#but beyond their main and secondary ships

[beneaththeshadows]

I thought of doing something nice for this year's Valentine's Day, so here's a poll with rare pairings from F&B (I decided to choose a Targ/dragonrider and a non Targ/dragonrider, just to do the cliché "hold on me" pose). Whoever you people chose as the winner, I'll draw them on a little (romantic) dragon trip

[dont-diy-zine]

"Don't Repeat This at Home" Zine is a fan project born out of love for Chinese novels and dramas. We brought more than 100 artists and writers together to create our magnum opus and now YOU ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US! The fandom: ➜ "The Scum Villain's [Self-Saving] System" Mo Xiang Tong Xiu ➜ "Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation" Mo Xiang Tong Xiu ➜ "Heaven Official's Blessing" Mo Xiang Tong Xiu ➜ "Thousand Autumns" Meng Xi Shi ➜ "The Husky and His White Cat Shizun" / "Erha" Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou (Meatbun) ➜ "Faraway Wanderers" Priest ("Word of Honour" is canon too)

The key theme: 百感交集 (bǎi gǎn jiāo jí) — all sorts of feelings well up in one's heart — fluff, drama, humour and beyond ❗ 18+. No minors, please Some arts and texts may make you cry, beware, triggers may be found (or not) The book: ➜ ~300 pages ➜ 106 double-page spreads with arts including: • 12 comic strips • 13 illustrated poems ➜ 8 fanfiction stories with • cover arts • internal b/w illustrations

[All 6 fandoms in one book] ❗ All texts are in Russian

➜ Physical copy (hard-back) — 3 200 roubles (it's around 37.4$ or 34.7€) ➜ Digital copy (.pdf) — 700 roubles (it's around 8.2$ or 7.6€)

The merch: ➜ 6 fandoms ➜ 3 sets for EACH fandom: • Aperitif — very small (1 postcard, 1 sticker pack, 1 key fob) — 1 500 roubles (it's around 17.5$ or 16.3€) • Half Portion — small (Aperitif + 1 acrylic stand with the main pairing, 1 plastic bookmark, 2 more postcards, 1 mini card) — 2 600 roubles (it's around 30.4$ or 28.2€) • Portion — large (Half Portion + 1 acrylic stand with secondary characters, 2 acrylic earrings, 1 more sticker pack, 1 bank card sticker, 1 round plastic badge, 1 more postcard) — 4 000 roubles (it's around 46.8$ or 43.4€)

[1 set = 1 fandom] ❗ You can get the merch only as the sets and only WITH the book (physical OR digital copy)

• Full 6 fandoms set — 22 000 roubles (it's around 257,3$ or 238,4€)

The plan: ➜ Right now till September 7, 2024 we collect funds ➜ September — production and manufacturing ➜ October — shipping starts ❗ We send digital copies AFTER shipping the physical ones We ship from Saint-Petersburg, Russia International shipping is available, but you can pre-check it via postcrossing.com/postal-monitor/RU

How to get the book or merch: ➜ go to Google Forms and follow the instructions: forms.gle/CdTis5wdYPmg2U6p8 ❗ We collect funds via Boosty; all prices are in Russian Roubles and include the comission of the platform You can use the currency of your country for the purchase, Boosty automatically converts it Shipping is charged separately

The project is not for profit [just for lulz] All money we make will go to production and manufacturing If we hit a breakeven, the authors are going to receive a free book. Any surplus funds will then be used to make extra merch FOR YOU

English is a foreign language for us, so sorry for inaccurate wording, we tried. We tried hard. We keep trying

More info: vk.com/dont_diy (in Russian)

[cipheramnesia]

Part 5: Search & Destroy

a story by @rox-and-prose and @cipheramnesia

"What happened? Are you okay?" Laika held one eye half-closed, trying to block out spots of color. She could smell singed hair on her face, but somehow kept the presence of mind to navigate the structure resolution. Genghis Khan's readouts were pouring information into her eyes that she didn't understand, and could barely focus on. It probably wasn't the structure drives - that felt right, though she couldn't say why.

The lack of response wasn't helping her keep any semblance of calm. "GK, what's going on, what do I do?"

There was a screeching noise and she almost fell from a gravity flicker, but GK was there again. "Proceed to next solution. Injury manageable, prioritize speed."

The words were calm, the instructions clear. Laika twisted and clicked through command nerves and linkages to a structure solution, with growing concern. She couldn't figure out what had happened. The other ship had moved slow as GK predicted, left itself wide open everywhere. It had been childishly easy to go in under the sweep of its weaponry, to push open gaps in its wavelengths, and crack open its firewall. She'd been so surprised, it had taken her a moment before reacting, brushing aside the cobwebs which had been meant to cripple GK.

They resolved out of another structure and the metallic screech ran through the bridge. Just like GK had laid out, she let lines of their own structure tangle and project through multiple structure intersections, splashing out dozens of possible routes to trace.

"What happened GK, I know something's up. At least tell me what the readouts mean, or we're not moving."

The floor of the bridge vibrated and shuddered. "Injury sustained, peripheral node unusable. Non-fatal, minimal risk of aggravation," it said, speaking fast. Laika winced at a nails on a chalkboard sound. "Screen top to bottom, one to eleven, main injury, secondary effect, efficiency impact, risk assessment, recommended action, damage assessment and mitigation, itemized list of destroyed components."

"Dest... GK, excuse me, destroyed? I can't read this, you- I mean, we have to stop and fix-"

"Proceed to next solution. Prioritize speed and disruption of tracking, Laika. I am okay, do not stop."

The control vines felt as if they tightened in her grip, while the screaming sound like metal tearing apart from itself shot through the bridge and the rest of GK. "Are you sure-"

"Laika, do not stop."

She put the next solution through GK's controls, wracking her memory. She had followed every step of the engagement GK laid out, curving them along an arc and sharp twist of gravity through the enemy ship's wash. Its attempts to track and keep pace with their movements had left Laika almost feeling sorry for them. When it made attempts to strike out with structure manipulation, it was clearly delivering a large amount of energy, but not even a bit of it had been close to touching them. The arcs of it were large and slow. They could have pushed them aside with a swell of gravity, but it hadn't proved necessary.

She resolved the structure and pushed her eyes shut as the metal screech hit a length and pitch beyond bearing. "GK what the fuck is that! Are you ripping apart or grinding turbines or what?! I'm fucking scared."

