#but the shine from the light source is working basically the way i want it to

[antirepurp]

been fiddling with a beach and i think i've got it mostly figured for the toon shaders :) there's definitely some jank i could try addressing when i start building the environments i really need (mainly the textures showing the ground meshes clipping into each other) but at least the rough execution is down now

[shooting-love-arrows]

I might be cringe-

How about a detective/journaliest reader entering a haunted library or mental hospital or anything? Where the yandere is actually the one who ordered reader's boss to send them there? Or just knew how to pop reader's interest

Dear @mil-vc,

It's not cringy at all. Here's my interpretation of your request. Have a nice day!

@shooting-love-arrows

𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐄! 𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓 [𝐎𝐂] who lures their darling into their trap

PAIRING: 𝐘𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞! 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 [𝐎𝐂] x [JOURNALIST] reader (gender not mentioned/impled/specified) Tw. another floating red flag, obsessive/creepy behavior, possession, murder (?), rituals, supernatural activities, it takes a darker turn so yeah…

𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

Who became so desperate to interact with you face to face that one day, they decided to possess your idiotic boss. Their plan was carefully thought over and had a clear goal at the end of it. The way there was long, complicated and tedious. It took a lot of energy and effort since they were tied by invisible strings to the place they died. However they knew it would be worth it in the end. After all it was for you. And once they succeeded? 𝐘𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞! 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 decided to use it to its fullest. It was a once in a lifetime chance.

“I summon thee, hear me. I am in need to borrow the body of a mortal. Hear me!” After the last word left their mouth, 𝐘𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞! 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 were blinded by the light. When they opened them again, they successfully possessed the body of your boss.

Who lures you into their trap. After the possession, 𝐘𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞! 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 had no time to waste. Since they acquired quite a lot of knowledge about you. Being a journalist, they knew you treasure your job, were exceptionally good at it and you were a curious little thing too. Taking into consideration all those facts, you basically gave them a solution on the golden plate. But to you, it came as a surprise that your (possessed) boss gives you a job to investigate the supposed haunted gothic mansion.

You shifted uncomfortably in your seat. Your (possessed) boss' stare was unnerving to say the least. His beady eyes were glued to you since the moment you entered his office. You cleared your throat, cutting the awkward silence. You ‘boss’ snapped out of the trace and straightened his back. “I want you to investigate a supposed haunted mansion.” ‘he’ informed you and gave you a thin folder of documents related to the said place. “Our source said that something suspicious is taking place there.” Of course, you accepted it.

Who wants to eagerly welcome you in their 'humble' abode. Well, as much as ghosts can welcome their guests. The gothic mansion might be a bit dusty, the time of its splendor long since passed but still! It was enormous and what matters is what it can become in the future. And his welcome tactic? They like to spook you. It's all harmless tho! Shifting objects around. Imitating sounds like footspes or whispers in your ears. Playing with your flashlight. Those all are little tricks and parts of their personality from where 𝐘𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞! 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 were still alive. 

You stepped into another endless hall of the supposed haunted mansion, shining your flashlight around.  “Ah!” You jumped back when a wooden chair was tipped back and fell. Like a ripple in the water, the echo of its fall carried around the empty halls. Your heartbeat began to pick.. The longer you stayed there, the more paranoid you became. Something just wasn’t right with this place…Scratch that, everything was wrong with it. Then your flashlight started to flicker.  “Oh no, no, no.” You started to visibly panicked and began hitting your only source of light. You even turned to praying to let it work properly again. Thankfully it seemed to work because the flickering stopped.  You sighed in relief just as a violent shiver racked your body. You began to regret taking that task. Meanwhile 𝐘𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞! 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 grinned playfully and moved their fingers along your spine. 

Who decided to trap you in the said place by manipulating energy to tie to the place. It was another step of their plan.𝐘𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞! 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 had you right where they wanted you to be and everything was prepared early. Slowly but surely, they began to lead you into the direction of a hidden chamber which was a magic room. And when you crossed its threshold, your fate was sealed.

“I hope you’ll understand what I’m about to do is for your own good. For us to be happy for all of the eternity.”

Who processes to possess you and finalize the ritual. Since they were in the place they were tied to, their powers and energy was much stronger so possessing you came more easily to them. Unfortunately, they couldn’t fully appreciate being in your body. This step was their least favorite part of their plan but it needed to be done. 𝐘𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞! 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 steered your body in the middle of the room and started muttering incantations. They reached for the ancient dagger laying by your feet and raised it to be at the same level as your beating heart. With the last words of an ancient language leaving their mouth, they drove the weapon into your heart. The ritual was completed. 

“Welcome home, love.” The news about your dissapearance ended up being on the cover of the very newspaper you worked for.

All of the published posts on this account/blog belongs to @shooting-love-arrows. I do not consent to my works being: translated, stolen, published or reposted on this and other sites. Likes, reblogs, comments are highly appreaciated. Thank you.

[yanderefarm]

i mean fish have very weird/freaky (at least to our grounded-mammalian standards) mating/pregnancy procedures like,,,

clownfish (trans fish), anglerfish (literal fusion), seahorse (males kangaroo the baby), sharks (literal colosseum in the womb), octopi (they have to be virgins to live)...

and male ones are the ones with the most nesting/territorial instincts...so... comparatively, behaviorally speaking... he's basically masc nephyte at the very least. that and the 'haha seahorse dad'.

i think merman would work similar to other aquatic mammalians??? like orcas or whales, they're kinda matrialchal? often mermaids are depicted as women so... maybe they are matriarchal? afaik lots of fish have males as the bottom of the ladder.

and i think him having weird fish instincts would mesh well with the unknowingly-courting-him darling has w/ him and the yan aspect... especially with more sadistic darling... like a weird fish version of w/e a male mantis/spider has for their partners or smth... and to differentiate him further from nephy, it could be an actual instinctual thing instead of prejudice / weird misoginy? not like noemi or achilles. like, actual instict/need.

or he's an actually normal, army veteran but with fish fins and stockholm syndrome. idk, spitballing some ideas since i didn't see him have a lot of opportunity for his yandere-ness to shine.

can't believe i'm creating worldbuilding for some fictional man.

god now i cant stop thinking about him having claspers and it's not even in the horny way.

-👻 (i feel like i should've been 🤓 all along /joking)

NERD

no actually that makes a lot of sense I didn't even think about it. he probably like always assumed he would be the one courting a big strong mermaid who can crush him and then you just casually pick him up and he's flustered. like "oh no. this human is really strong and also nurturing... like the perfect husband..."

and i really like the idea of him instinctively being like praying mantis where he expects to knock you up and then get his head eaten. and instead youre sadistic but you always keep him alive. i can imagine him asking himself what he's doing wrong!! why isn't he a good enough mate to get killed c'mon man :(

that also gives a new light to the cannibal stuff because like... imagine he's torn between the horror and fear of humans and the instinctive arousal of being a source of sustenance for his mate.

i imagined his yandere as relatively harmless. he likes stalking you and sinking ships that get near you but I actually like this more. the idea that he ends up ripping apart anything that comes near you before he can even understand what he's doing.

i also like the idea of him having this instinct to lure you into the water, he wants to drown you but he also knows that would mean losing you and he really doesn't want that.

[tootoomanycats]

Boiling Over

Suguru Geto x Personal Chef Smut

Pairing:

Pent Up Geto Cult Leader x OC Fem

(can also be read as reader insert)

Word Count: 3,576 words

Summary: Geto realizes that his new cook has started to put disgusting notions into his daughters heads. After tucking the girls to bed, he finds holding the lid on his anger challenging and complex. It is time to have a talk with this vile monkey; only things don’t go according to plan.

Warnings:

Language usage refers to non-sorcery users such as monkeys and animals and uses verbiage degrading non-users' ideology. (It's Geto; I am only trying to stick to how I think he would internally speak about us muggle folk.)

Enemies arguing to unexpected smut.

Mentions of premature ejaculation. (we make sure he knows he’s still wanted)

Minor mention of a potential eating disorder for Geto.

Author Notes:

Hello Everyone! I promise I am still working on rewriting Performances, but I had to stop because my brain would not let me get any sleep until I got this little one-shot out and edited. I never planned on writing any JJK content, but this is my lesson in never saying never. Honestly, I don't know if this will be a stand-alone one-shot or if it will develop into a short story. Either way, I hope you'll like it! As always if you like what you have read please remember that fanfic writers live off of likes, comments and reblogs- we wont admit it but we all have praise kinks.

Have you watered your writer today?

Each long stride only allowed more anger to fill his lungs. That disgusting, foul-breathed cretan. How dare she encourage such thoughts in their minds? To speak of this dementedly wicked world like the Garden of Eden, like it was something worth protecting. When creatures like her ruined its oasis, this was just more evidence that only further proved every reason to go through with the plan to wipe them out of existence.

Silence filled the long, winding corridors in the late hour—only the soft shuffles of his steps to be heard. The time spent wandering, stewing in the whirlpool of thoughts, was unknown. Be it subconsciously or with intention, he came to stand before the kitchen door. Finger paints covered the wood in various colors and shapes and crudely drawn animals. No doubt, the artistic freedom given to the girls by that damn woman. Another distraction put in front of them that should instead be spent studying and growing more substantial for the future, his future. Fingers massaged at his temple, and that damn under-eye twitch was back.

Before turning to continue on the walk of rage, a faint light shined from under the door. The source’s inconsistent flickering made it obvious it was a flame light, not the usual overhead bulbs. A shadow was moving about, its lines from under the door jam shifting around. Was someone trying to find a late-night snack? Curiosity got the better of him as the door cracked open, the well-oiled hinges making no noise to give away his presence. There, at the kitchen island, sat the bane of his existence. A single candle was her only light source as she made notes in a thick-bound journal. Books littered across the counter’s surface that she was scanning between.

After spending two hours tossing and turning in bed, Hope had given up on sleep finding her tonight. What time would have been spent dreaming was now used to research and plan instead. In the short time since coming to the estate, she realized how out of her depth she was. Growing up on a farm had taught her many valuable tidbits that rolled over into the new career of personal cook. Sadly, though, most of the knowledge of common fruits and vegetation was useless now due to being on foreign soil. Not to mention, all the meals commonly made here were a complete novelty to her. All day, the worry of not knowing a simple dish to make for the girls if one got sick filled her head.

She felt lucky that it was still summer, but fall and winter would soon come, so it was best to start studying basic soup stocks and how to preserve them now. Just as exhaustion began to creep its way up her spine, the face of that egotistical man came to mind. She groaned, remembering how he had already refused everything but the boiled, unseasoned chicken breast. A previous warning of how picky her new boss was had first been brushed off, but now she only saw it as something more concerning. When inquired, the girls only looked at each other before explaining how their father seemed to struggle with food. Something about how things always seemed to taste putrid: Hope made a mental note to inquire if there were meals that would not be so vehemently refused going forward.

