahoe Rim Trail after finding that man. I’ve heard from the deputy that he was 65 years old, but nothing about the cause of death. To my eyes, it looked like he died mid-stride, out on a beautiful sunny day with his dog. I prefer to think of it that way. He’s been returned to his wife and family, and his sweet dog was reunited with them, too. Early on during that event, a friend told me that I didn’t have to stay out on the trail if I didn’t want to, that I should think about it. Not staying on the trail was an easy decision: my mind was numb, minimally functioning, and there are simply too many decisions to make on a solo hike to go out in that condition.

Initially, it was difficult for me to describe this event: it wasn’t negative, even though it was traumatic. Neither would I call it positive, even though a friend said that was I did was an act of service to the man’s family. It is something so outside of ordinary life that only one person has said to me, yes, that happened to me, too. In the days that have followed, I’ve had really helpful, caring conversations, naps and acupuncture. I followed up with each one of the four ladies I called on while I was standing beside that trail. My husband and I have found our way through those fragile days with love and tears and some laughter. I’ve reached out and found that I have a large, remarkable, diverse group of folks who support me. The biggest turning point in my recovery came on the day, exactly one week later, when I told my Rotary club about the event. The hugs and conversations that followed have helped soften the sharp edges of this tale.

It’s natural to want to assign some meaning to this, to draw out a lesson. In this past week, I’ve tried so many ways to try to give this some context. All of that is slow in coming, but that’s alright – I’d been practicing patience on the trail that day, and it seems to have stuck with me. I’ve been hiking, writing, thinking back. Next week I’ll head out on a five day backpacking trip for a work hitch on the Oregon Desert Trail at Steens Mountain. I’m not worried about whether or not I’ll be back out on a solo trip: I know that I will – soon. And I’ll be back on the Tahoe Rim Trail, too. It’s at the top of my list for next summer. I’m certain that as I retrace my steps, memories and lessons will come to me, and I’m equally certain that I’ll know that exact spot on the trail when I reach it.

[leaves-and-inks]

ROARING RUST

A familiar face! I drew this little dragon for a test post on my Instagram last month, but I’ve refreshed it a bit! originally the left side was cropped, and there was some writing to the right, but I added the left side past the old crop, deleted the type, and changed the background around! It was a little tricky making sure the lines and shading lined up with the old parts, but I think it worked out! Throughout my life of learning art and drawing, digital art had never been my strong suit, but I’m really proud of the growth I’ve had in this medium ^^ (I posted this super late, my bad y’all)

[ID: Digital Illustration of a dragon bust on a green and off white background. The dragon faces 3/4 right, its mouth open and six off white lines radiating out from its mouth and snout, alluding to sound. The dragon is a rust red with a darker snout, cow-like ears, and a grey mane. It also has spiky scales on its cheek, mammal-like molars, and two small horns going straight back with small spikes coming up from the beginning and top of them. The scales by the base of the horns are also dark like the snout. The dragon glances up with yellow eyes, only one of them visible. It also has yellow highlights over its body. The dragon sits on a textured off-white background with that fades into a textured green background, left to right. The green background is lined at the edges with the off-white. Around the shape of the dragon is a white outline that is fuzzy at the edges. In the bottom left corner, a watermark logo reads “LEAVES AND INKS”, in stacked text.

Image 2: Crop showcasing the dragon’s face and details in the skin. The crop reaches to the edges of the snout, and only the beginnings of the bottom three lines extending in front of it are in frame. It crops at the beginnings of the horns on both the top and left side. On the bottom, only the base of the neck is in frame. The only visible background on the right hand side is green.

Image 3: Crop showing the ear and right, frontmost horn. The left horn is out of frame, and the tips of the mane at the top and left sides are out of frame. The furthest most point of the eye is visible and the tips of the spiky scales on the cheek are slightly out of frame. The only visible background is on the left hand side, and is off white.

