#also what the heck happened to this place

[zeropro]

hi I really love your art I just wanna eat it and consume its knowledge but that’s kinda impossible so I wanted to ask a bit about your process? How do you pick your colors? I really like your color palettes :))

Aw heck thank you!

Here are my color swatches since you asked:

I can go over what I remember of my thought process when picking these colors.

Lets start with Starscream since I really wasnt drawing anyone else back then. I know some of the toys has him as more of a grey mech but I always saw his body as white, but even then I didnt want it to be a pure white. I decided silver would be a good compromise, and to me silver is a light grey with more of a cool tone to it, which meant the grey of his helm and faceplate had to also be more cool toned to match. I also didnt want his helm to be too dark even tho I think it’s supposed to be black? It’s just better for readability, I use that helm color for anything that should be dark grey to black, like car tires. I gave his face a darker grey than the body since Starscream has a darker face than Thundercracker and Skywarp in the cartoon.

From there I think I just tried out different reds until I found one I liked, a bit of trial and error. I might have made it slightly muted cuz it felt less heroic? I don’t really know haha. I just know when I picked a red for the Autobots I made it more saturated. I also don’t know why I chose that particular shade of blue, since I think Starscream’s arms are usually a lighter blue? Must have just decided it worked best with the red, or maybe the reference I was using just happened to be darker.

His eyes (and the eyes of pretty much all cold constructed bots) are pure saturated red.

And then I decided all cybertronians would have blue tongues since their blood is blue.

When I started drawing other seekers I decided they should all have the same faceplate and helm color. The only exception is sunstorm, who I decided to give a warmer toned grey for his helm and faceplate. I think it makes him look out of place among the seekers, which is the point

Thundercracker just straight up shares his color pallet with Starscream, but Skywarp needed his own swatch since neither of them had purple in their designs besides the decepticon logo, and I wanted skywarp’s purple to be different from the purple used in the decepticon logo.

For the longest time my color swatches were just Starscream’s colors plus a purple for Skywarp. Ive been slowly adding colors as the need arises. I prefer reusing swatches over color picking new colors every time, like how Sunstorm and Bumblebee share the same color Yellow. That said, I’m also stingy about adding swatches too XD usually I wont add a color to the pallet until the third or fourth time I have to pull up an old comic to eyedropper from. not sure why I havent added swatches for rumble yet tbh

idk if any of that was interesting or made sense, but thanks for asking XD

[lilimonarch]

Battered and Bruised, but it’s still you - Ninjago Oneshot

WC: ~4228

When Lloyd had finally gotten a proper look at his friend, his mentor, his older brother, a pit sank in his chest. He eyed Kai, and how in the weeks which had gone by, it was hardly Kai at all. The older male was thinner, significantly so. His face was sunken, dark eyebags and soot decorated his skin, and a fresh scar was apparent on his cheek. Faint, but noticeable. Most prominently, Kai was exhausted.

Kai also had to grow up quickly, too quickly; with his parents gone at a young age, forced to handle the blacksmith and care for his sister, and then care for Lloyd as a protector, it was all too quick. Kai deserved to be the youngest once in a while, especially in his current condition. At least, just this once.

Or

When Kai finally arrives back at the monastery after the Merge, injured and exhausted, Lloyd does his best to take care of him. After all, time has changed them both.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/65539879

~

As Lloyd saw an unfamiliar figure move throughout the bounty, his bounty, he felt no hesitation as his fists lit up with energy and he jumped towards the stranger.

The only thing which stopped him was the familiar scream from… Kai? Lloyd immediately paused his attack, stumbling on his own feet as the figure took off the mask.

“What the heck, Lloyd?” Kai shouted.

“Kai?” Lloyd stood in disbelief; the sight of Kai sprawled across the deck of the bounty from the mistaken attack enough to send shivers down his spine. Yet, the relief was even more fulfilling, his heart filled with joy after the initial moments of shock. “Kai! Sorry. I haven’t seen anyone in weeks,” the green ninja extended his hand out, the other seemed to take it rather quickly for someone as hot-headed as how Lloyd seemed to remember him.

“I can imagine,” Kai’s weight felt sunken and weighted as Lloyd heaved him off the ground. Yet before Lloyd could even attempt to let the feelings fester in his throat, to convert his worries into words of concern, Kai quickly wrapped his arms around the younger male and swung him around. “It’s so good to see you, buddy."

“You too!”

As the two separated, Kai took a step back, his gaze appeared distant. “Kai? Where have you been?”

The fire ninja’s face paled. “Er— A lot of places, I’m not too sure. Is this where you woke up? That’s lucky.”

“I guess so,” Lloyd shrugged his shoulders, his gaze lifted to the haunting red sky. He eyed his former mentor, his older brother (if anything), his teammate, and how in the weeks which had gone by, it was hardly Kai at all.

The older male was thinner, significantly so. His face was sunken, dark eyebags and soot decorated his skin, and a fresh scar was apparent on his cheek. Faint, but noticeable.

“Is the monastery nearby? I… it’d be nice to get home,” Kai muttered as he straightened himself up.

“Oh, right! Of course, It’s right here, the bounty just… showed up here, no idea how that happened, but it brought you,” Lloyd grinned with excitement as he grabbed Kai’s hand. “We should get going before a mergequake starts, though.”

Kai’s face lit up at the mention of the monastery before completely faltering at the other mention. “What? Merge what?”

“Mergequakes. It’s like a rift in reality. They aren’t too bad right now, but they are getting worse.”

“You have got to be kidding me.” Kai sighed as his posture sagged, his voice went quiet and quivered. “Can we just get back? Please?”

Lloyd did not want to mention the desperation in his voice. “Yeah, let’s get you back into the monastery. Respectfully, I think you should sit down.”

“Don’t need to tell me twice.”

As Lloyd stepped onto solid ground with a gentle jump from the anchor of the bounty, he felt his heart sink when he noticed Kai dragging his feet behind him. The two of them sat on the steps, the other much heavier than Lloyd. Lloyd wanted to talk, to check-in; it had been weeks since he had talked to anyone, and Kai (even though he was trying not to let on) looked halfway near kneeling over.

A rift had opened in the sky.

“Lloyd, what the heck is that?” Kai got up with a start, taking a defensive stance, as Lloyd did the same.

“One of the mergequakes. We got to go! Elemental powers close them!” Lloyd brushed the dust off himself and started running towards the exit of the monastery.

“And how did you figure all this out!?” Kai shook his head. “Lloyd!?”

“No time to waste, the longer we wait, the worse it’ll get till it starts sucking our world inside out! I’m getting the mech, you stay and blast it from here!”

~

In the mech, Lloyd felt the rush of the heat from the fire and the energy ceased as the rift shut, the machinery backing away just as he was used to it. “Phew, good thing you were here. We got that one quick,” Lloyd turned the mech around, aiming to have it start flying down but his hand stopped as he reached for the control when he caught sight of his comrade. “Kai?”

Kai has his back towards Lloyd, and although it is hard for the green ninja to make out the facial features, he can clearly see him half kneeled over, dizzy and heaving. “Kai? Kai!” Lloyd quickly landed the mech on the ground of the monastery, rushing over. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah… yeah— it’s no worries, don’t—” Kai winced when Lloyd placed his hand on his shoulder, the blond quickly drew back at the response (he was unsure whether it was rooted in fear, injury, or a mixture of both). “It’s just been a long journey back. Can we head inside?”

“You look tired.”

“Lloyd, I’m—”

“We’re not teenagers anymore, Kai.” Lloyd frowned, his vision traveled from Kai’s face to scan the rest of his condition, the pure exhaustion evident throughout his body and the tan wraps poking out from under his gi… wait a minute. Are those bandages? “You look tired, Kai.”

Kai straightened his back, slowly but surely, and it was at that moment when the façade truly came undone. The posture he had been so desperately trying to keep as swift and sound faltered into a slouch, and even the ash in his ruffled hair seemed to become more prominent. “Well… I am tired. I wasn’t doing much sleeping where I landed after the merge… or anything of the sorts."

“Come on, I’ll help you get all cleaned up.”

“Er— it’s okay, Lloyd. I can do it myself—”

“I can see the bandages under your gi. If those aren’t infected already, I’ll clean them up properly.” Lloyd crossed his arms, his face went gentle and soft. “Just let me help? Please?”

With the mask fully undone, Kai’s walking appeared staggered, and each step was more haphazard than the last. Heavy steps from behind Lloyd quickly shifted to Kai leaning against Lloyd with almost his entire weight, the younger male brought his arm and swung it under his armpits to assist with the weight as best as he could. “Woah, I got you. Come on, inside, off we go.”

This was the first time in weeks that someone other than Lloyd had been in the monastery. It was odd… but nice.

“Yeah… I mean this in the kindest way possible, but you look wrecked,” Lloyd tried to lighten the mood as the pair made it into their living room, the monastery started to feel more like home once more as Kai practically collapsed into the couch.

“A little harsh, Lloyd,” Kai cracked a smile.

