#but i also would have to pay for the clay ON TOP OF ALL OF THIS

[art]

Creator Spotlight: @themetalhiro

Hi, I’m Metal! I’m a freelance artist from good ol’ New Jersey. My favorite things to work with are a lot of bright colors, exaggerated poses, and candid scenarios. I try to farm sensible chuckles whenever I can, so I’m also big into comics. I love making them about my life, and the media I’m into, and one day I’d like to publish my own series!  Thank you to everyone who has gotten me this far!!

Check out Metal's interview below!

Did you originally have a background in art? If not, how did you start?

I guess so! It’s funny, I don’t remember a single time in my life that I wasn’t drawing as a hobby… somewhere in middle school (a little late, I know.) I put the pieces together that animated movies were made by artists, and that it wasn’t just for fun, they were paid to do it. The moment I discovered people could be paid to make art, I decided I would do that, too. Now I’m here!

How has your style developed over the years?

I think the best way to answer this would be with an example! Over the last few years, I have made more of an effort to draw more intentionally, which sounds silly. Now, I put more thought into my poses and step out of my comfort zone with shape language and composition. I had a phase where I drew everyone with a huge, perfectly circular head and no nose. That definitely did not lend much variety...

Which 3 famous artists (dead or alive) would you invite to your dinner party?

Ack! I’m so terrible at history! I’d love to give a well-thought-out answer about fine artists of old, but I don't think we’d have much in common… Most artists I admire and who have driven me forward creatively are the people behind comics I’ve read. Andrew Hussie, Bryan Lee O’Malley, Eiichiro Oda... these guys have inspired me greatly and had a heavy influence in developing my art style and sense of humor. I’d love to ask them questions about their processes and upcoming projects. I think it would make for an entertaining night!

Over the years as an artist, what were your biggest inspirations behind your creativity?

Outside of pure aesthetics like searing bright colors, layered clothing, and loud noises…. the best and most inspiring moments in my life were those surrounded by friends and loved ones! I cherish the hell out of memories of hanging around in fun locations, trying weird food together, and impromptu midnight walks... so I try my best to capture that atmosphere and my own memories in my work when I can, even if I’m imposing fictional characters on top of them. That’s always the core of it.

What is a medium that you have always been intrigued by but would never use yourself?

I would never permanently refuse a medium, but every time I pick up clay, I’m like a baby using its hands for the first time. Absolutely dreadful. If one day I could make and paint a figurine like the ones I admire in videos, that would be awesome... But for now, I’m not counting on it.

How do you want to evolve as a creator?

I’ve had an absolute blast drawing fanart over the years, and it’s certainly played a massive role in my growth as an artist. But my dream has always been to publish my own stories for y'all to enjoy! I have lots of worlds I want to introduce to you before I’m old and gray. I want to get faster, work harder, and get better at drawing interesting settings so I can get the wheels turning as soon as possible. I also want to stop avoiding the color blue like a coward.

What do you wish you knew when you first started out creating art that you know now?

Pay your taxes quarterly. Tablets will break at the exact moment you need them most, so have a spare. Wear your blue light glasses. You’re going to need to wear a brace on every joint on the right side of your body. It can be lonely sitting at your desk all day. The car on the side of the road that costs $1000 cash….. don’t trust it!!!

Who on Tumblr inspires you and why?

@cranity—They use absolutely beautiful colors and weighty line work. Everything looks so sharp and clean! I wanna put it all up on my wall!

@vewn—Their ability to crank out quality short films and illustrations packed with detail is incredible. The off-kilter perspective they use really sells disorientation and catches your attention like nothing else.

@nelnal—They have absolutely banger character designs again and again, I can’t believe one person’s mind can come up with so many creative ideas!

@jinx88kc—They have a beautiful and recognizable style, and the way they incorporate animation into their illustrations sometimes is SO cool!

Thanks for stopping by, Metal! For more of Metal’s work, follow their Tumblr, @themetalhiro! If you haven't seen their Meet the Artist piece, be sure to check it out here!

[e-likes-bones]

so a couple months ago now i think? i decided on a whim to make a puppet since i figured i had enough supplies lying around to do it, which resulted in me being struck to make arguably one of the best members* of the rock-afire explosion into a marionette: looney bird!

(excuse the goofy looking puppetry, i don’t actually have any experience w/ marionettes. whoops!)

anyhow i know a couple people that have seen puppet looney were curious how i made him, so under the cut i’ll have my rambles about that!

making looney bird was super fun! so expect this section to be long because i do wanna explain everything as much as i can. i will divid this up into sections, which shall be:

body, head, & neck

face & plant/leaves

tail & wings

legs & feet

strings & control

anyhow! let me get to explaining lol

Section 1: body, head, & neck

this is where i began! i made a base for the head & body out of crayola air dry clay so i had base shapes to put the fur on top & so the puppet would have a decent little bit of weight to it. the head was just a small ball, while the body was larger & slightly more oblong. while the base & the other sculpted parts were drying, i had to color the fur i was going to use.

i only had white faux fur (2 different kinds, a soft, sort pile, & a less soft, longer pile; what i use for most of looney is the short pile) going into this project, & since this fella was made exclusively from craft materials i had lying around, i needed to find a way to color it. I attempted dying some of the fur w/ some old t-shirt dyes i had lying around, but when that didn't work i turned to my old alcohol markers to see if they worked, & they surprisingly did! really well too! (altho there are some areas that i struggled to get ink into, but overall the color isn't too too patchy)

once i had the dry clay & fur, i got to covering the bases w/ the fur! which. i did primarily by super glueing small sections of each piece of fur down, maneuvering the fabric to lay flush w/ the base & making sure to maintain the same direction of the fur, & repeating until the fur was completely attached.

the neck was simpler, i took some more of the red colored fur, folded it over into a flat tube shape, & glued either end to the head & body (still paying attention to the fur direction!) then i took some of the remaining uncolored (white) fur & made the ring of white around the base of looney's neck!

Section 2: face & plant/leaves

imo, this was the section i had the most fun w/ lol! i actually sculpted the face after making the head & body's clay bases so that they had extra time to dry. i made the entire face as a "faceplate" for easy attachment at the size i needed, plus sculpting the face as one thing allowed me to have the 3 extra bits i needed to attach looney's face feathers the best later on in the process. the face is also made of crayola air dry clay btw.

after the face was dry it was painting time! i just used some old art kit acrylic paints for all the base colors, & the eyes were possible using a nail art dotting tool. i went over looney's cheeks w/ chalk pastel dust to get the blush effect, then sealed everything in using mod podge.

now he needed his face feathers! remember how i had 2 different faux furs? well here's where the longer pile one gets used! i cut really small sections of the longer fur & trimmed them down to be just 3 little fuzzy bits essentially, then using another alcohol marker, i colored them green & glued them to the green side sections on looney's faceplate. from here, i attached looney's face to his head, then cut & pasted the surrounding small white feather sections on either side of his face & below his beak. it was after that i made the purple feathers, as those are just colored paper clippings that i glued to the back of looney's faceplate that didn't attach to his head. (picture of what i mean below)

anyhow! onto the plant on looney's head! the stem of the plant was just a jewelry wire that i twisted to make a bit thicker, then dipped in green paint to color it & smooth the twist out, then sealed w/ mod podge, & finally glues to the top of looney's head. the leaves, much like the purple feathers, are paper, but cut into leaf shapes & colored to roughly mimic looney's leaves, then they were very carefully super glued to the stem

Section 3: tail & wings

these bits were pretty simple imo, the tail is made of embroidery floss i cut & sectioned to create looney’s tail pattern, then i tied it together to create a base i could easily attach to his body. i also tried brushing it to make the individual threads smaller since i preferred the look & thought it made it look more like feathers? but either way, from there it got glued on & i moved on to the wings.

the wings are again the short pile fur i used on the body, but they were left white when i cut them, so once i got the wing shape formed i could color the sections that needed to be red & just leave the wingtips white how i wanted. the wings were 4 panels cut into a roughly triangular shape & glued together to create 2 wings

Section 4: legs & feet

the legs & feet were also relatively simple but i have never been the best at sculpting feet so i suffered just a tad. anyhow the feet are also sculpted from crayola air dry clay like other pieces, then painted & sealed the same as the faceplate.

the legs are pony beads & more embroidery floss. i used the beads to make the legs as full & patterned as i wanted & the string to make sure the legs are loose & easy to maneuver. 2 beads were glued to looney’s body & 2 to his feet, & the string was looped thru the body beads, down through the leg beads, & tied & secured to the feet beads

Section 5: strings & controls

finally! the last section!

the string is just some clear beading string. there are 4 strings, which were tied & glued to both foot beads, the base of the tail, & the base of the plant. i eyeballed the needed length for each string to keep the puppet at an upright position when held up regularly & cut them to size.

the control is just a pair of chopsticks i cut to the rough size of the puppet & glued the ends of the strings to: the head & back end strings to either side of one stick, & both feet strings to either end of the other stick.

& that was pretty much everything i had to do to make looney!! it took like. 2 days? i was very dedicated to finishing him in just a weekend. thank you to anyone who read all my extended rambles about how i made this guy!!! i appreciate it!! also please excuse any typos, i never make typos ever idk what y’all are talking about

[rainybyday]

Thrid! (This idea keeps going, my mind won't let me study!!!!!)

Part 1 | Part 2

So at this point it's both a clan issue and a political issue

One - Clans

Uchiha’s have the issue of trying not to get into a Hatake conflict and now being essentially accused of border crossing 

Senju’s have one of their own being used against them as a biological weapon and a border crossing issue with their enemy

Hatake’s just got the news that one of their own is seen between two clan lands at war with pups! And injured!!!

