#awesome rock layers

[qqweebird]

not to express interest in my field of study but wtffff what the fuck crust movement is so crazy. i think most people generally understand that plate tectonics is A Thing and that continents moving around is what makes mountains happen but holy shit. the fact that the crust isnt like this static, solid, unchanging material but an ever-evolving squishy body that is constantly consuming and regenerating itself and in between those ends its just like. crushing and uplifting and folding over itself. like do you Understand that when you see those bent layers in a mountainside or road cut what you are literally looking at is some basin's million-year, horizontal tree rings of sediment collection that were turned to rock and then The Earth Bent And Twisted Itself Up Into Knots

like HELLO!?!?!? someone call a doctor im about to throw up

[angstics]

THE BAND FUCKING GLASS BEACH!!!!!!!!!!! i often forget that my chemical romance has had a profound impact on us culture and music

[fiddlededeejester]

i have been going about this ALL WRONG. why have i been avoiding wearing certain pieces of clothing because they don't go with my outfits???? i will make them go with my outfits and i will look bad on purpose. i am awesome

[fredwkong]

The Boxers

Sometimes, the perfect life just finds you, bruh.

I used to be a pretty normal guy. Wait, scratch that, I was a total fuckin’ nerd. I spent all my time playin’ video games and readin’ fantasy books and shit. I was getting a degree in computer science, so I spent all my time alone, coding shitty apps and nerding out on Reddit.

I had, like, no sex life, lmao. I was a weedy little Indian geek, bro, you know the type, right? I had negative game. Every weekend, I’d spend all night playing WoW or whatever, then go to bed and fantasise about how many bros I’d get once I was, like, CEO of a multibillion dollar startup.

I guess the universe looked at me one day and said, “Why wait, bro?”

I got back to my dorm one night and these, like, gross boxers were sitting right on my floor. I remember I thought they were totally lame, because they had the Sriracha logo all over them. “Who wears those but nasty frat boys?” I thought to myself. Huhuhu, little did the old me know.

Anyway, these boxers were totally messing up the vibes of my dorm. I used to be such a neat freak, bro. A place for everything, and everything in its place. A smelly, used pair of boxers made my skin crawl. So, obvi, I went to pick them up with two of my slim little fingers and toss them in the trash. I figured it was some kind of gross prank on me.

Once I’d picked ‘em up, I could see exactly how dirty those boxers were. The legs were stiff with layers of musky sweat, the smell wafting off them strong enough to make my eyes water. There were a couple of grease stains on them, like some dude had eaten dinner in just his undies. The crotch was crusty, too. Someone, maybe multiple someones, had cum in these boxers.

I remember wondering why the thought got me hard.

Rather than taking the Sriracha boxers to the trash like I’d planned, I found myself giving them a second sniff, and then a third. Goddamn, they were fuckin’ gross, bro. I thought it was just my disgust making me smell them over and over again. Like I was trying to figure out exactly what had gotten on them.

Before long, I was palming my lil cock through my slacks, holding the boxers close to my face with my other hand. It was, like, a total head rush every time I took another sniff. Like I could feel my brain blanking out as I took more and more of the musky stench into me. Not that I knew that was what was actually happening, huhuhu.

When I stripped off my pants and undies to jerk off better, I suddenly had an awesome idea. I could, like, wear the Sriracha boxers and jerk off in them. My brain was already at least halfway transformed by then, lol. I was definitely no nerd at that point. The idea of wearing another guy’s musky boxers got me so fuckin’ turned on.

I pulled the boxers up my skinny brown legs. They hung on my hip bones, barely able to stay on. I laid down on my bed and felt my rock hard cock through the crusty fabric. It was like I could feel the cum and sweat of everyone who’d ever worn that underwear seeping into my skin as I massaged drops of precum out of my balls.

As I writhed on my sheets, lost in pleasure, my skinny Indian body started to change. It started with my feet, which cracked and stretched as they grew big and thick. They started to sweat, a funky foot musk joining the renewed stench of the Sriracha boxers, which were getting super wet with my precum. It was like the brown leached out of my skin with my musky foot sweat, too, as my big feet got all pale.

The change continued up my bare calves, which got super hairy as the muscles flexed and swelled. My legs lengthened as huge quads and hammies swelled up under my whitening skin. God, said my musk-addled mind, I love leg day. I started to flex and wiggle my bulky thighs, feeling the muscles stimulate my growing prostate.

I let out a high pitched little bitchboy moan as my ass inflated with juicy muscle and fat, but I knew that my voice wouldn’t sound like that for much longer. I’d totally embraced the transformation as my cock and balls filled out the pouch of the boxers. They were no longer, like, loose and shit. My fat ass and big bro cock were stretching the sweaty fabric to its limits, bro!

My chest followed, going from slim to bulky so fast that all the buttons on my nerd shirt hit the ceiling. Sweat instantly started to roll off my furry new pecs, and I ran my soft little hand up and down my thick, firm belly and flexed the solid abs I knew were underneath the fat. More than the boxers and the smell, my body was starting to turn me on, bruh. I was becoming, like, a total frat god.

The curly brown hair that grew in my armpits smelled sooooo good as sweat started to drip off it. I totally buried my little nerd face in my own pits and licked up my sweat as I watched my arms bulk up and get all pale and hairy. It was so hot flexing my bicep and watching it bulk up before my eyes, dude! I felt my hand grow as I tugged my big jock cock in the Sriracha boxers, thickening up and getting some hard-earned weightlifting calluses.

The last thing to change was my head. My moans got deeper, slower, and totally dumb-sounding as my neck thickened. A thick brown beard grew on my cheeks, framing my cheesy dumb smile perfectly. My nose cracked and grew into a big ol’ sniffer, even more sensitive than my old nose so I can really take in my bros’ musk.

My old black buzzcut grew out into a curly brown mane, totally greasy from all the sweat I soak it with when I work out, huhuhu. As my forehead got all pale and my eyes turned blue, I felt my cock go over the edge, and I came right into the Sriracha boxers. Pump after pump of musky frat bro cream, taking my old self with it to impregnate the boxers with even more fratty juice. As the room filled with the smell of my thick load, I totally passed out.

The next morning, I woke up in an unfamiliar room. I was in a big bed with musky, sweat-stained sheets, a bunch of stale, unwashed gym gear all over the floor. I was still wearing the Sriracha boxers, my cum caked into the stain along with all the other bros’, along with a cap that I turned backwards as I sat up. I pulled on a tank without too many sweat stains on it and went to explore.

Turned out I lived at the Mu Upsilon Sigma frat house now. The whole place smelled like a sweaty armpit, and it was full of musky bros who were more than happy for me to get all up in their smelly pits and cracks.

I wore the Sriracha boxers for a couple days. Honestly, I dunno how long, I usually only change my boxers like once a month, huhuhu. I worked out, jerked off, got drunk, got fucked, and jerked off some more, all while wearing those boxers. Then I left ‘em in some nerd’s dorm as a prank, huhu.