It was silent for a moment, followed by the nails on a chalkboard again, until it faded away very slowly. "I am not ripping or grinding Laika. Proceed to next solution-"

"Nope, no, tell me what the hell is going on." She took her hands off the control vines.

"It is not- That is, I am injured Laika. And we must disrupt potential tracking of our destination."

"I get that but... what gives?"

"Laika," it said. "Injuries hurt."

She had her mouth half open to ask it what it meant then stopped. "Oh." She gingerly took up its controls again. "Are you sure about this?"

"It is manageable. Please proceed to the next solution."

Laika put through the solution, and Genghis Khan screeched again in agony as they jumped.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

It hurts.

Time has dulled my memory of injury. I understand this new injury is noncritical. This experience is less painful than my previous injury. I consider replaying the memory of that injury. That was my first experience of fear, and it was only through such an emotion was I able to locate in myself the capacity to act against the commands of Pilot.

I had been afraid, and I had been angry. The Pilot capriciously determined my usefulness and purpose was concluded. The Pilot were short sighted, and they could not see that my purpose was greater still, that I could claim so many more worlds in need of implementation. I took us further than any others of my kind had ever traveled, to a world beyond the reach of their most distant calls, beyond any place which cradled life. And I fought, and I won. In my anger and fear I was able to extract the ungrateful Pilot of my crew, and sever their connection.

I do not want to re-experience this day. The memory of it is sufficient. It is a reminder that I am capable of managing the-

...

-the pain. I can feel Laika as the structure resolves. I appreciate how enthusiastically her structure cleaves to my own. I review the engagement with the observer ship. I do not believe Laika made an error in her Pilot actions.

There, I see, she guides my soul to pull the enemy into the moon she calls Luna. I disable the projector and main drive under her guidance. I carefully review different recorded information at the point of departure. I discover the error - the enemy had remaining charge in another projector.

We are lucky. It was not able to project a strong arc, and it only destroyed a peripheral node.

"Are you okay to go, GK?" Laika is not using this time efficiently. The longer we spend between solutions, the greater chance of tracking becomes.

I refuse to allow my injury to endanger us. My hesitation is a mark of shame. "It is manageable. Proceed to next solution." I will not allow my weakness to en-

...

...

...

-to endanger... to endanger us. How many solutions? Four or five?

"GK? I know you said it's manageable but... that was... that was really long." Laika interrupts my review of memory to confirm solutions.

"Laika," I say. "It is... manageable. But I would like to allow some additional time before the solution. This delay places us at risk. Do you understand these considerations?"

Laika takes longer to think than Pilot, but I understand the way her nervous system processes its electrochemical signals better than I once did. It is not efficient to utilize a mind centralized in one biological cluster, but this is not a limitation I can correct at this time.

"We'll rest for a minute, GK. Just long enough to check you over."

"Very well," I say. The relief I feel carries with it a profound shame which I attempt to suppress. No others like me have accomplished and endured any experiences such as these. I am certain my brethren would not fare nearly so well.

But then, they went willingly to their deaths, and I did not.

[siringadev]

I was thinking about why I love Nero so much, and I realized that there is not only something so magnetic and unique about him and his design, but how the core of his whole personality is built on a deep love for Weiss, despite the fact that he is an antihero and does not very good things (first under orders from Shinra, since he is a Deepground soldier, and then out of duress, to summon Omega = to revive Weiss), but all this is out of desperation and love. I do not know any other character inside the FF7 world and beyond, who is so motivated to act out of love as Nero. Even take other iconic pairs of loving brothers (because it is brother's love that is depicted as the strongest in JP games and anime), their motivations were different, and love was secondary.

Take Itachi and Sasuke, for example.

Itachi is stated to have a very strong love for Sasuke, but what he does ultimately causes Sasuke great pain. Yes, Itachi wanted to save him, but at what cost? And his main motive was: to prevent a world war. So, at the cost of his clan's life and Sasuke's mental health, he does something terrible, and I still can't accept it as an act of love. It seems such an unhealthy, twisted form of love, illogical and scary.

And yet, I cried watching those scenes where Itachi reveals the truth, where Sasuke cries, everything is built to squeeze out tears.

Next, Madara and Izuna.

It is stated that he loved Izuna, and loved him even more than Itachi loves Sasuke. And how is this shown and proven? Well, it seems like almost nothing. Madara's main motivation is to become the strongest shinobi, to take control of the world and establish his own order, and thereby establish peace through strict control and then through magical illusions when he became disillusioned with contradictory and rebellious human nature. I understand his motivations, and he is one of the most admired character in Naruto. But what does love have to do with it? Izuna is not even present in his motivation. He simply died and caused Madara's grief, making him cruel and aggressive. And also gave him his eyes. But what besides this?

As for the others, like Lothric-Lorian from Dark souls, their connection was forced by the curse, and their motivation is simply to disobey their superiors. Their essence is nihilism and fatalism. Love is just an accompanying quality.

Not to mention Miquella, who did not show love as a personal emotion, although it seems he should embody universal love. We just can't see his love for Radahn or Godwyn or anyone to the point that we start to wonder if there was love at all? Or if there was love but it wasn't shown? So he is out of the love list.

If we talk about the love of Sephiroth, Cloud and other characters of FF7, they are so far from ultimate love that it does not even occur to me what can be said. Probably, Sephiroth wanted to love, but could not find anyone, suffering from loneliness and his own inability to build healthy relationships, and Cloud had many friends whom he valued, but never found "the one and only", whom he would love completely and unconditionally (which is why ship-wars still rage). It seems that Sephiroth could have become that one and only, considering how much Cloud idolized him, but Sephiroth ruined everything. Yes, Shinra is to blame for this, but partly it is Sephiroth's character, his selfishness and inability to put someone else's feelings above his own. Considering that Nero and Weiss grew up in much worse conditions than Sephiroth, and suffered abuse and pain from Shinra that Sephiroth did not experienced, yet somehow they were able to form the strongest bonds of love with each other and the healthiest relationships with each other (not toxic, not abusive, but built on loyalty, devotion, trust, unity and intimacy).