Image 4: Crop showcasing the edge of the mane and fur details. On the right, the highlights are just beginning, while on the left, deep shadows are in the crevices of the fur. The bottom left edge is in frame, and the fade between the off-white and green background is at the bottom of the frame./end ID]

[scribble-dee-vee]

Queen Bee 🐝  

(Process pics/extra info under the cut :D)

So,  this was fun?? I wasn’t planning to make an illustration today, but I doodled this concept earlier this week in Latin class and decided to run with it. What can I say? I’m always a sucker for bees and royal imagery. Iresine’s hair is way too fun to draw. And I cannot resist drawing super minor OCs instead of actually important ones, especially when they have a dramatic aesthetic to work from. Lol. Listen, she’s still my baby, even if she doesn’t do much in Belladonnas.

If you’re wondering, Iresine’s not actually a queen. She’s a witch/criminal, as are most of the characters in Belladonnas. She’s also a tertiary member of the Glass Diamonds, rival coven to the Belladonnas, and she’s bargained with a demon for the power to talk to bees. As payment, she’s given up her tongue and the power of speech. She’s generally a tranquil and satisfied person, and she’s one of the most emotionally balanced of my characters. Despite the fact that there’s no crown in her story, “Queen Bee” is a punderful expression :D

Here’s the sketch! I’ve been working on profiles (notably, translating them into my style), and although there’s a lot I could improve on, I’m proud of my progress. Accessories/objects are also a point of interest for me here. I originally planned to draw sharp, defined spikes on the crown and necklace, but I ended up going for a more organic “beeswax” look later on.

This is not my favorite lineart, tbh. Some bits could be cleaner, and the weight feels all over the place without color. But I had fun doing it anyway (especially that swoopy lapel thing)

And finally, we’ve got the colors. The green was not originally planned, but I think it contrasts the warmer browns in a way that a pure yellow wouldn’t. I wanted to keep with a bee theme, and forest green doesn’t entirely fit that, but maybe it invokes nature generally? Idk. I wasn’t feeling cheery yellow today, and I love how the green turned out.

In coloring technique-wise, I got a little experimental with shading. I used dot shading on the accessories to simulate a bumpy, waxy texture (and generally to play around with dot shading, as I haven’t done a lot with it). I put those green dots under her skin for a similar purpose. I thought they would end up less visible under a few layers of brown marker, but you can see them really clearly… whoops! I guess Iresine has green freckles now. I kinda like them, I’ve got to say. The green on her nose was a style experiment, and I need to think about whether I like it or not. (I realize, also, that the green makes her look a lot like a humanstuck Kanaya. I am 100% okay with this.)

Her face shading could be smoother, but I’m low-key proud of that cheekbone. And I’m high-key proud of the contrast in her hair.

Overall, this was a fun and relaxing piece! Let me know what you think, and whether I should include process information on my art in the future. Writing my thoughts out helps me analyze my own artistic growth/weaknesses, but I want to know what you think about it!

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/lifestyle/life-as-a-runway-what-do-twitter-employees-in-new-york-wear-to-work/

Life as a Runway: What Do Twitter Employees in New York Wear to Work?

Twitter may be besieged with controversies over inaccurate news, hate speech and harassment, but its Manhattan offices on West 17th Street are a study in sunny civility.

On a recent Thursday, the 400 so-called tweeps who work there were dining on Indian food in the bright cafeteria, with its Big Buck Hunter arcade game and Ping-Pong table. Others were pecking away on their sticker-covered laptops. And with the average age hovering around 30, there seems to be less and less separating street clothes from office wear.

Evan Romero

Age: 30

Occupation: lead partner manager

How do you dress for work?

I have influences from the different places I’ve lived: born and raised in Miami; went out to San Francisco for five years; then New York.

You don’t look so much Miami.

I have the black V-neck below the sweatshirt. Also I’d say my Air Force 1’s are Miami. Though they’re also a bit New York. Black. Like the jeans.

What about the sweatshirt?

