#Manson anchor

[papiliomame]

Road to 3D- Sam Manson (Part 2):

Character Modeling

Part 1: Model Sheet

Welcome to the second and final part of this project. Since people have asked how I do my models, I decided to make a write-up on how I approach these things using the example of a model of Sam Manson. The first part focused on how I make a model sheet fo a 3d model the second part focus just on the modeling. There are many more things about how to create a fully realized 3d character that I could make whole other chapters for, like UV unwrapping, texturing, shading and rigging, but I don't have enough knowledge past the fundamentals on these topics that could warrant their own seperate posts.

Additional stuff before I continue:

I use Blender for all my model

This not a beginners guide or something similar, it would be helpful to already know the general workflow of a modeling, how to use Blender and know different terminology like edgeflow, retopology etc.

If you are a beginner and want to learn more about character modeling I recommend the videoseries "Modeling for Animation" by Dikko on Youtube

Maybe I make some reference some tricks from this videoseries

That's it, let's go!

My first step is always the block-out phase. The block-out phase is what the construction lines and the first sketch in a drawing are. I align the frontview and sideview from the model sheet I made in part 1 with the z-axis (the blue line in the images above) and roughly shape out the forms with primitive forms. For this I mostly use a cube with a subdivide modifier.

Having a modelsheet without the clothes obscuring the body makes it much easier the get the form right. The block-out phase is one of the most important steps, if it looks good than I have practically half the work done. This is also a good opportunity to practice anatomy.

After this stage I continue with the head. First of all, don't forget to add the mirror modifier so I just need to model half of the model. There are different methods to approach modeling the head, like sculpt the head first, retopologize and than bake all the deatails onto the retopologized head. I actually prefer to polymodel the head especially when I have a good model sheet. I practially trace the lineart from the model sheet by extruding vertices, once from the frontview and once from the sideview. The most important points are the form of the eyes, the mouth, the form of the face and the jawline. The head block-out is used as an anchor point for the shrinkwrap modifier so that the traced forms actually look like they belong to a 3d form and not 2d lines floating space. From this point on it's just connecting everything, pull and push vertices so it looks like a 3d head and make sure the edgeflow is good. (It's also helpful to know how the planes of the head look like) After that I add the eyelashes, eyebrow, eyes and the ears, now it looks like something!

Now comes the hair. For the hair I used the "curve trick" like mentioned in the video series I recommended. Here is a tip to save time: I choose some edges from the head, duplicate and seperate it from the mesh. I convert this seperated line into a curve and choose a beziercircle as a bevel geometry. This is now the perfect foundation to model the hair further. One thing I needed a long time to notice: To get the beziercircle to a perfect square or in this case a triangle lower the Resolution U to 1 in the shape options. Now I just convert the curves into a mesh and add details and the head is done!

With the head finished I continue with the body. Remember how I wrote with a good block-out half of the work ist finished? Well, for this step I practically just use the smooth brush in sculpt mode and smooth everything out so everything looks connected. Then I retopologize the body and that's it. Well, ok there is a little bit more to it: Before smoothing things out I join the block-out part to a single mesh and remesh it with the remash modifier expept for the hands. I prefer to polymodel the hands seperatly without worrying about the rest of the body because they are difficult to model. I reattach them later. Speaking of reattaching, I make sure that the connection points have the same number of vertices while I retopologize/polymodel. To ensure that, I often use the following trick visualized with a simple example ( which is also described in the video series):

I want to reduce the amount of edges at the bottom of this plane, for this I merge 3 vertices from the middle into 1 vertice seen in the left image. After that I can select the blue marked edges from the center image and dissolve them. The result, which you can see on the right, is a nice clean edgeflow with a reduction in the number of edges.

After modeling every part I attach them together and I have a finished bodymesh the work with.

Now onto the clothes, for this I use the model sheet with clothes as reference. Having a retopologized body makes it easier to model simple stuff like e.g. Sam's shirt. On the left image the marked faces of the the bodymesh already looks like a shirt. I just need to duplicate and seperate this area, clean it up a little and the shirt is basically finished. The more complex stuff like the boots I need to polymodel around the bodymesh.

With that the modeling part is done! Now comes the things I said above: uv unwrapping, texture painting, rigging and shading. These are whole other topics I cannot go deeper because I'm still learning how to do these things but I hope my little write-up about how I appoach character modeling was enough to learn one thing or two.

Thank you for your time and thank for reading!

[romulusthethird]

It was a nice morning in Gotham, all things considered. There hadn't been a crisis, no murders yet, no rogues broke out of Arkham the night before, so the night had been quiet for the bats. Tim, in particular, even slept.

And how here he was, awake at the ungodly hour of ten a.m., watching the news while he waited for Alfred to make brunch. At least the butler had provided him with some coffee before he banned him from the kitchen.

He sipped it idly, as channel four moved from the weather to crime.

"A dreary day here in Gotham, indeed. If you've been following the national news, you will know about the destruction of the town Amity Park, and the cause being the teenager, Danny Fenton, alias, 'phantom'. The fourteen-year-old is still at large, with his accomplice: Tucker Fowley, Jazzmine Fenton, Danielle Fenton, Dan Fenton, and Sam Manson." On the screen, there were six faces, all ranging from 14 to 20. Two, identical except for their gender, with dark hair and sharp features; one red-haired girl with a glare to rival Barbara's (their older sister, perhaps?), an older guy, maybe 19, with long black hair and sharp blue eyes. A black teen with round glasses and locs, and a pale girl with a choppy bob with pink strips.

Strange group, but not surprising. Teenagers did stupid shit every day. Look at him.

Tim took a sip of his coffee, black like his soul. "They are extremely dangerous. Danny Fenton, his twin, Danielle, and their older brother Dan are ecto-entities charged with murder, destruction of public property, destruction of private property--" What's an ecto-entity? Is that another saying for meta? Some new alien species? Tim itched for his computer, back in his room. He took out his phone and sent a text to Oracle.

"In accordance with the echo acts, authorities are authorized to shoot on sight," the news anchor looked green here, "shoot on sight? They're kids--" She looked offscreen, and it quickly changed to a video of Danny, green eyes, blasting... ice? from his hands. Then another of him screaming and breaking glass. Then another of him getting shot at. One video of Dan fighting men in white hazmat suits, and one of Danielle destroying property. "Danny Fenton was previously... detained and held at the GIW, before escaping with the help of his four companions. If you see him, please contact your local authorities."

The screen turned back to Danny Fenton once again, showing an angry boy, Damien's age, baring sharp fangs. His dark hair was greasy and slicked back with short bangs falling into his eyes, which were sunken in, and unnaturally green--eerily similar to Jason's eyes.

"Ecto-entity." Tim said aloud, tapping his phone against his chin.

He had research to do.

[warningsine]

Just over a year ago, a woman told a crowded room that her ex-husband had kicked and slapped her. She described him throwing a phone at her face. She described him penetrating her with a wine bottle. “I remember not wanting to move because I didn’t know if it was broken,” she said. “I didn’t know if the bottle that he had inside me was broken.” While she said all these things, people laughed. People called her a whore and a liar. People cheered for her ex-husband, and made posters and T-shirts emblazoned with his face.

Only about 14 months have passed since Amber Heard was mocked and shamed on a global stage. But, apparently, that means it’s now high time to relive it. This week, a new three-part series from director Emma Cooper drops on Netflix (UK viewers can also watch via Channel 4 on demand). That’s right folks, we’re back in the hellscape that is Depp v Heard.

There are certain legal cases that transcend courtroom drama to become full-blown ‘where were you when’ cultural moments. Usually, these ‘trials of the century’ are criminal trials. Charles Manson in 1970; OJ Simpson in 1995. But, occasionally, a different calibre of case will grip the public consciousness – one that spins around sex and humiliation; one that strikes to the heart of how contemporary culture understands gender and power. In 1991, attorney Anita Hill testified that Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her while she worked as an adviser to him. The Senate ultimately confirmed Thomas’ nomination, while Hill received death threats. Just a few years later, as the new millennium swam into view, another sex scandal rocked American society. This time, the main characters were President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Despite Clinton eventually admitting to having had an affair with Lewinsky, for many years the court of public opinion was clear in its verdict: Monica Lewinsky was either a whore, or a liar, or both.

In a sense, the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial, which took place from April 11 to June 1 2022, in Fairfax County, Virginia, combined elements of all of these previous ‘trials of the century’. As with Clinton and Lewinsky, a relationship between a younger woman and an older, more famous and more powerful man was under the microscope. In an echo of Hill v Thomas, during which lawmakers accused Anita Hill of suffering from a ‘delusional disorder’, a psychologist hired by Depp’s legal team ‘diagnosed’ Heard with borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder. Like Charles Manson, the man at the centre of proceedings was also the figurehead of an obsessive fan club. And if that fan club grew to resemble a cult, in its slavish devotion to Depp against all reason, it’s largely because, like Simpson’s trial, the whole thing was televised.

However, one key difference between Depp v Heard and these other previous high-profile trials, is the influence of social media on public opinion. The trial was not only ‘televised’ but also TikToked, live-streamed and memed. The tagline for Cooper’s three-parter Depp v Heard even bills the trial as ‘the first trial by TikTok’.

The show opens with the Hollywood sign flickering into Amber Heard’s face on a red carpet. There’s old footage of Depp and Heard on the Hollywood walk of fame, at a dinner, and stepping off a boat in Venice glitch and distort into shots of Los Angeles freeways. News anchors read headlines about the couple, and about the trial. The screen glitches again, into a tree lined highway in Virginia. More clipped footage, more contextualising news clips. Then one anchor raises an important issue – a crucial factor in the trial proceedings that, a year on, often gets lost in the heady internet fog of misinformation, conspiracy, clout-chasing and PR campaigns. Why was the whole sorry spectacle staged in Virginia, when neither Heard nor Depp live or work there?

Well, the ‘official’ reason Depp was allowed to sue in the state is because the news outlet that ran Heard’s article, The Washington Post, “houses its printing press and online server in Fairfax County.” Yet, it’s also because, under Virginia law, the trial judge can decide whether to allow cameras in the courtroom.

Heard’s team tried to exclude the cameras from the trial. At a pre-trial hearing in February, attorney Elaine Bredehoft noted there was already a huge amount of media attention on the trial, as well as scrutiny from what she described as “fearful anti-Amber networks”. “What they’ll do is take anything that’s unfavourable,” Bredehoft said, “they’ll take out of context a statement, and play it over and over and over and over again.” Depp’s team, on the other hand, wanted the trial televised. “Mr. Depp believes in transparency,” his lawyer, Ben Chew declared. It should have been a sign of what was to come that the judge sided with Depp. “I don’t see any good cause not to do it,” Penney Azcarate, the chief judge of Fairfax County, announced. Others saw it differently. “Allowing this trial to be televised is the single worst decision I can think of in the context of intimate partner violence and sexual violence in recent history,” Michele Dauber, a professor at Stanford Law School said in May 2022. “It has ramifications way beyond this case.”

One of the ramifications of Judge Azcarate’s decision is that Depp v Heard is now on our screens. But, none of those quotes from various legal professionals are taken from the series. Indeed, there are no expert voices at all. There is no narration. No one who was involved in the trial is involved in this directly. There is no ‘broad view’, or ‘behind the scenes’, or ‘recontextualising with the benefit of hindsight’. This is a documentary in the loosest of senses. Early takes from the other side of the pond have been split – some critics have suggested it “casts the trial of the decade in a new light”, while others have deemed it “nothing more than a tactless win for pro-Johnny fans”. Perhaps this shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that the trial itself was so notoriously divisive. Personally, I’m inclined to agree with Audra Heinrichs of Jezebel, who described the docuseries as playing “like a highlight reel from hell”. 

If Depp v Heard suggests anything, it’s that people consuming the trial were biased. Well, that’s hardly a scoop, and to my mind, it’s certainly not worth the full, three-hour docuseries treatment. The series doesn’t dig into the motivations of the anti-Amber content creators or their backgrounds. For example, one prolific poster and top Depp stan who is featured extensively but anonymously in Cooper’s three-parter is Andy Signore. Not long before the Depp v Heard trial began, Signore had been fired from Screen Junkies, the YouTube-focused company he founded, for a variety of sexual misconduct allegations. Having set up his channel Popcorned Planet after being dismissed, Signore now posts livestreams about ‘daily news’ and ‘pop culture justice.’ Mainly, he covers what he characterises as the injustice of the #MeToo movement. Signore more than doubled the following of his YouTube channel during Depp v Heard. He made more than 300 videos about the trial, ratcheting up millions of views as he built a new reputation as a crusader for ‘justice’ and, crucially, making money in the process.

All the content creators immortalised in this series, and many more besides, were making money – but this also isn’t discussed or made explicit in Depp v Heard. Cooper presumably believes this allows the content to speak for itself, and lets the viewer weigh up their own thoughts, becoming another member of the public jury. But the true effect is just blur – an endless stream of stuff. Just how much money were all these #JusticeForJohnny content creators making? Was there a coordinated and well funded online PR campaign for Depp throughout the trial, fuelled by bots, as many alleged post-trial? Depp v Heard has no answers, just more clips. He said, she said. No thoughts, just vibes.