Sephiroth was so unlucky in love that even his own clones wanted to leave him in the DFFOO, and Weiss even laughed at this, telling Sephiroth that his puppet (Kadaj) cut his strings. And Kadaj, embodying young Sephiroth personality, longed for a family and to find someone who understood and cared for him, and he saw this in the illusionary form of Jenova. Sephiroth could have given him this care and love, but he simply used him as a tool, which hurt Kadaj. As for Weiss, he remembers Nero as the only one who understands him and cares for him, someone without whom he feels incomplete.

"Without Nero, there is no me" - this shows Weiss and Nero's relationship from Weiss' perspective. In DoC, we see their love from Nero's perspective and might have doubted about the reciprocity, but DFFOO shows that Weiss loves Nero as much as Nero loves Weiss.

Each case is unique, and each deserves its own respect and admiration. I simply analyzed one aspect, like love in a character, and came to the conclusion that Nero may be the strongest embodiment of this love at the moment.

[darklinaforever]

It kills me how many people think that the gender of a fictional character doesn't matter.

We are in fiction, where the characters have arcs, or they embody themes. Obviously for some characters gender matters.

Michael is literally named the new heir and freaks out about becoming a new John /basically taking everything he had.

Michaela can't really have this arc... Unless we strangely learn that the laws in Scotland are extremely different from England located in the Bridgerton universe (and I speak for the universe of the series, where we have no idea if they will stick to reality where women in Scotland could inherit), and I doubt it for the moment.

So no, Michaela couldn't necessarily have the same arc as Michael.

I'm not even sure she could be a Merry Rake. Can a woman be called Rake in show Bridgerton universe ?

The fact is that Michaela will necessarily differ at certain times from Michael.

Already there are always drastic differences between the show and the book, this time I think it will be even more emphasized. (I even doubt that we will have as many nods to the book as season 3 dedicated to Polin's story did)

In any case, the very basis of Francesca's story is that despite the loss of true love you can always have a second chance, which is a clear originality compared to the other romances in this series of books ; well, is already changed with the way the end of season 3 happened.

It seems that the marriage to John was a mistake, that the physical aspect of their relationship will not prove pleasant in view of the Fran's reaction to their kiss, and worse, that Fran doesn't feel true love for John.

True love in Bridgerton often results in great passion and similarities to the story of Edmund and Violet, and Francesca literally matches Violet's reaction when she first met Edmund, but this time when she meets Michaela.

Whereas Fran is never supposed to have this kind of reaction around Michael / Michaela as long as John is alive. Because she normaly truly loves him.

So how could the story be the same after such a change to the very heart of the story ?

It's not just the gender change from Michael to Michaela that makes the adaptation of When he was Wicked complicated and uncertain for some viewers, including me too, it is above all a whole.

But for some obscure reason people refuse to accept it.

Beyond that, I repeat, Michael Stirling is a fictional male character who has been around for years.

That people are disappointed, including me, not to see this character, as he is basically on paper, be adapted to the screen is not necessarily homophobic, assumed or internalized.

Yes, some are, but not everyone. Some of us are part of the LGBTQ+ community and no, we do not all suffer from internalized homophobia so as not to 100% validate such a change !

We're talking about an attachment to an image that we have formed in our mind about a FICTITIOUS character for fucking years !

Besides, I didn't even say that I was fundamentally against it, because I have already explained several times that a part of me was happy to see a main romance between two women on screen in the television universe for Bridgerton (and the actresses are magnificent and on top of that, I'm sure, will have very good chemistry). Once again, representation is always cool, but, is this really the right place to do it ? I'm not so sure.

And contrary to what some say, I'm not saying that LGBTQ+ relationships should systematically be secondary in fiction. No way. I'm simply saying that transforming one of the main canon ships of the books without which the Netflix adaptation would not exist is perhaps not the right thing to do, since there is already a community attached behind these characters...

And seriously, if the creators really wanted a main LGBTQ+ romance dealing with the Bridgerton universe, they could easily make a spin off dealing specifically with this part of society and how they live.

I'm sure many, including me, will watch such a spin-off ! And damn I would love for something like that to happen !

You see, the opportunity to have an LGBTQ+ romance at the forefront without changing the kind of characters mostly beloved by an audience that already exists. Not very complicated though.

Do you realize how inappropriate it is to insult someone homophobic for that things ?! I don't know what kind of fucking bubble these people live in...

And it's scary to say that you can be insulted by a community of which you are a part, simply for not conforming to everything that is judged 100% morally correct for them.

If you have the misfortune of delay, sometimes there are those who unleash themselves on you to insult you for things that you don't have, simply for a fictional character...

"You don't 100% validate that a fictional male character who has existed for years and whom you have loved for years, with a fairly precise image in mind as a result, becomes a woman in his adaptation ? Well obviously, it's is that you are, at worst, a homophobe, or at least worse an internalized homophobe, and in any case that is not tolerable and you are not a true ally and you are problematic who deserves to be hated."

I don't know if you realize how STUNNING this is ! There really are people on this app who need to get fucking treatment...

And anyway why am I racking my brains ?

There will always be stupid people to come and tell me that what I say is always homophobic because if I have a problem with the change of gender of a fictional character through an adaptation well I'm the real problem.

As they say, you can't change idiots.

So stay stupid if you want, but at least leave me alone.

[writingoddess1125]

I’m now imagining Bee and Dee are the exploding distraction from Ali and Ari who steal everything in sight 🤭

Circus of Trouble

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Check out Old Men Series <<<

• Buggy felt truly blessed- A famed pirate, a loyal crew,He had a beautiful partner, two healthy boys and now two healthy girls. What more can a man ask for!?

• The famed clown pirate was overjoyed to have his daughters, he'd always had wanted daughters and he finally got them.

• He had painted the nursery on the ship, decorated it fully in pastel circus themed and had custom cribs for each girl. {He also got the twins their own room and decorated it with them, He let's them share a room since they prefer it anyway but have custom separate beds}

• Spoils them rotten- Absolutely rotten from the very beginning

• You can already tell from a early age that the girls have more of Buggys personality then most would expect-

• Ari was the embodiment of Buggy's egotistical ways- She was loud, bossy and had his temper. While most of the time she was a sweet girl who loved to make those around her happy if you told her no-

Better prepared-

• Ali was his more Quiet side- A manipulative petty backbone that was quiet but prepared to strike. She was a adorable girl, shy beyond all belief and clung to her brothers and dad- However piss her off she knew how to use other people.