Two - Political

Senju elders see this as biological warfare with one of their own, with a wood release, is used against them 

Senju and Unchiah border crossing when not in battle 

Hatake sighting, the main clan will probably visit ngl

Ok so Hatake’s

I see them as more as a nomadic clan that moves with the seasons to farm in lands that are wild and free

They would move every season for different crops to grow or lands to rest in

They have some pacts with some farmers to leave some of their crops there in exchange for a share of their crops for the farmers

So while many civilians are scared or hate them, a lot of farmers actually respect them, hence, why a lot of farmers or civilian families live in the old Hatake lands during Kakashi’s time

Hatakes, while known as farmers, are known as farmers that can grow crops anywhere

Like

Can grow in infertile soil, swamps, ice mountains, sand beaches

They are magic 

People know that a Hatake-grown crop is bound to be rich and delicious 

But also rare to get your hands off since so many people are willing to pay top gold for such crops

And yet Hatakes aren’t stingy with their crops nor are they materialistic so they don't mind trading nor selling their crops, but asking them for exclusive rights to their crops? Fuck no!

Fun fact, Hatakes will rebuild their “compound” of tents with additional material around them like wood from trees, clay from rivers, or use stones to build small walls for their young

Also! I like to add that Hatakes can be seen as the main clan and smaller packs!

So main clan will generally stay all together and move together as a clan but there are some smaller packs of Hatakes that will leave from the main pack to go there own journey

Its not to say that they are excluded or shunned by their clan but just that they have the need to explore or travel or do something other then stay with the pack

They of course have to tell their clan leader and inform them of new Hatake members if any, such as adopted members into their pack or new babies

Its a system to make sure that pack can help pack and anything necessary to help family out

They are all very family and pack originated but they are also free and wild and do as they please

So its not unknown to hear of smaller packs of Hatake’s out in the wild

What is surprising is to hear of a pack that migrated onto a war zone, and a unknown pack at that

So when the Hatake’s got the letter of a Hatale male with a pink hair girl they are very puzzled but also worried

Because for one, a pack at least has four people moving together, so for only a sighting of two is something to be considered about

Even more so when they heard they were injured

And the PUP had it the worse

So

What do they do?

The migrate of course ^^

Isn’t it wonderful that the new season just started this spring

[jiminiecrickets]

jeon jungkook ♡ series masterlist

wc. 2.3k

tags. smut | dom top!m!reader, exhibitionism, handjobs, edging, begging, name-calling, high and dry

jungkook's eyes shine at the sight of the meals the waiter unloads from his arms. he leans forward eagerly, peering down into the clay pot dishes and bright, fresh greens. he wiggles beside you, so much excitement leaking out of him that you can practically taste it. you smile as he brings his hands together to clap quietly, thanking the waiter so genuinely that the man can't help but return his smile.

"wow, you really went all out," jungkook comments, rearranging the dishes for the best dish-to-plate distance for both of you. he nudges your shoulder with an endearing crinkle to his eyes. "is this an attempt to gain my favour? what'd you do?"

"i didn't do anything," you protest. "i can't spoil my man a little after a hard day's work?"

he giggles, lifting your plate to spoon a portion onto it. you sneak your arm under his elbow and steal his plate, giving him a generous mound of fried rice and a few rice paper rolls. "you never spoil me, you stingy rat. i know something's up. did you chip my favourite pyrex container? bend my steak knife? lose my charger?"

"you live with me," you snark, "so those are technically my things. and no, that didn't happen. i'm not a clutz, unlike somebody here."

"i bought them – therefore, they're mine. what's so hard to understand?"

"they're under my insurance, so therefore – they're mine. fuck you."

he smirks. "you'd like to, wouldn't you?" a corner of his lips quirks up as he places your plate in front of you. "by the way, you don't need to say 'so' and 'therefore' one after the other like that." he hums as you set his plate in front of him. he leans over and pecks your cheek. "what a dummy. ah, at least you're handsome... you need to get out of the house more often."

he's such a brat. he's also incredibly clingy, which makes it difficult to do any work from home when you do finally give in to his wishes. every fifteen minutes you get a surprise visit from your boyfriend with another bowl of sliced apples. even tonight, in this fancy restaurant with too-dim lights and black-and-gold décor, he chose to shuffle in shoulder-to-shoulder and thigh-to-thigh in the u-shaped booth rather than sitting across from you like a normal person would.

he even sat there originally, raising your hopes that he would act like a prim and proper date. he then slid over the smooth leather seats while you ordered, laying his head on your shoulder and beaming up at the poor waiter, who was definitely not being paid enough to suffer through jungkook's lovey-dovey antics.

not ten minutes go by without incident. jungkook props his chin on your shoulder. his cologne smells light and fresh, like clean linen. he points at a slice of duck meat. "i want."

you put it on his plate. he pouts at it, hooking his shoe behind your calf. slowly, it slides up the back of your leg. "no, hyung-ah! want you to feed me. ahh..."

you glance around, warm in the cheeks and not from the heat of the busy restaurant or from the starchy suit. he blinks up at you expectantly, mouth open.

his eyes are just a little too lidded to not remind you of situations far dirtier than this. you clear your throat and shove the duck meat into his mouth until he almost chokes. he pulls away from your shoulder, and so does the creeping hand across your belt.

he grumbles as he swallows. "you coulda killed me, hyung. why'd i have to fall in love with such a mean guy?"

"because i'm handsome," you say nonchalantly, "like you said. apparently, it's my only good trait."

he hooks his arm through yours with a soft whine, food forgotten. you spoon another slice of duck into his mouth – you're paying for all of it, regardless if it goes into his stomach or the bin. he would definitely appreciate it a lot more. "hyung! that's not true. i love you for other reasons, too."

"mm, is that right, darling? name one." you slide a mouthful of glass noodles between his teeth. he winks when he notices how closely you're watching, making sure to be extra slow when he drags his lips over the spoon.

how he can make that attractive, you have no idea.

"well," he hums after swallowing, "you have a big dick!"

you nearly knock over the table in your haste to slap a hand over his mouth. your face burns. you hiss, "shut up! shut the fuck up. please, we are in public."

he waits until you lower your hand. he smiles innocently. "make me, hyung."

he goes right back to eating, unhooking his arms from yours and tucking his feet under himself. he wraps his lips around the chopsticks, glancing slyly in your direction to see if you're watching. you are. his lips shine slightly with oil from the fried dishes, plump and pink from the chilli powder. they curve up into a smirk as you place a firm hand on his knee.

popping a piece of chicken in his mouth, he lets out a soft moan, eyes closing gently as he savours the taste. "so good, baby. see? i knew you had some good qualities – you always manage to choose the best dishes on the menu, even if you've never tried it before. open your mouth for jungkookie, please. here comes the aeroplane."

he lifts the chopsticks, hovering a palm under it. you maintain eye contact as you accept it begrudgingly, doing your best to slam mental understanding through to him. you're in a restaurant that celebrities frequent – if you two are seen doing anything so much as a hair too risqué, you'll be kicked to the curb and your faces will be blacklisted forever behind reception. he's already pushing it, practically sitting on your lap.

his hand brushes over the front of your pants when he draws back. the glint in his eyes tells you that it's no accident.

fine. you'll play his game.

your hand slides up his knee to his thigh, squeezing in warning. you knuckle the edge of your hand into his soft bulge, concealing the movement with a shift on the booth seat. you feel his knee jerk, nearly hitting the table.

he clears his throat and continues eating, taking your nearly-empty plate and giving you another portion of every dish. how kind of him.

his trousers are beltless – ruins the lines of his jacket, he argued – and you glide your fingers over the front, finding the cold of his zipper easily. you palm his cock, hiding your smirk behind a quaint little appetiser as his hips shuffle discreetly.

he's always loved this game, touching when he shouldn't and where he shouldn't. you try to be mature about it, knocking his hands away or kicking his feet under the table when they get too close to their mark, but he's your baby, and you don't punish him nearly enough for any of your stern lectures to truly take root in that pretty little head of his.

you drag his zipper down.

your fingers slip into the gap under the button top, tracing gentle lines along his cock. it twitches with interest.

his pants are high-waisted, which makes it easier to hook your fingers into his boxer shorts – you have to personally thank whoever made loose-fits popular again – and fish out his cock. when he feels your fingers wrap firmly around him, his head snaps towards you and his eyes widen.

you smile sweetly back at him. what did he think would happen? you turn back to your meal, and after a still moment, he follows, his movements stiffer than before.

you stroke him lazily. you don't have to do much to get him riled up – the setting seems to pluck at his seams. he shuffles around so often that you barely have to move your hand; he does it for you.

you lean in, lips by his ear. "quit moving so much, baby. you'll get caught."

jungkook's throat bobs harshly as he nods, quiet and obedient as he stares down into his plate. as a reward, your fist quickens, and his breath hitches, eyes shutting briefly as your finger slides over his wet tip, smearing his precum down the length of his hard shaft.

"what's wrong, darling?" you ask with faux innocence. "you haven't touched your dinner in some time. want to order something else? a drink?"

he shakes his head, sucking on the ring through his lower lip. his cheeks are beginning to tint pink, and his wide eyes dart around the restaurant. eventually, they fall on you. "n-no, thank you, hyung," he replies in a small voice, lifting his hands and placing them palm-down on the dark table. he raises the spoon to his mouth.

he's so good for you! your heart melts a little. maybe it's the weight of being caught with his dick out – literally – but he's been quelled, his sneaky feet and sly glances left behind entirely.

it's bad for your ego. you have him in the palm of your hand – just a few fingers and you have infamous college bad-boy jeon jungkook melting into a hot, sticky puddle.

your hand pumps him steadily under the table. if he was in his right mind, he might recognise it as the classic pop 4/4 time signature, which you do for your own amusement. he lets out a shaky sigh, listing heavily against your side. you rest your cheek against the top of his head and tighten your fist, scraping along his veins rapidly to a bouncing beat, and his knuckles turn white around his chopsticks.

you glance over them in amusement. "going to stab me with those, jeon?"

 he loosens his grip and holds them properly, rather than like a stake he'd enjoy driving into your heart. he shakes his head, uttering a weak "uh-uh" as he turns his face into your shoulder. his breaths are hot and heavy, unsteady and stuttered.

you bite back a satisfied smile. "not such a tease now, are you?" you murmur into his ear. "i wonder how long you can hold it..."

he chokes out a tiny whimper. "no – no, please, hyung, please don't make me—"

"well, what else are you going to do? come all over the bottom of this table, all over your trousers and your shoes, like a needy whore?"

he jerks into your fist with a swallowed gasp. he doesn't even bother to try and look as if he's eating dinner – he's just trying not to moan too loudly.

poor thing. you stroke his hair kindly.

his cock is soaked. you can hear your wet movements under the table. he whimpers into your shoulder, a death grip on your forearm as he humps your fist. 