“I see I am not alone in burning the late-night oil.” Geto had to hold in the smug smirk at watching Hope almost jump out of her skin when making his presence known. Stepping closer to the kitchen island, his eyes scanned its counter’s contents. Multiple subjects filled the open pages, text outlining photos and drawings of local flora and fauna in Japan, while another explained cultural customs entwined with particular meals. “Homework?” he asked, keeping the tone of the question light, almost teasing. Anger still simmered just below the surface, the lid of feigned equanimity keeping it in check.

She quickly closed the notebook, gathered the books, and walked backward while responding. “Just menu planning and figuring out what to plant in the garden first.” Mirroring his strained smile, she still tried to calm the racing of her heart from being caught off guard by his presence. “W-What has you up so late?” Gulping when the evident anger in his eyes seemed to be barely masked by the smile on his lips. With each step he took further into the space, she took one back-feigning needing to put the books back in their place, on the opposite end of the island. Something deep and primal warned not to turn her back to him.

Hands going back into their usual hiding place in the sleeves of his haori, he stopped where she had just been sitting. Magnanimous in allowing the useless cook her space. “I just tucked the girls into bed. They were having difficulty falling asleep, and I couldn’t figure out why for a while until they started asking some peculiar questions.” Geto tilted his head, the candle’s light only illuminating one half of his face while the other became shrouded in the darkness of the night. Even in the dimly lit space, the fear on her face was clear as day. Teeth ground together as realization dawned on him; at first, he had chalked up what she had told his daughters as common monkey ignorance. But now, in the fearful response of shirking away from him, it became apparent that she knew exactly what she had done.

“Oh? What kinds of questions?” Hope’s palms began to sweat, making it hard to hold the books. She had no shame in introducing the importance of protecting living things, nor held abasement in teaching how the circle of life affected everyone, including Nanako and Mimiko. However, this did not make her oblivious to the potential backlash of such actions. Placing the books down on the edge of the counter before straightening her posture; if she were to be fired or threatened, then he would have to do it while seeing her head held high.

What was once a simmering pot now started to boil. It was one thing to play stupid with him, but it was another thing entirely to look proud while doing it. Taking a step forward, he spoke sternly, “Yes. It seems they have these ideas suddenly.” Another step. “Notions I have taught them that will not be allowed in the future I am creating. You wouldn't happen to know where they got those from, would you?” He now stood only a few short strides from her and the corner she had put herself in. Watching as she stood taller with each step, even puffing her chest out. She was brave; he would give her that. Bravely stupid.

Hope’s eyes dropped down from where he now stood to the books before her. With a deep breath, she calmly spoke the answer he was trying to pull from her. “Yes, I had asked them what vegetables would be best to grow in the garden earlier today. As it turns out, they didn't know, and neither did I. So I found a book, and the three of us took turns reading and learning.” Wetting her mouth, she continued before glancing up to see the anger on his face build. “The girls started to have more philosophical questions on which I gave my opinions on.” Fear spread through her bones as he quickly walked into the small space that was left between them. Turning to face the outrage on his face, back facing the island as her hands held onto its edge for the needed stability of what was to come.

“Who are you to fill their minds with such disgusting notions?” The pot's lid danced over the boiling rage held within. The candlelight illuminated both of them clearly, making it possible to watch as shock filled her face at his statement.

At first, her jaw hung open until the feeling of offense had her back to defend herself. “You may think it disgusting, Your Radiance, but like it or not, the reality is that those girls are starting to realize that not everything in this world is horrible. There are things worth enjoying now, not just when you create some theoretical future.” Though her words rang with strength, her body responded in alarm at watching the monster before her shift through so many emotions.

“They are my children! And much too young to be curious about such things.” The lid crashed to the ground as the emotions finally boiled over the pot’s opening. His voice had raised before quieting back down.

“They are growing girls, just three years shy of being teenagers! How can you not see that they are becoming curious about the world around them? Both have questions, yet you refuse to acknowledge it.”

Wrath filled his eyes, his usually fake pacifying expression vanishing to show the true nature of his feelings as he crowded her further with a sneer, twisting his lips. “Oh? What questions would be so important that they would go to a vile monkey for answers instead of me?” His tone was dangerous, threatening, and low.

She could feel the hair on the back of her neck rise; he did not expect such rage to be mirrored back. “I may be a monkey, but at least they feel safe enough to tell me when they like a boy.” Shock started filling his face as she took the chance to be the one now leaning in. “Tell me, how do you plan to explain to them that you will cause the death of their crush?”

Her eyes flicked back and forth between his; he was so close that she could feel the heat of his breath across her nose. Blood thrummed in her veins at how hard her heart pounded. The butcher-block wood creaked under her white knuckle grip, and her back pressed firmly against the counter as he further cornered her in. If this is how she died, then so be it; it will have been worth it to have finally shoved reality into the maniac's face.

Large palms and long arms became caged bars around her, nails scratching groves into the woodgrain. “A crush is a trivial thing.” He leaned further, pressing his chest forward, forcing her spine to bow back uncomfortably. The stiff lip of the wood now bit painfully into her haunches. Delicate fingers gripped the front of his gojogesa, desperate to have any control of how he continued contorting her upper body. His head tilted to whisper into her ear, “They will learn that a monkey’s place is beneath them.”

Geto hated weaklings and abhorred their very existence. It was revulsion, not excitement, that caused the fluttering in his stomach when their cheeks brushed. Loathing how it should have been disgust, not pleasure when her breasts pressed against his chest with each shuddered breath she took. He should have felt repulsed when realizing how perfect the closeness of their height was and how easy it would be to connect further.

It’s because of the years of celibacy that she was so sensitive, Hope told herself. Why else would such a monster cause the sensation of pooling hot honey to form in her belly? How, when Geto shifted his weight to press the muscle of his hips against hers, a whimper caught in her throat that pride refused to let out.

It must have been the lack of touch for so long that had her eyes fluttering shut when he nuzzled his nose into her temple. Monsters did not fathom such intimate affection. Monsters would not wrap such large hands around the back of her neck, gripping the corded muscles of her throat in such a dizzying way. She would not lift onto the counter and widen the distance of her thighs for a beast to slot between them so perfectly. Surely, such a creature would not brace his other hand around the center of her back to press further for contact. The sensation of the growl emanating from its lungs shooting to her core.

It was because his nose had become accustomed to the disinfectant spray that he was so sensitive to her smell. Internally berating himself for nuzzling into the hairline above the cook’s ear, lemon verbena, and citrus mixed pleasantly among the uplifting notes of her scent. Geto couldn’t refrain from pressing firmer into her hairline, gulping in deep breaths of Hope’s scent. The grip on the back of her neck tightened further; confirmation of the creature’s ability to still breathe came in how she tried and failed to hold back a second low moan.

His own response vibrated from how feminine hands gripped the thick fabric on his back and along his rib cage. Cursing at the way, soft, long legs dragged upward along the sides of his hips before wrapping around to press him closer. Silk robe falling open from the movement to show matching panties. It was unbelievable how quickly his cock hardened, straining against the white cloth of his momohiki. He could feel the heat radiating from her core, even with the five layers of Buddhist robes between them. How many years had it been since he had touched himself, let alone such a tempting, vile animal?

Hope bit her bottom lip at the delicious pressure against her core. If she hadn’t been so swept up in the moment’s intensity, she might have been embarrassed about the wet spot that could be felt already in her underwear. Skin growing hot as her body craved more contact and friction. The hands that previously gripped his clothes now reached up to thread into the long tendrils of the brutes hair. Fingernails scraped against his scalp before grasping firmly to pull the face away from hiding against her cheek. The strangled gasp he made caused her walls to flutter; what other noises would this monster of a man make?

The site that greeted her was breathtaking: flushed cheeks, eyes wide with shock and pleasure, and an oh-so-tempting pout to kiss. Gone were the fake smiles, disgusted glares, and angry scowls. Now what stood before her was a desperate mess of a man whose cock was so hard it could be felt through the many layers of clothing. She felt relief from the sight before her; a previous worry that he was toying with her was dissipated. No one would be able to deny his desire from how hard he was breathing, his own hands clinging to her like a lifeline.

Suguru was a man who had faced his fair share of dangerous and terrifying situations in his lifetime. He prided himself on keeping calm and making calculated choices during high-stress moments. So panic began to set in when he found moving from this frozen position impossible. The way her hands had gripped his hair, forcing them to hold eye contact, had his cock throbbing. Panic rose higher from the sensation. She kept glancing at his lips; this wasn’t good. Willing his lungs to work and throat to open, a quiet but hoarse word came out. “No.”

It was Hope’s turn to pout. Her legs locked tighter around him. In reality, he could break free from her so easily; the fact that he wasn’t just proved how much his body languished for contact. Her eyes pleaded as she took in his image, memorizing it and burning it into her mind. “Please.” she quietly asked in return. Hips rocked gently against his to help emphasize her ask. All movement paused at hearing an odd sound. Her brow furrowed in question at the noise he made suddenly, his face contorting to one that could be described as painful. Had she hurt him just now?

Geto eyes shut as the sudden climax continued quivering through him. Its shame was felt running down his stomach, legs, and clothing. He refused to look, to see her expression once she realized what had just occurred.

Hope's concern grew as he stayed still and closed off, contrasting how he clung to her a moment ago. The grip in his hair melted into gentle touches on his cheek, cupping his face to see if she could coax him to look at her. Hormones and endorphins craving the intimacy once more. When his eyes still refused to open, she scanned more of him to find the source of the sudden change. That’s when she spotted it; instantly, it all made sense. The relatively sizable wet spot formed on his clothes was proof of what occurred. Warmth spread to her cheeks as sinful thoughts began to race in her mind, the desire for more growing. Biting her bottom lip, she murmured-

“Again.”

His eyes sprung open wide, disbelief shaping the expression. Their eyes met as he processed her expression of hunger. The gentle touch of her hands on his cheek shifted to clasping the side of his face in place. Hips tilted as she pressed her core to where the wet spot lay on him. His mouth was agape in shock at the feeling of being nuzzled along his jawbone, the sensation trailing a line to his ear where a whisper was pressed against its shell. “I want another one, please.” The ask was sweet and sincere, even begging. Words failed him as a hand gently guided his own from the counter across the warmth of a plush thigh to someplace much hotter. A palpation hit his ribcage when feeling thin satin fabric, saturated and slick, shuttering when Hopes’s fingers encouraged his own to press more firmly against the spot. Her resounding whine brought him back from the out-of-body experience.