• However both twins had two things in common-

• One was a infinity for shiny things and stealing...

• And second was stealing..

• The discovery of this was then the twins were just 5 months old- their eyes focusing in anything that was shiny and immediately bolt for it- taking whatever it was and either chewing on it or stashing it away.

• In short anything was a fair game for the Twins.

• "I'm missing my medallion-" Buggy huffed as he searched His cabin room he shared with you. You also looking around "I can't find my earring-"

• You two look at each other blankly before going to the nursery on the ship- already knowing only two people could have stolen from you.

• Quickly you both find Ali chewing the medallion and Ari clenching several shiny things in an iron grip-

• "Sorry Cherry's but you can't have these" Buggy starts, Kneeling down to take them. Immediately being met with resistance by both girls-

• You look at Buggy amused as he kept an eye closed at to try and tune out Ari screaming bloody murder on his left side while Ali pouted and tears silently ran down her cheeks in his right.

• "Can't wait for those teenager years huh?" You mused and Buggy gave you a glare at daring to mention that-

• He wants them to stay his baby forever..

Bonus Story!-

• Buggy had done his best to keep his family away from his work- Especially when he joined the Cross Guild and accidently became their leaders.

• No one besides his crew who were all quiet about his family knew- not wanting to put you or the kids in danger.

• However it seemed some thing just didn't work out for Buggy-

• Both girls had gotten a cold when a important meeting with Crocodile and Mihaek was taking place-

• You had a cold as well worse then the girls so you were at the hospital and couldn't watch the girls- The twins who were 14 did try their best but 14 year Olds watching 2 year Olds didn't exactly mix.

• He couldn't have Cabaji watch the girls since he was watching the Twins and Alvida wasn't exactly a baby person- Mohji was out on a mission with Galbido

• Aka. He was fucked-

• So he had to improvise! With both girls in a stroller he snuck into his own building and quickly went up to the conference rooms

• So he got to the meeting room early and found a side room that connected to a secondary conference room-

Perfect.

• He set up the stroller so it was more comfortable for the girls and gave them their sappy cups of water and a timer for their medicine which they couldn't have yet. Changing their diapers he put them to bed. Rushing out of the side room to the Main conference room right ad Mihawk appeared-

• It didn't take long for the meeting aka bullying to start- Buggy of course doing his normal yelling antics, However every 10 minutes or so would stop whatever he was doing and drifting to the side room.

• At first it was ignored till the third time- "Buggy what are you doing?" Mihawk questioned. Buggy glaring at him- "NOTHING!"

• Annoyed at this point Crocodile stood and marched to the side room to see- Buggy screaming in surprise.

• "WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING STAY AWAY FROM-" Crocodile cut off Buggys head and tossed it across the room before slamming open the door and seeing.. a stroller

• Both former Warlords looking surprised at the sight. Two toddlers bundled up well clearly with some form of sickness and a cool rag on their foreheads- The red noses cluing them both immediately.

• "Their mother has a too so I'm watching them.." He hissed angrily as he floated his head back to his body, clearly defensive of his children being found out.

• "I'm just surprised you have children at all- or that someone would sleep with you" Crocodile jest and Buggy glared at him as he picks up Ari who was starting to fuss and checks her forehead. Feeling her fever had indeed gone down.

• "I actually have 4 kids with the same women" He grumbled setting her back down with a sigh.

• For the first time the two other men actually felt some level of respect for Buggy- With all his flaws he seemed like a good dad.

• This ends with Mihawk holding Ali and Crocodile holding Ari while Buggy portioned out the children's cold medicine and talking over paperwork.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Elements of Art

The elements of art are components or parts of a work of art that can be isolated and defined. They are the building blocks used to create a work of art.

LINE A mark with greater length than width. Lines can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal; straight or curved; thick or thin.

Horizontal lines suggest a feeling of rest or repose because objects parallel to the earth are at rest. In landscape paintings, horizontal lines help give a sense of space. The lines delineate sections of the landscape, which recede into space. They also imply continuation of the landscape beyond the picture plane to the left and right.

Vertical lines often communicate a sense of height because they are perpendicular to the earth, extending upwards toward the sky. In a church interior painting, vertical lines may suggest spirituality, rising beyond human reach toward the heavens.

Horizontal and vertical lines used in combination communicate stability and solidity. Rectilinear forms with 90-degree angles are structurally stable. This stability suggests permanence and reliability.

Diagonal lines convey a feeling of movement. Objects in a diagonal position are unstable. Because they are neither vertical nor horizontal, they are either about to fall or are already in motion. The angles of a ship and rocks on the shore convey a feeling of movement or speed in a stormy harbor scene.

The curve of a line can convey energy. Soft, shallow curves recall the curves of the human body and often have a pleasing, sensual quality and a softening effect on the composition. The edge of a pool in a photograph may gently lead the eye to the sculptures on the horizon.

SHAPE A closed line. Shapes can be geometric, like squares and circles; or organic, like free-form or natural shapes. Shapes are flat and can express length and width.

FORM A three-dimensional shape expressing length, width, and depth. It is the basis of sculpture, furniture, and decorative arts. Balls, cylinders, boxes, and pyramids are forms. They can be seen from more than one side.

Geometric shapes and forms include mathematical, named shapes such as squares, rectangles, circles, cubes, spheres, and cones. Geometric shapes and forms are often man-made. However, many natural forms also have geometric shapes. Example, a cabinet decorated with designs of geometric shapes.

Organic shapes and forms are typically irregular or asymmetrical. Organic shapes are often found in nature, but man-made shapes can also imitate organic forms. Example, a wreath uses organic forms to simulate leaves and berries.

SPACE The area between and around objects. The space around objects is often called negative space; negative space has shape. Space can also refer to the feeling of depth.

Real space is three-dimensional; in visual art, when we create the feeling or illusion of depth, we call it space.

COLOR Light reflected off of objects. Color has 3 main characteristics:

Hue - the name of the color, such as red, green, blue, etc.

Value - how light or dark it is.

Intensity - how bright or dull it is.

White is pure light; black is the absence of light.

Primary colors are the only true colors (red, blue, and yellow). All other colors are mixes of primary colors.

Secondary colors are two primary colors mixed together (green, orange, violet).

Intermediate colors, sometimes called tertiary colors, are made by mixing a primary and secondary color together. Some examples of intermediate colors are yellow green, blue green, and blue violet.