 "h-hyung," he gasps softly, his voice cracked and hoarse. "hyung, ah, ah, i c-can't—"

"mm, darling? want me to stop?"

all he does is whine quietly.

"excuse me, sir?"

you look up into the concerned eyes of a waiter – the same one who served you earlier. he gestures to jungkook, whose hair covers just enough to hide the sex-addled haze of his blown irises. his red cheeks, however, are not. "is he alright?"

you chuckle, nodding. "yeah, he'll be okay after an ibuprofen and a big glass of water. not a big drinker – you understand." you gesture to your wine glass, which is half-finished. you probably won't drink the rest of it; you've got something far tastier to get yourself drunk on tonight.

the waiter nods with a sympathetic smile. he bows slightly. "right! sorry for interrupting your dinner, then. have a good evening."

you smile as he leaves. you turn back to jungkook, who finally parts his lips to let out a breathless, near-silent moan. your hand had never stopped. his fist tightens in your jacket.

"you're doing so well, darling," you whisper, his precum dripping down your knuckles. his cock pulses hotly with each quick, dragging stroke. "you're doing so well for me. doing so well for hyung. you want to be good for me, yeah?"

 he nods quickly, panting softly. "y-yeah, yeah, hyung, wanna be good f'you. 'm good jus' f'you."

the way he's slurring his words could pass him for drunk if it really came down to it. he wraps his arms around you, and you can feel his tremble even deeper now – it's not just his thighs or his hands. he's trembling all over.

he's trying so hard for you.

you twist your voice into something sweet and gentle. "that's right. you've done so well tonight – look, we've finished all of the food we ordered! want to go home now, baby?"

he nearly whines aloud, gazing up at you with dark, desperate eyes. he gulps hard. "y-yes, yes please, let's go home, let's go let's go—"

"okay, okay," you laugh, gently tucking him away into his pants. he shifts in discomfort. you give him your jacket as you slide out of the booth, and he grabs it gratefully and folds it over his arm to hold over the visible tent in his pants. "i just need to pay and we're all set. want to wait in the car?"

he flushes and nods, taking your hand in his own. "yeah, if you wouldn't mind..."

"of course. anything for my darling."

[johaerys-writes]

Hi! I’m pretty new to the world of Achilles and Patroclus (I read The Song Of Achilles last month) and I just saw your post about your love for them. When you said “there's just so much stuff out there about them (tsoa, hades game, the iliad, a bunch of other myths and adaptations, non fiction books, academic papers etc)” I was wondering if you could touch on the other myths and adaptations part maybe? I’m not exactly sure where to begin there but I would appreciate any guidance you could give!

Oh boy I don't know where to start either because there's a LOT. I don't want to overwhelm you so I'll just list a few key myths and adaptations off the top of my head:

Adaptations

So as far as adaptations go, I will include works where both Achilles and Patroclus show up and that are inspired by the Iliad.

Hades Game: I'm pretty sure you're already familiar with this, just mentioning it just in case!

Aristos the musical: it's a musical as the name suggests, and it revolves around Achilles and Patroclus' lives from Pelion all the way to Troy. It's really lovely and has made me emotional on numerous occasions and I love revisiting it every so often! It also has a Tumblr account: @aristosmusical

Troilus and Cressida: this is Shakespeare's take on the Trojan War and it's quite interesting, not really faithful to the Iliad but offers a sort of different perspective on the characters and the events that led to Hector's death.

Achilles (1995) by Barry JC Purves: it's a short stop motion film using clay puppets, it's on Youtube and it's only 11 mins and I think it's worth a watch! I find it very compelling visually and any adaptation where Achilles and Patroclus are lovers is a plus in my book 🫶

Holding Achilles: this is an Australian stage production by the Dead Puppet Society, I really enjoyed it and I found it an interesting blend of TSOA and Iliad Patrochilles, which also featured some cool new elements that I hadn't really seen before. It used to be free to watch for a while but now I think you have to pay to watch it, there's more info on their website.

The Silence of the Girls: a novel by Pat Barker, it's a take on the events of the Iliad mostly through Briseis' eyes, I personally didn't really like the book or the characterisations but hey both Achilles and Patroclus are in it so it might be worth a read.

There are some other novels I've heard of where Achilles and Patroclus appear (A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes, Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Deane) and also a TV show called Troy: Fall of a City but I haven't read/watched them so I can't really rec them

Myths

Most myths revolve around Achilles, there aren't that many with Patroclus I'm afraid, but here are some of my favourites:

Achilleid by Publius Papinius Statius: this is an epic poem about Achilles' stay on Skyros disguised as a girl and his involvement with Deidameia. It's interesting but I'd personally take the characterisations and events in it with a grain of salt because Romans were notorious for their unsympathetic portrayal of Greek Homeric heroes but it's still a cool thing that's out there and free to read online.

Iphigenia at Aulis: a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides, it's basically the dramatised version of the myth of Iphigenia's sacrifice in Aulis which predates the Iliad, there are many obscure versions of this myth but Euripides' sort of updated version is my favourite, I will never shut up about this play!! Lots of a nuance and very interesting portrayals of Achilles, Agamemnon, Menelaus, Clytemnestra, Iphigenia and pretty much everyone in there, well worth a read.

Lost plays: there are several plays in which Achilles appears but that have been lost or survive only in fragments, but two of my favourites are Euripides' Telephus and Aeschylus' Myrmidons. Telephus takes place before the Trojan War, while the Greeks are on their way to Troy. I really like Achilles' characterisation in the fragments that remain and also the fact that he was already renowned for his knowledge of medicine and healing despite how young he was. The fragments that survive from Aeschylus' Myrmidons I think are fewer but the play was extremely popular at the time it was presented to the public and it sparked a lot of controversy re: Achilles and Patroclus' relationship and who tops/bottoms so I think that's kind of funny lol.

There are lots of other obscure little myths about Achilles that I've picked up by reading various books, papers and wiki posts on the matter and that are just too numerous to list here, but what I will mention and that I think concludes the myths section of this post pretty neatly is that the Iliad and the Odyssey are not the only works about the Trojan War that were written, merely the only works that survived. The rest of the books in the Epic Cycle have been preserved either in fragmentary form or in descriptions in other works, and I think the Epic Cycle wiki page is a good place to start if you want to get an idea of what each of those books contained.

I hope this helped! 💙

[lxtstrip]

Last to Fade | M. Sturniolo

TW: alcohol mention and 13RW show/character mention just for a moment and a SLIGHT spoiler of S1xE1 if we still even need a spoiler alert, but no SPECIFIC topics from the show.

AN: all opinions expressed about the show are mine, i do not speak for anyone else. i also knocked this out in 2 hours or so while rewatching the series.

WC: 715

Pairing: Matt x Reader

You watched Matt lift a bottle of Stella to his lips. He repeatedly begged you for Shock Top, but you insisted this was better. Strangely, he didn’t complain about the flavor profile tonight, because tonight was your night with him. He didn’t have to worry about posting anything on social media on nights like this and it relieved him more than anyone could ever begin to fathom.

As Matt set the bottle back on the coaster beside him, you couldn’t help but notice his hand and arm. You always had a thing for his tattoos, same as every other girl in his comments and DMs. However, you got to see the way they moved. You got to take in what they looked like half inside of messy bed sheets. You were lucky enough to experience the mundane and intimate alike.

In the most cliche fashion you were ripped out of your thoughts as Matt abruptly lifted his elbow to his face so he could address the tickle in his throat. Even his coughing could never bother you, no matter how loud it was. You were without a doubt that if and when you were with him long term it would infuriate you, but for now you found it to be something you could put up with.

“I don’t get it…” Matt finally uttered.

“What do you mean?” you asked sitting up to look him in the face.

“That damned smile!” he mocked the brunette on the television.

“We watched this series twice and you still don’t get why she fell for Justin?” you asked.

“The first time we watched it, I wasn’t paying attention to the romance! That’s chick shit.” he said, throwing up his hands in defense.

To be fair he was right, at the time it premiered it was marketed to bring attention to mental health and provoke thought in younger individuals. At the same time when you both watched it for the first time there were multiple sources tearing it apart and even more making fun of it so you two decided to give it a go deciding for yourselves what the final verdict would be. You both landed it deserved every generalized concept it was given.

“I’m just saying she would have been happier with Clay if she gave him a chance from the start of the show.” Matt commented.

“All this from the guy who said he wasn’t watching this for the romance.” you giggled, laying your head back down in his lap.

The credits started flickering across the screen and Matt couldn’t grab the remote fast enough. He didn’t even let the automated timer go off before he was jumping to watch the next episode.

You and Matt called it a night after episode two. There was a bit of debate between why a show would remain so cryptic for so long. Answers could have been given while still drawing people in, but you both decided it was lazy.

It was surprising Matt could draw such astute conclusions. He wasn’t widely known for being well read, just one of 3 brothers with a somewhat influencing career. Truth be told, when Matt wasn’t recording with his brothers or gaming, he was in the books pretty heavily. No genre was off limits for him after he met you. You changed him in the most positive ways; his words, not yours.