“Yeah, let me get you some tea. Then we can address… that—”

Kai raised an eyebrow. Lloyd pointed at his own chest, poking where the visible bandages appeared on Kai’s torso. The fire ninja nodded and turned away.

“I’ll be right back, okay? Don’t move,” Lloyd mentioned as he headed into the kitchen, quick to put the water to boil. The water never seemed to boil quickly enough as he sat in the kitchen, a brief pause taking place as he grabbed the tea leaves leftover from before the merge and tossed them into the kettle, cautious not to burn it.

He was still getting used to making tea on his own. He now had to get used to making tea for someone else, and for Kai of all people! Not bad, by any means, just never expected. Kai hardly got sick, always the least battered after battles, and well—

They were younger back then; they all have gotten older over the years.

When the tea finished and was successfully unburnt, Lloyd poured the tea into a small mug he had sculpted and glazed in his earlier years (it was miraculous even to him how the object survived the merge) for he knew Kai had taken a liking to it, at least back then.

“Kai?” Lloyd poked his head into the living room and quietly tiptoed his way deeper into the room. He set the mug on the coffee table and his face shifted into a frown full of concern, Kai asleep on the couch.

This was not a normal sleeping position for anyone by any means, and that was what caused the concern. Kai was not laying down with his head against the arm rest, nor was his head leaning back against the cushions of the couch. Kai sat almost straight, the only sag of comfort present in his posture was his head slightly tilted downward. “Kai?” Lloyd murmured as he cautiously lifted his hand to start reaching out towards him. He had to check for a fever, that would be the quickest sign of an infected injury and if he needed actual medical attention or—

Before Lloyd could set a hand on him, Kai shouted himself awake. It was all within a moment, Kai sat up fully with wide eyes, his right hand lifted up with a weak flame already flickering through exhaustion as he scanned the room while catching his breath.

“Hey, we’re in the monastery. It’s just me, sorry I had to wake you,” Lloyd apologized as he reached for Kai’s wrist, the small flame quickly going out before it truly got its spark, Lloyd set Kai’s hand on his legs.

“Sorry, Lloyd. I don’t know what came over me,” Kai stretched a bit, no invitation needed as he reached for the mug, slowly sipping on the tea.

He did know. Lloyd was sure of it.

“Don’t worry about it. Can you take your top off? I want to make sure nothing is infected.”

“Damn… and I just put these on.” Kai humored, setting the mug down briefly to take his shirt off, tossing it to the side. “It’s only a few scratches on my back, I think I patched them up alright,” he hummed as he picked the mug up once more, wrapping his hands around the warmed cup.

The bandages were wrapped tight yet haphazardly, multiple moments within the wrapping where pieces of skin were exposed due to the uneven spread. Lloyd’s fingers were cautious, nervous, he cautiously made his start. “Where was this from?” Lloyd asked as he started to unwrap the bandages, stained with ash, sweat, and the occasional splotches of dried blood, but no response ever came. “Kai?”

“Oh, I… I’d rather not,” Kai replied rather promptly, and Lloyd did not need to see the other’s face to sense the hesitancy.

“Don’t worry, forget I even asked,” Lloyd assured him, a few minutes went by, and Lloyd soon finished unwrapping the bandages around Kai’s torso and was forced to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from gasping audibly. The scars were not fresh by any means, but the scratch of a creature Lloyd did not want to even imagine did indeed bury itself deep in Kai’s skin. Not to mention, Kai’s skin appeared burnt. Not too burned, only minor ones, but the edges of where the wound had closed were… well— “They don’t look infected, so that’s good.”

“I cauterized it.”

The words were only the verbal confirmation of what Lloyd had suspected. “Yeah… figured,” cautiously, Lloyd traced the wounds and the burns against Kai’s skin from a faulty cauterization attempt on his own back. “You need to take a bath, for starters. It’s a good thing they are closed, but the dirt that’s stuck on you and the bandages isn’t ideal.” Lloyd paused; Kai slowly turned around to look up at him. “Was the tea good? I need to get you some actual food, but I figured that’s a start.”

“It was perfect,” Kai sighed as he cautiously rose from the couch, stumbling a bit on his feet. “Right… a bath, and food, that sounds great.”

“I’ll start something and then go help you,” Lloyd said, almost casually, Kai stopped in his tracks. “What? To make sure you clean the scars properly. There’s probably stuff buried in there, plus the burns, in a place you can’t reach. You’re not reaching that on your own, especially in the state you’re in.”

Kai raised an eyebrow.

“If you don’t want help, you can just say so. I’ll back off the second you tell me to.”

Kai pouted slightly. It appeared as if he was getting more emotional, but he never opened his mouth for a quick retort and instead turned away and started walking towards the bathroom.

“Fine.”

Lloyd smirked a bit as Kai walked off.

~

Lloyd had brought the soup he was working on to a gentle simmer, smiling at his progress. It was far from Zane’s cooking (how he missed Zane), but edible, and he was quite sure Kai currently would not have such a strong preference for what he ate. It would be done soon, and until then, he could make sure Kai cleaned the wounds properly and did not drown in the bathtub.

Lloyd made his way down the hallway, the old floors creaked with every other step. “Kai? It’s me, can I come in?” Lloyd knocked on the door twice. Of course, there was no reason for it to be anyone other than Lloyd, and thus no reason for Lloyd to declare it was himself as he entered the bathroom, but as Lloyd considered Kai’s reaction on the couch when he was disturbed, he felt the warning was more necessary than it appeared.

“Yeah, come in.”

Lloyd entered the room and smiled in satisfaction at the tub, which was bubbled up, and all parts of Kai’s body visible from above the water were covered in bubbles and mostly clean. “The water is warm by the way, just a heads up,” Kai said rather absentmindedly before he splashed his face with the water once more.

“No worries, I would hope you were using warm water if anything,” Lloyd stepped inside, taking in their situation before he kneeled beside the bathtub, but he paused at the sight of Kai’s further damaged skin.

It was much easier to see now that Kai had cleaned himself up for the most part, the dryness evident in patchy skin while blemishes which ranged from murky purple to pale green and yellow decorated his skin. “Are those bruises?” Lloyd asked with a frown.

Kai’s eyes widened a bit, but the other male simply shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah… they’re old though,” Kai hummed as he leaned forward a bit to make his back easier to reach.

“They’re bad though,” Lloyd sighed as he scrubbed Kai’s back with just enough force to clean it up effectively, but not to disturb any of the injuries, slowing down when he heard the occasional wince from the other ninja. “There, the actual cuts aren’t too bad.” Lloyd nodded, glancing at Kai. “You know, you should probably wash your hair.”

“That sounds like a lot of work; it’s just hair,” Kai murmured, he moved to rest his arm on the rim of the tub as he propped his head up. This was the statement that caused Lloyd to gasp, to know how deeply terrible Kai felt. “It’s been… weeks? It’ll survive until I get up tomorrow.”

Haha… Kai thinks he will wake up tomorrow given the condition he is in. Hilarious.

“I got you,” Lloyd reached for the shampoo bottle and poured a bit onto his hands; the way Kai’s face lit up was enough to make his heart melt. There’s that smile. “I know you like your hair, I got it. Just sit there,” Lloyd started to massage Kai’s scalp, the soap being taken in almost immediately.

“I don’t think you’ve washed my hair before,” Kai mumbled as Lloyd’s fingers danced through his hair, matted, and tangled, but still Kai’s all the same. Specks of soot were very quickly starting to wash out as Lloyd put more shampoo onto his head.

“You’ve washed mine though,” Lloyd smiled, rinsing out the shampoo before he continued. “Plenty of times.”

“No one’s ever washed my hair before,” Kai whispered, his eyes staying closed as Lloyd gently scrubbed his hair, soft melodic motion the way Kai did when they were younger. “I used to wash Nya’s when she was younger… I hope she’s okay.”

“Well, I’m glad I get to be the first,” Lloyd whispered in return as an attempt to end their short conversation on a lighter note. He started with the conditioner as he felt Kai slowly drift away from the land of consciousness. “Kai, I know you’re tired, but please don’t fall asleep in the tub. I don’t want you to inhale water or something.”

“I almost drowned saving you, I can deal with a little bath water,” Kai chuckled a bit, and even though the memory was traumatic for them both, Lloyd found himself laughing too.

Kai ended up falling asleep as Lloyd was on the second round of conditioner, and the green ninja did everything in his power to keep water or soap from going over his face as he sat in the tub, still running his fingers through Kai’s (now clean) hair. It was soaked, but regaining its softness that Lloyd was slightly familiar with, before the other drowned his hair in hair gel, that is.

He almost seemed peaceful, exhausted but peaceful. The eyebags were so deep, the skin underneath his eyelids appeared purple, and there was no amount of immediate intervention which could hide the hollowness in his face. Lloyd had watched the scars on Kai’s face grow as time passed, and he had gotten used to it, but the new scars seemed extra haunting, as they were scars Lloyd was unsure he would ever be able to understand their origin.

