#anderson design center

[donnie-darko-isforever]

Contemporary Dining Room Example of a large trendy dark wood floor enclosed dining room design with gray walls and no fireplace

[rafaelfajardo]

I'm excited to announce that I'll be teaching a workshop this summer at @andersonranchartscenter in Snowmass Village, CO. Join me at Anderson Ranch Arts Center, where artists can explore, experiment, and evolve their skills.

Basics of Game Design in Scratch

Jun 10-14

https://www.andersonranch.org/workshops/workshop/basics-of-game-design-in-scratch-p0204-24/

Registration opens today, January 4th!

#AndersonRanch #AndersonRanchArtsCenter #RanchMade #ArtistCommunity

[olive-fics]

A day out with Abby (Fem reader)

You and Abby are finally out together, Abby had been busy with work all week and decided to treat you as an apology..♡

Not NSFW but not fully SFW..? Wtv..Mature readers please. MEN DNI! (pls!)

NOT PROOF READ—CORRECT ME🤍🦢

Abby Anderson had always been the kind of person who valued simple moments of happiness. Today was one of those days, a day spent leisurely strolling through the aisles of a bustling mall with you, her girlfriend.

You two had held hands as you made your way through the crowded shopping center. Your fingers intertwined with Abby's strong, calloused ones. Abby's tall, muscular frame contrasted with your smaller, more delicate one, but together you fit perfectly. Abby didn't mind the strange looks, she only cared about pleasing you and making sure you had a cute outfit...it didn't truly matter to Abby though... she was just going to take it off of you later anyways.

"Anything specific you're looking for, babe?" Abby asked, her green eyes peering into yours as she rubbed your hand with her thumb.

There were a few things you spotted while walking through the mall with Abby but you didn't want to overwhelm Abby with your shopping spree needs. Instead, you admired the charming storefronts adorned with colorful displays of clothes, accessories, and all things cute. You couldn't resist peeking into a few windows, ogling at the adorable dresses, quirky trinkets, and fluffy stuffed animals that seemed to beckon with the pearls and light colors..

"Not reall- Oh my god." That's when the most beautiful, white, lacy babydoll dress you have ever seen caught your eyes..You had to have it.

"Look at that dress, Abby!" You claimed, tugging Abby toward the shop. "It's absolutely gorgeous! Can we please go look at it?"

Abby chuckled, her heart fluttering at the sight of your excitement. "Alright, let's check it out."

You ran into the shop and giggled immediately checking out the dress in the display window.

$60.

Abby reached for the dress, gently lifting it off the hanger as she hid the price tag from you. The soft fabric cascaded through her fingers, revealing intricate patterns and delicate lace that made your heart skip a beat. "Let me help you into it princess." You couldn't help but laugh and kiss Abby's cheek, Shuffling as you both make it to the tiny dressing rooms with those shitty curtains.

Abby helped you take off your little Kami and jeans making sure to treat you gently, you were so fragile and perfect.. Abby honestly got nervous around you..

Abby's cheeks turned a soft shade of baby pink as she slipped the dress over your shoulders, her fingers brushing gently against your skin as she adjusted the straps with a delicate touch.

The dress, with its elegant design, hugged your form in all the right places, Abby couldn't help but stare.

"Fuck.. babe- you're so pretty.." Abby mumbled and became a flustered mess..

"Isn't it beautiful?" you asked, your voice barely above a whisper.

With a gentle touch, she began to pepper your exposed neck and shoulders with soft pecks and kisses. Her lips were warm and tender against your skin. You closed your eyes, savoring the sensation and giggling softly..

"Abby.." You mumbled just watching Abby sprinkle the kisses all over you in the mirror..

“Buying this for you… now,” Abby murmured into your neck, her warm breath sending shivers down your spine. Her fingers traced tender circles along your waist..

“Love you..”

[vintagelasvegas]

Sands Hotel & Casino '52-'96

Sands, December 1952

'46: Kit Carson Club opened by H. Bynum, D. Anderson, G. Frisbee on US Hwy 91 outside of Las Vegas, adjacent to Kit Carson Motel. The club will later become LaRue nightclub, then the Garden Room of the Sands Hotel.

'50: Kit Carson Club reopened as LaRue nightclub opened by Billy Wilkerson, Nola Hahn, 12/23/50.

'51: LaRue closed by summer. Mack Kufferman buys LaRue, and hires architect Wayne McAllister to build around the existing club. Kuffman and partners apply for gaming license. The project is called Sands by 12/51.

'52: Kufferman gaming license denied in Apr., sells to Jake Freedman (RG 4/9/52, RG 6/13/52). Partners running the Sands are B. Barron, E. Levinson (casino manager), S. Wyman, J. Entratter (showroom & restaurants). Hidden partners are believed to include J. Stacher, M. Lansky. Sands road sign designed by McAllister, built by YESCO. Sands opens 12/15/52 with 200 rooms in five buildings arranged in Y-shaped layout. The guest wings are named after race tracks: Arlington Park, Belmont Park, Haileah, Rockingham Park, Santa Anita. Three other wings of equal size were added circa ’53-54 (two were named Churchill Downs, Hollywood Park), another by ’58, and larger wing by ’60. The total room count in ’60 was 465.

'53: Frank Sinatra plays his first engagement at the Sands and becomes two percent owner in Oct; Carl Cohen joins the Sands as shareholder and casino manager in Oct.

'54: Sign modification: Second reader board added below the main board, Feb or earlier. Antonio Morelli joins the Sands as musical director for the Copa in Jul.

'55: Sands partners assume control of the Dunes in Sep. They sell the Dunes in four months later.

'58: Jake Freedman dies 1/19/58; Jack Entratter becomes Sands president.

'59: Sign modification: Attraction board attached to the sign, Feb or earlier. Baccarat begins at the Sands.

'60: Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop (the "Rat Pack") are first billed together in the Copa in Jan-Feb. during the filming of Ocean's 11. Senator John F. Kennedy visits during the Democratic primary campaign.

'63: Opening of Aqueduct hotel wing (83 rm) in Apr. Julius Gabrielle, architect (RJ 4/28/63). Sinatra surrenders ownership 10/7/63.

'64: Sands acquires the former Kit Carson Motel; Belmont and Arlington buildings (base of the Y) moved southward to accommodate construction of a hotel tower.

'65: Second sign in Aug; tower completed late in the year and officially opened Jan. ’66. Martin Stern Jr, architect.

'67: Howard Hughes buys the Sands, 7/23/67. Sinatra leaves his Sands residency after confrontation with Cohen, 9/11/67.

'69: Dean Martin leaves Sands to join Riviera.

'71: Entratter dies, 3/8/71.

'73: Cohen leaves the Sands, Jan. '73.

'80: Inns of America buys the Sands from Hughes heirs Summa Corp in Oct.

'82: Third sign, new porte-cochère, marking the completion of remodeling effort including new Copa room, 1/15/82.

'83: Summa Corp reassumes control of the Sands, 4/5/83.

'88: Kirk Kerkorian buys the Sands in Jan. Kerkorian sells to Interface Group led by Sheldon Addison in Apr.

'90: Sands Expo and Convention Center opens.