You were his favorite everything. He looked at you the same way you looked at him. He was enamored with you. You were his rock after a hard day, you were his passenger princess on dates, and you were his last girlfriend he ever wanted. He would never admit his feelings in that capacity, not now anyway.

Matt pulled the covers over the two of you and gave you a kiss on the forehead before settling in and wrapping his arms around you. A comfortable silence enveloped the two of you between chaste kisses and loving glances. You never knew how watching something on television could wipe from your minds so quickly and fall into your nightly routine. You liked it, there was a pleasant, resounding ambience that you two were made for each other.

To paraphrase the great Adam Young - the spaces between Matt’s fingers where right where yours fit perfectly.

[fourseasonsfigs]

Taolin Forest Wen Kexing (Handcrafted)

This beautiful figure showed up on the artist's Xianyu page as an immediately available in-stock piece, and I pounced on it. You can tell by my profile pic how much I like this costume, after all!

The artist works in ultralight clay, which has been a new medium to me, and so far I've been impressed. It is very light (as the name suggests!) and appears to be extremely flexible. I was initially very worried about her figures breaking in transport, as they all have very delicate thin little details, but everything seems surprisingly sturdy. It bends, but doesn't deform, and doesn't seem to break with careful treatment. I do baby my figs, but shipping / customs is always a wild card.

For something like this, I would normally absolutely air column wrap it to protect it from crushing damage. I don't worry about the fig breaking parts off - I worry about it getting squished! If this fig got crushed it would certainly destroy it, given all the thin, flat loops of clay making up most of this figure.

But, I didn't have to, because the artist packed it in a rigid styrofoam cooler box. This is of course deadly on the shipping fees, especially since my warehouse flags the wooden base as air freight only. But, the only thing worse than paying volumetric air freight charges is getting a crushed figure, so what can you do?

I too am deeply disappointed by my lack of quality unboxing photos. Why did I not remove this top layer of bubble wrap? NOBODY KNOWS.

This is an extremely tall figure, by far my largest figure by a wide margin. The full size, including base, is 27 cm, of which 2cm is the base. This makes the figure itself about 10 inches high for us Americans.

The fan is not clay but paper, which was a nice surprise. I would have been fine either way, but I like the paper. I'm also very appreciative that the artist included it in this rigid plastic box so keep it from getting squished inside the protective cooler. Box. Protective box.

Here he is without the fan. He's gorgeous! You can really see the detail on his belt and his long, elegant fingers.

In fact, here's a closeup of those hands and the beautiful detail on the belt. His fingers may look even a bit longer than you might expect, but that's because they need to hold the fan. You can even see the slight indent for the fingernails. This artist is just amazing. She says she puts her whole heart into crafting these figures, and you can tell.

Holding the fan as so. If you don't think I wasn't a little stressed out carefully wedging the fan in between those beautiful fingers, you have somehow (incredibly) missed all the other cases of my fig related anxiety on this blog. I'm not even a high stress person! Normally.

Alright, let's spin this beauty around, shall we?

My camera decided to focus on many things, but Wen Kexing's perfect face was not always one of them. So we'll get some closeups. But first, let's do our bottoms-up and top-down pics:

Please do note the beauty mark on the middle finger of his right hand!

For size comparison, here's Wen Kexing with his OG official fig counterpart:

You can definitely see what I mean by how big this fig is! Maybe I should call it a statue instead of a fig.

Alright, time for our close ups.

Just beautiful. I'll need to commission a matching A-Xu in the Taolin forest costume so I can have them heading off to Siji Manor.

This figure was an incredible price - less than $50 USD. An absolute bargain. I can't even imagine the time that went into this. This was less expensive than other individual figures or pairs of this size, so perhaps I just got lucky with the artist clearing space.

I had really wanted semi-realistic figures like this when Word of Honor was released and I watched it for the first time, so getting this now makes me really happy. The artist also had a snowy mountain set that I picked up around the same time, which should be arriving here relatively shortly. Please look forward to it! I can't wait myself.

Material: Ultra-light clay

Fig Count: 386

Scene Count: 26

Rating: Pure artistry

[link back to Master Fig Index for more posts]

[lemm-moxx]

Yap about the guys!!!

woahg

I feel like the T.U.A would stand as a "neutral" party within the multiverse, though highly suspicious , any outsider can't really pin anything down on them, W.D's placing great value to the T.U.A staying unknown within the multiverse. Everybody thinks they're up to something but it's pretty hard to investigate, when the space the T.U.A occupies is one in the same as the owner of the T.U.A. (that being W.D) and injuring or abducting an employee would at least create suspicions, and at worst ruin the potential for future relations. You either have to play by the T.U.A's rules to learn anything or hope nothing bad happens. Though at the time @ask-undersculpt is set they're still completely under the radar. (though I'm planning to make a comic some point in the future about when they do go public in the multiverse and the effects it has on the multiverse (also where bell comes in as a threat to the T.U.A)

More on the inner workings of the T.U.A, there's a very distinct divide between the two departments (that being the archive, and multiversal exchanges) The departments being more defined by their separate heads than W.D (though only one department is more loyal to the head than W.D) The archive is the very epitome of a toxic work environment, Price (the head of the archive) being the only reason for this. The man is a stereotypical mean girl cranked to 100. (I'm actually really temped to give him two assistants that are equally bitchy to finish the mean girl formula.) Price is inherently deeply insecure and attention seeking, and tries to remedy it by trying to degrade his employees(either to make himself feel better, or for the negative attention it gives him) and acting like a high almighty god. On top of this, Price has habit of locking onto a specific person and doing as much as physically impossible to gain positive attention from them. (he's a massive teachers pet) Despite this the archive's employees generally view Price as more pathetic than anything else. Though they still thoroughly dread seeing him and coming to work in general. Most of the employees hate working at the archive, but haven't quit due to the insanely good pay and healthcare,for sorting dusty files and artifacts. The archive is larger in both employee numbers and space they take up in the building, W.D tries to place more attention on the archive when talking about the T.U.A even though they are very much a front for the T.U.A. Most of the staff don't actually know this. Though appearing as bad as the archive the M.E dept works more like a close knit friend group. Sable though on the outside incredibly cold to his employees makes up through his actions, he regularly tries to promote a healthy work environment (and it normally works! everyone would ride or die for the man, majority of m.e employees view Sable as their employer rather than W.D) They also tend to match his stoic nature whenever clocked in outside of the T.U.A's main hub they all try to match their bosses stoic nature. The M.E dept is generally more secretive and loyal than the archive's staff. Sable tries to discourage discussion between the two departments believing staff not trained by him to be possible information leaks (though there are a few exceptions (such as Anne and Clay)) The M.E department also handles the majority of the T.U.A's dirty work. Both departments have similar opinions on W.D though, that being pretty neutral with a slight hint of fear. (excluding the department head's) Sable is as cold to W.D as he is to anyone else, he's the only person to actively criticize and judge W.D. Price on the other hand is a giant suck up to W.D, though his efforts are regularly unappreciated, the lack of praise compared to the importance W.D places on Sable within the company. This regularly drives Price insane, to the point of developing a secret obsession with Sable, believing he's trying to ruin him. I would go on but i despise typing anything ever so uh some icons i made for the incomplete roster of T.U.A staff

(and at the bottom the cordial bell and a guy that really isn't that important)

[kindnessisweakness2]

1

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” Noah groaned loudly. Jax and Tig turned and went to ask him whats wrong but Noah, their recently patched member of Samcro, was already making his way out of the TM Garage. There was a girl making her way across the lot, swinging a baseball bat from her shoulders. She wore black vans, blue denim shorts and a white vest top. Tattoos littered one leg completely and the thigh of her other. Her arms were also covered but she was too far to see the designs properly. She was beautiful, her hair was dyed a bright purple on one side and black on the other and it was tied up in a messy bun. If she didnt have a face full of anger Jax would definitely of hit on her. “You cheating fucking scumbag.” The scream from the girl got the rest of the clubs attention as they made their way out of the clubhouse. Even Gemma came out of her office. “Em please! I dont know what your talking about!” The girl laughed in Noahs face. “Oh so your gonna try and lie to me again? I FOUND HER FUCKING UNDERWEAR IN OUR BED YOU PRICK!” Jax watched as the girl swung at Noah’s bike, taking the wing mirror clean off. “Get the fuck away from my bike you psycho!” Noah shouted. “OH YOU MEAN THE BIKE I FUCKING PAID FOR?” The girl took another swing at the bike, this time taking the other wing mirror and headlight out in one. “Yeah tell your little fucking biker buddies, how you wouldnt even have a bike if it wasnt for me! Tell them that the subs you pay them each week come out of my fucking paycheck!” Swinging at the bike again, the girl took the exhaust clean off. “ Thats what you do to me is it Noah? I support you. Pay for all your shit, pick up after you like your a goddamn child and you have the fucking Nerve to cheat on me? In my own fucking home!” The girl pulled a pen knife from her pocket and slashed both of Noahs tyres. “No baby! i didnt! I wouldnt!” Noah tried to reason with her but clearly it was getting him nowhere. “Your fucking pathetic.” The girl pulled a pair of underwear from her pocket and threw it in Noah’s face. “I bet you gave her the best 5 seconds of her whole life. Newsflash mate, your shit in bed. If you fucked her like you fucked me she probably had to go to the bathroom after to finish what you couldnt.” Noah went bright red at the insult and Jax couldnt help but laugh. The girl turned her attention towards him and made her way over. “I suggest when you next pick someone to join your club, dont pick a lying prick who doesnt even own the bike he sits on.” And with that, the girl turned and made her way out of the lot. 