The sweatshirt is comfort. It’s a hoodie from Outdoor Voices. I could wear it after work, at work.

With an Apple Watch.

Honestly, I have a watch my father gave me, a Breitling, which I love. But I’ve been using my Apple Watch for the fitness aspect.

You look fit.

I’m able to track my family and see how they’re doing. We get competitive.

Holyn Kanake

Age: 24

Occupation: strategy and operations associate

Those sleeves! Are you about to fly away?

Literally. I’m a huge fan of an all-black look. There’s so much you can do with it. And this has a lot of personality and is sheer and very witchy.

What draws you to witchy things?

Alexander McQueen loved to design for very powerful women, who can be seen as bold or dangerous. And that defines a lot of the things that attract me. But I’m not a witch.

Tell me about your black jeans.

I’m not actually a huge jean fan. I don’t own that many. But you need a pair of black jeans. It can be the foundation of a great outfit. Like the way you need a little black dress.

What’s the attraction to an all-black outfit?

Monochrome you can either do very well or it can be very boring. To be able to communicate your identity through a black palette is pretty incredible.

Joanna Geary

Age: 38

Occupation: director of curation

Tell me about your hair color.

I like the idea that if you’re going to have to be a grown-up, making grown-up decisions, you can also have some fun with things like bright pink hair.

Vintage belt?

Vintage. I have a mild obsession with ouroboros — the snake is eating itself but also birthing itself. The idea of self-criticism and self-improvement.

You’re wearing a lot of black.

I wear a lot of black. Always. I used to wear a lot of color. As the hair got brighter, the clothes got darker.

Has your style changed since you began dressing maternity?

I’ve been trying really hard to make sure it hasn’t. I’m lucky that many of my clothes have the benefit of Lycra.

EJ Samson

Age: 37

Occupation: content strategy lead

So many stickers on your laptop.

When I got here, I noticed a lot of tweeps like to trick out their laptops.

Excuse me, did you say “tweeps”?

Yes. That’s what we call Twitter employees.

Your T-shirt is what I would call “high visibility.”

The T-shirt and pants are both Polo, a nod to my previous job at Ralph Lauren. The pants I love because they’re kind of absurd.

I don’t think they’re absurd. Wide-leg pants are very much in style.

For me, they’re pleated, they’re baggy, and they’re not hemmed, so it’s everything guys were told not to do to their pants. Hopefully it’s so wrong that it’s right.

You’re wearing beaded bracelets like you’re at summer camp.

This spike is Giles and Brother. I got it for my partner on our 10th anniversary. But I just did that as a ploy. I wear it more than he does.

Xiomara Davila

Age: 28

Occupation: account manager

I like your overalls.

Jeans are so stiff. I got this at a thrift shop in Cranford, New Jersey.

Aren’t you worried, with a sweater under your overalls, that you’ll overheat?

I’m hot right now.

Your earring goes the length of your ear.

It’s actually not an extra piercing or anything, it’s just a hook to the top of my ear.

Clearly Twitter is a tattoo-friendly office.

This is the Millennium Falcon. One of my cousins passed away two years ago, and he was the biggest Star Wars nerd I can think of. When he passed, my whole family got different Star Wars tattoos.

That’s a lovely story. May the force be with you.

You too.

Stewart Cornelius

Age: 32

Occupation: agency development lead

Strong bracelet game.

I got the black one from Curated Basics, at Artists and Fleas on 10th Avenue. My parents are from West Africa, so I’m into leathers and this bracelet is an homage to my mom, with the coordinates of where we buried her.

That’s really sweet. Your ring is huge.

I went to Morehouse College. I’m really proud that I’m the second person in my family to go to a four-year college.

Comme des Garçons T-shirt, but with a cardigan.

It’s a little New Age-y, but also it gets a little cold in the office. I like Comme des’ aesthetic. It’s a little creepy and a little fun. I don’t wear a lot of colors so I really have to experiment with patterns.

Who makes your watch?