I wrote about Depp v Heard last year as the trial was ongoing. Then, I felt like I had to maintain some semblance of neutrality in my discussion of the ‘facts’ of the case itself. The piece wasn’t about who was ‘right’, or who was telling ‘the truth’ – it was about how strange the spectacle of the case had become, and how dangerous a precedent it seemed to set, if trials about intimate partner violence could be spun into comic TikTok clips. I didn’t want to come down on one ‘side’. I wrote that “treating an ongoing defamation trial, featuring graphic and distressing testimony about physical violence, coercive control, and sexual assault, like […] Netflix’s latest true crime documentary series is, at best, distasteful and, at worst, actively dangerous.” Now, as Netflix’s latest documentary series opens up the can of worms again, the only true takeaway is how little we’ve learnt since then.

[wcshedup]

𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐈'𝐃 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑!

tagged by: @hoteliisms ( KISSES YOUR FACE )

tagging: anyone who hasn't done this one yet !!

alias / name:  sydney -- it's my real name, i answer to it alright, I've never had a pen name before !!

zodiac sign:   gemini ( pls be nice 2 me )

height:   5'5

hobbies:   writing ( bitch WHERE ) working ( that's so sad ) i also REALLY love to paint pottery but i don't get many opportunities for it these days

favorite color: green

favorite book: the subtle art of not giving a fuck by mark manson ( as someone who has a BIG problem with obsessive-compulsive rumination this book really helped me )

last song:  slipping through my fingers by abba

last film / show:   the walking dead ( my wife and i are doing a rewatch rn, on season 2 ) hazbin hotel ( of course ) helluva boss ( give us the FUCKING episode viv ) rick and morty ( i can never escape ) good omens. this seems like a lot but i am enslaved to my television tbh

inspiration:  for writing barb ? i usually put on her playlist or rewatch unhappy campers - it helps me anchor her character development to the source material ( WHAT LITTLE THERE IS VIV )

story behind URL: " they let me out because I'm still famous, and rehab is for sad, loser wash-ups. So, your sister says hi. " verosika, spring broken.

fun fact about me: I've been writing on tumblr since 2012 and i have SURFED so many fandoms since then, i couldn't begin to name all my old URLs so -- i have remet SO many friends more than once over the years in different fandoms ( LOOKING @ YOU D ) and every time i SCREAM bc i never forgot them.

[denimbex1986]

'Depending on who you ask, the character of Tom Ripley is a Machiavellian criminal, a mastermind of deception, or a hopelessly deluded dreamer. Patricia Highsmith’s quintet of novels centering on the tortured, talented con artist have invited several cinematic interpretations, each with a different take on his slippery essence. Some actors might hesitate to step into the protagonist’s dubiously-acquired Ferragamo loafers, but Andrew Scott, star of the new limited series Ripley, had no such qualms. “Since I’ve been associated with the role, people say ‘Oh my god, that character,’” recalls the Irish actor, known for his subtle, precisely observed performances as the magnetic Priest in Fleabag and Adam, a lonely writer batting grief in All of Us Strangers. “People have a lot of preconceptions about Tom Ripley. It’s my job in some ways to ignore all that and create our own particular version of it.”

Anchored by Scott’s mercurial performance, Ripley is a finely drawn character study of one of the most beguiling creations of twentieth-century fiction. Helmed by DGA Award-winning director and Academy Award-winning writer Steven Zaillian, the gripping psychological thriller unspools over eight episodes shot in elegant black and white by Academy Award winner Robert Elswit. From a rat-infested flophouse in 60s Manhattan to a dolce vita gone sour in Italy, Ripley’s travels — and travails — come to life in noir at its most luxurious and complex. Its cinematographic lushness is haunted by ever-present threats of deception and violence and shot through with sly wit. “It’s just the way I write, intertwining drama and in this case, suspense, with humor, because that’s what life is like,” says Zaillian. “I’m always after what’s real in behavior.”

When we first meet Ripley, he is scraping together a living in New York’s underbelly when an offer arrives that few in his position would refuse. A shipbuilding magnate practically hands Ripley a blank check to retrieve his wayward son Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) from an extended vacation in Italy. Yet upon arrival, the mission takes on a complex and sinister edge as Ripley becomes dangerously infatuated with Dickie’s haute bohemian lifestyle and carefree cool. He grows possessive and jealous, raising the suspicions of his partner Marge Sherwood, played by Dakota Fanning. “Marge susses him out pretty quickly,” notes Fanning. “A lot of the other characters think that they’re playing Tom — and Tom is fully playing them.”

Zaillian sought out Fanning after watching her “expressive and eerie” turn as the Manson cult member Squeaky Fromme in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood: “I thought, This is someone who can go toe to toe with Tom Ripley, who is too smart to be conned, who can threaten his schemes.”

To find the perfect setting for Dickie and Marge’s Italian idyll, Zaillian and production designer David Gropman set about the rather enviable task of location scouting on the Amalfi coast. Amid the area’s swishy modern-day hotels and luxury boutiques, they discovered Atrani, a quaint village that seemed frozen in time with its lemon tree-lined streets, tenth-century church, and stunning vistas of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The costume department meticulously recreated the period’s fashions to outfit a supporting cast that brings richness to Atrani’s pensiones and vibrant life to its bustling Roman piazzas. Filming happened to coincide with a lull in vacationers, adding to the authentic feel. “This was during COVID, so there were no tourists,” notes Zaillian. “It made it feel all the more like we’d gone back in time.”

Despite its fidelity to the 60s setting, there’s a sense that Ripley is meeting the moment, reentering popular consciousness at a time of cultural fascination with real-life scammers such as Anna Delvey and Elizabeth Holmes. Even so, Scott bristles at the idea that the series’ protagonist is a mere grifter. “I think he’s very charming and not in a manipulative way,” says Scott, who rocketed to stardom playing a true literary villain, James Moriarty in the BBC’s Sherlock. “When [Ripley] comes to Italy and he’s exposed to all this beautiful art and landscape and beauty and food, he adores it. But the people that he’s with I’m not sure have the same appreciation or humility about that stuff that he does. So in a way, he’s very like us.”

Scott adds that Ripley’s unsavory exploits are motivated by fear, specifically the FOMO-like certainty that everyone else is having a fabulous time without him. “He’s a dark character and does bad things,” says Scott. “To me, what it’s about is feeling like you are not invited to the party. It’s about feeling like you’re ‘other.’”

It’s hard to blame Ripley for longing for what he can’t have. One early scene in New York sees him gazing admiringly into the window of a refined boutique while on the way home from a dingy dive bar, transfixed — taunted — by an upper-crust lifestyle that is inaccessible to him no matter the cash in his wallet. You can’t merely buy your way into the echelons of high society, or acquire the laissez-faire attitude to wealth that comes with it: Dickie shrugs on his made-to-measure Italian suits with the same careless ease that a dock worker tosses on his overalls. “Essentially, Dickie doesn’t want to inherit the rich kid status,” says Flynn. “In his heart, he’s a bohemian artist-poet, and he’s getting to imagine he is that, living in this reclusive place in Italy.”

This nonchalantly rakish dreamer-gone-adrift casts a particular spell over Atrani’s newest arrival. “To my mind, it’s all about love,” says Scott of Ripley’s attraction to Dickie. “I think he loves Dickie. It’s not really specified as to what the nature of that love necessarily is from Tom’s point of view. Do I think that it’s in some way sexual? Possibly.” Ripley doesn’t know whether he wants to be Dickie, or wants to be with him.

Scott is no stranger to getting into the bones of characters that subvert audience expectations. He recently scored an Olivier nomination for a tour-de-force turn in the West End’s Vanya, an audacious Chekhov adaptation in which Scott played every role. His Ripley is just as multidimensional, teasing out the humanity of a man who is certainly no hero, but is also too complex to quite be a love-to-hate-’em antihero. “I always think the great works of art are or should be about who we are and not who we should be,” says Scott. “I think we contain multitudes within us and all great art reflects that, that we’re both the light and the dark.”'

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

To Set You Sailing From My Harbor

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/vKAtORx by AliceInWonderland265 Daniel James Fenton, now Danny J. Nightingale was tired. He was tired of having to constantly be on alert for people trying to betray him and hunt him down. So when it turns out that he has another family he both didn't know about and doesn't remember, he can't quite bring himself to trust them. Or: Danny is adoption bait, but turns out he’s actually Bruce’s son anyways Words: 3681, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Series: Part 2 of Never Love an Anchor Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Danny Phantom Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Gen Characters: Danny Fenton, Jazz Fenton, Damian Wayne, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Duke Thomas, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Barbara Gordon Relationships: Danny Fenton & Damian Wayne, Danny Fenton & Jazz Fenton, Danny Fenton & Bruce Wayne, Batfamily Members & Damian Wayne, Danny Fenton & Tucker Foley & Sam Manson Additional Tags: Danny Fenton and Damian Wayne are Twins, Danny Fenton is a Little Shit, Protective Damian Wayne, Protective Jazz Fenton, Protective Batfamily (DCU), Confused Batfamily (DCU), Ghost King Danny Fenton, Not Phantom Planet Compliant (Danny Phantom) read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/vKAtORx

[thesteveyates]

The second part of my new anchoring arrangements on WABI”’

Many of my regular visitors will have ploughed through (sorry…deliberate anchor pun) the long post about my new anchoring experiments with WABI”’ . Astute observers will have noted that the boat looks a bit different from the photographs i used in that post and, as with the Friday 5 minute blog, now sports a little bowsprit out front.

As i write, and once again i am writing a couple of weeks ahead of post scheduling, the little bowsprit : Le Petit Prod, is on but will have come off for it’s second or third stage modifications but it has been built, fitted and used.

The bowsprit itself.

I realised today that the photograph above is just about the best one of the bowsprit itself because the overall shape and concept is visible.  It looks very odd to the eye because the working (outboard) end is to the left and the inboard end to the right.  That makes it almost the complete opposite of a standard bowsprit, most of which is outside the boat. In this case the long ‘tail’ attaches to the mast in this little fitting below which i had fabricated recently.  My plywood pattern is on the right here and the complete piece on the left.  Just for reference this was fabricated by Pheonix 316 in Plymouth and they have done a nice job with it.  Just as an aside they also modified the lid of my charcoal heater such that i can use it to boil a kettle on the stove.

The purpose and function of the bowsprit is twofold : to mount the anchoring and mooring rollers/fairleads and secondly at some time to carry a small free-flying jib for light upwind sailing.  I have been advised via the owners association that the Liberty can be improved upwind in light weather by flying a small jib…..it sounds as though the jib off a National 18 racing dinghy will do the job……however.

The actual timber sprit i made from a useful looking length of very close grained pine that i heaved out of the timber rack down at Stax reclamation yard just outside Saltash. At first i thought the piece i found was way too big and it was pretty old and nasty looking with some serious iron nails poking out of it.  I initially bought the piece for just a few pounds with a different project in mind but when i got it on the bench i realised that what i had would work very well once planed down a lot and shaped.

The iron nails/spikes took a lot of time and ingenuity to hoik out of the pine but the wood itself is much higher quality than modern, commercially available timber.  It’s dense and close grained and of course significantly lighter now that iv’e had at it with the power planer.  Below….that’s my first attempt at making mounting chocks to sit on the floor of the bow well, clunky and way too heavy, the stainless steel mast bracket is so much neater and lighter…..even Al might pass that one !

The working end,

I have always liked the idea of taking an anchor warp down through the bowsprit itself rather than having cheek mounted anchor rollers.  On the Liberty the bowsprit will sit in the broad groove/channel through the bow molding and if i kept the bowsprit base at maximum dimension there i would have enough ‘meat’ on the timber to bore out a slot to take a couple of sheaves within the bowsprit itself.  I roughed-out sketches of different sheave arrangements and therefore the slot shape and size and what looked best was a pair of wide but small diameter sheaves rather than one large diameter sheave which would have meant taking a lot more timber away.

In the final build iv’e actually ended up experimenting with 3 different sheave sizes so far and currently just a wide stainless steel bush acting as the bottom roller….that’s got at least one more stage to go as i narrow down on the exact sheave size and get them made locally as well.   The actual arrangement for anchoring is that the warp will run over the 2 sheaves through the bowsprit and will then run to, and along the side deck to the anchoring cleat just ahead of the cockpit.  This is similar to the old closed fairlead except that there should be much less friction in the system.

The sheaves and sheave slot should reasonably take a 12mm dia rope which is still over-spec for the job.  I think that because i come from much bigger boats that i still look at some gear for the Liberty and think of it as being too light.  Most information points to 10mm line as being perfectly adequate mainly because WABI”’ is actually a very light boat…only about a ton and a half fully loaded.  The 6 kg Rocna is completely adequate for my everyday needs and the 7 kg Manson is over-spec although it was a very good anchor for the similar length but twice as heavy Inanda. 

The current sticking point in the job is the fastening at the bow.  My original plan was to cut an access hole in the narrow forward face of the bow well, drill and pass a bolt up through the bow channel molding and fasten the bowsprit down using an eye nut over the bolt head ….obviously on the top face of the sprit.  I cut an access hole as planned but it’s small size and the angle of the actual bow didn’t then allow me to pass the long (160mm) bolt up through the molding.  The temporary solution was to pass the bolt down through the bowsprit and through the deck groove and attach a nut from below…..with extreme difficulty i may add.