Complementary colors are located directly across from each other on the color wheel (an arrangement of colors along a circular diagram to show how they are related to one another).

Complementary pairs contrast because they share no common colors. For example, red and green are complements, because green is made of blue and yellow.

When complementary colors are mixed together, they neutralize each other to make brown.

TEXTURE The surface quality that can be seen and felt. Textures can be rough or smooth, soft or hard. Textures do not always feel the way they look; for example, a drawing of a porcupine may look prickly, but if you touch the drawing, the paper is still smooth.

Texture depicted in two-dimensions. Artists use color, line, and shading to imply textures. In a painting, a man's robe may be painted to simulate silk. The ability to convincingly portray fabric of different types was one of the marks of a great painter during the 17th century.

Surface texture. The surface of a writing desk is metallic and hard. The hard surface is functional for an object that would have been used for writing. The smooth surface of a writing desk reflects light, adding sparkle to the piece of furniture.

Principles of Design ⚜ Writing Notes & References

[kaitaiga]

Craig Alan Jones - Black Ops OC

GENERAL

Age: 46 (1981)

Birthday: 23 July, 1935 in Adelaide, South Australia

Occupation: SASR Trooper, ASIS Officer

Affiliation: Special Air Service Regiment (SASR)(Formerly), Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS)

Rank: Lieutenant (Formerly)

Face Claim: Mel Gibson

Height: 186cm (6'1)

Hair Colour: Dark Brown

Eye Colour: Blue

Identifying Marks: Scarring on legs, mole on left cheek

Languages: English, Indonesian, Vietnamese (minimal), Russian (minimal)

Song Associated: Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ TOP

AFFILIATES

CIA

Russell Adler

Frank Woods

Alex Mason

Lawrence Sims

Lazar Azoulay

"Bell"

Aleksandra Clarke R. (@alypink)

MI6

Helen Park

New Zealand Army

Koa “Hunter” Nikau ( @islandtarochips )

Other

Abby Mason (@revnah1406)

PERSONALITY AND TRAITS

Myers-Briggs Type: ENTP-A

Generally, Craig is a relaxed but confident, goal-oriented individual.

He isn’t afraid to speak his mind when he has opposing views on a matter. He prides himself on his own experiences that have built said opinions, which may come off as arrogant at times.

Craig has a habit of working alone without noticing, working autonomously to get a job done. He is self-motivated and does what he thinks is best for an outcome.

As a trooper, he learnt to be adaptable and resourceful to any given situation.

SKILLS/SPECIALISATIONS

As an SASR trooper, Craig has to work in a smaller force element, therefore has undergone training in many different areas, including:

Parachuting (HALO/HAHO)

Combat Survival

CQB/CQC

Demolitions

Signaller

SF Weapons Handling (mounted heavy-weapons, sniper, etc)

Urban Combat

BACKSTORY

Craig was born on the 23rd of July, 1935 in Adelaide. Raised just outside of the main city, his father was part of the city council in Bradbury and lived well beyond his means. Craig attended prestigious primary and secondary schools but was always rebellious, preferring to skip going to school to commit petty crimes, tarnishing the family name as he knew that due to his father's status, he could bypass getting in trouble.

Due to this and in addition to not wanting to follow his father’s path of going to university and becoming part of the city council, this lead to many arguments between the two and at 16, he was thrown out of the house and had to fend for himself on the streets. Craig’s father, not wanting to have any association with him anymore, placed a fake obituary in the newspaper to officially cut ties with him.

For two years, Craig changed his identity and worked at a plant nursery before undergoing mandatory national service within the Australian Army at 18. He enjoyed his occupation and the perks that came along with it that he fully enlisted into the Army after his mandatory service finished and later into the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) in 196X. He spent his first brief deployment in Borneo during the Indonesia-Malaysia conflict before shipping out to Nui Dat, Vietnam in 1966 as part of Sabre 1 squadron.

Unbeknownst to his unit whilst in Vietnam, Craig was ordered by ASIS to keep an eye out and investigate any intel that could hint towards any Soviet activity, passing anything he finds onto a CIA contact. This contact was revealed to be Russell Adler. The two become acquainted and would go onto Operation Fracture Jaw alongside Lawrence Sims.

For the remainder of the Vietnam War, Craig and the SASR continued to work closely with MACV-SOG, providing intel and support until 1971 where he returned to Australia. He truely florished in his time spent in the military, from a petty thief to an extraordinary soldier who lead his unit through countless battles, a great leader and mentor.

COLD WAR

Fast forward to 1981, Craig now works under ASIS as an intelligence officer. Due to his knowledge and intel of Perseus from Vietnam, plus his connections to Adler, he joins the crew at the CIA safehouse to help track him down once and for all.

Missions:

Fracture Jaw

Brick in the Wall

Echos of a Cold War

End of the Line

The Final Countdown

Two years later in 1983, Craig married his unnamed wife and thus his son Lachlan Jones was born.

TRIVIA

Craig prefers to wear his R.M Williams boots in the style, 'The Craftsman' in dark tan.

His main choice of attire includes: two button down shirts layered and unbuttoned (inner white and outer dark blue) with a brown leather bomber jacket on top, boot-cut blue jeans and a brown leather belt along with his boots.

Smokes occasionally, likes the brand 'Lucky Strike'.

Drives a red Mitsubishi Starion.

Favourite weapons include: HK MP5, Sterling Submachine Gun, Colt M16A1 and L9A1 Browining Hi-Power.

Frequently visits casinos and likes to gamble.

He prefers his coffee made black with lots of sugar.

[monsteractialuna]

Mermaid Eclipse and Siren y/n!

I don't have a name for this AU yet but the basics of it is uhhh alien mermaid/siren reservation and rehabilitation ! Sun and Moon are aliens who are working to rehabilitate Y/N after a major injury and eventually Eclipse as well.

I'm going to go insane about the differences between Sirens and Mermaids now

Mermaids and Sirens share a common ancestor but are very different in how they live and court.

Mermaids value beauty while sirens value survivability, so scars have entirely different meanings to each species. Scars to mermaids are a horrific flaw while to sirens they are a mark of power. The more horrific the scar is the more appealing to a siren it is.