'94: Remodeling of the casino.

'96: Sands closes 6/30/96. Tower demolished 11/26/96.

Photos of the Sands

Sources include David G. Schwartz. At the Sands: The Casino That Shaped Classic Las Vegas, Brought the Rat Pack Together, and Went Out With a Bang. December 1952 photo courtesy of Slidetreasurehunt.

Construction of the sign, 1952. The pylon sign pedestal was 56’ high, 21’ wide, with the S at 34’ tall. Design by Wayne McAllister, fabricated and installed by Young Electric Sign Co. Photo: YESCO Corporate Records (MS-00403), UNLV Special Collections & Archives.

Opens Dec 15. Danny Thomas, Connie Rusell, Lou Wills Jr, Ray Sinatra Orchestra. Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, 0007-0345.

Aerial view of Kit Carson Motel and the Sands, '62

[ironclark]

The Remedy Set of Keyblades are Done!

LIGHT REVISION- A Keyblade modeled after the typings of Alan Wake! This Keyblade is designed to increase the damage of Light-based spells. The hilt is designed after a flashlight, with the hilt guard being inspired by the typewriter that Alan uses. The shaft of the blade is make of various typed letters, with the teeth being the lense flare of a flashlight. The token is the Clicker.

The World Logo is that of Bright Falls, where the game takes place. The name is a reference to editting a work of art as well as light itself.

CHAMPION OF LIGHT- A Keyblade modeled after the fight between light and darkness in Alan Wake: American Nightmare! This Keyblade is designed to have the effect of Light & Darkness! The hiltguard is designed after the CRTs that Scratch uses to taunt Alan throughout the game, with plumes of darkness arcing out of it to form half of the shaft. The rest of the shaft and teeth are formed from sparks of Light. The token is one of Alan's Manuscript pages.

The world logo is a based on the Arizona town named Night Springs, where the game loops itself. The name comes from the character that Alan has written himself to be, the Champion of Light.

ZERO STATE- A Keyblade modeled after the technology and fracture of time of Quantum Break! This Keyblade is designed to increase the effects of Slow or Stop on a target. The crossguard is designed after the Time Machines built by both Paul and Will in the game, with the core's patrusions on it. The shaft and teeth of the blade are designed after the visual effects of time breaking. The token is the Countermeasure built by Will.

The world logo is that of Riverport, the city in which the game takes place in. The name, Zero State, comes from when time has stopped.

OBJECT OF POWER- A Keyblade modeled after the Astral Realm of Control! This Keyblade is designed to launch targets into the air much easier! The entire keyblade is modeled after the black marble-like structures found in the astral plane, with the same golden veins in that marble as well. The teeth are made from Hedron, Polaris' counterpart in the Oldest House. The token is a slide from a Slide Projector.

The world logo is that of the Oldest House, the paranatural location that the game takes place. The name, Object of Power comes from terms used by the FBC to designated paranatural objects with supernatural powers.

CULT CLASSIC- A Keyblade modeled after the dual sides of Alan Wake II! This Keyblade is designed to have increased damage from Light-based spells! The hilt of the Key is designed after the woods that Saga Anderson traverses through, as well as the cross guard being that of the Antlers of deers that Saga interacts with. The center of the guard is the bullet hole made by Saga. The top of the shaft forms into the Angel Lamb that Alan Wake uses during his segments, with the wings forming the teeth of the blade. The token is the Cult of the Tree logo.

The world logo is a darker variant of the original World Logo. The name comes from the fact that a Cult Classic refers to a work that is extremely popular within niches, and that this game has two cults: Cult of the Word and Cult of the Tree.

[desire-mona]

more modern poets hcs for greenie!

charlie -

charlie used to post like "annoying gay ppl vs normal gay ppl" memes, had a huge turnaround and they cringe when they think of that time. mentioning blaire white or kalvin garrah would make him jump

has an "i <3 milfs" design of every article of clothing, could make an entire i <3 milfs outfit. shirt, hat, pants, socks, belt, shoes, hoodie, you name it.

todd -

todd is nonbinary bc he is autistic and autistic ppl generally view gender differently. not debating this. this is a fact and this is canon. they/he/she todd anderson, what of it.

chronic procrastinator when it comes to anything besides school. they will put off doctors appointments, finishing tv shows, even charging their phone.

neil -

doesnt use tiktok but he watches todd scroll thru her fyp sometimes and gets very mad at those "acting pov" videos. hes like "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN ACTING POINT OF VIEW" "POINT OF VIEW YOU ONLY HAVE A LIMITED NUMBER OF WORDS???????? WHAT DOES THAT MEEEEEAN"

i see ppl saying that neil would be a swiftie but i would like to suggest that he's a big ethel cain fan, a collection of songs that tell a fictional character's story? tell me thats not right up his alley

meeks -

i dont think this is the type of math meeks bases a career off of but i do think he rly pays attention to architecture and city layouts and stuff. will forever complain abt how inconvenient it is to have a car centered society and how every place should be walkable OR have public transport

collects records despite not having a record player, tapes despite not having a walkman, and cds despite using his cd player maybe 3 times a year. quite honestly its just to have a physical collection of his music taste

pitts -

pitts went thru a "nice guy/ vaguely incel-ular" phase in middle school, but he didnt talk to a singular woman in those years. by the time it went away there was no harm done to anyone but himself and a very annoyed meeks who had to listen to how girls "only go for assholes"

he has a fashion sense so good that ppl online *ask* him to post fit checks, he doesnt do any if theyre not requested of him. pitts is also the one with the biggest online presence, most notably tiktok and twitter

knox -

type of guy to constantly post shit like "like for a tbh" or post anonymous question things on his story. nobody interacts with any of it so he usually just deletes them after half a day

haaaaaaaates texting and will either send very long voice messages or just ask to call whoever he's talking to (me fr i send ppl voice msgs almost exclusively)

cameron -

cam is suuuuuuuper creeped out by ai "art", especially the ai washing feet commercial during the superbowl, which he had nightmares about for a week

his parents are constantly trying weird diets (most notably keto) so he has the weirdest assortment of random ingredients in his pantry. has come up with the strangest "meals" any one of those boys have ever seen

[notokra]

InterCommunication’91 “The Museum Inside The Telephone Network”

Tokyo's 1991 museum show only accessible by telephone, fax and modem, with works by Laurie Anderson, J.G. Ballard, John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Félix Guattari, Derek Jarman, Ryuichi Sakamoto, & many more https://monoskop.org/log/?p=19463

--

The exhibition organised by the Project InterCommunication Center (ICC), founded by the Japanese telecom NTT, was a pioneering project investigating the implications of networked communication for the museum institution. The exhibition was only accessible to home users by means of the telephone, fax, and in a limited sense computer networking. It was meant as a model for a new kind of an “invisible” museum. Later it was followed up by another ICC exhibition The Museum Inside the Network (1995). The ICC opened its exhibition space in 1997.