The overwhelming rage from before shifted into something much more savage and ravenous. Years of repressed urges bled to the surface; sturdy fingers gripped into the base of her hair like a handle to be pulled back from him, the movement forcing her skull to tilt up. It felt impossible to catch any breath as it heaved erratically between the groaning and growls, responding to how desperate legs clung to him. Any previous control had spilled from the pot that now boiled over. Another hand raised to cup her face with the same tenderness she had shown him just moments ago, watching how her eyes repeated their glances to his lips again. Finally, he leaned in.

“Shhh, I know where she hid the cookies from earlier.” Multiple footsteps could be heard getting closer and closer outside the door. Mimiko and Nanako both telling the other to be quiet, annoying the other with each repeated response given back and forth.

Hope and Geto’s eyes widened as the reality of their situation quickly sunk in. Her mouth opened and closed like the koi fish in the pond outside, and before she could say a word, the maniac was gone. Her brain struggled to process his disappearance, the movement inhuman in its speed. The limbs that once were held up against the other body flopped from no longer having something to grip onto. As the kitchen door slowly opened, she scrambled off the counter and ripped open one of the fridge doors to hide her overtly flushed face. Praying that its cold air would help calm down her heart rate. She was panicking as she quickly fixed the front of her silk robe back in its proper place.

Hidden outside the kitchen’s veranda, Geto stood in horror as the events that had just transpired replayed in his mind. Dismay that the truth about who started the whole situation was him. What was worse was that as hard as he tried to feel the disgust he so proudly touted for her kind, he could only feel how hard he was--again. Realization dawned on him of how dangerous the cook was as he shifted Hopes’s title from monkey to succubus.

[gunnrblze]

Okay so your moodboard for Keegan and Ajax got me thinking (plus that old ask way back comparing Keegan and Ajax to the moon and sun respectively) I apologize in advance for my ramblings and the length of this

My song of choice is The Moon Will Sing by The Crane Wives (aka one of my favorite songs)

"Tell me once again I could have been anyone, anyone else before you made the choice for me."

Basically.. Sandviper. It all set into motion Keegan and Ajax becoming Ghosts -> Ajax's eventual demise

"My feet knew the path we walked in the dark, in the dark, I never gave a single thought where it might lead."

Keegan and Ajax became Ghosts together, walking the same path. In their line of work, you can't really know where the future will go, so they might have tried to live life in the present savoring the moments they had together

"All those empty rooms, we could have been anywhere, anywhere else. Instead I made a bed with apathy."

This just reminds me of Keegan searching for Ajax during struck down, clearing room through room searching for him. I feel like part of Keegan knew Ajax wasn't making it out alive.

"My heart knew the weight, ten years' worth of dust and neglect, we made our peace with weariness and let it be."

More Sandviper for the soul. Your honor, they're tired

"The moon will sing a song for me, I loved you like the sun. Bore the shadows that you made with no light of my own."

I like to think Ajax brought out the best in Keegan, the sun shining his light onto him in a sense. Without the sun's light, you can't see the moon. They both had dark parts of their lives, but Keegan was more than willing to bear both of their pasts if it meant Ajax would continue to shine. Extrovert with their adopted introvert my beloved

"I shine only with the light you gave me." x2

Keegan was aggressive, desperate to get his other half back. He goes from yelling at Federation soldiers to cradling Ajax's body, carrying him with reverence as he's just lost part of his soul, his source of light

"Name your courage now, we could have had anything, anything else instead you hoarded all that's left of me."

Keegan towards Rorke no doubt. Not sticking around for a fight after killing one of their own? Coward. Rorke took the greatest thing in Keegan's life and didn't even hang around to see what he caused- leaving Ajax to have to drop the bombshell that Rorke was hunting Ghosts.

"Swallowing your doubt, like swords to the pit of my belly. I want to feel the fire that you kept from me."

More Keegan vs Rorke here. I'd say if Hesh wasn't the most likely to kill Rorke, Keegan would be a runner up as Ajax's death definitely hurt. What hurts more is that Ajax died from a stab to the stomach by a Federation soldier (like swords to the pit of my belly)

Anyways thanks for letting me lyric dump, I love The Crane Wives and have plenty of other songs that get me thinking about the Ghosts. I hope this made sense

HELLOOOO WHAT?😭 i literally love this song, but the Keejax breakdown? MY HEART omg, makes total sense ur a genius. This is literally their song I’m afraid, such a good dissection of them

“I shine only with the light you gave me” I’ll cry rn

[windvexer]

waait. how do you actually consistently go from the basic divinatory interpretation to the nuanced and detailed one? currently this level of detail is Exactly what im trying to accomplish. im happy with the feedback i get and the last year and a half ive done more progress than i did in 7 years of reading casually but i lack that oomf.

did you base this on a very specific card combo? is it something that you and your divinatory spirit have agreed on specifically? whats the actual process? btw just wanted to say thanks for posting such consistently cool stuff 🍻 invaluable

Hi! Great question.

I worked heavily with Mystical Origins of the Tarot by Paul Huson during this process, exactly because it cuts through quite a lot of the fluffier nonsense we now see with cards.

When I started developing my notes, I sat down and decided that I would only include statements which were specific enough that they could not apply to a majority of situations.

In more modern texts, almost any card can be applied to almost any situation because the meanings are like, "this is a good time to start a new project! Power is around; is it your power, or someone else's power? Maybe your project should be contemplating power!"

Which is encouragement that applies about equally well to someone deciding what career path to take as someone trying to figure out how to elude the police in a murder investigation.

So the actual process, the lighthouse that was my beacon into a harbor of meaning, was that the meanings I generated must be so specific that a seeker could easily say, "sorry, that's not what's going on with me at all."

Which has made reading a lot easier and a lot more accurate.

Like, if you think of a note to add and get anxiety about it being so specific that seekers would immediately know you're wrong, you're on the right track.

So, as an actual process, I'd open up my word processor, read the entry in that book mentioned above, and start with a few key words.

Ace/Swords Key words: Authority, triumph, and conquest. Borders and confinement, and overcoming them.

I based the key words off of historical meanings of the cards, but also based on my own feelings about the card.

I worked on these notes by contemplating card meanings, exploring my own ideas about the cards, and also trawling modern meanings (after all, people have had great ideas about tarot since the early 1900s - no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater).

Then, I created my notes structured as sentences that might actually be said to a seeker.

Meanings: Do not trust that person. Are you actually helping, or are you steamrolling the victim? No, they're not going to apologize. You're making up a lot of stories to justify your bad decisions, but this time your friends are right.

(**the above meanings I made up for this post; don't add them to your personal notes about the Ace/Swords!)

I added notes until I felt every facet of the card had been explored. I often went back and edited old entries. Often, when working on a new card, I'd realize that it overlapped too much with a card I'd already written up, or that it gave me new opinions on an old card. In these situations I worked with both entries until I was satisfied that the cards were all represented in a unique way.

Some cards ended up relying almost entirely on historical meanings. Some cards ended up being much more modern. Others ended up being a lot less based on external sources at all.

I also took care to note down omens/portents when possible. "This card is an excellent omen; success is assured." "This is one of the worst omens in the deck - there is nothing you can do." And so on.

When I worked with my spirit, he directly told me what to type. A lot of his meanings were much more biting than mine were. He's a very direct guy.

Because the meanings are so direct, reading has become easier - it's a bit like sliding panes of glass over each other and finding the places where the light shines through; the thread of truth common to all cards.

Now, all that being said - I rarely work completely within this system. When actually doing readings, I also use other various methodologies to interpret the cards.

Knowing lots of methodologies of reading tarot is IMO like speaking many different dialects. It's all one language, but as a translator of the cards, you can pick up so much more nuance if you know more forms of the language.

[lord-jen-grey]

What factors inspired you to write like this ? PS: I love your work !! x

Thank you so much! It's very kind of you to say. I didn't study to be a writer in school, so my path in this direction was a bit circuitous.

A number of factors inspired me (and continue to inspire me). In regards to the Outlander stories I've written, the source material (books and show) were extremely inspirational, and I wanted to spend more time in that world with the characters I fell in love with. No other book or show comes close for me.

Another inspiration comes from my previous fandom. There is a crack ship on General Hospital (yes, I was raised a soap girl) that never played out on screen, but there are 3 writers who wrote for that ship (Lolexis) who were absolutely brilliant. EllenSmithee, Lionel, and Lsquared. Ellen knocked my socks off the first time I read her work, and I have never recovered. I reread her story (30 days) at least once a year. It has the best character development (and SEX) of anything I have ever read...ever! My writing can't live up to hers, and I don't even try, but I've learned so much from her about things like how to use sex as more than sex (it's plot too!), how to sit with an intense emotion in a scene, and the basics of nicely flowing sentence/paragraph structures (I'm constantly learning more about this). From Lionel, I learned how to lean into certain tropes, how to use plot to drive the story forward, and the beauty of simplicity.

Other inspirations come from media I consume. Listening to the likes of Pixar storytellers and Phoebe Waller Bridge discuss how they craft a story have had HUGE impacts on me. Without them, Journey would never have turned into what it is now. Another author, She-who-must-not-be-named, taught me how to unfold a mystery. And then there is Diana. She employs storytelling strategies that are utterly brilliant, and they've strongly influenced the way I write.

For years, I've studied philosophy and various other academic fields related to human behavior, and ventured into deep, emotional places with a variety of people. It's had a massive influence on how I craft a character and their journey.

More recently, I've been working with a professional editor who has helped me identify and clean up some of my bad habits, and she has helped with shining a light on missed emotional beats and plot holes. She's incredible. My beta, Lis, has done this for me a millions times over as well.

The biggest influence on my writing has been to just write. I've written more than 2 millions words in the last 6-7 years, and I experimented with perspectives, tropes, character development strategies, outlines, etc. Rereading my own work helps me recognize areas for growth and already established strengths.

Feedback from readers has been invaluable and a HUGE motivator.

I hope this answers your question. Sorry it took so long. I wanted to ensure I took the time to think it through and give a decent response.

[mutedeclipse]

I got really inspired to list off some basic bomberman anatomy headcanons that ive picked up from 2022-2023 so i introduce to you...

BOMBERMAN BASICS, a blanket guide to understanding whatever the fuck mutedeclipse has going on

By lunar myth.