It was so hot to watch the lil Japanese guy get as zonked out on the musky boxers like I had, bro. We hid in his closet and watched while he jerked off and turned into another musky white frat boy like us, then carried him to the MYS house once he passed out.

It’s been a couple weeks since then, and MYS membership has only grown, bruh! Each bro wears the Sriracha boxers for a few days, adds his personal touch to the, like, seasoning, and then we pass ‘em on to another nerd and induct him into frat life! Maybe some night soon, you’ll see these bad boys in your dorm, huhuhu. Life's perfect in the frat, bro!

[novaursa]

Can I request gwayne and reader getting it on in a carriage? 😩🙏🏼

The Kiss of the Hightower

Is this a bonus post? Why, yes it is. You guys are awesome, so, I've decided to post something extra to end the day. And, this request was just so simple and exciting to write about. I took some liberties with it to add more to the plot, dear anonymous, I hope you don't mind.

- Summary: On your way to the capital, you and your uncle had other intentions than observing the road.

- Paring: niece!reader/Gwanye Hightower

- Note: For more of my works, visit my blog. The main list is pinned to the top and there is the link for the second one.

- Rating: Explicit 18+

- Tag(s): @sachaa-ff @deniixlovezelda @duck-duck-goose2 @aadu2173 @holdingforgeneralhugs

The carriage rocked gently as it moved steadily down the Kingsroad, the soft clatter of hooves and wheels a constant background hum. You sat across from your uncle, Gwayne Hightower, the weight of silence between you heavy, yet laced with something more. Something forbidden. His gaze lingered on you, tracing the curve of your face, the way your hair fell softly over your shoulders, as though he couldn’t help himself.

Your fingers fidgeted in your lap, trying to ignore the thrum of heat that had been building between the two of you since leaving Oldtown. Called back by your mother, the Dowager Queen Alicent, you had not expected this journey to stir such forbidden desires. But with each passing mile toward King's Landing, it grew harder to resist the pull between you and Gwayne.

His voice broke the silence, low and husky. “You’ve been quiet, Y/N.”

You glance at him, catching the way his eyes darken as they meet yours. "And you've been staring, Uncle," you reply, though there’s no bite in your words. In fact, there's a heat in them, one that matches the fire building inside you. The boundaries between niece and uncle seem to blur with every passing second.

Gwayne smirks, leaning forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "Can you blame me?" His voice drops, thick with something unspoken but understood. "You're... hard to resist."

Your breath hitches, and the space inside the carriage seems smaller, more intimate. The air between you grows thick as you look away, out the small window at the passing fields, but your heart pounds loudly in your chest. You know this is wrong. Yet, the wrongness of it only fuels the flame.

"Say something," he presses, his voice closer now, a hint of command in it. You turn your head back to him, and before you can even think to respond, his hand reaches out, gently cupping your chin, forcing you to meet his gaze.

“Gwayne...” you murmur, but the way his name rolls off your tongue feels like a surrender.

Without another word, his lips crash against yours, and the world outside the carriage fades into nothingness. The kiss is hungry, desperate, as if all the restraint the two of you had been holding onto snapped in an instant. His hand moves to your waist, pulling you closer as the fire between you flares into an inferno.

You gasp into the kiss, your fingers clutching at his tunic, and before you know it, you're straddling his lap. The feeling of his solid frame beneath you sends a jolt of pleasure through your body, and you grind down instinctively, feeling the evidence of his desire pressing hard against you.

Gwayne groans, the sound muffled as his lips move from your mouth to your neck, sucking and biting at the sensitive skin there. "Y/N..." he breathes, his hands roaming over your body, tugging at the laces of your gown.

You help him, your own hands trembling slightly as you work to discard the layers of fabric separating you from him. The soft material slips away, revealing your bare skin to the cool air of the carriage, but you barely notice it. All that matters is Gwayne—his hands, his mouth, the heat of his body against yours.

His tunic follows suit, and soon, you're both stripped bare, your skin flushed and burning with desire. You lower yourself onto him, and the familiar stretch sends waves of pleasure through your core. A deep moan escapes your lips, swallowed by Gwayne's kiss as his hands grip your hips, guiding your movements.

"Gods, Y/N," he groans, his voice rough with need. "You feel... incredible."

Your fingers tangle in his hair, your breath ragged as you start to move, the carriage rocking slightly in time with your bodies. The sensation is overwhelming, a mix of pleasure and the thrill of something so utterly forbidden. Each thrust, each roll of your hips brings you closer to the edge, your bodies moving in perfect synchrony.

The tension builds higher and higher, both of you lost in the moment, your moans and gasps filling the small space of the carriage. You're so close, teetering on the brink of ecstasy, when suddenly the carriage jolts, the horses whinnying as it comes to an abrupt halt.

The shock sends another jolt of pleasure through you, and both you and Gwayne shudder, finding your release in the same breath. Your cries are muffled in each other’s kiss, and for a moment, you’re both lost in the afterglow, your bodies trembling from the intensity of it all.

Then reality crashes back in, and you freeze, still straddling Gwayne as the unmistakable sound of the carriage door opening reaches your ears.

“Oh... Seven hells,” Gwayne mutters, his eyes wide as he realizes where you are.

You scramble off of him, frantically gathering your discarded clothes as the weight of the situation hits you like a wave. You're at the Red Keep. And if the carriage has stopped, that means...

"Mother," you whisper, panic lacing your voice as you hurriedly try to lace up your gown. "And Grandsire. They’re probably waiting for us."

Gwayne is no less frantic, pulling his tunic over his head, though his hands shake slightly with the aftermath of your shared passion. “Well,” he says, a rueful grin pulling at the corner of his mouth, “this is... certainly not how I imagined our arrival.”

You shoot him a glare, though there’s no heat in it, only a shared sense of disbelief. "We’re naked, Gwayne!" you hiss, struggling with your skirts.

He laughs softly, despite the situation, tugging on his boots. "Naked as the day we were born, and just outside the gates of the Red Keep. We might be lucky if they don’t suspect a thing."

You shoot him a look of pure disbelief. "Lucky? Gwayne, if they find out..."

But his grin only widens, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Well, at least we had a memorable journey."

Despite yourself, a small, breathless laugh escapes your lips as you both finish dressing in record time, just in time for the door to open.

[holylulusworld]

Watermelon Dilemma

Summary: Your alpha wants more pups. You disagree.

Pairing: Alpha!Dean Winchester x Omega!Reader

Warnings: a/b/o, pregnant omega, fun, crack!fic, fluff, implied fluff

A/N: I saw this idea with the melons on Twitter and had to write something about it.

“Sammy, I’m telling you she’ll have more soon. The moment little Dean pops out of my omega, I’ll fill her again,” Dean declares he will have more pups soon.

He’s an alpha-possessed. Since he got you pregnant, he tries to breed the hell out of you. Dean leaves you sore and exhausted more than you can count.

“Dean, give her a break,” Sam laughs when you waddle inside the library, giving Dean a warning glare because he didn’t keep his hands to himself last night.