Those scars were between Kai and The First Spinjitsu Master himself.

Lloyd finished rinsing Kai’s hair and decided there would be no harm in drying it before he had to wake Kai once more, before he had to force Kai to leave the comfort of much-needed sleep to exit the tub. Lloyd reached for the small towel on the side of the tub before he began to tussle with the wet hair to dry it as best as he could.

Of course, this was the motion which ended up stirring Kai from his impromptu slumber. “Mm… Are you done already?” Kai yawned; he slowly blinked a few times before looking up.

“Yeah, basically. I was drying your hair off,” Lloyd continued with the towel until he was satisfied, he set it on the side with a smile.

“Did I really fall asleep in the tub?” Kai groaned, but he did accept the much larger towel Lloyd had handed him. “God… that’s embarrassing. Sorry—”

“Don’t worry about it at all,” Lloyd quickly reassured him, once more. You’re exhausted, more than I have ever seen you before, he wanted to shake the fire ninja till the message sank into his chest, till Kai believed it and let him look after him with no second guesses, just once. “I’m going to make sure the soup is done, unless you need help getting to your room.”

“It’s still here?” Kai’s face lit up as he exited the tub. “It hasn’t been destroyed?”

“Yeah, it’s still here.” Lloyd nodded. “The monastery remained mostly intact after the merge. Your stuff is right where you left it too.”

Kai smiled. Lloyd did too.

“I can make it there on my own,” Kai nodded as he practically hobbled down the hall, he held the towel around him like a lifeline, Lloyd was sure of it.

Lloyd felt himself filled with that childlike sense of urgency as he ran towards the kitchen to make sure the soup that was once simmering was unburnt. After weeks where his biggest priorities were saving his area from mergequakes and scavenging for any clues on the other ninja’s whereabouts after the incident, making sure soup for Kai was hearty and unburnt was a nice change of pace.

On a tray, he filled a glass with water and set a few pain medications on the side (that would do him good, for the aches), as well as the bowl full of soup (with extra meat, of course), and despite all his great accomplishments in the world, Lloyd felt especially accomplished with this.

He was deep into his twenties now, but always the youngest, always still desperately trying to grasp onto the childhood wonder he was so wrongfully robbed of.

Lloyd thought about Kai as he held the tray tight and cautiously made his way down the hall. Kai also had to grow up quickly, too quickly; with his parents gone at a young age, forced to handle the blacksmith and care for his sister, and then care for Lloyd as a protector, it was all too quick.

Even now, as Kai was so worn-out he would fall asleep in the oddest of places and he was too weak to even use his elemental powers continuously, he still tried to keep that strong front of an older brother, as he always did.

As Lloyd knocked on Kai’s bedroom door, he wondered and truly thought about it. Kai deserved to be the youngest once in a while, especially in his current condition. At least, just this once.

“I brought food and pain meds,” Lloyd found Kai topless as he sat in, in order to let the cuts breathe and heal, but also in his favorite fire-print pajama pants that he fondly remembered teasing Kai for in their short time as celebrities.

“You’re a lifesaver,” Kai commented, not wasting a second before he dug into the bowl.

“I know it’s not Zane’s food or anything, but I tried my best,” Lloyd chuckled, and even at the tail of the sentence, Kai was already halfway done with the bowl.

Lloyd decided he did not want to think about the last time Kai ate something.

“It’s perfect, don’t worry about it,” Kai quickly said in between a spoonful, with the most energy he has had since Lloyd had found the male. “Oh, it’s so good,” he grinned.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Lloyd chuckled. “And I’m glad it’s edible.”

Soon enough, the bowl was empty, completely empty. “Thank you, Lloyd,” three simple words which carried more meaning than he could ever imagine, Lloyd set the tray on the side.

“There’s more in the kitchen, but respectfully, you need to sleep and not wake up for a hot minute,” Lloyd smiled, getting a smile from Kai in return. “Is there anything else you need?” He asked as he adjusted the covers to make sure Kai was definitely not getting up any time soon. It was comforting, maybe for Lloyd as well to know that fact. He had just gotten Kai back, and he would not be letting him go any time soon. “Well, if that’s the case, I’m glad you’re here now—”

Lloyd had not even finished his sentence.

“Please don’t go, please, Lloyd,” from where he lay buried in sheets, with glassy eyes almost tearing up like a child but with a complete lack of that childhood innocence they lost all those years ago, Kai pleaded. That older brother front Lloyd had been gently combatting this entire time was through the window, exhausted amber eyes stared into him and wouldn’t drift.

“Alright, I’ll stay, but you have to actually fall asleep at some point,” Lloyd, instead of leaving, had gone to the other side of the bed and moved to lay down next to Kai. He hadn’t laid like this with Kai since he was a proper teenager, yet their position worked like clockwork as Kai lay rather still, Lloyd leaned his head onto Kai’s uninjured shoulder.

“Oh, I’ll have no trouble with that, just give me a few minutes,” Kai cracked a smile as a yawn briefly interrupted his sentence. “I just need a minute,” his breath paused, and he seemed to tremble slightly. “It’s been… scary the past few weeks. Terrifying, even. I was terrified I would—” his breath started to pick up, heart beginning to race as his eyes grew wide, tears threatening to pour.

Lloyd was all too familiar with the reaction, how it hit himself many times before. Quickly, he laid a hand on Kai’s chest, a way to snap him back to their temporarily safe reality. “Kai… it’s okay.” He spoke, words the way Kai and Nya used to tell him. “You can relax and rest up, you’re in the monastery, not where you were before,” Lloyd nodded. “You’re home now.”

Lloyd watched as Kai could not stop the tears which started to pour, they streamed down his face as soft whimpers changed into heavy sobs. Lloyd did not have the heart to break up the moment, only pulling Kai closer as he continued to cry, and cry, and cry. More than Lloyd had ever seen him before, he sobbed until it appeared there was hardly any energy left to do anything at all. Lloyd never let go of him, not even when Kai’s eyes much too suddenly fluttered shut through fatigued delirium.

As Lloyd readjusted Kai’s sheets and the other was out like a light, their fleeting thoughts were all the same.

We’re home now.

We will survive this.

[michelleaneousart]

Hey everyone!

I'm still (somewhat) alive!! 🥳

I did this way back in 2020 actually, but it was meant for a zine (which, to my knowledge, never saw the light of day) and since I've been going through my computer and saw this, I figured I might as well post it now. At least it might fit the summer vibe (not where I'm at though, here it's only rain all day long...)

Hope you guys are all doing well x

[fruitsofhell]

Something super valuable about studying history, especially back into ancient times is having an appreciation for how enduring humanity is. Like yeah yeah in the cosmic or geologic or evolutionary schemes we're insignificant, but we have also been through a lot, of our own making and of nature just throwing shit at us. When you think of history as extending back to before modern conceptions of a state or people or culture, and extend your definition of society to more than what resembles nation-states and continental empires, you realize we have been everywhere for very long time, and its hard to really imagine an earth without us.

Even if everything gets fucked to shit by late-stage capitalism or like some random disaster people will live on. Maybe not in super-consumerist mega societies, but there will still be idiots gathering around a fire somewhere to laugh at each others jokes, someone playing with their pet. People will still want to sing and make images on the wall and imagine things. People have lived under wraps of lovingly made cloths in deserts, peoples have lived proudly on horseback on rolling steps, people have found peace and community living in flooding rainforests, people have just been making it even in what may seem to be extreme conditions. So many cultures tell of surviving a world-ending flood, so many cultures declared themself the endstate of history only to become chapters in our textbooks - we fucking endure!

And realizing that even these extremes of societal and ecological collapse have been endured, I can be kinda chill about the fact that nothing will ever be over so we should never actually stop trying to hold together. Holding together doesn't have to mean keeping up an incredibly wasteful and/or inefficient society, it just means doing our best to survive and help those around us. This is not to dismiss the massive amounts of human suffering that come with societal upheaval, but as I am trying to say, focus on helping your neighbor instead of woeing over that which was always destined to fall beginning to fall.

People are more valuable than concepts. Be kind to yourself and others. And uh. If America or something collapses press F to pay respects and think about the cool mythology we'll get to invent about it.

[laurellala-comics]

there are two wolves inside of you. One of them is fretting that you went through all the effort of making a new art account just to pigeonhole yourself once more into a specific fandom, which holds you back from exploring original art concepts that you care about. The other one came up with three separate ace attorney comic ideas in the last hour alone and isn't stopping anytime soon

[softspokenlibrarian]

"I don't usually mind getting mistaken for staff in stores from time to time, but today... I didn't really count on someone coming up and going on some tangent about the terrible service when I was just trying to sit and read in peace with my drink. It was so... embarrassing."

He's just going to hide his face in his hands.

("I forgot how scary customer service can be. Sorry to the manager of the store...")

[hug-your-face]

via @swatercolour here on Tumblr and also on [insta]

EDIT: I do not interpret "just managing" as "just suffering, just enduring, curling into a fetal position and waiting for it to be over." Managing is an active process.