The works and messages from almost 100 artists, writers, and cultural figures were available through five channels. The works in “Voice & sound channel” such as talks and readings on the theme of communication could be listened to by telephone. The “Interactive channel” offered participants to create musical tunes by pushing buttons on a telephone. Works of art, novels, comics and essays could be received at home through “Fax channel”. The “Live channel” offered artists’ live performances and telephone dialogues between invited intellectuals to be heard by telephone. Additionally, computer graphics works could be accessed by modem and downloaded to one’s personal computer screen for viewing.

Contributors include Laurie Anderson, J.G. Ballard, Christian Boltanski, Pierre Boulez, William S. Burroughs, Merce Cunningham, Daniel Buren, John Cage, Jacques Derrida, Allen Ginsberg, Philip Glass, Félix Guattari, Pontus Hultén, Derek Jarman, Jeff Koons, Daniel Libeskind, Jackson Mac Low, Judith Malina, Renzo Piano, Steve Reich, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Akira Sakata, Paul Virilio, Robert Wilson, Tadanori Yokoo, John Zorn, a.o.

Edited by Urban Design Research Introduction by Akira Asada, Yutaka Hikosaka, and Toshiharu Itou Publisher NTT, Tokyo, 1991 259 pages

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

I'll be back tomorrow with some more thoughts on Met Gala looks, but I'll end with this unexpected royal flashback.

Left: Pamela Anderson in Oscar de la Renta, making her Met Gala debut, 2024.

Right: Princess Margaret for her 21st Birthday in Dior, photographed by Cecil Beaton, 1951.

Margaret's dress was a showstopper in the Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams special exhibition hosted at London's V&A in 2019. Read about the exhibition here:

And if you have AppleTV, I cannot recommend 'The New Look' enough. It's about Parisian fashion during and immediately after WW2, centering on the stories of Christian Dior and Coco Chanel. I thought it was really well-done. Ben Mendelsohn made a perfect Dior. Here's the trailer.

[lolasimms]

Part 1: The Nanny- Abby x reader

Summary: You’re assigned as a live in nanny for a couple and their young daughter, but what happens when your boss takes an interest in you?

—

Ever since you were 6 years old you'd set your sights on becoming a well to do lawyer. You wanted to bring people to justice, bring even the tiniest shred of humanity back to life. That was until the near end of your Junior year of high-school, when your guidance counsellor told you that your school simply didn't have enough clubs or extracurriculars for you to be eligible for a scholarship. So instead of finding a way, you simply gave up.

You got a diploma in early childhood care and moved upstate, working for rich douchebags who couldn't give two fucks about their children. Your agency was one of the best in the business and you were making more than enough to keep you on your feet. You were still new in the business, so when you'd been contacted to work privately, you knew the next home you'd be assigned would be a good one.

That's how you ended up here. You stepped into the expensive mansion, immediately struck by the grandeur of the entrance hall. The walls were adorned with beautiful paintings, and the floor was covered in a plush carpet that felt soft underfoot. The furniture was tasteful and elegant, with a mixture of antique pieces and modern designs. A sweeping staircase lead to the upper floors, and you could see the glimmering crystal chandelier hanging from the high ceiling.

You head snapped to the left at the sound of your name being called. "I'm Martha, the housekeeper, it's nice to meet you." She was dressed in a neat blouse with a skirt, paired with a white apron, stained in what you'd assumed was orange juice. Her brown  hair was tied back in a bun, completed with a black headband that sat in the middle of her head.

"Nice to meet you too, Martha." You smile politely, fidgeting with your rings as the two of you stand in the foyer.

"Mrs Adler is just finishing a yoga session upstairs, but I shall lead you to the living room." She motions for you to follow, so you do. The archway connected to the foyer led into the living area and once again you were struck. You were used to working with rich clients but this wasn't rich, it was wealth. As Martha lead you into the living , you were struck by the sheer size of the space. The room was filled with plush couches and armchairs, arranged around a large fireplace that dominated the center of the room.

The large windows let in plenty of natural light, illuminating the room and making it feel even more spacious. The ceiling was high, with ornate moldings and elegant chandeliers that added to the grandeur of the space. To your left was a grand piano in one corner of the room, and a bar in another, complete with all the accoutrements for entertaining guests. Everything about the living room was designed to be both intimidating and impressive, reflecting the opulence of the home and the lifestyle of its inhabitants.

"Make yourself at home, she should be with you in 30." Martha smiles at you, turning and exiting out of the living area and you take a seat on the larger than life, emerald green sofa. You relax into the chair, taking in the impressive surroundings a little bit more. If this week went smoothly this would be your home for the next six months. You just hoped all would go well. "Hello, Angel!" You're interrupted from your thoughts when a petite brunette with gold highlights bounds into the room. Mrs. Adler.

She was short, about 5ft 5, her long hair was adorned in honey gold highlights , she had a gorgeous figure and she was dressed in head to toe Lululemon. She glanced to her wrist, where you spotted an Apple Watch and a emerald green van cleef bracelet. Your suspicion was confirmed, they weren't just rich. They were loaded.

"Hi, you must be Mrs. Adler" You stand from the sofa and reach your hand out to hers. She takes it, smiling at you.

"It's Mrs. Anderson- Adler, but please just call me Avery." She motions for you to sit and you do, she takes the seat right next to yours.

"I'm really grateful that you and your husband selected me as your nanny, I look forward to meeting your daughter." You smile, a tad bit uncomfortable at how close she was to you. She smelt intoxicating, her perfume rich and florally, despite her just coming down from a workout.

"Oh actually I have a wife, and I'm so honoured that you're our nanny. We've heard a lot about you." You cringe at your mistake, your boss had only told you it was a young couple with a daughter, no more, no less.

"I apologise for my mistake Mrs. Adler." You turn to look at her and she's already smiling down at you.

"Honey please call me Avery, and that's no problem. My daughters name is Livy, she's having a nap right now but you can meet her after that. Any questions?"

"Uhh, not really." You reply, you were used to new clients chatting your ear off about rules, policies and instructions they had for you and their children but she seemed chill. Too chill.

"Good, good. You know you're our first nanny. My wife saw something in you when we looked at the website." She strokes your cheek, smiling at you. Though you're weirded out you find it oddly sweet how kind she is.

"Wow, I'm honestly honoured Avery. I hope I can be the best nanny for you guys." She smiles at your use of her name and claps her hands together.

"Well, Liv's schedule can be a bit extensive, but my wife Abby and I believe it's for the best. Martha will show you to your room and give you a folder of what Liv's routine is like, my darling. I have an appointment with my dietician in 20, See y'a." She kisses your cheek, leaving you surprised and makes her way out of the living area. Something told you she was a bit of an oddball.

—

"Here you go darling, room is all yours. If you need anything just call out for me. Liv's folder is in the drawer of the dresser." Martha points towards the expensive dresser that was perched against the wall.  She smiles, exiting the room and closing the door behind her. The room was nice, a queen sized bed with a blush pink headboard, an ensuite bathroom and expensive furniture to match.

You reached into the drawer, finding Liv's folder and were taken aback by the child's schedule. It was extensive to say the least. Morning stretches, shower, breakfast, sensory time, garden walk, nap-time, after-nap snack, 1 hour screen time, evening walk, dinner, bath-time, sleep. The child had a  practically busier schedule than a COO of a tech company. Curious, you reached for your phone to Google the family name.