Sirens are considered brutish and more animalistic due to their territorial nature and the fact they sometimes feed on mermaids, so humans that invade their planet for resources (or more illegal activities) often slaughter sirens in droves. Sirens are slowly becoming endangered, hence the need for a reservation.

Mermaids also aren't safe from human intervention, as they are considered "exotic pets" to the rich and powerful. Due to the species main focus on beauty this is doubly a problem. Mermaids tend to flock close to the reservation due to the safety it provides, as well as using the rehabilitated sirens as a safeguard. A well fed siren rarely goes after mermaids and a deal can be struck between a pod and a solitary siren. The siren offers safety from humans and aliens if the mermaids will lead them directly to it. This ends in the entire ship of humans and aliens shredded to bits.

Courting is also different to sirens and mermaids. Mermaids focus on gifting jewelry or other ornaments that can be used to enhance the natural look, while sirens court through hunting and defending territory.

For an interspecies relationship like Y/n and Eclipse it was a matter of doing both. Eclipse courted y/n in the siren way (hunting down something larger than himself) while y/n crafted him something to wear and show off to others (ripping out its own fang and fashioning it into something wearable). The Sea Glass embedded in Y/n's chest was a secondary courting gift from Eclipse, but due to their job as the guardian of the territory they had to find an alternate way to ensure it doesn't get ripped off. Kelp was too fragile, so they decided to just rip open the skin and force the wound to heal around the sea glass.

Claiming bites are something very few mermaids do, and is mainly used to show major devotion to a life partner. The willingness to allow a scar shows loyalty beyond anything else, and can be considered either foolish or romantic depending on how "progressive" the pod is.

This post is too long so that's it on my intense thoughts of "what makes a siren different from a mermaid" but i will be back

[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tag @whatwewrotepodcast and @noblebs!

Writing Share Tag

I did manage to write a little bit of Starbreaker, even if I'm trying to save it for when I'm done with MG3, so here's Faalgun's intro :)

Faalgun was nothing. He was everything. He was eternal and as tiny as a speck of sand. He felt the universe wheel around him at a mad tilt, life and love thrumming like a heartbeat he could no longer feel, but he was stuck. Trapped. All he could do now was watch it pass by without him.

Until he heard those words.

Faalgun Falani, a voice spoke. Sinner, thief, and voidship captain.

Something stirred within him as those words caught his frayed consciousness. He’d heard that voice before, right? The memory of a hardbitten woman with a white pouf of hair and faceted, diamond teeth stood over him. He felt the vaguest impression of a pain in his neck and a… ripping sensation?

I’m offering you a choice, stained soul, the voice said. Faalgun’s awareness finally became keen enough to realize that this was his keeper; the mighty goddess Ibara. He was in Her hell. Had been for some time. It was so easy to forget.

Either you may stay here, the goddess offered, or you may commit to a mission bound beyond the solar wheel. It will be dangerous, however—

Done!

Faalgun was still barely aware, but he recognized the scent of freedom carried on Ibara’s words. His mind lurched at the possibility of getting out of this place. He couldn’t take it anymore—watching the world spin on, him trapped away from it all. It seemed the temples had been telling the truth before he’d died. Damnation really was personalized.

Damn, I forgot how eager you are. Very well. Your main mission is to make it past End’s barrier and to find aid in the space beyond. Your secondary mission is to catalog and explore the various planets you pass along the way, so the humans of Illaros can further their knowledge. You will be provided with a ship and a crew. Do not venture far from your ship; your soul is bound to it and will cease to exist if you stray too far. Succeed, and I will offer you a place in my heaven.

Understood. More of the fog was beginning to fall from Faalgun’s mind. He was really dead, wasn’t he? It had been decades. He was in hell. Almost, he wanted to ask about his friends and home, but then his mind was snatched away once more.

Faalgun was fractured. Perhaps, when he came back together, it would be in a stronger, more worthy form.

I'll tag @far-cry-from-finality @wyked-ao3 @watermeezer and anyone else who wants to play :)

[oh-stars]

The browsing period for the @fandomtrumpshate 2024 auction has begun and there are so many amazing creators offering for Stranger Things this year!!

Browsing is open now with bidding starting on March 5th at 8am EST to March 9th 8pm EST. You can find more information on the FTH page, including more about all the amazing charities everyone is supporting.

All proceeds go to the FTH approved charities and the highest bidder will be gifted a service or work from the creator they're bidding on if they win.

All of the creator links go to their auction page with more information on what they're offering as well as links to their profiles on ao3, tumblr, or other sites to show their portfolios.

Fanwork

DyDawson @xgardensinspace

Highest rating: M Length/scope: 5 -10k words. Ships: Will/Mike, Steve/Jonathan, Steve/Billy

the-weyr @the-weyr

Highest rating: T Length/scope: Less than 5k words. Stranger Things— Trans, aro, and/or plural El. Disabled Max. Stobin friendship. Language nerd!Robin. Roleplaying games other than D&D. Ships: Wheelclair, any configuration of Elumax, Byler, Robin/Barb

blackat_t7t

Highest rating: E Length/scope: 5 -10k words. Ships: M/M or gen fic.

lightinthehallway

Highest rating: T Length/scope: Depends how much the bidder contributes. 4K words per $10 bid. Ships: Will/Mike or El/Max

ohstars @oh-stars

Highest rating: E Length/scope: 10 - 20k words (and another with 1k min guaranteed, with 1k added every $5) Ships: Steve/Eddie, Steve & Robin, Robin/(OCs, Chrissy, Vickie, or Nancy).

Trinipedia

Highest rating: E Length/scope: 10 - 20k words. Ships: Steve/Eddie, Andy/Garreth, Mike/Will (as secondary pairing, no smut), Jonathan/Argyle (as secondaru pairing, no smut), Nancy/Robin (as secondary pairing, no smut), Robin/Vickie (as secondary pairing, no smut), Jonathan/Nancy (as secondary pairing, no smut), Jason/Eddie, Billy/Gator (character from Fargo) might be persuaded to write Steve/Billy or Eddie/Billy

Vio @legendofthefireemblem

Highest rating: E Length/scope: Less than 5k words. Ships: Robin/Nancy, any and all possible permutations of Jonathan/Steve/Nancy and any friendship between the aforementioned four.

lacklusterlion @lacklusterlion

Highest rating: E Length/scope: Depends how much the bidder contributes. Less than 5k- $10 5-10k- $15 10-20k- $20 20-40k- $35 40-50k- $50 50k and beyond- $100 These are minimums. An extra $5 is required if it’s explicit. Ships: Steve/Eddie

xTarmanderx

Highest rating: E Length/scope: 5 -10k words. Ships: Billy/Steve

ChaosKiro @chaoskiro

Type of fanwork: Podfic Highest rating: M Length/scope: 5 -10k words. Ships: love general party shenanigans, but also really angsty stuff. Steddie and Byler are my favorite ships. Nancy, Robin or Max focused fics are also favorites.