So I'm using this post as a platform to make the reminder that "the power of the people is greater than the people in power," and we all are cordially invited to:

Take good care of ourselves. Mental, physical, emotional health. Hydrate. Move if we can, get outside if we can.

Keep up a routine. Remember quarantine and we all had to find a routine? This is the same.

Be intentional in our news consumption. Let's not stick our heads in the sand but let's not doomscroll either. Get an RSS aggregator. Subscribe to WTF Just Happened Today, Yoour Local Epidemiologist, Fix The News (for some inspiring hopeful news!). We'll check our feeds a few times a week, but no more than once a day.

Connect with friends and loved ones. Remind ourselves that while SOME people are horrible, for the most part people are awesome... if complicated. Share our fears but also our hopes. Eat together.

Now that we're keeping healthy, safe, sane, and hopeful... now we also fight. Quietly if we prefer, loudly if we prefer. But sustainably. I hate that I had to live through three rounds of this nonsense where a few people use half of us as tools to fuck over ALL of us, but here we are again. So let us take just one moment every week or so to...

Use 5calls to keep blowing up our reps phones. Tell them to either break ranks with the Orange Administration, or to stand up louder than just matching outfits and signs. Or to THANK them for standing up.

Use Vote411 to find elections before the midterms. A lot of villages, cities, townships etc have local elections that will affect where we live... and more importantly, the people in office there will affect things upwards too.

Use Ballotpedia to know exactly what's on our ballots ahead of time.

Protest, because it actually works.

Use Vote.org to make a plan to vote in the midterms. Make a plan that is immune to voter suppression tactics. Get our documents in order. Reach out to our friends to go to the polls as a group. Plan to livestream our visit, up until the point we have to turn our cameras off.

Make and share memes that promote hope, organizing, solidarity, and/or resistance.

Get involved with an action network like Indivisible, MoveOn, or Working Families Party.

Go to a local town hall meeting. Speak up.

Heck, start our own local activism networks, letter campaigns, call campaigns, or fundraisers with Action Network.

And we will remember our self-care. We will remind ourselves and each other that they want us scattered, focus is how we resist.

It IS coming back. Things ARE going to get worse. The world has become a place where a very few people are pulling levers and pushing buttons that are actively destroying much of what is good about living in a society where people care for each other.

Many others are in shock, sputtering "but can they do that?" MANY many others are waiting for someone to come save us.

But there are those who are actively, loudly, opposing.

And there are more people speaking up, acting up, every day. More people saying it's time to get scrappy. It's time to get into some good trouble. The shock is wearing off.

Yes, it's gonna get worse before it gets better (the long-term damage of the acts of the past momentum of all the damage that has been done will take that long to be felt -- but it WILL get better.

If WE will it.

[sirfrogsworth]

How do you take a photo of time?

I've been watching the track events at the Olympics since I was a wee lad. It was a tradition in our family. We'd gather around our ancient low-definition 19 inch CRT television and watch tiny blobs compete against other tiny blobs and root for our country.

It was a bit like watching YouTube on your phone in 144p.

Several heroes emerged.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee was amazing.

You can't forget about Flo-Jo.

And then the Olympics decided NBA players were allowed in the competition.

Which formed... The Dream Team.

Was this fair?

Well... they won each game by an average of 44 points.

So... no. It was not fair.

Though it became more fair as time went on.

But, umm... yeah. The other teams looked like the Washington Generals and the US looked like the Harlem Globetrotters if they stopped screwing around half of the game.

But my absolute favorite Olympian was a runner named Michael Johnson.

He was cool as heck.

For one thing... gold shoes.

But he also had this crazy, upright, Tom Cruise-ish sprinting style that just made him look like a running robot on the track.

And in the 1996 Atlanta games he just trounced EVERYONE. I mean, it wasn't even close.

Yikes. Those losing blobs are probably really embarrassed.

Last night I decided to invigorate my nostalgia and watch the track events again. And I got to see one of the wildest races in history.

It didn't even last 10 seconds but it was one of the most exciting sporting events I've ever witnessed. Almost every runner won the race.

After I saw that initially, I was like... who the heck won???

Even in slow motion I wasn't sure.

This was one of the closest finishes in history. There has never been a race where all 8 runners were within this margin.

The arena was silent as the winner was being confirmed. The runners just kind of paced around waiting for official word. My best guess was the Jamaican runner, Kishane Thompson. But then the loudspeaker announced Noah Lyles.

The last tiny morsel of American pride burst out of me with a big "Wooooo!"

I forgot what it was like to be proud of my country. I wish it happened more often. But this young man, despite being last place in the first 3rd of the race, turned on the afterburners and won in a photo finish.

And that's when my inner nerd took over.

Because when they showed the photo finish image, it looked super weird.

Why is the track white?

Why do all of the runners look all warpy like that QWOP game?

So I went down a research rabbit hole to figure this out.

Photo finishes are actually fascinating. The first photo finish captured the end of a horse race in 1890. But that was mostly luck and timing. The actual photo finish mechanisms weren't used until 1937.

Originally they would film the finish line through a physical slit.

And the first horsie head that appeared in that slit would be the winner. This technology ended a huge aspect of corruption in horse race fixing almost overnight.

But we have come a long way since then. And I'd like to introduce you to the Omega Scan 'O' Vision Ultimate.

This slow motion camera sits fixed on the finish line of every race. The concept of the photo finish has remained remarkably similar to the 1930s approach. The camera sensor is specially designed to only record a vertical slit.

Only the finish line itself is actually captured.

And because it limits what it records to only that slit, it can capture 40,000 frames per second to get amazing temporal resolution.

So why don't the photo finishes just look like, well... this?

That is because the camera takes a picture of time more-so than dimensional space. I guess it would be more accurate to say it *assembles* a picture of time.

As the runners cross the finish line, the camera combines all of the little strips of pictures into a single image.

It's almost like if you tried to reassemble a piece of paper after it had been shredded.

Imagine each strip of paper is a picture of ONLY the finish line, just at a slightly different point in time.

What if someone stopped on the finish line and didn't move... what would that look like?

Once they got there, the same part of their body would just be repeated.

So the right side of the photo finish picture represents earlier in time and it just assembles the image strip by strip as time passes and you literally get a picture of time itself.

NEAT!

Okay, but how do they determine the winner from the photo finish?

I mean, that shoe looks like it is ahead of Noah Lyles!

Clavicles!

The IAFF rules state the foremost part of the torso must cross the finish line first. And the endpoint of the torso is the outer end of the clavicle.

So if you get this bone across the finish line first, you win the race.

Two more fun facts!

The start of the race is actually just as carefully timed as the end of the race. There are sensors in the starting blocks of each runner.

The starting gun also has an electronic sensor.

They have determined the fastest a human can react to the sound of a gun is roughly 100 milliseconds. So if you start running before 100 milliseconds they know you didn't actually hear the gun, you just got antsy and started running too early.

And the final fun fact...

Did you notice the Omega logo at the top of the photo finish?

That isn't superimposed or added after the fact. That is captured by the camera.

But if this image is composed only of tiny little slivers, how did they get the Omega logo to show up?

That is a little display. And it is synchronized with the Scan 'O' Vision Ultimate to show a little sliver of the Omega logo for each frame captured.

So when the final image is stitched together, it looks like a cohesive logo at the top of the photo.

Pretty clever, Omega!

[itoshiexx]

when you're mad and use their full name

how the blue lock boyfriends react when you're mad and use their full name

pairings: isagi yoichi, nagi seishiro and itoshi sae x gn!reader (separate) | warnings: little arguments, angst if u squint, reader is kinda hot headed? lol, mostly fluff and the boys wanting to be in your good graces.

notes: did i kick depression in the ass to finish this? not really. but it worked, and here i am! this is my nagi seishiro debut omgggg hopefully i did him justice and he's not too ooc. also new design for the scenarios to match my theme. enjoy, lovelies! let me know if you'd like especific scenarios and send me an ask :)

masterlist

ISAGI YOICHI

yoichi hoped he would die. 

really. 

it’s the least he deserved for making you angry — even more so because he didn’t know what made you angry in the first place. he spent the last fifteen minutes excavating his mind to try and remember what could have ticked you off so much that you don’t even wanna look at him.

he hates it. isagi needs your eyes on him, needs to hear your voice and touch your skin. and with the way you’re so silent and distant, he might be just like a man in the desert without water.

“baby,” he looked at you on the other end of the couch, intently watching the tv show in front of you.  just a glimpse would make him breathe again. just a nod would ease his nerves. hell, he would even take a glare, as long as you were looking at him.

but he got nothing. zero. nada.

“baby, please,” he tried again. “i’m sorry. i didn’t mean to make you mad.”

you furrowed your eyebrows, but still didn’t spare him a glance. he sighed.