'Avery Anderson- Adler' is the wife of Abby Anderson, millionaire heiress to the Anderson family fortune.

You'd heard that name before Abby Anderson. You clicked on it and Lo and behold an image of a buff blonde with sapphire blue eyes appeared. She was so good-looking, tall just all round breath taking.

'Abby Anderson is the daughter of Late Dr. Jerry Anderson, owner of the Anderson Hospital.'

That's where you'd heard the name! The Anderson hospital was basically the largest private hospital in the city, if not the state. That explained why these people were loaded. You quickly clicked out of the Google tab and made your way to Liv's room.

"Hi, Liv. I'm your new nanny" You tell her your name, as you wave at the small girl who had just woken up. She had brown hair, brown eyes and looked just like Avery. She gave you a shy smile and reacher her hand out to you.

"Hi" she greeted you with your name and you smiled, taking her hand and helping her out of the large comforter that was practically swallowing her.

"Are you hungry Liv, cause your schedule says it's snack time!" She nods fervently and you lead her out the door and down the staircase.

—

"What do you usually eat for your snack?" You ask the child who was sat on a barstool, clutching a stuffed bear to her chest.

"I like cheese and vegetables, but not radish. Mommy always forces me to eat radish." You giggle at the disgusted face she makes at the memory of eating radish and make your way to the fridge.

"Don't worry Liv, I won't make you eat any radish." You find the fridge fully stocked, just like the ones in those architectural digest videos. Bottled Voss waters, sparkling water, soy milk and almond milk, an array of fruits and vegetables, cuts of cheese and deli meats. You grab some of the cheese cubes and a few carrots and celery.

"What's going on in here?" You turn once you hear the intimidating voice. To be met with the woman you'd just googled no longer than 20 minutes ago. Abby.

"Mrs Anderson, nice to meet you, I'm the new nanny." You tell her your name, your hands shaking, damn near about to drop Liv's snack. She was eyeing you head to toe, sizing you up as if you were some sort of meal.

"I know, I chose you." She smirks, walking over to the island, where Liv was sitting and placing a kiss on the child's forehead. You scramble to find a chopping board when she clears her throat making you focus your attention on her again.

"Can I help you?" You smile politely, her eyes never leave yours, the eye contact intimidating you to no end.

"You can actually, I don't want you to look so nervous. You were much prettier in your photo when you were calm." She walks around the counter to stand beside you ,leaning forwards, awaiting your reply.

"Yes Mrs. Anderson" You nod, as you begin to cut up the carrots for Liv's now delayed snack.

"You can call me Abby."

[cosmindart]

Apollo's intro and FREE RESSOURCES

Hello Im Apollo Ampersand Cosmo. Im a Trans French Cabo-Verdean artist born in 1993 (turning 30 this year baby!)

I LIKE TO DRAW MEN WHO KISS MEN

I mostly make OC content centered around the @askisaak story or my side characters like Lazarus B Anderson, Lemres Moore or my UTAU WavSEED. Im also well verse in Live2D stuff and love worldbuilding.

I offer a large variety of free to use resources that you can find below

Rules regarding my resources!

Credits preferred

DO ANYTHING YOU WANT

You can use these for monetary uses (adopts, YCHs, etc) under the condition that you buy me a kofi (3$) 

You can use these for commission/raffle/gift work as long as you tell your customers free resources were used

Do not use to promote harmful content

Do not use for AI/NFT bullshit, this should be a given!

N-ence Clothing

A fictional line of techwear themed clothes you can use for your OC or sona. Come with a set of bases.

Fonts/Alphabets

Open Species (some of these have premade bases for MYOs)

CLOUROTOPIA

Multiple clown themed species. (Includes NPCs and feral fauna as part of the world building)

CHIMEBIES

Fliying Snake-like reptiles

BUMBLEBOLTS

Robot Bees/insectoids

BRANDICORES

Little creechurs (site page is a wip so i linked the TH subgallery)

HANACORIUS

Flower Unicorn Fauns. Come with 2 subtypes of Hanacornius

PHOSLYTES

Bioluminescent aliens (Includes feral fauna, food/fruits and other alien designs as part of the world building)

SESKIES

Unfinished concept, Pretty barebones, Based on selkies

CROSHELUSES

Based on Hermit crabs (includes a bit of world building like dances and naming conventions)

MORE FAUNA

Furry Bases

Humanoid Bases

Templates/YCHs

Scene Backgrounds

Pattern Backgrounds

Picrews

Icon Borders

Other/Misc (tattoos, page deco, phone wallpapers...)

and more like

Worlduilding Concepts and AUs

F2U Live2D avatars

Among Us emotes

Among Us overlay/code hidders

Bunojis

[dalekofchaos]

Cody Rhodes AEW run was weird and ridiculous

Cody’s AEW run was so ridiculous to me

I will admit it started out promising.

That great match with Dustin that showed us AEW is fucking here.

Then Cody gets a neck tattoo

The Elite vs the Inner Circle...

And it was all downhill from there.

First off you're the babyface. Why do you have a 5+ man entourage following you to the ring to face a heel?

Then while you're the big babyface of the company, your wife is running the worst faction of the company as a heel, but then comes out to support you as a valet.

Then he’s the only guy who gets the special entrance.

Oh and then he decides to have a a stipulation that bars him from challenging for the AEW World Championship.

Had this great feud to elevate MJF.

Can't be the world champ? Might as well create a title specifically designed for you to get over.

Elevated the likes of Darby Allin, RIcky Starks, Eddie Kingston, Jack Perry, and Brodie Lee.

Brodie Lee killed him after winning the TNT title and Cody returned with black hair for some fucking reason

The whole Shaq feud...well it happened. Only good thing to come out of it was Jade Cargill.

And nothing ever got better. Cody created the Codyverse. A forced babyface in the center of midcard feuds that never got over. And he started dressing like fucking Homelander. Cody lacking complete self-awareness that Homelander was the villain when the fans were practically begging him to turn heel.

The stupid QT Marshall feud.

Then he has the most ridiculous, carny and overbloated feud between himself and Anthony Ogogo where he markets his mixed baby. He did it! Cody ended racism.....while racially antagonizing a British black man.

The feud with Malakai Black. Black killed Cody in his debut, lost two matches in a role and Armed Anderson debuted. When your manager was more over than you, it's time to pack up and go. But Cody finally got his win back.

Oh and Cody and Brandi did a fucking kayfabe breaking reality show. That happened.

Oh and Brandi set Cody's back on fire. That happened. "That's what you get for that stupid neck tattoo, babe"

Then the fucking Dan Lambert feud happened. When Dan fucking Lambert is more over and more cheered than this alleged babyface and his wife, it's time to pack up and go home. It was absolutely fucking ridiculous.

But he did business and left on a high note by putting Sammy Dipshit Guevara over. Which then condemned us to the neverending Sammy and Scorpio Sky/Dan Lambert feud. So..thanks Cody, I guess.

Cody left for WWE. His reasons is never explained. It's hinted it was something personal. It can't be anything about his fellow Elite members when he's stated multiple times that he has a great relationship with Kenny and the Bucks and the same is said mutually. It was either a money issue or something to do with Brandi. Time will tell when those pesky NDA's expire.