You’re eight months pregnant and your belly and tits are huge. Your back is hurting, and you can’t see your feet any longer. The last time you tried to shave, you gave up, crying in the showers.

“There she is,” Dean already roams your body with hungry eyes. He purrs low in his throat while walking toward you. His hands reach out for your huge belly to eagerly rub it. “Look at my pretty omega filled with my baby.”

“No way,” you shove against his chest. Hard. “You’ll keep your knot inside your pants tonight. No rodeo for you today, cowboy.”

Dean grins. Last night you tried to buck him off you, but it didn’t work out. You came all over his cock, screaming and whining. “You love it, sweetheart. Me, my cock, and being pregnant with my baby.”

“You won’t breed me again—” You poke your index finger in his chest. “Do you have the slightest how it feels to be pregnant? My feet are swollen. The baby lies on my bladder so I gotta pee all the time. If I drop something, it’s lost forever because I cannot pick it up.”

“Do not forget the cravings!” Dean exclaims. “You ate a pickle with peanut butter last night.” He grins.

“Hey, the cravings are the best thing. At least then I can chase you around the bunker to get me food,” you snicker when his eyes darken. “What?” You point at your belly. “This is your fault, Winchester. The least you can do is get me food!”

“Baby. Sweetheart. Omega,” Dean purrs the words, trying to lure you in. You huff and cross your arms over your chest. Well, you try. Dean’s eyes shoot up to your chest. He licks his lips. “Hmm…I’ll bury my face between those later.”

“Guys, can you just not—” Sam huffs and walks out. He tried to eat lunch and now, his appetite is gone.

“You won’t bury anything between them,” you growl. “They hurt and are heavy. If you knew how it feels having a huge belly and those tits, you’d never want to get pregnant!”

He grins. “I can’t get pregnant, baby,” Dean wiggles his eyebrows. “But I can get you pregnant, sweetheart. I only need to put something big and hard inside your sweet cunt.”

“No,” you huff.

“No?” He whines now. “What can I do to change your mind?”

“How about you walk in my shoes for a day? If you make it through the next twenty-four hours without complaining, you’ll get to breed me again.”

“Walk in your shoes,” he hums. “Okay. What do you want me to do? Eat odd things? Maybe pee all the time. Oh! Can I use that awesome pillow I got for you?”

“I know exactly what to do to let you walk in my shoes…”

“What…?” Sam starts laughing the moment Dean steps out of your shared bedroom. He holds his stomach, wheezing, and snickering.

“Stop laughing, bitch!” Dean grunts. He used quite a few layers of plastic wrap to outfit his belly with a huge watermelon. To match your breasts, he strapped smaller melons to his chest. “I’m a proud pregnant man.”

Sam snorts. “You look ridiculous. What are you doing with the food?”

“Melons, bitch,” Dean slowly walks along the hallways. He rubs his lower back, already feeling the weight of the melons. “Shit, that’s one heavy melon.”

“But—why?” Sam follows his brother to tease him some more. “We eat melons, not wear them as clothes.”

“Y/N told me to walk in her shoes for a day,” Dean mutters. “I’ve got this. I’ll rock those melons and tomorrow, I’ll rock her…” He huffs. “Fuck off, Sammy. I gotta pee.”

Dean walks toward the bathroom, his brother hot on his heels. “Do you need help?” Sam asks, watching his brother rub his back. “You walk like an old man.”

“Dude, I walk like a pregnant woman. Now if you’d kindly fuck off,” jerking his head toward his brother Dean gives Sam the stinky eye. “I’m warning you. Do not mess with a pregnant woman.”

Sam laughs but backpaddles the moment Dean growls at him. “Fine, have it your way…”

“Fuck, no,” Dean looks at the floor, cursing himself for dropping the remote control. Now he tries to pick it up but can't reach it. The melons won’t let him crouch down, or even bend over far enough to grab the remote control. “What the fuck!!!”

“Got a problem, alpha?” You snicker watching Dean struggle to pick the remote control up. “Aw, I thought you’ve got this, alpha.”

“That’s not funny,” he grumbles while kicking the remote control toward the bed. “I’ll get you, little bitch!”

You snicker, but hand Dean your gripping aid to grab the remote control. His eyes widen and he gasps.

“Where did you get this magical tool?” He looks at the gripping aid like it’s a wonder. Dean hums and tugs the gripping aid under his arm. “If you’d excuse me now. I’m going to go back to the bathroom.”

Smirking you watch Dean slowly walk out of the room. “You dropped the toilet paper, didn’t you, alpha?”

Dean happily grabs a beer out of the fridge. He’s about to open it when you slap the back of his head. “No alcohol for you. Remember, you’re pregnant. No sushi. No alcohol.”

“No alcohol?” Dean hiccups. He longingly looks at the beer in the fridge, wondering if he can grab one before you slap him again.

“Did you think a big belly and big boobs are all it takes to know how it feels to walk in my shoes?”

“No—” he huffs and closes the fridge. “I’ll get me a pickle and peanut butter.” Dean waddles toward the cupboard, stretching to reach the higher shelf. He grunts because the melon painfully presses into his belly. “Fuck, that hurts.”

You giggle. “See,” you slap his ass. “That’s the reason I need you to grab things from the cupboard for me.”

“You only want to watch my ass while I grab all the pickles for you,” he chuckles. “Right?” Dean looks over his shoulder. “Sweetheart is something wrong. You look a little flustered.”

“Hmm…” You glance at Dean’s ass, licking your lips. “I don’t know, alpha. You look deliciously.”

“What?” Dean slowly turns around only to end up pressed against the cupboard. “Y/N? What has gotten into you?” He whines when you cup his crotch. “Baby?”

“Yeah, definitely worth getting bred again,” you purr low in your throat. Dean cocks a brow. “How about you get on our bed and present for me, sweetheart?”

“Hahaha…you’re very funny, baby,” he eyes you warily while slowly moving away from you.

“What? Don’t you want me to breed you while feeling like a whale? I know your bladder is full again, but I need to shove my knot into you before helping you onto the toilet.”

“Baby…I,” Dean sighs deeply. He drops his gaze and shakes his head. “I’m sorry for being a horny idiot. It’s just, that seeing you all swollen with our baby makes me so feral for you.”

“If you get rid of the melons and grab the pickles for me, you’re allowed to massage my feet tonight.”

“Only your feet?” Back to being his horny self Dean grins. “I can massage your back too, or shoulders, or your breasts…”

Tags in reblog.