“i’ll never do it agai—”

“do you even know why you’re apologizing, isagi yoichi?!” you asked, exasperated. your boyfriend froze on the spot when hearing his full name, because of course he didn’t. 

as far as he knew, you were having a great day together. he bought you breakfast from your favorite bakery, you made a delicious lunch and then you two went out shopping. he even gifted you with a beautiful necklace after an enthusiastic shop employee offered to show him some pieces—

oh.

“you got jealous of the saleswoman?”

“blah blah you got jealous of the saleswoman? heck yeah I did!” you impersonated him with a high pitched, sarcastic voice that showed just how mad you were. “she was all over you, yoichi, and you didn’t do anything!” 

he swallowed thickly, daring to approach you on the couch. he hugged your frame, despite the crossed arms in front of your chest making it a little hard.

“i’m sorry, darling. i didn’t even notice she was being inappropriate because you’re the only one i pay attention to. and i always figured people would never dare be so bold if you’re by my side and we’re clearly together.”

his sweet words coated you, making you glance away, knowing that looking at his puppy eyes would end you for good. 

“you should have done something anyway.”

“i know. i totally should, and i’m sorry i didn’t. i never meant to make you feel bad or let people disrespect you.” he rested his chin on your shoulder, breath shuddering right on your ear.

the sincerity in his voice was enough to chip away your anger, and you visibly relaxed in his embrace. yoichi held a breath of relief, knowing he still had to be careful.

“i’m sorry, baby. it won’t happen again. forgive me, please?” he placed a sweet kiss on your cheek, and god, how could you keep being mad like that?

damn isagi yoichi and his genuine blue eyes.

you uncrossed your arms, embracing his instead, and finally looked at him with love again.

“fine. but just because you’re so charming, ‘ichi.”

he chuckled. “you’re the charming one. i’m totally under your spell, darling.”

and when your lips met, yoichi hoped to keep living just to have more of you.

NAGI SEISHIRO

people would often ask him if his detached, nonchalant persona ever got in his way through his life. seishiro would always say no, because everything and everyone he did care about understood his lazy way and inability to do… pretty much everything.

that didn’t mean he never made the effort, though. as much as nagi liked to live like a sloth and just go on with his life playing video games, there were still things in his life that were worth it. like football. his friends. and you, of course. 

ever since you met, seishiro discovered that being with you wasn’t a bother. and after he fell in love and you became a couple, he found himself eager to indulge you, even if it meant going out of his way. his friends congratulated him and expressed genuine happiness to see how much he improved, and that, along with your beautiful smile, filled his heart with joy. 

however, no matter how much he tried, he was still…

“nagi seishiro.” 

a shiver ran down his spine with the sound of your voice, and not the good kind. he had never heard you sound so stern, so angry, so… disappointed, even. enough to leave a sour taste in his mouth. so much so he immediately lifted his eyes from his console, only to find your harsh gaze.

“ehh? wha’ did i do, angel? don’t say my name like that,” he pouted, crawling towards your body splayed on the bed. 

even when you tried to fight his embrace, nagi took advantage of his large frame to engulf you and lay his head on your chest, so you wouldn’t walk away in case you got any angrier.

“babeeeee,” he whined, hugging you tighter.

“let go of me,” you said, and he just shook his head. “you deserve it. you weren’t even listening to what i was saying, were you?”

what a hassle. he really wasn’t listening, but… well, he got way too focused on beating the last boss. could you really blame him? 

he heard you scoff. “oh, my bad, i should have known it was the last boss. it’s more important than me anyway, right, nagi?”

fuck. fuck. fuck. did he say that out loud? he sounded like a dick. you had every right to be mad and call him by his full or last name. 

nagi lifted his head from your chest to look at you, feeling his throat tighten with the sight of your teary eyes. guilt gnawed at his chest when seeing how upset and frustrated you were. 

“eh, ’m sorry, pretty thing. i got too caught up ‘n didn’t notice you were talking t’me.”

“am i that invisible to you?” a tear almost rolled down your cheek. seishiro shook his head, a little more exasperated than usual. 

“huh? ’f course not, angel. y’re never invisible. all i see is you. y’re the most important to me,” he held eye contact, and even though you wanted to tear your gaze away, seishiro’s eyes were more magnetizing than ever, even if your view was a little blurry.

you knew your boyfriend wasn’t the type to lie, since he always claimed it was a hassle. you knew you were important to him, but his lack of consideration still hurt. 

“i’ll apologize as many times as you wish. ‘m sorry for not listening and making you feel bad. i never wan’ you to feel bad, pretty thing.” 

nagi used his strength to roll around and switch your positions, in a way you were on top of him instead. he started caressing your hair in a soothing motion, making your eyelashes flutter. “y’can talk as much as you want. i promise i’ll listen t’you.”

your eyes welled with tears for a different reason, and you hugged the striker as hard as you could. even if he faltered, seishiro never failed to make up to you and make you feel loved.

“promise, sei?”

“promise.”

ITOSHI SAE

although sae wasn’t exactly smart in the emotions field, he always knew when you weren’t happy with something. you scowled, huffed and rolled your eyes, keeping an eerie silence that was only broken when absolutely necessary. 

at that moment, he was sure you weren’t happy with him.

you both kept to yourselves while still at the event, masquerading any problems for the cameras. sae had a hand at the small of your back and he could feel how stiff you were. the midfielder wouldn't admit that seeing you so uncomfortable around him made his heart pang.

at the limo, the path to your shared penthouse was quiet, and you brushed him off when he tried to hold your hand. sae could only stare at his window with furrowed brows, itching to dissipate this awkward atmosphere. he never liked when you were mad, especially at him.

he expected some sort of explosion when you got to your apartment, but you kept your glaze off him, trying to walk to the bedroom for your night routine without even sparing him a word. 

nuh-uh. that wouldn’t do. 

he held your wrist before you could go, and lightly pulled you so that you were facing him. your eyes widened with the sudden movement, but narrowed as soon as landed on his face. 

“why are you mad?”

you scoffed. the audacity of this man. 

“you know exactly why i’m mad, itoshi sae.”

shit, the government name? you were really fucking angry.

“i wouldn’t be asking if i knew,” he answered, immediately regretting it when you glared at him, as if saying that wasn’t the right answer. “i-i mean… i didn’t realize what was wrong, amor.”

you walked closer to your boyfriend, making him release your wrist. despite his typical stoic face, sae was clinging to your every word.

“itoshi sae, you can not talk to your little brother like that!” you nearly growled on his face, surprising him. “you were very rude and condescending, and that’s no way to speak to rin!”

he frowned. you were mad because of rin? the little green monster inside of him threatened to grow, but he forced him to stay put. sae didn’t want to anger you further, so he simply let his hands slither to your hips, pulling you closer to him.

“i don’t think i was rud—” you lifted one eyebrow, and he rolled his eyes. “fine. i might have been kinda harsh.”

“and?” you crossed your arms.

he sighed. “i will apologize.”

“i’m serious about this, itoshi sae. i will ask rin—”

“i’ll tell him i’m sorry, okay? no need to keep talking about rin.” he interrupted, palms traveling to your ass while he nosed your neck. he planted a small kiss under your ear, huffing a minty breath that made you shudder. sae smirked. “and no need to keep calling me by full name, either. what happened to ‘cariño’?”

you held onto his biceps for some grounding, but still didn’t budge. 

“you weren’t very sweet today, so it’s not fitting.” 

he pouted while hiding in your neck, taking full advantage that you couldn’t see him, but was quick to withdraw to face you once again, touching your noses. one of his hands cradled your jaw, and you sighed with the pathetic effect your boyfriend had on you. 

“perdóname, amor?” he whispered against your lips, eyes sincere like you knew he could be. your poor little heart could never resist him when he was like this, rarely vulnerable and eager for you.

you gave a long exhale, arms moving to tangle around his neck. and folded.

“as long as you make it right, mi cariño.”

© 2024 itoshiexx. do not plagarise, translate, or repost any of my work on here or other sites.

if you like my writing and would like to support me, you can 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐤𝐨-𝐟𝐢 ! any amount is welcomed and very appreciated! ♥

[sysig]

Your Weekly TV Guide

On Monday you can expect:

2:30 PM: Handplates/The Sims 2

And Tuesday:

2:30 PM: Handplates

Wednesday:

2:30 PM: Dream doodles

Thursday:

2:30 PM: The Mouse and the Mermaid

Friday:

2:30 PM: The Sims 2

Saturday:

2:30 PM: The Mouse and the Mermaid/Just Desserts

Sunday:

2:30 PM: Bunnies and piggies

Thanks for tuning in! (Patreon)

[magicalpuppet]

"Are you new here? I’m new too." What if the one she met wasn't Frank at all?

If somebody is interested in the madness “theory”, I'll put it right under here.

Keep in mind before continuing: this is straight up just a theory/headcanon, I'm gonna share it without any other purpose than having fun theorizing. I put some points you can follow, I am sorry this is gonna be long and crazy.

So, I believe the puppet Julie met could be...Wally.