Mondaine. This is not super-expensive. Understated. I’m a big watch person, because of my grandfather. He liked the complication of it and the statement. My mom always wore watches. I can’t leave the house without a watch on my wrist. I feel lost. I’m a prisoner of time.

Daney Rivera

Age: 27

Occupation: I.T. support engineer

Are you one of those mean I.T. people?

I try to make it as welcoming as possible. I try not to be a jerk.

Are those gauges in your ear?

I used to have way bigger gauges. They got really gross and smelly, but I’ve slimmed them down.

Why clear glasses?

To be totally honest, a year had gone by and I hadn’t used my insurance. I got $200 off, so I went crazy. They’re Nike.

Like everyone else here, you’re wearing black jeans.

Every day. They’re slimming. In fact, I just donated the rest of my blue jeans.

The shoes. You’re basically a Nike commercial.

I wear Adidas, too. I got these for myself for my birthday. They’re custom Air Max. They say “Game Over” on the back. I’m a super-gamer.

Mike Park

Age: 42

Occupation: Vice president of publisher products

You’re in shades of gray.

I’m graying, I have a very gray beard, and my wife wears gray and we dress our son in gray. I don’t know why.

You sound like the world’s most depressing family.

It’s just happened. We’ve just adopted gray as our color.

How do you decide what to wear each morning?

I have two pairs of jeans: black and gray. And then always a button-down, where you can actually button down the collar.

Where is the shirt from?

Uniqlo. It’s a little bit baggier than I prefer, but it’s comfortable.

You mentioned that your doctor made you wear those shoes.

I had a stress fracture. The doctor literally just wrote down the name of a shoe: Hoka One One Bondi 6. He said, “Wear this for six weeks and you’ll get better.” They looked like Yeezys or something.

[thefemalecampaign-blog]

Meet A Young Visionary. #GirlBoss

Meet a Young Visionary: We had the opportunity of interviewing a young bright, talented soul by the name of Kaylan Jefferson. Many of you may also know her as “The Visionary Boss.” She’s currently taking the world by storm with her blog platform that showcases her style, writing, other influential women, but she’s also launched her own organization at the age of nineteen. Whew! Now that she has inspired us, we hope that you become inspired too.

Now for starters, she’s very confident with who she is and what she does. When we asked her about herself, some of her goals, and basically her influences this is what she had to say:

 “I like the refer to myself as the one & only muse. I use the rhythm of my conversation and words to create intimate, vulnerable think pieces, to witty narratives and self-improvement, and candid, groundbreaking content. I’m newly nineteen years old and it feels wonderful. I have always been a huge life enthusiast. Funny, I’m somewhat of an introvert, but I have a fondness for communication and networking. When I was younger my passions ranged from wanting to being an author, a fashion designer, to a cinematographer. Nonetheless, in one sense or another, I wanted to be a boss. A CEO! Hence my blog and platform: The Visionary Boss. I was born up north, but have lived in Tampa for pretty much all of my life. As far as influential women in my life, I would definitely pay homage to my mother: a queen, a beautiful soul and a great confidant, all in one. My mom has always supported me and been someone I look up to, entrepreneurial wise and more. She has this eclectic, earthy, warm approach to everything she does. Her seamless nature almost seems effortless, at times. That’s the kind of boss I want to be—I want to execute my passions and moves in a natural, fitting way.”

 Not only has Kaylan been an influencer herself, she has also been influenced by someone very close to her to start her on business venture. When we asked Kaylan about who influenced her to start her own business, she said:

“My mother has influenced me to start my own business, because she was an entrepreneur and a self-made business woman at the age of nineteen. I am gracefully following her lead. Being a business owner is humbling, because I'm constantly challenging myself. Everyday, I am trying different methods to reach an audience. At the moment, I am selling sophisticated, sleek sunglasses. For $5 you can either get a cup of coffee, or a beautifully crafted pair of sunnies from an independent, black-owned business. I started the Visionary Boss Shop when I was a senior in high school. I remember investing my money into the project, getting a great model to showcase the shades, and taking the photos for them. I was told that my idea was 'small' and 'good-luck growing my little business,' by an individual at the time. Now, I just smile, because I'm genuinely happy that I got the experience of creating and developing my own merchandise. No one can take that away from me. I do not wear it on my sleeve, but I am proud to call myself an entrepreneur.”