That means i would currently have the warp running over the flats of the bolt head so i have temporarily lashed a large , low friction eye there as a smooth fairlead.  The next stage will be to take the bowsprit off again, enlarge the access hole and get the bolt in from below if it is at all possible.  The access hole will then need a little cover making for it.  The other part of the job will be to drop the stick again and do the modifications on the mast itself to get rid of the 2 lazy-jack fittings and add a jib attachment point.

The other kit on the bowsprit is an eyebolt/eye-nut combination that act as fairlead/keepers for the mooring lines or strops that i tend to use.  While Chris’s moorings (and many others round here) have a heavy pick-up and mooring warp that is too large to go through an eye, they also have a top swivel and shackle so i carry a custom made mooring strop for long term mooring and a simple plain line for everyday use when i ‘borrow’ a mooring in the river…..i .don’t do that often but it’s useful once in a while.

Marilyn…..set up for Inanda

So : line and sinker.

I know this keeps changing but my current version of ‘anchor for the use of’ is Rocky Rocna, 10 metres of 7mm chain and temporarily on a length of 10mm polyester line as the warp although that’s about to change when the new line arrives this week hopefully so lets talk about anchor warps.

As with most sailors i have nearly always used nylon warp for my rode as is standard, except that for most of the time that iv’e had WABI”’ i haven’t done that at all, in fact for  years i have been anchoring on weighted polyester braid and it’s been completely successful.  Only recently did i briefly use my old 14mm spare anchor warp from my  Frances 26 simply because i still had it.  I have always kept the 75 metre warp on board because i firmly believe in having one very long warp on board and it has served that purpose.  It’s only been used once when i walked the spare anchor out on it that one time in St Aubyn bay when i set a haul-off kedge anchor out to seaward of the boat.

The 14mm octoplait is very over-spec for WABI”’ as is the similar 14mm weighted polyester line that i have been using this last 3 years.  The weighted warp is the commercially available one that comes with , i guess, a line of small weights inside the last part of the core.  They are advertised as RIB/small boat anchoring lines, the idea being, i believe, is that the weighted warp acts more like chain than rope but is much nicer to handle.  My one came as a useful 40 metre length in a neat bag and as i say has been in continuous use for  years.  That line still looks to be in perfect condition so it’s now stowed below with ‘Marilyn’ (Manson) and 15 metres of chain…..all shackled up and ready to use.

My temporary anchor warp is a length (about 30 metres) of 10mm mid-quality polyester braid that has seen frequent use as my camping tarp ridge-line but that is all it’s ever been used for : i think it was a fairly cheap reel end from the local chandler when they were selling off rope ends one time.   Anchoring on polyester isn’t standard approved practice but to be honest it makes damn-all difference in everyday use and perhaps only comes into a problem in severe anchoring conditions and to be honest i just don’t anchor in exposed situations in my little boat.  Just for reference the polyester line is rated at around 2900 lbs or more correctly 12.9 Kn (kilo-Newtons)

Now, this is going to get a bit rope-geek but as an ex climber and rigger i have to know my way around ropes a bit so i just want to add a bit of rope geekery here.

Right now, aboard WABI”’ i have several different types of modern rope in use which come directly from the riggers shop and they would be instantly recognised as everyday sailing rope.  Mainly i use bog standard but better quality braid on braid polyester….i happen to like Marlowbraid as i have always found it reliable although other manufacturers make equally good line.               For halyards i am currently on ‘cruising’ Dyneema which has a Dyneema core with a braided polyester sheath although i do have some pure Dyneema hanging up in the workshop.  I couldn’t tell you today which version of Dyneema it is although it was eye-watering expensive so it’s a good one.  That line will replace the cruising Dyneema as and when i get around to the job.

Some readers will know that i like to lash and lace rather than using shackles to mount blocks so i use loads of small diameter and very high quality Dyneema line for that task and i keep plenty spare on the boat.

Where i differ with most sailors is that i look to climbing and caving/arborists rope for other uses.  The rope i have just sourced, new but old stock, is what is called semi-static line which is commonly used for abseiling, caving and rope access work. It is similar to climbers ‘dynamic’ line except that it has much lower stretch and as a climber you wouldn’t want to take a high factor leader fall on it as it wouldn’t ‘give’ (stretch) enough .

Semi-static rope is a lower stretch version of climbers ‘Kernmantel’ and as i say above is more commonly used as a descent and ascent line, often in caving and abseiling.   If you see ‘LSK’ mentioned then that i believe is low stretch kernmantel.  It often has a very high strength rating : the one i have sourced is rated at over 6,000 lbs and near to 30 kn force rating.   There is no way that i could apply that much force manually or i think during normal anchoring.   If  anything like that force was somehow applied on the gear i suspect all the fittings and cleats would just rip out of the deck !.   I think that it might be a surprisingly good rope to use as small boat anchor warp and at 10 mm will be small in volume and large enough to handle.

I will give a link below to one website that sets out some of the basic information on static, semi-static and dynamic rope as used by climbers, cavers, arborists and rope access techs.*

Handling and stowage.

Aft, i am working on the anchor stowage and the anchor recovery aspect.  At sea the anchor shown below.   When motoring it will move to just forward of the motor.  Here, what’s happening is that i’m about to fit the teak deck slats that will allow the anchor stowage box to drain properly….except that i’m not because i have completely run out of Sikaflex and can’t be bothered to drive the 40 mile round trip just to buy one tube.

The retrieval roller is fitted but it will make a lot more sense to do a quick video when everything is complete and working…..then i’ll capture some footage of just anchoring and retrieving/stowing the anchor.   By then i’ll have probably changed my mind again and Marilyn will be back in the number one spot…..i rather like Marilyn.

Fitting the drainage slats and the temporary rope/chain bin.

*Rope talk.

I realised when i was writing the rope-talk section above that not everyone here will be familiar with rope techniques and rope technology from other disciplines outside of sailing.

So, climbing first.  I’m most familiar with climbing practice having done that myself for several years.    Rock climbing as i knew it is now referred to as ‘trad‘ or traditional climbing and today there are other specialties, for example ‘sport’, big wall and of course ‘free‘ or unroped climbing.

In trad climbing what happens is something like this : the leader, ties one end of the rope into his or her climbing harness and their ‘second’ ties into the other end.  Nowadays it can be a bit more complex as what iv’e just said refers to the use of a single rope…even in my later climbing years we often climbed on ‘double’ ropes….2 ropes but thinner which allowed ‘protection’ placement to the side of the actual ‘line’.

As the leader proceeds elegantly, or not in my case, up the route, he or she places ‘pro’ (protection) in the form of chocks, nuts and cams, into features in the rock. The climbing rope or one of the ropes is then clipped in to that with a ‘crab’ (carabiner).

The idea being that if the leader takes a fall they only fall twice the distance they are above their last piece of protection and assuming that the second is awake enough to arrest the fall.   A long leader fall puts an enormous shock load on the rope and ultimately on the climber…..which is why a climbers rope is designed and made to be ‘dynamic’ ie stretchy.   A climbing rope is only rated for a number of falls with a high load (fall) factor and even one very long fall can result in the rope being binned afterwards.  Old climbing ropes make very good mooring lines by the way.

The second use of a climbing rope is to initially access the route when the climbers first have to abseil to the start of the climb.  That is typical of many routes that i did on sea cliffs : places like the Holyhead stacks and many places on the Gower peninsular. For my best ever day on the rock we had to abseil some 55 metres into Wen Zawn at Holyhead’s south stack onto a block of rock about the size as my garden bench…..some 50 metres below us and just awash at that state of the tide……the punch line here is that we then had to pull our ropes down on top of us to start the climb.

‘A dream of white horses’  (Gogarth) Ed Drummond photograph i think.     Me and 2 mates did this route way back when i lived just down the road in ……wait for it…….Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch…..yes, i actually lived there.                 After i had led off on the first pitch i noticed that my 2 mates were chatting with another couple of climbers that had roped down as well.   That only turned out to be none other than THE Joe Brown himself .

Static and semi-static ropes.

Having never been a caver or arborist i don’t have any practical experience with static and semi-static ropes (LSK).  Static ropes, by the way usually aren’t nylon at all but often polyester for arborists and cavers and then aramid for military ‘fast-roping’ techniques.  I did at one time have several friends working in the rope access world : doing abseil inspections off tall  block of flats mainly, and i got some knowledge from them.  It seems that in caving, tree work and rope access work a less stretchy rope is desirable and that ‘leader’ falls are much less likely.                  Where a ‘dynamic’ rope is designed to have considerable stretch or bounce a semi-static rope isn’t….they will still have much more stretch than say Dyneema or Aramid lines though.  I had to take a quick look around the world of semi-static ropes for this project and managed to source some unsold but old stock line.

The rope i have bought does feel very dense so it should be high modulus….it seems to handle nicely although it is stiffer than ‘floppy’ nylon 8 plait but then it is higher rated. In it’s uncut state (about 50 metres) it does look a bit over-long for the job as i rarely have run out much more than 20 metres of warp after the chain…..i might back up a bit on this one and keep the long length of semi-static line as my kedge warp in place of the 14mm octoplait.

  For information on static and semi-static ropes take a look at this link as it lays out current practice far better than i can .

http://www.abacus-ise.co.uk/semi_static_low_stretch_abseil_rope.htm

Hook, line and sinker. The second part of my new anchoring arrangements on WABI''' Many of my regular visitors will have ploughed through (sorry...deliberate anchor pun) the long post about my new anchoring experiments with…

[death-draws]

You know doctors disorders? yeah that

[ID Sam manson from danny phantom looking ill and floating above a hospital bed. A green IV drip is anchoring her. END ID]

[flickeringart]

Astrology observations/notes pt. 5

With the moon in Sagittarius transiting my 5th house at the moment I thought an observation post would be appropriate. It's fun and light-hearted.

Don’t take this too seriously. It’s only my personal observations and opinions.

It probably has to do with my South Node in Pisces in the 8th - I’ve felt confused about life from the start and I feel it particularly strongly this time of year, of course. Everything is blurry and I feel victimized and weak but at the same time I feel like nothing is ultimately real and is only happening in my head so I don’t know what to take seriously and what to laugh at… which is quite disturbing because that means that it doesn’t matter what I do or don’t do. It’s all equally real and unreal anyway.

Since I have a Pisces South Node I’m very anchored Piscean energy and I can’t help but laugh internally at people who have their North Node in Pisces sometimes… with a Virgo South Node they’re coming from a place of practical analysis while trying to reach toward ”more spiritual” and receptive qualities but they’re so out of touch with that side of life it’s hilarious to me.

I have to say - oppositions are scary to me. It’s true that they indicate extreme polarities in the personality and it’s hard to deal with for other people… of course, the degree to which it’s scary depends on the planets involved but my god… these people are switchy!

I looked at the chart of Prince William recently and I saw Lilith in Sagittarius on the Ascendant. It makes complete sense… he looks so flirty and naughty haha… it’s that Lilith look that’s unmistakable. His wife, Kate, also has Lilith in Sagittarius, although with her is not as obvious since she has it in her 5th house (whole signs). They probably have a lot of fun together.

Right?

Neptune conjunct Mars individuals are usually very attuned to the environment and pick up on the most subtle cues… they can get under people’s skin because Neptune is the planet of no boundaries… the passive aggressiveness and subtle undermining that can take place can be terrifying. However, I should say that these types can be great leaders and counsellors because they can easily draw out the truth in a way that doesn’t seem forceful (although it may be). Napoleon had this conjunction. So did Charles Manson.

With Leo energy there’s a tendency to want to see how important one is and how big of a role one can play in life… and it’s never enough. Being king of the world wouldn’t suffice for Leos because this sign is not about being recognized as important in a worldly sense - it’s about finding the center of selfhood, to live from the inside out, to radiate energy and warmth from within no matter if one lives in a hut or in a castle. Kingship is found within. The castle, the riches and the abundance don’t make the king - it’s the inner quality that does.

Capricorns… I’m scared of the things you’ll do in the name of preserving integrity and to remain in control… Some (all) of you hide behind a submissive front and seem harmless at first but once you’ve made the other person let their guard down, you strike. Sometimes it’s not even obvious to the person what you’ve done because you’re so subtle. Other times it’s very obvious, but it’s too late - you’ve disarmed them. I’m growing tired of being this way with Caps… wah! Though I guess everyone has some of these traits… It’s always ”kill or be killed” like the reputation of the 22°degree that’s ruled by Capricorn *sigh*.

Virgo Risings have a very calming effect on me. They often look shy and kind. I always get the impression that they mean well in everything that they do.

Scorpio Risings have Aries ruling the the 6th house (usually)… they get things done fast! So fast! Meanwhile I’m slowly cruising with my Capricorn ruled 6th house and Neptune here… I’m zoning out, moving slowly, doing a little bit of this and that as it comes to me - strategic but blurry is my way of being when dealing with daily matters. This feels so weird to me because I have 4 planets in Aries… just not in the 6th hahahaaaa… I feel so inferior in this sphere of life but at least I’m calm and serene.

Aquarians have realized that people are stupid and that makes them smart.

Aquarians have the attitude ”I can let them be who they are because I’m above it all - the senseless mess and stupidity of human existence…it is what it is”.

There’s such a big difference between Aquarius Sun people who have Capricorn Mercury vs. Aquarius Mercury placements. The Capricorn Mercuries can sound so serious and strained in their voices, like they’re greeting you with a ”welcome to the business meeting” tone. The people with Aquarius Mercury are much freer in their communication.