Before i proceed i need to preface and clarify i function on a loose, but still grounded logic of the biomechanical. This is fantasy alien tech it doesnt have to all make sense, and konami disregards consistency in their own series anyway so this is MY way. They have biosynthetic components, like skin and they have mechanical components, like a screen, but they also have mouths inside those screens and can eat to recover energy like any other being of flesh and bone (i will explain this LATER. we'll get to it dear friend it will not make sense to most ontill we get there)

As a robotic 'species' their creation is a rather individual process, while components are standard they come in many shapes, sizes and colours! But the main thing is what goes on inside that makes a bomber a bomber. Aside from those there are exceptions and rules commonly broken. (I do whatever but this is my baseline, as an example my own sona works on extremely nonsensical logic by design)

Internally they have a ribcage, a flexible spine, pelvis.. ish and a 'skull' in order to protect their core and other delicate parts. with soft, flexible joints and limbs with hands that vary from bomber to bomber, although the standard tend to have rather malleable, flexible fingers that are gloved with mittens or regular old gloves.. either way theyre typically covered, If exposed they resemble human hands, although finger count is a resounding 4 including an opposing thumb (ive decided its not a stylistic choice actually its cuter if they only have 4 fingers on average per hand) and 0 toes, with malliable, adaptable feet

i believe that bombermen as a whole, classic, R or any other continuity run on a sort of small-scale hyper-efficient combustion engine which burns consumed fuel. (while food is typical basically anything that can be blown up and burned can be consumed to refuel) which not only is a partial reason for their name as bombers and a big distinguishing factor from just any ordinary bio machine. Their Engine resides neatly in their chest and it almost sounds like a heartbeat if you lay your ear to their synth-flesh, their bodies have a lifelike warmth due to their fuel source. The engine also produces light that may faintly shine through as body blushing

Now onto the head... difficult to tackle but ill try to make this make as much sense as i can... their head is exactly what you see is what we're working with. They have a 'screen' that for the purpose of expression have lights for the purpose of expression. that screen is also rather flexible, as it is a Non-Newtonian fluid. Bear with me here this is about to get insane.

Typically a flexible/malleable sheet of glass-like material it may become liquid through some sort of reaction not quite understood past "these specific components make this sheet of glass become permeable when used as stimuli", the material only sticks to itself, allowing objects to freely pass through creating small ripples in a bomber's face as they eat, or sticking out their tongue. (Yes They have tongues because i really want them to know the pleasures of good food ok? I want them to enjoy good meals with eachother and bond over that. Its a lovely thought to me.) They have artificial tastebuds there that mimic the capabilities of any normal tongue. They may also have teeth. I havent decided on that being standard yet because they either swallow things whole like snakes (horrifying) or chew things up (also weirdly horrifying but makes more sense considering itd help with combustion).

Inside the aforementioned 'skull' like structure, which mainly consists of a component refered to as a core, this contains the personality, memory and other things that revolve around individualistic abilities of a given bomber, it acts as a brain for these little guys and can be just as delicate as one, a faulty core can spell a whole host of problems for a bomber, such as memory issues and faulty power regulation. Touch receptors run down from the core through the body in order to aid in a sense of touch (most sensative in the hands (palms), antenna, face, etc. Normal places youd expect)

The antenna work like whiskers as it aids in the balance of a bomberman along with a general receptor of data around them, they respond to many different kinds of stimuli, typically sound and signals sent by other bombers. (theyre kinda like bugs in that isnt that neat) the standard antenna has a rather gummy like quality and is at least a little translucent, if you look inside sometimes you can notice a little light of the receptor inside. The standard ball antenna may irregularly spike up in response to strong emotions. Despite seeming like a defense mechanism, this is an unintended effect of the structure.

As theyre mechanical body modification (one of my oldest hcs and one of my favorites) and cybernetics tend to be a sight thats not too uncommon, stay tuned and i might tackle those next. In the meantime i can awnser questions about this because Im barely sure if this makes sense and im bad at articulating.

[smol-warrior-1258]

What's The Point Of A Faithful Mario Adaptation?

Obvs this is very focused on video games to movies, but honestly the discourse on adaptations writ large is exactly how I usually talk about it. I've had the conversation so many times talking about adaptations (typically book to movie/tv or remakes of movies/tv) and how any adaptation should be looking at how the new medium can be uniquely leveraged to reimagine the same content. If I ever find the time I want to check out some of the references he uses and read more.

That's basically the tl;dr bc the rest is a lot of assorted thoughts on adaptation & meta content without a ton of cohesive flow. I have a lot of feelings on the topic and not a lot of structure while expressing them . . .

A huge example of missing the mark re: changing medium is all the live action Disney remakes. I personally find them somewhat disappointing across the board simply because they don't use the live action-ness to any substantial effect. It reads much more as "live action is the ultimate goal in cinema on principle" than "live action would provide genuine enhancement to the material in ways the original animation couldn't" which feels very hollow as a viewer. (Not even considering The Lion King and it's souless and still ultimately animated 'realistic' animals) The engaging aspect of retellings as discussed in this video - ie that they're a fundamental aspect of the human condition re: storytelling - is to cast new light on a beloved piece of content and, in doing so, shine up one facet of a larger jewel. That will inherently mean deviations to some extent, but those deviations ideally work in conversation with the source material and other adaptations, and changes are made with a purpose that will theoretically make up for anything lost in the process.

On that topic, changes - large or small - are a very slippery slope. I am generally inclined to hold the first version I encounter of a particular story (whether that is the original or not) much closer to my heart, and prefer that all the little details that make it up remain untouched. It seems to me that without all those little things, the story simply wouldn't be precisely what it is, and tweaking elements can have a major ripple effect. All that said, changing mediums fundamentally changes the tools you're working with and therefore your ability to convey the same narrative. For example, the most common change from book to movie is simply to cut and/or shorten scenes. Books can be a lot longer/narratively dense than movies can and it is unreasonable to make a 6hr movie just to include every scene. They are tonally very different mediums, and the audience expectations differ as well. Much as I hate to see scenes cut, I can understand the limitation. Similarly, movies & tv are subject to ratings that books are not. Many adaptations have to tone down violence, gore, and other mature or taboo content just to reach the same audiences as their source material and therefore cannot be wholly text accurate (Game of Thrones and Outlander would definitely fall into that category). Those types of adjustments are all understandble even if they take away from the viewing experience for some people. A quick call out for things like Rent or Little Shop of Horrors where the endings were completely changed in specific recognition of the fact that character death is much easier for theatre audiences to stomach than to see on screen bc you get to break the immersion at the end. The real problem, in my opinion/experience, is when changes are made with no clear goal/rationale/purpose - or worse, when source content is removed but then new material is added without justifying the switch (especially when that then causes plot holes or other narrative problems that need to be resolved!) Those kinds of things not only feel like a slap to the face on principle, but can radically alter the larger tone and miss more foundational aspects of the source material (at best; at worst they can actively go against characterizations, plot points, or worldbuilding established in the source material - a personal pet peeve of mine).

There's also a whole conversation to be had about the phethora of movies adapted from books where they had to drastically expand the scope in order to fill a runtime. This mostly applies for picture book to movie adaptations (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Horton Hears a Who, most versions of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas), but also for longer form novels that are just less involved (idk if that's the right word for it) than movie producers would like (The Hobbit though that's a topic unto itself and overdiscussed to boot, A Wrinkle in Time, I would even place Cats [the movie] in this category) Just as another aspect to consider, particularly when it comes to the video game to movie adaptations he talks about in the video, but I think it's a separate enough topic to not get into here.

This video also naturally made me think of fanfiction (my husband & I actually paused it to have a sidebar on the topic) and how it often serves the retelling function discussed in the video. There's the stuff like describing scenes from an alternative character pov, writing in scenes that were skipped/glossed over, expanding on background moments, etc which are fundamentally about producing more of the existing content but a little to the left, as it were, while generally operating within the confines of canon. We, as consumers of the source material, simply want to have more of a thing we like and thus the lovely creative fans of the world produce content to fulfill that desire. There is also the wide variety of truely adapted content in fanfiction like AUs, canon divergence, role swaps, non-canonical shipping, or introducing realistic elements to stylized and/or sanitized source content (cursing, violence/injury, sex or other explicit material, diverse characters, etc) which by & large enhance the overall experience of engaging with the source material even while altering it. Even the act of speculation & extrapolation in the form of headcanon-ing helps audiences participate in the process of storytelling and subsequently enjoy it more as an active process of engagement, rather than something passively consumed.

There is also a conversation to be had about using adaptation as a vessel for accessibility to larger, newer, or different audiences. This is both on a logistical level (ex audiobooks & visual adaptations for those with dyslexia, cinematic versions of broadway shows for those who cannot afford to see it on stage, etc) and on a more abtract level (ex recasting a story with a female lead like His Girl Friday does with The Front Page in order to examine how the same circumstances play out differently, using a modern setting to make a statement on society through the lens of a known story like West Side Story does with Romeo & Juliet, etc). Many current remakes & adaptations of beloved franchises are no doubt motivated by profitability, but it doesn't change the fact that a variety of new viewers are being exposed to the source content for the first time. We as fans hope that will only be the gateway drug introducing fresh faces to the entire fandom, but even if it doesn't (or if the adaptation is intolerable to those who were already fans) there is some intrinsic merit to expanding that audience. Fanfiction also often operates to open source material up to marginalized audiences in ways mass produced content doesn't, and allows sidelined stories to be told through known material.

Idk where I really meant to land with all this, but the video really helped me solidify my existing Adaptation Thoughts and I wanted more people to see it and engage in a very interesting conversation!

[iamthemain-character]

hello another kazi request !! could you do a normal/civilian reader (they/them pronouns?) and kazi meeting for the first time? maybe during a heist lol

thanks for requesting! i’m sorry this took so long, university has been killing me lol. i hope you enjoy! :)

Twist of Fate

kazi kazimierczak x reader

gender neutral pronouns

TW: mild crime, mentions of weapons

a/n: this is set before the events of Hawkeye, when I kind of headcanon Kazi doing small crime type of stuff

a/n: part two: i kind of have an idea for another part, let me know if that would be something you wanted to see!

marvel masterlist

It was a simple job: a small jewelry shop tucked into an alleyway full of expensive stuff. It was the final stop of a long night of thievery, and while the first tendrils of light were stretching into the sky, Kazi was sure that he could get in and out before sunrise.

Slipping into the back, Kazi made quick work of the simple lock on the door. A narrow hallway led to the back work area of the shop, and Kazi slowed his steps as he saw there was a light on. At first glance, the work room seemed empty. The source of light was a lamp on the table, shining down on an assortment of tools and a necklace that seemed to be under repairs.

Just as Kazi stepped another foot into the room, a person came walking in from the door leading to the storefront. Kazi froze and the person shrieked, jumping back as they saw the former standing there. As Kazi reached for the gun hidden in his coat, he was taken aback when he heard laughter,

“I’m so sorry, I hope I didn’t scare you.” The person breathily laughed, continuing their path to the table Kazi had just been looking at. “You must be the new hire, Amanda said you would be stopping by this morning to learn the ropes.”