 Your brand has to be very unique and the name has to along with some type of message. We thought that “The Visionary Boss” was very unique and wanted to figure out what the meaning was behind it:

 “The Visionary Boss is not an alter ego or alias. It is merely my reality. Being a Visionary Boss is dreaming, envisioning and creating an aesthetic of your own while making waves. I am creating visuals, literature and content with simplistic, realistic concepts and story lines that have life-changing tendencies and perspectives. Rewind to my sophomore year of high school. Second semester. During this time in my life, I was in the process of preparing for a pageant. I made it through the auditions, initial interviews, the practices, panels of judges before the show, the photo-shoots and finally the dress rehearsals. The morning of the pageant, we had rehearsal and the host and main coordinator of the show gave all the girls the run-down of the live show and some questions we'd have the answer, after the 'runway' portion of the show. "Describe yourself in one word." That's what he told us. From that moment on, 'visionary' just was ingrained to me. I'm an introspective, deep thinker. I reminisce while dreaming of the future to create a present. It is always my season.”

  Being a female entrepreneur has become more common in today’s age. One thing that can detour a lot of people away is how to start and where to start. Getting your idea from pen and paper to reality can be hard, but it’s not impossible. Our young visionary had a few words for our young, upcoming entrepreneurs:

“My advice for aspiring, young entrepreneurs is to plan accordingly and to be realistic. A blog, a business or any passion project does not happen overnight—but it does require late nights. Being strategic and thinking ahead is my best advice. Also, less is more. You do not need to tackle a million different avenues to be seen as a worthy entrepreneur. Minimalism is a beautiful thing. Have a clean-cut office setting to do your work, be organized and ahhhhhh, take a deep breath. I’m all for being on my grind, but if something is effecting my mental state, then I will take a break. This summer, I’m balancing my summer pre-med classes, my full-time marketing coordinating job, and the glorious thing I call my blog: The Visionary Boss. 24 hours is not enough. Like Ginuwine said, ‘Give me 24, give me 24.’ So, basically, I never try to overwork myself. I can simply just get up the next morning and get as much as I can do, possible. Real bosses get sleep, haha.

You asked what problems I’ve faced as a young, black entrepreneur. For starters, being a young, black entrepreneur is a market and network of its own. Personally, I have not had any huge, underlying issues or obstacles. If anything, I think being a young black woman influencer, entrepreneur and blogger has helped me. But, universally speaking, I do think there is too much of a ‘I’m a bigger boss’ elitist competition between young black professionals, bloggers, etc.  The world—at least the independent black marketing and network world would be a lot more vibrant, if people built together. Too many times I scroll down my Insta feed and see young black fashion designers, models, bloggers, influencers and business owners who have this super elitist complex and promote the fact that they have haters and copiers. Yawn! Not everything has to be this elaborate, over the top competition. Just put your heart and soul into your work, be confident in that and network with others.”

Passion is the one thing that seems to drive any and every one when it comes to their dreams. Kaylan was able to tell us her passions and how she figured out what her passions were at a young age:

“My number one passion in life is to evoke a feeling of warmth, inspiration and revelation. I have a passion for aesthetics, literature, film, the universe, the cosmos, the ocean, the mind and body. I organically figured out my passions when I was fifteen. It was on a Summer night that I call one of my many 'nostalgic nights.' It is the intuition you get about life on a hot summer night or intimate fall evening. It is the reflection along with a dream. I want to create eminent, eclectic masterpieces with ancient allusions, aspects from traditional literature and atmospheric, relevant vibes. And, I want to write. And be a CEO. These are my passions, that may be larger-than-life to some, but heaven sent to me.”