This whole madness was caused by Julie's story in the video "regard forgetfulness silence"...

The memory The way Julie is speaking seems off to me, as well as the way she recounts her first meeting with Frank.

She "think" that's how she met him, isn't it strange she can't recall precisely how she met the dearest puppet to her?

We know Julie have difficulties with her memory, but she seems to remember stuff that happened when hanging out with Frank, why the most important moment is so unclear to her?

This could mean that she can't remember the interaction correctly and that her memories are being heavily corrupted by something or that the whole thing is made up by someone.

The encounter

Even the encounter is iffy, the puppet she met doesn't seems to speak like Frank Does.

"Are you new here? I'm new too. My name is Frank"

This speech pattern sound more similar to Wally to me.

And after that, she says that he made a corny joke and she laughed at it, we know that Frank is not really the one who tells jokes. Heck, he is not even good at telling them.

You could argue about Wally and jokes too, he's not very skilled at telling them after all, but I can imagine two scenarios: -Him speaking normally and not realizing he is saying something funny to her. (this could apply to Frank too)

-His best friend love to tell jokes and we know that Barnaby encourage Wally to chat and tell jokes to the Neighbors, it could be that noticing she was scared he tried to tell a joke to her.

The fruit basket

Okay now I am really looking into stuff, I know, but why would Frank bring a big fruit basket around? Julie says it's because he was going to say hi to her but we know the friendliest neighbor in the whole place is Wally itself. Wouldn't it make more sense for him to be the one going to say hi?

The fruit basket could also just be related to Wally going out into the woods to paint a still life since he is a painter.

“Was he mad?”

She was worried that "Frank" was mad at her when they met.

Strange, because Frank emotions are very easy to read, he's a very expressive puppet. We also know that when he feel a very strong emotion (like being mad) his head spins. Why she would question it? If it was Wally, his emotions are more difficult to read and it could be that she didn't understood his intentions immediately.

Wally itself

The fact she bring up Wally while recalling Frank's meeting is strange too. She says she met Wally the same day, why not meeting the whole neighborhood then? Maybe it was just them at the beginning and it would make sense in that case.

But Wally comes up at the end of the audio asking "Did all that really happen, Julie?" like he is asking her like all of that was made up or straight up incorrect.

Aaand I'm done! I'm not even sure any of this makes sense to anyone else, but it was stuck with me since the update and I wanted to draw it and share it.

Maybe it was Frank, maybe it was really Wally, maybe it never happened in the first place but... Everything sound too strange to be as the story says.

And don't get me wrong with all of this! I love Frank and Julie relationship a lot, I am not going against them in any way. I like to go deep inside the stories I am following and I speculate a lot about stuff! (Also I wanna apologize if my english is not the best, it's not my first language)

[st-fanfic-bookclub]

Comment resources

Receiving comments means so much to fic authors so we’d love to encourage people to leave more. But we appreciate that leaving comments can be a bit daunting or draining, especially on days when we are tired or already stressed. So here are a few resources to hopefully encourage us all to leave more and to make doing so easier.

Archive of Our Own floating comment boxes

There are a couple of versions of these out there and they can be helpful. They are browser extensions that allow you to keep the comment box on the screen whenever you like so that you can easily comment as you read, rather than getting to the end and panicking about what to say.

Here are two different versions:

AO3 Floating Comment Box by ScriptMouse

Floaty Review Box by ravenel ← I use this one and think it’s great - Squid 💕

Feed The Fandom Fest

Have you heard of the @feedthefandomfest bingo cards? Because if you’re participating in these, maybe one of the recs on this blog could be the perfect way to tick off a square on these cards. Or, if you’ve not started one yet, why not pick one to encourage yourself to comment more and have some fun while doing so?

Here are the different cards:

Original Card

For Beginners

Fluff Edition

Angst Edition

Smut Edition

Old Fic Edition

Billy Hargrove Edition

Or put your own together!

I’d also just recommend having a look through the Feed The Fandom Fest blog in general, it’s such a wonderful resource 💖

Additional AO3 Kudos

Here’s some images of additional kudos for when you’re longing to mash that button again but all it greets you with is that mocking red smiley face. These are complete with the html to easily put them in!

AO3 Random Nice Comments

This browser extension will give you a short, nice comment from a list at the press of a button. It may be useful for beginner commenters who want to say something nice but are unsure what.

Comment prompts

If you want to craft your own comments but are unsure what to say, here’s a few starting points:

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think back on the fic? I’m sure the author would love to know

Who was your favourite character in the fic? 

Where are you reading the fic?

Speculate on what could happen after the end of the fic

How did you react emotionally? Did you laugh? Cry? Smile? Scream?

Or there’s the simple but ever loved:

Keyboard smash

String of emojis

‘Loved this!’

Here’s some more lists of prompts:

Good and easy comment ideas by ao3-shenanigans

Some more easy comment suggestions by ao3-shenanigans

Unhinged fic comment ideas by magpie-murder 

Our comment stickers

Here’s a few stickers we made to use in place of comments if you want to leave something but still don’t know what to type out yourself:

html for the above, in order:

<img src="https://i.postimg.cc/yYRJxJ8C/readforbookclub-sticker.png" alt="sticker with stars and text reading: I READ THIS FIC FOR FANFIC BOOK CLUB AND LOVED IT" width=45% />

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<img src="https://i.postimg.cc/1XkfMSMd/mayiofferyoumyfirstborn-star-sticker.png" alt="star-shaped sticker with text reading: MAY I OFFER YOU MY FIRSTBORN? OR PERHAPS MY SOUL?" width=45% />

[drchucktingle]

BIG thing i get teased about over the years (in playful ways, it is fine buckaroos, but a light tease none the less) is the DIRECTNESS of my titles. many who stumble upon my books will immediately comment 'the title is so long it just says what happens'. here are some of my thoughts on that...

as with a lot of things in the tingleverse, my unusual artistic choices end up being a sort of TROJAN HORSE, called unserious and mocked by many, but hopefully over the years revealing something to buckaroos who are not tied to the separation of ‘low brow’ or ‘high brow’ art

i feel understood by most, but for some who JUST NOW encounter the tingleverse there is an automatic apprehension, from outright to subliminal. things like scoffing ’im not going to try and find meaning in a chuck tingle book’ (real quote) or 'skeptical of the horror, ive seen his OTHER books'

i have written a LOT about how much of this, whether buds know it or not, is not just about the dinosaurs and the living objects. it is about a culture that is built to see queerness and neurodivergence and (drumroll) SEXUALITY as fundamentally unworthy of ‘real’ artistic merit. this trot runs deep

theres SOMETHING ELSE i dont talk on much however, which is directness of my writing style, both in titles and on page. why i do it is this: AS AN ARTIST it is never my intention to impress you. my books are not the 'ME show' theyre the 'US show’ so i simply want my sentences to express what happens

i wont dance circles around you, leading you through the story saying LOOK AT ME LOOK HOW GOOD I AM IM SO COOL. i want to walk BESIDE you. of course, writing to impress is also great and valid art too, just not MY preference. this is ARTISTIC choice, but i want to talk for a moment on politics of it

i tend to see buckaroos holding a sort of STRICT interpretation of what makes ‘good’ art. it is a training that has been pounded into their heads declaring ‘real art cannot just come out and say what it means.' a good example would be if someone was being critical by just saying 'its heavy handed'

the thing is, there is a huge difference between saying ‘it was blunt.’ and ‘it was TOO BLUNT for what it was trying to accomplish.’ TIME AND TIME AGAIN however, you will see folks simply deciding ‘this art just said what it meant on the surface’ and leaving it there, as if that is INHERENTLY WRONG.

and the question i am forced to ask myself is ‘WHY is this wrong?’ in the vast, infinite pantheon of WHAT ART CAN BE why are we so obsessed with hiding ourselves? obscuring our thoughts? removing our politics? there is certainly a time for subtly, but it seems there is NEVER a time for being blunt

some say this is because arts more DIFFICULT to craft when it is subliminal, but folks do not REACT that way. art that is both direct AND subliminal and layered will STILL get torn down for leaving things on the surface, even when technically speaking it is probably most impressive to juggle both

there is plenty for you to research on this regarding the CIA secretly funding abstract expressionist art during the cold war. it is still HOTLY DEBATED, but i will mention it here for anyone reading my thread who is interested in a deep dive. HERE, however, i will talk about it on a personal level

i think that culturally we are CONSTANTLY told to not take up space, especially in marginalized groups. there is decades and decades of programming telling us ‘you can express yourself, but in a CIVILIZED WAY, not too loud, not too direct. CERTAINLY not too political.' i flatly reject this

of all the places to do what you want and say what you want to say, ART IS THE PERFECT ARENA. your writing, your songs, your music can absolutely be as subtle as you want, but especially during times like this, dont let anyone tell you that youre too dang loud. lets trot buckaroos.

and since i spent all morning writing this is am going to leave a link for my new book LUCK DAY, which is LOUD AS HECK. now is a time to make art, and it is also a time to support the artists you love. give a preorder if you can. LOVE IS REAL

[dami-anne-damn]

CookieSized!Beast Cookies x HumanSized!Reader

Cuddling Head-cannons!