Clay shook his head at Noah. “Church now.” He called and everyone started making their way into the Clubhouse. “I like her. Shes spunky!” Jax shook his head at his moms comment. Ofcourse Gemma likes the new Psychopath in charming.  Making his way into the meeting room, he took his VP seat next to Clay and watched the chaos unfold. "So your telling me your girl has been paying your way? That's a fucking joke Noah." Every member of the group nodded in agreement. Yeah sure alot of them stepped out on their old ladies, especially with the road rule. But living off your woman and cheating in your home town? That was a no no. "Look, she supported me. With everything. She pays my subs and yes she owns the bike. Even gives me fuel money for the runs we go on. I didn't mean to get caught cheating. I thought I was on Top of it. Never thought she would find out." Jax shook his head at Noah's admission. "It's not that she found out Asshole! It's how you've treated her. A good woman that supports you like that is hard to fucking come by! The road rule is there for a reason! Fuck half of us round this table would kill for an old lady like that. But the fact is, a man that dont pay his way aint a man at all!" Piney snapped at a panicked looking Noah. Piney rarely spoke but everyone knew the level of anger that old man could reach, oxygen tank or not. Noah fell silent at Piney’s Outburst. What the hell was he supposed to say to that? “Your busted back to prospect.” Clay announced before taking a drag on his Cigar. Noah’s eyes widened, “Thats fucking Bullshit! I’ve not even had my patch 3 months!” Tig’s eyes glossed over in anger as he watched the newbie shout at his president. Reaching out, he grabbed the back of Noah’s neck and slammed his face on the Redwood Table. “Did you just raise your voice at your president?” Noah squirmed against Tigs hold. “Now, you either prospect for another 18 months, pay your own fucking way and earn your patch back. Or you leave, and you know what happens then.” Clay gave Noah the ultimatum and the rest of the club fell silent as they waited for Noah to make his choice. “I’ll Stay.” Tig Released his hold on the young lad before pulling him up by his kutte and roughly dragging it from his shoulders. Happy smirked as he threw a prospect kutte in Noahs face before Tig Pushed him out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Jax looked at Clay confused. “We’re really gonna give him another chance? He doesnt even own a bike?” Clay shrugged his shoulders. “Everyone around this table knows he’s gonna fuck up. Especially not having that girl keeping him in line. But when he fucks up i want him close, where i can see it and deal with it. We really do not need a loose cannon right now. Anyway, go see that girl. All her details are on the paperwork for the bike, Gemma’s gonna need to know what to do with it.” Jax shook his head in disbelief at Clay. He couldnt believe it. Noah should be kicked out of this clubhouse head fucking first. He didnt earn his place in this club, his woman did. He also couldnt believe the nerve of being ordered to visit the firecracker that was this girl. For all he knew, she would never want to see a Son’s of Anarchy Patch again. So Clay really was throwing him in the line of fire here. 

However, despite his obvious disagreement, Jax got up from his seat at the table and made his way out of the clubhouse. The only thing he could think on his way out of Teller Morrow was maybe he should’ve stopped for his bulletproof vest. 

Pulling up to the address that his mum text him, Jax was Suprised at how quiet it was. Considering her performance at the lot earlier, he was expecting screaming and a trashed house. Instead he found her sat on her front porch quietly smoking a cigarette. "Hey" he spoke softly as he approached her. Like she was a wounded animal that could kick out in fear and pain at any moment. She looked up at him through glossy eyes. Her cheeks were red and hair falling out of her messy bun, but despite her upset appearance Jax still thought she was beautiful. That couldn't be denied. "Hi, look I'm sorry for my outburst today-" she started to explain, but Jax cut her off quickly. “Dont Sweat it Darlin’. From what i heard, he deserved it.” He spoke as he took a seat next to her on the porch steps. Pulling a cigarette out of his pocket he lit it and took a few puffs. “I’ve been sent to ask what you want doing with the bike. It aint his and after everything the clubs not letting him keep it. Your names on the paperwork, so what do you want doing to it?” Jax watched as she rolled her eyes. “What the fuck am i gonna do with a Harley? Just Fix it and sell it. Strip it for parts. Fuck burn it for all i care.” She shrugged at Jax’s shocked expression. “Thats an expensive Bike, surely your gonna want it back?” Jax tried to encourage her to take the bike. “Yeah, ofcourse it was expensive. But i honestly couldnt give a shit. You like it, you  have it.” Jax raised his hands in mock surrender as the anger in the girls eyes flashed. “Okay Darlin’ you win. You’ll have to come by the garage tomorrow tho. Sign the bike over.” She sighed and pushed her fallen hair behind her ear. “Yeah, sure.” Jax stood and started to make his way down the path towards his bike. “Oh and my name aint Darlin’ either.” She called after him making him turn to face her. “Its Emily.” 

*******************************************************************************************

Hi Guys,

This is something new I’ve been working on. I have 2 more chapters if you turn out to like it. Please please let me know what you think!!

Love to you all!!  

[sol-consort]

Idk if this is your vision or not but, I get the vibe that the illusive man would really like to see shepard and miranda fuck because they're both like dolls in his dollhouse if you know what I mean (like me when I was a little girl and made my dolls scissor lmao). Also I think I'm sick in the head because I think it's really like erotic that he brought us back from the dead like watching over us naked on the surgical table and basically rebuilding her like frankestein type beat (is that weird lmao?)

The illusive man is really the med university drop out to our frankestein's monster <3

It's erotic in the sense that he's viewing you as a piece of art rather than a piece of meat to lust after. Each body part, each square of skin, each droplet of blood, is treated with ten times the value of gold.

You're revered as much as you are obsessed over by him. As he constructs you and comes by weekly to gaze upon your naked form on the medical bed, marvel at his grand creation in all of its glory.

Reconstructing every part of you back to its original form, going through so much trouble just to make you the exact same because you were already the embodiment of perfection to him.

He didn't want to dare change a single thing, add enhancements, or microchip in your brain at the slightest risk it might actually change you, even a little bit. He couldn't afford that.

You're so right about him enjoying watching Miranda and Shep in bed together.

Miranda is more of a childhood doll, worn out and bores him by now, yet he grew attached to her nonetheless. A reminder of his more humble beginnings.

Shepard is his pride and joy, the golden trophy, a symbol of humanity. To own Shepard is to own all of humanity's collective spirts and hearts. It's the perfect doll for the founder of Cerberus, the organization with "looking out for humanity's best interest in mind, above all" as their slogan.

He constructed an entire playground for you, his favourite doll. Built an entire ship, hired the most talented actors and spies to work under you, and brought back your old friends as consolation so he could tie you down to him.

If your attachment to cerberus wasn't enough, then at least the presence of your old friends would make you reconsider.... or at least, confuse your mind enough to start associating his organisation with the same warmth and familiarity.

He built you up, much like god moulded the first human out of clay, The illusive man rightfully views himself as your maker.

Therefore, he knows what's best for you, even when you're not aware of it. You've been too restless lately, chasing after a past long forgotten, why don't you let him remind you of the present you're currently missing out on? Dangling a prize or two in front of your face to get your attention.

Especially with a femshep, he'd be condensing with his phrasing. Not paying your presence any mind as he turns his attention to Miranda, telling her to take you to her room and have a girls playdate. Dismising the two grown women in front of him, Shepard boiling with fury as if she's about to break his jaw, and Miranda who has to swallow her pride and answer with a polite affirmative.

You know he's watching as she strips you down on her bed. You can feel his scorching gaze on your skin through every camera in this room.

Picture him sitting on his chair, legs crossed, head titled to the side in a faux bored look, resting his cheek against the top of his closed hand.

You loath the way Miranda kisses you ever so sweetly, wondered if she's doing this out of her own free will or by some obligation to obide to his every word. Her hand moving up to cup your breast, squeezing the tender flesh, thumb swiping against your pebbling nipple before she takes it in her mouth.

Your back arches against the bed, her hands trail down your sides.

Lips wrapped around your sensitive nipple, sucking and mouthing against it as her fingers move more and more downwards. Brushing your clit, thumbing against it.

Keenly observing your reactions and learning just how you like to be played with, soaking in every piece of new information you unawarly expose to her from the slightest tremble of your bottom lip to your nails digging into the mattress below.

Miranda's fingers getting sticky with your wetness, your heavy breathing fills the room. Suppressed whines and whimpers; you don't want to grant him the satisfaction of hearing you, not when can already see everything happening from tens of angles.

Grabbing a pillow and burying your face into it just as the pleasure build up is too much, the knot in your core pulled too tightly, a mere flick against your clit there is all it takes for you to unravel. You keep the pillow firmly on your face, stealing another scene—one which he views as rightfully his own—from him.

Swearing that the next time you fuck Miranda it will either be on national television for everyone to see and not just him, or in some isolated dingy basement bar on a stained mattress where he may never reach you two.

"A girls playdate" what a fucking joke. You'll make him choke on his words one of those days.