We live in a society that has powerful women making their marks in every industry. These women to say the least, influence majority of us in many ways to pursue our own dreams. Our fellow young boss had a few influential women in mind:

“There are so many bold, unapologetic women powerhouses. From Ava Duvernay, to Debbie Allen, Oprah Winfrey,  Issa Rae, to Solange and Beyonce Knowles. Those are women bosses, right there. All of these women are creators, producers and game-changers when it comes to filmmaking, entertainment and creating vivid concepts. I am an aspiring cinematographer and I have filmed, produced, edited and created mini documentaries, short visuals and look-books. In high school, I spent a lot of time dissecting behind-the-scenes and production for music videos, critically-acclaimed movies and even concerts. I wanted to be the modern-day female Spike Lee. But, in all honesty I thank the women mentioned above for inspiring me.”

There’s always speculation about what the future may hold for many, but Kaylan seems to continue to have the bright spirit and drive to succeed and tap into way more in the future:

“I’m going to have a lot of fun with this answer, because I have a dozen vision boards in the back of my head. Ten years from now I will be twenty-nine years old. I will have my pharmacy degree, (cheers to that), and continue to be the CEO of The Visionary Boss. Honestly, I have always envisioned myself living a simplistic, yet larger-than-life life. By 29, I will be married to my equivalent, and he will most likely have a growing business—and we’ll be partners for a business that is something organic or natural, or dealing with fitness. Maybe all three.  I would have successfully spent my twenties, traveling, networking, branding and taking lots of photos, capturing the warm, exciting moments. But honestly, in ten years I want my platform to turn into a brand, and I want to promote my lifestyle to others and be a great CEO.”

Being a young, black entrepreneur can have its cons but it for sure has its pro’s. Kaylan, who is a young, black entrepreneur herself feels the complete opposite of what most may think about being a black female entrepreneur:

“It feels limitless. The only thing stopping young, black entrepreneurs is believing you have to follow a specific formula. And trying to separate thyself from older, original influencers to seem 'different.' There is nothing wrong with being influenced!”

 As a entrepreneur, your number one goal should be making an impact or mark on the world instead of sitting around not trying to make change. Honestly, that’s what being an entrepreneur is about… making change. When Kaylan was asked about how she plans to make an even bigger impact on the world, this is what she had to say:

 “Recently, I started and launched an organization for Top-Shelf, ambitious, creative, well-rounded, vibrant young women + boss babes in Tampa who want to network and give back. This organization and sisterhood is called MUSE—because I, The Visionary Boss surrounds and supports herself around other goddesses who are creative influencers. Through this organization, I want to show representation to young WOC and create a refreshing networking environment for like-minded aspiring bosses.”

 We want to thank Kaylan for wanting to be apart of our campaign and being such a boss she is. We hope she has many more successes in the future!

 Her social media handles:

IG- @thevisionaryboss

Youtube- Cake and Kat

Twitter-@visionary_boss

[bobbystompy]

The Slim Shady 20

Eminem’s “The Slim Shady LP” came out, I’m told, 20 years ago. Though the album is, in many ways, dated, homophobic, problematic, sexist, and just as differently offensive now as it equally was originally, it’s still extremely excellent. Instead of going too think piece-y, I wanted to write about my favorite bars.

While Eminem’s career definitely hit higher highs with latter releases, this is my favorite album in his catalogue. He was just as angry, but it was channeled; not distorted by fame or worn down by addiction or jaded by lawsuits or persevering through death of loved ones. This was 26-year-old Marshall, getting his head above water in time to start machine gunning expletives at the world around him.

And please remember, in his words, “If I’m talking too fast, it just means you’re listening too slow.”

20.

I wanted an album so rugged, nobody could touch it Spent a million a track and went over my budget (Oh, shit) Now, how in the fuck am I supposed to get out of debt? I can't rap anymore, I just murdered the alphabet

Immediate thesis statement.