Kazi remained frozen in place, mind blanking as he tried to decide what to do. He could still rob the store, after all there was only this one person and he had weapons. Yet something twinged in Kazi’s heart when he thought of that; this person seemed so sweet, and there was something wholesome and genuine in their smile. No matter how much his head reasoned, Kazi couldn’t find it within himself to hold this person hostage.

“I’m Y/n by the way; remind me of your name again?” They turned to Kazi, hand outstretched.

“Kazi.” Immediately Kazi mentally cursed himself; giving out his real name was the dumbest thing he could have done. Still, he took Y/n’s outstretched hand and shook it.

“Okay, so Amanda said you had some experience with jewelry repair, right?”

“Uh, it’s been a while.” Kazi fumbled, unsure why he continued to stay and talk to this person. Still, he followed Y/n’s gesture to sit down next to them.

“Don’t worry, I’ll show you the ropes.” Y/n said with smile that elicited butterflies in Kazi’s stomach.

For the next couple hours, Y/n carefully showed Kazi how to fix a simple gold chain. Their hands guided his as they removed broken links and attached new ones. Slowly Kazi got used to using the soldering tool to close up the rings permanently. Finally, after lots of mistakes and hard work, the chain was completely finished.

Y/n beamed at Kazi, clearly proud of the work he had accomplished. The latter felt surprisingly proud of himself, amazed that he was able to fix something that seemed so delicate.

“You did amazing Kazi, you’re basically a pro now.”

Kazi laughed, “I wouldn’t say that, but I did do pretty okay.”

The clock on the wall chimed, signaling the time. Y/n glanced up at it and hurriedly got up from the chair. “I’m so sorry, but I’m afraid that is all we can work on today. We have a private viewing, so we’ll have to continue your training another day. I have your phone number on file, so I’ll send you a picture of your schedule.”

Sadness struck Kazi’s heart as he realized that the little act he had been playing was up. He should have been relieved that his true intentions weren’t found out, but instead he found himself longing to spend more time with Y/n.

Kazi moved to grab his jacket, but Y/n stopped him. Carefully they picked up the chain and undid the clasp, bringing their arms over Kazi’s head to place the chain around his neck. His heartbeat quickened as his felt Y/n’s fingers brush the back of his neck as they closed the clasp. He tried not to focus on how much he loved the pressure, nor the disappointment that came from when Y/n’s hands left his neck.

“There, you keep that. You worked so hard so I think you deserve it.” A rattle could be heard at the front door, and Y/n looked at Kazi apologetically. “It was great to meet you Kazi; I look forward to working together again. Enjoy your day!”

As Kazi watched Y/n’s retreating figure, he knew they wouldn’t be working together again. But as he went to leave, he realized that he wouldn’t be able to just not see them again. No matter what it took, Kazi would find a way to see the cheery, smiling Y/n again.

[thefrogman]

@yapurplegirl The breakdown is here. Now.

Because I will break it down for you in this post.

Glossy and semi glossy surfaces are some of the toughest things to deal with in product photography.

And pure mirrored surfaces, well... those can ruin your day.

I think people thought I was using mirrors to do this effect (and sometimes mirrors are used to reflect light), but I meant the glasses had mirrored lenses. So I was basically taking a photo of two mirrors—which is a huge pain in the patoot.

And my double mirrors were curved, so they were reflecting nearly half of my studio.

Which is exactly why I chose them. I wanted to learn how to do it.

Photographing mirrors is most frustrating when they are directly reflecting into your camera lens. But we product photographers try to use angles when possible to avoid having to Photoshop our heads and cameras out of the shot (though sometimes that is unavoidable).

And if you can't shop yourself out of the mirror shot, then you have to get creative...

If you aren't a product photographer and you need to take a picture of a mirror, people have come up with some fun solutions (as seen on r/peoplesellingmirrors )

You can try to be sneaky...

You can try to be artistic...

Ah! A ghost!

Some will recruit their pets and kids...

And some will just say, "Fuck it."

And then you have the Amazon solution, which is to just use Photoshop to create a blank "reflection."

Or they hired a vampire. Not sure.

The product photographer solution for glossy/mirrored surfaces is to use "gradient lighting."

You need to have a pretty solid understanding of light, including angles of incidence and angles of reflectance. And you are going to need some special equipment, but thankfully some of it you can DIY if you need to. And the bigger or more curvy the glossy surface, the more space you are going to need.

The basic idea comes down to creating an "image forming reflection" of your light source. Meaning you position your light source in such a way that it forms an actual image of itself on the glossy surface. And since we want to reflect a gradient onto our glossy surface, the first thing we need to do is create a light with a gradient.

First you need diffusion material. This is specially made plastic or paper that scatters light with a falloff when you shine through it.

A regular softbox tries to scatter light evenly. It wants the entire surface area to be outputting the same intensity of light.

From corner to corner, the light is the same brightness. It is homogenous and creates a big single light source. Which is great for people and bad for glossy products.

So we need something where the light gradually falls off.

Most will build something called a "scrim" which is just special diffusion material stretched out over a rectangular frame.

The most popular diffusion material for this purpose is Savage Translum or Lee 216 White Diffusion. And if you are on a budget, you can also use tracing paper (usually two layers works best). You'll need to attach it to a homemade frame or hang it from a boom arm on a light stand.

Note: Not all diffusion material will create the needed effect. You need to make sure it is made for this purpose.

Once you have hung your scrim, you need to place your light in the proper position behind it.

If you move the light close, you get a small sharp gradient.

And if you move the light farther away, the gradient becomes larger and softer.

And that is the "image" that you want to reflect onto your glossy item. You want that gradient to be infused with the surface of your object.

Just remember he still has all of his regular ambient lighting turned on so you can see things. In the final image you would only see the circle of light falling off into blackness.

There are two main gradients you might want to create—a ball or a tall strip.

For subjects that would most efficiently fit inside an imaginary sphere, you create a ball gradient.

So jewelry, a gaming mouse, a disco ball. It's not a perfect rule of thumb, but I just imagine stuff inside a ball and if I feel like I could reflect a good gradient onto that ball, I use a ball gradient.

The ball is created with either a standard reflector on your light or you can even just use the strobe's "bare bulb."

And if you are trying to do this on a budget, you can use a desk lamp or a flash. For the flash you will need one with a round head or you can buy a cheap "snoot" attachment.

Now if you are shooting a glossy surface that would fit better into an imaginary cylinder, you would use something like a strip softbox behind the diffusion material.

The idea is to make a vertical gradient that is taller than the subject you are shooting. So the image created on your glossy surface looks more like this.

And when all of the ambient light is cut out of the final photo, the vertical gradient will look something like this.

And that is useful for tall or cylindrical things like bottles and jars where it can wrap around the sides and span the entire length of the subject from top to bottom.

This is a Fitz's bottle I shot...

And some of my hair gel that I never use...

I put a strip softbox shining through diffusion on either side and the gradients wrapped around.

So, I'm afraid I am about to disappoint some of you.

Because my original sunglasses photo did not look like my original post.

I wanted to play with an 80s color pallette so I changed some of the colors.

It was not purple and blue originally.

No, that doesn't make it fake and I didn't trick you. I did nothing that could not be achieved in real life.

I could easily get sunglasses with blue lenses and some magenta card and create that exact image.

And if anyone is still not convinced, I will recreate my 80s version all in-camera once I get my studio set up.

Actually, that sounds like fun.

Second, sunglasses cannot actually float in mid-air, so I did have to attach them to a bendy arm and paint that out.

*gasp*

I hope you can forgive my subterfuge.

There seems to be this notion that using Photoshop is cheating or less authentic. And people also seem to be saying my photo looks like a render and thus "fake." But this style of gradient lighting has been around long before Photoshop and CGI. So if anything, CGI looks like product photography, not the other way around.

I promise that is the extent of my Photoshop trickery and everything else was done practically. Okay?

I decided the best gradient for the glasses was a ball. But getting everything in position was very tedious. I moved things a millimeter at a time until they lined up perfectly. That took a frustratingly long time because the lenses reflected a very wide field of view. Which meant using a very large piece of diffusion material that was very close to the glasses. My old studio was tiny so I was in very tight circumstances and my belly kept bumping things and I'd have to start over.

My ball gradient essentially created an image of itself in the lenses about like this...

I placed it so it would reflect in both lenses.

So... to review.

Let me try to break this down in the simplest way possible.

If you wanted to take a picture of a flat mirror. And in that mirror you wanted to reflect an image of Spider-Man holding a pug in a baby bjorn.

The simplest thing to do is put Spider-Man holding a pug in a baby bjorn in front of that mirror.

And if you wanted a ball gradient to reflect in that mirror instead of Spider-Man holding a pug in a baby bjorn, then you'd just hang a sheet of diffusion, stick a light behind it, and Bob's your uncle...

(At this angle you would need to cut a hole in the diffusion material and stick a lens through and then clone it out later.)

What I'm doing is no different.

The tricky part is when you have to do this on things that are irregular shapes. Getting all of the angles right takes a lot of trial and error and practice.

Sometimes you have to build giant scrims and mount them in very awkward positions.

And sometimes, you need to use 3 or 4 scrims at the same time.

It's a lot of very precise work and I think that is why I enjoy it so much. You get amazing results and it isn't something just anyone can to do. It is a skill you have to develop over time.

That is my breakdown.

I hope it was interesting.

And I hope to be shooting some more cool stuff soon. My new studio is coming along. I'm really hoping within the next month or so.

1980s Aviators

Taking a photo of something with two mirrors is not easy. And this was my first success at shooting a mirrored subject like this. And then the 80s color palette is just for vibes.

[glossy-doll]

Living Life in ASMR Style

I am a long time ASMR lover, and I have been thinking about living like your life is an ASMR video. I watch ASMR everyday. Watching it feels really relaxing, like everything is beautiful in its own way, like there is no rush, and I was wondering if I could implement that into my everyday life. So here is what I think can be learned from ASMR about living more slowly, intentionally.

Quiet: It is the basic requirement for ASMR. The environment needs to be quiet so the little sounds can be heard and enjoyed better. They disappeared among the loud sounds before, now they have a chance to shine. They may turn out to be very calming, but no one notices them before the quiet comes. Those sounds were just really ordinary and even boring. But now millions of ASMR fans all over the globe are tapping on everything just to hear its sound. I think the same thing can be applied to life as well. Making life as quiet as it can be, literally and figuratively, can make a space for what didn't catch the eye before come to light. And it can be a new, comforting, blissful thing or activity or something that needed attention but got lost in the midst of a sea of stuff to take care of.

Creativity and Using What You Have at Hand: You don't even need an object to do ASMR. You can use your hands, your mouth, whatever you have ready at that moment and it can be relaxing. This requires creativity and thriftiness. I think those two qualities are important if one wants to live life in a more fulfilled and less consuming, more producing/creative way.