But it all worked out in the end, didn't it? He helped start a revolution with his friends while also raising his stock to WWE so he can finally do what Dusty couldn't. So I guess it worked out fine.

[writtenjewels]

Informal

Shepard was excited when he stepped on board the Normandy. Captain Anderson prepped him on what he would find: a sleek frigate with an unusual set-up for the CIC. Apparently that part of the ship was inspired by the turians. It would definitely take some getting used to, but what better way to flatter your former enemy than to model your command center after their design?

He wished he had more time to read up on the crew before launch. Some of the names looked familiar—no doubt his parents talked about them, or possibly even worked with them—but Shepard wasn't familiar with anybody. He trusted Anderson's judgment, though.

Shepard stepped onto the bridge, where he found the pilot and copilot, along with their Spectre guest. Though he hadn't gotten a chance to talk with any of them yet, Shepard already knew that the pilot preferred being called “Joker” and that the guy in the copilot seat was a biotic. Even if he hadn't read it in the lieutenant's file, everyone onboard was talking about Alenko's biotics. Just one of the many factors that made this shakedown run a little unusual.

After Nihlus left the bridge, Joker declared, “I hate that guy.”

“Nihlus gave you a compliment,” Alenko remarked, “so you hate him?”

“Spectres are bad news,” Joker insisted. “Call me paranoid.”

“You're paranoid,” Alenko obliged without missing a beat. Shepard had to fight back the laugh that wanted to burst out from that. The conversation continued, with Joker warning Anderson that Nihlus was on his way.

“He's already here, Joker,” the captain replied.

“Is it me, or is the captain always angry?” Joker observed.

“Only when he's talking to you, Joker,” Alenko responded. Again, Shepard had to bite back his laugh. He tried to catch Alenko's eye, and the lieutenant looked up to meet his gaze. Alenko's lip pulled up in the barest of smiles and there was a glint in his hazel eyes. Shepard smiled back at him, then they both broke eye contact to focus back on their tasks.

Shepard still hadn't lost the smile when he stepped into the meeting between Nihlus and Anderson. He found himself grateful for Alenko's playful banter putting him in a good mood. He needed it to balance the seriousness of what this “shakedown” run was really about.

No one was in the mood for playful banter after Eden Prime. Losing Jenkins weighed on Shepard, and every time he closed his eyes, his mind would play back the images from the beacon. They had some down-time before reaching the Citadel and Shepard was feeling restless. He left the crew quarters with no real destination in mind.

He found Alenko at a work station. The biotic wiped an arm across his brow and stepped away from the console. His expression was tight and strained, but the moment he spotted Shepard it cleared. He snapped a salute.

“At ease.” Shepard waved him off. Alenko relaxed slightly.

“How are you feeling, Commander?”

“I don't know how I can answer that, Lieutenant.”

“For me, I think 'shitty' would about sum it up,” Alenko commented. Shepard felt his lip twitch and a brief lightness filled him. “Corporal Jenkins was just a kid, eager to get his feet wet on a real mission. And Nihlus...” He let out a breath. “He was a Council Spectre. I can't imagine how his death is going to reflect on the Alliance. Then there's the beacon—a priceless Prothean artifact, and it was destroyed on our watch. So... yeah, things are shitty.”

“Hard to find a bright side,” Shepard sighed.

“We're going to the Citadel,” Alenko reminded him. “The hub of the galaxy, where all the species come together. I've only ever heard about its size and scope before. It'll be incredible to see it in person. And we'll get to see all the other aliens that make up our galaxy. There will be asari, salarians, elcor, and volus. It's an opportunity to learn more about them.”

“Wow.” Shepard let out a soft laugh. “I like your optimism, Lieutenant.” It was more than that. Alenko had clearly been thinking a lot about their situation, both the good and bad. The fact that he could be optimistic made Shepard more hopeful, too.

“I'm just hoping some good comes out of all this, that's all,” Alenko said. “Sorry if I'm being too informal,” he quickly added. “Something about this reminds me of Brain Camp, and we were never big on protocol there.”

“Brain Camp?” Shepard echoed.

“That's what we called it. Officially, it was known as Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training. I'll tell you about it later.”

“I look forward to it. And don't worry too much about informality. From what I saw on the bridge, it's a strength of yours.”

“Oh.” Alenko looked surprised. His expression softened and he chuckled. “You'd be the first of my commanding officers to even notice, let alone consider it a strength.”

“I'm honored.” Shepard smiled at him. “I hope I can see more of it in the future.” That got Alenko to smile back at him.

Their situation was still shitty, but Shepard was feeling better about it after talking to the lieutenant.

[simslegacy5083]

Today's (10/29/2024) Episode: Wholesome Morning Fun

Luigi and Noemi had successfully launched Watcher Tales right before their originally planned New Year’s Eve release date.

With that deadline off their backs, the family was able to relax and enjoy the holiday in style. In honor of all the relatives who had helped with his game launch, Luigi orchestrated a charity stream at the local gaming center, raising money for the family's foundation for at risk youth.

They kicked things off early in the morning, gathering a group of sims to participate in a timed Watcher Tales build challenge.

“You’ve got 2 hours to create a rockin’ party venue” Luigi told them “I’ll be checking in throughout on your progress, and at the end we’ll take turns touring all your creations, while our online viewers vote on their favorite. Good luck everyone!”

The winning build wound up being a futuristic nightclub lot, designed by the foundation’s volunteer computer science tutor, Mauricio.

Luigi had known this fellow computer lover since their teen years, when he’d been captain of Copperdale High’s computer club. The now much more mellow sim had put his interest in technology to good use both at the foundation and as a teacher at their old alma mater.

“I love your game, and so do my students.” he told Luigi when he came over to offer his congratulations. “The logic and data puzzles you added to the gearhead career are genius. It’s a fun way for kids to learn some of the basics of programming and I’m excited to work it into my lesson plans.”

As the attendees enjoyed placing their creations into their game worlds, Luigi was setting up breakfast with Grandpa Don and his friend Anderson.

“Anderson, this is Lalani. She wants to open her own catering business someday and today she’ll be helping you prepare your famous waffles for our event. Meanwhile, our volunteer Bradley here will be helping Don prepare drinks for all our guests. Nothing too potent now, he’s still a teen!”

“Brunch will be served shortly” he hollered to the crowd. “In the meantime, feel free to enjoy any of the fun activities we’ve setup throughout the center and thank you again for coming out to support this great cause!”

While Luigi was busy hosting the event and gathering footage for the foundations future promotions his son was unloading his most recent woes onto his friend Elyse “…then a clown with pliers started yanking out my teeth. It was awful! That wasn’t just a dream either…” he finished with a sigh “A bunch of my baby teeth are loose, and I hate how they’re all wiggly in my mouth. Daddy said I could just pull them out but I’m afraid to.”

“I totally get it” Elyse replied “I have nightmares too, and losing teeth is the worst! I yank mine to make sure I don’t swallow any in my sleep!”

“Oh, I don’t want to swallow them” Skye whimpered, more scared than ever, just in time for Bruce to jump into the conversation.