[p4nishers]

i don't know if you even posted about it but

which discworld books have you read already?? and maybe you have some favourites like I STRONGLY SUSPECT THAT IT'S NIGHT WATCH but what if im absolutely wrong..please share

anon i will lay my life down for you i've been waiting for this for so so long (literally since november. but whatever)

so. from the rincewind series i've only read the last continent and unseen academicals bc reasons. one of them being is that i am weirdly passionate about the ridcully/bursar ship only i care about and they're developed enough characters by those books for me to actually have something to ship. i can't think of other reasons but. they're there definitely i promise. oh yeah unseen academicals was by FAR my fav from the two but i found the ending a little eh so i dont consider that one a FAVORITE favorite. but its still insanely fucking good.

then i've read all of the witches novels except equal rites and that's only cause i was listening to the audiobook and then i forgot where i left off and i just didn't finish it. anyway the clear winner for me is and always will be carpe jugulum and it's DEFINITELY one of my top 3 discworld books. like i know you didn't ask for this to be a hundred pages long but fuck me that BOOK. i could write ESSAYS. also wyrd sisters is a fucking masterpiece and i wont hear a WORD against it. thank you.

all of the death books expect thief of time and i honestly i just dont want to end the series yet so i'm still putting it off. give me some time. favorites from that hmm well hogfather DUH but also reaper man. listen man it's about found family it's about bill door it's about death giving his TIME for a little girl it's about I NEVER WORE A CROWN YOU NEVER WANTED TO RULE it's THE FIRST FUCKING TIME WE MEET REG SHOE also the wizards are fucking GREAT in that one i just love it. not top 3 material but definitely a comfort read.

from the watch books i've read up to thud! which i'm still half way thru bc i'm not ready to move on from night watch like i had to listen to it on audiobook two days after i've first read it bc it just sucks you in man. does NOT let go. and yeah you're so so so right and true about night watch being one of my absolute favorites that book changed me as a person i'm still definitely not over it. like at all. also feet of clay and fifth elephant will always ALWAYS be my children and have my heart for obvious reasons (cheery. its cheery).

from the moist books i only have raising steam left and yes again im putting it off bc i dont wanna finish the series whatever dont look too deep into my issues

uh. shit this is so fucking long ok sorry. from tiffany novels i've read up to wintersmith and so far the wee free men is my absolute favorite i cried so much reading that book it's embarrassing.

small gods was my very first discworld novel and let me fucking tell you man absolutely HILARIOUS place to start when you dont know shit about the world building that's all im gonna say. also it's just so fucking good it's insane to me like yeah maybe it's not as funny as the others but the way terry wrote about faith and gods and devotion and the church and ugghh. (sidenote i read an brutha/om fic a few weeks ago that changed my fucking LIFE im being so so serious rn that was a masterpiece)

and i think the only one left is the truth which is in my opinion one of the best written discworld books from what i've read and definitely in my top 3. like otto chriek would be enough to convince me and THEN there's mr tulip's backstory and william confronting his dad (man that scene where william gives his father thousands of dollars to pay back for what he "cost" him over his life. anyone got reminded of that one ladybird scene? yeah.) and it's just like the best thing you've ever read.

im so sorry this got so long im insane i hope u got some kind of answer out of it

[smidnite]

I realize I've been very slack about posting what's going on at home, in terms of writing, but here's a recap:

I was enjoying writing a roundrobin with @winterspiderpurrs and @illogicalkat , but was losing steam because my job wears me tf out and I rarely have braincells left.

I've been working on the sides of my house, getting fill dirt and grading the side of the house, covering the exposed foundation. Y'all, that took SO MUCH fill dirt, but at least I got it for free. There's a couple in a house a few blocks from me with a sign that says "FREE FILL DIRT!" Hell yeah, I took advantage. I don't pay for what I can get for free with a little (or a LOT) of work.

While I was taking care of the grading, I was also pulling up an EGREGIOUS amount of roots from some invasive bush/ tree. The roots of which may have been responsible for getting into my clay pipes (this house was built in 1968). My dad came over with his sawzaw and together we cut down the tree. A few weeks later (as my energy allowed) I went digging down as far as could, uprooting as much as I could, before filling back in.

That said, I also, over a period of time, purchased some landscaping bricks for hella cheap, so when I finished doing the grading, I was able to cover with plastic and lay down the bricks. I'm hoping to be able to get some mulch in the new few weeks.

During all that came the sudden IKYFL on my discovery two weeks before her potential due date that one of my cats, Cardamom, was pregnant. Lil' heifer looked like a bowling pin.

She had her babies on September 30th, and the kittens are now a month and a half years old and are incredibly SPEEDY little disasters.

I purchased this house in February using the maximum amount of my retirement fund allowed, because who's going to be retiring in this economy? But what I learned is that in bundling your homeowners insurance and township taxes in with your mortgage, they are ESTIMATING the taxes. My mortgage went up a whole $300 this past millage. Which means that until I get my tax return next year, I'm going to be late on my mortgage.

Someone ran over my mailbox, smashing the crap out of it. That was $100+ that I didn't want to spend but had no choice. Yes, I COULD have taken the receipts to my insurance agent and been reimbursed, but in the long run that would raise my premium. NOPE.

And finally, I haven't been able to cook because this past Wednesday, I turned a breaker off to take out the old dishwasher that came with the house, and that Whirlpool was 20+ years old. I figured I couldn't be that hard, because in theory, it isnt.

I WAS WRONG. The biggest issue was the previous owner putting new flooring on top of the old, and AROUND the installed dishwasher. I couldn't just slide it out, so I had the dubious joy of breaking out the sawzaw again, and cutting my countertop to lift it like a car hood and get the dishwasher out.

The second hurdle was AGE. Because of the age difference in the appliances, the locations of where things are connected is different, and WHAT they're connected with is a bit different. Or, in the case of the wires, they're the same, but the length was too short.

By that evening, I was very defeated and disappointed, knowing that I was going to have to spend money I didn't have. But after sleeping on it, my brain reminded me that I am a SCAVENGER, and I DO NOT pay for things I can get for FREE!

I've been cannibalizing parts from the old dishwasher, and hopefully I'll have everything up and running by the end of the night. I've been up since 5am, and I've done two loads of laundry, cleaned the living room, and cleared off my dresser--I still have moving boxes to sort through.

I KNOW I'll pass out before 10pm, and it's noon now.

TIME TO GET TO WORK.

[ksiondzkanexkiii]

MAYBE YOU'RE NOT A BAD PERSON | JOHN PRICE

CHAPTER SIX

Next Chapter (7)

The story is also on wattpad, the link to my profile can be found in biography <3 Enjoy

It's been a few days since the teenager arrived at Price's apartment, and for a few days John has been in turmoil rather than peace in the apartment.

It's a store and obviously a lot of people in it, especially if it's a market. For Jinx, it was too many people she wanted to leave, but she had to walk step by step behind Price like she was his kid or whatever after morning jogging she was fed up, but her energy carried her away, how many walls she saw empty concrete always bored her for that she painted graffiti

They thought it was vandalism and defamation of the wall. She thought it was a work of art, something that made the world more colorful and interesting. She was interested in colors and colors. In brief

And yes. She's standing behind Price, who's going through groceries looking for what she needs, and she's bored, and I'm holding back the moans of discontent with every minute and hour they pass in the store. Of course he saw it, but he didn't comment, he thought she'd tell him herself, or he'd actually start whining like a little baby.

She tried to find something to do, but she quickly got bored, nothing caught her attention, she didn't speak. She shut herself up. She felt like Price had knocked down one of her walls when she wasn't looking.

Humiliating

- Why do people take so long to think about what they want to buy? Just take it and put it in the fucking basket! – an outraged teenager crossed her arms on her chest, like an outraged child who did not get his candy or toy. Price raised his eyebrow and looked at the teenage girl over the noodles, or did he do that on purpose? Maybe that's why he's holding one and the same pasta in his hand maybe.

- Calm down Jinx – a hoarse voice Price really demanded water, she was willing to put a bottle of water in the basket or buy him a new glass with the words “Give water your voice suffers” had to stop laughing at her own thoughts – People searching through all the products to find the ones on sale or the ones they were interested in – explained as if it was the simplest thing in the world

But for her it wasn't, for her it was torture of a man, clogging up the mind. And God, get her out of here, or she's gonna blow this store to shreds. – her irritation spread her

- Do you prefer to buy a more expensive product that is not on sale or do you prefer to pay less but have the same product that was on sale? – He raised his eyebrow, and when he encountered the silence of the teenager he considered it an answer – Well – he answered for her closing the discussions

- Then explain to me how the pasta you hold in your hand is different – She accused him, threatening him with a finger pointing at him from top to bottom.

- It's no different. I was curious when you would start whining that you wanted to leave – he shrugged, putting the pasta in the basket and moving on to other store shelves. The teen's mouth spread out

You fucking bastard, when I get you, it's UGH!

It's a good thing he couldn't hear her thinking, because I'm sure he'd give her up, after all, death threats might come true, some unfortunate accident. When she noticed Price wasn't waiting for her, she ran up to where she had last seen him, not to panic that he had disappeared, but she didn't want to be left alone. When she was looking for a bearded man, she walked into another alley when this thing caught her eye

A lot of plastic, a weight fell on her shoulders. But it was a nice weight practically as if it got wings felt like heaven, with curiosity approached every new shelf to see an assortment of paints, brushes, crayons, markers, clay, more markers, erasers, necks, sketchbooks. It all looked like it was calling and saying take me with you we were made for you, picking up two paints one in green and the other in yellow.

She might even say she liked these colors, a cold tube of paint weighing in her hands. As much as it would give to be able to have these paints or to be able to have her old collection, which remained in her old hideout, it's probably all been robbed or taken away by CIA agents looking at the nice pencils that were nice unused and the fresh wood of the pencils glistening from the light from the store lamps. The sprays that were just waiting for Jinx were neatly arranged on the shelves.

Oh, what would she do with those sprays, if only she could use them, running her hand over the crayons, judging their texture, she was in her world, she liked it here, she understood why people think what they want to buy.

There was only one problem she didn't have any money, stealing is out of the question. But... since when does he think that? As she looked around the alley, she noticed that she was alone, no one was here, no one was passing by, no one from the store, no one from the staff. The perfect opportunity is just waiting for it to be used she took a few crayons the colors she liked the most and caught the eye and a small set of pencils. She cleverly stuffed everything into her pockets beforehand making sure they didn't have a barcode or anything that could trigger an alarm. When she was sure, she stepped out of the alley as if nothing had ever happened.

No one will know

Again she started looking for the captain, who was a few aisles further unaware that the teenager had disappeared, or so she thought. She approached him without saying she had done anything, and yet the adrenaline was running through her veins, and her heart was pounding faster and harder with each greater second with the captain. In her pockets she was obsessively touching the stolen things she had hidden, feeling her fingers sweat and her mind working faster, fast enough that she would surely outpace the fastest military fighter.