[lichenaday]

Lecanora intricata

Lichens have a few different ways to reproduce (they're just awesome like that) but most lichen symbioses include an ascomycete fungi, AKA a sac fungi. These fungi create spores in internal sacs known as asci (singular: ascus), and lichenized ascomycetes often house these sacs in their apothecia, or fruiting bodies. So you see those dark spots on the surface of our pal L. intricata here? Those are its apothecia, or its fruiting bodies, from which fungal spores will be ejected to go out and hopefully form their own little lichens someday. Pretty neat, huh? L. intricata is a crustose lichen with a verrucose (wart-like)-areolate (tile-like) thallus. It has a gray-green to yellow-green surface sitting atop a dark prothallus (a layer of fungal hyphae). It should look something like puzzle-pieces on a dark surface. It has blackish-green to brown, irregularly shaped apothecia immersed in the thallus surface. L. intricata grows on silicious rock and occasionally wood in montane, boreal, and arctic habitats.

images: source | source | source | source

info: source | source | source

[wildlife4life]

WIP Wednesday

Tagged by @try-set-me-on-fire @jesuisici33 @lover-of-mine @fortheloveofbuddie @cal-daisies-and-briars @exhuastedpigeon @monsterrae1 @disasterbuckdiaz @tizniz @theotherbuckley and @diazsdimples You are all super awesome! Thank you so much!

Happy trailer drop day! Hope ya'll are having some fun clowning, theorizing, and freaking out in general. I am. Hope I can add to that fun with another NFL Buck snippet, though I'm not too sure. This is a kind of sad snippet, featuring Red. Enjoy? (All things NFL Buck)

Eddie is midway through a somewhat calm 24 hour shift when his phone vibrates with a call. Caller i.d. shows a picture of his previous captain Tommy Vega with her twin daughters smiling bright at the last Texan's game Eddie brought them too. He is slightly confused as to why she would be calling in the middle of the afternoon on a Wednesday, but Tommy is a good friend and Eddie is always happy to talk to her. "Hey Tom's this is a pleasant surprise." Eddie answers abandoning his UNO cards, and leaning back in his chair. Across the table, a slightly irritated Chim scowls, mouthing 'Tom's' towards Hen sitting at the head of the table, who just shrugs and sets her own cards down, officially putting the game on pause. "Oh thank god." Ravi groans under his breath, slumping down in his chair next to Eddie's. Poor probie has had to draw way too many cards and Chimney was an evil bastard who kept making him draw one too many cards. "Eddie." Tommy states, her voice apologetic and layered with grief. Immediately, Eddie gets to his feet, and stalks over to kitchen, ignoring his crew mates startled and concerned looks. The last time Tommy said his name in such a way, his friend and previous paramedic partner Tim had been killed by a freaking lava rock. So yea, Eddie knew this tone of voice from Tommy meant only bad news and he needed the space to hear it. "Tommy, what is it?" He asks glumly, bracing himself for the worst. The paramedic captain lets out a wet sigh, "Its Red, Eddie. The cancer's back and they're saying he has less than six months." His stomach drops to his feet. Not Red. Not the man that not only Buck looked up to, but Eddie as well. The man who gave him and Buck a safe haven to be a couple. The man who is practically a pseudo-godfather to Christopher. His red door and sign, one of the most prominent points of Eddie's and Buck's relationship is because of Red. His motto, 'Just walk in' has gotten them through the toughest times since meeting. And now they are going to lose him to something he thought he had beaten. Fuck the universe. Fuck cancer.

*Hides behind offensive linemen (big ass football players that protect the quarterback)* I'm sorry?

Tagging (no pressure): @daffi-990 @spotsandsocks @hippolotamus @aroeddiediaz @giddyupbuck @rainbow-nerdss @loserdiaz @thewolvesof1998 @bekkachaos @eddiescowboy @eddiebabygirldiaz @spaceprincessem @athenagranted @evanbegins @elvensorceress @malewifediaz @911onabc @911-on-abc @hoodie-buck @ladydorian05 @bigfootsmom @watchyourbuck @thekristen999 @spagheddiediaz @rogerzsteven @honestlydarkprincess @bitchfacediaz @buck-coded @housewifebuck @glorious-spoon @buddierights @prosperdemeter2 @lemonzestywrites @gayedmundodiaz @transboybuckley

[sca-nerd]

In the SCA—how strictly do people tend to stick with one particular period within the range? To make that question clearer I am now the closest to joining I have been over the years and the major thing now making me hesitate is I like styles from so many different times, and from different genders, and I’m thinking myself into a tizzy about having to pick One. Is that the usual mode of approaching garb? Or do people mix it up and I’m worrying about nothing?

This is an awesome question! And I have an exciting answer for you: I don't know anyone who does strictly one time or location, and I have seen countless people wear garb they like regardless of gender.

There are people whose closet will be predominantly one style, but because most of the time Scadians are dressing for weather and location, that style is rarely absolute. Loads of people are suddenly Roman when the summer hits. You might see more Viking in the winter because of the warm layers. Loads of ladies will rock the Landsknecht booty shorts when they wanna.

There is no rule when approaching garb, except that it needs to be some attempt at pre-16th century clothes. T-tunics are beginner friendly (and veteran owned and approved) as well as a good foundation for garb goals. The persona is a helpful tool for people who might feel overwhelmed, and so it lets you focus on a single time and location until you're ready to try new things or build on what you know you like. But there is nothing that says you can't do what you like, wear what you want, and be whoever you want to be!

In Atlantia, some of our events (or even reigns) will be themed. We've had Persian, German, Viking - it's awesome. I wouldn't have discovered how much I love a good Ghawazi coat without our Persian Reign.

And remember, you don't have to roll up with a fully complete kit to start playing. A T-tunic and some sweat pants, or a long T-tunic and a belt is more than enough. You will have plenty of time to build your closet as you go - which will be easier and more fun with the help from all of the amazing people you're going to meet!

I'm so excited for you to start playing, and let me know if you have any other questions. Welcome to the dream!

[balkanradfem]

Since I found the youtube channel of a cool woman who identifies and collects rocks, I've been reading up on rocks, and I gathered some new knowledge! Maybe this is already commonly known but I just discovered it, so I got excited about it!

One of the first rock facts that I find super cool is that many rocks, that can be commonly found outside, are pieces of cooled down lava! Granite, for example, is an igenious rock, which means it was created from lava, and I had no idea, I didn't know I could hold a piece of tamed lava in my hands, it feels powerful and special. Reading more about igenious (lava) rocks led me to the information that 95% of the earth crust is cooled lava, and most of the oceanic crust as well! Floor is literally lava, the children are correct, we are all walking on tons of lava every day, nobody told me this?? Everything under the ocean floor is also lava? I am so close to lava at every point on my life. This is a cool lava planet.

Another cool thing I didn't know is how many awesome rocks you can find outside; I've found out that out of the rocks I've been collecting for fun, a few of them seem to be pieces of quartz! I'm not sure if they are, because I've only started to identify it, but they are white and half-transparent, if you shine a light trough them, you can see inside the rock, sometimes there's brown coloring inside as well. So quartz is cool because it's one of the hardest materials out there (7 on the hardness scale, diamond is 10); you can't scratch it with steel, but it is capable of damaging both iron and steel. To test this, I used a stainless steel pan I found in the river earlier, and I tried to scratch it – the quartz rock stratched it immediately! (don't worry, it wasn't a pan I use). Apparently because of this hardness, quartz can be used as a flint – if you rub it against steel, it will expose the iron inside, iron will react with oxygen, making a spark, and that's how you can start a fire. I've tried this with my pan, but found that the noise was so awful, I stopped before making a spark.