“I heard when you swallow a tooth it stays in your stomach for SEVEN YEARS!” their feisty friend grinned evilly at Skye’s horrified expression. “Now quite your bellyaching and come upstairs so I can kick your butts on this HUGE Space Invaders arcade game I found!”

After the meal Noemi gathered the children and teens for a little programming workshop. “Today I’ll show you how to program a simple music player and synthesizer so you can make your own tunes. I’ll also show you how to add your music tracks to Watcher Tales so you can hear them in game!”

Luigi filmed the kids working on their players, providing tips and tricks as he went. The sight of his friends, relatives, and the at-risk kids playing and learning together warmed his heart and made him proud of the good work the foundation was doing to help sims who might otherwise fall through the cracks.

Checking the donation counter Lugi was excited to see they’d already raised a healthy sum, and the day was just getting started!

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[a-man-for-hire-and-his-archives]

Black Sails: 13 Facts About The Starz Hit Worth More Than Stolen Treasure

BY ERICH B. ANDERSON/DEC. 31, 2022 1:15 PM EST

With contemporary series like "Vikings" and "Game of Thrones," "Black Sails" may often be overlooked when compared to other epic dramas of the 2010s, which makes it one of the most underrated shows of the decade. Not only is the scale of the pirate adventure immense with many scenes taking place upon impressive naval vessels, but the political intrigue and intimate interactions of the characters make it an entertaining watch for several different audiences.

The show as a whole does a brilliant job of mixing fiction with historical figures like the notorious pirate captains Blackbeard (Ray Stevenson) and Charles Vane (Zach McGowan) whose lives were so legendary that they verge on fantasy. But at its core, the story centers on the complicated friendship between its two main characters, Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) and his deviously clever quartermaster, Long John Silver, in the years before their sagas are continued in the later tale of "Treasure Island." For a series devoted to such larger-than-life individuals, the making of it also had its fair share of epic details and moments as well, which you can enjoy reading below.

The series is an unofficial prequel to Treasure Island

Although "Black Sails" is its own story for the most part, from the very beginning it was always meant to show the events building up to the classic work of fiction "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson. More than anything, the creators of the series wanted to tie up loose ends to the famous tale and give their explanation to who the characters were up to in the years before, as showrunner Jonathan Steinberg explained to Entertainment Weekly: "At the end of the book, it's recounted by other people that Captain Flint died in Savannah alone, which begs a lot of questions."

Flint's origin is certainly not the only one covered with both Long John Silver's and Billy Bones' backstories explained thoroughly as well. For Billy especially, his situation in the finale of the series gives all new meaning to what happens to him later in the novel. Steinberg added: "It is clear we are suggesting he is on 'Treasure Island,' which I think has a number of implications if you go back and read the book."

After four seasons, it is clear the showrunner was pleased with how the series handled the continuity, saying: "It felt like we had finished the argument a little bit, in terms of connecting it not just to 'Treasure Island,' but to our contemporary understanding of what piracy was, about what Caribbean piracy was."

2. The opening credits features the hurdy-gurdy

Several aspects of "Black Sails" make it stand out as a particularly fascinating TV series, with one of the top being its unique theme music in the opening credits. Not only is the memorable tune composed by the talented Bear McCreary who is well known for his work on "The Walking Dead" and "Battlestar Galactica," but it also features quite an unusual instrument known as a hurdy-gurdy, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Also known as a wheel fiddle, the hurdy-gurdy is a folk instrument that has existed for around 1,000 years and is played to this day all over Western Europe, from Italy to England. In a 2010 TED Talk, musician Caroline Phillips explained that the complex and bulky device originally required two people to operate it until the design was improved a few centuries later, so it could be used by a single performer. Although a fundamental part of the instrument is the strings, akin to a violin, the sound produced can also be compared to bagpipes.

3. The show was filmed in South Africa

While "Black Sails" takes place predominantly in the Caribbean, that was not the place chosen to film the epic pirate drama. Instead, the Starz network went with the fairly new Cape Town Studios for the production, and needless to say that the South African-based company was ecstatic over the decision. Ahead of filming Season 1, Film Afrika producer Vlokkie Gordon said: "We are delighted to have been awarded ['Black Sails'] and it is further proof of South Africa's international reputation for outstanding production skill and expertise" (via The Location Guide). Gordon continued: "A production of this scope provides not only employment for South Africans, but also skills transfer which is in line with Film Afrika's policy of supporting growth and development of the South African film and television industry."

The swashbuckling series was then added to the growing list of productions shot out of Cape Town, including "Safe House," "Chronicle," and "Mad Max: Fury Road," as per the Cape Town Film Studios website. Plus, another Starz series benefited greatly from the elaborate ship sets built there, with "Outlander" using the Jamaican landscapes in its third season, according to Entertainment Weekly.

4. 300 people worked on the pirate ship

The impressive sailing vessels featured in "Black Sails" are almost as important to the story as the characters themselves. Therefore, a ton of work was put into the construction of the sets in order to make the maritime setting feel real for the cast, and more importantly, the audience. In a behind-the-scenes clip shared by Starz, senior rigger Joel Yates explained: "The carpenters building the boat it took them, I think, four or five months. They want it to look as authentic as possible because what we've built is a very accurate replica of a sailing ship."

The end product, called The Walrus in the show, was massive as well, as Yates revealed that the full ship is approximately 140 feet long. And to pull off such an incredible feat, it took a gigantic crew with various skill sets, as construction coordinator Clive Pollack shared: "There are 300 people working on the boat. There are carpenters, sculptors, painters, riggers, sailmakers."

5. There were no bathrooms for cast and crew on the ship

For as grand as the prominent pirate ship is in "Black Sails," it does have its faults as it also serves as the set of a modern TV production. In a 2016 interview with Den of Geek, actor Zach McGowan revealed the biggest problem for the cast and crew on set: "The hardest thing about the ships, most people don't realize, is just when you're on the ship at the top of the deck somewhere, it's very far to the nearest bathroom. There's no bathroom on the ships."

Even with that minor complaint, McGowan went on to stress that being on the deck of the ship at sea was such a great experience that the actor wished he had more of those scenes. It's also his opinion that most of the cast felt the same way, except possibly the ones who spent the most time on board, such as Toby Stephens.

6. The actors went through pirate boot camp

Like most epic dramas featured on premium channels, "Black Sails" is filled with massive battle sequences, in this case often between rival pirate clans, or against the relentless forces of the British and Spanish empires. While the nature of naval warfare means that a good amount of these conflicts are long distance, yet devastating, as cannonballs attempt to rip enemy vessels apart, much of the brutal combat is at close quarters.

All of the fight scenes in the series are quite impressive, so it makes sense that many cast members received special training. In a Q&A with a few of the main actors, shared by Starz in 2015, Luke Arnold revealed: "We all went through a three-week pirate boot camp. Well, the pirates of the crew did at the beginning of shooting." And it was a good thing that they did because when asked if they could survive the rough conditions of the time period, the general consensus was an adamant no. Toby Stephens then elaborated with a laugh: "The real trouble, I'd be ok on Nasau, it was as soon as I'd get on a boat and I had to sail anywhere."