19.

If I had a magic wand I'd make the world suck my dick without a condom on while I'm on the john

Really dislike this lyric, but it’s unflinching grossness hits every time.

18. 

I met a s*** and said, "What up? It's nice to meet ya I'd like to treat you to a Faygo and a slice of pizza”

This lyric does not exist going forward because any success carries you beyond it. Shades of “Exhibit C’s” masterful “When I was sleepin' on the train / Sleepin' on Meserole Ave out in the rain / Without even a single slice of pizza to my name” exactly 10 years later.

17.

This guy at White Castle asked for my autograph So I signed it, "Dear Dave, thanks for the support, asshole"

Doesn’t even rhyme; he hated his fans from the very beginning.

16. 

‘Cause I'm the one they can relate to and look up to better Tonight, I think I'll write my biggest fan a "fuck you" letter

Gave you every, immediate chance to get away.

15.

I'm freestylin' every verse that I spit 'Cause I don't even remember the words to my shit

Nah --  you’re way too meticulous, Shady.

14.

I'm not a player, just a ill rhyme sayer That'll spray a aerosol can up at the ozone layer

I like when his evil imagery turns half-baked adolescent; might as well brag about melting ants with your magnifying glass.

13.

Tell her you need a place to stay You'll be safe for days if you shave your legs with Renee's razor blades

Some fun internals; plus the part right before taught me what “gaffle” meant.

12.

I just remembered that I'm absent-minded Wait, I mean I've lost my mind, I can't find it

+

I used to be a loudmouth, remember me? (“Uh-uh”) I'm the one who burned your house down (“Oh”) Well, I'm out now (“Shit”)

Two of my favorite circular lines.

11.

Some people only see that I'm white, ignorin' skill 'Cause I stand out like a green hat with a orange bill But I don't get pissed, y'all don't even see through the mist How the fuck can I be white? I don't even exist

Had to address the elephant in the room.

10.

You beef with me, I'ma even the score equally Take you on Jerry Springer and beat your ass legally

Man with a plan.

9.

These are the results of a thousand electric volts, a neck with bolts Nurse, we're losin' him, check the pulse

Always a lab-created monster.

8.

I want to make songs all the fellas dub And murder every rich rapper that I'm jealous of So just remember, when I bomb your set Yo, I only cuss to make your mom upset

Cracked the code for us.

7.

Got b****** on my jock out in East Detroit 'Cause they think that I'm a motherfuckin' Beastie Boy So I told 'em I was Mike D They was like, "Gee, I don't know, he might be" I told 'em, "Meet me at Kid Rock's next concert I'll be standin' by the Loch Ness Monster"

This one checks many boxes: The D, local-yet-hilariously-dated celeb name check, misogyny, mythical creatures.

6.

But they love it when you make your business public So fuck it, I've got herpes while we on the subject And if I told you I had AIDS, y'all would play it 'Cause you stupid mothafuckas think I'm playin' when I say it Well, I do take pills, don't do speed Don't do crack, don't do coke, I do smoke weed Don't do smack, I do do shrooms, do drink beer I just wanna make a few things clear My baby mama's not dead, she's still alive and bitching And I don't have herpes, my dick's just itchin' It's not syphilis, and as for being AIDS-infested I don't know yet, I'm too scared to get tested

One of the only times he breaks the fourth wall.

5.

I hang with a bunch of hippies and wacky tobacco planters Who swallow lit roaches and light up like jack-o-lanterns Outsidaz, baby, and we suin' the courts 'Cause we dope as fuck and only get a ‘2′ in The Source

This was soon corrected.

4.

That's what I did, be smart, don't be a r***** You gonna take advice from somebody who slapped Dee Barnes? “What you say?” What's wrong? Didn't think I'd remember? “I'ma kill you, motherfucker” Uh-uh, temper, temper Mr. Dre, Mr. N.W.A, Mr. AK Comin' straight outta Compton, y'all better make way

Distilling Dre’s career -- warts and all -- into a flurry of knockout punches.