Okay so now that we know about quartz and how cool and transparent it is, nows the time for another very cool info – most of the sand out there is made out of tiny particles of quartz. This, to me, finally solved the mystery of how glass is made, because I knew it was made from melting sand, but that made no sense to me, why would sand become transparent in its melted state? It seemed illogical, BUT, if the sand itself is made from a transparent crystal, then it makes all kinds of sense it would become completely transparent when melted and cleaned out of all impurities. It also means glass is completely natural since it just comes from quartz, I was so happy to know this! Glass is chemically different from quartz, it's not as hard (5.5 on the hardness scale), can be scratched, so it's less cool, but more transparent.

Lots of rocks underground end up under high temperatures and pressure, and sometimes they melt and band together, making 'metamorphic rocks', which sounds made up, but it's what we called them! In specific examples you can actually see layers of different colors, seeing where they melted and banded together, and they're called 'agates', they look colorful, artistic and special. I didn't think you could randomly find something like that outside – turns out you can, if you live in a specific location, or you're close to a river which carries these types of rocks around! I've maybe found one that looks like that, but again, can't identify it for sure, it could be a type of a jasper.

Jasper is a reddish brown type of stone that is also extremely hard, cannot be scratched by steel, and is completely non-transparent, no type of light can shine trough it. It's very common and easy to find! I realized I had a few pieces that are probably jasper, that I liked because of their deep brown color and how smooth they are. If you found a dark brown or red rock on a beach, it could be a jasper. They can also come in dark green, but these are rare! Jasper is also somehow a type of quartz, which just feels wrong.

A cool info I found on youtube was that polishing rocks to make them super shiny and reflective of light, is done by imitating how nature does it; if you find a smooth rock in nature, it's likely been in the river or sea, brushed by the waves and currents against the sand and all of the other rocks, to the point where its surface became smooth and shiny. So people invented a method called 'tumbling', where they put a bunch of rough rocks, sand, water, and some extra material like porcelain in a bucket, close the bucket, then put it in a machine that turns it round and round for about a month! They're taken out every week to be cleaned, then put back into the bucket to get more shine. After they're done tumbling, the rocks become smooth and clean and shiny, looking much more beautiful and satisfying for humans to touch.

One thing I did not know before is that all of the gems that are popular, like amethyst, carnelian, citrine, are all just different types of quartz with some other minerals inside that give them the beautiful color. Quartz really is that cool, she gave us everything.

These are the cool new facts about rocks I now know! If I've said something terminally wrong, please be kind in correcting me, I've learned all this 2 days ago. Incredibly excited to be able to point my finger at a rock outside and say it's name if it happens to be one of the 3 rocks I can now name (jasper, quartz and granite). If you have more cool knowledge about rocks, or know a source to read about it, please give me the link I am drowning on wikipedia.

[horsegirlwarcrimes]

Hi Bury. If you’re still doing the WIP game, what is Taker, Devil Maker? Because all of them sound awesome but that is such an amazing title

omg hello and thank you!! (´∀｀)♡

this one is for MDZS/CQL! i honestly keep forgetting about it even though its like. fully outlined and i have a good chunk written, oops. its also pretty old, so pardon the slightly weird writing haha

summary: Wei Ying never had a lucky encounter with a sect leader on the streets of Yiling as a child. Instead he teaches himself cultivation from nothing but dusty scrolls and wandering masters, tracing talismans on the walls of alleys and practicing sword forms with tree branches. When he hears of cultivation lectures hosted by the Gusu Lan, he just has to find a way to attend.

Wei Wuxian smoothed his robes, ran carefully scrubbed fingers over the faint embroidery on the fine fabric. The layers of cloth lightened from black to slate to steel and violet and lavender in sheets of soft cotton, with tasteful designs of swallows and oak branches stitched into the sleeves and lapels.  They were the second most expensive thing he’d ever owned. The first was tied in pride of place at his hip. Wei Wuxian sighed as the lines of neat stitching caught on the calluses of his hands. It made nervousness flutter in his stomach. Could someone look at these clothes and know they’d taken every last penny of savings their owner had to buy? Would someone take his hand and just from the feeling of the skin know that these weren’t the hands of a young master, even one who practiced often at the blade? Fine clothes could only do so much. He was, after all, planning to single-handedly break into one of the Great Sects.  On the path ahead, a cluster of purple-robed disciples stood at the wooden gate set into the pale stone of the mountain. From his convenient and super dignified position hiding behind some rocks, Wei Wuxian could peek around and observe them without even needing to crouch behind a bush like a particularly pathetic deer-slash-burglar.  “My sister knows Sect Leader Lan,” a young-ish one was saying to the gate guard, who looked deeply uninterested in who his sister may or may not know. Then new Lan cultivators were arriving, carrying stretchers with strange figures on them, and in the commotion Wei Wuxian was able to get a little closer still to observe the Jiang and the configuration of the Cloud Recesses wards.  As the handsome disciple leading the group with stretchers headed through the gates, Wei Wuxian couldn’t help a little excited shuffle in place. Even these young cultivators could look so cool!  His foot made the faintest sound against the stones where he was hiding. Wei Wuxian froze as the leading Lan’s stony face turned towards his hiding spot. He quickly went flat against the rock, perfectly still, and counted his most silent possible breaths. A moment, two, and he could hear footsteps going up the steps into the Cloud Recesses, then fading into the background murmuring of the Jiang. Wei Wuxian slumped and let out a quiet hiss. Way too close—he’d come much too far to get caught now.

[atrophiedemotion]

hey Cast! uh so this ask is about. alien stage. but imma send you another about some random shit because why not. anyways

the tags that you had on that previous post with me and plip (the one about ivan and till and how they show honesty differently and how we know about their characters a different amount because of how forthcoming or not they are) and my question for you is, how many of Ivan's actions do you think are representative of his true emotions? I don't think his body language, in general, is very forthcoming but I do agree that his actions can be pretty revealing (he strikes me as an acts of service person especially with trying to escape with Till) but uh yeah I'm wondering if there are any specific examples that you think of as being revealing of his actual thoughts or specific examples of him pretending to be someone else?

thanks for listening to me yap uh I hope you're doing well and that you have an awesome day!

rock... oh boy... this is gonna be a long one. wonderful question. thank you for the ask, i hope you have a great day as well!!

so, i didn't fully explain in the tags because i didn't want to write a full length essay on plip's post (ty plip for dealing w the rambling)(i was also very tired so i wasn't fully articulate lmao) but i meant that ivan shows his emotions through the outcomes/projected outcomes of his actions. he certainly isn't very forthcoming in the way he acts and portrays himself, but there is undeniable truth in the intent and meaning behind everything he does, even things that seem counterproductive.

i think that since ivan genuinely cannot fully be upfront and honest (due to trauma, his lack of self worth, and his decided survival strategy) his main truths show in the deeper meaning of the things he does for other people and himself. with ivan, it is all about intent. i've said before that the only way to understand ivan is to dig deeper and this is very much true here. he uses a lot of subterfuge to throw people off from his actual intentions, but they're there.