Shadow Milk Cookie:

He’s super into cuddling, but only when he wants too. Like, man is clingy in the same way a cat is.

He would totally want to crawl up the inside of your sleeve like a gremlin and curl up on your chest.

Speaking of chest, that’s his favorite place to snuggle up too, either that or your face. Specifically your cheek since he’s tiny. (He likes to be a presence you can’t ignore.)

If you love cuddles prepare to be absolutely smothered in them. He wants to be all you can focus on in this world, and allowing him to cling to you is an opportunity he just can’t pass up.

If you don’t like cuddles then you are fresh outta luck because he does not care. It doesn’t matter to him how large you are, or how intimidating you can be. He’s snuggled up to you and he’s comfortable. Plus… since when were you in charge?

Like, if you’re resting he’s all up in your business, IMMEDIATELY. If you try to push him away enough times, he’ll walk off in a fake huff talking about ‘diva(s)’. But once you finally fall asleep he’s right back where he wants to be.

Ironically enough if you try to cuddle up to him without his prompting, he’ll play hard to get. Might even bat your hand away too- (well, as much as a itty-bitty cookie his size can to a human).

When he’s cuddled up on your chest, sometimes he’ll worm his way up to your ear. He’ll begin to whisper things, things he couldn’t possibly know. Tidbits about your day you never told him, stuff that has yet to happen, knowledge on how to help you succeed in future endeavors. You are normally asleep by the time this advice comes, so why does he do this?

Is it the joy he feels knowing that he has all the answers you need and all the control to tell you only when you’re not listening? Or is it something else? Only he has the answer to that.

——————————————————

Mystic Flour Cookie:

She’s definitely not clingy, but she doesn’t mind it when you two cuddle.

I imagine since she’s the Beast of Apathy she is quite neutral about where she lays in accordance to you in bed. You could have her in your arms, your hands, heck probably even on the top of your head and she’d be ok with it.

She won’t admit this, but her favorite way to cuddle is with your head in her lap and her hand in your hair. Yes, you are still human sized. Also yes, she is still cookie sized. (You guys make it work though.)

Love cuddles or hate cuddles, she couldn’t care either way. Calm and composed, she decides when and when not to allow you to breach her personal space.

Although, if you do catch her off guard with a pick up and cuddle attack from behind. Even if she may not show it immediately, she doesn’t like when people just take what they want from her. Expect the cold shoulder.

On rare occasions, Mystic Flour can and will ask to be held. There’s something unusual about her tone, something more..alive.

When you have long since fallen asleep, she finds her hand stroking your hair absentmindedly. She then slowly lowers her body to lay against your head, all of HER own volition. For cuddling you was her choice, not your will. Hers.

——————————————————

Burning Spice Cookie:

Normally, I would never think that Burning Spice would go for cuddles. Too boring and stagnant for his tastes.

But if you did manage to get him to cuddle, you bet you had to earn that. And it wasn’t easy. So if you like fighting tooth and nail for the right to cuddle, then Burning Spice is your man!

Battle against him, he doesn’t care how large and fleshy you are. He wants a fight, he needs a fight. If you want to cuddle The Great Destroyer, then show him you can handle it! (This is an every night before bed thing too).

Finally you win—(because let’s be honest..he’s like what, 3 inches tall?) —and now you’ve earned the right to cuddle. Burning Spice’s favorite place to cuddle is right against your stomach or heart, things he can hear.

Sometimes during these sessions, you can catch a glimpse of Burning Spice’s face, it looks empty as he listens to your body work and breathe. You wonder whats going though his head.

But as soon as it’s there, it’s gone and is replaced with his usual scowl as he loudly exclaims how ‘bored’ he is with the current situation.

As I’ve already explained, if you want cuddles Burning Spice is definitely going to play hard to get. Much like Shadow Milk in that sense. But on another note, much like Mystic Flour he doesn’t care if he gets cuddles or not. (If anything he seems to project more no than yes. But if that’s really true, why does he still offer to fight you each night?)

——————————————————

Eternal Sugar Cookie:

Are you a couch potato with big emotions?! Do you like to cuddle?! Then maybe you should consider getting yourself an Eternal Sugar Cookie to keep you company!

They are a MASSIVE cuddle monster, (they might even be clinger than Shadow Milk in this sense) you’re like a big warm pillow! They are perched or nestled somewhere on you from 24/7 to eternity.

Their favorite place to cuddle is curled up on your neck. Wings draped over the sides of your shoulders in a sort of possessive hug. Feeling your pulse.

If you like cuddles Eternal Sugar is definitely a provider, and is pretty good at making you feel right at ease. I could imagine them curled up, tangled in your hair and lazily strumming at their lyre with droopy eyes.

Being the Beast of Sloth, I could see them using their power to perhaps make you feel a bit more lethargic than usual.

After a while with Eternal Sugar you might start missing your morning alarm, sleeping in, missing breakfast, lunch, maybe even dinner too…a couple days go by…wait, how long have you been sleeping for again?

——————————————————

Silent Salt Cookie:

Tbh, I see this cookie as very hit or miss when it comes to cuddle time. Either they’re all in on some nice quiet quality time or they want absolutely nothing to do with it.

If they are into it I could see them liking sleeping tangled up in your legs (keeps you from moving too much) or I could see them resting in your hands, especially if you sleep with them curled up to your face.

Don’t expect any kind of talk though, if you start yapping while you two are snuggled up close they’ll just end up getting up and walking away. It’s silence or nothing. (And if you talk in your sleep, just forget about it.)

If they are not in the mood for cuddles, don’t try and convince them. Begging and pleading will only serve to annoy this beast. You gotta let them come to you, like a stray cat you gotta earn the trust of before they come inside your home.

On the days you guys cuddle, if you stay really quiet and still, you can feel Silent Salt press into you almost longingly. Is it despair? Is it loneliness? Want, need? It’s impossible to tell which emotion the beast is feeling with that helmet on. All you can guess is that they are comfortable in the palms of your hands. That’s all that matters…right?

——————————————————

Fin and thank you for reading!

[a-scary-lack-of-common-sense]

More of Stanley's sketchbook because he makes me sick /pos

(Just imagine he was looking in a mirror at the subway to draw this anshfhwj. The london bus ticket is unrelated, it's just a random knick knack he had lying around<3)

People weren't the only ones Stan met on the streets.

------

+ this is an absolute fucking batshit WILD oneshot I initially wrote for these drawings that got WAY out of hand, if you feel like reading that.

The oneshot below is a stand-alone now, and in no way is related to the drawings above, but I just wanted to show you guys because Jesus Christ

------

Winter of 1981, at a subway station Stan doesn't remember the name of-

The sorry excuse of a transport system that this hellhole of a city called a functioning subway was hardly anyone's first choice of a warm place to stay the night. And yet, here Stanley was; standing like an idiot in the middle of a small bustling stairwell that led down to the full screeching chaos of a train stop on a Tuesday evening. A rowdy crowd of exhausted office workers streamed out like a tidal wave from the entrance of the station, the bustle of their footsteps all too eager to go home and relax after a long day of work.

The faint, stuffy stench of old piss and sweat followed the crowd to the surface from the deep depths of a less than sanitary and overcrowded train station. The pungent smell intermingled with the crisp stinging winter air in a cocktail of shitty city gloom often associated with this time of the year; when the holidays were too far away and the sun seemed to come and go with practically the same 9 to 5 schedule as the workers had, leaving them going to work in the pitch dark and coming back out in the inky black as well.

He might have looked like he belonged there, depending on how one would want to look at it. He stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the sea of prim, pressed suits and neart uniforms. His ratty old jacket and generally unwashed appearance certainly didn’t help his case, but he also knew that stations like these also tended to shelter quite a number of homeless wanderers like him, especially during the winter. So, it wasn't exactly uncommon to see other sore thumbs seeking reprieve from the biting cold and the dangerous likelihood of frostbite from within the enclosed walls of the subway station.

Heck, if most of these underground kingdoms didn't also happen to be a breeding ground for several illicit activities, he might even have followed their lead. But, believe it or not, Stanley's already had enough experience with illegal activities to last him a last time, and he isn't looking for a new fill. He was satisfied with what meager shelter his trusty car offered him, as little a difference it might make in terms of safety.

Stanley's obstruction of the already narrow stairs with his loitering went unappreciated, as shoulders roughly shoved past him and swinging briefcases repeatedly bumped into his sides, usually coupled with a nasty glare and a snide comment or two. He paid them no mind, however. He wasn't here to start a fight with some random bum with a dead end job, as much as he thought it would probably do them both some good to duke their stresses out on one another.