Price moved on with the basket without saying a word as if he was sitting in his world of routine consumed him it seemed like it was everyday life for him and for a teenager it was boring and tedious and now with these things in his pockets she felt the adrenaline she missed so much in juvie. But she didn't feel the way she used to feel more like... she didn't know, she didn't understand. She just followed the older man praying that nothing would whistle at the gates.

She didn't even know it, when they got to the cash register, she grabbed one of the shopping bags almost overloaded her shoulder. Price, when he paid, he looked at the teenage girl, smiled softly when the teenage girl took the bag without saying anything, like it was normal for her, which means she'd still be people. All we have to do is extract that humanity, melt it, break down the wall it would create, hide their fears, move on to the captain's place

Her eyes ran through the many graffiti on the walls – Do you like this vandalism – he asked, focusing his eyes in front of him, walking with the goal of returning home, carrying two bags in his hands, picked up the bag earlier that was carrying a teenager. The bag was too heavy for her, and it got tangled under her feet, so he took the weight off the teenager like it was nothing, like the bag didn't weigh anything at all.

- It's not vandalism. “It’s an art you don’t appreciate,” she said, “the captain only raised his eyebrow.” “Art?” You call these scribbles art? – his skepticism was audible, he didn’t understand how these scribbles can be judged as art, how can you call it art? These were kids' scribbles that are hard to wash off and you'll find a lot of them on the walls of central London, especially on abandoned buildings or very old tenements and blocks.

- Yes art, you see where you see the scribbles I see the art of a person who nobody appreciates – she explained catching up with the captain when she stopped at one of the graffiti – Maybe you don’t understand it, but... You don’t understand it, because you’ve never expressed yourself that way, you’ve never delved into it – she shrugged.

- I can’t blame you, not for everyone is painting and creating Graffiti – She added after a moment of silence, John looked at her over his shoulder – It’s just words that can’t be read or trails the same as they teach in kindergarten – he murmured, turning his head slightly

He wanted to understand what the teenager meant, but he couldn't understand it, he couldn't understand it. And she understood, maybe it's a matter of age or maybe it's a matter of mentality, both of which were in the captain's mind. Or she's making it up, too.

- Well, don’t draw on my walls at home – He confessed and the teenager just laughed – I wouldn’t have the courage, come on, these white walls give a claustrophobic tone – she joked

- Are you claustrophobic? – curious hoarse voice continued to demand water, and he did not understand the joke – A little, but I try not to think about it – she replied normally she did not laugh. He didn't get a joke. How could you not get a joke so simple? How can you not laugh at her joke?

- Good – he praised her as if she did something right, or maybe she did something right? She did not understand what he meant – I remember these streets too well – she confessed after a moment of silence further looking around her – Far from here to big bene? –

- About twenty minutes by bus, unless there are traffic jams then longer – He grunted – There are always traffic jams especially in London – she sighed resigned, wanted to escape it was known not from today. Every night she gets up around 2:00 a.m. and tries to find the key to the front door, but she can't find it like the captain had it with him and hid it at night so she couldn't find it.

She knew it, which is why she spent nights in the living room window asking the brightest star on the moon for help. But her prayers and supplications are not answered by them, the standard. Nothing new, what did she expect? Nothing helps her and no one helps her.

It’s as if everything and everyone wanted to laugh at her, not from today it’s known – Why do you ask? – The captain knew how to get her out of the land of thoughts she liked to fall into, especially in his presence as if he knew what to do and how to behave so that she would think about her every next step and word.

He danced with her, but he was driving and she just followed him like a lost mongrel. Two steps forward, one step back, so he danced, and she danced two steps forward, five steps back, she couldn't keep up with the captain's step.

She couldn't keep up with the Captain's thoughts, the planning. She had to adapt to him, she had to get to know him. Surprisingly, they came to an agreement, he just acted like it was normal for him, like he wasn't completely upset that she showed up at his house like some kind of intruder, accepted that fact, and finally agreed to change it, so? Then why would he be pissed that she's there?

But why did he take it so lightly? Isn't that a problem? Either she's too calm and doesn't bother him, or his life is already so uninteresting that it doesn't surprise him, as if nothing surprises him. She didn't understand it. She wanted to get to know the man, like her mind, instead of thinking about running away, started thinking about him.

Who was he? Who really is Captain John Price?

He surprised her, and she surprised him, every day they taught each other was nice, because neither he nor she did anything wrong. To this day, the items that were in her pocket burned her pocket like she knew she was doing something wrong.

Because she knew

But now she felt her burning, and a distant voice of reason cries out to her to take it, but she doesn't hear that voice amid the murmur of praise of her demons that live within her driving her to say what was right and what she didn't do what she thought was right

She would never change that.

- Maybe someday you’ll want me to open your mind to new kinds of art – she muttered, Price stopped judging her from top to bottom. She went a little further, but stopped when she realized that the captain had not moved or moved an inch. She turned to the captain and met his judgmental gaze, “It’s not Jinx’s art. It's scribbles that paint kids as rebellious as you - he started and his voice was not at all nice and on the contrary it was rough and not nice

- You think it's art and it's vandalism. You try to call it art and you just spoil the objects – he stepped towards it to rise above it, looked down at the teenager

 – You look for beauty where there is no Jinx – the wrinkle on his forehead intensified how much he did not like it – You have real art in museums as paintings sculptures of artists. It’s not art on these walls, it’s just vandalism – he pointed to the wall next to them that had paint on it.

The graffiti next to them depicted a sunset over the ocean and a piece of beach and it was all surrounded by tropical leaves, Jinx's eyes on the painting on the wall lit up maybe and it was vandalism, but she liked it. Moving her gaze, her dreamy eyes quickly replaced the cold when she met Price's judgmental and nervous blue eyes.

They fought a war on sight, who wins who was right? – Maybe that’s how you see it, but I think differently – her voice was silent, resembling the hiss of a snake, or did the good idyll end? Five days after she arrived, the bubble Price thought they were stuck in burst? Was it that Jinx who lived on the streets and wreaked havoc by robbing people and starting fights? He didn't know, but he guessed

- Not Jinx. Drop it – his voice left no room for discussions she wanted to have anyway – Normal people wash this shit away, nobody wants a wall like that. It's ugly, no need –

He moved on his steps were long which caused him to quickly make his way, but Jinx did not follow him as for the past few days she kept following him like a lost mongrel. Because she had to

- Maybe you think so, but I get joy from it – she confessed watching Price leave, but stops when she started her monologue – Or maybe someone also gets inspiration from it or joy from such works? – asked rhetorically

- No one gets joy from it or delves into what this vandalism represents, what it is aimed at – He wanted to end this discussion – We are going to Jinx’s house – He ordered without leaving anything to discuss, ended it with a simple order, which she had to follow. She didn't want to upset him any more, even though she wondered what he was like when he was annoyed.

What's he like when he gets pissed off? She wanted to know the answer to that question, but she preferred not to risk seeing that bearded face red with anger. She obediently directed her steps towards his apartment, remained silent and clasped her hands on the stolen items in her pockets – Someday you’ll have to understand this – she whispered to herself, she didn’t want his ears to hear it – Sooner or later you’ll understand it – she muttered and her voice barely resembled a whisper. It's like she's just moving her lips and not a word comes out of her mouth.

And yet he heard it. But he didn't comment, he didn't comment because he didn't want to agree or he didn't comment because he didn't understand her. All the way back they were both silent, grave silence filled them, no mouths moved to make any sound even the birds were afraid to chirp.

It was so quiet, but the atmosphere could be cut with a knife, even the bluntest knife. She stooped to escape to the room she was living in and lock herself in so she could hug the bear. He wanted to sit on the armchair and delve into a book or get back to work on paperwork, where there was no end in sight. And so it happened

Jinx was in the room and she was in bed and he was sitting in his office over papers and the office lamp was the only light source in his office. With both minds distracted, everyone thought over their words trying to understand who was right. Who won that rattle?

John's mind was working at high speed not only because of the paperwork, but also because of the conversation with Jinx, he was right he knew about it, but at the same time he wanted to get the fascination out of her head. That's what the most normal parent would do, right?

Who's he kidding? He's not a parent. He's gonna change her. To adapt to society, to show what is normal and what is forbidden, to learn the rules and not to feel at ease in its company. He neglected his task, in his opinion, he did it wrong, he should have done it differently.

He should have done differently. He didn't have to learn about her past or what she was interested in or what she thought, he had to adapt her to society. So he'll do it.

But he didn't want to hurt her. But why did that thought light up in his head as if that thought was a flower I was trying to knock up so I could eat the sun's rays to release a beautiful flower

No. He couldn't let it happen, Kate's words stuck in his head. He had to plant a weed next to the plant so that the idea would die as soon as it came up.

[sunshine-in-a-bottle]

I fantasize every single day about having my own house, decorated in a bright flourish of colors and filled with fun silly knickknacks and the comfiest furniture. I'll have a dishwasher and a washer/dryer set, and enough windows to let the light in. I'll have ac and heat, and a fan just in case. The lamps will have fun shapes, like flower bulbs, and there will be a clock that makes noises every hour like the one in my parents house.

My bed will be a queen size, and it's gonna have fun sheets and covers and maybe even something crocheted for the top (I would have the money to buy someone's work, to pay them what they deserve.) I'll put up glow in the dark stars on the ceiling, and do wallpaper on some walls and paint on others. No carpets, but a couple of rugs and mats with pretty patterns.

One of the rooms will be a small library, only half- filled because I have so much more I want to read. It'll also have a work desk maybe for my computer and a sketchbook, and there's plushies peeking out off some of the shelves.

There's gonna be a basement, and that's where all my art stuff will be. An art studio, but it's not fancy, and it's going to be messy as all hell, but I'll get to work with clay on the wheel again, paint things on a big canvas, or just draw. Maybe accidentally drink paint out of my mug. There'll be a fan in the basement window to keep the air down there from becoming too bad.