ivan often uses unconventional, roundabout ways to achieve his goals/get what he wants- especially when they mean something to him. he is a guy who is caked in layers upon layers of meaning only if you pull back the acres of curtains he's covered them with. he doesn't want people to know what goes on in his head, so he covers it up valiantly. this is due to his low self esteem of course, but also full on survival. in order for his plans to work, no one can be in on it. no one can know what he's thinking. all of his true feelings and thoughts need to be hidden in order to achieve success, but in the end it's fucking hard to not leave a trace of your true feelings.

with all that being said, examples!

the biggest and most obvious examples are mainly related to till (of course they are) and i also feel like they're the most telling. ivan's teachers specifically pointed out that he was only childish around till (they were relieved by it, too, because he was so damn serious the rest of the time and didn't behave like a child should). ivan has the hardest time hiding his true emotions around till, which makes sense, because till makes him feel the most emotion when his are always dulled. that doesn't stop him from going the 'i must hide my crush by pulling his pigtails' route but, y'know.

since most of these are talked about frequently and i dont want to keep beating a dead horse in an already long post, here's a (hopefully) brief list:

-the biggest one, the meteor shower. going through all of that to escape with till, specifically during a meteor shower that it seemed ivan was desperate to show till (to introduce his shooting stars to each other or smth im sure). ivan offered till freedom and denied himself of it when till turned around and he followed him back without question.

-his good behavior can arguably be considered to be due, in part, to the perks an obedient pet gets. this isn't just a till thing but ivan's obedience is very telling of his need and drive for survival, which considering his uhh,, track record is likely largely so he can protect till. gaining perks and learning insider information, like how to take collars off and gain access to isolation cells, assist him in assisting and caring for till.

-the sometimes silent companionship they share. the way ivan will poke at him to get his outright attention but is still at times satisfied with just existing in till's space and enjoying his presence says a lot about his genuine adoration and admiration of till

-his sacrifice. i don't think i need to say much about this as it's pretty self explanatory lmao but it is a Great example of what im trying to convey. ivan does honest things and has to cover them up at the same time. the 'violence' was to end the round of course, but it was also kind of like a familiar bandaid over the painfully honest feelings he conveyed with the kiss. even if he didn't really hurt him he couldn't just be honest

there are definitely more (most everything he does in regards to till tbh) but i wanted to talk about some others too

the comic conversation with sua about her sacrifice! such a big one. ivan's feelings about sua are very complicated, but to me i feel like he cares about her to an extent, almost pitying in a way. he's horribly jealous of her and the love she has, but he sees so much of himself in her that what he says in that conversation is probably at least half projection, even if he's not aware of it.

the way he looks at her without trying to hide his distaste feels like the way he would look down on himself. the whole thing shows not only his disgust with himself, but his anger towards someone who is so similar to him that she makes the same plans in her head even though she has something he believes he'll never have. it's envy, tried and true, and he doesn't even hide it at the time. he hides the self loathing behind it, but still. that might be the most honest we've seen ivan aside from the end of r6.

that conversation also does kind of show the fact that he cares for sua and mizi. sua in a way he acknowledges less to himself, but certainly mizi.

and speaking of mizi, my last example for right now is the way he watched round 5 like he was barely holding it together and sort of did his own recreation of it in round 6. the strangling was reminiscent of the way mizi lunged at luka and he almost certainly got the idea for his method of sacrifice from what she did. it kind of feels like an ode to her, in a way. an ode to mizi while offering himself up for till, which. is very sad but almost a little sweet, that he had a piece of mizi in what he was doing for till.

okay okay im sure i could keep talking about this but ive been writing for. a long time LMAO so i will stop here but! yeah. ivan shows his emotions inadvertently through his actions and about fifty levels of subterfuge. but it's all we get, so...

thank you for the ask again my dude, i really enjoyed answering it!

[brassharrier]

Hey everybody! Since I've recently crawled out of my cave of not doing minis stuff for too long, I've realized that a few skills have gotten rusty. Even some of the basic stuff has fallen out of my head at some point. To make the best of a slightly poo situation I've decided to get some of my journey to rediscovery logged online to share with people who may be new to the hobby or just looking for a new perspective on an established process. That's enough rambling for now. Behold! My first FSteaktorial: Basing with Coffee!

Paying for hobby sand can feel kinda silly, but sometimes that super fine gravel can look a bit off. This is extra true if you're working with smaller scale minis like Battletech. One common solution is used coffee grounds. Right of the gate, how coarse or fine the grind is will change the look. Fine grinds will look more like sand or dirt while coarse grinds will look rockier. I'm particular to a fine grind for most applications and I'd suggest it as a good starting point to work from.

Preparing the ground(s):

Prepare and pour your coffee as normal. Once you're done simply dump your coffee grounds into a hard container or surface in as thin of a layer as possible. Usually large food containers or a baking sheet will do. Let it dry for a day or two before putting it in a container for storage or application. I'm partial to empty spice shakers for most fine basing/flocking materials. You can put the coffee grounds away once they're dried without extra treatment. The process of making coffee will pull most of the oils out and the hot water will clean it up for you.

Preparing your adhesive:

Gluing the ground down is super easy. Grab an old brush that's flat and appropriately scaled to your intended model and base. The glue itself is just a watered down PVA. PVA is just your generic craft glue. You've most likely used it as a kid during whatever arts and crafts you've done. You'll want to add a drop or two of water at a time and mix thoroughly until it's a bit thinner than most minis paints out of the bottle.

Applying your adhesive:

Simply take your brush, scoop on some of the thinned glue, and apply it to the base. One thing to note is that glue isn't paint. For our purposes, you'll want a healthy layer. Don't worry, after a day it will dry solid. You don't need to apply perfectly either. The glue will take some time to dry and can be wiped off easily to clean up the edges of the base and model. Be sure to immediately rinse your brush thoroughly in water unless you want one giant bristle.

Applying the coffee/basing:

This is the satisfying part. Grab your shaker, handful of coffee, or application method of choice and give the base a nice healthy layer. Once you can't see the glue, tap off the excess and set it aside to reclaim or put it back in your applicator for use. Don't wipe off the excess just yet. Make sure the model is over a different surface and wipe the excess glue/coffee and wipe your cleaning tool (probably your finger) on a paper towel. This is important to avoid getting glue in your supply of basing material.

Letting the glue dry:

No, really. Let it REALLY dry. It's tempting to want to start putting paint to model, but the glue needs to be completely dry. You don't want to risk both brushing your fresh basing off the model and getting coffee lodged in your bristles.

Enjoy!

You're done with basing for now! Remember to blow off the excess coffee dust. You can add extra detail with rocks and bits, prime, whatever you want at this point. Even with just a quick prime, single base color, and a quick dry brush you'll get great results. Congratulations on your new awesome looking base, saved money, and even a teeny tiny effort of reclaiming waste! It's surprisingly durable as well due to the glue hardening.