Scorpios have such amazing capacity for complete devotion and passion but there’s fear of being consumed by it. All of the energy that they keep buried has to be released sooner or later… and then they can become cruel because they resent being victim to larger forces of human nature - they will use the pent up energy for attack rather than letting the energy fester and kill something inside of them. Again, it’s a question of ”kill or be killed”, but it’s not the same as Capricorn’s capacity for ruthlessness. Scorpios simply have to strike because they have accumulated so much emotion. They might end up making it worse for themselves because they are very sensitive and compassionate. They will attack - question is whether they will attack themselves or someone else. Either way it’s really a lose-lose scenario from the point of view of the individual.

Leo Moons, unless they’re sufficiently counteracted by other chart placements, can’t help but dramatize everything. The women, especially, could probably make a living as professional criers at funerals. I have seen this play out - they don’t have to be close to the dead person to be the ones too cry the most. ”No one understands my feelings”… well maybe not because they’re so big and exaggerated and it makes no sense to draw all of the attention to yourself at another person’s funeral. Oh well, it’s the way of Leo. Life is a show. (To be fair they both had Moon aspecting Neptune).

---

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[papiliomame]

Road to 3D- Sam Manson (Part 1):

Model sheet

Part 2: Character Modeling

Hi! On my recent posts of my 3d models I got many asking questions about how I made them. I'm currently working on a 3d Sam model from scratch and so I thought I can document my process here and add some thoughts through my process.

Before I can model anything in 3d I need a reference and a plan. For characters this means I need to create a model sheet, so here we are.

Some disclaimer first before I continue:

I'm just a self-taught hobby artist not a professional or proper art student. The infos I write here down are just the things I do and can be completly wrong or different in a professional setting.

This is not a tutorial or a step-by-step-guide for character design or how to make character sheets in general. Just additional things that I pay attention to when I make a model sheet for my 3d models.

As someone who just does 3d modeling in my freetime for 2 1/2 years I see myself still as a beginner. I'm still in a experimenting with different techniques and artstyle. This and the following posts describes just stuff I do for this model, it could be some other method next if I feel this didn't work out that well. Nothing is set in stone.

I do the 3d models just for myself for practice and for fun, you cannot download them anywhere. I just post screenshots and do sometime animations to archive my progress.

Under the cut are my thoughts of how I approach a model sheet for a 3d character:

First things first I search for references and make some rough sketches to decide how I want the character to look like. I found this image of a character on pinterest ( anyone knows who the artist is? I cannot find the original source) and use this as a reference for my Sam model.

After the inital phase I first draw the front side of the character. For a 3d model I need a symmetrical neutral character in a T-pose, an A-pose or a standing pose in which the arms doesn't obscure the body. This makes it easier to model and rig them late on.

Speaking of obscuring the body it's also better to have a character without their clothes on and in multiple angles. It is easier to model the character's full body first and then model the clothes around it as an anchor point.

The most import angles for me are the front and side view. The other angles are more for the details to get the likeness right. I try to model the front view most accurately and the sideview is more for the proportions. I don't often see people only from the side view so whatever I draw from the side cannot 100% be accurately be modeled like that. I also made a different side view on the right with the arm seperated from the body, this makes it easier block in the form of the body and it's easier to model the arm and hand seperatly because hands are not only difficult to draw but also difficult to model.

For the different angles I use a mannequin model in blender as a guide and reference. Clip studio paint (the painting program I use) has also 3d mannequins but I personally find them difficult to move around so I prefer to use blender for this.

When I'm finished with the model sheet I also make a quick turnaround animation to see if anything looks consistent enough.

Yeah that's it. Now onto the modelling process!

[pocfansmatter]

Flashing Lights

Title:

Author:

Rating: Teen

Tags: Dunbar/Theo Raeken Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski Liam Dunbar Theo Raeken Corey Bryant Mason Hewitt Derek Hale Stiles Stilinski Scott McCall (Teen Wolf) Rafael McCall Lydia Martin Allison Argent Isaac Lahey Matt Daehler Jennifer Blake Jackson Whittemore Brett Talbot Kira Yukimura Erica Reyes Thiam Reverse Big Bang 2022 tw elements of non con Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models Alternate Universe - Human Background Relationships Established Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski Theo Raeken is Liam Dunbar's Anchor RivalsEnemies to Friends to Lovers Rivals to Friends to Lovers But its one sided - Freeform Past Liam Dunbar/Brett Talbot I don't know how the modeling industry works but let's pretend also pretend models are as big as celebrities TMZ Cameras Photos magaizines Teen Wolf Good Theo Raeken Creeper Matt Daehler Stalker Matt Daehler thiamrbb22 tw drugging tw blackmail

Warnings: TW mentions of non-consentual pictures. TW Blackmail. TW drugging (mention)

Summary:

Liam Dunbar has anger issues a mile wide and most of them are focused on his rival, Theo Raeken.

Theo has a dark past and a bad reputation that can either help or ruin Liam's image.

Now they have to work together to make sure they both don't sink.

Thiam Model AU.

__

Just then another model sits beside Liam to also get ready. A quick look in the mirror shows the infamous Theo himself.

“Dunbar,” he smirks, and Liam can’t help the sneer he lets come over his features.

“Raeken,” he replies. “I guess Lydia just lets anyone walk her show huh?”

Theo laughs finding the younger male amusing.

“I heard you got the cover of next month’s Teen Vogue, congrats.”

Artwork by: @arewordsenough

Submission for the 2022 Thiam Reverse Big Bang

@officialthiamlibrary

The thing that got him is the sunglasses, the effortless way Theo held them in his grasp while appearing calm but serious. That got GQ too apparently because they choose that cover over Liam’s hunched-over and boyish pose for the November issue.

“Don’t worry bud we still can get used of this picture, it’s a great picture and I have teen Vogue itching for it already give me a couple of days,” his manager Stiles reassured.

“Teen Vogue? I don’t want Teen Vogue; I am not a child!”

“You’re acting like one,” Stiles teases.

“You promised me more mature work when I left Jackson’s company for yours!”

“I know I did and the fact that I even got you a shoot with GQ was hard but you gotta meet me halfway here bud, you can’t expect mature work when you still look like you’re posing for a high school yearbook.” Liam deflated at the criticism, Stiles was right, he started modeling when he was 14 and was struggling now at 21 to break away from the teen magazines and wanted to do runway and pose for more mature publications.

“I just, why did it have to be him?”

“Yeah, I know it bugs you when Theo gets the job but hey, I think this rivalry is good for you, it makes you work harder.” Stiles clicks on his laptop for a moment before pulling out a file for Liam.

“Anyway, forget GQ for now, Scott called you about Lydia’s show, right?”

“Yeah,”

“Good, here’s the details, make sure you arrive on time and your best behavior. Lydia’s guestlist is stacked, and the Editors of GQ, Vogue, and Esquire are confirmed. You walk good, I’ll get you the cover of a mature magazine.”

Stiles’s phone rang then, and he waved Liam off in dismissal. With a sigh, Liam took the file and put it in his side satchel before heading out into the busy California streets home. He opens his phone and sees a text from Manson asking to get lunch.

He agrees and calls an Uber to the restaurant.

“Anyway, I heard Theo got the cover, I’m sorry man.” Mason apologizes.

“Ugh, don’t remind me, hey are you walking in Lydia’s show?”

“Nah, I gotta do Erica’s music video remember?”

“Oh yeah, that’s great man, I’m happy you’re doing the crossover from model to actor.”

“It’s just one video dude, not a Netflix show chill,” his best friend laughs it off, but Liam knew it was a big deal for him.

“Whatever, it’s gonna suck having no one to hang out with in New York though.”

“Corey will be there!” Mason reminds Liam of his better half walking the same show, normally Liam would be ecstatic to hang out with him but there was one issue.

“Yeah, but you know he’s gonna be hanging out with Theo.” Liam spits out the name like it’s a curse.

“You know he’s not so bad…”

“Yeah, like the dentist isn’t ‘so bad,’” Liam scoffs.

“Seriously you should just hang out with them both. Corey will be a great buffer and you don’t have to wander NYC alone this weekend.”

“I’ll think about it,” they change the conversation after that to a much simpler subject and Theo was once again pushed to the back of Liam’s mind.

__

Kira pushed Liam into a chair and quickly did his hair. People were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Shows were always this hectic. Another woman Liam didn’t know started on his makeup while Kira slathered product onto his head. Just then another model sits beside Liam to also get ready. A quick look in the mirror shows the infamous Theo himself.

“Dunbar,” he smirks, and Liam can’t help the sneer he lets come over his features.

“Raeken,” he replies. “I guess Lydia just lets anyone walk her show huh?”

Theo laughs finding the younger male amusing.

“I heard you got the cover of next month’s Teen Vogue, congrats.” Liam takes a deep breath and is glad he remembered his pills today.

“Thanks,” Liam grits out and is thankfully done with makeup and hair and can leave the conversation to get dressed.

The show goes great as far as Liam is concerned. The crew opens a bunch of champagne bottles, and the models are sprayed with alcohol. Lydia and the more famous models are being interviewed, Liam tries not to feel too bitter that he sees Theo on camera answering questions in the smug way he always communicates.   

An arm finds its way across Liam’s shoulders, and he turns to see Corey smiling wide at him. He can’t help but smile wide in return and wraps his arm around his waist to squeeze the man in a hug.

“Dude! Are you ready to party in the city that never sleeps?” He asks in excitement and Liam laughs and nods easily agreeing. He feels on top of the world and even a night with Theo cannot ruin his mood. “You, me, Theo, and Brett Talbot;” okay that might ruin it though.

The 4 young models find themselves at some fancy restaurant and Corey seems blissfully unaware of their awkwardness. A waiter comes and they order drinks before browsing the menu.

“Should you be drinking on your medication?��� Brett asks and Liam stiffens, Theo looks confused, and Corey awkwardly sips his water.

“Should you be drinking on your diet?” Liam shoots back and Corey chokes on the water.

“My 8 pack doesn’t disappear that easily,” Brett laughs and Theo smirks beside him.

“So how has Stiles been?” Corey switches the subject, Corey, Theo, and Brett were managed by Hale Industries.

Derek had tried to recruit Liam when he was still with Jackson, but he ultimately decided to go with Stiles instead because his client list was smaller, and he offered Liam more attention. There was no bad blood though considering Stiles and Derek were married so the money all ended up in the same place. Why they didn’t just make a joint company no one knows but Scott thinks the competition spices things up in the bedroom for them.

“Great, he’s getting me a lot of opportunities I didn’t have before.”

“Lydia’s show for example,” Brett comments, and Liam sighs, this was gonna be a long night.

“I heard your friend Mason is doing that music video with Erica,” Theo adds, and Corey gets a dopey grin at the mention of his boyfriend.

“Yeah, he’s really excited,” Liam answers right when the drinks finally arrive.

“You know Matt Daehler is looking for a model subject for his gallery show, maybe Stiles can get you that,” Brett offers.

Theo stiffens beside him, and Liam leans forward in interest. Matt was a big-name photographer in the industry and a shoot with him could help Liam make the leap he’s been itching for. Theo worked with him 3 years ago and he’s been a household name ever since.

“I don’t think Liam is the type to work with Matt,” Theo cuts in before Liam can question the details.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Liam argues annoyed.

“It’s just- Matt is… very particular on the type of people he works with.” Theo struggles to explain.

“Oh, so I’m not his type?” Liam spits out and Theo shakes his head.

“Liam that’s not what I meant I just think-“Liam stands up abruptly and announces he’s going to the bathroom.

He splashes water on his face and repeats his riddle to calm himself. He knew this night out would be a bad idea. Brett and Theo are ganging up on him and Corey is no help at all. After a few minutes, his heart rate lowers enough that he doesn’t feel the need to smash the bathroom mirror and he returns in time to see their food be set down. They eat in relative silence until Corey mentions this club he wants to check out.

They make their way back to their hotels at 10 pm and agree to meet in the lobby at midnight to go club hopping.

Liam takes a quick shower and decides to do some research on Matt while he waits to go out.

He sees articles confirming that all the current big-name male models worked with him at some point. It’s not long before his research leads him to Theo. He clicks on a video from 2 years ago of Theo, it’s an interview about Matt and a “collaboration” they did together, pictures of it are teased throughout the video. Theo looks… off, his normal arrogant smile is gone, a forced smirk in its place, his shoulders are hunched; he appears to be trying to fold into himself, his movements are sluggish and slow and nothing like the confident way Liam is used to him moving, and his eyes seemed red and dark with bags.

“So, my last question is, what is it really like to work with Matt Daehler?”

“I can honestly say… he’s nothing like anyone else I’ve ever worked with.”

Liam shuts his laptop and finishes getting ready for the night. Once he’s done a text comes from Corey telling him to meet them all in the lobby.

They hit a club and immediately make their way to the bar for drinks. While they wait some club promoters recognize Theo and Brett and instantly the boys are pulled towards the VIP area, Liam can feel himself making a face.

“Shouldn’t do that it’ll cause wrinkles,” Theo whispers to him and Liam drops the look but gets more irritated.

It takes a while and a few drinks before Liam manages to forget his annoyance and starts to actually have fun. He dances a lot and before long he wears himself down and makes his way back to their table to catch his breath. Theo’s already there talking and laughing with a few people he doesn’t recognize. Liam thinks about the video he saw earlier of Theo 2 years ago and how different he looks now.