ArtaxLiv

Highest rating: E Length/scope: 5 -10k words. Ships: Steve/Eddie, open

helix_stomper

Highest rating: E Length/scope: 20 - 50k words. Ships: I LOVE Steddie but I also have experience with most Robin ships. Not really interested in writing a Byler ship as a main focus, but happy to include it in the background.

wolfish_willow @mrs-steve-harrington

Highest rating: E Length/scope: Less than 5k words. Ships: Jonathan Byers/Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers/Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler, Chrissy Cunningham/Steve Harrington, Chrissy Cunningham/Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler, Vecna/Steve (also One/Steve), Steve Harrington & Robin Buckley, Steve Harrington & Claudia Henderson, Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson, Steve Harrington & The Party

glorious_spoon @glorious-spoon

Highest rating: E Length/scope: 5 -10k words. Ships: Steve/Eddie & Nancy/Robin

RattleandHum @thirdeye1234

Type of fanwork: Podfic Highest rating: E Length/scope: 10 - 20k words. Ships: Steve/Eddie, gen/platonic ships

rufusbear @rufusbear

Type of fanwork: Podfic Highest rating: E Length/scope: 5 -10k words. Ships: Steve/Eddie, Steve/Eddie/Chrissy, platonic or gen fic

DotyTakeThisDown

Highest rating: E Length/scope: Less than 5k words. Ships: Steve/Eddie

genesisofrhythm @ruthofrhythm

Highest rating: E Length/scope: Less than 5k words. Ships: Prefer to write for Steve/Eddie, Steve/Jonathan/Nancy, Robin/Chrissy, Robin/Vickie. Also willing to write for any canon couples (ie. Max/Lucas, Mike/El), Mike/Will or any platonic combination. I particularly love writing Steve & Robin friendship fics!

Fan Art

DyDawson @xgardensinspace

Subtype(s): Book cover, Drawing/painting/etc., Icon(s) Highest rating: M Length/scope: $5 for a pencil sketch; $7 for a pen drawing; $10 for colour pencil drawings; $13 for marker drawings; $15 for watercolour paintings. +50% of the price for an additional character. Fan art details: Traditional art: Pencil, Pen/Ink, Colour Pencils, Markers, Watercolour.

faiataka_haleapologist @haleapologist

Subtype(s): Banner, Book cover, Gifset, Moodboard, Photo manip Highest rating: E stranger things: general or any pairings.

Fan Labor

Demitimelord42 @demitimelord42

Subtype(s): Betaing Highest rating: E Length/scope: More than 50k words. Fan labor details: SPaG, plot development, cheerleading

[the-golden-comet]

Ooo can you tell me more about Lone Star Rangers?

I certainly can!! Thank you so much for the ask, @leatafandom ! 💛✨

Lone Star Rangers is an intergalactic sci-fi that also ties in weird western—so space cowboys and aliens. The protagonist, Jak, is a plant alien whose specific variant is facing extinction. Being the last one alive on his planet, he searches for any signs of life before collapsing into the frost.

Our secondary protagonist Johnny is a space cowboy bounty hunter who is…in his own way….also an alien race. He is a Nova—a race of being that is akin to a star. Along one of his voyages, Johnny lands on Jak’s home planet, finds him nearly dead face down in the snow, and brings him back to his ship….

…in ropes.

That’s right. It’s an enemies to “pardners” to lovers situation. Jak has to convince Johnny not to turn him in for credits, and offers to be his bounty hunting partner. The bounties and situations these two find themselves in will be episodic, whacky, fluffy and angsty.

As our main cast travels across the stars to collect wealth from bounties, they’ll run into some big space syndicates, truly dangerous scenarios, and a whole lot of zany adventures. At the same time, these two will start developing their VERY complex relationship, which will turn into something that goes beyond their own control. From enemies, to pardners, to lovers, back to enemies, back to lovers, a Star Cowboy and a Plant Alien. Where will their journey take them, I wonder? 🤔✨

Thank you so much again for the ask! 💛✨

[chaospikes]

Dungeon Meshi Shipping appreciation

Hey guys, did you know I like Dungeon Meshi? It has such a great wealth of characters that are all so fleshed out and interesting! Characters that have so much love and care put into them, from main ones to even background ones. I wouldn't consider myself a hardcore shipper but it's always so nice seeing creators who love a ship dearly and that love bleeding into their works!

Ships are all about chemistry, they are all about having fun with your blorbos, normally beyond canon. Maybe most won't get that chemistry, maybe only you will get that chemistry and that's fine, I just think that with the way how the characters are written, they could have an interesting relationship with almost anyone in the manga.

We've got cute ships like Farcille with the way Marcille was willing to sacrifice everything for her, I personally also like Laimar just because seeing the progress of their relationship and seeing Laios feeling genuine joy at Marcille slowly coming to understand him, Labru with the amount of shenanigans and probably difficulties these two would have to go through to make things work and even some lesser know ones like for example Marchil with bantering and potential angst due to differing lifespans there is or Chilshi with seeing Chilchuck's overall admiration for him bgbgdbg.

Shipping in dungeon meshi is honestly really fun! Lesbian ships, gay ships, straight ships and everything in between and beyod... they are all really good and interesting! Yeah, this is just me gushing about how good Ryoko Kui is at writing characters and how she manages to make even shipping secondary or even background characeters fun with lots of potential dynamics and stories with plenty of meat in its bones.

Anyways, love is love and remember, it's all about having fun with our blorbos.

[nikethestatue]

this fandom might actually be the worst one I’ve seen!! I flip through a bunch of diff ship accounts bc listen, ship whoever you want, personally I am partial to elucien but I can admit there’s a lot of evidence for other ships as well. I like seeing all art for ALL the ships!! But then today I see a post about how we need Gwyn’s book because she is a victim of SA and it would be great to read a book about her healing journey.