I'll have one dog and one cat. The dog will get training and get to go to a groomers and he'll protect the house but also get so many kisses and snuggles, and when I walk in to get a cat I'll ask who's been there the longest and who needs the most help, maybe an elderly cat, and I'll love it forever. It'll have toys and a cat tree and two litter boxes. I'll make time to walk the dog every week, and we can go to a dog park for many zoomies.

I want a guest bedroom that's clean and always ready to go, so my friends will always have a safe place to be if they need it. They can come over for fun times and we can make food together, and some of them will get antsy and ask to do dishes with me cause they want to help, so I'll rinse off the dishes and they can put them in the washer, or vice versa. They'll never have to, because they're my favorite guests in the whole world, but I'd never let them stew in anxiety over a couple of plates.

I don't have a green grass lawn. I hate mowing. There's gonna be flowers everywhere instead, and I'll have a bunch of written notes about where the sunlight goes and how much shading there is so I can make sure each plant gets the proper amount of light. I'll have a list in my big binder, all the flower names and where they are and what they need. I know it'll take me years to get everything set up and grown, but it'll be a really big reward to have butterflies and birds. There will be a big multi-feeder like my grandma has, and a squirrel feeder opposite side of it to keep them separated. I want a gooseberry bush so I can make a pie. I'll have a composter. I'll have overwhelming amounts of zucchini and sheepishly offer them to my neighbors every year. I want to be friends with all my neighbors.

I'll know all the people in the neighborhood and their kids, I'll say hi and give them food and be a part of the community. When the kids go out and play on our street like I did as a kid, they'll be safer cause I'll be an adult worth trusting. My dog will always be happy to see them and I'll never be mean and yell at the kids when they get too rowdy. If a neighbor wants to be left alone I'll leave them be, but I'll make sure they know I'm here if there's ever an emergency or they need a working phone, like our old neighbors did for us.

I'll have a ramp and no steps to get into my house, because I want my friends on wheels to be able to easily get inside my house. If I gotta have stairs inside my house, I want to someday afford one of those wheelchair lifts so they're not stuck to one floor. The floor space will be clean and open enough for the chair to zoom everywhere. I'll have a shower that's handicap accessible like the one in my family home now, along with a huge bathtub. I'll make my home accommodating in all the ways they suggest so I can have my friends be safe and comfortable when they're with me.

I could have a pond out in the back, like my grandparents did. Get toads every summer, get some fun plants to make it a diverse ecosystem. It would be lined with big rocks and the birds would like it, even if the water isn't clear. Could also get a bird bath. I'd take my grandmother's books about identifying birds with me, so I can learn about which ones are coming to my garden. I'd learn about all the different insects scuttling through the dirt.

There'd be two medical kits, one in the bathroom and one in the kitchen. Everything would be organized so I don't have to go rummaging through drawers at 3 am for a bandaid.

It wouldn't always be the cleanest place, because I know myself, but once a month I could hire a cleaning service and pay them to help me. It might be a little awkward at first, but I'll be very nice to them and check to see if I can leave a tip for the hard work, and maybe offer them zucchini bread.

I don't watch TV, but I'd probably have a small one in the living room that has a DVD player, perched in one of those wood shelves that have cupboards filled to brim with movies and shows and even music I like. I'd have them on in the background while I do things, cause I need the audio. I won't have to pay for streaming sites because every show I love I can hold in my hands.

I can never bring myself to hang my clothes up in a closet, so I'll have a couple baskets of clean clothes I can look through. I'll learn how to iron. I'll be able to pay to have my clothes tailored to fit me. The closet will have Legos in it instead, or some very soft nerf guns, or board games I know I love. I'll make messes I won't clean up for a week, but I'll be able to build a Lego city with my friends when they come over or build marble towers.

I'll host tea parties where we can have fun and dress up in pretty clothes, and costume parties where my friends can come and show off their cosplays. There'll be good food, maybe potlucks. I'll learn how to be a good host and maybe my friends will make friends with each other sometimes. Every holiday and season will get its own special flag that I'll hang outside my house. I'll have a welcome mat at the door.

I'll have pictures of my friends hanging up on the wall. I'll have paintings from artists I love. I'll have figurines and interesting rocks I found.

I'll have my friend's favorite sweets in the pantry for when they come visit. My fridge will always have food in it. There's vanilla ice cream in the freezer. The fridge won't have any fancy computers and alexas inside, none of my stuff ever will, but it'll have a long lifespan and be easy to repair.

I'll have the family piano and my violin case on top of it. My guitar will be safe in its stand. They'll all be clean, tuned, and well cared for. I'll never be forced to play an instrument ever again, but I can always pick them up again, and it'll be my choice.

There will always be clean water. I can walk around my whole neighborhood safely. I can go to the park and climb something. A grocery store might even be within walking distance! (But there will be a bus line that can take me there if not, or maybe a train, if the future is kind.)

The roof will be well tended. I might have solar power and a backup generator. The house's siding will be nice and clean. I'll have a nice fence that doesn't go too high so I can chat with my neighbors if they like.

I'll have a calendar on the wall to mark off each day, and even if there will be bad days (cause there will always be bad days) at least I know that I lived through another one. And that's definitely good enough.

[emerulynn]

hi!! i saw a post where u mentioned u go to wdka, im also applying for illustration and im super nervous. whats the worst thing about the school? or do you have any tips for the portfolio?

oh shit sorry I haven’t been checking my asks, but I think yesterday or Friday was the Open Day, idk if you could’ve gone bc that would also help but I hope my rlly late answers help as well 😭

Hmmm the worst thing about the school and I’m gonna be honest here is how it sometimes feels like some of the assignments aren’t helping me all that much?? Like wdka’s concept of illustration is broad, it’s less than just drawing and more of visual storytelling through any medium. So sometimes I find myself struggling with an assignment that doesn’t involve drawing and pushed way out of my comfort zone.

I think it gets better now that I’m in my second year tho because I know how to navigate things better and also learn how to put a bit more balance on personal work and assignments. You just have to get through the Practices and Second big assignment in first year Illustration tbh, that’s the point where most people dropped out 😭 The most useful thing in the school is the facilities, teachers (ask for suggestions or networking opportunities from teachers you think have the same career path/vision as you) and ofc your peers, sometimes classes. Also if you don’t feel like you align with illustration that much you can always switch majors after the first term without having to repeat the year.

Note that I might also be harsh about the academy bc I’m paying international fees which is like 10x the tuition EU students have to pay.

As for the portfolio, they love to see you explore and experiment with different mediums and methods of art-making, so include photography, clay, mixed media work if you have them. If you don’t, don’t worry because my portfolio barely has any range, that was their critique for me after receiving my portfolio too since I mostly drew digitally and only included some analog drawings and photos. but i got in heyy

Another thing is make your portfolio easy to navigate ofc, you don’t have to go over the top with the design, just write concise texts of your work and make it not look confusing. Number your works and number the pages.

That’s it I think they love versatility that’s the main takeaway. Good luck and hope this helped!!

[thedumbassartist]

What is your WoF Special Needs Program AU about? Also, what disabilities do the Dragonets of Destiny have in this AU?

Thanks for asking, the basic idea is that it's like a kinda normal human wof au, except the Talons of Peace are a really really bad after school care/special needs program.

The DoD would be like young middle school aged kids during arc 1. They basically just got dumped in the program because their parents don't want to deal with their neurodiverce and disabled children.

Ask for what disabilities the DoD have ill list of them in book order and maybe give a lil sketch of how I think they look in the au. Note that I can't draw children in an accurate age range for the life of me.

Clay has dyslexia and mobility issues. He has a very hard time reading and completing his school work. Cattail didn't want to deal with this whatsoever so she just dumped him into the cheapest place that probably would help him. He is also prone to falling and gets scraped up often.

Tsunami had a lot of behavioral issues in school, and definitely has undiagnosed autism. She was prone to trying to fight other students. She would either try and show off fighting moves she learned on other kids and accidentally hurt them. Or she would get teased by older kids who would push her around or be really loud, not stopping until she forced them to. She would also get rough with her brothers which pushed Coral to drop her in an after school care program, since she didn't want to deal with all of her sons' complaining. Tsunami has special interests in wrestling, fighting/action movies, and the sea.

Glory is an absolute feral child. To be specific, unmedicated ADHD. She is considered very smart but she isn't able to function in her classes normally. Her teachers know she's able to do the assignments but she just doesn't, almost like she has more important things to do or being extremely sluggish. On top of that she is a menace turning breaks, consistently climbing things she shouldn't and disappearing at random. Glory's teachers and doctor are pretty much praying that her parents get her some meds. Unfortunately, Glory's parents are both extremely hands off and don't really believe in medicine promoted by doctors. The only reason that she is even in a proper school or the program is because her great aunt, Grandeur, is paying for it.

I have run out of sketches but we're not going to worry about that.

Starflight by all means is mentally okay, other than some anxious tendencies, he is very smart and used to do well in school. Keywords, used to. He is actively going blind. He can barely see images or words and has an extremely hard time navigating new areas. And the only reason that Starflight is in the program is because Mastermind knows and trusts Morrowseer, who created the program.

Sunny was put into the program not only because of her autism but also because Thorn trusted Dune a lot, and thought the program would be a good choice for Sunny. Especially because Thorn is very busy and has no one else to watch her daughter. Sunny is considered strange to a lot of adults, mainly because she is partially nonverbal. It is rare to see her ever talk to an adult she doesn't know and only fully communicates with other kids, her parents, and Dune (because he's known her since she was a baby). She is honestly the least high-maintenance of the five, being able to keep herself safe and not getting hurt when left alone.

That's about all I have for them so far but if anyone wants to know more about specific characters or plot points then your free to send me an ask