The hours ticked by with wave after wave of new crowds being dropped off by a train and left to pour out of the station into the streets. By the time the streetlights turned on and the pale pink in the sky slowly faded to make way for the stark glittery black of the night sky, the tide of people had slowed to a trickle and rush hour was long since over. He was now the stairs’ sole occupier, with a few occasional stragglers stumbling up the steps and hurrying past him without a second glance.

Stanley did not move from his spot, however. He stood resolutely in the middle of the stairway, fervently rubbing his arms and stamping his feet in a futile attempt to try and regain feeling in his extremities as he waited. Rocking on his heels, he titled his head backwards to let his eyes roam the constellations that carpeted the endless expanse of the sky stretched out above his head, almost losing himself in the scintillating canvas of stars.

It reminded him of old times; of the sparkling beach sand twinkling in the dim moonlight, and the soft sound of lilting waves hovering in the background as he lay back on the cold wooden deck of his ship and watched the stars dance.

He still remembered every name his brother had once recited to him time and time again as he pointed out each star and galaxy from the night sky.

Then, like clockwork, he was broken out of his reveries by a telltale meow coming from below. The sound was a familiar blanket that immediately melted away the tension that had begun to build in his chest as he practically sagged with relief.

His body moved almost automatically as he leaned down to detach the frail tabby cat that was attempting to literally fuse with his legs, purring up a storm and rubbing her head against his pants as though her life depended on it. The cat gave a soft chirrup of dissatisfaction at being manhandled, which Stanley absentmindedly replied with a chiding click of his tongue as he lifted her up his chest and gently tucked her into his jacket in a practiced motion.

She thankfully remained blissfully limp in his grasp as he shifted around some more so that she was nestled comfortably inside the dark pocket of warmth inside his ratty jacket. The tiny warm lump that rumbled contently against his front radiated with heat, and his fingers finally began to feel like actual fingers rather than useless stiff frigid lumps of meat and bone attached to his palms.

A pointed cough startled him from his clumsy wriggling to get the cat to settle down. An oddly familiar security guard stood at the entrance of the station at the bottom of the stairs, leveling Stanley an unimpressed look with the metal gate in his grip already halfway closed, ready to seal the subway for the night. He must have been a comical sight; caught awkwardly bent over while trying to get his newly acquired cat to stop kneading biscuits on his stomach, with said cat peeking out from the gap between his collars.

Stanley faintly recognized the guard. He was a much older man, with a shock of thinning white hair neatly tucked underneath a dark blue cap and a strange depth in his eyes that reminded Stanley of the sea; with countless unspoken truths lurking far beneath the surface, but no less grand and knowing of all that the universe had to offer, as though he had already lived a thousand lives before this one.

He had seen the man around before, at another station, doing the opposite of his job by ushering stray buskers and homeless stragglers from the streets and into the (relatively) safe walls of the subway, instead of doing what any other law-abiding security guard would do and kick them out into the elements. He wasn't sure what the older man was doing here, of all places, since all the previous stations he'd seen the man at had been several states over, practically on the other side of the country.

A brief spark of panic shot through his spine at the thought that this man could be following him, but he quickly discarded the ridiculous notion as soon as it entered his mind. He had never even seen him before, and hardly ever even interacted with him; there was no reason for there to be any sort of bad blood between them. Unless he happened to be related to one of Stanley's many, many enemies, then perhaps his fear was a little warranted.

However, the old guard made no move to attack or do anything other than stare judgmentally, almost expectantly. For the first time in a long time, Stanley felt like a child being caught doing something he wasn't supposed to do. He tried his best to keep his uncomfortable squirming to a minimum under the unrelenting gaze, stubbornly returning the man's gaze with his own wary glare. His cat’s muffled whining came from inside his jacket. The traitor, she was leaving him to deal with the old man on his own.

With an exasperated jerk of his head, the security guard gestured towards the inside of the station. For a moment, Stanley stared dumbly, uncomprehending of what the old man could possibly want from him. Rolling his eyes, this time the man gestured more insistently at the small gap that still remained between the metal gate and the entrance, his arm sweeping the air in a low arc as he dramatically urged Stanley inside. Suddenly, it clicked, and Stanley shook his head.

“I have a car,” he said plainly, his voice echoing loudly in the desolate silence of the winter night that surrounded the unlikely pair.

He wasn't sure why he was so nervous, it wasn't as though he was lying. He did have a car, his trusty Stanley-mobile was parked safely away in the corner of an unassuming alley that wasn't often frequented by anyone. There was no way he was reaching it tonight, though; it was practically on the other side of the city, much too far away for him to arrive at a reasonable time. His nightly excursions to meet his small friend unfortunately left him with no other choice than to leave his car behind, the hunk of metal far too unwieldy and noticeable to drive around openly on the streets. He never knew who could be watching, after all.

He had simply been hoping to find himself a dark corner to tuck himself into with his cat, just for the night, but it seemed as though the universe had other plans. Or rather, this strange old man had other plans.

Although, if Stanley thought about it, the subway wasn't such a bad suggestion. This was one of the safer stations in the city; and with the rich neighborhoods being so close by, no rogue criminal or dealers dared to come near this area unless they wanted to be slapped with a hefty fine or face a higher potential to be arrested. And of course, there was the obvious shelter from the unrelenting cold that now seemed to permeate his bones, even with the purring warmth that was nestled inside his jacket.

So, that was how he found himself hunkering down for the night inside a shabby old subway station, with a satisfied cat still rumbling away against his chest and a strange old security guard locking down the gates behind him. The man said nothing as he hooked his keys back onto his belt and gave a firm pat on Stanley's shoulders as he walked past him, pausing to scratch his cat behind her ears before moving away. His footsteps bounced off of the grimy tiled walls with an odd reverb as he turned a corner.

“You'll be safe in here,” the man said, voice sage and gravelly. The words had a weight to them, and seemed to hang in the air with such a presence it was as though the old man had never even left his side.

The subway was empty, quiet. It was such a stark contrast to the loud rowdiness of the rush hour crowd these halls once held. Stanley hadn't yet registered the utter silence of the station as he aimlessly made his way down the winding, deserted halls of the ancient station. He mindlessly walked past the aged and peeling advertising posters plastered on the walls, his nose becoming accustomed to the stinging stench of the subway. The quiet seemed to swallow the sound of his steps as he explored the branching paths and endless tunnels. They were almost kaleidoscopic, dizzying, nonsensical. There were doors where there shouldn't be, and deadends where it didn't make sense.

The silence only began to truly settle in his bones the more he walked. He suddenly wished that he would head the telltale footsteps of the old security guard again, just to hear another sign of life in this underground hellscape other than himself. The ghostly memories of screeching trains and bustling crowds haunted the halls; now, only nothingness reigned supreme. He glanced down at his small feline companion, who slumbered away against his chest, blissfully unaware of his jackrabbiting heartbeat threatening to burst out of his ribs. The silence seemed to permeate every inch of space and crush the air out of his lungs. He couldn't breathe.

Stanley’s steps grew faster, more frantic as the walls and ceilings seemed to close in on him. They grew smaller, tighter; squeezing, trapping. He hardly even registered his cat's complaints as she was jostled around in his grasp, breaking into a full out run. His breathing sounded loud, too loud, and the world was collapsing around him.

When he finally broke out into a large, open platform, he could finally breathe again. He had arrived at the tracks, the empty tunnel where the trains would pass an empty, gaping maw in the wall that seemed to swallow all light around it and beckon him closer. He felt his cat wriggle out from within his jacket and hop out with a displeasured yowl, scampering away and disappearing behind a corner much like the old man had. True silence pierced his ears and thrummed like a deafening pressure in his temples. He was alone.

Stanley was stuck in that subway station for years.

[wonderjanga]

Billy Forgetting His Own Strength

Billy sometimes forgets his strength while in his Marvel form. Granted, that’s a rare occurrence, but still. It can happen.

It was especially common back when he was first starting out:

Marvel: “It’s wonderful to meet you Mr. Spy Smasher Sir.” *shakes his hand*

Spy Smasher: *notices grip is a little too firm and gives it a squeeze* “You too.”

Marvel: *squeezes it in turn*

Spy Smasher: *hand hurts but doesn’t want to back down from a challenge and also squeezes*

Marvel: *confused as for why they were holding hands for so long but squeezes one last time*

Spy Smasher: *hand fucking breaks*

The crunch was so deafening.

or

Marvel: “It’s nice to meet you, Robin!” *offers hand for handshake*

Robin!Damian: “You as well.” *hand goes to shake it*

Marvel: *literally lifting Damian off the ground, up and down as he shakes the hand*

Then there’s the times he forgets to restrain himself that don’t involve hurting or embarrassing others:

Marvel: *cracking knuckles*

Villain: “You’ll never take me alive you stinkin cheese!”

Marvel: *somehow dislocates all his fingers with a couple crunches*

*silence*

Villain: “Oh my- The heck??”

Marvel: “What, what is it?” *starts popping them back into place*

Villain: *disgusted at the sound of it and vomits*

Thankfully, all these incidents became more and more uncommon. One day, both heroes and villains alike will be free from his terror.