7. Clara Paget came up with Anne Bonny's distinctive look

From Charles Vane, Edward Teach, and Jack Rackham to Captain Flint, Long John Silver, and Billy Bones, "Black Sails" has all sorts of characters based on either historic people or from the famous fictional tale, "Treasure Island." Therefore, both the writers of the show and the actors who portrayed these popular figures had to work with what was already known about them. But at the same time, there was a lot of creative freedom as well.

A somewhat minor, though fascinating aspect of another one of these real characters in the series, Anne Bonny, was thought up by actress Clara Paget. In a 2016 interview with Den of Geek, when asked what she contributed to the role, the actress replied: "I suppose the hat. That came completely organically. I tried on this hat and then I was pulling it down in an almost jokey way, like an old-school Western. Then it became who she is, hiding behind this hat. It really works for the character because, as I said, it shows this vulnerable side at the same time as being a badass through one side or the other. Like schizophrenic, bipolar."

8. Zack McGowan broke a stuntman's jaw by accident

A major reason that the fight scenes in "Black Sails" are so good is because of the enthusiasm of the cast and crew when filming, yet there was one time that may have gone a little too far. When a stuntman on set named Daryl was to be hit with the butt of a rifle by Zach McGowan, the dedicated performer showed no fear and encouraged the actor to strike him square in the face. The veteran stuntman figured it was no big deal since the thing was only made of rubber. Since Daryl seemed more than fine with the idea, McGowan went along with the idea.

In a 2017 interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Toby Stephens recalled the disastrous, though somewhat funny result: "Zach, who's brilliant at this kind of thing, whacked him straight in the jaw, as the guy asked, and totally broke his jaw. It looks fantastic, it actually made the cut, and it looked absolutely brilliant. At the end of it, I just remember Daryl going, 'No, it's fine. It's okay, don't worry about it.'" Fortunately, the stuntman was not seriously harmed, so they were able to joke about it a bit.

9. Zack McGowan climbed the balconies of a building to get rum

"Black Sails" is filled with many incredible exploits of pirate warriors as they battle on the high seas, but a behind-the-scenes achievement by one of the actors was almost as impressive as what was shown on screen. During a break in filming, the cast was having a good time together but needed some rum, so Zach McGowan went to rather extreme lengths to remedy the situation.   

In order to gain access to the prized liquor in a room several floors up, the actor literally scaled the side of the building all on his own. When talking with Rotten Tomatoes, cast member Hannah New described the amazing sight, saying: "He did this like Spider-Man kind of thing where he climbed up these balconies … it's incredible, he does like, God knows how many chin-ups every day. So, he can just chin up these balconies."

After McGowan successfully got the rum and then made the way back down with it in his front pocket, the cast waiting down below were too awestruck to do anything but tensely watch. Fellow actress Jessica Parker Kennedy added: "And none of us videotaped it. I think we were all in such shock, it was so scary, I thought he was going to fall and break his neck and we would have to explain it to our producers the next day."

10. It took all season to film Luke Arnold's underwater scene

In the fourth season of "Black Sails," Long John Silver nearly perishes in the sea as he struggles to escape his sinking ship. Actor Luke Arnold must have been pleased that his character ultimately survived the harrowing experience, but filming the scenes was definitely not easy for the actor. Even though he was confident in the comprehensive training he received beforehand, Arnold still had to overcome a major fear of performing in those conditions.

When asked specifically about those tense underwater moments, he told Collider in a 2017 interview: "That was the beginning of hell that kept getting crazier as it went along. That took all season to shoot. We were in the water tank, from the beginning of the season, stuck underwater, all day." To his dismay, Arnold was right when he assumed it would take longer to finish than the filmmakers first thought, yet it was all worth it, as he added: "Right until the last couple of weeks, I was doing bits of the underwater stuff to make that whole sequence as spectacular as it is."

11. Luke Arnold received a special gift from a producer

Luke Arnold was one of several major cast members of "Black Sails" who was in the show from the very beginning all the way through to the climactic finale. The actor very much enjoyed his time filming the series, so when he found a cherished memento from the early days, it was a big deal. In the same interview with Collider, he revealed: "We were shooting a scene in Season 4 that was back in Eleanor's office, and I found the piece of paper that I was writing the directions to find the Urca de Lima on, which was the very first scene we shot in Episode 103. Nina Jack, who was one of our producers on Season 4, got it framed and gave it to me as a gift, so I've gone away with that. That was amazing!"

On the other hand, there were parts of the series that Arnold did not remember so fondly, mostly from the difficulties that arose in pretending to have lost a leg. In this endeavor, he was able to use a crutch on screen, but the prop caused him so much discomfort that he grew to despise it.

12. Luke Arnold had a legless stunt double

Once Long John Silver tragically loses his leg in "Black Sails," Luke Arnold had some difficulty filming scenes as the character, so he was grateful to have help from a stuntman named Ben de Jager who is also missing the limb. The actor told Collider: "It was great to have somebody who's gone through the experience of losing a leg. He did step in for a lot of stuff, mainly because it was so much easier to have him there. If you're shooting from behind or you're focusing on the foot, it's easier to have someone in who's missing the leg than to do it with me and spend a fortune on visual effects to change things."

Though Arnold certainly got along with de Jager, there also seemed to have been a little jealousy in sharing screen time for the role. The actor admitted that a downside for him was his absence in some major Long John Silver moments of the show.

13. The writers gradually decided to bring back Flint's lover, Thomas

For as dark as "Black Sails" can be throughout the series, it ended on a fairly happy note as the main character, Captain Flint, is finally reunited with the love of his life, Thomas Hamilton (Rupert Penry-Jones). Both men are sentenced to imprisonment on a plantation, yet all that matters to the pair is that they are together again. Viewers may have been somewhat surprised that Thomas had returned to the show given the fact that he was thought to be dead, but over time the writers decided that was not going to be his fate.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2017, Jonathan Steinberg explained: "We had a sense in Season 2 when he died off-screen, that any character who dies off-screen, you're taking the word of the messenger as to whether or not it actually happened. We knew we weren't finished with him. And then at some point in Season 3, we realized it would be reasonably late in the series when he came back, so in Season 4 it felt right."

Source: Looper

[stevenbasic]

Growing into the Job, Post 388: Plan B

“During the early days, the resistant cells that were forming had their successes and failures. Mostly failures.”  - Lakshmi Vallurupalli

“Alright, well…this sucks,” the gray man groaned, running a hand through thinning hair. They’d assembled on this early evening as an emergency meeting of Resistance Cell IL-5. “Does it have to be during dinner time?” he heard his wife’s scolding echoing through his head along with his pitiful response: “S-sorry honey w-w-we’ll make it quick.”

He knew the place still reeked of cat pee, even though Ned hadn’t arrived yet. Buzzcut was here, Moustache was here. And, of course, Anderson, who had basically been living in hi- well, his wife’s family’s basement - on the threadbare couch for some time now. Honestly, he was starting to wear out his welcome. 