[narutocharacterpolls]

ROUND THREE

ROCK LEE vs HYUUGA NEJI

Reasons for submission under the cut

Lee

ROCK LEE VS GAARA

kind as can be; willing to jump to action to help his fellow comrades even after going through a life-threatening, major surgery

practical and fashion-forward with his bright green onesie. Function over form, and is prepared at all times by carrying around a spare onesie he will give without question to anyone - even complete strangers

has a surprising edge to him at the beginning of the series; he was ready to severely maim anybody that he saw as a genius

more dedicated than anyone. Was forced to face his own mortality and make a life-or-death decision in the name of his dream, after a literal crushing defeat, and he chose to fight for it. Inspiring

embodies the ideals of original series Naruto. True underdog, had nothing going for him, came from nothing with no legacy or powers, was so disadvantaged that he physically could not meet the bare minimum abilities of his peers. But he worked harder than everyone else and proved that he can be a great shinobi despite all the adversity he faced

Sasuke had to copy Lee’s moves with his Sharingan to succeed during Chuunin exams

cute as a button. Come on.

his fans are dedicated and make amazing work, fanart and fanfic

Kishimoto said he was his favorite character to draw. Boom. Favoritism. Love to see it.

pairs well with everyone. Platonic or romantic, Lee has a great dynamic with other characters

his summer outfit from Guardian of the Crescent Moon Kingdom was the best outfit in the movie

gave us Metal Lee! Blessed us with Metal Lee, really

was the character to beat in the early series if you wanted to show how strong you actually are

Gaara vs Rock Lee was one of the most iconic fights in the series, and everyone remembers where they were when they first saw Lee drop his weights. He owned that fight so hard that people forget he lost.

was wronged by the series. He deserves to win as justice.

got [submitter] personally through the worst times; his ability to persevere face of adversity convinced me I could do it too. He wasn’t special and neither was [submitter], but we didn’t need to be. We can make ourselves great. If no one else got me, Rock Lee’s got me

he’s one of the first non-jutsu using ninja so make such a big impact

was the first person to actually harm Gaara

played a huge part in Gaara becoming a better person

he’s one of the only people that can catch up to Sasuke and easily rivals Naruto in Taijutsu

his kind, determined and cheerful attitude is a joy to watch

Rock Lee removing his weights is easily one of the most iconic moments in the entire anime

has helped several submitters feel better by simply thinking about how he wouldn’t want them to think like that

objectively would’ve made a better protagonist based on the themes alone

KICKS MAJOR ASS

wrecked Sasukes shit, I like Sasuke but that was really funny

he looks like a frog. Who doesn’t like frogs

inspired Sasuke

fights are always entertaining, they’re very well choreographed

he forgave Gaara for nearly killing him and nearly ending his dreams; he was never even mad at him

Rock Lee vs Sasuke was iconic

his heart is so full of love

never did anything wrong

had a squirrel befriend him

hard worker

good friend

rises to any challenge

when he does diss people they are the most brutal yet entertaining disses you ever hear

positive, weirdo, energetic, enthusiastic, joyful, chivalrous, motivated, dedicated, sweet

Lee and Neji had something homosexual going on

YOUTH !!!!

Neji

very tragic character

has so many layers

has a great arc (if you ignore the. yknow)

the eye imagery is very good

the inherent queerness of rebellion

carried the Hyuuga clan

awesome hair

disrecpected by the narrative

could've easily been a revolutionanist if the mangaka wasn't a coward

[zzthekaiju]

Best of the Reptiles in Media - 04 - Sislo

Hello again! Today, we're going to focus on a very special scaly character. One that pretty much nicks all of my boxes as to what I look for when I see reptilian protagonists. A guy who's story is one of bloodshed, love, heartache, and above all, redemption.

I'm of course talking about the protagonist of indie comic book artist Marcel Rocha AKA @rochasaurusrex 's magnum opus, Flowers of Etrea. Namely, Sislo Haeos.

(All art here is by the man himself, BTW)

Sislo here is what happens when we take what would typically be a member of a bad guy race in a fantasy world, flip the script, and make him the main character. That alone is a pitch that I'm going to take, hook line and sinker. I cannot emphasize how much of a power move it is to make the hero of a story the sort of being you'd expect to be, at best, the minion of the main villain or something. After all, lizard folk can't be heroes, right? They're too icky and gnarly and scary, right?

WRONG...sort of. Sislo may be a good guy lizard, but there's an aspect of his character that puts him above a simple case of wish fulfillment:

But I digress for now, time for an introduction.

Sislo is a Cherufe, a reptilian humanoid species native to the lands of Etrea. His past is muddy, but what we do know is that he was a former slave to the Iron Industry, which is basically the Empire, currently making everyone's lives worse by taking far more than they give. Currently, he lives with his wife, a kindly and optimistic dryad named Tetheril. However, duty comes knocking when her father falls ill, and only a specific flower (a rose, that is) can cure him. Said flower can only be found within the Iron Industry's walls, forcing Sislo to confront his former masters...and so much more.

So, we have a huge burly and only slightly surly lizardman who's in a healthy interspecies relationship with an adorable woman out to go on a humble goal that naturally snowballs into an epic full of friends and foes both new and old. And it is equal parts compelling and awesome!

Sislo as a character, at least within one's first impression, is a fairly standard protagonist of a gritty fantasy story, albeit a lot of the rougher aspects are toned down a bit so that nothing's a total downer. Yes, he has his hang-ups (ooooh, boy does he ever), but he's not a total stick in the mud. In fact, he can be an amusing doofus at times. It's nice to see a lead like that. One capable of feeling emotional weight while being able to actually crack a smile every so often.

The biggest highlight of Sislo's character is his relationship with his wife. Unsurprisingly, it's mostly based on Rocha's relationship with his own real-life wife. So little surprise that the Cherufe and the dryad have perhaps the most wholesome thing you'll ever see a big scary lizardman be a part of in media (at least for now). Despite being complete opposites in terms of personality, they couldn't be a better fit for one another. What makes it work is how they compliment each other. Sislo is the muscle, but at the same time he provides Tetheril a source of confidence and protection for the journey (granted, both can kick serious ass, but he's especially eager to jump into a fight when the opportunity presents itself). Tetheril, meanwhile, offers him a rock, a means of knowing that for all of his faults, he's a very good person at heart, and he'll always have her to remind him. Really, most of the reason I read this story to the end was to see them just being relationship goals over and over again.

But then comes the twist. And this is where the layers thing comes into play.

ALSO, I'M ABOUT TO TALK ABOUT SOME MAJOR SPOILERS RIGHT NOW! SPOILERS DOWN BELOW!

*

*

*

You remember that part about Sislo being a slave to the Iron Industry? Well, the finale of part 2 has a rather, ahem, shocking revelation about that. Main antagonist Ondiox points out to Tetheril (while poor Sislo is forced to watch, no less) that there was no slavery. The sob story that was the Cherufe's backstory is a fabrication.

Sislo didn't suffer under the Iron Industry. He helped found it.