Concrete, Sensual, Grounded: ASMR works in 3D, I think. It's got to do with manipulating the sensory experience. So it's completely grounded in reality, it is up-close, personal and sensual, it's connected to the environment and the world around the body. This is one of the main things that makes it very relaxing in my opinion. It's not just good sounds, it's the whole experience, how it pull us in and makes us focus completely on itself. It kind of reminds me of living in the moment and not in our minds.

No Rush: Every object, every sound, every word has its moment, everything takes its time. Excluding fast-paced ASMR, of course. Viewer has time to enjoy everything fully, without ever rushing from one thing to another.

Freedom to Express Individuality: People can use ASMR to convey anything. It can be educational, entertaining, purely comforting, nostalgic, artistic... It is versatile, it has something for everyone.

Anything Can Be a Trigger: Even the things that are seemingly unrelated or out of place, or unprofessional. For example, some people enjoy the quiet waiting time when an ASMRtist is switching between triggers. This may seem weird to others, but every moment comes together to form the grand experience that is ASMR. In some Lo-fi ASMR videos, the video is a little blurry, but it may add to the ambience. In life, some things seem ugly, bad, or wrong. But I think everything can be turned into something fine, because it is a part of the whole. Sometimes the camera does not work well, sometimes it is the mic, we barely have control over the enviromental noise, but we find ways to make it work, and make our own grand experience.

Thoughtfulness: In ASMR videos it is important to take care of the small details, because the creator is trying to make it enjoyable for the viewer. That is an act of thoughtfulness that comes from the ASMRtist. They may not be able to control eveything and they probably can't, they may not have the best gear, but they try their best to make the viewer have a good experience. I think that life is better when people are good to each other. Something is so satisfying about making others feel at ease in your presence. Being a source of comfort and tranquility for both myself and others is simply my main goal in life.

This is what I have learned about living life comfortably from ASMR videos over the years. I hope it can be beneficial for anyone who reads it.

[caraphernellie]

𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐔𝐋.

for your information: needy vampire!ellie + a menstruating reader. period sex. oral (receiving). EIGHTEEN PLUS INTERACTIONS ONLY.

you bask in the pale moonlight that shines through the bedroom window, dim lamp-light bathing the room in a peaceful and warm glow. ellie lies close to you, head nuzzling into your stomach. it's only when she begins to nose at the hem of your shirt, pushing it up lazily to lay a sloppy kiss on the underside of your breast, that you remember she's there in the midst of the silence. the look on her face is all too revealing, brows furrowed and her eyes darkened by her pupils, dilated the way they always are when she's in the mood for something. you simply laugh, trying to turn her down lightly.

"i'm on my period, we can't do anything, el."

"that's why i want it, babe," ellie grumbles, beginning to trail those kisses up your neck, fangs leaving gentle, benign nicks in your skin. her ears catch the way your pulse speeds up and it does nothing to quell the fiery pit of need in her stomach– your sweet heart, the very organ that pumps the saccharine nectar around your body to keep you alive, for her to love, for her to feed. 

she wasn't always this way. she was once a human, until a freak accident occurred when ellie stupidly thought it'd be safe enough to walk home from work late at night. she never used to be able to hear your pulse so clearly, but now all it does is arouse her. she never used to be able to smell blood so intensely, but she determined you were on your period the moment you'd turned the corner onto her street this afternoon, the knowledge burning in her brain the entire time and leaving her relentlessly hungry and horny. your period is basically a free, ongoing source of feed for her– she needs it, and your body needs it gone – she's just being wise here. "c'mon… and hey! an orgasm can help with the cramps. trust me."

"the mess, though…" you mumble shyly, marvelling at the way things have changed since ellie's turning. there was once a time when you and ellie would curl up on the couch, sharing a hot water bottle or rubbing each other's stomachs to ease the cramps when your cycles synced– now ellie goes without her cycle, instead a hankering for blood. period sex never used to be in the equation. 

now, ellie's nose twitches, her head's spinning, and she's licking her lips as the thought about resting her head between your thighs sets in. "i'm starving, babe, i'm not gonna leave a mess. m'not gonna waste a single drop. trust me."

the insistence and enthusiasm in itself is rousing, her utter captivation with you leaving the heat between your legs throbbing. that puppy look in her eyes has cut right into your conscience, looking to ellie with the most empathetic curl of your lips. "if you say so…"

"i do say so, and i mean it," ellie sasses, a soft kiss brushing against the corner of your smile before she hastily helps you strip out of your clothes, tossing it all to the floor with a scoff. as if the clothes are offensive.

and now, you're laid out for her like a feast, which she wastes no time in diving into – her fingers leave a bruising grip on your thighs, pulling them apart so she can begin to lap up all that you have to offer. she's not at all polite about it, slurping and licking up the tempting elixir of your pussy. ellie can't help herself, can't hold herself back any longer, letting out moans and sounds close to whimpers as she tastes the mix of arousal and blood that's gathered.

ellie's half-lidded eyes stare up at you, rolling back as her tongue dips into your hole to seek satiation right from the source. pulling back for a moment to lick a long stripe up your slit, strings of spit following her and her chin already dripping in the red essence, ellie's tongue darts out to lick it off her lips and she hums happily. "shit, you're so fuckin' good for me."

"ellie, oh god," you murmur, not sure whether to avert your gaze or keep watching– it's a little humiliating to see your own mess all over her face, but ellie certainly doesn't care or have any shame about it. red suits her.

she pushes her tongue back into your cunt, as deep as she can this time, feeling your every little shudder and tremble. she goes on like it for ages before finally paying more attention to your clit, latching her lips around it as if to apologise for the neglect. her fingers slide past your lips and brush up against your g-spot, earning a hoarse cry from you as your back arches and muscles tense.

and she doesn't even want to stop once you've came, sucking the blood from her fingers and laying her head against your inner thigh– she'll use the puppy eyes again, and it'll work every time. she won't be going hungry for days.

@/elliewilliams on pinterest for the photomode!

[sandman2412]

Our relationship with the world needs adjustment. And it all begins here, in the mind. Let’s put this in a relative sense. You finished studying in school and now to get into the field you want you have an exam for certification. You worked your ass off on this test and you’re expecting good results once all is said and done. Now I want to break this scenario down into three components:

The Positive, The Negative, and Perspective.

(+)

We associate the positive with the good and where we want to be. As if the positive is all we should consume. However, the truth of the matter is “ignorance is bliss” and if we live attached solely to what feels good, we live blindly to what we are capable of, what needs change in exchange for abundance. You got a 95% on the exam, now certified and achieving what you set out to do. You ride this high into work, overconfident and affirmed by passing. Yet your supervisor and coworkers question your ability and how fit your are for the role, due to basic or minor oversights in your work. Come to find out these oversights derive from the 5% of of exam material you’ve rendered meaningless in the light of your grade. Carrying yourself as if it was insignificant carried into your work, interrupting your reliability and quality of service in the workplace.

(-)

We associate the negative with where we don’t want to be. As if it is some bad omen that our lives are shambles, and there is some truth to that. The question is how do we respond to our darkness/dark moments. See the positive is like action and the negative, what’s acted upon. Darkness only grows where the light doesn’t shine, and as our own sources of light in life, our darkness should serve less as justification for debilitation and more as an indicator of what needs attention, what needs to be tended to. You got a 75% on the exam. Failing the exam already put you in a bad space, but missing the bar by 5% made it terrible. You act as if nothing happened, you isolate yourself, you remove yourself from your world and your passions, and in the end, wallow in self-deprecation. Not only were you confronted with negativity, but you affirmed it closing off opportunities for joy through taking action, instead expanding negativity through inaction. Which brings me to the third component, perspective.

(♾️)

The thing about positivity and negativity is they represent two sides of the same coin, unable to exist without one another. The key is in allowing the randomness/unpredictable nature of life to flip the coin, accepting which way it falls. Acceptance, because our circumstances are something we receive (negative) but our response (positive) is how we return and affect our circumstance. That is the power of the human condition, bestowed this level of consciousness and intellect to remain rationally detached from our circumstance, observing and honoring our emotions (not acting through them), and responding with what the moment needs. If I score the 95%, that 5% of error (or negativity) should act as an indicator of growth, strengthened or addressed through attention, focus, and action (positivity). If I score the 75%, I should be looking at the silver lining, applauding my attempt to go after where I want to be and doing everything to retain my motivation (positivity). By maintaining my desire to act and channeling that energy to lessen my margin of error through review, education, and correction, I reopen my future to myself. I affirm my ability to do what I believed and in the end, could be of more service to the world because of my trials than my peers simply being forced to return where I failed (negative). If we could bring the positive where we feel negative, and parse out the negativity hiding behind our positivity, how beautiful would life be?

~ Slade

(Was nervous to share, thanks for reading 🙂)

[p0plotte]

Wanderer of The Stars

Bad Habit - Steve Lacy

—•—

—-

ALDION WRITTEN BY @catvari

—-

Hell. Hot, damp, and generally uncomfortable to be in for the average person. A lot less dry than you’d think, surprisingly enough. It’s more like Florida dialed up to 21. Anyway, yeah, the average person would be absolutely miserable in hell. Demons on the other hand.. they’re pretty damn comfortable there. But with comfort, there’s always certain individuals who want more out of their life. Demons especially so. Hell, that’s why so many of them leave to go to earth.

..Aldion just so happened to be one of them. On a particularly normal day in Hell, he decided to make his move. He drew a circle on the floor, lighting candles and whatnot, before standing in the middle of it and waiting for someone to summon him. He put his hands on his sides and waited, and waited.. and waited. He started getting impatient, his demonic tail swishing a bit side to side. It’s already almost been an hour, and nobody has even tried to summon a demon? Seriously?

“Tch.. how is nobody even trying?! Aren’t there like, thousands of cults on Earth?! They should be fighting over me right now, a bona-fide demon!”

He grumbled, an irritated expression on his face before, finally, he felt something. The circle began glowing, and he sighed in relief. He stomped his foot on the symbol, and he appeared elsewhere, in a school classroom, surrounded by students. He looked around, the students looking at him in awe. He appears to be in some sort of occult club room..

“Hmph, about time you called me here! I almost had to take matters into my own hands!”

He took a step out of the circle, the students too flabbergasted that it actually worked to stop him.

“You should feel honored that I, Aldion, graced your presence! You know what? Because you made my job easier, I’ll leave you a present.”

He snaps his fingers and a small box appeared in the middle of the circle.

“Some basic human wants.. money, food, games, yada yada whatever. Now, I’ve got places to be! Farewell, mortals!”