3.

I'll listen to your demo tape and act like I don't like it Six months later, you'll hear your lyrics on my shit ("That's my shit"!) People don't buy shit no more, they just dub it That's why I'm still broke and had the number-one club hit

Everything we’ve ever learned about Eminem has taught us he’s a tortured obsessive... yet this stretch feels effortlessly perfect. Plus, it gives us a clairvoyant outlook on the perils of massive-success-without-actually-making-money in the YouTube/streaming era.

2.

Me and Marcus Allen went over to see Nicole When we heard a knock at the door, must've been Ron Gold Jumped behind the door, put the orgy on hold Killed them both, then smeared blood on the white Bronco (We did it)

So offensive it almost laps itself back into normalcy. The unflinching “We did it” at the end is psychotic, horrible, and confident.

1.

 Fuck rap, I'm givin' it up, y'all, I'm sorry (”But Eminem, this is your record release party!”)

Tried to get out the game on his debut; Jay Electronica would be proud.

Honorable mentions...

I lay awake and strap myself in the bed With a bulletproof vest on and shoot myself in the head (Bang) I'm steamin' mad (Grr) And by the way, when you see my dad (Yeah?) Tell him that I slit his throat in this dream I had

There’s something casual about his fantasy murder of his father that really made the end stretch of this hit home. This is the closing of his final verse in “My Name Is”; he was never playing.

Man, ain't you ever seen that one movie “Kids”? No, but I seen the porno with Sun Doobiest

Em’s devil to Dre’s angel.

My palms were sweaty, and I started to shake at first Somethin' told me, "Try to fake a stomach ache, it works" I screamed, "Ow, my appendix feel like they could burst Teacher, teacher, quick, I need a naked nurse" "What's the matter?" "I don't know, my leg, it hurts" "Leg? I thought you said it was your tummy" "Oh, I mean it is, but I also got a bum knee" "Mr. Mathers, the fun and games are over And just for that stunt, you're gonna get some extra homework" "But don't you wanna give me after school detention?" "Nah, that bully wants to beat your ass and I'ma let him"

Even the teacher wanted him to get his.

Tired of bein' stared at Tired of wearin' the same damn Nike Air hat

Never had to worry about that after this.

* * *

Death section:

- I tried suicide once and I'll try it again That's why I write songs where I die at the end 

- The disaster with dreads, I'm bad enough to commit suicide And survive long enough to kill my soul after I'm dead

- The ill type, I stab myself with a steel spike While I blow my brain out just to see what it feels like 'Cause this is how I am in real life I don't want to just die a normal death, I wanna be killed twice

- And if you ever see a video for this shit I'll probably be dressed up like a mummy with my wrists slit

- (I'm Slim Shady) So come and kill me while my name's hot And shoot me 25 times in the same spot

* * *

I got a wardrobe with an orange robe I'm in the fourth row, signin' autographs at your show

Tries to be unique and boastful... falls apart and gets self-deprecating.

I take a breather and sigh, either I'm high or I'm nuts 'Cause if you ain't tiltin' this room, neither am I

I mean, someone was... right?

We drive around in million-dollar sports cars While little kids hide this tape from their parents like bad report cards

Eh.

If I had a million bucks, it wouldn't be enough Because I'd still be out robbin' armored trucks

Unquenched desire for chaos.

A lyricist without a clue, what year is this? Fuck a needle, here's a sword, body pierce with this

Always able to make a risky situation dicier.

Wait, what if there's an explanation for this shit? What, she tripped, fell, landed on his dick?

Solid one liner.

Drug sickness got me doin' some bugged twitches I'm withdrawin' from crack so bad, my blood itches

/eyes pop out

I don't speak, I float in the air, wrapped in a sheet I'm not a real person, I'm a ghost trapped in a beat

Super fun hip-hop imagery.