“Liam,” Theo waves him closer and he hesitates for a moment before humoring the older model. A girl around their age is standing in front of him with brunet hair and big brown eyes. “This is Hayden, she’s a freelance photographer that has a job with Boys by Girls coming up and needs some models.”

Liam smiles at the cute girl and shakes her hand.

“I love Boys by Girls, it’s one of my favorite men’s fashion magazines.”

“Well, I have nothing to do with the creation of the issue I just take photos with whoever pays me to work,” she smirks, Theo laughs and Liam feels his face heat. “Anyway, Theo was telling me how busy he is and suggested you.” Liam felt a lot of emotions at that but pushes it down and grabs his phone.

“Maybe we could exchange information and I can have my agency call you about the shoot?”

Hayden pulls out her phone and hands it over before going back to her drink.

“Just put your agent’s number in under your name and I’ll call them later.” Liam does as he’s told, and the waiter comes with another round of drinks. Once Hayden gets her phone back, she hugs Theo and waves goodbye to Liam before disappearing into the crowd.    

Liam just stares after her and ignores the eyes he feels on the side of his face.

“Thanks,” he finally mutters and finds Theo with a soft smile looking back at him. This weird fluttering feeling occurs in his stomach but before he could address it, he feels a hand grab his upper arm. He turns and finds an older man, probably mid-30s, with shaggy blond hair and a patchy beard.

“Hey, baby, how about we find a stall and have some fun?” He says close enough to Liam’s face that he could smell the alcohol.

“Get off of me,” Liam yanks his arm away and he feels his heart start to race, his vision starts to blur around the edges and his breathing becomes ragged.

“Come on Liam he’s not worth getting kicked out over,” Theo says suddenly at his ear, but Liam can barely hear him over his heartbeat.

The guy steps closer and Liam steps back.

“Fuck off man,” Liam growls, the creep towers over him but Liam’s muscles aren’t just for looks contrary to popular belief. 

“Liam if we fight him, we get kicked out, can cause a scene, a scene could get filmed and sent around, tonight being Lydia’s show our faces may be recognized. Think about this and let’s walk away.” Theo explains calmly and Liam finds it a little easier to breathe. He nods once and both grab their drinks to walk off. That’s when an arm snakes across Liam’s waist and his anger comes back full force.

He shoves the stranger off and balls his hand into a fist lifting it before he pulls back though the guy’s head swings to the side and his body falls knocking the table next to them over. Liam blinks a few times in confusion before processing that Theo hit the guy first. Before he could protest Theo grabs his hand and marches him out of the club through a side entrance. Phones are aimed at them and luckily Brett and Corey follow the two out without complaint.

“What happened? Are you guys, okay?” Corey asks.

“Man, I was dancing with this hot guy and didn’t get his number yet,” Brett complains.

Theo explains what happened before they decide on a new club a few blocks away. Corey holds his hand and Liam spends the walk trying to calm down completely. Theo doesn’t explain why he hit the guy first and Liam doesn’t ask for one yet.

“I’m surprised Liam didn’t beat the guy bloody,” Brett laughs and Liam tries out his breathing exercises.

“He would’ve I just got to him first,” Liam can hear the smirk in Theo’s voice.

“Liam remember when you thought that guy was hitting on me and tackled him in an Ikea? Oh my god, that was so embarrassing.” Brett cackles and Theo stops short, Liam ignores them both.

“You guys dated?” Theo asks.

“For way too long,” Brett smirks.

“It was 6 months,” Liam explains.

“With you babe that feels like 6 years,” Liam ignores the sharp stab he feels in his chest at that, and Corey squeezes his hand in comfort. Thankfully the club comes into view then.

The next morning Liam groans in pain before grabbing the water bottle, he left by his bed and drank half in one swig. He grabs his phone to check the tie and there are dozens of notifications the most alarming are the missed calls from Stiles, Scott, and Derek. Why Derek would be calling him he didn’t know but he felt like he was being called to the principal’s office.

He opens the article link Stiles sends him first so he has an idea of what the calls will be about but honestly, he has a good guess. Reading the headline his suspicions are confirmed.

Men’s Fashion Bad Boy Theo Raeken Strikes Again! TMZ writes.

The article includes a video of last night’s incident. Liam watches as Theo punches the stranger from a different angle. The article reminds the readers of Theo’s troubled past. His history of drugs, his occasional tendency to wreck hotel rooms, and his habit of showing up late for work. All of which Theo and his reps claimed stopped after his rehab stint. Liam feels sick but this time not from the hangover and exit’s out of the article before returning Stiles’s call.

“What the hell happened?” Stiles says in place of a greeting.

Liam explains the story and tells him how it wasn’t his or Theo’s fault.

“All right, give me an hour to write up a statement, I’ll talk to Derek because we’re going to collaborate on the best way to handle this press-wise. Just stay put, all four of you are grounded. I’m talking DoorDash food and drinks, do not leave the hotel, do not post on socials, do not pass go and collect 200 dollars grounded until you get back to California and we have a game plan for you and Theo.” Liam groans and says goodbye before tossing his phone. He finishes his water and is about to get more out of the mini-fridge before it rings again. It’s Corey.

“Hey.”

“Hey, since we’re all on lockdown you wanna come to our suite? We’re ordering food and drinks and we’ll probably watch a movie or something.”

“Sure, send me your number and I’ll be there after a shower, order me a burger and Gatorade.” They say bye and Liam grab some sweats and a t-shirt since no one important is going to see him and he wants to be comfortable.

When he gets to the room Corey is digging into his salad, Brett already has a beer, and Theo is sitting off to the side with his laptop faced away from them. He greets all of them and sits on the couch next to Corey. The suite is big, he sees two rooms. One with 2 beds and the other with one. Where they currently are in the living room area with a huge flatscreen, a couch, a recliner, and a chair with a desk that Theo occupies.

“Can’t believe we have a weekend in New York and can’t enjoy it,” Brett complains, and Liam rolls his eyes knowing he’s going to get blamed for this.

“Brett, we hit enough clubs last night for a whole summer it’s fine,” Corey comforts and Theo is silent while he reads something on his screen and grabs his phone as it rings.

“Hello,” he says then waves to the group dismissing himself and walking to the room with 2 beds to talk privately. Then Liam’s phone rings.

“Go to my room,” Corey points to the other room knowing it’s important. 

“Hey,” Liam greets as he shuts the door.

“Okay I’m sending a statement to your phone, it’ll be posted on your Instagram feed and Twitter after you give me approval.” The tone of voice tells Liam he doesn’t actually need his approval he’s just saying it to be nice. “It’s the same one Theo will post, Derek and I both agreed, and their PR came up with it. Monday at 9 am I need you to meet me at Hale’s office building, I’ll send you the address later. We’re meeting with Theo because this is going to take a little more than just a notes app apology to go away.” He hangs up after goodbye and Liam instantly gets a screenshot of the apology to be posted.

Hey guys, last night after work I went out with a few of my friends to celebrate the great show we put on with Lydia Martin showcasing her newest collection. Unfortunately, a drunk patron at one of the establishments we attended started to harass me and Theo Raeken. When we tried to walk away the stranger got physical with me and my friend Theo reacted without thinking and hit the man to defend me. We immediately left after. It was stupid of us to do something like that, and I promise to be more aware of my surroundings in the future. I also apologize to anyone who was upset by the video. That is not the person I want to be perceived as in the media. That is not the person Theo is either and we are both saddened by last night’s events and plan to find alternative solutions to resolve conflict in the future.

With love always, -Liam

Liam ignores the fact that Theo is called his friend and approves the post. Stiles won’t let him change it anyway and has his passwords to do the rest. He goes back to the living room and finds Theo already there, with no laptop, and off the phone.

“I don’t need to see your post to know we probably have identical apology notes,” Theo smirks but it doesn’t reach his eyes like before.

“We have a meeting Monday,” Liam answers instead.

“I’ve been informed.” Theo sighs and turns off his phone, Liam follows suit and grabs the container Corey hands him which he assumes has his food.

"You, okay?" Theo asks while Liam slowly eats his fries, he was caught off guard by the question.

"Yeah, are you?" Theo smiles softly but once again it doesn't reach his eyes.

"This isn't my first rodeo."

"Okay, can we pick a movie or something now, I'm bored?" Brett interrupts. 

After a couple of horror movies, it’s late afternoon and Brett suggests a drinking game since they all now had alcohol.

“Never Have I Ever, but you drink when you have.”

“Ohh fun, I’ll go first,” Corey announces. “Never Have I Ever… Had sex with a girl.”

Brett and Liam take shots and then it’s Theo’s turn.

“Never have I ever… hooked up with a celebrity,” Brett drinks and Liam rolls his eyes not caring who it was but knowing Brett is itching to tell.

“Never have I ever… had a one-night stand,” Liam adds, and only Brett drinks again.

“Never have I ever got us kicked out of a bar,” Brett says, and Liam feels his hackles rise.

“Brett,” Corey warns, and Theo takes a drink.

“Liam…” Brett antagonizes him because he doesn’t drink.

“I took the shot because I got us kicked out not him.” Theo defends and Liam stands up and heads for the door.

“It’s getting late, our flight is early so I’m going to bed.” He says before retreating to his room.

Monday comes quickly and Theo is sitting beside Liam in some kind of conference room. Stiles and Derek are across from them.

“Alright as you may or may not know your apology post came with mixed reviews,” Stiles explains. Liam did know, he saw a few comments before deleting Twitter and Instagram off his phone to take a break. Some fans pointed out that they thought Liam and Theo hated each other, which they do. Some kept saying that Theo hasn’t changed at all as he claims, and some were calling Theo a hero for defending Liam and oddly the last ones made Liam feel the worst. He didn’t need Theo to “save” him. “To really nail in that friendship angle though you guys are gonna be spending a lot more time together.”

“Wait what?” Liam asks.

“Stiles and I have organized some joint photoshoots for you two with Calvin Klein. Also, you are going to go to a few charity events together, you’ve already been emailed the details. The more you two are seen hanging out and being close the more believable the apology and the more likely Theo looks as well as the more exposure Liam gets.” Derek explains to the point unlike his husband Stiles.

“See it’s a win/win for everybody,” Stiles says and Liam disagrees.

“Do we get a say in any of this?” Liam protests and looks to Theo who has his head down and shoulders hunched, he has a flashback to that interview he watched in New York.

“Not if you want a viable career.” Stiles answers and Liam accepts defeat.

“We’re done here, don’t look like you are being punished boys, this is really good for both of you,” Stiles smiles and Derek doesn’t glare which Liam assumes is the closest he comes to smiling.

Liam watches the hairstylist in the mirror and tries to control his breathing. He should be thrilled; a Calvin Klein photoshoot is a huge step in his career but Theo’s easy smile and effortless way he flirts with the makeup artist is getting on his nerves. Theo in general gets on his nerves.

“Stop sneering,” he hears beside him, and he shoots Theo a look. “Come on Liam this will be good for you, this is just the kinda gig you wanted remember?”

“How do you know what I want?”

“Because this is what every model wants. It won’t take long don’t worry…”

It’s not long before Liam and Theo are in front of a white backdrop in the signature white tight boxer briefs. Liam closes his eyes and feels a calm warmth settle over him. This is his element, in front of a camera, not even Theo can take this away.

“Alright boys think best friends or Derek Hale will have my head,” Isaac Lahey, up-and-coming photographer announces. It made Liam feel a little better knowing he wasn’t the only one new to the Calvin brand here today. As expected, Theo modeled for them twice already. Once the jeans and the other in a commercial. “Alright, kids show me friendship!”

Theo immediately throws his arm across Liam and ducks his head close like he’s gonna tell Liam a secret. Liam smiles carefree while Theo smirks and the flashes start. Liam playfully shoves Theo away and he laughs.

“Hey Liam, your shoes are untied,” he jokes, and Liam rolls his eyes so hard he gets a headache and Theo throws his head back and laughs.

“Is that really the best you got?”

“Did you hear about the claustrophobic astronaut?” Theo starts walking closer to Liam again. “He just needed a little space.” He smiles cheekily showing his perfect teeth and Liam can’t stop the laugh he lets out.

“Wow… don’t quit your day job,” Liam jokes while playfully punching Theo’s shoulder, Theo grabs the waistband of Liam’s boxers in lets go of it quickly making it snap against his skin in retaliation, when the older male pulls his hand back Liam quickly grabs his wrist and yanks him towards him. Theo is caught off guard and Liam uses this to wrestle Theo into a headlock and starts to rub his knuckle on Theo’s head successfully messing up his spiky hairdo.

“Uncle! UNCLE!” Theo shouts throw laughter and Liam lets go, his cheeks sore from his smile.

“Good stuff,” Isaac shouts in encouragement, and Liam is surprised for a moment. He honestly forgot they were working.

“Hey Lee, is that a mirror in your pocket because I could see me getting in your pants,” Theo winks and Liam flashes hot, he doesn’t know if it’s from the nickname or the cheesy pickup line.

“I’m not even wearing pants,” Liam waves him off and Theo laughs hard again, butterflies erupt in his stomach, and he ignores it. It’s not much longer until the shoot wraps up.