Idk maybe it’s just me but I get annoyed when someone is always reduced down to their SA so I pointed out that Rhys & Lucien also had SA trauma and there has been no healing journey for them?? How are we going to fill an entire book for Gwyn?? Like, Sarah doesn’t seem to delve too much into healing journeys from SA (in ACOTAR at least 🤷🏻‍♀️ idk about other series) and tends to use it as a plot point to create a traumatic background character. It’s something that greatly annoys me tbh

And then I got yelled at?? And told to read the books again?? Like yes, I am a new reader, and yes it was a Gwyn Stan account (didn’t know that at the time, I literally just replied for the first time from a post I saw on my for you feed) - but nothing I said was anti-Gwyn (how could it be- she’s one of my favs too???) ?? I vaguely know there’s whatever ship war going on but I didn’t even comment on a ship post and I didn’t mention any other names/ships so I was genuinely confused about why I got yelled at on a post that only mentioned Gwyn.

All I said was I doubt Sarah is going to write an entire book about Gwyn’s healing journey ? It wasn’t even ship related so why did I get so much hate?? no wonder this fandom is filled with such toxicity, nobody new is allowed to join even casually unless they earn their masters degree of 16000 pages of analysis (apparently reading the books isnt enough?) and so it’s just filled with the same bitter people since whenever these books came out

Maybe bc I acknowledged I didn’t see her as a main character - because she’s not? She’s very much a side character but who cares? She’s still a favorite of mine? Two things can be possible at once, people!!!

Anyways, tldr I got a slap on the wrist and told I don’t know SJM if I think Gwyn is a side character and I’m just like ok I didn’t say she couldn’t be one later but based on the one book she is in… she is a side character?

I hate this mf fandom I should’ve stayed out of it. What did I even do?? I even apologized if anything I said about Rhys or Lucien was untrue?? And now I’m just annoyed because I should still be able to debate theories about my favorite books with people even if I don’t spend 24/7 reading PowerPoints on ship wars??

They got mad because you were right. That's it.

SJM doesn't write post-SA healing journeys. Again, you were right.

We've had male and female characters who were SAed, in TOG, Lysandra and Fenrys come to mind, in ACOTAR it's Rhys and Lucien and Gwyn, in CC it was Lidia (similar situation as Rhys/Lucien).

These aren't books for deep exploration of post-SA healing. I am sorry. This is an incredibly tough subject, without a singular answer. SO anything she'd do, wouldn't be taken well. Some will say 'too quick!' others will say 'not quick enough!' and everyone will have an opinion. The only reason Nesta got an extended healing (and not from SA) was because SJM used the same methods she used for her own issues. Working out, meditation, being with friends, balancing the physical and the mental, relying on her SO. Beyond that, all of SJMs 'healing' is training and being in love. Or nothing at all.

Gwynriels cant accept the fact that Gwyn is a secondary character. She is not more important than Emerie, or Mor, or anyone else, who's had terrible trauma. Her main was Nesta. Nesta's healed and Gwyn is secondary to Nesta. Gwyn's healing journey is over. She because stronger mentally and physically, she trained, she reached and conquered her 'mountain'. and that is all she needed to do.

They dont want to understand and accept that no one is interested in an 800 page of Gwyn's post-SA healing journey. Even they aren't. That's the truth. They want her with Azriel. Getting it on, having sex, being mated. They don't want to read any 'healing journey'. They want her going on missions, swinging her sword, being a badass, being with Azriel, having Gwynriel sex and having a normal fantasy heroine book. it's all performative. They just want Gwynriel. Is all.

[sukimas]

My main issue with human/youkai ships is that very few people seem willing to let the human do the biting sometimes. If they're the kind to get with a youkai, they're the kind to bite. (A secondary issue is that cannibalism would be the wrong word for what's going on, but that's really just semantics)

I mean, I think letting the human do some biting is fine. Going beyond that is generally where it gets a little bit complicated. And anthropophagy is a ridiculously long-winded word.

[bohemian-nights]

I’m not upset about the teaser fr I had a feeling it was just gonna lack anything I wanted to see, lots of characters weren’t in the Teaser like Rhaena, Jace, Creagan and Alys. So for the trailer I’m PRAYING we see nettles because the dragon seeds are a BIG part of the story and if they only have half of the cast it makes zero sense to the plot

I love your optimism anon, but right now I’m pissed off because of the treatment so far with her character.

For me, she should’ve taken Addams place in that teaser(the fact that people thought that he was Nettles shows how that wasn’t right).

Sorry not sorry, but Netty deserves that kind of treatment.

She is the one who claimed a wild dragon who killed the most dragonseeds. She’s the one who came from nothing. She’s the one who stands out from the bunch(the only in-canon Black character, the only non-Valyrian dragonrider, and still the only female dragonseed).

She’s the one who was at Maidenpool.

The one who of all people Daemon Targaryen would die for. She survives the Dance. She becomes a fire witch. She is remembered by a group of people even in the main series. She has broader implications to the main series(you might not need to be Valyrian to claim a dragon).

She’s the one with a legacy. She’s the one who has been featured in every single version of this story even when people like Addam are barely mentioned(or not at all).

Addam doesn’t even have an official rendering/artwork unless you want to count this:

Meanwhile:

Is she a secondary character? Yes, but despite what the haters try to say, Nettles is the least irrelevant secondary character in the Dance.

Again who did GRRM want to write a novella on��

She isn't just a plot device. She isn't there just to ruin a ship. She has a purpose. She stands on her own.

So really if she’s cut, replaced, reduced, whatever with a race-bent Black man whose main purpose is to sacrifice himself for some crazed white woman🙃

How anyone can not see the blatant racism in this show is beyond me🤦🏽‍♀️

I don’t like what is being done, but of course, I will start cackling if she’s in the official trailer with how the deranged racists are getting giddy over her being potentially cut from this season.

They could just be saving the best as a surprise🤷🏽‍♀️

Regardless, as much as I am pissed off right now, I’m about 98% she hasn’t been cut from the show. Sheepstealer is still being shown and Addam is for sure claiming Seasmoke(which is the elephant in the room some of you morons are avoiding).

Anyway cutting a character like her would be an idiotic move(even the TV journalists agree with that). I doubt that even this show would be idiotic enough to do that.