“Yeah, sorry, it does stink, I really thought it would work,” Anderson lamented. He was standing at the pool table, the center of their makeshift command center. It had been Anderson and Gray Man’s plan to get the lawyers involved. To get their contacts in the court system active. To avoid any unnecessary violence in separating the “primary targets” as Buzzcut liked to call them 

“Sounds to me like them suits crashed and burned,” came Buzzcut, the ex-Coast Guard petty officer with more self-satisfaction in his voice than necessary. “Lawyers,” he grumbled, stroking the firearm at his side, “paper pushers, poindexters.” Buzzcut had been frustrated with the whole process. All this time it took to organize the warrants and writs, and now? “Still SUSFU. Big waste. Total burn bags.”

Anderson bit his tongue. All this guy’s military jargon was getting on his nerves. He knew it annoyed the others, too, except Ned. And of course all the grunts. They ate it up. 

“Where’s Fineman now? The other two?” the gray man inquired, asking about the attorneys.  He stepped over to the big cork board Buzzcut had stuck to the wall. Their makeshift conspiracy board had a number of photos of the players at FHMA  stuck to it with pushpins. Red thread ran between them, designating and labeling relationships. “Shouldn’t we, like, debrief them?” He shivered, looking up at the image of Mellissa  Monroe, the major player. There was something about her…she just... 

“I guess all three of them are home,” Anderson answered, watching the gray man reach out and straighten the picture of the Monroe woman on its thumbtack. “They sound a little freaked out.”

Moustache really hadn’t said much, since he’d arrived. 

“Well, we should get them here, debrief them,”  Buzzcut said, acting as if he’d just come up with the idea himself. “But in the meantime we need to plan our next operation.” Stepping over to the conspiracy board, he motioned to the gray man. “Gimme that ink stick.”

The gray man picked up a red marker, handed it to him. 

“The way I see it,” Buzzcut began, running a hand across his close-shaven pate, “is we need a new approach.”

Thanks Captain Obvious, the gray man thought, shuddering as Buzzcut began to draw red targets across the faces of the women on the conspiracy board. He’d spent time (maybe too much time, truth be told) curating those photos, carefully selecting them from the girls’ instagram feeds (which he, uh, researched vigorously). 

“Wh-what are you thinking?” Anderson asked, unsure if he wanted to know the answer. 

“Well, ‘we’re going to need guns, a lot of guns’,” Buzzcut replied, dropping into his action hero voice and - like he tended to do - misquoting one of his favorite old movies. He continued to draw concentric red circles on the faces of the women.

The gray man shuddered. This was all beginning to get very real. Yes, Buzzcut was ex-military (Coast Guard…) as were a bunch of the grunts. The gray man liked his guns - he had a pretty good collection, now - but he’d never actually used one on another person. He didn’t think any of them had. He watched Buzzcut put an extra pushpin into Melissa Monroe’s photo, right at the center of the target he’d drawn. 

“‘Okay, this chick is gonna be toast!’” Buzzcut laughed, again murdering yet another movie quote. 

The gray man watched Buzzcut as he continued to stare at the photo, somehow managing to ignore her gloriously large breasts and perfect smile as he plotted their next move. “So what’s it going to be? This new plan?”

“I dunno but it’s gonna need a real cool name,” Buzzcut answered, pondering his options. This was it, this was his chance, he thought. He’d always dreamed of a moment like this, preparing to lead a group of his guys into combat. Suddenly he was the leader, and everyone would do what he told them to do. So, yeah, he needed a plan. And a plan name. “We’re going to call it…”

A pause as he turned, putting the cap back on the marker with a dramatic <click>. 

“…Plan B.”

=======================================

[wowbright]

Fic: Home for Christmas

Fandom/pairing: Glee, Kurt/Blaine

Event: December Klaine Fanworks Challenge 2023

Prompt: I'll Be Home For Christmas

Words: ~650 words                                  

Rating: Teen and up

Summary: On Blaine’s second Christmas as a missionary, he calls the Anderson clan. But first, he calls Kurt.

Notes: This is part of my Mormon!Klaine universe. It takes place after Out of Eden, which I am still in the process of posting to AO3. It’s among the likely possibilities for their future.

* * *

Christmas was as perfect as it could get on a mission. Blaine spent the day at the refugee center, playing with kids and chatting with the adults who didn't know German, but knew English. He and his companion came here at least twice a week now; President Steele had increased their service hours to ten a week so they could help out with the church’s refugee efforts. And because it was Christmas, they were allowed to spend even more time volunteering.

This was the kind of missionary work Blaine loved—sharing Christ's love not by preaching, but by helping to put smiles on the faces of people who had every reason to frown.

Unfortunately, they couldn't spend forever there. In the evening, they returned to their apartment to make their twice-a-year phone calls home. Blaine’s companion went into the bedroom for his call, shutting the door behind him. Blaine stayed in the kitchen and removed his contraband phone from its hiding place in his bag. He would call Arizona in a few minutes, but first he had someone else to talk to.

“Blaine! I'm so glad you got a chance to call! Merry Christmas!” Kurt’s voice was effervescent. It made Blaine feel light and bubbly inside. He was so grateful to Elder Nixon for convincing him to buy this phone.

“Me too. My companion is in the bedroom now calling his folks, and the door is closed. I love Christmas!” Blaine was already smiling so hard, he could feel a pleasant ache in his cheeks.

"Have you already called your folks?”

“No, he thinks that's what I'm doing now. And I will call them, but I had to hear your voice first. So tell me all about your Christmas!”

“Well—” Kurt launched into a warm and funny story about a candy cane incident involving his dad and aunt. “And yesterday’s caroling at the senior center with the old members of the glee club was fun. Most of our audience really seemed to enjoy it, but my favorite was the old lady who hated us. They had a big table of craft supplies for making decorations, and she kept taking the pipe cleaners and folding them up in suggestive designs and then throwing them at us. And she had the most creative insults! Really spunky! I can only aspire to be so charismatic in my old age.”

Blaine chuckled. Kurt was one of a kind.

“Now, tell me about your day,” Kurt said. “What did you do? I hope you didn't have to sit through an uncomfortable Christmas dinner with a family you hardly know. I hated those. I always felt like I was imposing.”

"It was great!” Blaine told Kurt all about it. They texted regularly, so Kurt was familiar with many of the names and personalities. But talking was special. Blaine didn't get many chances where he was alone enough that he could carry on a conversation out loud on his verboten phone.

“I'm so glad you're getting to volunteer more,” Kurt said. “You sound really happy.”

“I am, when I'm working with them. Some of the other stuff is still hard, but whenever I can help people, everything gets better,” Blaine said. “I still miss you, though. A lot.”

“I know. I miss you, too. I don't say it much, because I don't want to do anything that would pull you back home before you’re ready. But I’ll be really, really happy to see you and hold you and kiss you and … Well, my dad’s in the next room. I can't get too graphic. But I'm looking forward to all that when you get back, Blaine.”

Blaine felt himself blushing—out of delight more than modesty. “Me, too. And I can't wait to be home with you next Christmas.”

“Oh?” Kurt’s tone was flirtatious. “Whose home? Yours or mine?”

“It doesn't matter. Anywhere you are is home to me, Kurt.”