__

Once the pictures are posted online and set to be in the next Vogue issues Liam goes up a few thousand followers. He stares at the two pictures they went with. The one where Liam has Theo in a headlock. You can see Theo has a smile on his face and Liam wears an identical playful smile on his features. The next picture was taken right before the first. It shows Theo’s finger in the waist of his boxers, the Calvin Klein name hiding the digit, it looks like Liam is being reeled in by the older male instead of the waistband snap that occurred in real life. Theo has a smirk that can only be described as wicked on his face and Liam has a small smile the look in both their eyes make Liam’s stomach hurt honestly. Stiles sends a text about how he’s posting the photoshoot to Liam’s Instagram and doesn’t wait for a reply before Liam see’s it on his feed. It takes a minute for hundreds of comments to come through and Liam goes through them curious about what people think of the shoot.

“I guess they are friends”

“Historians will call them close friends…”

“What in the homoerotic is going on here?”

Liam’s stomach feels weird again. The only thing worse than people thinking Theo and him are friends is people thinking they are dating. Just then his phone rings.

“Hey Scott,” he greets.

“Hey Liam, I just got a call from Hayden Romero, she wants to work with you for Boys by Girls magazine,” Liam’s cheeks hurt from how wide he smiles.

After Scott discusses the deal and Liam confirms he wants it he says he’ll send him an email about all the details and soon Stiles is calling him.

“I just emailed you the details but you’re on the guest list for Allison’s show this weekend, You and Theo will go together and get dinner at Nobu after,” Stiles jumps right into it.

“Well hello to you too, why exactly am I doing this?”

“It’s part of your good press to fix the fight in New York, also that photoshoot has people talking so we’re riding this wave until it lands you enough gigs to be a household name.” He hangs up after and Liam knows it’s nothing personal he’s just in work mode.

Liam felt a lot of different emotions, from seeing the photos to getting a shoot for Boys by Girls, to now having to hang out with Theo more. Liam can’t help but wonder if he would have to do this if he just punched the guy himself. Why did Theo do it? Given his past you would think he would work hard not to be seen as the same bad boy he was before. But maybe he liked that persona, Liam can’t really judge given his diagnosis he still remembers the reputation he got in elementary and middle school before his parents homeschooled him for modeling in high school.

He checks his email and sees that he has an appointment with a stylist for Allison’s show tomorrow and after he looks over the details for the Boys by Girls photoshoot. He’s excited that he’s getting to work with them and has a page in Vogue’s next issue, but he can’t help but feel it’s tainted by the fact that he got both jobs with Theo’s help. He wanted to get his name out there on his own.

Liam waits for the car in the lobby of his apartment; he’s wearing a black short-sleeved button-up with powder blue slacks and some black boots. They are all name brand and worth more than his rent, he knows because the stylist threatened his manhood if he ruins the clothes since he would have to return them after tonight. A Black SUV pulls up and Liam knows it’s for him, he exits the building and hops in the back to find Theo already there in a powder Blue long-sleeved button-up shirt and black slacks.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Liam groans and Theo laughs.

“Hey, I had nothing to do with this,” he specifies.

“I know, is it really necessary we match too?” Liam complains and Theo shrugs.

They arrive at the show and the paparazzi are already there hounding everyone who shows up.

“Just relax and try and have a good time,” Theo instructs before the door opens.

“This isn’t my first time,” he shoots back before placing an easy smile on his face and stepping onto the carpet. He waits for Theo to step out and they walk the carpet together. Derek and Stiles said they had to pose and act like best friends, so Theo throws an arm around Liam and they both pose, Liam with his hands in his pockets and a small smirk on his face, and Theo does a similar stance. The cameramen shout their names and try and get them to stare at them. After they look in a few different directions they continue walking into the venue where the show will take place.

They are seated off to the side in the second row by an usher and make small talk before the show starts, Liam would prefer to sit silently but there were a few paparazzi in the room that forced them to put on the BFF act. Soon the lights dim starting the show.

After the show people walk around and mingle for a bit, they say it’s to talk about the show but it’s really networking for their own career advancements.

Liam and Theo separate to say hi to old friends and make some new connections.

Liam is talking to an up-and-coming fashion designer and thinks he has a chance at walking at his first show if he plays his cards right. Just then Matt Daehler walks up.

"You're Liam, right?" The fashion designer excuses himself while Liam shakes his hand.

"Yeah, I'm a big fan of your work Mr. Daehler." Matt chuckles at this.

"Just Matt is fine. I actually saw your Calvin Klein shoot and I'd really like to collaborate with you on my next project."

"Wow, yeah that'd be amazing, let me give you my manager’s number." They exchange information and before they part Theo walks up. What happens next can only be described as a stare-down. Matt breaks the moment by smirking.

"Good to see you, Theo," he says before walking away and Theo doesn't say anything just watches him leave.

"We should get going." Liam for once doesn't argue. He doesn't know what the weird moment between them was about, but he didn't want to ask.

They left after that.

There’s already paparazzi outside of Nobu when they arrive which is a surprise to neither of them since Nobu is one of those places where you go only to be spotted not to actually enjoy. They keep their heads down but are still visible, so they have that “not trying to be spotted” sheepish look but are still very spotted because they actually want to be spotted. Just another dumb industry thing they try to do to seem important. They are seated and asked for drinks. Liam orders a soda like Theo. Liam looks over the menu and they sit in silence for a moment.

"Are you gonna ask?" Theo asks.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Not really...."

"Then no," Liam says right as their drinks are brought. They order some food and Liam sighs.

"I don't recommend you work with him." Theo finally says.

"I didn't ask." Liam shoots back.

"Let’s just enjoy dinner," Theo sounds exhausted and Liam is reminded of how his mother would be with him as a child and he doesn't like it, so he drops it.

"What did you think of the show?" Liam tries instead.

"It was good," Theo sounds lighter and Liam isn't sure why that makes him happy.

By the time they order their food the topic of Matt has been long forgotten.

"Lacrosse huh?"

"Yeah, it was actually really helpful for my uh... issues at the time." Liam feels his shoulders tense at that admittance.

"Hey, I'm not here to judge, God knows I can't..." Theo comforts.

"It's called intermittent explosive disorder... it’s a behavior disorder. I tend to overreact to certain situations."

"Overreact how?" Theo leans his elbows on the table interested in the conversation.

"Violently... but it’s calmed down a lot since I was a teenager. Thanks to sports, therapy, and medication."

Their food arrives and Theo leans back in his seat, Liam feels a sense of loss.

"That’s what Brett meant by his medication and drinking comment."

"Yep," Liam pops the p and takes a bite of his food.

"I can't believe you dated that guy..." Liam laughs

"Yeah, me either... but in his defense, he wasn't like... a dick to me before. That started after we broke up and his teasing is mostly harmless. We actually had a lot in common. He used to play lacrosse in high school too."

"Why did you guys break up," Theo asks.

"I don't know, he says it had nothing to do with my I.E.D. but I don't know. I'm pretty sure he couldn't handle my outbursts."

"I'm sorry Liam," Liam waves him off.

"It’s whatever, it was long enough ago I don't care anymore."

"What about you? Any model ex I should know about?" Liam jokes.

"Wow, exes talk on a first date?" Theo smirks and Liam feels his face heat up and knows he's blushing. "Uh, I haven't dated a model, it’s kind of embarrassing but the last person I dated was in high school... I uh, just been so focused on my career, to be honest."

For some reason, Liam thinks Theo is lying but doesn’t argue with him.

“What about you? Any sports?” Liam asks instead.

“Nah, well I used to skateboard but not like competitively or anything. How did you get into modeling anyway?”

“Oh God it’s so cliché,” Liam takes a bite of his food to buy himself time. “I uh, found an agent in a mall,” he confesses.

“Oh my God… you told me cliché, but I underestimated you.” Theo laughs.

“Hey, shut up! What about you… what’s your story?”

“There’s not much to tell to be honest. I kinda stumbled into it because I needed a job, but I was way too young to work any regular jobs legally. Fast food places required you to be 16. I saw a job listing for a teen model to advertise some clothes for a local boutique. My old agent Jennifer saw it and signed me.”

“How old were you?”

“14,” he answers quickly.

“Why did you need a job at 14?” Theo sighs.

“I just… didn’t like home too much and modeling afforded me an income to leave and never look back.” Liam didn’t pry too much after that, he couldn’t imagine trying to make enough money to leave his mom and dad so young, but his parents were awesome, and he was aware not everyone is as lucky as him.

“Hey umm, I got that shoot with boys by girls…” He isn’t sure why he tells Theo this, but he felt like he should.

“Congrats!” Theo smiles sincerely. “I knew you’d be perfect for it,” and Liam smiles shyly back.

“I don’t know…”

“No don’t doubt yourself now, I know it’s hard making that leap from teen heartthrob to mature modeling, but it’ll happen for you soon, it already is.”

“The Calvin Klein shoot doesn’t count it was a PR setup.”

“Of course, it was, everything we do is PR Liam, we’re models. It’s our job to be walking billboards! But even if there was an ulterior motive for that shoot Calvin doesn’t give a shit about the fact that I punched a guy in New York. They gave us the shoot because they like our look. So did Vogue or they wouldn’t have approved it for the upcoming issue. You have to have a little faith in yourself kid,” Theo sits back and takes a drink and Liam smiles wide.

“You do have a point… Hey, should we get some real drinks? We are supposed to be having a night out, why not make it real?” Theo laughs and something dangerous dances in his eyes that pulls Liam in. 

“You’re gonna get us in trouble Dunbar,” he says while lifting his hand to flag down the waitress.  

 Their a few shots in and nursing their drinks when Theo sits on the same side as Liam.

“You trying to get cozy Theo?”

“It’s easier to hear you this way,” he says, it did get crowded and louder since they first arrived.  

“You have pretty eyes,” Liam blurts without thinking and Theo’s eyes widen slightly before he laughs loudly.

“You’re not too bad yourself Dunbar,” he smirks and Liam flushes.

They stare at each other in silence and Liam feels himself move forward a tiny bit. Theo glances down at his lips for a split second and starts to move too.

“Can I get you 2 anything else?” The waiter interrupts and Liam jumps back.

“Uh, just the check thanks,” Theo answers and goes back to his seat before.

Liam feels the loss of Theo’s body warmth but says nothing to stop him.

“I’ll call the car,” Liam offers while the bill gets squared away, Hale Management is paying for the bill and Theo has a company credit card. Why a model gets a company card Liam doesn’t know and doesn’t ask. He assumes it’s for dinners like these.

___

“Hey Liam, first proud of you for the show you put on last night, people keep tweeting about you and Theo and even making fan edits. It’s adorable but also free press. Second, you got a call from Matt Daeher, he wants to work with you on his next project if you’re interested.”

“Of course, I am, yes! Tell Matt yes,” Stiles laughs at Liam’s enthusiasm.

“Okay, I call him back and iron out the details and get back to you, until then just make sure you prepare for Hayden’s shoot. You have to meet with wardrobe beforehand so they can make sure everything fits.”

“I know I got it on my calendar.”

“That’s my boy, all right I’ll let you recover, you looked really drunk in some of those photos, how did you manage to make it look so real?”

“I’ll talk to you later Stiles bye!”

Liam grabs his phone and heads to Twitter.

“I know we aren’t supposed to ship real people, but Theo and Liam are really cute.”

“Yo between the CK photo shoot and that night out I’m convinced Theo and Liam are dating in real life.”

Liam blushes and sees a notification from Theo. He clicks on it and sees a photo from a random Twitter, it’s of Liam and Theo and has a bunch of hearts edited onto the photo with the caption just #thiam.

“We have a couple name I guess,” Theo writes, and Liam bites a smile back.

“Why does your name get to be first?” He texts back.

Theo responds with a laughing emoji.

“Maybe you should tweet the suggestion Leo instead?” Theo responds and Liam replies with a thinking face emoji before locking his phone and getting something to eat.

__

The Vogue issue with Liam and Theo is out and the Boy by Girls shoot is being edited by the time the details for Matt’s project come in. He’s free until next week when Matt wants to have a sit down to explain the project in detail to him, that was new. Usually, Liam’s job was to show up, stand there and look pretty but Matt wasn’t lying when he said he wanted to collaborate. With everything happening Corey and Mason demand to take Liam out for drinks to celebrate. He meets them at a dive bar close to his apartment so it won’t be too loud, and they can all walk back to his place after.

"So, you and Theo seem real cozy in this Vogue." Corey teases holding the magazine up as if Liam hasn't seen it, hasn't been staring at it since it dropped.

"Our managers set it up," Liam tries to downplay it but he feels himself blushing and knows Mason can see through the truth.

"It's okay to change your mind about people Liam," he says softly and Corey nods.

"Yeah, and I've been working with Theo for a while now and he's a good guy. Way better than Brett. Not that Brett is a bad guy but..."

"He's a dick," Mason and Liam say in unison and Corey laughs.

"So, tell us about your date after Allison’s show?" Mason probs.

"We weren't on a date... I told you it was a PR stunt."

"Oh, come on, you’re a model, not an actor, those pictures were spicy," Corey argues but has a small smile to take the edge off.

"I.... he's easy to talk to," he offers while he sips his mixed drink.

"Come on it’s us, we won't tell him," Mason says while Corey crosses his heart beside him.

"I don't know, I don't hate him as much as I thought I did okay and I'm still trying to figure out what that means."

"Liam, you’re allowed to let people in. You’re not the same angry kid you were in high school and even if you were you still deserve love," Mason explains and claps his hand on his best friend's shoulder.

___

Two days before Liam is supposed to meet with Matt, Stiles calls an emergency meeting at his office.