He snaps his fingers once more, taking on the appearance of a human student to avoid suspicion, and leaves the room. Another demon is loose on Earth. Great

The mountains were steep today, snow melting off slowly from the warm spring air. As winter faded into spring it seemed humans became more eager to do reckless things. This happened every year, once the sun began to shine its light more often human teens and children became much more prone to self endangering acts if it meant fun for the summer.

Atop the snowy mountains lived an oni. One that could easily make her form more human-like to fit in with other humans. Speaking of humans, she was sat in a classroom full of them at the moment. Once class had been let out she felt this.. aura. Upon stepping into the hallway she felt her stomach churn, a darkness clogging her senses.

A demon.

“Please excuse me..”

She parted from her very small friend group to go off and explore the source of this aura. Once she turned a corner an overwhelming dread washed over her. It had to be the one walking up the stairs in her direction..

The yokai stepped back around the corner to catch her breath, holding her hand over her mouth. Just what the hell were those occult kids thinking?! They always pulled shit like this.. she just knew this was related to them somehow. Did they not understand the true dangers of summoning demons?..

“How sickening..” She murmured, “Euu..”

The demon, in human form, made his way up the stairs, absolutely certain that nobody could tell he was a demon. Unfortunately, he didn’t know there was an Oni here. He smugly walked through the hallway, assuming it to be empty.

“Ah.. finally, out of that humid hell!”

He smirks as he makes his way past the Oni, his tunnel vision not noticing her in the slightest. He looks around a bit before noticing a backpack lying on the ground. This could very well make it easier to blend in with the other humans.. and after all, if someone was careless enough to just leave it lying there, they surely deserved for it to be stolen. He quickly puts it on before continuing to walk through the hallway, making his way toward the glowing green exit sign. If anyone questions him.. he can just say his ‘parents’ called him out sick, and they’ll surely let him leave. It’s a foolproof plan!

Smooth strands of black hair fell in front of her face as she watched the demon stroll through the halls. Maybe he couldnt sense her? Or simply put, she was really good at hiding it.

She watched as he took her bag which she’d just so happened to drop when slumping against the wall, unsure of if he really couldn't see her. She couldn't help but make a small look of disgust. Greedy, filthy demons invading a place which wasn't theirs to invade.

lThe oni gathered herself, and with a kick in her step ran after the demon. After they’d both exited the building she finally spoke.

“Do all demons take others things without asking, or is that just a you thing?” *She inquired,* “Let me take a wild guess and say you were just summoned from the occult club and think you’re alone here. Right on the money, yeah?”

He stayed quiet for a moment before turning around and facing the oni, a confused look on his face. He tried to feign innocence, making a shocked expression.

“What.. what are you talking about? Demon..? Are you.. calling me a demon? I’m.. offended! Yeah! I feel deeply hurt!”

He crosses his arms and turns back around.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about anyway! I’m just going home because I tested positive for an illness, and I don’t appreciate your false accusations!”

He began walking once more, but in his head, he began thinking to himself.

‘Eh?! Already?! She.. how did she know?! Was my disguise THAT flawed?! I look exactly like a normal human, don’t I?!’

He kept up his facade of normalcy on the outside, but inside, he was starting to become worried. Who.. is this girl?

As he spoke she continued to follow. She even began to walk on top of the railing to the stairs which lead from the doors off campus. Once they’d reached the bottom she hopped off the railing, landing right in front of the boy.

The ravenette placed one hand on a crystal which was implanted into her chest, the other she used to hold up the other's chin to make direct eye contact. Within seconds, a vibration reverberated from the crystal- and in their own little bubble, the horns, tail and face paint of the oni were perfectly visible. With this the other’s disguise was foiled as well.

“Would you like to try that again, demon-boy?” She pursed her lips, “Red skin.. white hair.. black and yellow eyes.. gee, I’d hate to be needlessly picking apart some cute halloween costume of yours if that’s really your excuse.”

He was definitely caught off guard by her landing in front of him, and even moreso by her grabbing his chin. Just who does this oni think she is?! He pulls away flabbergasted, but quickly tries to regain his composure. He clears his throat, before realizing that his disguise is, in fact, gone. He grits his teeth and backs up a bit, clearly a bit worried, but he takes a deep breath to compose himself.

“Alright, fine! So what if I’m a demon?! What makes you any better than me, Oni?! Hell, I was minding my own business until you started chasing after me!”

He crosses his arms, giving the oni girl a defiant look as he began to back up a bit more.

“Hell is the place you should be. Not here.”

Every step back he took she took a step forward. She was extremely composed, it seemed this flustered the demon much more than it flustered the oni. She removed her hand from her chest, eyes narrowing.

“The oni here were sent by the gods to protect this world from demons such as yourself. That is what gives me my foothold in this situation. We may have similar DNA patterns, but we have very different origins and intentions.” She paused, “I am simply protecting the humans I was sent to watch over. Pardon me for being weary of an intruder.”

Her voice was monotone, laced with small hints of sarcasm here and there. He wasn't getting away anytime soon if he didnt start talking.

He gulps, his voice becoming a bit shaky. Of all the people to run into upon arriving here, he just HAD to run into an oni, huh? He takes another few steps back before hitting the wall of this little bubble they were in. His eyes widen a bit before he takes yet another deep breath in.

“I’m not even here to do anything bad, man! I’m just.. bored of hell! That’s all, honest! Why’re you getting so close to me?! You can ask me these dumb questions from the other side of this dumb little bubble!”

He tries to give off an aura of confidence and belligerence, but his tail is saying otherwise, drooping as if he were unsure, afraid even. Knowing this, he tries to hide his tail behind himself. He narrows his eyes to continue his false impression of confidence, attempting to get the oni to back off.

“Hm? Claustrophobic?”

She covered her mouth and began to giggle a little.. a claustrophobic demon? Nonetheless one so evidently intimidated by her? It was kind of endearin-…

She fell silent. Even that thought alone struck a chord in her. One that made her sick, as if a spile had been shot directly through her guts.

“Well, demon- if that’s the case,” *She stepped forward once again till their noses touched,* “I cannot permit you to walk on this Earth freely. But, for now I can do something to allow you to stay.”

From the palm of her hand emitted a glowing collar, one which was only the basic outlines of one. It wrung itself around the boy's neck till it looked like he had some sort of odd tattoo.

The closer it was to the ring on her hand, the more it would sting. It was a precautions that she only used when certain a demon wouldn't hurt a fly. Though.. she hadn't needed to use it yet- not till today. Usually, she’d just kill the demons.

“You may roam the Earth, but for now you’re on thin ice. It may seem inconvenient for you, but trust me, this is a big pain in my ass too. It ruins my daily schedule entirely..”

”Are.. are you kidding me?!”

He pulls back again, somehow even more flabbergasted by her nose touching his. He would have fallen over, if it wasn’t for the barrier behind him. He grabs his neck, trying to get whatever it is off, but it’s no use. He breathes heavily, and his facade of confidence dissolves.

“What did.. what did you just do to me?! Explain yourself!!”

His face reddens a bit from fear and embarrassment. He has no clue what just happened, but he knows it can’t be good for him in the slightest. He felt the stinging as her ring got closer to his neck, and he instinctively tried to pull away.

Philophobia. The fear of love, adoration, endearment, and attachment. Unknowingly, she had just signed herself up to become attached to someone. Whether it was her duty or not, it would become a burden for her. She took her hand back from the collar tattoo, watching as the glow it emitted slowly faded, along with the heat. The steam from around the demon's neck caused smog to stain the sides of the bubble, like a hot breath in the cool air.

“I told you, demon. You may not walk this Earth freely, or you will be brutally slaughtered. Not by myself, but by other onis that are not so forgiving of the demon race. So now,” *She held up her hand so he could get a good look at her ring. The gem on it resembled the crystal which was engraved in her chest, “You’re the dog to the House of Fei. I don't expect you to be a dog, that is simply your title. When other oni see the mark, they’ll know to leave you be.”

She lowered her hand and shook her head with a sigh, backing away from the pitifully weak demon. He was quite lucky actually, that it had been her he ran into and not her fellow oni.

“Plus.. I’m not certain I can trust your word. It’s safer for me and you this way.” She hummed, “I’m Mingxia Fei. We’ll become well acquainted from now on.”

”..dog? A dog?! Why does THAT have to be my title of all things?! A little respect would be appreciated..”

He crosses his arms as she backs away, visibly offended by being referred to as a dog of all things. He tilts his head, narrowing his eyes again as he glares at Mingxia, a look of annoyance plastered on his face.

“And.. and stop talking like you just did me a favor! I woulda gotten along perfectly fine, but no! You just had to but in..”

He pouts as he looks away in an almost childish manner. For a demon, this guy is almost painfully immature at times..

“Plus, I don’t think you deserve to know my name. This sort of harsh treatment is beneath me, y’know? You need to be a little nicer, oni!”

“It's just the title.. I dont see you as one. You can move up rank titles if you’re good from what I’ve heard.”

She has obviously never done this before.

Mingxia’s gaze failed to waver as the other backed off and looked away. She sighed, shaking her head.

“I’m only going to say this one more time; the six other onis would have ripped you apart.”

For a demon, he was extremely childish.. It was a little funny. She got close up to him once more and used the unringed hand to start gently petting his hair. She ran her fingers through it slowly, playing with the tufts that had been sticking up.

“Is this nice enough for you, demon boy?”

He immediately went somehow even redder in the face and tried to pull back, his eyes wide and a flabbergasted look on his face. He stammered for a few moments before managing to finally spit out the words, his voice cracking.

“W-what the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

He ducks down and covers his head, burying his face in his shirt to avoid her doing that again as he lets out a little whimper.

“W-what makes you think you can just do that to me?!”

He looks insanely embarrassed at the moment. That was quite possibly the last thing he expected to happen right now..

She watched as he retreated into his shirt like a small child and frowned. Had she done something wrong? She swore that children adored being pet like that. Then again.. he wasn't actually a child. He just acted like one.

“I thought I was being nice..” She murmured, “Apologies if I scared you. It was not my intention..”

The ravenette put her hands behind her back, white horns almost shining in the light of the sun. Though the day wasn't one resembling the summer.. no. It was much more like a cloudy yet simultaneously bright day. Foggy, even.

“You have no home here, right? So you may as well take this opportunity as a good thing.”

”S-scared? Me?! Oh, please! I just.. didn’t expect you to do that!!”

His voice is a bit muffled from his face still being buried in his shirt, and he’s still as embarrassed as earlier, but he feigns confidence with his voice, hoping that the oni doesn’t notice just how flustered he is. He’s far too proud to admit that.

“And.. what exactly are you implying? Me? Live with you? As if! Never in a thousand years!!”

He shakes his head defiantly, hugging his knees.

She sighed, purple irises glazing over with a look of exhaustion. What a difficult demon.. but at least he wasn't violent.

“I never said that. I just hinted at the fact that there is a place you could live for now.”