Ondiox freed him as a child from an actual state of slavery before they and a couple others basically tore the old order apart, making way for a brand new empire. And Sislo not only butchered and ate Ondiox's enemies alongside his half-brother Zama (who's basically Sislo if he had no reservations to speak of), he RELISHED in it. For creatures like him, eating fresh meat and blood is akin to having a major drug addiction, and Sislo had one Hell of a supply.

Then one day, Ondiox had him attack an innocent village, and all it took was one gesture of feeble protest from a kid for Sislo to realize that he had not only brought upon an even worse regime by helping his rescuer/father figure, but he had become the very monster anyone would peg him as just by a glance. In that moment, he disowned Ondiox and the Iron Industry...and nearly got killed for it before striking out on his own and finding Tetheril one day.

.....yeesh.

So yeah, Sislo may be a subversion of the Evil Reptile trope, but that's only because he played it straight for the longest time, and it horrified him. But really, while they say that he lied about being a slave…the way I read it, he was technically telling the truth. Yeah, he didn't actually kill anyone against his own will, he clearly enjoyed feasting on people as per his primal nature, but he was still a puppet of an ego-maniacal dictator. The chain of oppression wasn't there, but it was THERE. It's just that Ondiox was very good at hiding it.

And after all of that is revealed, after that atomic bomb of a revelation, you bet your back scales I was expecting Tetheril to leave the man who had spend countless years feeding her a false narrative due to how much the actual one left him broken and traumatized at himself. I mean, come one, the "liar revealed" trope was just rearing its ugly head in that moment...

..BUT NO.

Real talk, this was what happened in the original story, back when it was a novel. But I think I know why it's now out of print. Tetheril isn't going to just abandon her husband and the love of her life. It's clear as day to her that there is nothing she could say or do to him that he hasn't already said or done to himself. The man who made her life Heaven on Earth very clearly DESPISES the monster he once was, and for that, she thinks he more than deserves a chance to show how much he's changed.

I could have not have read this part of the story at a better time in my life. Flowers of Etrea was my wake-up call that I've made my mistakes, but the only awful people in this world are the ones who look back on their ill deeds and don't reflect on them at all. Those who actively choose to be better, to learn and grow, they can find redemption no matter what. And they'll find it doubly so when we are there to give them a chance. Now, I'm not saying I've ever done anything as awful as assist a dictator in taking over the world, but there have always been times when I've felt that I've made careless decisions in which I did wrong by those I loved.

Sislo is proof that if I really care about being a good person now, there's nothing I've done in the past that I can't overcome.

Oh, and the final confrontation between him and Ondiox is just one awesome moment after another. I won't talk about it too much, but it does contain the most badass exchange ever, and this time in the context of something NOT directed by Michael Bay.

If you want to see how it all ends and/or just more of this amazing protagonist, GO BUY "FLOWERS OF ETREA"! All three parts are available on Amazon, and there's an Omnibus coming out very soon if you're willing to wait!

But yeah, that's Sislo for you. Just a perfect fantasy lizardman whose story has been incredibly inspiring for me. He taught me to forgive myself for the mistakes of my past, he's just a super charming and cool creature to begin with, and the love he and his wife have for each other might as well have "RELATIONSHIP GOALS" emblazoned on every panel featuring them.

[raspberrycatapult]

I'm super excited to say that I've taken part in the @mlbigbang for the first time this (well, technically last) year!

The first chapter of Outback Camp will be posted on the 13th of Jan and updated every week!

Massive thanks to my amazing beta @uptoolateart, and to the awesome @cardiac-agreste and @wehadabondingmoment for their support! And to my artists, @bootsssss and @supergirl9130, for their lovely art!!

Synopsis

It was official. Marinette was going to die. There was no way she was going to survive this camp – let alone manage to confess. Forget crazy Australian wildlife – how could she make it through alive with Adrien?

Marinette, Adrien and their classmates go on a 10-day school camp to the Central Australian desert. Uluru (Ayers Rock), Alice Springs, Kings Canyon, Coober Pedy and more!

For Marinette, it’s the perfect chance to confess to Adrien…if only she can muster up the courage. Adrien, meanwhile, is beginning to realise just how special Marinette is to him.

Featuring lots of Adrinette, fun experiences, class shenanigans, and an identity reveal!

Snippet

The sound of the tent flap zipping open sent Marinette's heart into overdrive. Please be Alya, please be Alya, please be –

‘Hey, Marinette,’ a soft voice whispered.

Adrien poked his head through the flap, and then the rest of his body, awkwardly stepping into the tent, phone torch pointed to the ground. The tents were large, tall enough for her to be able to comfortably stand up straight. But it wasn’t quite the same story for Adrien. In his attempt to avoid the ceiling, he ended up banging his head against the metal pole in the centre.

‘Argh!’ he yelped, dropping his phone.

‘Are you okay!?’ Marinette blurted out, eyes wide as she watched Adrien’s dark figure crouch down and begin fumbling around for his phone. His hand landed on her leg, and she let out a squeak.

‘S-sorry!’ Adrien stammered, his hand jerking back. ‘I thought it was my – sorry!’

He seemed to find his phone, then, because a beam of light shone on his side of the tent. Marinette lay there, her heart hammering, the place where Adrien had touched her burning as though his hand was still there, even though she had pyjamas and a layer of sleeping bag protecting her.

Adrien had gone silent. She didn’t know what to do. Did she say something? Did she say goodnight? Where they just going to lie there, in silence, until they fell asleep?

‘Oh no,’ Adrien whispered.

Marinette’s heart leaped into her throat at those words. ‘What – what is it?’ she croaked out.

‘I…I sort of…um….’ He swallowed. ‘…forgot my sleeping bag?’

She stared. ‘You…forgot your sleeping bag…?’

Okay. That was fine. It was fine. He could just go get it from the boys’ tent.

‘Yep.’ He shifted. ‘Um…in Adelaide?’

WHAT.

She sat up. ‘What do you mean in Adelaide.’

‘I – I’m not used to having one! I’ve never used one before! I didn’t need one in Coober Pedy and I guess I just – I must have left it there in the morning – but it’s fine! I’ll just have to buy one…tomorrow.’

Marinette sat there, unable to make out more than Adrien’s vague outline in the dark, partially illuminated by the glow of his phone in his hand. ‘What about now?’ she said. ‘It’s – it’s cold!’

‘That’s – it’s fine,’ Adrien said. ‘Really, Marinette, I just –’

‘You can sleep with me!’ she blurted out before she could think about what she was suggesting.

Adrien stared at her.

Heat exploded across her face as she realised what she’d just said. ‘I mean – not WITH ME! I mean YES with me! WITH MY SLEEPING BAG! I MEAN – IN MY SLEEPING BAG! You can share! My sleeping bag! With me! Do you want to share my sleeping bag with me!’

‘Um….’

Oh god, kill her now. Where was Chat when she needed him? She had half a mind to call him up and get him to Cataclysm her in the chest, even if it meant making him fly halfway across the world. She buried her face in her hands.