Liam walks in to find Derek sitting next to Stiles behind his desk and Theo sitting in front of it.

"Hey, what’s going on?" Liam asks and Theo shoots him a small smile, but he could see how forced it is making the uneasiness in his stomach grow.

"Hey Liam, have a seat." Stiles orders and Liam obeys. "There's no easy way to say this so I'll just do it quickly... I canceled the Matt shoot."

"Wait what?" Liam sits up in his chair and immediately feels that bubbling in his stomach and his heart racing. Stiles shoots a look at Derek who gives the tiniest of nods for him to continue and at the corner of his eye he can see Theo staring at the carpet and refusing to look elsewhere.

"It has come to my attention of some inappropriate behavior on Matt's part and as your manager, it’s my job to protect you-"

"As my manager, it’s your job to get me work!"

"Liam, our job isn't just to get you work and make you money it’s also to protect you, your brand, and your image, and trust me working with Matt will do you way more harm than good," Derek explains calmly.

"I can't believe this... do you have anything to do with this??" Liam turns to Theo who finally looks him in the eye before nodding once then turning to both their managers.

"Can you give us the room?" Derek stands first and waits for Stiles before grabbing his hand and they leave closing the door behind them. Liam jumps up and starts pacing. If he doesn't let the energy out soon, he may break something or someone.

“Why do you insist on butting into my life and career!” Liam’s chest heaves as he finally lets out the burst of anger, he’s been holding about Theo like he’s been wanting to for years.

“I’m just trying to help!”

“No, you aren’t, you’re trying to sabotage me! First, you get the glory of punching out that guy and making me the damsel in distress. Then you get me in Vogue but you’re right there with me and oh yeah, everyone thinks we’re a couple, and now! Now you try and talk me out of working with Matt, the one photographer who could actually change my life! The one who changed yours, you wouldn’t be where you are without working with him! Why can’t I do things on my own?”

“Goddamnit, Liam I’m trying to protect you!” That shuts Liam up, Theo takes a few deep breaths and calms himself enough to speak again. “You wanna know why it’s not a good idea to work with Matt? Because he’s a fucking creep. He’s a predator, Liam. He… likes to take pictures without people’s permission. He invites you to a shoot and offers you water, it doesn’t take long before you fall asleep and you wake up confused,” Theo gets a faraway look in his eye but continues the story. “Then he shows you these pictures, pictures you didn’t consent to, and he uses them to control you. Then you go from wanting to work with him to have to work with him because he uses those pictures to blackmail you. I didn’t handle that well obviously. I got heavy into pills to cope. I lashed out whenever I could, trashing hotel rooms, punching paparazzi. It didn’t help that my old manager, Jennifer Blake basically implied she didn’t care. Finally, I got tired of it all and I had two options, kill myself or go to rehab. When I was there, I dropped my old team and reached out to Derek Hale which was a shot in the dark. My career was at its peak, but I was marked as a liability in the industry at this point. I told him everything and he basically scared the shit out of Matt to get him to back off. The bad boy persona didn’t do me any favors, I had to start my career at the bottom after rehab. Do you know I got half of what you were paid for the Calvin shoot?”

“What?” Liam asks in surprise.

“Yeah, I have to work twice as hard for half the pay now. Just because people know my name doesn’t mean they respect me. I am still seen as a liability and so the only way I can keep getting work is by taking less than I should be. If I never acted like that, I would be making much more by now. I punched that guy because it’s easier for me to write off a slip-up than to let you fall down that hole I am just starting to climb out of. Liam, I have done nothing but try to help you.” After his speech, Theo grabs his jacket and leaves Liam in the office.

Stiles comes in alone after a couple of minutes letting Liam process this information alone no doubt.

"Derek and Theo left, it’s just us now."

"I don't... why didn't Theo go to the police?" Liam finally asks taking a seat.

"He probably felt like he had no support, I mean he didn't then. Jennifer Blake is an amazing manager but a shitty person. Theo... doesn't talk to his family. When he reached out to Derek, he didn't want anything to do with Matt. Pressing charges would have reopened the wound he was probably already healing in rehab. Plus, my dad’s a cop and sex crimes are the hardest to convict. On top of this industry... sex sells, and predators hide in plain sight. Reporting something like that could cost you, your career which is... fuck up but the truth. There are probably a shit ton of reasons he didn't report it. I didn't ask and before you do, I had no idea about Matt until last night when Derek told me with Theo’s permission because Theo was concerned about you."

Liam's head was spinning but that familiar burning anger was still alive in his chest. That anger begged him to destroy something or hurt someone.

"What exactly did you say to cancel the job?" Liam finally asks and Stiles gives him a puzzled look.

__

"I got to say, Liam, I was surprised to hear back from you after your manager canceled," Matt explains while walking Liam into his studio.

It’s a wide loft with huge windows letting in a lot of natural light. There are still big camera lights set up though with a white backdrop. The room is mostly empty but there’s a kitchen in the corner that’s blocked off by a counter and Liam can see more equipment in the bedroom. He knows this apartment is only for work not lived in but there’s still a couch in the "living room" area.

Liam walks towards the kitchen and asks if he could sit his bag there, Matt waves him off, and after Liam takes a seat on the couch and the older man sits beside him.

"Yeah, well Stiles and I had a difference of opinion concerning my career, so we are no longer working together," Liam smiles and Matt returns it.

"I don't blame you; Stiles is married to Hale and... well let’s just say I don't recommend his management either..." he chuckles darkly.

"We should discuss the project," Liam laughs uncomfortably.

"Yes, of course, I'm doing a new gallery show and I want you to be the subject Liam, I've worked with other models before you know, and it’s always a collaborative effort. I want your input as much as my own but before I get into any details do you want something to drink?" Matt has a plastic smile on, similar to one Liam used to see on his 1st-grade teacher whenever she was losing her patience with him. He felt like he swallowed a rock then.

"Yeah, I'd love some water, hey can I use your bathroom really quick?" Liam stands.

"Of course, it’s in the bedroom over there," Matt points also standing to head to the kitchen.

Liam walks to it and sees a mattress on the floor it makes his stomach hurt, and pictures of other models on the wall make him feel nauseous.

He steps into the bathroom and takes a moment to breathe. He waits a minute before flushing the toilet and then splashes some water on his face, he looks at himself in the mirror and sees bags on his eyes, he hasn't been sleeping much since the meeting with Derek, Stiles, and Theo. He dries his face and then exits the bathroom. Matt is waiting on the couch with his water ready to go and a cup for himself too.

"Thank you," Liam sits and glances at his bag sitting up on the counter still before meeting Matt's eyes again.

"So, about your project-" just then Matt's phone rings, he stares down at it and frowns, glances at Liam, and makes an apologetic face.

"Sorry I got to take this really quick." He steps into the bedroom and closes the door.

As soon as the door clicks shut Liam jumps up and grabs the glass. He takes it to the sink and pours it out. He rinses it for good measure and grabs the water bottle in his bag. Once he refills his cup and returns to the couch Matt opens the door to reenter the living room. Liam takes a big gulp of water and places it down in front of him as Matt sits.

He smiles at him, and Liam swears he sees a gleam in his eye.

"Everything okay?" Liam asks and Matt nods.

"Yeah, it was Stiles can you believe it?" Matt chuckles and Liam wipes his sweaty palms on his jeans.

"My old manager Stiles? Huh, that’s weird..."

"Yeah, anyway back to what we were talking about..." Liam leans back into the couch getting relaxed. "So, the theme I wanna go with is loss of innocence..."

"Wow, that’s an interesting theme," Matt laughs again.

"Yeah, I guess it is, Liam I know you're just making the transition from teenage modeling to more mature jobs which is why this project is perfect for you," Liam starts to squint like his eyes are droopy and he blinks slowly as if he's tired. "Think about it," Matt starts to lean closer and Liam leans back to where he's almost laying down. "You get to shed your innocent persona and step into a much older one while I record that loss. We both get what we want..." Liam blinks a few more times before letting his body go completely limp and eyes shut. His heart is racing but he repeats his mantra over and over in his head while focusing on his breathing. He remembers his meditation ritual and falls into it easily enough to remain calm.

"Liam?" Matt pauses. "Liam?" He says a bit louder before patting his cheek. Liam doesn't respond or move.

He feels Matt stand and hears his footsteps leave and return. Liam hears the familiar click of the camera but it’s not as comforting as usual. He hears a soft thud and assumes it’s Matt placing the camera down, he struggles not to take a peek. Next was the hard part: Matt's hands go to Liam's chest and Liam feels dread in his stomach but wills himself not to react. Liam's button-up shirt is undone, and he hears the camera being picked back up.

Another click happens and he repeats his riddle again.

What three things cannot long be hidden?

Click.

The Sun.

Click.

The Moon.

Click

And the truth.

Crash.

Liam’s eyes shoot open just as he sees the door swing and hit the back wall. Police officers enter in quickly one behind the other, guns are aimed at Matt. There's a lot of shouting and Liam sits up and buttons his shirt.

"Matt Daehler, you are under arrest for attempting to drug a victim to commit a felony. We also have a warrant to confiscate your computer under suspicion of Blackmail." Mr. McCall informs while handcuffing the freak.

"What the hell are you talking about? I know nothing about this! You got the wrong guy!" He starts to shout.

"No, I'm pretty sure I got the right guy," Agent McCall shoots back before reading him his rights. Liam stands and takes a deep breath. Another FBI agent he didn't know the name of claps him on the shoulder.

"You did good son; the bag was in just the right place to catch him putting something in your drink and seeing him take the pictures." Liam nods relief hitting him like a train. Just then Stiles walks in and takes 4 large steps to get to Liam who basically collapses in his arms.

"I got you, kid, you did so good Lee. You saved a lot of people and helped out the ones from before," he rubs his back, and Liam's eyes sting. He doesn't know when he started crying.

"Is he going away?" Liam sounds so small to his ears.

"Hopefully, I don't know to be honest. My dad said he could do 4 years for the drugging and 4 years for the Blackmail, that’s for each one they find on his computer. But that’s the max sentence and it’s not guaranteed but even then, once this goes public, even if he gets no time no model is gonna wanna work with him knowing what he did. So, you still stopped him and I'm so proud of you. Let’s get you home."

Derek pulls up the car and Liam is seated in the back next to Scott and Stiles of course goes beside his husband in the passenger seat.

They drive mostly in silence after Scott and Derek also praise Liam's actions.

"You hungry kid?" Derek asks while looking at Liam through the rearview mirror.

"Mason and Corey are waiting at my apartment and they got me food," Liam answers, and Derek nods. Not long after that, they pull into the parking garage and Scott walks Liam to the elevator. 

Liam feels exhausted and leans onto Scott for support. He just wraps his arm around him and holds his weight like it’s nothing.

"Get some rest, Liam. My dad will keep us updated on everything." Scott explains and Liam just nods. He finds the energy to pull out his keys and Scott takes them from him opening the door. Mason and Corey rush to the entrance and Liam is being pulled into his best friend’s arms before he knows it while Corey talks to Scott.

"We'll call him tomorrow to check up just make sure he eats and sleeps yeah?"

"Of course, that’s why we're here." Corey walks him out while Mason walks Liam to the couch and slips off his shoes.

"We ordered pizza, and it should be here any minute. We're watching movies until we pass out 'kay bud?" Liam just nods and lets his 2 best friends take care of him

They do as promise and it doesn't take long before Liam is falling asleep in his bed next to Mason, Corey is sleeping on the couch because the bed is only big enough for 2.

The next day Liam wakes up to the smell of bacon and pancakes.

He walks in to find Mason in the kitchen cooking and Corey still passed out on his couch.

He smiles at the sight before going to his fridge and grabbing an orange juice.

"Need help?" He offers and his voice is extra raspy partly because he just woke up and partly because he didn't speak much last night.

"Nah I'm almost done anyway, thanks though." Before Liam can respond there’s a knock on his door. Liam and Mason look at each and Liam slowly walk over.

He looks through his peephole and sees Theo on the other side.

"Hey" Liam greets before stepping aside and motioning for Theo to come in. Corey manages to wake up at the knocking and is slowly catching up to the day. Theo greets both of Liam's friends before turning back to Liam.

"Uh, can we talk privately?" Theo asks and Liam nods.

"Yeah, let’s go to my room." He follows Liam into the bedroom and once Liam shuts the door and turns to Theo he immediately apologizes.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"For blowing up at you at the office the other day."

"Don't, you didn't know Liam don't worry l... I came to thank you. Derek told me about everything. I can't believe you went over there though I'm glad you did."

Liam shrugs unsure what to say.

"I just... I didn't want him to keep doing what he did to you to others. I also didn't want him to get away with what he did to you." Liam explains and Theo looks at him with an unreadable expression. 

His head is tilted slightly, and his eyes are unbearably soft, his smile though is what gets Liam one side of his mouth twitches and pulls up slightly, not a smirk but in the same fashion: it’s so incredibly Theo it burns Liam's chest.

He feels frozen at the moment. He takes a deep breath to loosen the ache and Theo steps forward once before he's directly in front of Liam and cradling his face.

He tugs him forward and Liam puts his hands above Theo’s and falls forward into the older male.