Living with a demon? As if. Maybe some of her fellow oni would use them as spies or apprentices, maybe even minions- but she’d rather not.

Inviting a demon into her home was a load of trouble waiting to crumble down onto her shoulders.

“But, if you’d rather live poor and alone on the streets, then I won't stop you.” She cocked her head to the side, “It won't be any different than the life you lived before in hell.”

”Won’t be any different..?!”

He raises his head from his shirt, still red, but more so due to frustration. Still embarrassment obviously, but mostly frustration. He pouts, clearly getting more upset by the minute.

“H-how could you possibly know what my life is like, huh?! You’re just some self-righteous oni!”

He stares up at Mingxia for a bit longer before sighing and looking back down.

Without hesitation she took hold of him by the collar of his shirt, holding him up against the back of the bubble.

“An Oni is a demon. Simply one that has been repurposed for god. I used to be exactly where you are. Have you not brushed up on your history lessons?” She narrowed her eyes, “If you need any evidence, hopefully this will suffice.”

She set him back down rather gently.. in high contrast to how intimidating she unintentionally came across as. The oni took her hands and slowly unbuttoned her dress shirt. On her stomach a large pentagram symbol was implanted onto her skin. Though seemingly it had been ‘rewritten’ by the symbol of an eye over it, glowing the closer her ring got to it.

“So the choice is yours. Live a better life with some restrictions, or live a lonesome, similar life to the one you had prior.”

He didn’t even get the chance to see the pentagram as he quickly covered his face in response to her unbuttoning her shirt, his fear suddenly vanishing and being replaced with sheer embarrassment.

“W-WHUH?!”

He can barely even speak, stammering far too much to even form a coherent sentence. For a demon who was acting so superior earlier, he’s acting drastically different at this point. He continued to look away as he slowly tried to regain himself, breathing heavily as he shut his eyes tightly.

“W-where.. where would I even live?! I obviously can’t live alongside you..!”

“Is there something wrong? Apologies.. I didn't realize my symbol would make you afraid.”

Mingxia quickly rebuttoned her shirt up, obviously a bit confused. Had she done something wrong? Mayhaps the eye of an angel which was implanted over the pentagon was a bit scary.. even if it was more like a tattoo than a real eye.

“There is a small community home and café in town which I believe you’d fit in with just fine.. they’re somewhat dare-devils themselves.” She sighed, “The school day is almost over. We should move quickly.”

With this she pressed her hand against the gem on her chest once more and watched as it’s vibrations reversed their true forms, once again disguising their non-human features.

“A demon being a sitting duck is just asking for trouble anyway.”

”Y-yeah, yeah, sure, whatever! Let’s just get moving already!”

He quickly turns away, throwing the backpack back on his shoulders as he begins walking towards the town at a high speed. He’s clearly still flustered and whatnot, unable to even look back at Mingxia. He’s red in the face, a lot more noticeable now that he’s in his human disguise, and his heart is racing. He just got here, and this sort of thing has already occurred? What the hell is happening here?

——•——

The oni was a quick mover. She hardly stopped to chat with the people around her, in fact she’d rather not. Then she’d have to explain why in her arms she was carrying a grumpy school boy bridal style.

Her ring gleamed under the slowly setting sun, amethyst gem’s purple light gleaming in the dark.

“Here we are.”

Mingxia stopped in front of a shop which the windows were covered in, it was a tad bit peculiar but oh well. She began to walk up the steps which led to the dormitory part, and with a bit too much ease kicked the door open.

She gently closed it behind her, and then proceeded to drop Aldion on the floor.

“This will be your group home if you don't wish to live with me, I feel you’ll get along with the people here just fine.”

Aldion makes an “oof” sound when he hits the floor, rubbing his behind, which took the brunt of the fall. He’s still in his human facade, appearing to be an ordinary, blonde human, standing at around 5’7.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?! Just because you’ve done whatever you did, it doesn’t make me a lesser to you, you hear?!”

He pushes himself off the floor, dusting his uniform off. He turns to Mingxia with an annoyed look, placing his hands on his hips and pouting.

“I deserve more respect than this, you hear me?!”

She sighed, purple irises filling with a look of annoyance. Still, she composed herself to where she was calm once more with a few deep breaths. Black strands of hair fell before her eyes as she knelt down to the demon’s level.

She gently began to pet his hair and even rubbed his back after..

“There, there.. I apologize. I should have set you down normally. It slipped my mind that you wouldn't land on your feet.” She frowned, “I do, however, respect you. I respect all living creatures. That is besides the point though. Will this place be alright?”

It’s not like she lingered in her temple much anyhow.. he would be rather lonely if he lived with her and refused to go out and about with her.

”Hmph..”

He looks around. Looks like some kind of.. dormitory. Nobody appears to be present right now, but there does appear to be something cooking on the stove. He sniffs the air. Ribs. He walks around the room, taking the scenery in with his false azure eyes, his illusion masking his true, yellow ones. He sits on the couch. Soft.. good. He stands up and continues to inspect the area, looking around for a little while longer before returning to Mingxia.

“Hmph. This place seems.. fine enough. Decent, even. Thanks.. I guess. Now you can take your leave, I’ll just relax here for the time being.”

He crosses his arms. He clearly likes the place, but he appears to still be acting defiantly. Almost like a child..

[badbirchenergy]

Nodding along with every word, May soaks in the insight she's being granted. Though she wouldn't ever describe the man as particularly secretive, she's often found Gold's reservations perplexing.... in a most interesting way.

On one hand, he is bold and stern and honest to a fault, carrying his traditional beliefs with a poise likened to elders of past generations; the other side of him is more introspective, incredibly selective with where he places his energy and not one to let his emotions get the better of him—at the very least, from her perspective.

It is something she's come to appreciate most, this duality about him. Though he vouches that her influence has helped him to broaden his outlook on life, Gold has been just as influential towards May honing herself into regaining that focus necessary to be worthy the title of "Champion".

Gold's tone is relaxed, welcoming, and in no way dismissive, which makes listening all the more pleasant while May digests her dinner of fried noodles. "I mean, if it works, it works," languidly, her voice carries above the brook's babbling and the waterfall's gentle roar. "It's cool y'all were able to find each other 'n just click like that. Bet that's hard fer a lotta couples with that kinda dynamic, but... 'ey, what do I know? Relationship stuff really ain't my specialty."

May is selling herself short, but that is to be as expected when it comes to the topic of romance. Never had she anticipated meeting a person like Dawn, connecting with someone so intimately that she'd venture beyond the platonic line-in-the-sand kept intact throughout most of her life's relationships.

She supposes the same can be said for Gold, as he's describing it—finding those other halves, or thirds, and so on. Finding someone who gets it, and once they're found? Holding onto dear life to keep those feelings sacred and to cherish every moment. To live a life in the realization that love isn't the battle many make it out to be.

"...ya think I returned to Hoenn, just t'get some ass?" Her laugh that soon rises is enough for Peaches to crack an eye open, grumbling before she rolls onto her other side to face away from the group. Balthazar, having finished the remnants of his gemstone kibble, is off scampering after the nocturnal natives, while Salem reclines and curls up beneath the light of a waxing moon.

"Nah, to be real, no– no, not really." May ponders her thoughts on the topic, and of her return to Hoenn in general, before continuing. "I'm good with what I got, me 'n Dawn. Plus, it's still kinda strange, to be back 'round people I haven't seen in so long. Everybody's done their fair share of growin', that they're all basically strangers t'me now? Like– it's almost like seein' ghosts of people I used t'know, but now don't... really recognize, anymore."

Save for Brendan, and for that she's been endlessly grateful; their reunion, once the initial iciness between them had its chance to thaw, became more sweet than bitter. "My co-Champ has been th'best source of support, though, even after he had t'pick up my slack when I went full ghost-type mode. But, y'know... it's been kinda validatin' not bein' put down, just 'cuz the path I chose fer m'self wasn't what others wanted from me."

By now, the Hoennite is well aware that her childhood friend had chosen a path for himself, as much as she had her own—whether or not it was something he'd thought through enough, before he decided to soldier the burden of the title he bears. This epiphany comes to shine a light on their similarities, too, and strikingly so—charging forth blindly, whether out of impulse or spite.

As May sits to face Gold, she picks up a strange aroma that commands her attention: it is earthy, with notes of the river trickling before them, the few trees barricading between the back of the community center and the riverside clearing they lounge around.

Sharpened instincts bring her to glance up at that moment, eyes tracing along the dark ledges of the mountain looming here at the heart of Kitakami; for a split second, a shadow blurs from behind the rocky outcrop jutting over where they rest, seemingly disappearing into thin air along with the scents of nature that had accompanied the apparition.

May rubs her eyes with both palms—clearly, fatigue is finally catching up to her, after that lengthy trip from Mesagoza to Mossui. She shakes these stray thoughts away, beaming brightly towards the Johtonian Champ. "'Ey, maybe we can all get together sometime? Fer somethin' of a double-date, like they do on them TV shows... well triple, in yer case, but all th'same! It'd be fun as hell!" An activity other than beating the living shit out of each other (in battle, of course) would be a refreshing change of pace, after all.

"Isn't that true of you, too?" He offers with a smile. "As far as I know, you didn't have to solve Hoenn's crisis alone."

He couldn't really have imagined not having his friends and those like Lance to help him, in hindsight. Red had been practically alone in his efforts against Rocket for example. He was glad May didn't have to be either.

Her next comment makes him laugh softly and shrug gently.

"It helps I had a good teacher." He flashes her a smile. "Your attitude is so positive it was hard not to take after you."

That wasn't a lie either. May's full of boundless energy and a genuine love for life. Whatever she'd been through seemed to hardly impact her day-to-day, and that was something Gold aspired to emulate, in his own way.

Admetus flopped down beside him with a complete lack of grace and Gold absent-mindedly ran his fingers through the Persian's fur as he listened to May.

Her question wasn't invasive; he wasn't exactly shy about things.

"Easier than one might imagine." Gold replies, thoughtful. "There's no jealousy, for one. It was easy for Lyra and I when I have known her since I was a child. Silver took a little longer, but we all cared about one another too much to simply limit ourselves. Lyra and I do not officially call ourselves a couple, however. A mutual decision; we would self-destruct if we tried to be traditional - she enjoys her freedom far too much."

Gold doesn't seem bitter about that, though, not even slightly.

"She studies in Galar for much of the year, returning to Johto for a few weeks during breaks or other things like that. If I recall, she is studying anthropology? Myths and legends, specifically. Meanwhile, Silver is comfortable with being known as my boyfriend."

And everyone was happy with that. Marriage didn't exactly seem ideal for anyone.

"If I may ask, what about you? Has anyone taken your fancy since your return?"