Their lips find each other and it’s softer than Liam expects but he doesn't mind. Fire explodes in his chest and flashes throughout his body. It feels like one of his IED episodes. He waits for the anger to explode but it doesn’t. No, calmness settles over him as Theo’s lips move with his. They slowly pull apart and Liam just keeps his face close with his eyes closed. Liam likes this feeling more than the anger. Yeah, maybe he can convince Theo to be his new therapist. Whenever he feels like destroying something Theo kisses him instead, he could prescribe kisses and everything. When he opens his eyes, Theo still has that soft smile.

"Was that, okay?"

"That was perfect..." Liam whispers back neither wanting to break the silence.

A knock on the bedroom door does that.

"Uh, breakfast is ready if Theo wants to stay for that," Mason announces.

"We're also continuing the movie marathon if he wants to stay for that too?" Corey adds.  Theo chuckles and looks at Liam with a wider smile that matches Liam's.

"Do you want me to stay for those?"

"I want you to stay forever," Liam confesses and Theo laughs heartily.

"I'd like that..." he confesses back before grabbing Liam's hand and pulling him out of the room.

Yeah, forever sounds pretty nice.

[ofdemonsandangels]

10 songs I liked by 10 different artists:

1) Young Volcanoes- Fall Out Boy

https://open.spotify.com/track/3nSiB5WCF2pmRQrYSsteHv?si=f402c4b7f58f4f12

2) Never Love an Anchor- The Crane Wives

https://open.spotify.com/track/0RPD5sbsSLnKWYOJ5iPPMm?si=b997aa6e3a9a4347

3) Dear Wormwood- The Oh Hellos

https://open.spotify.com/track/5QK2qYLoYyE0v45cbtBWEe?si=1de4b1058fef4a19

4) Canyon Moon- Harry Styles

https://open.spotify.com/track/5IhzJOXNE7ki0IIJbZbnGq?si=2b822ecabaaf489d

5) Should’ve Been Me- Mitski

https://open.spotify.com/track/5FQ9NDyx3KZXhovWWq4Gxo?si=077a46f1698942f6

6) Spring Day- BTS

https://open.spotify.com/track/2j1fFjWHCI9KJSwcuYAOyF?si=535441b41acd439d

7) cardigan- Taylor Swift

https://open.spotify.com/track/4R2kfaDFhslZEMJqAFNpdd?si=d4ab539fd2bd41bb

8) How Far We’ve Come- Matchbox Twenty

https://open.spotify.com/track/0gbLfFlEyVHiKzlZIb0gce?si=fcca59f0b9294dc5

9) Walking in the Wind- One Direction

https://open.spotify.com/track/1ZycJRpLOazlLcoFGxGROO?si=676683acdd684368

10) CITY OF ANGELS- 24Goldn

https://open.spotify.com/track/6ap9lSRJ0iLriGLqoJ44cq?si=80927760103e4452

Thank you for tagging me @subarusakurazuka! I’ll be tagging @beansterpie, @nataliaphantomhivesblog, @marley-manson, @mrderbird, @hawkfawun, @iscarioted, @nefastum, @philosophicalparadox, @heirofdragons, and @gutsbeeseerk!

[itsalrightmeow]

I posted 2,358 times in 2021

138 posts created (6%)

2220 posts reblogged (94%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 16.1 posts.

I added 326 tags in 2021

#myart - 71 posts (yo??? that's a lot of drawings for me omg)

#brambling - 67 posts (also i never shut up lmao)

#danny phantom - 54 posts

#danny fenton - 33 posts

#fanart - 31 posts

#dannymay - 19 posts

#dannymay2021 - 19 posts (19/31 prompts B) )

#dannypocalypse - 16 posts

#sam manson - 12 posts

#tucker foley - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#i used to only draw like younger women so trying to draw older men is a little out of my comfort zone but i like how he turned out stylewise

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Can a ghost with no anchor truly be called a ghost at all?

DannyMay day 5: doorway

(I really like this piece I'm happy other people did too!)

1794 notes • Posted 2021-05-05 10:37:27 GMT

#4

Dannymay Day 3: portal // just a normal photo where nothing bad happens afterwards :)

1870 notes • Posted 2021-05-03 14:10:19 GMT

#3

Dannymay day 15/16: nature/glow

I love ghostly plant sam uwu (LET'S GO PLANT SAM)

2009 notes • Posted 2021-06-01 23:35:51 GMT

#2

Dannymay day 1: memories

part 1 | part 2 (I STILL NEED TO FINISH THIS SERIES OOPS)

3301 notes • Posted 2021-05-01 16:48:55 GMT

#1

ITS TIME!!!! (of fucking course...)

5176 notes • Posted 2021-04-03 15:38:07 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

To Set You Sailing From My Harbor

by AliceInWonderland265 Daniel James Fenton, now Danny J. Nightingale was tired. He was tired of having to constantly be on alert for people trying to betray him and hunt him down. So when it turns out that he has another family he both didn't know about and doesn't remember, he can't quite bring himself to trust them. Or: Danny is adoption bait, but turns out he’s actually Bruce’s son anyways Words: 3681, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Series: Part 2 of Never Love an Anchor Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Danny Phantom Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Gen Characters: Danny Fenton, Jazz Fenton, Damian Wayne, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Duke Thomas, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Barbara Gordon Relationships: Danny Fenton & Damian Wayne, Danny Fenton & Jazz Fenton, Danny Fenton & Bruce Wayne, Batfamily Members & Damian Wayne, Danny Fenton & Tucker Foley & Sam Manson Additional Tags: Danny Fenton and Damian Wayne are Twins, Danny Fenton is a Little Shit, Protective Damian Wayne, Protective Jazz Fenton, Protective Batfamily (DCU), Confused Batfamily (DCU), Ghost King Danny Fenton, Not Phantom Planet Compliant (Danny Phantom) via https://ift.tt/vKAtORx

[lovelyylilyy]

Light me up when I’m down🔥

[kim-poce]

The World is Rotten Anyway - Part 2

CW: drugging, amputation, death, beating, betrayal, blood, non-con mention, minor whumpee mention.

Previous

Masterlist

=-=

Icaro was watching the luxurious building from afar, he got Benjamin's address on the QG’s files, his heart was racing, but not in fear, NO!, excitement, he smirked.

He wondered what was holding him back this whole time, every fight as a hero was like a chore, a pointless chore, and every time he ended up killing someone he would be in the news for ages, “Have the heroes going too far?”, “What happens if they try to turn against us?” Icaro smirked, remembering this last one, Let's find out, shall we?.

He approached the building, making himself invisible, like when he looked for cases’ evidence in the middle of the night, but this time not feeling helpless. He easily passed the front security, if he was another person the alarms would go wild, but hiding his presence was an easy task after years as Stealthy Hero.

Icaro broke into the big apartment, sat in a comfortable black armchair, and waited, his hands shaking in anticipation, and it felt so, so right.

After half an hour, Benjamin entered the apartment, taking off his coat and undoing his tie, he put his phone on a shelf and took a bottle of wine.

“Hey, man”, Icaro called from the dark spot in the other room making Benjamin drop the bottle soundly.

“Who, Who is there?” Benjamin shouted trying to reach his phone, “How did you get here?”

He was almost reaching it when Icaro punched him in the ribs.

“No calling the police, Sir” Icaro said sarcastically.

He pulled Benjamin back up by his hair and smiled.

"Remember me?” Icaro asked

“You...the hero...why?” Benjamin tried to analyze the situation. “Look, if is money-”

A slap sent him back to the ground, his ears buzzing while his mind was going blank for a second before he could process it, another kick, this time in his back, and another in the stomach, and another, over and over again, until all his body was covered in bruises and blood, he coughed blood when a broken rib pierced his lung.

“P-please, just… j-just say w-what you want,” Benjamin begged.

“Sadly for you, old man”, Icaro said, kicking one more time. “That IS what I want,” he smirked.

The man on the ground tried to say something, but just let out groans, Icaro locked at him, Not enough, he felt and remembered when Queen said to make him an example and grinned to himself. He just thought a perfect idea.

- - -

Next morning after eating something Queen was back in her office, her mood had been spoiled by some rebels trying to take control of a port, she had already dispatched a group to deal with them, probably wouldn't take long for the leader of the rats to be in one of the cells underground.

She turned the radio on, it was news time, they were talking about some manifestation for some right they just realized they want to have or something, but maybe some news would calm her down. Her assistant, Dylan, a small young man, not strong but really smart, looked uneasy, the news always made her mood worse.

“Ma’am, do you want some tea?” Asked Dylan, she just nodded, for years keeping her calm was his main function.

‘Alyssa Ilian, good morning, are there any updates in the Benjamin Greenwood case?’

The anchor asked the reporter, Queen raised the volume.

‘Good morning, Adam, yes, the police said the cameras do not catch anyone in or out, but the group responsible for the autopsy leaked shocking information, the cause of death was bleeding, whose source was the penis amputation made in the local, I must remember you that the body was covered in bruises, seven broken ribs and other bones fractures, with this new information, is safe to guess the responsible reason was the judgment that occurred in the day before yesterday, where Benjamin Greenwood was being accused of molesting 8 teenagers boys of one of his schools. We will be waiting for any clues or suspects. Adam’

Queen laughed loudly, turning the radio off.

“Icaro Noah Manson”, She said emphatically, “You are more rotten than I had thought”, She said to herself and laughed, she was joking when asked for a teammate’s head sure he would protest, she smirked “Let's see how far you go, guy”, She said thinking in how to use her new acquisition, unable to keep herself from smiling.

Dylan shivered when heard her laughing, he doesn’t remember her having any big grudge for Benjamin, with anything she just thought of him as annoying, and she just said Icaro Noah Manson? The Stealthy Hero?

“Here, Ma'am,” He said while serving the tea and giving her a curious look.

“Remember the man who ‘got lost’ here yesterday?” She asked taking a sip of the tea, “Taste great, Dylan”

“Thank you, Queen, and yes, I remember the man” He answered, she had asked for everyone to leave the office, who could he forget?.

“The man was Icaro Noah Manson”, She said looking him in the eyes.

“The Stealthy Hero?” Dylan asked, not knowing whether he liked the way the conversation was going or not.

“Yes, kinda, I think he is mine now” She answered, green eyes looking at his every reaction.

“I-I’m sorry, Ma’am, but… I don’t think I get it”, He said confused, making her laugh, and he thought about how her mood changed in just a few minutes, that is the reason they say you are a wicked time bomb, he would never say it out loud of course.

“He is a naughty little guy, and I give him a task on a whim, God, he looked so easy”, She said more to herself than to Dylan, showing a sadistic smile, “But now I really think he is mine” She smiled and Dylan knew the conversation ended.

...mine, Dylan thought, he didn’t know what kind of deal Icaro had made, but he hoped he knew the weight of belonging to QUEEN.

- - -

Icaro was nervous, killing Benjamin was easy, he felt excitement, anxiety, and felt so right, but now… now he has to kill Damon, Damon was an idiot sometimes, but that’s it, but not killing him was out of the question, Queen would kill Icaro for sure.

Was nearly noon, Damon usually left the QG that time, but there was a mess, Benjamin's death was inspected, and he himself hadn’t shown up what was weird, Icaro had always been in time, never absent, always up to extra work, the perfect hero.

Icaro hid when saw Damon leaving the QG and followed him for some streets.

“Hey!” Icaro called when Damon was far enough from any surveillance cameras.

“Bro, what is wrong? you ran away yesterday” Damon asked angrily.

“Sorry man, I got sick, I don’t even know how I threw up in some corner, I woke up just now, the rest is blank” Icaro said with his more pitiful voice, “But then, did you guys close that deal?” Icaro asked.

“Oh, bro, don’t even say that the guy dawned dead, bro,” Damon said, almost cursing.

“That sucks… Man, you know what? let's have a beer, my house, now” Icaro said with an innocent smile...

“I still have some work to do back in QG”, Daman said.

“Man… They suck up on you too much, it's just a day, you won’t leave a sick person alone, will you?”, Icaro asked, knowing exactly what Damon likes to hear.

“You right, just one day” Damon answered.

- - -

Damon was seated on the couch, drinking the beer Icaro gave him, he must be pretty bad to invite me, he thought, They aren’t really close, despite working in the same place, but well, heroes usually spend most of their time in the street anyway, so is normally not be too close, and Icaro was always unapproachable, like something about him was... off, and today he was wider than ever and looked lost in thought.

Killing him wasn't right, Icaro knew it, Icaro felt it. He thought looking at the man sitting in front of him, but Icaro didn’t feel like stopping.

He saw as Damon drank the beer, and as he was getting dizzier and dizzier until the can drop from his hand, and his eyes were filled with fear.

“... you...did you....” Damon tried to say something, but the drug was strong, he wasn’t passing out, he just couldn't move, and that was way more despairful.

“Yesterday I met someone,” Icaro said, putting the beer in the center table. “I met Queen”, He said emphatically while taking a sharp knife from under a pillow, Damon tried to say something but he couldn't move a muscle, “Many things happened, and apparently I’m her new toy” He grinned, getting close, a tear rolled from Damon’s fearful eyes to over his cheek, “But what is really strange is that I don’t mind” Icaro cleaned the tear with his thumb, “I never felt so free than now that I'm under her leash, ever” Icaro smirked looking at Damon’s eyes.

He cut his head off, on one single movement, blood spilled all over the place, coach, table, pillows, Icaro’s clothes.

“This isn’t right, it doesn’t feel right”, Icaro said taking a deep breath, trying to take the new feeling in entirely, “But, goddamn, this feels so damn good”

=-=